Fix Buffalo, 3 steps.

[struckbyaparkedcar]

Asset management. Pu and a 2nd wouldn't get a first. But Skinner might as a TDL acquisition for a contender.

Right, except you spent a season with a veteran scorer taking up easy minutes instead of the glut of players you’re trying to develop.

Not sure if that’s worth 15 spots, tbh.

 

[Der Jaeger]

Right, except you spent a season with a veteran scorer taking up easy minutes instead of the glut of players you’re trying to develop.

Which LW isn't getting development time probably because of Skinner? Because throwing Olofsson, Nylander, or Asplund on Eichel's LW against top competition is a super idea. Or putting them with ERod or Berglund.

Botterill wants development. And Skinner isn't getting easy minutes.

 

[Husko]

(1) Acquire a fourth top-4 dman. Preferebly someone who can handle playing shutdown minutes with Scandella to let Dahlin and Risto focus on offense.

Dahlin-Risto
Scandella-New Guy

(2) Create a true, top-9 checking line. Berglund should probably center it. Girgensons should probably be on his wing. Not sure the other winger. This line would get all the worst assignments. It would only start in the defensive zone. It would likely get caved in a lot and would be a net loss line. That said, this would hopefully free up our more prominant scorers (Eichel, Skinner, Reinhart, Okposo, Mitts, Sheary) to play an attacking, aggressive, risk taking offensive style.

Sheary-Eichel-Reinhart
Girgensons-Berglund-X
Skinner-Mitts-Okposo

(3) Make Housley live or die by his system. Housley should be instructed to play the fast paced, attacking, all out aggressive offensive system we thought he would bring when he came here. He has the talent, no more excuses to do anything else. If it works, great. If it fails, he gets fired.

 

[Husko]

All great teams have at least one strong and dependable defensive defenceman, who can go up against, and play +/- 0 against the other team's top player(s).

This is the case for all teams except for Pittsburgh. They somehow manage to win cups with a highly ordinary D corpse.

Then again, almost all their forwards are hard-working and defensively responsible/intelligent.

Backchecking, positioning and relentlessness are the keys to a great team defence.

Let me introduce you to Brian Dumoulin.

 

[SnuggaRUDE]

1. Bring a forward behind their own blue line when breaking out.
2. Transition with Eichel, Reinhart, Skinner or Dahlin.
3. Push speed on the offwing if teams try to bottle controlled zone entry

Bonus: Lighten the forecheck, for D3 pairing. Those guys are light, but can skate. Play to their ability to recover pucks.
Bonus2: Funnel defense to the right side for D1/D2, have RD defend the blue line, use F3 to aggressively backcheck the center of the ice.

I'm not sure Bonus two works for Berglund's line, but does for the others. They need a separate (different) scheme for employing him.

 

[Husko]

Speaking of Dumoulin, I still resent the contract Pittsburgh signed him to. That's the sort of deal that was great value from the minute it was signed and will be even better value by the time it's run its term. How in the world did no one offer sheet him.

 

[struckbyaparkedcar]

Which LW isn't getting development time probably because of Skinner? Because throwing Olofsson, Nylander, or Asplund on Eichel's LW against top competition is a super idea. Or putting them with ERod or Berglund.

Botterill wants development. And Skinner isn't getting easy minutes.

Skinner had a 12/1 OZS to DZS ratio last night, we didn’t have to play Eichel against the competition he saw, and Skinner makes Jack worse anyway in addition to getting the most tilted minutes on the team.

 

[PatrikBerglund]

No to your second point. Sam doesn't like playing center, doesn't want to play center, and has expressed his displeasure with past experiments. Separate them? Sure. Not that way.

I don't see that there is much choice, at least not until Middlestadt can muster the #2 center spot.

Or make a trade involving Reinhart, for a center.

 

[K8fool]

I've never viewed Skinner as a long term player for the Sabres. I think he's here for this season and that's it. I think Skinner would waive his NTC to go to a contender for a few months, wherever that may be.

skinner might be very crafty... if the sabres play above league expectations he's part of the solution... if not an rumors to the contrary are true then he facilitates trade to playoff team and finally play in the big tournament

 

[SnuggaRUDE]

I think trade for a top 4 D, 2C solutions are non-starters. The premium at this stage of the season would be exorbitant.

 

[rtfirefly]

This is the case for all teams except for Pittsburgh. They somehow manage to win cups with a highly ordinary D corpse.

I've heard players described as dead weight, but . . .

 

[sabremike]

I'm thinking along the lines of a great Bobby Heenan line on how he would've fixed WCW: Get everyone in charge of running this team in a room and roll in a hand grenade.

 

[Der Jaeger]

Skinner had a 12/1 OZS to DZS ratio last night, we didn’t have to play Eichel against the competition he saw, and Skinner makes Jack worse anyway in addition to getting the most tilted minutes on the team.

By the TDL Olofsson, Nylander, and Asplund might all be ready to play. If you're building a couple offensive lines around Eichel and Mittelstadt.... and Skinner makes Eichel worse, where does he fit in? On a third line where he might need to play defense (assuming that he'd also make Mittelstadt worse).

My preferred scenario is to let the Swedes develop, and bring them all up gradually (since they didn't make the team outright). Trade Skinner at the TDL and go with this type of construct:

Two offensive lines:

Olofsson - Eichel - Reinhart
Nylander - Mittelstadt - Thompson

Two defensive lines:
Asplund - Berglund - Okposo
Sobotka - Girgensons -ERod

I don't see a fit for Skinner.

 

[SabresFan26]

I think people still underestimate how bad our defense is. 3-6 is bad and out of place. We still need a top 4 horse to bump some guys down a spot and for Bogosian to give us his money back.
Our last pair yesterday was Beaulieu and Nelson. That’s tough to win with.

We need better line construction and consistency. Bruins top line has played together for 3 years. The French connection would’ve been split up after 2 periods.

It’s going to take time for this team to gel. Lots of new faces. The teams is significantly more talented than last year, you can see that even in a bad loss yesterday. Phil’s going to have to get this team together and playing together fast or he may not make it past this season.

 

[sabremike]

Right, except you spent a season with a veteran scorer taking up easy minutes instead of the glut of players you’re trying to develop.

Not sure if that’s worth 15 spots, tbh.

The way things look right now try about 6 spots because that 2nd rounder looks like it has a great chance of being pick #33.

 

[paulmm3]

1. Wait for dead weight vets' contracts to expire and kids to mature
2. No more signing vets to long term contracts like the Okposo deal
3. Lock up young players for a long time early as cheaply as possible slash go back in time and get Reinhart to sign for 8x5.75 last offseason

 

[jc17]

1) s
One of our firsts + scandella for a significant defensive upgrade

2) call up pilut, smith. Lose sobotka and blow you

3) better lines

Sheary eichel reinhart
Skinner - berglund - erod
KO - CM - Thompson
Smith -Girgs - pommer

 

[SabresFan26]

Okposo makes making lines difficult. Such a bad signing. Free agency rarely works out.

 

[TheMistyStranger]

I'm thinking along the lines of a great Bobby Heenan line on how he would've fixed WCW: Get everyone in charge of running this team in a room and roll in a hand grenade.

Will always upvote Bobby Heenan lines

 

[Waterbuf]

1) Finish bottom three 2018/2019
2) Finish bottom three 2019/2020
3) Finish bottom three 2020/2021

 

[SnuggaRUDE]

1) s
One of our firsts + scandella for a significant defensive upgrade

2) call up pilut, smith. Lose sobotka and blow you

3) better lines

Sheary eichel reinhart
Skinner - berglund - erod
KO - CM - Thompson
Smith -Girgs - pommer

Those assets are so mismatched. What team would do that?

 

[OkimLom]

Because I'm bored...

Sheary-Eichel-Thompson
Skinner-Reinhart-Mittelstadt
ERod-Sobotka-Berglund
Pominville-Girgensons-Okposo

Scandella-Dahlin
Beaulieu-Ristolainen
McCabe-Nelson

Hutton

Quite honestly, screw the defensive zone just push the pace...Be entertaining

 

[PatrikBerglund]

I think people still underestimate how bad our defense is. 3-6 is bad and out of place. We still need a top 4 horse to bump some guys down a spot and for Bogosian to give us his money back.
Our last pair yesterday was Beaulieu and Nelson. That’s tough to win with.

We need better line construction and consistency. Bruins top line has played together for 3 years. The French connection would’ve been split up after 2 periods.

It’s going to take time for this team to gel. Lots of new faces. The teams is significantly more talented than last year, you can see that even in a bad loss yesterday. Phil’s going to have to get this team together and playing together fast or he may not make it past this season.

I don't, which is the reason I say so loudly that both the team's and Dahlin's biggest needs to succeed and develop, is a great defensive #2 defenceman.

At this point we can't wish for a young stud, but we have to accept that to not give up the world, a 27-28+ is the reasonable wish.

I have no problem giving up Risto, since I see his speed, defence and hockey IQ as the areas where he has his biggest drawback - which also are the areas we need improved the most.

Realistic players to get for him are who I said earlier. Adam Larsson.

Besides him, I'm not sure.

Manson?

Brodin?

Tanev+?

Hjalmarsson+?

 

[Buffaloed]

Fire Botterill and Housley into the sun
Bring back Regier and Ruff
Send the Pegula's on a 2 year cruise around the world

 

[Moskau]

1. Get a new head coach and player development staff. Mair, Komisarek and Barch have done a pathetic job.

2. Move on from Ristolainen as a "core piece". Doesn't mean he has to be traded it just means this organization has to stop acting like he's a piece we are building around. Would you build a team with Jack Johnson as a core piece? That's how you build losing teams.

3. Come to the realization that Jack Eichel is not Connor McDavid, or Crosby, or Malkin. He's a great forward and talent but it's painfully obvious he's firmly in the middle of the 2nd tier of superstars and not with the guys some fans want to lump him with. Build the Buffalo Sabres around the Buffalo Sabres, not around Jack Eichel. Mark Scheiffele is an amazing Center but Winnipeg isn't going out of their way to build around him. They have guys like Wheeler, Laine and Ehlers and they are a team.