Roster Building with the New Cap Increases

[Flashsabre]

I think with the increased increases in the Cap coming the Sabres should be looking at signing Byram long term. Him and Dahlin give the Sabres a very good top pairing. The focus (as it has always been) is finding a quality vet RHD to play with Power and help him out.

Muel and Joker can go. Clifton is a solid third pairing guy.

Get a solid vet LHD for the 3rd pairing that plays well defensively and is physical.

Guys like Novikov, Komarov, Strabek, Kleber have promise but are all 2 years+ out.

Up front I would move out Cozens if possible. Sabres need a centre with hockey sense and playmaking skill to compliment all the shooters. 
 

I would keep Benson and Kulich.  JJ and Quinn both needs deals. I might move one to bring in a different type of forward. 
 

Id try to extend Zucker and Greenway for reasonable deals. Guys like Kozak, McLeod, Malenstyn  are good bottom 6 guys.

Rosen is a guy that is going to need a look next season or be moved for a good piece. He has great chemistry with Kulich.

I don’t trust Adams to get any of this done and the cap space means nothing if Pegula continues to go cheap.

Edited 2 hours ago by Flashsabre

[PerreaultForever]

Reality would seem to indicate that:

"get" isn't going to happen. 

"get rid of" might happen

waiting for prospects to develop is probably all that will happen. 

Kulich is providing new options for roster construction that are promising and might allow for more focus on getting tougher but I don't know if they will actually do that. 

Kozak can stay. He's better than Lafferty, but his emergence might give KA the illusion that all he has to do is wait for more of these guys. 

To quote you above though "Kodak" should be in Rochester 🙂

 

[LabattBlue]

8 minutes ago, PerreaultForever said:

…but his emergence might give KA the illusion that all he has to do is wait for more of these guys. 

I think this is a huge problem with KA and his puppet master.  Every time one of the kids gets hot, makes them say “see, we were right”.
 

In the meantime, the fanbase continues to dwindle. 

Edited 2 hours ago by LabattBlue

[Flashsabre]

6 minutes ago, PerreaultForever said:

Reality would seem to indicate that:

"get" isn't going to happen. 

"get rid of" might happen

waiting for prospects to develop is probably all that will happen. 

Kulich is providing new options for roster construction that are promising and might allow for more focus on getting tougher but I don't know if they will actually do that. 

Kozak can stay. He's better than Lafferty, but his emergence might give KA the illusion that all he has to do is wait for more of these guys. 

To quote you above though "Kodak" should be in Rochester 🙂

 

Touché😁 I corrected the spelling error for you😝

[mjd1001]

In many ways this team seems so far away.

In others they seem so close.

As a team this year where are their shortfalls? We have discussed that almost endlessly, but I came across a few stats:

-As a team this year, the Sabres 5 on 5 are actually a positive 3 (+3)

-When either Dylan Cozens, or Jack Quinn, or both of them are on the ice, the team is -11.  (38% of all even strength ice time 1 or both of them have been on ice)

-When neither of them is on the ice (basically the rest of the team), the Sabres are a +14 (62% of the time this is the case)

That even extends to the Powerplay and penalty kill.

When either, or both of Cozens and Quinn have been on the ice, the team scores a PP goal once of every 9.4 minutes. When neither of them is on the ice, the team scores a PP goal every 7.7 minutes.

Penalty Kill? When either or both of Quinn or Cozens are on the ice, they allow a goal once every 5.4 minutes. When neither is on the ice the PK is much better, allowing a goal once very 7.4 minutes.

I know it doesn't always look like it when you watch the games, but the team as a whole is actually average-to-above average when those 2 aren't on the ice this year. Every aspect of their game is better with the other 16 guys than with either, or both of those 2.

Edited 1 hour ago by mjd1001