dudacek

Jack has more than enough money to walk away from a situation that is making his life miserable if he wants to. It certainly wouldn’t be my first choice, but it’s a choice I might make if I had the opportunity and was in his shoes. Its really about how much faith he has in ADR and how adamant he is against fusion. I’m curious about how many teams are open to ADR and if the league is opposed to it.

Respectfully as well, thought-provoking meant exactly that: raising questions worthy of debate. The question being raised for me was whether or not the Sabres degree of risk in this situation morally justifies the action of denying an individual the right to make an informed decision about a life-altering health issue. Your second paragraph is a red herring. Or do you actually think the Sabres would let Jack have the surgery if he released them from the contract? I bet Jack would void the contract and take the surgery if he could. Aren’t the Sabres also trying to have their cake (medical control) and eat it too (full value trade return)? They certainly have the contractual right to do that, but should they be exercising it?

The good news is the Athletic’s statistical model projects the Buffalo Sabres should get 70 points this year. The bad news is that’s dead last in the league, a half-point behind the Coyotes. Their chance of making the playoffs? 0.3 % https://theathletic.com/2815543/2021/09/23/buffalo-sabres-2021-22-season-preview/ It’s the lowest projection Luszcysczyn has calculated since he’s been doing this.

Vogl with a thought-provoking opinion piece on why even though the Sabres are within their contractual rights, they are ethically wrong in denying a human being the choice over what to do with his body and his health. https://theathletic.com/2845419/2021/09/23/vogl-jack-eichel-should-be-allowed-to-live-the-life-he-wants-not-the-life-the-sabres-want-for-him/

Agree wholeheartedly on the first. Disagree on the 2nd. As for the 3rd, I don’t think they are planning to finish last the way Tim Murray was, but they are expecting to be on the running and to have shot at a centre at least as good as Cozens in the process.

The most common one cited is Kris Letang, who came out of it just fine. But there is another less high-profile guy (Derek Dorsett?) frequently pointed to as an example where it failed.

This seems the most likely path, unless Brisson can sweet talk a GM into accepting disc replacement and paying the freight. Because Adams has failed at both, and at getting Jack to accept the situation — although most here seem to think that is a success, not a failure.

I think where i was going with this was "Understanding every situation exists on a spectrum, do you you want your GM to be as honest as he can be, or as protective as he can be?" A lot of fans say they want transparency, but the way they respond when they get it says otherwise.

Is that what you think he should have said to best represent the Sabres, or the type of reply you want to hear as a fan, or both? Not a rhetorical question, I'm actually curious.

The question was "Is Jack Eichel still the captain of this team?" How should he have answered it?

I agree that element was ham-fisted. I also know that a team that cares as much as I do is what I want and what this team hasn't given me for a decade. I am glad my GM sees that and seems to make it a priority.

Adams came across well again today as a leader. His constant preaching of earning it and giving the fans what they deserve resonates big time with me. Hopefully his staff can recognize and develop talent because I think he's doing the culture thing right.

Watching the presser changed my mind entirely. This was not the sledgehammer pronouncement I was expecting from the headline. I found Adams to be calm, transparent and borderline gracious in his delivery and his message. I would imagine the goal was to address the Eichel situation in a way that allows the organization to get its position out there clearly so they can clear the deck as much as possible in order to allow the focus to be on the players that are here. Not sure what he could have done differently to accomplish that goal.

Just watching the presser now. It was a direct answer to a direct question. I withdraw my objection.

This is fair. Maybe my gut reaction was wrong. That would be how I'd have done it.

Looks like Saturday was more than a maintenance day then. You are the medical guy, but there is no way he should be anything other than fully recovered from a hernia surgery five months ago, right? Wonder if there is something else going on there. Limped off after blocking a shot.

What did you think of Kyle's play in April?

I'm neither shocked, not offended by the move. I said right after the disconnect press conference there is no way Jack could be captain any longer after what was said there. I don't think it was necessary or helpful to announce the move the way Adams did. Not because it affects his trade value but because it comes across as simply airing dirty laundry and in no way helps get the process to the goal, which is moving Eichel for fair value.

Totally on the same page with @darksabre. There is some logic to making the move and telling the team privately as part of the 'culture shift' sending the message of don't expect him to come back and reassert himself, it's your team now. But making it public serves no purpose I can see and just twists the knife. It was going to happen organically and announcing it was totally unnecessary.

Training camp kickoff presser.

This is weird and very Sabres, but a team that has Girgensons, Caggiula, Hinostroza, Bjork, Asplund, Hayden and Eakin in the lineup on any given day, needs Kyle Okposo to do more than just shut people down. I think projecting Kyle as a 4th-line hard-minutes guy is a mistake based on how Krueger used him. Donnie didn't use a grind line. Those minutes played stats in April were eye-opening: I think both Kyle and Donnie think the old warhorse has more skill than Krueger gave him credit for and wouldn't be surprised to see Kyle on Cozens' flank, or getting some PP minutes. Okposo's age and career trend line says that won't last and injuries seem inevitable. But common sense says somebody has to score on this team. it won't be much — 30 points? — but I think that guy might be Kyle.

Believe it or not Kyle Okposo is in the sixth and penultimate season of a 7-year deal that will probably end up in GM textbooks as an illustration of how not to approach free agency. Okposo has the dubious distinction of having seen his stats drop in each and every year of a $42 million deal that pays him to be a top-six forward. He, along with Girgensons, are the only players on the roster who have played more than 200 games in blue and gold. Over the past few seasons he has redeemed himself in the eyes of many Sabres watchers by remaking himself into a useful bottom six forward (disregarding the contract) and one the team's more likable class acts. https://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php?pid=93992 Last season was an odd one for Kyle. He started off with 1 point his first 18 games. He then reeled off 10 points in an 11 game stretch after Granato took over — his best stretch ever in a Sabre uniform — until Matt Irwin decided he had seen enough. That surprising point run happened during a stretch where he was moved from his 4th-line grinder role to a spot in the top six, where he was playing 15 to 20 minutes a game. What do you expect from Okposo this season?

This only is a problem if the Sabres and Dahlin fail to show improvement over those two years. So, fair point.

So a handful of NHLers expressing issues with getting vaccinated today. Are we expecting the Sabres to have any issues?

Do you think that if we are patient some team will come around to paying more than what they have already offered for Eichel, without some change in Eichel's status in terms of health and reputation, or some movement in Adams ask?