darksabre

The thing to keep in mind about Barnaby is that, even if he makes a good point here and there, he's still an absolute scumbag moron.

I don't know what you're talking about. We're having a lot of fun!

Good post. This is definitely the logical partner to my thoughts from yesterday regarding how weird the whole situation feels. It's distinctly possible that this whole thing blows over. I'm not able to see myself agreeing with the people who think Jack is as good as gone, because I think things would make a lot more sense if that's where we are headed.

I think, if Jack's goal was simply to create movement through chaos, he's going to be disappointed. This certainly doesn't help Eichel though if his goal is to be perceived as a mature adult and a piece you build a team around. You can't have a player constantly going rogue. I'm inclined to agree with you. My opinion on Jack was pretty friendly to him this season. When other people thought he was mailing it in, I felt like he was hurt, and it turned out that he was. He was kinda smiles and giggles though, wasn't he? That interview was a little weird. I'm glad you said this because it's something I was thinking but couldn't find a way to work into the post. It would be absolutely wild if Jack isn't trying to get traded and this whole thing is ONLY about the surgery. Look at all this chaos. He wants a surgery that no one in the league would recommend and he's bringing hell down on his team over it. For his reputation's sake he better be trying to force a trade. I really gave no idea what to make of him. I think he just wants to win. I don't think there are sinister motives. All good questions. I think the surgery vs. patience thing is going to be a big player in this. Is there a team out there willing to trade for Jack and then let him take the risk? That would be gutsy.

I know we already have multiple threads going about Jack being traded, etc, but I have a specific thought that I want to explore as it relates to strategy. The Eichel presser, followed several days later by the Adams presser, seems to paint the picture that these are two parties at odds with each other. Eichel blasts the team for not letting him pursue the treatment he wants. He says that there's a disconnect. The team, rightfully having no benefit of the doubt, is painted as inept. Not hard to do. Adams comes to the stand today and essentially quashes Eichel's line of argument. There is no disconnect. They know exactly what the situation is with Jack's injury. He's not surprised, he's not mad. Which makes me go "hmmm". Regardless of the goal of the Eichel presser, it's safe to assume it was deliberate and calculated. And he and his team surely must have been anticipating the rebuttal from Adams after several days of outrage. They couldn't possibly have been anticipating a different response from Adams, right? No, they knew they were getting this. So we're all sitting here saying "Well, clearly he's trying to force a trade" by making the team look bad. But has he succeeded at that? I would say he hasn't, and that Adams made a compelling argument in the team's favor. He turned the lense back on Jack. Jack's presser suddenly doesn't pack the punch that it seemed to at the time. Adams responds predictably, and that's the problem. So Jack, in the war room with his team, is saying "Have I increased my chances of being traded by taking this approach?" I wouldn't be so confident. It relies on a lot of assumptions being true. It assumes: -Other teams' doctors wouldn't also reject the medical procedure he wants to have done; -That the Sabres aren't willing to play hardball in order to avoid being seen as a team that you can just force your way off of; -That Adams' reputation in the league is weak; -That the Pegulas' reputation in the league is weak; -That Eichel's reputation in the league is strong; -That calling out the organization publicly was necessary to facilitate his movement. The NHL, we know, is a bit of an old boys club. The NHL has a lot of "unwritten rules". Have Jack and his team committed a sin against the unwritten rules? Would a team look at Jack and say "He might be talented, but we don't need this."? Has Jack strengthened his position, or has he inadvertently put the Sabres back on a more solid footing? The picture isn't very clear to me. But what I see from Jack is a pretty aggressive move, reckless, desperate even. I'm not sure it's the genius move he and his team might think it is...

Oh you bet I am.

I heard what you heard as well. To me it was simply Kevyn Adams, Stanley Cup winning NHLer and grown-ass man, making it clear that Jack Eichel, 24 year old kid, may still have some growing up to do. Does anyone think Jack is a seasoned professional yet? A cagey vet? A mature, steadying hand on this team?

He talked at length about the value of the team to the community, about how it's important to have players who take their roles as representatives of the city seriously. I think the implication is that hockey requires more than just hitting the weights hard.

I love how Adams is getting crucified for this even though fans have been complaining about this team's lack of heart since Roy, Afinogenov and Vanek were here.

It's unreasonable stuff like this that I would never notice.

I really didn't think anything Adams said was that bad. I was certainly listening for things that would make me mad 😂

I will say one thing, which is that people on Twitter seem to have listened to a different press conference

I like the Truman comparable. I like Harry a lot and think he's a wildly underappreciated figure in US history. Smart guy, in over his head, got the job done when people didn't think he could. Something to come back to...

I still have no idea if Adams is the right guy for this job, but he's certainly got a good grasp of everything that is going on with the team. It's possible that with Karmanos at his side he can pull this off. His head is in the right place at the very least.

Kevyn Adams, Stanley Cup winning hockey player, really comes through in his stated philosophy. He's drawing on his reputation there to lend weight to his decision making.

It's definitely the mature approach to the situation. They don't want to end up looking like an organization that shits on its players in public.

Adams making his case well for how they're handling the injury

Of course my feed on the Audacy app just fell off a cliff

So did Jim Jones

Did Krueger really have communication skills?

I suspect the goal here from the Sabres perspective is to provide the juice for the "Eichel is selfish" narrative if it comes out that he's overblowing the disconnect on the treatment and is essentially pouting his way out of town. It's good for them to put Jack's words in plain sight.

There is no "overriding" the team doctor, there is only firing the team doctor.

Curt is right though.

The last thing I care about is what a bunch of "team execs" want to float to the media.