Digger

So do we think this is still a credible tweet or just a guy taking a guess that would seem logical for a hot topic in Eichel? I think it's reasonable to think he may agree to some sort of extra treatment.

Thanks. This was a nice post, well written with good insight.

We will disagree on this trade. It was a huge overpayment by the Sabres that wanted to tank to draft McDavid in 2015. Tyler Myers, Drew Stafford, Joel Armia, Brendan Lemieux and a 2015 first-round pick that became Jack Roslovic. Bogosian was injured for much of his time with the Sabres and we had to move Kane for a fraction of what it cost to acquire him because his reputation continued to spiral down. The Jets did very well in that trade and the Sabres lost a great deal of depth for a player in Kane that was a known cancer in the dressing room (a poor leadership example for Eichel to learn from).

Consider what we gave up to get an injured Evander Kane. I would love to hear what the next best offer was for Kane. The Sabres really overpaid for him. I did think the trade Murray made to get O'Reilly was fair and a good deal at the time though.

I'm not sure that I fully understand your points. Sure Jack Eichel has a preference in a surgical option but there are other treatment options as well. But he has a guaranteed contract paid for the Sabres that requires him to be healthy and able to play hockey. That's why the Sabres have a say in the treatment for the injury. I would think that Eichel could void his contract if he really wanted to but it would be doubtful that he would receive another $10M contract right away with another team. There are risks with any surgical option and the team needs to go through a risk assessment of each option and decide on the best option to pursue. I don't think there's any conspiracy in this case.

A very good signing for the Sabres and Mittelstadt. Lots of upside with Casey and I really like the 3 years where we should be filling in around him with more talent developing and coming onto the team. I hope that he keeps striving to improve his game (work hard) which is likely given the comments he made about being coached by Granato last season.

No Girgensons was hurt Jan 4th trying to get around Eakin I believe. Sheahan was signed Jan 8th after the injury. Yes I agree goaltending and defense looks better than the Sabres on paper at least.

You might want to save this one for the end of this coming season. 😄

Casey Mittelstadt? Yes he was good at the WJC and he was good in college and he will find his way with the Sabres. He was given a job on the Sabres when the team unwisely traded O'Reilly and did not get a decent center back in the trade. That's the season Mittelstadt should have spent in the AHL instead of being given a spot on the Sabres. The WJC is a great tournament to see top prospects play against top competition in high pressure games. I agree with you it's not everything but it is a great way to see how your team's prospects compare with others.

Yes I agree. I liked Sheahan and I kind of wanted him back too. I thought he was pretty useful last season but I believe they only signed him after Girgensons got hurt so maybe that's the thought..................and perhaps there still may be a cap dump in an Eichel trade if that ever happens and they are keeping things flexible on the roster.

I think that it's doubtful that Zegras flames out. He may or may not become a first line center and I agree with you on this point. I would think worst case he would end up as a top 6 winger. But regardless Zegras is a top A+ prospect who would be great to get back in an Eichel deal which has been discussed in depth here. I agree with you that I would like something else in addition to him to make the trade.

I think that he will have a productive season with the Sabres. He's motivated and there's room for ice time. That being said I expect that he will be moved at the trade deadline.

Yes that would be quite the development. I would think that he must have been injured though. We have seen him skating but I would think that he would need to be able to do some workouts with weights to get into shape for training camp.

I am hoping to see Arttu Ruotsalainen get a chance at center this season but I can see Asplund taking that spot too. I would be happy to see them play together on the same line. And yes Cozens and R2/Asplund are an upgrade over Staal and Eakin.

So we can add JR to the list?

The Sabres "identity line" is going to be whoever shows up to compete on any given night. I suspect it will be a different line on some nights and Granato will reward that line with the ice time. If they come to the rink and work hard and play hard it will help with accepting the losing that we might expect to see this season.

Great points. From my perspective we will be having 3 lines that are somewhere between a 2nd and 3rd line quality this season.

Looks like the Minnesota trade rumors thread has lost focus.

There has certainly been a new generation of players available to each country since the last time the NHL players participated in the Olympics. It will be interesting to see how this all comes together.

I agree. Kaprizov's contract term and salary may be playing a role. I would agree that he would most likely want to play with an established center than a rookie.

I would be very happy just to get the highlighted portion above. I doubt the deal will be this simple at this point. Minnesota has really been playing up Rossi to the fanbase. As we get closer to rookie camps in September it's becoming less likely but I haven't lost faith in a trade with them yet.

That's funny. Yes we only want players "who want to be here" so none of our players would sign an offer sheet. 😄

I guess that should give Adams some motivation to get our RFA's locked up to reasonable contracts.

I absolutely agree with you but I have to say that I am enjoying the drama in another market other than Buffalo. He most likely won't get qualified next off season unless he has a break through season so he may end up a UFA after this season.

Fair play considering they took a run at signing Aho. The $20 signing bonus is hilarious. https://www.sportsnet.ca/nhl/article/hurricanes-tender-offer-sheet-canadiens-jesperi-kotkaniemi/ The one-year contract is worth $6.1 million and includes a $20 signing bonus, the Hurricanes said in a statement. Kotkaniemi has signed the contract with the Hurricanes but the Canadiens have seven days to match. If the Canadiens decline to match, the Hurricanes will send their first-round pick and third-round pick in the 2022 NHL Draft back to Montreal. "Jesperi Kotkaniemi accepted our offer. He wants to come to Carolina," said Hurricanes general manager Don Waddell in a statement. "He sees the core we've built here and he wants to be a part of that. We're proud, but there's still a waiting period. When you make an offer like that, we saw a vulnerable position. The offer, with the compensation and the core we have, we realized that it was the best chance we had to get the player."