JohnC

According to some reports Ullmark through his agent was asking for a 6 year term for $36 m from Buffalo. He ended up signing a 4 yr contract with Boston for $20 M. The amount of money he wanted certainly was a factor but the the 6 yr term he was asking for was more problematic. The organization made the right decision in not signing him. Ullmark did what was right for himself and the GM made the right decision for the organization. https://buffalonews.com/sports/sabres/linus-ullmarks-exit-opens-door-for-ukko-pekka-luukkonen-to-be-sabres-starter/article_7af9bba6-f0af-11eb-935d-07125018f070.html

It is undebatable that a rebuild is happening. But I disagree with you that the trading of Reinhart and Risto indicate a desire to bottom out in pursuit of a particular player in the next draft. Reinhart and Risto were dealt because of their contract status. They were going to be UFAs in the following year. So it made sense to trade them for whatever you could get. There is little additional information needed to be added to the probable Eichel trade. (It might happen a lot later than most people want it to be.) He doesn't want to be here and be a part of the rebuild. I understand his stance and am not critical of it. If this was a deliberate bottoming out do you think that Dahlin and Cozens, Joki, Mitts etc. wouldn't be placed on the market? Just because the Ullmark negotiation didn't work out that doesn't mean that the course of this franchise was going to be dramatically altered. And by the way considering what Ullmark wanted the organization made the right decision by not meeting his demands. Anyone who has an iota of objectivity recognizes that this year's team has a way to go before being a playoff team. But the best way and quickest way to get back into becoming a contending team is to follow the plan that it has set out i.e. continue and stick to the rebuild with players who are bought in. There is no other way.

Of all the people involved in the local hockey scene the one person I consider to be the most knowledgeable about the Sabres and the league is Marty Biron. He is not the type of person to stylistically be harsh with his criticisms and judgments but his opinions are usually spot on. Behind his congeniality is a lot of hockey knowledge.

Terrific analysis. Putting the front office in order and assembling a quality staff is a priority in having a competent hockey operation. Granato was the right hire for this young roster. He wasn't immediately installed. There was a review that he and the other candidates were subjected to. Based on how he handled the team last year there is no doubt that he was the favored candidate. In this year's draft there was a near unanimity by the hockey analysts that our overall drafting was sound. It seems to me that KA is more of a collaborator than a controlling executive. For him coming to the right decision requires a process that has a lot of inputs. There is no quick fix. Getting back to being a serious franchise is going to take time. The goaltending position certainly has to be a priority that needs to be addressed. As you and many others have pointed out the issue hovering over this troubled franchise is whether the Pegulas are going to allow this regime the time and space to do their jobs. The model the Pegulas need to follow are the Bills.

I'm just as concerned with the current goaltending situation is as you are. But that doesn't mean that the situation that exists now is going to be the same situation when the season starts. How about waiting a little longer to see what happens before throwing in the towel before the bell rings?

It's really sad that some people are so out of touch with the real world and allow themselves to be influenced with such nonsense. What's even more frightening is not that some people can be swayed to their detriment to the point where their life is endangered but it is the number of people who fall in that ignorant category. (I am not using the word ignorant to gratuitously mock anyone.) It's the size of this group that falls in this gullible category. That worries me a lot. Reasoning and facts simply don't penetrate this hardcore faction.

Disseminating false information is not necessarily illegal. However, it can be if the claim is made by a doctor. If someone is so ignorant to act on false statements that are so absurdly outlandish I don't see where it is a crime. What it means is that stupid behavior can be deadly to the practitioner. If a parent gave these animal vitamins to a child in order to protect a child from the virus that would be a crime associated with negligence. But if an adult person is ignorant enough to believe something so ridiculous and act on it I don't see where it is a crime.

Apparently it is.

There are a lot of insane and crazy things said and promoted coming from a variety of outlets. You can't control the content of all outlets. A little common sense and intelligence goes a long way. I don't wish anyone any misfortune, especially when it comes to health. But when you do something as hazardous as taking animal vitamins you are doing it to yourself. Again, I'm not wishing anyone any bad consequences but this type of moronic behavior is self-afflicted. In this case ignorance can be deadly.

People have the constitutional right to be stupid.

I blame the owner for not stepping in sooner and ordering the firing of Krueger when it was apparent the team quit on him. There was a clear line of demarcation between the departure when the team played like it was in a stupor and then giving a more energetic effort after Granato took over. Why do you think Sam was traded this offseason?

Sam made it clear through his agent that he was not signing a long term deal here. He was going to be an UFA if he signed the one year deal. And Sam was explicit in some end of game interviews that scoring winning goals in end of season meaningless games meant little to him. Understandably, he wanted out and he was going to position himself to get out. All this was played out in the open.

That's hindsight. I'm sure that after communicating with his agent he believed he could sign him. In the end he wasn't going to go beyond the value he placed on him. That was the right thing to do. As I said in a prior post Ullmark acted in his best interest and so did the organization. When a player is an UFA you don't have total control. There is certainly more to do to address that critical position.

Afraid of answering what? I stated my position on the Ullmark decision. As it stands the goaltending situation is tenuous. That's obvious.

I agree with you that Adams was for the most part was implementing what Krueger wanted done. The players that were brought in were Krueger players. And I agree with you that he is basically starting fresh and is in control. Hopefully, the owners don't interfere too much.

As noted by Paul Hamilton on WGR he wanted a 6 term from Buffalo while Boston offered a 4 yr. term. And he was asking for a higher average salary than what Boston offered him. I hated to see him leave but Adams made the right decision. Play your BS games with someone else.

As I stated before with respect to the Ullmark situation I wholeheartedly agree with how he handled it. Ullmark acted in his interest and the GM acted in what he believed to be his best interest. Am I satisfied with the goaltending situation as it stands? No. I'm hoping for additional moves. TBD!

Jack wanted out just as Risto and Reinhart wanted out. And I have no criticisms for their sentiments. And it is understandable that McCabe wouldn't want to be part of another rebuild. As you noted the GM in his end of season interviews talked with all the players. After the interviews he repeatedly publicly stated that he wanted players that wanted to be here and be part of the rebuild. What's obvious is obvious.

With respect to the Ullmark situation I absolutely believe that he handled it right. Giving him a 6 yr term and a higher average than he got from Boston would have been a mistake similar to the contract mistake that was made with Skinner. He placed a value on a player and had the judgment and fortitude to abide by his decision.

At this point the debate about whether Adams was a good hire is a moot point. He certainly wasn't the most experienced or equipped for that position. Regardless, he was the hire and he is in place. The ownership needs to allow him to do his job without much interference and then make a judgment on his performance. For the most part I liked what he has done. Granato was the right hire and our draft seemed to be sound. (Time will better tell.) I also liked the hiring of Karmanos as the assistant GM and the analytic person. What I like about Adams is that he is a collaborator and recognizes what he does and doesn't know. Overall, I believe he has handled the Jack situation. Because of his complicated health situation it has made it an even more challenging trade situation for him. He just needs the time and space to do his job.

You are absolutely right. In addition to the big difference in the sports what the Bills have demonstrated is that when your top people are high quality they will in time put together a winning operation, assuming that there is little outside interference. The Bills have gone from being a laughingstock operation to a well-respected and admired organization. And that turnabout happened fairly quickly after the McDermott and Beane hiring. Staffing matters!

As you highlight pro football is a lot different than pro hockey because of the structure of the contracts. There is more player movement in football than hockey. But except for those long term and expensive contracts there is also a lot of player movement. In hockey players are drafted at a young age and it takes time to develop them. That's not so much the case in football. In the end what matters isn't how you assemble talent as it is that you do it. Good management makes more wiser personnel decisions than they do make mistakes. No front office is going to get every personnel decision right. But it is your body of work that is reflected in your record that indicates how competent it is. When you compare the current football operation to the hockey operation over the past few years the contrast is stark.

If you want to add talent to a franchise that lacks sufficient talent then you make some reasonable accommodations to get that done. The amount of money the Sabres would have to assume in the Minnesota deal that was described would be spread out over years. It would be far from being burdensome. Coming up with reasons not to do something is easy. Getting something done when it is your best option is an opportunity that should be taken, IMHO.

If by assuming some of the Jack contract the return would bring you back at least two high end prospects plus some high draft picks I would do that in a heartbeat. The prospects would still be on the ELCs so there will be a lot more salary going out than being brought in. It should also be noted that the Sabres have plenty of cap space so assuming some of Jack's contract should be easy to handle. What it comes down to is if you can get a deal that meets your baseline return, then why refuse it if there are no better offers? It wasn't that long ago that the Sabres traded ROR St. Louis before his bonus kicked in for a paltry return. It was reported that Carolina was willing to offer much more in a ROR deal if the Sabres would have paid the player's bonus. The Sabres said no and ended getting little in his trade. What's worse than making a glaring mistake is repeating it!

If he can refurbish his career Washington would be a good landing spot for him. They are building up the roster and keeping their eyes out for an opportunity to bring in a long term franchise qb. Washington had their eyes on Stafford this offseason but the price got too rich for them.