Mango

I was more talking about the org. I know there’s connections with Donnie and KA. But it has me curious.

I agree with you that they’re not ready. But given the injury I am not sure Kane is either. I don’t think Kane provides any 5on5 help. And I don’t think he’ll be better than what we’ve seen from Tuch/JJP over the last few weeks. Based on that it makes it tough to get excited about the add as a 3rd line RW. Maybe he’ll buck the trend of hip surgery’s, be lights out and all of a sudden everything is different. I’m gonna hype myself up for it if he signs. But right now I am cautious/hesitant.

I’ll get up for what the idea of Kane could provide because of who he was as a player. But I don’t see how this fits. We have 100 prospects who all fill the Kane role. This team isn’t missing flash. It’s missing finish, and grit. This roster needs one, maybe two more Greenways. EDIT: I am curious if we’d have any interest if he wasn’t a Buffalo guy. And if the answer is no, we should move along because we’re not making hockey decisions at that point.

Gun to my head, pick between Cozens and Mitts, I’m taking Mitts and moving forward. I wouldn’t lose a wink of sleep. It isn’t like Mitts is 30 years old. He’s 24 to Cozens 22. He’s playing like the player we hope Cozens becomes. We need some help at C down the roster but Cozens future in the top 6 is on the wing unless those two guys stop progressing and he takes a huge leap.

Sorry, I thought I mentioned the offseason. I totally agree.

It’s time to start trying to move some of the pieces around. We should have an idea of who’s close and who isn’t ready for the big leagues. Not to mention, I am not sure many of those guys are capable of grinding out those lower line minutes. It’s not just about good, better, best across 4 lines on game day. Somebody posted in the Mitts extension thread about how “the core is set” and we might not be able to meet Mitts value because he’s “core +1”. I posited that if that hypothetical is true. IF!!!! That Mitts has played well enough to be included. He’s only 24. I would consider moving one of the guys out to the core next offseason for a haul of depth to make room for Mitts going forward. Being GM isn’t just about drafting guys. It’s about vision and timing of when and who to commit to and when to not commit to them. Again, not suggesting it, but if not keeping Mitts because of “the core” is rattling through the brains in the FO I’d shop some guys.

I’ve been hard on Thompson in the past. Even to start the season. But he’s been playing really tough and effective two way hockey. There are guys who have leveled up this year. JJP is leading the pack.

I think Quinn will be a none factor for a while. There will be a bit of time between “getting Quinn back “ and “GETTING Quinn back”. He’ll be fine but I suspect it will be unspectacular for a while.

You were a bit harder on UPL than I would be up thread. There is a goal or two I would like back. That O'Connor goal was brutal. But UPL bailed us out too.

If we’re talking about “only paying the core” we should reevaluate the core. Mitts is firmly out 1a/1b C and Cozens is firmly our 3rd even when healthy this year. So to your point of only paying the core, and not the core +1, in that totally hypothetical scenario I’m trading Cozens and extending Mitts. I wouldn’t hesitate or lose a minutes sleep over it. I like Cozens. I really liked him last year and loved his extension. But Mitts has been the better player for about a year now. (Again, I’m not advocating trading Cozens. Just building on this core +1 scenario you through out)

Cozens not getting going this year is holding our 3rd line back. Certainly there are some other personnel issues. I felt like he sorta half way arrived last season, now I’m frustrated that even with a lesser role as 3C, I’m still seeing nearly zero impact injury or not. Maybe we can catch some lightening in a bottle with Rousek, Biro, or Kulich. But the lower lines have to start contributing.

11 forwards was a bit of a mess. We’re basically playing 2 lines. Then subbing Greenway, Mitts, and Skinner all over the place to make sure anybody outside of the top 5 or 6 forwards don’t touch the puck. I feel so strange saying this, he we don’t really have anybody to fill out the 3rd and 4th lines very well. There have been 5-6 forwards who have been good to great and everybody else has been a major liability.

I think it’s time to start committing to a few and pulling some commitment back to others and leveraging them for trade bait to fill the roster. We have to find ways to keep Mitts and JJP around for a long time, and do to cost we have to plan further ahead in how to fulfill the rest of the roles on the roster rather than wait for prospects to figure it out on pricey extensions.

He showed enough or lack there of to go down for the year. It’s unfortunate, but it is what it is. He didn’t provide value and that’s the name of the game right now. Not to mention that I think the big club is good enough right now that anybody who puts on blue and gold should be adding value that day. Prospects can progress in the minors. That said. I think Benson does have value. He was better with Thompson/Skinner than Cozens was last night. He’s a tough call. He’s adding value but also needs to be committed to getting a lot stronger. And I’m not sure he gets that as quickly as he needs it by playing up in Buffalo.

I really liked Cozens last year. But I have not liked his game at all this year, bar a few moments. Struggling to put last night on the injury. I’ve been waiting for him to find his game for a month now. I’m shifting from patient to whiny.

With the way Cozens played tonight he shouldn’t be in the top 6 with or without Tuch. He’s been a third line player all year unfortunately. I would maybe consider giving Kulich a call? What’s Bensons status? Savoie was hectic tonight. Not a huge deal, he’s young, but with the way Benson came out, and the hype around Savoie, it was a little bit of a let down.

Felt like by the time we were in the second we were mixing and matching 2 lines. Greenway and Skinner looked to be double shifting at points in the Thompson line. I think I caught Mitts on the wing there a few times too. Cozens has got to get his game together.

Savoie was very hectic in the few times I saw him. Benson is miles ahead at this point. Cozens had a moment or two, but he was not good again. I know the whole injury thing. But he really hasn’t been good since puck drop. I’m getting to a point where I’m a little salty Mitts doesn’t have an extension and Cozens does.

Mitts is the best player on the team right now. He’s been lights out. JJP isn’t far behind. Lock Mitts up long term tonight please. He is the lynch pin in what we're trying to do.

I mostly say no, but he’s a Buffalo kid, we aren’t filing the arena, and I don’t trust Terry.

It’s crazy that icing is such a favorable call for teams we play.

The Bills have Josh Allen and have played meaningful football well into January, in a league that can basically prints money. Comparing the valuation of teams in the NHL and NFL is apples and Oranges. I don't disagree that TV money plays a role. But it is worth noting that Buffalo drives more Stanley Cup viewers than most markets in the country, even with a 12 year playoff drought. In 2019 more Buffalo had better ratings than either team in the Stanley Cup. Last year we were top 5. TV ratings can only go so far.

The NHL has so many midmarket cities, it is a shame they are so low by comparison (regardless of actual numbers). The NHL is a league that a city the size of Buffalo should be players in. In terms of value anyways. We weren't remarkably valuable before Terry, but we were middling at at 21st/22nd in the two years before he bought them. Just like historical win percentage, Pegula has tanked this franchise. I hope he can bring it back to life. https://www.forbes.com/2010/11/30/leafs-rangers-canadiens-business-sports-hockey-most-valuable-teams-hockey-valuations-10_slide.html?sh=bfac1b855531

Don’t say that to 1H 1A 1N 1K.

The Sabres score on themselves more than any team I can remember. Clifton has 2-3 of his ownZ I think we might be up to 4-5 on the year just 12 games in.