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Shootica

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Feb. 15, 2017
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Buffalo Sabres
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Forum: Armchair-GMJan. 3, 2021 at 2:21 p.m.
Thread: Ruotsalainen given a development year
Olofsson put up 43 points in 50 games in the SHL as a 22 year old. He came over and played a full year in the AHL before being called up to the Sabres.

Ruutsolainen put up 43 points in 44 games in Liiga as a 22 year old, and 27 points in 19 games as a 23 year old. Remember that Liiga is a considerably weaker league than the SHL.

I don't see any reason to think the Sabres won't follow the same path with Ruutsolainen as they did with Olofsson, unless he really blows people away at camp. Let him play a shortened season in Rochester, get used to the North American game, and prove he's ready for a roster spot next season.

He's looked good and he's an exciting prospect, but let's not get ahead of ourselves because he's looking good in a weaker league. Patience is key.
Forum: Armchair-GMDec. 21, 2020 at 7:41 p.m.
Thread: No Moves and 5 Man Taxi Squad
<div class="quote"><div class="quote_t">Quoting: <b>gretzkyghosts</b></div><div>I could see these players in the line up.
Good job.

Some random thoughts, facts and opinions.
Arttu could fit nearly anywhere in the line up:
https://www.nhl.com/sabres/news/buffalo-sabres-prospect-rewind-arttu-ruotsalainen/c-317003272
He can win faceoff, as well as PK and PP.

Outside of the 2018-'19 season Eakin's stats over the last four years are not much different than Larsson, If he is the third line center Buffalo will not be a playoff contender.

Rieder had a record tying playoff, but other than that his last 3 years are much below Zemgus and Kyle who he would need to better than to be in the line up.

Thompson bulked up and he was the Amerks best player in the 2019 playoffs, the best young Sabre in the prospect challenge and the best Amerk during his stint last year.
Big players take longer to develop, few players are bigger than he.

Finally, the players were not the problem with the PK, it was the system.
Just as the players stood around on the PP, the players were too passive killing penalties.
They let the other teams set up without challenging the puck carrier.
If that continues this year, new personnel will not change the results.</div></div>

Agree with much of this. PK is definitely system driven, but Rieder is known for being a fantastic attacking penalty killer. He'd definitely be a valuable addition there, and would be a focal point of the structure change.

And I just think we need to temper expectations a little with Ruutsolainen. I like him, but the gap in play between Liiga and the NHL is massive. Olofsson was an older prospect coming from a much better league in the SHL, and he still spent a season in Rochester before breaking the roster. I don't see any reason why Arttu wouldn't follow the same path unless he comes into camp and absolutely dominates.

Good comment!
Forum: Armchair-GMDec. 20, 2020 at 12:01 p.m.
Thread: No Moves and 5 Man Taxi Squad
<div class="quote"><div class="quote_t">Quoting: <b>sabres89</b></div><div>I think rieder is in. He is here to help the pk. I could be wrong, but it wouldn't shock me if it cost Thompson or okposo. Remember our pk was historically bad. Also, ruotsalainen is gonna make a push for Thompsons spot.</div></div>

I could definitely see Rieder cracking the lineup for exactly that reason. If Thompson comes into camp looking flat, I think that's what happens, but I think Thompson comes in and impresses. The team has confidence in him, he looked good before injury last year, and he's done all the right things in the off-season.

I think Ruuts can definitely make a push, but the fact that he's waivers exempt and Thompson isn't really works against him. And I think with him coming from Liiga, they'll see the AHL as a natural development step rather than just jumping straight to the NHL. But I could be wrong.
Forum: Armchair-GMDec. 17, 2020 at 8:01 a.m.
Thread: BUFFALOOOO
I like the premise. Hall wants to re-rign so we have to find a spot to offload Okposo. Dahlin balls out and earns the big bucks. Re-sign Staal to play in a reduced role as his game wears down. My thoughts:

I'd try to remove the two prospects from the Okposo trade. Both of those guys could legitimately be NHL ready next season, and having them on rookie contracts is almost as much of a cap boon as removing Okposo in the first place. Those rookie ELVs are huge. And I think money will be easier to move next off-season with Seattle coming in and adding some working cap space.

I'm not a Jake Gardiner fan, so personally I don't like that deal. But I can see how you might.

And I can't really judge Eakin until he plays a full season, so we'll wait on that.

Who do you see Seattle taking given this roster?
Forum: Armchair-GMDec. 15, 2020 at 10:00 p.m.
Thread: About time
Hmm, you're making me think here, I like it.

Strictly looking at value, I think this leans in Arizona's favor. Montour can probably get a late 1st at the deadline, and I don't think Raanta is worth the same. So I'd be looking for a small add from the Yotes.

The roster fit isn't perfect, they do have a lot of defenseman. So like others have said, it might have to be a precursor to moving a different defenseman.

I'm going back and forth on this from Buffalo's standpoint. Raanta would be a massive add, but Montour has become a key part of our defense. He's the only righty we have that's really proven capable on the left side. I think I'd need a cheap decent third pairing lefty added in to pull the trigger.

Funny enough, Hajek is the type of guy I'd want thrown into the first trade. And trading Asplund for him I'd another one that I keep going back and forth on. Hajek definitely has a higher ceiling, and he's burned brighter, but his development seems to be falling off whereas Asplund is very slowly but steadily improving. I think I'd pass from the Sabres' perspective because Jacob Bryson fills a similar role in the prospect pool to what Hajek brings, and we really don't have an equivalent prospect to Asplund.