Curt

No, but Buffalo owns his rights. He can’t walk away.

Right. An “Internal Cap” could just be (1) keep enough cap room to pay all of the possible bonuses and (2) keep a couple Mil open for a possible deadline acquisition. A directive to be able to pay all bonuses out of this years cap makes total sense too. I wouldn’t want to roll over extra deductions into next year when Dahlin and Jokiharju will both be due for possibly very big extensions.

Moving down from #8 to #16 hurts, but would probably be worth it if Danault signs a 3+ year extension immediately. I think the chances of that are slim to none though.

I’m actually not too worried about these reports of a possible internal cap. There are also reports that they will be in on Pietrangelo and McCann, so...............

That’s cheap. He hasn’t been able to get healthy the past couple years, but could be a decent bottom-6 C. Or He could be out of the league.

Better 2-way player, more versatile, better contract, great contract actually. Over the past 2 years, he has equaled Monahans production and led the Flames forwards in ice time.

More I think. He probably has more value than Monahan

I’d add McCann to those two as probable useful middle 6 C’s who seem to be on the outs with their organizations.

Could be wrong, but I don’t think Dahlin always played RD pre-NHL. He was playing RD for his SHL team, but LD for international play, I believe. I don’t know about him at age 16 and under.

How this makes me feel inside. Terry: Go drill another well, you arrogant, lying disappointment. I know that leaves out a lot of nuance, but’s how I feel.

There are good Botterill moves, and depending on how some guys turn out, there could be quite a few. IF: -Cozens becomes a 60+ point 2-way C -Lukkonen becomes an above average starting goalie -Jokiharju becomes a stalwart, steady top-4 RD -Kahun is decent, versatile top-6 RW/LW

Yes, contract situation definitely would factor into the trade price. I doubt Danault would sign an extension before next season plays out. With Cozens, who knows. He looks good, but has never played a minute of pro hockey. Two years ago, we could have said the same about Mitts. I think an NHL player would understand that you need to actually prove it in the league.

Totally agree. Danault as a 2C would provide a nice, different skill set that Buffalo needs. Sort of ROR-lite. I think he is exactly the type of player that GM Kevy should target.

Thanks! The stats used by the author are fine, but just one evaluation metric among many. Overall, I didn’t like the article. The author apparently believes that Granlund at 2C would immediately fix the Sabres. I’ve been a Sabres fan too long to believe that nonsense. The author gushes about how great of a center Granlund is, when in fact Granlund hasn’t even played C a lot in the past 4 years. It’s just strange and seems like it’s written by a guy who doesn’t really know what he is talking about. Or maybe he is just the worlds biggest Mikael Granlund fan. I like Granlund fine though. He seems to be on the decline a bit, so I would be a little cautious with term. He is still good though, and if he even wants to play C (a legitimate question after years away from the position) I’m not against it. If he isn’t going to play C though, this team is kinda full at LW, so I’m not sure there is a great fit.

Yes please. Assuming reasonable contract, he would be a nice addition to the top 9. Scoring and a gritty game at a real position of need.

I was thinking about your first question. I think the answer is Eichel honestly, but I think Domi and Skinner would make an explosive duo. Skinner thrived when Eichel carried the puck and created chaos in the O-Zone that he could capitalize on. Domi can do that. They are both fast and aggressive (over aggressive?). They would give the opposition fits when they have the puck, and probably give Sabres fans fits when the other team does. Might need to pair them with a very responsible RW. Someone like Strome, Stepan or Wennberg, as strong passers, could also be good with Skinner, to a lesser degree. Your second question question has several options. Danault, Henrique, Bonino, Tierney, McCann, Copp and Faska could all be good in a shut down role while still producing some offense. Some of the top end guys like Cirelli, Lindholm, Couture, Staal would probably be really good regardless of role, of course. If Buffalo was able to get Domi and McCann, two guys who are apparently seriously being shopped, It would go an incredibly long way to fixing this team. I don’t think the cost of either would be prohibitive either.

I think any type of ranking that overall rates Granlund above Bergeron, ROR, or Couturier should be looked at with extreme skepticism. 🤨 It is true though that he has played mostly LW since the 2015-16 season.

I was focusing on trade possibilities, but yes, Granlund would be someone to look at. The main thing to consider with him though, is whether he is actually a center. He started his NHL career as a C, but has played very little C over the past four seasons. With that in mind, no way I could consider him a legit 2C. Center hasn’t even been his main position.

So, I’ve created an updated list of potential center trade targets along with their remaining contract info. I’ve separated them into three groups: Legit 2C- proven play at a 2C level, does not need to be sheltered at either end of the ice. Middle 6 C- isn’t good enough at one end of the ice, or has lacked consistency Bottom 6 C- definitely not someone who you want as your 2C, but is good in a lesser role Legit 2C: Eric Staal, 35, $3.3M x 1 Logan Couture, 31, $8.0M x 7 Adam Henrique, 30, $5.8M x 4 Phillip Danault, 27, $3.1M x 1 Sean Monaghan, 25, $6.4M x 3 Elias Lindholm, 25, $4.9M x 4 Anthony Cirelli, 23, RFA Middle-6 C Nick Bonino, 32, $4.1M x 1 Kyle Turris, 31, $6.0M x 4 Tyler Johnson, 30, $5.0M x 4 Yanni Gourde, 28, $5.2M x 5 Chris Tierney, 26, RFA Max Domi, 25, RFA Alex Kerfoot, 25, $3.5M x 3 Jared McCann, 24, RFA Dylan Strome, 23, RFA Bottom-6 C Artem Anisimov, 32, $4.5M x 1 Derek Stepan, 30, $6.5M x 1 Nick Bjugstad, 28, $4.1M x 1 Adam Lowry, 27, $2.9M x 1 Andrew Copp, 26, $2.3M x 1 Radek Faska, 26, RFA Alex Wennberg, 25, $4.9M x 3 Tyson Jost, 23, RFA Adam Gaudette, 23, RFA Please discuss your favorite targets. Who would be right for Buffalo?

Agree. They were more than the normal “good” 8-10 min 4th line. They were a good shutdown bottom 6 line that you can put out for 10-15 mins depending on matchups. And if they were on a team with a reasonably balanced top 6, they would allow the other bottom 6 line to be heavily offensively focused and sheltered.

Kahn has been more productive at ES than Olofsson, and Kahun wasn’t stapled to Eichel’s hip. If Kahun is a 2nd/3rd liner, then Olofsson is no better, statistically speaking.

I like it. Yes, Letang is old, but 33-34 for a D is not ancient. He is a lot better than Risto and they are both signed for 2 more years. In a vacuum, I think it would be a steal for Buffalo. For me, it would come down to if Risto could be a main part of a 2C trade instead, and what else that extra $2M in cap space could be used for. If a 2C can be acquired without Risto, or needing that cap space, then sure, Risto for Letang sounds great. 2C is a position of greater need IMO, but Letang is a #1 D who plays in all situations.

He isn’t twisting anything though. You think he is saying that you said Botterill was fired because of analytics? I’m almost certain that he isn’t saying that. I don’t know where you are getting that from.

I don’t get this. I think Liger had it right. You didn’t fully understand what I was saying. I clarified, it’s all good. When Liger clarified, saying the same thing, you respond like this???

He racked up a lot of his production on the PP though. 40% of his points and 55% of his goals. I question if he is really top 6 quality at 5 on 5.