nfreeman

https://www.facebook.com/BuffaloSabres/videos/312179293927016

Thanks PTR. Sorry for looking a gift link in the mouth, but I was hoping for a video link -- anyone got one of those?

Anyone got a link?

The most precious thing of all -- an NHL team that could one day reward us for all of this anguish.

I hate to say it, but I think @GASabresIUFAN might get his wish. As @dudacek has been saying, it just seems hard to avoid the conclusion that TP has decided to sell the team and is keeping costs down and avoiding long-term commitments in order to make the financial picture attractive to potential buyers. To which I'll say: be careful what you wish for. I hope I'm wrong.

Has anyone seen any indication as to whether the Sabres are going to bring in another goalie? Or is this all we're getting? If it's the latter, I'm probably done watching them until they become a real team again.

If there isn't another, much better, goalie brought in, then I think they are trying to lose.

Awesome.

Has anyone in the history of mankind ever left Southern California for Hamilton? I believe Roger is as unavailable as it gets.

KA needed to overpay to keep him and chose not to do so. Although to be fair we don't know what Ullmark would've accepted, and it might've been an outrageous number, since Ullmark was negotiating with the Sabres for the past few weeks, there almost certainly was a deal he would've taken. I'll say it again: if KA doesn't have and execute a good Plan B for goaltending, he'll be, until he proves otherwise, just the latest bozo GM that TP has handed the reins to.

And just like that, WNY has run dry of Hopium.

Exactly. Good franchises benefit in these situations and crappy ones get worse. You reap what you sow.

Fair question. It seemed like the 2 threads were very much intertwined, so I merged the old one into Brawndo's new one and kept Brawndo's title. But maybe your approach would've been better.

That's correct, and about a million goalies joined new teams today. KA should've gotten one of them as an insurance policy against Linus leaving. KA now finds himself needing to trade for a goalie. I wonder how those negotiations will go? I'll wait for the outcome, but this looks like a debacle right now.

This is a real test for KA. If he doesn't have, and execute, a good plan B on this it will be a huge black mark for him.

Well, it seems like he’s been negotiating with the Sabres for a while, so he was open to coming back. But your point is fair — maybe if Colorado is an option and the money is respectable, the Sabres’ offer won’t matter.

How much better does KA’s offer need to be than Colorado’s? 25% more total cash? 50%? I’m guessing at least 33% — so if Colorado is offering $21MM, KA needs to offer at least $28MM.

Plan the parade.

Good for McCabe, although that contract seems pretty rich. Danault going to LA means Vegas is still a possibility for Eichel. It feels like Colorado will sign Ullmark any minute.

If KA wants to keep Linus, it will be expensive and long-term.

Uh-oh. I predict Colorado scoops up Linus.

With a bunch of goalies having already signed, and KA having stated publicly that he wants Linus back, it would seem Linus has leverage at this point.

So a bunch of goalies have signed. I think Colorado and Grubauer are still both in play. If Colorado extends Grubauer, is there another team that is a threat to sign Linus?

Well, @Thorny can certainly speak for himself, but I think the shrinking pool of cap space and assets means that after today an Eichel trade this summer becomes well under a 50% likelihood.

If the reports are correct, Vegas has now added 2 expensive guys in Daddy-O and Danault. I think it is pretty close to certain that they are out of the Eichel auction.