dudacek

Conor Geekie, JJ Moser and a 2025 2nd got Utah Mikhael Sergachev. Matt Savoie, Ryan Johnson and a 2025 2nd should get the Sabres a similar level forward. Ehlers qualifies, but not without an extension. He’s a pending UFA. Sergachev has 6 prime years left. If Chevy is demanding more than the Sergachev price for an unsigned Ehlers, Adams is right to say no. There’s a difference between an overpay and getting bent over.

I'd give that to Quinn and Peterka right now, plus the tax difference.

I think I posted about it earlier, but McKenzie reported 4 scouts he surveyed had the kid in their top 7

Another roster note: The Sabres have 13 defencemen under contract. Just 2 — Clifton and Komarov — are right-handed Jokiharju would make it 3 of 14 Recent 2nd-rounders Maxim Strbak and Adam Kleber are both right-handed shots

Why would you send your 6th-highest scoring forward to the minors, especially when that forward was also one of your more responsible forwards defensively. Im not sure where Zach Benson’s offensive ceiling is, but he’s already proven he’s an effective NHL 3rd-line player. How does demoting help team or player?

This is insightful and fits why he’s not trading for Mangiapane or overpaying for Henrique, or picking up Radek Faksa for free.

Isn’t nearly everything in that chart save the last group a measure of offence? And isn’t the whole story of his deployment the fact that 90% of his shifts start in the Dzone against the Panarins and Crosbys of the world? Isnt this chart saying that under those circumstances he loses 1 more retrieval than he wins over 60 minutes of ice time?

Depth chart (not lines) as things stand Peterka Thompson Tuch Zucker Cozens Quinn Benson Krebs Greenway Malenstyn Lafferty Aube-Kubel Rousek Kulich Rosen Murray Östlund Savoie Wahlberg Dunne Jobst Kisakov Kozak Neuchev Nadeau Slaggert Warren Power Dahlin Byram Jokiharju Samuelsson Clifton Gilbert Bryson Johnson Clague Novikov Rathbone Poolman Komarov Prow Metsa Luukkonen Levi Reimer Sandstrom Houser I keep coming back to @Thorny’s post about how everything kinda makes sense if they add a good middle six forward. With the amount of cap space and prospect capital available, not to make a move - even if it’s just another Zucker, even if they lose the trade - would be a gross dereliction of duty.

This part I disagree with. Cozens has played in 280 NHL games and multiple junior and men’s world championships in a first-line role. He’s not a rookie any more and he’s been training for this his entire life. It’s time.

I don’t think you’re the only one wanting to see Cozens pushed down to 3C. I’ve never seen that as a reasonable scenario because the GM has made it very clear - through contract and the Mitts trade - that he sees Cozens as a very good 2C long-term And I couldn’t see him expending precious resources to bring in an expensive upgrade to a role he already sees as being filled. Personally, I’m OK with the characterization of Cozens as a long-term 2C as well. Last season definitely raised questions, but the season he put up at 22, along with his track record away from the Sabres and his competitive nature lead me to believe a 30-goal 70-point guy will be more his norm over the length of that contract.

I think some people on here forget that NHL teams draft 18-year-olds with a wide range of physical maturity levels, and NHLers aren’t typically fully formed until they are about 25. On average, NHL players arrive on the scene 3-5 years after being picked and take about 3 more years after arriving to become what they will be. It is unusual for anyone picked outside the top 10 to become an NHL regular 3 years after being picked. Six players from the 2021 first round played the entire season in the NHL last year.

Adam Mair gave a quick update on Poltapov at development camp. Said he communicates with him regularly through Zoom and WhatsApp and sends him clips with feedback about his game. Characterized him as gritty bull of a forechecker with excellent strength and superior puck protection. Said he’s a guy who can play up and down the lineup: enough talent to play with skill guys and enough grit to play further down the lineup. Won a KHL championship as a 20-year-old in a bottom six role. Sounds like the type of player people say we don’t draft. Didn’t sound like a guy they’ve given up on at all. No update on when he’s coming over, but last I heard he was under contract there until the end of this season.

One thing I have to admit about this off-season is how the Sabres have been accountable to their own cries for accountability. One thing each member of our new 4th line - and even Zucker in a less punishing manner - shares is the fact they bring it. No catered-to national team bonus babies here; these are guys who are in the NHL for one reason only: They come fast and they come hard, every night. And they are replacing guys like Jost, Skinner and Olofsson who didn’t. And I wonder what replacing 4 guys with questionable “accountability” with 4 guys with unquestioned “accountability” does to the other 8 guys on the roster? Won’t it mean more pressure on them to match that? As opposed to last season where they could be off and still say “well, I’m bringing more than that guy.” Can it create more of a critical mass where talented but uneven players like Tuch and Cozens are dragged into the fight more often? Particularly when the new coach will have no hesitation nailing your ass to the bench if it doesn’t?

Almost historically, like literally top 10 of all time. And Aube-Kubel was right there with him.

Right, another one. And now Poolman makes 8

Ross Colton as a trade target perhaps with Colorado in a cap squeeze? Boone Jenner with Columbus adding Monahan? Just spitballing.

So Reimer is the lead item on the Amerks web page this morning, which is…interesting. I guess I’m fine with them pencilling him in as the 3 to start because it doesn’t change his availability as a fallback. I don’t really care if Levi gets 30 starts in Buffalo instead of 50 in Roch if it means the Sabres are getting a better chance of winning those 30 games.

Their roster looks pretty full now. I mean, there are a literally 9 legitimate prospect forwards under contract that I’d expect to be in Rochester next year and they’re talking like Helenius might join them. They added Murray and Dunne yesterday, Slaggert, Warren and Jobst today. I’m not sure the status of Mersch, but that’s 14-16 up front, plus Rousek if he doesn’t stick with the Sabres. add Prow and Laaouan to Johnson, Komorov and Novikov, plus likely one or 2 of Clague, Bryson, Gilbert and the D is close too.

Another Cup contender

History is also replete with teams who don't match expectations writ on paper. None of the past 4 editions of the Sabres matched my expectations — 2 were better, 2 were worse. Teams are complex creatures and chemistry an unpredictable beast.

Thing is, he still gotta close. Until then, he's the GM of an 84-point team whose biggest adds were a backup goalie, a veteran middle-six winger and a new 4th line. Those are the moves of a GM tweaking a contender. Trying is not good enough. Especially when you cut a 30-goal scorer for no tangible benefit other than saving money.

I think there is some heavy-duty stare downs happening where he is gone well down the road on a bigger deal or deals, but hasn’t been able to close them yet. We know he wants to make a move and we hear he’s been trying hard to make a move. None of the players that have moved have the profile of the type of reverse-Reinhart trade he wants to make. He still has his bucket full of assets, using pick 11 doesn’t change that. He’s a stubborn guy and his “we like our team” is an attempt to reinforce that to whoever he’s talking to. Meanwhile, whoever he’s talking to knows the pressure he’s under and is trying to squeeze an extra pick or better player out of the deal.

It’s also on a Canadian long weekend, during the middle of free agent frenzy, which is going to take the full attention of the hockey media, just before they book out for the summer. From a PR perspective it’s about as easy a window as they are going to find.

I’m more shocked than common sense says I should be. It's just Adams has been so stubborn in net, you’d think he’s just continue to double down. It’s who he is, and the two kids are finally at a point where it can be justified. And given those factors, I wasn’t sure they’d even be able to find a goalie who fit the bill. Craig Anderson played well when he wasn’t overused, but let’s face it: he was basically retired when we brought him in. Sad to say, but this is the most established outside goalie this team has acquired since…Neuvirth/Halak? I mean Comrie, Tokarski, Hutton, Nilsson, Johnson…it’s been a real scrap heap of veteran pickups since Miller got traded.

He’s kinda the perfect backup for a young guy like UPL at this point. This is the kind of play a real NHL team would make given the other 2 goalies in the organization. Fills in while Luukkonen carries the load up here and they play the ***** out of Levi in Rochester. Watch them bring back the three-headed monster.