The 2024-2025 Roster Thread

[joshjull]

I mean generally I agree with you but it's kind of a once in a lifetime opportunity and the reason he's been away from his family since a young age. I don't think that's lost on Lindy and I bet there's a few guys who would willingly sit down a game or two for him.

You’re thinking way too sentimentally and not logically. They’re were already getting rewarded when they were handed spots on the group going to Europe when camp opened. They got the spots because they're from Czechia. They’ll also play in a NHL exhibition game in Munich, which is roughly 4hrs from their respective home towns. For perspective, there are a lot of NHers who will never play a NHL game of any kind that close to their home town. That includes a lot of North Americans.

There is nothing unique about Kulich or Rousek’s journeys. If anything it was easier than most because of staying in Czechia as long as they did. They played mostly for teams roughly 1 or 2 hours away from their hometowns and league within a roughly 5hr drive. Which would allow their families to still be very involved in their lives if they wanted to. Kulich left at 18 and has only been away for 2yrs. Rousek left at 21/22yrs and has been gone only 3.

Now compare that to kids from NA or Europe playing in the WHL, USHL, etc. and the significantly greater distances traveled by comparison. Making it extremely difficult, if not impossible, for their families to be very involved. Many of those kids left to do this at age 15/16. Many will also likely be away from their families throughout juniors, the minors and their NHL careers (If they have one).

I’m honestly don’t get why you think they’re owed anything more than whats earned vs their teammates. They wouldn’t even be on the team if it wasn’t for this European trip. I find it hard to believe Ruff would play them over better players or that those better players would willingly give up their spots like its the movie Rudy. This is professional sports , not a Make a Wish. This team has a new coach looking to establish his new system, line deployments, etc. This trip disrupts that as it is. I don’t see Ruff further disrupting things for sentimental reasons.

 

[Jim Bob]

This is a business trip to win NHL regular season games.

This is not a family vacation.

 

[Push Dr Tracksuit]

This is a business trip to win NHL regular season games.

This is not a family vacation.

As much as you might want robots playing for you… they aren’t.

It’s like we forgot that the far more successful team in the city is built on family first.

Nylander also turned his euro trip into a family vacation and then had the best season of his career.

 

[Jim Bob]

As much as you might want robots playing for you… they aren’t.

It’s like we forgot that the far more successful team in the city is built on family first.

Nylander also turned his euro trip into a family vacation and then had the best season of his career.

I realize that they are human beings first and sports entertainers second.

But, this is not merely a preseason/exhibition trip. These games matter.

And on the Bills, they didn't dress Buffalo Joe for the home opener. They didn't give him a gameday jersey because it would be a nice story and make him and his family feel good. He had to wait until injuries opened up a spot on the gameday active roster.

This is a similar thing. The 27 guys making the trip were decided by their place in the organizational depth chart and not because of where they grew up. And that is the way serious NHL teams approach things.

 

[Matt Ress]

You’re thinking way too sentimentally and not logically. They’re were already getting rewarded when they were handed spots on the group going to Europe when camp opened. They got the spots because they're from Czechia. They’ll also play in a NHL exhibition game in Munich, which is roughly 4hrs from their respective home towns. For perspective, there are a lot of NHers who will never play a NHL game of any kind that close to their home town. That includes a lot of North Americans.

There is nothing unique about Kulich or Rousek’s journeys. If anything it was easier than most because of staying in Czechia as long as they did. They played mostly for teams roughly 1 or 2 hours away from their hometowns and league within a roughly 5hr drive. Which would allow their families to still be very involved in their lives if they wanted to. Kulich left at 18 and has only been away for 2yrs. Rousek left at 21/22yrs and has been gone only 3.

Now compare that to kids from NA or Europe playing in the WHL, USHL, etc. and the significantly greater distances traveled by comparison. Making it extremely difficult, if not impossible, for their families to be very involved. Many of those kids left to do this at age 15/16. Many will also likely be away from their families throughout juniors, the minors and their NHL careers (If they have one).

I’m honestly don’t get why you think they’re owed anything more than whats earned vs their teammates. They wouldn’t even be on the team if it wasn’t for this European trip. I find it hard to believe Ruff would play them over better players or that those better players would willingly give up their spots like its the movie Rudy. This is professional sports , not a Make a Wish. This team has a new coach looking to establish his new system, line deployments, etc. This trip disrupts that as it is. I don’t see Ruff further disrupting things for sentimental reasons.

I am thinking sentimentally here. Go tell a parent that you don't care if they don't see their kid for 9 months because parents in NA might have it tougher.

Do I think Kulich has been one of the top 12 forwards? No not significantly but I also don't think it's such a stretch that he'll bring down the team. Nonetheless, pretty far example from a child with a fatal disease (really dude?)

You want your team bonding right out of the gate? Do You want the fans on your side in a neutral site? Do you actually think a player would be bitter about sitting a game? Do you think these notions are lost on Lindy Ruff? You can call me sentimental but I think you're taking a shallow view on this.

And when they slot Kulich into the lineup, I'll be chuckling at how some posters will prop up his play, or point to some possible injury or laughably try to explain line construction to me. Call me out when I'm wrong because you already know I'll do the same.

 

[Djp]

It wouldn’t be shitty or tragic if they didn’t get to play in a NHL regular season game. I’d be surprised if they did barring injury or beating out others during camp to be in the starting 12. I’m sure they’ll both play in the exhibition game.

I wouldnt.

Rousek and Kulich are pretty much your 14th and 15th roster F.

Them going to europe is absolutely not a reach.

I dony know what roster rules they will have on who can play. Ot I'd therr paper waivers.

In one game you may have NAK/Kulich/reimer dress then next game they are replaced with Rousek/Greenway/Levi

 

[Doug Prishpreed]

I think this team will be top-5 in goals scored this year.

Playoffs, I don’t know, but we’re going to get back to the types of scoring we had as a team two seasons ago…but it will be much more spread out, so I’m not even counting on Tage, Tuch, and Cozens to get back to their highs in goals.

Having Krebs and Kulich as our 13th and 14th forwards means we can handle injuries too…the goals will still come if someone is hurt.

Team defense and goaltending are going to determine if playoffs are in the cards, and I don’t know about that, but I think we’re in a great spot with regards to goal scoring.

 

[WhereAreTheCookies]

I think this team will be top-5 in goals scored this year.

Playoffs, I don’t know, but we’re going to get back to the types of scoring we had as a team two seasons ago…but it will be much more spread out, so I’m not even counting on Tage, Tuch, and Cozens to get back to their highs in goals.

Having Krebs and Kulich as our 13th and 14th forwards means we can handle injuries too…the goals will still come if someone is hurt.

Team defense and goaltending are going to determine if playoffs are in the cards, and I don’t know about that, but I think we’re in a great spot with regards to goal scoring.

Fixing the powerplay would alleviate a lot of the scoring issues. Last year the Sabres were 13th in 5v5 scoring and had a +15 goal differential 5v5. Meanwhile on the PP they were 30th in the league and also allowed 10 shorthanded goals, which is atrocious. If they scored 18 - 20 more goals on the PP which would have put them middle of the pack they would have finished in the 9 - 12 range in goals scored.

 

[TehDoak]

I think this team will be top-5 in goals scored this year.

Playoffs, I don’t know, but we’re going to get back to the types of scoring we had as a team two seasons ago…but it will be much more spread out, so I’m not even counting on Tage, Tuch, and Cozens to get back to their highs in goals.

Having Krebs and Kulich as our 13th and 14th forwards means we can handle injuries too…the goals will still come if someone is hurt.

Team defense and goaltending are going to determine if playoffs are in the cards, and I don’t know about that, but I think we’re in a great spot with regards to goal scoring.

Fixing the powerplay would alleviate a lot of the scoring issues. Last year the Sabres were 13th in 5v5 scoring and had a +15 goal differential 5v5. Meanwhile on the PP they were 30th in the league and also allowed 10 shorthanded goals, which is atrocious. If they scored 18 - 20 more goals on the PP which would have put them middle of the pack they would have finished in the 9 - 12 range in goals scored.

I don't think so. We've re-made the forward group into two scoring lines and two checking lines. Teams that finish top of the league in scoring typically have 3 scoring lines. Our 3rd line has 3 guys who didn't break 40 pts last year.

Replacing Mittelstadt and Skinner. with Zucker and McLeod is going to lead to a drop in offense, even if its a net positive in net goals.

I'd more optimistic about the GAA going down than the offense going up.

 

[Doug Prishpreed]

I don't think so. We've re-made the forward group into two scoring lines and two checking lines. Teams that finish top of the league in scoring typically have 3 scoring lines. Our 3rd line has 3 guys who didn't break 40 pts last year.

Replacing Mittelstadt and Skinner. with Zucker and McLeod is going to lead to a drop in offense, even if its a net positive in net goals.

I'd more optimistic about the GAA going down than the offense going up.

I made the post because I thought it would be considered a hot take, so I don't expect most folks to agree. How many goals do you think they'll score?

40 points for the third line players is totally fine when they aren't getting PP time, and could still lead to the highest scoring team in the league, so I'm not worried there.

The difference between Mitts/Skinner and Zucker/Mcleod is only 12 goals -- when you consider the upgrade between Krebs and Lafferty as well, that goal differential is almost completely erased.

And then there's the upgrade from Johnson to Byram, which is also huge. Both Johnsons were awful and completely killed offense, while Byram might be among the best players on the team now.

There's also Sammy over Clague for half the season last year, which hampered offense.

And then there's also the fact that most players on the team had a down year offensively, largely because of injuries. Even if it wasn't the injuries -- several of them will likely get back closer to their average.

The average is about 250 goals per year, and top teams score around 300. When I took at what individual goal totals that would be reasonable for each player this year...being outside the top 10 would mean that many of our promising young players have totally shit the bed offensively, which I don't see happening.

 

[Push Dr Tracksuit]

I realize that they are human beings first and sports entertainers second.

But, this is not merely a preseason/exhibition trip. These games matter.

And on the Bills, they didn't dress Buffalo Joe for the home opener. They didn't give him a gameday jersey because it would be a nice story and make him and his family feel good. He had to wait until injuries opened up a spot on the gameday active roster.

This is a similar thing. The 27 guys making the trip were decided by their place in the organizational depth chart and not because of where they grew up. And that is the way serious NHL teams approach things.

The bills are significantly worse playing Buffalo joe than their starters.

The Sabres would get similar if not better play given the circumstances from playing Kulich or Rosen over greenway and krebs.

1 team is a superbowl contender the other team is the Sabres.

 

[WhereAreTheCookies]

I made the post because I thought it would be considered a hot take, so I don't expect most folks to agree. How many goals do you think they'll score?

40 points for the third line players is totally fine when they aren't getting PP time, and could still lead to the highest scoring team in the league, so I'm not worried there.

The difference between Mitts/Skinner and Zucker/Mcleod is only 12 goals -- when you consider the upgrade between Krebs and Lafferty as well, which you conveniently ignored, that goal differential is almost completely erased.

And then there's the upgrade from Johnson to Byram, which is also huge, and which you also failed to mention. Both Johnsons were awful and completely killed offense, while Byram might be among the best players on the team now.

There's also Sammy over Clague for half the season last year, which hampered offense.

And then there's also the fact that most players on the team had a down year offensively, largely because of injuries. Even if it wasn't the injuries -- several of them will likely get back closer to their average.

Why do you only mention the things that made the team worse offensively, but not the things that made them better?

The average is about 250 goals per year, and top teams score around 300. When I took at what individual goal totals that would be reasonable for each player this year...being outside the top 10 would mean that many of our promising young players have totally shit the bed offensively, which I don't see happening.

I would add that we should see some level of improvement from Benson year over year also, especially the way the kid was buzzing in the pre-season. I don't know if he'll fully "break out" but i also can't see him only producing 30 points again. I wouldn't be at all surprised to see him score 15 - 20 this year vs 11 last season.

 

[Faceboner]

I would add that we should see some level of improvement from Benson year over year also, especially the way the kid was buzzing in the pre-season. I don't know if he'll fully "break out" but i also can't see him only producing 30 points again. I wouldn't be at all surprised to see him score 15 - 20 this year vs 11 last season.

16+25 for 41

 

[Matt Ress]

Can we quantify playing style? How many more goals do you get by sending guys to the front of the net while spending less time in your own zone...

 

[Chainshot]

Can we quantify playing style? How many more goals do you get by sending guys to the front of the net while spending less time in your own zone...

Settled offensive play and cycle is going to be helpful in cutting down on shots and chances against. Hopefully it also cuts down on odd-man rushes against too. Those are three places they can still look to improve defensively.

 

[Doug Prishpreed]

I would add that we should see some level of improvement from Benson year over year also, especially the way the kid was buzzing in the pre-season. I don't know if he'll fully "break out" but i also can't see him only producing 30 points again. I wouldn't be at all surprised to see him score 15 - 20 this year vs 11 last season.

Yeah, I have him pegged somewhere between 15-20 too

 

[Dirty Dog]

So it seems from practice the initial pairings are Dahlin-joker, power-Byram, and Samuelsson-Clifton. Is that right?

I like the defensive physical pairing of samuelsson and Clifton. I like the offensive pairing of power and Byram. That all makes sense. Joker still seems like the clear spot we could upgrade and that there has to be a more ideal partner for the team’s best player. Though joker and Dahlin have played well before together…so we’ll see

 

[Faceboner]

So it seems from practice the initial pairings are Dahlin-joker, power-Byram, and Samuelsson-Clifton. Is that right?

I like the defensive physical pairing of samuelsson and Clifton. I like the offensive pairing of power and Byram. That all makes sense. Joker still seems like the clear spot we could upgrade and that there has to be a more ideal partner for the team’s best player. Though joker and Dahlin have played well before together…so we’ll see

Joker had his ups and downs with the Sabres but when he is going he seems to be a quiet, yet greatly effective player who has shown decent ability he is just entering the age where d-men really take off in that 26-27 age if he can log the minutes keep up with dahlin and play his game that's a good top pairing

 

[Dingo44]

Joker had his ups and downs with the Sabres but when he is going he seems to be a quiet, yet greatly effective player who has shown decent ability he is just entering the age where d-men really take off in that 26-27 age if he can log the minutes keep up with dahlin and play his game that's a good top pairing

Ruff seems to really like him. We may see the best version of Joki this season.

 

[Dirty Dog]

Joker had his ups and downs with the Sabres but when he is going he seems to be a quiet, yet greatly effective player who has shown decent ability he is just entering the age where d-men really take off in that 26-27 age if he can log the minutes keep up with dahlin and play his game that's a good top pairing

Yeah the quiet, defensively responsible game is all you gotta be with Dahlin.

I like these pairs mainly for the reason that there is a vision, just like the forwards. Enough of the mishmash roster assembly.

 

[Faceboner]

Yeah the quiet, defensively responsible game is all you gotta be with Dahlin.

I like these patients mainly for the reason that there is a vision, just like the forwards. Enough of the mishmash roster assembly.

Weird thing is I'm ok with that pair but I do like him on the right-side a little better but if those are the pairs that dominate possession for our team and puts up wins I'm all good with it.

 

[munkyhead8]

I think the defensive play / structure is where we see the growth. They had the same number of regulation wins as the Leafs last year, and more than the Caps and Islanders. I hate the loser point, but rules are rules. If they can stay in games, it will go a long way.

 

[Dubi Doo]

I like the defensive physical pairing of samuelsson and Clifton. I like the offensive pairing of power and Byram. That all makes sense. Joker still seems like the clear spot we could upgrade and that there has to be a more ideal partner for the team’s best player. Though joker and Dahlin have played well before together…so we’ll see

Power-Byram has me a bit worried, tbh. Let's hope Byram can play his offside, and both of them have grown defensively. Ruff will certainly help in that regard.

 

[TageGod]

Power-Byram has me a bit worried, tbh. Let's hope Byram can play his offside, and both of them have grown defensively. Ruff will certainly help in that regard.

Power Byram is probably the best breakout Duo to ever grace our eyes. Power was #1 in the league at successful breakout passes.

 

[Fjordy]

Power Byram is probably the best breakout Duo to ever grace our eyes. Power was #1 in the league at successful breakout passes.

That's not the problem, we don't know if they'll be good at defense and if they'll be broken physically.