Brawndo

Friedman mentioned Chuck Fletcher for this role on 32 Thoughts Podcast yesterday

If the Sabres lose possession of the puck with Quinn on the ice, he will spend the rest of shift trying to get the puck back. He and Benson are pain in the ***** to play against that works for me

Waddell will be allowed to sit at the Columbus Draft Table in Vegas as he had little input in the Carolina Draft process.

No worries-Mrs Brawndo has me doing a year’s worth of projects during mine severance time. I have to start my new job to relax.

Friedman reporting Disco Dan is the new HC in Seattle

Jason Nightengale shouldn’t get any type of promotion, if anything he should be removed from the front office entirely. He and Jerry Forton are two of the least impressive members of the front office and have their positions because of Pegula Nepotism. Giving credit for the Sabres improved drafting over the past few seasons to Forton is the equivalent of giving all the credit for a group project to the person who did the least amount of work. Luca Del Bel Belluz was the Sabres Front Office consensus pick for Pick 41 in 2022, when all of a sudden Topias Leinonen was the name announced. The true sign of a person’s value to a front office is other organizations requesting interviews for open positions, both Jason Karmanos and Sam Ventura have interviewed wit( other teams. Nightengale and Forton have not. A restructured front office should look like POHO-Adams/Ruff or Ruff as Senior Advisor GM Jason Karmanos Associate GM Sam Ventura

Friedman and Marek spoke on 32 Thoughts about Tulsky and how he is heavily involved in every decision that the front office makes as Dundon listens to him. They wonder if any outside GM candidate would want to enter into this arrangement and felt that removing the Interim Tag from him would be a good option

Tulsky is reason for Carolina’s Success

My bet is he ends up in Columbus. In the extremely unlikely event he ends up in Buffalo, would it be as POHO?

Don Waddell has resigned as Canes GM. Eric Tulsky is the interim GM

Cirelli is a cost controlled asset for seven years, that would fill the role of 3C on this team. That alone could entice Adams to move assets as he would be on the team for awhile. His highest offensive output was 45 points, but he is a very good defensive forward, he would be the match up center that the Sabres are lacking. His age and experience would be a huge plus for the club. In terms of not trading in the division, BriseBois has not had a first round pick since 2022 and is not scheduled to pick in the first two rounds until 2026. The Sabres will to pay a higher price, but have the assets to do so. This type of move would be out of character for Adams, but then so was the Byram Trade

If Anthony Cirelli is really available that’s a perfect target for a trade

Back to back has a nice ring to it

This is where your analytics department should come in and find diamonds in rough. They do need to add some more pro scouts having Jeremiah Crowe as the Director of Pro Scouting because he is the only one in the department isn’t it. I do think this has at least partially contributed to the poor UFA acquisitions.

Actually he didn’t. Buffalo was always his priority based on his relationship with Nathan Paetsch. He wanted to enjoy his college graduation and spend some time with family and friends that was the delay in his signing. The addition of Byram changes the dynamic of the defense corps as that is another left handed puck moving defender. RJ might like an another opportunity where there is clearer pathway to a regular NHL job. For the right deal, Adams does not hesitate to move him

Evolving Hockey’s Model had Laughton in the one percentile for defensive metrics this past season. Even on a bad team putting up that number in a Torts System is a major red flag. Here’s Skinner Player Card for comparison

Ryan Johnson is most likely to be the first defensive prospect traded imo

Buffalo has one of the most exciting groups of young talent in the NHL, with Tage Thompson, Dylan Cozens, Rasmus Dahlin and JJ Peterka supplemented by Owen Power, Zach Benson, Jack Quinn, Peyton Krebs and Bowen Byram. All of these players are either locked up long-term or under team control as restricted free agents. In some ways, this makes Ehlers a perfect fit: Buffalo could absorb his $6 million AAV in 2024-25, while not being tied to it the following season — which just so happens to be when Peterka, Quinn and Byram will all need new contracts. The Sabres played to a positive goal differential last season, despite missing the playoffs by seven points. They’re an intriguing mix of on the way up and in need of improvement, whether it comes from their own development or an upgrade like Ehlers. Buffalo also has the top prospect pool in the NHL and all of its own picks in the first four rounds of the next three drafts, offering a ton of options for futures-based trades. Matthew Fairburn has recently written about the possibility of Buffalo moving the No. 11 pick. That’s where things get tricky, though. It’s easy to talk about that pick or to covet prospects like Noah Östlund. That calibre of prospect seems like a difficult ask for one year of Ehlers’ services. Matthew Savoie would have intrigue, too, but also seems like the sort of prospect Buffalo would resist moving. The undersized overager tore apart the WHL last season. Defencemen Ryan Johnson, Nikita Novikov and Maxim Strbak may also have appeal to the Jets, whose prospect pool is deeper up front than on the back end.

Jason Payne, HC of the Cincinnati Cyclones should get some consideration