What will be the Sabres approach at the trade deadline?

[JohnC]

3 hours ago, Broken Ankles said:

Brick (Bruins broadcaster) made a comment last night about the 13 year drought and attributed a lot of it to the lack of leadership and Vets to play alongside the kids.  Develop properly. The blue line specifically has been way, way, way too young.  And has been for all of Adams time here.  In GA’s defense, doubling down on a third Left handed puck moving defender under 23 is just bonkers.  You can take your pick which one has to go but they need to move on from one.  Power provides a bigger reward, bc as you astutely noted, Power has been tainted by the franchise.  The flashes of greatness, raw talent, and size makes him sought after.  And he also has contract certainty.

Excellent post in which I agree with most of it. However, I strongly believe that keeping both Power and Byram would benefit the team. There is no question that the blueline unit needs to be better balanced. That's why I (and many others) advocate for adding experienced defensive/defensemen to the unit. 

On the issue of Power, I strenuously disagree with him. He believes that he is not playing up to his contract. He's looking at that issue from an annual standpoint where I look at it from a longer and broader perspective where in another year or two he will be playing beyond his contract numbers. 

[JohnC]

3 hours ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

You’re missing the broader point.  Whether Power is good or not doesn’t change the fact that we are  misallocating resources by keeping Power, Byram and Dahlin.  We honestly can’t afford to keep all 3 and still fix the other areas of the team.  It’s also a waste as there isn’t enough PP time for all 3.  To get the most out of these guys and their bloated contracts, each needs to anchor their own D pair and qb PP1 or PP2. 

Management needs to make a choice.  For me that choice is obvious; dump the defensively inept Power while he still has excellent trade value and get out from under his terrible contract.   I honestly don’t care if he blossoms elsewhere.  

Strenuous no. Just because there is a substantial allocation to the blueline that doesn't mean that there isn't value to it. Teams are constructed in a variety of ways. By adding some experienced and more rugged defensive/defensemen this unit will be better balanced. I don't see the problem with having all three defensemen being on either the #1 or #2 PP units. Sorry, what you are selling is what I am not buying. 

[DarthEbriate]

The approach?

Do not. But say you tried.

 

Zucker will garner a 2nd and a 6th, Greenway a 3rd because of the injuries despite being an excellent fit for a playoff rental, and Joker for some AHL guy/tweener prospect.

[GASabresIUFAN]

9 minutes ago, DarthEbriate said:

Do not. But say you tried.

The famous Kevyn Adams mantra.  I tried to get so many players, but no one wanted to come because we didn't have palm trees.

[DarthEbriate]

2 minutes ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

The famous Kevyn Adams mantra.  I tried to get so many players, but no one wanted to come because we didn't have palm trees.

Yup.

No one wants to come here, because I as GM have personally helped perpetuate an environment where no one wants to come to -- from my first day in the position.

Edited 22 hours ago by DarthEbriate

[GASabresIUFAN]

1 hour ago, DarthEbriate said:

The approach?

Do not. But say you tried.

 

Zucker will garner a 2nd and a 6th, Greenway a 3rd because of the injuries despite being an excellent fit for a playoff rental, and Joker for some AHL guy/tweener prospect.

What if Adams doesn’t trade Greenway and/or Zucker? What if he extends them instead?  
What a message that would send.  It would be the first time in a decade that the team is actually serious about winning or at least getting better.  
 

 

[PerreaultForever]

6 hours ago, Broken Ankles said:

There is an argument to be made about keeping a Veteran like Zucker to ensure the locker room doesn’t regress further (if that’s possible).  But I agree Zucker could be a nice chip and would have to consider.  Hopefully we don’t see a JBot/Scandella move and the return is shite. 
What is Greenways value?  A 4th? Injury prone yeah? 

Oh I think the team's lack of a veteran core has been a primary problem for years but I think Zucker is just a mercenary. Sure he said he'd be interested in re-signing and that's common sense negotiating, and if you over pay him he might stay but in terms of building a team I think it's better to sell high on him and then work on building a proper core afterwards. 

Greenway is the kind of guy teams want for playoff runs. idk what you can get but it shouldn't be absolute rubbish. Eating salary might be essential in both cases though and maybe they are under orders not to do that. 

[WhenWillItEnd66]

I heard KA requested that day off

[GASabresIUFAN]

1 hour ago, PerreaultForever said:

but I think Zucker is just a mercenary.

If Zucker is a mercenary, then sign me up for more. Since he arrived he has played hard every shift, done whatever the team asked him to do and raised the play of those around him.  

Of all the moves KA has made as GM Zucker is by far the best.  We “overpaid” for his services, but unlike nearly every other Sabre, Zucker has given the team their monies worth.  

I’d re-sign him right now for two years at $5 mill a season and be pretty sure I’d get reasonable value on the deal in effort alone.  

[Skibum]

The Sabres have no choice but to be sellers at the deadline. If they choose not to sell, they probably don't make any trades at all. But if they do choose to sell, maybe we see a fire sale. 

[GASabresIUFAN]

6 hours ago, Skibum said:

The Sabres have no choice but to be sellers at the deadline. If they choose not to sell, they probably don't make any trades at all. But if they do choose to sell, maybe we see a fire sale. 

There are trades ever deadline season where teams can actually get talent that can improve a team long-term.  The classic example is the Sabres trading Gratton for Briere at the deadline.  Another great example is the Pens acquiring Chris Kunitz from Ana at the deadline in 2009.  He stayed for the next 8 seasons helping the Pens to 3 Cups.  

Adams made a similar hockey trade at last year's deadline of Mitts for Byram.  The jury is still out if this was a smart trade or not, but Mitts re-signed with Colorado and Byram is having a good season with the Sabres and is an RFA at season's end.   

I think there are deals like these to be had at this deadline and this is what Adams should be trying to do instead of just jettisoning UFAs.  

[PerreaultForever]

8 hours ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

If Zucker is a mercenary, then sign me up for more. Since he arrived he has played hard every shift, done whatever the team asked him to do and raised the play of those around him.  

Of all the moves KA has made as GM Zucker is by far the best.  We “overpaid” for his services, but unlike nearly every other Sabre, Zucker has given the team their monies worth.  

I’d re-sign him right now for two years at $5 mill a season and be pretty sure I’d get reasonable value on the deal in effort alone.  

History of injury problems so it's a risk. I think selling high is the better plan. 

Unless, I suppose, they feel they really won't get any free agents to sign here with next year's selections. Then I guess you take what you can get. 

[MISabresFan]

13 hours ago, Skibum said:

The Sabres have no choice but to be sellers at the deadline. If they choose not to sell, they probably don't make any trades at all. But if they do choose to sell, maybe we see a fire sale. 

I would not allow this incompetent administration make any type of decisions on personnel.  

[Archie Lee]

8 hours ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

There are trades ever deadline season where teams can actually get talent that can improve a team long-term.  The classic example is the Sabres trading Gratton for Briere at the deadline.  Another great example is the Pens acquiring Chris Kunitz from Ana at the deadline in 2009.  He stayed for the next 8 seasons helping the Pens to 3 Cups.  

Adams made a similar hockey trade at last year's deadline of Mitts for Byram.  The jury is still out if this was a smart trade or not, but Mitts re-signed with Colorado and Byram is having a good season with the Sabres and is an RFA at season's end.   

I think there are deals like these to be had at this deadline and this is what Adams should be trying to do instead of just jettisoning UFAs.  

Two relatively recent deadline trades that the Sabres could have been in on were Sam Bennett and Artturi Lehkonen. Both were heading into restricted free agency and a year from unrestricted. Florida and Colorado both gave up a 2nd and a prospect respectively. Those trades were steals. 

Edited 3 hours ago by Archie Lee

[GASabresIUFAN]

20 minutes ago, Archie Lee said:

Two relatively recent deadline trades that the Sabres could have been in on were Sam Bennett and Artturi Lehkonen. Both were heading into restricted free agency and a year from unrestricted. Florida and Colorado both gave up a 2nd and a prospect respectively. Those trades were steals. 

And both would have made the Sabres better, but stupid Adams wouldn’t make those deals because they would have blocked a prospect.  

It’s past time for no longer worrying about blocking prospects.  Each move needs to be about making the Sabres better now.  I’d love to see a deal like the Bennett one.  I’m not really hopeful that Adams will make such a move, but I do believe it’s what he should be doing at the deadline. 

[Archie Lee]

3 minutes ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

And both would have made the Sabres better, but stupid Adams wouldn’t make those deals because they would have blocked a prospect.  

It’s past time for no longer worrying about blocking prospects.  Each move needs to be about making the Sabres better now.  I’d love to see a deal like the Bennett one.  I’m not really hopeful that Adams will make such a move, but I do believe it’s what he should be doing at the deadline. 

I agree. The narrative at the deadline is always buyers and sellers with the teams out of it selling and contenders buying. But players like Bennett and Lehkonen should have been attractive acquisition options for any team not planning on a 5 year rebuild. 

I don’t really see any such player out there this deadline. The closest examples on teams that might end up being sellers are Cates in Philadelphia, Geekie in Boston, and Romanov with the NYI.  McLeod and Byram would be in the category if we were not wanting to pay the going rate for either player, I guess. 

[Ogelthorpe]

Doing nothing and excuses