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Speculation: Roster Building Thread LXXXIII: Smell a smaller trade incoming?

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East Coast Bias said:
it’s less about stupid stuff like that.

More about guys learning to be professional. To balance the ups and downs of a season. Keep their emotions in check so they’re never too high or too low.

Obviously Blackwell has been on a long journey. You don’t get where he’s got without learning to deal emotionally with the grind, the let downs, and how to manage all of that to keep yourself focused and fresh.
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for a team that misses passes on the regular, they should take it more seriously.
 
True Blue said:
There is no probably about it. There is now way that the team can afford to resign ZBad AND have Eichel on the books for $10m.

Eichel is fantastic. But once you begin factoring in the assets given up to get him, the cash hit to the cap, the assets spent in looking to build around him at a time when the roster is still far from being completed, the probably holes it created on the roster (C & RW come to mind instantly), it is not necessarily such a slam dunk or a black and white deal. Could it be done? Of course. But careful thought needs to be given to see if this is the right move or a move that gives short term pleasure but causes long term pain.
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I agree, they bring in Eichel and it's the end of Zib. Except it's not one for one. It's paying for Eichel with Chytil and then losing Zib a year later.

Mac n Gs said:
This would be a worthwhile conversation to have and a better alternative than some posters talking as if Eichel is this cancer who isn’t worth acquiring.

I think there’s some merit to trying to stabilize the C position with a more balanced approach, considering who we have on the wings, rather than having it be top-heavy with Eichel. The only question is, which players are you targeting to build that depth? I know Elias Lindholm’s name has been thrown around a bunch, but I can’t see CGY trading him. I think we’d have to figure out which players are around the league that fit a similar mold and try to target them moving forward.
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I think the big problem currently is Zib. Up until a few months ago it seemed fairly certain he was going to sign an extension. Now, who knows? I have faith he will rebound but his play has still been a cause for concern. So instead of trying to find a 2 or 3 C (i think Chytil can and will be their 2) to compliment Zib, you have to try and find his replacement. I guess that's where Eichel comes in but then you're just filling one hole by creating another. I'd feel better about trading for him if they had another potential 1 or 2 C in the organization, but they don't. I'm glad I'm not the one who has to make this decision.
 
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Friedman was on SN960 yesterday and said the Sabres solicited offers from teams over the summer on Eichel but decided not to act on them. They did it because he was unhappy. The situation is clearly deteriorating and the clock is ticking until his NMC kicks in and the Sabres will be facing their own Nash situation. If he asks for a trade and the league catches wind of it, Buffalo loses most of the leverage they have in negotiations.

Only a couple of teams can realistically make that sort of trade in season. Us and LA are the obvious ones. Calgary might be looking for that kind of massive shake up. The Rangers nor the Kings are going to surrender their elite prospects like Laf, Kakko, and Byfield. That leaves guys like Turcotte, Vilardi, Kupari, and Fagemo for LA. Lundkvist, Kravtsov, Robertson, and Schneider on the table from our side. In terms of potential I think the groups are similar and the decision would come down to need. The Rangers have some more 25-and-under NHL talent they could spare where LA is mostly veterans. So it really boils down to whether or not the Sabres want to nuke everything and start over, or if they're leaning more towards a retooling and hope they can get a combination of existing NHL talent and higher-potential kids who are right about to make the jump. For example, Turcotte might be the "sexier" prospect because he's a center, but he struggling in a pro league at 19 while Nils was quite literally a record setter at the same age in his pro league. He could step in next season and possibly be a 2nd pairing NHL D. Could Turcotte step in next year and center a scoring line in the NHL? Seems unlikely.

The Rangers also have something the Kings might not have: A youngish goalie that the Sabres have been linked to previously.

From the Rangers side of things, the argument against Eichel -- aside from the price -- is whether or not we need a center of his caliber with Panarin, Laf, Kakko, Kreider, Buch, and Kravtsov/etc as our group of wingers. Would we be better served with guys in the mold of Bergeron or Toews who can bring that defensive element and compliment those high-skill wingers? Could we pluck a guy off the reclamation pile like the Canes did with Vinny Trocheck last year? I was a big fan of going after Dvorak last season and he's taken that big step forward some of us were anticipating. Someone with 3 or 4 years left on a reasonable contract but they've fallen out of favor or are underperforming. That player might be a better fit not only financially but stylistically as well.
 
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Harbour Dog said:
Ryan Strome: "Oh yeah, I love to laugh when me or one of my teammates makes a shitty play. And I could name a bunch of guys who laugh right along with me. But that Blackwell guy? Man does he ever want to be good at hockey. It's crazy!"
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I try not to make a big deal about things like this most of the time because I’m not in the locker room but that is a pretty revealing quote. And not in a good way for everyone except Blackwell.
 
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HatTrick Swayze said:
I try not to make a big deal about things like this most of the time because I’m not in the locker room but that is a pretty revealing quote. And not in a good way for everyone except Blackwell.
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It is. I know it's a throwaway thing, and could also be viewed positively as the team getting along well.

But we're vastly underperforming this year, and it just annoys me a little. It doesn't help that I'm not wired that way. When I play sports, practice or actual games, I want to be the best; even when it's not realistic (which is more often than not).

If we were doing better, I probably wouldn't have even really noticed it, and just taken it as it was intended: a nice compliment to Blackwell. But right now... it just pokes me a bit.
 
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Trxjw said:
Friedman was on SN960 yesterday and said the Sabres solicited offers from teams over the summer on Eichel but decided not to act on them. They did it because he was unhappy. The situation is clearly deteriorating and the clock is ticking until his NMC kicks in and the Sabres will be facing their own Nash situation. If he asks for a trade and the league catches wind of it, Buffalo loses most of the leverage they have in negotiations.

Only a couple of teams can realistically make that sort of trade in season. Us and LA are the obvious ones. Calgary might be looking for that kind of massive shake up. The Rangers nor the Kings are going to surrender their elite prospects like Laf, Kakko, and Byfield. That leaves guys like Turcotte, Vilardi, Kupari, and Fagemo for LA. Lundkvist, Kravtsov, Robertson, and Schneider on the table from our side. In terms of potential I think the groups are similar and the decision would come down to need. The Rangers have some more 25-and-under NHL talent they could spare where LA is mostly veterans. So it really boils down to whether or not the Sabres want to nuke everything and start over, or if they're leaning more towards a retooling and hope they can get a combination of existing NHL talent and higher-potential kids who are right about to make the jump. For example, Turcotte might be the "sexier" prospect because he's a center, but he struggling in a pro league at 19 while Nils was quite literally a record setter at the same age in his pro league. He could step in next season and possibly be a 2nd pairing NHL D. Could Turcotte step in next year and center a scoring line in the NHL? Seems unlikely.

The Rangers also have something the Kings might not have: A youngish goalie that the Sabres have been linked to previously.

From the Rangers side of things, the argument against Eichel -- aside from the price -- is whether or not we need a center of his caliber with Panarin, Laf, Kakko, Kreider, Buch, and Kravtsov/etc as our group of wingers. Would we be better served with guys in the mold of Bergeron or Toews who can bring that defensive element and compliment those high-skill wingers? Could we pluck a guy off the reclamation pile like the Canes did with Vinny Trocheck last year? I was a big fan of going after Dvorak last season and he's taken that big step forward some of us were anticipating. Someone with 3 or 4 years left on a reasonable contract but they've fallen out of favor or are underperforming. That player might be a better fit not only financially but stylistically as well.
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I wonder what other centers could be available.
 
Trxjw said:
From the Rangers side of things, the argument against Eichel -- aside from the price -- is whether or not we need a center of his caliber with Panarin, Laf, Kakko, Kreider, Buch, and Kravtsov/etc as our group of wingers. Would we be better served with guys in the mold of Bergeron or Toews who can bring that defensive element and compliment those high-skill wingers? .
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The rest of your post aside (which I thought was spot on) this is a really interesting question/perspective. I don't know who is available that would fit that mold but this is a good reminder for those who have gotten swept up in the Eichel-mania, myself included, that it isn't a be all end all type of trade. If we could land him for a "reasonable" price, sure who wouldn't want to do that. But your question of whether or not it's a necessity is probably what will determine whether or not Eichel ends up here. If Gorts & co think so, they'll get him. If not, then they'll set their price and let things shake out.

And as a side note, a 22-23 year old Derek Stepan would be a perfect fit for this team, IMO. He came along a few years too early...
 
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Chytil helps a ton. This is a set of three games in a row where wins should be expected. Get over .500 and hopefully Quinn has these guys ready to go. Any news on Kakko or Panarin?
 
Cmox said:
Michael Scott ending up being an actual gamer was one of my favorite little things about the Office. It was such a fun twist for his character.
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Ikr. Wish there was a episode for a game. Kevin and Stanley as goalies. Dwight would make an amazing ref.
 
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KirkAlbuquerque said:
Ugh, DQ starting a goalie who had a .500 save % last game?
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To be fair, Georgijev has been good recently. Was decent against the Bruins on Sunday as well. After a sloppy start, both of our goalies have been good enough to give us a chance to win pretty much every night. Which is where we expected to be in that position.

And yes, I realize you were sarcastic.
 
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