GASabresIUFAN

This is one of hardest lineups to slot in a while. We know who 8 of the top 9 forwards are with Doan and Greenway fighting for the 9th slot. The problem is we have almost no game film on who Norris fits with. We also have a ton of “scorers” with very limited proven playmakers except Tuch to match them with. Add Kulich’s limited experience and you have a ton of possibilities without many reference points. I can see an argument for Kulich starting the year as the center on any of the top 3 lines. The only thing that’s certain is Tage on the top line. After that, It’s going to come down to who plays well with whom in camp. The defense, besides Dahlin, only seems more settled, but isn’t. The key is going to be who Kesselring shows chemistry with. I don’t think Kesselring with Power is a given. What happens if he meshes with Byram and not Power. Does Power play with Dahlin or do they try Samuelsson with Dalhin again. If I had to guess Tage Kulich Tuch Zucker Norris Quinn Benson McLeod Doan Danforth Krebs Greenway Dahlin Power Byram Kesselring Samuelsson Timmins UPL Lyons

What you didn't see the NHL Network commentary that Zac Jones is the 2nd coming of Jesus and will propel the Sabres defense to great heights? Listen starting at 1:13 of the video.

This is my point. Doan and Peterka are the same age (about a month apart) and JJP has 238 games to Doan's 62. Doan and Kulich have the same level of experience and similar production, except Kulich is 2 years younger. To me, Doan has no where near the upside of either JJP or Kulich. He may have the potential to be a 40 pt player on the 3rd line and produce solid two way play, but that's all we are likely to get out of him. Unlike JJP and Kulich who are or should be core players, guys like Doan are replaceable. To me Doan and guys like him are a dime a dozen and easily found and easily replaced. I don't think his acquisition moves this team forward an inch. Hopefully he pulls a McLeod and proves me wrong. By the way, you can't really just discuss what Doan is without the context of who he is replacing in the lineup. It maybe unfair to Doan to ask or expect him to fill JJP's offensive shoes, but such is life.

He is another talent downgrade through trade by Adams. Peterka (23) 238 gp, 67g, 150pts Kulich (21) 63 gp, 15g, 24 pts Doan (23) 62 gp, 12g, 28 pts His upside, if there is one, is that of a 3rd line forward.

I'm not sure the opening day lineup matters. it's about who ends up making a positive impact of the NHL roster and who doesn't. Last year Adams "revamped" the 4th line to be tougher to play against and 2/3 of that group are gone and the 3rd, Malenstyn is likely the 13th or 14th forward heading into camp. Last year UPL was coming off a great season with a new big $ deal and of course flopped. Last year Kulich was slated to spend all of last season helping the Amerks. Instead he became an impact player for the Sabres. The real question is how healthy can a lineup that includes Greenway, Norris, Quinn, and Samuelsson stay? Can guys like Timmins, Johnson and Doan, who have never played a full NHL season, be relied upon? Who is this year's Kulich? Östlund? Helenius? Rosen? I wouldn't be surprised by early this season if one of the big Russian D emerge and play in our top 6.

Adams is planning ahead. That’s why he is leaving $5 mill on the table this season. He knows he’ll need money to re-sign Tuch, Kesselring, Doan and Benson (assuming everyone has a good season) after this coming season and he wants to be prepared. A good GM would spend the money on one year deals for more help this season, but Adams doesn’t work this way. You dump Bryson and Malenstyn and sign Roslovic and Rutta instead.

The year that was 1964 is a classic comedy album. RIP Tom.

Isn’t Thompson part of the Compher, Grigorenko - ROR - trade tree? Last I looked Compher (2013)was a 2nd rd pick from the tank era and Grigorenko (2012) was a 1st. Isn’t Johnson, a 1st in 2019, part of the same trade tree?

RiP Ozzy, Hulk and Chuck. Tough few days

Good is a relative term, but here a few trades or signings with decent to good outcomes (in no particular order) 1. Gaustad for a 1st 2. Vanek for Moulson, a 1st and a 2nd 3. Compher, Zadorov and others for O'Reilly 4. Kane traded for a 1st 5. Nylander for Jokiharju 6-10. Drafting Eichel, Reinhart, Ullmark, Dahlin and JJP 11. Signing Zucker 12. Trading Savoie for McLeod

.... and 3 inexperienced GMs later the product is still unwatchable. How does the rebuild go if someone like Dale Talon had been hired to replace Regier instead of the 3 stooges?

The worst move wasn't the decision to tank, but Pegula's decision to bring in un-proven talent to run the team without having a experienced professional to guide the raw GM's. All of the issues stem from 3 rookie GMs with Adams being the worst of the bunch and that is saying something.

This looks like change for change's sake. They won't be harder to play against because the are coached to be soft and most of the changes don't accomplish that goal. The guys who were moved (like EJ, KO, Clifton, and Z) were supposed to be hard to play against. They weren't and aren't. Malenstyn was supposed to improve the toughness of the team and it's hard to accomplish that goal on sitting on the bench or in the pressbox. Truthfully we were closer to the playoffs (42 wins, 91 pts and 293 goals scored) with Skinner, VO, Mitts, Joki, Z, KO, Cozens, and JJP, than we are right now. Those guys helped get us to a hair's breath from the playoffs 3 years ago despite a horrific defense than the changes Adams has wrought the last 2 off-season and deadlines.

Happy reading. The most painful is the drafting, I’d add the 2nd rd picks are even worse than the failed 1st rounders. 15 2nd rd picks and only 2 good players in JJP and Compher and both were traded away. UPL and Samuelsson have been more bad than good by a wide margin and the rest from Hurley to Leinonen are busts or soon will be. Hard to build a team this way.

On paper the Sabres are the worst goaltending group in the East and probably the NHL. Lyon is a career journeyman who has played for 5 teams and never established himself as a starter in the NHL. The last two years in Det were his best opportunity and he gave them Reimer level goaltending. Levi, besides his first games after college, has shown very little that he’s ready to be a full time NHL goalie. UPL has had one good season in 5 pro seasons and 3 of the other 4 seasons were lousy at best. It’s possible one of the 3 steps up and gives the Sabres NHL average goaltending. If that happens, the Sabres will be improved, but I’m not optimistic.

Despite my agreement that Adams is likely done, I have two ideas that would make this next edition of the Sabres better. If I were Adams I’d sign Jan Rutta and Jack Roslovic to 1 year deals. Rutta gives the defense a 3rd RHD and a veteran Cup winning leader who can still play. I’d then let Samuelsson, Rutta and Timmons battle in camp to see who is the 5/6/7 D. I’d then punt Byrson. Roslovic gives the Sabres a proven (if inconsistent) C/W who can be chippy, can play up and down the lineup and can score. I think the Roslovic is great insurance in case of injuries, or guys like Doan, Danforth, Quinn, or Kulich prove not to be ready for prime time. I can see him also beating out Krebs for the 4C job. This guy was a 45 pt player for Jarmo’s Blue Jackets. Admittedly both moves are unlikely, but we have the cap space and both are better players than guys slated to make the roster next season.

That's why the word 'overhaul' is in quotes in the OP. This isn't an overhaul just more of Adams rearranging the deck chairs.

Heading to my seemingly annual visit with the Goo Goo Dolls on Tuesday at Chastain Park. Should be fun as always.

I wasn’t being sarcastic. I was being dead serious. After all two genius talking heads on the NHL network said Jones is great. Why shouldn’t I believe them? Of course it does raise the question is if Jones is so great why didn’t he have better options then signing here?

Absolutely. Jones is the savior of the Sabres inept defense. It was the signing of the century. Didn't Adams give Johnson a 3 year deal? I think Metsa has a better shot of making the Sabres then Zac Jones.

They think Zac Jones is going to make the Sabres roster and be a difference maker? LMAO. At best he's beating out Bryson and or Johnson for the 7/8 D slot. They seem to have missed the Sabres piss poor goaltending in their analysis.

I think he's probably done. The only moves I think he has left is possibly trading someone like Kozak, Bryson, Malenstyn or Ryan Johnson, but those type of moves are likely during the pre-season. I believe the Byram signing signals the end of any major Adams moves before next season. I believe these are your 25-26 Buffalo Sabres. Forwards Thompson Kulich Benson Quinn Norris Tuch Zucker McLeod Greenway Danforth Krebs Doan (Malenstyn, Kozak) Defense Dahlin Byram Power Kesselring Samuelsson Timmins Bryson (Johnson) Goalies UPL, Lyons (Levi back to Rochester - He's waiver exempt) Another season millions from the cap and another missed opportunity top build a playoff team. *note: RFAs Levi and Timmins remain unsigned.

Chinakov - 6'1, 205, age 24 (25 in Feb 26) NHL - 175 gms 34g 37a 71pts 14 min/gp -42 21st overall in 2020 draft Quinn - 6'1, 185, age 23 (24 in Sept) NHL - 178 gms 39g 58a 97 pts 14:30 Min/GP - 26 8th overall in 2020 draft Quinn has been the more productive player and is slightly young. If Quinn is the trade target for CBJ, we'd need a little more than Chinakhov, especially as Chinakhov could easily bolt to the KHL after next season.

In some respects, but again the vast majority have been bottom of the roster type deals. He did strike gold last year with McLeod and Zucker, and they are probably his better transactions over his 5 years as GM. Unfortunately, the deals also haven't made the team better.