2019-2020 Lineup

[pi2000]

58 minutes ago, Randall Flagg said:

Trade built around Risto and Kase
McCabe for Toffoli
Sign Gardiner
Sheary, Scandella gone for whatever just to make room
Pretend Vesey does't exist just cuz there's no room

Olofsson - Eichel - Kase
Skinner - Mitts - Reinhart
Johansson - Rodrigues - Toffoli
Zemgus - Larry - Kyle

Dahlin - Montour
Gardiner - Miller
Pilut - Bogosian/Jokiharju
Nelson

The center spine is still weaker than you'd want, but the wings are deep as hell. I'd try to trade just picks for Toffoli and keep McCabe 

I'm not sure you pay Skinner $9m to play on the second line?

Watching Toffoli closely down here the past few years, I'm not sure he's a guy I'd target in a deal for McCabe.    He plays a game similar to Laine... slow, low compete level... guy can shoot the puck tho.    Just doesn't seem like a JBOT kinda guy (plus skater, high compete level, team guy).

[Thorner]

Is Kase really a top line player? And does anyone know why he’s played so few games the last 4/5 years? I couldn’t really find anything except for last year, concussion and season ending shoulder surgery. 

[Randall Flagg]

2 minutes ago, Thorny said:

Is Kase really a top line player? And does anyone know why he’s played so few games the last 4/5 years? I couldn’t really find anything except for last year, concussion and season ending shoulder surgery. 

Very few teams have 3 top line players on the top line, 3 second line players on the second line, etc. 

If you want to do that, switch Sam and Ondrej. I'm going for stylistic meshing here

[Brawndo]

Something interesting brought up by Chad DeDominicis today. Olofsson did play a lot of RW in the SHL

[Thorner]

8 minutes ago, Randall Flagg said:

Very few teams have 3 top line players on the top line, 3 second line players on the second line, etc. 

If you want to do that, switch Sam and Ondrej. I'm going for stylistic meshing here

No I get that I’m legitimately asking what type of player/ceiling/floor this guy has as I don’t know much about him and it’s not like his base stats look like anything special. Where would he be ideally placed in a lineup. Also, he doesn’t seem to ever play seasons with lots of games

Would the consensus on him be a bonafide top 6 player or is he a young guy with that potential upside trying to find his way.

Edited August 22, 2019 by Thorny

[WildCard]

2 minutes ago, Brawndo said:

Something interesting brought up by Chad DeDominicis today. Olofsson did play a lot of RW in the SHL

I've always seen/heard the exact opposite

[Brawndo]

8 minutes ago, WildCard said:

I've always seen/heard the exact opposite

 

[Randall Flagg]

36 minutes ago, Thorny said:

No I get that I’m legitimately asking what type of player/ceiling/floor this guy has as I don’t know much about him and it’s not like his base stats look like anything special. Where would he be ideally placed in a lineup. Also, he doesn’t seem to ever play seasons with lots of games

Would the consensus on him be a bonafide top 6 player or is he a young guy with that potential upside trying to find his way.

Pi might be able to provide more details, but when he's on the ice he's an NHL difference maker right now, with more room to grow. His skating and hands are very good, and his shot is above average. He looks to have good off-the-puck instincts, not just floating around unsure of where to go like Jack (who needs to have the puck on his stick at all times anyway). His main concern is the injury concern you highlight - I'm seeing three concussions since 2015. 

It'd be risky to send Risto off for any player with that injury history, but if he's healthy, he's almost certainly our fourth best forward and will likely develop more. 

Edited August 22, 2019 by Randall Flagg

[Thorner]

40 minutes ago, Brawndo said:

Something interesting brought up by Chad DeDominicis today. Olofsson did play a lot of RW in the SHL

But he's still played more on the left side overall, right? For what it's worth, Botterill didn't include him in the "wingers who play both sides" conversation from a bit earlier. 

[Thorner]

4 minutes ago, Randall Flagg said:

Pi might be able to provide more details, but when he's on the ice he's an NHL difference maker right now, with more room to grow. His skating and hands are very good, and his shot is above average. His main concern is the injury concern you highlight - I'm seeing three concussions since 2015. 

It'd be risky to send Risto off for any player with that injury history, but if he's healthy, he's almost certainly our fourth best forward and will likely develop more. 

Bolded seems promising, if he does end up being the return.

The substantial injury history already at such a young age is pretty worrying though. Combined with the ideal addition being the 2C, I'd be none too excited about the return, but not entirely disappointed in a vacuum. 

[Randall Flagg]

I think Chad knows more than an average fan would, as far as inside stuff goes, but I'm pretty skeptical he has legit info on potential returns that has escaped the usual names so far.

[Brawndo]

38 minutes ago, Thorny said:

But he's still played more on the left side overall, right? For what it's worth, Botterill didn't include him in the "wingers who play both sides" conversation from a bit earlier. 

Correct on both accounts 

27 minutes ago, Randall Flagg said:

I think Chad knows more than an average fan would, as far as inside stuff goes, but I'm pretty skeptical he has legit info on potential returns that has escaped the usual names so far.

At best he is right and a deal will be coming down soon.  At worse it gives us something to discuss on the board for a few days. 

[dudacek]

2 hours ago, Randall Flagg said:

Pi might be able to provide more details, but when he's on the ice he's an NHL difference maker right now, with more room to grow. His skating and hands are very good, and his shot is above average. He looks to have good off-the-puck instincts, not just floating around unsure of where to go like Jack (who needs to have the puck on his stick at all times anyway). His main concern is the injury concern you highlight - I'm seeing three concussions since 2015. 

It'd be risky to send Risto off for any player with that injury history, but if he's healthy, he's almost certainly our fourth best forward and will likely develop more. 

 

One of the reasons I have glommed on to this rumour more than others is that Bob Murray is exactly the type of GM to highly value Risto and under-value Kase, while Kase seems like the type of under-the-radar potential diamond-in-the-rough I’d expect Botterill to target, with the type of skill set he seems to like.

[Brawndo]

https://apnews.com/e1cec664c1c4407aa941d73794d4c31e

AP Interview with Dahlin 

[darksabre]

2 hours ago, dudacek said:

 

One of the reasons I have glommed on to this rumour more than others is that Bob Murray is exactly the type of GM to highly value Risto and under-value Kase, while Kase seems like the type of under-the-radar potential diamond-in-the-rough I’d expect Botterill to target, with the type of skill set he seems to like.

Bob Murray liking Risto is a large part of the reason I picked Anaheim. Risto is Murray's kind of player. You've asked previously why Anaheim would trade us Montour and then turn around and trade with us to get Risto, and to me it makes sense: he wants a player like Risto more than a Montour.

It wouldn't surprise me if he tried to get Risto in the Montour trade but Botterill nixed it for timing reasons. "Wait till summer Bob..." 

[LGR4GM]

10 hours ago, Brawndo said:

https://apnews.com/e1cec664c1c4407aa941d73794d4c31e

AP Interview with Dahlin 

"We’re going to be a winning team and be in the playoffs,” Dahlin said...  He was among the first Sabres players to hit the ice at the team’s practice facility, some three weeks before teams open training camp. 

 

I'm telling you, this kid is going to light it up. 

Edited August 23, 2019 by LGR4GM

[LGR4GM]

I also want to add this "Dahlin showed some rust Thursday, when the usually smooth-skating player took a spill — “Oh, yeah, I slipped,” he said — while being untouched at the blue line. He bounced back a few moments later, when he drove in from the right point and converted Jason Pominville’s no-look pass for a goal."

Say what you want about Pommers but I will always wish he was signed to play on our 4th line.

[Taro T]

4 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

I also want to add this "Dahlin showed some rust Thursday, when the usually smooth-skating player took a spill — “Oh, yeah, I slipped,” he said — while being untouched at the blue line. He bounced back a few moments later, when he drove in from the right point and converted Jason Pominville’s no-look pass for a goal."

Say what you want about Pommers but I will always wish he was signed to play on our 4th line.

Find a way to get Okposo off the roster without giving up additional assets AND get an agreement from Pominville that as soon as he hits the wall even just playing 4th line minutes 20 games in he'll non-disruptingly go to their press box where he belongs AND have him beat out the kids vying for that job in TC, then sure, have at 'im. ?

[rakish]

I would offer him the minimum to play 20 games a year. He'd never have to hop on an airplane all season.

[darksabre]

1 hour ago, LGR4GM said:

I also want to add this "Dahlin showed some rust Thursday, when the usually smooth-skating player took a spill — “Oh, yeah, I slipped,” he said — while being untouched at the blue line. He bounced back a few moments later, when he drove in from the right point and converted Jason Pominville’s no-look pass for a goal."

Say what you want about Pommers but I will always wish he was signed to play on our 4th line.

Don't get discouraged yet. It's a good sign that he's still practicing with the kids. A few inevitable roster moves could shake a spot loose for him.

[shrader]

8 minutes ago, darksabre said:

Don't get discouraged yet. It's a good sign that he's still practicing with the kids. A few inevitable roster moves could shake a spot loose for him.

It seems like the kind of thing that could happen mid-season.

[darksabre]

2 minutes ago, shrader said:

It seems like the kind of thing that could happen mid-season.

It's possible. If Jason's position is "Buffalo or retirement" then he may just wait until the team is making a playoff push to sign on.

[Zamboni]

If one could take an objective look at Pomms. He’s close to being done. Very close. He’ll look good in summer scrimmage of course. He’ll look good in training camp of course. He’ll look good in preseason games of course. He’ll look good the first 20 games of the season of course. Then ... the brick wall starts to creep in and he starts to look baaaaad the majority of  the rest of the regular season. I like pomms, I do. But it’s just time to walk away from him. The team doesn’t  benefit nearly as much as it used to with him on the team. 

Edited August 23, 2019 by Zamboni

[darksabre]

1 minute ago, Zamboni said:

If one could take an objective look at Pomms. He’s close to being done. Very close. He’ll look good in summer scrimmage of course. He’ll look good in training camp of course. He’ll look good in preseason games of course. He’ll look good the first 20 games of the season of course. Then ... the brick wall start to creep in and he starts to look baaaaad the majority of  the rest of the regular season. I like pomms, I do. But it’s just time to walk away from him. The team doesn’t  benefit nearly as much as it used to with him on the team. 

This narrative about Pominville looking slow last year is one I'm tired of hearing because it's false. He should have played on Eichel's wing all season.

[Zamboni]

22 minutes ago, darksabre said:

This narrative about Pominville looking slow last year is one I'm tired of hearing because it's false. He should have played on Eichel's wing all season.

You quoted the wrong person if you take exception to the use of the word “slow”.