Jost, Krebs and the Bottom 6 Problem!

[LabattBlue]

2 hours ago, Crusader1969 said:

I think they have 2 choices to fix the 3rd line. 
Go for it this year:

Crouse -Cozens - Kane

wait till next year:

Rosen - Cozens - Kulich

either way - better than what they have now 

 

Bringing in two guys with no NHL experience is “fixing” the 3rd line?   KA loves your thought process 

[PerreaultForever]

3 hours ago, Mango said:

Gun to my head, pick between Cozens and Mitts, I’m taking Mitts and moving forward. I wouldn’t lose a wink of sleep. It isn’t like Mitts is 30 years old. He’s 24 to Cozens 22. He’s playing like the player we hope Cozens becomes.  

We need some help at C down the roster but Cozens future in the top 6 is on the wing unless those two guys stop progressing and he takes a huge leap. 

I'm not giving up on Cozens but at the moment he isn't growing into his new shiny contract. He needs to look at Mitts and perhaps take a lesson. Mitts was ineffective at the NHL level, got humbled, and then apparently got serious. He seems to have beefed up a little and is certainly using his body to drive through and past opponents creating his own time and space. This also draws additional defenders towards him opening up space for others. Cozens needs to do this more. He still tries to move the puck around people, control it, and move to open space rather than trying to create it. He's a big enough guy, he has to use it. 

 

[Crusader1969]

49 minutes ago, LabattBlue said:

Bringing in two guys with no NHL experience is “fixing” the 3rd line?   KA loves your thought process 

I guess reading comprehension isn’t a top priority for you 

if you want to wait till next year to have the 3rd line fixed , bring up Rosen and Kulich.    
 

I’ll add that they had 2 guys with no NHL experience play with Cozens last season and it’s certainly was better than anything we’ve seen so far this year 

Edited November 12, 2023 by Crusader1969

[LabattBlue]

24 minutes ago, Crusader1969 said:

I guess reading comprehension isn’t a top priority for you 

if you want to wait till next year to have the 3rd line fixed , bring up Rosen and Kulich.    
 

I’ll add that they had 2 guys with no NHL experience play with Cozens last season and it’s certainly was better than anything we’ve seen so far this year 

Huh?  Next season Kulich & Rosen will have no NHL experience(more than likely). What did I say that was wrong?

[Marvin]

The Tuch injury exposes the need for either higher-end depth or a different kind of depth.  Our higher-end depth players belong in Juniors this year.  Therefore, we currently need more gritty depth that forechecks and backchecks assiduously.

Cozens's injury and problems getting on track this year are part of the problem with the bottom 6.  He is way better than JAG-level, but that is where he is playing right now.  I would play him in more of a checking role for the moment and play him with Krebs and Jost for a few games.

Couple these with the Quinn injury and we find the Sabres are relying on play from Olofsson that he is just not capable of.  Girgensons and Okposo seem to cover up his flaws enough, but when they are out against the other teams' top lines, it results in the disaster we saw in Pittsburgh in the first period.

Honestly, I would rather that Rosen, Rousek, Benson, et al. be in the line-up over Olofsson.

[Crusader1969]

1 hour ago, LabattBlue said:

Huh?  Next season Kulich & Rosen will have no NHL experience(more than likely). What did I say that was wrong?

They’ll have near a season of experience if you bring them up now 

[LabattBlue]

37 minutes ago, Crusader1969 said:

They’ll have near a season of experience if you bring them up now 

Oh. I didn’t realize that is the plan. 

[Mango]

2 hours ago, PerreaultForever said:

I'm not giving up on Cozens but at the moment he isn't growing into his new shiny contract. He needs to look at Mitts and perhaps take a lesson. Mitts was ineffective at the NHL level, got humbled, and then apparently got serious. He seems to have beefed up a little and is certainly using his body to drive through and past opponents creating his own time and space. This also draws additional defenders towards him opening up space for others. Cozens needs to do this more. He still tries to move the puck around people, control it, and move to open space rather than trying to create it. He's a big enough guy, he has to use it. 

 

I’m not giving up on Cozens either. This was just sort of piggy backing off of some hypothetical. 

I really liked Cozens game last year. 

[PerreaultForever]

2 hours ago, Marvin said:

The Tuch injury exposes the need for either higher-end depth or a different kind of depth.  Our higher-end depth players belong in Juniors this year.  Therefore, we currently need more gritty depth that forechecks and backchecks assiduously.

Cozens's injury and problems getting on track this year are part of the problem with the bottom 6.  He is way better than JAG-level, but that is where he is playing right now.  I would play him in more of a checking role for the moment and play him with Krebs and Jost for a few games.

Except Krebs is playing his way out of the NHL. He's been garbage so far. 

I agree on the "gritty depth" and have been on that soapbox for years but we just don't have it. We have a lot of the same. We do not have a team structure suited to it and we do not have those type of prospects pushing to come up. 

[GASabresIUFAN]

DG mentioned that something is going on with Krebs and that he would elaborate more later.  Has anyone seen any additional information on Krebs?

[Doohicksie]

17 hours ago, Marvin said:

assiduously

Congratulations.  You used The Sabrespace Word of the Day!  Take a print out of this thread to Moe's to get 25% off your meal.

[steveoath]

Well, there you have it…..

 

[GASabresIUFAN]

On 11/13/2023 at 4:17 PM, steveoath said:

Well, there you have it…..

 

Well family issues could certainly hurt someone’s focus on the ice.