The 2024-2025 Roster Thread

[toddkaz]

why do I get the feeling Adams wont do anything at the deadline, wont get fired and punt to the draft complain no one wants to trade with him.

And the roster is nearly set for next year.

 

[SundherDome]

why do I get the feeling Adams wont do anything at the deadline, wont get fired and punt to the draft complain no one wants to trade with him.

And the roster is nearly set for next year.

We need to figure out what Adams contract is. It is either ending this year or next year (would make sense with Lindy signing a two year deal).

 

[Fjordy]

why do I get the feeling Adams wont do anything at the deadline, wont get fired and punt to the draft complain no one wants to trade with him.

And the roster is nearly set for next year.

If no one wants to trade with him, then he's obviously the problem. So the sooner he's fired, the better.

We need to figure out what Adams contract is. It is either ending this year or next year (would make sense with Lindy signing a two year deal).

I'm actually surprised that it's just not known what kind of contract the GM has. Adams signed extension in September 2022 for several years, but what does that mean? It's not two years, or it would be up by now, three or four years? Adams shouldn't be on the team next season if they want to have any hope of getting anything.

 

[Irie]

I just watched Sens vs. Devils game. I just don't understand how hard it is to build a defense like those teams, balanced, two lefties and two righties in the top 4. Why do we constantly have to suffer, with four lefties in the top 4, three PMDs, which to me look like a luxury and a more valuable asset in a trade. Adams just let RDs go one after another this summer and three more in November-December. There is something to be disappointed about here.

I can say about the attack the same thing, when you throw kids into playing with each other for all these years, when other teams first add good vets and play kids with them so that they develop properly, and not like us.

I think you are too worried about handedness on D. It does not really matter if guys are right or left handed shots, just that they play well on a side and that the coaching staff utilizes them on that side.

Remember the defensive juggernaut that was the Stanley cup champion New Jersey devils?
Scott Stevens -LHD
Scott Niedermayer -LHD
Bruce Driver -LHD
Ken Daneyko -LHD
Shawn Chambers -LHD
Tommy Albelin -LHD

An outstanding D core, who had all LHD, but just had several guys that played very well on their offhand side.

It isn't that this team necessarily needs to balance the handedness of the D core so much as the coaching staff needs to get a clue and properly evaluate who plays well on what side, which they don't seem to be capable of doing from the looks of things.

If I am coach, I would be looking at the D core and thinking guys that are comfortable playing the rightside - Dahlin, Clifton, Samuelsson, Jokiharju. I don't see any reason why Byram should be playing on the right side, and that is more a coaching issue than a personnel issue imo.

As for the veteran mentor thing, yeah, I totally agree and have been saying the same thing since Risto was the teams #1 D.

 

[Fjordy]

I think you are too worried about handedness on D. It does not really matter if guys are right or left handed shots, just that they play well on a side and that the coaching staff utilizes them on that side.

Remember the defensive juggernaut that was the Stanley cup champion New Jersey devils?
Scott Stevens -LHD
Scott Niedermayer -LHD
Bruce Driver -LHD
Ken Daneyko -LHD
Shawn Chambers -LHD
Tommy Albelin -LHD

An outstanding D core, who had all LHD, but just had several guys that played very well on their offhand side.

It isn't that this team necessarily needs to balance the handedness of the D core so much as the coaching staff needs to get a clue and properly evaluate who plays well on what side, which they don't seem to be capable of doing from the looks of things.

If I am coach, I would be looking at the D core and thinking guys that are comfortable playing the rightside - Dahlin, Clifton, Samuelsson, Jokiharju. I don't see any reason why Byram should be playing on the right side, and that is more a coaching issue than a personnel issue imo.

As for the veteran mentor thing, yeah, I totally agree and have been saying the same thing since Risto was the teams #1 D.

It's rare, but I think it's important and other teams probably do too. You can say it doesn't matter, but no team in the league has four left-handed defensemen in their top 4, I checked. So it might matter. Ruff even said that he needs right-handed players in the top 4, he doesn't like it when players play on the wrong side.

Of course, if Dahlin is really comfortable playing on the RD, it makes sense, but it doesn't affect my perception of our shitty defense. I would then prefer to see a hypothetical Gavrikov or a similar player in a pair with Dahlin 10 times out of 10 than Byram. And I would prefer the similar player to pair with Power. We lack quality and experienced defensemen who know how to play defense, know how to play PK and have already played in defensive systems and generally know what defense is.

There is no point in spending 8 million on two PMDs and another 11 million on Dahlin. It's better to balance the defense with the right players. I have this opinion.

 

[Ygo88]

Buffalo is firmly in last place in the division. Detroit (in 7th place) is 7pts ahead. Montreal is 9pts ahead. Ottawa is 11 pts. ahead (and currently in front of Boston too).

In fact, there are only 3 teams in the entire NHL with less wins than Buffalo. The Sabres are currently tied with Nashville (39 pts) for 3rd last place in the NHL. Only Chicago and San Jose have less points than the Sabres.

It is another LHD ranked #1 year... They are getting ready to load up!

 

[Dubi Doo]

I advise all you Sabres fans to ignore the Sabres for the next 3 weeks, and put all your fandom into the Bills. We need you guys saying your prayers before bed, and incorporating a Bills W into those prayers. Every. Damn. Night. The football gods are listening. Screw giving your good juju to a trash team like the Sabres. Bring that juju to a team worthy of it.

 

[SundherDome]

If no one wants to trade with him, then he's obviously the problem. So the sooner he's fired, the better.

I'm actually surprised that it's just not known what kind of contract the GM has. Adams signed extension in September 2022 for several years, but what does that mean? It's not two years, or it would be up by now, three or four years? Adams shouldn't be on the team next season if they want to have any hope of getting anything.

I'm assuming he was under contract for 22/23 as he signed the deal during training camp. He would be in year two now but I am curious if they tied Lindy to him with the two year deal meaning Adams has one more year after this.

 

[Fjordy]

I'm assuming he was under contract for 22/23 as he signed the deal during training camp. He would be in year two now but I am curious if they tied Lindy to him with the two year deal meaning Adams has one more year after this.

I have no idea. If Terry wants, he can give him any contract he wants. It was extended for several years, but how to decipher it is unclear.

 

[Ehran]

Uhh... there is a game today? And it is starting like... now?

How did I not remember?

 

[slip]

why do I get the feeling Adams wont do anything at the deadline, wont get fired and punt to the draft complain no one wants to trade with him.

And the roster is nearly set for next year.

Just saying, if Bills win it all Pegula could hire a bum off the street to run the Sabres and nobody in media/ Buffalo will care because he’ll get a lifetime pass.

I’m indifferent to the NFL and I wish Buffalo fans the best but we may still be in the early innings of this historic collapse.

 

[toddkaz]

I have been complaining about the defense for months.

Still got Jacob Bryson in the line up. He is not an NHL defenseman

 

[Fjordy]

I have been complaining about the defense for months.

Still got Jacob Bryson in the line up. He is not an NHL defenseman

Our defense sucks and it's not just Bryson, although it definitely shouldn't be in the lineup. I would trade half of our defensemen and not renew all of these UFAs on defense.

 

[slip]

“But my anal-lytics department told me if we acquire the fastest 1% of guys for our bottom six we’d be harder to play against”

Meanwhile the franchise that spearheaded the anal-lytics revolution has collapsed and folded.

Give me another John Muckler over a cabal of math nerds every f***ing day of the week.

I don’t think for one moment the endless stream of players shuffling in and out of Buffalo under Adam’s tenure didn’t have some statistical quality that impressed Karamos and the number crunching tools beneath him, the ability to play hockey and compliment the existing roster be damned.

 

[truthbluth]

“But my anal-lytics department told me if we acquire the fastest 1% of guys for our bottom six we’d be harder to play against”

Meanwhile the franchise that spearheaded the anal-lytics revolution has collapsed and folded.

Give me another John Muckler over a cabal of math nerds every f***ing day of the week.

I don’t think for one moment the endless stream of players shuffling in and out of Buffalo under Adam’s tenure didn’t have some statistical quality that impressed Karamos and the number crunching tools beneath him, the ability to play hockey and compliment the existing roster be damned.

What are you on about? Which analytics team collapsed and folded? Why haven't other teams that use analytics, i.e. all of them, collapsed? Statistical analysis is just knowledge. How you use it is a reflection of your overall team building acumen, which Kev lacks.

The Carolina Hurricanes, a model NHL franchise at this point, are run by Eric Tulsky. If you don't know his story, 13 years ago he was a PHD student who managed a Philadelphia Flyers fan blog from an analytics perspective. Worked his way up in the Canes org as a data scientist, then head of analytics, then head of hockey strategy, assistant GM, and now GM. That math nerd is doing just fine.

 

[Fjordy]

Analytics are not bad, it's just not enough to look at the fastest players in the league and add them in to make it work, you need a lot of other things. And we just don't have that things.

 

[slip]

What are you on about? Which analytics team collapsed and folded? Why haven't other teams that use analytics, i.e. all of them, collapsed? Statistical analysis is just knowledge. How you use it is a reflection of your overall team building acumen, which Kev lacks.

The Carolina Hurricanes, a model NHL franchise at this point, are run by Eric Tulsky. If you don't know his story, 13 years ago he was a PHD student who managed a Philadelphia Flyers fan blog from an analytics perspective. Worked his way up in the Canes org as a data scientist, then head of analytics, then head of hockey strategy, assistant GM, and now GM. That math nerd is doing just fine.

The entire discipline of sports anal-lytics is the definition of fooled by randomness -- thinking one finds patters and causality in reality where in fact none exists.

What I'm saying is anal-lytics is a sham discipline -- the astrology of the sports world -- and practically useless for building a quality hockey team. In the case of Buffalo, the math nerds under Karmanos have made us worse, not better. Clowns with computers.

The folding franchise in question is the Oakland A's, who never won a championship under Beane and are now leaving the Bay area for greener pastures in the Las Vegas desert. The fact that one anal-lytics based hockey team hasn't completely blown up is what we call survivorship bias and not really informational as to the usefulness of the enterprise.

In the case of Buffalo, the reliance on these statistical charlatans is painfully obvious. "You're not seeing what we're seeing" says the GM who is buried in numbers and charts rather than focused on the losing product easily observable to the rest of us. Zero intuition, zero common sense when it comes to roster construction.

 

[Ygo88]

“But my anal-lytics department told me if we acquire the fastest 1% of guys for our bottom six we’d be harder to play against”

Meanwhile the franchise that spearheaded the anal-lytics revolution has collapsed and folded.

Give me another John Muckler over a cabal of math nerds every f***ing day of the week.

I don’t think for one moment the endless stream of players shuffling in and out of Buffalo under Adam’s tenure didn’t have some statistical quality that impressed Karamos and the number crunching tools beneath him, the ability to play hockey and compliment the existing roster be damned.

 

[Ygo88]

The entire discipline of sports anal-lytics is the definition of fooled by randomness -- thinking one finds patters and causality in reality where in fact none exists.

What I'm saying is anal-lytics is a sham discipline -- the astrology of the sports world -- and practically useless for building a quality hockey team. In the case of Buffalo, the math nerds under Karmanos have made us worse, not better. Clowns with computers.

The folding franchise in question is the Oakland A's, who never won a championship under Beane and are now leaving the Bay area for greener pastures in the Las Vegas desert. The fact that one anal-lytics based hockey team hasn't completely blown up is what we call survivorship bias and not really informational as to the usefulness of the enterprise.

In the case of Buffalo, the reliance on these statistical charlatans is painfully obvious. "You're not seeing what we're seeing" says the GM who is buried in numbers and charts rather than focused on the losing product easily observable to the rest of us. Zero intuition, zero common sense when it comes to roster construction.

Ohhhh... you mean these Oakland A's???? The team that averages a spend of less than 50% of the league average payroll over the past 10 years. 2002 is the "Moneyball" season... they were way under league average, and way way under the big spenders and had the BEST record in baseball. Analytics actually did work. And then, everyone invested in analytics and it is no longer a competitive advantage. That happens... every team has analytics staff.

 

[HogtownSabresfan]

We need to figure out what Adams contract is. It is either ending this year or next year (would make sense with Lindy signing a two year deal).

They took over the remainder of Ruff's deal from the Devils, who are paying half the salary. This and selling tickets is why Lindy was signed. The Buffalo News may refuse to cover it but the instigators covered it well. Local media also accepted as fact that is was normal for Ruff never to hire one coach. Late in the game, people Paul Hamilton and ridiculous Mike Harrington claimed that was an issue.
Pegula doesn't spend money and there is strong possibility Ruff is back solely because Pegula is now on the hook for half his salary in 2025-26

 

[slip]

Ohhhh... you mean these Oakland A's???? The team that averages a spend of less than 50% of the league average payroll over the past 10 years. 2002 is the "Moneyball" season... they were way under league average, and way way under the big spenders and had the BEST record in baseball. Analytics actually did work. And then, everyone invested in analytics and it is no longer a competitive advantage. That happens... every team has analytics staff.

View attachment 964634

And my astrologist correctly predicted the last recession.

 

[truthbluth]

The entire discipline of sports anal-lytics is the definition of fooled by randomness -- thinking one finds patters and causality in reality where in fact none exists.

What I'm saying is anal-lytics is a sham discipline -- the astrology of the sports world -- and practically useless for building a quality hockey team. In the case of Buffalo, the math nerds under Karmanos have made us worse, not better. Clowns with computers.

The folding franchise in question is the Oakland A's, who never won a championship under Beane and are now leaving the Bay area for greener pastures in the Las Vegas desert. The fact that one anal-lytics based hockey team hasn't completely blown up is what we call survivorship bias and not really informational as to the usefulness of the enterprise.

In the case of Buffalo, the reliance on these statistical charlatans is painfully obvious. "You're not seeing what we're seeing" says the GM who is buried in numbers and charts rather than focused on the losing product easily observable to the rest of us. Zero intuition, zero common sense when it comes to roster construction.

You are so close. The last sentence is the only one that matters. The Sabres don't use analytics more than most NHL teams. The problem is the last sentence. Your logic is
The Sabres employ a bunch of statisticians
and
The Sabres are bad
therefore
employing a bunch of statisticians makes you bad

A conclusion easily foiled by teams who use it well.

A better use of logic would be
The Sabres are bad
and
Kevyn Adams is the least qualified person to run an NHL team since Garth Snow (who also was atrocious).
Thereofore
Having a highly unqualified person run an NHL franchise will make them bad.

Easy peazy.

Where you're maybe close is the Sabres thinking that hiring a bunch of analytics staff will give them a competitive advantage when that is now just keeping pace. Every team has them.

The Sabres did, in fact, need to get faster. It was obvious last season that they weren't fast enough. That wasn't a wrong conclusion. The Sabres needs speed, jam and defensive acumen. That was correct, but he didn't do enough to change over a roster that wasn't good enough.

 

[sabresnyper]

You are so close. The last sentence is the only one that matters. The Sabres don't use analytics more than most NHL teams. The problem is the last sentence. Your logic is
The Sabres employ a bunch of statisticians
and
The Sabres are bad
therefore
employing a bunch of statisticians makes you bad

A conclusion easily foiled by teams who use it well.

A better use of logic would be
The Sabres are bad
and
Kevyn Adams is the least qualified person to run an NHL team since Garth Snow (who also was atrocious).
Thereofore
Having a highly unqualified person run an NHL franchise will make them bad.

Easy peazy.

Where you're maybe close is the Sabres thinking that hiring a bunch of analytics staff will give them a competitive advantage when that is now just keeping pace. Every team has them.

The Sabres did, in fact, need to get faster. It was obvious last season that they weren't fast enough. That wasn't a wrong conclusion. The Sabres needs speed, jam and defensive acumen. That was correct, but he didn't do enough to change over a roster that wasn't good enough.

Accurate. Kevyn is negligent. Period.

 

[Fjordy]

Analytics is very important, any good NHL GM will tell you that, but that doesn't mean you should obsess over it, sometimes you have to go against it if you're not sure about something. You also shouldn't rely entirely on analytics because there are different factors that matter, what kind of player he is, chemistry, character, etc. Analytics makes it a lot easier these days to build a good team and get the right players.

 

[BFLO]

The entire discipline of sports anal-lytics is the definition of fooled by randomness -- thinking one finds patters and causality in reality where in fact none exists.

What I'm saying is anal-lytics is a sham discipline -- the astrology of the sports world -- and practically useless for building a quality hockey team. In the case of Buffalo, the math nerds under Karmanos have made us worse, not better. Clowns with computers.

The folding franchise in question is the Oakland A's, who never won a championship under Beane and are now leaving the Bay area for greener pastures in the Las Vegas desert. The fact that one anal-lytics based hockey team hasn't completely blown up is what we call survivorship bias and not really informational as to the usefulness of the enterprise.

In the case of Buffalo, the reliance on these statistical charlatans is painfully obvious. "You're not seeing what we're seeing" says the GM who is buried in numbers and charts rather than focused on the losing product easily observable to the rest of us. Zero intuition, zero common sense when it comes to roster construction.

All of the publicly available numbers and charts say this team and most of it's players are garbage.


The conclusion that I would draw is that this sham of a franchise, with it's unqualified sham of a GM are drawing the wrong conclusions from their internal stats, much like how they draw the wrong conclusions about how to run a hockey team in every other way as well. And/or they employ a completely incompetent stats department.

Even if Kevyn Adams had the best internal stats in the NHL, a true competitive advantage. Do you think he'd draw the correct conclusions from those stats and make the right coaching hires, and roster decisions with that information?