WGRZ

‘If things go the way Gary Bettman wants them to go, the NHL season will already be underway when the World Junior Tournament is over. The reason I don’t think Quinn is ready is because he is a late bloomer.’

‘There’s one thing against the NHL right now. The Canadian border is closed and some states have quarantine rules for people entering. If the league starts up in January, chances are good that the seven Canadian teams would have to form their own division and stay in the country. That would mean the Sabres would have no games against the Leafs or Montreal and would also not see Connor McDavid.’

‘I think Ralph Krueger has to give Dahlin the chance to blossom this season. I believe his minutes need to go up. In his first full season Dahlin played all 82 games and had nine goals and 35 assists for 44 points. In just 59 games last year, the kid had one more assist and just four fewer points. If you project last year’s numbers over 82 games, it would come out to six goals and 50 assists for 56 points. His .68 points per game ranked him 15th amongst NHL defensemen.’

‘In his 60 games played for the team, he has 22 goals and 24 assists.’

‘He’s one of the few players the Sabres have that will go to the tough areas to score a goal.’

‘Many are saying it’s easy, just trade Rasmus Ristolainen and open up $5.4 million. First of all, other teams have scouts and they understand the limitations Ristolainen has, especially in the defensive zone. If he could play on a good team and be on their second or third pair, he’d probably be somewhat better. The other stumbling block in that plan is Ralph Krueger is a huge Ristolainen fan and just like Sean McDermott with the Bills, Krueger has considerable influence on these matters.’

‘Hall said that there were multi-year deals on the table from other teams, but after he talked with teams, he realized that COVID-19 is affecting what teams do and that maybe a six or seven-year deal wouldn’t be such a good idea this year. He said that once he decided on a one-year deal, Buffalo became more appealing. He said the Sabres never offered him a long-term contract. He said one and two-year deals were on the table from the Sabres.’

‘From Hall’s perspective, he’s said many times that Ralph Krueger is his favorite coach that he’s played for. Adams confirmed Krueger and Hall spoke a lot in the past two days.’

‘The one-year contract carries a $3.85 million salary.’

‘Many thought Peterka would go in the first round, so Adams and his staff didn’t think he would last until 38. Peterka made an impression at the World Junior Tournament for Germany when he played on a line with first round picks Tim Stutzle and Lukas Reichel. Peterka had four goals and six points in seven games.’