JohnC

I'm not completely pessimistic about the future of this team. The trajectory of this team can still project upwards if the front office makes a number of smart decisions this offseason. Will Jack, Reinhart and Risto be on the roster next season? Probably not. Of the three Reinhart is the most likely to be moved because he has the contract leverage to force the organization to trade him. It should be noted that Reinhart gets less fan venom for his more explicit comments about being tired of his situation than Jack gets for his more oblique comments indicating he wants out. If these players are dealt then the critical issue is what is the return. Make no mistake we are not going to get equal value. But that is not to say that our roster can't be improved and reshaped with an infusion of different players to alter the mix and team dynamic. Sometimes change for the sake of change can be refreshing. My basic to do list starts with the GM hiring Granato. He excels at player development. That is an valuable attribute for a roster that will be very young. Also the GM should not get cute and overthink the draft. Draft Owen Power with the first pick. Even if he goes back to school for another year he would be an excellent selection. And maybe the biggest priority is to improve the goaltending position. If we have a good enough tandem that will keep us in most games that in itself should give this team confidence. And as previously mentioned we need to get an adequate yield on the probable trades that will happen.

Thank you for infusing me with confidence. I now feel more confident in my position than I have ever felt.

No you got it assbackwards. Good players have come into the system and ended up getting demoralized by its pervasive dysfunction. Ask yourself why ROR, a player you consider to lack leadership, ends up leaving and then becomes one of the leaders and prime players on a cup team? San Reinhart is known to be a good character guy and one of the most consistent players in the league. He's not known to be a problem person yet he has publicly made it clear that he wants out. The notion that if ROR was designated the captain instead of Jack the situation would have been different is simplistic and absurd.

You are off the mark. You would be surprised to learn that I am more old school than you are. There is a bigger context than Jack. I understand Jack's behavior because it is not so much related to a single issue as it relates to years of organizational ineptitude. It appears that he has reached the end of the line being marooned in a dysfunctional system. That shouldn't be surprising to anyone. The stench of this organization has contaminated Jack's attitude as it has done to others. It has staggered a lot of our good players. ROR was known as a practice warrior and maximum effort player. He desperately wanted out. Sam Reinhart is one of the most honest players in the league. He wants out. Risto basically said I don't care. Hall wanted out out. And when he got to a highly functioning team his play revived. Montour was relieved when dealt to Florida, and afterwards spoke about the confusion he left behind when he changed teams. It doesn't matter what business you are in. When you run a chaotic operation that has dismally failed in its mission you shouldn't be surprised when there is a high level of disgruntlement. That's the real issue and cause of a deterioration in attitude by some of its players. The roads are not always straight. Sometimes there are curves on the road.

Why do you believe that Beniers is going to be the first pick? My money is on Power being our first pick. With respect to Sam he is as determined if not more determined to find a change of scenery than Jack. There are those who are highly critical of Jack for expressing his frustration with the organization. The reality is that Sam has more clearly expressed his fatigue with being in his current situation. It's just as likely if not more that he will be dealt.

Jack is dealing with a health situation that could jeopardize his career. He is also on a franchise stuck in the muck of mediocrity. If his apparent disillusionment with his situation is a surprise to the organization then it is grossly clueless. You don't think that the organization has communicated with Jack and his reps during his injury hiatus? It's safe to assume that there has been communication while he was on the shelf. So it shouldn't be a surprise to anyone in the front office what his attitude was about the situation. I'm not going to criticize Jack for candidly answering questions at his exit interview. Would anyone take his responses seriously if he gave some disingenuous responses at the interview when anyyone who had a scintilla amount of knowledge of his situation know that it was untrue? My point is that most people involved in the hockey business both inside and outside of the organization were well aware of what's going on. I'm very confident that the organization and the people who cover the Sabres were not blindsided by any surprising revelations at his exit interview. Jack's not the bad guy here; and neither is the organization. Divorce is rarely easy for the parties involved. It's just a difficult situation that the parties have to come together in some sort of accommodation.

As I stated in other posts I believe that the hiring of a HC and the Eichel saga are separate issues. Would the Sabres be better off if Eichel stays? If healthy, without a doubt. But if he wants out or the GM and organization don't believe that he is committed to the team he will be moved. There is a timing issue with Jack that relates to clauses in his contract. If the Jack issue is put off for another year the organization will lose some leverage if they decide to move him later rather than sooner.

I respectfully disagree. I agree with you that the direction of the team is going to be affected by the Eichel decision. It would be a mistake to base a coaching decision on how it will affect a particular player. The issue is who is the best coach the roster assembled. A good coach is a good coach. If it is good for the team it would be good for Jack if he stays.

Where I have a slight disagreement with you is that I'm more willing to bring in a high-end prospect such as Byfield in a trade transaction for one of our prime players. The impact clearly won't be immediate but it should be impactful. I'm not talking about an either/or deal but simply part of a deal that would be beneficial in the not too distant long run. I do believe (and I think you do so also) that this team can be a better team even with the departure of a couple of our prime players if the trades are handled smartly.

I'm not worried about being inspired. I want a coach who can make his players get better. I want a coach who can consistently get his players to play hard. I want a coach that not only holds the players accountable but instills an ethic where the players hold each other accountable. In his relatively short stint last season Granato did that. Although he isn't an inspiring selection he would be a good selection. I am an unabashed Granato-stan.

It appears to me that you and @Weaveare more in concert than in conflict. In reading your posts on this topic my interpretation of what the both of you are saying is that if handled adroitly even with the departure of some of our prime players it can be used to enhance the roster. Even if there is a short-term setback the foundation can be strengthened and the team can be better situated.

The interview at the end of the season was a candid expression of his frustration due to his injury situation. And also although not explicitly expressed but maybe more important is his obvious frustration being stuck on a team that has a way to go to compare to the better teams in the league. There is no doubt that the young players played better under Granato. But what is also starkly true is that the Sabres had the worst record in the league and have been shut out of the playoffs for a decade. I agree with you that Jack wasn't very diplomatic and didn't exhibit much grace. But instead of playing the insincere public relations game he told you exactly what he felt. What we learned is that there is a lot of going on between the parties involved. This wasn't your typical buuulllshiitt pro forma exit interview. It was the truth as he saw it. And for that I am not going to criticize him for it.

I don't deny that Beniers may turn out to be a stud. As you pointed out in another related post all three Michaganders look to be quality prospects. As I said before I'm not foolish enough to be dismissive of anyone who prefers their ying over my yang. This is a draft situation where with choices we should be able to add a top shelf prospect into the pool. My preferred scenario if the Sabres feel compelled to trade Jack is that we come away with a player/prospect such as Byfield. If you combine him with Power then you are increasing the pool of young players that will make this team better in the not to distant future. With no equivocation I publicly proclaim myself to be a Power-Stan. And with even more conviction I consider myself to be a Granato-Stan!

The attached link is an interview on WGR on the Instigator Show with Steve Shields who is a former Sabre goalie. He is on the staff at the Univ. of Michigan. He talks about the prospects on the team. This is a 36 min interview. If you listen to the first half of the interview you will get the segment dealing with Power, Benier and Johnson. The more I hear about Power the more entrenched I get about selecting him with our pick. He also talks about Portillo. https://www.audacy.com/wgr550/authors/the-instigators-with-andrew-peters-and-craig-rivet

Looking at some of your projected proposals, even if there is some variation, what becomes apparent if our young GM handles the market smartly is that he can come out of this Jack and Reinhart drama with a core of young players that in the near future should make this not only competitive team but also an entertaining team. Where I slightly disagree with your take is that I would want Byfield included in a Jack trade and I would use our first pick on Power instead of Beniers. In general I like your assemblage of players. For what is considered a nondescript franchise this is going to be an exciting offseason for the local fans and also the NHL fans in general.

I'm as big of fan of Reinhart as there is here. However, if Reinhart doesn't sign a long term deal (as you noted) I would be satisfied with a trade that included the 8th pick and Turcotte for Reinhart. And I would also consider trading that 8th pick for a young player who could contribute right away.

I just have a different viewpoint on the unit. I'm not sure if Risto is going to be dealt. But if he is the unit as you describe is simply too young. There needs to be more mentorship. I also believe that Power should stay in school another year and be better prepared when he does play in the NHL. Make no mistake what I'm saying. I do believe he can make the jump to the league next year but I believe that his development will be enhanced spending one more year in college.

I agree with you that his injury history is a concern. The injury tendency is difficult to factor in. I just think that this team can use a high character guy like him added to the mix of youngsters.

I respectfully disagree. Regardless if he is on the roster or goes back to college the McCabe retention or not issue is a separate issue altogether.

In your calculation are you expecting McCabe to be gone? I consider him to be a very solid #2 or good #3 pairing defenseman who is a top shelf character guy.

As you are indicating whether KA is an astute GM or not there are many very difficult and complicated decisions that need to be made that would be challenging for even the best GMs in the business. For the most part the tough situation he is in is not of his making.

The evaluation process is still ongoing. If the scouting department ends up ranking other players higher then you adjust accordingly. If another team offers a tantalizing deal for a player/s with a trade down then you have to consider it. This is not the time to stop evaluating prospects or stop listening to offers. If the draft was today I would select Power. But that is not the case. It would be foolish to not consider options that could in the long run improve your roster. As of right now I am a Power-stan.

You are portraying our GM as being naive. He may not be experienced but he is not dumb. Odds are that he would prefer signing Reinhart to an extended contract. However, if Reinhart gives indications that he is only willing to sign a one year deal and maintain his UFA status for next year then it is smart to trade him this offseason rather than getting lesser offers this season with UFA approaching. Eichel is one of the best players in the league. The GM is aware of that. But because of his serious injury and the disagreement between the parties as to the best course of treatment his status is unsettled. Does the star player want to remain with this floundering franchise or is he determined to move on to a better situation? Don't be surprised if the GM has a good feel for knowing what Jack's thoughts actually are. As with the Reinhart situation there are contract considerations that give the GM more options to trade Jack this year compared to next year when the player has a say as to where he can be dealt. The ideal situation is to sign Reinhart to a long term deal and get Jack healthy and retain him. But if both players want out then the time to move them is this offseason instead of waiting when the organization loses leverage. As in life you can't always control a difficult situation but you can make the best of it even when it doesn't reach the level of an ideal situation.

I disagree that he is going to have unbearable pressure on him if he is traded for Jack. If he is on the roster it will be as a lower line player who is not going to be given a prominent role. And there is a good chance that if he is part of a package in a Jack deal he might even end up starting in Rochester. In any Jack trade scenario he is going to be the best player in the exchange. All we can expect is that the return will in the end add players that will accelerate the renewed rebuild process. Sometimes when you are forced into a situation you don't want to be in you do the best you can to salvage it and hope that your setback isn't as damaging as it could have been.

If there is a need for surgery there still might be a conflict between the parties as to which surgery is the best course of action. It just seems to me that the medical people who the Sabres are consulting with aren't on board with what they consider to be the more experimental and less conventional surgical approach.