Taro T

Evan Rodrigues, when Eichel was hurt, was the best center on the Sabres (considering even then they typically didn't play Reinhart at C). Yes, that's a knock on how the team was assembled. But he was good enough to continue to be a piece on that team. Unfortunately he was another one that didn't fit into Kreuger's system.

WHY? Totally get why the Eulers might want to do that. Fail to see what the benefit to the Sabres is.

His only other leverage would be to publicly state "I don't want to be a Sabre anymore" to test Adams' "we only want guys that want to be here" rhetoric. And even Adams can't be so stupid as to Larry Quinn himself into a move. ("We will match ANY offer Thomas Vanek receives." Idjit.)

David ####ing Clarkson was tradable. EVERYBODY is tradable. The contract will lower the value of the return. But he's not a guy that doesn't belong in the NHL. And don't discount the "the Sabres have no idea how to use anybody" factor being figured in on how much value he'd bring to another team.

And Zito already has the "he'll never live up to that full contract" Bobrovsky deal as a counter example. Through year 7, they sure seem to be regretting that one. Not.

And the biggest reason to have not liked the Bryram for Mittelstadt trade at the time was he was ~21 years old when he was brought in. He's now actually finally close to his prime and SHOULD be ready to start putting it all together like most high pedigree D do around his current age. Once again we'll have suffered through the growing pains and let somebody else reap the rewards of having him in the window you actually want him in.

This. So much this.

Personally, am expecting the next results of the next 30 days or so worth of wheeling and dealing to be significantly underwhelming and also expect to dislike the net effect of all the moves. (But will likely talk myself into believing it isn't that bad by the time October 5 or so rolls around. 😢 ) But, if, at the end of that span either the top 6 F's and G are better on paper than they were today or the top 4D and G are better on paper than they are today; will have to consider that a win. Don't have a lot of hope all 3 will be better on paper a month from now. And have 0 hope the coaching will be better then than now.

Depends on the details of how it the protection was worded. Oftentimes the team trading the pick away has the option of deciding whether to send the pick that meets the protection criterion or the following season's pick unprotected. And they'd have to let the 'Nucks know by a certain date which pick they're getting, so they can't wait until the pick is on the clock to tell Vancouver it's yours, have fun with it. 😉 But it might've been written that if it's top 13 it automatically remains with the Rags.

As already replied, as it happens to turn out, if one of the Sabres best players goes out and an even better player comes back, well guess we MIGHT be able to have nice things. (Of course, if Robertson did come back in a Peterka trade, no doubt at the last team practice before opening night Quinn will lose an edge in the warm up skate crashing into an unexpecting Robertson which causes his knee to blow out. All while Peterka becomes a 50 goal scorer while wearing flourescent green. So, guess we really can't have nice things.)

Well, yes. People keep making it out that you have to get rid of one of Power or Byram because with them there are 3 offensive D-men on the team while wanting 2 Offensive, 2 2-way, and 2 Defensive D-men COMPLETELY overlooking the fact that Dahlin IS the team's best DEFENSIVE defenseman. He is the DEFINITION of a 2 way defenseman. Keep the "big 3" D-men; bring in another top 4 guy (ideally someone that allows Dahlin to fully unleash his offensive game; but if that doesn't work out, his offensive game is still pretty darn good when paired with Byram) and if Bernard-Docker plays well enough to also effectively be a top 4 guy, well then you've actually got a good thing in having 5 guys that can all be top 4 with one able to eat up 25+ minutes a night and 2 others able to eat up over 22 minutes per night. Your 6 can be darn near anyone at that point: Clifton, one of the Ra-cha-cha kids, a FA you pick up off the street for a particular usage (PK, toughness, whatever), or even the undersized Bryson (NOT this kid's preference btw by any stretch of the imagination) and it doesn't really matter. He won't get enough ice time to have HIS weaknesses fully exposed. If both Samuelsson's and Clifton's contracts are gone, you CAN afford all 3 of the "big 3." Whether Dahlin is paired with Byram or you're giving him a more defensive partner and letting Byram and Power run the 2A and 2B pairings; it SHOULD work. And ideally having Kekaliainen in the room saying WTF are you weakening this part of the team that was already weak might cause somebody with decision making authority to ask that same question. And IF Byram going out the door ends up being the grease that gets Robertson IN the door, well, then there is a logic to weakening this part of the team that was already weak as there can be other opportunities to bolster it.

Yep. 😄

Need significant improvements in both areas for the other changes to have a legit shot at being enough to get them where they need to be.

Has any Penn State player actually been ranked this high?

So, you're saying he'd fit right in? 😉

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE make THIS happen!!!!!!!!!

And in year 24 for Buffalo, friggin' Hudson Fasching bounced a puck in off his knee keeping the Sabres 1 point out (2 technically because of tiebreakers) of the playoffs in a year that the conference's 8th place team made it to the Finals. Grrrrrrrrrrrrr.

And again, the Penn State connection raises the Bat Signal. And THIS GM seems to do what his owner wants unlike some in the past (Nylander fiasco, cough, cough, cough).

Didn't seem like tons of seats had opened up when they held their relocation event. Would say it was in the 100's of seats, not 1000's of seats. But really didn't look that closely at how much was available.

100%. But Adams doesn't HAVE to ALWAYS be associated with running the team. He could (dear Lord, PLEASE let this happen) get moved to a position running some other piece of Pegula's empire. Kevyn gets a promotion and we get a reprieve. (At least until we find it is was so that Jerry Forton gets to take over. 😢 )

And, the FLA experience shows it CAN be done. But you have to have the right person in the driver's seat and more than a little bit of luck. (Had Fasching not kneed that puck into the net in a game that FLA wasn't involved in and that games ends with a Sabres OT victory, then FLA likely misses the playoffs (not positive who'd have the tiebreaker between them and the Aisles with NY having 1 less point as they'd then both have the same points and same ROW). Sadly, the Sabres don't seem to have either. But maybe Jarmo can whisper some magic and this off-season becomes another inflecion point for this franchise.

And that's where coaching comes in. Good coaches get the most out of their players. They can't get more from them than the players have in them, John Cooper couldn't take the Ducks this season and win the SC, but they can get more out of them than even the player realizes he has.

If your actions are going to cause "suffering" you need to pick a different course of action. And if you can't see that, you need to be removed from your position. Their in the entertainment business. There is nothing entertaining about being made to suffer.

Who knew George Costanza had bought the team? (Especially considering the OTHER franchises are good to great.)

Well, in fairness, to give the devil his due, the "no, not like that" has been right 14 years running.