GASabresIUFAN

He should have been out during the 13 game skid. Sadly he isn’t going anywhere. The shopping list won’t change even with a new GM unless Adams or his eventual successor makes the right decisions. The needs though are obvious. This list: 1) 2 RHD stay at home D for the top 4. 2) A top 6 playmaker, preferably a center. 3) More physical players. It’s really not a long list, but accomplishing it will be difficult. It will involve moving on from some young highly drafted players like Cozens, Byram or Power. It will involve moving picks or prospects for NHL players and it will involve buying out or retaining money from bad contracts like Samuelsson. It also may involve having a GM being able to sell vets with NTCs/NMCs on his vision for the future. No way on G-ds green Earth does Adams have the skills and the guts to do what must be done.

Come on, doesn’t Ehrhoff’s contract come off the books soon?

Does this really surprise you? The Sabres have one defenseman; one! His name is Dahlin. Not one other player on our blueline group can actually player defense. It doesn’t help that the forwards have no clue how to support the D, but outside of Dahlin, none of the so called D are positionally sound or make good decisions with the puck. Hard to win that way.

Feeling much better about a top 4 pick after tonight’s game.

Correct! You can say McLeod, Byram and signing Zucker were all “good” moves, but the team is worse. Every team we were competing with to improve in the East (Det, Ott, Mon and even Philly) are all superior teams. All have improved this season while the Sabres have taken another step back.

Colorado's GM remains very active acquiring Lindgren from the Rangers for DeHaan, picks and others https://www.tsn.ca/nhl/colorado-avalanche-get-ryan-lindgren-jimmy-vesey-in-trade-with-new-york-rangers-1.2263059

No.

Possibly the remaining fans?

https://www.tsn.ca/nhl/brock-boeser-mikko-rantanen-crack-top-4-on-tsn-trade-bait-board-a-week-out-from-nhl-trade-deadline-1.2261038

McDavid was of course hyperbole, but as I said, you'd need to get a proven young top line/pair player. Tkachuk fits that description and I certainly would listen to that deal. However my point still stands and thank you for proving it. For the Sabres to trade JJP they'd need to receive an significant upgrade to the roster. There is no way the Sabres are trading their best young forward with upside for a prospects, picks, or even a group of middle of the roster players. As to where JJP stands on this roster; he is tied for 3rd in points by forwards (1 pt from 2nd). He is 2nd in assists, he is 4th in goals, but 3rd 5 on 5. He is also tied for 1st in 5 on 5 total assists and 3rd in primary assists 5 on 5 by forwards. By the way, I'm not putting much stock in the NHL.COM's giveaway stats. Across the board for the entire Sabres roster they are 2-3 times what they were last year. For example they have Dahlin at 1.28 GvA/60 in 2023/24 and 3.57 this year, Tuch at 1.27 last year and 2.61 this year. As much as I bitch about the poor state of our defense, the HDCA is about the same as last season. Admittedly its not good, but it's not 2-3 times worse. If we were giving the puck away at the level described on NHL.com those HDCA would be significantly worse and they aren't. While I'm an advocate for change, there are some good players on this team to build around besides Tage and Dahlin. I think JJP is one of those players. I'm not saying he is untouchable, but it's going to have to be a move that seriously moves the needle. In general I'm listening to offers for everyone not named TNT, Dahlin. However JPP, Tuch and Benson would have to be extremely good offers (like Tkachuk for JPP as mentioned above), and I'm not willing to trade both Byram and Power, but I am willing to trade one. I also want Zucker and Greenway re-signed. Unfortunately, I don't think we get a choice. He is obviously going to be making the deadline decisions and I honestly but sadly believe TP will give him next season as well. Sorry. https://www.tsn.ca/nhl/brock-boeser-mikko-rantanen-crack-top-4-on-tsn-trade-bait-board-a-week-out-from-nhl-trade-deadline-1.2261038

Not really. This is a player who has improved on ice and statistically every season since joining the Sabres. He set records in the AHL at 19. He just turned 23 and he is on pace for 64+ pts after 50 and 32 pts seasons. He has also shown marked improvement in his playmaking for linemates with 27 assists in 55 games vs 22 all of last season. Right now is arguably the Sabres 3rd best forward and the only one with more upside. At the rate he is improving you are looking at a pt a game player who can score 30+ goals as early as next season with his entire prime ahead of him. Unlike Cozens, Samuelsson, Power, this guy has earned his new deal and is vital for the longterm success of the franchise. I don’t see him as being easily replaced by any prospect in the pipeline or young player on the roster. So who are you trading him for that would improve the roster enough to send away your best young forward? The player you bring in has to be at a young proven top pairing D or a young top line center under contract or control to even begin to justify the trade (aka someone significant better than Byram).

No, unless the player’s name is McDavid.

Daily Faceoff added JJP to their trade board. If Adams trades JJP he should be fired on the spot and if not I done with this team.

Did he watch tonight's game? This team isn't close.

Just when they pull me back in they push me out again.

He was Chief Financial Officer for the NHL at one point.

When he bought the team he hired Teb Black as team president (he worked for the Penguins) and Ken Sawyer (also from the Penguins), but both were financial guys. I think I found what you were remembering. In Jan 2014 they hired Craig Patrick as a special advisor. He last a year.

When he bought the team he hired Teb Black as team president (he worked for the Penguins) and Ken Sawyer (also from the Penguins), but both were financial guys. I think I found what you were remembering. In Jan 2014 they hired Craig Patrick as a special advisor. He lasted a year.

@tom webster The above quote is the missing ingredient. TM and Jbot were not out of left field hires like Adams, but they were also 1st time GMs without a proper veteran hockey person to consult with.

9 days until the trade deadline. So far nothing. Greenway & Zucker haven't been extended or traded. Cozens, Quinn, Power and Byram are all still Sabres. The team has been better of late. The team is 7-3 in their last 10 games and 4-1 in February. Their only Feb loss, was an incredibly terrible game against a beatable opponent in Nashville. Despite their better play, the Sabres remain in last place in the Eastern Conference with 53 points in 56 games. They also remain nominally in the 4th draft position although Sea and Pitt have worse winning %. The Sabres have 3 games in hand on both teams. Who is hot? Dahlin - 14 pts in the last 10, TNT 13, Zucker and JJP 11 points each. TNT has 8 goals in the last 10, with JJP adding 6, plus Zucker, McLeod and Kulich have 4 goals each. Given this backdrop what should Adams do? I was hoping for blockbuster earlier, but now I think we'll see next to nothing done at the deadline. He'll probably trade Joki and maybe Quinn. I suspect he holds on to Zucker for the rest of the season and tries (but fails) to re-sign him. Cozens, who is showing some small signs of life also remains.

So you would give McLeod $6 mill a season for a career 12% shooter who is in the midst of a career year with a 24% shooting %.? I'm sorry this is why the Sabres make bad decisions. Cozens shooting % for his career are 6.5%, 8.1%, 9% and 8.7% except his career contract year in which he shot 14.7%. The Sabres gave him a contract based on the career year and he immediately reverted to his previous shooting level% McLeod's career shooting % are 11, 14.1, 11.3 and this year 24.1 . This year is an anomaly that is unlikely to be repeated.

If he puts up 50 pts this season, no way he settles on a 3 mill per season deal. AFP estimates were also based on his stats while he was in the midst of his 6 pts in 22 game slump.

Which is a pretty sad commentary on Cozens. Are you willing to pay $6 mill a year for McLeod given his 24% shooting %?

My issue with McLeod is that he is incredibly inconsistent and always has been. If you look at his season he had 12 pts (6g) in the first 18 games and then disappeared for 22 games (0g, 6a) and then got hot again with 12 pts (8g) in the last 13 games. Now add that he's never been a good playmaker. This year he is having a career year (on a contract year). Unfortunately setting himself up for a big payday at the Sabres' expense. The key here is his 24% shooting % for a guy with a career shooting % in Edm of 11.9%. His scoring is not sustainable. If Adams give him a long-term deal or even a Mitts type 3 year deal, we will come to regret it. As a 3rd line center he is perfectly ok given his solid 5 on 5 defense and speed. We just can't overpay on a career year and we still must find a top 6 playmaker.

You can be “un-involved in the day to day”, but still put the franchise behind the eight ball. For example TP tells his GM here is your internal salary cap, but allow the GM to spend it as he see fit. Another example could be simply saying the GM is not allowed to retain salary in any trades. This isn’t day to day involvement, but it does handcuff the GM. The two examples are how I feel TP meddles besides his terrible management hires, and so I think that’s what the agents mean. Adams can make any hockey personnel decisions he wants in terms of contract $ and term and trade any prospect, player or pick as long as he doesn’t spend above x$ and doesn’t retain any salary to get the deals done.