PerreaultForever

Nobody's talking about winning a cup, but a small number of good free agents to turn you into a playoff contender sure. A decent goalie, a solid reliable RHD, a good 2 way center and possibly a grit guy to round out the 4th line and with a little luck and a few kids developing I think we'd have a legit playoff shot. Without those pieces we will wait and talk about the big draft a lot. I know which option I prefer.

DeBrincat and Kane in the same deal with extensions already worked out and then signed. I'd give them 2 of the 3 firsts for that. Then sign Husso, Manson and DesLauriers in free agency and we're in the playoffs ahead of Boston (and possibly others). Dream baby dream. 🙂

So your plan is to pick up the scraps and the players nobody wants. I'm sure that will work splendidly.

You know, if we're a cap floor team and that's the impression out there, nobody good will sign here unless it's a HUGE overpayment they can't say no to, as we will not be viewed as a serious contender or even a team trying to become a serious contender.

I wouldn't be afraid to give him term on a reasonable deal if he was interested. He could anchor the 4th line as you say and be a serviceable fill in on the 3rd line if needed. I'd first make Andrew Copp my best offer possible and when he turns that down call up White's agent for plan B. I heard he wants to play in Montreal though but that was just a rumour.

I think fans of winning teams (unless it's your team too) always start to get annoying. Just talk to Pats fans in football if you don't believe me. They get a kind of holier than though attitude with an expectation to win so I can see this happening with Tampa fans. I think Pittsburgh fans had that a few years back. I remember when I was young in southern Ontario almost everyone was a Leaf fan or a Habs fan and at that time the Habs fans were the worst. They had a smugness and holier than thou attitude from all their winning. But "delusional" for Leafs fans is without a doubt a reality and the overwhelming vote total for annoying made my day. hate the Leafs.

Lazar? Really? I've seen him compared to Couturier and Killorn. idk, I think he's just what we need to help balance this roster. He will be a perfect 3rd line fit in 2-3 years, maybe even better. But of course, who really knows. I doubt Sabres draft him.

I could see a DeBrincat trade as well and perhaps some other shuffling but aside from that here's my guesses: 1. Wright 2. Slafkovsky 3. Cooley 4. Nemec 5. Gauthier 6. Kemell 7. Jirichek 8. Lekkerimaki 9. Savoie 10. Korchinski 11. Kasper 12. Snuggerud 13. Geekie 14. Mintyukov 15. Pickering 16. Nazar 17. McGroarty 18. Chesley 19. Kulich 20. Yurov 21. Miroshnichenko 22. Lambert 23. Ohgren 24. Ostlund 25. Howard 26. Rinzel 27. Gaucher 28. Schaefer 29. Firkus 30. Del Bel Belluz 31. Bichsel 32. Beck

Ya, idk what Button doesn't like about him but no way do I see McGroarty still there at 28.

How are they helping them out? McDonagh is a very good defensive D man and Tampa will miss him big time. Good fit for Nashville and their style and he has lots of miles left on him imo. Myers is crap. Nashville is now a better team. Tampa is worse. KA has the ability to help some teams out this way. Pity he doesn't or we could get better too.

and you missed my point earlier. Never trust a word they say, any of them . (How many times have you heard a GM say the coach is safe before he got fired lol) The plan is the plan until it isn't, and the plan can still be the plan even with additions. Go back to Taro's comment, he understood what I was saying and nailed it.

TSN Mock Draft with Craig Button today had us taking Kasper, Yurov and then McGroarty (all the way down at 28?) . Kind of odd ordering I thought and might explain why Button is an analyst and not a GM but if that was the 3 we got I'd be satisfied. https://www.tsn.ca/button-has-habs-making-the-wright-pick-in-final-mock-draft-1.1819441

Maybe. But I think it can still be tricky and uncertain. They'd certainly have had to have done their homework and know all about the player in question and I definitely wouldn't over reach and grab them early. The question will be how far do they fall before teams take a chance. I think a likely scenario is as soon as the first Russian is picked, at whatever point that is, the rest will go quickly after that. But idk, it's an interesting question. Draft night intrigue.

the key word is "interesting". That could mean anything. Could be Kane, could be Husso, could be ? What exactly would be "something interesting" ? You really seem to love KA as GM. Why I don't know, but it's clear you are all in on him 100%. To me at this point he still needs to prove himself. Deconstruction was not the hard part. At this point for me he's no different than the others. You called him the "young GM" earlier which made me laugh as the implication was that somehow made him what, better? We've had nothing but young GMs in this era and they've all screwed up royally. Until we see the results of his drafting we can't really evaluate him. As to his "plan", of course that's the plan, and there's a bunch of picks coming, but there comes a point where you need to make other moves too. The draft is without a doubt how you build, but the teams you mentioned, Yzerman and all that, also made trades and signed UFAs to make them better. You want to win you don't just save money for the future, you balance your payroll. For example after his entry level deal ends you'll need money for Power, so you can sign a UFA with a contract that expires around that same time. You MANAGE the cap as you are the GENERAL MANAGER. Spending nothing and sitting on the cap floor cheats the fans and only lines the pocket of the owner. Two things I don't want. I don't want to wait any longer, and I definitely do not want to teach this group that they have to wait and that losing is acceptable. We do that, and this will all unravel yet again, just like last time. No thank you.

Given what I'm reading about Ivan Fedotov I think I'd stay away from any Russians in the first round. Just out of principle if nothing else. https://www.newsweek.com/nhl-player-ivan-fedotov-detained-russia-draft-dodging-missing-lawyer-1721289

I predict he signs with the Wild for a lot less. Unless he REALLY wants another cup in which case he signs with the Avs for even less than that.

So presumably with that last sentence you think I do? Nice. What's with all this "young GM" and "Italian coach with the cool blue framed glasses" stuff? Sounds like you're in the fantasy world. Now to hockey, and what matters, you acknowledge we need a goalie to succeed and you believe all of those positions need to be addressed as I said, so there's really nothing to argue about. The rest is just a question of degree. Mitts? Believe it when I see it, not when the little balding man who looks like Moby tells me.

I think you misunderstand me. It's not a "level of despair" I just think that we could leap forward a lot (like the Rangers did) if we add some key pieces to fill the soft spots and that opportunity is here, but based on what I've read and heard it seems like they will pass on that opportunity. I'm not sure which young players will improve or not. I hope they all do. They might, but some might not. Some might disappoint. It's hard to say. Will we be better? Maybe. If we have decent goaltending. But I see an internal development improvement as a SLOW progression and I want PLAYOFFS! Add a good goalie, a solid veteran RHD and a proven 2C and maybe one solid upgraded grit player penalty killer to this young core and we could challenge for a wild card spot and maybe make the playoffs if somebody falls off a little (Boston or Pittsburgh maybe). If we don't add those players we will not be in the running come season end. We wait another year. Is that despair? If you want to call it that, but I just want playoffs.

The last sentence is definitely true, but the circumstances are not entirely different, the Sabres made them different. Choices are always made, and the Sabres made a lot of bad ones. As have the Sabres. It is still tbd whether or not this has changed.

I know what you mean but Bogo is irritating to watch still playing on a roster as good as Tampa's. He went from the very bottom to the top in the same year. Definitely fits that graphic. Hasek I wouldn't count as he did have success here and almost got us to the very top. I just hope Eichel and Lehner don't get to raise the cup in Vegas. That would be the worst.

This would be a lot funnier if not for ROR and Bogo .

Damn it, I thought I had a chance at beating Brawndo to this one. Pretty much a done deal now. So no Quinn after all. https://www.boston.com/sports/boston-bruins/2022/06/30/bruins-to-hire-jim-montgomery-as-their-next-head-coach/

It's always NEXT year with the Sabres and I'm tired of it. Nothing personal, but this sort of wait one more year attitude sucks imo. There is a moment to be seized here and it'll slip away fast without the right moves. There's simply no need for it. It is possible to develop kids and a young core and also be competitive NOW. L.A. Kings seem to understand it. Just another in the long line of teams that were just as bad as us not long ago moving way ahead of us. But don't worry, grampa's in net!

Never, but maybe here: https://canucklegame.github.io/canuckle/ They like hockey related words often at least.

maybe we will trade for Mike Smith next so that we can have the oldest starting tandem in NHL history.