Linus Ullmark: signs with Boston Bruins

[Thorner]

Just now, thewookie1 said:

What I’m trying to say is rather than chopping the knees off the team so that you lose; you build a team that likely won’t win much but is trending up versus down.

How have they not chopped the team at the knees? What else can they do? They finished last and they took that team's best, by far, player Reinhart, their minutes leader, and their starting goaltender. And replaced them with replacement level players, all of them. This is the same as the last tank so far we just had more vets to sell off then 

[thewookie1]

Just now, Thorny said:

How have they not chopped the team at the knees? What else can they do? They finished last and they took that team's best, by far, player Reinhart, their minutes leader, and their starting goaltender. And replaced them with replacement level players, all of them. This is the same as the last tank so far we just had more vets to sell off then 

I guess more that we have a team of youngsters versus that of a team of random people.

Essentially what our goaltending is now but team wise.

[Andrew Amerk]

Maybe tank isn’t the right word this time. 
 

Maybe they are submarining. 

[SDS]

1 minute ago, Thorny said:

How have they not chopped the team at the knees? What else can they do? They finished last and they took that team's best, by far, player Reinhart, their minutes leader, and their starting goaltender. And replaced them with replacement level players, all of them. This is the same as the last tank so far we just had more vets to sell off then 

We were last in the league playing only seven other teams. there is also an assumption that all the young players on the team are in fact a year older and should be better than the year before.

I’m not suggesting the situation is the same, but in 2005 many, many posters here we’re ready to burn buffalo down after losing to the senators 10 to 0. People calling for a boycott. People complaining that it was sheer incompetency to have Brian Campbell on your roster.

No one saw youth getting better over time.

[Thorner]

3 minutes ago, SDS said:

We were last in the league playing only seven other teams. there is also an assumption that all the young players on the team are in fact a year older and should be better than the year before.

I’m not suggesting the situation is the same, but in 2005 many, many posters here we’re ready to burn buffalo down after losing to the senators 10 to 0. People calling for a boycott. People complaining that it was sheer incompetency to have Brian Campbell on your roster.

No one saw youth getting better over time.

The discussion point was if they "cut the team off at the knees". They did - they removed those players. They didn't remove them because they thought the youth was ready to adequately replace them on the ice in games next year

Even if they expect growth, they obviously know they could use the talent on the ice they shipped off - they knowingly made the team worse, even if they expect the youth to get better. 

Edited July 29, 2021 by Thorny

[apuszczalowski]

3 minutes ago, SDS said:

We were last in the league playing only seven other teams. there is also an assumption that all the young players on the team are in fact a year older and should be better than the year before.

I’m not suggesting the situation is the same, but in 2005 many, many posters here we’re ready to burn buffalo down after losing to the senators 10 to 0. People calling for a boycott. People complaining that it was sheer incompetency to have Brian Campbell on your roster.

No one saw youth getting better over time.

That was also a time when the standards where much higher. It was unacceptable to not make the playoffs or get knocked out in the first round

 

right now parades would be held and statues built if they just make the playoffs

They also had veterans on the roster to help bring the young players along, players that had played years in the minors and were ready to make the jump into lower roles on the main roster. Now they are selling off the young(ish) talent and just expecting youth to come in and take the place on the roster with a few underwhelming veterans putting alot of pressure on the bigger name youth who are going to be expected/counted on by the fans and media to step it up and carry the team as they develop

Edited July 29, 2021 by apuszczalowski

[Thorner]

8 minutes ago, thewookie1 said:

I guess more that we have a team of youngsters versus that of a team of random people.

Essentially what our goaltending is now but team wise.

A team of youngsters we are ok with subjecting to a putrid record? 

[Andrew Amerk]

1 minute ago, apuszczalowski said:

That was also a time when the standards where much higher. It was unacceptable to not make the playoffs or get knocked out in the first round

 

right now parades would be held and statues built if they just make the playoffs

That seems to feel how Bills fans have reacted. 

[apuszczalowski]

1 minute ago, Andrew Amerk said:

That seems to feel how Bills fans have reacted. 

Look at how much money was donated to Andy Daltons charity for a pass made in a Bills game to allow them into the playoffs to break the drought?

[klos1963]

27 minutes ago, Pimlach said:

It can’t be this hard.  This is both sad and sorry.  

This is one of the most depressing days I can remember as a fan. Nothing like losing to Dallas or anything like that. Many of us knew this day/week would be bad, it's been horrible.  Nobody of quality on the team that had a choice to stay did that, they all left. Nobody of worth came back. We have no choice but to build through the draft and it's not really a great plan. Need free agents as well. We can't even trade Eichel. 

[Pimlach]

5 minutes ago, klos1963 said:

This is one of the most depressing days I can remember as a fan. Nothing like losing to Dallas or anything like that. Many of us knew this day/week would be bad, it's been horrible.  Nobody of quality on the team that had a choice to stay did that, they all left. Nobody of worth came back. We have no choice but to build through the draft and it's not really a great plan. Need free agents as well. We can't even trade Eichel. 

Reinhart, Risto, McCabe, Ullmark and soon Eichel all gone.  
 

The young core is going to play with who? 

Edited July 29, 2021 by Pimlach

[Andrew Amerk]

4 minutes ago, klos1963 said:

This is one of the most depressing days I can remember as a fan. Nothing like losing to Dallas or anything like that. Many of us knew this day/week would be bad, it's been horrible.  Nobody of quality on the team that had a choice to stay did that, they all left. Nobody of worth came back. We have no choice but to build through the draft and it's not really a great plan. Need free agents as well. We can't even trade Eichel. 

They could trade him, it’s just the offers are garbage. Other GMs have realized that KA is over his head, and under pressure, and also under rules from the owner. So, they aren’t offering what the Sabres want. They are waiting for KA to blink, or the owner to demand KA get it done like he did with ROR. 

[SDS]

So this changes things a little bit for me. The question is if the Sabres had a chance to match, if they expected the chance, etc.?

[Andrew Amerk]

9 minutes ago, SDS said:

So this changes things a little bit for me. The question is if the Sabres had a chance to match, if they expected the chance, etc.?

This would imply that the Sabres offered 3 or 4 years at $4mill, but the Bruins offered 5 years. 

I’m not buying it. He had an offer from a perennial playoff team and took it. 

[SDS]

Just now, Andrew Amerk said:

This would imply that the Sabres offered 3 or 4 years at $4mill, but the Bruins offered 5 years. 

I’m not buying it. He had an offer from a perennial playoff team and took it. 

I think it implies a 3 year term at $5M.

[Andrew Amerk]

1 minute ago, SDS said:

I think it implies a 3 year term at $5M.

I think that would make sense in what KA would offer, based on where he probably feels UPL, Levi, and Portillo are in the system. 

[Thorner]

9 minutes ago, Andrew Amerk said:

I think that would make sense in what KA would offer, based on where he probably feels UPL, Levi, and Portillo are in the system. 

So, trading Reinhart for Levi made Ullmark expendable for nothing.

[apuszczalowski]

4 minutes ago, Thorny said:

So, trading Reinhart for Levi made Ullmark expendable for nothing.

No, it meant he felt 3 years was long enough to not 'block one of the youth' from getting a spot.

Or he is just a really nice guy and wanted to make sure his replacement wasn't locked in to Ullmark when they take over

[klos1963]

32 minutes ago, Andrew Amerk said:

They could trade him, it’s just the offers are garbage. Other GMs have realized that KA is over his head, and under pressure, and also under rules from the owner. So, they aren’t offering what the Sabres want. They are waiting for KA to blink, or the owner to demand KA get it done like he did with ROR. 

Thanks for cheering me up.

[DarthEbriate]

45 minutes ago, Huckleberry said:

But jesus christ why the bruins, I liked ullmark 😞

Eichwalker: I don't know. I really thought he'd change his mind.

PrinceMattEllis: He's got to follow his own path. No one can choose it for him.

[Andrew Amerk]

3 minutes ago, klos1963 said:

Thanks for cheering me up.

I had visions of a Byfield or Zegras or Rossi dancing in my head, but I think think that time has passed. 
 

 

Edited July 29, 2021 by Andrew Amerk

[DarthEbriate]

1 minute ago, Andrew Amerk said:

I had visions of a Byfield or Zegras or Rossi dancing in my head, but I think think that time has passed. 

If I'm another GM, my offer is shrinking even further. I mean... the Sabres don't want to win anyway. Why would I send a talented kid like Zegras off to get ruined here? Best keep him and let him play competitive hockey on my squad. Whatever my squad is.

[Andrew Amerk]

6 minutes ago, apuszczalowski said:

No, it meant he felt 3 years was long enough to not 'block one of the youth' from getting a spot.

Or he is just a really nice guy and wanted to make sure his replacement wasn't locked in to Ullmark when they take over

Yes. The Sabres were like “be our guy for 3 years on a horrid team until one of these other guys can replace you” and Linus was like “a playoff team wants me for 5 years byeeee.”

[SDS]

Just now, Andrew Amerk said:

Yes. The Sabres were like “be our guy for 3 years on a horrid team until one of these other guys can replace you” and Linus was like “a playoff team wants me for 5 years byeeee.”

4 years

[klos1963]

2 minutes ago, DarthEbriate said:

If I'm another GM, my offer is shrinking even further. I mean... the Sabres don't want to win anyway. Why would I send a talented kid like Zegras off to get ruined here? Best keep him and let him play competitive hockey on my squad. Whatever my squad is.

I never wanted to trade a talent like Eichel, but it really looks like we messed up by not getting a good trade done, especially after the rest of the roster results of today.  If we can't move him, he'll be as miserable as can be, if we do move him, it'll probably be a horrible deal. What a mess.