nfreeman

Kucherov.

I'm in and will again be assembling the best group.

Welcome to the board. Both of these are kind of obnoxious. Keep the hockey posts coming, but please keep it friendly and respectful.

I don't think the CBA allows for this -- so anyone signing him to a fat contract is taking a commensurate risk.

You're probably right, but it's also quite possible that one of them is #3 center and the other is #4 center.

Holy mackerel that is a great clip.

Good report. thanks.

Yikes. Did I pay up? What did we bet?

As others have stated, you should edit the OP so it asks what the max term and dollars you would offer Kane if you were GM. I would also include the caveat that if it's less than 6 years or less than $5.75MM per year, Kane is almost certain to leave. I too would be surprised (and thrilled) if he accepted that deal. IMHO he will be looking for the biggest pile of guaranteed $$ he can get, which means long term.

Eeeeeeesshhh.

Very nice breakdown, GA. I am happy with JBot so far. If he can do something with Moulson I will sing his praises from the rooftops.

I like those pairings. I think the 2nd/3rd pairings are reasonably likely to play about the same amount of ES shifts, with fluctuations based on matchups and whoever is playing better.

OK. I did say that Ennis' last 2 seasons have been lost due to injury. The evaluation is really the likelihood of Ennis bouncing back vs the likelihood that Pommer's 18 goals - 11 goals - 13 goals doesn't indicate a Moulson-level plummet in effectiveness. As for goals vs points -- when you're comparing middle 6 wingers, I think goals need to be weighted pretty heavily. On the NMC -- I think I heard that Pommer's deal is that he had to provide a list of 10 teams he would accept, and the Sabres were one of them.

Sounds good. Let's say for the playoffs. One other stipulation: If Ennis has more goals but Pommer has more points, it's a push and we both have to change avatars. I think goals is a better metric of production than points.

Yes, although I don't think the Sabres could've gotten Scandella for Ennis. I also don't think JBott would've (or should've) traded Ennis for Pommer. I should clarify that I like the trade. I think there is a very good possibility that Scandella becomes Risto's partner, and I think the Sabres paid a pretty reasonable price. But part of that price was the spread between Ennis and Pommer, which IMHO worked in Minny's favor, despite the prevailing opinion here.

That is some very nice hockey info there boys.

Those are high stakes. I'll do it if the loser's avatar becomes a photo of the higher-scoring player. Also, it should be their 2-year production, not one year. That is too long to wait though, so we can make it just the first year although it favors you. Ennis has been lost for the past 2 seasons because of a severe concussion in the first of those 2 seasons. He had 21 and 20 goals in the 2 seasons before the concussion. He's a real top 6 forward with elite speed when healthy. He was getting his legs back at the end of last year. If he gets the timing back in his hands, he will be effective.

I agree, but I am also OK with Foligno being the price for Scandella.

I think we need to remember that Pommer's trend indicates that he could go Moulson on us at any moment, while Ennis is cheaper and 7 years younger and had scored 20 goals 3 times in the 5 years prior to his concussion.

Good post.

My two cents: - I too will miss Foligno. His talents were limited but he was still a solid player and a very good soldier and he gave us everything he had. – still, this trade seems like a definitive upgrade for the Sabres. I thought Minnesota was a deep-pocketed team, but this just seems like an asset sale for them. Perhaps they needed to free up cap space for a big move tomorrow. – It is possible that Ennis finds his game and emerges as the best player in the trade, but this is realistically at best a 30% chance. If not, Toni Lydman 2.0 is clearly the best player in the trade. – Speaking of which, Scandella is 6'3", 205, can skate and has played between 18 and 21 minutes per game for a playoff team for the last few years. That sounds like a lock for at least #3 in the Sabres' rotation, and quite likely Risto's partner. – JBott has now turned over three of the Sabres' top six in a few weeks on the job -- and without mortgaging the family farm to do so. Pretty solid work. -- Pommer never should've been made captain here, but he was a good little player for quite a period of time. I sure hope he has something left in the tank. We should not assume that he does – he had 11 and 13 goals in his last two seasons, and it sounds like he's lost a step. Still, I am about a million times happier to bring him back then I would be with bringing back Vanek, especially if this is what it took to get a good defenseman.

Yuck. Hard pass. There's a reason multiple coaches and GMs have had Vanek on their teams for a short period and said no thanks to additional servings.

Good man iTinSn. That was beautiful. God bless you and your family.

BTW: a really good and under-the-radar cop movie was "The Guard" with Don Cheadle and Brendan Gleeson.

Those are 2 very strong contenders. I would nominate: Chinatown and Speed.