No. No, on Sam + Skinner / Okopso for 3rd round pick.
You want to rebuild forever, I see.
- Lilroot9

Big assumption, there on my intentions. No, my proposal (which will likely never happen) gets rid of Skinner's pretty-much-untradeable-crap-ass contract, and if it takes moving Sam to do it I say Yes.

On the flip side, who's the last guy to be traded for a top 5 pick? There isn't really much to base this on. I don't think he'd get a top 5, but it's just gut feel. 7 years of team control vs Sam's final year is a massive different to factor in.
- Lunaion

I get the gut feel.
As far as team control, and even the ELC aspect, the new team can sign Sam and have that control..yes at a higher cost for sure..but his production is still improving whereas that 1st rounder will take 2 - 3 years to ramp up...take Byfield, Kakko, Lafreniere and other high selections as examples.

Wonder if Anaheim would consider it at 2, 3 or 4 given the relatively weaker draft?

None the less, it is an interesting debate

Adams was in charge of last offseason, and how'd that work out? Why did it take him so long to poop can Ralph?

Why are we acting like Adams has no culpability so far?
- kingcong39

Agreed. Yet it is also TEMPERED a bit by two words
The Pegula's

What's all this?

Adams made a ton of changes. They didn't work out. Are we going to act like some of these players on this team are and dwell, or let the man try and do his job? He doesn't sound like a guy that dwells on sh!t. It didn't work out (but let's face it, they signed the biggest free agent on the market. It wasn't like they sat on their hands), so time to move forward, with or without the three amigos.
- Powerslave

Another interesting discussion.

We have come full circle...do you trust KA to extract maximum value and to select the right prospects in these potential trades of Jack, Risto and Sam.

I don't see anything that would suggest to me to have faith in him... the proof is in the pudding and he served up some really poopty pudding last off season. I thought Staal would be ok...I didn't like the Hall signing TBH, and they F'd up the Girgs and Eakin contracts.

D to D- on last year.

We all want and hope for are team to be better. God as Fans I think we deserve it. All we can hope for is if Rhino Risto and Punk Ass B!tch Boy don't want to be here that the sum of the pieces we get back make us a better overall team.

Nice name(s) drop, Pachs! I wonder how many readers know what the reference is?

Yeah, keeping Sam and Jack and Risto and Skinner sounds nice, but I am firmly in the camp that says, "we haven't won crap with them, so maybe we should try without them".

If Sam want out to the West, give him to Seattle along with Skinner and/or Okposo for a 3rd round pick.
- LandlordTom

thx...it really doesn't matter to me what they do with any of jack, sam and risto...

apathy is where i'm at with this team right now

Big assumption, there on my intentions. No, my proposal (which will likely never happen) gets rid of Skinner's pretty-much-untradeable-crap-ass contract, and if it takes moving Sam to do it I say Yes.
- LandlordTom

With younger roster players, I am not worried about his cap hit.

Another interesting discussion.

We have come full circle...do you trust KA to extract maximum value and to select the right prospects in these potential trades of Jack, Risto and Sam.

I don't see anything that would suggest to me to have faith in him... the proof is in the pudding and he served up some really poopty pudding last off season. I thought Staal would be ok...I didn't like the Hall signing TBH, and they F'd up the Girgs and Eakin contracts.

D to D- on last year.
- IonSabres

You didn't like the Hall signing, but there are thousands and thousands of Sabres fans that did.

You liked the Staal signing, and many others did, but many didn't.

To me, signing a top line winger, trading for a respected veteran in Staal who had a great year prior, and bringing in a great penalty killer in Rieder, weren't just chump-ass transactions.

For whatever reason (Ralph? Well, then blame Botterill for that mess) it didn't work out. The moves on paper, though, looked good.

Adams sounds like he's energetic and up for challenge. As fans, that's all we can do is hope these next moves work out.

If we could get a potential top 10, unprotected Pick next year for Samwise Gamgees, I’d be game. Next year top 10 is Loaded
- lulags

trade him and a third to the yotes for soderstrom and hayton

If you've worked for the same poop sack company for half a decade and it's been riddled with ineptitude, should you move on or continue to bash your head against the wall and keep dealing with the ineptitude?
- kingcong39

risto has made nearly $30m in his buffalo career and has one year to go...he expressed his displeasure with things but always comes into camp ready to go...

jack has already made nearly $33m with another $50m coming in the next five years...sorry fate put you in buffalo, buddy, but you can be a part of the solution...

sam has the real complaint as he's put up with this poopshow and has made just over $15m in the process...he's set for a big contract coming up...

so the answer is, pro sports, the payments and the payment structure have nothing to do with our lives so there's no parallel...but if there was, i'd say stfu you spoiled brats and play the game

On the flip side, who's the last guy to be traded for a top 5 pick? There isn't really much to base this on. I don't think he'd get a top 5, but it's just gut feel. 7 years of team control vs Sam's final year is a massive different to factor in.
- Lunaion

article is old but shows a bunch of top 10 picks moved for a guy

https://www.sportsnet.ca/...g-top-10-nhl-draft-picks/

Adams was in charge of last offseason, and how'd that work out? Why did it take him so long to poop can Ralph?

Why are we acting like Adams has no culpability so far?
- kingcong39

was he really in charge of the last off season?...i mean, he went from being head maintenance guy at harborcenter to a position above krueger but with less power than him...the guys r lph wanted, ka signed...staal's on him but even then he ended up with a third and a fifth for johansson

i'd say stfu you spoiled brats and play the game
- Michael Pachla

was he really in charge of the last off season?..
- Michael Pachla

I heard Byfield is untouchable. But maybe if you don’t try to rape them in a trade he can be had.

Eichel for Byfield and their first this year. They keep all their other young talent and build around Eichel. We move on with a centerpiece player and a pick who should still be a good player.
- Fattony1187

Not enough

I just can’t believe Jack put the Organization on blast like that and didn’t somehow get fined by the team or NHL. Be mad, Jack, but loose lips sink ships you Boston snitch, cry-baby mitch.

You didn't like the Hall signing, but there are thousands and thousands of Sabres fans that did.

You liked the Staal signing, and many others did, but many didn't.

To me, signing a top line winger, trading for a respected veteran in Staal who had a great year prior, and bringing in a great penalty killer in Rieder, weren't just chump-ass transactions.

For whatever reason (Ralph? Well, then blame Botterill for that mess) it didn't work out. The moves on paper, though, looked good.

Adams sounds like he's energetic and up for challenge. As fans, that's all we can do is hope these next moves work out.
- Powerslave

But it was the moves that weren’t made that were the problem.

Which is a reoccurring theme

I get the gut feel.
As far as team control, and even the ELC aspect, the new team can sign Sam and have that control..yes at a higher cost for sure..but his production is still improving whereas that 1st rounder will take 2 - 3 years to ramp up...take Byfield, Kakko, Lafreniere and other high selections as examples.

Wonder if Anaheim would consider it at 2, 3 or 4 given the relatively weaker draft?

None the less, it is an interesting debate
- IonSabres

It's interesting, and would almost certainly have more pieces involved if it did happen. Flat cap is a big factor too. Sea has a lot of options to make moves. It should be fun.

risto has made nearly $30m in his buffalo career and has one year to go...he expressed his displeasure with things but always comes into camp ready to go...

jack has already made nearly $33m with another $50m coming in the next five years...sorry fate put you in buffalo, buddy, but you can be a part of the solution...

sam has the real complaint as he's put up with this poopshow and has made just over $15m in the process...he's set for a big contract coming up...

so the answer is, pro sports, the payments and the payment structure have nothing to do with our lives so there's no parallel...but if there was, i'd say stfu you spoiled brats and play the game
- Michael Pachla

Like I said, what did people really think his interview was gonna be like 2 days after another bad season. We just have to wait and see how all this plays out. And said it before and will get ripped apart. I am more worried about losing Sam than I am about Jack.
- Buff36

Why?

Another interesting discussion.

We have come full circle...do you trust KA to extract maximum value and to select the right prospects in these potential trades of Jack, Risto and Sam.

I don't see anything that would suggest to me to have faith in him... the proof is in the pudding and he served up some really poopty pudding last off season. I thought Staal would be ok...I didn't like the Hall signing TBH, and they F'd up the Girgs and Eakin contracts.

D to D- on last year.
- IonSabres

I think your grading is generous. I'm definitely on the same page here.

Unrelated: Looks like AWS is working with the NHL to put real time analytics up on the broadcast. Some here will like that. Interesting, looks like they're using UWB for positioning, I was involved with a different application using UWB and it's insanely accurate.

https://youtu.be/lMW6YBPTo-c

Another interesting discussion.

We have come full circle...do you trust KA to extract maximum value and to select the right prospects in these potential trades of Jack, Risto and Sam.

I don't see anything that would suggest to me to have faith in him... the proof is in the pudding and he served up some really poopty pudding last off season. I thought Staal would be ok...I didn't like the Hall signing TBH, and they F'd up the Girgs and Eakin contracts.

D to D- on last year.
- IonSabres

the gus contract really had nothing to do with the sabres this year...the eakin signing in and of itself was not good and the contract made it worse...staal was a good idea but he got out of it by getting back a couple of picks...hall was a huge surprise and generally liked, but turned into a wreck under krueger

sheahan was a good bottom-six signing and reider was good as well...taken as a whole, and knowing that r lph had at least some input on his fa signings, D, D- might be a little harsh...

maybe C, C- ?

Unrelated: Looks like AWS is working with the NHL to put real time analytics up on the broadcast. Some here will like that. Interesting, looks like they're using UWB for positioning, I was involved with a different application using UWB and it's insanely accurate.

https://youtu.be/lMW6YBPTo-c
- gcomella34

as long as they don't clutter up the screen all the time, i'm fine with some of it...keep it short, keep it simple and keep it lazer focused, imo