Trade Deadline: Sabres do nothing

[dudacek]

1 hour ago, Pimlach said:

So what.  Spend it on players that are worth it. Don’t spend it unless it is worth it. I don’t want a tim Murray rush rebuild tying up dollars on the wrong players just to spend money. 

I’m not suggesting spending money to just to spend money and it’s certainly not about tying money up in the wrong players. I am suggesting that we had $20 million available under the cap that could have and should have been used to make this team better. 

Most of you seem to think that there was nothing out there worth spending that money on. I think that’s ridiculous.

1 hour ago, Pimlach said:

Great idea.  Bring in another lout like Hall just to get more in trade value after he sucks money off the payroll and teaches our young players what not to do.   Psysk gave us more bang for the buck.  Hall was a lazy negative. We don’t need lazy veterans around anymore.  Anderson gave us more value than Frederick would have. 

Why do you assume it would automatically have to be a lout like Hall?

Craig at $750,000 is definitely better value than Freddie at $6 million. But Freddie is the better goalie and value is meaningless when you are so far under the cap and you aren’t getting tied down to a long-term commitment.

Why do you care about Pegula’s money?

[GoPuckYourself]

6 hours ago, LGR4GM said:

Im just here now to watch the overreactions from the same posters who say player x, y, and z are trash but then also Adams is trash for not trading those players. 

I don't think Adams is trash but to think the best move for a team that hasn't made it to the playoffs in over decade was to do absolutely nothing, you must have your complimentary rose colored homer glasses on. There were some opportunities here to get either more picks, roster players also why were teams giving salary dumps to the Coyotes but not 1 here? I'm over it though and will look forward to watching the kids grow.

[GASabresIUFAN]

2 hours ago, dudacek said:

I’m not suggesting spending money to just to spend money and it’s certainly not about tying money up in the wrong players. I am suggesting that we had $20 million available under the cap that could have and should have been used to make this team better. 

Most of you seem to think that there was nothing out there worth spending that money on. I think that’s ridiculous.

Why do you assume it would automatically have to be a lout like Hall?

Craig at $750,000 is definitely better value than Freddie at $6 million. But Freddie is the better goalie and value is meaningless when you are so far under the cap and you aren’t getting tied down to a long-term commitment.

Why do you care about Pegula’s money?

I think part of the issue is that KA is still inexperienced.  Because of that inexperience he is unwilling to take to much risk when the pressure is on and worries about making a mistake.   I think it’s why he didn’t attempt to use the open goaltender slot before expansion and why he didn’t utilize our cap space to collect more assets. I think he is more comfortable when he has more time to decide in the off-season.  

My guess is he’ll be more comfortable utilizing the cap space this summer as more teams have to unload better players to get cap compliant or redeploy their cap space to cover needs.  For example Varlamov. He wasn’t moved at the deadline, but I doubt the NYI want to pay a backup goalie next season 5 mill.

[Doohicksie]

5 hours ago, PromoTheRobot said:

Supposedly we were ready to do a 3-way with Florida

[Doohicksie]

3 hours ago, dudacek said:

Why do you care about Pegula’s money?

Because Kevyn finally seems to be building this team the right way and I want the Pegulas to be fully on board and supportive of this build.

[Doohicksie]

58 minutes ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

I think part of the issue is that KA is still inexperienced.  Because of that inexperience he is unwilling to take to much risk when the pressure is on and worries about making a mistake.   I think it’s why he didn’t attempt to use the open goaltender slot before expansion and why he didn’t utilize our cap space to collect more assets. I think he is more comfortable when he has more time to decide in the off-season.  

My guess is he’ll be more comfortable utilizing the cap space this summer as more teams have to unload better players to get cap compliant or redeploy their cap space to cover needs.  For example Varlamov. He wasn’t moved at the deadline, but I doubt the NYI want to pay a backup goalie next season 5 mill.

I think you have entirely the wrong read on Kevyn Adams.  He's been studying the Sabres for years including past GMs and coaches.  He's seen what worked and what didn't.  He says it time and time again:  He has a plan and he sticks to the plan.  I take that to mean that he works with his staff to decide on a game plan for days like today, including when to act and when not to act.  It's not so much that he's worried about making a mistake, it's that he trusts his staff and the plans made leading up to deadline day and isn't going to go off into the weeds chasing squirrels.

Maybe that means a slow, deliberate build, without the big splashy acquisitions, but it also means he's properly developing the players and prospect that are already here and not cutting them off by bringing in short-term "blockers".  By doing this, though, the young core will more fully own their roles on the team.

[Andrew Amerk]

Haven’t read the thread. 

Dont get the point of not flipping Miller and Eakin for anything, if they aren’t in the future plans. Even a lottery ticket 7th is better than losing them for nothing. 

Keeping Hiney and Anderson, I can understand. 

[Doohicksie]

I'm not sure he even got any offers on Miller and Eakin.  When you're looking for defensive insurance going into the playoffs, picking up a guy just coming off injury didn't appeal to the rest of the league.  Eakin is basically a one trick pony (faceoffs) and many playoff teams already have a couple experienced FO specialists.  The rest of the Sabres aren't as good as Eaks on FO so his impact on the Sabres is greater than it is on most or perhaps all the teams that will be playing in the playoffs.  So again, I'm not sure anyone even kicked the tires on him.

Someone else made the point earlier:  Why do we think others teams would want the worst players on one of the worst teams in the league?  Who clamors for that?

[In The Buff]

Saw a tweet that simply said: 8 UFA's 1 6th rd pick

I hear what everyone has been saying but for a team thats rebuilding their assets, it just seems we didn't maximize our return on all that we had is all.

And given our drought of historic proportions its not like our cupboard's been overflowing with them. Surely we could use as much as we can.

What Dudacek has been saying makes a lot of sense & has a lot of merit imho. But aside from his points, just on the current trade deadline: I dont care what the odds are for a 5th rd pick, once and awhile you hit on one (Tom Brady GOAT 6th rd wrong sport but yeah you get it). Maybe you can flip those picks for a future player or package. Maybe that player turns into Oloffson or the greatest of all time.

If the argument to not trading someone like Vinnie Hinostroza is that our team is playing too well right now & trading him would hurt our progress too much, then whats that say about the rest of the team, where we need him that much, or better yet, whats that say about Vinnie Hinostroza? lol

 

[Pimlach]

4 hours ago, dudacek said:

I’m not suggesting spending money to just to spend money and it’s certainly not about tying money up in the wrong players. I am suggesting that we had $20 million available under the cap that could have and should have been used to make this team better. 

Most of you seem to think that there was nothing out there worth spending that money on. I think that’s ridiculous.

Why do you assume it would automatically have to be a lout like Hall?

Craig at $750,000 is definitely better value than Freddie at $6 million. But Freddie is the better goalie and value is meaningless when you are so far under the cap and you aren’t getting tied down to a long-term commitment.

Why do you care about Pegula’s money?

Fair point by the numbers.  Pegula’s have cut the Sabres too far back.  
 

We might see and measure value differently on this.  Intangibles matter.  Who they bring in is important right now.  

[HumanSlinky39]

I’m going to trust that the offers simply were not there that made moving any of these worthwhile. I’m sure lowball offers were dangled and if so, good on KA for taking a pass. Set the precedent that the Sabres are not going to be fleeced on these kinds of deals anymore. Honestly, I can’t see any of those guys fetching more than a late pick, so I’m not going to be mad about not banking another 5th round pick for a 4th line forward or bottom pairing defenseman.

[Skibum]

The Sabres made no trades because nobody wants any of their available players. Seriously, what is any NHL team going to give the Sabres for Cody Eakin? 

Edited March 22, 2022 by Skibum

[Marvin]

What we learned is that the Sabres' treasure are other teams' trash.

If a good locker room guy like Cody Eakin is traded for a conditional 7th (my maximum value for him), how does the rest of the team react?  I know I would take it pretty hard -- I look up to him, but everyone else in hockey looks down on him, so what does that say about me?  That kind of thinking has to be in their subconscious.

[Doohicksie]

12 minutes ago, Marvin, Sabres Fan said:

What we learned is that the Sabres' treasure are other teams' trash.

If a good locker room guy like Cody Eakin is traded for a conditional 7th (my maximum value for him), how does the rest of the team react?  I know I would take it pretty hard -- I look up to him, but everyone else in hockey looks down on him, so what does that say about me?  That kind of thinking has to be in their subconscious.

I compared him to John Scott in another thread.  Everyone knew that John was not very good but he did a few things and did them well.... mostly thuggish play, but he was there for you.  In the dressing room he provided comic relief by photobombing interviews and other light antics that most of us never really knew.  That kind of stuff had zero to do with his play on the ice and a lot to do with the kind of person he is.

I think it's the same thing with Cody Eakin.  He knows he's on the backside of his career, he knows his role and the limits to it.  He's never going to be a 20-goal/40-point guy again; he's just there to win faceoffs and disrupt the other team's offense.  Any points he produces is a bonus.  I don't think he takes himself too seriously as a player at this point (not that he doesn't work hard but he knows he's not a top line guy).  In the locker room he's a "work hard but have fun" kind of guy I think.  On an established team with solid culture, they probably already have the role filled and the culture is well established anyway.  A top team is probably better at faceoffs in general.  So his contributions to the Sabres:  Veteran work ethic, winning faceoffs, comic relief, are more important to the nascent Sabres than they are to any established playoff team.  It doesn't mean he wouldn't contribute to another team, it's just that his contributions are more significant to the Sabres than they are to other teams.

If you look at every veteran on this team, I think they all take their role seriously, have a good work ethic, but don't take themselves too seriously.  I think that's a welcome shift from the recent and not-so-recent past when the veterans we brought in weren't model citizens.

I don't think keeping Cody Eakin or Colin Miller or any of the other vets around is going to damage the psyche of the young players.

[Stoner]

20 hours ago, Broken Ankles said:

This is odd. This is almost exactly what Rob looked like that time he was caught on camera in the background in the lockerroom after a game. He appeared to mime taking off a fake beard and hanging it on a hook. I don't remember whom the Sabres drafted first overall in 2018, but I remember that like it was yesterday.

20 hours ago, LGR4GM said:

Im just here now to watch the overreactions from the same posters who say player x, y, and z are trash but then also Adams is trash for not trading those players. 

Adams could have gotten a haul for Ras.

19 hours ago, PromoTheRobot said:

 

Don't you have to start to be done?

Fine. I'm done eating healthy in 2022.

41 minutes ago, Marvin, Sabres Fan said:

What we learned is that the Sabres' treasure are other teams' trash.

If a good locker room guy like Cody Eakin is traded for a conditional 7th (my maximum value for him), how does the rest of the team react?  I know I would take it pretty hard -- I look up to him, but everyone else in hockey looks down on him, so what does that say about me?  That kind of thinking has to be in their subconscious.

I love your mind.

[PromoTheRobot]

13 minutes ago, PASabreFan said:

 

Don't you have to start to be done?

Hmmm, Robert Hagg?

 

 

[SwampD]

19 hours ago, Weave said:

I, for one, am ***** ecstatic that for the 1st trade deadline in a decade the team chose to focus on now over focusing on a dice roll that might pay off in 3-5 years.

 

19 hours ago, Weave said:

We all should be thrilled by this.  The notion that we can win later by losing now has to be pushed off a tall cliff.

Two posts that need to be pointed out again.

We didn't get worse at the TDL. It doesn't even matter that we didn't get better. We didn't get worse,… That's where we are, I guess, and even that feels strangely different and good.

It's huge.

Signs that a decade of complete ass is finally coming to an end.

[woods-racer]

37 minutes ago, SwampD said:

 

Two posts that need to be pointed out again.

We didn't get worse at the TDL. It doesn't even matter that we didn't get better. We didn't get worse,… That's where we are, I guess, and even that feels strangely different and good.

It's huge.

Signs that a decade of complete ass is finally coming to an end.

Thank you. You summed it best so far. 

[FogBat]

On 3/21/2022 at 3:20 PM, LGR4GM said:

Im just here now to watch the overreactions from the same posters who say player x, y, and z are trash but then also Adams is trash for not trading those players. 

I honestly thought that this was a good thing. Maybe the franchise will finally turn the corner and snap this playoff drought next season.

[FogBat]

On 3/21/2022 at 4:10 PM, dudacek said:

@PASabreFan has to be thrilled about how much emphasis Adams is putting on the final 19 games.

Well, when someone like that becomes a useless old crank, this is all he has.

 

[FogBat]

On 3/21/2022 at 4:13 PM, Flashsabre said:

Hockeybuzz said Florida was going to acquire Martin Jones from Philly thru a third party. That was probably the deal.

Did that piece come from Feckless Eklund?

[SwampD]

27 minutes ago, FogBat said:

Well, when someone like that becomes a useless old crank, this is all he has.

 

Great. Now I'm down a YouTube Hee-Haw music vortex.

Man, those mother-***** could play!

[Flashsabre]

26 minutes ago, FogBat said:

Did that piece come from Feckless Eklund?

Yes it did. Never said who the third team was. The one team Eklund is actually plugged into is the Flyers. I read today Flyers decided against moving Jones because a couple of their prospect goalies are injured and they wanted a goalie back in return.

I don’t understand the desire for a goalie whose last 4 years have been .896, .896, .896,.902 sv%

Edited March 22, 2022 by Flashsabre

[Digger]

It doesn't concern me that the Sabres were unable to trade their soon to be UFA's.  The only one that really surprised me was Anderson (I would have thought he would be happy to go to any of the top contenders for one more shot at the Cup).  If keeping everyone as we did helps us end the season with an improved culture in the room then great.  If it helps Rochester make the playoffs then great.

But it does concern me that there seems to be some sentimental stuff being thrown around about who we should resign again.  If it makes sense then okay but in most cases I think the Sabres should be starting with a clean slate on all the UFA's and seeing how to build the best Sabres team for 2022-23.  Wipe the board at the end of the season of all the expiring contracts and build the best team we can taking all players into consideration with trades, and signings and bringing back players (only if they are the best option available to fill a need).  I think and hope that Adams approaches the off season this way.

[Marvin]

1 hour ago, SwampD said:

Great. Now I'm down a YouTube Hee-Haw music vortex.

Man, those mother-***** could play!

Some of the best country music performances ever were on that programme.