The Sabre Roundtable: Episode 61 – 2024 Trade Deadline Preview
You know I’m glad at least we got 24 hours of seemingly I don’t know somehow thinking that we were in the race whatsoever in the hunt whatever you want to call it I’m I’m glad I got to enjoy like 24 hours of that uh I I was even
Scoreboard watching for a little bit there it was it was fun it was fun to live in delusion for a little bit you could still live in delusion it just gets more delusional live in delusion like you know some other uh franchises we know out there who live in delusion
All the time it’s a lot more fun it it uh doesn’t take as much of a toll on your mental health no no it really doesn’t if you ignore everything bad then nothing bad can get to you exactly but but but who cares they uh
Gave us a little bit of a reality check last night so good to be back on uh I guess back on the ground back in a regular sense of Mind imagine if if they won this probably would have been a podcast that would have quickly become outdated
Because we would have been dragged back to Earth at some point in the next week been duded we would have been high on the feelings of we’re going to make a push we might do this and then it would have ended very soon probably they were
Close um it it did look like that game was more of them trying not to lose and it finally caught up to them at the end it’s a really good Winnipeg Jets team um can’t say the same about their fan base you know you’re one of the best teams in
The in the Central and you can’t even fill a 16,000 seat Arena which is kind of it it just it shocks me but I don’t know um just more mid you know we’re still 500 was it was it the draft episode epis right after they took
Benson and we were talking about how him and seavo both played for Winnipeg and what was it Christian was like would you rather it was something W it was something Winnipeg or would you rather have $10 it was like some jokey man would you rather live in would you
Rather play in Winnipeg or have $10 it’s you know it’s fun it’s funny though because if there’s an an alternative reality if there’s another podcast out there that’s just like ours out of a different city they’d be the same they’d be saying the same thing about Buffalo no doubt in my
Mind you think there was more more of you out there people like you the purists oh yeah of course you have to have some of those people out there makes people like JP and I look smart anyways welcome back to another episode of the sa Round Table my name is
Jonah I’m Christian I’m JP and as always we’ll be talking to you about all things Buffalo Sabers hockey and even a little bit of The Wider NHL although this week probably not going to be a little bit probably going to be quite a decent bit because we are less than a week until
The NHL trade deadline currently as we’re recording it is Monday night and the trade deadline is at 3:00 on Friday the 8th so one of the most exciting weeks of the Year everybody looks forward to it no matter what position your team is in whether it’s bottom of
The league middle of the pack or at the top of the pedestal it’s an exciting week for any NHL fans and we’ll be talking about that and then obviously we’ll be talking about this last stretch of games that the Sabres played uh how some of the story lines going with the team right
Now going into some of the trade rumors heading into the deadline kylo poso Eric Johnson some stuff that came out about Kevin Adams today and then we’ll jump around the NHL and talk about some of the headlines uh including some recent news which is Lindy Ruff being relieved
Of his duties today by the New Jersey Devils so it should be a fun one um you know it’s one of those weeks you look forward to the whole calendar year yeah I always enjoyed trade deadline day um even if well every year the Sabers are pretty much out of it but
It’s always interesting to see what direction they want to go in and it can give you kind of a glimpse into what the future could hold as to how they feel about the franchise so I wouldn’t expect them to be heavy sellers or anything but
Um you know it could be it could go either way they’re 500 team they’re average they’re not going to sell off anything more than probably any ufas that they don’t plan on resigning maybe maybe a Greenway will get thrown in there but who knows not out the door Jameson I’m talking
About a trade because last deadline not much happened and then that Jordan Greenway trade happened but maybe we see another one of those come into play not him leaving which could also happen Kevin made five trades last year and the trade deadline was insane last year so
It’s going to be hard to beat that I think last year’s already beat it because weren’t all like the big trades like leading up to Friday mhm yeah it was the most they they beat the record I think for most trades before the deadline um but I think all all the all
The exciting ones were done before deadline day and deadline deadline day was still fine you still had your moves obviously that was the day the Sabres got Greenway but it’s going to be hard to live up to last year but the trade board is pretty stacked I mean you
Really Chris tanv has really been the only one to go so far obviously you had Eli leushin Go 24 hours later but big names are still there Jake gensel looks like he’s going to get traded Noah hannahan looks like it um even the yearly Jacob chran conversation he might
Be on the move again so should be some uh maybe less trades but maybe a more higher uh High Caliber but before we get into all that fun stuff before we kind of go down the Sabers roster heading in let’s kind of quickly talk about everything that’s happened since then
So to quickly suisee everything the 500 team stays 500 they go two and two in the last week they’ve played Florida Tampa Bay Vegas and Winnipeg uh starting off the week they gave Florida a good fight but came up short on National Television they lost that one 3-2 came
Back on the Florida trip beat the Tampa Bay Lightning and overtime 3-2 come into Key Bank Center on Saturday night on National Television give the Vegas golden knights who were without Jack eel a ass whooping with a 7-2 victory giving some excitement and some dwindling hope that maybe this season
Could somehow turn into a success and 24 hours later they blow a 21 lead in the third period to the Winnipeg Jets and lose that one 5-2 in regulation the roller coaster season continues just up and down and no semblance of consistency anywhere I will say um I was saying the the other
Night um after the Winnipeg loss um that’s a game if they if they were playing the last stretch of games from I want to say when 20 when the Clock Struck midnight on uh December 31st 2023 and the calendar changed to 2024 if they had been playing like they had since the
Start of this New Year up until now a they’d be in a playoff spot and B I wouldn’t mind a loss like that to win a peg because you’re coming off a backtack you’re exhausted you’re obviously getting like outworked by a you know a veteran team Who’s Got Talent and
There’s a reason they’re one of the top teams in the coming out of the West that’s a game I don’t mind you know dropping like going two and two in this last stretch these are good teams I’d be more excited if in the you know the
Early months you just you know put away the teams that you should have like Montreal that one time and Anaheim those two times I know one of the games was more recent but either way it’s just if you take care of beating the bad teams losing to a good team every now
And again you know going 500 in a stretch it’s not as big a deal as we would make it out to be as it is right now but since we’re already so far out of it and every Point counts it’s like it’s just a back breaker everything’s a gut punch when you
Lose yeah I was going to say like this stretch of four games like we faced four playoff teams debatably two or three contenders so we had very tough competition and we CT up with each of them each you know we had some good games we blew a game if this was earlier
In the season we’d be really happy with how we played considering the teams we played but since it’s crunch time you know it’s we we can’t we can’t just take being happy after a loss we have to we need the points and last night was a
Game where you needed to get at least one point and um with them getting zero I mean that just dwindles the hope a lot further I think a people a lot of people do forget that Winnipeg is I mean now they’re first in the Central Division obviously they’re in that race with Dallas
But you know it’s hard to I guess kind of I guess people kind of forget that because look it is mainly off the back of Conor huk he’s been carrying that Team all season but I think that as we’ve seen it’s not just good goal tending not just phenomenal
Goal tending that can take you to the top of the division the Sabres have a goalie Who’s doing just as well as Conor huk and they’re can’t they can barely stay above 500 that said that’s it’s just a game you can’t like you need to get to overtime there first
Of all uh it needs to be mentioned the scoreboard absolutely fell their way yesterday the capitals lost to the Arizona Coyotes who have won one in their last 15 going into that game they beat him in regulation the Devils got their asses kicked by the LA Kings and
That would subsequently get their coach fired and then the the Pittsburgh Penguins they got their asses kicked by the Edmonton Oilers so you had every single team losing regulation you know you had at least some sliver of a chance to to like that is there’s not many
Perfect scoreboard days and you had the chance to at least get something if you take that game to overtime and you lose or you yeah you losing the shootout you might you might say man you know we had that lead in the third but you’d be like
Hey we got three of four against Vegas and Winnipeg and we were able to move up in the standings it would have separated you from Pittsburgh it would have gotten you closer to New Jersey and it just you weren’t able it still helps though you weren’t able to
Seal a deal them losing still helps yeah no it helps but it’s too late like if if this was if it was February 4th maybe you could still be like all right you know what they didn’t lose any ground you can still rebound but at this point like your your losses
The amount of losses you can have up until the end of the season I mean I wouldn’t quite say you can count them on one hand but we’re getting to that point regulation losses definitely I’d say you could count them on one hand I was going to say four or five more it’s
Just it’s completely over so I like it’s not I think it you know it doesn’t officially kill their season but that was the type of game they needed to take full advantage of and they didn’t I did see a tweet um yesterday and the guy made a pretty good
Point he said if the Buffalo Sabers just win every single game until the end of the year they will be Stanley Cup champions like it’s that easy it really it’s it’s just that simple I never thought of it that way you know just win every single game sweep the playoffs 16
And0 you win that’s it I mean jesz now let you bring that up I mean changes the way I think think I think we should be buyers we’re back and just like that we’re back in yeah I you know I hate I really hate the narrative that people will say you know
Paul Hamilton talks about this a lot it’s how the Sabers just can’t get to games to overtime and I really hate when people say that because you know it’s an intangible like there’s nothing you can really there’s nothing you can change to do that you just have to do it but I
Think yesterday was a perfect example you just needed to do it you know you both teams are tired you’re playing a rick bonus hockey team so it’s not it’s not a fun hockey game at all it’s just a game it’s a hockey game that happened uh you just
Can’t you just somehow got to get that one to the end of regulation and you know it stinks you know I with the year he’s having you know it’s the the loss is 100% not un lukan he made his saves even made a huge save on Kyle Conor to
Give them a chance with after Winnipeg took the lead but obviously those two the two last goals were not great and even the first one you know that glove hand you know it’s that you could kind of see that third Winnipeg goal coming that glove hand that glove hand was not sharp
At all even that that whole first sequence on the first goal started because he wasn’t able to glove one down and I’m I’m just I’m not I don’t want to fall back into any old habits of criticizing Lucan and blaming him for losses it’s not on him but obviously if
He makes even just the last save you know he he makes that save 10 times out of 10 like that save is I don’t like that’s the type of goal he lets in last year uh it just just came in a really bad time and might event even a bit of
His of his exhaustion which I mean he’s played 19 of the last 21 games that is crazy do you think he plays against Toronto on Wednesday it’s another back to oh you have to you absolutely have to you have you if if okay if this team still believes they’re in it you start
You keep right you you have to start him that game Toronto is red hot uh you have that that Nashville game is a scheduled loss they’re not winning that game if they somehow do that’s amazing but think about I mean you have to go from Toronto and think about this logically
That game goes till 9:30 10:00 okay they’re probably out of that Arena by 11 by the time they get to Nashville at best what is it like 12:30 1 in the morning probably after that by the time they get to the hotel get to bed it’s probably like 2: in the morning
2:30 probably yeah so it that’s not going to be enough rest time for Lucan and the only reason he played back toback this weekend is because they they kicked Vegas’s ass and his workload was so small you’re not going to be able to get away with that so that Nashville
Game if they pull that out that’d be impressive but that’s a scheduled loss you got to give comry that start yeah that’s that that was my that was my um thought process on that too it would be it’s a comer game against Nashville so we’ll see how they
Do all right let’s let’s hop into some of the story lines that have kind of emerged from this past week and you know we’ll start let’s start with Eric Johnson so that Florida game he receives what I think three shifts three shifts where the final total or maybe it it was
Three minutes he received three minutes of ice time so we all saw what happened on the first goal Florida comes up the ice three on two now JP Christian you guys are both defensemen I when I played hockey when I play hockey I’m a forward so take take
Me through this so when you’re on a three on Two And you take your man do you ever just grab him and drag him over to the other side of the Ice taking your partner on your left side out of the play and opening up the slot for the
Opposing forward has that ever H like is that what you guys were taught I’ve played with a lot of Meat Heads as my partner and I don’t think I’ve ever seen that and I’ve played Christian was on my team all right I don’t got the brightest teammates I don’t think I’ve ever seen
That in any league in any team I’ve ever played on I I had no idea what he was even trying to do and even though I think one of the announcers I’m not even sure because that was a that was a nationally televised game I think they
Were like oh yeah Eric Johnson was just you know he’s taking his guy to do what he he left the lane completely open the slot was completely wide open after he did that he took the guy all right he he got him and I think he just forgot to
Hit the brakes uh yeah I was not taught that um with all the I’ve played with JP and you know my fair share of other people that we have no connections to and out of all the defensive Partners I’ve ever had I’ve I’ve never seen something like that happen at any level
I mean I you know you see some bad stuff here and there but that was just I feel like his his brain just shut off he just kept going I was completely baffled by that especially coming out of a professional it was a weird play uh you
Know it got a lot of in in the moment everybody saw that just kind of looked at the replay it’s just it’s just kind of like you know you know what are you doing you know if it’s if it’s a one-off thing people probably don’t care that
Much but you know it’s it’s Eric Johnson he hasn’t had the best season here and you know the Sabers were up one- nothing to that point and you know just like that the game’s tied and it’s just it it was a questionable play so then his next
Shift his next shift is on the penalty kill and Matt kachuck has the puck on the wall now if Matt kachuck has the puck on the wall that means one thing there’s nobody parked in front of the net now there was somebody back door and that’s
Who Matt that’s who mat kchu was trying to pass it to but there was no one in front and Eric Johnson hold his stick out tries to deflect the pass which he does into his own net and just like that he’s cost the Sabers two goals now the
Second one like it’s it’s it’s sort of bad luck but at the same time it’s kind of a I don’t know it’s kind of a lazy play you know he’s just kind of thrown his stick out there he’s not really challenging kachuck I don’t know it’s
Not a good play and by that point you’re 5 minutes in in you were winning one- nothing and now this guy has kind of cost you two goals Don Granado does probably what he should have done a long time ago weeks ago he makes the guy pay for his consequences he sits
Him for the rest of the game now he he comes out after the game and he says know Eric Johnson’s not feeling his best he’s not 100% uh so you know you buy that he wasn’t at PR the next day he’d let him stay home supposedly to you know cure his
Ailment but comes out a few days later I think Jeff Merck was actually the first one to say he’s like yeah they’re definitely holding him out for trade protection and then before the Vegas before the Vegas game before the Vegas game Don Granado basically says the same
Thing saying that it’s a peculiar time of year so we’re going to hold him out now look he could be telling the truth maybe he was sick I mean I mean we know there was a flu bug going around the locker room I know it hit
Comry it’s that type of it’s that time of season that said I just don’t like if he was really that not healthy I would they really have played him against Florida against literally the be right now they are the best team in the NHL and they played a 50 40%
Defenseman I just don’t buy it I think he set Eric Johnson and I think that’s notable like it’s not it wasn’t a healthy scratch it wasn’t that he sat a tenured respected vet for three periods essentially he played five minutes not even and I I I do kind of
Think that’s notable and I think you know the Sabres have two more games this week Eric Johnson’s not going to play either of them no I’d be surprised if he was in the lineup at all up to whatever team trades for him I will say this entire segment JP’s had
The biggest grin on his face he’s had the biggest shitti grin on his face as soon as we started talking about Eric Johnson the smirk that came across this kid’s face you talk about the cat that ate the canary he was so happy to bring
Up how bad Eric Johnson has been and I don’t blame him because I think it’s a funny topic too but I know that grin’s going to go away when we talk about uh the kreb situation in a little bit so Johnson is I think all but gone I
Think if there was any player on the Sabers roster that we can say with you know nothing’s 100% but if there’s anything as close to that it’s gonna be Johnson Uh Kevin Adams admitted I think when he talked to Fairburn maybe I think Fairburn or maybe it was Lance lysowski
He said his you know teams have been calling about him and you know it just seems like for the longest time he’s been the one guy that everybody’s been sure he’s going to be on the move so that Florida game it’s looking like his last as last ever as a saber and you
Know it kind of stinks because like he’s a real good dude you know he’s not you know he could have complained after that Florida loss you know he came into Buffalo really excited to work with this core um it just hasn’t worked out and I think we
All know that um I think if you were to go online and share the opinion that you are sad to see Eric Johnson go I think your mentions would be flooded and maybe even your your house would be in danger of having some eggs thrown at it
So it’s it does sort of you know it always stinks when something doesn’t work out it stinks to see a player not doing well and especially when they want to you know he came out with that quote if a few days ago saying that he wish
Like he wishes he would be helping this team more he knows he’s not he knows he’s not playing good uh it’s just one of those thing it just wasn’t meant to be very Eric stalles if you ask me yeah he’s he’s definitely a saber of all time
He is yeah it sucks and we’ve had a ton of these so we’re I’m I mean I know we’re all completely used to these types of guys and you could probably say that about most guys is that they wanted to help out as much as they did but at the
End of the day they didn’t and you know you could be the best you could be the nicest guy in the world you could be the Eric comry of defenseman and it just you know it’s a business at the end of the day all right one more thing before we
Get into the crab stuff I think we’ve slowly but surely and this is I think Ben the the main catalyst I think was actually the Jack Quin injury this team is struggling to create offense again and I remember we came out of that I remember when we came out of that
Allstar break and you know we kind of took another look at their numbers since the Leafs game back in December it showed some really positive stuff they haven’t been able to match that now the Vegas game they were able to that was you know you don’t need the
You don’t need to see the numbers after that game to to recognize that the offense was it was it was buzzing that game every other game since then it’s just it’s still it’s felt like a slog uh the the Florida game they were not able to generate much until the third period the
Tampa game I mean I don’t even think the Tampa game was a fun game to watch somehow they won but and then the you know then the then and then the Winnipeg game which you know you can chalk up to four and six back to back whatever you
Want it sort of feels like they’re not they’re struggling to create again and I I really do not like the lines that Granado has constructed currently a five on five um I agree with that I I I I and it’s funny because you know they they
Gave Vegas that 72 you know ass whooping but I don’t know I think Winnipeg the Winnipeg game you saw much more of what I would was fearing like I don’t I don’t think Jordan Greenway belongs with a Tage Thompson and Alex talk no not at all they had one good
Period with those lines like the first two periods we were all talking about how that you know Greenway shouldn’t be up there and that’s nothing against him he just shouldn’t be our Topline player and our lines they just have no chemistry right now which is not helping
But I mean the whole team just not producing so I said last episode how it’s either going to be a good thing or a bad thing that we have haven’t been scoring a ton that either there’s a explosion coming or it’s just going to keep happening um and we had our
Offensive explosion game but it’s we’ll we’ll see if it it keeps happening but the lines are they’re just not working from there’s not a single line going right now I mean the fourth line was good last night but that’s not much to say yeah there’s there’s only so much
Shakeup you could do to a roster over the course of a season honestly you we do the same do it all the time but it’s like there’s only so much you could do before it becomes repetitive and um also I think we’ve also gotten to a point in the season
Where even rotating the lines I feel like these these guys just the mental fatigue they must be having with I wouldn’t say like learning how to play with a new guy because you’re a professional you you should be able to do that with anyone but just knowing that the lines are
Constantly being jumbled and you’re going into the going into every practice and you’re just like oh who am I playing with now it it’s not good for chemistry it’s definitely not good for you know the overall Vibes of the team and earlier in the season I made a comparison to a
Manual a manual transmission car with how this team was functioning um and to where like they didn’t know how to drive it and they kept stalling out and kept restarting it and you know they just had to get it going and they’d be good to go well with
Everything that’s G on and shaking up the lineup so much you’re just you’re overheating the engine here it’s like the engine’s the engine’s smoking right now so you better pull over and uh try and fix it at the deadline if you want or you just take it into the shop right
Now and hopefully it’s ready next season you talk about going into a practice wondering who you’re going to play with look these big line changes they came before the game yeah even worse yeah it wasn’t even you know the Tampa game is when a bunch of them
Started and then I don’t know it just it doesn’t feel fully optimized it doesn’t feel like they’re playing to their strengths uh I’m I personally I am sick of treating JJ petka like he is not the best forward on the roster this season how many how many shifts have him and
Tage Thompson gotten together how many how many reps has he gotten on the first power play unit look I first of all the second power play unit scored a arguably the Savers goal of the season last night but I like I don’t like I know he
Hasn’t been good he hasn’t been great on the power play but who has been other than Rasmus Dalene who has been like effective on the power play this season I’m sorry that’s it’s just something that’s been bothering me this is youry this guy’s leading he’s tied
For the leading goals he’s been by far I mean Casey midad has been playing his most inspired hockey this last stretch and neither has petka but I would argue petka has been their most impressive player this entire season and they don’t I don’t know it’s funny it’s funny watching Winnipeg
Because there it’s it’s much of the same with eers and it’s been that way for years like this guy is just a stud he absolutely carries that team and he’s getting like third third line ice time now it’s not that bad for petka but I don’t know like there’s five
Minutes left in the game you’re looking for a jolt why is Jordan Greenway still out there why not switch him and petka I don’t know and I feel like this leads right into the Krabs conversation because with five with like two minutes left in the game Eric Robinson and zus
Gurgenson who had great games go out there with Dylan cousins paying Krabs is the one that gets set in that situation I I feel like we’re finding a common theme Here I think this is all kind of stemming back to one person um I I don’t know I I’ve become much
More you know questionable as to the decisions Don Granado has made over the course of this season um I can’t really knock him for the system change at the beginning because it’s something that most of us wanted to see we wanted to see a more defensive style of hockey but the overhaul
Was didn’t help his case switching back helped but now the roster decisions the the way you handled pulling Lucan in in the what was it the Florida game um I mean dude that’s that’s CBS that’s persisted for years yeah ever since he’s become head coach he has no
Idea how to pull the goalie I was look the the Vegas game got me like back on the hype train for 24 hours that Florida game I was watching you know just to watch and by the end of it I’m screaming at my television there’s two minutes
Left the Tage the Tage line okay they didn’t have the puck they didn’t have direct possession but they were in the Florida zone for a good 30 seconds he didn’t pull the goalie Florida gets it out the Sabers taking offs then they try to pull Lucan
In then they kind of do but then it’s called they have get called on an offside with like a minute left and then they have to use their time out then they lose the draw Florida has possession they can’t get possession in their own Zone till there’s about 20 seconds left and
Then you know they had like one good chance and that was the game I mean that had me I rate and like I haven’t I haven’t been that angry probably since I don’t know a few months ago when I still thought the season was alive I mean it
It’s one of those things that has always k killed me with him it’s it a lot of people see it too could you believe he’s now the sixth the sixth longest 10e head coach after Lindy Ru he sixth now he’s sixth he is sixth now wow the Buffalo Sabers head
Coach is Sixth and longest tenur so I mean they don’t make the playoffs which they’re probably not going to I really think the writing’s on the wall for this guy like it’s been long enough it really has I know you came into a bad situation but this was the season you
Had last season to have those no expectations and have a good wave to push into the season this season going into October there were expectations that needed to be met and they have been they’ve not been met by any stretch if it was like last year and even a little
Bit of this year where injuries killed them or the goal tending was terrible again and you know if it if last year just repeated itself this year and they missed again I think like I could be on board with it but it’s been regression in the worst way everything that made them good
Is that has now had made them bad and the only thing I mean the only thing saving them from not being in the basement is vzna caliber goal tending essentially I mean at least since the the shortly before the new year that’s what they’ve been getting and they
Haven’t been doing anything with it all right let’s get into the Krebs conversation so all of last episode I I mean he you probably could have named the episode The Payton Krabs episode because we spent a lot of time I guess taking a Victory lap over
The fact that finally this guy that we all collectively still believed in got his shot and was you know taking advantage of it he wasn’t a world beater but he was getting his shot looking good and finally got rewarded in that Carolina game the sabes lose to the
Panthers and look it’s a close game they lose three to2 you know they get kind of you know for two periods of the game they get kind of outplayed by the best team in the league close the game good but you know come up short the the Tampa game comes around on
Thursday and the the pregame lineup comes out about 15 minutes before puck drop and there’s some lineup changes most notably Payton Krebs gets sent back to the fourth line with Eric Robinson and with zus gurgenson now I know uh I’m just going to let JP I’ll let him take the Reigns from
Here because he’s like he’s really wanted to speak about this this point I I’ll give my thoughts in a bit I also defer to JP I just this is this is where i’ if if we were a more um you know adult friendly podcast I’d be swearing up a storm
Because I like Donnie what the f are you thinking what what are you doing like he’s arguably crebs has been one of your best players this last few weeks he finally got elevated to the second line basically and was playing awesome okay I understand that that line wasn’t
Producing but they were putting up a ton of chances they were looking good grabs was flying the chemistry was flowing and you just get rid of that right away like what what are you doing I I don’t you finally give him a shot and then you
Just send him right back down it just it makes no sense it boggles on my mind it’s it’s just idiotic like I just I don’t even know what to say like what what is he thinking I like I would love to hear what he’s thinking and the fact
That the one game was it the Lightning game too when he got benched he was arguably our best player no analytically he was our best player and he didn’t play at all in the third period i one shift yeah one shift he put up a ton of
Chances he was F in the seams he had some really good passes L to some really good Chan say oh and then you know just bench him it wasn’t one of his better nights like I genuinely I don’t know what he was watching that game because
Everybody was like he was our he was our best player he was looking great and then like you mentioned last night he got he didn’t get benched but cousins took his spot on the fourth line with two minutes left that Krabs had an assist that led to our goal
Like it’s just it boggles my mind like give him a freaking shot he’s already proved that he can and he just sent him right back down on the fourth line to rot with gurgenson and Robinson and he still looked really good he’s like de B he’s been like our best player recently
Yeah he he kind kind Carri he kind of carried that line that line was awesome last night yeah it’s I just I don’t get it and it’s like if if Donnie is going to be our head coach next year and for whatever reason he still has a vendetta
Against Krabs if he’s going to Krueger Krabs like Krueger did to Skinner then just trade him I don’t care trade him okay because if you’re just going to misuse him consistently there’s no point having him on the team just get rid of him okay you he has a lot of value he’s
A good player he’s going to be a very good middle six forward in this league but I don’t understand how Donnie does not know how to use him he set him for two or three years and just has refused to give him any shots then he gives him
A shot and takes him off it within a few games it’s it’s mindboggling it’s really idiotic and there’s a lot of other moves on why Donnie’s been pissing me off recently but his handling of Krebs really leads me to I don’t want him as our coach next year because it’s it’s
Really dumb like Krabs should be our third line Center going in next year but I have no faith that Don will give him that chance um I I think didn’t someone say something like Don Granado was saying um it was kind of like that her Brooks
Quote it was like I’m not looking for the best players I’m looking for the right ones when he was like making his decisions on who to send out there um he was saying how it was a little philosophical who they were playing how they were playing that factored into who
Was getting sent out there right but with this kreb situation I feel like it gets solved in one of two ways one well I mean other than trading them off the team it’s one you don’t have that fourth line next year and you just bring in more young Talent you know you don’t
Have the you don’t have the you know the the big boy line you don’t have gearson you don’t have Robinson um maybe playing with Greenway but if you’re going to play him with Greenway you need someone who’s going to like you need you need that Olson type
You need that just pure goal scorer to play with them so it either starts in the front office with having Adams restructuring how the bottom six is going to be or and this is probably the simpler way to do it you just fire Don Granado and then you bring someone in
Who you know is going to use him in a way that isn’t going to Ralph Krueger him I mean what more can the kid do I mean he gets he gets put on the fourth line you know after he was arguably our best player against Tampa then you know
Don gral comes out and says oh I just didn’t think he was having a good night like what the hell do you think Krebs was thinking like then he gets demot to the fourth line and the fourth line was actually one of our better lines in the
Next few games he gets a freaking fight like he’s doing everything that Donnie wants him to and Donnie’s giving him no respect and he’s giving him no reward it’s it’s really pissing me off and the funny thing is it’s like why has it taken him this long to move him up the
Roster in general he’s been on the fourth line for as long as I could remember going back to last season it’s just you know I feel like originally he just used him as like a it was like okay it’s the guy we called up from the AHL
He you know he was in the ecel trade he has talent but he could be raw maybe we’ll stick him with some of the more veteran guys ease him into the league completely fine with that but you’re over a year later you’re over a season later an offseason later practices games
Everything and he still is finding himself on the fourth line and at this point I completely agree with you he should not be on that line honestly I’d make more of a case for Jordan Greenway to be on that line and as of as of right
Now maybe I don’t know maybe even Dylan cousins I don’t know just I mean he was on the fourth line at the end of last game I’m not saying he has to be there like all game but if you’re going to put Krebs down there and he’s one of your
Better players rotate another guy in there the lineup’s already a mess as it is it’s like who cares at this point you know what and in you know even earlier this season and last season you know he’s a playmaker that’s what he does he would always try and make the hero pass
He try to make the perfect pass I think he’s finally found the perfect balance of when he knows when to make that really good pass or when he should take his time or just make the nice play I think he’s finally found that balance in
His game and he still gets no reward for it like in the past sure if you want to keep him on the fourth line so he could learn to calm down to take the better play fine but now it’s like he’s been our best playmaker it’s I don’t know it’s it’s really
Frustrating do you remember or did you listen to the post game after the Carolina game either of you did you listen to Don Granado’s post game I don’t think so no when they were talking about the Owen power goal now I don’t I haven’t listened to it since but what I
Remember is that he was gushing about Benson on that play that Benson’s keeping on that play the way that he got it behind the play that the way that he stuck with it was able to keep the puck into the zone and get it behind the net
I remember gr Granado making that a point of emphasis I really don’t remember him talking about kreb’s patience anything or even even all in power he just kind I feel like he just kind of said yeah and then power snuck into the slot and was able to fire it
Home I think actually I I’ll ask you to a question who is the better player right now Zack Benson or pton KS um that’s a good question how large how large of a game sample are we going off do not do not take player potential into this I’m
Talking about right now right now I would now early in the season probably Benson to be honest but right now it’s creps yeah Benson’s having that classic rookie season where it’s a normal rookie season it’s really up and down but yeah right now it’s it’s pain
Krebs I think Don Granado I don’t even think it’s I think I think it’s proven he trust Zack Benson more I think 100% Zack Benson hasn’t been on the fourth line at all yeah I think that I think to an extent he’s kind of I think they kind of emulate each other
Like they’re kind of that same small playmaking type now there’s differences in their games obviously but I don’t know I feel like Krebs is just kind of lost in the shuffle with d Granado and I think I think we’ve found the player that every coach inevitably just
Does not like every coach has a player literally any sport you name it a coach has a player they just for whatever reason they do not like I mean Ralph Krueger had like seven but no most notably it was Jeff Skinner you want to look at newly fired Lindy Ruff he had
His fair share in his any tenure he had this season it was Alex Holtz or even team o Meer you go back a decade it was Maxima fenov or even Thomas vanck at times even further back Jeff Sanderson you name it every coach has that player they just
Don’t trust don’t like as much don’t like the way they play I think we might have found on granados I think it just might be Payton Krebs he just doesn’t see him as or maybe he doesn’t maybe it’s that he doesn’t see him as something but
He just sees him as something else and just can’t change the way you know like we see like we see zus gurgenson as a fourth line Winger like that just makes sense to us like it wouldn’t make any sense to move him up in the lineup I don’t know maybe that’s just
How he sees pton Krebs I was actually going to say the same thing that this is just Donny’s it’s just Donny’s guy that he isn’t as high on as everybody else is um and I really got to wonder what like the other coaches or what the front office is thinking just
Because Krabs has been very good recently and I got to imagine people disagree with how he’s treating it so I just got to wonder how that you know sits with the rest of organization and even Kevin Adams I mean that’s if Donnie gets up if Donnie gets fired this will
Be one of the reasons no doubt yeah JP I I agree with you I I I’m I’m certain in my mind that there’s probably something going on like I mean if I if personally if I was in the front office I’d be asking the same questions I’d be like
Why why is he on the fourth line honestly if they have meetings I’m sure it’s been brought up and Granado probably has his reasons but seems like he’s probably outnumbered in this situation me and I remind you it is essentially the key piece in the Jack
Eel trade now it shouldn’t you know you really shouldn’t look at roster construction that way you shouldn’t be like oh I need to justify this trade you know you do that and suddenly you’re trying trying to play Tage Thompson at 19 years old trying to justify the Ryan
O’Reilly trade you find yourselves in that situation but I can’t help but think that there’s got to be at least some thought process in the back of Kevin Adams mind like look I got to kind of you know this was the guy I wanted and held out for for so long and he’s
Just kind of getting shafted I wish I wish he was given more opportunity I don’t know it’s just it’s one of those quirks just got to live with I mean it’s going to be if Don Granado gets fired and someone else gets hired it’s going to be someone
Else they’re gonna you know could be it could be Lindy Ruff you know as I said you know he’s always got that one guy that he just treats weirdly it could it could be anybody it could be Jack Quinn could be div Dylan cousins who knows it’s just it stinks
But it’s just kind of a quirk you kind of have to live with what makes a what makes it worse about this though is like in some of those situations with past coaches and yeah they they have their guys they don’t like but usually it’s for somewhat of a legitimate reason
Like maybe they’re in a really bad slump or maybe they’re I don’t know they’re just not playing up to up to the game but Payton Krebs has been one of your better players which makes it even more confusing I would be willing to bet that Don Granado’s he probably won’t say it
But his reason was probably be look at his game log he’s not getting points like I know he got one last night and he got one on the power goal but in the six games that that line Krabs B and PKA was a thing they didn’t get any points PKA
Went quiet you know I’m sure he was looking at that you know it’s not I don’t think it’s fair that that goal that that line was still on the ice for some goals but whatever it’s just it’s annoying I don’t agree with it I don’t think anybody agrees with it
But it is what it is hopefully you just got to Hope Krebs can fight his way out of it I really hope that’s not the reason considering you know I love Benson but he has not put up points at all like this whole season so I really
Hope that’s not a reason it just amazes me how Donnie’s given so many players you know second third chances middle stad Tage all these players that he’s elevated so much and just refuses to elevate Krebs so I don’t know I guess we’ll see how the rest of
Season finishes um maybe once it’s over you know once we’re officially out he’ll give him another chance but I don’t know if it’s it’s frustrating okay I think that’s enough talk of the Sabers story line the the roster story lines day-to-day stuff uh I think we spent enough time on that let’s
Get into the fun stuff so trade deadline Friday um let’s go over just quickly some of the rumors circulating in the team not much has changed um most notably well we’ll start off with Eric Johnson so once again kind of sounds like he’s you know he’s as good as gone
Teams are calling there’s been multiple reports uh the only team that has really been thrown around and even then it was kind of loosely Jeff Merrick thought maybe the Calgary Flames would be a destination for him but but otherwise I think the scenario everybody’s looking at is Colorado probably still if there’s
A team that wants him the saber scouton been following them for a few weeks now I don’t know we’ll see how it goes seems like he’s going to be out the door um obviously we talked about him a bit earlier on to the more interesting one so um
Kyuko if you would have asked me even even a week ago if he gets traded I probably would have said no as you know nothing to do with the increase in wins or them playing better I just would have thought they’re going to hang out to their Captain
They’re probably not going to trade him I don’t even think he would maybe want to leave you know his family lives here I’m not so sure about that anymore fredman has mentioned it a few times Jeff Merrick also kylo poo I think there’s a greater
Than 50% chance he’s not going to be a buffalo saber come Friday the hasn’t been many teams thrown around but obviously we had that report about a month ago that Boston could be interested and then currently it seems like the New York Rangers are the most I
Guess they’re the most mentioned team to this point you’ve got Freedman americ talking about them and you also got didn’t Kyle pretty much kind of confirm it last night I think after the game he was like yeah it was kind of emotional coming off the ice
That it could have been my last game as a saber so I think that pretty much confirms that he he’s he probably told Kevin you know the opportunity presents itself you know I want to see if I can win a cup before my before my career ends before he retires this offseason
Most likely so I would have never guessed it I would have thought that he would stay I mean if you look at it from you know a wi perspective we’d be our captain like it’s it’s crazy to think about that but yeah um it’s it’s looking like it and it’ll be interesting you
Know if if it’s the Rangers you know I is K available like I don’t know like I feel like that that’s the thing with I’ve been seeing that thrown around it’s yeah you know you look at it and right away you’re like it doesn’t make any
Sense why would they trade him but you know like hypothetically speaking you know what would it take to get cap individually I feel like I feel like the Rangers would want a second round pick I I feel like K’s in the same spot as like middlest was two seasons ago where it’s
Like this guy’s not living up to the hype he can still be a useful player but you know if a third round pick gets offered for him H you you might you might take it that’s about his value so it’s like if you give kylo poo and a a third round pick
To get kacko yeah I could see that I don’t think it’s totally out around with possibility but it is would be a uh I don’t know it would it would be an odd Choice by the rangers they would have to be low on him which would be a far cry
From how high they were on him just a few summers ago and their fans yeah and I think like with these trades like even you know like how you said that um we’ve been following Colorado like you would imagine you’d probably just get a pick for Eric Johnson but I wonder if Kevin’s
Trying to get some players with these deals like package you know like we said a third and KY post of kako like I can’t imagine he’s just going to take him for just like a fourth or a fifth round pick because that’s all they would probably
Actually net so I do think we are going to get someone coming back um with these trades I I hope so Jameson I really hope so because uh this organization has had a lot better luck with the players that they’ve traded for than the players that they’ve signed in free agency free
Agency is a lot more the wild west um they just I mean it’s like a numbers game honestly it’s like it one of them’s got to work right but um usually when you’re trading you know you could maybe get a better uh player at face value um in the
Off season it’s like you know if you’re a free agent and do you want really want to come to Buffalo New York to play for a team that’s been out of the playoffs for 13 years it kind of drives a lot of the high-end Talent away but you can get
That highend talent in a trade because you got to force him to come here but yeah I I could also see something like that happening um I’m still holding firm on my prediction that we might see a player leave the roster that we weren’t expecting um whether that be
A perhaps a Jordan Greenway or a Casey middlest stat um not saying it’s going to be one of those two but I think we’re going to be in for a little bit of a surprise at some point I actually agree I I was going to say at some point that
I think there’s going to be some sort of surprise trade and I don’t think it’s going to be anything big like I don’t think it’ll be mths but I feel like there will be some sort of surprise whether we get someone or someone else gets sent
Out well why don’t we go down the list let’s just go down the Sabers roster just give a you know uh not moving or a chance of being traded so I just go down the Sabers roster and just let’s just give out our thoughts so Dylan cousins
Is he gonna get traded nope okay at the deadline no Zack Benson no Tage Thompson no Rasmus stene no Owen power no Ryan Johnson no Matas samelson and Jack Quinn probably not nope JJ petka okay here’s an interesting one Alex tuck now the only like I would not bring
This up but teams have been calling on him Kevin Adams doesn’t want to discuss a trade if I had to put percentages on these I’m going with seven and a half% chance that he’s moved it would have to be an extremely good deal that you just couldn’t turn down
Yeah I was going to say they’d have to give us a hall like I don’t think there’s I think first of all I think the fan base would be up in arms if we traded you know half this fan base is future Captain um I just I don’t even
See why we’ do that to be honest uko peka Lucan if you asked me two months ago yes now no sell them high I’m just kidding I was actually I was I was thinking about it because you know goalies goalies voodo his value will probably never be higher you’re walking into an offseason
Where a he needs a new contract and B he’s arbitration eligible I don’t know I just think you know I think if the right deal is there if there is a team desperate for goenda fety net now I know if there’s any you know big aeka lcan fans out
There I I know that this is probably I don’t know I get that that might seem crazy I’m just goalies are voodoo okay the re like he I would have never predicted he would get to this point and next season what are the chances he repeats this now
I’m not saying he’s going to go back to what he was last year but you know he probably regress a bit you know look at look at lion as hmark this year he might get moved at the deadline he won the vzna last year anything can happen but I’d probably put
It at like 2% it’s kind of an Alex tuck situation Victor Olson I hope for his sake but he has no value he has absolutely no value I was gonna say I would say 100% chance but it’s like who wants them we’d have to retain
Like like all of his value like I mean I mean all of his contract I’m I think he has around 60% I think because he’s a UFA this year I think a team will bite when they were trying to move him last year I
Think it was kind of I mean you look at the last two deadlines that maybe he could have been moved last year he had another year left on a pretty expensive deal then the year before that I mean right before the deadline he had that huge scoring drought so I I I wouldn’t
Be surprised if maybe they got a team to bite this year give me 55% chance a little over than half little over half who if he does it’ll be like the asplin trade where Kevin’s really happy that we got a seventh rounder because that’s probably all we could actually get a
Seventh rounder like at the time three years from now Eric Robinson no we traded for him for future considerations he’s been really good I I don’t think you’re going to get anything I think he I I am very much open to bringing him back next year I mean I think he gives
You more than you know I think he gives you more than a Lucas rusek or a Brandon buau like anybody in your like this is this guy’s an NHL player and he’s fitting really well here yeah Conor Clifton no one’s taking that contract yeah no sorry you know I thought about
It though like if El lausin could get a third round pick a third round pi and you know he’s gotten a third and a fourth these last eight months Conor Clifton for as much as you know I’ve criticized him he’s better than ELO lbushkin yeah I think if they really looked for a
Partner I think they could do it do some really deep 0% all right Jacob Bryson maybe you throw him in and package him in a trade like I don’t think he’s a main piece if you trade him and if it is it’s going to be an asplen
Trade I would say no only because they kind of need NHL bodies right now yeah and you know especially Johnson’s going to be out the door soon you know it’s kind of funny uh Riley Stillman might be their deadline ad on defense for the second year in a row he’s probably gonna
Get called up good for him Clay’s been called up before him but I know what true here’s an interesting one Eric comry um I mean again if he if someone called you this is the same thing with with Bryson or Robinson if someone called you I I would not like go out and
Waste my time searching for a trade partner for these guys but if someone called you and was like we could do this then maybe we could formulate a deal so I could see it happening but again UFA in the offseason it’s like real like who needs a backup goalie who needs a goalie
Other than the Devils right now all right Jordan Greenway I will be very upset if they do I could see it I could see it I’d be very upset I think he been very good for us I just can’t see it I feel like the only connection You’ seen is
Vancouver I think they’ve probably just been calling about him I really like yeah you know he’s the exact type of guy you listen they have an offer you know I don’t know give me I go ahead Jonah I don’t know I just feel like you know if you were to trade
Him like like if Vancouver like if you’re gonna trade with Vancouver I you can’t do picks for this guy it’s got to be you got to get something back substantial and return Eli Patterson it would have to be like a like a Neils hoglander or uh I don’t
Know if kzco was still on the team maybe I’d consider him but obviously he got dealt I just don’t see I’m putting this at like up 10% I don’t think he’s getting moved give me B give me 16.72% okay it’s a little specific but not not
A point 274 per that’s too low Okay no Okay Payton KBS I I would also I would hate this this would probably be the one I’d hate the most um just because we know how he’s been playing and it’s like you put him with the right you put him with the
Good guys he plays really well but um I if if there was a trade in place for him hopefully it would be with a team who has seen him play up to that potential and know that the Sabers are misusing him and maybe could give us something a
Little more in return but I’m goingon to say no I’m gonna say not at the deadline uh I wouldn’t say 0er percent chance I’d probably say around like 15 but don’t do it Kevin don’t do it stay strong stay strong we like him we’ll know in a few days
Yeah I you know there was that smoke around Lon so it maybe they’ve gotten calls about him I don’t know it feels like the Krebs dilemma is very much a Don Granado related thing so I mean maybe you know Don Granado probably has input on roster moves and such but I
Don’t know I feel like the front office probably backs him a bit more than Granado does so I’m going to put that probably around 10 15% as well Zenus gurgenson now if you would have asked me you know like I said with oakst if you would have asked me last week if he
Would have been traded I would have said yes I would have thought he was the guy to go oak poso being the captain he would have been the one to stay now in my opinion I feel like they’re kind of flipped I feel like Genson is going to
Ride this out it doesn’t feel like his name has really been brought up as much it’s kind of weird cuz I feel like he would be he would be a really good fourth line player for a contender and a good penalty killer and I don’t know
Like I don’t know why he wouldn’t ask out I mean he’s definitely loyal he’s been with us for a while but take your chance somewhere else but I don’t I agree it doesn’t seem like it’s going to happen but I’m just I’m I’m surprised by
That and it would be crazy if they did if they trade ooso and gurgenson that we trade two of our captains at the deadline like that would be that would be nuts he’s the he’s the loyal opian I feel like he’s just got Stockholm syndrome at this point it’s like we’ve held him
Captive for so long he knows nothing else and he’ll never go anywhere else nor does he want to um but this could be something that uh Jonah this could be something that they want you to think man they’re they’re flipped no they’re not they’re not zus garson’s had a few
Goals in the past few games stock came stock is ticking up a little bit I will Sayo and Genson have played pretty good past week or so I you know if they both ask for a trade then there there’s a good reason why yeah yeah I’m gonna probably go with like a 40%
Chance I think it’s less than likely but I think it’s very much in play yeah let’s stick with 40 yeah let’s just get rid of all of our veterans we’ literally we would we’d get so much younger because we’d probably just call guys up like it it actually be kind of funny and
We’d have like no four line players then kylo poso what percentage are you putting him at 75 uh 65 I think I’m gonna go 80 I just I don’t know I feel like like if you got fredman repeatedly talking about it you got him saying this very
Well could have been his last game I don’t know just feels like there’s something there and he’s he’s definitely a guy that can provide something to a playoff team so I don’t know he wants to go out on top I think he wants another kick at the
Can it’s gonna stink I mean he’s you know people are gonna hate him for a very long time you know he’s going to have that bad stigma attached to him that he wasn’t able to get it done here I just feel so bad from the for the guy
I mean he could have you know taken his ball gone home after he nearly died a few years ago or even after the covid season when he probably had his Worst season as a saber during a time when the franchise was at its lowest and he had another head injury That
Season he didn’t he came back was determined to turn around the culture he did uh got had a great season scored 20 goals for the first time as a saber got Nam Captain he just wasn’t able to get it done now I think it’s going to it’s
Going to haunt him for a long time that he never he just it was just out of his control he just couldn’t get it done just give him uh give him the front office job man he could be like the Roberto luong Roberto Luongo of U of the
Sabers just if if you were to trade him you should have a discussion with him and be like hey you could we’ll trade you play out the rest of the season see how it goes you got a job waiting for you when you get back honestly that’s probably the
Best situation for his family too because then he could just be like I got to it’s just a long work trip at that point he’s just like I got to go out play for a couple months I’ll be back and then it’s over and finally Eric
Johnson who I am going to give a 99.99 get get him out of here I think he’s played his last game I think it’s 100% get him out of here I I’m not sure what a contender would see in him but you know you do you
Watch him do like the Goan thing where he goes to a contender kicks ass and helps win another cup speaking of bagoan did he’s he might get extended in Minnesota oh my God could you he’s been playing good there apparently he’s been playing real good when he finished his tenure with the
Sabers if you would have told someone he would have played you know five six more years he would have gotten a cup or two and he’d be extended we would have thought you were like on drugs like good for what a what a turnaround
Good for him he was he was part of the the Sabers Sab failure so good for him we failed him all right so that’s the entire Sabers roster now I mean we could go into like prospects and stuff but I don’t really see the point in putting a percentage and all that
So final podcast before the deadline I’m just going to open the floor hopes or maybe even a prediction what’s what’s going to go down Friday or do you or what do you want to go down Friday um well my my wildest hopes would be get
As much as you can from all your ufas whether that be draft capital or maybe like quality fourth line Replacements um what I think is going to happen is it’s going to be kyoso will get moved one of Krabs Greenway or garson’s or Robinson may also get moved
Um and the biggest thing I could see out of coming out of this deadline is probably like the equivalent of the Jordan Greenway trade last year you’ll get some small stuff here and there trickling in nothing to nothing to get too hyped over um the
Fan base on Twitter will go up in arms as they always do every single deadline when all the other teams are making moves and everyone’s screaming at the front office to do something and then they do and it’s okay and everyone shuts up and then the season
Ends yeah I would say like I said earlier I think there’s going to be some sort of surprise so just surpris me like Christian said like the green weight trade of last year and if that’s you know aosa is really going on the Range then go get Koo he needs a change of
Scenery and I think he could be good um but you know just get as much as you can out of any of your players and you know maybe surpris us maybe maybe that uh that Jordan Greenway trade of last year will be a defenseman like you know that
Is our need so I don’t know we’ll we’ll see um I am looking forward to it though because I think with the trades made there’s going to be some corresponding roster moves like from the Amar so you know we’ll see what happens I just have I don’t know I guess
It’s probably my own hopes but I don’t know I just got this feeling like I feel like something’s going to come across Adam’s desk I mean we were so close to being the team to get trick Chen Last year Adams put in the same offers Ottawa
Did just with a lighter protection or a heavier protection on the first round pick Arizona correctly took Ottawa they got the higher pick they got their guy I don’t know I just feel like like every de every deadline there’s that one trade that just comes out of nowhere
Last year it was Tanner J know getting five picks or even the Rasmus sandine trade I don’t know I just feel like I think Adams might be the one to be a part of that this year just some big trade that or sizable trade that develops seemingly out of thin air
At the deadline I don’t know maybe it’s maybe they somehow get paval bunevich I mean that’s like a dream scenario but I don’t know I think he’s going to make at least one I think they’re going to try and do another green green way move
Where they just try to get a player that helps them out in a certain area um they’re they’re going to do something I would I would be surprised if he does not add to this roster like in a you know in a pretty decent like with a
Quality piece now I think my hopes I I I would send out every UFA imaginable I just would I would send out Johnson uh gurgenson even I would send out Olson and I actually do kind of hope they send out Oak poso I think it would officially Usher in a
It would affect that room and I think it’s the type of effect I kind of want like good point dad’s gone he’s not here Rasmus this is your room now Tage tuck Dylan it’s your time like you guys got to step up you need to step up now there
Are literally no other veterans in that room if Oso goes and if gurgenson goes like there’s no one there it would be Jeff Skinner it would just be Jeff Jeff Skinner would be the veteran so I’m almost kind of rooting for that it would almost be like it
Would be Darin’s try out as Captain and I don’t know like I just want to see screw it like let’s have some fun with the end of the season um keep winning G you know try and win as much as possible you know I really don’t want to fire Don
Granado I really don’t but you know it’s he’s kind of forcing our hand it feels like um but to get back to the trade talk like I think oako leaving it would Usher in the Rasmus Dalene era it would now be his team all right so as I’ve mentioned quite a few times
Trade deadline on Friday 3 o’clock hopefully it should be a fun one um sabes have their fair share of guys that they can move they have all the draft Capital all the resources in the world to try and make a move to help themselves out hopefully hopefully
Something fun happens fun in a good way hopefully they flee someone it’s been a it’s been a good while since uh Kevin Adams fleece the last big fleece was probably the risto trade was it that was a big one yeah that was a yeah get a first
Rounder and CH you got you got a you got a fourth round pick for Ilia leushin take their full contract not bad not bad on that one all right so let’s uh let’s hop around the NHL and I need to talk about something that I I
Don’t I didn’t want to talk about I didn’t ever want to talk about this I didn’t ever want this day to come but the dream is dead Elias Pon has extended with the Vancouver kxs for eight years on a good deal I you know I I ask
You to please respect my privacy at this time I I’m just this has deeply affected me I was so excited last week when it seemed like he was it seemed like the the the tension between him and Vancouver was at an all-time high my dreams are crushed hey iel sign
An extension that got traded you know a few years later there’s there’s your best hope but it’s true it’s true they could have done it they maybe they’ve just done the heavy in for us exactly and for for the saber sake obviously I wanted Pon but also for your sake you’ve
Been saying this since we started this podcast you’ve been saying this for years that it could be you know we’d be the team to make the move so it does hurt never know you never know what could happen yeah it just might take some more time never know you never know
Let’s uh we’ll we’ll divert our attention to getting Creo Capri off to come here yes now the other thing with the pon news which was kind of a whole part of this whole negotiation basically the Vancouver Canucks they were sick of waiting they wanted an answer so they
Decided to I’m going to call it they’re G they they pulled a bluff so the Carolina Hurricanes approached them about a trade like a serious like they gave an offer uh it’s not known exactly what it was but Marty NIS was supposedly part of it yesper kenami picks you know
You name it nobody knows the exact details they bring this to patteron saying like hey we have a trade offer like you want an answer now now I think that Pon could have called their Bluff because there was no world where they were ever going to trade him but he didn’t he
Extended uh obviously he’s going to be there for a long time now I just thought it was interesting that it got to that point that a team actually made an offer that would have been scary imagine if Carolina got him it’s about time my my uh uh I like my idea offer sheum
That’s something that Carolina has been known for maybe they would have done that again who knows but um what what like five first round picks for 11 million would have been a lot would have been a lot how much did C kenami give up when they offer sheet him was
It five it was like five million for year or six they gave him a high number for one year just so they could get him and then they extended him at a lower amount something it was something like that kind of a smart yeah they gave up
Picks I just don’t recall maybe it was a first or no it was uh it was a first a second and a third I’m pretty sure because then Montreal used those picks to flip for uh oh what was the centerman he played for Arizona what was his name oh this is killing me
Who did they trade for him Liam O’Brien no no it wasn’t Liam O’Brien uh Montreal Canadians Rost this is killing me who was it uh this is gonna kill me who is it who is it who is it Christian Dvorak that’s who it was so they use those picks to
Flip for him I remember that so yes the dream is dead for now we will uh we’ll just have to wait that’s all we got to do we just got to wait Vancouver will flame out it’ll happen maybe they’ll have another Bad season last next year we’ll see how it
Plays out moving on we got our first big Domino to fall the first big trade leading up to the deadline with one of the bigger Targets on people’s trade boards Chris TANF is headed to the Dallas Stars he gets traded for was actually a three-way trade uh Calgary
Doesn’t get their first round pick in the deal they get a second and a prospect so tenv is the first big Domino to fall and I think that just made a stack Dallas team just even even more of a contender I think you got now they got
One of the best shut shut down D in the in the league yeah good move by both sides calary needed to do it they probably weren’t going to get the first so Dallas you know they made a good trade and then the I guess kind of the second
Notable move Ilia leushin is back in the Atlantic division he gets dealt to the Leafs so we joked about Kevin Adams somehow getting a fourth round pick for him last summer the Leafs trade a third round pick to get him at a reduced price um Panic move so they miss out they seemingly
Miss out on tanv uh revert their efforts back to Bringing labush back which is funny I don’t know if you guys know this but when they traded for leushin two years ago they gave up a second round pick that pick they still haven’t used yet so technically they’ve traded a
Second and a third for leushin in a sense oh so it was a second round pick in like 2024 I think it’s this year I think it’s this year okay so they uh they’ve kind of screwing themselves out of a two rounds just to get the same guy back yeah look at his
Player card yeah please second and a third for that yeah he’s uh not having the greatest season I think you know he he struggled last year in Buffalo I don’t think he’s doing much better in Anaheim but that’s not where the story ends because his first game in Toronto
Uh Phenom Matt rempe decides to take a run at him uh has caused a lot of discourse but Rams leushin into the boards and seemingly gives him a head injury we didn’t really talk about this last episode what what are your guys thoughts on I guess uh rampe me
Mania I feel like it’s like a Insanity run it’ll flame out I mean I guess maybe people like the aggression back into the game but this thing has a shelf life and if he doesn’t stop I’m sure the organization will have to like curb this Behavior a little bit because you saw
Him in practice the other day he had that black eye and everything it’s like this doesn’t usually end the best so I was gonna say go look at his face he’s taken beating where he’s fought in five of his seven games um I get being physical but I feel
Like that’s that’s I don’t know a little much you know he’s he’s only 21 like I’m not I don’t know don’t don’t wreck your brain now that’s all I’m saying I’m not saying you should ever wreck your brain but don’t do it when you’re 21 years old and you just enter a
League but at the same time he’s trying to make a name for himself so I get why he’s doing it I just not sure it’s right and I don’t know I know Jonah was at the game but I I’m not sure if Christian saw
It but Marty and um Rob Ray were kind of going at it about about this topic on the pregame show last night Marty was just like asking genuine questions can I can I ask what which side was Rob Ray on yeah yeah you can you could expect ra
Razer’s the one who got a little heated uh Marty was just asking questions and Marty was like I I like I kind of get it and I think it kind of backed off but I don’t know it was kind of funny that’s his domain yeah it was kind of
Funny Marty gets in Marty gets in one fight where he gets his ass kicked and suddenly he’s an expert on fighting yeah I you know they go to I mean they got to calm him down um I think like I think the Ryan Reeves fight it’s a good you know close the book
That’s your Peak I mean just look at the guy’s face he’s he’s been through enough uh he just needs to they got to shut that down like he cannot he can’t be fighting the best enforcers in the league I mean he’s fighting he fought Nick delorier Ryan Reeves in one week uh
He got his got his clock cleaned and whoever he fought against Columbus it’s just you know it’s fun you know for the first few as long everybody’s okay it just you know it’s already a dying kind of it’s kind of a Dying art I don’t think you need to have
A 21y old taking part of it who’s trying to find his place in the league too all right moving on to some bigger news uh more surprising news have Genny CS Nets off was placed on waivers kind of out of nowhere he’s been in the player assistance program for a
Little bit now as soon as he got taken out of that the Caps decided put him on waivers and give him a fresh start in the AHL so definitely a surprise there I mean ketov you know talking about a few years ago one of the most exciting players in
The league and Cup champion probably arguably could have won the K Smite on that run with the capitals and and he’s kind of Fallen pretty far he fell off pretty hard in the last couple of years he’s just a shootout specialist now there’s any if there’s any soulless in
The fact of him being waved we don’t have to watch that that damn move anymore that’s true we we complained earli in the season about how much money we got on the AHL they got like double what we got down there now just because of him he’s like
Eight million just sitting on their AHL team yeah I was listening to it was actually 32 thoughts supposedly there was a kuds Nets off for Matt duchaine deal in the works last off off season before duchaine got bought out so that would have been interesting cnof would
Have gone to Nashville and that would have been you know trying to reunite him with Barry trotz I forgot du Shan got bought out Jesus where is he now is he not playing Dallas Dallas in Dallas oh right yeah he’s in Dallas yeah all right I guess just kind of
Getting a wider look at the NH I think it’s going to be interesting because you know we’ve heard a lot of rumors we’ve got Jacob markstrom seemingly is just gonna be a New Jersey Devil someday uh the Pittsburgh Penguins they’re I mean that’s that’s that’s a
Crazy like I guess ending for them I mean that what a disaster of a road trip that was yeah you know that Vegas game the the Sabers Vegas game ends and immediately I’m scoreboard watching and that that Calgary game like they had it they were out shooting them it was like
25 to 10 at one point and they have the 3-1 lead in the third period and it just goes it just falls out of their hands and nasm cadry scores like the goal of the year uh they score 15 seconds later and then Chris lat tang with a brutal
Giveaway with less than a minute to go and Calgary wins it in regulation and two nights later or one night later they get their asses kicked by Edmonton so it’s it’s crazy to think how I mean when’s the last time you’ve seen a Sydney crossby team sell at the
De they they haven’t been sellers since 2006 the last time we won a playoff series that’s how long it’s it’s been it has been 18 years and and you know the Washington Capitals are kind of they’re kind of where they were last year where they’re probably going to be on the more
Sellers side so man one last time those two teams have sold off at the same time probably even longer been a long time man but it’s it it happens to every team at some point happens to some teams more often than others you know but
Um the Pens have had one of the other than the Detroit Red Wings making the playoffs 25 straight times um I mean arguably the penguins have had a better run they’ve had three cups in that time um but the Red Wings have had what four one two three four in
That span so similar but uh every every Dynasty must come to an end at some point and I think this is uh I think this is the this is a wrap on the Penguins they’re gonna have to start a rebuild they’re to start a rebuild at
Some point what are they gonna do with Eric Carlson are they just gonna does he want to be there I think he does I think you know you’re playing with I mean I mean I’ll say this right now I think if you go by definition of the award I
Think Sydney Crosby should win the heart now I don’t think he’s been I don’t think he’s been the best player I think McKinnon krov McDavid Matthews they’ve all been I think better but I mean Crosby is carrying that team did you see that stat the other night they have had
29 skaters play for them this season only 17 or is it only 17 or is it 17 it’s either one of the other they haven’t they have as many goals as Tristan jar like top heavy lineup eh crazy it’s crazy it’s G to be interesting to watch
Them it’s gonna be interesting to watch it’s also going to be interesting to watch the New Jersey Devils because Lindy Ruff they booted him out of there they actually did it with a month to go in the season in the thick of a playoff race Gap goat yeah well now the devil
Fans will have uh nothing to complain about when they’re getting [ __ ] pumped by another team again uh it actually pisses me off so much blame it on blame it on Lindy Ruff like those fans are those fans are oh God it’s just do you understand how bad your goal tending is
How how much of that could you put on the coach I’m sure he made some questionable lineup decisions but it’s like who who’s the best goalie they’ve had since he’s taken over he took over I think in the co season V is VTEC vanich the best goalie they’ve had during that stretch he’s
Been AR be their worst this year it actually it actually pisses me off so much and I know obviously it’s Sabers by a showing but watching that team from the outside like that is a team they lost uh Damon Damon Severson they lost to Tomas Tatar Ryan Graves three of
Their best players last year gone in free agency douge Hamilton a Norris caliber defenseman out for the season and then you have injuries to Jack Hughes to niik heser to Teo like teimo Myer I think he’s been playing hurt the entire season all of that like yeah and they’re
Still you and they’re above 500 they’re they’re still in the race and because of eight like like VCH Vanek niiko do Akira Schmid that is an awful awful goal tending Trio probably the worst in the league that’s terrible like it’s it’s they had 53 shots on the
Ducks 53 they lost they lost that game the Ducks had like 20 shots I it’s it’s it’s insane that they put the blame on Lindy like I actually cannot believe it that I you know because I I I follow some Devil’s accounts online the one of them had like
They were hyped they were Beyond excited and I’ve been I have as you guys know I have a devil’s friend who he he grew up in Buffalo so he’s like a half Sabers fan but he’s he’s a devil’s fan and like I’ve been trying to tell him
About this and I’ve gotten him on my side where he’s like yeah like this he’s he’s a scapegoat like it’s it’s so obvious to me like and you watch they’ll get the they’ll get the the the new coach boost Travis Green will get them into a playoff spot suddenly you know
Their save percentage will Spike to like 9:30 and they’ll be like see they’re so we’re better off without Lindy Ruff ah that makes me so mad that makes me mad does he get another head coaching job that’s he’s I feel like he’s he’s getting old am I wrong he’s talked about
Doing I think a front office job before I wonder if he makes the Barry trotz transition bring him back in some capacity that inevit inevitably we do need to have the uh the conversation should the Sabres consider bringing Lindy Ru back yeah you should always consider it
I don’t know if it’d be the right fit at the time but um first you got to fire Don Granado if you want him as a coach but uh I wouldn’t mind it I don’t think we should bring him back as a head coach you could bring him
I’ be fine bring him back as an assistant front office I don’t think we should bring him back cuz he wouldn’t take he wouldn’t take an assistant job you know I actually I actually do think that maybe he would I just think that would be an
Awful Dynamic I feel like that would be so uncomfortable for Don for Don gr imagine you’re Don Granado you’re the head coach of the team and then suddenly they bring back the greatest coach in the team’s history to be your assistant this is literally the plot to Remember the
Titans remember that they bring you know they got the they got the head coach he steps down as an assistant and so you know everybody wants him to be the head coach in in instead of Al Washington like that’s how it goes it like that would be the dynamic
We as soon as he gets hired people would be asking for Don to get fired there’d be no point he’d be a lame dock head coach the second he walked in the doors I wasn’t saying to be under Donnie I was saying if we bring out some more
Coaching changes but I see what you’re saying yeah listen I I the thing about Lindy Ruff is I think he would be the perect like he literally what the Sabers need top five in wins all time has the experience has gotten teams gotten a younger core to the playoffs
Recently it’s just he used to be the sabr coach for a long time and I really hate the idea of retreads and I also Imagine That imagine that doesn’t work out like imagine it crashes and burns imagine how that looks on the organization like you’ve been out of the playoffs for
13 years oh what was your brilliant idea to get back in let’s bring back our ex head coach from a decade ago then it doesn’t work out and you look even more incompetent also from a legacy standpoint I am kind of nervous like look at what being a head coach did to
Phil housley’s Legacy as a saber Alum yeah I put a little on it that guy was loved everybody loved him you still do yeah I mean time time time heals a lot of a lot of wounds but I don’t know I’d be kind of I guess I’d be nervous if
This lendy tenure did kind of end bad I don’t know things to consider uh we we’re gonna have the coaching conversation as time goes on here inevitably um I think I’ve made up my mind but you know if suddenly they have a strong finish you never know things can always change
But I think that’s pretty much going to do it for this one uh trade deadline on Friday we will probably we’ll speak to you sometime after that uh just to kind of look ahead at the saber schedule here they are in Toronto on Wednesday night uh then they immediately play Nashville
Next night that’s at 8:00 p.m. Saturday they play the Oilers Conor McD David’s in town they’ll play them at 12:30 then their next game after that uh big game against the Red Wings on Tuesday so I imagine I imagine that we’ll talk to you after that Oilers game uh it’ll just be
Me and Christian JP this is his last episode for a little time here um we’ll be going back to me and Christian for a little bit but yep in but looking ahead I think we’re going to do a mailbag episode next time maybe depends if there’s a loaded
Docket um you know if the Sabers made like three four trades that’s going to be a lot to cover but I think we’re going to do a mail bag uh kind of gather some thoughts and have some fun things to talk about so stay tuned for
That but in any case this should be a fun week hopefully it’s a fun week uh hopefully there’s some fun hockey to watch but if you guys don’t have anything left to say I think that will pretty much do it for this one uh if you
Want to follow us on Twitter follow us at atth saer report follow us on Instagram atth saer report subscribe to us on YouTube follow us on Tik Tok if you want updates for the Pod follow us at at saber report pod give our friends over at the Buffalo Sports Talk podcast
A listen we are nearing free agency and draft time for the NFL and they’ll be covering a lot of that but other than that JP if you want to give your last address before the trade deadline and a big stretch of this season just go Sabers that’s all I got to say said
Enough all right Simple Man on that goost Savers ghost Savers ghost savers
In this episode, the guys get you ready for the Sabres’ 2024 trade deadline. They talk trade rumors, give a rundown on who they think is staying and going, and they talk wider NHL trade deadline. They also discuss some specific Sabres related stuff such as the last week of games and the Peyton Krebs situation.
(0:00) Past week of recaps
(16:26) Erik Johnson benched
(24:42) Offense on the downswing again
(34:28) What is going on with Peyton Krebs?
(50:43) Trade Rumor Roundup
(56:47) Trade Deadline Roster Breakdown
(1:11:05) Deadline Hopes/Predictions
(1:17:30) Elias Pettersson Extended
(1:21:36) Chris Tanev/Ilya Lyubushkin Trades
(1:26:37) Evgeni Kutznetsov Waived
(1:28:18) NHL Trade Deadline Talk
(1:31:36) Lindy Ruff Fired
Thanks for watching!
Follow us on:
Twitter: @TheSabreReport
Insta: @thesabrereport
TikTok: @TheSabreReport
1 Comment
Sabres trade Mittlestat fto Avs for Bo Byram ..