Curt

This is all perfectly reasonable. I don’t really disagree. My points were were mostly just weighing in on whether the Sabres could afford to pay Mitts long term. They can, but you could definitely be right that it’s not the ideal roster mix. One other thing I’ll say regarding this is that the Sabres may view Cozens as someone who can do some of this shutdown C type role in the future. I think he has the physicality and mindset to do it. He definitely isn’t there yet though. How much of that is a conscious game plan decision to play a transition offense game as opposed to a defense focused game, I’m not sure.

It is as worth it.

Forgive me if I overstep by picking at your inner feelings, but I don’t think it’s really the 1st bolded that bothers you. Both Ottawa and Detroit spent to the cap before they were any good and you liked it. I think it’s actually the second bolded that bothers you. You want more hard nosed players. That’s fine, I don’t entirely disagree. I do think it can be done by bringing in a couple more Greenway/Clifton/E Johnson type of additions though. Guys who are affordable and fill a role. I don’t really ASSUME that they will be a great team, but that’s the hope, right. That’s what we plan for. If it doesn’t happen for this group, the group will get blown up at some point. These guys don’t have NTCs. So if they fail and the group changes significantly, then any cap projections are out the window. I can only project based upon what is here now. If it makes you feel any better, the Sabres shouldn’t be tight to the cap next season either, based on the players who are currently in the organization. If they are, it will be because they spent $8M+ on players coming in from the outside.

Capfriendly didn’t have Dadonov’s NTC. They usually get all the contract details, but not always. It was Ottawa’s responsibility to inform Vegas, and they negligently did not.

1) The cap margins will be small, because they eventually are for any decent team. 2) By the time Quinn, Peterka, Levi, or anyone younger than that really need to be paid, not only will the cap be more than $10M higher, but Skinner will also be off the books. It will be possible to have like 4-5 other players on $6M+ long term contracts, in addition to Thompson, Cozens, Dahlin, and Power. 3) Yup, the 4th line money will probably have to be minimal, but that’s true of pretty much any team that’s been decent for a while. It’s a choice, just like anything else. If you give Mitts a $7M 6 yr contract, yeah, maybe (MAYBE) that forces you to trade someone 4-5 years from now, but if Mitts is worth it, then I just don’t care. Any team that has too many good players comes to points like that. If the Sabres get good, that’s an inevitability. What’s the alternative? Trade away your good players before they need to get paid because of a hypothetical cap crunch 4-5 years down the road?

It’s not true. The money could still work long term.

Maybe, but he doesn’t right now.

I say this in good faith, but….prove it. If the best way for Benson to get better is to get stronger, then is it more beneficial for him to play 25 mins per game against junior players, or to spend a lot of extra time working out and also practicing and training with pro players and trainers? I don’t think the answer is obviously that it’s better for him to be in juniors.

I think it’s all a farce honestly. This trial run and “injury” will allow him to hang around the NHL team receiving pro instruction and working out like mad to build much needed strength. Then he maybe does a couple games AHL rehab stint, goes to WJCs and then maybe to juniors. Isnt it kind of suspicious that Savoie and Benson are basically taking turns being “injured” and the timelines for both line up perfectly?

I don’t get why people are so concerned about “the Wenatchee situation”. What’s the situation exactly? Everything there should be pretty normal now, no?

I’m not talking about the penalty kill though…….. 2005 4C was Gaustad. The wingers were not that consistent. None of the lines were particularly consistent. Ruff shifted guys a lot. They also had Drury who would do a lot of that heavy lifting defensively.

In my opinion, this isn’t really feasible at a high level. You kind of need a lock down defensive line that you can send out for a key shift in the defensive zone, or to take extra shifts when protecting a lead. It doesn’t need to be numbered a 4th line, but you need one that can fill the role. I don’t see anything’s like that listed above. Also, it’s generally not maintainable from a financial standpoint.

It’s not a sin tax. The rules against gambling aren’t in place because the NHL/NFL think gambling is immoral. It’s to protect the product. In some circumstances, gambling could lead to situations where a player could be tempted to influence the game for gambling gains. That’s what the organizations are trying to eliminate.

They maybe were holding off on signing him because they knew he had a potentially long suspension coming his way.

Was going to say the exact same thing. The issue should be whether he can play. It’s not entirely clear which scenario works out better financially.

This phrase has been around for some years, but I would say it’s not that widely used. I think the kid actually used it incorrectly. It’s an acknowledgment of agreement with something. It’s like an abbreviation of the phrase “ you bet”. ”Hey, you want to go see if that old grouchy guy down the street will buy some candy?” ”Bet” (You bet) (You bet I do)

I say if a player does some BS, the guys on the ice handle it immediately. I don’t really want guys to spend half a game going out of their way to deliver extra hits. That’s playing right into his hands.

In fact I’d argue that is exactly what they want. A player like that wants you to jump over to boards thinking “I’m gonna get that guy” instead of focusing playing good hockey. @PerreaultForever

Yes, I don’t disagree. I’ve pushed back in years past against people saying we need to make trades or bring in high priced FAs in order to make the playoffs NOW. This offseason was my personal inflection point. I would have like a better defenseman, as the additions were acceptable, but barely. And I am not comfortable with the goalie situation at all. The current emergence of Benson as someone who will almost certainly be another useful player and possible star, in a couple years if not right now, makes we even more comfortable with the idea of trading a couple prospects. I expect Adams to be on the lookout for in season additions, like Greenway last season. I’ll give him this season. If they don’t make the playoffs, I’ll be disappointed, and I expect serious upgrades before the 2024-25 season. If none materialize I’m going to go sharpen a pitchfork.

While I understand what you are saying…… In the context of this specific discussion, I don’t like Hanifin. I’m a little concerned about the fit, as another LHD, and I’m also concerned that he is not that good. I have major concerns that he is an average #4 D who is going to require a contract far in excess of what he provides.

Yeah, I’m not sure if Hanifin is who I would go for either. For me it’s not a bad idea because it’s shortsighted, it’s probably a bad idea because Hanifin isn’t particularly good or a great fit.

Currently the Sabres actually have too many forward prospects. There aren’t enough spots to give them all NHL shots. Especially at the roles that they project to fill. They will need to move some of them in the next 1-2 years. What would be your plan for that?

Goalies are weird. Sometimes they just play really well. Last night the whole team played really well. I’d say that if Comrie keeps playing well, keep giving him opportunities. A month from now it could easily be Levi who is playing better. Sabres just need to ride the hot hand.

ESPN box score says 16,179.

Greenway-Thompson-Cozens looks like garbage??? I think it could work great! Greenway doesn’t suck.