The Current Situation

[zow2]

26 minutes ago, bob_sauve28 said:

We should start looking to make a big trade like Florida did a few years ago

Adams could move some good people out but which really good players in return would agree to be traded to the Sabres?  It's an absolute career ending place.

[Mango]

17 hours ago, pi2000 said:

the oilers won 2 games in october last year

When the Sabres get McDavid and Draisaitl let me know. 

I bet you could offer Edmonton our entire top 6 for Draisaitl and they would probably say no. 

That’s how large the talent gap is between those two players and any combination of players in Buffalo. 

Edmonton and Buffalo are not the same. 

Edited October 11 by Mango
Word

[Mango]

13 hours ago, ASlugAbove said:

We just look flat out dead. No drive. No direction. Just like last year. The game starts and it’s like they didn’t even realize they’re in an nhl game. They announce the players at the HOME OPENER and NOBODY looks excited. Probably because they know we’re about to boo. And ya know what? It’s deserved. They have no heart. No leadership. Our captain is 24 and has never won here. We’re broken and I’m afraid we’re staring down the barrel of 0-4. 

Maybe because it’s once every 365 days, but when was the last time that a GM was announced with the roster? It seemed so odd. In fact Adams constant presence around the roster with stuff like announcing captains is super odd. 

 

[Mango]

5 hours ago, LGR4GM said:

They should bump Cozens to wing and put Mitts at center... wait wait

Uhhh McLeod between Quinn and Cozens.

Adams playing 9D pick up sticks. 

[mjd1001]

4 hours ago, GoPuckYourself said:

It has to be talent at this point, how many missed shots on net did Tage and Tuch miss yesterday? all last season? It continues to be the same problems so I'm sticking to my guns and saying that Thompson and Tuch are asked to carry us as top liners but are probably more suited as 2nd line complimentary players. Cozens looks like part of the problem also, he just looks completely lost at this pont and I'm not sure he's salvageable. I don't think it's as easy as just sayin "let's fix the power play" and everything will be fine, I feel like it's deeper than that which brings me back to talent on the roster and how we may have overestimated it. I hope I'm wrong but Dahlin also, he continues to suck in big moments with yet another giveaway and again a part of the problem. Even UPL looked good but not the UPL of last year yet standing on his head.

If it's not talent what can it possibly be at this point? 

As much as I pick on Cozens, he HAS played better in his own end and honestly, he is getting to the prime scoring areas and getting off shots. He just is such a bad shooter!  That is what can make him such a frustrating player. He is very good, almost great at getting to the scoring areas...but once he gets there he doesn't have the talent to convert.  

I think that is why he keeps getting so many chances, he LOOKS like he is so close to 'getting it done' but he is not a finisher. Believing that is why I think hes a potentially very good/great 3rd line winger at $5m per year...but...not a 2nd line center at $7m per year.

[Archie Lee]

3 hours ago, mjd1001 said:

I do understand your sentiment, but my issues with Cozens are 2 things that are un-related to who he plays with.

1.)  He HAS gotten better in this way, but he has been awful positionally in the Defensive zone. Again, he's better the last 6 months, but he want from 'awful' to 'average'.

2.)  Regardless of his teammates, he is getting shots, taking shots, getting shots from prime areas of the ice, and he simply isn't converting. When you are taking the majority of your shots from the center of the ice, top of the circle in....and for all of last year and into this year, you are shooting 8%...that is on him. He's just not good at shooting.  Give him better teammates, older guys, and what changes? He gets more chances? He is still shooting at a poor rate when he has those prime chances.

You want to throw Cozens on a line with Tuch and Peterka for a couple weeks, at this point have at it....I mean, how much more can it hurt? Give it a try I guess. But I think ultimately there has to be someone better, a better produce, a better shooter than him in the top 6.

To the bolded, I don't know what would happen as we have never seen Cozens get the opportunity to consistently play with one, let alone two, experienced players. Maybe he would not produce more goals, but the veteran players would score more by being more willing to get to the net and capitalize on rebounds.  Maybe they would be be a more well-rounded line and the lack of offensive production would be offset by better defensive play.  Maybe Cozens could relax a bit and put less pressure on himself knowing that he has linemates who can stick up for themselves and be leaders. Who knows what will happen when it has never been given a chance?  How well do you think Thompson would do playing with Quinn and Kulich?

This doesn't mean I am laying the blame for Cozens' issues at the feet of Quinn and Kulich. If those players are going to be in the line-up, they would benefit from playing with more experienced players.  The problem is one of critical mass.  There is no individual player on the Sabres who does not belong on an NHL team.  The problem is that they are collectively not good enough; and a big part of that is they are the youngest team in the league, and their core 12 players are even younger still.

 

[Thorner]

3 hours ago, Stoner said:

Adams let Botterill and RaKru hang themselves. You gotta wonder if Lindy is letting the rope out. Of course that means HCSA.

Adams didn’t let Botterill do anything. He merely reported back on what he saw

Krueger, sure 

[Thorner]

2 hours ago, SabreFinn said:

What I saw, they played well enough last night to give it a game or two before I would make any big changes.

On the other hand, the powerplay has not been good for a long time, and there has not been acquired players that help to fix it. As I see it, the only player in the organisation, except from some of them we already try, that has skills that might get our PP going, is Östlund. So why not put him on the team? Keep him in a role that minimize mistakes.

Cozens is good enough on faceoffs to stay on the first pp unit. But he should be used more for net presence than shooting and puckmoving.

Bingo 

[triumph_communes]

NJ is a top team. We outplayed LA and Kuemper and the post beat us good, even with a pathetic PP. not worried quite yet but improvement over 20 games needs to come

[JP51]

The same way I said one micro second after adams was hired. Fire him now please sweet Jesus don't let us wait 5 years to find out he is utterly incompent which means Pegula must sell an we can start to rebuild again.... who we tanking for this year?

[PerreaultForever]

I don't think it matters who the GM is as long as Pegula keeps sitting in on the meetings. Let's face it, Pegula is the GM. The rest of them are just his minions. 

[Pimlach]

17 hours ago, bob_sauve28 said:

Simple, fix the power play. 
 

That’s all you have to do 

 

Beside fixing the predictable scheming of last season, you have to add some true first line players to fix the power play.  

Peterka - good young player, but on what contending playoff team is he a first liner?

Alex Tuch - solid player, great 3rd line player, decent 2nd line player. 

Tage Thompson - he keeps showing us he is not a 1C.  He could be a first line winger with a playmaking center.  Or a solid second line player.  

Cozens - can't shoot.  3rd line player.  

[Pimlach]

1 hour ago, triumph_communes said:

NJ is a top team. We outplayed LA and Kuemper and the post beat us good, even with a pathetic PP. not worried quite yet but improvement over 20 games needs to come

I was at the game.  We played ok in the first and second periods but to say we outplayed them is a stretch, we had a 1-0 lead.   

The Sabres made a lot of errors and lacked, as usual, home ice killer instinct.  The 3rd period meltdown under pressure was typical and predictable.  

[HumanSlinky39]

12 minutes ago, Pimlach said:

 

Beside fixing the predictable scheming of last season, you have to add some true first line players to fix the power play.  

Peterka - good young player, but on what contending playoff team is he a first liner?

Alex Tuch - solid player, great 3rd line player, decent 2nd line player. 

Tage Thompson - he keeps showing us he is not a 1C.  He could be a first line winger with a playmaking center.  Or a solid second line player.  

Cozens - can't shoot.  3rd line player.  

I thought Cozens showed real promise in 2022/23. I remember him sniping some and he even seemed to have pretty good finishing ability. He, like pretty much the whole team fell off sharply last season and he (and the rest of the team) look lost to start this season. So, to me, the question is - was 2022/23 an aberration for several of our "core players", or did they fall off last seasons when Meatballs changed his system, still struggling to get their footing this season in their third system in three years, and just need to get their feet under them? I don't know what the answer is, but they need to figure it out. They locked several of these guys up and their production last year and starting this year is far below their price.

Edited October 11 by HumanSlinky39

[Pimlach]

48 minutes ago, HumanSlinky39 said:

I thought Cozens showed real promise in 2022/23. I remember him sniping some and he even seemed to have pretty good finishing ability. He, like pretty much the whole team fell off sharply last season and he (and the rest of the team) look lost to start this season. So, to me, the question is, was 2022/23 an aberration for several of our "core players", or did they fall off last seasons when Meatballs changed his system, still struggling to get their footing this season in their third system in three years, and just need to get their feet under them? I don't know what the answer is, but they need to figure it out. They locked several of these guys up and their production last year and starting this year is far below their price.

Others here have quoted his shooting percentage, and in 22/23, it was double that of his norm.   So, he looks  15 to 22 goal scorer that can be a very good 3rd line forward right now, with a 2nd line ceiling.   

Unfortunately, the Sabres use him as a 2C that gets PP time.  Adams traded Mitts because he prematurely reached on Cozens as his 2C, for whom he pays  $7M/yr for 7 years.   

The Colorado Avalanche signed Mitts as a 2C for  $5.75M/yr for 3 years.   

Note the difference in approaches of the two GMs.   

Edited October 11 by Pimlach

[HumanSlinky39]

1 minute ago, Pimlach said:

Others here have quoted his shooting percentage, and in 22/23, it was double that of his norm.   So, look  15 to 22 goal scorer that can be a very good 3rd line forward right now, with a 2nd line ceiling.   

Unfortunately, the Sabres use him as a 2C that gets PP time.  Adams traded Mitts because he prematurely reached on Cozens as his 2C, for whom he pays  $7M/yr for 7 years.   

The Colorado Avalanche signed Mitts as a 2C for  $5.75M/yr for 3 years.   

Note the difference in approaches of the two GMs.   

It's becoming more evident that a few of these guys had career seasons in Meatballs' wide open offensive system that eschewed defense. Once he made them start playing more responsibly last seasons, numbers tumbled. So we have guys getting paid for seasons that are very likely not replicable. Things are going swell.

[LabattBlue]

It is still laughable that Adams went from running the kiddie hockey academy to NHL GM in no time flat.  
 

I would like to believe that there is not a single person here who believes Adam is competent in his current role as GM.  

[Thorner]

Are we allowed to post the heatdaddy rant on the Sabres today? Too NSFW? It’s therapeutic haha 

[HOUSE]

One more loss and I am through...

(Been saying that for 50 years)

But this time.....😬

[Pimlach]

5 hours ago, LabattBlue said:

It is still laughable that Adams went from running the kiddie hockey academy to NHL GM in no time flat.  
 

I would like to believe that there is not a single person here who believes Adam is competent in his current role as GM.  

On WGR radio today they were talking about who Pegula hires as the next GM should they miss the playoffs again and Adams gets fired.  I was busy and listening in and out, but it was a sad state of affairs to hear this on local radio after only 3 games.  

Other interesting comments on the show were that Pegula is still an outsider in NHL circles and he feels the NHL wronged him by advising him on Murray and Boterill.  If this is true then Pegula needs to be reminded that no one stopped him from interviewing former NHL GM's with proven records first and foremost.  That is what the Knox's did after all.  

 

 

Edited October 12 by Pimlach

[Sidc3000]

29 minutes ago, HumanSlinky39 said:

It's becoming more evident that a few of these guys had career seasons in Meatballs' wide open offensive system that eschewed defense. Once he made them start playing more responsibly last seasons, numbers tumbled. So we have guys getting paid for seasons that are very likely not replicable. Things are going swell.

Exactly! I really don’t know why anyone thought that the extraordinary 22/23 season was going to be the norm. Fans thought the Sabres hit the jackpot with all these great players hitting their strides at the same exact time. What the saying… If it’s too good to be true then it probably is. Most (if not all) of the players Adams signed long term are not going to end up being great. *****, Adams signed Samuelsson to a big long contract with absolutely nothing to show for it. Hell he hasn’t played a full Fing season yet! This organization is a joke. 

[Sidc3000]

11 minutes ago, Pimlach said:

Other interesting comments on the show were that Pegula is still an outsider in NHL circles and he feels the NHL wronged him by advising him on Murray and Boterill.  If this is true then Pegula needs to be reminded that no one stopped him from interviewing former NHL GM's with proven records first and foremost.  That is what the Knox's did after all.  

I call BS. He used the Sabres as fodder for his bid to buy the Bills. The Sabres are nothing more than a money pit to him now. He slashed the payroll, hired the only GM that would follow an internal cap, and the rest his history. 

Edited October 11 by Sidc3000

[Thorner]

6 minutes ago, Pimlach said:

On WGR radio today they were talking about who Pegula hires as the next GM should they miss the playoffs again and Adams gets fired.  I was bust and listening in and out, but it was a sad state of affairs to hear this on local radio after only 3 games.  

Other interesting comments on the show were that Pegula is still an outsider in NHL circles and he feels the NHL wronged him by advising him on Murray and Boterill.  If this is true then Pegula needs to be reminded that no one stopped him from interviewing former NHL GM's with proven records first and foremost.  That is what the Knox's did after all.  

 

 

LaFontaine warned him 

remember when he turned down a higher position. 

Edited October 11 by Thorner

[HILLsabre]

18 hours ago, Thorner said:

This is like saying, “it’s simple: you fix the amount of goals we put into the net”

you don’t “fix” the powerplay. Utter misnomer. You roster better players on the powerplay 

 

18 hours ago, pi2000 said:

pump the brakes

it's 3 games in with a new head coach, enough of this "instant gratification" mentality... you're like little kids in the back seat "are we there yet? are ae there yet?" 30min into a 2hr drive

it's gonna take 20-25 games before we start to even scratch the surface of what this team is gonna look like under Lindy

"how to fix it?" they outplayed the Kings and deserved a better result but that's hockey... man the ***** up and move on to the next game

This team doesn't have nearly enough "skill" players- smart guys that can handle the puck and bury it when it counts. They are short a true #1 center and a very good second line wing. Lindy can coach them into a solid "team".. install his system...give them 20-25 games, which means missing the playoffs..again.......BUT they do not have the skill to make the plays consistently enough to turn the corner. This team will have the same issues that the team was having when Lindy left 14 years ago- can't get it done by just working their tails off. Effort only goes so far!!!!  This franchise just doesn't get it. Blue collar mentality won't get it done.

[pi2000]

6 hours ago, rickshaw said:

The Oilers have the two best players on the planet. Kinda helps.

..and yet they only won 2 games last October

3 minutes ago, HILLsabre said:

This team doesn't have nearly enough "skill" players- smart guys that can handle the puck and bury it when it counts. 

I disagree.   They're just young.

Edited October 11 by pi2000