Quoting: Eli
I built the Eichel trade from one that a Buffalo fan suggested in a MTL thread's comments, this summer. I swapped Drouin in for a 1st because a 1st place team with injuries up the middle could use two skill guys who can play center, more than they could use just one and a draft pick. The other stuff is from some other Sabres fan. If you want to look up who and argue with them, it's about three pages back under Habs teams. I think it had Eichel in the title.
Quoting: Diaspora
Late round first are 4-5 year projects with significant risks. Early firsts are worth more, but are much harder to pry loose. I don't understand why my fellow Sabres fans are so obsessed with them. I would prefer an Eichel trade composed of prospects with good development years and current NHLers.
That said, Dvorak and Romanov are valuable pieces. Drouin isn't worth the stated sell value. Luke isn't the right Tuch.
Sabres' future is beginning to look like a team with a good defense and three second lines. With Dvorak it might be four second lines. Is that a recipe for contending? Not impressed.
You can skip the last paragraph for the substance if you wish, as I tend to include too much detail in my comments.
The Sabres are a Dr, Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
Dr, Jekyll is a hard working team that will always keep the score close and never give up until they are out of gas (see NJ Devils).
Mr. Hyde is a team that allows one or two scoring chances and loses the game (see BOS Bruins) because they do not have the talent to beat better GK and defense.
I was very satisfied with the performance of both games, obviously not the results.
The Sabres did sort of give up in the third period against the Bruins until Olofsson scored, but they just ran out of gas against the Devils in the third period.
So what directions should the Sabres go in this year?
Make this trade to add scoring and more depth, or trade away all of the UFA's and Jack for future picks and current prospects.
The defense (except Dahlin, he had a terrible give away and penalty v BOS which led to two goals and a bad penalty against NJ which essentially led to the team losing the game) and GK has been a real bonus this year. Hagg and Butcher are far better than I could have imagined, and Tokarski and Anderson have been brick walls.
But when your two of your four top goal scores play on the fourth line, one has to understand the team needs to add offense if they are going to win.
Let me cut to the chase, IMO no matter how hard they work and never give up, this team does not have the depth nor the talent to make the playoffs.
Making this trade only prolongs the mediocrity and agony, just as trading away futures for Kane, O'Reilly and Lehner set back the rebuild by 6 years.
No one is going to give their best prospect for jack.
Get some good second line and second pairing prospects to build the depth.
Add as many draft picks as possible to utilize the "shot gun" effect of hitting the target.
It appears the Sabres had a couple of good drafts and some really good young defensemen and GK.
Take the long path and build for the future, it will be here in 2 or 3 years.