The Roster Thread, Summer 2024

[Dingo44]

I said centered around. Obviously, WPG would have to add something to Rutger in order to get Savoie.

Ehlers

Lowry

 

[Zman5778]

Ehlers

Lowry

Not an Ehlers fan. No way Lowry moves. I'd ask for Iafallo.

 

[Fjordy]

Not an Ehlers fan. No way Lowry moves. I'd ask for Iafallo.

Do we need Iaffalo? I mean, he's a local guy, but he's tough to play against? And it's not like his numbers are impressive.

 

[My Cozen Dylan]

Do we need Iaffalo? I mean, he's a local guy, but he's tough to play against? And it's not like his numbers are impressive.

Solid in his own zone and can provide secondary scoring.

 

[Sabre the Win]

Yes. He's progressed well and offers a lot of that hard-to-play-against that is sorely lacking in our system. And frankly, he could probably slide into a 3rd line role here right away. Put him with Benson and watch the chaos (and bodies) fly.

But I'd absolutely do something centered around Savoie or Kulich or Rosen for Rutger. Granted, WPG would likely have to add something small.....and they're much more likely to want NHL bodies.

Would you have drafted MacGroarty over Savoie?

 

[zenthusiast]

I’m just ready for *something* to happen. It would be nice to have a reason to be excited.

 

[Chainshot]

I’m just ready for *something* to happen. It would be nice to have a reason to be excited.

At least we don't have a head-scratcher move *yet* where we're wondering why something happened ala. the Walman deal.

 

[MarkusKetterer]

Would you have drafted MacGroarty over Savoie?

I wanted to.

 

[Fezzy126]

As someone else pointed out, we drafted Savoie instead of McGroarty and Savoie's development has more than met expectations. Not sure why we'd then trade Savoie for him. Kulich or Rosén sure.

I'm an NDTP fan and frequent attendee so I'll always have a bias but it also lets me see these kids from when they're 16 and sometimes get a chance to meet them. I know Zegras has this rep but it didn't align with his play in the program. He was 2C behind Jack Hughes except when Hughes was away for the World Juniors and then he slid up to 1C. He always carried his line even with guys like Caufield and Boldy and Turcotte and they played him in all situations including on the power play. The Ducks have been a dumpster fire and almost historically bad defensively. Plus he's a nice kid and funny and we really liked talking to him.
That being said, I would still take McGroarty over him though I may have taken Snuggerud over both of them.

I was never unhappy about Savoie, but I wanted McGroarty at 9 and Snuggerud at 16. I agree that it doesn't make much sense that the Sabres would flip Savoie for McGroarty, but you do have to wonder if getting Benson a year later might change their thinking.

Benson does everything that Savoie does, but he does it better, and he's been more durable so far. Evaluating the roster construction and also balancing out the skillset in the prospect pool should be a constantly evolving process.

 

[OkimLom]

Source????

Okay, I will admit, I probably got a little hyperbolic with that statement, but I still hold the opinion that Zegras is quite a bit more talented than either Savoie or Kulich are.

If Zegras didn't have the attitude issues that he did, teams would be falling over themselves to get him on their team, giving away a large amount of assets to get him. But if he didn't have those, Anaheim wouldn't be looking to get rid of him at the same time.

 

[KrakenSabresMike]

I was never unhappy about Savoie, but I wanted McGroarty at 9 and Snuggerud at 16. I agree that it doesn't make much sense that the Sabres would flip Savoie for McGroarty, but you do have to wonder if getting Benson a year later might change their thinking.

Benson does everything that Savoie does, but he does it better, and he's been more durable so far. Evaluating the roster construction and also balancing out the skillset in the prospect pool should be a constantly evolving process.

Except for one huge difference - Savoie is a speedster and Benson is definitely not. We need that speed on our team as much as we need the rest of the skill set. That given his progression, is why I’m hesitant to trade Savoie as he’s the only one with major jets and major skill

 

[Fjordy]

Would you have drafted MacGroarty over Savoie?

I think I had him in the mix for #9 and I would have absolutely taken him at #16 if he hadn't left earlier.

Okay, I will admit, I probably got a little hyperbolic with that statement, but I still hold the opinion that Zegras is quite a bit more talented than either Savoie or Kulich are.

If Zegras didn't have the attitude issues that he did, teams would be falling over themselves to get him on their team, giving away a large amount of assets to get him. But if he didn't have those, Anaheim wouldn't be looking to get rid of him at the same time.

I think they're just trying to build a different type of team and they already traded his friend Drysdale.

Except for one huge difference - Savoie is a speedster and Benson is definitely not. We need that speed on our team as much as we need the rest of the skill set. That given his progression, is why I’m hesitant to trade Savoie as he’s the only one with major jets and major skill

Yeap, Savoie is our last prospect that I want to trade, but for the right deal? Of course I'm ready.

 

[Dingo44]

Okay, I will admit, I probably got a little hyperbolic with that statement, but I still hold the opinion that Zegras is quite a bit more talented than either Savoie or Kulich are.

If Zegras didn't have the attitude issues that he did, teams would be falling over themselves to get him on their team, giving away a large amount of assets to get him. But if he didn't have those, Anaheim wouldn't be looking to get rid of him at the same time.

I'm not even sure from where this idea that Zegras has a bad attitude came. His teammates love him which is demonstrated by how much he still hangs out with his old NTDP teammates. I've never heard of issues on the Ducks. I think it is the idea he's flashy and likes to try things and have fun and goodness knows we can't have a player try to have fun out there. So many Don Cherry and Mike Milbury and Tortorella's in the world.

 

[Fjordy]

I'm not even sure from where this idea that Zegras has a bad attitude came. His teammates love him which is demonstrated by how much he still hangs out with his old NTDP teammates. I've never heard of issues on the Ducks. I think it is the idea he's flashy and likes to try things and have fun and goodness knows we can't have a player try to have fun out there. So many Don Cherry and Mike Milbury and Tortorella's in the world.

Yeah, that's bullshit. I read a lot about Zegras before and after the draft, the guy is fun, friendly, not a cancer in the locker room. Good personality.

 

[sabremike]

I'm not even sure from where this idea that Zegras has a bad attitude came. His teammates love him which is demonstrated by how much he still hangs out with his old NTDP teammates. I've never heard of issues on the Ducks. I think it is the idea he's flashy and likes to try things and have fun and goodness knows we can't have a player try to have fun out there. So many Don Cherry and Mike Milbury and Tortorella's in the world.

 

[Sabre the Win]

I wanted to.

You would have taken the biggest leap in the draft

I could see going MacGroarty over Ostlund but MacGroarty was never ranked in the top 10 by most prospect rankings so I find it kind of odd meanwhile Savoie was ranked in the top 5 in many prospect rankings and top 10 in every other one.

 

[Chainshot]

I'm not even sure from where this idea that Zegras has a bad attitude came. His teammates love him which is demonstrated by how much he still hangs out with his old NTDP teammates. I've never heard of issues on the Ducks. I think it is the idea he's flashy and likes to try things and have fun and goodness knows we can't have a player try to have fun out there. So many Don Cherry and Mike Milbury and Tortorella's in the world.

Public space bloggers like Marek and Friedman as well as some people who are Chad-esque for the ducks.

 

[Sabre the Win]

I think I had him in the mix for #9 and I would have absolutely taken him at #16 if he hadn't left earlier.

#16 I could see but not at #9

 

[My Cozen Dylan]

I’d do Rosen or 11 or maybe even Kulich for McG, but not Savoie.

 

[Dingo44]

Public space bloggers like Marek and Friedman as well as some people who are Chad-esque for the ducks.

I've never seen them and can't find them but I guess unless it's the ones about him trash talking other team's players and getting under their skin which we definitely does. I don't see a problem internally - nothing about him being out of shape or arguing with coaches or partying too much or playing video games all night or being late for practice or demanding a trade. I know he's sad about Drysdale being moved but that was his best friend on the team.

I'm not saying Zegras is what the Sabres need or anything but from what I've seen talking to him, read in the media, or seen on the ice doesn’t show an internal issue. Some players on other teams especially on the Sharks and the old Coyotes aren't fans of his for sure.

 

[Fjordy]

#16 I could see but not at #9

Why not? For me it was in the mix and I didn't know Savoie would drop to 9. But there were a few more players there.

 

[BloFan4Life]

It makes too much sense to buy out Skinner and then use the savings over next two years to bring in Kane.

Kane brings so much more than Skinner would and then when the high cap comes up for Skinner, Kane will be gone.

 

[MarkusKetterer]

You would have taken the biggest leap in the draft

I could see going MacGroarty over Ostlund but MacGroarty was never ranked in the top 10 by most prospect rankings so I find it kind of odd meanwhile Savoie was ranked in the top 5 in many prospect rankings and top 10 in every other one.

I had Slafkovsky, Gauthier, McGroarty, Bichsel and Wright on my board. So we’ll see how accurate I am in the future.

 

[Ace]

I liked McGroarty too…but in no way would I have drafted him over Savoie. In no way would I trade Savoie for him now either.

This isn’t a particularly close call either.

 

[TheBarnIsElectric]

Sure you can get a RD and a 3C for 11OA bit is it a poor/ unwise investment

Not if it's a good player that helps us become a good team. I'm prioritizing having a good team over trade value, so if we give up poor value in a trade and it leads to a better team, that is desirable.

Trading 11OA for a ufa that walks isnt going to be nice to see

If it helps us make the playoffs and the player re-signs afterwards, that will be nice to see IMO. If it doesn't work out and we can't trade that player for something comparable at the deadline, at least we tried.

You cant get out of long contracts.

It happens all the time, you just have to pay the cost. That's the cost of doing business, IMO.

Look at Florida. They were trying to improve their D, so they overpaid Yandle. They needed the cap space to pay Huberdeau and others, so they bought him out before the end of the deal. You could say they signed that long deal with Huberdeau that would have ended up being a mistake, but before it became a problem, they traded him and another really good defenseman for a difference maker, and... it made all the difference.

You could argue that trade wasn't great value. Many did at the time. But they got a guy that made them better. That's what I'm proposing.

And looking more at Florida, sometimes those long, stupid contracts end up being Bobrovsky in the end.

And I get it, sometimes things don't work out so well when you make big swings. But we've got enough of a floor at this point (young talent and assets) to not be so damn cautious and fearful in our approach to team building. Adams needs to target the players who could really make a difference, and go out and make it happen.