JohnC

Let's not outsmart ourselves. Stick to the board and Draft power. If you add Dach to the mix that includes Cozens and Mitts you have a good middle. Beniers would certainly be a worthy pick. I just think that Power would be a player in the long run would be our best option.

This is a simple issue for me. If Zegras was not included in a deal and Dach was I'm taking the Chicago deal. I'm not being critical of any high end draft prospect but if I can get a young #1C caliber player who can immediately be inserted into the lineup that is the direction I'm going. The thought of having Cozens and Dach on the roster would be exciting not only for the now but also for the future.

When I read the scouting report you posted I thought of Peterka. When you watch the playoffs it becomes apparent that you need these high energy and active players.

As you indicated the middle first round pick that Chicago can offer doesn't come close to having the same appeal of a top 5 pick. But the opportunity to add Kirby Dach to the roster is really appealing. If you add a player such as Zadorov or Boqvist or DeBrincat into mix then I wouldn't be so concerned about the player available at the 11th spot. There were speculated trade proposals targeting Anaheim that included Zegras, maybe Comtois and the 3OA pick. Would that offering be better than a possible Chicago deal. I'd take either one with no hesitation. As I stated before unless there is a return of a player such as Zegras or Dach in a trade deal for Jack I'm not making a deal. Whether Jack is happy or not shouldn't be a a major concern when it comes to making the best deal possible for the Sabres.

Let me start off with Jack. He certainly has legitimate complaints about how this organization has functioned. So does everyone else. With respect to his health situation and the proper course of action the reality is that the organization is protecting him from his own bad judgment. The course of action that the organization is pursuing is a best practice course of action based on the recommendations of the medical experts. It may be too conservative for Jack but it is the right approach to take. There is no one on this forum who is more of a Samson supporter than I am, and that includes @LGR4GM. But the issue of whether to retain him or not is to an extent simpler than the Jack situation because of his contract status. If he isn't willing to sign an extended deal he will become a UFA next season. And to add another layer to the Reinhart situation is that he is at his highest trade value. As I have stated numerous times I am not as much of a critic of Risto's play compared the bloodthirsty hanging posse here. I just think that he has been misused. In my mind he is more of a 2B than a 2A defenseman. He is more of a physical player than a thinking player. That's what he is and will always be. I'm hoping that he is retained, and if the disgruntlement is not alleviated then he can be dealt at the trade deadline.

The only thing I can add to your trade expectation is that KA has been clear about what his thoughts are about this roster and some of its players. For better or worse players who are not fully bought in will be moved. What solidified his inclinations to actualize them was the contrast between the young core who exhibited enthusiasm about the future and the lack of it by some of his prime players he gathered from the exit interviews. And I want to make it clear that I fully understand the skeptical views of the players on the exit list. This avoidable situation is mostly a franchise failure.

I wouldn't be against keeping both Eichel and Reinhart if the return wasn't sufficient. You are tuned in as well as anyone so your interpretation of the situation is probably close to mine. It appears that Adams has already made up his mind about who wants to stay and who doesn't. My reading of the situation is that Reinhart more than Jack is likely to be moved because of his contract status. With Jack my stance has not changed. If the return isn't sufficient you keep him until the situation clarifies itself. No more ROR deals. The majority of people here like to bludgeon Risto. I'm not one of them.

You have missed my point on these players. I have repeatedly said that I would love to keep Reinhart. But the issue with him revolves around his contract. If he is not willing to negotiate an extended deal (and soon) then it would make sense to move him. And right now because of his excellent season his value is very high. With Risto my belief is that his value is not very much diminished whether he is moved this offseason or at the next trade deadline.

Risto isn't demanding to get out. He basically told the organization that he is comfortable with whatever they do. If the GM believes that it is in the best interest of the team to keep him for now then that is what he should do. If the GM doesn't feel that his value will diminish if he is traded at a late time then what's the problem if he is kept or moved at a later time. When all GMs talk about their roster they are not making absolute public statements because that isn't how communications are done at that level. It's not unusual that public comments don't match private comments with other organizations.

At first under the Pegulas the Bills weren't very well run. They are now. If the owners learn the right lessons from their turbulent Bills' experience just maybe they can change their course of action with the Sabres. Hypocrite to what?

I have a different take on the Risto compared to the Jack and Samson situation. With Jack and Samson this offseason is the time to get the biggest return for them. Samson because of his contract leverage and Jack for a variety of reasons that have been well chronicled. With Risto I think he can hold his value if he remained on the roster and then dealt at the trade deadline if that was the direction the organization wanted to go. I have a minority view on Risto. My belief is that If used differently as a 2b defenseman where his game is simplified then his talents can be maximized. I believe that airing him with McCabe would be a good complementing pairing.

I would love to keep him. I admire his game and consistency. But unless he signs a multi-year contract soon I think he will be dealt especially when his value is at the max.

Anyone who doesn't believe that Jack, Reinhart and Risto will be dealt is not listening to what is explicitly being stated by the GM, the person responsible for making personnel decisions. This isn't a situation where rumors are emanating from anonymous sources from the bowels of the organization. It's coming from the top of the organizational pyramid. What is bluntly stated is: If you don't want to be here we don't want you. What made the biggest impression on me is that although Adams as a GM is inexperienced he is receptive to going outside his realm and learning from others. And that includes not only those involved in hockey but also outside the sport. What Krueger could have learned from Adams is that it is better to listen than to talk. You expand your knowledge base and are more willing to change and adapt.

In a post by @Flashsabreyesterday he listed Dach, 11th pick, Boqvist and Reichel.

If the Sabres had to choose between an Anaheim offer of Zegras, Comtois and their 3OA or a Chicago deal for Kirby Dach, their first round pick and a couple of previously mentioned players from their roster which one would be the better offer?

When you are at the quarter slots you put in coins not paper. 🤑

The primary reason why the scouting department wasn't quickly re-staffed is because the scouts are contractually obligated to the teams they are working for. You can't right now hire a scout away from another team because they have proprietary knowledge. It's my understanding that scouts are hired on a year to year basis.

What deepened not only the players' but also the fans' impression that the organization was spiraling towards a crash was playing for a stubborn coach who had a prehistoric notion of how to play a modern game in the NHL. Doubling down on an approach that didn't work instead of trying something else was an not only self-defeating but it was hideously stupid. The bottom line is that there were many reasons why the fans and players got disillusioned with the situation.

I disagree because from what the Peulas stated if Botts was willing to go along with the staff dismantlement he would have been able to keep his job. After a number of meetings with the owners he continued to decline to go along with the new business model. So he was dismissed. At the time of instituting the change the pandemic was ravaging their hospitality business along with their hockey business. The cash flow in those businesses was ravaged. And their thinking had to be since the team wasn't doing well while they were spending why not just spend less and weather the financial storm. Where is the organization right now? It is trying to reconstitute the scouting department that was torn down and steadily rebuild the staffing. It's not too difficult to understand their reasoning for doing what they did. But in the end it didn't work. It shouldn't be forgotten that the Sabres had the worst record in the NHL. A dubious distinction reflective of their mismanagement.

After reading the News story I thought how absurdly stupid the owners and the organization were in their austerity strategy. There were released staff members who had contracts that still had to be paid. If you add the Botterill and then Krueger contracts costs the owners didn't really save money. The end result of this so called reorganization is that it set the franchise back to the point where it is now scrambling to get back to where it started. Just senseless.

No one is expecting KA to make magical deals for Jack, Samson or Risto (if he is moved). But that is not to say that he can't come away after trading these players with a good return. Will the value coming in match the value going out? Not necessarily. But that is not to say that after the expected trades the end result is that the roster won't have more promising young players than it did before the trade process started.

We simply are going to disagree on what is the driving force to trade Jack if that comes to pass. As I stated on previous posts after listening to KA's interview to the press after the Jack "disconnect" post season interview I'm much more inclined to believe (to the point of confidence) that the GM wants the player out as much as the player wants out. And little of that has to do with Jack's health status as much as the GM wants to clear the deck of players who are not fully on board. And it appears (my belief) that Jack and his reps have made his feelings clear on this issue. As you state there's no need to go in circles on this issue. At this point if he gets dealt it really doesn't matter what the main reason is for the relocation as it does what the outcome turns out to be. And at this point a fresh start for Jack may be the best thing for him and a fresh start for the Sabres under the young GM may be the best thing for the organization.

You succinctly made Jack's case as to why he wants to be moved; and correspondingly made a case why he should be moved.

Then we go back to your original post. The driving issue for the GM wanting to move Jack has less to do with his health status (although it is a factor) than it does to to do with Jack wanting a change. From the young GM's perspective the issue then becomes whether the player's desire to move on is incompatible with the team attitude he is trying to create. It seems to me that both sides of the table have come to the same conclusion that a change is in the best interest for the parties involved.

If we can get something in the vicinity of what you are suggesting and if you combine it with a potential Jack haul then our roster will be thickened with a lot of good young players with plenty of upside. Will the team be better with the departure of our two prime players? Maybe not in the short run but in the not too distant future it would be a very competitive team. If handled smartly this offseason could result in a lot of positive feelings that originated from a lot of negative feelings about this franchise.