Chad D: expect a Byram trade at or around the draft

[Drag0nDan]

5 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

Or leave him on Power's pair and what do you have? I don't understand the notion that we should dump defenders because they worked when paired with another defender... isn't that the point?

Perhaps the small sample size factored into it?  In a lot more minutes with everyone not named power for buffalo, and everyone he played with in ottawa, he was pretty mediocre.  Lack of physicality could be it, or just that they felt he was a bit more limited in what he offered offensively.  

Still weird to non-tender when you could have just waived him if he didn't make the team.  

Edited Wednesday at 02:21 PM by Drag0nDan

[LGR4GM]

12 minutes ago, Drag0nDan said:

Perhaps the small sample size factored into it?  In a lot more minutes with everyone not named power for buffalo, and everyone he played with in ottawa, he was pretty mediocre.  Lack of physicality could be it, or just that they felt he was a bit more limited in what he offered offensively.  

Still weird to non-tender when you could have just waived him if he didn't make the team.  

Is JBD better than Bryson, if the answer is yes than Adams is awful at his job.

[Pimlach]

2 hours ago, JohnC said:

I liked Docker. But he’s a replaceable player whose loss is inconsequential.

Did he asked to leave?   And is the guy they just signed (Jones) better?  Is R Johnson better?  Is Bryson better?  No, no, and no. 

Is the team getting better?  

[inkman]

5 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

Is JBD better than Bryson, if the answer is yes than Adams is awful at his job.

It seems like every day is his first day on the job. Just no sense of direction or purpose. 
 

From the little I’ve gleaned from the Sabres this offseason, “hard to play against” seems to be the mantra.  Kesselring and Doan are an upgrade in that department but they aren’t exactly Chara and Lucic.  
 

Danforth and Timmons I suppose also fall into the same category.  It just doesn’t seem like Adams fully understands his own guidance. Maybe there weren’t a lot of options.  
 

As I stated previously (god only knows what thread it’s in), it isn’t hard to build a team WNY loves.  Get hard working grinders all throughout your lineup.  Guys that hit, fight and stick up for teammates.  Sprinkle your Tages and Dahlins into the lineup for high end skill but stay true to the plan.  Get players that play the game the right way. 
 

Instead they just keep taking huge swings for the fence with draft picks like Kisakov.  I know they have rectified the type of players they are drafting but unfortunately we are stuck with the results of drafts from 5 years ago.  Soft skill players.  It’s changing but players like Power and Quinn shouldn’t be a part of the solution. They are the opposite of what they should roster. 

[Pimlach]

I am at the point of hoping Bryson stays.  Adam’s cannot he trusted.  

[LGR4GM]

1 minute ago, Pimlach said:

I am at the point of hoping Bryson stays.  Adam’s cannot he trusted.  

[dudacek]

Just now, Pimlach said:

I am at the point of hoping Bryson stays.  Adam’s cannot he trusted.  

I think he’s made it abundantly clear he can be trusted to keep Bryson.

😜

[Taro T]

42 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

Or leave him on Power's pair and what do you have? I don't understand the notion that we should dump defenders because they worked when paired with another defender... isn't that the point?

That's the point.  Who are your 3 best pairings?

Don't really care who the 6 best are individually.  Power and Byram are the 2nd and 3rd best D-men on last year's roster in no particular order.  They were awful together.  Power and Bernard-Docker were good together.  Get it, that they're likely planning on using either Kesselring or Timmons as a partner for Power.  And if either pairing is better than what Power JBD were, then awesome.  But, we don't know yet if they will be.  We do know that there are several players that Power hasn't meshed with yet.  Will they be Power JDB when paired together or will they be Power Byram when paired together?  No data.  But it would be nice to know they could run the actual Power JBD if necessary.

[LGR4GM]

Adams said that they will match any Byram offer sheet. 

[triumph_communes]

With Calgary, there isn’t a top6 forward coming back that makes the deal good for us. 
 

Mews might be a good value add along with the depth forwards, but I could only rationalize the trade if the offer sheet threat or Byram is unhappy and doesn’t want to bridge— and Mews at least gets us a couple years ahead of what a 1st round pick compensation would n

[Stads]

This is so depressing wondering what the mediocre return for Byram is going to be. I'm ready to keep him at this point on a bridge deal. Keep him with Dahlin the whole year. KA is not going to get a legitimate top 6 forward in return. I don't even think he thinks we need one of those. Kulich and Quinn can fill those roles in his and Daddy Pegula's minds on the cheap.

[SabresBillsFan]

I would just rather resign Byram and be done with this!

[The Jokeman]

39 minutes ago, triumph_communes said:

With Calgary, there isn’t a top6 forward coming back that makes the deal good for us. 
 

Mews might be a good value add along with the depth forwards, but I could only rationalize the trade if the offer sheet threat or Byram is unhappy and doesn’t want to bridge— and Mews at least gets us a couple years ahead of what a 1st round pick compensation would n

I'm expecting Calgary to make Byram a one year offer for at least $7,020,113 which net us a 1st and 3rd pick if we don't match it. As the made an offer to to Ryan O'Reilly when he was a RFA a few years back but Colorado matched it.  Personally I wouldn't match it because means he becomes an UFA next year and we get nothing for him if he walks then as long term not sure we can afford to pay three Dmen over $7 million a season. Yet it sucks as means we're getting futures when we all know we need. So hopefully Adams can swing a trade t get us a player back and maybe some picks back too. 

[GoPuckYourself]

More mismanagement by this regime. I find it hard to believe nobody is offering anything of significance other than futures for Byram. This guy is a 1 dimensional defenseman who only plays at a high level with Dahlin. The thing is Dahlin did fine even with lunkhead Samuelsson as his partner. Find a Dante Fabbro type player for Dahlin and trade Byram for a much needed top forward. If we go into the season as is there is no way you can tell me we got better without Peterka. 

[LTS]

15 hours ago, JohnC said:

Without Byram you are losing a good defender from an offensive standpoint. The Sabres are not a complete team with Byrum or without. The issue then becomes what positions need shoring up more than others. Is it better to subtract a good defenseman for a top six winger? I would say yes. What I don't want to see happen is that Byram gets traded for a less than credible top two-line player. 

As far as who would be our sixth defenseman, it could be another functional player from the market or maybe bringing Docker back or moving up Johnson from the AHL. It's a juggling act within your roster limitations. 

I've nothing else to say... but curious about the bolded.  How does this even happen? 🙂

[Taro T]

3 minutes ago, The Jokeman said:

I'm expecting Calgary to make Byram a one year offer for at least $7,020,113 which net us a 1st and 3rd pick if we don't match it. As the made an offer to to Ryan O'Reilly when he was a RFA a few years back but Colorado matched it.  Personally I wouldn't match it because means he becomes an UFA next year and we get nothing for him if he walks then as long term not sure we can afford to pay three Dmen over $7 million a season. Yet it sucks as means we're getting futures when we all know we need. So hopefully Adams can swing a trade t get us a player back and maybe some picks back too. 

Untrue.  Byram doesn't qualify to be a UFA until '27.  So, signing a 1 year deal leaves him 1 year from becoming a UFA.

[JohnC]

1 hour ago, Pimlach said:

Did he asked to leave?   And is the guy they just signed (Jones) better?  Is R Johnson better?  Is Bryson better?  No, no, and no. 

Is the team getting better?  

I strongly believe that the Docker departure is a Ruff influenced decision. What did you expect from  Ruff-KA-Pegula organization? If you expected some smart and strategic thinking coming from this faded group, you are being unrealistic. Mediocrity begets more mediocrity. 

[dudacek]

10 minutes ago, The Jokeman said:

I'm expecting Calgary to make Byram a one year offer for at least $7,020,113 which net us a 1st and 3rd pick if we don't match it. As the made an offer to to Ryan O'Reilly when he was a RFA a few years back but Colorado matched it.  Personally I wouldn't match it because means he becomes an UFA next year and we get nothing for him if he walks then as long term not sure we can afford to pay three Dmen over $7 million a season. Yet it sucks as means we're getting futures when we all know we need. So hopefully Adams can swing a trade t get us a player back and maybe some picks back too. 

This is not true. Byram is not a UFA until the summer of 2027.

Under your scenario, we would be able to (and probably need to) sign or trade him next summer before he signs another offer sheet.

[Taro T]

Just now, JohnC said:

I strongly believe that the Docker departure is a Ruff influenced decision. What did you expect from  Ruff-KA-Pegula organization? If you expected some smart and strategic thinking coming from this faded group, you are being unrealistic. Mediocrity begets more mediocrity. 

Wtf is every single thing a "Ruff influenced decision?"

This isn't the 1st time this team has done this.  They traded for Kahun back before Ruff or even Adams was here.  Then they let him walk.  This is YOUR Buffalo Sabres.

Personally expect, if anything, this is a Wilford influenced decision; which pretty much by definition makes it an idiotic one.

[JohnC]

7 minutes ago, LTS said:

I've nothing else to say... but curious about the bolded.  How does this even happen? 🙂

My calculation is simple: if you don’t get a fair value return for him I. e. second line forward, then your team is not better if he is dealt. He’s more of an offensive defense than defensive stalwart. I recognize what his assets and liabilities are as a defender. But not getting a reasonable deal for him doesn’t help this team, it sets it back.  

[JohnC]

5 minutes ago, Taro T said:

Wtf is every single thing a "Ruff influenced decision?"

This isn't the 1st time this team has done this.  They traded for Kahun back before Ruff or even Adams was here.  Then they let him walk.  This is YOUR Buffalo Sabres.

Personally expect, if anything, this is a Wilford influenced decision; which pretty much by definition makes it an idiotic one.

If you are saying that Ruff isn’t much of a factor in these offseason transactions, then I respectfully but strenuously disagree with you. 

[LGR4GM]

Kevyn Adams on Byram: “A lot of conversations with his agent right now and nothing’s changed in the sense that we believe Bo is an excellent hockey player who can help our team win. I maintain the same position that if there’s a deal out there that makes sense for us that we think is going to improve our roster, we’re open to it. If there’s not, we’re not in a situation where we’re looking to move him out or looking to move him for futures and stuff like that. For me, we want to help our team win hockey games, and he does that.”

[WhenWillItEnd66]

8 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

Kevyn Adams on Byram: “A lot of conversations with his agent right now and nothing’s changed in the sense that we believe Bo is an excellent hockey player who can help our team win. I maintain the same position that if there’s a deal out there that makes sense for us that we think is going to improve our roster, we’re open to it. If there’s not, we’re not in a situation where we’re looking to move him out or looking to move him for futures and stuff like that. For me, we want to help our team win hockey games, and he does that.”

Typical KA say. We are not moving him. His return right now would get him lynched if he pulled the trigger. Just keep him, sign him to a 1 or 2 year deal and move on. It is what it is. Another season of no playoffs. 

[DarthEbriate]

10 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

Kevyn Adams on Byram: “A lot of conversations with his agent right now and nothing’s changed in the sense that we believe Bo is an excellent hockey player who can help our team win. I maintain the same position that if there’s a deal out there that makes sense for us that we think is going to improve our roster, we’re open to it. If there’s not, we’re not in a situation where we’re looking to move him out or looking to move him for futures and stuff like that. For me, we want to help our team win hockey games, and he does that.”

Cool. So sign him to a 2-year bridge, then.

You can still trade him anytime along the way. Hell -- Toronto traded Marner the day before UFA just that he could make more money elsewhere with the extra year of term.

[Porous Five Hole]

Byram still has runway to get better. He’s only played 246 games. He just turned 24 in June. I am fine if he stays.  
 

Him & Dahlin were excellent together. At this point, Byram is already in the building and we have more than enough cap space.