Watching the last couple games with Ullmark back, no Eichel and a little bit of confidence of not losing every game for the rest of the season. I actually can see Buffalo trading Eichel and being Ok in a couple years and even having a better overall direction. This meaning you are no longer on Eichels watch and can rebuild at a proper more effective pace. Essentially it looks to me like Buffalo re-tools every year without ever having success instead of finishing the original rebuild.
Below is my idea of that Shanahan 5 year plan for Buffalo.
Year 1- Teardown (Trade Hall, Eichel, Montour and anything else not bolted down not named Dahlin, Olafsson or Reinhardt) Rustolainen will be the cockroach that won’t go away but you will look on fondly someday) also take on bad contract and hoard picks.
Year 2 - Play with those bad contracts and use their experiences to help the kids develop. Change culture, like Lou did for TML and NYI.
Year 3 - Contracts have ended now play the kids.
Year 4 - Probably experience 1st round heart break, but it’s better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all.
Year 5 - Go for it.
With that said I made a few moves I can see happing this deadline and the off-season and after looking at the roster I honestly think you’ll be OK and will be able to absolutely weaponize cap space while it’s the best time to in the history of the salary cap when there’s going to be no raise in the cap for several years. A lot of teams will be desperate with RFA’s coming up (ex. isles and Canucks) and Seattle looming.
After my moves I see a team that looks similar (but weaker version) of how Montreal looked like kotkaniemi’s and Suzuki’s first year. Talent on the Wings, young centers, good goaltending, mixed bag on D, and a ton of Cap and Draft Picks.
Georgiev will be an absolute upgrade on Hutton first off. Kakko is essentially an instant 2nd overall pick for Eichel along with the Actual picks.
Bellows has top 6 potential, hits, scores. Trotz just doesn’t like his defensive game.
Take beagle for picks because Vancouver is desperate and he will serve you well on the PK and bottom 6 as well as take important Faceoffs.
Overpay for Brassard because he is versatile. PK, PP, can play wing and center. Streaky goal scorer.
Overpay for Vatanen, why? Well you need another LD with experience and he is serviceable and is a UFA. Any other LHD you think will fit better works too.
Take on Andrew Ladd’s deal to help my Isles out (lol) for a 1st and Robin Salo. He’s one of the Isles top D-prospects and will probably make the NHL within 3 years and will help your defense out right when you guys will start being playoff contenders.
Sign Ullmark with every dollar you can because he’ll be another Lehner if you let him go.
You have even more cap to use to acquire and hoard even more picks for overpaid and underproducing players, I’d just not take anything with 3 or more years on it.
The overall idea of the new identity and direction of this team is a youthful top 6 and a gritty older responsible bottom 6 and in 2 years time, Ladd, Okposo, Beagle, Brassard, Vatanen all will be off the books. You will then have drafted several 1st-3rd rounders and will have enough cap space to go big game hunting for a Center and RHD. By then the Caps, Pens, Boston and (unfortunately my) Isles cores will all be aging all while Buffalo would be catching up to the other rebuilds, OTT, NJD, DET and then would probably see themselves as actual playoff contenders regularly. Add a few hits instead of misses on those 1st round draft picks and who knows where buffalo is in 5 years.
Good Luck Buffalo you are my second favorite NY team.
It's honestly just not necessary. You don't need to have a 5 year plan.
The team as it is, is truly only missing depth and goaltending. This year the depth was a major factor losing eichel, cozens at times, ullmark, and McCabe, plus other major defenders for periods of time made it difficult added onto the fact that the previous coach was using a horrendous style of play.
But using ullmarks numbers he is 8-5-3 if he were to play 64 games his numbers would be 32-20-12 which would give them roughly 76 points. You have a decent back up who can at least stay near .500 going 6-6-2 you get 90 points.
That makes you a fringe playoff team In a normal year. That's without adding talent or using a proper system by a decent coach.
The year before last year Hutton lost like 13-14 games in a row if he wins half we would been in the playoffs.
The team needs minor tweaks but a big goalie upgrade. And the team will be fine.
Alter the course of the franchise because of a few games? That's oversimplifying but. You're also suggesting the franchise ultimately rebuilds...
For a decade
A literal decade 2013 2023
This may be your 2nd favourite NY team but the Sabres are the heart & soul of many Buffalonians (?) and that's honestly insulting to such passionate fans
I was lucky to witness that passion first hand in 2009
They already have the pieces that any team would want out of a rebuild they just have 15M$ committed to 5 total Skinnposo goals which is why they suck atm
All they need is to be free of that and build properly
Alter the course of the franchise because of a few games? That's oversimplifying but. You're also suggesting the franchise ultimately rebuilds...
For a decade
A literal decade 2013 2023
This may be your 2nd favourite NY team but the Sabres are the heart & soul of many Buffalonians (?) and that's honestly insulting to such passionate fans
I was lucky to witness that passion first hand in 2009
They already have the pieces that any team would want out of a rebuild they just have 15M$ committed to 5 total Skinnposo goals which is why they suck atm
All they need is to be free of that and build properly
They don’t suck because of Okposo and Skinners bad contracts. They are bad because they signed Eakin for some reason and they didn’t find a reliable backup goalie. Having injuries to McCabe and Eichel didn’t help things either.
They don’t suck because of Okposo and Skinners bad contracts. They are bad because they signed Eakin for some reason and they didn’t find a reliable backup goalie. Having injuries to McCabe and Eichel didn’t help things either.
On top of that Dahlin and Jokiharju have played much better with Kreuger gone
They don’t suck because of Okposo and Skinners bad contracts. They are bad because they signed Eakin for some reason and they didn’t find a reliable backup goalie. Having injuries to McCabe and Eichel didn’t help things either.
Eakin’s 2.25M is holding them back? Skinner’s 9M and Okposo’s 6M must be the titanic then.
New FO, and owners is the best thing for this franchise.
Eakin’s 2.25M is holding them back? Skinner’s 9M and Okposo’s 6M must be the titanic then.
New FO, and owners is the best thing for this franchise.
Skinner is still a good player, Okposo is on a nice point streak 6 points in his last 7 games, 2-6-8 points. Cody Eakin is by far their worst player. Every shift his line seems to get trapped in the defensive zone due to his poor play.
Eakin’s 2.25M is holding them back? Skinner’s 9M and Okposo’s 6M must be the titanic then.
New FO, and owners is the best thing for this franchise.
They arent getting new owners and Pegula has done fine with the Bills. You can argue that Kim needs to stay out of the hockey operations but they are also wasting a ton of money on employees that no longer work for them, and players who didnt pan out, so you can see the concern
Skinner is still a good player, Okposo is on a nice point streak 6 points in his last 7 games, 2-6-8 points. Cody Eakin is by far their worst player. Every shift his line seems to get trapped in the defensive zone due to his poor play.
Skinner may still be an NHL player but at 9M you better be a star player as you’re earning in the top 25 or so (especially as a winger). It’s much easier to scratch Eakin and recover cap than Skinner.
Quoting: Shibbal18
They arent getting new owners and Pegula has done fine with the Bills. You can argue that Kim needs to stay out of the hockey operations but they are also wasting a ton of money on employees that no longer work for them, and players who didnt pan out, so you can see the concern
He’s done okay with football doesn’t mean he will do okay with hockey. I’d also hope he’s done well with a franchise QB being cost controlled. The concern is ineffective GM hires, bring in a competent GM/FO and don’t pressure them to make unnecessary moves.
Alter the course of the franchise because of a few games? That's oversimplifying but. You're also suggesting the franchise ultimately rebuilds...
For a decade
A literal decade 2013 2023
This may be your 2nd favourite NY team but the Sabres are the heart & soul of many Buffalonians (?) and that's honestly insulting to such passionate fans
I was lucky to witness that passion first hand in 2009
They already have the pieces that any team would want out of a rebuild they just have 15M$ committed to 5 total Skinnposo goals which is why they suck atm
All they need is to be free of that and build properly
First of all this is just a fun exercise with a team that will have the most blank cap space in the modern era when cap is one of the hardest things to come by, so their is no disrespect, we all love our hockey teams.
2nd being an Islander fan I would know what it means to lose a top line center that’s considered one of the best in the league. (Tavares)
When he was here we were constantly re-tooling and tire spinning just to make him happy. It was awful here, before 2016 against the panthers I literally wasn’t alive for their previous playoff win in 93’.
When we lost him I thought we were cooked. But “trading” our best player (tavares) for a new culture (Lou and Trotz) was the greatest thing that ever happened to the isles in my lifetime.
We were in a very similar situation to you guys and although Tavares (like Eichel) was a phenomenal player we were better off in a new direction where no one was treated special. (Barzal is reprimanded constantly and is learning every game from Trotz)
We picked up culture guys and took “bad” contracts like Martin, Filpula, Komarov, etc. and made the playoffs with it. A 5 year is one id see working for you is a cup run. You can turn around from the Eichel era the next year and make the playoffs the next year because hockey is weird and unpredictable.
Olofsson should not be considered untouchable. He's been very bad at 5v5 and the one thing he's good at which is the PP, he hasn't done anything for a while. It also doesn't make sense for Reinhart to stay if Jack goes, I don't think Reinhart will want to be part of a rebuilding team for a few more years.
Olofsson should not be considered untouchable. He's been very bad at 5v5 and the one thing he's good at which is the PP, he hasn't done anything for a while. It also doesn't make sense for Reinhart to stay if Jack goes, I don't think Reinhart will want to be part of a rebuilding team for a few more years.
I see what you mean but as an isles fan we thought the same about Lee, Nelson, Bailey, and Eberle. I thought Lou was going to burn it down and one season later Eberle and Nelson took less money to stay. It’s funny how hockey works sometimes haha
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