Reinhart is the best player in the trade. Elvis is a pretty darn good goaltender. But where do you fit him among the best in the league? I’m guessing he’s somewhere in the middle among starting goaltenders in the NHL. I’m not saying Columbus would make this trade. If you feel like you can draft a center with that first round pick of yours then that’s what I would think they’ll do.

Of course you screwed up by trading away your number one center this year for a winger who has under performed and pissed off your coach. If you had to trade away Dubois you should’ve gotten another center in return instead. In fact I look at the Dubois trade as a perfect example of why the Sabres should not trade away Jack Eichel. Within one season we are already seeing why a franchise center is worth more than any other position, unless you’re getting a young Vezina caliber goaltender in return.

I’m not gonna get into the whole quote so I’ll narrow it down to one aspect. Your saying that we made a bad trade in trading for laine and moving Dubois and now instead of us waiting it out for a better offer, that fits with what we are looking for, we Should take this deal because Sam is the best skater in the trade. Even though we have 3 top 6 right wingers?

That was a flawed return in a crappy situation we were forced into. Dubois forced a trade with his lack of play.
We got a good return at the time and still has an opportunity to play out well. However we should not be moving our prime trading assets (Elvis, first round picks) for a right winger. Unless it’s like a major upgrade like pasta.

Dubois definitely forced your hand which sucks, because you didn’t get a good return in the end. People expect Jack Eichel will do the same thing to the Sabres, But buffalo doesn’t have to trade him. They still hold all the cards, and any trade involving him should be crippling for a team acquiring him. So why would he want to leave for a team that will be a shell of what he thought he would be joining because they sold the whole farm to get him? Franchise centers do not get traded, that’s why you have to draft one. When they do get traded it’s worth almost anything to get your hands on one. Whatever you give up can be replaced, that franchise center is not easily replaced. The only position more valuable is a young Vezina caliber goaltender. If you can get a Dominik Hašek to steal games for you that’s the only other kind of player you can build an entire team around.

I like mccabe at that price for one year, i think its low but fair considering the injury. I have my doubts ullmark comes back, especially that cheap, and honestly i wouldnt pay him more than that- unless it was a one year deal (i know hes decent, not great, and he seems to think hes injured a lot too). The columbus deal actually isnt bad, reinhart has been playing center, his natural position, and he was our best player this year. The problem is hes only got 1 year until ufa, i can see columbus worried that they are only renting him. I might be crazy, but i like both of our guys in the philly trade, philly probably declines anyways, but i am totally fine with keeping those two. And i would be thrilled if seattle takes miller and leaves us borgen, i just dont know why they would.