Curt

My 2 cents. Things I want my defensemen to be able to do: -In the D zone, get the puck back. However they need to do that, stick checking, strength in the corners, however, just get it. -Be good in defensive transitions, generally requires good skating and often some size/strength -Skate well and ability to use that in offensive transitions -Make good breakout passes -Control the net front area, which generally requires strength -PP QB/offensive zone skills On a roster, you kinda need a mix of players who can do all of these things. Very few players are good at all of them. As you can see, some of these things benefit from good strength/size, but if a player doesn’t have other qualities to go with it, they don’t fulfill many of my desired skills. Note that my list does not include “toughness” because that can mean a lot of different things to different people.

UPL is exempt, so no need to protect. The Sabres don’t have a shmoe who is expansion draft eligible. That’s why they need to bring someone in.

Yeah, that makes no GD sense.

Just a note: McCabe and Reinhart were not on the tank teams. They played a few games each but combined for only 18 games played during the 2013-14 and 14-15 seasons. I doubt that was enough to break them. Girgensons and Risto are the only Sabres who were actually members of the tank teams.

I don’t get this distinction between “puck moving D“ and “shutdown D”. A guy can be both. The best shutdown D are definitely great puck movers. Every D should be a puck moving D. If a D is a poor puck mover, it’s a serious limitation on his ability to play defense.

Where are the people who said there was definitely going to be a $70-72M internal cap? Hehe

I would think Skinner would be disappointed about how last year went and excited about the coming season. He is going to play with legitimate top 6 line mates even if he isn’t with Jack. That didn’t happen last season. He has done the put up big #s and cash in thing, I would think he wants to be an important part of a winning team. He is going to have a great opportunity to do that. I know that none of us knows Skinner’s thoughts, but I don’t like to assume the worst of someone, that he would prefer to score more goals on a worse team.

No reason we can’t. Not that I’m particularly against trading him.

Maybe. I hope so. I just dream about the team with a 65+ point Dahlin, 95+ point Eichel, 75+ point Hall, 60+ point Reinhart, 30 goal Olofsson, 35 goal Skinner, and 50+ point Staal. Then a couple exciting youngsters in Cozens and Thompson. SMH

You may be kidding a bit, but.......I doubt he is anywhere near 230. He was listed at 193 last season. Eliteprospects has him listed at 205 right now. I doubt he ever gets up past 220Lbs.

The Log line played a 2 way game, they just started in their own end. They spent a lot of time in the oppositions end of the ice. Okposo has already been around a 15-goal, 30-point pace the past couple years.

Pilut is in the KHL until further notice. Borgen is ready for a look I would think, but he has 4 NHL RD ahead of him. Fitzgerald, IDK, but I doubt he is ready.

Not to poop on him, because I like him fine, but I think people really overestimate how much of a factor Olofsson was at ES last season. He wasn’t that impactful. On the line with Eichel-Reinhart, he scored 9 goals in 54 games. Girgensons had 11 in 69. Skinner, 14 in 59. Reinhart 17, Jack 26. Johansson, Sheary, Vesey and Okposo all had 8. On the PP? Total weapon. At ES? Just kinda ok.

Pilut- because it’s a new GM and they tell him they will actually play him in the NHL. Probably 3rd pair. Miller at $4M probably isn’t even worth a 3rd. Probably no one is taking Hutton. Bury him in the AHL.

Mostly due to health. Hall has been a lot more productive when healthy.

FTFY

I don’t think that matters. They are 30 and 31, signed for 2 and 1 more years.

This is a nice letter to the fans. Hall is classy. He didn’t need to write this, he wanted to.

I think they can run out a checking line of Girgensons-Lazar-Okposo. The top two lines should be able to handle neutral usage and often go head to head with the oppositions top lines. Then maybe they can have an Thompson-Eakin-Cozens (or something like that) that gets sheltered.

I would think he is happy to have Hall. He didn’t play with Jack last season, and Hall wasn’t even here then. And whose to say that Skinner won’t play with Jack? He is already locked in at $9M for years to come. He probably wants to win. Skinner may have envisioned himself playing with Jack, but he isn’t stupid. I’m sure he knows that things don’t stay the same forever. I’m sure he realized that he may not always be with Jack.

For Skinner? I’m expecting a major rebound and 30 goals, but I doubt 70 points is happening. He doesn’t get assists like that.

So, I think this picture demonstrates why it can be wrong to compare 19 yr old Dahlin directly to guys like Makar, Heiskanen, or Hughes, even though those guys are only 1-2 years older. Guys regularly make huge physical gains between ages 19-22. Especially a kind of lanky 19 yr old 6’3” guy compared to more compact 5’11”-6’0” guys. Dahlin just had/has a lot more physical development ahead of him. And in their primes, even with similar skating and puck skills, a 6’3” 210lb Dahlin has a lot more potential than a 5’11” 190lb guy.

True, he has the potential to be. I’m excited to have so many game breaking type players on the team. Eichel, Hall, Dahlin, Skinner (sometimes), Olofsson (on the PP only). These guys can all change a game in an instant. Sabres are going to be dangerous.

Certainly. Sounds like they are looking to upgrade, as has been rumored. Krueger is very aware of exactly what he is saying, and what he chooses not to say.

Nah. I don’t think he is. Top 10 winger probably.