DarthEbriate

I just don't think Pettersson is the best player they could add, by trade or by free agency. I think he'll have good seasons but his career best is already past and his solid value production days are another contract into the future. In between he'll be a Matt Duchene or a Ryan Johanson. Good players... but overpaid, and if you really overpaid them, then you'll be sorely disappointed.

So... move Power or Samuelsson (or buy him out while he's so cheap). The finances will work. In 2 years, at the halfway point of Dahlin's contract, his percentage of the cap will be 9.69%, which is very close to what Hedman's cap percentage was when Tampa won their back-to-back Cups (9.66% with a $7.875M salary to 81.5 cap ceiling. After that there will be 4 more seasons where the cap could be even higher with expansion. The resources will be there. Now, whether Adams/Pegula can effectively put that cap to reasonable use for the rest of the roster, I'll agree with you there. But Dahlin making money isn't really a negative. The no one wins the Cup with a $10M/year salary days are long over; Eichel busted that. Then Bob did. And this year someone will do it again.

Whoops, I didn't expand on that enough. My bad. By full potential I meant -- when they drafted him if he had achieved his maximum homerun swing potential, maybe even grew another inch or two, and basically was a diamond in the rough. I agree: now his ceiling is a responsible 3W with an above-average shot, which can be a good player -- like an Evan Rodrigues (who floats up the lineup without any problems) and should never cost you that much in salary unless you sign him UFA the season after he wins a Cup and has several clutch moments and your team needs "winners" and "leadership".

Pettersson is a damaged 1C (being shopped???) before the NMC kicks in on a ton of money and term. He is very much like Eichel pre-surgery in Buffalo. The difference is that Vegas was a bona fide Cup contender and was missing a 1C. The Sabres are a draft lottery that was a strong-run-down-the-stretch away from picking #4 overall instead of #9. Pettersson doesn't solve all their problems and his repaired knee means he'll likely never have the burst he once did. This guy is not "Taylor Hall makes us contenders!" level. For $11.6M and 7 more years, I need the player to be the best player on the team and set the tone night-in and night-out. I don't think EP is that guy. I'd rather use pick #9 on McQueen, Martin, Bear than use it + Norris to acquire Pettersson.

Kyrou consistently puts up powerplay points, which JJP hasn't really managed yet (limited sample size). However, Kyrou is another soft-checking winger. Is he a full-potential Rosen? I think Peterka has a higher upside than Kyrou and would meet it on a team with structure and expectations (even if misguided, given their division), like St. Louis. Like, Kyrou doesn't fit them and is a 70-point player. JJP would be an 80-point player with them through his prime. And then it's a question of how long does it take him to play defense well enough to win a playoff series -- the same question the Sabres would need to find the answer to (if they ever made it).

There is one critical different between Vegas' use of LTIR and the Sabres. Vegas has a roster good enough to make the playoffs without Mark Stone in it.

Dahlin and TNT would've been traded long ago and Pegula would be icing an AHL team at the cap floor, with a coach he didn't have a personal connection to, to do that. This is worse. They're just this inept and haven't really learned anything about roster construction after 14 years of ownership. They've made a couple strides in the last couple years: they're trying to slowly build around a couple very good players (Dahlin, TNT), they found a good middle six player (McLeod) and haven't lost him yet, and I think Ruff's input last year finally showed that roster roles are more important than friendships and potential (keeping Zucker/Greenway, but moving Cozens). Still no clue with goaltending, defensive defensemen, or center strength -- you had ROR and Eichel (and Reinhart, who's proven to be a wing) and were like... nah, let's go with TNT (a winger) and Mittelstadt, who the coaches didn't like enough to start the season on the active roster over an 18 year-old Cozens, and Cozens himself who will also probably prove to be a wing in the long run.

No one is going to build a team around him or mistake him for an offensive dynamo, but Rodrigues is defensively sound and an excellent complementary piece to a line. This season, he spent the bulk of his time with Barkov-Reinhart. Then, last night, he was in the opening lineup with Tkachuk-Bennett, knowing that McDavid-Draisaitl was going to play together from the first shift.

This is the way leverage. Adams/Pegula are vocal, and have honored, that if you have asked for a trade -- they will move you. Then, you bide your time. To expedite it, JJP and his agent could agree to only a one-year deal with the Sabres or only a one-year offer sheet (which the Sabres can match). Then, continue with the trade demand and play well to up the value. ---- There is a nuclear option. Demand a trade, then sit out. If they don't cave by Dec 1, he could take the season off and play in Germany. The Sabres will trade him (or in Nylander's situation, give him the giant contract); they can't afford this kind of tarnish on their franchise because they'll be right back in rebuild mode and all the players will be just waiting to leave. This will decrease his value temporarily, but he's 23 and a solid NHL season -- in a non-Buffalo location -- will re-up his value quickly for a good contract. Whenever he does get free, he can also state: it's not about the money, it's about playing for a franchise that wants to win. GMs will eat that up and be happy to get him a solid prove-it deal (2 or 3 years, $4Mish) and he can get one big contract at age 28. Everyone around the league will just say, "That's Buffalo and Pegula/Adams being who they are. Don't blame the players who were in Buffalo, they can go on to great things once they're free." All this to say, I hope he signs with the Sabres, and then gets the coaching and teammates and structure who help him become a 200' player and consistent scorer.

The other option we haven't really seen explored (JBD skated 13:55 minutes with Byram) last season, would be to go full #1 and just trade (or buy out) Samuelsson. The problem is -- you're replacing a semi-experienced PKer (Muel --- even though they stunk with Muel on the PK) with another young guy because you can't afford a veteran if Byram gets a sizeable contract. Power - Dahlin Byram - JBD Johnson - Clifton (Bryson) I don't like this approach, but if there's anyone who can bring out the best in Power, it's the guy who makes everyone look good. The sustained times we saw Power-Dahlin was trailing late in the 3rd and with an empty net (they had a 69.3 Corsi For% together which is good, but 5 GF and 8 GA together, which is bad, but empty-netters would've accounted for most of the latter. Edit: Yup. Dahlin-Power together with their goalie pulled 0 GF, 3 GA. Byram-Dahlin together with the goalie pulled 3 GF, 5 GA, so at least it worked a few times.

I don't want Rust. Rakell would be OK, but that's just Tuch insurance. Getting Rakell means Tuch walks next summer and I think that's a significant downgrade to the roster. Now -- Rakell, plus a trade return for Tuch might be an improvement-- but that'd be very dependent on the return. Sheevyn is not a skilled GM, but I think you can take solace in that I don't think he needs to be worried about his job. He listens to Pegula and that's all that he needs to do to stay involved at the highest level within this organization.

Bridge all the RFAs to two-year deals; get a Tuch extension in place. Get past the Skinner $6M hit season. Move upstairs to a cushy POHO gig with a nice salary. Let the next GM sort it all out in 2027, so long as the kudos go to the all-powerful Sheevyn. Ride that Power Timeline. Power will turn 25 in November 2027 and be entering his prime, and he'll be better defensively and more Powerful than any of us on the Power Play. Appert will unlock his true Concept of the Cup. It is unavoidable. I have foreseen it.

The Sabres side of the McNabb trade tree ended (DesLauriers, Fasching) as such: D Zach Redmond played 3 games for Buffalo, 3 seasons in total for Rochester, and left for the DEL. D Brandon Hickey played parts of 2 seasons in Rochester and is still in the AHL today with Henderson. RW Mike Sislo never played for Rochester and retired in 2020. This is how McNabb ends, this is how McNabb ends, this is how McNabb ends. Not with a Redmond, nor with a Hickey. Fun fact: With the two 2nd round picks Los Angeles ALSO received, they selected Alex Lintuniemi in 2014 and Eric Cernak in 2015. Funner fact: The next pick taken after Lintuniemi was the Sabres with pick #1 of the third round: Jonas Johanson. The 4th pick of that 2014 3rd round: Brandon Hickey! But before you feel bad, don't worry about the picks the Sabres took in the 2014 draft. If they had had an additional 2nd it wouldn't have mattered because this was the draft of Lemieux, Cornel, and Karabacek. And in 2015, they took Brendan Guhle. Just lots of hits in the second those seasons.

Bryson's games played by season in his career: 38, 73, 59, 36, 48. He's currently the 7D, which plays a ton more than 15 games per season barring incredible team health. (This team employs Samuelsson.)

McLeod is best cast as a 3C. But I'd say he wasn't in over his head when temporarily elevated (caveat: in the regular season, on this roster). He was solid backfilling for TNT on the California trip and I'd argue he should have been the 2C in terms of ice time from November onwards, while moving Cozens down the lineup/to wing, rather than sending McLeod down the lineup (between Malenstyn/Lafferty/NAK where he surprisingly scored no goals for awhile). Ruff should have realized that way before the trade deadline -- he did and commented on the poor center play of TNT/Cozens -- but there was Cozens still playing center in the starting lineup the entire time (except one game 11/1). Per the bold, based on the duplicity of Dahlin/Power/Byram, Byram may be a better player than McLeod, but McLeod has a role on the team that no one else currently fills. Byram can't get to play his preferred role because of two #1 picks (one of whom carries everyone, the other who... Byram may be better than, but won't be given a chance to show).

My worst fear is that Jeff Skinner, Evander Kane, Jake McCabe, Nic DesLauriers, and Hudson Fasching all end up with their name on the Stanley Cup while Sheevyn is still the leader of the Hockey Ops department with the Sabres and is the one direct conduit to ownership and churns thorough GMs who listen to the master for eternity.

The full trade was Mitts, Zellers, and a 2nd for Coyle and a 2026 6th. Coyle has one year remaining on his deal. If the Avs win the Cup in 2026 with Coyle on the roster, I assume they'll have no regrets about the trade either. He could also extend and give them years of service. We shall have to wait and see.

Because the refs weren’t going to even up the penalties in the 2nd period and then swallow the whistles with 10 minutes to go in the third. (Exempting delay of game.) I agree. I’d be more upset they didn’t come out in the 2nd and incite chaos and try to get 5 more goals to break their spirit.

Mikkola can’t let that go to his head. And this is why you dress Jeff Skinner!

Draisaitl takes care of it.

I do love the fans still begging for a penalty call. Arms thrown wide!

Bennett making more money, almost had another goal.

Skinner and Frederic almost had it.

We’re Sabres fans. We could all use a hug for going on 50 years. And at least 26.

To me, he’s royalty! I’m waiting to use that one.