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dudacek

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Posts posted by dudacek

  1. GDT: Sabres at Red Wings 12-23-2014 7:30PM

    in The Aud Club

    Posted

    I don't know where else to put it, so here goes: I think Brian Flynn can be an NHL player on a good team. I never used to, but I've come around. He's just smart, has some great wheels, and does just enough for me to want him around. He's ideally suited to a good 4th line in today's NHL, and can flex up to the 3rd line for a short span without totally embarrassing himself. When this team is good I want Flynn to still be around as a depth piece.

     

    He's winning me over too. I've used him as a marker: the Sabres will be good again when Flynn can no longer make the team.

    That still may be true, but the guy just makes himself useful in the way you describe.

  12. GDT: Sabres at Boston 12-21-2014 7PM

    in The Aud Club

    Posted · Edited by dudacek

    I'd be surprised if none of them were back. In the case of Benoit and Messy, they're relatively cheap insurance against putting the whole D load on the younger guys. They have two this year, maybe one of them returns. I see Mitchell, Stewart and Stafford are the same insurance for wingers. If they find a spot on another team, no one's going to cry for their loss, but if they don't, I see Murray offering one or two of them a pre-determined (i.e., take it or leave it) 1 year deal for an amount that supports Murray's strategy for team salary. The value in keeping these guys is that they know the other players, they know Nolan. Look how dysfunctional the team was early in the year when we had a bunch of new vets. There's no sense in bringing in even more new vets unless they are clear upgrades and not simple placeholders. And frankly the vets GMTM decides to bring back will probably get a better payday from him than they will on the open market if he's still worried about slipping below the salary floor.

     

    Unless the idea is to get better.

     

    Remember, Grigo, Larsson and Pysyk have to play in Buffalo next year or risk waivers.

    • Let's say Larsson takes the spot of Kaleta
    • Pysyk for Benoit
    • And Grigo slides in for Stafford (Hodgson goes to the wing to make room)

    You are going to have Armia, Reinhart and hopefully McEichel knocking on the door up front too.

    Let's say one of them makes the squad. That most likely squeezes out Stewart.

     

    Then there is the salary cap situation. Stewart/Stafford/Meszaros coming off the books frees an additional $12 million on top of the $20 million we already have. Part of that will get chewed up by a goalie, but there is a ridiculous amount of money left over that pretty much has to be spent on a free agent or big trade acquisition.

     

    That isn't going to get spent on re-signing Meszaros. It will get spent on a significant upgrade. The Sabres are in a position to — and hopefully will — target a top-four defenceman and a top-six forward.

     

    Mitchell and Strach might get signed again as depth guys — given what they've done this year — but that's probably not going to get you to the floor.

     

    I don't see many, if any of our UFAs coming back.

     

    2014/15

    Ennis/Girgensons/Moulson

    Gionta/Mitchell/Flynn

    Stafford/Hodgson/Foligno

    Deslauriers/McCormick/Kaleta/Stewart

    Myers/Gorges

    Ristolainen/Zadorov

    Strachan/Weber

    Meszaros/Benoit

     

    2015/16

    Ennis/Girgensons/Moulson

    Gionta/Reinhart, or../Flynn

    Hodgson/Grigorenko/FreeAgent or...

    Deslauriers/McCormick/Larsson/Foligno

    Myers/Gorges

    Ristolainen/FreeAgent or...

    Zadorov/Pysk

    Strachan??/Weber

  13. GDT: Sabres at Boston 12-21-2014 7PM

    in The Aud Club

    Posted

    It won't happen overnight. Probably half of the players that are "likely gone" will still be with the team next year, and that won't necessarily be bad. Some of them will be mere placeholders until the youth movement edges them out.

     

     

    When I say "likely gone" I mean each is a UFA at season's end.

    Anyone of trade value will be traded. The others will likely get bumped by kids or better veteran free agents.

    I would be surprised if any of them are back. They just aren't in the team's long-term plans.

  14. GDT: Sabres at Boston 12-21-2014 7PM

    in The Aud Club

    Posted · Edited by dudacek

    That game was a taste of of next year's team.

    Larsson Grigo and Pysyk lose their waiver exemption and will have jobs.

     

    Stafford, Stewart, Mitchell, Kaleta, Benoit, Mess and Strachan are likely gone.

    It will be interesting to see who will be the four other new faces.

  17. GDT: Sabres at Boston 12-21-2014 7PM

    in The Aud Club

    Posted · Edited by dudacek

    Grigo is a player with the eyes and the hands to complement Hodgson.

    Hodgson's biggest problem compared to last year is the lack of someone to play give-and-go with, coupled with the fact Nolan doesn't want his team to play that way.

    Grigorenko set him up for a couple beauties tonight.

    Not sure what D4rk was on about. Grigo's no warrior, but I thought his battle was pretty good tonight.

     

    EDIT: I see the response now. Fair comment.

  19. GDT: Sabres at Boston 12-21-2014 7PM

    in The Aud Club

    Posted

    Enroth looked tired on the last two.

    Not blaming him. He's been great and it shoulda been Neuvirt playing.

     

     

    Nothing I saw tonight altered my opinion that Pysyk is, right at this moment, the Sabres' fourth best defenceman.

    As much as I like the Nikita/Risto combo, Nikita/Pysyk have such a complementary skill set, it's easy to picture them playing together for years.

  23. Colorado @ Buffalo. 7:00 pm ET

    in The Aud Club

    Posted

    I wouldn't mind giving stewart 3x4mill deal, he can add some thoughness to this team and protect the kids.

    By the time that contract finishes, our kids wil have arrived for there payday.

     

    Nope. He's a luxury a rebuilding team can't afford.

    Trade him for whatever you can get.

     

     

    We are basically watching a movie that we already know the ending. Edmonton 66pts, Arizona 69, Carolina 70, Buffalo 71. We pick 4th thanks to our 11 game "playoff push" in November/December. Do we expect anything different?

     

    I've felt from training camp this is a 65-point team that will finish between 25 and 30 and I'm not going to be fooled by the ups and downs of the season.

     

    It doesn't really matter where we finish though. We are winning the lottery.

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