mjd1001

I think if Vancouver wanted, they could have held out for a bit more as we got closer to the trade deadline. I guess they think this is 'close enough' to an ideal deal for them....and on an expiring contract if he got injured they would get zero. Better to take 80-90% of what you think you could get now than gamble risking it all (injury) for a bit more.

The best part about where the Sabres are at this very moment is there should be no rush (at least internally) to get the prospects onto the big club before they are ready. You may nor may not like Mitts or Jost or VO, but they are NHL players filling rolls. The young guys can play their last year in Junior...they can play a full year or two in the AHL. I'm not sure many players were ever 'ruined' by keeping them in the NHL for a year too long.

Ok, if we look hard enough, we can find a reason to dislike any fanbase or team. Cincy however, with helping the Bills into the playoffs to break the streak a few years ago, with it being a similar Rust-Belt small city like Buffalo, with how the community reacted with the Hamlin situation last month...they had EVERY REASON for people to like them and root for them. All they needed to do is not have any players act like arrogant, loud mouth jerks more than you get on any other team. Well....Cincy players are going to be Cincy players.....

A lot of what you said is why I am 100% fine if no moves are made. Is every young guy on the Sabres going to turn out to be good? probably not. Is there anyone out that that might make the team better? probably. BUT, the team is heading in the right direction now it seems...this team SHOULD be better later in the year than they are now, and likely to be better next year than they are now even with no moves. So if you make a deal, with who you bring in, who goes out, what the cost of the deal is (assets and more importantly a contract that may impact who you can keep a year or two from now)...its a roll of the dice, a gamble to not make a move, as it is to actually make a move. With that said, and with how I think the current team is taking shape, I would rather make the gamble to NOT make a change rather than take the gamble to make one. Now next year or the year after, that is a different story.

Jack being a guy who for his career is 25th-30th in the league in points per game, at his pre-injury peak was knocking on the door to top 10 in points per game for a year, and who sometimes has good 'fancy stat' numbers regarding 2 way play and other seasons doesn't....that is a player that another time would probably be interested in. HOWEVER, think as if you are a GM around the league with a contending team, how much would you give up for him? Jack being a guy that post injury is 92nd in the league in points per game, has that major injury on his resume, appears to have had a couple other minor injuries since then in about a season since he was back, whos old team got better with the return they received for him and his new team got worse since he arrived....AND a contender that wants him has to fit in is $10m per year deal (for a few more years) under their cap? I really, really don't see many other teams having any interest in aquiring him at all almost under any circumstances, unless they are giving up a fracition of what Vegas gave up for him. Almost any contender that could use him would have to do cap gymanstics to get him to fit, and maybe/probabaly have to move/get rid of players that are his equal or better to make him fit. Vegas is probably stuck with him and just has to hope he gets really healthy and can somehow turn is game around and have his best 2-3 seasons EVER in the upcoming years.

I don't like any of the teams that were left in the final 4. With KC vs Philly, I guess I want Philly. I don't watch them much, but I visited Philadelphia this summer for the first time in a couple decades and I liked the city more than I remembered in the past, so for no other reason, I guess Philly?

Either the Bills D-line is VASTLY overrated, and they are actually really bad overall, Or they simply cannot play well on any kind of wet/snowy field where their footwork is compromised. Its not just that KC is getting pressure through that Cincy OL....Baltimore was pushing them around pretty badly the entire second half of their game the week before. The Bills are the only team whos defense got manhandled by the Cincy OL. It might be coaching, but the Bills also couldn't win many/any one on one battles.

My wife and I started watching the new 'national treasure' on Disney, and its pretty rough. We are half way through so we are going to probably stick though it, but some if it makes no sense. some of the 'puzzles' they solve really seem like there is no explanation, and the acting is pretty bad. The main character, she shows very little emotion, the character seems lifeless and lacking any kind of charisma. Some reviews we read said that the woman who plays her is a great actress and destined for stardom, but I don't see that at all. Peaky Blinders was bought up. That I watched a few episodes, it seemed like it was well written and for sure the acting was very very good, but it just didn't hook me enough to stick with it. I can see how it can appeal to people who like that kind of show however. For a 'cartoon' and what some consider a 'kids movie' I thought Puss in Boots the last wish was good. Basically, its a cartoon cat that is 90% Antionio Banderas' portrayal of Zorro.

I agree. When the trade happened, I was happy with the return. Now a year or so later, it looks that much better for Buffalo. I'm not sure how much more you could have gotten for him that would make the deal better.

I didn't say good players for 8 years. I said "We have 8 seasons now of seeing him with very good linemates, with different coaches, with different teams" The reason I wrote it that way is he has had All of those things over the coure of 8 years, not that he had All of them for All 8 years. I tried to put that into context, but I probably could have written it a bit better.

Even when Eichel had his hot start, was 'on a tear', he still wasn't elite. His hot start ended at game 21 this year, after which is points per game production started to slip. EVEN THEN, at his PPG peak during his hot start, he was getting 1.23 PPG. At that rate, he would still be 12th -14th in the league. When you cherry pick the part of the season where he was playing the best and absolute healthiest, and compare that to the rest of the league when it is likely other players have had hot and cold streaks and have been playing injured, the best you can do with Eichel is get him to peak, at one given moment, at 12th-14th in the league. When he was with Buffalo before his surgery, he was 22nd in points per game in the league over that time. Since he was traded to Vegas, he is 89th in the league in Points per game, including his hot start this year of course. For his entire career, (Vegas and Buffalo combined) he is 27th in points per game. Even before his neck injury (throw out that last season with Buffalo and only look at his stats up through the 2019-2020 year (statistically his best) and even THEN he is still only 21st in the league in points per game production. Before he got hurt, he still wasn't generational, still not even close to elite. And Points per game is the most generous way to look at him. Look at pure production, and he is farther down the list due to his games missed. He is who he is. A guy that on occasion can look like he has extreme talent, but in the end, is a good-to-very good player in terms of putting up points, but thats it. Not generational, not elite, not even a half step below elite. We have 8 seasons now of seeing him with very good linemates, with different coaches, with different teams, and he is what he is. The 2nd best thing that can happen for any team Eichel plays for is for them to realize he isn't going to carry the team, and instead view him as a 2nd or 3rd best forward. The BEST thing that can happen for any team Eichel plays for is for Jack himself to realize he isn't good enough to carry a team and to play that 'supporting role'.

This is what I have thought also. In the past decade, I have been at events (not just hockey) in the Arenas in Boston Toronto, Philly, Columbus, Detroit and Tampa. It isn't just that the Arena in Buffalo isn't as nice, it is way, WAY behind. I'm not sure what can be done, the money just might not be available to do what needs to get done to 'catch up', but when you do go to one of those other places, the difference is massive.

Different Discussion...but I would put Mario and Hasek in that list with Orr and Gretzky. When Mario was at his best he was unstoppable, Literally, if he was going to score, no one was going to prevent it. I do agee with Sid and Ovie ( and everyone else) being that step behind 'generational' though.

There seems to be some things in common between Jack Eichel and Sammy Watkins: Both Drafted by a below average/bad Buffalo team....both considered to have 'elite' talent for their position coming into the league. Both had VERY good first couple years on their Buffalo team while not being good enough to get the team to the playoffs...both then had injury issues...Both traded shortly after that major injury in Buffalo... Watkins after his injury was never the same. NFL receiver, but bumped around the league. Eichel? since his injury he has fallen down the scoring charts of league leaders. Not sure Eichel will turn into the journyman that Watkins has become, but his career seems to at the very least not be rising.

Last year Jack had just returned from his surgery, so it might have been acceptable that he would have a slow return to form. He got 0.74 points per game, which ranked him in a tie for 110th in the league. Again, just back from surgery. This year, well, he had the full offseason off, could train with his new team, had almost 1/2 season last year to 'recover' from his surgery...is on a 'better' team, getting top ice time minutes, and all the Power play time he can handle (tops on the team). 0.92 points per game, or 56th in the league. Hes a good/very player in terms of point production. Thats who he is. He is not a great overall player by any stretch, and is only 'very good' in the offensive zone. We are now 8 seaons into the "Jack Eichel NHL experience". He has been on a couple teams, played with good teamates, had multiple different styles/coaches. He is who he is...a guy that you HOPE will finish in the top 25 places in terms of points. But for whatever reason, injuries, wear and tear, just not being as good as everyone thought he is....that top 25 isn't even a guarantee anymore.

Maybe there is a disagreement going forward. He is the safety coach, and his opinion may differ greatlly from Beane or McDermott. One side may want the veteran pair back there and is pounding the table for both Poyer and Hyde to be the starters next year. The other side is OK with youth/change/more athleticism coming in and thinks that in the long run the secondary can be just as good that way (if not better) for less money. It might just be a difference of opinion that means that it is 'time' for a change to bring in someone who is more aligned with the teams thinking.

I agree 100% I think when you talk about 'top 10'...include D-men and goalies in there also, I I thinkthere might be 30 guys that a case can be made for as being that 'last guy' on the top 10 list.

He is a good player obviously, but I am at the same spot I am with a lot of these trade proposals....unless you are getting someone for an incredible deal (not too many assets AND a market-level-at-highest contract) I am not super interested now. That doesn't mean that there won't come a time when a deal like this might make more sense. But at the moment, the team is getting better. They seem to be a good group together in the locker room. You have young guys that are still developing. I'm not in a rush to pay a lot to accelerate things when I, personally, think things are progressing forward at a good rate now.

I guess my point is I don't want a 3rd line player whos production is 'just a typical 3rd liner' if possible. Coyle is getting .53 ppg. Jost. is .41. Its a noticable difference. Maybe its nitpicking, but for me to say I have a 'good' 3rd line center, I want just a bit more production. Again, I am saying that if I am going to consider Jost a very good 3rd liner that I want to bring back 'for sure' (which to me that is the general tone of this thread), I want a LITTLE more production. I'm not talking 20+ goals. But 40 points (or very, VERY close to it) would be nice for a 3rd line center on a team that likes to say they play as up-tempo as the Sabres do.

I LIKE him, but to me he has been a 'slightly above average' replacement level guy. He is getting 14 minutes of ice time. His 82 game pace is 11 goals and 23 assists. He does kill penalties. I guess I don't know enough about how he fits in the room, and just how GOOD he is at penalty killing. I'd like him to be a 3rd line center, and if he is, I want more than an 11 goal, 23 assist pace. Does that mean I think he is hurting the team? No, not at all. Just before I am on board with signing him again to an 'above vet minimum' 1 year deal....or even a 2 year deal, I want to see a little more production, and I'd want to see that he is actually improving the Sabres PK. I guess if he is 'just as good' as someone like Cozens on the PK, that means you can rest Cozens when penalty killing so he is fresher 5 on 5. I don't know. I guess I like Jost, I just don't (yet) see him as a huge asset.

In a way, I'm not all that upset the season is over. That in no way means I didn't want them to win, but this season wasn't really super enjoyable to me. With many 'experts', vegas odds, and most people in the fanbase labeling them the preseason Superbowl favorites....it was like almost any win was just 'expected' and any loss was a huge, big negative deal. I'm hoping next year they are consisdered 'one of the top 4-6 teams' and not the favorite. Like the Sabres in 05-06 finishing with 110 points was a much more enjoyable season for me than the 06-07 team that finished with 113. I dont' watch games in a bubble, for me it is a social experience (message boards, twitter, talk radio, etc) and dealing with angst and consternation after every loss from a team with high expectations is just not fun, at least for me.

The OL has been below average for years. As Great as Allen is, his decision making seemed to get worse as the year went on (taking multiple deep shots when needing 3-6 for a first with an option wide open for 10) I think they are "OK" at RB, Same with TE. I'm not 100% done with Gabe Davis as the #2 guy. BUT, looking not as good now as last year, and Diggs, while still great, is 30 now so you have to look for another young gamebreaking star there. DB's I thought were suspect all year. Tre isn't close to what he was before the injury. Hyde and Poyer, as much as many like them and they ARE good, are a little less than 'athletic' at this point in the career. Wouldn't be a bad thing to make changes at S with a lot more athleticism in the D-backfield. LBs good. DL not awful, but not good. Should be better for the money and the draft picks you put into it. Coaching? its really hard for me to evaluate on any level. I'm OK with it...maybe the Defensive philosophy couuld be due for a bit of a change.

I agree with most of what you said. Poyer and Hyde. They are 'good'. Most people like them. Earlier in the year there was a lot of talk of extensions. However, they are getting older and not as athletic as they used to be. I'd be all for no more years for them, dealing with some mistakes at Safety but going younger and a lot more athletic back there. This team just doesn't seem like there are a lot of great athletes. Diggs is their best non-QB on offense, and he is great but he doesn't strike fear into opponents for his speed or size. This team needs to get more athletic on both sides of the ball. If they don't, and if Tua is back for the Dolphins and IF the jets sign one of the veteran QB's for un upgrade...this Bills team might be in a dogfight that ends with them in 3rd in the division next year.

So Bengals are down 3 OL, and now another gets hurt and is playing hobbling with a brace. Yet the Bills D-line can't get hardly any pressure and are getting gashed by the running game? its beyond belief.

They are getting an open air stadium. I get it, no changing that. But this team, on both sides of the ball, seems to be a lot better team playing in good weather on a clean field. Some excpetions, sure, but overall they are much better in good conditions. I want them to prove me wrong.