DarthEbriate

Not the start to be hoped for. Need to begin the second with a fury.

Not a defender… Reinhart out of the lineup tonight. Stepping into the Panthers lineup: Jesper Boqvist. At this point, that’s the level of player I’m hoping Rosén is able to become.

More Beastmaster for Sabretooth purposes.

For the record, his playoff numbers currently stand at: 12 GP 7-5-0 2.35 GAA and .922 sv% He's consistent. For comparison, AHL playoff careers of some guys: Ullmark 0-3 5.5 GAA .800 sv% Lehner 14-4 2.1 GAA .939 Miller 13-13 2.37 GAA .916

Rock/paper/scissors through the portal of time.

Which would be fine if the coach had been willing to play them together at the beginning and ending of the season and if the GM hadn't already locked up Power to an $8M+ deal with a redundant skill set. You can always bridge him and hope that he doesn't get a(n internal) cap-wrecking offer sheet that allows sufficient money remaining for the guy to play with Power.

Which means... the Sabres are better than Florida! All we have to do is make the playoffs and ECF and face the Panthers and we're good to go.

Thus far he's stayed very healthy and he's a top-pairing guy. He won't sign here, but that's beside the point. It's summer. It's the season of miracles. If available, I take this chance. He immediately makes Dahlin a Norris-capable d-man. Buy out Muel (or put him on the 3rd pair where he belongs). It doesn't solve the lack of a partner for Power, but it gives the team an immediate top all-situations d-zone man. He'd also provide a mentor for Novikov who will make his debut next season and eventually play the same role.

You either extend Tuch this summer or you trade him with a year remaining so you can get a real return on him with a lineup player and picks. You just need to be ready to make him the highest paid forward on the roster (even if only by a little so he's breaking 8). If you aren't willing to do that, trade him to Vegas for a D-man, watch him replace Stone and rule the dark golden side of the galaxy as father and son.... Jackikin Eichwalker and Tuch Icewalker on the same line. I put the emphasis on Tuch being lost as part of the hypothesized Bennett/Marchand/Cuylle additions. If you lose Tuch, then the Marchand addition is basically moot because Marchand is a rental who will provide diminishing games/offense and retire within 3 years. The window and reason to add Marchand is because you then have Cuylle-TNT-Marchand and Benson-Bennett-Tuch for two seasons to go wreck some teams.

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.