Excellent column Pach but i disagree with you on trading Gionta and a couple of others. Maybe you don't trade Gio away for a 6th but if you can somehow get a 2nd for him or a solid prospect, I say you do it. He can be replaced by one of Baptiste or Bailey.

I would also look at trading Franson, Kuli and/or Gorges. Playoff teams always overpay for D man heading into the playoffs. None of these guys are part of the future plus the pairing of Fedun and Falk have played well enough. In fact, they have played better without Gorges in the line up. If Murray can get good returns for 1 or 2 of the above, I say trade them.

many were saying that about bogo and kuli...not that either are out of the woods, just saying sometimes our perception is skewed
- Michael Pachla

They could both be better. Kuli rough year with injuries. Still preferred Pysyk. Also have everyone is being used is what's skewed this the most. Georges franks the lines up the most. Which in turn franks everyone else's stats including goaltending, offensive possession and scoring. Dude-Stinks.

that I can agree with...but Gionta just scored crucial goals in the last two consecutive wins with his linemates contributing as well...yet in light of that, and without taking into consideration that he just might make his fellow third liners better, people want to trade him...

personally, I think this team's secondary scoring takes a step back if he's traded
- Michael Pachla

If we keep him, miss the playoffs, and then he retires/doesn't get resigned here you lost him for nothing. If you trade him and miss the playoffs you'll never know what could have been with him. Has this team shown you enough that you think they can pull it together for 36 games enough to sneak in? Are you feeling lucky?

They've turned the corner so many times this year they keep ending up where they started. I'm happy with how they are playing but I'm only at cautiously optimistic right now.

Sweet finish by Eichel last night. Loved how the entire team came off the bench to congratulate him as well.
Very entertaining game, congrats on the win.

Excellent column Pach but i disagree with you on trading Gionta and a couple of others. Maybe you don't trade Gio away for a 6th but if you can somehow get a 2nd for him or a solid prospect, I say you do it. He can be replaced by one of Baptiste or Bailey.

I would also look at trading Franson, Kuli and/or Gorges. Playoff teams always overpay for D man heading into the playoffs. None of these guys are part of the future plus the pairing of Fedun and Falk have played well enough. In fact, they have played better without Gorges in the line up. If Murray can get good returns for 1 or 2 of the above, I say trade them.
- SabreWest

If Murray can trade Gorges and get a decent return on him, and by decent I mean anything, I'll be ecstatic. It'd be Weber for a 3rd all over again.

If we keep him, miss the playoffs, and then he retires/doesn't get resigned here you lost him for nothing. If you trade him and miss the playoffs you'll never know what could have been with him. Has this team shown you enough that you think they can pull it together for 36 games enough to sneak in? Are you feeling lucky?
- Zschalberg

punk!

They've turned the corner so many times this year they keep ending up where they started. I'm happy with how they are playing but I'm only at cautiously optimistic right now.
- Pope of Pucks

They definitely get people to watch. Just when you think it's all over for the season (and recently the game) they pull you back in with visions of grandeur and playoffs. Then they make sure to crush those dreams in front of you.

It would be a mistake to overreact to this win streak, and not sell at the deadline. Buffalo has a couple of very nice pieces, but there's some dead weight that could and should be moved

I'm consistently surprised at the crap GMs will trade for in March....

It's a seller's market because of the cluster of teams. In a normal year, you'd get a second. If you can somehow get a first, you take it. That said, I think iginla is probably the only first rounder caliber trade
- jcragcrumple

a first would make for a very interesting situation but I don't think they'd be able to get that for Gionta and even if they did it would be a low first-rounder in a, supposedly, weak draft...anything less, imo, would be counter-productive.

Excellent column Pach but i disagree with you on trading Gionta and a couple of others. Maybe you don't trade Gio away for a 6th but if you can somehow get a 2nd for him or a solid prospect, I say you do it. He can be replaced by one of Baptiste or Bailey.

I would also look at trading Franson, Kuli and/or Gorges. Playoff teams always overpay for D man heading into the playoffs. None of these guys are part of the future plus the pairing of Fedun and Falk have played well enough. In fact, they have played better without Gorges in the line up. If Murray can get good returns for 1 or 2 of the above, I say trade them.
- SabreWest

on Gionta: we already have an extra second and third round pick and no, I don't think he can be replaced by either bailey or baptiste...imo, neither could do for the third line what Gionta does...

he's on pace for 19 goals and 20 assists...because of his success on the third line, bottom-sixer Foligno is (wrongfully) playing alongside Eichel...Larsson was a revelation before his injury and the guy who replaced him, gus, looks like a totally different player...and kane is playing like the player that murray traded him for

just sayin'

If we keep him, miss the playoffs, and then he retires/doesn't get resigned here you lost him for nothing. If you trade him and miss the playoffs you'll never know what could have been with him. Has this team shown you enough that you think they can pull it together for 36 games enough to sneak in? Are you feeling lucky?
- Zschalberg

yes

a first would make for a very interesting situation but I don't think they'd be able to get that for Gionta and even if they did it would be a low first-rounder in a, supposedly, weak draft...anything less, imo, would be counter-productive.
- Michael Pachla

Pach-

This is a very good point. Given the quality of this year's draft, and the overall odds of draft picks making significant contributions in the NHL, this is a year to be selling picks, not buying them.

DK

on Gionta: we already have an extra second and third round pick and no, I don't think he can be replaced by either bailey or baptiste...imo, neither could do for the third line what Gionta does...

he's on pace for 19 goals and 20 assists...because of his success on the third line, bottom-sixer Foligno is (wrongfully) playing alongside Eichel...Larsson was a revelation before his injury and the guy who replaced him, gus, looks like a totally different player...and kane is playing like the player that murray traded him for

just sayin'
- Michael Pachla

He has more value staying on the team for the rest of the spring than the replacement value we can reasonably expect.

Pach-

This is a very good point. Given the quality of this year's draft, and the overall odds of draft picks making significant contributions in the NHL, this is a year to be selling picks, not buying them.

DK
- Der Kaiser

plus the sabres already have an extra second and third-rounder

a first would make for a very interesting situation but I don't think they'd be able to get that for Gionta and even if they did it would be a low first-rounder in a, supposedly, weak draft...anything less, imo, would be counter-productive.
- Michael Pachla

My hope is that 2nd rounders are involved in moving Moulson. If you can sell high on Gionta in order to move Moulson, that's a win IMO. Gionta will be 39 next year and I think he accomplished what we need him to do here. He was a solid leader in bad times and he's elevated as we've gotten better.

Sell high, play the kids and move on

They've turned the corner so many times this year they keep ending up where they started. I'm happy with how they are playing but I'm only at cautiously optimistic right now.
- Pope of Pucks

Agreed. NO offense to Pach, but I feel like I have read this type of blog/comments 8 times this year.

I will say I am coming around to really appreciating Sam Reinhart more

on Gionta: we already have an extra second and third round pick and no, I don't think he can be replaced by either bailey or baptiste...imo, neither could do for the third line what Gionta does...

he's on pace for 19 goals and 20 assists...because of his success on the third line, bottom-sixer Foligno is (wrongfully) playing alongside Eichel...Larsson was a revelation before his injury and the guy who replaced him, gus, looks like a totally different player...and kane is playing like the player that murray traded him for

just sayin'
- Michael Pachla

All good points. If this team does start going the right way it will definitely say a lot about Gionta, personally. We talk more about Eichel and ROR in terms of leardership but there's a reason Gio is still the captain. Can't talk about the locker room because I'm not there, but on the ice he seems to be the guy who says, we'll win this and I'm going to do it. If there was anyone to teach Eichel to lead I'm glad it's Gionta.

yes
- Michael Pachla

Braver than I am, but I do love eating crow when it comes with a side of winning

If Murray can trade Gorges and get a decent return on him, and by decent I mean anything, I'll be ecstatic. It'd be Weber for a 3rd all over again.
- Zschalberg

Given that we only paid a second, a 3rd would be more than fair.

Given that we only paid a second, a 3rd would be more than fair.
- sskkoo1

Gorges also didn't seem as bad back then. Or maybe I just didn't pay attention as much.

Braver than I am, but I do love eating crow when it comes with a side of winning
- Zschalberg

it's not that I don't have reservations, because I do, but signs are indicating that this team is on upswing...how much of one is to be determined, but 7-3-1 in January, against some pretty good teams, indicates that the arrow's pointing up

Gorges also didn't seem as bad back then. Or maybe I just didn't pay attention as much.
- Zschalberg

I think Montreal seen the writing on the wall, they didn't hesitate to take the 2nd for him. I think Murray just wanted stable leadership on the Blue line for the prospects to learn how to be NHLers.

Still mad that I left that game early...