dudacek

Is there a sense that more than your health is being challenged, but your way of life? I think a majority of us are listening to our top public health official and treating her word like that of a trusted personal GP. I think most of us don’t hear a lot of politics in her words and think her agenda is focused on keeping us safe. And generally speaking our politicians on both sides of legislature are following her lead - which, as I said earlier, has been gentle - instead of pushing themselves into the forefront. Maybe we find it easier to trust because we have had more reason to. Maybe our culture and/or our social support network is more used to prioritizing health, and therefore more suited to this particular situation. Maybe we’ve just got lucky in how the virus manifested. Your heightened sense of individualism and proaction has served you well in so many areas, but maybe this is a situation that demands patience and bowing to the collective.

I’d give up 8 and Joki for Cirelli so fast the trade agreement would be singed.

I’m not sure if what I read is actually representative of what most of you are living. But every conversation Americans seem to be having about COVD-19 is political. Up here, it's kinda like “The doc said this, guess I better do what the doctor ordered” and most of what the doctor ordered has been more about suggestions than rigidly enforced rules. I’m not saying we’re without the “no one tells me...” or “it’s all a conspiracy types...” but they’re mostly random Facebook posters, not real people I’m dealing with in person.

There is no way you’d trade a package a 1st rounder (this year is or next) and Henri Jokiharju for a 2C: Monahan, Johansson, Strome, Nugent-Hopkins? How about Joki a sweetener and #8 for Cirelli or Matt Barzal?

What people want is the Sabres to be good. As much as most wanted Botterill gone, they still don’t trust the Pegulas to hire that right guy to fix it, and hiring a neophyte while gutting the hockey department fed those fears. But we all hope Adams will surprise us, which wasn’t the case with most for Botterill.

Not sure why a 2nd pairing guy is a no-touch.

I see a few others have stepped up and I’m glad. I like Joki a lot and I’m glad people Seem to recognize and appreciate the subtleties of his game. But he hasn’t shown much in the way of more flashy skills (offence or physicality) or the ability to dominate opponents yet utilizing what he does do well (puck sense, positioning, skating angles and passing) as a shutdown D. Im like the rest of you, seeing the potential for Hjalmarsson there, but right now he’s Mark Pysyk, and Pysyk never progressed. I don’t want to move him, but if he’s what it takes to get a 2C I’m not hanging up.

I was more referring to the PK portion with that, but as the current roster is constructed, I would be moving someone over, as opposed to sitting Miller in favour of a prospect or a random 7. He might be. He’s not as good as his stats, but as long as it’s at a cap discount price, he’s better than what we have now.

Looking at their roster and cap situation, I think they are a natural trade partner. I think pieces like Montour, Risto, Mittelstadt, Cozens, Reinhart, UPL, and #8 all should be of interest to the Flames. Joki and Miller as well, even McCabe. That the guy who said ‘no’ when Burke was interested?

The bad PK and the shoddy goaltending fed each other. The Sabres’ need to acquire an 2LD who can PK and play in a defensive role against good forwards has been not really been talked about much. Maybe Dahlin, Joki or Montour can learn the role. But nothing will improve the PK more than a few big saves.

I think you are underestimating how good of a two-way forward our 1C might become. I agree with you about Monahan not being as good as his rep, but he is also capable of being a 2C on a Stanley Cup winning team behind Jack. And GMs trade based on their own valuations, not that of HFBoards. Dont let great be the enemy of good. (You will SMILE! ?)

You’ll remember the days of Ville Leino, Evan Rodrigues, Luke Adam, Mikael Grigorenko, Casey Mittelstadt, Cody Hodgson, Torrey Mitchell, Patrick Berglund, Marcus Johansson and Bryan Flynn, and you will take Sean Monahan, AND YOU WILL SMILE!

I think Calgary will decide where to go based on their playoff. Remember 2010? They are questioning whether they can win with their core. Also, many think Gaudreau is gone in two years, when he hits UFA.

It’s entirely possible that Malone was simply done with the Sabres and had made up his mind he was moving on, no matter what Adams did. You know, like Johan Larsson?

Why do you think Domi is available for a second? Montreal has picks and prospects coming out their behinds and they aren’t in a cap crunch. I can see Domi not fitting into their plans at the salary he might want, but don’t you think they’d hold out for something better? If we’ve already got our 2C without trading Risto, I’m certainly up for a Montour in exchange for Copp and a sweetener.

Offering a one-way NHL contract to a 3-year 25-year-old AHL veteran who never cracked 12 goals or 30 points and had fallen off everyone’s prospect radar seems, on the surface, to be i) bad budgeting and ii) bad player judgement. There are some exceptions, like a Redmond, where you pay him an exhorbitant sum to be an AHL Star, but Malone doesn’t fit that profile, And generally, you give NHL contracts to players you believe can be NHL players. Now maybe Adams does believe that and Malone will become an effective 4C for the Preds this year, proving me wrong, but then you move to the next red flag: does it mean Adams is a poor negotiator or salesman? Because if you offer a guy better money and a better opportunity (Compare the centres we have under contract to those that Nashville has) and he still says ‘no’ that’s troubling. Finally, there’s the consistency of message red flag: you’ve just streamlined your organization and talked about changing the model for Rochester and making it more development-focused, and you’ve talked about running a more economic, efficient organization. And then you to sign a veteran AHL third-liner to NHL dollars. Unless you genuinely believe he’s going to be in the NHL, isn’t this exactly the opposite of what you said you were going to do? I mean all of this is answered if Adams correctly believed Malone could be an NHL regular this season, or was going to be one of just a few vets vets on the Amerks, but it’s an odd direction to take in what was going to be your first ever personnel decision.

It’s the truth of your last sentence that got my attention. I hated the Florida trade, but Copp is a good long-term 3C, who could take 2C minutes because of his dependability and the way I think he’d mesh with Skinner while Cozens percolates. I think Montour is a better hockey player, and I’d like to see the Jets add, but the concept works in the cost-conscious context. (unrelated side note on Chad. Taking Lundell over a Perfetti would be a travesty, especially when you just grabbed Copp to be your long-term 3C)

I did, and I still believe that. And I generally agree with your post. Like I said, exaggerated to make a point. I would treat Sam fairly in post-COVID NHL. But if he gets greedy, I’m looking at options.

Beauvillier’s a player. I think he’s talking Borgstrom.

Semi-related, at what contract level do we have interest in TJ Brodie to be our 2LD? He’s of a similar level to Montour, but a better fit, and it allows us to flip Montour for help up front. I like the idea of this lineup if Joki and Little Ras mature as most of us expect: Dahlin Jokiharju Brodie Risto McCabe Miller

The counting stats on both were pretty good, and against the toughest competition. And I think their metrics are largely the result of being weighed down by ineffective forwards not helping them out with shots, chances and sustained time in the offensive zone. I think that when Dahlin slides into his birthright as a number one they both slot nicely as our top two right-side D. Joki Probably makes one of them redundant as soon as this year, but not both. I like Miller a lot as a 5, but he is not a guy I want long-term in my top four

The forward lineup is better. I don’t get the armchair GMs who trade both Risto and Montour. Im not sure how removing the two defencemen Ralph trusted most last year improves the defence.

Yes.

@Brawndo knows his stuff and posts it judiciously. Adams was asked about Amerks prospects shortly after being hired and he brought up Malone, which I thought was kinda weird at the time.

I always liked Malone, even though he’d pretty much dropped off the radar in the past year or two. I thought he had some potential to be a Larsson-esque 4th-liner. He’s done nothing to warrant a one-way contract offer though. The fact Adams offered him one raises as many red flags for me as the fact Malone turned it down. These things are always down to individuals, but it certainly feeds my feeling that Larsson and Girgensons are already gone.