dudacek

I think it’s weird that the Sabres draft Benson and we hear a chorus of “too small and soft, can’t win in the playoffs.” Yet when we sign a 6’4” 225-pound Stanley Cup winning mountain, and the most abrasive defenceman on the Bruins, after trading for Greenway and Stillman at the deadline to replace Hinostroza and Bryson we get crickets. People see what they want to see 🤷

You’ve been very consistent in saying that Levi will be a good starter, so why should we pay a bushel to to grab someone he’s going to make redundant anyway? Part of me thinks you’ve got a point.

Bertuzzi is a guy I would have a tough time cheering for and will have an easy time hating in blue-and-white. However, he should be an upgrade for them over Bunting.

Agreed. There was a very noticeable shift in coaching focus from “developing” to “winning” that happened to close out the season. I see no reason for that to shift in the coming year.

Here’s the thing about proven starting goalies: there aren’t very many of them. You want to know how many goalies have played 130 games over the past 3 years, which is only an average of 43 starts? Just 13 You aren’t getting Vasilevskiy, Saros, Shesterkin, Sorokin and Oettinger. And most of you don’t want Hellebuyck, Markstrom, Gibson, Binnington or Bobrovsky given their contracts. I’d say Kuemper and Jarry are both too expensive, and unavailable. And then there’s Fleury who has a no-movement clause and is apparently done with moving. The Venn diagram of goalies who are proven, available and affordable is very small.

I was feeling the same way. Adams says he is recovering from a stress factor in his foot and probably won’t be on the ice.

Is there anyone who is “that good”? Any time anyone proposes a goalie, somebody responds with a version of this. Not pointing fingers at you, it’s something we all seem to be guilty of. Goaltending really does seem to be in the eye of the beholder. My reading of this board is that the only goalie we’d all be happy with Saros, and even then only if we didn’t pay too much.

To be clear, I don’t think Quinn’s injury will prevent Adams from using him as a chip. What I am saying is that prior to the injury, Olofsson did not have a role in the starting 12 and was likely to be moved for futures if he couldn’t be moved in a package for an upgrade. With Quinn’s injury, however, Victor does have a role in the starting lineup. Therefore, I think Adams would rather keep him for the time being than acquiring a draft pick. I think Rousek or Kulich should have to take the roster spot rather than have it freely given. Just IMHO.

Someone who needs to move out a body, thinks the combination of Victor and the other assets constitutes the best offer, and disagrees with your opinion on Victor. I think Adams will have to retain in order to close any deal and I think many GMs would be interested in a 28-goal scorer at $2.3 million, regardless of the other holes in his game.

Feels like one of those group-think echo chamber opinions. A select group comes to a similar conclusion based on a small sample size and the fact they agree and loudly repeat it as fact entrenches an opinion as a fact. It’s basically the heartbeat of Twitter.

Most of you seem to think Olofsson is just being sold off to the highest bidder for futures. I don’t think that’s the case at all. I think he is a chip being floated as part of a package aimed at acquiring a roster upgrade. I think any chance he was being shipped off for a pick vanished along with Quinn’s Achilles.

Johnson looks older and more self-assured than last year’s uncomfortable session. Also had a session with Östlund who doesn’t look 15 any more and says his biggest focus is on getting bigger.

I thought the most interesting thing Adams said today about goaltending was that they could have been in on some goalies but said “why would I do that if they aren’t better than what we already have?” Also said he had UPL over to the house for dinner and had a big heart-to-heart. Said he hopes UPL left with a good understanding of what his opportunity is and what he has to do to seize it.

Compliance buyout that does not affect the cap. Context was last year’s Bishop contract and why it was acquired.

We just watched a season where UPL and Comrie played 52 games and the Sabres were 33 points above the bottom. Think about it.

They’ll be traded or waived. They won’t be paid to play golf.

This poll supposes Levi is going to be a starter or at least split the starting role. In that case, how would you address the other goalie slot and two other goalies we have under contract? Starting goalie poll thread here

Seeing a lot of talk around this issue, curious to know what the consensus is. I’m going to post a similar thread for the backup position.

@SwampD, you will be happy to know that as of today, the Sabres are about $16 million over the cap floor and are no longer paying anyone to not play for them, not even Cody Hodgson. Terry Pegula will be spending about $85 million in actual dollars on players salaries in the coming year. The scouting staff is still below it’s pre-purge level (it went from 21 to 7 and is now at 13) but the coaching, player development and analytics staff are all well above where they were in the Botterill era. Anyone who thought the Sabres COVID era cutbacks were permanent was wrong.

The fact that Adams has strengthened the roster while keeping the door wide open to strengthen it further strikes me as more evidence he’s competent and calculated. If the right goalie or defenceman becomes available at the right price - none of the rumoured targets have moved - he has the flexibility and the assets to act. I get why others question his willingness to act, but I don’t feel that way. You don’t position yourself the way he has without intent.

Thanks for the link. I did not know he was called the Condor. Fantastic nickname and he sounds like a fantastic teammate. Not sure what he’s got left on ice; hope he can roll back the clock one last time. But I very much think he’s going to replace Andy in the room and grow the culture. I like this move.

To me this clearly means they intend to make a trade. Tokarski wasn’t‘t signed, and didn’t sign, to be 4th on the pecking order and an AHL backup.

And it might actually be a good one given what each of those guys could offer: some real complementary skill sets there. What that loses in scoring it might make up in D. Curious what we have in Rousek.

I’m coming around more to the idea that down the stretch last year Don only had 4 defencemen he was comfortable playing. He now has 5 and there is nothing wrong with Johnson, Stillman and Boosh fighting it out for #6 instead of Clague, Pilut and Bryson. Still want a Pesce or a Hanifin, but we have improved our depth considerably.

People around here tend to confuse what Mule will be with what he is. Absolutely love him, but he’s played 109 NHL games. He’s behind Cozens and ahead of Krebs on his journey to where he’s going.