Defense in 2022-23 & Beyond

[thewookie1]

I’d rather acquire DeMelo from WPG

Manson hasn’t looked good the last two or three years.

[GASabresIUFAN]

21 minutes ago, thewookie1 said:

I’d rather acquire DeMelo from WPG

Manson hasn’t looked good the last two or three years.

I agree that DeMelo has to be on KA’s radar.  I also agree on Manson.  His offense has evaporated the last few years and he is -10 in only 20 games on one of the best teams in the NHL in Colorado.  While +/- isn’t a great stat, but it really stands out when one guy is so much worse than any other player on the roster.

[PerreaultForever]

I think they really want to go with what they have so they are going to stick with Dahlin on the other side unless it fails miserably. So,

Samuelson - Dahlin

Power - Joker

Bryson - Fitz.

As I've said elsewhere, I'd add this guy at RHD and bump Fitz down to #7

https://www.hockeyfights.com/fights/n265362

 

[thewookie1]

50 minutes ago, PerreaultForever said:

I think they really want to go with what they have so they are going to stick with Dahlin on the other side unless it fails miserably. So,

Samuelson - Dahlin

Power - Joker

Bryson - Fitz.

As I've said elsewhere, I'd add this guy at RHD and bump Fitz down to #7

https://www.hockeyfights.com/fights/n265362

 

Gudbranson wouldn't fit in here; Friedman literally said on Rivet/Peter's Podcast that Gudbranson needs a heavily structured system like Darryl Sutter's to actually do well. 

[Crusader1969]

How about sign the flames bottom pair ?

both are UFA’s

Dahlin Samuelsson 
Power Joker
Zadorov  Gudbranson

Nice mix of size and skill , youth and vet 

with a touch of mean

 

[Brawndo]

From Friedman’s 32 Thoughts 

 

16. One exec who recently watched Buffalo: “Owen Power, Rasmus Dahlin and Mattias Samuelsson on the blueline is going to be a problem.” And not for the Sabres.

[GASabresIUFAN]

19 minutes ago, Brawndo said:

From Friedman’s 32 Thoughts 

 

16. One exec who recently watched Buffalo: “Owen Power, Rasmus Dahlin and Mattias Samuelsson on the blueline is going to be a problem.” And not for the Sabres.

No kidding.  Speed, size, physical and very skilled.  What’s not to like?

[GASabresIUFAN]

I liked what I've seen from our old friend Zadorov.  I wouldn't mind bringing him back if he is interested.

[dudacek]

This is not my preferred choice to bolster the defence, but it intrigues me. Please bear with me.

James Patrick spent his 20s as a first-pairing, offensive Rangers defenceman, peaking with a 71-point season at age 29. The production fell off after that, and when he signed with Buffalo at 35 following seasons of 4 and 17 points, most assumed he might have been better advised to retire.

Instead, Patrick used his brains and his fitness to play six more seasons as a steadying influence on some very successful emerging Sabres teams.

Teppo Numminen spent his 20s as the #1D of the Winnipeg/Phoenix franchise, putting up 51 points as a 30-year-old. Over the next few seasons his star faded to the point where he followed a 17-point season with a year of not playing at all in the lockout. When play resumed he was 37 and many people assumed he was done.

Instead, Numminen signed with Buffalo, and used his brains and his fitness to play 4 more reliable years as a key cog on some very successful emerging Sabres teams.

Right now there is another defenceman out there who spent his 20s as a top, 1st-pairing D, putting up his last peak season with 59 points as a 29-year-old. But consecutive seasons of 18, 19 and 22 points have turned him into an afterthought at 33. As he approaches free agency, the expectations and the interest among NHL fandom is scant.

Can PK Subban follow in the footsteps of Patrick and Numminen and use his brains and fitness to reinvent himself as an under-the-radar addition to become a steady and reliable elder statesman leader for another emerging Sabres team?

As I said earlier, it’s not my first choice. But assuming he’s matured in the same way the previous two did, and the contract is realistic, it’s an option worth considering.

Edited May 28, 2022 by dudacek

[Porous Five Hole]

On 5/27/2022 at 1:03 AM, GASabresIUFAN said:

I liked what I've seen from our old friend Zadorov.  I wouldn't mind bringing him back if he is interested.

He would never agree to play here again.  

[GASabresIUFAN]

26 minutes ago, Porous Five Hole said:

He would never agree to play here again.  

Probably not, but money talks.

[Brawndo]

On 5/28/2022 at 12:04 AM, dudacek said:

This is not my preferred choice to bolster the defence, but it intrigues me. Please bear with me.

James Patrick spent his 20s as a first-pairing, offensive Rangers defenceman, peaking with a 71-point season at age 29. The production fell off after that, and when he signed with Buffalo at 35 following seasons of 4 and 17 points, most assumed he might have been better advised to retire.

Instead, Patrick used his brains and his fitness to play six more seasons as a steadying influence on some very successful emerging Sabres teams.

Teppo Numminen spent his 20s as the #1D of the Winnipeg/Phoenix franchise, putting up 51 points as a 30-year-old. Over the next few seasons his star faded to the point where he followed a 17-point season with a year of not playing at all in the lockout. When play resumed he was 37 and many people assumed he was done.

Instead, Numminen signed with Buffalo, and used his brains and his fitness to play 4 more reliable years as a key cog on some very successful emerging Sabres teams.

Right now there is another defenceman out there who spent his 20s as a top, 1st-pairing D, putting up his last peak season with 59 points as a 29-year-old. But consecutive seasons of 18, 19 and 22 points have turned him into an afterthought at 33. As he approaches free agency, the expectations and the interest among NHL fandom is scant.

Can PK Subban follow in the footsteps of Patrick and Numminen and use his brains and fitness to reinvent himself as an under-the-radar addition to become a steady and reliable elder statesman leader for another emerging Sabres team?

As I said earlier, it’s not my first choice. But assuming he’s matured in the same way the previous two did, and the contract is realistic, it’s an option worth considering.

When PK was moved off the Top Pairing, there was a noticeable improvement in His Metrics. 
Evolving Hockey has His Projected Deal at 3 years 3.8 Million, I would sign up for that. 

 

[tom webster]

6 hours ago, Brawndo said:

When PK was moved off the Top Pairing, there was a noticeable improvement in His Metrics. 
Evolving Hockey has His Projected Deal at 3 years 3.8 Million, I would sign up for that. 

 

I think PK is possible if not likely.

[Sabres Fan in NS]

6 hours ago, Brawndo said:

When PK was moved off the Top Pairing, there was a noticeable improvement in His Metrics. 
Evolving Hockey has His Projected Deal at 3 years 3.8 Million, I would sign up for that. 

 

That's $3.8 per year, eh??  

10 minutes ago, tom webster said:

I think PK is possible if not likely.

Is this you thinking out loud here, or are you hearing some scuttlebutt?

[Curt]

1 hour ago, tom webster said:

I think PK is possible if not likely.

 

1 hour ago, Sabres Fan in NS said:

That's $3.8 per year, eh??  

Is this you thinking out loud here, or are you hearing some scuttlebutt?

Well, I think his brother would put a good word in.

A 3 year deal would be ages 33-35 for PK.  That’s a little old but not terrible.

Im not sure how management would feel his personality might fit in the room.  That’s not a knock on him, I think he is great, but he has a big personality and on a young team where they are trying to empower young leaders to emerge, would there be too many young guys looking to him instead of looking inside themselves and to each other?  I don’t know the answer to that.

He also is not the prototypical PK/defense first guy I’m looking for to fill that RD hole.

On the other hand, I think he could be great as a mentor for our young skilled defenseman.  He has played that role at an extremely high level, and I’m sure he could help them improve.

Mixed bag.  I’d be ok with it.  If he is the best guy you can get, I’d take it.

[dudacek]

I think with PK it comes down to whether or not he can reinvent himself like Patrick did.

Is he mature enough now to lead from back — empowering others rather than taking the ball himself? Can he play a safer game better suited to his current skillset, rather than the skillset he had in 2015?

I think he's a good guy and there's a great opportunity here from him to extend his career, depending on his headspace.

The biggest question I have is whether his skating is still good enough.

[Taro T]

Just now, dudacek said:

I think with PK it comes down to whether or not he can reinvent himself like Patrick did.

Is he mature enough now to lead from back — empowering others rather than taking the ball himself? Can he play a safer game better suited to his current skillset, rather than the skillset he had in 2015?

I think he's a good guy and there's a great opportunity here from him to extend his career, depending on his headspace.

The biggest question I have is whether his skating is still good enough.

IMHO, it simply becomes a question of whether he can step into a support role and be OK w/ it.

His skating was so good in his prime, that don't see it being the determining factor.

Especially w/ a very likely future opportunity in either the booth or on an intermission show would he be interested in taking a step towards a coaching path?  (Which is what that 2nd pairing mentoring role would be a precursor towards.)  Does he want to work for a living or become the next Kevin Weekes?  Depending upon what drives him, could see him having a preference, but honestly don't know which would be more appealing.  And maybe dipping a toe into that water could help him figure out which career to strive for when his playing days are over.

[Curt]

16 minutes ago, dudacek said:

I think with PK it comes down to whether or not he can reinvent himself like Patrick did.

Is he mature enough now to lead from back — empowering others rather than taking the ball himself? Can he play a safer game better suited to his current skillset, rather than the skillset he had in 2015?

I think he's a good guy and there's a great opportunity here from him to extend his career, depending on his headspace.

The biggest question I have is whether his skating is still good enough.

I think that he made that exact transition in the 2021-22 season.  I’m not sure though, as I don’t watch NJ closely.

[LabattBlue]

2 hours ago, tom webster said:

I think PK is possible if not likely.

Enquiring minds want to know!

[tom webster]

2 hours ago, Sabres Fan in NS said:

That's $3.8 per year, eh??  

Is this you thinking out loud here, or are you hearing some scuttlebutt?

Well, be forewarned, the same people that told me Ullmark was signed have mentioned PK a couple of times. 
Some day I’ll try to explain what I think happened with Linus.
I’ve tried to explain before, there are a lot of people involved when a team decides to consider bringing someone in. Lawyers look at contracts, doctors look at medical reports, investigators do background checks. Sometimes people assume things are farther along and jump the gun. In the end, only a select few know if all that research will lead to anything.
 

[Flashsabre]

As a few mentioned, just sign the Zadorov-Gudbransen pair as a 3rd pairing. The “we need big physical guys” crowd would be happy. Add a goalie and you are good to go.

[thewookie1]

2 hours ago, Flashsabre said:

As a few mentioned, just sign the Zadorov-Gudbransen pair as a 3rd pairing. The “we need big physical guys” crowd would be happy. Add a goalie and you are good to go.

That would be a train wreck to be honest. Gudbranson isn’t a good Dman and has had a grand total of 1 good season with CGY under Darryl Sitter’s defensive structure. He failed miserably in any more loose game plan, Pittsburgh and Vancouver. 
 

Zadorov is extremely inconsistent in his play. I watched him with Chicago spend a few games as a defensive stalwart only play some games at Mezaros level. 
 

 

I honestly have no idea if Subban can do what Teppo and Patrick did. Subban’s persona is loud and entertaining which wouldn’t mesh with playing a secondary role focusing on defense and mentorship. He seems like a great guy but also might be overly energized to the point of drowning out our young leaders in the making who might be a bit quieter in the locker room. If we can’t get a DeMelo or a more defensive skewed player; I’d perhaps offer him a 1 year deal at 4mil with him fully agreeing to the role of vet/mentor/no spotlight on the ice role. If he agrees, give him a year to prove it to management and himself. If he hates the role after trying it; he’s less than 3 hours from Toronto and can become a broadcast guy without even having to move.

[Flashsabre]

22 minutes ago, thewookie1 said:

That would be a train wreck to be honest. Gudbranson isn’t a good Dman and has had a grand total of 1 good season with CGY under Darryl Sitter’s defensive structure. He failed miserably in any more loose game plan, Pittsburgh and Vancouver. 
 

Zadorov is extremely inconsistent in his play. I watched him with Chicago spend a few games as a defensive stalwart only play some games at Mezaros level. 
 

 

I honestly have no idea if Subban can do what Teppo and Patrick did. Subban’s persona is loud and entertaining which wouldn’t mesh with playing a secondary role focusing on defense and mentorship. He seems like a great guy but also might be overly energized to the point of drowning out our young leaders in the making who might be a bit quieter in the locker room. If we can’t get a DeMelo or a more defensive skewed player; I’d perhaps offer him a 1 year deal at 4mil with him fully agreeing to the role of vet/mentor/no spotlight on the ice role. If he agrees, give him a year to prove it to management and himself. If he hates the role after trying it; he’s less than 3 hours from Toronto and can become a broadcast guy without even having to move.

Message boards where every trade or signing would be a disaster.

Zadorov-Gudbransen would be fine as a third pair defensive pairing. Keep it simple, kill penalties. They had good chemistry together. 

Probably won’t happen anyways but they are  ahead of where Manson is right now.

[Zamboni]

Zadorov lacks “decent hockey IQ” . He takes the absolute stupidest untimely penalties. He hurts his team 2-3 times a game. He hurt Colorado often when he was with them. He’s god awful. I hope and pray Sabres never reacquire him. 

[Taro T]

38 minutes ago, Zamboni said:

Zadorov lacks “decent hockey IQ” . He takes the absolute stupidest untimely penalties. He hurts his team 2-3 times a game. He hurt Colorado often when he was with them. He’s god awful. I hope and pray Sabres never reacquire him. 

Yeah.  Not sure why people want Ristolainen-lite back.