Free Agent Frenzy 2024

[JP51]

1 hour ago, Thorny said:

All of those options are significantly better than what we got if the “players won’t come here” narrative is as true as people say. That’s my point. Options 1 and 2 are absolutely fine and again, the (small!) risk of him being LTIR’d forever and Pegula’s yacht being affected and us losing Tuch was easily easily worth the risk considering the *much more likely* perception hit we demonstrably took 

This fallout was always likely and predictable. It wasn’t really like the surgery would break him. And again, that’s STILL a way easier result to deal with that being blackballed 

the Eichel situation wasn’t favourable for us. We don’t need to litigate it again. We did not manage it well: that much history has already recorded 

100% this is one of the major reasons players will not come here or want to deal with Adams... Adams/Organization failed... miserably to me there was only one option... Come out and say. 

GMKA: Jack can have what ever surgery he and the doctors feel is best for him. It is his body... and we will support him 100% in his decision... 

Reporter: Kevyn, this is not an accepted NHL surgery, it has rarely been done before... how can you allow this to take place with your Cornerstone player and Captain??

GMKA: You are talking business... I am talking life... you are talking what you think may be best for a hockey team.. I am talking about putting a young man and his right to make a decision with which medical treatment he believes is best for him. Its a risk for all... But Jack is risking his career with this surgery... who am I to stand in the way of that and tell him what he can and cannot do... Does he risk less the we do? 

Reporter: No more questions.... 

His or this organizations inability to see this is inexcusable, wrong and they are paying for it. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Weave]

1 hour ago, Thorny said:

- X -

-snip-

- X -  

Say his name.  LOL

[French Collection]

1 hour ago, LTS said:

My experience representing players is at the end of the day, hockey players are happy when hockey is going well.”

That’s an accurate quote, coming from a former agent. Translates into, just win.

1 hour ago, Archie Lee said:

The Blackhawks gave term to Bertuzzi (4 x $5.5) and Teravainan (3 x $5.4).  I doubt we offered a 3-4 year term to anyone in free agency and I'm unconvinced that "Buffalo" would have been a factor had we been willing to offer similar or slightly better term or AAV to certain well-targeted players.

Bertuzzi and Teravainen just wanted to cash in and have security. Chicago can’t pretend to be in win now mode.

[LGR4GM]

What about trading for Mcgroarty? Idk how much it helps now but he's different than savoue, Rosen, Östlund

[thewookie1]

11 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

What about trading for Mcgroarty? Idk how much it helps now but he's different than savoue, Rosen, Östlund

Supposedly he said he would sign with us either.

[Brawndo]

 

[Thorny]

1 minute ago, Brawndo said:

 

lol 

oy-vey

No one is coming to buffalo. If you can attain a top 6 asset by trade, you have to do it. No matter the futures cost 

[Weave]

10 minutes ago, Thorny said:

lol 

oy-vey

No one is coming to buffalo. If you can attain a top 6 asset by trade, you have to do it. No matter the futures cost 

After the Leino and Hall debacles, I fully expect that there are firm, unrelenting orders from the Grand Meddler that there will be no more hesitant players on this roster.

[thewookie1]

15 minutes ago, Thorny said:

lol 

oy-vey

No one is coming to buffalo. If you can attain a top 6 asset by trade, you have to do it. No matter the futures cost 

Never, you can’t take that approach or we’ll get literally destroyed by any trade

[Second Line Center]

15 minutes ago, Thorny said:

lol 

oy-vey

No one is coming to buffalo. If you can attain a top 6 asset by trade, you have to do it. No matter the futures cost 

 

Only way to fix this is a reputable Team President respected around the league.  
 

Or, we become a 110 point team this season.   
 

Until then, my hopes of anyone of significance coming here are absolutely zero. 

[Thorny]

3 minutes ago, thewookie1 said:

Never, you can’t take that approach or we’ll get literally destroyed by any trade

It could not be worse 

The “decline to protect the future” strategy has not worked and will not work 

Decline and be bad 

or 

accept and maybe be bad 

You operate based on a fear of the looming headline, admit it. You’ve basically admitted as much before.

The word DROUGHT is printed on our foreheads until we make the playoffs. There’s no avoiding the headline. We are a headline 

Edited Wednesday at 09:24 PM by Thorny

[sabresouth]

Agreed Thorny, if you don't make the playoffs, players don't want to come. You have to pay whatever now and then once you're winning, players will want to come here. We'll maybe not with current management. 

[Brawndo]

He’s is from Williamsville and a very good AHLer. 
The Amerks should take a swing at him 

[Rasmus_]

The Sabres signed someone named Colton Poolman.  Another common variety meh merchant for Rochester. 

[LGR4GM]

Lol

 

 

[Thorny]

5 minutes ago, sabresouth said:

Agreed Thorny, if you don't make the playoffs, players don't want to come. You have to pay whatever now and then once you're winning, players will want to come here. We'll maybe not with current management. 

You have to lay the first brick

we continually try to lay a pie in the sky foundation 

[LabattBlue]

Must not give out deals with term. Must save cap space for next overpaid prospect. Rinse & repeat. 
 

Just sell the team already.  What a clown show. 

[GoPuckYourself]

20M cap space and they’re sitting on it? Typical. 

[Stads]

11 minutes ago, GoPuckYourself said:

20M cap space and they’re sitting on it? Typical. 

Live look at Kevyn Adams' press conference to address sitting on it:

 

[sabremike]

 

[Brawndo]

7 hours ago, LGR4GM said:

Wonder if you could dig Nicolas Roy out of Vegas? He's a big center that's a perfect #3 with some #2 injury coverage and signed for 3 more years. Ik they will ltir Lehner to fix their cap overage but I wonder if they'd take a 1st and Rosen for someone like that to give them some flexibility. I'm spitballing here so don't think it is something that's realistic. Just trying to creatively find solutions. 

They would only have 1.3 million in space with Lehner on LTIR. That’s until Mark Stone goes on LTIR two weeks before the TDL. 
(They will use that space to acquire Crosby) 

Washington is another team I would look at

6 hours ago, LGR4GM said:

What if we call Joe Pavelski and say look dude, we'll give you 9 million for 1 year and I'll trade you to a contender with 50% retained if we're not in a playoff spot. 

He really fell off last year. 

4 hours ago, thewookie1 said:

Well our team doctor didn't approve of it either, and he's a rather well known Sports doctor and famous for the whole Kevin Everett event in 2007. If he didn't feel comfortable with it and since this was the first of its kind in the NHL I can't exactly fault the concerns. Additionally, there were multiple teams that were on our side in the ordeal that wouldn't have let him get the surgery either. It wasn't exactly a routine surgery commonly done around the league. Just look at how Patrick Kane had to fight his surgery's results in order to get signed again due Backstrom, Kesler and Jankowski. Most NHL teams are naturally very cautious with any degree of risk.

No bad buzz, well three other scenarios could of played out:

1. Surgery is successful and he comes back as a lame duck and then is traded at slightly better value(he still would have lost value due to the injury + surgery long term unpredictability. (Could of happened had the doctor approved of it)

2. Surgery is successful but takes longer to recover from after a few opinions are garnered. Team doctors are incensed by the team siding with some random out of league guy over their expertise. Eichel returns late into December or January and the team gets lowballed by concerned teams knowing we have to trade him before the deadline to avoid his NTC.

3. Surgery is successful but isn't NHL viable forcing him to LTIRetire, Sabres are quite literally screwed as their entire tank was for nothing and we are left to scramble. Additionally the team doctors are proven right and create a stir in the sports medicine field and teams league wide look into the viability of player's choosing their treatments.

Tarasenko is the only Top 6 guy left.

Van Riemsdyk would signal Zucker was meant for the Top 6

Pavelski has all but retired at this point

This doesn’t help Pegula’s Reputation around the league especially with players.  The NHLPA was quite pissed about it, yes the Sabres had complete control due to the CBA, and it wouldn’t surprise me if the PA seeks to change that for the next CBA.  The irony is the Sabres Medical Staff had supposedly recommended that Eichel shut it down long before the Islanders Game where he sustained the neck injury. 

Eichel thanked Adams for His Professionalism during the the whole process, nothing about Pegula. ( For reference Eichel and the Pegulas  would have a monthly dinner during the season) 

I rotated with a NHL Team Doc. It’s important to remember they are on the teams medical staff. 

Had Eichel not asked for a trade prior to the injury and wanted to remain a Sabre, do you really believe Pegula would have stopped Him from getting the ADR he wanted? 

3 hours ago, Thorny said:

Speaking of Ehlers, I wonder if the reason the Jets and Sabres seem, at least anecdotally to me, to link up for trades so often is because we are both dealing from a position of similar weakness re: attractive destination. After all, Winnipeg is always listed as even more undesired than Buffalo according to the league’s players. We are sort of kin in that sense 

While having these conversations, we should consider picking their management’s brains re: how they managed to field a playoff team 7 times since they returned in 2011, with hardly anyone but their homegrowns willing to sign, and even then sometimes not (Dustin Byfuglien, etc etc)  

Chevy has been pretty creative overall 

With the caveat the source is questionable there is a rumor circulating that The Jets wanted Tuch and a pick in exchange for Ehlers and Iafallo. 
 

[shrader]

Wait, Tarasenko going to Detroit is setting people off now? Go have a beer or something. 

[Scottysabres]

14 minutes ago, shrader said:

Wait, Tarasenko going to Detroit is setting people off now? Go have a beer or something. 

What really gets me laughing shrader is that we all knew a trade was going to be the way to address the top 6 need, and the panick 3 days in to FA has me near splitting a gut laughing 🤣. Personally, I think what Adams did with the bottom 6 was right on the money.

[thewookie1]

32 minutes ago, Brawndo said:

This doesn’t help Pegula’s Reputation around the league especially with players.  The NHLPA was quite pissed about it, yes the Sabres had complete control due to the CBA, and it wouldn’t surprise me if the PA seeks to change that for the next CBA.  The irony is the Sabres Medical Staff had supposedly recommended that Eichel shut it down long before the Islanders Game where he sustained the neck injury. 

Eichel thanked Adams for His Professionalism during the the whole process, nothing about Pegula. ( For reference Eichel and the Pegulas  would have a monthly dinner during the season) 

I rotated with a NHL Team Doc. It’s important to remember they are on the teams medical staff. 

Had Eichel not asked for a trade prior to the injury and wanted to remain a Sabre, do you really believe Pegula would have stopped Him from getting the ADR he wanted? 

Frankly that has always been my thought; Pegula felt wronged by Eichel whom he poured resources and money into only to have him ask out. Without the request for a trade; he'd of been shipped to the best hospital with the best doctor for the surgery and given a blank check for rehab if he needed special rehab versus regular NHL styled types. When he asked out he was effectively made an ungrateful whelp who deserved nothing more from him.

 

40 minutes ago, Brawndo said:

With the caveat the source is questionable there is a rumor circulating that The Jets wanted Tuch and a pick in exchange for Ehlers and Iafallo. 

The Jets can kick rocks with that ask.

[GoPuckYourself]

1 hour ago, Brawndo said:

 

With the caveat the source is questionable there is a rumor circulating that The Jets wanted Tuch and a pick in exchange for Ehlers and Iafallo. 
 

Where do you see that? I have not found this rumor anywhere. Is this some bleacher report or Eklund garbage?

Edited Thursday at 12:12 AM by GoPuckYourself