DarthEbriate

Well, there's one UFA the Sabres won't sign. Marcus Johansson signs a 1-year $800k extension with the Wild. He'll be 35 this season, but last year he was 11-23-34 in 72 gp. Functional 3/4 winger last season, but the contract is to be their 13th forward. For comparison, at this time, Josh Dunne will be the only NHL contract in the Sabres organization that would make less than MoJo next season. Any of the draft picks will make more if they happen to make the NHL roster.

We 'Spacers are way too close and informed (and hypothetically full of conjecture) to really be surprised by anything in the article. It's just additional confirmation. The article was written for the NHL fan -- like a CBJ fan who says, "I wonder what Jarmo is getting himself into..." reads it and says, "I knew Buffalo was bad... but good golly, I had no idea." We already discuss the details of the flailing and failings of this organization in every single thread here. Obviously, there isn't/won't be a 2nd article from Fairburn. The general facts are all there and the subtext and what is unstated is the scariest part. But a 3rd party more "angled" reporter could've likely gone much further with damning quotes, and smear, and such.

ROR and Dahlin never even got to play together. ROR might've regained some love of the game with a summer to cool off and bringing in kid-Rasmus and a new PP. With Ullmark, that's not a terrible core and Eichel improving every season. Instead, yet another monster hole appeared in the lineup.

It's a good article. General, almost all the backstory except maybe the 1-year handlings of Reino and Ullmark and others by JBott and ditching ROR which all contribute to Eichel saying, "No thanks" once Adams comes in and wants to rebuild -- thus the trade request pre-injury. But it's objective, and won't lose Fairburn his interviewing or team access, and you know exactly where the issues lie if you're a general NHL article reader. Well done overall. There's a part 2 of the article that Fairburn simply can't write because he's the beat guy. But those of us that are Sabres-idiots know that 2nd article already.

Yup. That does it for me and that's a solid pull of Dallas' cap and futures. I'd be reluctant to move Helenius or Wahlberg because the Sabres need something on the Rochester callup list after Rosén moves on or is already up for an injury.

The issue being Norris is also a shooter. At that point, you need a true distributing center to be between them. But it would work. But Robertson-TNT could make a lot of centers look really good.

No, RFA. Projected 8x$10.6M on capwages.

This is the way.

It also makes me sad that I never wrote out the full Sabres Wars prequel trilogy screenplays. But, add the prequels to the watchlist, and know that I have just about everyone in the organization mapped to a character. And it's creepy how well it works.

Really, when JBott refused to fire everyone, Pegula should have just named himself the GM (gone full Jerry Jones) and taken over the control of the team in his own vision. Of course, that's a job, and it's time-consuming and difficult. So, whom better to run it than the sycophant who will do his direct bidding, just as well as he himself could run it? Kind of a cowardly approach vs. what he did with the football team (and I assume the lacrosse team), which is hire real folks to do everything because they actually know the sport and can put in the time/setup to get talented staffs and players, etc. I sense a lot of fear there for something as trivial as a trade dispute hockey franchise. They're one and the same: master and apprentice.

I've been a bit busy, but I've got to weigh in on the most important part of this conversation: If Sheevyn is Grima, then that would make Darth Pegulas the Wise... Saruman, as played by Christopher Lee (which is a slap in the face to Mr. Lee), and... we, the fans, are Theoden, King.

Unless Darth Pegulas the Wise falls for him (Staal).

I think it comes down to basic resource management, and paying someone appropriate to where they are in their career/game. We've seen the lineup without Dahlin, so Power isn't yet able to play to the level of a PP1 and 1st-pairing D-man. It's why they needed to bridge him in the interim. Especially if Adams/Pegula weren't going to spend anywhere near the cap during these initial seasons anyway. I think I can best illustrate it with a team they want to be: Carolina. Similar poor powerplay: BUF 18.78% PP this last season, CAR 18.70% PP. Buffalo pays Dahlin for poor PP%, but he's also an elite 60-point talent. (And they look much better when Zucker is on it operating behind the net and standing in front of the goalie.) By comparison, CAR pays Gostibehere $3.2M to be PP1 and Brent Burns $5.28M to be PP2. Essentially, what Buffalo pays Power ($8.35M) to not be an all-around guy. If Buffalo bridges Power, they can take $3M additional, group it with what they were paying either Joker (to be scratched) or Clifton to give a true top-4/2nd pairing all-zones guy $6M --- one who helps Power be the best he can be until he's ready to be that $8M player in two more years. It's why Buffalo can't afford Byram and Power to be a PP2. Not when, currently, neither of them is going to be any better leading their own pair than Gostisbehere.

"What an advantage for us to have an NFL war room right at our fingertips." So... bigger screens and comfier chairs? What did you do last year? Watch TSN DraftCentre and NHL Network on laptops? Use a polycom and cell phones for intra-team conversations? Like, in previous years y'all sat at the same table and went over to talk to other GMs, then submitted a pick and went and walked up and announced it. You know what's more important? Scouting. Spending on quality scouts. Having good voices in the room. Listening to them. Having a plan. Not trading a 6th to move back one year and 25 picks for another 6th when the other team is trading "up". Spending to the cap and knowing how to build a team and a prospect pool. The war room is just a location. Maybe it gives you confidence? And if that's what you need to have a good draft, then I say ###'# ###### #### ###-#### ########### ##### ###.

I remember saying I think he can be an Alex Pietrangelo. Very good player and has won the Cup twice. Lots of Norris votes but never a finalist. It's probably been a year or so since I said that, and I still think that's who he can be. Edit: But note, Pietrangelo has gotten lots of PP1 time over the years, which Power is only going to get if Dahlin is injured. Power's drawback (apart from inability to tie up sticks, clear the crease, etc.) is his contract is paying him like someone who collects PP points. He has 1 career PPG thus far in 242 games.

My operating assumption is: GMKA is my GM forever, which means I'm still on the Power timeline. When he turns 25, he'll be good, possibly very good and that's the key to everything. (The Sabres can make the playoffs before Power is 25, but that's when expectations of contending can begin.) In the next two seasons (Power age 23 and age 24), I don't want to be bridging Rossi at 5+ or giving him low-end 1C money long-term (7+). I can get through those two seasons with some combination of Kulich/Östlund/Helenius and McLeod in middle-6 roles. My priority for the money is Tuch's long-term deal and that top-4 RHD for Power. I would take the #9 and five years of low-cost certainty and one of Martone, Hagens, McQueen (if health checks out, if not-then not in the 1st round), Desnoyers, Martin, Bear, Frondell, Eklund, O'Brien, in that order). Ultimately, I say no. However, I would gladly trade #9 for a legitimate top-4 RHD in his prime with term.

Right now, we're in between the prequel and original trilogies. I've got Grand Moff Tarkin as the Grand Ruff. Jarmo Kekäläinen could still be anyone. But I hope he's Kekäluthen (Luthen from Andor). The seed of the rebellion operating inside (on the central planet) of Sheevyn's system.

Alas, the Sabres don't have an overdrafted and very big 3rd line center (Gratton) to swap for a potential top-line scorer (Briere). They did have Cozens last year.... Maybe Guerin would've been willing to offer better than Ottawa/Norris. But, health concerns aside, I probably take a solid 2C in Norris over a young guy in Rossi who likely wants to paid as much as Norris and soon. (big caveat: does Norris ever play 70+ games in the lifetime of his current contract? TBD)

vs. Rolston (serious hire to work with new core before outright tank), Nolan (nostalgia re-tread during outright tank = no chance to win), Byslma (serious hire to rebuild), Housley (serious hire for new active D-direction), Krueger (serious???), Granato (offensive-only direction), Ruff (only interviewee in a nostalgia re-tread with only a 2-year contract before heading upstairs -- to bridge to a serious hire???) Can't be any worse.

There is always the possibility that Kekäläinen resigns or is fired because Pegula doesn't feel "heard" by him.

Kekäläinen drafted the following: Merzlikins, Gavrikov, Kolesar, Peeke, Bemstrom, Sillinger (Cole). I don't think PLD, Werenski, Marchenko, Jiricek, Del Bel Belluz, etc. will be available.

One thing of note, he was never afraid to move a 1st round pick, and he was connected enough to be involved in 3-team trades: https://www.nhltradetracker.com/user/trade_list_by_GM/Jarmo_Kekalainen/135/1

It was probably on Amerks sites as well, but Matthew Fairburn reported that Rousek played through a torn meniscus in the playoffs, good for second on the team with 8 points in 7 games (t-Kulich; Clague had 11). Props to Rousek for that.

With capfriendly and its predecessor (I've forgotten the name now) gone... is there a convenient way to compile the Columbus cap hits during Kekäläinen's time? I'm seeming to remember they were always under similar Pegulas internal restraints.

I scoured the stats page for just the right GMKA move.