Jarmo Press Conference

[PerreaultForever]

I watched the whole thing closely tonight and tried to watch the expressions, the eyes, and read between the lines and all that stuff to the best of my ability and it's all pretty standard stuff but I take this away.

1) Those of us who talked about the impact of the strength and conditioning hire were right on the money. Not an accident Jarmo praised them first. 

2) The goaltending is unlikely to change for next year and Levi is likely gone. 

3) Byram and Benson will be offered big long term deals while they will not be meeting Tuch's number unless he lowers it substantially. 

4) Kesselring fell into disfavor because he was unhappy with his expected bottom pairing role. Likely he pissed off Lindy and thus he sat. Future unclear but I wouldn't be surprised if he's moved. 

5) I do not think he will make any huge moves. I think they will primarily roll with the young talent that has emerged and they'll expect it to keep improving, so any changes will only be bottom roster guys in or out. 

That's my guess. 

[mjd1001]

3 hours ago, PerreaultForever said:

I watched the whole thing closely tonight and tried to watch the expressions, the eyes, and read between the lines and all that stuff to the best of my ability and it's all pretty standard stuff but I take this away.

1) Those of us who talked about the impact of the strength and conditioning hire were right on the money. Not an accident Jarmo praised them first. 

2) The goaltending is unlikely to change for next year and Levi is likely gone. 

3) Byram and Benson will be offered big long term deals while they will not be meeting Tuch's number unless he lowers it substantially. 

4) Kesselring fell into disfavor because he was unhappy with his expected bottom pairing role. Likely he pissed off Lindy and thus he sat. Future unclear but I wouldn't be surprised if he's moved. 

5) I do not think he will make any huge moves. I think they will primarily roll with the young talent that has emerged and they'll expect it to keep improving, so any changes will only be bottom roster guys in or out. 

That's my guess. 

I would be totally happy with all of the above.

[Flashsabre]

5 hours ago, PerreaultForever said:

I watched the whole thing closely tonight and tried to watch the expressions, the eyes, and read between the lines and all that stuff to the best of my ability and it's all pretty standard stuff but I take this away.

1) Those of us who talked about the impact of the strength and conditioning hire were right on the money. Not an accident Jarmo praised them first. 

2) The goaltending is unlikely to change for next year and Levi is likely gone. 

3) Byram and Benson will be offered big long term deals while they will not be meeting Tuch's number unless he lowers it substantially. 

4) Kesselring fell into disfavor because he was unhappy with his expected bottom pairing role. Likely he pissed off Lindy and thus he sat. Future unclear but I wouldn't be surprised if he's moved. 

5) I do not think he will make any huge moves. I think they will primarily roll with the young talent that has emerged and they'll expect it to keep improving, so any changes will only be bottom roster guys in or out. 

That's my guess. 

I agree.

I think he will take a swing at someone like Thomas again to replace Tuch but not if it costs Östlund or Helenuis.  
 

I think Kesselring will be moved. Can’t pay much to the third pair if you want that top 4 locked in.

Levi is most likely moved.

Benson and Byram seem like the priority and that is the correct move.

Im interested to see the front office additions he was talking about. Wonder if it is scouts. He has a long history with Ville Siren who has been Columbus Director of scouting. Could he be looking at him for a similar role. I would think adding more scouts both pro and amateur would be his focus. Shane Doan has been around a lot watching his son. Would he be an addition to the front office?

[PromoTheRobot]

7 hours ago, GoPuckYourself said:

How are we ahead? 

By working out a way to have three active goalies. Two play and alternate days off while the third prepares to be the backup nightly. And now the NHL plans to allow teams a roster exemption for a third goalie, so expect more teams to adapt that model.

[LGR4GM]

12 hours ago, Believer said:

Given how Allen and the Bills reworked their numbers to keep him and others under contract, expect Tuch and Jarmo to do the same.

My bet is Tuch stays a Sabre.

But Allen and the Bills can rework his deal. The NFL allows you to do fake math to lower cap hits. If Tuch signs a deal with a 10 million dollar cap hit, it's always a 10 million dollar cap hit. Allen could sign a 50 million cap hit deal and then through the magic of guaranteed money and bonuses and void years drop that to 40 million. NHL doesn't allow that thing. 

[JohnC]

Internal improvement by our young players such as Benson, Doan, Byram , Power, Helenius, Kulich and Östlund will keep this team at an upper  level barring a lot of injuries. The roster is at a point where our depth should be a factor/advantage compared to most teams.

I’m a Tuch fan and want to keep him. I’m not sure 🤔 a suitable deal can be made to make the contract numbers satisfy the negotiating parties. 

In my view, trading for Doan was the most consequential deal made last offseason. 
 

For me, staying the course is the right course.

[JP51]

12 hours ago, Ross Rhea said:

Sign Tuch for 8-9 per then package Tuch, Kesselring, Levi, Ryan Johnson and two 1st for McDavid

If you can convince Edmonton to do this I am gonna hire you LOL....  My thinking is if you traded for McDavid it would take our best player not named Dahlin (Tage probably) Their pick of our Defensemen (not Dahlin)  our best prospect their choice and 2 or 3 non protected firsts...  not pretending to be a trade guru but bottom line he is gonna cost ALOT... there are 30 other teams that may wanna bid on that as well...  I think the price will be insane... back in the day when we traded Eichel he was damaged goods and didnt have the track record McDavid does now... nor was he the best player in the game... So I am looking at that take and adding  to it... 

[transient]

18 minutes ago, PromoTheRobot said:

By working out a way to have three active goalies. Two play and alternate days off while the third prepares to be the backup nightly. And now the NHL plans to allow teams a roster exemption for a third goalie, so expect more teams to adapt that model.

Aside from the NHL paycheck, what benefit is that for the player. Ellis isn’t going to develop if they keep him in the role that they had him in this season. 

[SHAAAUGHT!!!]

14 hours ago, Turbo44 said:

13m under cap 

Extension for Byram wouldn’t afffect cap until after next year when cap is higher and skinner hit reduced by 4 million 

benson 8x8, 5 million under cap

beck 3x 2.5, 2.5 million under cap

krebs 3 x 2.5, 0 million under the cap

trade rights to kesselring 

theres no cpa space for tuch

Another option is trade Norris, Byram, mrtka for Thomas. This would put us 6 million under cap. If you do this and trade greenway somehow You now have the $10m for Tuch 

 

Is it because I'm not used to the higher cap yet, or do all these contracts sound too high? 

Benson @ $8M AAV: he's not this guy yet, and won't be for another 2-5 years, if at all - this seems like an early overpay risk (similar to Powers deal where he is still not close to a $8.35M player going into year 3).  Bridge him for 2 years at $5-6M and set him up for a payday if he continues to trend towards a Marchand type player.  That frees up $2-3M.

Krebs @ $2.5M: this is a hard no.  He is a hard worker but only a 4th liner that can play up the lineup temporarily as needed. He is 100% replaceable with Helenius and Östlund stepping in a contributing in a reliable way, especially with Kulich and Kozak in the mix.  That frees up $1.5M.

Beck: Seems like 2.5M for 3 is ok but is a large raise for a 4th line shutdown guy.  Would like this to come it at $2-2.25M and save 250K there.

Edited May 21 by SHAAAUGHT!!!

[PromoTheRobot]

7 minutes ago, transient said:

Aside from the NHL paycheck, what benefit is that for the player. Ellis isn’t going to develop if they keep him in the role that they had him in this season. 

It's certainly a benefit for teams not having to put a Zamboni driver in net. But that is a good question. What does the third goalie get out of this arrangement?

Of course, as we saw, Ellis still played some because injuries are inevitable.

Edited May 21 by PromoTheRobot

[ska-T Chitown]

I am reading a lot of "we'll get better because the young guys will continue to progress" and I am having SEVERE PTSD from '22-'23 when they missed the playoffs by a point and FGM Howdy Doody convinced himself all they had to do was run it back and they'd be better because the young guys would get better.

I am reading a lot of "replace Tuch [and other vets] with [Östlund/Helenius/Kulich]" and I am having SEVERE PTSD from past years of this team not having enough veteran leadership.

I know this is not the same team anymore ... but these both seem like dangerous paths the team has gone down before.

[SHAAAUGHT!!!]

Just now, ska-T Chitown said:

I am reading a lot of "we'll get better because the young guys will continue to progress" and I am having SEVERE PTSD from '22-'23 when they missed the playoffs by a point and FGM Howdy Doody convinced himself all they had to do was run it back and they'd be better because the young guys would get better.

I am reading a lot of "replace Tuch [and other vets] with [Östlund/Helenius/Kulich]" and I am having SEVERE PTSD from past years of this team not having enough veteran leadership.

I know this is not the same team anymore ... but these both seem like dangerous paths the team has gone down before.

Tuch can't be replaced with anyone on this team. I think the expectation is Jarmo will trade to fill this role with a more reasonable contract

[JohnC]

5 minutes ago, PromoTheRobot said:

It's certainly a benefit for teams not having to put a Zamboni driver in net. But that is a good question. What does the third goalie get out of this arrangement?

Of course, as we saw, Ellis still played some because injuries are inevitable.

As you say, injuries are inevitable. On the other hand, the option normally used to handle that situation is to bring up a goalie from a lower league who has regularly played games. It's going to be interesting to see how our current three goalie staffing is handled next season. And as a previous poster noted, is the designated third goalie going to be satisfied with his backup to the backup role? From a big picture perspective, it's better to deal with the problem of excess than with problems associated with shortages. 

[JohnC]

25 minutes ago, ska-T Chitown said:

I am reading a lot of "we'll get better because the young guys will continue to progress" and I am having SEVERE PTSD from '22-'23 when they missed the playoffs by a point and FGM Howdy Doody convinced himself all they had to do was run it back and they'd be better because the young guys would get better.

I am reading a lot of "replace Tuch [and other vets] with [Östlund/Helenius/Kulich]" and I am having SEVERE PTSD from past years of this team not having enough veteran leadership.

I know this is not the same team anymore ... but these both seem like dangerous paths the team has gone down before.

We are approaching four years away from the 22-23 season. The situation is not the same as it was a few years back. Power, Benson, Doan, Byram etc. have 3 more years of experience compared to the prior time frame that you are referring to. This roster that included the young players already mentioned had a season in which it earned 109 pts. And they were players on a team that lost the 7th game in OT in a second round playoff series. The point is obvious: the situation now is not the same situation that existed four years ago.  

[GoPuckYourself]

1 hour ago, PromoTheRobot said:

By working out a way to have three active goalies. Two play and alternate days off while the third prepares to be the backup nightly. And now the NHL plans to allow teams a roster exemption for a third goalie, so expect more teams to adapt that model.

I see what you're saying, it just takes me a little longer.

Edited May 21 by GoPuckYourself

[dudacek]

30 minutes ago, ska-T Chitown said:

I am reading a lot of "we'll get better because the young guys will continue to progress" and I am having SEVERE PTSD from '22-'23 when they missed the playoffs by a point and FGM Howdy Doody convinced himself all they had to do was run it back and they'd be better because the young guys would get better.

I am reading a lot of "replace Tuch [and other vets] with [Östlund/Helenius/Kulich]" and I am having SEVERE PTSD from past years of this team not having enough veteran leadership.

I know this is not the same team anymore ... but these both seem like dangerous paths the team has gone down before.

Valid point.

The main difference is the fact that it’s 3 years later and Thompson McLeod Norris Quinn Samuelsson Byram Power Dahlin Luukkonen have now become the veterans with a division title and the playoff experience that the 22/23 team was lacking.

Östlund and the other kids aren’t being asked to lead, they are being asked to support.

[Gatorman0519]

Byram and Benson absolutely should be the priority. We have one of the best top four D in the league and they are all young. Great foundation for the future. 

[xzy89c1]

Jarmo said nothing of substance that will lock him into questions or moves in the future. Exactly what he should do.

Does he want to carry 3 goalies? Absolutely not, but he is not going to say that and pin himself in a corner. Does he want to sign byrum? of course. Benson? Of course. Tuch? At the numbers being thrown around, absolutely not. his speed will decrease with age, and it is already weakest part of his game. We have depth to either trade to address him leaving or just replace it with a player.

Interesting about Kesserling. I watched almost every game, and he never looked like a top 4 guy. Not sure if it was the injuries or the other D are such good skaters and passers, but he looked like he was laboring. He could have carved out a PK role and played top 4 minutes some games by being physical and solid defensively. Never happened. Timmins took that role and was fairly effective in it. For bottom pair next year, it is Timmins and a player who is physical and tough. Could be Stanley but can be another guy.

Jarmo does like toughness. That is something I think he will look to improve in bottom 6 as well. People running at Dahlin needs to be addressed.

It will be exciting watching Östlund, Helenius and Kulich next year. They will be in a competition for ice time which is great for this team.

I hope we have seen the last of Thompson as a full-time center as well. He is just not good at it. 

We have danforth coming back to bottom 6 next year. He is a balls out every shift player we will all love. 

It is wild to think we actually have depth lol. Real nhl depth.

[PASabreFan]

1 hour ago, ska-T Chitown said:

I am reading a lot of "we'll get better because the young guys will continue to progress" and I am having SEVERE PTSD from '22-'23 when they missed the playoffs by a point and FGM Howdy Doody convinced himself all they had to do was run it back and they'd be better because the young guys would get better.

I am reading a lot of "replace Tuch [and other vets] with [Östlund/Helenius/Kulich]" and I am having SEVERE PTSD from past years of this team not having enough veteran leadership.

I know this is not the same team anymore ... but these both seem like dangerous paths the team has gone down before.

Agreed. And would be shocked if Jarmo is a "run it back" guy. I mean, he took a big swing at the deadline. I tend to think players are realists who know the roster needs a couple of significant additions to contend. To not do so is demoralizing. Just like being on the playoff bubble and the GM does nothing at the deadline.

19 minutes ago, dudacek said:

Valid point.

The main difference is the fact that it’s 3 years later and Thompson McLeod Norris Quinn Samuelsson Byram Power Dahlin Luukkonen have now become the veterans with a division title and the playoff experience that the 22/23 team was lacking.

Östlund and the other kids aren’t being asked to lead, they are being asked to support.

Are you putting Kulich in that tranche? I think Lindy referred to him as their 1C when talking about the rough start to last season.

[dudacek]

3 minutes ago, PASabreFan said:

 

Are you putting Kulich in that tranche? I think Lindy referred to him as their 1C when talking about the rough start to last season.

I think so?

He was pencilled into the top six but hadn’t proven he was a fit there long term and he never cemented the opportunity.

Benson and Doan pushed past him since September. Thompson moved back to the 1C slot. Östlund and Quinn upped their stock.

He and Östlund have almost identical career point and games played totals.

His presence gives Jarmo options, but he still hasn’t played much NHL hockey and things worked without him.

 

[dudacek]

34 minutes ago, PASabreFan said:

Agreed. And would be shocked if Jarmo is a "run it back" guy. I mean, he took a big swing at the deadline. I tend to think players are realists who know the roster needs a couple of significant additions to contend. To not do so is demoralizing. Just like being on the playoff bubble and the GM does nothing at the deadline.

First bold is something I tend to agree with. But Tuch and Byram and the cap will dictate how much he can do.

Not sure I agree with the second, at least in terms of this team, right now. I got a real vibe of “this group is a contender.” The players aren’t looking for outside help, they seem to think that they can win it all with the group they have right now.

To be clear, I’m not advocating running it back per se, just saying that I don’t think that will demoralize the team. I think they would relish another crack at it with the group they have.

Edited May 21 by dudacek

[Pimlach]

Finally got to watch the Jarmo video. 

Three goalies?  Maybe,  and that means they like Ellis and want to bring him along further.  What will goaltending in Rochester look like?  Will a new Sabres prospect get an opportunity there?  

Kesselring -  I think Adams talked to him about a top 4 role with Power,  then Muel came along and fulfilled his promise pushing Kesselring down.  Unless he decides to beat out Timmins as the 5 with PK role he is gone.  Stanley will be 6/7 and play when the opponent dictates he is needed. Stanley was improving until his injury slowed him down.  Metsa will get another opportunity.  

Tuch - he will get better offers elsewhere should he wait it out to UFA.  While he is waiting, money will be used to extend sign Benson and Byram.  Keeping Byram is the smart move.  

No one asked about the coaching staff, other than extending Lindy.  I guess that question is for Lindy to address  

More front office additions means get to “normal” FO staffing levels, they were probably still lean from Adams era Covid purge.   

Jarmo projects a professional aura.  Direct, confident, and no BS.  

I think he makes a few moves, maybe bottom 6, add more toughness   

 

Edited May 21 by Pimlach

[PromoTheRobot]

28 minutes ago, dudacek said:

I think so?

He was pencilled into the top six but hadn’t proven he was a fit there long term and he never cemented the opportunity.

Benson and Doan pushed past him since September. Thompson moved back to the 1C slot. Östlund and Quinn upped their stock.

He and Östlund have almost identical career point and games played totals.

His presence gives Jarmo options, but he still hasn’t played much NHL hockey and things worked without him.

 

Because: blood clots.

15 minutes ago, Pimlach said:

Finally got to watch the Jarmo video. 

Three goalies?  Maybe,  and that means they like Ellis and want to bring him along further.  What will goaltending in Rochester look like?  Will a new Sabres prospect get an opportunity there?  

Kesselring -  I think Adams talked to him about a top 4 role with Power,  then Muel came along and fulfilled his promise pushing Kesselring down.  Unless he decides to beat out Timmins as the 5 with PK role he is gone.  Stanley will be 6/7 and play when the opponent dictates he is needed. Stanley was improving until his injury slowed him down.  Metsa will get another opportunity.  

Tuch - he will get better offers elsewhere should he wait it out to UFA.  While he is waiting, money will be used to extend sign Benson and Byram.  Keeping Byram is the smart move.  

No one asked about the coaching staff, other than extending Lindy.  I guess that question is for Lindy to address  

More front office additions means get to “normal” FO staffing levels, they were probably still lean from Adams era Covid purge.   

Jarmo projects a professional aura.  Direct, confident, and no BS.  

I think he makes a few moves, maybe bottom 6, add more toughness   

 

I think one of our 4 goalies is a trade chip now. Maybe Kesselring too.

[Pimlach]

1 minute ago, PromoTheRobot said:

 

I think one of our 4 goalies is a trade chip now. Maybe Kesselring too.

Agree.   Kesselring is an RFA and I don't see him getting much more than his current contract. 

[dudacek]

28 minutes ago, Pimlach said:

Finally got to watch the Jarmo video. 

Three goalies?  Maybe,  and that means they like Ellis and want to bring him along further.  What will goaltending in Rochester look like?  Will a new Sabres prospect get an opportunity there?  

Kesselring -  I think Adams talked to him about a top 4 role with Power,  then Muel came along and fulfilled his promise pushing Kesselring down.  Unless he decides to beat out Timmins as the 5 with PK role he is gone.  Stanley will be 6/7 and play when the opponent dictates he is needed. Stanley was improving until his injury slowed him down.  Metsa will get another opportunity.  

Tuch - he will get better offers elsewhere should he wait it out to UFA.  While he is waiting, money will be used to extend sign Benson and Byram.  Keeping Byram is the smart move.  

No one asked about the coaching staff, other than extending Lindy.  I guess that question is for Lindy to address  

More front office additions means get to “normal” FO staffing levels, they were probably still lean from Adams era Covid purge.   

Jarmo projects a professional aura.  Direct, confident, and no BS.  

I think he makes a few moves, maybe bottom 6, add more toughness   

 

Lindy had nothing but praise for his staff in his presser; pretty much called them the hardest-working group he’s ever had.

He didn’t say the actual words, but they will be back.

I will be surprised if Stanley returns.

The cap-tight Sabres will not be paying the kind of money he can get on the open market for 12-14 minutes a night.