good post pat. i'll buy Halak = Vokoun, Im just not sold Miller is all that much more than that. Halak was exceptional in leading the Habs to the ECF in 2010, I don't remember Miller doing anything in the NHL playoffs yet. Don't get me wrong I think Miller is slightly better than Halak but I base that off of his ability to stay healthy. didn't know that, kind of scary for the rest of the league. is there a market for playoff bound teams that need a goalie? i don't know there is now that Miller is a Blue. great point on the Sens, seems like they haven't made up their mind yet. I personally really like Lehner, he's lights out against the Bruins every time he plays them.
I'll write more latter, but I got a lot of stuff going on today, and I am enjoying the discussion. I do wish there were more Sabres fans weighing in on this, but it is fantastic to see a Blues fan on board. I do not want this to appear critical of a Hawks fan, because I'm not. In fact, I gave patg a +. However, the comment about the Blues' cap space pertains to next year, and we're still dealing with this year's cap. That was the one element that made me dubious that Buffalo would get a great return. Otherwise, Miller has not had too many opportunities in recent memory to display his skills in the playoffs. That can hardly be held against him. He [del]has[/del] had a .923 SV% in front of a lousy defense. Obviously I am a fan, but my estimation for Miller grew in the lean years as he displayed a great deal of mental toughness. That's what the Blues, IMO, were motivated to obtain, and I expect that he will quickly win over the St. Louis fans. There are reportedly about 30 conditions attached to the 2016 third, so I do not know if anyone could give a cogent answer to what that may mean. Now that he's a Sabre, I am going to take a much closer look at Stewart. I was not a fan when he was in Denver, (that's where I live), and I have read other disquieting reports based on a statistical analysis of his game. I know less about the game than many of you, so your thoughts will be appreciated. I like that fact that he's signed through next season, as the team is $4.25MM closer to the cap floor. I would not be surprised in the least bit if Ott resigns with Buffalo in July. My hope for him is that he has a ring, and the Blues fans give him a hearty thank you should he leave after such a short stay. Miller is not going back to Buffalo; it's a new chapter for him. Given the chances for Buffalo to get more assets, I now hope he signs long term with them. But, I expect him to make a hard-nosed decision about what's best for his family in July.
From Die By the Blade, some more information about the conditional 2016 pick: http://www.diebytheblade.com/2014/3...-the-sabres-got-from-trading-miller-ott-blues I am not in love with the cost to move into the bottom of the 2014 first round.
Pat LaFontaine's unexpected resignation from the Sabres today surprises me and saddens me. It does not, however, upset me. In fact, I am grateful that he chose to bow out gracefully when the men in charge chose to make decisions he did not favor. He was offered the GM role by Terry Pegula and he declined; it would have been a major distraction if he felt insistent upon giving his voice greater creddence than the GM.
I'm going to try and cover a few topics here from my Blues fan perspective. We were absolutely not going to win a Cup with the goal tending we had. Halak and Elliott have to split time to play well, neither can shoulder the load. That doesn't often fly in the playoffs. We needed a true #1 to have a shot at the Cup and we have that. Both are UFA's after this year so I'm looking for Jake Allen to assume some responsibilities at the NHL level next year. Ott makes us better, no doubt. We have a very scrappy team. I often talk with my #1 Blues buddy about how much Steen and Backes just stir the pot. I use the word scrappy purely because chippy can have negative connotations, but that's exactly what we are. Ott will only further that and I can't wait to see it. When it comes to hockey I'm no cap or draft buff so I won't pretend to be. We did give up a lot though. You can use the thinking that we have a ton of young pieces so we can afford to lose a little in the draft but I never like to lose young pieces. If we sign Miller long term then I'm 100% behind this deal, but I'm also very skeptical that this will shake out to have been worth it.
Who will "win" this trade? For STL, the answer is easy, or at least it will not take long for an answer. If STL wins the Cup then they will look at the high cost and shrug. Winning the Cup, or not, defines success for the Blues. If they reach the WCF then I think the fans will give management mulligan for at least trying. If they fail to reach the WCF then they lose, and they can only hope to salvage it a bit by re-signing Miller. If he hits the open market, then I expect that the CA teams will be the favorites for his services. It will take much longer for Buffalo to be called a winner - if ever. Carrier and the 2015 first are the key pieces, and we cannot know how that works out for at least a couple of years. Having Stewart is, to me, like having another trade asset; in a few days we'll know the true return in terms of veteran players. I believe, and hope, that his presence on the roster makes it more likely that Moulson is retained. Halak does not fit the mold for what Buffalo has stated they want between the pipes. He, too, could be flipped. On the other hand, I do not see anyone in the pipeline that will be ready for the NHL for at least a year, (really, at least two years). It is more likely that Buffalo does not have a future goalie in their system at all. If Halak were to re-sign then he may be our best option for a couple of years. I have stated before that the moment Ryan Miller leaves Buffalo, the rebuild will take a step backward, and I stand by that. If they can convert some of their quantity of draft picks for a quality goalie prospect then the team will be o.k. in time. The high price for the 2016 conditional 3rd becoming a 2014 1st is at first off-putting. Thinking about it, however, makes me feel better. A late first this year may be NHL ready in two years. It would probably take the third round pick four years, and we'd wait two years to even make the pick. In the end, the net saving is four years, and a first should be a much higher quality player. I now accept Tim Murray's rationale in accepting the conditions. If STL wins the Cup this year, and if Buffalo is a contender in about four years, then both teams may be declared winners. If the Blues fail this, and if the Sabres are plagued by a sieve-in-goal for a years, then both teams will be losers. Meanwhile, as to: I agree, and I believe that Blues fans are going to become excited about Miller. And, Ott makes them a much tougher playoff team. I live in Denver, and have a soft spot for the Hawks. That said, this fan will be very pleased if STL were to hoist the Cup this year.
I think there's 2 places you don't quite understand Blues fans, Dan. Otherwise your thoughts are right on par with mine. #1 We are already excited about Miller, some were excited by the possibility of getting him before the Olympic break. There's no waiting period, if anything we're too excited about him. #2 You're right about it being more than worth it if I get to see David Backes hoist the Cup. Anything short and its not worth it unless of course we can resign Miller. We will probably give Doug Armstrong a mulligan if we get knocked out first round though. We don't really expect to win, I expect to lose 2nd round at best and no amount of logic and reasoning can overcome that. As long as this team has been in existence they have choked, the only major team less likely to win a Championship than us is the Cubs and thats because they're cursed. I know this isn't logical but its how I feel and how a lot of us feel. I love Doug Armstrong and Hitch because they have made us good. Even if we don't ever win the Cup, which I won't believe until I see, we appreciate what those guys have brought us because they have done great things for us. Disclaimer, pretty much all Blues fans and Cardinals fans. Cardinals fans appreciate effort and outworking the other guys, its just how we are. That's how David Eckstein became a fan favorite. That applies to the Blues as well, we appreciate how much the current regime has helped us even if we never win the Cup.
imo, from the Buffalo standpoint of determining how they did I think you can already make up your mind. They acquired those assets and that is what was needed. How they use those assets from here on out is a separate argument. If I sell you something for $20 that may only be worth $10 and I then go and waste that $20 does not mean that the original deal that I made to acquire the $20 was a bad one, it just means that my decision making afterwards was. the Bruins trading Phil Kessel for future picks lead me to this conclusion at the time and I stand by it and think that its a sound one.
very interesting post mutigers, had no idea that was a Blues fan's perspective. You definitely have a team that's in play for the Cup.
That's an interesting point, and believe me, I know how much of a baseball town St. Louis is. For that reason alone, I like the Cards even though I have no rooting interest in STL per se. (That's to say I have never lived there and I have no family there, but I respect a team when I respect their fans; I like that team unless they've given me a reason to despise them, e.g., the hockey team from Boston.) This is absolutely Bostonesque and how they viewed the Sox - that is until they started winning multiple WS this millennium. Other than the fact that the WC is hyper-competitive, the Blues are on the short list of SC contenders. This trade was made, IMO, in order to give them a strong playoff roster rather than being merely a great regular season team. By proxy, STL is as close to the SC as Buffalo will get for a few years; there are a lot of Sabres fans pulling for you. It looks like there may be more people outside of STL that believe they're a legit. contender than in town. I hope you do not show Ott too much love, because he will give you I want him to sign with Buffalo in July.
Wow, I guess this is a reason that I am glad to be a Buffalo fan. We do not expect to win a SB or a SC, but deep down we're living for that day. There are some that are planning the parade route already for when the Buffalo McDavids, err, Sabres, bring the Cup to town. I would rather be delusional than this dispassionate. (That's a joke, I know Blues fans are passionate and I look forward to getting to a game there in April.)
As you said, we are a baseball town. Unfortunately that has lead us to become a dispassionate city when it comes to all other sports. There's a relatively small following of the Blues and while we are passionate the city as a whole is not. Cardinals opening day has more fanfare every year than any Blues game, including playoffs, that I'm old enough to remember. Don't need to remind us of Boston winning World Series, they're the only ones keeping us from having 4 in the last decade. You're exactly right, though. This makes our playoff roster immensely better. For that reason I truly believe we will give the FO love for this deal regardless of what happens. Completely understand. My favorite SC moment was watching Doug Weight finally got his Cup.
I was there for a Rams vs. Bills game once and the baseball season was about to end. The Cards were not going to the playoffs that year, but ALL the sports talk was about the Cards. Not a peep was heard about the 3-0 Bills coming to play. I love STL as a baseball town - it is the best in the world. But I wish there was more balance to their sports' world. Even though the Rams won a SB, and that's football!, they do not get the love. I hope the Blues get more attention than the Bowling Hall of Fame.
All Cardinals all year long. It's all about Stan's team here. The Cardinals have already sold over 2.6 million tickets this year yet the 1st place Blues can't crack the top half of the NHL in attendance. The Bowling Hall of Fame moved to Arlington a few years ago. That part of downtown is now Ballpark Village. It's opening this spring, a bunch of restaurants and bars to go with Busch Stadium, even roof seats across Clark Street right behind the left field bleachers.
Make an opinion and then keep watching and then your opinion will change. That's my opinion anyway. Personally, I thought this was a great transaction for the Sabres. LaFontaine has already had issues with one front office and I'm very skeptical of all former stars doing well in the front office let alone one with such a light resume. I'm happy for Buffalo fans here. Some had said it was dysfunctional, and I agreed, but now I think they have a real chance to fix it. lol, Vancouver is fighting for the number 2 slot. I thought they were going all out nuke Dan. I'm surprised Ehrhoff is still in the mix and I thought Detroit would have been well served making a strong play for him as well as a number of other teams. I was also expecting Buffalo to change up their prospect pool to consolidate and improve the depth in the pool (guys that didn't project high any time soon) just to clean up how they're going to slot and evaluate them the next few years with so many new players coming into the mix the next 24 months. Still plenty of time for that. I wasn't a fan of the Halak for Neuvirth trade. Buffalo still has to spend to the cap floor and a goalie is a good place for that if they have decent one. I wonder why Stewart is still around too, but he does compliment Hodgson or Ennis pretty well imo. Not a player I would want as core type but he may be worth an expensive 3 year extension given the circumstances. Interesting time for the Sabres, I thought they had a very good year overall.
I think there were two themes that developed as the deadline deals unfolded: 1) It was a buyer's market. 2) Buffalo, as a seller, had to live with that reality and not get fleeced. They did not trade anyone that figured in their '14-'15 plans, (unless Moulson or Ott choose to come back - that's realistic in Ott's case). And they preserved as much of next year's cap space as they could. There will be plenty of time around the draft to complete the roster shake up if that's what they deem wise. They weren't selling pieces out of desperation like the NYI were with Vanek. On a side note, I have heard that next year's cap may go to "only" $68MM rather than the reported $71MM due to the weak Looney. That's good news, as the cap floor will be lower if this is accurate. Everyone in Buffalo wants Leino to be a compliance buy-out, and I see the floor as the only thing standing in the way. Hudson Fasching. Most of you are hockey savants, but people in general are wondering about this college freshman. He could be our top six winger in a few years.
I cannot post videos - or even pictures - here like you fancy guys, but everyone should see this homage to Jaroslav Halak and all he meant to the Sabres: http://www.cbssports.com/nhl/eye-on...-tribute-to-the-jaroslav-halak-era-in-buffalo
Thought that you may enjoy this info Dan. Jack Eichel possibly trying to get in to the OHL to go head to head w/ McDavid, problem is that he's from Mass and thats Q territory. http://www.sbncollegehockey.com/col...7/5482072/could-jack-eichel-end-up-in-the-ohl
future Sabre Connor McDavid ? http://blogs.thescore.com/nhl/2014/03/14/connor-mcdavid-and-the-pressure-of-being-the-next-one/
