Episode 127 – 2025 Offseason Preview | The Sabre Report Podcast

Episode 127 – 2025 Offseason Preview | The Sabre Report Podcast

episode [Music] 127 and we are officially into draft week and nothing has changed actually Not not a single not a single thing I saw a stat the other day The only two teams to do absolutely nothing since the season ended since the regular season ended is the Buffalo Sabres and the Toronto Maple Leafs That’s it Well the Toronto Maple Leafs at least they fired their or I didn’t they didn’t come to new contract with Brendan Shanahan so that technically should be a change Well we did Hey who did fire Ed Ganon Ed Ganon We heard Yarmmo I wasn’t even thinking about Yarma I was thinking about Ed Ganon Forgot about that Poor guy Edon His name has gotten so much he’s he’s probably gotten more airtime on this show than he’s ever had like in the organization Just getting credit I will never forget about him I think about him every time I close my my eyes at night I think about him God help him if he ever tunes into this on an accident and hears that Two teams That’s it Do you want to know what our last what the what the Buffalo Sabres last move like signing was Anything It was Jacob Jacobson It was not I don’t believe it was It could have been actually but I don’t think it was Was it I’m trying to think of callups and was it like sending Oseland back down to the AHL No we’re not counting that Okay Uh okay So big club moves Um trying to think I’ll give you a hint It was an ELC Oh who did we just give an ELC to Um I mean I guess it wasn’t very recently It had to be during the season It was March 28th Tobias Lennin entry level contract That was the last move that the Sabres made Watch out Devin Levi Tobias Lennin is coming for you That was almost three months ago man Well there’s no rush you know You just you don’t need a sense of urgency in a season like this Just hang out and just you know go with the flow man Still few days I I I think it’s I’m not like freaking out because I a I mean this was a huge discussion over the last few episodes because we’ve talked so much about Josh Norris and more specifically the Dylan Cousins trade and how you could have probably waited until this off season to you know gauge that market but instead you ended up doing that deal and ending up with a return that I mean personally I didn’t like It’s not that it won’t work I just not the biggest fan of it as time moves on here But you know if you rush into moves if you get pressured into something by the fan base you could end up with that But you could also end up with the Ryan Mloud trade Somebody shouted at Kevin Adams and he immediately got on the phone I think wasn’t the trade done that day The Sabres finished up their development camp Kevin Adams is addressing the crowd on the microphone and somebody’s screaming at him from the crowd to do something and he’s like “All right fine Fine.” I forgot about that Did do we always have to like yell at him to do something Why can’t he just do something without telling us That’s why Yarmmo like a normal GM Yarmo’s in there to yell at him Pick up the goddamn phone just yelling at him from across the office I’m not Jim Niels’s calling you for the 30th time you you you didn’t return his call on lunch I’m not upset there hasn’t been any moves I’m just I’m craving one Like there’s been so much smoke around and I mean there’s been quote unquote rumors about other players and I’m just craving some sort of move Quote unquote according to who Which which account are you referring to Well it could be more than one account I mean I would say it’s it’s tough to to see what’s real If it comes from Freriedman it’s real If it comes from Frank Frank Spaghetti probably just making some [ __ ] up Uh it’s like 50/50 It’s 5050 No with the Sabres Look there’s I there’s not He was the first one to know about the Terry Pagula meeting He was the first one to to say what was said in it He’s 5050 I feel like but he is annoyingly he’s annoyingly stubborn about this Peter stuff Yeah he is It makes you raise an eyebrow He’s been on this for a while and if he’s wrong about this you know he has a lifetime of uh there’s a lifetime of uh things to throw back at his face whenever he reports on something He’s already discredit He said they weren’t serious and he got traded But then the fourth period they don’t know [ __ ] about the Sabres and then I mean they know zero They have not gotten a single thing right They don’t get anything That’s why we were only linked to one one person in their 40 40 top It was Brock Besser who like no literally no connection at all just moved They’re moving Tage Thompson to the wing and Alex Tuck is also in their top six Where’s Brock Besser going to play Yeah but the go you’re I think you’re neglecting one of them The rookie rookie of the NHL offseason NHL rumor What is it NHL rumor account or No he’s not rookie of the year You can’t you can’t regurgitate what other people saying in a misleading way Yeah he’s basically just funneling quotes Who does he think he is Uh Ro uh what was the account’s name Roger Roger Roger Like he’s no Roger Hick Roger Hicks had sources This NHL rumor account has zero sources He’s just spouting whatever somebody else says I don’t know about you guys I’m I’m a big fan of the NHL insider with two Rs at the end of it The guy with the question mark PFP screams insider Claims he is insiders is everyone claims they have insiders if they say they’re an insider account NHL rumor account like they must be like either like on summer vacation or they’re unemployed because literally anything happens They’re right there It’s got to be a bomb No no they don’t Because this is what’s happened a few times is he’s he or she has written something like he he’s written a quote unquote report about something that was talked about like 24 hours earlier like the like everybody was talking like he circulated this the the report about the Sabres considering a buyout or trade on Samuelson I’m just like we saw this clip yesterday Like somebody on Saber’s Twitter posted the clip from Sarah’s podcast 24 hours before Why are we acting like this is new information I hate it It’s from I hate that account I Cuz I He Just cuz you have a check mark doesn’t mean you’re accredited account Why is it this off seasonason too His account it says he’s been around for like a very long time He decided to lock in for this off season Yeah He saw Roger Hicks retire And maybe it is Roger Hicks He’s running two accounts I wonder what the last Roger Hicks tweet was cuz I know he he he I think it was Sabers tweet Yes it was He tweeted 16 minutes ago He’s been he’s been acting What He’s back He’s back He’s back Roger Hicks I’m pretty sure it was a Sabres tweet before that though His most recent tweet 16 minutes ago Islanders and Leafs have not discussed a swap involving Morgan Riley and Noah Dobson but both players are being shopped Oh he is cooking I see those tweets I’m so glad he’s back Okay Canes are heavy on on Mner Let me see if I can find a Sabres Let me see if I can find something Sabres related here Oh here’s one Sabres and New York Rangers have had extensive talks leading up to the NHL draft involving Purka Byum Lafrenier and Keandre Miller Does he listen to the pod Is that a thing That was our thing Roger listens to the pod No way We were just talking about that last episode There’s another one too from seven hours ago Savers and Canucks discussing a bow and broom trade Picks involved More to come There was no the narrator There was not more to come I’m I’m gonna have to put notifications on for Roger Hicks I trust him You’re gonna get spammed with so many Yeah So he Yeah He was his his last tweet before this fresh batch was from March 7th about the Stars and the Wyatt Johnson extension The Stars He was the first one to break that That makes sense And then he said one day ago he said “Now that the season is officially wrapped up I can finally get back to the old rumor mill Some big New York Rangers and Leafs news to share Let’s go.” I’ll give him a follow I’ll drop a follow I’m interested He’s back Do you guys remember that NHL Rumors Daily account Mhm Yes He was like I always thought he was legit because I swear he got stuff right I thought I I seen something from him recently I remember like Peters and Rey had him on and like he he I think he used to have a podcast too NRD Yeah man He’s got almost 50,000 followers but he hasn’t he hasn’t tweeted in almost a year Pretty sure he was he was uh one of the guys tweeting sources about the Eel stuff I was just about to say I remember he was tweeting stuff about the Wild and then maybe it was the Avalanche and then both those were two teams that confirmed that Eel confirmed that like at separate points in time he thought he was going to each of those teams I think he also was like the one person to predict Risto to the Flyers Let me see When was the last time NRD tweeted It’s been His last tweet was June uh July 2nd 2024 Damn Well he can make a comeback Yeah maybe It’s only been a year I mean he definitely could It’s come back Break break break where Mitchie Mner’s going and then leave again and just go back Yeah Do the old Bob McKenzie What did Bob McKenzie come out of retirement to say He like he like broke some news the one year He’s like “All right back to my margaritas.” Back back to my margaritas I don’t know if I scroll farther back I’m trying to I’m trying to find to see if he said anything about the Aristo trade because that would be that would be pretty interesting if he did say something like that Oh there it is He he came out of retirement last year on free agency day one to report Matt Dumbo to the Dallas Stars What a breaking news Here’s a here’s a [ __ ] sandwich Dallas All right going back to my margaritas Bye We shouldn’t be laughing He he might get traded here Matt Dumba Nah he’s going to be a captain somewhere Right-handed defenseman without a trade clause [Music] I don’t know Oh Oh look at that the another insider switching up on the Elias Patterson stuff Now he’s like it’s it’s looking more and more unlikely Yeah 15 people have said 15 different things That’s what that’s what I hate about the rumor mill sometimes Just so much crap The EP4 I don’t think it happens man I wish I like I don’t know I But there’s a week until his his uh no trade clause gets put in place so it makes sense why the rumors are starting to happen Well it’s not even that You couple that together Like if Quinn Hughes goes why even keep Person Yeah Right And like Quinn Hughes could be gone as soon as next season They said if he doesn’t have a contract they’re going to trade him at the deadline Yeah And for me at least to bring it it’s like rumored rumor has it they’re interested in Byum they’re interested in Purka It’s like kind of lines up And we know they’ve liked Norris in the past I know the Sabres probably won’t trade him but there’s players that the Conucks are interested that the Sabres have So that’s why it just piques my interest I’m not saying it’s going to happen but I think if it were to happen we might you know be one of the front runners Unfortunately there’s so many things I want for this team to happen over the offseason but I don’t know I just I’ve seen the song and dance so much There’s been some fun rumors It’s not going to happen There’s been some fun rumor rumors that could still happen But let let’s get into the meat of the conversation So draft week draft is in four days Uh nothing has happened yet Barely any NHL trades I mean you got I mean yesterday the the uh Kevin Durant was sent to the Houston Rockets for the NBA And I don’t Did the NHL have a trade Did they have a single trade I missed that There was a swap We had an We had a We had a Andre Burikovski Yeah I think that Yeah that was what that was Was the NHL swap They started the morning with an Andre Burkovski uh cap dump and that was it Exciting stuff I mean today was pretty interesting though I mean Freeman tweets out that the Ducks are going to trade Ziggress and then 45 finally Yeah Zigger’s getting moved finally was interesting It took long enough It’s It just seemed like the writing on the wall was there for such a long time He’s just not a flyer He missed He missed Tortoella by Yeah Three months Three months would have been so close They were so close And it’s not even like uh you can be I don’t even think you can really say like oh they would have never done it while Torch was head coach Like I don’t know Does Trevor Zagris scream Rick Tocket player to you No definitely not Yeah that’s fun It should be interesting to see how that one pans out Um I didn’t have any interest in him personally because I mean the Anaheim Ducks didn’t believe in him as a centerman and I don’t think the Buffalo Sabers should be taking that gamble right now with their center depth which will be a little bit of our conversation today But now that the the the off season is beginning to kick up we’re going to see more stuff in the coming days What what does a successful Buffalo Sabres off season look like Like something that you can be you know what they they did a good job This team got a lot better and they can compete for a playoff spot next year I would say one addition at least one addition to the top six and one addition to one of our top two pairs I think that would be a successful offseason Just one of each I mean I think that’s realistic too Like I I think we’re not talking realistic I I still think one of each is successful Like it might not be you know the best offseason you can imagine but I think it’s successful Well like talk through that Like what does like I don’t know G give me two names for example that it could be like commonly mocked name I mean don’t say Mitch Martner but uh I got some ideas if you don’t have any um no like Person um Rossi Rossi is probably the more more out there name okay um that I think realistic defense I don’t know it’s tough I mean like no adoption is obviously the biggest name but I can’t really see that happening That’d be a lot of money Um I mean Gabricov is a free agent I could kind of see that but I don’t defense is tougher but I I You’re good You’re good with You’re good with one move like one top four edition I’m not saying like I if we’re talking realistic that could be but are you if you go into opening night and either Jacob Bernard Docker Connor Clifton or Matias Samuelson are in your top four is that a successful off season I mean keep it keep it a buck No I’m not saying I’m not saying like failure It’s not the spinning we’re spinning our tires man at this point you’re you’re f if you’re Adam’s and it’s it’s weird because this this organization is such a weird they they unfortunately they don’t operate like any serious organization because you’re in year five of this [ __ ] It’s like dude aren’t are you going to are you going to try swinging for the fences at some point But of course no he’s securing his job Obviously all he had to do is you know make a PowerPoint for Terry on his yacht and got himself an extra season But I think I think they they need to make multiple multiple moves this off season just to prove and I’m not saying to make a trade make a trade just to make a trade but like you need to be active most of this off season A just to get a little bit of life in your locker room and you know shake it up a bit and b just just bring your fan base back a little bit Like for me I think successful would be like if somehow you got a Marco Rossy trade over the finish line and then maybe you added like a Cody Glass into your lineup and then you you made a you made a trade for a defenseman I don’t know I don’t care if it’s Dobson still just one We’re still talking one defenseman You got you got so much money tied up in Dalene and power I mean I feel like I feel like you could honestly it unfortunately I I’m more deterred from this now because of his injury at the end of last year but I could have seen like a power pair and then maybe you got one of your you’re a little more stacked on the left side You could always try and you know rotate a guy up and then make a trade on the right side So your your I guess your issue would be more on the left side of it being weaker You have better depth That would be hilarious After all this all after all this the left-handed defense would be like the weak side You have Darene Power Byum Samuelson all at one point in time Not to say all of them you know two of those players are very very flawed But still that would be funny if you were still at the end of this searching for a left-handed defenseman And we we haven’t mentioned the most mock defenseman to us is Lilligrin from the Sharks I mean oh yeah I forgot about that That’s literally the most mock trade is you know Byum for Lilly Grin and 30 So I mean that that too But I just I don’t know how feasible it will be to make multiple moves with the defense at least like top four Like I could see them making you know making adjustments to you know they grab a guy for the bottom pair and then grab a guy for the top four Like I could still see them making two moves I just I don’t know if asking for two new top four defenseman is really realistic I mean it’s not easy but I feel like that just falls into the same conversation that we’ve had for so long where it’s like well it’s tough It’s tough to make trades It’s tough to sign people in Buffalo It’s tough to upgrade a roster I’m not Look what you’re saying is is that realistic side of the spectrum It just you know a successful off season to me I I think it’s it’s tough because now it’s like it’s really come to the forefront of my brain that like this center core just straight up is not good enough whatsoever Like it’s it’s not it’s not good enough It’s not going to get you If that is your center core from game one to 82 and you somehow even if you know if you get a healthy Josh Norris I don’t know if you can’t make the playoffs like that You can’t Yuri Koulik as your first line or Josh Norris as your first line center is not going to get you into the playoffs It’s I mean there are worse center C like you know the Montreal Canadians a little I don’t think it’s overblown I don’t think it’s overblown I think how people are talking on Twitter I mean Jay Fresh said it was 32 Like I don’t think it’s that bad Like Jonah Jonah said we have like I mean it’s it’s better It’s better than probably you know Chicago’s but like Mlin Celibbrini would be the best center on this roster right now I agree But I think Mloud is a third center One of the best third centers in the league He’s great He’s He’s the best I I think literally he could be the best third line center in hockey you know depending on like I’m trying to think of other teams that have deep center cores Like you know Dallas has hints Wyatt Johnston and then you know uh Matt Duchain if they spread those three out I don’t think they usually do but like that’s an example There’s also um uh I mean the Leafs you could make an argument like with Max and Mloud’s better than Max Doli I don’t know Like there’s not a lot of teams like Florida probably is like the other team with like a really and like uh like Looster or Lundell as your third line center It’s just ridiculous Um but it doesn’t matter cuz Josh like even Yuri Koulique or Josh Norris as your second line center Even though I’m not a fan of Josh Norris uh as your second line center like okay but your first line center if you don’t nail your first line center you’re screwed You’re going nowhere you’re not you’re going to be struggling to compete unless you have you know other you know unless you have one of the best defensive groups in hockey unless you have a scorching hot power play Like the only other team I guess I can really think of is I don’t know like the Winnipeg Jets maybe but even then like Shley’s a he’s probably not what you want as your first line center I guess in the same way he’s similar to TA in that regard but like that team has the best goalie in hockey a very good you know very good special teams It the Sabres don’t have those other extenduating uh or those extracurricular uh abilities of of their roster to to push them that far So like if you don’t have that nailed down you’re I just you’re going to struggle to complete compete for a playoff spot Yeah I’m not trying to dump on Josh Norris or anything because I feel like after three games playing with this team it’s extremely difficult to make an accurate assumption of how he’s going to do here But when you see that they are mocking him as like oh he’s going to be our guy he’s going to be the number two slashnumber one center on this team when his primary assists per hour are worse than Ryan Reeves Like dude you got to be a playm you like he’s a finisher It’s like you have another finishing type on this roster You don’t have a primary playmaker You thought you could have got that out of Cousins and clearly it wasn’t it with this trade I guess you upgraded in the defensive category for him a little bit but he he’s never been known to be a two like a great you know he a center The the job of a center is to set everyone else up You got to set these wingers up to score He he can’t do that And it just it it worries me to an end which is like why not just move on from him And at at this point it seems like Lindy and Kevin and they’re all like set in stone on this guy after he’s only played three games I I I don’t understand Like if if you’re not going to go out and upgrade or at least at least if the offer is entertained to you are you just going to be like “No I think we’re we’re all set with Josh Norris You could keep Marco Rossy or Elias Person.” I mean you shouldn’t have any loyalty Look at what the Avalanche are doing with you know uh Charlie Coyle It’s someone they traded Middlestat for a few months ago He played like 20 games for them Uh got they got eliminated in the first round and they’re already looking to move on And he wasn’t even supposed to be a rental So you shouldn’t have I don’t understand where it comes from Josh Norris you know especially you know because JP said like for example like a player like Noah Dobson isn’t realistic because you know the money it’s a lot of it’s a lot of money tied up into your defense but it it becomes a lot more feasible if $8 million isn’t being put into a player that in his career at best has been slightly above average You know I I think this is this is this is a conversation about the center core but it a it trickles down It affects the rest of the roster Everything bleeds into Josh Norris being signed for $8 million for the next five years The tuck conversation is going to be affected by that The Zack Benson extension the Purka extension right now Um it it just damn it’s it frust it’s frustrating because it’s also it’s probably it they need a one you know because if Tage Thompson is moved to the wing they need a first line center They need the hardest position to find in the sport other than a top pair right-handed defenseman That is the toughest position to get in the sport Well I mean that that might not be too far away with what Frank Spaghetti is saying Uh this is from the NHL rumor report at 9:01 [ __ ] you The Blackhawks have discussed moving the third overall pick in a trade for Sabres JJ Purka Oh no Don’t Hasn’t hasn’t generated much traction JP didn’t hear that He said it hasn’t generated a lot of traction There’s not rumors Oh there’s no reason might fall that he might fall past two Not going past two If heell goes at if ifell goes at two and the savers trade Purka for pick three I think JP might like ascend to Christian’s apartment on Friday That would be insane Genuinely if if he falls a three like do it Like I I I don’t care Like oh my god Yeah but you get younger again you get is as much is probably not making your team as much as I wanted I don’t know that would be tough if it was clearing up money if you are trading Purka for Misa straight up I don’t think I’d do it dude That’s but this is like the conversation we had about uh like a debate we had a long remember the a long time ago when I when I was like would you trade Tae Thompson for the first overall pick back in 2023 Yeah Right now right now I know but I’m just right now it doesn’t sound as good It doesn’t m look at we the two people in that tweet are the two we’ve probably [ __ ] on the most this episode So we’re not even I’m not even going to entertain that I highly highly doubt the Blackhawks have offered third for Purka And I and it would make no sense because that is that goes against all the messaging the Savers have been about right Yeah Getting you know growing your home players and not it’s also bitten them You got to start you got to move some guys man You can’t again with the lawy I I love I love the idea of the culture of you want to build a a team that embraces this city and wants to play for your city but this business will eat you alive You you got to go out and just you find the next guy that wants to play here And you know what Guess what If he doesn’t like playing here and he’s on a contract he’ll learn to like it because he’s not going anywhere I if they were to make a move like that it would pretty much be like Purka’s on the way out no matter what and they think that’s the best offer Like I I don’t think they’re probably not looking for that We we know supposedly they’re not looking for futures as they shouldn’t be But if that’s the best offer um and I I feel like if you were to make that trade too it would be a draft night trade Misa three and then you you don’t you Yeah you don’t tur for unless Misa I I think like even if somehow because I I still think there’s been debate from the the Islanders but I think they’re going to take Schaefer but even if Schaefer fell to three I don’t I probably wouldn’t you know it’s not a positional need like Misa solves a lot of things if he turns into the player that he’s supposed to be Yeah we can’t keep waiting around anymore guys It’s just not the offense This This is the Josh Norris conversation though Is I If it’s for If it’s for Misa if it’s for me like Misa is you know special player Yeah God All right JP stop crushing I haven’t I haven’t talked about him in a long time All right I’ve I haven’t talked about him probably since we lost the lottery You’re probably going to cry on Friday when they take him when he goes off the board at two If he goes at two I’m not going to be upset If he goes at three then I’ll be upset San Jose is just the wasteland of draft crushes Yeah previous draft crushes Yeah they got a Will Eklund good squad Will Eklund just like mysteriously came into he he popped into my head at at the at the gym the other day I don’t know I just was my my mind was wandering and it fell upon him Trying to remember why I mean there’s another I think it might have been about the Hagens conversation because it’s like every it’s like every draft there’s that one guy that is projected to go top five maybe even top three and they just fall and fall and fall Like last year was it was probably Zeve Buouham The year before was Zack Benson Uh the year before that honestly it was probably Matt Seavoy year before that it was Ecklland Why you got to include um what’s his name The guy who ended up going to Seattle but he was like favored to be the first pick Oh yeah Shane Wright Shane Wright Yeah Yeah Jay Fresh is on the Misa side of this whole argument He said that Purka is good but I do not believe that the Hawks would be willing to potentially give up a player like Michael Misa Yeah I don’t know why they would do that to be honest I think they would do that because they want to get a topline winger to play beside Bard and since they already have a topline center that would be Misa is a better option at center than Bard Yeah I don’t know The Burkus so interesting though because like we said earlier Frank Spaghetti is like insistent that like he might not even be in a Sabres uniform come October That it’s some strong some very strong quotes Yeah Like and then on the other side of the spectrum it’s Freman is disputed at every corner So it’s like it’s really it’s got to lie somewhere in between Like I don’t know It’s really interesting It’s just a lot of there’s a lot of like uh he just feels very like visceral with this stuff like he is he has said it time and time again since the deadline and it just makes you wonder that may I don’t know maybe there is something to this but like you said Freeman has reported has repeatedly been like you know it’s something the Sabres do not want to do you you talked about draft a draft night deal for example and you know the no adoption idea was one that was floated out there because uh Chad Daminis of expected Buffalo had reported that the Sabres had been receiving some calls on ninth overall And one of those teams was the New York Islanders and you look at the New York Islanders if you go to their Puckedia page for example uh of all the players with no trade clauses and no move clauses uh or at least uh players without them there’s really only one decent player Unless you’re acquiring the signing rights to Hudson fashion it’s no it’s no adoption RFA doesn’t have a contract You know it’s pretty uh it’s been pretty well reported that those that the two parties are not really close to a contract I mean came out the other day Noah Dobson’s his camp’s asking price was $11 million per season Um that’s the one player that makes a lot of sense So you can kind of connect some dots given the fact that uh they are a team that I I I feel like it has been reported that they do really like James Hagens Uh you know obviously very he’s a very good prospect but also is from Long Island Makes you wonder if on draft night we get to ninth overall and James Hagens is on the board is there a possibility that that pick gets flipped in a deal for Noah Dobson And there’s your big you know that’s probably your big offseason edition I mean Noah Dobson was in the Norris conversation last year even 22 23 He was kind of a darkhorse pick um had a tough year by his standards this this year Isles fans were on him a lot It to me it was very reminiscent reminiscent of how people uh discuss Evan Bousard at times Very bad turnovers and uh defensive awareness at points But overall this is a player who for a lot of other teams would be their number one defenseman You’d come in probably you’d be number two He’d come in over power I feel like especially I mean he’s right-handed defenseman Um I I mean I I do think that kind of is like a slam dunk kind of player to target Like I think he’s your best target out there for a defenseman It’s just whether you want to invest $30 million into your defense core That that’s that’s what it comes out The cap is going up though The cap will be over a hundred million in a couple years To me it it’d be a no-brainer But what scares me is just the idea of them doing and you can’t be scared of doing these ideas because at this point you take what you get with this franchise I just hope they they don’t look at it and go “Okay we did it guys We’re all done No more We got Josh Norris and we got this guy and we’re good to go for next season Team run it back again.” It’s like they got to you got to keep going It’s the contract dispute is interesting because like I said $11 million per season I mean that is obviously Don lean money Obviously you know that’s the Dobson’s camps ask So you know you would reasonably meet in the middle So you would imagine it would probably land somewhere in the nines So you know then the question obviously becomes are you okay paying three defensemen over $8 million And you know if if the Sabres go out and acquire Dobson I I think you know it’s going to be a mostly positive reception because there are too many um you know it’s obviously a huge upgrade I mean he he comes on this roster he’s the best right-handed defenseman since Calder Tyler Myers Yeah I mean and before that was Ludman a right-handed before it was TO they were both lefties It was basically Teo Numan Teo Newman was here for I mean he was only here for a few years but he was also at like the end of his career at that point So you’re talking the best right-handed defenseman in a very very long time for the team Um but you know when you know the three of us discussed this a little bit amongst ourselves One of my main concerns is just is this It’s kind of the Bum conversation a little bit just like is this the place where he can get maximized the most you know he is a guy who has gotten all the all the the all the opportunity on Long Island you know as in power play time Uh you know he comes here and he’s immediately fighting for second power play unit time with power And I don’t know is that is that a situation where you know you can justify paying can can you justify paying a defenseman $9 million to possibly be your number three and not even play on the power play Well let me let me let me pitch you a scenario here They get Noah adoptson and then they flip Owen Power for something else Nope I I actually just almost spit out my drink No I’m here to ask some hard questions today boys If we’re looking for a roster shakeup here I’m not saying I’m not saying sell Owen Power off That is interesting Let’s let’s let’s let’s let’s uh let’s think about it a little bit If you move power maybe you can get better in two areas Or maybe you could upgrade your forward group Well you’re definitely not getting better if you move power It’s like a lateral move It’s just going from left-handed defenseman to right-handed defenseman I feel like I’m not saying trade him for a def Well I’m not saying if you bring in Doss and then you trade power I just feel like that’s pretty lateral I understand that But also you guys are saying are you comfortable paying three defenseman this amount of money I mean am I comfortable got to give right As you said beggars can’t be choosers here Okay And you know it it’s kind of it’s What if you could flip Owen Power for that number one They’re not flipping Owen Power What if you could though Would you do it just hypothetically Not saying it’s possible Would you do that you if you get Dobson I guess if in a perfect like this is what like a perfect universe looks like uh not perfect but like in this scenario if you can get Dobson for you know for example the trade that Chad proposed in his mock offseason articles article was Dobson for Samuelson and ninth overall like I just think I think that’s a slam dunk trade you get out of a long-term deal in Samuelson um and get you know arguably a number one defenseman back and then if you flip Owen Power to solve your 1C problem like do you like if you traded Power for What would the hell would the comp even be Would P would that be would that be the Quinn Hughes um Quinn Hughes solution Honestly they probably would do that I mean they should They probably should I don’t know Like who I feel like even then like Person’s like he’s I love him to death but he’s a question mark a little bit Mhm Like I feel like with power you’d want to shoot higher Be something you it would be kind of like someone you wouldn’t expect What if it was like a uh ah man I don’t know our are our are our Tammy Panera Now uh it’s got to be a number one If you’re trading power it has to solve a problem And right now the biggest problem on this team long-term is 1C They don’t have a 1C So who who has a who has a solid who’s who’s in the who has a solid 1C in the market I’m just trying to run through my head I I think well a team that doesn’t have a number one left-handed defenseman and has a number one center that maybe they would tra trade for power like maybe St Louis Would they give you Robert Thomas Is Robert Thomas that guy though Is he that guy I think he can be I think he’s very very You think he can be He’s underrated Well I mean I mean like on a cup content like he’s a number one center 100% I mean St Lewis has gotten to the playoffs multiple times with him as the 1C I mean was he technically Well he wasn’t technically the 1C on the Cup team Obviously that was he who should not shall not be named But uh I’m trying to think like who else I feel like that’s the only one that makes sense like similar age Other than that like yeah you’re David David Posternack Like I said it’s got to be a center man And even then he’s going into his 30s Yeah Yeah It’s weird because it’s like all those all those I feel like a lot of the really like high high octane the type of guys are just like pure goal scorers A lot of them are wingers I’m not saying all of them but like some centers are very underrated Like that’s the thing about Ta Thompson You know you put him at center he’s a one I think he’s a one he’s a firstline center And there are teams with similar issues to the Sabres right now that do not have a player that good But if you move them to the wing well that’s not that impressive A lot of teams have wingers that put up the point totals that Ta Thompson puts up on the wing I mean what’s what’s the last cup winner who won without like a bonafide firstline center Like someone that you could be like I can’t I’m actually very surprised they won a cup It might have been the Blues Yeah Was it St Louis But at the same time Ryan O’Reilly won the K smite Like he was absolutely one C level The year before that was Washington And then before that was the Penguins So you’re probably going back a while Would I don’t think I don’t think they would ever do this ever I don’t think they’d ever do that Not the Sabres I’m talking about the team I’m about to mention If you tried to flip power for like a Connor Badard I think he’s but I think he’s too important to the brand Well I also think he’s like he’s tag he’s like small Tage Thompson but like I feel like we’re back here in a few years You don’t think he’s the center I don’t think he’s I don’t think he’s a center No I don’t think he is He’s too I think he’s unironically I like I think he’s too small to be one on a cup contender Okay that’s just my opinion Mlin Celabbrini would be nice that I they wouldn’t do it They wouldn’t No they wouldn’t But like it would make a lot of sense cuz they need a number one They have Sam Dickinson and that they drafted Misa Maybe No I’m saying this is all the Sharks got Misa then traded No I know Yeah if you have Misa and Eklund like that’s something But I don’t know But all I’m saying is I feel like this is a good just a constructive conversation and thought just to you know talk this stuff out I think it’s interesting stuff like this could happen It’s not It’s not going to but like No I think it’s going to No I’m but I’m saying it’s it is fascinating because you know like Noah Dobson like best case scenario he probably is number two on a you know on a team’s roster you know like he can be a number one but I’m saying like oh it would be perfect if he was the number two and if you get Dobson and you lock him up long term like okay maybe you do think about what you can get for power just like very quietly you know that actually actually You know what I I do think it has credence because you know we’re having like how else are you going to get a 1C in this league I did it I put the idea in his head guys It’s a fascinating idea because how else are you going to get a one C in this in you know from now to the future Like if it’s not better you trade you trade one of your star defenseman It’s really the only way to go Maybe like I get you know I don’t know I I think the conversation would have credibility if we did the Dobson move and Power had an all right year this next year Then I think it would have some serious credibility I can’t see them doing it this this off seasonason but I think if they ended up getting Dobson that that’s that puts some pressure on to power to perform right And you think about it it’s like it’s it’s kind of the idea you never want to say out loud because you never you never think to yourself man I don’t I don’t want to you you always think I never want to part with this guy But you but like like you guys were like Jonah was saying at the beginning are you comfortable paying three of these defenseman this amount of money over this amount of years You have an issue in your forward group and you have an abundance somewhere else So you take your assets and you if you get Dobson if you get Dobson for like relatively cheap you know like ninth overall Ninth overall for a top pair right-handed defenseman that’d be a great trade Like that’s it’s insanely good value Yeah I still don’t understand why the Islanders are like entertaining it It doesn’t really make sense They I mean they’re getting a new franchise defenseman He’s a left-handed defenseman though Well I know but you know they still have Pulock and Pel’s left-handed but they have guys obviously Hey Tony D’Angelo had a great season there Great little run but I think it makes sense why because he’s also he’s asking for a ton of money and they’ve got a lot of money tied up and Barzel and um PJO is still getting paid a decent amount I think I understand why they’re doing it I wouldn’t because you know not every day you walk into a scenario with a right-handed defenseman on your top pair but I get it Um it’s it’s a fun scenario and if I if Higgins is on the board it it makes makes you wonder what goes down there If Hagen if Hagens falls to nine and we’re sitting there I will do a heel click walking up to the podium That’s the other thing Would you rather just draft James Hagens if he falls to nine than trade it for Noah Dobson I think Jesse would abandon his his Sabres fandom if we we traded away the pick and he found us I was talking to him the other day about it He’s like “You don’t actually think he’s falling a nine do you?” I’m like “It’s more possible than you think.” Crazy That’ be great Well you didn’t give me an answer Which one would you rather do Trade Uh I’d rather um Yeah I think I’m going to have to go with Dobson because he gets it makes you better now Yeah And just I’m sure James Hagens will be a a fine player in this league But unfortunately this organization isn’t at a point where waiting around is an option anymore At least right now We’ll we’ll reassess that after this season Okay How do you think these next two weeks go What do you We talked about the the the the successful scenario or like what it would generally look like to us Uh we talked about some fun trade stuff but I guess now we’re into now we’re into the realistic part of it all two weeks time you know when the GMs put in their hard three to four days of work and then head to their cabins What are the Savers going to be sitting with The cabin talk I hate it Everyone goes everyone goes to their cottage for the summer You What are my realistic expectations Yes Realistic They’re so They’re so They’re so low dude They’re so low I hate it I’ve just Yeah I’ve been burned so many times over the last few years because of you think you think they’re going to do everything they can to make the team better and they just don’t prove it to you and then you know what you’re going to get in the season and they’re shocked by it So at this point I’m just like I don’t I don’t think the Dobson thing is going to happen I I would say maybe there’s one trade for maybe a middle six guy and then you think anything gets done that excites us you know like like the Mloud trade I was really I mean when we record when JP and I recorded the Mloud episode we said this is a good start to the off season I think I even tweeted out like right now Kevin Adams is having a B+ off season but if he gets to the regular season and this is it it’s it’s an F Obviously we know what we knew what happened but do they have a move like the Mloud trade that gets us excited It’ll be like Cody Glass or something for like for example like Timothy Lilligrren would not be categorized as that I I like him I don’t like him like he’s not a slam dunk addition to the top four group like Mloud was to third line center I would say that the one thing that I could maybe see happening just because of how he’s been treated in his organization is a deal for Marco Rossy That is like at my absolute ceiling of what I think could possibly happen within realistic expectations I’ve given up on Marner I’ve given up on a lot of the high-end free agent signings is I I think that’s the one first I I I think there’s going to be a buyer trade I think it’s going to be pretty predictable We’re going to get it back a defenseman maybe like a late first I think that’s going to be pretty predictable I do think there will be one surprise trade in there Um I guess you could categorize like Rossi as that Um but I think there’s going to be something that will come out of left field just because the Sabres most of their trades honestly just come out of nowhere So I think there will be something that kind of excites us I don’t know if it’s going to be like a huge move but it’s going to be one we didn’t expect and that we’re going to be excited that it happened Um but since we brought up Marco Rossi if you trade for Marco Rossi is he like is he a slam dunk number one center No like he’s a different skill set for Norris and Koulique I agree with that Like that’s why I would be happy we get him but I know he’s like the talked about guy now to you know maybe be our 1C I I don’t know if he’s better than Koulique Like different skill set but it’s like I don’t know if he’s a slammed up 1C He’s already better than Koul I think he’s Well he’s he’s definitely better right now He’s more established Like he just came off a career 50point season I think my thing is like I think Koulik Koulik could be a 1C one day and not like a bonafide everyday 1C but someone who could like get hot in the playoffs and take you far Um I think the difference between why the center spine is scary right now is because you want if you go off the lines at the end of last season Yuri Koulik is your day one first line center or it’s Josh Norris Um but if it’s Yuri Koulik like do you want a 20-year-old as your game one to eight Why is he 21 yet I don’t know Do you want him Is he an 82 game first line center I don’t think he is No he’s still I mean do we even categorize last season as a full rookie season I mean it’s pretty close but um I I guess you can say yes but even then like sophomore slump could happen with Rossi You know there’s there’s precedence of him getting a team to the playoffs as their first line center I mean the Wilds had a [ __ ] ton of injuries last year Uh you know they had a hot start and they kind of cooled off as the season went along before everybody got healthy and they got hot again before the playoffs but Rossy was the guy healthy the full season playing firstline minutes with Joel Ericson outs He helped that team get to the playoffs So I think if the Sabres trade for him he can be your 1C but not long He still doesn’t solve your long-term issue Like if we’re talking like I know you know we’re rooting for a team that is 14 years into a playoff drought The bar is super low All that we all that we are discussing in daytoday is how to get this team to the playoffs But if you take a step back and you say okay let’s say you get there then what Well your center spine is you’re still missing the number one center like a a bonafide number one So you know the conversation we’ve had about their centers it’s not fixed with Rossi in the long term but I think if you trade for Rossi I can get on board with okay this center spine can get you to the playoffs but then it become but then if you if you trade for Mloud then it’s like okay well what is your center or not Mloud if you trade for Rossy then it’s like what is your center spine It would probably be Rossy Norris Mloud then Koulie goes to wing Koulie will move to wing Yeah I think more or less the point I’m trying to make is every like everybody’s you know criticizing Koulique since he’s 21 which I get he’s young but it’s like Rossy’s barely two years older than him Like he’s played three times as many games and he’s played two full seasons Kiki’s basically played one full season I just don’t think the difference is that much But I would like Rossy’s skill set more than Koulique probably as our as our one se No I’d like skill set over Josh Norris’s Well no doubt Get him out of here Yeah No I mean Ross is definitely he’s a he’s a much much more responsible player defensively than Koulique probably will ever be Um I but I I do think if Rossi is your move to if is is Rossi going to be the move to get everybody excited I don’t know because that would be your big move too I once again I’d be happy if you sign if you if you sign him to a 7 by seven Yeah you probably will It’s your big move Yeah it’ be like a realistic offseason in that scenario It’s like Rossy and Lilligrin Like that would probably be your two big moves and then maybe like another bottom pair defense Ah Jesus Expectations are low man If that’s your if that’s your off season man like you better be you better have gotten out from the Samuelson You better have gotten out from Samuelson and Laferdy ASAP That’s the only other scenario Then even then you’re probably s you’re probably [ __ ] saving $8 million in cap space again I mean like Lafery like come on you could just you could just bury that guy in the lineup If he’s on the roster last year I’m going to flip flip the [ __ ] up or this year This year or yeah this year like don’t talk bad about the Sam Lafy respect poll I walk by every game He should not be on your roster next season Trade him with attach a fifth for all I care Just future considerations honestly attach him with Roseanne I don’t care you know doesn’t matter to me I’d rather have Tyson Kak I’d rather have like Lucas Ruseac on the roster than him Didn’t Ruse go back to Europe Was that ever confirmed I’m pretty sure he did Let me confirm that I know it was him and Kisakov that were rumored to go I’d rather have the ghost of Lucas Ruseek on the roster then Well here’s here’s a round of rapid fire questions Um do is JJ Purka signed in two weeks time I’m going to go with first of all Lucas Rousk with HV71 He’s gone Oh that’s right Yeah Yeah he did go No I don’t think he signed in two weeks I think this will drag on a little bit longer How long Payton Krebs long We’re like he’s still still unsigned going into September with no double digit cap space I I think it’ll get done sometime in like early August early mid August Honestly I could I could see a tuck extension happening before a purka signing I think the tuck extension will happen Purka Yeah Do you think do you think do you think Tuck gets done by opening night Yes Yes Yeah Yes What’s your final prediction for that Or not final but like ballpark like a date range No not no not date range Like what does the contract look like Oh Oh I think it’s uh I think they have to give him that seventh year I think it’s going to be like a seven by9 I’m going to say five by9 Yeah I wouldn’t be surprised I feel like they my gut feels they probably want like a four-year deal Maybe they go five I can’t imagine I feel like they’re too smart to go six or seven there I feel like he wants the term though It’s tough because it feels like in a rising cap world the more term you give like the more the No the more Oh the more money it’s going to decrease every year So they definitely want to keep that short I would assume I think I’m in the same place there Probably a little bit over nine for like four or five years When Purka does does get signed where what does that contract look like Oh man my my heart my heart says a full seven-year deal but my brain says it’s going to be a bridge I don’t know I’m going to listen to my brain I think I think it’ll be like a a three or fouryear deal at like 8 million I guess see like a 3 by8 man That high I still I can’t imagine a Man would a bridge get to 8 million Maybe seven Seven or eight I feel like it’s got to be in the sixes if you’re bridging them You think I don’t know I I his organization doesn’t do things normal ways It better Does a three-year deal get him to one year before Yeah he’s a RFA for He’s an RFA for four more years Oh yeah Stay away from a three-year deal then He can just Reinhardt you then Sam Reinhardt speaking of Stop We don’t need to We don’t need to go into that You’re right You’re right Good call Good call What about Matias Samson Is he on the roster in two weeks time I hope the [ __ ] not Buy him out You know what I’m on I’m on team Terry for this one Save some money Terry Buy him out I don’t think I don’t think they’ll buy I think you can get a team to take him I think you get a team to take him and I don’t think he’s that bad where you have to buy him out He’s just never healthy He’s like Josh Norris on the defense I think he’ll probably still be here but I also wouldn’t be surprised just because the discourse the rumors I mean even Taage you know kind of you know talking recently like I think that kind of brings it back up I don’t know I wouldn’t be surprised if he was moved but I think I would still say he’s still here and he’s just a bottom pair guy for you He shouldn’t be on I I don’t think he should be on the team next year No I just feel like that’s the easiest like it’s the easiest way to to to tell the fans like we’ve brought some sort of change and you get out from a bad contract I don’t know I I think I’ll take the optimistic view for this one I I think I think they’ll find a way to get out of it in two weeks time What about Jack Quinn Is he on the roster We’ll just say opening night Is he on the roster opening night Does he get traded within the next two weeks No I think he’s on the roster So weird because I I agree with Christian but it’s like I have no idea where the hell he would play in the press box Is that on the roster Not on the 94 No the starting day lineup It’s like cuz obviously you’re talking short term He scored 40 points last year I’ve seen like deals go for like I’ve seen some people say like a a 2 by3 and a half or maybe like a 3×4 and like that’s I don’t know if that’s that um inaccurate Do you want to know what what do you think Evolving Wild’s most likely prediction is It’s two years Where do you think that money lands Two years $4.5 million It’s not that high It’s 3.3 Like it’s still kind of high That’s the Sam Laughy contract I think Where do you think Here’s Here’s this How about this Where do you think his fouryear deal lands Like a four-year Jack Quinn deal Like four and a half $5 million 4×4 Yep 4 $4.9 million Jesus Three years 3.4 Like that’s like you were talking about a guy who probably shouldn’t like make over two based on the year he had last year but he scored So it’s like if you’re trying to like like if you go out and get Noah Dobson and commit a lot of money or even Rossy and you commit a decent amount of money like it’s t it’s weird to say but like it’s tough to fit Quinn into the cap situation too because I think he’ll be more expensive than you think And like you said like it’s just hard to find a place for him I don’t think there’s him on the roster If you add one player to the top nine he’s out of the top nine without know what does your top What does the top nine look like now Koulik Benson Tage Norris Tuck Purka Mloud Greenway Zucker So you’re throwing Greenway in there I don’t even think that’s like a bad I mean you committed four million to the guy I don’t even think that’s that like crazy to say But I mean yeah And if you just make one forward edition like there goes Quinn Yeah I don’t know I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s moved but there’s been not anything has been said about him But it’s also like does he really does he really warrant an offseason rumor Like Right Yeah He could just be like a throwin if we do like a deal I don’t know The Quinn for Quinn for Rossi would be a That would be funny That’d be something That’d be very very funny Quinn and nine for Rossi How do you think it ends What do you think they do Not enough I mean in the Quinn I mean how does the Quinn scenario end I think they sign him I think they give him a short-term deal I’m gonna lean towards Trey just because I would hate that I just don’t see any spot for I don’t know I’ll lean towards trade but I’m not really too confident in that I agree He strikes me as like the Olivess of like oh yeah they’ll they’ll get a deal done this off season Good point and end up just bringing him back Like for example like I I floated I floated the idea the Trevor Eager’s trade How dissimilar of a trade return is that to Jack Quinn And like let’s say let’s say the Flyers offered you that a second round pick Ryan Paling and a fourth round pick Did you trade that for Jack Quinn Definitely Yeah probably Definitely take your seemed like people were opposed to it No I would do that I think it comes down to like what you think of Ryan Paling What if it was like let’s say because Trevor Zaggress probably not probably because he has played center and I mean he’s been on the cover of an NHL game Probably has better PR than Jack Quinn What if it was just for pick 45 and the fourth That’s tough I I I still might lean towards it I don’t That’s tough though What if it was a third and a fourth Yeah At that point it’s not really worth it Okay Okay All right How about the one the last position we haven’t really touched on the goalies I was I was listening to Chad on the way home today and I kind of agree with what he was saying It’s just that is there do you could you formulate a better option out there because I can’t and I agreed with that I’m just like I think they’re just going to run the UPL Levi thing And you think they should Do you think they should shop either of the two Oh absolutely I think they should be shopping both of them That’s That’s tough You have you have one goalie on on one hand who’s had one good season in the last four and the other one’s been trying to the the organization’s been trying to hand the keys to the the reigns to this crease to become the next franchise goalie for the last what two three seasons now and it hasn’t happened So what are we doing here Are we going to we going to just try it again I just because honestly I think that’s what we’re gonna what we’re going to do But I feel like where’s their upgrade I I don’t think there I don’t know if there is one because it’s like even if you even if you go out and try and find an upgrade it’s like again goalies are just completely random You just have a down year You never know It’s like honestly I’ I’d rather just I I wouldn’t mind just running back the same tandem again I think it’s most likely What type of goalie do you get as a third option Like a um it’s like James Rhyr James Rhyr type They were lucky to I mean remember they lost him two waiverss and they were kind of lucky to get him back Give me Dustin Takarski He’s coming back Michael Hower Give me Michael Hower in the big 2025 I don’t know Like do you go and get someone that can push Levi out of that backup spot There’s um for the for the Amor next year is isn’t it is it Ratslaf and Lenin Has Ratzaf graduated I mean Lenin I mean they could throw either one of those guys in the ECL I mean Lucin that’s true Lucin played with Cincinnati for I think a year I wouldn’t be surprised if one of them maybe gets games I mean didn’t Ratziff join them for the playoff run Might have I don’t know I think they’re just going to run it back I don’t see an upgrade I don’t know Anyway yeah I just kind of throw my hands up there I’m kind of just kind of just stuck I do think they should be looking and I don’t think they are Like I I genuinely do not think they are I think you should be looking to see what you can get for the best arguably the best goalie prospect that’s closest to the NHL right now Absolutely But that one that’s one that’s like that’s like it’s not like me saying like oh they should be looking to see what they can get for Osland or um Helenius Like I think I genuinely do think that like they might have they will they have conversations about those two I don’t think they’ve shopped Levi at all No I don’t even think they’ve entertained the conversation No that’s Kevin Adams golden boy He got him He it could that that move cost him two Stanley Cups No I don’t think I don’t think it’s really been brought up and like what there really hasn’t been a reason to I mean he’s just been developing this entire time So I don’t know I mean you could probably I feel like you can argue he’s taking steps back is he’s definitely taken steps back Literally he’s gone from the NHL to the AHL multiple times now Yep I don’t know if you can say I mean yeah he did go down the AHL but he was unbelievable for the Amirs this year He had a bad he had a bad last um last series no doubt But other than that series there’s not much to criticize him for Yeah he had a he had a pretty stellar year down there Yeah that one that one is probably just going to end with Lucin and Levi being being your two guys Yep All right Well we haven’t really touched on it and it’s this Friday the NHL draft Do the Sabres make a pick at ninth overall I know everyone’s not gonna not going to want to hear it but that pick is being made Going to be You are the person that doesn’t want to hear that I I Hey like I’ve I’ve come to I’ve come to understand what the value of a first round pick is to a lot of GMs in this league And a lot of people out there would be shocked to hear that it’s not worth that much It’s not worth that much in a trade Well especially this draft It’s really not Next year could be interesting Yeah it could be But I I still think it’s it’s small potatoes It’s something it’s something It’s a it’s a big sweetener in in another deal Like this isn’t going to be part of a bigger trade if it’s going to happen This isn’t the NFL where you trade a first round pick for Stefon Diggs It it doesn’t happen Unless it’s the the JJ Purka for the third overall pick I don’t know Yeah I agree They probably make the pick I do feel like though if they make the pick um and it’s most likely going to be a forward um that one of our other prospects will be moved whether that be Osland Helenius I see one of out of one of our top prospects or one of our picks being moved or number nine I mean hear that That’s That’s the Porter Martone train rolling through Don’t worry it’s it’s going to get louder Don’t worry Or not It’s getting quieter It’s moving away Did you know his draft his dad was drafted by the Sabres They had no idea that was Yeah fourth round in the 1996 NHL entry draft It’s destiny And he sounds like he might he might go to Penn State Terry Ice Arena It’s gonna be the third time in his tenure that Kevin Adams gets great value on a pick Did you also see who might be going to Penn State Gavin McKenna Gavin McKenna And he’s between he’s between the the Sabres two farm systems He’s between uh Penn State and Michigan State Yep Either way I mean either way it’s a win for the Savers Either way he’s ready for some Big 10 hockey We’ll take a win where we can get him Yeah it’s going to be interesting to see what they do with the with the ninth overall pick um that like a lot this draft is going to be I don’t know if it’s crazy is the right word because you know it in my opinion like it drops off pretty pretty big after Michael Misa but I think the draft order will be wonky I mean you’ve seen Hagens falling denied and Mox you’ve seen Porter Martone who was you know both of those guys were bonafide top five picks for forever I And even post World Juniors they were still pretty much mocked to go top at least at least top eight like neither of them falling to nine You know we we were talking mostly about guys like are the Sabres the team to take a chance on Roger McQueen Do they go Jake O’Brien Do they go Ready Martika Do they go um John Hes is is Victor Ecklan is a name that’s hovering around ninth overall So it’ll be interesting It’s should be the Sabres probably will have interesting options at nine They’ll have a lot of them So every year there’s always been you know like like I said William uh Benson Seavoi uh Ecklund a lot of guys always drop that shouldn’t You know what I’m going to miss about not being the in-person draft is you’ll see either on the broadcast or there’ll be like reporters around being like “Oh this team’s on the phone.” Like something might happen And then like nothing happens But it’s like I’m going to miss that Like you’re not going to It’s always It’s always nothing happens But it’s a picture of like Kyle Dubis with two phones Yeah Yeah Kevin Adams is on the phone Oh it was reported just ordering a pizza Yeah making a reservation after the draft Yeah that is going to be a fun part of all this They they keep they keep flip-flopping back and forth like “Oh we don’t want to do the draft Oh wait never mind The sphere was awesome Let’s go back to that That’ll be be fun I hope we just get something funny We’re going to get something funny out of the Saba war room.” 100% Something funny is going to happen Something is going to happen in the background I’m looking forward to see the makeup of their war room It’s just going to be like like a small little like eight 8 and a half by 11 of like a Sabres logo over the giant Bill’s logo Doesn’t cover the whole thing It’s just like a little little piece of it That’s true Is it just going to be like Bill’s logo like everywhere There’s not going to be any like Sabers uh any insignia in that room I wouldn’t be surprised But there’s no crossover so I don’t know what that team is Are the players gonna do you think they’re all going to dep up Gary Bman like they do with Roger Goodell All the hugs are hugs Like what are they gonna do Are they going to fist bump him Probably just going to be shaking his hand Yeah NHL’s not fun like that Oh where are they even having it I don’t even remember I was just going to say I Where is the actual draft I didn’t know the actual draft was I thought everything was online basically It is in Los Angeles Okay The Peacock Theater Peacock Theater Yeah Peacock Theater How big is Oh it’s inside Interesting Not a big venue That is not a big venue Oh my god It’s like It’s like Radio City It’s not It’s not super large It’s like what Maybe like one to 2,000 seats Oh my This This is embarrassing Whose idea was this They couldn’t get an arena for this anyways Well the NFL used to do their drafts in those like music halls And this was going back maybe only like 10 15 years That’s dumb in my opinion Looks like a middle school auditorium Is that Lancaster Middle School Well can’t wait to see Can’t wait to see Porter Martone be drafted on the same stage that Hamilton was in town for It’s going to be great It’s going to be a fun time on Friday Don’t worry It’ll be fun Looking forward to That’ll be fun Mhm Draft is always fun And then what Free agency opens Tuesday Yeah Tuesday Tuesday I think Right What July 4th is a Friday right Mhm Mhm So yeah on a Tuesday It’ll be an interesting weekend Even if even if the Savers don’t do much other moods will be happening So it’ll be be fun to see Mhm Anything else we should touch on Yeah I got one free agent that we haven’t mentioned at all on here Don’t and it’s going to be brought back up I’ve It’s been talked about on I haven’t even given him a thought I know who you’re talking about I don’t even want to think about it I never thought about it until it was brought up on WGR and I’m like [ __ ] Like this could actually make sense They’ve wanted him in the past Patrick Kane Got to put the name out there Not not saying by any means I’m endorsing it I’m just saying the name will be brought up That would that would be that would be the year we did end up getting him when he’s absolutely completely washed at every aspect of his game other than the power play That would be that would be the year He is projected to sign a one-year deal for $3 million If they give him anything more than one year like a two-year deal is $5.6 million A three-year deal is $7 million If they give $7 million per season to Patrick Kane for three years I quit I I quit Yeah I mean I don’t I won’t actually quit but like what the hell Wouldn’t be surprised with the two-year deal I could see it if if if they if they’ve been wanting for so long and they know that they’re the only ones that’ll give them term $15 million tied up in Josh Norris and Patrick Kane would be the last straw Kane is a playmaker Yeah For the other team H I hope not I I I I wish I I we had this conversation so many years ago and I was I was on board just to try it out I’m at Nope It’s over I love I love I love that the the eight-year projection is still a thing for him Play till he’s 47 Eight years $8.5 million Like not even one of those deals like not even like the Trent Frederick deal where like you signed for a bunch of years to keep the AEV down Nope just keeps going up for him Oh my god Thanks for putting that idea Yeah Back into my mind You’re welcome Had to put spoiler of course Anything else We’ll probably do like as always we’ll do a draft night episode So I guess this isn’t the time to do free agency predictions leaguewide for fun but Mhm I don’t know Anything other any other like anything wild going to happen at the draft Like last year we we last year’s night one was the most boring night one of all time Yeah But day two started the draft with MueL Sergeev getting traded Sergeev Menstein There was someone else Malenstein Wasn’t Malenstein Was that on day two Yeah it probably was I think it was like that morning Well no cuz Yeah Well Kevin told Lindy on the draft floor Yeah You’re asking me a lot of questions I don’t know the answer to Jonah what’s your angle here buddy I will say Saber Report is ready for some breaking news I I’ve been I we’ve been recording episodes for three years and we’ve never broken anything live I don’t even mean that I’m just saying something happens we might might be introducing something new to the brand Wait Ah shut up God damn it Steve Dangle What 23 seconds ago he tweeted that trade is insane And then I I clicked into his tweet and it says “Just kidding Go to bed.” God I hate that guy I’m just joking I don’t hate that guy You pissed me off there Steve You do good work Ah thought we were about to break some news Would be fun Would be very fun Still has not happened before Maybe one day All right I don’t think we really have anything else to touch on Gone for quite a little bit here touched a lot of different subjects that look I am confident in one thing is that the Sabres will not build a perfect roster before opening night Uh in fact you know there will be inherent flaws So um it’s kind of like the last you know the whole last summer two years ago we talked about the goalies for months on end There will be stuff to touch on from July to October So I’m sure there’s plenty of center dis uh center debate defense whatnot all coming So um we’ll just see what they do on Friday Um we’ll talk Friday night I don’t know I haven’t decided I The three of us are getting together to watch the draft So I don’t know Maybe we’ll Maybe we’ll go live I don’t know Or we’ll do our done that before No Maybe we’ll just go live for the pick just for like two seconds Yeah Just just Jonah’s camera Test it out with a terrible angle on his face Just half his face Who they take And we just cancel it I don’t know Either way we we’re definitely going to talk Friday night as we always do post reaction to the draft and then that’ll be our last episode probably before free agency I don’t know if we’ll do a free agency primer I don’t know We’ll see because also I would assume we will have a Bow and Byum trade to talk about That is true Yep Draft hope So we might split that up I don’t know We’ll see how the week goes I I think unlike in years past if like Bum getting traded is all but a done deal It’s just a matter of where and when Um so we’ll see when that drops But other than that I think that’s all we got Thank you guys for listening If you want to follow us on Twitter you can follow us at the Saber Report Also on Instagram Tik Tok and YouTube at@ at@ at@ the saberreport If you listen to this on YouTube please be sure to like share and subscribe Also tell us what you thought in the comments A lot of debate about various topics So always love to hear your input We always read those comments Um if you want updates with the pod you can follow us at Saber Report Pod Go give our friends over at the Buffalo Sports Talk podcast a listen I think it’s been a little bit since they put out an episode but it is the doldrums of the NFL off season Um but stay tuned for their stuff Uh but other than that if you got to this point thank you very much for listening We’ll see you guys next time And as always go Sabres Go Sabres Go Sabres

In this episode, the guys break down all the Buffalo Sabres storylines heading into draft week.

They touch on trade rumors, the center spine, possible defensive additions, and more

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