Brawndo

Brett Pesce is rumored to be signing with the Devils. This should open up the possibility of RHD John Marino being moved (His M NTC doesn’t start until 7/1). He would be the perfect partner for Power. He has 3 years left at 4.4 million AAV

Chad’s final offseason mock has these moves Sabres acquire Joel Farabee and 31/32nd overall from the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for Peyton Krebs and 11th overall Sabres acquire Nic Dowd, Nick Jensen, and 52nd overall from the Washington Capitals in exchange for Henri Jokiharju, 43rd overall, and a 2025 third-round pick UFA Signings Teddy Blueger | C | two years, $2 million Warren Foegele | F | four years, $4.25 million

ESPN having the baseball playoffs plays into this as well. As long as they are a broadcast partner the NHL Regular Season won’t start until the second week of October. This is per Friedman.

He would probably slot in as the 3C. Very good defensive metrics, had the largest percentage of defensive zone starts for Washington last season. He is not an offensive dynamo He would be a very good addition as matchup center for Ruff.

Strome would be an outstanding addition to the Sabres Center Corps and would be a cost controlled 2/3C for four years at 5 million AAV His metrics are better than Cozens and would give Lindy flexibility. I think the actual trade will be for Nic Dowd, who has been used primarily as a 3C over the past few years.

Him signing his ELC would be a prerequisite of any trade

They would have a season to convince Ehlers to sign an extension. McGroarty would have to ok with Rochester for a season. If Demelo would agree to a contract with the Sabres first, but sign me up for that if he does

A quick side note Amerks HC Mike Leone was McGroarty’s Assistant Coach at the USNTDP for the two seasons that McGroarty was there. Maybe there is a slight chance that he agrees to Rochester for a season as there is familiarity. I would do that deal.

One of the reported reasons McGroarty wants out of Winnipeg is they would not guarantee him NHL Time next season. He feels he is ready for the NHL, the Jets do not necessarily feel the same way. I think he would be a great addition to the Sabres Organization, but he cannot be guaranteed a spot on the Sabres 23 man roster either. So unless he agrees to AHL here, which is unlikely, I do not see a fit

He’s a slight upgrade on Jost for sure

Anyone interested in Nic Dowd from the Capitals?

What has he done to deserve a promotion over Sam Ventura? Ventura and Karmanos have both interviewed for GM positions around the league since coming to Buffalo. Forton has not. There has been mentions of how well the scouting department has performed over the past couple seasons, look at the level of talent that was drafted before the 2021 Draft and after when Ventura was hired. The analytics department priority has been to improve the prospect pipeline, something they have done very well. Quinn and Peterka were excellent picks in 2020, but Jeremiah Crowe was the Director of Scouting for that draft, not Forton. Luca Del Bel Belluz was the agreed upon pick by the analytic and scouting staff for 41st overall in 2022, Forton was the one who convinced Adams to take Topias Leinonen instead. He may not even be offered an ELC. Forton may have pounded the table for Charlie McAvoy, but last time I checked he was a Bruin. This is the NHL paying your dues while being mediocre is not grounds for a promotion. @GASabresIUFAN Yes Karmanos was a nepotism hire, but he has actually had success at every stop. He was directly responsible for building the Carolina and Pittsburgh Analytics Departments, and was Rutherford’s First Choice for the Vancouver GM Job. @PerreaultForever If the team fails again, I believe the NHL will step in and either appoint a senior advisor or tell Pegula the moves to make. They did this with Toronto and Shanhan as well as Ottawa with their most recent moves

Pretty much it appears. Hopefully Lance is incorrect and it is the move Tom Webster mentioned.

This is has me worried

His Brother in Law is Terry’s Business Partner and he has been with the team for a decade. Total nepotism hire

Bad bad bad move

This has promise

https://www.sportsnet.ca/nhl/article/capitals-reach-agreement-to-purchase-capfriendly-website/ This sucks it was a great source of information, but much like Cap Geek when it ceased to function, hopefully something replaces it soon

Laughton Analytics are horrible particularly on defense. I wouldn’t consider him as a 4C, let alone a 3C. His numbers in Torts System are a major red flag. These are Evolving Hockey’s numbers on him for this past season and previous couple seasons. Run far away from this one He’s not worth Rosen either See charts above

Lance Lysowski did his GM for a day column, he traded Jokiharju and 11 OA to Philly for Scott Laughton and Florida’s 2024 First (31 or 32 OA) That would be disappointing if it came to fruition

The Chophouse makes a lot of money this week

They used to take everyone to Left Bank with the old regime. I wonder where they go now

Imagine a line of Benson-JEE-Quinn when the ice needs to be tilted in Buffalo’s Favor