2C and 3C for 20-21

[Curt]

14 minutes ago, PerreaultForever said:

Oh you're right. i saw 62 and assumed injury but he was traded to Nashville and then totally dried up there. So i guess you can say steady decline but I'm not sure what the point is? Are you saying players do not have sudden drop offs when they age, that they always decline slowly? I don't think that's true. 

I’m actually going to say that high quality players who have a high work ethic and work to keep themselves in top shape into their 30’s very rarely have a dramatic drop off in ability, but rather that a slow decline is the norm.

[PerreaultForever]

6 hours ago, Thorny said:

Right, Krueger would presumably alter his line deployment. 

I think Kreuger will do the exact same thing he did this year. Try to balance his lines, look for combinations that have chemistry,  and he'll reward better play with more ice time. he was pretty much traditional by the book in that regard and I doubt he changes. Just depends who he has on the roster. I don't think at this point ANY line or combination is a given. 

[dudacek]

8 hours ago, PerreaultForever said:

I think Kreuger will do the exact same thing he did this year. Try to balance his lines, look for combinations that have chemistry,  and he'll reward better play with more ice time. he was pretty much traditional by the book in that regard and I doubt he changes. Just depends who he has on the roster. I don't think at this point ANY line or combination is a given. 

Yep. He thinks in terms of matchups.

I think there will be a concerted effort made to find players with skillsets Ralph felt were lacking. We've seen step one.

[Curt]

9 hours ago, PerreaultForever said:

I think Kreuger will do the exact same thing he did this year. Try to balance his lines, look for combinations that have chemistry,  and he'll reward better play with more ice time. he was pretty much traditional by the book in that regard and I doubt he changes. Just depends who he has on the roster. I don't think at this point ANY line or combination is a given. 

 

56 minutes ago, dudacek said:

Yep. He thinks in terms of matchups.

I think there will be a concerted effort made to find players with skillsets Ralph felt were lacking. We've seen step one.

Yeah, sure, I would say most NHL coaches do deploy their lines in terms of matchups, or at least take matchups strongly into consideration.

But Krueger isn’t going to deploy Lazar exactly the same as he would Larsson, just because they are both on a checking line.  McCann could also be centering a line with defensive/checking utility, and replace some of those mins/matchups.  And having an acceptable 2C changes how the 2nd best scoring line might be used.

Krueger only had 2 lines that were fulfilling their role last season.  If he had more, maybe he would have used them differently.

Edited September 18, 2020 by Curt

[PerreaultForever]

3 hours ago, Curt said:

But Krueger isn’t going to deploy Lazar exactly the same as he would Larsson, just because they are both on a checking line. 

Krueger only had 2 lines that were fulfilling their role last season.  If he had more, maybe he would have used them differently.

Lazar was our best face off guy if I remember correctly, but that was on a team dreadful at face offs. For all the talk about our great 4th line and Larsson you have to remember the PK on this team wasn't very good. Now there are a number of reasons for that, but I'm just saying the bottom six last year wasn't nearly as good as some people think. 

Lazar worked hard and tried his best, and I like that about him, but realistically, he should be in Rochester. 

[sweetlou]

Now that we have Stall for one year as a 2c who is the best option for 3c now?

 

Tampa= Gourde- probably would not waive trade clause to come to Buffalo but I love his game.

Toronto= Kerfoot- had better years in Colorado, Not sure if he fits mold of what Buffalo wants down the middle.

Columbus= Wennberg- has had good years offensively early in career. Is more of a set up center and defensively responsible.  Only trade for him if we get Josh Anderson in the deal.

Columbus= Jenner- big physical center who is good on face offs. 

Arizona= Stepan- cap hit is 6.5 million, but real money is only 2 million (I have a feeling he is going home to Minnesota).

Calgary- Ryan- signed for one more year, plays well defensively. Also another former Hurricane.

Calgary= Bennett- another big physical center.  I like him as a 3c and he can also slide to wing and still be a force.

Dallas- Faska- RFA who would fit well on 3c for next 3 years.

Nashville= Bonino- veteran who is great on PK and face offs. Always gets you 15-20 goals a year as well.

Pittsburgh= McCann- big and young, would fit nicely as 3c for next few years.

Vancouver= Gaudette- not sure if Vancouver moves him but another nice young center.

Vancouver= Sutter- veteran 3c who can provide leadership

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[thewookie1]

To be honest I'm still going after a 2C like Cirelli, Danault, Tierney, etc even with Staal. If you can get a 2C and force Staal down to 3C we'll have a very solid team offensively.  

[Brawndo]

McCann just signed a two year extension with Pittsburgh. 

[PerreaultForever]

Building a checking line around Bonino would be a good idea but it's also a short term move. 

[Thorner]

17 hours ago, PerreaultForever said:

I think Kreuger will do the exact same thing he did this year. Try to balance his lines, look for combinations that have chemistry,  and he'll reward better play with more ice time. he was pretty much traditional by the book in that regard and I doubt he changes. Just depends who he has on the roster. I don't think at this point ANY line or combination is a given. 

 

8 hours ago, dudacek said:

Yep. He thinks in terms of matchups.

I think there will be a concerted effort made to find players with skillsets Ralph felt were lacking. We've seen step one.

I was referring to the ridiculously difficult deployment the Larsson line garnered. 

If Larsson, or someone like him isn't here, there will not be a line he can deploy in that fashion. 

8 hours ago, Curt said:

 

Yeah, sure, I would say most NHL coaches do deploy their lines in terms of matchups, or at least take matchups strongly into consideration.

But Krueger isn’t going to deploy Lazar exactly the same as he would Larsson, just because they are both on a checking line.  McCann could also be centering a line with defensive/checking utility, and replace some of those mins/matchups.  And having an acceptable 2C changes how the 2nd best scoring line might be used.

Krueger only had 2 lines that were fulfilling their role last season.  If he had more, maybe he would have used them differently.

Ya. 

[Thorner]

3 hours ago, sweetlou said:

Now that we have Stall for one year as a 2c who is the best option for 3c now?

 

Tampa= Gourde- probably would not waive trade clause to come to Buffalo but I love his game.

Toronto= Kerfoot- had better years in Colorado, Not sure if he fits mold of what Buffalo wants down the middle.

Columbus= Wennberg- has had good years offensively early in career. Is more of a set up center and defensively responsible.  Only trade for him if we get Josh Anderson in the deal.

Columbus= Jenner- big physical center who is good on face offs. 

Arizona= Stepan- cap hit is 6.5 million, but real money is only 2 million (I have a feeling he is going home to Minnesota).

Calgary- Ryan- signed for one more year, plays well defensively. Also another former Hurricane.

Calgary= Bennett- another big physical center.  I like him as a 3c and he can also slide to wing and still be a force.

Dallas- Faska- RFA who would fit well on 3c for next 3 years.

Nashville= Bonino- veteran who is great on PK and face offs. Always gets you 15-20 goals a year as well.

Pittsburgh= McCann- big and young, would fit nicely as 3c for next few years.

Vancouver= Gaudette- not sure if Vancouver moves him but another nice young center.

Vancouver= Sutter- veteran 3c who can provide leadership

Copp, Winnipeg

Koivu, Minnesota (UFA)

[Brawndo]

53 minutes ago, Thorny said:

Copp, Winnipeg

Koivu, Minnesota (UFA)

Koivu in limited minutes on a checking line would be quite beneficial 

[Flashsabre]

Haula is a name to keep an eye on too

[Shootica]

13 minutes ago, Flashsabre said:

Haula is a name to keep an eye on too

The NHLRumorsDaily Twitter account has linked him to Buffalo, for what it's worth.

Edited September 19, 2020 by Shootica

[sweetlou]

Another UFA option could be Brassard.

[Taro T]

22 hours ago, thewookie1 said:

To be honest I'm still going after a 2C like Cirelli, Danault, Tierney, etc even with Staal. If you can get a 2C and force Staal down to 3C we'll have a very solid team offensively.  

Ab-so-friggin'-lute-ly!

The Sabres would actually be able to create mismatches for the 1st time in more than a decade & they'd also be able to handle ST injuries.

Make sure the GT is fixed & that team SHOULD make the playoffs.  (Provided they don't gut the D/W's, but even then they'd legit be in the mix.)