GASabresIUFAN

https://www.capfriendly.com/armchair-gm/team/3109188 I have redone the prior team. I concentrated on building more veteran depth including building what I think could be a very effective 3rd/4th line. My goal here is by building a very good 3/4 line it might take the pressure off some of the kids and give the Sabres flexible depth in case of injury. Total cap hit is about 67 mill for 23 players. I trade for Varlomov again. I also trade for Compher again, but given the other moves, I can see KA keeping Asplund. This time I acquired Lars Eller from Washington for Fitzgerald. The thought here is Lars is a good D zone center who can add offense, while Casey is expendable once I sign a couple of veteran D, especially given how well Bryson has played on the right side. I sign UFAs Jan Rutta and Ian Cole to two year deals and I also bring back Hinostroza and Pysyk for additional depth. I also waive Bjork The team looks something like this Skinner Thompson Tuch VO Mitts KO Krebs Cozens Quinn Girgensons Eller Compher Hinostroza Dahlin Jokiharju Power Cole/Rutta Samuelsson Bryson Cole/Rutta Pysyk Varlomov UPL

I don’t think there is any question that Quinn and Krebs will be in Buffalo to start next season. JJP is a definite maybe. We still have Girgnensons, Bjork, Hinostroza, Jankowski, Butcher, Miller, Hayden, Eakin, Pysyk, Hagg, Anderson and Tokarski on this roster. These guys should all be upgraded. Quinn and Power will certainly take two of the jobs, but as to the rest, we can and should do better. For example: Acquire Quick or Varlomov to play goal. Acquire guys like Orlov or Jensen to play defense. Sign Reilly Smith.

Quinn would be in Buffalo right now if it wasn’t prudent to slide his contract. One other note: A bunch of the guys we think of as kids aren’t any longer. Many are entering their prime or are already in it. Thompson will be 24 next season, Mitts 23, VO 27, Tuch 26, Bryson 24, Asplund 24, Jokiharju 23, Dahlin 22 (with 250 NHL games already), and Skinner 30. It’s time for the training wheels to come off and for expectations to be higher.

While Weave and I disagree on the number of vets needed, we do agree that it’s time to start adding vets to get this team and the kids on it to the next level. There are significant holes on this roster that we don’t have kids ready to fill, we need to get to the cap floor and we need to become competitive. We can start with at least one proven veteran goaltender and at least one (I’d prefer 2) veteran RHD. I also wouldn’t mind another proven winger. If management wants the fans to re-engage, then they have to give the fans a reason to get excited again. Another rebuild year won’t cut it.

I guess your point is that DG is doing a better job with less talent then a Rolston/Nolan coached team. Is that even a debate? I think the better question would be a comparison of the 2013/14 Sabres to the 2020/21 Sabres. I think talent wise we could argue that they had similar star power and the coaches F-up'd both teams. Rolston went (4-15-1) and Ralph Kreuger went (6-18-4). Look at the names on RK's team. Eichel, Hall, Staal, Reinhart, Dahlin, Risto, Skinner, Montour, Okposo and RK coached them to a 6-18-4 mark. Disgusting. Moving on from Sam, Jack, Risto, Hall, Staal, and Montour, KA received Levi, Hagg, Tuch, Krebs, 3 1sts, 3 2nds, 2 3rds and a 5th. When TM dumped Miller, Ott, Vanek, McCormick, Moulson, and Halak we ended up with Stewart, Carrier, Neuvirth, 2 1sts, 3 2nds. It looks to me like the the RK team had more trade value. Until DG gets a real roster we have no idea whether he is doing well or poorly. We have seen players like KO and Skinner return to form under DG. Dahlin, Jokiharju, Bryson, and Thompson are certainly improved this season under DG. While, Mitts, Asplund, R2, VO, and others aren't flourishing under DG this year. We have seen him continue to play Hayden, Eakin, Bjork and others when the eye test and analytics say otherwise, which is a huge negative.

I think you are forgetting that most of the "better" players on the 2013 team were traded at the deadline (Ott, Miller, McCormick, Moulson). They went 3-16-2 after the trade deadline in 2014. At 58 games that team was 16-34-8 compared to this year's 18-32-8. I suspect that this team with do better down the stretch then that team. Honestly at this point, the jury is still completely out on DG. He has been given a bunch of kids, bad goaltending and a D group of mostly terrible D. Hard to win that way. I'd like to see what he can do if KA finally gets him some real goaltending. That said, DB is the best coach since Ruff until somebody gets this darn team back to the playoffs. Right now we are debating which crappy coach smells the least. Seriously, not one coach since Ruff has coached a Sabres team to above NHL 500, much less playoff contention.

Looking back on rosters is sometimes difficult. Jack and Sam were rookies. So in 5 years that roster will almost look star studded, but in reality it was still a bunch of kids finding their way. Erod now looks like a late blooming star, but then looked like an extra piece. I wonder when we look back someday at the current team, what will be think? Will we ask how could DG lose with the roster of Dahlin, Samuelsson, Jokiharju, Cozens, Mitts, Thompson, and Tuch?

I've added the % of games actually won.

I think the Amherst Rec Center is big enough on most nights.

The only bad thing about Hayden scoring is that it will convince DG to play him more.

or to show what any quality goaltender can do for a team.

Doesn't make the statement any less true.

It was a terrible call. Two guys just collided.

DG should use the tape of this game to teach these guys what a real hockey team looks and plays like. Quick decisions, going to the net, taking the man, moving the puck out of the D zone quickly. How badly did we miss use Montour and Reinhart? Cozens, Mitts, Krebs and others need to go on a weight training program this summer and get stronger for next season.

Reinhart went from a team where he was the best player to a team where he is arguably the 5th best player. Of course they are better then we are. LOL, this game of awful.

No we don't need defense and goaltending. Thanks KA It's pretty clear between the last two games how very far this team has to go.

What are the odds now on whether any of Poltapov, Kisakov or Novikov every play for the Sabres?

This should have been done day 1 of the invasion.

I thought Krebs played the best period I've seen him play this season. I thought he was particularly good in the defensive zone.

Coaching records since Ruff. 1) Nolan 144 games 40 - 87 - 17 .67 pts/g 2) Bylsma 164 games 68 - 73 - 23 .97 pts/g 3) Housley 164 games 58 - 84 - 22 .84 pts/g 4) Krueger 97 games 36 - 49 - 12 . 87 pts/g 5) Granato 85 games 27 - 47 - 11 .77 pts/g 6) Rolston 51 games 19 - 26 - 6 .86 pts/g

https://www.capfriendly.com/armchair-gm/team/3086394 I put together a team for next season. ! traded Asplund to get Compher. Colorado needs some cap relief and we need to get to the cap. Compher is a little more proven and is a perfect fit for this team. I traded LV 2nd in 2023 to the NYI for Varlomov adding experience and 5 mill to the cap. I traded a 4th in 2022 and 6th in 2023 to Wash for RHD Nick Jensen I also re-signed Pysyk ($1 mill), Hinostroza (1.25) VO (3 years at 4.5) UPL (2 years at 900K) and Bryson (2 years at 1.1). I also signed Power to his ELC. I'm leaving JJP in Rochester to start the season and am carrying 8 D. Skinner, TT, Tuch VO, Mitts, Quinn Krebs, Cozens, KO Compher, Girgensons, Hinostroza Bjork Dahlin Jokiharju Samuelsson Jensen Power Fitzgerald Bryson Pysyk Varlomov, UPL I'm not sure how the D lines would shake out. I like having four lines to play. I think the list "4th" would be a very difficult matchup. I'm also thinking about going after Lazar again instead of Hinostroza and creating a Z, Lazar and Compher 4th line.

Kaleta? Peters?

Ruuttu Roy?

Curtis Brown?

Perreault played pk late in his career. what about Seiling?