dudacek

That is correct. He was playing through an oblique issue in Ottawa. The Sabres were aware of it when they traded for him and decided to sit him in order to give it time to heal he wasn't getting by playing.

I wouldn't call either of these "fit" in terms of Norris, but valid points nonetheless. Personally, I see Norris as different than say Samuelsson and Greenway, in the sense that he hasn't been prone to multiple injuries. He had a bad shoulder that wasn't properly treated. It's either fixed now or it isn't, and if it is (it held up all year) I don't think he's at any more of a risk than Thompson or Tuch, both of whom lost a ton of games as well to shoulder issues earlier in their careers. You're betting on his surgeon and your doctor.

Trading Mitts for Byram was smart. Trading Byram for a first now when you could sign him for two years, then trade him for that same 1st as rental, that would be stupid.

According to Chad D, the Sabres have no intention of trading Peterka either. He says they have fielded calls but nothing has gained traction and the most likely result is JJ signing a bridge. My question is if they are trading Byram for lesser pieces and not trading Peterka, how are the Sabres intending to get better this off-season? It's very clear that if they intend to add a forward, another forward has to go. It's not likely to be Thompson, Norris, McLeod, Greenway, or Zucker. Krebs, Malenstyn and Lafferty don't move the needle. They don't want to move Tuch and if they did it wouldn't be for an upgrade. That leaves Kulich and Benson (who nobody wants to move) and Quinn (who probably won't get a great return). Are we really running back the forwards?

I think Byram would have been the highest scoring defenceman on multiple teams, and that’s without any PP time. Coupled with the fact he’s just entering his prime and Id say 3/4s of the league would have at least mild interest. Serious interest is a little harder to determine, but I’d be surprised if you couldn’t find a half-dozen teams where he’d be an upgrade on their current 3D. The insiders say the interest is pretty widespread. Not saying they’ve been linked to Byram specifically, but off the top of my head, Philly, San Jose, Calgary, Los Angeles, the Rangers, the Penguins, the Hurricanes, the Predators, and the Blues, are all teams said to be interested in adding a young puck-moving top 4.

I totally get the trepidation over Norris’ health, and we all have different valuations on players, but I don’t understand why people don’t see a fit. They thought they had a long-term 2C in Cozens. They were wrong. They traded him for what they thought was the best replacement 2C available. I mean you needed a centre and you weren’t getting Sam Bennett for Dylan Cozens. Why doesn’t Norris fit? Or am I just misreading what people mean by fit and they actually just mean his health?

This makes me feel a little better. The offer sheet compensation pretty much sets a floor for the return at higher than “just” a first so Adams would be foolish to accept that. Byram wants at least $7M which is a 1st, 2nd and 3rd. A 1st plus Murphy from the Hawks, Ferraro from the Sharks (Risto from the Flyers 😘) Still not great trades, but better value.

Who said anything about surprised? It didn’t happen with dahlin, Power, Thompson, Samuelsson, Cozens, Zucker, UPL, or Greenway, and it’s not happening with Byram, Quinn, McLeod or Tuch. The tactics being employed by JJ’s agent certainly happen, but they are also classless and hardly standard practice.

Byram for a late 1st would be a great deal for whoever is getting Byram

It's true for all trades. I think @Porous Five Hole nailed it: the question is whether or not Peterka is a core player you are going to invest in long-term, considering his contract situation.

Chad said the purpose of the late 1st would be either flipping it or drafting a defenceman.

He said some teams have asked if they would consider a late first, and they said yes, they would. He very specifically said that does not mean that will be the return or that they won't be considering other options.

Meaning that the Sabres are willing to consider a late first in exchange for Byram. He didn't specify if that was straight across, but didn't mention otherwise.

San Jose, Philadelphia, Nashville and Chicago are teams with extra picks in the 20s.

In his latest pod, Chad says he's "pretty confident they have decided what they are doing there." He said the Sabres have had the necessary conversations and established the market and the interested suitors. Now it's just about deciding which offer to pursue and cementing the deal. They want this off their plate early to clear the decks for whatever comes next. According to Chad, the Sabres have talked to teams that have multiple 1sts and told them a late 1st is something they would consider in exchange. He's says that's not necessarily the return we should expect, but implied their priority with this deal is gathering assets and creating flexibility for other moves.

Byram was the one who switched agents, not JJ. JJ's agent is feeding Frank Seravalli info about the Sabres not being able to sign him, that he's highly likely to be traded, and that the Sabres are broken and ripe for the picking in order to create a market for a better contract and/or a trade.

I want to trade JJ because I think the chances of improving the team are better down that path, than by crossing our fingers he's going to be better than he was during his breakout year. I agree the same logic can be applied to Byram and I am very willing to trade him in order to make the team better. Where the 2 differ in my mind is I think the majority of Byram's next 7 years will be better than this year and the majority of JJ's will not. I also think JJ's minutes can be at least partially replaced by players already in the organization, while that's not the case for Byram at all. It's also classless, me-first and damaging to the organization you are asking to give you $60M. It happens, but it is not standard practice. Right, just shut up and eat your gruel.

Exactly. This isn't about "we have to get rid of JJ". It's about stepping away from moves on the margins and asking "what meaningful asset can we afford to give up?" This is about selling high on a very good player of certain skill set for very good player or players with a skill set we lack.

For the record, I did not say or mean to imply moving JJ makes room for Rosen or Östlund. Right now we have Thompson, Tuch, Peterka and Norris pencilled into the top 6, along with two of McLeod, Zucker, Greenway, Benson, Quinn and Kulich. One of those players will not make the top 9 strictly on numbers and another will have to squeezed out if we want get older/tougher/more responsible. I'm saying I see enough in Kulich, Quinn and Benson that I expect all three to improve and any drop-off from JJ to the best of those 3 will be more than made up for by the JJ return.

Agreed. it was intended to be. It all comes down to what you think of Peterka moving forward: is he a Sam Reinhart, a Dylan Cozens or a Jeff Skinner? Does he have more to give, was this a peak, or is what we saw this year who he is?

As far as I'm concerned JJ is an avatar for the team: young, talented and more interested in the sizzle than the substance. The nonsense being stirred by his agent is proof of that. Far better to move Peterka now when his value is probably as high as it will ever be, than to sign him to a long-term $8M deal and watch him go on to a Jeff Skinner-esque career. You aren't going to get what you need trading Östlund or Rosen, and the team is better served giving JJ's minutes to players that understand winning hockey. If you believe in Kulich or Benson, then this provides them an opportunity. Same goes for Quinn. I'm a little tired of people whining about the Sabres not taking any big swings then immediately shutting down any proposals other teams might actually bite on. This is where we have both value and the depth to overcome trading it for what we need. This is the right move.

Hmm... no JJ Peterka. It's weird how only one Insider has him on their trade board, and how that Insider has him #1 and the Sabres may "have to trade him" when others have him at most as a potential offer sheet target. Beyond that: Andersson, Oleksiak, Miller, McDonough, Murphy, Hague...definitely names there I am interested in or the Sabres. Heck, I'd even kick the tires on Ristolainen.

Yep. That's the most salient thing for me that Fairbairn's piece drove home. And even though it's nothing we didn't know or at least suspect, @thewookie1 is right, having it spelled out so matter-of-factly is damn depressing.

I think the bold is a very strong take, and better helps me understand where you're coming from. It's like telling your 16-year-old: "What do you mean I don't care about you, I bought you a car and gave you a credit card." In regards to the spending, I haven't fully bought into my own thinking yet, but I find myself increasingly wanting to blame Adams for not spending to the cap. Bear with me: Terry spent money right up to EEE, with COVID past Terry no long needs EEE, Terry has spent money on firing coaches, buying out contracts, fixing roofs and rebuilding the hockey department, among other things recently; it doesn't really make sense that he is pinching pennies the past couple years on $6M in player salaries. Adams has consistently said that Terry has given him the resources he needs. I wonder if this wording is aimed at having it both ways: sticking up for his boss and avoiding blame for himself. I get a sense Kevyn has heard Terry grumbling about Botterill wasting his money, or how Terry thinks (fill-in-the-blank) is a waste. And in pure Wormtongue-like Adams hubris, Adams leans into that. He tells Terry "You're right. Under me we haven't done any of those silly things. Watch this, I can run this team without even spending to the cap." Instead of doing what a good GM would do and steering him in to the logical conclusion that spending to the cap is a necessary part of being competitive. That still allows plenty of room for your take: that a fully-invested Pegula would (should) have said: we've got the money Kevyn, let's spend it." Basically, its a mutual enabling of each others weaknesses, rather than a more proper checks and balances situation.

Any piece that involved 10 sources and an hour-long sit-down with Adams has been in the works for weeks and the Sabres were well-aware it was coming.