Taylor Hall signing: 8 million one yr with Sabres

[Thorner]

4 minutes ago, dudacek said:

I didn’t watch much of Hall last year, but it’s interesting reading some of the commentary in hindsight, and juxtaposing it with what we’ve seen this year and the kind of offers he’s got in free agency.

It seems there was a strong streak of “he’s not the same player since the knee injury” running through the scouting community.

When I watch Hall and Staal and Eakin, I wonder how heavily each was scouted prior to their acquisition. Were we going off data accumulated by Botterill’s mostly fired crew? Was it largely about Nightingale and the new skeleton crew running some tape and crunching some numbers? Was it Ralph (Hall) and Kevyn (Staal) leaning hard into their past associations?

I’d imagine it was pieces of each, but the common thread here is we acquired players who aren’t as good as they used to be. I posted in fall that the Eakin signing in particular would tell me a lot about player evaluation under the new regime.

None of our three biggest acquisitions have done anything to demonstrate that our lean staff knows what it is doing.

And the decision to forgo upgrading in net. 

The one small saving grace is that they definitely appeared reluctant if not outright opposed to offering Hall term, at least at first. I can see an argument for taking a chance on Hall simply because the opportunity presented itself and for a player of even that POTENTIAL ability to come knocking on our door in a year we were trying to avoid matching the all time playoff drought...I get it. 

It just needs to end now. If it does, that move unlike the others I’d be willing to completely write off. 

[Kruppstahl]

On 2/19/2021 at 1:54 PM, New Scotland (NS) said:

This season is not a good indicator of what Hall, or most other Sabres for that matter, really will bring to the table.  Again, this season is a waste.  We all know what Hall can do.  He is a differnce maker in this league.  Bottom line.

He will be 30 soon, I think, so ... 5 years ... $7.5 per.

Hall hasn't been special in over 2 years now.

He's bounced around for a reason.  He's not without his merits, but fundamentally, his career remains a bust relative to the high expectations that go with being #1 overall.

I want nothing to do with a Hall extension!  

And this team needs to be in rebuild or regroup mode anyway.

Hall needs to be moved for whatever we can get in return for him.

 

[Ducky]

Trade him for a pick and a prospect.

If you want to re-sign him, do so this summer.

[Thorner]

11 minutes ago, Ducky said:

Trade him for a pick and a prospect.

If you want to re-sign him, do so this summer.

Someone on the verge of being NHL ready, please. 

I want a player we can start integrating immediately if possible

[Brawndo]

I have seen proposals of Him going to Toronto for a 1st with the Sabres retaining 50%

If they want to include A 3rd Round Pick as well give me Kerfoot as a salary dump. 

[Ross Rhea]

Sure Hall has plenty of skill but he seems dumber than a stump.

[Thorner]

5 minutes ago, Brawndo said:

I have seen proposals of Him going to Toronto for a 1st with the Sabres retaining 50%

If they want to include A 3rd Round Pick as well give me Kerfoot as a salary dump. 

Late first in a weak draft is pretty underwhelming but better than nothing I guess

I'd use the pick as amo in a deal to bring in a player who's ready to play

Edited March 7, 2021 by Thorny

[sweetlou]

How about Hall for Kerfoot, Dermott, and a 1st in 2022.  Sabres retain 50% salary!!

[Brawndo]

4 minutes ago, Thorny said:

Late first in a weak draft is pretty underwhelming but better than nothing I guess

I'd use the pick as amo in a deal to bring in a player who's ready to play

Or ask for 2022 1st Top Ten Protected Pick 

[Thorner]

6 minutes ago, Brawndo said:

Or ask for 2022 1st Top Ten Protected Pick 

It's a nice add it's just for me it's tough to remove the emotion from it - moving from what Hall signified (I know, not was he actually was for us) to a pick 2 years out. 

That's a timeline shift. I wish we could get players for now. 

I'm going to watch the games regardless but I'm honestly not sure I could muster the energy to continually break down and explore and discuss yet another full scale, "we are a few years away, for sure" rebuild right now pretending that *this* time it'll work. (Fine, I would obviously discuss it here endlessly but it would suck)

One of the only things I took from that conference was that Adams still is saying it's about winning now, so that gives me a bit of hope

 

Edited March 7, 2021 by Thorny

[Brawndo]

16 minutes ago, Thorny said:

It's a nice add it's just for me it's tough to remove the emotion from it - moving from what Hall signified (I know, not was he actually was for us) to a pick 2 years out. 

That's a timeline shift. I wish we could get players for now. 

I'm going to watch the games regardless but I'm honestly not sure I could muster the energy to continually break down and explore and discuss yet another full scale, "we are a few years away, for sure" rebuild right now pretending that *this* time it'll work. (Fine, I would obviously discuss it here endlessly but it would suck)

One of the only things I took from that conference was that Adams still is saying it's about winning now, so that gives me a bit of hope

 

If they are going to trade Eichel and Reinhart in the offseason that puts the team on a different timeline. 
I would rather wait an extra year for a chance at a better player as the 2022 looks better. 

[Thorner]

9 minutes ago, Brawndo said:

If they are going to trade Eichel and Reinhart in the offseason that puts the team on a different timeline. 
I would rather wait an extra year for a chance at a better player as the 2022 looks better. 

I get you but I'd rather not trade for a pick at all. Rather prospects/NHL ready players. Players to help along the young guys who are staying rather than making them the new "guys" while we wait on picks, again. recipe for disaster 

the goal next year still needs to be playoffs, and the roster construction needs to reflect that 

Edited March 7, 2021 by Thorny

[steveoath]

1 hour ago, Thorny said:

Late first in a weak draft is pretty underwhelming but better than nothing I guess

I'd use the pick as amo in a deal to bring in a player who's ready to play

Or as a sweetener to Seattle to take someone....

[Thorner]

2 minutes ago, steveoath said:

Or as a sweetener to Seattle to take someone....

Would be much more amendable to attaching a pick to Skinner to move him than attaching Skinner to Jack and watering down the return on that deal 

[Brawndo]

1 hour ago, Thorny said:

I get you but I'd rather not trade for a pick at all. Rather prospects/NHL ready players. Players to help along the young guys who are staying rather than making them the new "guys" while we wait on picks, again. recipe for disaster 

the goal next year still needs to be playoffs, and the roster construction needs to reflect that 

If it’s Toronto, which Hall would probably waive His NMC for, Their Top Prospects are Robertson, Sandin and Lilegren and Two Russians. I doubt any of the first three are moved for a rental and The Sabres appear to be allergic to Russians so a pick and/or Kerfoot seems like the most likely return. 

[Thorner]

Just now, Brawndo said:

If it’s Toronto, which Hall would probably waive His NMC for, Their Top Prospects are Robertson, Sandin and Lilegren and Two Russians. I doubt any of the first three are moved for a rental and The Sabres appear to be allergic to Russians so a pick and/or Kerfoot seems like the most likely return. 

Fiddle sticks.

Well, is Kerfoot may help, actually. 

[LGR4GM]

20 minutes ago, Brawndo said:

If it’s Toronto, which Hall would probably waive His NMC for, Their Top Prospects are Robertson, Sandin and Lilegren and Two Russians. I doubt any of the first three are moved for a rental and The Sabres appear to be allergic to Russians so a pick and/or Kerfoot seems like the most likely return. 

I... I can haz Robertson?

[Curt]

2 hours ago, sweetlou said:

How about Hall for Kerfoot, Dermott, and a 1st in 2022.  Sabres retain 50% salary!!

That would be great.  A steal for Buffalo I think.

[Weave]

2 hours ago, Brawndo said:

If they are going to trade Eichel and Reinhart in the offseason that puts the team on a different timeline. 
I would rather wait an extra year for a chance at a better player as the 2022 looks better. 

Only if they are traded for picks and prospects.  AFAIAC any trade needs to be a benefit now trade, not a futures trade.  The culture of losing must end now.

[Brawndo]

1 hour ago, LGR4GM said:

I... I can haz Robertson?

Sure just go and lock Dubas in a storage room when the deal is being finalized.

[bob_sauve28]

I offer $4 mil a year for three years. That's it. If he walks, oh well 

[LGR4GM]

24 minutes ago, Brawndo said:

Sure just go and lock Dubas in a storage room when the deal is being finalized.

I accept.