ska-T Palmtown

Even if it was an "overpay" [and that is being litigated in the trade thread, not asking for that to start here] - I sorta feel like the McLeod trade falls in the "evidence the initial assertion of this thread was wrong" bin? If it is true (the initial assertion alleged by the thread title), imagine how hard GMKA is working to get these done ... might be impressive, lol.

Not directing this at you - it is just a good place to start my rant 🙂 I don't think characterizing Carolina picking up a bunch of UFAs we did not want in the same light as Buffalo TRADING away Montour, Reinhart, and Okposo is reasonable. Honestly, it is annoying - it is like listening to a three year old child repeat the same joke off of a TV show for weeks cuz it got a laugh once. Again, only three players of any consequence on FLA's roster were drafter by FLA. Friggin' Vegas probably had zero. Why does Buffalo take the heat for ROR ... the Avalanche "cast him off", too. Honestly, the Calgary and Columbus "cast-offs" on FLAs roster were far more influential in the playoffs and it seems like the "which former-Sabre will win the cup" schtick is just a desperate attempt to pretend the Sabres have any real relevance in the NHL, which they honestly (and very sadly) don't. Phew - I feel lighter after getting that off my chest, lol.

I think the willful exclusion from consideration that any number of these prospects may have actually SHRUNK since the last time they were measured due to the crushing weight of Sabrespace expectations on their shoulders to not only be erroneous, but downright disingenuous!!! <angry noises!>

To be clear, I only reacted as "sad" because I am sad that Buffalo has no one like that to come back and help 😞 Datsyuk is a freaking legend.

Wait. Hold on. Just this morning I was thinking "I liked the Chicken Head better" ... and there it is. Let me try this ... "I liked the Sabres being perennial playoff contender better" ... no reason to doubt this will work.

nothing about the *you're?

In an alternate universe where Z had *not been a Sabre for his whole career and tainted by the drought - I could see him being a "solid" 4th liner pick up and many members of this board being meh to OK with it. He has decent numbers (not befitting of a 1st rounder, but aside from that) and I doubt his work ethic on or off the ice has ever been questioned. I real "lunch pail" "blue collar" kinda guy ... I do truly wish him the best.

can i interest you in a vegan meat substitute burger?

so, are we merely to feel whelmed? 😉

I will reserve judgement until i see some fancy colorful charts that I don't understand.

But, like, for reals .... how are so many UFAs already accounted for? What are the REAL rules around this??? I get the extensions / people staying with a current team. But how, oh how! can UFAs already have anticipated deals in place???

Let's not discuss why the Sabres are bad in this thread ... but here is my list of complaints 🤣🤣😉

I thought the $8.625 AAV number was odd ... now it makes total sense to the 12 yr old that still lives in my head. hehehe

Earlier today, I was thinking "Maybe I will take an early lunch (I am central time zone) so I can pay close attention to the enormous bounty KA will be bringing!" It feels less exciting now ...

That felt like a great big "welp" ... amirite?

I have Jags and Pronger in my HHOF binder, and I have several extra Jagrs. Such a great player! Most of the current non-Sabres I have, I have then because they are future HHOF locks ... stamkos, hedman, barkov, kane, toews, crosby, malkin. I find it really hard to cheer for active players who are not Sabres, lmao!

@shrader @#freejame - I think most card shops, unless they choose to specialize in truly vintage stuff (LIke, mid-80's and earlier), they just don't have the room and I bet the walk-in demand is really low. I have been tempted to buy a box of '86 OPC for the rush of tearing open a pack and hoping to see Mario staring back at me in pristine glory - but those boxes seem to come in around the price of a pretty decent used car, so I have not done it. My wife and I have a "your money is your money" policy - but if she ever found out I dropped that much cheddar on some old cardboard ... she might question my sanity 🤣 I admit I am a bit of a "deal" junky outside of the Sabres cards I want. Like, oh ... this graded card with a book value of $100 is auctioning for $40?? I don't mind if I do. (this only applies to retired or twilight of their career players with sustained value - I am not out there dropping any money on Cole Caufield.)

Who are the players? Always cool to see who everyone like. I have a ton of Mario Lemieux cards - including a Topps rookie. Apparently the OPC is the one to have ... but I have a budget, lol.

And as much as I love the idea of supporting small local card shops, if you are looking for hockey and especially old hockey, most shops in the US are just not gonna get it done. I troll ebay looking for things that seems to be under valued. You can find some. Sometimes you find an auction that for one reason or another is not attracting much attention and you can get a sweet deal. @shrader - Yeah, I am pretty sure after a nuclear winter, there would be cockroaches and old trading card gum!

I thought there was a "FA you want the Sabres to get" thread, but I can't find it, so I dropped that article here .. I'd be interested to hear opinions on Arvidsson, Marchessault, Pearson, and Wennberg.

In case folks don't have ESPN+ ... for whatever it is worth:

Isn't it nice when someone else makes your point for you? lol

That's a really cool idea! I have been tempted to do the same for my own birth year. Maybe that is the next project after the HHOF book is complete.

I found an online database thingy that trolls ebay for sales and calculates a value that way. Who knows how accurate it really is, but it is kinda cool!

Oh man! That is where it is at ... I will admit it is not quite the same opening the puffy package from ebay, but I still get a little rush when I have one less slot to fill in the pages of my book. I have to admit, the 71 and 72 sets were a touch before my time, but I have a few of them now and they are pretty sharp looking. One of the first things I did when I got back into it was find some decent condition reasonably priced French Connection cards. I was a wee lad watching TV when Gil got to 500, but I can still remember it. There are no real Hobey Baker cards, or for anyone that came and went before 1911 - and cards from the 30's are expensive and they disappeared in the 40's during WW2, but I found some commemorative sets and they are pretty cool in their own right. It is nice they come with some history of the players. The real cards from before the 1951 Parkhurst set got things going again usually just say: Babe Johnson on the front (why was everyone's nickname 'Babe' back then?) and something like "he plays hockey" on the back. We never knew the dollar value as kids - just the joy you got from seeing your favorite player on a medium stock piece of card board! **Also, damn - a gretzky! I think you can get $1k even if you used a hole punch on it 🤣 I am almost glad I never had anything like that - I woulda trashed it and had deep unshakable regret! Oh god! The crappy gum! Even in '89 and '90 they were still pushing that stuff ... seemed like it was left over from the '70's! Me and my friends thought it would be hilarious to collect all the gum sticks, too. I think we almost filled a shoe box just with gum!