Trade: Ryan O'Reilly to St Louis Blues

[ubkev]

And we still have plenty of cap space long term for our core players. Who cares about the next couple years?

Not my liver, that's for sure.

[LGR4GM]

Well yea, he's American and played in the NCAA.

There's a bias towards them now and I'm convinced of it.

This isn't the new roster. There is plenty of time.

 

Also, I'll take 10th place in a heartbeat!

Perpetually?

[Sabel79]

This makes me really interested to see what comes back in the Risto trade I’m now sure is happening because of reasons.

[ubkev]

There's a bias towards them now and I'm convinced of it.

Perpetually?

Well, right now we're perpetually in last place, soooo....

[JJFIVEOH]

This team has way too many average players on the roster. I'm all for the team concept and not putting too much emphasis on a couple of superstars........... but this is a ridiculous trade. It's very tough to come across a great 2 way center, and at the price, O'Reilly should have been an 'untouchable'. 

 

There is no good coming out of this. Just when I thought the Sabres might be turning the corner. 

[Rasmus_]

Guys, I’m trying to look at Sobotka and Berglund and saying at least they are clear upgrades on Larsson and Pouliot.

Are you telling me I’m wrong?

 

Well Larry is terrible, so I guess if you're looking for a slight means above that, okay they're upgrades.  I'm not a fan of Berglund and his re-signing a season ago was hilarious.  Now he's our problem.

[TrueBlueGED]

Guys, I’m trying to look at Sobotka and Berglund and saying at least they are clear upgrades on Larsson and Pouliot.

Are you telling me I’m wrong?

 

But whether it's Berglund or Mittelstadt at 2C, we suffered a massive downgrade there. Doubt upgrading the 3rd line makes up for it.

[Carmel Corn]

This makes me really interested to see what comes back in the Risto trade I’m now sure is happening because of reasons.

 

I hope you are mistaken.  My hope is that tonight is not what the roster looks like by training camp, meaning he converts the new acquired assets into something that can get everybody excited....but I am also preparing to be disappointed.

[Weave]

Mike Harrington tweeted that Jbotts said ROR age was a factor. Sounds like JBotts doesn’t believe he can take this group to the playoffs in the next couple of seasons.

 

This team is hard to root for.

[Iron Crotch]

From my perspective, JBot doesn't have a clue. His strategy is Trump-like in that he appears to be simply trying to undo the moves of his predecessor. Murray's big acquisitions were O'Reilly and Evander Kane. JBots jettisons them for a pile of garbage and more picks. At what point do we actually try to field a winning team? Every year it is "wait until next year"....

 

We got the Blues' 9th, 10th and 18th leading scorers from last season, two of whom are over 30, for one of the best two-way centers in the league in his prime. The optics aren't good on this one. At all.

 

 

[apuszczalowski]

You could also throw in the goalies in this swap as Buffalo took Hutton while the Blues took Johnson to be their backup......

 

Maybe that makes things marginally better????

[thesportsbuff]

one step forward by drafting Dahlin, two big steps backward by trading o'reilly for junk. see you guys next year, when the media runs jack eichel out of town after he expresses frustration about finishing in last place for the third time in four years or however many, who the hell even cares anymore

[WildCard]

Love the deal. That's 5 legitimate pieces for O'Reilly, and they covered his tab.

 

Awesome. I don't understand the depressing atmosphere here. That's a solid haul.

Why do we care about the bonus though? Isn't that just all Pegulas money?

[Rasmus_]

Sobotka and Berglund for Malkin.  E5

 

That was perfectly said.  I'm hoping we can find a positive solution out of at least one of these contracts. 

[WildCard]

Mike Harrington tweeted that Jbotts said ROR age was a factor. Sounds like JBotts doesn’t believe he can take this group to the playoffs in the next couple of seasons.

 

This team is hard to root for.

I said it in another thread, we are in for a much longer rebuild than anyone here was thinking or wants

[TrueBlueGED]

Mike Harrington tweeted that Jbotts said ROR age was a factor. Sounds like JBotts doesn’t believe he can take this group to the playoffs in the next couple of seasons.

 

This team is hard to root for.

 

Despite all of the locker room mumbo jumbo, I think that's it. Botterill doesn't plan on winning for several more season, and that was the impetus for the trade. Of course, it would've been nice to get a single A-caliber piece in return to fit with such a timeline, rather than stopgap vets and middling picks.

[JJFIVEOH]

O'Reilly had better have been a giant, and I mean a super massive black hole sized, ###### to make this trade.

 

And just last year we kept reading about how O'Reilly was a perfect teammate, great work ethic, always stayed after practice to improve his game and kept the young guys there as well to help them improve their game.................... 

 

I agree with you, I hope he was like you mentioned because it might make me feel better. But, I get the feeling he's not that way. 

[Weave]

I said it in another thread, we are in for a much longer rebuild than anyone here was thinking or wants

We’re coming up on a decade of “2-3 seasons out”.

 

Cheez

[ubkev]

What's this I'm seeing about the 1st Rd pick being top 10 protected?

[Stoner]

In a space of a few months, Botterill has completely demolished the Murray Sabres.

And become the GM Murray never wanted to be: "I could go for a five year rebuild and have job security, but I don't want that." (Serious paraphrase.)

[WildCard]

What's this I'm seeing about the 1st Rd pick being top 10 protected?

True is right, there's no way they pick there anyways

[Tolstoy]

My two cents:

 

The Sabres were worst in the NHL last year. Everybody should be expendable except Eichel an Mittelstadt. . Don't forget that ROR was the ostensible leader on that team, given his ages, status, and experience. Well, the proof of the pudding is in the eating. His leadership failed miserably. He disappeared for games at a time, and his attitude got old. 

 

While I don't love any of the players we got in return, they are at least NHL quality. The team needed an overhaul. Might as well embrace change. 

[slugspirit]

Why do we care about the bonus though? Isn't that just all Pegulas money?

When it's $7.5M, that can affect future contracts. It's not nothing.

[Robviously]

Well, right now we're perpetually in last place, soooo....

Where is the "perpetual" 10th place finish coming from?  Our long-term core is Eichel, Dahlin, Mittelstadt, and Dahlin.  They'll all be in their prime starting in 3 years or so, which is when nearly every bad contract we currently have is over.  Berglund will be on the books for 1 more year at under $4M AAV and Okposo will still be around another couple years at $6M.

 

Our malcontents from last year (Kane, ROR, and Lehner) are all gone and we're adding young talents like Dahlin, Mittelstadt, Guhle, and Thompson to the roster.  And we seem to have organizational depth for the first time in a decade.  We should still be more fun to watch this coming year and our long-term outlook is still good. 

[WildCard]

Despite all of the locker room mumbo jumbo, I think that's it. Botterill doesn't plan on winning for several more season, and that was the impetus for the trade. Of course, it would've been nice to get a single A-caliber piece in return to fit with such a timeline, rather than stopgap vets and middling picks.

We gotta flip those picks for something. I don't wanna wast Eichel's prime