....no? Way too much for Marner, to me at least. And that Burakovsky contract is sure something

Just keep building, Mr. Adams.

That's pretty good value for marner but I don't think it's the right move for BUF. Keep building we have lots of good pieces right now.

We would take that as TOR, but BUF should keep building. Marner isnt on their timeline imo.

Patrick Kane would probably make more sense

How so? Marner is the same age as Thompson, still an elite player, and has playoff experience. While I must admit I don't think there is even the slightest chance the Sabres do anything other than develop their own players and draft, I'm running out of different roster ideas and having a roster of young players is boring (on paper) to continuous post.

No, I didn't mean age, although Kane and Marner are both elite first line wingers. Probably Kane will be cheaper than Marner, he is a local boy and Pegulas can somehow sell tickets. It's just that I find it hard to believe this move and Toronto would probably be looking for some other deal, and Buffalo shouldn't be trading so many young pieces and picks.

My opinion. We have Rasmus Dahlin and Owen Power, but they need help, we need to develop them properly. I would look for two top 4 RD's, one of them could be an versatile D, the other one would be a DFD, I just don't buy Jokiharju and Borgen can't even play Seattle regularly yet, for a third pair they might be good but they almost have no experience in every sense. Also need a proven goalie, you signed Holtby and I'm fine with that.

That being said, I agree that we're missing a first-line elite talent, but will Marner be too expensive, Kane? Maybe it depends on the price, but I would prefer a draft, we are already in the top 5, there are guys like Wright, Savoie, Cooley and Lambert, here he is our potential first line talent.

Again, this is just my opinion, but I would now focus on the development of Dahlin, Power and UPL. We have someone to play in attack, especially next season, but we don't have good defenders on the right side. Even the choice of Nemec or Jiricek will not help Dahlin and Power in the next couple of years, and these two years can be very important, especially for Dahlin.

I agree with pretty much everything you're saying. Like I said, I don't think any of this is realistic but it is just fun.

I think they've learned from their past mistakes when they drafted Eichel and gutted the farm system and will focus on drafting and developing, which is definitely the right approach. I could see them packaging picks to move up for guys like Savoie or Cooley and I would be fine with that so they can acquire that elite first-line winger, like you stated.

Marner is just a guy I've always liked and fits their timeline, as well as they have the cap space. I'm starting to wonder what they do with Mittelstadt. Obviously he has had a lot of bad luck, but I can't see them rolling with Thompson, Cozens, Krebs, and Mittelstadt down the middle.

I think Dahlin could play the right side for sure. Definitely focus on them, find a way to upgrade on the right side, and develop the young centers. They do need that elite talent, though.

Yes, so they don't have to trade all their valuable assets to trade for Marner and be left with that kind of defense. I don't mind Adams trading some players, picks or prospects, but not in large numbers and only where it's needed.

I wouldn't be surprised if Mittelstadt or Olofsson won't be next season. But then I trade one of them for the top 4 RD, with sweetener if needed, or for 1st+ (probably Olofsson) to then immediately trade 1st VGK/FLA or 1st+ for the top 4 RD. Because that's where I see one of the main problems.

Maybe kick tires and pay Pavelski a lot of money for two years? He may not be Marner, but he is a very good player with a lot of experience and is still producing. Do the same with Fleury or Holtby. Find one, and preferably two top 4 solid RDs.

As for our centers, any of them can play on the wing, but if they trade Mittelstadt in some kind of deal, then it's simple: Thompson, Cozens, Krebs and Asplund/Zemgus will be the central spine.

As for Dahlin, yes, he has experience playing on RD in Sweden, but Granato simply ignores this for some reason, he could have tried it already this season, maybe there are some reasons. In any case, even if Dahlin moves to RD next season, he will also need a solid partner for defense.

You're pretty spot on with everything. I wouldn't love if they spent their own first on a RD prospect because, as we discussed, they need elite talent on the top-two lines. I think Olofsson and Mittelstadt are their largest trade-baits in terms of players while obviously have three firsts can go a long way.

I feel like they want Krebs to play center more than wing, but it isn't a bad problem to have too many players that can also play center. The three of Thompson (sniper), Cozens (two-way), and Krebs (playmaker) all definitely bring something different so the versatility is nice to have.

I could see them making a small move but nothing to disrupt the plan. I love that they're leaning into the analytics and draft/develop route. I wouldn't mind a Pavelski at all, and I signed Burakovsky above because they have the cap space, he's been extremely productive, and his age isn't outside what their plan would be moving forward.

There are a ton of ways they can go this offseason and I'm looking forward to it. A ton of talent in this and the 2023 draft (Bedard or Michkov) is extremely tantalizing. There is finally a bright future to look forward to.

Yes, it is possible Adams will trade Olofsson or Mittelstadt. Thompson and Cozens are not going anywhere, I think Krebs would look better in the center. If Adams can trade Olofsson or Mitts for a decent top 4 RD it makes sense and their place in the roster could be replaced by UFA. Even re-signing Hinostroza would make sense if they could get Pavelski/Giroux/Burakowsky or someone like that decline Sabres.

I have Wright, Savoie, Cooley, Nemec, Lambert and Jiricek on my list for our first. Kemell, Yurov, Slafkovsky and Geekie are players I'm not so sure about yet. It's not an easy choice, I like Nemec as RD with our first, but on the other hand we lack first line talent. There are also RDs that I like that we could take with 1st FLA/VGK or our 2nd. Chesley, Casey, Luneau, Nelson, Lamoureux I think if Adams can find a quality top 4 RD and he already knows it before the draft, then I would go with Wright/Savoie/Cooley/Lambert + Chesley/Casey/Luneau/Nelson/Lamoureux.