2023 trade speculation and rumors

[LGR4GM]

This would be a good guy to flip Johnson for. Johnson is from Cali and Thrun is from Mass. so if you can have both sign with the trading team you are good to go. 

[Mr. Allen]

24 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

This would be a good guy to flip Johnson for. Johnson is from Cali and Thrun is from Mass. so if you can have both sign with the trading team you are good to go. 

Is Thrun worth at least a 2nd?  Cause don’t we at least get that if Johnson doesn’t sign? 
And then if Thrun didn’t sign with us we lost out on that 2nd round compensation. 

Edited February 16, 2023 by Mr. Allen

[LGR4GM]

11 minutes ago, Mr. Allen said:

Is Thrun worth at least a 2nd?  Cause don’t we at least get that if Johnson doesn’t sign? 
And then if Thrun didn’t sign with us we lost out on that 2nd round compensation. 

You wouldn't make the trade until Thrun and Johnson can sign and then it would be part of the trade. 

Is he worth a 2nd in 2024, yes. Thrun is probably going to play NHL games so he is worth a late 2nd round pick for sure. Also if you draft a defender in 2024 you then have until what? 2027 before they make the team and 2028 or 2029 before they are useful. All depends on if Adams wants Thrun though, I haven't watched him since the draft but his NCAA numbers look decent. 

[Buffalonill]

2 hours ago, LGR4GM said:

This would be a good guy to flip Johnson for. Johnson is from Cali and Thrun is from Mass. so if you can have both sign with the trading team you are good to go. 

 I wouldn't mind this but has a team ever done this before?

[inkman]

Too bad 26 shirts didn’t come up with this. 
 

 

[Weave]

2 minutes ago, inkman said:

Too bad 26 shirts didn’t come up with this. 
 

 

[spndnchz]

3 hours ago, inkman said:

Too bad 26 shirts didn’t come up with this. 
 

 

My last order took 3 weeks! Three weeks!

[Eleven]

1 minute ago, spndnchz said:

My last order took 3 weeks! Three weeks!

Is that a long time or a short time for them?

[Flashsabre]

One thing they need is a guy with some size and grit (along with skill) to play with Cozens long term.

When he is stirring it up and 3 opposing players are in a scrum with him you can’t have the JJs and VOs looking for a place to hide.  That has happened on a couple occasions in the past few games. Not an enforcer, not a guy that has to protect him. Just someone who is willing to jump in and be counted. The Sabres have a ton of small skilled forwards in the organization which is fine but Cozens isn’t going to stop being feisty and stirring it up and a guy riding shotgun that can handle himself a bit but also play at a high level would be nice. Those are not easy to find.

[PromoTheRobot]

https://theathletic.com/4207096/2023/02/15/sabres-trade-deadline-kevyn-adams-don-granato-kyle-okposo/

I know, paywall. But it's very good article if you can read it.

[kas23]

9 minutes ago, PromoTheRobot said:

https://theathletic.com/4207096/2023/02/15/sabres-trade-deadline-kevyn-adams-don-granato-kyle-okposo/

I know, paywall. But it's very good article if you can read it.

Can you tell us what it says?

[LGR4GM]

1 hour ago, PromoTheRobot said:

https://theathletic.com/4207096/2023/02/15/sabres-trade-deadline-kevyn-adams-don-granato-kyle-okposo/

I know, paywall. But it's very good article if you can read it.

 

53 minutes ago, kas23 said:

Can you tell us what it says?

I pulled these two quotes but basically the players trust Granato and Adams and they both trust the players. Adams is prepared for the deadline but the next two weeks are important. Sounds like the Sabres players are in tune with the league and as Okposo says they have a lot of hockey nerds in the locker room. 

Quote

"Granato said. “You hear everybody saying you should go for this guy and you should go for that guy and mortgage the future stuff, but really I think our players, I know Okposo, myself, Kevyn and Terry Pegula, the four of us have a pretty open dialogue. Okie is amazing for us to have as a coach and a GM because we get a real good feel of the dressing room through Okie.”

Quote

“I think about it all the time,” Okposo said with a smile. “I’m a huge hockey nerd. I love knowing what’s going on in the league. I listen to three podcasts a day. I enjoy that part of it for sure. I’m going to play as long as my body tells me I can. And I’m not going to overstay my welcome, either. These kids are a lot more talented than I have ever been in my life. So I want to make sure to give the next generation ample opportunities.” 

 

[JohnC]

5 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

 

I pulled these two quotes but basically the players trust Granato and Adams and they both trust the players. Adams is prepared for the deadline but the next two weeks are important. Sounds like the Sabres players are in tune with the league and as Okposo says they have a lot of hockey nerds in the locker room. 

 

Kyle O sounds as if he has front office potential when he decides to hang it up. 

[kas23]

So, Okie’s the mole?

[GASabresIUFAN]

6 minutes ago, kas23 said:

So, Okie’s the mole?

Basically, but in a positive way.  Let’s say he is the player rep on the advisory board.  There are 4 pieces of a sports organization - Ownership (Pegula), Management (Adams), Coaching Staff (Granato) and the players (Okposo).  Unlike years past these 4 groups have an open dialog and communicate regularly.  It’s why Comrie, who came here for a starting opportunity, is content being a 3rd wheel right now. He knows where he stands and the team has communicated that they still believe in him.  

My question is how does KA handle KO going forward.  Obviously the organization likes and respects KO.  Unless he asks to be traded, I doubt he is going anywhere this season, but what about next year.  He clearly understands his time here as a player maybe nearing it’s end and he also implied he wants to keep playing if he can.  So do they sign him for another year with a promise of an management role when he retires?  Does KO say he wants to go back to Minn to finish his career?   

While this might not mean much in the scheme of things, KO is 45 games from 1000 in his career.  I’d like to see him reach that milestone as a Sabre.

[PromoTheRobot]

1 hour ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

Basically, but in a positive way.  Let’s say he is the player rep on the advisory board.  There are 4 pieces of a sports organization - Ownership (Pegula), Management (Adams), Coaching Staff (Granato) and the players (Okposo).  Unlike years past these 4 groups have an open dialog and communicate regularly.  It’s why Comrie, who came here for a starting opportunity, is content being a 3rd wheel right now. He knows where he stands and the team has communicated that they still believe in him.  

My question is how does KA handle KO going forward.  Obviously the organization likes and respects KO.  Unless he asks to be traded, I doubt he is going anywhere this season, but what about next year.  He clearly understands his time here as a player maybe nearing it’s end and he also implied he wants to keep playing if he can.  So do they sign him for another year with a promise of an management role when he retires?  Does KO say he wants to go back to Minn to finish his career?   

While this might not mean much in the scheme of things, KO is 45 games from 1000 in his career.  I’d like to see him reach that milestone as a Sabre.

Also an interesting quote about how seeing the GM around the locker room doesn't cause angst among players.

“On our team, I think everybody pretty much knows where they stand, which is a rare thing in pro hockey,” Okposo said. “One thing that Kevyn and I both have really stressed is that communication is going to be first-class… It helps a lot. It’s not commonplace in pro hockey to have the GM around and (in other places) when he does come around you’re walking on eggshells or they’re not saying hi and you don’t really know what to say. It is good that he’s around and building those relationships so that when he does have to have those difficult conversations it’s not coming from solely a business perspective. At the end of the day, we’re people as well. In this business sometimes that can be forgotten. When you have somebody like Kevyn who is in charge, that part of it doesn’t fall by the wayside. I think we’re a better organization because of it.”

Edited February 17, 2023 by PromoTheRobot

[Contempt]

1 minute ago, PromoTheRobot said:

Also an interesting quote about how seeing the GM around the locker room doesn't cause players to walk on eggshells. Players all talk with and greet Adams, unlike other teams where GMs won't even acknowledge players if they see them.

That's all well and good until the GM has to make a tough decision and send out a popular player. Adams hasn't really had to do that yet. We will see what happens when he does.

[PromoTheRobot]

Just now, Contempt said:

That's all well and good until the GM has to make a tough decision and send out a popular player. Adams hasn't really had to do that yet. We will see what happens when he does.

See the quote I added above. It's addressed.

Edited February 17, 2023 by PromoTheRobot

[Eleven]

5 minutes ago, PromoTheRobot said:

See the quote I added above. It's addressed.

I know you edited your post, but I wish you hadn't, because it reminded me of seeing how some employees reacted when Ted Black would come by.  Head down, "hello Mr. Black," walk by as quickly as possible...

[Taro T]

12 minutes ago, Contempt said:

That's all well and good until the GM has to make a tough decision and send out a popular player. Adams hasn't really had to do that yet. We will see what happens when he does.

That's true.  But he has treated the players as humans & not just expendable assets on at least 3 occasions when a player's role was significantly diminished.

When Power was about to come on board, Adams traded Hagg for a small return rather than ,are him sit in the pressbox regularly and he had several communications with him about where he stood as that process advanced.

He let Sheahan walk & void his contract when the team got healthy in November.  He also attempted to trade Hinostroza rather than simply send him to the Amerks when the 3 headed goalie monster was born.

He's been upfront & as Okposo said, players know their roles and where they stand.  A guy like Asplund may not like it, but being treated like an adult has to help with the mentality of it.

So, when it's time to move on from a "glue" guy on the room, not expecting it to have a ripple effect, but who knows for sure how that'll play out.

[PromoTheRobot]

1 hour ago, Eleven said:

I know you edited your post, but I wish you hadn't, because it reminded me of seeing how some employees reacted when Ted Black would come by.  Head down, "hello Mr. Black," walk by as quickly as possible...

I only edited it because I thought I misrepresented what was actually said in the story.

[triumph_communes]

On 2/17/2023 at 3:21 PM, Contempt said:

That's all well and good until the GM has to make a tough decision and send out a popular player. Adams hasn't really had to do that yet. We will see what happens when he does.

Eichel and his whole clique got sent off 

[Skooby]

They need a leader not a friend, get some D help & a solid starting goalie from terrible team, we can win it with these guys.

[Pimlach]

On 2/17/2023 at 12:02 PM, JohnC said:

Kyle O sounds as if he has front office potential when he decides to hang it up. 

He definitely is and the Sabres front office knows it.  

[Pimlach]

On 2/17/2023 at 2:19 PM, PromoTheRobot said:

Also an interesting quote about how seeing the GM around the locker room doesn't cause angst among players.

“On our team, I think everybody pretty much knows where they stand, which is a rare thing in pro hockey,” Okposo said. “One thing that Kevyn and I both have really stressed is that communication is going to be first-class… It helps a lot. It’s not commonplace in pro hockey to have the GM around and (in other places) when he does come around you’re walking on eggshells or they’re not saying hi and you don’t really know what to say. It is good that he’s around and building those relationships so that when he does have to have those difficult conversations it’s not coming from solely a business perspective. At the end of the day, we’re people as well. In this business sometimes that can be forgotten. When you have somebody like Kevyn who is in charge, that part of it doesn’t fall by the wayside. I think we’re a better organization because of it.”

This is huge.  There was a time when seeing the GM hanging around practices and in the locker room was like seeing the grim reaper.  Especially around the trade deadline.  I would have thought Adam’s open approach is now much more common in the NHL.  

Adam’s talks about culture change, and sure, winning is the first on the list.  But open communication, opportunities, and fair treatment of players is right up there.