Off-season Game Plan 2024

[PerreaultForever]

8 hours ago, thewookie1 said:

Yes & No

Yes this roster could make the playoffs with some tweaking

No without any adjustments or purely internal promotions.

No offense, but you seem to want to have your cake and eat it too. You aren't interested in trading any roster players but you want players brought in. I'd suggest improvements are improvements no matter how you get them and keeping this roster together makes no sense. It's composition is just not that good.

[Taro T]

On 6/8/2024 at 11:00 AM, nfreeman said:

Good stuff here, and I too would freaking love Eriksson Ek (and would pay through the nose for him).  But I think Guelli's calculus in taking the job with TP was at least 90% driven by the Bills, which are an elite NFL franchise.  I'd guess he viewed the Sabres as an interesting extra item but not much more than that.

But when he came in, didn't they say that Pegula wanted to bring him in a couple of years ago to run the Sabres but the Giants wouldn't let him go for something they saw as a demotion?

So, though the Bills are definitely the more glamorous team to run, he would seem to not just see the Sabres as an afterthought.

[JohnC]

6 hours ago, sabresparaavida said:

I’d find acquiring Laughton disappointing 

I'm not invested in acquiring any particular player/s. What I want to see is a number of additions that upgrade and better balance the roster. What the discussion on this topic demonstrates is that there are a number of options for the GM to pursue to rework the roster and make it more competitive. We are entering the offseason where this franchise has the roster spots, the cap space and the assets to get this task accomplished. No more excuses. 

[PerreaultForever]

8 minutes ago, JohnC said:

I'm not invested in acquiring any particular player/s. What I want to see is a number of additions that upgrade and better balance the roster. What the discussion on this topic demonstrates is that there are a number of options for the GM to pursue to rework the roster and make it more competitive. We are entering the offseason where this franchise has the roster spots, the cap space and the assets to get this task accomplished. No more excuses. 

That's my view as well and has been for ages. The mix and composition of the roster needs rearranging. Free agency can help with that. 

[JohnC]

2 hours ago, Taro T said:

But when he came in, didn't they say that Pegula wanted to bring him in a couple of years ago to run the Sabres but the Giants wouldn't let him go for something they saw as a demotion?

So, though the Bills are definitely the more glamorous team to run, he would seem to not just see the Sabres as an afterthought.

I definitely lean more toward your position than towards @nfreeman's position on why Guelli came back to Buffalo to run the business side of the operation for both the Bills and Sabres. The Bills have been successfully run on and off the field for the past number of years. On the other hand, the Sabres are known in the NHL and within its own withering fanbase as a dysfunctional and failed franchise. That loser moniker is more than deserved. 

The greater achievement for him would definitely be to get the moribund Sabres at a level where it becomes a serious franchise again. If that happens, the business side of the Sabre operation will become more financially sound. If he can get the Sabre revenues back up to a league standard level, that will be a greater achievement in the Pegula Sports Operation. Winning is the oil that will lubricate the way for success in his business challenge with the Sabres. 

[thewookie1]

8 hours ago, PerreaultForever said:

No offense, but you seem to want to have your cake and eat it too. You aren't interested in trading any roster players but you want players brought in. I'd suggest improvements are improvements no matter how you get them and keeping this roster together makes no sense. It's composition is just not that good.

I want to upgrade the team but not gut it. To get a new 3C shouldn’t require roster players to be used in the acquisition. Additionally, I don’t Tkachuk as enough of an upgrade from a Quinn or Peterka to be worth the massive overpayment we’d need to add towards it. 
 

I think Marcus Foligno is a great guy but I have zero interest in trading Peterka to get an heavily overpaid 3rd going into 4th liner.

Frankly I have no intention of touching the Top 6 players in Thompson, Cozens, Tuch, Quinn, Peterka, and Benson. Skinner could be had but I’m not interested in a buyout this year or bribing a team to take him. Defensively Dahlin and Power aren’t going anywhere and Samuelsson has a similar status purely due to style of play. Neither UPL or Levi should be traded no matter the offer.

Im not looking to move Clifton or Greenway

Byram I want to see under Ruff before I make any decisions

Krebs is meh, but I wouldn’t just dump him on the side of the road.

To me any Peterka + for Tkachuk trades feel way too costly to stomach for a player who could just pull the same thing with us in a year or two. Since I wholeheartedly believe he wants to play in St. Louis. if Ottawa doesn’t work out. 
 

I don’t want to trade multiple cakes for a mysterious cake that may contain peanuts.

Sam Bennett was had for 2 2nds, find me that acquisition. Find me a non-Savoie prospect and 11 for a legitimate player akin to the Reinhart deal. 
 

 

[PerreaultForever]

8 minutes ago, thewookie1 said:

I want to upgrade the team but not gut it. To get a new 3C shouldn’t require roster players to be used in the acquisition. Additionally, I don’t Tkachuk as enough of an upgrade from a Quinn or Peterka to be worth the massive overpayment we’d need to add towards it. 
 

I think Marcus Foligno is a great guy but I have zero interest in trading Peterka to get an heavily overpaid 3rd going into 4th liner.

Frankly I have no intention of touching the Top 6 players in Thompson, Cozens, Tuch, Quinn, Peterka, and Benson. Skinner could be had but I’m not interested in a buyout this year or bribing a team to take him. Defensively Dahlin and Power aren’t going anywhere and Samuelsson has a similar status purely due to style of play. Neither UPL or Levi should be traded no matter the offer.

Im not looking to move Clifton or Greenway

Byram I want to see under Ruff before I make any decisions

Krebs is meh, but I wouldn’t just dump him on the side of the road.

To me any Peterka + for Tkachuk trades feel way too costly to stomach for a player who could just pull the same thing with us in a year or two. Since I wholeheartedly believe he wants to play in St. Louis. if Ottawa doesn’t work out. 
 

I don’t want to trade multiple cakes for a mysterious cake that may contain peanuts.

Sam Bennett was had for 2 2nds, find me that acquisition. Find me a non-Savoie prospect and 11 for a legitimate player akin to the Reinhart deal. 
 

 

I agree with most of this. Don't really care about losing Clifton Greenway or Krebs though. I'm not looking to lose them, but they aren't integral either if you can make your team better. idk where the Peterka idea comes from. Probably just somebody thinking Ottawa wants a German connect with Stutzle which I think is kind of silly. 

I like Peterka, but having said that, Tkachuk is much better than Peterka. That's a no brainer. Power out Tkachuk in is trickier since Power isn't fully formed yet. That one would be a tricky GM calculation and might cost somebody a job down the road. 

I'm fine to shed Byram because I see a contract problem down the road. I'm fine to shed Samuelsson because of the injuries, but I'd want a key return and I'd want to sign a replacement as well. 

End of the day I'm not looking to trade anyone (except Skinner) but if we make the team better I'm fine to move on from any of them as well. 

[thewookie1]

9 minutes ago, PerreaultForever said:

I agree with most of this. Don't really care about losing Clifton Greenway or Krebs though. I'm not looking to lose them, but they aren't integral either if you can make your team better. idk where the Peterka idea comes from. Probably just somebody thinking Ottawa wants a German connect with Stutzle which I think is kind of silly. 

I like Peterka, but having said that, Tkachuk is much better than Peterka. That's a no brainer. Power out Tkachuk in is trickier since Power isn't fully formed yet. That one would be a tricky GM calculation and might cost somebody a job down the road. 

I'm fine to shed Byram because I see a contract problem down the road. I'm fine to shed Samuelsson because of the injuries, but I'd want a key return and I'd want to sign a replacement as well. 

End of the day I'm not looking to trade anyone (except Skinner) but if we make the team better I'm fine to move on from any of them as well. 

Zero interest in moving Power for Tkachuk; end of story.  Not interested in moving Power in general for anyone
 

 

[Broken Ankles]

On 6/8/2024 at 7:04 PM, GASabresIUFAN said:

The goal is to build 3 lethal scoring lines and the Cozens line would actually be the 2nd line, but it was easier to leave to the formatting the same.  Quinn will get significant PT during the PP to utilize his O skills.

Same could be said for moving JJP or Benson lower. The difference ATOI (Even strength) between 1st and 3 lines is 2 minutes per game.  If healthy, Quinn scores at a higher rate.  If the objective is to maximize the value of Tage and Tuch, I’m adding a finisher who plays better defense than Skinner. Nice problem to have deciding amongst these three, while not even considering the forward who is a perennial 25-30 goal guy. 

[dudacek]

Got excited by the mention of Eriksen Ek, but the other 2 names @tom webster mentioned would be good fits as well and should come cheaper.

Not clear if he meant they are shopping for that caliber of player in general, or they’ve had serious conversations about each.

[GASabresIUFAN]

39 minutes ago, dudacek said:

Got excited by the mention of Eriksen Ek, but the other 2 names @tom webster mentioned would be good fits as well and should come cheaper.

Jenner should be significantly cheaper.  He kind of looks like Laughton on paper. I'd take Kerfoot over both.  Here is a comparison of guys in the 3 to 4 mill price range (plus the overpaid Gourde).

Jenner, 31, Pts last season 35, PK TOI 101 minutes, Hits 119, LK 74, D Zone starts 48%, Face off % 54%, contract 2 years 3.75 per season

Laughton, 30, Pts last season 39, PK TOI 140 minutes, Hits 155, BLK 56, D Zone starts 54%, Face off % 49, contract 2 years 3 per season

Kerfoot, 30, Pts last season 45, PK TOI 214 minutes, Hits 73, BLK 76, D Zone starts 58%, Face off % 48, contract 1 years 3.5 per season

Roy, 27, Pts last season 41, PK TOI 95 minutes, Hits 77, BLK 35, D Zone starts 58%, Face off % 47, contract 3 years 3 per season

Gourde, 32, Pts last season 33,  PK TOI 152 minutes, Hits 156, BLK 52, D Zone starts 58%, Face off % 48, contract 1 years 5.16 per season 

Bennett, 27, Pts last season 41,  PK TOI 32 minutes, Hits 173, BLK 43, D Zone starts 35%, Face off % 46, contract 1 years 4 per season 

Domi, 29, Pts last season 47,  PK TOI 0 minutes, Hits 53, BLK 22, D Zone starts 35%, Face off % 50, contract UFA (3 mill last season)

Roslovic, 29, Pts last season 31,  PK TOI 49 minutes, Hits 28, BLK 24, D Zone starts 55% (W CBJ), Face off % 45, contract UFA (4 mill last season)

Edited June 10 by GASabresIUFAN

[PerreaultForever]

2 hours ago, thewookie1 said:

Zero interest in moving Power for Tkachuk; end of story.  Not interested in moving Power in general for anyone
 

 

Your position is clear. You believe in Power. Hope you are right. I'm unsure at the moment and at the moment he is grossly overpaid. 

[thewookie1]

7 minutes ago, PerreaultForever said:

Your position is clear. You believe in Power. Hope you are right. I'm unsure at the moment and at the moment he is grossly overpaid. 

Yes, he's presently overpaid and I still fully believe in him.

 

When it comes to Tkachuk as a whole; he's a great player but I just don't trust him to stick around if St. Louis ever comes calling. Regardless of how we are doing. After all, all one needs to do is look at his brother and you get a hint at how Keith handles his boys. Matthew was playing on a good Calgary team and was offered a large contract to re-sign but bailed to go South.   

Brady, was heavily rumored to have demanded the captaincy as part of his contract negotiations in Ottawa. 

Similarly, Brendan Lemieux refused to sign here due to his father being his agent and in a similar vain I'd suspect Keith really has immense influence on locations his sons will go. Plus the St. Louis stuff is too persistent to be pure speculation. Keith himself re-signed there 3 times after being traded at deadlines. 

Brady has only next year left before he gets a NMC and then 3 more before hitting the UFA market. There isn't a chance in hell that if he requests a trade in 2 years that he won't require a very small number of teams or just walk at his UFA year.

 

Power is from the Ontario region so Buffalo isn't out of the way, he's happy and locked up for 7 years. Power at minimum should be a highly effective puck moving defenseman who excels in transition and offensive playmaking. His contract could always end up somewhat high but he could just as easily surpass it in time as defenseman take time and experience to learn how to play NHL defense.

[thewookie1]

43 minutes ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

Jenner should be significantly cheaper.  He kind of looks like Laughton on paper. I'd take Kerfoot over both.  Here is a comparison of guys in the 3 to 4 mill price range (plus the overpaid Gourde).

Jenner, 31, Pts last season 35, PK TOI 101 minutes, Hits 119, LK 74, D Zone starts 48%, Face off % 54%, contract 2 years 3.75 per season

Laughton, 30, Pts last season 39, PK TOI 140 minutes, Hits 155, BLK 56, D Zone starts 54%, Face off % 49, contract 2 years 3 per season

Kerfoot, 30, Pts last season 45, PK TOI 214 minutes, Hits 73, BLK 76, D Zone starts 58%, Face off % 48, contract 1 years 3.5 per season

Roy, 27, Pts last season 41, PK TOI 95 minutes, Hits 77, BLK 35, D Zone starts 58%, Face off % 47, contract 3 years 3 per season

Gourde, 32, Pts last season 33,  PK TOI 152 minutes, Hits 156, BLK 52, D Zone starts 58%, Face off % 48, contract 1 years 5.16 per season 

Bennett, 27, Pts last season 41,  PK TOI 32 minutes, Hits 173, BLK 43, D Zone starts 35%, Face off % 46, contract 1 years 4 per season 

Domi, 29, Pts last season 47,  PK TOI 0 minutes, Hits 53, BLK 22, D Zone starts 35%, Face off % 50, contract UFA (3 mill last season)

Roslovic, 29, Pts last season 31,  PK TOI 49 minutes, Hits 28, BLK 24, D Zone starts 55% (W CBJ), Face off % 45, contract UFA (4 mill last season)

I wish you would of added some degree of Corsi/Fenwick% and xGF/xGA

Jenner  39.7 xGF, 41.4 xGA    5.2 Corsi rel, 4.9 FF% rel

Laughton  41.4 xGF, 43.7 xGA    -8.2 Corsi rel, -8.2 FF% rel

Kerfoot    41.4 xGF, 44.7 xGA    -4.2 Corsi rel, -4.6 FF% rel

Roy     34.5 xGF, 31.9 xGA    1.5 Corsi rel, -1.2 FF% rel

Gourde    44.9 xGF, 44.1 xGA    -2.4 Corsi rel, -2.8 FF% rel

Bennett     49.0 xGF, 41.5 xGA      7.6 Corsi rel, 6.5 FF% rel

Domi   47.1 xGF, 39.9 xGA    3.1 Corsi rel, 2.3 FF% rel

Roslovic (CBJ)   24.1 xGF, 25.9 xGA    -2.1 Corsi rel, -1.3 FF% rel    DZ Starts  49.9%

Roslovic (NYR)   10.3 xGF, 9.3 xGA    5.6 Corsi rel, 4.2 FF% rel    DZ Starts 26.7%

 

 

Controls

Girgensons  22.9 xGF, 26.8 xGA   -5.0  Corsi rel, -5.7  FF% rel    DZ Starts 56.5%

Krebs 34.5 xGF,  36.6 xGA    1.0 Corsi rel,  0.6 FF% rel    DZ Starts 49.3%

Jost 12.4 xGF,  20.8 xGA    -9.7 Corsi rel,  -10.3 FF% rel    DZ Starts 54.1%

Edited June 10 by thewookie1

[Flashsabre]

Danault or Kerfoot would be good acquisitions for what they need. I think Kerfoot would be more available and cheaper to acquire but if Danault was available he would be a great pickup.

 

[JohnC]

9 hours ago, thewookie1 said:

I want to upgrade the team but not gut it. To get a new 3C shouldn’t require roster players to be used in the acquisition. Additionally, I don’t Tkachuk as enough of an upgrade from a Quinn or Peterka to be worth the massive overpayment we’d need to add towards it. 
 

I think Marcus Foligno is a great guy but I have zero interest in trading Peterka to get an heavily overpaid 3rd going into 4th liner.

Frankly I have no intention of touching the Top 6 players in Thompson, Cozens, Tuch, Quinn, Peterka, and Benson. Skinner could be had but I’m not interested in a buyout this year or bribing a team to take him. Defensively Dahlin and Power aren’t going anywhere and Samuelsson has a similar status purely due to style of play. Neither UPL or Levi should be traded no matter the offer.

Im not looking to move Clifton or Greenway

Byram I want to see under Ruff before I make any decisions

Krebs is meh, but I wouldn’t just dump him on the side of the road.

To me any Peterka + for Tkachuk trades feel way too costly to stomach for a player who could just pull the same thing with us in a year or two. Since I wholeheartedly believe he wants to play in St. Louis. if Ottawa doesn’t work out. 
 

I don’t want to trade multiple cakes for a mysterious cake that may contain peanuts.

Sam Bennett was had for 2 2nds, find me that acquisition. Find me a non-Savoie prospect and 11 for a legitimate player akin to the Reinhart deal. 
 

 

A thoughtful and terrific post. Your next bar tab should be on the house. 👍

[GASabresIUFAN]

6 hours ago, thewookie1 said:

I wish you would of added some degree of Corsi/Fenwick% and xGF/xGA

Jenner  39.7 xGF, 41.4 xGA    5.2 Corsi rel, 4.9 FF% rel

Laughton  41.4 xGF, 43.7 xGA    -8.2 Corsi rel, -8.2 FF% rel

Kerfoot    41.4 xGF, 44.7 xGA    -4.2 Corsi rel, -4.6 FF% rel

Roy     34.5 xGF, 31.9 xGA    1.5 Corsi rel, -1.2 FF% rel

Gourde    44.9 xGF, 44.1 xGA    -2.4 Corsi rel, -2.8 FF% rel

Bennett     49.0 xGF, 41.5 xGA      7.6 Corsi rel, 6.5 FF% rel

Domi   47.1 xGF, 39.9 xGA    3.1 Corsi rel, 2.3 FF% rel

Roslovic (CBJ)   24.1 xGF, 25.9 xGA    -2.1 Corsi rel, -1.3 FF% rel    DZ Starts  49.9%

Roslovic (NYR)   10.3 xGF, 9.3 xGA    5.6 Corsi rel, 4.2 FF% rel    DZ Starts 26.7%

 

 

Controls

Girgensons  22.9 xGF, 26.8 xGA   -5.0  Corsi rel, -5.7  FF% rel    DZ Starts 56.5%

Krebs 34.5 xGF,  36.6 xGA    1.0 Corsi rel,  0.6 FF% rel    DZ Starts 49.3%

Jost 12.4 xGF,  20.8 xGA    -9.7 Corsi rel,  -10.3 FF% rel    DZ Starts 54.1%

I don’t because Corsi and Fenwick tend to be too team dependent.  Put a decent player on a good team his possession numbers usually improve, sometimes dramatically.  Put the same player on a bad team and his numbers plummet. 

I also think they are looking for a player to fulfill a certain role.  I think the player they want has to add scoring, but also kill penalties and have a physical game.  It’s why I listed hits, pk time and d zone %.  

[Taro T]

1 hour ago, Flashsabre said:

Danault or Kerfoot would be good acquisitions for what they need. I think Kerfoot would be more available and cheaper to acquire but if Danault was available he would be a great pickup.

 

Was hoping Buffalo would go after Danault back when the Sabres were still on Rebuild 2.0.  Still would be very happy with landing him, but not sure why LA would be willing to part with him.

[Archie Lee]

9 hours ago, thewookie1 said:

I want to upgrade the team but not gut it. To get a new 3C shouldn’t require roster players to be used in the acquisition. Additionally, I don’t Tkachuk as enough of an upgrade from a Quinn or Peterka to be worth the massive overpayment we’d need to add towards it. 
 

I think Marcus Foligno is a great guy but I have zero interest in trading Peterka to get an heavily overpaid 3rd going into 4th liner.

Frankly I have no intention of touching the Top 6 players in Thompson, Cozens, Tuch, Quinn, Peterka, and Benson. Skinner could be had but I’m not interested in a buyout this year or bribing a team to take him. Defensively Dahlin and Power aren’t going anywhere and Samuelsson has a similar status purely due to style of play. Neither UPL or Levi should be traded no matter the offer.

Im not looking to move Clifton or Greenway

Byram I want to see under Ruff before I make any decisions

Krebs is meh, but I wouldn’t just dump him on the side of the road.

To me any Peterka + for Tkachuk trades feel way too costly to stomach for a player who could just pull the same thing with us in a year or two. Since I wholeheartedly believe he wants to play in St. Louis. if Ottawa doesn’t work out. 
 

I don’t want to trade multiple cakes for a mysterious cake that may contain peanuts.

Sam Bennett was had for 2 2nds, find me that acquisition. Find me a non-Savoie prospect and 11 for a legitimate player akin to the Reinhart deal. 
 

 

When you say that you have no interest in touching the top 6 players you list, do you mean that you have no interest in trading any of them or do you mean that you actually project them as our top 6?  I wouldn’t be thrilled about moving any of them, but would move Quinn, Peterka or Benson in the right deal (a benefit of having those 3 AND Kulich, Rosen, Savoie, Wahlberg, Östlund, Neuchev is that it allows flexibility to trade for a better player). Still, the deal would have to be really good. As a current top 6 though, this group is weak and a lot would need to go right for it to be playoff level. Basically at least 2 of Thompson, Tuch, Cozens will need to return to 22-23 form and at least 2 of the young wingers need to take significant leaps forward. It is possible this will happen, but not something that can be counted on my view. 

[GoPuckYourself]

Skinner and Tuch are not top liners on any of these playoff teams so something needs to change here imo. There are a few scenarios you could do here and the first would be buyout Skinner as he's making way too much for what he does and brings to this team but I'm not sure with what's going on with the Pegula's if that a realistic option right now but it could really help us in the long run plus it would free up the money to sign a top tier winger if we brought 1 over in a trade. The next would be to trade Tuch and pick 11 for a top winger prospect, this 1 I wouldn't love so much and as annoyed as I was with his play last year I still feel we need a presence like him just not on the top line. My 3rd option would be to deal J.J. Peterka and pick 11 for a top tier winger. This could come back to bite us if he turns into a solid top 6 player but there is still no telling if thats true and the guy we're trading for his contract is probably much higher which is another thing you have to take into consideration moving forward.

[thewookie1]

Just now, Archie Lee said:

When you say that you have no interest in touching the top 6 players you list, do you mean that you have no interest in trading any of them or do you mean that you actually project them as our top 6?  I wouldn’t be thrilled about moving any of them, but would move Quinn, Peterka or Benson in the right deal (a benefit of having those 3 AND Kulich, Rosen, Savoie, Wahlberg, Östlund, Neuchev is that it allows flexibility to trade for a better player). Still, the deal would have to be really good. As a current top 6 though, this group is weak and a lot would need to go right for it to be playoff level. Basically at least 2 of Thompson, Tuch, Cozens will need to return to 22-23 form and at least 2 of the young wingers need to take significant leaps forward. It is possible this will happen, but not something that can be counted on my view. 

The former

Effectively how I see it

Thompson, Tuch and Cozens are reasonably untouchable

Quinn, Peterka, and Benson are only available in specific circumstances 

 

24 minutes ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

I don’t because Corsi and Fenwick tend to be too team dependent.  Put a decent player on a good team his possession numbers usually improve, sometimes dramatically.  Put the same player on a bad team and his numbers plummet. 

I also think they are looking for a player to fulfill a certain role.  I think the player they want has to add scoring, but also kill penalties and have a physical game.  It’s why I listed hits, pk time and d zone %.  

 

Danault 30, Pts last season 47, Hits 80, BLK 60, D Zone starts 52.7%, Face off % 51.9, contract 3x5.5mil   ATOI  18:01

51.6 xGF, 38.1 xGA    2.4 Corsi rel, 3.9 FF% rel

 

Flyers Top 5 Faceoff 

Couturier 31, Pts last season 38, Hits 59, BLK 41,  D Zone Starts 43%, Face off % 53.5,  contract 6x7.75mil  ATOI 17:49

45.9 xGF, 39.4 xGA    10.3 Corsi rel, 8.6 FF% rel   (Almost 1300 FOs taken)

Laughton 30, Pts last season 39, Hits 155, BLK 56, D Zone starts 53.8%, Face offs 48.9%, contract 2x3mil   ATOI 15:39

41.4 xGF, 43.7 xGA    -8.2 Corsi rel, -8.2 FF% rel  (Just below 1000 FOs taken)

Poehling 25,  Pts last season 28, Hits 62, BLK 101, D Zone starts 59.7%, Face offs 49.1%, contract 2x1.9mil   ATOI 15:00

41.8 xGF, 33.1 xGA    -8.9 Corsi rel, -7.0 FF% rel  (A little over 950 FOs taken)

Frost 25,  Pts last season 41, Hits 57, BLK 55, D Zone starts 26.0%, Face offs 49.5%, contract 1x2.1mil  RFA at season's end ATOI 15:50

45.1 xGF, 31.5 xGA    9.8 Corsi rel, 9.5 FF% rel   (A little over 800 FOs taken)

Cates 25, Pts last season 18, Hits 52, BLK 35, D Zone starts 54.8%, Face off % 44.5, contract 1x2.625mil  RFA at season's end  ATOI 13:48

31.3 xGF, 21.8 xGA    -1.1 Corsi rel, 1.6 FF% rel   (A little over 300 FOs taken)

[GASabresIUFAN]

42 minutes ago, thewookie1 said:

Danault 30, Pts last season 47, Hits 80, BLK 60, D Zone starts 52.7%, Face off % 51.9, contract 3x5.5mil   ATOI  18:01

51.6 xGF, 38.1 xGA    2.4 Corsi rel, 3.9 FF% rel

 

He is a fine choice.  Will LA want to trade him? Also what is the cost and are we on his 10 team NT list?

[LGR4GM]

1 hour ago, Archie Lee said:

When you say that you have no interest in touching the top 6 players you list, do you mean that you have no interest in trading any of them or do you mean that you actually project them as our top 6?  I wouldn’t be thrilled about moving any of them, but would move Quinn, Peterka or Benson in the right deal (a benefit of having those 3 AND Kulich, Rosen, Savoie, Wahlberg, Östlund, Neuchev is that it allows flexibility to trade for a better player). Still, the deal would have to be really good. As a current top 6 though, this group is weak and a lot would need to go right for it to be playoff level. Basically at least 2 of Thompson, Tuch, Cozens will need to return to 22-23 form and at least 2 of the young wingers need to take significant leaps forward. It is possible this will happen, but not something that can be counted on my view. 

The list of players I would trade Quinn or Benson for is short, really short. Comparing either to Kulich, Rosen, Wahlberg, Östlund or Neuchev is like comparing a Jeep Grand Cherokee with all the bells and whistles, to a Ford Focus rental from budget, and arguing they the same because they are both cars. Quinn and Benson literally drive whatever line you put them on all while being exceptionally good in the neutral and defensive zones. Quinn and Benson as early as this season might show they are our two best 200ft forwards. 

Note: I do see you said "the deal would have to be really good" but what I am saying is the deal would have to be great. I am talking Benson and 11 for Nathan MacKinnon. Something absurd because that is how much I would rather keep Benson and Quinn on my team. I am more apt to trade any of the other players in the forward ranks before them including Tuch, Tage, or Cozens. Quinn probably carries the most risk because of injury but I think Zach Benson is on track to be a truly special NHL player. 

[LGR4GM]

1 hour ago, GoPuckYourself said:

Skinner and Tuch are not top liners on any of these playoff teams so something needs to change here imo. There are a few scenarios you could do here and the first would be buyout Skinner as he's making way too much for what he does and brings to this team but I'm not sure with what's going on with the Pegula's if that a realistic option right now but it could really help us in the long run plus it would free up the money to sign a top tier winger if we brought 1 over in a trade. The next would be to trade Tuch and pick 11 for a top winger prospect, this 1 I wouldn't love so much and as annoyed as I was with his play last year I still feel we need a presence like him just not on the top line. My 3rd option would be to deal J.J. Peterka and pick 11 for a top tier winger. This could come back to bite us if he turns into a solid top 6 player but there is still no telling if thats true and the guy we're trading for his contract is probably much higher which is another thing you have to take into consideration moving forward.

I think Tuch should be a 2nd line RW in the NHL and he is paid as one so I am in no hurry to trade him. 

JJP - Tage - Tuch can easily be considered or deployed as a 2nd line instead of first line where you put out Benson - Cozens - Quinn as your top line, you can also switch Tage and Cozens because Benson is going to be able to get the puck to Tage in shooting position. 

[GoPuckYourself]

40 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

I think Tuch should be a 2nd line RW in the NHL and he is paid as one so I am in no hurry to trade him. 

JJP - Tage - Tuch can easily be considered or deployed as a 2nd line instead of first line where you put out Benson - Cozens - Quinn as your top line, you can also switch Tage and Cozens because Benson is going to be able to get the puck to Tage in shooting position. 

I agree with Tuch, that would be my least favorite move. I also disagree on Cozens, the way he played last season does not scream 1st line center imo. Of course he can bounce back but I’m not sure I’m rewarding him just yet. 
 

Id prefer JJP, Thompson Quinn on line 1 with Benson, Cozens, Tuch on line 2 but that’s just me. I wouldn’t hate it though if the lines were what you listed this would just be my preference.