JohnC

I consider the sixth d-man to be a replaceable player. I'm not saying that that slotted position is unimportant, but I'm not saying he is a critical player whose loss can't be compensated for.

He's been plagued with injuries that has set him back. I'm expecting him to raise his game. I also expect Kulich to elevate his game. Especially for young players, you make a judgment on what their upside is and where are they are in their development process. I consider his contract within the reasonable range. And I expect him to show that uptick in play this season. TBD.

I don't consider the Quinn contract an overpay. And even if you do, so what? It doesn't stop you from making any other moves that you want to do. The problem with this lagging franchise is not stressing out the cap as it is being willing to use what is available. The Pegula penny-pinching approach has crushed this franchise into irrelevance. It's a stupid and self-defeating way of doing business.

Without Byram you are losing a good defender from an offensive standpoint. The Sabres are not a complete team with Byrum or without. The issue then becomes what positions need shoring up more than others. Is it better to subtract a good defenseman for a top six winger? I would say yes. What I don't want to see happen is that Byram gets traded for a less than credible top two-line player. As far as who would be our sixth defenseman, it could be another functional player from the market or maybe bringing Docker back or moving up Johnson from the AHL. It's a juggling act within your roster limitations.

I wonder if he’s a good whistler?

This is a good deal from a talent, contract $$$ and term. He’s a good 3C who can move up the ranks when needed. He’s a solid two-way player who also PKs. This is far from being a big deal but it is a good deal that is both a positive factor on the ice and in the room.

If the Sabres are not going to retrieve a top 6 forward from a Bryan trade, then just keep him. With him, our blue line would be a quality unit with an offensive bent. The hope will be that players such as Quinn, Kulich and Benson improve to compensate for the loss of Peterka. This franchise created a toxic reputation that has foreclosed a lot of player options. So if you can’t get a fair value back in a deal, then accept that ugly reality and work with what you got and do your best to maximize it.

Adding size. Ruff influence.

Under the circumstances you describe it might make more sense to keep Byram and deal for Rust. Will we eventually lose Byram? Yes. So be it. Play for something this year and then deal with the future. Rust would be a good addition on the ice and in the room.

However, the player has a choice. And he is not choosing to go to the ghetto.

Stop joking! My first instinct is to believe negative news about this raggedy franchise. And my second instinct is to not believe positive news about this raggedy franchise. If you continue with this foolery, you will have a big ugly and hairy Italian visit you carrying a bat to your place of residence. When you ask him what do you want he will proceed to hit a homerun off of our left kneecap. Capiche!!!!! 😁

Passing on a deal that no other sober GM would have even considered is thought to be good decision-making with this franchise by some. It’s apparent that the quality standard has been lowered. What I will be watching to see is what the return on Bryan will be if traded.

So far in this offseason the Sabres have cut payroll. We shall soon see if that cut payroll is applied to adding talent. If not, the Pegula business model will continue to strangle this fading franchise. What does this owner have to say? Nothing.

Good decisions on small issues add up. As you well know, the Sabres don’t have much margin of error. For me, I’m not inclined to give this battered franchise the benefit of the doubt. This player is a solid lower pairing player who played well last year.

I didn’t grab the tampering issue out of the blue. It was mentioned by the former French and loquacious Sabre goalie, Marty B, on his WGR hockey show.