The Roster Thread, Summer 2024

[KeepKane]

I think a healthy Quinn replaces that.I also think Peterka and Benson take another step forward.Lastly Tompson healthy and Cozens gets his head out of his ass will help greatly.Not worried about goals to be honest.

Healthy Tage is gonna get back to his 50 goal pace. I think Quinn can score 35, maybe more if healthy and on PP1. Peterka scored 28 without much PP1 time at all and Quinn has looked more dangerous when healthy. I almost want to see them put Quinn with Tage from the get go.

One other thing I've been contemplating is spreading out Dahlin, Power and Byram over the three pairs and then doubling them up sometimes in certain Ozone draws, before or after the long tv timeout breaks and when needing some offense later in games. Having one of them on to push the puck up ice for all 5v5 mins sounds pretty enticing.

Benson-Tage-Quinn
Peterka-Cozens-Tuch
Greenway-McCleod-Zucker
Malenstyn-Lafferty-NAK
xKrebs, Rousek

Sammy-Dahlin
Power-Clifton
Byram-Joker

 

[TageGod]

Healthy Tage is gonna get back to his 50 goal pace. I think Quinn can score 35, maybe more if healthy and on PP1. Peterka scored 28 without much PP1 time at all and Quinn has looked more dangerous when healthy. I almost want to see them put Quinn with Tage from the get go.

One other thing I've been contemplating is spreading out Dahlin, Power and Byram over the three pairs and then doubling them up sometimes in certain Ozone draws, before or after the long tv timeout breaks and when needing some offense later in games. Having one of them on to push the puck up ice for all 5v5 mins sounds pretty enticing.

Benson-Tage-Quinn
Peterka-Cozens-Tuch
Greenway-McCleod-Zucker
Malenstyn-Lafferty-NAK
xKrebs, Rousek

Sammy-Dahlin
Power-Clifton
Byram-Joker

Is there any particular reason you are demoting our top two wingers and giving a third liner the top line?

 

[HOOats]

If he is not on PP1 he is not gonna score that much probably.
It depends on how his ice time will be allocated under Ruff versus Power.

All of that factored in to me saying 20 is more likely than 9. He's an offensive stud with youthful defensive issues to straighten out. It feels like he's somehow being forgotten about as if we gave Mitts away for free.

I think he's going to play a ton ES and be all over the ice in dangerous spots. He's a big weapon as a LH shooter on the PP, whether PP1 taking pressure off Tage (though it's probably JJ), or as the focal point of PP2.

 

[KeepKane]

Is there any particular reason you are demoting our top two wingers and giving a third liner the top line?

Peterka and Tuch may very well be Tage's wingers. I was trying to pair Tage with Quinn and Cozens with Tuch as well as balance the lines with someone more defensive (not Peterka). Plenty of good teams spread their top wingers throughout the lineup at 5 v5.

Peterka- Tage-Tuch
Zucker-Cozens-Quinn
Benson-McCleod-Greenway
4th line

is prob your starting lineup.

 

[HogtownSabresfan]

Skinner off the power play should result in more goals.

Skinner has never been an ideal PP guy. He produces five on five, which is always his strength. An even-average PP last year, and the Sabres are close to the playoff hunt. The Sabres produced all of 37 goals on the PP last year and gave up seven shorthanded. It's almost impossible to believe they could be that bad. Even being league average adds 15 more goals. The senior management that did nothing about this all year should have been on the spot for this. There is just not responsibility taken at the management level.

I really don't think it's clear the PP will be better this year. Players will be healthier, including Tage and Quinn but just removing Skinner is hardly the answer. Plus, you could just play him 15 minutes a guy even strength and avoid him 3 on 3 which was more Sabre genuis.

 

[BFLO]

His mistakes started already at the deadline in 2023.
A smart proactive GM would have changed his approach and added a key piece to get them in the playoffs.
Instead he added Stillman (probably attributed to the gutted scouting department; did they actually do anything to improve in that aera?)

I think his problems began earlier than the deadline.

The team turned the corner in March-May of 2022 from bottom feeder to middling. And they did this with nothing but cast offs and youngsters stepping up.

But Adams didn't realize it.

His assessment of where the team stood remained the same. So he stuck to his plan. stay at the cap floor, and draft + develop. Reality of where the team actually was be damned.

We then missed the playoffs by 1 point that season.

Adams inability to properly assess his own team has been his biggest Achilles heel. Nothing else a GM does is more important than accurately identifying their own teams strengths and weaknesses.

Where Adams thinks the team is, never lines up with where the team actually is.

Here's to hoping he finally got it right in year 5.

 

[Sabre the Win]

They ranked 23rd in scoring, and now have to make up 24 goals (and another 14 for another guy that also created scoring chances). Guys can bounce back and make up for Skinner, but how about being better than mediocre for team scoring? Seems necessary for a team with the youngest D-corps that hasn't figured out team defense yet.

Why are we taking only last season into account when we weren't close; the point totals don't match whats needed to make it from everyone. Lets look at the season where we were one point out because unless we play defence we need someone to cover Skinners 35 goals and 47 assists for 82 points. Its crazy that despite having two players over 80 points and one guy just shy we still missed out by a single win.

Either the team this year needs to cover huge ground on defense and the goalies need to better than average or we need to cover Skinner's production.

 

[HogtownSabresfan]

His mistakes started already at the deadline in 2023.
A smart proactive GM would have changed his approach and added a key piece to get them in the playoffs.
Instead he added Stillman (probably attributed to the gutted scouting department; did they actually do anything to improve in that aera?)

Do you really think with $22 million at the deadline in 2022-23 it was Adam's choice to only get Stillman? He could swapped cap room for picks and used the picks to get some d depth to get close to playoffs. Hmmm. Wonder why. Mr. #doganotherwell has basically put in some internal limits. It's all so dumb. They spend some of the cap, and the monkey is off their back making playoffs in 2022-23. People would have been upset about 2023-24, but the fan base wouldn't be imploding. Instead, they let the wound get worse. They gave to be a bottom-five team in cap again, so they traded Savoie to get a McLeod, who is under a very nice contract in 2024-25. Why on earth do we need to save money this year? We paid extra for something we don't need. This team is so lost. There is a decent chance they make the playoffs in spite of themselves. GMKA deserves credit for Quinn/Peterka/Benson. We lucked into Thompson in that terrible O'Reilly trade and moved him to centre. And if you keep drafting top 10... even a blind squirrel finds nuts.

 

[Push Dr Tracksuit]

No, he's not. Every team can use a Greenway to shuffle around the bottom 6.

Except apparently minny, and looking at the roster I don’t think he has much time left in Buffalo.

Sabres management looks to be trying to downsize the number of slow, mediocre hockey players they have in their bottom.

 

[Mattilaus]

Except apparently minny, and looking at the roster I don’t think he has much time left in Buffalo.

Sabres management looks to be trying to downsize the number of slow, mediocre hockey players they have in their bottom.

In Greenway's last full season with Minnesota they had 113 pts. In 2022-2023 where he was traded away that dropped to 103 pts. Then last season with no Greenway they had 87.

I am NOT saying the point drop is solely because of Greenway, but you saying they clearly couldn't use him is completely unsubstantiated and stats show the team has been worse without him.

 

[TheMistyStranger]

I am still so excited about the idea of having an elite 4th line. The rest will sort itself out, but having those 3 guys busting ass every shift is gonna make KBC rockin' to start every game.

 

[jc17]

I get not wanting to be slow, but we don't have to purge everyone who doesn't have top end speed

BOS, DAL, FLA, NYR, TOR, VAN, VGK all were at or below 50th percentile in the 20+ mph "bursts" stats everyone have been citing.

 

[Hasekperreault23]

Is there any particular reason you are demoting our top two wingers and giving a third liner the top line?

Benson will not be a 3rd liner for long.His IQ and vision is elite.As he gets stronger his explosiveness and shot will improve.Add his willingness to go to the dirty areas and good defensive awareness Benson in 2 years will be a 1st liner.I am betting on Thompson and Quinn to lead team in goals if healthy.Cozens to me needs to step up big time

 

[Aladyyn]

Peterka and Tuch may very well be Tage's wingers. I was trying to pair Tage with Quinn and Cozens with Tuch as well as balance the lines with someone more defensive (not Peterka). Plenty of good teams spread their top wingers throughout the lineup at 5 v5.

Peterka- Tage-Tuch
Zucker-Cozens-Quinn
Benson-McCleod-Greenway
4th line

is prob your starting lineup.

Call me a deranged optimist but I love the makeup of the first two lines. It might not look as sexy on paper but they're combos you're always happy to see jump over the boards.

 

[Chainshot]

Except apparently minny, and looking at the roster I don’t think he has much time left in Buffalo.

Sabres management looks to be trying to downsize the number of slow, mediocre hockey players they have in their bottom.

We’re gonna have to go back over Minnesota needing salary savings when they made that trade again?

 

[Matt Ress]

Skinner has never been an ideal PP guy. He produces five on five, which is always his strength. An even-average PP last year, and the Sabres are close to the playoff hunt. The Sabres produced all of 37 goals on the PP last year and gave up seven shorthanded. It's almost impossible to believe they could be that bad. Even being league average adds 15 more goals. The senior management that did nothing about this all year should have been on the spot for this. There is just not responsibility taken at the management level.

I really don't think it's clear the PP will be better this year. Players will be healthier, including Tage and Quinn but just removing Skinner is hardly the answer. Plus, you could just play him 15 minutes a guy even strength and avoid him 3 on 3 which was more Sabre genuis.

You know the coach got fired, right? His brand of toxic lackadaisical 'not me" play clearly spread to the PP.

 

[Dubi Doo]

Except apparently minny, and looking at the roster I don’t think he has much time left in Buffalo.

Sabres management looks to be trying to downsize the number of slow, mediocre hockey players they have in their bottom.

He was part of a really good shutdown line in MIN with Foligno. Greenway was on their third line when they were a 100+ pt team. He had a down year where fans thought he may have been a bit lazy in the offseason or it could've been due to injury, but since he's come to Buffalo, he's looked the part of a player who can play shutdown minutes again.

 

[MOGlLNY]

don’t care about Skinner’s PP stats relative to the rest of the team - his style of play on it was a detriment to the entire power play. It will be much better with him gone - addition by subtraction.

Can’t speak for our 5 on 5 scoring though. I wouldn’t be surprised if internal growth covers up his departure but it’s definitely a risk. I do know that our 5 on 5 defensive play will be much better though.

 

[TheMistyStranger]

I get not wanting to be slow, but we don't have to purge everyone who doesn't have top end speed

BOS, DAL, FLA, NYR, TOR, VAN, VGK all were at or below 50th percentile in the 20+ mph "bursts" stats everyone have been citing.

Which of the slower guys should they have kept? At worst, the player in/player out thing is a wash [Mitts for Byram]. At best, it's a massive improvement [Okposo for Malenstyn]

 

[HogtownSabresfan]

You know the coach got fired, right? His brand of toxic lackadaisical 'not me" play clearly spread to the PP.

The PP was bad for all of last year. And it really was below average in second half of 2022-23. They threw away another season not making any serious coaching change. Maybe Ruff will have some magic left but Devils are paying part of his contract and was a factor in his hiring. And who is the PP coach today?

 

[MOGlLNY]

The PP was bad for all of last year. And it really was below average in second half of 2022-23. They threw away another season not making any serious coaching change. Maybe Ruff will have some magic left but Devils are paying part of his contract and was a factor in his hiring. And who is the PP coach today?

Appert and Lindy will be coaching it together afaik

 

[HogtownSabresfan]

Which of the slower guys should they have kept? At worst, the player in/player out thing is a wash [Mitts for Byram]. At best, it's a massive improvement [Okposo for Malenstyn]

Not playing Okposo an average of 1+ minute a night on PP and 15 minutes or so overall can't hurt. I like the guy plays hard but he cannot keep up. I saw so many goals where he was trailing the play and banged one in. Good for him but it's pretty weak way to score goals.

Appert and Lindy will be coaching it together afaik

I'm trying to figure out where Seth Appert is a stud coaching prospect to anyone but Buffalo. The whole season is basically on young kids stepping and Ruff being able to coax that out of them. And goaltending.

 

[Chainshot]

Not playing Okposo an average of 1+ minute a night on PP and 15 minutes or so overall can't hurt. I like the guy plays hard but he cannot keep up. I saw so many goals where he was trailing the play and banged one in. Good for him but it's pretty weak way to score goals.

The underlying issue to him being on PP2 was the unwillingness of most of the forwards to get near the front of the net. Okposo would do that, creating screens and being around for potential rebounds. There is a clear lack of the spine to go to that area among the rest of the forwards and was the position Okposo filled on that unit. It's not about his speed or scoring off the rush, it was that he was the best of a collection of poor options for that task. They still don't have that if they're going to be trying a 1-3-1 setup on PP2.

I'm trying to figure out where Seth Appert is a stud coaching prospect to anyone but Buffalo. The whole season is basically on young kids stepping and Ruff being able to coax that out of them. And goaltending.

Appert had some sound PP design to accentuate strengths at the AHL level. He often utilized a lot of bumper play the likes of which Buffalo never even tried to implement. He often had multiple people at the netfront, even guys who weren't traditionally built for it. Some of it was off-puck motion, some of it was how a unit set up (some 1-high/2-middle/2-off post). If they can get that sort of adaptation out of the current talent instead of purely trying to find the single point-to-LW-flank-one-timer that they used almost without fail (and was so easily defended), they should see improvement in their PP.

 

[Satanphonehome]

Really hoping to see Byram on PP1 opposite Tage.

A left-handed shooter who can see the ice, score from distance and create through movement was drastically missing last year and that’s Bo to a T.

He will also help moving the puck up ice and on entries.

 

[Push Dr Tracksuit]

We’re gonna have to go back over Minnesota needing salary savings when they made that trade again?

You can go over it again. But Greenway not being in Minnesota has as much to do with him not being very good as minny needing 3 million dollars.

Teams don’t deal talented power forwards to fix cap problems. They move heaven and hell before they deal a talented power forward.

Jordan Greenway is what he is. Slow and lacking talent.