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DarthEbriate

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Posts posted by DarthEbriate

  1. There is no bigger laughingstock (*Coyotes) around the league than the Sabres.

    It was Edmonton and their lack of ability to do anything with all those #1 picks. They still have their struggles and had to fire a coach this very season: but if they're in town you can at least see two of the best forwards in the game and they've finished 2nd in their division 5 years and counting. Chicago has a sullied championship, but they had a great team on the ice. The Sens had a late owner who openly had an internal cap, so at least everyone knew what their goals were (and they still went to the ECF).

    Other teams have had questionable blips (Minnesota purposefully going into cap hell for 3 seasons, Columbus currently trying to piledrive its way into the void), but no other team is close at the moment.

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  2. 25 minutes ago, thewookie1 said:

    Well, next year even with a 4mil contract for UPL and 2 mil for a backup we'd be at 6M total which is effectively dead center. 

    But that's just it. There has been nothing to indicate that the Sabres have any desire to pay starter/backup comparable salaries.

     

    With this GM (EEE), they don't spend anywhere near market. 

    Contrast our spending with two teams that have been actively winding down and outright tanking the last 3 seasons to get Bedard/Celebrini. These goalies aren't their future, but they have proven NHL vets (Mrazek, for example) who can weather the storm and play consistently. And in some cases, they're retaining or buying out contracts for picks/assets.

    None of these teams (BUF,SJS,CHI,DET) has paid a goalie $5M+ cap hit to skew the numbers.

    SJS
    21-22: $8.841M
    22-23: $9.9M
    23-24: $11.99M

    CHI
    21-22: $6.93M
    22-23: $7.135M (while winning Bedard)
    23-24: $6.57M (Still actively tanking. They've also had perfect goalie health this season: only 4 goalie contracts for the entire organization.)

    Or Detroit, whose rise/track has been battling with the Sabres:

    DET
    21-22: $9.89M
    22-23: $10.175M
    23-24: $9.637M

  3. Granato deserves credit for turning the kid forwards (including Skinner) back around after the Krueger debacle. That job is done and so should his be. And his staff isn't an NHL staff, so purge 'em, Sheevyn. Do it. 80% (estimated, I'm not looking it up) of the roster has played for Team Canada, Team USA, Team Sweden, and Team Finland. They know how to play and can adapt to coaches.

    Granato still doesn't have the team ready in the 1st, encourage any physicality or finishing of checks, work on the refs like I work in Star Wars references, design a powerplay beyond setting up TNT for a one-timer, match lines at home, or know when to take a timeout or make a goalie switch (though it appeared he learned these last two late last season and then forgot this year). And more recently, apparently, his practices are slow-paced and players don't break a sweat when they should be faster, more intense, to prepare the team with playoff expectations.

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  4. TL;DR? Don't be surprised if UPL gets a low-ball $2.75M bridge offer and then walks as a UFA or is traded… only to have a solid NHL career elsewhere with a real starter's salary. 

     

    EEE has been the mandate in the GM Sheevyn era. Courtesy of Spotrac, here are the total cap hits of the Sabres goalies in those seasons. This isn't the starter/backup tandem, this cap number is for the entire franchise. They're trying to do the equivalent of trying to win in the NFL with a rookie QB contract -- but not having invested the additional money elsewhere, like say a top-5 veteran defense (but that would require all the forwards [and coaching] to also be great at defense), etc.

    20-21
    CH 2.75, LU 2.6, DT .725, JJ (no cap hit retained, .03 salary), MH .7, SL* .7
    Sheevyn inherits one year on Hutton's (post-eye injury) contract.
    Combined Cap: $7.475M

    21-22
    CA .75, DT .725, MH .75, AD .75, UPL .778, MS .85 
    Sheevyn doesn't extend or trade Ullmark and appears to have no plan whatsoever other than sign players to $750k contracts (Tokarski rues signing the year before). Retired Craig Anderson unretires, plays well... and earns another contract!
    Combined Cap: $4.603M

    22-23
    BB 4.9, UPL .8375, DL .925, EC 1.8, CA 1.5, MS .85, MH .75
    Bishop's actual salary paid this season was only $3.5. WeeeEEE!
    Trivia: Who is the highest paid goalie in a single season of the GM Sheevyn era? Ben Bishop
    Prospect note: There was no room in this goalie pool for Portillo (equivalent AHL numbers to Levi this season) to get a contract offer [and yes, the writing was on the wall who was the franchise's preferred rookie in DL].
    Combined Cap: $11.525M to hit cap floor.  Non-LTIR: $6.6625M

    23-24
    EC 1.8, DL .925, UPL .8375, DC N/A, DT .775 
    (Curious side notes: Michael Houser hasn't been signed to an NHL deal this season... yet! And Toker gets his $25k make up as an honorary 750.)
    Combined Cap: $4.3375M

     

    *SL=Stefanos Lekkas

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  5. 1 hour ago, Weave said:

    How did our savior look?  Is it time to start carving the statue?

    It was eerily similar to his first game back in the lineup this season after the Achilles' injury (9-4 trouncing by Columbus). The team was happy to have him back and... promptly disappeared.

    Odd stat outlier: Quinn has 3GP v. Ottawa this season and is -8 with 1 assist.

    15 GP 5-6-11 and +6 against everyone else.

    • Like (+1) 1
  6. 1 hour ago, Pimlach said:

    Tage is our 1C.  He is paid like a  1C, and he gets 1C minutes.  He is having an injury riddled off year.  Even Gil Perreault had a few.   

    I disagree with the Tage is not a 1C talk.  What we need is a center good enough to be 2 or 3, another one for 3or 4.  But that would block Krebs so we won’t make those moves.   We have a pipeline filled with centers but most likely non are ready by next season.  

    I know at the end of last season there was a lot of talk on this board about Tage as a top 10 center, or at least -- where does he fit in the top centers in the NHL?

    Sadly, I just don't see it. A true 1C is capable of going out against every other team's top line and their top defensive pairing (and alternately, their best checking line) in all 3 zones for a 7-game series and being even or better in those matchups. I don't care about salary, term, or age. To me, it's "who can win a 7-game series that starts tonight?".

    He's... maybe in the 15-20 range? His game is blistering powerplay goals from the circle and 5-on-5 scoring on rushes. But the jam, the undeniable overwhelming force being imposed on the opposition, any defensive prowess, the after-the-whistle unfazed bravado, even the ability to win a faceoff... those aren't TNT. There are a host of centers I'd take before him.

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  7. 2 hours ago, LabattBlue said:

    Answer to the problem…
     

    1 - Pegula sells the team

    2 - New Owner fires Adams, Granato and all of his assistants.

    3 - New Owner hires experienced hockey man to be PoHO.

    4 - PoHO hires experienced GM, who in turn hires an experienced HC(at the NHL level).

    5 - GM & HC determine that this isn’t a playoff roster, and setup a plan to fix it. No one is untouchable…NO ONE.  

    6 - Playoffs are the minimum goal in 24-25.  

    Any GM you hire is going to sell the owner on a minimum 2-year window to get "his/her team" on the ice via trade/UFA (and likely 3 years). If the owner counters that the GM has one year to make the playoffs, the GM will walk away from the job offer.

    Flip-flopping GM directions too quickly is how you get a heavy GMTM lineup replaced by an all-speed puck-moving defense JBott lineup with no continuity and another hard reset.

    • Disagree 1
  8. 1 hour ago, R_Dudley said:

    I am in the NFW group unless a complete coaching clean house is done and replaced with a competent group. Not sure Adams is capable of that though.

    He's totally capable. That was his very first act as GM.

     

    I'll say yes just to be a contrarian. UPL/Levi, healthy Quinn, Muel on the 3rd pair with Clifton. Replace Jost and VO with energy/attitude guys.

  9. 1 hour ago, Buffalonill said:

    This is sad.

    I honestly thought Both would be regulars by now

    Was this because of the non-blocking approach? Kulich and Rosen are 19 and 20, respectively, this season. The Sabres have had so many top picks and rushed prospects that we are accustomed to it. There's nothing wrong with them filling out a bit as adults and showing up more ready to go at 20-21, even 22. They'll both see some NHL time next season in Buffalo or elsewhere.

    The age-related coincidence is that this season 18 year-old Benson is the one who blocked them.

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