GASabresIUFAN

Does the Horvat deal set the price for Meier? Just as an aside, any move KA has to be viewed through the lense of who gets pushed out of the lineup. For example, if you acquire Meier, one of Mitts or Vo has to be moved in the same deal (or a separate deal) to open a roster spot. Same goes for a defenseman. If KA acquires a D for the top 6 like a McCabe, one of Bryson, Joki or Clague will have to go.

I’d bring back McCabe in a minute. Swap him in for Bryson, add more veteran experience and physical play.

First shoe to drop. We probably should have received more for Reinhart, but that’s another matter. I do find it interesting that the NYI could conceivably re-trade Horvat by the deadline. Still from the NYI point of view, they need centers, younger forwards and more scoring. Horvat checks those boxes. Horvat (27) and Barzal (25) are now their only decent forwards with talent under 30. If they don’t re-trade him to recover their assets, they better re-sign him or it’s a waste. Even with Horvat, I doubt they can catch Pitt, Wash, or Buffalo for a playoff spot. To many good teams in the metro for them to make any real strides in the standings.

https://www.cbssports.com/nhl/news/bobby-hull-hockey-hall-of-famer-and-blackhawks-legend-dies-at-84/ HOFer and father of Sabres nemesis Brett Hull has passed away.

That’s the $ million question. Who would part with a Samuelsson level D for Olofsson? That’s why Joki is in that role and will likely stay there for the foreseeable future, unless we can get a Nick Jensen or someone like him to sign with us this off-season.

Sad but true

Now that the team is firmly in playoff contention, I put up a poll to see where Sabrespace wants KA to upgrade the team at the deadline.

The thing about KO is how much for how long and whether he even wants to continue. Z is going to get re-signed unless he wants to walk. KA is fully aware this team needs more grit. My guess is that was a factor in signing Bush last off-season and why the Meier rumors started. That said, I think he can replace KO, with someone younger and probably cheaper with the same results.

Sean Malone. To date, I think Petersen is the only Sabres drafted prospect to walk ever who the Sabres offered a contract to. PS, anyone else happy for Hudson Fasching that he has made and stuck with the NYI. I always liked this kid and hoped he'd make the show. https://www.usahockeymagazine.com/article/2012-03/family-man-hudson-fasching#:~:text=Hudson was the first of,around-the-clock care.

Free is a relative term. The acquiring team would have had to pay him the balance of this contract and fit him under the cap. My guess is teams were interested, but wanted KA to retain a portion of his contract and KA said no. Depending on who is available there is still a chance Vinnie gets traded, but why move him at this point. I'd rather have him as an injury callup.

It's a balance. CHL gets must get signed within 2 years of being drafted or you lose your rights to them. They also can't play in the AHL until 20. Thus there are plenty of kids in the CHL playing with NHL ELCs in their back pockets. However these ELCs don't start until they actually leave the CHL (in most cases). Savoie is one current example. NCAA kids, in theory, you get a longer evaluation period as you keep their rights as long as they stay in school. Same goes for European kids drafted out of Europe. Both Euros and college kids can go straight into the AHL at 18. The downside, especially with the NCAA, is that once a kids leaves school, you have until August 15th to sign them or they become UFAs. Guys like former Sabres' pick Cal Petersen, Kevin Hayes, and Alex Kerfoot all took this route. The vast majority of NCAA players, like Owen Power and Casey Mittelstadt, sign with the team that drafted them. The thing with Marjala is he was a European kid drafted out of the CHL. They come in two forms. The first is a Euro "loaned" to the CHL team like Alex Nylander, who was then eligible to go the AHL. On the other hand Marjala was a regular Euro import and my understanding is he was just like any US or Canadian kid in the CHL when drafted and therefore was subject to the CHL signing rules. Therefore he needs to be signed or we lose him. Honestly signing him really isn't a negative. We have plenty of room under our contracts list to sign him and he can stay in Europe and develop further, like VO did. As to Johnson or Portillo, while unusual for guys to jump ship, I'd honestly understand if both did. KA brought in Levi, who is a better prospect in goal than Portillo. Johnson is a former 1st rd pick, but he is looking at a crowded Sabres LHD group. When he looks at the depth chart he sees Mule and Power already playing LHD for us, meaning he is at best a 3rd pairing player on his natural side. Personally I think he can beat out Joki if he can play on the right side, but who knows what his advisors are telling him. His father is an a former NHLer and current coach of the AHL Ontario Reign (an LA Kings affiliate)/

With Tuch, Skinner, JJP, Quinn locked in as 4 of the top 6 wingers, if you bring in Meier one of Mitts or VO have to go. I doubt KA/DG want either as a 4th line energy player. So the question is who would KA/DG keep between Mitts and VO. How do they decide? Some people here would say Mitts sucks trade him now for a bag of pucks. I doubt KA will use that rationale. They'll look at cost, market value, position versatility, skill set vs team needs, age, contract, and team control among other factors. The debate may come down to age and skill set. Playmaker vs goal scorer. I settled on VO because of age and what I perceive as a higher market value right now. 30 goal scorers are hard to come by and VO, who has one more year on his deal, might fetch a 1st rd pick at the deadline or in the off-season from a contending team looking for depth scoring. This is contingent on getting a goal scorer like Meier in a separate deal. From a Sabres standpoint, keeping a younger playmaker, who plays multiple positions and is under team control weighs toward keep Mitts on the Sabres for now. Possible top 3 lines if Meier is acquired Skinner TnT Tuch JJP Cozens Meier Mitts Jost Quinn

Their families don’t like it much either. Sadly, it might get to the point where these kids have to defect just to play here.

What might an aggressive (or at least semi aggressive) off-season look like. I’m assuming Meier isn’t traded at the deadline. The goal is to get more physical at forward and to add a better defensive D. 1) We trade Bryson and Asplund for whatever we can get 2) We re-sign Clague for the 7th slot 3) We let Andy and KO walk in the off-season, but re-sign Girgensons, Cozens and Jost. 4) We trade VO for solid assets 5) We trade for Meier to play with Cozens 6) We sign Jake Walman from Det - LHD to play with Bush 7) We sign Hathaway from Washington to take KO’s roke. 8.) We sign a veteran D fir the 8th role.

Meier is still an RFA, would he be easier for SJ to trade in the off-season? Would a trade from KA’s point of view be more likely in the summer as well, especially if KO walks? The Sabres acquired ROR on draft day and a Meier deal seems like a similar undertaking. For example, maybe we trade VO to LA for a 2nd and a RHD prospect. We then acquire Meier for a our 1st, Rosen, the LA second and Bloom.

With the Washington loss tonight the Sabres are now 2 pts back of the Caps (with 3 games in hand) and one pt behind Pitt. Wash (58 pts) has 26W (in 52 games), 21 RW, 25 ROW P% - .558 Pitt (57 pts) has 24W (in 49 games), 20 RW, 23 ROW p% - .582 Buff (56 pts) has 26W (in 49 games), 19 RW, 25 ROW p% - .571 Florida worries me the most of the teams behind us. They have 54 pts (in 52 games) P-%.519 A statement victory over Carolina before the All-Star break would be huge for the Sabres at home. Carolina plays the night before. Interestingly Washington plays Columbus on the 31st, while Pitt is already on vacation.

The deal could end of being VO to team X and Meier to Buffalo. They don't have to be dealt in the same transaction.

Not anyone near ready. On defense Komarov and Novikov At forward Nadeau?

In last night’s game, the Minn broadcast mentioned that the Sabres were the least physical team in the league. The announcer made it clear that the Wild should bang the Sabres around to slow us down. Truthfully it worked to a certain extent, especially with Mule and Cozens out. While I still doubt Meier becomes a Sabre, the lack of physicalityby the Sabres does beg the question how will KA make this team more physical and harder to play against. Someone like Meier would certainly help. Possible more physical maturity from some of the young forwards, but I don’t really see that as Quinn and JJP’s game. Maybe the idea of moving Olofsson for Meier is the right place to start.

Alas just .1 seconds short

https://theathletic.com/4128667/2023/01/26/buffalo-bills-offseason-coaches/ Headline says it all

Wow. KC has been in cap hell for a few years and seems to going just fine. We can retool. Hard decisions will be made like letting Edmunds walk possibly and they’ll address the Oline with the draft and free agency. Maybe this team got their awful luck behind them. I suspect they’ll be just a good next year.

Pens play at 7pm tonight. Could be motivation for our game at 9pm

If they feel he has an NHL skill, like speed or a great shot, then they’ll probably sign him and see what happen. If signed, they can still leave him in Europe for a year or two. No reason to rush. KA doesn’t like to waste assets and we are still 8 under our contract limit of 50. We are 25 short of the 90 reserve limit.

Considering that the writer in question grades the team each week, has a cumulative grade for the season and those grades for the OLine “show” “illustrate” or whatever term you’d like to use that our OLine sucked and that matches the eye test. I think it’s reasonable to conclude that the OLine sucked. May I kindly suggest getting a subscription. It really is worth it.