Sekera signed...what about Gragnani?

[SeaDawg]

all is not lost, if they move someone like Leopold instead of Gragnani...heck, even if they move Gragnani, depending on where he lands his value could sky-rocket. Something really has to give. As an RFA, I doubt Grags accepts the kind of money Buffalo would want to pay him to be an AHLer. They either make space for him on the roster, or deal him somewhere. At least that is my hope now that I have Gragnani in 3 of my 4 keeper leagues and I was planning to draft him in my 4th at our draft in September (I certainly won't be doing that now unless something changes).

[DuklaNation]

If Gragnani was smart, he should demand a trade immediately. You'd think with the Ehrhoff signing, Sekera would be expendable as they already had Leopold and Gragnani. Yet, another big contract is handed out. I wasnt far off when I saw the Leino signing, that all Sabres prospects are to be avoided. They all have serious roadblocks ahead of them now. Expect some trade(s) to happen.

[Bomm Bastic]

I turned away alot of really good offers for Gragnani, now this.

All this depth will also affect Mike Weber im assuming, does he get the #6 spot? Hes ready for a full time role also

Ironically, and against my own advice, I drafted Sekera in the UHL - very late round flyer.

[butch]

all these replys , and no mention of possibly trading Sekara ?

I think alot of teams could use Sekara(my isles , for one) which would then open up a spot for Grag's .

[Bomm Bastic]

all these replys , and no mention of possibly trading Sekara ?

I think alot of teams could use Sekara(my isles , for one) which would then open up a spot for Grag's .

[ahem] Not to brag, but....I did. I also think that's a rather large amount of $$/term to be moving, though not impossible either.

[SeaDawg]

all these replys , and no mention of possibly trading Sekara ?

I think alot of teams could use Sekara(my isles , for one) which would then open up a spot for Grag's .

Was Sekera a UFA or an RFA? I assumed UFA, and if that was the case, why would another team trade for him when they could have acquired him for free when he was on the market?

If he was an RFA, players are rarely signed and traded. Normally they are traded before they are signed.

So, I guess what I am saying is that in either case the odds of Sekera being traded are very slim, though I do agree it would solve a lot of problems.

[Dakkster]

Just one thought here... years of Gragnani being shafted for playing poorly defensively and you are surprised now because he got shafted again despite one NHL hot streak? Really?

[Bomm Bastic]

Just one thought here... years of Gragnani being shafted for playing poorly defensively and you are surprised now because he got shafted again despite one NHL hot streak? Really?

That's an assumption on your end. maybe they were overly cautious due to Butler-shock syndrome. Remember last year an injury during camp prevented him from landing a permanent spot.

But you are correct insofar as maybe management sees something we don't.

[SeaDawg]

Just one thought here... years of Gragnani being shafted for playing poorly defensively and you are surprised now because he got shafted again despite one NHL hot streak? Really?

I haven't seen him play all that much, so I can't speak to his defensive weaknesses (I don't watch many Portland Pirates games ), but I am surprised, given the numbers he has put up 4 years in a row and how impressive he did look in the playoffs, that Buffalo didn't at least give him a chance to play for some extended time in the NHL.

All that said, one thing that hasn't been mentioned is that perhaps the contract negotiations between Buffalo and Gragnani were/are going very poorly. Perhaps he is asking for unreasonable money, so they decided to spend money on Sekera instead. Perhaps Gragnani's contract demands are why he is being "shafted" and it may have nothing to do with his poor defensive game (thought that too is entirely possible).

[Dakkster]

I'm just saying that Gragnani isn't exactly the safest player around. One NHL hot streak doesn't guarantee anything about his play going forward and if you're playing it safe, Sekera is CLEARLY the better option, especially now that they have Ehrhoff as their PPQB, which fills the only hole that Gragnani is capable of doing modestly well.

[Luffy D Monkey]

Looks like now that Buffalo has an owner willing to spend to the cap, Regier is being/will be exposed as one of the most ******ed GMs in the league.

[SeaDawg]

all these replys , and no mention of possibly trading Sekara ?

I think alot of teams could use Sekara(my isles , for one) which would then open up a spot for Grag's .

Upon further review, you may be onto something here, Butch. I forgot that Sekera was headed for arbitration. He was not a UFA, nor a typical RFA. With arbitration looming, they surely could not have traded him until that whole mess was settled. Now that he has signed a long-term deal, instead of getting a (potential) $5 mill one year deal via arbitration, he likely is a better trade commodity now.

I have no idea how Buffalo will get below the cap, and still sign Enroth and Gragnani, but shipping out one of their extra dmen sure makes a lot of sense to me.

[dyzfunctioned]

Ironically, and against my own advice, I drafted Sekera in the UHL - very late round flyer.

Looks like it may pay off!

[Carcillo]

I have no idea how Buffalo will get below the cap, and still sign Enroth and Gragnani, but shipping out one of their extra dmen sure makes a lot of sense to me.

Dumping Kotalik and Morrison to minors (if they can't trade them) will be more than enough to get Buffalo under the cap and to give them room to re-sign Enroth and Gragnani.

[SeaDawg]

Dumping Kotalik and Morrison to minors (if they can't trade them) will be more than enough to get Buffalo under the cap and to give them room to re-sign Enroth and Gragnani.

I've heard that they might do that, but I still think a trade is more likely. Or perhaps this and a trade.