heinous.

Elaborate

Enjoy missing the playoffs for the next 5 years

I barely think you comprehend hockey to begin with, but I'll bite. Why? The Sabres' flaws were effectively due to no scoring behind Eichel. The blueline without Risto is effective enough. What else needed to change?

you traded away the 7th overall pick for essentially labanc and a 4th

Cirelli won't sign that.

Wasting 7th overall for getting rid of a bad contract seems like bad asset management.

And a 2nd

compelling

I mean, it's the #7 pick for an NHL ready middle six forward, a second rounder, dumping Okposo, and keeping Eichel happy. If you're going to look at the trade in a vacuum, at least look at the entire thing.

So here is my thoughts: Toronto, Tampa, and Boston are all powerhouses and locks for the top-3 spots in the Atlantic. Tampa and Boston may be cap sensitive this offseason but they are so good it doesn't matter, and most of Toronto's core is young and only getting better, especially their defence.

So with that it mind Buffalo will have to try and get a wildcard spot. This is undisputed, I'm sure even the hardcore Buffalo fans will say if they are making the playoffs it will be through a wildcard spot. In the metro, Carolina, Philly, and Washington are all powerhouses and the obvious picks for top-3. That leaves out the Penguins, the Rangers, the Blue Jackets, and the Islanders. The isles are aging and I'll count them out of the running, and imo Columbus is flukey and Buffalo could potentially beat them out. But even in this unlikely situation that still leaves the Pens who have been a juggernaut for the last decade, and the Rangers with a young core and good depth. (Not to mention Shesterkin.)

If I'm being honest, I have Buffalo finishing bottom-5 next year. It's not as bad as it seems though. Next year has some pretty decent top-end talents, especially in wingers and defensemen. Just do the rebuild properly, and give Eichel a legitimate contending team and not this mess.

That 7th pick, likely Marco Rossi, is likely going to be more valuable than all of the pieces mentioned here (except Eichel).

LaBanc, a 2nd, a 4th, and the cap space to both offer-sheet Cirelli and sign LaBanc and Edmundson.



We'll remember that prediction when Cirelli signs his next contract.

There's more to this scheme than just getting rid of Okposo, which also has ramifications down the line.

He took back more salary than he brought in with Rask, who he put on the 4th line like okposo and dubnyk, who he made backup goalie. He lost cap space

Boston may have a couple years left before they fall to earth. Hard to call because I give Sweeney points for being able to make moves to bring in younger players to complement Pasternak, Debrusk et al. But, Kreji, Bergeron (aging like a fine wine) and Marchand are tipping the other side of the mountain with no one really standing out as hier apparents. Goaltending there equally and issue..... Rask, Halak and.....???? And Tampa..... well there cap issues far outwiegh Toronto's. Be interesting to see what Brisebois pulls off in an attempt to keep that core intact without icing a 3rd and 4th line of AHLers.

It's not that I disagree with your assessment of the East. I also see Buffalo as a bubble wild card team. But, the Atlantic just isn't that cut and dry either.

Buffalo, for my money, actually does have a young emerging group. The issue has been bad deals (RoR), any semblence of management stability (Eichel is on caoch 3 already?) and a lack of secondary scoring that has been semi-remedied.... and hopefully with Cozens coming, solved. What will be critical this year is two fold:

1) the team needs to clearly demonstrate a direction towards winning, while ....

2) setting the table for about 2 years from now, when Boston becomes human. It's coming. They will compete, but I think Sweeney still has work to do to solidify the core moving forward.

Not an easy task. Especially when ya look at Montreal...... they have a crop of kids that are gonna be really good.

Ya I see what you're saying. To be fair I think Boston will remain competitive (as in better then Buffalo) for minimum 2-3 years.

Getting Perfetti or Holtz this year, and then if my predictions for next year are true Power or Johnson next year would really help to solidify this group as a legitimate core moving forward and not some mess that we've become used to for the past however many years.

You wanted a positive return for Hutton.

The Rangers hold the 2021 rd rd pick hostage. Probably wouldn't trade either the 3rd or Howden for Johansson let alone both.

Time will tell.

I think the while organization went DEFCON 5 when Eichel voiced his frustration. I listened to it. He sounds far from happy; very much a "I might be done here" tone. Not good having a 23 year old franchise player publicly having a WTF moment.

And since Eichel = $$$ in pockets, and I suspect the Pegulas like $$$ in pockets, I foresee some bold maneuvering this offseason even though if Buffalo stayed a course it is going to turn up all Sabres.

I think Wild just pass on that deal. Not a big enough move in the draft to be worth the extra year of Okposo IMO.