Michael Pachla: Jets with small-market blues? Will Buffalo have another year with Risto? Winnipeg's Patrick Laine and Kyle Connor remain unsigned (and open to an offer sheet) while Buffalo's GM is taking the approach that Rasmus Ristolainen will be back on the blueline for the Sabres.

Faust

Still not sure how I feel about the RistoLAINEn trade idea. The only way I'd do it is if he would sign a bridge deal.

I'm sure jets fans will absolutely hate the idea of trading him for Risto

My guess is the sabres would have to add a high pick that would hopefully be contingent on him scoring 40, which according to the big Laine fans, should be no problem

Adding sheary to the deal would solve cap problems

Still not sure how I feel about the RistoLAINEn trade idea. The only way I'd do it is if he would sign a bridge deal.

I'm sure jets fans will absolutely hate the idea of trading him for Risto

My guess is the sabres would have to add a high pick that would hopefully be contingent on him scoring 40, which according to the big Laine fans, should be no problem
- jcragcrumple

Bona fide top line winger for this top-six:

Overpaid Skinner-overpaid Jack-over rated Laine
MoJo-overweight Mitts-over drafted Skunk
👍

Bona fide top line winger for this top-six:

Overpaid Skinner-overpaid Jack-over rated Laine
MoJo-overweight Mitts-over drafted Skunk
👍
- Michael Pachla

They're going to need two pucks

*Eagerly waits for Buffalo39 to drop some more info*

They're going to need two pucks
- jcragcrumple

You’re not wrong.

Quotes not working but jcrag...

I would trade Risto for Laine 1f1 10/10 times and not think twice.

You have to outscore the other team to win in the modern NHL.

Look at the last few winners... All of them have elite scoring talent at the top. Of the last 11 Stanley Cup winners, 3 teams have won a combined 8 times and they all had ELITE scoring abilities and hot goaltending. Chicago, Pittsburgh and LA. And of the other 3 teams left, you could argue only Boston and St. Louis did it on solid, overall team play but even then, Hot goaltending played a huge factor.

Washington is the other team and we don't need to say how elite of a scorer they have.

Would Winnipeg do a 1f1? I think we might have to add a Sheary and a pick to this deal, but I say Risto, Sheary and a 2nd or 3rd gets it done and I have no issues adding a ONE DIMENSIONAL GOAL SCORER to this team.

*Eagerly waits for Buffalo39 to drop some more info*
- Swedish_Jesus

don't do this

you should go back to Pegulaville. You were much better as Pegulaville.

Quotes not working but jcrag...

I would trade Risto for Laine 1f1 10/10 times and not think twice.

You have to outscore the other team to win in the modern NHL.

Look at the last few winners... All of them have elite scoring talent at the top. Of the last 11 Stanley Cup winners, 3 teams have won a combined 8 times and they all had ELITE scoring abilities and hot goaltending. Chicago, Pittsburgh and LA. And of the other 3 teams left, you could argue only Boston and St. Louis did it on solid, overall team play but even then, Hot goaltending played a huge factor.

Washington is the other team and we don't need to say how elite of a scorer they have.

Would Winnipeg do a 1f1? I think we might have to add a Sheary and a pick to this deal, but I say Risto, Sheary and a 2nd or 3rd gets it done and I have no issues adding a ONE DIMENSIONAL GOAL SCORER to this team.
- BeadyEyedDouche

I would do that as well as long as the contract isn't automatically 8/$80

Too much risk imo. I'd want to see a bridge personally

*Eagerly waits for Buffalo39 to drop some more info*
- Swedish_Jesus

I think we all are ...... or 89 or homie. Did we scare all of our sources away?

I would do that as well as long as the contract isn't automatically 8/$80

Too much risk imo. I'd want to see a bridge personally
- jcragcrumple

If we signed Laine to a 4-year deal after this trade and lost him after that deal, I still would do it 10/10 times.

4-years at 40 million shouldn't hand-cuff us too much and I don't see how he turns that down, honestly. He would still be an RFA at the end of the deal, I think? And then he's a valuable trade asset, flip him at the deadline in the last year of his deal or trade his rights for a younger up-and-comer. You have to manage all your assets the right way, even if it means trading results from NOW for a potential future contributor.

I’d swap Risto for Laine but I wouldn’t add anything of significance considering Laine is going to want more $$ than he’s worth

don't do this

you should go back to Pegulaville. You were much better as Pegulaville.
- BeadyEyedDouche

The Bruins and Blues were two of the top 3 defensive teams in the NHL. The Sabres scored more goals then the Isles last year. There is no exact science to team building.

I’d swap Risto for Laine but I wouldn’t add anything of significance considering Laine is going to want more $$ than he’s worth
- sbroads24

Sheary and a 3rd aren't very significant.

The Bruins and Blues were two of the top 3 defensive teams in the NHL. The Sabres scored more goals then the Isles last year. There is no exact science to team building.
- Swedish_Jesus

And I literally said that St. Louis and Boston did it on good team-play from top to bottom - i.e. DEFENSIVELY.

We scored more goals than the Islanders... Dude, the Islanders led the league in goals against. They were +32 in differential... Meaning THEY OUTSCORED the other teams. It's not rocket-science, dude. I literally said, you have to outscore the other team in the modern NHL.

On the contrary, we let in the 9th most goals last year and had a pathetic -45 differential. You cannot seriously be comparing the Sabres and Islanders of last season.

Edit: We were also 23rd in goals for

I just can’t see a swap like this from the Jets’ perspective even if they are indeed strapped.

Malcontent or not, Laine is one of the best at his job. To get a guy like that for Ristolainen+ is a steal even if Laine gets 10/year. He’s worth it.

But best of luck to you regardless

If we signed Laine to a 4-year deal after this trade and lost him after that deal, I still would do it 10/10 times.

4-years at 40 million shouldn't hand-cuff us too much and I don't see how he turns that down, honestly. He would still be an RFA at the end of the deal, I think? And then he's a valuable trade asset, flip him at the deadline in the last year of his deal or trade his rights for a younger up-and-comer. You have to manage all your assets the right way, even if it means trading results from NOW for a potential future contributor.
- BeadyEyedDouche

Except when I said letting Skinner walk and using his cap dollars in future years wouldn’t be the end of the world I got blasted into the sun.

I just can’t see a swap like this from the Jets’ perspective even if they are indeed strapped.

Malcontent or not, Laine is one of the best at his job. To get a guy like that for Ristolainen+ is a steal even if Laine gets 10/year. He’s worth it.

But best of luck to you regardless
- Hesh_

I really, really hope that Hayes lives up to that contract for you guys... Not being facetious.

I honestly thought you guys should have done a minor re-build... I thought Simminds was the start of it...

I thought that Philly's window closed last year with the current core. They should have unloaded Giroux and Vorachek if at all possible, IMO. Much like the Sabres core after Briere and Drury left, what has the current group really done for your organization?

I have no fond memories of the Sabres under Ryan Miller and that's because he was a whiney cry-ass who blamed everyone but himself for letting in softies and losing big games. That's a lie. Him getting bull-dozed by Lucic and his team not standing up for him was the defining moment of that era. I wouldn't have rushed to his defense either if he was always pointing the finger at me.

Back in the early Jim Kelley days, he was criticizing his offensive line, saying they weren't doing their jobs, publicly. The very next game, first possesion, they let the DL line go unevaded to the QB and demolish him. Then they helped him up and said "Tell us we aren't doing our job again". After that, the team really started to gel and all the pieces fell into place for the greatest non-dynasty in sports history.

Miller deserved it for years of throwing his teammates under the bus.

I’d swap Risto for Laine but I wouldn’t add anything of significance considering Laine is going to want more $$ than he’s worth
- sbroads24

That’s true. An unsigned trouba didn’t get the jets much. So why would laine?


Risto for an unsigned laine seems fair

Except when I said letting Skinner walk and using his cap dollars in future years wouldn’t be the end of the world I got blasted into the sun.
- Swedish_Jesus

because you're legit clueless, not my problem.

I am very sick of your extremely biased and ridiculous takes on the Skinner situation. By contrast, Vanek's offer-sheet contract was absolutely ludicrous at the times given the results we got form him afterward but no one talks about that, do they? Because 40-goal scorers don't grow on trees and we finally have a legit play-making center to feed that 40-goal guy and all you have done is piss and moan for the last 2 months about it.

Jeff Skinner will help this team score goals. We are not good at scoring goals. You don't let a 40-goal guy walk for nothing and expect to replace him with Connor friggin' Sheary or whatever "stop-gap" losers we sign on the after-market to score a total of 23 goals for the same damn money.

Except when I said letting Skinner walk and using his cap dollars in future years wouldn’t be the end of the world I got blasted into the sun.
- Swedish_Jesus

Because no one other than you has an appetite for being purposefully poopty anymore

Or any kind of poopty for that matter

That’s true. An unsigned trouba didn’t get the jets much. So why would laine?


Risto for an unsigned laine seems fair
- Sabretooth9

It is fair, but unloading Sheary and enticing them with a pick might be the extra umpf that outbids another team.

Watch this drag until December 1st and the 'Peg sign him to a small bridge with a half-year already burned.

And I literally said that St. Louis and Boston did it on good team-play from top to bottom - i.e. DEFENSIVELY.

We scored more goals than the Islanders... Dude, the Islanders led the league in goals against. They were +32 in differential... Meaning THEY OUTSCORED the other teams. It's not rocket-science, dude. I literally said, you have to outscore the other team in the modern NHL.

On the contrary, we let in the 9th most goals last year and had a pathetic -45 differential. You cannot seriously be comparing the Sabres and Islanders of last season.

Edit: We were also 23rd in goals for
- BeadyEyedDouche

You need to be either elite offensively or elite defensively. The Sabres didn’t have an identity. They didn’t score enough and they gave up too many which is blatantly obvious. Technically speaking however they did score more goals then the Isles did last season. The Isles allowed the least amount of goals in the league however.

It is fair, but unloading Sheary and enticing them with a pick might be the extra umpf that outbids another team.

Watch this drag until December 1st and the 'Peg sign him to a small bridge with a half-year already burned.
- BeadyEyedDouche

The Jets aren’t in a position to be adding more salary. It wouldn’t work.