JohnC

Simple solution: pasta and more pasta. That'll bulk him up in no time. He's a young fellow but a little red vino won't hurt him. However, if he drank as much as my father did, his face will be red and his sentences somewhat garbled. 😁

Rosen and second round pick for Miller.

If you can't even acknowledge that some of the moves that KA made were good moves, then your objectivity is overwhelmed by your preconceived view of him. As you well know, I have little regard for this Howdy Doody GM. But that doesn't mean that I'm not going to have the objectivity and fairness to give him credit when he does something that is right. When you get to the point where you are locked in with your position without considering a contrary view, then we have reached the point of futility. The deal for McCleod and acquisition of Zucker were good deals. Although it is acknowledged that it wasn't enough to move the needle to the meaningful zone.

Then the iPhone becomes the next perplexing device to be befuddled over. With patience the mountain will be conquered, although it will take some extra time. Now get off my lawn! 🙃

One aspect of that multifaceted situation was that he was not allowed to have the procedure he wanted to have. In hindsight, he was right on this issue. And circumscribing the situation that goes beyond any individual player is that pervasive dysfunction creates a climate where players want to get away from. This disarray in the organization’s been going on since the Pegula era began. And the consequences have been damaging.

Whether there was a chorus of misinformation or not from a variety of sources still didn't mean that the Sabres had to trade Eichel. He was under contract and was bound to this team. The player let it be known that he wanted out but still it was the organization who decided to trade him.

Even the smartest GMs in the business are wise enough to seek advice before making consequential decisions. Very office the best advice is a contrarian advice because it forces you to look at an issue from a different perspective. You don't have to be the smartest person in the room to make the best decisions. Surrounding yourself with talent and an ability to listen to others can serve you well.

What excuse are you talking about?

@PromoTheRobot has always had an attitude that if the fanbase went too far in criticizing the benevolent owner that the angered owner would out of frustration or spite move the franchise or sell it to someone who would move the franchise. That's always been his overriding fear when the criticisms get too intense. PTR puts his $$$ where his mouth is and as an out of towner attends a lot of hometown games in a variety of sports. So he deserves some forbearance. But even for this fine upstanding fellow he carries out his prostration to the organization to an extreme level. He needs to recognize that holding people accountable in any endeavor is something that should be pursued and not feared. And I want to make it clear that I like this fine chap.

In season trades are more challenging to do than offseason deals. KA's biggest mistake was in assessing his roster before it played its first game. When you poorly assess and assemble a roster you are in for a tough season.

The inquisitive person you described who was managing a project that was overwhelming him is a person I admire. He had enough self-awareness to recognize his limitations and seek help to get him through the project. He didn't allow his ego to fake his way through a project that was too much for him to handle alone. Compare that to Pegula and KA? (As you pointed noted.)

Tell that to the owner who foolishly hired him and then retained him after an extended bland performance. It's not a surprise that when mediocrity is rewarded (or not held accountable) it is a reflection of the mediocre franchise. Tolerance is not always a good thing.

Organizations recognize what players are more likely to being dealt than most people think. A lot of that the assumptions about possible availability are based on player contract status and roster and system stocking that are known to all. And in the normal casual conversations/interactions that all teams have with one another clues about players future availability can be decerned that lead to future pursuits. The point I'm making here is that for the most part little is secret what an organization wants and what they are willing to give up. There is plenty of lead up before anything is actualized. I wholeheartedly agree with you that the Sabres will likely be trading current players, prospects and picks in combination. And that shouldn't be a surprise because that is how most hockey business is usually conducted. The one major deficiency that KA has that has limited his options is that he is poor in assessing his own talent and understanding on how they should fit together. He's a shallow thinker in a class full of deep thinkers. I'm hearted by the fact that an experienced hockey man was added to tutor him up a bit.

A better approach would have been to have KA working for Jarmo. In general, I'm happy/encouraged with the new staff addition. I'm not sure how much authority he has. Giving advice is different from exercising authority.

The owner hired a person who had little qualification for the job. Then the owner allowed him to stay on the job when his record demonstrated that he should have been dispatched. This is not a normally functioning NHL franchise. This is a Terry Pegula owned franchise. What the Pittsburgh Pirates are to baseball, the Sabres are to NHL hockey. We are a steppingstone franchise for talented young players to move on from. Failure emanates from the top.

It's a big if but if Norris can be more durable, this trade will be a positive deal. And moving Cozens was the right thing to do for the player. He needed a change of scenery.

You laid out the situation that he is now in. It's like a student who doesn't go to class and when he does, he doesn't pay attention. So when the finals arrive he panics and is forced to resort to all night study seasons and cheat sheets hidden in his sleaves in order to pass the test. I diverge with most of the participants here in that they are demanding desperate moves to compensate for the GM's prior lassitude. In my view, that would be a horrible mistake. It's time that this archaically operated franchise start acting more judiciously. A lot of action doesn't necessarily translate into productive action. The biggest impact moves that this front office can do this offseason is upgrade the goalie position and get a better mix with the blueline. I'm not suggesting that the forward lines don't need to be modified but the priority should be at the goalie and defender position.

The man is simply in over his head. A GM is supposed to have a broader perspective in evaluating his team. He's more of a bean counter type person who is looking at transactions as singular deals instead of looking at how the pieces fit together, reinforcing one another. It's more than adding talent----it's about building a coherent roster. It's beyond his capacity. He's a C student in an advanced physics course.

The GM did make a number of helpful deals last offseason. Some of them very good, such as getting McCleod and Zucker. However, he didn’t do enough. Now, there is even more pressure to act. The billboard is flashing. Not too difficult to get the message.

I understand your position. However, when you go to the card table and the dealer asks you if want another card, you have to make a decision before knowing the outcome. I'm simply playing the odds as to what I think is likely to happen. My leaning toward KA taking some actions this offseason is that there is a lot of pressure on him to do so. When you are being squeezed you usually have to react. That's how I see it.

There's no way that they won't be active. The pressure has built to the point that even if the GM was reluctant to make moves, he will take action because he knows that not doing so puts him in jeopardy. There is no way that this is going to be a status quo offseason. There has been a lot of rumblings about the Sabres having dialogues with a lot of teams. That shouldn't be a surprise because this is the period of time where are all organizations are checking each other out. I have said it before, but I strongly believe that a priority has to be the goalie position, and another will be reworking the blue line. Will there be deals involving some of our young wingers? I believe so. If I had to guess I would put my money on JJP being moved. I'm glad Keka has been added to the staff to provide KA a sounding board during this critical period. We shall see.

I, as most everyone, am sympathetic to his tough family situation. But it should be acknowledged that right from the start of his ownership he has made a lot of perplexing decisions that has anchored this franchise to the bottom of the heap. Being preoccupied with a serious family situation should have been a greater reason to find competent staff to guide the franchise. He did the opposite. Not trying to be mean-spirited but I wish he would sell.

Terrific analysis that is fair and objective and corresponds to what most of us believe to be the case. I will drink an extra glass of vino to salute you.

The “snake oil” pitch that KA promoted is not too difficult to recognize. He promoted a cheaper rebuild strategy to the owner who was tired of losing money on his toy. It was like putting a Jack Daniel bottle in front of a struggling alcoholic. It’s not a surprise that the clueless owner went for the intoxicating bottle.

Is Terry P as out of touch as it appears? Has he simply become so exasperated with his failed toy that he has given up being emotionally involved and no longer willing to focus his attention trying to make his aberrant franchise into a normal functioning franchise? I’m not trying to be snarky with these questions. You seem to have some sources and insights into this infected franchise and the odd behavior of this silent owner. My sense is that he has checked out???? Am I off the mark? I hope so.