dudacek

Why do you hate the current forward group so much? I look at last year’s forward group and see a lot of big forwards with good overall speed and compete and a ton of scoring ability. I’d like to see more defensive awareness and physical strength, which they have tried to address with Greenway. I see Tage, Tuch, Skinner, Cozens, Mitts Okposo and Girgensons all properly slotted and good at their roles. I see improvement needed from Quinn, Peterka, Krebs, Greenway, Olofsson and Jost in theirs. The 1st four are all certainly capable of growth. I think their growth would go a long way toward addressing the flaws of the corps. I want all of them on my team and in the starting lineup. I would like to see Olofsson and Jost removed from the starting 12 in favour of a player or players who add more edge, responsibility and/or PK ability (plus hopefully the ability to take faceoffs) to the 3rd or 4th line. In short, I’m OK with running most of last year’s forwards back because I think the forward corps is very nearly there. Goalie and defence are a different story.

The idea that Okposo and Girgensons are somehow to blame for the team being bad while they’ve been here, or that the team can’t be good if they are here, is just something I can’t get my head around.

Wouldn’t surprise me if he had a number of prospects he’d package all three for and kept offering them as long as one of them was still available.

Flames fans want Krebs and/or 13. I think Calgary seems like a good destination for Olofsson. No idea Conroy would want. Value to me would be somewhere between Lindholm (pick 22, 2 2nds) and Provorov (pick 22, 1 2nd that likely paid for salary retention) Personally, I think Hanifin is a great fit

But it sure does cement the fact they are bringing back the band. Skinner Tage, Tuch, Peterka Greenway Cozens Mitts Quinn Okposo Krebs Girgensons That’s 11 everyday players with 2 or 3 roster spots left up front. Vic’s gone and Rousek is knocking on the door. Wonder if they bring in an upgrade on Jost for that last spot?

From a fan perspective, love the guy, desperately want to see him in the playoffs wearing blue and gold. From a hockey perspective, not many better 4th line wingers in this league. People scream for more of what he brings from the team yet overlook the fact he’s bringing it.

I’d offer a slight caveat: used as #6 on a deep, defensively strong system team like Boston I could see him getting the job done. Cast any higher, on a leakier team, he’s going to break down and fail.

You do a good job stating your case, but the disconnect is clearly happening with the bold: 2years ago, OEL and Bryson performed at roughly the same level of adequate 3rd pairing guy. Last year they each fell off the same cliff and didn’t belong on NHL ice. 3 years ago, in Arizona, OEL’s play mirrored that of his most recent year. The gap between him and Jokiharju is huge. It has been 4 years since he has showed the talent upgrade you think might be there. As I said last week in the other thread, on paper he looks like he might be a Jeep or a Teppo in the making, but on the ice he’s shown no signs. If you sign him, it should be with expectations similar to Clague: any useful NHL contribution he might make should be considered a pleasant surprise.

Love Peca. Wish he was still here. Continue to scoff at the idea anyone here has sufficient knowledge to determine whether or not he represents a significant upgrade on anyone still with the organization as a coach You like the player and the man.

Feels like Arizona at 6 might also be a viable target

This a legitimate concern. For me, if the Sabres become Cup contenders it's because Power and Dahlin are their best players and legit top 10 NHL blueliners. $18 million is cheap for your top 2 players over the next 9 years.

The other option that might work chemistry-wise is keeping Krebs with Okposo and sliding Savoie in between Mitts and Greenway. But I don' tthink Savoie is ready for that.

I know people are hardwired to want Cozens with Quinn and Peterka, and that might be the best option. But a Mitts Cozens Greenway line could play against anyone and might result in 40 goals for Dylan.

Maybe that's where he's headed, that the team should be using him more?

I haven’t looked into the numbers, but I’m pretty sure most of Casey’s PK work happened early in the year. My memory tells me that he lost his job there and down the stretch he wasn’t being used in that role at all. Edit: nhl.Com says he was 11th in Sabre forwards last season, averaging 20 seconds per game SH. After March 1 he played 13 seconds - not 13 per game, but 13 seconds total. https://www.nhl.com/stats/skaters?report=timeonice&reportType=season&seasonFrom=20222023&seasonTo=20222023&gameType=2&position=F&playerPlayedFor=franchise.19&filter=gamesPlayed,gte,1&sort=shTimeOnIcePerGame&page=0&pageSize=50

Pretty much everyone agrees that the best move for the Sabres is to acquire a reliable proven veteran who can act as a bridge for Levi - ideally work in a tandem, but also carry the freight if he falters, and not act as a block if he gets hot. Pretty much everyone wants a guy who has put up consistently strong numbers in recent years, who is available without costing us #13 or a top prospect, and who doesn’t carry a contract commitment beyond 2 years. Why does pretty much no one recognize there is no better fit for the Sabres than Linus Ullmark?

I said more than anything else, the pipeline needs an Ekholm. He sure seems to fit the bill.

Last time a Sabre put up that many highlights in one season? Had to be Dom, right? That was a special year he gave us.

Interesting talk on the latest Athletic draft podcast about whether or not Michkov is a ***** and whether that should matter. They danced around for awhile about double standards, and how plenty of other high picks have deserved those concerns and didn’t get the same amount of attention, and whether even if they are true, does it matter? And they had me thinking “it kinda sounds like they’re talking about Eichel?” And then one just bluntly said “there are many people around the league who for many years have said bad things about Jack Eichel and I’m sure he doesn’t give a ***** about that right now”

I think it’s probably where you need to be. I understand why some people’s jaws drop, but I’d do it. This is all true. Thing is, Power doesn’t need to be a Norris Trophy candidate for the contract to make sense. $8 million right now, meaning as of today, would make him the 17th highest paid defenceman in the league. 3 or 4 years from now, it may not be in the top 30. Nine years from now, when he’s 29, I’d be surprised if it’s top 50. Yeah, he might be overpaid the next year or two, but he might be underpaid for 5 or 6 after that, even if he “only” turns into a Thomas Chabot level player. I have no problem betting on Power being a top 50 NHL defenceman for the majority of the deal and $8-million reflects that. I really think it’s just the appropriate manifestation of what powered the Mule and Tage signings: if you’ve seen enough to believe, lock him up.

I gotta say that I've never really seen the value in Bader's stuff. Not really commenting on the info above, it's just that I've come to the point where I just don't pay any attention to him, fair or not. I just don't see the value in saying these selected numbers are close to this other guy's therefore we should expect a similar career.

Switching Rousek for Z probably helps the offence and opens cap space while making us slower, smaller, weaker on the forecheck and worse defensively. Not exactly robbing from strength to address weakness

I'm looking to Quinn to elevate his role on the PP and hope the coaches are adjusting their tactics to emphasize his skillset.

I’d really like to watch you and Don break down a game together.