JohnC

It would be in Casey's best interest to have a change of scenery. He needs to be in a new environment where he can have a fresh start and where the new regime would not be bound by the performances of the past.

Do the Sabres sign Skinner to an extension if ROR was on the roster? I'm not sure they would have. I'm not saying that the deal balances out but if Tage becomes a productive third or maybe even second line winger and the defenseman drafted with the first round pick eventually becomes a NHL player or is parlayed for another asset then the deal isn't so skewed. I'm not saying that the loss of ROR wasn't damaging because it was. But sometimes with a longer perspective it becomes a less bad transaction.

He's watching the wrong channel and is not aware of it.

I disagree with a part of your response. Because of the unique financial environment brought on by the virus that has depressed the revenues there are deals that can be made for a pittance that will strengthen the roster. The Sabres still have the ability without trading their pick to bring another second line player. If you add that to the Staal addition it adds up to constructing a second line without giving up much in assets. Even with an in-house cap we still can bring in talent. Our first round pick is a valuable commodity because you are bringing in a high end prospect and having him in your system for an entry level price. In today's NHL world that is a high value asset that is cost effective.

Why not stay at 8 and draft one of those remaining players you listed? Why would a team at 10 trade up to 8 when they can get a similar caliber of player they want? Why try to get cute? Just draft the highest rated player on your board when your turn comes up. Very often when you try to outsmart someone you end up outsmarting yourself.

Perfetti is a super bright person. There is no one in this draft or involved in hockey who can solve the rubic cube quicker than he can.

His salary is not cheap. However, if he is a genuine second line player his contract numbers are not out of bounds, especially if a player like Montour or Miller is moved to make more cap space. We have lower line players such as Gergs and Larsson that can be let go that will help defray some of the cost of the new acquisition. If the Sabres enter the next belated starting season with our two top lines staffed by credible top two line players then this is good situation to be in compared to the previous number of years.

The ideal situation will be for Drysdale and Sanderson to be taken before our turn comes up. What's more probable is that one instead of both defensemen get selected early. As many are saying we should come away with a highly rated prospect. I'm getting excited about the draft but to be honest I'm more excited about the deals that will be made after the draft. In a compressed scheduled season strengthening our goal tending has to be a priority. Our new GM will have an opportunity to reshape and rebalance this roster with a few judicious moves. Will he and his staff seize the opportunity? The Bills are a demonstration in how a smart front office and staff can in relatively short order can dramatically change the culture and psychology of a losing organization.

Attached is a Buffalo News article by Lance Lysowski listing the likely prospects that Buffalo will be considering in the first round. He gives a synopsis of each player and the likelihood of being selection. There are no surprises. The listing mirrors the evaluations of the players that are often given here. How the draft unfolds is unpredictable other than it will not fully follow what the draftniks predict. What is evident is regardless how the picks materialize we should be able to come away with a good prospect. https://buffalonews.com/sports/sabres/nhl-entry-draft-eight-names-to-know-for-buffalo-sabres-at-no-8/article_b8cd0520-04db-11eb-bbd2-9ff7f64d9220.html

If you were comparing where Cozens will/could be in a couple of years how would you compare the two as 2C players? If a team is going to trade for Danault who has one more year on his contract I would suspect that the team dealing for him would already plan to play him as their long term 2C. (Implicit in my question is how good is Danault?) I don't see Buffalo as being that team. Once the Sabres traded for Staal it made a Danault acquisition very unlikely.

When Tom Golisano took over as the owner he found that the financial books for the franchise were indecipherable and money was comingled with the previous owner's personal and other business entities. One of his first priorities was untangling the tangled finances and straightening out the books. To his credit he took over an insolvent franchise and forced financial discipline on the operation. In relative short order he put the house in order. To Golisano's credit and honor contractors and vendors who were owed money were paid their due even though he was not obligated to pay them because of the bankruptcy laws. In relatively short order he not only put this franchise on a stable footing but made sure that the franchise was going to be sold to someone who was going to keep it in Buffalo. He claimed that he had a higher offer from someone who was not committed to keeping the franchise in Buffalo. He sold the franchise to Pegula and ended up making some money on the deal. Golisano was a good businessman and honorable businessman. With respect to the Golisano edict to Darcy that trades were going to be made on the basis of a $ in for $ out don't be surprised if that trade requirement becomes a standard to a certain extent. It may not be enforced on every deal but when the total costs are tabulated the trade $$$ accounts will be more balanced than before.

Attached is a link of a Buffalo News article by Mike Harrington arguing for trading the pick. He is calling for showing more urgency in making this team a more serious team. His position is understandable and reasonable but my sense is that the Sabres are going to make the pick. And it shouldn't be surprising that economics will be a factor why the organization will be taking that route. https://buffalonews.com/sports/sabres/inside-the-nhl-huge-week-ahead-especially-for-sabres-first-time-gm/article_32aa935c-04b5-11eb-9b73-d71b4e23b6ff.html?view=getnewpost

The Jack line as you listed would be one of the top tier (upper third) first lines in the league. If you want to maximize Skinner like was done in his first year in Buffalo then it makes sense to put him in a position to maximize his talents. I didn't like how Krueger handled Skinner last year. It seemed like he was too concerned about his limitations instead of emphasizing his strengths.

Simple solution: Assemble a Skinner/Jack/Reinhart line. And play Skinner more on the PP.

A player at the level of Tampa's Cirelli. Just citing this player as the caliber of player worth our pick. There are a variety of options when considering a deal. One way to do it is to get a genuine second line player and exchange first round draft positions to make the deal more equitable. It's probable that the Sabres will keep their pick. But it is not inconceivable that the pick could be dealt in a package type of deal.

Excellent analysis. As you astutely point out there are many layers laid bare in your examination. Even with all the Sabres' blatant limitations if the Sabres would have had consistent goaltending last year it is not outlandish to believe that they would have been a playoff team. There are many roster issues that need to be addressed this offseason. The one area where an improvement in play would make the greatest difference is in its goaltending. The goaltending market is a loaded market with many reasonably priced players. And what is appealing about this bloated market is not only the price but the prospects for a short term. Fleury is without question an interesting option but there are also other good options that can be considered. The issue comes down to does this new regime have the ability to seize the many opportunities that exist in the market place? It's doable!

If Rossi or Perfetti or other higher rated players were off the board then you go to your next rated player on your board. If your option is between sitting next to a farting slob on the packed bus or a riding solo in a Toyota Corolla I'll take the vehicle with the better gas mileage and the air refresher on the front mirror. 🤡

What is apparent that even if our preferred option A, B or even C player is not on the board when our turn comes up to go to the podium we will come away with a good player. After reading the link what struck me is the similarity of profile between Lundell and Jokiharju. Certainly, not from a position standpoint but from the standpoint of how smart and efficient they are and how they enhance the rest of the unit on the ice. From an eyeball view neither player is dazzling but from a cerebral and no frills style of play each is very effective i.e. substance over style.

I have stated before that I am open to trading the pick although I now believe that it will more likely be kept. If that is the case there will still be opportunities to rebuild the second line without giving up much. A good example of that is trade Johansson for Staal. He isn't a long-term fix but it was a good move to address the 2C position, and it saved some precious cap money. It shouldn't be surprising that a player like Marchessault and other second line players could be available with reasonable deals. We have an excess of player/s on the blue line that can be dealt for forward help that will better balance the roster. One of the primary factors that will influence the decision whether to trade the pick or not is the current Covid economic landscape. The dramatic shrinkage in revenue will favor keeping the pick because it is a cheaper asset that will gain value while this oppressive economic landscape runs its course. It could take another two years before the market place returns to a more normal/sustainable revenue stream.

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Your response captured my sentiment. The way this extraordinary virus offseason is setting up there is a lot of financial stresses that are going to drive many personnel decisions for a number of teams. Patience may result in better bang for the buck deals the longer we wait. However, as like you, I want to see some preliminary action that will for the short term satisfy my craving to start the process of upgrading and reshaping the roster. I'm not greedy. I just want to see some initial action that will inspire more hope and optimism.

Vegas, an expansion team, under the stewardship of George McPhee, their GM, did the most masterful job of putting together an organization and also staffing it's franchise of players in an expansion draft than any GM has done in any pro sport. Making all those side deals to take and not take players in the expansion draft was creative and impressive. Not only did he put together a roster that immediately played in the Stanley Cup championship series but it has remained as one of the top tier teams in the western conference and league. McPhee in assembling his first roster didn't go for the blockbuster approach rather than make a lot of small to medium personnel decisions for the right type of players who fit their intended roster design. If to a smaller extent our new GM can replicate what the Vegas GM did then the Sabres should be able to finally get over the hump. It's not about acting with brilliance. It is about the accumulation of a lot of sound hockey decisions with a little creativity thrown into the mix. It's doable!

He would be a better fit as a forward on a Staal line with maybe Skinner as the other winger????

Trading down a spot or two is a reasonable tactic to take but that is not the more likely scenario. It is more likely that a team desiring to move up is farther down the draft board moving you beyond your tier group. And what you are not accounting for is that other teams that you don't suspect can move ahead of you in your lower position. You can't control for those surprise movements of other teams moving up to pick one of the players that you are eyeballing. My preference considering where we are drafting from is simply make the pick. It should result in a high quality prospect. If you go back and read my prior response it stated that if a scenario came up where a trade was offered for an established quality player and an exchange of picks I would consider it. So contrary to what you stated I am open to trade options but I'm also leaning toward caution.

Craig Rivet has been highlighting on his WGR hockey show recently that Marchessault is a player who is likely candidate to be moved because of the salary situation in Vegas. What is squeezing Vegas is their desire to get Lehner signed. Marchessault may be a necessary casualty due to their tight cap situation in order for the organization to put the salary puzzles together. The Sabres are very well positioned compared to many teams to get some good quality deals done.