Roster Speculation '17-'18: Someone, Somewhere, In Summertime

[Kyndig]

The speed thing is an issue but it's self-correcting. No need to make any moves because the team is slow now. Botterill knows this too. He was part of the team in Pittsburgh that increased team speed by bringing up Rust and Sheary, and made a smaller trade for Hagelin. There's no need for a huge move because the players who can help are already in the organization.

Bailey is already up. Baptiste is fast. Nylander has wheels. Guhle might be the best skater in the organization after Eichel. And Mittelstadt and Asplund are on the way. You add them to Eichel, Reinhart, Okposo, and ROR, and you get a fast team. Two years from now:

Girgensons - Eichel - Nylander
Asplund - ROR - Okposo
Mittelstadt - Reinhart - Bailey
Fasching - Larsson - Baptiste

That's a fast line-up.

Its always fun to slot in our prospects and imagine them playing well enough to be there but it pretty much never happens plus there is the fact you wait years for said prospects to develop and watch current players age or hit free agency. People loved slotting in Bailey, Armia, Grigorenko, Baptiste, Varone, Rodrigues, Catenacci etc but none of them have stuck.

Its quite possible that Mittlestadt is the only one out of all those players you added to the lines that actually sticks or lives up to his projection.

 

[Matt Ress]

Its always fun to slot in our prospects and imagine them playing well enough to be there but it pretty much never happens plus there is the fact you wait years for said prospects to develop and watch current players age or hit free agency. People loved slotting in Bailey, Armia, Grigorenko, Baptiste, Varone, Rodrigues, Catenacci etc but none of them have stuck.

Its quite possible that Mittlestadt is the only one out of all those players you added to the lines that actually sticks or lives up to his projection.

Anything is possible. It's also possible to add a cheap speedy winger or two at any time.

ROR and Rhino are averaged speed players. Team speed isn't great but it's really not horrible and probably a really small portion for the team's lack of success so far.

 

[MayDayMayDay]

Anyone else good with putting Risto in the press box for a game?

 

[DapperCam]

Anyone else good with putting Risto in the press box for a game?

He leads all players in the NHL in icetime. Who do we have to replace those minutes?

 

[tsujimoto74]

Anyone else good with putting Risto in the press box for a game?

1. And replace him with who exactly?
2. Would be an overreaction anyway. What he needs, and has needed for the last several years, is someone else on this roster who can eat some of those tough minutes. He hasn't been playing his best hockey so far this season, but the core of the problem remains that he's being tasked to do way too much because, even at less than his best, every other D on our roster would fare far worse in his minutes/role.

 

[struckbyaparkedcar]

O'Reilly's role is more defensive YoY, and Ristolainen leads the league in minutes.

Phil Housley is a f***ing bum.

 

[Samsonite23]

Its always fun to slot in our prospects and imagine them playing well enough to be there but it pretty much never happens plus there is the fact you wait years for said prospects to develop and watch current players age or hit free agency. People loved slotting in Bailey, Armia, Grigorenko, Baptiste, Varone, Rodrigues, Catenacci etc but none of them have stuck.

Its quite possible that Mittlestadt is the only one out of all those players you added to the lines that actually sticks or lives up to his projection.

In general, I agree. But, to me, Asplund is sure thing quality NHLer. At least, as much of a sure thing as as a prospect can be. He plays a very mature game in a men's league, is fast, does the little things, is defensively responsible, can score. Much different than any of the guys you mentioned.

 

[Aladyyn]

He leads all players in the NHL in icetime. Who do we have to replace those minutes?

Aggregate.

 

[AustonsNostrils]

Also with Buffalo, I get the sense people (not just the Sabres) want to see Alex Nylander play. He’s injured at AHL Rochester.

This implies Botterill has talked trade and Nylander is in the mix. No other reason for other teams wanting to see Nylander play.

 

[Montag DP]

Anything is possible. It's also possible to add a cheap speedy winger or two at any time.

ROR and Rhino are averaged speed players. Team speed isn't great but it's really not horrible and probably a really small portion for the team's lack of success so far.

Agreed. They look slow because they are bad at puck support and making quick decisions with the puck (the two of which are related), not because of slow skating.

 

[Duddy]

O'Reilly's role is more defensive YoY, and Ristolainen leads the league in minutes.

Phil Housley is a ****ing bum.

Yeah, I'm starting to get worried about him.

 

[struckbyaparkedcar]

I know it's only

Yeah, I'm starting to get worried about him.

Our underlying system was fine. The issues, in order, were player usage, passive transition puck support, and extremely cautious play at the offensive blueline.

While Housley has addressed 2 and 3, he's done so in the context of a complete system overhaul, that's led to a ton of wasted energy because we do not have the puck handling defensemen to execute his style of play. This has been compounded by Bylsma's awful usage largely remaining in place.

His only change vs Disco has been sheltering Reinhart with our worst wingers, without establishing that Eichel and O'Reilly could drive play without their most impactful linemate.

He's wasting time we didn't have last season, get him the f*** out.

 

[Der Jaeger]

I'm good with shopping Nylander for D. Should've just drafted a D instead of him when we had the chance. Imagine the difference in outlook on this team if the pairing were:

Scandella - Ristolainen
McCabe - McAvoy/Sergachev
Beaulieu - Gorges (Antipin / Bogosian)

 

[struckbyaparkedcar]

I'm good with shopping Nylander for D. Should've just drafted a D instead of him when we had the chance. Imagine the difference in outlook on this team if the pairing were:

Scandella - Ristolainen
McCabe - McAvoy/Sergachev
Beaulieu - Gorges (Antipin / Bogosian)

Imagine if anyone in the organization realized Pysyk was good.

 

[Reddawg]

Imagine if anyone in the organization realized Pysyk was good.

It wasn't that anyone thought Pysyk wasn't good, we were just overloaded with RHD at that time and super short on LHD, and Kulikov was made available.

 

[Sabre Dance]

Imagine if anyone in the organization realized Pysyk was good.

Our GM was sold on Ristolainen and Bogosian at RD, he knew Pysyk would be taken in the expansion draft.

Bogosian really has hurt this team the most IMO. If we had another dependable 20-22 minute D on this team it would help a lot.

 

[Icicle]

If we didn’t trade away Pysyk then we would still have Carrier

Damn tim Murray. Damn you!

 

[Rasmus CacOlainen]

If we didn’t trade away Pysyk then we would still have Carrier

Damn tim Murray. Damn you!

They thought they had a shot at playoffs with Kuli. Of course they were wrong.

 

[brian_griffin]

They thought they had a shot at playoffs with Kuli. Of course they were wrong.

That's rather simplistic, IMO. Their defensive depth handedness was overloaded to the right side. The trade was justifiable regardless of the sentiments of the front office re: playoff chances. And, yes, a healthy Kulikov for a full (last) season would have provided a better chance at playoffs than the same from Pysyk, regardless of whether mgmt was motivated by that angle or not.

 

[stokes84]

The Freidman report sounded more to me that other GMs were hoping to fleece Botts and not that Botts was shopping Reinhart.

That would say to me that Reinhart is still viewed as a talented young player around the league and not that he is viewed as a bust.

That's... not how it works.

"Maybe if we float this rumor to Friedman, The Sabres willl believe that they are shopping him and we can fleece them!"

 

[Snippit]

Tanev+ for Sam

Our D currently has 0 guys that can play in their own end.

 

[Aladyyn]

Tanev+ for Sam

Our D currently has 0 guys that can play in their own end.

I'd trade Nylander+ for Tanev. Reinhart? Hell no.

 

[Snippit]

I'd trade Nylander+ for Tanev. Reinhart? Hell no.

I would too if Vancouver would. The + would have to be pretty decent though I'd think

 

[La Cosa Nostra]

Why move Nylander++ for Tanev? People think this team will go anywhere the next 2-3 years? Or is this trade to get Tanev so we can give him a huge extension to play a Bogo like schedule when he is in his 30s when we finally are competing ?

 

[Snippit]

Why move Nylander++ for Tanev? People think this team will go anywhere the next 2-3 years? Or is this trade to get Tanev so we can give him a huge extension to play a Bogo like schedule when he is in his 30s when we finally are competing ?

- Tanev's only 27
- He's one of the best defenceman in the league in his own end

The Sabres are absolutely brutal in their own end. Tanev is actually precisely what this team needs.

Defenseman are usually good for a while - don't expect a rapid decline.