mjd1001

When healthy, I think Dahlin can be a top 10 Defenseman in the league. When healthy, Tage is a top 10 scorer in the league (he currently is the best 5-on-5 scorer per 60 in the entire league.) You don't trade either of them. As far as anyone else besides Cozens, probably not unless its a super great deal. With this team not making the playoffs this year, they SHOULD fall into the category of 'sellers', and most of the national media/rumors put them into that category. But traditionally, 'sellers' are teams that are failing and looking to get assets to rebuild. That is NOT this team.

I agree 100% on Thompson. No way he should be moved, unless you are getting something beyond the realm of belief.

I'd take futures for Cozens, as it might just be addition by subtraction removing him. They aren't going anywhere this year and maybe those 'futures' can be flipped in the offseason for legit help to start next season. For anybody else, nope. Not unless you have a current roster play who is a free agent, begging you to get out, and has made it clear he is not going to be interested in this team next year.

The time period is about a year...but its not just 'this' year. His slump started almost exactly when he signed his contract extension last year. -His production dropped dramatically from the time he signed until the end of the regular season -he got even worse in the playoffs, with less than 1/2 point per game (previously in his career he was more than a point per game playoff guy) -Of course this year, that production drop has continued -As others have mentioned, he was a non-factor in the 4 nations tournament So its not just a bad stretch, this is going on for about a year now. 2 different regular seasons, a playoff run, an exhibition tournament. He never had a stretch of 'down' production in his career even close to this long. The only plausible explanation for many is he has an injury, but the team denies it, he denies it, and if he did, he had an entire offseason to rest it in the middle of this bad stretch and he still has not returned to form. So yeah, to say he will never be a point per game player? maybe he will, maybe he won't...but there is something that is 'off' for sure with is game....and no one has a good explanation for it yet. I don't know. I don't get it. I like him as a player and I thought he was on his way to being a top 10 player in the league...but his play lately is not even a fraction of that.

I haven't really watched much of the last 2 games maybe 5-10 minutes of each. I have gotten to the 2nd point of this season where the team has worn me down. I'm there with you with Cozens of course.....the team has 3 games yet between now and the trade deadline. Either They win 2 or all 3 and Cozens is one of the main reasons why in every game.....or he gets moved before Friday for me. He's had 5 years with this team and what....350 games of experience now and he hurts this team and contributes to losses probably more than any player in the NHL who gets significant ice time. Unless he turns his game around into a star in the next 3 games....which will give me some fleeting thing to hold on to.....or he needs to move. If neither of those things happen, I'm going to be so depressed about the direction of this team...and how bad the decisions makers are...I'll likely need to just walk away from it for a few games. (not as if that is any kind of a threat to the sabres...."Do what I want or else...", they don't care about what I think....its just going to be for my mental sanity regarding following sports.)

Top 4 in the draft would be nice, but I don't want them to get down to that level intentionally or even semi-intentionally.

I would be disappointed. I think he is a lot better than you make out in your post. Next to Dahlin and Tage, he would be 2rd on the list of getting me to think/say "WTH are you doing as a franchise anyway" if he was traded.

Again, its not about if he has improved the team overall. I'm not talking about the big context. I'm talking about the people who are saying "no trades" because I don't like Adams being in charge of the trades. If a trade is there that would help the team, I want it made. Simple. No over-analysis beyond that needed.

That is not all about trades. That is also about overall roster construction, development, drafting, free agents signings or lack of. This team needs changes. There is no way I'm going to say 'don't make any trades because I'm upset at the GM....when that is what this team needs....and the end result of the reign of this GM probably has more to do recently with all those other things than trades. There might, MAYBE be a move out there that will improve this team. Its doesn't make sense to me to say that I don't want any trades to be made because I don't like the guy pulling the trigger in a blanket statement, where you might miss that available move.

His recent trades and moves have not been disasters or anything close to it. I disagree.

We really need the Sabres to make some kind of move, if for no other reason than to give us something else to talk about, some other players to talk about and evaluate...and most importantly for us to at least feel Buffalo is part of the league.

Probably not. Not unless it is a major deal. This team is not making the playoffs this year, so no extra playoff revenue. I don't think Pegula retains salary for a move that will help them NEXT year, he'll likely worry about that in the offseason.

Short answer: Move Cozens. Instantly the team gets better. Either he plays much better here (not likely, and if it does happen likely means a move to wing) and the team is better overall......or the team is better without him and with ANYTHING you get back for him. I really, REALLY do think it can be that simple, and a lot more desirable than trading Peterka. (See my above 2-3 posts on this very page. I firmly beleive this to be true via my own personal "Eye test" and the numbers dramatically back it up.) Longer answer...Pegula opens up the checkbook and overpays, dramatically if needed, for a good, 2-way, veteran middle 6 guy and a good, top 4 quality RH d-man. Longer answer 2: You trade some prospects, either at the deadline, or in the offseason to a team tighter to the cap that might be willing to move that vet center or RHD for a young, 1st round drafted prospect. All of those options for me are better than trading Peterka, if you do that you may fill a hole but are creating another.

And dumb. There is absolutely no reason for the Sabres to move him. They would really need to be fleecing another team with what they get back for this team to be better without him long term.

Sorry quoting my own post but some more numbers this year: Even strength, JJP has not played the majority of the time with Tage as his center, actually only about 35% His centers by ice time even strength: Tage 35% Cozens 26% Kulich 19% McLeod 14% Krebs 6% To further my point about getting him away from Cozens...he has played 18 games where Cozens has been his primary, or only center by ice time. In those 18 games with Cozens, JJP has: 4 goals, 7 assists, -6 (82 game projects to 18 goals, 31 assists, -27) In the 37 games with anyone else: 13 goals, 20 assists, +7 (82 game: 29 goals, 44 assists, +15) and as a reminder of those 'other 37 games without Cozens, almost 55% of that ice time was with Kulich, McLeod, or Krebs at center, NOT just Thompson. So even this year, he functions as a positive player, a near 30 goal pace guy, a close to 80 point player when you pair him with ANYONE on the team not named Cozens. Even when the majority of that time is not Tage as his center.

In terms of who JJP plays with as his center.....I'm going to look at actual goals for vs goals allowed and high danger chances for vs high danger chances allowed. Personally if I have to pick 2 of the many analytics, I think that covers the most bases (actual goals for and against and actual quality chances for vs against) Overall play (offense and defense combined, 50% is neutral): With Thompson (336 minutes together): Goalsfor% 61.7 Highdangerchance% 54.3 With Cozens: (212 minutes together): Goalsfor% 41.9 Highdangerchance% 43.3 What about the other 200 minutes played even strength? Its hard to break it down by player because there are a few guys with very few minutes, but if you add them all up, at least in terms of goals for vs goals against, from what I can tell that number is 58.3% So this year, the key with Peterka is keep him away from Cozens. Yeah, he does best with Tage, but he is a net positive player with everyone else combined..even if its not Thompson...just not Cozens. And that isn't just this year. If you look for the last 3 years combined....goals for vs goals allowed (again, 50 being neutral) JJP with Thompson is 63.89. With Cozens only 45.11. With everyone and anyone else other than those two 51.61. Again, I can easily turn anything into a 'lets bash Dylan Cozens thread', but the eye test, the top line numbers, even the underlying analytics....show JJP is a good to very good player when he plays with anyone other than sharing the ice with Dylan Cozens.

I do care. He has made some good mores, more of them recently. This team needs a couple of key changes, I want those changes to be made.

Its like he was given his contract and his role on the team by a fan, not by someone who has access to an analytics department or even someone who listens to the coaching staff. "He scored 31 goals, he was a first round pick, SIGN HIM TO A BIG DEAL!" (something I would expect a casual fan to say) "His 31 goals may have been a result of a one time increase in his shooting percentage. His defensive metrics/analytics are bad and haven't improved, he is still a minus player despite those 31 goals, and even in this apparently good year, the players he played with had better numbers without him than with him, especially defensively. Our coaches should notice he is making just as many mistakes without the puck at the end of the year as he did day 1 with the team, there is little-to-no improvement. Lets wait on a big contract or giving him a big role on the team." (something I would expect anyone with any experience in a front office/coaching staff to say) Again, he was given a contract, role, and playing time based on only the things a casual fan would notice.

I keep coming back to this post. So basically of the Sabres top 9 forwards, none of them are better with Cozens, all 9 of them are worse, in many cases considerably worse with Cozens Of the Sabres top 4 D-men, none of them are better with Cozens, all 4 of them are worse, in many cases considerably worse with Cozens. So, if you take the top 4 D-men and top 9 forwards, the 13 players with the most ice time on this team, They are worse players in 13 out of 13 cases with Cozens. Why is he even playing?

At this point, I don't think the moves around the fringes of the roster really matter to this team much. As to your above points that I bolded....One could say that you COULD move some guys and acquire that 2nd or 3rd round pick. That pick is practically useless for the type of player it can get you in the draft (not to mention how long it would take to develop.) HOWEVER, those picks can be thrown around/thrown in to acquire a valuable veteran piece in the offseason. For example, you want a veteran that a team that has cap issues might want to get rid of? That 2nd rounder might be what is needed to be thrown in to get that guy. Now of course that is in theory, and happens on occasion with other teams. The Sabres do not seem to do that all that much. I THINK for that to happen, you would need a greater willingness of management and Pegula to open the wallet and pay some vets real money. That really hasn't happened much yet.

I'm not unhappy with anyone gone, except Dahlin and Thompson, and probably Peterka and Tuch. Dahlin and Thompson are are not replaceable, Peterka and Tuch are hard to replace. I think Moving Cozens would be good for the team and good for him to get a new start. That is the one move I WANT to see happen. I have no idea who is going to be traded. For the unrestricted guys, I don't see a ton of value for them individually, nothing as a return that will move the needle to make this team better in the future. So the questions are: 1.) Is there someone in Rochester that you are ready to move up to Buffalo for the rest of the year and want to make room for them? 2.) Is there someone who you have a good relationship with that is unrestricted, and really REALLY made it clear to you they want to be moved to a contender? Moving anyone is likely going to be if you can answer yes to one of those 2 above questions.

I think we would have liked to see him take a step forward to being a 30 goal scorer, especially after he started the year well. But, for being 22 I can't complain too much with his overall play. I think, overall, he is one of the players this year that has contributed more to their wins than he has to their losses. If you want this team to be better long term, you want more players like him, not less....despite him being a bit up-and-down this season.

On the goals allowed some bad bounces and a little bit of sloppy play, but I don't see really any huge mistakes where someone just didn't have their head screwed on right. Even the Carolina PP goal, the Sabres played it positionally pretty well. The probem is they are just getting dominated so much in terms of neutral zone play and overall puck possession, that any small mistakes you make are going to lead to chances against because they just don't have the puck. I'm not going to say 'bad Cozens', but may just 'not good Cozens'. I haven't seen him make any terrible plays, but he sloppy with the puck tonight. Its like his stick is repelling the puck. He's trying and he's not making any huge glaring mistakes/giveaways...just he has very little finesse or precision to his game.

This might be the worst game of the season positionally they have played

I've never had full Sabres season tickets, only for the Bills in the past. For me, it would be about do you still enjoy going to the games? Is it worth the cost for what you are getting out of it? Every year we had Bills seasons tickets I thought of every reason to keep or not to keep them, but in the end it just came down to, did I like going?