Buffalo Sabres 2025 Off-Season Plan

[ValJamesDuex]

Kevin Adams 6th and perhaps final chance to fix this and make the playoffs after 14 years of unprecedented franchise ineptitude.

Here are some of the things I would like to see happen this off-season...

-Establish Center Spine. Revisit Petersen if possible still (Center spine of Petersen-Norris-McLeod-Kozak/Krebs) or a player like Rossi for a 1B Center option with Norris. If you stick with Kulich at center you are rolling the the dice.

-Add RD partner for Power (for the 4th year), ie Kesselring/Whitecloud, etc

- Sort out Defense. Dump Samulesson. Aquire guys who can play D consistantly. No more half ass measures or extending Joker/Bryson.

-Extend Byram & Peterka or move for other assets in hockey trades

-Extend Tuch

-Add another gritty veteran forward in mold of Greenway/Zucker: ie Crouse/McCann/Iafallo

-Figure out the Goaltending again, you may have to spend to get a backup to UPL who can split more games until he is back in form or Levi is ready

-Continue to bake the prospects in Rochester (Levi, Helenius, Ostlund, Wahlberg, Rosen, Komorov, Novikov, etc) and or move some in deals.

-Hire a competent special teams assistant coach or promote Prospal for PP

-Hire a competent/experienced defensive coach (ie Jay McKee) Let Lindy have full input.

-Consider moving on from Bales

-Spend to the cap


What are your off-season plans for the Sabres ?

 

[brian_griffin]

Kevin Adams 6th and perhaps final chance to fix this and make the playoffs after 14 years of unprecedented franchise ineptitude.

Here are some of the thing I would like to see happen this off-season...
<snip>

What are your off-season plans foe the Sabres ?

I imagine they involve a lot of golf and gardening and casual time under the gazebo.

 

[ValJamesDuex]

I imagine they involve a lot of golf and gardening and casual time under the gazebo.

Lets hope the off-season plan includes training as well

 

[Dubi Doo]

I'd probably look to go into next season with:

Thompson - XXX - Benson
Peterka/XXX - Norris - Tuch
McLeod/Kulich - Kulich/McLeod - Zucker
Greenway - Krebs - Malenstyn/Lafferty

Ostlund will likely be callup #1

XXX-Dahlin
Byram/Power-XXX
XXX*-Clifton
Sammy/ JBD / Someone from ROC
battle for the final spot on D

So, a top-6C and two Top-4 D (1RD and 1LD)

Doubt it'll happen, though :/

 

[Chainshot]

Lets hope the off-season plan includes training as well

Palm tree planting, grooming of beaches.

 

[Der Jaeger]

A combination of praying and indifference.

 

[Chainshot]

A combination of praying and indifference.

So the same?

 

[Chainshot]

There is what I expect them to do and what I want them to do. They are not the same.

 

[TageGod]

XXX Thompson Tuch
Peterka Norris Benson
Zucker Kulich Quinn
Beck Kozak Greenway

Dahlin XXX
Power Docker
Samuelson Clifton

Sign Marner or Ehlers.
Trade Byram for D or package for EP. Norris might come into play for EP.
Potentially move JJ for Rossi if Min is crazy. Also throw the kitchen sink at Boston for McAvoy/Pasta.
Sign a D
Hate to say this but UPL+Reimer 2025. Maybe Move UPL for someone like Demko.

Peterka and Byram are available to me due to redundancy/defensive issues. Peterka for Rossi or to get EP is what I am looking at. Maybe if we can shake a top D loose. Realistically Byram is the only player I see moving in a trade.

*Out Byram, maybe Peterka (or futures) for = Top 4D + top 6C. It doesn't "add" but improves the team makeup. Team needs to be better all situations, not just goal scoring 5v5.

There absolutely should be a futures for player trade somewhere this offseason.

 

[Chainshot]

I expect them to try to sign Reimer even if he's 37 and they didn't see fit to keep him around to start the season, torpedoing Luukkonen with early heavy use because they didn't have a reliable backup. And they will call it a win.

I expect them to think Levi is ready and AGAIN try this three goalie thing next year.

I expect them to do precious little and probably overpay at least one of their pending RFA players because they are home grown and Adams is overly attached.

I expect them to retain all of the staff even though AGAIN none of them deserves to return.

I expect them to claim they tried to make trades this summer, that they laid groundwork, that it's hard, that these things aren't easy, and any of the other garbage we've been given for their inaction for half a decade of Adams now.

I expect they will don rose colored glasses for their end of year press conference and point to the late season river hockey as the reason they don't need to do anything. They will point to their offensive contributions of certain players while being kicked in the teeth in their own zone as a win, talk about growth and development and internal improvement. They will over-sell on Kulich as a top 2 center option, on Krebs late-season offensive production, and McLeod's career best shooting percentage while not trying or at least not succeeding in improving. They will hang their hats on better health as the way forward even if Norris and Greenway are constantly missing games as a matter of tradition at this point. They will point to JBD as some sort of savior even if it's a matter of drawing down Power's minutes and deployment as a way of keeping them away from important time that's been as big a factor in all of that.

They won't get a RHD. They won't get a different goalie and will ride in on UPL's shattered confidence and their own ego about Levi's abilities. There will be no high-skill dirt bag(s) added anywhere.

That's what I expect.

 

[Kublakhan]

I'm just sad..

 

[Chainshot]

I'm just sad..

That's every Sabres offseason plan and reality.

 

[MGIII]

Everything they want should be right in front of them this offseason. Dahlin has the right fire so they truly know this upcoming offseason is do or die, but I do think they end up firing Kevyn Adams end of season.

 

[5 Minute Major]

I expect one very big trade and we’re not going to like the price it takes to make it happen.

 

[Beerz]

Hard to say without knowing what is out there. I'm obviously open to a variety of shake ups and moves of different players based on certain conditions..

But for certain I want Krebs gone.
I'd like to add a true 1C but that is pretty much fantasy land.

I'd like to add a physical Dman for top 4 ..

Need a goalie that they play more than once every 12 games.. I don't want to rely on Levi yet.

 

[Der Jaeger]

I expect them to try to sign Reimer even if he's 37 and they didn't see fit to keep him around to start the season, torpedoing Luukkonen with early heavy use because they didn't have a reliable backup. And they will call it a win.

I expect them to think Levi is ready and AGAIN try this three goalie thing next year.

I expect them to do precious little and probably overpay at least one of their pending RFA players because they are home grown and Adams is overly attached.

I expect them to retain all of the staff even though AGAIN none of them deserves to return.

I expect them to claim they tried to make trades this summer, that they laid groundwork, that it's hard, that these things aren't easy, and any of the other garbage we've been given for their inaction for half a decade of Adams now.

I expect they will don rose colored glasses for their end of year press conference and point to the late season river hockey as the reason they don't need to do anything. They will point to their offensive contributions of certain players while being kicked in the teeth in their own zone as a win, talk about growth and development and internal improvement. They will over-sell on Kulich as a top 2 center option, on Krebs late-season offensive production, and McLeod's career best shooting percentage while not trying or at least not succeeding in improving. They will hang their hats on better health as the way forward even if Norris and Greenway are constantly missing games as a matter of tradition at this point. They will point to JBD as some sort of savior even if it's a matter of drawing down Power's minutes and deployment as a way of keeping them away from important time that's been as big a factor in all of that.

They won't get a RHD. They won't get a different goalie and will ride in on UPL's shattered confidence and their own ego about Levi's abilities. There will be no high-skill dirt bag(s) added anywhere.

That's what I expect.

Next verse, same as the first.

Reimer is the new Craig Anderson.

 

[kirby11]

My wishlist:
-Pull another Savoie for McLeod type trade to acquire another defensively responsible middle six forward. Treat Quinn as found money if he's good, don't bank on him to hold down a 2nd or 3rd line spot.
-Remake the defense by selling Byram off to another team that believes in his offense, jettison Sammy via buyout because (a) he's generally not great at defense and (b) he's always one innocuous hit away from being injured for two weeks to a month. Acquire two steady eddie types: one to pair with Power, one to help the defense as a whole, either with Dahlin or elsewhere.
-Acquire a higher quality 1B goalie to platoon with and/or take the reins away from UPL. Keep Levi in Rochester to start the year, at least. No three goalie BS barring a run of injuries at the position.
-Blow up the assistant coaching staff, let Lindy take his pick of qualified individuals with at least some history of success.
-Trade Peterka only if for a clear upgrade. If he hadn't been so awful defensively this year and cheated so much for offense, I'd be much more comfortable extending him long term.
-Do not assume there will be 100% upward trajectory paths for all young players.

What will actually happen:
-Zero coaching changes.
-"We think having Josh Norris in our lineup is like adding a top six player in free agency."
-"We'll build on the success we had at the end of the year when our guys learned how to win."
-Minimal spending because "this team showed what it can do last spring."
-KA assumes best-case scenarios will occur across the entire roster (continued progression from Benson and Kulich, Zucker doesn't slow down, Tage and Tuch continue killing it, Quinn bounces back, Greenway is healthy all year, Levi becomes an NHL-level tender, etc.) because those don't cost money.
-Playoff drought extends to 15 years.

 

[Chainshot]

Every time I try to do a "what would I do", I can't. There are so many things I have issue with - the 1G, their 2-5D, their current kid pair of wingers with McLeod, the future 2G... the assistants.

 

[ValJamesDuex]

Every time I try to do a "what would I do", I can't. There are so many things I have issue with - the 1G, their 2-5D, their current kid pair of wingers with McLeod, the future 2G... the assistants.

That Line 3 was cookin to start the year with Greenway-McLeod-Zucker I would move back to that

L1 With Benson/Tage look great!

Hopefully they can duct tape Norris together for 60 gms or they just got damaged goods,

"MAYBE, MAYBE" Kulich can handle L2 full time but not with TWO young, non defensive wingers. SO that requires a move.

Need to sort Power/Byrum out

Stop dickin around with Jokers/Brysons

Johnson 3rd Pair

Goaltending voodoo, who knows ?? Knowing Adams he will do a Anderson and extend Reimer

 

[HaNotsri]

Remember how they celebrated the Jokiharju* deal?
Those guys are going to be making the deals this summer.

*Hopefully because they wanted him to get another opportunity.

 

[TehDoak]

Kevin Adams 6th and perhaps final chance to fix this and make the playoffs after 14 years of unprecedented franchise ineptitude.

You started this plan about as poorly as you possibly can.

 

[ValJamesDuex]

You started this plan about as poorly as you possibly can.

touche'

not my choice

 

[ForsbergMoDo21]

I'm just sad..

Earlier this week I donned my new Sabres hat for a cross country flight back to WNY. 3 minutes into takeoff, the guy behind me puked all over it.

Felt like a good metaphor for Sabres/Sabres fandom.

 

[5 Minute Major]

Settle the goalie situation, which I would try to deal UPL, bring in a solid vet and bring back Reimer, bring in 2 forwards that are all-around players and 1 solid defenseman.

I really don’t think that is a hard ask but we all know who our GM is.

 

[nickdawg95]

Sorokin is my target i think we could make a nice package for him if he becomes available ( Lou gets fired Incoming rebuild )