PerreaultForever

I'm 100% for D upgrades and additions. It's essential and should be top priority. All of those players could go but I caution moving people out before moving people in. We need depth. If Samuelson's bumped to bottom pairing that's great but I'm not moving him or Clifton unless bodies come in. Maybe you can get York out of Philly as someone mentioned. Send them Samuelsson. Not sure that's an upgrade. This is why I want to move Norris for a D man and then we can move a D man out for another D man and change the make up. Adams created a 2C hole by adding Byram and Cozens wasn't up for the job. My fear is that he will just do something similar again. His "hockey trade" philosophy has to go. He needs to be more creative and make multiple transactions. Trade picks and prospects for a D man. Then trade a D man for picks and prospects. Flip those. Whatever. Mix and match. Just get it done, but add depth as well, not a bare bones one injury away from a problem D.

This has been my position for years. I hate the 15 years and want the playoffs for sure but I keep seeing a strategy and plan that will fail if it gets there and I don't want to end 15 years of no playoffs with 10 years of first round exits. Sure, it might be better than not getting in, but after a few years it'll be just as frustrating.

I think Washington has more prospects coming. They have a solid veteran young mix and they did leap the development curve. Getting next level will be harder and some of the vets will age out eventually. Carolina's another team that can never get past this round. Meanwhile Florida, who was supposed to have a weakened D this year actually seems to have a better D and they even have a Carolina waiver guy. They are such a disciplined and well structured team they get the most out of everybody they have. The GM built a good team, but they are also an example of why coaching and leadership really does matter. Everybody on that roster plays bigger and everybody knows they all have each other's back.

I would agree with this except for his Buffalo connection and his inner wish to succeed as a Sabre. I think that gives it a slim chance that he will stay and sign an extension. Slim, but real.

The saddest part of this was Shaw and Peca were there for the taking (among others).

Just move some pieces. Honestly don't care who. I like Benson on this roster and that's about it.

I can't cheer for Florida but man do I like how they play. That was textbook perfect hard nosed hockey. Terry? Are you watching???

Ya I can't disagree with that but it takes will and a GM who will make moves and not just wait for prospects to develop. Adams isn't that guy.

Adams needs to get off his butt too. I'm reading that Ottawa's primary off season concern is getting a top 4 D man so there's competition if one is in fact available. Sitting back and looking for the perfect trade or trying to win that trade isn't going to get it done. Unless of course they are interested in Byram.

You want me to be blatantly honest? No. No I do not see anybody wanting to come here unless maybe they were born in Buffalo and even then. Why would they? If I was a hockey player in the NHL you'd have to offer me a boatload of cash for any bottom feeder team and a perennial loser like Buffalo? Not a chance. Only if I had no other options. I'm just dreaming about type and style and what the team needs. I'm tired of supporting a loser and making/accepting excuses.

Right. Forgot about that. Well, higher or not at all then. I just want moves and progress. Rolling out the same basic thing with Norris and Levi is going to fail.

You make it work. Bennett and Marchand I'm thinking is 15. Cuylle is projected at 3.43 and according to the internet if you offered him 4.67 you'd only have to give up a second. Would he take it? idk. I'm offering all the same. So let's just say 20 all 3. I'm moving Norris out and then Byram likely out as well. Byram makes 3.85 but is being projected at around 9 which to me is crazy but there it is. Norris is 7.95. That's your top 4 D money. Parayko for example makes 8. St. Louis isn't trading him but there's enough money to pay a top 4 D man. You might have to bridge JJP if he's greedy but I don't see a problem. The cap is rising too and then we shed Zucker and later Greenway. I see no issue.

I feel the same way. That's not Marner by the way.

Bat curse? Sure, why not. I'm still waiting for Taro Tsujimoto to suit up and score his first goal.

thumbs down war now with @LGR4GM what a surprise 🙂 I am always amused how we both hate Sabres losing so much but have such antithetical visions of how to fix it or build the team. Neither of us gets what we want so the debate goes on forever.

pave over it. Fill those potholes with some of that Frakking leftovers. Get it done!

People talk about Marner's Selke votes and that he does play 2 way hockey but I'm curious as to what his defensive stats are in the playoffs? To my eyes every year that core 4 gets shut down offensively in the playoffs when it gets tough but also fails defensively and allows goals against. One year the worst guy was Marner, another year it was Matthews. One year Nylander was good another he was invisible. This year I personally thought Matthews was the worst of them but they never delivered as a whole and Marner was part of that. His size makes him less effective come playoff time as well. I don't want to follow that model. Would Marner get us into the playoffs? Maybe. Would we get past round 1? Not a chance. I'd be hesitant if I was GM to make Marner a plan as I suspect if we talked to him his agent would just use us as leverage for another deal and we'd be left hanging. So it would be one good offer and if it was not taken I'd move to plan B right away. But if I was GM Marner wouldn't be my plan anyway. As I've said elsewhere, I'd rather give the money to Bennett and Marchand if I was going to go to spend crazy. I wouldn't be shocked if the Leafs are thinking that very same thing.

I agree fully about the front office and I stick with what I've said many times. This all started when LaFontaine went out the door. Nobody in that role since and that's all on TP. The on ice comparison holds though. Sure, it's a different game today etc. but the dynamics of a good hockey team are still the same. That team had a high octane top line, a checking line that could counter punch and score and grit and character in the bottom six with a third line that had upside offence as well. The D had size but also puck moving skill. It was a balanced roster. Had a great PK as well as a good PP. Players had roles and players stuck to them with decent and sometimes very good coaching. A star goalie was all it was missing or it might have been a dynasty. Definitely would have won a cup or two. None of that team makeup for success has changed.

I do understand, but I also do think that's a loser mentality that the franchise has driven into you with all the failure (and maybe you magnify it with the Bills as a "city"). If one keeps thinking that way. If the franchise keeps looking down the road in case of these things, it becomes a self fulfilling prophecy. Look, the bottom line is we already know Dahlin put them on notice. He told Adams he's tired of this and he expects improvements now. I guarantee you if they crap out this coming season he's gone. That might even be why Adams gets another year. He's on notice to get it done this year or else. If he doesn't they clean house and the next guy guts it trading Dahlin maybe Thompson, and we start a new 5 year plan same way Adams gutted it with Eichel Reinhart Risto. It'll suck, but that'll be the TP plan. We have the assets. Get it done now. Future picks don't matter.

disagree. You make your own luck. No season has been lost because of bad luck. It's been bad decisions by management and bad rosters.

I mentioned Cuylle because Rags have cap issues and he's there as an RFA they might not think worth keeping if he got offer sheeted. I see him as a 20 goal guy with an edge. Power forward. Not Jeannot. A thing we are lacking in though. I disagree with this "we are unlucky" narrative. Sabres make their own bad luck with bad decisions. Injury stats are boosted by trading for injury prone players. Zucker, Greenway, Norris all had injury issues before they ever came here.

Not what I'm expecting. If you go back to where I first posted it you will see I said it's not going to happen. No chance. It was put out there as dream of what would be possible for a good GM with the assets and cap room Adams has. If you look at the Sabres objectively they have a luxury position to make moves compared to other teams. Other teams have no prospects to trade if they've been all in for years, no or few picks, few desirable players to unload without damaging their rosters and often little to no cap space. or one or more of those issues. Sabres have cap room and a treasure chest full. NOT getting it done takes an extreme amount of ineptitude. and that ineptitude is what I expect. I'm not doing the math but remember you would shed Norris and Byram. Other teams get these things done. Teams with taxes too.

lol, okay so you just need Hasek level goaltending. Funny man. More likely at best you get Hasek level right now at his current age.

That's the era I became a fan and silly me, I thought I'd picked one of the best teams in the league. How little of what it was like then remains that it makes me sad to think about. They were talented but also tough and had character and compete. Perfectly constructed team just missing a star goalie and ultimately that was the difference. If Sabres had had their goalie I think they'd have won that cup. (not blaming our goalie to be clear, he was fine, just that for all the Broad Street Bully bs they wouldn't have won their cups without theirs) You know, that roster and how it was constructed is what Adams should be trying to build. Why they don't look at that as the blueprint is beyond me.

If you are even considering unprotected firsts to maybe get McKenna you've already lost and you might as well gut the roster again and tank fully. It's a loser mentality. I want a team that will bump a Marnerless Toronto out of the standings and make a late 2026 1st irrelevant. We have scorers. We have a top line. Peterka Thompson Tuch is a top line. Peterka Kulich Thompson maybe even. That's a scoring line either way. Marchand Bennett Cuylle would be a killer 2nd line right up there with what Florida does now. Able to both shut down another team's high end line and score. Nasty and hard to play against. Then you've got a 3rd line with Benson and McLeod and Zucker or Kulich or Tuch or whoever wins the job that is good enough to compete at that level. Greenway becomes 4th line dominant. We would score more top to bottom but most of all also stop some scoring against. The D would have solid pairs that let Power and Dahlin drive the play and Clifton/Samuelsson would be reduced minutes bottom pairing at best. Add a decent NHL goalie. It's a fantasy, but it would be a very good hockey team.