The 2024-2025 Roster Thread

[La Cosa Nostra]

Just imagine we traded guys like Quinn, Kulich, , this years 1st and some other highly hyped but zero production “top” prospects for Meier and Chychrun a few years back. The drought would have been over and we would be in a playoff spot comfortably but nah we can’t trade “top” prospects and “overpay” just for “only” a #3 dman and 60 point forward . It is hilarious that anyone related to the Sabre organization be it fan or employee who should give a flying f*** about “cap hell” in the future. I’d rather have that then living hell which is ALL this sad sack of shit franchise has given for the last 15 f***ing years. The sad thing is Tom Golisano is still alive at least under him we were cheap but still made the playoffs and if we went 5 years without he would have done something to stop it.

 

[Fjordy]

Yeah, I'm sick of this whole youth development. Get good, legit top 4 and top 6 players. Add legit 2C, because it's not Cozens or McLeod. Our defense is just a clown show, Johnson is on the top pairing when he wasn't even great in the AHL, Jokiharju and Bryson are regulars in the top 4, Power continues to play without a mentor, Byram can't play normally without Dahlin. They can't do anything without Dahlin. Almost every player should be available, but of course it shouldn't be the palm king, it should be an experienced guy who has been to the playoffs before and made a lot of hockey trades.

 

[Fjordy]

So... What was Freidman implying yesterday when he asked why do players play better when they leave Buffalo ?

That they tank it here to get out to the palm trees ? If so, that would be unethical if not criminal.

Better systems, coaches, organizations ?

???

I just read that teams are calling about Cozens.

 

[slip]

I just read that teams are calling about Cozens.

It’s called buying low, which is something this franchise has never done in spite of having ample roster and cap space over the years.

But selling low? That’s right in Adams’ wheelhouse.

 

[Fjordy]

It’s called buying low, which is something this franchise has never done in spite of having ample roster and cap space over the years.

But selling low? That’s right in Adams’ wheelhouse.

I honestly don't care, it depends on the deal, I'm tired of waiting for all this youngsters to develop, we can wait like this for a few more years. Go and get legit NHL players, and don't watch Cozens make another stupid mistake or Peterka can't stop a pass, etc. I won't even mention the defense, it needs to be rebuilt completely differently.

 

[slip]

I honestly don't care, it depends on the deal, I'm tired of waiting for all this youngsters to develop, we can wait like this for a few more years. Go and get legit NHL players, and don't watch Cozens make another stupid mistake or Peterka can't stop a pass, etc. I won't even mention the defense, it needs to be rebuilt completely differently.

Our defense is a joke without Dahlin.

And what move do you make when you’re swimming in undersized yet mobile LHDs? Ryan Johnson, come on down.

 

[Dubi Doo]

Just flush this team, management, and coaching down the toilet and start over building around a few guys (can't trade them all anyways). The stink runs too deep with these guys. Of course the catch is you have Pegula leading the search for a new GM. Who knows? Eventually he'll find his Beane/McD combo. No more hiring within, though. Do right, and do an intense GM search, and go from there.

 

[Fjordy]

Our defense is a joke without Dahlin.

And what move to you make when you’re swimming in undersized yet mobile LHDs? Ryan Johnson, come on down.

I don't understand why it's so hard to build a defense around Dahlin and one of Power/Byram. Just get two top 4 RDs, one of them can even be cheap and effective in a second pair like Marino/Kovacevic/Jensen/Fabbro. Just find such a player. We have different assets and deals are not always for one player, but with different parts.

 

[toddkaz]

I don't understand why it's so hard to build a defense around Dahlin and one of Power/Byram. Just get two top 4 RDs, one of them can even be cheap and effective in a second pair like Marino/Kovacevic/Jensen/Fabbro. Just find such a player. We have different assets and deals are not always for one player, but with different parts.

Joker and Bryson have been an eye sore for 2-3 years. Its extremely frustrating that Adams continues to let this shitshow happen. Its not that expensive to replace Bryson.

Imagine being a GM and ignoring this.

 

[slip]

I don't understand why it's so hard to build a defense around Dahlin and one of Power/Byram. Just get two top 4 RDs, one of them can even be cheap and effective in a second pair like Marino/Kovacevic/Jensen/Fabbro. Just find such a player. We have different assets and deals are not always for one player, but with different parts.

Fabbro seems like such a no-brainer in retrospect. Trade for him and waive Joker. Save a couple milley in cap space in the process. Does a player on waivers really care about tax brackets and palm trees?

 

[zenthusiast]

I think in a vacuum the best play here would be to tear it down and start fresh with a few guys left over but I don’t know that the franchise can survive that after the last decade and a half

 

[My Cozen Dylan]

I think in a vacuum the best play here would be to tear it down and start fresh with a few guys left over but I don’t know that the franchise can survive that after the last decade and a half

I think Thompson, Benson, Dahlin, one of Power/Byram, and UPL are the pieces you hold onto. Everything else should be on the table.

The next tier of players to keep for me would be McLeod and Peterka, but definitely moveable in the right deal.

 

[MagnumForce2]

Kosak back down to Rochester

 

[Jim Bob]

Just flush this team, management, and coaching down the toilet and start over building around a few guys (can't trade them all anyways). The stink runs too deep with these guys. Of course the catch is you have Pegula leading the search for a new GM. Who knows? Eventually he'll find his Beane/McD combo. No more hiring within, though. Do right, and do an intense GM search, and go from there.

That worked well when they moved on from the Eichel/Reinhart/Risto core...

 

[Fjordy]

Kosak back down to Rochester

But why?

That worked well when they moved on from the Eichel/Reinhart/Risto core...

They were trading for futures. Look for hockey trades, but I don't think tearing everything down is the first step you take.

 

[Dubi Doo]

That worked well when they moved on from the Eichel/Reinhart/Risto core...

The key here should be to keep the guys that have the ability to ascend to that level. I'm partial to Dahlin/ Tage/ Benson/ UPL and one of Power/Byram. Those are players that can reach another level in their game if put in the right environment. The rest should be on that table, and the next GM could do a lot of good if he uses those assets wisely. Retool is probably the right word.

There's no guarantee those players ever get to another level, though. Dahlin and Thompson are the epitome of what's wrong with this team; amazing skill but lack focus and the killer instinct to reach the next level in their development. I blame the carousel of coaches and GMs we've had that have built a shit environment for them to grow their games in. Still, those are the guys I would keep because they're so damn skilled, and I personally believe they're very driven players surrounded by shit.

 

[toddkaz]

Just flush this team, management, and coaching down the toilet and start over building around a few guys (can't trade them all anyways). The stink runs too deep with these guys. Of course the catch is you have Pegula leading the search for a new GM. Who knows? Eventually he'll find his Beane/McD combo. No more hiring within, though. Do right, and do an intense GM search, and go from there.

I don't think the team is that far off that Buffalo needs to start over.

The problem is Adams is ignoring the flaws and they are fixable with the assets we have.

I don't think Cozens, Quinn, Peterka is the problem. Buffalo scored 5 goals last night.

I think its the defense gets caved in over and over and Adams ignores the issue that needs to be fixed

 

[kirby11]

Kosak back down to Rochester

Hey Tyson, your reward for outplaying every other 4th line schmuck we signed to a 2 year deal for no reason is to get sent back down to Rochester...because accountability!

This franchise blows in every way possible

 

[Beerz]

I don't think the team is that far off that Buffalo needs to start over.

The problem is Adams is ignoring the flaws and they are fixable with the assets we have.

I don't think Cozens, Quinn, Peterka is the problem. Buffalo scored 5 goals last night.

I think its the defense gets caved in over and over and Adams ignores the issue that needs to be fixed

The defense was caved in because there is no offensive possession keeping it in the Red Wings zone.

We have no true centers to drive offensive ...maintain the puck.

 

[Fjordy]

The key here should be to keep the guys that have the ability to ascend to that level. I'm partial to Dahlin/ Tage/ Benson/ UPL and one of Power/Byram. Those are players that can reach another level in their game if put in the right environment. The rest should be on that table, and the next GM could do a lot of good if he uses those assets wisely. Retool is probably the right word.

There's no guarantee those players ever get to another level, though. Dahlin and Thompson are the epitome of what's wrong with this team; amazing skill but lack focus and the killer instinct to reach the next level in their development. I blame the carousel of coaches and GMs we've had that have built a shit environment for them to grow their games in. Still, those are the guys I would keep because they're so damn skilled, and I personally believe they're very driven players surrounded by shit.

Well I think Dahlin just needed a healthy back this season, even though he was our best defenseman and without him our defense is just laughable.

I actually agree that a shakeup or retool could make sense with this team. Keep the 3-5 key players you want to build around. Also you can keep guys like Zucker, McLeod, Greenway, Malenstyn, that doesn't mean they should be torn down. But we can't wait for Cozens, Peterka, Quinn to grow up, we can't play with that defense. Look for different hockey trades.

 

[kirby11]

I don't think the team is that far off that Buffalo needs to start over.

The problem is Adams is ignoring the flaws and they are fixable with the assets we have.

I don't think Cozens, Quinn, Peterka is the problem. Buffalo scored 5 goals last night.

I think its the defense gets caved in over and over and Adams ignores the issue that needs to be fixed

Quinn literally can't break into the lineup and hasn't beaten a goalie so far this season, Peterka's been ice cold for about a month, and Cozens looks like a 3rd line center, at best, who needs elite two-way wings to cover up his various shortcomings. They've all regressed significantly from where they were 2 years ago.

 

[toddkaz]

The defense was caved in because there is no offensive possession keeping it in the Red Wings zone.

We have no true centers to drive offensive ...maintain the puck.

Wait, so your saying Bryson, Joker and even Byrum who got caved in last night would be able to hold their ground and box out the defender if we had a center? Not realistic.

 

[TehDoak]

Just flush this team, management, and coaching down the toilet and start over building around a few guys (can't trade them all anyways). The stink runs too deep with these guys. Of course the catch is you have Pegula leading the search for a new GM. Who knows? Eventually he'll find his Beane/McD combo. No more hiring within, though. Do right, and do an intense GM search, and go from there.

I don't understand why it's so hard to build a defense around Dahlin and one of Power/Byram. Just get two top 4 RDs, one of them can even be cheap and effective in a second pair like Marino/Kovacevic/Jensen/Fabbro. Just find such a player. We have different assets and deals are not always for one player, but with different parts.

So, lets take a step back.

yes, the issue is on the ice. But...the real issue is management and ownership.

We can criticize Adams quite a bit, the one thing he has done is give us a good bank of prospects. Its not like we've emptied the clip to get to this point.

At this point, I'm not letting Adams do a thing other than moving UFAs. He's lost building privileges right now. I'm going out and finding someone to help me rebuild the front office.

From there you do an evaluation.

The big decisions this offseason are:

Samuelsson: 33% buyout window closes after this summer. Keep, trade, or buyout. Probably buyout at this point. Don't see a ton of trade value

Bryam: Bridge or Long term. Does he want to go elsewhere? Do we keep both him and Power?

Peterka: Bridge or long term

McLeod: Bridge of long term

Tuch: Extend or shop with the leaning towards a 4-5 year deal in the 7M range.

Cozens - I think you can explore a trade at this point with him, but I am only interested in moving him for a similar caliber player or as part for a package for a bigger name. NEXT Summer (2026) is when the 33% buyout window ends, so you have some time if you need to go with the nuclear option.

Quinn: Probably going one year deals at this point.

Easy Deals:

Levi - Easily a bridge, no real leverage.

Joker - Good bye

Greenway - I mean, maybe if he wants to go cheap. Likely gone at the deadline for picks.

Funny enough, the season isn't done yet despite the team epically shitting the bed. 3 points out of the playoffs with 50+ games isn't dead.

The turn around is going to have to be swift and immediate though. The team has never been able to sustain a quality level of play for more than a handful of games at a time. I don't know what the team HAS to do, only that I don't trust Adams to make a good decision either way.

 

[toddkaz]

Quinn literally can't break into the lineup and hasn't beaten a goalie so far this season, Peterka's been ice cold for about a month, and Cozens looks like a 3rd line center, at best, who needs elite two-way wings to cover up his various shortcomings. They've all regressed significantly from where they were 2 years ago.

They aren't the reason this team is losing. Buffalo has scored more goals than Toronto and Edmonton. People are mad at Quinn and Cozens but they aren't the reason why Buffalo is losing.

 

[Fjordy]

I don't think the team is that far off that Buffalo needs to start over.

The problem is Adams is ignoring the flaws and they are fixable with the assets we have.

I don't think Cozens, Quinn, Peterka is the problem. Buffalo scored 5 goals last night.

I think its the defense gets caved in over and over and Adams ignores the issue that needs to be fixed

Yesterday yes, and before that how many did they score? And okay, they just take up a spot in the lineup, are they great on defense or are they great on the forecheck or on the PK? Or maybe on the PP? Also no. We could just as easily have Jeff Skinner floating around the ice and it would make almost no difference.

I agree about defense, but attack is also a problem.


They scored two against Utah, and Kozak and Kulich did it. Now they're out of the lineup, I think. They couldn't score against the Wild, they couldn't score against the Islanders, they scored one against LA, two against Winnipeg.