GASabresIUFAN

I have zero problem with trading Bloom or a 3rd or a 5th or anything. I just want something useful back. Stillman is not useful. We needed help on D virtually all season and the best KA could do was acquire a player DG couldn't trust him enough to play him over 12 minutes a game on a team desperate for help on D. That is a useless player no matter how you spin it. I still don't understand how anyone can defend the acquisition when better players were available all season on the waiver wire or for an even less valuable asset. Stillman is that bad. People say he's better than Bryson and Clague and they may be right. That's not an endorsement of Stillman, it's an indictment of how awful Bryson and Clague were this past season. If our fearless GM had some ......., he'd wipe the D slate clean, and move on from everyone not named Dahlin, Power or Samuelsson (Ok Bush can finish out his contract). Waive, trade, dump, whatever Stillman, and Bryson. Try to find a hockey trade of a stay-at-home LD who'd make us harder to play against and include Joki in the deal. Sign Orlov for 3-4 years to partner with and mentor Power. Start next year with Dahlin Samuelsson Power Orlov New D Lyubuskin New D who is better than Stillman (I'd like another Vet here) If we can't trade Stillman, waive him and let him play in Rochester. His 1.35 cap hit would be reduced to 250K and I doubt he'd get claimed.

Why pay something for an “asset” when a similar asset could have been acquired earlier in the season when it was truly needed for less or nothing? What exactly did Stillman bring to the table? He played 12 minutes a game. He didn’t block shots, didn’t hit people and took bad penalties. This isn’t a capable player. Let’s compare Ethan Bear who was traded for a 5th rd pick when we needed help. He put up 16 pts, was a +6, blocked 82 shots and skated 18:30 minutes a night for Vancouver in 61 games after being acquired. He’s also just 25.

I'd have rather them make a deal for a 4th D and we'd have made the playoffs. I'd have rather given up a 5th for Ethan Bear during the 8 game-losing streak and we'd have made the playoffs. I'd have rather a lot of things. Stillman is not good, has never been good, and won't be next season.

Remember 80+ % of 3rd picks don't ever amount to legit NHL players, so the odds of Bloom ever becoming a full-time useful NHL player are small. Therefore, when you get an NHL player for a 3rd or its equivalent, the GM didn't give up much. However, that still doesn't make Stillman a good acquisition. Stillman is at best a 7 or an 8 and when he plays he isn't much if any of an upgrade on Bryson or Clague. To me, that's a wasted move. You could have acquired the equivalent of Stillman for nothing on the waiver wire.

What do they say about people in glass houses? It’s a good thing that Tage worked to get better instead of emulating Berglund’s whine and go home example.

There is a player who is currently 19th on my board but who will go higher on draft day who would be a steal for the Sabres on draft day at 13. What? How can I guy ranked 19th be a steal at 13? Great question. The answer is that he ranked much to low, but won’t be come draft day. The player is Gabe Perreault. The kid broke Matthews USNTDP scoring record this season with 125 pts, including 52 goals in 59 games. These numbers including his 5g 15 pts in 4 U18 games so far. If this kid is still around at 13 you take him and smile at the way to years of NHL playoffs. https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/news/meet-gabe-perreault-the-nhl-draft-prospect-that-broke-auston-matthews-scoring-record

According to our poll here is the roster next season Forwards - Overall there are 17 internal candidates for the forward jobs. Vinnie is almost certain to move on, but an argument can be made that 6 guys will certainly return and another 3 are also locked in unless some crazy deal comes along like Krebs for Shea Theodore. The poll results are below. Tuch, Tnt, Skinner, and Cozens were a given. JJP, Quinn, and Krebs were the highest vote-getters, followed by Greenway, Jost, and then Mitts. That's 11 spots. Savoie and Girgensons were next with about 60% of the votes of the top vote receivers. Interestingly KO had the 2nd least votes. Only VO had less and he's under contract. Vinnie had more votes. Given Ka's comments, the odds of KO returning have definitely increased. Defense - Power, Samuelsson and Dahlin are the core. I've argued that no one else should return, but that has zero chance of happening. KA's made very positive comments on Joki in his press conference. The analytics don't support that opinion. Our poll says Bush, Joki and Stillman will return. That leaves one slot. Goaltenders A tandem of UPL/Levi is the poll results. G-d help us. KA calls this fearless, I call it...... never mind. All I'll say is that the stats and analytics don't support KA's oipinion on UPL.

So you’re saying “Fearless” = “Stupid”. Jonas Johansson’s numbers are infinitely better than UPL’s and he’s a AAAA goalie at best. KA’s faith in UPL is a strange. It’s like he has blinders on. I wish someone had some advanced stats that document why anyone could believe that UPL is an NHL goalie.

Yes. Gatineau won their four games by a collective score of 23-4.

Actually, that's the 4th win of the series. The Ice advance 4-2. They'll play the winner of Lindgren's Red Deer Rebels vs the Saskatoon Blades game tomorrow.

Will Borgen opens the scoring for Seattle. Probably should have kept him.

You forgot the obits.

On Sabrespace? Never!

Musty is very interesting. Biron loves his game and the kid. I'd have zero problem trading back, getting extra draft capital, and if Musty is their favorite guy using the later 1st rd pick to take Musty. If you look at my mock draft I have us trading back from 13 to Nashville at 15. I then use this extra capital to trade back into the 1st rd from 39 to get Bonk, but I like Willander as well. Button has him 16th on his latest list. In the 8 lists I looked at Musty has a grade as high as 15, but most are 20-22. Only Marek at Sportsnet had him outside the 1st rd.

I apologize in advance for asking you to defend your grading system again, but it feels a little subjective. I'm not sure what your expectations were for DC, but he finished with 31 goals and 68 points, which tied him for 27th in pts by an NHL center and 23rd in goals. That's 1st line center production from a 22 year old center. Last season he had 38 pts and only 13 goals. That's a 79% increase in points and a 139% increase in goals. I'm not sure how much more you could have asked from the 21-22 year old kid in the NHL. It's kind of scary to think how good he'll become when he's physically mature in a few more years. For me at least this was an A+ season.

Ultimately, Rousek has a real shot in Buffalo this coming season or the following one. KO’s time in Buffalo is coming to an end. I believe KA views Rousek as KO’s replacement. The only question is whether KO returns for next season. If KO returns Rousek probably spends most of next season in Roch. If KO moves on, Rousek makes the Sabres.

Wouldn't that be nice. I'd love to see Neuchev on the Amerks. FYI all 4 remaining Sabres CHL prospects remain alive in the playoffs in their respective leagues Savoie's Wpg Ice are up 3-2 over Moose Jaw. Matt has 9g and 16 pts in 9 playoff games so far (3g 4a in this series). Their next game is Monday. Lindgren's Red Deer Rebels lead 3-2 over Saskatoon, but lead this series 3-0, before losing the last 2. Mats has 2g and 6a in 10 playoff games so far, but only 1a in this series. They play tomorrow. Over in the Q, Nadeau's Gatineau Olympiques buried the Huskies 4-0 and by a collective score of 23-4. Nadeau had 7 goals in the series. Komarov's Quebec Rampants also won in 4 straight. Komarov was +4 with 2a and 9 hits.

That's fair, but it still seems a bit disingenuous after heaping praise on the kid.

I took some time today to draft my first "consensus" draft list. I found 8 solid lists from March and April. 1. Tier by himself - Bedard 2. Firm next 5 after Bedard - Fantilli, Michkov, Carlsson, Will Smith, & Zach Benson 3. Next 6 - Barlow, Leonard, Moore, Cristall, Reinbacher, Dvorsky - at least one of these guys will likely be available to us at 13. 4. 13-18 - Sale, Yager, Sandin-Pellikka, Danielson, Heidt, Honzek 5. 19-24 - Perreault, Wood, Gulyaev, Ritchie, Musty (from Hamburg, NY), and Gauthier - last group with very firm 1st rd grades 6. 25-28 - Brindley, Gauthier, Stenberg, Dragicevic, and But - someone from here will fall from the 1st rd 7. 29-31 - Nadeau, Bonk, and Stramel - I'd trade up to get Bonk. 8. 32-34 - Willander, Simashev, Ziemmer - 2 more D to at here, maybe we get lucky and they fall to 39. 9. 35-39 - Perron, Haltunnen, Sawchyn, Lardis, and Molendyk - Molendyk only D in this group at spot 39 10. 40-44 - Dower-Nilsson, Ciernik, Lindstein, Hrabel, and Strbak - Lindstein & Strbak D to look at here for pick 45 11. 45-49 - Brzustewicz, Rehkopf, Allen, Pitre, and Price. - Brzustewucz and Allen another two D of note. Pick 13 - Ideally Reinbacher falls to us. Doubtful. Love Leonard and Moore. Like Barlow as well. If somehow the top 12 on my list are all gone at 13, Sale is my current favorite, but Heidt is a pure playmaker worth watching. Picks 39 & 45 - If we don't get a D at 13, I'd like to take 2 D at 39 and 45. Lindstein, Willander, Bonk, Simashev, Strbak, and Price should all be on the radar.

Patrick Kane by a marathon. How many posts, threads, and news stories about bringing Kane home? 1000s.

It may come down to the Sabres saying to him that he has a real shot at making the roster next season. He clearly can play at the NHL level and we desperately need players like him in the bottom 6. Biron on a recent podcast was discussing how much we really need guys like him to complete the roster. KA has his work cut out for him deciding on the internal forward group this fall.

They won't be re-signing Orlov. Go get him Adams!

Sort of. So under your grading system TNT is going to have to improve to 110 pts to get an A. If he only puts up 90 points will you give him a C?

DG said in the presser it was a matter of "confidence" whatever that means. What was wrong with the PK? The guys taking the faceoffs were a league-worst 38% The two main goalies, Comrie and UPL had under 840 save % on the PK. Our scheme was terrible and the coaches failed to make the necessary changes. Could it be they lacked the personnel to run an effective PK? Absolutely.

He was asked about the goaltending, but he did not have to praise UPL because he comes off as disingenuous. All he had to say was he saw progress in a young goalie and we’ll evaluate our goaltending this off-season. That way he is free to proceed with any solution. Now, if he trades UPL after praising him he going to look worse. What’s he going to say then? We traded UPL because we didn’t want that much youth in goal? Or We wanted a more veteran presence with Levi? Or we just thought he wasn’t good enough and we traded him because we didn’t want to lose him for nothing when we send him down.