dudacek

I worry about the same thing, but not for the same reasons. I see cap preventing teams from adding the type of depth guys we will be selling. Miller was the surest bet, but his injury clouds that. I’m very interested in whether or not Olofsson fits into their long-term plans.

I think we will see Levi signing this spring, with Portillo following the next spring.

Don’t know and it’s hard to judge Adams without knowing. Im glad he didn’t beat Timmons, 1st, 3rd for Kuemper. A 2nd for Vanecek? A 3rd for Vladar? A 3rd and Bernier for Nedjelkovic? I can see Adams thinking Lukkonnen, Anderson and keeping the picks might be a better option, given his goals. I do know our goaltending has been bad this year and that is on him.

Most team’s 3-4-5-6 are no better than Luukkonen/Dell/Subban/Houser. Nearly every team (thanks Arizona) has a more reliable 1-2 than Anderson/Tokarski.

I think there is a very good chance Levi plays a game this year. The only thing standing in the way of the record is Anderson or Ticker stepping up Saturday.

So I guess it’s either Marty Biron or @darksabre?

Ryan Johnson sounds like a kid who is getting ready to become a Buffalo Sabre. https://www.nhl.com/sabres/news/buffalo-sabres-prospects-update-ryan-johnson-university-of-minnesota-gophers/c-330249152

The idea of trading the two players who best represent the game you want the team to play — big-bodied, high-effort, accountable — is baffling to me.

Seems we've finally found agreement on this one. Every word. I find it interesting how much the "C" meant to Jack, and unsurprising that he conveniently omitted the fact his trade demand was already well-entrenched when they removed it.

It wouldn’t pay a 1st if they paid all of Miller’s contract. But good info, and good to know they are trying.

Eichel gushing about his Sabres fandom

Yes, that’s what I am getting at, but with the pessimistic addendum of them deciding it’s not worth paying more and they just say ‘screw it, status quo’ Hopefully, GMs are as dumb as ever. Speaking of dumb, at what price (UFA contract, not trade) does Risto make sense for the Sabres?

Here’s a question: Does Johnny Boychuk’s contract have any value as a tool a team can use to create extra space by moving him to LTIR like the Lightning have with Seabrook? And, if so, why the heck did Lou trade him to us?

I have concerns that there is so little wiggle room that a lot of the deadline activity were used to. Are teams going to pay the added cost of laundering a contract? If you have barely any space, are you going to use it on Colin Miller? Who can afford to squeeze even a Cody Eakin under the cap? Maybe a lot of teams will conclude they aren’t paying a premium.

I’ve chewed on it enough to conclude that Adams would be derelict not to take advantage if the market and the Pegulas allow.

I really like what I’ve seen of Tuch but he comes across to me as more of a corporal personality than a captain.

If there is a burning desire to get a captain in place as soon as possible, a guy they anoint and say 'you lead', then that makes sense. I don't know if that is the case. Especially after Jack. I think they want a guy to evolve into the captain's role organically I would not be surprised if they run with the same scenario they have now until Grigs and KO's contracts run out so they can see how the Power/Quinn/Krebs/Peterka/Samuelsson/Cozens dynamic starts to come together behind the Mitts/thompson/Tuch/Dahlin/Jokiharju group and who steps up into the role.

We see soundbites and on-ice stuff that appeal to us, but we don't have any idea how the room actually works. My dark horse based on the way Donnie talks about him is Casey Mittelstadt. He paints him with a real Drury vibe: a burning desire to be better than the guy opposite him, a sourness about losing, and a magnetism that draws in the younger guys. Quite surprising to hear actually, given the way Casey is generally perceived and portrayed here. I think the team wants it to happen organically, and that would give Dahlin, Mitts and Thompson the inside track, although Tuch certainly has time to push his way to the front of that line.

Power?

I’m sorta resigned to Bjork as the 13th forward next year, simply because he’s under contract. Personally, I’d rather have Hayden because he’s tougher, Caggiula because he’s peskier or Hinostroza because he’s better. But they don’t have contracts and I’ll settle for one JAG over five.

My suspicion right now is it’s mostly marketing; the Sabres have hopes they can sell Eakin at the deadline on his Vegas/Dallas rep. Also, given the fact Mitts has been out all year and Krebs has been unavailable, he really has been one of the 4 best centres at Donnie’s disposal most nights.

Unfortunately, the same could be said for Pysyk.

Not really interested in Debrusk per se, but a player of his age and contract status that fits long-term like Tuch, sure. Also, more than happy to take on a guy one year away from UFA as a cap dump who can fill a role next year like Hagg did this year. Payment to take a Hagg on a bad salary, or I’ll pay you for a discount better player.

Free agency would be the last thing I would like to see done with this cap space.