JohnC

Would you be more receptive to a trade to the Rangers for LaFreniere, Kakko and a high end prospect who potentially would be ready for the NHL in a year or two? I would.

This is just my sense (opinion) and it corresponds to your perception of the direction that Adams wants to take. As you are inclined to believe I think that he wants to trade Eichel, Risto and Reinhart and start anew with his own imprint on the roster. His position is defensible if he can get a good return on his assets. The stumbling block is that unless he maximizes the return on Jack the setback for the team will be greater than it needed to be. That's why the imperative is to get Jack healthy and productive to increase his value if he is marketed.

Buffalo's my hometown. I have been gone for a long time but it's still a part of me. Jack is an intense competitor. I can understand his frustration. What makes me upset is how this franchise has been erratically run by the owners. It is outrageous that in a cap system that a franchise can be anchored to the bottom of the shiiit pile for so long. It makes me mad and it makes me sad.

If Jack returns to form that should add to the scoring. And it will certainly improve the potency of the PP. Is it inconceivable that Skinner become a 25 plus scorer again? Maybe under a less suppressive system he will? Will players such as Thompson, Cozens, Mitts and Arttu be more productive? I just think that although there are not many scoring dynamos on the roster there is enough scoring talent spread around to make us more competitive. Can we add through trades and acquisition a couple of productive players that will improve the goal production? I think so.

Why do you say that Jack despises Buffalo and everyone in it? Clearly he is frustrated and exasperated with the organization and its inability to add enough talent to provide a suffient support system around him. What player isn't tired of the extended futility? I'm not against trading Jack if the return is high enough to bolster the roster in the near term (not necessarily immediate.) The best way for that to happen is to get Jack playing at the elite level he previously played at and then make a decision about him when his value is higher.

It's in his and the team's best interest for him to get healthy and return to his elite form. If he returns to form and decides that he needs a change of venue then his value increases. The most influential thing that the Sabres can do to improve the team is upgrade the goaltending. Assuming that Ullmark is retained that is a very attainable task. Risto certainly is an asset that can be exchanged for a second-line player. And the younger players should continue to get better. After the coaching change the team played better. And they did it without much practice time and with a slew of injuries that included an extensive list of non-NHL replacement goaltenders. I strongly believe that with some judicious moves this team can be contending for a lower tier playoff spot. That isn't a lofty goal but it would be a leap forward.

What is DFL?

It is tough to extrapolate anything from this unique Covid and Krueger season. Our goalie situation for much of the season was dire, and after the belated jettisoning of Krueger the team was injected with a lot of young players who got a lot of playing time. It should also be factored in that there wasn't much practice time due to the compressed schedule, and especially after the coaching change not working on the change of systems and players' roles didn't help the cause. In spite of the lack of practice time the players adapted well to the change in the system. I'm not suggesting that your more negative view of the roster than what I have is not merited. You are likely to be more right than I am. Is it fair to make a more positive judgment about this team from the last 22 games or is it fairer to use your larger sample size to base a prediction for next season? Neither might be the right answer because the biggest influence in changing the dynamic for this team is what is going to be done in the offseason.

I really don't know how things are going to transpire this offseason. If the front office with the consent of the owners decide that its time for a major remake with our big three (Risto, Reinhart and Jack) being moved then I don't know what this roster is going to look like. It doesn't necessarily have to be catastrophic if handled adroitly but the timeline for reasonable contention will be set back. I'm not down or up on the prospects for this team. I just don't know????

Are you toying with @GASabresIUFANemotions with that projection? 🙂

I don't understand why you are so pessimistic? Retaining McCabe should be doable. So should re-signing Ullmark. If Risto is dealt the return should at least be a second-line forward. So your checklist is steadily being worked through. With respect to keeping Jack or Reinhart I don't know? My sense (guess) is that they are both going to be dealt. Needless to say this is going to be a an intriguing offseason. I have schizophrenic feelings entering the offseason: trepidation and excitement.

Do you believe that if Risto is traded that the return can be a top six forward, most likely a second-line forward? With respect to a shutdown defenseman I don't see that type of acquisition being made unless it is a return for a Jack trade. There is a limited number of that type of elite defensemen that teams are very reluctant to shed such a valuable commodity. Having a well-rounded blue line unit and responsible forward play can help to compensate for the lack of a blue line ace.

I have a respectful but fundamental disagreement on the issue of player development. For most prospects playing games at the lower levels enhances development compared to being a practice player. I consider Mitts as a good example of my perspective. He was rushed and overwhelmed. When he got more playing time and responsibility in the AHL he was more prepared to handle the rigors of the NHL.

Is Peterka capable of being a second-line player or is he more of a third-line player? Is Quinn capable of being s first-line player or is he more of a second-line player?

I didn't say that the Sabres would have made the playoffs if Granato was behind the bench at the start of the season and we had another goalie. (Not saying you said I did.) But I don't think that it is an outlandish projection to make that under him and with better goaltending even with an incomplete roster and with a normal schedule this team would have been at an 80-82 point level. That is significantly better than being at the bottom feeding level we were at this year. After the losing streak was broken and with minimal practice time this team was earning around a point a game (9-11-2) and it was done with third tier goalies. I said it before and I will say it again that if this offseason is handled smartly this team should be contending for a lower tier playoff spot. And it will be disappointing that at the minimum this team wasn't playing meaningful games up to the finish of the season. The starting point to that goal is solidifying the goaltending.

I respectfully but strenuously disagree with your stance. There certainly are rare exceptions such as Dahlin or Jack who are better suited to start off in the NHL. However, the advantage for most prospects is to get more playing time and various roles in the lower league. The issue for most of these young players isn't so much as paying the price as it is the maturation and development process. There is a learning curve and mastering something usually takes time and patience. Trust the process!

I'm hoping that the organization doesn't make the same mistake with Quinn it made by rushing Mitts. Getting a lot of playing time with more roles in the AHL will serve him and the franchise better. Allowing Arttu time in Rochester helped him be better prepared when he moved up to the NHL.

I disagree with your conclusion that the evidence is on your side. What the evidence clearly demonstrates from the ROR deal is that because it was rushed/forced it turned out to be a disaster. I think KA and what should be chastened owners are smart enough to recognize that the ROR deal is a model of what not to do when making a deal. KA certainly recognizes that he has a valuable asset in Jack. If he decides to parlay it I'm confident that he is smart enough to get good value back.

If Jack and Reinhart are on the roster next season (???) and Ullmark is signed and a quality backup is brought in I would say that this is a lower tiered playoff team. I'm very much counting on the younger players continuing on with their progression. If Jack and Reinhart are not on the roster then the next question is what is the return?

The timeline for that horizon is next year. And even when that particular clause kicks in giving him a say where he can be dealt that still doesn't mean that he has to be dealt. If you can't get good value for him then you keep him. I'm not arguing whether to deal him or not. The only condition for a trade is if dealt the return has to be comparable or near comparable to the value going out. As example would I trade Jack to the Rangers for Kakko and LaFreniere? My response is yes.

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.