JohnC

The takeaway is that the Granato coaching method is the opposite of the Krueger method. Granato was invested in his players while Krueger was invested in his system. If Granato would have coached this team right from the start it would have been a middle of the pack team instead of a bottom-feeding team. And as the article describes Granato's practices were more rigorous, purposeful and relevant to the games in contrast to Krueger's approach.

The problem as exemplified by the ROR disgruntlement scenario isn't that he was dealt. The problem was the return. There was no necessity to move him if a balanced deal couldn't be made. By many accounts what drove the trade was the impending bonus deadline. The lesson to be learned from that boondoggle is that if you can't get the right deal for a player you want to move then have the fortitude to be patient and wait for a better deal. The organization forced its own hand by setting a deadline when it wasn't necessary.

I didn't say that you made such a projection. What I'm saying is that there has to be an urgency attached to whatever strategy is made for the dealt players (if that comes to pass) that the return must be contributing players more so than futures. Getting contributing players can also be young players---they are not mutually exclusive. I disagree with you that this team doesn't need to go for an immediate playoff push. Being in a playoff push doesn't mean being a cup contender; it means being a lower playoff contender where a lot of teams are bunched together competing for a spot. I think that is a reasonable and doable goal. Another season of not having meaningful games at the end of the season is going to erode even more an eroding fan base.

Odds are that some combination of Jack, Rino and Risto will not be back next season, maybe none. But if the 80 point season that some are projecting next year means that another unserious season will be added to the previous number of seasons with no meaningful end of season games then that will be another brick added on top of this already flatten franchise. That shouldn't be acceptable to the waning fanbase and to the owners. Because of the wretched history of dysfunction of this Pegula franchise there isn't much regard/owners for them by the other owners and those involved in the business. The Pegulas have earned their low ratings, if not scorn, for their ineptitude. The point I'm getting at here is that I don't believe that the Pegulas are going to instruct their GM to clear the decks and start another rebuild. My belief/hope is that the Peuglas are going to demonstrate a greater degree of urgency to get this franchise back on track sooner rather than later. What does that mean? It means that whatever players are dispatched by the GM the returns need be of a value that allows this franchise to be a playoff contending team. Is that attainable? It could be but I'm not sure.

The door is open and I am driving the Granato bus. Welcome aboard and have a seat. Remember, passengers are not allowed to eat, smoke or play music without earpieces while on board. On this bus noted for courtesy youngsters are expected to get up and offer their seat when oldsters are standing. The attributes you want with a coaching hire already have been displayed. He is good working with young players, he holds everyone accountable and coaches a style that is most suitable to the talent on hand and is entertaining to watch. He has shown an ability to alter the roles of his players when needed. If you can retrieve his exit interview with the media it is obvious that he has the pulse of this team and is prepared to assume a permanent HC job. When the horse is already in the barn it is not necessary to look in the pasture for the horse you want to saddle up.

What is going to happen this offseason? I don't know. Is the offseason going to contain some catastrophic deals that set this franchise back again, and again, or will there be some judicious deals that better balances the roster and improves it? I don't know. Will Jack heal well (including his abdominal injury from the previous year) or will he be impaired and be a less dynamic and more frustrated player? I don't know. If Jack and Reinhart are kept and the goaltending is upgraded and the younger players continue with their upward trajectory is this team with some additional tweaks a playoff team next year? I think so but can't say for sure. I understand your trepidation about the offseason and the impending transactions. Based on this befuddled franchise's history your anxiety is well grounded. However, I have a different sensation than you have. Although I am queasy about it I'm also excited about it.

LaFreniere and Kakko, individually, will never be as good as Eichel. That's understood. What has to be considered is whether Jack wants to be with the Sabres and is all in. If the answer is probably not or not sure then the next best course of action is to get as much in return as possible. It's my belief that in the not too distant future both LaFreniere and Kakko will be first line caliber of players. And with those additions it will thicken the talent pool on the roster and provide a greater reserve of talent to absorb the inevitable depletion due to injuries. When the situation is not what you want it to be you have to respond to it as the best you can.

Based on his performance he has led this team. In an environment of turbulence he has been our most stable player. This team has many problems; he's not one of them. Without a doubt for a faltering team he is not part of the problem but rather an important factor for a solution.

All the points you made are valid. But the bigger issue consuming this passionate player is his challenging health situation. The one description that can't be applied to Jack is being complacent. He is a workout warrior in the offseason. He trains to the max. Maybe to the point that he is hurting himself? Now he is in a situation where because of his health status the game has been taken away from him. You don't think that being forced to be a spectator is crushing him? Not being able to play in games is bad enough but he has a number of lingering injuries that call for him to dramatically limit his physical activity all together. Let's not forget that not only does he have the neck and disc injury to deal with but he has had to deal with a stubborn abdominal injury from a prior season that seems resistant to healing. I agree with the organization's more conservative and cautionary approach to Jack's injury. It is recommended by the medical experts and grounded on "best practices" for that type of injury. However, it's not too difficult to understand Jack's frustration and to an extent lashing out. The best thing to do is for all the parties to step back and wait and see how the medical issue plays out. That's not easy to do in this hyper-volatile media environment.

How about Jack for Kakko and LaFreniere? I would go for it.

Nothing is easy in this situation. But as our recent history with ROR illustrates is that making a precipitous unbalanced deal in order to get rid of a player not only doesn't help the situation it sets the franchise back. If the Rangers wanted to trade for Jack I would be agreeable to it if we got back Kakko and LaFreniere. If that type of deal doesn't materialize with them or any other trade proposal then the organization should bide its time and wait for a fair offer.

Yes.

The issue with Eichel is that he has an unresolved disc issue and has a lingering abdominal problem that hasn't been clearly diagnosed. When healthy he is a supreme asset. In my view it would be a mistake to panic and trade him for less than a reasonable/generous return. It would be a mistake to jump the gun and take what you can get sooner than later approach. And on the flip side of the equation if Jack was determined to get out of this turbulent franchise it would be in his interest to get the health issues resolved and so that he can showcase his talents and expand his market.

How can Eichel be traded when his health status is in question? As it stands he is not going to pass a physical for us or any interested team. It is in the interest of the organization to get him back healthy and back to playing at an elite level so that his value can be enhanced. This is a tough situation compounded by the Reinhart contract situation which in my view (and apparently your view) the more immediate concern.

The reverberating transaction that undercut the assets already on the roster and the intended added talents to the roster was the hiring of Krueger as the HC. It was an intriguing out of the box hire that turned out to be a disaster. The organization took a coach who was successful coaching a less talented Swiss team against more talented teams. His philosophy was to focus on stifling the more potent opposition and play a close to the vest game. That restrictive approach to hockey was not going to work with the more free flowing game played by talented offensive players in the NHL. The poster child for his preordained doomed approach is the suffocating of his own talent is exemplified by the play of Dahlin. He took a talented player with an expansive game and reduced it to a smaller and limited game. This organization has made a lot of bad personnel decisions. But hiring Krueger and keeping him on longer than they should have was a crushing mistake that set this franchise back. I am a strong advocate for Granato. I thought he did a marvelous job under the circumstances. Others argue for hiring a coach with more experience. I'm not saying they are wrong; it's simply a difference of opinion. The priority is for this befuddled franchise to do their due diligence and make a sound coaching hire and then get to the task of putting the roster pieces back together.

I agree with you that Sam is more likely to be traded than Jack. My sense is that he is tired playing for such a erratic franchise that hasn't come close to sniffing the playoffs during his career. As he has publicly stated the standard scenario for him is not only not making the playoffs but not even coming close to playing meaningful end of season games. How dispiriting that must be for him? How do you think he feels when he sees Taylor Hall forcing the Sabres to trade him to a team he wants to go to and ends up thriving with his new team and playing in the playoffs? Sam has been our most consistent performer playing for one of the most inept franchises in the league. How many coaches and GMs has he played for? Well now to a degree he has the leverage to force a change. It doesn't matter if the organization is willing to give him an extended contract. If he wants to be somewhere else he will be in a position of leverage with his upcoming UFA status (as you noted) to force a change. Because of the systemic incompetence of this turbulent organization it has created a franchise well known for its futility. It's become a destination where players not only don't want to come to but also a place where they want to get out of. When you constantly crap on yourself you can't hide from the stink!

You don't have to respond to this futile circular discussion. If you believe that I think that the organization has been smartly run then you are way off the mark. Of course the organization has do a better job running the organization. Who is saying otherwise? There is nothing more to add to this exchange.

Who doesn't agree with the importance of balance, team spirit and unity for team success? That's not a novel idea. It's like saying that mothers should be loved. Tell me something that I don't know. It's plainly evident to everyone that the Sabres have been a poorly run operation for a very long time. The constant changing of staffs and philosophies have kept this franchise deeply mired in the muck of mediocrity. Poor decisions stacked on top of poor decisions have deeply sunk this franchise. You don't have to be a hockey aficionado to recognize gross incompetence. The bottom line is that I fundamentally disagree with your resorting to the "old school" solutions to today's hockey failures. Looking back to function in the world of today is a recipe for continued failure. And I'm not buying it.

You better be able to run fast because the big critters can move fast and they like meat. ☠️

Some people want to go to the zoo in the hope of seeing the cuddly dinosaurs.

We certainly don't have the right makeup. It's primarily due to the lack of talent. And it's also due to an incongruent mixture of players. When you have an extended history of bad management and constantly changing of staffs what do you expect? You certainly are not going to have a stable franchise when it is erratically run. No matter how many oldsters you want to bring back to the future they will not be the solution to a failed operation in this modern NHL era. A preponderance of bad decisions predictably are going to lead to bad results. If you want to believe that the Rangers fighting in the last or second last game of the season is going to be a meaningful bonding factor then go ahead and believe that old school fantasy/bullllshiiit. That adrenalin rush will have absolutely no carryover. I'm not saying that teammates shouldn't stick up for one another. But what I am saying is thuggish hockey doesn't trump more talented teams that play well together. You are absolutely right that the Imlach era had an identity. And it should be understood that every era has its own identity. I'm confident that the Imlach era/approach would be an abject failure if it was applied to this era. Change is inevitable in the sports world as it is in life. Looking back for solutions is not going to lead you to success.

The Punch Imlach era was half a century ago! How management handled players in that era is long gun. It's a different world with contracts and free agency. If you want to look back to the bygone days for issues associated with today's hockey world then keep up with your search. If you want to look back then do so. I'm looking forward.

I'm not advocating a trade for Jack. But if he were dealt I would rather see him go to the Rangers for young players such as Kakko and LaFreniere plus a high end prospect. This would be a fair trade for both teams and a good situation for Jack in a more sparkling market. In my view this proposed trade would not set the franchise back in the short run. It would add more talent to the roster and continue with the trend of accumulating young players who still have a lot of upside.

Pamper the superstars? What the heck are you talking about? The problem isn't that our one and only superstar (who was injured for most of the season) is pampered as it is not enough talent on the team. That's the heart of the matter for this failed franchise. And on top of that it is foolishly managed. Compare the difference how this team performed with Granato behind the bench instead of the prior more eloquent coach who was a disaster. Granato took a team that cratered under Krueger and infused it with children from the AHL resulting in this team playing dramatically better. Maybe you are not able to see the difference in the quality of play but it was evident to anyone who had a penny's worth of objectivity. You may have noticed it but Babcock was fired. And you may not be aware of it that this team has performed better without his tiresome scowling phony tough guy act. You want Tortorella? He's on the market because he was fired, again, and again, and again, and again. The worst thing this franchise needs is an old time Neanderthal coach for this young team. When one has to resort to going back to the Imlach era to find a solution to what's going on now in hockey is beyond being absurd.

Toronto's goaltending has been good. They have a talented roster with a number of high cost players. I don't see them making a major expenditure for a goalie. They are doing very well without needing to go outside and outbidding the market to bring in Ullmark, a goalie who has durability issues. I just don't see it happening.