thewookie1

https://www.capfriendly.com/armchair-gm/team/2283675 What do you guys think? Tried to add a combination of vets, toughness, and some solid roleplayers while jettisoning a large portion of the unhappy guys.

I'm honestly slightly curious if Steve Smith was the actual problem here and not Krueger in the strategic sense. Krueger was friends with the guy so he could of been blind to his problems. It just seems odd to me that most of the players seemed to like Krueger right to the end yet simultaneously hated the system.

KA could fire Krueger.... he just needed permission. Effectively its word play.

You are insane Karlsson's contract is far worse than even Skinner's contract. Karlsson is 30, 31 as of May 30th, this year with 6+1 years left on a 11.5 mil cap hit. Skinner is 28, 29 as of May 16th, with 6+1 years left on a 9 mil cap hit. 2.5 mil is not chump change and trading a terrible contract for one that is arguably worse isn't the answer.

Hall last year

I've seen plenty of Isles fans being good with it. Hall(50%) for Bellows, Komorov, 2021 1st and 2022 3rd allows them to be effectively cap neutral this year and dump Komorov's last year of his salary. Buffalo gets an underachieving but still well thought of prospect, a vet with grit for a year and a 2021 1st + a 3rd in 2022. In theory you may even be able to trade that 1st to Seattle for them to take Okposo.

Of course not

https://www.capfriendly.com/armchair-gm/team/2278014 Would this team be any better?

I'd take B but I can't exactly figure out who would offer this sort of deal.

This is too radical in my opinion;I'd like a chance at the playoffs next year to prevent breaking the record. I'd keep Eichel and Dahlin, trading top players gets us nowhere. Reinhart depends on his ask. What about Tage Thompson for Troy Terry? I'd keep Olofsson as well unless someone blows me out of the water. Great PP producer and an ok 5v5 player. Sort of a mid 6 winger with an elite shot. Girgensons I'd keep around, guy has never stopped working hard despite the terrible teams he's been on. I have no problem with jettisoning Eakin however, he's been a great disappointment. I had hoped to trade some of Larsson's D skill for more speed and offensive output but instead he has merely added speed at the cost of most defensive talent besides the PK.

I say we grab Backes off waivers, at very least he could beat up people for the remainder of the year.

Bryson appears to be safe according to Cap Friendly

I'd love the idea if our team wasn't presently a tire fire. If we were to hire him I'd want multiple new vet coaches including at least one former head coach on the bench with him. That being said I'd much rather have Gallant or Beudreau

The thing is what was he supposed to do if the trades weren't there? Would you have traded our 1st for some rental goalie?

This year he was thrust into the position and had to deal with multiple circumstances which would of muddled the goalie trade market. Teams needing 3 goalies being the primary one. There were only 3 goalie related trades the entire offseason; Allen to MTL which was early in the offseason (prior to the draft) Devon Dubnyk being shipped to the SJS in what was seemingly a cap dump and Matt Murray's RFA rights going to Ottawa. Of the three, Matt Murray was an RFA which ended up costing $6.25mil a year even with having a rough season last year. Dubynk was quite literally dumped for a 5th and had a terrible year last year. And lastly Allen, arguably the best of the group, but was acquired prior to the draft and was the 2nd trade overall. Adams supposedly went after a few goalies but even if he had hoped the regular season might help one shake loose; the league implemented a taxi squad with a minimum of one goalie just prior to the season starting which would of effectively killed the market instantaneously and/or made the prices sky rocket. Next year will be more of a typical offseason and Hutton, Ullmark, and Johansson are not under contract. There are no strings to the first two and Johansson is supposedly being shopped. And perhaps this offseason Adams will actually get some experienced help.....

No, and his contract is up. I'll give Adams the mulligan on year 0's offseason for goaltending. If he brings Hutton back or any other terrible candidates though, I'll no longer be willing to sympathize with his present predicaments.

Ullmark has been solid I'm still willing to give Adams the benefit of doubt on why he didn't upgrade the backup position. We have only the knowledge that nothing concrete occurred but plenty of rumors that he has been hunting for upgrades. They don't exactly have a ton of cap space either to just throw in a goalie trade without Hutton departing with it. The prices on trade candidates might just be to exorbitant to be worth it. In the end, he chose Taylor Hall over a goalie upgrade as we saw the opportunity to get MAF. Adams was likely counting on our scoring being better and with Ullmark having an above average season we should of been playoff worthy. Sadly, Hall has been mostly a bust and Ullmark was injured leading to us having zero goaltending and still little scoring. I wouldn't of traded our 1st for any of the likely goalie candidates available.

Well at minimum he has been helping Cozens + as Cozens himself has mentioned it. The other reason I was getting at is I want Adams to play hardball is to prevent teams from thinking he'll crack under the pressure and cave on demands. If no one offers better than a 4th for Staal, I'd just take my ball and go home. If one team offers a 3rd and 5th, I'd likely say yes but we need Adams to show he isn't weak.

But isn’t that all we’ve been doing this past 6 years? Throwing as many youngsters and random bot 6 guys at the problem and hoping it plugs the leak. If Eichel’s season is through and depending on Cozens situation I’d be looking to hold on to him for the mere value of not having our center depth be highlighted by Mittelstadt, Sheahan, Eakin and Asplund. I’d rather not set records of ineptitude and then lose the lottery and potentially Eichel.

I'd rather keep him then, anything past the midway point of the 3rd round is practically worthless. How many players in the late 3rd or on have actually ended up good on the Sabres besides Olafsson?

Friedman said a 2nd could be had for Staal. Get a 1st for Hall(50%) a 2nd for Staal(50%) a 2nd/3rd for Montour(50%) a 5th for Reider perhaps.

Don’t care, he could disappear into an ether and I wouldn’t mind.

If he wants 6x6 Ullmark is nuts. He’s an slightly better than average goalie most nights. Bennington won a Cup which also inflates his value.

It certainly seems likely this injury has been causing his problems all year.