JJ Peterka wants out of Buffalo. What should the Sabres do?

JJ Peterka wants out of Buffalo. What should the Sabres do?

more and more it appears that JJ Purka wants out of Buffalo and we basically have it in plain writing now What should the Sabres do now that we pretty much know Purka wants out coming up on Locked on Sabres [Music] You’re Locked on Sabres your daily podcast on the Buffalo Sabres part of the Locked On podcast network Your team every day What is up everybody and welcome in to this Monday edition of the Locked OnSabers podcast Thanks for making us your first listen every day and welcome into another week here on the Lockdown Sabers podcast part of the Lockdown Podcast Network your team every day Be sure to check us out on our YouTube channel You can watch the show there If you do be sure to hit that like button hit that subscribe button as well And if you would like to become a part of our locked sabers text club you can do that over at joinsubttext.comlocked sabers We enter a new week We are that much closer to NHL free agency Kind of caught me off guard today that we are only 11 days from the NHL draft This is a fast-paced end to the NHL season Game six tomorrow night Florida looking to win back-to-back cups And then next week it is the NHL draft just like that So will the Savers trade their ninth pick what should they do if they keep the pick that’ll all be coming up next week But we got some more free agents to talk about this week And today we’ve got to talk about the most recent reporting on JJ Purka and why it might be more likely than ever that he is going to be moved this off season and we’ll get to that coming up on today’s show Other places you want to find us Lockdowns on Twitter is the place to check us out on social media Whenever you want to see when you know the episode is dropped or some good polls and whatnot be sure to follow us there And if you got a question for the show you can hit us up there as well Um I’m really enjoying the Stanley Cup final I’m enjoying the level of hockey that we’re getting couple of games recently that weren’t super close between Florida and Edmonton but really do think the Panthers are on the verge of being crowned one of the all-time teams in the NHL and I do think they deserve that I wouldn’t go dynasty until they’ve won their third cup if they do but I’m ready to call them an all-time team Brad Marshand throwing his hat in the ring potentially for Khan Smite He’s been unbelievable in this series We talked about this this morning me and Jeremy White on WGR about hate that you might still have for anybody still in the sport and how the Sabres make that harder because when they’re not good you know it’s a little tougher to get out of bed for all that negative energy towards somebody else Um Marshon’s one of my last holdouts on that I have hated Brad Marshon since I was a kid Obviously with Boston and the the Luchi Charara teams and I will continue to hate him until the day he at least retires So him playing for Florida does give me more of a rooting interest on the Edmonton side of things So it’s not feeling great that he’s been so dominant 10 goals and 10 assists in 20 games 22 games so far in the playoffs It might go down as one of the greatest trade deadline acquisitions of all time um that I can think of in hockey at least I saw a good comparable in baseball Justin Verlander for the Astros in 2017 But this has been an alltime acquisition and and Florida can end it uh tomorrow night and then the draft next week But we got to talk about JJ Purka That could actually be draft night That could be a draft day trade It could happen as soon as this series is over The NHL’s very good typically at waiting for the final to end and then you get a lot of action around the league and that could be Purka So why we’re starting the show and starting the week with him was a report from Elliot Freriedman on Sunday on his podcast 32 thoughts Quote I have said that the Sabres have indicated they don’t want to trade JJ Purka Their answer has changed They’re at least now listening on it And I think that’s recent People know Purka’s unhappy and it’s believed he’d like to go somewhere else I think it’s the reality of the situation I think the Sabres realize they have to at least look into it And I think in the last little bit it’s gone from well we don’t want to do it and we’re not going to do it to we don’t want to do it but we at least have to look into it That’s the report from Freriedman It is basically just a little further along but not that different than what we’ve heard already It’s confirming a lot of things that I’ve heard about Purka It is confirming a lot of the smoke that’s been out there about Purka since at least the trade deadline if not even before that And to start with here because I do have some very I have some thoughts on how the Sabres should conduct themselves here that they are now faced with another player on their own team that wants out that they have the rights to and they have control over Purka does not have the ability to become an unrestricted free agent until July 1st of 2029 Sabres have his rights for four more years and I think they should exercise every bit of that leverage Not to take it all the way four years but not be willing to give him up for nothing I’ve got some more expanded thoughts on that coming up in the second segment of today’s show But really I just want to get into why we’re here and why this situation could be a little different as we try to guess at well why does Purka want out and I want to start with where it is a little bit different than Eel or Reinhardt or what we thought for a day could be true about Dalene this season when that Paul Besonette story report came out that he might want to trade and when we thought about that it’s all of those situations have all kind of been the same which is eventually you just get sick of the losing right you could throw Dene and Thompson onto this in maybe the future You hope not Tuck a little less or so But those other guys it’s like well when you’ve been here for six seven years it wears on you It wears on you and you get sick of it and you start to want out And where Purka because that’s to me Reinhardt and then maybe future Dene I hope not Purka has only been in Buffalo for three years That’s it 2022 to right now In one of those years the vibes were good right the his rookie season vibes were good Team was good They missed by one point Not to say they were a great team but it was a fun season Two years of like really suffering for Purka Like that’s it guy You just got here two years is all you could stomach of the losing That’s where and it could be other things It could be a belief that Kevin Adams is not going to be the guy to turn this thing around So yes I’ve only been here for two years but I’m not betting that you’re going to turn it around in the next three to five years So let me just get ahead of it and let me get out of here now That could be the answer It could be that he doesn’t like playing for Lindy Ruff Some guys don’t There was a Wasn’t there a report from a player survey during the middle of the season that some undisclosed player that I think we end up believing played for the Devils that thought the game had passed Lindy by i mean I I’m sure Lindy’s not a a universally loved coach amongst players So it could be that or and this is what I tend to think and this is what I’ve tended to hear more of that Purka is just not meant for Buffalo That’d be the friendliest way that I could put it that he might just not be comfortable here You know like from Munich I I tend to think he wants to live in a big city that he’d be more comfortable and would prefer to live in a bigger city So that kind of gets you to well is it more about the area and I think that could be more true of Purka than it’s been true of any of these other guys because for as much as Eel now is a villain and Reinhardt’s not a villain but he ends up getting traded too with Eel and Reinhardt it was never about the area Never Right It was always about the failure of the team and then you know when Michael took his shot at the fans it was more about the crowd but it was never about Buffalo for those guys For Purka it feels to me like it might be more about Buffalo That’s just my guess I think lining up couple of whispers you hear and then you get the the short time frame there right like that’s really the number one key here to that is you only could do this for two years You can’t be that sick of it after only two years We’re going on year 14 here and yeah we’re sick of it but like we’ve earned that two years 23 years old I don’t know man So when it comes to that that’s why I think we’re here And I would expect to be when I’m thinking about Purka Trades to be looking at big market franchises like the New York Rangers who have already been rumored to be interested like the Dallas Stars I’ve thrown out some hypotheticals where the Sabres would acquire Jason Robertson Dallas one of the bigger markets in the league maybe Los Angeles although I haven’t thought much about them for this You know you you start looking at the big big cities However the Sabres approach to this will be interesting Will it look similar to what their approach was for Jack Eel or closer to what it was for Sam Reinhardt reinhardt clean break Trade him away Eel long drawn out petty even on some levels Got ugly What will this one look like let’s get to that when we come back here on the Lockdown Sabers podcast Today’s episode of the Locked Savers podcast is presented by Monarch Money Have you ever gone into your bank account and just looked at it and went “Where did all my money go?” Because between dining out and online shopping and entertainment whether it’s concerts or sport games uh it’s easy to lose track That’s where Monarch Money comes in your personal CFO giving you full visibility and control over your finances And Monarch Money is not just a budgeting app It’s a complete financial command center So you can track all your 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there really hasn’t been a star player who’s wanted out since then Dalene at least not yet Taage not yet Tuck not yet You know go down the list Purka is different from Michael and Reinhardt who were Michael in the middle of a long-term contract right and had the surgery part of it Reinhardt one year until he could become an unrestricted free agent because the Savers had continued to put off giving him a long-term extension and by the time they might have wanted to it was too late Purka is one not as good as those players at least Eel He’s certainly not as good as Reinhardt now Maybe you could say it’s close I would say Reinhardt was a much better player though on that final Saber season because there was a lot more that he was giving you allaround game smart player possession defense and scoring Purka gives you just really the scoring So but the numbers look similar enough to where maybe you would want to say well they’re not that far apart So different situation because Purka is not coming up on UFA status four years until that happens He’s not already in the middle of a long-term contract like Eel was And he doesn’t have the surgery part of it like Eel was And he’s not the face of the franchise like Ekeel was or even Reinhardt Reinhardt was Robin to Eichel’s Batman Purka is a really good player but he’s not Robin He’s not either one of them They might have two Batmans right now with Tage and Dene but they don’t have He’s not Robin He’s not a face of the franchise He’s a very good player but not a face of the franchise So is he even worth making it ugly with and two how willing should the Sabres be to move him if they’re not getting what they want and that to me is where I would want the Buffalo Sabres Kevin Adams and now Yarmmo Kealinan who has been faced with situations like this in Columbus before and treated them a little bit differently than Kevin Adams has I would want them to have a backbone and say “Okay we know you’re unhappy here.” So we’re not telling you no I mean that’s even what they’re doing Freriedman says they’re listening They’re now willing to listen That is to me give doing something out of respect to Purka Like we know you want out We know you’re unhappy We are willing to listen to other teams We’re not going to lock you in on under all circumstances We’ll listen But what I would plead with the Sabres to do and hope the Sabres do is to not just trade him no matter what they can get because they just want players that want to be here and they would be afraid of bringing him back to the team knowing that he’s unhappy here In my opinion the Sabres should do their best to find a great offer And if they don’t find one and they’re able to get through the summer without him being offer cheated then you bring him back and you tell them “Listen we tried but nobody wanted to pay the price So what do you want to do here you want to sign a we we’re not gonna ask you to sign an eight-year contract or a seven-year contract with us We know you’re not going to do that But here’s two years for $7 million per year We’re going to give you a big pay raise We’re going to pay you market value for what your production is and you’re going to play at the top of the lineup and we’re going to go again and we’re going to give this a shot and hey if a deal falls in our lap that we really like then we’re going to bring it to you and we’ll see if we can make something happen That to me is not really putting your tail between your legs That is proper asset management Especially when you have the leverage in this situation The Sabres have all the leverage because they have his rights for so long 2029 This is not a situation that is upcoming of whether or not they have to say goodbye or get what they want or risk losing him for nothing That’s so far in the future I’d offer him a bridge deal and say “Let’s do this year to year monthto month and we both even if we both know we’re not meant to be together for a long time let’s continue here as long as it makes sense to.” So that to me is what I would do if I were the Buffalo Sabres Now if Dallas calls and says “Hey we don’t want to pay Jason Robertson $12 million a year but we’ll be willing to pay JJ Purka 7 and a half Do you want to do Purka and number nine for Jason Robertson then I say “Okay hell yeah I’m in.” Then there’s my JJ Purka trade Problem solved Assuming Jason Robertson wants to be here enough to to come and sign Uh the other complicating factor that makes this situation a little bit different is the fact that he is a restricted free agent and the potential for an offer sheet which there have been some talk about Now some teams can do some certain offer sheets and some can’t The Rangers come up a lot for wanting Purka The Rangers cannot do an offer sheet anywhere between $7.02 million and $1 million That’s the Purka range So in my opinion unless they’re willing to go to 11.5 million and give the Sabres four first round picks which I do not think that’s going to happen at all The Rangers are not getting JJ Purka on an offer sheet But that doesn’t mean another team couldn’t do it press the savers to say we’re not gonna we bet you’re not going to spend the money or we bet you’re not going to match a long-term offer sheet to a guy that you know doesn’t want to be there That would be the real dilemma And I have an opinion on what the Sabers should do if faced with that dilemma because Purka is motivated right now He is in my opinion with his agent probably looking for a team that’s willing to give him the type of deal that could get him out of Buffalo on the contract that he wants And then you don’t always get that I’m sure there are some players and agents over time that are RFAS that just don’t even want to talk to you because I don’t want to rock the boat I don’t want to make any problems that aren’t here already by signing an offer sheet or even talking about an offer sheet with you Well Purka is certainly willing to do that it seems So he’ll go talk to teams and we’ll see if he gets anything if he is to sign a long-term extension with another team and I’m the Buffalo Sabres and I know I got a guy here that maybe he signed for $8.5 million with LA or who it could be whoever and I got to decide do I want two first round picks or do I want to lock a guy in that I know doesn’t want to be here The answer in my opinion is to lock the guy in even knowing he doesn’t want to be there And it might feel like you’re holding them hostage but again this is the leverage game I have leverage I’m going to execute with it I am a real team in the NHL and I’m trying to win I am not getting bullied out of a great young player and not getting what he’s worth So okay go ahead Sign your five-year $8.5 million extension with Nashville or whoever I’m going to match it And that’ll be the bet That’ll be the dare That’ll be the risk if your purka is do you want to sign a deal with another team if you know well the Sabres capwise can ma match anything but will they actually match it maybe you call their bluff and say “We don’t think you’re actually going to match it.” But if I were Kevin Adams I would actually match it I’d match it and say “All right well we’ll try to trade you after that.” Or “Well buddy now you’re under contract with us So unless you want to go play in Germany you know go back home If you want to play in the NHL we’re your team Oh I wouldn’t do that I would be a little bit more forgiving about it like I said earlier where even it’d be the same for me if he was on a on a five-year deal as if he’s a you know on a two-year deal It’s we’re we’re not going to see the end of this contract together but come in play hard play well and at first opportunity we’ll we’ll look we’ll take calls and if you play well then you’re giving yourself even a better chance probably to get out of here So that’s how I would go about it Gotta have a backbone in a situation like this And I think Yarmmo Keolin this is where influence on Kevin Adams could be its most valuable because in Columbus he always acted like a GM that had a backbone that I’m I’m Columbus I got to be aggressive I got to sometimes say bleep it I don’t care Maybe with guys that you even know don’t want to be there He traded for Matt Duchain at a deadline and he knew Matt Duchain didn’t want to be there long term Um little bit different because that’s a rental but there were situations like that in Columbus that would make me much more would make me more confident about the Sabres going into this situation Um so with all that being said it’s it stinks that Purka doesn’t want to be here I like the player He’s a good player He’s a talented player I think there’s more to come I think the upside is higher than what we’ve seen He’s scored 28 goals and he has had 68 points in the NHL through three seasons And I believe that those will go up I would absolutely bet he’ll be a player who will score 30 plus goals a year And I would bet that you’ll look back on his career and he’ll have a year where he’s above a point a game player at least one where he’s 80 plus points more than one a game I think he’s a great offensive player I’m not sure he’ll ever become a better player in his own end I He’s pretty small I’m not sure he’ll ever become a player that gives you anything physically but he’s a valuable player He’s a scorer He’s become a better playmaker And it it does sadden me a bit that it doesn’t appear that there’s going to be a long-term relationship between these two Now it is just navigating the short term And does that mean he still plays for the Sabres does that mean you sell now does that mean you you at all cost push for the most you could get i hope the Sabres do that I hope they don’t just clean their hands of it and say “We don’t want to deal with this We don’t want this drama We’re going to trade you for the best we can get right now.” I don’t want the Sabres to do that I would rather they drag it out a little bit and push and push and push to get what he is worth and not get bullied by other teams and by a 23-y old player that doesn’t have the right to become a UFA until in until 2029 When we come back goalie free agents I got a question about goalie free agents today We’re not going to do a free agent idea of the day on a goalie So we’ll talk about a couple options very quickly when we come back Um we’ll have some more fun free agent ideas like John Tiveres and Nikolai Eers and others throughout this week So goalie talk when we come back here on Lockdown Sabres Today’s episode of the Lockdown Sabres podcast is presented by Wonderful Pistachios my go-to golf snack out on the golf course If you’re looking for a snack that’s both delicious and nutritious crack into a good source of protein with Wonderful Pistachios Wonderful Pistachios is one of the highest protein nuts Each 1oz serving has six grams of protein giving you over 10% of your daily value And plus they are packed with fiber and better for you unsaturated fats that’ll help keeping you full uh keeping feeling fuller longer I love the no shells variety Grab a handful Again eat them on the golf course eat them at work very easy But if you love that cracking open of every shell that satisfying crunch the inshell options are a classic favorite Um whether you’re running between meetings dropping off the kids Wonderful Pistachios are the snack that works as hard as you do Get snacking Get cracking with the snack that packs a protein punch Be sure to visit wonderfulpistachios.com today to learn more All right we are a couple weeks away from NHL free agency and we’ll have good talks about I mentioned Eers Tverus Brock Besser is another one that we’ll talk about for the Buffalo Sabres Maybe Brad Marshon a little bit I saw the guys that after the whistle Andrew Peters Craig V talking about him today Today I got a question about goalie and could I do I see goalie being in the cards and even being worth talking about for the Sabres in free agency and not to the extent where I planned any one episode on a certain goalie free agent But that doesn’t mean automatically I think the Sabres won’t be in the market I think there’s a chance they could be in the market It’s really the thing I am most confused about what the Sabres will do I feel pretty confident in what they’re going to do with Bo Byum I think they’re going to trade Bo Byum I think they’re going to lock up Ryan Mloud to a long-term deal for like five six million bucks a year We’ll talk more about him Um I’m pretty sure they’re going to look for an Owen P Power partner They’ll look for another scoring winger Purka a little more ambiguous I’m not sure what they’ll do there but clearly we’re seeing the writing on the wall that they are more willing to talk on that goalie I don’t know I really don’t I don’t know if they just want to go in with Lucin and Levi if they want Levi and a different veteran or if they want UPPL in a different different veteran I think they’re open to trading Lucinin but I don’t know how motivated they they really feel that they are So when I look at the list of goalie free agents and it’s not a great list my thought is there’s nobody that really would blow my socks off but there are a couple of stable reliable veteran options that they could go after one of which and he’s probably the number one goalie on the market So I think it would be a little tough to get him especially since keep in mind the Sabres as a destination for a free agent goalie are not going to be the best landing spot Not just because they’re cheap but more so look at your situation You’re if they don’t trade Lucan in you’re coming into a spot where you got a guy competing with you that’s already been paid and Lucan in And you got a guy beneath you they love that they’re just waiting to come up That’s a that’s a that’s a trio that you might not want to be a part of You might rather go to a spot where you’re the definitive number one or you’re the 1B and there is no 1C or no kid coming up or you’re just the definitive backup and there’s nobody underneath you got to worry about So Jake Allen for instance Jake Allen is a free agent after a pretty good year in New Jersey Started 31 games Uh played 31 games started 29 906 save percentage advanced numbers look fine Um all right that’s a guy that if I were the Sabres I’d love to have him as some insurance but if I’m Jake Allen I’m definitely finding a better spot than the Buffalo Sabres Okay Well what about like Alex Georgiev who had a very tough year and has kind of fallen off as a former number one goalie where now you no one would I think really see him as that I mean he was one of the worst goalies in hockey last season especially for somebody that played how many goalies in history have played 47 games started 47 games had an 875 save percentage uh maybe back in the 80s So tough year for him I don’t see that Alex Lion little closer Like that’s more in the James Rhymer category of a guy that has played in the AHL Um is not coming off the most stellar season for Detroit I think at his age maybe that’s somebody that would be willing to come in and compete with Levi and Lucin That’s about as high as I see them going though And there’s really not much after that VTEC Venich Dan Vladar Ilia Samson Sonoff like these are the types of names I could see the Sabres checking in on and maybe landing one of But Alex Lion is the guy that I’m looking at the most and going “Okay maybe that’s the right fit.” He’s played in the AHL If he was to be waved maybe someone would claim him but he also is just a good enough idea to me to to say “All right I’m good with him if Levi is not ready and maybe he could pick up some of the slack if Lucan instincts.” Um but otherwise I don’t think they have to do anything Like it’s very possibly it’s just Lucan and Levi and they run it back So goalie is a little bit further from my mind right now Um but that’s kind of how I see it It’s a little bit up in the air I think they could go for you know an Alex Lion level free agent but I wouldn’t expect them to be capable of landing the the top goalie free agent which is Jake Allen And again tough free agent class because Jake Allen being the top free agent goalie should tell you all you need to know about the class It’s not a good one All right good question though That’s gonna do it for us Tomorrow or Wednesday I should say on the show we are going to talk about Nikolai Eers who has been rumored for it feels like 10 years as a trade idea a guy the Sabres almost once traded for Well he’s about to be a free agent There’s reporting about what his market is going to look like He’s a very good player and maybe even as a Purka replacement if they were able to move Purka Nikolai Eers we’ll talk about him next time here on the Lockdown Sabres podcast You want more on Panthers and Oilers be sure to check out Locked on NHL game night They got you covered all every game even if there’s only one more uh until we see that cup hoisted It’s going to be one of the next two So check out Lockdown NHL wherever you get your podcast and on YouTube And we’ll talk to you Wednesday here on Lockdown Sabers part of the Lockdown Podcast Network your team every day

JJ Peterka is the latest Buffalo Sabre that reportedly wants out of Buffalo. With four years of rights, but no contract at the moment, should the Sabres be willing to trade Peterka or should they only look to get him to sign a short-term contract? Sneaky Joe believes the Sabres need to have a strong backbone in this situation and this is the first test of Jarmo Kekalainen’s influence on Kevyn Adams.

What about if Peterka signs an offer-sheet with another team? Joe looks at what their options would be. Plus, a look at free agency at the goaltender position and if the Sabres will look to add to UPL and Devon Levi.

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