RangerDave

I would not pin our lack of success squarely on Jack's shoulders. There is plenty of blame to go around, from players, to coaches, to management, to ownership. It was a hot mess. (Hopefully "was" and not "is"!) But I would want my captain to rise above that and lead his team to do the best they can with the hand they are dealt. In my opinion, Eichel did not do that. Eichel, if healthy and on a winning team, would obviously help that team win. Just don't put him in a leadership role. It doesn't suit him, at least not at this point in his life. If I thought we could keep Reinhart here after this season, I would have made him a good offer to stay. I just don't think that was going to happen. And, again, if we were a winning team, having a Ristolainen on our team would be a very welcome piece. I wish we were there and Risto could be that piece for us. If, if, if..... it's sad.

I agree that would be ideal. I just don't think we are in an ideal moment of time right now. I will actually be happy to see Eichel go. He is a very skilled player, but has not been a good teammate, and in my opinion, a lousy captain. He has not been a good leader and the team has not gone anywhere with him in the lineup. His bad attitude and outsized opinion of his worth has not helped us win. I was sorry to see Reinhart go, as I thought he played hard and was skilled. He is one of my favorite players. Unfortunately, I do not think he would have signed with this team after this year. So, trading him for the assets we did, when his value was as high as it was likely to get, made a lot of sense. I also liked Ristolainen. He can be a very valuable piece of a winning team. Unfortunately, the Sabres are not a winning team at the moment. His toughness on a losing team does not buy us enough to overcome his weaknesses. On the right team, it probably does. Trading him was probably good for him and for the Sabres. If Adams is getting rid of players who don't want to be here and/or players who don't figure to be around when we start winning, I don't see the negative in that.

I really hope they are not tanking. I know the two sports are different, but I liken what Adams is doing to what McBean did with the Bills. They sold, traded, or cut the rotten core out of the team, even if they were highly paid high draft picks. They weren't tanking. They were just looking to start with decent players who have the right attitude and build up from there. They did not bring in splashy free agents, just middling free agents who had the right skills and right attitude. Then, they drafted well - wherever their picks were. IF that is what Adams is doing, I support him 100%. IF, on the other hand, he is trying to field a bad team in order to get a better draft pick, he is another in the long list of moronic managers of the recent Buffalo Sabres who think drafting XXX 18-year old kid is better than drafting YYY 18-year old kid and will make them a better team soon.

I am tired of losing. IF they can get a goalie that helps them win now, they should would jump at the chance. The youngsters on the team need to find joy in playing now, not 3-5 years from now (as do us fans). If we can get a goalie that is great for the next 5 years, that is the length of the rest of Eichel's contract, and bridges us until the prospects get good. I don't think even a healthy, happy Eichel has them winning now, without a goalie who can win now. That said, I don't know of any team that has a spare great goalie that they would give up in a trade for Eichel. But, I don't know of any team that would give up a 1C of equal value to Eichel either. Why would they? I don't think any team is going to give up anything but prospects for Eichel. They are interested in getting their team better now. That means not giving up an equal asset that they need now. I don't have a lot of faith that an Eichel trade is going to make us better anytime soon. And I am dreading being a fan for the next 3-5 years while our gained prospect assets, #1 OA pick, and prospect goalies all get decent. That is a lot of hopefuls that may not pan out (and have historically not panned out). Whatever is takes to win now, we need to do it. Pinning hopes on prospects is getting very old. Screw the #1 OA. That plan has not worked at all for us. With the Bills, I used to say not "Wait 'til next year!", but "Wait 'til the year after next, because we are gonna still suck this year!" With the Sabres, I say, "Wait 'til 5 years from now!" And that sucks.....

That is my question. Is there a goalie out there that you would trade Eichel for straight up? I think it is possible we have enough players to make the playoffs, sans Eichel, IF we had a good goalie to back them. I am resigned to the probability that Eichel will never play for the Sabres again. If that turns out true, what would be the piece, or pieces, we would need in return to get back to the playoffs? A goalie, in my mind. It may not lead to long term success, but I would settle for a playoff team for a change now. I'll worry about 2 to 3 to 5 years after we reach that plateau.

While this is certainly true, I can think of at least a half dozen times the Sabres brought in or paid a forward who fell off a cliff afterwards, too. (cough...cough...Skinner...cough) I am thinking more along the lines of an established goalie, not a prospect. Someone in the same tier as Eichel who has been good for some years. Eichel is injured now, so there is no guarantee that he will be back to elite status, either.

Would you trade Eichel straight up for any NHL goalie? If so, which one(s)? I think it is more difficult to get a good goalie than it is a 1C, so if one came up in trade talks, I would probably jump at it.

Back then, highjacked planes were not used as weapons, killing everyone on board. If a plane was highjacked in the US, they usually just wanted to land in someplace like Cuba. Sometimes it was for money, but it was usually for a political message or action. The passengers on Flight 93 found out that other planes were used as weapons and flown into buildings. Knowing that their fate would probably be similar, they decided to act rather than allow themselves to be passive and just crash into a building. This is why I don't think this kind of thing will happen again. Too many of us, like you, would not sit idly by but would defend ourselves in whatever way we could. Even if the terrorists snuck a gun or even a bomb on board, if all the passengers rushed them at once with the intent to "throat punch" them, we would overwhelm them. We may all die as a result, but at least we would go down swinging and quite possibly save people at the intended target.

Could be. I just think Eichel is a very good player when his head is in the game and he is healthy. A healthy and happy Eichel would be great for the team. Unfortunately, I don't see that happening in Buffalo. Hence, "here we are", in your immortal words. 🙂

I used a poor choice of words there. I don't think Adams wants Jack to sit around for 5 years at $10M/year. I think Adams would love to have Eichel return to the team, healthy and happy. That version of Eichel would be a great asset for this team in those 5 years, hopefully starting earlier rather than later. Possibly later this season. What I meant was that if Jack is determined to never play for the Sabres again, Adams wants to get something that will add value to the team in return. If he does that, the team will be in a better position than they are now with either Jack sitting out or Jack playing unhappily and affecting the team morale.

Adams has Eichel under contract for the next 5 years. That is the only card he needs. Either Eichel plays under that contract, or Adams gets the value he needs in a trade. Also, personally, I think the rest of the team has already written Jack Eichel off as far as playing for the Sabres again. I've been on teams where one of our best players was not happy and we all felt better when he left the team, skill level or not. Just more playing time for the rest of us. As far as management goes, I think they have written Jack Eichel off as well. Play or not, what difference does it make if he is not helping the team because he is unhappy. Any assets they get in a trade that improve the team are just gravy. That said, the assets have to help the team, not just be bodies that take time away from the players who want to play and are happy here. I could be wrong, but if I was in their shoes, that is how I would feel.

I think Adams has shown that the only way for Brisson to get Eichel out of the "dumpster fire" is for his agent to pump up his value enough to the point where other teams offer Adams enough in compensation that he feels comfortable that he is getting fair value for his asset.

I agree that Bean would get what he could for a disgruntled player via a trade. I do not think that he would cave to a player's desire for a surgical procedure that would void the team's insurance. Assuming he would not agree to Eichel's desire, do you think he would still get what he could, knowing that it would not be a fair deal in comparison with a healthy Eichel?

Any thoughts on how Beane and McDermott would handle this situation with Eichel?

I was agreeing with you? 😇

Doing things the same way and expecting different results is one definition of insanity. Maybe, instead of a panic move, the obverse is true and Jack is finally coming to his senses. His first agent was not working. Time to try a different approach?

"A source told the Buffalo News" Now that most of us believe this is probably good news and the right thing to happen, how much do we know about the source of this "breaking news"? Going on the past few years of Sabres history, I am skeptical that what we all want is what is really happening. I'll see it when I believe it, as the new old saying goes.

And those who can't teach, coach.

I heard Donald Trump is looking for something to do nowadays. (And people think the Pegulas are hockey know-nothings who interfere......)

I always liked Bailey over Jennifer. She was so dang pretty! 🥰

Just finished a biography on John Quincy Adams. Am currently reading "A Patriot's Handbook" by Caroline Kennedy. It is a collection of speeches, poems, songs, and stories that will stir your spirit of America. Will be starting to read "A History of the World" when I start traveling again (which will be soon!)

You don't know how warm my cockles are right now! Gracias, mi amigo.

Should I take offense that you have not been a jerk to me? Am I not worth your effort to be a jerk to? 😢 I will allow you one jerk-worthy moment toward me, if you promise to lay off on the hug. 😘😁

...hence, the goofy face icon...

I don't know....smacks a bit of racism. 🤪