2020 Off-season gameplan

[Taro T]

3 hours ago, IKnowPhysics said:

I forgot Jokiahrju (right shot) from the list, yes.  I think I keep getting confused because I think Dahlin (left shot) lines up on the left, but many of his highlights, even non-PP highlights are him working the right point where his stick side is towards center ice/the net.  He's an efficient puck mover on his stick side (left shot/LD), but he's a sickeningly lethal playmaker on his offside (left shot/RD).

Nonetheless, still jammed on RD, with only McCabe and Dahlin lining up LD.

If ever the log jam on the right side dissipates we may see Dahlin go back to the right point.  Until then, not a chance.  We're not seeing both Montour & Miller being ~80% effective playing their off wing.  (And few things could be scarier than the thought of watching Ristolainen forget he was supposed to be on the left side effectively sliding over covering his partner rather than the other team's RW on a rush.)

[Huckleberry]

https://www.diebytheblade.com/2020/8/31/21404653/building-the-buffalo-sabres-its-time-to-get-creative

this is what he basically ends up with - overpays a bit with the Pittsburgh deal but I can get behind this line up. 

Just not sure about Strome, his speed worries me but they do give him two speedy wingers.

[MakeSabresGrr8Again]

1 hour ago, Huckleberry said:

https://www.diebytheblade.com/2020/8/31/21404653/building-the-buffalo-sabres-its-time-to-get-creative

this is what he basically ends up with - overpays a bit with the Pittsburgh deal but I can get behind this line up. 

Just not sure about Strome, his speed worries me but they do give him two speedy wingers.

I think Strome's speed would still be a concern...will he be able to keep up with his wingers or will he slow them down? Is Rust a defensive capable winger...we know Skinner is not.

Better options please.

Edit: I also question why having an extra LD with Dahlin, Sergachev, and McCabe. Seems it would be better to have the extra be a RD.

Tage should be in Roch if he's gonna be an extra FW.

Edited September 1, 2020 by MakeSabresGrr8Again

[thewookie1]

2 hours ago, Huckleberry said:

https://www.diebytheblade.com/2020/8/31/21404653/building-the-buffalo-sabres-its-time-to-get-creative

this is what he basically ends up with - overpays a bit with the Pittsburgh deal but I can get behind this line up. 

Just not sure about Strome, his speed worries me but they do give him two speedy wingers.

I'm not interested in trading Pekar for the 3rd back but the idea is good. We need Pekar's future pest on this team since we completely lack his type of player.

0 interest in Dylan Strome; he's too slow and doesn't do much of anything for long stretches. Plus he's rarely good when not with Kane and/or Debrincat

I'm not keen on the Tampa trade barring some amount of pick protection.

[Huckleberry]

9 hours ago, thewookie1 said:

I'm not interested in trading Pekar for the 3rd back but the idea is good. We need Pekar's future pest on this team since we completely lack his type of player.

0 interest in Dylan Strome; he's too slow and doesn't do much of anything for long stretches. Plus he's rarely good when not with Kane and/or Debrincat

I'm not keen on the Tampa trade barring some amount of pick protection.

Yeah the pekar trade doesn't sit well with me either, but I don't mind the tampa trade when it brings us sergachev.

[Brawndo]

Risto is 18th. 

[dudacek]

8 minutes ago, Brawndo said:

Risto is 18th. 

How long has Risto been on the trade board? Four years?

And that is an intriguing list of players.

Edited September 1, 2020 by dudacek

[Brawndo]

McCann for Montour would work 

[Gabrielor]

In the wake of all these available wingers...

 

...please focus on the centers, Adams.

[3putt]

Laine and Ehlers?  Not a chance.  

[Thorner]

On 8/26/2020 at 5:22 PM, thewookie1 said:

Here's an idea I came up with which actually got some Canadiens fans to bite

BUF Receives:

Danault, Phillip

2020 1st round pick (MTL) - 16th Overall

Additional Details:

Signs a 6x5.25mil extension.

 

MTL Receives:

Montour, Brandon [RFA Rights]

Thompson, Tage [RFA Rights]

2020 1st round pick (BUF) - 8th Overall

2021 2nd round pick (BUF)

 

The idea is to get a 2C/eventual 3C who is more defensive in nature to lessen Eichel's need to literally be out there 26 min a night. We move down in the 1st round but still have a mid-1st pick to help replenish our prospect pool.

 

My other primary targets would be Cirelli or Tierney as they all play a Selke-winning styled game and to go far in the playoffs, that is a must have.

I think it could get done without the 2nd. Montour, Thompson, and up 8 spots into the top 10 for Habs a reasonable price for Danault, if he wants out. 

I’d welcome the deal.

[sabresparaavida]

Talked very briefly with my source today, didn’t have any new news, he did say that the deal is not dead with the team I mentioned earlier, and they are still discussions.

[sabremike]

8 hours ago, Thorny said:

I think it could get done without the 2nd. Montour, Thompson, and up 8 spots into the top 10 for Habs a reasonable price for Danault, if he wants out. 

I’d welcome the deal.

NO!

[PerreaultForever]

12 hours ago, 3putt said:

Laine and Ehlers?  Not a chance.  

I dunno. They are both rumoured to be available and they desperately want to rebuild a D core so surely with some creativity we could work out some sort of package deal. 

[PerreaultForever]

On 8/31/2020 at 5:37 PM, Huckleberry said:

https://www.diebytheblade.com/2020/8/31/21404653/building-the-buffalo-sabres-its-time-to-get-creative

this is what he basically ends up with - overpays a bit with the Pittsburgh deal but I can get behind this line up. 

Just not sure about Strome, his speed worries me but they do give him two speedy wingers.

I saw this and wondered how the heck is this guy getting all this so I read the article and it made me laugh. A lot. 

The Tampa trade is too funny for words. Sorry, we'd have to give up a lot more to get that. 

Don't see the point of the Pekar for a third deal. I still hold out hope for Pekar.

Strome for Montour, maybe. I hate Montour so why not. If they'd do it, which I doubt.

Don't like his Pitt deal. Getting us fleeced there. 

and yet another pointless third for Johansson. Again, why?

Always liked Khudobin, wanted him when he left Boston. Price was lower back then. 

The idea of overhauling the line up I can get behind, but you got to be a realist. We aren't going to have a lot of takers on most of our 'talent." 

[Shootica]

6 hours ago, sabresparaavida said:

Talked very briefly with my source today, didn’t have any new news, he did say that the deal is not dead with the team I mentioned earlier, and they are still discussions.

Appreciate the insight, thank you!  Your wording implies, to me at least, that it has gotten less likely/more complicated since you first mentioned this deal.  Is that the impression you got or am I overanalyzing?

[Gabrielor]

Good that the deal isn't dead; at the end of the day, we can't leave this offseason without a couple of veteran centers.

I'd suspect/hope that *insert-team-here* is also an eliminated team, so hopefully discussions are ramping up.

[Gabrielor]

https://www.expectedbuffalo.com/buffalo-sabres-johan-larssons-potential-departure-will-hurt-the-sabres-more-than-you-think/

 

Chad isn't optimistic about a Larsson return ?

[LGR4GM]

35 minutes ago, Gabrielor said:

https://www.expectedbuffalo.com/buffalo-sabres-johan-larssons-potential-departure-will-hurt-the-sabres-more-than-you-think/

 

Chad isn't optimistic about a Larsson return ?

If Larsson leaves, this team needs 3 centers in the offseason instead of just 2

[That Aud Smell]

45 minutes ago, Gabrielor said:

https://www.expectedbuffalo.com/buffalo-sabres-johan-larssons-potential-departure-will-hurt-the-sabres-more-than-you-think/

 

Chad isn't optimistic about a Larsson return ?

no bueno

[JohnC]

1 hour ago, LGR4GM said:

If Larsson leaves, this team needs 3 centers in the offseason instead of just 2

I'm a Larsson fan. His hardnosed style of play is what is lacking on this mostly soft team. However, from the player's perspective the right thing to do is go to another team and start fresh. For the past couple of years he has had to endure a stale situation for his game. Although he's on an effective checking and defensive line his personal game has been stifled because of the offensive limitations of his wingers. 

I don't consider Larsson a genuine 2C. But on the Sabres he should have been given more opportunities to play as a 2C  with wingers who were more adept on offense than his regular playing mates. He was never going to be a prolific scorer but he did have more to draw from in his offensive game. It simply was not tapped into here. I'm sure he is smart enough to realize that he needs a change of scenery. Coaches such as Trotz and Tortorella, among a lot of other coaches, would love to have him on their teams. 

[Weave]

3 hours ago, LGR4GM said:

If Larsson leaves, this team needs 3 centers in the offseason instead of just 2

Imo if Larsson leave it guarantees Cozens has a center spot on the team this coming season.

[Thorner]

4 hours ago, Gabrielor said:

https://www.expectedbuffalo.com/buffalo-sabres-johan-larssons-potential-departure-will-hurt-the-sabres-more-than-you-think/

 

Chad isn't optimistic about a Larsson return ?

Came to post this. It's scary. A team so desperate for centres as it is, will be in a world of hurt without Larsson. 

Things are getting dicier.

[Thorner]

3 hours ago, LGR4GM said:

If Larsson leaves, this team needs 3 centers in the offseason instead of just 2

Should be easy for a first time GM, who the owners only had replace Botterill because Botterill told the owners he couldn't/wouldn't continue executing his failing plan for cheaper, to acquire 3 centres in a few months, when it took the previous GM 3 years to add a single C in Lazar, who we need three C adds better than.

Edited September 2, 2020 by Thorny

[dudacek]

I’ve been saying this for months.

Larsson is gone, not because the Sabres don’t want him or need him, but because after 6 years of crap he owes it to himself to check out other pastures. The Sabres surely  have known this for months.

What Botterill did with UFAs this year - giving up a 4th for Frolik and a fifth for Simmonds, while gaining only a 4th for Larsson, Girgensons, Vesey, Scandella, Sobotka, and Bogosian is just bad asset management.

At least he made a good move with Sheary.