GASabresIUFAN

For what? A 5th rd pick in 2026? He should sign his QO get to camp and earn a friggin job.

I have many negative opinions of KA and his management of the Sabres, but if you look at the roster, the list is a real "team" comprised of our prospects. No outside filler. These are all guys management wants to see and wants to see excel. I'm all for maximizing their reps and getting them an early start toward building a cohesive Amerks group from day one. It will also help management determine which of these guys are close to NHL ready.

Does it matter that they are Russian?

I'm excited to see the two goalies. Both are part of the broader Team Canada. Ratzlaff played for them at the Hlinka (22/23) and sat on the bench for the U20s and Leenders played on U17 and U18 teams before ridding the pine in last season's Hlinka. Both have good potential and it will be nice them in action. @dudacek This is preview almost of the Amerks with 8 of their probably top 9 forwards and 3 key defensemen.

Maybe he earns a 3rd line gig and pushed Greenway to the 4th line. He has good defensive metrics, maybe he pushes Aube-Kubel to the bench. Kubel has never played a full NHL season.

The best thing that can happen for Krebs now is that he signs his QO, comes to camp with w chip on his shoulder, and goes and earns a job in camp. Prove to Ruff that you belong in the lineup and prove you are more than Lazar 2.0 or Jost 2.0.

Yeah, I think he can play with the top 6 D

Actually he is using the Sabres to get a bigger contract with a Swiss team to play with Zadina.

And better players.

So what’s the plan? Sign Giordano, trade Joki and Krebs plus a pick for Kadri? I don’t know if it would work, but it would at least look like a franchise in win now mode.

Not if that coach is the GM in waiting. Who has more credibility around the league; Adams or Ruff? Since Adams has none, it’s Ruff by default, but I suspect Ruff carries a fair amount of respect and credibility.

We need to stop being an average or below average team. That’s kind of the point. Fielding an average 3rd line doesn’t really help us make the playoffs. Having better talent on the 3rd line creates matchup problems. It’s one of the reasons the Vanek line was so successful. Our current 3rd line won’t be a matchup issue for anyone. McLeod is fast but has no physical game. Greenway is slow as molasses and isn’t really a good partner for McLeod, while Zucker is a nice player but on the downside of his career. I’ll be surprised if they show real chemistry. A Benson, McLeod and Zucker line sounds much more appealing. This can only happen if and when Adams goes into win now mode as promised and upgrades the top forwards.

If we were a good team, I’d expect about 45-50 goals. The Vanek, Roy, Max line scored about 60.

Can we preemptively fire Adams?

If we get 35 goals next season from McLeod, Greenway, and Zucker we’ll be lucky. They might not out score the 4th line. The truth is we’ll be fielding a decent 1st line, an average 2nd line, a below average 3rd line and an above average 4th line offensively. The gap in scoring ability between the 2nd and 3rd lines is the size of the Grand Canyon and could be a major problem this coming season. Hell Quinn could outscore the 3rd line by himself. Adams keen eye for talent and roster construction took a roster with potentially 7 20 goal scoring forwards to 5 unless Benson improves his scoring dramatically.

Didn’t Grigorenko have a similar fall on draft day?

I general I agree with you on the Mitts/Byram trade and I don't think there is a snowballs chance in hell that Byram outplays Mitts this coming season. I especially hate that we only get one year on Byram at a fair price. I also a agree that I would have preferred a two way RHD. My hope to make this bad trade work is that Ruff pairs Power and Dahlin with Dahlin as Raz is very comfortable on his off side. He then tries to build a 2nd pair with Byram as the puck mover. This issue is neither RHD, Joki or Clifton are that great defensively, likely limiting the effectiveness of Byram's pair. As to the PP, my guess is the 2nd PP has 2 D on it with Power as QB and Byram as the L Wall cannon.

Well he's already 1st in his draft class in games played and 2nd in points behind Bedard. 😉

1) you don't know what teams are on the his NTC 2) Even if Calgary is on the list, Greenway can still agree to go, especially on his UFA season to get more PT. If Kadri is acquired, Greenway, if not traded, could easily be pushed to the 4th line. Not exactly the most conducive spot for maximizing counting stats before free agency.

But they'll have the Sabres finish nearly last in the Atlantic.

How much is a 34 year old player with 5 years (@ 7 mill a season) left on his contract really worth in a salary cap world? A deal would most likely be Greenway, Rosen and a draft pick. Calg gets 2 NHL players and a future prospect.

Teams can retain up to 50% on 3 different players. https://puckpedia.com/salary-cap/retained-salary

One thing besides production that most seem to be ignoring is that Kadri brings an edge to his game that this team is sorely lacking. He’d be our answer to Marchand. He not only plays with an edge but he’s been very durable. He has also had his best two years in the NHL since turning 30. We are also paying $5 mill for next season to Zucker. How much more value does Kadri bring. Assuming Greenway is moved in the deal for cap reasons, a possible 3rd line of Kadri, Zucker and McLeod would be interesting, but I like the idea of Kadri on the 2nd line better. Quinn, Kadri and Cozens would give teams fits if everyone plays to their potential.

This is incorrect. https://puckpedia.com/salary-cap/no-trademovement-clauses They only lose the clause if they are traded before the clause goes into effect. For example Cozens’ M-NTC goes into effect after the 26/27 season. If the Sabres trade him before the start of the 27/28 hockey calendar, the clause disappears. In Kadri’s case, the clause already exists. If he waives it and comes to Buffalo, he is only waiving the clause for that specific trade and the NTC remains in effect after the trade.

5 years at 7 is top much to swallow. It’s a terrible contract. To make the deal even harder, Calg is only 2 mill above the cap floor. To get a deal done, the Flames would have to eat a minimum of 2 mill of his deal per season plus take someone like Greenway or Joki back. For the Sabres to make the money work long-term and for Calg to maximize their compensation the Flames would need to take at least 3 mill per season. At 4 mill per season, I think the Sabres would get at least 1 good year followed by 2 decent years out of the deal. The remaining two year could be bought out or he could be traded again to a team needing a veteran player and some cap. His trade protection ends in a couple of years. At 4-5 mill per season, I think the Sabres could make this work.