Speculation: Sabres Roster Speculation - Pre-season 2023 Edition

[joshjull]

Opinions are like assholes. Some are hideously unsupported.

 

[HogtownSabresfan]

Vinny has a fantastic work ethic and drive. He along with Okposo, Girgs, Anderson, etc. set a great example for the youngsters on how to be a pro on and off the ice. But the idea he should get 50% of the credit for Cozens' breakout, as @HogtownSabresfan suggests, is pretty silly.

Only Cozens commented on Vinny's hockey IQ in that article. He also said Vinny always makes the right play. He was just being nice. As were all the players in that article commenting on their 11 teammates who got votes for most underrated; Sammy (7), Vinny (3), Dahlin (2), Mitts, (2), Tuch (2), Girgs (2), Jost (1), Boosh (1), Krebs (1), Quinn (1) and Joker (1). It was a praise fest.

The reality is if Vinny actually had a good hockey IQ, he'd be a much better player than he is with the work ethic and speed he already has.

As for Jost vs Vinny........ They were never competing with each other for a spot. Jost was a regular in the starting 12 all season, can play wing/center and is 4 years younger than Vinny. They see Jost as someone with upside left who gives them flexibility at forward.

Vinny was viewed as the 13th forward/depth winger at the start of last season and well before Jost got here. If he lost a spot here to anyone it was Rousek.

He actually doesn't always make the right play at all — a below-average player. He's worked hard for his career with middling talent and credit for that, and Cozens shows he has respect with his comments, but Vinnie is part of a long line of very average player trotted through Buffalo. He's okay as a 13 or 14 guy and the fact Pittsburgh signed him for $775,000 shows their cap issues and the lack of depth on the team. It also speaks very highly of Sabres that we don't need guys like this as much as talent matures. Wish Vinnie all the best. I'm sort of done with fan favourites for grit and effort. I want talent.

 

[HogtownSabresfan]

No high end UFA was signing a one year deal to come to Buffalo this offseason,

Sure. How long are you going to believe this crap peddle by team. These guys are mercenaries. If they see an opportunity, they sign. Maybe it means a slight overpay on a one-year but who cares? Terry can dig another well.

You forgot the part where you can spend money all season. Why have so many hissy fits because it's not being spent by your personal deadline?

Costs you picks during the season often. I'm 100% with 4ths and 3rds going out but we saw management was not and we suffered through bad D last year for one reason or another.

quit giving them your money !

If I'm not satisfied with a service or a product, I don't continue purchasing it

seems like common sense to me

You wouldn't have a team in Buffalo without season ticket holders like me. Running off on HFboards doesn't fill seats.

 

[NotABadPeriod]

We aren't talking about other teams we are talking about the Sabres

B&R Goat 10-1-1 .875 Pts%
RR 2-3-2 .428 Pts%
Royal 7-17-2 .307 Pts%
White 23-13-2 .631 Pts%

But wasn't the regulation loss when they used them in back to back games? Clearly, from my amazing sample size fo 1, we can establish that overuse of the AGH will backfire tremendously, that targeted use and allowing the AGH voodoo to recharge is a much better strategy.

 

[thewookie1]

But wasn't the regulation loss when they used them in back to back games? Clearly, from my amazing sample size fo 1, we can establish that overuse of the AGH will backfire tremendously, that targeted use and allowing the AGH voodoo to recharge is a much better strategy.

Yes, it was a 4-0 loss to Philly

 

[Irie]

Sure. How long are you going to believe this crap peddle by team. These guys are mercenaries. If they see an opportunity, they sign. Maybe it means a slight overpay on a one-year but who cares? Terry can dig another well.

I honestly do not know what "Crap peddled by the team" you are referring to. As far as I am aware, no team is saying anything of the sort.

This isn't even a Buffalo discussion, but a league wide situation. I have been following the NHL for 40+ years, and in all those years, it is just a fact that the "high end", highly sought after UFAs are not signing one year deals, and the discussion doesn't even need to address the small market factor.

To pretend that the reality is something entirely different and that the top UFAs would have likely been willing to sign one year deals in Buffalo is delusional.

 

[HaNotsri]

Tatar would be a good fit with Mittelstadt. Do it Adams!

 

[debaser66]

You really think The simple lighting bolt is worse than the Buffaslug, The Calgary Horse, or Anaheim's WildWing logos?

Granted, it is quite boring and the design is pretty lazy, but in the grand scheme of things, isn't it better to be boring than ridiculous when designing logos?

I love the slug.
I guess its a great way of making friends should I ever be able to visit the area.
But I guess I would find myself chained in a barrel heading for the Niagara falls filled with all the unsold slug merchandise

 

[Irie]

Tatar would be a good fit with Mittelstadt. Do it Adams!

There was a slovak interview with Tatar that basically said he was not signed because he was holding out for a 3+ year deal. Maybe with there being no takers, he is willing to back off of those demands and sign short term? If so, he would be a pretty good get.

 

[Irie]

I love the slug.
I guess its a great way of making friends should I ever be able to visit the area.
But I guess I would find myself chained in a barrel heading for the Niagara falls filled with all the unsold slug merchandise

I didn't hate the Slug like the rest of the hockey world did either, so I will give you that one, but I still say there is no way the lightning bolt is a worse logo than the Ducks Wildwing logo.

 

[MOGlLNY]

I didn't hate the Slug like the rest of the hockey world did either, so I will give you that one, but I still say there is no way the lightning bolt is a worse logo than the Ducks Wildwing logo.

View attachment 742385

People love this jersey today

 

[MarkusKetterer]

People love this jersey today

I loved it back then. But this will always be my favourite one:

 

[elchud]

Power for 3 years, re-sign when Skinner is off the books. Makes a lot of sense, and you do 8 year contract for the players prime just like Dahlin.

 

[elchud]

Joker+Bryson+2024 2nd

Myers+Rathbone+2024 1st (top 10 protect)

 

[elchud]

Not digging adding Tatar. I think Rousek could help the PK. The PK needs help. Tatar isn't helping the PK.

 

[Jim Bob]

NHL team tiers and expectations: Atlantic Division

Who's a contender and who's a pretender? We've put all the NHL teams into different tiers, whether they're challenging to win, tanking for the top pick or somewhere in between. In this edition, we break down the Atlantic Division.

www.sportsnet.ca

THIRD TIER: HOW HIGH CAN THEY GO?

BUFFALO SABRES
Key additions: Connor Clifton, Erik Johnson
Key subtractions: Craig Anderson, Ilya Lyubushkin

Expectations: Missing the playoffs by one point last season -- and finishing with the same 42-win mark as wild-card clinchers Florida and New York -- the Sabres seem on the cusp of returning to the post-season for the first time since 2011. It's been a painful 12 years, with a couple of do-over rebuilds and several front office/coach changeovers, but this season arrives with legitimate hope.

Rasmus Dahlin took a massive step forward last season and might be entering the award-winning part of his career. Will Owen Power be far behind? Tage Thompson, perhaps soon to be followed by Dylan Cozens, is proving to be a heck of a bargain on his long-term contract. But the biggest X-factor of all might be the two young goalies, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and Devon Levi, especially the latter, who came on late last season and was an absolute stud. Just 21 years old and undersized for the position at this level, how will he hold up over a full season?

Nothing is guaranteed, of course, and Buffalo not only has to battle with the four Atlantic teams that qualified for the playoffs last season, but also the two others in this tier that are looking to accomplish the same thing. Make no mistake: the expectation this season is a return to the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

 

[Jim Bob]

 

[Mattilaus]

Well, looks like Tatar wanted a better chance at a cup than we could offer.

 

[HaNotsri]

There was a slovak interview with Tatar that basically said he was not signed because he was holding out for a 3+ year deal. Maybe with there being no takers, he is willing to back off of those demands and sign short term? If so, he would be a pretty good get.

Ended up with 1x1.5
Would have been great depth.

 

[Jimmybarndoor2]

Well, looks like Tatar wanted a better chance at a cup than we could offer.

Or Sabres we’re not pursuing him?
Seem to have a lot of forwards

 

[Jim Bob]

LeBrun and Russo: Are Hellebuyck and Scheifele staying put? Plus other rumblings from NHL GM meetings

Other rumblings: The Hurricanes' failed attempt to land Erik Karlsson and updates on Bally Sports, Arizona and the Senators sale.

theathletic.com

How Sanderson’s extension impacts Dahlin, Power​

It wouldn’t have been shocking if Sabres GM Kevyn Adams got indigestion when he saw Jake Sanderson’s new eight-year, $64.4 million extension with Ottawa, especially considering Rasmus Dahlin and Owen Power are each entering the final year of their contracts.

Dahlin, 23, scored a career-high 73 points last season, while Power, who is represented by Sanderson’s agent, Pat Brisson, had a 35-point rookie year.

But Adams brushed it off.

“I think no matter what when you see contracts around the league, you’re always paying attention because obviously there’s comps,” Adams said. “But I think for us even before we work on a deal, we’ve projected out what other guys are gonna potentially get to. So I don’t want to say it took us by a huge surprise, but (Sanderson) got a nice price.

“We started conversations early in the offseason with (both Dahlin and Power) and continued all through the summer. We continue to talk now and they’ve been really positive. So it’s something that we’re still going to work on here over the next couple of weeks.”

 

[brian_griffin]

Well, looks like Tatar wanted a better chance at a cup than we could offer.

Ended up with 1x1.5
Would have been great depth.

Or Sabres we’re not pursuing him?
Seem to have a lot of forwards

All these could be true.
Can't get a long-term deal? Then sign with a team with a high chance of getting to a Conference final.
That's Colorado 10x more than it is Buffalo (this offseason).

 

[Jim Bob]

 

[joshjull]

 

[Jim Bob]

View attachment 742784

Savoie is in a different situation than Wright.

Wright CHL games played:
19-20 - 58
20-21 - 0 [COVID]
21-22 - 74
22-23 - 24

Wright got credit for 20-21 because the OHL took the whole year off. The waiver was about how he was 1 GP below the 25 GP threshold last year.

Savoie CHL games played:
19-20 - 22
20-21 - 0 [COVID and he played in the AJHL & USHL and skipped the short WHL season]
21-22 - 75
22-23 - 81

I believe that Savoie would need to get credit for both 19-20 and 20-21 despite not playing 25 games in 19-20 and skipping the WHL season in 20-21. I'm not surprised they didn't get it to happen. If they even tried.