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So JJ’s backfill?

Which is more likely; the Sabres trade for Kadri or the Sabres trade for Panarin? Both have NMC. Kadri has a 7 mill cap hit, while Panarin’s is 11+.

I get it...when you've got the worst owner in the NHL and 14 seasons running I have a hard time trusting anything out of that organization. Doesn't help that Adams is completely unqualified for that job, inept in front of the media, shows almost zero ability to plan ahead, is working with a more limited budget, and both stupid and arrogant. I don't think Jarmo takes the senior advisor job without some assurances of a future promotion. Unless he doesn't want to be a GM anymore and is settling for being a senior advisor.

Despite my very negative comments and loathing of Adams, my anger really stems from the wasted opportunity that were the young Sabres. There are real pieces on this team that I believe if handled properly could be the building blocks of a very good hockey team. Unfortunately Adams is clueless and we are wasting the primes of many of the players list below. 1. Dahlin - He is a spectacular hockey player and honestly maybe the best defenseman ever to play for the Sabres. 2. Tuch and Thompson - On a real team these two would be genuine NHL stars. I like their games and work ethic. 3. Benson and Kulich - I believe in both players and think they have the type of two way games that will make them good to excellent NHL players for the next decade +. I think Kulich is a good 60 pts 2 way 2nd line center in the next year or 2. 4. McLeod - He developed in the second half of last year into a perfect 3rd line center for a good playoff team, someone who plays good defense, kills penalties, can play up in the lineup when necessary and can contribute secondary offense. 5. Zucker - He adds veteran leadership and has more in the tank than I thought. 6. Power or Byram, but not both. I have been very critical of both players, but both are very good skating young offensive D and I don’t mind have one anchor the 2nd pair as long as the partner is very defensively aware. Maybe Kesselring is that player, but it’s a huge leap of faith to believe he can go from being a 17 minute a game player to a 22 minute a game player. The rest of the team is just roster filler and not good filler at that. The offense is not the problem with this team. The problem with this team is in zone D play and goaltending. These have been the same issues for the last 4 years and Adams “strategy” of hoping kids like UPL, Levi, Samuelsson, and others grow into solving those problems was and is doomed to failure. A real team would have fired Adams the year the team regressed after the playoff near miss.

Panarins ability to create plays in O-zone is something amazing. His defensive game is... Well, he hasn't done that the games I have watched Rangers, he loses the puck and he stops skating.

Exactly. I said in another thread that we need a GM with BALLS. KA has accepted that Buffalo isn't a desirable destination and that is dictating what he's doing with the roster. Buffalo is absolutely not an attractive destination right now (partially because of KA), but that can be fixed quickly with some on-ice success. A GM needs to be a salesman and he cannot fall into believing that his org is a lousy one. That's called a self-fulfilling prophecy. We need a GM that has a vision for making the Sabres an attractive org to play for and has the skillset to sell people on it. KA is most certainly not that.

I agree with the vast majority here... I would like to agree with 100% meaning that dismissing Adams is a foregone conclusion... I just have seen too much you can't make this sh(t up stuff coming from them... but maybe its a split the difference... maybe it is a forgone conclusion and Adams is in the So your telling me there is a chance category...

Pure rental at least from the Sabres perspective and the Sabres have to be open to that. His skillset is exactly the missing piece up front: playmaking first-line winger; he’d save the PP and turn Norris into a 40-goal scorer. The cap hit and the NMC would be tough obstacles to overcome. Wonder what the relationship with Jarmo is like?

I don't believe Jarmo is here for any other reason that he's the heir apparent GM. He gets 2025-26 to become familiar with the organization, Adams gets eased out to save face for him and the owner, and TPegs gains familiarity with the incoming GM when this season ends in another non-playoff season. Terry has been traumatized from the GM hires previous to Adams and he's like Ralph Wilson now: unwilling to hire a GM he doesn't personally know. Enter Jarmo, whom we have to hope he learns to trust with hockey decisions and not overrule. That is, assuming Jarmo's up to the task. My concern, as you noted above, is that Dahlin, Tuch, and Thompson are gone or working to engineer their departure after this season if they're again finishing near the bottom of the division. It's the organizational equivalent of an airplane that's lost lift and diving for terra firma.

Panarin is all gas no breaks. He is running at 75%+ O-ZONE starts and certainly capitalizes on that. His defense... is more questionable but if you are trading for him it is to juice up your offense. You could slide all the LWs down which would be good but you probably have to move out a wing to do this. Maybe Quinn and Byram gets it done but I am not sure we get a ton better that way. We would have a playmaker for a year and maybe you can get him to re-sign. It would certainly change the look of the top line with Panarin - Norris or Kulich - Thompson Benson - Norris or Kulich - Tuch Zucker - McLeod - Doan Greenway - Krebs - Malestyn

Like the sandwich place? Is this about Artemi Panarin?

LOL IYKYK

I think you are right... and this is one of the reasons I worry about adams managing assets... desperation is a really bad place to deal from... and hopefully there is something in place that limits what he can do there.

You have to find out availability first and then potential cost. KA says he is in on every conversation… Panarin has a NMC so I doubt Buffalo is even considered. UFA at 34 after this year so it seems like a Rangers cap clearance. He would instantly boost the top line and be their top playmaker. He would be a rental, so their is a lot of risk but the Sabres have a lot of prospects.

That’s actually my plan for lunch later today.

KA was probably forced to hire Jarmo by TP. He must have said that he has one more chance but hire some help, who TP can promote if things do not improve. KA will be looking over his shoulder a lot, wondering what conversations TP and Jarmo are having.

Panarin

Any interest from Sabres? Or Youse guys?

The way that this “rumor” is worded is amusing. It’s so non-committal on so many levels.

As you point out, the tax issue is a lame excuse why players don't desire to come here. Taxes in Canada are higher and taxes in California where three teams are located are higher. The Rangers and Islanders are located in the same state. And the Devils are located in Jersey, another high tax state. The Sabres are a team most listed on NTC contracts because it is well recognized that this franchise is plagued with problems. Agents who are acting in their clients' best interest steer their players away from this organization because they have an intimate knowledge how the operation works. And you really don't need to have inside knowledge to recognize what a third-rate franchise looks like. All you need to do is review the record for the past 15 years. Buffalo should be a destination city for a lot of players due to its location. It's close to the border and in close proximity to where a lot of their families live in the offseason. The franchise's fanbase has been severely eroded not because they are not passionate hockey fans but because they are tired of the third-rate hockey offered to them. Their response is no thank you. Compare that response to the Buffalo Bandits where the building is often sold out and the fans are having a fantastic experience watching an entertaining and competitive team?

Reports say NIL money and Penn State has a big ole pot of that. I think that 700k is specifically just his NIL money deal with Penn State but hard to say as there isn't anything super concrete. Here's a good article on NIL in hockey https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6481261/2025/07/09/gavin-mckenna-ncaa-penn-state-nil-chl/

It’s completely staggering. I have to remind myself how biased I am IN THE TEAM’S favour sometimes when, somehow, relative to some here (and on twitter, you know who) I am far less forgiving it is astronomically anomalific operating standards for this franchise. To be where we are, and for the plan to be tantamount to throwing our hands up in the air and saying “what can we even do?” might never again be replicated in NHL circles They weren’t going to do anything. After 14 years of failure. Same coaches, same management, here’s Timmins and Lyon and that’s where we still are, after I’m sure Adams annoyingly had to deal with processing the JJ step back/“given the circumstances” transaction

And I think he is there for a reason.. for sure... I think he is Pegula's contingency, I think ultimately he gets this year to really look at our current roster and formulate his own plan should what I think is likely and this is Adams last year... and credit where its due... if indeed that is where we are at then at least Pegula is showing some kind of pulse and prep... We can debate if JK is the right guy for sure, I am agnostic... I just dont know... but some one will need to set a new course if the reset button is hit and the FO undergoes change after their 15th year of failure... if Adams proves us all wrong.. well then... he is at least another good asset in the FO... JK is really no lose for TP. IMO

So Steve Yzerman... 2019: 17-49-5 (39 points), 8th in Atlantic, 31st in goals for, 31st goals against, Larkin was the leading scorer with 53pts 2020: 19-27-10 (48 points), 7th in the Atlantic, 30th in goals for, 20th in goals against, Hronek was the leading scorer with 26pts 2021: 32-40-10 (74 points), 6th in the Atlantic, 25th in goals for, 31st in goals against, Larkin was the leading scorer with 69pts 2022: 35-37-10 (80 points), 7th in the Atlantic, 24th in goals for, 22nd in goals against, Larkin was the leading scorer with 79pts 2023: 41-32-9 (91 points), 5th in the Atlantic, 9th in goals for, 24th in goals against, Raymond was the leading scorer with 72pts 2024: 39-35-8 (86 points), 6th in the Atlantic, 22nd in goals for, 21st in goals against, Raymond was the leading scorer with 80pts It's taken a bit but the goals for and against numbers show a roughly steady improvement. I think Detroit's biggest issue is the lack depth scoring and outside of Seider, their defense is questionable. We will see what Edvinsson can do. Yzerman should have a far better defense but he's made some weird trades in Hronek and Walman. With Hronek at least he got something in Pelikka but the Walman trade is just bizarre to me. Anyways, this was fun to look at Detroit and see where they are so thanks Perrault, They actually are slightly better than I thought but also... goaltending and defense are not great looking.

As if the city of Rochester did something wrong