Roster Speculation, 2018 offseason Part 3/ Post-free agency edition

[Moskau]

My money is Reinhart and Eichel will have career years and people will look back and see it was RoR that was the problem.

Some high benchmarks for a 22 and 23 year old we're setting here folks. Jack Eichel can be that 65 point player we all envisioned! I bet Rasmus Dahlin has a career year too!

 

[ZZamboni]

ROR did not hold Eichel and Reinhart or anyone else back from having career years. Good grief. Who comes up with this obtuse crap?

 

[sabrebuild]

Fair point, but there an awful lot of top 6 players who don't drive play

Let’s assume Sheary is as good a top 6 guy as Kane or O’Reilly.

That still means that all we did in trades or signings so far is replace Kane with Sheary and O’Reilly with Mitts. And that team came in last. Yikes.

 

[Dreakon13]

I think Wilson is a safe bet to be in the lineup opening day at this point.

Then the Sobotka/Pomminville spots are there for the taking by any of Olofsson/Tage/Baptiste, if they can outplay them.

Right, forgot about Wilson.

 

[Ace]

Let’s assume Sheary is as good a top 6 guy as Kane or O’Reilly.

That still means that all we did in trades or signings so far is replace Kane with Sheary and O’Reilly with Mitts. And that team came in last. Yikes.

Going to be a big win for the culture crowd when they’re markedly better

 

[Aladyyn]

Going to be a big win for the culture crowd when they’re markedly better

That would be a first.

 

[1TuchAnd1NoTuch]

What is the price tag on an extended Ryan Ellis? Dahlin, Scandella, Risto, Ellis has our backend set for quite a while and NSH May have trouble paying him

 

[sabrebuild]

Going to be a big win for the culture crowd when they’re markedly better

Sure will.

 

[Sabre the Win]

Going to be a big win for the culture crowd when they’re markedly better

You mean the crowd that presents accusations with no proof as fact.

 

[Sabre Dance]

That would be a first.

Can't be the 1st time a team traded a good player and still won games.

 

[Dingo44]

I have a friend who has suggested trading Reinhart for any number of OK NHL'ers since his first year in the league. If a guy doesn't like him you have to take every trade suggestion with a grain of salt.

 

[Matt Ress]

This myth that Conor Sheary is not a top 6 player needs to end. Could see him putting up 50+ points this year. Kyle Okposo may not be an ideal option but his production is still that of a top 6 winger. So realistically we probably have five top 6 players as of now

Well, if we're looking at 5 legit top-6 forwards and maybe one young talented winger getting a chance (whomever you may believe that to be), a filled out bottom-6, a markedly better defense (certainly more depth and top talent), and 2nd year in a system...what is holding this team back from being in the top half of the league? East is too tough? Goaltending question mark? Too young? Why is a bottom ten finish expected again? I doubt management is tempering their expectations so much.

 

[valet]

Well, if we're looking at 5 legit top-6 forwards and maybe one young talented winger getting a chance (whomever you may believe that to be), a filled out bottom-6, a markedly better defense (certainly more depth and top talent), and 2nd year in a system...what is holding this team back from being in the top half of the league? East is too tough? Goaltending question mark? Too young? Why is a bottom ten finish expected again? I doubt management is tempering their expectations so much.

utter ignorance, pessimism, and a lot of conditioning is the reason everyone thinks we'll be awful again... we're not going to win the cup or anything, but we're not going to be abysmal like we were last season.

 

[Royal Thunder]

Let’s assume Sheary is as good a top 6 guy as Kane or O’Reilly.

That still means that all we did in trades or signings so far is replace Kane with Sheary and O’Reilly with Mitts. And that team came in last. Yikes.

Hockey isn't as simple as A+B=C. Didn't Colorado go from Duchene to Kerfoot at 2C and got way better? It's a lot about fit and chemistry. Kane was good and scored some goals but he never seemed like a guy who was pushing the needle towards helping us win... He was not good at all playing with Eichel. ROR is obviously a legit top 6 center in this league but his loss is IMO being overrated, I think Mitts can outdo his even strength production and will both drive offense better and make the top 6 faster. Guys like Wilson and Girgensons should be out of the top 6 too which helps. The overall depth improvement of the forward corps IMO outweighs what might look at first like a talent downgrade in the top 6.

Well, if we're looking at 5 legit top-6 forwards and maybe one young talented winger getting a chance (whomever you may believe that to be), a filled out bottom-6, a markedly better defense (certainly more depth and top talent), and 2nd year in a system...what is holding this team back from being in the top half of the league? East is too tough? Goaltending question mark? Too young? Why is a bottom ten finish expected again? I doubt management is tempering their expectations so much.

Im of the opinion that we have no excuse to not be a bubble team this year as long as goaltending is decent.

 

[Dingo44]

According to Instagram Zemgus was also at Taste of Buffalo today. Not sure what that says other than yum Buffalo foods.

 

[jc17]

Hockey isn't as simple as A+B=C. Didn't Colorado go from Duchene to Kerfoot at 2C and got way better? It's a lot about fit and chemistry. Kane was good and scored some goals but he never seemed like a guy who was pushing the needle towards helping us win... He was not good at all playing with Eichel. ROR is obviously a legit top 6 center in this league but his loss is IMO being overrated, I think Mitts can outdo his even strength production and will both drive offense better and make the top 6 faster. Guys like Wilson and Girgensons should be out of the top 6 too which helps. The overall depth improvement of the forward corps IMO outweighs what might look at first like a talent downgrade in the top 6.



Im of the opinion that we have no excuse to not be a bubble team this year as long as goaltending is decent.

From the other thread:

And that's assuming a guy like Olofsson doesn't make it, or that a guy like Bailey, Baptiste or E-rod don't step up and have big years which I think at least e-rod is on track to do. I feel like the point projections are pretty reasonable too.

And before I get called out for it, I'm not comparing Kane to grigorenko, just relative position on team.

Trading away a good player obviously shouldn't be a blueprint to getting better but this should show that it's possible to improve after a loss like that.

 

[beerme1]

From the other thread:


Trading away a good player obviously shouldn't be a blueprint to getting better but this should show that it's possible to improve after a loss like that.

Whoever posted that chart originally, kudo's to you. That should alleviate some peoples fears I hope.

 

[sabrebuild]

Hockey isn't as simple as A+B=C. Didn't Colorado go from Duchene to Kerfoot at 2C and got way better? It's a lot about fit and chemistry. Kane was good and scored some goals but he never seemed like a guy who was pushing the needle towards helping us win... He was not good at all playing with Eichel. ROR is obviously a legit top 6 center in this league but his loss is IMO being overrated, I think Mitts can outdo his even strength production and will both drive offense better and make the top 6 faster. Guys like Wilson and Girgensons should be out of the top 6 too which helps. The overall depth improvement of the forward corps IMO outweighs what might look at first like a talent downgrade in the top 6.


If what you said is true and the basis for how this team will be good, why would it matter to you to defend Sheary as a top 6 player?


Im of the opinion that we have no excuse to not be a bubble team this year as long as goaltending is decent.

So chemistry and rookies will get the team an extra 30 points? Okay.

And I don’t even think it’s out of the question. Strange things happen in sports and Dahlin and Mitts look really good. But outside of chemistry voo doo or some explicit reporting that O’Reilly was a Hoffman level problem, I think your hoping a lot more than your thinking. Which is probably good for your desire to believe they will be good.

 

[Matt Ress]

So chemistry and rookies will get the team an extra 30 points? Okay.

And I don’t even think it’s out of the question. Strange things happen in sports and Dahlin and Mitts look really good. But outside of chemistry voo doo or some explicit reporting that O’Reilly was a Hoffman level problem, I think your hoping a lot more than your thinking. Which is probably good for your desire to believe they will be good.

If you're going to be snide, at least address his point. What brought COL back? Was it chemistry or voo doo?

 

[BuffaloGooner]

I hope we get to a point where we don’t have to actively search for why our team might be good and just ride the wave of a fun team

 

[Royal Thunder]

So chemistry and rookies will get the team an extra 30 points? Okay.

And I don’t even think it’s out of the question. Strange things happen in sports and Dahlin and Mitts look really good. But outside of chemistry voo doo or some explicit reporting that O’Reilly was a Hoffman level problem, I think your hoping a lot more than your thinking. Which is probably good for your desire to believe they will be good.

If we are good it will be due to goaltending and scoring depth, along with our top rookies stepping in and contributing. I don't think ROR was a huge problem at all, I just don't think him being gone is going to leave so big a chasm that it can't be filled by other guys.

 

[CatsforReinhart]

If ROR's mere presence was holding Reinhart and Eichel back from some sort of dominating career year, we need to trade both of them and start over.

Because ROR being a beast on the ice was holding zero people back. The only thing it was holding back was a 43 point finish in the standings.

What? That is the craziest thing I have seen posted in a while. Other players tend to hold teams back often. It happens almost every year. The fact that you don't seem to recognize that is bizarre. That was the very reason he was traded.

 

[CatsforReinhart]

ROR did not hold Eichel and Reinhart or anyone else back from having career years. Good grief. Who comes up with this obtuse crap?

Cause RoR was traded for advancing Reinhart and Eichel's career. Good greif its like you don't understand concepts of good and bad locker rooms and think RoR was traded because he is a wonderful team guy who was advancing the youngsters but Botterill thought what the hell lets trade him anyways. Do you really think Botts thought lets trade someone away thats helping the progress or holding them back?

What I find mind boggling is that if you have been following the sabres you still seem to think Botts thought ROR was a plus here and great locker room guy but traded him anyways.

How did you come to that conclusion? Or is your conclusion that locker room doesn't matter for performance on the ice? You criticize my comment. Follow it up with something concrete to why you think RoR was a wonderful guy here or that you think a locker room doesn't matter because basically that is what you are saying. Its mind blowing really.

Clearly Botts feels the same way or RoR wouldn't have been traded for what he was traded for. Do you need me to point it out for you?

 

[Dahlin 2 Eichel]

If ROR's mere presence was holding Reinhart and Eichel back from some sort of dominating career year, we need to trade both of them and start over.

Because ROR being a beast on the ice was holding zero people back. The only thing it was holding back was a 43 point finish in the standings.

Can you show the stats that O’Reilly was a beast on the ice please.

 

[CatsforReinhart]

Can you show the stats that O’Reilly was a beast on the ice please.

I actually find it mind boggling that people don't see Botterill's feelings about RoR is that he is holding the team back.

Whether that is true or not that is the conclusion Botts came to and that is why RoR is not here.

Botts by his words and actions is clearly saying RoR is standing in the way of this team progressing and becoming better or he would have not been traded.

He wasn't traded to fill a team need. He wasn't traded because someone else was willing to over pay. He was traded because this team needed a culture change according to management and that culture change starts with the removal of the guy brought in to lead this team. and his name was RoR. After RoR was traded he even admitted he wasn't ready to be the leader and was in over his head.

Like I said mind boggling that people can't see that.