So, if you’re reading this, you’re probably wondering WHAT HOT TAKE AM I OFFERING TODAY:
Well, I haven’t written in awhile, so I have lots of things to say: Good for Cleveland for winning. Good for the city of Buffalo greenlighting Freezer Queen and disregarding the nonsense excuses of preservationists to keep Buffalo backward. The Pegulas are entitled to charge whatever they want for draft tickets, just remember this when they come crying poor for tax breaks for the Bills stadium in 2022. Also, LOL the USMNT. It’s going to be another 20 years before we can compete with top tier talent, and can we get a pro/rel system already. Also, fuck Ramsay Bolton.
You know what’s really embrassing? The fact that we can’t get ridesharing in Buffalo. I mean come on, Burlington, VT has it for fucks sake. I get there are insurance and labor issues with ridesharing, but the Buffalo taxi industry is probably the worst in the world, give them some fire under their asses and make them compete and see how fast they come around. So, please, don’t bash outside media for telling the truth.
I will NEVER post a source discussing trading a superstar when it’s just really nothing of note to get hits for my twitter account and blog, sorry Rich.
Here’s a few tips for surviving twitter during the draft and free agency (this applies to any sport)
- CHECK YOUR TWEETS, people like to fool and troll. Looking at you Chaps wannabes. Check the handle of tweets, check the timestamp of tweets. Be right, and not first.
- If a trade rumor sounds too good to be true, it probably is, unless the deal involves the Colorado Avalanche.
- “My team is entitled to this player” – no, hockey is a business and players are trying to maximize their salary before they retire. They will go where they feel where’s best for them. How would you feel if someone told you that you were a piece of shit for leaving a job for a better one. That’s free agency
- So called hockey insiders know as much as my cat does about hockey. Leave it to the actual pros
Who should the Sabres pick? Probably a left hand defenseman. I just realized that we don’t even have a draft guide here. Not sure if anyone was going to write one. I’m here today to share my thoughts on the draft coming up in a few day, as well as the long term outlook for the Sabres and what they should do in the upcoming draft and FA periods. Mind you, this will all be worthless by the time I get done writing it, so I’m not going super in-depth on this like the other guy at BuffaloWins did with his article, which where he says Buffalo should pick a forward, really, read that. Also the dudes over at Two in the Box have some pretty good things about the draft, even a podcast. So before you continue, this article isn’t incredibly in depth, its just hot take after hot take, so if you want your Corsi, go somewhere and thanks for the clicks that will probably be in the double digits.
So next year, there will definitely be a expansion draft, with that in mind, this article is going to take the current expansion draft rules as leaked into consideration for who the Sabres should draft, and seek out in FA.
Now, I’ve included this depth chart, this includes current players, plus prospects, I’ve included players I feel are NHL ready or very close in the next season, players in the pipeline, players may get callups to 4th line minutes, and the players I feel the Sabres need to buy out. Yes, I forgot Cody Franson, let’s put him in as the 6th D, and slow as a Buffalo building project.
The Sabres have needs at defense, goalie, a scoring left wing and social media. It’s this author’s opinion the Sabres should stay at 8 and Tim Murray should keep the beard and let it grow. Now mind you, if the Sabres DO get that offer for a young left D for 8, at least get a later pick or maybe a 3/4th liner. Now Murray has said, they have 3 players in mind, who could they be?
Chychrun: a left handed offensive defencemen. Murray is probably going to have his profile loaded up in Lotus Notes (they use Lotus Notes for the entry draft, which is basically antiquated shit, just like the NHL) and just looking at it, mumbling, “my precious” at the draft. If he’s available, take him. He fills a gaping need the Sabres have, and they just can’t say no to that.
Mikhail Sergachov: another left handed defenseman, not as high scoring as Chychrun, but again, left handed defenseman. Drawback: the xenophobic Buffalo media will tear him apart any chance they get, ask Domnik Hasek or Andrej Sekera about that one. I mean if Jim Kelley can get away with a hit piece calling Dominik Hasek, one of the hardest working goalies ever, having “poor mental toughness” (read: lazy), what chance does a 17 year old kid from Nizhnekamsk, Russia have?
Pierre-Luc Dubois: Sabres are in dire need on left wing. Kane is potentially gone in two seasons, and your best left wing is going to be Girgensons? By the time Kane leaves, Dubois will be NHL ready.
Other rounds and next year. We’re in the reload phase of the rebuild right now. from 2013- June 2015 was the tank now and collect picks period. During that period, we used those picks which Jack Eichel was the culmination of that period. June 2015 onward is the settling of the building phase, where those picks and trades are settled in, play together and then you determine what your needs are. Now, June 2016 until next draft year, we’re in the reload phase. As you can see, we have picks to use in deals and acquiring players to fill needs. The one thing the Sabres can’t forget about is depth. Depth cost us in 2006, and its nice to have top 6 players and really good D, you need stop gaps, players that can fill the gaps. Players that can fill in for injured players, someone that can go with Evander Kane to Toronto in a chopper.
I’m looking at filling out getting a LW in the 2nd or with one of the 3rds, and using another of the 3rds to get another defenseman, use a pick in the 3-4th rounds to get a goalie. As for later on? It’s really a crapshoot I suppose. Sabres should get more wingers and pick up another defenseman in the later rounds.
I’m not gonna make any trade speculations because as I said before, any minute now a trade will just invalidate all this.
So moving on, FREE AGENCY DAY. So the Sabres have a bunch of prospects, maybe one player will help them right now, whoever they select at 8, and you have a bunch of prospects almost ready to go, what’s over in Free Agency that will help the Sabres this season and beyond? Well signing Jimmy Vesey will help, but I think he’s going to test the waters August 15th. I’ve seen some people compare him to Drouin, but really, the dude is just exercising his rights under the CBA, he’s gotta fend for himself.
Amerks: TJ Brennan would be a good rebuild project to put back on a Amerks D that is in even worse condition than the Sabres. Speaking of Amerks, Murray definitely needs to show the Amerks some love. Developmental wise, a good Amerks team is good for the development of future Sabres. Watching Bailey get to the right spot with the puck getting turned over for the 50th time wasn’t the best time.
Forwards: Kyle Okposo is a name that keeps coming up, he’s a nice stopgap while others are developing, but, he’s seeking a big, longer term deal (sounds familiar), whereas the Sabres may only need him for 2-3 years. Jamie Mcginn appears to be hitting the open market and would be a nice to get, but won’t happen. Mikkel Boedeker might be a good additon that could help the Sabres , long term, at 5 years and 5.5m as reported though, Murray will probably pass on a player that may not fit in his plan. Okposo is the most realistic option, Mcginn and Boedeker will probably end up somewhere else.
Defensemen: Nothing really worth getting out there now that Yandle is on the market, I’d focus on shoring up the Amerks D using the free agency pool.
Goalie: There isn’t much out there either, and with a deep stock of goalies, leave this alone for now. If Lehner can stay healthy this season and prove himself in goal, the question of him being the Sabres starter for the longer term goes away. If not? Well, say bye to some of that developing talent.
Stamkos: I’m here to tell you that I would rather not have this debate. The Sabres and Wings are getting Babcock’d by Stamkos’ agent. Why would Stamkos, come to Buffalo? A shitty, rust belt city with no class, culture or jobs. Why would he want to leave the bright spotlight that is Toronto, with a mob of fans and hungry reporters following him around everywhere. Why would he eschew playing for an Orginial Six team that hasn’t won a Stanley Cup for a post-OS team that hasn’t won a Stanley cup. Think of the glory he would be in if he brought a Cup for the first time in Toronto. They’d make a statue made of gold the size of the CN tower. However, Steve Simmons will still find some reason to bash the savior of Toronto, even if he won the Hart, Rocket, Calder, and recovered the Canadian economy and found a new source of energy so oil sands don’t destroy Western Canada.
Actually, Stamkos signing with Buffalo would be the worst idea since the Leino contract. The Sabres are stocked on centers. He could play wing with Eichel, but the term and the amount of money the wants, 12m over 7 years, will put the Sabres in cap hell. Stamkos joining the Sabres right now won’t help turn the tide for a cup run. They don’t have that capability. The defense needs work, the goalie is unproven, there’s too many risks there. When the talent will be ready, you’re going to have to sign Eichel, Risto, Reinhart, are going to command salaries north of 4m at least in their bridge deals, Pysyk, McCabe, Fasching, Bailey are going to bring you to 2m and up. The Sabres don’t have the talent to win now, and by the time they’re ready to win now, they will have to trade away that talent and hope a player who can’t stay healthy when it counts, does so. I wouldn’t give a player big money and term that won’t be in the playoffs. Stamkos will ruin the rebuild and we’ll be a middling heroic run for 8th team again. The Sabres are not going to throw away their shot at the Cup like that. Plus, I will have to delete my twitter.
As of this writing, the Sabres are supposedly in a position to give Stamkos the most money, it seems like the rumours are starting to heat up in favor of the Sabres. I really think he’ll go to Toronto, I mean, we hyped ourselves up to get after Brad Richards and we were nowhere near his radar. Toronto has the exposure and sponsorship money. You’re gonna get more money being on a Canadian Tire commercial than a Dunn Tire commercial and a Bridgestone one put together. No one knows but him.
For a article that I intended on making about the draft, I sure went into a bit into Free Agency and Stamkos. Unintended, but on that note, I’m going to the draft, if you’re going, be sure to boo Bettman so bad, he’ll cry on stage and quit.
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