Quote:
Originally Posted by The Original FFIV
If you can get an uograde at D at low to minimal cost, you have to do it. If it blocks a current prospect, so be it. Gives kuznetsov more time to ripen. If he bolts for khl, so be it. Second round picks are statistically less likely to make the show. Not every pick will make it, and given the trades we’ve made and draftees since we too kuznetsov, he’s likely further down the depth chart.
If a player in the age range that we are looking for becomes available and is an upgrade on what we have , you have to pull the trigger. If it upsets a prospect and they bolt, oh well. Draft another prospect.
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Sure, roster upgrades are cool. Like I said, if it is a choice between Kuznetsov and Poirier vs. Byram then I think that is a no-brainer.
However, if the choice is between finding out what we have with our home grown players vs. another year of Hanley (or some other vet) or adding Samuelsson then I am not sold that perpetually blocking our player development is worth it.
My hot take is that Samuelsson isn't a big prize, he is an injury-prone cap dump that the Sabres are trying to unload in order to keep their better players. He has 7 goals in 5 NHL seasons and he has missed almost half of those seasons due to injuries. The fact that his cap hit is on the wrong side of $4M doesn't help.
Leave the spot open for Kuznetsov, Solovyov, Poirier, Brzustewicz, Grushnikov, etc. to compete for.