JohnC

I agree with you that if Ullmark is dealt it would be strange. If you are making a bet it isn't financially wise (even for a degenerate gambler) to place a bet on something weird happening, even if the stupendous odds could give you a glorious windfall if you hit the jackpot. That's just me and my tight wallet perspective on this issue.

When you have a player who is so instrumental to your team's success you look elsewhere to make cuts. From a productivity to salary standpoint he should be considered a good value. I just don't see him being moved under any circumstances, at least right now.

Why would Boston want to move Ullmark? If they are under severe cap pressures, they would make the necessary adjustments elsewhere. Moving Ullmark makes no sense at all, especially after the season he just had.

If Ryan Johnson were in this year's draft, where would you rate him on your board?

You ask terrific questions. They get at the heart of the main issue that will determine success next season and beyond. As I said in prior posts, I expect Levi to be our primary goalie, playing around half of the games. With respect to Comrie, I'm not convinced that his less than impressive stats reflect how well he can play. He was hurt for much of the season. I would be reluctant to make him our primary netminder but not afraid to give him extensive playing time as a backup. As far as UPL, he's shown flashes of play that are encouraging, and also lapses that are discouraging. He's still young with room to grow. These three goalies are going to compete against one another to earn their spots and roles. And that is how it should be. You ask if I am comfortable with the current assemblage of goalies on hand. No, I'm not. Candidly, I'm queasy about the situation. There are too many assumptions involved within the group to make me comfortable. The obvious follow-up question is: What would you be willing to do about it? I don't believe that our GM (or even I) would be willing to give up major assets to bring in (if even available) an ace goalie. The reason is that the organization is betting on Levi to be our mainstay goalie right now. I believe it should be more of a priority to improve the blueline. In that way you put the goalies in a better position to succeed. In my mind it is more doable and cost-effective to add talent to the defensive corps than to the goalie position.

It was @PromoTheRobot. I intended to respond directly to his post but I made a mistake in how it was submitted. That's on me. And I want it to be known that he is one of my favorite people on this site. There isn't anyone more dedicated in following this team. He travels all over the place and puts his money on the line to support the team. Sometimes he doesn't understand why his ardent support for this team isn't shared by others.

As you are indicating, this is going to be an intriguing offseason. If the GM can fortify the blueline, and with internal improvement of players such as Quinn, JJ, Krebs, Power, and to a lesser degree Stillman and Greenway, this team should be ready to compete with even the upper tier teams. Where I differ from most of the crowd here is that I don't believe that our GM will be bringing in outside help for the goalie position. My sense (opinion) is that the trio he has on hand will be competing to establish their roles. I expect Levi to be our primary goalie when the season starts.

Are you sure it wasn't an Eichel thread? ☠️

I would like to get your thoughts or anyone else's on this two-option proposal: 1.) Adding two 4/5 defensemen to the unit this offseason for little cost or 2.) adding one 3/4 defenseman to the unit that would require a #1 round pick plus a high-end prospect such as Savoie, Kulich or Rosen. I lean toward first option although very open to option two.

Why doesn't he seem like a competitor to you? Do you think the GM would have signed him to a deal if he had any concerns about his competitiveness? The prospect simply wasn't ready to sign when he finished his college season. Maybe he needed a break before making a decision that will set the course in his hockey career? So what's the big deal if there was a delay in getting him under contract? The GM is getting the hockey work done in a very systematic and businesslike manner. No more turmoil and dysfunction in the operation. The focus is on team and how to get better. There is a stability here that hasn't existed in a long time. The GM is doing a terrific job.

I haven't watched any of the games in this tournament. By all reports JJ has played well for Germany. I'm really excited about the Quinn/Cozens/JJ line next season.

The Sabres were bad for nearly a generation. As you well know that is the primary reason for the lack of fan support. When an upcoming generation of fans have little allegiance to a failed franchise, you are not going to instantly get them back. Last season, it was evident that the fans were starting to come back in larger numbers. It takes time to win back credibility when it has been lost. It is evident to all that you are an alpha fan. Good for you! You should be saluted. But don't expect others, especially the younger crowd, to have that same unwavering enthusiasm that you have for this team, at least for now. Because of the systemic dysfunction of this organization, this franchise lost the trust of a significant portion of the fanbase. It's now steadily earning it back. You should put the blame on this suppressed market where it mostly belongs. The organization failed the fanbase; the fanbase didn't fail the organization. The fans were the abused party in this sad saga. So they invested their entertainment dollars elsewhere. That shouldn't be surprising even to an alpha fan.

I don't know what Johnson's intentions are. I'm hoping that he will sign with the Sabres. I think that you hit on the reason why he hasn't made a decision to sign: He simply needs time away from playing big time college hockey and going to school. He needs to decompress from the pressurized world of hockey, school and being a pro prospect that he has been immersed in for so long. He will ultimately have to make a decision on what is in his own best interest. Fortunately, the Sabres are in a position where whatever he decides to do will have little impact on this franchise. This franchise has accumulated enough talent to absorb such a perceived setback. If he doesn't join our system it will simply give another player a better opportunity to play. What's interesting is that more than a few hockey analysts who are not affiliated with the Sabres have all said the same thing: That Buffalo would be a good situation for him from a positional need and being part of an emerging franchise. We shall see. I just got the latest news. I'm late to the party.

It really wasn't in KA's or Hall's interest to sign a longer-term deal. As you point out, KA was reluctant to give longer term deals because he had in mind of remaking this roster. So he didn't want to get stuck with players that he might not have a longer term interest in. And as @PerreaultForever points out that Hall wanted to restore his player credibility that would have made him more marketable when he became a free agent. I've stated this before, that it's my opinion that KA wanted from the start to remake this roster with players that he felt were committed to process of rebuilding the roster. He knew which players would be invested in that challenging journey and which would not. However, when he took over, he didn't have the consent from the owner to implement his rebuilding plan. Krueger at that time had a lot of authority. And he wanted to bring in players to help support Jack and give this team a better chance to win right away. In my view KA, was wise enough to be strategically patient and let the Krueger and owner plan to take the short-term route to be competitive as soon as possible play out. Needless to say, it didn't work out. And it was at this point that KA got the owner's consent to implement his plan. It was at this point where he adroitly started to make deals to utilize the trade assets he had and work with the assets that he wanted to keep.

You can count on Greenway earning a roster spot. I'm not going to argue with you that VO and Jost positions on this team are solidified. If Greenway is not on the third line with Mitts, he will be on another line. The coach who advocated for his acquisition the most was the HC. The Sabres gave up a second-round pick for him. You can count on him being introduced to the crowd on opening night at home.

I didn't have the opportunity to watch the Amerks this year. I was able to watch a portion of the Hershey playoff game. As you noted, what stood out to me is the team speed. The pace of play is fast. It seems that this franchise is emphasizing building a roster predicated on speed and skill more than on a physical and rugged style of play.

I don't think he is underrated as a prospect by most of the people who follow the Amerks. However, there is a realization that he still needs another year or two to physically mature before he will be able to play at the NHL level. By all accounts he has made strides this year. But the biggest issue for this youngster is physical maturation. Time will take care of that issue.

Okposo was a -7, Girgs was a -5 and Krebs was a - 8. That is far from being a big minus for a season stat. A team is comprised of many parts that go beyond statistics. Leadership and value can't always be properly measured by numbers. This is especially true for Okposo. If there were any resistance by a faction of the players that didn't want him in the room, he wouldn't have been re-signed. It's inarguable that professional sports can be a cold-blooded business. But that doesn't mean that players aren't aware of how certain long-standing and loyal players are treated when they are on the verge of finishing their careers. If you want to create an environment where other players want to come, you have to handle your players in a respectful manner and with dignity. Okposo is not the player he once was. But he still has value in a more limited role and as a teammate on this team. Building a team is more than accumulating disparate pieces. He is a player and person whose presence solidifies the group. Although its value can't be quantified, it can be understood and appreciated.

I doubt that reaching statistical benchmarks is the reason why he is kept. He has too much integrity and pride to play another year just for the sake of reaching some personal goals. Few would dispute the fact that he's not the player that he was a few years ago. But as a fourth liner he has a role on this team. And it is undeniable that he is a well-respected voice on the ice and in the room. Now, that he is playing this season the next issue of whether Girgs is gong to be retained or even want to be here. I don't know what the answer is to that question.

I'm old but not old school. Allowing players to play it out creates more opportunities for players to needlessly get hurt. Do referees sometimes get the icing call wrong? Of course they do. So what. A lot of judgment calls are wrongly called during the game. In this case player safety concerns trump the old icing rule. There are plenty of situations where players can get hurt. This shouldn't be one of them.

As an end to end and north/south skater this guy has jets. Quite impressive! If JJ and Quinn take the next step up, as Cozens did this past season, that second line is going to be stellar.

Reinhart isn't a flashy or explosive player. He never was and never will be. He's simply one of the smartest players on the ice whose instincts are exceptional. There is a subtlety and consistency to his game that won't standout unless you watch him over an extended period of time. The Jack trade benefited both teams involved in the transaction. And similarly, the Reinhart trade has benefited both teams involved in that transaction. (I'm expecting Levi to be an instrumental player for us.) When these two transactions are tabulated for each team all the parties involved will come out on the plus side.

My view of the Eichel situation is more aligned with your view than it is with the majority of people here who resented him for wanting to leave the dysfunctional situation that he was in. He gets singled out because he was our highest profiled player who had greater expectations placed on him than any of the other players who let the front office know that they had no desire to continue on with this lagging franchise. Risto, Reinhart, Montour, Hall, Ullmark etc made it clear that they had no desire to continue on with the stagnant situation that they felt they were in. They all got moved or left. And for the most part they all ended up in better situations than they had here. Good for them. In general, the GM got reasonable returns for the departed players. Not only was the roster internally reshuffled but also the outside additions enhanced the talent that was already here. The most impactful move was dispatching a coach who was out of his depth, and then elevating the right coach who knew how to work with the roster he had. The moral of the Jack story is that continuous losing is demoralizing not only for the players but also for the fan base. It shouldn't be a surprise that it created an environment of disgruntlement that some players found intolerable. You asked the question as to whether the situation could have been different and salvageable. Of course, it could have. It wasn't for a variety of reasons that revolved around the ownership and staffing. Fortunately, it seems that the owner has modified his approach in overseeing his franchise and put in place a better staff that is allowed to do its jobs. It seems that after being subjected to a long period of turmoil that this franchise has been stabilized. In the short tenure of KA as the GM the situation has dramatically changed for the better. I'm optimistic about the upcoming season.

As you well know, I'm more sanguine about our goaltending situation than most here are. You can attribute that increase in optimism toward that critical position to the addition of Levi. Let's put that issue aside for now. As far as I'm concerned, the organization needs to add at least two more 4/5 defenseman to the mix in order to bolster the unit and create enough depth to absorb the inevitable injuries. That's where the front office's attention needs to be directed toward this offseason.

I'm not sure why it wouldn't come up for you. The article dealt with the issue of balancing development for the young players with having the right mix of veterans who set a good example on how to play and prepare. The overriding point was that developing players for the NHL is the priority in the balancing act.