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Okay I got to thinking with the Patty Kane discussion that we often as fans see shiny things and want them. The issue is we need to think like a GM. Identify the core and what they bring to the table. Then identify pieces that will elevate that core. Now I am going to mention types of players to accent our core these are not PLAYERS WE MUST GET. This is more of an exercise in team building than trade scenarios. With that said take any trade scenarios elsewhere. Core IMPO as seen by Sabres Brass: Hodgson, Vanek (for now), Ennis (for now), Girgorenko and Girgensons. First off, is can we agree this is roughly the core? This meaning going forward these are your teams center pieces. Now the hard part is figuring out what is need and who works. What are their skills and what is needed to compliment them. I will do the first line and then open this up to see where it goes. Line 1: Vanek - Hodgson - ????? As we know from last season, Cody and Thomas worked well together but they were missing that piece to put them over the edge. So what does Vanek bring? He is a sniper and can stickhandle quite well. He is a big body, decent passer, and a veteran presence. He is limited in terms of his defensive skills. So than we have Hodgson. He is a good skater, powerful down low, decent shot, great passer/playmaker and also weak defensively. So that leaves the ????? what do we need here? ????? so my question is what does this line need on its RW? They have a sniper with decent size. They have a playmaking center with good skills. On the RW impo they need a skilled player who can pass well and battle down low to keep that cycle game going. They need a RW that has some defensive awareness as that is a glaring need on the line. Now the RW that could end up there is Armia. We know he is billed as a sniper but how is he down low? Can he cycle the puck? Will he battle? I would argue we need someone with speed and decent size as well. Having Vanek the vet, Cody the playmaker, and RW the speedy battler would be a good line that could compete. so I have laid out some ideas and hopefully people can see where I am going with this. What do we have as our core now and what type of players do we need to fill out the lines and be competitive?