GASabresIUFAN

It’s awful

So the next Curtis Lazar

Exactly. Go get a friggin center Adams. Krebs is not the answer.

My bad contract for your bad contract?

Markstrom to the Devils for a 2025 1st https://www.nhl.com/news/topic/trade-coverage/jacob-markstrom-traded-to-new-jersey-by-calgary Dubois to the Caps for Darcy Kuemper https://www.nhl.com/news/topic/trade-coverage/pierre-luc-dubois-traded-to-capitals-by-kings-for-darcy-kuemper Sharks claim Goodrow on waivers from the Rags https://www.nhl.com/news/barclay-goodrow-claimed-off-waivers-by-san-jose-from-new-york

I disagree. There would be more interest from a contender in a player like Skinner at the deadline than in the offseason. Also look through capfriendly, how many teams who Skinner would want to play for would have an interest in a player like Skinner and the money to accommodate him? He isn’t accepting a trade to SJ or AZ. The guy is from Tor and likes being close to home. Tor and Mon don’t have cap space. IDet has the space, but do you think Yzerman has an interest in a non two way player? Would Skinner accept a trade to Ott? I doubt it. So what about contenders? Fla has no cap space. Either does TB or the NYR. Colo needs to re-sign Mitts and Drouin. Please show me a team that has space and an interest in Skinner that Skinner would accept a trade to. I don’t think he has any interest in going out West unless Edm wants him to play with McDavid.

Correct. I’d be very annoyed if we buy him out and the Sabres are $8 mill under the cap entering the season.

I don’t think this board or Sabres fans in general would lose any sleep if the Sabres buy out Skinner. Jeff has played some good hockey for the Sabres (and some bad). His videos have been entertaining, but I think everyone is pretty much ready to move on. The falloff in his scoring last season coupled with his inability or unwillingness to play two way hockey has made the fan base willing to say goodbye. The reaction to a buy out would lead to positive speculation as to whom they plan to bring in and questions about replace his scoring, but little to no anger or rancor.

I hear John Scott is available.

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5573705/2024/06/19/sabres-jeff-skinner-buyout/ Skinner isn’t going to accept a trade. Why should he? The team’s he’ll be interested in going to probably don’t have the interest or the cap space to accommodate Skinner even at a 50% retention. The Sabres should have tried to trade him at the deadline to a contender needing scoring. Maybe they did try and it didn’t hit the news, but I doubt it. The biggest issue with the trade from a Sabres standpoint is the asset they’d have to include in the deal besides retention to get a deal done. I’d only buy him out if they need the saving this year and next to accommodate a high end incoming player that helps the team go for it now.

and cheaper

I’m certainly no fan of Adams or his management of the Sabres roster and I agree with the notion that the top 5 players sent out (or lost to free agency) (Eichel, Reinhart, Montour, Mitts, and Ullmark) are better than the guys currently playing their positions (Thompson, Cozens, Power/Byram, Krebs & UPL). However, the team has more depth of talent across the roster, especially at the wings with the addtions of JJP, Benson, Tuch, Quinn and Greenway.

He reminds me of a Quinn type emerging player. Not necessarily his game, but the rapid way the perception of him changed in his draft year. I love that he is a high IQ player with great hands and a willingness to drive the net. He seems like a perfect for the Sabres and a long-term replacement for Skinner.

Since the teardown of the old core, how many impactful trades has KA even completed? 1, maybe 2? He acquired Stillman at the deadline - Meh! He couldn't even make the team the next season. He acquired Greenway for a 2nd - good and an improvement of the roster He traded Lyubushkin for a 4th in 2025. Doesn't really move the needle one way or another except hurting our depth a little. He acquired Robinson for a conditional pick and that condition didn't kick in. Was Robinson a improvement during his limited stint in Buffalo. Not really. He has dumped Asplund, KO and EJ for picks in various deals - no impact there other than clearing dead wood off the roster. Other than Greenway, the only significant move was trading Mitts for Byram. Byram made little impact after his first few games and by trading Mitts, Adams left a gapping hole at center on the roster he now needs to fill. This deal didn't make the Sabres better last season, but if KA can find a good substitute for Mitts and Byram reaches his "potential," then this deal might work out. Doubtful, but possible. Adams is a crap GM so far.

Nice list. What are your sources?

Actually the term is "stepping in high cotton" or in this case high Catton.

Thank you for admitting that you are one of those fans that accepts a terrible on ice product.

He is a symbol of what is wrong with this organization and what has been wrong with this team for a decade. He has been specifically mentioned by management as part of the locker room leadership group. Adams has re-signed this guy twice already with diminishingly results. The truth is I’m open to moving any player on the Sabres in the right deal. Benson, JJP, Dahlin and Levi would be hardest to pry loose, but nobody is beyond being traded. I look at the Panthers, see where they are, look at the aggressive moves it took to get there, and realize there are no scared cows. That said, I’m also a realist. KA isn’t likely to move any of his guys. But he does have to opportunity to make major changes by simply letting at the FAs walk, except UPL. That opens 5-6 roster spots that can be upgraded including potentially a top 4 D and a 2/3C. We have a thread on grit, and with the rest of those roster spots he needs to find new people, who didn’t marinate in our losing culture for a decade, to bring grit and work ethic to a team sorely lacking it.

None of the above, ok maybe Dahlin and Clifton. As a forward group, they don’t crash the net, they don’t forecheck well or backcheck well. It’s O zone time wasn’t very long and why we are amongst the worst teams in allowing HDCA for the last few years. The funny thing Adams traded away the one center he had willing to do those things. Cozens should be gritty player and isn’t and Tage is a huge physical presence who plays a finesse game. Greenway is a big guy who can play a gritty game and did in Minn. He has hit a few guys in Buffalo but hasn’t really resulted in significant turnovers. Benson has the want to, but gets knocked off the puck to easily. Quinn and JJP are finesse forwards at this point and don’t have much physicality in their games (yet?) Skinner does go to the net and is annoying, but doesn’t hit anyone or block shots or backcheck. Tuch is willing to block shot and hit occasionally, and has a solid all around game built on speed and passing. Krebs is willing to take the body but does nothing else well. Truthfully until the entire forward group as a whole commits to playing a tougher brand of hockey the Sabres will be stuck in 2nd gear. Maybe Ruff can instill that commitment. Maybe. There is more grit on defense. Dahlin and Clifton lead the way there, but that about it. Mule’s job is to be gritty but he can’t stay healthy so what good is it? Joki, Johnson, Bryson don’t add physicality. Power for a kid his size does a great job of blocking shots but almost never takes the body. This is a team as soft Anderson’s custard. They were built for speed, they lack proper depth and they lack a winning culture. Good luck Lindy. As we see in the playoffs, teams that are hard to play against win. To achieve that goal with the players we have is impossible without substantial change. We need 4 new forwards including 2 centers and they must have a good 2 way game. We also need a top 4 who is committed to playing in zone defense.

The selling the house is an indication that he wants to go. I don’t know if he can revive his career here with the return of Ruff and I don’t care. He needs to go. The Sabres brass keep talking about a “new” standard in Buffalo. I assume this means winning is the most important thing, the only thing. The means the old standard was “don’t worry be happy” and winning doesn’t really matter. No wonder they didn’t win. Girgensons was part of the internal leadership group for this 3rd failing rebuild and he just isn’t a good NHL hockey player. He is also overpaid for his production and line assignment. It’s time for him to go. He knows it and hopefully Adams knows it as well.

Ok

The point of the trade down was to get a needed NHL player plus retain a 1st rd pick in this draft. I have Solberg at 24 not 15. I think there is more here than just a hitter. I think he has the chance to develop into a real shut down NHL D like McKee. Guys that are just physical typically fall into the 2nd or 3rd rounds like Samuelsson for example. Regardless of whether we draft Solberg or not, there is very good talent in the 20-25 range and then a huge cliff after 25. Forwards like Hemming, Artamonov and Luchecnko look like excellent prospects as well in the 20-25 area. Again the point he is trying to anticipate when KA might do with the 11th pick. As I have written previous, my preference is to keep the 11 and trade Rosen and maybe another near ready forward prospect to get the assets we need to fix the roster. However, I can easily see where KA might trade down and the compensation will be a 3/4 line NHL player.

If that was all he was, he wouldn't be a consensus top 25 pick. The report I read on him said he has a booming shot from the point and is excellent on the PK. In the NHL he probably won't score much, but our organization needs more physical players, defensive D and good PKers. Solberg has all those traits. Assuming we become a good team, Solberg, if drafted, will probably be NHL ready by about the time Mule's contract is up.

I now have 11 rankings in my consensus board Top 51 Tier 1 - Celebrini Tier 2 - Demidov, Levshunov & Buium Tier 3 - Catton, Parkekh, Dickinson, Lindstrom, & Silayez Tier 4 - Iginla, Helenius, & Eiserman Tier 5 - Yakemchuk, Sennecke, Brandsegg-Nygard Tier 6 - Chernyshov, Greentree, Connelly, Jiricek & Hage Tier 7 - Boisvert, Artamonov, Luchanko, Solberg & Hemming (Top 25 end - last players with a 1st rd consensus grade) Tier 8 - Basha, Emery, Sahlin Wallenius, Ritchie & Parascak Tier 9 - Stiga, Beaudoin, Freij, Elick & Surin Tier 10 - Kiviharju, Letourneau, Mews, Masse, & Hutson Tier 11 - Badinka, Gridin, Pettersson, Howe & Vanacker Tier 12 - Pulkkinen, Miettinen, Mustard, Brunicke, Jecho & Shuravin