nfreeman

I’d guess the refusal to retain, if true, relates more to the desire to avoid, say, $3.5MM per year in dead cap room — because they are planning to be a good team that needs the cap space — than to an emotional reaction to the idea of continuing to pay part of Jack’s salary.

I'm hoping Samuelsson recovers fully enough and looks good enough in a tuneup in Rochester to come in for Joker. (Specifically, I thought Butcher did fine today, but I didn't like Pysyk, and I'd like to see Samuelsson take Pysyk's spot.)

What specifically are your reservations? They aren't giving up a ton of chances against. If Skinner, VO, TT and Cozens can start finishing their chances -- and they generated quite a few today -- and if the goaltending roof doesn't cave in, which is a huge if, I think they can be competitive most nights -- which is far more than I was expecting 3 days ago. Dahlin might be making the leap. He looks confident and like he knows the offense is going to flow through him this year, as it should, and like he's comfortable with that situation. Yes yes yes on the bolded. I agree that the passes are more on target, but I thought there were a number of plays today where they got too cute and made one too many passes. Good stuff here. Keep it coming. As I mentioned above, they won't be able to hang with the top 8-10 teams in the NHL, but that still leaves 22-24 teams that they can be competitive with most nights if they play like this and if the goaltending is even just OK.

Just when I thought I was out…

Oh R2.

They are unquestionably a faster team that plays a faster style. I don’t think we should start planning the parade just yet, but they sure looked like they can be competitive with a big chunk of the league. And I was surprised and delighted in the 3rd period, and I’m looking forward to Saturday, neither of which I was expecting to feel. Go get ‘em Donny.

Awesome. Life!

Gentlemen.

C'mon. You know better than this. I think they will rest Milano next week and then through the bye week to get that hammy healthy.

Awesome. Maybe the best JA has ever played in a big game. And now he's throwing the deep ball accurately. Sanders was a great pickup. They didn't have many sacks (if any), but they had good, consistent pressure without blitzing and with the discipline to keep their lanes closed and contain Mahomes. This is the best team they've had since the super bowl teams.

As I've said previously, KA's choices for goalie IMHO make it impossible to avoid the conclusion that he has set up the team to lose a ton of games this season for purposes of drafting high next summer.

I think most here like Power and are looking forward to seeing him wearing a Sabres jersey and hopefully helping the Phoenix rise from the ashes, but there is an awful season ahead of us plus an almost certainly disappointing resolution to the Eichel saga to get through first.

I hate to say it but I’m feeling pessimistic about this game. I’m concerned the D is a paper tiger. More importantly, until I see peak JA show up in a big game like this, I can’t be that confident that it will happen. Please convince me otherwise.

Exactly. It's in no one's interests to come out and say it, because the Sabres don't want to make Jack feel cornered, and Brisson knows that the Sabres are in the driver's seat, but I think both sides understand very well that (i) the Sabres want Jack to have fusion surgery and (ii) the Sabres are well within their rights to let Jack sit until he has fusion surgery. So KA maintains a friendly and positive, yet firm, demeanor, and Brisson subtly tries to get KA to reduce his price and the potential bidders to increase theirs.

I've been thinking the bolded is a significant factor. It sure looks like KA has decided to tank this season (which I agree is a terrible decision), so in the abstract there is no urgency to make an Eichel deal and get any more good players in the door right now. KA is probably thinking that there is no downside to waiting, say, half the season, letting Eichel stew and seeing if he caves on getting fusion surgery.

Fair question. If Jack asked for my life advice, I would have to know quite a bit more about fusion vs ADR than I know now. If the results of that research were along the lines of what's been said here and there, including on this board, i.e. that ADR is less likely than fusion to allow him to play hockey over the long term but less likely than fusion to cause back pain and other physical impairments and require additional spinal surgery later in life, I would advise him not to get fusion, try to wait out the Sabres, collect his $10MM a year and dare the Sabres not to pay him. It would likely require him to sit out an entire season, or even longer, but I think eventually the Sabres would cave and trade him for a lesser package to a team that will allow him to get the ADR. Having said that, I'll flip it around: if you were in KA's position, and your choices were either to accept a conditional 1st and another Tage Thompson-level prospect, or to wait Jack out until he caves and gets fusion, what would you do?

He's not wrong, but Brisson is also trying to achieve the outcome his client wants (which is of course what he should do), i.e. a trade that allows Eichel to get the ADR -- and to avoid the outcome Jack doesn't want, which is that the Sabres make him sit until he caves and gets the fusion.

...unless the surgery failed, ending Jack's career and (presumably) voiding the insurance. Respectfully, I will repeat that the risk on the ADR is the whole issue from the Sabres' perspective. Yes, it might've worked, but there is a significant chance that the doomsday scenario would've resulted. I think the Sabres think there is no reason for them to take that risk. They have the right to make Jack sit until he caves and has fusion surgery, at which point, there is a better chance, relative to ADR, that he'll be back on the ice with his trade value restored. With Anaheim losing whatever it gave up in trade and the Sabres eating the $50MM? I don't think either team would be interested in those risks.

Well, unused cap space -- which the Ducks have historically maintained -- is a much different kettle of fish from $50MM in actual cash going out the door to a player who can't play because his newfangled surgery didn't work. I'll be very surprised if it ends up being Anaheim. I agree that the Rangers are a much more likely candidate. I think Eichel would cave and have fusion surgery before he chose this option. The Sabres aren't interested in taking the risk on the ADR. That's the whole issue from their perspective.

Also from LeBrun's article: - Eichel is "adamant" about getting ADR surgery, which provides "no guarantee he'll be fully fixed up." - Teams have hung around the periphery of the trade talks in case the price drops to a point where they can sell their owners on the $50MM risk. - He thinks Minnesota, Philly, the Rangers and the Kings are probably out, and Calgary and Anaheim are still interested, along with other teams who are quietly investigating. FWIW, I continue to think that Anaheim, a historically limited-budget team, wants no part of a $50MM risk on Eichel. I also continue to think that all of the above leaves us with just 2 possible outcomes: either KA waits for Eichel to cave and have fusion surgery, or KA accepts a crappy offer.

This is a good idea, and I can definitely see this kind of piece being part of a deal, but I don't think the Sabres are getting Krebs or Zegras or Byfield or Kakko or any other elite prospect unless and until the other GM sees Eichel playing NHL games, looking awesome and not breaking.

Wow. Just read LeBrun’s article and I must agree — that was a highly misleading tweet by Vogl and indicative, IMHO, of having an axe to grind with the organization. Not impressed with Vogl’s recent work at all on this. It’s OK and natural to have an opinion. It’s not OK to be dishonest or to pretend or be ignorant of the key factors in a situation because you’re taking sides.

The question of whether KA will accept a lousy offer IMHO really comes down to whether he is willing to make Jack sit until Jack caves and has fusion surgery. No one is going to give the Sabres a top-end prospect for Eichel without seeing him play NHL games at a high level. The Sabres aren't going to let Jack have ADR surgery -- so the only way they are going to get a good return in trade for him is if he caves, has fusion surgery and looks good in NHL games after the surgery. Alternatively, if KA is willing to take a conditional 1st and a team's 4th-best prospect, which is probably about what he can get for Eichel as is, he can move Jack's $50MM contract off of the Sabres' balance sheet, let someone else take the risk on the ADR surgery and move on. I don't see any other possible outcomes.

I agree that suspending him without pay would set off a poopstorm, and I think the Sabres will probably choose not to do so. I also agree that anyone trading for Jack will let him get ADR. I also think though that the acquiror will not expect him back until 75% into the season, if at all this season, and that the risk of him never being right again will result in heavy discounts on the trade offers -- which will prevent a trade from happening.

It's extremely important to bring in a real NHL goalie, but it doesn't matter whether it's part of an Eichel trade or some other transaction.