mjd1001

For some of us, the issue wasn't that the team was not better with him on the ice. It was the 'significant' part. Was Eichel significantly more TALENTED than the rest of the team? Yes. Did he show periods of time where he executed on that talent? Yes. But overall, the team may have been better with him on the ice....but it wasn't significantly better enough of the time. Certainly not to the level that you would expect out of a 2nd overall pick/Semi-generationally labeled talent that was getting paid over 12% of your entire cap space. At least that is how I feel. It might not be all his fault, just when he was drafted a lot of us bought into the hype of 'almost McDavid' and the interview with Tim Murray where Eichel himself said he thought he was the best player in the draft...etc, etc.

Honestly, I think he has been more visible this year than last year. I think his overall play is a bit better this year. However, he still isn't producing many points and is making some mistakes. Send him to Rochester for a few weeks? I'd be OK with that. Maybe sit him in the pressbox for a couple games in a row but still have him practice with the team (not as a punishment, but rather to have him watch the game from a different perspective while getting a 'break'). I'm ok with that too. If I had to choose though, it would be a big stint in Rochester. As long as the 'kids' who are playing there are doing well, add Cozens to the list and let them have fun getting to know each other really well down there. I know Cozens did well in training camp and had a few good games last year, but honestly he should have been in Rochester to begin with.

He will have flexibility in building this roster, that is for sure. I was surprised when I looked into it...the D-men under contract for next year currently with the Sabres? Dahlin and Jokiharju. That is it. Bryson is restricted, but that is all you have. Of the 12 Forwards, you look to bring back, only about half are under contract. Goalies? 2 new ones next year also. This will be a vastly different team next year.

Unless someone comes banging down your door and offers you something absurd, I don't think you make any moves. You have a lot of draft picks coming up already, and remember there are only so many contracts you can give out in a given year. I don't need any more picks in the 3rd round or later. Now, if someone wants an expiring contract off your team, and the offer is something like "Sabres trade player 'x' and a 4th round pick to that team for their 2nd round pick"....then I'll listen. I just don't see the need to shuffle the roster around to extra 4th or 5th round picks.

Defensemen take time. Even the great ones. Charra was awful at times early in his career in NY. It wasn't until the trade to Ottawa that he turned the corner, and even then it took him a few more years to get to Norris trophy caliber. His 3rd and 4th year in the league was a combined -54 for plus-minus and scored a total of 4 goals over 2 seasons. Yes he was drafted a bit lower, but he didn't have his first 'good' year until he was 24 or 25. Erik Karlsson was not only considered bad in his own end, but he was considered a total train-wreck in his own end until he was at least 5 years into his career. How about Victor Hedman? I watched a lot of Lightning games over the years, and by his 3rd or 4th year, there was a LOT of talk that he would be a 'decent D-man', but most had given up hopes of him living up to his high draft status. He didn't have a break-out year putting up points until his 5th year in the league, and he was on better teams than the Sabres currently are.

Those are only 5 highlights, and of course they are picked specifically because he scored....however one thing stands out....he likes to get the puck and go right at the net.

I'm happy for this trade just as much because of Tuch as I am for any of the other parts. I think he is a very good NHL player. He is/has been close to a 20 goal guy per 82 games. Last year he was scoring at a 27 goal/per 82 games. He is a good even strength scorer. He is 25 now, so he is close to his analytical scoring peak but still has a couple years where his numbers might/could get better. He is under contract for a few years at a VERY good rate for his production. He does have playoff experience (quite a bit of it for someone his age) and he has produced/scored in the playoffs. I don't see him as just a 'throw in'. In the next 2-3 years, he can/should be a legit top 6 winger that has an OUTSIDE potential to hit 30 goals in a season, but should be relied on to hit 20 goals while being responsible in his own end and the neutral zone as well as in the offensive zone. The moment he steps on the ice he makes the Sabres better, and should make them better for the next few years. Here is an article I remember reading a few months ago I found about him full article here: https://www.bemidjipioneer.com/sports/hockey/7036557-For-Wild-former-top-prospect-Alex-Tuch-is-the-one-that-got-away Alex Tuch is a foundational piece of the Vegas Golden Knights, a 25-year-old skating savant on the precipice of his prime. He proved as much Tuesday night at T-Mobile Arena, taking over Game 2 of this first-round playoff series down the stretch and leading the Golden Knights to a 3-1 victory over the Minnesota Wild. “He’s got speed, size, grit, and he gets to the net,” Wild coach Dean Evason said. “He’s a real good player. He’s certainly somebody that we have to pay attention to when he’s on the ice.” He used his massive frame and unmatched speed to dominate for prolonged stretches — and he finally got rewarded midway through the game with the go-ahead goal. A few minutes after Jonathan Marchessault scored the first goal of the series for the Golden Knights, Tuch followed it up with a greasy goal on the doorstep that proved to be the game-winner. He crashed the net and Mattias Janmark found him with a pass in close. He’s such a dynamic skater, and when he’s using that size and that speed and getting to those tough areas of the rink, he’s a really hard guy to handle,” Golden Knights coach Pete DeBoer said.

If you are holding out hopes that this team will at least compete for a wild card spot, they yes, this is a very big game. However as others have said, its great they started out well, but many of us think this team tops out at 80 points and is more likely to finish below that than above that. We want the team to win and to be entertained, but we expect a few 3 or 4 or 5 game losing streaks this season. So as others have said, we will enjoy the wins, but this is just another game in the big picture of the season.

I don't want the Sabres to retain salary, but there are so many shades of grey here... -Did they want the Sabres to retain something like $5 million per year? -Was it retaining $1m or $2m per year, along with taking back a salary that would be on the Sabres books? -If there was the Sabres taking back a big salary, how long of a contract would that player be for? Its a message forum so we speculate....I just with there was a time, maybe 2 years..where after that time was up ALL the details of possible trades present would be released to the fans. If the NHL wants to have a hit/moneymaker, how about netflix series that gets access to teams across the league on trade deadline day?

I think many of us would have been content/happy with that deal. There is no saying the Sabres are the ones backing out.....but maybe, just maybe they did back out because they are talking to another team with the possibility for a better deal in return?

Why? Simply the emotional part of being a fan, not the logical part. I agree the 'logical' part of being a fan is everything you say it is....but emotionally we want something new to think about.

As a fan base, I think in general many of the fans have been tolerant of waiting out a trade on Eichel, mostly because the team is winning. However, once we hit that 2-3 game losing streak (or more), things are going to get pretty ugly with a lot of fans wanting something done. I'd like to say personally I understand the 'big picture' and I'm better than that, but honestly I'm probably not. As long as the team gives me something good to watch I'm content, but if the on-ice product starts getting bad to watch, I'm going to really want something else to think about regarding this team. 5 wins in 8 games has gotten Adams a little space with the fanbase regarding the Eichel trade, but when that record turns a bit south that may not be the case anymore.

I guess it depends on what you mean by the player who will 'develop into Eichel' -If you are looking for someone who has played 5 seasons (not counting last year's 6th shortened season) and scored 30 goals a total of 1 time, who is 33rd in the NHL in points since he came into the league, tied for 43rd in goals, and even is his very best year, his 'elite year he was tied for 10th in points.....if THAT is what you consider Eichel, you have a chance (small one) of getting a team to give you a player that develops into that. -If you are thinking Eichel is a top 5 player in the NHL, a 'generational' talent, a 1b to McDavid's 1a, a guy who would have a LOT more production if not for the bad players and coaches around him.....no chance at all you get anything close to that.

I'd be very happy with Krebs as a big part of the return for Eichel. From the little I have seen of him, but read a lot, he seems to be a very good skater, relentless back-checker, decent shot, better playmaker, hard worker. Not likely to be a 30+ goal scorer (maybe 15-20 goals, 50 point potential), but a player that works hard and has enough talent to play anywhere (1st, 2nd, 3rd line, pp, pk, etc). You are not going to get a younger/healthier version of Jack Eichel in return for him, You just have to make sure you get quality young NHL players.

Please no, as much as this thread is out of hand, it is the place many of us go to out of habit now. We have gone this far, I say stick it out and just plow through all the bad posts here until a trade happens.

For the first time this weekend, I actually got the feel from the reporters that a trade was close were true. I think Friday was the first time I thought a trade was imminent. Oh well, we continue to wait.... I think it is even odds this thread gets to 400 pages before Eichel gets traded.

So basically these 'insiders' view it this way: -If a phone call or converstation was had in the last 5 minutes or is currently going on, things are 'heating up' -If it has been more than 5 mintues since Adams spoke the name "Eichel" to another team, things have cooled.

I was listening to 590 out of Canada a few weeks ago and they were talking about Matthews. They had a female reporter/blogger on who did a story on him. She said she spent time in Arizona where he spends a lot of time (or lives) in the offseason. She spent a lot of time on 2 things....1.) he always has a large 'entourage' with him. Whether that is friends, family, handlers, whoever..he spends his days rarely by himself but with a lot of people with him. 2.) She said he seemed so much happier and relaxed in Arizona at 'home' than he does during the season in Toronto. Now, can that be that he just treats the hockey season seriously and is an intense guy when playing? Maybe. But the vibe of the conversation sure made it seem like he looks forward to being in AZ, NOT in the hockey pressure cooker that is Toronto. If the Leafs start winning more in the post season and are serious, serious cup contenders ever year (making it to at least the conference finals), he MIGHT re-sign with Toronto. Anything other than that, and I think he is gone at the end of his deal.

Maybe, I can't prove it either way, but I would disagree. My opinion is that while the results on the ice are the most important, MOST fans do care (at least somewhat) 'how the sausage is made', as you say. If that wasn't the case, this thread wouldn't be as long as it is....and the only thread that would matter on this forum would be the gameday thread.

But that isn't relevant....because you got not ony Levi, but a first round pick also (a late one yes, but still a first rounder). and you say 'Reinhart to term', what exactly does that mean? He had one year left with the Sabres, and he wasn't going to re-sign here, so that 'term' might only be 1 season. I'd rather have that late first and Levi than Sam for this year..for sure.

It also might not be. That is why we talk about it and follow this thread. So to answer the original post on this....why someone doesn't 'get it', the fact that it might not be....that is why.

If you are making an analogy to the Sabres and how they are playing with Eichel, it doesn't work. What your 'nasty ex is up to' is going to have a direct impact on just how awesome that new person is. What you get for Eichel might be the biggest single factor that determines how good the Sabres get and how fast they get there. And for many of us fans, we enjoy the 'team building' aspect of following a sport just as much as we do watching the games. Thinking of the future, debating possible moves....all of that is just as big for some of us as what happens on the ice with the current product. Just because you 'don't get it' doesn't mean that a lot of us "do get it" and this is a big part of the way we enjoy following the team.

You can't just ignore the schedule either. They have played a pretty easy schedule so far. Take a look at the schedule they are going to be facing from the 2nd week of November through the next 30 days after that..... Wash, Edmonton, Toronto, Pitt, Calgary, Rangers, CBus, Boston, Montreal, Det, Seattle, Fla, and Carolina. 3 back to backs in there and at one point 5 games in 7 days. They have won the games that they had to play, so that is good, but it gets a lot harder between now and the beginning of December.

Many of us wont' be happy, but at this point I don't think there is anything the Sabres can do about it. The have shopped him around for months. At some point, you have to understand the 'item you are selling' is not worth what you THINK it should be worth, but it is worth what someone is willing to pay. The Sabres could have been holding out for a Zegras/Krebs type player, but if no one was giving you that for month and months and months, at some point you have to realize your asset (in its current condition) isn't worth what we all want it to be. If this deal with Vegas is getting ready to go down, Adams should be making one last call to the other teams he talked to and letting them know this is their last chance. Once you decide to deal him, you take the best 'last' offer that anyone makes.

I don't think it is a 'terrible' contract/deal, but I do question how it fits with the team: -$7.5 million isn't bad for a top pair D-man, but is he one? in 2018-2109 he had an incredible statistical season, every other year of his career hasn't come close to it. Do leafs fans and management view him as closer to that 2 peak season? or the rest of his career? Are they paying for a 20 goal player? or what he usually is (5-10 goal player)? -Even if he is worth it, they have very little flexibility in their roster now for the next few years. They are going to have $48 million dollars in cap space tied up in just their top 5 skaters...the same group that has been there and not gotten out of the first round. -D-men don't drop off as much as forward do when they hit age 28...but this contract is going to be giving the leafs a cap hit of $7.5 million on a guy when he is going to not only be in his mid 30's, but will have a LOT of miles on him (I think that will be his 17th full season in the league by the end of that deal). And with a full no-trade that begins right now. I think the dollar figure isn't terribly out of line, but I think that contract and player would fit better on a different team than on the Leafs.