Digger
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Posts posted by Digger
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Frank Seravalli Twitter Update: Hearing Kirill Kaprizov has a tentative agreement in place with CSKA Moscow on a one-year, 8-figure deal ($USD) to begin on Sept. 1 - should a new contract not materialize with #mnwild. However, the Wild appear ready and willing to talk a medium-term length deal.
Initial hang-up was MIN was only interested in a 7 or 8-year deal for the Calder Trophy winner. That’s not the case. Bunch of options in term. But the Kaprizov camp contends there has been no offer made since April. We’ll see where this goes, two sides remain in communication.
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It is a great question. I'm 53 and have been a Sabres fan my whole life. Last year during the losing streak was the first time that I had to turn it off (everything) and ignore the team. I questioned the character and leadership on the team because they were playing so badly. Slowly I came back to watch after Krueger was fired, Eichel shut it down for the year and Hall was traded. I did see some promise and glimmer of hope at the end of the season.
I'm optimistic right now hoping for the best but it can really be hard to continue waiting for the turn around. I'm not convinced that this is the best way to rebuild a team but I am willing to go with the team for the journey once again.
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28 minutes ago, New Scotland (NS) said:
In any trade of Eichel he will be the best player in the trade. So, if you closely hold the old truth that you win the trade if you get the best player then the Sabres will not win this trade, even if the pieces received in exchange develop into very good players they are not likely to be Eichel good. So, we better come to grips with that if we have not already. The best we can hope for is the peices we get turn out to be good players and we strike gold on any draft pick.
I agree and that's generally why we are talking multiple players and picks for a potential Eichel trade. My point on Krebs was that he should be included in the potential trade with Vegas and that Vegas should have very few reservations in including him when getting back a player like Eichel in the deal. They will get the best player in the deal.
I don't view this as a win scenario but more of a fair trade given the difficult scenario we are in with Eichel.
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1 hour ago, Brawndo said:
How about that return from Anaheim
Drysdale, Comtois, Henrique and a 1st
At least this poll has driven some interesting discussion for a quiet Sunday evening in August. 😏
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6 minutes ago, Thorny said:
I think Krebs has more value to us than Drysdale because of need
I tend to agree with you. I hate having to wait, hope to draft high and get a great center prospect and then wait for them to develop.
But we are blind in the process right now in not knowing what players are really being offered in a trade. I will say that I think Vegas needs Eichel more right NOW than Anaheim does.
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12 minutes ago, Thorny said:
The speculation is that Vegas doesn't want to include Krebs because of the way Suzuki turned out and developed after the Pacioretty trade. Might make sense on one level if they want to wait it out for Krebs to develop but I have to think that Vegas is still happy that they acquired Pacioretty. He's played pretty well for them. Deal seemed fair at the time but may swing in Montreal's favor more as the players age.
Trading Krebs as part of the deal for Eichel, they are still getting the better player in Eichel in the deal.
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12 minutes ago, Brawndo said:
How about that return from Anaheim
Drysdale, Comtois, Henrique and a 1st
Okay, let's do it. Would be great to see Drysdale with Dahlin. The defense would be pretty good with Power eventually coming in and the hope would be to draft another high potential center prospect (or two) in next years draft.
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11 hours ago, LabattBlue said:
Nice job Botts. Bozo kept Glotov around for another year and cut Hagel loose.
Yes I never fully understood what the problem was with Hagel and the Sabres. He had an injury and a down year in the WHL when we should have signed him and I assumed at the time they worried about the number of players signed under contract but he looked really good the following year in the WHL and continues to look good as a bottom 6 energy player for the Hawks.
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What's up with all the interest in the NY Rangers trade option today? There really hasn't been any news of a fair value offer for Eichel and GM Drury coming out saying they have not really been in deep with any trade offers for him this off season.
Vegas and Minnesota still look to me to be the best trading partners. Minnesota needs to work through arbitration for Fiala who wants big money and Kaprizov who wants a short term big money contract. This is what is holding up the Eichel trade in my opinion.
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31 minutes ago, Thorny said:
If we get Krebs in a deal, is he our best prospect?
Krebs/Power/Cozens?
Power/Krebs/Cozens?
Power/Cozens/Krebs?
Or Cozens at 1, or not a prospect at all..etc
No I would say that Cozens is a better player overall. They played on the same WJC team for Canada last year which was a good way to see them perform on a good team. Cozens looked great in that tournament until the gold medal game when Zegras took over for the US. Krebs will be a great player though and I would think he will match well with Cozens some day either on the same line or powerplay if the trade happens for us.
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8 hours ago, JohnC said:
Paul Hamilton was on WGR on the morning show talking about the goaltending situation. He said that the Sabres are going to give UPL a chance to earn a roster spot in training camp with Anderson being the backup and mentor. It's probably more likely that UPL will start off in Rochester and then get a call-up. My leaning is toward bringing in another goalie and not rush UPL. Getting a lot of playing time in the AHL helped Mitts and Thompson be better prepared when they were moved up the ranks.
Hamilton is saying that because they signed Dell to a 2 way contract. I don't think he has any more insight than that.
I agree that we should be planning on bringing in another veteran that can play. Goaltending has been an issue for us and we are much worse on paper right now than we have been in past years. I do support having Anderson but it looks like a poor plan right now without another capable goaltender.
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I think it might be an interesting new thread if someone wanted to look at other teams that have successfully completed a rebuild and what worked for them. Selling off veterans for draft picks, drafting well, making trades, and free agent signings. The Sabres have been the poster boys for what not to do. Some teams never seem to have to hit rock bottom and always have some level of success. Perhaps looking at teams that did it right would provide some inspiration and hope for the future if Adams does a great job.
We all hate Toronto but consider they went into their rebuild after Buffalo first started. LA seems ready to turn the corner. Montreal and Boston almost always seem to have success even when they draft poorly. Chicago remains to be seen if they keep afloat with the roster changes this year but really did hit rock bottom before drafting Kane and Toews and then drafting a DeBrincat is a great find.
Just a thought if someone want to research some great rebuilds.
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3 hours ago, LGR4GM said:
I eye rolled this. "Habitual losing" goes with that culture of losing nonsense ppl believe in. You have a culture of losing when you don't have enough talent to win.
I don't understand your point about "losing nonsense". When O'Reilly said he lost his love of the game with all of the losses that year he was heavily criticized. It seems reasonable to me that being on a really bad team is really bad for the overall team's culture (regardless if they are a young player or veteran).
When the team has gone through the 10+ game losing streaks over the last two seasons it seems to me that player confidence dips so low that they don't believe they can score or defend or make a save. Every little mistake is magnified and confidence is very fragile.
We had enough talent last year to have been better than 31st. The losing culture must have played a role.
So I do think that it is key to have players and coaches that can break down the loses and poor plays and find positives for these young players to build on. One of the things I mentioned earlier in this thread was how wonderful it was for me to see the players taking the extra step to finish a check and work to get the puck back under Granato. That was missing earlier in the year. Granato also adapted well with his game plan after a loss and his team came back with a much closer game (win or loss).
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9 minutes ago, triumph_communes said:
If Hagg plays at all we’re losing
Butcher-Pysyk is a bottom pairing.
Jokiharju is good but can’t handle top minutes and match ups, at least yet. This is where someone like Samuelson comes in and shines.
I don't know but Hagg did have some injuries last season and he'll be playing on a new team and will be a UFA at the end of this season. I would expect him to play much better this season assuming he's healthy. We'll see but I bet he plays.
Who's playing with Dahlin if we move Jokiharju away from him as his D partner?
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2 hours ago, HoosierDaddy said:
That's a fact, but perception matters here too. If the Sabres become known as a franchise that won't allow players their desired medical treatment, no one will sign here unless they have no other choice. And when we want to start winning again in a year or two, we'll need some high-profile veteran free agents to fill out the roster. The leverage that Jack and his team have is that they, and only they, can go to the media and talk about his need for surgery. GMKA can's talk about it because of HIPPA.
The Sabres medical staff is very good and I don't recall very many medical disputes in the past with players. As most will recall the last one that divided the fans (that I recall anyway) was with Pat LaFontaine. He wanted to keep playing and the team wouldn't clear him eventually trading him to the Rangers. He played well until his next concussion when he ran into Mike Keane (his own teammate) and had to leave the game finally and retire. The Sabres doctors were right in that case.
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Good thread. Thanks for starting this one.
Yes I have always wanted the Sabres to be a hardworking team. Fast and quick on the puck is great to watch and as we continue to add skill to the lineup in the next few seasons it will be fun to see them develop. One thing I noticed in games with Granato coaching last year was that players were taking that extra step to finish a check or to try and get the puck moved ahead or back. It was wonderful to see after the extremely poor efforts by many of the veterans during the long losing streak. I just remember being impressed by such a simple change in effort by the players.
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2 hours ago, Digger said:
Okay I won't argue the "generational" tag. He was drafted with that potential and I would not argue that he has not met that level yet. It could be argued that he hasn't earned a $10 million / yr contract yet too.
But if you go around the league team to team there's many teams that do not have anyone near as talented as Eichel as their 1st line center today. It's rare that a team is able to draft and develop a player with Eichel's talent. That means that there should be a market for Eichel and that the return should be fair. He will recover and play well. We will see but I still hope that there's a decent trade for him coming.
1 hour ago, Radar said:Your speaking as the seller. Try to look at it objectively as the buyer. Without recovery from surgery or by rehab and playing at his past level his value, I think , is greatly decreased. If it wasn't for the relationship problems I'm sure we would not be looking at taking less at this time but I fear we're going to take much less than us fans like.
From a buyer's perspective the other GM's have to look at what they have on their current roster and decide if Eichel makes them better and a contender within the 5 years that they would have him under their control. All teams have medical staff that can assess the risk better than we can as fans and I have not heard anyone credible say that this is a career threatening injury.
I think that it's interesting to see how many of the fans on the board are now suggesting it's okay to sell low. I understand the fatigue of the whole situation for sure. I feel that too.
History is always an interesting perspective to me. Consider if we had a more patient GM (and ownership for that matter) when we were deciding to trade Ryan O'Reilly. Some would argue that we got the best that was available at the time with a deadline to payout his bonus that year. I would argue that if we had held out and not made the trade St. Louis would not have won the cup that year. If O'Reilly had returned to the Sabres that year we might be in a better place today. I'm not suggesting Eichel comes back at this point but patience may still pay off and the GM that thinks he close to winning and doesn't make the trade for Eichel might wish that he had when he had the chance.
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43 minutes ago, mjd1001 said:
The first line of your post I think is the issue where a lot of arguments start here....
Many people don't think he is a 'generational' player. Generational players dominate the game, change the course of the game, often winning several games with their effort alone. They are like Crosby, Gretzky, Lemieux, Lindros, McDavid, Ovechkin. Bobby Orr.
A slight step down from generational would be the likes of Austin Matthews, Nathan McKinnon, Jaromir Jagr, Peter Forsberg, John Tavares, Stamkos, Patrick Kane.
To many, Eichel is good/great, but maybe even a slight step down from the category above with Matthews and McKinnon in it.
Generational talent? MAYBE, but that doesn't mean it translate to being a generational player. Football players like Sammy Watkins come to mind. Unreal talent coming out of college....but in the pros it just translated to being a 'good' player, not a superstar.
Jack was thought to have 'near generational' or 'generational' talent when drafted, but he was only 18. He has turned out to be a 'very good/great' player, but this far into his career (without doubt in the statistical prime), the best he has ever finished is 10th overall in points in any year. An all Star? Yes. Top 25 player in the league? probably. Generational? so far not even close.
Okay I won't argue the "generational" tag. He was drafted with that potential and I would not argue that he has not met that level yet. It could be argued that he hasn't earned a $10 million / yr contract yet too.
But if you go around the league team to team there's many teams that do not have anyone near as talented as Eichel as their 1st line center today. It's rare that a team is able to draft and develop a player with Eichel's talent. That means that there should be a market for Eichel and that the return should be fair. He will recover and play well. We will see but I still hope that there's a decent trade for him coming.
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1 hour ago, Digger said:
Who is the best center to play with Skinner this season (with the current players we have on the roster excluding Eichel)? I just wonder who has the best chemistry with him. Mittelstadt did not have much success playing with him in the past. Cozens?
What's the best line for Skinner and why?
56 minutes ago, GoPuckYourself said:Who is our most skilled C not named Eichel? I'd say that's Cozens , no? LW Jeff Skinner-C Dylan Cozens-RW Vinnie Hinostroza on line #2? LW Victor Olofsson-C Casey Middlestadt-RW Tage Thompson on line #1 if Jack isn't able to play or wont play.
I'll buy that for a look and a try. When I look at the potential lineup combos for next season Skinner has been the hardest for me to visualize a match for without Eichel. Let's hope Skinner can return closer to his potential this year and have some chemistry with one of the young centers.
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Who is the best center to play with Skinner this season (with the current players we have on the roster excluding Eichel)? I just wonder who has the best chemistry with him. Mittelstadt did not have much success playing with him in the past. Cozens?
What's the best line for Skinner and why?
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18 hours ago, MISabresFan said:
Will Quinn make the lineup? How about Arttu Ruotsalainen?
Quinn depends on the off season. He has the talent but I would suspect that the team would want him in a winning atmosphere with Rochester this season.
Ruotsalainen will be on the team. It wouldn't surprise me to see him get a look at center for a few games especially if we don't get another center added to the lineup. I'm thinking he may have some chemistry with Asplund with both having the ability to play the center position. Maybe Olofsson could improve his 5 on 5 scoring playing together with them.
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10 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:
I'd need Dorofeyev or Korczak to get this done if that's the deal.
I'd support that.
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5 minutes ago, GASabresIUFAN said:
What did Cozens do last year to convince you he is more ready for the top center job then Mitts. Outside of Reinhart, Mitts was our best forward the 2nd half of the year. He played in all situations and helped Asplund and Thompson unlock their potential. Cozens faded down the stretch. I can actually see Cozens being our 3rd center behind Mitts and Routsalainen.
Nothing. I just thought Cozens might match up better with Skinner than Mittelstadt primarily because Mittelstadt has played with Skinner in the past without much success. I do like Mittelstadt and was happy to see him improve last year.
Like I said I don't see us having a #1 line this season so the order could be changed between the lines. I just am speculating who may have the best chemistry playing together.
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In memory of former coach Ralph Krueger I believe that we will be saying that we don’t number our lines in Buffalo. It’s hard to say we have a #1 line going into 2021-22. It’s hard to say that we have a #2 line actually. I included one extra line of extras at forward that may mix in.
It still looks to me that we could use another center and another RD that could play with Dahlin so we could split Dahlin and Jokiharju up. I think that the D needs Samuelsson in it.
But given where we are today and not knowing what an Eichel trade might yield here’s my thoughts on our lineup next season.
May the hockey gods have mercy on us fans.
Skinner Cozens Bjork
Hinostroza Mittelstadt Thompson
Asplund Ruotsalainen Olofsson
Caggiula Girgensons Okposo
Eakin Malone Hayden
Dahlin Jokiharju Anderson
Butcher Hagg Dell
Samuelsson Miller
Bryson Pysyk
Jack Eichel: Trade rumors and speculation
in The Aud Club
Posted
Another thing to consider with 3 way deals is that they generally would involve only one team that really wants Eichel, otherwise the other team is settling and helping the other team to get the player they really want.
Vegas, Ducks, Wild all would like Eichel. So why would they instead help the Rangers to get Eichel? A Zibanejad extension won't be cheap.
I could see a 3 way deal with Minnesota getting some extra assets if they decide they need to move Fiala and/or Kaprizov because of high salary demands and the inability to sign both long term.