SHAAAUGHT!!!

I'd love to get him at $5-5.5M AAV, but he's got the skills and track record where $7M AAV a year is justifiable because he's the type of player that plugs a major hole on the Sabres roster. His on ice performance alone pprobably won't justify a $7M AAV in the final two years of the contract, but having guys like Kadri, Zucker, Tuch, and Dahlin around these young players over the next 2-3 years would be a huge help in the development of these young skaters and continue to drive the "change in the room" Lindy is preaching.

Kadri trade talks are picking up again. Don't know if it's due to the slow newsday summer season, if teams are calling on him, or if Calgary is actively trying to move him, but in any case I came across this article from Jersey on why they would be interested: https://newjerseyhockeynow.com/2025/07/29/new-jersey-devils-news-nhl-trade-talk-nazem-kadri-worth-acquiring/ Basically they need a 3rd line center that can play up if needed, that is responsible defensively, can contribute with goal scoring, and plays with an edge. Basically the same attributes the Sabres are looking for. The main difference is in Buffalo he'd be our 1 or 2 center instead of 3 in NJ. I think he'd be more likely to waive his 13 team no-trade for the opportunity in a place like Buffalo more than NJ because he knows/thinks he can still contribute in a top 6 role. I don't think he moves this year, but if he does I hope the Sabres are in play. His no-trade clause expires July 1st 2026 so he might want to pick where he goes this year while he still has control, if the team is looking to move on from him.

Real recognizes real. This does not look staged at all.

I did too and thought “uh-oh, sad Sabre fan summer posting is in full effect” 😆🤣

Still too early since I think we will see a top 6 forward trade involving Byram, a prospect or two, and next years 2nd round pick (a man can dream can’t he??!) I expect he starts the season in the stands and works his way into the lineup if/when Greenway or someone else goes out with injury and/or filling in for whoever is underperforming after a few games. Ruff always liked to make young players earn their time so I expect him to do the same here now that he knows this team better. To me it looks like these players we drafted and traded for meet Ruffs requirements (physical, hard working, hungry) but also GMKA (smooth skating, slick passing). It’s too easy to be negative with these moves so I need to take the contrarian view. Even if these moves look like this:

You know what, you’re 100% right here. I was thinking 2.75-3M AAV per year but really didn’t account for the hefty increase in cap space (9% this season alone).

I’m glad Quinns still in the fold, but he had a slight decline from his 1st season, word is he came to camp last year not in shape, he was invisible for the first half of the season. I would have expected they could have him signed for $2.75M, 3M max AAV. That’s a 11-20% premium they paid IMO. That said, I hope he outplays that contract this year and proves me wrong.

Why is that AAV so high?

I've been to the Outlaw music fest the last two years and you will not be disappointed. Willie's voice is still strong and sounds great, and last year was the best live Dylan performance I've seen since 1996.

In this one interview JK already demonstrated he understands more about the actual dynamics of building and running a team than KA ever uttered in all his interviews combined. I needed some good news about this team and hope I’m not getting too excited by the shiny new toy…

I don't care who it is that replaces him, but I'd like to see someone: 1) that can break down plays and talk strategy and reasoning for decisions during the game, both game play and coaching 2) that focuses on what is happening on the ice and not the buddy banter (I'm so sick of the "these guys seem like great friends and fun to have a beer with" type banter that distracts from the gameplay) 3) can speak clearly (sorry Rayzor) 4) doesn't have to feign excitement for the job and wants to get better and better

I think there is a better chance of seeing Jar Jar Binks speak in the Queen's english while playing R2D2's wingman at Mos Eisley Cantina. In other words, it ain't happenning...

Two players from the list that get a pass from me: 1) Cody Eakin - him trolling Eichel in his first game back against Buffalo with the neck roll was really funny 2) Sobotka - he was just starting to get into the groove here when Kucherov ended his career in the global series

That’s it. Sabres definitely aren’t making the playoffs now 🤣🤣🤣

Said no one at any point ever

Are there any details on his injury? Is everyone freaking out over a possible cold/flu?

Chicken or egg yeah? They rushed players because they didn’t have enough older players to fill those roles. Some of these guys should not have seen the NHL and experienced winning in their respective league(WHL, AHL) if they didn’t have proper support in Buffalo. For example I know Benson would have been stuck in juniors, but I’d rather have him be a god in juniors getting 23min a game playing all situations than a 3rd liner on a crap Sabres team playing 14. Levi, Power, Casey are another 3 prime examples that come to mind

Cringe inducing off ice player videos by the PR department

Anyone else notice how Greenway didn’t even acknowledge Bryson when he was walking past him to the dressing room after his misconduct? I read this as Bryson is definitely not invited back next season (thankfully)

Ryan Johnson seems to be often overlooked as an option going forward. Does anyone following the Amerks have any feedback on his development this season? I haven’t seen any games this season so I have no idea how it’s going for him personally. He seems to be getting the reps and time in the minors, which is a major development criticism this org has rightfully earned as they’ve rushed too many young players to the NHL without proper support. Curious if this might be someone that can step in and fill the gap if we are able to trade Mule or Clifton.

It’s Vegas, so if history is any indication I’m pretty sure everyone there is always available 😁

I understand the frustration a lot of posters have on this thread because we all want to see this team do well, and they haven’t in a long time. I think if we all took a collective breath and took emotion out of it we could see that 1) Dahlin is showing growth as a captain and leader on this team, 2) he seems like a good honest person and wants to do well and see the others around him to do well (this is the major difference between him and Eichel), 3) he is a top 10 defensemen in this league (or close to it) and wants to be a Buffalo Sabre. The Sabres are better with Dahlin on this team both short and long term. Im glad he wants to be here and that he isn’t happy with where the team is today. And after watching that interview I have no reason to think otherwise. I’d start to worry about Dahlin’s desire to be here If the playoff drought goes another 2 years.

Let’s just add this to another unfounded assumption based on absolutely nothing. Thank you for perfectly demonstrating my point.

This is not how truth works. No matter what happens in the future, it has no impact on what actually happened in that conversation. As mentioned above, this really seems like a game of telephone and a bunch of people with zero factual knowledge pretending they can read between the lines in a book they never even saw. Dahlin does not seem like the quitting type to me, quite the opposite actually

Norris looks solid. He skates with purpose, goes to the front of the net, backchecks, and makes quick decisions with the puck. As usual Mule, Power, and Bryson are just warm bodies. I’d be surprised if Bryson sees more than 5 games for the rest of the season. I also think we are going to see a lot of Mule with Dahlin for the rest of the year to get his stats looking better and increase his value.