Leopold to LI proposals
 

Isles need a solid 2nd pairing defense,Sabres, I believe, want to add some youth/size/toughness.Leopold's got 1 yr on his deal.

Below are 2 proposals,give me some feedback.

1.Leopold for NYI 2nd and Rakhshani. RW Rhett is a small,skilled winger.There's no room on LI for him because he has not been able to bump aside the current top 6 wingers and lacks the size the isles are trying to add in the bottom 6.


2.Leopold for NYI 3rd and Anders Lee.I bumped the pick down because Lee is a better prospect.At 6'2 210 lbs,I believe he plays both center and lw.He'll be in his final yr of college next season.

Make it a 2nd and lee and it's a deal

This.

I'd be content with a 2013 2nd round pick

I think Lee and a 2nd,for a 1 yr rental is overpayment.

Thanks though for the feedback.:nod:

yes, there is a difference in value in a 1 yr rental vs a trade deadline rental... leopold is worth a 2nd + at the deadline. Lee is a long shot NHL prospect, but atleast he has the pedigree for what out pipeline lacks

Leopold
for
2nd, cizikas

Not even if Leopold had multiple yrs on his deal;).Isles love Cizikas' work ethic and energy.He got called up and stuck on the 3rd line.I expect they have him penciled into next season's roster

ok, we'll settle on a 2nd and Lee

Leo + our 1st for your 1st ;)

:nod::nod::nod::nod:

Leopold was top 3 amongst the Sabres defense last year in most of the important statistical categories.

I don't get how the Sabres get better by dealing him away for futures.

I'd rather keep him and then dump him at the deadline ala Goose if they are out of the playoff mix.

Pass up a chance to draft a potential 1st pairing d-man,for 33 yr old Leopold?

You must be kidding:D

Neither Murray or Dumba will be on the board at #12.Gonna have to say thanks, but no thanks.

The most likely time to get gms to overpay,will be at the trade deadline.

I agree. The only scenario under which I see them moving him is if Darcy feels he can add good futures--I think an early 2nd and pretty good prospect like Lee would qualify--and adequately replace most of what Leo provided. Obviously, signing Suter would be a good example of that, plus we'd have to cut salary. Also, re-signing Sulzer and acquiring a vet like Hal Gill on value contracts may be a step in that direction, as well.

I don't think we could add a jack-of-all-trades-master-of-none like Leo in UFA, but getting guys who excel in one area or another (like Gill) and adding solid futures may be a sufficient alternative.

Obviously they can move Leo if they sign a guy like Suter.

I just don't see Gill as a guy that should make Leo available.

Because Sekera, Ehrhoff, Myers, and McNabb are all better than him now. Leopold is prone to gaff's and he isn't aging well. Getting a 2nd for him + cap relief >> anything that Leopold can bring to the table next year IMHO.

If Myers and Ehrhoff were healthy all year, Leopold would have been well down the depth charts.

Myers & Ehrhoff, sure.

But, McNabb isn't that good yet and I think Leopold had a better year than Sekera.

Seems like the guy to improve upon in the top 5 right now. But they can't simply bank on having McNabb or good health to absorb what he provides, so his availability should be predicated on them making another move to improve on the backend. Suter would be the wet dream, especially if they could get him on something relatively cap-friendly (say $5.5M-ish for the term of it), but they would need to find a decent minute eater with some level of versatility if they let him go.

McNabb I agree on, but I think Reggie's season was better than Leo's. Plus Reggie's here for awhile. Leo's contract is running out. Sell him now, move Weber if you can too.

Yup.

I'd just hate to move Leopold for futures and expect Sulzer/McNabb to be an upgrade over what Leo provided last year.

Agreed. I'd like them to go for proven talent in the top 4/5 as a way of improving toward their stated Cup goals. McNabb can come along slowly and if he pushes himself up, they have the enviable position of having him doing so and the option to deal someone off to improve elsewhere.

I like the idea -- Leo seems like a solid fit for the Isles and the trades are good value. And the Sabres would need to be making another move or two for their backend.

Gill is better defensively and on the PK. He's not close to Leo on the offensive end, but I'm alright with that. I look at it this way:

Gill
34th pick
Anders Lee

for

Jordan Leopold

You wouldn't do that? I like Leo more than most, but c'mon. An early-2nd, above-average prospect that you can slow-cook, and a proven guy like Gill who's been through the battles is a great return. And I think you're overestimating how much it'd hurt us next season.

The issue I'd have in that regard is that the Sabres struggled to score goals this season and this move makes them less able to activate from the back end.

I don't think Leopold is the guy you subtract for a guy like Gill given the issues that the Sabres need to address.

Gill is a guy to replace Regehr or Weber to me.

Plus, Lee has been playing LW at Notre Dame. So, who knows if he'll be a center at the next level or not.

Once they acquired Hodgson and went with Ennis-Hodgson-Roy as their top-9 centers, they scored 67 goals in their final 20 games (3.35 goals/game). Over an 82-game pace, that's 274 goals, which would've been good for #2 in the league. They scored enough down the stretch that I don't believe they should hang onto Leopold for the mere fact that he'll give you ten goals per season. I think we have enough mobile defensemen--Myers, Ehrhoff, Sekera, and Sulzer if we re-sign him--to withstand the loss of Leo, and if we're dedicated to increasing our goal output we should be looking at bolstering our forward corps.

If they can get an early-2nd and a decent prospect for him pre-July 1, I say do it.