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Eiserman isn't great defensively. He puck watches and loses his guy at times. He tends to cheat a bit offensively which contributes to that. He's not very deceptive on the rush, he's more like Peterka than a Quinn or Benson. Might make one move but it's very north south. His motor has a bit of a low high thing depending on the game, there's a consistency issue. Some scouts feel he didn't improve much defensively from last year to this year and other guys overtook him, hence his slide. The question is, does a guy only 17 days shy of being 2025 draft eligible, simply have more in the tank that need development, or is he just going to be a one dimensional sniper. I think he has more and his slide is more due to him not exceeding expectations. Still, it's a gamble but a 6'1" 200lb winger with that shot is pretty intriguing. Eiserman isn't a chaos creating line driver. He's a passenger with decent puck possession and an absurd shot.

I don’t think he is available either, just that he is the type the Sabres need on the 4th line. Energy ++++.

Eiserman is one kid where you hear he is the best scorer and has the best shot of this class. They don’t say why he dropped from #1 or #2 to around 10-16 in a year. Some hint at his skating, others say he doesn’t pass or doesn’t play a 200’ game.There must be more to this story. Parekh is another. Lights out offensive production and they say his defense is OK. If that was the case then he should be top 5. I’ve seen him play so I know his warts and I hope the Sabres stay away. The worst podcast for this was The NHL Network who had Dan Marr from Central Scouting on. I just like to hear about a few warts so that you get a more accurate picture. This podcast was all about accentuating their qualities. We know they won’t all become all-stars.

The critical issue that you bring up is the importance of adding a 2/3 C that will allow you more options within the lines. What will be Skinner's role? There will be more line options and flexibility if the Mitts subtraction can be credibly filled. I'm open to all options. What I want to see once camp begins is that players earn their roster spots and roles. If Skinner can be a factor on a lower line, that isn't something to scoff at. And if he can be a positive factor on a higher line, then that isn't something that I'm automatically resistant to. Next season, there will be a new coach who will be open to all options. In camp, there certainly be a lot of line experimentation. The players will ultimately get what they should or shouldn't get.

If the 3rd line consisted of Benson & Danault, even if Skinner were the other winger it would still be tough to play against and it would generate a lot of chances itself. That '06 team had a 3rd line that was very tough to play against - the RAV line. It wasn't tough to play against because it was bashing guys skulls in. It was tough to play against because it had a ton of fire power for a 3rd line.

I'm not strongly advocating for him to be on the first line, but I'm open to it. Will the change in coaching have an effect on how he plays? Maybe so. What Skinner can do is score goals. And over the past few years his set up skills has improved. It just seems to me that the third and fourth lines should have the characteristic of being tough to play against. I don't see him in that mold as a player.

And Adams SHOULD be trying to improve the middle 6 (2W & 3C ideally) which will necessarily make the bottom 6 better too as a guy like Benson might now slide to the 3rd line. Really good teams have guys that can play in the top 6 outside the top 6. It wouldn't take a lot of change to let Buffalo be one of those teams too.

If Skinner isn't making $9MM / year does anyone see him as a #1 LW at this point in time? They can't trade him. Really doubt they buy him out (this year). So, he's going to play somewhere on this roster. He generates a higher percentage of his own chances than most other wingers do. Let him get 3rd line usage and the decrease in output due to having lesser linemates should be more than offset by his facing lesser opponents. His screwing up his linemates chances will also be less harmful to the Sabres than him messing up the top line's scoring chances. Skinner to the 3rd line seems like a win-win-win.

Oh man, I was at that game. Upper deck, at the Canes blueline camera-side when that goal went it. It was a mad house. That game (and the rest of the series) was the origin of the baby-eating, and "Drunkard" getting into the Canes fans' heads.

I'm reluctant to go along where you placed Cozens. The Benson/Cozens/Quinn is an appealing line to me. I'm aware that Skinner is scorned in this room. But I wouldn't be resistant to moving Skinner back up to the top line with Tage and Tuch, and then moving JJP to the wing playing with Cozens and Quinn on the second line. What that would do is move Benson to the third line with the expectation that the GM brings in a credible 2/3 C to be on the third line. I agree with you that ideally, Greenway is more suited as a fourth line player with the hope that the GM brings in a player or two to fortify that lower line. With respect to what role will Krebs have? My response would be for him to earn whatever role he can get. Where I am aligned with you is that the GM needs to add talent from the outside. If it is mostly for bulking up the lower lines, I would be fine with that assuming he brings in a 2/3 C to replace Mitts.

I hope it's a sign. They need to bury their past seasons here. Power has a good week , then a horrid flub in front of his own net near the end, up by one. Saw that too much and it needs to go away. Still don't trust him completely. Brain cramps.

Guess that timeline will likely rule out Peca. (If he were even in consideration for the role with the limited about of experience he currently has.) He could be busy right up until the draft if they can find a way to get past the Swamp Cats.

If Granato were still here, would expect the D pairings in October to be: Byram - Dahlin Power - Jokiharju Clifton - Samuelsson with Johnson (or a proxy for him so he can be playing while waiting for an opening) and Bryson the spare pair. No good feel for who Ruff will put with whom, but do expect (at least to the degree that they can with only 1 true stay at home D-man out of the 8) an offensive-defensive tandem on each pair. Lines - pretty sure we're looking at Peterka - Thompson - Tuch Benson/New Guy - Cozens - Quinn Skinner - 2nd New Guy - New Guy/Benson Girgensons/4th New Guy - Krebs/3rd New Guy - Greenway With Krebs the spare F who could slot into any bottom 6 role in a pinch (the rub being just how well he could handle that; maybe he'll surprise being a year older). And still expect there's a pretty good chance that 1st New Guy is S. Buffalo native Patrick Kane. Adams was sure he had him last year until the team stunk out of the gate. Could see, just like Tuch wants to, Kane wanting to play for Ruff.

I hate seeing all these guys I watching in and after I was in college now being established coaches.

They certainly weren’t in a “take the best you can get” situation for Mitts at all, no reason to necessarily sell if not getting exactly or close to exactly what you want so while I said Adams didn’t like Mitts I just meant relative to his other top centres- he had adjudged Mitts to be in the “tradeable to achieve or help facilitate the improvements we want” category but likely not a “players to be moved” category. I don’t know about the deal but I can comfortably say Adams either doesn’t see or care about a “redundancy” issue on the backend nor likely a handedness issue and has a conscious idea of how he figures he wants to build the team from Levi out through the puck movers and into the now likely speedier forward group with the departure of Mittelstadt. unless Krebs is the 3C then I dunno what the forwards are supposed to be

I doubt Seattle lets him go but yes, definitely.

I agree with the second sentence, but does he "really like Byram" or was Byram just the best player he could get for Mitts from a team that wanted Mitts? A guy he thought would not hate coming to Buffalo because he had friends there. I am really curious as to how Ruff puts this D together. I personally don't see how Byram gives us what we need there.

Maybe just maybe, the Sabres are finally looking to win as a whole versus concerning about every minor detail. After all we can't see the forest through the trees.....

He really likes Byram and didn’t particularly like Mitts, it’s almost certainly that simple. Team building can’t just be collecting talent, mix is a big consideration. We’ll see if he’s right. The only thing that would be wrong on it’s face is not replacing Mitts at all

uber alles?

That's because they are apples and oranges. Cozens was given a big payday so there is an expectation to go along with that. Krebs is a bottom end low pay guy who might (stress might) still get better. He's a low risk investment. They are not comparable, even if they are of a similar age. Personally I don't care if they bring back Krebs, but if the plan is Krebs as 3C, then we are in deep trouble. As for Cozens, one down year on a bad team with a bad coach means absolutely nothing. I still think he's a better winger than center but since we lack centers I have to hope Ruff can bring out his best.

5’9” former defenseman. Seems about right.