GASabresIUFAN

6'4 center. He is only 25 and was a 2nd rd pick in 2014. He was taken one slot before the great Eric Cornel. KA said he was going to create competition for jobs. I see no reason he won't compete for that 4th line center job. He was a good scorer in Juniors and has shown some hands in the AHL. We need some size and physical play. I wouldn't mind seeing him make the team.

That was my initial reaction as well but then I began to wonder how the locker room will react to his return.

Sounds like the Mitts discussion What happens if Jack returns to the team?

You bring in FAs for areas of need. I agree that shelling out big $ for FAs has never worked. Heck, trading for big name players has also rarely worked. However target spending to fill roster holes does work. This team needed goaltending and no one in the organization is ready to assume the role. Where then do you get a goalie? Either through trade or FAs. Ka said he was reluctant to trade assets to get a goalie therefore FAs were the only route left to him. The other serious hole in the roster was defensive D-men. He acquired two in trade, but neither Butcher nor Hagg fit that description, although Hagg might with the right coaching. Bottomline, KA has failed so far to give his young team the proper support it needs. Not a surprise, but sad all the same.

Yes he knows that he failed and was putting the best possible spin on it.

He was composed but he was full of crap. How can he possibly be comfortable with his goaltending? He said he wasn’t going to give up an asset to get a goaltender in trade. Last I looked the acquired goalie would be an asset as well. That is unless he comfortable with a team that allows 5 goals a night.

Bottomline Ullmark wouldn’t block UPL under any circumstances, unless he becomes a Vezina winner. Then having him with term would be a great problem to have had. Oh well.

Fair but Vanacek was traded back to Washington for a 2nd. Had KA offered them our 2nd Vanacek would be here. The only scenario where this wouldn’t be true is if Sea had a gentleman’s agreement to return Vanacek for a 2nd if they weren’t going to keep him.

If they were so worried about injuries why try to re-sign him at all?

G-D forbid we have two good goalies. Is that even allowed.

Really. We have had the expansion draft, the actually draft, the buyout period and the start of free agency. We have lost Riso, McCabe, Ullmark, Hutton (thankfully), and Reinhart. They have been replaced by Hagg, Butcher, Anderson, Dell, Hinostroza. I'd say the off-season is well past just getting started. Sure there is months to go until the season begins and one last shoe to drop. Who knows that trade may just give us the goaltending, No. 1 center and stay at home D we need to compete next season. Anything is possible.

Yes, but Vanacek was traded back to the Caps for a 2nd rd pick. It seems it should have been worth a phone call. Our 2nd would certainly be higher then Washington's. There in lies one of my biggest issues with KA. No guts. Could our 2nd next year be the 33rd pick again. Absolutely. However we have no goaltending and even if Ullmark had re-signed, Vanacek would have been a great 1B. That seems worth the risk to me. No guts.

I agree. That seems a little weird. If UPL proves NHL ready sooner then later, he can always serve as Ullmark's backup and If he outplays Ullmark then you do what Pitts did and play both or trade Ullmark. Eventually it will work itself out.

Thanks! Love It. You are welcome to disagree with me, but at least disagree with something other then personal commentary.

I started that thread as a joke. That said, I'm perfectly fine if Jack starts that season here. I want maximum value for him if he's traded and showing that he is healthy and productive will probably be the best way to do that. However we need to be willing to take a contract or two back to maximize the number of suitors.

Why would he want anything but a bridge deal? KA wants the bridge to save money and Dahlin wants one to get out of town as soon as possible.

Last season I was a huge advocate of turning the team over the kids and the team was better for it once Rasputin was fired and the kids played a bigger role. I’m glad this is the Sabres plan going forward except I hoped (expected) the team putting a better support system in place for the kids like real goalies and some stay at home D to help shepherd the kids. Unfortunately it’s readily apparent that no one with a choice wants to play here. Not a good but injury prone goalie, not an injured veteran D, or any free agent goalie worth a crap. It truly shows how this franchise is viewed by the players in the league. If we truly want a fresh start TP must sell the team.

If there was a trade market for Jack he’d already have been traded. Now so many teams who could have afforded Jack’s deal have already spent their cap space during free agency. So now to get him traded we are going to have show he is healthy and we need to take a bad contract or two back like the ROR deal. However that is contrary to KA’s cost control mandate from TP/KP. Hard to get a deal done for an injured player with a huge cap figure especially when the buyers can’t afford to take his contract and when the seller won’t or can’t take a contract back.

Jack is likely starting the year here as the No. 1 center. Mitts is 2 and Cozens 3. Girgensons or Eakin as the 4. Can someone tell me who is going to be the defensively responsible D man in that group? Joki? Hagg? Yuck!

Today presser was further proof the this team is dying and should be sold. If KA pivot plan is a 40 year old starting goalie then he is full of crap. No one wants to play here unless they aren’t getting offers from anyone else. No internal cap? More BS how is it that not a single FA was signed for more the $1 mill?

KA would take it as it would add picks and save even more money.

No cap, just cut costs as much as possible. Anyone think Dahlin is signing more then a bridge deal to get himself to UFA status? I guess he decided since he couldn’t get a real goalie to get us over the cap floor he’ll keep Jack around long enough to get over the cap minimum and then trade him in an ROR type deal by mid season.

They were 23 I believe in 13/14. First KA is lying trough his teeth. Just like he had the authority to fire Rasputin, he is under orders to go cheap. Also if his pivot plan was Anderson and Dell he is either lying or incompetent or mostly likely both.

or here to Atlanta. 🙂

Maybe someone will have the guts to ask if he thinks Anderson/Dell are upgrade over Ullmark.