GASabresIUFAN

Eichel Situation Un-Resolved, Losing Streak at 20, Pegulas Meet With Bettman.

@dudacek We may need two threads a day if we are going to get through the roster.

Eichel Traded to Toronto for a Tim Horton’s coupon book.

The mistake wasn’t the tank itself, it was how TM used the assets from the tank. For example we traded away our organizational depth and he failed to draft well. He also used the key assets on acquiring malcontents and injury players like Kane, Bogo, ROR and Lehner. We have never recovered. Sorry!

Rebuild vs Tank. We are rebuilding in general. However, KA is clearly tanking this season in order to draft a replacement for Eichel. No other way to explain pivoting from Ullmark to Anderson/Dell. This is going from playoff caliber goaltending to AHL level goaltending.

Adams Kicked Upstairs! Karmanos Named Interim GM

KO is real leader. I liked that DG said the Skinner’s personality is coming out more. Maybe this is a hint that Skinner is ready to assert himself more as a leader. Do we need to add the removal of the C from Jack to the bad or ugly?

I expect DG to insert him early in the season on Cozens' RW. I think DG will want a 2 way presence from this line and KO will respond with some excellent play until he gets hurt, again.

No price point. He wants max flexability.

If Jack took this to arbitration and won, he'd get the surgery he wants. He hasn't taken it to arbitration because he has been advised that he's likely lose. Had the Sabres said he can't have any type of surgery that would have been an unreasonable use of their power. Instead they said, rest and get therapy and if that doesn't work, we'll authorize ACDF surgery.

To prevent unreasonable use of the team’s power to make medical decisions for the players. I don’t think this is one of those cases.

Truthful none of it matters until we get competent goaltending.

As we have discussed, I think at least one of Poltapov, Kisakov and Rosen should have been a center. I would have drafted Lucius or Svechkov over Rosen. I wanted JJP and agree that Rossi or Perfetti should have been the choice over Quinn. I agree that grabbing the talent out of the MHL last year was smart, but then they ignored making choices with updated info in the 3rd by going off the board for two more wingers. Like Quinn here, there is also talk of Rosen being moved to center. Depth at center has been an issue with this organization since DR was in charge. It's been 20 years since we drafted and developed a good center not drafted in the 1st rd. 20 years. That's a horrible track record and a primary reason we are where we are. This organization never learns and I'm going to keep on harping on this until they actually fix the problem. Trying to convert Rosen and Quinn is not fixing the problem.

While this may be true it still flows from the lack of centers. If Quinn had a good center to play with to get him the puck on a consistent basis I sincerely doubt he be playing center right now.

It's not a negative. I'm simply saying had management done their jobs properly this experiment wouldn't be necessary. My comments are not an indictment of Quinn, but a criticism of the organization.

If the policy had allowed the surgery then it probably would have happened. The stories of the ADR being "experimental" is insurance speak for a non-covered procedure. No one is going to underwrite a new policy with Jack's now pre-existing condition. The old policy maybe re-negotiated because all policies are negotiable in that industry. However too change the risk in the policy would involve more premium or some type of medical proof that the non-previously approved procedure is medically necessary. Had Jack gone to medical arbitration and won, the Sabres would have a great case for forcing the insurance company to waive their objections to the ADR procedure. To date we have no information that anyone has tried to renegotiate the policy or get them to waive their objections to ADR. I thought it was good news on that front when a news story mentioned Jack consulting a new set of West Coast Drs. However, nothing has come of it.

Actually I do know about the insurance. I have a close friend in the industry who creates these types of insurance products. He told me that the Sabres have a policy on Jack and that the typical policy in the industry pays 75%.

What in the last decade has given you any indication that this team has any idea what they are doing? Had we done a better job of draft and developing, we might even have a good team by now. The latest genius to inhabit the GM's office, KA, has drafted 7 wingers and 1 D in the 1st 3 rounds of the last 2 drafts. In addition to not drafting centers, we have a pipeline with zero quality centers outside of guys who have graduated to full time NHL duty. Simply put we lack talent at center in the pipeline. Am I not surprised that are experimenting with one of the wingers at center. No I'm not surprised. My point is it wouldn't be necessary has management done their job properly in the first place. Quinn was drafted to be a sniper and that is what he should be doing. Had they wanted a center they should have drafted Rossi or Perfetti. Honestly this experiment is further proof that they don't have a clue.

Had he received a reasonable offer that wasn't contingent of Jack being healthy, he'd have take it even if it wasn't his 4 pieces so that he could move on. He even took an in division trade to move on from Reinhart. He did draw a line in the sand by standing firm on the medical procedure to follow. He also tried to build a better team to appease Jack. Trading for Staal, signing Eakin and Hall, were all to appease Jack and RK. It failed miserably. He also couldn't allow Jack to get ADR because of the contract insurance. Like I said earlier, I'm not really sure what Adams could have done differently but give Jack away for nothing or take him off the market. Remember I want KA fired. If I could see away to agree with you I would.

Sorry, that doesn't work. You don't experiment with a kid to his non-natural position unless you have no choice. Been saying that for years.

What do you think he could have done differently?

I'm shocked, shocked I say. I wonder if there is an opportunity here for KA to throw Jack an olive branch of sorts by not removing the C. Instead he'll have 3 assistant C's, like KO, Dahlin and whomever as the Jack situation resolves itself. This would help leave open a chance for Jack to return.

6% or 7% is meaningless. All it means is that KA can't sign another 750K veteran replacement player.

It's a fair question, but hopefully the team has made some real progress by then. At least it's a 3 years instead of one or 2.

In defense of Adams what exactly was he supposed to do here? He is between a rock and a hard place. He has a valuable injured player with a potential career threatening injury. He owes that player $50 mill in guaranteed money and has an insurance policy protecting 75% of the liability. This can only play out in so many ways 1) He trades Jack for nothing to a team willing take on the contract liability and the injury. My guess is there will be a buyer or two here, but KA isn't trading him for nothing. 2) He tries to get value for Jack in trade, but no team wants the contract liability until Jack's proven healthy. Therefore he hasn't been traded 3) KA approves the surgery Jack wants, but that potentially voids the insurance and if it fails, KA has no insurance, no player and a $50 mill liability. No one would go down this road 4) Jack has the surgery the team wants. From Jack's point of view, this is a non-starter, because the more traditional ACDF surgery can limit his motion and I believe it has a longer recovery time according to what I've read. 5) Jack has the surgery without permission from the club. This voids his contract costing him $50 mill and if it fails, his career is probably over. Not a risk worth taking 6) Stalemate continues - Jack reports, goes on IR and the Sabres make a claim on their policy. This is where this gets interesting. Assuming they don't try to deny the claim, the insurance company will probably be more open to alternative treatments in order to get Jack back on the ice and playing in order to limit their own obligations on the contract. My guess is to get them to change their opinion, there has to be more medical evidence that ADR is the way to go and additional premium $ need to be paid. Other then the PR battle, I'm not exactly sure what KA was supposed to do differently. I have no affection for KA the GM, but I'm not really sure what else he could do here if Jack won't have the team prescribed surgery? His only other option was to trade Jack for pennies on the dollar. I wonder if Fish got fired for not giving Jack control of his health care in the contract.