Potential Sabres deadline moves(sellers)…

[Radar]

18 minutes ago, Taro T said:

So sad, Trade Deadline Day used to be one of the best days of the year.

For over a decade now it has brought nothing but an even worse team for the final month of the season.

Maybe next year it goes back to being fun?

Trade deadline day is so over blown. The media loves it and then at 4PM come on to explain why nothing really went down.

[Curt]

2 minutes ago, Zamboni said:

I think Pysyk stays another year. Haag, Miller, Butcher, and Bjork won’t.

I’m not sure there will be a market for Butcher, and I’m not sure they will trade Bork.  Could happen though.

I agree that they probably have interest in bringing back Pysyk, but maybe they can work out a deal for him to chase a cup, but resign in the offseason.  That would be nice.

[Taro T]

15 minutes ago, Zamboni said:

I think Pysyk stays another year. Haag, Miller, Butcher, and Bjork won’t.

How you dumping Bjork.  Has 1 more year on his deal.

Ra-cha-cha could very well be in his future, but can't see anyone else trading for him.

[Norcal]

1 hour ago, Taro T said:

So sad, Trade Deadline Day used to be one of the best days of the year.

For over a decade now it has brought nothing but an even worse team for the final month of the season.

Maybe next year it goes back to being fun?

Buying was fun. 

56 minutes ago, Radar said:

Trade deadline day is so over blown. The media loves it and then at 4PM come on to explain why nothing really went down.

All that hype for nothing 

[Digger]

I think that Anderson gets the most interest at the deadline.  Look at the contending teams in goal.  Having a insurance in goal should be a priority and he's on a great affordable contract.  Colorado, Carolina, Toronto, Pittsburgh, etc. could use him as their 3rd goalie.  It's up to Anderson. 

Edited February 22, 2022 by Digger

[woods-racer]

4 minutes ago, Digger said:

I think that Anderson gets the most interest at the deadline.  Look at the contending teams in goal.  Having a insurance in goal should be a priority and he's on a great affordable contract.  Colorado, Carolina, Toronto, Pittsburgh, etc. could use him as their 3rd goalie.  It's up to Anderson. 

Florida.

He's going to Florida right before the deadline.

He's going for a bag of pucks and he will be back in September to do what he was supposed to do this year. Teach UPL what it means to play in the NHL. 

[Digger]

4 minutes ago, woods-racer said:

Florida.

He's going to Florida right before the deadline.

He's going for a bag of pucks and he will be back in September to do what he was supposed to do this year. Teach UPL what it means to play in the NHL. 

Sure add Florida to the mix for Anderson but look at the list of contenders and you'll see that they look weak outside of their number 1.  I would like to see us get more than a bag of pucks and I would like to see Anderson do well where ever he goes.  It would not surprise me if he goes to a contender and has a good run that he retires after this season.

[LGR4GM]

10 minutes ago, woods-racer said:

Florida.

He's going to Florida right before the deadline.

He's going for a bag of pucks and he will be back in September to do what he was supposed to do this year. Teach UPL what it means to play in the NHL. 

Why would the Panthers though? 

[woods-racer]

1 minute ago, Digger said:

Sure add Florida to the mix for Anderson but look at the list of contenders and you'll see that they look weak outside of their number 1.  I would like to see us get more than a bag of pucks and I would like to see Anderson do well where ever he goes.  It would not surprise me if he goes to a contender and has a good run that he retires after this season.

There's a rumor that Anderson has a house outside of Miami and has asked to be traded if they want him. The deal is not much in return from Florida but Anderson would return on a vet minimum contract to Buffalo. We wouldn't get anything, but we would get a goalie this summer without giving up anything.

1 minute ago, LGR4GM said:

Why would the Panthers though? 

They get a back up goalie for future considerations. Why not?

[Pimlach]

1 hour ago, Zamboni said:

I think Pysyk stays another year. Haag, Miller, Butcher, and Bjork won’t.

Pysyk can get traded now and still come back for next season.  

[Digger]

So we want our young players to go down to Rochester and have a long successful playoffs so that they know what it's like to win .........................and now we want our JAG's to get traded to playoff teams and then sign again next season to tell the Sabres veterans what it was like.

Sounds like a plan.

Sorry for the sarcasm but I couldn't resist.

[LGR4GM]

9 minutes ago, woods-racer said:

There's a rumor that Anderson has a house outside of Miami and has asked to be traded if they want him. The deal is not much in return from Florida but Anderson would return on a vet minimum contract to Buffalo. We wouldn't get anything, but we would get a goalie this summer without giving up anything.

They get a back up goalie for future considerations. Why not?

I guess if they're worried about Knight for a cup run. Not sure what we would get from them

[Carmel Corn]

1 hour ago, Pimlach said:

Pysyk can get traded now and still come back for next season.  

In theory yes, but besides Matt Moulson, has any UFA traded by Buffalo at the deadline come back the following season?  Maybe there are others I can't think of, but I don't have confidence that a UFA would come back unless we overpay.

[thewookie1]

42 minutes ago, Carmel Corn said:

In theory yes, but besides Matt Moulson, has any UFA traded by Buffalo at the deadline come back the following season?  Maybe there are others I can't think of, but I don't have confidence that a UFA would come back unless we overpay.

He came back already once, how many active players can say they've been traded by the same team twice? Brandon Saad is the only one I can immediately think of.

[pi2000]

I hope they keep Hinostroza.

[French Collection]

23 minutes ago, thewookie1 said:

He came back already once, how many active players can say they've been traded by the same team twice? Brandon Saad is the only one I can immediately think of.

I think David Perron is on his third stint in St Louis. Not sure if he was traded twice or he left as a FA.

[thewookie1]

18 minutes ago, French Collection said:

I think David Perron is on his third stint in St Louis. Not sure if he was traded twice or he left as a FA.

Interestingly enough he hasn't.

Drafted by St. Louis -> Traded to EDM -> Traded to Pittsburgh -> Traded to Anaheim -> Signs with St. Louis -> Picked by Vegas in Expansion Draft -> Signs with St. Louis

[GASabresIUFAN]

26 minutes ago, pi2000 said:

I hope they keep Hinostroza.

Why?  What role does he have beyond this season? Tuch, Skinner, Mitts, TT, KO, Cozens, Asplund, Girgensons and sadly Bjork are under contract for next season.  Krebs and Quinn are locks for next year’s roster. Murray, R2 and JJP will also be pushing for jobs and we will likely re-sign VO as well.  Where does Hinostroza fit in? 

This isn’t to say he hasn't done a good job for us, he has, but right now he is just a trade-able asset.   Unless we trade VO, I think Jankowski has a better chance of returning next season as the 4th line center.

The difference between Vinnie and Pysyk is that Pysyk plays a position of need next season and Vinnie doesn’t. 

[pi2000]

On 2/21/2022 at 8:09 PM, GASabresIUFAN said:

Why?  What role does he have beyond this season? Tuch, Skinner, Mitts, TT, KO, Cozens, Asplund, Girgensons and sadly Bjork are under contract for next season.  Krebs and Quinn are locks for next year’s roster. Murray, R2 and JJP will also be pushing for jobs and we will likely re-sign VO as well.  Where does Hinostroza fit in? 

This isn’t to say he hasn't done a good job for us, he has, but right now he is just a trade-able asset.   Unless we trade VO, I think Jankowski has a better chance of returning next season as the 4th line center.

The difference between Vinnie and Pysyk is that Pysyk plays a position of need next season and Vinnie doesn’t. 

I like his game.

I could see KO getting moved (MIN?) if they retain salary.

[Taro T]

1 hour ago, pi2000 said:

I like his game.

I could see KO getting moved (MIN?) if they retain salary.

Really hope they don't trade him.  Teams need SOME seasoned vets that aren't washed up and can actually contribute.  If he's gone, the ONLY true vets on the team that meet that description are the often injured Girgensons and, if they survive the trade deadline, the too old & lately showing his years Anderson & Pysyk.  Wouldn't really put Hagg or Eakin in that class & Miller likely won't last the trade deadline either.

Skinner & Tuch are vets, but not really what would be considered "seasoned" IMHO.  YMMV.

That's moving into scary young territory should Okie be gone.

[kas23]

I would move Okie if the deal is a very favorable one. It’s not that I don’t value his contribution, it’s more because he deserves to contend and possibly win a cup. The deal would have to be very good though. 

[Curt]

3 hours ago, pi2000 said:

I like his game.

I could see KO getting moved (MIN?) if they retain salary.

I don’t think he will be moved.  He is a respected veteran who always works hard and shows shows passion for the team.  You never know though.

[LGR4GM]

7 hours ago, Curt said:

I don’t think he will be moved.  He is a respected veteran who always works hard and shows shows passion for the team.  You never know though.

I agree, he's the type of vet we need and he's 4th on the team in points.

[nfreeman]

On 2/21/2022 at 11:09 PM, GASabresIUFAN said:

Why?  What role does he have beyond this season? Tuch, Skinner, Mitts, TT, KO, Cozens, Asplund, Girgensons and sadly Bjork are under contract for next season.  Krebs and Quinn are locks for next year’s roster. Murray, R2 and JJP will also be pushing for jobs and we will likely re-sign VO as well.  Where does Hinostroza fit in? 

This isn’t to say he hasn't done a good job for us, he has, but right now he is just a trade-able asset.   Unless we trade VO, I think Jankowski has a better chance of returning next season as the 4th line center.

The difference between Vinnie and Pysyk is that Pysyk plays a position of need next season and Vinnie doesn’t. 

I think Bjork could get waived and sent to Rochester and Asplund could become the 13th forward.  Vinnie is better than both of them.

[Rasmus_]

On 1/20/2022 at 12:08 AM, dudacek said:

 

This is my take on Adams' tenure so far, fantasy as it may be:

Situation: He gets hired, mostly on a whim and without a full resume, with marching orders from Pegula to purge the hockey department.

Verdict: Pass. He does what he was hired to do. It's not clear yet whether the people he kept were the right ones, but the people let go haven't hurt.

 

Situation: Eichel immediately rebels, saying if this is a rebuild, trade me. Krueger convinces the Pegulas that the team is not too far away. Adams is told to pacify Jack and give Ralph the players he wants to give the core one last shot.

Verdict: Pass. He convinces Eichel to hold off on the trade request, and acquires Hall, Eakin and Reider at Krueger's request on short-term deals that don't burden the team long-term.

 

Situation: He inherits a roster with questions in goal, an obvious hole at 2C and playoff aspirations.

Verdict: Fail. In his first significant move as GM he brings in Eric Staal to play centre. The price - Johansson plus some cap savings - is fine, but Staal is huge bust. His decision to stick with the oft-injured Ullmark and the terrible Hutton also blows up in his face. His depth signings are a mixed bag. Sheahan is fine, Irwin is not.

 

Situation: short months after stripping his scouting staff, and hampered by a short season where he didn't get a chance to view prospects, he conducts his first draft.

Verdict: Pass (but it's early). He challenges his staff to reset their list through the lens of "upside," as defined by skill and the desire to improve, veers from the public consensus to take Quinn, and trades up for Peterka. A year later, both of his top picks are looking very promising.

 

Situation: The Sabres suck, coming back from a COVID outbreak to establish themselves as the worst team in the league and looking terrible while doing it.

Verdict: Pass. He fires Krueger, albeit too slowly, and heads to Florida to present the Pegulas with his plan to rebuild the Sabres, and, by most accounts gets their blessing. At this point, to my mind, he stops being the franchise front man, and starts becoming its architect.

 

Situation: The Sabres are a last-place team in need of a new plan.

Verdict: TBD. Adams decides to rebuild the hockey department with a focus on drafting and development, and the roster based on "players who want to be here" which I translate to mean "fix the culture". He decides to move on from the failed previous core, accumulate picks, prospects and cap space, and use the existing, unproven "Blinding Light Brigade" as his starting point. I like his organizational focus on talented self-starters. Given the fact that his good players no longer wanted to be here, and the malaise surrounding the organization in general, I think it was probably the choice I would have made.

 

Situation: The Sabres were operating with an inexperienced, skeleton hockey operations department.

Verdict: TBD, but promising. Acquiring a connected, veteran assistant GM with 3 cup rings and 20 years experience in Karmanos filled the most obvious hole. Adding a handful of scouts was good and necessary, but choosing to keep that department lean while significantly beefing up the analytics and player development staffing instead was an interesting, progressive tack.  Integrating the analytics team into the overall department was an important move. The hirings there have been acclaimed, for what that's worth. Meanwhile, I can't recall a group of Sabres prospects that have shown more progress. The analytics staff helped select them, and the hockey development staff is overseeing their progress.

 

Situation: Taylor Hall is a pending UFA.

Verdict: Pass. Hall had a complete NTC, was coming off a horrible performance, and wanted to go to Boston. He had to trade him and he got what he could.

 

Situation: Brandon Montour is a pending UFA.

Verdict: Fail. I'm sure he took the best offer he had, but a right-handed D with Montour's track record should have garnered more than a 3rd. There was an option to retain salary. I wonder why that wasn't exercised.

 

Situation: Eric Staal is a pending UFA.

Verdict: Pass. Getting a 3rd and a 4th for a player who had deteriorated as much as Staal had and is now out of the league was a job well-done

 

Situation: Linus Ullmark is a pending UFA

Verdict: Fail. Ullmark should have been signed before the deadline or traded. Adams was either played, or he gambled and lost.

 

Situation: The Sabres need a head coach

Verdict: Pass. Don Granato was hired primarily to develop the young talent already on the roster and keep the room together through what was bound to be a tough season as far as results go. So far, so good; the kids have stepped up and the team seems more focused and together than it it has in years. It has also generally been better to watch. Honestly, I don't think Donnie is getting enough credit for keeping this team out of the basement. Adams dumped 7 of a bad roster's 8 best players for no immediate return, and didn't give him an NHL goalie.

 

Situation: Sam Reinhart made it clear he was not going to sign a long-term contract.

Verdict: Fail. Sam would have been a perfect bridge player for the core between the bad years and the good, not only in the leadership way of Okposo, but also on the ice, like Tuch. Sure he wasn't signing long-term this past summer, but the opportunity was there the previous summer and Adams chose not to pursue it. Given that the package we got in July would probably still be available at this deadline, why not keep him around in the hopes of helping the kids while trying to change his mind?  Devon Levi still has the power to change my mind.

 

Situation: Rasmus Ristolainen was a year away from UFA status and it wasn't clear if he was going to re-sign.

Verdict: Pass. I wasn't a Rasmus hater, but it was time. Getting the 13th pick in the draft for him was stunning on its own. Adding the adequate Hagg to fill part of the roster hole and a 2nd was a coup.

 

Situation: He comes into his 2nd draft with a multitude of picks including the 1st overall, and a much deeper, more developed hockey department, including Karmanos and Ventura.

Verdict: Pass. A year ago there was doubt about Power's upside. This year has obliterated that doubt; he looks every inch a top-pairing defenceman in the making. Beyond that, Rosen has disappointed. The Russian 2nd-rounders look OK and later picks Novikov, Bloom and Nadeau are intriguing. We're a few years from knowing anything, but their approach was refreshing and thoughtful.

 

Situation: Jack Eichel demanded a trade

Verdict: TBD. Adams was put in the worst of situations here. He had to make the trade he knew he was going to lose. And he had to do it with Jack's health and treatment controversy shrinking the market and complicating the return. The ask — the equivalent of 4 1st-rounders — was an entirely fair starting point. The fact that he almost got that given the circumstances is to his credit. I would have happily flipped pick 13 in last year's draft for either Tuch, or Krebs, and we also got the Vegas 1st. I think Adams tried to hold out for more after finally getting Tuch and Krebs on the table but caved last-minute on the 4th piece after Vegas leaked the fake Calgary rumour to undermine those talks and Jack threatened to ***** all over the Sabres to Friedman. The fact that he did not have to take on a bad contract is a point in his favour.  Basically, for me, Adams gets and A for effort, but his overall grade will be based more on how the team progresses without Jack than on how good the pieces turn out.

 

Situation: With so many key departures, he needed to completely reshape his roster for this season.

Verdict: TBD. Adams decided every move this year would be made through the lens of putting the future ahead of the present, and he adapted three guiding principles to make that happen:

• He was going to develop his best young roster players by using them in key roles
• He was not going to commit significant assets or cap space into new players who he did not see as being part of this team when it got good.
• Prospects would be kept away from the big club and in situations that allowed them to dominate.

IMO, the first is mostly working, with the Dahiln and Thompson growing a ton, and Jokiharju and Cozens improving more slowly. Bryson and Asplund looked good initially but have stalled. Mittelstadt unfortunately has been wracked by injuries. R2 is the only disappointment and the only one who didn't get time in a key role.

And the 3rd looks real good so far, with Quinn, Krebs, Peterka, Power, Samuelsson, and Levi dominating at their current levels, and Luukkonen seizing his NHL opportunity.

As for the 2nd, it's hard to judge without knowing what else might have been on the table. In terms of bang for the buck, Hinostroza was a good pickup, while the others — save Butcher and Dell — have all been fine in their roles. It's not hard to wonder why a veteran RHD or middle-six forward could not have been added without blocking a prospect or paying a price we were going to regret. Trusting a developing club to a 40-year-old pulled out of retirement, two minor leaguers and an unproven prospect in goal is the definition of pennywise and pound-foolish.

But basically 2 only matters if it breaks 1 and 3. This season is only about setting the table for next. Will the kids be better? Will the cap space be used?

Guess we'll find out.

I need this year to mean something by next year actually starting to show a payoff.

Amazing well thought out analysis as usual.  Great read.  

18 hours ago, kas23 said:

I would move Okie if the deal is a very favorable one. It’s not that I don’t value his contribution, it’s more because he deserves to contend and possibly win a cup. The deal would have to be very good though. 

Probably one of the few, who believe that even at 6M on this team, Okposo has been a godsend.  To say there is anyone more professional, as well as continually motivating over the haul of going into his 7th season is phenomenal.  I expect to have Tuch replace him in this regard, but Okie has a right to stay here as long as he wants.  I would be fine extending him at the right hit.