DarthEbriate

Hang on while I put on my Sheevyn Hood. This hood bestows me with unlimited Power and a couple key assumptions: I suck at my job. I will be employed at my job forever until the owner changes. The seeming contradictions of the above statements means I'm basically a failson and can behave as one. My entire career is tied to the timelines of Power and Levi, neither of whom I've given the slightest assistance at the start of a season. On defense, I trade Byram because I need the money for my parents, and I sign Ekblad in UFA to 7x$9M or 6x$10M. Basically, an open checkbook for whatever it takes. This is a terrible contract (see 1) and will not age well, but it is my desperation move that maybe Ekblad can show Power and Muel the ropes before his body crumbles, which is something I don't need to worry about (2). The PED is a warning flag, the lack of games played in recent years is another, but hey... I tried. Trades are hard.

For Cuylle, my follow through was to ship them Quinn for the return of BUF 2nd (and whatever else balances out the trade). But Cuylle will take much more than 4.67 to pry from New York. The 2nd-only level is easy for the Rangers to match and then still re-sign RFA K'Andre Miller. You need to break 7M so that they're forced to take the picks rather than match. Otherwise, you just make Drury's job easy. The potential problems are threefold: 1) the owner is still living in an EEE world where the cap is not necessarily their cap; 2) Tuch can sign an extension beginning this summer and doesn't owe this team/leadership a hometown discount (and the NHLPA and his agent can tell him he's worth $9+); and 3) Skinner's buyout is going to cut $6.444 off the cap in the first year that Tuch's extension is due + Benson's 2nd contract (possibly a bridge, but not if he breaks out). Like I said, you can always move Power, because unless he's a D-zone stud and getting PP2 to click at 22% or better, he probably can't earn his contract's expectations until the back half of its term when the cap is high enough.

High-volume shots and puck possession Carolina team (2nd overall in shots all year, 23 shots behind Edmonton)... 10 shots with 10 minutes remaining in regulation in what could be their final home game of the season.... That's probably not going to cut it.

Where would you rather work? New hire Jeff Blashill who is getting his 2nd HC stint after serving as an assistant with Tampa for multiple seasons. GM Davidson who blew up the last remnants of the old guard and is now in the very beginning of a rebuild around: Connor Bedard and #3 OA inbound this season. OR Lame duck Lindy Ruff who is (retiring? moving upstairs?) next season, with next HC Appert all but appointed already by Emperor GM-for-Life Sheevyn who is in year 5 of a 10-year rebuild around Owen Power, and established stars in Dahlin and TNT who should be demanding trades beginning next summer.

But the math is important. You're starting with $24M in cap space with no RFAs accounted for. You have $31M with Norris out. Bennett, Marchand, and Cuylle, I'm saying conservatively, because of the Adams/Pegula historical ineptitude, is $23M. A top-4 RHD to be the guide for Power is... $6M plus? You're basically out of space for JJP, McLeod, and even JBD. Tuch is gone the following summer. And that's without fixing the goalie situation. Now, you're creating lineup gaps for a 37 year-old Marchand, a 1C (by pay) whose career high is 51 points, and a young power forward who plays the right way, but is still a lottery ticket just like JJP/Quinn/Kulich/Benson (all of whom are more inexpensive in their next contract - if bridged).

I put it in one of the many other threads, but if he's willing to embrace the hatred and join the Sabres out of spite/anger at the Leafs, then he's welcome to join. He gets a chance to one-up them and stick it to them on an annual basis, but still stay close to the area. Alas, mind tricks don't work for Sabres, only money! The issue is... why would any top-UFA choose to sign with Adams? The Pegula-new-owner-shine and big money that enticed Leino/Ehrhoff/Moulson and initially ROR has long since evaporated and for all good reasons. All you get now are 1-year trade-me Taylor Hall deals (and Zucker although he re-signed, the concept was the same). Would he make the team better? Yes. Does signing him basically kick Tuch long-term-extension off the table? Also, yes. It forces JJP to be bridged. And where does TNT play then, left wing? So is JJP one-and-done with arbitration? Is it a long-term win to have Marner and still only a bunch of unproven centers and ever-injured Norris in the top 6? It's a fun conversation.

It's a fun roster, but I don't think it remains cap-compliant given the Buffalo Tax that Adams/Pegula have caused for this team through their decade of ineptitude. They have $91.056M cap space to work with after the Skinner buyout (90.3 if Samuelsson is also bought out). To join Buffalo, Bennett needs low 1C money and term (7x$8M) for his one career payday -- on the worst of non-contenders. Likewise, Marchand is not taking some discount here... so 2x$7M+. To ensure getting the Rangers to drop Cuylle means going over the 7.1M threshold and that 1st,2nd,3rd trio. At least $6M for the Top 4 RHD and $5M for the goalie (minor $ increase from UPL, who'd have to be traded). I may be a bit low with the UFA estimates. It definitely requires bridging JJP and McLeod, and probably sacrifices Tuch long-term for just a couple seasons of end-career Marchand.

He can be punted at any time.

The passivity is what has me off of O'Brien as well. Notably, I read/heard him best described as a reactive playmaker. A good playmaker, but overly patient and waiting for the defender to make the first move and then reacting to it, something that works with the juniors but will take time to unlearn against adults who will gladly take away your time and space. This system needs an influx of aggressors, agitators, and proactive players who force the game on the opponent.

I’m afraid his mulligans quota was reached and breached some time ago. Leino, Ehrhoff’s first season of contract (the player was fine), PLF, Murray, suffering, Rex Ryan, Rolston and Sabres U, Krueger, refusing to pay ROR a bonus, trading Eichel, EEE and axing a AHL and scouting staff to pay for a boat, Appert and Wilford still employed. GM searches and head coach searches of 0 interviews beyond Adams and Ruff. How many mulligans are you offering?

You can’t get rid of Wilford. He helps coach the Buffalo Jr Sabres. Just like you can’t get rid of Appert because he’s the next HC and comes from the USNTDP.

Except Leino. Leino was a playoff stud. 😇😇😇

Unless he's a spiteful person. Then, he could sign under market value with the Sabres just to piss off the Leafs fans and organization. That'd be fine. Edit: If he lets the hate flow through him, only then I can add him to my might be interested list. If it's about money/term and giving himself the best chance at making the playoffs, then he won't consider the GMKA/Pegula avenue anyway.

I think this plays right into the hands of GMKA/Pegula. Matching an offer sheet makes Adams’ job easy. And if it’s too pricey he takes the draft picks instead and complains about how hard it is to make deals and blah blah blah about people needing to want to be here. Anything that goes to 1-year in arbitration is just pushing the can down the road to next year.

You mean 9 years ago when we earned Okposo the big Sabres UFA contract against a Panthers team that was years from becoming what we know them as now? And who then disappeared in the second round against Tampa? He’s not the chosen one. He’s a 3C now.

True. But none of the ex-Sabres were brought in at UFA max plus prices to be the savior. Even Eichel who was definitely a missing piece, was just a guy. Marner or Tavares would be hailed as this team’s best and maybe highest paid player (Marner, Tavares would be cheaper than TNT). But they’re not that. They aren’t the key guy, either of them.

No ex-Leafs. They’re losers. And the point totals in the regular season are irrelevant has-been stats because their core four was great — in the regular season. Big deal. Marner is a complimentary piece on a winning roster. He’s not deserving of 10+ and being the centerpiece.

I don’t want Tavares. He's not a playoff winner. The Sabres need someone who is a winner to be the other Zucker on the squad. Preferably at RHD. Sheevyn is here forever until he stops listening. It’s the worst part of the whole situation.

I dunno. We Packers fans are pretty bad.

The forwards also play defense. But the D-corps is too young. If they wait until Dahlin is in his 2nd to last year of his contract, then Power will finally be entering his prime. But therein lies the problem. That’s the plan. That’s it: lock them up long term and eventually Power will be good enough to warrant the long term deal because you’ll have 2 ice-tilting D-men skating 50 minutes every regular season game and more in playoffs. There is no rush to get to the playoffs before then. There is no goalie plan to be in the playoffs in the next two seasons. It’s just wait and see. That’s the plan. And if that fails because Ottawa becomes a juggernaut… or if Levi isn’t Miller or better… then GMKA and Darth Pegulas the Wise have no other workaround except to blow it up again because Dahlin and TNT will request out.

If Quinn were traded. (And Byram or Power for a revitalized playoff-capable 2nd pair RHD) would you offer Marchand a 2yr $6M contract to be a middle 2RW behind Tuch?

Who has more ex-Sabres? The logical matchup for the Final is Oilers-Panthers. But Lyubushkin v. McCabe would be intriguing. Because clearly the Sabres had no use for a bottom 4 checking/PK defenseman… ever. Just not Carolina this year.

This is the logical choice to move. If the brass is good with some center spine of Norris-Thompson-McLeod-Kulich-Krebs, it’s going to push someone to right wing, then he’s the one guy that doesn’t fit in the lineup in a bottom 6 winger role. You can keep him as a 4th line Kotalik PP/shootout specialist, but you’re going to need to play much better team defense to ensure many more overtimes and shootouts. Thus far, that has not been his deployment.