Make Buffalo a playoff team by next season

[jonlin]

Dahlin to Florida for Lundell & Ekblad (extended 3x6M)

 

[PaulD]

Sabres won 0 play rounds in last 13 years.
Leafs have won 1

Tight race.

 

[The Devilish Buffoon]

NHL line combos says it's Jiri Kulich?

I think that would be a good place to start. Same problem in Detriot/Montreal/Ottawa/Nashville.... all teams that should be better than they are but their center depth is not up to the job

Sens have Stützle, Norris, Pinto, Greig and like 3 or 4 other guys who can play C.

 

[RiverbottomChuck]

I don't want to

 

[Connor McConnor]

Maybe something around Byfield could work. He's having a down year but is only 22.

 

[TheNumber4]

Jay Woodcroft is sitting right there

 

[Gabrielor]

403 forbidden. The hockey gods (and Pegula) won't allow it.

We're the NHL's Jets.

 

[Romang67]

403 forbidden. The hockey gods (and Pegula) won't allow it.

We're the NHL's Jets.

Hang on...

 

[oXo Cube]

Clean house in the front office. I mean fire everyone.

Take the lesson you've already learned the hard way to heart and definitely don't trade away any of the talent you already do have. As much as it sucks It's just going to have take a little longer.

 

[ffh]

Move them to Atlanta.

 

[Blitzkrug]

Build a time machine, travel back to 1998 and kidnap Dominik Hasek.

At this point the time machine might actually be the easier fix.

 

[HogtownSabresfan]

It's all about Pegula, and honestly, he is not going anywhere unless he sells the team. He could sell. He may be greedy enough to want to cash out for the right price. But the issue is Buffalo is worth way more in another market which Sabres fans don't want. Not to mention Gary Bettman. Keep your eye on 2027 when the Key Bank Center lease is up. This could be huge. I don't believe there is something ironclad in writing that keeps the team in Buffalo forever. I read somewhere it was for 10 years, which makes more sense.

I am in no way suggesting Terry will sell. But he is already 73 and life can change quickly.

 

[McShogun99]

Sell the team, complete management, coaching, scouting overhaul.

The talent is there they just need some tweaks and to establish a winning culture.

 

[Jared Dunn]

Trouba would have actually been good for them and I like the Kadri suggestion. More pricks that will play hard and hold the players accountable

 

[NVious]

How long do Palm trees take to grow?

 

[Barrie22]

It impossible to realistically get buffalo into the playoffs next season. Maybe ea sports nhl gm mode might be possible.

 

[HockeyVirus]

1. They have too many dmen who are essentially the same player in Dahlin, Byram, and Power. I personally am not a fan of Power, but he has size (he doesn't use) and is young and with his draft position will have value. I am putting Power on the trade block and looking for help down the middle of the top 6. A Seth Jones for Johansen type move that hopefully works out better.

2. Addressing the defense. Sabres defense needs veteran players who haven't sucked ass their whole careers back there. I'm looking for a Jake Muzzin or Jake McCabe type trade out there where i can move a few prospects and get a vet 30 year old D who can play top 3 minutes for me for 3+ years and provide some bite. Also looking at adding another vet as a depth piece. Move on from Samuelsson.

3. Forwards need to be retooled. Hopefully Power has returned a top 6 center and another good forward or a top line center. I am doing whatever I can to force Tage to waive his protection and getting him off the team. Anyone who doesn't care to consistently provide effort needs a new home. Looking for a deal where you get back a grittier and more defensive type of forward in the same spot for a team looking for speed and skill.

Then I am taking whatever cap space is left and going shopping for the best forwards I can get.

 

[qc14]

If you want a serious answer ...

- Give up the assets in a trade for a legit top 6 forward (like they should've done with Necas this summer), even if they only have a couple of years of team control.
- Make an overpayment offer in FA another top 6 forward (Marner, Rantanen, Ehlers, Boeser).
- Make another overpayment in FA to bring in a legit top 4 defenseman (Orlov, Chychrun, Ekblad, Gavrikov, Provorov).
- Go short on all your young RFAs because none of them (even Byram and Peterka) have proven they are core players yet
- Move on from Krebs and bring in a 4c who's not one of the worst players in the league
- Try to move on from Cozens
- Buy out Samuelsson even though you have to eat 10 years of dead money
- Bring in another veteran defenseman that can be a 5/6


If they have more than a million in cap space or more than 4 of their 25 1st, 26 1st, Ostlund, Kulich, Helenius, and Quinn in their possession it would be a massive disappointment IMO. Also for the love of god if you keep the 25 1st do not draft another skilled but slightly undersized playmaking forward that probably is a winger in the NHL.

 

[Nikolajs Sillers]

There's something in the water...

 

[Nikolajs Sillers]

Good players don't grow on the trees. Palm trees to be specific.

 

[Ratsreign]

To Florida: Kevyn Adams and some water bottled directly from Lake Erie.
To Buffalo: Bill Zito and a few palm trees.

They had their chance to get Zito

 

[mobilus]

I don't think it can be stressed enough how much a bad owner can destroy a team's morale. The cap today gets salaries to a certain level but an owner can cut corners everywhere else. To the players, that's visible and disheartening. Ballard was the GOAT for a cheap owner, but guys like Wirtz and Melnyk did a pretty good job breathing down his neck.

 

[Pavels Dog]

- Try to move on from Cozens

What's up with that guy? Has regressed so incredibly hard. On pace for his worst year since being a rookie.