JohnC

TBD.

Have you read my many posts on UPL that I’m not sold on him? And I have stated that one of the biggest failures of the limited GM is not having an adequate backup plan for him. It was and is inexcusable. Not sure why you think otherwise.

I disagree with your assessment of him. And it should be noted that you don’t have to be an elite talent to be a first or second line forward. I consider him to be more than a suitable first or second line complementary type player. And it shouldn’t be discounted that his gritty style of play enhances the team beyond his stats. It’s still going to take some time for him to get his man strength. So there will be more upside to him. This isn’t a young player that you should be too impatient with; this is a player that you should value because he is on your team.

UPL is the big unknown factor in young players reaching their prime. That's the problem. You don't know where he is at in his development. Two years ago, he looked as if he was on an upward trajectory. Last year, he regressed. He seemed to have lost his confidence and fundamentals for the position. That's a scary position to be in. I just don't know.

There are number of reasons why players put teams in their NMC. It’s a safe bet to believe that Buffalo is most often cited on that ignominious list due to a negative perception. For Buffalo, that perception is tough to shed because the perception matches reality. It’s bad enough that many players don’t want to come here but also some coaches also want to avoid this troubled organization. The moral of the story is that when you shoot yourself because of your own recklessness you become damaged goods.

Which team do you think is listed more than any other team in the NMC?

If he gets around 60 points for a playoff or non-playoff team, he would be doing well. You have to also include his prowess in the defensive side of the game when evaluating him. Was he playing a role higher than he should have last year? Probably so. However, if you consider how well he acquitted himself as a 19 year old, I would consider his season a success and would be excited about his prospects this season.

The issue regarding Benson is not whether his numbers were at a top line level last year. They were not. That doesn't mean that they won't be around the 55-60 pt. range you find acceptable this year. I think they will; many do not. TBD.

Sometimes resorting to stats isn't as informative as one would like them to be because players have different assets and roles. However, on how many other teams do you believe that Benson would have been on the first line? Not many, if any. I'm a Benson fan and admire how he plays more than what his production was last year. He certainly was rushed to the big league as a young player. But that's a reflection on how the GM went about rebuilding the roster when he took over. When a roster has a dearth of talent it's not surprising that a number of players play higher roles than they are fully prepared to handle. Will Benson be on one of the top two lines this season? I believe so. The difference will be that he will be better prepared to genuinely earn that role. (My opinion.)

Putting aside the Skinnner situation, do the Sabres under Pegula "eat" part of a player's contract that they want to move on from? I'm not sure that they do. Maybe they did when he first became the owner but as a general practice in the second half of his tenure I'm not sure that it happens

I can’t recall a game last year where I considered him a liability. He’s an effort player who didn’t coast no matter what the situation was. It’s going to be interesting to see if he comes into camp bulkier and stronger.

I’m confident that casual fans don’t care an iota about lease agreements. On the other hand, even casual fans recognize a poorly run franchise. They just need to check the scoreboard and look at the standings. The price and quality of the beer is more of a concern to them. Even they have the awareness to recognize a diluted and bland beverage and product on the ice.

The highlighted sentence is a succinct summarization of the Skinner saga. The GM took a big risk signing a goal scorer on a long-term contract. It didn't work out as hoped. The problem wasn't the large amount of money he was paid as it was the length of the contract. To state the obvious, bad decisions lead to bad consequences. All GMs make bad decisions. No GM is immune from such miscalculations. The problem with the Sabres is that they don't make enough good decisions to compensate for the decisions that don't work out. Because of the caliber of our decision-makers and the financial restrictions they have to work under, there is less margin of error.

This question is directed towards those who follow the Amerks: If a trade was made trading either Östlund or Helenius in a deal, which player would you rather keep?

The manner in which he was hired was a charade. It was a typical Terry Pegula third-rate approach to running a franchise.

Ruff has been in the NHL long enough to know what the standard practice is regarding staff when a new coach takes over. He agreed to the arrangement of retaining the former staff. After a year, he has kept the same staff in place. If it’s a shiiit show (your description) he’s agreed to again role in the manure pile.

Usually, when a new HC takes over there is a major cleaning house of coaches from the previous regime. The new coach usually brings in mostly a new staff. I'm just curious as to whether the coaches who worked under Granato were forced on him or whether he wanted to keep the staff in place. Just curious. Now that Ruff has one year under his belt, he should have a better grasp of the different personalities and have a better feel for what each player's strength and weaknesses are. I just didn't get the sense that this was a well coached team because the players seem to make the same mistakes. (That's my opinion based on watching the games without resorting to analytics.)

Is it Ruff who wants to keep this coach on or is it the organization mandating it? There were reports that there were overtures to some coaches who simply didn't want to come here. That's a commentary onto itself about how this franchise is perceived.

If a team wants to hand out a number of maximum deals, then what is the problem. If teams are too eager to hand them out to less than elite players, then they will eventually be encumbered by those foolish contracts. By giving out too many of those rich contracts it won't take long before those contracts limit their options in pursuing other players. The Sabres are limited in the players who want to come here not because of the large number of players with NMCs but because it is a widely acknowledged dysfunctional franchise. What player wants to be stuck in a ghetto franchise where post-season play in a fantasy? The NMC contracts have teams listed on them. Well run teams and serious franchises are usually not on that list. There is a simple solution: Run a competent and serious franchise where winning is a priority. Buffalo is in an ideal location for Canadian players who live in the Toronto and southern Canadian area. It should be an appealing destination for many players. It's not because few people desire to be stuck in such a chaotic system. I'm confident that if this franchise turns it around that this clause issue will not be much of a factor in our pursuit of players. The Sabres should be more worried about their top players wanting out than top players not wanting to come here. The solution is to start acting more competently and win more. shiiiiiit teams and organizations have never been an enticing place to play for players with the special clauses and without them. This oddly run franchise is its own worst enemy. Note: I'm not an irredeemable pessimist. I see this leaky ship floating better. In general, our offseason has been solid. But it's still not good enough. More urgency demonstrated by action should have been shown. That's why I'm still disappointed how this offseason has transpired. If our placid GM should come up with a second-line caliber of forward before the season starts, I will be more upbeat.

We don’t know for sure what the full reality of their Sabre play will be. That’s for sure. However, you deal with the hand you are dealt with and make the best of it. I have been a critic of KA. In this case, I believe he handled this situation well.

I can make the case that in the Peterka trade that our roster/team got better. If Kesserling becomes a good pairing for Power and Doan adds an element of grit and responsible two-way play to a lineup that needs an improved defensive game, then those player changes will better round out our roster. And if you consider that both Quinn and Benson should be able to improve their offensive numbers to offset JJP’s offensive numbers, then the deal makes sense for us. In order to get something, you have to give up something. And that’s how I view this trade. On initial appearance it seems to have worked out for each of the trading partners. TBD.

Do you know who else does’t want to deal with an openly unhappy teammate? His teammates. Do you think the coaches will find a disgruntled player more receptive to their coaching? It was already reported that he had difficulty dealing with Ruff’s hard style of coaching. If Kesserling turns out to be a suitable partner for Power and Doan adds an element of grit to the lineup, then this trade will work out for both teams. I didn’t want him to be traded. However, he did. So goodbye to him and welcome to the new players who are happy to be here.

It's an opinion and doesn't come from a link. The returning defenseman hopefully improved the unit and we got a player who plays hard and two-way game. If the unhappy player didn't want to be here, then so be it. I wish the departed player the best and am happy to move on from his unhappiness. The last thing that this team needs is an unhappy player in a constant battle with a coach who isn't satisfied with his all-around game.

An argument can be made that in the JJP trade we sent out the best player in the exchange. On the other hand, a good argument can be made that the trade made this a better roster by addressing other areas of need.

The player made it abundantly clear to the organization that he didn’t want to be here. He wasn’t willing to sign an extension and was willing to ride out his contract another year to be an UFA. So he got dealt for a reasonable return. And it should be noted that shortly after the trade he quickly signed a new deal with Utah. I’m more than satisfied with the trade.