dudacek

Weren’t gostisbehere and Nedlkovijc both available for free on waivers a few months ago?

I have no idea about how this might work with the Avalanche's cap, but Reinhart for Newhook seems to make a ton of sense to me

Setting the stage for Risto to Montreal

What if the process is "when we agree to a deal, you get to see the see the records, with the subject-to of calling it off if you don't like what you see?" What if Friedman actually said the Rangers and Wild haven't seen the records, leaving the door open for 29 other teams? What if people are lying?

I would be shocked if Power is not a clear-cut #1 on Francis’ board.

Five teams make sense for Eichel and have been playing poker hoping Adams will bend. He hasn’t yet, and now their cards have to be put on the table. Rangers and Minny need a 1C to complement their Russian stud right now or they waste him. Kings and Ducks have the young pieces, the cap room and the need to make their franchises relevant in that market. Vegas desperately wants the missing link for their cup. One of those five will step up. Sounds fine to me. You both entertain me.

Well, in his defence, he’s been pretty honest about not knowing what Buffalo is up to, and about not trusting the intel he’s being given about other teams.

I think being a GM is a long-term process of getting your people and philosophies in place, then acquiring and developing talent. I’m always going to give a GM time to see how his moves unfold. Even if they seem as stupid as auctioning off a franchise player at his absolute lowest value point.

Francis took Hayden Fleury (over Nylander and Ehlers), Noah Hanifan and Jake Bean. He doesn’t need Botterill’s help. Eklund, Guenther and Beniers don’t seem his type at 2. Hughes, Clarke or Eidvisson would not surprise me at all.

Way too easy. 😜

I don’t think Beniers is going #2. I think Seattle is going to take a defenceman, even if the Sabres take Power.

I’ve read both Eklund and Johnson think of themselves as centres. It would be extraordinarily odd (and sad) for a team to have invested 2 2OA picks, an 8th OA and a 7OA in the past six years and enter next season without a top 6 centre, but it is entirely possible.

I blame @pi2000 for not explaining TpRm well enough to Tim Murray and @GASabresIUFANfor going way too easy on Jason Botterill.

I buy the rumour.Risto is already gone, deal just has to be announced. Probably for a player like Josh Brook or Dylan Samberg, along with a 2nd-rounder. Eichel will be gone by the end of the first round for a package that will be less than what he’s worth, but more than what we fear. Reinhart, I don’t have a strong feeling about. I suspect they have asked for an answer on few contract proposals and have a deal or two prepared in their back pockets if he hasn’t expressed any interest by a certain deadline. Ullmark has an offer on the table and probably also has a deadline. Assuming Eichel and Risto go, I suspect the Sabres will also be taking on a contract or two from cap-strapped teams as well. And, finally, I would not be surprised if the Sabres trade 1OA to Anaheim or Seattle, each of who seem like the types of GMs who might be lusting for Power. Our team is going to look very different in two weeks. There will be our fair share of angry posters, but overall it’s going to be the most entertainment we’ve had here since draft day 2015.

2nd overall is too much for Sam and not enough for Jack. It qualifies for the main piece, but the Kraken don’t have the secondary pieces the Sabres are reportedly looking for.

Which makes the fact my deal gains us both of them worth making 😜

Won’t be the team you see in October. Trades, side deal returns and free agent signings incoming.

The draft is designed to remove the 11th-best player from each team. I would define “Significant” as a player who would have been protected by a majority of teams. I would suggest you would struggle to find many teams who would have protected Borgen. Borgen defines the type of player you would expect to lose. I love Will Borgen. The concept of Will is exactly what I want in my #6 and from what I’ve seen of Will, I think he will get there. I agree with Inky. I’m pissed he’s gone. Doesn’t mean it wasn’t the right move for the Sabres

I think this is the most likely result. Best case scenario (and I think it’s possible) is Ottawa last year, where they were fun, sometimes competitive, and some of the kids showed they might be something. I think you may be among those who have scoffed when I said this earlier (and I don’t blame you) but there is a path forward here through cap space. Can a few more Alex Killorns and a few less Evander Kane’s under Don Granato work where Brian Gionta and Josh Gorges under Dan Bylsma failed? We’ve got no reason to believe the Sabres can get the right supports, or even that they will try, but it’s really the only path if they dump the big three for futures. It certainly won’t work without a goalie. See above. I didn’t say it was the right path, only that it’s the path they’ve chosen. In terms of belief, Im not in @Weave territory yet, but hope is all I got right now. Hope that this summer Adams gives me some reason to believe.

Nope, but I don’t think your opinion is out to lunch As much as I like Rossi’s game, I don’t see him being a clearcut 1st line centre, so that’s probably where we differ. That Drysdale is light years ahead of anyone available at 21 is indisputable in my book. Do you think Eklund is clearly superior to Zegras?

I don’t think trading Eichel, Ristolainen and Reinhart is about blaming them for what ails the Sabres. Jack is a top-10 NHL talent, Sam is a 1st-liner and Risto is a warrior, and each will help whomever is lucky enough to acquire them. Trading them is about bringing optimism and belief back to the dressing room. No one blames the three for losing it after what they’ve been through, but letting them move on might be the most expedient way of allowing a rebirth to happen. I can’t say whether the relationships are salvageable or not, from this distance they do not appear to be. But in order for the move to be successful, you have to be bringing the right assets in to replace them.

Not to be that guy, but I’d love to see a link. I’m talking about a Larry Brooks or a Darren Dreger type citing sources, not stating their opinion.

If Risto’s gone, Miller will inherit his offensive minutes. It will be the first time he’s been properly used in his Sabres career. Botterill was such a moron when it came to roster building.

In my mind Rossi is Saku Koivu, which a notch below, but a similar package. Rossi cannot create/utilize space, or thread the needle with pucks as well as Zegras and that is why Zegras has a higher ceiling in my view. But there is a very good chance Zegras tops out as Willie Nylander, too. I might take Zegras over 1st overall. And Drysdale and 3OA is hardly LOL when the alternative is Rossi and pick 21

What if the cost to protect Borgen was higher than a 4th? Is Borgen a better asset than Ristolainen, or marginally better than Colin Miller? You can’t have it both ways.