hab29RETIRED

Considering the panthers gave stupid money money to Bob the flakey goalie, don’t know why they wouldn’t back the Brinks truck for their best player. as for Eichal, from what I’ve read, and from Freidman’s excellent podcast, it sounds like he has to get surgery. Also looks like chances should be pretty good for recovery. they gave him too much money by basing it on the McDavid deal, and giving him a bit less, but 8 yrs is the maximum term. Realistically, you couldn’t have signed him for 8 yard for less than $8m, so I don’t think it was a huge overpay. Their problem is the other dumb contracts they have, dumb trades, dumb management amd ownership. I think they are still paying for screwing over Lafontaine. Eichal isn’t the problem. Everyone wants out of Buffalo.

He looks like he is 15!

There’s a lot of people that have gone the mountain man route during the pandemic - hell look at Friedman. I’ve got some nephews, that haven’t had a haircut in over a year, and it doesn’t look they’ve cut their hair, or even combed it since the return ton”normal”. So maybe this is his new look

I think, if they can’t agree on treatment, and nothing gets done before training camp he will just sit, and may not report to camp. Things are going to come to a head pretty quick. He can simply say, I’m not reporting until I’m moved. Calgary got into that situation with Gilmour during an in season contract dispute and Gilmour went home, and than he got moved really quick, fir a real lousy return. The GM can say what he want as part of his posturing, but I can’t see Eichal playing another game for the Sabres.

There is absolutely zero reason from anything I’ve heard that Florida has any interest in moving Barkov, or that Barkov doesn’t want to resign. Buffalo on the other hand HAS to move Eichal at some point - most likely before the start of the season, so I don’t understand why you’d think it’s easier to get Barkov.

Suzuki and Caufield should be untouchables.

I’d make that trade and even give them both Guhle, Romanov, Drouin, and another first, IF they added Dahlin, and IF Eichal had a completely clean bill of health - which may be doubtful.

Even Mike Milbury doesn’t even make that trade…. Well maybe mad Mike is about the only one who might🤔

Referring to playoffs. Petry was hurt as well, but his play dropped off in the second half even before he got hurt. I think we need more than the 12 goals from the D that Petry provides.

How does he differ from Pacquette though? We sign the same player again and again. We now have Pacquette, Perrault, Byron, Lekhonan, Armia, Poehling all competing for the 4th line- if Evans pans out. If Evans doesn’t pan out, do we still have a legit 2dd line centre. If KK isn’t ready we are up shit creek.

Ellis has term, but a decent cap hit for what he brings, and his contract is better than Weber’s and he’s 36 when the deal is up - not 40. I’d take that contract over Gallagher- even more so, when you consider our need. Dunn may be a LD, but would be our highest scoring dman and best puck mover after Petry.

There were dmen like Dunn and Ellis available before the expansion draft. Waiting for free agency when you will overpay in cap space was a folly, the time to strike was before the expansion draft, not free agency.

All of the insiders (Friedman, Lebrun), have said that Hoffman was available during the last three deadlines. In his first year, Florida was trying to move him.

St. Louis wanted Tarasenko picked, but had to expose Dunn. Pretty sure he could have been had for a pick. Even if it meant exposing Chiarot (who we could have also moved). I think NSH may have been interested in Gallagher for Ekholm or Ellis (who they moved to Philly) SJ reportedly wants to move Karlsson (who has a NMC), who wants to win and has been vocal about his dissatisfaction with SJ’s direction. IF and ONLY if, they were willing to eat half of his cap hit, id explore that. Vancouver is trying to shed salary, Myers might be available cheap. He wouldn’t be my first choice, and isn’t great defensively, but is still a legit NHL dman that can provide offense. point is that players were available to be had, and they still are. But you have to philosophically be committed to filling needs, rather than bargain hunting.

At the point, with the number of wingers we have if Gallagher and Chiarot can get us an offensive dman, we should be all over that. I wonder if Ekholm is still an option after Nashville traded Ellis. If we hadn’t just signed Hoffman, I’d even seeing if Karlsson is an option if SJ takes 50% of his cap hit. if even consider Myers if Vancouver ate some of his contract - not good defensively, but does have some offense and isn’t too slow FOR A big man. Dunn could have been had fairly cheap b4 the expansion draft. bottom line is that even before the Weber announcement, MB should have been looking for an offensive dman. After we he Weber announcement, he should have been shopping before the expansion draft and the regular draft. Could have also avoided the whole 1sy pick fiasco by trading the pick as part of a deal for an impact dman. If you look at the prices paid during free agency and the moves Yzerman made before free agency and you can see how smart he is and how by that Tampa team is so stacked.