The signing was good? Are you serious? Did anyone scout him over the previous year? This cup winner nonsense and former #1 -- just stuff no longer applicable to a player who aged out. He helped Philadelphia fall apart. What room did Okposo hold together? A bunch of guys who were a bottom third term. Girgensons is a sentimental favourite of the owner, according to local media. We spent $5 M on two players who made the team worse. Playing Okopso on the PP just compounded the stupidity. The Sabres were $8 M under the cap and spent $3.5 M on Johnson, $2.5 M on Okposo, $2.5 M on Girgensons and $2 M on Jost. Take that $10.5 M and The $8 M in space and you could have maybe gotten real players.
Yeah, signing Johnson was solid. His usage on the other hand was not. His first month or so here he was very solid in limited minutes and Pk time. He made a lot of the simple plays that the younger dmen just refused to make (chipping the puck off the glass and out to relieve extended zone time, for example). I don't know how he was in the locker room as I wasn't there. I don't think Adams had any illusions that Johnson was more than a 6 or 7. It ultimately didn't work out and we recouped a 4th. If he was truly a disaster, nobody would have given a pick, let alone a 4th.
Okposo was beloved in the locker room, it was reported a ton and even players responses when he left, I lt was felt. Ideally he would have retired after last year as he was clearly on the downswing but he earned every right to come back for one more year and try to finish the task of getting this group to the playoffs. He still had a few drops in the tank.
Girgensons would have clearly received more money and term on the open market. Even if Terry marched in and said he stays, that would still be a good thing. Good teams covet players like Girgs.
Jost - he was meh. We had cap space and he was destined for the press box. We paid him to sit in the press box and he accepted his role (didn't bitch about Rochester). He served a purpose to block prospects who needed some more time and to keep a crucial guy like Murray in the space where he was best suited. I have no problem if they would have walked away and went after another reclamation project but also was fine playing a guy who played in the system the year before.
There also has to be a desire from a player to want to sign here.
I think the biggest point that we both keep making is, the player utilization was a core problem and the leader of those decisions is no longer here.