dudacek

It’s the truth of your last sentence that got my attention. I hated the Florida trade, but Copp is a good long-term 3C, who could take 2C minutes because of his dependability and the way I think he’d mesh with Skinner while Cozens percolates. I think Montour is a better hockey player, and I’d like to see the Jets add, but the concept works in the cost-conscious context. (unrelated side note on Chad. Taking Lundell over a Perfetti would be a travesty, especially when you just grabbed Copp to be your long-term 3C)

I did, and I still believe that. And I generally agree with your post. Like I said, exaggerated to make a point. I would treat Sam fairly in post-COVID NHL. But if he gets greedy, I’m looking at options.

Beauvillier’s a player. I think he’s talking Borgstrom.

Semi-related, at what contract level do we have interest in TJ Brodie to be our 2LD? He’s of a similar level to Montour, but a better fit, and it allows us to flip Montour for help up front. I like the idea of this lineup if Joki and Little Ras mature as most of us expect: Dahlin Jokiharju Brodie Risto McCabe Miller

The counting stats on both were pretty good, and against the toughest competition. And I think their metrics are largely the result of being weighed down by ineffective forwards not helping them out with shots, chances and sustained time in the offensive zone. I think that when Dahlin slides into his birthright as a number one they both slot nicely as our top two right-side D. Joki Probably makes one of them redundant as soon as this year, but not both. I like Miller a lot as a 5, but he is not a guy I want long-term in my top four

The forward lineup is better. I don’t get the armchair GMs who trade both Risto and Montour. Im not sure how removing the two defencemen Ralph trusted most last year improves the defence.

Yes.

@Brawndo knows his stuff and posts it judiciously. Adams was asked about Amerks prospects shortly after being hired and he brought up Malone, which I thought was kinda weird at the time.

As a rule, I don’t look up to people who I don’t have actual relationships with. Never have. But if your question is who do I respect in terms of the way he conducts himself and carries out his business on and off the ice? Kyle Okposo is the one that comes first to mind, then Ralph. Jack, to his credit, is evolving into that guy.

I always liked Malone, even though he’d pretty much dropped off the radar in the past year or two. I thought he had some potential to be a Larsson-esque 4th-liner. He’s done nothing to warrant a one-way contract offer though. The fact Adams offered him one raises as many red flags for me as the fact Malone turned it down. These things are always down to individuals, but it certainly feeds my feeling that Larsson and Girgensons are already gone.

A one-way deal? That says things about his relationship with the Sabres. And about the new regime.

Malone was on an Amerks contract last year, not a Sabres contract, right? That’s why he can do this now?

I don’t think there is anything particularly savvy in signing a 4th line player to a 4th line contract to play a 4th line role. It’s baseline GM competence. I too look at what player is supposed to be and what we got. He misjudged Sheary to be top six forward, Frolik, Vesey Simmonds and Sobotka to be middle-six forwards, Carter Hutton to be a 1A goalie, Nathan Beaulieu to be a regular defenceman, Marcus Johansson to be a second-line centre, Patrick Berglund to be a 2nd line centre, Casey Mittelstadt to be a 2nd line centre, Tage Thompson to be a middle-six winger and a whole pile of crap to round out the roster. He added 3 puck-moving RHD to a team that already had one, and left it that way for an entire season. Ralph didn’t mishandle them, Botterill gave him a bad mix: Risto is better than Montour at Risto’s role, Dahlin is better than Miller at Miller’s best role, Joki deserved his role and Scandella and McCabe were better in their more defensive roles. You don’t give up a first-round pick and prospect for a defenceman who isn’t going to play on your top offensive or defensive pair, or on either special teams. You don’t give up a 2nd round pick for a guy who is essentially going to function as your 6th defenseman. If he traded Risto it may have made sense, but he didn’t trade Risto.

It’s wrong to say most of these guys were acquired for the AHL. I listed 22 players in the last paragraph. 13 were full NHL players when we got them. Only one of them currently has an NHL contract and at least 7 won’t be in the NHL next year. Because they weren’t good. Tennyson, Wilson, Elie, Gilmour, Griffiths were youngish tweeners who he rolled the dice on making the jump. Each of them were given jobs out of camp, had extended looks and failed. because they weren’t good. O’Regan and Hickey were prospects who failed. They weren’t good. Redmond and Smith were the only guys he clearly expected to play in the AHL and Redmond was actually acquired for a guy who is still in the NHL. He wasted a lot of time and effort bargain-bin hunting: 22 swings and not a single NHL success story to show for it. What GM invests so much time and effort acquiring players that didn’t help their NHL team? Botterill struggled finding NHL players.

Take off your rose coloured glasses. Jokiharju and Kahun look like good moves. Lazar is a fourth-liner. Skinner is not a $9 million hockey player. The Wild have a solid 3rd liner in Foligno left over from the Scandella trade. We have nothing. Johansson, Montour and Miller have yet to justify the prices he paid for them, maybe because not one of them was brought in to fill the role he is best suited to play. Botterill signed Pilut, buried him in the minors then let him walk. He thought Tage Thompson and Casey Mittelstadt were ready for the NHL. He squandered assets and/or cap space on Sheary, Vesey, Beaulieu, Pouliot, Hutton, Nolan, Josefson, Sobotka, Berglund, Hunwick, Frolik, Simmonds, O’Regan, Wilson, Redmond, Hickey, Tennyson, Chad Johnson, Griffiths, Elie, Gilmour and Dalton Smith thinking that colossal bag of excrement might actually contain something to make the Buffalo Sabres better. It’s an overall body of ill-considered moves and misjudged talent that is positively jaw-dropping when you hold it up to the microscope.