If KrAdams can land a No. 2 C, which is no small feat, without selling the farm, it will go a long way in stabilizing the team and pushing them towards the playoffs. Still gotta fix their defensive scheme and probably as important, fix that PK.

I'd like to see Cozens and Mitts in a third line role next season
- Michael Pachla

Speaking of the PK and to some extent the PP....
1) Does Kim make any changes to Ralph’s coaching staff. Do any assistant coaches get added or changed out?
2) who was the assistant under Bylsma (I think) that had the PP humming? I think he went to Minny after... can we get him back? Please!

build through draft and prospects


then fire all scouts and piss away picks for froliks, simmonds, vesey, millers, wilson etc


f@ck you teri and kym
- homiedclown

Imo, the pro scouts who were feeding Botts information on trade targets got more wrong than they did right. As for the amateur scouts, people on here have generally panned Botts for his drafts so how good do we really believe them to have been?

team was 12 points out of a playoff spot and tied for worst record in the last 10 games when the season paused


our second line center was a .5 ppg player


Krejci, the second line center on the best team in the NHL had 43 points in 61 games


I don't think 12 more points from a second line center gets us over the hump and fixes the problems



we have 2 centers picked in the top 10 in the last 3 years and a top ten pick this fall



if those three darts can't get you the long term center you need, it's really time to blow up the team because this is literally the worst rebuild I have ever seen, and that is getting 2 generational players in eichel and dahlin
- homiedclown

Does Krejci become available this offseason? I’d still take him for a couple years!

Compher, Armia, Zadarov, Byron, Lemeuix
- Buff36

Compher is the only one in that group that really hurts, imo

Speaking of the PK and to some extent the PP....
1) Does Kim make any changes to Ralph’s coaching staff. Do any assistant coaches get added or changed out?
2) who was the assistant under Bylsma (I think) that had the PP humming? I think he went to Minny after... can we get him back? Please!
- Gr8daygo

Have to wonder what Steve Smith is or is not bringing

Have to wonder what Steve Smith is or is not bringing
- Michael Pachla

Move him to assistant gm! Bring in.... hhhuummm. Vanek to run special teams!

Move him to assistant gm! Bring in.... hhhuummm. Vanek to run special teams!
- Gr8daygo

From what I've gathered Smith is in charge of defense and runs PK although Ralph has taken the heat for what he says are his systems

Compher is the only one in that group that really hurts, imo
- Michael Pachla

Take Armia and Byron on the 4th line, Zadarov would be a decent 4-5.

Take Armia and Byron on the 4th line, Zadarov would be a decent 4-5.
- Buff36

I'll double check the numbers, but I have a low opinion of Zadorov.

From what I've gathered Smith is in charge of defense and runs PK although Ralph has taken the heat for what he says are his systems
- Michael Pachla

Yes, the PK scheme is/was pretty bad, and probably needs a shakeup, but our goalies combined save % on the PK was .840. That's...that is just not sustainable at any level, and will sink most teams over the course of a season.

After looking at today's post, I think anyone who is a "FAN" of this 9 year Pegula Dumpster Fire has to SERIOUSLY ask this question to themselves:

What Professional NHL Veteran would actually even sign a contract to play for this organization?

(Heres a clue, it's a 4 letter word that starts with letter "N")

You are all delusional to think talent will sign with Buffalo. Duane hit the bullseye directly in the center.

team was 12 points out of a playoff spot and tied for worst record in the last 10 games when the season paused


our second line center was a .5 ppg player


Krejci, the second line center on the best team in the NHL had 43 points in 61 games


I don't think 12 more points from a second line center gets us over the hump and fixes the problems



we have 2 centers picked in the top 10 in the last 3 years and a top ten pick this fall



if those three darts can't get you the long term center you need, it's really time to blow up the team because this is literally the worst rebuild I have ever seen, and that is getting 2 generational players in eichel and dahlin
- homiedclown

They just did, lol.

Jack Eichel WAR is 2.06 wins

That is 4 points

Granted it is not a perfect process determining but just a 50 point second line center does not get this team 6 more points

They need a 2C, 1 top line winger, and 2 middle 6 wingers, and a starting goalie
- Stripes77

Boom!

Their pace put them roughly 16 points out of a wild card spot in a normal year.
That is 8 wins.
WAR for Elite level players is ~2.5 - 3.0 ...that's 5 - 6 points.
Do the math...your projections are on track...probably need a 1RhD and a 2LhD in the short term as well as the positions you noted above.

They aren't a "tweak" away.

To use one of your lines: WAR has a lot of issues, and I'll leave it at that.

Jack Eichel only being worth 4 points in the standings is a joke to anyone that watched him play last season and looked at other advanced stats.

Nobody is saying fixing the Center issue will fix everything, but fixing it will be a massive start.
- kingcong39

We have all known this for 2 years now.
Well, all but that 1 guy.

And WAR does have issues, I mentioned that yesterday...but it does give some level of quantification ... kind of like licking your thumb to judge wind direction...it has issues, but gives one an idea. Else, it is very subjective. Needing 8 more wins means it is more that 1 or 2 upgrades.

I agree Eichel's WAR seems low, especially last year.

I think 2C, 2RW, 3C, 1RhD, 2LhD, G is fairly representative of their needs.
Question is for how long, impacted by development of Cozens, Mitts, Joker, Ullmark and others.

my 2 cents


the needs are a center for second line
a rw for second line
some form of continuity in the 3rd line
none of our d pairings look great together, I never see 2 d men out there and say we are good, always holding my breath for the next gaff
a goalie that can keep us in games



so a top 6 rw
a second line center
a third line center
a RD that can play with Dahlin
a LD that can elevate the other top 4 pair
a starting goalie



that's a lot of holes looking up and down the lineup



and I have not even addressed the 4th line issues if guys walk, the RW issue if they trade reinhart, the RD issues if they move 2 of 3 between risto, montour, and miller

we have 2 elite players in dahlin and eichel
3 really good top 6 pieces in reinhart, skinner and olofsson (assuming olofsson improves and shows he is a legit two way player instead of a 1 trick pony)



lots of holes for tanking since the 13-14 season and not a lot of draft picks or blue chip prospects to help up front
- homiedclown

Boom 2

Compher, Armia, Zadarov, Byron, Lemeuix
- Buff36

thank the owners

Boom!

Their pace put them roughly 16 points out of a wild card spot in a normal year.
That is 8 wins.
WAR for Elite level players is ~2.5 - 3.0 ...that's 5 - 6 points.
Do the math...your projections are on track...probably need a 1RhD and a 2LhD in the short term as well as the positions you noted above.

They aren't a "tweak" away.
- IonSabres

Adding a 2C potentially upgrades the production of 6 spots on the roster.

Skinner will have better numbers, whomever ends up at 2RW will benefit from playing with a very capable duo.

Mojo gets bumped down to line 3 and as we saw already this season (albeit a very small sample size) we got good production out of the Olofsson-Mojo-Kahun line and we didn’t get any production from the proverbial “third line” previously.

So yea, adding a 2C, a 1A/B goaltender, and I guess you can add top 4LHD to that list solves all of our problems. Why ? Because Dahlin, Joker and Olofsson are all going to be better next year. We are also getting a full season out of Kahun and Cozens which we didn’t have at the start of last year whom will be upgrades on Sheary and Erod at the very least.

Imo, the pro scouts who were feeding Botts information on trade targets got more wrong than they did right. As for the amateur scouts, people on here have generally panned Botts for his drafts so how good do we really believe them to have been?
- Michael Pachla

With the Pro Scouts, I am thinking this is where Adam's point about having Scouts who can also run Analytics comes into play. If their scouting schedule was light and they weren't proficient in Analytics then replacing them with a couple that do could help improve their efficacy.

Adding a 2C potentially upgrades the production of 6 spots on the roster.

Skinner will have better numbers, whomever ends up at 2RW will benefit from playing with a very capable duo.

Mojo gets bumped down to line 3 and as we saw already this season (albeit a very small sample size) we got good production out of the Olofsson-Mojo-Kahun line and we didn’t get any production from the proverbial “third line” previously.

So yea, adding a 2C, a 1A/B goaltender, and I guess you can add top 4LHD to that list solves all of our problems. Why ? Because Dahlin, Joker and Olofsson are all going to be better next year. We are also getting a full season out of Kahun and Cozens which we didn’t have at the start of last year whom will be upgrades on Sheary and Erod at the very least.
- Pegullaville

I'll buy into the pushing players down to their competency level should help production. I Posted that in the semi recent past as well.
If you push Olo down with Kahun an Mojo then that opens up 1LW ( or 2 LW if you push Skinner back to 1LW), you then need the 2RW, G, LhD along with 2C ...that's 5

Sounds like we are pretty close in agreement, more than a tweak

I'll buy into the pushing players down to their competency level should help production. I Posted that in the semi recent past as well.
If you push Olo down with Kahun an Mojo then that opens up 1LW ( or 2 LW if you push Skinner back to 1LW), you then need the 2RW, G, LhD along with 2C ...that's 5

Sounds like we are pretty close in agreement, more than a tweak
- IonSabres

PS - if you slot Cozens into 3RW initially, with the assumption he moves to 3C by the end of the season, that allows for Kahun to play in the 2RW spot...thereby filling that position of need. I think you may see that.
I would still say that a 1RhD next to Dahlin is a need, at least short-term for 1 or 2 years.
Nets back to that same 5 IMO.

I'll double check the numbers, but I have a low opinion of Zadorov.
- kingcong39

He was flaky here in Buffalo.

So-called "advanced" stats are (frank)ing stupid.

The Pegulas are (frank)ing stupid.

New York is (frank)ing stupid.

Beer is good.
- feetontheair22

At least you can count on beer
https://youtu.be/fXYPaRSN31w

I'll buy into the pushing players down to their competency level should help production. I Posted that in the semi recent past as well.
If you push Olo down with Kahun an Mojo then that opens up 1LW ( or 2 LW if you push Skinner back to 1LW), you then need the 2RW, G, LhD along with 2C ...that's 5

Sounds like we are pretty close in agreement, more than a tweak
- IonSabres

Olofsson-Eichel-Reinhart
Skinner-_____-Kahun
Mojo-Cozens-Thompson/Free Agent/Trade
Asplund-Larsson-Okposo

Dahlin-Miller/Joker
_____-Montour/Risto
McCabe-Joker/Miller

Ullmark
______/Hutton

Obviously the middle 6 can be a bit interchangeable at this point on whom ends up at 2RW between Mojo/Cozens/Kahun or perhaps the answer is outside of the organization.

Also don’t know if Adams plans on resigning any of Girgs, Larsson, Vesey, Simmonds.

Lots of moving parts.

Kim appointed as co-chair of the "executive inclusion counsel" for the NHL....

Thank god. We're all saved.

I'll double check the numbers, but I have a low opinion of Zadorov.
- kingcong39

He’s a bottom pairing guy at this point.

Good enough to crack an NHL roster but doesn’t move the needle much.