GASabresIUFAN

A very different roster. Olofsson, Mitts, Skinner, KO, Girgensons, Jost, and Cozens are all gone from that roster. They have been replaced by Benson, Malenstyn, Norris, McLeod, Kulich and Zucker. Joki has also been replaced by Bernard-Docker, Lyubushkin with Clifton and Bryson was demoted from top 6 to extra to make room essentially for Byram. The teams just aren't the same and the forward group is much better defensively. As to Marner, he may be literally "available" but his agent isn't taking or returning Adams' calls. I find it funny that anyone actually thinks he might come here.

I'm right there with you brother, but I guess the main point of contention between us is I believe that fixing the coaching, defense and goaltending this off-season gets us to the playoffs next Spring. I am open to changes in the forwards, as I wrote in my plan post, especially involving Norris and Quinn. My thought on the forwards is that anyone brought in has to bring a skill set we lack or don't have enough of. For example playmakers or physical players. Norris for Pettersson as the key players in a deal works for me. Finding an upgrade for Greenway for the 3rd line works for me as well. If I can keep Greenway to bolster my 4th line all the better. These deals just aren't my focus this off-season when we have disasters on defense and in goal that need to be addressed.

I understand why people here think the forward group isn't reliable defensively and this was exceedingly true in the first half of this season, but I'm not sure that's the case any longer. Dumping Cozens was a huge step in the right direction. They aren't "good" as a entire group, but they are ok. Tuch, McLeod, Benson, Greenway, and Malenstyn are all good defensively. Norris, when available is also good. TNT is vastly improved and it's helped reignite his offense. Krebs is adequate and Kulich is decent and improving. Zucker has shown here much better two way play then I remember him on other teams. JJP isn't good, but has been making an effort and isn't Skinner bad. I'd argue that only JJP and Zucker are below average as defensive forwards. Kozak, assuming he makes the team next year, is good defensively. I'm sorry, but I no longer see this as a major issue for this team moving forward. The Tuch, Greenway, Malenstyn, Norris and McLeod acquisitions helped in this area, as have the additions of Kozak, Benson and Kulich from the minors plus improvements from Krebs. I think the Sabres have 6-7 decent to good defensive forwards to throw at end of game situations and that's plenty. Also Östlund is good defensively and near NHL ready if we have to call someone up from the minors.

I guess I'll answer this post with an analogy. Why haven't the Leafs, with all their fire power, won a Cup? I trace it back to their signing of Tavares. They were desperate for defense and goaltending like we are now, but instead spent their limited cap space on Tavares. Only now have they finally found some goaltending and defense (still not enough) in Tavares' final year. That contract not only cost them help on defense and in goal, but also cost them Hyman and Kadri who were heart and soul players their roster also needed. Marner is not a realistic option for the Sabres. He won't come here. However, let's say for arguments sake he would sign here. How do we reasonable fit his $15 mill salary under our cap while also fixing the defense and goaltending? Toronto couldn't do it while trying to retain their good young players after they signed Tavares and I don't think we can either.

Also Norris and Tuch assuming they are on the roster.

Not at all. I open to any idea that improves the team, but adding guys like Marner, Tavares and Ekblad is the definition of video game because they won't realistically sign here. I'm fine with our idea of Pettersson and Demko for Tuch and Norris as that is a deal that could happen and it would give us a legit No .1 center and playmaker and it's an upgrade in goal. I love @LGR4GM idea of signing Gavikov. He'll be in demand also, but it something that $ might swing a deal to get him here, especially with all the young Russians in our organization. I'm not fine with dumping a good young player for a declining vet on a long-term contract. You gave ideas where we trade JJP or Kulich, while also giving an idea to acquire Cuylie. Cuylie is only 3 weeks younger than JJP and not nearly as productive. Cuylie 23/24 81 gms 13g 8a 21 pts 24/25 78gms 18g 22a 40 pts (turned 23 Feb 4th) JJP 23/24 82 gms 28g 22a 50 pts 24/25 72 gms 24g 38a 62 pts (turned 23 Jan 14) Also Cuylie's rookie season as 21/22 years old looks nearly identical as Kulich's 20 year old rookie season so far of 14g 8a in 57 games (He turns 21 on April 14th), except Kulich accomplished it younger and in less games.

I also never said that Adams would keep those forwards. I think any GM would keep those forwards given our cap situation and their on ice performance. Gm's don't trade away 60+ point 23 year old forwards like Peterka. GM's don't move 19 & 20 year old forwards like Kulich and Benson on ELCs when they've proven they can play in the NHL. Most of your examples also don't make sense under the cap. You want to trade Kulich for RNH who is 31 has declining production and has another 4 years at 5.125 per season? He is also now exclusively a RW, not a center. You want to move a young forward for RNH, ok what about Rosen and something for him? However where does RNH play? Didn't signing and re-signing Zucker accomplish the same thing and for less $ RNH 31 - 76gms 20g 29a - cap 4 years 5.125 Zucker 33 - 68 gms 21g 30a - cap 2 years 4.75 You most intriguing idea is Tuch & Norris for Petterson and Demko. You are trading 13 mill in liability for 16+, but Demko only has 1 year left on his deal @ 5 mill. To make this deal work, you'd have to get Demko signed to an extension. I like the idea of Petterson feeding TNT and I agree that Demko is an upgrade over UPL for similar money. I'd hate to lose Tuch, but if I were the GM, I'd listen to this idea. It still doesn't fix the alleged "center" problem for the Sabres. You want to sign Tavares. Ok he's 34 still productive, but why would I a guy desperate for a Cup sign here at 34? Also why would Marner sign here? I'd love to bring Sam Bennett in, but again why would he sign here, what is the term and $. He will be one of the most in demand UFAs. I also don't think we have to move young rostered forwards to fix the defense. You retool the defense by buying out Samuelsson, trading Power or Byram for a stay at home D and other assets. You then sign a FA stay at home D or acquire one in trade using those other assets and maybe some prospects. Your idea of moving Byram for Andersson doesn't really accomplish anything. Andersson is a 28 year old version of Byram and isn't good defensively either. He's just another puck mover but R shot. How does that improve an area of problem for this roster? If we can get a stay at home D for Quinn, I would listen to that as well, as I now consider Quinn our 10th top 9 forward.

Why would Marner come here? Why would Ekblad? Neither of those are realistic options for this team. A generality of "doing everything" you can to make the playoffs is great. Now show us how you'd do it in a cap system with 23 players under contract or control. If you don't like my keep most of the current forwards, who are you trading and for whom? My point about the forwards, is that, other than Norris, most are on fair and reasonable deals or ELCs. We are getting value for their production and they are producing. You keep saying we don't have enough 2 way players, except we do have a bunch of guys who are good two-way or defensive forwards including Greenway, McLeod, Tuch, Malenstyn, Benson, Kozak and Kulich. Krebs and TNT are improving in this area and even Zucker gives effort to get back. I'm sorry, after watching this team all season, I think that argument is losing it's support. Norris is also a solid two way forward when healthy and is excellent in the FO circle, giving us two guys capable of winning draws consistently on the PP and PK with McLeod. Could they be better? Sure, but that isn't the problem with this franchise. The area where we aren't getting positive contract value is on defense. Samuelsson and Power's deals are a huge drag on our cap space. Even Clifton's deal is under water for what he produces. Now add that everyone outside of Dahlin is positionally terrible, and the weight of issues with this team is on the defense. Talk about fixing the forwards all you want, but until the defense is actually capable of playing defense, no changes upfront are going to elevate this team.

You keep saying overhaul the whole team, yet you don't offer any specifics. So for the 18th time, what's your plan? ? Lose? his center spot to Krebs?

Ok which forward are you punting for this mythical "fix" at forward? Zucker and Greenway were just re-signed. They aren't being traded. TNT and Tuch are our best forwards and are on team friendly deals. They aren't being traded. McLeod has had a breakout season and is our best defensive forward. He'll be re-signed. JJP is our best young forward and is a legit top 6 forward. He'll be re-signed. Benson and Kulich are our best young forwards after JJP, they play the right way, play two way hockey and are improving with every game. They aren't being traded. That's 8 forwards who aren't going anywhere. Norris was just acquired and Kozak is solidifying himself as the 4th line center. So I ask again, what move are you making to improve this group? They are 3rd in NHL in EV goals for. Tell us your fix!

I agree wholehearted. Read my plan. I want Adams gone and I want a complete overhaul of the defense. I honestly think we are stuck with UPL next season, but a better defense should yield better results on the PK and GA in general.

It would with better defense and goaltending.

Not every player on a first line in the NHL is a 30 goal scorer or pt a game player. 51 pts right now is a top 96 scorer in the NHL, that's about .69 pts per game. That player is Chandler Stephenson (who has 51 pts in 75 games) and he never had more than 38 points in the AHL. So if Kulich is able to produce at a similar level in the NHL, then yes he would be an 1st line player. I also think Kulich will be a better player in the NHL than Stephenson for example. Kulich and Benson also bring a significant amount of forechecking and back checking effort. Their skill set seems to really compliment TNT. I also think your getting hung up on 1st line vs 2nd line vs 3rd line. Ideally the Sabres top 3 lines all are able to score at a good level. Zucker, for example, is in the top 96 scorers in the NHL and he is not exactly a top line player. Right now we have a 40 goal scorer on the "1st" line, a 34 and 24 goal scorers on the "2nd" line and a 21 & 19 goal scorers on the "3rd line." That's a pretty balanced attack. The Sabres are also 3rd in 5 on 5 scoring and 3rd in all EV situations. Something is working on the offense.

This is a very misleading statement and needs some serious context. His 46 points came in only 62 game (.74 pts per game) and his 45 the next season came in only 57 games (.79 pts per game) He also had 48 pts in 35 games as a U16. His draft year (2022) he had 37 points in 32 games in international competitions.

That's the current alignment, so yes! I didn't say it was ideal, but it is working right now. I also wrote that if I can get a playmaking top 6 center for Norris, I'd make the deal.

^ has been the organization’s philosophy for 14 years. How has that worked so far? Samuelsson needs to move on.

Now add Power's current deal. If you could only have one of Power, Byram or Dobson which would you keep? I don't want Dobson for that kind of money. I also think we can re-sign Byram for less on a smaller term contract like 5 years for around 6.5 mill.

That's why he gets bought out.

This is fair, but it’s not unusual to see coaches survive a GM’s firing. Often times that’s a discussion with the owner and GM and incoming GM wants to keep a veteran coach. It also wouldn’t surprise me if a new GM insists on sweeping out all the coaches. For my plan, I kept Lindy but am not married to the idea. I figured Lindy has one more year on his deal, the new GM would play it out and re-access the HC after next season.

We lost both trades just like we lost the ROR trade even though we received TNT in return. Granted in each situation the player we gave up ended up on a better and deeper roster, but other than Tuch, none of the guys received paid immediate dividends and none have helped us become a playoff team.

Other than Reimer, the entire Sabres roster is under contract or control next season. So any real change will come from trades primarily. Forwards: (14) Signed: TNT, Norris, Tuch, Benson, Kulich, Zucker, Greenway, plus Malenstyn, Lafferty & Krebs RFAs: McLeod, JJP, Kozak, & Quinn Near ready Prospects: Östlund, Rosen Other valuable prospects: Helenius, Wahlberg Defense: (7) Signed: Dahlin, Power, Samuelsson, Bryson, Clifton, RFAs: Byram and Bernard-Docker (plus Ryan Johnson) Top Prospects: Komarov, Strbak and Novikov Goalies: (2) - Signed - UPL, RFA - Levi, UFA - Reimer The plan 1) Fire all the assistant coaches and fire Adams, Forten and Jakubowski. I don’t who to replace them with, but I want Lindy to hire his own staff and I want veteran NHL people running the team. 2) Re-tool the defense a. Buyout Samuelsson. I don’t think he has any trade value and the buyout only puts about 700K on the books. b. Use his money to sign Gavrikov. This is @LGR4GM’s idea and it’s a good one. Biggest issue is he’ll probably be in huge demand this summer. Signing him will he a real coup. In the alternative Dimitri Orlov. 33 year vet is an LHD but can play either side, still logs big minutes and has a championship pedigree. He’d also be a good mentor for our young D. c. Trade Power or Byram for the best offer, but a stay at home D has to be in the package. If Power is traded, then re-sign Byram for 5 years for hopefully $6 mill per season. If Power is traded the package should include a 1st and a stay at home D. I’d then use the 1st to add another top 4 D if Gavrikov/Orlov doesn’t work out. d. Trade Clifton. He’s physical and …. That’s about it. I think he’s easily replaced by a veteran FA like Jan Ruuta. He’s a 3rd line D at this point, but is still good defensively and add another proven vet and a good placeholder until Novikov and or Komarov are ready. 3) Tinker only with the Forwards - There is much to like in our forward group. TNT and Tuch are studs. JJP is developing into a terrific scoring forward. Benson and Kulich are contributing now, play the right way and have massive upside. Greenway and Zucker add veteran presence and are good in their roles. McLeod has run with his opportunity in Buffalo after a slow start. That’s 8 of my 12 that I’m not messing with. I also like Kozak as the 4th line center. a) Re-sign all 4 RFAs - McLeod 3 years $4.5; JJP 5 years $6.5; Quinn 2 years $2.35, Kozak 2 years $1.25 b) Trade or keep Norris, that is the question. A healthy Norris adds more fire power, but Norris is healthy only 3/4 of the time. Also what can we get for the oft injured $8 per season? Is he a long-term fit here as well with guys like Wahlberg, Helenius and Östlund soon to be pushing from below. If I were the Sabres GM I’d entertain offers for him. The one skillset were are really missing in our top 6 is that of playmaker. Tuch, Benson and JJP have good passing skills, but none are pure playmakers. If I could get a playmaking center for Norris I’d probably make the deal. c) Quinn is the other major question. Injuries have hurt his development and he is a defensive liability right now. Quinn is the 10th top 9 forward right now if we assume Greenway is slated for a top 9 role. However, given Greenway’s and Norris injury histories, having someone with Quinn’s offensive skills is a nice luxury to have. Again I’d listen to trades and would pull the trigger on the right deal. If we can’t sign guys like Rutta, Orlov and/or Gavrikov for the defense, we’ll have to consider putting Norris or Quinn in deals to accomplish the defensive re-tooling. d) The 4th line: Kozak is the one player I want to return here, but realistically, Malenstyn and Krebs are almost certain to return. I’m trading Lafferty for whatever. 4) Goaltending a) re-sign Levi 2 years 1.25. It’s now or never for the kid. b) Trade UPL - This isn’t happening if Adams returns, but it’s time to move on. He’s had one good pro season. Still last year was good enough for someone to take a shot on him. The question becomes, who is his replacement and Levi failure insurance policy? I’m thinking Jake Allen? Benson Kulich TNT JJP Norris Tuch Zucker McLeod Greenway Krebs Kozak Malenstyn Dahlin Gavrikov Byram New Player JCB Rutta Levi-Allen I know this isn’t enough “change” for some here, but I don’t see wholesale change of the entire team as productive. I also admit the goaltending is complete suspect, but that’s no different than out goaltending since Ullmark left town and at least Levi has a chance to make a Ryan Miller type impact in his first full NHL season.

He is certainly the Sabres best all-around forward. He is probably our best playmaker, one of our best 2 ways forwards, best penalty killer and top 3-4 goal scorers.

I guess, but it was a nice win against another backup goalie. Still there are some positives coming from the recent play. I really like Kulich, TNT and Benson together. They play off each other very well. Not a traditional "1st line" but such is life. Tuch is an excellent all-around hockey player. I'm also a JJP fan. Maybe the big trade this off-season is to trade Norris.

Weren’t you the biggest advocate for Quinn about a year ago?

Everyone get your President of hockey ops hat on. Please be reasonable and keep the cap and NMC/NTCs in mind. What changes would you make to the roster, coaches and management? I have been adamant that I'd start with the defense and coaching. I'd like Adams gone, but don't think it's realistic; but fire Adams if you must. Cap projection is about $96 million. 22-23 man roster. Who are you trading and for whom? What UFAs are you signing and for what $ and term? Which RFAs are you retaining and for what $ and term? What areas do you most want to fix? Goaltending? Defensive D, top 6 center or playmaker? 4th line makeover again? Please be specific if you can.