Pimlach

Pretty good analysis. I would add that they lack a physical and steady top 4 D. You mention Muel and they need to upgrade him. Add a more physical, more reliable, and less error prone defender. Muel can move to the 5/6 or be part of a trade, he is not good enough in the top 4. They need a player that is a fighter and yet good enough to play every game. The 4th line is the place for it. They need a player that can beat the hell out of opponents, many good teams have them. Replace Lafferty with that guy. I can move on from Krebs and Quinn. Krebs will at least do the dirty work on the 4th line. Quinn is not scoring, he does not shoot enough, and he plays on the perimeter. I don't care for his game in the defensive zone either. Quinn has fallen far behind Peterka and now he is behind Hulich and Benson. He may not get much but we have lots of young forwards. Get a veteran player to replace him. A guy like Sam Bennett would be a good add - physical, some decent skill, and knows how to win. I still think they need a playmaking center, not sure if Norris will be the 1C or a 2C. Kulich is the pleasant surprise of the season but is he a 1c/2c? A good GM can fix this is they spend to the cap.

They never even talked to either of these coaches. Which is another reason they are not considered a serious team. Terry is bound and determined to run this team without being involved with the rest of the league. He is an outsider looking in.

hit tracking in the NHL is not a consistent stat from what I can see.

Remember Bo Byram’s first few games

Part of the reason Ottawa moved Norris was reliability and availability. He had a nagging shoulder injury that spanned a few seasons. They also wanted to get bigger and more physical. Cozen has 17 hits in two games, they want him banging people.

Deflates the balloon.

Norris is more skilled and a legit top 6 forward, I saw that every time we played Ottawa. It will come down to his health and how much Cozens matures down the road as to who “wins” the trade. Right now it looks like we improved at center, a position we grade poorly at.

Terrible call ref.

Made it in time for the 3rd period. Tuch gets another, yeah, let’s trade him. TNT with 2. Norris gets his first apple. Go Sabres!!

They were very weak at center. Tage as a 1C center is debatable, his two way game against other teams top line is not very good, which is why Lindy moved him to wing. Cozens was a below average 2C. Krebs a below average 4C. Only McLeod is the only one adequate in his role as 3C. The center spline is poor, despite al the draft picks spent on center.

How many times in the modern NHL do real hockey fights happen, let alone two. No one was looking for a Donnybrook with the score 5-1 and the time almost out. Looking at the replay, Cozens gets hit, he didn’t like it and crossed checked Hathaway in the back. Hathaway looks up and sees they are going off and decides to engage Cozens. Cozens mistake was he picked the wrong dance partner and he thought he was just going to push and shove with the gloves on. Hathaway drops the gloves and then totaled Cozens. Johnson came in to help during the pushing and a linesman clears him out, he let them fight to get them off. In today’s game you rarely ever see other players squaring off during a flight - with gloves off, and wrestling with another player, and then a second fight starts. That is removed from the game, gloves off is a penalty today. The immaturity of Cozens comes through when he slams the metal ladder on his way to the dressing room. After all this he is forced to play with a plastic face shield and it affected his played for a few weeks but after that he was ok. He had some periods of both good and bad play. The lost fight is not a reason for his longer term issues. I will concede that the team makeup, lots of young kids playing against grown men, makes it harder for our kids to get comfortable out there. They are intimidated physically and mentally. A big Adams mistake that he refuses to properly address. Part of Cozens problem is he cares so much that he gets emotional and his game suffers. To make matters worse, someone decided to give Cozens an A, even though they had Tage and Tuch wearing them. Nothing like piling more on the kid who we all knew from last season needs to simplify everything. Cozen performance against Tampa was one of a guy who knew he was out. He probably felt failure and regret because he cares a lot. My summary is they rushed him. Maybe not rushed into the league, but the rushed him into the leadership roles he played on the team. He was not mature enough to lead and take on the problems that Adams and Pegula created In Ottawa he has tougher linemates and more top cover. He just might find his game, get stronger from his natural growth, and become a good player.

Sure. Bettman can try. He probably cannot make Terry increase his payroll or operating costs, and the “experienced NHL hockey people doing the analysis and providing outside advice” would have to be paid by the league. And then what about their access to the team and the teams processes? And who will listen to their findings? Is Terry even obligated to make changes based on the findings? Probably not. I consult to Program Management Executives in the Aerospace and Defense business, providing independent analysis to my customers. I can tell you that without the backing at the top level, and a willingness to fix problems and make change, my work can be a waste of money. Terry can hire his own outside consulting, and maybe supplement them with league staffers, but he has to want it, pay for it, and be willing to listen.

Maurice never played past the OHL. He went from playing juniors to coaching juniors. He would have played against Ray in the OHL though, so maybe back then. Ray would never stretch the truth.

Imlach, Bowman, Meehan, Muckler, and Regier - none were brothers of the players. That was a ridiculous statement and a bad concept for any sports organization who’s goal is to win. The big boss just cannot be one of the boys. Adams acts childish. A GM should have no trouble calling out a player to the coach, or trading a player. Personal feelings and having favorites will negatively impact the team. Visits the GMs office seem weird to me. Today are the players are different? Sure. But the relationship between them and the coach and the GM has to have some boundaries.

The Sabres considered him a team leader since he was 21. Shameful organization. Many of the fans here said “give him the C” during his 31 goal season.

This group has had two coaches, Granato and Lindy. Lindy has been worse thus far. The players aren’t listening to him.

And do what? Move them to Houston?

Agree, but they moved Kulich from winger to 1C. Less of a stretch.

Remember Byram looked like a hard worker. Bernier was the classic

Worse, Kotakiiemi knew who was lined up against and planned to make a statement to fire his team that was on a losing streak. I would love to know who first said “we are going on puck drop”, Cozens knew the fight was coming.

That is a terrible offer? My counter would be Point for Tuch. The call could end quickly and that’s ok. The Sabres don’t need futures. Tampa was counting (hoping) on Adams to continue stockpiling picks and prospects while they focus on winning now.