Sabres sign Justin Danforth 2 years 1.8 million AAV

[Thorny]

1 hour ago, dudacek said:

The list I posted was the 12 forwards who played the most games that year.

Vanek played 13 games.

Weird that you’re hanging your hat on the likes of end-of-the-line Pat Kaleta and “physical”!? Mikhail Grigorenko, but they played 5 and 18 games respectively and combined for 3 points.

The entire group you posted combined for 77 goals, or 3 less than just Tuch and Tage combined.

That team finished with 27 points less than this year’s team despite having Ryan Miller in goal.

If you want to follow @thorny’s lead and say you liked that forward group more, fill your boots.

But by no objective measure is it better. Not even close

No I didn’t say I liked it more I said today’s is far more embarrassing cause it is 

[Thorny]

22 minutes ago, Carmel Corn said:

Anybody see any similarity between Danforth’s game and Benson?

I’m hoping for more offensive upside with Benson over time BTW

I should hope so.. if by “over time” you mean “later this season”. Danforth has 64 career nhl points and he’s 32 years old lol. Fledgling Benson (age 20) has 58 points, 6 behind Danforth’s career total.

So, don’t don’t put that evil on me, Ricky Bobby 

[LGR4GM]

59 minutes ago, Carmel Corn said:

Anybody see any similarity between Danforth’s game and Benson?

I’m hoping for more offensive upside with Benson over time BTW

Maybe his checking game but that about it. 

[dudacek]

34 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

Maybe his checking game but that about it. 

Yeah, they’re both small and play a fearless dog-on-a-bone game.

That’s the extent of it.

[LabattBlue]

Despite his size, I like what I have read about Danforth.  Just don’t know where he fits in the bottom 6…

Greenway
Krebs
Malenstyn
Doan
McLeod
Kozak
(another player who gets bumped from top 6.  Currently…Benson, Kulich, Quinn, Norris, Tuch, Tage & Zucker)
 

That leaves Danforth as the 14th forward I have listed. 

[Cityo'Rasmii]

3 hours ago, LGR4GM said:

Maybe his checking game but that about it. 

net front presence too

[JP51]

On 7/3/2025 at 9:06 AM, LGR4GM said:

Am I the only one who has almost no faith that Ruff has it in him? He's known for playing favorites. 

Ima give him this year he seems like he is trying to get Ruff like players he doesn't improve the team this year I am in your corner and ready to pull the trigger 

[bob_sauve28]

Ruff was really talking this guy up in the press conference 

[dudacek]

27 minutes ago, bob_sauve28 said:

Ruff was really talking this guy up in the press conference 

Sabres have lacked “against the odds” guys like him in the system.

Over the years, they’ve loaded up on 1st-rounders, junior national team players and guys who have been touted as top players all their lives.

Their entire offseason was about underdog guys who paid a lot of dues to make it:

Kesselring was a 5th-rounder; Danforth, Lyon and Geertsen are long-time minor leaguers who never quit; Jones never got a fair shot in New York; even Doan was passed over his first draft year, played in an outpost college and was followed by whispers of “he’ll never be his old man.”

Just like with big RHD, when Adams commits to a bit, he’s all in.

 

Edited 6 hours ago by dudacek

[JoeSchmoe]

40 minutes ago, bob_sauve28 said:

Ruff was really talking this guy up in the press conference 

I'm not sure why. I'll give Adams credit on bringing in some good advanced stats guys in. Then there's this guy who I have no idea on what he was thinking. He does get a lot of defensive zone starts, but so did Malenstyn prior to us bringing him in and he didn't do jack last year.

[Pimlach]

On 7/3/2025 at 5:27 PM, LabattBlue said:

Despite his size, I like what I have read about Danforth.  Just don’t know where he fits in the bottom 6…

Greenway
Krebs
Malenstyn
Doan
McLeod
Kozak
(another player who gets bumped from top 6.  Currently…Benson, Kulich, Quinn, Norris, Tuch, Tage & Zucker)
 

That leaves Danforth as the 14th forward I have listed.

Danforth will be a role player on the bottom 6/ bottom 3.   With injuries to account for he could get 40-50 games and bring some veteran experience.    But keep in mind he is 32, 4 NHL seasons, zero playoff games.  His playing could keep a kid like Bozak in the minors. 

[Weave]

31 minutes ago, Pimlach said:

Danforth will be a role player on the bottom 6/ bottom 3.   With injuries to account for he could get 40-50 games and bring some veteran experience.    But keep in mind he is 32, 4 NHL seasons, zero playoff games.  His playing could keep a kid like Bozak in the minors. 

This feels like Matt Ellis 2.0.  Lindy loved him some Matt Ellis.

[dudacek]

28 minutes ago, Weave said:

This feels like Matt Ellis 2.0.  Lindy loved him some Matt Ellis.

Danforth has 64 points in 183 NHL games: or 29 points per 82 games.

Ellis had 49 points in 356: 11 points per 82.

I appreciate the parallels, but it shouldn't be lost that Danforth is a better player than Matt Ellis.

[DarthEbriate]

23 minutes ago, dudacek said:

Danforth has 64 points in 183 NHL games: or 29 points per 82 games.

Ellis had 49 points in 356: 11 points per 82.

I appreciate the parallels, but it shouldn't be lost that Danforth is a better player than Matt Ellis.

Sam Lafferty before Lafferty arrived in Buffalo.

Danforth has averaged 2+ minutes more per game than Lafferty did over their careers, but he's a Lafferty+, which is an improvement over last year's roster. And Lafferty > Ellis.

[JoeSchmoe]

36 minutes ago, DarthEbriate said:

Sam Lafferty before Lafferty arrived in Buffalo.

Danforth has averaged 2+ minutes more per game than Lafferty did over their careers, but he's a Lafferty+, which is an improvement over last year's roster. And Lafferty > Ellis.

I was looking forward to no Lafferty's or Lafferty+'s this year. I'd much rather play Tyson Kozak.

[LabattBlue]

29 minutes ago, JoeSchmoe said:

I was looking forward to no Lafferty's or Lafferty+'s this year. I'd much rather play Tyson Kozak.

I don’t think they gave Danforth 2 mil a year to sit in the press box. 

[DarthEbriate]

33 minutes ago, JoeSchmoe said:

I was looking forward to no Lafferty's or Lafferty+'s this year. I'd much rather play Tyson Kozak.

I like Kozak and they looked better with him in the lineup last season, but Danforth is an upgrade on Kozak (for now). Kozak may ultimately have the better NHL career simply because he's so much younger, but he also has much he can still improve.