All Activity

There shouldn’t be an argument who the mvp of the team is The differential plainly speaks to how good Dahlin is relative to the rest and it’s not just positive Dahlin the differential is wildly negative without him It’s more reinforcement that one player can only make so much difference If it was just “Dahlin is elevated above not so bad stuff” we’d be a playoff team

Just sign him and be done with it. Place Byram next to Dahlin. Kesselring next to Power. Timmons can be a 5/6 that can be elevated to top 4 if either of them get injured. And the team still hasn’t addressed the what if Dahlin goes down for 1-2 weeks? We going to go on a new losing streak? At least with Byram and the newcomers, maybe we can go 0.400-0.500 during these games.

Ftfy

and ANOTHER ONE

Power Plays are almost as unpredictable as goaltending and I’ve always felt coaching in hockey is a little overrated. They really need a playmaking forward more than better coaching but I think they can improve with what they got.

Given the lack of change in the assistant coaches, how confident can one be that the anemic power play will at least achieve mediocrity? Shorter leash for UPL is good. Let's hope Lyon or Levi is a valid alternative. I do think they are marginally better. Resign Byram, bring in Roslovic, or trade for a better top 6. I'd like to spend futures on the latter, but I am skeptical about that happening.

I believe they are better because; 1) they will be better defensively 2) UPL will have a shorter leash, and 3) They have plenty of offense, especially if they figure the power play out. They were one of the better 5 on 5 teams, albeit with a high shooting percentage. I think Quinn, Benson, Doan, Kulich, McLeod and Danforth will outscore last years numbers of JJP, Quinn, Benson, Kulich, McLeod and Lafferty All that said, I still want Bryan signed and another top 6 forward (Rust?) brought in.

The numbers around players who go to arbitration and then stay with their team past that season is super low. I assume the numbers around "threatening" arbitration are better if they never actually go. But I'd be very curious to see that broken out. That said, it just makes the whole JBD thing look dumb...again.

I believe he’s correct, and I’d pay Byram. The cap isn’t so bad on the defense side as when we signed Power. I’d pay the term and amount. We can hash out who goes in another couple years, but now, ya, I’d re-sign him.

Kev thinking makes me nervous. Your inference is likely correct, though.

Yep. The hype ain't there because of the Buffalo stink. But in my opinion Dahlin was — at worst — the number 4 D in hockey last year when you look at all the measurables. It's really a shame they've failed to build around that. It's Eichel all over again.

That makes sense if your primary goal is to move the player, or lock him up long-term. Kevyn Adams is hanging on to his job by his fingernails and hasn't found a Byram trade that he thinks makes the team better in 2 months of trying. There's incentive for him to lock Byram in to arbitration, back fill behind him with whatever cap is left over and try make the playoffs, especially if Byram has made it clear he's not signing a long-term deal with Buffalo. If he's wrong, the poison pill will be something for the next GM to deal with. Not filing for arbitration tells me Kev still thinks he can make a trade, or sign Byram to term.

It felt like every other team had some optimism. Of course not Sabres! Yet again come across a joke. It really is insane.

Thanks! Yep.

No offer sheet if team arbitration is chosen. And the ability for the player to pick a two year deal and walk to UFA is pretty much a poison pill. The sense is KA will not take this to arb, which would make your Plan B moot. It also sounds like Bo has no problem being a Sabre - he just wants to be paid. That is the North Star driving all of this, meaning your Plan A would be flawed. Feels like we’re in the same place we have been with trade and offer sheet being the two most likely outcomes. A new potential outcome that has emerged if/when both refuse arbitration is an ugly hold out a la Swayman. What is interesting to think about is what could be holding up the trade. It could very well be Bo and his agent’s stubborn negotiating for a long term, “$9 mill AAV” deal with the accepting team. It could be convincing a vet to drop their NTC/MNTC (I keep coming back to Justin Faulk). Either way, there are certainly other factors that could be at play outside of teams just agreeing on the players involved.

With Bryson’s contract, that’s actually pretty easy to do.

I agree, but Carolina isn't swimming in toughness, size, grit, and wankery. Yet they are consistently among the top 5-6 teams in the NHL. When they lost to the Panthers last year, there was the beginning of "Brind'Amour won't get them over the top" talk. It's crazy. They are 80% Brind'Amour. The Sabres need more of that element, but we need not worry about competing with the Panthers. For now, we just need to bridge the cap between us and Montreal, Ottawa, NJ.

No thanks.

This is just my opinion, but I think this speaks more to how good Dahlin is than it does to how bad the rest of the D is. Dahlin is elite. The rest of the D, mostly, would thrive or be fine in a better system. Dahlin is so good that he rises above; put him on a contender and he is maybe the best there is. It cannot be overstated, how much Dahlin's talent is being wasted.

And Buffalo has been lacking in that for a while. Last season, even in the less-physical 'pest' role (someone to annoy the other team and draw them into penalties), who do the Sabres have? Benson? Krebs, maybe Kozak? Thats about it, not exacly top-of-the-lineup guys.

It was on @GASabresIUFAN fantasy wish list. Be kind and gentle because he’s in a high state of agitation. And be cautious and tread lightly because he can get ornery when told his fantasy wish list will not come to fruition.😀

Of course it's fantasy. Reality has never stopped us from fantasy before.

The Guardians stink this year.