Sabres Prospects 2022-2023

[dudacek]

8 minutes ago, JohnC said:

Even if the Sabres draft a defenseman early on in the draft it is unlikely that the player will be on the roster for at least another two years. If the Sabres add a defenseman in the offseason, odds are that it will be a Lyubushkin third-pairing caliber of player who will bulk up the lower pairing group. There's nothing wrong with that approach. As it stands Power is thriving while paired with Joki. 

@JohnC wondering what you think of Adams admitting he had a serious offer on the table for Chychrun.

Shows serious interest in an upgrade beyond a Lyubushkin, no?

[Flashsabre]

Don’t forget the college UFA route for dmen too. They could sign a couple to beef up the pool. 

I think a lot of people want them to draft a dman early but they won’t reach if the best players where they are drafting are forwards instead.

Chychrun would have set this D corps up nicely. Too bad the way it played out but I have confidence they will look for a way to upgrade in the summer.

[GASabresIUFAN]

23 minutes ago, dudacek said:

Hoping they end up with 2 defencemen out of the draft’s top 50, which will completely change the complexion of our prospect pool.

Picture adding Lian Bichsel (18th last year) and Tristan Luneau (53rd) to Johnson, Lindgren, Komarov and Novikov; suddenly the pipeline has options.

The interesting thing is, this draft is so forward heavy that the best defencemen (Reinbacher and Pellikka according to McKenzie) are ranked down around where we could be picking.

That might be fortuitous, but it might also mean they go higher than they’re ranked due to teams wanting defencemen, forcing us to go forward with our top pick.

Or you trade down to get more assets or your use your extra picks to move up and get the player you want.

https://theathletic.com/4178376/2023/03/01/nhl-draft-top-prospects-2023-march/

Wheeler has Gulyayev (MHL) at 16, Reinbacher (AUS) at 17 and Pellikka (SWE) 21.  He then has 4 NA D 34-37 (Morin, Dragicevic, Brzustewicz and Price)

Having watched KA in his 3 drafts, he'll most likely let the draft come to him.  He'll grab the highest guy on his list at 15-19 (depending on where we finish) and then take the best D.

Our picks currently stand 15, 40 & 47.  Wheeler has 12 D with 2nd rd grades.  Surely one or two will fall right for KA to take one

[dudacek]

18 minutes ago, Flashsabre said:

Don’t forget the college UFA route for dmen too. They could sign a couple to beef up the pool. 

I think a lot of people want them to draft a dman early but they won’t reach if the best players where they are drafting are forwards instead.

Chychrun would have set this D corps up nicely. Too bad the way it played out but I have confidence they will look for a way to upgrade in the summer.

 

7 minutes ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

Or you trade down to get more assets or your use your extra picks to move up and get the player you want.

https://theathletic.com/4178376/2023/03/01/nhl-draft-top-prospects-2023-march/

Wheeler has Gulyayev (MHL) at 16, Reinbacher (AUS) at 17 and Pellikka (SWE) 21.  He then has 4 NA D 34-37 (Morin, Dragicevic, Brzustewicz and Price)

Having watched KA in his 3 drafts, he'll most likely let the draft come to him.  He'll grab the highest guy on his list at 15-19 (depending on where we finish) and then take the best D.

Our picks currently stand 15, 40 & 47.  Wheeler has 12 D with 2nd rd grades.  Surely one or two will fall right for KA to take one

My god, there are a lot of interesting forwards this year.

So many that you will definitely regret passing on one or two if you reach for a defenceman with the 1st pick.

 

[GASabresIUFAN]

11 minutes ago, dudacek said:

 

My god, there are a lot of interesting forwards this year.

So many that you will definitely regret passing on one or two if you reach for a defenceman with the 1st pick.

 

How do you pass up on guys like Leonard and Barlow if they are sitting there when you draft 18 or 19?  Although I'd say if Reinbacher is available when we draft in the 1st KA would be a fool not to take him.  He's a perfect compliment on paper for Power.  He's already playing 20 minutes a night in the Swiss league at 18.  

[Contempt]

3 hours ago, LGR4GM said:

Would have more teams to work with while keeping said 20g winger for the playoff attempt. 

This is exactly what I'm telling myself.

[Contempt]

1 hour ago, Flashsabre said:

Don’t forget the college UFA route for dmen too. They could sign a couple to beef up the pool. 

I think a lot of people want them to draft a dman early but they won’t reach if the best players where they are drafting are forwards instead.

Chychrun would have set this D corps up nicely. Too bad the way it played out but I have confidence they will look for a way to upgrade in the summer.

Who is coming out that is halfway decent? I want Nick Poisson just based on the name

[Cheektorado]

On 3/4/2023 at 10:29 AM, LGR4GM said:

If Kuluch lights up camp and makes the team, that's awesome. I just think he'll need another year of growth in his game.

Savoie is the catch here. It makes way to much sense to put Savoie in Buffalo and leave Kulich in Rochester. 

I see your logic here.  It's something to be considered.

[Crusader1969]

2 hours ago, kas23 said:

This is correct. Unless we draft defensemen in the 1st round coming up, drafting isn’t going to fix our D problem. I would rather pick up real players. 

I feel very confident that they will add another Dman through the UFA market 

Though, they could trade Olofsson in the off-season, not sure what that brings back 

since I’ve taken the discussion way off topic , I will just add the Matt Savoie is now 5th in WHL scoring.  Seems it was just yesterday - not sure he will catch anyone ahead of him but that’s a huge improvement t to where he stood in the scoring race 2 months ago 

[Flashsabre]

51 minutes ago, Contempt said:

Who is coming out that is halfway decent? I want Nick Poisson just based on the name

https://canucksarmy.com/news/amp/23-top-ncaa-free-agents-2022-23-season

Livingstone and Bengtsson look the most interesting on the backend. 

Edited March 5, 2023 by Flashsabre

[DarthEbriate]

1 hour ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

How do you pass up on guys like Leonard and Barlow if they are sitting there when you draft 18 or 19?  Although I'd say if Reinbacher is available when we draft in the 1st KA would be a fool not to take him.  He's a perfect compliment on paper for Power.  He's already playing 20 minutes a night in the Swiss league at 18.  

I'd take Reinbacher in the 17-21 range for sure.

But I don't think he'll be available in the very late 20s where the Sabres will pick. 🍺

[JohnC]

4 hours ago, dudacek said:

@JohnC wondering what you think of Adams admitting he had a serious offer on the table for Chychrun.

Shows serious interest in an upgrade beyond a Lyubushkin, no?

The GM saw an opportunity to acquire a second pairing caliber player who still had term and a very reasonable contract. So he seriously pursued a deal. He had a quality offer, if not better offer, but the dealer went somewhere else. I don't think that it is likely that a second pairing type of defenseman will be on the market who has that term and salary reasonableness. And if there is a trade possibility at the draft and offseason, I believe that a high-end prospect will be required to consummate such a deal. Based on his history I don't see our GM willing to include that type of prospect in a proposed deal. 

You have made the same observation that I have on Lyubushkin's recent play. Recently, it has been solid or better. If the Sabres added another blueliner who is similar in performance, it would thicken up the lower half of our blue line unit. Limiting minutes to players such as Bryson and Clague is addition by subtraction. And it would give the unit more depth with players who are merely depth players. 

[JohnC]

4 hours ago, kas23 said:

This is correct. Unless we draft defensemen in the 1st round coming up, drafting isn’t going to fix our D problem. I would rather pick up real players. 

Let me add to my original post that if there are quality blue liner prospects whose rating are equal or in the same range as forward prospects in this draft, there is a need to add defensemen to our prospect pool which is very small, if not existent. 

[kas23]

2 hours ago, Crusader1969 said:

I feel very confident that they will add another Dman through the UFA market 

Though, they could trade Olofsson in the off-season, not sure what that brings back 

since I’ve taken the discussion way off topic , I will just add the Matt Savoie is now 5th in WHL scoring.  Seems it was just yesterday - not sure he will catch anyone ahead of him but that’s a huge improvement t to where he stood in the scoring race 2 months ago 

I think it’s almost certain that Oloffson gets traded during the summer. The thing that I don’t quite understand is why he wasn’t moved at the deadline. His scoring touch could’ve easily netted a 1st and more. He would do a lot of damage on some of these teams.
 

My guess is Adams didn’t want to strengthen an Eastern team, who were the ones going all in on trades. Or, maybe Adams didn’t want to deal with the optics of being a “seller”. If we ship Oloffson out, I would prefer a young defenseman coming back AND him going out West. 

[JohnC]

4 hours ago, Taro T said:

Depends on whether that D-man comes via trade or FA.  If they go the FA route again, it likely is another Lyubushkin level player.  If they make a trade, would expect to see more of a true 4 coming back.

But really espect to see them bring their top 8 back from right now plus Johnson and another vet with them all duking it out for the 8 that make the opening day roster.  And Johnson almost definitely starts the year in Ra-cha-cha.  It'll be interesting to see if Clague or Bryson is the guy joining him there.

You and I are riding the same bus and going to the same destination on this issue. Give me a version of Lyubushkin and I would be happy.

Where I slightly vary from your position is that I don't see the Sabres making a trade for an authentic top two pairing player because I don't see our GM willing to include in a trade one of his top tier prospects. It is very likely that the trade partner would want that type of asset coming their way. (Consider what KA was not willing to give up to acquire Chycrun.) Another consideration is that Don G thinks more highly of Joki than many here. As you well know I talk him up more than most here. 

[GASabresIUFAN]

Just now, JohnC said:

You and I are riding the same bus and going to the same destination on this issue. Give me a version of Lyubushkin and I would be happy.

That player, if you believe he has upside, is already here in Stillman.  Riley is 4 years younger, plays a similar game, and is an RFA after next season.  That means when Bush's contract is up, KA can simply re-sign RFA Stillman.  

The 2024-25 Sabres D could easily be

Dahlin Mule

Power Joki (although I wish KA would upgrade him)

Stillman Johnson

[MBD]

5 hours ago, dudacek said:

@JohnC wondering what you think of Adams admitting he had a serious offer on the table for Chychrun.

I know you didn't ask me, but it tells me that KA was serious about adding him, which is good, but you can't make people come to you.

Edited March 5, 2023 by MBD

[JohnC]

1 minute ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

That player, if you believe he has upside, is already here in Stillman.  Riley is 4 years younger, plays a similar game, and is an RFA after next season.  That means when Bush's contract is up, KA can simply re-sign RFA Stillman.  

The 2024-25 Sabres D could easily be

Dahlin Mule

Power Joki (although I wish KA would upgrade him)

Stillman Johnson

As you know very well the NHL season is such a grind and punishing endeavor. Especially on the blue line having plenty of depth is not a luxury as it is a necessity. Including Johnson to the Lyubushkin and Stillman additions gives the Sabres not only depth but flexibility when putting together the lower pairings. I'm more of a Joki supporter than most here. If an upgrade is brought in, I'm not going to complain if he drops to a lower line. The positive result of additions is that the playing minutes would be a little more balanced and less depleting for the top two pairings. 

From the little I have seen of Stillman I thought he looked good. He added an element of ruggedness and mobility. We don't need him to fight. (I'm against fighting in general!) He provides an element of toughness and he is mobile. 

[GASabresIUFAN]

3 minutes ago, JohnC said:

As you know very well the NHL season is such a grind and punishing endeavor. Especially on the blue line having plenty of depth is not a luxury as it is a necessity. Including Johnson to the Lyubushkin and Stillman additions gives the Sabres not only depth but flexibility when putting together the lower pairings. I'm more of a Joki supporter than most here. If an upgrade is brought in, I'm not going to complain if he drops to a lower line. The positive result of additions is that the playing minutes would be a little more balanced and less depleting for the top two pairings. 

From the little I have seen of Stillman I thought he looked good. He added an element of ruggedness and mobility. We don't need him to fight. (I'm against fighting in general!) He provides an element of toughness and he is mobile. 

The cap says you can't keep everyone.  Like it or not Bush likely won't be retained after next season.  I also feel Joki is likely to be traded at some point for cap reasons.  I proposed a Joki for Theodore trade on another thread to get Power a better partner with term.  

[Crusader1969]

Hockey East Tournament

 

Match UpTime

Wed., March 8#11 Vermont at #6 Maine7:00pm

Wed., March 8#10 New Hampshire at #7 Providence7:00pm

Wed., March 8#9 Massachusetts at #8 Boston College7:00pm

Sat., March 11#4 UMass Lowell at #5 UConn4:00pm

Sat., March 11TBD at #1 Boston University4:30pm

Sat., March 11TBD at #3 Northeastern7:00pm

Sat., March 11TBD at #2 Merrimack7:30pm

Fri., March 17Semifinal #14:00pm

Fri., March 17Semifinal #27:30pm

Sat., March 1838th Hockey East Men’s Championship7:00pm
 

There’s a chance the Levi’s last game at Norteastern is next Saturday. 
 

Edited March 5, 2023 by Crusader1969

[Crusader1969]

To follow up 

the selection show for the NCAA Playoffs is the following week - Sunday March 19th

 So even if the Huskies lose  on Saturday, Levi won’t sign for at least a week after 

[shrader]

13 minutes ago, Crusader1969 said:

To follow up 

the selection show for the NCAA Playoffs is the following week - Sunday March 19th

 So even if the Huskies lose  on Saturday, Levi won’t sign for at least a week after 

Yes he will. The rankings they use to seed the tournament are very public. If they lose early, they’ll know exactly where they sit and if it’s possible to move up at all depending on other games. 
 

As of today they are two spots back from getting in.

[Brawndo]

9 minutes ago, Crusader1969 said:

To follow up 

the selection show for the NCAA Playoffs is the following week - Sunday March 19th

 So even if the Huskies lose  on Saturday, Levi won’t sign for at least a week after 

Right now Northeastern is ranked 17th in the pairwise, meaning they need to win the Hockey East Tournament to qualify, so there is a very small chance he would sign earlier 

EDIT: What Shader said 

[shrader]

2 minutes ago, Brawndo said:

Right now Northeastern is ranked 17th in the pairwise, meaning they need to win the Hockey East Tournament to qualify, so there is a very small chance he would sign earlier 

EDIT: What Shader said 

I’m too lazy to dig into it but they don’t necessarily have to win it to get in. They may climb enough just making it into the finals, but it depends on a lot of things. 
 

But then there’s the annual doomsday scenario where a lower team wins their conference and then only the top 14 in the PWR get in (there’s one garbage conference with an auto-bid, so it’s the top 15 that get in).

[tom webster]

1 hour ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

The cap says you can't keep everyone.  Like it or not Bush likely won't be retained after next season.  I also feel Joki is likely to be traded at some point for cap reasons.  I proposed a Joki for Theodore trade on another thread to get Power a better partner with term.  

I feel like we should have a pinned post about this but this team should not have to release anyone for cap reasons. They will have their top four forwards at a ridiculously low cumulative number. Another three or four at entry level contracts and a veteran or two at third/fourth line prices.

They have their number three defenseman at a good number.

They should have a good number on one of their goalies for a couple years.

And, the cap is going to explode by at least $10M.