Off-season Game Plan 2024

[SabreFinn]

1 hour ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

The Leafs will never ever trade Taveras to the Sabres.  Also Taveras has a full NMC.  If he wants to stay to Tor, he's staying.  

If he wants to move, he'll pick a team that is a Cup contender next year, not the Adams lead Sabres.

What about Sean Monahan as an alternative?  He is 29 (30 in Oct), had a nice rebound season (59 pts - 26g 33a) and can play all 3 forward positions.  He won 54.9% of his faceoffs (nearly 1300 draws) and is from Brampton Ontario.  a two 2 years 10 mill total contract might do the trick.  I think he'd slot very nicely into the 3rd C role, and maybe even drop Cozens to the 3rd C role.  

 

Monahan is also very good on pp. I would be very excited having him on the team, but as mentioned above I expect him to sign in Winnipeg.

[Crusader1969]

2 hours ago, dudacek said:

Tavares will replace Mitt’s production short-term and seriously bolster our middle six.

He can also win faceoffs and might help the PP.

This is a short-term proposal I would absolutely entertain.

Nope for a multitude of reasons...the main reason is that he isn't waiving his NMC to come to Buffalo .... lets move on with other ideas

[Warriorspikes51]

Stamkos?  Pat Kane?   I could see one of them being brought in 

Marchessault ?  Doubt he'd want to come here though

[Gatorman0519]

That Mitts trade is looking worse by the day.  Dude is a playoff performer instantly on a good team.  Huge hole to fill in the off season. 

[Flashsabre]

30 minutes ago, Gatorman0519 said:

That Mitts trade is looking worse by the day.  Dude is a playoff performer instantly on a good team.  Huge hole to fill in the off season. 

Yeah and Byram is a Stanley Cup champion. They can get a middle 6 centre.

[RochesterExpat]

1 hour ago, Warriorspikes51 said:

Stamkos?  Pat Kane?   I could see one of them being brought in 

Marchessault ?  Doubt he'd want to come here though

I think Stamkos stays in Tampa. Kane is interesting but it depends on what term he wants. Either of those would be good additions.

If we’re talking about Vegas, I think Stephenson is more likely to hit FA and would be a better addition for Buffalo on what should be a reasonable contract. I’m afraid that if Marchessault hits FA, his Conn Smythe drives up the price. Add to it that he’s 3 1/2 years older than Stephenson and I think Stephenson is the better target.

[Thorner]

1 hour ago, Flashsabre said:

Yeah and Byram is a Stanley Cup champion. They can get a middle 6 centre.

Who’s the best centre we’ve seen brought in by Adams so far in 4 years? Actually asking 

Krebs? 

Edited May 6 by Thorny

[LGR4GM]

Until adams literally proves me wrong, I don't for a second believe they'll bring in a top 6 player. 

[GASabresIUFAN]

14 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

Until adams literally proves me wrong, I don't for a second believe they'll bring in a top 6 player. 

I've said this before and the usual response is well he acquired Tuch and Byram.  

[RochesterExpat]

1 hour ago, LGR4GM said:

Until adams literally proves me wrong, I don't for a second believe they'll bring in a top 6 player. 

48 minutes ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

I've said this before and the usual response is well he acquired Tuch and Byram.  

If he brings one in, I think it tells us how loud Lindy’s voice really is.

[Carmel Corn]

1 hour ago, LGR4GM said:

Until adams literally proves me wrong, I don't for a second believe they'll bring in a top 6 player. 

Probably right, but my only hope otherwise is that GMKA is feeling the heat rising in the kitchen....meaning he cannot gamble his job by standing pat.

[Thorner]

35 minutes ago, RochesterExpat said:

If he brings one in, I think it tells us how loud Lindy’s voice really is.

Maybe, but he’s the guy who wanted Lindy, right? Seemed pretty set on him. If Adams adds a bonafide top 6er we’ll have to give him full credit 

[SwampD]

8 hours ago, dudacek said:

Tavares will replace Mitt’s production short-term and seriously bolster our middle six.

He can also win faceoffs and might help the PP.

This is a short-term proposal I would absolutely entertain.

At this point, aren’t those all we care about now? 

[LGR4GM]

10 hours ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

I've said this before and the usual response is well he acquired Tuch and Byram.  

Tuch was brought in by sending a top 6 out. So Adams didn't add, he simply maintained. 

Byram isn't a forward and isn't even our 2nd best defender. Not convinced he's our 3rd best defender yet. 

[Brawndo]

On 4/30/2024 at 3:55 PM, LGR4GM said:

I would try to get Carrier because he can be a 4th line guy with a lot of playoff experience and cup. 78 playoff games and counting, perfect 4th line guy who knows what the playoff take and he's 29. 

Yep

[Archie Lee]

13 hours ago, Thorny said:

Who’s the best centre we’ve seen brought in by Adams so far in 4 years? Actually asking 

Krebs? 

I’m not defending Adams with this comment, but for the past 3 seasons he has not been seriously trying to bring in veteran centres (there is a valid criticism regarding it not being a priority). 
 

Since the Krueger firing, Adams has, more or less, executed his plan. We have just come to the 1st point in his process where the plan did not render the results he anticipated. This off-season we will learn a lot. 

[Flashsabre]

I just stopped by hfboards and😳

A guy proposed Marner, Reilly and a 1st for Dahlin and Krebs and a Leafs fan responded that they wouldn’t trade Reilly for Dahlin straight up😁🤣

[Doohicksie]

18 hours ago, triumph_communes said:

I don’t think it’s fair to say Kevyn is the fiercely loyal one- it was the coach who only knew how to develop players to want to do what he was comfortable with. 

That's an interesting thought.  I'm not sure I agree with it, but it's interesting.

[Doohicksie]

15 hours ago, Gatorman0519 said:

That Mitts trade is looking worse by the day.  Dude is a playoff performer instantly on a good team.  Huge hole to fill in the off season. 

The way Mittsy's game developed here, it was clear to me he'd be good in the playoffs.  He started out a clueless kid but developed into a warrior with good puck sense.  Maybe Byram is that guy and he will show it this year, but to my eyes this was Adams' worst trade as Sabres GM.

[nfreeman]

1 hour ago, Brawndo said:

Yep

I really want an agent of destruction like Carrier -- preferably 2 of them -- to be brought in for the 4th line this summer.  For years the Sabres' 4th line has been a series of low-impact JAGs and not-good-enough demoted scorers.  I want a 4th line that will knock some heads, change the tempo of a game and get the crowd going.

[LGR4GM]

Adams basically just said on WGR they are looking at the bottom 6 to add grit and basically poo pooed any thought of adding to the top 6. 

[GASabresIUFAN]

3 hours ago, LGR4GM said:

Tuch was brought in by sending a top 6 out. So Adams didn't add, he simply maintained. 

Byram isn't a forward and isn't even our 2nd best defender. Not convinced he's our 3rd best defender yet. 

I don't disagree, but that is what others have said when I also posted that Adams hasn't brought in any 2nd line (or 2nd pairing) talent.  

The bottom line is the only time he has acquired decent talent is by sending out as good if in better talent.  The Mitts trade was a "hockey" trade, but I'm not convinced it has or will make the team better.   As I've also said before Byram is redundant to Power.  We may want to move on from one to save long-term cap because I don't think a top 4 containing Byram, Power and Dahlin is workable or affordable long-term. 

3 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

Adams basically just said on WGR they are looking at the bottom 6 to add grit and basically poo pooed any thought of adding to the top 6. 

No surprise. but hopefully it doesn't rule our getting a good center for the 3rd line.  Krebs is not the answer.

[Thorner]

1 hour ago, Archie Lee said:

I’m not defending Adams with this comment, but for the past 3 seasons he has not been seriously trying to bring in veteran centres (there is a valid criticism regarding it not being a priority). 
 

Since the Krueger firing, Adams has, more or less, executed his plan. We have just come to the 1st point in his process where the plan did not render the results he anticipated. This off-season we will learn a lot. 

Fair enough I just liked posing the question because I knew it would necessarily yield a funny answer. Someone would have to either make the case for Krebs, or the case that not adding anyone good at C for 4 years was the plan itself 

Sometimes just saying these things out loud represents a very effective skewering of the results 

Edited May 7 by Thorny

[Thorner]

22 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

Adams basically just said on WGR they are looking at the bottom 6 to add grit and basically poo pooed any thought of adding to the top 6. 

Lol really? 

[LGR4GM]

9 minutes ago, Thorny said:

Lol really? 

As soon as the audio posts, I will link it... hopefully it will be soon.