FrenchConnection44

Couple more. Excited about Johnson. I was ready to move on but if he can come into the team and be a quality 5-6 defender that will be a big plus.

Still a lot of forwards out there and hopefully that brings the price down on some. I think a veteran along the lines of a Tatar on a 1 year deal (2 max) would be ideal to make up for the loss of Quinn. Assuming they buy in and fit the team concept. Tatar is not special but he finished 24th in Selke voting and that could be a positive. 🤷🏼‍♂️ Don’t want to spend big, imo. But I think we need one and that could open the door to trade Olafsson. If anyone is interested.

JJP was 20 at the start of the season. VO was 27. And in spite of 28 goals / 40 points he was a -23 (meaning 63 goals were scored while he was on the ice). However one needs to parse +/- that’s not good. JJP is likely to see significant improvement. Even if he’s not the scorer VO is he is not likely to be nearly the liability.

Couple more.

These videos are great. Man, wish I were up there to watch.

Just came on to post this. Loves this interview. Love his attitude. “I play an abrasive game.” Yea ya do. 👍 Great attitude.

Well said. We still need a vet goalie for sure, imo. And it may take time. But we have a lot of time before the season begins. I’m pretty content with the D we signed today. And love this team as well as the youth in the pipeline. Adams has been great so far. Think about where this team was four years ago. Between 2012 & 2021. Today there is a lot of hope.

Still need a goalie. Disappointed we didn’t land Andersen. He came in at a reasonable price, imo. May not have wanted to come here unless we went a lot higher. But some think he is not as good as he appears on paper of late. Hope we don’t give up a prized prospect to get one. Love the idea of Olafsson and a future draft pick. We have such a strong set of prospects we can afford to do that. Also still feel like we need another forward. Ideally one who can also win some face offs. But need a vet to replace Quinn. Imo.

I like the defensemen. A solid #4 in Clifton who gives our prospect D men time to develop. And a 5-6 in Johnson Johnson has a ton of experience he will bring went through entire rebuild and won a Cup with Avalanche so that’s a plus. Clifton also comes from a winning franchise and is young still but a vet for us. Clifton had a 4.2 defensive point shares Johnson a 2.8. Orlov $7.75 M per yr for 2 yrs. Pricey. Plus he probably thought Hurricanes closer to a Cup. Good piece here.

Noon is when it starts I believe. Will be interesting to see a) who we target (probably several); b) who is interested in coming to play with us; c) how much of our space and how long we are willing to spend. top 4 D appears the priority.

Makes sense that they are expecting him to get less value than the QO; and are negotiating with him. He played pretty well for us and is still relatively young. Also no offer for Clague or Pekar. But did give one to Murray and Weissbach

Agree that we need to have more than just two rookies at 12 & 13 fwds. Hence a relatively low priced Vet. It might be wise to wait and see and let some of the prices come down (unless we get a deal right away that’s appealing cap wise) I still lean to move on from VO. When we look at goals we also have to look at what he gives up defensively. And that is the other issue with defense. Yes, we need a top 4 defender, imo, and a vet goalie. But on defense a two way forward can really help and better two way play from the forwards is needed. I doubt we’d get that from the rookies at this stage.

I do want a good look at the youngsters. To me the reason for another forward is on a short term deal to replace Quinn (I don’t expect him to skate into the ice in January as a new improved player over last year. I suspect he would struggle a bit the second half and will take more time to get to full speed). But move on as the young players come into their own.

Agree on Jost. Esp now that we are down Quinn. Hinistroza struggled to stay at the nhl level and crack the lineup. But may be worth Re-upping with the Quinn Injury. Unless we see a better talent out there. Given we have some D in the pipeline I’m content with a vet to pair with Power. Dahlin doesn’t need one that much but would still be nice to have a veteran who has been on a winner with playoff experience and can add that voice to the defensive meetings. That’s something all our blue liners could benefit from. Plus we have some big deals to retain our own with Power and Dahlin. As the talent enters its prime, and if it pans out, we are going to need some space for those guys as well as shoring up needs. But definitely need an upgrade with some defensive competitive toughness. It will be interesting to see whether Adams sees the need for a big time goalie or a good but aging vet like Andersen.

For the Sabres, I want to see how free agency plays out before exploring trades. I suspect a lot of teams do. I posted a new thread on free agency for the Sabres specifically. For discussion just on that. That is the area where we need to look first for shoring up talent at D (top 4), Goal (vet split duty starter with Levi) and Forward (short term guy; 1-2 yrs imo). But this is a relatively weak free agent class.

Corey Pronman, The Athletic, on the Sabres Draft (he had us 7th in his draft rankings and the rest were up there largely because they drafted in the top 6). Buffalo Sabres: B+ Zach Benson is an excellent starting point to Buffalo’s draft. I have mild concerns on how small their farm system is getting up front, and I thought Benson got slightly overhyped in the draft process, but he could be a top-six wing in the NHL. After Benson, Buffalo picked a lot of guys on Day 2 I was fans of in Anton Wahlberg, who was a heavier presence up front, Maxim Strbak, Gavin McCarthy and Scott Ratzlaff, who I thought was underrated due to his size. I could see several NHL players from this draft for Buffalo.

Thought this might be a useful thread (rather than just individual player interest). This from Ryan Clark and Kristen Shilton at ESPN (breaking down what each team should do): Buffalo Sabres Key player hitting UFA: F Vinnie Hinostroza Key players hitting RFA: None Cap space: $14,459,763 What they should do: Buffalo is blessed with young talent. Now, GM Kevyn Adams must insulate the Sabres' core with more veterans -- especially on their blue line. Extending Rasmus Dahlin and Owen Power is an obvious priority. But adding a defenseman like Radko Gudas or Dmitry Orlov to help guide Buffalo's stars would take this team to another level of competitiveness. Then there's the goalie situation. Again, the Sabres have up-and-comers in Devon Levi and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen -- plus journeyman Eric Comrie under contract another season -- but there's no real No. 1 choice in net for Buffalo entering next season. The Sabres have cap space to spare. Could Frederik Andersen, for instance, come in on a lucrative short-term deal to improve Buffalo now while also giving its next generation of goaltenders a player to learn from? ————- I like both those ideas of Andersen and a solid veteran defenseman. Gudas is likely the cheaper of the two as he’s older. Orlov would be quite an addition. Some have tales up Ryan Graves but he’s another lefty and at his age and size he’s going to want to land a big deal and will be in demand from teams like Toronto and others needing defensive help. Andersen would be ideal, imo. Maybe 2-3 yr deals for any of those. Orlov is probably looking for more money and a longer deal. He’s a solid physical player though and would really be a very solid upgrade to the back end. Really, those are the two prime needs imo. Adding a solid two-way veteran forward who has high compete or physicality might be nice in light of Quinn’s injury. But I wouldn’t spend really big there. It would a short term deal, imo, 1-2 yrs as we have such a strong pipeline.

This is an important observation with Kulich. Not only was he 18 most of the year but it was his first time away from home and he started out very slowly as he adjusted to the game in the AHL. He scored 2 goals his first 16 games; 7 in his first 32. But the latter half his talent really began to shine as he felt more at home and he scored 18 goals in the final 30 games. A 0.6 goals / game clip. I think Baker’s prediction from back just after the season ended is right. Kulich and Savoie will be invited to camp and there is a good chance both will get 10 game stint’s and then go to the WJs and then back to their minor league spots unless they are needed at the end of the year and have really shown they belong. Quinn being out till likely end of December opens up some opportunity. A difference I see in Kulich from all these young guys being discussed is his shot; he is a true sniper. If he gets with the right line, he can be a deadly scorer. Killer on PP. His passing is slower in developing, though. He’s not the playmaker Quinn is.

Totally sucks. He’s a star in the making. Really solid piece. But return from Achilles is possible. Much better prospects today than 10-15 years ago. I’ve seen both NFL players and NBA players tear it and return. If it’s 6 full months that puts him right at mid-late December. So he could be in the lineup in the spring. I suspect even after December he won’t be at full speed this year. He will be healthy. It is likely 2024 before we can see him at full health. But he could well have a full recover. Cam Akers is a good example. Had a new type of surgery. https://www.thefantasyfootballers.com/articles/a-deep-dive-into-cam-akers-miraculous-recovery-from-achilles-tendon-surgery-fantasy-football/ He returned 6 months after surgery. Did not appear to be full speed. That year (2022). But last year he seemed to have returned to his usual self.

Cory Pronman’s (The Athletic) Day two rankings - we landed #4 & 5. 4. Anton Wahlberg, C, MALMO JR. (SWEDEN-JR.) July 4, 2005 | 6′ 3″ | 192 pounds Tier: Middle of the lineup player Skating: NHL average Puck skills: NHL average Hockey sense: Below NHL average Compete: Above NHL average Player comparable: Pierre Engvall Background: Wahlberg was an all situations player for Malmo’s J20 team and a top-six forward for Sweden’s U18 team. He got called up to Malmo late in the season where he played a notable role, including in their relegation-round games. Analysis: Wahlberg’s raw toolkit instantly stand out when you watch. He’s a 6-foot-3 forward who can move very well for his size and has legit offensive skills. The way he can pull pucks by opposing defensemen while moving at a fast pace looks like an NHL forward. He plays a direct style and with his frame plus speed can get to the net very well. I don’t think he’s overly physical, but he has some bite in him, gets to the net, and coaches tend to lean on him. Wahlberg’s biggest issue is a lack of vision and so-so decision making with the puck. Wahlberg played center in the J20 level but played wing with Sweden’s U18 team and in the SHL. If he can score just somewhat as a pro, with his size and speed he will have an NHL career as a middle six forward, whether down the middle or the wing, and I think he’s trending that way. 5. Maxim Strbak, RHD, SIOUX FALLS (USHL) April 13, 2005 | 6′ 1″ | 198 pounds Tier: Middle of the lineup player Skating: NHL average Puck skills: Below NHL average Hockey sense: NHL average Compete: High-end Player comparable: Ben Chiarot Background: Strbak hasn’t put up big offensive numbers in club play between the USHL and Finland’s junior league over the last two seasons. On the international stage he’s been leaned on though. Strbak played a major role on Slovakia’s world junior team, including a 22-minute performance against Canada in the quarterfinals that went to overtime. He was a leading player for Slovakia’s U18 team this season, which went to the semifinals at the worlds. Strbak was a top-four defenseman on the Slovakia team that won silver at the 2021 Hlinka Gretzky. He made Slovakia’s 2022 world junior team as a 16-year-old and was a big part of the club that got Slovakia promoted at the U18 level last spring. He is committed to Michigan State University. Analysis: Strbak is a defense-first defenseman. He’s a tall, right shot who is mobile and makes a lot of stops due to his reach, feet, physicality and excellent compete level. He brings a strong effort every night, and coaches tend to lean on him in tough situations. I don’t see him as a legit scorer and puck-mover in the NHL, but he’s good enough with the puck, can skate pucks up, and can make enough plays to survive at higher levels. I think he will be a second or third pair defenseman in the NHL depending on the level of offense he brings.

Olofsson and CM for sure - I would be fine with that. But I would not want to trade Krebs yet. His compete is a huge asset. We can still find space for those guys if they show they are ready. We will see what Savoie does in camp. Should be interesting. But these are really good problems to have.

First Sabres game I watched was a 7-2 loss to the Bruins in 1970 (age 9) - they had like 983 shots and our goalie was great (actually 80 or so shots). Cried and trashed my room when we lost to the Flyers in ‘75. I was excited about the pick and feel really good about the future of this team the next 3-5 years. Love what Benson can bring. We kind of have a team a bit like Tampa Bay with a lot of forward talent and some good young defensemen to go with it. Still need a top 4 defender but that could come soon. There are a couple of RHDs at the top of round 2 I’d be interested in and would would not mind seeing us nab that huge goalie, Hrabel at some point. If we don’t use one of these picks in a trade.

Hard to believe all the complaining about too much forward talent. And he’s a two way forward. Which is lacking on this team. He’s been comp’d to Kucherov, Point, Marner, Marc Savard. Give me a 30/60-80 guy who defends any day. Not all our talent in the lower levels will pan out. And what exactly is wrong with having 12 top-6 talent players? Just means our 3-4 lines will be that much more deadly. He was the 3rd leading scorer in the WHL at age 17 most of the year. Turned 18 in May. He’s still super young. He’s 5’9.75, 170. When he gets to 180-185 (and he could still get taller), with his defensive stick skills and quick feet - plus added speed - he will be a pesky player opponents will hate and who will just make plays up and down the ice. We went BPA on our board, no doubt. In the NHL you have to go BPA. Too many players drafted in the first don’t pan out. In 2-3-4 years, odds are high we will be real happy the board fell as it did.

So many great plays. Love that he is so tenacious on D. Two of the plays I loved: When he dives to one knee, poke checks the puck, pops up, skips past the defender then passes behind him for a goal. Then the back check at center ice, turns and skates all the way in on goal and scores!