Sabres pick up a proven goal scorer to slot into the 2nd line. FLA picks up a LHD to go along with a former Top-10 pick.
Sobotka and Scandella:
Salary dumps to teams that are fine with taking on expiring contracts or teams that need to get to the cap floor.
UFAs:
Jake Gardiner - Would love to see the Sabres bring him in to help stabilize the d-core. Slots in with Dahlin for your LHD on your first two pairs for years to come (also not a ton of depth with Pillut on IR.) Got a lot of heat in TOR, but I think he would be excellent here. Don't think 6MM is too pricey either.
Riley Sheahan - Admittedly, I'm not in love with Sheahan, but I don't see too many ways in which they can add a bonafide 2C. I think keeping Risto might be the smartest move now so they'll have to look to UFA for a 2C. Sheahan can win face-offs and play on the PK while starting as the 2C until Mittelstadt is ready to jump.
Line combinations:
Line 1: Think Vesey gets the first crack at RW with Jack and Jeff. Hopefully get the most out of their Boston connection and balance out the lines.
Line 2: Flanking a weaker 2C (Sheahan) with two productive wingers. Sam has shown the ability to drive play from the wing and Hoffman is a proven scorer.
Line 3: I think this would be a great third line with tons of potential. Casey obviously has the chance to be a star and I'm huge on Olofsson. With Casey's playmaking and Victor's shot, I think they can be highly productive. Add in E-Rod who plays an all-around solid game and you finally have a legit 3rd line.
4th line: I think Larsson, as a clear 4th liner and nothing more, can be a contributing player. In the beginning of last season I thought he was playing solid hockey as a checking 4th liner. Okposo is a sunk cost - just have to bite the bullet and play him on the 4th line. Sheary was a tough one for me, was looking to trade hiom, but I don't see them just dumping him for a pick and then having to start the year with CJ/Tage/Wilson in the lineup.
D-Pairs:
Dahlin-Miller: Excellent top pair for a long time.
Gardiner-Risto: Quite the pairing here. Two guys that have been under a lot of scrutiny, but I think both can be solid.
Nelson-Montour: I know Montour can skate and move the puck, but he is horrific defensively. Was hoping to see a lot more out of him last year, hopefully we get it this year. Nelson a fill in.
Once Bogosian gets back there is a log-jam of defenseman here. A move will have to be made. If Ralph and the staff can't get the most out of Risto to start the year, I think he gets moved during the year and then Bogo slides into his spot. If the team is rolling, I think Bogosian could get shipped out for a need. Once Pilut is healthy, he slides into the 3rd pair with Montour. Would give this team a legit d-core.
Younger guys like Tage can actually start the year in Rochester and develop. I feel Tage could be a legit 30 goal scorer in the league with that shot, but he doesn't possess much more than that right now. I'm interested to see what they do with Smith and Lazar, as they could potentially play 4th line LW if Sheary is moved, but in this instance I have them in the AHL.
Goaltending:
Goalie play is going to be the most crucial part for this team to have any success. With this improved roster, Hutton and Ullmark should definitely be getting more help and not facing as many high-danger shots as this past year. However, simply put, both need to be better. If Hutton comes anywhere near his play in his last season in STL, this team is in the playoffs.
Lock ERod up before he inevitably puts up a 35-45 point season.
Also big no thank you on Hoffman. We get him for a year and then he'll be looking to sign a long contract at age 30. For a guy that is a liability at even strength and derives most of his value from the powerplay, I think we should be targeting other forwards or placing our faith in someone like Olofsson as our 2LW.
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