kas23

I'm not going to hold my breath he signs with Buffalo. The guy has already shown he won't hesitate to eff a team. Plus, he obviously felt he owed nothing to the team who drafted him, so I doubt he gives preference to a team who traded for him. I really hope he signs, but we need to be prepared for him to stick to his guns and hit FA in August, just like he promised his old team.

Yep. Minor detail. Just like the deflated balls.

What's the Instagram post?

That and how exactly can a player who had a NMC be traded to us? Wouldn't he have had to waive that NMC before being traded to us?

I'm pretty sure Stankos will use us as a bargaining chip with Toronto. He's from Toronto, but wouldn't want to play there? And what better team is out there that is able to and would overpay for him than ours? Pretty much the same thing happened with Babcock.

He can go to the KHL...but only after we trade him.

I'm unsure if Vegas will be trying to build a "team" the same way we would look at building a team. They need bodies to field a product and a draft is the fastest way of doing this. Of course, they're not going to draft just wingers, but I would suspect they're going to take the best players they have a chance to get and then they'll think about forming the "team identity" in subsequent years. Sort of like our tank years, but just without the worst player available.

I'm sure it's in the forebrain of GMTM, but I would be looking to sign an expansion draft decoy, someone LV wouldn't be able to look past. I don't like the prospect of losing Ennis, Bogo, or Pysyk for nothing. But, I like the idea of losing a player GMTM wouldn't want playing for his team.

Agreed. Not a really cerebral thing to say. I've also heard Gregg Williams did a pretty damn fine interview too.

I really don't see the value of having 5 2nd round picks, most of which will never make it to the NHL. Same could be said if a team dumped on us 10 2nd round picks. We need quality, not quantity. I'm not into giving charity (#8) to another NHL team for peanuts unless Bennett is coming back.

I don't want McEichel, you play the game to win. Whoops, that was also said.

What has he [Darcy] done wrong? Wait, that was actually said.

Offseason. I guarantee we'll be "draft focused" this time next year.

If Arizona wants Matthews, they better bring OEL into the conversation. And rightfully so, because OEL won't put butts in the seats and Matthews will.

Not overly harsh. The guy should've gotten to his point, instead of name dropping or whatever he was doing.

Knowing how winning NHL teams roll with multiple lines, I don't know how I would feel about depleting our system of nearly a whole very good 3rd line (plus a defender) for 1 winger, especially when Eichel would make most wingers look good. I hope GMTM doesn't go for the shiny toy model of building a team.

Never mind the height issue, is that weight a misprint?

I wouldn't give up Reinhart, Eichel, Risto, or ROR for anyone in this draft or any current players. Anyone else would be on the table.

And I'd love to see that bone-headed logic blow up in their faces. No offense to the Boston marathon victims.

Given the pick of a questionable forward versus a questionable defenseman, people are usually going to get excited about the forward. It's human nature. Fans like the prospect of goals.

That's a fine idea. Take pics of them laughing, then blow them up to a distasteful size and hang them behind the podium. Someone could even pipe in some snickering while the Leafs are on the clock, which of course would become very loud as the pick is announced.

Trading them entails another team(s) picking them up and we know GMTM has tried this in the past and failed (and that was with 2nd rounders). You can draft 4 3rd rounders without having any effect on the contract limit. Picks don't equal contracts. Plus, 3rd rounders (and on) are usually busts. It's best having the odds in your favor because you never know when you might strike gold.

You forgot just drafting 4 3rd rounders. He has to hit on at least one, right?

Agreed, with the exception of the broken fax machine incident, which is now the stuff of legends. Sure, it ultimately meant nothing, but actually meant a lot.

That's if you believe him. When it comes to discussing 1st talent in relation to the Sabres pick therein, GMTM usually speaks with his mouth full of sour grapes. It's likely he was trying to save face based on the lottery pick we were likely going to get. "Look, we didn't need to move up, they're all the same anyways"