Love how you didn't include Lindholm. Ik it's a hypo but still lol

There's no point trading for Eichel until he requests a trade out of that mess of an organization in 1-3 years and he'll come cheaper. Philly trade is an insulting offer for Johnny.

We are closer than people think

I like a lot of Buffalo's players. Reinhart is a very good 4th best forward, and Eichel/Dahlin are your true 1C/1D you need. If Cozens can become your 2nd best player and a dominant 2C, Olofsson can establish himself as the 3rd best forward and a good sniper, Joki becomes a top pairing guy, Skinner bounces back to at least be a solid 2nd liner who can score 30 goals and 50 points, and UPL establishes himself as a true starter, they'll be a very good team. They for sure have the pieces (plus the #8 pick this year) to construct a solid team, I just don't trust the Pegulas not to mandate they spend too much on UFAs (I feel a Leino/Ehrhoff off-season coming as a desperation move in the next couple years), and that is a lot of what ifs with their developing players, and there aren't many backup plans at those positions (nobody else projected as a top pairing guy, no other top 6 forwards other than that 8oa pick). They need a lot to go right, and the way things have been run there recently (Berglund, RoR, Lehner, Mittelstadt fiascos) I don't know if I have confidence in the organization. I would like things to go right because I really like some of those players (Cozens is my favourite player from last year's draft) but yeah, they're definitely primed for success in terms of players/prospects/picks I just don't know if they have the off-ice development staff and organizational stability/identity to make it happen. As a hockey fan, I just wanna see Eichel and Dahlin in the playoffs lol

I think Cozens (2C), UPL(Starter), some other possible moves Adams could make with cap space gives me to much hope. Oh well. At least Eichel and Dahlin trade hauls could be a better all round team

If I’m being honest I don’t think Buffalo will do anything for the next decade if they trade Dahlin and/or Eichel, unless they get a top 2 pick plus more for each of them. Insanely skilled 1C and 1D is something a cup team desperately needs (the worst 1C to win the cup in the last 12+ seasons is Kuznetsov who was dominant in the playoffs and the worst 1D was like Letang lol). Correct me if I’m wrong, but their projected lineup in 3 years looks like this:

Olofsson-Eichel-Reinhart
Skinner-Cozens-Holtz
x-Asplund-Kahun
x-Mittelstadt?-x

Dahlin-Joki
Johnson-Montour
Samuelsson-x

UPL
x

Where x is just a meaningless placeholder depth guy sort of thing you can find for cheap in free agency. If all those guys turn out as projected they’ll be a great team, I just don’t know if it will happen y’know? I’m 100% pulling for it, having Buffalo, Ottawa, and Montreal all be really good will make for some fun divisional matchups and excellent early playoff series in 5 years like the TBL/BOS/TOR stuff is now. But yeah getting rid of Dahlin or Eichel will be a death sentence if they don’t get a 1C or 1D back from whatever picks they get. They have to spend more money on development than UFAs, especially in the next 3 years. Hopefully they're smart enough to do that!

Samuelsson and Johnson look like they'll be perfect below Dahlin. Jokiharju, Ristolainen, Montour on the right. I wonder something like this:

Skinner-Eichel-Reinhart
Olofsson-Cozens-Holtz*
Kahun-Mittelstadt-Virtanen*
Asplund-Lazar-Pekar

Dahlin-Jokiharju
Samuelsson-Montour
Johnson-Ristolainen
Borgen

Ukko-Pekka Luukonen
Linus Ullmark

Yeah it looks like a super solid team. I think Risto and Ullmark will be pieces they use to accelerate their rebuild though, I think Ullmark will be traded in a couple years when UPL is ready (mostly cuz I think he'll price himself out, like this Marky/Demko situation) and Risto will go within a year for future assets. Trading them will hopefully give them a new, young top 9 forward or top 5 D (or picks that turn into those players). I really like their left side D though, having a solid top 4 you can lean on in the playoffs is super important. If their 2nd pair can decelop into guys you can lean on for 22 mins, and Dahlin/Joki look like guys who can take 25+, they could go on some deep runs for sure, and the top 6 looks solid if Olofsson proves he can be consistently what he was this year, Holtz turns out okay, and Skinner rebounds. Future of the Atlantic looks bright, that's for sure, just cuz Boston's gonna fall off a cliff soon and Toronto chokes every year doesn't mean this division won't still have some of the best teams in the league 😈

Yessir!!!!

I am not the best at valuations but I really like what you've done here. I feel some of the signings might want more money, such as Gustaffson wanting at least $500k more and Mangiapane wanting $250k more. I would also be afraid Hall would want a longer term deal or $8mil. But you've left some cap space for that so no problems there.

@Alfie11
@Stanley_Cup_To_Manhattan

Great conversation.
Unfortunately the GM who built the Sabres to be on the verge of competing is now gone.
Ristolainen and Dahlin will absolutely explode this year, the former 45 to 50 pts and the later 60 to 70 pts.
Skinner will get his 35 to 40 goals with better line mates (can you imagine pairing him with Sobotka?).
Cozens will establish himself as a solid #2 center.
Kahun, Mittelstadt and Thompson will all be solid middle 6 forward contributors. Something that has been missing from the Sabres for at least 10 years.
Trade Miller for LHD and Buffalo will have one of the better defenses in the league.
Hopefully Ullmark will improve his mechanics and positioning so he can stop more of the close range shots. Did you know he had the BEST SV% of all GK on shots taken from 31' and longer in the NHL.

It is funny that it takes a Sens fan to see the Buffalo is on the verge and do not need to make major moves.
Most important, they need an NHL coach not a cheer leader.
I have said this many times now Vesey, Montour, Miller, Hutton, Sheary, Rodrigues, Okposo and of course Skinner all had career worse years.
Adding Miller, Jokiharju, Vesey, Johansson and Montour for the entire year and team does worse under Krueger than under Housley?
Yet he stays, shares the spotlight with Adams and KIm Pejoker during the question and answer press conference after Botterill was fired.

BTW, everyone knows Regier drafted poorly.
Well he had to use films to evaluate the prospects.
Guess what Adams will be doing? Good luck with that, it did not work 10 years ago, it will not work now.
There, that is my rant of the day.
Stay tuned for my rant tomorrow.