GASabresIUFAN

Are we back in the Bedard sweepstakes?

Unlike last year, when the team progressed as the season went along, this team is worse now than they were 20 games ago. Yes there have been injuries and the goaltending has stunk, but the coaching staff has not successfully adjusted to the injuries or the defensive structure to help the goaltenders.

He’s used to it. Have you watched NE play?

Levi! Levi! We want Levi! Nowwwwwwwwwwwww!

I figured now that Levi is under contract the trade is now official. Before it was just the rights to Levi who still could have turned us down. Very excited to see how he does.

So we traded Reinhart for Kulich and Levi.

March 27th against his hometown Canadians.

Recently bought Cure and Depeche Mode tickets.

Have the Bills improved at all so far this off-season? The OLine looks better with the addition of the new interior lineman. However, the loss of Edmunds leaves a huge hole on the defense that will be hard to replace. Singletary looks unlikely to return so right now the backfield is Hynes and Cook. Poyer and Martin return as the Starting Safety and Punter respectively. Cam Lewis and other depth have re-signed. Big signing of Kyle Allen to compete with Barkley to be Josh’s backup.

The big wild cards for me are Kulich and Savoie. I thought at the beginning of the year that Savoie would be in Buffalo next season because he’d have outgrown the CHL. I vacillated on that opinion at times, but the way he is playing right now he may give the Sabres no choice. Kulich is also coming on strong. Both guys’ contracts will slide if they don’t play. Kulich is an easier answer in that he can be in Rochester and they’ll want him to get stronger. Savoie is a harder question. I’m not married to the Orlov idea, but he fits the criteria of our needs on D; proven top four D, can play either side, proficient in an uptempo system, plus he adds playoffs experience and a veteran mentor. There are plenty of other choices, but when KA acquired Stillman, he mentioned how well he fit on a Florida team that plays a similar style to the Sabres. I suspect that any vet they acquire will go through that same filter. The Haula idea grew out of our terrible PK. The Sabres are 32nd in the NHL at faceoffs won short handed at 36.8%. It seems to me that adding someone who can kill penalties, win critical in zone faceoffs especially on the PK, while adding some scoring and toughness 5 on 5 will make a huge difference in the team. I just don’t see Jost or Krebs playing that role, although both have come a long way this season as forecheckers and in the D zone play. The Washington game confirmed for the 50th time or so that we really need help on defense and in goal.

I never said that. I said after reading the article “I look at the trade differently”. I never said the article discussed the trade or confirmed the opinion. You’re reading into my comment and assuming things I never said. Maybe you should not assume.

You know very well and it was widely reported at the time that TP instructed Jbot had to get the trade done before the bonus was paid. That’s not even debatable. The article discusses that many owners tell their GMs to get this player or dump that player. It’s reasonable to think that Terry not only told Jbot to get ROR gone before the bonus but also behind sending ROR out in the first place. No GM sends out his No. 2 center without a substantial reason and the owner telling you to get it done is one such reason.

I doubt Östlund fits that timeline if he stays in Sweden for another year.

I'm ok with many other moves but they should be in the vain of a top 4 D and a starting goalie with tread left on the tire. Odds are KA won't do either thing I suggest. He likely won't sign Orlov and likely won't acquire any of the goalies mentioned. However, those are the 2 gaping holes that need filling.

Given the conversations from 2 other threads, I have come away with a simple game plan for this off-season 1) Sign Orlov to be Power's partner and mentor to the young D group. 4 years 5.25 per season (3 years would be better, but he may want the 4th come) 2) Trade for any of the 3 goalies - Demko, Saros, or Hart - Trade 1st in 2024, a 2nd in 2023, and Rosen? Less? 3) Move on from VO, Bryson, Comrie, Anderson, and Girgensons (or KO) - Trading VO gets us back some of the assets spent on the goalie. 4) Re-sign one of either KO or Z, but not both - KO - 1yr 3.5 million 5) Re-sign Jost and Clague - 2 years at 2 mill for Jost (PS Happy 25th). $925 K for one year for Clague 6) Extend Power and Dahlin - Dahlin 8 years at 11 per? Power - impossible to even forecast. 7) Sign a 4th-line center who is good on the draw and who can contribute offensively like Eric Haula. Haula, 31, signed two years with Bos at 2.375 for 2 years and has exceeded that contract value both years. What about 2 years @ 2.75 per season? Skinner Tnt Tuch JJP Cozens Quinn Mitts Krebs Kulich/Savoie Greenway Haula KO Jost Samuelsson Dahlin Power Orlov Jokiharju Lyubushkin Clague Stillman Demko/UPL Cost around 79.75 for that roster.

Saros, Hart, and Demko are all upgrades over the mess we have in goal right now. Demko, 27, 3 years left at 5 per season - 2021-22 stats 64gp 2.72 and .915. 2022-23 stats 20gp 3.48 .894 Hart, 24, 1 year left at 3.979 (but an RFA) - 2021-22 stats 45gp 3.16 & .905. 2022-23 stats 48gp 2.96 .906 Saros, 27, 2 years left 5 per season - 2021-22 stats 67gp 2.64 & .918. 2022-23 stats 49gp 2.78 . 917 Honestly, KA should kick the tires on all 3 and see what the GMs' want. I'd be happy with any of the 3. Demko is probably the "buy low" candidate. Hart is only 24 and may have huge upside with the right team in front of him and Saros has had the best numbers of the 3. All are young enough to be the franchise goaltender, but all are also flexible enough contract-wise to be replaced if Levi develops as hoped. If KA came away this summer with one of these 3 goalies and Orlov for the defense I'd be a very happy fan.

Based on the article, I look at the trade very differently. It seems now that Terry likely told Jbot to get rid of ROR and get it done before the bonus was to paid. Under those circumstances he did very well in the end.

In light of this article, I guess we need to revisit the JBot ROR trade again. JBot successfully traded ROR for Thompson, a 1st (Johnson) and a 2nd, and saved Terry $8 mill as required. Thompson is a star and Johnson is our top D prospect. I guess he did ok after all.

Let's say for argument's sake that Minn wins the Frozen Four and the Winnipeg Ice wins the Memorial Cup. Those are two really talented teams The Gophers have Cooley, Snuggerud, Chesley, Faber, Johnson, Knies, and LaCombe who are all 1st and 2nd round picks, plus 7 more drafted players. The Ice have Savoie, Connor Geekie, Benson, Lambos, Ostapchuk as 1st and 2nd rd draftees, plus a couple of other drafted players. I think it's would be a very interesting series, but I agree the Gophers would probably prevail.

Where can we buy that jacket?

There is something I'd like to see. The NCAA Champs play the Memorial Cup Winner in a 5 game series. Birth.

I agree. Similar age group between college and the AHL except for the few vets in the A. How many college kids step directly into the NHL each year? 1 or 2 maybe?

How about this? Would the 2023 NCAA Frozen Four Champion beat the 2023 Columbus Blue Jackets or Sharks or Blackhawks? As to the original thread, if you magically transported the 1983 NHL All-stars to 2023 and gave them modern sticks and skates even without additional training, they'd destroy the college kids. the 1983 game featured Peter Stastny, Ray Bourque, Wayne Gretzky, Paul Coffey, Jari Kurri, Bossy, Trottier, Messier, Doug Wilson, Mark Howe, Denis Potvin, Marcel Dionne, and even my friend Dino Ciccarelli. The college kids would never even get the puck out of their zone until it was in the back of the net.

That's why it's an impossible question. Are we age-reducing Mike Bossy but making him play on old skates and with a wooden stick against today's college kids? Is that how conducting this comparison? How does that make any sense?