dudacek

Why shouldn’t the Sabres play Mittelstadt and Cozens together next year? They made some nice plays when they were together. Put a rejuvenated Greenway with them for matchup purposes and you might be looking at a very good 2nd line. Krebs between Girgs and Okposo (or veteran upgrades) on a checking line. Savoie slides in between Jack and JJ to fill the Vanek/Roy/Max 2006 role feasting on 3rd-pairings. The more I think about it, the more I like it.

New Jersey is a great one. They added Marino, who missed 20 games, Palat who had just over 20 points and Vanacek, who was dead average. And they jumped 60 freaking points! You don’t need to make big moves, you need to make the right moves, and you need to develop your talent in-house.

The stuff I've been reading this week (Athletic mostly) suggests he might have a chance to sneak into the top 10.

Last year, Detroit added Chairot, Perron, Copp, Husso, Kubalik and Maatta and improved 6 points Ottawa added Giroux, Debrincat, Talbot, and eventually Chychrun and jumped 13 points We added Lyubushkin and Comrie and climbed 16. Im not sure if this works the way you think it does.

Are we really ready to flush the veterans? Frederic Krebs Kulich Mitts Savoie Greenway Peterka Cozens Quinn Skinner Thompson Tuch Samuelsson Dahlin Power Graves Lyubushkin Jokiharju Levi

I’m interested in the “where is he going to play?” discussion. The Sabre 4th line typically gets 12-13 minutes a night and no longer includes the likes of Hayden and Eakin. There is no rule a 4th line has to be built around the likes of Adam Mair and Rob Ray. Assuming next year’s Kulich = this year’s Peterka, would a 4th line of Kulich/Krebs/Okposo be a bad thing? Couldn’t it be better than most 4th lines?

If people think Krebs is the 4C, does that mean they have Mitts back at centre full time? There is no way Jost is ahead of Krebs on the depth chart, or in ice time. Regardless of his linemates, Krebs will be top 9 in forward ice time, and most likely battling with Quinn for the 6/7 slot. He might not be in your plan, but he is very much in Adams’ plan.

The Athletic did a deep dive with 4 anonymous scouts into players who might be under consideration at pick 11. It's written from a Canuck perspective, but since we are two picks later and also in the market for a D, it is very relevant for Sabres fans For those who can get past the paywall, it's a fantastic read. https://theathletic.com/4497412/2023/05/09/nhl-draft-2023-canucks-scouts-poll/ Among the insights: No defenceman — not Reinbacher, nor Sandin-Pelikka — is worthy of pick 11, but some will be overdrafted for need If Simashev was a North American, he'd be picked around this area, Willander is good, but probably more of a late teens pick Guys who might slip out the top 10 but shouldn't and who should be pounced on at 11: Benson, Dvorsky Forwards Wood (skill, size but questionable motor), Moore (pace, speed, lacks top-end skill), Yaeger (top-end skill, disappointing season), Danielson (pro size and speed, hockey sense questions) and Perreault ((opposite of Danielson) would be under heavy consideration here for some teams and not for others. Pro-style wingers Barlow and Leonard might be available at that range and should be, good value picks here

What do we think of Ryan Lindgren? 25-year-old defensive defenceman who battles hard, sacrifices his body, kills penalties and seems reliable in his own zone. With Miller to re-sign this year and Schneider next he might by the odd man out cap-wise on $3 million deal. If he works with Fox, then why not Dahlin or Power?

He plays like a Sabre: fast and relentless. One of many good choices at 13. We’ll get a shot at players who would have gone around 8th in a more typical draft.

Hawks had 3 1st rounders last year and have 6 firsts, 8 2nds and 5 3rds to play with over the next 3 years. They have $41 million in cap space. And they just got the player of the next decade. Not every GM is Tim Murray.

Highest the Sabres can get to under the new rules is 3rd.

I'm pretty sure the best players available at 13 will be forwards. If that's the case, take one. There will be better prospects than Sandin-Pelikka available

It was interesting listening to goalie guru Kevin Woodley talk goalies and systems a while back on the radio about how most goalies need their team to play a certain style to maximize their effectiveness. He specifically cited Hellebuyck and the Sabres as an example of a poor match. At the time I wondered if that was part of the reason Comrie dropped off so much, coming out of Winnipeg’s system. I love Hellebuyck, but I don’t think the Sabres should pay the price necessary to acquire him if they don’t intend to commit to him long-term. You don’t give up #13 for a rental and he’s not going to have any interest in a short-term deal. He’s one of the league’s best. You don’t get him to be a bridge, you get him to be the man.

Welcome back Did I tell you I’m headed for a Bosnian coffee in Mostar in few weeks?

Oh that sounds just about perfect. Bruins cannot afford it, bu twe certainly can. And, to answer @GASabresIUFAN's question, there are 9 forward spots taken, 5 currently unspoken for, Olofsson, Okposo, Hinostroza, Girgensons and Jost

An RFA I'd kick the tires on is Trent Frederic of the Bruins. I like the size and the snarl, and he's just 25. He'd be a nice addition to our bottom 6. Why wouldnt the Bruins re-sign him? Because he's due a nice raise and they've got bigger fish to fry with replacing/re-signing the likes of Bergeron and Krecji, among 7 free agents up front, and only having $6 million available. They will be shedding a few bodies.

Definitely. The skillsets of the three players are almost a perfect match: Mitts creating space for Savoie to dart into and finish while Greenway does the dirty work and keeps everyone honest. All three of them are good at taking away pucks and possessing them If the on-ice version matches the concept, it could be special, especially as a 3rd line

This ranking compares each player when they were 18, full stop. Improvement, or lack thereof, isn’t part of it.

It also may have shaved $1 million AAV off the Dahlin contract extension. Hughes $7.8 and Heiskanen $8.4 aren’t direct comps, because they signed earlier in their careers, but they are player comps. Fox and McAvoy are more direct, and they are both $9.5, the league’s 4th and 5th highest-paid D.

A true test of Adams ability to save Terry from himself?

Damn, looking at that roster Jack has an opportunity to be one of the key offensive guys. His former junior coach, Tourigny, is running the show. Toffoli is the only proven scorer on the team. Not a roster that inspires much excitement, but a good opportunity for our trio.

I suspect when the ballots are counted you will see a lot of the outsiders robbing votes from each other, allowing the established guys to come up the middle.

Hockey community out here is aghast that Quinn Hughes wasn't a finalist. Radio guys listed off Morrisey, Montour, Dahlin, Hamilton, Heiskanen and Hughes and said any of that group could be considered more deserving than all three finalists. Their theory was that in a year with so many viable candidates, voters frequently defaulted to a guy that won it before over a guy that didn't.

He hasn’t been signed yet, but age-wise, no. He’s 10 days younger than Savoie. Despite being Euro, I don’t believe he’s covered under the clause that allows Kulich to play because he was drafted out of the Q, not out of Russia.