DarthEbriate

Bob Uecker passed away today. Grab yourself a Miller Lite (nah, probably don't). Grab yourself a good beer or a Wisconsin-style Old Fashioned, kick up your feet tonight, and watch Major League. It's a month until spring training games, but it's not too early to give the Ueck a tip of the cap.

The coaches clearly tell them to play passively. It's by design. The players lack the vision (or again, coaching) to identify moments to attack and capitalize on them (which is odd, because they're fine at that on the PK). The players (Muel) don't ever realize they have time and space. Don't blindly ice it. Turn, gather yourself, and if you're going to ice it -- shoot it instead. VO style. And worst of all, they don't want it. When the other team pulls its goalie, you should be salivating to pad your stats and punish them. That means winning a puck battle or two.

To be fair, the entire last decade of my Sabres fandom has been a fanciful revisionist view.

If it were a more frequent occurrence, then absolutely yes. Because you know there would be one time when the puck caught a rut and the player overskated it, or the player toe-picked and lost control while the puck slid harmlessly wide of the net... and we could savor it on YouTube forever. We'd call it... The Stefan.

No shots in the third, eh? Maybe someone should tell Ruff that Granato’s teams were awesome with a lead because the fans counted out and chanted “we want 6” and the team went out and hunted for goal #6. Blowing 2- and 3- and 4-goal leads is not the way to learn how to play defense.

It has the word man in it, but are we sure Pronman is even a human anymore or just a conglomerate machine of previous posts and rankings?

Oh. I see how it is. The one game I can’t watch is when they show up and also score insurance goals instead of going full turtle?

We cancelled our HBO/Max whatever it was called at the end. Oh, shucks. I won't be able to watch.... I'm hit. I can't stay with you. Sorry. <Wedge peaces out and survives to the next movie.>

Exactly. Every UFA player is positive with the place they're playing and excited to help them win. A good GM would take Zucker up on his word because he'll be middle 6 capable for the next 3 seasons. A cheap owner operating on EEE might not.

It would take a lot less in cost to acquire Miller. On the other hand, that means 3 teams felt he was not worth keeping around despite good-to-great production. He also has that pesky NMC that Pettersson does not.

The sad part about Muel is once upon a time he was willing, and for a bit there was the most physical defenseman not named Lyubushkin. Perhaps even an inspiration to Dahlin's growth. But his body just cannot cash the checks, and worse, his brain now knows it and he plays accordingly.

Yup. That's a penalty.

I'd love to see Dahlin be a little more composed in close games when folks purposely try to get him off his game. Just face wash them and let it go from there; the refs will let that go. But, I don't think Doughty is who you're thinking of as someone Dahlin needs to aspire to offensively; Dahlin's offensive numbers are already better. Doughty's career high in goals is 16. Dahlin has already had seasons of 15 and 20 (and pacing for 13+ this year despite missing time). Doughty's career high in points is 60, which would be considered a disappointment for Dahlin in any of his next 5 seasons (barring long-term injuries). And Doughty was always surrounded by superior teams (except maybe a brief lapse in 2018-20), established talent, and he's averaged about 3 minutes more per game thus far in their careers. When folks look back at their careers in 2050, there's a good chance Dahlin's offensive numbers put Doughty's to shame.

There is a direct correlation between contract term and the Sabres letters. Or what Adams would like to call (or what I privately think Adams calls) "wantstobeheredness". If someone loses a letter, Power is next up. And next year he'll be 23 and old enough to be a leader on the roster.

That's flippin' pathetic.

I think that trade worked out just fine. The Sabres had a 1C to transition to all-around 2C once Eichel was ready to take over the mantle. If I could go back in time and see a proper team built around those two as 1C and 2C over the past 5 seasons (ROR is probably 3C this year), I would do it in a heartbeat over having TNT, Tuch, and Krebs in the lineup. And note, the HaHa emoji sounds like Nelson.

I miss 'Sul. I know why he was traded and it certainly galvanized the Packers last season, but dang if I didn't want him on the field all this season especially since Alexander cannot stay healthy.

I did have a thought that maybe I should add Cozens & Krebs to the thread title for clarity. Now, I'm conviinced.

Always two reasons there are. No more, no less. The master (Darth Pegulas) and the apprentice (GM Sheevyn). The ##### rule the Sabres galaxy and we have playoff-less peace.

I think it does nothing and loses the player. Back-as-a-head-coach Todd McClellan twice revoked captaincies with the Sharks. When he was hired, McClellan took the C from Marleau and gave it future HOFer Rob Blake. Then, Blake retired and Joe Thornton got the C. Then, after some more years of almost, McClellan (and maybe the front office? I don't see where anyone directly claimed responsibility) took the C and A away from Thornton and Marleau in an effort to shake up the team and get the kids to take over leadership. Thornton was age 35 when this happened and was already a HOFer barring a conviction of gambling on Sharks games. The Sharks missed the playoffs that season after 10 straight years in the playoffs and 15 of 16 seasons overall. McClellan lost his job. The Sharks would go on to make the playoffs again, including a Cup Final, but the talent of the team is the cause of that, not a letter on a sweater. Don't do it. Dahlin is your captain and you roll with him until he's traded or there truly is a new core on the rise. He's 24, let him and his team grow (and get veterans to help them). You also don't get a mercenary Messier type and just hand him the captaincy before he steps on the ice, either.

GM Sheevyn wants to trade Zucker for a 3rd. Then, that following GM will retain salary and trade Zucker to a better contender for a 1st.

I wanted to do a deep dive into this last week, but it quickly became a bunch more research and reviewing lines than I had time to do. It was like a Sabres practice/game when Darth Pegulas makes a visit -- why bother with the effort? My main thought was, as Eichel got moved out for the new core, the team made a very concerted effort to shape Krebs into a defensive center. Meanwhile, they also had Cozens as a center, but they never gave him the same consistency. I think it set the foundation for where Cozens is today. So here is the half-assed deep dive to look at their linemates/deployment in great detail and compare/contrast. TL;DR? Keep reading, learn to play defense! I'll post this while you're all distracted by the Bills. Background: The 2020-21 COVID Half-Season Age: Cozens 19 The season started in January 2021. It was a mess and everything was disheveled. Girgensons got hurt in the opening scrimmage and Eichel got injured during the season. Cozens makes the opening day lineup. Krueger got fired; Granato takes over. With Krueger as coach --- they're garbage, and Cozens is mostly a winger. He's got bottom 6 time, but also is alongside Staal in several games. Then, Granato takes over and in his first game: it's Hall-Cozens-Reinhart. Immediately 1C. It doesn't last and Cozens is quickly back to bottom 6 and constant line-shuffling because of COVID. His most consistent linemate is long-term NHL veteran Arttu Ruotsalainen. 😇 But again, COVID, coach/roster shuffling is constant. And really, Cozens shouldn't have even been in the NHL; he should have been in Juniors where he belonged, but COVID. 2021-22 Age: Cozens 20, Krebs 21 The season begins and Granato has a plan! Game 1: Bjork - Cozens - Caggiula. Two defensive forwards/grinders with some years of experience and kid center. 4th line. Limited minutes. Good job, Granato. But during that game, Mitts -- who won the 1C job in camp -- gets his wrist hacked in half. 10/16/2021 Game 2 Plans, schmans. Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face Mitts gets slashed. Skinner - Cozens - Hinostroza Cozens went from 4C to 1C in one game. Big surprise, it doesn't work. 11/4/2021 Caggiula - Cozens - Hinostroza So here's where we the Concept of Cozens as 200' center and we see potential. It's back to bottom 6, 3C checking focus, with two solid grinder/experienced linemates. This line lasts a month, and during the stretch we get the great game vs. McDavid. Cozens scores the 2 goals, he latches on to McDavid and uses his speed. This is what he can become. But it doesn't last. 11/26/2021 Murray - Cozens - Okposo This line also lasts for a bit, but eventually Cozens ends up on the COVID list and he's replaced by.... 12/29/2021 Murray - Krebs - Okposo Krebs takes Cozens' spot for his NHL debut, then he returns to Rochester. Then there's a leaguewide COVID pause. 1/13/2022 Skinner - Cozens - Tuch All that effort to help Cozens (age 20) learn to be a mindful center in bottom 6 minutes goes out the window. Returning from the pause, with Tuch in the lineup, he's 1C again. And here's where it falls apart. Okposo and Girgensons both end up on the injured list and thus the Eakin defensive line is broken up. Granato just throws everything in a blender, joining them up a few times. 1/20/22 Krebs - Cozens - Tuch 1/29/22 Krebs - Mittelstadt - Bjork Butcher (D) - Cozens - Hayden 2/23/22 Krebs - Mittelstadt - Cozens In his age 23 season, Mitts gets the 21- and 20-year-olds. Granato says: "Kids lines gonna kid." Finally, things settle down and the injuries smooth out. 3/10/22 Krebs - Cozens - Hinostroza Cozens gets reunited with his best partner in Hinostroza, but Caggiula is injured and out for the year. Krebs replaces him and this line gets kept together for most of March 2022. Mittelstadt has gotten healthy and is 2C and the top line of Skinner-Thompson-Tuch is actually a thing. The foundation is laid for the next season -- Cozens as 3C and the veteran Hinostroza on his wing. Perhaps Krebs is even on the left wing to be a 1st round talent version of Caggiula. That's the plan, right? Incorrect. Because in April, there's an effort to get Krebs to be a center. 4/12/22 Girgensons - Krebs - Okposo Hayden - Cozens - Hinostroza This is sometime close to the debut date of G-K-O. The issue here is that your bottom 6 is two baby centers, not someone you'd trust to take a D-zone face off. They can't BOTH be bottom 6 centers, right? 4/29/22 Mittelstadt - Cozens - Tuch Bjork - Krebs - Hayden Just a touch of fun for RJ's Last Call. Mitts on the wing? Eakin and Okposo are out, but still, it was just a jumble. Mitts gets the OT game-winner with an assist from Cozens. All the above is just to show, it's a jumble to figure out what could work. Whether from COVID or injuries or coaching changes and trying to figure it all out. Cozens still doesn't know exactly where he belongs and Krebs was acquired for Eichel so he has to play center. 2022-23 Season - the 91-point season Age: Cozens 21, Krebs 22 This is the season where it all sort of works, except for Cozens' long-term development. TNT is the 1C and Mittelstadt plays everywhere in the middle 6. There are variations for injury and some shuffles during the early losing streak and after the trade deadline as they weave Greenway into the lineup. But here is the basic crux of all the issues from the Granato era. These lines play most of the season together. Peterka - Cozens - Quinn Girgensons - Krebs - Okposo (sometimes Hinostroza when KO out) One core piece gets groomed by established veterans to be responsible and play a grown-up game. He's less talented with a much lower ceiling, but he's given a role. Be defensively sound. Here are the guys that will help you do that. The other core piece who needs lots of grooming and guidance is given two 20-year-old rookies as his wings and told to just go. It works, but at what long-term cost to all three of them? I will note that on opening night of 22-23 it was Krebs-Cozens-Peterka (Hinostroza a healthy scratch) and days later Peterka-Cozens-Hinostroza. But Hinostroza's veteran presence got moved out and Krebs got to center his own line. 2023-24 Season - Granato Emphasizes Defense and the Regression Age: Cozens 22, Krebs 23 Salary: Cozens $7.1M So now Quinn is injured and Cozens is earning $7M a year. Cozens needs to play 2C and be on PP1 to justify the salary. But, no replacement for Quinn because reasons. So here's the opening night line: 10/12/2023 Peterka - Cozens - Olofsson I mean, on the one hand, it's the most logical line based on the roster. Put the goal-scorer on the 2nd line. But... Granato is going to emphasize defense this season and the most responsible defensive forward on the line with age 22 Cozens and age 21 Peterka -- your future core -- is Victor Olofsson. Noted Selke candidate Victor Olofsson. (And I like VO. He's a great story with 20G potential in the right circumstances.) This is the plan? It's VO, the guy who HCDG scratched once Greenway was acquired because VO wasn't trustworthy defensively and would flee the zone immediately for rush chances as he had been coached by HCDG to do all year. Sigh. Girgensons - Krebs - Okposo Right back at it on opening night Then, yes, there's some shuffling for injuries while Girgensons is injured (Kulich debut, Robinson) and then it devolves into chaos after the trade deadline and Krebs gets work with Rousek, Olofsson, Skinner, Peterka, and Greenway in his audition as a top 6 center which doesn't fare all that well. But essentially, its Girgs-Krebs-Okposo all season when healthy. Meanwhile, until Quinn returns from injury, Cozens just shuffles every couple of weeks. Usually center, sometimes wing. Who is teach whom to be consistent and emphasize team structure and defense? 11/3/23 Rousek - Cozens - Tuch 11/10/23 Skinner - Thompson - Cozens 11/25/23 Benson - Cozens - Peterka -- lasts a bit 12/19/23 Cozens - Mittelstadt - Peterka 12/21/23 Peterka - Cozens - Quinn The kid line is reunited and together 1 month before another Quinn injury. From there on out, the most common alignment is: Benson - Cozens - Peterka Where the most responsible defensive player who will cover for a pinching defenseman and keep stable positioning is Benson. 4/5/24 Benson - Cozens - Quinn The season ends as such. At age 19, Cozens should've gotten another development year in (COVID-canceled) juniors. At age 20, he should have been in Rochester for half the season to round his game as a center if that's what they wanted him to become. But the real issue is Krebs is part of the core and he got Girgensons and Okposo for basically 2 years to help him learn to be a center in the NHL. Cozens got kids younger than him. His only consistent "mentors" was half a season of Caggiula and Hinostroza. Cozens is to blame for failing to learn to chase after the puck carrier everywhere. But, the real blame as always falls on GM Sheevyn and the coaching staff for failing to develop an asset from raw talent to hockey player.

That is an interesting distinction. There is definitely a different vibe to a (non-playoff) football game of which there are 16/17 all season vs. a Tuesday-night hockey game. But I think the main distinction between the Bills fan and the Sabres fan is one team's center spine/defensive structure/goaltending has Josh Allen and the other has Bills/Packers-era Vince Ferragamo.

He didn't pan out because he was traded for ROR before playing a game with the Sabres? Compher's career has been fine -- he's played over 500 games, been a 2C/3C defensive zone-start heavy player his entire career and is a -9 (because of one season on a very bad Avalanche squad). He averages a point every other game.

Granato was going to teach them defense, but then Ruff was available so they fired him and he never got around to it. 😇