Times have been tough for Sabres fans as long as I remember, so I tried my best here to set the Sabres up well to become Contenders in a couple years time. Acquring veterans was a huge thing for me here, for three reasons. A) To reach salary floor, B) Provide quality leadership and C) Acquire more draft picks. I also wanted to make sure some of the young guys aren’t overwhelmed with too big roles right off the bat and growths are stunt. I’ve seen it happen too many times and it scares me, that’s why acquiring guys like Eller, Dadonov and Zaitsev was important to me because they can play up and down in the lineup.
For the forward group, guys like Thompson, Olofsson, Tuch, Cozens, Skinner, Krebs, and Asplund remain as top-nine guys. JJP and Quinn are rookies who look to be ready for top-nine spots at the NHL. You also have your seasoned vets in Dadonov, Okposo and Eller who can play up and down in the lineup. This is a lineup where you can roll all four lines which is huge. Start off by giving the young guys bigger roles but if they struggle, Dadonov, Okposo, Girgensons and Eller can take bigger roles in the lineup like said above.
Looking at the D Core, I’d keep Dahlin at RHD to start, RHD are way more valuable and rare than LHD and if you’re able to develop Dahlin into a RHD that would be huge. If Dahlin struggles at RHD you can always just run:
Murphy would be a great vet to pair alongside Power to help Power grow into an elite two-way defenceman. If Samuelsson can stay healthy, he gets a full time spot in the top-six. Bryson should get the final top-six spot but if he ever struggles he can switch out for Zaitsev who’ll be the 7D. Fitzgerald and Wolanin also remain as depth option incase of injuries.
Goaltending remains shaky as Comrie-UPL is a very unexperienced tandem, but if all goes well I’d go for a 45-40 game split in favor of Comrie. We still have tons of depth options with Anderson, Dell and Houser incase of injuries which are likely.
TRADES:
- Dadonov is a good player as is.. And IMHO he shouldn’t be a negative asset, but here we are. He has great advanced stats, and you can take a two 3rd round picks for only taking one 1 year of his contract at 5M? Seems like a no brainer to me.
- Out of all the RHD that seem to be available on the trade market, Murphy seems like the most attractive option. He has 4 years left on his deal at 4.4M, which is a good contract for a top-four RHD in this day and age. Murphy is really solid in his own zone and would be a great veteran to pair alongside Power to help him develop. Mittlestadt doesn’t really have a spot on this team, and has so far been really disappointing in his career. He gets a fresh change of scenery in Chicago where he’ll get a bigger role.
- Eller is a likely cap causality for the Capitals, as they can no longer afford his 3.5M cap hit, and McMichael is ready to take the 3C position. Eller would be a great veteran bottom-six center for the Sabres, he’s a good two-way guy that can take a bigger role if some of the young guys prove not to be NHL ready.
SIGNINGS:
Olofsson - 4x5M, I’m not really on the trade Olofsson train, I think the value you’d likely get for him through a trade isn’t really worth trading for. Plus it’s not like giving him this contract is going to screw us over that much in the future considering he’s a guy who’ll score 20-25 goals and 50-55 points per year.
Ruostalainen - 1x800k, Doesn’t get a spot on the opening lineup but still a guy I really like. If he does well this year I’d give him a bigger role and bigger contract next year.
Bryson - 1x850k, Real ‘prove it’ year for Bryson, I like his game, but just to be safe kept it at a one year deal, he’ll still be an RFA and if he does well he should get a bigger contract.
Comrie - 2x2M, Saw this idea on another post on here and really liked it. Comrie had a great year playing a small backup role behind Hellebuyck in Winnipeg. 2 years at 2 million isn’t too much of a risk and Comrie would eat some some games to make sure UPL isn’t overwhelmed with too big of a role. This screams low risk high reward signing and if Comrie plays well he could become a trade chip later down the line. Felt like signing Comrie was a better bet than taking a big risk than signing Campbell, Husso or Kuemper to a multi-year deal at an AAV likely north of 5M.
Anderson - 1x1M, goalie depth is a great thing to have, Anderson provides that. Could pull on the ‘if you claim me on waivers I’ll retire.’ spiel to ensure he stays here for the year.
I think this team finishes 7th or 8th in the Atlantic behind Tampa, Toronto, Boston, Florida, Ottawa and Detroit which I’m not too upset about because this draft year is stacked and if we’re able to get one of Bedard, Michkov, Fantilli, or Yager that would be huge. This year is all about growth and the goal should be that our young guys are continuing to devolop into better players, if that happens I’ll be very happy. Let me know on any feedback, cheers.
Acquire a negative asset in Zaitsev to reach the cap floor and get more draft picks. OTT offloads 4.5M and makes more room for younger guys to play in their top six.
Murphy would be a great top-four addition, has a good amount of term, is really solid in his own zone and would be a great mentor for Power to play alongside of.
Hawks tank, move out all their valuable pieces, and start a full on rebuild to tank for Bedard. Draft well and you can get a solid piece at #30, and Mittlestadt is a C with some untapped potential who maybe with some top-six ice time could develop into a solid centre.
Eller is a cap causality for the Capitals, along with McMichael being ready to take the 3C spot there. We acquire Eller so incase some of the young guys aren’t ready for top-nine spots, he can fill in there at center. He’s also good in his own zone, and it hardly costs anything to acquire him.
If it was the Vegas pick I think Chicago would entertain it. However, the pieces you are offering just don’t interest the hawks enough to make the move. If you swapped Mitts with a lesser player/prospect and upgraded the first to Vegas’s first the trade looks better.
I don’t think that’s worth it for Murphy. He’s solid, don’t get me wrong, but a 2nd pair d man for a good young player and 30th overall is hefty. Jake Muzzin as a bonafide top pair d man got a the 1st and 2 young players , neither of which at the team were as valuable as Middelstadt. Personally if I’m Buffalo I would target Jeff Petry. Yes he costs 1.75 mil or whatever more, but he imo has great potential for a rebound and actually finished the year very strong, plus would cost less than Murphy. I’m sure you could get Petey with like 1.25 mil retained for the 30th overall pick alone
If it was the Vegas pick I think Chicago would entertain it. However, the pieces you are offering just don’t interest the hawks enough to make the move. If you swapped Mitts with a lesser player/prospect and upgraded the first to Vegas’s first the trade looks better.
Just curious, what’s the general thought on Murphy around Blackhawks fans? I see him in trade proposals a lot on here. I’m guessing the Hawks aren’t looking to move him so it’ll cost an overpayment to acquire him?
Honestly I like all these deals for both teams, I've been a fan of them going after Dadonov for sometime now too. He might have you guys on his NTC tho, maybe Hoffman from the Habs could make some sense too?
I don’t think that’s worth it for Murphy. He’s solid, don’t get me wrong, but a 2nd pair d man for a good young player and 30th overall is hefty. Jake Muzzin as a bonafide top pair d man got a the 1st and 2 young players , neither of which at the team were as valuable as Middelstadt. Personally if I’m Buffalo I would target Jeff Petry. Yes he costs 1.75 mil or whatever more, but he imo has great potential for a rebound and actually finished the year very strong, plus would cost less than Murphy. I’m sure you could get Petey with like 1.25 mil retained for the 30th overall pick alone
I think Petry is a solid player, but I don’t like that contract at all. Unless the Habs are willing to retain 1.5M or more I wouldn’t touch that contract, and I don’t think they will want to. Honestly if Murphy doesn’t work I’d probably go after DeMelo (WPG), he’d be a solid partner for Power, he probably only costs a 2nd and a B level prospect, and I think the Jets are opened to moving him. Other guys I’d consider other than DeMelo, Petry or Murphy are Walker (LAK) or maybe even Letang through free agency even though I doubt he’d want to play here.
Ottawa has cap, so they don't have a a reason to move Zaitsev. But no logic in saying Zaitsev prevents the development of young players. Just don't play Zaitsev or send to the AHL
Ottawa has cap, so they don't have a a reason to move Zaitsev. But no logic in saying Zaitsev prevents the development of young players. Just don't play Zaitsev or send to the AHL
I more so meant that Zaitsev could fill in a top-six role if Samuelsson or Bryson struggles. In no way do I think Zaitsev would help devolop anyone or anything 😂
I agree at this current moment it makes no sense for the Sens to move Zaitsev considering they have lots of cap space, but if PD makes moves that uses up cap space (ie. Acquiring a Fiala, Giroux, etc.) Zaitsev may end up being moved.
Honestly I like all these deals for both teams, I've been a fan of them going after Dadonov for sometime now too. He might have you guys on his NTC tho, maybe Hoffman from the Habs could make some sense too?
Dadonov would be my first choice to acquire, but yeah if we’re on his NMC I’d consider going after Hoffman (MTL), Zucker (PIT), Hornqvist (FLA), or Bailey (NYI). You’re probably getting either a 2nd or 2 3rds for taking on these players, and any I’d be fine with taking on.
If it was the Vegas pick I think Chicago would entertain it. However, the pieces you are offering just don’t interest the hawks enough to make the move. If you swapped Mitts with a lesser player/prospect and upgraded the first to Vegas’s first the trade looks better.
The Blackhawks trade is gross
Sabres 100% decline
We aren’t giving up on Mitts
We aren’t trading a 1st for a 2nd pair guy
And we sure as **** aren’t giving up both mitts & a 1st
That’s just horrible
Chicago can keep their overvalued defenseman if that’s their price
Jokiharju was a fine partner for Dahlin, he can be for Power as well
I don’t think that’s worth it for Murphy. He’s solid, don’t get me wrong, but a 2nd pair d man for a good young player and 30th overall is hefty. Jake Muzzin as a bonafide top pair d man got a the 1st and 2 young players , neither of which at the team were as valuable as Middelstadt. Personally if I’m Buffalo I would target Jeff Petry. Yes he costs 1.75 mil or whatever more, but he imo has great potential for a rebound and actually finished the year very strong, plus would cost less than Murphy. I’m sure you could get Petey with like 1.25 mil retained for the 30th overall pick alone
Just curious, what’s the general thought on Murphy around Blackhawks fans? I see him in trade proposals a lot on here. I’m guessing the Hawks aren’t looking to move him so it’ll cost an overpayment to acquire him?
If we were retooling or doing anything except tanking next year I would love to have him play out his contract as a Blackhawk. He is extremely underrated. However I would like to move him to add more ammo to our rebuild and an off-season hockey trade for him makes the most sense because he has term.
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