Off-season Game Plan 2024

[JohnC]

19 minutes ago, Weave said:

IMO he was outright deceptive regarding the “coaching search”.  Makes me tend to disregard what he says going forward.  He’s shown me he’s willing to deceive to avoid fan displeasure.  I have no expectations now.  We’ll see where it goes.

I agree with you that the coaching search was a charade. There was even talk that he wanted to replace Granato with Ruff at the Iend of the season, prior to it being concluded. I have no problem with the hire. His selection made a lot of sense for a variety of reasons. However, spouting BS doesn't appeal to me. 

What this team is needs is evident to everyone. There's no mystery there. Whether he gets it done is another matter. I do believe that he is going to be more aggressive this offseason than usual. (My opinion.)

[Flashsabre]

https://www.tsn.ca/nhl/san-jose-sharks-gm-mike-grier-shuts-down-logan-couture-trade-rumours-1.2136226

[thewookie1]

1 hour ago, Weave said:

IMO he was outright deceptive regarding the “coaching search”.  Makes me tend to disregard what he says going forward.  He’s shown me he’s willing to deceive to avoid fan displeasure.  I have no expectations now.  We’ll see where it goes.

While that is true to some extent. (I disagree with the one reporter who claimed he never interviewed anyone)

I will certainly say that Ruff was very likely his target for quite some time and he merely interviewed a few guys to make it less of an obvious foregone conclusion.

 

As for how he wants to build his team; I can't imagine him merely telling us what we want to hear since if he's purely speaking out his ass he'd get far more fan backlash by claiming and not doing than by merely not claiming anything at all.

[Archie Lee]

1 hour ago, thewookie1 said:

While that is true to some extent. (I disagree with the one reporter who claimed he never interviewed anyone)

I will certainly say that Ruff was very likely his target for quite some time and he merely interviewed a few guys to make it less of an obvious foregone conclusion.

 

As for how he wants to build his team; I can't imagine him merely telling us what we want to hear since if he's purely speaking out his ass he'd get far more fan backlash by claiming and not doing than by merely not claiming anything at all.

I realize that what Adams has laid out in this article has not exactly been given "the universal stamp of approval" by Sabres fans, but I'm a bit surprised that this is what some fans wanted to hear.  All we need is a bottom 6 upgrade (including a C), some grit and D depth? That's what people wanted to hear?

It might be enough. If the still unproven goaltending holds up.  If multiple players have significant bounce-back years or take big steps forward production-wise.  It would be nice, in my view, to add at least one catalyst-type player to the top-6.  Not that I expect Adams to telegraph his plans for a player trade or UFA acquisition, by any means.  I was kind of hoping though, if not expecting, that we would do more than tinker with the edges of the line-up, which is what it sounds like he is planning to do.     

[LGR4GM]

1 hour ago, thewookie1 said:

As for how he wants to build his team; I can't imagine him merely telling us what we want to hear since if he's purely speaking out his ass he'd get far more fan backlash by claiming and not doing than by merely not claiming anything at all.

This is exactly what he did with with the coach search. I even raised it around here that Adams lied and was told to bugger off.

[thewookie1]

38 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

This is exactly what he did with with the coach search. I even raised it around here that Adams lied and was told to bugger off.

 

The difference here was one was a foregone conclusion/in the past tense and the other is projecting forward

[Thorny]

5 hours ago, Archie Lee said:

I can’t access the article. Without having read it, sounds like he thinks the core group is ready and does not need to be upgraded and that changes in head coach and to the “make-up” of the bottom of the line-up are what was and is needed. Is that a fair assessment or am I being too simplistic in my interpretation. 

Sounds just like that. It sounds like they tried to narrow down the issues to as specific a target as hypothetically possible, the sort of “fix this one solitary issue and the tide of that change will raise all boats” line of thought we see proposed a lot around here. 

It seems like pretty much everything dudacek mentioned can be covered by turning over the one stone of finding a tough, depth centre. Essentially swapping the Mittelstadt fit, and running it back. 

[Flashsabre]

Coincidence?

A while ago someone on this board (maybe Tom Webster?) mentioned the Sabres were looking at Joel Erickson Ek and Danault.

Well tonight a guy on the hockeybuzz Sabres chat who has broke a lot of things said the Sabres are talking with the Wild about JEE and that Danault is a backup plan.

Take it with a grain of salt but that is the second time I have heard those two names from two people that seem to have connections.

[thewookie1]

29 minutes ago, Flashsabre said:

Coincidence?

A while ago someone on this board (maybe Tom Webster?) mentioned the Sabres were looking at Joel Erickson Ek and Danault.

Well tonight a guy on the hockeybuzz Sabres chat who has broke a lot of things said the Sabres are talking with the Wild about JEE and that Danault is a backup plan.

Take it with a grain of salt but that is the second time I have heard those two names from two people that seem to have connections.

I cannot fathom why Minnesota would want to move JEE unless they are purely looking to get younger

 

Also would you mind linking the comment page. 

Edited June 19 by thewookie1

[GASabresIUFAN]

2 minutes ago, thewookie1 said:

I cannot fathom why Minnesota would want to move JEE unless they are purely looking to get younger

and cheaper

[thewookie1]

3 minutes ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

and cheaper

That is true but even so they aren’t exactly hard pressed unless they feel drawn into a corner this year with 14mil in dead cap and their “starting” roster being already locked in with 12 F 6 D and 2 G and 6 mil to put on the scratch list. That being said their roster is rather concerning; their defense is ok but getting pretty old and their offense is more or less 1 line + Rossi and Foligno

[DarthEbriate]

5 minutes ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

and cheaper

But Ek is cheap, at either 1C (where's he's been for them) or at 2C (still cheap). Minnesota has no reason to trade him. They've been in Suter/Parise cap hell for 2 seasons, they only need to hang on for one more season and then they can rebuild around Ek and their growing kids with tons of cap space.

[thewookie1]

Just want to add looking over their forwards…. Dear god are they pretty ugly beyond the top line. Marcus Johansson is their 2LW atm.

[thewookie1]

Just now, DarthEbriate said:

But Ek is cheap, at either 1C (where's he's been for them) or at 2C (still cheap). Minnesota has no reason to trade him. They've been in Suter/Parise cap hell for 2 seasons, they only need to hang on for one more season and then they can rebuild around Ek and their growing kids with tons of cap space.

That’s what confuses me besides the fact their offense is effectively 2 lines which includes Johansson and 36 year old Mats Zuccarelo. Rossi is their lone offensive threat beyond the Top 6 and his wingers are Hartman and Foligno. Great for grit, not so much for scoring. Their 4th line are 3 dudes that are just happy to be there

 

[thewookie1]

My one “fear” is that Minnesota wants to build around Boldy, Rossi and Faber and they want Jack Quinn to reunite him with Rossi. 
 

That would be an extremely tough pill to swallow 

[DarthEbriate]

6 minutes ago, thewookie1 said:

That’s what confuses me besides the fact their offense is effectively 2 lines which includes Johansson and 36 year old Mats Zuccarelo. Rossi is their lone offensive threat beyond the Top 6 and his wingers are Hartman and Foligno. Great for grit, not so much for scoring. Their 4th line are 3 dudes that are just happy to be there

Which is why they don't sell off Ek (cheap, long-term contract, best all-around player on the team). They convince Zuccarello and MoJo to waive their no-move/trade clauses and move them for whatever they can get, maybe find a taker for Foligno's bloated contract, and continue their roster rebuild from there.

The real rebuild doesn't start until next season for them and Ek will be a part of it.

[dudacek]

On 6/8/2024 at 8:29 AM, dudacek said:

 

33 minutes ago, thewookie1 said:

That is true but even so they aren’t exactly hard pressed unless they feel drawn into a corner this year with 14mil in dead cap and their “starting” roster being already locked in with 12 F 6 D and 2 G and 6 mil to put on the scratch list. That being said their roster is rather concerning; their defense is ok but getting pretty old and their offense is more or less 1 line + Rossi and Foligno

 

30 minutes ago, DarthEbriate said:

But Ek is cheap, at either 1C (where's he's been for them) or at 2C (still cheap). Minnesota has no reason to trade him. They've been in Suter/Parise cap hell for 2 seasons, they only need to hang on for one more season and then they can rebuild around Ek and their growing kids with tons of cap space.

Forgive the self-quoting, but we were talking about this earlier.

 

On 6/8/2024 at 7:32 AM, dudacek said:

I see 2 things that might make Ek available.

• The fact that Minnesota is in an awful spot under the cap thanks to the Parise buyout
• The fact that their core has quietly gotten old and they might need to re-focus on a Faber/Boldy window.

I could see them trying to do a quick reset by flipping some of their older players for some players in their early 20s. And Ek certainly is someone who could generate the best type of return under that scenario.

By rough cap I mean they are an average team that lacks the cap space to be a real contender in the next 2 years and I wonder where that puts their window.

The clock is ticking on Zuccarello, Foligno, Hartman, Brodin; Those guys probably don’t have a role when the team is ready to be good again.

They have to re-sign Kaprizov in 2 years. If I’m their braintrust, I’m building toward that summer with a group around Boldy and Faber. Ek becomes an interesting piece in that scenario: the Wild are clearly better on the ice over the next 2 or 3 years keeping him, but they probably won’t be good. The question becomes are you better off with a 30-year-old Ek on the roster in 3 years when you think you’ll be rising again? Or will you be better off with a 23–year-old Kulich, a 26-year-old Krebs and a 21-year-old Eiserman (or some similar package)?

And the fact that Ek is owed $22.5M over the next few years including $9M next year isn’t insignificant.

I guess we’ll see if Terry really is cheap.

 

Edited June 19 by dudacek

[PerreaultForever]

47 minutes ago, DarthEbriate said:

Which is why they don't sell off Ek (cheap, long-term contract, best all-around player on the team). They convince Zuccarello and MoJo to waive their no-move/trade clauses and move them for whatever they can get, maybe find a taker for Foligno's bloated contract, and continue their roster rebuild from there.

The real rebuild doesn't start until next season for them and Ek will be a part of it.

Or you package them together. In order to shed a Foligno contract you give up the asset others might want along with him. 

[thewookie1]

Goodrow was picked up by the Sharks so we never even had a shot in this case

[NAF]

On 6/14/2024 at 8:59 PM, Flashsabre said:

Sabres could pull off a blockbuster “One Stop Shop” type trade for Cirelli, Cernak and Jeannot. Would fill the two way gritty centre role, tough defensive partner for Power and a big gritty forward that could play third line.

#11, Kulich or Savoie, and Krebs and Joker as cheaper options they can plug in their lineup would probably get it done.

I think you're giving up a lot more than that if you want all three of those players. IMO Tampa hangs up on that offer. I think #11, Quinn or Peterka, Kulich or Savoie, Jokiharju, and maybe a second rounder is more realistic.

[PerreaultForever]

20 minutes ago, thewookie1 said:

Goodrow was picked up by the Sharks so we never even had a shot in this case

Smart move by the Sharks and I wouldn't be surprised if they move him with retention at the deadline for a high pick. 

[Flashsabre]

40 minutes ago, NAF said:

I think you're giving up a lot more than that if you want all three of those players. IMO Tampa hangs up on that offer. I think #11, Quinn or Peterka, Kulich or Savoie, Jokiharju, and maybe a second rounder is more realistic.

My God No.  Jeannot is a cap dump for them. They have to shed him. Cirelli and Cernek are good players but they are not all stars.

TB have $5 million in cap space to sign Stamkos and extend Hedman. They need to shed salary. 

Edited June 19 by Flashsabre

[SabreFinn]

49 minutes ago, PerreaultForever said:

Smart move by the Sharks and I wouldn't be surprised if they move him with retention at the deadline for a high pick. 

And Dellandrea for a 4th round pick. Two good adds to their bortom six and they only have up a late pick.

[LGR4GM]

1 hour ago, PerreaultForever said:

Smart move by the Sharks and I wouldn't be surprised if they move him with retention at the deadline for a high pick. 

Really? I'd be surprised. 

[sabremike]

I have no idea why anyone expects a bunch of wild moves this offseason. No veteran player worth acquiring will agree to waive their NTC to come here. No UFA with any options is signing here unless they get an insane overpay. We are the single least respected organization in all of hockey with an owner who is just about the biggest failure in the modern history of the sport. There has never been an organization less respected than the Pegula Sabres and NOBODY wants to come here. There is a terrible price to pay for the neverending stupidity and incompetence and until this team is an actual contender we will continue to pay it. What Adams can realistically do (and has to) is identify guys who are badly undervalued by the rest of the league (this is where having a solid analytics department comes into play) and take advantage of this.