BillsFan4

I really hope this means she is making progress in her recovery! No matter what though, it’s great to see her attend a practice again!

That contract will be a steal if he keeps playing like he did the second half of last season. And he’s signed until he’s 30. So if he continues to play like last year we have a #1 goalie locked up through his prime for peanuts. Both UPL and Malenstyn signed now so at least the Sabres don’t have to worry about arbitration hearings anymore. I am glad neither had to go to arbitration. Seems like when a player/team go through arbitration, there are usually some hard feelings afterwards. If you look at the history, I believe most players don’t end up staying long term after arbitration. Who’s left to sign? Is Krebs the last one left? edit - just looked. Krebs is their last RFA.

I don’t know. Stuff like this doesn’t bother me. Buffalo definitely isn’t for everyone, and that’s fine. As someone who’s lived in a few different states and spent a good amount of time in a handful more, I willingly chose to move back to WNY. I like it here. Would it be my first choice if I had the freedom (money) to live anywhere? Probably not. lol Buffalo is never going to be a glamorous off-field destination. But that’s not necessarily the worst thing either. Anyone who chooses to come here is doing it because they prioritize playing football and winning (now that Buffalo’s a perennial playoff contender). We don’t have to worry about players signing here who are doing it just as much for the nightlife and social/party scene.

I wouldn’t say he’s a bust by any means. I think he still has a chance to be a really good top 6 F in the NHL, and I think he landed in a great spot to do it. Edmonton needs future top 6 wingers and their prospect pool is pretty bare so he will get every chance to succeed. Plus I believe he’s from Edmonton so he’s a home town kid. I’m sure he’s excited. He’s just an under-sized forward who’s had some injury issues already in juniors (which could obviously get worse in the NHL). And he’s probably not a center in the NHL. I think he’s most likely a winger. I think those things probably limit his market (especially his size). And he’s done very well since being drafted. He’s been a consistent point producer. But his stats have been pretty similar to his draft year (90-95pts), which is still really good. I just don’t know if he’s really taken that next step. I don’t watch him even close to enough to say though. This was a steep price to pay IMO. But Buffalo’s prospect pool is loaded. Teams know we need to trade prospects and every team also knows Adams job is on the line if Buffalo doesn’t take a step this year. Some fans seem surprised the choice was to trade Savoie but I think his long term fit in Buffalo was a question mark, especially after Benson forced his way onto the team last year, and the steps some of our other prospects have taken. Plus, some of the draft picks Buffalo has made since Savoie 3 drafts ago. One things Adams regime has done well is draft. The Sabres prospect pool is loaded. Honestly, it’s still probably too crowded even after this trade. They are still going to have to make some long term choices on prospects. Hopefully some of their prospects will take a step and make the choice easy…

Bit of initial sticker shock for me (Savoie seems like a high price!) but it sure fills a huge hole on the Sabres roster. They are undoubtably a better team than before the trade. And McLeod is still young + under team control after his current deal expires. He’s really only played 2 full NHL seasons and he’s gotten better every year, but he’s already a really good defensively responsible 3C and immediately the best faceoff man on the roster (by far). He’s also super fast. Maybe the fastest player in the NHL. Really good underlying statistics. The Sabres have added a LOT of speed to their lineup this offseason while also subtracting a lot of the slower players (Okposo, Skinner, Mittelstadt), and added a lot more grit too. I really like the way the bottom 6 is shaping up. They have a really strong bottom 6 that can all play the way Lindy wants. He talked about having lines with different “tools” in his bag. He’s now got that. A really good 4th line that can play defense and physical. A good 2 way 3rd line that can chip in on the score sheet. I would ideally still like to see a top 6 F added to the roster (I think it’s still a hole and don’t want to have to rely on young guys taking a step to fill it), but otherwise Adams has actually had a nice offseason. I’d be nervous about the price of a top 6 F on the trade market though if this is the price for McLeod… Savoie seems like a high price but he was a bit redundant in the Sabres prospect pool. I think it seems obvious the Sabres are higher on other prospects they have. I think Savoie had been leap-frogged a while ago. I also have to believe the rest of the NHL agreed. It sounds like Adams has been shopping Savoie for a while…

Girgensons signed a 3 year deal with Tampa Bay. $850k x 3 https://www.nhl.com/lightning/news/lightning-sign-f-zemgus-girgensons-to-a-three-year-contract looks like he took a discount to sign with a winning team. I can’t blame him prioritizing winning after spending his entire career in Buffalo. Some really brutal years too since he was here during the tank for McDavid/Eichel. It’ll be interesting to see how he fits in Edmonton.

I am not expecting much. Probably just some bottom of the roster additions again, as usual. Friedman put out a list of rumors about where all the top free agents will sign and Buffalo was not mentioned once, which Lance Lysowski seemed to confirm. Then said they are in on some bottom 6 players and depth defenseman (#6-8 types). and said their biggest splash will be via trade. except Kevyn Adams doesn’t seem able to close any trades...

official now. Kevyn Adams confirmed it yesterday that they are buying out Skinner. wonder where he signs? lol

Yeah I would have been happy with Dickinson too. I really liked him, I just thought a 2 way center who is good at winning board battles and getting to the net + has some snarl/meanness to his game, and has already been playing with men since he was 16, was a bigger need than yet another left handed defenseman. edit - I could even see Helenius competing for the 3C role this coming season, especially if Adams isn’t able to add a 3C through trade or free agency. I very much want a veteran 3C but I don’t exactly have confidence that’ll happen.

Well, no trade but I’m very happy with Helenius at #14. He is the guy I would have wanted Buffalo to draft at #11 (of who was left on the board). I liked Buium too but just didn’t see the fit in Buffalo (offensive left handed defenseman). So, no complaints about the trade down anymore. lol

Wow, already a huge surprise and we are only at pick #3. Already throwing the top of the draft into a blender… Sennecke’s reaction said it all. He was in shock. Reading his lips it sure looked like he said “OMG! WTF! WTF!” 😂 edit - found a video:

damn, I wanted him in Buffalo. Mangiapane looked great on Cozens wing at worlds. He would’ve been a good fit. I read he had an 8 team no trade list. Maybe Buffalo was on it? if we keep #14 and both 2nds this trade will make no sense at all.

Has to be part of a bigger move. There’s no reason to trade down before they are on the clock (and see who’s on the board) otherwise. They are definitely not at a stage where they need to stockpile draft picks. The pipeline is almost too full as it is.

No, he has 3 years left at $9M/year. The buyout length would be 6 years, maybe that’s what you are thinking of? A buyout creates (a varying amount of) cap space in the first 3 years then adds 3 years of a $2.4M cap hit after that.

good! I just hope they use the cap space the buyout will create.