Confirmed with Link: Sabres sign Taylor Hall. 1 year, $8M

Jim Bob

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9. Hall had a lot of teams saying, “Once we move this, we can pay you this,” even on a one-year deal. I think he was intrigued by Boston and Vegas, but neither could commit without moving money. (I’m not convinced Colorado even got that far.) With cash so tight, who knows how long it would have taken? Even then, many of the offers were around $3 million less than Buffalo’s offer. (It’s possible the Bruins were closer, willing to stretch for Hall, but that’s unconfirmed.)

It’s a lot to leave on the table, especially in a year where at least 28 per cent of your salary is to be withheld. Columbus had a longer-term offer, but I don’t know how high the number went. Hall wanted to know where he was playing. He didn’t want to sit and wait. The Sabres were in and committed, with a coach he likes and the best centre he’s ever played with. It’s bold. The NHL needs that.
 

Buffaloed

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Friedman has sources because he provides intelligent, thoughtful commentary. He doesn't go for the easy cheap shots to make other people look bad. People will talk to a reporter if they know he's not going to twist their words. He'll probably have a source with the Sabres again before too long. Guys like Harrington never will.
 

ForsbergMoDo21

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Friedman has sources because he provides intelligent, thoughtful commentary. He doesn't go for the easy cheap shots to make other people look bad. People will talk to a reporter if they know he's not going to twist their words. He'll probably have a source with the Sabres again before too long. Guys like Harrington never will.

It’s funny—with the article by Harrington you shared about Krueger, along with Harrington’s questions to Ralph during the recent presser, all I could think was Harrington had the story he was going to write whether his “reporting” jived with it or not. Krueger in his answer In the presser definitely did not say or imply he was in any expanded role beyond coach.

To your point, I’ve been in some journalism classes and dabbled in it here in there. One thing I almost always found to be true: People love to be interviewed, and especially so if they get to talk about themselves. As you’re kind of implying, the threshold for being an effective journalist that people will speak with isn’t much more than don’t be a dishonest, unprofessional dick.
 
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Ace

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I honestly believe that Hall, Eichel, Goalofsson together might end up being a top 3 line in the league when it comes to offensive production.

I can’t believe that a second line of Skinner-Staal-Reinhart can outproduce our middle six last year by...I don’t know...week 3

or Cozens can slip in there and Reinhart can drive his own bus
 

littletonhockeycoach

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I have been a Sabres fan since 1996 and I cannot remember a free agent signing of a higher caliber than this. Numminen, Spacek, maybe Ehrhoff? would be the next tier below this. Even at one year, I have not seen a comparable signing by Buffalo in 24 years of fandom.
Precedes your timeframe. Mogilny was BIG. And full of danger and intrigue.

Hawerchuk was also pretty substantial.
 
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littletonhockeycoach

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But Mogilny was a draft pick and Hawerchuk was a trade. So not the same thing. Neither was choosing to come here.
Good Point. Hall was an UFA. But Mogilny did choose to come to Buffalo. I believe he had contact initiated with Meehan and Luce. And could have been sent to prison if caught. Certainly stripped of his rank and status in the USSR. So I think it's as big or even a bigger deal.
 

MarkusKetterer

Shoulda got one game in
Good Point. Hall was an UFA. But Mogilny did choose to come to Buffalo. I believe he had contact initiated with Meehan and Luce. And could have been sent to prison if caught. Certainly stripped of his rank and status in the USSR. So I think it's as big or even a bigger deal.

Buffalo >>> USSR. But Mogilny was a draft pick so the Sabres were his only option. But yea, his story is crazy and seems mind-boggling now.
 

Chainshot

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I honestly believe that Hall, Eichel, Goalofsson together might end up being a top 3 line in the league when it comes to offensive production.

My primary issue with that as a trio... who gets them the puck when the other team has it? Fire wagon hockey is fun, but will it translate into wins?
 
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SackTastic

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Good Point. Hall was an UFA. But Mogilny did choose to come to Buffalo. I believe he had contact initiated with Meehan and Luce. And could have been sent to prison if caught. Certainly stripped of his rank and status in the USSR. So I think it's as big or even a bigger deal.

So the waters are very mixed on that.

Mogilny didn't know that the Sabres had drafted him until some months later until Don Luce went to the World Juniors and introduced himself. This isn't shocking ; the NHL just didn't bother drafting rights to Russian players then.

Sergei Fomitchev was a Russian, but had been living in Stockholm for some time. He had never even MET Mogilny before that trip. One story I read in a book somewhere was that Mogilny liked the guy's car stereo , and that's what got them talking about "the west" in general, and possibly defecting.

Fomitchev is the one who called Luce and identified himself as Mogilny's 'agent', which started the entire thing from there. Fomitchev was also well connected to the Russian crime syndicates, and was deported a few years after coming to the US in that event because he tried to extort Mogilny.

The reality of things is more that Mogilny wanted out of the USSR, but Fomitchev saw an opportunity for himself to profit from getting him out, and that's why it happened. It just so happened Buffalo was the team that drafted him.
 

Chainshot

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Perhaps Zemgus got overpaid to play on that line with Hall & Eichel?

Can you imagine the clamor if that were how it shakes out? The armchair outrage? The Harrington haranguing?

Granted, someone to be the Hecht to that line if they put Hall-Eichel together should be on the menu.
 
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Jim Bob

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Can you imagine the clamor if that were how it shakes out? The armchair outrage? The Harrington haranguing?

Granted, someone to be the Hecht to that line if they put Hall-Eichel together should be on the menu.

I'm expecting that Reinhart rides shotgun with those two to start. But, if they want scoring depth, putting ZG there is a way to get it.

4-9-28
68-12-42
53-[Eakin]-23
[Rieder]-27-21
 

La Cosa Nostra

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Yeah...I get it. The original poster did qualify it as UFA. My error.

The common thread I will run through all three is that I personally wasn't expecting anyone of them to happen and was/am ecstatic that they did/have.

Once upon a time the Sabres were amazing drafters...Tom Barasso, Phil Housley, Dave Andreychuk, Pierre Turgeon, Mogilny etc...allowed for us to trade for other stars like LaFontaine, Hawerchuk, Peca, Fuhr (I know but still was a star trade) etc

Its nice to get superstars back in Buffalo.
 
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