Roster Speculation 2014-2015, Part X

[26CornerBlitz]

Barring a trade/addition in the off-season...

Kane - Eichel - Girgensons
Moulson/Foligno - Reinhart - Ennis
Foligno/Moulson - Grigorenko - Gionta
McCormick - Larsson - Hodgson/Deslaurier

That top line! Wow, all three guys are 6'2", 200+ lbs, can skate like the wind, can forecheck, backcheck, huge skill, possession players. That is domination.

I'd go with

Kane - McEichel - Ennis
Moulson - Reinhart - Girgensons
Foligno - Grigorenko - Gionta
McCormick - Larsson - Deslaurier

 

[Baccus]

I just can't see going with 3 kids down the middle. Somebody has to be brought in.

 

[couture23]

Yeah I'm really worried about Pysyk too.

Also really liking your lines CornerBlitz. Keeping Grigo with Gionta would be great IMO.

 

[phosphene*]

I just can't see going with 3 kids down the middle. Somebody has to be brought in.

That's partly the reason I had Reinhart on the wing and Eichel getting easy minutes on the 2nd line. Let the Ennis line do the heavy lifting. I think Cody will have a bounce back year, there's just no way he can suck that hard again.

So, yeah:

Kane - Ennis - Hodgson
Moulson - Eichel - Gionta
Foligno - Girgensons - Grigorenko/Reinhart
Deslauriers - Larsson - Reinhart/Grigorenko

Gorges - Bogosian
Weber - Ristolainen
Zadorov - Pysyk

Who cares whose in net.

Now obviously there will be a decent amount of turnover, so everything is subject to change. I just like the way this would insulate the young guys for a bit until their ready for bigger roles.

 

[Baccus]

That's partly the reason I had Reinhart on the wing and Eichel getting easy minutes on the 2nd line. Let the Ennis line do the heavy lifting. I think Cody will have a bounce back year, there's just no way he can suck that hard again.

I don't think Ennis and especially Hodgson should/can play center effectively at all. Ennis is much better at the wing, Hodgson needs to wake up and do something (No I don't think he should be bought out, but he needs to show something next year).

Two-way vet, or at least a somewhat reliable 2nd/3rd line defensive center needs to be brought in even if they are pushed into a higher roll offensively than anybody would want. Kids need shelter, even if they're playing great, they are highly unlikely to be able to sustain it over a full season.

Obviously ROR is the dream to an extent, but I can't see the Avs selling him cheap, and hope Murray won't overpay for a UFA to be, and he won't be able to get extension talks/assurances before making any deal.

So the obvious suspects as FA vets, Vermette is probably the best, but screams out that he'll be overpaid/too much term. So I'm not really sure, other then, get somebody. (We'll probably be going with 3 kids )

 

[Eichel 9]

Ennis needs to stay on wing, not even up for debate.


I'll be surprised if Grigorenko isn't dealt in the off-season, but I also have no idea what his value is.

 

[gallagt01]

It's been said tons of times, but -- especially having won the McEichel sweepstakes -- O'Reilly would be a perfect addition to this rebuild given his skillset, age and wing-center versatility.

If I'm Murray, I trade for him and staple him to McEichel next year and beyond.

 

[wayfaringstranger]

Now that the college season is over, I wouldn't mind the Sabres offering Ahti Oksanen a contract. With Casey Bailey signing in Tor and Kyle Baun signing with Chicago, Ahti is another collegiate free agent forward with size, scoring touch and versatility(played both D and F). Was second on the Terriers for goals scored.

 

[Der Jaeger]

Thinking about line structure and centers. I think Buffalo could roll with Girgensons, Larsson, and Grigorenko next season. I was impressed how Larsson played Crosby yesterday.

 

[HiddenInLight]

That's partly the reason I had Reinhart on the wing and Eichel getting easy minutes on the 2nd line. Let the Ennis line do the heavy lifting. I think Cody will have a bounce back year, there's just no way he can suck that hard again.

So, yeah:

Kane - Ennis - Hodgson
Moulson - Eichel - Gionta
Foligno - Girgensons - Grigorenko/Reinhart
Deslauriers - Larsson - Reinhart/Grigorenko

Gorges - Bogosian
Weber - Ristolainen
Zadorov - Pysyk

Who cares whose in net.

Now obviously there will be a decent amount of turnover, so everything is subject to change. I just like the way this would insulate the young guys for a bit until their ready for bigger roles.

Neither Grigorenko nor Reinhart should be on the 4th line. That's a complete waste. Grigs should be at least on the 3rd, and if you cant find space for Reinhart on the top 6 he should be in the AHL (I think he's allowed to be there next year)

 

[Beerz]

Thinking about line structure and centers. I think Buffalo could roll with Girgensons, Larsson, and Grigorenko next season. I was impressed how Larsson played Crosby yesterday.

I was impressed how Bogosian played Crosby yesterday.

 

[Rhett4]

Yeah I'm really worried about Pysyk too.

Also really liking your lines CornerBlitz. Keeping Grigo with Gionta would be great IMO.

I haven't heard much since they shut him down for the season. He's a guaranteed upgrade on defense next year, so losing him due to a major health problem would be bad for the team (not to mention a terrible thing for a kid to deal with).

 

[threeVo]

We have a problem, but a good one it seems.

You have 2 top 9 spots for CoHo, Grigorenko, and Larrson. The latter 2 have earned a shot at being a fulltime member of the team while the former has been stapled to the 4th line all season after showing promise the year before.

Any of the 3 is a waste on the 4th line and would be pointless seeing that 2 could be sent to the AHL.

I dont know who i would prefer, because i dont want to give up on CoHo and just buy him out

 

[mikemcburn]

We have a problem, but a good one it seems.

You have 2 top 9 spots for CoHo, Grigorenko, and Larrson. The latter 2 have earned a shot at being a fulltime member of the team while the former has been stapled to the 4th line all season after showing promise the year before.

Any of the 3 is a waste on the 4th line and would be pointless seeing that 2 could be sent to the AHL.

I dont know who i would prefer, because i dont want to give up on CoHo and just buy him out

To be fair, Hodgson wasn't stapled to the 4th line all season. He started going down the line-up at the start of the season when the whole of the team was struggling to do a thing, then after he "failed" to "get angry" when Nolan publicly humiliated him with the Vancouver game benching, he was locked between the 3rd and 5th lines no matter how he performed. Didn't matter that his physical game improved or when he'd put together a string of games actually generating offense from the 4th-5th line, Nolan only had the stick for Hodgson, no carrots.

So, during the second half of the season while some others started getting their stuff together and had the chance to put up points, Hodgson produced only what should be expected from a 3rd line grinder because he was played somewhere between a 3rd line grinder and a 5th line scrub.

Basically though, he wasn't on the 4th line all season, he simply didn't get the same unearned gift-wrapped opportunities to work out of his production funk that others (ala Moulson, Gionta, Foligno, etc.) did. It happens and fortunately for him the season is now over, lol.

I think there's really only 1 top 9 spot for one of Larsson, Hodgson and Grigorenko. I mean, presuming Kane, Ennis, Moulson, Foligno, Girgensens and Gionta are all locks and both Reinhart and McDavid/Etichel are NHL ready, that leaves only 1 spot to split between Larsson, Hodgson and Grigorenko.

If I had to pick, it'd be a toss-up. Each of those guys offers something different and warrant the shot at it in different ways. Larsson and Girgorenko ended the season on high notes looking good with the context, but neither are proven NHL producers over the long run either - and are especially unproven as 2nd/3rd line wingers or 3rd line centers (which appears to be where the spot is available - top 6 wing or 3rd line). Hodgson is a proven top 6 NHL producer, but at center, not wing, and in the absence of some combination of stronger linemates and stronger confidence, pretty much showed that if he's a 3rd line wing he's going to be an average 3rd line wing. Maybe Larsson or Grigorenko could do more with that role than Hodgson?

 

[Karate Johnson*]

I hate to wish away the summer months but next season can't get here quick enough.

 

[couture23]

I hate to wish away the summer months but next season can't get here quick enough.

As someone who really doesn't like Summer and prefers Fall, yes please.

 

[Der Jaeger]

I was impressed how Bogosian played Crosby yesterday.

Same.

 

[Beerz]

Same.

Crosby would hate to put up with that for a 7 game series.

 

[My Cozen Dylan]

I'd go with

Kane - McEichel - Ennis
Moulson - Reinhart - Girgensons
Foligno - Grigorenko - Gionta
McCormick - Larsson - Deslaurier

I'd second this.

 

[My Cozen Dylan]

As someone who really doesn't like Summer and prefers Fall, yes please.

You should come down to the Sunshine state during the Summer. 95+ every day with 80%+ Humidity for a Heat Index of >100.

Heck, it's already 90.

 

[Der Jaeger]

Crosby would hate to put up with that for a 7 game series.

Two seasons ago, I remember someone asking if anyone was comfortable with anyone on the team matching up with Crosby. There were no good answers.

Now? Larsson, Bogosian, Girgensons, Ristolainen, eventually Reinhart and Pysyk.

Better days!

 

[couture23]

You should come down to the Sunshine state during the Summer. 95+ every day with 80%+ Humidity for a Heat Index of >100.

Heck, it's already 90.

Dear god, absolutely not. Looking at the weather in Florida, Arizona, and Texas makes me cringe.

I'm a rainy - moderate temperature kind of guy, put me in the Pacific Northwest please.

 

[Heraldic]

I was impressed how Bogosian played Crosby yesterday.

It was interesting to see how Bogo was regularly matched against Crosby, and Risto against Malkin. They both did a great job against those superstar centers. Too bad that Strachan screwed on the second goal and Varone was sleeping during the first goal.

 

[Karate Johnson*]

Dear god, absolutely not. Looking at the weather in Florida, Arizona, and Texas makes me cringe.

I'm a rainy - moderate temperature kind of guy, put me in the Pacific Northwest please.

Yuck I hate the rain more than anything. I don't mind cooler temps or cloudy, but rain is the pits.


Best weather ever is San Diego IMO.

 

[mikemcburn]

I'd go with

Kane - McEichel - Ennis
Moulson - Reinhart - Girgensons
Foligno - Grigorenko - Gionta
McCormick - Larsson - Deslaurier

Sucks to be Larsson in that projection. I think it'd be a waste too, both for Larsson individually (only 22 and essentially waiting for injuries to get some offensive scraps above grinding it out with McCormick/Des), and for the team which could trade his upside now for something the Sabres don't have so much of (d? top 6 winger?) .

Varone, Schaller, etc., etc. could be serviceable 4th liners.