Speculation: Sabres Roster Speculation - Pre-season 2023 Edition

[allsilverdreams]

VO plays with us until the trade deadline

 

[Ace]

VO plays with us until the trade deadline

That’s a long time to sit in the press box

 

[Ace]

Guys benched for key games become a pretty easy marker for whether they want to improve the roster next year or it’s another year of low standards from on high.

Olofsson wasn’t good enough to play in your biggest games in over a decade? Well…he shouldn’t be a part of the plan in a season where playoffs are the goal then, right? He‘s not going to take some developmental leap. He is what he is. And you deemed him not good enough.

Bryson is in a similar boat. Comrie is there too. UPL can get a bit of a break since he’s young and, unlike Comire, actually got to play a game they needed late in the year.

Even if you require the absolute least from this GM…again…getting rid of the guys they don’t trust in Olofsson, Comrie and Bryson should be an easy minimum of doing something that needs to be done. Need to upgrade on all 3 in a big way.

 

[elchud]

We can make the playoffs (i think comfortably) with only 3 roster changes. Savoie in, Olofsson out. RHD in, Clague out. G in, Anderson&UPL out.

We know that Adams is loathe to trade any of the blue chips.

I think we can keep the goalie contracts 2 or 3 years, and 3 to 4 million per, which can get one of Hill/Raanta/Varlamov. Would be happy with any of them.

More likely to see a trade for a D, I think, but there are 4 options for a solid partner for Power, Mayfield/Holl/Severson/Clifton. Would have to go 4 or 5 years to be competitive on any of them.

I think this is the simplest path, and will cause the least impact to the locker room, as keeping the current locker room together seems to be very important.

 

[elchud]

Guys benched for key games become a pretty easy marker for whether they want to improve the roster next year or it’s another year of low standards from on high.

Olofsson wasn’t good enough to play in your biggest games in over a decade? Well…he shouldn’t be a part of the plan in a season where playoffs are the goal then, right? He‘s not going to take some developmental leap. He is what he is. And you deemed him not good enough.

Bryson is in a similar boat. Comrie is there too. UPL can get a bit of a break since he’s young and, unlike Comire, actually got to play a game they needed late in the year.

Even if you require the absolute least from this GM…again…getting rid of the guys they don’t trust in Olofsson, Comrie and Bryson should be an easy minimum of doing something that needs to be done. Need to upgrade on all 3 in a big way.

Agreed. I think Bryson as 8th D and Comrie as 3rd G works, they could both pass waivers at their contracts and shuffle back and forth.

 

[MOGlLNY]

A few posters keep talking about how we don't have a "VO replacement" I guarantee you Quinn and Peterka will make up the 29 goals we are losing from Olofsson. It's not an issue.

 

[elchud]

A few posters keep talking about how we don't have a "VO replacement" I guarantee you Quinn and Peterka will make up the 29 goals we are losing from Olofsson. It's not an issue.

Savoie will score 15, maybe 20.

You hope the kids improve each year on PK and face-offs. They drafted the kids and want to see them play. Olofsson is a known quantity now.

 

[Chainshot]

Savoie will score 15, maybe 20.

You hope the kids improve each year on PK and face-offs. They drafted the kids and want to see them play. Olofsson is a known quantity now.

And that quantity gets its ass kicked at 5-on-5.

 

[elchud]

And that quantity gets its ass kicked at 5-on-5.

If I was running the team I would make several changes.

Just by Quinn/Peterka/Krebs/Power/Levi being a year older, they are 5 points better, and a playoff team, with no changes. A few roster improvements and we could be the 6th seed.

The deficiencies will drive us crazy but the kids will play damnit.

 

[MarkusKetterer]

Guys benched for key games become a pretty easy marker for whether they want to improve the roster next year or it’s another year of low standards from on high.

Olofsson wasn’t good enough to play in your biggest games in over a decade? Well…he shouldn’t be a part of the plan in a season where playoffs are the goal then, right? He‘s not going to take some developmental leap. He is what he is. And you deemed him not good enough.

Bryson is in a similar boat. Comrie is there too. UPL can get a bit of a break since he’s young and, unlike Comire, actually got to play a game they needed late in the year.

Even if you require the absolute least from this GM…again…getting rid of the guys they don’t trust in Olofsson, Comrie and Bryson should be an easy minimum of doing something that needs to be done. Need to upgrade on all 3 in a big way.

I’d argue that Comrie didn’t play because the team had 4 goalies. We knew Anderson was probably getting the Ottawa game, and probably would have been surprised if he didn’t, and that they’d give UPL a game or two, and Levi at least two games (his debut + another). That’s at least 5/9 spoken for, and we have no idea what wrench Levi playing so well threw in to those plans.

Maybe the plan was Levi 3, UPL 3, Anderson 1, and Comrie the remaining 2. Most likely, aside from the debut and Anderson game, they expected Levi to get lit up one game and they wanted to see how he reacts, but it took awhile for that to happen.

 

[Irie]

You can play the “well who would you gotten” for 1 season. We’ve needed to add a goalie for 3 years. Including during the expansion draft where we USED A PROTECTION SLOT ON A UFA GOALIE. With regards to goalies, Adams gets a big fat F.

You have to protect a goalie in expansion, those are the rules. Unless you are implying something else involving a trade for a different goalie. But Protecting Ulmark while trying to work out a deal was the only chance of re-signing him.

The 20-21 team underachieved with injuries, and yes, a real back-up could have gotten them out of the basement, but with the injuries and Hall not seeming to care, they were never going to be good and then they would probably have gotten a Dylan Guenther or a Cole Sillinger instead of Owen Power - so all praise Carter Hutton

21-22 was a tank year. They were coming off the worst record in the league and another bottom 5 finish would get them a Nemec/Jiricek core piece to build around. So the goaltending decisions reflected that. Who could have predicted Tuch and Thompson were going to go God-Mode.

Last offseason, there were limited options available to Adams. Most of the UFAs turned out to be trash, and most of them probably would not have signed in Buffalo if offered a contract. We saw a goalie nix a trade to Buffalo with a limited NTC. That is likely a theme Adams is going to have to contend with.

Comrie was kinda the best available option on paper. And looking back, not having any of those other 5 year boat anchor goalie contracts on the ledger is now a blessing.

If Adams had somehow pulled off a trade for a good performing young goalie, Levi might look at the situation and think twice about signing.

There are some positives to the current situation and opportunities moving forward, and it's a whole hell of a lot better than if that Campbell contract was on the books.

 

[seafoam]

Would Buffalo be willing to part with anything significant for Noah Dobson?

 

[TehDoak]

You have to protect a goalie in expansion, those are the rules. Unless you are implying something else involving a trade for a different goalie. But Protecting Ulmark while trying to work out a deal was the only chance of re-signing him.

Ullmark was never signing here. Players don't "want to see the market" before signing with a last place team. He was their offer to get a better one elsewhere.

It was stupid not to move him at the trade deadline.

It was incompetent not to use an open goalie protection slot to get a goalie for cheap.

The 20-21 team underachieved with injuries, and yes, a real back-up could have gotten them out of the basement, but with the injuries and Hall not seeming to care, they were never going to be good and then they would probably have gotten a Dylan Guenther or a Cole Sillinger instead of Owen Power - so all praise Carter Hutton

Ah so "well we finished dead last and won the lotto! Glad we didn't get a goalie!" argument.

21-22 was a tank year. They were coming off the worst record in the league and another bottom 5 finish would get them a Nemec/Jiricek core piece to build around. So the goaltending decisions reflected that. Who could have predicted Tuch and Thompson were going to go God-Mode.

Ah the "f*** winning, good thing we didn't get a goalie!" argument.

Last offseason, there were limited options available to Adams. Most of the UFAs turned out to be trash, and most of them probably would not have signed in Buffalo if offered a contract. We saw a goalie nix a trade to Buffalo with a limited NTC. That is likely a theme Adams is going to have to contend with.

Comrie was kinda the best available option on paper. And looking back, not having any of those other 5 year boat anchor goalie contracts on the ledger is now a blessing.

If Adams had somehow pulled off a trade for a good performing young goalie, Levi might look at the situation and think twice about signing.

There are some positives to the current situation and opportunities moving forward, and it's a whole hell of a lot better than if that Campbell contract was on the books.

Now the "ah f***, no goalies were available" argument.

Stop.

Season 1: Team had a clear, urgent need. GM did not address need.
Season 2: Team had a clear, urgent need, GM did not address need.
Season 3: Team had a clear, urgent need, GM did not address need.

That's it. That is the story of Adams and goaltending. You can try to give him excuses all you want.

It's like when Regier never added a center after losing Briere and Drury, and when he finally did it was f***ing Cody Hodgson. Every year you could reason WHY they didn't add a center.

But in the end, multiple seasons with the same need and the GM never addresses it? The GM done f***ed up. Add in the fact that goaltending imploding down the stretch was the REASON you missed the playoffs? The GM REALLY f***ed up.

 

[Irie]

Ullmark was never signing here. Players don't "want to see the market" before signing with a last place team. He was their offer to get a better one elsewhere.

It was stupid not to move him at the trade deadline.

First. Ulmark was the only legitimate NHL goalie on the roster, so re-signing him was probably a goal.

Second, Ulmark was on IR at the TDL and had been out for like at least a month iirc.

It was incompetent not to use an open goalie protection slot to get a goalie for cheap.

The goalies that moved, pretty much moved for 2nd round picks (vanacek moved for two 2nds).

The incompetence was using the Sabres 2nds on smurfy Russian left wings instead of D prospects. Two of the top D prospects available when the Sabres drafted were Zellweger and Morrow, both of whom would have very good trade value now, while small wingers never have any value until they actually score 20 goals in the NHL.

Ah so "well we finished dead last and won the lotto! Glad we didn't get a goalie!" argument.

Am I wrong to believe all of the information that Adams' did not have the final say roster decisions while Kreuger was still around? Or has that been debunked?

Ah the "f*** winning, good thing we didn't get a goalie!" argument.

Tanking for core players is how rebuilds should start. You can be like Minnesota, perpetually try to win without ever embracing a rebuild and never draft top ten, and always lose in the first round, or you can be like Pittsburgh, Chicago, Colorado or Tampa and Embrace the rebuild, let kids play, draft top 5 and collect a strong core to build around.

I believe strongly in the later philosophy, so yes, F*ck the winning when you start a rebuild and build the fricken thing well vs trying to patch together a group of misfits and castoffs and try to get to .500 every year and hope you get lucky and squeak into the postseason.

Now the "ah f***, no goalies were available" argument.

Stop.

What do you think would have been the results when Sammy was out if this team had Hill/Vejmelka/Vanecek and they were getting steam-rolled and giving up 7-8+ breakaways a game and leaving wide open players sitting on the far post every PK?

But in the end, multiple seasons with the same need and the GM never addresses it? The GM done f***ed up. Add in the fact that goaltending imploding down the stretch was the REASON you missed the playoffs? The GM REALLY f***ed up.

The team missed the playoffs because their penalty kill is an abysmal 73%.

Has a team in the NHL ever made the playoffs with a PK below 75%? I can not remember that ever happening.

If the PK was 80%+, the goalies numbers would likely be 900%+

Anyone that understands the game and watches this team knows that goaltending is not the problem on their PK. It is terrible defensive coaching. It is piss poor attention to details. And it is inexcusable bad habits. This team has the personnel to be adequate on the PK with good coaching but they PK as a group of players playing as individuals, not as a unit. Adding an decent penalty killer to the mix and keeping the same coaching scheme will fail, and no goalie is going to save this team if the defensive play remains status quo.

The coaching staff is loaded with minor league coaching and one assistant who learned under a head coach whose team's defensive coverage is the only team in the league worse than Buffalo. They need an veteran NHL assistant defensive coach to take over their D-zone coverage and PK.

 

[TehDoak]

I present to you: scumbag summer:

 

[Zman5778]

Would Buffalo be willing to part with anything significant for Noah Dobson?

My first instinct would be to say "absolutely". But after thought....I don't know. He fits what KA looks for age-wise, but the biggest part of his game is his offensive contributions.....which would be quite muted here with Dahlin or Power.

If it was a reasonable price, sure.

 

[NotABadPeriod]

My first instinct would be to say "absolutely". But after thought....I don't know. He fits what KA looks for age-wise, but the biggest part of his game is his offensive contributions.....which would be quite muted here with Dahlin or Power.

If it was a reasonable price, sure.

Yep.

I'd do "usual suspects" for Dobson.

But "something that hurts" for Dobson? Not sure I'd want to go that far, and not sure Isles move him for less than that.

 

[Dingo44]

 

[Chainshot]

Would Buffalo be willing to part with anything significant for Noah Dobson?

Since much of Dobson's value is as an offensive contributor - that 60+% OZS, his PP points - which is a role the Sabres already have covered with both Dahlin and Power, trying to obtain him seems similar to trying for Andersson in that it is paying for portions of the player's game that they are unlikely to fully utilize.

 

[Gabrielor]

Would Buffalo be willing to part with anything significant for Noah Dobson?

It really is tempting, but I imagine any idea I have would be a low ball. One of the few guys I'd be comfortable exposing Kulich or Savoie in theory.

'Significant' may be like Cozens or something though, which we just can't/won't do.

 

[Djp]

VO plays with us until the trade deadline

he could…sure….my projections right now

Greenway-Tage-Quinn
Skinner-Mitts-Tuch
Peterka-Savoie-Cozens
Girgs-Krebs-xxx
Okposo, Jost/C

Sam-Dahlin
Power-xxx
xxx-Lyub
Bryson

Olofsson can play. I see him going to a team in need of a PP improvement. Buffalo takes back a higher contract which also give the team some cap space.

I see a trade of

Joker and Olofsson(50%) for nhl players in return Either in one trade or 2 Separate ones returning a RD and a bottom 5 C/W. Joker isn’t moved unless a RD comes back For him or they got one elsewhere.

 

[Gabrielor]

I present to you: scumbag summer:

View attachment 694949

I'll likely be a minority of loving that 4th line.

Let's see Cernak elbow someone again.

 

[Djp]

Would Buffalo be willing to part with anything significant for Noah Dobson?

Don’t see him getting moved.

I would be very concerned on his askin 2025 when his contract is up.

 

[Djp]

It really is tempting, but I imagine any idea I have would be a low ball. One of the few guys I'd be comfortable exposing Kulich or Savoie in theory.

'Significant' may be like Cozens or something though, which we just can't/won't do.

They don’t have the cap space to take on Cozens.

they would ask for are prospects

13OA+ Savoie/Kulich+Rosen+another pick/ prospect

 

[Mattilaus]

I present to you: scumbag summer:

View attachment 694949

Less than 0 desire to see Lucic on this team. I don't care if it is petty. We can get someone else who can fill the same role and doesn't have the history.