GASabresIUFAN

Sadly for the Amerks, but good for him, I think he'll get an NHL opportunity soon. This past season he lost his top 2 assistants. How long until teams realize he is ready for an NHL gig?

I think Appert already knows what he has in Novikov and Johnson. It's pretty clear from his interviews that he has a development plan in place to help get both guys to the NHL. He was very specific on Johnson saying he could run the Amerks PP, but with Dahlin and Power in Buffalo already, Johnson's road to the NHL will be as a D first guy who uses his excellent skating to get the puck out quickly. My guess is he'll have something similar in mind for Novikov. That said, both guys are going to pick up 5 on 5 points pretty easily as their skating will help them on the rush 5 on 5.

Which former Sabres earned the nickname "Batman" and how did he earn it?

Novikov will be my sleeper in 20024/25. I think he'll need a season to adjust to the NA game, but the size, speed, willingness to be physical, and a developing offensive game make him a really interesting prospect. The 100 games of KHL experience doesn't hurt either.

If Savoie ends up needing surgery on his shoulder, he will definitely be in Rochester in 2024-25.

https://theathletic.com/4869485/2023/09/19/nhl-rookie-tournament-prospects-standouts/ https://theathletic.com/4876049/2023/09/18/sabres-prospect-matt-savoie-injury/ Besides Savoie's excellent play and very unfortunate injury, here are Fairburn's thoughts on the young Sabres 1. Rosen - "But he might have been the best of the bunch in this tournament." (bunch = Savoie, Benson, Kulich and Rosen) 2. Kulich - "His shot is already NHL caliber, and he’s probably strong enough to play in the NHL, too." "He looks like he could step into the league and play on Buffalo’s second power play right now if asked." The real question for these two is are they ready to win jobs in camp. 3. Benson - "Benson didn’t take over this tournament the way Connor Bedard took over the rookie tournament for the Chicago Blackhawks, but he showed why the Sabres were so excited to get him at No. 13. He plays a fast game without being the fastest skater on the ice because he thinks the game so well." 4. Neuchev - “His hockey intelligence is extremely strong,” Appert said. “Very good offensive instincts. He can play the game we want to play organizationally, which is give-and-go hockey and making quick plays, thinking fast.” 5. Novikov - 5 assists in the first 2 games. "He’s 6 foot 4 and willing to use that size to separate forwards from the puck. But his offensive instincts continued to stand out in this tournament. He was pushing the play up the ice and showed off what his teammates described as “elite” passing skills." 6. Kozak - "He was a mainstay on the penalty kill and is showing more and more offensive touch. It’s not out of the question that he develops into a bottom-six NHL forward at some point in the next few years." 7. Johnson - According to Appert "Johnson is going to get to the NHL by being an effective player at five-on-five and improving in his own end. Those will be the areas of focus for Johnson in Rochester this season." 8. Metsa - "He’s only on an AHL contract right now, but the way he’s played, he may get more than that before too long."

https://theathletic.com/4869001/2023/09/19/nhl-breakout-players-2023-24/ Clifton and JJP listed among the 10 in the article.

https://theathletic.com/4869001/2023/09/19/nhl-breakout-players-2023-24/ 10 Breakout players listed; 2 are Sabres - JJP and Clifton

Simple. He has a $9 mill cap hit that might need to be allocated to pay younger players. Unfortunately, he has a complete NMC.

We won't know until they make the NHL and our given that role. Cederqvisit has the size and skill to be effective in that role. Nadeau already plays a physical game. Kozak is already being groomed for a depth NHL role. KA also acquired Greenway for that purpose.

That is where guys like Rousek, Cederqvist, and Nadeau come in.

Forgot about his NMC. That doesn’t mean he can’t or won’t be traded but I agree I doubt he’d be willing to move if this team continues to progress and he continues to contribute. I was hoping to use his cap hit to retain some other players, but I guess we'll have to save cap space elsewhere.

Until we cut our goals against by at least 30 goals, we are a high-octane goal-scoring machine that can't make the playoffs because we don't stop the other teams from scoring.

I agree that the Sabres aren't getting the benefit of the doubt to a certain extent. The Dahlin defensive comments are kind of a joke. He was clearly putting in the effort to play hard on both ends. I don't know why someone would think he'd stop giving that effort for the coming season. What is clear is that, whether you like this list or you don't, it's a pretty good barometer that the league is recognizing the development of the young Sabres into a very good team. You don't go from 1 player listed in the NHL top 125 to 6 in one season by accident. Wait til next year when Levi and possibly JJP, Quinn or Mitts make the list. Remember this list is backwards looking. Yes, they try to project the player going forward, but it's really a case of what have you done for me lately. It's why Fox and Makar are listed ahead of Dahlin. I don't think either is a better all-around D than Dahlin, but Fox is the catalyst for a playoff team and Makar is a catalyst for a Cup winning team. Until the Sabres are a consistent playoff team our players will be viewed with some scepticism.

I started a thread for that discussion.

The prospect tournament got me thinking about how these kids fit into the Sabres long-term. I don't think there is any argument that Benson, Savoie, Kulich, and Rosen are future NHL players. I also now think Cederqvist has a possible future as a depth forward in the NHL sooner than later. The question is when do they arrive in Buffalo and who moves on to make room for them? As of today, the Sabres have 14 forwards under contract for this coming season (including Quinn and Rousek). Cap hit is about $48.63 million. Of these 14, 6 are FAs after 2023/24 including RFAS Krebs and Mitts with UFAs Girgensons, Jost, VO, and KO. Another 4 have 2 years remaining - Greenway (UFA), plus JJP, Rousek, and Quinn. Thompson and Cozens are signed long-term while Skinner (4 years @ 9 mill) and Tuch (3 years @ 4.75) have decent term remaining. So how does this play out? 2024-25 - (Kulich and Rosen make the team - Benson and Savoie to Rochester) Mitts (5 year @ 6.5) and Krebs (2 years @ 3.5) are re-signed. VO, KO, and Girgensons are allowed to walk. Jost re-signs for a year to be the 13th forward Skinner Thompson Tuch Mitts Cozens Quinn JJP Krebs Rosen Rousek Kulich Greenway (Jost) 2025-2026 (Cederqvist, Savoie and Benson make the team) JJP & Quinn extended on 3-4 year bridge deals. Tuch extended 6 years @ $7 mill. Greenway re-signs, while Skinner and Rousek are traded. Quinn Thompson Tuch Benson Cozens Mitts JJP Kulich Savoie Rosen Krebs Greenway (Cederqvist)

Agreed.

Metsa. Older college UFA who was really good for Rochester in the playoffs and has been solid in this tournament. I have him as the first callup on D ahead of Johnson.

Since I wrote my post I’ve been trying to visualize how the forward group will evolve after this coming season for 2024-25 and beyond. While a discussion of that is probably not appropriate in this thread and possibly premature, it is in interesting to project who stays and who goes.

Ultimately, that's the real issue here.

The biggest surprise for me has been Cederqvist. I thought of him as a guy who would be a solid AHLer and then eventually return to Sweden to play a middle 6 role there. However, after watching him play some, and seeing his size and skill level, I'm now wondering if he has a future as a good 4th line NHLer. I can see him on a line with Greenway in 2024-25 playing tough physical hockey while chipping in the type of offense we got from the Gaustad line back in the day. In general, I'm also seeing guys who need another year of seasoning before making the NHL. Lots of positives from Benson, Savoie, Kulich, Rosen, Johnson, and Metsa, but also more work is needed. That said, there will be a ton of guys trying to force their way onto the Sabres after this coming season. I don't envy KA the task of determining which guys to keep, which to move, and which guys to sign long-term. Some really hard decisions are coming. One other quick thought; Kulich playing center. I believe Sabres management thinks of him as the 3rd line center long-term. I suspect he'll play in Rochester this coming season primarily at center.

If talent was "evenly" distributed each team would have about 4 players. The Sabres have 6, after only Dahlin being listed a year ago. I read their take on Tage. The say he doesn't compete hard enough in the D zone. It's an interesting comment. I think it has some validity, but was it a function of the player not being interested or the system DG had them running?

They also did a NA u23 Team of 20 players from the US and Canada. The Sabres had 3 players - Cozens, Power and Levi. NJ also has 3 - Mercer, J Hughes, and L Hughes Det, Ott, & Minn with 2 each - Det - Raymond and Seider; Ott- Stuzle and Sanderson; MN - Boldy and Faber. https://theathletic.com/4853786/2023/09/15/chl-nhl-transfer-agreement/

No. He may be proving to be more NHL ready than previously thought, but his upside remains the same. He still looks like a potential mid six forward leaning toward the 3rd line.

I hear Ron Rolston is available.