Speculation: Sabres Roster Speculation - Pre-season 2023 Edition

[CaliSabresfan24]

what he’s been saying for a couple years now. He wants people who want to be Buffalo Sabres. When you have maybe the best American born player ever excited to put on the jersey, I’m sure it impacts a lot of young guys. He adds a tonnnn of off ice experience.

However, to me, that still doesn’t mean he’s going to add value on the ice more often than not. Because you can’t scratch a guy like Kane. Idk like I said, if he wants to sign for cheap for one year, let’s do it. Why not.

Exactly how I feel about the Kane situation.

Adams would need to make room for Kane on the roster so assuming he'll move Olofsson.

 

[NotABadPeriod]

Right, I just don't see a world where any team signs him 1/$5m sight unseen. He's essentially a new, unknown player after this procedure. I don't buy that his reputation gets him signed to a deal he wants without skating multiple times for teams. Odell Beckham holding private workouts for teams after his ACL is a direct example, teams need something to believe these guys can play again.

Now if he wants 1/$1.5m sight unseen, sure. He'll be worth it in advertising and ticket sales alone.

I don't think a few on-ice workouts are going to be enough. You need to see how he performs in real game situations, understanding there may be some rust there too and it may take a while for him to ramp up. You're basically hoping that by the time the playoffs roll around he'll be Patrick Kane again. Of course, this assumes you make the playoffs, which is fine for some teams but the Sabres can't assume that. There's a ton of risk involved for a team that's on the fringe like Buffalo is.

Now, a team like New Jersey for instance? That's a risk they can take, they can afford to work through his recovery in the hopes that it pays out in the playoffs. But for us...if you sign Kane, and it takes a few months for him to get going...those few months could be the difference between making the playoffs and missing. Especially when you have young guys who could be providing value during that time who's now stuck in Rochester (Rosen, Kulich, Rousek, assuming Savoie/Benson in juniors?), and you're also going to have Quinn coming back and needing to ramp up as well.

 

[CrazyWayne]

If the sabres are as advertised or what most expect here, wouldn't Kane be the kind of player they would be looking to add at the deadline? Also isn't that roughly when Kane is expected to be back from injury?

 

[SabresNorth]

I suppose another issue I have is are we planning to break in 4 rookies potentially next year if Kane is signed? Rosen is obviously closer than we thought, Kulich, Savoie and maybe Benson.

Feels like we need at least one to be with the big club all year.

First I'm 100% not an insider so don't want this to come off that way but... By total chance I ran into someone in the organization last year and he seemed pretty open with what his expectations were.

He thought Savoie was going to get an extended stay and then be sent back to whl(wished he was ahl eligible) and play wjc this year.

Expected Kulich to play up and down this year. In saying that I really think it's between Rosen and Kulich to start the season in Buffalo.

Also mentioned that he loved Benson but thought there was no chance he'd be around when buff picked. So I thought it was pretty cool when we got him.

Nothing groundbreaking as it's all pretty much in line with many posters opinions but thought I'd share.

Skinner tage tuch
Peterka cozens kulich/rosen
Oloffson mittlestadt greenway
Girgensons Krebs Okposo
Jost

Is my guess until quinn comes back. If they really bring in Kane oloffson has to go.

 

[Matt Ress]

If the sabres are as advertised or what most expect here, wouldn't Kane be the kind of player they would be looking to add at the deadline? Also isn't that roughly when Kane is expected to be back from injury?

Who knows. Will anybody be willing to take him on before he's healthy? We'll have to wait and see what the lineup is looking like in a couple months.

 

[Weltschmerz]

If the sabres are as advertised or what most expect here, wouldn't Kane be the kind of player they would be looking to add at the deadline? Also isn't that roughly when Kane is expected to be back from injury?

The Dreger tweet said "at least another month", sounds more like this year than trade deadline.

 

[elchud]

Kane in December, Quinn in February. What's not to like?

 

[Irie]

We have almost 9 mil in cap space - a 1 yr low cost flyer on Kane costs zilch - if he has a rebound year… Could be a big boon for the team! if not, what’s the real cost? If for some reason they tank, despite all reason point to the opposite… He probably still has some value at the deadline. Really there’s no downside.

There is a large potential downside in my opinion.

Kane is a legitimate HoF legend that would be coming into a very young team and would be extremely influential force on this roster that is loaded with young, impressionable forwards.

This team was bad defensively. The past 4 or 5 years, Kane hasn't been soft defensively so much as he has been indifferent to dig in and put forth an honest defensive effort.

This team badly needs a defensive role-model that leads by example, not a HoF star who floats right now. I feel adding Kane is going in the wrong direction in terms of molding the young core into a contender.

 

[CrazyWayne]

The Dreger tweet said "at least another month", sounds more like this year than trade deadline.

Feel like that is too early of a time table for the sabres but if it's closer to February, that is time

 

[Deep Blue Metallic]

Apart from Kane's questionable physical status and woeful defensive game, the young Sabres don't need a 1st-ballot HoFer sucking all the oxygen out of the room while Tuch, Cozens, Dahlin, etc. are establishing themselves as team leaders.

What is this obsession with a small, contact-averse, purely offensive winger for a team that has zero problems scoring goals and plenty of problems preventing them?

Hometown boy doesn't cut it. I must be missing something.

 

[OkimLom]

Honest question for anybody of the opinion Kane isn't what we need (which I understand on its surface): are we maxxed out offensively?

We scored 296 (3rd most) and surrendered 300 (8th most) last year. Most of us are willing to sacrifice some GF for much better GA via more conservative system tweaks and improved goalkeeping, 280 GF to 250 GA or so. But what if we score 325 and concede 285 instead? Does that not get us to where we want to be?

We're built to play fast and score. While I expect some team defense maturity to show this year, why not just outscore teams? Playoff hockey is a fair argument, but plenty of Sabre fans would be happy to face that problem when it comes.

Re: are we maxed out: That depends on how much confidence you have in the young guys and the team in general in producing more goals with another year under their belts. Also depends on how much confidence Kane will be effective post-surgeries.

Fans clamoring for Kane feels like more of a want request, than a need request. I get the excitement of an all offense team. But most successful teams don’t put it altogether until they shore up the defensive portion of the game. I’d rather fast track that side of the game as soon/quickly as possible.

If the team scores 325 goals and lets up 285 it depends on how impactful that scoring is in producing wins. If it leads to 2-4 more wins then it’s not worth it.

If the team scores 280 goals, gives up 235 but helps produce 6-10 more wins then I would say that was more valuable.

Of course the team could also produce a good amount of wins with that many goals, and the lesser goals could produce a lower amount of wins.

Context is key in amount of goals scored and against.

 

[tsujimoto74]

Sure, while hobbled by a chronic hip injury and playing for one of the worst teams in a decade. All of this is contingent on him being rejuvenated by the1 hip procedure, which is obviously no guarantee. I don't buy that we'll have to sign him without having a good idea if that procedure was successful.

Don't powerplay points still count towards beating other teams. Our PP was dead at times last year. Also, 61 ES points in 78 games the year before is nothing to sneeze at. I'd be curious to see some charts that explain why he's so poorly ranked while he's been putting up monster numbers still.

Our PP wasn’t bad because of the players on it. That’s on coaching.

 

[Jacob582]

Our PP was bad because of PP2.

 

[Dingo44]

Each NHL team’s biggest breakout candidate for 2023-24

With camps around the league opening Thursday, fantasy drafts scheduled and optimism booming, which players are ready to make the leap?

theathletic.com

Buffalo Sabres
Connor Clifton: Clifton set a career high with 23 points last season and signed a contract worth $3.3 million annually in free agency. He has a real chance to play in a top-four role and for an offensive-minded coach in Don Granato. I’d be shocked if he didn’t have a career-best point total, provided he stays healthy. Playing alongside Owen Power, another major breakout candidate, should only help his case. — Matthew Fairburn

 

[Push Dr Tracksuit]

Apart from Kane's questionable physical status and woeful defensive game, the young Sabres don't need a 1st-ballot HoFer sucking all the oxygen out of the room while Tuch, Cozens, Dahlin, etc. are establishing themselves as team leaders.

What is this obsession with a small, contact-averse, purely offensive winger for a team that has zero problems scoring goals and plenty of problems preventing them?

Hometown boy doesn't cut it. I must be missing something.

Apart from Kane’s proven track record and being perhaps the greatest American born goal scorer ever, the Sabres could use an experienced cup winner pump up and helping the young guys grow into their roll and being able to give them solid experiential answers when it looks like the team is starting a slide. Nothing like pumping some calm and experience into a room full of young guys like tuch cozens Thompson and dahlin while they develop into leaders.

What’s this obsession with avoiding talented, creative, dynamic wingers on a team full of players that could apply those lessons to their own games?

On top of that he’s a hometown who understands how important this is to the fans. I’m not missing anything just having fun with meaningless improve.

 

[Mattilaus]

What’s this obsession with avoiding talented, creative, dynamic wingers on a team full of players that could apply those lessons to their own games?

The problem is a lot of people don't agree with you that he is dynamic anymore. If his play on the defensive side of the puck is as bad as it has been for the last little while then he isn't dynamic, he is just a one dimensional scoring winger. We don't need more goals.

People aren't saying we couldn't use a talented, creative, dynamic winger. They are disagreeing with you that Kane fits that criteria anymore.

 

[Tatanka]

Adding Kane, if healthy, would be the equivalent of adding another Jeff Skinner. Another goal scoring threat to be used elsewhere in the lineup, and no asset acquisition cost. Kane needs to prove he still has it if he wants to stay in the league so he shouldn’t be looking at term or AAV. No team is ever maxed out offensively. The highest scoring team can add more. It is the object of the endeavor. Score more than the other team. Whether he wants a complimentary role and is a fi is a whole different question.

 

[Rowley Birkin]

No interest in Kane here. He's not what we need. Not to mention, i simply don't see room for him on the roster...

 

[HaNotsri]

If Granato wants Kane and has a plan you add him. I'd say it should be a coach+Kane decision, not a GM one.

 

[elchud]

If we aren't going to use our cap space anybody else, Kane at 1yr 5 million simply isn't a bad thing. Just don't play him until he is healthy. Hell, do a Tampa and rest him until the playoffs.

 

[Nikolajs Sillers]

If we aren't going to use our cap space anybody else, Kane at 1yr 5 million simply isn't a bad thing. Just don't play him until he is healthy. Hell, do a Tampa and rest him until the playoffs.

Ha , we are not Tampa .NHL would come after Sabres.

 

[Rowley Birkin]

If we aren't going to use our cap space anybody else, Kane at 1yr 5 million simply isn't a bad thing. Just don't play him until he is healthy. Hell, do a Tampa and rest him until the playoffs.

I don't get the obsession some people have with using cap space, simply for the purpose of using it.

 

[old kummelweck]

Ha , we are not Tampa .NHL would come after Sabres.

Anyone that wants to use the rulebook like tampa is welcome to do it.

 

[elchud]

I don't get the obsession some people have with using cap space, simply for the purpose of using it.

Obsession? Nah. If team management feel comfortable with signing him, I'm good with it. I'm obsessed with keeping Rosen and Kulich in Rochester this year. So Kane helps that obsession. The cap is whatever.

 

[elchud]

Last year was the year to fill the cap for futures. This year, keeping a few million to take on a big contract at the deadline is wise. Kane ought not eat up the whole cap. If he wants more than 5, don't sign him