JohnC

There was a reason why Olofsson was ineffective for a long stretch of the season: He was hurt. The injury he had directedly impacted his shot, the most part of his game. Once he healed his play demonstrably improved. And what was most encouraging about his play is that he showed that he was more than a one-dimensional shooter. After he no longer was plagued with a sore shoulder, he played a more complete two-way game with adept passing and a responsible defensive game. It would be a mistake to allow a player that this team drafted in a low round and was developed within its system to go. If a reasonable deal can be worked out, he should be retained. This organization isn't at a stage where it has an over-abundance of talent. The GM is still working to add talent to the roster. If he left it would be a step back instead of continuing on with the rebuilding of this roster. I'm confident that a deal will be worked out.

You hit on the fact that he has become a more all-around player and not simply a one-dimensional sniper. He's a player that was developed in our system and worked to round out his game. After listening to KA on WGR it appears that the player wants to be here and the organization is working to get a fair deal worked out. This team is starting to acquire a number of goal scorers such as Tage, Skinner, Quinn, JJ who will spread out the scoring. As you point out the roster is starting to thicken creating depth so when injuries happen the team will be able to better absorb the losses and not be debilitated. The outlook is so much more encouraging than when the GM first took over. And by the way glad to see you back in action. You were missed.

Did Risto tutor him?

The one thing that I have observed about KA is that he is transparent. He has made no secret about what his philosophy is in rebuilding a team. Overall, I have been impressed by how he has operated. He is not going to panic when things go wrong or reach for short-term solutions. His model is the Carolina model where the talent is spread around. The primary criticism I have had with him is that I believe that he got blindsided with the Ullmark negotiation. In my mind he wrongly assumed that he was going to re-sign. He simply didn't have an adequate backup plan for the UFA goalie. I feel that this offseason he is going to be more attentive to having options for that position. In my opinion KA is not the type of GM who is going to make dramatic moves. (The Kane discussion doesn't resonate with me, at least for now, because it seems to fall outside his mostly build from within plan. He took over the job having a blueprint and has steadily and steadfastly followed the script that he put together. Overall, I'm happy with how he has run and guided this formerly troubled franchise.

There isn't a poster here who has addressed the goalie issue more than I have with the possible exception of@Thorny. It's gotten to the point where a faction of the population here find me nauseatingly repetitive and insufferable. I don't necessarily disagree with their judgment. ☠️

I don't put all the blame on the organization or the player. I never have. There is enough blame to be shared by all parties. It was an organizational decision to make him a captain. He simply wasn't equipped for that role. I don't give much significance to ROR not being named captain. He, like a lot of other disgruntled players, recognized that there was little chance to experience success in Buffalo. The biggest issue that plagued this franchise and dominated other issues is that this franchise was poorly run. How many coaching and GM changes happened within this short period of time? How good was the drafting or the trades and FA deals? Jack wasn't even with the team when it visibly quit on Krueger who was inflexibly adhering to an outdated system that would never work in today's NHL. I agree to a large extent that the GM decided to remake this roster. And that was the right decision to move forward. However, he didn't fully clear house and start over. Dahlin, Mitts, Cozens and others were kept. If he would have jettisoned all the players he inherited it would have been another grotesque franchise mistake. He identified the players who wanted to be here and be part of rebuild. And from that core he is building on. Too many people are looking to identify the bad guy. The deterioration in relationship between the player and the organization had many facets to it. In the end, his trade to Vegas worked out well for the player and for the franchise. Too many people are invested in chasing the boogeyman bad guy. I'm not one of them.

Within this WGR link there is a 19 min Paul Hamilton segment talking about the takeaway from the Colorado Cup win and how it translate to the Sabres. Paul Hamilton believes that from how Kevin Adams works he believes that the GM will continue on with his patient draft strategy. And it's his opinion that he doesn't believe that he will engage in the FA or trade market to get a marquee player. P. Ham also noted that Colorado won the cup without a top tier goalie. https://www.audacy.com/wgr550/authors/howard-and-jeremy-show

Some people believe in magic. Wave the wand and presto the solution to your problem is pulled out of your hat. 🙃

He clearly wanted out. That wasn't a secret. And so did a good portion of the team. Risto, Reinhart, ROR, Hall, McCabe etc. It's not surprising that systemic organizational disfunction leads to internal turmoil. It appears that the franchise is now more smartly run. Hopefully, that will stabilize the situation and improve the player dynamics on the team.

You know my position on the Eichel saga. I'm not taking a shot at the Sabres's position in this matter. I never had. It was understandable. But on the other side of the equation Jack's position in protecting his own interest associated with his career, health and course of treatment is also understandable. There were different perspectives by the parties involved. The stakes were high for each side of the conflict. After what appeared to be a standoff, it eventually got worked out. In the end, it worked out well for the player and also for the Sabres. This was a complicated situation that involved complex medical issues, player disgruntlement, financial exposure for each party, a new GM who wanted to clean the slate and go in a different direction etc. The GM established a baseline of conditions in order to make the trade. I believe he got it. He exhibited fortitude and deftness. I'm more than satisfied with the outcome. From my perspective, there were no bad guys, simply parties with different interests in play. As with most businesses you make some compromises and come to an acceptable deal.

We are living in a real world, not a fantasy world where solutions are easily made up. If you can't come up with a long-term solution right away, then the smart approach is to come up with a reasonable temporary solution that will improve the situation and allows you the time to find a better long-term solution. What magical goaltending solution do you have in mind? Is your dream goalie attainable? What will be the long-term cost? If you keep grinding at getting better, you will get better. You have to ask yourself if UPL or Levi will turn out to be the answer to our goaltending needs? I don't know? No one does for sure. But that doesn't mean that you give up and not seek better immediate options until you do know.

He refused to not go along with what was proscribed in the CBA. I'm aware of that. However, I don't blame him for the stance that he took. There is another way of looking at the situation. If the organization would have allowed him to have the surgery he wanted, as Vegas did, he would have returned to the ice even sooner. He did his own research and consulted with a number of doctors. The medical experts he consulted with were in conflict with the experts that the Sabres consulted with. In the health business that is not an unusual situation. He acted in his own interest in this medical issue. I have no criticism for the position he took, especially after the results of his preferred procedure appear to have worked out.

I would add Samuelsson to that list. And if Cozens and Mitts are included it is fair to say that this group (other than Levi) will be playing next season in Buffalo. And what is really encouraging is that all these players have plenty of upside. Get some goalie reinforcement/s and the near future looks bright.

This link is from Sabresnoise.com. Sion Fawkes goes through five goalie options that might be available. It seems that the writer is suggesting that Jonathan Quick might be the best short term option. Most of the options correspond to what others have suggested. https://sabrenoise.com/2022/06/23/goaltenders-buffalo-sabres-trade/

Yes, the long term issue can't be answered right now. But I have come around to the position that he had a right to be the one to make the decision regarding his own health. And he was right that the procedure that he preferred allowed him to back on the ice sooner than the other more extensive procedure.

Player movement in sports is an inescapable part of the business. Organizations act in their best interest, as do players. Money considerations is a major factor for organizations, as it is for players. It's a business as much as it is a sport. There is no doubt that the Sabres were known as a tumultuous and unstable franchise. That was clearly reflected in their record. More and more after his departure it appears that Ullmark wanted to leave. That shouldn't be surprising. So did Jack, Risto, Reinhart, McCabe, ROR, Hall etc. That shouldn't be surprising for players who have been stuck in losing franchises for their whole careers. My point is that Ullmark who was a UFA acted in his best interest. He had the leverage and he acted on it. More power to him. My basic point is that very often it is misguided to look for who is the good guy or the bad guy. It's the nature of the business where players and organizations have to make tough decisions in what they perceive to be their best interest.

When all is said and done it appears that Jack's decision to not yield on what surgery he should have is the right decision. We won't know for sure until we see how he plays after the offseason and further on, but he was right that his preferred surgery got him back on the ice sooner than if he got the surgery that the Sabres were calling for. I have said it before but trading Jack was the right thing to do for the player and the organization.

Absolutely, great point! The player is in a better position to succeed and so is the organization. And in the long run if a player is better equipped to play in this higher league, he will get the money he deserves. It shouldn't be surprising that winning organizations are smartly run.

Dahlin is a player who was confident in his abilities (as you smartly and concisely stated) was amenable to a short-term bridge deal. It didn't take him too long under the tutelage of his new coach to demonstrate that he has the talent and to be considered one of the elite defenders in the league. His strategic approach to negotiating contract will pay off handsomely for him.

KA has often stated that he would rather error in over-developing a player in the minors than error in rushing a prospect before he is ready for the NHL. He believed that even if a rushed player could play at the NHL level, he would be a better player in the NHL if he had more development time. The young GM has brought a stability and coherence to the organization that it lacked before he took over. Last year, Quinn was sent back down to Rochester for a rehab stint. He and JJ could have been brought up at the end of the season. They weren't. That extended stay will in the long-run will have served them better than if they were rushed.

Barry Trotz is a terrific coach. He is a better human being. He has been actively involved and a strong advocate in that community to make lives better for the families and make them feel a part of the community at large.

You are giving the organizations' perspective in getting players signed sooner rather than later because it would be cheaper. (I've been making the point with Tage.) On the other hand from the players' perspective it might make more financial sense to sign short term bridge deals now and then sign longer term deals later when the cap goes up.

I agree with you that Risto would have benefited with a better development program. My point remains that he with better preparation, there still would have been a low ceiling in his ability to anticipate and react to plays. In my view the best role for him would have been as a #2 player on a second pairing. He needed a structured and simplified role. In basketball there are guards who can't adequately play the point guard position because they don't have sufficient court vision, and never will. And in football there are qbs who although have all the physical tools will never become good qbs because they lack the ability to make quick and sound reads on the defense. My point with him is that he has a particular limitation that can be improved somewhat but will never be at a level that makes him really good as a defenseman.

The issue with Risto has little to do with not being properly developed. His inherent weakness was always going to be his inability to think the game and anticipate the play. Although Samuelsson wasn't rushed like Risto, he always possessed the required instincts that Risto would never have, even as a veteran player. Reinhart was a player who always possessed the intelligence that gave him an ability to anticipate the play and make the right reads. Risto's strengths were associated with his physicality; and Risto's weaknesses were associated with his hockey intelligence. That's what he is and what he will always be. The best approach in utilizing a player like him is to simplify his role and benefit from what he can do, and not get frustrated from what he couldn't do. It should be noted that I liked Risto a lot but I understood who he was as a player.

You may already be aware of it that Barry Trotz has a special needs son. So there are family considerations when he considers relocating for jobs. https://eyesonisles.com/2020/04/09/islanders-barry-trotz-bond-son/