GASabresIUFAN

I think his argument is that you build a team out from the goal and having stability in goal would have enable this team to turn the corner faster than it has.

Of course their isn’t one. You have to draft a few higher in the draft than the 4th rd, other than Power. Johnson is the closest but there is no guarantee he signs here. In the last 3 drafts we have had 13 picks in the top 3 rounds and drafted only 1 D (and only 1 G). This is not a shot at KA, who has done a very good job drafting overall, but just a statistical fact. If you want a top 4 D, you typically have to draft one and most are top 3 rd picks. Therefore KA if he is serious about a top 4 D and news reports say he is, he is going to have sign one next offseason or trade significant assets to get one. Who else would you go after and at what cost?

I don’t think they’ll be hockey gods. 😉. Yes, I do think they have the potential and skill set to be all-star level players sooner than later.

Neither defense or goaltending or just neither player? Other ideas are certainly welcome.

Taking the timing of such a blockbuster out of the equation for a moment, if KA is going to spend important assets like our 1st in 2023 and or top prospects like Rosen or Östlund on a top player in his prime, where would you prefer he spend the assets on defense or goaltending and more specifically on Chychrun vs Demko? https://www.tsn.ca/nhl/arizona-coyotes-set-high-price-for-jakob-chychrun-in-nhl-trade-1.1882610#:~:text=Chychrun had a career season,annual value of %244.6 million. The alleged price for Chychrun according to LeBrun is at least 3 pieces. Lindholm trade in 2022 as the reference of a 1st, 2 2nds and two other pieces. Chychrun is signed for 2 additional season at 4.6 per year. He is a physical 2 way D who has a career high of 40+ points. https://www.yardbarker.com/nhl/articles/canucks_reportedly_open_to_considering_a_thatcher_demko_trade/s1_16454_38146079 Demko, currently injured, has struggled this season after two straight excellent years. The Athletic sites NHL executives as saying the price will probably be a 2023 1st and a good prospect.

FYI: https://www.quanthockey.com/ahl/en/player-age/20-year-old-ahl-players.html - Quinn is 3rd all time in the A for p/gp by a 20 year old. Satan is second, Briere is 4th https://www.quanthockey.com/ahl/en/player-age/19-year-old-ahl-players.html - JJP is 8th all time in the A for p/gp by a 19 year old. Ahead of Bergeron and Patrick Elias.

In the off-season I did some research on the historical seasons they had in the A given their age group. Everyone else who did what they did at their ages went on to have good to HOF NHL careers. That research gave me real hope that they would excel this season. I even projected Quinn to score at least 20 goals and JJP 15. So far so good. Just wait until they add 20 lbs of muscle in the next couple of years.

Ty Smith is back in the AHL. Bryson is in the NHL (although I grant they he may be better off in the AHL). Neither guy would be in the NHL on a good team.

so, better when not playing together?

Usually and at the deadline. You do occasionally get bid moves in season like the Vanek/Moulson deal or the Johanson/Seth Jones trade. I do think because of the high number of elite prospects in this draft, I think teams will be in sell mode earlier than usual. 4 teams are already done (CBJ, AZ, Chi, Ana) and another few (SJ, OTT and Philly) are also probably looking to start moving pieces. Van because of their high cap figure and mediocre results, may also throw in the towel at some point as well, which is why we are already hearing rumors on Boeser and Demko.

Demko and Chychrun would definitely be big time trades and both are unlikely. The difference here is that if KA made such bold moves he already has a great core playing well in Tage, Tuch, Skinner, Cozens, JJP, Quinn, Dahlin, Power and Samuelsson. All TM had when he made those trade were Eichel and Reinhart and both were rookies. That said, we don't have to go that far on the limb to make significant improvements. Go look at NJ's trades for Marino and Vanacek. All that cost them was a Bryson type player, 2 3rd picks and and trading down from 37 to 46 in the 2nd rd. With the depth in our pipeline we wouldn't even notice those picks were gone.

What? This may be the ..... post you have ever made. Right up there with Bush is as good as Marino. What does my post have anything to do with Jbot? I just want the GM to do his job and fix the defense. So does everyone else here. The only difference is I think repairs can be made now and not wait again til next year after this season is lost Again where does Jbot fit into that equation? In fact I leveled the same criticism at Jbot. Remember I'm the person who started all the Jbot do something already threads. You can Jbot, Jbot, Jbot and your beating the dead horse all you want, but we are on schedule, as @matter2003 pointed out, to be the first team in 100 years to miss the playoffs after leading the NHL in scoring. That will be a pretty sad piece of history. Is that really what you want?

I wrote in another thread that there are rumors from credible people (not Eklund) that Van is listening to offers for Demko once he gets off IR. The price according to the Athletic should be around a 1st in 2023 and a good prospect. Demko has three years left and does not have an NMC or NTC. I'm not sure why Van wants to part with Demko, but if they are I'd love for KA to get him (not try to get him). This is probably the best in season option. That said, I have been simply asking for him to try to upgrade Bryson, Pilut and Fitz in season. I think this is much more realistic and would help all of our goalies perform better without blocking any prospects or costing many of KA's precious picks and prospects.

I'm going to disagree. The fact that the team hasn't made the playoffs in a decade has created a disgruntled and disenchanted fanbase. This has led to terrible attendance and significant loss of revenue to the franchise. My guess TP has some significant $ limitations on KA because of the lack of revenue. The sooner KA gets this team back to the playoffs the quicker he solves improves attendance and the team's revenue. So yes he is very cognizant of the team's recent history. The question is will that change how he does his job? It hasn't. He is still wait and see mode, aka "another development year," until he changes to win now mode the team won't be making the playoffs.

Makes you wonder why there is no urgency to fix the goaltending and defense. It's clear that KA didn't expect the offense to breakout as it has and he was expecting another "development year" and wasn't and isn't prepared to fix the roster issues yet.

It was a joke. Some people here seem to get upset if you mention that VO and Mitts are still contributing despite some defensive struggles.

Just don’t tell people that VO and Mitts are included in the list.

GM's have pick value charts and here is one from the Athletic. https://theathletic.com/1798463/2020/06/12/by-the-numbers-revisiting-the-true-value-of-a-draft-pick/ The Sabres sit 11th right now which garners 5.7 pts. The 27th pick is 3.2 pts. So if we give them our 1st and Östlund/Rosen for Demko they need to also through in their 2nd in 2023 which would be around pick 34, which is worth 2.5 pts to balance the difference between our pick and the last rd pick the Athletic article mentioned. You can easily disagree that Demko is worth the equivalent of 2 1st rd picks and that is a reasonable argument, but a some point KA needs to stop shopping at bargain mart and take a reasonable risk, and this is not a crazy price in the current environment. It's also hard to know what a good youngish goalie under contract is worth. I looked quickly but haven't found any similar deals recently. Most of been trades are for older goalies or not completely proven RFAs like Vanacek or Georgiev. Don't forget that TM traded a 1st and took back a bad contract to get Lehner.

I'm not sure what Casey's problem has been this year. When he came back last year he was creating offense every night, now there is until the last couple of games, a timidity in his game that wasn't there late last year. Maybe he is over thinking about being defensively aware, maybe he just has no chemistry with VO and whichever the flavor of the day on the other wing he's playing with. DG said himself that he has given Mitts/VO poor D coverage. Ultimately Casey may just be a average NHL player who will find a role somewhere as a 3rd line player who can help on the PP. He is on pace for a 15g 45 pt season. That's solid production from a 3rd line player even if half is from the PP. I have always like Asplund with Casey. Maybe the move is Asplund Casey KO and then a 4th line of Girgensons Krebs/Jost VO.

As I mentioned before these 3 guys process the game so quickly, once the puck touches one of their sticks the 3 guys are gone. They seem to already know where they each are on the ice at all times. Quinn and JPP played together last season in the A, but their instant chemistry with Cozens is wonderful to watch. That give and go and give back goal last night was a thing of beauty. Bold prediction time: Quinn and maybe JJP will catch Berniers for the rookie scoring lead in the NHL by year's end. Quinn is averaging a pt a game over his last 12 games. Beniers is at .82 for the season.

DG doesn't agree with you.

Actually the Sabres are in the 11th slot and if we get Demko would could end up 15/16 area. As the Athletic pointed out a 1st and a prospect is the price. Schenn and a 2nd are included in the deal to balance the value between a mid-first and a late first. However Van will get that general framework (1st and prospect) if they choose to trade Demko. I'm perfectly ok with swapping Östlund for Rosen in the deal.

You realize that that play was in the 1st period last night with the score 0-0? The blowout happened in the 3rd period.

Which way? Van refusing or Buffalo refusing? You don't think an NHL GM needing goaltending would trade a 1st and a prospects for Demko, a proven young goalie in his prime with 3 years left on his deal and without a NMC/NTC? I will respectively disagree.

Actually with Mitts on the top line their advanced metrics have been excellent, they just haven't been converting the last two games. Casey setup Tuch perfectly in the 1st but Copley made an amazing save. DG admitted the after the Pitt game that some of VO and Mitt's issues stem from his use of our bottom tier D while they were on the ice. https://www.buffalohockeybeat.com/sabres-casey-mittelstadt-earns-chance-to-showcase-talents-on-top-line/ Also VO's line made a habit for driving to the net last night and it worked. Casey worked there as well for Tuch and Tnt. Maybe both talented forwards finally got the message?