TrueBlueGED

If we're moving O'Reilly for D help, I don't think we're likely to see a name I'd rather have than Parayko.

Yea, but making Montreal's top pair is about as impressive as making ours during the tank :lol:

I don't know much of anything about him, so can someone explain to me the growing mancrush on Mete?

Yea, sign me up for Brady Skjei. They're not getting an NHL-ready defenseman with Jake McCabe either :p

I honestly don't remember. But I don't think a physical injury is his biggest problem. As the game speeds up, I'm not sure he processes the game fast enough to keep up in any kind of an important role.

He has average speed. Average isn't slow. Larsson is slow.

O'Reilly isn't slow. He's no burner, but he's not slow.

Piggybacking on Dudacek, I think they could get somewhere in 5-10 for him plus another piece. He's not worse than Jordan Staal. But you could be right, which would be all the more reason not to move him.

I covered this in the trade speculation thread, but I agree. I'd be happy with any of 6 guys, but I don't feel particularly strongly about any one of them to be interested in paying the price premium of a 3rd overall pick versus, say, 8th overall.

I agree with this conceptually, but there's not much of a way to game this out before the season happens. I'm of the opinion the Sabres can be in the playoff mix, despite the putrid season that "just" ended. It'll require some luck and some savvy moves, but Vanek is one of those savvy moves. Getting some depth production for a low price point is, I think we can all agree, critical to team success--whether it comes from ELCs or cheap vets, it has to happen. Besides, Vanek on his own isn't getting us 4 wins; the difference between finishing 31st and 26th isn't going to be Thomas Vanek. But he could certainly be part of a package of changes that has the cumulative effect of getting us within spitting distance of the playoffs.

This is my issue with trading for 3rd this year. There are 6 guys (I added Boqvist to your list) who I think could all be the best of the bunch, but I don't feel good enough about any one of them individually to be cool trading O'Reilly for the pick. But I also recognize #3 is probably about O'Reilly's trade value (we can quibble over higher or lower, but it's close either way). Montreal is just a really bad trade partner for us. Well yea, Montreal loves handing out retirement contracts. I'd want to sign there too for my final deal!

Even before the injury last year, McCabe had badly regressed.

I'm with Dudacek: it'll happen, but not to open the season.

IMO those who want to add him are doing the opposite of living in the past. If his name wasn't Thomas Vanek, there wouldn't be so much pushback against signing him. I want value upgrades on the wing. He's a value upgrade on the wing. This post is quintessential you; offering a bet on something that's not even being argued.

4 spots higher in the standings is the literal definition of better.

I'm glad we agree that adding Vanek makes the team better.

Last I checked, teams need good players.

Which is probably about 20 more than we'll get from anyone else we sign for $2 million.

Right. Vanek had 56 points last season and made $2 million. We shouldn't let the need to improve team speed blind us against other ways to improve the team.

I've found someone I'm willing to trade O'Reilly for.

Mod privileges revoked.

On the other hand, what else are the GM and AGM going to say? Public comments from organizations tend to be about as reliable as the insiders you hate :lol:

I think we're equally as excited, but the timing is different. Eichel wasn't just Eichel, but the signal of the end of the tank and on track to start winning again. Dahlin is after two more miserable seasons and another rebuild of sorts.

I'm doing it in spite of this. I'm not letting one writer dissuade me from supporting a host of quality journalists.

Well, he did his damndest to sabotage our power play for what, about half the season?