GASabresIUFAN

He skates very well Really good Mando episode last night, although I thought @DarthEbriate would have been the one to bring it up.

Fixed We have a ton of D, but only 3 or 4 who should be playing for this team.

Yep. When I looked at who was available with term and needed skill sets, Chychrun and Greenway were at the top of the list. Greenway’s experience with DG really made him a clear choice for the Sabres.

Fify

Here is some general thoughts on KA and this deadline. Overall He did significantly more that I thought he’d do. 1) I love the Greenway deal. He got him for a reasonable price and he is an ideal fit for this club. He’s big, fast, DG and Tage know him well, he’s under K for 2 more years, and most importantly brings a physical game we’ve needed since Foligno left. A+++ 2) Getting a 3rd for Portillo for someone who didn’t want to be here and may not sign with LA is excellent. Same price TM paid for Vesey’s rights. A 3) Asplund for a 7th in the future. Had no roster spot once Greenway acquired and Vinnie recalled to play ahead of him. Glad KZ got him an opportunity elsewhere. B 4) Priskie for Strand. If Strand is a more stay at home D, that’s good news for the Amerks. A if Strand is a stay at home D. 5) Bjork for OP native Gicewicz saves some money for the Sabres, gets Bjork an opportunity elsewhere, brings a local kid home, but probably not much impact on the ice. Another positive is that we swapped an NHL deal to and AHL deal saving a spot toward the 50 NHL contract limit. B 6) Stillman for Bloom. I don’t like the D we acquired. He adds “NHL” depth and may play in our top 6 because the other depth pieces maybe worse, which is pretty friggin sad. He adds a physical game, but doesn’t skate that well and is positionally poor. He is a worse version of Lyubushkin. He is under contract for next year as well. I have zero issue with sending out a forward prospect for D help, although I really like Bloom. However, defense was our most pressing need heading into the deadline and I don’t think we are actually better on the ice for the deal. I won’t give the deal an F because there is a chance he’ll be better than what we currently have, but if it’s an upgrade it’s a very small one. Grade D. This team deserved better help on D than Stillman, especially with Dahlin banged up. IMHO he should have invested in Chychrun, but it’s clear that he wouldn’t part with our top picks.

Not anymore.

Another great TM pick sent packing for peanuts.

We are going to love thus guy. He’s a big faster more skilled version of Girgensons. He is going to make us so much harder to play against. I guess Vinnie now goes back to the pine.

…. And the winner is the Buffalo Sabres.

I posted this and closed my eyes for a few minutes and bam 3 trades. Lol

I’ve been asking for this deal for days. It just made to much sense. Great move from KA, but where is the D help? 😉

Fify

1 hour and counting........

But will KA do it? He has 8 D under contract or control and 2 goalies. If he makes changes to this group, it will signal a major change in his philosophy. I’m not sure he’s willing to go down that road.

The idea comes from the unreliable source, but what would you pay to add Tom Wilson to this team? Wilson is 28, has a M-NTC and has one year left at 5.167. He’d certainly change the complexion for the team.

The goal is to field a winning team. If the guy isn’t helping us move in that direction it’s time to move on from that player.

Your right. There was nothing they could do to stop this beatdown. There is no depth on defense and no good enough goaltending. Why is this? Easy KA hasn’t dedicated the necessary resources to fix these areas of the team where the pipeline hasn’t developed enough talent. It’s highly unlikely that any major enhancements are coming at the deadline. The questions now are whether or not there is enough here to even get to the playoffs and regardless of if they make the playoffs will KA be willing to make the necessary changes in those areas this off-season to field a truly competitive team next season. Please remember the we have 8 D under contract or control and 2 goalies under contract or control. If KA goes with the status quo team here is what we already look like for next season Skinner TnT Tuch Mitts Cozens Quinn JJP Krebs VO ???? Jost (rfa) ???? Dahlin Mule Power Jokiharju Stillman/Clague/Bryson Lyubushkin (Clague is an RFA) Comrie and UPL (RFA)

Yep

No

No question he didn't want to play second fiddle to Levi.

What if KA is really trying to tank the team to get one more good lottery pick for his rebuild? Here is the thought process. 1) He knows even with a healthy team, Bos or Carolina would dispatch the Sabres quickly in the 1st rd. 2) He also knows the extent of Tuch and Dahlin's injuries and if both are out for weeks to come, it would significantly diminish the likelihood of the Sabres even making the playoffs. 3) He also knows that any pickup at the deadline that would replace Tuch and Dahlin would possibly decimate his pipeline and possibly his cap structure. 4) He knows that the remaining schedule is a beast 5) Therefore better to tank the team, give the kids max PT, and get the best lottery pick possible to give us more assets in the summer to use to fix problems or more draft capital to fix our lack of D in the pipeline.

I was thinking 5-2 Bruins.

Which is the same thing he brought to Buffalo.

Good thing we didn't get Chychrun. G-d forbid we'd have the appropriate depth to whether such a loss.