PerreaultForever

No necessarily wrong. Depends how you define "good".

I want to look at it this way too, and so far they haven't traded away draft picks for a quick fix and adding "stars" but I think the question does remain, is this the bottom (I want to believe it is) or do they also plan to try to add Shane Wright to go along with Power? What they do or don't do from now until the start of the season should answer that.

One also has to keep in mind that at this time Buffalo is not an attractive destination for free agent hockey players. As a new GM attempting to instill a new culture KA cannot afford to come off as hard ass or vindictive. They have to try to create an image of a supportive team that values their players. It's a true rock and a hard place situation. Jack, on the other hand will b forgiven instantly as soon as he starts scoring for whoever. Memories are short term for fans and easily changed with wins. I suspect Jack's agent will be putting more pressure on this week and if it's not done before free agency things will get ugly.

You can't tank when you've already tanked. That's just drowning.

Exactly. Not even close. Hasek gave us wins we didn't really deserve and almost got us a cup. There was absolutely zero TEAM success with Eichel. It will be interesting when he leaves to see what he says. Risto took the high road and some responsibility saying he played a role in the failure. Will Eichel do the same? Apparently Sweeney called Sabres again after the draft to see if the Price was down, it wasn't, he hung up. No Bruins dream for Jack.

He's already writing huge cheques for Skinner and getting nothing for it so I can't blame him for wanting to shed big payouts to people who aren't really into being here.

I'm going to predict they have no plans to sign a single one. Maybe a small smattering of Riley Sheahan types to fill out the roster but basically nobody. Also going to predict (and it's a mistake) that UPL will be our goalie and Power will be in our opening day line up.

because Terry finds the magical orb while out frakking and we are all transported back to the proper world of the multiverse where Sabres are good and the Leafs suck.

We're going to have to agree to disagree on this I guess. imo trading Sam seals the fate of things. It punctuates the idea this is a rebuild (and Jack has said he does not want to go through a rebuild) and it provides him with an opportunity to save his image by focusing on that point ahead of the disconnect (which I still think was fabricated for that reason). So far he has not lost his love or stated definitively he wants out, but if we don't move him soon I'm pretty sure that's coming and the NMC will be a diminishing return deadline much like ROR's bonus payment was. We wait until the season starts and I'm sure we will get less for him than we will now, They need to find the teams with assets/prospects that are in a hurry to win now and make the deal.

Possibly. We should also probably be looking (as always) at southern Ontario boys who might enjoy the proximity.

I get this, I really do. And if I'm in a hard nosed negotiation I'd take this view too, but I wouldn't be willing to risk it as a fan who wants this to end and get on with a new beginning. The chance of it derailing a rebuild is too huge. It's not like he'd do nothing, he'd still show his stuff here and there when he wanted to but look at what DuBois did in Columbus as an example. Just quit on a play here or there. Costs a game, irritate the coach. It's toxic and it spreads. As to who would sign him after, well he'd take a pay cut, but it didn't take much of an audition for Taylor Hall to get 6 million did it?

Oh I agree entirely. I think he will flourish in Philly and fans will love him. Wouldn't be surprised if he signs long term there and ends up playing solid second pairing minutes. Not sure who he will partner with. Sanheim I guess. Provorov and Ellis as the top pairing. Their D is no longer the joke it was this season.

Who has this worked for over the last decade? Hasn't just about every single player that came here lost value and seen their numbers drop? You think their agents won't dissuade this idea? The only guy I can think of that this has perhaps worked for is Curtis Lazar who earned his way back into the league. Anyone else improve their status coming here?

Spending money to a cap number is a non issue and easily fixed. You can see from the expansion draft there's a bunch of teams willing to toss away high priced vets . Easily trade for any one of them and maybe get a prospect at the same time (if necessary). This is clearly the Arizona plan. What we need to add in the short term is size and grit to balance out and protect these undersized and not fully grown yet kids. Right now this roster will get slaughtered if anybody decides to throw their weight around against us. We cannot build a proper culture for them if guys like Mitts start playing scared and we can't ask them to fight all their own battles without support.

Just can't see a way this works keeping him on the roster. It's no good for anybody.

Okay I get the point from a negotiating standpoint, but how are you going to have a healthy locker room for these young kids to grow in and develop the right attitude if Captain boy just wants out and sulks and mopes and gives half assed efforts wanting out? You'll just teach the next generation it don't matter what they do they just have to cash their cheques, serve their draft sentence and then go on to a team they like one day. Skinner's already an issue imo. Jack and him sitting there with their fat paydays would be toxic.

Come on. They were unwatchable WITH Jack (and Sam and Rsito). They looked (finally) a little watchable end of the year with Granato. In that case with Sam and Risto but no Jack. Don't think it'll be much different.

This is truly abysmal. There has to be a Quinn or a Peterka or somebody on their to have any sort of optimism at all.

I agree. I'm going to view this tank slightly differently for my own sanity (and small amount of optimism). We're not selling off assets in order to tank, this already is/was the tank. Owen Power is your tanking gift. A solid cornerstone D man. That's it. Out with the old, in with the new. new culture. So THIS, right now, last place this season, that's the bottom. Now it's a climb up from that bottom and just a question of how fast or slow it goes. I see no way we're dead last next year. That's almost certainly Arizona or maybe Columbus. Not sure we will be any good (yet) but maybe we can start to play properly, with enthusiasm, entertainingly, and as a team. So be optimistic. This is the bottom. Only one way to go.

Sabretooth.

Pity RJ will be retired before this guy plays for us. I could see him having a heyday with the name. Can I be the first to dub his quick release shot as the "Kisakov of death" and if he scores an empty netter that of course means the other team can Kisakov............... (that's right, I'm bored)

Players who have perhaps already won a cup in their career and just want to pad their retirement funds. Or the unwanted. Nobody else.

Yes, exactly. But I'm starting to wonder if there is word from the top not to take on dead salaries. Perhaps Pegula has decreed if it's a tank we spend the least possible while tanking. Certainly seems that way. I'm not sure the plan is to actually have a winner in the next year or two. But I'm also not convinced Minnesota is keen to move Dumba. I personally think the way forward is making some of the ask conditional. So, hypothetically if we want 4 assets and they only want to offer 3 we make the 4th one a pick conditional on what happens and they should be happy with that . How many points Eichel gets etc might determine the value of that future pick. What used to be called the old "future considerations". (I think there should have been a conditional added to the Reinhart deal based on his signing longer term, but I'm still okay with that one as is. Maybe not full value, but necessary and maybe best we could get). In any event the recent KA comment about being fine with Eichel on the roster in the fall screams failure at getting this done and/or a transparent negotiating ploy. Letting the NMC kick in on a guy who has already stated he wants no part of another rebuild would be disastrous and he's not fooling anyone with that comment.

We need a goalie (goalies) plus some character veteran leadership. At the moment (assuming no Eichel) who's the captain? Kyle? Come on. There's nobody. Kids aren't ready.

Finally goes to Boston after this contract expires? 🙂 But I agree.