PerreaultForever

Tuch will be done in 3 years?? How fast do you think NHL players age out? I think you've been stuck watching the youngest roster in the league for too many years. You need a reality check. Ruff can take us forward, but it likely won't be instant. I am well past done looking at prospects and draft picks as the next savior before they even play an NHL game. Benson I have seen and I can see what he can be. Right now Helenius is just the guy Troy went to war over and nothing more. Completely irrelevant, until he shows he isn't.

I'm talking about being in the top 6 on a REAL hockey team not whatever it was that Granato was tossing together. My hope is that under Ruff and what appears to be a shift in direction and roster composition we will become an actual playoff team over the next few years. I do think Benson can become a new version of Briere. Or maybe a new version of Danny Gare. Not as tough maybe, but certainly as tenacious and productive.

The way it was reported as well, he put together a strategic list that included all the teams that might want a D man or can afford him thus also decreasing any likelihood of being dealt. He's not the only one who does that. I believe Ullmark did it as well. He left any teams that were solid in goal off his list. or so he thought.

I suppose he'd consider going to the Islanders or New Jersey but I don't think they are interested and the Rags don't want to move him to a direct competitor.

Prediction. In 3 years Benson will be on our top line. Possibly second if we are really good but I doubt that we are.

If you say so. I wouldn't want to question "metrics".

Nope, not trading Benson unless it was for McDavid. Not a chance.

If we had him I'd have him paired with Power or possibly Dahlin. His physical play and defending opening up ice and options for the skilled partner who would be free to "wander" more and drive the play up ice.

You don't know the answer to this? He blows people up and if you have your head down or admire your pass you're going to get rocked into next week. Thus he strikes fear and hesitancy into some opponents which hampers their play.

Honestly I don't think most of them pay much attention to Buffalo. We draft a lot of high end prospects so they go "oh look at them, put them at the top" then a few years go by and they look and go "oh what? Buffalo still sucks? Guess their prospects suck too. " I don't think they dig deep and analyze them the way the fanbase does. Their "expert" opinions flip on a dime and go whichever way the wind blows. If we ever start winning they will all go "look at them, that prospect pool is paying off. Buffalo proves you win by building through the draft". That's IF we start winning and make the playoffs. But again, the only thing that matters is who is on the NHL roster.

I don't disagree with this. I think you've probably noticed I've said before he is my favourite of the youngsters, and I see good things in his future but he's just a kid. It will be quite remarkable if he just has a linear rise.

Sure, but one could also argue an AI sports writer is the only one who can be truly objective.

I personally don't really care about GF stats of any kind. The only thing that matters to me is team stats, not individual stats, and GF-GA. The bigger that number is the better you are most likely going to be. Skinner had points, but how many points did he cost us? That differential made him a lot less valuable than some think he was. A liability even. But he's gone and it doesn't matter. What matters is if they all collectively buy into Ruff's systems and what those team stats end up being.

Yes, but no. Yes, the most confidant in Adams tenure but that's a really low bar. They are young. Levi's really young. They are not proven. Young goalies are often up and down for years before it all clicks in. I hope they are good, and I hope Ruff has a better defensive system that will make their jobs easier and make them look even better but there's far too many unknowns to be "confidant".

Cocaine? Crack? Meth? MDMA? LSD? What are you on, and can I have some?

I honestly expect a sophomore slump and I'm not sure how he will adjust to Ruff's system. How much freedom and development time Ruff gives him will be interesting to see. I think long term Benson will be a good, very good, player, but if he can avoid a second year fall back I will be quite amazed and impressed.

I think it is totally fair regarding Benson. He came straight into the NHL. You can say we drafted well there, really well, but he's not a product of the prospect system as he didn't spend any time in it. Neither did Power. When you consider how many top picks we've had we should be one of the top prospect systems right? But the author is right, not that many guys look like sure NHL players at the moment. We definitely do not have bodies to plug into every role should the injury bug hit. We have some players but we don't have similar players to fit all the needed roles. idk, I saw on twitter yesterday a list that had us as the youngest team in the NHL again this coming season. Accomplishment? Not really. Oddly, I also saw the Bruins (who we have all talked about here several times as ready to fall, window closing, going to drop, getting old, etc.) have managed to become the 5th youngest team with their projected roster which caught me totally by surprise and I thought how'd they pull that off and stay at the top? Their prospect pool is always ranked near the bottom after all. By contrast to the Sabres they could use 1 guy of Poitras/Lysell/Merkulov to take the next step and make the line up and if just one of them does, they are all set - again. Now maybe none of them will be ready (or ever ready) and they'll have to find a DeBrusk replacement at the deadline or via trade (for prospects) but the real point is, as always, the prospects don't matter, the NHL roster does.

Okay I can agree with this. I would suggest however, that Farabee is a proven NHL commodity and you already know what he brings at that level. He might do better in a different system but he's more of sure thing than Rosen. That would be the difference. A little more experience. I'm not crazy about the idea either, and I kind of want to avoid the guys Torts wants gone too.

What makes you think Rosen is anything? Just about every trade scenario people on this board have proposed has them giving up Rosen so he's clearly not thought of overly highly here.

Well, they don't have to be hypocrites to go "oh, I guess it does work, our bad" . Once somebody has done something successfully the narrative changes for everybody else going forward. Besides, have you not watched this franchise under Pegula? They change their minds all the time.

Fair enough. I thought Anaheim and San Jose might still be under. I guess San Jose got there signing Toffoli. Anaheim I see just squeaked in by .3 million.

Unless Sabres also think he's made out of glass. idk, that's one rumor. Just saw on twitter there's another one about Philly sending Risto and Frost to Montreal for Matheson and Barron and a pick. Maybe if they move out Risto they really want Samuelsson. Just rumors. Nothing to get excited about until they happen.

waivers, 2 way deals and of course LTIR all come into play still so I think there's not a lot of that out there really. I think the time to target cap squeezed teams was before free agency. A few teams still need to make cap floor I think.

I like the framework and structure of what is there now for sure. For years the bottom 6 has just been the guys not good enough to play top minutes and it's been a mish mash of mostly garbage and no identity. Now we have the look of more clearly defined roles. It's a step int he right direction. I have my doubts if the bolded will happen. Philly site has talk of Samuelsson and Krebs for Farabee and that's risky on both ends to say the least.

I am hoping Ruff, with his experience, will be a better game manager and his lines and line combinations (including ice time) will be more situational and match up oriented.