How To Fix The Sabres Gaping Hole At Center

[TrueBlueGED]

There is also the potential for Ryan Getzlaf to be available July 2013.

 

True, but I'm anticipating he gets locked up by the Ducks, or he pulls a Richards and really only has 1 team (or maybe a couple) he's actually going to sign with. I'm not counting on the Sabres being on his short list. If I'm GM, I go young and build for 2 years down the road because I think it's the most doable scenario (especially since the new CBA creates a lot of cap and contract uncertainty). If players become unexpectedly available, or something changes along the way, I'm ready to audible. But I just don't see any proven #1 center being available for anything less than a "Godfather offer" which includes Myers+, and I'm not moving him anyway.

[CallawaySabres]

So it is nice to see they got a jump on the whole Center thing before July 1. I know the NFL is tough to move up so here is my question. If the Sabres were to pick around the 10 spot, could packaging their 2 firsts and a Derek Roy get them to land Grigorenko? They could then land a Gaustad type (if not Gaustad himself) and we are now looking at a whole new world at Center. Is Adam going to be ready by next year to take that big step is the question. Bottom line, things are looking up and there is MUCH more flexibility...........

 

Hodgson

Ennis

Roy

Adam (McCormick)

[Weave]

Keep Hodgson and Ennis at center. If Roy sticks around I'd like to see him center a 3rd scoring line with two way wingers (may need to go outside the organization for the RW, Gerbe works at LW for me). I don't want McC as a 4th line center and Adam is now a LW in my opinion. That means we'll need a new 4th line center. Plenty of them out there.

[chileanseabass]

They need to go after someone like Steve Ott at the draft. Package Roy and a pick for Ott and pick.

[X. Benedict]

Colorado is one team that seems to have a surplus at center. I'd gladly have any of their top 3 on my team. I don't see Duchene moving any time soon though.

 

In my ideal world Buffalo gets Steve Ott from Dallas at the deadline and moves Paul Gaustad. Ott is a slight upgrade over Goose. Vermette *would* have been another target of mine but he's already moved. With Vermette off the market I want to see Jarrett Stoll wearing blue and gold. Ott and Stoll would be a significant upgrade of our bottom 2 centers.

 

Ennis works just fine for me as a #2 center. And Adam can move to center next season as an injury fill in but play primarily on LW. As for who our other top 6 center is next season? I have no clue who might be available. Or even reasonable to speculate about.

Ott would thrive in the East. But Imagining him with Kaleta and Foligno and Tropp in the bottom 6 would make Buffalo an aggravating team to play against every night. Ott is the prick you love on your team. The guy you hate on another.

[obstructedorangeseats]

So it is nice to see they got a jump on the whole Center thing before July 1. I know the NFL is tough to move up so here is my question. If the Sabres were to pick around the 10 spot, could packaging their 2 firsts and a Derek Roy get them to land Grigorenko?

 

That's an awful lot of eggs in the Grigorenko basket. I think unless you're 100% certain he is a stud (ala Peyton Manning, Sidney Crosby, et al.), you'd have more value out of either a.) using both 1st round picks on players, and hoping that at least one of them pans out or b.) packaging them as you've said but for a proven NHL player(s). I think the crapshoot that is the NHL draft, combined with our historically less-than-stellar success rate with high round draft picks, would point toward the "b" scenario.

 

If it were anyone other than Regier, would you be more/less comfortable with using the two picks? Food for thought.

[CallawaySabres]

That's an awful lot of eggs in the Grigorenko basket. I think unless you're 100% certain he is a stud (ala Peyton Manning, Sidney Crosby, et al.), you'd have more value out of either a.) using both 1st round picks on players, and hoping that at least one of them pans out or b.) packaging them as you've said but for a proven NHL player(s). I think the crapshoot that is the NHL draft, combined with our historically less-than-stellar success rate with high round draft picks, would point toward the "b" scenario.

 

If it were anyone other than Regier, would you be more/less comfortable with using the two picks? Food for thought.

 

No too shabby of a writeup here (not sure how knowledgeable Bleacher Report is though)

 

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1031507-2012-nhl-mock-draft-predicting-all-30-first-round-selections/page/4

[Sabres Fan in NS]

I think the Sabres addressed the issue very nicely late Monday afternoon.

 

I would pencil in Roy as the third line center and see what happens come draft time. The Sabres may not want / need to go all in for a big name Russian center in the draft. Ott would be a great pick up if they could work it out.

[obstructedorangeseats]

No too shabby of a writeup here (not sure how knowledgeable Bleacher Report is though)

 

http://bleacherrepor...lections/page/4

 

That's actually not a bad little prospectus. I'm not usually a BR fan though. I've seen too much fanboyism and not enough solid writing on that site (at least in terms of their MLB "writers") but thanks for the link, it was a good read.

[...]

When can they start trading again? Before the draft, right - can DR parlay a first and second, maybe packaged with a player, for some sort of big return this summer? Or do they have to use this year's picks as picks now, except, of course, to trade picks on draft day to move positions?

[LabattBlue]

Fix the center problem...

 

- Trade Roy

- Sign Stoll

- Find a way to draft one of the top centers(Galchenyuk)

- Sign a 4th line center. Move McCormick to 4th line wing or ship him out. Concussions have hurt his play?

 

Hodgson

Galchenyuk or Ennis or Adam(I'd rather have Ennis on the 2nd line wing and Adam on the 3rd line wing)

Stoll

McCormick

 

 

You also have Catenacci and Sundher turning pro next year. Both appear to have 2nd line upside.

[shrader]

Fix the center problem...

 

- Trade Roy

- Sign Stoll

- Find a way to draft one of the top centers(Galchenyuk)

- Sign a 4th line center. Move McCormick to 4th line wing or ship him out. Concussions have hurt his play?

 

Hodgson

Galchenyuk or Ennis or Adam(I'd rather have Ennis on the 2nd line wing and Adam on the 3rd line wing)

Stoll

McCormick

 

 

You also have Catenacci and Sundher turning pro next year. Both appear to have 2nd line upside.

 

I'm not sure where you're pulling that one from. Catenacci will be 19 and can only go pro next year if he's in the NHL. He'll spend another year in juniors.

[TrueBlueGED]

I'm with weave that I officially think Adam is a LW--better fit for his skill set in my opinion and we no longer desperately need him at C. I'm in favor of targeting a Stoll-like player to be 3rd line center and targeting Galchenyuk in the draft. He'll need a year in juniors to be fully back from the ACL, but should be NHL-ready after that. My long term plan would be to run Hodgson-Ennis-Galchenyuk down the middle and roll 3 scoring lines. Galchenyuk is the most talented of the 3, and if what I read is correct then he has a lot of defensive ability and tenacity as well, so matching him against other teams' top lines should work well.

 

For next season I'd like to parlay Roy (and whatever else) into a bigger winger who can score, in addition to signing Doan and Stoll. It's not a particularly good free agent class, but if we can't get Doan I think a guy like David Jones could fill a role on the team. I'd like the roster to look something like this:

 

Vanek-Hodgson-Pominville

Leino/Adam-Ennis-Doan/whatever we got for Roy

Adam/Leino-Stoll-Doan/Jones

Gerbe-Ott-Kaleta

 

xMcCormick

 

Myers-Regehr

Ehrhoff-McNabb

Sekera-Weber

 

xBrennan

 

Miller

Enroth

[LabattBlue]

I'm not sure where you're pulling that one from. Catenacci will be 19 and can only go pro next year if he's in the NHL. He'll spend another year in juniors.

I stand corrected. Truth be told, I guess I pulled it out of my ass.

[korab rules]

I'm with weave that I officially think Adam is a LW--better fit for his skill set in my opinion and we no longer desperately need him at C. I'm in favor of targeting a Stoll-like player to be 3rd line center and targeting Galchenyuk in the draft. He'll need a year in juniors to be fully back from the ACL, but should be NHL-ready after that. My long term plan would be to run Hodgson-Ennis-Galchenyuk down the middle and roll 3 scoring lines. Galchenyuk is the most talented of the 3, and if what I read is correct then he has a lot of defensive ability and tenacity as well, so matching him against other teams' top lines should work well.

 

For next season I'd like to parlay Roy (and whatever else) into a bigger winger who can score, in addition to signing Doan and Stoll. It's not a particularly good free agent class, but if we can't get Doan I think a guy like David Jones could fill a role on the team. I'd like the roster to look something like this:

 

Vanek-Hodgson-Pominville

Leino/Adam-Ennis-Doan/whatever we got for Roy

Adam/Leino-Stoll-Doan/Jones

Gerbe-Ott-Kaleta

 

xMcCormick

 

Myers-Regehr

Ehrhoff-McNabb

Sekera-Weber

 

xBrennan

 

Miller

Enroth

I disagree with your assessment of Adam - he has performed admirably at center in the neutral zone and in the offensive zone - he makes a nice pass, gets it there at the right time, know where the net is, finds the scoring areas on the ice and isn't afraid to go into the corners or to the front of the net.

 

He needs to continue to work on his skating, conditioning and his defensive responsibilities. He projects as the big bodied scoring line center we haven't had on this team since I don't even know who. Worst case scenario, he can be developed into a 3rd line center with serious offensive upside. He's a kid - don't be too quick to write him off.

[TrueBlueGED]

I disagree with your assessment of Adam - he has performed admirably at center in the neutral zone and in the offensive zone - he makes a nice pass, gets it there at the right time, know where the net is, finds the scoring areas on the ice and isn't afraid to go into the corners or to the front of the net.

 

He needs to continue to work on his skating, conditioning and his defensive responsibilities. He projects as the big bodied scoring line center we haven't had on this team since I don't even know who. Worst case scenario, he can be developed into a 3rd line center with serious offensive upside. He's a kid - don't be too quick to write him off.

 

I don't think he's incapable of being a center, I just like his skill set more on wing. We can agree to disagree on that. The bigger point I was getting at is that I think organizationally we're better off with him at wing, especially if we draft a guy like Galchenyuk. There's really no point in having 4 scoring line centers, and if I'm moving one to wing I'd rather have Adam there than Ennis. This is of course ignoring any possible trade scenarios.

[korab rules]

I don't think he's incapable of being a center, I just like his skill set more on wing. We can agree to disagree on that. The bigger point I was getting at is that I think organizationally we're better off with him at wing, especially if we draft a guy like Galchenyuk. There's really no point in having 4 scoring line centers, and if I'm moving one to wing I'd rather have Adam there than Ennis. This is of course ignoring any possible trade scenarios.

IF we acquire Doan, Stoll and draft a blue chip center prospect, great. Move Adam to wing for now. I just hate the thought of abandoning the development of one of the very few center prospects we have bothered to draft in the last decade when he shows good promise.

[TrueBlueGED]

IF we acquire Doan, Stoll and draft a blue chip center prospect, great. Move Adam to wing for now. I just hate the thought of abandoning the development of one of the very few center prospects we have bothered to draft in the last decade when he shows good promise.

 

Right, my entire future premise is based on getting somebody else to play 3rd line center next year and drafting somebody for the pipeline. If we don't get Stoll or somebody like him and still trade Roy, then Adam pretty much has to be a C next year at least. I assure you, I have zero interest in having no center depth again.

[drnkirishone]

my personal opinion is the system the sabres run (Ruff's system) lets talented skating centers thrive. I am worried that part of Adam's defensive problems are he simply is not a good enough skater at this point in his development to play the position as it is done here. That being said, I think he works good as a center and if he makes some big improvements this off season in his skating I think he will be damned good next year on whatever line they stick him on.

 

I am basing alot of this opinion on how well Ennis has taken to center. Lindy mostly seems to have his centers playing the middle of the ice and that is a lot of ice to be covering if your skating ain't so hot

[darksabre]

This hole can't be plugged until the Sabres draft a center named Bung.