dudacek

We probably shouldn't ignore the fact Kulich got 9 assists, often playing with the league's best goal scorer and is a year older than Benson. D3 seasons of 1st-round Sabre forwards: Reinhart 79 17/30/47 -11 Eichel 67 25/39/64 -25 Nylander 12 2/2/4 -4 Mittelstadt 31 4/5/9 -2 Cozens 79 13/25/38 -19 Quinn 74 14/23/37 -7 Kulich 62, 15/9/24 -4 Benson ??? And just because I noticed him: Power 76 6/27/33 +8 He's right there with Sam Reinhart in terms of the 2nd-most advanced guy behind Eichel. That +8 really sticks out. Something to think about.

Not sure exactly where you’re aiming on this one. Luukkonen is a 3-year NHL vet with 8 years in the organization and not a prospect at all. Levi is a far better prospect than UPL ever was. He was a dominant college goalie and has been a dominant AHL goalie. UPL had an an excellent 19-year-old year as an OHL MVP and WJC star, but was exceedingly mediocre in the minors, to the point there were regular threads on here with posters calling him a flat-out bust who would never be an NHL goalie. If you mean will Levi pass him soon on the actual Buffalo depth chart, I think he will, but the Sabres can not count on that happening next year. They’re goalies, so who know? Kulich is the best prospect/skater currently on Rochester.

I agree with @Thorny that the degree of negativity around here an inevitable manifestation of the team's performance. I agree with @7+6=13 that it has made this a less enjoyable place to be.

Me too. He's one where you'll almost certainly see GMs hand wave his issues because "Buffalo stink" And they might be right. I still think Mule and futures can get you an overpaid vet from a rebuilding team.

Nope Im implying that there are a ton of unemployed GMs out there who meet the requirement of ‘sat in the chair’ who wont be as picky as Lou. And probably won’t be the guy to get us out of this mess either.

Lysowski with Jeff Marek last month was worth a watch. Starts around the 17-minute mark.

Gross: 38.5%, but their xG% was 69.3% in 133 minutes Samuelsson and Power was 51.9 real, 40.2 xGz% in 317 minutes.

And then it hit me: what if this is exactly what is happening? What if the leaked shuffle was exactly the original plan: Kevyn failing upward and Karmanos moving into the GM chair? And then the plan fell apart because either Karmanos or Terry decided Karmanos wasn’t the right fit for whatever reason? So they pivoted to bringing in “a senior advisor” with the understanding that he would transition into GM and Kevyn to POHO in the near future. Basically, Kevyn leads him through the organizational learning curve, including the draft and free agency. New guy provides his input to shape the plan and finesse through some moves while Terry watches closely and overcomes his trust issues. Its not unheard of in hockey circles. Doug Armstrong and Alex Steen are doing it right now in St. Louis. It certainly fits with the shuffle and Karmanos rumours, and with what we know about how Pegula and Adams operate.

But what about Randy Sexton? John Chayka? Doug McLean? Jay Feaster? Maybe you’re just looking in the wrong pile? 😜

See if I’m Boston, I look at a trade built around Byram for Lindholm given where the team is in terms of age and cycle. Don’t know that the Bruins will be looking to rebuild though, more likely reload. I’m confused. You dont think he’s getting traded?

I think with most of those teams you’d be talking trades, not offer sheets. I think the Filip Hronek trade (1st and 2nd in the mid teens) is a good comparable for Byram’s value in terms of picks. And really in terms of contract as well, once you add in capflation. This is the type of deal I see the Sabres chasing, either directly, or in 2 parts (like Mitts/Savoie for Byram/McLeod). They will bring in a more defensively oriented, slightly cheaper guy ready to play in the top 4 and kill penalties). It might not be a vet, more of a McLeod type. Think Braden Schneider.

I think it will be larger due to contract and chemistry situations. There are lots of teams who will see him as an upgrade to their current #3 over the next 7 years. Guys like Byram aren’t available that often. GMs will be fishing to see if they can make it fit.

Here are my biggest fears about not firing Adams now: You don’t get a fresh face in to deal with the looming Tuch, Peterka and Byram situations A new guy has a much better chance of convincing these guys to stay under a fresh regime than Kevyn would under a sinking ship. A new guy has less pressure to move these guys in a bad deal than Kevyn would under a sinking ship. Allowing Kevyn to fumble and fail now before getting fired at Christmas cements a desire in the heads of Dahlin and Thompson that its time for them to move on. Valuable development time for Levi, Kulich, Benson and Power is squandered in a toxic dressing room. Basically, I think there’s an opportunity cost to waiting. The longer you wait, the bigger the mess the next guy has to clean up: bigger cracks, depreciated assets.

It reeks of Kevyn, I want you to hire your replacement. Sounds like a great recipe for success. “More changes coming” More? That implies there have been some.

Don’t worry about Frondell, they said. He sucks but he’ll be gone well before 9, they said.

Calgary, Philadelphia, San Jose, Chicago, Nashville has Josi but he’s old and there’s no one else, Utah needs LD.

Except Mule was worse defensively than Byram was. This is not a defence of Byram, who the Sabres should not sign to the 8 by 8 deal in the OP. It’s an attempt to point out how the concept of Samuelsson does not match the reality. He was Dahlin’s worst partner and Power’s worst partner in xG% Everybody uses Dahlin’s presence to hand wave Byram. GF% Dahlin and Byram were 70%, Dahlin And Mule were 51.9%

Byram has switched agents. He’s dumped Kevin EPP (Juuse Saros, Peyton Krebs) and signed with Mitch Marner’s rep Daren Ferris, who also did Philip Broberg’s offer sheet escape from Edmonton. He gone.

So if I did the math right, signing these deals would allow the Sabres to run it back with a little under $1M left to sign a backup goalie. Signing them all to the 1-year projections would add another $7Mish.

Wonder if Tim Murray’s ready to give hockey another shot?

Where was this one reported and were they interested?

Updated for a reality check: One month after the 5th consecutive season without playoffs of the Kevyn Adams tenure and the second straight of going backwards. And they've swapped out the strength coach and hired a rookie management intern.

I had figured Okposo was going to get tapped for a role similar to what Staal just signed up for. He always struck me as a sharp guy with ambitions in that area. My inclination is to think he was sharp enough to decide there were better places to start his career than a questionable and precarious Kevyn Adams regime.

Karmanos was brought in by Adams and is (or at least has been) the #2 man in the hockey department. His future is entirely speculative, based - I believe entirely - on this paragraph in a Buffalo News story by Lance Lysowski. The Sabres have needed experienced advisers around Adams since he started, and associate general manager Jason Karmanos may not return to the organization in 2025-26, sources told The Buffalo News. He wasn’t involved in exit interviews

Matthew Barnaby, director of Mother’s Day celebrations and driving with three wheels.