All Activity

If I'm GM I tell JJ he's not being moved, end of story. You don't like it? Too bad.

I appreciate the thought and rationale. I’d like to add one more reason why I’d be fine with the move. There may be better return for a team willing to trade D for a young forward and reluctance to trade D for D, D for two prospects, or D for #9 overall. If you go into the offseason limited in trading only prospects and/or Byrum, you are narrowing the teams willing to trade with you for the stay at home defender you desire. Adding JJP to mix opens up other avenues. Maybe Byrum and a prospect could yield a top 6 forward that is a better fit for the Sabres. Options.

Exactly. This isn't about "we have to get rid of JJ". It's about stepping away from moves on the margins and asking "what meaningful asset can we afford to give up?" This is about selling high on a very good player of certain skill set for very good player or players for a skill set we lack.

For the record, I did not say or mean to imply moving JJ makes room for Rosen or Östlund. Right now we have Thompson, Tuch, Peterka and Norris pencilled into the top 6, along with two of McLeod, Zucker, Greenway, Benson, Quinn and Kulich. One of those players will not make the top 9 strictly on numbers and another will have to squeezed out if we want get older/tougher/more responsible. I'm saying I see enough in Kulich, Quinn and Benson that I expect all three to improve and any drop-off from JJ to the best of those 3 will be more than made up for by the JJ return.

Well here's the problem. If you trade away every player who says they aren't happy here you end up with a lot of players saying they aren't happy here so they can be traded. It's a precedent. It's the never ending downward spiral and it has already been said that we have become the league's farm team. I don't know if there's a way out of it with constant half measures. I want to add to this roster not subtract from it. If I can upgrade sure, but trade away to trade away no, that's not progress.

Agreed. it was intended to be. It all comes down to what you think of Peterka moving forward: is he a Sam Reinhart, a Dylan Cozens or a Jeff Skinner? Does he have more to give, was this a peak, or is what we saw this year who he is?

Not everybody is going to believe what I believe. I think Ottawa likely felt that way but Adams didn't. Maybe there's others who feel he's worth the gamble. idk.

I should have clarified it with "from somebody from one of the orgs". But also we've had a bunch of dudes leave and be very good players in the league post Darcy. If that speech was given from Pegula, then sure. Honestly it should have been.

What's the distinction when qualified by "of all time"? This isn't a snarky question, curious to know how y'all frame the distinction.

Nah. THE worst was the one where Regier said there would be "suffering." He didn't lie; but we've been living with the aftermath of that decision for going on 15 years. Honorable mention, the one where Bryan Lewis explained why "no goal" was adjudicated properly. LIAR LIAR pants on fire.

This is a STRONG hot take. My initial reaction is that we know guys who the Sabres have moved on from when they were young (Eichel, Reino, Montour, etc) prior to their full maturity has been premature. I would qualify moving on from Peterka right now to be in the same vein. I’m not in the room so I don’t know what Peterka’s mindset is…but I’m not moving on from a projected 30G 70+PT guy at 23. This may be his baseline. That’s valuable. If it was a foregone conclusion that JJ’s production is easily replaceable then perhaps I could hop on board. But I am assuming JJ’s age 27 season could be elite RW1 results. He has work to do to be a complete player, but this is a prime opportunity to lock in a player who will blossom into that. First line players are not a gimme. Perhaps it is time to invest into a young guy we know (Tage contract as an example) versus creating space for guys you referenced as an opportunity to develop (Östlund, Rosen, perhaps Kulich). To me, JJP is player you invest in versus a player with talent that you move on from based on current value. But that’s just me.

Agree one million percent. GMKA should have been fired that night. With all the wonderful things about WNY for players (incredibly cheap high-end housing, the way players love it here once they’re here, the small size and low pressure of media relative to big markets, the quality of education for the children of the players in WNY, the proximity to Ontario, etc etc). BTW, the taxes thing isn’t relevant here. Buffalo is the 13th highest tax town in the NHL…so about the middle of the road. Palm trees and taxes was Kevyn waiving the white flag of his capability. Say what you want about the rationale of him holding the position (it was always weak), but that should have sealed his fate. From here, I’m stuck in the feels of the Succession quote of “I love you but you’re not serious people.” I know Buffalo is the youngest team in the league (again), but I truly believe any success with the team performance from here is by accident and GMKA is a hindrance to success. ::sigh::

As far as I'm concerned JJ is an avatar for the team: young, talented and more interested in the sizzle than the substance. The nonsense being stirred by his agent is proof of that. Far better to move Peterka now when his value is probably as high as it will ever be, then sign him to a long-term $8M deal and watch him go on to a Jeff Skinner-esque career. You aren't going to get what you need trading Östlund or Rosen, and the team is better served giving JJ's minutes to players that understand winning hockey. If you believe in Kulich or Benson, then this provides them an opportunity. Same goes for Quinn. I'm a little tired of people whining about the Sabres not taking any big swings then immediately shutting down any proposals other teams might actually bite on. This is where we have both value and the depth to overcome trading it for what we need. This is the right move.

If we add Miller than Samuelsson has to go not necessarily in the same deal.

AND we believe

@Thorny ripping through my posts with multiple negative engagements.

He was a physical freak if there ever was one. To be able to do 30+ pull-ups with arms that long is unheard of.

The distinction between “greatest” and “best” is greatly appreciated. Especially as they relate to different eras.

That’s “greatest”. Didn’t say greatest I said best No one has played the game of hockey as well as that human. greatness in sports discussions usually involves relativity to era and career accomplishments

I’m basically just logging on these days hoping to see a post stating that DeBoer was spotted in Buffalo with a blurry pic that sort of looks like him😛

I have a problem with the bolded. Again, I get his stats are way whack-a-doo and, to achieve that, he does nifty things on the ice, but, to me, his team needs to win it all for him to earn that crown. I'm not saying this is the correct viewpoint, but it bugs me every time I see it or hear it. Without dragging his team over the finish line, bloody knuckles and broken teeth, he can't possibly be "The Greatest of All Time" - he has to be missing something to truly be that guy. Cue: "yeah, he's missing a real team to play on..." which is true. **I just thought of this, which will extend the post - sorry, drop out here if you're disgusted beyond repair.** I liken it to calling a guitarist "the greatest guitarist alive" or something - which is something that obviously can't be quantified in the end because it's art. However, many people back in the day would point to a specimen like Yngwie Malmsteen because he plays lots of notes fast. Or Steve Vai or John Petrucci. But, IMHO, those guys are supremely boring to listen to. I'm not going to claim a guy like Sam Bennett is anywhere near "the best" - but I would rather watch him play hockey right now than McDavid - and if that's true McDavid can't possibly be "the greatest of all time." Once again, I know the argument has flaws and is barely defensible in its current form. If I cared enough I might try and flesh it out one day.

Trudat

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6413760/2025/06/10/nhl-draft-2025-prospects-rankings-pronman/ My favorite profile in here is Psenicka who Pronman gives below average skating too and then says "He skates very well for a 6-foot-5 defender. His mobility and ability to make stops allowed him to play pro games at the top level in Czechia before coming over to the WHL midseason." So... he's a below average skater except he's not? Oh wait found another below average skater... "Kettles stands out immediately as a 6-foot-5 defenseman who can move at an NHL level. He will be able to close on checks and retrieve pucks at the top level due to his mobility." Pronman rates skating based solely on speed.

Nope. He talks and takes no action. Which is fair if he is just checking into the situation, and he can now use it in a future press conference as actively looking.