The Sabres should trade the 11th overall pick in the 2024 draft

[inkman]

Could you package 11 with Skinner + salary retention?  Would anyone bite?  Didn’t think so…

[French Collection]

6 hours ago, Second Line Center said:

If we can get guys to waive NMCs we’re going to be in business.  

I’m 100 percent sure this has been a massive problem for Adams probably since last year’s trade deadline.  I refuse to believe they just have thought oh yea, just keep rolling with our young guys.  And resign Okposo and Zemgus bc no one wants them - those options were better than forcing a trade we probably were looking at overpaying and for a guy who didn’t want to come here anyway.    
 

The lack of significant moves not involving Jack or Samson - both trades we did not get the better player - this has to get fixed.  Trades for guys that have yet to have an NMC kick in doesn’t mean that’s the player we need.  This is a serious issue and I don’t know how you fix it.  
 

 

My suggestion is this - go after Crosby.  Instant, instant credibility brought back here.  I don’t even think it would cost that much.  11th, maybe 3 prospects.  Why wouldn’t Crosby do this?  His run there is over.   

That's how you get guys to come here.  
 

Probably a 2 percent chance of this but it’s time to think big.   

But that would block Savoie, Östlund and Kulich.

[French Collection]

The likelihood of a trade involving the Sabres pick is close to the three percent chance the team had to get Celebrini.

It is fun to think about the possibilities and I hope KA does his job and listens to offers and initiates some of his own. They have been drafting better in the last few years, imo. As others have said, the drafting of 18 year olds is a crapshoot and it gets tougher to find NHL talent the deeper you go.

Is Lindstrom the next Tocchet or PL Dubois?

Parekh could be Makar or DeAngelo.

Iginla could be the second coming or Dillon Dube.

Trading #11 for an established player would make a statement on multiple levels. It would certainly get my attention.

[Thorny]

5 hours ago, Slack_in_MA said:

It's likely been discussed around here somewhere already, but who might be a quality trade target that has a good relationship with Lindy, e.g., someone he could "sell"/ talk out of a NMC?

I think Crosby played under Ruff with team Canada at some point!

this is all I care about now 

[inkman]

5 hours ago, inkman said:

Could you package 11 with Skinner + salary retention?  Would anyone bite?  Didn’t think so…

Maybe the Blackhawks are down?

 

4 hours ago, French Collection said:

The likelihood of a trade involving the Sabres pick is close to the three percent chance the team had to get Celebrini.

It is fun to think about the possibilities and I hope KA does his job and listens to offers and initiates some of his own. They have been drafting better in the last few years, imo. As others have said, the drafting of 18 year olds is a crapshoot and it gets tougher to find NHL talent the deeper you go.

Is Lindstrom the next Tocchet or PL Dubois?

Parekh could be Makar or DeAngelo.

Iginla could be the second coming or Dillon Dube.

Trading #11 for an established player would make a statement on multiple levels. It would certainly get my attention.

I don’t think pick 11 gets a player that would get your attention. Probably, yeah, I’ve heard of that guy.  It’s not brining Brady Tkachuk. 

[CTJoe]

What's the phone number for Chicago?  That article is actually saying to trade a 2nd and a small prospect for Skinner (nothing retained.) Hell yes - i thought we'd be sending the 2nd and a prospect with Skinner for nothing.

[dudacek]

28 minutes ago, inkman said:

Maybe the Blackhawks are down?

 

I don’t think pick 11 gets a player that would get your attention. Probably, yeah, I’ve heard of that guy.  It’s not brining Brady Tkachuk. 

The Islanders traded #13 to Montreal in 2022 for Romanov, who then flipped that pick to the Hawks for Kirby Dach.

The Canucks traded #17 and a 2nd for Filip Hronek. The Sens traded #7, a 2nd and a 3rd for Debrincat, the Kings traded #19 and Brock Faber for Kevin Fiala.

[LabattBlue]

5 hours ago, French Collection said:

The likelihood of a trade involving the Sabres pick is close to the three percent chance the team had to get Celebrini.

It is fun to think about the possibilities and I hope KA does his job and listens to offers and initiates some of his own. They have been drafting better in the last few years, imo. As others have said, the drafting of 18 year olds is a crapshoot and it gets tougher to find NHL talent the deeper you go.

Is Lindstrom the next Tocchet or PL Dubois?

Parekh could be Makar or DeAngelo.

Iginla could be the second coming or Dillon Dube.

Trading #11 for an established player would make a statement on multiple levels. It would certainly get my attention.

For a top 6 or even an above average 3C with term, it might have to be 11 + prospect(or Joker). 

[PerreaultForever]

12 hours ago, Thorny said:

Lol reading comprehension again. I’m not using BPA in a drafting context, here. You’ve been attempting to have an argument with me for a few hours that I’m legitimately not having haha. It’s my fault as well, I shouldn’t have even used the term “ROSTER bpa” because it invited confusion: my point was it should be the best players we can ice (up to and including transactions we might make), rather than actively looking to find spots for rookies. They should absolutely be in the mix, but as I stated (I hoped it would make sense): the youth should have to force their way on. Yes, “best” still necessarily accounts for mix and a wanting to have a well balanced team 

Proper nhl depth results in rookies needing to bypass appropriate competition and also provides injury insurance 

Correct. I have nothing different to add but want to stress the bolded part as a punctuation point to the discussion. 

[inkman]

3 hours ago, dudacek said:

The Islanders traded #13 to Montreal in 2022 for Romanov, who then flipped that pick to the Hawks for Kirby Dach.

The Canucks traded #17 and a 2nd for Filip Hronek. The Sens traded #7, a 2nd and a 3rd for Debrincat, the Kings traded #19 and Brock Faber for Kevin Fiala.

One of those players interests me.  They all came with question marks at the time of the trades.  The Sabres would be getting a complimentary piece at best.  Not exactly the “win now” mantra that every single chud I see insisting occurs or “Adams needs to be fired” or some other nonsense.  

[Thorny]

2 minutes ago, inkman said:

One of those players interests me.  They all came with question marks at the time of the trades.  The Sabres would be getting a complimentary piece at best.  Not exactly the “win now” mantra that every single chud I see insisting occurs or “Adams needs to be fired” or some other nonsense.  

Thankfully a draft pick comes with as many or more question marks. 11 is a very good asset when combined in a package. There’ll be some intriguing options out there 

[dudacek]

20 minutes ago, inkman said:

One of those players interests me.  They all came with question marks at the time of the trades.  The Sabres would be getting a complimentary piece at best.  Not exactly the “win now” mantra that every single chud I see insisting occurs or “Adams needs to be fired” or some other nonsense.  

If people are thinking they are going to turn #11 and Isak Rosen into Brady Tkachuk, well they are chuds.

But they can turn a package like that into a player that can nicely fill a need in their middle six

[Brawndo]

20 hours ago, That Aud Smell said:

Do you likewise find pics of one young centre who got a 7-8 year deal based on a small sample size (career year?) congratulating a younger teammate (also a centre) who similarly got extended (big term, small sample size, big year) on a team that missed the playoffs and then regressed and a franchise that is continually setting a record for playoff futility?

Context matters.

And my theory and point go beyond the mere fact that they’re pictured in the Caribbean together.

I want to be proven wrong. I want them to grow up, get tougher, become more accountable, maybe even become a bit less chummy with each other (?). I’m not optimistic — not yet anyway.

Oh, and shoutout @Demoted: THIS is a narrative. It’s mine, for now.

 

Your theory is they are chill bros.

These are world class athletes who have spent a large majority of lives training and honing their skill sets. 

Cozens in particular left home by age 12 to seek out a higher level of competition 

These guys are highly competitive both on and off the ice.

I personally want them to be good friends and hang out off the ice, building chemistry is best for the team in the long run 

This is not going fade away once they sign their first big contract

Context does matter. 
 

That picture was taken last year during the season each completed their career highs. 

Was it their fault that they ran the back the same lineup?

Was it their fault that the team ran the same power play game after game when it was painfully obvious it wasn’t working. 
 

Was it their fault that the HC refused any attempt to line match all season, particularly at home when he had the last change?

Tage’s drop in production seemed to correlate with His Wrist Injury and as it improved he had 21 points in his last 18 games.
 

Does anyone here think that Cozens was satisfied with the season he had?  He is more upset with it than anyone on this board. 

The prevailing theme from the players at their end of season exit interviews was they wanted a coach that would push them harder and demand accountability. 
 

That does not sound like something chill bros would want. 

 

 

[Cascade Youth]

Brogate 

[Flashsabre]

Offseason pics should be limited to underground fight clubs or street fights😛

[Weave]

25 minutes ago, Brawndo said:

 

Your theory is they are chill bros.

These are world class athletes who have spent a large majority of lives training and honing their skill sets. 

Cozens in particular left home by age 12 to seek out a higher level of competition 

These guys are highly competitive both on and off the ice.

I personally want them to be good friends and hang out off the ice, building chemistry is best for the team in the long run 

This is not going fade away once they sign their first big contract

Context does matter. 
 

That picture was taken last year during the season each completed their career highs. 

Was it their fault that they ran the back the same lineup?

Was it their fault that the team ran the same power play game after game when it was painfully obvious it wasn’t working. 
 

Was it their fault that the HC refused any attempt to line match all season, particularly at home when he had the last change?

Tage’s drop in production seemed to correlate with His Wrist Injury and as it improved he had 21 points in his last 18 games.
 

Does anyone here think that Cozens was satisfied with the season he had?  He is more upset with it than anyone on this board. 

The prevailing theme from the players at their end of season exit interviews was they wanted a coach that would push them harder and demand accountability. 
 

That does not sound like something chill bros would want. 

 

 

Haven’t we learned our lesson?  Remember the Roy- Pominville crotch clutching picture-gate?  Remember how that turned out?  Busted lives and broken dreams.

Doomed.

[Thorny]

33 minutes ago, Brawndo said:

 

Your theory is they are chill bros.

These are world class athletes who have spent a large majority of lives training and honing their skill sets. 

Cozens in particular left home by age 12 to seek out a higher level of competition 

These guys are highly competitive both on and off the ice.

I personally want them to be good friends and hang out off the ice, building chemistry is best for the team in the long run 

This is not going fade away once they sign their first big contract

Context does matter. 
 

That picture was taken last year during the season each completed their career highs. 

Was it their fault that they ran the back the same lineup?

Was it their fault that the team ran the same power play game after game when it was painfully obvious it wasn’t working. 
 

Was it their fault that the HC refused any attempt to line match all season, particularly at home when he had the last change?

Tage’s drop in production seemed to correlate with His Wrist Injury and as it improved he had 21 points in his last 18 games.
 

Does anyone here think that Cozens was satisfied with the season he had?  He is more upset with it than anyone on this board. 

The prevailing theme from the players at their end of season exit interviews was they wanted a coach that would push them harder and demand accountability. 
 

That does not sound like something chill bros would want. 

 

 

Might be something they’d say, though 

11 minutes ago, Flashsabre said:

Offseason pics should be limited to underground fight clubs or street fights😛

You forgot rule number 1

[Sabres Fan in NS]

On 5/8/2024 at 10:36 AM, Scottysabres said:

Keep the pick, the pipeline can never have enough "potential" for the future.

You really are Scotty.

I bet you wish you had a whole bunch of slightly aging stars to trade for first round picks, eh??

[LGR4GM]

29 minutes ago, Sabres Fan in NS said:

You really are Scotty.

I bet you wish you had a whole bunch of slightly aging stars to trade for first round picks, eh??

 

 

[SwampD]

4 hours ago, CTJoe said:

What's the phone number for Chicago?  That article is actually saying to trade a 2nd and a small prospect for Skinner (nothing retained.) Hell yes - i thought we'd be sending the 2nd and a prospect with Skinner for nothing.

They can't trade Skinner. They would have to work that much harder just to get to the cap floor.

[dudacek]

2 hours ago, Brawndo said:

 

Your theory is they are chill bros.

These are world class athletes who have spent a large majority of lives training and honing their skill sets. 

Cozens in particular left home by age 12 to seek out a higher level of competition 

These guys are highly competitive both on and off the ice.

I personally want them to be good friends and hang out off the ice, building chemistry is best for the team in the long run 

This is not going fade away once they sign their first big contract

Context does matter. 
 

That picture was taken last year during the season each completed their career highs. 

Was it their fault that they ran the back the same lineup?

Was it their fault that the team ran the same power play game after game when it was painfully obvious it wasn’t working. 
 

Was it their fault that the HC refused any attempt to line match all season, particularly at home when he had the last change?

Tage’s drop in production seemed to correlate with His Wrist Injury and as it improved he had 21 points in his last 18 games.
 

Does anyone here think that Cozens was satisfied with the season he had?  He is more upset with it than anyone on this board. 

The prevailing theme from the players at their end of season exit interviews was they wanted a coach that would push them harder and demand accountability. 
 

That does not sound like something chill bros would want. 

 

 

The idea of the chill bro elite athlete is something I’m forever going to struggle with in this day and age.

Entitled, self-centred, sure - the environment that spits these guys out can lead to all kinds of character flaws. But lazy self-satisfaction ain’t high on the list.

That’s just not the modern amateur sports culture, where the best are pulled together at a very young age, programmed by well-trained coaches, and cutting-edge sports scientists to seek out every advantage, and constantly measured against and compared to their peers in a dogfight to reach the top.

The days of slackers with elite natural physical gifts able to slide by in sports that get played 6 or 8 months a year by flabby smokers vanished with Ed Van Impe.

 

Edited May 10 by dudacek

[Thorny]

1 hour ago, dudacek said:

The idea of the chill bro elite athlete is something I’m forever going to struggle with in this day and age.

Entitled, self-centred, sure - the environment that spits these guys out can lead to all kinds of character flaws. But lazy self-satisfaction ain’t high on the list.

That’s just not the modern amateur sports culture, where the best are pulled together at a very young age, programmed by well-trained coaches, and cutting-edge sports scientists to seek out every advantage, and constantly measured against and compared to their peers in a dogfight to reach the top.

The days of slackers with elite natural physical gifts able to slide by in sports that get played 6 or 8 months a year by flabby smokers vanished with Ed Van Impe.

 

As long as it’s not a dogfight to reach a long term contract 

Specifically 

[dudacek]

29 minutes ago, Thorny said:

As long as it’s not a dogfight to reach a long term contract 

Specifically 

I feel the same way about the money thing.

Most of these guys grew up in well off families, and never went wanting in their lives for material things. They’ve never worried about security or lusted over a life of leisure, or saw hockey as a means to an end.

That’s a relic borrowed from other sports, or from hockey books written in the ‘50s.

What matters most about the money for these guys seems to be how it’s another way of keeping score.

You can’t assume the range of behaviours you see in your own workplace are going to carry over because the professional hockey player has been molded in specific place based on a very specific routine, background and set of beliefs.

Of course it’s not one-size-fits-all, and there is a range that exists within the fraternity, but a lazy hockey player is about as likely as a stupid doctor, or a timid marine.

 

Edited May 10 by dudacek

[Taro T]

Sure.  If a trade that will make the Sabres better today is available and 11 is a piece needed to make that happen, definitely trade it.

Personally, as somebody else stated upthread, would rather see a solid prospect like Rosen (or one of the others if Rosen doesn't get a trade done) be part of that trade as that python has a really big slug of players working their way through to becoming waiver eligible and then becoming RFA / UFA eligible down the line too.  Plus, theoretically, one of the prospects would be viewed as being more valuable than 11 as they're a year to 3 closer to being NHL ready than that pick will be.

[French Collection]

18 minutes ago, dudacek said:

Of course it’s not one-size-fits-all, and there is a range that exists within the fraternity, but a lazy hockey player is about as likely as a stupid doctor, or a timid marine.

 

Well said.

The lazy guys fell to the wayside well before the NHL. As much as Gretzky talks about taking time off and playing other sports, these guys train almost year round, and their training is hockey specific.

Laziness shows itself in cheating defensively or giving up on puck battles, things that coaches try and eliminate and we fans criticize.

 

I like to think there are no stupid doctors out there and definitely do not want to be seen by one.
 

I knew an engineering student who was a serial cheater on exams. It wasn’t so much laziness or not being smart enough, he was under tremendous family pressure to become an engineer. Now I know why some bridges collapse and other engineering mishaps we hear about come to be.