Rasmus_

Custance had Reinhart to Buffalo at 1 overall and Dal Colle at 4 to NYI.

Reinhart and Draisaitl is my dream for the top of the first round. Though I would gladly suplement with Dal Colle, Bennett. (Potentially). I like Nylander/Ehlers more than Kapanen, but that's tailing towards 6-10.

I can 100% agree with you. He needs to take the longer path to make it back to Buffalo.

Had to state the obvious, I would "appreciate" it being April 15th already with the securing of the 1st pick and having the Islanders decision. Followed by, additionally "appreciating" the season being over. :) I appreciate TMGM and the effort he's putting in.

Yeah that's a comparable nightmare, but still..you have two amnesty buy-out's. You have to use one on Leino. Regardless of the comparison to another cluster f*** situation. He has no future here and needs to move on. I could see him going back to Philly cheap....or even Detroit.

Good to have it done. One less hiccup to worry about. I'm glad he's here as he can grow with the youth and rebuild. Glad he also got the fair shake. I wasn't always a fan, but I have to say he's been upfront and honest the entire time. Most times completely candid. He's had a lot of bumps in this season as well during his tenure. Congrats.

Yeah I understand. I guess. I do agree that this team needs talent as well. But when you're rebuilding from the draft up. As Chicago did with Toews, and Kane. As Pittsburgh did with Crosby, Malkin, Staal. It was done from the center position out. Sprinkling in improvements on the wing and defense throughout. Yes, they did draft Fleury before Crosby and Malkin, but you get the general sense of my argument. You can have a handful of useful wingers, but without the craft and skill of a center, you're devoid of the ability to produce the points. Unless you get in the rare cases of you find a producer from the LW or RW. That is the only thing I argue.

Just a question, why take an excess forward when we need playmaking capable centers. I'm starting to see that Cody Hodgson is more likely suited as a RW. This team really doesn't have a true center at the moment. Unless Grigorenko turns it around.

I still prefer Draisaitl over Dal Colle, but one or the other would be a boon if the Isles decide to give up the pick this season. Dal Colle definitely has the size to help out. Either way you go between the one or the other you are getting a solid addition to a rebuild.

I agree with that. Very good. He's a top 30 type player in the league. But I would say more 20-30 end. You have younger talent coming in every year. He's still a very servicable player.

Definitely exciting. I haven't watched enough of Junior as I'd like, but he's the guy at 1 for the Sabres. IMO, that is. I am getting more interested in Dal Colle, after I've done more research. Whereas before I was more interested in Draisaitl.

I love that, because he's trying to make an impression unlike some. He wants to stay here and fight for a roster spot. Which is more to say for guys like Ville Leino. Aka Villi Manilli.

I didn't respond to this previously. But, why change something that's going good. Even if Ekblad were drafted, I still don't see the need.

He should have never been resigned. His contract year was a classic bluff on the Stafford "potential." I've never been a fan. He can go somewhere else and be someone elses problem. Personally, I'd rather overpay Callahan than have this goof for another season. He totally needs a change of scenery pre 2013.

When losing to a team like Nashville 6-1, you just want the season over. I know they have their ace in the hole goalie back and starting to streak in the right direction...but Nashville has sucked mightily this season. Lets go St. Louis.

Makes sense. We'll see, if its June 30th and Garth Snow still has a job, I will again be surprised. Same thing with Mike Gillis in Vancouver. Two GM's that just made situations worse. :) Thank goodness, Buffalo got ahead of the curve for once.

If Snow uses his cap, you never know. Over spending can lead to free agent signings that would not usually come to the market. Just saying. Its not impossible that they can recapture their 2012-13 season. That being said, I would just rather get the talent in the system as fast as possible.

Agree completely. Anything could change. The offseason is a mercurial place. Snow could be fired, a new GM installed and somehow the acquire a goalie...and some additional talent. Not saying it's likely, but it's not impossible. Getting two of Reinhart, Dal Colle, Bennett, might be worth it.

Ouch, those are some stinging numbers.

Definitely like it. Thanks for posting this.

I've been to a number of Amerks games this season and at times Armia flashes the showings of quality vision on the ice, working out of the corners and the ability to weave in and out of traffic. Other times he looks lost. It will be more than a one year transition for him. Luckily for him, he's on a team with a little bit of time before they definitely "need him".

Quality point. I think regardless of size though, talent is what this team needs. So whether he's 5'11" or 6'3", the team needs as much quality up top as possible. That was the basis essentially for my argument, but I can agree with what you're saying as well.

Wouldn't it make more sense to trade Myers in a deal for Eberle. Someone who would immediately upgrade the top six and really there is barely no difference in the cap hits between the two. To me that's a more likely scenario. Unless TMGM is in love with two of the Bennett, Reinhart, Draisaitl group. Trading Myers for Eberle and then taking one of those three and Ekblad...makes some sense possibly.

As long as Leino is off the roster, they can recuperate it on someone else who can help the team I am happy with that. I really would prefer Konopka on the roster next season and not having Scott back.

Vanek might be winning but he's still going to walk from Montreal just like he was from Buffalo or Brooklyn. There's nothing wrong with that. I always have had respect for Vanek, because he is what he is; a talented forward. He's not a superstar, he's not an amazing two way guy. He's a solid scoring winger. He'll probably never with a Maurice Richard, or be considered a top 10 player in the league especially as he gets older. But, he's been solid for his career, he played the game the best he could and as far as I can recollect, never was anything but a consummate professional in the process. It wasn't his fault Lowe offered him that obscene 7.14 contract offer, and while Buffalo might have been better off letting him walk then, I don't regret it. As a fan right now, I feel like the foundation is being set from the back end: Myers, Ristolainen, Zadorov, McCabe, Pysyk, and so on. Murray is adding young guys who have size and hands with some grit. As was Regier heading the team in that direction before his termination. It's still too early to tell on Sam Reinhart, or if we get the bounces in the 2015 draft for McDavid or Eichel.....but I feel like it's starting to come up from the depths of despair. I have no empirical data to prove this in any consensus and I am not a stat head, but it looks and feels like a turn-around.