thesportsbuff

As I noted at the end of the my post, the important part is the deal gets done without including the mainstays of the roster I listed. The driving force behind Chicago trading Sharp would be to preserve salary, so a package of picks and prospects would probably satisfy their needs more than an established roster player. It doesn't really matter how big of a package it takes to get it done. As for ROR, you may be right. But the basis is there. A first round pick, a second round pick, and a former first round pick who isn't exactly in "bust" territory yet at only 20 years old -- that's a pretty good haul for anybody. Add another second if you need to. Or another prospect. I also left open the possibility of including our 2016 first round pick and Foligno in either of those deals. But again, let's not argue about specifics in the deals. The point is they have the assets to make trades similar to the ones I listed.

Well it was a pick and a prospect who I know nothing about, but must have SOME kind of value, for a rental. To a team that could potentially miss the playoffs, making it a middle round pick. We got McBain and an early 2nd for him, so I guess that balances out pretty closely if they do make playoffs, but he also wasn't a rental at that point.

I present an ambitious scenario that may very well have already been posted by somebody else. I know I'm not the only optimist here! Let me lay it out: - Sabres trade Stewart (I think a 1st rounder is reasonable, but some would say a 2nd is pushing it. Either could work.) - Sabres draft McDavid/Eichel (Just going to refer to it as McDavid from here on in this post for my own ease) - Sabres trade for O'Reilly at draft (NYI 1st + Grigorenko + a 2nd round pick or prospect not named Pysyk/McCabe) - Sabres trade for P. Sharp at draft (1st/2nd from Stewart + additional pick(s) + prospect not named Pysyk/McCabe) - Sabres sign college FA goaltender Matt O'Connor from BU (This would be icing on the cake but not crucial to the scenario) So, by now you can see where I am going with this. 1: Ennis - O'Reilly - E. Kane 2: Sharp - Girgensons - Reinhart 3: Moulson - McDavid - Foligno 4: Deslaurier - Hodgson - Kaleta Extras: McCormick, Flynn, whoever 1: Ristolainen - Zadorov 2: Bogosian - Pysyk 3: Weber - Gorges Extras: McCabe (not saying to carry him as a 7th D but he would be first call up) G1: Neuvirth G2: O'Connor / whoever There you have it. Now, a few things to address: - A HUGE LOG JAM AT FORWARD would mean at least one of Gionta/Hodgson has to be moved one way or another, among other less relevant players. I chose to exclude Gionta, but it's probably more likely they would find a way to move Hodgson. Especially because... - It's not really realistic for Hodgson to be "penciled in" as a fourth liner. They would be paying him too much to play on the fourth line, even if he has had an awful season. So maybe they move him for a pick to a team who thinks they can fix him, OR maybe... - Due to the same HUGE LOG JAM AT FORWARD, only one of McDavid/Reinhart plays in the NHL next season. There just isn't room for them both if Hodgson and/or Gionta are still in the picture. In this case Hodgson would be bumped up to the third line, or even the second line and let Reinhart/McDavid center the third. - I did not do any salary cap analysis to see if this could even fit. But why let facts get in the way of a good story? - I know there will be some disagreement on whether the trades I listed are realistic. The important part is the trades get done without including the guys I listed on my roster. If it costs them an extra pick, or an extra prospect, or whatever -- the idea is the deal gets done using mostly picks and prospects. TM has done a great job gathering assets, and the Kane trade proved that he is willing to move some if it helps expedite the rebuild. I think getting Sharp and O'Reilly would be worth it, even if it meant we only draft once in the first two rounds the next few years. I may even go as far as to include our 2016 first. - Finally, I love Chris Stewart and hope he re-signs here this summer, but I would rather have Foligno. And in this scenario, the only way we'd bring back Stewart is if we had to include Foligno in the ROR/Sharp deals.

I think they are all roughly in the same boat. Vermette's versatility probably helps his cause since he can play center and win draws, but I think Stewart is the prototypical big-body forward that teams look for to grind it out in the playoffs. Stewart is also younger (not that it necessarily matters since they're rentals, but some team might see value in his youth/potential to re-sign). There's also these cool charts from Own The Puck (http://ownthepuck.blogspot.ca/) that I'm sure some of you saw floating around twitter after the Vermette trade. Comparing him and Stewart, I think Stewart has proven the more valuable player. But either way, their perceived value isn't all that important -- we all know teams get desperate and overpay, as we saw with the Sekera trade. Some team that only offered a second round pick yesterday might offer a first tomorrow, now that Vermette is off the table and their options are dwindling.

You guys have all seen the spinning lady right?

I doubt Hodgson gets bought out. I'm sure it's been discussed, but what do you guys think will be the return on Stewart? My friends think I'm crazy for holding out hope for a late 1st round pick, but I don't know. Gaustad got us a first round pick. Sekera just got the Canes a 1st + a prospect. I think somebody will overpay for a big physical power forward who plays in the top 6 and can score goals. Might be a little streaky, but teams will hope that hot streak comes in the playoffs. The longer TM holds on to him the more desperate teams will get. Am I crazy?

Sorry for bumping an old thread, but I'm having an issue with GameCenter and wonder if anyone else is having the same problem. Several times per hour I will be watching a game and randomly get logged out & taken to a screen asking me to log back in. This only seems to happen on my computer, and not when I'm using the NHL app on PS3/PS4. (I haven't used my mobile device enough to know if the problem exists there). Very annoying. I have a pretty good guess of what is causing it. I split the cost of GameCenter this year with a couple friends who live together down the street. So perhaps every time I get logged out, it is because one of them logged in. But I also have my doubts. For one, isn't that part of what GameCenter is? Obviously sharing an account would be, erm, frowned upon, but you're supposed to be able to access GameCenter on as many devices as you want, wherever you want -- so why would it kick me off one device for logging on another, even if it is at a different location? And secondly, there have been times that I get logged out where I am certain neither of these friends are at home, and therefor most likely not using the service (unless on a mobile device). My only other guess would be something to do with my browser. I've tried both Chrome and IE and experienced the problem in both, but perhaps there is some kind of setting to do with my cookies that cause them to expire after X amount of time, thus logging me out? Any input would be appreciated! The simple solution would be just to use the PS4 app, but for some reason I never seem to achieve 1080p HD on the PS4 app. Only on my computer.

Pretty much agreed with this. There's no way you can blame the coach for any of this. The team stinks and it's on the players shoulders. Also, some consistency would be nice from the coaching position -- I know we were kind of spoiled having Lindy Ruff FOREVER, but you can't just fire the coach every year and a half and hope the new guy provides a quick fix. IMO Nolan shouldn't even be on the hot seat until the actual "building" part of the rebuild starts. Dan Bylsma, Mike Babcock wouldn't win with this roster either. I think next season the real building process begins, hopefully with a McDavid or Eichel leading the way, but also with fresh blood via trade and free agency. But my worry is that these guys have been playing terrible hockey for too long, it might be time to completely blow it up -- that is, Ennis, Foligno, Weber, Hodgson, Kaleta, even though some of them have managed to play relatively okay hockey on a bad team, you might have to move them all to really fix this. In any event, it becomes more of Tim's problem than Ted's. I will not put the blame on Ted for this team doing exactly what was intended all season long.

Hi everyone. Not sure where to post this, and I didn't want to start a whole thread for it, so I figured this is the best spot. I saw this tweet today from Howard Simon with a photo of a replica Hasek #39 retirement banner that will be given out to all fans at the game on Tuesday. According to some of the responses, they did the same thing for Pat. Anyway, I'm sure you can guess where this is going -- Due to work/location there is really no way I can make it to this game, but I would really like one of these. Being born in 1990, I was just coming into my own as a sports fan during Hasek's prime. He was my first sports hero, my first favorite Sabre. He is probably a huge part of the reason I got into watching hockey to begin with, and definitely the reason I started out playing hockey as a goaltender. As much as I can go on and on about how much I loved that 05-06 team, or even the '99 cup finals team, I credit my love for the sport to the Dominator. So if anyone is attending the game and could get their hands on an extra one of these, I would be so grateful! I would pay any shipping fees to have it sent to me, of course. Thanks!

I can't see any way it could be the Sabres, unless Dan Dunleavy has some kind of prior commitment that would keep him from filling in if/when RJ isn't able to call games. But IIRC, RJ said he still intends to call games this season, and the deal has already been in place for Dunleavy to take over when he retires.. would be a major slap in the face to go back on that now.

Emerson Etem. I believe he said something about Buffalo once. Let's do it!

Seems pretty cut and dry to me. Ehrhoff probably requested a trade, hence the inference that he "doesn't want to be here." But Murray saw that as too big of a risk down the road -- imagine it's 2018 and the Sabres are prepping to go after the big fish in free agency to put us over the top as cup contenders... but instead Ehrhoff retires and we are hit with the nasty recapture penalty. I think that is 100% what this was all about.

I don't blame Miller one bit for what happened in St. Louis. When you've got two of the best players in the world shooting on you in a series that featured six games and several overtimes, you're going to let some in. The difference in the series was that St. Louis's offense only mustered 6 goals in the last four games of the series, and scored more than two in a game only once during those games. It's easy to blame the goalie but when an overtime game comes down to a Toews breakaway (and by breakaway I mean like a 20' clear cut breakaway) I'm taking Toews almost every single time, regardless of who the goalie is. Yes I am defending Miller because he is a Sabre. If another goalie was taking this kind of criticism, I probably wouldn't take the time to comment. But it's laughable to me that Blues fans want him gone and/or blame the entire series on him. Tarasenko stepped up and scored 4 goals in the series. Oshie managed two. Nobody else scored more than one, including Backes, Perron, Roy scoring zero. IDK. Don't get me wrong, Miller was not outstanding by any means, but I don't think he deserves the blame he's getting. That said I don't want him back. That ship has sailed, I would not even reach out to him this summer. I wish him the best and I hope he re-signs with the Blues and gets some scoring help next post season on his way to a Stanley Cup.

yes, yes he was. and furthermore, though entirely unfair to Scott, he is a detriment to the team just by being the ice. he is called for penalties for literally doing nothing, kicked out of games for jawing at people, and the ONE time he does deliver a questionable hit, he is nailed with a ludicrous suspension for a first time offender. the NHL is prejudice against John Scott, he will never be given the benefit of the doubt -- in fact quite the opposite. i want no part of him moving forward. by all accounts he is a good locker room guy, but it's really just not worth having him on the team if every time he steps on the ice he is going to be unjustly called for a penalty. the team will be bad next year and it does make sense to keep Scott around for the reasons you mentioned, but i think it would be better for the long term future of the team to call up young players from rochester when injuries occur rather than fill the hole with some 4th line plug. Armia, zadorov, deslauriers, larsson, mccabe have had little to no NHL ice time, and most (if not all) of them will be starting the season in Rochester. If the plan is to start really competing in the 2015-16 season, we're going to want these guys to have at least a little experience in the NHL heading in. Getting these guys a taste of the NHL level is probably more beneficial than putting John Scott in the lineup to "intimidate" or whatever. But hey, if they want to re-sign him for another year, i won't be super upset -- as long as he's gone before the 2015 season.

tl;dr version: "my roster is the same as last year + the person we draft at #2." got it.

Miller will have "the best" playoff, in my opinion. I see STL as one of the better teams (although the West is stacked) and expect them to go far. I expect Briere to continue to do well too, but I guess my thinking is that the goalie has the chance to put his stamp on every single game. I mean technically so does any other skater, but it's much easier for a goalie to have a noticeable impact game in game out than a skater. Kind of touch and go on the second question. I'm rooting for the Blues for the draft pick, and I definitely want to see Miller win a cup. But there are some variables in other matchups -- I really really really want Tropp and the Blue Jackets to beat the Penguins and go on a run... but if they don't, I'll be rooting more for Pyatt and the Pens because I hate most of the East. As much as I love Briere and Vanek, I hate the Canadiens, I just can't get behind them. I want Tampa to win that series, but it's not looking good. I would also love to see the Stars win their series and play a bit of a cinderella role -- mostly because of Lindy, but also because of Nichushkin, Seguin, Benn, Chiasson. They just have a solid young team all around. Since the poll says to pick one, I'll go with Miller, but it's not THAT cut and dry. I'm more rooting for 'teams' than particular players. Player I wish we could have kept most has to be Briere, just due to the circumstances. I don't "wish" we would have kept any of the others, because it was obvious a rebuild had to happen, and we got good assets for them. I mean, I certainly don't wish that the Sabres kept Miller for the ass end of a contract year in which we finished last in the league. I suppose you could add Tropp to the list -- I wish we could have kept him. But not more so than Briere in 07.

i like this guy already other than misspelling one of the greatest Sabres of all time's name

oh jeez just stop. i don't think you guys understand what you're saying here. the kid is 23, he's half a notch below the Crosby's and Ovechkin's of the NHL. he is not going ANYWHERE. i've considered the possibility, sure, that Tavares wants out of NYI. especially after the way they botched the Vanek situation -- who wouldn't want out? The organization is an embarrassment. Some would even say they 'owe' it to him to move him after failing to ice a competitive team around him. But they don't have to trade him, and won't trade him for anything less than a monster return. it's hard to even put a value on a guy like Tavares, elite players just don't get traded at 23 years old. let's revisit this discussion at the 2016-17 trade deadline or that off-season, when JT will have 1 year left on his contract and the Islanders will have a better idea if JT wants to be there / if they are a competitive team by then.

I know nothing about these players other than what has been posted here, but hey, if any of them look like they could eventually be more than just a stop-gap or fringe NHL player, why not take a shot? As mentioned above, if a player wants to get his feet wet in the NHL, Buffalo might be one of only a few teams who could realistically afford them that opportunity. I also like dudacek's point about contracts, though. If we're talking another Brian Flynn, I think the Sabres would likely pass altogether. If they see a higher ceiling in a guy, maybe. I am rooting for them to sign somebody (and insert them in the Sabres lineup :flirt: ) just for some excitement between now and the draft.

As I said in my post, there's a pretty good chance he would have gotten the call-up over Ruhwedel today, since the goal has been to keep most of the young guys in Rochester. Perhaps I should have used "organization."

From a personal standpoint, I could not care less if he'd rather go to Europe. Sabres don't really lose anything, and as mentioned above, it may even help them financially. I still consider it somewhat of another black eye in terms of PR though. Not anywhere near the same ballpark as bad as PLF quitting, but when a player who has played 700 games in the NHL decides he'd rather retire mid-season than play for your club, it doesn't look good. I'm sure he has his reasons, and I certainly don't want a guy whose competitive desire has seemingly burned up on my team, but jeez, stick it out a month, collect a pay check, go out "on your own terms" (kind of). Although he was assigned to Rochester, I imagine he would be back in the NHL already rather than Ruhwedel, who was called up today.

By "it didn't work last time," do you mean because they didn't win a Calder Cup or Stanley Cup? I didn't really follow the Amerks closely back then (no twitter :P ), and did not really know who a lot of those players were until they emerged in the NHL. Looking at wikipedia, it seems as though the they had a decent season in 03-04 and a deep playoff run, followed by a 51-win season during the NHL lockout. Granted they did not achieve the ultimate goal of winning a championship, but they had some success + playoff experience, and they all wound up being key contributers on what could have easily been a Stanley Cup team in 05/06 or 06/07. I don't think you were disagreeing, but I would be satisfied if it yielded similar results. I think it is a good idea. It is important for the young guys to play in meaningful, high stakes games. It's certainly a better atmosphere in the room than playing garbage time games for the 30th place team in the NHL. A deep playoff run together could go a long ways towards creating a good environment and chemistry. I imagine Girgensons could probably join Rochester for their playoff run at season's end, no?

Pretty crazy stuff. Obviously something happened. If Pat left on good terms he would have been at the presser, or at least made some indication of why he made the decision by now. Also Ted Nolan's comments are pretty telling. Very interesting, I wish I could know more, but it is unlikely the full story comes out any time soon I guess.

I'm glad Omark didn't get claimed, as I, too, enjoyed watching him play. I guess that shouldn't be so shocking as I've always leaned towards the finesse players with quick hands. I wouldn't mind seeing him called back up after some bodies move at the deadline.

Hey, why not? As long as we trade Moulson as a rental for a first rounder first, and then re-sign Miller. 1. Buyout Leino. 2. Make three picks in the first round in june 3. Sign Vanek, Moulson, Callahan for around 7m each in UFA. 4a. Trade Stafford + 1st rounder (moulson's?) + 2nd rounder for O'Reilly 4b. If they don't take Stafford, buy out Stafford. 5. Sign Ott. 6. Trade Enroth (for picks, prospect, whatever) 6. Pray it all fits (probably won't). imagine something like: Vanek - Hodgson - Callahan Moulson - O'Reilly - Girgensons Ennis - Ott - Bennett/Reinhart/Rookie/Grigorenko Foligno - Konopka - D'Agostini Myers - Ehrhoff Weber - McNabb Pysyk - someone Zadorov, Ristolainen factor in if they're ready. Miller Enroth wait did i put too much thought into this ... :cry: