First Sabre on a long-term deal to demand out.

[Gabrielor]

You really think they’re going to trade JJP or Quinn for picks just because they don’t want to spend to the cap? I really see no reason to think they’ll do this.

They should be thinking about trading those two players, but it should be in an attempt to build a balanced roster. If they’re ditching developing prospects for more picks then you’re right, every single player will rightfully ask out. But that’s not going to happen.

Got into a twitter thing yesterday and some think Terry's enforcing a definite budget on the team, so until I know more in the next 14 months, I won't rule it out.

I too think it's not likely, but it also isn't zero. Terry definitely has been a cheap bastard post-2020.

 

[HogtownSabresfan]

How about

if you think “won’t spend a couple hundred thousand to acquire a 4th round pick” equals “won’t spend money when it matters” I don’t know what to tell you…

How about $20 M + plus under the cap last year and missing the playoffs by one point with AHLers on a banged-up D? How about being $8.5 M under the cap this year? How about forcing a trade for Ryan O'Reilly one day before his $7.5 M bonus due, leaving your GM with a shotgun to his head? Watch the actual video on sabres.com from this year where Kevyn Adams is excited he has trade for Okposo with no retention. Keep drinking the Pegula Kool Aid. The guy doesn't know whether he is coming or going on hockey. He overspends, then underspends. Won't hire anyone with experience. Worst owner in NHL easily. Not even close.

 

[HogtownSabresfan]

You really think they’re going to trade JJP or Quinn for picks just because they don’t want to spend to the cap? I really see no reason to think they’ll do this.

They should be thinking about trading those two players, but it should be in an attempt to build a balanced roster. If they’re ditching developing prospects for more picks then you’re right, every single player will rightfully ask out. But that’s not going to happen.

This year's "cap casualty" will be Jokiharju. Wait for it. They will tell you we have too many d men. Laughable. No team can expect their starting 6 to stay healthy. He'll get moved under some nonsense logic. The D actually looks solid now. Johnson could play in Rochester with a call-up when injuries happen, and a 7th d man (Bryson/Clague) can sit in the stands. This won't happen. My money is on Jokiharju gone. A couple of media have already suggested this, spinning the idiocy of no room. My guess is they are fed that claptrap from management.

 

[KeydGV21]

How about

How about $20 M + plus under the cap last year and missing the playoffs by one point with AHLers on a banged-up D? How about being $8.5 M under the cap this year? How about forcing a trade for Ryan O'Reilly one day before his $7.5 M bonus due, leaving your GM with a shotgun to his head? Watch the actual video on sabres.com from this year where Kevyn Adams is excited he has trade for Okposo with no retention. Keep drinking the Pegula Kool Aid. The guy doesn't know whether he is coming or going on hockey. He overspends, then underspends. Won't hire anyone with experience. Worst owner in NHL easily. Not even close.

Your first sentence indicates you haven’t bothered to read what I said…

Have a good one

 

[Gras]

This year's "cap casualty" will be Jokiharju. Wait for it. They will tell you we have too many d men. Laughable. No team can expect their starting 6 to stay healthy. He'll get moved under some nonsense logic. The D actually looks solid now. Johnson could play in Rochester with a call-up when injuries happen, and a 7th d man (Bryson/Clague) can sit in the stands. This won't happen. My money is on Jokiharju gone. A couple of media have already suggested this, spinning the idiocy of no room. My guess is they are fed that claptrap from management.

Joker will be traded because he wont have a spot in the top 4 and it would be a waste to pay him 4mil to sit in the pressbox and he and Clfiton don't fare well when playing on their offhand so you can only have one of them for the bottom pair.

 

[TageGod]

Don't like the poll, but another bad year in 2024-25 and we will be at this moment.

I left Skinner out because he is not going anywhere and has said it before. My prediction is that Thompson will be the first to look to get out.

you typically have to earn the right to request out. Not when you are the top players on the team and have bad years. No one will request out of the core. Most haven’t even earned “core” yet

 

[Sabresfansince1980]

Joker will be traded because he wont have a spot in the top 4 and it would be a waste to pay him 4mil to sit in the pressbox and he and Clfiton don't fare well when playing on their offhand so you can only have one of them for the bottom pair.

Joker might be traded, but not because he isn't needed...even if the front office erroneously thinks so. A clear #3 has not proven themselves yet - Joker is at least as good as Clifton and is still on a small upward trajectory, Samuelsson is hurt half the time, and Ryan Johnson has much to prove. If Joker is moved, it will be under much the same circumstances as Mittelstadt...the organization thinking they have more than they need in a certain spot and cutting what they think is "excess" in cap spending.

They DO have a high % of cap going to the D-corps, but they set themselves up for that by being willing to pay Power well above his on-ice value until he finally rounds out while the cap increases at the same time. They shouldn't be cutting their depth short unless it's totally necessary.

 

[HogtownSabresfan]

Your first sentence indicates you haven’t bothered to read what I said…

Have a good one

The trading cap for picks is just a very easy no-brainer at the deadline to grab some extra 4th and 5ths at no cost. Sabres clearly have no interest. The Kevyn Adams video on Okposo sure look a smoking gun. Keeping buying into the narrative they are spending against all facts. Not using cap space is just the latest example and not the only one.

 

[HogtownSabresfan]

Joker might be traded, but not because he isn't needed...even if the front office erroneously thinks so. A clear #3 has not proven themselves yet - Joker is at least as good as Clifton and is still on a small upward trajectory, Samuelsson is hurt half the time, and Ryan Johnson has much to prove. If Joker is moved, it will be under much the same circumstances as Mittelstadt...the organization thinking they have more than they need in a certain spot and cutting what they think is "excess" in cap spending.

They DO have a high % of cap going to the D-corps, but they set themselves up for that by being willing to pay Power well above his on-ice value until he finally rounds out while the cap increases at the same time. They shouldn't be cutting their depth short unless it's totally necessary.

Your pairs can easily be

Dahlin/Byram
Power/Jokiharju
Clifton/ Samuelsson

7th guy Bryson at $1 m in stands most nights
Ryan Johnson in Rochester

Samuelsson is not much of a top 4 guy. Clifton or he will get bumped into the top 4. Ryan Johnson will get minutes, and we will end up playing AHL-level D-men for 80-man games over the course of the year. This is why this team sucks. Lots of little self-made mistakes.

you typically have to earn the right to request out.

Not in Buffalo

Joker will be traded because he wont have a spot in the top 4 and it would be a waste to pay him 4mil to sit in the pressbox and he and Clfiton don't fare well when playing on their offhand so you can only have one of them for the bottom pair.

How would he sit in the press box when we only have 5 NHL d-men unless you want Bryson or Ryan Johnson playing? Plus, let's only have one RD. Buffalo logic.

 

[Gras]

Your pairs can easily be

Dahlin/Byram
Power/Jokiharju
Clifton/ Samuelsson

7th guy Bryson at $1 m in stands most nights
Ryan Johnson in Rochester

Samuelsson is not much of a top 4 guy. Clifton or he will get bumped into the top 4. Ryan Johnson will get minutes, and we will end up playing AHL-level D-men for 80-man games over the course of the year. This is why this team sucks. Lots of little self-made mistakes.



Not in Buffalo



How would he sit in the press box when we only have 5 NHL d-men unless you want Bryson or Ryan Johnson playing? Plus, let's only have one RD. Buffalo logic.

They likely envision their top 4 next season as
Dahlin/Byram
Power/Samuelsson

What they wont do is run a bottom pair of
Joker/Clifton

And I would envision RJ being up with the team for pretty much all of next season so your bottom pair is going to be
RJ/Clifton

Barring them bringing in someone from the outside to fight him for the 6/7 role

The 05-06 team pretty much ran 5L 1D

 

[Chainshot]

Y'all are now off into roster discussion.

 

[HogtownSabresfan]

They likely envision their top 4 next season as
Dahlin/Byram
Power/Samuelsson

What they wont do is run a bottom pair of
Joker/Clifton

And I would envision RJ being up with the team for pretty much all of next season so your bottom pair is going to be
RJ/Clifton

Barring them bringing in someone from the outside to fight him for the 6/7 role

The 05-06 team pretty much ran 5L 1D

This top 4 obsession is really some arbitrary construct based on having a crappy third pair to cover up. I'm not sure why Clifton/Samuelsson can't work as a pair. They are the only guys on the team that hit, and the $7.5 M third pair is pricey, but not if they play 15+ minutes a night. This Dahlin thing at 26+ minutes a night is just foolish over a year. 120 minutes a game of time. I think there is time for these guys, and if Byram and Dahlin are both on the 1st PP, that works them into a lot of time. There is no team in the NHL that doesn't go eight D-man deep most years. We will have close to 80 games from non-top six guys this year, not counting swapping Byram for EJ. Happens every year. Jokiharju will get traded and I don't know why.

 

[littletonhockeycoach]

He's not on a long term contract but my nominee is UPL.

Because that's what modern day Sabre goalies do.........

 

[SabresFan26]

He's not on a long term contract but my nominee is UPL.

Because that's what modern day Sabre goalies do.........

Then go and win Vezinas shortly after (Lehner and Ullmark)

 

[HogtownSabresfan]

He's not on a long term contract but my nominee is UPL.

Because that's what modern day Sabre goalies do.........

He has two team-controlled years still. This is actually a key contract for this team and direction with risk. I think you bet he has figured out the NHL, and you pay for it with a 4-5 year deal. I think you buy two of his UFA deals for a higher RFA number. Will he do that? Will Pegula sign that check? Hard to say. I suppose you could go really long-term (eight years) and get the cap hit down way more, but that's a risk for both sides. Can't see it. My guess is that the Sabres will cheap out a bit and sign a three-year deal allowing them to keep the RFA years lower.