Hoss

We can’t score. He scores. We should trade him.

Said this in the controversial thread but I’ll say it here: with Skinner waiving the Sabres should protect four forwards and four defensemen. Eichel, Reinhart, Olofsson, Mittelstadt Risto, Joker, Dahlin, Borgen

Oh new one: with Skinner waiving the Sabres should protect four forwards and four defensemen. Eichel, Reinhart, Olofsson, Mittelstadt Risto, Joker, Dahlin, Borgen

I think the Olofsson discussion could be a more interesting thread since the Eichel stuff just boils down to me thinking he doesn’t want to be here and that this team needs A LOT. It’s the reason I used to advocate for the Mariners to trade Felix Hernandez in his prime or other similar situations where a team treads water despite having what is viewed as a bonafide star at the top.

The problem with watching someone else’s opinion or reading someone else’s opinion is they have gone into that publication knowing their thoughts and thus are, essentially, presenting thoughts with bias. If what you’re consuming is their process set over the course of time that they gathered the info and present it in real time then you are getting a more legitimate look at what information they have and why they got to a certain point.

Did he ask dad for permission after you said no? (this is playful sarcasm please don’t be mad) He will.

Risto is a good second pairing defensemen. The Sabres need defensemen and Owen Power is only one part of the makeover needed there. Liger is Beniers mom. The team SHOULD trade Eichel. Victor Olofsson is a player winning teams should want.

Probably a team that has a staff with more nuance than just staring at graphs and saying “yup, that’s a bad player.” Man, I have been a lifelong stats nerd and love diving into analytics but hockey fans have killed it for me. A lot of people presenting analytics as a bible and not a tool because they don’t actually understand their own evidence.

In what universe? He’s the most hated player on the team and every comment about him talks about how bad he is. He’s not overrated. He’s not a dominant defensemen and should not log the minutes he does but he’s also not the hot trash this board claims he is.

That’s unbelievable. TSN reporting he may never play again. https://www.sportsnet.ca/nhl/article/canadiens-shea-webers-career-threatened-lingering-foot-ankle-problems/

Seattle would take Risto in a millisecond if he were exposed. You don’t expose an asset like Risto. We’ve lost our minds.

There’s also a Power which in itself is a little silly

(I know he exists it was sarcasm about a string of interesting names)

Okay now you’re just making up names. How many Sebastian Ahos are in this draft?

I still think if this were true it would have happened

Then I hope he finds Marchand.

We’re required to protect one, no? I believe every team has to fulfill the requirements. Obviously we could just protect Ullmark.

That’d be an interesting pick if he gets Taken. I wonder if he has a very particular set of skills.

***** that guy.

Brian Boucher is good and has already been hired by ESPN I don’t know what more you can expect from a broadcaster than what Doc offered. A very unique voice that helped sell a game he called with excitement and consistency.

Yup. If he shakes loose I want him in a bad way. I think Ullmark is a solid start and a better backup who I hope does get another shot here. His injury history is concerning because some goalies never get out of it. I think he's overrated by Sabres fans because we have a history of goalies outperforming their talent on really bad teams and it somehow gets forgotten each time.

I don't believe teams around the league will view this as the truth. It may or may not be but I'd be surprised if there are many GMs who believe it.

IF it's true that they're also pursuing Reinhart I'd be interested in what everyone thinks a Samson package would look like? Maybe something like Matt Boldy, Jordan Greenway and one of their firsts for Samson and the Boston 2nd.

You do realize those players were both on the cap BEFORE this, right? This is no way deters them from making a trade. It makes it more likely because they have relief this season. They don't get as much relief in the two seasons that follow but beyond that the cap hit is small.

It's the way these things go now. Players have more control and teams just don't want to waste time with a toxic player in a locker room. I'm not saying in this post that Eichel is (he may be) but I'm saying in this hypothetical where his NMC kicks in and he puts in a hard trade demand it makes the situation ugly but does not make a trade less likely. It just costs the Sabres. The Sabres can and should play some form of hardball there but they'd be limited. You'd have to tell Eichel he can't just force his way to one specific team (he could try) and make it clear he's going to need to give you at least five to ten options. I don't know but that Twitter account is literally pants so I don't know if it's legit.