dudacek

Just to be clear here, because there is a lot of overlap in where you and I are coming from, I do not agree whatsoever with the bolded. I think there is plenty of blame to go around for this situation. I do believe it is Kevyn Adams job to fix it and that digging in has not fixed it yet and shows no signs of fixing it in the future.

Why are you so forgiving of Eakin?

Mike Russo of the Athletic, who I consider one of the better hockey reporters out there, reported the Wild were willing. I've read that a Ducks beat reporter reported the same, but did not see that report first hand. How do you decide what is or isn't blather?

If I've ever come across as questioning your intelligence, I apologize. I see this as a true prisoner's dilemma and the answer is going to change based on what premise you choose. Others seem to think Adams' primary job is to stand by his principles. I think it is to untie this knot. For me, I keep coming back to the forced departures of two of the all-time great Sabres: Dominik Hasek was effectively traded for a chain of picks that if you squint real hard kinda mighta became Jochen Hecht. 4 years later we were in the semi-finals Pat Lafontaine was traded for a 2nd-rounder who became a 4th line plug named Andrew Peters. Two years later we were in the finals. Hanging on to Jack Eichel with all our might might not be as important as we think it is.

One question I would like to see answered is why are some teams (the Wild, apparently the Ducks) willing to approve ADR and the Sabres are not? It can't merely be about insurance because each team has to be dealing with similar insurance realities.

I agree with this. Can the siege end without Eichel getting surgery? If teams weren't going to pay up then and they aren't paying up now, what is going to change their minds?

Jim Schoenfeld played nine seasons as a Buffalo Sabre. So did Larry Playfair. Rene Robert played eight. Danny Gare played seven. Counting last year, which he missed entirely with a hamstring injury, Zemgus Girgensons is about to join some rarified company by entering his ninth season in blue and gold, making him far and away the current team's elder statesman. Drafted in the first round of the 2012, Girgensons became a fan favourite during the tank, sacrificing his body regularly and piling up 15 goals in 30 points in just 61 games as a 20-year-old. Some fans pictured that as a teaser for the budding 2C power forward to come. It never happened. Zemgus never again approached that kind of production, settling in instead as a bottom-six forechecking winger and penalty killer for a series of bad Sabres teams . https://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php?pid=130896 Coming off the second-best goal-scoring year of his career and a burgeoning resume in a shutdown role, Girgensons blew out his hamstring in training camp last year and missed the entire campaign. He begins this year penciled back in at centre ice for the first time in a long time, and will likely be facing some tough matchups. What do you expect from Girgensons this season?

Does it matter? The Sabres have been actively trying to trade Eichel, reportedly to multiple bidders for at least five months; they know his current market value. Do you think his value is going to increase without a breakthrough in the surgery standoff? Does anyone?

For the purposes of conversation I'm defining Eichel's market value as the best offer on the table right now. I'm curious if people think Eichel's market value has some chance of increasing without a breakthrough in the surgery situation?

Respected reporter reports information that does not support my personal worldview of Jack Eichel situation Only possible conclusion is that he must be an ethically challenged w-h-o-r-e (surprised that doesn’t pass the filter).

I really need to see what Portillo does this year. Not sure how he has risen as much as he has. Dude played 7 games last year, and just 80 the three previous years combined. He hasn’t got much of a track record.

No man, I looked it up, 2011 was the last time we took three CHLers in a row in rounds 3-4-5 — catennacci, Jacobs and Lepowski (hope this group does a little better than that one) 2016 we did it, but late, 5-6-7

Real glimpse of a hoped-for future there.

I will also say that Asplund and Casey looked worse away from each other than they did together. And Bjork did not look like a fit with Casey and Tage.

It's been my experience that coaches start camp with their preferences, try a bunch of different combos over the next week or two, then revert pretty much to their original set-up with a tweak or two when the season started. We'll see if Granato follows that pattern. It looked to me like Cozens was trying to play a much more deliberate, thoughtful, traditional centre's game yesterday between those two. I think I'd rather see him pushing the pace, but he wasn't bad, just different. Agree with breaking up Skinner and VO. Of the fringe guys, Hayden looks lacking in the skill and awareness department, but his big body and the edge he brought to the game were noticeable. Caggiula and Eakin looked a lot more savvy than most of the other guys chasing jobs. Murray looked like he had more tools than any of them and he might very well be in the mix.

Those two need to score for this team to improve and they need to get better if they are going to score. Like the fact that Granato has matter-of-factly identified their issues and a path to improving, and is making them publicly accountable.

Anderson and Dell each looked pretty good at first blush. I'll remain skeptical until I see it in November.

Casey is the only guy I see challenging him. Mostly because he's the only guy I think is at least even odds of cresting 40 points under the current circumstances. it will be a major disappointment Ras doesn't get 40

I think it's a given Dahlin will lead the team in scoring. His production will suffer a bit not having Jack to his left on the PP, but having the green light to create will more than make up for it.

You probably would have been fully asleep before the first period ended.

You all know the story: heavily hyped first overall pick puts up more teenage points than almost any defenceman in NHL history. But his excellent production was tarnished somewhat by defensive inconsistencies and the Sabres foibles, and overshadowed somewhat by the exploits of fellow blueline young guns Hughes, Heiskanen and Makar. https://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php?pid=201658 Last year was a tale of two seasons for many young Sabres, but none as much as Dahlin. Plus-minus might be a flawed stat, but -33 in his first 34 games is a number that cannot be ignored. He was tentative with the puck, and frequently lost positioning or got overpowered in his own zone. In March a light switch flipped and he ripped off 11 points in 13 games and was even on the +/- ledger before finishing on a 7-game pointless run. His coach said the key was just letting Dahlin play. "The more we can get him in the now and into his next opportunity, the better," coach Don Granato said. "And that was really a big part of what we were trying to focus on. That's the only intangible what we were trying to focus on: Let's try to get in the moment and think about what you can do right now, rather than the concern of a lot of players in this league that feel they have to live up to expectations." "First three years I was kind of here to see and learn but now that's done," Dahlin said at his season-opening presser. "I need to take more responsibility in the locker room and on the ice, too. I want to be more of a leader. I want to be a guy that you can trust in every single second I'm at the rink. I'm not a young talent anymore. I've got to step up and show what I can do." What do you expect from Dahlin this season?

These guys are always going to be connected in my brain as the first block of CHL players the Sabres picked in the middle rounds in 10 years. Can't say any looked liked future NHLers, but they didn't look awful either. About as good as you you could hope for 18-year-old middle-rounders in their first NHL camp.

I didn’t think Quinn was anything special in the scrimmage but I did like how quickly he moved the puck and went to the right places.

Well, at least our starting duo of Dell and Anderson are perfect so far…😜

Not exactly a ton of skill out there, is there?