GASabresIUFAN

After my initial post on this thread, I tried to think why KA might have had a conversation about Zegras. This is what I came up with. Zegras is 22 with back to back 20g 60p+ seasons with a terrible Ana team. He is an RFA. Mitts is 24 and coming off his first 55p+ season and has one season left at 2.5. Both are similar size and play C and Wing. Lets say Mitts has great year and scores 65 pts or better this season, how much will it cost to retain him? 7 mill? More? Long-term, if the Sabres could have Zegras locked up for this coming season at 7 for 7, would they be better off getting him than keeping the older and somewhat less productive Mitts at a similar cost after this season? Who has more upside going forward, Mitts or Zegras? Given that backdrop, I can understand if KA asked about Ana about Zegras during his Bush trade discussions.

Why would a team with a top flight offense, that was the youngest in the NHL, and has the deepest forward pipeline in the NHL have any interest in going after an expensive young veteran forward that is duplicative of what‘s already here? The two moves that may need to be done still are finding a partner for Power if Clifton struggles in that role and finding a veteran backup for Levi if (when?) UPL/Comrie underperform again.

I hear they are signing Kane

Thanks I’ll try that. I have an app, but it’s hard to use

Goo goo dolls

Other than "the Beast" this team needs much better nicknames.

I think he was going for Mel Tucker, in order to get “cat” photos. Serious question. What is the easiest way to get a hi res photo down to posting size?

Giroux, Cecconi, Fortunato, Fiddler-Schultz, Dom Mersch, Panocha, Nick Savoie, Slaggert, Warren, Cooley and Jandric.

Great post! Mel Tucker also?

Between @dudacek and @Brawndo how can people get a thread in edge wise?

All - between NHL, AHL and ECHL contracts.

Not really. If we trade away UPL or Comrie without getting a goalie in return, the organization would be down to 5 goalies. That doesn’t work.

Nice goal, and it should have been the goal last year.

Counting from the beginning or the end?

After seeing the camp roster, I’m revising my opinion of the goaltending. There are 7 goalies on the roster and only Ratzlaff is a prospect. UPL will not clear waivers if cut. Therefore the plan has to be Cooley and Houser in the ECHL, Tokar and Comrie in the A and UPL and Levi in Buffalo.

We do talk prospects, but not nearly as much once the season starts. The U18 and U20 events, the draft, development camp, prospects tournaments are all major events on the hockey calendar and should be discussed here. In addition, we have been so bad for so long, talking about a bright future was better than discussing the terrible present. The good news is that the Sabres, now that camp is here, will be the predominant discussion. Also hockey talk is different than football discussions because hockey has a development pipeline unlike football. This gives the hockey board much broader topics to cover.

No. The Sabres essentially buy his contract from. The Amerks.

He is signed to an AHL deal. The Sabres will have to re-sign to an NHL two-way deal for him to play for the Sabres at some point this season.

Goaltending - I doubt we’ll carry 3 goalies. Tokarski was brought in to be the 3rd goalie. Levi is the starter, UPL is the backup and Comrie gets traded. Defense - We carry 8 with Stillman and Clague winning 7/8. Bryson sent down as he has no trade value. Pairing not reliant on R/L combos. Dahlin-Mule, Power-Clifton, Johnson/Joki. Forwards - Rousek makes the team as the 13th forward, but Kulich really hard pushes for a job. Metsa is the big camp surprise. He also outplays Bryson and gets an NHL deal once he is returned to Roch. Joki and JJP also have great camps. Biggest camp disappointment are UPL and Comrie as they continue to show they aren’t good enough.

Casey DeSmith traded to Van from Montreal.

Traded for a bag of Tim Horton donuts or a 7th rd pick in 2028.

Nothing, but he is a guy the coaches love and if his O develops some, he could make a run at being a 4th line NHLer who may have enough skill to play up when injuries strike. I think Cederqvist and Rousek are in the same boat, except Tyson is only 20.

Here are the questions I think need to be answered in camp. Personally, I think most of the roster is set, but there are a few depth questions that need to be answered. Please post your thoughts and add any other questions you feel need to be addressed in camp. Goaltending questions: 1) Will they carry 3 goalies? 2) if not, who is the odd man out? 3) Will Levi be the primary starter? 4) If UPL and Comrie struggle in camp, will KA make a trade? Defence Questions 1) Who will be Power's D partner? 2) Will the Sabres carry 7 or 8 D? 3) Can Clague beat out Stillman or Bryson for an opening roster spot with the Sabres? 4) Will there be a reshuffling so that we end up with LHD-RHD on each pair, as opposed to 2 pairs with same-handed guys? (Courtesy of N Freeman) Forward Questions 1) How will lines 2-4 shake out? Where do Greenway, Mitts, Krebs and VO end up playing? 2) Will the Sabres carry 12 or 13 forwards? 3) Can any of the kids (Rousek, Kulich, Benson, Savoie or Rosen) earn a roster spot with the Sabres? And if so, who and in what role? General questions Biggest camp surprise? Biggest camp disappointment?

Only Prow has played more than 320 Pro games and is therefore the only non-developmental player on the roster. Clague, Davies, and Cecconi are all under 260 pro games and are still considered developmental players by AHL rules. This gives Appert and the Amerks staff great flexibility in fielding a game-day roster (AHL teams must field at least 13 developmental skaters every game). Johnson and Novikov are the top prospects and will likely be in the lineup nightly. I also think management really likes Metsa. I can also see him playing nightly. After that, who knows.