PerreaultForever

Actually I'd say losing ROR really hurts us here 🙂 Remember when Bylsma had a crap boring team with a killer PP.

Here's a different idea. Quinn, Peterka and Byram for Petterson and Dakota Joshua. Before you scoff at it, consider that all 3 are up for contracts soon and they will likely squeeze Adams for overpays they haven't lived up to yet and maybe never will. The first 2 are replaceable since we have prospects galore in similar molds and Byram we already have in Power and Dahlin as well. Adams gets cost certainty and a Swedish star forward for his top line. We would also then have the flexibility to reshape the composition of the team instead of next year being more of the same and more waiting for the next ones.

Anyone else hoping the Bills loss will make Pegula angry enough to want to fire someone and that someone will be Adams?

I wanted the Bills to win. Just so tired of Mahones and KC and Taylor Swift in the press box and the whole thing. You're right though. Without Allen the Bills would be very mediocre. If the Steelers had Allen it would be them in the superbowl (and likewise if the Bills had TJ Watt maybe the Bills)

I didn't say they play the same style. Not sure where you got that from but doesn't matter. The hesitation in Cozens is definitely there and I said we can argue over the cause but he's hesitating all the same. Maybe another element is too many development years under Granato and he is having trouble doing X after years of Y type thing. That could be part of it. There's absolutely no question we have mismanaged assets and developed young players poorly. Always too much too soon and we "break" many of them and then somebody else fixes some of them after we ditch them or they move on. Lack of veteran leadership, constant changes, it's a mess. The young players we have should be better than they are.

I could be wrong but I think it's a bad idea. Having said that I fully expect Adams to be all in on trying to get him.

Totally agree. I see nothing (so far) that would make me think next year will be different.

Ya, I agree, he's definitely "thinking" and thus hesitating and that throws the plays off. idk the cause or anything exactly, we can only guess, but he's currently broken. because he just plays a simple speed game. He just goes and makes instinctive plays.

I don't think it's that interesting. I think it's primarily because teams think they will have an easy night and come in to the game napping. Takes them falling behind to realize they will still have to play to get a win. When they bear down in the third we usually fall apart.

Those hit stats are bs. I don't think there was one good hit by either side in the entire game. Just bumping into someone counts as a "hit" these days but it's not. This was as non physical of a hockey game as you can get.

I've been watching Cozens lately to try to figure him out. I think ultimately his decision making is too slow. Whether he's hesitating out of a lack of confidence or he just thinks slow is hard to say but when he gets the puck he doesn't react and act instinctively, there's delays and pauses and it allows him to be defended easily. I think he could thrive on a slower more structured type of team but he might just be incapable of playing well in this sort of up tempo type of thing we seem to want to do in Buffalo. the cliche "not a good fit" would seem to apply. So unless we change our style (unlikely) it's probably best to trade him.

Pegula hockey. Lots of offense. Open ice. Fast skating. Minimal physical contact. Exactly what Pegula has been building. and we still lost.

Well clearly Buffalo could never have been in on Rantenen and he'd never sign long term here even if we did cough up the cash but it's also clear that the Necas deal might have been possible earlier as Carolina obviously feels like they aren't going to want to sign him for what he will want either. If Adams was a good GM I think he could have made a Necas deal in the off season.

This might backfire on the Canes. Seems quite a bit like their move for Guentzel last year. Rantanen is going to want a LOT of money to sign long term. Pity about Necas to Colorado. I was hoping he'd end up in Boston somehow with Pasternak and Zacha for an all Czech line one day.

Heck of a wild trade if this happens. Would have thought Chicago would get more there but wait for the final version.

This is kind of true, and it's definitely what happened, but I don't think it was by design. I think the "plan" (likely discussed and agreed to by Pegula and Kevyn and whoever else was allowed in the room) was simple in their minds. They decided it is difficult if not impossible to get good players to come here, there are too many no trade clauses, so we will make a lot of draft picks and grow our own team with players who have to be here because of draft rules and they will evolve into a good team in time since we are clever drafters. That is the naive and stupid plan and that is what they did and this is what we get.

Well yes, a team this bad should not have a payroll that high, that's fair enough. The Cozens contract seemed right in with a league trend of rewarding young players early. The drop off after the one good year is what makes one wonder. Playing poorly to get traded? idk. Wouldn't doubt it. The Power contract was absurd for a player of his age and experience. They definitely are clueless that's for sure.

This is silly. They are nowhere near the cap and won't be. The UFAs are almost certainly not coming back. The team will still be the youngest in the league again.

A perfect example of how a too young team loses a winnable game. Boy was the PP a sloppy affair. Just horrible ,

Well that's the narrative, and I guess he does have to import his palm trees if he comes here but my point would be we toss away better players and overpay replacements and there's no improvement. You could just grab one off the waiver wire and be no worse off, maybe better off and oh ya, have some extra cash to overpay a top 6 Zucker type or a steady D man but Sabres be Sabres.

I will be sure I am dead and I am in hell if the Sabres get the overall first pick and (as it looks like today) a left shot D man is the consensus top pick in the draft. Just win some f'n games, entertain a little, sell at the deadline, fire Adams, and Terry, maybe he gets to retire in Florida and hug a Superbowl trophy for the rest of his days while he gets to frak baby frak and he lets somebody else run this damn thing. otherwise it's all just a bad joke that never ends.

He made a lot of mistakes along the way. I guess you could argue he now has the experience and maybe if you give Adams 5 more years he will be an experienced GM too 🙂 Columbus looks like they have drafted well over the last 5 or so years but the difference would be roster construction. They have a more diverse array of types of players and thus they have a more complete roster. Not to mention a guy like Olivier who I would argue we have needed, because he allows the youth to play bigger and braver. Helps with team development and in the locker room. Let's not forget they are doing it despite losing their star veteran forward as well.

Probably true, which is why Adams needs to go before these decisions come up. He has firm belief in his own guys and will likely reward them for projected ceilings and we will be stuck with these guys either elevating or more bottom league finishes. I want a guy in there who just looks at their performance so far and doesn't give a crap if he hurts their feelings.

Well if all you are expecting is a JAG why pay him 2 million a year? Why aren't you just grabbing some shmuck off the waiver wire. Tons of players better than him making less have been available. It makes no sense. They expected a 4th line upgrade and they got a downgrade.

Get worried. I saw him ranked as high as 6th. There are a number of fairly big centers in the top 10. Desnoyers is one of them as @LGR4GM said above. If we draft Eklund I might just have to find another team.