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 Saturday at 08:34 PM 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 Saturday at 08:37 PM 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 Saturday at 09:48 PM by mjd1001

[EM88]

If the cap increase is larger than many in the league expected, then it should make teams up against the cap now more able to sign free agents than they expected, or not allow as many guys to go as they may have needed to.

For the Sabres, that should slightly make the pickings a bit leaner at the trade deadline. At least in theory, but in all honesty I do not think it will impact them all that much.  

It does make the Power, Dahlin, Thompson, and Cozens contracts look a little less bad, but will likely make Byram and Peterka more costly. It will balance, providing Pegula is willing to spend close to the cap.

[PerreaultForever]

4 hours ago, LabattBlue said:

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. 

Absolutely, and it takes too long and in that time somebody else might want out. I'm still not convinced Cozens isn't playing crap on purpose to try to get traded out. 

4 hours ago, Flashsabre said:

Touché😁 I corrected the spelling error for you😝

ahhh, it was way funnier as "kodak" given Rochester's history. 

[JP51]

On 2/1/2025 at 7:55 PM, EM88 said:

If the cap increase is larger than many in the league expected, then it should make teams up against the cap now more able to sign free agents than they expected, or not allow as many guys to go as they may have needed to.

For the Sabres, that should slightly make the pickings a bit leaner at the trade deadline. At least in theory, but in all honesty I do not think it will impact them all that much.  

It does make the Power, Dahlin, Thompson, and Cozens contracts look a little less bad, but will likely make Byram and Peterka more costly. It will balance, providing Pegula is willing to spend close to the cap.

I agree I think the cap increase hurts the Sabres... supply goes down cause teams can sign more players to higher contracts. We I believe self impose a cap that may or may not go up if the leagues does... may help us sign our players long term or some.. but with our recent record I am not sure if that is good thing. 

[inkman]

On 2/1/2025 at 2:55 PM, Flashsabre said:

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.

Byram has stated he wants to be a number 1 Dman.  Well that ain’t happening in Buffalo with king Rasmus in the building so….

Also, knowing the salary cap could double and not affect the Sabres plans is about as deflating as not responding when your best center is laying prone on the ice and no one doing anything about it. 

[mjd1001]

12 minutes ago, inkman said:

Byram has stated he wants to be a number 1 Dman.  Well that ain’t happening in Buffalo with king Rasmus in the building so….

Also, knowing the salary cap could double and not affect the Sabres plans is about as deflating as not responding when your best center is laying prone on the ice and no one doing anything about it. 

What is his definition of a #1 D-man?

If he gets the money he wants...and if he gets the ice time (he's over 23 minutes per game now) He's right around 30th in the league in ice time.  2nd on the Sabres in overall ice time, and he gets used both PK and PP.

Yeah, in the media he will be #2 to Dahlin, but if he gets used as much as a #1 guy, and gets paid what he wants...isn't that good enough?  I don't know, just wondering...

[Porous Five Hole]

1 minute ago, mjd1001 said:

What is his definition of a #1 D-man?

If he gets the money he wants...and if he gets the ice time (he's over 23 minutes per game now) He's right around 30th in the league in ice time.  2nd on the Sabres in overall ice time, and he gets used both PK and PP.

Yeah, in the media he will be #2 to Dahlin, but if he gets used as much as a #1 guy, and gets paid what he wants...isn't that good enough?  I don't know, just wondering...

Bo is getting very, very little PP ice time. Stat muse is saying 1:20 per game. For reference, Dahlin is getting 3:18 per game. 
 

I agree with the rest though. If the money is right and he gets to have a good partner, why not extend in Buff?

[inkman]

6 minutes ago, Porous Five Hole said:

Bo is getting very, very little PP ice time. Stat muse is saying 1:20 per game. For reference, Dahlin is getting 3:18 per game. 
 

I agree with the rest though. If the money is right and he gets to have a good partner, why not extend in Buff?

For starters, the Sabres are the Washington Generals of the NHL.  Why would any self respecting athlete want to even sniff the Sabres.  Clown show, poverty franchise that repeatedly has demonstrated they have no idea or even worse they aren’t even trying to ice a competitive lineup.  If I was a player on this roster I’d be snorting my way right outta town and find any team besides this joke of a franchise. 
 

Or as some would put it, pull an Eichel.  

Edited 3 hours ago by inkman

[Porous Five Hole]

20 minutes ago, inkman said:

For starters, the Sabres are the Washington Generals of the NHL.  Why would any self respecting athlete want to even sniff the Sabres.  Clown show, poverty franchise that repeatedly has demonstrated they have no idea or even worse they aren’t even trying to ice a competitive lineup.  If I was a player on this roster I’d be snorting my way right outta town and find any team besides this joke of a franchise. 
 

Or as some would put it, pull an Eichel.  

Wegmans and Tim Hortons are more important than palm trees and taxes  

[Flashsabre]

 

[steveoath]

Are they even above the floor with the contracts on the books for next year?

[kas23]

1 hour ago, Flashsabre said:

 

Oooh. Love the innuendo. Wonder if this means anything.