Article: The Buffalo Sabres Won't Be the Wild's Savior At Center

[Tony Abbott]

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[mnhockeyfan03]

Buffalo needs a top 4 RHD badely.  Trade Faber, Rossi, Ohgren, height and 2026 1st for Thompson, Tuch or Peterka and Samuelson.

 

Stop with these articles saying it can’t happen.  It can happen but Faber has to to part of it.  We need a number 1 center way way more than we need Faber.  This league is won with forwards now.  No good team has a ton of money tied into D anymore.  

 

 

[Patrick]

The same can be said about Peterka.  The only way to get either of those guys is for Buffalo to significantly win the trade, and why would the Wild want that?  This is why Russo is just not a serious source.  His thinking is closer to that of an enthusiastic fan boy than of a hockey GM. 

[Patrick]

6 minutes ago, mnhockeyfan03 said:

Buffalo needs a top 4 RHD badely.  Trade Faber, Rossi, Ohgren, height and 2026 1st for Thompson, Tuch or Peterka and Samuelson.

 

Stop with these articles saying it can’t happen.  It can happen but Faber has to to part of it.  We need a number 1 center way way more than we need Faber.  This league is won with forwards now.  No good team has a ton of money tied into D anymore.  

 

 

You want to trade a franchise D (on a GREAT contract), young top 6 center, two top prospects and a 1st round pick for TUCH?  A completely average top 6 winger!!! 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂🤡

 

[mnhockeyfan03]

8 minutes ago, Patrick said:

You want to trade a franchise D (on a GREAT contract), young top 6 center, two top prospects and a 1st round pick for TUCH?  A completely average top 6 winger!!! 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂🤡

 

You are not getting Thompson without Faber involved.  He has a great contract as well.  Rossi is not what we need.  We need power RH shot forwards.  Thompson and Tuch are that.  I watched alot of their games last year and they will greatly help us.

[Burnt Toast]

There’s almost always a deal that can happen. We’ve witnessed some this Trade Deadline with Aves Canes Stars. Make it worth it value wise for both teams. Should the Wild make a move that gives away multiple top pieces? In this case having TT makes the Wild a team with 2 players a franchise can be built around with a window that opens immediately. If I’m Buffalo Brock could bring the glue and attitude they’ve been missing. There’s no way the Wild would trade Brock off though. If Buffalo continues to struggle make some calls to TT’s agent for a future move. 

[OldDutchChip]

i think Sabres have to consider dealing big gun like Thompson or Tuch. they can't do nothing - as their core is just not producing. 

as a GM - if i retain Thompson and Tuch and next season unwinds the same as this - i am out.

so as a GM -  i'd have talk with the boss and say - let's add to our prospect line by getting a number 2 prospect in the world. that's one step back but potential two steps forward. this buys GM time and get's fans excited for new things.

Tage Thompson would cost us Rossi and Zeev (plus Freddy!)

I'd make that deal - as it aligns with Kap's timeline and likely will entice him to play with Tage. Zeev is too raw and may need to marinate a bit. and who really knows who he is. it may be wise to roll the dice and make a trade. i know the predictions of him being hughes or makar or calem addison. so let's sell high for once. 

[mnfaninnc]

Well, how about this, Adams trades Thompson to us for less and becomes the new Wild AGM? 😉for Pewter!

I'd really love to have Thompson playing on our team and MNC is right, Thompson and Tuch would help our team. Sneaking in Samuelsson was a nice touch. Yes, Tuch is an above average guy, but he's also big, strong, RHS and produces. We have a void with the RHS players who can really shoot. 

But, now my balloon has popped and I'm pretty sure this never happens. But....what if Charlie Stramel became a version of Thompson???

[Kato AK]

3 hours ago, mnhockeyfan03 said:

This league is won with forwards now.  No good team has a ton of money tied into D anymore.  

 

 

This is kind of poor analysis. Only 5 teams that made the playoffs spend less than the Wild on stopping the puck (Defense and Goalies). And the team that did spend less fall into two categories 1) D/G is obviously their weakness (TOR, MTL, LA, EDM) or 2) They are benefitting from an ELC that gets paid next year (NJD & EDM).

Most good rosters have balanced spending with roughly $35-40mil spent on D/G.

[Mateo3xm]

5 hours ago, mnhockeyfan03 said:

Buffalo needs a top 4 RHD badely.  Trade Faber, Rossi, Ohgren, height and 2026 1st for Thompson, Tuch or Peterka and Samuelson.

 

Stop with these articles saying it can’t happen.  It can happen but Faber has to to part of it.  We need a number 1 center way way more than we need Faber.  This league is won with forwards now.  No good team has a ton of money tied into D anymore.  

 

 

You seem to think this is NHL2K. When have you ever heard Thompson was being shopped? I haven't seen one legitimate article mentioning it. I saw Russo say something about he thought we should target him but that doesn't mean they are going to trade him. Doing that trade is basically like robbing Peter to pay Paul. It would gut any up and coming depth this team would have.

Defense wins championships and the vast majority of Stanley Cup teams have their top 10 number 1 defenceman and a very very good number two defenceman to compliment him. Having a team that's all offense with par or sub par defense doesn't win you anything.

 

[mnhockeyfan03]

11 minutes ago, Mateo3xm said:

You seem to think this is NHL2K. When have you ever heard Thompson was being shopped? I haven't seen one legitimate article mentioning it. I saw Russo say something about he thought we should target him but that doesn't mean they are going to trade him. Doing that trade is basically like robbing Peter to pay Paul. It would gut any up and coming depth this team would have.

Defense wins championships and the vast majority of Stanley Cup teams have their top 10 number 1 defenceman and a very very good number two defenceman to compliment him. Having a team that's all offense with par or sub par defense doesn't win you anything.

 

Everything is available for the right deal for both teams.  If you are happy being stuck on mediocrity then stay with the same forwards and D we have.  We need huge changes to contend for a cup. Our window is the next 3-4 years.  We need more speed size and skill in our top six and sorry Brock Nelson and Brock Boeser are not top 6 guys.  We need trades to get those guys and yes it will sting to lose a player fans like but they will like winning more.  And also your quote on teams winning with top couple D.  You are not looking at the size of the D of the past Stanley cup champion D.  They are all huge and can clear the front of the net.  Our scrub D cannot do this and we won’t be winning a cup with Faber and Spurg.  They can’t clear a annyone out.  This is why our penalty kill sucks as well. We need to get bigger on the D side and need more size, skill and speed in our top six.  

[Mateo3xm]

2 hours ago, OldDutchChip said:

i think Sabres have to consider dealing big gun like Thompson or Tuch. they can't do nothing - as their core is just not producing. 

as a GM - if i retain Thompson and Tuch and next season unwinds the same as this - i am out.

so as a GM -  i'd have talk with the boss and say - let's add to our prospect line by getting a number 2 prospect in the world. that's one step back but potential two steps forward. this buys GM time and get's fans excited for new things.

Tage Thompson would cost us Rossi and Zeev (plus Freddy!)

I'd make that deal - as it aligns with Kap's timeline and likely will entice him to play with Tage. Zeev is too raw and may need to marinate a bit. and who really knows who he is. it may be wise to roll the dice and make a trade. i know the predictions of him being hughes or makar or calem addison. so let's sell high for once. 

 

Buffalo is extremely talented but they are literally one of the youngest teams in the NHL. The issue is they are in a never ending cycle of rebuilding because they get impatient and trade highly talented young players before they actually reach their prime years which is between 25-31yrs.

they don't allow their franchise players enough time to reach their prime. They get antsy and trade them to try and shake things up which is stupid and starts the cycle over again.

See Eichel(25yrs old) Reinhart (25yrs old) Montour(26 yrs old) O’Reilly was 27 but still thats around the time where players are their best. Their management is full of imbeciles but they don’t lack talent, they lack patience. You notice every one of the above players has a Stanley Cup ring and was instrumental in winning that Cup? Each player went on to have career years a year or two after their trade. Now going to a better team is definitely going to make it easier to succeed but if Buffalo still had a few of those players they’d probably be far closer to a Cup then they’ve ever gotten.

 

[AKwildkraken]

6 hours ago, Mateo3xm said:

 

 

Buffalo is extremely talented but they are literally one of the youngest teams in the NHL. The issue is they are in a never ending cycle of rebuilding because they get impatient and trade highly talented young players before they actually reach their prime years which is between 25-31yrs.

they don't allow their franchise players enough time to reach their prime. They get antsy and trade them to try and shake things up which is stupid and starts the cycle over again.

See Eichel(25yrs old) Reinhart (25yrs old) Montour(26 yrs old) O’Reilly was 27 but still thats around the time where players are their best. Their management is full of imbeciles but they don’t lack talent, they lack patience. You notice every one of the above players has a Stanley Cup ring and was instrumental in winning that Cup? Each player went on to have career years a year or two after their trade. Now going to a better team is definitely going to make it easier to succeed but if Buffalo still had a few of those players they’d probably be far closer to a Cup then they’ve ever gotten.

 

I think Buffalo is forced into trading their talent away, as players don't want to stay there.  It's trade them or let them walk.

[MacGyver]

Brock has a 15 team no trade list and Thompson has a 5 team no go list. Players have a say in where they go. This isn't a cattle auction.  As Tony pointed out in the article Buffalo has a hard time attracting free agents. We are paddling that canoe with them. 

Edited 12 hours ago by MacGyver

[Pewterschmidt]

11 hours ago, mnfaninnc said:

becomes the new Wild AGM? 😉for Pewter

I’m not able to tell when you’re joking so please insert this emoji when joking or sarcastic

[Pewterschmidt]

11 hours ago, mnfaninnc said:

But....what if Charlie Stramel became a version of Thompson???

If my aunt had nuts she’d be my uncle - D. Cherry

[Scalptrash]

Nice to see a realist article. A lot of the comments are still in fantasy land though.🤣

[mnhockeyfan03]

3 hours ago, MacGyver said:

Brock has a 15 team no trade list and Thompson has a 5 team no go list. Players have a say in where they go. This isn't a cattle auction.  As Tony pointed out in the article Buffalo has a hard time attracting free agents. We are paddling that canoe with them. 

Brock Faber has no trade protection until 2030 and then he has a 15 team no trade list starting then. Thompson has a 5 team no trade list now but that’s normally for the Canadian teams. 

[SkolWild73]

I understand why many want to see us make a trade for a top 6 forward.  And yes it would cost us.  The problem is, I can’t remember a trade in the last 10-15 years that involves a top player that has any more than a year on their contract during the offseason.   These trades just don’t happen in the nhl.  Would love to see an example of one.  Although it would be nice to get a B. Tkachuk, Larkin or Thompson, it is highly unlikely.

[mnfaninnc]

14 hours ago, Kato AK said:

This is kind of poor analysis. Only 5 teams that made the playoffs spend less than the Wild on stopping the puck (Defense and Goalies). And the team that did spend less fall into two categories 1) D/G is obviously their weakness (TOR, MTL, LA, EDM) or 2) They are benefitting from an ELC that gets paid next year (NJD & EDM).

This is a good look at what other teams are doing. However, putting the D/G together does have an exception. Carolina is in the final 4 where they have spent pretty well on defense, but not on goalie. The goalie position from Waddell and Tulsky hasn't really been addressed with a true #1, and I would call it below average. Not paying attention to that position, I think, has gotten them about as far as they can go. 

Are the Canes contenders? They've made the Eastern Conference final 2/3 years. The team is built with no superstars and depth, play a structured game and have some semblance of special team competence. As is ours, they can get away with an average to above average goalie with their system. Personally, I think our Goose/The Wall tandem will be better than Andersen/Kotchenkov. 

Of course, the other weakness of Carolina is they are also too light.

[mnhockeyfan03]

8 minutes ago, mnfaninnc said:

This is a good look at what other teams are doing. However, putting the D/G together does have an exception. Carolina is in the final 4 where they have spent pretty well on defense, but not on goalie. The goalie position from Waddell and Tulsky hasn't really been addressed with a true #1, and I would call it below average. Not paying attention to that position, I think, has gotten them about as far as they can go. 

Are the Canes contenders? They've made the Eastern Conference final 2/3 years. The team is built with no superstars and depth, play a structured game and have some semblance of special team competence. As is ours, they can get away with an average to above average goalie with their system. Personally, I think our Goose/The Wall tandem will be better than Andersen/Kotchenkov. 

Of course, the other weakness of Carolina is they are also too light.

Very well stated.  Your last sentence says it all.  Carolina is very LIGHT on both the front and back end.  They are getting manhandled by Florida.  They played NJ in the first round who limped in with no Hughes and are also a small team.  Second round played the Caps who were overated and not a fast team.  The Caps speed could get around them.  They will never get by FL with their size.  Bennett is never going to be a free agent.  They will find a way to resign him.  A guy like Ekblad is what we need.  Big and mean and can clear front of net.  One of Faber, Spurg, or Brodin will need to be traded this summer to make the Wild better along with Rossi.  If they were really series as well Zucc would go as well. To get a 1C Faber or Zeev has to be in the trade.  

[mnfaninnc]

12 hours ago, mnhockeyfan03 said:

We need more speed size and skill in our top six and sorry Brock Nelson and Brock Boeser are not top 6 guys

According to the scoring stats, Brock Nelson is 49th in points with 26g & 30a. That fits right in the middle of a 2nd line C. Granted, a few of the guys on the list are listed at C and play wing, and a few more guys lower on the list had bad years/injured years. For instance, Ek was 112th on the list. 

Nelson was also a +8 on the season, and he played for another goal scoring challenged team in NYI. I would suggest we could expect about a 50 point season from him in our current system assuming a healthy season. I'd say that's a pretty average 2nd Line C option. 

Now, if Rossi is given better wings, I think he might be able to produce more points, but Nelson has some other aspects that will counterbalance the points that Rossi doesn't provide. 

[mnfaninnc]

6 hours ago, AKwildkraken said:

I think Buffalo is forced into trading their talent away, as players don't want to stay there.  It's trade them or let them walk.

bingo

 

[mnfaninnc]

5 hours ago, MacGyver said:

As Tony pointed out in the article Buffalo has a hard time attracting free agents. We are paddling that canoe with them.

Do we know where we stand on this list?

[0 Stanley Cups]

Teams that may have to make moves this offseason whether it's due to cap constraints, locker room issues, or having to rebuild would be NYR, NYI, NJD, BOS, NAS, or VAN.  Teams like BUF, DET, or OTT are not going to deplete their roster by moving top end talent.

Everything should be on the table from the Wild except 97, and essentially EEk since we wouldn't further deplete our center position.  Only signing Brock Nelson would be an underwhelming move at this stage.

Addressing the center depth, and although I like our defense, they lack the size/physical toughness to punish other teams down low, Midsy is just ok, Spurg/Brods are great but often injured for stretches, but maybe that's ok since it'll give Buium and Jiricek more temporary opportunities next year