Swordsman

Who knows how things go but imagine the scenario if the Jets get off to a terrible start and Maurice is fired into the season (there was speculation after the playoff loss this spring). I could see Krueger immediately pushing to add Maurice as an assistant with a plan agreed to by Botterill and Pegulas to have Maurice eventually succeed Krueger as coach with Krueger moving into a POHO role or Assistant GM to Botterill.

My gut feeling is that Botterill will look to signing Hagelin as an UFA this summer - there were reports by Friedman leading up to the TDL that Buffalo was interested in him and it made sense, given Botterill's history with him and the Cup experience, speed and penalty-killing Hagelin can provide. If you think of Larsson and Girgensons leaving, slotting Hagelin and Rodrigues as 2/3 of the 4th line would be a big upgrade of skill and speed and even add a little of a scoring threat when killing penalties.

Bryson looked really strong in the Final Four tourney - and the scouting reports all pointed to him being a good transition player comparable to what we saw Pilut provide.

Agreed on Pilut. If a player has to be attached to the 1st rounder and Miller is the target from TB, then I'd offer Nylander up but demand that TB adds in a 2nd round pick to balance things out.

Give up the top 3 defensive prospects the Sabres have? No thanks. If the Lightning would take the 1st + Nelson, yes, sign me up but I'm not giving away Pilut (who should be in Buffalo's top 6 next season) or Bryson and Laaksonen without even seeing them at the pro level yet.

I'd be OK with either the Blues 1st rounder for Miller and a 3rd rounder from TB - especially because it would take care of the 2C hole without sacrificing Ristolainen, allowing him to be dealt in other deal to fill other needs.

Not so sure about that - there's enough reports of how Kessel has: a) had clashes with his coach, Sullivan, about his role; b) resisted defensive responsibilities; and c) been lackadaisical when it comes to his work ethic. All three of those traits have occasionally shown up with Eichel during his maturation process so I'd be concerned over the negative influence Kessel would bring to not only Eichel but other young players. I'm also unconfident in Kessel, at age 31, being productive in a year or two. His metrics all point to a player in decline.

Amen to that - one would think that if the Wild are anxious to dump Zucker, a package of Sheary + Nylander would have some promise..... The only dilemma with adding Zucker is that Olofsson - who should be in the top 6 - is more comfortable on the left side. Assuming the Sabres don't botch the Skinner situation, the addition of Zucker, for all of its positives that it would bring, means that Olofsson would likely slide to 3LW....maybe that's good for Mittelstadt and means less pressure for Olofsson but I think he showed very impressively that he's capable of top 6 minutes/role. Zucker is a LH shot so I don't know how comfortable he'd be at RW....if he were, maybe it could lead to Skinner-Eichel-Zucker Olofsson - 2C - Reinhart

No thanks

If Botterill has the kind of offseason I'm hoping/praying for, we'll see the following defensive pairings: Dahlin - Trouba McCabe - Montour Pilut - Pysyk Bogosian as 7th man

Johnson at 29 with 5 more years of term seems destined to be another anchor contract that any team regrets owning very soon IMO - assuming that Cirelli and Cernak are dealbreakers from Lightning's perspective (as are the obvious core players there), Miller is the only credible option to consider taking back if Ristolainen is traded there. He can play all 3 forward positions, is strong defensively but still creative offensively and has tons of speed. Plus, at age 26, he fits in better with the 4 years of remaining term he has. He also seems like a good option to be 2C for 1-2 years until Mittelstadt is ready to take over that spot, afterwhich Miller then slides down into the 3C role. If it's Edmonton, it has to be a package that has either Nugent-Hopkins or Adam Larsson included. No way should a cap dump like Lucic be considered. The Tampa theories offer hope for the forward ranks but the Winnipeg scenario of swapping Ristolainen for Trouba - even if it means adding another $2M in cap with a new contract for Trouba - is the most appealing IMO. Trouba at age 25 as a strong 2-way defenseman who can play a shutdown role, a QB role and is so strong at both 5x5 play as well as on both specialty teams would really solidify the RH side with Montour for years to come. I just hope Botterill has the guts to step up and make a play for him, considering how many other teams will be interested and contacting the Jets about him. I have no idea why the Flyers would be interested or - more importantly - what the Sabres would think they could realistically get from Philly. Dumping Ristolainen for draft picks and prospects would be just as bad as the O'Reilly trade was - Ristolainen is really the only prime asset the Sabres have (unless one considers Reinhart as available) and Buffalo needs to hit a home run if they trade him.

Other than Skinner, none of the names listed appeal to me - they are all going to demand salaries outside of the rate of return the Sabres should be working with (i.e. Duchene, who will ask for $8M; Ferland, Connolly, Dzingel, Hayes and Nelson who don't have a long track record of production justifying the $6M+ contracts they'll be seeking) . I don't think the UFA market on defense is strong enough to look there instead of via trade, and Botterill's always been open about saying he views free agency as way of adding support players, not core or key players (which a 2C or partner for Dahlin in 1st pairing would be). Chiarot is an exception but I don't see the Jets letting him go. My hope is that free agency sees Sabres target players such as Hagelin or Donskoi to help add more scoring depth at reasonable cap hits. Agreed - and Duchene will also want a 7 year term that takes him into his mid-30s. No thanks......

The Ristolainen situation is just as polarizing a topic as the O'Reilly debates were last summer (before the trade): - It seems that those in favor of trading him understand that: 1) he's plateaued into what he'll be: a physical, mobile player with offensive instincts and a combative spirit but limited hockey IQ and low panic threshold; and 2) if the Sabres are going to make significant upgrades to their roster via trades, he's their most marketable asset that they can offer (unless the 7th OA draft pick and/or Reinhart are considered in play). - It seems that those dead-set against trading him fear that: 1) a repeat of the O'Reilly aftermath where he starred for St.Louis this season will occur with Ristolainen on another team as well; and 2) the Sabres' defense isn't set up to replace his minutes and role, even if reduced to a 2nd or 3rd pairing. I do find it interesting that, considering how much focus many who wanted O'Reilly gone after his lockerroom comments last year, not many are pointing out that Ristolainen more or less acknowledged in his locker closeout comments this year that it may be time for him to leave (or "change of scenery"). Hamilton asked him pointedly if he wanted to be back in Buffalo and Ristolainen just shrugged and said, "I don't know".

Given the shield background with two crossed sabres that has a bit of a battle-cry-look, maybe it will inspire a change of the goal song to one of the rumored candidates at the time, "Swords of a Thousand Men" If not, I hope someone in their marketing department recognizes it's time to ditch that terrible rap song they've been using since 2015. I don't care if the players may be fond of it - it's the fans that need to be considered and that selection was horrible. Entering an anniversary year and 'new era' with new coach, it's time for a new song.....or no song at all - just blast the horn 9-10 times like they do in some arenas and which worked great at the Aud.

I'd be willing to bet money that one of Krueger's assistants could be Brad Shaw - he's presently an assistant coach in Columbus and received a lot of praise for his work with the BlueJackets' defense and PK. Aside from having over 20 years experience as an assistant / associate coach for different teams in NHL, he was Krueger's assistant on the Team Europe squad (along with Maurice). During his WGR interview with 'Instigators', they asked him about potential assistants and Krueger shared how he's "very close friends" with Shaw and Maurice and how they all were on same wavelength. Whether or not Shaw, who is interested in a HC spot, would leave Columbus for a lateral move to Buffalo, who knows - but maybe his relationship with Krueger and a title of 'associate' might lure him. Tortorella praised Shaw as well as a 'highly intelligent and qualified' coach. If the theories about Krueger being a 'bridge' to get the franchise on track and establish a culture that lasts are right, maybe whomever is hired as assistants to supplement Smith staying on could be viewed by Krueger as his potential successors with him moving up to that POHO (or even asst. GM to Botterill, if Greeley is hired by another team eventually to be their GM). If that were true, Shaw would make sense - he has the experience and been around as player and coach. And, if the Jets start off slow where Maurice may get fired during the season, I could see Krueger bringing him in right away (Skinner sure would be happy with that, given his great relationship with him in Carolina).