The 2024-2025 Roster Thread

[Panthaz89]

Adams talked about being open for business at the recent league meetings. And he was about the only GM that was being open about wanting to make moves.

I would not be surprised at all if Adams were making calls and other GMs were like, "It's too soon to sell off [player X]. But, we can keep in touch in case things go south over the next month."


Dahlin has been a slow starter for most of his career. Who knows why that is. But, it sure seems like a trend.

I would not call Dahlin a slow starter...it was just a couple years ago when he had an insane goal streak to start off the season.

 

[SharkInABoloTie]

That could go a lot of ways. They could use someone who is a strong net-front guy who can make a living in the low slot and around the net. They could use someone who has better handles for their first PP unit (though there might be 2 on PP2 but one is struggling and the other is only 19). They could use more physicality in their middle six.

I have a name of a player in mind who is on a reasonable contract who is on the downside of his career whose team is faltering who I think would be a possible target for a lot of teams and Buffalo could be one of them since it would allow them to shift Cozens to wing. But his team has to finish falling apart - if they don't really plunge, I don't see them making him available. In the meantime, they might kick the tires on someone else (like Granlund from the Sharks) but there are likely a couple options out there. Gourde is another one - he was down to choosing between Tampa and Buffalo when he signed as a UDFA so it's not like he hasn't had some contact with the organization before.

Lol. I was thinking Crosby. Who says no?

 

[Chainshot]

Lol. I was thinking Crosby. Who says no?

Sid.

 

[zenthusiast]

Sid.

Not at all, he wouldn’t have to say it through the laughter

 

[Fezzy126]

Sorry but I need push back on "Dahlin being a slow starter most of his career". Looks to me like he's had 3 amazing starts, 2 average #1 dman starts and 2 slow starts. And the two slow starts were his 1st and 3rd seasons. I think he's been struggling to finish strong more than start strong.

Is 6 points in the first 10 games this season really considered a slow start? Only ~35 D-men maintain a 0.5ppg pace throughout any given season. I'd argue this is an average #1 dman start.

9 points in the first 9 games to start last season, with an 8 game point streak began on game 2. By Feb/March he had faded hard.

The season before that he had goals in each of the first 5 games and 12 points in the first 9 games. He faded hard by Feb, and then got injured and faded even worse in March.

2021-2022: he started at 0.5 ppg pace through the first month. Average #1 dman kind of start.

2020-21: A true slow start, going pointless in his first 6 games. But he had an even slower finish, going pointless in his final 7 games.

2019-2020: started with a 4 game point streak. 7 points in the first 4 games. 10 in the first 10. Amazing start. Slow finish with 3 points in the final 8 games.

2018-2019: Slow start.

Interesting topic, I find myself thinking similarly to @Jim Bob, so I went back and looked at the advanced numbers from Rasmus' game log:

• 18-19 - Rookie year, don't care
• 19-20 - Kreuger year #1, I don't hold Rasmus' play against him during the Krueger years, but his expected goal chart per game screams slow start:

• 20-21 - Krueger tire fire year and stupid Covid year. The whole year was more down than up (we all thought he was broken)
• 21-22 - 10 of his first 14 games were below 50% xGF%
• 22-23 - He was awesome
• 23-24 - Start was fine, but he was inconsistent all year

I think he started slow this year after the preseason injury (understandably), but he's gotten better every day. My main issues this season have been:

• Stupid penalties
• Average PPQB play
• Periods of lackadaisical/lazy play
• Seriously unclutch performance at the end of games

Perhaps I should stop noting about his slow starts and just simply say that we need better out of him.

 

[Fjordy]

Interesting topic, I find myself thinking similarly to @Jim Bob, so I went back and looked at the advanced numbers from Rasmus' game log:

• 18-19 - Rookie year, don't care
• 19-20 - Kreuger year #1, I don't hold Rasmus' play against him during the Krueger years, but his expected goal chart per game screams slow start:

View attachment 934106

• 20-21 - Krueger tire fire year and stupid Covid year. The whole year was more down than up (we all thought he was broken)
• 21-22 - 10 of his first 14 games were below 50% xGF%
• 22-23 - He was awesome
• 23-24 - Start was fine, but he was inconsistent all year

I think he started slow this year after the preseason injury (understandably), but he's gotten better every day. My main issues this season have been:

• Stupid penalties
• Average PPQB play
• Periods of lackadaisical/lazy play
• Seriously unclutch performance at the end of games

Perhaps I should stop noting about his slow starts and just simply say that we need better out of him.

Some of his numbers look even better than in the 22-23 season.

 

[SabresFanNorthPortFL]

My last comment on this…

If you’ve actually paid attention to the team the last five years, you should 100% know that this last offseason was the first time KA was allowed to do pretty much anything. If you’ve followed the Sabres, you know that’s a fact.

So what he did this offseason was at least a solid B+.

Now, if you wanna talk about him being a yes man, and he should go because of that, another discussion.

What he did this offseason moving on from a bunch of players, and who he brought in, that’s a pretty good offseason. If he say brought in Murphy for Joker, it would’ve been an A.

Btw, F for in season not immediately sending Levi to Rochester when we got back from Europe.

The team is heading in the right direction. Hard to bring in top line talent when we’re counting on our youngins to be those top line players.

 

[toddkaz]

You've moved the goalposts so far they're in a different timezone lol

I haven't moved anything.
You said thank god we are not Detroit did you not?
I said Buffalo is not in any better shape
You said but at least we don't have bad contracts like Detroit
I said I get it, its bad here but it could be worse like Detroit but at least they won 11 Stanley cups.
(We are paying for Skinner, Cozens, Power, Sammy = 20% of the cap)

Is that about right? What did I move? What are you even talking about? Time zones...smh

 

[MOGlLNY]

Dahls issues this year as they were in 22-23 are his hothead dummy moments. He can't be doing that anymore with the C on his chest.

This isn't a team that can afford to have him off the ice in clutch moments, I hope Lindy is drilling it into him. If we were the Bruins (before this season) and he was acting out sometimes, whatever, we can overcome it. But this team cannot.

 

[Tijuana Donkey Show]

Haha, no.




Close.

Right team, wrong center.


Exactly.



It's the shit it would start with fans. But a 2C who would push Cozens to wing to figure himself out? Yeah.

I don’t want to say that I have given up on Cozens because I haven’t.

But he either has to figure it out as 2C or he has to push Tuch down to the second line if we move him to the wing.

$7.5M is top flight money on the wing. He doesn’t just need to be better on the outside, he has to be great to justify his cost.

I said it when the trade happened but I would have been much happier with Cozens for Byram. If a team is excited about his future ceiling/value and we can get some immediate vet help in the top 6 and maybe a RHD prospect if very seriously consider pulling the trigger.

 

[Fjordy]

Dahls issues this year as they were in 22-23 are his hothead dummy moments. He can't be doing that anymore with the C on his chest.

This isn't a team that can afford to have him off the ice in clutch moments, I hope Lindy is drilling it into him. If we were the Bruins (before this season) and he was acting out sometimes, whatever, we can overcome it. But this team cannot.

I think he will be fine, especially since it seems like this doesn't happen that often anymore.

 

[Fjordy]

I don’t want to say that I have given up on Cozens because I haven’t.

But he either has to figure it out as 2C or he has to push Tuch down to the second line if we move him to the wing.

$7.5M is top flight money on the wing. He doesn’t just need to be better on the outside, he has to be great to justify his cost.

I said it when the trade happened but I would have been much happier with Cozens for Byram. If a team is excited about his future ceiling/value and we can get some immediate vet help in the top 6 and maybe a RHD prospect if very seriously consider pulling the trigger.

I would trade Cozens+ for a better, proven center, someone like Pettersson or Barzal, but those guys are rarely available. Maybe some 1-on-1 deal for a similar age player, but that's a bigger risk. We also haven't seen Cozens on the wing, although Ruff could very well try it when Thompson returns.

 

[toddkaz]

I would trade Cozens+ for a better, proven center, someone like Pettersson or Barzal, but those guys are rarely available. Maybe some 1-on-1 deal for a similar age player, but that's a bigger risk. We also haven't seen Cozens on the wing, although Ruff could very well try it when Thompson returns.

Barzal would be great and he is still a young 27. Even though there are some eager Islanders fans wanting to trade him I don't see Islanders doing it.

 

[jc17]

I haven't moved anything.
You said thank god we are not Detroit did you not?
I said Buffalo is not in any better shape
You said but at least we don't have bad contracts like Detroit
I said I get it, its bad here but it could be worse like Detroit but at least they won 11 Stanley cups.
(We are paying for Skinner, Cozens, Power, Sammy = 20% of the cap)

Is that about right? What did I move? What are you even talking about? Time zones...smh

What the heck do Stanley cups decades ago have to do with the current roster construction?

 

[toddkaz]

What the heck do Stanley cups decades ago have to do with the current roster construction?

Wait, thats what you are uspet about? Because I mentioned their Stanley Cups? Well for one it definitely softens the blow but I am guessing you are a sabres fan and a bills fan so you don't know how that feels to win.

They won a bunch of cups but now suck coming out of that era boo hoo. Now do Buffalo, year 14 of no playoffs and you want to compare? lol.


Also what does their Cups have to do with anything? Its a competent organization that can get back to the playoffs before Buffalo ever will. Thats what Cups have to do with it.

 

[jc17]

Wait, thats what you are uspet about? Because I mentioned their Stanley Cups? Well for one it definitely softens the blow but I am guessing you are a sabres fan and a bills fan so you don't know how that feels to win.

They won a bunch of cups but now suck coming out of that era boo hoo. Now do Buffalo, year 14 of no playoffs and you want to compare? lol.

This really should not be difficult to comprehend lol

• Detroit has roster inflexibility (too many syllables?) because they jumped at mediocre players for the sake of "getting a top 6 guy".
• Adams has moved more slowly, but recently added players that actually contribute and has the flexibility to continue doing so.
• Your feelings about stanley cups don't affect any of this

 

[toddkaz]

This really should not be difficult to comprehend lol

• Detroit has roster inflexibility (too many syllables?) because they jumped at mediocre players for the sake of "getting a top 6 guy".
• Adams has moved more slowly, but recently added players that actually contribute and has the flexibility to continue doing so.
• Your feelings about stanley cups don't affect any of this

No it should not be difficult.


Veleno's contract is one that is mentioned and its only 2 years at 2.275 a year.
Tyler Motte makes 800k for 1 year and is a free agent next year
Petry is a free agent after this year
Ben Charriot only has 1 year after this one

Have you seen Skinner's buyout?
Paying Sammy to sit in the press box injured for the next 6 years?
Cozens making 7.1 million for 10 goals

How much will Bo Byram get next year? We gonna pay 3 defenseman 25 million a season?

Byram
Dahlin
Power
Sammy

Thats gonna be 30+ million on 4 guys. On top of that our defense is not good.

Lets throw Cozens into the mix

37 million for Cozens, Byram, Dahlin, Power and Samuelsson. Thats about 40% of the cap.

Ooops I left out Skinner for next year...lets see Skinner is $4,444,444 next year so now we are sitting at around 42 million. Paying Skinner to just not be on the team. Oh and after next year Skinner goes to $6,444,444 million.

So you are comparing That to a bunch of guys on Detroit who will be free agents this year or next year.

We will leave out the fact that players will actually go play in Detroit where Buffalo has to pay a premium to get people to come here.

No goal posts moved. Both teams suck right now but I would rather be the team that won 11 Stanley Cups.


EDIT: I also left out that we arent even sure if Pegula is willing to spend to max out the cap. Has hasn't this year. Where I am sure IIlitch would