JohnC

This article in the Buffalo News is written by Lance Lysowski. It talks about Karmonos and how he has dealt with Rochester. If you can't bring this article up because of the paywall, try using GoogleChrome as your browser. https://buffalonews.com/sports/sabres/q-a-sabres-jason-karmanos-on-how-rochester-amerks-have-won-while-developing-players/article_a0905a30-f31b-11ed-9e31-ab90cdaac98d.html

We are talking past one another. Once Jack made it clear that he didn't want to be part of the rebuild the GM's decision to move him was not difficult to make. How many times had the GM publicly stated that he wanted players who wanted to be part of the solution/rebuild? He repeated it so much that it became a mantra. Jack didn't want to be in Buffalo any longer. (I have no criticism for his position.) There was little subtlety about where each party stood. The divorce was inevitable. Maybe not for you but for me it wasn't a complicated situation. It happens all the time in sports and in the workplace.

Are you denying that the number of accumulated first round picks were the main reason why that team made that leap forward?

What do you think Orlov's contract will look like? Just something to consider: Would it be better to sign two 4/5 defensemen at a moderate cost or spend heavy on a #4 and second pairing defenseman. I lean toward quantity over quality in our situation. I prefer two new players on that unit rather than one.

I have no problem with it. The main driver of improvement is going to come from the young players already on the roster. My main concern is to add talent to the blueline this offseason. That's where my attention will be. The model that we seem to be following is the Jersey Devil formula. That team took a major leap forward because the accumulation of highly drafted players matured as a group. There is no reason why we can't have that same success next season with our young and talented group.

I'm not implying anything. I'm stating what the GM said on multiple occasions on WGR. The GM said that his first task was to determine who wanted to be here and who did not. That was not a difficult assignment. Jack did not want to be part of the rebuild, understandably so. Jack was told by the GM to stay away from the team. Certainly, the injury and surgery options were points of contention. But Jack wanted out and the GM didn't want him around. There's no nuance here. The lines of demarcation were clear and unalterable.

Would you be willing to trade for Helly if you can't get him to sign an extension? I wouldn't. It's just my opinion that I believe that our GM is invested in Levi being his #1 goalie this upcoming season. And again, it is my opinion that the GM is willing to stick with the trio of goalies that he has under contract. We'll just have to wait and see how this unfolds. The focus of my attention this offseason will be on the blueline.

I'm not giving away Kulich or Savoie in such a trade, especially if you don't have a goalie such as Helly signed to an extension. If the GM was going to trade away its first pick, I would rather see it dealt for a second pairing defenseman. Our GM has been very transparent in how he operates. I'm understating the obvious that he is very reluctant to depart with high end prospects such as Savoie and Kulich. When he pursued a Chycrun deal at the trade deadline he was willing to give up a first round pick for him but wouldn't also give up one of those prized prospects. It should be noted that he was willing to pursue a Chycrun deal because it had specific aspects to it. The young defenseman was playing under a reasonable contract that also had term. I strongly believe that our GM is going to stick with the trio of goalies that he has in his system i.e., Levi, UPL and Comrie. Is it a risk? Yes. If you want to improve the goaltending, then a backdoor approach to accomplish that might be to bulk up the blueline.

Not factoring in what Helley's cost will be is ignoring the critical issue about what it would take to acquire him. Are you willing to trade away a high-end prospect, such as Kulich or Savoie, in a package for him? Acquiring him makes little sense if you don't sign him to an extension before the deal is made. How much are you willing to pay him and what would be the term? I've said this before and gotten a barrage of scorn: I believe that our GM is going to stick with the trio of goalies that he has on his roster i.e. Levi, UPL and Comrie. I see Levi becoming the primary goalie. Is it a risk? Yes. However, if our blueline is bolstered it will be less of a risk because the netminders will have better support.

For the most part, yes. However, I do see some additions from the outside to bolster the defensive corps.

If Levi comes into camp and wins the starting job, why would it be disingenuous regarding the franchise's hopes about the playoffs? What would be the cost in assets to acquire Hellebyuck? I would think that it would cost a first round pick and a primary prospect, such as Kulich and Savoie. And it wouldn't make much sense unless you were willing to give him an extension. I don't see that happening with Levi in the system.

Eichel wanted out even before he was hurt. And when the KA took over he made it clear that he wanted players on his team who wanted to be here and be part of the rebuild. So the decision to trade Eichel was not a difficult decision for the GM to make. In fact, the GM told the player to stay home and not come back. The issue came down to getting an acceptable return. In my view, he got it. As you seem to be pointing out, the Eichel deal worked out well for both teams. And I would also say the same thing about the Reinhart deal. It worked out well for Florida and Buffalo. If Levi becomes our primary goaltender, that deal could turn out to be the most consequential of the deals from trading away our old core. Looking back, if I had the choice of keeping one player who was dealt, it would be Montour.

There is a good chance the players you listed won't be starting off in Buffalo, or at least some of them won't. Savoie might get an introductory stint, and then be sent on to one of the World Tournaments. I just don't see Rosen starting the season in Buffalo. He needs to get stronger. The issue with Rousek depends on whether Girgs and/or Okposo remain on the roster. Everything I've heard about Kulich is that based on his current play there is a chance that he can win a roster spot in camp. What's encouraging is that this franchise is developing enough quality depth within the system to adequately fill in when needed.

I agree with you that if a young player isn't getting much playing time, then it would be better to hone his skills in the AHL. What I'm not worried about is having too much talent competing for roster spots. Internal competition is a good situation to be in and not a situation to be concerned about. As in every season, there are going to be injuries or players who are struggling. Having reserves (players in the AHL) to fill in is better than losing players in Buffalo without having adequate replacements. When Samuelsson was injured last season, this team struggled. It wasn't so much because he was an indispensable defender as it was the unit lacked enough quality depth to hang on until he returned. Answering your question about which players would I purge? I'm not sure what Girgs contract demands are or what Okposo's intentions are? I wouldn't mind keeping both if deals can be worked out that is acceptable to them. If forced to make a choice I would take Girgs over Okposo. On the other hand, Okposo has earned the right to decide whether he wants to play another year or not. Will Olofsson be on the roster or will he be traded? I don't know. We'll just have to see how this plays out.

In the cap era, it is even more important to have a stock of prospects to replace the players you can't keep because of contract and cap pressures. When you get to the point where your roster is full of talent, tough decisions are required to decide who to keep and who to let go. Those tough decisions are backed up by young players who are moved up through the system. To the GM's credit, not only has he stocked the system with good prospects who will replace the departed player, he also smartly extended contracts, sooner rather than later, and got good bargains for his core players. Overall, good management of resources.

There are a few members here who are knowledgeable about the players in Rochester and their prospects as NHLers. Right now, I would think that Kulich, Rousek and Savoie (currently in the juniors) are not that far away. And from what I gather from listening to segments on WGR, Rosen is showing that in the not too distant future he will move up the ranks. The issue for him right now is to get stronger. That will naturally happen as he gets a little older. Without a doubt, the Sabres have one of the better pipelines in hockey. The GM has done a fine job.

The league has an office of player safety that reviews so called "predatory hits". Even if the referee misses the call in the game, the league has the ability to review the play after the game, Then, it will make a ruling on the appropriate punishment if required. The health risk associated from fighting and reckless hitting is not so much about incidents as it is the accumulation of them and the aftereffects post career. It's a tough sport with inherent risks, as are all sports. However, it doesn't need to be a reckless sport.

Great analysis and write-up. As you point out, the Sabres growing core of prospects are close to being ready for the higher league. If you add Savoie to your list, it becomes even more impressive. It wouldn't be a surprise to see Kulich,Savoie and Rousek on the NHL roster at some point next year, with Rosen needing another year to get stronger. By all account, it seems that he is coming on. The GM has to be given credit for adding to the prospect pool instead of subtracting from it for deals that benefit the Sabres for the short-term. What's evident is that the short-term and long-term prospects are look promising for this franchise.

If you were given an option to add two 4/5 tweener defenders or one #4 defender, which option would you choose? In this case I would take quantity over quality.

Of all the players that have left due to the shuffling of players after KA took over, the one player I wished that we could have kept is Montour. I've watched him in a few games during the season and a few games in the playoffs. My takeaway is that he was one of the better players on the ice. I'm not sure if he would be better paired with Power or Dahlin but definitely he would be playing on one of our top two pairings.

An interesting issue is how does Torts fit in with the new appointees who are now his bosses? What happens when Torts is instructed to play the younger players more? If his response is no because he is trying to win more games, is this front office going to quickly dispatch him? It's my impression that Torts is a strong-willed and stubborn person who doesn't seem amenable to being told what to do. It's going to be interesting to see if this new configuring of the staff meshes with the current coach.

Fighters do a lot of clutching and grabbing when they are engaged in a matchup. But they also throw punches to the head. You don't have to do a detailed statistical analysis to determine that it increases head injuries. And you don't need to have a medical background to recognize that over time the repeated hitting to the head could have serious health repercussions. More often than not fights between players from opposing teams agree in advance to go at it. In reality, they are mostly pre-staged fights for a variety of reasons. It makes no sense to me that on one hand there is a lot of pontificating about player safety, and then on the other hand an activity is allowed that does jeopardize player's safety. Fighting is not allowed in the college game. Anyone who has watched college games recognizes that it is a physical game. No fighting is allowed in Olympic hockey. Yet, it is compelling to watch. In one of Spellman's first game as a Sabre he got in a fight to demonstrate his toughness to his new teammates. The opposing fighter hit him in the head with a gruesome head shot. It was a quick dispatch. Spellman got close to being knocked out and went down. He's lucky that his season and his career were not ended in one of his first games with his new team. For what? To demonstrate that how tough he was? Football is very physical. Fighting is not allowed. Basketball is a very physical sport. Fighting is not allowed. Fighting in the NHL has dramatically declined compared to the era before. It's time to stop with this archaic remnant of this game. You don't need fighting in this tough sport.

I'm reluctant to admit it but if I had the choice between keeping one player, between Girgs and Okposo, I would prefer retaining Girgs. Okposo has been a wonderful leader on the ice and in the room. But he, more than ZG, would have a more difficult time playing a full season without fading as the season grinds on. My sense is that the GM believes that Okposo, more than Girgs, has earned the right to call it quits when he wants to do it. It's a tough call more from a human aspect than a hockey aspect. What's positive about this discussion is that the Sabres have crossed the threshold where it now has options, mostly from within their own system, to fill out their roster. The GM has often talked about the importance of having enough talent where there is internal pressure where players are pushing players to get better. We are now at that point.

Savoie could start off the season in Buffalo and do a stint before going off to play in a World Tournament. I would guess that Savoie would be on a line with Mitts and possibly Greenway. Once Savoie is playing outside of the country Kulich could move up from Rochester and then play on the same line with Mitts. If KO and Zemgus are back then Krebs would center that line. If Zemgus moves on, I could see Kulich either joining that Krebs/Okposo line or playing on a line with Mitts and Greenway. Trying to figure out who will be left out is a good problem because it indicates a level of depth that the Sabres haven't had in a long time.

It was the Ralph Wilson and Jeff Littman business model. When your owner and his primary business financial advisor refuse to adapt to the new reality of professional sports and its new economic model then you get left behind. Especially at the later stages of the declining owner, this franchise was a dilapidated used car competing against tuned-up Ferraris. There is no question that Pegula made a lot of mistakes when he first took over. But eventually he assembled the right staff and the football franchise is one of the better run franchises in the NFL. And fortunately, although belatedly, the owner has put together the right staff with his hockey franchise. Now this team is ready to become a serious team in the NHL. And everyone in the business is aware of that turnaround. (You need Google Chrome to bring up this Buff News link.) https://buffalonews.com/news/polian-bills-contract-miscalculations-were-not-on-my-watch/article_f2a047e9-6f86-560a-98b1-f221d9f368ac.html