Sabres Acquire Center Eric Staal from Wild for Marcus Johansson

[Thorny]

6 hours ago, dudacek said:

Really hope he comes in refreshed and fired up, as opposed to tired and asking himself 'why?'

Can see it going either way.

 

5 hours ago, JohnC said:

Staal is a mature person who has been in the hockey business for a long time. He's well aware that being traded and having his family moved is very often an inescapable part of the unsentimental profession he is. That doesn't mean that he is fully happy with what has transpired but he has no choice other than to retire. And I have no doubt that his financial status would allow him to do so if he wanted to take that course. Staal is a very down to earth and low maintenance person. The issue with him is not whether he is going to enthusiastically adapt to his new location but rather is his tank still full? I believe that although he isn't what he was a few years ago he is still a very good player. When you are in a very lucrative profession it is very rational even at the end of one's professional lifespan to eek out another year, and another year. My point is that he's not a person that I am worried about how he is affected about this move. 

Ya, as mentioned before I'm not actually worried about his energy/effort level starting point - he's a pro, beyond the normal, as evidenced by his career to date. I see him attacking the scenario in full good faith, but the key is, that's just to start.

The tank is going to empty extraordinarily fast if we are the same old Sabres, but if we are good, he'll be fine. Staal wasn't intending to retire - we know he wants to play, but I think it's obvious the caveat is he wants to play on a *good* team. 

Edited September 26, 2020 by Thorny

[Weave]

29 minutes ago, MakeSabresGrr8Again said:

His choice was to not put Buffalo on his no trade list, thereby agreeing to come here.

You’re stretching.

[MakeSabresGrr8Again]

1 hour ago, Weave said:

You’re stretching.

Why not negotiate a bigger list to cover the Sabres? Other players have larger lists.

Just because a player doesn't "think" a team will trade for him doesn't mean he wouldn't want to go there. Did anyone think (including BOGO) that he would get signed by Tampa? I'm sure he was happy they did.

Edited September 26, 2020 by MakeSabresGrr8Again

[JohnC]

2 hours ago, Weave said:

I don’t understand this.  It wasn’t for Staal to agree or disagree.  Buffalo wasn’t on his no fly zone list.  They were free to trade him here.  His choice was accept the trade or retire.

That's the point. If he didn't want to be here he could have declined the trade and retired. 

[kas23]

3 hours ago, MakeSabresGrr8Again said:

His choice was to not put Buffalo on his no trade list, thereby agreeing to come here.

Based on that interview up thread, it’s sounds like he didn’t put much thought into his list. Mostly because he probably didn’t think he would get traded. It became an afterthought and he said “keep the same one from last year”. Given his family situation, I’m sure he now has some regrets in not putting more thought into it. That’s not to say he’s completely unhappy about it. But, given the country’s current situation, 9 of 10 posters on here would be pretty upset about a forced transfer across the country for the same salary. If he does well here, the Sabres should give him a nice raise next year. 

[Curt]

1 hour ago, kas23 said:

Based on that interview up thread, it’s sounds like he didn’t put much thought into his list. Mostly because he probably didn’t think he would get traded. It became an afterthought and he said “keep the same one from last year”. Given his family situation, I’m sure he now has some regrets in not putting more thought into it. That’s not to say he’s completely unhappy about it. But, given the country’s current situation, 9 of 10 posters on here would be pretty upset about a forced transfer across the country for the same salary. If he does well here, the Sabres should give him a nice raise next year. 

Ugh, I’m sure he put thought into it.  With a 10 team list and 30 other teams, you can’t put on every team that might make a trade.

[Weave]

3 hours ago, JohnC said:

That's the point. If he didn't want to be here he could have declined the trade and retired. 

Right.  Lesser of two evils.  Mine and Duda’s point exactly.   It’s not a Stirling example of a guy coming in with enthusiasm and and emotional commitment to the situation.  It could go either way depending on the way training camp goes and start the team has.

My personal situation is a great example.  My employer shut our doors and gave me an offer to relocate. I have virtually no interest in relocating.  An alternative offer came with a company in very long commuting distance.  It’s  a role I wasn’t terribly excited to get back into, in an industry that I never really had an interest in getting involved with.  As you can imagine, my enthusiasm and emotional commitment to the new role wasn’t high.  It was going to take early signs of the right team and an expectation of success with the new team to build any kind of emotional commitment.  Could go either way.  I could get the sense that this team isn’t built to succeed, and I don’t ever develop the excitement for the situation, or there are signs of the right team in the right situation and I develop an emotional commitment to the new role.

Staal is in a similar situation.  It could go either way.

[JohnC]

10 hours ago, Weave said:

Right.  Lesser of two evils.  Mine and Duda’s point exactly.   It’s not a Stirling example of a guy coming in with enthusiasm and and emotional commitment to the situation.  It could go either way depending on the way training camp goes and start the team has.

My personal situation is a great example.  My employer shut our doors and gave me an offer to relocate. I have virtually no interest in relocating.  An alternative offer came with a company in very long commuting distance.  It’s  a role I wasn’t terribly excited to get back into, in an industry that I never really had an interest in getting involved with.  As you can imagine, my enthusiasm and emotional commitment to the new role wasn’t high.  It was going to take early signs of the right team and an expectation of success with the new team to build any kind of emotional commitment.  Could go either way.  I could get the sense that this team isn’t built to succeed, and I don’t ever develop the excitement for the situation, or there are signs of the right team in the right situation and I develop an emotional commitment to the new role.

Staal is in a similar situation.  It could go either way.

What you are describing in your post is the reality of life and the work arena. In pro sports you usually get drafted by teams and locations that are not your first preference. That's the unalterable nature of that business. Staal has played in the NHL for around a dozen years. You don't think that he is aware that he is subjected to the same uncontrollable decisions made by organizations requiring player movement through trades and cuts like everyone else? That's the business. 

I have no doubt that Staal isn't fully happy with being traded to Buffalo. Will that negatively affect his state of mind and influence how he plays? Although you believe it can I don't believe so. If Staal was bothered by the trade to the extent that he didn't want to alter where he and his family currently resided he could have simply retired. Without a doubt he has the financial wherewithal to be in a position to say no to the deal and go on with his post career. That's not what he chose to do. 

As I stated in a prior post Staal is a person of integrity who through his honest effort on the ice doesn't cheat the game. He accepted coming to Buffalo (happy or not) and will do what he has always done in his long career i.e. give his best effort and be an exemplary teammate. You may have concerns about his state of mind but I don't. 

[dudacek]

55 minutes ago, JohnC said:

What you are describing in your post is the reality of life and the work arena. In pro sports you usually get drafted by teams and locations that are not your first preference. That's the unalterable nature of that business. Staal has played in the NHL for around a dozen years. You don't think that he is aware that he is subjected to the same uncontrollable decisions made by organizations requiring player movement through trades and cuts like everyone else? That's the business. 

I have no doubt that Staal isn't fully happy with being traded to Buffalo. Will that negatively affect his state of mind and influence how he plays? Although you believe it can I don't believe so. If Staal was bothered by the trade to the extent that he didn't want to alter where he and his family currently resided he could have simply retired. Without a doubt he has the financial wherewithal to be in a position to say no to the deal and go on with his post career. That's not what he chose to do. 

As I stated in a prior post Staal is a person of integrity who through his honest effort on the ice doesn't cheat the game. He accepted coming to Buffalo (happy or not) and will do what he has always done in his long career i.e. give his best effort and be an exemplary teammate. You may have concerns about his state of mind but I don't. 

Patrick Berglund is a person of integrity who through his honest effort on the ice doesn't cheat the game. He accepted coming to Buffalo (happy or not) and will do what he has always done in his long career i.e. give his best effort and be an exemplary teammate. You may have concerns about his state of mind but I don't. 

[JohnC]

17 minutes ago, dudacek said:

Patrick Berglund is a person of integrity who through his honest effort on the ice doesn't cheat the game. He accepted coming to Buffalo (happy or not) and will do what he has always done in his long career i.e. give his best effort and be an exemplary teammate. You may have concerns about his state of mind but I don't. 

The Patrick Berglund situation is much more complex and different than the Staal situation. There were some mental health issues that were exacerbated when he was traded from a location that he was comfortable with and away from a support system that he had in St. Louis. That's far different from the Staal case.  I say this with no intention of being disrespectful but Staal is a much more resilient person who could handle a late career move than the more fragile Berglund who had trouble dealing with the move.   I will re-emphasize that I have no concerns about Staal's mental state with the Sabres. If there were issues in that area he would have retired.  

 

https://russianmachineneverbreaks.com/2019/01/18/patrik-berglund-on-the-mental-health-issues-that-forced-him-out-of-the-nhl-you-shouldnt-feel-the-way-i-felt-when-youre-living-your-dream/

Edited September 27, 2020 by JohnC

[dudacek]

7 minutes ago, JohnC said:

The Patrick Berglund situation is much more complex and different than the Staal situation. There were some mental health issues that were exacerbated when he was traded from a location that he was comfortable with and away from a support system that he had in St. Louis. That's far different from the Staal case.  I say this with no intention of being disrespectful but Staal is a much more resilient person who could handle a late career move than the more fragile Berglund who had trouble dealing with the move.   I will re-emphasize that I have no concerns about Staal's mental state with the Sabres. If there were issues in that area he would have retired.  

 

https://russianmachineneverbreaks.com/2019/01/18/patrik-berglund-on-the-mental-health-issues-that-forced-him-out-of-the-nhl-you-shouldnt-feel-the-way-i-felt-when-youre-living-your-dream/

Sorry, didn't realize you knew both men 😜

Prior to the trade their situations and reputations were almost identical, at least from a public perspective.

[JohnC]

Just now, dudacek said:

Sorry, didn't realize you knew both men 😜

Prior to the trade their situations and reputations were almost identical, at least from a public perspective.

The public life doesn't always reflect the private life. People are usually more complicated than their public persona would indicate. I'm confident that if Staal was so shaken by the trade he would have after some thought made the decision to retire. And I agree with the view that he wasn't necessarily happy with the trade and if he had the choice to stay he would have. But he's not in a business that allows for it or had a contract that would have given him a say. Again, I'm not worried about his state of mind when he plays for Buffalo. He's a terrific addition. 

[MattPie]

On 9/26/2020 at 9:26 PM, Curt said:

Ugh, I’m sure he put thought into it.  With a 10 team list and 30 other teams, you can’t put on every team that might make a trade.

I agree. Maybe you get to 6-7 teams that you wouldn't mind going to. Then you think strategically and say, "I bet Team X won't trade for me, so I'll put them on the list and it's almost as good as using a won't accept spot".

And, he hasn't retired... yet.

[Eleven]

Folks, there's no way that Kevyn Adams made this trade without running it by Staal first.  If they hadn't been teammates, I could see that theory.  But they were.  

[LGR4GM]

10 hours ago, Eleven said:

Folks, there's no way that Kevyn Adams made this trade without running it by Staal first.  If they hadn't been teammates, I could see that theory.  But they were.  

And Skinner is here and was also on the call with Adams to Staal. He isn't retiring. 

[PASabreFan]

Tampering, no?

[Sabres Fan in NS]

2 minutes ago, PASabreFan said:

Tampering, no?

No.

[LGR4GM]

2 minutes ago, PASabreFan said:

Tampering, no?

No. They were given permission to contact him. 

Also I think the trade was basically finalized and then Adams and Skinner called if I have the timeline correct. 

[PASabreFan]

Thank you, sirs.

[Trettioåtta]

I thought Jeff and Eric weren’t the best of friends..?

[WildCard]

12 minutes ago, Trettioåtta said:

I thought Jeff and Eric weren’t the best of friends..?

That was Justin Williams and Jeff

[FogBat]

On 9/16/2020 at 5:57 PM, WildCard said:

That can't be our 2C right? Dude is 36

His age is a concern for some of us as well.

Granted, Jagr and Chelios lasted a long time in the league, and I haven’t heard anything about Chara retiring.

But there’s always that one wrong move, and Staal’s career will be over.