GASabresIUFAN

That was a dreadful period of hockey.

Just think where we'd be if we had good goaltending and a better 3rd pairing. I suspect we'd give up less than 3.4 goals a game and have a different near 30. Yes the forwards need to take some responsibility for it, but it seems this system relies on D moving the puck up quickly and I don't think we get that enough from Bryson/Bush. Not that this really has anything to do with Skinner's contract. Well maybe it does, he is still lousy in the D Zone. (An improvement from G-D awful, but still an improvement.)

They are in the we should be in the playoffs zone.

The Sabres are +16 which is 12th in the NHL.

The Sabres are my favorite team but……

Yes! Are there better 3rd lines in the NHL? Probably, but the majority are similar or worse. VO is 29th among NHL forwards in goals with 23. 18 are at even strength. His EVG's are 19th in the NHL. That's top line production for most teams, but he's a 3rd line winger for the Sabres. Mitts is tied for 138 in points and tied for 97th in assists. That's 2nd line production for most NHL teams. I understand you (not @JohnC) are in the Casey sucks camp. I get it. but maybe it's time to look at the broader picture. If you moved Casey out, what would it cost you in assets and cap to get someone "better" and now much better would they really be? For example, the Rags just traded a 1st rd pick for Vlad Tarasenko. Vlad has been an excellent player in this league, but guess what his production is this season? 10g 19a for 29 pts and a -18. Is that 7.5 million worth of production from a 31 year old? Is he really much of an upgrade at this point? Would you spend a 1st this season to get him? Would I like to see play more physically? Absolutely, but as Rob Ray pointed out a few games ago, Casey is doing a much better job at winning puck battles now that he is on the wing. Would I like to see Casey score more goals? Also absolutely, but I'm ok with him feeding VO, which he has been doing with regularity once Jost took over the center job. PS While I do defend Casey because I think he is a pretty talented player who seems to be growing into his role with the Sabres, I'm also realistic on his future here. At this point, JJP and Quinn probably have more upside. Because of his age and contract status, there is a high likelihood that he (and VO)will be a cap casualty in the next few years as guys like Rosen, Kulich and Savoie push from below. .....and now back to our featured topic. Just as an aside, I'd love to hear what guys like Dahlin and Skinner truly think about RK.

One simple piece of advice. Don't be a helicopter parent. Support your kids. Get them help when they need it, but don't shadow their every move. It won't work out well.

I believe KA would like him here asap. So far every Euro he drafted who was eligible to come over has, such as Kulich, Rosen, and Kisakov. KA wants his guys in NA learning the Sabres' system. He also brought Kozak into the AHL when he became eligible when he could have easily had him return to the CHL for another year.

That’s fine but it doesn’t answer my question. Why would we want Östlund stuck in the SHL next season when he could possibly be in the AHL next year?

Have you even checked the numbers of late? Mitts has 15 pts in his last 24 games and 0+/-. Sabres record in those games is 14-7-3. The facts don't support your claim. Also in the first 10 games (Sabres 7-3) when the D was healthy, Mitts was +1 with 7 points. That means the majority of Mitts struggles defensively has coincided with the Sabres injuries on D and in goal. The 3rd line isn't the problem. This team allows 3.4 goals against on average. Goaltending and D beyond the top 3 is the problem.

Skinner has 11 pts (3g 8a) in his last 12 games. He hasn't been at his best of late (something I've commented on before), but he certainly hasn't been bad or a real negative.

I'll give them our 7th pick in 2035 and they have to eat 50% of his salary.

where would they put him? We currently have 23 players in the NHL.

I'm confused. You want Östlund to be stuck in the SHL next season? If I'm reading your post correctly, if Djurgardens returns to the SHL next season, Östlund can;t void his contract. If they stay in the lower level Östlund can void his contract and join the Amerks. Don't you think the Sabres would prefer Östlund to play in the AHL over the SHL? Or do you think his contract would slide another year if he stays in Sweden and that is why you want him back in Sweden?

The Athletic has Skinner’s value at 10 million.

Wow. I guess the Rags are going all in.

Skinner and Thompson are clear examples of coaching and system matter. Jbot brought Skinner in to be the goal scorer on the top line. He envisioned a long-term Eichel/Skinner pairing where Jack feeds Skinner and Skinner pots 40 a year. While that vision worked under Housley, it was kneecapped under RK. Now under DG that vision has returned in an altered form with TNT, Tuch, and Skinner all working together as a unit. DG’s system has forced Skinner to improve his passing and he has. I will say that having Rasputin for a season plus has made Skinner more defensively aware. Had Jbot initial vision come to fruition no one would have complained about the deal. I think if we look back on this site, I think most people here were happy Jbot re-signed him. It bodes well for the remaining years of the contract that Skinner at age 30 is having his best season. Strange fact about Skinner is that his career high in points is 63 and he has done it 4 times including his first NHL season, his first season in Buffalo and his first season under DG. Now he has 50 pts in just 47 games and it’s the first time in his career that he has significantly more assists than goals. He has 30 assists ytd. His career high is 32. This is Skinner’s 10th season of 20 or more goals, and will be his 6th 30+ goal season if he can add 10 more this season.

Hard to know Power's value at this point, but it is considerable. Power is 25th in the NHL for TOI/GP as a rookie in the NHL. In the same range as established stars Werenski, Ekblad and Morrissey. His 19 points is tied for 55th. His +12 is tied for 31st. By most common measures he is a top pairing D already at 20. So what is he worth already? Hard to know, but KA extended Samuelsson with on 40 games of NHL experience. If I were Power's agent, I'd sign a 3 year bridge deal and then when his client is 24, go and get the long-term big money deal. I'm a Mitts fan, but I honestly don't see him getting a long-term deal unless he blossoms into a 70 pt player next season. My guess is KA will be patient and see how next year goes and see how Kulich, Rosen and Savoie progress before deciding on how to proceed with Mitts (& VO for that matter). I think KA would rather pay his guys (Quinn and JJP) vs paying Mitts.

especially with Marchand in the division.

I’ve been arguing for months that the window is now and upgrading the D is a priority now. Same with the goalies, but UPL is playing well enough to at least make us competitive. I was watching NHL now and they suggested we add Schenn and Barbashev. They said avoid Meier who would have to be re-signed at a number above Cozens or TnT and therefore would upset the balance in the locker-room. They think he isn’t as good as TnT and maybe not as good as Cozens either. Barbashev is interested. He is just turned 27, had 60 points last year, can play all 3 forward slots, is an UFA making 2.7, but is struggling some this year (24 pts in 51 games). Considering how many Russians KA has drafted in recent years, having a veteran Russian who is young enough to be here awhile might not be the worst idea. He also has 50 games of playoff experience. He’s an upgrade over Vinnie and Asplund, great injury insurance and a possible KO replacement is KO walks this summer who can play anywhere in the lineup. NHL Now said he was a pretty good guy as well.

… and in English?

That doesn’t preclude Joki anchoring the 3rd pair and getting a better partner for Power. The Sabres give up 3.4 goals per game. That has to improve. Our PK is near the bottom of the NHL. Goaltending is part of the problem, but so is 50% of the D group. I’m glad Joki has helped Power, but that make him good enough to be his partner long-term.

I forgot to mention VO’s deal ends after next year. He’ll be a UFA and I suspect KA won’t re-sign him. Bush is also an UFA after next season and I can see him being retained by KA if we don’t develop a replacement in time such as Komarov or Novikov. I’m hoping both Russians and Johnson join the Amerks next year and put pressure on the bottom tier D on the Sabres. I’ve run some numbers and I believe that 2 of Rosen, Savoie and Kulich will be on the Sabres roster to start 2024-25. To me that means KA will likely move on from Mitts and KO and re-allocate that money toward defense. Power is the great mystery. Where will his game be after next season. Are we talking about a 10g 40+ pt player who plays 24 minutes a night? If so we are looking at either a bridge like Dahlin’s (3 x $6) or will KA lock him up for 7 x $8 like he did with TnT and Cozens. KA seems to prefer the 7 year extensions. Joki’s extension is a mystery to me. Does KA like him enough to keep him or can he be replaced. Honestly, I’m hoping for a better partner for Power. We need to upgrade our PK and in zone D and as steady as Joki is he doesn’t move the needle enough in those areas of need to keep him.

You don’t think there are some elite players who are second line centers in the NHL? What about guys like Draisaitl, Malkin (in his prime) or Point?

Z, KO are the key UFA’s this off-season. Jost is the key remaining RFA for this season. Come July 1st, RFAs for 2023-24 Power, Dahlin, Mitts, Joki, Bryson and UPL can be extended. Will any of them be extended early or will KA again wait until mid-season next year to start getting these done. We have a dedicated thread for Dahlin, but it might be worth discussing the merits of extending the others. I do think Jost and Z will be retained will identical 3yr 2.5 per season deals. I also think he may extend Krebs in a similar deal this summer to lock up his centers. The rest I have no idea how KA might handle it.