Thorny

And Helle is better than Saros, anyways. Imo ppl really are in some ways taking the “goalies are voodoo” thing a bit too far. The spirit of the statement wasn’t ever strictly that, it was that, *outside of a few exceptions that prove the rule*, goalies are voodoo. Hellebuyck is a certified outlier. He’ll be in the vezina conversation assuming health. Dahlin will be in the Norris convo assuming health, like the comp dudacek made. We score a lot of goals. What’s not to like In my reading there was as much optimism that Comrie could extrapolate his numbers over a large sample size, something he’d never done, as there is that Helle can merely retain a status quo. The latter is exponentially more likely. Maybe the difference is just that KA had acquired Comrie and not yet Hellebuyck. If KA puts his seal of approval on Hellebuyck through acquisition the mood prob changes

Good man. Not only has the context changed, re: depth of prospect pool and specifically the NHL roles we need said pool to fill, but the guy putting the finishing touches on everything is proving to be, with his team of guys, a very excellent drafter. Not only is it not Tim Murray needing to fill in a roster made barren through Tank, it’s not Tim Murray. Tim Murray comps re: mortgaging the future need not apply. I trust KA to do pretty much anything. He made a great trade for Eichel when under the microscope: seeing what he can do when it’s HIS pursuit in the first place is exceptionally intriguing. I want to see him use picks as currency not only because he’ll probably win the trade, I know he’ll maximize the ones he doesn’t deal. Don’t we think KA is above the curve when it comes to GMs? This is a tool we want unleashed. Trades don’t need to be, and often aren’t a zero-sum game but the longer KA is locked in a room with the other old, recycled, carousel GMs of this league, the more likely we, in my estimation, gain not only through fit but also relatively: if there’s a loser in those potential deals it’s probably the Other Guys New GM, same as old recycled GM, amirite

We can just leave that particular deal out, then

People don’t appreciate how bad the Jets are defensively, and just in general. Their record was misleading, and the reason was squarely Connor Hellebuyck. Their forwards are *terrible* defensively. Remember that game in Winnipeg last/this season, that second period where we thoroughly dominated and Hellebuyck stood on his head? I’ve seen him do that a lot, live. The system they play isn’t a different one to ours that maximizes Hellebuyck, their poor system skirts by because Hellebuyck bandaids it into success. He’d probably be better here.

Good thread though

We aren’t going to “feel” anything we give up in that Helle deal. We probably will feel a lot of joy in our bones though, as we enjoy the fun season the fans have so thoroughly earned through this long journey through the desert. I’d imagine the vibes and aid to culture that season provides, both in terms of camaraderie in the room and perception league wide outside of it likely pays dividends in KA’s dealings throughout the league, afterwords, too. Jack had the success this year where the league took notice and said, “ok, that’s why you fought for what you fought for.” When the GM literally states that guys who “want to be here” is such a key focus of his plan, creating a situation that actively aids that goal is being undersold imo

What did Chad deal Peterka for?

He’s definitely not a yes man. He got fired from Buffalo because he wouldn’t fire the guys KA would

Good hire for Pittsburgh I think

I don’t think a trade is necessitated this offseason, but my point is that imo one is necessitated at some point because not all of these prospects in our loaded system are going to make it. I didn’t make that point in isolation: my main point was timeline. 13 if selected isn’t going to make an impact for years. In that entire timeframe, from now until then, we are going to be dealing out a prospect or two. This pick is just one guy who will arrive one year sooner than the guy we pick the following year. That one year sooner arrival isn’t important to me when the the system isn’t waiting on anything

Man PLEASE Skinner - Thompson - Tuch Peterka - Cozens - Quinn Mittelstadt - Krebs - Okposo Girgensons - Kulich - Greenway Samuelsson - Dahlin Power - Acquisition Guy Stillman - Jokiharju Hellebuyck (45 gp) Levi (35 gp) ...this team would SLAP. My offseason plan would look like this cause we’d win a lot of games next year. Winning fun. YMMV.

Love it.

We don’t have the prospect depth to merely “survive” a trade, we have the prospect depth that necessitates a trade. Hellebuyck is way better than you think he is. I can tell from your usage of things like “above average” goaltending. And “fickle”. Hellebuyck is one of the best players in the league, watch a lot of him first hand. I suppose I just don’t see a one year term as a “rental” at all. The league is measured in seasons. It’s a full season. I agree with dudacek that I’m slightly surprised at the lack of desire to put, really, any value on what next season could be. It’s a very justifiable price to pay when we don’t have to sacrifice really much of anything long term and actively put ourselves in a position where we very likely could have a special season. Isn’t that what it’s all about? Make the memory!

Go Merks

well hey now I may be impatient, and I’m certainly a fool. But I’m absolutely not a..wait, what was the 3rd thing you said originally?

Smythe odds heading into final https://www.yardbarker.com/nhl/articles/amp/nhl_stanley_cup_final_bets_a_look_at_conn_smythe_odds/s1_13132_38869862 1: Sergei Bobrovsky, Florida (+210 DK) 2: Matthew Tkachuk, Florida (+360 FD) 3: Jack Eichel, Vegas (+425 DK) 4: Jonathan Marchessault, Vegas (+700 DK) 5: William Karlsson, Vegas (+700 DK) 6: Adin Hill, Vegas (+1200 DK)

Let me break it down a little further: we’d be trading a *draft pick*. You get a new one of those......every year! For free! The league just.. gives it to you. Our system is *loaded*. Already to the extent that it’s a *guarantee* that not all of the players in it are going to be able to play for the Buffalo Sabres. What we are doing, when trading a draft pick, is merely, essentially, trading back one year in terms of talent arrival. Adams will make another great selection next year that will merely enter our already overloaded prospect talent pool one year later than the pick THIS year, would have. Which is YEARS away. We’d be swapping getting a much less important talent influx at F, a few years down the line, a year sooner, for a MUCH LARGER, defined talent increase, for right now. It’s a no brainer. It’s 2023. The valuation of assets has changed. It’s time now. It used to be important to never miss an opportunity to add to the system because you *needed the system to reach critical mass*. Adding another pick adds much less value, now than it did when we had a barren system that NEEDED through law of averages to reconstruct the NHL roster. It’s a hack: we can totally fortify our roster for next season, that’s ready to win, by dealing that pick. That’s the opportunity granted to us because of the great situation KA has put us in.

Let’s just offer them VO and be done with it We have to be sure to both get one of the best goalies in the league for next year, but pay so little so as to feel like we aren’t giving up ANYTHING we care about. This is how trades work

It’s such an easy “yes” it’s not even funny *the only reason you can get one of the best players in the world for the pittance that is a draft pick is *because* there’s no locked in extension.*

Honestly, I don’t see it as all that contentious of a process. More so a standard business procedure/disagreement. Par for the course in this league. I’m not sure it would be as big of an obstacle/fraught with as much ill will as people think. Admittedly, I don’t take KA’s “dying to be Sabres” comments as Bible-literal as some take them

Ullmark negotiated with the team for a long time before Boston ever entered the fray. I don’t really buy the idea he wasn’t, at any point, open to staying. As you mentioned, KA wasn’t willing to match Boston’s offer

Already there was talk of an 85% league or whatever

Vegas potential disadvantage mitigated. Florida potential disadvantage intensified. VERY interesting.

Could be. Or, whichever G turns back into a pumpkin at the wrong time. That could also do it

Golden Knights is golden. Should be a good final