GASabresIUFAN

Demko and Chychrun would definitely be big time trades and both are unlikely. The difference here is that if KA made such bold moves he already has a great core playing well in Tage, Tuch, Skinner, Cozens, JJP, Quinn, Dahlin, Power and Samuelsson. All TM had when he made those trade were Eichel and Reinhart and both were rookies. That said, we don't have to go that far on the limb to make significant improvements. Go look at NJ's trades for Marino and Vanacek. All that cost them was a Bryson type player, 2 3rd picks and and trading down from 37 to 46 in the 2nd rd. With the depth in our pipeline we wouldn't even notice those picks were gone.

What? This may be the ..... post you have ever made. Right up there with Bush is as good as Marino. What does my post have anything to do with Jbot? I just want the GM to do his job and fix the defense. So does everyone else here. The only difference is I think repairs can be made now and not wait again til next year after this season is lost Again where does Jbot fit into that equation? In fact I leveled the same criticism at Jbot. Remember I'm the person who started all the Jbot do something already threads. You can Jbot, Jbot, Jbot and your beating the dead horse all you want, but we are on schedule, as @matter2003 pointed out, to be the first team in 100 years to miss the playoffs after leading the NHL in scoring. That will be a pretty sad piece of history. Is that really what you want?

I wrote in another thread that there are rumors from credible people (not Eklund) that Van is listening to offers for Demko once he gets off IR. The price according to the Athletic should be around a 1st in 2023 and a good prospect. Demko has three years left and does not have an NMC or NTC. I'm not sure why Van wants to part with Demko, but if they are I'd love for KA to get him (not try to get him). This is probably the best in season option. That said, I have been simply asking for him to try to upgrade Bryson, Pilut and Fitz in season. I think this is much more realistic and would help all of our goalies perform better without blocking any prospects or costing many of KA's precious picks and prospects.

I'm going to disagree. The fact that the team hasn't made the playoffs in a decade has created a disgruntled and disenchanted fanbase. This has led to terrible attendance and significant loss of revenue to the franchise. My guess TP has some significant $ limitations on KA because of the lack of revenue. The sooner KA gets this team back to the playoffs the quicker he solves improves attendance and the team's revenue. So yes he is very cognizant of the team's recent history. The question is will that change how he does his job? It hasn't. He is still wait and see mode, aka "another development year," until he changes to win now mode the team won't be making the playoffs.

Makes you wonder why there is no urgency to fix the goaltending and defense. It's clear that KA didn't expect the offense to breakout as it has and he was expecting another "development year" and wasn't and isn't prepared to fix the roster issues yet.

It was a joke. Some people here seem to get upset if you mention that VO and Mitts are still contributing despite some defensive struggles.

Just don’t tell people that VO and Mitts are included in the list.

GM's have pick value charts and here is one from the Athletic. https://theathletic.com/1798463/2020/06/12/by-the-numbers-revisiting-the-true-value-of-a-draft-pick/ The Sabres sit 11th right now which garners 5.7 pts. The 27th pick is 3.2 pts. So if we give them our 1st and Östlund/Rosen for Demko they need to also through in their 2nd in 2023 which would be around pick 34, which is worth 2.5 pts to balance the difference between our pick and the last rd pick the Athletic article mentioned. You can easily disagree that Demko is worth the equivalent of 2 1st rd picks and that is a reasonable argument, but a some point KA needs to stop shopping at bargain mart and take a reasonable risk, and this is not a crazy price in the current environment. It's also hard to know what a good youngish goalie under contract is worth. I looked quickly but haven't found any similar deals recently. Most of been trades are for older goalies or not completely proven RFAs like Vanacek or Georgiev. Don't forget that TM traded a 1st and took back a bad contract to get Lehner.

I'm not sure what Casey's problem has been this year. When he came back last year he was creating offense every night, now there is until the last couple of games, a timidity in his game that wasn't there late last year. Maybe he is over thinking about being defensively aware, maybe he just has no chemistry with VO and whichever the flavor of the day on the other wing he's playing with. DG said himself that he has given Mitts/VO poor D coverage. Ultimately Casey may just be a average NHL player who will find a role somewhere as a 3rd line player who can help on the PP. He is on pace for a 15g 45 pt season. That's solid production from a 3rd line player even if half is from the PP. I have always like Asplund with Casey. Maybe the move is Asplund Casey KO and then a 4th line of Girgensons Krebs/Jost VO.

As I mentioned before these 3 guys process the game so quickly, once the puck touches one of their sticks the 3 guys are gone. They seem to already know where they each are on the ice at all times. Quinn and JPP played together last season in the A, but their instant chemistry with Cozens is wonderful to watch. That give and go and give back goal last night was a thing of beauty. Bold prediction time: Quinn and maybe JJP will catch Berniers for the rookie scoring lead in the NHL by year's end. Quinn is averaging a pt a game over his last 12 games. Beniers is at .82 for the season.

DG doesn't agree with you.

Actually the Sabres are in the 11th slot and if we get Demko would could end up 15/16 area. As the Athletic pointed out a 1st and a prospect is the price. Schenn and a 2nd are included in the deal to balance the value between a mid-first and a late first. However Van will get that general framework (1st and prospect) if they choose to trade Demko. I'm perfectly ok with swapping Östlund for Rosen in the deal.

You realize that that play was in the 1st period last night with the score 0-0? The blowout happened in the 3rd period.

Which way? Van refusing or Buffalo refusing? You don't think an NHL GM needing goaltending would trade a 1st and a prospects for Demko, a proven young goalie in his prime with 3 years left on his deal and without a NMC/NTC? I will respectively disagree.

Actually with Mitts on the top line their advanced metrics have been excellent, they just haven't been converting the last two games. Casey setup Tuch perfectly in the 1st but Copley made an amazing save. DG admitted the after the Pitt game that some of VO and Mitt's issues stem from his use of our bottom tier D while they were on the ice. https://www.buffalohockeybeat.com/sabres-casey-mittelstadt-earns-chance-to-showcase-talents-on-top-line/ Also VO's line made a habit for driving to the net last night and it worked. Casey worked there as well for Tuch and Tnt. Maybe both talented forwards finally got the message?

@LGR4GM and @brawndo I'll take this a step further. Lets say Van offered us Demko and Schenn and a 2nd pick for Comrie, Rosen, our 1st in 2023 (top 7 protected) and a 3rd when Demko returns from IR. Would you make this deal? If you would, do you think KA would this season? A recent article in the Athletic puts his trade value at a late first plus a top prospect. https://theathletic.com/3926168/2022/11/23/canucks-trade-value-rankings/ I'd make the deal in a minute. I think Demko is slightly overpaid, but the 3 years left on the deal should give us ample time for Levi to develop properly and give us playoff caliber goaltending now. Rosen is expendable because of Savoie, Östlund and Kulich. While I'd like to keep the 2023 1st in a deep draft, most of the top of this draft is more good forwards which is where our great depth is.

I’ve pointed out multiple moves that other clubs in our situation like Det and NJ which were low cost trades that KA had the assets to make and instead went to bargain mart for the pieces instead of getting real players. It all goes back to his unwillingness to use assets other than cap space to improve the team and even than to only use as little cap as possible. This has zero to do with Jbot. It has everything to do with a GM unwilling to properly build on the rebound from last season. NJ - Adds Marino, Vanacek and a mid 2nd for an early second, their version of Bryson, and 2 3rds. Buffalo - Comrie, Bush and Jost for FA cash and a waivers claim. Are you seriously telling me that these moves are equivalents? I forget you think Bush is as good as Marino. Thank you for proving my point. The NJ GM was serious about winning and improved his club through trades and managed to do so very inexpensively, while our GM went shopping at bargain mart and got exactly what he paid for, 3 stop gap players who don’t make this club better now or in the future. Maybe @Brawndo is right and KA will mentally turn the corner by next offseason and decide to spend some assets in trades like the NJ GM and try to fill our roster with good NHL players. All I’m saying is that had KA had that opportunity this past off-season and refused.

I think so

Everything you asked for above was available last summer and was just as set up for Adams as next off-season. The team turned the corner last year and had he done what you suggest for next off-season last off-season we wouldn’t still be in the bottom 1/3 of the NHL. We knew last off-season we needed at least two capable NHL D for the top 6, we knew we needed a legit starter in goal, we knew we needed a 4th line center and he had and has $20 mill in cap to do it. The needs remain the same. The only real difference is that the franchise has wasted another season. How different would we look if we just did what NJ did, in addition to signing Bush. They acquired Vanacek and the 46th pick for picks 37 & 70. They also acquired John Marino for Ty Smith (who is in the AHL) and a 3rd after this season.

Should we go back to the Black jerseys? We seem to play better when we wear them.

I’m not asking him to replace a youngster in the lineup. I’ve been asking to get rid of guys like Bryson, Fitz and Pilut who aren’t NHL players in the short-term so that the team can weather injuries better. I’d love to add someone Chychrun long-term, but no way KA spends the assets.

That’s why I am so frustrated with KA. If he added more D depth and only slightly better goaltending this team would be a playoff team right now.

Edm has 4 10+ goal scorers for 2nd place in the NHL. Buffalo leads with 5 - TnT, Skinner, Tuch, VO and Cozens - Dahlin is next w 9.

Just finished watching the game. That may have been the best 3rd period played by the team in 15 years. The best thing about JJP, Quinn and Cozens is how fast they make decisions with the puck at full speed. They just don’t hesitate with the puck on their sticks. JJP has the tools to become this team’s most dynamic forward within a few years. I say that even with the dynamite unicorn already on the roster. If UPL had been in net we’d have been down 2 or 3 to 1 heading into the 3rd. @JohnC I thought the 7’s line was good all game. Amazing what happens when players actually play in the high danger areas.

Lol. Ooops wrong thread. Beane could certainly teach KA about when to start trying to win.