Proposal: Buffalo offseason retool

[LEAFANFORLIFE23]

Philly finished dead last in 2007 and got to the conference finals in 2008 bringing in Hartnell, Timonen, Upshall etc. Similar type of retool. They sold a bunch of solid players on a quick turnaround and got it

They finished last once Buffalo finished last in 2014, 2015, 2018 and this year and bottom 10 every year since 2012

 

[MarkusKetterer]

They finished last once Buffalo finished last in 2014, 2015, 2018 and this year and bottom 10 every year since 2012

Hey now! We can still move up the standings. We don’t have last locked up yet.

 

[Kuznetsnow]

They finished last once Buffalo finished last in 2014, 2015, 2018 and this year and bottom 10 every year since 2012

All the more due for being good in the future

Hawks were in the basement for 15 years and then boom

 

[LEAFANFORLIFE23]

All the more due for being good in the future

Hawks were in the basement for 15 years and then boom

The Hawks were and are able to draft and find players

 

[Mersss]

I guess buffalo would be talking to Seattle about Chiarot then in this case. Is Montreal really going to trade Armia heading into the playoffs?

No, but if they were it'd def be for more than a 2nd

 

[MarkusKetterer]

The Hawks were and are able to draft and find players

The Hawks don’t employ window lickers for scouts in a normal year. And in this year, they actually have scouts compared to none.

 

[HuGo Sham]

I feel like Buffalo could take a massive step forward this offseason by plugging their holes with established two way vets. Similar to what the Capitals did with Orpik/Niskanen (and then Oshie, Williams and Eller). Bonus if vets have synergy from prior teams

Deadline trade - Staal for ~2nd, Hall retained for 1st +, Miller/Montour for whatever, any UFAs for whatever (except try to resign Jake McCabe).

Coaching hire - Boudreau as HC, Kirk Muller/Ryan Callahan as assistants (similar to Capitals getting Trotz in 2014 after enduring their Ralph Krueger meme coach in Adam Oates). Callahan is a Buffalo local already coaching at a prep school in Rochester and seems like the perfect guy to bring along with how revered he is among active players

Expansion trade/draft
To Seattle - Okposo, Mittelstadt, Thompson, late 1st from Hall trade
To Buffalo - Korpi/Merzlinkis (assume they take one of these from Columbus, Seattle will have multiple good goalies available so this would be a way for them to get a lot in assets while still getting their goalies)

UFAs signings -

From Columbus > Foligno, Nash, Savard
Foligno becomes the vet leader upfront, channeling his dad. Savard gets stapled to Dahlin to provide stability and mentor him. Nash takes on PK/shutdown role and can fill in as 3C or even 2C. These guys all probably get traded to different contenders at the deadline but all get brought back together in the offseason

From Tampa > Coleman, Goodrow
Coleman provides fast top 6 goal scoring ability and versatility. Goodrow is an excellent 3/4 RW, both have cup winning pedigree

From Montreal > Chiarot, rights to Armia
To Montreal > 2nd, Pilut
Armia as versatile puck possession 2-3 RW, Chiarot as 2nd/3rd pairing tough stay at home LD. Montreal would already have Edmundson/Romanov in their top 4 and looking for faster D to compliment Edmundson/Weber

Then one of Bozak/Lowry/Laughton/Bonino as 3C (assume Bozak for example), someone who can fill in as 2C.

Skinner Eichel Coleman
Foligno Cozens Reinhart
Olofsson Bozak Armia
Girgesons Nash Goodrow

Dahlin Savard
McCabe Ristolainen
Chiarot Jokiharju

Merzlikins
Ullmark

Bringing players already familiar with each other should be good for quickly getting on the same page chemistry wise, plus may entice them to sign with one team over somewhere where they'd be brand new. Would have a balanced Islanders-like lineup capable of pushing the play for the full 60 minutes one way or another

montreal isn't touching that trade. I expect they'll resign Armia and keep chiarot - certainly not deal him for a 2nd (habs have 14 picks next summer) and pilut is useless to them

 

[Kuznetsnow]

montreal isn't touching that trade. I expect they'll resign Armia and keep chiarot - certainly not deal him for a 2nd (habs have 14 picks next summer) and pilut is useless to them

Doubt Armia resigns with Anderson, Gallagher and Toffoli ahead of him. Plenty of teams will give him a bigger role and more money

 

[Kuznetsnow]

The Hawks were and are able to draft and find players

Not for 15 years they weren't

 

[explore]

Not for 15 years they weren't

Apparently people don't remember the Bill Wirtz era when you couldn't even watch the Blackhawks on TV because he wanted to force people to show up to the arena

The Blackhawks changed very quickly once he died

 

[fsanford]

Apparently people don't remember the Bill Wirtz era when you couldn't even watch the Blackhawks on TV because he wanted to force people to show up to the arena

The Blackhawks changed very quickly once he died

Terry Pegula is only 69, not sure if the Wirtz solution is in the Sabres future anytime soon.

 

[tsujimoto74]

Olfsson on the 3rd line is such a waste he is a 1st line player if I were him I’d demand a trade in that case. He’s the Sabres best winger.

Swing and a miss. Olofsson is a monster on the PP but 1st line minutes are entirely wasted on him at ES.

 

[allsilverdreams]

First they need to fire their stupid COACH.
Do it now so you can see how the team responds , before the end of this year. If they continue to suk then start the retool process.

 

[Team Cozens]

The Hawks were and are able to draft and find players

Original 6 teams can attract players than buffalo can. Let's not pretend that's an issue for depth. Sabres desperately need a goalie and had one they drafted walk away in Cal Petersen because of terrible NCAA rules.

 

[TheBloodyNine]

Retool? Think they need a bit more than that.

 

[Unbiased Fan]

Swing and a miss. Olofsson is a monster on the PP but 1st line minutes are entirely wasted on him at ES.

I disagree especially on Buffalo.

 

[KingsFan7824]

Expansion trade/draft
To Seattle - Okposo, Mittelstadt, Thompson, late 1st from Hall trade
To Buffalo - Korpi/Merzlinkis (assume they take one of these from Columbus, Seattle will have multiple good goalies available so this would be a way for them to get a lot in assets while still getting their goalies)

Seattle will be as much a cap dump team as Vegas was. They may not be able to copy Vegas in the standings so far, because who in their right mind thought Vegas would be the 5th best team in the league through 260 games, but they're not going to want to throw the towel in right away either. 2 more years of Okposo/Thompson at $7.4m, to get Mittelstadt and a late 1st? Yeah right.

 

[Moose and Squirrel]

Zero chances Habs do that trade. Pilut isn't worth anything, and Chiarot, as a UFA next year, may bery well net us a 2nd + on his own. No need to add Armia to him.

Habs will protect

Drouin
Kk
Armia
Anderson
Toffoli
Gallagher
Evans

Weber
Petry
Edmundson

Allen

Danault and Tatar come back post ED with a handshake deal to open 2 protection spots. Price accepts to waive knowing SEA won't claim him and, in if they do, moves to where his wife is from and where he spends his summers.

So yah, unless the package for Armia and Chiarot is a LOT better than that, they won't go to BUF

doesn't Price's contract status require him to be protected (NMC)? or am I mis-remembering that?

 

[Moose and Squirrel]

Apparently people don't remember the Bill Wirtz era when you couldn't even watch the Blackhawks on TV because he wanted to force people to show up to the arena

The Blackhawks changed very quickly once he died

this... he was a miserable SOB.. him and that guy that owned the Leafs (can't remember his name right now)... ugh

 

[Mersss]

doesn't Price's contract status require him to be protected (NMC)? or am I mis-remembering that?

He'll be asked to waive knowing very well SEA ain't picking him up.

 

[NK94]

First they need to fire their stupid COACH.
Do it now so you can see how the team responds , before the end of this year. If they continue to suk then start the retool process.

No new coach is saving that team. They need to blow it up sky high.

 

[Fatass]

Retool? Think they need a bit more than that.

Depends on how we define retool, and whether the Sabres have a completed young core.
Retool, to me, is a team with a core, that needs to be slightly adjusted. The Sabres have core pieces, like Eichel, Dahlin, Oloffsson, Reinhardt, but (imo) they need more to fully have a core. So do they continue to build that core (draft) or do they try to retool around an incomplete core? I think they’ve been trying to retool, and it’s failed because they first need to complete their core.

 

[TheBloodyNine]

Depends on how we define retool, and whether the Sabres have a completed young core.
Retool, to me, is a team with a core, that needs to be slightly adjusted. The Sabres have core pieces, like Eichel, Dahlin, Oloffsson, Reinhardt, but (imo) they need more to fully have a core. So do they continue to build that core (draft) or do they try to retool around an incomplete core? I think they’ve been trying to retool, and it’s failed because they first need to complete their core.

They need to toss a grenade into that roster, and then into their management group.

 

[Fatass]

They need to toss a grenade into that roster, and then into their management group.

Imo the only untouchable player is Dahlin. Make moves to rebuild around him.

 

[Fjordy]

Imo the only untouchable player is Dahlin. Make moves to rebuild around him.

The first step, change the coach and give Dahlin freedom, they just try to make a defensive defender out of the guy and forbid him to use his creativity, such stupidity.