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Don’t let perfect be the enemy of better.

If this is a scenario where no other deal is possible and there is no negotiation on the price, then sure. I don’t agree that it makes us a playoff team though. These 3 players are replacing Mitts, Okposo and Joker from last year. I don’t think these three players out perform Mitts, Okposo and Joker to the degree that it puts us in the playoffs.

Buffalo is NOT a desirable location for players to come at this time. That's just a fact due to the ineptitude. If you want that to change you have to make a splash and send a strong message that things are changing. A move like this signals that earth shaking change. Once you make that move maybe other people start to give Buffalo a second look, like Tanev's brother. Maybe Kane. Others. If you continue to evaluate everything in "value" and try to win trades and over rate what you have it's going to take years and years and years still and during those years so many things can still go wrong. It's time for this team to change the narrative, and to make sure that happens they are going to have to "lose" some trades to get what they need and/or make some overpays in free agency. If they don't, Cozens will be back in the Worlds and we will be looking at the draft lottery again and again and again.

Ugh. Why does this have to be a desperation deal? It makes sense standing on its own if the goal is improving the roster in specific areas. And frankly, I don’t see how desperation can be a dirty word here when we are on the cusp of a 3rd rebuild if this roster filling out doesn’t push the core in the right direction.

But, we aren’t talking about some other mythical deal. We are talking about this mythical deal. In that context, and in the context of improving the team being more important than winning the trade, the only asset I consider of value is that #11. Sure, if there is a better deal, do it. But if KA is set to make a decision about this mythical deal, wouldn’t it have to presume that a better mythical deal isn’t on the table?

If Dickinson slips to 11 we’d have to grab him. I don’t think he lasts that long but I think he projects to be Owen Power with a ton more nastiness

If the proposed deal was for Sam Bennett, I would be open to it. I'm adamantly opposed to giving up assets, that includes our #11 pick, for three UFAs. That makes no sense to me. Acting out of desperation is putting yourself in a vulnerable position when getting involved in the trade market. We can do better in the market.

I would replace Quinn with Savoie and Joker. Unfortunately I don’t think Brady is coming here

I respectfully but strenuously disagree. You are making an assumption that getting those three UFAs will be the difference in making the playoffs or not. There is also another false assumption regarding that proposed trade that alternative options for other players won't be collectively as good if not better than the proposed trade. I feel strongly that if you are going to deal your valuable #1 pick, that you can get a better return in a different deal for players that more likely will not be one-year rentals.

Getting Gourde and Tanev without salary retention is a non-starter for me. If they were UFA there is no way in he.. that we'd give Gourde 5+ and 3.5 to Tanev. They aren't worth it. Sending the 11th over pick for them and Larsson is a terrible deal. None are worth that kind of consideration in part or as a group. Why do y'all want declining players nearing the end of their careers anyway when there are UFAs who are just as good if not better and who can be signed for less money? Even in trade there are better options. Alex Kerfoot has one year left at 3.5. He's only 29 and is a better player right now than Gourde is. Why not trade for him? If we are going to throw significant assets at someone, why not Sam Bennett? Here's the good news, Larsson, Tanev and Gourde at have M-NTCs. Hopefully, if KA even offers a trade for these guys, they'll save KA from himself and turn us down.

By the way, while Punch valued toughness, he also valued skill. He traded grit for the likes of Rene Robert, Jacques Richard and the like and he let Dudley walk because he thought he could replace him with Norm Gratton.

Imlach thought that Abrahammson would be better than Salming. If I remember correctly, the sticking point was Abrahammson wanted his brother, a goalie, included in the deal.

I’d argue the Joki and Krebs are not part of a playoff solution, and therefore aren’t much of an asset to give up. The only valuable asset in that proposal is the #11. If that’s what it takes to get the monkey off the teams’ back, it’s not an overpayment.

True. But when you watch the playoffs you see we are missing a lot that can only added it with trades and UFAs.

Two years ago we got: Breakout/career years from Thompson, Skinner, Tuch, Cozens, Mittelstadt, Olofsson and Dahlin And disappointing years from nobody of consequence. Last year we got: Breakout/career years from Luukkonen and Peterka And disappointing years from Thompson, Skinner, Tuch, Cozens, Olofsson, Quinn, Samuelsson and - to a lesser extent - Power. Of course I want Adams to make adds, but in my opinion the success or failure of the coming year rests largely on what versions we get of players already on the roster. Thompson, Cozens, Quinn and Power in particular.

What has the league suggested that the Sabres do?

Yep you always take the best player because when it’s time to trade other teams like better players rather than worse players. If Catton is there you take him and then you can move a Savoie for a great piece now and still have a similar piece in the system.

Yeah, I don’t want another small forward but you cannot pass on him if he falls to 11. He’s not like Benson but he has the skill to outperform everyone not named Celebrini in this draft.

This defense could be very good with Dahlin continuing to be a star. Power hopefully taking a step forward. Byram - I am not sure about yet, need to see more but what I saw was a hot start followed by inconsistent defensive play. I still don't know what Byram really is yet but Adams thinks he can pair with Dahlin, so pencil that in for now. For the second pair it's Power and who? I prefer they bring in a solid veteran, a strong and more defensive minded type of RHD for the top 4, and not count on a healthy Samuelsson. We need a guy that hits people and has a physical aspect to his game back there. Muel has never done this consistently, and if Muel can ever give us 70 games that is a bonus. We should not count on Muel though, he is likely a very solid third pair guy. Clifton should be perfect for the 3rd pair. The only physical guy back there, but he is a middle weight. Watch the playoffs, we need more strength and toughness on the backline. We have to add another vet. We have lots of candidate for spot #7, plus we can use Rochester to give us the 8th D with Johnson a likely candidate. I am very ready to move on from Joker and Bryson - neither brings the complimentary skills that are lacking on our defense.

Kind of like what Harold Ballard said about Inge Hammarstrom, he can go into the corners with a dozen eggs and come out with all of them intact.

And it will be amazing watching the usual suspects blow a gasket because the Sabres steal him at 11. “But but but he’s not 6’4. He won’t punch someone in the face every shift”

I fully agree with the bolded. No question that Gourde, Tanev and Larsson would be good acquisitions. Of the 3, in my view Gourde is the only needle mover. I think we can sign a bottom 6 winger in free-agency who is as good as Tanev and who is also a bit younger and cheaper and get an extra year or two of term. I just don't think we need to give up a valuable trade asset to obtain that piece of the puzzle (though, I understand that the current trade value of Krebs and Joker is debatable). If we are including #11 in a deal with other assets, then we should get a player who is better and/or younger and/or has more term, than any of these 3.

I am extremely passionate about making the playoffs this year and I would make that trade. If there are cheaper options to get similar players then that is KA’s job to go out and make those deals. I agree that sitting on his hands will to a lot of angst among the fanbase and he needs to round out the bottom six with some experience and grit. This is just one example of a hypothetical deal and it can also be tweaked by salary retention, a 2nd round pick coming back, Rosen instead of the 1st or being allowed to talk to the players about their futures. In my mind Krebs and Joki are easily replaced and the 1st rounder adds to the pile of prospects. The sum of that is a lot for 3UFAs but one or more could extend and I think cumulatively they have a greater impact than Krebs and Joki. Here is another theoretical layer to that deal. This trade happens at the draft and the Sabres have spoken to Larsson and he indicates he wants to get to UFA status. KA flips him for a good asset and makes a hard pitch to UFA Chris Tanev to play with his brother. Those guys would change the culture immediately. The other culture change would be the message that Mitts, Joki and Krebs were moved so there is an expectation to step up and be counted.

Korab played both wing and defense with Chicago, before he came to Buffalo. He was a good defenseman with a good offensive game too, and he also played point on the PP. Thommy Abrahamsson? what a memory! He was signed from the Swedish league but was never a Sabre. Played in the WHA, had one partial season in the NHL. I just looked at his stats. He is the opposite of a Korab. 15 PIM in his entire professional career. He would have been very soft to play against in that era, and Imlach did not like soft.

Absolutely no! I'm not giving up Quinn in any trade unless it is a zany deal that is overwhelmingly in our favor. Quinn returning to health and form is going to be one of our key players.