jame

Dahlin - generational Mittelstadt - 1st line / 70 point Olofsson - 1st line / 30 goals Thompson - 1st line / 30 goals Nylander - 1st line - 60 point Asplund - Middle 6 center Pilut - 1st pair Guhle - top 4 borgen - top 4 Davidsson - middle 6 Laaksonen - top 4 Samuelson - top 4 Pekar - middle 6

Couturier is a pipe dream... one of my favorite pipe dreams (he’s a younger ROR). but I’d also be hesitant to add a younger center with term and cap (don’t we still believe in Mitts?) Staal appeals to me because he’s a 1-3 year solution. St Louis has turned it around, so I doubt Schenn is available, and even if he was... it’s gonna cost about what they paid for ROR... which would make it a Murray-esque move.

Steven Stamkos went on a deep playoff run in his 3rd season. He has talked about how it was the most important season and experience of his career (I live in Tampa now, season tickets). Our pipeline is repaired now, the impact from the Murray extraction was felt in 2016-2018. the problem with the roster right now, is singular... the ROR left a crater in the lineup.

The ROR trade cost us at least 1 playoff run... maybe two (2019-20). Casey has made almost no progress. And his development has been hindered by rushing him to a league he doesn’t belong in yet. the centers in our draft range in this upcoming draft, won’t be difference makers for many years. having a ROR or Staal would’ve allowed for proper development...

So draft Brayden Point in the 3rd round... we cant operate in a world where every draft pick is critical to the future. It’s not like trading a first is going to hole out the pipeline like Murray did trading 15 picks/prospect. brayden point on a cheap deal is a great example of how we are wasting Dahlin’s ELC right now. I don’t think they can add what they need without giving up a 1st... Brassard won’t move the needle enough.

It’s a counter to the idea that 2nd line centers on a contender are immeasurably easier to acquire. my position is you need 2 top center... we were dumb enough to trade out of that scenario and it is going to be incredibly difficult to get it back... top centers are difficult to acquire period.

I value that first round loss immensely. I think it makes a huge difference to our young core. The taste of success, the post season experience, the level of competition, etc the intangible value of the young core getting that exposure now, vastly outweighs the 27th pick and its potential impact in 2022

He didn’t

Sorry, I don’t have a good sensitivity gauge.... this is just the way I converse. I’m not arguing for a plan I believe will happen, but I am making the case for why it’s a better approach. I’m fully aware of Botts intent, and the corresponding incompetence.

Eric Staal id gladly give up a late 1st to rent him pros: significantly increase odds of making playoffs, improve the play and development of our middle six, potential to re-sign him to a 2 year deal cons: none

A slow rebuild after a full scorched tear down, would’ve been a justifiable plan A slow rebuild with Eichel in his prime, Dahlin and Mitts on their ELC, and Reinhart on his bridge is a foolish hard line to draw. Yes, continue BUILDING around them, but no team with Eichel and Dahlin is rebuilding. there is nothing desperate about adding talent that gets your young core to the playoffs. The only desperate approach is rigidly clinging to draft picks in the hope that the plan keeps you in your job longer.

Nah, I just don’t overreact to singular bad plays and take the entirety of play in to account. Turnovers, bad decision making, etc can be corrected. Instinct and vision with the puck cannot be taught.

Making a list of 2nd line centers doesn’t show how easy they are to acquire. Saying “Barzal, Point, Johansen, ROR” doesn’t support a false statement that “1st line centers are easy to acquire”

I Disagree entirely

Pilut has been fantastic this year. He’s had a bunch of hand grenade moments, but his overall game has been excellent. He tilts the ice in the other direction whenever he is on the ice. He’s the 2nd best puck mover on the team after Dahlin. Pilut-Risto, Dahlin-Bogo is the best top 4 we’ve had since Lydallinder and Spacampbell.

What’s a proper rebuilding plan? everyone agrees that we could get a 1st for Skinner at the trade deadline right? So if we re-sign him are we eschewing a proper rebuilding plan? why is the quantity of 1st round picks associated with a proper rebuilding plan? Making a smart trade to help now, is not the same thing as going bonkers and trading 15 futures in the span of 6 months like Botts did. the Murray spree biases everyone in to an equally foolish direction (draft n wait).

The sabres arent going to have to move anyone... but re-signing Skinner, Reinhart, Dahlin and Risto in the next 2.5 years will mean that they will no longer have the disposable cap space to take on quality depth at cost. the failure of this season... was that Skinner and Dahlin were the missing talent, coupled with healthy Bogo, McCabe, Larsson... we had a roster that could’ve won, but we removed a foundational piece of the roster in ROR, and everything crumbled even when so much had improved. and an flukey winning streak masked it

So acquiring a 2C will be just as easy as lucking in to talent via an expansion draft, finding a grizzled franchise captain, having a selke caliber center behind your franchise center (boy that would be nice), or picking up a veteran conn smyth winner....

That list says “stability” to you? That’s the roster that’s been one of the worst in the league since Dec 1. i expected the ROR trade to be exposed as the massive mistake that it was. My expectations have been met. i think the front office and ownership overreaction to a locker room interview shows exactly how similar the mcdavid and Eichel situations actually are. i wasn’t surprised that the buffalo beat carried the water for the franchise in the ROR saga, I wasn’t surprised that the fan base ate it up, I’m not surprised at the blowback that it’s had on this season... am I over it? Nah... it’s not easy to get over the franchise knee capping itself again...

Mittelstadt is already well behind Reinhart’s development curve

Contender level 2Cs are first line centers....

We went through the whole Vanek/Roy era saying that... god trading ROR was so dumb

Buffalo isn’t hanging around, they’ve fallen Off a cliff... really the only difference in Eichel and McDavid’s situations is Dahlin. I don’t know what stability you speak of... trading ROR made the roster far less stable. Bridging Reinhart makes the possibility of keeping both Skinner and Reinhart very difficult without putting immense pressure on other parts of the roster (cap wise). Risto will likely be a UFA before we win a playoff series at this pace. Stability? Where?

Mcdavid >>>>>Eichel Draisaitl < Reinhart RNH < Skinner rest of Edm <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< Dahlin Sheary is a replacement level hockey player.

You think mcdavid will be sick of losing and the outlook with regards to assets/picks/prospects will lead him to ask for a trade but Eichel, similarly sick of losing, will look 2-3 years down the line and feel comfortable with a few more years of losing. interesting take. im of the opinion that losing is losing, and if you think one franchise superstar is sick of it enough to ask for a trade, while the other (on your team) isn’t... you’ve probably got some bias going on