Sabres Put Riley Sheahan on Unconditional Waivers For the Purposes of Contract Termination

[Marvin]

15 minutes ago, Curt said:

Lance Lyshowski and Joe Yerdon confirm on their Maintenance Day podcast that Sheahan initiated and requested this contract termination, and also that he intends to pursue opportunities overseas.

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/maintenance-day/id1601283889?i=1000587724007
 

They begin discussing it around the 25:00 min mark.

Bill Hoppe had this last night too.

[Doohicksie]

1 hour ago, Sabres Fan in NS said:

I have to think that he has some options in the cooker, but maybe he has decided that this is the end.

He's taking over for Mickey Redmond as the color analyst on Red Wings games.

 

e5

[LGR4GM]

1 hour ago, Curt said:

Lance Lyshowski and Joe Yerdon confirm on their Maintenance Day podcast that Sheahan initiated and requested this contract termination, and also that he intends to pursue opportunities overseas.

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/maintenance-day/id1601283889?i=1000587724007
 

They begin discussing it around the 25:00 min mark.

So what you are telling us is that this entire thread of hand-wringing nonsense was overblown hysteria. Dude asked to be released and Sabres were like "we understand, take luck" 

[LTS]

4 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

So what you are telling us is that this entire thread of hand-wringing nonsense was overblown hysteria. Dude asked to be released and Sabres were like "we understand, take luck" 

Imagine. I am sure that faced with this information those who leapt up to paint this in a negative light will dismiss or deflect the reality.

This is the way.

[MattPie]

2 minutes ago, LTS said:

Imagine. I am sure that faced with this information those who leapt up to paint this in a negative light will dismiss or deflect the reality.

This is the way.

No, this is still HORRIBLE! The Sabres are so awful the guy would rather live on the streets trading wrist shots for old bread before staying in the organEYEzation.

[PerreaultForever]

7 hours ago, LGR4GM said:

Lol. Buffalo could trade a 7th round pick in 2098 for McDavid and you'd still find a way to bitch about the move. 

My guess, is Sheahan asked out cuz he wants to try and get on an nhl team and Adams was like,  we understand. 

I haven't argued anything differently than your second sentence. My point is only about the organization and the optics around it. 

As for McDavid, that was an odd sentence to place here but since you did, out of curiosity, if Edmonton decided to start over and trade him, what would you give them off this roster? Everyone?

[Eleven]

Four pages on Riley Sheahan!

[LGR4GM]

12 minutes ago, PerreaultForever said:

I haven't argued anything differently than your second sentence. My point is only about the organization and the optics around it. 

 

What are the optics around a player on a 2-way contract not making the team and asking to be released as opposed to sent to the AHL? What are those optics for the organization?

[PerreaultForever]

5 hours ago, matter2003 said:

So what are the Sabres supposed to do?  Keep him on the active roster even tho he isn't good enough to be up here so as not to get a "bad rep"?  I doubt he is making an NHL roster, there is a reason why he was available in the first place.

There's nothing they are supposed to do. They should never have signed him if they were not going to give him any real chance of making the roster. If Krebs was outplaying him there'd be no argument, but he's not. Hence he feels he isn't get a real fair shot so he wants out. He's not wrong and there is nothing the Sabres can do. 

So how are you going to improve the depth of the roster if you only play rookies? Makes it harder to sign players, even scrubs. 

[PerreaultForever]

5 hours ago, Weave said:

I don’t understand your take at all.

Sabres sign Sheahan.  Players around the league shrug.

Sabres start season with mediocre results.  Players around the league shrug.

Sabres claim player off waivers that will marginally improve team talent.  Players around the league shrug.

Sabres waive Sheahan because Jost pushes him one slot further down the lineup.  Players understand that every one of them is at risk of this happening to them eventually.

Sheahan refuses to report to AHL and Sabres agree to release him from his contract.  Players- yep, teams will do that.

I don’t see any possible way this reflects badly on Buffalo.  Sheahan signed a 2 way deal, was displaced by the addition of a more talented player, he’s waived and sent down, refuses to report, Sabres release him.  All of these were common, standard transactions.  No promises were broken (it was a 2 way deal afterall).  Noone was treated unfairly.

That is definitely one way to look at it. 

I seem to have caused quite the uproar over Riley Sheahan (whose name I couldn't even spell). A solid tempest in a teapot. Let's hope Jost actually is better . So far so good. 

[Doohicksie]

Dude, what are we gonna do with all that cap space?

Also, his wife wasn't pleased about the AHL back at the beginning of the month.

 

[LGR4GM]

21 minutes ago, PerreaultForever said:

There's nothing they are supposed to do. They should never have signed him if they were not going to give him any real chance of making the roster. If Krebs was outplaying him there'd be no argument, but he's not. Hence he feels he isn't get a real fair shot so he wants out. He's not wrong and there is nothing the Sabres can do. 

So how are you going to improve the depth of the roster if you only play rookies? Makes it harder to sign players, even scrubs. 

This is a take you could have. 

1) The Sabres could absolutely do something. They could send him to Rochester and suspend him when he doesn't report. 

2) If Krebs was outplaying Sheahan... what about the other 13 forwards that have outplayed him? We should keep him in Buffalo because Krebs hasn't outplayed him and that's not fair? What kinda garbage is that?

3) Only play rookies... Zemgus, Jost, Okposo, Asplund, and Olofsson are rookies? Cuz they make up 5 of the bottom 6 roster spots. The other one is Mitts who is on year 5. So what rookies other than Quinn and JJP are we only playing? 

This is honestly just a load of bs. He was given a real chance to make the roster, he didn't. He signed a 2-way contract knowing not making the roster was possibility. If he is all bent out of shape because the Sabres want to keep a 21yr old in the press box instead of him, good riddance (btw I dont think that is the case, I think he was hopeful to make the team, didn't and asked to be released to try his craft elsewhere).  So which is it? The Sabres should try and win and ice the best team possible or they should put Riley Sheahan on the team because he is a veteran and we don't want him to feel bad?

Edited November 28, 2022 by LGR4GM

[Doohicksie]

5 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

If he is all bent out of shape because the Sabres want to keep a 21yr old in the press box instead of him

I think it was his wife that's bent.  It's like she has no idea how professional sports work.

[PerreaultForever]

10 minutes ago, Doohickie said:

Dude, what are we gonna do with all that cap space?

Also, his wife wasn't pleased about the AHL back at the beginning of the month.

 

Wife obviously thinks he's a better player than some of the people the Sabres are playing. She's pretty enough, maybe she's an "influencer" 🙂

 

[matter2003]

33 minutes ago, PerreaultForever said:

There's nothing they are supposed to do. They should never have signed him if they were not going to give him any real chance of making the roster. If Krebs was outplaying him there'd be no argument, but he's not. Hence he feels he isn't get a real fair shot so he wants out. He's not wrong and there is nothing the Sabres can do. 

So how are you going to improve the depth of the roster if you only play rookies? Makes it harder to sign players, even scrubs. 

The big difference?  Krebs is a very young player with massive upside.  Sheahan is a replacement level vet. No team in their right mind would play Sheahan over Krebs if they have decided to go with youth.

15 minutes ago, PerreaultForever said:

Wife obviously thinks he's a better player than some of the people the Sabres are playing. She's pretty enough, maybe she's an "influencer" 🙂

 

Damn...Sheahan might not be much of a hockey player but he is winning when it comes to waking up in the morning next to someone.

[PerreaultForever]

1 minute ago, matter2003 said:

The big difference?  Krebs is a very young player with massive upside.  Sheahan is a replacement level vet. No team in their right mind would play Sheahan over Krebs if they have decided to go with youth.

This would be the point of contention for me though. Krebs and his development. imo he's not there and needs to go back down to the AHL much like Mitts did and Thompson. Let him go down and play big minutes there. Re-evaluate later in the season. He's not NHL ready . My point on that is going with youth is fine as an idea, but no necessarily a way to win hockey games. 

[LabattBlue]

18 minutes ago, PerreaultForever said:

Wife obviously thinks he's a better player than some of the people the Sabres are playing. She's pretty enough, maybe she's an "influencer" 🙂

 

I guess the puck bunny didn’t realize what life is like as a girlfriend/wife of a professional hockey player.  

[matter2003]

1 minute ago, PerreaultForever said:

This would be the point of contention for me though. Krebs and his development. imo he's not there and needs to go back down to the AHL much like Mitts did and Thompson. Let him go down and play big minutes there. Re-evaluate later in the season. He's not NHL ready . My point on that is going with youth is fine as an idea, but no necessarily a way to win hockey games. 

There is an argument that players develop better in the NHL than the AHL.

[PerreaultForever]

Just now, LabattBlue said:

I guess the puck bunny didn’t realize what life is like as a girlfriend/wife of a professional hockey player.  

Don't know where they live, but maybe she didn't like driving through the snow to get to Rochester. 

idk, it's been decades since I've been there but is Rochester a hole? I know it went downhill with the Kodak plant closure era but all I really remember about Rochester was House Of Guitars and The Chesterfield Kings. 

[PerreaultForever]

3 minutes ago, matter2003 said:

There is an argument that players develop better in the NHL than the AHL.

That's a long and difficult argument but I don't think so. If your NHL team focus is on winning you do that, and when rookies aren't your best option you send them down where they get more ice time and personal coaching attention (presumably, if you have a good organization). 

[Doohicksie]

23 minutes ago, matter2003 said:

Damn...Sheahan might not be much of a hockey player but he is winning when it comes to waking up in the morning next to someone.

...as long as he's not 90 miles away!

[Doohicksie]

19 minutes ago, PerreaultForever said:

imo he's not there and needs to go back down to the AHL much like Mitts did and Thompson. Let him go down and play big minutes there. Re-evaluate later in the season. He's not NHL ready . My point on that is going with youth is fine as an idea, but no necessarily a way to win hockey games. 

Your opinion differs with that of the management.  Perhaps the way they see it is that they think he's learned all he can at the AHL level and will develop into a better product next season if he stays up this season, while Sheahan wouldn't even be here next season.  And frankly I don't playing Sheahan over Krebs is going to help the Sabres win games.  It's not like Sheahan was knocking it out of the park when he played with the Sabres this year.

[Doohicksie]

15 minutes ago, PerreaultForever said:

That's a long and difficult argument but I don't think so. If your NHL team focus is on winning you do that, and when rookies aren't your best option you send them down where they get more ice time and personal coaching attention (presumably, if you have a good organization). 

Is Sheahan a better option that Krebs for winning right now?  I haven't seen anything out of Sheahan to indicate he's the difference that when replacing Krebs will win games for the Sabres.  He's.  Just.  Not.  That.  Good.  At this point I'd rather see Cody Eakin over Riley Sheahan.

[Taro T]

55 minutes ago, PerreaultForever said:

There's nothing they are supposed to do. They should never have signed him if they were not going to give him any real chance of making the roster. If Krebs was outplaying him there'd be no argument, but he's not. Hence he feels he isn't get a real fair shot so he wants out. He's not wrong and there is nothing the Sabres can do. 

So how are you going to improve the depth of the roster if you only play rookies? Makes it harder to sign players, even scrubs. 

It seems they did give him a shot at making the roster but he was unable to beat out Hinostroza nor keep them from signing another player for the 4th line & PK that at present has not only beaten him & Krebs out, but Hinostroza too.

Yes, Krebs is at the tip of this particular spear, but there are 2 other guys he couldn't beat out.  In his favor, he DID beat out Bjork, so he has that going for him.

Not sure it's better for his development to have Krebs in the pressbox than playing in Ra-cha-cha; they've indicated they feel he will learn from watching & being around the team.   Personally expect he'd reinforce habits they're trying to break him of by sending him down, but also expect they still see him as a player that will contribute offensively on a 2nd or 3rd line.  So, Krebs stays up for now as the 23rd healthy body.  Will be interesting to see if he goes down should they get a 24th healthy body that is a skater.  He's the only guy not with a regular role that is waiver exempt as of now.

Really curious if Sheahan would be doing this if his wife was handling it better.  After seeing her clip, expect this might be more of a "happy wife, happy life" scenario than a "good Lord, please not another garbage plate."  Maybe she's always wanted to visit Switzerland.  She'll likely get to do so for ~4-5 months.

 

[matter2003]

20 minutes ago, Doohickie said:

Is Sheahan a better option that Krebs for winning right now?  I haven't seen anything out of Sheahan to indicate he's the difference that when replacing Krebs will win games for the Sabres.  He's.  Just.  Not.  That.  Good.  At this point I'd rather see Cody Eakin over Riley Sheahan.

I give him a ton of credit for his taste in women tho. A+ grade there.