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Really like the idea of 18yo can only be drafted with 1st round picks. 19yo with 2nds. 20+ for 3+ Itd really add layers to drafting strategy

My read on the draft is that all the RHD activity is a window into what KA thinks of the D prospects we already have in the system.

I think Kesserling and Doan will help the team round out the roster - but neither are proven at the roles projected for them. A scoring top 6 winger should be worth more IMO. I hate the fact that another home grown talent like Peterka asked to leave and got his wish.

All I know is that in any sport that I’ve seen a player tear his Achilles tendon, very few are the same person afterwards. I wouldn’t of taken the chance but I hope Quinn comes back from this, he’s young enough but that’s a brutal injury for athletes.

Adams didn’t mention it at all, doubt he even tried imo.

Just for clarity, the ‘on ice’ means it’s not just him but all of his linemates when he’s on the ice. Normal on-ice shooting percentage is around 9%. Great player makers like McDavid can get it up to 14% range over a full season (he had 13.24% last year, 9.25% at 5v5). Peterka had 15.06% last season and 14.23% at 5v5. So either 5v5 Peterka is a better playmaker than McDavid, Tage Thompson is a better finisher than Draisaitl/Hyman or it was unsustainable.

You don’t know if they could have gotten Gibson. A) he had to waive his NMC B) Mrazek appealed to Anaheim because he’s the same nationality as their starter and has less term than UPL Allen is still a possibility but he has to want to come here.

From a marketing/fan perspective people like story lines. Hell nearly every sports video game has a "create your own player/career" mode. Imagine downloading NHL25, creating a player, then only being able to play in the OHL where everybody in the game sucks. And then you have to do that for 3 or 4 years before you're even allowed to play with the NHL team. That's literally the NHL's model in real life. And hockey fans wonder why the league can't catch up to other leagues. Reframing the rules around the draft is integral. They have to increase the amount of players who can provide an immediate impact. To me I think that's one of the largest hurdles to make the sport compelling to people.

No. Alex Tuchs deal is not tied to a move that clears cap before Tuchs new deal would hit the cap. Tuch is signed for this season anyways.

good watch with a breakdown of everyone's game

One more thing. It's now totally false to talk about 6'5" and 6'6" defenders is some special unique unicorn thing that only comes along once in a blue moon. Maybe 5 or 10yrs ago, but now the league is littered with them. Buffalo has power, Kesselring, Bedkowski, mrtka, and kleber around who fit that category.

We could have gotten John Gibson from the Ducks. Could have gotten out of that UPL contract and went out and got a backup like Jake Allen in FA while giving Levi at least another full year in the NHL but that’s not what we do.

Completely agree with this. Adams hasn’t been in charge for a while, maybe even the full time he’s been GM. He’s a mouthpiece of Terry and a consensus gatherer. The problem is he hasn’t had the right people telling him what to do or it has been disjointed and there has been no accountability below him. We need a single vision, not a collection of ideas. Hopefully Ruff or Jarmo is now providing this.

He says he likes what we have because he has no choice but to say it publicly. He knows they effed up letting Ullmark go over an extra year but he can’t say that publicly. They know they need better but whether they have the wherewithal to do anything about it, or even if there is an upgrade available, is debatable.

Problem is we live in reality and those teams are not doing it.

Byram has more value on the market than Samuelsson has. If you can get a top six player for Byram, then I would make the deal. If not, then I'm not against keeping him and also Samuelsson. We still need to add another top six forward. Maybe we can take the same route as we did with Zucker by signing a vet on an expiring contract for short term deal? I like Byram a lot. However, the issue becomes what are his expectations contract and role wise. I'm not sure they are in sync with the organization? In general, I like the moves that the organization has made to transition the roster to play a tougher style of game. Are they enough moves to make a difference? Right now, I would say no. I do see more changes coming. The big tell is whether the organization utilizes the extra cap money available made by the current moves.

This trade is still crap. Adams saying they were looking at him, is a crock of *****. But we got rid of Clifton moving on.

I agree, I think he's much more comfortable in his own zone and makes an open hit when he needs too. He did state himself that he needs to incorporate it more into his game.

We know this as mere fans yet we have a GM getting paid a million bucks or close to it who says he likes what we have. I’m hoping it’s a smokescreen but he’s literally neglected the position since he got here.

I really can't imagine KA pulling off those kind of deals, especially in a compressed timeframe. I agree. I'd love to find a way to get Robertson, though.

I'd be worried about his knee. He was one of the fastest players in the league 2 years ago and correspondingly was 100+ year player. Since the injury, hi tope end recorded speed has been pedestrian as has his scoring. Plus his attitude was questioned several times by teammates. Feels like a Taylor Hall signing and at a cap hit of $11.6m for 5 more years, i pass. -

Idk where it is but someone talked about Mrtka being Power (in a negative) and I don't see that happening. Owen Power defers constantly when playing. He waits for this things to come to him, he is very passive in style, and when he does get aggressive and demand pucks it's just on rushes. The biggest issue Power has isn't physicality, it's his mindset of passive defending. Mrtka doesn't defend like that or play offense like that. I don't see a similar style in how they defend or attack. Mrtka and Risto are better comps because mrtka has some bad passes at times and bad reads. Hedman is the other comp I see. There's also a lot of smart play ending skills that end up in breakouts. He's got creative ideas in the offensive zone although, he's not near Hedman level. Basically he's somewhere between the two. He only played half a season in NA and on a team he carried. Next year will be fascinating to see how much his game improves.

Fairburn called this largely a salary dump. I wonder if it is to keep Byram and also get a new deal for Tuch? At the same time, what is up with our “billionaire” owner? Is he just pouring so much into the Bills & the stadium that he needs frugality with the Sabres?

The league used to have an age ~20 threshold for its draft. Perreault was in his Year 20 age when the Sabres selected him. (He has a late birthday.)

They need to add a goalie who is above the level of a guy they can sneak through waivers on cut-down day. That’s likely the best we can hope for. There are no great options, maybe no obvious good options. I would probably try to sign Vladar, but I acknowledge that he is not a great option.