nfreeman

Best case is that he heals fully, gets his wind and timing back by February or so and can contribute down the stretch and in the playoffs. I would expect the Sabres to be smart about this and not rush him back.

You need to take a breath and stop babbling. Make your posts worth reading. Do not waste everyone's time like this.

That stinks.

Gotta say -- I'm pretty glad they didn't trade #13 for Helle, Hart or Pesce. I'm curious whether those who were advocating to do so still feel that way.

From the Athletic:

They may start blocking each other, but not for a couple of years. Of the potential top-6 guys, Kulich, Rosen and Kisakov were the only ones in Rochester last year, and only Neuchev is joining next year. Benson -- at least 1 and maybe 2 more years in juniors, then most likely 1 year in the AHL Savoie -- almost certainly 1 more year in juniors, then most likely 1 year in the AHL Östlund -- committed to another year in Sweden, then most likely 1 year in the AHL Rosen -- at least 1 more season in Rochester Kulich -- probably will play at least 75% of this season in Rochester Neuchev -- kind of a flyer & will probably need at least 2 years in Rochester Kisakov -- also a flyer Rousek -- more of a bottom-6 guy The Sabres have plenty of time, and plenty of roster spots in Rochester, to let this play out. Say it brother! Testify!

FWIW, ESPN has him at 5'9", 163 lbs.

...or at least a worthy competitor of JJP's for that spot. Whoa. That highlight reel is awesome. Wait -- traveling carnival hucksters? Really?

98 pts in 60 games -- 3rd in the WHL. 17 pts in 15 playoff games. 5'9", 170 lbs. Left winger from BC. I bet he's good.

We don't know for sure, and I freely admit that I want to believe it, but I do think KA didn't have any choice in the contract he gave Hall, including the NMC, which directly resulted in getting screwed on the trade with Boston. I think Krueger had TP's ear as much as KA did at that point, and pushed hard for Hall (in part because it meant keeping Eichel on board), and KA decided not to die on that hill.

No question that the Devils are ahead of the Sabres right now. While it's fair to look at the 2019 and 2020 results, I also think they were less of a train wreck organization than the Sabres were, with more respect for their GM and coach around the league. Also, although you're right that they've brought in more talent from outside the organization than the Sabres have, I don't think that was really an option for the Sabres in the last few years (although hopefully that is changing). I'd also point out that Vanacek and Meier didn't do much in the playoffs for them last year. OTOH, they've gotten very strong contributions from the 2 defensemen they brought in, Hamilton and Marino, which I hope KA has noted -- but they didn't have much homegrown talent on the back end there either. We'll see. I'm fairly optimistic that the gap will be quite a bit narrower this year.

Forgive me if you've already posted this, but what is the most you'd give up for Pesce? Specifically, assuming he signs an extension as part of the deal, would you give up any of: #13, Rosen, Östlund, Savoie, Kulich, JJP, Quinn or Krebs? I would not, but I know others here differ.

Hot take: peak Max, who was one of the most exciting Sabres of all time and was a better playmaker than he's generally given credit for, was better than peak Vanek, who became an NHL vagabond after leaving Buffalo because despite respectable numbers, nobody wanted him around -- including his Olympic coach, who publicly threw him under the bus for his team's disappointing showing. I wouldn't trade any of the Fantastic 4 for Pesce. Each of the 4 has legit top-line scorer potential. I think as a matter of NHL asset management, you don't trade a guy like that for a defensive defenseman -- only for a scoring defenseman. And it doesn't really matter if the Sabres have a number of prospects in this category -- it's Tim Murray thinking to let them burn a hole in your pocket. I'd be curious if anyone can put forth an example of a defensive defenseman at Pesce's level being traded for a rich price. Gavrikov (a rental), plus Korpisalo, were traded in 2023 for a conditional #1 that became #22 OA, plus a #3 next year. Ben Chiarot, also a rental, was traded in 2022 and returned Florida's #1 a year later, plus a lower-tier prospect and a #4. Those prices are quite a bit lower than #13 or any of the 4 blue-chippers that our hungry Canadian fans want to put on the table, although admittedly it's not exactly apples-to-apples because Pesce has a year remaining on his contract. I also don't see Carolina getting a return for Pesce that is equivalent to JJP, Quinn, Kulich, Savoie or #13 OA. As stated above, he's a defensive defenseman and he's going to need a fat new contract in a period when the cap is flat and there isn't much excess money in the system.

My responses to the poll were driven by probabilities, which in turn were driven by what we've seen at the NHL level. On that basis, I chose Quinn as most likely star, and Savoie as least likely (since he's still in junior) but those are just guesses. Certainly JJP showed some great, forceful flashes last year, and the buzz around Kulich and Savoie is compelling.

I'd like Tanev too, but we should remember that he turns 34 in December.

How is any of TM's moves relevant? Do you think TM's moves set the market, and other GMs are using his moves as guidelines for appropriate value?

Imma flip it around on you sir: would you trade #13, Savoie, Kulich, Quinn, JJP, Levi, Östlund or Rosen for Helle, who has 1 year left under contract and, it appears, will require a huge contract in order to stay longer than that? As I've said previously, I would not, although my answer on #13, Ostlun and Rosen would change if Helle had 2 years left.

It's still quite possible IMHO that Comrie plays for the Sabres this season and plays quite well.

I can see this being attractive to a FA (and to KA!) but only as a fallback if a long-term deal doesn't materialize. I don't think anyone is going to turn down, say, 5 years x $4.5MM in favor of 2 years x $6MM from the Sabres because he thinks he'll be able to get 5 years x $7MM after 2 years with the Sabres. Dumba turns 29 next month. I'd guess that he wants a long-term deal right now -- not to wait a couple of years and hope someone gives him his dream contract in 2 years. If someone offers him twice as much guaranteed money as the Sabres do, I think he's going to take the bigger guarantee. Fortunately for the Sabres, it looks like there are a decent number of quality defensemen who are going to be available this summer. I expect KA to reel one in, although I don't think he's going to give anyone a huge contract (and I'd guess that Pesce is going to want more than KA is willing to pay).

I'd be pretty surprised if KA signed someone's RFA to an offer sheet. Offer sheets are still pretty rare, and he doesn't strike me as the wave-making type.

If there is no extension for Dahlin, it's a disappointing offseason. If there are extensions for Dahlin and Power and a credible D partner brought in for Power, it's a very good offseason. Those plus a credible goalie would make it a great offseason.

I chose Power, but it could easily be Quinn or Levi.

Bang for buck/winning trade are a bit of a straw man here, IMHO. I don't think KA feels that it's critical to win a trade so he can win the trade. I think KA believes that the best interests of the franchise are served by getting good value out of the franchise's assets. E.g. I think that KA believes (correctly IMHO) that trading #13 for one year of Helle is simply not in the franchise's best interests. I think reasonable minds can disagree about that conclusion, but I'm quite sure that the principle underlying the decision isn't "I need to win every trade" -- it's "does this proposed trade benefit this franchise?"

Thomeone mutht be Nemeth’s nemethith, yeth?