dudacek

Are we really so stupid that we kept a player that good on the taxi squad and in the minors? Honest question. (And for the record, Parakyo is three inches taller and 25 pounds heavier, and his least productive season in the past nine years was 17 points in 33 games as a college freshman. Borgen's most productive at any level was 15 points in 36 games as a college junior)

Could you be more specific?

It sure looks like it should go that way on paper.

I think Karmanos has stronger opinions about the way a scouting department should be constructed than he let on. But he's careful enough to do his due diligence and savvy enough to not want to make the crew he will be managing unduly uncomfortable. Comes across as a very measured dude.

I certainly hope this is not the lineup next October, but it is interesting to see how the depth chart looks including only players 25-and-under: Olofsson Eichel Reinhart Peterka Cozens Quinn Asplund Mittelstadt Thompson Bjork Ruotsalainen Pekar Dahlin Jokiharju Samuelsson Johnson Bryson Borgen UPL Portillo And you throw in a 10-pick draft that should include a top-3 selection and an extra 2nd, and our pipeline certainly looks better than it did a year ago.

While I do not want to trade Eichel, I do not, for a second, believe this is the inevitable result.

I think when it comes right down to it, this conversation comes down to whether you think Borgen is better the Ristolainen. A few will talk contracts and analytics etc. but overall it's because they believe the drop-off from Risto to Borgen next year will be negligible, if there is any at all.

To be clear, his drafting wasn't stellar after they switched to video scouting and started trading 2nds for rentals. From 98-06 he was money In nine years, he drafted 26 NHL players, 19 of them regulars: Core players: Vanek, Pominville, Miller, NHL regulars: Kalinin, Ballard, Paille, Stafford, Roy, Weber, Enroth, MacArthur Sekera, Hejda, Butler, Gerbe, Kotalik, Kaleta, Gaustad and Wideman And depth guys: Novotny, Peters, Thorburn, Janik, Zigomanis, Biega and Paetsch That's pretty outstanding, especially considering he had only 1 top-10 pick, and 7 in the top 20.

After hearing that on top of the rest of the Eichel whispers, my impression is evolving from "the Sabres will keep Eichel unless he wants out" to "the Sabres will look to trade Eichel unless he's all in."

If Linus is out for any length of time, the end of the season is going to be very painful.

As much as I like this concept, the Dahlin/Jokiharju pairing is really looking good. Why can't they be Keith/Hjalmarsson?

I really hope that Borgen is as good as people think he is, and I hope he shows it in Buffalo. I've only seen him play a dozen or so games, but I love his style. The concept of a mature defence comprised of Joki/Dahlin/Johnson/Samuelsson/Borgen is so appealing.

So two teams clearly better than Boston. Taylor Hall is an idiot.

I've read the Islanders, then they pulled that off the table when the Devils added Zajac to their deal. And I've read that it was Vegas with the "better" offer, but I haven't heard it included a first. What have you heard and where?

So we almost agree. 😀

So we agree.

This is more a knock against giving NMCs themselves than the trade Adams made. Because that is why an NMC exists. Also if you want to see how allowing players to dictate trades can end up in a good place, look no further than the Tampa Bay Lightning and the cheap contracts NMCs bought them.

So much this. It would be like the Sabres getting Kirby Dach and Adam Boqvist right now.

Agreed. But we don't know if Seattle (or Buffalo) agrees with you that Will Borgen is a late-blooming NHL player, or just an AHL tweener. And, like I said above, Seattle can't just load up on cheap young players, they have to take on a significant number of actual NHL contracts.

Exactly. Theoretically, every team is exposing their 12th-best player. Most of those players are going to be better than Borgen, or Miller, or Girgensons. The expansion draft should bring the Sabres closer to the top teams, regardless of who they lose. Really, their only tough decision should figuring out how much they buy into the concept of Borgen.

And their contracts. Seattle can't just load up on prospects, they have to select ~ $60 million in contracts, so certain veterans on expiring contracts they can flip will have value to them, even if they aren't part of any long-term plans. The expansion draft is as much (probably more) about accumulating assets as it is building a team. As far as the pricing goes, Botterill give up a 6th so Vegas would pick Carrier instead of Ullmark.

Like LGR said, this contradicts what I have seen, can you show where you found this?

I have no idea what Seattle thinks of Borgen or Miller, but I would be surprised if it took that much. It wasn't even two years ago Miller was traded for a 2nd and a 5th. Colin Miller is a NHL hockey defenceman in his prime on an expiring middling contract. Guys like that are worth 3rd-round picks. He's not good, but he's hardly a negative value. On an expansion team he probably gets those PP minutes he never got here and pads his stats again, then gets flipped at the trade deadline for a pick as a rental. Do you honestly think you'd get a single team in the league to give up a 2nd round pick for Will Borgen. Maybe a 3rd? Seattle's position is complicated given the expansion rules. But in a vacuum, I'd say there is even a chance they'd prefer Miller to Borgen flat out.

Assuming Ullmark re-signs and no other moves are made: Protected: 7: Eichel, Reinhart Olofsson, Mitts, Tage, Asplund, Skinner (Girgensons if I can can convince Skinner to waive) 3: Dahlin Jokiharju, Ristolainen, 1: Ullmark Exposed Girgensons, Bjork, Okposo, Eakin, Borgen, Miller, Tokarski Moves: Get Ullmark to verbally agree to a deal but not sign it, leaving the goalie spot open Trade a pick for a good backup some team was going to have to expose, protect him Trade a pick for a solid forward some team is not able to protect Give Seattle a pick in order to select Colin Miller

Dahlin Reinhart VO Mitts and Risto have been PP1 Tage Skinner, KO Miller Cozens PP2