Sabres Questions

@RobGregoretti: Will they make any changes to their coaching staff? I mean I sure hope so! I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t at least a little concerned that team after team is announcing they rounded out their coaching staffs while there are still question marks with the statuses of both Marty Wilford and Mike Bales. It’s not fair to those two for them to be in limbo about their own careers, let alone to Lindy for not being able to both craft an ideal staff and start planning more on the x’s and o’s side earlier on in the summer in a crucial upcoming season for the team.

@Tommy_Danlges72: What’s the likelihood of this team actually making a significant addition, whether it’s on defense or to the forward group? I’m going to say high because I think that even if it’s not a huge splash, if they get someone who is probably going to play primarily with Owen Power for the next 3+ years, that’s a crucial piece to aiding his further development into the aged years where we saw Rasmus Dahlin turn into a bonafide stud (even without it mattering at this point who he plays with). I believe the sentiment that some have stated that they believe the Josh Norris acquisition is still a big move for next season, and while I don’t agree with that perse (I think if other teams are targeting him that they should be listening closely), it does make the Top 6 likelihood a little smaller than anyone really would like around here. But there are bigger fish to fry with that and it doesn’t rule out another major core change at the deadline both if this season is going well or poorly.

@PrinciplesRK: Is Isak Rosen getting stuck in tweener status? I see a lot of trade proposals with him involved but I can’t imagine his value is that high and a sign of that is usually everyone being willing to trade him. If he moves, it’ll probably be worth a larger post-mortem about his tenure in the organization. The teams where he probably has the most trade value are those where he would essentially be handed an NHL spot next year in the middle six on the lack of depth alone (San Jose, Chicago, Pittsburgh, etc.), and I do think the player himself would want a change of scenery if after another fantastic season with the Amerks, they still wouldn’t want him to slide in over the Laffertys of the big club. In the end, whether it’s fair or not, the lack of points in his appearances in Buffalo is what has halted his stake in a spot with the Sabres the most.

jayzor: Top 3 and bottom 3 moves of Adams era My summer plans for the site include a full revisit of the entire drought, so these will all be visited in greater detail, especially because of the external factors that have affected why some moves have and haven’t been made, but here are my initial thoughts on the rankings (chronologically)

@Outlaw_Slepo: What’s the expectation/role for Jack Quinn this season? I think that they are expecting Quinn another summer out from his achilles injury with a new strength staff are going to absolve any of the junior year slumps that he went through in 2024-25. And the reason I put this question after the last is because that expectation aligns with the concept of not only linear growth but building self-perception out of nothing going wrong.

All in all, he managed to salvage a near consensus disappointing season last year with one more goal and one more assist in one less game than his 2022-23 season, which if the expectations are third line production with a good enough top 6 that he doesn’t need to play up, and still likely on a qualifying offer bridge, they could salvage that as an okay floor (and probably save some money along the way too if that’s where his trajectory halts). Combined with the general rule that it takes a full year after clearance for achilles surgery patients “to feel like their old selves again”, another season like last year should be what they pencil in for Quinn while building up the rest of the roster. Now will they do that? Who knows…

Regardless, while the point totals were identical, the jump to 52 registered giveaways compared to only 12 takeaways are the biggest reason why last season’s point totals didn’t connotate as positively as they did during the kids table era. And that isn’t necessarily all because of a change in physical profile.

Also jayzor: Investigative journalism: how are trades completed in the middle of the night? Are they waking someone from the league registry up? Do they staff all hours? Or is it just handshake agreements until they open? I feel bad for whoever is being woken up from the league registry, because it has to be that, right? If they were sending things to the fax machine overnight and waiting until the morning, you’d have to think that then the teams themselves wouldn’t be making the announcement until after that. The league should make some content about that person if they exist.

Around the NHL

Vanek26: Offseason expectations for the teams we need to beat to make the postseason.

• I’d consider Ottawa the team with the most uncertainty for offseason plans because they have a lot of money locked up for a while with their best players, but there are still one or two too many “Brady might want out / to play with his brother” speculators out there to think that the newfound Team USA heartthrob status he gained during Four Nations* will lead to him being a UFA recruiter. I think that while we do have to accept that they will again have a good path back to the playoffs next season, more of that might rely on Linus Ullmark to get them back than they would like to admit.
• Montreal feels like the team most likely to be a 2023-24 Sabres and run it back, expecting that everyone gets a little bit better. Whether or not that is going to be beneficial is yet to be seen, but there isn’t a lot being speculated with them.
  • Also, this is still incredibly haunting
• There’s no way Detroit doesn’t do the same things they did last summer. They have the money to spend on more guys that aren’t being targeted by the teams that don’t have the cap space because they are already better.
• Have fun, Boston! Love this for you!

How should teams without a top tier goalie handle the position? Thinking teams like VGK, EDM, LAK, CAR, COL, etc. My consistent stance at this point is that while you probably don’t need two goalies to win a Stanley Cup, you probably need two to get through the two month slog of a playoff run. Calvin Pickard’s role on the Oilers comes to mind here most recently. But the question then becomes how do you spend that goalie budget? And I think there my answer is that if you have a lot of money committed to your skaters, it’s just a matter of trying different things every year. And definitely dedicating a round 2-4 pick annually in net until you find a guy.

The Champs

2ITB: What sort of drop off can the Bandits expect if Matt Vinc doesn’t return? I think once it becomes Steve Orleman’s crease, there will obviously be a drop off, but it probably won’t be from Vinc’s .800 sv% to the .750% a 22-24 year old Orleman had being thrown to the fire as the eventual starter for the New York Riptide. Probably closer to a .780 or so I’d guess. The other implications being other guys also retiring alongside Vinc could also lead to its own drop off, but the next wave of defenders is going to fill those roles very smoothly, and with the sense that none of the guys on the current roster really have any reason to want to play elsewhere, you’d have opportunities to bring in more guys to fill those holes from around the league still with the incentive to play behind the best offense year-in and year-out. Regular seasons will probably look similar pending health, but where I think the drop off would come is the confidence of the switch flipping in the postseason.

Monty: 1 player from the “old” Bandits you’d pull into the current run and who they would replace. Man what do they even need at this point? I think for aesthetics the answer is Prime Billy Dee Smith added to the depth chart, but it’s not like they don’t have the transition prowess or defensive presence back there now.

bmorris44: Who’s your favorite current bandits player? Joanne’s son. Eric’s brother. Next Question.

Ralph: Who’s the current most underappreciated player on the Bandits? My usual answers are Steve Priolo and Nick Weiss, but I do feel like they got their flowers a lot more this past season finally to the point where I don’t think they’re underappreciated anymore. So down the depth chart, Justin Martin is so insanely steady and versatile back there. Appreciate him too, darn it!

Also Ralph: The top two Bandits players of all time are probably agreed upon (Tavares and Vinc in some order). Who are your other two that you would place on the “Mount Rushmore” of Bandits players? Dhane is already up there, no debate. And honestly, Josh too. It’s hard to say we aren’t fully aware of how impactful they have been when they’ve made the finals 5 years in a row, but there hasn’t been a more consistent offense year-over-year…ever?

VerbTheNoun95: How do you pronounce Steenhuis? Who’s House? (Also, when is the reunion?)

Grab Bag

Austin: If the moon was made of cheese, would you eat it? Only if it’s blue cheese amirite folks?

Celastrida: Best exhibit at the Museum of Play? If you don’t answer Wegmans, you’re wrong.

Ralph: Have you ever danced with the devil in the pale moonlight? Am I a clown to you?

Koz: What’s xB’s stance on Pineapple on Pizza? My stance is that I really don’t care that much. I don’t order it, but there are food decisions that I think deserve more passionate debate. The other Italians need to weigh in as well.

*facing off

(Photo Credit: Buffalo Sabres)