SABRES WILL LOOK TO UPGRADE ROSTER IN SUMMER

[DetoxTent]

SABRES WILL LOOK TO UPGRADE ROSTER IN SUMMER

APRIL 17, 2024 | 1:15PM ET
THEFOURTHPERIOD.COM

As Buffalo Sabres GM Kevyn Adams begins his search for a new head coach, he is also tasked with upgrading his roster for the 2024-25 campaign.


Speaking to the media on Tuesday, Adams acknowledged that the team needs to “be better” and their overall performance simply was not good enough to compete in the NHL.


With just over $23 million in salary cap space for next season, Adams is expected to make some significant additions to his team this summer, with upgrading his forward corps at the top of his to-do list.


“We just didn’t play well enough. Period. We did not play well enough,” Adams said Tuesday. “From Day 1 of training camp, I don’t think we had our standards high enough. Our expectations inside the room need to be raised and there needs to be accountability across the board, and that starts with me.”


Forwards Victor Olofsson, Zegmus Girgensons, Tyson Jost and Eric Robinson are all eligible to become unrestricted free agents July 1. The Sabres may not bring any of them back.


The Sabres are believed to be interested in adding a top-six scoring winger and a third-line centre to their roster this off-season, either via trades or free agency. It is unclear whom Adams may specifically target, at this point, but after laying some groundwork ahead of the trade deadline, he could pick up where he left off in the coming weeks.


The NHL Draft Lottery, which will take place on May 6 or May 7, could help provide a clearer picture for Buffalo and the team could use their first-round selection in a move to bolster their offence.

[DetoxTent]

Didn't play well enough, Kevyn??? Maybe the GM didn't build the team well enough?

[JATMtheJATM]

I sure as **** would hope so. Adams coasted off a sneaky good season and did nothing to really address any shortcomings on the team.

There's a bunch of players he ought to be in on in free agency and the trade market.

Frankly, I'd give Washington a call and ask if they're ready to rebuild and ask for Dylan Strome to center the third line.

[OpIv37]

I mean, isn’t that sort of obvious?
“We didn’t make the playoffs for the 13th year in a row but I’m gonna stick with the same roster and hope for a different result.”

[DetoxTent]

I sure as **** would hope so. Adams coasted off a sneaky good season and did nothing to really address any shortcomings on the team.

There's a bunch of players he ought to be in on in free agency and the trade market.
Frankly, I'd give Washington a call and ask if they're ready to rebuild and ask for Dylan Strome to center the third line.

How about if they went out and got a veteran 2nd line center and pushed Cozens to 3rd line center? And then get a bigger, more physical center for 4th line center than Krebs?

[DetoxTent]

Frankly, I'd give Washington a call and ask if they're ready to rebuild and ask for Dylan Strome to center the third line.

Frankly I'd rather have Matt Duchene, who's about to be a free agent.

But their stats are almost the same for 2024:

Strome 27 goals/40 assists in 82 games with 5 GWGs.
Duchene 25/40 in 80 with 7 GWGs.

Amazingly the same!

https://www.espn.com/nhl/player/stat...1/matt-duchene
Dylan Strome 2024 stats

[JATMtheJATM]

How about if they went out and got a veteran 2nd line center and pushed Cozens to 3rd line center? And then get a bigger, more physical center for 4th line center than Krebs?

Even in a bad season, cozens still produced. I have no problem with them going out and getting a second line center, but I don't think it's a need.

[DetoxTent]

Top 50 UFAs. What is Mittelstadt status after the season? Will he be an UFA? Would mind a Sean Monahan or a Chandler Stephenson at #2 center with Cozens as #3 center.

And can't help but want to entice Montour back for a year or two.

[sukie]

My prediction for off season is “underwhelming”.

[DetoxTent]

Top 50 UFAs. What is Mittelstadt status after the season? Will he be an UFA? Would mind a Sean Monahan or a Chandler Stephenson at #2 center with Cozens as #3 center.

Not only Monahan, but Toffoli played for Ruff in New Jersey before he was traded. Let's get him too or Ehlers:

What does the future hold for Winnipeg Jets coach Rick Bowness? What changes will the Jets look to make this offseason?

TSN: Darren Dreger and Jay Onrait on what’s next for Winnipeg Jets head coach Rick Bowness, and what kind offseason may be in store for the Jets.

** NHLRumors.com transcription

Onrait: “… Darren Dreger, our hockey Insider. So what can you tell us about the future of Rick Bowness in Winnipeg?
Dreger: “Well, and then obviously Jay, that’s the big question, right? And the assembled media wanted to know and find out whether or not you know, they could expect the veteran head coach to be back on the bench with Winnipeg Jets.

My gut tells me that that’s unlikely. I don’t think that Rick Bowness will be back. I don’t know that for sure. But I do take stock of the season that it’s been.

I mean, this man is as deeply invested as any coach that I can remember. No different this year, but he also had family issues that he had to pay attention to. You know, his wife Judy went through a tough time. He had the leave of absence to look after Judy. He had his own health issues near the end of the regular season.

Two things I know about Rick Bowness. One priority, top of the list is his family and two, he loves to coach. In this case I think that the family is going to win out. He’s going to slide back into retirement again, unofficial, we’ll see.

But what a way to go out. I mean, he has to be has to be in the Jack Adams conversation. That’s the job that Rick Bowness did this year in Winnipeg.

Onrait: “And, it’s interesting to hear Connor Hellebuyck‘s comments. You know, he can’t do it alone. It was an eventful offseason last year in Winnipeg. How eventful is it going to be this offseason in Winnipeg?

Dreger: “Yeah. I mean, there’ll be changes organically. There’ll be changes. I mean, you look at the unrestricted free agent list in Winnipeg. What’s going to happen was Sean Monahan who was acquired from Montreal Canadiens? What about Tyler Toffoli, who came in from the New Jersey Devils? That stuff will look after itself.

But then you take stock of what you’ve got. And it was interesting, there wasn’t a lot of attention paid to the core of the Winnipeg Jets as part of the media availability and that’s what I’m most interested in. You know, again, to, to analyze, maybe some of the weakness. I looked at the top four defense of the Jets and that feels like an area that Kevin Cheveldayoff the GM is going to want to try and improve.

But here’s a newsflash for you, Jay. Unless you draft those pieces, they’re incredibly hard to acquire. You know, Winnipeg struggles when it comes to convincing unrestricted free agents to come into the small market. So how do you acquire that piece? And that’s where I think it’s going to get interesting.

Does Cheveldayoff use, say a forward like Nikolaj Ehlers who will go into his final year of his contract as a trade asset to acquire that defense?

So I’m not saying that’s going to happen either, it’s just I think those are the conversations hockey operations has to have in Winnipeg to move forward.