The Sabres did Offer Johan Larsson a Contract per Riley Sheahan

[tom webster]

6 hours ago, Amerks8796 said:

If you actually listen to his interview today, he said that it all came together with Buffalo after someone signed in Europe. He said other teams contacted him earlier in the offseason. I find it hard to believe this whole deal was done in less than a day. 

The timeline makes way more sense that the Sabres reached out after the Ruotsalainen signing, he held out for a 1 way deal, but ultimately signed with Buffalo. 

The whole deal? It’s a standard contract. The entire negotiation would take 5 minutes. It’s pretty much, ok we have a spot, we know you’ve been offered X, this is what we will offer. Want it? 

[GoPuckYourself]

2 pages for Johan freaking Larrson? Man I can't wait for the season to start.

[Doohicksie]

10 minutes ago, GoPuckYourself said:

2 pages for Johan freaking Larrson? Man I can't wait for the season to start.

No, two hours arguing about what Sheahan knew.  BIG difference.

 

 

 

😉

[Stoner]

HFS!

[Mustache of God]

I think my head would have exploded if we re-signed Larsson. This team needs players who haven't spent their entire careers with dumpster teams like the Sabres and Coyotes.

[Derrico]

14 hours ago, tom webster said:

I believe they also offered Stasny a deal. 
I know it’s a lot of conjecture but I really don’t see a scenario where Casey and Krebs are together on this team long term unless as someone suggested, they see Tage as a winger but I haven’t heard anyone else say that.

Jesus how could anyone see Tage as a winger after he exploded last year as a C??

 

 

Edited August 24, 2022 by Derrico

[dudacek]

9 minutes ago, Derrico said:

Jesus how could anyone see Tage as a winger after he exploded last year as a C??

 

 

I agree, at least for this year, but Webster has a point about the coming logjam.

It will be interesting to see who is a centre, who is a winger and who is traded in 3 or 4 years.

3 top lines, 7 candidates: Thompson, Mittelstadt, Cozens, Krebs, Savoie, Östlund, Kulich.

Östlund is the only one I can't really see sliding to the wing.

[Flashsabre]

3 minutes ago, dudacek said:

I agree, at least for this year, but Webster has a point about the coming logjam.

It will be interesting to see who is a centre, who is a winger and who is traded in 3 or 4 years.

3 top lines, 7 candidates: Thompson, Mittelstadt, Cozens, Krebs, Savoie, Östlund, Kulich.

Östlund is the only one I can't really see sliding to the wing.

Östlund has been playing LW for his Swedish team.

[Derrico]

3 minutes ago, dudacek said:

I agree, at least for this year, but Webster has a point about the coming logjam.

It will be interesting to see who is a centre, who is a winger and who is traded in 3 or 4 years.

3 top lines, 7 candidates: Thompson, Mittelstadt, Cozens, Krebs, Savoie, Östlund, Kulich.

Östlund is the only one I can't really see sliding to the wing.

Tage has to be given shot as 1C moving forward.  Sabres can figure out the rest from there. 
 

My guess is Kulich, mitts and Krebs are wingers.  Although Krebs vision does give me some pause.

[dudacek]

13 minutes ago, Flashsabre said:

Östlund has been playing LW for his Swedish team.

I had not seen that and think that's a bad move. His tool kit screams centre to me.

Do you know if it was a short-term look during their exhibition, or something they plan to run with?

Because it will be terrible for his development, in my opinion.

[Zamboni]

Did Sheehan know Larsson said no and he was next in line to ask? Probably not.

Did Sheehan know he wasn’t the first person asked? 
Probably.

 

Does it really F’in matter? No. Bloody hell. Sheehan is happy to be in the league making great money playing a game for a living as a pro. A game.

[Curt]

Personally, I don’t think the debates of players X, Y, and Z being either C’s or W’s matters too much. Yes, some guys are much more comfortable playing one or the other, but if we  end up with 4-5 guys who can/do play as top-9 C’s depending on the line combinations and injuries, that’s great.

I always go back to some of those good SJ Sharks teams of the past decade.  They had Thornton, Pavelski, Couture, Hertl, and Tierney all playing in the top 9 and logging time at C at various times.  Some guys would shift to the wing when the situation dictated it.

[Weave]

Are Sheehan and Larsson represented by the same agency?  That would explain it.

[Flashsabre]

19 minutes ago, dudacek said:

I had not seen that and think that's a bad move. His tool kit screams centre to me.

Do you know if it was a short-term look during their exhibition, or something they plan to run with?

Because it will be terrible for his development, in my opinion.

Not sure. One of the internet prospect guys mentioned it.

[GASabresIUFAN]

40 minutes ago, dudacek said:

I agree, at least for this year, but Webster has a point about the coming logjam.

It will be interesting to see who is a centre, who is a winger and who is traded in 3 or 4 years.

3 top lines, 7 candidates: Thompson, Mittelstadt, Cozens, Krebs, Savoie, Östlund, Kulich.

Östlund is the only one I can't really see sliding to the wing.

This will all shake out over time and is a great problem to have.  If all these guys reach their potential this will almost guarantee the Sabres are competitive for the next decade.   

We can’t forget that even though the 3 guys were drafted in the same class they are somewhat staggered in when they’ll reach the Sabres.  Odds are that Savoie jumps to the NHL after next season,  Kulich the following season and Östlund still has 2 more years on his deal in Sweden, so it’s probably 3 years until he joins the team.  As these guys come up, management will have a much better idea on the highest and best use of Cozens, Krebs and Mitts.

I’m worried less about playing center as DG seems to like position less hockey.  Having multiple guys on a line who are comfortable in the middle seems like something DG would encourage.  

The bigger issue is where are we going to put everyone if they develop as hoped?  Our current longer term top 9 type players (based on skill, age and contract) are Skinner, Tuch, TNT, Cozens, Mitts and Krebs.  This year we are adding JJP and Quinn.  Then comes the next wave of Rosen, Savoie, Kulich and Östlund.  If others blossom like Bloom, Nadeau, Kisakov or Poltapov, then the log jam gets even “worse.”  Tough decisions will have to be made as kids force their up from below.  I don’t envy KA those decisions. 

[French Collection]

8 minutes ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

This will all shake out over time and is a great problem to have.  If all these guys reach their potential this will almost guarantee the Sabres are competitive for the next decade.   

We can’t forget that even though the 3 guys were drafted in the same class they are somewhat staggered in when they’ll reach the Sabres.  Odds are that Savoie jumps to the NHL after next season,  Kulich the following season and Östlund still has 2 more years on his deal in Sweden, so it’s probably 3 years until he joins the team.  As these guys come up, management will have a much better idea on the highest and best use of Cozens, Krebs and Mitts.

I’m worried less about playing center as DG seems to like position less hockey.  Having multiple guys on a line who are comfortable in the middle seems like something DG would encourage.  

The bigger issue is where are we going to put everyone if they develop as hoped?  Our current longer term top 9 type players (based on skill, age and contract) are Skinner, Tuch, TNT, Cozens, Mitts and Krebs.  This year we are adding JJP and Quinn.  Then comes the next wave of Rosen, Savoie, Kulich and Östlund.  If others blossom like Bloom, Nadeau, Kisakov or Poltapov, then the log jam gets even “worse.”  Tough decisions will have to be made as kids force their up from below.  I don’t envy KA those decisions. 

I better not “fall in love” with players, they are all eligible to be moved. 
It is hard to think ahead and realize guys will have to be moved/cut to make room for the next wave. Just as we are seeing a group that can become a true core. If it is a true core then they get to stay, but some good players will probably leave for cap/prospect reasons.

[Taro T]

8 minutes ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

This will all shake out over time and is a great problem to have.  If all these guys reach their potential this will almost guarantee the Sabres are competitive for the next decade.   

We can’t forget that even though the 3 guys were drafted in the same class they are somewhat staggered in when they’ll reach the Sabres.  Odds are that Savoie jumps to the NHL after next season,  Kulich the following season and Östlund still has 2 more years on his deal in Sweden, so it’s probably 3 years until he joins the team.  As these guys come up, management will have a much better idea on the highest and best use of Cozens, Krebs and Mitts.

I’m worried less about playing center as DG seems to like position less hockey.  Having multiple guys on a line who are comfortable in the middle seems like something DG would encourage.  

The bigger issue is where are we going to put everyone if they develop as hoped?  Our current longer term top 9 type players (based on skill, age and contract) are Skinner, Tuch, TNT, Cozens, Mitts and Krebs.  This year we are adding JJP and Quinn.  Then comes the next wave of Rosen, Savoie, Kulich and Östlund.  If others blossom like Bloom, Nadeau, Kisakov or Poltapov, then the log jam gets even “worse.”  Tough decisions will have to be made as kids force their up from below.  I don’t envy KA those decisions. 

1st off, they won't all hit.  But fully expect a better hit rate than we saw during the "video scouting" era.

2nd, they'll keep the top ones & then as many of the lesser as fits into the salary structure.  The rest get traded for futures that theoretically extend the window out another 3+ years.  If Adams plays his cards right, this team could get to a playoff streak as long as the current drought.  (And if he doesn't, his successor should have a relatively awesome foundation to work with.)

And those not moved for futures can be moved to shore up then current weaknesses.

[dudacek]

25 minutes ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

This will all shake out over time and is a great problem to have.  If all these guys reach their potential this will almost guarantee the Sabres are competitive for the next decade.   

We can’t forget that even though the 3 guys were drafted in the same class they are somewhat staggered in when they’ll reach the Sabres.  Odds are that Savoie jumps to the NHL after next season,  Kulich the following season and Östlund still has 2 more years on his deal in Sweden, so it’s probably 3 years until he joins the team.  As these guys come up, management will have a much better idea on the highest and best use of Cozens, Krebs and Mitts.

I’m worried less about playing center as DG seems to like position less hockey.  Having multiple guys on a line who are comfortable in the middle seems like something DG would encourage.  

The bigger issue is where are we going to put everyone if they develop as hoped?  Our current longer term top 9 type players (based on skill, age and contract) are Skinner, Tuch, TNT, Cozens, Mitts and Krebs.  This year we are adding JJP and Quinn.  Then comes the next wave of Rosen, Savoie, Kulich and Östlund.  If others blossom like Bloom, Nadeau, Kisakov or Poltapov, then the log jam gets even “worse.”  Tough decisions will have to be made as kids force their up from below.  I don’t envy KA those decisions. 

I didn't get a lot of traction when I posted about it earlier, but the Sabres have set themselves up for a ton of internal competition, starting this year and continuing for a while.

Skinner Tuch and Thompson have to fight off Mitts and Olofsson who are fighting off Cozens and Krebs who are fighting off Quinn and Peterka who will be fighting off Rosen Kulich, Savoie and Östlund.

Then you have Girgs, Okposo, Asplund and Hinostroza sprinkled in to the middle and bottom six mix with Sheahan and Bjork around to keep them honest. And then you have a *****-ton of secondary prospects (Bloom, Nadeau, Kisakov, Poltapov, Rousek, Neuchev, etc...) pushing from behind.

IMO, there is not a roster spot that is "safe" up front. You aren't getting it done? Somebody is there who wants your job. You are getting it done? There are better jobs available.

It should be a fantastic crucible for development.

Edited August 24, 2022 by dudacek

[GASabresIUFAN]

3 hours ago, dudacek said:

IMO, there is not a roster spot that is "safe" up front. You aren't getting it done? Somebody is there who wants your job. You are getting it done? There are better jobs available.

I think that is generally true which is both good and bad. The bad part is that it is an admission that there really isn’t a proven core piece up front that isn’t replaceable. No Kane or Stamkos, but also no Drury or Briere.  The good news is that one gets the feeling that a couple of the young guys, like TnT, Cozens or Quinn, have a real shot at becoming indispensable in the near future.  

[dudacek]

14 minutes ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

I think that is generally true which is both good and bad. The bad part is that it is an admission that there really isn’t a proven core piece up front that isn’t replaceable. No Kane or Stamkos, but also no Drury or Briere.  The good news is that one gets the feeling that a couple of the young guys, like TnT, Cozens or Quinn, have a real shot at becoming indispensable in the near future.  

But that’s by design, same as with the leadership debate.

All these guys are being given an opportunity to create their own space, to organically make himself “core.”

For a team that was dramatically bad one year ago, I don’t see that as bad at all.

[GASabresIUFAN]

2 minutes ago, dudacek said:

But that’s by design, same as with the leadership debate.

All these guys are being given an opportunity to create their own space, to organically make himself “core.”

For a team that was dramatically bad one year ago, I don’t see that as bad at all.

But it also means we don’t have a forward on the level of say Dahlin or Power, although I kind of think Quinn is the most likely player we have drafted recently who might achieve that level.

[dudacek]

51 minutes ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

But it also means we don’t have a forward on the level of say Dahlin or Power, yet

I’d tweak that to the above.

It’s an open question as to where guys like Quinn (and Peterka, Savoie, Östlund, Kulich, Cozens, Krebs, even Mitts, Tuch and Thompson) will eventually land.

There’s no cant-miss Stamkos or Kane type sure-thing there, but maybe there’s a Drury and a Briere, or maybe even a Kucherov grower or a Toews leader?

To me, that’s what’s going to make this team worth watching.

 

[Derrico]

9 minutes ago, dudacek said:

I’d tweak that to the above.

It’s an open question as to where guys like Quinn (and Peterka, Savoie, Östlund, Kulich, Cozens, Krebs, even Mitts, Tuch and Thompson) will eventually land.

There’s no cant-miss Stamkos or Kane type sure-thing there, but maybe there’s a Drury and a Briere, or maybe even a Kucherov grower or a Toews leader?

To me, that’s what’s going to make this team worth watching.

 

Absolutely. 

Last year at this time I didn't care when the season opener was scheduled for.  Now I'm finding myself falling asleep watching Sleepy Joe Sabres Podcasts on Youtube 😬   

[Taro T]

5 hours ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

But it also means we don’t have a forward on the level of say Dahlin or Power that has been clearly identified yet, although I kind of think Quinn is the most likely player we have drafted recently who might achieve that level.

 

4 hours ago, dudacek said:

I’d tweak that to the above.

It’s an open question as to where guys like Quinn (and Peterka, Savoie, Östlund, Kulich, Cozens, Krebs, even Mitts, Tuch and Thompson) will eventually land.

There’s no cant-miss Stamkos or Kane type sure-thing there, but maybe there’s a Drury and a Briere, or maybe even a Kucherov grower or a Toews leader?

To me, that’s what’s going to make this team worth watching.

 

A slight tweak to your tweak.

Last season, overall was fun.  The December / January doldrum wasn't much fun, but it wasn't as bad as in the past & October & the last 2 months completely overshadowed the rough ones.  If Comrie can be adequate, this year will be fun.  Not necessarily productive but after the last decade will take "fun" with hints of "better days" to come.