Olofsson kills the deal. He isn’t a style fit, isn’t taking Noesen’s spot in the lineup, and still a negative player at 2.3 million.

Think you change Olofsson to Joker and that could get it done.

I don't think Jokiharju is the kind of player Brind'Amour will be interested in - and I'm sure he's consulted by Waddell in any major moves of personnel.

Even if both of the UFA goalies are allowed to walk, I also don't see Carolina being interested in UPL when they're setting themselves up for similar dedication to Kochetkov as their future starter like how the Sabres are doing with Levi. Adding another young semi-prospect/unproven goalie without any veteran insurance puts Carolina, who's in a more win-now mode than the Sabres are, in a worse position than they were this past season.

@Caco
Pesce would be a great addition.
He is young enough to be part of the Sabres defense for the next 8 years.
On the other hand Hart is not needed.
Please compare Hart and Luukkonen over the past three years:

Hart 0.900 SV% 44 W 58 L 4 T
Luukkonen 0.898 SV% 20 W 19 L 0 T

Flyers have surrendered 776 goals and given up 21,890 shots on goal.
Sabres have surrendered 789 goals and given up 21,934 shots on goal.

Two GK playing for equally bad defensive teams with nearly identical records other than Luukkonen has a better W/L record.

Remove Luukkonen from the Canes trade and replace him with a different prospect or pick.
I think Olofsson to Carolina is a good fit.
The Canes could use some additional scoring and Victor would help there.
Put him on a line with good forechecking defensive forwards and he will find open spaces to score goals.

Adding Pesce while removing Jokiharju does not ease the load of the top 4 defensemen.
While it is great to have Dahlin and Power play as much as they do, they were over worked last year and they may be more effective playing fewer minutes.

@rktkt66

I think Joker could be a good 3rd pair guy who can take 2nd pair minutes if needed. I actually would keep him, think he could be good playing 16 to 18min a game. Just isn't ready for 23-24

I am just looking to get a deal, I to believe with Carolina's system that Olofsson could fit. Have had discussions with other Carolina fans about it. I don't want to trade Joker, think him and Johnson could make a decent 3rd pair for know.

No idea what this means - especially with context to the rest of what you say that supports exactly what I would expect the Sabres' thinking to be if they can insert a more established experienced top 4 into the 2nd pairing and allow Jokiharju to either open up his offensive abilities in a less pressured role next to Lyubushkin or possibly team with Johnson as a strong 3rd pair potential if Johnson wins a job in camp.

He can't play 23min a game consistently, either he's not ready or he never will be. But I think he would be good as a 3rd pair guy playing 16 m a night and can jump up if needed, he's not just a throw in to the deal.

OMG can you imagine Jokiharju and Johnson as the THIRD pairing for the next 8 years.
During the 2021-'22 season ONLY Dahlin played more minutes and Henri, and now he would be the third RHD!
All six defensemen drafted 32nd or better.

100% agree. There's a great analysis up on Sportsnet about the example to be learned of the two Cup finalists: Vegas succeeded in large part because of their depth and balance, especially on defense. Pietrangelo played an average of 22-23 minutes per game and the rest of their top 4 (Theodore, Martinez and McNabb) saw 19-21 minutes per game - yet their bottom pairing of Hague & Whitecloud played 15-16 minutes of ice time per game. That kept their defense on every shift fresher for the duration of the game. Similarly, 5 of the Panthers' top 6 defenders were each averaging around 18-21 minutes of ice time.

The lack of depth, experience and injuries on defense last season - sprinkled in with games where the Sabres' were in 'come-from-behind' mode and shortening their bench - contributed to Dahlin, Power and Samuelsson getting overused and burnt out by season's end and Jokiharju being overused by default as Power's partner because Granato didn't have competent 3rd pairing to rely on. I have to believe that the collective Sabres' braintrust and analytics group know they need to balance their top 6 out to reduce the burden of Dahlin and Power having to carry the team on a nightly basis so those two can really maximize their potential contributions by being fresher and less susceptible to injuries or mental mistakes due to fatigue. If Buffalo adds that top 4 veteran that can handle the 20-22 TOI consistently, it will - in Granato's and Adams' words - put their players "in a better position to succeed". It could really help stabilize Jokiharju's development as well since he's still only 23.

It would be fantastic, it would also give you the opportunity to sign a Pesce long term. Gonna need a few cheaper contracts for your bottom pair, especially if you are big game Hunting

People tend to overlook, given how well Dahlin and Power handle the pressure at such young ages, that Jokiharju just turned 24 and Adams still thinks he's early in his development stage. I'm in that same camp as what you think - he would be better in a 3rd pair role, capable of pinch-hitting when penalties/injuries pop up (far moreso than players like Bryson, Stillman or Lyubushkin are).

I unfortunately do think 1 of Joker or Lyubushkin gets traded. And it sucks because there both really liked in the Locker room. But this is a Business to.