What's the highest draft pick Botterill traded? He never traded a 1st for a goaltender, or 2 2nds for a guy drafted in the 4th round and a lunkhead.
- buffalofan19

2+2=4.. i don't see how you don't get it.. that trade is supported by math

And even that isn't that high of a price.
- buffalofan19

Also true.

I've actually liked Miller. My problem is that his roster construction has one of his 4 major off season acquisitions in the stands due to a numbers game. Now Krueger is mentioning going 7 d.

This thing is built all janky
- jcragcrumple

Can't argue with that.

Wrong mixture.

I still think it's easier to amass forwards than defenseman though. Might be easier to fix than finding 3 top4 defenders like we needed a year ago.

Still hoping someone offers a boat load for Risto somehow. I know that's unlikely, but the spirit of Chia can manifest in another GM perhaps.

2+2=4.. i don't see how you don't get it.. that trade is supported by math
- SabresFaninIndiana

I just looked up that deal. I forgot that Brayden McNabb also went to LA in that deal.

out of curiosity does your source know you give out everything he/she says?
- hubie

I only give out 10% of what I hear


if I told you the bills were trying to make a trade for russell wilson the day we drafted allen, you would have hung me quicker then the guards hung epstein

For a span that short, that's exactly where I would put him. It's where you would get the most out of him.
- buffalofan19

I like what Botts has done so far, yes he has made some mistakes, all GM'S do. I think if he had a trade that improved this team, he would pull the trigger. There is really only 1 player on this team that could probably get you the players right now to help you now and into the future, and your not trading that player. I think a few trades will happen after the new year when teams better now what they want and the cap ramifications aren't as bad because your not taking on the full salary this year.

Idk if u saw it,
but Casey’s parents were in town opening weekend
Got to talk with them quite a bit

And his dad flat out said that Mitts struggled quite a bit last year with all the responsibilities of playing center in the NHL, especially defensively
And how that took a toll on him offensively Bc his focus was constantly on not screwing up in his own end

He also said that Casey feels a lot more confident this year, but his focus is still on developing his 2way game


Personally, based on this comments
I think that’s why we aren’t seeing the offensive production out of him YET that we expected

So maybe a move to the wing will be good for him in that respect?
But it’s also possible that the Sabres think him developing while playing Center is best for him too
Here’s where we have to trust Kruger imo
If Casey’s confidence is still high,
keep him at Center
If he’s struggling with that though,
then get him on the wing so he can “think” a little less & just play hockey
- jdfitz77

makes sense

but at some point you have to look at what's better for the kid long and short term


casey was at an all time high when he got the shoot out goal for the winner last november


then buried with scrubs and no confidence for 40 plus games after

not good for a kid

I've spelled this out 100 times. Here's 101

- If you trade assets, the moves have to pay off. Skinner did, scandella, vesey, sheary, beaulieu did not. Miller is now scratched

- he traded for too many defensemen instead of a reasonable mix of forwards and defensemen

- the pipeline is dry of forward talent because of 1 and 2

- we all cant wait for the players he acquired to leave, but he's getting credit for them leaving after spending assets to acquire them
- jcragcrumple

Somewhat yes.

However, IMO it was/is more that the following Forward Prospects that were in the pipeline, they absolutely sh!t the bed...is that his fault as well?
Nylander
Bailey
Baptiste
Cattenacci
Fasching

Maybe, if 2 of those ended up being in the top 9...it is a horse of a different color.

Andrei Svechnikov - Sebastian Aho - Teuvo Teravainen
Ryan Dzingel - Jordan Staal - Warren Foegele
Nino Niederreiter - Lucas Wallmark - Martin Necas
Brock McGinn - Erik Haula - Brian Gibbons

Jaccob Slavin - Dougie Hamilton
Joel Edmundson - Brett Pesce
Jake Gardiner - Haydn Fleury

Petr Mrazek starts

Andrei Svechnikov - Sebastian Aho - Teuvo Teravainen
Ryan Dzingel - Jordan Staal - Warren Foegele
Nino Niederreiter - Lucas Wallmark - Martin Necas
Brock McGinn - Erik Haula - Brian Gibbons

Jaccob Slavin - Dougie Hamilton
Joel Edmundson - Brett Pesce
Jake Gardiner - Haydn Fleury

Petr Mrazek starts
- BINGO!

shut up nobody cares

I only give out 10% of what I hear


if I told you the bills were trying to make a trade for russell wilson the day we drafted allen, you would have hung me quicker then the guards hung epstein
- homiedclown

touche
but on the other hand still tricky to give out info imo.

For example knew about that large company coming to WNY long before but i wouldn't go spewing that info.

No,
the goal is to build a Stanley Cup Contender

And if that means taking more time to develop Tage or Cozens or whoever,
then that’s what you do 100% of the time
- jdfitz77

this is year 5 for jack


I think the goal should be for this team to get playoff experience this spring w/o sacrificing whoever they consider their core players to be to make that happen

He probably should have thought about that sometime in the past 2 and a half years.

Here we are
- jcragcrumple

Well, u can continue to let your argument devolve into what didn’t happen in the past 2 years...

Or u can realistically look at the situation now

Do u want him to overpay?
Or do u want him to wait & make a good deal?

shut up nobody cares
- BINGO!

Troll. Flagged.

2+2=4.. i don't see how you don't get it.. that trade is supported by math
- SabresFaninIndiana

😂😂😂

Andrei Svechnikov - Sebastian Aho - Teuvo Teravainen
Ryan Dzingel - Jordan Staal - Warren Foegele
Nino Niederreiter - Lucas Wallmark - Martin Necas
Brock McGinn - Erik Haula - Brian Gibbons

Jaccob Slavin - Dougie Hamilton
Joel Edmundson - Brett Pesce
Jake Gardiner - Haydn Fleury

Petr Mrazek starts
- BINGO!

That’s...a better team than the Sabres have.

Well, u can continue to let your argument devolve into what didn’t happen in the past 2 years...

Or u can realistically look at the situation now

Do u want him to overpay?
Or do u want him to wait & make a good deal?
- jdfitz77

he has to make a move at some point before the winter freeze


scandella and bogo will both be back, and just because they lucked out on the sobotka injury, he will be back as well so they have some money that needs to go out

touche
but on the other hand still tricky to give out info imo.

For example knew about that large company coming to WNY long before but i wouldn't go spewing that info.
- hubie

pretty sure my source either doesn't know what hockeybuzz is, or doesn't care


he's 20 plus years older then me and I am not young like most of you f@ckers

See, if this is true, it's more than a bit of a problem. Guys with his talent should focus on what they do best, not try to become a type of player they never were in the first place.
- buffalofan19

Idk about that
What wrong with trying to be a better all around player?

Lots of talented scorers have this issue in the NHL
They’ve always been so talented, that they could get by defensively
Can’t do that in the NHL though
Gotta work at it

4 major off-season moves

Vesey has no goals in 17 games

Miller is scratched

Give him 2 or 3 more years, he'll get it right
- jcragcrumple

In 2-3 years all of his prospects will be carrying this team to new heights and the new GM will get all the credit.

Andrei Svechnikov - Sebastian Aho - Teuvo Teravainen
Ryan Dzingel - Jordan Staal - Warren Foegele
Nino Niederreiter - Lucas Wallmark - Martin Necas
Brock McGinn - Erik Haula - Brian Gibbons

Jaccob Slavin - Dougie Hamilton
Joel Edmundson - Brett Pesce
Jake Gardiner - Haydn Fleury

Petr Mrazek starts
- BINGO!

He's on the 4th line?!!!!

Well, u can continue to let your argument devolve into what didn’t happen in the past 2 years...

Or u can realistically look at the situation now

Do u want him to overpay?
Or do u want him to wait & make a good deal?
- jdfitz77

False dichotomy

You and I have no idea what is available to Botterill and at what price. You're operating under the assumption that the lack of a deal means the lack of acceptable offers. I don't assume that.

In any case, how he fixes his problem is up to him. He got himself here and now he has to get himself out. This is what happens when you over invest in a position group

In 2-3 years all of his prospects will be carrying this team to new heights and the new GM will get all the credit.
- Swedish_Jesus

maybe dudley will take the job the third time they offer it to him

Idk about that
What wrong with trying to be a better all around player?

Lots of talented scorers have this issue in the NHL
They’ve always been so talented, that they could get by defensively
Can’t do that in the NHL though
Gotta work at it
- jdfitz77

If you draft a guy to be a scorer, and his scoring is suffering because he is "focusing" on something that isn't a strength of his, it's a problem. It's not like he has ever been a complete liability defensively.

He's on the 4th line?!!!!
- buffalofan19

First game back from injury. Tweaked something in his knee that got blown up last year so they rested him for a bit.

Easing him back into the lineup. He'll swap spots with Wallmark when he's healthy again.