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I'm saying I would. I'm not Adams. Adams is an idiot.

I think Byram would have been the highest scoring defenceman on multiple teams, and that’s without any PP time. Coupled with the fact he’s just entering his prime and Id say 3/4s of the league would have at least mild interest. Serious interest is a little harder to determine, but I’d be surprised if you couldn’t find a half-dozen teams where he’d be an upgrade on their current 3D. The insiders say the interest is pretty widespread. Not saying they’ve been linked to Byram specifically, but off the top of my head, Philly, San Jose, Calgary, Los Angeles, the Rangers, the Penguins, the Hurricanes, the Predators, and the Blues, are all teams said to be interested in adding a young puck-moving top 4.

After posting some background data that I think, mostly, supports the argument to not trade Peterka, I should share my opinion that I think the Sabres could trade him (and Byram) for lesser players AND actually get better. I don't think our issue is talent. I think our issue last year was a combination of being too young, too inexperienced, not having the right mix of skill and physicality and toughness, not having the right leadership on and off the ice, and generally bad coaching. I think if you swapped* (as examples) Peterka, Byram, Clifton, Luukkonen, for Bryan Rust, Cody Ceci, Mario Ferrero, and a healthy Thatcher Demko, that the Sabres could actually change their roster make-up enough to be a playoff team. Not a contender, but a 96-97 point Ottawa Senator or Minnesota Wild level WC team. (*Not straight up trades. The Sabres are moving the two best players in this example, and should also get back some significant futures.) Though, I should add, success is unlikely with a Lindy Ruff and Kevyn Adams HC/GM combo. Over their combined last 16 years in their respective roles (11 for Ruff, 5 for Adams), they have produced 3 winning and 3 playoff seasons, for around an 18% success rate. They could fluke a WC playoff spot (we are due for at least such a fluke), but until they produce two playoff seasons in a row, making the playoffs should be viewed with skepticism at it relates to potential long-term success. Both are bad at their jobs. So, any comments or thoughts on roster changes that I make should be considered in the context that I think there is limited possibility of a successful outcome, for reasons that go far beyond the talent level of the players.

He’s definitely proven himself. It also seems like he’s cut down on the absolute inexcusable turnovers that directly lead to opponent goals. He’s still good for one every game or two but I suppose if he’s playing 30 minutes a night, it’s bound to happen occasionally.

I totally get the trepidation over Norris’ health, and we all have different valuations on players, but I don’t understand why people don’t see a fit. They thought they had a long-term 2C in Cozens. They were wrong. They traded him for what they thought was the best replacement 2C available. I mean you needed a centre and you weren’t getting Sam Bennett for Dylan Cozens. Why doesn’t Norris fit? Or am I just misreading what people mean by fit and they actually just mean his health?

He’s more like a pitcher who tips his pitches with a lousy fastball.

Perhaps food for thought. Peterka just finished his D5 season (5th year post-draft). No current Sabre player who was drafted by the team, has had a more uniform and straight-forward rise. In his D1 he played well against men in Germany. In D2 he had an excellent AHL season. In D3 he played a middle 6 role in his rookie NHL season and played to a 34 point pace. In D4 he played a top 6 role and had 50 points. In D5 he played a top 6 to top-line role and played to a 72 point pace. He has improved year over year. Peterka was tied for 51st in NHL scoring this year. There are 24 players who are primarily wingers, who finished ahead of him in scoring; of those players, only Lucas Raymond is younger (by 2 months). I realize there are more factors that make up a player’s effectiveness than just points. Goals are more valuable than assists. Primary assists are more valuable than secondary. Defensive acumen needs to be considered. Attitude and leadership abilities are factors. Can a guy drop the gloves if needed? Will he “accidently” elbow the opposition goalie in the head while pretending to be pushed over in a playoff game? All factors. But, points are still, generally, a primary point of measurement for where a player is placed in the line-up and for how much he gets paid. Of the 24 wingers who had more points than Peterka this past year, here is the post-draft year that they first played to the 72 point pace that Peterka just played to in his D5 season (this is not meant to be an exhaustive list of elite wingers; for example, due to injury this past season, Kaprizov is not on this list). D1: none D2: Ovechkin* (There was no NHL season in Ovechkin’s D1) D3: Pastrnak, Rantanan, Marner D4: Robertson, Raymond D5: Kucherov, Kyle Connor, Guentzel, Konecny, Boldy, Peterka is in this grouping D6: Necas, Filip Forsberg, Bratt, Nylander, Keller, Caufeld, Kyrou, Panarin* (Panarin was not drafted; had he been drafted in his first year of eligibility, then he would have reached the 72 point or greater level in D6, which was also his rookie NHL season) D7: Marchenko, Rakell D8: Reinhart, Hagel D9: Kempe There are 7 players on this list who have been traded. Of those, there is only one example where the player had established himself as an NHL player and the trading team was intending to improve immediately, as a result of the trade. That was Necas, traded this season for a truly elite winger in Rantanan. Generally, teams don't trade players like Peterka when they are 23 years old.

Dahlin is the best defender in his own zone on the team. You can partner him with anyone competent.

Adams is a terrible poker player.

No way it’s only for a late 1st. And why target teams that have a second 1st? We want to make sure we don’t inconvenience teams too much in our trades?

Adams lacks 2 things. He's not smart enough to make moves 3 or 4 ahead. So he's a poor planner. And the 2nd thing he lacks ruthlessness and needs ppl to like him and he needs to like ppl. He doesn't understand the fundamental underlying truth, all pro sports are a 0 sum ruthless game. So he keeps players he likes personally in some loyal belief they'll work out and he makes moves without thinking how it will impact the next move and the next move and the next move.

Unless any draft pick received is intended to be part of a package to add good, NHL-ready players, ***** all the way off.

Seems about right. Good season for Rasmus. If only he had more help.

If you start with the premise Adams is an average intelligent person, he made those trades because he could, no more thought than "I can make this trade" It takes more intelligence to fit all those pieces into a ever changing puzzle.

That was the whole point! They knew it was going to be unwatchable!

Right, but where did that link come from? Rolston was the US U18 head coach, but the folks on the Sabres staff were Regier, Numminen, Patrick, and our good friend Adams. None of them had a USNTDP connection to sell Regier/Pegula on Sabres University. Clarification: The interim promotion was from two years in Rochester... but who was the key instigator in getting him from USNTDP into Rochester?

Trading Byram for a lower first round pick would be adding a chip for some other deals. That's a reasonable approach to take especially if they are homing in on some trade deals that can add players that would help now.

The bigger question is why trade for Byram if he doesn’t fit? Why trade for Norris if he doesn’t fit? what is Adams actually trying to build? I just hope Jarmo takes a bigger role than advisory.

We either get a Top 4 RHD back for Byrum that is in same age bracket 20-25 or a top 6 forward in the same age bracket. That's all I'm willing to take at bare minimum

Ick why do we need another last pair Dman? Yes he's a righty but he's been a -94 the last three seasons combined. Even worse he's never been a + in six NHL seasons.

And the crowds today are very comparable to the early season crowds in the late 90's/ early '00's. People forget, but Atlanta on a Wednesday or Thursday night in late October was NOT going to have more than about 12k in the building. Maybe not even that many. The corners of the 300's were absolutely devoid of fans and lower sections had significant fanless seasts as well. Regier promoted him to be the interim HC and then gave him the job outright without performing a legit coaching search. (Seems somewhat familiar ...)

Who promoted Rolston? Who was the ringleader in the USNTDP-only hiring process?

There was nobody in the buliding immediately coming out of the COVID lockout (meaning the following full season; not the shortened one that they only sold handfuls of tix to). It would've been like that. That Rolston team was completely unwatchable and would've given the '74'75 Caps a good run for their money.

Byram for a late 1st seems like low value. Though the market is the market. A player who showed as a top pairing player when with another quality defenseman who just needs more PP1 time seems a bit light for being 23. The threshold should be higher.