Agree, good post!
- Irish 14

The Sabres still need to add though. Trade wise. We can’t go into the season with basically the same roster.

Dzingel via FA and a RW trade would make the season interesting
- jcragcrumple

Ok, I'm in.
Go get them!

Assuming this team isn't a dumpster fire, that pick has 50% chance of not playing more than 200 games in the league.

You move that for Malkin.
- Sabresfan-365

I am not saying that the pick should be off the table. I am saying that I don't move it for an aging center with a giant salary.

I want no part of Duchene long term.

I’d rather acquire a solid 3C and let Mitts and Cozens develop into a 2C/3C role in 2 years.
- OneKaneOneCup

If what I laid out actually happened, it would be impossible to not be looking forward to the upcoming season without hope that they'd be a good team, and maybe even a contender.

Disagree all you want, the proof speaks for itself. This team is still nothing even with Eichel, who they have wasted for 4 years now. We have been watching the truth for years now, listening to all the after game and after season press conferences saying the same crap over and over. The proof is right there.
- SABRES 89

We just disagree......

The Sabres still need to add though. Trade wise. We can’t go into the season with basically the same roster.
- Sabretooth9

Agreed, we won’t

Agreed, we won’t
- Irish 14

I really want this to be true

I really want this to be true
- jcragcrumple

He's going to use the cap space to his advantage. I don't think there's really a question there.

I am not saying that the pick should be off the table. I am saying that I don't move it for an aging center with a giant salary.
- Slump Buster

If the main piece for Malkin is the 2020 year 1st, you make that trade yesterday.

He’s been a ppg player every year but one in his career and that was 10/11.

He’s an elite player and makes this team exponentially better.

Agreed, we won’t
- Irish 14

Based on your earlier comments give me hope something will get done.

Hearing botts has a plan is encouraging.

Based on your earlier comments give me hope something will get done.

Hearing botts has a plan is encouraging.
- Sabretooth9

Since the trade deadline.........

He's going to use the cap space to his advantage. I don't think there's really a question there.
- Lunaion

The question is what can he do for say $10m+- this year.
That includes the increase in Cap related to bring in more expensive player via trades (new salary in, less the old salary out)

It ain't a ton.

I really want this to be true
- jcragcrumple

What gives the impression it won’t be true?

I’m so confused by this, and not just by you.

Everyone complained that the last place team he had was “10 players added by Botterill”

Yet now the narrative is he’s keeping everything the same?

He’s fired a coach after 2 years
He’s gotten a completely new goaltending tandem
He’s moved out Kane, ROR, Lehner, Guhle

Brought in Skinner, Montour, Hutton, Sheary, Mitts etc

Where is the this “he isn’t going to do anything” narrative from?

Sincerely asking

What gives the impression it won’t be true?

I’m so confused by this, and not just by you.

Everyone complained that the last place team he had was “10 players added by Botterill”

Yet now the narrative is he’s keeping everything the same?

He’s fired a coach after 2 years
He’s gotten a completely new goaltending tandem
He’s moved out Kane, ROR, Lehner, Guhle

Brought in Skinner, Montour, Hutton, Sheary, Mitts etc

Where is the this “he isn’t going to do anything” narrative from?

Sincerely asking
- OneKaneOneCup

I have never believed he won't make changes.

I'm just not certain most of it will be good.

Since the trade deadline.........
- Irish 14

The comment above has the names Dzingel and more so Duchene all over them.

I have never believed he won't make changes.

I'm just not certain most of it will be good.
- Sabresfan-365

I don’t really understand why though?

Just from an advanced stats/data perspective say:

Skinner - Amazing
Pommer- good
Trading O’Reilly - Bad
Trading Kane - good
Scandella - awful
Hutton - meh. Very reasonable contract
Pilut - good maybe better than good soon
Sheary - Ok, good for the price
Hunwick - bad, was salary dump
Sobotka /Thompson/Berglund - bad

Early returns on draft - good

Has not given out one ridiculous contract

Why is it so pessimistic?

I look at the last trade we did, as small as it was, that botts is still very much learning.

He moved 177 and 191 for pick 143.

10 picks later Sam Jose traded 211 and a future 7th for 153.

I know it's a small trade, but he overpaid.

He seems to overvalue who he wants to draft. Reports during the 2017 draft and this draft were he wanted to move up in the first, while both times the player he wanted fell to him.

I'm scared to think what he was willing to give to move up a few slots.
- Mentalorgasm5

Your Intellect is Truly Dizzying

I don’t really understand why though?

Just from an advanced stats/data perspective say:

Skinner - Amazing
Pommer- good
Trading O’Reilly - Bad
Trading Kane - good
Scandella - awful
Hutton - meh. Very reasonable contract
Pilut - good maybe better than good soon
Sheary - Ok, good for the price
Hunwick - bad, was salary dump
Sobotka /Thompson/Berglund - bad

Early returns on draft - good

Has not given out one ridiculous contract

Why is it so pessimistic?
- OneKaneOneCup

I put as much of that on Botts now as I do on Murray. Separating the Skinner/ROR deals, (not likely to repeat so I'll call them outliers for now) he's got 3 major-ish deals to his name and they all fit the same description.

He got the best player in each deal but each one was poor value in terms of what they may have gave or what they got back. He's spent assets surprisingly inefficiently for returns that were only marginally better than who/what they replaced.

In other words, a team with a bold GM and functioning analytics department probably finds similar impact for half the cost.

If you remove the two big outliers, you're left with three trades (as a buyer) :

The Pominville deal, where whatever we gained was offset by scandella occupying any sort of ice time

The Sheary deal, where we took on dead weight for the privilege of acquiring a guy whose equivelant we could have signed for 40% of what sheary and hunwick make combined.

The Montour deal, whatever this guys scores he will give up defensively, was it really necessary to move Guhle and a 1st for him? But I've never been a montour fan so people may view that one different.

I don’t really understand why though?

Just from an advanced stats/data perspective say:

Skinner - Amazing
Pommer- good
Trading O’Reilly - Bad
Trading Kane - good
Scandella - awful
Hutton - meh. Very reasonable contract
Pilut - good maybe better than good soon
Sheary - Ok, good for the price
Hunwick - bad, was salary dump
Sobotka /Thompson/Berglund - bad

Early returns on draft - good

Has not given out one ridiculous contract

Why is it so pessimistic?
- OneKaneOneCup

Scandella and Pommer for Ennis and Foligno was a great trade. It gave us D depth that was sorely needed and brought in a much better player than both the guys we sent out.

These some self hatin' Sabres fans. Lemme know when we have some player movement.

The question is what can he do for say $10m+- this year.
That includes the increase in Cap related to bring in more expensive player via trades (new salary in, less the old salary out)

It ain't a ton.
- IonSabres

It's the right question. 1 trade to leverage the cap, a few player for player trades, and 1/2 Tier 2/3 UFA's is my guess.

What gives the impression it won’t be true?

I’m so confused by this, and not just by you.

Everyone complained that the last place team he had was “10 players added by Botterill”

Yet now the narrative is he’s keeping everything the same?

He’s fired a coach after 2 years
He’s gotten a completely new goaltending tandem
He’s moved out Kane, ROR, Lehner, Guhle

Brought in Skinner, Montour, Hutton, Sheary, Mitts etc

Where is the this “he isn’t going to do anything” narrative from?

Sincerely asking
- OneKaneOneCup

I'm not saying he won't do anything, but there are two factors in play that make me think moves may be limited:

- Botterill has never really been active in FA. Pouliot, Hutton and maybe some other minor moves. I think Hutton at $2.75 is his big signing. So I don't expect much in FA. Maybe a role player or two. Of course he could totally buck this trend.

- trades are limited. I don't see him wanting to trade next year's first. Is Risto on the table? McCabe and Nylander doesn't get much.

I just don't see a path to the kind of roster change I think is needed. Maybe there is, or maybe Krueger can get enough out of them. I'll hold judgement for a few weeks to see what happens

Assuming this team isn't a dumpster fire, that pick has 50% chance of not playing more than 200 games in the league.

You move that for Malkin.
- Sabresfan-365

exactly

If the main piece for Malkin is the 2020 year 1st, you make that trade yesterday.

He’s been a ppg player every year but one in his career and that was 10/11.

He’s an elite player and makes this team exponentially better.
- dadeadhead

I don't know why people can't see this, and that pick is at least 3 years away from playing in all likelyhood.

If you remove the two big outliers, you're left with three trades (as a buyer) :

The Pominville deal, where whatever we gained was offset by scandella occupying any sort of ice time

The Sheary deal, where we took on dead weight for the privilege of acquiring a guy whose equivelant we could have signed for 40% of what sheary and hunwick make combined.

The Montour deal, whatever this guys scores he will give up defensively, was it really necessary to move Guhle and a 1st for him? But I've never been a montour fan so people may view that one different.
- Sabresfan-365

Even so that’s still a better or smarter track record than half the teams in the league.

Paul Fenton will literally orgasm if you’re able to reach the third shelf at Wal-Mart