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I'm glad that Adams understands the rules around arbitration and has blocked an offer sheet. Of course, no team was going to try to give Byram some 4 firsts mega-contract, so the whole "protecting against OS" isn't really an issue unless Byram was the last person to sign and JJP was the Sabres' RFA. The is plenty of cap space for all 3 remaining RFAs. It goes back to: If leadership didn't see Byram as part of the future, they should have traded him before the draft/UFA when more teams had cap space and lots of flexibility. Even if some of the return is futures (because the teams that might want him are playoff contenders), then you have the surplus futures assets to go get a now player. If leadership sees him as part of the future (even if only 2 years), then they should have bridged him months ago so you can plan more accurately. If Byram is on the roster, Timmins being yet another offense-first guy (very limited PK work until last season), even if he's big and strong, isn't a need. You could prioritize a different big RHD. And, if you believe in Timmins as a PK dynamo now that he's entering his prime, you can still get him, too. But you would already know he's a #6 because your top 4 is locked.

Oh definitely. Slightly better there last deep dive I read

So we're trading a defender who was better last year for one who was worst and has already said they want to sign in vegas We're trading a winger for a winger 10 years older who had the same point total and we're trading a young goal scoring center for an old goal scoring center which for next year is probably making us better as Kadri is better than Kulich. To summarize, we are trading Byram who is better than Andersson (who we get for 1 year), Quinn who is the same as Coleman (who we get for 2 years), and Kulich for Kadri (who we at least get for 4 years). This trade sucks IMPO. The only clear win is Kulich for Kadri and that is probably only for a year or two (if Kulich gets better). NOTE: Ftr I understand that Coleman is better at 5v5 defensively but idk, just seems meh to trade Quinn for him.

I will take your insane and raise you an oblivion... this level of ineptitude and plummet in overall P% hasnt occured with sparks of success in between... this is 14 years and running... 23 year old players were 9 the last time the Sabres made the playoffs... they were 3 the last time there was success... the only narrative they have on the Sabres is perennial loser... always... no hope... dysfunction.... they don't remember the French Connection or Lafontaine and Mogilny and their entire careers have been filled with the we are fleeing hockey hell from other players... to them the Sabres are incompetent like water is wet... that is a brutal narrative to change... especially as we head into a 15th year of dysfunction... literally how can we not be a top 2 bottom destination...

what was context? Gretzky has said many times Gordie Howe and Bobby Orr were the best.

Indeed.... its my brain with the issue LOL

The Sabres aren’t merely bottom 5, they are the bottom destination in the NHL. The insane amount of talent that has been here over the course of these past 14 seasons, nearly all of which were running out of here after realizing just how much damage to their careers success was being done, is historical. The owner and management teams he hired will most likely never be matched in complete failure as has been done here. incompetence, inexperience, bad judgement, call it all of these and more, but….wow, just wow on how horribly wrong things have gone since Galisano and Quinn botched the Drury/Briere fiasco. The brand is so damaged to nhl players that it boggles the mind.

We're at the 2026 draft already? Did we sim the entire season?

They would probably move Dahlin back to the left which he is also very good at.

If you can't get value in a hockey trade for Byram, what are you getting for picks? Sounds to me if you're converting Byram to picks and then a trade, you are losing value and will end up with less.

Sources inside KBC have reported these 2 delivered Adams' presentation. The boats portion allegedly is what got Terry most intrigued.

Yeah it is July and things can get stagnate. As a Buffalo crowd, we have had amazing players from Gilbert to Dom, as much we are in the sucky era, Gilbert doing a 200 feet skate and scoring, we don't and probably will never sèe that again, by any hockey player, as I witnessed as a child

Timmins top pair on his off hand what could go wrong

Part of that is because they give HUGE minutes to Samuelsson and Bryson and they are bad. On top of that, Owen Power was awful under Ruff last year and I think part of that is his partner. I also think Wilford needs to go but that's another story. Basically Buffalo needs to stop playing Bryson at all and needs to put Samuelsson into the 3rd pair where he belongs. If they ran... Byram - Dahlin Kesslering - Power Timmins - Samuelsson? Literally anyone other than Byrson They would probably improve their defense quite a bit. Question becomes what if we have to run: Timmins - Dahlin Kesselring - Power Samuelsson - Johnson? Jones? The fact Buffalo thinks Zac Jones is some sort of useful NHL player is certainly something.

I appreciate the fan-exercise of discussing if a particular player would be a good addition. Put me in the YES column on Kadri. If the Sabres traded Byram, Kulich, and Quinn to Calgary for Andersson, Kadri, and Coleman, I think it would make them a playoff level team. Many fans would cringe, particularly at the Kulich part of that trade, but the Sabres would still have Benson, Helenius, Östlund, Wahlberg, Ziemer, Mrtka, Strbak, Kleber, and their 2026 1st rounder. Not to mention that Norris, Thompson, McLeod, Doan, Krebs, Dahlin, Power, Kesselring, are all under team control for the foreseeable future. Kadri is 2 years younger than Marchand, who just signed a 6 year deal with Florida. Those Panthers and their failure to think about the future! It will cost them...some day. That said, Kardi is a pipe dream at the moment. He has a full NMC. There are multiple NHL teams with boatloads of cap-space. If the Flames decide to trade him and he agrees, then Kadri will have his choice of destinations amongst multiple suitors who are better positioned to appeal to him. And, this is not a city of Buffalo thing , it's a Pegula/Adams/Ruff thing.

I mentioned it on another thread, or earlier on this thread but... Buffalo gave up 289 goals last year, and only 1 playoff team allowed more than 239. I think the team rightfully is putting their eggs in the basket of trying to give up fewer goals since that seems to be the road to the playoffs. That's going to require better goaltending, defensemen doing a better job in front of the net, and forwards putting more effort into backchecking. The PP needs to be better. The PK needs to be better.

By “a number of years” do you mean “pretty much every year”? I think that’s pretty much how it goes and has gone for a long time now, predating Pegula.

IMHO - the PP is not going to be any better than last year unless Adams acquires a forward who can carry the puck into the zone and maintain control while the other players get in and in position. To my eye, PP zone entries have been terrible.

Will Power be a better player this year? I think so. Will Samuelsson be a better player this year? I think so. Will the two new defenders improve the unit? I think so. If kept, will Bo strengthen the unit? I think so. Will Dahlin continue to play at his high level? Yes. Is this a better overall unit compared to last year? I think so. This is where we are at. There are no guarantees other than Dahlin's play. As far as I'm concerned, the biggest issue is still the caliber of our goaltending. On that issue, I just don't know. Without a doubt, there are a lot of "not sures" and few "very sures" with this roster. That's why I'm again queasy about this KA constructed team. When you have a third-rate operation you end up with a lot of "I'm not sures". Normal state of affairs for this forlorn franchise.

As bad as we've been and as bad as it looks like we'll be... We still have to make smart decisions (hopefully to not handcuff the new GM)

It's clear we haven't gotten "better", we lost our 3rd leading point producer and so far have filled him in with Jack Quinn? Who for the most part last season was a liability on the ice. We also still have a huge issue in net, Adams is solely banking on UPL reverting back to that half a season where he was dominant but the fact of the matter is the only time he played like that was in a contract year, I'm not saying he can't return to that but not doing everything possible to get a true #1 in here (I like Alex Lyon but my fear is he's going to be our #1 goalie because UPL isn't good enough) is inexcussable even though you'll hear a bunch on here defend him and say he tried but nobody would waive their NMC. We did however get tougher to play against (it only took Adams year 5 to finally realize we need to get tough) with the additions of Kesselring & Doan plus drafting some big dudes which I've been waiting the Sabres to do basically since Lucic destroyed Miller and our gutless team did nothing.

Listen to your gut. It is responding rationally. 😄

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6368342/2025/07/07/2026-nhl-mock-draft-gavin-mckenna/ I think I would lean Šimon Katolický, a Czech who plays in the Liiga system. He's got a late July bday and is a 6'4" 198lb winger who should get a bunch of playing time in the u20 Liiga system this year as a 17yr old. This draft has a bunch of big rangy wingers in it.