Roster Speculation 15-16, Part VI

[joshjull]

Way to much for Chara....

Right now he is a 4-6 Dman. In the last yeR of his contract he's a $/7 Dman.

You don't give up actual assets for this. Bailey and the 2nd are actual assets.

I'd use a 2nd snd Bailey to get a Dman who is actually good and still young 22-26 range. Someone on an ELC/bridge contract. A player who is good but seems stucky behind established players thus suck in a 3rd pairing role.

That is a ridiculous statement. He's no longer the monster #1 that carries a defense. He's still a top pairing dman who was playing 23+mins a night last year. If he came here he wouldn't even need to play that much with Risto and Bogo on the roster.

I don't want to go to far into fantasyland because I don't think there is much of a chance he ever ends up here. I'm doubtful the Bruins even have the balls to trade him in the first place.

That said, the idea of inserting a Chara/Bogo pairing into this defense is well...............

 

[Russ Tyler]

Well ROR and Moulson may have some chemistry. Sub Ennis for Eichel.

Moulson-Eichel-ROR
Kane-Girgensons-Ennis

 

[sabrebuild]

Last year of chara is only 4 million cuz he is over 40. Umm, i know wait to see how things shake out, but if you could trade for that over sized troll whats the max you give?

I would seriously consider our 2nd this year, a prospect in the range of baptiste or bailey and one of foligno, mcginn or des.

Probably not enough to get him, but he would help ease the young d men and open our playoff window to now instead year or two off.

 

[Shmuffalo]

Last year of chara is only 4 million cuz he is over 40. Umm, i know wait to see how things shake out, but if you could trade for that over sized troll whats the max you give?

I would seriously consider our 2nd this year, a prospect in the range of baptiste or bailey and one of foligno, mcginn or des.

Probably not enough to get him, but he would help ease the young d men and open our playoff window to now instead year or two off.

I think with him being in the division, we wouldn't be ideal trade partners. And I have a man crush on Foligno and Des, so I hope they aren't traded.

 

[La Cosa Nostra]

I know it's a longshot but I'd love to acquire Jagr and pair him with Eichel. Two guys who are/were incredible on their skates with off the charts talent. I think Eichel would learn a lot and even at 43 Jagr is a bonafide top 6 forward. Would also allow us to move a forward for some blueline help. We still have a need for a natural top 6 RW (we have zero. Ennis,RoR,Girgs etc are LW/Cs naturally. He'd be a huge upgrade on Gionta)

 

[Uberpecker]

Well ROR and Moulson may have some chemistry. Sub Ennis for Eichel.

Moulson-Eichel-ROR
Kane-Girgensons-Ennis

Agree as far as Moulson-Eichel-ROR is concerned. But considering Ennis and Larsson had some good chemistry as well las t season, I'd go with:

Moulson-Eichel-O'Reilly
Kane-Reinhart.Girgensons
Ennis-Larsson-xxx (Gionta, McGinn)

 

[Push Dr Tracksuit]

The schizo approaches to Ennis and Moulson around here is pretty freaking ridiculous. In the preseason I was getting hammered for saying I didn't think Ennis was a lock 55pnt player this season. Now I feel the need to defend him as a player who has always been streaky and when he is streaking he's a top offensive producer. 3 days ago people were saying that Moulson didn't belong in the top 6, now people are trying to figure out ways to get him with Eichel. Foligno is a 2pnt performance away from being a lock top 6 again.

 

[Uberpecker]

The schizo approaches to Ennis and Moulson around here is pretty freaking ridiculous. In the preseason I was getting hammered for saying I didn't think Ennis was a lock 55pnt player this season. Now I feel the need to defend him as a player who has always been streaky and when he is streaking he's a top offensive producer. 3 days ago people were saying that Moulson didn't belong in the top 6, now people are trying to figure out ways to get him with Eichel. Foligno is a 2pnt performance away from being a lock top 6 again.

To be fair, I always wanted Kane-Reinhart-Girgs as well as Larsson with Ennis.
Moulson working well with Eichel provides the needed excuse for breaking up Kane and Eichel and seems like a good fit b/c of their off ice relationship as well. Plus, it gives us crazy scoring depth.

 

[Push Dr Tracksuit]

To be fair, I always wanted Kane-Reinhart-Girgs as well as Larsson with Ennis.
Moulson working well with Eichel provides the needed excuse for breaking up Kane and Eichel and seems like a good fit b/c of their off ice relationship as well. Plus, it gives us crazy scoring depth.

while I don't expect Eichel and Kane to ever jell completely, the rewards of getting that tandem rolling are so huge and the expectations for this season so low that I'm actually hopefully Dan keeps them together at least until the all-star break, I'd go as long as the trade deadline

to me Kane just seams like an individual, I think Winnipeg was doing it right keeping him away from the skilled, skill players, in Buffalo however you have a guys like Larsson and Reinhart, and to a lesser extent ROR, who desperately need a shoot first, fast, big-bodied winger to unlock their full potential, still I'm all for trying to force something with Kane and Eichel

if Kane ever learns to look and dish he'll be playing hall of fame worthy hockey, the ice will open up so much for him if players have to be aware of the power move, and the dish and dash, even Crosby is getting D'd up by players knowing that he prefers to dish to his backhand, expanding Kane's ability to utilize his teammates is something we shouldn't give up on during a season we can afford to be performing at sub-optimal levels, he's never going to be a great team guy but really we only need him and Eichel to be able to occupy space without getting into each others way and their talent and incredible physical abilities will elevate the line to the top 3 or 4 in the league

 

[Der Jaeger]

Foligno really struggled to keep up with Kane/Eichel. He killed a few rushes because of his lack of foot speed. He knew were to go and read the plays well. He just couldn't get there in time to keep the play going. He also isn't really a finisher. So getting him the puck in and around the net isn't really something that should be a focus of that line. I don't think he (Foligno) is a good fit at all with Eichel who attacks with speed. Foligno would make more sense with Reinhart of our two young centers.

If you want someone with Eichel that can open up space for him then Girgs is the best option IMO because of his speed. He (Girgs) really sparked that line in the 3rd period of our first game. He used his speed and physical play to open things up for Kane/Eichel. Who then dominated for stretches along with Girgs.

If you're going to put someone that lacks foot speed with Eichel it should be a finisher that gets to the net. Moulson being one that fits the description.

Bylsma had a good idea at the start of camp with his Moulson/Eichel/Girgs line. Its a good blend of complimentary skills. But he is currently obsessed with making Kane/Eichel a thing. So I guess we won't be seeing it any time soon.

Tracking that it's roster speculation for this year.... no thread for futures.

I really like Girgensons with Eichel.... but also with Reinhart.

 

[Foligno17]

I'm starting to have the feeling that Moulson might be the guy that doesn't fit anymore. Whenever I see him on the ice, I get this "meh" feeling. It's only two games into the season. Let's see what happens.

Hours after I wrote this, Moulson takes the team scoring lead.
I refuse to get all superstitious and write something bad about the guy before every game.

 

[Der Jaeger]

Hours after I wrote this, Moulson takes the team scoring lead.
I refuse to get all superstitious and write something bad about the guy before every game.

I think the same. Three games in, no one can really "prove" anything. Just a hunch on my end after seeing play style. I think the Sabres are going to be too big and fast for certain players to fit in. A little like LA.

 

[Irving Zisman]

I think the same. Three games in, no one can really "prove" anything. Just a hunch on my end after seeing play style. I think the Sabres are going to be too big and fast for certain players to fit in. A little like LA.

I think that's a good point. Teams built like that only have so much use for one-dimensional players.

 

[26CornerBlitz]

10-13: DAN BYLSMA ON WGR (18:40)

Buffalo Sabres head coach Dan Bylsma on WGR with Howard and Jeremy this morning

Bylsma on Eichel's goal: "The whole play is a pretty remarkable play"

Bylsma: "He's shown off his skating ability more on the defensive side on tracking people down than he has offensively"

Bylsma on Eichel dealing with the hype: "He either deals with it very well or he doesn't hear it."

Bylsma: "You're not going to get many goals like that. If you're going to be an explosive offensive team, you have to have special players"

 

[TehDoak]

The schizo approaches to Ennis and Moulson around here is pretty freaking ridiculous. In the preseason I was getting hammered for saying I didn't think Ennis was a lock 55pnt player this season. Now I feel the need to defend him as a player who has always been streaky and when he is streaking he's a top offensive producer. 3 days ago people were saying that Moulson didn't belong in the top 6, now people are trying to figure out ways to get him with Eichel. Foligno is a 2pnt performance away from being a lock top 6 again.

Moulson is who he is. He's Vanek-lite. He's gonna find the soft spots in the offensive zone. He's a secondary winger who thrives when someone makes room for him to park in the prime scoring zones. I think he'd be great with Eichel, personally, assuming we can find someone on the RW who can be a defensive conscience. Girgs or Maybe McGinn playing their off wing would be my thought.

Ennis has gone from the lone offensive threat to having linemates that can create offense without his help. Adjusting to that is going to take time. Him and O'Reilly have some chemisty, but Ennis needs to adjust to the fact that he doesn't have to create everything himself. Ennis has made some dumb decisions, but I think its coming from a "Trying to do much" area rather than a "Lazy" area.

I'm not worried about either at this point. When the team has struggled, they've looked like they are unsure of where to go.

 

[Der Jaeger]

The schizo approaches to Ennis and Moulson around here is pretty freaking ridiculous. In the preseason I was getting hammered for saying I didn't think Ennis was a lock 55pnt player this season. Now I feel the need to defend him as a player who has always been streaky and when he is streaking he's a top offensive producer. 3 days ago people were saying that Moulson didn't belong in the top 6, now people are trying to figure out ways to get him with Eichel. Foligno is a 2pnt performance away from being a lock top 6 again.

Exaggeration to make your argument. For myself, I've never said Ennis or Moulson weren't good players. They are. I think the Sabres will eventually develop into a team that won't be a good fit for either player.

Right now? All's good. No reason to do anything.

 

[Russ Tyler]

Hours after I wrote this, Moulson takes the team scoring lead.
I refuse to get all superstitious and write something bad about the guy before every game.

His points were on the PP though. Great, he's producing, but doesn't mean he's still a lock for the top 6 5v5. Just as Franson is more a specialist, Moulson may become one as his contract plays out.

 

[Russ Tyler]

Agree as far as Moulson-Eichel-ROR is concerned. But considering Ennis and Larsson had some good chemistry as well las t season, I'd go with:

Moulson-Eichel-O'Reilly
Kane-Reinhart.Girgensons
Ennis-Larsson-xxx (Gionta, McGinn)

Reinhart isn't going to crack the top 6 anytime soon. He likes Eichel, ROR, Girgensons, Larsson, and even Legwand more at center right now.

 

[26CornerBlitz]

11. Buffalo Sabres GM Tim Murray is of the same mindset. Even with Robin Lehner out, the Sabres have zero need to make a silly trade for a goalie who either costs too much or doesn't really help. Murray said Saturday night he’s going to let Chad Johnson have a run, and the netminder responded with 22 saves in Monday’s 4-2 win over Columbus. What could make this interesting is the readiness of 22-year-old Linus Ullmark. He’s a good prospect coming off double-hip surgery who made 38 saves in his North American debut Saturday for AHL Rochester. If Buffalo decides he’s ready for a look, the goaltending future in Western New York has potential to change.

12. I really don’t like to comment on people’s conditioning, because no one’s done a worse job staying in shape for most of the last 25 years than me. Lehner’s 2014-15 season ended with a concussion, and he was not ready for this year. I did not get the opportunity to discuss this with Murray, but it wouldn’t be a surprise if that contributed to the injury. The Sabres are very excited about hiring Oliver Finlay as director of player performance. Getting Lehner sorted out is a major priority.

 

[Jacob582]

I guess they are happy with McCabe.

 

[Zip15]

I guess they are happy with McCabe.

Not surprised by this, but I think there's a decent chance--barring injury, of course--that Jake gets sent down when Bogosian finally returns.

 

[haseoke39]

Not surprised by this, but I think there's a decent chance--barring injury, of course--that Jake gets sent down when Bogosian finally returns.

It would mean only carrying 22 players, though, and if he's even average, Jake might be the best LHD in the organization.

 

[Jacob582]

Not surprised by this, but I think there's a decent chance--barring injury, of course--that Jake gets sent down when Bogosian finally returns.

I agree.

****

Hopefully Donovan clears. Rochester could use the defensive depth. Donovan needs to play games. Hasn't played much the last year or so.

 

[26CornerBlitz]

I guess they are happy with McCabe.

Bylsma said on WGR this morning that Bogo is getting close to being ready for game action.

 

[joshjull]