2019-20-21 Roster Speculation: Neither on- nor off-season edition

[Jim Bob]

I agree that the competition for it will be quite large, but not all teams can offer top 10 draft or elite prospects, and Tampa will not require another. I’m not sure that New Jersey will want to give up its high choice and good prospects for Cirelli, they have Hughes and Hischier in the center, Ottawa may be yes, but they would probably be more interested in Sergachev or Cernak. At least Adams should at least try to find out the price and probe the soil.

NJ would want Cirelli because he does what Hughes and Hischier don't. Cirelli plays a 200 foot game that those two Cs don't. That is why he will be highly sought after by teams if he is made available.

He's in the SCouts model of centers and they are worth a ton in today's game.

It's wishful thinking that TB moves him. It's even more wishful thinking that Adams can pull off a deal like that.

But, I do hope that he can exceed my expectations. But, I am not counting on it.

 

[Fjordy]

NJ would want Cirelli because he does what Hughes and Hischier don't. Cirelli plays a 200 foot game that those two Cs don't. That is why he will be highly sought after by teams if he is made available.

He's in the SCouts model of centers and they are worth a ton in today's game.

It's wishful thinking that TB moves him. It's even more wishful thinking that Adams can pull off a deal like that.

But, I do hope that he can exceed my expectations. But, I am not counting on it.

Maybe, but I would have thought that New Jersey would look more at Sergachev, since they need LD in the first pair than at the centers. Adams' task is to find 1-2 centers this offseason, and I think he should work out all possible options, from Cirelli to Haula and so on, because Botterill’s dumb head didn’t even understand that we need centers more than Jimmy Vesey and Colin Miller.

 

[Aladyyn]

Reinhart is going to be retired and people will still be saying, "They should try him at center next season."

While I would love to see them try Reinhart at 2C, I have no faith that it is something that the Sabres will try. They obviously feel that his best spot is at RW and they aren't going to try him at C.

They would likely rather rush Cozens than try Reinhart in that spot. I mean, they felt MoJo out of position at C was a better option than Reinhart at C...

Part of that has to be how weak we are at RW. If we move Reinhart to center, the only RW on the roster is Okposo. It should be easier to acquire 2-3 RWs than 2-3 Cs though.

 

[OkimLom]

Reinhart is going to be retired and people will still be saying, "They should try him at center next season."

While I would love to see them try Reinhart at 2C, I have no faith that it is something that the Sabres will try. They obviously feel that his best spot is at RW and they aren't going to try him at C.

They would likely rather rush Cozens than try Reinhart in that spot. I mean, they felt MoJo out of position at C was a better option than Reinhart at C...

That's why I said I'm of the opinion, because I know that there's a small chance they would ever do so.

 

[Der Jaeger]

Why are people so high on Monahan? This guy played with Johnny Hockey, put him on with Olofsson and Johansson/Kahun and will he be so good?

Monahan takes the tough matchups and frees up Tkachuk's line to go to work. Put Monahan behind Eichel and he sees some easier match ups than he sees now. He also plays a heavier game, so it'd compliment what the Sabres have for wingers.

I think that Monahan is getting overvalued here because the Sabres have such a crater at 2C.

I doubt that Skinner and MoJo would compliment Monahan the way that JG does.

Personally, I wouldn't add 8OV to Mitts and Montour for Monahan. I would add someone like Thompson to the mix, though.

I'd take out the 8OA and try 2021's 1st with another small add and see if they bite.

I don't think Monahan is overvalued. He plays a heavy game and is exactly what you need out of a 2C. Brayden Schenn but better.

 

[Rowley Birkin]

Uggh.

How many more GMs, how many more coaches, how many more seasons must we go through before people stop crying about playing Reinhart at C?

All of these different people who have spent their entire careers in the game cannot be wrong. But no -- according to some they are wrong & a small bunch of people on an Internet forum know better....

 

[Zman5778]

I doubt that Skinner and MoJo would compliment Monahan the way that JG does.

Maybe not. But I think itd free up Sam some. Pair Skinner with Eichel and Sam with Monahan.

My biggest concern with getting a guy like Monahan is that you'd have 4 guys in the top 6 who should be shooting first (Jack, Jeff, VO and Monahan) and 2 who should be pass first (Dam and MoJo). Jack can obviously do both well, but we've seen him defer too much before.

And something to keep in mind regarding Monahan....he right now sees the toughest matchups. He wouldn't here, which may allow him to be just fine without JG attached to him.

Obviously he's not my first option at 2c to trade for.......but of the options out there, he might be the one that most effectively blends price and availability.

 

[OkimLom]

Uggh.

How many more GMs, how many more coaches, how many more seasons must we go through before people stop crying about playing Reinhart at C?

All of these different people who have spent their entire careers in the game cannot be wrong. But no -- according to some they are wrong & a small bunch of people on an Internet forum know better....

You mean the guys that were hired and then fired and showed massive incompetence in line construction and usage were the ones that know better? They were the ones that were right in their judgement of Reinhart?

 

[Der Jaeger]

Maybe not. But I think itd free up Sam some. Pair Skinner with Eichel and Sam with Monahan.

My biggest concern with getting a guy like Monahan is that you'd have 4 guys in the top 6 who should be shooting first (Jack, Jeff, VO and Monahan) and 2 who should be pass first (Dam and MoJo). Jack can obviously do both well, but we've seen him defer too much before.

And something to keep in mind regarding Monahan....he right now sees the toughest matchups. He wouldn't here, which may allow him to be just fine without JG attached to him.

Obviously he's not my first option at 2c to trade for.......but of the options out there, he might be the one that most effectively blends price and availability.

I don't think the shooter - passer thing is much of an issue. Eichel, Monahan, and Olofsson are good passers with vision. The only guy who has shooting tunnel vision is Skinner.

 

[Der Jaeger]

I'm not is favor or trading Reinhart, but I'd look at a blockbuster where Reinhart, Mittelstadt, Montour, 8OA went to Calgary for Monahan and Gaudreau. Calgary retools really quickly. Buffalo adds a second line in one trade.

 

[Tatanka]

Reinhart is going to be retired and people will still be saying, "They should try him at center next season."

While I would love to see them try Reinhart at 2C, I have no faith that it is something that the Sabres will try. They obviously feel that his best spot is at RW and they aren't going to try him at C.

They would likely rather rush Cozens than try Reinhart in that spot. I mean, they felt MoJo out of position at C was a better option than Reinhart at C...

And 1/2 of the duo that thought that was a good idea is still in charge of the decision.

 

[is the answer jesus]

And what I'm saying is that there isn't a realistic chance that the Sabres would be able to outbid every other team in the league if TB puts him on the trade market.

If he is available, teams like Ottawa and NJ have way more draft picks to throw TB's way in the event that they just want help with the cap and will take futures back.

But, I bet they find a way to move one or two of the overpaid forwards with NTCs and their cap issues get resolved that way.

That is how quality teams like TB work through these issues. They don't give away high quality young players.

I don't buy that at all. They absolutely have the ammunition to outbid other teams for Cirelli, now whether a green GM like Adams would do that or not is certainly debatable. You brought up Point earlier as a guy who many thought would be poached when TB was up against the cap and wasn't. The irony being there was a team that offersheeted Point he just had no interest in signing it. Now maybe that's the same situation that will unfold this offseason or maybe not. We'll see just how much of an appetite there is around the league to pursue these players TB would much rather rid themselves of (Gourde, Johnson, etc) and whether these players are even willing to uproot themselves in a really uncertain time for everyone as they'd have to waive their full NTC. That's definitely two sizable hurdles they'll have to overcome.

 

[Rowley Birkin]

You mean the guys that were hired and then fired and showed massive incompetence in line construction and usage were the ones that know better? They were the ones that were right in their judgement of Reinhart?

If it happened just once - it's fair for you to question it.

When it continues to happen through multiple NHL level regimes, you can't.

You might call these guys incompetent but at the end of the day they are still more qualified than the vast majority of people on this forum.

I even vaguely remember an interview with Reinhart a while back where he was asked about it & he said he preferred playing wing.

But some of you guys will still be complaining about this long after his retirement...

 

[Aladyyn]

If it happened just once - it's fair for you to question it.

When it continues to happen through multiple NHL level regimes, you can't.

You might call these guys incompetent but at the end of the day they are still more qualified than the vast majority of people on this forum.

I even vaguely remember an interview with Reinhart a while back where he was asked about it & he said he preferred playing wing.

But some of you guys will still be complaining about this long after his retirement...

Reinhart said not long ago that he's open to playing center.

 

[Rowley Birkin]

Reinhart said not long ago that he's open to playing center.

I'm sure he'd be open to it but I distinctly remember him saying he preferred the wing with Jack.

He's had some sustained success there for a while now. It's not like he's only been doing it for a couple of months.

 

[OkimLom]

If it happened just once - it's fair for you to question it.

When it continues to happen through multiple NHL level regimes, you can't.

You might call these guys incompetent but at the end of the day they are still more qualified than the vast majority of people on this forum.

I even vaguely remember an interview with Reinhart a while back where he was asked about it & he said he preferred playing wing.

But some of you guys will still be complaining about this long after his retirement...

Well, seeing as Bylsma saw him as a long term answer for center, he kept him at wing because Reinhart was productive earlier in his career there, and Bylsma already had ROR and Eichel and Reinhart showed great chemistry with the two of them, I would say one coaching staff/GM saw Reinhart at center. Bylsma just had the luxury of having two REALLY good centers there.

Sure they have more experience in dealing with making lineup decisions, but the lack of success, as well as their history of putting players in roles and their usage of players that didn't bring the best out of the players, has me questioning the quality of those decisions.

I too would prefer wing especially with a guy like Eichel. But if we're going off of interviews of what the guy said, you can also use his interview with Murray and the scouting staff when he said he'll play anywhere the team needs him, even if defense (with a laugh). Reinhart has also commented on playing center when Bylsma placed him at center and how it felt comfortable and natural for him.

 

[flashsabre]

Rumor: Jack Eichel Target Of Blockbuster TradeOMG! That NHL Trade Rumors clown that stated the Gaudreau rumour has now taken Joe Dibiase’s hypothetical Eichel trade article and stating it as the source to say Eichel is being traded to NJ for Hughes, Hischier and a 1st. There has to be some way to get this guy shutdown.

 

[Aladyyn]

OMG! That NHL Trade Rumors clown that stated the Gaudreau rumour has now taken Joe Dibiase’s hypothetical Eichel trade article and stating it as the source to say Eichel is being traded to NJ for Hughes, Hischier and a 1st. There has to be some way to get this guy shutdown.

We should try speaking it into existence instead!

 

[Beerz]

I'm not is favor or trading Reinhart, but I'd look at a blockbuster where Reinhart, Mittelstadt, Montour, 8OA went to Calgary for Monahan and Gaudreau. Calgary retools really quickly. Buffalo adds a second line in one trade.

I get the feeling we are ripping Calgary off because I'd do that in a nanosecond

 

[OkimLom]

Rumor: Jack Eichel Target Of Blockbuster TradeOMG! That NHL Trade Rumors clown that stated the Gaudreau rumour has now taken Joe Dibiase’s hypothetical Eichel trade article and stating it as the source to say Eichel is being traded to NJ for Hughes, Hischier and a 1st. There has to be some way to get this guy shutdown.

Sadly, it's a different clown. Stop posting their crap. They are in no way viable sources.

 

[flashsabre]

Sadly, it's a different clown. Stop posting their crap. They are in no way viable sources.

Nobody said they were a source. It’s the absurdity of taking a person’s hypothetical article and using it as a legit trade rumour.

 

[lauraP]

Realistically reinhart probably ain’t gonna be a centre I’ve said before I saw reinhart as a Patrick sharp type Centre and when you need to load up offence throw him with eichel kind of thing. What pisses me off is that our management is more inclined to try Mojo/mitts/whoever at centre than reinhart not to mention that the last time he was tried at centre was with Seth griffith/pouliot

 

[Der Jaeger]

I get the feeling we are ripping Calgary off because I'd do that in a nanosecond

I'd be willing to add in a 2021 1st as well. Calgary could retool real fast with those assets. I'd also pull Montour out and add Ristolainen, but I didn't do that because Burke said the Flames' analytics person torpedoed a Ristolainen trade in the past.

 

[explore]

Realistically reinhart probably ain’t gonna be a centre I’ve said before I saw reinhart as a Patrick sharp type Centre and when you need to load up offence throw him with eichel kind of thing. What pisses me off is that our management is more inclined to try Mojo/mitts/whoever at centre than reinhart not to mention that the last time he was tried at centre was with Seth griffith/pouliot

After all this time of never seeing Reinhart at center, I think it's just as likely that Reinhart absolutely doesn't want to play C because it would lower his point totals and impact his earning potential if he doesn't play with Eichel.

If Reinhart ever plays C, it'll be when he signs with another team desperate for center help who give him a big free-agent retirement contract.

 

[lauraP]

After all this time of never seeing Reinhart at center, I think it's just as likely that Reinhart absolutely doesn't want to play C because it would lower his point totals and impact his earning potential if he doesn't play with Eichel.

If Reinhart ever plays C, it'll be when he signs with another team desperate for center help who give him a big free-agent retirement contract.

But isn’t it ironic that we’re that team Desperate for centre help