Drag0nDan

It reflected in the first period of literally every game they played. The youngest team in the league should be among the fastest, and i didn't find our team to be faster than many teams. When you're chasing points at the end of the season, you need to shorten the bench and play top guys for more minutes. When you get caught on a long shift, you need to not have anchors in your skates.

The man was put on earth to do 2 things score goals, and eat hot dogs... looks like were almost out of hot dogs... He's not wrong... I'm not sure how one counts extra passes, but we pass up a LOT of pretty good shots to pass. Sometimes they're even passing from somewhere like the high slot, to the dot for a worse shot.

I just don't see a captain with Tuch unfortunately - and i also don't think he wants it. It almost has to be dahlin.

Id rather that than the nose candy that's quite popular among hockey players these days.

Oof. My thing on him - he's a fine middle 6 dude. My issue is - even shooting at his best %... he does not score 20 goals. So either he passes up too many shots, or he can't shoot.

Yeah i'm cool not running a neutral zone trap team. It was boring back then, and less effective today with an emphasis on player safety, holding, and the trapezoid.

I don't think a new coach isn't going to want to hire their own guys. I assume these are all the "managers" - people who had guys reporting directly to them. The rest of the guys get to interview for their jobs with a new coach/adams(or new GM). Bales has a pretty solid resume to lean on, and likely ends up with a job here or somewhere else. Not sure anyone else should be brought back.

I'm confused... do we want lindros? Because he was the big guy here 🙂

I think I'm OK with one. Ideally they... play their way onto the roster though.

Just one of the many issues with NHL, their cap, and free agency: I just don't see a ton of value trading cap space - until someone starts offering tangible pick value i don't see the point. Why help someone circumvent the cap? The NMC/NTC/M-NTC lists are getting out of hand at this point as it seems like almost every player has something. There's also too much term on contracts that are fully guaranteed. Offer sheet compensation is in a word - ridiculous. 4 1st rounders is just too much at any level for one, but the level with which to offer a 1st (and a 3rd) is way too low. They've built that to not be an option. Figure out LTIR because man is it stupid.

I think the backchecking has improved, forwards are more engaged, and absent eric Johnson they have improved as a net front team. But their transition and zone exits are super messy now.

I feel like this years Sabres didn't hit a stride all season. They buckled down to play better defensively, but at the expense of offense. They haven't been able to counter-attack effectively for a number of reasons. Cohesion has been an issue, and i think thats coaching - line shuffling is part of it, but it just feels like no one ever knows where to go with the puck outside the offensive zone. They either push back to the defense (hurting our chance to pressure the opponent), or hold the puck (obnoxious turnovers at the blue line). Always seem to take the puck at the wall, and they don't push the pace often enough - they're afraid of turnovers. On the odd-man rushes they do get, a considerable number get broken up on their own mistakes. Never looking to shoot, slowing up and letting the opponent break it up, stupid drop passes. So many never even get a SOG. Even with an increased focus on defense, they still give up a lot of high slot shot attempts which usually stems from poor defensive play by the centers. You watch good hockey teams, and the second the puck is on their stick in their zone they are moving and grooving. The power play falling off of a damn cliff is the big thing that really killed them though. To go from 63 PP goals to 36 is... a big drop off. They've also had more short handed goals allowed than last year too oddly enough, so the power play net goals went from 56 to 27. PK improved from the worst in the league to league average which is nice I guess.

Thats basically how i see it too. Skinner is under contract - doesn't mean we have to have him on the team. Probably a year ahead of a buyout, and while he scores goals he Greenway seems like a fine bottom 6 winger, but i'm not married to him (personally i think he plays too small. If he played a bit faster and brought it a bit more in the forecheck I think he could be a pretty good player. Krebs can't shoot. I don't see how that works in a bottom 6 role if he isn't a physical or more effective defensive forward. We have a bunch of prospects near graduation, doesn't mean they need to all be brought up (or kept). Preferably you bring up one (who does not play 7 minutes on the 4th line), and find effective veterans through other means to fill out the rest of the roster.

Players I'd probably move, buy out, walk away from... Skinner, jokiharju, Krebs, Robinson, Jost, Comrie JJP - Tage - Tuch ??? - ??? - Quinn - Need to trade for a real 2C - I assume its costly but someone like eriksson ek, or RNH who don't have NMCs. Free agency is a possibility, as we likely have money/cap available. Don't hate the idea of a pat kane buffalo thing on the wing, he's won cups, hes from buffalo, and we can probably pay him what he wants. Benson - Cozens - Savoie/Kulich/Rosen combo - Fewer minutes, more juice. We always bring prospects up and bury them on a line with JAGs, and wonder why they dont/can't produce. ??? - ??? - Greenway -- Bring in guys who actually are difficult to play against, instead of rolling in a rotation of JAGs who don't really do much of anything particularly well. Just going with the flow - I could see moving Ryan Johnson as a piece with a prospect to try and find an NHL righty for the top 4. Power - Dahlin Samuelsson - Byram Johnson - Clifton Bryson UPL - Levi If there's an available backup who you like, go for it - but most backups want term, or a chance to start. You get neither here.

It matters to me! i don't want to watch him play 🙂

I hope JJP sticks with Thompson and Tuch. The speed on the wing there can really help them gain the zone, he's an underrated forechecker, and the kid can shoot. That'd leave cozens with Benson and Quinn, or potentially a new C. Skinner on a wing with likely a rookie out of camp (we have several at the moment, and i should hope they move one or two of them), and hopefully a new 3C or Cozens (I'm not a fan of Krebs - seems like a AAAA guy and not someone you pay). Then line 4 would ideally be made with... actual shutdown forwards. Greenway and 2 players who are difficult to play against, can kill penalties and can chip in some goals from time to time.

Right - if you aren't going to compete for a cup... at least ovechkin gives you somewhat of a reason to go.

He's definitely fading - but he still leads his team in goals and is a monster on the power play. The two years at 9.5M for a winger approaching 40 is probably more of a concern. But what he hurts them on the cap, he probably makes up for in tickets and merchandise etc.

I kinda liked byram as the wing opposite tage tbh. Ideally id see it as JJP - Quinn - Cozens - Tuch - Power JJP and Quinn on opposite sides, cozens in the middle, tuch down low, power at QB Tage - Skinner (or Benson... potentially not on roster) - Greenway - Byram - Dahlin Tage and Byram on walls, Skinner down low, Greenway working net front rebounds and high slot, dahlin at QB

Oh i don't want to - it was just the first post in the thread.

Power's contract is going to limit suitors, and require money coming back. Usually that results in... the berglunds and sobotkas of the world. I personally would like to see power with a new coaching staff before i'd be willing to write him off.

I don't think tuch and thompson need to play this big heavy game because they are large. But my god could they play a little less soft?

I can't remember exactly, but i feel like they were jawing up the ice too so it was definitely a cheap shot.

I'm for buying him out. No spreadsheets needed really. I'm not listing anyone as "untouchable" but... to just keep bringing back people and not shaking up the roster is a little wild to me when the team never wins anything. It makes signing a FA wing/center challenging since the top 6 has tuch, skinner, jjp, quinn, cozens, thompson- with benson also right in the mix. Players I'd like to move on from - Krebs, Girgs, VO, Skinner, Robinson, Jokiharju, Clifton. Honestly I'm open to Tuch too. His contract is cheap and that has value to a team trying to maybe shed salary. As for filling in those spots? I don't think you can just plug in prospects and expect to improve. Maybe 1 or 2? But somethings gotta give here. You need to find NHL talent, and you need to use a deep prospect pool to get it. You have too many puck moving lefties (dahlin, power, byram) - so move johnson somehow. You have too many forwards at the same ages - you need to move some to try and add talent into the top-6. There's not enough room on a roster for kulich, rosen, Östlund, wahlberg, savoie, whomever else you want to throw in there. Top 6 needs a shake-up badly, and the bottom 6 probably feels like a better home for someone like cozens until he can prove otherwise. They also need... considerably more toughness. And not people to hit and fight, but a coaching staff that makes these guys fight through checks, skate back on defense, backcheck effectively, etc. Not to mention... playing faster. This team is fast, but they play slow.

They need to care. They need to be able to play physically. Whats the point of making the playoffs if when we get there we get absolutely smashed in actual playoff hockey. And its not just... "hitting". Its fighting through checks, fighting through sticks, playing with jam, getting pucks to the net, backskating hard, backchecking more effectively.