mjd1001

I'm not 100% schooled on Josh Norris, but the guy can score. This would be a huge, big win for the Sabres. He has more goals across his career than Cozens and has done that in more than 100 less games. Also a clutch scorer, has 5 game winners this year in just over 50 games played, he had 8 game winners in a single season a few years ago. Cozens has 4 game winners for his entire career.

please be true

Its almost as if Adams goes to Terry and asks him for a list of the players who he likes....not as hockey players but who he thinks are nice guys. And those guy are immediately taken off the trade list. If Pegula is a fan of you for any reason, he had a nice conversation with you one time for example, you have a de facto no trade clause. Its not about if the scouts, coaches or analytics dept thinks you are a good player. Nope.

Good I guess. But again as many of us are talking about in other threads...this is a case of 'let's keep the band together' or "let's focus on keeping everyone who is here this year so they will be here next year two'. Lets keep everyone happy and comfortable, this is working SO well. I'm lukewarm on keeping Greenway here. I'd be OK with Zucker as long as they don't give him a contract and pay him like they expect him to produce 25 goals the next 2 years. But there has to be a change someplace. If you keep Zucker and Greenway, the move at least 2-3 other forwards that are currently on the team.

The question this thread poses as the title: "What will be the Sabres approach at the trade deadline?" Answer: Get through the day without making anyone on the team or the front office upset, mad, nervous, or uncomfortable in any way.....and hope the fanbase understands this and accepts this and moves on quickly.

It makes you wonder. Also, I don't think this team was going to be a long term winner under any of the GM's that were here, and Murray made some bad decisions, but all of Pegula's hires....they seem to follow this pattern. Each hire Pegula has made appears to progress along the lines of being a potentially worse GM than the previous one but being easier for him to get along with. Murray was an abrasive and matter-of-fact outsider, he was blunt and not soft spoken at all. He was fired and replaced by Botts. Botts was a former Sabre, from all signs less abrasive than Murray but a bit more of a 'people person', but he was fired and replaced by Adams...who has put together the worst team (with respect to the starting point in many opinions) but he is the easiest to get a long with and a really really nice guy! At that rate, if Adams is fired, we might end up with a close family friend as GM or Pegula's childhood friend. Each new hire is less of an experienced 'hockey guy' and more someone who will make things comfortable in the front office for everyone.

It is amazing how much Risto with the Sabres reminds me of Cozens with the Sabres. -Kinda big, takes dumb penalties -will abandon the puck at the exact wrong time to finish a check. -Fans loved them at first but many soured on them when they realized they just don't think the game that well. -Former high first round picks. -LOOK like NHL players in practice but doesn't translate to the game. -Signed a pretty big, long term contract with the team in their early 20's before even the team realized their flaws. -A HUGE minus player in the +/- compared to teammates, where some people would defend them by saying +/- is a flawed stat...but in the end it wasn't flawed with them because they are the REASON for those -'s. Hopefully it ends the same way...where Cozens gets traded to a team that overlooks his overall game and they overpay the Sabres for him. Cozens IS the forward version of what Risto was for the Sabres as a D-man.

Its puzzling....What does their coaching staff say when they watch film? Sure, they know a lot more than us and they see more, but there are obvious plays where players are out of position and it happens over and over. What does the analytics department do and do they have a say in anything. There are players on this team that seem to make obvious mistakes that would be recognizable to both pro scouts/coaches and to even casual fans they are so bad, and many of those players show little to no sign of improvement over the season or even multiple seasons. Then, the Analytics back up the things that can be seen with very strong numbers showing it. So, It doesn't matter whether you are an old fashioned....'get out of here with your fancy stats' guy....or if you are deep into analytics....there are some players on this team that BOTH sides of things point out major issues...and those players are not getting any better. Why are many of them still here?

So, they don't want to make any management changes because they think they have the right pieces in place and just need more time? Or......do they just want to keep everyone happy and not rock the boat anymore because everyone is comfortable with each other? In the past this team made a lot of changes.....but lately it seems as if....lets keep everyone comfortable! The players all want to be here and get along....Terry likes Kevin...Kevin likes Lindy.... When things get TOO comfortable....that is the exact time you probably need a shake-up. Yeah, but why did they get fired? It seems to me it was as much about a personality conflict....about not listening to ownership...about a little sandpaper in the front office (which can be a good thing). Adams is soft spoken, he wants everyone to get along......maybe THAT is the key to keeping your job under Pegula.

I agree. Its not about is Greenway a better player than an alternative. Its about how available he is. For example, lets say you have a choice of Greenway or someone else, and you pick Greenway because he is a slightly better player. But Greenway likely misses 20-30 games, the other guy would play most of the season (all of this on average). Well, when Greenway is hurt you end up filling a roster spot with someone from the bottom of the roster. What is better? Greenway for 60% of the season and a bottom of the roster guy for 40% of the season? Or someone who is possibly slightly worse than Greenway but a lot better than that bottom of the roster guy for 90%+ of the season? I might take the 2nd.

Adams is in Florida so its a chace for Adams and Pegula to be together so they can re-assure the team that no one will be dealt...or if someone is Adams and Pegula can be there to console the rest of the team and make sure they feel comfortable and good and not feel any undo-pressure or anything like that.

Yes and no. His scoring going down isn't a sign of something wrong with him. He goes into streaks like this throughout his career. Currently he has 3 goals through 23 games since we have been in 2025. -Last year from March 3-April 9, he played 17 games with only 1 goal. -Last year from October 29-Jan 9, he played 31 games with only 3 goals. -Even in his 31 goal season 2 years ago, he went 10 games without a goal in the middle of the season. Some guys are streaky. Cozens is really, REALLY streaky. The issue isn't a slump of 3 goals in 23 games recently. The issue IS: -only 11 goals in 61 games this season -16.9 goals per 82 games for the past 2 seasons -18.5 goals per 60 for his career (INCLUDING his good year) All this for a player who has an "A", is being piad $7 per year, can't play defense, has been a negative player ever year of his career (Tuch has been positive every year here even on this team) and as time goes on Cozens less and less wants to defend teammates...like Dahlin being double-teamed last night and Cozens standing 2 feet away and doing nothing.

So, his extension is for $4 per year. But on a per game basis, he'll be getting per game what some $8m per year guys get.

He is bringing no offense to this game, and has been a no-show in terms of helping his teamates out.....yet again, he is on pace for 17-18 minutes of ice time. I don't get it. Lindy does it. Granato did it. It has to be coming from above (Adams or Pegula) that they have to play this guy.

I disagree. When I watch multiple replays of goals allowed, I usually find more often than not that the D-men start the replay in the right position, but it is lack of coverage or mistakes by the forwards that are the issue. Not all the time, but more than 1/2 of the time I will watch a replay over and over from all the angles they have and its usually the D-men covering for the forwards.

As much as I like McLeod, looking at the replay of that SH goal allowed, I'm not sure what he was doing. He rotated away from his spot and I do not know why, that caused the D-men to move out of position and they PK box got all messed up. McLeod overally is one of the top 5 or 6 forwards on this team, but him not holding position caused a chain reaction that hurt their coverage on that SH goal allowed.

Byram looks bad tonight. But most of the defense this team needs is getting forward that know how to play in their own zone and not hang their own D-men out to dry.

That last replay of the scrum from behind the net made Cozens look as bad as any teammate can look.

Tuch and Samuelsson and Cozens late into that scrap. Samuelsson finally comes in and aggressvily puts someone in a headlock. Cozens, dancing behind the net. WHY Is Cozens on this team????

I am rapidly losing my positive belief in Byram.

Blue Jackets are pretty decent and a hard team to play against, but not tonight. About half way through the game against Florida. They are down 2-0, but they are being outshot 26-7. Thats domination.

With the posts about Peterka possibly wanting out and maybe not liking Buffalo/WNY....is there anything at all to think this is true or just someone throwing it out there?

I guess, I am not in that category so I can't dispute it. But most of these guys, especially the europeans, don't say where they play in the offseason. During the season, you are probably in your 'home city' only half the time. And of that time when you are there, your free time is probabaly only half of that. So, maybe it is Buffalo, but if he was getting paid and the team was winning, I don't think it would be nearly a problem.

Depends on the return of course. There is a pretty big cry for the team to get 'older'. If they do Trade Peterka, I just hope its not for a player who is a vet who may be somewhat better currently, but is on the downside of his career and likely to fade within a year or two.

There is no redeeming quality for Cozens to be on this team. OK, maybe he puts in some effort skating hard, but he needs to be off this team. Seriously.