Pimlach

Glad I do not pay for that news service. 2022 = F They did nothing but the "no blocker" policy. They were lucky that several players had career years and there were very few injuries. 2023 = F They did very little, only Clifton ended up helping them. The Mitts- Byram trade was too little to late for 2023. This was the year they should have made real moves in the off season but they rolled it back and ignored the Quinn injury. Injuries happened all season long too and the lack of depth was obvious. 2024 = B- Above average for the Sabres, but how hard is it to find 4th liners? This grade could go down or up, depending on how much the new guys do, but there are no big impact players added so far. This is a "sum of the parts" concoction to fix the bottom 6 - we shall see.

He looked tentative in his 4 minutes of game time. Gave away the puck at least one time that looked bad. I thought it must be jitters.

Unfortunately, lots of things were better. Less is more at times.

Who much does he want? Anyone know? He made $775K last year. Give him a decent raise

Lindy as GM? That would shock me. Lots of business stuff to deal with, contracts, etc. If they promote from within then Karmanos is indeed the most logical one. Lindy in advisory role is possible, depends on the next two years and how they progress from his efforts. Never know. He could be like Dudley and stay in the game for a while as a consultant/ advisor.

Come on. It’s year 5. Finally seeing changes that are not minimum wage. Still not ready to swim in the deep end.

Should. He might be gone, sure. But I think he stays and fits the plan forward for now.

Some info I’m willing to share a little of from older connected folks: - As suspected, there was no coaching search. It started and ended with Lindy. - Lindy working his tail, and everyone else’s, very hard right now. - Lindy has a big say in roster reconstruction. Much more than the previous guys, but the store was closed on the previous guys. - They still have big problems getting players to come here. Not viewed as serious about winning. - Lots of love for Dudley. Not just for winning but his entire career as player, coach, and FO. Some disdain/regret about Sabres not utilizing him. They say his knowledge runs deep. - Not spending to cap is still the plan, saving $ for our own. Slow rebuild continues. Counting on best players to improve. - More confidence about improving team play under Lindy Not much else. Mostly polite silence on current regime.

I really think the store is closing on Ehlers and Necas. Ehlers is not worth the asking price for one year. Necas does not want to be here. Done

Sabres were really that slow? Eric Robinson was the Sabre going nowhere fast.

Meh. I want a more physical presence back there. Joki teamed with Power was so easily dominated in front of our goalie last season. Watch the playoffs. You could never trust this pair in crunch time. I know he has some positives but he brings nothing special other than RH shot. Steady, serviceable but not adding much.

I’m gonna disagree. I think Greenway is very effective defensively, and on the PK. He has a physical side to his game. His playing speed is fast enough and it may be complimentary to the others. I want to keep him and see.

Well maybe not, but lots of things Lindy said they needed to improve upon are getting addressed, even if in a low dollar cost way. It could be Lindy’s influence. It could be KA has permission to spend more. It could be Adams is learning on his own. Probably a combination of all. This season should be interesting to see how it all shakes out.

They really don’t have “big contracts” to hit, not yet anyway but they will come. The past two seasons he easily could have signed more and better vets to short term contracts, just like they are now doing, and got closer to the cap, with no threat to the future cap, and maybe they win more and make the playoffs. Looking at these signings, it feels like Ruff is teaching Adams right now. Adams is doing simple things that he would not do before. Let’s hope he doesn’t blow the UPL situation, like he definitely did with Ullmark Pegula has been extremely frugal with the Sabres. The place they play in has needed a roof for years. They are finally getting a modern scoreboard. The arena needs even more work. Meanwhile, the Bills get everything they need.

Yes. And that may be part of the problem in the negotiations.

Maybe you are correct. But we will have Helenius and Östlund in Rochester playing center so we shall see. McLeod’s size and versatility as a winger may keep him around longer, especially if he can take faceoffs.

Mitts and Savoie for Byram and McLeod. For Buffalo the trades really hinge on Byram. McLeod is probably a stop gap player to fill a big hole and to bring different and needed skills.

I’m not comparing the Teams situation or the roster construction. Merely point out the Swayman situation, which is in many ways similar to UPLs. You are the one who said Adams should be “sent packing” if they go to arbitration. Now you say it’s not a fireable offense. Make up your mind. If you want to fire Adams for the past four years that is another topic in another thread and has little to do with arbitration.

I did not know this. He likes the fans chanting Luuuuuuke. So does his father.

What a sad list. Time to break that cycle isn’t it?

Funny, Boston’s GM was not sent packing when Swayman went to arbitration. There could be some tension with UPL towards Adams. If the league settles it UPL might accept it better. We don’t know his personality.

I am not one of them that worried about 1 inch and 10 pounds when you’re talking high skill players. Would love to know how the Sabres ranked these guys. It a moot point now. Savioe will get lots of support in Edmonton and should do well.

Ruff is involved. No way he isn’t. Some of the moves will turn out better than others. Adam’s and Ruff should be accountable either way, like on all teams.

Or they simply feel that Helenius is ahead of him already and is a better prospect at C. Similar to Benson passing him last season. There is no way they can field all of these guys, tough decisions had to be made. They added a roster player for another player with potential that was headed to Rochester.

What about the year prior when they had better goaltending?