JohnC

The actions taken so far are neither over nor underwhelming. Just solid deals to address lower line needs. Collectively, they remake what lower lines should look like. As @dudacek points out, there still is a big need that needs to be addressed to fill the Mitts departure. If I had to come up with a word or two that best describes what has taken place so far, I would say workmanlike and incomplete.

I'm not a draftnick and don't pretend to be. But it seems to me that these players are in the same ranking strata. When watching portions of the draft it seems some analysts were gushing over Zeev Buium. I'm more than satisfied with the Helenius pick. Only time will tell.

I agree with you that there is a balance between having future assets and smartly using them to put out a more competitive team. Most people would agree with that sentiment. There is also a recognition that the prospect talent is fulsome enough where there is not enough room on the big roster for all of them when they are ready to move up. As you point out, there are enough chips in the system to work out some reasonable deals that will improve and better balance out the roster. As an example, the trade with the Caps was not a major deal but it was a good deal for us. I also agree with you that I expect a more significant deal to happen soon. I don't expect it to be in the blockbuster category but I do expect/hope that it will add a 2/3 C to the roster. And you are being very astute in recognizing that the play of our goalies is going to be critical to our success. Can UPL play up to last year's level and stay healthy?

I understand why you are saying that the GM is focusing more on the 26-27 season, but I don't buy it at all. Our GM is not so clueless of where this team currently is, and its standing with the fanbase. He also has enough self-awareness that if he doesn't show some success soon (playoffs) that he will be another staffing casualty. The Sabres have had many of their best players work feverishly to get out of this deeply stuck franchise. If our GM has a nickel's worth of common sense, he would realize that the constant attention to the future at the expense of the present is a self-crippling approach to continue with that "get me out of here" attitude. I'm simply not receptive to your proposition that the GM is more focused on the future a few years down the road than he is about the near future i.e. next season. That is not to say that he would willing to jettison a lot of his assets for a short-term burst of success that sells out the future. My point is that he is very concerned about the upcoming season and is willing to do what he needs to do, within reason, to have a successful season this year. I'm sure he is now at the stage where his attention is about the now.

You may not be aware of it but the offseason is not over with yet. The GM claims that he offered up his first pick. According to him, he had no takers or whatever offers he had were unacceptable to him. Were prospects included in any proposals? I don't know. However, I'm not criticizing the GM just yet for not making a deal that he considers unfair. If you want to, then that's your prerogative. Ottawa made a deal with Boston that included their first pick for Ullmark. It was a fair deal that made good sense for both organizations. So far, our GM has not been able to make an impactful deal just yet. Again, the offseason is not over yet.

Your last sentence is the point I was highlighting. Let's wait and see what develops. If the GM's collective responses are inadequate, then a torrent of criticism is merited. I agree that the coaching search was blatantly bogus. And I said so when Ruff was hired. This organization is not even good at faking things. Ultimately, it was an acceptable hire. However, the charade was embarrassing and insulting. The big issue for me is the 2/3 C position. That's where my attention is focused on. If that issue isn't properly addressed, the offseason becomes a big fail.

Yes, he was traded to Ottawa for a first. Our GM claimed that he offered our top pick for NHL players. How many of those draft deals were made in this draft? According to him, he got no offers or acceptable offers. What do you want him to do? Give up his pick for a marginal player? If you can't get a reasonable/fair deal, then don't make it.

I can understand your frustration with the lack of activity by this GM, but it is misplaced, at least right now it is. As @shrader points out no team was able to trade their first-round pick for a contributing NHL player. Go back and review last year's draft? How many times were draft picks exchanged for NHL players during the draft? The draft picks are simply not valued as much as many here assume they are. Will deals be made after the draft? Yes. Teams are starting to make their buyouts so more players will be up for grabs. And more trades will be made that will have prospects involved for NHL players. We are entering the part of the offseason where trades are usually made and where more free agents will be on the market. I can understand your frustration with this front office because I also have it. But expecting our GM to make deals when few teams are making consequential deals at this time is unrealistic. After the draft, we should be able to get a better feel for what is going happen.

The salary is too much and the term is too lengthy. No thanks. I just don't see KA going for that type of deal. The odds of him being dealt to Buffalo are infinitesimal. If you think that is possible, that's okay. I see that type of deal being farfetched and basically nonexistent.

If you consider the term still left on Kadri's contract, I would prefer Coleman. I'm not saying he's better. But taking on Kadri's contract will create a cap squeeze when Quinn and JJP's contract need to be addressed. Also, adding Coleman instead of Kadri, would give you more financial flexibility to pursue other players. Interestingly, Craig Button did bring up both of these players as players that KA could pursue on today's WGR Sabre Live show.

I say with confidence: I don't know what they are going to do. But as you note, there are so many options and considerations to consider something has to give this weekend. If little happens, it will be so disappointing.

The interesting question is what player is San Jose homing in on? I agree with you that from a Sabre perspective it is a good deal. We can still get a good player within the same tier of the 11th pick, and we add picks that can be used as chips in a trade deal. This is certainly far from an overwhelming deal but it is a smart deal. Another interesting question regarding our side of the deal is whether in other proposed deals a team/s was asking for more in return to get a deal consummated? Maybe the return from the San Jose deal can be the deciding factor???

What I don't get is the resentment towards a player who wants the terms of his contract honored by the organization that is buying him out. Being passionate doesn't mean that you have to lose your common sense. If you want to express your passion/anger, then direct it towards the inept organization that gave the player this too extended contract with such a limiting clause. The organization limited its options with this particular player by agreeing to this clause in the contract. And now they are limited to what they would like to do. What a freaking surprise! When you shoot yourself in the foot, blame the dumb shooter. You are mistaken about how Captain Kirk would have reacted. He would have been smart enough (or not dumb enough) to write a clause for a subordinate that would come back to sabotage himself and his crew. And if the potential crew member insisted on the NMC clause before signing on, Captain Kirk would have told the aspirant to journey on with another ship. Captain Kirk would not have needed any advice from the robotic Spock because he had enough common sense and good judgment to make a better decision.

Being a Sabre fan doesn't require you to give up logic. Skinner is acting in his own best interest just as the Sabres are in buying him out, assuming that is what is going to happen. The Skinner scenario is not uncommon in hockey. It's not unusual for teams to buy out players, and it is not unusual for players to seek out options that are in their best interest. It's part of the business where sentimentality is set aside.

I don't understand your response. He and the team negotiated a contract that included a NMC. It's likely that he is going hold the organization to the clause within a buyout. What's wrong with that? He's not obligated to do the organization any special favors. His best interest is to maintain the clause and have it honored so he can work the market that best suits him. If anyone is to be criticized about the clause it is the organization that included it when it signed him. It had the option of not signing him with the clause. They didn't do that. The organization made a bad judgment, and now they have to live with the consequences. It's a business.

I don't see it as a black eye for him or anyone else subjected to a buyout. It's a business. And he's smart enough to recognize it.

Skinner is a good nature guy. But he's not dumb. He's veteran enough to recognize that the NHL is a sport and a business.

On the buyout he loses money. But he can make it up by signing a lower contract with another team. By offering his services for a lower averaged salary, there should be a number of teams who would be interested in him. From a financial situation, he is in a better situation by not waiving his NMC. At least, that's how I see it.

Why would Skinner be willing to waive his NTC? It would make no sense for him. His best option is take the buyout, and then be an appealing player for a number of teams. His appeal beyond being a goal scorer is that he can go to a team for a big discounted contract. From his financial perspective, he can play for a relatively low salary and on added to his buyout money, he would be making more money than even if he stayed with the Sabres. His contract put him in control of his own fate, and he is using it.

I agree with your take on Krebs. I have no problem with him as a 4C, assuming he earns that role. The more critical issue still is acquiring a 2/3 C to replace Mitts.

I was listening to WGR's Sabres Live Show where Necas was discussed. Marty Briere liked him a lot and thought he would be a good addition. He stated that the issue that came into play was his style of play: Defensively he is a little loose and offensively he free lances. Despite that issue, Marty thought he would be a good addition. He also pointed out that there were teams interested in him, especially Jersey.

Who doesn't agree with you that Adams needs to make a number of moves to make this team better? In Lance's commentary, he lists a number of reasonable options. We shall soon see if the GM is capable of acting in a consequential manner that improves this team this offseason. If the GM responds in his typical tepid and cautious manner, then he will deserve the scorn that is building up. If the GM responds in way that substantively improves the roster, then he is simply doing his job.

Quinn is better than Peterka. Peterka may be a faster north/south skater, but Quinn is a quicker skater more adept in moving in tight spaces. He's also a smarter and more instinctive player who knows where to go as the play develops. I'm not knocking JJP who I like a lot and is going to get even better, but if I had a choice between the two, it would definitely be Quinn.

https://buffalonews.com/sports/professional/nhl/sabres/casey-mittelstadt-new-contract-colorado-avalanche-buffalo-sabres-nhl/article_5f6f06be-33ca-11ef-aed4-0fd65a4b1efc.html#tracking-source=mp-homepage This article by Lance Lysowski in today's Buff News enumerates a list of more than a half a dozen players who could fill the 2/3/C void created by the Mitts trade. There are plenty of options. The issue becomes what tier of talent is the GM going to pursue and what is he willing to give up to get a deal done. And there are a number of attainable options to pursue in reconstructing and bulking up the lower lines. I would rather have a number of mid-level transactions that addresses more needs than make a so-called blockbuster deal that gets more attention but doesn't sufficiently fill out the roster.

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/10125729-martin-necas-contract-is-key-to-flyers-blackhawks-title-hopes-amid-nhl-trade-rumors I'm not offering an opinion on this player. Just pointing out that there are multiple teams interested in acquiring him if the price is right.