Eichel/Hall/Skinner =$27M For Combined 3 Goals

At what point does Buffalo decide there's an overall problem with their culture and blow everything up and start over?

How else do they fix these never ending issues? Nothing seems to work for them no matter who they sign...

 

Didn't Pegula do that in like 2014 and 2018

 

Signing Skinner was a huge mistake. They are stuck under that albatross until his contract expires.

Hall was a good signing. Even if he doesn't work out, they can accumulate assets come TDL.

Eichel is one of the best players in the world, with a good contract. You keep him at all cost.

 

Kind of, but they didn't have the big name talent they do today. They shouldn't be struggling this much on paper.

 

What's Christian Erhoff, chopped liver?

 

I honestly feel bad for their fans.

 

Hall is a good player but seriously what is going on with whatever team he goes to, they nosedive hard.

It is un-friggin-believable to see every time.

I get it that it is most likely a very bizzare coincidence but it is actually getting quite weird to continually see

 

I do to but then im reminded of when they were upset they won a game in 2014. Or were they cheering when the other team scored? I forget. Something is not right in Buffalo. Dahlin, Eichel, Hall, Skinner but it seems the only guy consistently scoring there is Olofsson.

 

He dragged NJ into the playoffs. It's not his fault every team he's played for was in a tailspin. Would be cool to see him go to a real contender at the deadline.

 

They seem to be doing well on the playmaking side of things. I feel like they need more out of Dahlin offensively, but yes Skinner is junk.

Regardless of the goal scoring issues for those three, I don't think it's much of a surprise they are bottom three in that division. I think most people expected that when the alignment was announced, it's a legit division...

To answer the OP, you don't, unless players start forcing their way out. What's the benefit of blowing it up if the team they have now gets a top 10 pick? You get rid of the elite talent to get a top 3 pick and draft...elite talent? Makes no sense to blow it up. Build around the core and figure it out. Colorado didn't blow it up when Mackinnon was on a historically bad team, they just sat around and waited to get value for Duchene and built around the core by adding Rant, and their young D.

 

Yeah sad to see the sabres dynasty come to an end after the Hall signing...

Or maybe he just happens to play in shitty teams? He pretty much single handedly lead a devils team (that had no business being in the playoffs and had struggled for years) into the playoffs and won a well deserved hart trophy for that.

 

Maybe.

If things don't drastically change with the way quarantine is, he's not going to a Canadian team where he will miss two weeks worth of games while quarantining. Then you've got a lot of teams that can't fit him under the cap without some gymnastics. Not to mention, he's certainly not going to sign wherever he gets traded to. Add to that he's not been the same player since his MVP season and knee injury. Not even close. Hallsy is banking on this year putting up some points and segueing that into a big long term deal which will probably be his last opportunity to get one before he's too old... and it's not going well.

 

He's the draft lotto maestro for a reason

 

Ralph Krueger's psychobabble gobbledigook brainwashed everyone into thinking he was a good hire. We need Gallant or Boudreau to unlock whatever talent is left in Dahlin, Eichel, Skinner, Hall, etc. The Pegulas have ran a clownshow here for nearly 10 years. Hire a real coach with real credentials before running more star players out of town.

 

When the only justification for a signing is “they had no choice”, it is 99% certain that it will be a disaster.

 

A hot final 10 games in one season cannot negate the other 10 years of nothing. Maybe, just maybe, he's a reason for those tailspins.

 

You can't have a hockey coach named Ralph.

 

Hall has 9 points in 12 games, and Eichel has 11. Title is sort of misleading since Buffalo has played so few games and 2 of the 3 players seem to be producing just fine.

 

1 point ahead of the team deadlast in the league... unreal

 

Ouch, you could get that kind of production from Johansen/Duchene and we're only paying $16M for that. (I only laugh to keep myself from crying).

 

Taylor Hall joined the best team in the Pacific with the Coyotes last season and nosedived them to the point of almost nissing the playoffs. This year the Yotes are back in a playoff spot and they look like a tiugh to play against, strong defensive team without him.

Just something wrong with the guy. Like he comes into practice and imposes himself or something and it rubs teammates the wrong way that they don't play well afterwards.

 

Must be. You've solved it. I think you could be a GM

 

Buffalo has been decent this season, they’re just getting absolutely no puck luck and they got shafted with the COVID shutdown right in the middle of them starting to get some momentum.

Hopefully for them the pucks start going in but they’re definitely playing better than what the standings and GF numbers indicate. The goals will start to come for Eichel and Hall.

 

Their players just aren't as good as they think. The team is also just constructed terribly. Everyone knows the Skinner contract sucks. Eichel/Dahlin are not really the players some fans think they are. Eichel has all the talent in the world, but you can just see how frustrated and fed up he is with losing. Dahlin isn't really the generational D-Man they thought they were drafting. He can still be a very good player but the thinking that he was generational can be put to bed. It's a tough situation, do you keep your franchise guy who doesn't look like he wants to play there and build around him. Or sell and rebuild. IMO if they can move Eichel for another franchise player they should. I think he needs a change of scenery, and bringing in an elite/franchise talent with a fresh start with this team/city can be a good thing. I don't know if anyone is available for a deal like that but from what I've seen, Eichel looks like he's just given up on this team.

The only beef with keeping Eichel is, how do you make this team a contender and fix the surrounding cast with the assets you have available ? I don't think it can be done until he's maybe 27-28. He's on a fair contract, elite talent and young, he'll bring a massive haul. The skinner contract really screwed them, no one is taking that, even with retention it'll be hard to move. I feel like more than anything the Skinner contract crippled this teams chances and is preventing them from making any real moves. That may be one of the worst contracts I have ever seen. They need to figure out a way to get rid of that contract if they want to be competitive with Eichel as a Sabre. Only way I see that happening is if they package him with multiple futures, not sure if they are willing to do that. If they are not, trade Eichel for a younger franchise player, or elite player + picks.


Just a badly constructed team that is absolutely crippled by Skinner. Who was the GM that signed that deal, Botteril ? Should never be allowed near a hockey rink again.