Now What?

[dudacek]

24 minutes ago, Flashsabre said:

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.

One gets the sense that he will consider any organization that properly feeds his ego.

 

[mjd1001]

I have been reading a lot of posts in a lot of threads the last 2 days and there is so much I agree with and so much i disagree with.  Yeah, Mitch Marner would help this teams top 2 lines and make them better, but I don't think that is where this team needs the most help (Yeah, I still want him here though)

For me, where has this team gone wrong this year?  There are probably 20+ things that can be pointed out but can I narrow it down in my opinion to the top 5 or 6 things?

 

1.) Quinn and Cozens not only drastically underperforming, but actually hurting the team with their play while getting a good number of minutes

2.) Bryam only being effective when playing with Dahlin.  I think a guy with his pedigree as a top pick, and a guy you traded your previous #2 center for, needs to be able to at least be decent when paired with anyone but Dahlin. He hasn't especially as the year has gone on.

3.) Substandard Goaltending.  I know some posters say its not UPL's fault for the team he plays behind, but even with that, he has played a lot worse than last year and worse than even an average goaltender.

4.) The 4th line. It was retooled, Many of us thought it was going to be better.  I thought, great, a new 4th line, but it doesn't matter much because that line doesn't really help or hurt you much. Well, nope, not true, they have been probably the worst 4th line I can remember this team having for years.

 Malenstyn and Laffterty are a combined -23, and Kubel is in the minors.  I think we got 'spoiled' with a 4th line of Okposo and Zemgus the last few years. They didn't get scored on much..and while they could not score that well themselves (but they weren't awful), they were good at keeping the puck in the opponents zone. Not what we have now.

5.) Power not taking a noticable step foward, and Samuelsson playing but not even taking a half-step back to what he was 2 years ago.

I like many of Adams moves in the past 12 months, but I think one thing that has hurt this team is he totally missed (with or without the help/suggestions of Lindy) on retooling the 4th line.

 

Overall, I'm happy with the trade. I'm happy with the first line. Happy overall with the play of Tuch and Thompson and Dahlin.  McLeod and Peterka don't carry the team but they have been 'good enough'. Whoever they roll out there as a 3rd pair (Clifton, Bryson, Gilbert), to me they have been 'equal' to most 3rd pair guys around the league. Some parts of this team 'kinda' work. 

I really think it is those 5 things listed above that are most of the issue.

They took care of part of the 1st one by trading Cozens.  I'm not sure if they recognize the other ones, if they think the other ones actually are a problem, or if they are willing or able to do anything about them.

 

Edited 19 hours ago by mjd1001

[mjd1001]

Just to add to my post above but with some data on the 4th line for those who like analytics. I looked the combo of Malenstyn and Lafferty this year (The most used 4th line guys) vs Zemgus and Okposo's time on the ice together the previous 2 years:

Over the last 2 previous seasons, Okposo and Zemgus on the ice together allowed 1 even strength goal every 33.8 minutes.  Malenstyn and Lafferty this year are allowing an even strenth goal ever 22 minute. HUGE difference for a 4th line.

Zemgus and Okposo playing together on the 4th line had 4 points better Corsi (Corsi for vs against as a percentage 50.4 to 46.4), 3 points better Fenwick%, 1 point better shots for vs against, almost 10 points better goals for (41.2 vs 33.3, probably the most important of all the analytics for comparing), more than 5 points better expected goals ratio, 6 points better scoring chances for vs against, 4 points better high danger, 14 points better high danger goals for vs against...

So  yeah, those are BIG time numbers. This 4th line has been bad, really really bad.  A 4th line doesn't really help you win, you just want them to not help you lose. In the past 2-3 years, the Sabres had a 4th line that didn't really hurt them. This year, the 4th line IS hurting them.

Edited 19 hours ago by mjd1001

[thewookie1]

I’d love to somehow magically make our defensive play better while maintaining our ridiculously solid 5v5 scoring rates

[mjd1001]

1 minute ago, thewookie1 said:

I’d love to somehow magically make our defensive play better while maintaining our ridiculously solid 5v5 scoring rates

If you could do that, this is a playoff team.

If you want to break it down:  Fix the PP, Fix the PK (that takes care of your non-5-on-5 play). The PK has been in the middle of the league. Without some really weak goaltending on it, their PK is probably average. The PP? That is another story.  Does making one change (getting rid of statistically the worst PP forward in the league (Cozens) for a pretty good one (Norris) help that long term?)

As for making your 5-on-5 defense better. Quinn, Cozens (taken care of), Adding ONE very good D-man, and the 4th line (as I just brought up above).

[FrenchConnection44]

The team never should’ve drafted Owen Power, number one.

What they need to do now is trade him. And hope they can get a first or high 2nd for him.
 

If we had a coach who came in and said to him, “look, you’re never gonna be a great hockey player until you get some toughness inside of you. I don’t know whether you have that or not but you better get it in a hurry. Hockey is not a game for 6’6 220 pound defenseman who won’t play tough, physical hockey,” maybe he could light a fire under him. But if he’s going to play like a girl then go play volleyball   

If you draft a guy number 1 over all who is a 6’6, 215 lb defensemen, you want him to aspire to be the next Chris Pronger or Victor Hedman. Just look at Pronger’s PIM  

 

Edited 19 hours ago by FrenchConnection44

[Archie Lee]

G

20 minutes ago, mjd1001 said:

I have been reading a lot of posts in a lot of threads the last 2 days and there is so much I agree with and so much i disagree with.  Yeah, Mitch Marner would help this teams top 2 lines and make them better, but I don't think that is where this team needs the most help (Yeah, I still want him here though)

For me, where has this team gone wrong this year?  There are probably 20+ things that can be pointed out but can I narrow it down in my opinion to the top 5 or 6 things?

 

1.) Quinn and Cozens not only drastically underperforming, but actually hurting the team with their play while getting a good number of minutes

2.) Bryam only being effective when playing with Dahlin.  I think a guy with his pedigree as a top pick, and a guy you traded your previous #2 center for, needs to be able to at least be decent when paired with anyone but Dahlin. He hasn't especially as the year has gone on.

3.) Substandard Goaltending.  I know some posters say its not UPL's fault for the team he plays behind, but even with that, he has played a lot worse than last year and worse than even an average goaltender.

4.) The 4th line. It was retooled, Many of us thought it was going to be better.  I thought, great, a new 4th line, but it doesn't matter much because that line doesn't really help or hurt you much. Well, nope, not true, they have been probably the worst 4th line I can remember this team having for years.

 Malenstyn and Laffterty are a combined -23, and Kubel is in the minors.  I think we got 'spoiled' with a 4th line of Okposo and Zemgus the last few years. They didn't get scored on much..and while they could not score that well themselves (but they weren't awful), they were good at keeping the puck in the opponents zone. Not what we have now.

5.) Power not taking a noticable step foward, and Samuelsson playing but not even taking a half-step back to what he was 2 years ago.

I like many of Adams moves in the past 12 months, but I think one thing that has hurt this team is he totally missed (with or without the help/suggestions of Lindy) on retooling the 4th line.

 

Overall, I'm happy with the trade. I'm happy with the first line. Happy overall with the play of Tuch and Thompson and Dahlin.  McLeod and Peterka don't carry the team but they have been 'good enough'. Whoever they roll out there as a 3rd pair (Clifton, Bryson, Gilbert), to me they have been 'equal' to most 3rd pair guys around the league. Some parts of this team 'kinda' work. 

I really think it is those 5 things listed above that are most of the issue.

They took care of part of the 1st one by trading Cozens.  I'm not sure if they recognize the other ones, if they think the other ones actually are a problem, or if they are willing or able to do anything about them.

 

Great post. Two comments.

1). I’ve been a defender of UPL’s, but I’m not letting him off the hook. He has to be better. No question his poor play has been a significant factor. 

2). The one thing I would add to your list, is Ruff. The big selling points for Ruff (aside from the history), were accountability and structure. There have been no signs of increased accountability. For what it’s worth, I never really thought it was an issue. I think the team performed about as reasonably could be expected under Granato. The team’s failures under Granato, were related to their shortcomings (experience, grit, etc.) and not to a lack of commitment, caring or being accountable. As for structure, this was always a myth when it came to Ruff. Last year’s Devils were a great example. Yeah they had injuries and goaltending issues (all Ruff’s recent teams have goaltending issues), but if he had established anything close to the sort of “structure” that we have been told he establishes, the Devils would not have sunk from 3rd overall to 23rd. Teams with “structure” don’t implode in that fashion. 

[LGR4GM]

18 minutes ago, FrenchConnection44 said:

The team never should’ve drafted Owen Power, number one.

What they need to do now is trade him. And hope they can get a first or high 2nd for him.
 

If we had a coach who came in and said to him, “look, you’re never gonna be a great hockey player until you get some toughness inside of you. I don’t know whether you have that or not but you better get it in a hurry. Hockey is not a game for 6’6 220 pound defenseman who won’t play tough, physical hockey,” maybe he could light a fire under him. But if he’s going to play like a girl then go play volleyball   

If you draft a guy number 1 over all who is a 6’6, 215 lb defensemen, you want him to aspire to be the next Chris Pronger or Victor Hedman. Just look at Pronger’s PIM  

 

Owen power was never ever going to be Pronger. I ***** tried for months to explain it to this board but it was all "he's tall! We need tall guys!" 

Meanwhile Seth Jarvis, Marco Rossi, and Zach Benson continue to help their teams win hockey games. Eklund is gonna be really fun next year too. But hey! Owen Power is tall and you can't teach size!

If I sound pissed, it's because I am. 

[Jorcus]

1 hour ago, mjd1001 said:

Just to add to my post above but with some data on the 4th line for those who like analytics. I looked the combo of Malenstyn and Lafferty this year (The most used 4th line guys) vs Zemgus and Okposo's time on the ice together the previous 2 years:

Over the last 2 previous seasons, Okposo and Zemgus on the ice together allowed 1 even strength goal every 33.8 minutes.  Malenstyn and Lafferty this year are allowing an even strenth goal ever 22 minute. HUGE difference for a 4th line.

Zemgus and Okposo playing together on the 4th line had 4 points better Corsi (Corsi for vs against as a percentage 50.4 to 46.4), 3 points better Fenwick%, 1 point better shots for vs against, almost 10 points better goals for (41.2 vs 33.3, probably the most important of all the analytics for comparing), more than 5 points better expected goals ratio, 6 points better scoring chances for vs against, 4 points better high danger, 14 points better high danger goals for vs against...

So  yeah, those are BIG time numbers. This 4th line has been bad, really really bad.  A 4th line doesn't really help you win, you just want them to not help you lose. In the past 2-3 years, the Sabres had a 4th line that didn't really hurt them. This year, the 4th line IS hurting them.

 

I don't have the numbers but I think the dynamic of the 4th line must tilt more positive when Krebs is playing center. I can pick apart a lot of Krebs game but his best asset is the forcheck and when Malenstyn and Lafferty are on the ice with Krebs they seem to be effective. They do need to finish more chances but they often get the puck deep and at least force a save for a line change and a face off. In their own end they are about as bad as everyone else on the team. I think that is more about structure than talent. 

[dudacek]

25 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

Owen power was never ever going to be Pronger. I ***** tried for months to explain it to this board but it was all "he's tall! We need tall guys!" 

Meanwhile Seth Jarvis, Marco Rossi, and Zach Benson continue to help their teams win hockey games. Eklund is gonna be really fun next year too. But hey! Owen Power is tall and you can't teach size!

If I sound pissed, it's because I am. 

I don’t know man, I got 6 pages into this thread and didn’t see a single guy arguing with your takes, or touting him as some kind of thumper.

Not saying they weren’t out there at some point, but it wasn’t a widespread thing. Anyone paying attention knew he wasn’t Pronger. 🤷

 

[LGR4GM]

24 minutes ago, dudacek said:

I don’t know man, I got 6 pages into this thread and didn’t see a single guy arguing with your takes, or touting him as some kind of thumper.

Not saying they weren’t out there at some point, but it wasn’t a widespread thing. Anyone paying attention knew he wasn’t Pronger. 🤷

 

Check the draft thread. I got a ton of push back saying he shouldn't be the 1 overall. And a ton of it was about how he's 6'6" and you can't teach size. 

Edited 18 hours ago by LGR4GM

[Flashsabre]

3 hours ago, FrenchConnection44 said:

The team never should’ve drafted Owen Power, number one.

What they need to do now is trade him. And hope they can get a first or high 2nd for him.
 

If we had a coach who came in and said to him, “look, you’re never gonna be a great hockey player until you get some toughness inside of you. I don’t know whether you have that or not but you better get it in a hurry. Hockey is not a game for 6’6 220 pound defenseman who won’t play tough, physical hockey,” maybe he could light a fire under him. But if he’s going to play like a girl then go play volleyball   

If you draft a guy number 1 over all who is a 6’6, 215 lb defensemen, you want him to aspire to be the next Chris Pronger or Victor Hedman. Just look at Pronger’s PIM  

 

Then who was the pick? Who was the player that should have been the first pick that year? No one else from that crop has lit it up

[LGR4GM]

14 minutes ago, Flashsabre said:

Then who was the pick? Who was the player that should have been the first pick that year? No one else from that crop has lit it up

William Eklund. 

 

[Thorner]

4 hours ago, mjd1001 said:

Just to add to my post above but with some data on the 4th line for those who like analytics. I looked the combo of Malenstyn and Lafferty this year (The most used 4th line guys) vs Zemgus and Okposo's time on the ice together the previous 2 years:

Over the last 2 previous seasons, Okposo and Zemgus on the ice together allowed 1 even strength goal every 33.8 minutes.  Malenstyn and Lafferty this year are allowing an even strenth goal ever 22 minute. HUGE difference for a 4th line.

Zemgus and Okposo playing together on the 4th line had 4 points better Corsi (Corsi for vs against as a percentage 50.4 to 46.4), 3 points better Fenwick%, 1 point better shots for vs against, almost 10 points better goals for (41.2 vs 33.3, probably the most important of all the analytics for comparing), more than 5 points better expected goals ratio, 6 points better scoring chances for vs against, 4 points better high danger, 14 points better high danger goals for vs against...

So  yeah, those are BIG time numbers. This 4th line has been bad, really really bad.  A 4th line doesn't really help you win, you just want them to not help you lose. In the past 2-3 years, the Sabres had a 4th line that didn't really hurt them. This year, the 4th line IS hurting them.

That they positioned it as our avenue for improvement last offseason was a farce. If they do that again this offseason you’ll know we are already screwed 

4 hours ago, thewookie1 said:

I’d love to somehow magically make our defensive play better while maintaining our ridiculously solid 5v5 scoring rates

You can’t! Unless you address the roster 

or, just vaguely suggest “fixing” it. That’s the other option. Just fix it, ya know!?

Edited 15 hours ago by Thorner

[Flashsabre]

Power was the right pick at the time of the draft. Putting him with a seasoned vet RHD from day 1 to help him develop is what a component organization does. The GM just admitted Friday that he needs to find a partner for Power🤯 

[GoPuckYourself]

16 hours ago, mjd1001 said:

I have been reading a lot of posts in a lot of threads the last 2 days and there is so much I agree with and so much i disagree with.  Yeah, Mitch Marner would help this teams top 2 lines and make them better, but I don't think that is where this team needs the most help (Yeah, I still want him here though)

For me, where has this team gone wrong this year?  There are probably 20+ things that can be pointed out but can I narrow it down in my opinion to the top 5 or 6 things?

4.) The 4th line. It was retooled, Many of us thought it was going to be better.  I thought, great, a new 4th line, but it doesn't matter much because that line doesn't really help or hurt you much. Well, nope, not true, they have been probably the worst 4th line I can remember this team having for years.

 Malenstyn and Laffterty are a combined -23, and Kubel is in the minors.  I think we got 'spoiled' with a 4th line of Okposo and Zemgus the last few years. They didn't get scored on much..and while they could not score that well themselves (but they weren't awful), they were good at keeping the puck in the opponents zone. Not what we have now.

The bolded to me screams coaching, Our assistant coaches are abysmal and haven't been replaced for some very strange reason. How is it that both malentyn and NAK were shutting down teams #1 lines with Nic Dowd in Washington and Sam Laffert was solid with the Nucks last year with a +4 and 24 points but when these guys come here with this broken system with no structure they flop. Why don't we go out and get the best assitant coaches money can buy? I just don't see this thing changing for the Sabres until Pegula gets serious about winning which he doesn't care right now because other teams fans are paying to come into our building dirt cheap and cheering on their teams. Sorry I didn't mean to turn this into a doom and gloom but it always seems to go there talking about this franchise.

[Pimlach]

16 hours ago, mjd1001 said:

I have been reading a lot of posts in a lot of threads the last 2 days and there is so much I agree with and so much i disagree with.  Yeah, Mitch Marner would help this teams top 2 lines and make them better, but I don't think that is where this team needs the most help (Yeah, I still want him here though)

For me, where has this team gone wrong this year?  There are probably 20+ things that can be pointed out but can I narrow it down in my opinion to the top 5 or 6 things?

 

1.) Quinn and Cozens not only drastically underperforming, but actually hurting the team with their play while getting a good number of minutes

2.) Bryam only being effective when playing with Dahlin.  I think a guy with his pedigree as a top pick, and a guy you traded your previous #2 center for, needs to be able to at least be decent when paired with anyone but Dahlin. He hasn't especially as the year has gone on.

3.) Substandard Goaltending.  I know some posters say its not UPL's fault for the team he plays behind, but even with that, he has played a lot worse than last year and worse than even an average goaltender.

4.) The 4th line. It was retooled, Many of us thought it was going to be better.  I thought, great, a new 4th line, but it doesn't matter much because that line doesn't really help or hurt you much. Well, nope, not true, they have been probably the worst 4th line I can remember this team having for years.

 Malenstyn and Laffterty are a combined -23, and Kubel is in the minors.  I think we got 'spoiled' with a 4th line of Okposo and Zemgus the last few years. They didn't get scored on much..and while they could not score that well themselves (but they weren't awful), they were good at keeping the puck in the opponents zone. Not what we have now.

5.) Power not taking a noticable step foward, and Samuelsson playing but not even taking a half-step back to what he was 2 years ago.

I like many of Adams moves in the past 12 months, but I think one thing that has hurt this team is he totally missed (with or without the help/suggestions of Lindy) on retooling the 4th line.

 

Overall, I'm happy with the trade. I'm happy with the first line. Happy overall with the play of Tuch and Thompson and Dahlin.  McLeod and Peterka don't carry the team but they have been 'good enough'. Whoever they roll out there as a 3rd pair (Clifton, Bryson, Gilbert), to me they have been 'equal' to most 3rd pair guys around the league. Some parts of this team 'kinda' work. 

I really think it is those 5 things listed above that are most of the issue.

They took care of part of the 1st one by trading Cozens.  I'm not sure if they recognize the other ones, if they think the other ones actually are a problem, or if they are willing or able to do anything about them.

 

Pretty good analysis. 

I would add that they lack a physical and steady top 4 D.   You mention Muel and they need to upgrade him.  Add a more physical, more reliable, and less error prone defender.   Muel can move to the 5/6 or be part of a trade, he is not good enough in the top 4.  

They need a player that is a fighter and yet good enough to play every game.   The 4th line is the place for it.  They need a player that can beat the hell out of opponents, many good teams have them.  Replace Lafferty with that guy. 

I can move on from Krebs and Quinn.   Krebs will at least do the dirty work on the 4th line.  Quinn is not scoring, he does not shoot enough, and he plays on the perimeter.  I don't care for his game in the defensive zone either.   Quinn has fallen far behind Peterka and now he is behind Hulich and Benson.   He may not get much but we have lots of young forwards.   Get a veteran player to replace him.  A guy like Sam Bennett would be a good add - physical, some decent skill, and knows how to win.  

I still think they need a playmaking center, not sure if Norris will be the 1C or a 2C.  Kulich is the pleasant surprise of the season but is he a 1c/2c?  

A good GM can fix this is they spend to the cap.  

[quill]

I think what the Sabres need is the same thing they've needed for a long long time, a goalie who is great, not a goalie that is only above average. I like UPL. I think he is a good goalie with good potential, but a crappy team like the Sabres needs a GREAT goalie to stand any chance of winning, developing, and advancing.

The only way any crappy team in this league will have any chance at all of making the playoffs is by having a goalie who can keep the good teams from always beating them, a goalie who can stand on his head and consistently make the big save when called upon to do so, which in time would make it easier for the young talent to develop and shine.

[spndnchz]

Chuckle 

[HumanSlinky39]

I found it interesting that last night the national broadcast team said multiple times that they expect the Sabres to be active this summer. That they expect them to upgrade/infuse the roster with veterans to compliment the young core and how it's time to start seeing real results from this "rebuild."

I don't know how correct that will end up being, but they are 100% right. We are stocked up on young players/prospects/draft picks. Now is the time to ID who of the young core are the guys moving forward and start moving out the rest along with some of the prospects and draft picks to get good veterans in here to move this team forward. We're 14 years on with no playoffs. There isn't time to wait for any more young guys. Next season HAS to extend into May.

Do I think any of the above will happen? Probably not. I don't expect them to move on from Adams and he is stubbornly attached to his "plan" that seems to be developing a winner almost entirely from within...despite the fact that this strategy is clearly not working. Maybe he'll surprise me. Maybe Terry will awaken from his slumber and realize that this isn't working and bring in a new GM to retool. Doubt it, but it's our only hope.

Edited 1 hour ago by HumanSlinky39

[LGR4GM]

12 minutes ago, HumanSlinky39 said:

I found it interesting that last night the national broadcast team said multiple times that they expect the Sabres to be active this summer. That they expect them to upgrade/infuse the roster with veterans to compliment the young core and how it's time to start seeing real results from this "rebuild."

I don't know how correct that will end up being, but they are 100% right. We are stocked up on young players/prospects/draft picks. Now is the time to ID who of the young core are the guys moving forward and start moving out the rest along with some of the prospects and draft picks to get good veterans in here to move this team forward. We're 14 years on with no playoffs. There isn't time to wait for any more young guys. Next season HAS to extend into May.

Do I think any of the above will happen? Probably not. I don't expect them to move on from Adams and he is stubbornly attached to his "plan" that seems to be developing a winner almost entirely from within...despite the fact that this strategy is clearly not working. Maybe he'll surprise me. Maybe Terry will awaken from his slumber and realize that this isn't working and bring in a new GM to retool. Doubt it, but it's our only hope.

Sabres only have McLeod, Quinn, and Peterka (all RFAs) up front to sign. Everyone else is under contract.

Byram, Docker are RFAs with Bryson a UFA. So right now, we have 1 open depth defender spot. Everyone else is signed so Adams would have to be very aggressive from a trade standpoint to change this team at all. 

[mjd1001]

1 hour ago, Pimlach said:

Pretty good analysis. 

I would add that they lack a physical and steady top 4 D.   You mention Muel and they need to upgrade him.  Add a more physical, more reliable, and less error prone defender.   Muel can move to the 5/6 or be part of a trade, he is not good enough in the top 4.  

They need a player that is a fighter and yet good enough to play every game.   The 4th line is the place for it.  They need a player that can beat the hell out of opponents, many good teams have them.  Replace Lafferty with that guy. 

I can move on from Krebs and Quinn.   Krebs will at least do the dirty work on the 4th line.  Quinn is not scoring, he does not shoot enough, and he plays on the perimeter.  I don't care for his game in the defensive zone either.   Quinn has fallen far behind Peterka and now he is behind Hulich and Benson.   He may not get much but we have lots of young forwards.   Get a veteran player to replace him.  A guy like Sam Bennett would be a good add - physical, some decent skill, and knows how to win.  

I still think they need a playmaking center, not sure if Norris will be the 1C or a 2C.  Kulich is the pleasant surprise of the season but is he a 1c/2c?  

A good GM can fix this is they spend to the cap.  

Agree on alot of what you said.

I do not like fighting in the game anymore. I can live without it as I have said many times. But, it is still part of the game so you need someone, I think, who is better than what you have.

I have come around on Krebs a lot.  If he isn't playing next year I won't shed too many tears, but for what he is, he is better this year than last year. Quinn, ugh.  Something has to change.  I posted yesterday he has stopped going to the front of the net almost totally.  Other wingers like Tuch and Peterka have something like 45-50 for Tuch and 20-30 shots from the front of the net on the year, Quinn has 5.   Some people have said Quinn is hurt. Maybe. But right now no other forward has actually hurt the team as much as Quinn other than Cozens, so Quinn moves to #1.

As far as a playmaking center...yeah, it won't hurt.  I think part of that is negated by the fact that Tage is your most dangerous forward, and he makes his own plays...he really doesn't need a playmaker to set him up as much as many other scorers, he creates his own high danger chances. As for line 2 or 3..yeah, could probabably use one there.

Can it be Kulich? Maybe, but it is WAY too early to tell and you could really use a back-up plan in case it isn't.

8 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

Sabres only have McLeod, Quinn, and Peterka (all RFAs) up front to sign. Everyone else is under contract.

Byram, Docker are RFAs with Bryson a UFA. So right now, we have 1 open depth defender spot. Everyone else is signed so Adams would have to be very aggressive from a trade standpoint to change this team at all. 

As I just mentioned above, maybe Quinn is playing hurt and that is why his play is so bad, and with an offseason he improves.

But with just how bad he has been, I'd offer him the shortest, cheapest deal you can and tell him to 'prove it'. If he says no, then you aren't missing much if he sits.  I mean I don't know if the team wants to push things that far and look more 'player un-friendly' than they do, but you really can't commit to him UNTIL he proves it because he has been so bad.

[dudacek]

1 hour ago, LGR4GM said:

Sabres only have McLeod, Quinn, and Peterka (all RFAs) up front to sign. Everyone else is under contract.

Byram, Docker are RFAs with Bryson a UFA. So right now, we have 1 open depth defender spot. Everyone else is signed so Adams would have to be very aggressive from a trade standpoint to change this team at all. 

I think the writing is on the wall.

If Adams or (God willing) his replacement is serious about improving the team, Cozens is just the start.

Tuch and Dahlin are the core pieces that work. Actions show it won’t be Zucker, Greenway or Norris leaving. The Laffertys and Brysons don’t matter.

Multiple players from the group of Tuch, Peterka, Quinn, Benson, Kulich, Power, Samuelsson, Byram and Clifton will have to be moved out in order to create space for the new guys coming in.

Everybody is going to have guys they want to keep from that list, but you’ve got to give to get and you’ve got to create space for the incoming players. Those are the guys on the chopping block.

Never mind the cap, the simple roster math doesn’t work otherwise.

Edited 13 minutes ago by dudacek