Ryan O'Reilly and Jamie McGinn traded to Sabres

[3putt]

I just think you're jealous of his beard.

 

Excellent. I eagerly await Eichel putting up 60+ points in a protected role.

Can you at least understand why there would a lack of excitement to pay a ransom to acquire a sub 60 point player and have to pay him like Toews? I can understand yours and others excitement about bold moves, but I am still wondering why this guy wasn't getting paid by his club if he is the messiah that many seem to think he is. Nice player? Sure. 8 million nice? Not sold. Therefore not as excited as you and others. Moving on, cheering for the laundry. Edited June 27, 2015 by 3putt

[bob_sauve28]

Can you at least understand why there would a lack of excitement to pay a ransom to acquire a sub 60 point player and have to pay him like Toews? I can understand yours and others excitement about bold moves, but I am still wondering why this guy wasn't getting paid by his club if he is the messiah that many seem to think he is. Nice player? Sure. 8 million nice? Not sold. Therefore not as excited as you and others. Moving on, cheering for the laundry.

Was it cap issues? 

 I ask the same question about Doug Hamilton 

[TrueBlueGED]

Can you at least understand why there would a lack of excitement to pay a ransom to acquire a sub 60 point player and have to pay him like Toews? I can understand yours and others excitement about bold moves, but I am still wondering why this guy wasn't getting paid by his club if he is the messiah that many seem to think he is. Nice player? Sure. 8 million nice? Not sold. Therefore not as excited as you and others. Moving on, cheering for the laundry.

 

O'Reilly's even strength scoring rate this season was higher than Anze Kopitar. And the only reason the Avs wouldn't pay him is because of internal budget with a MacKinnon extension on the horizon.

One more thing: O'Reilly's even strength scoring rate was identical to Ovechkin. It is a massive mistake to look at overall points and make judgments.

Edited June 27, 2015 by TrueBluePhD

[3putt]

O'Reilly's even strength scoring rate this season was higher than Anze Kopitar. And the only reason the Avs wouldn't pay him is because of internal budget with a MacKinnon extension on the horizon.

One more thing: O'Reilly's even strength scoring rate was identical to Ovechkin. It is a massive mistake to look at overall points and make judgments.

I get your point, and the hypothesis that if you put him in a no. 1 spot, the numbers will improve. I am simply not as convinced as you nor do I assail yor approach. I simply don't think it was the right move at the right time and as a result not as excited. With the ammunition we had there were multiple directions we could have gone, this was one of them. I would have preferred a little more long term approach. It was painful acquiring the assets, and I thought, other than Jack, who I am ecstatic about, we could have used them more judiciously. I think we overpaid for Lehner and to a lesser extent ROR. But that doesn't mean I will root for him to fail, quite the contrary. Go Sabres!

[TrueBlueGED]

I get your point, and the hypothesis that if you put him in a no. 1 spot, the numbers will improve. I am simply not as convinced as you nor do I assail yor approach. I simply don't think it was the right move at the right time and as a result not as excited. With the ammunition we had there were multiple directions we could have gone, this was one of them. I would have preferred a little more long term approach. It was painful acquiring the assets, and I thought, other than Jack, who I am ecstatic about, we could have used them more judiciously. I think we overpaid for Lehner and to a lesser extent ROR. But that doesn't mean I will root for him to fail, quite the contrary. Go Sabres!

 

I wish I could find a way to share my O'Reilly high with you, but all I can say is wait until the puck drops and all doubts will wash away.

 

As an aside, I'm basically required to buy an O'Reilly jersey now, right? :lol:

[3putt]

I wish I could find a way to share my O'Reilly high with you, but all I can say is wait until the puck drops and all doubts will wash away.

 

As an aside, I'm basically required to buy an O'Reilly jersey now, right? :lol:

money where your mouth is sort of thing. I would expect nothing less. And on a side note, I look forward to a #15 in blue and gold to root for again. I liked Meehan a lot.

[nucci]

I get your point, and the hypothesis that if you put him in a no. 1 spot, the numbers will improve. I am simply not as convinced as you nor do I assail yor approach. I simply don't think it was the right move at the right time and as a result not as excited. With the ammunition we had there were multiple directions we could have gone, this was one of them. I would have preferred a little more long term approach. It was painful acquiring the assets, and I thought, other than Jack, who I am ecstatic about, we could have used them more judiciously. I think we overpaid for Lehner and to a lesser extent ROR. But that doesn't mean I will root for him to fail, quite the contrary. Go Sabres!

Aren't you tired of the long-term approach and isn't this what the last few years have been for? I would like a playoff team sooner...not 3-4 more years.

[3putt]

Aren't you tired of the long-term approach and isn't this what the last few years have been for? I would like a playoff team sooner...not 3-4 more years.

One, I don't want a playoff team, Imhope for a perennial champion. Two, we are still 3-4 years away from a legit contender. The maturation process follows its own course. I would have liked to seen a more judicious use of the assets. I have no problem trading picks or players, but I don't like overpaying which I think we did with both trades. Are we better? Yes. Could we have made the same improvement without paying what we did? I think so. Could we have gotten even better and deeper throughout the system? Again I think so. I am happy that we got better. I am looking forward to rooting for wins. I just think we paid sticker price when we had more leverage to deal with.

[WildCard]

So since I lead the ROR haters club for about 2 months, I would like to say I am very excited to ROR join the Buffalo Sabres.  We have a real top 6 again  :cry:  I am overcome with emotions

I'm definitely excited he's here, because he is a very solid player and it allows Eichel to start the year in a protected role as TrueBlue posted, but I'll sit firmly in my camp that we should have went at Saad/Toffoli. Who knows, maybe my anti-O'Reilly case may end up being in the thread of Dumbest Hockey Things You've Posted. I hope so

 

Can you at least understand why there would a lack of excitement to pay a ransom to acquire a sub 60 point player and have to pay him like Toews? I can understand yours and others excitement about bold moves, but I am still wondering why this guy wasn't getting paid by his club if he is the messiah that many seem to think he is. Nice player? Sure. 8 million nice? Not sold. Therefore not as excited as you and others. Moving on, cheering for the laundry.

Exactly. I'm enthusiastic about the addition, just not about the cost. We'll never know what could of been with other players, so I'm going to move on and be stoked about him; that is, until contract years start rolling through.

 

I wish I could find a way to share my O'Reilly high with you, but all I can say is wait until the puck drops and all doubts will wash away.

 

As an aside, I'm basically required to buy an O'Reilly jersey now, right? :lol:

1000%  :D

[nucci]

One, I don't want a playoff team, Imhope for a perennial champion. Two, we are still 3-4 years away from a legit contender. The maturation process follows its own course. I would have liked to seen a more judicious use of the assets. I have no problem trading picks or players, but I don't like overpaying which I think we did with both trades. Are we better? Yes. Could we have made the same improvement without paying what we did? I think so. Could we have gotten even better and deeper throughout the system? Again I think so. I am happy that we got better. I am looking forward to rooting for wins. I just think we paid sticker price when we had more leverage to deal with.

I see your points. What would you have done differently?

[TrueBlueGED]

One, I don't want a playoff team, Imhope for a perennial champion. Two, we are still 3-4 years away from a legit contender. The maturation process follows its own course. I would have liked to seen a more judicious use of the assets. I have no problem trading picks or players, but I don't like overpaying which I think we did with both trades. Are we better? Yes. Could we have made the same improvement without paying what we did? I think so. Could we have gotten even better and deeper throughout the system? Again I think so. I am happy that we got better. I am looking forward to rooting for wins. I just think we paid sticker price when we had more leverage to deal with.

 

I no longer believe this to be the case. It's down to two years from now. That's right, in 2016 we're a 100+ point team.

I'm definitely excited he's here, because he is a very solid player and it allows Eichel to start the year in a protected role as TrueBlue posted, but I'll sit firmly in my camp that we should have went at Saad/Toffoli. Who knows, maybe my anti-O'Reilly case may end up being in the thread of Dumbest Hockey Things You've Posted. I hope so

 

Exactly. I'm enthusiastic about the addition, just not about the cost. We'll never know what could of been with other players, so I'm going to move on and be stoked about him; that is, until contract years start rolling through.

 

1000%  :D

 

While fun to talk about, I just don't think either of them were obtainable.

[WildCard]

While fun to talk about, I just don't think either of them were obtainable.

Toffoli only got a 2-year deal at $6.5 mil/year, not sure he wants to be there long term, and LA is cap-strapped. He was obtainable

[TrueBlueGED]

Toffoli only got a 2-year deal at $6.5 mil/year, not sure he wants to be there long term, and LA is cap-strapped. He was obtainable

 

They also added Lucic's salary. I couldn't be more positive that they match any offer sheet for Toffoli and forego the Lucic deal to facilitate the higher cap hit.

[WildCard]

They also added Lucic's salary. I couldn't be more positive that they match any offer sheet for Toffoli and forego the Lucic deal to facilitate the higher cap hit.

Even if the length is longer? The short term of his offer sheet is what gets me

[3putt]

I see your points. What would you have done differently?

Pre draft Van was asking for a 2. They settled for a 3+. I would have offered 51. I wouldn't have made the ROR deal. Palmier I, a rw, went for 41. Etem and Hagelin were in play but don't know if we could have put the package together. If Zadorov was going to be moved I think we could have gotten a young piece from Dallas or Detroit without a max contract. I liked Boeser a lot. We could also have moved back in the first for more 2's and and gotten Blackwood or another. I like Guhlen(?), but liked Chabot and Larson more. We are carrying McGinn and Legwands contracts when we could have used them in FA. In a draft this deep, we only got two players in the first two rounds. The point is we Jack was a given but we could have probably came away with more pieces from rounds 1 and 2. I also would have rather been in on the Hamilton deal than Oreilly. But i was not at the table and GMTM was. So perhaps this was the best we could do. We will never know and it is time to move on. FA next.

[Brawndo]

Toffoli only got a 2-year deal at $6.5 mil/year, not sure he wants to be there long term, and LA is cap-strapped. He was obtainable

Considering that Toffoli signed a very cap friendly bridge deal before he had a chance to be offer sheeted, what are the chances he would have agreed to one?

[qwksndmonster]

Oh my glob.  We got O'Reilly. A real top 6 ladies and gentlemen, a real top 6!  

 

Remember when Moulson - Zemgus - Ennis was the line facing the other team's top defensive pairing (and they STILL created offense at a consistent pace?)?  Now we have Eichel, O'Reilly, and Kane to take the heat.  Every rostered forward's job just became realistic.  Our new forward corp is cup-winning quality.  It might take 4 years for them to grow and get there, but all the pieces are already in place.

 

Our young centerpieces, Eichel and Reinhart, will both grow into their defensive games at the NHL level.  O'Reilly is already a top 15 defensive forward in the league and does anybody doubt that Zemgus will be part of that top 15 sooner rather than later?  Offensive Dynamos Ennis and Kane now have the talent around them to feed them the puck and the defensive acumen around them to let them focus on their strengths.  Moulson can go back to finding the soft spots in the offensive zone.  Larsson, Foligno, and Deslauriers (to a lesser extent Legwand and McGinn) are incredibly solid players to shore up the bottom 6. 

 

We have the grit, talent, defense, and speed in our forward ranks.  Now all we need is to balance the wings a bit.

 

I love Tim Murray.  I can't believe I'm realistically viewing the playoffs as a possibility in 2016!

Edited June 27, 2015 by qwksndmonster

[Randall Flagg]

When I was telling my family about the trade, my sister asked who Rhino Riley was. That's what I'm going to call him, Rhino, I think, from now on. 

 

The center depth we have is so crazy that I keep forgetting Legwand and Larsson exist. 

 

I can't remember who brought it up, but as far as pairing two players and then finding a guy to complement them, I have to think O'Reilly-Ennis would be intriguing. Kane-Reinhart and Eichel-Moulson too, as long as Moulson can still skate. Girgensons and Foligno and Larsson and McGinn and whoever else can be slid around these pairs for optimal chemistry.

Cannot wait for October, fans will be crazy when Kane-Rawwwrrr-Ennis or something of the sort hit the ice.

[qwksndmonster]

Very sad to see Nikita go.  Don't let the "locker room issues" fool you, the kid is special.  Hopefully he can still grow into a top pairing defenseman, but if he doesn't it's no longer a disaster for us.

 

 

Rest well in Colorado, sweet prince.

[darksabre]

When I was telling my family about the trade, my sister asked who Rhino Riley was. That's what I'm going to call him, Rhino, I think, from now on.

 

The center depth we have is so crazy that I keep forgetting Legwand and Larsson exist.

 

I can't remember who brought it up, but as far as pairing two players and then finding a guy to complement them, I have to think O'Reilly-Ennis would be intriguing. Kane-Reinhart and Eichel-Moulson too, as long as Moulson can still skate. Girgensons and Foligno and Larsson and McGinn and whoever else can be slid around these pairs for optimal chemistry.

 

Cannot wait for October, fans will be crazy when Kane-Rawwwrrr-Ennis or something of the sort hit the ice.

Rhino. I like that.

[That Aud Smell]

O'Reilly's even strength scoring rate this season was higher than Anze Kopitar.

Wowza.

[TrueBlueGED]

Wowza.

 

.02 P/60 higher...but higher is higher, dammit! 

[qwksndmonster]

Rhino. I like that.

Agreed.

[Taro T]

This team is shaping ip well.

 

Very good that Eichel will get to break in on the 2nd line. Reinhart now doesn't get rushed into more responsibility than he's ready for as well. Though a true #1 RW isn't here, Bylsma can play chess. I'd expect Kane & O'Reilly paired and Moulson and Eichel paired. Ennis ends up on 1 of those lines (probably on the O'Reilly line, bit I'd really like to see him on the Eichel line) and then the other RW is (barring additional moves) is 1 of Reinhart, Girgensons, or an outside shot of Larsson or Gionta. I'd like to see Reinhart on O'Reilly's wing initially.

 

3rd line likely ends up Foligno and Gionta surrounding Girgensons or Larsson. And the 4th is Desaulauriers - Legwand - McGinn/McCormick.

 

Just don't see any place for Hodgson. Too bad. Could have been interesting seeing him w/ Kane & O'Reilly but would be shocked if he gets that opportunity. Probably too slow for them anyhow.

 

2 FA D, and this team should be in the playoffs this year. And battling Tampa for the division in '17.

 

:beer:

 

Fantastic Friday indeed. :beer:

[GoPre]

NHL abroad has to be taking notice of the Sabres. Buffalo is returning to scary good. Shiit, on the verge of surpassing scary good. If players reach their full potential, this may end up being the best team in Sabres history. Buffalo now has their young core established. Much like Chicago did in 07 or so. Murray's job is now to maintain that core and fill in the missing pieces when needed. Here's to an incredible Eichel weekend!  :beer: