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2019-20 Sabres - Revived

Created by: rktkt66
Team: 2019-20 Buffalo Sabres
Initial Creation Date: Apr. 29, 2019
Published: Apr. 29, 2019
Salary Cap Mode: Basic
Description
Head coach: Rikard Gronborg
Assoc. coach: Dave Hakstol
Asst. coach: Johan Garpenlov
Asst. coach: Steve Smith
Goalie coach: Martin Biron
Free Agent Signings
RESERVE LISTYEARSCAP HIT
3$925,000
3$925,000
RFAYEARSCAP HIT
3$850,000
2$808,500
2$866,200
3$1,575,000
6$7,000,000
4$2,950,000
3$1,050,000
2$2,000,000
UFAYEARSCAP HIT
2$810,000
2$961,536
1$720,000
1$720,000
3$2,500,000
3$2,750,000
8$8,500,000
Trades
1.
BUF
TBL
  1. Ristolainen, Rasmus
  2. Sheary, Conor
  3. 2020 4th round pick (BUF)
2.
BUF
  1. Karlsson, William [RFA Rights]
Additional Details:
Karlsson agrees to contract before trade
VGK
  1. Nylander, Alexander
  2. 2019 1st round pick (SJS)
  3. 2020 2nd round pick (BUF)
3.
BUF
  1. 2019 3rd round pick (NJD)
  2. 2020 4th round pick (NSH)
PHI
  1. Scandella, Marco
  2. 2019 6th round pick (TOR)
4.
BUF
  1. 2020 4th round pick (ARI)
ARI
  1. Girgensons, Zemgus [RFA Rights]
5.
BUF
  1. 2019 4th round pick (BOS)
CHI
  1. Larsson, Johan [RFA Rights]
6.
7.
BUF
  1. 2019 5th round pick (ANA)
  2. 2020 3rd round pick (ANA)
ANA
  1. 2019 4th round pick (BOS)
  2. 2020 4th round pick (NSH)
Buried
DraftRound 1Round 2Round 3Round 4Round 5Round 6Round 7
2019
Logo of the BUF
Logo of the BUF
Logo of the NJD
Logo of the SJS
Logo of the ANA
Logo of the BUF
Logo of the WPG
Logo of the BUF
2020
Logo of the BUF
Logo of the TBL
Logo of the ANA
Logo of the ARI
Logo of the BUF
Logo of the BUF
Logo of the DAL
2021
Logo of the BUF
Logo of the BUF
Logo of the STL
Logo of the BUF
Logo of the BUF
Logo of the BUF
Logo of the BUF
Logo of the BUF
ROSTER SIZESALARY CAPCAP HITOVERAGES TooltipBONUSESCAP SPACE
21$83,000,000$76,902,500$0$4,405,000$6,097,500

Roster

Left WingCentreRight Wing
Logo of the Buffalo Sabres
$8,500,000$8,500,000
LW, RW
UFA - 8
Logo of the Buffalo Sabres
$10,000,000$10,000,000
C
UFA - 7
$2,750,000$2,750,000
RW
UFA - 4
Logo of the Buffalo Sabres
$767,500$767,500 (Performance Bonus$132,500$132K)
RW, LW
UFA - 1
$7,000,000$7,000,000
C
UFA - 8
Logo of the Buffalo Sabres
$3,650,000$3,650,000
RW
UFA - 1
Logo of the Buffalo Sabres
$1,050,000$1,050,000
LW
UFA - 2
Logo of the Buffalo Sabres
$925,000$925,000 (Performance Bonus$850,000$850K)
LW, C
RFA - 1
Logo of the Tampa Bay Lightning
$5,250,000$5,250,000
C, LW, RW
UFA - 4
$2,500,000$2,500,000
LW
UFA - 4
Logo of the Buffalo Sabres
$6,000,000$6,000,000
RW
M-NTC
UFA - 4
Logo of the Buffalo Sabres
$1,575,000$1,575,000
LW, C
UFA - 1
Logo of the Tampa Bay Lightning
$5,800,000$5,800,000
RW
M-NTC, NMC
UFA - 1
Left DefenseRight DefenseGoaltender
Logo of the Buffalo Sabres
$925,000$925,000 (Performance Bonus$2,850,000$3M)
LD/RD
UFA - 2
Logo of the Tampa Bay Lightning
$697,500$697,500 (Performance Bonus$147,500$148K)
RD
UFA - 1
Logo of the Buffalo Sabres
$2,750,000$2,750,000
G
UFA - 2
Logo of the Buffalo Sabres
$2,950,000$2,950,000
LD/RD
UFA - 2
Logo of the Buffalo Sabres
$3,387,500$3,387,500
RD
UFA - 1
Logo of the Buffalo Sabres
$925,000$925,000 (Performance Bonus$425,000$425K)
LD
UFA - 1
Logo of the Florida Panthers
$2,733,333$2,733,333
RD
UFA - 1
Logo of the Buffalo Sabres
$2,000,000$2,000,000
G
UFA - 1
ScratchesInjured Reserve (IR)Long Term IR (LTIR)
Logo of the Buffalo Sabres
$1,300,000$1,300,000
RD
UFA - 1

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Apr. 29, 2019 at 8:19 p.m.
#1
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ottawas not doing that trade
Apr. 29, 2019 at 9:21 p.m.
#2
BiscuitBakesHotTaeks
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That’s a sneaky good trade for both sides with FLA...
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Apr. 30, 2019 at 2:25 a.m.
#3
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I don’t think Tampa gets enough Cap Relief with that trade
So maybe take out Sheary & add a cheaper piece

Scandella had a pretty rough year
Maybe we could get a 4th, but that might even be pushing it
Definitely not getting a 3rd too

Karlsson is an interesting idea
I think with the Vegas Cap situation, that we could get a bit of a deal in him if we take some more Cap off their hands
Maybe take Haula, Eakins, Holden, or some combo of guys they might be looking to offload
Could be a win-win for both teams

Interesting ideas overall
Not too shabby
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Apr. 30, 2019 at 11:36 a.m.
#4
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rktkt66
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Quoting: Jdfitz77
I don’t think Tampa gets enough Cap Relief with that trade
So maybe take out Sheary & add a cheaper piece

Scandella had a pretty rough year
Maybe we could get a 4th, but that might even be pushing it
Definitely not getting a 3rd too

Karlsson is an interesting idea
I think with the Vegas Cap situation, that we could get a bit of a deal in him if we take some more Cap off their hands
Maybe take Haula, Eakins, Holden, or some combo of guys they might be looking to offload
Could be a win-win for both teams

Interesting ideas overall
Not too shabby


Tampa would get about $3M back in cap space but the point's well-taken. My thinking is that losing Miller creates a hole on their roster, which Sheary would fill at $2M less. Cernak came off an impressive rookie season so giving Ristolainen and taking on Callahan as a cap dump seemed fair.

No argument on Scandella - I'm banking on the notion that Chuck Fletcher was reluctant to trade him when he was with Minnesota and may be willing to reunite at low cost picks. Flyers don't have a very mobile defense outside of Ghost and Sanheim so hoping Scandella's skating and familiarity would be tempting.

There was a great analysis done by a Vegas reporter on the notion that, if Vegas can't afford Karlsson and have to deal him, they could partially compensate for his absence with the healthy return of Haula (who McPhee really likes) and promoting top prospect Cody Glass, who by many reports is ready for NHL duty. The danger with the Sabres taking on another cap dump from Vegas (in theory going in tandem with the Tampa dump above) is that the Sabres still have to have room to pay Karlsson what he'd be seeking ($6.5 - 7M?) as well as keep some room for the eventual Dahlin, Reinhart and Mittelstadt contract extensions.
Apr. 30, 2019 at 4:39 p.m.
#5
Eichel Tower
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Excellent post.

I my opinion this is a good trade, but you may need to retain on both of the Sabres.

Good value for Karlsson, a former first, a first and a second. This is an underpayment based on 2017-18, but more than fair based on last year and his career body of work.

I really hope you could get for Scandella. IMO he is worth significantly more than many AG think is his value (5th and 6th).

Yes, I think other NHL GM’s will rate Girgensons and Larsson higher than most AG’s. Considering they both only get about 16% OZS, yet have nearly a 50% Corsi is a good measure of how effective they are controlling the puck. I would be surprised if their value dropped to a 5th, but I would not be surprised if it became a 3rd.

IMO FLA may pass on this. I really like how well Nelson has played this year, but Pysyk had the second best +/-, the best PDO, best 5on5 SV%, and the lowest OZ% of all Florida defensemen. Can you imagine anyone would trade him for Kulikov?.

I presume you want to move up in the draft? Probably not an equal exchange considering ANA will be close to 4th and 2nd while BOS and NAS will be mid or late 4th’s.


Quoting: BiscuitBakesandHotTaeks
That’s a sneaky good trade for both sides with FLA...


Quoting: Jdfitz77
I don’t think Tampa gets enough Cap Relief with that trade
So maybe take out Sheary & add a cheaper piece

Scandella had a pretty rough year
Maybe we could get a 4th, but that might even be pushing it
Definitely not getting a 3rd too

Karlsson is an interesting idea
I think with the Vegas Cap situation, that we could get a bit of a deal in him if we take some more Cap off their hands
Maybe take Haula, Eakins, Holden, or some combo of guys they might be looking to offload
Could be a win-win for both teams

Interesting ideas overall
Not too shabby
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Apr. 30, 2019 at 4:59 p.m.
#6
Thread Starter
rktkt66
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Quoting: GMTD
Excellent post.

I my opinion this is a good trade, but you may need to retain on both of the Sabres.

Good value for Karlsson, a former first, a first and a second. This is an underpayment based on 2017-18, but more than fair based on last year and his career body of work.

I really hope you could get for Scandella. IMO he is worth significantly more than many AG think is his value (5th and 6th).

Yes, I think other NHL GM’s will rate Girgensons and Larsson higher than most AG’s. Considering they both only get about 16% OZS, yet have nearly a 50% Corsi is a good measure of how effective they are controlling the puck. I would be surprised if their value dropped to a 5th, but I would not be surprised if it became a 3rd.

IMO FLA may pass on this. I really like how well Nelson has played this year, but Pysyk had the second best +/-, the best PDO, best 5on5 SV%, and the lowest OZ% of all Florida defensemen. Can you imagine anyone would trade him for Kulikov?.

I presume you want to move up in the draft? Probably not an equal exchange considering ANA will be close to 4th and 2nd while BOS and NAS will be mid or late 4th’s.


RE: Karlsson - Looking at his breakout in 2017-18, his own team valued him at only $3.5M. He asked for $6.5M - and an independent arbitrator based on comparable players awarded him only $5.25M. Although he had a drop-off this season, I look more at the intangibles and respect that he's a 1st line center on many teams. I don't think he's worth two 1st rounders but a former 1st rounder (8th overall and only 21 on an affordable ELC) plus a 1st and a 2nd seems fair. The gain of $5M of cap space is the intangible going to Vegas that can't be forgotten either. Haula and Glass in theory might compensate by committee what Karlsson alone provided.

RE: Scandella - It's always hard to know how much a 29-year old on an expiring $4M contract is worth. His corsi stats aren't glamorous so I'm hoping the fact that he's still a mobile skater and not far removed from being a top 4 defender in Minnesota has some appeal.

RE: Girgensons / Larsson - I think their performances on the 4th line in driving possession and zone time were good and they were intrinsic to the Sabres' very respectable PK for most of the season. Whether or not those qualities will outweigh their limited offensive numbers and TOI in terms of a better return, it's hard to predict. Both are RFAs so it's also hard to know if Botterill qualifies both to retain their rights and then try trading them or if he just cuts the cord as he did with Lehner last summer and let an RFA become an UFA.

RE: Pysyk - I'm in the minority who liked most of what Tim Murray did as GM but I hated from the start and still resent the trade he made of Pysyk for Kulikov. He overreacted to losing out on Fowler that summer and thought wrongly Kulikov was an upgrade. In any event, many Panthers fans and media are expecting Florida to shed cap space in order to make major runs at Panarin, Bobrovsky and even some other free agents this summer to build on Quenneville's arrival. Pysyk, as good as his analytics have always been since his time in Buffalo, doesn't seem to be the type of player Quenneville prefers. Pysyk also seemed to drop to the 3rd pairing late in the season - whether or not that was a sign of falling out of favor with Boughner or not, I don't know. Nelson is a solid depth defenseman who can handle 3rd pairing minutes but no more.
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Apr. 30, 2019 at 6:32 p.m.
#7
Eichel Tower
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Quoting: rktkt66
RE: Karlsson - Looking at his breakout in 2017-18, his own team valued him at only $3.5M. He asked for $6.5M - and an independent arbitrator based on comparable players awarded him only $5.25M. Although he had a drop-off this season, I look more at the intangibles and respect that he's a 1st line center on many teams. I don't think he's worth two 1st rounders but a former 1st rounder (8th overall and only 21 on an affordable ELC) plus a 1st and a 2nd seems fair. The gain of $5M of cap space is the intangible going to Vegas that can't be forgotten either. Haula and Glass in theory might compensate by committee what Karlsson alone provided.

RE: Scandella - It's always hard to know how much a 29-year old on an expiring $4M contract is worth. His corsi stats aren't glamorous so I'm hoping the fact that he's still a mobile skater and not far removed from being a top 4 defender in Minnesota has some appeal.

RE: Girgensons / Larsson - I think their performances on the 4th line in driving possession and zone time were good and they were intrinsic to the Sabres' very respectable PK for most of the season. Whether or not those qualities will outweigh their limited offensive numbers and TOI in terms of a better return, it's hard to predict. Both are RFAs so it's also hard to know if Botterill qualifies both to retain their rights and then try trading them or if he just cuts the cord as he did with Lehner last summer and let an RFA become an UFA.

RE: Pysyk - I'm in the minority who liked most of what Tim Murray did as GM but I hated from the start and still resent the trade he made of Pysyk for Kulikov. He overreacted to losing out on Fowler that summer and thought wrongly Kulikov was an upgrade. In any event, many Panthers fans and media are expecting Florida to shed cap space in order to make major runs at Panarin, Bobrovsky and even some other free agents this summer to build on Quenneville's arrival. Pysyk, as good as his analytics have always been since his time in Buffalo, doesn't seem to be the type of player Quenneville prefers. Pysyk also seemed to drop to the 3rd pairing late in the season - whether or not that was a sign of falling out of favor with Boughner or not, I don't know. Nelson is a solid depth defenseman who can handle 3rd pairing minutes but no more.


Let's begin I like your post, I like your research, I like your trades, I like your comments.
But you will never get me to agree that Murray did a good job. As you said the Kulkov trade was terrible, but so was the Gorges and McNabb trades. He definitely over paid for Lehner who was OTT 3rd GK at that time. He over paid Moulson and unfortunately for Okposo that put the team in a semi cap hell. One may make a strong argument that getting O'Reilly and Kane were good trades so I will not mention them, but they were both massive over payments. Myers, Zadorov and Pysyk +/- were all second on their respective teams and McNabb seems to always be at the top of his team. I wish we had Armia, Compher and Lemieux as our third line instead of Sobotka, Thompson and Girgensons/Okposo/. He drafted extremely poorly getting only 2 regular NHL players out of three drafts despite that he had the best draft position of any team during those three years. To jump start the rebuild he completely gutted the draft and prospect pool. He started with the best prospect pool in the NHL and left with one of the worse. Worse, O'Reilly and Kane did not want to play here, and he should have known Lehner was an alcoholic. He was insulting to the press and the NHL. I cannot think of anything he did well. The team is now headed in the right direction building through the draft and making small trades (Sheary, Skinner, Montour and players to make Rochester better). During his three years as GM, Rochester never made the playoffs, while the Amerks have made the playoffs each of Betterall years. I celebrated when he was fired. I am sorry I am dumping on you, you do not deserve to be treated in this manner.
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Apr. 30, 2019 at 7:11 p.m.
#8
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rktkt66
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Quoting: GMTD
Let's begin I like your post, I like your research, I like your trades, I like your comments.
But you will never get me to agree that Murray did a good job. As you said the Kulkov trade was terrible, but so was the Gorges and McNabb trades. He definitely over paid for Lehner who was OTT 3rd GK at that time. He over paid Moulson and unfortunately for Okposo that put the team in a semi cap hell. One may make a strong argument that getting O'Reilly and Kane were good trades so I will not mention them, but they were both massive over payments. Myers, Zadorov and Pysyk +/- were all second on their respective teams and McNabb seems to always be at the top of his team. I wish we had Armia, Compher and Lemieux as our third line instead of Sobotka, Thompson and Girgensons/Okposo/. He drafted extremely poorly getting only 2 regular NHL players out of three drafts despite that he had the best draft position of any team during those three years. To jump start the rebuild he completely gutted the draft and prospect pool. He started with the best prospect pool in the NHL and left with one of the worse. Worse, O'Reilly and Kane did not want to play here, and he should have known Lehner was an alcoholic. He was insulting to the press and the NHL. I cannot think of anything he did well. The team is now headed in the right direction building through the draft and making small trades (Sheary, Skinner, Montour and players to make Rochester better). During his three years as GM, Rochester never made the playoffs, while the Amerks have made the playoffs each of Betterall years. I celebrated when he was fired. I am sorry I am dumping on you, you do not deserve to be treated in this manner.


Your examples are all on target - Murray no doubt pillaged the draft pick and prospect pool in his effort to accelerate the rebuild right after the tank year. I also forgot about the trade of McNabb for Deslaurier and Fasching - that was a dud. Lehner wasn't worth a 1st rounder to be sure. He ignored Rochester and AHL development.

I do disagree though on the portrayals of the O'Reilly and Kane deals: the deal with the Jets cost Myers, Stafford (who lasted 1 year as a rental), Armia (who never fared any better in Winnipeg than he did in Buffalo) and Lemieux (who is trying to establish himself now with another team). Bogosian's injury history and Kane's short-term production as a Sabre were more than equal to Myers' performance as a Jet. The package for O'Reilly wasn't outlandish at all - McGinn had a solid season in Buffalo, despite his trade at the deadline. Even today, O'Reilly is a better player than the sum of Compher and Zadorov - and Grigorenko was gone less than a season after the trade.

It was well-documented by several media members that Kane wanted to stay in Buffalo but ownership had no interest in his scandalous off-ice behavior nor the appetite to pay him long-term. O'Reilly also wanted to be in Buffalo - if anything, he wanted to be more of the 'main guy' than perhaps was realistic with Eichel entrenched as the franchise player. I don't buy the conspiracy theories that some espouse about his 'lost his love for the game' comments were pre-meditated to force a trade out of Buffalo. Again, ownership and management didn't like the public perception that the comments left and tried to distance themselves from it (which I'm sure they regret in hindsight now, considering how O'Reilly has led a dominant resurgence in St. Louis).

Anyway, what I admired about Murray was that he had a no-nonsense approach - he was never shy about outlining his intentions. The players he targeted were ones he went all-in to get (albeit at the risk of overpaying in some instances like Lehner). And, unlike what seems to be the case under Botterill (where he seems only willing to look back at the history while he was in charge, ignoring what transpired before his hiring), Murray understood the city's and ownership's desire to become a winner as quickly as possible after the tanking. How he proceeded can be debated ad infinitum but I appreciated his straight-shooter approach.
Apr. 30, 2019 at 11:21 p.m.
#9
Eichel Tower
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Quoting: rktkt66
Your examples are all on target - Murray no doubt pillaged the draft pick and prospect pool in his effort to accelerate the rebuild right after the tank year. I also forgot about the trade of McNabb for Deslaurier and Fasching - that was a dud. Lehner wasn't worth a 1st rounder to be sure. He ignored Rochester and AHL development.

I do disagree though on the portrayals of the O'Reilly and Kane deals: the deal with the Jets cost Myers, Stafford (who lasted 1 year as a rental), Armia (who never fared any better in Winnipeg than he did in Buffalo) and Lemieux (who is trying to establish himself now with another team). Bogosian's injury history and Kane's short-term production as a Sabre were more than equal to Myers' performance as a Jet. The package for O'Reilly wasn't outlandish at all - McGinn had a solid season in Buffalo, despite his trade at the deadline. Even today, O'Reilly is a better player than the sum of Compher and Zadorov - and Grigorenko was gone less than a season after the trade.

It was well-documented by several media members that Kane wanted to stay in Buffalo but ownership had no interest in his scandalous off-ice behavior nor the appetite to pay him long-term. O'Reilly also wanted to be in Buffalo - if anything, he wanted to be more of the 'main guy' than perhaps was realistic with Eichel entrenched as the franchise player. I don't buy the conspiracy theories that some espouse about his 'lost his love for the game' comments were pre-meditated to force a trade out of Buffalo. Again, ownership and management didn't like the public perception that the comments left and tried to distance themselves from it (which I'm sure they regret in hindsight now, considering how O'Reilly has led a dominant resurgence in St. Louis).

Anyway, what I admired about Murray was that he had a no-nonsense approach - he was never shy about outlining his intentions. The players he targeted were ones he went all-in to get (albeit at the risk of overpaying in some instances like Lehner). And, unlike what seems to be the case under Botterill (where he seems only willing to look back at the history while he was in charge, ignoring what transpired before his hiring), Murray understood the city's and ownership's desire to become a winner as quickly as possible after the tanking. How he proceeded can be debated ad infinitum but I appreciated his straight-shooter approach.


Again, I like your comments. You offer valid support to your position and I respect that. You do not scoff , degrade, denigrate, insult nor ignore comments, I greatly appreciate that from AG. let's agree to disagree with DATM (but is it straight shooting or arrogance and insults). I know there are many people who liked DATM and hate Betterall. Thus far the results are the same, the difference as I said DATM was left will a royal flush to start, whereas Betterall was dealt a four suited 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10, cant fill a straight, flush or a decent pair. I will say this about DATM he did well to sign Rodrigues and Nelson, and it appears he hit home runs with Asplund and Olofsson. I am the eternal optimist, make a trade for or sign a UFA veteran who can get the team to work together. I think we will see an improved Mittelstadt and Thompson, sign Skinner or maybe 2 free agents instead, get play Ristolainen a little less, watch Dahlin improve as he matures and this team could improve by another 14 pts and force me to purchase playoff tickets next year.

Did you notice the Sabres' free fall coincided with Berglund bailing. IDK if the team was depressed that a veteran decided to leave or if he was the locker room influence that helped the team to rise the top. IMO this was never a playoff team (I am more convinced of that after watching the playoffs), and my friends and family laughed at me when i told them that. They are quick to forget I pronounced that but love reminding me that I also predicted the team would finish with about 90 pts. Little did I suspect a total collapse.
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May 1, 2019 at 2:10 p.m.
#10
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rktkt66
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Quoting: GMTD
Again, I like your comments. You offer valid support to your position and I respect that. You do not scoff , degrade, denigrate, insult nor ignore comments, I greatly appreciate that from AG. let's agree to disagree with DATM (but is it straight shooting or arrogance and insults). I know there are many people who liked DATM and hate Betterall. Thus far the results are the same, the difference as I said DATM was left will a royal flush to start, whereas Betterall was dealt a four suited 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10, cant fill a straight, flush or a decent pair. I will say this about DATM he did well to sign Rodrigues and Nelson, and it appears he hit home runs with Asplund and Olofsson. I am the eternal optimist, make a trade for or sign a UFA veteran who can get the team to work together. I think we will see an improved Mittelstadt and Thompson, sign Skinner or maybe 2 free agents instead, get play Ristolainen a little less, watch Dahlin improve as he matures and this team could improve by another 14 pts and force me to purchase playoff tickets next year.

Did you notice the Sabres' free fall coincided with Berglund bailing. IDK if the team was depressed that a veteran decided to leave or if he was the locker room influence that helped the team to rise the top. IMO this was never a playoff team (I am more convinced of that after watching the playoffs), and my friends and family laughed at me when i told them that. They are quick to forget I pronounced that but love reminding me that I also predicted the team would finish with about 90 pts. Little did I suspect a total collapse.


Berglund was a non-factor and playing poorly before his departure so I don't think the second-half slump had anything to do with him leaving. Housley was deploying Sobotka in the 2C/3C slot interchangeably with Mittelstadt at the time. There were so many breakdowns in the 2nd half but I still think the motivation for many of the players took a hit by watching Housley punish some players for random instances of mistakes (i.e. Rodrigues, Girgensons, Larsson, Skinner, Pilut) or a bad game while sticking with several others (most notably, Sobotka and Scandella) no matter how poorly they played or how many turnovers per game they made. For an "improved culture" that promoted accountability for all from the start of the season, Housley not only cherry-picking his favorites had to undermine the confidence of some players that weren't exempt from his blame. Really, the whole season was plagued by a lack of offense outside of 3 players and a lack of how to use players and maximize their strengths by the coaching staff. The win streak was a freak occurrence - every team goes on hot streaks that often have a lot of luck involved - but those shortcomings were still evident in the streak.
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May 2, 2019 at 12:48 a.m.
#11
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Quoting: rktkt66
Tampa would get about $3M back in cap space but the point's well-taken. My thinking is that losing Miller creates a hole on their roster, which Sheary would fill at $2M less. Cernak came off an impressive rookie season so giving Ristolainen and taking on Callahan as a cap dump seemed fair.

No argument on Scandella - I'm banking on the notion that Chuck Fletcher was reluctant to trade him when he was with Minnesota and may be willing to reunite at low cost picks. Flyers don't have a very mobile defense outside of Ghost and Sanheim so hoping Scandella's skating and familiarity would be tempting.

There was a great analysis done by a Vegas reporter on the notion that, if Vegas can't afford Karlsson and have to deal him, they could partially compensate for his absence with the healthy return of Haula (who McPhee really likes) and promoting top prospect Cody Glass, who by many reports is ready for NHL duty. The danger with the Sabres taking on another cap dump from Vegas (in theory going in tandem with the Tampa dump above) is that the Sabres still have to have room to pay Karlsson what he'd be seeking ($6.5 - 7M?) as well as keep some room for the eventual Dahlin, Reinhart and Mittelstadt contract extensions.


Yeah, i get that
It would probably have to be short term Cap Dumps like Callahan’s 1 year
I wouldn’t take a Cap Dump that’s longer than 2years,
for exactly the reasons you mention
 
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