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I hear you, but Lindy has to know by now that he is not filling this role with Geertsen. Dunne actually plays and contributes.

Am I losing my mind or were there stories during the summer that Marjala chose not to sign?

Wait, didn't Beck get his 1st of the season last night?

If they get a bunch of returns, they’re going to have to though. They’ll need the roster spot. Geertsen goes and then they’ll need to cast off a goalie. Even after that, they’re still need one more spot if they suddenly have Norris, Zucker, and Benson. A player currently dressing will have to be sent back down. Dunne seems like the obvious choice, but I could see him handed the Geertsen role that Lindy clearly wants on the team.

IF they can find a partner that works for/with Byram (besides Dahlin), would expect LT getting an extension on him and trading Power when/if necessary would be the better play. And maybe now Timmons can be that guy; they played very well together yesterday but were absolute trash in Detroit together; didn't pay that close attention to the matchups they were getting but 1 game being home and the other being on the road say that matchups could've been a huge factor in that. If not, keep Power. Byram's highs have been better than Power's, but his lows have been even worse. And there's a bigger risk of getting bad Byram than getting bad Power IMHO because his play seems to be so partner dependent. Though with the cap going up as much as it will soon, and with Byram showing he ISN'T a 1 or a 2, not completely convinced they can't keep them both. Mrkta will be on an entry level contract for 3 years when he finally arrives; Muel is locked up for a while and being a defensive 1st guy won't likely be getting much of a raise. Timmons is what he is. The only wildcards salary wise are Kesselring and Byram himself but Byram keeps playing himself to lesser deals down the road. That could change, and hopefully they do find a guy he works with very well (again, besidee Dahlin) but hasn't so far.

What I see: Kozak is a 4C and he can be a true shut down center. Being defensively responsible is a natural part of his game. He is one that helps you protect a lead, seal a game, he takes opportunities away from the opponents. Krebs is more like a guy that can't make it as a 2/3C and that is willing to do the dirty work of a 4th line center or wing.

The opposite can be said too. Greenway doesn’t add anything that Malenstyn can’t do, but for cheaper. And he can play more than half the season.

Personally, I think his biggest value is as a trade chip, but the waiver eligibility doesn’t guarantee full time NHL play. He’s going to have to earn that time here or anywhere else and could very easily wind up as a journeyman bouncing around all over the place. … or he pulls the Pominville right now and claims his spot. I really have no idea what to expect here.

Lindy doesn't like to change the lineup if they're winning. I think this current roster sticks until they lose again.

Can we trade both? Half joking, half serious. Ras is the only D that we have seen that truly affects play. These two are higher priced, elite JAGs. If we can get a top 3 and another Defensive D man, I’d be open. If I had to keep one it’s Power, only bc the contract certainty. $8.25m will look like a bargain in a few.

Next Hagel

We can be cautiously optimistic though. The small sample size, regression, NHL now has a “book” on him, etc, can be said for every single goalie that has begun playing in the NHL. Sure, all these can happen, but none of them are specific to Ellis.

Yeah, signing Lyon for 2 years gives them a ton of flexibility for figuring out how to handle this season and even some flexibility for next year too. Pretty sure Levi isn't waiver exempt next year, so they have a decision to make within Lyon, Ellis, and Levi; but by having Lyon signed for the extra year, they actually get to make that decision rather than having it made for them. But, hang onto UPL for now, while working the phones to find him a home elsewhere. (Again, not convinced Adams is up to the challenge, but maybe with Jarmo's help he will be.) And if you get to a point that you have to send him to Ra-cha-cha, or more likely loan him to another team's farm club so both Levi and he can continue to get ice time, see if he clears or not. If he doesn't, well, at least you've just effectively knocked Skinner's cap hit next year down to what it'll be his final 2 years. And that is manageable.

So you want the Lobster and the Cracked Crab? I think the answer to your question comes down to usage and opportunity and this is where Byram's contract comes in. I don't think Bowen wants to play 3rd fiddle to Power and Dahlin long-term. After next season Byram's contract is up, but he is still an RFA. I suspect his agent will try to force a trade out of town.

I like Byram better. Better skater, more physical and a better shooter. Power has regressed. He may bounce back but his defensive game is really weak. Teams are not afraid to dump it in his corner or stand in front of the net. Some extended time on the 3rd pairing and focusing on PK could be his wake up call. Both of these guys realize they will never be the guy on this team, find your lane and excel in that role.

I thought about the League leading PK. You have McLeod (check your spelling Professor 😉), Tuch and Benson. Can Kozak be the fourth? Probably. I know a team could match up against a smallish 4th line and dominate, but I’d like to see the Sabres match up speed with speed the next time this team plays Montreal. If you have a heavy line up, then slide Kozak to the 4th, and/or plug in Greenway and Beck. For my money, Kozak and Zucker are medium grit and could grind and score. This team lacks scoring, and to be quite honest Greenway, Beck and Danforth cannot bring it. If we had the kids play together for a few games against other teams 4th line talent (maybe used exclusively at home games to take advantage of matchups) I think their contribution could be the difference. Trust me, I like the energy Beck brings. A real lunch pail guy. But the 4th line has been a huge negative on the ice. Danforth, Krebs - zero goals. Beck gets his first last night. I wouldn’t expect a dinosaur like Ruff to think different. It’s partly the reason we are in the basement. It’s more probable than not he just mixes up all the lines again and runs the kids back to Roch.

Good to see the progression. It's not surprising he's now a top 6 center and the Amerks lineup no longer has Rousek, Dunne, Jobst, and partial seasons of Östlund/Rosén getting big minutes and PP time.

IMHO - I’d keep Malenstyn and move Krebs. He’s got spirit, but he lacks talent and isn’t big enough to make a dent physically. Kozak isn’t any bigger, but I think he still is no worse….maybe even better.

Dunne is not waiver exempt. But he's much more likely to clear waivers than Kozak -- you're 50/50 at best if you waive Kozak at this point. Look to move Luukkonen or waive him (no one will pick him up, no worries there. He could decide to not report, I suppose [but incredibly doubtful because $$$$], and then you save your money that way.) Among the forwards: in order: waive Geertsen (auto-clears), Rosén (exempt), Östlund (exempt), then Dunne as the final piece.

Yeah, even with the apparent return of a few guys on the horizon, they have the ability to waive Geertsen 1st. Personally, believe they could (they won't, but they could) risk waiving Bryson when all D are healthy as they have some guys in Ra-cha-cha that could get called up and fill his role. Pretty sure they also could waive Dunne for a little bit longer without him having to go through waivers again, though they're getting close to that limit if they haven't already passed it. Personally don't want to see either Swede nor Kozak sent down when they get healthy but expect either Östlund or Kozak to be towards the front of the list of moves that do get made. There are moves they can make before simply waiving UPL. But if it weren't Adams making the move, would be more insistant on them making a move sooner than later. But don't really have much faith in Kevyn getting that right; but he does have Kekalainen helping him now (and Staal too 😉 ) so maybe he won't F it up.

There are definitely more potential line combos with all these C/W players. IMO, a healthy Norris moves TNT to wing at the end of a game they trail and in OT. When you need to win a draw Tage is not your guy. Faceoffs are not the be all end all but you need the ability to win important ones. They got a huge empty netter last night but they were losing all of the key draws.

Rosen would have to be, fairly certain he loses waiver protection next year.

Konsta Helenius is on pace for 9 more goals and 20 more points than his rookie AHL campaign.

The interesting thing there, IMHO, is how much more rubber Ellis has seen relative to UPL with significantly better results (small sample size). Also, pretty sure UPL hasn't had one shot in by his defenseman. Ellis can't say the same. 😉

I don't. I am very very very glad that Lyon is signed for 2 years because it means we don't have to keep UPL because Lyon will be gone soon or count on Levi to be the 1b next year. Also we have a very small sample for Ellis, what if he regresses?