LGR4GM

There's a lot of talent in Buffalo to beat out. What vet would we sign to block anyone? The top 6 is practically written in stone. The 3rd line has Krebs and Greenway and I guess VO on it so that's 3 nhl players. Everyone younger than Owen Power is effectively blocked from this roster unless they beat a vet.

He's never going to play 82 games. 25/25 isn't fair impo. Maybe 22/20 is but that's about where I'll go. He's never once reached 50 pts and 40 pts is his most likely total. Also he outshot his career sh% by over 4% last season, I don't see it happening again because he doesn't get to high danger areas enough.

You've been here a bit, I'm not being very adamant about vo other than saying he's 100% not a top 6 forward.

Again, the original comment was that 2 years ago olofsson was our best forward and we somehow forgot. He was not. Idc if he makes the team, but the team itself will be beyond him within a year if they aren't already.

Vo is a great 7th round pick and a useful player to some teams 3rd or maybe 2nd line... but not this team. Not how it's constructed and the forward depth it has. If vo stays this year, that's fine with me. After that, I'm sorry but we need to move on.

Vo is not a 30g scorer. He's a 25g 15a guy. That's what he is.

I... didn't. I just looked to see if their was a soft correlation between size and goodness and there really isn't. Being athletic and able to track plays are the biggest factors. You universally claiming a big goalie has an advantage is not true. Biron has talked about the bigger holes that get created by being big. Idk why you dislike Levi. Not sure why you have any faith in UPL but size only matters for goalies at extremes. Upl looks adequate? The guys a sieve and inconsistent as hell.

@GASabresIUFAN it still does not take away from the fact VO has never come close to being the best forward on this team. That was my original comment and I stand by it. You said he was 2 years ago. I dispute that is a re-write of the first Granato season and not what actually happened. I'll add 1 thing. VO plays the type of game that makes him far less valuable in the playoffs. He's a perimeter shooter.

VO hasn't really evolved, he just plays on a better team. His finishing is great, but he's terrible defensively. He's not good at taking the puck places and he can't really manipulate players to open lanes. He's weak on the walls and easily knocked off pucks. He's about to be 28 and this will be his 5th full season, so unless he's doing something drastically different, you're getting a 1 dimensional forward with a great shot. I'd move on from him. When? We've seen the same hockey from VO every year. Mitts evolved and is 4 years younger, Vo literally dragged Mitts into the gutter for 20 games last season.

No he wasn't. That's just a strange re-write of history to suggest on a team with Tuch, Tage, and Skinner that VO was ever the best forward. And yes, I understand which season you're referring too.

So that's why he got cut

So the 9 games is specifically nhl games and applies to prospects before they are 20. So in this case his contract would slide or extend for 2 seasons if he plays anywhere but the NHL. It's a 5 year deal in reality unless they play nhl games, specifically 9 games

It is strange because I watched a bunch of Benson and never in my brain did I think he would slide until we were about a week out from the draft and everyone was talking about him sliding. I just didn't even think I should write anything about him because he wasn't going to be available. I've learned a lot on scouting from watching video breakdowns and reading reports, then seeing how some scouts and reports are better than others. Learning what skills translate well versus the ones that work in jr but not AHL or NHL hockey. I make mistakes just like everyone but some of these players just look and produce at the levels you want. Benson is a year or probably two away from making an NHL impact, but I think and hope we look back on this draft with a fondness for how we got Benson at 13. Time will tell.

Hill 6'6" Keumper 6'5" Grubauer 6'1" Vasilevskiy 6'4" Binnington 6'2" Murray 6'5" MAF 6'2" Crawford 6'2" Quick 6'1" Idk, I guess there is some size in the winner but there is also a bunch of guys at or an inch above Levi's height. I am not sure if there is a good correlation between cup winners and goalie size. I'm not sure there is anything to disprove. If we go Vezina: Price is 6'3", Holtby is 6'2", Bobrovsky 6'2", Rinne 6'5", Vasilevskiy 6'4", Hellebuyck 6'4", Fluery 6'2", Shesterkin 6'1", and Ullmark 6'4" Idk again if height is really as much as an advantage as we think, I think good goalies are just good. 6'2"-6'3" seems to be the sweet spot if we average this out but again, I don't think having a big goalie is a true advantage as much as a perceived one.

I am devastated that Quinn is injured. I thought he might be like Cozens as just have a glow up to like 60pts. Now my hope is JJP takes that step.

Here's a quote for you The theory here is that Benson won't be able to do things against pros because he isn't taller/bigger. Now obviously Tuch driving at you, shoulder down, is going to get further than Jeff Skinner if he made the same power type move, but what I think scouts forget is that size matters when it does but it doesn't always. Sure Benson will have issues with guys leaning on him, having longer reach (more on that in a moment), and using power skating moves. The thing is, his game isn't built on that just like Skinner's isn't the same as Tuch's. JJP is built more in that vain where he attacks at players and uses speed and strength, it is why JJP had a little trouble last year but was better in the WC. Benson though doesn't use this method. Yes his skating needs improvement, but he uses fakes, stickhandles, direction changes (he has good edges), and passing to get what he needs. The longer reach of opponents he uses against them, he get's them to reach and then there is a big triangle under their stick that he can move pucks through or cut across their hands. He is just so clever in how he uses his advantages and lures ppl in by flashing his disadvantages. He needs to get stronger, but it isn't about the size of the dog in most puck battles, it's about the size of the fight in the dog IMO. Should be fun to see him adapt. I personally think he was in the top 5 for this class and I think is several other classes, he could have been a 1st overall. This is a guy that if he measured 5'11" instead of 5'10", would not have been available at 7 let alone 13.

He's a goalie, they want cap relief, that's the market for goalies, and they want Wolf and Vlader as their 1-2punch in net. UPL gives them a chip or allows them to slow play Wolf for 1 more season (teams actually use 3 goalies in a year typically). The 3rd I suppose could become a 2nd if X is met but goalies just aren't worth much. They have to retain salary because no one is paying 6mil for Markstrom. Idk, that feels like a good deal to me. You don't pay a lot for goalies outside of the elite tier because goalies are like RB. Their play is very dependent on the defense in front of them and you never know which systems work best for which goalies in which years. If you think it would cost more, UPL, 2nd, 2mil retained is about all you are getting. There is no market for goalies which is why so few have been traded this offseason.

Watching the highlights, there is so much movement that Benson and Savoie create because of how they pass and attack space. I could see I guy like Jeff Skinner, Jiri Kulich, or Isak Rosen fitting with those two as all 3 could keep up and have good shots. 2 years from now Skinner might be a really good vet for Savoie and Benson as he slows just a bit but with his net presence he will clean up a lot of garbage and that's what McClendon does now for S+B.

They are fun to watch. Lots of energy and high end skill on display. The thing I like best is that what you are seeing is mostly transferable to the NHL level. Those small area skills that Savoie and Benson have will be invaluable at higher levels and the way they attack is also going to shine at higher levels.

At least 2 mil in retention and I'd give them UPL and a 3rd.

The Sabres don't need a top D, we have Dahlin and Power.

Ok, I think they'll release him.

I think Chicago will release him for the tournament, yes. They have no plans to win this season and letting him go doesn't change that. At worst it hurts ticket sales for 2 weeks.

Connor. Bedard.