Curt

Option 4: ***** you, trade me, lol

That just does not fix the problem. 1) It’s a very public embarrassment for Eichel that will only further damage an already fractured relationship. 2) Do you think that simply removing the captaincy will really fix anything. He is still the best player, most high profile player, and one of the longest tenured members of the team. This would only make a disgruntled Eichel even more disgruntled, and doesn’t stop him from being a drag on the moral of the team. I think the better course of action would be to deal with it internally best they can, while publicly giving no hint as to what is going on, until a trade can be made.

Already making roster construction demands after his rookie season? He must really love it in Minnesota.

Definitely making a choice. I think fear of how a disgruntled captain Jack affects the young guys going forward and fear that he will demand a trade after his NMC kicks in are really driving that choice.

Last season they definitely tried to win. I think Jack is mad because the team sucks, not because of a nebulous concept of commitment to winning. No matter how you slice it, or what angle you look at it from, it’s pretty clear that this whole mess is self inflicted. It just comes down to which avenue of incompetence you prefer.

If I’m adding a couple more pieces to 3 OA and Comtois, I want Terry and Dostal. To me that would be good because we get a couple young guys who can contribute day 1, and a couple high upside pieces who can be in the NHL in 2022-23.

Maybe a late 1st and a C prospect.

This article encapsulates a lot of what I’m feeling. It seems like Adams is actually doing the things he said he wanted to when hired. I feel a bit of confidence that he isn’t just a mouthpiece full of hot air.

The bolded is really groundbreaking stuff. (Just a joke) If I had #1 and #3, I would be trying to come away with both Beniers and Eklund. Draft the D in round 2. Beat me to it

I disagree, sort of. The contractual situations they are in limits their options. Yeah, it stinks, but I think Reinhart and Risto were not resigning. That’s a choice they can make, independent of what path Buffalo wants to take. I don’t have a full picture of the relationship between Eichel and the team, but Jack seems pretty disgruntled, and I’m not sure how you move forward with a young team with a captain in that mindset. Again, it stinks. They are paying the price for being so bad for so long.

A possibility, though a very remote one. This might sound strange but I think that type of “risk” is a lot easier to take for young, unmarried, childless guys.

Personally, I would like a majority of the return to be young players. Guys 1-2 years into their NHL careers or about to break in next season. I don’t know who is initiating the trade business. I suspect that you may be right, but Eichel also seems pretty fed up with his situation. I think the relationship has become untenable.

I don’t want to see losing hockey, but I think the Sabres are a bit low on options right now. The younger guys aren’t ready to carry the team, a couple key players are finishing up their contracts, and the captain/best player wants out(?). I think things have been building towards this point since before Adams came aboard. I think they can rebuild with youth without being terrible. If they do it right, it shouldn’t take 3 years to be in the playoff hunt.

I know that your beef is also with fans acceptance of losing, as much as the Sabres’ acceptance of it, but Anthony’s opinions don’t necessarily reflect what the Sabres will do.

I agree completely, this looks like an intentional targeted lesk. The couple of teams that REALLY want him will pony up a little more at some point.

Preach. My heart says to swap them because I love The Concept of Beniers, but I haven’t watched enough to feel confident splitting the hair between the two. Would be very happy with either.

My first thought upon hearing this is that for a team pursuing Eichel, leaking to Friedman that the asking price is crazy high and if this doesn’t happen soon then they are out is a logical thing to do if you are trying to get the Sabres to drop the asking price.

This reads as though it’s common knowledge that Eichel has requested a trade because of the medical difference of opinion. Eichel doesn’t need to come up with any excuse for why he wants to be traded, because he hasn’t said he wants to be traded. At least not where any of us can hear it. My opinion: Its not going to get interesting. Neither Eichel or the team are going to say anything. There won’t be any back peddling or real excuses/reasons stated. We’ll just get vague cliches about how it was in the best interest of both parties to move on. He’ll be traded and that will be that.

Listening to this now. Expected Buffalo podcast.

I don’t know if he would be best at C or W, but he played C at lower levels. It’s only this season in the SHL that he has been at W. So placing him back at C would be more like returning him to his “natural” position.

Agree. And as we’ve seen, getting a couple highly talented players doesn’t help a lot if you can’t draft/acquire other good players to put around them. So don’t worry about getting the #1 pick, worry about fixing your drafting.

I would be interested to see how much these opinions differ from those of the scouts that McKenzie talks to.

1st overall.

I agree. I don’t care about getting #1 picks. The luster of that scenario has dulled significantly. I would rather the team be good. I think I’ve said this before, but I would rather that the Sabres don’t win the lottery going forward, even if the team is bad, because of the willingness of the fan base and media to latch onto a singular player (#1 OA!, Generational!) as the answer, solution, or problem. No such singular players exist on an NHL team. Once upon a time, the fan base was sold on the idea that sacrificing everything (team success, cheering for wins) to get one or two players was the right thing to do. I would encourage everyone to shake off that notion.

In the big picture, I agree. In the zoomed in, there have definitely been more than a few moments where he dogged it to the bench for a change or on the back check. I think that’s true for half the league though.