The 2024-2025 Roster Thread

[Fjordsen]

Jeez I didn't know Crouse was having that bad of a season. 12 points in 55 games. That's an easy pass if Cozens is included.

Kesselring is a more valuable asset for us than Crouse, but Crouse can replace Greenway.

 

[StrompTroller]

Why not try go all in for trades and free agentcy this summer ? Sabres havent wonn cup since they game into the League. So why not test something different . Trade picks, prospects and ice the best team you can . If it fails go into a new rebuild . Sabres havent wonn anything since they came into the League so trying something different

If you say the same thing twice.....

and why didn't they think of that?!?!

 

[StrompTroller]

Reading back a few weeks in this thread, as an Utah fan, I’m hoping to revisit some of the Utah chatter I saw.

Thoughts on Crouse+Kesselring for Cozens+Komarov?

Crouse is at the top of my realistic want list but no.

 

[PatLaFontaineASMR]

Kesselring is a more valuable asset for us than Crouse, but Crouse can replace Greenway.

I'm fine adding either, but trading Cozens for a Greenway replacement & depth D man would be an awful use of assets. You can find similar players in FA.

 

[Fjordsen]

I'm fine adding either, but trading Cozens for a Greenway replacement & depth D man would be an awful use of assets. You can find similar players in FA.

What is the D depth? Kesselring is a top 4 RD, physical, decent defensively. He would immediately become our best right-handed defenseman and exactly the player we have been looking for for years. I would easily agree to such a deal if we get two good players, both physical, both decent in defense. One top 4 RD for us, the other mid-six wing, who before this two seasons in a row scored 40+ points and 20+ goals.

 

[PatLaFontaineASMR]

What is the D depth? Kesselring is a top 4 RD, physical, decent defensively. He would immediately become our best right-handed defenseman and exactly the player we have been looking for for years. I would easily agree to such a deal if we get two good players, both physical, both decent in defense. One top 4 RD for us, the other mid-six wing, who before this two seasons in a row scored 40+ points and 20+ goals.

View attachment 978395

C'mon man lol. Is this like how Connor Clifton or Boosh were gonna be top 4 D for us? Kesselring is playing more than 15 minutes a game for the first time in his career & now he's a top 4 RD? That's the player "we've been looking for for years?" Such a small sample size to thrust a guy into a big role.

There are guys like Fabbro or Kovacevic in FA that fit the same mold.

Same with Crouse. Guys like Frederic, O'Connor, or Donato in FA that fit the same mold.

If we're trading Cozens it should be in a package for a bigger player. Not for two players you can find in FA.

 

[Fjordsen]

C'mon man lol. Is this like how Connor Clifton or Boosh were gonna be top 4 D for us? Kesselring is playing more than 15 minutes a game for the first time in his career & now he's a top 4 RD? That's the player "we've been looking for for years?" Such a small sample size to thrust a guy into a big role.

There are guys like Fabbro or Kovacevic in FA that fit the same mold.

Same with Crouse. Guys like Frederic, O'Connor, or Donato in FA that fit the same mold.

If we're trading Cozens it should be in a package for a bigger player. Not for two players you can find in FA.

Because sometimes guys like that come out of nowhere, he's also younger than Clifton and Boosh, he played 19-20 minutes and played well. He's also better than them offensively. I'm not sure Fabbro or Kovacevic will make it to UFA, and how the hell are you going to get them to Buffalo if no one from UFA wants to play in Buffalo, we all know that UFA is the last chance for Buffalo when there is no trade and counting on UFA would be stupid.

I think Kesselring played last season too.

I can say the same about Crouse.

I definitely disagree with you and I would really like to add players like Kesselring and Crouse to the roster.

 

[Chainshot]

I'm fine adding either, but trading Cozens for a Greenway replacement & depth D man would be an awful use of assets. You can find similar players in FA.

Kesselring is not just a depth defenseman though.

 

[Jim Bob]

What is the D depth? Kesselring is a top 4 RD, physical, decent defensively. He would immediately become our best right-handed defenseman and exactly the player we have been looking for for years. I would easily agree to such a deal if we get two good players, both physical, both decent in defense. One top 4 RD for us, the other mid-six wing, who before this two seasons in a row scored 40+ points and 20+ goals.

View attachment 978395

With Marino and Durzi healthy, Kesserling is Utah's 3rd pair RHD.

And he's played well with Sergachev and Maatta this year and not great with Valimaki.

It would be an interesting roll of the dice to try playing him with Power to see if they click like he did with Sergachev. But, he could be like Clifton where he is a 3rd pairing RHD that is not great in the Sabres top 4.

 

[Fjordsen]

View attachment 978411

With Marino and Durzi healthy, Kesserling is Utah's 3rd pair RHD.

And he's played well with Sergachev and Maatta this year and not great with Valimaki.

It would be an interesting roll of the dice to try playing him with Power to see if they click like he did with Sergachev. But, he could be like Clifton where he is a 3rd pairing RHD that is not great in the Sabres top 4.

I know that's why he seems like a good target, we probably won't get a legit top 4 RD anyway because of NMC/NTC and I'm not the least bit counting on UFA since that's Buffalo.

Although Kesselring averaged more ice-time than Clifton in this season did at the time and has better metrics than Clifton did at the time. He's also younger and better with the puck.

 

[tsujimoto74]

I know that's why he seems like a good target, we probably won't get a legit top 4 RD anyway because of NMC/NTC and I'm not the least bit counting on UFA since that's Buffalo.

Although Kesselring averaged more ice-time than Clifton in this season did at the time and has better metrics than Clifton did at the time. He's also younger and better with the puck.

Still an enormous gamble to give away Cozens on. Seems exactly like the type of player who would come to Buffalo and turn back into a pumpkin.

 

[Fjordsen]

Still an enormous gamble to give away Cozens on. Seems exactly like the type of player who would come to Buffalo and turn back into a pumpkin.

Just like Cozens, who is a pumpkin right now and if he continues like this next season we will have a very questionable top 9 player. I look at Kesselring's games and I see a guy who has played a lot of 19-20 minutes a game this season and looked good, and that's important because there is a difference between playing on the third pair for 15 minutes and in the top 4 for 19-20 minutes. Physical, decent on defense and even puts up some points, not old and an RFA at the end of his contract. Crouse has also put up 40+ points two seasons in a row and is solid on defense, even if he hasn't had a great season this year. To me it seems like an attractive offer and that's my opinion.

 

[Jim Bob]

I know that's why he seems like a good target, we probably won't get a legit top 4 RD anyway because of NMC/NTC and I'm not the least bit counting on UFA since that's Buffalo.

Although Kesselring averaged more ice-time than Clifton in this season did at the time and has better metrics than Clifton did at the time. He's also younger and better with the puck.

Being better than Clifton shouldn't be the benchmark for a RHD target. They have to aim higher.

 

[Krieger Bot]

Reading back a few weeks in this thread, as an Utah fan, I’m hoping to revisit some of the Utah chatter I saw.

Thoughts on Crouse+Kesselring for Cozens+Komarov?

I'm interested. Any chance you would take Quinn instead of Cozens? I'd be happy to make the sweetener better than Komarov if need be. Also, if we swapped Cozens out for Quinn Utah would probably have to eat the rest of Jokiharju's deal to make it happen, so bear that in mind.

 

[MarkusKetterer]

Kesselring is what Adams thinks Joker is

 

[Fjordsen]

Being better than Clifton shouldn't be the benchmark for a RHD target. They have to aim higher.

All the others have NTC/NMC, I've already made a list of all these players, Kesselring and Whitecloud are the two players who are at the top of the list.

 

[Krieger Bot]

Being better than Clifton shouldn't be the benchmark for a RHD target. They have to aim higher.

Sure, but who? A few pages back, I posted the list of D who are playing in top 4 roles and don't have trade protections. It's mostly a who's who of guys that aren't available. They could do a lot worse than taking a dice roll on Kesselring continuing to play well in a top 4 role, and on Crouse bouncing back IMO.

 

[rt]

I'm interested. Any chance you would take Quinn instead of Cozens? I'd be happy to make the sweetener better than Komarov if need be. Also, if we swapped Cozens out for Quinn Utah would probably have to eat the rest of Jokiharju's deal to make it happen, so bear that in mind.

No interest in any wingers. Utah needs a center.

 

[ValJamesDuex]

Jeremy White shock value poll, more fun that real, but still an interesting question and some of the comments are priceless

Would you trade Dahlin for Brady Tkachuk ?

 

[joshjull]

Jeremy White shock value poll, more fun that real, but still an interesting question and some of the comments are priceless

Would you trade Dahlin for Brady Tkachuk ?

No, that would be incredibly stupid.

 

[rt]

Just like Cozens, who is a pumpkin right now and if he continues like this next season we will have a very questionable top 9 player. I look at Kesselring's games and I see a guy who has played a lot of 19-20 minutes a game this season and looked good, and that's important because there is a difference between playing on the third pair for 15 minutes and in the top 4 for 19-20 minutes. Physical, decent on defense and even puts up some points, not old and an RFA at the end of his contract. Crouse has also put up 40+ points two seasons in a row and is solid on defense, even if he hasn't had a great season this year. To me it seems like an attractive offer and that's my opinion.

Kesselring has been better with more minutes and less effective with fewer minutes. I’m a huge Kesselring fan and it would be very painful to lose the guy. He’s a popular player among his peers and among fans. Heck, he was even on my podcast - haha! But with Durzi due back within the week and Marino finding his groove there aren’t enough minutes to go around.

This really boils down to Cooley having the look of a good 1C and Hayton having the look of a good 3C and there being nobody in the system and hardly anyone available on the market that fits the mould of a decent 2C. Utah would be banking on a bounce back from Cozens and hoping he’s not an overpaid and redundant version of what they already have in the system (Hayton and Beaudoin).

Crouse is at the top of my realistic want list but no.

Would it help if we dropped Komarov and also added a pick from Utah? I tried to leave Utah picks and prospects out just because I assumed Buffalo was over that. But picks are liquid. We just saw Vancouver flip the JT Miller pick for Marcus Pettersson - I’m sure Buffalo could do the same with a Utah 2nd.

 

[ValJamesDuex]

Still an enormous gamble to give away Cozens on. Seems exactly like the type of player who would come to Buffalo and turn back into a pumpkin.

Cannot be afraid of your shadow. Very good conversation on wgr today how Ottawa, Detroit, Florida, etc have all at least "tried" to change/get better, and not without misses and done so. Our owner gm/and defacto gm are afraid of there shadows and in a cycle of constantly chasing their tails.

 

[Sabreality]

Kesselring is what Adams thinks Joker is

Well he might be here...and we all know Joker will take off once he's outta here and gets a steady partner in a proper role...just like a lot of these guys. Fabbro didnt play well unless he had a good partner to ride shotgun with, we think he woulda been good here with Power? The great John Marino was essentially Joker in PIT. A lot of these guys aren't all that different big picture wise.

Ya never know what kinda fit a guy will have, thats been the biggest problem, it might not be the individuals, but the collection of them where the square pegs don't fit together.

 

[jc17]

Jeremy White shock value poll, more fun that real, but still an interesting question and some of the comments are priceless

Would you trade Dahlin for Brady Tkachuk ?

Firmly in the no crowd, but I do think we need more energy/hype guys

While there's always a healthy dose of recency bias in sports, the energy the USA came to play with is something I'd love our teams to have. Of course, 82 games schedule is a different animal but I think we can use more of that.

Tuch, Zucker, and maybe greenway are the only guys that seem like they have a bit of that in them. Cozens might if he can find his confidence but its not there right now.

 

[Jim Bob]

Kesselring has been better with more minutes and less effective with fewer minutes. I’m a huge Kesselring fan and it would be very painful to lose the guy. He’s a popular player among his peers and among fans. Heck, he was even on my podcast - haha! But with Durzi due back within the week and Marino finding his groove there aren’t enough minutes to go around.

This really boils down to Cooley having the look of a good 1C and Hayton having the look of a good 3C and there being nobody in the system and hardly anyone available on the market that fits the mould of a decent 2C. Utah would be banking on a bounce back from Cozens and hoping he’s not an overpaid and redundant version of what they already have in the system (Hayton and Beaudoin).


Would it help if we dropped Komarov and also added a pick from Utah? I tried to leave Utah picks and prospects out just because I assumed Buffalo was over that. But picks are liquid. We just saw Vancouver flip the JT Miller pick for Marcus Pettersson - I’m sure Buffalo could do the same with a Utah 2nd.

Is it the minutes or is it the difference in quality of partner that comes with playing up and down the lineup?