dudacek

Probably none. He’s been in the NHL since 2017

I get why people want the 20-year-old WJC stud over the the 18-year-old magic bean, but don’t underestimate the value of 3OA. 2020 Tim Stutzle 2019 Kirby Dach 2018 Jesperi Kotkaniemi (Brady Tkachuk) 2017 Miro Heiskanen (Cale Makar, Elias Petterson) 2016 Pierre Luc Dubois 2015 Dylan Strome (Mitch Marner) 2014 Leon Draisaitl 2013 Jonathan Drouin (Seth Jones) 2012 Alex Galchenyuk 2011 Jonathan Huberdeau

Except the bold isn’t happening. The Sabres aren’t replacing the bird dogs they fired with other bird dogs. For the most part the aren’t replacing them with anything, but the new hockey hires have been in player development and (apparently soon) analytics. I think there was pretty clearly concern over the way the department was composed and its effectiveness. “What does this guy actually do and is he really helping?” was a question the Pegulas obviously asked Adams to investigate even prior to the pandemic. This is about more than temporary layoffs to weather the storm. More fundamental and structural questions are being addressed.

So Lance says the budget cuts did not affect player costs while decimating the scouting department. Google says NHL scouts make $50,000 a year. Firing 20 scouts saves about $1 million. The Sabres spent just 76 million on players salary this year. I couldn’t find the team figure for last year, but I remember reading it was well over the cap. So the Sabres likely saved at least $5 million on players this year. Far less in terms of percentage impact, but far more in terms of actual dollars.

Or perhaps it was less about austerity and more about cleaning house? It’s not like we thought the Sabres scouting department was doing a fantastic job.

Definitely. I don’t think Jack is a deep enough thinker to go beyond the Pegulas haven’t given him a chance in three tries, he’s not waiting around for a 4th. I would say we would have been at this point last year, but Jack bought in to Krueger, and the Sabres gave him what he wanted with Hall, Eakin, and Staal.

I’m not sure how good Granato will be, but his experience level does not concern me in the slightest. He’s been an NHL assistant for 5 years, apprenticing under Quenville, one of the best. He coached the USNDP team for 5 years, coaching some of the best junior-age players on the planet to great success And he’s been an AHL head coach for 7 years, including being named coach of the year. And he started out as a head coach in the ECHL and the USHL Krueger, at heart, is an inspirational speaker and leadership coach. Housley, at heart, is a player. Granato is a hockey coach, pure and simple. It’s all he’s really ever done and all he really wants to do. He’s got the knowledge. We will see if he has the skills.

Tort’s old buddy Larry Brooks says the Hawks are part of the Eichel sweepstakes. https://nypost.com/2021/06/19/chicago-blackhawks-enter-jack-eichel-trade-sweepstakes/ He speculates Dach and pick 11 would have to be part of the return. I must say, someone is doing a pretty good job of trying to use media hype to flush a blue-chipper on to the table.

From all the comparables I’ve searched, I don’t think you are too far off on Reinhart: 8OA (Canucks have 9) plus a 2ndary prospect like a Fagemo seems to be ballpark, if the interest is what people are making it out to be. The Sabres may have to send a lesser piece like a 3rd back. Risto’s trade value fascinates me. Historically, big, nasty 40-point RH defencemen are gold in the NHL. But then you get that whole conventional analytics argument that says you’d get a better return collecting pop bottles. I suspect NHL front offices are as divided on Risto as fans are. But all you need is two GMs who like him bidding against each other. My brain says if David Savard can rate a 1st and a 3rd putting up the kind of conventional and fancystats he has, then why can’t Risto? But we shall see.

I am of the opinion Cozens, Quinn, Peterka, Asplund, Mittelstadt, Thompson, Jokiharju, Dahlin, Samuelsson, Johnson, Lukkonnen is a respectable collection of young talent. We are going to add this year’s 2 2nds, plus a 1st OA, plus another sizeable collection of young pieces by trading Risto, Sam and Jack that could conceivably double that. It should be a base a good hockey man can build a competitive team around. It’s just too bad the previous guys failed despite having similar tools at their disposal. And that we are going to have to wait even longer to see if Kevyn is any better.

Meaning Granato? What is the right decision for this moment?

Have you guys watched much Max Comtois?

OK, this was posted on Reddit by some random guy. Too funny not to share: So none of you are going to believe me, but I'm posting what I've witnessed today during my reffing experience today. Rob Blake is in town for his son's hockey tournament (Battle of Buffalo). During warm-ups, one of the kids goes to Blake's son and the conversation goes like this: "dude, is your dad really trying to trade for eichel?" "***** no, he's trying for Reinhart and Risto" "why not eichel?" "he's a whiny bitch from what my dad says" I skated away cause I was laughing too hard

I just want to be clear: Its your take that Adams would probably rather be keeping Jack, but the injury and the difference in opinion of its treatment has driven enough of a wedge that he has decided the right path is to trade him, even if it means possibly taking a hit on the return. Im not saying you’re wrong, but I am saying if you are right Adams is an idiot.

That was precisely the moment I decided to move on. I'm surprised it hasn't been talked about more. Anyone who said what Jack said in that presser cannot be the captain of this hockey team.

I don't discount this because I don't know Adams. But you are essentially saying Adams is a rat-bastard bureaucrat who values keeping his job over being successful in it, and that he immediately made it his priority to consolidate power, as opposed to building a winner. It seems that you are basing that almost completely on his decision to trade Eichel, and the premise that Eichel should not be traded. Am I missing other factors? It is interesting to observe who Jack has connected with off the ice and who he has not.

Friedman had an interesting choice of words in his Adams/Granato meeting tidbit. “No finality there yet.” Because this has been followed up by Wawrow’s report that the finalist is off to Florida to meet with the king and queen, I’m going to conclude that Donnie is the candidate Terry needs to rubber stamp. If Kevyn met with Donnie to tell him they are offering someone else the job, that constitutes finality. I cannot see a scenario where Kevyn met with Donnie in advance to tell him someone else is going to meet with Terry, but he’s still in the running. Donnie knows they are looking at other people. That wouldn’t require a face-to-face meeting. However, I can see Kevyn meeting with Donnie to say, ‘you are the finalist, but you’ve got one more hurdle, you need to meet with Terry.’ With the understanding that if that meeting goes well, Donnie will be offered the job. To me, it’s the only scenario that fits with both reports.

I’m with you. No objections to Power, but the more I look at the top players, those are my favourites.

No stuck involved. I’m very comfortable choosing to remain a fan of this incompetent shitshow over becoming a fan of that graceless piece of excrement, thanks.

So I guess if we are adding a 2nd top 10 pick, I need to be looking at guys like Kent Johnson? What’s up with this guy, is he an Sonny Milano/Alex Nylander type? Skills competition stud who doesn’t make things happen when the bullets start flying? Because those hands are pretty slick. http://www.buffalohockeybeat.com/michigan-star-kent-johnson-intriguing-option-for-sabres-early-at-nhl-draft/

And I would just kill Marchand…

And that kid with all the Ks in his name, did you hear he was actually OHL MVP? A goalie, who would have thought that could happen, right? Anyways, make sure he’s starting opening night. I’m tired of driving to Rochester to watch him play. Good goalies always look better in the NHL than they do down there.

I don’t think this coinciding with the Brind’Amour timing was coincidental. The meeting today was either to offer him the job, or tell him it was being offered to someone else. I wonder if it was Donnie all along, unless Rod shook loose. I wonder how serious all these other interviews were. I also wonder if the Florida trip is a rubber stamp, or a final test - the “second interview” I wonder how much interaction Donnie has had with Terry?

There is nothing we’ve seen yet to indicate this is about cutting costs. Prior to being hired as GM, Adams was brought in to review the culture of the team, mostly off the ice. It would be natural for him to continue that on the ice. It would not be entirely surprising to learn that he has concluded that Jack’s approach and attitude is standing in the way of a needed culture shift. It would be even less surprising to learn that someone further up the food chain has grown tired of Jack’s approach and attitude and instructed him to move on. We can only go by what we’ve observed in the past and how it applies to the present.

Thanks. I should have checked. It doesn’t invalidate my opinion, but it does shift it; Turcotte may not be as far behind Comtois as I thought on the development curve. Separately, I wonder if that “fair” offer the Rangers made last summer is still on the table, or if Jack’s injury or the GM switch moved it? Does some version of Chytil, Buchnevich, 15 OA and Strome still look awful compared to what we are now steeling ourselves for?