mjd1001

The bad thing is if they DID win the next 10 games in a row, that puts them at .537 point percentage....so 10 in a row would BARELY put them in the 8th spot. But that still would only be an 88 point pace. At the moment the middle of the conference is kinda weak, but odds are it would still take more than that to make the final spot in the east by the end of the year. Of course, 10 in a row is moot point with this team (wins that is, I'm sure they COULD do 10 losses in a row again)

I agree with the concept but Cozens is just so bad. Without hyperbole, I think he actually hurts the team being out there. Let him go to another team and play amazing for them, he's not doing it here. 2-3 times a week he makes a play that puts the rest of the team in a bad position and I can't fathom how he isn't benched right away from it. He tanks the PP when he is on it. Everytime he gets new linemates they have some of the worst games they have had playing with him (statistically not even close). No forward on this team is worse than a -4 except for Cozens and the guys that were on the line with him most of the year. Tage and Zucker were both positive players all year, and just went negative after a couple games with Cozens. 11 forwards on this team have taken 30 or more shots on goal, he is the only one shooting under 10%. If you are getting calls from other teams about Cozens, then see what you can get from them that might be better than what Detroit offers of course. But its well past time for Cozens to go.

They are allowing 1 goal every 3 games more than the median team (15-16 place in goals allowed) I think getting them to that point is easily made up by goaltending. The team defense in front of the goalie isn't great, but you are getting less from UPL this year than you did last year. Enough to make up 1 goal every 3 games? I think so. Stats tell me that they have the 4th worst save percentage in the league. Also the Sabres are NOT allowing a vastly large number of high danger chances than a typical team, enough to make up for the extra goals allowed. Beyond the stats though, I can tell you my opinion is that I am seeing a lot of goals allowed that I say in my head after "he needs to make that save". UPL isn't awful. I like him and I think he should still be the starter here. But his overall play has been less than stellar this year. Put "last years UPL" on this years team, with the same performance he had last year, and this team is at worst middle-of-the-pack in goals allowed.

I'm good with either. The one thing that I don't get is people who complain about how 'big' power is yet he doesn't hit people and is 'soft'. That's not his game. Sure, it would be better if he WAS a monster clearing everyone out with ease from in front of the net, but he isn't. Neither is Bryam, nor Dahlin. Judge him on his game. As you said, his shot, his passing, his entries and exits.

A follow up on Pettersson... Its one game, I get it, and he didn't score. but he was all over the ice. All the guys on the NHIC studio commented on how he played a good overall game. He slid in front of his own net to block a shot. He took the body a few times. He had a couple good stick checks where he caught a guy from behind and loosened up the puck. I still am concerned about his contract. You NEED 25-30 and 80-90 points if you are paying him that money. But he did not look like a soft, lazy, or perimter player at all tonight. Not one bit. If Pettersson plays 80% of what he did tonight, and You do nothing at all but swap him in at 2c and Cozens out, and this team is 10 points better right now.

I'm OK with trading either Bryam or Power. I don't really care which one. I think they both can be very good D-men in the next few years...and if you trade them to another team that is good, some will look back at it and say it was a bad trade. But with Dahlin taking 25+ minutes per game when healthy, you don't need both Byram and Power. Having both of them is a luxury....a luxury than can be swapped for something that is more of a 'need'.

I can't do 15 words but I can keep some theories short: -Any coach seeing his 'raw skill' and thinking they are the one to get something out of him? -I don't beleive much in 'showcasing' players, but with other teams scouts at Sabres games, get him on the ice in front of them? -If Tage is hurt, what are your other options? -Pegula likes him. He's Pegula's favorite. Hes not coming out of the lineup or getting moved down the lineup per Terry. Not at 20 minutes of ice time, but Bryson I think is slightly better than many think (hes a good 3rd pair guy) and Clifton I like more and more (he's a very good 3rd pair guy and I wouldn't be upset with him getting 1-2 more minutes than he is getting now) But yeah, I get your point, If you move one of the big three, you need someone/something else to fill in those 2nd pair minutes you are leaving open.

I feel like I'm bashing Cozens, but after about 2 weeks of somewhat better play by Cozens, he is back to being bad. On the first goal allowed tonight, Gilbert had a giveway. But Cozens was out of position again. He chased the puck into the zone where Gilbert was already there, he had no chance of getting control of the puck, but Cozens left the entire slot wide open, the puck eventually went right through the zone he was vacated. He caused Zucker to rotate down low to cover the slot which is why the whole near side was open. If Cozens didn't go after a puck he had no business getting, Zucker doesn't have to leave the near side wide open to cover the slot where cozens was supposed to be, and the goal isn't scored, even with Gilbert's giveaway. As far as stats, Quinn was taken off of Cozens line the last few days. The have only spent a few seconds on the ice together. Since getting away from Cozens, Quinn has 3 goals in 2 games and has made ZERO glaring defensive errors. At the same time Tage and Zucker were put on a line with Cozens and the proceded to both be a -4 on the night, I think their worst of the season. (they were both plus players on the year before having Cozens on their line) Krebs is an opposite example. Not that you follow my posts, but last year I posted Cozens and Krebs were the worst 2 forwards I have ever seen without the puck. Krebs made almost as many of those plays as Cozens (Cozens was still worse but Krebs was close). I didn't want Krebs re-signed, I was hopine they would let him walk, but if the did bring him back it would be on a one year minimum deal. I disliked Krebs game almost as much as Cozens. But something happened in the offseason. Krebs got better. He must have studied film, committed to playing positionally better. He has cut his mistakes away from the puck drastically. Krebs did it, Cozens is almost 24 years old and in his 5th season, if he hasn't done it by now, I don't think its in him. As much as I disliked Krebs last year and I do not think he is close to being a 2nd line center, I think the team is better with Krebs on the 2nd line than with Cozens. I think you lose 4-6 goals per year scored by Krebs in that position instead of Cozens, but I think you might get the wingers make up for that with a better playmaker, and you save quite a few goals allowed with better positional play.

I think he's bad. He has done this for the last few years. I know for the last 2.5 seasons I have watched replays of most goals the Sabres have allowed, and when a glaring mistake is made by a forward (leaving a guy wide open), its probably Cozens almost as much as the rest of the team combined. I have posted videos and screenshots in many GD threads. Its almost like he was the best 13 year old kid on his team and was allowed to freelance and just do whatever he wanted...and his game without the puck never evolved from that. Here is one good example (just one, there are many): https://www.nhl.com/gamecenter/buf-vs-pit/2024/09/21/2024010001 Watch the replay on that page of Pittsburgh's first goal, its on the PP. The other 3 players on the ice are staying in their position. Cozens is ALL over the ice. He chases the puck wherever it goes, eventually Pitt takes advantage of it and scores because of it. At one Point Cozens is WAY on the other side of the ice deep into the Zone, Quinn has to adjust and then things to to h**l. Again, just look at how the rest of the team plays the PK and Watch Cozens, he skates around like a 8 year old who was never taught any positional play. Remember, Cozens spot is up high on the NEAR side of the ice. He chases the puck from his high-near zone, across right in front of Quinn, goes over to Quinns side on the boards, goes down low to the low corner opposite is side....all the while where he is supposed to be is WIDE open. That is a preseason game and its just one PK example, but stuff like this happens with him on goals allowed usually a few times each week.

I'm watching Hockey night in Canada right now with the Leafs playing Vancouver. Its the first Vancouver game I have watched in a while but Pettersson is playing a strong game away from the puck. He is the anti-Cozens. He's in the right spot most of the time, he's very good at stick checking enough to cause a defender to lose the puck but not enough to get a penalty. He actually covers for his teammates that go into corners.

All of that is my main problem with Cozens. Again, I don't know just how complex of a 'system' the Sabres play. But I'll watch, and I see players looking around. I might see Tuch go in deep to forcheck and Tage then drops back to the blue line to cover any exit. One D-man will go into the corner to chase a puck, so the opposing one will 'shade' more to the center to cover anyone else coming into the zone. When I see things like that, its kinda basic stuff, but it makes me think these guys practice positioniong. Then I watch Cozens....BLAAAHHHHH...blows all of that stuff up. Will chase the puck no matter where it goes, leaves coverage on a guy making him wide open to try to chase a loose puck 20 feet away. Takes shots on goalies where the goalie sees it coming and is set and waiting while his winger is wide open. Cozens is the definition of pond hockey and it has to be infuriating to be one of his linemates IF you are doing the right thing and have to keep covering for him.

The team's play mean that in one particular period of time they did not play well. The team itself, you are saying its not their play 'for one period', but rather as a player the are embarassing. Personally...I would much rather have my boss tell me "your presentation on Tuesday was embarassing" rather than tell me "as an employee, you are embarassing".

I don't know for sure, but I just 'assume' it is. The trap, we heard of the 'left wing lock', plays that are set up off of faceoffs where a guy may be assigned to 'pick' an opposing player. Maybe having one winger forcheck deep into the zone and depending on what side the opposing team exits the zone with the puck, the remaining forwards 'rotating' to cover for the winger who is in deep. When Short handed, do you strictly maintain the PK 'box', or does one guy pressure the puck carrier...and if so is that based on pre-scouting that tells you what players on the other team are more suceptible to pressure and which ones are not...and then if you DO push a guy with the puck how do the remaining players 'rotate' to fill zones? Even when, how often, and where to go during and after line changes? I don't know, I am guessing and would HOPE that some advanced scouting goes into playing other oppoents, and that player are told to not play 'pond hockey' and just chase the puck but to play zones on the ice depending on what their linemates are doing. Please do not tell me they had that trade with Detroit worked out to ship out Cozens, and then pulled it back because they thought they 'needed' cozens because tage can't take faceoffs!

Speaking on Friday's episode of the "32 Thoughts" podcast, Friedman confirmed that the Sabres and Red Wings were deep in discussions leading up to the NHL’s holiday trade freeze in December. “There’s definitely not a lot that gets out of Detroit, and there’s not very much that gets out of Buffalo,” Friedman said. “But finally, it got coughed up to me that they believe the Red Wings were looking at Cozens. And it fits. ”I think there’s a lot of people looking at Cozens. And I will say this, there was a time that a couple people said to me they thought it was close.” NHL insider Chris Johnston noted on Dec. 17 that Buffalo could be hesitant to move young players with upside after some of their recent moves backfired. full article: https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nhl/red-wings-trade-for-sabres-dylan-cozens-was-close-before-roster-freeze/ar-BB1rhJw9?ocid=BingNewsSerp

If that is the exact quote, it appears he called their 'play' in the 2nd period embarassing, he didn't say the team, as in the players that constitute it, embarassing. The title of thread led me to beleieve the latter, it is more of the former. There is a big difference to me in saying "the team is embarassing" rather than "the team's play in the 2nd period was embarassing".

It is no secret how much I dislike Cozens. So I would start by removing him from the lineup....trade, long term benching...whatever. See how that goes first. I really REALLY think he hurts this team so much the team is better if he doesn't play. After you get a couple weeks without Cozens, if things aren't better go onto the next thing. But you have to start someplace. You have to make a first move before you make a 2nd. Lets get that first move, if other teams are calling about Cozens according to rumors, lets go! Maybe I have a blind eye for other problems on this team. I really REALLY like Thompson and he probably has more 'off' games than I care to admit. But I do not see Thompson and Tuch actively hurting the team like I do Cozens. And as far as 'under pressure', there are not the stats that tell the whole story, but consider this over the past 3.5 seasons: Game winning goals: Tuch 17 (in 40 less games than Cozens), Thompson 15, Cozens 4 Powerplay goals: Thompson 43, Tuch 12 (in 40 less games than Cozens), Cozens 10 Cozens is the single worst forward I have every seen without the puck, and he scores a powerplay goal 1 out of every 28 games, and he scores a game winner 1 out of ever 70 games.

It is so obvious. Lindy HAS to see it. The guys that break down film HAVE to see it. Adams played hockey, he actually was a pretty good defensive forward, he HAS to see it. Cozens taking himself out of the play or leaving his spot on the ice wide open happens so often, it can't be ignored by the coaches and staff. As bad as they are, this is simple stuff anyone can see. This is a guess, but there is nothing else that makes sense. The ONLY reason I can see he keeps getting ice time, doesn't get benched, and hasn't been moved and traded to ANY team that wants to take a chance on him..it has to be Pegula. He has to be one of "Pegula's favorites" Nothing else makes sense. He's bad, but the coach can't bench him, the GM can't trade him, because he might be the owner's favorite. We are fans. We all have had our 'favorite players' that weren't good but we didn't want to admit it. We have their jersey, we 'called' them as a great pick when they were drafted. Fans often have blinders on when it comes to evaluating their favorite player. My fear is Cozens is Terry's favorite in this way.

If I feel up to it, I'll look at the replays again and check more on Gilbert. I usually just look at 2 angles on the replay, then the goal visualizer...go forward and back a bit on the replay. Sometimes I miss things. I just looked at it again, Yeah, bad play by Gilbert. But Cozens play still drives me nuts and I think if Cozens didn't show up in the corner the goal does't get scored. I just think Cozens shouldn't have even been there. Him being there caused a chain reaction of things that led to the goal. Cozens goes in deep when Gilbert was already there...so Zucker has to go cover the slot, leaving his side open. No one was there to cover Evans who scored, because that was Zuckers guy/area. Maybe Gilbert would have lost the puck and he did not control it well, but the goal was scored because Cozens went too deep, into a CORNER where if any help is needed it shoudl be a winger.

He may work hard. I only see him 'glide' every once in a while...he puts the effort in. Hes' just BAD with decision making. Not "makes a mistake" every once a while. Nope, just bad. Whatever players you put on a line with him almost instantly become worse...when they leave his line they get better.

Only if his new team can change his entire mental approach to hockey. I don't see that happening...and even if it did....good for them. He needs to be OFF of this team. I know I am repeating myself, but he HURTS the team, he sinks his linemates. He is black hole of bad play out there that gets anyone on the ice with him stuck inside of it.

I thought Dahlin played well. TNT, so-so. Bryram had is worst game in the past 2 weeks. Zucker wasn't awful, but he was out of position more than usual. Cozens pretty bad. I think some of Zucker looking out of position may have been on the fact he was covering for Cozens, who positionally, was as bad as any game I have seen from him in a month (back to his old ways). I'm sorry for those who like him, but Cozens just doesn't make mistakes, he makes mistakes that cause his line-mates to be out of position and look bad. If he has ANY value at all, he needs to go. Is it any surprise that TNT and Zucker were such big 'minus' players this game, more than they have been the rest of the year...when playing with Cozens? Cozens poisons whatever players you put on a line with him. Its game after game with him (at least 75% of games played) where he goes in too deep with no chance of getting the puck, he goes into a coner to 'help' a d-man leaving his spot wide open. He goes in deep in the offensive zone into a corner when his winger is already there, leading to odd man rushes against. He's bad, really really bad. Just because of the negative plays, it is no longer an exaggeration, I really REALLY think this team is better with McLeod and Krebs at 2c and 3c and removing Cozens totally. Cozens has more upside scoring, but the negatives are just WAY too much.

This team has the forwards out of position frequently. Guys chase the puck without regard for where their line-mates are. They 'go rogue' on the PK and leave spots open. They (mostly the centers) frequenly go in too deep in the offensive zone when the wingers are already on the boards, allowing odd man rushes against. I see this almost every game. I do not see the Sabres getting as many opportunities by taking advantage of the other team doing it. Meaning the Sabres do it way too much. You would think its a coaching issue, right? Yet they are doing it under Ruff, they did it under Granato, they did it Under Krueger. Some different players, but they did it under Housley. Its the players, a lot of this stuff is simple stuff. You can bring in another coach but if the players just do what they want (It APPEARS that is what is happening), nothing will change. This team needs a heart transplant (or 'core' transplant, if you will). Decide if you want to keep Power or Bryson, and trade the other for the best offer. Cozens, after 2 good weeks of play, is back to his old/bad habits the past few games again (all the things I listed above). Make those 2 moves, maybe another one or 2 and get in a legit 2nd line. Unfortunately Clifton doesn't have a TON of talent, but he plays hard and doesn't get out of position often. This team needs more Cliftons and I guess Zuckers, and less players like Cozens.

Pegula probably haven't found his yes man to replace him yet.

Benson, Krebs, Peterka, and Dahlin (despite the -2) I thought played a good game. Cozens, Zucker (at least compared to what we are used to), and Gilbert (in his limited ice time), not so good. Tage wasn't BAD but he wasn't as good as he needs to be.

I don't care to watch the game live at this point, so I just looked at the replays of the goals allowed. My observations/opinions: 1st goal: Cozens (mostly) on this one, and a good example of why he should not be playing center. He chases the puck, and causes the rest of the guys to rotate out of positon to cover for him. Sabres just did a line change so I'm not sure who was supposed to be where. But basicaly, the entire center of the ice was left wide open, along with the near side of the ice, where the goal was scored from. First of All Cozens. Gilbert is in the corner with the Seattle guy, yet Cozens goes full speed into the corner to battle for the puck when Gilbert was already there. Center of the ice? wide open. I assume Zucker was supposed to be on the near side. He takes the slot to cover for Cozens, now no-one is there covering for him, and the goal is scored from there. Cozens can't go full speed deep into the corner and stay there if he is playing center, if the puck is on the boards, he has to allow the far side winger to help out the D-man. 2nd goal: Bryam here. Three guys were in the near corner for the Sabres, the puck headed toward the blue line (not guaranteed to go out) and all three guys started to head up to the blue line to exit the zone. There was no guarantee the puck was going out of the zone, and the Seattle player (goal scorer) was left behind by all of them. Byram was more concerned with breaking out of the zone instead of actually staying back on his side of the ice and left a player totally uncovered. 3rd goal: Keyston cops goal. Not really bad positioning by anyone, just the puck goes over the stick of a few guys and then goes in of off of Bryson. 4th goal: UPL to me here, and a bit of all the forwards, Cozens again and Zucker and Tage. Now I know the forwards may be pressing being down a goal, but when the puck exits the zone, ALL THREE forwards are behind Seattle goal line and ALL THREE in the same corner. I think it was Tage's corner so I can understand him going deep, but either Cozens or Zucker has to back off so they all aren't in the same spot. As for UPL... First of all, doesn't look like its screened, UPL is set and its from an off angle. THIS is an example of I want my goalie to make that save. The Cozens part, and why he should not be a Center. 3 on 2, both Zucker and Cozens are the 3rd defender trailing, If you have the replay, watch it. Zucker hustles back, but can't make it. From almost center ice all the way back, Cozens just glides. Had Cozens been hustling back, maybe Zucker could have gone to the wing and possible disturb the shooter. 5th goal. A bit on all the guys on the ice defending. PP goal, the Sabres weren't set, as simple as that. The goal scorer was alone in front of the net, Probably Gilbert's guy, basic mistake instead of slowing a bit and going in FRONT of the net on his way back to cover the guy, he skating in too deep and had to carry speed behind the net. Once he had to circle behind the net, that extra 1-2 seconds allowed his guy to be wide open. Maybe a BIT on the forwards. Besides Gilbert, all three other guys were on the near side. When you have 3 of your 4 PP guys on the same side of the ice, that leaves a LOT of open space on the other 2/3 of the ice. I know the instinct is to go get the puck, but the best way to defend the PP is to have one, MAYBE 2 guys go toward the puck, and the other 2 or 3 guys need to maintain their position.