MakeSabresGrr8Again

I like turnovers....especially apple.

I think it might go the other way.....TT looking like the best player on the ice with those linemates, because they are so bad.

These are the guys that I don't think will make that much of a difference to make it worthwhile. A poster brought up some players that all scored less than 50pts last year. If Casey has developed enough and has decent wingers, he has the ability to step up to about 40pts. there isn't that much difference. And if Casey can't we still have others that might be able to bring some additional help scoring until Mitts does take over that role. I guess what I'm saying is that if we're gonna make a trade for a 2C....make it a good one or don't bother. I would rather trade for a really good one and be done with Mitts or let Mitts continue to prove himself worthy.

Yes....still can't read it because I don't subscribe, lol.

I pretty much agree. When trying to get that 2C pried away from another team or in FA, other things come into play. How much is it gonna cost you? Would said player produce as much on our team as they are on current team? How much would Stamkos or Malkin cost? What would that do to Pitt especially? How much worse off would Oilers be without RNH? Canucks without Horvat? How long do you need them? If JT Miller has 4yrs on his contract but you only need him for a year or two so Mitts and Cozens develop will you be able to get a good return if you trade him? The elite 2C's will cost too much. The really good ones you won't likely pry away. And the decent ones won't likely upgrade your team enough to make that difference you hope to get. All that and...the timing has to be just right. Catch a team when they're as desperate as you are while having the right pieces each other needs.

There's nothing unfounded in .....hopefully. There's no real claim being made.

Halle?

Drafting has gotten better hopefully with Mitts and now Cozens.

That's not really the issue here. The real issue is ....how many of those 2C's could you actually get away from those teams and not turn their team into ours?

Derek Roy was playing in Europe somwhere last year too.

You could also argue against all the guys you mentioned. Haula coming off a serious knee injury that kept him out almost all of last season. Sure, he might be a good pick up if he regains play but risk is there. Is Kadri worth more than ROR? Av's will pay Kadri $4.5M and retain $2.75M of Barrie's contract for a total of $7.25M. Kadrri only had 44pts on a stacked TO team. Sure, he brings other tangibles but do we have a Barrie, Kerfoot (whom you also mentioned as a replacement for Mitts) and a pick to trade? Soderberg turning 34yrs old in a couple weeks and near $5M had 49pts last yr on a somewhat talented Av's team. Would he get that with the wingers we had? Who knows Kerfoot ...last 2 yrs with Av's 42 and 43 pts. Not bad but again not exactly what we need and signed for about 4 more years( I'll add to this in a moment). JT Miller is also signed for about 4 more years and had less than 50pts on Tampa where it seems like everyone scores 100pts. Now, I'm not saying that you can find an upgrade to Mitts in anyone of these players in the short term. But if Mitts has a reasonable developement and some steadying wingers like maybe Johansson and Sam, I could see him having close to 40pts. So how much of an upgrade are anyone of those guys? What do you do with them when/ if Mitts develops in 1-2yrs? What about Cozens if you think that you could drop one of those guys to the 3rd line? Will you be able to trade them later on or will they become a Sabotka in a couple years? I give you credit for naming some decent alternatives to our roster but I think we'll be alright and have some options on the roster if things don't go well for Mitts (E-Rod, Johansson). Like I said, you argue all day both sides with the players you mentioned but we probably agree that not one of them will replace ROR and none will be a major upgrade to Mitts ("If he develops at a decent rate). All this and.....would any of these guys come here/ do we have the right parts for a trade?

Was one from Moanreal? Lol

I don't think it means anything because others aren't going either from that group. Jacob Bryson is one of them. Edit: from that group.....Risto/ Bryson out......Nelson/ Hickey in.

Best ever....Bravo!!!!

Favorite hobby.....disappointing Buffalo. Well at least he found something he's good at, LOL.

Agree....what's best for the team and that's why I mentioned it in my post. But, be assured that pleasing Jeff is more important than pleasing Jimmy outside of that. Agree.....all really good questions that you pose. I also remember our conversations on Asplund last year as you and I seem to have liked him from day 1. Hope he does earn that spot. Things are gonna get complicated in the 2-3 years, Eichel, Mitts, Asplund, Cozens, Pekar, and even some others. Center could become our strenght instead a weakness. Can't wait. I think Sheary is our weakest link and easily upgraded on a 4th line (just finding someone who could stand up on skates would do). Not a fan of his, if that isn't obvious. Can't wait to see what HCRK does with what's available to him. You mentioned in a previous post that Jack and Jimmy played together during summers.....I thought I saw where they played "against" each other in that league. I very well could be mistaken. EDIT: looked it up.....I was mistaken, they did play together during the summers. My bad, should've looked first.

Hopefully, LOL. But, I still don't see said GM giving us any serious upgrade to our forward ranks just on Risto himself. Like I said before....if he stays, fine. If he leaves, that's fine too. The fact that Botts has made him expendable with the upgrades at D and prospects in system, is a big plus. Here we are talking about getting rid of a player we've pretty much relied upon for several years....and I couldn't care less either way, win-win situation. GO SABRES!!!!

But a "bad player" likely won't "up-grade" our forward positions any more than trading Nelson or bringing in a Vesey.

This to me is the real problem. Too many people think Risto is a bad player. How in the heck can Botts make this trade and satisfy the masses? If he truly is a bad player then Botts likely won't get the return leaving this to look like another ROR deal. If Risto isn't as bad a player as a lot of people think and brings a decent trade value then people will say "we should 've just kept him" or "it's nothing special, just a hockey trade". If Risto goes somewhere and becomes decent and wins a cup....the sheet will certainly hit the fan. Personally, if he stays I think he'll be alright if used correctly especially with the additions Botts made to the D. And didn't the analytics show that Pilut was able to at least make Risto look better? And if he gets traded....well that's alright too by me. Just get someone who wants to be here.

We need to ask "what's best for Skinner AND the team"....a lot of questions need to be asked to come to a conclusion. You ultimately need to accommodate Jeff before you even consider accommodating Jimmy. And what about Olofsson, I think he has earned that top spot so far and look forward to seeing him there in camp before Vesey gets a shot. Does Skinner think he can pot the same amount from the RW as he has on the LW? What's Vesey's ceiling even playing with Jack and Jeff....my guess would be about 25-28g. So, that line remains about the same "if" Skinner pots 40 as a RW and Jimmy increases his totals. However, you still come up short because Vesey is not likely to bring all Sam's other attributes to that line. You then have to figure out where you gain in another area....will Sam bring enough to Line 2? I would hope so because this has been the biggest area where improvement can be obtained.

Just trying to change the culture, lol.

What did we learn? That the Harbor Center is too small.

It might be interesting to see "Beane" making the trades instead of Botts.

I'm not suggesting anything like a scam or "playing the system" and am only suggesting that the timing for him to get out may be now. He's likely already risked be in a wheelchair later on and I don't mean at 85. He's not likely to get a great contract so why risk any further damage. He keeps in great shape and yet still has these problems.

Pipe dream? isn't it possible that the bolded is happening? Chronic condition that has hampered his playing time over his career. Now, after surguries and years of missing games (not to mention that he'll be 30 next summer) who would want to pay him anywhere near $5Mil /yr to play? Might he be considering retiring? I don't think it's a pipe dream at all, Zach is a competitor though, so do I think he will let it happen? Maybe not. Might it be the best thing for him LT? Maybe. Whatever happens I wish him the best. I always liked what he brought to the table when healthy.