If they didn't make any of the moves they made, how close to being contenders would they have been this year and next year?

I'm not saying they don't stink now, but they would have been going on 4 straight years of sucking at this point.
- kingcong39

They are going on 4 straight years of sucking at this point.

Unless you have a crystal ball, there's no way to know that.

The picture will be quite clear by sometime in July regarding next season.
- kingcong39

No way to know what?

If it's pertaining to PREDICTIONS, well, that's why they're PREDICTIONS.

If they didn't make any of the moves they made, how close to being contenders would they have been this year and next year?

I'm not saying they don't stink now, but they would have been going on 4 straight years of sucking at this point.
- kingcong39

Further away or close to the same, but that would have been fine because our pipeline would have been loaded and we would have oodles of cap room.

No way to know what?

If it's pertaining to PREDICTIONS, well, that's why they're PREDICTIONS.
- BeadyEyedDouche

Predictions are generally meaningless, but especially incomplete ones like guessing where they will finish next year before seeing any and all the moves the team makes from the end of the season through FA.

You're on fire today
- sbroads24

i will be till the third. Then ill be extremely passive aggressive

Further away or close to the same, but that would have been fine because our pipeline would have been loaded and we would have oodles of cap room.
- sbroads24

I'm in the minority but I feel like they are 2 D men away from being a playoff team and maybe winning a round.

There need another top end F as well to be cup contenders.

They are going on 4 straight years of sucking at this point.
- BeadyEyedDouche

When I say suck, I'm talking bottom 3 team in the league suck, not where they are now or finished last year.

I'm in the minority but I feel like they are 2 D men away from being a playoff team and maybe winning a round.

There need another top end F as well to be cup contenders.
- kingcong39

Agreed, but I'm in the minority that thinks one of them needs to be a #1

EDIT- or equal to Risto

When I say suck, I'm talking bottom 3 team in the league suck, not where they are now or finished last year.
- kingcong39

whats the difference? aside from getting a better player in the draft.

Predictions are generally meaningless, but especially incomplete ones like guessing where they will finish next year before seeing any and all the moves the team makes from the end of the season through FA.
- kingcong39

"You just said the opposite of what I think or would have said, so I'm going to write it off because, future (or crystal ball) until I want to speak of events that have not happened, where I will use foresight accordingly. Because, future."

"Because it's an NBCSN game, start time will be 7:30 p.m"

Cool! 2 blackouts in a row for me and only 2000 miles + away!

whats the difference? aside from getting a better player in the draft.
- Sabresfan-365

There isn't a giant difference in the ability of player a team can get between a top 3 pick and a pick between 8-12?

Sure seems like there is.

There isn't a giant difference in the ability of player a team can get between a top 3 pick and a pick between 8-12?

Sure seems like there is.
- kingcong39

umm yea...thats what i meant lol

your 2017-18 sabres

Kovalchuk, Eichel, Reinhart
Kane, RoR, Okpsoso
Bailey, Girgens, Baptiste
Carrier, Larsson, Gionta

Alzner, Risto
Mccabe, Vatanen
Guhle, Falk

trim the fat and LET'S GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

and if you give kovy the max for a 1 year deal, still have around 7 or 8 mil cap space
- homiedclown

And I feel we can't get Kovy,
MAYBE We can trade for Nash
NyR needs Cap space & has forward protection issues,
So he could even be pretty cheap

umm yea...thats what i meant lol
- Sabresfan-365

While I understand the end goal, it was difficult enough to watch games when they were beyond horrid.

Adding another 2 seasons on top of that with them being a bottom 3 league team would have been extremely difficult.

I know the bar is low, but as I watch merely for entertainment, the games have been much more enjoyable this year by and large since Eichel has been playing.

whats the difference? aside from getting a better player in the draft.
- Sabresfan-365

And that is all the difference.

Tell me you wouldn't rather have Laine, Matthews or Patrick instead of ROR and Kane?

Trading for Kane, despite people being for sure about this (crystal ball), didn't "help" us solidify last place. You think having Stafford and Myers at that point would have caused us to miraculously not finish last?

We finish bottom-3 for the last 3 years and we almost for sure end up with one of Matthews or Laine this past draft, Tkuchuk or Puljujarvi at least, draft a plethora of young players all around the age of 20, and STILL go into this season's deadline with Duchene, Landeskog and possibly even ROR as guys to drop this year's 1st and a couple of other picks on, as well as ship off all the guys who we did anyway. And possibly be in the running for Nolan Patrick and co...

Either way, we traded a ton of assets for a couple few guys who made us mediocre instead of bad. Cool. And then signed guys to albatross contracts who will all be over 30 by the time we sniff the playoffs.

"Because it's an NBCSN game, start time will be 7:30 p.m"

Cool! 2 blackouts in a row for me and only 2000 miles + away!

- seedy

Damn, I won't get this game either

While I understand the end goal, it was difficult enough to watch games when they were beyond horrid.

Adding another 2 seasons on top of that with them being a bottom 3 league team would have been extremely difficult.

I know the bar is low, but as I watch merely for entertainment, the games have been much more enjoyable this year by and large since Eichel has been playing.
- kingcong39

Again thats kind of my point though. We're talking about the difference between being bottm 8 and bottom 3. In either scenario we're really only watching because of Eichel.

In the bottm 3 scenario we're watching it for Eichel and maybe Laine. Far more exciting and probably better positioned to make a cup run. Oh well

Damn, I won't get this game either
- chilliard77

(frank) it's blacked out for me too

Again thats kind of my point though. We're talking about the difference between being bottm 8 and bottom 3. In either scenario we're really only watching because of Eichel.

In the bottm 3 scenario we're watching it for Eichel and maybe Laine. Far more exciting and probably better positioned to make a cup run. Oh well
- Sabresfan-365

Or we are watching it for Eichel and...Pierre-Luc Dubois because we lost the lottery and finished 4th.

The new lottery rule is the reason I hesitate as much as I do regarding being bottom 3 bad last season and this season.

(frank) it's blacked out for me too
- Sabresfan-365

I haven't watched a game in a good bit too

And that is all the difference.

Tell me you wouldn't rather have Laine, Matthews or Patrick instead of ROR and Kane?
- BeadyEyedDouche

I get what all of you who feel this way are saying, but would you rather have Pierre-Luc Dubois instead of Matthews or Laine?

The new lottery rule makes evening finishing last a dicey proposition regarding draft position.

I just think not drafting Jacob Moverare in the 5th round last year will come back to haunt us.

I get what all of you who feel this way are saying, but would you rather have Pierre-Luc Dubois instead of Matthews or Laine?

The new lottery rule makes evening finishing last a dicey proposition regarding draft position.
- kingcong39

No way even GMTM passes up on Tkuchuk in that situation.

But the last place team still picked 1st last year so, there's that.

And that is all the difference.

Tell me you wouldn't rather have Laine, Matthews or Patrick instead of ROR and Kane?

Trading for Kane, despite people being for sure about this (crystal ball), didn't "help" us solidify last place. You think having Stafford and Myers at that point would have caused us to miraculously not finish last?

We finish bottom-3 for the last 3 years and we almost for sure end up with one of Matthews or Laine this past draft, Tkuchuk or Puljujarvi at least, draft a plethora of young players all around the age of 20, and STILL go into this season's deadline with Duchene, Landeskog and possibly even ROR as guys to drop this year's 1st and a couple of other picks on, as well as ship off all the guys who we did anyway. And possibly be in the running for Nolan Patrick and co...

Either way, we traded a ton of assets for a couple few guys who made us mediocre instead of bad. Cool. And then signed guys to albatross contracts who will all be over 30 by the time we sniff the playoffs.
- BeadyEyedDouche

Sadly none of this addresses the biggest issue - defense.

So would I rather have Eichel + Laine than Eichel + Kane? Yeah, probably. But all the extra pieces we lost are whatever in the grand scheme and we'd still have a crap record and still have crap at the blueline.

Not sure why everyone thinks that is so much better.