BlowLeafsBlow123

Why couldn't we get San Jose or something tonight? Of course we get a hot Florida team. I'm so embarrassed right now.

I can't help but feel bad for him. This is a disease that this organization is infected with.

I'll take a d-man that can at least play in the NHL ... he's probably an upgrade over Bryson.

Brannstrom for Aube-Kubel ... ok

I've been a huge Cozens-hater, similar to @mjd1001 on another board. But really enjoy the perspective over here. The Sabres need an infusion of clutch players for this team and some hockey IQ. I'm not sure where Norris stands here but seems he knows how to find open ice for scoring chances at least. I still think we need to swap out another low IQ player for someone that plays a heady game. I think Kulich plays a smart game, which is good, but he's not quite ready to be a top 6 C full-time. Sometimes when you have Thompson, Tuch and Peterka on the ice all at once, the low IQ plays tend to compound and you end up with bad shot selection at the end of games (i.e. last night). Maybe Norris and someone else could help there, we'll see.

I think Lindy likes Kulich's defensive game and letting the other two drive the offensive play.

Personally I'd start them on separate lines. Let Tage and Peterka drive L1 and have Kulich worry about defense. Try Norris with Tuch and maybe Quinn.

The headcase part of the Cozen conundrum is a huge piece, at least from my perspective. I always try to take note of the players that play well in (more) meaningful games against better teams. That was almost never Cozens. He seemed to feast when the team was feasting in high-scoring affairs or getting some secondary PP assists. His breakout year was a lot of him passing to Dahlin, then over to Thompson for a PP goal or Quinn/Peterka driving the 2nd line. He's hardly ever the primary play driver on big goals, like you see with a Tuch or Peterka (Quinn a few years ago) for instance. If you can remember back to when Mitts was still here, he seemed to play well in those games. I think of the OT winner on RJ's last call and a lot of scoring during that final playoff push that missed by one point. Cozens was a ghost during those games. I started turning on him late that year as he completely vanished down the stretch and the bad play persisted for two more seasons. He has his best games after we're all but eliminated, just look at the last few games last season. I just don't think he's a big time player and while he may have another 60 point year in him, he'll never be worth that contract based on his overall play.

Exactly. Perhaps Norris can be a guy that pops in a goal in a tight game. Cozens tended to play worse in those types of games and would instead make a crucial error like the other night against SJ.

Low hockey sense ... which has always been his issue even going back to juniors. The fact that the Sens traded a center to get him shows they'll use him there. Huge mistake.

Listen, if they're not willing to give up Byram and Cozens for a 100-point capable 1C, then I don't know what to say. I agree with @mjd1001's Cozens takes fully. This is an albatross contract and we're running out of runway to get rid of it before the rest of the league catches up. He's still thought of highly around the league as he's young and he's on the lowly Sabres, plus is a Team Canada favorite from his WJC and World Championships. It'd be highway robbery to get rid of that contract plus Byram, who is going to cost $7-$8M long-term and a little less on a bridge deal walking him to UFA. Personally I think we still need to build the D around Dahlin and Power, with better defensive d-men as their partners. Plus it allows them to shift a bunch of players within their lineup to the proper roles. Tage can be a 2C, McLeod or Kulich as the 3C...Krebs back to 4C = lots of options. We also have several center prospects coming up, with Helenius being the most likely Top 6 (2-way) capable player.

Benford, Rapp, Von, Rasul and we're good. Von gives them someone teams still have to at least account for as a pass rusher. I'm not sure any of our other guys strike fear into a team. Keep the lockdown corners and our current best safety and think we have one of the better defenses for the playoffs.

I'd guess that if Bryson, Gilbert or Clifton have a rough night it'll give Ruff the runway to put him back in. At this point, they're on a three-game winning with this exact group of defenders. I think he knows that the top 4 looks better (last game no withstanding) as currently constructed and perhaps has data from last year that shows that Joki was a drag on Power. The other thing to consider is that they could be actively shopping him as we speak, and don't want to risk injury. They'd be smart to sell him off before the deadline to a team needing a righty that might pay a little more to have him for the majority of the season. We have decent depth and still have Ryan Johnson down in the AHL, who looked like an NHL'er most nights last season. Plus Novikov might be close to ready for third pairing duty. The only problem is...it leaves Connor Clifton as your only true right shot. Adams would likely need to at least get someone else in that can play on the right. Personally, I'm good with it. Jokiharju just doesn't do anything well and is soft. I honestly prefer Bryson's game overall, and he's a much better defender and more adept at skating the puck out of trouble. I find Joki's hockey IQ to be quite low, especially in the offensive zone where his go-to move is to just shoot with no traffic in front. My opinion is that Ruff watched it for the first few based on reputation more than anything, but quickly realized he was the weak link and prefers a more rugged bottom pair. It makes sense.

Cozens will be lucky to hit 10 this year. He looks completely incapable of doing anything productive, let alone burying pucks.

I LOVE Zach Benson and think he's going to be most impactful. Lindy will quickly trust Benson as a go-to guy and put him on the ice a lot. I could easily see Zach having a 55-60 point year and being the best playmaker on the team. He can fit on either of the top three lines and be the play driver. Just a fantastic hockey player that we're very lucky to have gotten so late in there first round last year. This is a tough poll though, as all three are primed for a great season. I just think they're all ready to pop and become household names around the league. Peterka does seem to fit like a glove with Thompson and Tuch and has ten times the speed of Skinner who was one of the slowest skaters in the league last year. It's hard to see Peterka taking a step back on the goal scoring, and you have to imagine his assists go up on that line. I see him being a 30 goal guy with close to 60 points as well. I've always held Quinn in high regard as well. He's probably the most skilled winger in their entire system and certainly has the highest point potential. I do see him getting to around a point per game type of player. Just not sure it'll happen this year. I see him also in that 50-60 point range with very good 2-way ability, which is an underrated part of his game. His hockey IQ, like Benson's is off the charts. They're exactly what a guy like Cozens need. I voted Zach Benson for most points, a bit tongue in cheek and a bit hopeful that he's the next Marchand-type winger in the league. That said, it could easily be any of these guys which is a great problem to have. Hey you never know? If Cozens finds some defensive ability under Lindy, and Quinn magically turns into a 40+ goal guy, we could have our version of Marchand-Bergeron-Pasta 🙂