JohnC

Would you be more receptive to a trade that sent out our top pick and high-end prospect for a 3C and a tough fourth liner?

Absolutely not! No need to elaborate because it is borderline insane.

I have argued as much as anyone that the GM shouldn't act out of desperation and overpay for a player. But let's assess the value of what we are giving up in a proposed Bennett trade or a similar type of trade. Is there room for Kulich on the roster? Or even if there is in the near future, will we still have some other prospect options to take his place? I think so. If Ryan Johnson is dealt how much better is he than Joki? The 11th pick might have value but the return won't be tangible until a few years down the road. I don't want to over-sell the value of Bennett, but he is the type of player that this roster needs. He's tough and gritty, and can score at a reasonable level. The Sabres do have talent on the roster. However, it needs to be reshaped, especially from the bottom up. Bennett or someone else needs to be added to this incomplete roster. If a player like him can be added with a lesser price, I'm all for it.

Would our first pick, Ryan Johnson and Kulich get you a Sam Bennett if Florida was forced to trade Bennett due to cap considerations?

My sense is that I don't see any of the three players that @Archie Lee listed (Quinn, JJP and Benson) being a piece in a major deal. It just seems to me that KA is committed to his prospects that have moved up to the NHL. However, that's not to say that the GM won't include some high-end prospects and high draft pick in a deal that would be categorized as little less than a major deal. Will the GM be active in pursuing players this offseason? Probably so, but they will be players who will be used to reconfigure and bulk up the lower lines. I say that because that is what he has repeatedly stated so. As the saying goes: TBD.

As you point out, players certainly have preferences as to where they want to play. It shouldn't be surprising that not every player on the market wants to play for Buffalo, Columbus, in New York, Edmonton, Calgary etc. That's always been the case. The reality is that pro sports is a business. If a player can garner a better contract or opportunity to play in Buffalo, he will be receptive to coming here. I'm confident the pool of players we can draw from will be more than sufficient.

From a contract standpoint, the question very often goes beyond how much to pay for the team in question. The payment rate varies for every franchise. Paying someone at a particular price might not make sense for a franchise that is cap squeezed and has to address other impending contracts. For a team that has more cap room and a desire to be more competitive that payment schedule might be more expansive. I'm not arguing to overpay for a player with a particular level of talent. The issue for me for a franchise that has struggled has to show more flexibility and creativity when making judgments on players and pay scales.

You make a good observation about the type of player that needs to be added to this roster. Regular season play is dramatically different from the way the game is played in the playoffs. Playoff hockey is a lot tighter and rugged. Even in the regular season our more finesse style of play is noticeably less physical than most of the better teams in the league. As it has been said by many: Our roster is currently too imbalanced leaning toward finesse play. The bottom half of the roster needs to be bolstered and bulked up with the type of Canuck player that you noted. Getting a few of those players who fit that lower line profile is very doable, especially considering the abundant assets we have in the system.

I thought his loss for most of the season created a major void. It had a cascading impact on the roster. It seemed to me that Cozens was out of sorts last year. I attribute some of his fog to not having Quinn on his line. The injuries to Samuelsson and Quinn hurt this thin team. Their absences had a cascading effect on the lines and pairings. Having them both healthy will give this roster a boost. We still need more additions.

Absolutely I do. I like JJP a lot. JJP is more of a straight-line power forward. In my view, Quinn's play has a wider dimension to it. He's grittier, more competitive and has superb hockey instincts to get to the right spots. He, Power and Levi are no touch players for me.

Once the Cup series has been concluded the rumors will be flying all over the place. Then the exchanges are going to get heated here. I predict that @GASabresIUFAN will be on fire. I advise those less than sturdy individuals to stay out of this rampaging lawyer's way. 😀

The issue isn't simply what is the value of a top 12 pick as it is what is the value of a top 12 pick included within an outgoing package of players. What young player/s on the roster is the GM willing to include and what prospects in the system is he willing to trade? In general, KA has been more inclined to value his assets higher than many others do. This is going to be an intriguing offseason. Is the GM going to be bold or stay with his conservative instincts of being cautious. I don't really know.

Maybe or maybe not. Odds are if a deal is made for Tkachuk, and Quinn is still with the team, he will be on a wing with Cozens in the middle.

Let me say thanks to you and others who follow the draft and report on it. It's very illuminating. My biggest takeaway from the reporting on this draft class is that we are in a good position to end up with a high-end prospect if we make the selection. That's a valuable asset that can't be wasted. If we deal it, the minimum return needs to be a 3C player. There are those who want to deal that asset for less than its worth. If we can't get that value back in return, then we should keep it. Acting out of desperation is a bad way to do business.

There is no question that this feisty player attracts the ire of the opposition resulting in penalties. (As you point out.) Skinner has some obvious deficiencies but on balance his offense compensates for them. (As you also point out.) This team attracts a lot of negative commentary related to its lapses in effort. The one thing that Skinner can't be criticized for is his consistent effort no matter what his role is. He's a full effort player in the games and in his preparation. In my opinion, he needs to be better utilized so his biggest asset (goal scoring) is maximized.

If Quinn is part of a proposed trade deal, I'm strongly against it. If Power is part of a proposed trade deal, I'm strongly against it. If Peterka is part of a trade deal that includes our first-round pick, I'm receptive to a deal.

https://www.audacy.com/wgr550/hosts/sabres-live There is a segment within the link from WGR's Sabre Live having the hosts talking about players that the organization should consider. This is a 26 minute segment. Good discussion that parallels the discussion here.

We both agree that he should be kept this year. We disagree on how to best utilize him this year. That's okay. TBD.

An absolute no for me. Another issue that many people are not considering is whether he would want to come here.

You missed the point regarding the Mitts comparison. My central point regarding the Mitts scenario related to how too many people were locked in about in their assessment about him. The same dynamic appears to apply to the Skinner scenario. You are misinterpreting my point about him if you believe I'm talking about the long-term implications about him as a player on this team. My focus is on this upcoming season. Is Skinner a defensive liability? Maybe so, but not to the extent that many people believe it to be. In fact, I would argue that he is less of a defensive liability, or at the least not more, than JJP is. In my view, it is not out of the range of possibility that on the top line he can end up as a 30-35 goal scorer. And if allowed to play on the second PP unit, it is not inconceivable that he can approach the 40 goal mark. Others may scoff at that goal production but I don't. My overriding point is that more attention should be directed toward his offensive asset than his defensive liability.

I'm aware of the dominant view that Skinner should be dealt or if necessary bought out. Why not simply keep him and put him on the first line? On that line it is not unrealistic to believe that he can score around 35 goals. Moving him up to the first line then allows you to move JJP to the second line with Cozens the center and Quinn on the other wing. That should be a very vibrant line. The issue then becomes who is going to be added on a third line that has Benson? It seems that Skinner has beeb dismissed as a player by many, just like Mitts was a few years back. He does have some liabilities but his biggest asset is that he is a goal scorer. Does his biggest asset make up for his limitations? I think so but most do not.

Is it an unrealistic expectation to believe that Savoie can follow the Benson example and make this roster out of camp?

On the issue of the speed of the rebuild we have had some divergences. However, regarding this offseason our positions coincide. He needs to be proactive. I don't expect any blockbuster deals. I'm fine with that. But he needs to make enough moves that will result in this roster being upgraded and more well-rounded. Compared to other organizations going through a major rebuild he's had more than enough time to solidify the roster and make it a playoff team. There's no question that he has accumulated enough assets to parlay. He's at a stage now where it's more about actually competing than about his theory on how he wants to rebuild. No more talk and no more excuses.

I think he has to make moves for the simple reason that spots are open with departures such as Olofosson and Okposo. There are spots that need to be filled. Even if he is inclined to stick to his inclination of staying within the system, there are vacancies that need to be addressed. There is an interesting consideration that should be noted with your Savoie mention. Could he be next year's roster surprise like Benson was this past season?

This is a terrific post that has a lot of thought behind it. Your list of players who potentially can be targeted is encouraging that options will be available. Is KA creative enough and has the fortitude to act? I hope so.