PerreaultForever

Not entirely. How many rebounds and screens? Bobrovsky saw everything and everything was one and done. Florida played masterful team defense and broke up a lot of Edmonton's usual continuity. Their forecheck will only get stronger as it goes. Edmonton's D was already coughing up pucks and this was just game 1. Florida simply has more guys willing to do whatever it takes.

So what are your alternative choices? Which free agents do you want? I listed the "dream scenario" since you asked but obviously I know full well that they are a dream that won't happen. My original comment was I don't think we're getting much in free agency and I don't think players will want to come to Buffalo. Those that do will be over pays or the unwanted (relatively speaking). I could list more guys I like and you could crap on them and say they'll be too expensive or bad choices but there's no point to that. Your turn. You list some names so I can give reasons why they suck.

No offense, but you seem to want to have your cake and eat it too. You aren't interested in trading any roster players but you want players brought in. I'd suggest improvements are improvements no matter how you get them and keeping this roster together makes no sense. It's composition is just not that good.

Wanted to know if Taylor Hall would waive his NTC.

No I mean under 21 on this team now. Savoie and Östlund, Kulich etc. He probably has more potential than Peterka and Quinn as well.

Benson has the most promise of anybody we have under the age of 21.

So you believe Ruff can take this present roster and turn them into a playoff team?

Incredible pace to that game. Florida as relentless as they've been all playoffs. If Bobrovsky keeps playing like that this is already over. I laughed out loud when the announcer said Kyle was "a late addition from the Isalnders" Time in Buffalo just a bad dream, already forgotten. 🙂 E-Rod playing like the 3C we need. Go figure.

I don't want to shed roster players either (unless it's Skinner of course) unless there's some sort of blockbuster hockey trade out there (back to the Brady Tkachuk discussion for example). The only way Minnesota moves Erikson Ek is if they truly do want to shed cap big time which is why I added Foligno in as well and the return is all picks and prospects so low cost for them with potential. Makes us a good trade partner if that's their actual motivation.

Considering what they have delivered, every single player on the roster (outside of the entry level deals) is grossly overpaid right now. It's kind of depressing that 4 playoff teams have better cap numbers than we do.

You want Borgen back. This amuses me, but in a good way. Krebs in that deal wouldn't get Erikson Ek done.

Which is why I said you sit him down and get him to focus on those skills. Those are the skills that keep him in the league or not. I mentioned him being Curtis Lazar and I wasn't just tossing that out there. Go back and look at Lazar's junior career, his draft and his projections. He was a World Junior leader too, just like Krebs. There is a LOT of similarity and that's who Krebs can be, not more. But, like Lazar, he may have to take a step backwards and learn to be that 4th line guy fully rather than aspiring to be what he can never reach. When Lazar came here he'd been given up on and was a waiver level guy. That's Krebs future.

So is this Adams and Ruff? and is Dahlin Harold?

I'm curious but what about Krebs makes you feel he needs to be in a top 9 role somewhere? imo what he needs is a sit down with a coach and some hard truth. Kid, you aren't going to be a top forward in this league. You want to stay in this league you can, but you have to learn and embrace the role of who you are. Beef up, work on face offs, keep learning to check and PK, be a pest (but a smart pest) and hit people. You can be a solid 4th line player and you need to embrace it or you'll be riding buses in the AHL until you go to Europe/Russia. I still think Krebs can be an effective 4th liner (like Boquist was for Boston this year as an example) but nothing more.

I'd be fine with Jokiharju but I do not want to trade JJP. I think he can still get even better than what we've seen. I would prefer to see him stay a Sabre. I'd rather give future picks or prospects that equate. My thinking on adding Foligno is twofold. From their perspective, if the motivation is cap relief and a rebuild then shedding the 33 year old 4 million dollar guy should be motivating. It might put trading with us in a preferred position to other teams who wouldn't want to eat that contract. From our perspective, we return leadership, grit, legacy (undo a bad trade if you like) and we have a role model leader on the team even if it does eat money and age poorly (I still think he can give us 2-3 good years). The young guys would benefit from a guy like that in the room, even if their on ice contribution fades away. idk, but Erikson Ek is a very tantalizing possibility. He elevates in the playoffs too. He'd be perfect. So perfect I have trouble thinking Minnesota would actually move him.

In my world? Well each move depends on other moves so it's hard to list off more than one guy cause if you don't get him plan B changes. The first thing is I want us to spend (wisely) and be closer to a cap ceiling team than a cap floor team. I just posted about the Erikson Ek rumor. I'd really like that potential trade. You make that trade a lot of free agency becomes moot. I will keep it simple. If we could add Lindholm, Zadorov and Joshua I'd be in heaven. Unrealistic but a nice dream. We need a solid veteran 2 way center. We need 2 or even 3 veteran grit guys. Maybe a tough guy in that but 2 way grinders nonetheless. I'd also like a big defensive D man and ideally a good veteran back up goalie. Unfortunately I think Adams is going to go with UPL/Levi and he thinks our D is as is. Not sure what he thinks about 3C or the absence of grit and veteran leadership. I think Stephenson will be in demand and too pricey for what he is but if not I'd be interested. Martinook, Lomberg, Carolina's D men, there's others but the bottom line is to strategically fill the holes and not just wait on kids to develop (at some point). Time is now.

If Erikson Ek is actually on the market I would do whatever it takes to make that happen. He'd be a good fit and fill the need. Erikson Ek and Marcus Foligno for Savoie, Rosen and our first. Would that get it done? If not, throw in whatever else it takes.

I would take this guy in the second round (if he's there) unless there's a big defensive D man available at the time.

No one here for sure, but Adams? idk. I forget which press conference it was but in one of them he said something related to not knowing who would be at center and about Krebs having a chance to earn it. It made me raise an eyebrow at the time. Until he brings in a veteran 3C I will remain shall we say, concerned.

Not entirely. Podcast guys, guys who have media access, substack types and dedicated fans who claim to know this guy or that guy (which could be bs obviously) so it's a mix. There's talk out there. Is it real? Who knows. Is it anything more than a phone call between GMs? Who knows. It's the off season. You know the drill.

His bad back would scare me away from that. Part of the issue with Torts as Philly fans tell me was his ability or inability to play through pain and a disagreement there. I suspect it's a D man as @dudacek suggested. Likely a shot blocker to replace Pesce if they have decided they can't afford him. I think their desire to trade or not trade Necas might be related to their attempt to sign Guentzel. If Guentzel doesn't sign there I would expect Necas to come off the market. That is unless they really are interested in Ullmark (a Boston rumor) because Boston is interested in Necas to play with Pasternak. I've heard Seattle has asked about Necas as well. I think he's a pretty popular target/asset.

It's worse if, as I fear, he has him penciled in as 3C.

Style-wise. We aren't teaching them to check and play hard defensively. We are set on the idea of wide open run and gun hockey which you see a lot of in the league these guys come from. I'd rather we had a guy like Peca in Rochester teaching these speedy Euros how to grind. In a way I guess you could say it's a one sided development model that I had hoped would end with Granato but alas, no.

I don't know if there's a "pattern" for all of them but lack of experience is a recurrent (Ruff is the exception as that's a return to what was before). We don't hire ex-NHL coaches in Rochester who are looking for a reboot to get back to the NHL. We are fixated on development guys. If there is a "pattern" it might be in style more than anything else. We are fixated on an idea that so far has not worked.

Curtis Lazar.