This is a FanPost written by bdn00707.
I enjoyed writing a summer GM for a day and appreciated all the feedback. I haven’t been on the site very much with a new job but hope all is well. Lots of stuff to talk about with this team. Although this season has been one for the dumps I still believe they are on the right track. A better special teams and more injury luck and they’d be in the race this year. 5v5 scoring has been very good and the defense/goaltending has improved greatly from the past year. Still the youngest team in the league, they trade wins and losses with regularity. As acting GM I am avoiding any major overreactions but also letting the coaches and players know that the time to perform is now. I’d probably keep Granato for next year but I am definitely planning on bringing in new assistant coaches to fix our dreadful special teams play. I’d keep the leash short with the head coach, but consistency needs to be found and fast.
The fast-approaching trade deadline will be a quieter one as I intend to just ship out our pending free agents while hopefully winning a couple games to get some positivity back in the building. The drubbing from Columbus was probably rock bottom but hey you never know. I know it is unrealistic to trade 4 veterans away in one TDL but I am going to try. This season is looking like a wash unless they go on a crazy run and the smart move is to sell and keep building. Could probably replace the picks with equal prospects but I went with the picks just to make it easier.
TDL Trades:
Sabres: OUT: RD Erik Johnson (Retain 50%) Stars: IN: 3rd round pick (2025)
I know E. Johnson has not looked great this season as father time may be catching up with him. I think the vast majority of fans will be surprised with how many suitors he will have from contenders this year. He is a Stanley Cup winning, veteran right shot D who can help with the penalty kill and provide depth. He will probably get to choose where he wants to chase a cup but, in this instance, I chose Dallas. Other teams bidding will probably be TOR , TBL and WPG. All these teams would love RHD insurance and playoff know-how.
Sabres: OUT: RW V. Olofsson Knights: IN: 6th round pick (2025)
Olofsson is a tough player to trade but thanks to the Knights LTIR shenanigans his cap hit can finally be absorbed. They need some more scorers to round out there lineup thanks to the “injuries” they sustained. VO needs to play and this is an opportunity for him.
Sabres: OUT: LW Z. Girgensons (Retain 50%) Rangers: IN 3rd round pick (2026)
Another player who I think holds a sneaky amount of value is big Z. GMs love hardworking 4th liners and Girgensons game fits the type of play seen in the playoffs. He deserves to finally have a taste of the
postseason and Drury’s Rangers are looking for depth down the lineup. The retention takes the pick from 4/5th round to a 3rd. Has to be 2026 draft as NYR don’t have a 3rd in 24 or 25.
Sabres: OUT: RW K. Okposo (Retain 50%) Bruins: IN 5th round pick (2024), LD J. Zboril
Okposo has been a loyal servant to the Sabres but his time is up. The Bruins always load up the bottom of the lineup with veterans (Foligno, Shattenkirk, JVR) and Okposo brings leadership and depth scoring. He
deserves a shot at a playoff run. Zboril is a former first round pick that can play both sides. Got buried in Boston as they like to hoard good defenders. He is a free agent end of the year and is just brought in to replace the hole left by Johnson. See if he can perform and potentially be a depth option somewhere in the NHL next year.
Overall, nothing very exciting but I would prefer to wait till the offseason to make any moves. Deadline prices are always overinflated, and I want to continue to build with the core I have. I want to see Rosen and Kulich in the NHL again for a couple games with less pressure. Kulich only has 8 games left this year and both have hit a bit of a mini slump in Rochester. I’d like to see them lead a playoff charge and just focus on that to end the year. Jost is just a fill in while Rousek deserves a chance to audition for a depth role next year. The lineup would look something like this till the end of the year.
Skinner/Thompson/Tuch
Cozens/Krebs/Peterka
Greenway/Mitts/Benson
Robinson/Jost/Rousek
Dahlin/Joki
Power/Johnson
Bryson/Clifton
Zboril
UPL/Comrie
Scratches could just be call-ups or waiver guys such as Clague/Biro. Hopefully the pending free agents play well to increase there value and chance to find a landing spot next season (Krebs, Joki, Robinson, Jost, Zboril).
Now to the offseason we go!
My goals for the offseason is to find a top 4 right hand defenseman and to add toughness and depth to the lineup. I am also asking Terry Pegula to spend all the way up to the cap. The negativity and toxicity of the fanbase is only going to increase if this year isn’t a playoff berth. I need to maximize all my resources and ensure we give our best effort. The cap has been rumored/confirmed? to be 87.5 million so that is what I am using. I was just guessing for values and contracts here but tried to stay realistic (maybe a tiny Sabres bias).
FREE AGENCY
RFA:
C Casey Mittelstadt -7 years at 6.5 Million
-Casey has been the top forward on this year’s team. His natural chemistry with many different linemates is priceless and he is someone the Sabres have stuck by for years. I know he is an attractive trade piece but why trade someone you have invested so much time in and is continuing to grow. I would offer a max of 6.75 million because that is a shade below Thompson/Cozens and keeps our cap in check. He has 2 years left of RFA control so I’m hoping he takes a team friendly deal to compete. If he scored more goals he could maybe ask for over 7 but as a primary distributor and passer I don’t think he is worth as much as a Thompson/Cozens. His ability to play up and down the lineup as well as Center or Wing makes him an exciting piece to the forward group.
G Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen -3 years at 3.25 Million
-UPL has earned the #1 spot in the crease for the Sabres. His performances have continued to get better and he put the team on his back in many games. I am bridging him to keep his cap hit lower and see if he can sustain this newfound growth. A comparable would be the contract just signed by Samuel Montembeault of the Canadiens. His next contract could be a bigger raise because that’s when Skinner comes off the books.
RHD Henri Jokiharju -3 years at 3.25 Million
Joki has overcome a rough patch where he was scratched and looked lost on the ice. I think he would be a great 3rd pairing defender who can fill in on the top two pairs when there are injuries. His chemistry with Dahlin looks to be improving as he continues to learn at the NHL level. Still crazy how young he is still.
LD Logan Stanley -1 year at 1.2 Million
Keep reading ahead for some trades but Stanley would be someone I’d try to target as a buy-low acquisition. He is a 6’6” monster of a man and a former first round pick. A great 7th defender who plays a
physical game and fights (Rah! Rah! Craig Rivet probably). Give him a small raise and one year deal to live in WNY.
UFAs:
G Antti Raanta -1 year at 900K
This may be controversial, but I was looking for someone similar to Craig Anderson and his impact. Raanta has been brutal this year but for just under 1 Million I am just looking for a veteran to play a couple games. UPL is the established number one and Levi is the future tandem pairing. I’d give Levi another season dominating the AHL and let Raanta monitor the bench. If Levi absolutely takes off, Raanta could be waived.
RW/LW Brandon Duhaime -2 years at 1.3 Million
Duhaime has been a dependable 4th liner the last few years. This year has been a small step back but he still provides a strong, physical game that the Sabres need. Would lead the Sabres in hits and has playoff
experience as well. Would give him a small raise.
DRAFT: Just hire T Mcgee he’s got it covered.
TRADES:
Sabres OUT: 3rd round pick (2025), 4th round pick (2025), Prospect RW Jake Richard
Jets IN: LW Alex Iafallo, LD Logan Stanley
This trade brings the Sabres depth scoring and a project defenseman. Iafallo has an inflated contract and has struggled this year. Has not played close to his 4 million dollar cap hit. The man from WNY is a perfect buy low target for this Sabres team. He performs well on the penalty kill and has a wealth of playoff experience. WPG needs to shed some cap to compete and Iafallo has even been demoted to the 4th line at times this season. Stanley has seen little ice time and spent time in the minors. 2 buy low targets that the Sabres should be all over. Jake Richard is a sharpshooting winger who I actually thought performed well during the prospect challenge. He has more of a chance to stick out in a less crowded prospect group in WPG.
Sabres OUT: 1st Round Pick (2025), C Peyton Krebs (RFA), RHD Connor Clifton, RW Isak Rosen
Flames IN: RHD Rasmus Andersson, RW Walker Duehr
I know this may be unrealistic because the Flames are losing a lot of defenders. He is a perfect fit for this Sabres team. If the Sabres are picking in the 10-13 range in 2024 I’d have no problem giving that pick up however, I’d balk at giving a top 10 pick if that was the asking price. This trade is comparable to the Hronek trade that Vancouver made last year. That was a 1st (17th overall) and 2nd round pick for a RHD with term. Andersson is a better player so I added a few more pieces. Clifton or Joki would be the Flames
choice as they would want a player back to replace him in the lineup. Krebs can play higher in there lineup and is an Alberta native. Rosen has a chance to be one of there top prospects. If they absolutely required Savoie I would consider it but that is a very steep price to pay.
Andersson is a two-way defender who can quarterback the powerplay and has a nasty side to his game. He would be right at home alongside Dahlin or Power. Duehr is forward depth that can fill in on the 4th
line in case of injury. He will compete with Rousek and Duhaime for those spots.
**This trade must be done before July 1st because that is when Andersson has a 10 team no trade clause. I’d bet Sabres are on it LOL.
Sabres: OUT: 3rd Round Pick (2026), 6th Round Pick (2025)
Sharks: IN: C Nico Sturm
Might be a little expensive for a 4th line center but Sturm brings much needed faceoff ability and defensive smarts to the Sabres. Big bodied German who probably hits it off with Peterka. Could use the picks acquired at the prior deadline and shore up the bottom of the lineup.
Draft picks left:
2024: 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th
(BOS), 6th, 7th
2025: 2nd, 3rd (DAL), 4th
(MIN), 5th, 6th (VGK), 7th, 7th
(NSH)
2026: 1st, 2nd, 4th,
5th (BOS), 5th, 6th, 7th
Lineup:
Captain: Dahlin A: Cozens A: Tuch
Skinner/Thompson/Tuch
Peterka/Cozens/Quinn
Iafallo/Mitts/Benson
Greenway/Sturm/Duhaime
Dahlin/Andersson
Power/R. Johnson
Samuelsson/Jokiharju
UPL/Raanta
Duehr, Rousek, Stanley
This lineup adds depth scoring and an improved defense. If injuries strike anyone in the top 9 I’m calling up Kulich but if it’s a 4th liner I’m putting Duehr or Rousek in. I want Kulich to dominate the AHL the way Quinn and Peterka did before the NHL. He’s not quite there yet as he averages around .75 ppg while Quinn was over 1.25 ppg and Peterka was around 1 ppg. The Sabres can’t afford rookies/young players hitting walls midway through the season. The same thing happened with Quinn, Peterka and Benson. A desperate team who wants to compete would not try to bed a youngster that could cost valuable points. The pairings could all interchange as I don’t believe there is a clear weakness there. Maybe instead of Duehr you get a depth forward that can fill in at center but that is just nitpicking. This lineup would command a cap hit of 86.8 Million dollars leaving Pegula with a little bit over 600K in cap space. I know it’s a lot to ask but would lead to a way more complete lineup. Looking towards the future this team would shed about 12 million and with future cap increase it would leave about 15 million to resign Quinn, Peterka, Levi, R. Johnson the following year. Obviously, a lot can happen before then so I wouldn’t dwell too \long on this. I’m hoping this team can bring back optimism to a fanbase that has been starving for success for too long.
Thank you for reading this far and I hope you enjoyed it. Sorry it ended up being pretty long but I had a lot of fun looking at the numbers and how it would work on Capfriendly. Let me know what you think and
what you would change!