Drag0nDan

Yeah. 2C goes a long way to helping this team. If you can line up a team with olofsson-jack-kahun (possibly a reach to put 2 youngsters with jack, but he really does elevate the people around him) and skinner-2C-reinhart you're looking at a solid top 2 lines. MoJo moves to the 3rd line where he probably should be (with the ability to play up the lineup in a pinch). Not sure how else that shakes out - but you have thompson, okposo, maybe Larsson, Lazar for those final 4 spots - plus asplund/mittelstadt. Getting 2C is going to cost them though. Probably Risto/Montour, Mittelstadt is the starting point. If that's the case, how do the D-pairings look after the fact? Righties: Montour, Risto, Joki, Miller Lefties: McCabe, Dahlin Oh man... i don't wanna know what happened to the younglings junior sabres....

Businesses should all run independently of one another. If the Bills make money, and the Sabres lose money - it doesn't make sense to rob peter to pay paul. You figure out how to stop losing so much money with the Sabres. If this was 2 sales business units - say A vs. B. Would you move A people/profits over to the B group to help prop it up? Or would you re-invest in those people/profits to try and grow A. Typically A is the answer here. B would be where you are doing layoffs - bring in new people and ideas, as well as some cost cutting. I'd say the same thing about his oil business - it's a long game there, don't sell stuff to pay for the sabres misfortunes.

I get that they aren't like in the business of making huge profits with a hockey team. But this whole thing hurts them even more - they clearly are hearing rumblings of 2020-2021 without fans (massive hit to revenue). They've already been losing money for a few years now it would seem (Excessive player/coach/gm buyouts, lower season ticket numbers and corresponding rate hikes). Yes they are looking at the bottom line - because a 300 million dollar investment shouldn't be losing money YoY, while not growing in value. Lots of leagues probably fold from this too - since many have no TV contracts. Scouting and the league in general are going to get weird. I wonder if they end up with more of the soccer mindset with drafted prospects being available to loan out to foreign leagues, or if college hockey will see an increase.

If the thoughts are - draft well, build a core, extend that core... that's like the main successful strategy that works in all sports. Keep the players around that make it go, and augment it. Stop trying to just band-aid issues with free agents.

I feel like teams were able to exploit the defense a bit. Get caught chasing behind the net, not rotating quickly enough, and just generally not stopping cross ice passes. Also felt we were a bit passive in pressuring teams so they could just a- take the zone easily and b- maintain the zone. Goaltending was also a bit of an issue, felt like short side was a gaping hole all the time.

Yeah - midseason trades are always a question mark. Takes time to integrate, and you don't have camp to like truly generate some consistent chemistry.

Improved goaltending would help - even league average in PK would help. I felt like anything cross ice was always in the back of the net with hutton, as well as short side ones - he was just a nightmare.

I would say yes. Berglund/sobotka, sheary (not terrible, but when you tack on hunwick its a bad deal), pominville, scandella, etc. I thought he did a better job this year in bringing in expiring contracts (simmonds, vesey, frolik) to try and jumpstart scoring. Didn't work, but it also didn't bring along bad money. There aren't any major buyout candidates that he's brought in. Johansson isn't an inherently bad deal, and i didn't feel like he overpaid. Even dumping off the remainder of sheary/rodrigues contracts for kahun was a smart move - saves some dollars, and brings in a player you can use beyond the season.

Nice - now to get better at like... hockey.

Agreed. Guys 22 years old and built like a twig, get him eating a bunch more each day and having serious workouts - should be no problem. 6'5 205 -> 220 should be pretty attainable. The key is how to make it functional strength for hockey.

I think for me it was like... thats all it took to get traded? He didn't have a long drawn out issue with management or ownership. He just made an emotional statement after a terrible season. I don't see how JB saw that compensation and was like - LETS GOOOOOO! I feel like deep down TP forced his hand to remove a guy who had poorly represented the team in the media. Housley was a terrible coach, JB probably should've been fired with him tbh.

They did make 2 deals for defensemen at the deadline - but both were pure rentals. I assume Risto would have taken one of their places, or just helped their banged up blue line. 4 UFAs at Defense there, and Andersson gets a raise. Monahan has a modified NTC that kicks in for 2020-2021, so this probably doesn't matter anyway.

Came in and had terrible deals - moulson, bogo, okposo. JB then sprinkled some more terrible deals in - Pominville (1 year too many), Scandella (at times a healthy scratch), Sheary (basically 5 million for him since you have to include hunwicks deal), and then Berg/Sobotka. I thought he did better this year with rentals (simmonds, frolik, vesey) being... rentals. They didn't work out, oh well, they're gone. Mojo seems like he has a role in a middle 6, i don't think its Center though. The salary dump of sheary/rodrigues for kahun was actually a really nice move. But uhhh the other stuff he did - yuck.

I mean... we're fans. We may as well right?

Ughhhh you're getting my hopes up!

My wife will occasionally describe the SPF as "proof" like booze

I mean - I assume its a negotiating tactic? He's not happy bouncing between ahl and nhl, or his role, etc. There isn't a ton of migration of NHL players to the KHL, so i assume its not something that is top of mind when thinking about your RFAs. They just marked him down for a qualifying offer most likely.

I'm sure its somewhat a nature of the current climate. He's not in the building - they probably haven't prioritized discussions on RFAs with no word on salary cap. Not saying its smart but not having him around makes it hard to understand where he's at. Agreed. Getting nothing for a player who can probably contribute at the NHL level sucks.

not saying like... scoring... PP. Just that he's a LHD who's probably AHL bound.

Nothing you can say will make me say - I want larsson for line 2 center. He's been here for like 5 coaches and not one has used him in that role. He is who he is at this point.

quoted the wrong one - woops! I think that has more to say about the other players who have played center here than Larsson specifically. He's a defensive forward who will get you under 10 goals and under 20 points. We had a terrible PK last year, and lazar started taking more draws as the season went along. I'd bring him back but i don't consider him a must-sign or asset piece moving forward. IMO if hes playing middle 6 minutes with oloffson/skinner/kahun, you're hindering those players abilities to score. With Okposo considered bottom 6 at this point of his career, and costing as much as he does, i'd limit what i spend on additional depth forwards. But this guys been playing here since 2013, so it wouldnt surprise me to see him back.

Yeah - He basically gets replaced in AHL by Samuelsson. I'm not sure where he fits in the top 6, he didn't really have a home. In any case as a RFA he gets non-tendered so its a non-issue. Leaves you risto, mccabe, dahlin, montour, miller, joki. Considering risto's annually on the trade block - i'd think they look to add someone there to fill out the group. I'm not sure who of the group would be considered the 7th defender, but they could use another left shot no?

He's not going anywhere.

He's unrestricted.. and we've sucked the entirety of his career. What makes you think he wants to be here? Agreed. Figure out the middle 6. I'd be more inclined to offer 1 year in the beginning of FA. There are players who can contribute on the 4th line with okposo. Lazar, Leier, Asplund... etc. I'd like to bring him back though, that line had some more offense than some of the other lines odly enough.

Miller makes almost 4 million a year and had 11 points and 1 goal. He was a healthy scratch quite a few times last year even with Bogo on LTIR. He's here regardless. Larsson is a UFA, you can't force him to stay. If you're squeezing pennies do you pay him? Do you want him for more than a year? Kahun on line 2 pushes mojo to line 3 - i don't hate it but it definitely requires someone either via trade or FA to center that line with oloffson. Huttons back anyway - they wont stash him or buy him out since it costs more.