mjd1001

Not related to whether vaccines should or should not be mandatory but.... It appears Covid rates have stopped going down and are now rising not only in the rest of the world, but slightly in the USA as well.. -For the first time since early Spring of this year, the week-over-week number of cases in the USA is rising. -In the U.K. They had a long string (weeks) with less than 3,000 cases per day, every day. Cases have shot up in the past couple weeks and now they are back above 15,000 new cases per day for almost a week. -For most of the last 2 months, the vast majority of states (some days of reporting all 50 states) had falling cases. As of today however, 20 states have an increasing 7 day moving average of cases. -A new 'gamma' variant is spreading through Brazil. The current vaccines we have appears to be much less effective against that variant. I don't know the 'correct' solution but this thing needs to be knocked out once and for all. I hope it isn't the case, but if these small short-term trends continue.....I personally do not think this country will go back into any kind of lockdown..but I can see restrictions on large gatherings (sporting events?) start to come back this fall IF we get another huge spike in cases.

It seems like a lot of people are ruling out Jack going to certain teams because they don't have the prospects to send back. Just remember it doesn't have to be only two teams involved. A multi-team trade is certainly more complicated and less likely to happen, but who's not to say Jack can't go to Columbus, Buffalo gets one piece back from Columbus... Columbus sends another piece to a third team, and the third team sends another piece back to Buffalo or something like that. That could also be why a trade is taking longer, there might be more moving parts than we know.

I want Granato to be named coach. With that said, a lot of his 'success' at the end of the year....is it really success? -He got better results than Krueger, that is for sure, and he did it with a depleted and young roster. -But Reinhart was on a streak where he got something like 13 goals in 13 games at one point. Had he NOT been that hot, just how good would this team have looked? -Also, its not like they had a winning record with him. Not even after the winless streak was over till the end of the year did they have a winning record. Again, I want Granato to be named head coach. But I also know that if he is....this team is likely to still struggle for wins under him (as they would under anyone) for at least the first quarter or third of next season. Without Reinhart or a healthy Jack, that is for sure in my mind.

There is an issue on this board that you can just chalk up to people being different. -There are some of us who want the Sabres to do a 'proper rebuild' strip it down to the studs and take your time. No shortcuts. People like that enjoy the rebuild..they enjoy the team getting a little bit better year after year. -there are others of us who just want the team to win. No waiting, no long rebuilds. Get a baseline of young players (a core) but then add to it players that will allow you to win now. Other teams do it, why not the sabres? Of course, many people may say they are in the middle but almost everyone leans toward one side of the other. Most of the arguments I read on this board are between people who fall into one of the two categories above.

That is the one issue with the 'if you don't get what you want just don't trade him' theory. If you don't get the offer you want and decide to hold on to him, what then? The situation you bring up will probably occur. If Adams/management really wants Jack out of here, but you don't move him...doesn't that derail the plans you have for what you envision as your 'new' leadership core? Will guys like Dahlin, Cozens, Mitts...will they really take control of the team and talk in the locker room if Jack is still here (especially if it is a disgruntled Jack?) The only other option is, you need to have a conversation with Eichel SOMETHING like this: "Jack, you are under contract for a while here. You are a big part of this team but not the ONLY part of this team that matters. You might be the best player on this team now, but we aren't making decisions that revolve around you...we ARE making decisions where you are a key part of the team but everything doesn't run through you. You will be treated (and payed) like one of the best players on this team, no more, no less." If you want out of Buffalo, you have to get on the ice, put up numbers, be a great teammate to your current teammates and be a 'good soldier'. It'll make it easier for us to trade you" I'm not sure if that conversation happened already or not....or maybe it happened in previous years and Jack is beyond it at this point.

I don't know specifics on him, but I can relay some information from a good friend of mine who is a huge Coyotes fan: 1.) the Roster wasn't the greatest, but the fanbase wanted to see more of an improvement from the team under him. From the middle point of his first year to the end on Arizona, they were consistently a few games above or below .500, no real improvement. 2.) The team seem to be guilty of 'sloppy' play under him. They would frequently make 'simple' mistakes and would not learn from them. 3.) He would roll his lines seemingly based on a schedule. Even with down by a goal or 2 in the third, the 2nd and 3rd line would seemingly get almost as much ice-time as the first line. His hottest/best players on the forward lines would not get 22-23 minute per game on a regular basis like on other teams. 4.) They never really were good on special teams. Through his entire time, they were average on the Penalty Kill, and had a below average PP. Worse, the PK and PP would seem to be at their worst when they needed it most (close games). 5.) They didn't control play well under him. I know at one point last year, my friend told me since Tocchet took over, the Coyotes were outshot by a larger margin than even the Sabres. 6.) A lack of development of their talent pool/draft picks under Tocchet. Not many of their high draft picks turned into what fans expected. I'm not how much of that is actually true, again this is what I heard from a friend who is a big Coyotes fan and watches their games as much as possible. And of course, how much of that is on the coach/coaching staff vs the overall talent of the players?

Totally, totally disagree with direct respect to my initial post. You would be inappropriate to judge Adams as a terrible GM because of a situation he was forced to deal with. If he makes a bad deal, it's on him. If he makes the best deal he can based on the options presented to him, but those options are not what the fan base would have wanted, then it's not on him.

Well that's my whole point. Miss directed or misplaced, a lot of people put it not on the sabers as a whole but they put it on one particular person and there's a good chance the person they're putting it on might not be the correct person to place it on.

That is one of the reasons that I get so frustrated with the ROR trade when brought up on this board. There are so many people who just want to say the GM made a bad trade or the trade was bad because the savers didn't know what they were doing most signs point to that not being the fact. We will never know for sure 100%, but it really looks like ownership didn't want to pay that bonus so the general manager and the scouting department were told to get the best trade they could where the sabers wouldn't have to pay out that bonus. That changes the calculus of the trade and that's on the owner, not on the team scouts or management. With O'Reilly, you could have gotten a better package had you paid that bonus.... With Jack, you might be getting a worse package because of his injury.

I think Adams is in a no-win situation with the Eichel trade, at least with the fan base. Many posters on this board are banging the drum to get multiple top prospects or picks and if they can't get it now to hold out for it until you do. Yet some stories seem to say Adams is asking for that and other teams are dropping out left and right. The reality is Eichel may want out and the sabres may want him out for reasons we don't know of, but the return that many expect simply may not be there. If Adams doesn't trade Eichel soon after everything that's gone down, a segment of the fan base will be upset with him for waiting too long to trade him. On the other hand if he does trade them and doesn't get a huge return, a different segment of the fan base will be showing up at the arena with torches and pitchforks.

Nothing at all about what I had to say. Let me try again. People are posting that they EXPECT a return on Eichel that is likely MUCH greater than he will get. People are posting that if you don't get that return, just hold onto him and wait until you DO get that return they want (which may never happen no matter how long you wait. When the Sabres trade Eichel, they will likely get a return that is less than what certain people on here say they want, thus giving them further, additional, reason to complain about something that was likely never going to be what they wanted in the first place.

I agree with you. A HEALTHY Jack Eichel might get you one of those top prospects, but he isn't. Any other team trading for him might be trading for damaged goods. If by some chance the Sabres get one of the leagues top prospects, great. But many on this forum are setting themselves up to be disappointed....or at the very least setting up an expectation (by themself, not by others) to be able to complain about the return when it happens.

The reason I'd want Ulmark is that I think he's an above average goalie. It would be hard to find another goalie better than him. You want to sign or find a higher quality backup for this year I'm fine with that.

I really was getting comfortable with Ulmark. I'd like to see the Sabres sign him to a 4 year deal. Ideally, Year 1 Ulmark starts, UPL in roch. Year 2 Ulmark Starts, UPL backups. Year 3 maybe a split of time, and year 4, If UPL is the stud we think, he is your starter and Ulmark takes a bit of a backseat. If UPL is not ready/not good, you have Ulmark start for all 4 years. I'd overplay Ulmark SLIGHTLY on a 4 year deal if you could make that happen.

You are just wrong. You may not like Granato as a head coach, and maybe he will not turn out to be a good one, but you are 100% wrong in saying they have a similar background. Granatos coaching experience at the pro level, AHL, NHL assistant, ECHL.....there is a ton of experience that were Rolston had very little. Granato coached many years in the USHL, the East Coast league, and then was coach of the year in the AHL with 5 years of coaching in the AHL, and then additional experience in the AHL with Chicago later in his career. Granato also had stints as an assistant coach in the NHL with the Blues, Blackhawks, and of course the Sabres. Granato pro coaching experience up to potentially named coach of Sabres this summer: 210 games head coach in the ECHL, 480 games as head coach in the AHL, parts of 5 seasons assistant in the NHL with 3 different teams, and head coach of the sabres taking over for Krueger and doing better. Rolston pro coaching experience up to being named coach of the Sabres: 152 games head coach in the AHL. That is a HUGE difference.

Except that's not even close to being true. Granado has a ton more games under his belt coaching then Rolston did. A lot more experience at the NHL level, and a lot more depth of experience at the AHL level. Rolston had very little of that.

I'm half way to where you are. On one hand, Eichel could (should) be just very frustrated. You can be frustrated with the team, your injury...and add to that just having a bad day about something else and what he said is TOTALLY understandable as a 'one-off' type of comment. On the other hand, I can also see where he might not be the leader that they want....it is POSSIBLE he is a guy that has a little more entitlement to him than what the Sabres want. Not saying it is true, but if that came out as true at a later date it wouldn't surprise me. At this point, most of us just want some resolution to this. Will he stay, won't he? Where will he go, what is the return? the longer it lasts, the more posters on this board are going to take runs at each other.

Shouldn't. When they left, there was no return. If Jack and Sam leave, there likely will be a very good return. Also, Drury and Briere we captains of a team that went deep in the playoffs for a couple years. Sam and Jack? Not so much....

A powerplay guy is valuable. A goal is a goal is a goal, whether it is pp or even strength or shorthanded. I don't care how a goal is scored, as long as it is scored. As a matter of fact, whenever the Sabres have a season where they are slumping on the PP, many people on here in years past longed for a powerplay specialist. BTW, he is not great 5 on 5, but I think since he has been on the team, VO is 4th (or close to it) on the team in even strength goals. Again, that isn't a lot, but it isn't like he is totally non-productive even strength.

I hope my math is correct here: 1999 Sabres with Hasek in net....98 point pace (projected over an 82 game season) Other games with Biron and/or Roloson in net... 69-70 point pace.

Again, SUPER hard pass on that. A 30 year old...with a huge salary? And just how many people do you think want to come to the worst team in a league just because one player was traded for? Not enough to make you a contender. I don't think this would happen, but if they made a deal like this, it would be about as upset with management as I ever have been and would wonder just what their plan for this franchise is.

Yeah, no thanks on Tavares. I mean with his age and contract, and the fact the Sabres aren't going to be contenders anytime soon, I really don't want him for even a LOT less than Eichel.

Agree. I am not usually a "Buffalo homer", I tend to think Jim Kelly was very good but not great, I think Eichel is over-rated by a lot of people, I want to see Josh Allen have a 2nd great year before I proclaim his greatness....and to the dismay of many on this board I am one of those posters who usually says "put the brakes on a bit" when a conversation gets to how good someone on a Buffalo team is. With that said, I think he is the greatest goalie of the modern era, by far better than Roy or Brodeur. I will entertain a case he is the greatest player of the modern era (over Gretzky and Lemieux) because of just how dominant he was....how putting that one single player on an average-at-best looking team would turn them into a cup contender.

Its kinda strange to me.....I think it depends on your point of view. I see that 'tradition' as just the opposite. When I visit these forums (and Bills also) I see a group of fans that seem to defend the players no matter what, and blame the coaches and GMs for the teams sucking when that happens. New coach, old coach, experienced coach, former player as a coach. Experienced GM, GM that served as an assistant GM...GM with no former experience....To me there are some that say the players are great and can do little wrong..but it is always the fault of management and coaching.

I'd be ok with that trade. Do I think anything the Sabres would be getting in return would be as good as Eichel at his best? Of course not....but I also think (and HOPE that I am wrong) that the offers for Eichel are going to be a lot less than what people on here want. He isn't expensive for his talent level, but he's not cheap. He may be damaged goods. It looks like he wants out of buffalo, I'm just not holding my breath for a trade much better than this.