Re-sign, trade or keep? Which players on the Sabres would you put in the trade market and when?

[Kristian]

On 1/3/2025 at 5:10 PM, Stoner said:

...those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.

Trade them all. Right now.

Would anyone be mad if they did that and still missed the playoffs next year. Would anyone pine for the glory days of Dahlin and Thompson?

Get rid of the entire roster, fold the team. It’s over.

[GASabresIUFAN]

1 hour ago, Kristian said:

Get rid of the entire roster, fold the team. It’s over.

….was it over when the German’s bombed Pearl Harbor?….

[LabattBlue]

3 hours ago, Kristian said:

Get rid of the entire roster, fold the team. It’s over.

At this point, I would not care at all if this happened…and I am a lifelong WNY resident.  

[quill]

Trade:

Quinn: Was he really a first round pick?  Trade him for a decent playoff caliber grinder or for a draft pick as soon as we get a new GM.

Thompson: Yeah he has a great shot whenever he's set up perfectly for it, but is he worth the money, and does he look like he's turning into the superstar we thought he would become? No. He plays hard when he's in a good mood, and it's no small wonder why the team was better off without him during the west coast tour a few weeks ago. I have to wonder how much Tage really wants to stay in Buffalo. Trade him while we can get something significant for him and let the rest of our offensive talent come into their own.

A few others could go depending on what we could get for them, as long as Adams goes first. I doubt the team as it is now would do well in the playoffs if we happened to make it there. We just don't have enough players like Zucker who could score and also grind it out, day in/day out, like what's needed to do in the playoffs.

Keepers: Dahlin, Tuch, Zucker, Greenway, Benson, Clifton, Power, Kulich, and maybe Krebs. 

 

 

 

[SabreFinn]

I would love to keep Zucker and Greenway, but I doubt they want to stay. Zucker maybe, but not Greenway. In that case a possible trade could be with Winnipeg for Iafallo, to free up some capspace for them, I think it is now or never for the Jets and that they will try to improve their roster.

Jokiharju, Bryson and Gilbert are players I hope is not on the team next season, and I would take a shot if there are defensive defensmen available to trade for. With picks as sweeteners if needed.

RFAs like Byram I would not trade at deadline or before, if not anything really good comes up, which I doubt. I believe there are better players on the board during the summer. And by then, most of our players could be traded, depending on what we might get in return. 

[Pimlach]

On 1/6/2025 at 8:44 AM, Jorcus said:

On Benson, You have to remember that he got on the roster because there was no better option at the time to replace the injured Jack Quinn. Adams failures are long but not addressing that issue last year hurt the team and Benson was not productive enough to play a top 6 roll on any team even this one. He still is not productive enough for that roll. For all the good things he does, and there are many he is very limited in his up and down the ice speed and has a very slow shot. He can be a useful player in the right situation but when talking about youth vs vets the 2nd line wing has been the festering open sore on this team that never gets healed. I have my doubts about Bensons celling being very high. Maybe a couple of years of physical maturation can improve his needed skills but that is a big unknown. A year in Junior would at least have let the strength level come up. He never should have been here last year and to be honest I am not sure even this year because we needed something different. I hope he works out, I am sure he will in the right situation with the right team structure but a wide open end to end team is not this guys game. 

For a team that boasts about their prosect pool this was a sad indictment on the boys down in Rochester.   Benson was the best they had last preseason.  He beat out Rousek, Murray, Savoie, Rosen, and Kulich - all of which should have been ahead of him on the depth chart. 

As you mentioned there was no better option.  Adams failure to replace Quinn with an NHL player was a crime and shows how inadequate he is.  But he did not want a "blocker" I am sure of that, and he had an internal cap as well.  

Benson at 18 should have went back to juniors.   He earned his spot with the Sabres but that is more of an indictment on the GM. 

Benson at 19 is good young player because he works hard, is fearless and scrappy, but his shot is not NHL ready yet, especially for a top 6 role on a playoff team. 

 

[Pimlach]

1 hour ago, quill said:

Trade:

Quinn: Was he really a first round pick?  Trade him for a decent playoff caliber grinder or for a draft pick as soon as we get a new GM.

Thompson: Yeah he has a great shot whenever he's set up perfectly for it, but is he worth the money, and does he look like he's turning into the superstar we thought he would become? No. He plays hard when he's in a good mood, and it's no small wonder why the team was better off without him during the west coast tour a few weeks ago. I have to wonder how much Tage really wants to stay in Buffalo. Trade him while we can get something significant for him and let the rest of our offensive talent come into their own.

A few others could go depending on what we could get for them, as long as Adams goes first. I doubt the team as it is now would do well in the playoffs if we happened to make it there. We just don't have enough players like Zucker who could score and also grind it out, day in/day out, like what's needed to do in the playoffs.

Keepers: Dahlin, Tuch, Zucker, Greenway, Benson, Clifton, Power, Kulich, and maybe Krebs. 

 

 

 

Well, if you trade Thompson you better get a 1C in return because we are hurting up the middle.  I don't see Tage getting traded. 

No mention of Peterka or Byram, their contracts are up?     Then there is Cozens and Samuelsson, both getting paid and under producing.  

Zucker and Greenway contracts are up and they could be traded away at the deadline.  Clifton has one year left and then he will most likely try to get on a better team.   I know I would.  

Why is Krebs a keeper? 

[JohnC]

1 hour ago, Pimlach said:

For a team that boasts about their prosect pool this was a sad indictment on the boys down in Rochester.   Benson was the best they had last preseason.  He beat out Rousek, Murray, Savoie, Rosen, and Kulich - all of which should have been ahead of him on the depth chart. 

As you mentioned there was no better option.  Adams failure to replace Quinn with an NHL player was a crime and shows how inadequate he is.  But he did not want a "blocker" I am sure of that, and he had an internal cap as well.  

Benson at 18 should have went back to juniors.   He earned his spot with the Sabres but that is more of an indictment on the GM. 

Benson at 19 is good young player because he works hard, is fearless and scrappy, but his shot is not NHL ready yet, especially for a top 6 role on a playoff team. 

 

Benson is one of my favorite players because of how he plays. (As you point out.) In my view, even when he is more developed, I don't see him as a top two-line player.  I'm fine with that. Being a good third line player who can give you an adequate amount of scoring is what good teams have. The Caps, in contrast to the Sabres, did a good job of assembling a fuller roster over the past two seasons. And their record reflects that. That's what a smart GM is expected to do. 

Edited 9 hours ago by JohnC

[LGR4GM]

37 minutes ago, JohnC said:

Benson is one of my favorite players because of how he plays. (As you point out.) In my view, even when he is more developed, I don't see him as a top two-line player.  I'm fine with that. Being a good third line player who can give you an adequate amount of scoring is what good teams have. The Caps, in contrast to the Sabres, did a good job of assembling a fuller roster over the past two seasons. And their record reflects that. That's what a smart GM is expected to do. 

Zach Benson will be a top 6 forward in the NHL. You can bank on that. Y'all are just too obsessed with his shot (which is better than many give him credit for) and the fact he's super young and not 6'3". Zach Benson drives play, he drives it. We need more drivers which Adams cannot identify and cannot get when he does. 

I'll say it again, he is the 4th youngest NHL player this year, he plays on a bad team, and importantly this:

Quote

Benson’s expected primary assists and slot pass success percentage check in at the 100th percentile, in a sample that includes 700 forwards from this season. In a multi-year data set of over 3000 forwards, his underlying playmaking data is second to only Connor McDavid. - https://www.eliteprospects.com/player/535582/zach-benson

Benson doesn't look as good as he could because he's 19 and his teammates literally aren't good enough to benefit from what he creates. Zach Benson is going to be a top line player in the NHL. I have very little doubts. If he was on a team where players actually went into the slot he would have double the number of assists right now. 

[JohnC]

2 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

Zach Benson will be a top 6 forward in the NHL. You can bank on that. Y'all are just too obsessed with his shot (which is better than many give him credit for) and the fact he's super young and not 6'3". Zach Benson drives play, he drives it. We need more drivers which Adams cannot identify and cannot get when he does. 

I'll say it again, he is the 4th youngest NHL player this year, he plays on a bad team, and importantly this:

 

I disagree that he would be a top two-line player on a good team.  I just don't see it. Based on his style of play, he seems to be more of a grinder than a finisher. However, as you point out, he's very young with more upside to tap into. I would love to be wrong. TBD. 

[Pimlach]

56 minutes ago, JohnC said:

Benson is one of my favorite players because of how he plays. (As you point out.) In my view, even when he is more developed, I don't see him as a top two-line player.  I'm fine with that. Being a good third line player who can give you an adequate amount of scoring is what good teams have. The Caps, in contrast to the Sabres, did a good job of assembling a fuller roster over the past two seasons. And their record reflects that. That's what a smart GM is expected to do. 

I think Benson has a top 6 ceiling.   We keep forgetting he is 19.  

He will get stronger, faster, and his shot will get better.   

Edited 8 hours ago by Pimlach

[JohnC]

6 minutes ago, Pimlach said:

I think Benson has a top 6 ceiling.   We keep forgetting he is 19.  

He will get stronger, faster, and his shot will get better.   

As I said in the prior posts, I don't see it. If proven wrong, I would be ecstatic. If that doesn't materialize, I'm certainly not going to be dismissive of a good third line player. Good teams have productive good third lines. TBD.

[LGR4GM]

36 minutes ago, JohnC said:

As I said in the prior posts, I don't see it. If proven wrong, I would be ecstatic. If that doesn't materialize, I'm certainly not going to be dismissive of a good third line player. Good teams have productive good third lines. TBD.

Yea, and ppl told me for years Sam Reinhart wasn't that good. Zach Benson is 8th for goals scored this season for players 20 and under. That's out of 35 ppl including someone he is currently tied with who I bet you think is a good shooter, Kulich. Benson may not have Kulich's shot but his shot is good enough and his skills around the net high enough for him to get quite a few goals. Benson is 12th in total points this season for players 20 and under. Again, there are 35ppl on that list. 

He's 1 of only 4 players that are 19 or younger in the NHL. Bedard and Celebrini are first overall picks and the other is Will Smith. Smith btw has a -13 and only 1 more goal and 1 more point than Benson. Zach Benson really only needs 2 things, time and better coaches/teams.

[GASabresIUFAN]

34 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

Yea, and ppl told me for years Sam Reinhart wasn't that good. Zach Benson is 8th for goals scored this season for players 20 and under. That's out of 35 ppl including someone he is currently tied with who I bet you think is a good shooter, Kulich. Benson may not have Kulich's shot but his shot is good enough and his skills around the net high enough for him to get quite a few goals. Benson is 12th in total points this season for players 20 and under. Again, there are 35ppl on that list. 

He's 1 of only 4 players that are 19 or younger in the NHL. Bedard and Celebrini are first overall picks and the other is Will Smith. Smith btw has a -13 and only 1 more goal and 1 more point than Benson. Zach Benson really only needs 2 things, time and better coaches/teams.

We rarely agree, but you are correct on Benson.  He and Tuch are the only legit playmakers on this roster and he is one of the few Sabres forwards committed to two way play.

 

[JohnC]

59 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

Yea, and ppl told me for years Sam Reinhart wasn't that good. Zach Benson is 8th for goals scored this season for players 20 and under. That's out of 35 ppl including someone he is currently tied with who I bet you think is a good shooter, Kulich. Benson may not have Kulich's shot but his shot is good enough and his skills around the net high enough for him to get quite a few goals. Benson is 12th in total points this season for players 20 and under. Again, there are 35ppl on that list. 

He's 1 of only 4 players that are 19 or younger in the NHL. Bedard and Celebrini are first overall picks and the other is Will Smith. Smith btw has a -13 and only 1 more goal and 1 more point than Benson. Zach Benson really only needs 2 things, time and better coaches/teams.

I guarantee you that I was not in the chorus criticizing Sammy. 

I'm not arguing that you are wrong. On the contrary, I hope your view of him prevails over my view. I have said it on more than a few occasions that even as a youngster he puts a lot of players to shame by the hard way he consistently plays. You rarely see a lull in his play. Right now, he is one of my favorite Sabre players. 

[PerreaultForever]

Why would anybody NOT be in the trade market?

[quill]

3 hours ago, Pimlach said:

Well, if you trade Thompson you better get a 1C in return because we are hurting up the middle.  I don't see Tage getting traded. 

No mention of Peterka or Byram, their contracts are up?     Then there is Cozens and Samuelsson, both getting paid and under producing.  

Zucker and Greenway contracts are up and they could be traded away at the deadline.  Clifton has one year left and then he will most likely try to get on a better team.   I know I would.  

Why is Krebs a keeper? 

I agree with you Tage probably won't be traded, so he'll probably be a Sabre for better or worse.  But for him to be worth more than 7 mil/yr, I hope someone will teach him how to win some faceoffs, how to improve his passing, and how not to give up the puck at some of the most crucial times in a game.  He needs to do other things better than just having a cannon of a shot. I do hope he becomes the superstar that so many people thought he was already.

As far as Cozens, I've been somewhat disappointed in him, as have other people, but I think he's starting to come into his own. Plus he's one of the only decent faceoff men we have.

I'm not all that high on Samuelsson, and I wouldn't miss him if he got traded, but at least he does attempt to check a body once in a while.

I'd hate to see Zucker and Greenway go, but I agree they could be traded because of their contracts being up.  We certainly wouldn't want to let them go and get nothing back for them in return. I hope they're still here next season though.

Krebs. I said "maybe" he's a keeper because he's one of the very few players on this team who has some heart and isn't afraid to get his hands dirty. He does have talent but I think he just needs a little more experience at the NHL level for it to shine through. I think it would be a mistake to get rid of him so soon.

[mjd1001]

1 hour ago, quill said:

 

As far as Cozens, I've been somewhat disappointed in him, as have other people, but I think he's starting to come into his own. Plus he's one of the only decent faceoff men we have.

 

Faceoffs? Cozens? What?

He's under 50% for his career. He's under 50% this year. Was last year. And the year before. And the year before.

And I don't have memory of him winning many crucial faceoffs at the end of the games that allowed the Sabres to score a critical goal, nor him winning many that allow the Sabres to get the puck out of the zone.  Both McLeod and Krebs are better than him this year, and Krebs (in limited time) was ahead of him last year.

Faceoff specialist he is not.

Edited 3 hours ago by mjd1001

[quill]

28 minutes ago, mjd1001 said:

Faceoffs? Cozens? What?

He's under 50% for his career. He's under 50% this year. Was last year. And the year before. And the year before.

And I don't have memory of him winning many crucial faceoffs at the end of the games that allowed the Sabres to score a critical goal, nor him winning many that allow the Sabres to get the puck out of the zone.  Both McLeod and Krebs are better than him this year, and Krebs (in limited time) was ahead of him last year.

Faceoff specialist he is not.

Where did I say Cozens was a faceoff specialist? I said he was one of the only decent faceoff men we have. According to Fox Sports Stats he's at 49.6% and 23rd in the league in FO wins. Can you name one player on the Sabres who's currently doing better than him in that department?

[LGR4GM]

3 minutes ago, quill said:

Where did I say Cozens was a faceoff specialist? I said he was one of the only decent faceoff men we have. According to Fox Sports Stats he's at 49.6% and 23rd in the league in FO wins. Can you name one player on the Sabres who's currently doing better than him in that department?

Peyton Krebs and Ryan McLeod, both are higher

[quill]

10 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

Peyton Krebs and Ryan McLeod, both are higher

And the source for that is? 

Cozens has 316 FO wins so far.  I'd be surprised if Krebs and McLeod combined have that many.

Edited 2 hours ago by quill

[SwampD]

26 minutes ago, quill said:

And the source for that is? 

Cozens has 316 FO wins so far.  I'd be surprised if Krebs and McLeod combined have that many.

https://www.foxsports.com/nhl/buffalo-sabres-team-stats?season=2024&category=faceoffs

[LGR4GM]

30 minutes ago, quill said:

And the source for that is? 

Cozens has 316 FO wins so far.  I'd be surprised if Krebs and McLeod combined have that many.

I looked up the percentage. Both McLeod and Krebs have a better win %

[quill]

3 minutes ago, SwampD said:

https://www.foxsports.com/nhl/buffalo-sabres-team-stats?season=2024&category=faceoffs

Well done. Cozens still has the most wins so far, but I stand corrected on who has the best percentages.

[quill]

6 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

I looked up the percentage. Both McLeod and Krebs have a better win %

You are correct. My bad on the percentage part. I got my info from the same source, only it was a page that only included the 25 players with the most FO wins, of which Cozens was the only Sabre on it:

https://www.foxsports.com/nhl/stats?category=faceoffs&sort=fow&season=2024&seasonType=reg&sortOrder=desc

Anyway, this team loses too many faceoffs of the crucial variety.  I think as a team we're not too far from the bottom of the list in FO's.