Drakrami

Karlsson is a downgrade from Dahlen no matter how you look at it. Not to mention we dont need more 2 way forwards (look at our lineup's lack of offense), we need more goal scorers and playmakers. This trade is just a head scratcher... Should've just held onto the kid until the summer and look for the right trade.

Hes playing 20+ minutes and on their PK. How is that #5 defensemen and not shutdown D...? Did you bang your head or something?

You dont move someone for the sake of moving someone, you need the timing and right trading partner. Moving Gudbranson leaves glaring holes in our defensive line up and makes our team is even softer now. Adding Pearson literally does nothing for our team, the dude was already being moved around like a used car before this trade. Now answer me, how are we going to plug our defensive gap for the rest of the season and next season? How about team softness with our super soft team, we just traded away our toughest player.

So as a GM you create maximum value from him in a trade. And dont trade him until you do. Duchene wanted out for years, Av's GM waited for the right trade and got a boat load for that team. So basically, Benning bowed to the player?

Horrible, random, horrible trade. Trade away Dahlen who we've been developing nicely for some unknown kid who looks like he wont even make the AHL team.

Is Benning making trade for the sake of making trades? Because this Gundrabson and Dahlen trade is downright HORRIBLE. Not to mention it shows Benning's lack of direction as a GM.

This is like saying Tavares, Stamkos was interested in Vancouver.....

pretty nice trade for LA. cup run for Toronto.

Hopefully we dont resign Granlund and will have space to give Gaunce another try at the NHL. As people have said, he needs to play with intensity and not just float around waiting for chances and think that he some defensive specialist.

we are like our 5th year into the rebuild and no where being a contender while the first 2 teams you named are already contenders. Edmonton have two of the best players in the game but just cant win. So i dunno how you can say our rebuild is smoother, shorter or better...

Been a Gaunce basher for the last year.. But he deserves another look, just not so soon. Rest of season in Utica will do him good, he needs the drive to play well in the NHL and not take it for granted. For those less talented, they need to play with the drive of Motte/Stecher.

0 responsibility defensively, when he falls down we are like on the PK. Doesn't care about the play once the puck enters our defensive zone.

His AHL season was good. But he wasn't a stats leader like you say. I also suspect his AHL all star is because every team gets to send at least 1 player..? Any way, future is still bright, but I am not as hyped as when Demko was carrying his team and dominated the stats during his college years. Especially with his few games of NHL pre-season showing where he didnt really shine at all.

So... how did he get injured? A shot to the head? Hard to imagine a goalie getting a concussion from shots with all that protection. Concussion aside, Demko no longer looks like that for sure future starter to me, which is sad since our current 2 goalies aren't really good.

Fair enough points. But if he is a grinder that is not fast, that will be a huge blow to his career. He needs to be fast enough to forecheck, finish checks, get in blocking lanes and may be even bring the puck down the ice. His shot is really bad, it looks like he pushes the puck to the net instead of actually shooting it. Any way wish he surprises in Utica and get another chance with the big club. Not that optimistic considering we get new blood every draft year flooding in to compete for a roster spot. Right now Boucher or even Gagner is preferred for a call up to the big club.

Gaunce has taken things way too granted the past 2 years while he was a regular on the team. To be fair, I haven't watched him play a lot. But Motte is flying out there checking opposition players, very noticably. Gaunce, for a player with 0 offense points nor potential to show is very unnoticable in hard working ethics. Even with all that, he has many supporters here praising his so called defensive skill set. Well, he can go defend in Utica.

lol at people who thinks Gaunce was ever gonna get picked up at the waivers.

2014 is suddenly a wild card draft because it didnt work to Benning's favor? rofl cdc.

Im still puzzled why Sabres traded away their 2nd line centre. They just picked up Dahlin who could have the same impact as McDavid on their blueline along with Eichel they have pretty good assets to become a team bound for the playoffs. So... why trade away a guy with 60 points? Is there a chemistry problem or something? Although they do get back 2 quite serviceable 3rd liners from the Blues.

Calgary just got a young 2nd line center and a young top pairing defenseman.

You are describing the Lightning. And they are already reviewing their roster to upgrade in size and grit after failing to win the cup this year.

Like how we were obsessed with size and grit 2-4 years ago and now we are going all small, skill and speed. Not sure which is the better route, probably a mixture, but its probably not good that we are such soft team already and adding more and more soft players.

dont get the blind love for gaunce on this board. I was cheering for him a few years back. But he needs to stay in the AHL next season, hes taking up a roster spot. I'd rather see Goldobin. Play him for a full season, and trade him away for a 1st or 2nd round pick. We have some lost seasons ahead, need to focus on asset management and stockpile for the future.

lol. I dont see Gaunce as any more defensively better than our list of AHLers Chaput, Megna, Boucher, Archibald. Only point is Gaunce is still relatively young and can hopefully develop into a better player. But NHL is not the place for player development - its the real deal. Boucher is just 24 years old btw, 1 year older than Gaunce. And way more gifted than Gaunce offensively. So Gaunce getting so many games while Boucher is left in the AHL to rot seems unfair to me.

Gaunce is defensively gifted? lol.. people here will say whatever they want.