The Roster Thread, Summer 2024

[RWatson29]

I’m still holding out hope we can upgrade a couple areas like ideally 3C. But yeah pegula is easily the worst owner in the league and it’s not close

 

[Ace]

The top 6 winger is Zucker and the top 4 dman is Joki.

The playoff drought is going on 14

 

[Dingo44]

The Sabres cheaped out on goalie depth, defence depth, a top forward and then spent $5 M like idiots on Zucker. This should be shocking to no one.\

The Skinner buyout was likely a combo of Ruff not wanting him, Pegula being embarrassed by the original deal and having him around but also saving money. They now have 17 guys on the roster.

My guess is they will cheap out on UPL next and sign him to a two-year deal that walks him to UFA and keeps Jokiharju. That will cost maybe another $7 M. Krebs/Malenstyn might add $3.5 M. Rookie contracts will fill out the roster. We will be $8 M under cap or about 10%. That was always my expectation.

The Sabres are a feeder team for other franchises. Get used to it. They should still be able to make playoffs some years with even halfway competent management. But Pegula has laid out the path for the next little bit.

I would be honestly worried when the lease runs out in 2027. This won't be a playoff team in 2024-25 or very low odds. And 2025-26 and 2026-27? Who knows? Is there going to be a rush to hand Terry $350 M for a major rink renovation? I truly wonder.

Terry Pegula is the worst thing that ever happened to the Buffalo Sabres. Incompetent managers and coaches making bad trades and contract, hamstrung but a horrible owner.

There is just no way his ownership has been better than Golisano and the Knox's. That's not close. I will even take the Rigas family. Yes, they went to jail but their shadiness kept the team going. I think the team is run slightly better than when the league had control.

At least @Fjordy likes your posts.

 

[Fjordy]

At least @Fjordy likes your posts.

In this case, definitely yes.

 

[toddkaz]

Like most i'd like another top 6 player and a top 4 d man..

I do like that 4th line tho... lol

Not sure that's a team that gets to the playoffs.

Would have liked to have seen the defense improved.

If everyone can stay healthy I say Buffalo has a chance.

 

[HOOats]

We've added 16 playoff runs with 107 playoff GP to our experience in four spots.

Aube-Kubel: 3 runs 30 GP
Zucker: 9 runs 52 GP
Lafferty: 3 runs 21 GP
Malenstyn: 1 run 4 GP

Across our entire roster, we only had 15 runs with 161 GP.

Tuch: 4 runs 66 GP
Greenway: 4 runs 22 GP
Clifton: 5 runs 46 GP
Byram: 2 runs 27 GP

 

[Ace]

Not sure that's a team that gets to the playoffs.

Would have liked to have seen the defense improved.

If everyone can stay healthy I say Buffalo has a chance.

They have a better chance of finishing last in he division than making the playoffs. That roster is atrocious.l

In desperate need of top 6 help. A real 3C. And a top 4 D

 

[Dirty Dog]

If Krebs is the 3C and they’re going to just move Benson up to a top 6…oh boy.

The problem remains what it has always been. The moves Adams hasn’t made. He needs to trade prospects and picks for NHL talent. It’s year five.

The signings today are fine. And if Krebs is replacing Mittelstadt none of them will matter.

If happy with the signings and I’m even fine with Benson playing on a line with Cozens/Quinn. Krebs replacing Mitts would be unacceptable

 

[Aladyyn]

They have a better chance of finishing last in he division than making the playoffs. That roster is atrocious.l

In desperate need of top 6 help. A real 3C. And a top 4 D

A worse roster than that + tragic goaltending was 1 point out.

 

[Ace]

A worse roster than that + tragic goaltending was 1 point out.

And then what happened?

Look at that roster…with those massive holes in key places.

Now imagine it with one injury. Now imagine it with two.

 

[ValJamesDuex]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1807847316855964133

 

[MOGlLNY]

Need to use the prospects to address the obvious needs on that roster. If that's our roster we are picking top 5.

I do like how we revamped the bottom line though.

 

[TheDawnOfANewTage]

The Sabres cheaped out on goalie depth, defence depth, a top forward and then spent $5 M like idiots on Zucker. This should be shocking to no one.\

The Skinner buyout was likely a combo of Ruff not wanting him, Pegula being embarrassed by the original deal and having him around but also saving money. They now have 17 guys on the roster.

My guess is they will cheap out on UPL next and sign him to a two-year deal that walks him to UFA and keeps Jokiharju. That will cost maybe another $7 M. Krebs/Malenstyn might add $3.5 M. Rookie contracts will fill out the roster. We will be $8 M under cap or about 10%. That was always my expectation.

The Sabres are a feeder team for other franchises. Get used to it. They should still be able to make playoffs some years with even halfway competent management. But Pegula has laid out the path for the next little bit.

I would be honestly worried when the lease runs out in 2027. This won't be a playoff team in 2024-25 or very low odds. And 2025-26 and 2026-27? Who knows? Is there going to be a rush to hand Terry $350 M for a major rink renovation? I truly wonder.

Terry Pegula is the worst thing that ever happened to the Buffalo Sabres. Incompetent managers and coaches making bad trades and contract, hamstrung but a horrible owner.

There is just no way his ownership has been better than Golisano and the Knox's. That's not close. I will even take the Rigas family. Yes, they went to jail but their shadiness kept the team going. I think the team is run slightly better than when the league had control.

You said it better than I could. if they’d replaced Skinner directly, fine, still don’t love the move, but they’ve instead signed scraps and the corpse of Zucker. It’s only a year, though, so they can look like they’re trying while actually doing/spending as little as possible to actually fix shit.

No seeming attempts at a RD, which is just atrocious.

Idk man, cynical take I guess, but seeing Pesce go for 6 mil to a rival, while we sign worse-skinner to replace Skinner, that’s f***in something funky.

Can’t wait for that asshole to sell to a different asshole.

 

[billsandsabres]

mittelstadt elevated his game beyond 3C and was 2C caliber by the time he was traded. if you don't think krebs is a suitable 3C that's fine, but the reasoning shouldn't be based on a comparison to mittelstadt.

 

[Sabresfansince1980]

mittelstadt elevated his game beyond 3C and was 2C caliber by the time he was traded. if you don't think krebs is a suitable 3C that's fine, but the reasoning shouldn't be based on a comparison to mittelstadt.

Doesn't matter if you compare Krebs to TT, Cozens, or Mitts. KA left a big roster hole that for now is looking to be filled by Krebs, when it could have been filled by ANY of the other three. It's a huge deficit that KA made all by himself.

 

[BuffaloGooner]

Wow guys I didn’t know the offseason ended today!

 

[itwasaforwardpass]

You said it better than I could. if they’d replaced Skinner directly, fine, still don’t love the move, but they’ve instead signed scraps and the corpse of Zucker. It’s only a year, though, so they can look like they’re trying while actually doing/spending as little as possible to actually fix shit.

No seeming attempts at a RD, which is just atrocious.

Idk man, cynical take I guess, but seeing Pesce go for 6 mil to a rival, while we sign worse-skinner to replace Skinner, that’s f***in something funky.

Can’t wait for that asshole to sell to a different asshole.

Didn't Pesce nix a deal Adams had to bring him to Buffalo last year.

 

[MarkusKetterer]

Didn't Pesce nix a deal Adams had to bring him to Buffalo last year.

Yup. It was so close that his dad followed my Twitter to get more history of the team.

 

[Sabresfansince1980]

Wow guys I didn’t know the offseason ended today!

The list of quality centers acquired by Buffalo in the last ten years outside of the draft -

 

[itwasaforwardpass]

Yup. It was so close that his dad followed my Twitter to get more history of the team.

So we have you to blame! What horrors did his dad find on your Twitter.

 

[MarkusKetterer]

So we have you to blame! What horrors did his dad find on your Twitter.

I’m fine with that.

EDIT: hentai and crypto reposts that I didn’t make

 

[TehDoak]

A worse roster than that + tragic goaltending was 1 point out.

Yes, you just need every single player to have career years, the playoff cutoff be low, and only minor injury issues.

Need to use the prospects to address the obvious needs on that roster. If that's our roster we are picking top 5.

I do like how we revamped the bottom line though.

I wouldn't be THAT negative.

Removing Skinner, revamping the 4th line, a full year of Quinn and Byram.

The issue is the lack of a competent option at 3C and lack of quality in the top 6 forward group.

Currently the top 6F group is:

Thompson
Peterka
Cozens
Tuch
Quinn
,,,,,,

Benson, Greenway, Zucker, Krebs are not top 6F.

The only real option for 3C left via UFA is Henrique and there really isn't a good top 6F left via UFA.

We're in that dead spot between like picking 7th and 14th next year. Maybe we kinda approach the playoff race, but not good enough to stay there for 82 games.

 

[elchud]

We weren't a better (or worse) team with Mittelstadt than without Mittelstadt.

This team needs to gel, assume a new identity, and produce to their talent level. Half of our salary cap is devoted to our D, but they won't perform like the best D in the league, even though they are the highest paid.

I don't know if UPL will be as good this season.

The forwards are actually not as concerning to me. I think the whole can be greater than the sum of its parts.

If the idea is to be able to resign all of Peterka and Quinn and Byram I can understand why they arent spending to the cap this year.

We can't be in the 10th spot, 30 games in. It just can't be a thing. Going nuclear in that situation means trading Power, or something.

If Tage and Dylan and Power produce commensurate to their salaries...if Quinn and Krebs go "Peterka" and establish themselves as legit top-9 players...and UPL...its our core performing at a high level. This is what will make or break this season.

 

[Dubi Doo]

That 3rd line is gonna get smashed

Possibly, but put Krebs with Benson and Greenway, and that could be a second line we use to flip d zone starts to o zone finishes.

Let's not forget Krebs was part of a good top-9 checking line two years ago (Granato used Girgs-Krebs-Oko as a top-9 line). Benson and Greenway are better than Girgs and Okposo, so it's not out of the realm of possibility that they become a solid 3rd line.

I say all of this while still wanting to upgrade Krebs. Risky business!

 

[Beerz]

Possibly, but put Krebs with Benson and Greenway, and that could be a second line we use to flip d zone starts to o zone finishes.

Let's not forget Krebs was part of a good top-9 checking line two years ago (Granato used Girgs-Krebs-Oko as a top-9 line). Benson and Greenway are better than Girgs and Okposo, so it's not out of the realm of possibility that they become a solid 3rd line.

I say all of this while still wanting to upgrade Krebs. Risky business!

I have no confidence in Krebs.