The Roster Thread, Summer 2024

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joshjull

Registered User
Aug 2, 2005
79,152
41,645
Hamburg,NY
A related fact is that the teams with the youngest rosters rarely make the playoffs. If your team is young, you probably have a bunch of ELCs and first bridge contracts.

The Sabres will once again have the youngest roster in the NHL this season. Which would make sense if we were in year 1 of a rebuild and not year 3 (or 4? or 5? not sure how to demarcate the separate “rebuilds”). Last year the 10 youngest teams all missed the playoffs.
It makes perfect sense that a team built internally with as many pieces “hitting” would be one of the youngest in the NHL for several seasons, if not the youngest.

You mentioned the 10 youngest teams. Our average age is projected at 25.3 years. To get outside of the 10 youngest it would need to move up almost 3yrs to be around 28yrs old. How exactly would we do that? The answer is we couldn’t because all of our roster is “young”, not just ELCs and bridges.

Our big money extension guys
Tage - 26
UPL -25
Dahlin -24
Sammy -24
Cozens -23
Power-21

They would all be drags on our ability to get up to an average age of 28yrs before even factoring in the 3, possibly 4, ELCs guys (Quinn 22/Peterka 22/Benson 19/Levi 22).

All of our top 4 dmen options are 25 or younger (Dahlin/Sammy/Power/Byram -23/Joker 25)

Our trade adds don’t help either (Malenstyn 26/McCloud 24/Byram 23)


I get your concerns about age but there isn’t much that can be done about it. To make it a big dent in the average age we would have to trade a sizable chunk of the players I listed for players around 30 years. Thats not realistic.

To add to this ….. we’re in a f***ed up situation were more experienced top end vets would help us win. But until we start winning they aren’t likely to come here.
 
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WhereAreTheCookies

Registered User
Feb 16, 2022
3,217
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I get your concerns about age but there isn’t much that can be done about it. To make it a big dent in the average age we would have to trade a sizable chunk of the players I listed for players around 30 years. Thats not realistic.
There's a reason why last year was the only year used as an example for young teams making the playoffs. The 10 youngest teams the past few seasons:

22-23 - 4th youngest team (Devils) made the playoffs
21-22 - 4th, 8th and 10th youngest teams (Rangers, Preds and Panthers) made the playoffs
20-21 - 7th & 8th youngest teams (Canes and Avs) made the playoffs
19-20 - 1st, 2nd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 9th and 10th youngest teams made the playoffs
18-19 - 2nd, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th and 10th youngest teams made the playoffs
17-18 - 1st, 2nd, 5th, 8th, 9th and 10th youngest teams made the playoffs
 

Zman5778

Moderator
Oct 4, 2005
26,054
24,391
Cressona/Reading, PA
Canucks fan here coming in with as much peace as I can come with (moderate peace)

What’s the lines looking like for next year
My best guess, currently:

Peterka-Tage-Tuch
Benson/Zucker-Cozens-Quinn
Benson/Zucker-McLeod-Greenway
Malenstyn-Lafferty-Aube-Kubel
X: Krebs, Rousek

Defense? It's a crapshoot. We know Dahlin is our 1st pair RD. His partner will be one of Byram/Power/Samuelsson. From there, the question is -- does Ruff keep the other 2 LHDs together or split them up and play either Clifton or Jokiharju as the 2nd pair RD. Ryan Johnson could also feasibly force our hand and claim the 3rd pair LHD spot out of camp. I think right now....if forced to guess:

Byram-Dahlin
Power-Jokiharju
Samuelsson-Clifton
X: either Gilbert or Bryson

UPL
Reimer
 

Coffees

blackhawk down
Nov 12, 2021
8,246
7,054
Massachusetts
My best guess, currently:

Peterka-Tage-Tuch
Benson/Zucker-Cozens-Quinn
Benson/Zucker-McLeod-Greenway
Malenstyn-Lafferty-Aube-Kubel
X: Krebs, Rousek

Defense? It's a crapshoot. We know Dahlin is our 1st pair RD. His partner will be one of Byram/Power/Samuelsson. From there, the question is -- does Ruff keep the other 2 LHDs together or split them up and play either Clifton or Jokiharju as the 2nd pair RD. Ryan Johnson could also feasibly force our hand and claim the 3rd pair LHD spot out of camp. I think right now....if forced to guess:

Byram-Dahlin
Power-Jokiharju
Samuelsson-Clifton
X: either Gilbert or Bryson

UPL
Reimer
Not the best defence but I’m a fan of that top 6
 

Zman5778

Moderator
Oct 4, 2005
26,054
24,391
Cressona/Reading, PA
Not the best defence but I’m a fan of that top 6
Our top 6/9 is the cause of some consternation among fans. There is a large segment of fans strongly criticizing Adams for not going out and replacing Skinner.

My bigger concern is our defense -- specifically the 2nd pair right side. We know Dahlin is our rock on the 1st pair. Clifton or Jokiharju are fine on the 3rd pair....however, neither really are strong enough to play 2nd pair minutes and neither can play the left side AT ALL. That said, our 4 most talented D (Dahlin, Power, Byram, Samuelsson) can all play the right to varying degrees of success (Dahlin prefers it). So theoretically, we could play a top 4 of all LHDs......which then would force either Dennis Gilbert (never been a full time NHLer) or Ryan Johnson (talented rookie) into the 3rd pair LHD while Clifton and Jokiharju battle it out for playing time. Personally, my major criticism of Adams' offseason is his not locking down that 2nd pair RHD spot.
 

Djp

Registered User
Jul 28, 2012
24,496
5,961
Alexandria, VA
Not the best defence but I’m a fan of that top 6
Buffalo also has ELCs in rochester who will compete for jobs in Rosen and Kulich. Their top pick Helrnius could play in Rochester this year as well. 22 2st rounder Istlund will also start his ELC thus season and 23 3nf round pi CV k Eahlbrrg could play in Rochester.

Any of those 5 could be call ups
 

Coffees

blackhawk down
Nov 12, 2021
8,246
7,054
Massachusetts
Buffalo also has ELCs in rochester who will compete for jobs in Rosen and Kulich. Their top pick Helrnius could play in Rochester this year as well. 22 2st rounder Istlund will also start his ELC thus season and 23 3nf round pi CV k Eahlbrrg could play in Rochester.

Any of those 5 could be call ups
Everything is set up for them to succeed , just need someone in the bottom six like Gourde and I think these guys take off
 
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debaser66

HFBoards Sponsor
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Mar 10, 2012
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It makes perfect sense that a team built internally with as many pieces “hitting” would be one of the youngest in the NHL for several seasons, if not the youngest.

You mentioned the 10 youngest teams. Our average age is projected at 25.3 years. To get outside of the 10 youngest it would need to move up almost 3yrs to be around 28yrs old. How exactly would we do that? The answer is we couldn’t because all of our roster is “young”, not just ELCs and bridges.

Our big money extension guys
Tage - 26
UPL -25
Dahlin -24
Sammy -24
Cozens -23
Power-21

They would all be drags on our ability to get up to an average age of 28yrs before even factoring in the 3, possibly 4, ELCs guys (Quinn 22/Peterka 22/Benson 19/Levi 22).

All of our top 4 dmen options are 25 or younger (Dahlin/Sammy/Power/Byram -23/Joker 25)

Our trade adds don’t help either (Malenstyn 26/McCloud 24/Byram 23)


I get your concerns about age but there isn’t much that can be done about it. To make it a big dent in the average age we would have to trade a sizable chunk of the players I listed for players around 30 years. Thats not realistic.

To add to this ….. we’re in a f***ed up situation were more experienced top end vets would help us win. But until we start winning they aren’t likely to come here.
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debaser66

HFBoards Sponsor
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Mar 10, 2012
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Our top 6/9 is the cause of some consternation among fans. There is a large segment of fans strongly criticizing Adams for not going out and replacing Skinner.

My bigger concern is our defense -- specifically the 2nd pair right side. We know Dahlin is our rock on the 1st pair. Clifton or Jokiharju are fine on the 3rd pair....however, neither really are strong enough to play 2nd pair minutes and neither can play the left side AT ALL. That said, our 4 most talented D (Dahlin, Power, Byram, Samuelsson) can all play the right to varying degrees of success (Dahlin prefers it). So theoretically, we could play a top 4 of all LHDs......which then would force either Dennis Gilbert (never been a full time NHLer) or Ryan Johnson (talented rookie) into the 3rd pair LHD while Clifton and Jokiharju battle it out for playing time. Personally, my major criticism of Adams' offseason is his not locking down that 2nd pair RHD spot.
He should have done this with adding a RD instead of another LD.
Basically add a sound defensive RD vet and we would have been set.
 
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