[Incomplete Title] Sabres (21-12-5) & NHL 2018-19 - Game 39 (MSG-B) vs. BOS (20-14-4) at 7 PM ET on 12/29

[eball]

Classy move by ROR.  Wish him well in St. Louis.

[BillsFan4]

https://buffalonews.com/2018/07/14/why-are-big-names-signing-with-the-buffalo-beauts-its-all-about-professionalism/

 

 

Excellent article by Amy Moritz on the Buffalo beauts and why big name players are signing there. 

 

I went to a few Beauts games last year and I really enjoyed it and plan to go to more this season. I’d guess that as of now they have to be the favorites to win the Isobel cup this year. 

 

[26CornerBlitz]

 

[BillsFan4]

9 minutes ago, 26CornerBlitz said:

 

 

Both are 2 way contracts. 

 

I don’t know that Baptiste would make it through waivers though, and I’d sure hate to see another team snatch him up after all the years of development the Sabres have put in. Speed is a popular trait right now.

[26CornerBlitz]

Just now, BillsFan4 said:

 

Both are 2 way contracts. 

 

I don’t know that Baptiste would make it through waivers though, and I’d sure hate to see another team snatch him up after all the years of development the Sabres have put in. Speed is a popular trait right now.

 

Would be great to see Baptiste break through this season to become a regular bottom six contributor.  He certainly has the size and speed to do so. 

[BillsFan4]

Just now, 26CornerBlitz said:

 

Would be great to see Baptiste break through this season to become a regular bottom six contributor.  He certainly has the size and speed to do so. 

Him and Bailey, too. 

 

Neither are waiver exempt anymore. So it might be Buffalo or traded/lost on waivers. 

[26CornerBlitz]

Two more signings.

 

[26CornerBlitz]

Ellis: Dahlin has a 'level of poise to everything'

 

The Buffalo Sabres' offseason continues to roll along as the team gets set for the upcoming 2018-19 season to start on October 4 against the Boston Bruins at KeyBank Center.

 

The highlight of the offseason is arguably drafting defenseman Rasmus Dahlin with the first overall pick in the 2018 NHL Draft, and getting him under contract with his three-year entry-level deal.

 

Sabres fans were able to get their first glimpse of Dahlin at development camp, where he came ready to show the fans what he is going to bring to the table at the NHL level. The 18-year-old certainly didn't disappoint, showcasing his incredible skating and puck handling skills, as well as showing of his physicality with a big hit on fellow 2018 draft pick, Matej Pekar.

 

One person who has had an up-close look at Dahlin in Buffalo if former Sabres forward, Matt Ellis. Ellis was not only on the ice for development camp working as a coach during drills, but he was also with Dahlin on the ice shortly after he was drafted on June 22 in Dallas, Texas.

[BillsFan4]

Reinhart’s the only one left now to sign (iirc). 

 

His is is the most important of the RFA deals. Very curious to see what he gets. 

 

Botterill has has been pretty risk averse with most of his signings so far (outside of Eichel’s deal, I guess). He’s kept thr term pretty short and the dollars pretty low. 

 

 

 

I wonder if Henrique signing for $5.8M x 5yrs and Lindholm signing for $4.8M x 6yrs will have any impact on the Reinhart negotiations. Henrique is a bit older (28?). Lindholm is a recent top 5 pick. Both player C. And both have had somewhat comparable production to Sam. 

In any case, I’d say that at the least, both deals didn’t do anything to hurt Buffalo’s negotiations with Reinhart (like those damn Draisaitl & McDavid deals did with Eichel). If anything, they may have helped. 

 

I do think that Reinhart has a higher ceiling than both though, IMO, and is probably already the better player at a younger age than both (as long as 2nd half of the season Reinhart shows up, and not 1st half...). 

 

 

Without knowing if Buffalo is looking for a shorter or longer term deal, it’s hard to even guess where Reinhart’s AAV will fall. 

Im hoping for something around the mid $6’s on a longer term, or around $4M-ish shorter term. 

 

 

 

 

[eball]

What do folks think is a realistic expectation of the impact a player like Dahlin will have on the Sabres' record next season?  Obviously there are more changes than just him but he's the biggest.  I looked at last season's standings and the Sabres only scored 199 goals while giving up 280.  If the impact of Dahlin (and others) is that the Sabres score 40 more and give up 40 fewer (basically, 1 every two games in each direction) they become a net zero GF/GA team which puts them right in the mix for playoffs.  Is that unreasonable?

[Fadingpain]

On July 9, 2018 at 6:34 PM, BillsFan4 said:

 

I either want a 2-3 yr bridge deal (I’d kind of prefer 2, as a 3yr deal takes him 1yr from UFA and he could decide to go to arbitration and sign a 1yr deal if he wanted to force his way out).

 

Or I want to go longer term (6+). 

 

If if they give him a 4yr deal that takes him right to UFA the very first year he’s eligible for it, I’ll be upset. 

 

I’m thinking a bridge deal makes the most sense. See if he’s 1st half of the season Reinhart, or 2nd half of the season Reinhart. 

Unless he’s willing to sign longer term at something reasonable ($6M ish, which is unlikely). 

 

Just my opinion, anyway...

I was ready to declare Reinhart a total bust last year, which would have been a big blow to our rebuild.

Then came January 1st and he morphed into a different player.

 

I still think we don't really know what we have with him long term.  

 

One thing is for sure: the flaws in his 5 on 5 game are not relevant in a PP situation.  His value, long term, could be as a PP producer despite poor 5 on 5 play, and that could be enough of a reason to retain him long term. 

 

 

 

 

[26CornerBlitz]

From The Athletic:

 

By the numbers: Offseason grades for all 31 teams

Buffalo Sabres: B+
In: Carter Hutton, Conor Sheary, Patrik Berglund, Vladimir Sobotka, Tage Thompson, Matt Hunwick
Out: Ryan O’Reilly, Robin Lehner, Chad Johnson, Jacob Josefson, Benoit Pouliot, Jordan Nolan
Net Value Added: +2.6 wins

 

I’m just as surprised that a team that traded one of their best players grades out this high.

 

While it rarely makes sense to trade top-tier players, Buffalo has internal replacements for Ryan O’Reilly on the way (hello, Casey Mittelstadt) and was in desperate need of capable depth. Letting go of Jacob Josefson, Benoit Pouliot and Jordan Nolan and replacing them with the team’s O’Reilly trade haul of Patrik Berglund, Vladimir Sobotka, and Tage Thompson should bridge the gap left by O’Reilly’s void. I’d still rather have O’Reilly – there are other avenues to obtain depth that don’t involve trading difference makers like him – but I don’t think the Sabres are that much worse off based on who the new guys are replacing.

 

Buffalo also added Conor Sheary to the mix in a nice buy-low trade with Pittsburgh, giving them a winger who has a decent history of producing well with superstar centres. The Sabres also upgraded in net with the addition of Carter Hutton, though his small body of work does carry some risk.

 

The Sabres should be better off next season and took a step closer to relevancy – adding a franchise defender in Rasmus Dahlin at the draft certainly helps, too – but there’s still a lot of work left to do in Buffalo.

[eball]

On 7/17/2018 at 10:30 AM, eball said:

What do folks think is a realistic expectation of the impact a player like Dahlin will have on the Sabres' record next season?  Obviously there are more changes than just him but he's the biggest.  I looked at last season's standings and the Sabres only scored 199 goals while giving up 280.  If the impact of Dahlin (and others) is that the Sabres score 40 more and give up 40 fewer (basically, 1 every two games in each direction) they become a net zero GF/GA team which puts them right in the mix for playoffs.  Is that unreasonable?

 

Does no one have a thought on this?  Is it unreasonable to look for a +40 gain in GF and -40 in GA based upon the moves made by Buffalo this offseason, and particularly the Dahlin acquisition?

[26CornerBlitz]

 

[Tiberius]

3 hours ago, eball said:

 

Does no one have a thought on this?  Is it unreasonable to look for a +40 gain in GF and -40 in GA based upon the moves made by Buffalo this offseason, and particularly the Dahlin acquisition?

Not reasonable to expect that, but it seems entirely possible. The goal tending change will be interesting, if that is a big improvement then yes, for sure. It was only a year ago we had the best power play and many of the same players are here, so hopefully that gets much better again

[njbuff]

Dahlin could be Scott Stevens 2.0.

 

If he is, then the Sabres have a major building chip right there.

 

Now all the Sabres need to do if find Scott Niedermayer 2.0 and they will be set.

 

?

[Alaska Darin]

1 hour ago, njbuff said:

Dahlin could be Scott Stevens 2.0.

 

If he is, then the Sabres have a major building chip right there.

 

Now all the Sabres need to do if find Scott Niedermayer 2.0 and they will be set.

 

?

Skill wise he's more likely to be a heavier, more physical version of Niedermayer. 

[JohnC]

On 7/17/2018 at 10:30 AM, eball said:

What do folks think is a realistic expectation of the impact a player like Dahlin will have on the Sabres' record next season?  Obviously there are more changes than just him but he's the biggest.  I looked at last season's standings and the Sabres only scored 199 goals while giving up 280.  If the impact of Dahlin (and others) is that the Sabres score 40 more and give up 40 fewer (basically, 1 every two games in each direction) they become a net zero GF/GA team which puts them right in the mix for playoffs.  Is that unreasonable?

My sense of this team as it is in the midst of being reconstituted is that it will be at best a fringe playoff contender. I'm not scoffing at that assessment because that in itself would be a quantum leap forward from last year. 

 

With Dahlin, Risto, Gughle, McCabe and some other additions we have the makings of a competent unit. Far from elite but moving up the ranks to being adequate is a leap forward from last year. It may be unlikely but if Bogo can get healthy and stay healthy he would be a big bonus addition. He needs to change his game from a hitting and muscular game to being more of a skating and puck moving defenseman. Again, he would be a big bonus addition. 

 

As you noted what this team needs the most (even more than upgrading the defense) is having players who can score. There are only a few finishers on this roster. This team has not been able to add players to Jack's line that can keep up with him and mesh with him. Because Jack up to now hasn't had compatible line mates his elite passing skill is not being maximized. 

 

One player I will be watching is Kyle Okposo. Because of his injuries he was not able to train the way needed to to be ready for last season. If he can be a scorer for us on the second line that would be a tremendous boost for this offense that has an inability to score 5 on 5. 

 

This organization has some very good prospects in the pipeline. Players like Nylander and Mittlstadt might not be ready right away but they should be ready in the not too distant future. We really need Nylander to become a player commensurate with his draft position. I have not, and will not, give up on him. He is going to be a player that teams who we will be talking trades with is a player who will be coveted. 

 

Botterill knows what he is doing. This team is two to three years away from being a very good team. 

[26CornerBlitz]

Wheeler: The Top 50 drafted NHL prospects ranking, 2018...

 

1. Rasmus Dahlin, LHD, 18 (Buffalo Sabres — 1st overall, 2018)

 

This wasn’t up for debate. As good as the trio of players who follow him on this list really are, I believe Dahlin has the ability to become the best defenceman in the world, taking the mantle from Erik Karlsson in the process. I don’t love the term ‘generational talent’ but that would make him one. Dahlin can break a game open offensively as a shooter, passer, and handler, and he can impact it at a high level defensively (a newer development) with his gap control and an emerging physical game. Dahlin has some of the best puck skills I’ve ever seen for a player his age, let alone a defenceman. His game will take him as far as he wants it to. For more on what makes Dahlin so special, read my stylistic breakdown of his game here.

 

4. Casey Mittelstadt, C, 19 (Buffalo Sabres — 8th overall, 2017)

 

Casey Mittelstadt is that rare mix of already-incredibly-talented and yet still super, super raw. I rarely leave a viewing in awe of young players anymore, but I remember feeling that way after watching Mittelstadt play in the 2016-2017 All-American Prospects Game at the start of his draft year. He was, in a game with players like Kailer Yamamoto and Jason Robertson, peerless. And he has just exploded ever since. Today, he’s more of a playmaker than a passer. There are spurts in games where he looks like he can create scoring chances at will and we got a brief taste of that in his end-of-year stint with the Sabres. He’s going to be a terror at the NHL level within a year or two.

 

This is from The Athletic.

[Tiberius]

On 7/19/2018 at 10:01 AM, 26CornerBlitz said:

From The Athletic:

 

By the numbers: Offseason grades for all 31 teams

Buffalo Sabres: B+
In: Carter Hutton, Conor Sheary, Patrik Berglund, Vladimir Sobotka, Tage Thompson, Matt Hunwick
Out: Ryan O’Reilly, Robin Lehner, Chad Johnson, Jacob Josefson, Benoit Pouliot, Jordan Nolan
Net Value Added: +2.6 wins

 

I’m just as surprised that a team that traded one of their best players grades out this high.

 

While it rarely makes sense to trade top-tier players, Buffalo has internal replacements for Ryan O’Reilly on the way (hello, Casey Mittelstadt) and was in desperate need of capable depth. Letting go of Jacob Josefson, Benoit Pouliot and Jordan Nolan and replacing them with the team’s O’Reilly trade haul of Patrik Berglund, Vladimir Sobotka, and Tage Thompson should bridge the gap left by O’Reilly’s void. I’d still rather have O’Reilly – there are other avenues to obtain depth that don’t involve trading difference makers like him – but I don’t think the Sabres are that much worse off based on who the new guys are replacing.

 

Buffalo also added Conor Sheary to the mix in a nice buy-low trade with Pittsburgh, giving them a winger who has a decent history of producing well with superstar centres. The Sabres also upgraded in net with the addition of Carter Hutton, though his small body of work does carry some risk.

 

The Sabres should be better off next season and took a step closer to relevancy – adding a franchise defender in Rasmus Dahlin at the draft certainly helps, too – but there’s still a lot of work left to do in Buffalo.

I like the ROR trade because it made us younger. When we are ready to make a run the younger players, if they make it, will be maturing, while ROR will be ending his career.