The Roster Thread, Summer 2024

[tsujimoto74]

I kind of wonder if he’ll be more inclined to play physical hockey if he isn’t the only one anymore.

I suspect Granato was generally coaching the team away from playing a heavy/physical game, so a system change might bring more of that too.

 

[Fjordy]

It is wishful thinking by Rangers fans who do not realize how far from NYC Buffalo actually is.

What do fans have to do with it? That's why I asked about the source. Well it's probably closer than LA or Florida.

 

[Jim Bob]

What do fans have to do with it? That's why I asked about the source. Well it's probably closer than LA or Florida.

https://thehockeynews.com/author/michael-derosa

There are no recent articles by the author mentioned in the post.

Smells like BS to me.

 

[Matt Ress]

Tuch
Tage Benson Quinn
Dahlin

Seems like a no-brainer for the 1st unit to me.

That seems more likely and then patch together PP2 but I think they would want to get Byram time either way

 

[Dingo44]

What is this source?

I thought Trouba wasn't very good, although he plays like a sneaky jerk.

Trouba is washed and a complete ass.

 

[Fjordy]

That seems more likely and then patch together PP2 but I think they would want to get Byram time either way

I would be surprised if Byram didn't get PP time, then this trade would be even stranger.

 

[Chainshot]

There's more where that came from, Carrier, Hagel, I can go on.
Seriously though, name another big physical youngish defensive RHD that can hold down 2nd pairing minutes and who might be available.

Zach Whitecloud was mentioned by some press folks and even fans here as someone Vegas might move to clear a way for Kaedan Korczak. His deal is awesome though, I would think it's Theodore but in terms of ideal, Whitecloud is probably it.

 

[Chainshot]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1811031728925938078

Side-eyeing one would hope.

 

[old kummelweck]

I suspect Granato was generally coaching the team away from playing a heavy/physical game, so a system change might bring more of that too.

Intentionally or unintentionally, it general is a byproduct of going to the high-danger areas, battling for tips, etc. "Other ways to score" according to Ruff - players will need to do this just to get to those areas.

 

[TehDoak]

It is wishful thinking by Rangers fans who do not realize how far from NYC Buffalo actually is.

https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-rangers/latest-news/what-lack-of-progress-on-jacob-trouba-trade-means-for-rangers

Here is the latest on THN's website on Trouba and there is nothing about Buffalo in it.

Could have easily been on a radio hit.

I will say, with Trouba's situation and his wife, with residency, switching programs is hard...it's not impossible. The issue right now is that her year already started. (starts on 7/1)

That being said, there are probably more options to continue it in state vs out of state.

Residency is typically very rotational based. I.e. you will go for X weeks on a service. So, its not uncommon to have residents rotate at different hospitals in a region, especially if the hospital system doesn't have a service.

In theory at least, her residency program could have her rotate in some Buffalo area hospitals during the season to ease the travel burden. I don't believe her training license would allow her to switch states, but unsure about that. And it's going to be HIGHLY dependent on her residency director. A quick google shows she's on her final year. and also year 3, so its not a highly specialized (like surgery) residency which are 5 years.

But again, this is conjecture upon conjecture. Ruff coached the rangers defense when he was there, so there might be a personal relationship there.

Bufflao would really have to send out some bodies to make room for Trouba's salary, even at 50% retained.

 

[DapperCam]

Trading Joker or Clifton for a defensive 3rd pair LHD might not be great value, but would make the pairs make a lot more sense.

Power - Dahlin
Samuelsson - Byram
X - Clifton/Joker
Bryson

Alternatively, trading for a top 4 RHD could also work (ideally defensively responsible type)

Power - Dahlin
Byram - X
Samuelsson - Clifton/Joker
Bryson

 

[Sabre the Win]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1811031728925938078

 

[Rowley Birkin]

Have you seen how Lindy pairs up? All the Devils defensemen have played the same ice-time, except for the veteran Smith, he played less. So why do we need another LD for the third pair if we have Sammy, Johnson, Gilbert and Bryson. We need an RD who will play with Power or Byram. Does four LDs in the top 4 affect the game at all? Is it convenient for defense, is it convenient to move the puck under pressure? Dahlin can do it, but will the rest of them be convenient? I saw that Ruff likes a balanced defense, we do not have it, imo.

Maybe, but I also thought that Krebs was our 3C and Adams traded for McLeod. So we will see.

Now we have Malenstyn, Lafferty and NAK, only they are much faster than Greenway. I still support adding a top 6 forward, and I am not against Greenway, but this is my opinion.

If you want to create a 'top 4' then I'd suggest Samuelsson should be playing alongside the three studs somewhere. TBH at this point I'm kinda hoping that Gilbert/Clifton could develop into a decent physical shut down third pair if that's the way Lindy goes. I also think Johnson is good enough to make the roster - possibly even somewhere in the top four eventually. He's constantly under rated by Sabres fans among all our forward prospects IMO. Whichever way they go though - Joker seems like the odd man out. I'm fine with trading him & adding nobody at this point.

Before trading for McLeod we had one open forward spot (13F). After that trade we have none.

Greenway is a guy who can play multiple roles both up & down the roster. I just don't see them moving on from him at this point. I don't see them moving on from anyone aside from maybe Krebs (who is currently 13F). I have seen @Jim Bob recently float this theory that makes a lot of sense. Maybe others have suggested it too. If there is to be a top 6 F addition it's clear someone will need to be traded. A likely candidate could be a Peterka or Quinn, because they are due extensions. Maybe JJP has a big year & they cash in via trade instead of paying him? Maybe Quinn has more injury problems & they don't want to invest long term? If we're adding another top 6 F especially with term - that's how I see it happening. But these are moves for next offseason - not today.

There have already been so many additions to the forward group. As many as any of us could have realistically expected. I just don't expect any more.

 

[Rowley Birkin]

What about a swap of Jokiharju for Liljigren? Change of scenery deal, see if it's a better fit... I still really want them to get Rasmus Anderson for our 2nd pair.

Getting Andersson for your second pair is like Edmonton getting Draisaitl for their second line. He's a stud. Doesn't seem realistic.

 

[elchud]

Byram actually had more PP time than Power after we acquired him.

 

[Beerz]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1811031728925938078

DeRosa has a new Sabre rumor every single day. Flinging it at the wall

 

[KeepKane]

The only D pairs that I can even begin to understand on a fundamental level are

Power-Dahlin
Byram-Samuelsson
Gilbert-Joker

Joker and Clifton can’t be together or in the top 4. So here we are. Joker should, theoretically, be able to move pucks out while Gilbert covers him. Never actually seen him do it to any degree of success…but at least it’s on the third pair.

You can sub in Bryson and Clifton when you want different types. I don’t care. All four are nothing to me. Develop quick Novikov, Johnson and Komarov.

Samuelsson and Dahlin stopped working a long time ago. So let him cover for Byram on the wrong side I guess. I hate Byram and Power together in their own end so here we are again. I don’t hate them as an idea in the offensive zone but the negatives in their own end would outweigh the positives there. My kingdom for that defensively responsible Power partner I asked for three f***ing years ago.

You might be able to talk me into an occasional look at Byram-Dahlin and Power-Samuelsson…but I don’t like it as much. Mainly because I don’t think Samuelsson fits with Power’s strengths. He’d be way better than Joker at finding where he’s supposed to be in his own end…but Power’s breakouts lose a key option since Samuelsson is where pucks go to die.

I feel by the midpoint of the season that this will be the D-pairs:

Power- Dahlin
Byram- R. Johnson
Samuelsson-Clifton

that 3rd pair can take D zone and PK duties. Clifton looked very serviceable after switching to the right side later in the year. A strong forecheck/backcheck should also help our D corpse. R. Johnson looked very steady for a good 20 game stretch last season. Ideally I would rather have a vet RHD that's somewhat physical to pair with Byram but if they cannot find that guy, then R Johnson might make more sense than Joker.

 

[Chainshot]

Byram actually had more PP time than Power after we acquired him.

And yet that still didn't work all that well.

 

[jc17]

A bit off topic, but I'm excited to see how Dahlin does in a faster system this year.

Even though he's not a speedster, I wonder if his IQ and skill shines more when the games moving faster. Watching some old 06 games, the advantage of having guys who could make fast reads and handle the puck when the pace is so high stands out

 

[Dingo44]

Luszczyszyn has the Sabres as the ninth most improved team this off-season so far.

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5626787/2024/07/10/nhl-teams-offseason-2024?source=user-shared-article

9. Buffalo Sabres

Net Rating added: +12
Salary added: $5 million

Key Additions: Ryan McLeod, Jason Zucker, Nicolas Aube-Kubel, Beck Malenstyn, Sam Lafferty

Key Departures: Jeff Skinner, Victor Olofsson, Zemgus Girgensons

The Sabres completely revamped their bottom six and the result is a much more formidable group. That’s headlined by Ryan McLeod who looks like a great bet as the team’s defensive third-line center for years to come. He came at a high price, yes, but he’s exactly what the Sabres needed.

The rest of the guys don’t move the needle much individually, but together they’re an improvement over what Buffalo previously had in its bottom six. If the team’s star players can look closer to the version of themselves from 2022-23, the Sabres should find themselves in the playoff mix.

Here's the list:

1. Chicago
2. New Jersey
3. Washington
4. Utah
5. San Jose
6. Nashville
7. Seattle
8. Toronto
9. Buffalo
10. Ottawa
11. Islanders
12. Anaheim
13. Minnesota
14. St. Louis
15. Montreal
16. Edmonton
17. Vancouver
18. Philadelphia
19. Pittsburgh
20. Columbus
21. Tampa
22. Colorado
23. Detroit
24. Rangers
25. Calgary
26. Boston
27. Los Angeles
28. Carolina
29. Florida
30. Dallas
31. Las Vegas
32. Winnipeg

 

[Sabre Dance]

Luszczyszyn has the Sabres as the ninth most improved team this off-season so far.

In the Eastern Conference?

 

[Dingo44]

In the Eastern Conference?

If you read the post and the article you can see they're 4th in the East.

As an FYI, subtractions count against his model both positively and negatively.

 

[Willgamesh]

And yet that still didn't work all that well.

None of the PP last year worked well.

 

[HOOats]

Trading Joker or Clifton for a defensive 3rd pair LHD might not be great value, but would make the pairs make a lot more sense.

Power - Dahlin
Byram-Samuelsson
X - Clifton/Joker
Bryson

A name I had for this one is Egor Zamula from Philly. Similar profile to Joki but a LHD and bigger. Fairly nondescript mobile SAH guy. They just signed him to a 2/$1.7M at the same time we re-signed Joki, so they seem to like him fine.

Two other names from contenders that could require a small add from us: Kulak in Edmonton and Mikkola in Florida. Joki is pretty much their peer according to the charts. In Edmonton's case, maybe they want to get a younger RHD. For Florida, maybe Zito views Joki as another underperforming Sabre he could re-sign and install as a bargain cog in their core moving forward.

McNabb in Vegas is 33 now (where does the time go) and still quite good. Probably a fantasy (M-NTC) but he's a UFA at the end of the year. I know Vegas seems hand out contracts with no remorse or repercussions, but I'm not sure he's in their future plans and with Theodore and Hanifin at LHD. Maybe they'd be interested in a younger cost-controlled RHD for their bottom pair to balance our their big spends.

Alternatively, trading for a top 4 RHD could also work (ideally defensively responsible type)

Power - Dahlin
Byram - X
Samuelsson - Clifton/Joker
Bryson

A couple ideas for this:

Weegar is the high-end, likely unattainable one. We'd have the most expensive and hopefully best D in the league.

Gudas in Anaheim. I know they say they want to compete now, but I don't see it and he's already 33. I'd overpay futures in addition to Joki.

Murphy in Chicago appeared like the ideal guy last summer, but he had a rough year so we may have dodged a bullet there.

The Vegas RHD duo of Whitecloud/Korczak is obviously intriguing. I doubt they'd move Korczak, but I'd spend big to steal him out of there if they want to keep their vet D corps together. In the more realistic timeline where Whitecloud gets moved instead, I'd add some to Joki for him. Like Chain said, he's maybe the best fit.

van Riemsdyk in Washington would be an ideal fit for another 2-3 years next to Byram or Power on the second pair. Great xG and penalty diff, good PK, leadership and pushback.

In @alehman42 's thread on the Trade Board, a Caps fan just accepted my offer of Joki & 2nd for TVR & 4th. I wouldn't have started negotiations that way IRL but I wanted to see if they'd take it. Don't hate it at all. Two more seasons at $3M and no NTC.

Power-Dahlin
Byram-TVR
Sammy-Clifton
Gilbert/Johnson/Bryson

 

[Chainshot]

None of the PP last year worked well.

It seems a lot more likely that he'll get 2nd PP time with Power and Dahlin will continue to run the first unit.