JohnC

There are plenty of places that are not popular destinations. The west coast is a popular location for many players while many players prefer to play in eastern cities. You may be surprised but for some players who grew up around the Toronto area Buffalo is a good location because it is not far from their family and friends. Skinner is an example of that. Hockey is a business that entails a lot of player movement. It's simply the nature of the business. The reality is that the most important influence where a person signs is the size of the contract.

He's the most physical defenseman on the team. Deduct him and you have a mostly finesse unit. And that isn't adequate. You may not think highly of him but the coach does. That's why he get so much playing time, especially at the end of the game.

My sense of what is going on is that mostly through the influence of Krueger the organization is attempting to alter the style of play from a finesse and east/west skating to a more north/south and harder style of play. He wants a grittier team that can win more battles. This is reflected in his seemingly reluctance to embrace Skinner who although is one of our best snipers may be considered a floater on the ice. And that style of play is anathema to Krueger. And it shouldn't be surprising that Krueger has a greater appreciation of Risto (as I do) than many others because of his rugged (although sometimes obtuse) style of play.

Putting aside the credibility of the tweeter if the Sabres are offering Kahun less than $2M and the player is asking for $2.5 M on a two year deal then I am starting to feel uncomfortable. The salary context is that Girgs got $2.2 M per and TT got $1.7 M per. It is not unreasonable to believe that Kahun is worth somewhere between $2--$2.5 M. In my opinion Kahun is a good third line player who is worth $2M per. I'm aware that the negotiating process is still on going but it would be nice to secure Kahun and then add another piece or two. Kahun is far from being an essential player but he is certainly a nice player who has a contributing role. There is no doubt that Girgs has a different role than Kahun. But Girgs is a more replaceable player and Kahun is the better player. I hope a deal can be worked out for him.

It will be interesting to see if he was offered in the $3 M range per year. And the length of the contract is another interesting question.

As you indicate there is a profile for the kind of player the coach wants. He wants to accumulate players that play hard and play a full, end to end, game. That's Girgs in spades. If he were more of a finisher he would be a 15 goal scorer. What I have never understood is the lame argument that a player who not only isn't a contributing factor for a team losing should be dispatched for the sake of change. There are more than enough players that should be moved but not the players who keep playing hard and responsibly while subjected to the depressing realization that the team you are playing for isn't going anywhere meaningful. This transaction wasn't a big move but it was a good move.

A lot of interesting maneuvers. But I don't foresee such a dramatic change because I don't believe that the Sabres will be spending to the cap. The internal cap will probably be around the mid 70s M, if that. So one or two of the higher priced players you added will probably be substituted for mid-priced players. Under normal economic circumstances your shuffling of players would be much more plausible.

I agree with you. My takeaway from the interview is that the organization is not giving up on him as a prospect. As you noted he is not penciled in for anything. He is going to have to demonstrate what he is capable of. If he doesn't earn a roster spot I see him going back to the AHL in order to work on his game. The entitlement era is over with. You get what you earn. And that is the right way to conduct business.

Could you and some of your wise cohorts give a brief evaluation of Toffoli? Could he play on our first line or is he a second line player or lower?

In Adams interview on WGR with Howard Simon he did bring up Mittelstadt's name. He pointed out that the Mitts is only 21 yrs old and that players have different developmental timetables. That isn't necessarily an indication that he will win a roster spot but it might be an indication that he wants to keep him in the system(AHL) and have him continue growing as a player.

Wanting to move down to hopefully get the player/s you targeted does not mean that you can move down and still get the player/s you targeted. The team/s below you that you want to deal with is essentially saying why give up an asset when I keep my draft spot and come away with a player that I wanted? If what is reported is true I give the Sabres credit for their attempt at gaining the most value for their draft spot. When all is said and done I'm happy that they got the player they got.

I agree with you that right now he, the more experienced player, probably is better than Tage. But the contract given to Tage is a three year deal at $1.4 AAV. So even if it is acknowledged that he is currently better that still doesn't make him a $4 M AAV player if that is the money range that is in discussion. There is another factor that has to be considered. It is widely assumed that the market is going to be flooded with players let go due to the harsh economics of the game. If that is the case then it is smart to be in a position to procure similar talent at a lesser cost with a shorter term. I like what I saw from Kahun last year. He can skate and he is a heady player. But his value is as a good third line player in a market soon flooded by many equally talented players. We shall soon see what the market dictates.

I consider Kahun more of a good third line player who at times can move up to the second line. I'm still hoping that a deal can get done. But the harsh reality is that for the next couple of years the economics of the game is going to be depressed. Almost every team in the league is going to make a lot of tough decisions that result in players being let go more because of financial reasons than performance reasons.

Does the QMJHL allow people in the arena?

I also like Kahun. At what price are you willing to go?

I'm not so much worried how old he is as I am about his ability to grow physically and his game. From what has been described about him he does. With respect to him working out I have to say I'm impressed with the dedication to the rigorous physical training involved to prepare for the draft by all the top tier players. The competition is so intense that if you are not working out at a maximum level you are falling behind regardless of your natural talents.

Could you throw out some names? You won't be held to account for your speculation. I need more food on my platter because I'm starving.

Of the players on the list you cited which players do you consider the most appealing? Duclair?????

When drafting 18 yr old prospects who not only are not fully physically developed but in some cases emotionally developed projecting has to be an essential component when making evaluations. What is apparent about Quinn is that he is a very mature kid who has plenty of room to grow.

As you noted there are plenty of reasons to like Quinn. What seems to be lost by many people who have reservations about this prospect is that where he was selected by us was in the vicinity where he was ranked. So the pick was far from being a surprise. I have read reports that he was the best pure goal scorer in this draft. Even if that assessment is a bit of a stretch (I don't believe it is) then possessing that valuable trait for a team that lacks offense should be valued. I offer no criticisms for those who preferred Rossi or Perfetti. Their reasons for preferring those other players have merit. And, it shouldn't be surprising that both of those players went immediately after our selection. But the more that is learned about this mature kid reinforces my belief that this was an excellent selection.

I listened to most of the interview and I think you are reading too much into the comparison between them. Their situations are different from a player standpoint and contract standpoint. I agree with you that he believes in the potential of Tage. However, the GM has pegged the more established Kahun at a certain value and it appears that Kahun and his agent want to go beyond that range. I'm hoping that the a deal can get worked out. We should know fairly soon after Kahun's agent scans the market whether he can get a much better contract somewhere else. I wouldn't be surprised if he could get more money elsewhere but would it be enough to leave a situation that is favorable to him?

That's the point. The player who will replace him supposedly would get less money than he wanted to get. There are analytics for evaluating players and there are also salary analytics for positions. The money you intend to dedicate for a first line player is going to be more than the money you dedicate for a second, and a second liner is going to be more than a third liner. If the GM believes that Kahun is a third line winger then there is a third line range for him. If he wants more than the designated range and he believes he can get it in the market then he will enter the market as a free agent. I like Kahun a lot. He's a versatile player and a heady player. I consider him to be a solid to good third line player. It's not out of the realm of possibility that he can play on the second line but in my assessment that would be a stretch. Kahun surely realizes that the Sabres are a good situation for him. Is the situation worth taking less than what he can get elsewhere? It depends on what the disparity is between the Sabre offer and the market offer. I'm hoping that a deal can be worked out. If not then so be it. It will be a reflection of the harsher economics of the NHL that every team has to contend with.

Thanks for that evaluation. It seems that you are saying that Raymond has a more well-rounded game. But even that with advantage if Quinn is the better goal scorer that is an asset that has to be given a lot of weight. I'm not using that scoring talent to offset the advantages that you describe Raymond has but in emphasizing Quinn's goal scoring talent is a good argument to make justifying the pick.

If you look at Quinn two years ago and then consider the leap he made last year and project from there how can anyone consider this an unreasonable pick? As you point out he was selected closely to the range where he was projected at. If Quinn develops anywhere near the players you compared him to then this is a superb pick. I understand why because of analytics people prefer other players but when dealing with players who are so young and have different growth rates then analytics should be a factor but not so dominating a factor that it overshadows a longer time frame in projecting one's play. I would like your opinion and other opinions (@LGR4GM/Brawndo /others) on comparing Detroit's pick of Lucas Raymond and our pick of Quinn. Is there much of a difference between the two?

You hit on the essential question: What is the upside? The Sabre staff projects that he will be a better prospect in time. As you keenly point out that Draisaitl was evaluated behind Reinhart and Bennett and he is better than both now. It seems that his size and potential to add to his frame was a factor in his selection over some of the other prospect that went right after him. Only time will tell whether this was the right pick. I agree with you that this was an Adams selection and not an owner's pick.