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

[Sabresfansince1980]

I am almost entirely in agreement...but this is gonna be long anyway

For 1) the forwards: they have 10 under contract for next season who don't belong in the minors. 9 of them I want back: Thompson, Tuch, Skinner, Cozens, Quinn, Peterka, Mittelstadt, Greenway, Krebs.

Trade Olofsson for the best pick available.

Bring back Girgensons and Jost.

Add a defensively oriented center who can PK and is at least decent at the dot.

I'd leave an opportunity for a youngster to emerge and push Jost to #13, but I have no objection to bringing in a physical middle-6 winger for the right price.

(Point of order: Konecny is a legit first-line player)

2) The defense: I am still a Jokiharju defender, but he's being misused and it shows. Give him a change of scenery. I think he may still return a 2nd from a team that still believes in his potential.

The difference in team record with/without Samuelsson speaks for itself. And it's not that Samuelsson is amazing, but that nobody else on the roster can play the role he does. This team's biggest need is another top-4 defenseman who can be a physical presence, clear space in front of the net, and kill penalties.

Lyubushkin, Stillman, Johnson, and Bryson fighting for time as #5-8 is fine. (Yes, Bryson...he was good last year and currently has zero trade value. Either he bounces back or gets waived.)

3) Coaching: none of us really know what's going on behind the scenes, but whoever is responsible for the PK should have that responsibility taken away from them. Four months ago.

(4) Goalies: most on this board will disagree, but I'm with you here. Goalie effectiveness depends soooo much on the players and system in front of them, and I really don't expect anyone available to be a sure-fire upgrade on what they already have. There's just too much unpredictability...last summer I would have been thrilled with Campbell, disappointed with Samsonov. Oops.

The best UFAs are Andersen and Varlamov, both guys in their mid-30s playing behind very solid defensive teams. No assurance that performance translates behind the Sabres "defense"

Trades:
Demko would be expensive, is having a terrible year, and is rumored to be hurt.
Swayman is playing behind the best defensive team in...I dunno how long? 1985 Bears?
Vejmelka is also playing behind a very conservative trap system...how much better than UPL would he look in Buffalo? How much would it cost to find out?

Sure, if someone like Saros or Hellebuyck is actually available (which they shouldn't be), you gotta go after that. But winning either of those bidding wars would *hurt*.

UPL and Levi (and to a lesser extent Comrie) still have upside. So unless one of the unicorns shakes loose, I'm in favor of staying the course in goal.

Just my two cents

I agree with trading Olofsson and acquiring a defensive FW (signing JT Compher is my pipe dream), but maybe Savoie will be ready.

Skinner - Thompson - Tuch
Quinn - Cozens - Peterka
Mittelstadt - Jost/Compher- Savoie??
Girgensons - Krebs - Greenway

Finding the mythical 2nd pair RHD solves many problems. Hopefully Ryan Johnson cements himself as the 3rd pair LHD by the TDL and Bryson goes somewhere far away. I'd love a goalie also, but I've resolved with the idea that KA has made his move with Comrie and will stick with him and UPL next season.

 

[Zach716]

If the speculation of massive changes coming to Calgary are true from the trade board and they plan on blowing it up, we need to be all in on Rasmus Andersson.

 

[Ace]

Watching Mittelstadt without Olofsson is all the evidence I need that Olofsson has to go. Any player who has been saddled with him for any length of time needs to make it talking point one in their exit meetings this season. Gotta go.

 

[CaliSabresfan24]

Agreed

 

[Sabresfansince1980]

Watching Mittelstadt without Olofsson is all the evidence I need that Olofsson has to go. Any player who has been saddled with him for any length of time needs to make it talking point one in their exit meetings this season. Gotta go.

No doubt it was Olofsson holding Mitts back, and not the other way around.

 

[Chainshot]

If the speculation of massive changes coming to Calgary are true from the trade board and they plan on blowing it up, we need to be all in on Rasmus Andersson.

I look at Weegar's ability to defend the rush both in Calgary and in Florida... and Buffalo's inability to defend the rush atoll* and I wonder. I wonder at how Weegar can play both sides. And I wonder if I could stomach his late stage salary.





*where Rob Ray listens to 2112 on the beach

 

[debaser66]

I doubt anyone would suggest dumping Joker for nothing. Joker is an NHL defenseman. He could be anywhere from 4th-7th dman depending on the team and their makeup. The problem for us, is he is not a fit for the 4th dman on our team. We need a bigger more physical lockdown type defensemen there. He also does not really fit our bottom pair, mostly because our top 4 don't have enough utility. So as I see it, in our bottom pair we need at least one top penalty killer, and preferable a well rounded vet that can move up and down the lineup as needed with injuries.

So, that makes me want to get Jokers trade value by packaging him with another player/picks to get an upgrade somewhere we need it.

I am not sure Joker would be a top4 anywhere; maybe a 5 or 6 on a different team as you said;
the game vs the Flyers was a clinic, he was arguably the worst player.
I would rather see Boosh with Power, cannot have to pinching contact phobes on the same pair.

 

[Dirty Dog]

I think joker could make a pretty good bottom pairing guy. BUT I don’t think he matches what the Sabres want out of a bottom pairing guy.

Thankfully

 

[toddkaz]

Tuch with 67% xGF% against the Rangers and 61% xGF% against the Flyers with no Tage Thompson.

Do you think about moving him away from Tage? Just throwing it out there. It seems like Mitts and Tuch have worked will together. If it wasn't the end of the season it would be something to look at.

 

[debaser66]

I think joker could make a pretty good bottom pairing guy. BUT I don’t think he matches what the Sabres want out of a bottom pairing guy.

Thankfully

I am tired of watching him pinch, fail & get overpowered like on GA2; he stuck out like a sore thumb; with a little blister called VO

 

[Bendium]

Tuch with 67% xGF% against the Rangers and 61% xGF% against the Flyers with no Tage Thompson.

Do you think about moving him away from Tage? Just throwing it out there. It seems like Mitts and Tuch have worked will together. If it wasn't the end of the season it would be something to look at.

My initial reaction is.....no. The problem is that Tuch, not Tage is the lynchpin. Tuch drives the play of his line, any line he is on. So you make sure you get the most out of Skinner and Thompson by giving them Tuch. Now if you can find another RW line driver, then there could be options.

Skinner - Tage - Tuch is a legit top 10 (5?) scoring line in the NHL. You got it. Don't f*ck with it.

Quinn - Cozens - JJP is not really a true 2nd line yet, but they will get there.

Now if you want to get me a Legit top six power forward RW and a legit 2 way 3rd line center then:

Skinner - Tage - PowerRW
Quinn - Cozens - Tuch
Mitts - 2wayC - JJP

I don't see it happening.

 

[Irie]

I am tired of watching him pinch, fail & get overpowered like on GA2; he stuck out like a sore thumb; with a little blister called VO

GA2 was a complete and total team defensive breakdown in the neutral zone.

Two times they had possession (Cozens and Peterka) and turned it over at the blueline instead of getting it into the zone.

Jokiharju had position on the puck carrier Farabee, and Quinn and Power ignored Frost streaking up the ice. When farabee dished it to Frost at the blueline, Jokiharju was caught completely flatfooted. Not really his fault at all(as his responsibility was the puck-carrier Farabee). Once the pass happened and he knew he was beat, he should not have tried to play the puck, and probably should have taken a penalty by interfering with Frost, but to hang that play strictly on Joker is ignoring the context of the entire play and lapses of the entire team on the ice.

Too often Jokiharju finds himself caught between two opponents to cover and it is often due to defensive breakdowns by the entire team (more often than not Power makes pretty poor decisions when reading the play that hangs his partner out to dry- I love power, and would still take him 1st overall over Beniers, but he is young and bad at reading the ice defensively still).

The fact that Jokiharju led the team in ice-time, I have to assume that Granato sees the same thing I am seeing when he watches the film and that it is not just Jokiharju playing poorly like many seem to feel on these forums. But what I can't understand is how Granato thinks that he should continue to keep Joker and Power together given their propensity for breakdowns. Jokiharju is not the player that can pick up the slack when other players miss assignments. he is not quick enough, physical enough, or skilled enough to make great defensive plays.

I think he could be a solid 4/5 if paired with a strong defensive two-way partner, but he is still a work in progress and is playing way over his weight-class being asked to play as a top 4 defensive stalwart and Power's safety valve.

 

[Daz28]

Next year, at some point, I'd like to see if swapping Tuch and JJ is a feasible option. Tuch and Tage are both looking like they can drive lines. JJ is looking like he's taking another step. Make both lines lethal

 

[SharkInABoloTie]

Just thinking; where does Jost fit on this team next year?

 

[buffalowing88]

My initial reaction is.....no. The problem is that Tuch, not Tage is the lynchpin. Tuch drives the play of his line, any line he is on. So you make sure you get the most out of Skinner and Thompson by giving them Tuch. Now if you can find another RW line driver, then there could be options.

Skinner - Tage - Tuch is a legit top 10 (5?) scoring line in the NHL. You got it. Don't f*ck with it.

Quinn - Cozens - JJP is not really a true 2nd line yet, but they will get there.

Now if you want to get me a Legit top six power forward RW and a legit 2 way 3rd line center then:

Skinner - Tage - PowerRW
Quinn - Cozens - Tuch
Mitts - 2wayC - JJP

I don't see it happening.

I like that lineup. I just think we can still turn Krebs into the third line, two-way center guy. Or maybe it'll be Kulich or Ostlund in a year or two. I think we have that guy in-house though.

 

[Jim Bob]

Who is the Sabres' most underrated player? 21 players weigh in

While Mattias Samuelsson got the most votes, several Sabres earned recognition from their teammates.

theathletic.com

This was an interesting read.

Here are the results:

Mattias Samuelsson (7) [Mitts, Dahlin, Comrie, Anderson, Tuch, UPL, ZG]
Vinnie Hinostroza (3) [Cozens, Krebs, Thompson]
Rasmus Dahlin (2) [Jost, Greenway]
Alex Tuch (2) [Skinner, UPL (I guess he split his vote...)]
Casey Mittelstadt (2) [Power, Quinn]
Zemgus Girgensons (2) [Samuelsson, Okposo]
Tyson Jost (1) [JJP]
Ilya Lyubushkin (1) [Thompson (another guy that got two votes)]
Peyton Krebs (1) [Bryson]
Jack Quinn (1) [Stillman]
Henri Jokiharju (1) [VO]

Nobody should be surprised that the 3 goalies all voted for Samuelsson:

Eric Comrie: “When he signed the contract, nobody knew who he was. I think people are going to start realizing how good he really is, especially defensively, just how much he helps our team. Look at our record with and without him. Just look at that and there you go.”

Craig Anderson: “I would say Sammy just because he brings so much defensively to the table that, his production is obviously not there but he reminds me of a guy like Marc Methot, who played second fiddle to Karlsson and had to be in the right spot at the right time. Maybe he doesn’t get enough credit for what he does. I think the biggest thing you notice that stands out is his stick and how good his stick is. A guy thinks he’s got him beat and then all of a sudden his nine-foot go-go gadget stick comes out and knocks the puck away. He’s a physical presence and he’s hard to play against. All of those things add up. You get some guys that are big that are softer than baby dump and real easy to play against. This guy is the complete opposite. Nobody wants to go in the corner with him. Even if you come out with the puck he’s going to make sure you paid for it. He’s the guy that has undercover, sneaky humor, too.”

Luukkonen: “How solid he is. In a good way, you know what will happen when he has the puck or doesn’t have the puck. He’s just solid. He plays a really simple game and it balances the game out.”

And if they re-sign Girgensons, here is why:

Zemgus Girgensons (2)​

Mattias Samuelsson: “I would say Z. He’s my answer. The guy works his bag off every game. You know exactly what you’re getting from Z every game. He’s efficient. He’s a horse out there. He’s so strong. He’s obviously not the flashiest player, so he goes under the radar with that. But he works his bag off. He’s a pain in the ass to play against I can tell you that.”

Kyle Okposo: “I would say Gussy. He gets no love from anybody outside but if you watch that guy play every night you know how valuable he is. He doesn’t cheat the game. He never cheats. That’s something that is very rare. There are guys that you can count maybe 10 guys in the league that play like that. It’s a very unique thing. He’s always on the right side of the puck. He’s always conscious defensively. He never takes a shift off. He’s a pretty special teammate.”

 

[WhereAreTheCookies]

I look at Weegar's ability to defend the rush both in Calgary and in Florida... and Buffalo's inability to defend the rush atoll* and I wonder. I wonder at how Weegar can play both sides. And I wonder if I could stomach his late stage salary.





*where Rob Ray listens to 2112 on the beach

I'm much more on board with Weegar than I am with Andersson. I think given Anderssons low cap hit for what he provides his value would be incredibly high. He's also on their top PP unit, and logs almost 3 minutes a game there. I think Weegar fits the mold of what Buffalo could really use, and I don't think he'd have the expectations of top PP unit ice-time.

The tail end of his contract could be tough to stomach, but he has played a similar number of NHL games at this point to Andersson who is 3 years younger. Some older Dmen are still able to play their game effectively (Gio, Burns, Martinez all come to mind), you just need a coach who can use them in a way that they are still effective and not over rely on them as they enter their later years in the league.

 

[TheMistyStranger]

I'm much more on board with Weegar than I am with Andersson. I think given Anderssons low cap hit for what he provides his value would be incredibly high. He's also on their top PP unit, and logs almost 3 minutes a game there. I think Weegar fits the mold of what Buffalo could really use, and I don't think he'd have the expectations of top PP unit ice-time.

The tail end of his contract could be tough to stomach, but he has played a similar number of NHL games at this point to Andersson who is 3 years younger. Some older Dmen are still able to play their game effectively (Gio, Burns, Martinez all come to mind), you just need a coach who can use them in a way that they are still effective and not over rely on them as they enter their later years in the league.

The question is, can we get Weegar, and then have Jeep be his nutrition coach?

 

[TehDoak]

With Regards to Weegar, so I looked at his contract. His buyout is managable after year 4. Pretty much every buyout after year 4 is 2M in deadcap a year x double the amount of years left on the deal. While not a GREAT escape valve, it's do-able.

Even though his NTC doesn't kick in until 7/1, the Sabres can't pull a Berglund on him and trade for him on a technicality. Given he has an 8 year deal, if they want him, they need to get permission to speak with him and make sure he'd be excited about coming here. Don't need a guy who signed for big money in Calgary being pissed about going to Buffalo.

 

[WhereAreTheCookies]

With Regards to Weegar, so I looked at his contract. His buyout is managable after year 4. Pretty much every buyout after year 4 is 2M in deadcap a year x double the amount of years left on the deal. While not a GREAT escape valve, it's do-able.

Even though his NTC doesn't kick in until 7/1, the Sabres can't pull a Berglund on him and trade for him on a technicality. Given he has an 8 year deal, if they want him, they need to get permission to speak with him and make sure he'd be excited about coming here. Don't need a guy who signed for big money in Calgary being pissed about going to Buffalo.

I agree you absolutely want a guy who wants to be in Buffalo that's been Adams MO since taking over. Buffalo is close enough to Ottawa that I could see some appeal there for him, plus his connection with Rivet might go a long way to assuring he's on board. The bigger question to me would be is he available, and what would the cost be if he is.

 

[MilkshakeMan]

I agree with trading Olofsson and acquiring a defensive FW (signing JT Compher is my pipe dream), but maybe Savoie will be ready.

Skinner - Thompson - Tuch
Quinn - Cozens - Peterka
Mittelstadt - Jost/Compher- Savoie??
Girgensons - Krebs - Greenway

Finding the mythical 2nd pair RHD solves many problems. Hopefully Ryan Johnson cements himself as the 3rd pair LHD by the TDL and Bryson goes somewhere far away. I'd love a goalie also, but I've resolved with the idea that KA has made his move with Comrie and will stick with him and UPL next season.

It'll more likely be Kulich than Savoie. And there's that stupid rule with Savoie that he can't spend all of next year in ROC because he was born on the cutoff date.

 

[TehDoak]

Just thinking; where does Jost fit on this team next year?

I mean, if the team is adamant about improving, he really doesn't other than as a 13th forward. I like Jost, and I think on a team that already had two strong faceoff guys, he could work. But his deficiency there is SO overwhelming...we need to address it internally (maybe bringing in a skills coach to work with them in the offseason) and externally. And given Jost doesn't really play well on the wing.....it'll be tough to improve the team's PK/Faceoff (which are interconnected) and keep Jost as a regular.

He wants to take the NHL minimum and rotate in....that's fine. If he wants regular playing time, he'll likely have to go elsewhere.

 

[Captain Holt]

Skinner/Thompson/Tuch - you dont break that up
JJP/Cozens/Quinn - theyre just gonna get better
Kulich/Mitts-Krebs/Krebs-Mitts - I want Krebs moved up the lineup
Z/ ??? / Greenway

??? is probably Jost, or a Jost level replacement. I dont think you're keeping Kulich down in Roch, they're at least going to give him a chance up here.

Trade VO for whatever.

Sammy/Dahlin
Power/ The best FA RHD you can find.
Stillman/Boosh

Bryson, Johnson if he plays well in the A.

Levi
Comrie

Trade KKKKKK

 

[Chainshot]

Who is the Sabres' most underrated player? 21 players weigh in

While Mattias Samuelsson got the most votes, several Sabres earned recognition from their teammates.

theathletic.com

This was an interesting read.

Here are the results:

Mattias Samuelsson (7) [Mitts, Dahlin, Comrie, Anderson, Tuch, UPL, ZG]
Vinnie Hinostroza (3) [Cozens, Krebs, Thompson]
Rasmus Dahlin (2) [Jost, Greenway]
Alex Tuch (2) [Skinner, UPL (I guess he split his vote...)]
Casey Mittelstadt (2) [Power, Quinn]
Zemgus Girgensons (2) [Samuelsson, Okposo]
Tyson Jost (1) [JJP]
Ilya Lyubushkin (1) [Thompson (another guy that got two votes)]
Peyton Krebs (1) [Bryson]
Jack Quinn (1) [Stillman]
Henri Jokiharju (1) [VO]

Nobody should be surprised that the 3 goalies all voted for Samuelsson:



And if they re-sign Girgensons, here is why:

The praise from two of the guys they brought in this season for Dahlin is interesting.

 

[HaNotsri]

Skinner/Thompson/Tuch - you dont break that up
JJP/Cozens/Quinn - theyre just gonna get better
Kulich/Mitts-Krebs/Krebs-Mitts - I want Krebs moved up the lineup
Z/ ??? / Greenway

??? is probably Jost, or a Jost level replacement. I dont think you're keeping Kulich down in Roch, they're at least going to give him a chance up here.

Trade VO for whatever.

Sammy/Dahlin
Power/ The best FA RHD you can find.
Stillman/Boosh

Bryson, Johnson if he plays well in the A.

Levi
Comrie

Trade KKKKKK

My guess is that Adams does absolutely nothing until the next trade deadline. Maybe flips some picks for other picks.