Tim Murray has greatly impressed / Rehash Regier Era

[SundherDome]

sorry i meant we GOT FASCHING who has 8 GOALS so far this season in NCAA and Nick Deslauriers who is a converted D playing forward on the fourth line with with 5 goals, all we had to give up was Brayden McNabb who has played in 50 games and has 17 points with the defending Stanley Cup Champions,( not to mentioned he may have played above such over achievers on LD like Benoit, Mezaros and Weber). Since that wasn't enough we tossed in not 1 but 2 2nd round picks. Then moved our third second rounder in a trade. A veteran GM wouldn't move second rounders for 4th liners when you are in a major rebuild, every good team talks about the draft being their life blood especially with the cap. But not GMTM we are way better off with out our 2 second round picks and have a fourth liner and an 8 goal college kid.

So you think Fasching will be a 4th line player? And I think the trade worked out to be McNabb for Des (which is fine, moving out an expendable asset for solid bottom line help). Then the last pick in the 2nd second round of a poor draft class and a mid 2nd round pick in a better class for Fasching who is much further along in his development that a 2nd round pick this year, which is something Murray addressed as well, not wanting to wait.

 

[jBuds]

sorry i meant we GOT FASCHING who has 8 GOALS so far this season in NCAA and Nick Deslauriers who is a converted D playing forward on the fourth line with with 5 goals, all we had to give up was Brayden McNabb who has played in 50 games and has 17 points with the defending Stanley Cup Champions,( not to mentioned he may have played above such over achievers on LD like Benoit, Mezaros and Weber). Since that wasn't enough we tossed in not 1 but 2 2nd round picks. Then moved our third second rounder in a trade. A veteran GM wouldn't move second rounders for 4th liners when you are in a major rebuild, every good team talks about the draft being their life blood especially with the cap. But not GMTM we are way better off with out our 2 second round picks and have a fourth liner and an 8 goal college kid.

LOL

You act as if we still don't have more draft picks than most other organizations over this three year time frame, with many still to be used to ADD to the TOP RANKED PROSPECT POOL AS CURRENTLY CONSTITUTED.... Relax, pusicat. Meow.

 

[Paxon]

sorry i meant we GOT FASCHING who has 8 GOALS so far this season in NCAA and Nick Deslauriers who is a converted D playing forward on the fourth line with with 5 goals, all we had to give up was Brayden McNabb who has played in 50 games and has 17 points with the defending Stanley Cup Champions,( not to mentioned he may have played above such over achievers on LD like Benoit, Mezaros and Weber). Since that wasn't enough we tossed in not 1 but 2 2nd round picks. Then moved our third second rounder in a trade. A veteran GM wouldn't move second rounders for 4th liners when you are in a major rebuild, every good team talks about the draft being their life blood especially with the cap. But not GMTM we are way better off with out our 2 second round picks and have a fourth liner and an 8 goal college kid.

Fasching is a very good prospect. I don't know why you're complaining that he "only" has 8 goals as a sophomore in the NCAA especially when he's an excellent all-around player. You say that about McNabb like it's more impressive he's doing it for the Kings when it's less impressive. He's in an ideal situation and there's more minutes available than there'd normally be because of Voynov's situation. You do realize that first 2nd rounder was basically a 3rd rounder (they were the Kings' 2nd rounders we got for Regehr), right? This wasn't a great value trade obviously but Fasching for me was the best player in the deal since day 1. On top of that, we needed size on the wing. If you think Fasching projects to be a 4th liner then you don't know anything about him, period. It's possible of course, but that's not how he projects.

 

[SabreBlood]

Darcy does get a bad rap here, considering 90%+ of his tenure was as an internal cap team - at best.

People forget Darcy early on tweaked his inherited, over-achieving (yet entertaining) roster and got to the Finals in 2 years. Just via trades (and discounting rentals like Juneau, Gilmour, et al):

In: Jason Woolley, Geoff Sanderson, Stu Barnes, Rhett Warrener, Chris Gratton
Out: Pat LaFontaine, Brad May, Jason Dawe (made room for Varada), Donald Audette, Matt Barnaby, Derek Plante, Mike Wilson.

Then still being very competitive the next 2 years.

In: J.P. Dumont, Steve Heinze, Donald Audette (again)
Out: Michael Grosek

Then the first spin-out, as Peca's holdout and Hasek's wanting out blew up that roster. We know what came back - Pyatt, Connolly, Kozlov. That was all pretty much externally forced.

So, in 2002, rebuild 1 commences.

In: Jochen Hecht, Adam Mair, Danny Briere, Chris Drury, Mike Grier, Toni Lydman
Out: Gratton, Varada, Kozlov, Woolley, Varada, Rob Ray, Erik Bustmuffin, Warrener, Curtis Brown

That post-lockout team will rank as good as any Sabres team until they do win the Cup.

Then of course, Rigas/Golisano/Quinn blew that all up. This is when the stripdown should have started, but in those days playoff gates made the difference between viability and ... who knows what. So when you had to sell, i.e. Campbell, you sold. But there were rentals too, to try to get to the playoffs, and maybe steal a round (i.e. Zubrus). Those were the floundering, mediocre years.

This is all part of my point, though. Regier was arguably more efficient with a budget. When Golisano went to the cap ceiling in '06-'07, Regier failed to put enough pieces together to put the club over the top. Think of the '05-'06 and '06-'07 season. You had a high quality prospect pool of players that were already in the organization. They came up to the parent club and contributed. Miller, Pominville, Gaustad, Roy, and Vanek put that team over the top. You had Regier's recent acquisition of a very solid prospect named J.P. Dumont from a couple of year's prior before becoming a main contributor. You had trade acquisitions Chris Drury and Daniel Briere. Since those trade acquisitions, what had he done to improve the hockey team? We're talking about 10 years ago! Who has been the prospect pool to come up an contribute ever since? Ennis and Myers.. Maybe Stafford. What happened to every other year?

Don't forget the gutting of the scouting department going back to those shoestring days. I mean, do you really think they draft Jordon Southorn if they have enough scouts in the field?

You do realize switching to video scouting was Regier's idea, right?

"We figured out a way to get the same coverage by not having as big a staff, but in some cases getting more coverage through use of the video and other different ideas Darcy had." -- Regier has been satisfied with the results to date. He explained how the pro scouting aspect of their new approach - valuing players based on how they relate to the NHL's post-lockout rules - could be seen in the acquisitions of players such as defensemen Teppo Numminen, Toni Lydman and Jaroslav Spacek.

Because of development time, it can take four or five years before one can appropriately judge amateur scouting decisions. But Regier said he was impressed when he watched 15 prospects take part in rookie camp last week in the Amherst Pepsi Center.

"It's something we probably should have started earlier, but because of the resistance to change it's something I never pushed as hard as I probably should have," Regier said of the video-based scouting system. -- but there's no question change brings a certain amount of resistance or belief it's not necessarily the right way. But it's something we believe in and believe very strongly in. -- Regier knows the rest of the NHL is looking at his scouting department with substantial cynicism, even ridicule.

"All we need to do is be right," Regier said. "We like the way we're doing things. We think it's the best way to do things for us."

http://www.hockeyforum.com/nhl-forum/1409-sabres-review-scouting-go-video.html

He also gets slagged too much for doing, IMO, a very commendable job in disparate situations and under occasionally untenable environments for a GM. He put together probably 2 of the top 4 Sabres teams ever, under varying circumstances.

Again. Not only did he make important trades over 10 years ago and have a full stock of prospects in-house, he also reaped the benefit of luck in a lockout that brought rule changes which just happened to fit the make of his roster, as if catching lightning in a bottle.

Just when he finally got organizational carte blanche for the proper teardown and rebuild, he gets sacked. Why?

For the umteen mistakes he made during the end of the Golisano era into the beginning of the Pegula era. He was a train wreck of a GM. His failed core and failed coach, both of which he held onto for far too long, were the exact reason they needed to tear it down. No GM gets to rebuiled the mess they created for that many years.

For hiring Rolston? I thought Ron Rolston was the worst possible choice for a head coach - unless your plan was to draft high. Same thing people are saying about Nolan here.

I liked Regier's knack for identifying players in other systems that maybe were badly utilized and putting them into a role where they could excel. If you check the entire trade history, no he didn't win every deal. There's 4 outcomes, win-win, lose-lose, win-lose and lose period. The franchise simply waited to long to repair the damage from Rigas/Golisano/NHL days, but there were reasons for that as well.

The reverse happened after the rest of the league figured out how to compete with the rule changes. Let's not forget........ The Sabres STILL don't have enough true centermen to roll out there every night. We haven't since Drury and Briere walked. That's all on Regier. Every bit of it.

 

[SoFFacet]

sorry i meant we GOT FASCHING who has 8 GOALS so far this season in NCAA and Nick Deslauriers who is a converted D playing forward on the fourth line with with 5 goals, all we had to give up was Brayden McNabb who has played in 50 games and has 17 points with the defending Stanley Cup Champions,( not to mentioned he may have played above such over achievers on LD like Benoit, Mezaros and Weber). Since that wasn't enough we tossed in not 1 but 2 2nd round picks. Then moved our third second rounder in a trade. A veteran GM wouldn't move second rounders for 4th liners when you are in a major rebuild, every good team talks about the draft being their life blood especially with the cap. But not GMTM we are way better off with out our 2 second round picks and have a fourth liner and an 8 goal college kid.

Fasching has played well this season even if the points are down. His value has risen astronomically since he was drafted.

Are you aware of how many picks and prospects we have even after the Fasching deal? Even after the Winnipeg deal? Do you understand that at some point, perhaps even now, it will be important to turn quantity into targeted quality, even if that means accepting an objectively inefficient exchange of value?

 

[haseoke39]

Fasching has played well this season even if the points are down. His value has risen astronomically since he was drafted.

Are you aware of how many picks and prospects we have even after the Fasching deal? Even after the Winnipeg deal? Do you understand that at some point, perhaps even now, it will be important to turn quantity into targeted quality, even if that means accepting an objectively inefficient exchange of value?

I think the posters whole point was that we didn't necessarily get quality. I would argue that remains to be seen, but if it bears out true, then it should cut against gmtm.

 

[Djp]

5) I'm still baffled on the McNabb and 2 seconds (Alex Lintuniemi + 2015) for Fasching (a 4th rd with 8 goals this season) and Deslauriers. When the objective is to rebuild, then trade your first pick in the second round Lemiuex and say because he wouldn't sign ... maybe do your homework before the draft especially on his character level. Barbashev will be a horse in the NHL, )both him and Jaskin in STL played for Flynn in Moncton).

The trade was two different trades merged into one....

McNabb for Deslauriers---both players at the end of their ELC. both players likely getting exposed to waivers the next season. Both likely getting a spot on their new teams next year. Buffalo already knew they were going to sign McCabe. They also knew they needed to bring in a high salaried LHD in 14/15 to make the cap floor. They felt zadorov was going to make the team. looking ahead they felt they didnt have space for McNabb. they knew they would have a spot for Deslauriers.

Fasching for 2 late 2nds. Fasching fits the mold of the type of player Murray wants. He was in early projects viewed as a late 1st/early 2nd who fell in part due to his personnel issue with his family and being away from them during his pre draft year.

More barbarshev crap--lovely. Did you think maybe he knew something/had a hunch about Winnipeg and Lemieux and would use this for a potential trade for Kane--a player he has loved and wanted for some time. Kane being traded had been going on for over a year.

 

[SabreBlood]

Yeah, Girgensons (Gaustad), Compher (Sekera) Zadorov (Pominville) will never have an impact. Devine doesn't get to do anything without the trades. He didn't get much for Vanek at all, right. He also got Ott for Roy, I'd give him the edge there too.

I don't think he got enough for Sekera.

Girgensons was selected 14th overall. We acquired the 21st overall pick for Gaustad (who is still playing for the Nashville Predators, by the way.. That trade was totally worth it for them.) The 21st overall pick, selected by the Flames, was Mark Jankowski.

Regier traded 21 overall and 42 overall to get up to 14 overall, where Girgensons was selected. That's not quite Gaustad for Girgensons.

As I said before, selling off quality hockey players for picks because they're not going to re-sign with you is about as easy as it gets for a general manager. Although, he got a King's Ransom for Vanek, that was a job well done. He deserves credit for that. But again, an expiring contract, a former top 5 pick, an excellent goalscorer, a desperate trading partner.. It's over blown.

Ott for Roy - They're both gone from each team. That was a nothing trade. It did nothing for the tank, it did nothing for the future.

Devine saved Regier's butt on the Pominville deal. He almost screwed that deal up completely, and Pominville was arguably the best trade piece on an expiring contract he had.

Tim Murray, compared to the last decade of Darcy is like a prodigy. He's moving out pieces and picks for actual NHL players that have very high upside in Kane and Bogosian, and flipped some depth on D and for heavy forwards like Deslauriers and Fasching to replenish the forward pool.

Regier sat on his hands, watched his core spin their tires for years, watched his coach flounder for years with no answers, made small time trades like Roy for Ott and Pardy, acquired Brad Boyes, acquired Steve Bernier, acquired Raffi Torres, acquired Dominic Moore.... Is there a list of less impressive trade acquisitions than that? The fact that he gets so much credit around here is insufferable. Congratulations. The Sabres suck, and I'm glad they sucked last year and this year as well. But to give Regier credit for icing such a miserable team because he traded away a few core pieces, because he HAD TO, for draft picks is frankly moronic. The team is where it's at because Regier was an incompetent, stagnant GM for a very long time.

 

[SabreBlood]

What about those draft picks?? Do they have value?

It's automatic to obtain draft picks for sound players on expiring contracts. Pray tell the genius of it all?

The issue with Darcy was inability to make big trades when he was the buyer and when exactly to be the seller.

He was good at talent evaluation and getting players for other systems.

He would never had made the Kane/Myers trade---NEVER.

With the draft he may have been the type to go with the safer pick. The one pick Id love an explanation on from him is why he passed on Nick Foligno.

Stafford and Afinaganov were two players hed ask too much when they were hot and couldnt move them when nthey were cold.

I know Darcy had issues beyond his control like seeing Drury and Brierre walk and he could not do anything.

Agree with most of this. How about replenishing the center position since they left? We've been watching wingers play center ever since!

 

[SoFFacet]

I think the posters whole point was that we didn't necessarily get quality. I would argue that remains to be seen, but if it bears out true, then it should cut against gmtm.

If it remains to be seen, what is there to criticize?

Regier sat on his hands, watched his core spin their tires for years, watched his coach flounder for years with no answers, made small time trades like Roy for Ott and Pardy, acquired Brad Boyes, acquired Steve Bernier, acquired Raffi Torres, acquired Dominic Moore.... Is there a list of less impressive trade acquisitions than that? The fact that he gets so much credit around here is insufferable. Congratulations. The Sabres suck, and I'm glad they sucked last year and this year as well. But to give Regier credit for icing such a miserable team because he traded away a few core pieces, because he HAD TO, for draft picks is frankly moronic. The team is where it's at because Regier was an incompetent, stagnant GM for a very long time.

Nah I completely disagree with that. The vast majority of DR's decisions were either back-lit by internal constraints or made perfect sense given the information available at the time they were made. Any year that we were in the hunt he added a rental at the TDL. Any year that we weren't and had expiring UFAs, he sold. When they stormed to the playoffs after Pegula bought the team, he added several pieces. When that team failed, he began the teardown.

I certainly think TM is an upgrade because he is willing to make trades such as the ones with Kane and Fasching. But to pretend that DR was a complete moron is just misguided revisionist rage.

 

[struckbyaparkedcar]

Girgensons was selected 14th overall. We acquired the 21st overall pick for Gaustad (who is still playing for the Nashville Predators, by the way.. That trade was totally worth it for them.) The 21st overall pick, selected by the Flames, was Mark Jankowski.

Regier traded 21 overall and 42 overall to get up to 14 overall, where Girgensons was selected. That's not quite Gaustad for Girgensons.

As I said before, selling off quality hockey players for picks because they're not going to re-sign with you is about as easy as it gets for a general manager. Although, he got a King's Ransom for Vanek, that was a job well done. He deserves credit for that. But again, an expiring contract, a former top 5 pick, an excellent goalscorer, a desperate trading partner.. It's over blown.

Ott for Roy - They're both gone from each team. That was a nothing trade. It did nothing for the tank, it did nothing for the future.

Devine saved Regier's butt on the Pominville deal. He almost screwed that deal up completely, and Pominville was arguably the best trade piece on an expiring contract he had.

Tim Murray, compared to the last decade of Darcy is like a prodigy. He's moving out pieces and picks for actual NHL players that have very high upside in Kane and Bogosian, and flipped some depth on D and for heavy forwards like Deslauriers and Fasching to replenish the forward pool.

Regier sat on his hands, watched his core spin their tires for years, watched his coach flounder for years with no answers, made small time trades like Roy for Ott and Pardy, acquired Brad Boyes, acquired Steve Bernier, acquired Raffi Torres, acquired Dominic Moore.... Is there a list of less impressive trade acquisitions than that? The fact that he gets so much credit around here is insufferable. Congratulations. The Sabres suck, and I'm glad they sucked last year and this year as well. But to give Regier credit for icing such a miserable team because he traded away a few core pieces, because he HAD TO, for draft picks is frankly moronic. The team is where it's at because Regier was an incompetent, stagnant GM for a very long time.

Bahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha please tell me this isn't serious.

 

[SabreBlood]

Nah I completely disagree with that. The vast majority of DR's decisions were either back-lit by internal constraints or made perfect sense given the information available at the time they were made. Any year that we were in the hunt he added a rental at the TDL. Any year that we weren't and had expiring UFAs, he sold. When they stormed to the playoffs after Pegula bought the team, he added several pieces. When that team failed, he began the teardown.

I certainly think TM is an upgrade because he is willing to make trades such as the ones with Kane and Fasching. But to pretend that DR was a complete moron is just misguided revisionist rage.

He over saw an organization that didn't win a playoff round for 6 seasons in a row, and only made the playoffs in 2 of those 6 years, before he finally gave up on his core and fired his coach.

Why is that celebrated?

 

[SabreBlood]

Bahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha please tell me this isn't serious.

Are the Predators missing the 21st overall pick from the 2012 draft right now?? Laugh it up! They traded a low first round pick for a player that is the same player he was when they acquired him, and he's played in over 160 games for them with a lockout shortened season in the middle of it all. He's signed through next year. He'll end up playing well over 200 games for them. He wasn't a rental.

 

[vcv]

I thought this was a Tim Murray thread?

 

[Ralonzo]

The most direct comparison for what TM is doing is his predecessor.

Agree on point where DR gave waaay too much leeway to the Rotchester Core, first by handing the reins over when Drury/Briere walked (regardless the reasons) and when he failed to recognize that the core was rotten and needed to be blown up. He was 2, 3 years late on that. I think the boards here were generally onboard with the need for that at the time.

Now as far as the trades referenced, the McNabb deal was mainly TM being high on Fasching. Kings are happy to turn a 4th into their 2 seconds again, they have been solid drafting in the 2nd round. (Side note: Dunno a whole lot about Lintuniemi, saw just one game, but he's the only guy I've seen in junior be able to handle McDavid 1-on-1.)

I was also a little concerned on the Sabres 2015 3rd and Halak, for Neuvirth and Klesla, who immediately took his puck bag and went home. Seemed like there was a lack of due diligence there, like "will this guy actually report." Out of all of that, the 3rd probably was the highest value asset as a likely high 3rd in a very strong draft, and Halak the second. Neuvirth was only signed for 1 more year and losing his starts to Holtby and Grubauer. And of course what value does a player who will never play for you on his contract really have?

Then the Kane deal. Been debated endlessly but the general vibe is that Sabres overpaid by one upper-mid prospect (be it Lemieux or the #1, or the lack of Comrie/Hellebuyck coming back).

That tells me that Murray is initiating the action here as he's willing to pay the vigorish of the guy wanting the deal more than the other guy.

 

[SabreBlood]

I thought this was a Tim Murray thread?

Tim Murray is fixing what Regier broke a long time ago. Reading through the thread before I posted on page 3, the name "Darcy" or "Regier" was brought up or quoted 25 times. Just throwing that out there..

 

[Zip15]

Bahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha please tell me this isn't serious.

In fairness, he's pointing out that the trade was not "Gaustad for Girgensons," which is a common misconception among Sabres fans. Nashville traded the 21st overall pick for Gaustad and the pick that eventually became Juuse Saros, who has probably been the best young netminder in Europe over the last two seasons.

Darcy did a solid job of using 21 and 42 to get Girgensons, but it isn't like Nashville missed out on Girgensons by making that trade. They got a useful player, who they were ultimately able to re-sign (likely in no small part because he became familiar with the area and the organization) and, as a bonus, got Saros. I don't think you can say definitively that it's a bad trade for the Preds, especially when you don't know who they would've taken with the 21st pick (could've been Maatta, could've been Jankowski).

 

[struckbyaparkedcar]

Are the Predators missing the 21st overall pick from the 2012 draft right now?? Laugh it up! They traded a low first round pick for a player that is the same player he was when they acquired him, and he's played in over 160 games for them with a lockout shortened season in the middle of it all. He's signed through next year. He'll end up playing well over 200 games for them. He wasn't a rental.

Considering they:
A) got bounced in the second round in their "go for broke with Suter" season.
B) spent oodles of cash to build their bottom six in the 2013 offseason. After, you know, spending a first on a fourth line center.
C) signed a bunch of terrible top six or bust forwards off the scrap heap this year to augment their top six.

...I'd say they would have liked an asset with first round pedigree in there, instead of having to sign the Roys and Jokinens of the world.

You trying to justify that trade for the Preds is straight up delusional. But so is your opinion of Regier.

 

[struckbyaparkedcar]

In fairness, he's pointing out that the trade was not "Gaustad for Girgensons," which is a common misconception among Sabres fans. Nashville traded the 21st overall pick for Gaustad and the pick that eventually became Juuse Saros, who has probably been the best young netminder in Europe over the last two seasons.

Darcy did a solid job of using 21 and 42 to get Girgensons, but it isn't like Nashville missed out on Girgensons by making that trade. They got a useful player, who they were ultimately able to re-sign (likely in no small part because he became familiar with the area and the organization) and, as a bonus, got Saros. I don't think you can say definitively that it's a bad trade for the Preds, especially when you don't know who they would've taken with the 21st pick (could've been Maatta, could've been Jankowski).

My emphasis was on the "the deal was worth it for the Preds." Especially in the context of the rest of his Regier hyperbole.

 

[SabreBlood]

Considering they:
A) got bounced in the second round in their "go for broke with Suter" season.
B) spent oodles of cash to build their bottom six in the 2013 offseason. After, you know, spending a first on a fourth line center.
C) signed a bunch of terrible top six or bust forwards off the scrap heap this year to augment their top six.

...I'd say they would have liked an asset with first round pedigree in there, instead of having to sign the Roys and Jokinens of the world.

You trying to justify that trade for the Preds is straight up delusional. But so is your opinion of Regier.

A) Moot. He wasn't acquired simply for one playoff run. Fact.
B) Huh? They didn't need to find at least one bottom 6 forward because Gaustad was there. You're not making any sense. The odds of whomever they would have selected at 21 overall helping their forwards for this year is slim to none.
C) And they're in 1st place in the league by signing "bunch of terrible top six or bust forwards off the scrap heap this year to augment their top six."

Who's the forward asset with first round pedigree that they would have in there instead?
21st overall Mark Jankowski? (0 NHL games played)
26th overall Brendan Gaunce? (0 NHL games played)
27th overall Henrik Samuelsson? (0 NHL games played)
29th overall Stefan Matteau? (17 NHL games played in '12-'13)
Hahaha!

I don't need to justify that trade for the Predators. They've justified it themselves by having Paul Gaustad as a fixture on their team since they acquired him from Buffalo for #21 overall in the 2012 draft.

You want to call my opinion on the last 10 years of the Regier era delusional and back that opinion it up with literally nothing, go ahead. You have yet to make a valid point on anything regarding this conversation. The Sabres aren't where they are because Regier was a genius. They are where they are because he stagnated an entire NHL organization with his snail-paced methods until it dried up completely.

 

[Sabres83]

Way too early for this thread. The moves he's made have been for next year and beyond. They haven't had time to work out or fail. I haven't been impressed with his moves, but it's too early to condemn the guy over them. Wait and see how Kane, Bogo, Fasching, etc. work out for us, then we can be impressed or not.

 

[ZeroPT*]

The things that piss me off about Tim:

1)Overpaying. Yeah, I get it. You want someone and you go and get it but it's made me uncomfortable that he may get stupid and pay Zads+1st for ROR which 29 GM's probably don't even consider. It's fine to overpay in magic beans like he did with the Fasching deal but the Kane deal was probably one asset too much and I really would be pissed off if he overpays for ROR. Someone with his shady contract history and only 1 actual year of term is really iffy. His willingness to overpay could make him one of the best GM's in the league and a legend in hockey or he may never get a GM job ever again.

2)The Russian thing. I mean this is just silly. I failed to see how Lemieux in any way was superior to Barbashev at the draft and I fail to see it now. He's just such a good prospect that some had him in the top 10. I can't think of a single thing which Lemieux does better apart from agitate. Barbashev is the better offensive player, he's just as physical, he's smarter and he's overall superior. I really hope this doesn't put him off on other Russians in the future which would be sick.

Those are the two main things that worry me but apart from that I'm happy with what he's done so far. His 2014 draft has given us 2 legit prospects (Reinhart and Martin) so I'm looking forward to seeing how that crop ends up. I think judging a draft class less than a year after they were drafted is an exercise in futility and stupidity and I am willing to give him time. One thing I have maintained from draft day is that he didn't seem very keen on the 2nd round. I think he kinda just picked them for the hell of it. He clearly wanted to move into the teens and that makes me happy because Tuch and Larkin (perceived prospects that he wanted) have looked real good in their draft +1.

 

[struckbyaparkedcar]

A) Moot. He wasn't acquired simply for one playoff run. Fact.

You're right, he was traded for the purposes of:
A) handling specific matchups in the 2012 playoffs
B) proving to Suter the team was committed to winning
C) being an above average bottom six center

He's helped achieve maybe one of those.

B) Huh? They didn't need to find at least one bottom 6 forward because Gaustad was there. You're not making any sense. The odds of whomever they would have selected at 21 overall helping their forwards for this year is slim to none.

Between Cullen/Hendricks/Stalberg/Nystrom, they spent ~12 million on bottom six forwards in the 2013 offseason. Paul Gaustad having more impact doesn't move some of that money elsewhere? Whatever you say.

And why do they keep the pick at 21?

C) And they're in 1st place in the league by signing "bunch of terrible top six or bust forwards off the scrap heap this year to augment their top six."

Only Ribeiro, who had ties to the area through Dumont (and likely was signing there regardless of NSH's overall strategy with Roy/Jokinen), has done anything to impact their current position.

Who's the forward asset with first round pedigree that they would have in there instead?
21st overall Mark Jankowski? (0 NHL games played)
26th overall Brendan Gaunce? (0 NHL games played)
27th overall Henrik Samuelsson? (0 NHL games played)
29th overall Stefan Matteau? (17 NHL games played in '12-'13)
Hahaha!

Once again, they could've traded up. Or taken Maatta. Or traded that forward prospect because those guys still have more value than Jokinen/Roy/3 million dollars of Paul Gaustad.

I don't need to justify that trade for the Predators. They've justified it themselves by having Paul Gaustad as a fixture on their team since they acquired him from Buffalo for #21 overall in the 2012 draft.

Montreal went to the Conference Finals with Scott Gomez. Trading for him was worth it!

You want to call my opinion on the last 10 years of the Regier era delusional and back that opinion it up with literally nothing, go ahead. You have yet to make a valid point on anything regarding this conversation. The Sabres aren't where they are because Regier was a genius. They are where they are because he stagnated an entire NHL organization with his snail-paced methods until it dried up completely.

That you view the past 10 years as being defined by Regier alone instead of multiple ownership mandates is utterly backwards.

And are you qualifying things like "he almost completely screwed the Pominville deal" as valid points? Because I have issues with your scoring system.

 

[Beerz]

Lemieux was something we didn't have in the organization ... Barbashev was.

Seems cut and dry to me.

Edit: Maybe I shouldn't say cut and dry because I'm sure other factors played a part ... but I'm willing to bet it was at the top of the list.

 

[ZeroPT*]

Lemieux was something we didn't have in the organization ... Barbashev was.

Seems cut and dry to me.

the only player we have in the organization that is similar to Barbashev is Zemgus. I'll take 2 Zemgy over 1 and Lemieux