2020-2021 Lineup Thread

[Thorny]

On 2/25/2020 at 12:58 PM, dudacek said:

Not sure where "useful NHL players" is defined, but I will bet that all three have NHL careers of at least 250 NHL games and, barring catastrophic injury, two of the three play at least 500.

Tage Thompson will never be an NHL mainstay, guy doesn't have it. 

I still have a ton of hope for the other two, even if the majority of that hope is weighted towards the kid from the Yukon. 

[triumph_communes]

Skinner-Eichel-Thompson

Oloffson-Soderberg/Granlund/Trade -Reinhart

Kahun-Mittelstadt-Anderson

Girgensons-Lazar-Okposo (GLOv2)

 

Larsson moves on for crazy money.  Girgensons stay on discounts. Trade made for Josh Anderson (Cozens stays down). A 2C is acquired or Jason doesn’t make it to opening night.  Hot take: Thompson is ready for too minutes and Oloffson’s honeymoon is over after he falls apart down the stretch this year. 

Edited March 1, 2020 by triumph_communes

[LGR4GM]

The chances Cozens stays down in the chl another year are basically 0.1

[Randall Flagg]

Tage Thompson has been absolutely lost and horrendous in every NHL minute he's ever played. Never mind top line minutes, I'll believe he's ready for NHL minutes when he shows it for the first time in his career 

3 hours ago, LGR4GM said:

The chances Cozens stays down in the chl another year are basically 0.1

10% isn't super low

On 2/29/2020 at 7:47 PM, Thorny said:

Mitts is too slow to be a C. I'd rather Cozens play there. 

Thank you

 

i get so puzzled reading about how fast this guy is (and how great his hands are)

theyre both mediocre at this level 

[LGR4GM]

37 minutes ago, Randall Flagg said:

Tage Thompson has been absolutely lost and horrendous in every NHL minute he's ever played. Never mind top line minutes, I'll believe he's ready for NHL minutes when he shows it for the first time in his career 

10% isn't super low

Thank you

 

i get so puzzled reading about how fast this guy is (and how great his hands are)

theyre both mediocre at this level 

Didn't say it was a percent. 

0.1 out of 100 so 0.001%

[Randall Flagg]

Just now, LGR4GM said:

Didn't say it was a percent. 

Right, 0.1 without the % sign implies that this is a typical probability range of 0 -> 1, and so 0.1 = 10% chance 

[LGR4GM]

6 minutes ago, Randall Flagg said:

Right, 0.1 without the % sign implies that this is a typical probability range of 0 -> 1, and so 0.1 = 10% chance 

And again, I did not say 0.1%. I just said 0.1

I understand what you are saying though. So I will clarify. 0.000000000000000000000000000000001% ?

Edited March 4, 2020 by LGR4GM

[CallawaySabres]

Tage and Mitts won't even make this team next year and no way in hell is Cozens going to be here, no way. Another year where they will be bottom 5 in the league so hopefully Jack is not ruined by then. I am willing to bet anything that Ottawa will have at least 10 more points than Buffalo next year.

[LGR4GM]

12 minutes ago, CallawaySabres said:

Tage and Mitts won't even make this team next year and no way in hell is Cozens going to be here, no way. Another year where they will be bottom 5 in the league so hopefully Jack is not ruined by then. I am willing to bet anything that Ottawa will have at least 10 more points than Buffalo next year.

There will be no point in sending Cozens back to the WHL. He will be here. He's also a better prospect than the 2 you mentioned. 

[dudacek]

Casey’s failures have really affected attitudes about Dylan.

Lots of top 10 picks have been useful NHLers in their D2 seasons. Pretty sure someone posted the NHL equivalency for his production this year as 40 points.

Kid is an excellent prospect.

[Randall Flagg]

The more I think about it, the more I worry that our cap space (and by extension, number of spots to fill) is actually a problem in that, this may be the worst UFA crop I've ever seen, we don't have a lot of desirable assets that we'd be willing to move (teams demonstrably don't like Risto, and Montour's track record in Buffalo doesn't make him particularly valuable) and don't even have a full slate of draft picks to be comfortable with tossing them around to beef up trade value. 

Our roster could easily be as empty next year as it was this year, if things don't go well.

Edited March 4, 2020 by Randall Flagg

[WildCard]

 

[tom webster]

2 hours ago, CallawaySabres said:

Tage and Mitts won't even make this team next year and no way in hell is Cozens going to be here, no way. Another year where they will be bottom 5 in the league so hopefully Jack is not ruined by then. I am willing to bet anything that Ottawa will have at least 10 more points than Buffalo next year.

I’ll take that bet. 

[LGR4GM]

2 hours ago, Randall Flagg said:

The more I think about it, the more I worry that our cap space (and by extension, number of spots to fill) is actually a problem in that, this may be the worst UFA crop I've ever seen, we don't have a lot of desirable assets that we'd be willing to move (teams demonstrably don't like Risto, and Montour's track record in Buffalo doesn't make him particularly valuable) and don't even have a full slate of draft picks to be comfortable with tossing them around to beef up trade value. 

Our roster could easily be as empty next year as it was this year, if things don't go well.

Well that's okay, we have enough forwards in the pipeline who are talented to step up and fill.... ooohhhhhhh

[Crusader1969]

it won't matter at all who they have in the lineup for 2020-1 IF they don't get rid of Hutton.

You can't go into 20-25 games a year where you are a disadvantage due to your backup goalie no longer being a viable option.

[sabremike]

6 hours ago, Randall Flagg said:

Tage Thompson has been absolutely lost and horrendous in every NHL minute he's ever played. Never mind top line minutes, I'll believe he's ready for NHL minutes when he shows it for the first time in his career 

10% isn't super low

Thank you

 

i get so puzzled reading about how fast this guy is (and how great his hands are)

theyre both mediocre at this level 

https://gfycat.com/definitivebestkinglet

???

Edited March 4, 2020 by sabremike

[Ruff Around The Edges]

The way things are looking for the Sabres the rest of this year and next year this leads to another question:

Too early to start the 2021-2022 Lineup Thread?

[Thorny]

4 hours ago, Randall Flagg said:

The more I think about it, the more I worry that our cap space (and by extension, number of spots to fill) is actually a problem in that, this may be the worst UFA crop I've ever seen, we don't have a lot of desirable assets that we'd be willing to move (teams demonstrably don't like Risto, and Montour's track record in Buffalo doesn't make him particularly valuable) and don't even have a full slate of draft picks to be comfortable with tossing them around to beef up trade value. 

Our roster could easily be as empty next year as it was this year, if things don't go well.

First bolded: evidence of a bad plan 

Second bolded: evidence of bad execution. 

- - - 

On Mittelstadt, he reminds me of Kyle Wellwood. A player who would have ridiculous skills in the dead puck era but is unable to create space in today’s lightning quick game. 

There’s still time for the kid, though. 

[Thorny]

1 hour ago, Crusader1969 said:

it won't matter at all who they have in the lineup for 2020-1 IF they don't get rid of Hutton.

You can't go into 20-25 games a year where you are a disadvantage due to your backup goalie no longer being a viable option.

You know how people say the biggest handcuff of the tank is that it left the GM so many holes to fill that filling them all adequately was nearly impossible? 

I’m beginning to think Botterill has done that to himself single-handedly with this roster now - the amount of MUST ADDS for Jason this summer is hella daunting. 

Good fricken luck guy. 

[pi2000]

3 hours ago, Crusader1969 said:

it won't matter at all who they have in the lineup for 2020-1 IF they don't get rid of Hutton.

You can't go into 20-25 games a year where you are a disadvantage due to your backup goalie no longer being a viable option.

Agreed.

Your goalie is also your best penalty killer... so it's no secret why the PK has been so bad this season.

With better goaltending, even mediocre goaltending, this team is probably 6-8 points higher in the standings.  

[Weave]

Interesting comment from Ralph today:

Krueger on Kahun. "We do think he'll be a center in the NHL eventually."

[dudacek]

8 minutes ago, Weave said:

Interesting comment from Ralph today:

Krueger on Kahun. "We do think he'll be a center in the NHL eventually."

He’s looked very aware, with quick hands in our brief viewing, like someone who could play with top talent.

Of course he was traded for Conor Sheary, so keep your hopes in check.

[Randall Flagg]

My guess for next season based on what I heard from Jason yesterday:

Olofsson - Eichel - Reinhart
Skinner - Kahun - Simmonds (re-signed) or Anderson (Trade)
Mojo - Mitts - Tage/Cozens
Asplund/Ruotsalainen - Lazar - Okposo

Dahlin - Montour
McCabe - Jokharju
Miller - Risto

Ullmark
Hutton

I think he'll try to move an RHD for forward depth, but since he talked about building more depth rather than getting top end guys, I don't anticipate a big splash up front.

 

[mjd1001]

7 minutes ago, Randall Flagg said:

My guess for next season based on what I heard from Jason yesterday:

Olofsson - Eichel - Reinhart
Skinner - Kahun - Simmonds (re-signed) or Anderson (Trade)
Mojo - Mitts - Tage/Cozens
Asplund/Ruotsalainen - Lazar - Okposo

Dahlin - Montour
McCabe - Jokharju
Miller - Risto

Ullmark
Hutton

I think he'll try to move an RHD for forward depth, but since he talked about building more depth rather than getting top end guys, I don't anticipate a big splash up front.

 

Of everything I have read in the last week or so, I agree with this the most.

Its not much change again though.  Unless Dahlin takes a huge leap forward, Mitts/Cozens/Thompson do the same...its hard to see how this lineup does all that well.

[dudacek]

15 minutes ago, Randall Flagg said:

My guess for next season based on what I heard from Jason yesterday:

Olofsson - Eichel - Reinhart
Skinner - Kahun - Simmonds (re-signed) or Anderson (Trade)
Mojo - Mitts - Tage/Cozens
Asplund/Ruotsalainen - Lazar - Okposo

Dahlin - Montour
McCabe - Jokharju
Miller - Risto

Ullmark
Hutton

I think he'll try to move an RHD for forward depth, but since he talked about building more depth rather than getting top end guys, I don't anticipate a big splash up front.

 

Based on his track record and public statements, this is the most likely scenario.

Except there will be one more Johansson/Vesey type addition up-front who we have heard about, never coveted and can squint real hard at and say “maybe this guy might help.”

Strap yourselves in for another wild ride.