JohnC

How many other teams do you believe would have given up a second-round pick for him? I don't believe any other team would have done that. Even acknowledging that over-payment, it was worth it for us. However, I just don't see any other team coming to the same conclusion/judgment.

I have argued that the Sabres giving up a second-round pick for this fourth line player was worth it. We had an excess of draft assets to fill this fourth line need. (I still maintain that position.) However, from a league standard of valuing assets, it was an over-pay. That's an acknowledgment that the Sabres are not a normally run franchise. It is in a desperate situation because of its own failed operation. So, it shouldn't be a surprise that this stuck franchise feels compelled to do things that other franchises wouldn't do. You can see the Lindy influence in the GM's transactions this offseason. Regardless what the price was to rectify the imbalance in this roster, that critical issue at least has been addressed. There is a difference between accumulating talent and putting together a team. At least now you can see more coherence and thought in putting together a roster.

The roster is better balanced now with the upgrade of the lower two lines. I would love to see another second line forward added before camp opens up but I'm not confident that it will happen. So assuming there will be internal improvement by the young players such as Power, Quinn, JJP, Benson, Byram etc., the issue comes down to the play of our goalies. If UPL can play at the same level as he did last year, then we should have a good opportunity to make the playoffs. If his play regresses without Levi picking up the slack, then I see them again on the outside looking in. If I had to predict a young player making a quantum leap forward, the player I would pick would be Quinn. I also see Power making the jump. Power is not a flashy player but I do see him being an anchor defenseman this season.

On this team, Tuch is a genuine first line player. Let's get freaking real here: The best we can hope for right now is that the Sabres will vie for a low rung playoff spot. If you want to talk about your fantasy hockey world that is not grounded on reality, then do so. I'm not into that fantasy world.

Who is advocating for Tuch to be moved down to the second line? If there are people in that minority camp, it is a very small camp. It seems to me that the first line is solidified with JJP/Tage/Tuch. There are a variety of interesting line combinations that validly can be made. Where Benson ends up is one of the more intriguing issues, along with whether a player such as Kulich can impress enough to make the jump to the big league. If a second line player is not brought it, what are the ramifications for the next two lines? As @dudacek points out, it is an interesting time of year to postulate. It's going to be interesting to see if Lindy's eyes reflect the consensus views of the members hers. I see Lindy being more of a juggling coach than a static lineup coach. We shall see.

Assuming Assuming a top 6 forward is not added, the issue of where Benson is placed vs Zucker is not troubling to me. They'll compete for line roles in camp and when the season begins. And I suspect that Lindy will periodically be interchanging them at game time and within the games. Eventually, it will sort itself out. What will be Krebs role? Will he be forth line player or will he become a spare part who becomes a utility player? He'll influence that decision in training camp and during the early season games. I like seeing this internal competition. It's better than players securing roles because of a lack of competition. What's apparent to me is that if the GM can add another second/third line forward, he will be creating a lot more flexibility and depth within the next two lines. My hope is that the cautious GM will make a deal to bring in that type of player. Will he? I'm not sure that he will?

No.

I respectfully but strenuously disagree with the notion that this team isn't experienced enough to be a playoff team. As I stated in my prior post, this is a relatively young roster but it is more than experienced enough. The lower two lines were reconstituted from the outside. From an age and experienced perspective those players have reached the sweet spot (noted by @dudacek). Our young players on the top two lines have enough experience to be genuine top two line players (JJP, Quinn, Cozens, Tage, Tuch). I'm hoping that another 2nd line forward can be added to the mix before the season starts. If not, you go with what you got and draw from the system. I'm not foolish enough to consider this team a Cup contending team. But I do see it as a lower qualifying playoff team. Much of that depends on the quality of goaltending. If UPL plays at the same level he did when he took over the reigns as the #1 goalie, there should be no excuses not to qualify for the playoffs. Am I asking for too much? No!

Age is not necessarily an accurate reflection of experience. Cozens is a young player but I don't consider him to be an inexperienced player. JJP is a young player but he's had enough playing time where he should not have significant problems due to his inexperience. The number of games Quinn has played has been limited because of injuries. But he has more than enough experience to play well against experienced NHL players. The same argument applies to Samuelsson. There is no question that many of our young players were rushed to the NHL. It was obvious that some were rushed before they were ready. The Sabres were rebuilding so rushing them made more sense than it would for a team contending for the cup. It's now not about the future; it's about the present. We are at a point where being an inexperienced team or a grizzly veteran team should be used as an excuse. Now you simply get judged on your record. No more excuses.

If Samuelsson is included in a Farabee deal, then it should be an unequivocal no! Krebs plus a pick or secondary prospect would be reasonable in my view. However, adding a defenseman, either Samuelsson or Clifton, would have me hanging up the phone. Torts is notorious in creating doghouses that are tough to get out of. If Farabee is locked in one of them, he should be available for a reasonable price. If not, look elsewhere.

What the organization needed was an NHL ready player who can contribute right away. So a good prospect was dealt for immediate help. The organization possessed other prospects in the system who were in the same tier as the dealt player. When you have a redundant talent it makes sense to use that asset for immediate help. This trade made sense for a number of reasons for both teams. At this advanced stage of the rebuild the priority should be more on the NHL roster than on the prospect pool.

There was no way he could run back the same roster from last year. It would be hideous hockey malpractice. There was an evident imbalance on the roster that related to the lower lines. You don't have to be a hockey afficionado to recognize that the roster was poorly constructed. In the numerous games that I watched, all the outside commentators who were not invested in the competing teams said the same thing i.e. the roster had talent but it was a poorly constructed roster with manifest flaws. This offseason, the GM appears to have rectified the roster imbalance. Good for him. He did it without giving up an excessive amount of assets. Again, good for him. And I'm with you that I hope that one more second line forward can be added to the mix. That would make it a superlative offseason for this cautious GM.

I agree with you that Granato's forte and inclination is toward player developmental. But he wasn't a novice in the league. He's been associated with the NHL for a long time in a variety of roles. However, coaching is coaching. You adjust and the opposition then adjusts to you. There is a basic element to it that seemed to elude him. The static PP scheme is an example of that. It will be interesting to see what the difference in coaching translates into from a points and record standpoint. This freaking franchise has been so amateurishly run. It starts from the owner and leaks down. Dam stupid and tough to take.

I just can't figure out why the staff didn't adjust their PP scheme when it was evident to all that it wasn't working? For the most part, it was a stationary approach. As you point out, there was little movement. The Tage wind up and blast away from the wing no longer worked because the opposition adjusted to their most potent weapon. What did our staff expect? The opposition not to adjust? In every sport, teams adjust and the opposition then readjusts. It's an ongoing process. We just seem to be stuck and hard-headed about reacting. The takeaway is: coaching matters.

I'm a Marty Biron fan. He is knowledgeable about the league and in particular the Sabres. Sometimes people can get enamored with his engaging personality and lose sight of his incisive analyses. It's interesting to note that one young Sabre player who he was not impressed with was UPL. I'm sure that particular player evaluation has changed. Another impressive quality about him is that he is not afraid to acknowledge that his initial judgments on players were wrong. Sidenote about the Biron family: He has a son who has entered West Point. He was talking about it on WGR.

It might make more sense to add a second line winger than it would be to add a 2/3 C. Would a Zegress, Farabee or whoever be a better course of action to take? Adding a genuine second line forward to the mix would also upgrade the third line. The speculation about Zegress and Farabee might suggest that is also what the GM is considering.

I strongly believe that the reconstitution of the lower two lines will have a positive effect on our two top lines. (As you and many others have already said.) It seemed to me that last season Cozens had tried to take on an added role of being an enforcer instead of simply playing his normal game. It's both a criticism of him and also a tribute to him that he was willing to take on a greater responsibility than he should have had. I remember when he took the initiative to instigate a fight in order to arouse his mates. He ended up getting his faced smashed in by a palooka, resulting in his play falter because he was hurt. With the new lineup and with Lindy behind the bench he should be in a better position to thrive as a player.

After reading the article it is abundantly clear that there is overlapping talent in the system. We have the chips/assets to work a deal/s to improve the NHL roster. I'm hoping that our cautious GM can still negotiate a deal to bring in a top 6 forward before camp opens up.

As you well know, I was a Casey fan and valued his versatility. My criticism of your comment was the standard you used (Byran being an all-star) in assessing this deal. In general, I considered this a fair deal. However, my preference was to keep Mitts and pursue a more rugged defenseman from the market. It didn't work out that way. But that doesn't mean that this deal is a failure because Byram doesn't turn out to be an all-star, which he will never be. I consider him to be a first or second pairing defenseman. That's nothing to scoff at.

The Caps have been in the playoffs 15 times out of the past 17 years. They are making the transition from their Cup team to a new era of players. That's part of the standard lifespan for teams, the normal cycle of building up and then prudently tearing it down. The Sabres have not been in the playoffs for the past 13 years and still counting. Which organization do you think is managing their business better?

What unrealistic standard are you applying? Who is saying that he has to be a star in order to make his acquisition worthwhile? Odds are very good that he is or will be a first or second pairing defenseman. If that is the case, then it was a fair-value pickup. If your standard in judging this trade in particular is that it has to result in an all-star addition, then you are being unreasonable.

As I stated in my response to @LGR4GM, trading for DuBois and his extended contract is a big risk. It wouldn't have made sense for the Sabres to bring in this type of player. However, they were willing to take the risk that they can stabilize this unstable player and get a return on his untapped talent. We shall see.

You missed the over-arching point. Washington has gone through the challenging transition from a Cup winning team to the next era team without bottoming out. The Ovie quest clearly was a factor in balancing between rebuilding and remaining competitive during his pursuit for hockey history. Compare that to the extended period of time (half a generation) where the Sabres seemed to be spinning its wheels. I'm not looking at this comparison between organizations from a one-year assessment. The rebuilding process can be an extended and excruciating process for all teams. I just think that Washington handled this process with more flexibility and craftiness. I agree with you that the DuBois acquisition is a risk. They were willing to take it for this talented but mercurial player. Let's see how it works out.

When you pause your toast in the toaster, this is what you get: https://www.saveur.com/article/techniques/burn-your-toast-on-purpose/

Washington has done a good job in transitioning from their Cup winning and aging group to steadily bringing in younger and faster players to replace them. They had to make this challenging transition and still be competitive and help Ovie in his quest for Gretzy's goal mark. They are taking a big risk with DuBois but it's worth the risk for this mercurial talent. Their front office recognized where the team was at and managed the transition masterfully. KA should study their playbook and learn how to adjust to the changing circumstances. In a dynamic world you can't be static.