The 2024-2025 Roster Thread

[HaNotsri]

The truth is that Adams is going to fail to help the roster for so long that they have no choice to blow it up and rebuild again. Because this group’s time has been spent saving money, cutting corners, and complaining about how hard it is to do a job you were never qualified for.

At least they’ll get their excuse for not spending back. You know…the one people accepted like fools? That you aren’t spending money because you have top talent on ELCs…as if that made any f***ing sense. Those are called competitive windows…and Adams glued it shut.

They had Dahlin, Tage, Power and Cozens making less than Dahlin makes no COMBINED the year they missed by one point. And Adams spent the least in the league. Any time he tells you he has all the resources from ownership…remember that. And that he ran it back. And that he was still here anyway two years later.

I think you can add Mitts to that pile as well and they'd still be making less.

 

[WolfOfBroadStreet14]

Adam Larsson would’ve been the perfect fit for your team. Adams should’ve overpaid for him when he had the chance.

He’s sitting on his hands because he doesn’t want to overpay value wise. He shouldn’t be looking at value in a vacuum he should be looking at fits. Otherwise the streak will roll on.

 

[debaser66]

Here’s what’s going to happen

Quinn, Peterka and Levi get bridge deals. We don’t spend to the cap for another three years because we need to keep that money safe for their future extensions.

Byram is moved because you can’t pay 3 D that much.

Quinn is more on track for a QO than a bridge deal

 

[debaser66]

Did someone ask Adams at PC why he decided to composition the D as he did and if he even can afford Bryam without crippling the roster longterm?

 

[stokes84]

Just a reminder that Kevyn Adams paid Tage Thompson and Dylan Cozens the same amount of money.

 

[TageGod]

Just a reminder that Kevyn Adams paid Tage Thompson and Dylan Cozens the same amount of money.

7M isn't even a lot nowadays, it SHOULD have been a short-term deal.

 

[Fjordy]

Just a reminder that Kevyn Adams paid Tage Thompson and Dylan Cozens the same amount of money.

It's horrible. We can just look at Cozens' shooting percentage and it all becomes clear. Besides being a bad center, he's not a great in defensive, he's not a great playmaker, he's bad at PP, he's not a great shooter, no high IQ and not good at FO. He can just skate fast and make some hits. I think we could get a player like that for two or three times cheaper.

7M isn't even a lot nowadays, it SHOULD have been a short-term deal.

For a guy with his skills and stats? It's still a lot, especially when your top 6 is a complete mess and you need to fix your entire top 4 on defense.

 

[TageGod]

It's horrible. We can just look at Cozens' shooting percentage and it all becomes clear. Besides being a bad center, he's not a great in defensive, he's not a great playmaker, he's bad at PP, he's not a great shooter, no high IQ and not good at FO. He can just skate fast and make some hits. I think we could get a player like that for two or three times cheaper.


For a guy with his skills and stats? It's still a lot, especially when your top 6 is a complete mess and you need to fix your entire top 4 on defense.

Breakout season, or at least it looked like one. I didn't mind it at the time, so I am not going to complain that it looks bad this year.

 

[Jim Bob]

https://www.tsn.ca/nhl/video/the-smokehouse-mismanagement-has-sabres-poised-to-extend-playoff~3045247

The Smokehouse: Mismanagement has Sabres poised to extend playoff drought​

The Sabres haven't made the playoffs since 2011 and appear poised to extend that streak to 14 seasons after a rough stretch has them sitting second last in the East. TSN Director of Scouting Craig Button puts the Sabres in the Smokehouse to roast them for constantly trading away top talent that could have turned the team around.

 

[Fjordy]

Breakout season, or at least it looked like one. I didn't mind it at the time, so I am not going to complain that it looks bad this year.

There was more of a breakout stretch there, but his shooting percentage was too high, and last season and this season, it's all back to normal. You don't give a guy a contract just for a few really good months of games in a season.

 

[Jim Bob]

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5984952/2024/12/12/nhl-eastern-conference-playoffs-panic-meter/

Buffalo Sabres​

Record: 11-14-4

What’s gone wrong: The worst part about trainwreck franchises is they often give their fans just enough hope to buy in for a split second that maybe they’re finally turning a corner.

On Nov. 24, Sabres fans woke up to their team in a playoff spot, sitting in third place in the Atlantic division with an 11-9-1 record. Buffalo had won seven of its last 10 games and was riding a three-game winning streak, with star sniper Tage Thompson’s imminent return from injury expected to give the team another major boost.

But then the Sabres did what sad organizations always do: They smashed those good vibes into smithereens and fell into a familiar, deep pit of hopelessness. It’s not just that Buffalo has lost eight games in a row, it’s the soul-crushing fashion of these defeats that’s most agonizing.

Why are they still struggling to win games? Buffalo’s 14.1 percent power play ranks 30th in the NHL. Dylan Cozens, on pace for less than 40 points, and Jack Quinn, on pace for less than 20 points, have been colossal disappointments.

The Sabres boast plenty of puck-moving and offensive talent on the back end, but they’re missing a reliable, high-end defensive stopper.

Buffalo’s defensive metrics are below-average across the board and the club’s not getting enough saves when Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen needs a night off — Devon Levi and James Reimer have combined for just three wins in 10 games.

Outlook: The Sabres need to play at a near 100-point pace the rest of the way to hit 91 points, which was the mark that helped the Capitals win the final wild-card spot in the East last year. That’s a tall order not only because this roster is flawed but because years of losing have eroded this group’s culture and resilience.

What reason is there for fans to believe that this core can pull off an against-all-odds charge back into the playoffs instead of folding under the first sign of pressure like usual?

Zooming out, the Sabres have one of the best prospect pools in the NHL, which means brighter days should be ahead, but how many years has that been touted as the silver lining? When you’ve gone 13 straight seasons without a playoff berth, you stop believing that the light at the end of the tunnel is real, even though it might be.

Making the playoffs panic meter: 9.5/10

 

[Jim Bob]

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5988829/2024/12/12/lindy-ruff-benches-owen-power-jj-peterka-sabres-losing-streak/

At this point, what move would set the Sabres back? They’ve gone 13 seasons without the playoffs and are closer to last place in the NHL than they are to a playoff spot. Adams has said the reason he didn’t spend the roughly $7 million the Sabres have in cap space is because of the upcoming restricted free agents the team has next summer. One of those is Quinn, who has one goal this season and was a healthy scratch again Wednesday. Another is Peterka, who has one goal in his last 13 games and was benched in this game. Another is Devon Levi, who is back in the AHL after starting the season in the NHL.

 

[TehDoak]

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5988829/2024/12/12/lindy-ruff-benches-owen-power-jj-peterka-sabres-losing-streak/

I'm just glad to see everyone is on my level in terms of dislike of Adams now, even the media.

 

[ForsbergMoDo21]

I think you can add Mitts to that pile as well and they'd still be making less.

I'm just glad to see everyone is on my level in terms of dislike of Adams now, even the media.

Vindication is the sweetest drink there is.

 

[Sabresfansince1980]

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5988829/2024/12/12/lindy-ruff-benches-owen-power-jj-peterka-sabres-losing-streak/

Just another good example of how KA has come to conclusions about his roster well before it's possible (or he's able) to make those assessments.

 

[Jim Bob]

 

[stokes84]

Breakout season, or at least it looked like one. I didn't mind it at the time, so I am not going to complain that it looks bad this year.

It reminded me of the Drew Stafford “breakout” season at the time, and in hindsight, I was right. Nobody gets everything right, but there were flashing red lights that it was a mirage. If I could see it, how could the people who get paid a lot of money not see it? I know the answer, these guys suck at their jobs.

When a player is scoring a lot of flukey goals at a really high rate, but not driving play, you might want to be cautious about throwing the kitchen sink at them.

 

[Fjordy]

Positive