Drag0nDan

I mean... to make a brutally bad call. Then to DOUBLE DOWN and throw a bench minor on top of it? Just awful.

Considering we're probably a no-go on literally every NMC/M-NTC etc. These are the types of players you have to take a long hard look at. It's going to probably take a Center, a top prospect, and a 1st round pick. They may ask for more, but i don't see anyone dealing much more than that. Great player but you have to pay him. Considering we're likely in the lottery i'd wait until the offseason to deal a 1st round pick.

I think quinn will be a good piece for next year, and you likely expect benson to improve. I'd be willing to buy-out skinner if it is reasonable. Tuch has trade value if you don't go that route. Skinner-Thompson-Tuch - Needs a shakeup somewhere. Skinner buy out only makes sense if you trade for someone or sign someone. A superstar forward is what is really needed. Quinn-Cozens-JJP - Cozens needs to play better but they never got much time together either. Benson-Mitts-??? - I don't know that you want to graduate a minors player here but if not, someone with some jam who can score. ???-???-Greenway - Need shut down players who can contribute offensively. See no reason to look at players like ZG, Krebs, Okposo. These are the types of players who don't have NTCs or they're more limited. D Dahlin Power Johnson Muel Jokiharju Open to trading a jokiharju, and i don't see anyone else in the pipeline who's going to contribute so figuring out how to improve, and add righties will be big. G UPL and Levi I don't see a reason to keep levi in the minors, but i see the side wanting a backup. I think levi getting games in rochester will help, and ideally he's ready to rock for like 30 next year. He was handled very poorly this year.

I've yet to see krebs really bring anything to the table. He isn't fast enough, the skills he had don't really pop, loses the puck on the walls pretty consistently, doesn't forecheck or backcheck that well, hes just a dude. I'm fine lumping him in with Z, KO, EJ, etc. I'd probably buy out skinner, clifton probably too. I'd contemplate moving tuch or Greenway. Roster needs a serious shakeup, and they will most likely need to make a splash in FA as well as make a couple of trades. Can't keep just rolling in new rookies and hoping they'll pop off, when they're consistently too small and slow to make an impact as rookies.

I'm pretty much done with him. Getting Tage to a 40 goal scorer, and unlocking dahlin are great. But the team is maddeningly inconsistent with their effort night to night. They also seem to sulk quite a bit when things don't go right. And this guy doesn't get them rallied, seemingly ever. They start poor, and they'll probably lose. I don't think they need someone to like... discipline them. I just think someone who can get them going to start every game, and has answers when the effort isn't there.

Contract has to be taken into consideration 🙂 Theoretically the compensation for candidate 1 would likely be the largest as well by looking at this. Though i think tage would probably get you the most based solely off averaging 40 goals over 2 seasons before this bust year.

I tend to agree. Just feels too early to lock him in. 75 games, and probably more bad than good games. Lately watching him i feel like he has turned a corner in some regards. He's confidently using his large frame to take away a lot of net. He's redirecting rebounds to the walls much more than in the past. His glove has become a bit of an asset. He's also seeming to read the play faster to take away the net. I could see why you would extend him - but I'm with you. Just need to see it more to fully buy in.

Yup - Swayman and Ullmark are a really nice tandem. Able to keep both rested and ready, and let the chips fall how they may. You tend to want to ride one goalie in the playoffs, but having two options is nice. I hope Buffalo is able to get some level of consistency with UPL and Levi in the next year.

There are aspects of his game that he needs to work on - 1 - being a bigger presence in front of the net. Already a big dude, but do a better job tying people up and moving people. 2 - Adding into that, he needs to be more physical period. 3 - He thinks too much. Which just seems like an issue all around as no one seems to know where anyone is. 4 - Shooting. He passes up a lot of shots looking for something better. Sometimes this is fine on a PP, but at ES it tends to lead to turnovers. Maybe he's not the one turning it over, but it keeps our offense too far away from the net.

The entire team came out absurdly flat, which felt right considering we jumbled lines the entire camp and then just plugged and play with last years. Then he took that puck off his wrist and missed like 2 weeks, and seems like he likely has another UBI and LBI that he's been playing with. His shooting has been off all year, and i'd assume a right wrist injury to a RH shot is probably not great. Skating, dangling still there, just not seeing his linemates and trying to do too much. Love Tuch - but he probably is more middle-six than top six. And skinner is skinner. Not worth 9M, and not sure he's a good fit for a playoff hockey team TBH.

Yep, i agree with you. But he's also never played much wing with a talented center either. Here and there, but not enough to say definitively that he can't produce in that position.

1 - I don't know what to do here. I can't even judge them half the time because the goals are happening from unmarked high slot shots, and far post cross crease stuff that the defensemen don't take care of. Free agent markets trash. Trade market is limited due to clauses. It's a mess really 2 - Realistically they have 4 - I'd consider clifton a 7 until proven otherwise. And an abundance of lefties. Muel needs to be on a 3rd pair, and killing penalties. That's all he should be working on. Block shots, tie people up, and lay the lumber occasionally. Honestly if they're going Lefty - Lefty i'd think Johnson would be a good fit with Dahlin. You have to be able to skate your way out occasionally, and have puck handling chops to dig a puck off the wall on your backhand. Power has to feel sufficiently humbled after this year, so hopefully the lightbulb clicks on this offseason and he gets to working on strength, conditioning, and shooting (why can this guy not shoot, he just hesitates constantly). 3 - I'd probably buy out skinner at this point, we'll likely have a new coach and i don't think we need to see him on his like 8th sabres coach. Greenway should float between lines 3/4 and kill penalties. Krebs can be non-tendered or traded, or just kept as a 13th forward. I don't see a use for a 4th line player who doesn't kill penalties, or provide any offense. So i'd see a scoring winger (or center), and 2 real bottom 6 forwards who can help keep the puck out of the net - which leaves 1 spot for a promoted player potentially. Buffalo has the 3 listed, and you basically have to trade at least 1, and potentially a pick to bring in any level of impact player (if that player even exists in the world of NMCs and NTCs)

I'd be open to buying out Skinner. I'd include Krebs in any deal, he just looks like a 13th skater at this point. If they don't move him, then he becomes the 13th skater here. Thompson seemed to unlock a lot of his scoring ability at center, but his shot could shift him to wing if buffalo brought in a number 1 center. ??? - Thompson - Tuch JJP - Cozens - Quinn Benson - Mitts - ??? Greenway - ??? - ???

Why can't they move Cozens or Thompson (i don't agree with trading them)? They're both 25 or under and signed long-term with the 90th and 91st highest cap hits in hockey. They are having poor years, but to act like they have no value is not true.

I could see that - And then when you get dumped off your line its like... well F this guy, i dont know where anyone on the ice is so its just going to be more of me skating around and holding the puck. This team does not have cohesion - and that to me is coaching. I'm done with granato.

He isn't a pp weapon, hes honestly more of a liability there as teams pressure him into the walls. He isn't a good skater. He's present more now in the backcheck and forecheck, but he isn't a 200ft player by any means. Isn't taking pucks away on the walls. What i think he has improved is his passing. He seems to get the puck off his stick a bit quicker than in the past. He can still shoot, but hes very streaky. I think when you have guys like skinner, thompson, and quinn - he is no longer a PP asset, and is more of a sunk cost in the even strength game by comparison.

Agreed, hes very direct (pucks on net, pucks behind net), pretty solid on the walls, will stand up for the kid.

I assume it has something to do with making dollars work.

A goalie and a d-man doesn't fix the problems though. This team cannot exit the zone well, and yet we leave a puck moving defenseman in the press box - that isn't a KA decision, thats a DG decision. We have multiple dudes playing hurt... we should probably put them on lines together. Lets pass the puck up the boards to a wing who then holds onto it and waits for people to get up ice... in his own zone... where a turnover then results in like a 4x2 as the forwards aren't in the zone anymore. There is no cohesion to anything they do, the zone exit is the same every time, the team looks oddly slow, there is no jam, they don't tie sticks up, they don't play the body, the centers don't cover the high slot properly, the forecheck is terrible when they have to dump and chase, they force extra passes constantly which result in turnovers, they drop pass constantly which results in turnovers, they have way too many players who stink at shooting, and the ones who can are struggling. It's just a horrible hockey team right now. I can't really think of much of what they do right.

Hopefully. Him and Thompson having off years (likely both injury related, and returning before fully ready) is killing the offense. With Skinner now out, they're going to need someone to help put the puck in the net.

Benson sticking makes that work too. Just need greenway and skinner back. Greenway would send murray back down. At this point, comrie needs to go first though. No need to carry a 3rd goalie who is a liability. If everyone were healthy this is i think how it would look (line combos aren't that important, just thinking of roster construction). They'd be one over with skinner/greenway/girgs all returning. Skinner - Thompson - Tuch Quinn - Cozens - JJP Benson - Mitts - Greenway Girgs - Krebs - Okposo Robinson, Jost, olofsson Dahlin - Samuelsson Power - Jokiharju Johnson - Clifton Johnson UPL Levi

Try the cheese grater!

Skinner is a full NMC so i doubt he is traded so i lumped him in too.

You built a core - it isn't a good one. Time to try and make some changes imo. Coach is one. Getting rid of some players another. And figuring out how to adjust your team. FWDs: Tuch, Skinner, Thompson, Mitts, Cozens, Benson, JJP, Quinn - Would move on from 2024: Greenway, Krebs, KO, Girgs, Jost, whomever. This has no value in a trade though - Do you like Quinn/JJP more than all of the other prospects teams might covet? That's the real long term decision. Is it Quinn or is it Kulich? Is it Kulich or Rosen? Savoie? Östlund? Some of these guys have to be moved in trades to bring in NHL players and upgrades. Dmen: Dahlin, Samuelsson, Power. R. Johnsons played pretty well, but he should be available in a trade. Find takers for EJ and Clifton this season if you can. G: Levi

Right on. Deep prospect pool means 1 - find your untouchables in that group. We seem to determine... that they're all untouchable. 2 - future NHLer's who are blocked by a current player, or aren't as good as the untouchables. These are the trade chips to help fill out a roster. 3 - Identify the players that you don't see having a future, and move them earlier rather than later. Move them when the thing next to his name says "2nd round pick", not "13 points in 60 AHL games". We just drafted a ton of people... and now have a ton of prospects in basically the same spots. Not enough spots at AHL, and not enough NHL ready talent - and an unwillingness to part with any of the future pieces to help fill out the NHL roster. The main core of this team is extended - Dahlin, Power, Samuelsson, Thompson, Cozens. You can probably add mitts to that list. There are a few competent vets in Tuch, skinner, and greenway. Then you have young players on the roster in JJP Quinn Krebs and Benson. The problem is that the rest of the roster is filled out with UFA's who are passed their prime (Johnson, Girgs, Okposo), or never had a prime (clifton looking a lot like a product of a sick boston team). Add in fringe players like Jost and Olofsson. Nothing was done to complement that core. Our forward depth is all young prospects - and we already have quite a few of them on the roster. There were players available for trade - but the majority of contracts these days have some level of NTC which hurts us. Debrincat. Duclair. Desmith. All would be upgrades over players like girgs, jost, olofsson, okposo, and comrie. I'm at that point, seen enough. Move him.