Sabres interested in Marco Rossi

[LGR4GM]

50 minutes ago, PerreaultForever said:

Oh I think that's easy. Benson was ranked 4 or 5 and Savoie sometimes got as high as 3 (or thereabouts). They fell because of size and then Sabres had their BPA analytic lists and went oh my, we can't pass on these guys at 8 or 9 or whatever it was. 

In Rossi's case he was ranked roughly where we were but so was Quinn. Close enough in any event that you could choose either one and they went for the bigger. 

This year is weird and thin with a lot of guys ranked roughly the same so if teams do go size you never know what we get and we might be looking right at Hagens thinking here we go again, the higher ranked smaller guy. I think it likely he gets taken earlier by Philly or Boston but you never know. Cam Neely might think Martone is his long lost son and maybe somebody even thinks McQueen is fine. Drafts can go that way. 

I would have taken Rossi over Quinn myself, but I wasn't sure about either one of them. I would have taken Perfetti (although I also liked Holloway and Mercer but recognized they were going to be a little lower). 

No he wasn't. He might have gotten up 6 but not 3.

Savoie went right where he was ranked. 

[LGR4GM]

I went and looked. A few midterms have Savoie 5 but final rankings all have him lower. 7-10

[Archie Lee]

1 hour ago, Brawndo said:

This was pretty much it.  Adams, Crowe, Nightengale and Forton essentially were the front office 

Thanks for this.  I get it, Karmanos and the analytics team were not in place in 2020.

I remember being very excited when they announced "Buffalo selects from the Ottawa 67's...", thinking it would be Rossi, and then being very disappointed when it was actually Quinn.  I can't remember the exact statistic, but there was something about Rossi's draft year scoring level that historically has always translated into a  star-level player. But, it was less than a year ago that a pretty common view among fans on this board was that Quinn was nearly untouchable. So, I'm not sure we have the final outcome of this just yet.

 

 

[PerreaultForever]

50 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

No he wasn't. He might have gotten up 6 but not 3.

Savoie went right where he was ranked. 

Earlier he got up to 3. Not final rankings but mid season roughly. He went up and down a fair bit. 

[LGR4GM]

36 minutes ago, PerreaultForever said:

Earlier he got up to 3. Not final rankings but mid season roughly. He went up and down a fair bit. 

He still got drafted right where he was ranked. Benson on the other hand dropped quite far. 

[PerreaultForever]

1 hour ago, LGR4GM said:

He still got drafted right where he was ranked. Benson on the other hand dropped quite far. 

That is true. Later in the season Savoie kept dropping. I can't remember if his play trailed off or what the reason was but it seemed people were losing interest. Hagens is a bit like that this year. Misa went way up but Hagens had been top 2 or 3 and is now a question mark around 6 or even lower. Desnoyers kept rising with his playoff performances but now after his last bit people souring again. Very few players are seen as can't miss this year. 

I think Philly got all those picks in the wrong year. I normally would never trade a top 10 first rounder but in the Sabres case, if there is a great deal out there this might be the year to do it. Whoever they take will be a question mark if they do pick. 

You know the guy I am now intrigued with is Martone. Others have gone up and down the rankings but he's quietly stayed there around 4. Nobody talking about him much other than "big" as a description and everybody obsessed with centers but what he turns into will be interesting to see. 

[LGR4GM]

9 hours ago, PerreaultForever said:

That is true. Later in the season Savoie kept dropping. I can't remember if his play trailed off or what the reason was but it seemed people were losing interest. Hagens is a bit like that this year. Misa went way up but Hagens had been top 2 or 3 and is now a question mark around 6 or even lower. Desnoyers kept rising with his playoff performances but now after his last bit people souring again. Very few players are seen as can't miss this year. 

I think Philly got all those picks in the wrong year. I normally would never trade a top 10 first rounder but in the Sabres case, if there is a great deal out there this might be the year to do it. Whoever they take will be a question mark if they do pick. 

You know the guy I am now intrigued with is Martone. Others have gone up and down the rankings but he's quietly stayed there around 4. Nobody talking about him much other than "big" as a description and everybody obsessed with centers but what he turns into will be interesting to see. 

Martone is going to be a playmaker with some jam. Good vision and solid skating, soft hands. He's gonna be a 1st or 2nd line winger and my guess is he goes to Chicago at 3 to play with Bedard. 

[PerreaultForever]

6 hours ago, LGR4GM said:

Martone is going to be a playmaker with some jam. Good vision and solid skating, soft hands. He's gonna be a 1st or 2nd line winger and my guess is he goes to Chicago at 3 to play with Bedard. 

Highly possible. He definitely won't fall to the Sabres. Chicago is definitely a possibility and would make sense. My point was only that years later he might end up being better than most of these centers everybody is talking about and arguing over. He seems to get less press/attention. 

[LGR4GM]

25 minutes ago, PerreaultForever said:

Highly possible. He definitely won't fall to the Sabres. Chicago is definitely a possibility and would make sense. My point was only that years later he might end up being better than most of these centers everybody is talking about and arguing over. He seems to get less press/attention. 

I think it might be because those centers don't have consensus on who's best. Desnoyers, O'Brien, McQueen, Frondell, and perhaps Martin all have debates around how to rank them. Martone is pretty much locked into 3-4

[oddoublee]

Reading a lot about minny wanting one of phillys 1st round picks for Rossi.

If a team likes Rossi? Is a first really an overpay? For the sabres, id think it would be a no brainier.

Worst case he ends up the sabres 3c or top 6 wing. Best case he slides up and down between 1 and 2c.

How are the sabres not better for this? Or a lot of NHL teams for that matter? 

NHL GMS are way too greedy w 1st round picks, imo

[Mr. Allen]

1 hour ago, oddoublee said:

Reading a lot about minny wanting one of phillys 1st round picks for Rossi.

If a team likes Rossi? Is a first really an overpay? For the sabres, id think it would be a no brainier.

Worst case he ends up the sabres 3c or top 6 wing. Best case he slides up and down between 1 and 2c.

How are the sabres not better for this? Or a lot of NHL teams for that matter? 

NHL GMS are way too greedy w 1st round picks, imo

It’s the 7x7 he wants that would stop me from pulling the trigger. 

[klos1963]

Then we'd trade him after 1 season because he won't sign an extension with us,  right?

[PerreaultForever]

10 hours ago, LGR4GM said:

I think it might be because those centers don't have consensus on who's best. Desnoyers, O'Brien, McQueen, Frondell, and perhaps Martin all have debates around how to rank them. Martone is pretty much locked into 3-4

Hagens as well. 

That's probably it though. Misa separated himself from the pack so he gets 2 and then after that likely Martone and then ??? Which one ahead of which is uncertain to say the least.  

[GASabresIUFAN]

https://www.prohockeyrumors.com/2025/06/marco-rossis-contract-demand-becoming-a-roadblock.html#ref=home
 

Rossi allegedly wants 7 yrs 49 million.  Minn offering 5 yrs 25 mill.  
 

Rossi is 23 with 101 pts in 185 NHL games.  He went 24g 36a for 60 pts in 82 games.  He’ll be 24 starting next season.

Peterka is 23, and won’t turn 24 until next January.  He has 150 pts in 234 games including 27g 41a last season.  

F - Rossi.  Keep and pay JJP and find D help.  

[...]

[Archie Lee]

Any discussion on Rossi and the Sabres, should include a discussion on who he would replace at centre. Norris makes little sense. While there are question marks on the durability of Norris, the concept of his two-way game means Rossi is not an upgrade. McLeod also makes no sense. McLeod is the ideal 3C who can play up in the line-up, kill penalties and match-up with the opposition’s top line. Kulich…is where Rossi is an upgrade (maybe). Rossi is 31 months older than Kulich, and is coming off a 60 point season, and is the playmaking centre the Sabres don’t have. 

Rossi (assuming he has another level of offence to come), Norris (healthy), McLeod, and Krebs, could be a pretty solid centre spine. Still real young though.  

I wonder about a Peterka/Kulich for Rossi/Ohgren trade. I think Minny would need to add.  It doesn’t help in the grit or experience categories.   

I think I would pass on my own idea. 

Edited Wednesday at 09:25 PM by Archie Lee

[JohnC]

2 hours ago, Archie Lee said:

Any discussion on Rossi and the Sabres, should include a discussion on who he would replace at centre. Norris makes little sense. While there are question marks on the durability of Norris, the concept of his two-way game means Rossi is not an upgrade. McLeod also makes no sense. McLeod is the ideal 3C who can play up in the line-up, kill penalties and match-up with the opposition’s top line. Kulich…is where Rossi is an upgrade (maybe). Rossi is 31 months older than Kulich, and is coming off a 60 point season, and is the playmaking centre the Sabres don’t have. 

Rossi (assuming he has another level of offence to come), Norris (healthy), McLeod, and Krebs, could be a pretty solid centre spine. Still real young though.  

I wonder about a Peterka/Kulich for Rossi/Ohgren trade. I think Minny would need to add.  It doesn’t help in the grit or experience categories.   

I think I would pass on my own idea. 

I agree with your conclusion and respect your flexibility. 

[Drag0nDan]

16 hours ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

https://www.prohockeyrumors.com/2025/06/marco-rossis-contract-demand-becoming-a-roadblock.html#ref=home
 

Rossi allegedly wants 7 yrs 49 million.  Minn offering 5 yrs 25 mill.  
 

Rossi is 23 with 101 pts in 185 NHL games.  He went 24g 36a for 60 pts in 82 games.  He’ll be 24 starting next season.

Peterka is 23, and won’t turn 24 until next January.  He has 150 pts in 234 games including 27g 41a last season.  

F - Rossi.  Keep and pay JJP and find D help.  

Rossi's a center, they make more money than wings.