Training Camp Roster Moves

[SabresBaltimore]

I have Johnson as the #7 on our depth chart right now. I'd probably put Stillman 8, Clague 9 and Byrson 10.

 

But I agree with others that Johnson gets sent down to get more playtime. I think they'll keep Stillman as the defacto 7th instead and waive Clague and Byrson.

[Derrico]

9 hours ago, dudacek said:

If they can’t trade Comrie or UPL before cutdown day, I’m fully expecting Johnson, Clague, Rousek and Biro to be sent down, and a defenceman put on IR so they can keep both and Bryson.

Are we really concerned about losing Bryson?

I’m not concerned about losing a goalie either for that matter.  Both should have been upgraded this off-season anyways. 

[SabresBaltimore]

Here's my tentative 23 man roster pending something changing with tomorrow night's game. The lists aren't exactly ordered except the ones I'm less confident/are on the bubble are listed at the end of their respective position groups

 

13 Forwards

1. Thompson
2. Skinner
3. Tuch
4. Cozens
5. Mittelstadt
6. Peterka
7. Greenway
8. Girgensons
9. Krebs
10. Okposo
11. Jost
12. Olofsson
13. Benson (9 game trial)

7 Defenseman

1. Dahlin
2. Power
3. Clifton
4. Samuelsson
5. EJohnson
6. Jokiharju
7. Stillman

3 Goalies

1. Levi
2. Comrie
3. UPL

I don't want to keep 3 goalies, but I'm kind of leaning towards that's what will end up happening. I think Biro has looked good and there is a slight chance someone might claim him if we waive him, but Benson has made it impossible to fit him into the roster spots right now. Maybe they call him up later.

 

If by chance we do waive or trade a goalie, then I'd have Clague as an 8th defensemen. Possibly Byron, but I hope not. Sabres seem to like him far more than I do.

Edited October 5, 2023 by SabresBaltimore
apparently it didn't like my choice of word meaning "grab"

[Quint]

Tampa Bay is looking for a goalie in Vasilevskiy's absence. Here are three choices. The most intriquing choice to me is 31 year old journeyman Louis Domingue of the Rangers (Shesterkin and Quick are ahead of him). He has a .905 save percentage in 142 career NHL games and from 2017-1019 was 28-8 with a 2.88 GAA and .910 save percentage. He spent 2022-23 in the AHL. I like him better than Luukonen or Comrie. Do something. Please address the goaltending!

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/10092025-3-lightning-goaltending-trade-targets-amid-nhl-rumors-andrei-vasilevskiy-injury

 

[LGR4GM]

1 hour ago, Quint said:

Tampa Bay is looking for a goalie in Vasilevskiy's absence. Here are three choices. The most intriquing choice to me is 31 year old journeyman Louis Domingue of the Rangers (Shesterkin and Quick are ahead of him). He has a .905 save percentage in 142 career NHL games and from 2017-1019 was 28-8 with a 2.88 GAA and .910 save percentage. He spent 2022-23 in the AHL. I like him better than Luukonen or Comrie. Do something. Please address the goaltending!

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/10092025-3-lightning-goaltending-trade-targets-amid-nhl-rumors-andrei-vasilevskiy-injury

 

You might but Adams doesn't and IMPO this is like swapping Comrie for slightly worse Comrie. 

He spent almost all of 2020, 2021, 2022 in the AHL. Not interested. Since 2019, he has only played a whopping 20 total NHL games. 

Edited October 5, 2023 by LGR4GM

[dudacek]

2 hours ago, Derrico said:

Are we really concerned about losing Bryson?

I’m not concerned about losing a goalie either for that matter.  Both should have been upgraded this off-season anyways. 

I’m not concerned about losing Bryson, and I doubt they are either, but I don’t think they’re as anxious to dump him as the fans are. However, I do think they’d prefer to carry 8 D, and they’re not anxious to to give away either backup.

That scenario was not about saving Bryson, more about “don’t bet on the goalie situation being resolved on roster cutdown day, here’s a way it could drag out.”

[Taro T]

3 hours ago, SabresBaltimore said:

I have Johnson as the #7 on our depth chart right now. I'd probably put Stillman 8, Clague 9 and Byrson 10.

 

But I agree with others that Johnson gets sent down to get more playtime. I think they'll keep Stillman as the defacto 7th instead and waive Clague and Byrson.

Agree that Johnson is the actual 7 (maybe Granato has a soft spot for Stillman and he's the 7 w/ Johnson the 8); but he will be Ra-cha-cha's #1 when the bullets start flying unless somebody in the back 6 gets IR'd.

Still expect them to keep 8 D up with the 8th probably being Clague but maybe Bryson.  Doubt we see the 8 play at all unless there are 3 injured D.  The fill in's are Stillman and Johnson and not necessarily in that order.

[SabresBaltimore]

5 minutes ago, Taro T said:

Agree that Johnson is the actual 7 (maybe Granato has a soft spot for Stillman and he's the 7 w/ Johnson the 8); but he will be Ra-cha-cha's #1 when the bullets start flying unless somebody in the back 6 gets IR'd.

Still expect them to keep 8 D up with the 8th probably being Clague but maybe Bryson.  Doubt we see the 8 play at all unless there are 3 injured D.  The fill in's are Stillman and Johnson and not necessarily in that order.

 

I would agree if they somehow don't end up keeping 3 goalies. If not, though they only have room to keep 7 on my list.

[Brawndo]

 

[Taro T]

5 minutes ago, SabresBaltimore said:

 

I would agree if they somehow don't end up keeping 3 goalies. If not, though they only have room to keep 7 on my list.

Definitely.  And realize many here are expecting the 3 headed monster back, really believe that they're going to run with 2 in Buffalo and if that means they lose #3, well there's a reason they brought Tokarski back and Cooley in rather than running with Subban and Houser for Ra-cha-cha.  They have 2 better goalies in Ra-cha-cha than they had before and 1 of them has been servicable in spot duty in the NHL.

[Taro T]

1 minute ago, Brawndo said:

 

Which says IMHO that Bryson is going to be an Amerk and they still could run 8D.  Cannot see them keeping Johnson as the 7 simply to sit in the press box most nights.  One of Biro, Jost, or Rousek (likely Jost) ends up the 13.

And will still say that they're keeping 2 goalies until the 10th gets here and it gets proven wrong.

Per Okposo, the team was going to send UPL down last year when Comrie came back but the players lobbied for UPL to stay up.  After the finish he had last year and the way he played in the preseason, simply don't see any player lobbying for him again.  (And maybe UPL's ahead of Comrie, hope not, but maybe he is.  If so, it is what it is, but they should send Comrie down in that case.)

[SabresBaltimore]

7 minutes ago, Taro T said:

really believe that they're going to run with 2 in Buffalo

I hope you're right. I think they will keep 3, but I don't want them to. Ideally we can get UPL back to Rochester. But if we lose him to another team, I still think it's better than keeping 3 goalies.

 

I'm hoping all the public facing talk about all 3 is just to try to help KA trade Comrie or UPL if they feel like UPL can't get through waivers.

Either way our current goalie pipeline is a mess. 

Edited October 5, 2023 by SabresBaltimore

[shrader]

37 minutes ago, Taro T said:

Which says IMHO that Bryson is going to be an Amerk and they still could run 8D.  Cannot see them keeping Johnson as the 7 simply to sit in the press box most nights.  One of Biro, Jost, or Rousek (likely Jost) ends up the 13.

Fortunately Johnson can be #7 all while playing in Rochester.  Stick with 22 players and they can call him up to play whenever they want.  The travel needs to work out right, but there are ways to work around that (ie. calling him up a day in advance for a road trip).

[Taro T]

10 minutes ago, shrader said:

Fortunately Johnson can be #7 all while playing in Rochester.  Stick with 22 players and they can call him up to play whenever they want.  The travel needs to work out right, but there are ways to work around that (ie. calling him up a day in advance for a road trip).

Can't see any way at all they don't have 23 healthy players on the roster.  They aren't going to put UPL through waivers only to also waive all of Biro, Rousek, Clague, and Bryson anyhow.

And if they're only keeping 6 D on the active roster, they're setting themselves up for a night where they only dress 5 D.

[Brawndo]

Brett Murray clears waivers 

[PerreaultForever]

I just don't get why many of you think UPL will be claimed on waivers. He's been absolute trash and there will be better b grade goalies waived than him. Bryson and Clague will also clear. League wants big D men now as everybody looks at Vegas. Bryson will clear. We weren't that good. Our fringe players aren't that good. Relax, if they can't make this roster they're garbage anyway. Why care? 

[GASabresIUFAN]

46 minutes ago, PerreaultForever said:

I just don't get why many of you think UPL will be claimed on waivers. He's been absolute trash and there will be better b grade goalies waived than him. Bryson and Clague will also clear. League wants big D men now as everybody looks at Vegas. Bryson will clear. We weren't that good. Our fringe players aren't that good. Relax, if they can't make this roster they're garbage anyway. Why care? 

I do agree that most of these guys will go unclaimed.  It's not like we are cutting guys with proven success in the NHL.  If someone takes Bryson off our hands we should send a thank you note.  I feel the same about UPL.  UPL's NHL save % is .898 in 46 games. Could someone take him? Sure, but he is a Jonas Johansson level goalie, except Jonas actually has good AHL numbers, unlike UPL.  We won't miss him when he's gone.  Same goes for Bryson, Stillman, Biro, Clague, Comrie, and UPL.  Of all our depth goalies, Tokarski has the most experience (80 games) and the best save% (.902) for his career in the NHL. 

[thewookie1]

Can we just sign Dahlin already, I’ll even accept 5x 10.5

[shrader]

2 hours ago, Taro T said:

Can't see any way at all they don't have 23 healthy players on the roster.  They aren't going to put UPL through waivers only to also waive all of Biro, Rousek, Clague, and Bryson anyhow.

And if they're only keeping 6 D on the active roster, they're setting themselves up for a night where they only dress 5 D.

It would be 7 D.  You have Stillman in the press box but can easily call up Johnson if there's an injury and a spot opens up in the lineup.

[PromoTheRobot]

4 hours ago, Brawndo said:

Brett Murray clears waivers 

Now do UPL.

Actually I think Devin Cooley is the goalie the Sabres want to develop in Rochester. 

[Brawndo]

 

[nfreeman]

Wow.  So that means they are keeping 3 goalies, innit?

Don't love that decision, but I get it. 

Keeping Bryson over Stillman also seems questionable.

[LabattBlue]

7 minutes ago, Brawndo said:

 

Hahaha.  I knew Bryson would make the team.  Nice job Donny. 😂

[Taro T]

11 minutes ago, Brawndo said:

 

Realize somebody loves Bryson and UPL almost as much as Granato loves him some Jokiharju (who is likely going to have a very good season admittedly), but for the love of all that is holy: WHY??????

[Taro T]

Will be very unhappy if Stillman gets claimed.

They could've had 8 strong of NHL caliber D w/ Lyubushkin and Stillman as the 2 spares.  And then still have had Johnson, Clague, and Bryson in Ra-cha-cha. That could've survived the D attrition they suffered last November should similar happen again.  But instead, they're going to have 6 NHL D w/ Bryson, Johnson, Clague, and Davies or Cecconi the injury replacements.

Not seeing the logic at this point.