The Roster Thread, Summer 2024

[Matt Ress]

Would it make you feel better if it was phrased “put himself in position to build a roster with plenty of picks, prospects and cap space and proceeded to sit on his f***ing hands the last two years instead?”

Guy gave a masterclass on teraring down and making cheaper. And then stopped doing his job.

Certainly some missed opportunities but he is doing what he said he was going to do years ago, build through the draft. A long road as we all know. But we have here a lot of talent on the roster, also a stockpile of young talented players, and one anchor contract that was passed to him but otherwise pretty good cap usage with still more opportunity to improve the team.

It all just made sense; plummeting revenue from COVID, a player dispute that could (and did) damage the ability to bring in outside players and a pretty clear need to rebuild.

 

[Fjordy]

If we're looking for someone like Lundell, I'd seriously look at Carolina. Kotkaniemi and Drury, two relatively young centers with their own pros and cons, but both have shown they can be good defensive. But it's a wild card with risk.

 

[HOOats]

I'm very pro-Krebs. I think he surges to be the next Sam Bennett and I just hope its here.

Sam Bennett flosses his teeth with guys like Peyton Krebs. Nice little player, but I just do not see the dawg that people imagine him to be. He ain't built like that, as the kids used to say.

Hoping we use Krebs in a deal this summer to help unload Skinner or to bring in an adult B6 C.

 

[BFLO]

Was Adams really gifted anything? He started the job being told to fire much of the staff and cut costs. He still had Ralph Kreuger as his head coach still seemingly calling a lot of the shots and Eichel told him before they signed Taylor Hall he already wanted out. They hadn't made the playoffs in nine years already.

You can hate Adams all you want but to say he was "gifted such a great place to start" is disingenuous at best.

The 2020-21 opening night roster. Adams was gifted a ton of talent and didn't add the right pieces to round it out into a real team. They finished dead last. If you want to argue that it was all Kreugers fault, then why hasn't Adams been able to add the right pieces to round it out into a real team in any of the past 3 seasons either?

We had 4 forwards who went on to be good or even great elsewhere, 4 who were borderline NHLers and the rest are still here.

The defense had 2 guys who are still here and 4 guys who have gone on to be good or even great elsehwere.

Ullmark went on to be great elsewhere and Hutton went blind.

I am genuinely curious about this, looking back at the team that ended the 19/20 season,l and am hard pressed to find more than 12 NHL players on that roster and Eichel had asked out. He also inherited a prospect pool that had a top 4 of Cozens (just drafted), UPL, Samuelsson and Johnson (just drafted). Imo he was handed an absolute dumpster fire and navigated it well.

Navigated it well? He navigated it to last place. And 0 playoff appearances in each of the next 3 seasons.

 

[Gabrielor]

Sam Bennett flosses his teeth with guys like Peyton Krebs. Nice little player, but I just do not see the dawg that people imagine him to be. He ain't built like that, as the kids used to say.

Hoping we use Krebs in a deal this summer to help unload Skinner or to bring in an adult B6 C.

I could probably find this post about Bennett from something in 2018.

Nonsense.

 

[BFLO]

When the team buys Skinner out and he signs with the team that goes on to win the cup while we finish bottom 10 again it's going to be freaking hilarious.

It's guaranteed he'll score a hattrick against the Sabres every time he plays us.

But I'd be shocked if any cup contender was interested in acquiring him as a freshly bought out UFA, let alone if he went on to win the cup.

 

[Matt Ress]

The 2020-21 opening night roster. Adams was gifted a ton of talent and didn't add the right pieces to round it out into a real team. They finished dead last. If you want to argue that it was all Kreugers fault, then why hasn't Adams been able to add the right pieces to round it out into a real team in any of the past 3 seasons either?

We had 4 forwards who went on to be good or even great elsewhere, 4 who were borderline NHLers and the rest are still here.

The defense had 2 guys who are still here and 4 guys who have gone on to be good or even great elsehwere.

Ullmark went on to be great elsewhere and Hutton went blind.
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Navigated it well? He navigated it to last place. And 0 playoff appearances in each of the next 3 seasons.

There's some tilting here. The only guys that went and did great were eichel, reino and Montour. You're including VO as still here? So much talent but he couldn't "round out" the roster? C'mon man.

That team underperformed for a lot of reasons and some of them were the dynamic, horrid coaching, and players giving up or offering retirement play. You don't really believe that this historic roster was a couple of pieces away from the playoffs, do you? Please say no.

 

[Doug Prishpreed]

I could probably find this post about Bennett from something in 2018.

Nonsense.

As long as we don't insulate him with the likes of Jeff Skinner and Eric Robinson, he should be fine.

I have a feeling that he'll be paired with something like Skinner and a teenager though, which won't put him on his optimal trajectory.

 

[HOOats]

I could probably find this post about Bennett from something in 2018.

Nonsense.

The mythology of Scrappy Doo is out of control.

It's utter nonsense to think that Krebs is anywhere near as vicious and cold-blooded (and physically imposing) as Bennett has always been. Krebs is not going to be regularly knocking opponents' stars unconscious.

https://x.com/i/web/status/1661541965597667333

Find a GM who believes in him and deal him to get the real thing. We don't have the luxury of attempting to develop homemade grit while developing everything else too, we need it ready to go.

 

[Gabrielor]

The mythology of Scrappy Doo

I stopped reading here. The rest was wasted effort.

Your position is clear when you're saying stuff like this.

 

[Fjordy]

What about Stefan Noesen? He can be used at PP near the net, and he also scored a lot of points at ES, although he didn't play that much.

 

[Beerz]

I'm very pro-Krebs. I think he surges to be the next Sam Bennett and I just hope its here.

You usually have good takes... this isn't one of them.

 

[Sabresfansince1980]

I stopped reading here. The rest was wasted effort.

Your position is clear when you're saying stuff like this.

Nobody wants to wait another couple years for Krebs to turn into something, let alone the likes of Bennett. Bennett had a higher draft pedigree (for good reason), had more success at a younger age, and has become a player that Krebs is not likely able to become, being two inches shorter and 15 lbs lighter right now. Bennett has always had a better defensive game and higher IQ.

Bennett should not be Krebs comparable though. Nobody should expect that. The problem though is waiting for Krebs to develop into a player worthy of 3C ice time when he's not ready...just like so many other friggin Sabres over the last decade.

 

[Mattilaus]

I can't stop looking at Utah. They are waaaayyyy below the cap floor and have 0 D men signed. IF we move power (and I am not saying I want to, just if) they are a team I would target who really needs D and needs more salary. Is there maybe something lesser there as well that we can do around Sammy or joki?

I am not as knowledgeable as a lot of posters on here but IF we are looking to move a D for forward help, they would be a team I look.

 

[Beerz]

I can't stop looking at Utah. They are waaaayyyy below the cap floor and have 0 D men signed. IF we move power (and I am not saying I want to, just if) they are a team I would target who really needs D and needs more salary. Is there maybe something lesser there as well that we can do around Sammy or joki?

I am not as knowledgeable as a lot of posters on here but IF we are looking to move a D for forward help, they would be a team I look.

I believe it was @HOOats who came up with a deal centered around Samuelsson and Crouse .. i put it on main boards and while it was mostly positive Yeti fans weren't really receptive. On their board they are more receptive to a Power for Crouse deal .. while I am tempted i think that is not a good deal for us.

I could probably be talked into a Crouse and #6 for Power however.

 

[Gabrielor]

You usually have good takes... this isn't one of them.

Oh, I fully expect a significant majority of the fanbase to hate it.

I don't care. I love the player. Always have.

 

[Dingo44]

Power for Crouse would be incredibly poor asset management.

 

[MOGlLNY]

Sam Bennett was tough as shit in Calgary and in juniors. Not the same players. And I think Krebs will be useful in some capacity somewhere. But I don't think he's gonna be someone we miss dearly though.

 

[Beerz]

Power for Crouse would be incredibly poor asset management.

Straight up I agree

 

[Gabrielor]

Straight up I agree

Oh right...you're 'let's trade Power' guy....

 

[Beerz]

Oh right...you're 'let's trade Power' guy....

I'm let's trade anyone if it improves team guy... only untouchables are Dahlin and Ullmark

 

[Doug Prishpreed]

Combine over and still barely a single rumor out there. The media needs to get their heads out of their asses

 

[SharkInABoloTie]

We need a Nick Dowd

 

[Gabrielor]

I'm let's trade anyone if it improves team guy... only untouchables are Dahlin and Ullmark

You're not going to improve the team trading Owen Power, unless like Draisaitl is coming with an extension.

This reminds me of 2 years ago before Dahlin had come out of the Krueger-effect and some twitter folks wanted to trade for him Connor McMichael to 'improve the team'.

We can make this team a playoff team without going straight to moving our top assets. As I told someone else I debated about this 'when Murray went for ROR in 2015, he didn't lead with trying to trade Reinhart for him.'

"Anyone should be available to improve the team" is just political bull-horning. Good teams identify the core and improve around it. Power is part of the core.

 

[KeyserSoze81]

Combine over and still barely a single rumor out there. The media needs to get their heads out of their asses

Buffalo media's collective head is ensconced in a series of asses, an ass matryoshka (or asstryoshka, if you will). We would need Terry to drill through many layers to get a salient thought out of any of them.