PerreaultForever

Oh there's a whole lot of reasons for bad defense that's for sure. Forwards take a lot of the blame there too. The team is a team. Let me ask you this though, do you honestly think they'd hold up well as a pair in the playoffs against a Florida forecheck? I model everything I want on trying to be good in the playoffs and not just to rack up good stats.

I don't like 2 offensive guys paired together. It's not a winning formula. You actually think you're making a point don't you. What is your point? There's trade rumors all over. If we sign him he's still on the team. But we haven't yet.

Holy crap just how good do you think Byram is???? Voronkov AND Marchenko and more you must be joking. I'd like Olivier to be in the package but what do I know.

I'd never question Dahlin, or even Byram's offensive ability. Power has good offensive ability as well. I, however, want to keep the puck out of our own net. This is the time of year (every year) where the optimists try to convince me that the Sabres have lots of talent and players are really good and the stats say this or that and yet, they miss the playoffs the following season. Go figure. Our defense was not good. Still isn't good enough. and we are not a playoff team. When it comes to defensemen I am only interested in how they help keep the puck out of our net. The stats are very misleading. But we still have Samuelsson.

Geekie had 33 goals. If he cracks 30 again that's a hell of a deal. More likely he's in the 20s but I'd still put McLeod a step below that. 4 million seems right to me for McLeod.

Why are you evaluating defensemen by their offensive stats?

Forward and a D man? It would be pretty funny if Adams traded for Mittelstadt and signed Jokiharju as a free agent 🙂

Assuming no Demko would Korpisalo be adequate for a few years until Levi can shove him aside? He did play pretty decently in Boston (outplayed Swayman) and I'm pretty sure Boston would move that contract for picks/prospects and fairly cheap.

Not like they had much choice. This was almost certainly going to be an offer sheet at that number or higher.

You should go into stand up.

Play on the off wing. We need a forward to replace Peterka. Ehlers and Boeser are the best available in free agency (as I'm assuming Marner is Vegas bound). Unless Adams trades Byram for a forward but time's running out on that one before free agency starts. If he does that we need another D man.

True. The gambles/reaches are guys that have one exceptional attribute and you hope they develop others.

Well every team is better after the draft because everybody adds prospects and bad teams add higher rated ones. Mrtka is 3-5 years away from making the Sabres any better on ice. The opening night roster as is, is not good enough to make the playoffs.

Free agency Jeannot Boeser or Ehlers Jake Allen. Won't happen but if you add those 3 bodies you have a slim chance at playoffs.

Because Dahlin Byram wasn't that good.

why??

Are the extra games late season meaningless ones? Cause if they are we might win them. If they start earlier probably 2 more losses.

Oh good god he's nowhere near playing in 26/27. Sabres might do it, but they shouldn't. A normal team would hope for him in 4. Sabres probably 3, but any sooner would be another rushing the D mistake.

Non typical would be big guys who maybe aren't high enough because they have skill shortcomings or speed shortcomings. Guys you develop for the AHL team support system or if they are good enough they become the guys who can chuck 'em to quote Lindy. We go for the too small to be high picks with speed and skill we think might turn them into................I guess Victor Olafsson. I'm going to the extreme ends here but that's the general idea. You can make arguments for either but we don't generally do both. We go the one way only and that's what makes it "typical". imo you also weight your draft back end towards D and goal because goalies take the longest and often bloom late and D take longer to develop than forwards.

It is, and this was not a good draft, so the goalies were a good gamble.

Ya I just put my draft summary in the main draft thread. I like Bedkowski. I like both goalies. I'm okay with Mrtka. I hate the trade and the rest are indifferent or disliked but likely irrelevant.

Going for the goalies was good. This was not a strong draft and most of it will never play in the NHL (even more so than the average draft). So goalies often develop slow and late so those are good gambles. Islanders probably not happy nobody bit on letting them get Hagens (as they apparently offered the Montreal picks to everybody 4-7). Boston came out good on getting him 7. The top 10 went roughly as expected. Figured Martin would jump up to somebody. Martone fell further than I expected and Desnoyers went slightly higher. Sabres went for the big body but it's not a bad pick. I think Detroit gets the steal of the first part with Bear at 12. I'd have taken him over Mrtka myself. Absolute worst case he's Yanni Gourde but I think he's better than that. Philly reached for Nesbitt but I do see his potential. Fits with them too. I like their draft a lot. As ever, size came into play more than ever in this draft. The Florida effect is real. I give the Sabres draft a C+ or B- I am okay with Mrtka. I like Bedkowski. I like both goalies where they were picked. I dislike the rest or am indifferent but it's a weak draft so none of them probably matter anyway. I don't like the trade. Hence C+ rather than B-. If we'd taken Murtaug instead of the trade it would be B- Now wait for free agency and to see if Byram gets moved or not as well. I expect little more to happen with the Sabres to be honest.

Really only a net of 2 if you count dumping Jokiharju at the deadline as well as moving Clifton. People here seem to think Timmons is better than Clifton. I don't. 2 RHD in a draft isn't that remarkable. League as a whole wants RHD. We are overdue to draft some. Neither drafted RHD is realistically within 3 years of playing here so in terms of the roster from last year it's currently Jokiharju, Gilbert and Clifton out. Kesselring, Timmons and Bernard Docker in. Kesselring is the best of those 6. The rest pretty much washed out imo. So slight improvement. I would still like one more D added if Byram is moving out but maybe he isn't.

they are not moving Saros. Stop dreaming. If you wanted a realistic veteran goalie they should have gone for Gibson or they should pay for Demko. Bare minimum sign Jake Allen in free agency. Stamkos isn't coming either. They'd move him. He wouldn't.

No. Not going to make the NHL.