dudacek

I don’t listen to Sabres games on the radio, which seems to be Dan’s biggest criticism. i like the excitement level of his voice in games that call for that. His word play can be cringey at times but his tone is good; he’s got a touch of that old Hockey Night in Canada broadcaster in that he spends most of his time calling the game rather than drifting into anecdotes while the play goes on - at least compared to what I hear on national broadcasts. I think he gets the part about how the sound of his voice needs to convey the rhythms of the game. I liked how he called the explosive squad of 22/23. He’s a pro in the sense that he strikes a very good balance of letting us know he’s for the Sabres without ever feeling like he is pandering to them, or misleading us. He’s a decent foil for Ray; it feels like Rob has accepted him as part of the team now and the needling is more camaraderie than testing. I’m comfortable hanging out with him for 3 hours a couple times a week. I find myself getting annoyed when my feed is the other team’s. I’m looking forward to see what he does with a good team to work with.

Got excited by the mention of Eriksen Ek, but the other 2 names @tom webster mentioned would be good fits as well and should come cheaper. Not clear if he meant they are shopping for that caliber of player in general, or they’ve had serious conversations about each.

57 goals and you still struggle to see it?

Huge overpay. Fairer value for Laughton would be the 11th pick in the 2nd round, or Jokiharju straight across. Scott Laughton is a decent fit as a 3C: not exciting but he would help. He’s also a pending UFA. Look upthread for the types of assets one typically acquires for a pick around #11. You’ll find exactly one who isn’t obviously better. His name is Rasmus and if we made this deal it would absolutely be Philly’s revenge.

For me the big name unrestricted free agency discussion is moot anyway. The Sabres have hauled in their share of big names: Ehrhoff, Leino, Okposo, Skinner (he counts) and Hall. None of them really worked out. By and large, splashy UFA signings turn into overpaid veterans. Sometimes you’ll get lucky with a Zach Hyman or a Joe Pavelski. But for the most part, UFA works best for filling in the gaps, not adding core guys.

5’11” 190 pounds at 18 and they call Helenius too small?

Was it? Wasn’t the whole reason it dragged on for so long was because Adams refused to take a substantial discount? I go back to this: when was the last time a player got traded for 3 pieces as good, or better than #11 pick? Ek is an excellent player on an excellent contract, but by no means is he a 1C, a 1D, or an elite sniper or power forward. Thomas Hertl went for the equivalent of 2 late firsts CaseyMittelstadt went for Bowen Byram Elias Lindholm went for a late 1st, a prospect worth a 2nd and what some would consider a cap dump Alex Debrincat went for a mid-first and a prospect worth a 2nd. PL Dubois went for 2 average NHL wingers and 2 2nd-rounders Bo Horvat went for a mid-first and the equivalent of 2 2nds. Sure there are contract complications, but none of those packages are headlined by anything close to Peterka, let alone 3 Peterka-sized pieces. A great comparable for Ek was Ryan O’Reilly The trade where the Sabres got ROR from Colorado translates roughly to: Rosen, Östlund, Strbak and a 2nd for Ek and Foligno. ROR to The Blues works out to: Kulich, Rosen and a 2nd. I’d pay more, but the market generally doesn’t demand much more.

Any conversation tied to Ek or any other new 3C is pure speculation. Mitts turns 26 in November and has played 350 NHL games: he is what he is, a good 2C. Byram turns 23 this month and has played 160 NHL games: he’s the one who has yet to reach his full potential. It was a hockey trade made to strengthen the D corps at the cost of weakening centre spine. How much Byram adds to the D corps matters. How Adams backfills the centre slot matters as well. But it’s not really about winning the trade. How much better the team gets as a result of each move together is what really counts.

Price on the first seems high for me. JJ just put up 28 goals in his 2nd season. We haven’t seen his ceiling yet. Let’s put it this way, at 22, he’s younger yet producing what Tuch was when we got him. Savoie is equal or ahead of where Krebs was. And #11 is certainly well ahead of the 20-something pick Vegas thought they were giving up. Ek is a great player, but does it warrant an Eichel price? I struggle to think of the last player to net a futures package that strong. I can see 2 of those pieces, not 3. The Joki group is more realistic, but if I’m Adams, if I’m giving up Peterka, Minny’s not getting a piece as good as #11 to flesh things out.

Ek’s cap hit is $5M this year, but his salary is $9M. just an example, but any real improvement is going to involve spending more money and could involve eating some real money beyond the cap. Adams says he will get the resources he needs, but we haven’t seen Pegula spending for a few years now.

I’d much rather have Byram and Ek than Mitts and prospects. Ek is better than Mitts and a better fit for this team than Mitts. Thompson Cozens Ek would be a load down the middle; maybe the league’s biggest centre spine with skill. Byram we shall see if he’s more the player we saw the first 5 games or the one who looked lost after that. The organization didn’t acquire him to be a #5 and will put him in a position to succeed. He has more talent than Casey and at least as much compete. Fingers crossed he can change some minds around here.

I see the Wild’s cap situation the same way you do. I didn’t mean rough cap situation in the sense you took it. I meant they are an average team that lacks the cap space to be a real contender in the next 2 years and I wonder where that puts their window. The clock is ticking on Zuccarello, Foligno, Hartman, Brodin; Those guys probably don’t have a role when the team is ready to be good again. They have to re-sign Kaprizov in 2 years. If I’m their braintrust, I’m building toward that summer with a group around Boldy and Faber. Ek becomes an interesting piece in that scenario: the Wild are clearly better on the ice over the next 2 or 3 years keeping him, but they probably won’t be good. The question becomes are you better off with a 30-year-old Ek on the roster in 3 years when you think you’ll be rising again? Or will you be better off with a 23–year-old Kulich, a 26-year-old Krebs and a 21-year-old Eiserman (or some similar package)? Ek’s NTC does not kick in until July 1

I gotta say Im a little pissed at @tom webster. We all know what happens when the Sabres get us a little excited. He’s got me excited for the first time this off-season. 😜

You’d think it would have to be #11 and their favourite from the Savoie/Östlund/Kulich trio as a base. Maybe we toss in Johnson, who can go back to his girlfriend and his buddy Faber in Minny? If he really is on the market for a futures deal, I can’t see anyone beating that offer.

I see 2 things that might make Ek available. The fact that Minnesota is in an awful spot under the cap this year thanks to the Parise buyout The fact that their core has quietly gotten old and they might need to re-focus on a Faber/Boldy window. I could see them trying to do a quick reset by flipping some of their older players for some players in their early 20s. And Ek certainly is someone who could generate the best type of return under that scenario. And the fact that Ek is owed $22.5M over the next few years including $9M next year isn’t insignificant. I guess we’ll see if Terry really is cheap.

Eriksen Ek? I can’t think of a more perfect add. 27, under contract for 5 more years at $5.2, one of the best 2-way centres in the game and his no-movement clause doesn’t kick in until July. Assets like that don’t go on the market unless a team is hitting the reset button. That would be an expensive get.

Not sure what you mean The Rochester model hasn’t done its job of developing future Sabres?

I think what the Canes want is Necas or his equivalent on the blue line for a lot less money. Their ask from the Sabres probably would have been Peterka plus. I wouldn’t do Peterka straight across. Necas is good, but he’s not $6M better than Peterka.

I think Krebs is probably headed for a Cody Eakin-esque career. Unlike @Thorny, I like him; he’s all in. Id like to see him succeed here, but it goes without saying that Mitts was never going to be the only asset that will get flipped on this journey.

It’s not unusual to pick up a #4/5 D or a middle-six forward for a 2nd or 3rd rounder. Id say Krebs’ value is in that range 🤷

Always wondered how much interest a Krebs Jokiharju package would have from Calgary. Backlund would certainly help the Sabres. Ages would make me nervous.

I think the bold is probably the most significant thing in this post. The fact he is in the SHL at all at his age tells where his development is at. But I’m getting from you a sense that you think if you aren’t big, your offence really needs to pop, or you won’t make it. Which is a fair take. The main reason I like Östlund is that every time I watch him, the puck always seems to end up on his stick, kid is everywhere. And when he’s got the puck he doesn’t waste any time getting it where it needs to go.

There’s nothing in Östlund’s statistical profile that suggests he’s a longshot as an NHLer. Peterka and Quinn were outliers. Quinn’s AHL numbers were the best by any prospect his age in 20 years in the AHL and Peterka was not far behind. For what it’s worth, I ran Östlund, Savoie and Kulich through an NHLe calculator a month or so back and their numbers were almost identical: 25-27 points if I remember correctly.

Yes. I brought him up a while back. Not sure what his issues were with Torts, and I’d need to check his health. But healthy and committed he’d be almost an ideal get.

It’s a weird take on Östlund. There were 3 kids in his entire draft class playing regularly in the NHL last year. Östlund played a regular shift in a middle 6 role against men in the best Swedish league and was league’s second-most productive teenager. Tied for 3rd in the WJC in points and looked good doing it. His skill, pace and hockey sense also stood out with the Amerks. He’s progressing nicely from what I’ve seen.