Buffalo is not a good team. The 2019 2nd will be high. There shouldn't be a huge difference between say Pittsburgh's 1st and that pick.
Buffalo was in fact bad that year. I never really did understand the criticism of the return itself, even if things hadn't played out as expected. With a player or prospect, maybe you can make the argument that they got blinded by an asset they liked. When a player is traded for a draft pick, the value is in black and white. If you thought he (or Bean or Nedeljkovic) was worth more, you were wrong. Don Waddell was not on the phone trying to sell another GM on the value of Jeff Skinner like a car dealership. The market is the market.
Still, I'm a disappointed fan. I would have been willing to forgo that type of return for the 1 year of Skinner. It's time to move on from asset accumulation mode. I guess the FO disagrees.
I'll take the L on this one. What we saw October - December 2018 was what I feared. The team couldn't score. And then Rask for Nino happens. The roster is better balanced and the rest is history.
They're constantly putting themselves out there (big Hamilton trade, Skinner trade, buying a 1st via Marleau, Reimer in lieu of a Darling buyout, Gardiner in and Faulk for assets, Calder nominee for a 3rd, letting Hamilton walk, Kotkaniemi offer sheet, Kotkaniemi extension). This is right there with the Marleau trade, perhaps even more impressive given the almost unbelievable circumstances surrounding the Jarvis pick. I have to give them their props for this one.
