A Top 4 Defenseman is Adams Top Priority per Lebrun

[LGR4GM]

  On 6/28/2023 at 1:02 PM, LabattBlue said:

You never know who might be available. There can be a lot of value in a quality 3C.  Right now candidates for 3C are Jost, Krebs and ….

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Jost, Krebs, Mitts, Savoie. There isn't more value in using a 13th overall pick to upgrade over any of those 4. For the 45th overall pick, sure but using a 13th overall to upgrade Mitts or Krebs to ...idk declining ROR type is just meh. 

Edited June 28, 2023 by LGR4GM

[sweetlou]

Still think they will draft a d-man with #13 and try and sign a UFA for 2 years to plug in with Power.  Thye don't want to sign a proven 4th d-man to a long term contract and block any of their young players.  Not what I would do, just the philosophy KA has.

[LabattBlue]

  On 6/28/2023 at 1:07 PM, sweetlou said:

Still think they will draft a d-man with #13 and try and sign a UFA for 2 years to plug in with Power.  Thye don't want to sign a proven 4th d-man to a long term contract and block any of their young players.  Not what I would do, just the philosophy KA has.

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Thou shalt not block. 

[Curt]

  On 6/28/2023 at 1:02 PM, LabattBlue said:

You never know who might be available. There can be a lot of value in a quality 3C.  Right now candidates for 3C are Jost, Krebs and ….

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Mittelstadt 

[Buffalonill]

Don't you eyeroll me @oddoublee

[LabattBlue]

  On 6/28/2023 at 1:09 PM, Curt said:

Mittelstadt 

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If there is a player available who is a lockdown center, excels at faceoffs and PK, and can chip in 15 goals and 40-50 points, I would trade 13 in a heartbeat.  There is no one on the roster to fill that role, and the money KA wasted on KO and Girgs should have gone to fill this role. 

[LGR4GM]

  On 6/28/2023 at 1:24 PM, LabattBlue said:

If there is a player available who is a lockdown center, excels at faceoffs and PK, and can chip in 15 goals and 40-50 points, I would trade 13 in a heartbeat.  There is no one on the roster to fill that role, and the money KA wasted on KO and Girgs should have gone to fill this role. 

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What is Casey Mittelstadt for 1,000 Alex. 

 

Also, this is laughable. Seriously. The Sabres have 14million in capspace with basically the only thing left to do is sign a top 4 RHD. To replace Kyle and Zemgus you are looking at paying someone else at minimum 1mil so that covers 2mil of the 5mil they are getting for 1 year. You are essentially saying that we couldn't sign a 3c because we don't have 3extra million bucks on top of the 14million we currently have. It makes no sense. We could sign any 3c on the market right now for 8million bucks and still have money left over. 

[Eleven]

  On 6/28/2023 at 1:40 PM, LGR4GM said:

basically the only thing left to do is sign a top 4 RHD.

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Not quite. There's a spot in net, too.

[LGR4GM]

  On 6/28/2023 at 1:42 PM, Eleven said:

Not quite. There's a spot in net, too.

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I don't think they are in the market for a goalie and if they are, 1 or both of Comrie and UPL are out. 

[Eleven]

  On 6/28/2023 at 1:43 PM, LGR4GM said:

I don't think they are in the market for a goalie and if they are, 1 or both of Comrie and UPL are out. 

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They should be and one of them should be gone, and if it's both (because waivers), well, it's both.  I don't want to derail and I've argued this enough other places though.

[Curt]

  On 6/28/2023 at 1:24 PM, LabattBlue said:

If there is a player available who is a lockdown center, excels at faceoffs and PK, and can chip in 15 goals and 40-50 points, I would trade 13 in a heartbeat.  There is no one on the roster to fill that role, and the money KA wasted on KO and Girgs should have gone to fill this role. 

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There are not many players who actually fit that description, I can’t think of any who have been mentioned as available, and I think that most of them are really 2nd line centers.

So a guy like Charlie Coyle or Yanni Gourde?  For 13 OA?

[Brawndo]

  On 6/28/2023 at 1:43 PM, LGR4GM said:

I don't think they are in the market for a goalie and if they are, 1 or both of Comrie and UPL are out. 

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With Friedman’s Report of the number of available goalies, they better be 

[LGR4GM]

  On 6/28/2023 at 3:40 PM, Brawndo said:

With Friedman’s Report of the number of available goalies, they better be 

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I agree, I think they should be. That said, it basically means either putting UPL as the 3rd goalie or trading him. 

[Derrico]

  On 6/28/2023 at 4:06 PM, LGR4GM said:

I agree, I think they should be. That said, it basically means either putting UPL as the 3rd goalie or trading him. 

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Yup

Maybe it’s my bias of watching him get lit up like a Christmas tree when the leafs came to down but I’m ready to start winning now. 

[LGR4GM]

I would rather have Zemgus and Okposo for 1 year than this: my issue here being a 4yr term

 

[Taro T]

  On 6/28/2023 at 3:04 AM, JohnC said:

There are too many pleasurable things to think about before hitting the sack. Ruminating over one of my hockey questions shouldn't be one of them. Sleep well and refresh yourself for tomorrow.   It is going to be an exciting day for Sabre fans. 🍷

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Looking like the question is now moot if the rumors of Hannifan to FLA are accurate.

Personally, would prefer them getting Graves over either of the other 2 because the acquisition cost is only money.  Pesce would probably be the better fit of the 2 you asked about but even though that's the case expect my choice of the 2 would be Hannifan.   Can't really give a good explanation for why other than him being younger.

[LGR4GM]

  On 6/28/2023 at 4:31 PM, Taro T said:

Looking like the question is now moot if the rumors of Hannifan to FLA are accurate.

Personally, would prefer them getting Graves over either of the other 2 because the acquisition cost is only money.  Pesce would probably be the better fit of the 2 you asked about but even though that's the case expect my choice of the 2 would be Hannifan.   Can't really give a good explanation for why other than him being younger.

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It was from a parody account

[GASabresIUFAN]

  On 6/28/2023 at 1:45 PM, Eleven said:

They should be and one of them should be gone, and if it's both (because waivers), well, it's both.  I don't want to derail and I've argued this enough other places though.

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Exactly. Getting a veteran goalie should be on KA’s to do list right after getting a partner for Power. I do think UPL is tradeable and Comrie waived (he’ll likely clear) to Rochester as the no. 3.  

[Eleven]

  On 6/28/2023 at 5:10 PM, GASabresIUFAN said:

Exactly. Getting a veteran goalie should be on KA’s to do list right after getting a partner for Power. I do think UPL is tradeable and Comrie waived (he’ll likely clear) to Rochester as the no. 3.  

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It would be an absolute dream to have a good vet (I'm talking Saros/Helly here, MAYBE a Hart type) and Levi in Buffalo and Comrie in Rochester, with some sort of D prospect return for UPL (or UPL included in the consideration for the incoming goalie).  A dream.  If Adams pulls that off, I immediately upgrade him from a marginal C to a solid B.  

Edited June 28, 2023 by Eleven

[JohnC]

  On 6/28/2023 at 4:31 PM, Taro T said:

Looking like the question is now moot if the rumors of Hannifan to FLA are accurate.

Personally, would prefer them getting Graves over either of the other 2 because the acquisition cost is only money.  Pesce would probably be the better fit of the 2 you asked about but even though that's the case expect my choice of the 2 would be Hannifan.   Can't really give a good explanation for why other than him being younger.

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Thanks for the response. Even if the Hannifan report was from a parody source you did answer the question. 

[Eleven]

  On 6/28/2023 at 4:31 PM, Taro T said:

Personally, would prefer them getting Graves over either of the other 2 because the acquisition cost is only money.  Pesce would probably be the better fit of the 2 you asked about but even though that's the case expect my choice of the 2 would be Hannifan.   Can't really give a good explanation for why other than him being younger.

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And here's where your idea of putting the draft behind the opening of the FA period comes in...if Adams could sign Graves now, he wouldn't have to hedge his bets on trading picks.  

[MISabresFan]

The NHL draft is tricky, like MLB.  Unlike NFL and NBA, most drafted do not hit the big club for a year or two.  It would help if you looked at all your players, from NHL down.  Look at the numbers (#centermen, # wingers, #rhd, #lhd,...) and fill them thru the draft where you think you are short.   As we have seen, sometimes relying on free agency does not work.  

[PerreaultForever]

  On 6/28/2023 at 1:58 PM, Curt said:

So a guy like Charlie Coyle or Yanni Gourde?  For 13 OA?

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Nice idea, but neither is moving. Never say never but near impossible. 

[Curt]

  On 6/28/2023 at 7:03 PM, PerreaultForever said:

Nice idea, but neither is moving. Never say never but near impossible. 

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Yeah, there are not many players who fit that mold, and I’m not sure it makes sense to trade 13 OA for a guy like that.

[GASabresIUFAN]

It's a pipe dream to think KA is going to make a major move at forward.  He is going to re-sign Jost and after that, trading VO is the most likely move and that isn't a sure thing.  Even if VO is traded, all that does is either open a 3rd line wing or a 4th line center position.  Either job will most likely be filled with some like Rousek or Kulich or Savoie.

The team scored 300 goals last year.  KA is expecting further improvement from JJP, Quinn, Krebs, and Greenway.  I agree with him that not much needs to done upfront after the vets were re-signed.

The defense and goaltending are another matter and this is where he should be concentrating his efforts.  I admit though that I'd love to see him move up and grab Michkov in the draft. He is a franchise-level talent.  

Sign Orlov, Sign Fred Andersen or Korpisalo or Varlamov, re-sign Dahlin and Power and trade up for Michkov. If he does all that KA will have had an amazing off-season and the Sabres will be contenders for years to come because of those efforts.