NHL Trade Rumors and Speculation 2022-23

[Thorny]

8 minutes ago, dudacek said:

There’s another school of thought to be considered as well:

Adams thinks the difference between Adams/UPL and Husso or Mrazek or Georgiev or Vanecek is too negligible to warrant the prices paid.

And he’s set his sights on holding fast until he finds better bargains or better goalies.

“I guess it’s up to me.”

[Thorny]

18 minutes ago, dudacek said:

There’s another school of thought to be considered as well:

Adams thinks the difference between Anderson/UPL and Husso or Mrazek or Georgiev or Vanecek is too negligible to warrant the prices paid.

And he’s set his sights on holding fast until he finds better bargains or better goalies.

I mean he will get another goalie, but why pay if the guy is just going to be another guy in a 3 or 4 headed monster?

I agree though - I think that’s definitely a part of his thinking, not sure which guys specifically without talking to him but I’d guess there’s certainly some he’s “passing” on not because it’s too costly in the now (risking damaging the plan either through ill-afforded or ill-timed adjudged asset loss, or a long term cap “hand-cuff”) but simply because of his talent evaluation. Not making a move “just to make one” would fall under “base level competence” imo. 

 

I think it’s simple: he doesn’t think he’s running low on time to the extent any kind of overpay, or “last-ditch” move is necessary. 

[PerreaultForever]

6 hours ago, Thorny said:

Definitely want a tender here myself, too. But I think Adams’ thought on the attracting other players bit is that the Sabres are going to project an image of a team succeeding despite poor goaltending. He doesn’t see the lack of a tendy spiting the development of our other players, but rather our other players succeeding in spite of the goaltending: maybe not a great deal of team success, but successful individual improvement and growth as a group to the point where, not only do the players not become disenfranchised, they paint a picture of a team a goalie away from contention.

I’d add a goalie now to aid in the process, Adams seems to believe the process can move forward unhampered by the lack of GT, where merely the statistical record suffers, and the goalie merely plugged in at a later date 

See, with all due respect, I think you're saying this to make yourself believe it and to feel better about things. There is no way I believe the bolded sentence. If it were true he wouldn't have been trying to trade for Murray, or Gibson, or we wouldn't have been linked to Husso, and they wouldn't have offered Ullmark money and so on. I think he's tried to get a goaltender because he knows he needs one, but he has failed miserably at it and he just spins the results as a "plan" so he doesn't look like a failure. 

I believe the sentence in the press was "Sabres exploring all options."  He just isn't very good at it. Yzerman, for one, beat him to it. 

 

[thewookie1]

Any interest in Ivan Provorov to be our bottom LHD?

Might end up cheap due to his cap being high; theoretically we could also choose to flip him to LAK for Roy and Iaffalo 

[Radar]

In spite of the frustration I think to this point any goalkeeper that would upgrade what we have have not been interested in coming here. That's not our GM's fault. It's probably the past mishandling of the franchise. There are still a few goalies out there that are possibilities.

[Curt]

6 hours ago, PerreaultForever said:

See, with all due respect, I think you're saying this to make yourself believe it and to feel better about things. There is no way I believe the bolded sentence. If it were true he wouldn't have been trying to trade for Murray, or Gibson, or we wouldn't have been linked to Husso, and they wouldn't have offered Ullmark money and so on. I think he's tried to get a goaltender because he knows he needs one, but he has failed miserably at it and he just spins the results as a "plan" so he doesn't look like a failure. 

I believe the sentence in the press was "Sabres exploring all options."  He just isn't very good at it. Yzerman, for one, beat him to it. 

 

First of all, I doubt Thorny is saying this to make himself feel better.  I doubt he feels good about it at all.

Secondly, Adams has obviously explored many goaltending options.  It seems he, by design, is not willing to pay the prices that have been required so far.

Third, I’ve seen this said on here regarding Husso, and I don’t think it makes sense.  Ville Husso obviously had a real desire to be in Detroit for whatever reason.  He was a UFA who made a back door deal to sign there before he even hit the UFA market.  He probably cost himself money by not testing UFA.

I don’t know exactly why Detroit, but I think it’s in reasonable to think that Buffalo could have just done the same thing with Husso.

[JohnC]

14 hours ago, Thorny said:

The fact we went into last season with what I’d deem to be a poor GT outlook, while declining to “overpay” Ullmark what it would require to keep him, when that appears to have been an option. If Adams felt our development would be significantly hampered by lack of good GT, my view is he wouldn’t have adjudged some sort of overpay as the more significant potential error. He’s open to better GT in the near term, he just doesn’t feel it necessary, in the now, at the cost of an overpay.

It’s also informed by my take on what we’ve seen him do so far this summer. I can’t imagine the results from the team last season doing anything to change his view: as @dudacekmentioned, last season KA was “proven right”. 

As mentioned, I don’t think Adams thinks it can move forward in that way indefinitely, merely that it’s ok for the time being 

Your view on this goalie issue is aligned with mine.  I'm usually aligned with @dudacek on most issues with the exception of his view that KA was proven right by not adequately addressing the backstop position last year. It's not a stretch to believe that if the GM expanded his contract boundaries a little more to sign Ullmark or had a better option if Ullmark couldn't be signed that this team could have earned at least 10 points more in the standing. That's not a trivial increase for a team that had sunken to the bottom. An 84-point season is better to build on than a 74-point season. And that higher baseline certainly would have offered more optimism to a fading fanbase.

Overall, I'm happy with how he has guided the rebuilding of this franchise.  He not only has restocked the system through trades and astute drafting but more importantly he has rebuilt and restructured the organization. It is now working in a collaborative and cohesive manner. That in itself may be his most important accomplishment. However, his seemingly lack of urgency to address the most important position on the ice has me perplexed. This has been going on for more than two years. That's simply too long to have such a void at that critical position.  

[Contempt]

3 hours ago, Radar said:

In spite of the frustration I think to this point any goalkeeper that would upgrade what we have have not been interested in coming here. That's not our GM's fault. It's probably the past mishandling of the franchise. There are still a few goalies out there that are possibilities.

That he hasn't been able to cultivate relationships with agents to convince players to sign here/agree to be traded here is a problem and it speaks to what I've said in the past about there being a segment of the hockey world that doesn't like Adams at all despite Jerry Forton's tears.

Edited July 10, 2022 by Contempt

[Radar]

53 minutes ago, Contempt said:

That he hasn't been able to cultivate relationships with agents to convince players to sign here/agree to be traded here is a problem and it speaks to what I've said in the past about there being a segment of the hockey world that doesn't like Adams at all despite Jerry Forton's tears.

Would certainly like sources (reliable) to support your statement about Adams/Forton. I am of the opinion Adams is well liked.

[thewookie1]

I guess Contempt is to KA what PA is to the Pegulas

[Flashsabre]

1 hour ago, Radar said:

Would certainly like sources (reliable) to support your statement about Adams/Forton. I am of the opinion Adams is well liked.

The source is the voice in his head which tells him he knows everything😛

[tom webster]

On 7/4/2022 at 4:33 PM, Buffalonill said:

Kubalik is not going to be qualified? 

Looks like no, he is not.

Edited July 10, 2022 by tom webster

[GASabresIUFAN]

4 hours ago, JohnC said:

However, his seemingly lack of urgency to address the most important position on the ice has me perplexed. This has been going on for more than two years. That's simply too long to have such a void at that critical position.  

Correct.  It's kind of mind boggling actually.

[Brawndo]

2 hours ago, Radar said:

Would certainly like sources (reliable) to support your statement about Adams/Forton. I am of the opinion Adams is well liked.

I’m sure there are people in the league that do not care for Him. Within six hours of being hired, He fired a majority of the Hockey Ops Department and told Chris Taylor and His Staff they will not be returning to the Amerks, despite having agreed to new contracts. That will create animosity amongst hockey circles. The problem with that is their anger is misdirected, that was on the Pegulas.

He also had zero experience in a NHL Front Office, so there are probably those who feel “He didn’t put His Time in to get a GM Position” 

That being said, He has used His Close Relationship with the Pegulas to His Advantage and more importantly to the advantage of the organization. He brought in Karmanos, who through  His Years as an AGM would have multiple relationships with other GMs and Agents, hired a Top Flight Analytics Department, and has seemed to have the entire organization pointed in the right direction.

Now He just needs successfully land a quality goalie or two. 

[Digger]

7 hours ago, Radar said:

In spite of the frustration I think to this point any goalkeeper that would upgrade what we have have not been interested in coming here. That's not our GM's fault. It's probably the past mishandling of the franchise. There are still a few goalies out there that are possibilities.

Detroit just traded for Husso and then gave him a contract despite the fact that they drafted a goalie high in the first round last year in Cossa (so not concerned about blocking just looking to win and improve this year).  Last season they traded for Nedeljkovic.  We can argue about the quality of those goaltenders but at least GM Yzerman has done a better job than Adams two years in a row improving the goaltender position on a team in a similar spot in the rebuild process.

 

Edited July 10, 2022 by Digger

[Contempt]

3 hours ago, Radar said:

Would certainly like sources (reliable) to support your statement about Adams/Forton. I am of the opinion Adams is well liked.

And I'm not going to out my sources.

[thewookie1]

4 minutes ago, Contempt said:

And I'm not going to out my sources.

Well my question is rather the supposed sources still work for the team or were let go during the whole purge in 2019. 

[tom webster]

24 minutes ago, Brawndo said:

I’m sure there are people in the league that do not care for Him. Within six hours of being hired, He fired a majority of the Hockey Ops Department and told Chris Taylor and His Staff they will not be returning to the Amerks, despite having agreed to new contracts. That will create animosity amongst hockey circles. The problem with that is their anger is misdirected, that was on the Pegulas.

He also had zero experience in a NHL Front Office, so there are probably those who feel “He didn’t put His Time in to get a GM Position” 

That being said, He has used His Close Relationship with the Pegulas to His Advantage and more importantly to the advantage of the organization. He brought in Karmanos, who through  His Years as an AGM would have multiple relationships with other GMs and Agents, hired a Top Flight Analytics Department, and has seemed to have the entire organization pointed in the right direction.

Now He just needs successfully land a quality goalie or two. 

For whatever it’s worth, Tim Graham did an article for the Athletic and part of the article dealt with how he has started to earn respect throughout the league.

[Brawndo]

5 hours ago, JohnC said:

However, his seemingly lack of urgency to address the most important position on the ice has me perplexed. This has been going on for more than two years. That's simply too long to have such a void at that critical position.  

I will give you that His Results have been abysmal to date, but I believe there is urgency behind the scenes to improve the goaltending. 
 

If there is any truth to the HF Rumors that the Sabres where in pursuit of Gibson and I think there is some smoke there given the fact the Sabres need a goalie and Gibson is Fifth on Frank Seravilli’s Trade Bait Board,  to acquire a starting net minder with Five Years of Team Control would require a large asset in return such as a Top Prospect or the Sabres 2023 First Round Pick. Given that the negotiations supposedly got to the point where Gibson was asked to waive His M-NTC, I believe Adams was willing to move the assets necessary to close the deal which in My Opinion demonstrates urgency to improve the teams goaltending. 

[Contempt]

5 minutes ago, thewookie1 said:

Well my question is rather the supposed sources still work for the team or were let go during the whole purge in 2019. 

They work in the league for other teams.

[JohnC]

45 minutes ago, Brawndo said:

I’m sure there are people in the league that do not care for Him. Within six hours of being hired, He fired a majority of the Hockey Ops Department and told Chris Taylor and His Staff they will not be returning to the Amerks, despite having agreed to new contracts. That will create animosity amongst hockey circles. The problem with that is their anger is misdirected, that was on the Pegulas.

He also had zero experience in a NHL Front Office, so there are probably those who feel “He didn’t put His Time in to get a GM Position” 

That being said, He has used His Close Relationship with the Pegulas to His Advantage and more importantly to the advantage of the organization. He brought in Karmanos, who through  His Years as an AGM would have multiple relationships with other GMs and Agents, hired a Top Flight Analytics Department, and has seemed to have the entire organization pointed in the right direction.

Now He just needs successfully land a quality goalie or two. 

One of the wisest things the newly installed GM did was hire an experienced hockey executive to be his right-hand man. That is a testament to him being secure in himself and being willing to surround himself with experienced and quality staff. One issue he doesn't have is an ego problem. Krueger had plenty of authority during his tenure but that is not something he would have done. As I said in prior posts and as you just underscored, he assembled a top tier staff where everyone is heard and everyone is pulling in the same direction. KA is more of a listener than a talker. And he is more of a collaborator than hierarchical, top- down executive. Without question here is now an organizational coherency and ethos that didn't exist within this organization for a long time. 

Edited July 10, 2022 by JohnC

[Brawndo]

4 minutes ago, tom webster said:

For whatever it’s worth, Tim Graham did an article for the Athletic and part of the article dealt with how he has started to earn respect throughout the league.

He has good relationships with Rutherford and Ron Francis from His Playing Days and does seem to be very personable, so this would not be surprising.

[Contempt]

1 hour ago, Flashsabre said:

The source is the voice in his head which tells him he knows everything😛

You're right. Nobody is allowed to casually know people in hockey and have casual conversations. It's people in the business or who trade in clicks only.

[Radar]

37 minutes ago, Brawndo said:

I’m sure there are people in the league that do not care for Him. Within six hours of being hired, He fired a majority of the Hockey Ops Department and told Chris Taylor and His Staff they will not be returning to the Amerks, despite having agreed to new contracts. That will create animosity amongst hockey circles. The problem with that is their anger is misdirected, that was on the Pegulas.

He also had zero experience in a NHL Front Office, so there are probably those who feel “He didn’t put His Time in to get a GM Position” 

That being said, He has used His Close Relationship with the Pegulas to His Advantage and more importantly to the advantage of the organization. He brought in Karmanos, who through  His Years as an AGM would have multiple relationships with other GMs and Agents, hired a Top Flight Analytics Department, and has seemed to have the entire organization pointed in the right direction.

Now He just needs successfully land a quality goalie or two. 

Agree. KA carried out the owners commands which in many ways I feel was needec. Too much inefficient fat needed to be cut.

[Radar]

39 minutes ago, Digger said:

Detroit just traded for Husso and then gave him a contract despite the fact that they drafted a goalie high in the first round last year in Cossa (so not concerned about blocking just looking to win and improve this year).  Last season they traded for Nedeljkovic.  We can argue about the quality of those goaltenders but at least GM Yzerman has done a better job than Adams two years in a row improving the goaltender position on a team in a similar spot in the rebuild process.

 

Maybe Husso wanted Detroit and not us. We can't just assume Adams wasn't looking at Husso.