The 2024-2025 Roster Thread

[Steddy33]

Sabres Will be a playoff team next season easy . remember my post here. They have to good players to miss NeXT season . Should not be hard to get some final piece into place this draft to improve more Also

Peterka Kulich Thompson
Benson McLeod Quinn
Zucker Norris Tuch
Greenway Krebs Kozak
Malenstyn, Lafferty

Samuelsson Dahlin
Power Docker
Byram Clifton

Have you tried a career in comedy? They need 2 top 4 defensemen and a top 6 center to even have a dream. This team excels in find ways to suck.

 

[Doug Prishpreed]

Rangers fans are despising Schneider right now for the most part, especially his defensive play....and some fancy stats back that eye test up. So basically swapping Power for Schneider fixes our handedness, gets us a touch tougher....but doesn't actually improve our defensive play, especially 5v5...and downgrades our 5v5 offense.

Quinn for Cuylle is exactly what you say -- swapping ceiling for floor.

Strikes me as a trade for trade's sake while hoping we come out on the better end. I gotta think we'd get better value for Power/Quinn elsewhere.

Yeah I’ve been paying particular attention to Schneider since NYR seem to be one of the few teams with extra RHD. He’s kind of like Cozens - frustrating because there’s a lot there to work with, but he doesn’t have much awareness or smarts. I can’t decide how I think he’d do in Ruff’s system. I didn’t look at his fancy stats but assumed they were okay.

Still, I’m open to adding him because we can’t keep doing what we’re doing, and options are very slim.

People told me the same thing last year about Jenson, that I was offering too much in a trade, but look what the alternative was. Nothing.

 

[Doug Prishpreed]

It's crazy people are still saying this after this board went through this same exact song and dance with Dahlin. I'm not paying Byram 8-9 million a year long term which is exactly what his number projects to be in a rising cap.

Yeah, the same number as Power - who he is better than.

We went through this song and dance with Dahlin and now we’re doing the same thing with Byram. People want to trade Byram to keep a worse player, who isn’t improving at his most deficient areas.

 

[Krieger Bot]

Krebs with two good, veteran wingers while Ostlund is saddled with Malenstyn and Lafferty is certainly...a choice. Let's hope that doesn't carry over into the starting lineup tomorrow.

 

[dickiedunnwrotethis]

Yeah, the same number as Power - who he is better than.

We went through this song and dance with Dahlin and now we’re doing the same thing with Byram. People want to trade Byram to keep a worse player, who isn’t improving at his most deficient areas.

We don't have to live in an either/or Byram/Power universe. Neither have shown they're close to deserving 8 million. This off-season is a great opportunity for a defense corps reset.

 

[Sabresbyswords104]

Have you tried a career in comedy? They need 2 top 4 defensemen and a top 6 center to even have a dream. This team excels in find ways to suck.

Yes , to advanced but to reach playoffs they should be fine. Ottawa is not a better team

 

[Ace]

Wow. Just wow. There's a reason why playing guys in roles and minutes that suits them is a legitimate roster construction concept, and context management should take into account, when making roster decisions.

We've lost a lot of games when Dahlin is our #1 D, does that mean he must go too? How far do we take this "logic" and actually give it more weight than it deserves?

If the role that suits you is playing with Dahlin and you fail at everything else…you don’t pay that person 7+ million dollars a year.

You move on

Power spends four f***ing years playing with Joker and people can’t muster one reason he might struggle…while still being BETTER THAN BYRAM AWAY FROM DAHLIN…but Byram…open the pocketbooks for a guy who can’t do anything good without one of the best players in the world next to him because we have excuses for years to come

Byram sucks.

Power doesn’t.

End the madness.

 

[Steddy33]

Yes , to advanced but to reach playoffs they should be fine. Ottawa is not a better team

If you think that roster is better than Ottawa's we are gonna have to disagree. Coming back with the youngest roster and putting kids in postions they are not ready for or proven for is the most sure fire way to make sure we don't make the playoffs again. Acting like Kulich is some kinda top 6 proven center is a huge mistake, again, just like Cozens this season. Right now we have 1 top 4 defensemen who can actually play top 4 defense in the NHL.

 

[Doug Prishpreed]

We don't have to live in an either/or Byram/Power universe. Neither have shown they're close to deserving 8 million. This off-season is a great opportunity for a defense corps reset.

Not gonna happen and you know it. There is literally no chance Buffalo trades both so you’re wasting your time.

 

[Doug Prishpreed]

If the role that suits you is playing with Dahlin and you fail at everything else…you don’t pay that person 7+ million dollars a year.

You move on

Power spends four f***ing years playing with Joker and people can’t muster one reason he might struggle…while still being BETTER THAN BYRAM AWAY FROM DAHLIN…but Byram…open the pocketbooks for a guy who can’t do anything good without one of the best players in the world next to him because we have excuses for years to come

Byram sucks.

Power doesn’t.

End the madness

They need to balance out the defense - whether they do it by trading Power or Byram depends on what the offers are for each. Taking either one off the table is silly.

And Byram doesn’t suck, as much as Chad and his army want people to believe that. He’s a good player, which is why he has value around the league.

 

[Tatanka]

The more I watch the playoffs teams jockeying for position the more I realize just how far away this team is from being a contender. It is sad.

 

[Jim Bob]

I don't disagree but there's more to the story.

Pre-2015, goalies were brought in just to play. It was a tank.

2015 brought the team Lehner, who was battling his own personal demons. That's more to do with Murray for bringing in a player with so much baggage and expecting him to not only figure it out and play well. Korn couldn't have fixed that.

After Lehner, Ullmark came up and played relatively well. The defense and team in front of him was also poor. But he's excelling in other places.

UPL is having similar issues.

Part of it is coaching. Part of it is personnel. Part of it is scheme. Part of it is the mental aspect of goaltending and confidence.

The Bruins play a goalie friendly system, fill the roster with high IQ players, and maintain discipline. Thomas to Rask to Ullmark to Swayman. They are a machine.

So there's a lot more to it than Bales, but he's definitely part of the equation.

Bales started in Buffalo in the 2019-20 season.

He was working with Ullmark, Hutton, and Johannsson that season.

Then in 2020-21, Bales had to deal with 6 different goalies playing 4+ games for the Sabres.

And we can forget how bad an environment it was for the goalies then. You had UPL, Tokarski, and Houser with a .900+ Save% over 21 games and their combined GAA was over 3.5.

And Bales had to deal with Hutton who literally had issues seeing.

Ullmark had his two best seasons in Buffalo under Bales. And then he walked as a UFA.

If Adams had bet on Ullmark and locked him up after 2019-20, we might be looking at Bales very differently today.

 

[Chainshot]

Bales started in Buffalo in the 2019-20 season.

He was working with Ullmark, Hutton, and Johannsson that season.

Then in 2020-21, Bales had to deal with 6 different goalies playing 4+ games for the Sabres.

View attachment 1006525

And we can forget how bad an environment it was for the goalies then. You had UPL, Tokarski, and Houser with a .900+ Save% over 21 games and their combined GAA was over 3.5.

And Bales had to deal with Hutton who literally had issues seeing.

Ullmark had his two best seasons in Buffalo under Bales. And then he walked as a UFA.

If Adams had bet on Ullmark and locked him up after 2019-20, we might be looking at Bales very differently today.

Ullmark has talked about how Essensa changed how he absorbed pucks from what he'd been taught/couched to do previously. I don't know if we see Linus being Linus that won awards if he stays.

 

[Sabresbyswords104]

If you think that roster is better than Ottawa's we are gonna have to disagree. Coming back with the youngest roster and putting kids in postions they are not ready for or proven for is the most sure fire way to make sure we don't make the playoffs again. Acting like Kulich is some kinda top 6 proven center is a huge mistake, again, just like Cozens this season. Right now we have 1 top 4 defensemen who can actually play top 4 defense in the NHL.

Look, Cozens is Ottawa top 6 center so you just contraindicate yourself. There roster is not better pretty even . Vets can be had in the summer with some trades thats why we resign Zucker and Greenway . No Kulich is not a elit center now but you cant play him on 4 th line . A top 6 center would be good but they tried to get a more natural center in the Cozens trade .

 

[MOGlLNY]

Yeah, the same number as Power - who he is better than.

We went through this song and dance with Dahlin and now we’re doing the same thing with Byram. People want to trade Byram to keep a worse player, who isn’t improving at his most deficient areas.

Nah, he’s not. Like at all. He gets cratered whenever he’s away from our best player.

 

[Fezzy126]

Bales started in Buffalo in the 2019-20 season.

He was working with Ullmark, Hutton, and Johannsson that season.

Then in 2020-21, Bales had to deal with 6 different goalies playing 4+ games for the Sabres.

View attachment 1006525

And we can forget how bad an environment it was for the goalies then. You had UPL, Tokarski, and Houser with a .900+ Save% over 21 games and their combined GAA was over 3.5.

And Bales had to deal with Hutton who literally had issues seeing.

Ullmark had his two best seasons in Buffalo under Bales. And then he walked as a UFA.

If Adams had bet on Ullmark and locked him up after 2019-20, we might be looking at Bales very differently today.

Ullmark has talked about how Essensa changed how he absorbed pucks from what he'd been taught/couched to do previously. I don't know if we see Linus being Linus that won awards if he stays.

If I'm remembering correctly, @Jim Bob you were the one that posted the articles about the backflow/recoil techniques with Essensa and Ullmark. At the time I interpreted those posts as a dig against our goalie coaches. So the fact that you're sticking up for Bales has caught me off guard (I did not think you were a fan of Bales).

I know nothing about goalie coaching, but I do remember that Bales was highly regarded before coming here. But after posting a few of those articles I had (perhaps falsely) assumed that his reputation was overblown or that the game had started to pass him by.

 

[MarkusKetterer]

Bales started in Buffalo in the 2019-20 season.

He was working with Ullmark, Hutton, and Johannsson that season.

Then in 2020-21, Bales had to deal with 6 different goalies playing 4+ games for the Sabres.

View attachment 1006525

And we can forget how bad an environment it was for the goalies then. You had UPL, Tokarski, and Houser with a .900+ Save% over 21 games and their combined GAA was over 3.5.

And Bales had to deal with Hutton who literally had issues seeing.

Ullmark had his two best seasons in Buffalo under Bales. And then he walked as a UFA.

If Adams had bet on Ullmark and locked him up after 2019-20, we might be looking at Bales very differently today.

I’m still annoyed that they didn’t give Lekkas like 20 seconds of a game just so he could say he made the NHL.

Technically he did seeing he was on the bench. But he doesn’t get in the books because he didn’t get on the ice.

 

[Doug Prishpreed]

The more I watch the playoffs teams jockeying for position the more I realize just how far away this team is from being a contender. It is sad.

they will never be a contender…small market teams never are, they just hope for a lucky year once in a while.

 

[Doug Prishpreed]

Nah, he’s not. Like at all. He gets cratered whenever he’s away from our best player.

He actually doesn’t. Which of the last ten wins has he not been a huge factor in?

 

[Steddy33]

Look, Cozens is Ottawa top 6 center so you just contraindicate yourself. There roster is not better pretty even . Vets can be had in the summer with some trades thats why we resign Zucker and Greenway . No Kulich is not a elit center now but you cant play him on 4 th line . A top 6 center would be good but they tried to get a more natural center in the Cozens trade .

Just because he is playing a position doesn't mean he is good at it. Every measurable said he was very bad at center in Buffalo. I have zero doubt he will regress to that in Ottawa. He is well on his way. The general consensus on this forum has been that he should be at wing to be successful in this league for awhile now. The Sabres came into this season with both top centers not being capable of being top 6 centers in this league. That's why Cozens is gone for an actual center and Tage isn't playing center anymore.

Regarding Kulich, you need to actually shelter your young players like pretty much most teams in league do with the exception be elite players. The Sabres haven't done this at all under Kevyn.

Do you watch or follow how the good teams construct their rosters? Doesn't seem like it because just collecting skill players isn't how good team construct rosters.

 

[Jim Bob]

If I'm remembering correctly, @Jim Bob you were the one that posted the articles about the backflow/recoil techniques with Essensa and Ullmark. At the time I interpreted those posts as a dig against our goalie coaches. So the fact that you're sticking up for Bales has caught me off guard (I did not think you were a fan of Bales).

I know nothing about goalie coaching, but I do remember that Bales was highly regarded before coming here. But after posting a few of those articles I had (perhaps falsely) assumed that his reputation was overblown or that the game had started to pass him by.

The recoil technique work in Boston was interesting to me as a goalie nerd.

Is Bales a Mitch Korn level goalie coach? No. Is he a bad goalie coach that I think that he needs to be replaced? No.

I think he is a guy that they could upgrade from. But, I also think he is solid and some of the perception of his work is because Adams has not given him the best goalies to work with and that Adams has consistently rushed Levi to the NHL when he should be slow cooking in the AHL.

 

[Jim Bob]

Ullmark has talked about how Essensa changed how he absorbed pucks from what he'd been taught/couched to do previously. I don't know if we see Linus being Linus that won awards if he stays.

I think the recoil stuff is interesting. But, given the path he was on in Buffalo, I don't think that is as much of an unlock as going from playing behind the Buffalo Sabres to playing behind the Boston Bruins.

 

[Chainshot]

I think the recoil stuff is interesting. But, given the path he was on in Buffalo, I don't think that is as much of an unlock as going from playing behind the Buffalo Sabres to playing behind the Boston Bruins.

And yet Bales has not shown he can unlock anything from anyone while he's been here.

 

[Sabresbyswords104]

Just because he is playing a position doesn't mean he is good at it. Every measurable said he was very bad at center in Buffalo. I have zero doubt he will regress to that in Ottawa. He is well on his way. The general consensus on this forum has been that he should be at wing to be successful in this league for awhile now. The Sabres came into this season with both top centers not being capable of being top 6 centers in this league. That's why Cozens is gone for an actual center and Tage isn't playing center anymore.

Regarding Kulich, you need to actually shelter your young players like pretty much most teams in league do with the exception be elite players. The Sabres haven't done this at all under Kevyn.

Do you watch or follow how the good teams construct their rosters? Doesn't seem like it because just collecting skill players isn't how good team construct rosters.

Exact thats what i say, Cozens would not be any better for Ottawa as top 6 C . If he is something is wrong with the Sabres.

They are much closer then what you think, they winn much now in the end , if you look at the top 6 wings . They are good enough . Just add a Center and balanced it out.

Thompson 40 goals, Tuch 32 goals , Peterka 23 goals . Peterka improves . With this Zucker, Quinn , Benson . If they really plug their weakness and balance the D Core . Also if they can add a good top 6 center it Will be a different season NeXT year .

Ottawa is not better just better balanced . Even with eichel oreilly reinhart mittle they could not build a playoff team. Now they lack the star but have many promising and good pieces.

I would say trade power for a center and trade Byram + something for another d that suits us

 

[ValJamesDuex]

Exact thats what i say, Cozens would not be any better for Ottawa as top 6 C . If he is something is wrong with the Sabres.

They are much closer then what you think, they winn much now in the end , if you look at the top 6 wings . They are good enough . Just add a Center and balanced it out.

Thompson 40 goals, Tuch 32 goals , Peterka 23 goals . Peterka improves . With this Zucker, Quinn , Benson . If they really plug their weakness and balance the D Core . Also if they can add a good top 6 center it Will be a different season NeXT year .

Ottawa is not better just better balanced . Even with eichel oreilly reinhart mittle they could not build a playoff team. Now they lack the star but have many promising and good pieces.

I would say trade power for a center and trade Byram + something for another C that suits us

They just traded for a good 2C, Hopefully he will play for us. If not there will be hell to pay.

They acquired a very good 3C in the summer.

They have options at 4C with Kozak/Krebs/Laff

They need a number 1 center, the hardest thing to find/aquire. "Maybe" they get another shot at Petterson this summer but I have a feeling they feel they can get by with Tage/Kulich/Norris until Ostlund/Helenius are ready.

Would also take Rossi if they can do a deal this summer. More a 1B with Norris.

They have the ammo/pieces to continue to improve including the D AND continue to change the culture.