DarthEbriate

Byram has played behind Dahlin, Power (1st overall already signed [foolishly] to a who is going to be gifted every opportunity), and some guy named Makar. If he goes to St. Louis he immediately jumps to the top of their offensive defencemen list. Fowler? Nothing to write home about. Broberg? Some solid offensive potential, less than Byram. Leddy? He's pretty cooked and a UFA at the end of the season. Before a trade is approved, St Louis would have an extension for Byram in place, so the duration of Kyrou's contract is immaterial. Kyrou's numbers are JJP's numbers with an NHL-level coached powerplay (a bit above league average, but 16th overall in the standings). Every non-tanking team in the league has a 70-point pacing winger. Kyrou is a good piece to have, not a player you build around. And Byram could be the same, but that doesn't mean you have to give away Byram + + to get a guy that every team has.

Eeek, no. Why are we overvaluing Kyrou so much? He's not a multiple-1st Eichel-level move. I'd argue Byram is the best player in the draft (certainly with regards to upside).

If Byram (projected PP#1 will score 50+ points) is the primary piece for Kyrou (70-point forward), then you shouldn't need to include 9OA. A shrewd (non-desperate) GM making that trade might move a lottery-protected 1st, but then there would need to be assets coming back. For Kyrou, 9 is off the table for me. Heck, Utah just got a 68-point winger for a depth D-man and a bottom-6 forward. If you want to throw in Lafferty... or Rosen, fine. But Byram should be considered a stud and has a higher ceiling at his position than Kyrou does at his.

The defunct Rossi trade from the Wild perspective. They're not national guys, they know the Wild but know nothing really in any detail about Sabres. Though they do call Buffalo a hockey hellhole, which is funny because it's true. The first bit is about Rossi/Peterka. But then they're looking for a center. Tavares, and then they float -- could you trade Rossi ++ for TNT. No. No you couldn't. And TNT isn't a center anyway. And that's where I can stop listening.

The soapbox I’ve been on all this last season. Pegula has to make the statement public that EEE is over. Until he does that, Adams just runs the defense that he has all the resources he needs. Say it’s over, say we’ll spend to the cap to win, and that the expectation is playoffs. Then fire Adams when he fails because he is still relying on UPL for 50 games.

It’s always hope for the future with Adams. If Kesselring plays every game next year like the game he played in Buffalo, and if he settles Powers’ game and allows the kid to grow and learn how to clear a net (even if slowly), it could be a fantastic pickup. But… it’s no Ekblad, you know. It’s another guy who’s never proven anything. Edit: I should add, unproven on the D-corps (except Erik Johnson, who was a 1-year rental like Hall, who was sadly well past his prime to run their then-Granato game.) Zucker, Greenway, McLeod had all proven their ability to do their jobs before.

Which makes sense for a scoring forward playing top line minutes most of the season. Ruff was heavy on the Krebs and Kozak/Lafferty lines in their d zone. For Doan it surprises me a bit because he’s a bottom six guy and they wanted him starting in the o zone if possible. Utah may have had a dynamite checking line though that got all their d zone starts.

C’mon, Big D. Fly….

I do like that Doan has had a very good Corsi relative to his team the last couple seasons as a youngster. But he’s not provided any PK time (a few minutes over 2 seasons). 60% o zone starts overall. Fairly protected thus far it would seem on the defensive side.

It’s only a small part of the offseason equation and as folks have noted, Kesselring is not an experienced RHD, he’s just the correct model of player they need. But he’s hardly a sure thing and could as easily want out or pride himself out (which would be great… temporarily) by next season.

Utah is adding a player to their top 6, PP, and with the extension, you could reasonably expect him to be top-3 on their franchise in goals scored over the course of the next 5 seasons (125-150ish goals). That's a big-time acquisition. The Sabres are getting a 3/4 wing who could become a 2nd-liner in a very pleasant scenario. They're also getting a player who fits into the top 4, but as the roster is currently constructed, you would expect him to be the 4th overall in time-on-ice amongst defensemen, with little to no PP time, and minimal expected point production - he does not have a long-term deal. This is worth the exchange of top-of-1st-round picks. The Sabres needed to also get first choice of potential "offensive" chips in this outcome. Don't like it. Getting Kesselring, who could be bridged into UFA, with Strbak, etc. already in the pipeline --- don't draft a RHD at 9. No Mrtka, please. Get a forward. You're going to need scoring.

Ekblad and Hedman got paired with veteran savvy players when they were young players. This is common practice. Myers got Tallinder (for only one season). When Schaefer goes to the Islanders this season, he's going to skate with Pulock (30 RHD) or Mayfield (32 RHD) both of whom are on long-term contracts. He's going to be able to learn from them for years before he's expected to just carry a pairing on his own. The Isles aren't going to trade those two guys away and pair him with Jesse Pulkinen in their top-4 and say, "have fun."

To be fair, he was a 20-21 kid this season on a Stanley Cup-contending favorite roster (from the West, at least) from day one of the season. They were the oldest/most veteran team in the league (again - a GM Holland specialty), and even if it disappointed them in the playoffs, they had veteran depth. They had experienced former top-6 guys in Arvidsson and Skinner, they had undisciplined depth scoring in Kane, and they capable veteran 3/4 guys in Connor Brown and Kapanen. Not good enough to beat Florida, but solid. Savoie wasn't going to displace those guys without being a stud -- which, he's a good prospect -- not another McDavid. Now, it'll get brought up again once he's in the NHL. One season on Draisaitl's wing and all the folks can point and laugh at Adams all over again. (It's still a good trade for the Sabres.)

Adams (Pegula, since... COVID? Since EEE for sure, because at least previously he was swinging for the Leino fences) operates out of fear. The easy read is Kesserling was a target, and the Mammoth were prepared to offer the 7.7M as an offer sheet for Peterka. That's a 2026 1st, 2nd, and 3rd for a player who wants out (which Adams has to honor because that's his M.O. and also avoid the contractual obligation) and all futures, which is against their "win now, but cheap" mentality. Instead, Adams got a player he coveted who can immediately step into the lineup and another roster player. And they're both RFAs this summer and next so they are cheap and fit into the EEE mold. RFA Doan is this summer's RFA Malenstyn -- though with higher upside. If the team struggles, Kesselring gets shopped for the next 1-year-to-RFA rental. The JBD, the Byram, etc.

I caveat this all with that I believe they're moving Byram between now and the end of the draft -- maybe for EEE/internal cap purposes, maybe because his agent has said he doesn't want to be here and sees the franchise as a flailing mess (which isn't wrong). However, at this very moment, I think this is the best and most balanced -- with upside remaining -- D-corps that Adams has been able to assemble. That's a low bar -- but he's always had Dahlin & Power, and sometimes Montour. He's had guys to build around. Specifically, per the thread, will focus on Power's partner. Opening Night Lineups a.k.a. How Your GM Sheevyn Designed Your Team (Barring Offseason Injuries) 2022-23 Samuelsson - Dahlin Power - Jokiharju Bryson - Lyubushkin (Fitzgerald) Bryson is in the top 6. Joker (age 23) is the veteran for Power. 2023-24 Samuelsson - Dahlin Power - Jokiharju Clifton - E.Johnson (Bryson) Clifton is your prime UFA with term, and yet he's the guy on his off-hand because Dahlin is good on the right side. Just doesn't make sense. At least Bryson isn't in the opening day lineup. 2024-25 Dahlin - Jokiharju Byram - Power Samuelsson - Clifton (Gilbert, Bryson, Clague) Extra scratches because of games in Prague. Of course, shortly after, Joker was going to be healthy-scratched for not being physical enough (35 hits in 42 Sabres GP last year... playing fewer games than Power [26] and Bryson [15]). Today Byram - Dahlin Power - Kesselring Samuelsson - Bernard-Docker (Bryson - Clifton) -- with the easy adjustment that you waive Bryson and start the season with Ryan Johnson as the 7. This d-corps finally makes sense. It is fleeting.

Quinn, Norris, and Kulich each need to be over 20 goals this season for it to not fall apart. Entirely possible, if they're all healthy. But this means that McLeod and Zucker would need to have follow-up above average seasons. The real question is the cap space. The cap is going from 88 to 95. Will the Sabres remain $8M clear like they've been doing? Will they stay below that with a severe internal cap and try to make it by spending only $84 (move Byram and bridge the other RFAs)? Or will Adams put on his "we have all the resources we need" pants he's been claiming to own and pay up to 95, minus the Skinner hit?

At the moment, I would consider moving Thompson to the left wing. If Quinn is in the top 6, I'm not putting him with a younger center ala his time with Cozens, so Norris gets him. Kulich is very overextended in this lineup. TNT - Kulich - Tuch Benson - Norris - Quinn Zucker - McLeod - Doan Malenstyn - Krebs - Greenway (Lafferty, Kozak, Rosén)

You do, if that's what your leadership values. However, if your leadership says "EEE" and "guys who want to be here", then you pay Tuch between $8-9M and he's local, and you let the bigger fish in the league pay Robertson $11-13M.

I don't think Tuch gets traded to Dallas without an extension in place and that would be in the $8-10 range next summer. (Swapping Tuch for Robertson saves them about $3M, then axe Dumba, and they still need to sign 2 more players, despite Benn playing for ELC + incentives money). Dallas can't lose Robertson for a 1-year rental though. And next season when Tuch's money kicks in, Harley is going to get paid. It's doable. I think Tuch remains with the Sabres (that's partially why JJP and his money are out).

This is the year for Quinner! Right?

They could keep Byram now and have a solid top 4. But, yes... hopefully his move gets them the goal-scoring that JJP's departure created. Robertson is the ideal target, but you'd likely need a 3rd team because Byram is redundant with Heiskanen and Harley, just as he was with Dahlin/Power. Adams can't do 3rd teams. Jarmo has many times, though.

Doan's ceiling could be higher, but I'm hopeful that with the right guidance, coaching, and on-ice opportunity, we'd see a bigger version of Jason Zucker. Which... is good. He is not Marcus Foligno, though. He has no career NHL fights and is not an enforcer by any stretch despite being a go-to-the-net and forechecking type. His "stand up for teammates" credibility has never been tested and is unknown.

Absolutely. I think the first time he did it was well before we knew the cap would be $95M this season and over 100 next year. (And he has the silly unspoken internal cap and now the Skinner buyout cap to manage.) But, the RFAs change. Quinn, JJP, and Levi and have transformed into Quinn on a bridge only, McLeod for a real contract, maybe Byram, JBD, and Levi. It's still applicable. (But we all know he'll trade Kesselring at the deadline or next summer for another 1-year until RFA guy. Unless the team starts winning and Power/Levi start looking the part of their potential.)

I'd rather have him as 2C than Kulich (this season at least, maybe not for the duration of the contract he'd need to sign), but I think his price tag will be significantly beyond what Pegula is willing to offer.

No. Krebs plays center and has turned himself into a fair grinder/checker, he throws about twice as many hits per game than Doan (even with Buffalo's low hits statisticians for half Krebs' games). Doan is wing only, but still with upside.