dudacek

I hope not.

Not sure that's what they need to get for him anyway, unless Tage to RW is a thing. RFAs looking to get paid, like Byram, this year, or next: Rossi, Knies Villardi McTavish Cuylle Pinto Kakko Schneider Miller Hayton Zegras Players with a year to UFA: Connor Necas Kempe Schmaltz Lowry Andersson Coyle If we need to add a prospect, we've got 'em. If somebody needs to unload the dollars we've got space. Didn't put a ton of thought into it in terms of "equal value" or fit, it's just list of not completely outlandish players whose contracts are coming up, which is typically where GMs do their fishing. The other place to look is at rebuilding teams looking to get younger.

I alluded to this yesterday and think it deserves more traction: The Sabres without Dahlin are 0/8/2 and have been outscored 48(!) to 25. Nearly 5 goals against over 10 games!

I wouldn't trade Power for Beniers (who I like) or Wright (who I do not), but that is his ball park value. The model for a Power trade would be the old Seth Jones for Ryan Johanssen deal. Personally, I haven't given up on Power yet. I'd see what the market is, but it would take a strong offer to pull the trigger. *** Byram's value is at least as good as it was a year ago, where he garnered a 50- to 60ish-point 2C. His 5-on-5 numbers and the minutes he's played while staying healthy have answered the two biggest questions about him from a year ago. The same GMs who loved his skillset previously will not have changed their minds and he's still early enough in his Sabre career that "Buffalo stink" can work to the Sabres advantage. I think a Weegar or Andersson type piece is definitely close enough in the way Norris was for Cozens as main pieces. (Andersson has had a worse season and is a year from UFA, Weegar is 8 years older) I like Byram in the way I liked Brandon Montour and see similar utility in him, but I think his time in Buffalo officially ended when his buddy Cozens got traded. In order to add what we have to add, he's probably the most logical trade chip.

5 goals in 7 games for Brannstrom? The D-core has really become a strength for the Amerks this season. Brannstrom and Clague are fringe NHLers who can really skate and move the puck, and Rathbone is cut from the same cloth Metsa has come into his own to lead the D with 42 points in 61 games. And Johnson, Novikov and Komarov are all playing regularly as prospects and contributing. Its a very deep unit.

Jack Quinn really has me second-guessing my prospect-watching skills, but I always thought Östlund was underrated around here. I mean I got how people were wary of the size, particularly when the production numbers were very good, not special But every time I've watched him play he's always been one of the most-notable guys on the ice: He is fast and he plays fast. His processor is next-gen with or without the puck, and he's always around the puck, always hustling. I mean I brought up the Aho comp the year he was drafted, and they're similar size. Mike Peca had a damn good career as a 5'11" 180-pound centre. I'm certainly not saying he'll be those guys — I don't know if he'll even be an NHLer — but from what I've seen, he plays the game the right way.

/sarcasm

Sabres now winless in 10 without the captain. As if we needed more evidence of Kevyn Adams failures, just think of where they would be without the two key players on the team he didn't acquire.

Sorry for triggering Promo because that was pond hockey, but the difference between being a starter and being a JAG is making saves. UPL hasn’t made enough of them this year. I haven’t given up completely on Jack Quinn, but if I rewind the tape over his NHL career, it seems he only has games like that against teams who are playing like that. I really wonder if he will ever be strong enough and fast enough to play the style he wants to play against good NHL defence.

***** Toronto media bias. Completely ignoring the Sabres are rolling along better than all the pretenders at 6-4

Can you convince him to make Pegula an offer?

He means consensus among the Sabres staff. As in, Belluz was the highest ranked player on the Sabres board, but they went off the board, to the surprise of most of their in-house staff. LGR says he knows for a fact it was Forton's call but he got mad at me when I asked for his source.

If it was me, I'd flip UPL, pick up a mid-tier guy. Sign Reimer or someone like him in the veteran insurance role. And let Levi steal their crease if he's good enough. Raztlaff and Leinonen can fight to earn their ice time. But why pivot when things are going so well? *** As for Leinonen. Of course this is what you do when you invest a 2nd-round pick in a goalie and he is coming off a good season. Whether he should have been drafted is irrelevant. It's about whats best for the team right now.

Someone else mistakenly conflating team defence with defencemen and team offence with forwards I agree Thompson is not getting traded and Norris, Greenway and Zucker are highly unlikely given their recent moves. McLeod only moves if his contract demands are silly and/or he's the centre going back in a deal for a better centre. Leaving these three as the most likely to be traded: Quinn because he was a dismal failure as 2nd-line winger, and next to 2C his was the most obvious forward slot needing to be upgraded Tuch because he is an impending free agent on the wrong side of their window who has good value and may not want to re-sign at a price they'd like Peterka because he is an RFA, might be hard sell to stay, and has the most value among their large group of smallish, skilled wingers That's 8, leaving Benson and Kulich as the leftovers. Neither was good enough to be in the top 6 this year. Both, like Peterka and Quinn, represent what the team has a lot of. Do you want one of them handed the role Quinn failed at? Do you take the risk they do the same, or do you acquire someone more proven? And if you do, do you need to keep them both? On top of Peterka and Quinn? Especially with Rosen, Helenius and Östlund coming? When you know what's needed is a more disciplined, veteran, hardened group? Nobody wants to trade their favourite kids, but if you really want to change the mix, one or more has to go. Me, I'd dangle Peterka because he's the one that could result in the most impactful return. But really it's should be more about trying to acquire what they need to acquire and acknowledging that in order to do that, somebody's got to go.

I'm starting to feel like I'm the only one who thinks Norris was just a first step, and the Sabres are actually going to shake up the forwards this summer. Thanks for this. I'm always amazed at how little attention fans pay to ice time. Post trade deadline — particularly with the issues of Norris, Zucker and Greenway — the Sabres seem to be on a bit of fact-finding mission: How do Benson and Kulich look higher up the lineup How does McLeod function as a 2C Can Quinn find his game reunited with Peterka Can Samuelsson find his game reunited with Dahlin What does Byram have to give without Dahlin What do they have in JBD Is Kozak a potential Sabre to start next year I think culture, in the context of the video, is not about anything more than "these guys aren't playing as good as we think they should." Personally I think its mostly a way for the coaching and management staff to avoid admitting they were wrong in how they evaluated and/or coached their prized kiddie corps.