Buffalo Sabres & NHL 2020-2021

[BillsFan4]

3 minutes ago, shrader said:

 

If they fire him, they're still paying him though, right?  So they can't really do that because it only adds payroll in the form on the next set of coaches.

 

If things don't clear up soon, this league is in for some trouble.  I never thought contraction was a serious possibility for any of these leagues, but it could be if money continues to tighten up.  I wonder if Seattle may try to convince the league to push the expansion back a year or more.  Obviously the league really wants that expansion fee, but if you're Seattle, do you really want to pay that right now given the uncertainty.

That’s a good point that puts my mind at ease a bit. Thanks. 
 

 

[BillsFan4]

 

Hey look at that... a first time GM adding experienced front office execs to help him along. What a concept. 
 

I don’t know if it’s true or not but I heard though the grapevine that Rick Dudley was interested in coming to buffalo. Maybe John Wawrow knows if there’s any truth to it?

 

Dudley would have been the perfect hire. He’s got TONS of experience. He’s improved every scouting department he’s worked for, and he just finished implementing a hybrid (aka: cheap) scouting model in Carolina that’s basically exactly what the Sabres are trying to accomplish. And he has a ******* house here! 

 

If Florida can spend money to make key hires, so can the Sabres. Florida makes even less money than the Sabres do. They are dead last at minus 21 million. The Sabres at leafs made a profit at +1.9M. 

 

https://www.statista.com/statistics/193744/operating-income-of-national-hockey-league-teams-in-2010/

 

But the panthers seem to understand that the way to fix it is to try to become a good team.

The Sabres seem to be taking the opposite approach. They’ve been a bad team for years, their franchise cornerstone is unhappy, and instead of hiring competent, experienced hockey people to fix it they hire a total rookie with absolutely no experience entering one of the most crucial offseasons in a long time. There was an article stating that the Pegula’s felt they got burned by career hockey people (Botterill) so they went a different route. That’s a bunch of nonsense. Botterill was a rookie GM. LaFontaine was a rookie President of hockey ops. Tim Murray was a rookie GM. They’ve yet to hire an experienced GM. 

And not only is Kevyn Adams extremely inexperienced (how many GMs have never had NHL front office experience before being hired? Is there any others? No?), he is also being set up to fail (so far). No experienced help, internal cap that’ll make it difficult to even get all our RFA’s signed let alone improve the team, 1/2 the hockey ops fired and never replaced.

 

Florida hiring Dudley pisses me off if you can’t tell. 😂

[BillsFan4]

 

1 for 1. I like it. at least stall can play #2C (if he still has gas in the tank. He put up 19 goals last year so hopefully he does). 
 

Staal and Kevyn Adams know each other from their time in Carolina. I think they were both on the cup winning team.

Edited September 16, 2020 by BillsFan4

[BillsFan4]

 

I have to give Adams props. He found a legitimate #2C. Not a winger being forced to play C, or a rookie draft pick in over his head. A good veteran 2C to play behind Eichel. Staal is old but should be better than what we’ve had at 2C since ROR. 
And he did it before the Sabres even took the ice for the first time during his tenure.

 

That’s something Botterill was unable to do in 3 seasons. And to make it worse, it was a hole HE Created. Botts already had the best damn #2C in the league on his f*&$#&* roster when he took over the job! Anyway... won’t rehash that again.

I know MoJo was a good veteran leader for the Sabres (esp. our Swedes). But Staal should also be a good veteran addition to the locker room, and he’s a legitimate center, not a winger who hasn’t play C in years. He won a Cup with our GM. Hopefully he’s on board with coming here (I assume he is) and will help establish the culture Adams+Krueger are looking for.
 

I fully expect Adams to add more veteran players before the start of the season.

 

[Brennan Huff]

8 hours ago, BillsFan4 said:

 

I have to give Adams props. He found a legitimate #2C. Not a winger being forced to play C, or a rookie draft pick in over his head. A good veteran 2C to play behind Eichel. Staal is old but should be better than what we’ve had at 2C since ROR. 
And he did it before the Sabres even took the ice for the first time during his tenure.

 

That’s something Botterill was unable to do in 3 seasons. And to make it worse, it was a hole HE Created. Botts already had the best damn #2C in the league on his f*&$#&* roster when he took over the job! Anyway... won’t rehash that again.

I know MoJo was a good veteran leader for the Sabres (esp. our Swedes). But Staal should also be a good veteran addition to the locker room, and he’s a legitimate center, not a winger who hasn’t play C in years. He won a Cup with our GM. Hopefully he’s on board with coming here (I assume he is) and will help establish the culture Adams+Krueger are looking for.
 

I fully expect Adams to add more veteran players before the start of the season.

 

I want Max Domi in the worst way. This team has been lacking toughness since John Scott left. Domi isn’t a heavyweight by any stretch of the imagination, but he’ll scrap with anybody 

[Alaska Darin]

Great.  35 years old.  We're cooking with gas now.

[shrader]

Johansson was the kind of guy I wanted to see in a playoff game.  You have to actually get there though.  This deal looks like a good one, a one-for-one deal exchanging a guy you don't particularly need and strengthening your weakest position.  We added the more productive player, with both guys a year away from UFA, and somehow actually lowered our cap figure.  If this had been a pick or a prospect I would have been a bit more skeptical, but I can't see anything here to question.

 

On it's own, yeah, it doesn't mean all that much.  Hopefully Adams has a few more things up his sleeve, more than just re-signing a bunch of the pending free agents.  Obviously they have to do something with so few guys currently under contract.

Edited September 21, 2020 by shrader

[BillsFan4]

12 minutes ago, Alaska Darin said:

Great.  35 years old.  We're cooking with gas now.

For a 30 year old injury prone left winger (the Sabres deepest position) w/1 season left on his contract who misses games every year. It’s not like Adams traded away a young player or high draft pick. It was a 1 for 1 swap and We easily got the better player. And staal has the cheaper cap hit to boot!

 

Staal adds tons of veteran leadership too, something we were desperately missing. He’s a pro’s pro that everyone raves about. 

 

And it’s not like he’s washed up. He put up 19 goals and 47pts in 65 games (Johansson put up 30pts in 60 games). Last year was the 1st time in 4 years he didn’t crack 50pts but If he played 80 games (which he usually does) he easily cracks 50pts, something we haven’t had from our 2C since ROR was traded.

The season before staal had 22 goals at 52pts. And the year before that he put up a massive 42 goals and 76pts.

 

He is a legit 2C still. He was a legit 1C for most of his career.
 

 

 

Edited September 17, 2020 by BillsFan4

[Alaska Darin]

2 minutes ago, BillsFan4 said:

For a 30 year old injury prone left winger (the Sabres deepest position) w/1 season left on his contract who misses games every year. It’s not like Adams traded away a young player or high draft pick. It was a 1 for 1 swap and We easily got the better player. And staal has the cheaper cap hit to boot!

 

Staal adds tons of veteran leadership too, something we were desperately missing. He’s a pro’s pro that everyone raves about. 

 

And it’s not like he’s washed up. He put up 19 goals and 47pts in 65 games (Johansson put up 30pts in 60 games). Last year was the 1st time in 4 years he didn’t crack 50pts but If he played 80 games (which he usually does) he easily cracks 50pts, something we haven’t had from our 2C since ROR was traded.

The season before staal had 22 goals at 52pts. And the year before that he put up a massive 42 goals and 76pts.

 

He is a legit 2C still. He was a legit 1C for most of his career.
 

 

I get all of this...I'm not like "bummed" about it or anything but there better be a ton more in the works than hanging the hat on a guy who is far on the wrong side of 30.

[BillsFan4]

Quote from Wild GM

https://theathletic.com/2072731/2020/09/16/wild-eric-staal-trade-marcus-johansson-matt-dumba-bill-guerin/#click=https://t.co/D8zIySgn5Z

Quote

Guerin has a lot of respect for Staal, but he wants to give more opportunity to (younger) guys like Joel Eriksson Ek, Nico Sturm and even Victor Rask, he said. 

“We have some younger guys in our room that need to step up and take more of a leadership role. I think Eric was a guy that they relied on heavily for that. But he’s not going to be there. Who’s going to do it?”

Sounds like something the Sabres need. If Staal embraces this trade and a leadership role it could add something the Sabres desperately need.

Wild are rebuilding/going younger. Their GM said they will play Johansson at center:

 

Quote

 

 

Quote

The 5-foot-11 Johansson has played left wing for most of his career. Guerin says he was acquired to play center.

 

But Johansson came to the Sabres after a solid four-goal, 11-point, 22-game playoff in 2019 as the Boston Bruins’ third-line left wing. Before that, the Washington Capitals and New Jersey Devils each concluded Johansson wasn’t a center and played him at left wing. But the Sabres tried to play him between Jeff Skinner and Vladimir Sobotka as their second-line center for much of last season, and it went as poorly as expected for a player who hadn’t played center in seven years.

 

Why will Johansson fare better in Minnesota?

 

“Opportunity,” Guerin insisted. “(The Sabres) got a pretty good No. 1 centerman there (in Jack Eichel), and sometimes it’s just not a great fit. But I think Marcus fits well with us, and he’s going to get a lot of opportunity.”

 

Quote

Guerin noted that coach Dean Evason, the Capitals’ former longtime assistant coach, knows Johansson well from their days there and “believes he can be an impactful centerman. The thing that I like about him, and a lot like Nick Bjugstad, both players have the ability to play center and wing and to me that’s valuable. But we have (Johansson) slated in as a center, and that’s where he likes to play and we’ll see how he does, but I’m confident he’ll do well there.”

I wasn’t aware of that. I thought MoJo preferred time play LW but embraced the C role for the Sabres last year out of necessity.

 

 

[shrader]

Minnesota must have something more in the works because they're starting to look Buffalo thin up the middle.  Right now it's a mediocre Rask and a bunch of kids (oh, and the huge question marks on hometown boy Bjugstad).

[BillsFan4]

3 hours ago, shrader said:

Minnesota must have something more in the works because they're starting to look Buffalo thin up the middle.  Right now it's a mediocre Rask and a bunch of kids (oh, and the huge question marks on hometown boy Bjugstad).

Starting to look thin is putting it nicely. 😂

 

They don’t have a top 6 center on their roster (IMO). Listening to their GM it sounds like Johansson is going to be getting a lot of minutes. I’d call him a top 6 winger (or top 9 on a good team (like Boston)). I’d call Rask a 3rd liner.

 

Heres what their GM said about Johansson:

 

Quote

Why will Johansson fare better in Minnesota?

 

“Opportunity,” Guerin insisted. “(The Sabres) got a pretty good No. 1 centerman there (in Jack Eichel), and sometimes it’s just not a great fit. But I think Marcus fits well with us, and he’s going to get a lot of opportunity.”

 Also said he will be playing center. 
 

Id be nervous about that quote as a Minnesota fan. But as you said maybe there is another move coming? I could see Dumba being traded for a top 6 C.

 

They’re definitely doing a major retool. Staal was one of the main leaders in the locker room. I guess Koivu was told he won’t be brought back. They almost traded Parise to NYI at the deadline (and I could still see a Parise trade happening).

 

They did just sign Brodin to a 7yr deal though, and they did finally get Kirill Kaprizov signed to an NHL deal. Wild fans have been waiting forever for that dude. He was drafted in 2015! 
 

It’ll be interesting to see what other moves they make.

[shrader]

I wonder if Parise has any interest in leaving though.  He has a no movement clause so he needs to agree to it.  He's another one in the seemingly long list of guys who want to return home and play in Minnesota.  But hey, while we're on that note... Hey Bill, I hear that Kyle Okposo would love to go home too.

[BillsFan4]

 

[BillsFan4]

https://www.nhl.com/sabres/video/kevyn-adams-on-staal-trade/t-277437090/c-5416870
 

Kevyn Adams press conference on the staal trade

[BillsFan4]

Also:

https://www.sportsnet.ca/nhl/article/31-thoughts-matt-dumba-next-wild-trade-block/sn-amp/
 

friedman says that staal isn’t retiring, in case anyone was worried about him not reporting.

 

he also mentions this:

 

“Buffalo is also investigating upgrading its goalie options.”

Edited September 17, 2020 by BillsFan4

[Buffalophil1948]

54 minutes ago, BillsFan4 said:

 

“Buffalo is also investigating upgrading its goalie options.”

Thank God, this to me is the biggest need 

[BillsFan4]

 

this was one of my first thoughts as well. Staal is the perfect player for Cozens to model his game after. They both use that long reach they have and staal is such a smart player. Cozens could learn so much from watching his game.

[BillsFan4]

 

 

Staal is definitely playing, so we can put any talk of retirement to bed.

 

It’s always hard to tell from a single interview just days after a trade, but I felt like he seems to be embracing his new role here. 
 

This guy is such a massive addition to the locker room if he’s bought in and embracing his role as a veteran leader/mentor here. He’s not washed up either, like some of the vets we’ve added during this rebuild. He’s still performing on the ice so his words should carry weight. He should have instant respect from everyone in that locker room. Honestly, IMO, we haven’t added a leader of this caliber since probably Chris Drury. 
 

[K-9]

1 hour ago, BillsFan4 said:

 

 

Staal is definitely playing, so we can put any talk of retirement to bed.

 

It’s always hard to tell from a single interview just days after a trade, but I felt like he seems to be embracing his new role here. 
 

This guy is such a massive addition to the locker room if he’s bought in and embracing his role as a veteran leader/mentor here. He’s not washed up either, like some of the vets we’ve added during this rebuild. He’s still performing on the ice so his words should carry weight. He should have instant respect from everyone in that locker room. Honestly, IMO, we haven’t added a leader of this caliber since probably Chris Drury. 
 

Drury was an  “other level” leader on those squads. Him throwing the boom box out of the locker room after a loss is the stuff of legend, imo. It didn’t just bother him to lose, it galled him; ate at his very soul. And he couldn’t tolerate anything less than that by his teammates. I wonder how that kind of leadership would be accepted by today’s player. My hunch is not very well.