Now What?

[inkman]

3 hours ago, LGR4GM said:

That's an awful idea for a team that's gonna draft top 5. 

Unless the return is a top 10 player in the league, yeah I don’t know why you’d move the pick. 

[Pimlach]

7 minutes ago, Flashsabre said:

It wasn’t about yesterday in particular. Just years of incompetence piling up. His biggest point is the lack of compete top to bottom and they did nothing yesterday to address it as a team.

Yes, he is probably near my age.  The lack of compete bothers me too, and the inconsistency is troubling.  

They have a 5-3 lead late in the second period and give up two goals inside the final 2:17.    That cannot happen, but yet it happens a lot to this team.  

Ray Ferraro called them out and questioned what kind of closeness this team has.  Cozens watched Dahlin take on 3 guys.  That was the second time they let their captain down in that game.   

The Sabres are hard to like.  There are 3 guys I would not trade, the rest are nothing to me.  

Adam’s and Ruff will be back and I see nothing changing. 

[Sidc3000]

[mjd1001]

Now, play out the rest of the season and see how Norris fits in.  Its no secret that once he gets a few games under his belt (in about a week or so), this trade will make the current team better.

For the offseason:

-Decide what you are doing with Bryam and how he fits in.  If he is moved, an good Right shot, veteran D-man who is good enough to play in the top 4 would be great to trade for or sign (overplay if you must).  Whether you keep or move Byram, it would be nice to get ONE good veteran D-man in here anyway.

-Get some toughness.  I don't like fighting in hockey anymore, but get somoeone who can legit do it. And I don't mean someone who can be put into the lineup for a game and is willing to go but will get pounded to the ice. Someone who can play AND do the job.

-Goaltending.  This is tough.  I think UPL can have a bounce back year, and I think Levi isn't better than UPL yet. But next year, one way or the other, you need better play from your goaltending. I have no idea what to do but figure it out.

I'm good with the above.  If there are no major injuries and the above is completed, I think this is a playoff team next year.

[Big Guava]

I don't care until next season starts. That's the next time they have any shot at a playoff berth 

[jahnyc]

Our trading Cozens encapsulates everything that frustrates me about our GM.  From the pre-trading deadline rumors and chatter, it is pretty clear that the Sabres have (and had) a number of desirable assets (Tuch, Byram, Peterka and Cozens, among others).  What also is clear is that our GM took this opportunity to trade one of our assets for another disappointing player that is less physical with a concerning injury history (shoulder).  

This team needs a more physical overall presence, both with our forwards and even more so with our defense.  The current pieces don't fit together into a cohesive team for the current style of play in the NHL (and the playoffs, if we ever make the playoffs again).  If we are going to trade our players, is it too much too ask that we try to fix our obvious deficiencies (the same ones that we have had for years)?  I am tired of watching our players get the worst of every physical encounter with the opposing team.  It is deflating for fans, and it must be even more deflating for the players.

Edited Saturday at 06:00 PM by jahnyc

[Weave]

19 minutes ago, jahnyc said:

Our trading Cozens encapsulates everything that frustrates me about our GM.  From the pre-trading deadline rumors and chatter, it is pretty clear that the Sabres have (and had) a number of desirable assets (Tuch, Byram, Peterka and Cozens, among others).  What also is clear is that our GM took this opportunity to trade one of our assets for another disappointing player that is less physical with a concerning injury history (shoulder).  

This team needs a more physical overall presence, both with our forwards and even more so with our defense.  The current pieces don't fit together into a cohesive team for the current style of play in the NHL (and the playoffs, if we ever make the playoffs again).  If we are going to trade our players, is it too much too ask that we try to fix our obvious deficiencies (the same ones that we have had for years)?  I am tired of watching our players get the worst of every physical encounter with the opposing team.  It is deflating for fans, and it must be even more deflating for the players.

I don’t need our 1C or 2C to be that physical guy.  I think it is better suited that the physical play comes from the wing and D.  In that regard, getting smaller and less physical in order to upgrade scoring from venter doesn’t bother me at all.

Having said that, grit needs to be on the menu this offseason.

[DarthEbriate]

1 hour ago, mjd1001 said:

Now, play out the rest of the season and see how Norris fits in.  Its no secret that once he gets a few games under his belt (in about a week or so), this trade will make the current team better.

One thing is to see if Norris ever plays with Quinn, and if they do, are they pretty much an automatic goal against. Can Norris bring out the best in Quinn and turn him back into a top-6 projected RW?

[SabreFinn]

3 hours ago, DarthEbriate said:

One thing is to see if Norris ever plays with Quinn, and if they do, are they pretty much an automatic goal against. Can Norris bring out the best in Quinn and turn him back into a top-6 projected RW?

This is an excellent point. 

[HumanSlinky39]

8 hours ago, Pimlach said:

Tell Dad that Norris for Cozens is a pretty fair trade.  The rest is immaterial.  They kept Greenway and Zucker so hopefully they are more of a vet team next season.   Off season trades and signings are more impactful.  

As for the plan moving forward, that’s up to Terry, Adams and Lindy.  No one else knows what their plan is, they probably don’t have one.  
 

 

 

Adams having a plan scares me more than not having one.

[North Buffalo]

So rooting for Nashville Blackhawks go to OT tonight.

[GoPuckYourself]

I want to say we're close but it doesn't look like it. 

* A top 6 forward (A top C if Norris/Kulich isn't the answer) is a must. 

* we need at least 2 legit defensive RHD and a 3rd reserve (like a Bryson but good)

* A starting goalie

* Upgrades over Krebs, Quinn and Lafferty

* We need to rid ourselves of Matias Samuelsson, Jacob Bryson

* Use Byram or Power in a trade for a top 6 forward

* Will Levi be up for the task next season if we upgrade our defense?

 

[oddoublee]

50 minutes ago, GoPuckYourself said:

I want to say we're close but it doesn't look like it. 

* A top 6 forward (A top C if Norris/Kulich isn't the answer) is a must. 

* we need at least 2 legit defensive RHD and a 3rd reserve (like a Bryson but good)

* A starting goalie

* Upgrades over Krebs, Quinn and Lafferty

* We need to rid ourselves of Matias Samuelsson, Jacob Bryson

* Use Byram or Power in a trade for a top 6 forward

* Will Levi be up for the task next season if we upgrade our defense?

 

That's a lot of things. My God this team is poorly contracted and lacking talent.

[Sabres Fan in NS]

More Bosnian coffee ..

[Demoted]

The team needs to secure they will have the longest playoff drought in American Sports history. It's the only thing that matters now.

[GASabresIUFAN]

On 3/7/2025 at 8:46 PM, Flashsabre said:

What is the plan here moving forward after today?

No idea and Adams doesn’t either.  

Any legit plan would begin by firing Adams and his merry band of failures including all the coaches.  They have driven the franchise into the ground, mutilated the development of most of the young players.  Enough!

If we had a real GM the plan would start with fixing the defense.

To turn this ship around we need to move on from one of Power or Byram.  Neither can play defense at all and we don’t need two $8 mill D men who only play 50% of their position.  That money would be better spent on two top 4 defensive D who can play with Dahlin and the either Power or Byram.  They’d cover up the young D mistakes while allowing them some extra freedom to be offensive D.   

You re-sign JJP, Byram (if kept), and McLeod to bridge deals (3-4 years) as they all have issues in their games that need to develop.  McLeod probably gets replaced my Helenius in a few years.  

Quinn gets a 1-2 year prove it deal or traded to add the necessary D.  I’d also buyout Samuelsson to help finance the new defenseman. 

The next question is what to do with the goaltending?  My answer for now is one more year of UPL and Levi as the backup with a new coach and a better D group.  We don’t need superstar goaltending to reach the playoffs. We need average goaltending to go with our good offense.  

I think one of the issues for UPL is he thinks he has to stand on his head each night to keep the team in the game and he’s sadly correct.  I think a better defense will bring out the better UPL.  We know he has better play in him.  

While this plan uses with what’s here, the question  is identifying and acquiring the right 2 defensemen to make this plan work.  Given our 14 years at the bottom, our terrible management (which is likely to return), high taxes and lack of palm trees, getting FAs for those roles will be close to impossible.  Sadly I also don’t trust Adams to find the right players or make the right trades even if he could identify the right players. 

Edited Sunday at 04:52 PM by GASabresIUFAN

[Flashsabre]

Imagine being the GM of a team that hasn’t made the playoffs in 14 straight years. You have been at the helm for the past 5 years. You were hired from running the arena at the hotel next door with no prior NHL front office e experience. You have fumbled the past 4 years. This year you are bound to make a difference. You bring in your coach without doing a search. You stand in front of the media and proclaim, “No more excuses! This season it is playoffs or bust. I have built a team that will make the playoffs!”  Fast forward to March and you are dead last in the conference, your team has more holes than a strainer, there is no compete or hope, the media is tearing the franchise apart on tv and all you have mustered is an angry tirade about palm trees.  You will be picking at the top of the draft again. And yet you are probably not worried about job security because you have the stupidest owner who has ever walked God’s green Earth overseeing the franchise.

This is an absolutely embarrassing, pathetic situation that Pegula has put this franchise in. These is no hope as long as this absolute clown continues to own this team 

[dudacek]

Look, all teams are an amalgamation of many pieces performing many roles and their success is the sum of those parts.

Most good teams have mostly good performers as slotted into their proper roles with an odd great one sprinkled in and not too many gaping holes.

This is how I regard the Sabres based on how they were designed and how the pieces have performed respective to their roles this year

Centre

• 1C Thompson (generating offence and winning matchups) Good, elite scoring, positive possession stats
• 2C Cozens (generating secondary offence and winning matchups) Bad, below-average offence, regularly loses matchups, drags his linemates down
• 3C McLeod (winning matchups, adding situational value) Good, wins matchups, skates very well, comfortably moves around the roster above-average offence for his role, kills penalties

Wing

• 1st line Tuch (winning matchups, generating offence) Good, productive, well-rounded, big, fast, reliable
• 1st line Peterka (winning matchups, generating offence) Fine, his numbers are solidly average for his role, his defence needs to be better
• Middle 6 Quinn (winning matchups, generating secondary offence, providing situational value) Bad, his offence is that of an average 3rd-liner, he's getting killed 5-on-5 and bringing nothing else to the table
• Middle 6  Zucker (winning matchups, generating secondary offence, providing situational value) Good, he's got excellent 2nd-line production, holds his own 5-on-5 and has been one of few bright spots on the PP
• Middle 6  Greenway (winning matchups, generating secondary offence, providing situational value) Fine, offence and availability are below average, but he matches up well and his physical presence, and defence have been assets
• Middle 6  Benson (winning matchups, generating secondary offence, providing situational value) Adequate, his detail game is strong, but he doesn't provide any production to speak of

Forward depth

• Malenstyn (adding situational value) Adequate, skates and hits like a truck, but hasn't really won his matchups
• Lafferty (adding situational value) Bad a huge disappointment, hasn't really brought anything of value
• Aube Kubel (adding situational value) Bad, barely played, the touted new 4th-line barely got a shot and showed little when it did.
• Krebs (adding situational value) Adequate, provides energy, improved faceoffs and draws opposition penalties, a wash at best in terms of matchups
• Kulich (adding situational value) Good, has held his own in the top 9 subbing in for injury and poor play

Defence

• 1D Dahlin (all situations) Great elite offence, good defence, edgy — among the best defencemen in the sport
• 1st-pairing Byram (supporting Dahlin) Fine, formed a very good pair with Dahlin, spotty away from him
• 2D Power (anchoring second pair) Bad, plain and simple, he's on for way too many goals against
• Shutdown Samuelsson (go-to in defensive situations) Bad makes too many mistakes
• 5/6 Jokiharju (wins matchups, adds situational value) Adequate, holds his own but adds no situational value
• 5/6  Clifton (wins matchups, adds situational value) Bad makes too many mistakes, takes too many penalties
• Depth Bryson (mobile fill-in presence) Fine, feet serve him well in spot duty
• Depth Gilbert (physical fill-in presence) Fine, answered the bell, been a good teammate in a limited role

Goalie

• Starter Lukkonen (start majority of games, win majority of starts) Bad, of the NHL 33 goalies who have played 30 games, he ranks 30th in S% and GAA, 20 starts with s% under .890
• Backup Reimer (hold your own in spot starts) Adequate, hasn't cost them many, but he's only got 2 wins
• Insurance: Levi (fill in as needed) Bad, was good in his first two starts, looked overmatched since

Front office:

• Coach Ruff and staff (roster performance): Bad, poor general numbers and declining results by most measures
• GM Adams (responsible for roster construction): Bad, next question

Just six guys have played well in their role, over half the roster slots rank below average or worse.

This from a team the GM expected to be in the race.

The Cozens trade needs to be the first of many changes.

Edited 21 hours ago by dudacek

[GASabresIUFAN]

1 hour ago, dudacek said:

Defence

• 1D Dahlin (all situations) Great elite offence, good defence, edgy — among the best defencemen in the sport
• 1st-pairing Byram (supporting Dahlin) Fine, formed a very good pair with Dahlin, spotty away from him
• 2D Power (anchoring second pair) Bad, plain and simple, he's on for way too many goals against
• Shutdown Samuelsson (go-to in defensive situations) Bad makes too many mistakes
• 5/6 Jokiharju (wins matchups, adds situational value) Adequate, holds his own but adds no situational value
• 5/6  Clifton (wins matchups, adds situational value) Bad makes too many mistakes, takes too many penalties
• Depth Bryson (mobile fill-in presence) Fine, feet serve him well in spot duty
• Depth Gilbert (physical fill-in presence) Fine, answered the bell, been a good teammate in a limited role

A real GM would keep Dahlin and one of Byram or Power and flush the rest.  Truthfully, all but Dahlin stink, but KA invested to much in Power and Byram.  I suspect both will return.  IMHO Power will never even become even adequate defensively and he should be dealt.

[SABRES 0311]

[dudacek]

I know I'm going to get ***** on for this, but looking at the roster a playmaking top-6 winger who plays good defence would be the perfect complement to Norris and solve a lot of the team's issues up front.

Guy by the name of Mitch Marner is available this summer

[Thorner]

30 minutes ago, dudacek said:

I know I'm going to get ***** on for this, but looking at the roster a playmaking top-6 winger who plays good defence would be the perfect complement to Norris and solve a lot of the team's issues up front.

Guy by the name of Mitch Marner is available this summer

Dude was a gamer for me at the 4 nations. 

The Buffalo Sabres have room for Mitchell Marner

[Weave]

I can smell the cognitive dissonance heating up.

35 minutes ago, dudacek said:

I know I'm going to get ***** on for this, but looking at the roster a playmaking top-6 winger who plays good defence would be the perfect complement to Norris and solve a lot of the team's issues up front.

Guy by the name of Mitch Marner is available this summer

Will be expensive as hell.  Probably would never consider Buffalo.  I’d take him in a heartbeat.

[SabreFinn]

37 minutes ago, dudacek said:

I know I'm going to get ***** on for this, but looking at the roster a playmaking top-6 winger who plays good defence would be the perfect complement to Norris and solve a lot of the team's issues up front.

Guy by the name of Mitch Marner is available this summer

Would love to have him. Wonder what it will take to get him? I guess it might be a sign and trade if Leafs can't afford to keep him??

[Flashsabre]

To get Marner you are looking at $13+ million. He is a UFA and will be the top UFA if he goes to market.

He has elite hockey sense. He makes Matthews go. I’d staple him to Tage and watch Tage explode. He is great defensively and on the PK.

He would consider Buffalo for the geography he would not consider them for the giant dumpster fire the organization is.