Off-Season Roster Thread #2 -- Nothing to do but wait

[Chainshot]

If Murray gets waived and claimed, good for Murray. If he puts in the work somehow to get more out of his skating, in whatever manner be it cardio or power or foot speed, then he may make it. And if he hasn't and goes on waivers... okay. Same with Fitzie - if a team decides he's better than whatever in-house 6/7 a team has and he were to be waived due to the number of bodies in front of him... okay. I like both players, but guys leave teams all the time that way. It's not really that big of a deal if they are doing their job to make sure they have multiple options for the 14/15 forwards and 8/9 defensemen assigned to the farm this year for injury purposes.

 

[elchud]

With the team signing Rosen and Kisakov, I wonder if they look at possibly trying to sign Poltapov or Novikov also.

Novikov will be signed next summer when his Russian deal is up

 

[elchud]

I just don't think PK is worth more than 2.5.

I know we have money to throw around, but for the sake of future team contracts I would still be careful. PK shouldn't get more than Joker is getting, and we can get a Justin Braun type for just as much who would be just as effective.

It might be a feel good signing. Would rather get EJ from Colorado

 

[elchud]

I'd be OK with 4years×6million for Copp.

He will want more than 4 years. Wonder if he will do a discount deal with NY

 

[Bendium]

Sign Fluery to a 3 x "whatever he wants." Goal fixed until other assets ready.

Sign ONE rock solid second pairing RHD.

Possibly sign a veteran 4th line faceoff dominator to teach our young centers.

Done. Let it cook.

 

[Djp]

I agree.

But there has to be a reason why EF keeps bringing up Olofsson.

EF is spitballing.

there has been a lot of talk around 1 yr toUFA players….especially at wing..

given what Adams did last year not holding a distraction around Reinhart and Risto and traded them. Maybe Adams doesn’t want a 2 yr to UFA distraction.

the feeling we have seen is Olofsson would resign more than 1 yr if term and money is good. There could be negotiation problems come up and he could be traded.

if they did trade him , then there is more work needed on getting to the cap floor. As I said this is a very saturated market with wIngers this summer.

ithink at least 20 teams have a winger who is an RFA, UFA, or 1 yr to UFA. The RFAs price would beat least $4M for a new contract

 

[Professor Chaos]

He's also not waiver exempt, and he's they type of player that'll get snagged.

that should not be a concern

 

[Team Cozens]

Unrelated but I golfed with Doug Gilmour today. Great dude and told so many awesome hockey stories.

 

[SundherDome]

This is why I don't see Adams bringing in a big name forward from outside the organization.

First off, f*** BJORK.

Actually that's all I had. It's kinda nice to not have a roster purge each off-season.

 

[Matt Ress]

A Nico Sturm would fill Eakins shoes but better. Basically does everything well except score goals. Good faceoff guy and great defensive player, good size and not a complete offensive hot potato.

Might not be super concerned about leaving a contender with say a $3.5 overpayment times 2 or 3 years and playing with an up and coming fellow countryman. Avs wouldn't be able to match that number. Contract would take him to his 29th or 30th birth year. Good money spent.

 

[MarkusKetterer]

A Nico Sturm would fill Eakins shoes but better. Basically does everything well except score goals. Good faceoff guy and great defensive player, good size and not a complete offensive hot potato.

Might not be super concerned about leaving a contender with say a $3.5 overpayment times 2 or 3 years and playing with an up and coming fellow countryman. Avs wouldn't be able to match that number. Contract would take him to his 29th or 30th birth year. Good money spent.

I think you can sign him for $1.8 or $1.9 a year. But I would have no problem throwing all of Eakin’s money at him

 

[Jim Bob]

A Nico Sturm would fill Eakins shoes but better. Basically does everything well except score goals. Good faceoff guy and great defensive player, good size and not a complete offensive hot potato.

Might not be super concerned about leaving a contender with say a $3.5 overpayment times 2 or 3 years and playing with an up and coming fellow countryman. Avs wouldn't be able to match that number. Contract would take him to his 29th or 30th birth year. Good money spent.

As a fellow Clarkson Golden Knight, I approve of the idea of adding Sturm as Eakin's replacement.

I don't know that you need to overpay Sturm to that extent to land him. But, the Sabres do have the cap space that a short term overpay shouldn't be an issue.

 

[Jim Bob]

32 Thoughts: Could 2022 bring us the best Stanley Cup Playoffs ever?​

12. There are a lot of eyes on qualifying offers. Cap space is tight, and the arbitration walk-away number this summer is $4,538,958. (Teams can’t “walk-away” from any award below that number.) If they’re not convinced a player’s production matches, teams may choose to let them go free in July rather than risk an arbitration award they can’t escape. Toronto followers were confused by an Ondrej Kase Instagram post where he thanked Maple Leafs fans, taking it as an indication that he might be leaving. That’s premature, I think there are talks underway, but it’s not wrong to think the team would be spooked by an arbitration award in a tight cap situation.

Others to watch include: Ethan Bear (Carolina), Denis Gurianov (Dallas), Kasperi Kapanen (Pittsburgh), Dylan Strome (Chicago), Miles Wood and Pavel Zacha (New Jersey). It’s not to say all of these players are guaranteed to hit the market. It’s more like, teams are watching to see what decisions are made.

13. There’s no doubt Toronto’s Rasmus Sandin is getting a qualifying offer, but what’s less certain is how things will play out for him. He was going very well until injured late in the season, and couldn’t get back into the lineup once healthy during the playoffs. The Maple Leafs were very happy with Jake Muzzin’s post-season performance, leading to a left-side logjam with Muzzin, Sandin, Morgan Rielly, Mark Giordano and TJ Brodie (who prefers his weakside). Toronto’s cap situation doesn’t afford Sandin contract room. Good player and the team knows it, but the numbers make everything a tight puzzle.

As for Jack Campbell, the last I’d heard is there hadn’t been any contract conversations for months and anything that was discussed — I’d heard the two sides were far apart — was, in the words of one source, “no longer relevant.” All his agent, Kurt Overhardt, would say is “there’s been no material contract conversation” since the end of the season.

No VO in the list of potential non-QO guys and it sure looks like Campbell hits the market.

 

[Jim Bob]

5 impact NHL players who could get traded this offseason

Ottawa Senators general manager Pierre Dorion said last week that he'd be open to trading the team's seventh overall pick for an "impact player that can help (them) right away." New Jersey Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald shared that sentiment in early May, albeit before his team moved up from No. 5 to...

www.thescore.com

Reading the headline, I was hopeful.

Reading the article, not so much.

John Gibson, Ducks​

Ronald Martinez / Getty Images Sport / Getty
Position: G
Contract: 5 years, $6.4M AAV
Age: 28

Gibson is the elder statesman on this list at 28, but his best years could be ahead of him.

The Anaheim Ducks netminder was elite from 2015-16 to 2018-19, averaging 53 starts per year, never posting a save percentage below .917, and saving a combined 91.5 goals above expected.

However, the last three seasons have been a different story. He hasn't recorded a save percentage above .904, and his goals saved above expected is minus-18.3.

The Ducks are undergoing a heavy youth movement, and Gibson will likely be past his prime by the time they're contending again. This would be the moment to trade him, especially with a weak UFA goalie class.

Gibson's recent decline might be due to the poor team around him, so a change of scenery could rejuvenate him. He showed flashes of his old self when he sported a .922 save percentage before the All-Star break, but that mark fell to .876 in the second half.

Still, there's almost undoubtedly a goalie-needy contender out there willing to bet that he can regain his old form.

Those poor numbers the last three years has me passing on a Gibson trade. Especially since Anaheim will want a haul for him.

 

[WhereAreTheCookies]

Those poor numbers the last three years has me passing on a Gibson trade. Especially since Anaheim will want a haul for him.

His GSA has been bad but what I found very concerning was his save % against low and medium danger chances have routinely been below the expected the past few years.

 

[Jim Bob]

And they are over $21M below the cap floor.

 

[Jim Bob]

 

[Dingo44]

If he decides to sign with his hometown team, what are we getting in this guy? Any scouting reports?

I did find this:

2021 Raw Charge Top 25 Under 25: #22 Declan McDonnell makes the list

An AHL season put him on the radar, what can he do with it?

www.rawcharge.com

 

[Chainshot]

If he decides to sign with his hometown team, what are we getting in this guy? Any scouting reports?

I did find this:

2021 Raw Charge Top 25 Under 25: #22 Declan McDonnell makes the list

An AHL season put him on the radar, what can he do with it?

www.rawcharge.com

Losing last year in the OHL likely didn't help. But I do wonder at why when he was with the Crunch all of last season and then didn't get offered a deal?

 

[Dubi Doo]

Sign Fluery to a 3 x "whatever he wants." Goal fixed until other assets ready.

Sign ONE rock solid second pairing RHD.

Possibly sign a veteran 4th line faceoff dominator to teach our young centers.

Done. Let it cook.

Pretty sure Fleury wants to go to a contender, but we'd all be thrilled if he came here on a short term but high AAV contract.

I agree with a top-4 RHD. I've gone back and forth on whether Joki should stay paired with Power. I wouldn't hate it, but with the amount of cap space we have- why not try to bring a veteran presence to an incredibly young d core?

I wouldn't mind a solid 4th line center with defensive chops. I'd be interested in bringing Larsson back and recreating LOG. On the other hand, I doubt there will be a lot of openings within the forward ranks. All that needs to happen is for Peterka and Quinn make the squad out of camp- and we'll have 12 forwards. Larsson could be some good camp competition, and a perfect 4th liner/13th forward.

 

[Zach716]

And they are over $21M below the cap floor.

There’s no good reason we can’t get Letang and one of the better goalies with this much space for 2 years each. Make it so they can’t say no.

 

[TehDoak]

We all want to improve the team for next season, but look at some of the names your listed.

Goalies: none of those names are going to get the team very far. Jake Allen in 31, has never been a true 1A goalie. Montreal might move him to create space, but he's not pushing the team far. Washington isn't moving Samsonov, and Vanecek hasn't proven anything yet. Varlamov has a 16 team NTC, he's not coming. Drieger isn't the answer, and Quick would just be a mentor type. Holtby is a good mentor type but he's not carrying any team. Kuemper and Husso showed they aren't that type of goalie either. Campbell could be but at age 30, he's not coming to Buffalo.

Literally any of the goalies listed would be a massive upgrade over the Anderson/Tokarski combo.

We don't need to get a long term #1 this season, though if the opportunity is there that is fine. We need an average NHL starter to hopefully bridge to our younger goalies. Though, if a long term #1 goalie becomes available, we have the assets to make that work too.

I can see why Adams is considering Anderson coming back. Because aside from Campbell signing, the rest of the goalies who could come don't move the needle much, and with UPL he might be better off looking for a mentor type goalie.

Defenseman: Klingberg isn't coming to Buffalo when there are plenty of other teams a lot closer to a Cup. Manson isn't coming; his family and ability to win are going to drive where he goes next. Schultz is 31 and probably wants to go to a contender. Maybe Subban comes but he's 33 and looking at reduced role and minutes going forward. Ian Cole would be a solid pick up. Dumba could also be a good trade.

Without digging into specifics too much, we have no idea what the market is going to be for some of these guys. I have to think teams with big budgets are going to go hard after the big 3 (Letang/Klingburg/Manson) and it might be smarter to find an idealized fit and push hard for one of the lower tier guys.

Forwards: so when I dial up the "competent two way center" machine, I also get Trocheck and Kadri. Trocheck is 28 and knows where he signs next likely determines if he wins a Cup. Kadri is 31 and he's in the same boat. It would take an overpayment, and a contract that looks like an albatross in the later years, to get Kadri. Andrew Copp might be a good signing, but he's not a top 6 center, and for what Buffal would use him for, they can get a bottom 6 center for less. Maybe Chris Tierney works.

-------
No one that I'm seeing fits the three criteria: cost, desire to come, fits the role needed. Maybe you get Ian Cole to come fill in on the third pairing. Maybe we get Johan Larsson to come back as the 4C.

Buffalo can go try to work things out with some of the bigger names. But there are better teams with cap space who are going to get those players (Klingberg, Kadri, Trocheck). Buffalo's best bet is to be patient, let the kids continue to improve the team from within, and add only when it makes sense.

The Sabres are 1-2 years away from thinking about big UFA moves.

I'm mostly in agreement, though I don't see signing a middle six center as a 'big' UFA move.

We will have to see how the market moves this summer. We aren't in the most desirable place to play but we do have the cap space to compete in dollars. The real danger is giving out term/NMC. I do think our best bet is finding cap casualties, but the only real obvious one right now is Fiala. Once RFAs start getting signed, we should see some more names start to hit the rumor mill.

How is the 60 games of Hinostroza at 13:52 per night or the 58 games of Bjork at 12:02 per night not TOI incoming players are going to soak up? It very much is a matter of taking those players out and shuffling TOI distribution as well as dealing with whatever injuries they have. In terms of ESTOI/game, Hino was 6th on the team among forwards with more than 2 games which points to a larger role than you want to give him credit for.

There will be nights when players will be in the 10-12 minute mark. There will also be nights when they are in the 18 minute area. There is ice time for them and it's not just going to be some archaic version of deadpuck era 4th lines getting sub-10 minute ice time on a given night. Granato rolls his lines. Even strength ice time is going to be there.

My concern is more that we have more players who need insulation defensively only a few that can actually provide back-checking help. In a typical situation, Peterka and Quinn would be on a high ozone start, low defensive responsibility role, but we have several players (Krebs, Cozens, Thompson, Skinner, Olofsson) who were in that style of role last year. And you're correct in that Granato does roll 4 lines, which helps. I'm just trying to think functionally and know that at some point and worried about how few forwards can effectively back check.

 

[Jim Bob]

There’s no good reason we can’t get Letang and one of the better goalies with this much space for 2 years each. Make it so they can’t say no.

If it were only that easy...

My concern is more that we have more players who need insulation defensively only a few that can actually provide back-checking help. In a typical situation, Peterka and Quinn would be on a high ozone start, low defensive responsibility role, but we have several players (Krebs, Cozens, Thompson, Skinner, Olofsson) who were in that style of role last year. And you're correct in that Granato does roll 4 lines, which helps. I'm just trying to think functionally and know that at some point and worried about how few forwards can effectively back check.

I wonder if they try and give each line one of Tuch, Asplund, Okposo, and Girgensons to try and spread the defensive responsibility around?

 

[Chainshot]

Literally any of the goalies listed would be a massive upgrade over the Anderson/Tokarski combo.

We don't need to get a long term #1 this season, though if the opportunity is there that is fine. We need an average NHL starter to hopefully bridge to our younger goalies. Though, if a long term #1 goalie becomes available, we have the assets to make that work too.




Without digging into specifics too much, we have no idea what the market is going to be for some of these guys. I have to think teams with big budgets are going to go hard after the big 3 (Letang/Klingburg/Manson) and it might be smarter to find an idealized fit and push hard for one of the lower tier guys.



I'm mostly in agreement, though I don't see signing a middle six center as a 'big' UFA move.

We will have to see how the market moves this summer. We aren't in the most desirable place to play but we do have the cap space to compete in dollars. The real danger is giving out term/NMC. I do think our best bet is finding cap casualties, but the only real obvious one right now is Fiala. Once RFAs start getting signed, we should see some more names start to hit the rumor mill.





My concern is more that we have more players who need insulation defensively only a few that can actually provide back-checking help. In a typical situation, Peterka and Quinn would be on a high ozone start, low defensive responsibility role, but we have several players (Krebs, Cozens, Thompson, Skinner, Olofsson) who were in that style of role last year. And you're correct in that Granato does roll 4 lines, which helps. I'm just trying to think functionally and know that at some point and worried about how few forwards can effectively back check.

They are going to have to grow people into the backchecking side of things. Part of what helps there is having defensively responsible folks who are good at shot suppression scattered around the lineup. They have three who stick out: Asplund, Girgensons, and Tuch for all the right reasons and get scattered through the lineup as a way of supporting those who have issues in their own zone. In the interim, they're going to roll their lines. They haven't yet arrived at the who/what of having matchup capabilities, though it wouldn't surprise me if Cozens is further into that role next year as he matures. With the personnel they have, they are going to establish some mismatches of their own, even on the road.

 

[TehDoak]

There’s no good reason we can’t get Letang and one of the better goalies with this much space for 2 years each. Make it so they can’t say no.

Really the only way to realistically make this happen is to go a high signing bonus style deal to escape escrow. Letang is 35+ so he likely won't get more than a 3 or 4 year deal, so if we offered him, for example, a 2 year, 20M deal with 18M of it via signing bonus and a full NMC, that would be difficult for another team to compete with. It really depends on what his priorities are this summer. And it would also involve ownership be willing to invest heavily like that as that would be very cash heavy investment.