PerreaultForever

He was smart to being him in 2 years ago. I don't consider it smart for last season. If we had had a legit #1 goalie last year we would have made the playoffs imo. It was a mistake (or cynically they never planned to make the playoffs last year).

Just curious, but would you have wanted him on the Sabres at that money and term?

He did but I just don't think he's that good. I'd say 6.5 like Lindholm or 6.25 like Weegar was where I'd see him ending up as he's about equal to them at best.

I don't know if I'm being flattered or insulted here but I will tell you straight out I am not an optimist when it comes to the Sabres. For years I was an optimistic "fan" despite all the bad moves BUT after I jumped on the bandwagon with the 10 game season start win streak and the Skinner Eichel Reinhart line ripping it up I fell off that thing so hard I hit my head and the resulting brain injury turned me into a complete pessimist. I've been in the prove it and show me stage for a couple years now, and my patience is wearing thin. Seattle and New Jersey rising up haven't helped things. Still, I want it to finally happen this year and I want it really bad. If it doesn't, well, then,

This seems pricey to me. https://www.nhl.com/news/vince-dunn-signs-four-year-contract-with-seattle-kraken/c-344900042?tid=281072352

This is why when we picked first overall I wanted Dahlin and then I wanted Power. How many years has it been since the Sabres had a top ranked D? A LOT, and our lack of success goes hand in hand with that. Power won't peak for several years though, which is why I'd still prefer if we added a real top 4 guy now (like Pesce as an example only as I know the talk about no move clauses and all that). Eichel helped Vegas win the cup, but really they won because of their D.

I personally think a team is better off with 3 or 4 really good stars than 1 superstar. A McDavid to Buffalo trade would never happen, but if it was a reality I would not include either of those in the deal (unless Dahlin is asking for way too much right now, cause if he is I'm trading him tomorrow).

I agree with the assessment except I don't think they have a realistic shot at the cup unless the universe really lines up perfectly for them and they get massive puck luck all the way (favourable match ups, opponents injuries, etc etc). They just don't have a good enough D and their bottom 6 isn't very good either. They added this year and still failed. Matthews just isn't a playoff guy. I just can't see it happening as they are a regular season team and not a playoff team. There's a lesson in that in terms of how you build.

I don't "worry" about it, but I do tend to think ahead and big picture. Some of my comments actually become contentious because of that as I'm already considering the make up of the roster to be successful in the playoffs, not just make the playoffs and so forth.

Nosek signs with New Jersey 1million 1 year. I personally would have preferred him between Girgs and Okposo than Jost. Excellent face off man and penalty killer and he wouldn't block the youth coming up either. New Jersey is making smart moves. https://www.sportsnet.ca/nhl/article/tomas-nosek-joins-devils-on-one-year-one-way-contract/

The team should be better so VO is now, what Vinnie Hinostroza was last year and if there is no possible trade his career will follow a similar path. If Quinn wasn't out I'd guarantee he wouldn't be in the starting line up come game 1 but that injury does provide a possible temporary spot. I'd rather rotate rookies through that roster spot but they may let VO have it for a while. Absolutely guaranteed he will not be a Sabre in 2024-25.

If they were moving him now yes, most definitely, and their fans would still be pissed. If they were having to move him in the last year of his deal however, then it gets trickier and it might not be much more than 4 firsts or the equivalent.

Of course there's trouble. Leafs let him go past the point of his no trade kicking in and so now he can hold them hostage and force them to make him the highest paid player in the league (which apparently is his ask) and if they don't, he can just walk like Tavares did to the islanders. Don't forget, Nylander is holding them hostage again wanting over 10 million apparently. They are screwed.

So your contention then is that the league would influence/alter/fix? any potential trades involving McDavid? In other words it's all rigged? I mean if that was true, the league would never have allowed him to go to Edmonton in the first place. he would have gone to Toronto or perhaps Philly right away.

McDavid in Vegas made me think it goes something like: Vegas trades Eichel to Boston for idk DeBrusk, Carlo, a bunch of future first or second rounders. Vegas then flips DeBrusk and like all their first round picks for the next 5 or 6 years for McDavid, then Eichel and McDavid meet in the Stanley Cup final. NHL has so many storylines they don't know how to deal with them all. Meanwhile, Matthews is the highest paid player in the NHL playing in the dessert and losing in the first round of the playoffs every year until he retires. and after all that, it simply shifts to Michkov vs, Bedard like Ovi/Crosby. and the beat goes on...........................

and Messier. Just saying. Messier won without Gretzky. The reverse never happened, as great as Gretzky was. Philly would snap up McDavid if it was ever possible but I doubt he leaves Edmonton. I think Matthews leaving the Leafs might be more possible. As well as Eichel eventually ending up in Boston.

That's true.. My point was really that neither is all that in demand and the fear of EITHER being snapped up on waivers is perhaps not worth having. COULD they get snapped up, sure. Nobody thought Fitz would be taken by Florida and there he was (sucking) in the playoffs for them a little so you never know. If the timing is bad and some team has run out of healthy goalies it's possible. But are teams crossing their fingers waiting and hoping we waive UPL (or Comrie), well I really doubt it.

huh. I do not see this guy making the NHL ever, but you never know.

idk, but if UPL got waived vs. Comrie got waived which would be more likely to be picked up (if either)? Comrie has already been an NHL back up. He might actually be the one more likely picked up. If either.

EXCELLENT. Perfect contract length for us to trade for him at the deadline in a year and half for our playoff push and the start of their rebuild.

I get that, but what makes you so sure he would have been scooped up? Maybe we made him a "name" with all the NHL time, but prior to that, when he should never have been called up at all, he wasn't exactly a big name that NHL GMs were lining up to steal away. He was a nobody outside Buffalo.

https://www.buffalohockeybeat.com/after-long-benching-sabres-victor-olofsson-has-uncertain-future/ It's POSSIBLE he wasn't/isn't on the trade block, but the rumours of that have certainly run rampant and it makes sense after he was a healthy scratch when the team was actually trying to win and make the playoffs.

No, because I do not think VO gives us a better chance to win now. I would rather rotate rookies for Quinn but ideally I would have preferred we pick up a solid 2 way forward but since we didn't, go with this supposed brilliant prospect pool. It's not like Quinn was a game changer last year. He was inconsistent as you can be and most of his projection is based on the future potential, just like the kids in Rochester. VO gives us a better chance to lose.

This is the one. Impossible to beat this one. Hard to argue with Hasek either.

Which is why he never should have been playing NHL games yet. He needed (and still needs) lots of one on one goaltending coaching and development. Adin Hill is 27 and spent years in the AHL. That's the path that UPL should have been on. UPL is now 24 and if he'd been brought along properly he should just now be poking around the edges of maybe making an NHL roster. As is we set him back and he hasn't properly worked on his weaknesses and as such MAYBE if he's sent back down and coached and he works on things then MAYBE he can be our Adin Hill when he's 27 (if needed). If we don't bring in a veteran goalie there's a good chance we ruin Levi as well. Our plan appears to be a repeat of Philly's mistake with Hart. It's a risky and probably really dumb plan.