Archie Lee
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Posts posted by Archie Lee
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Hopefully:
Dahlin and Power on the 1st pair. Elite and similar to Heiskanen/Harley in Dallas. Samuelsson with either Joker or Clifton would be a fine 3rd pair. Sign Brendan Smith and he can be with Bryson on the 4th pair and serve as the 14th forward too (and fight a few guys). That leaves Joker or Clifton as the odd man out (likely Joker) as we need to get a veteran 2nd pairing partner for Byram. Hopefully we are in on DeMelo, Roy, Tanev, Pesce. Johnson can go to back to Rochester and get called up if/when there is an injury; he’s on deck if we can’t afford to keep Byram after next season. The Russians are in the hole for 2026-27.
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17 minutes ago, Taro T said:
Don't recall Adams ever stating that a goal was to not trade for a player on a LT contract. Do you recall when Adams said that?
I don't remember this either. He has expressed that he would be cautious about signing a player in free agency out of concern that it is often the case that a good player who has reached UFA status will command a higher AAV or longer term (or both) than might be reasonable based on the player's age. I don't recall him saying that he would not take a player in trade who is on a long-term deal. Of course, the unsaid is always "the right player for the right price".
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1 minute ago, LGR4GM said:
You aren't the only one but I want to say that whenever anyone on this site pencils Cozens in as a 3rd line center, you are living in fantasy land.
JJP - TNT- Tuch
Skinner/Benson - Cozens - Quinn
Those lines are basically set and I don't believe until he proves me wrong, that Adams has it in him to move a top 6 guy out or demote Cozens to the 3rd line.
I agree, but I also don’t think he should. Adams can’t completely abandon the plan. If there is a team left that we could resemble it is Dallas. The comparables aren’t perfect, but Cozens is our Roope Hintz (who was splitting time between the NHL and AHL at Cozens age). Our backend is built to be like the Stars (UPL or Levi are Oettinger, Dahlin is Heiskanen, Power is Harley, Samuelsson is Lindell). Peterka or Quinn need to become our Robertson (or a reasonable facsimile). Benson is Stankoven and maybe Savoie comes up mid-season and we have two Stankoven’s. Tuch is something between Pavelski and Benn. What we are missing are the Marchments and Tanevs and a 3rd centre (and I think a DeBoer).
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10 hours ago, LGR4GM said:
If it's not then the top of your roster isn't good enough and you need to trade someone to get something better or open space to get something better.
This is kind of the point I think. There are people making straight-faced arguments that the league was full of guys making $750-$800 K who are better than Okposo and Girgs, as though we would have been better this year with Ryan Lomberg and Steven Lorentz as 4th line wingers. The reality is that it is not players like that who make teams like FLA so much better, it’s players like Barkov, Tkachuk and Reinhart.
It’s probably worth remembering (not directed at you), that when Adams started his rebuild he had no idea that Thompson was going to become a 30-40 goal scorer and 70-90 point man (and it still isn’t clear that he will be consistently). The goal from the onset was that the prospect and draft capital acquired in the recent tear down would yield such players. The plan I’m sure was showing patience for our prospects to develop. None are close to being elite level NHL forwards at the moment and I’m not sure any actually project to be. Getting elite level forwards will require a lot of patience or a big trade (we do have elite D and possibly G, in my view).
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8 hours ago, GASabresIUFAN said:
I agree. I’d trade Power. This may seem extreme but what does he bring that Dahlin and Bryam don’t? He also isn’t worth 8 mill a season imho, but given his age and draft status, I think we can get some important pieces to improve this team short and long-term.
Re: Power, it is true that he needs to learn how to physically impose himself defensively. The risk I guess is that it just isn’t in his make-up and never happens. But he retrieves and moves the puck out of danger zones so effortlessly that I think we don’t even notice the positive impact he has on possession and zone time. He is much better than Byram in my view.
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3 minutes ago, Flashsabre said:
Ruff has always liked to have a guy who can drop the gloves that can be shuffled in and out of the lineup. I think one of the 4th line/13th forward roles will be filled by such a player.
Brendan Smith fits this role and can serve as both the 8th D and 14th forward.
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4 hours ago, PerreaultForever said:
That's kind of a strange way of looking at it imo. Granato never got that "opportunity" because he wasn't a good enough coach to get his team to the playoffs.
Unlike many people here who believe he is this great development guy I think he was an incredibly over rated coach and somewhat clueless at the NHL level. We haven't had a good coach since Ruff, and now we are there again. Hopefully he's still a good coach.
I have no interest in carrying water for Granato. Better coaches than him get fired all the time. That said, what is strange to me is to have the view that the Sabres are poorly built and missing many elements of a playoff team (very true) while simultaneously concluding that their head coach should have somehow squeezed a playoff spot out of them. It’s not unreasonable to conclude that Granato was part of the deficient make-up of the team. It is not at all or in any way strange to say that the Sabres did not have a playoff style or calibre lineup last year.
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10 hours ago, PerreaultForever said:
After the first period I thought neither of these teams could beat any of the remaining other teams and probably couldn't beat Boston, Colorado or Carolina (or Vegas) either. I will be totally shocked if Dallas doesn't blow past Edmonton with relative ease.
I’m not sure. Dallas is my pick and I don’t see a reason to change it. But the Oilers defensive play and overall depth is underrated in my view. If Dallas had McDavid and Draisatl instead of Rintz and Robertson (two great players, but not in the “best in the world” conversation), I would guess that we would see less of the Dallas 4th line as they would lean on McDavid and Draisatl just as the Oilers do. Goal is another thing.
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13 minutes ago, JohnC said:
Granato was the right coach to take over for the system rigid Krueger. Under Granato the younger players were allowed to play a looser style that allowed them to express their talent and personally flourish. It seems to me that Granato couldn't make the next transition/adjustment from player development to team development. Individual player and team development are related but also are distinct. Granato is a good and honorable man. He is a credit to his profession. Changing the HC was the right thing to do.
I wholly agree with your 1st sentence and the last two. The middle part I’m not sure about. Granato never got an opportunity to coach a playoff style or calibre team. I’m not convinced he can’t adapt if given a team to coach that is built to win. That said, a change to the head coach position was needed to reset culture and expectations.
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On 5/17/2024 at 10:48 PM, sabremike said:
I don't think people realize just how horrible a job Granato and his staff did last season when you look at the other coaches who got sacked for poor results. All of the other guys essentially got sunk by terrible goaltending while Granato got very good goaltending with UPL playing close to Vezina level from January on. When you fail miserably with solid goaltending that's as inexcusable and awful a failure as possible. If there was an Anti-Jack Adams award he would deserve to win it unanimously.
I’m fine with Granato’s departure. I just think it is a bit unfair to point out, correctly, that other coaches were sunk by bad goaltending while not acknowledging that the Sabres were sunk by other deficiencies. Coaching was one of the deficiencies to be sure (poor starts, bad PP), but we had a very young roster that was constructed the opposite of what you see with almost every team in the playoffs (little experience, no grit or toughness). The Sabres of last season did not have a playoff calibre roster. That sunk Granato as much as his coaching. I think the outlier in Granato’s 3 full years as coach was not last year’s disappointing results, but that he somehow managed to get them to within a point the year before.
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Watching who the Oilers had on the ice late (aside from McDavid and Draisatl): Warren Foegele killing seconds in the o-zone with a great forecheck. Giant R shot D man Vincent Desharnais on for the last 90 seconds protecting the lead. Both UFA’s.
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7 minutes ago, Broken Ankles said:
Just like the thought that Necas is odd man out in Carolina (I would think he is not bc still an RFA and easier to retain vs the overwhelming number of UFA’s Brett Peche might get some desperate team to overpay and therefore not even an option in Carolina), I would hope that If Buffalo was forced into a decision of retaining RFA or UFA, the RFA’s like JJP and Quinn would be the easier decisions to keep. Not 100% apples to apples for me to use Quinn (or JJP) b/c we have an opportunity to bridge both like Necas was for two years with a modest increase. But let’s push the scenario two years down the road, where JJP or Quinn are coming off a bridge deal looking for in excess of $8m each. Both are top 6 players (like Necas) and you need to decide on one. Would not expect at least a top 15 first round pick and another top level asset or two for either? Sam got you a low mid 1st and Prospect and he was a year older, or was on a second Bridge deal.
Necas' status in Carolina perhaps hinges on their intentions with Guentzel.
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1 hour ago, Brawndo said:
I know nothing about this guy. He is obviously connected to Karmanos. Likely lost his job as his contract is up and he isn't a Dubas guy. Seems fine.
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1 hour ago, Taro T said:
And yet, Adams has flat out stated, ever since the trade deadline passed and apparently on several occassions that he wants to add a top 9 (top 6?) W and also a bottom 6C that is good on the PK and at the dot. Considering Krebs has continued to be underwhelming am really hoping that bottom 6C is another top 9 guy.
Then, there could be 1 or 2 other additions to recreate the 4th line to have "an identity" though am not as convinced as others are that 1 of those 2 isn't Girgensons.
Expect that he will bring in those pieces, though they may be underwhelming. Am not convinced he makes any changes to the D unless sending out Johnson or Jokiharju is necessitated to bring in one of those 1st 2 pieces. And am not convinced a vet NHL netminder gets brought in to compete with Levi &/or UPL. But do expect to see some changes in the F ranks.
I’m not disputing this, but don’t recall him saying he wants to add a top 9 wing. I hope he does. If he does, though, it will mean demoting Greenway to line 4, or trading Skinner, Tuch, Benson, Quinn or Peterka (none of whom are being demoted to line 4), or buying out Skinner. I guess they could “Krueger” Skinner again, or trade Greenway, but I can’t imagine those options are in the plans. I’m still holding out slim hope (5% chance, maybe?) for a Skinner buyout. It’s a bit of a litmus test for me re: just how serious they are about making the playoffs this season. Though I’m holding out slim hope, I don’t think they are as serious as I would prefer.
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6 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:
I don't agree with this line at all. It was very clear that after the failed Kruger/Hall fiasco season that Adams came up with the rebuild plan and sold it to Terry.
We aren't trading for Necas IMPO. As you say, Adams is reactive and he will leave the top 6 in place and react later if they suck again under Ruff.
Also, unless we are trading someone, or demoting Greenway to line 4, or buying out Skinner, there is no room in the top 9 (at least, not for a winger).
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14 hours ago, Broken Ankles said:
What’s the difference? Liljegren is a young RFA Defenseman who is a former first rounder slotted as 4-5. The net difference between 11 and 28 is about 700 points in the NHL trade value chart, or what the Leafs first round selection represents in and of itself. That’s equivalent to your offer. And the value of Necas to Quinn is similar. The offer is too low. I saw a proposal with the Wild for Rossi, Spurgean, plus to get Necas. The Hurricanes have $27m in cap space so they aren’t hamstrung like other clubs might be. It’s #11, Joki , plus something. Not intending to be rude, just provided a different angle of an offer for perspective.
Back to the comparable Quinn trade, my primary reasons for rejecting such a trade right now, are that we have no need to move Quinn, and we don't have any particular need for the 23rd overall pick and/or Liljegren. Flash forward a year and lets say that we are in a position similar to Carolina is now, and we have made roster moves that make it impossible to re-sign Peterka, Quinn, Byram, Levi and Greenway and the decision is that Quinn is the odd man out. In that scenario (assuming Quinn stays on a steady positive trajectory and he is the best piece in the trade), would Quinn return greater value than #23 OA and a youngish right-shot 4-5 d-man?
I'm genuinely not sure. I'm neither trying to over or under value any of these assets. Just asking.
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15 hours ago, Broken Ankles said:
What’s the difference? Liljegren is a young RFA Defenseman who is a former first rounder slotted as 4-5. The net difference between 11 and 28 is about 700 points in the NHL trade value chart, or what the Leafs first round selection represents in and of itself. That’s equivalent to your offer. And the value of Necas to Quinn is similar. The offer is too low. I saw a proposal with the Wild for Rossi, Spurgean, plus to get Necas. The Hurricanes have $27m in cap space so they aren’t hamstrung like other clubs might be. It’s #11, Joki , plus something. Not intending to be rude, just provided a different angle of an offer for perspective.
Thanks for the thoughtful response. To summarize, your view is that a trade of Joker + #11 for Necas + #28 is not something Carolina would entertain because there is not a significant enough value gain in moving up to pick 11 from 28 to bridge the value gap between Joker and Necas. I think that is likely correct.
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25 minutes ago, Broken Ankles said:
Would you trade Jack Quinn for Timothy Liljegren and the Leafs late first round ?
For many reasons, no. That’s nothing close to the situation Carolina is in or to what I asked or proposed though.
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Every year I fall into the trap of thinking maybe the Sabres could trade for the guy who looks good playing with “insert Sabre player here”. Mangiapane looks good with Cozens.
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On 5/18/2024 at 11:55 AM, dudacek said:
Here’s someone who fits my “this year’s 2021 Reinhart” model.
Marty Necas is a 25-year-old 5-year veteran RFA who wants more than Carolina is willing to pay him.
Friedman says he’s expected to hit the market. Wants term and the Canes won’t do it.
6’2” skilled, and fast. Former 12-overall pick in 2017 who broke out with 71 points 2 years ago after 3 years of 40ish. Dropped to 53 last year.
Not particularly physical or a shutdown guy, but his puck possession numbers are strong.
Plays RW but is naturally a centre and reportedly wants to play centre.
This is the the type of guy you could get for the Reinhart price of roughly 2 picks in the second half of the 1st, or equivalent prospects.
He shouldn’t cost more than Cozens on term and you’ve got him for at least 2 years for 5 or 6 if not.
He’s basically your Mitts replacement to a “T”.
Which is ironic because reports say he was going to be the Sabres pick at 8 in his draft year before newcomer Botterill overruled the holdover staff and took Casey.
Would Joker and 11 get Necas and 28?
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21 minutes ago, GASabresIUFAN said:
Let me see if I understand your post. We should trade two 1sts (or equivalent) for a less physical and less defensively aware version of Mitts and give him the same money that re-signing Mitts would have cost? If that's the case, why trade Mitts? I thought the whole point of trading Mitts was for KA to avoid another long-term big forward contract. I'm not against this move per se, but if this was the plan, why not re-sign Mitts and use the 2 1sts on a top 4 D, who adds a skill set we don't already have?
Dudacek can give his thoughts on whether he would prefer that we just kept Mitts. His post on Necas is firmly in the real world though, where Mitts is gone.
I like the Necas idea. Carolina loves their Finns and their D is going to have some losses this off-season. Maybe Joker ++ and we can get him?
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On 5/13/2024 at 3:33 PM, LGR4GM said:
Whoever wrote this is silly. Buffalo drafting another lhd would be hilarious. Like, wtf does this even mean? "They’ve got some good young ones in Rasmus Dahlin and Owen Power, but adding a dynamic, two-way threat like Dickinson would be massive" ... Dickinson is good but if you draft him, you better be aggressively shopping Muel.
There are very few "national" writers or commentators who know a lot about the needs of individual teams. If fairness, it is a lot of work to have a great handle on the prospects and a deep understanding of the needs of the teams that are drafting. There are a couple of non-team-specific hockey podcasts I listen too that I typically enjoy when they are talking about teams other than the Sabres. When they do Sabres talk though it often seems superficial and not well-informed. I think this is the case here. If Dickinson is there at 11, I don't think the Sabres will be scared off from taking him just because of their strong depth at left-shot D. If they take him though, it won't be because then need to add a dynamic two-way D threat.
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17 minutes ago, JohnC said:
You have a good perspective on where we were and where we are now. @dudacek demonstrates in detail that the GM decided on a major deconstruction, and then reconstruction. Based on how the GM wanted to rebuild this flattened franchise, it was never going to be a quick fix (@dudacek's central point.) There was a tsunami of bad decisions that led to Jack and multiple UFAs on this team (now thriving on cup contending teams) to be determined to get out of this wrecked franchise.
It has gotten fatiguing reprising the past and pointing out what went wrong. That's not a major challenge to do. It's like shooting at fish in a well-stocked barrel and then act as if you accomplished something challenging.
By the time the upcoming season arrives, the GM will have had enough time to show that his long-term strategy to rebuild is a success or failure. (Your point.) This has to be a constructive offseason where he adds the necessary pieces so at the minimum get this team into the playoffs. If our GM succumbs to his conservative instincts and sticks with the status-quo, then his tenure will clearly and fairly be labeled a failure.
I think Dudacek was correct to point out that the precedent is for these rebuilds to take significant time to yield results. That said, we did miss by a point in 22-23 and most of us now agree that there were moves Adams could have made to get this team into the playoffs, or to more aggressively compete for the playoffs, that season and certainly in the season just past. There is a degree of incongruence in the argument that this process takes lots of time when one considers how close we were to getting in just 13 months ago.
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Something to remember about the rebuild that Adams undertook in earnest after the Krueger firing, is that the Sabres were not a team that had been good for years and was crumbing due to age and the wear and tear of playoff runs. He was starting rebuild on a team that had been bad for years. While he moved out Hall, Montour, Risto, Reinhart, Eichel and (not purposely, Ullmark), he was not in a position of starting from scratch. The team that he started a rebuild with had drafted in the top 10 every year post- Eichel-draft and had also fairly recently traded Ryan O'Reilly for future assets. Adams started a rebuild with a team that already had the following assets: Thompson (2016 draft), Mitts, Joker, Luukkonen (2017 draft), Dahlin, Samuelsson (2018), Cozens, Johnson (2019) and Quinn, Peterka (2020, the first Adams draft). Then he had the luxury of a 1st OA in year one of the rebuild with Power. The base of talent that already existed when the Adams rebuild started, is why we were able to come within a point of making the playoffs in 22/23. The disaster he took over was more due to toxic culture than to being bereft of talent; this was not a rebuild that was starting from near ground zero, such as what is happening in Chicago and San Jose at present.
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OT - IIHF worlds 24
in The Aud Club
Posted · Edited by Archie Lee
I’m not sure if you are being cheeky, but it could be UPL.
Joel Hofer is coming along.
The current best may well be Binnington. Adin Hill?
Somewhat interesting is that of the last 10 cup winners, 7 had a Canadian starting goalie who came out of major junior (Crawford, Fleury, Murray, Holtby, Binnington, Kuemper and Hill).