Roster thread: Get To Work (2022-2023 Season)

[Chainshot]

I love how stats matter until they don't, even among the folks who try to figure out what is happening via stat models.

Edit - Also as a word to strength of remaining schedule. Are we going to ignore the difference home vs. road for the Sabres at this point? That they have more road games left, yes, that's a thing. That they have been chewing through road wins in a variety of ways is also a thing.

 

[TehDoak]

If you are going to burn through picks and cap space.....see if Erik Karlsson has any desire to come be a leader in Buffalo. I think even he could see adding him to Power/Dahlin/Samuelsson could make an insane defense for the remainder of his contract. That is the home run shot to take. Run Dahlin/Karlsson/Thompson on your power play and dare teams to take penalties.

 

[ValJamesDuex]

Dreger Meier talk on Sabres Live now...

Challenging deal to make, assets, salary, etc, not likely a rental
Doesn't doubt Adams has made calls, Buffalo is in a good place, good fit
Carolina is in there (with Pac out), but money and other things issues
Extension could be 8-8.5 per + incentives based on production

Cap could go up to 3M next season, and more the year after

Doesn't know if ANYONE is going to pay the price on Chychrun, called him on the backburner

 

[Dingo44]

Should the Sabres trade for Timo Meier? Weighing the pros and cons of a potential deal

The Sabres have plenty of assets and cap space to acquire Timo Meier but would that interfere with their long-term plans?

theathletic.com

Meier is a legitimate top-line talent who is in the middle of the best season of his NHL career. After putting up 76 points in 77 games a year ago, Meier has 48 points through 49 games this season. At just 26 years old, he should have plenty of prime seasons left. He’s a big body at 6-foot-1 and 220 pounds and uses that size to drive play and create scoring opportunities. Meier leads the NHL in shots (153) and shot attempts (293) at five-on-five, according to Natural Stat Trick. He’s also in the top two in rush attempts, rebounds created and individual high-danger chances created at five-on-five. He’s also not a liability on defense. The Sharks have 58 percent of the expected goals and 65 percent of the high-danger scoring chances when Meier is on the ice.

The closest and most recent comparable to a Meier trade would be the Alex DeBrincat deal Chicago and Ottawa made last summer. The Blackhawks traded DeBrincat to the Senators for the No. 7 overall pick, the No. 39 overall pick and a 2023 second-round pick. DeBrincat was younger at the time of the trade than Meier is now. He also had an extra year on his contract. But that’s probably the jumping-off point.

The Sabres have a deep pool of prospects and young NHL players who could be included in such a trade. Jiri Kulich and Isak Rosen are attractive trade chips in Rochester. It may take one or both to get a deal done in addition to a first-round pick.

 

[DapperCam]

If you are going to burn through picks and cap space.....see if Erik Karlsson has any desire to come be a leader in Buffalo. I think even he could see adding him to Power/Dahlin/Samuelsson could make an insane defense for the remainder of his contract. That is the home run shot to take. Run Dahlin/Karlsson/Thompson on your power play and dare teams to take penalties.

I think 4 more seasons at 11.5m cap hit makes him a bit unrealistic and risky. It would definitely be a big swing though and it would be cool to have him with Dahlin.

 

[CaliSabresfan24]

Dreger Meier talk on Sabres Live now...

Challenging deal to make, assets, salary, etc, not likely a rental
Doesn't doubt Adams has made calls, Buffalo is in a good place, good fit
Carolina is in there (with Pac out), but money and other things issues
Extension could be 8-8.5 per + incentives based on production

Cap could go up to 3M next season, and more the year after

Doesn't know if ANYONE is going to pay the price on Chychrun, called him on the backburner

Been saying this from the get go. AZ asking price for a guy who has an injury history like Chychrun is way too high.

Wonder what the Coyotes do with him? Take the best price you can this year and wait for next year and take a gamble with his NTC

 

[Dingo44]

Seven teams that could (and should) trade for Jakob Chychrun

Jakob Chychrun's cap hit and versatility are just some of what makes him valuable at the March 3 trade deadline.

theathletic.com

Buffalo Sabres ​

Speaking of Buffalo, how aggressive does this team get now that things are finally turning around for them? This team has to look at players who can help now and in the future, which Chychrun accomplishes. But where does he actually fit in the lineup? Mattias Samuelsson and Owen Power round out the left side of the top four. Would Chychrun slotting to the right bump Henri Jokiharju to the third pair? And what about the power play? Rasmus Dahlin is the rightful PP1 quarterback, with Power on the second. Ideally, Chychrun has some time on the advantage which then would require knocking a forward off PP2 and rolling with three forwards. Going for a Timo Meier-like option makes a lot more sense for Buffalo, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see them assess all of their options, either.

 

[TehDoak]

I think 4 more seasons at 11.5m cap hit makes him a bit unrealistic and risky. It would definitely be a big swing though and it would be cool to have him with Dahlin.

The contract is 100% workable, you'll just be handcuffed in significantly upgrading elsewhere. You'll have an elite defense and however good the forward group/goaltending you can cobble together via the draft will be it. You'd probably have to make some choices when Quinn/Peterka hit RFA, for example. When Power hits RFA you'd be spending 30M on your top 4 defense, at a minimum. (11.5M Karlsson, 10M Dahlin, 4.25M Samuelsson, 6M Power). With Power on ELC one more year + a 3 Year 10.2b contract, it would lineup nicely for Kalrsson's contract falling off though. Though his last year looks to be a bit of a paper year where he can retire on July 2nd, take his bonus for the year and only miss 1.5M in actual salary.

 

[Jim Bob]

I wonder how making a winger that has yet to play a single game for the team the highest paid guy on the 2023-24 roster would go over in the locker room?

I would also rather they spend trade assets on a D like Chychrun or Ekholm over a winger like Meier.

 

[Gras]

The contract is 100% workable, you'll just be handcuffed in significantly upgrading elsewhere. You'll have an elite defense and however good the forward group/goaltending you can cobble together via the draft will be it. You'd probably have to make some choices when Quinn/Peterka hit RFA, for example. When Power hits RFA you'd be spending 30M on your top 4 defense, at a minimum. (11.5M Karlsson, 10M Dahlin, 4.25M Samuelsson, 6M Power). With Power on ELC one more year + a 3 Year 10.2b contract, it would lineup nicely for Kalrsson's contract falling off though. Though his last year looks to be a bit of a paper year where he can retire on July 2nd, take his bonus for the year and only miss 1.5M in actual salary.

You would have to pay SJ extra for retention to make it feasable.

 

[Zman5778]

Dreger Meier talk on Sabres Live now...

Challenging deal to make, assets, salary, etc, not likely a rental
Doesn't doubt Adams has made calls, Buffalo is in a good place, good fit
Carolina is in there (with Pac out), but money and other things issues
Extension could be 8-8.5 per + incentives based on production

Cap could go up to 3M next season, and more the year after

Doesn't know if ANYONE is going to pay the price on Chychrun, called him on the backburner

Something I was thinking about with the Meier thing.......

Adams has gone on and on about building a culture and building the room and building a team of guys who want to play with and for each other. And he's even expressed that he hopes that some of the studs will give us a little bit of a hometown discount in order to keep the team and the room together.

And now there's talk of someone coming in and immediately being handed a big-money extension......right when Dahlin and Cozens are due?

I don't doubt that Adams has made calls, and if he's made calls I suppose he's ready to do that................but even still, when push comes to shove, I don't see him ACTUALLY going ahead and giving up a bunch to get Meier and then immediately handing him a big-time deal.

 

[Zman5778]

If you are going to burn through picks and cap space.....see if Erik Karlsson has any desire to come be a leader in Buffalo. I think even he could see adding him to Power/Dahlin/Samuelsson could make an insane defense for the remainder of his contract. That is the home run shot to take. Run Dahlin/Karlsson/Thompson on your power play and dare teams to take penalties.

We want to IMPROVE our 5v5 defense, not worsen it. Karlsson is nowhere near as good defensively as Dahlin/Power/Sammy.

 

[TehDoak]

We want to IMPROVE our 5v5 defense, not worsen it. Karlsson is nowhere near as good defensively as Dahlin/Power/Sammy.

When are we ever going to be in our own zone with Dahlin on one pair and Karlsson on the other? Who needs to care about our own zone with two 100 point d-men baby. Just score moooooore

 

[Zman5778]

When are we ever going to be in our own zone with Dahlin on one pair and Karlsson on the other?

Whenever we get hemmed in there because our forwards exit the zone the millisecond Dahlin or Karlsson even get near the puck?

 

[TehDoak]

Whenever we get hemmed in there because our forwards exit the zone the millisecond Dahlin or Karlsson even get near the puck?

Two. 100 point. Swedish. Defensemen.

 

[Ace]

There’s something amazing about sitting back watching people debate adding a top forward or an 11.5 million dollar defender when all I want, and what I get constantly debated on, is wanting a #4 Dman. Can’t give up anything for a top 4 D. But also…what do you think about a massive package and contract for Time Meier?

is it because I’ve asked for so little? Do I need to say we should acquire Fox or Makar to get people to think ten times that assets and money is a better idea than the obvious hole the team has been, and continues to, stare at?

 

[TehDoak]

There’s something amazing about sitting back watching people debate adding a top forward or an 11.5 million dollar defender when all I want, and what I get constantly debated on, is wanting a #4 Dman. Can’t give up anything for a top 4 D. But also…what do you think about a massive package and contract for Time Meier?

is it because I’ve asked for so little? Do I need to say we should acquire Fox or Makar to get people to think ten times that assets and money is a better idea than the obvious hole the team has been, and continues to, stare at?

I'm all for adding a #4 d-men.

But, if we can cap space and assets to use and there's an elite d-man on the market who would waive the NTC to come here.....I'm looking at that first.

 

[Zman5778]

There’s something amazing about sitting back watching people debate adding a top forward or an 11.5 million dollar defender when all I want, and what I get constantly debated on, is wanting a #4 Dman. Can’t give up anything for a top 4 D. But also…what do you think about a massive package and contract for Time Meier?

is it because I’ve asked for so little? Do I need to say we should acquire Fox or Makar to get people to think ten times that assets and money is a better idea than the obvious hole the team has been, and continues to, stare at?

You keep harping on this point.....but the hole is NOT by any means obvious at all. In fact, given the play of the defensemen over the last 7-10 days, I'm much more willing to stand pat than I have been all season.

The Sabres' defensive issues is NOT the talent on defense. It's NOT the play of the defensemen. It's the forwards' complete and utter lack of focus/compete/etc while in the defensive zone. Once the forwards start defending better, the defensemen will look much better than they do.

I am of the opinion that we absolutely do not need to sink any major assets into our defensemen at this time.

The teams' most major need right now is someone to win faceoffs and who can show the kids how to kill penalties.

 

[Jim Bob]

 

[Doug Prishpreed]

I wonder how making a winger that has yet to play a single game for the team the highest paid guy on the 2023-24 roster would go over in the locker room?

I would also rather they spend trade assets on a D like Chychrun or Ekholm over a winger like Meier.

I’ve gotten to the point where I want to wait and see what this group can do for the season. I share the same concerns and don’t really see the rush.

For Buffalo, the “rental” equivalent is player development. They’re already noticeably better than they were 15 games in. They’ll only be that much better if/when they play their first playoff game.

 

[Chainshot]

It's interesting how the talk both here and in that article from Fairburn never puts the idea of one of Quinn or Peterka being in a hypothetical deal. Not saying they would or should move either, but it's an interesting omission.

 

[Zman5778]

It's interesting how the talk both here and in that article from Fairburn never puts the idea of one of Quinn or Peterka being in a hypothetical deal. Not saying they would or should move either, but it's an interesting omission.

If we're trading for Meier.......I'd think one of them would be included in the deal (not that I'd want that, just that I'd expect it).

 

[Chainshot]

If we're trading for Meier.......I'd think one of them would be included in the deal (not that I'd want that, just that I'd expect it).

I don't know since they do have so much in the pipeline. Rosen or Ostlund have been mentioned as attractive pieces by Devil fans over on the big Meier thread in the trade forum. It's more that there is no version of things that sees pundits or fans alike putting either into this hypothetical deal.

 

[Team Cozens]

You would have to pay SJ extra for retention to make it feasable.

I'd use more draft capital. SJ retains 25-30% and trades him to Team B who retains another 25/30% and costs Sabres a 2nd plus on that retention.

 

[Zman5778]

I don't know since they do have so much in the pipeline. Rosen or Ostlund have been mentioned as attractive pieces by Devil fans over on the big Meier thread in the trade forum. It's more that there is no version of things that sees pundits or fans alike putting either into this hypothetical deal.

Yeah, it would certainly be a question of who Grier values the most. Could be Savoie, Ostlund, Kulich, Rosen, Quinn, Peterka........any of them would be a "worthy" inclusion in a Meier deal, just a matter of "who does Grier want"....................and does he value them more than a guy like Holtz from NJ?