If Zegras and Drysdale are untouchable…..
Then it’s pretty unlikely that the Ducks get Eichel

This. I have an uneasy feeling they settle for something instead of just hanging on, but what they SHOULD do is simply keep him until someone wants to offer a player of at least Zegras' worth. He's a top 5 center in the game don't be stupid (they'll probably be stupid).

Good analysis of the trade. Sabres could trade soon be UFA Rakell. I know so many don' think this isn't what the Sabres want ..but geez four young pieces from the Ducks, plus the return of Rakell and a lots of cap space for good player(s). Can't see the Sabres getting anything more from any team.

Henrique only has a 10 team no trade and he was just on waivers.

Also if buffalo is tearing it down we have plenty of cap space

There is probably a 0% chance that ANA signs Perry while still paying his buyout

The Sabres value this years drafts a lot more than other teams and they are trying to use this to their advantage.

If you’re the Ducks at the same time.....you can’t blow up the top of your prospect pool to get Eichel. Don’t get me wrong, if they get Zegras or Drysdale I’d be thrilled, but the point of getting Eichel is so you can play him with Zegras and Drysdale. Who is Eichel plying with next season if you move one of those two? Anaheim is doing this to position their team long term and revamp their organization. That’s what I added veteran guys here like Hoffman, bringing back familiar faces in Montour and re-signing Getzlaf. That’s also the perfect locker room to bring in a guy like Eichel, who has never seen what real leadership looks like.

Anaheim also has a quite a few key guys on expiring deals such as Lindholm, Manson, and I assume if they can get Getzlaf back, he’d be on a one year.

I don’t see a team in the league that is willing to do that....even the Rangers last year when they made their offer for a healthy Eichel, it was rumored not to include Lafreniere or Kakko, and was before the neck injury.

Eichel is always going to be the best player in the deal, but has to go for quantity, and a young power forward, an established top six forward, an NHL ready goalie and a top three pick in the draft to trade an injured Eichel and get him out of the Eastern Conference, I’d do that in a heartbeat

Buffalo probably doesn’t want to that though. They are probably more than likely looking to right the ship as fast as possible. Our fan base is dead, and demoralized from being out of the playoffs a decade and they will likely want a combination of players to help them now with key assets in the future.

Kevyn Adams also likely knows how impatient the fan base has been, and how trigger happy the ownership is. If the Sabres finish next season dead last again, he will most certainly be fired next year. I can’t see Buffalo wanting to take on another bad contract.

Henrique can still play but how long will he be an effective player? And I’m not sure how his no trade clause is affected by clearing waivers.

Either way, I think Buffalo would much rather have Rakell who doesn’t have a no trade clause and because of that will give them a much better options for a deadline return...or they ask for Troy Terry instead which is probably a better option

Although your offer is more than I'd like to pay for Eichel (homer bias), I readily concede that it can be defended honestly and reasonably. Nicely done, and a tip of the hat from an avowed Eichel-trade opponent.

Yes good analysis of the trade, that does not happen a lot on here myself included, good job.

If we trade eichel and Reinhart and try to win now we are going to suck for another decade.

I choose to do it from the Anaheim point of view to see what they could do. And how their team could look. I think if they do it, you have to be pretty active in the offseason, because you’re not bringing in Eichel to lose, and that’s why I think Getzlaf is needed badly here because Eichel needs to see what real leaderships is IMO, and he needs to be in a Locker room where everyone looks up to someone.

You’re also gambling that guys like Zegras, Terry, Drysdale, Steel and Jones can step forward. I think Anaheim will definelty need to add another top six forward and another veteran defenseman though to move forward.

The only thing about Anaheim I dont like is the coach

Disagree
If higher end pieces aren’t involved, then someone else who’s willing to part with a couple of them will win the bidding for Eichel

OR

We could always keep him
He’s signed for 5 more years, so there’s no rush

to me Eichel to the ducks makes no sense

rn they are just in the midst of starting the rebuild

Rangers, Kings, are pretty much done their rebuilds

so I just cant see the ducks risking it all to get Eichel

Kings and Rangers can take that chance

but for the ducks one wrong move and game over

You can do both. The Sabres are going to get a lot for both players. A number three overall pick which could be either Matthew Beniers or Dylan Guenther with a young power forward and a young future goaltender is a nice return. Rakell by himself probably returns some nice assets if the season goes south quickly which it may.

Reinhart is probably also going to return another top ten or 20 pick with an extension in place.

I can’t see Buffalo aiming for another four to five year rebuild, and unfortunately Kevyn Adams is not gonna do that so he can get fired in two years.

My point is, you can do both, and, you also still have to put a viable product on the ice and we also have plenty of key young prospects coming in through the system and some who are already here, someone needs to fill some of these positions to help some of these guys develop.

After a decade of losing and a tank method that clearly failed, I’d much rather try to be competitive and respectable on the ice....and develop kids the right way.

I’d rather have Rickard Rakell occupying a top line right wing spot and playing 17-19 minutes a night than forcing Tage Thompson and Jack Quinn there. I’d also rather have a guy like Rakell occupy a spot until the deadline and then call up a guy like Quinn after he’s had some time in the AHL and then move him at the deadline for another first

The tank method failed because they rushed it. They traded 2 1sts in a great draft and a ton of other stuff for lehner and kane and signed okposo. We did what you wanted to do

Let me ask you a question:

Let’s Say Buffalo and Anaheim were fipped, and let’s say Buffalo was three years in to a rebuild, and three years removed from a 105 point season.

Would you trade Dylan Cozens with the number two or three pick with two more pieces to acquire Jack Eichel who is coming off a neck injury and you have no idea how he is going to come back?

Not to mention yea he has term....he has plenty of term, but he has a no trade clause coming into play next season and that will only further drive down his value once that comes into play, and he is also disgruntled and to be honest, probably not a guy you’d want to have in your locker room leading a young team at this point with how unhappy he is and clearly needs a change.

I bet you wouldn’t trade Cozens who is probably as close to Zegras or Byfield as it gets.

I bet you would be willing to give up Jack Quinn, Viktor Olafsson. the number three pick, and maybe Ukko-Pekka Lukkonen for Eichel though?

If i was Anaheim, i wouldn’t be in the market for an Eichel
They’re still too far away imo

But I’m not the Anaheim GM

Not saying Anaheim should give up the pieces it’ll take to get Eichel- just don’t think they’ll really be in the running to get him unless they do

The team who does get Eichel,
will be the team that is willing to give up their “Cozens”
Imo

If Adams gets enough in return for the 3 (Jack Sam and Risto) and uses some of the trade assets he collects in shrewd trades he can turn it around in a couple of years...it's been done before. Vegas is proof you don't need a superstar center to be a contender, Cozens and Mitts have to take the next step in their development the next 2 years and we will be fine. If players like Comtois and Hoglander could be secured as part of trades for Jack and Sam that would go a long way besides our 1st this year and Anaheim's 3OA.

It's not an over night project but can be done in a couple of years....Adams just has to be smarter then the bozos before him.

I don't want all picks and understand we will need to take some money back, but I want all the real assets to be at the very least guys in their RFA years and preferably on their ELCs.

I'm not talking a 5 year rebuild, but 2-3 years. Not the leino/ehrhoff signings and not trading a ton of picks for lehner/Legwand and kane/bogosian

If Matthews were on the block and it started with Cozens as part of the give back I tell him to start packing and 1OA in this draft goes also as long as Matthews has term like Eichel does. I honestly think the injury is being over played by Eichel....if you saw his exit interview he made it sound like the Sabres were the bad guys but the next day Adams did his season ending interview and he didn't let the writers start with questions he cleared it up off the get go, Sabres exercised their rights according to the CBA...end of story. No rebuttal from Eichel. It was a ploy on Eichel's part to cause controversy and get out of dodge. Insiders like Friedman have said the Sabres want to part ways with Eichel, job accomplished by Eichel. My bet he gets traded and we never hear about his neck injury again and he laces up the skates on opening day.

I think that's exactly what I said...guys like Comtois and Hoglander can be 20-30 goal scorers, the defense with Power added should be solid in a couple of years. By then UPL should be our starting goalie.
Add in Cozens and Mitts along with Quinn and there's your top 2 lines. We still have young guys to fill in the third line. They will take their bumps for a year or two but in that time a vet or two is brought in as the glue.
We will see what Adams and Karmanos pull off with these trades as it will define Adams as a GM and I'm sure he knows it.

Honestly, this might just happen. And your breakdowns made it even more clear how feasible your offer is. Well done sir.

Amen. Amen, amen, amen.