DarthEbriate

This is incorrect. I did the numbers probably the season before last -- everyone fit under their then-current contracts, even Skinner and Ullmark. Post ROR: If you chose to continue the patient build around Eichel, Reinhart, Tage, and Montour (and Dahlin, Ullmark) --- rather than rebuild around Dahlin and EEE --- you probably don't have Power (didn't re-tank and finish last -- or if you did still have that awful season, you'd have bridged him for cost because you were already paying Montour to be 2D/PP2 but at less than Power is making now). You could always have traded for Tuch in a separate deal if you loved him and Granato could've still convinced Adams to trade for Greenway when MIN was selling him with other assets (I'm including because he was acquired with a 2nd from the Eichel deal).

The inclusion of Joker and Clifton is an important summary for folks to stay mindful of. Kesselring is physical and he's big -- and he won't run around as much to make hits like Clifton did. But he's not some intimidating, bruising force who is going wreck everyone (fewer hits/game than Muel). Timmins is bigger, but he's less physical and throws fewer hits than Jokiharju did. And Joker was the guy Ruff publicly didn't like and wanted to be more physical (not Power). This doesn't prevent the defense from dramatically improving from last season -- but the defense more dependent on the forwards and goalies than the changes to the D-corps from last year to this. ---- And I like it: Everyone's a year older!

Although, I do want the GM to be using the folks around him to identify players they trust and who would fit the direction (if any) of the team. I want him listening to Ruff and Jarmo (Danforth) and Granato... Appert, meh. I'd rather he listen to the hockey guys than to Pegula. It's what Adams spends to acquire or retain them that gets him into real trouble. Just with Malenstyn as an example. A 2nd to attain a 4W is very high (unless he's a proven veteran and you're renting him for the playoffs because you're a contender). Now, Malenstyn was underwhelming last season, but got deployed as 4W instead of how WSH had used him as a 3W in terms of minutes. (And the Sabres revamped 4th + sloppy defense + goaltending meant he was pretty poor overall.)

Looks like McKenna is headed to Penn State. Pegula finally gets his #1 pick forward. It'd be nice if all Penn State upgrade money could get thrown at the Sabres cap the past five years.

That would be my hope, too, but if Byram isn't on the team, I can only believe we'll see a breakup of Samuelsson-Dahlin when I see it. I'm going by Timmins' career usage. He's been an O-zone start guy until his 17-game stint with PIT when he was at 46.2% O-zone starts, so there's a chance he can be a defensive-focused guy. But I don't put much stock in that small sample size with a Pittsburgh team that was like Buffalo at the end: facing backups, playing easy against disinterested teams, and had Crosby willing them to finish strong. Historically, he's a solid 3rd pair guy.

If Geertsen makes the Sabres roster for more than a handful of games as a callup this season*, then something is seriously wrong with the roster (beyond the other things that are wrong with the roster -- re: every other active thread on the 'Space). *Like Lyon gets run and Muel does nothing and then next game they have Geertsen called up in a pointless display "we're going to be tougher now" and Geertsen has a fight in his first game, skates 5:00 each night for a few more, and then disappears back to the AHL as the team toughness is forgotten. He's an AHL enforcer. The Amerks can use that. It's a good signing for them.

I'm glad that Adams understands the rules around arbitration and has blocked an offer sheet. Of course, no team was going to try to give Byram some 4 firsts mega-contract, so the whole "protecting against OS" isn't really an issue unless Byram was the last person to sign and JJP was the Sabres' RFA. The is plenty of cap space for all 3 remaining RFAs. It goes back to: If leadership didn't see Byram as part of the future, they should have traded him before the draft/UFA when more teams had cap space and lots of flexibility. Even if some of the return is futures (because the teams that might want him are playoff contenders), then you have the surplus futures assets to go get a now player. If leadership sees him as part of the future (even if only 2 years), then they should have bridged him months ago so you can plan more accurately. If Byram is on the roster, Timmins being yet another offense-first guy (very limited PK work until last season), even if he's big and strong, isn't a need. You could prioritize a different big RHD. And, if you believe in Timmins as a PK dynamo now that he's entering his prime, you can still get him, too. But you would already know he's a #6 because your top 4 is locked.

We're at the 2026 draft already? Did we sim the entire season?

Which is perfect, because Adams (who will still be GM), can then trade him for a cost-controlled player who is a RFA in 2028. The circle is complete.

All he has to do is say, "Trade me." Adams will. But maybe by then Power will have grown up and... Levi... anyway... We can't worry on this particular asset or fear it walking away or being carelessly tossed away by Adams just yet. He's working on his game like any non-first round college kid would be.... But he's definitely progressing. (And it's going to take him an extra year to graduate.)

Before last season -- yes. He can leap the pond in 2027-28, if he wishes. It's the Kaprizov route (minus the exception 1st line/All-Star status, of course) for his age 24-25 season.

The other issue is that many center prospects (even great ones like Reinhart) convert to wing and play there in the NHL. They had several center prospects but: Kulich is up, Savoie is moved, Kozak could make the squad this season - but tracks as a 4C at his peak. They don't have bona fide top 6 forwards in the hopper, especially at center. Poltapov is trending upwards. There is the risk he doesn't come to the NHL, but if he does, he'll arrive as a ready-to-go bottom 9 winger (probably 2/3W) who has been playing against men for 5 seasons. And most importantly, he'll arrive on an ELC -- cheaper than Adams can entice for the role from the NHL like Malenstyn or Lafferty, etc.

It will. Next year the cap jumps from 95.5 to 104 (minus the 6.4 for Skinner and minus the internal cap). There's still room for Tuch with one easy move, provided he still wants to be here.

As others noted above, Adams would have time to get cap compliant even with matching an offer sheet. But the more telling issue was the priority. Quinn didn't get a contract (arguably an overpay) until Peterka didn't want to re-sign. Byram was being rumored to be shopped forever, rather than being given a bridge -- they could have said they loved him and signed him during the season like Zucker and Greenway. McLeod could have been extended earlier as well. Whichever was the last Sabres RFA to sign was going to be a great offer sheet target by other teams, but Adams allowed that to happen by waiting on them all. And the best time to trade someone is before the draft so that their new team can make their picks and have more info on their roster before going into UFA. After 7/1, the money dries up and Byram will net less value and potential teams/offers.

The good thing is Roobroeck provides some of the vowels missing from Strbak and Mrtka.

The primary value that Adams saw in Kesselring over Rossi can be summed up as: Kesselring is making $1.4M this year and is a RFA next year Kulich is locked in as a top 6 C for two more years at $887k Rossi wants $7M this summer Kesselring has potential. However, thus far, Kesselring has been a 5/6D forced into 4D minutes last year because of injuries. Rossi, since recovering from myocarditis as a result of COVID, has been on a steady ascent to the Wild 1C or 2C, depending on the day... until they ran into a superior Vegas team in the playoffs and the coach demoted him to the fourth line for being too small and facing the likes of Eichel, Hertl, Karlsson, and Nic Roy shift after shift.

JBD may be unfair because of pairing with Power, but how do those charts compare with Bryson and Ryan Johnson?

Slide #1: Cap going up + Sabres stay $8M under = wEEE! Slide #2: Go Bills!

Okposo and Hall were before the timeline, although Hall could be added as like those he was a 1-year contract. Okposo was 9 years ago already. Can't release (what I can only assume are among the most inexpensive in the league) folks while they're still under contract for one more year.

Haven't listened. Has EEE won again?

What's the worst that could happen? In going after McDavid, Pegula will get tagged for tampering before the draft and forfeit the 1st overall that they won -- moving up from 4th -- in the lottery. McDavid then refuses to sign on day 1. McKenna goes to Pittsburgh who finished #2. Tuch walks. Benson refuses to sign RFA, and Dahlin and Tage request trades for trivial futures.

Yup, Karmanos is doing fine. The AHL vets shuffle teams from year-to-year. There's plenty to be upset about with this franchise, a tweener D-man with NHL experience to go to help Rochester is not the issue. At the conclusion of the playoffs last year, Rochester had the first lineup and everyone was healthy. With Johnson moving up to NHL 7/8 -- someone need to battle Bryson to get sent down. Jones is fine for that. R.Johnson - Rathbone Novikov - Metsa Clague - Komarov (Brännström, Prow, Laaouan) 2025-26 season: Novikov - Metsa Jones/Bryson - Rathbone Laaouan - Komarov

This. Clague was their best offensive defenseman in the playoffs last season and they'll need someone to be that player in Rochester.

Cool. So sign him to a 2-year bridge, then. You can still trade him anytime along the way. Hell -- Toronto traded Marner the day before UFA just that he could make more money elsewhere with the extra year of term.

My fear is that that's where we are not at with this GM/owner. They're pinching almost every penny they can and you can simply say you're not going to play that game and "I don't want to be here" and they'll let you go. Edit: Haven't heard anything on JBD. But, Johnson-JBD as your 7/8 is so much better than Johnson/Bryson -- it's laughable. So you give JBD the Qualifying Offer and work through it, then worry about Bryson in mid-to-late July.