GASabresIUFAN

Do I have to answer? I don’t know if this is a “better,” but I have really liked JJP since I watched him at the U18s.

The reason for the slower play is the move to try to improve the defense. I don't think they realized that the move to be more defensive would sap the offense as much as it did. Ralph Kreuger would be proud.

The only runs the Sabres are going on is in the bathroom.

He should have been fired already. How many slow starts do you have to watch until you realize that the coach can’t motivate the team? How do you keep a coach who can’t make adjustments to try to get his PP working? How do you keep a coach whose team has regressed so substantially?

It’s not about what assets we receive it about clearing the dead wood from the roster and opening up roster spots for better players assuming KA can figure out what an actual good player looks like.

They still suck.

Sabres wake up in the 2nd and win as LA falls apart. Good thing they didn’t play yesterday or they wouldn’t have had their legs in the 3rd.

I wanted Benson sent back to Jrs. I argued then that keeping him was a 2 year commitment because he is still to young to play in the AHL next season. However, had he gone back to Jrs, it would have been his 4th CHL season and then would have been exempt from the age rules and could have been AHL bound next year. Oh well.

Much easier to fire the coaches and see if the team responds.

No, not with this coaching staff and GM.

Rock meet Bottom. I've been fighting it for weeks, but DG must go. I wouldn't mind KA going with him, but sadly that's not happening. We have too much talent to look this inept. They have no structure, no jump, and they are giving no effort, just gliding along in circles trying to run out the clock. It's now time that the clock runs out on DG, his coaches, and the guy in charge. Enought!

I agree with you in general. It's a legit issue. How do you keep paying guys when they have accomplished nothing from a team standpoint? I guess it comes down to whether the GM thinks a player is part of the solution or part of the problem. Given how many of our forwards are allergic to 2-way play, I'd argue the problem lies elsewhere. IMHO Skinner, Cozens, and Power are players we could trade to create cap space if necessary. I don't like not bridging Power. Of all the guys we signed an extension to, his contract seems like the biggest miscalculation so far. Regardless of whether we pay Mitts 6 or 7 per season, there are no cap issues next season. They may start in 2025, but I don't think we can worry about that at this point.

https://buffalonews.com/sports/professional/nhl/sabres/as-rumor-mill-turns-casey-mittelstadt-expresses-desire-to-remain-with-sabres/article_c874c16a-b933-11ee-b3a3-77dc5e1b38e5.html I’m not sure how KA navigates the cap issues he created, but see how this team moves forward without Mitts. As TBN points put, he is our best forward along the boards, our most versatile forward, one of if not the best 2 way forward, our leading playmaker and this season our leading scorer. I think the News is wrong about not being able to afford another long term deal.

Those guys always come later in the draft. McNabb was a 3rd. Cernak a 2nd. Samuelsson was a 2nd. Strbak a 2nd. Novikov fell to the 6th.

Can you believe it, but another smaller Euro forward right there at 8 just where the Sabres will be drafting. Just what the Sabres need.

Have you forgotten the WS win in 2021? My office is across the street from the Braves stadium.

Who cares at this point. Deck chairs on the Titanic.

Bass has a dead cap higher than his salary so I suspect he'll return. We do get cap savings moving on from Martin, but was he really an issue? His injury was the cause of the issues yesterday. I definitely want at least 2 WRs in the draft both pretty early. Safety is a must in the draft. Having additional depth at CB may or may not be a must depending on how management feels about Elam and Dane Jackson.

I said before this game that the Bills WR group needs an overhaul. Harty and Sherfield need to go. Beane needs to draft two WRs early in the draft to replace Davis and eventually Diggs. We need better speed, better hands and better size at the position. Getting another real threat the teams have to respect will help open up Diggs and make Josh much more effective in the passing game.

How many teams could lose Jones for most of the season and all-pros Milano and Tra White and even make the playoffs? Other than the Bills, no one.

Diggs would be alot more effective if we actually had a WR 2. Shaikir is a fine 3, but Davis stinks, Harty and Sherfield add nothing. Top off-season priority IMHO is 2 WRs in the draft

The defense and goaltending better at the expense of offense. Sounds like a Ralph Krueger team.

Probably. If he plays the rest of the season like he has most of this year, KA will probably go 3 years, but the more years he “buys” the bigger the cap hit. Would UPL go 3 years at 2.5? His numbers are still middling in the NHL.

The Sabres went 3-3 on the homestand beating only bad teams and losing to the 3 decent teams they played. This season is basically done and it's time to start thinking about next year. So what to do? If I'm KA, my first move is trading Jokiharju for a team looking for D help. The Sabres have 5 D under contract for next season. The team is locked to Dahlin, Power, and Samuelsson. Clifton has come on of late and has another 2 years on his deal. Rookie Ryan Johnson has outplayed Joki which has led Joki to be a healthy scratch. Last year KA inexplicably held on to or brought back Bryson, VO, and Jost who were all healthy scratches last season. It's time to not make the same mistake again. Time to trade Joki while playoff teams are desperate for D help and get as big a return as possible. This move solidifies Johnson's spot in the lineup and gives the team a better chance of winning. Along the same vein, I'd trade Krebs as well. What has he done to earn an extension? He's still young and is an RFA. Someone will take a shot at him. Given our forward depth in the system, time to clear some dead weight. Jost or a contract received in the trade for Joki or Krebs can fill in as the 4th C. I'm also interested in giving Greenway an extended look as the 4th C for next season. If we have to take a contract back in these deals so be it. We have the cap space and that will up the return. The next move is to trade Girgensons. Might as well play Robinson every night to see if he is worth re-signing. He is also faster than the other depth players and unlike most Sabres he is willing to crash the net. The other move is trading VO. Teams in the playoff race want depth scoring and he needs a fresh start elsewhere. If we have to eat some cap and/or take back a contract again so be it. I'm holding onto EJ and KO unless they ask to be traded. This is a bit of a change in opinion, but I still want to field a decent team. That said, I'm not re-signing either play for next season. I'm also hopeful that KA might find a way to land a top 4 D to partner with Dahlin or Power to get a head start on next season. I'm also hopeful that KA is showcasing Comrie for a trade, but if not, I'm still willing to let Comrie back up UPL for the remainder of the season to allow Levi to be the starter for the Amerks and hopefully get playoff starts. Here is how the post-trade deadline might look Forwards Skinner TNT Tuch Benson Mitts Quinn JJP Cozens (Greenway, Kulich, Rosen, or a new player) Robinson Greenway (Jost?/New player?) KO Defense Dahlin Ryan Johnson (new player?) Power Clifton (or RJ) Mule Eric Johnson Goalies UPL Comrie

Especially when he has 1 pt in his last 10 games.