Drag0nDan

Yeah. Since the Pegula's don't really know him (well, im sure they've met, but who knows) - it'd have to be like under adams in name at least. Yeah right, a plan? gtfo ?

What do you hire him as? I don't think they'd make him hockey op's president. If hired, it'd likely be adams saying he wants him - so the pegulas would want him to report to adams.

Money is money sure - but this is hands down the worst organization to play for at the moment. Tampa bay would likely just trade him. I think reinharts number will be north of 7 if he's giving up UFA years. Olofsson is kinda in the same boat - will want more than he probably gets slotted.

Why is someone signing an offer sheet to come to buffalo? Why are all the RFA's signing below market deals?

I don't think he was a star, but he was likely a serviceable defenseman if given time. If all he asked for was a 1-way contract - the results the same, but you at least get a look at him in camp to see if he can stick before you waive/trade him.

I like the Assistant director of scouting move. From a business perspective i look at it like, these 2 departments were always under the GM, but they now have to integrate and interact more than in the past. The analytics piece should help drive conversations on players from a pro personnel standpoint, as well as young players.

I always hear the hedman comparisons, then when we play TB all i think is - wow that guy is just... good. He always seems to be making the right plays, great skater, tape to tape passing, and just takes the puck away consistently. Dahlin's improved as the PP quarterback but hedmans on another level at getting your shooters the puck, in space, in the right place for a one-timer.

Haha - i guess so? Playing with a bit of an edge we'll say, I have no idea how he fits in and he was injured last year so he didn't even get a chance to play up under krueger. TT and CM both seemed like they were just gripping their sticks tight and trying to remember what they're supposed to do, instead of just playing hockey. I think with the amount of UFAs and RFAs cozens probably starts here. I just hope there are players brought in to like, complement them? Not just sign our RFAs and just plug 3 youngsters in and just hope for the best.

I think you set a realistic timeline with cozens. You can earn your spot, but you're guaranteed nothing - unlike what they did with casey. If he starts in the AHL, i expect him to center the best line there for 30-40 games, and to essentially play his way onto the big club. I see Tage making the team outright as a big forward who can shoot. There's a need for a guy like this on the PP as well. If he can play a bit more physical, backcheck a bit more, play more responsibly, he should be fine. Mittelstadts the one who was looking lost last year and I see him as likely to start in the AHL - the goal being if cozens gets called up, he's now on that top line playing top o-zone minutes. He may also benefit from a shift in position, which will need time at the AHL level. His game needs a lot of seasoning, he was struggling at pretty much everything - struggling with the speed, the physicality, transition, faceoffs, backchecking.

I look at blue collar like - difficult to play against, and hard working. I don't think you need to have more than 1 or 2 guys who are hard hitters, just emphasis on being a tough team to play against.

Could always move montour and mitts or thompson if you want to hang onto the 1st (and i think they should)

Yeah - Colorado loads up that top line with Landeskong, mckinnon, rantanen. If johansson is with olofsson and kahun - that basically becomes line 2. Okposo would play on more of that shutdown line with lazar and larsson or possibly asplund? I assume that is the group starting in the defensive zone the most. That leaves you with - cozens mitts asplund thompson. I think there needs to be either a player via trade/fa there because thats a lot of youth on 1 line.

knew i was forgetting something.

Wouldve been nice to lose him for a pick, or as a throw-in on a trade though...

With a static or downward sloping cap you can try to look at contracts on a scale of cap hit%. I wonder if there will be more players taking shorter term deals to try and cash in on an upward slope instead. I do think there's risk in that - especially going to a team like buffalo who hasn't had much success. If he's centering reinhart and skinner/oloffson then it might sound a bit more interesting as a player. This season will be very youth dependent though - what contributions does the team get from casey, tage, cozens and where do they fit? Casey's tough to put on a 3rd line since he doesn't backcheck or play defense well, and isn't strong on the dot. Do we want him starting in the defensive zone? Probably not. If we get the Tage/Casey of the past 2 years too, you can't really put them on jack's line either without essentially making it worse. Cozens with tage and johansson might work? Again, it can get very draw dependent. If lazar is their d-zone guy, is that line with okposo and larsson/asplund? Where does asplund even fit in? If he's not getting regular ice time he should probably be in the minors rather than being an extra skater here. Basically if you move reinhart off of eichel's line, who is playing in that spot?

Yeah - which makes me think CM gets packaged with a montour to try and get a player.

Agree on Hall... we already have 2 massively overpaid wingers, including skinners that will cost 9 mil well past his prime. And defensemen who will be coming up on pay-days. Regarding your lineups, I'd really try and get skinner and reinhart together. Put them on PP2 as well. Eichel with Olofsson and kahun should help both of them - if not you always have someone like Tage who could be ready to make a next step. I just look at it like the 2nd PP unit was such garbage, and those 2 anchoring it could help. I'm hoping both Tage and Casey realize its time to step up and earn their time this year. JB coddled both a bit, and he's gone... so if you want to have a career its kind of on them at this point.

And was it JB? Or his 4 years playing pro hockey in sweden from age 19-22?

This is how i look at it. Spending money on AHL wins doesn't help grow the mittelstadts of the world. Ideally you want someone like mittelstadt to have like half a season at the AHL level before he comes up. Maybe a full season if he doesn't do well right away. If JB promised him NHL time, that was a big mistake. If getting rid of RoR was to make way for Mittelstadt, that's a criminal mistake. But at the end of the day - Nylander was a failure. Mittelstadt looks like he'll be a failure. Same with Thompson. Their failure falls on JB, but also on the AHL coaches. Were the scouts all that off on the talent? Or did the coaching staff/development staff fail? Accountability falls on players, but these guys are like 19 and this organization was lacking in leadership. Cozens seems destined for the same thing as mittelstadt - and I don't see any route where he doesn't end up starting at C. I'm all for him doing it, but he should have to earn it, not get handed a 2/3C spot day 1 out of Juniors.

Yeah, but ward won the conn smythe that year so... its hard to say he wasn't considered at least reasonably hot.

Hot goalies are big too. Cant remember a team going on a run without solid goaltending.

Killorn's is a M-NTC, but something tells me buffalos on the NO list ?

Because he's giving up UFA years where he may get 8-9 on an open market in his prime. So factoring that in on the average it tends to go up. Depends on the cap though - as i assume they'd do it as a function of cap. In any case, with Dahlin and Jokiharju coming up for raises, and being stuck with skinner and okposo's 15 mil combined, how much do you invest in keeping him? Will he help you win a cup in the next couple of years?

Agreed - the lack of depth scoring was and is still a problem.