GDT - Flyers @ Sabres - January 22, 2022 - 1:00 PM (EST) - MSG-B and WGR

[Weave]

8 minutes ago, Thorny said:

 

If those 4 guys are our best 4 centres AND their best selves at centre, I’d probably play them all at centre. Wouldn’t move one to wing just because I want a vet/lower talent guy at 4C. Cozens belongs in the middle with his 200 ft game. The position they play is more relevant in the defensive end, anyways - so who plays C would be more dependant on how they look in the defensive zone for me, no the O zone, where players can more less free lance anyways. 

Krebs is even more of a playmaker than Mittelstadt so I’d think his talents would be even better suited for the middle on O, but again it’d come down to how the two look in the middle, on D. 

If all 4 are going to do their best work at C, I’d try and roll the 4 lines and suit them up with the proper wingers. 

I’m not sure any team in the league has enough wingers to pull that off.

I think it is inevitable that one of those will primarily play on the wing.  My guess is Cozens or Krebs, but its just a guess.

Edited January 24, 2022 by Weave

[Thorner]

Just to expand a bit - I’d bet the strength of the team runs through Dahlin and Power, so as long as we’re looking to have a balanced C unit more along the lines of maybe four 2/3 Cs as opposed to having a standout C or two, being able to run all the lines with similar ice time would ensure either D man was able to outlet to a strong C and line no matter when they are on the ice. 

I wouldn’t be worried about the C we have on the “4th” line getting poor usage as our Cs may all be really close. We’d want to run all the lines. If one of our Cs does pull away and shows themselves to be someone you lean on for more ice time, at that point I’d consider bumping a C over to W in the name of ice time.

[Thorner]

5 minutes ago, Weave said:

I’m not sure any team in the league has enough wingers to pull that off.

I think it is inevitable that one of those will primarily play on the wing.  My guess is Cozens or Krebs, but its just a guess.

To pull what off? Field reasonable wingers on every line? Isn’t that the goal? I’m not talking about putting a great C on line 4, I’m talking about putting a 2/3 C on line 4 - it’s not necessary, nor possible (like you alluded to) to run some sort of set up where you are outfitting 4 top lines Cs with the relatively adequate wingers 

Why couldn’t Girgensons - Mittelstadt - Hinostroza be a good 4th line? 

[Weave]

6 minutes ago, Thorny said:

To pull what off? Field reasonable wingers on every line? Isn’t that the goal? I’m not talking about putting a great C on line 4, I’m talking about putting a 2/3 C on line 4 - it’s not necessary, nor possible (like you alluded to) to run some sort of set up where you are outfitting 4 top lines Cs with the relatively adequate wingers 

Why couldn’t Girgensons - Mittelstadt - Hinostroza be a good 4th line? 

For starters, I won’t be convinced Girgensons and Hiney are our 4th option LW and RW until they actually are that low on the depth chart.

Like my old Reinhart argument. Is Cozens (or whatever other C) more valuable overall up the roster on wing or down the roster at C?  I think we’d be better overall with Cozens (or whoever) on a featured line on the wing than centering two fourth on the depth chart wingers.  We can probably pick up that center on the market and let Cozens (or whoever) play on a featured line.

[Thorner]

6 minutes ago, Weave said:

For starters, I won’t be convinced Girgensons and Hiney are our 4th option LW and RW until they actually are that low on the depth chart.

Like my old Reinhart argument. Is Cozens (or whatever other C) more valuable overall up the roster on wing or down the roster at C?  I think we’d be better overall with Cozens (or whoever) on a featured line on the wing than centering two fourth on the depth chart wingers.  We can probably pick up that center on the market and let Cozens (or whoever) play on a featured line.

The entire premise of my set-up though is that we aren’t primarily featuring a line - at least not in the traditional sense. If I had to guess, if a player plays their best at a given position, the team would be best served with the player in that role - that’s where the player is giving the most output, all else being equal. I’d only willingly accept a lesser output from said player if I thought the player’s talents would be severely hampered by their wingers when placing them in the position I want. 

What if Quinn, Tuch, Skinner, and Olofsson are our top 4 wingers? Hard to say if the centre you’d want to move to W *should* even replace those guys on merit. Especially if the player is a better C than W, which was part of my original stance. At that point you are looking for spots for Krebs and Mittelstadt in the bottom 6. 3LW/4C....May not need to be much of a gap if any between those spots, the deployment of those spots at all.

It’ll just depend on what everyone develops into. I’m just not ruling out playing what could end up being our four best centres... at centre

[Thorner]

Olofsson - Cozens - Quinn

Asplund - Thompson - Tuch

Skinner - Krebs - Okposo

Girgensons - Mittelstadt - Peterka

....why not? Could be admirable balance 

order them 1-4 any way you like

Edited January 24, 2022 by Thorny

[Doohicksie]

There was talk of Krebs and Cozens on the same line at World Juniors.... maybe there's some chemistry/synergy there? 

I'm not automatically opposed to those four manning C on all four lines, but I do think there is value in having an unflappable vet pivoting a shutdown line.  I think Cozens might get that role but I want to see him with higher offensive expectations.

[Taro T]

10 minutes ago, Thorny said:

The entire premise of my set-up though is that we aren’t primarily featuring a line - at least not in the traditional sense. If I had to guess, if a player plays their best at a given position, the team would be best served with the player in that role - that’s where the player is giving the most output, all else being equal. I’d only willingly accept a lesser output from said player if I thought the player’s talents would be severely hampered by their wingers when placing them in the position I want. 

What if Quinn, Tuch, Skinner, and Olofsson are our top 4 wingers? Hard to say if the centre you’d want to move to W *should* even replace those guys on merit. Especially if the player is a better C than W, which was part of my original stance. At that point you are looking for spots for Krebs and Mittelstadt in the bottom 6. 3LW/4C....May not need to be much of a gap if any between those spots, the deployment of those spots at all.

It’ll just depend on what everyone develops into. I’m just not ruling out playing what could end up being our four best centres... at centre

You keep putting Mittelstadt in as a bottom 6 or even 4th C.  Definitely don't see 2C's better than him today on this roster & likely not in the future either.  My 2 cents.

[Thorner]

12 minutes ago, Taro T said:

You keep putting Mittelstadt in as a bottom 6 or even 4th C.  Definitely don't see 2C's better than him today on this roster & likely not in the future either.  My 2 cents.

Ya, I do keep doing that, and I also keep saying the lines are just numbers and putting the numbers in quotations and saying you’d roll all 4 and can order them how you like and divide up the wingers as one sees fit - ie that I’m not putting him “below” but that the goal would be more equal lines.

So it’s just a, clearly, wasted thought. 

- - - 

Thompson is already better than Casey so, sure, go with the idea there won’t be two better than him ie neither Cozens or Krebs will therefore amount to being as good a mittelstadt. Play one of Cozens/Krebs at 3C and throw the other up top on W. done, problem solved.

Edited January 24, 2022 by Thorny

[dudacek]

1 hour ago, Thorny said:

 

If those 4 guys are our best 4 centres AND their best selves at centre, I’d probably play them all at centre. Wouldn’t move one to wing just because I want a vet/lower talent guy at 4C. Cozens belongs in the middle with his 200 ft game. The position they play is more relevant in the defensive end, anyways - so who plays C would be more dependant on how they look in the defensive zone for me, no the O zone, where players can more less free lance anyways. 

Krebs is even more of a playmaker than Mittelstadt so I’d think his talents would be even better suited for the middle on O, but again it’d come down to how the two look in the middle, on D. 

If all 4 are going to do their best work at C, I’d try and roll the 4 lines and suit them up with the proper wingers.

In junior, Cozens was a .75 goals to every assist player, Krebs: .3 goals to every assist.

Krebs got more assists per game, but not by an overwhelming margin. They both look like centres who can play wing in a pinch to me.

Mittelstadt has been .8 goals to 1 assist in the NHL, after being more like .7 in college. Thompson has been pretty much 1 for 1 as a pro and in college.

Never liked the idea of Casey as a winger but we haven’t seen much of it. And Tage has certainly been far better as a centre.

I want them all to play centre, but I think the Sabres foresee them becoming 4 of their best 6 forwards. I can’t see any of them on the 4th line beyond next season. It’s an ice-time question and will become a salary cap necessity. All 4 should be getting 15 minutes with good linemates.

Good problem to have if it happens, but it is one reason why I’m not burning for the Sabres to take a centre with their first pick.

Edited January 24, 2022 by dudacek

[dudacek]

38 minutes ago, Thorny said:

Olofsson - Cozens - Quinn

Asplund - Thompson - Tuch

Skinner - Krebs - Okposo

Girgensons - Mittelstadt - Peterka

....why not? Could be admirable balance 

order them 1-4 any way you like

This could work for a year.

[Andrew Amerk]

On 1/24/2022 at 8:14 AM, bob_sauve28 said:

From wiki 

 

William Randall Wyrozub (born April 8, 1950) is a former professional ice hockey centre. Wyrozub played in the National Hockey League and World Hockey Association.

Randy Wyrozub

BornApril 8, 1950 (age 71)
Lacombe, Alberta, Canada

Height5 ft 11 in (180 cm)

Weight170 lb (77 kg; 12 st 2 lb)

PositionCentre

ShotLeft

Played forBuffalo Sabres
Indianapolis Racers (WHA)

NHL Draft43rd overall, 1970
Buffalo Sabres

Playing career1970–1979

Born in Lacombe, Alberta, he was drafted in the fourth round, 43rd overall, by the Buffalo Sabres in the 1970 NHL Amateur Draft. He played 100 games in the National Hockey League with the Sabres, scoring eight goals and adding ten assists. He later played fifty-five games in the World Hockey Association with the Indianapolis Racers, scoring eleven goals and adding fourteen assists.

Does he have a hockey card with the Sabres?