Lines at practice today 12/08/24---if anyone cares

[bob_sauve28]

 

[Doohicksie]

So what happens when Greenway can play on LIne 3?

[JoeSchmoe]

I've been here this long. I'm not going anywhere.

[JoeSchmoe]

21 minutes ago, bob_sauve28 said:

 

Krebs on the 1st line is the ultimate desperation move. 

Highly symbolic of how we've seen this team being run since Pegula's tenure.

[Cityo'Rasmii]

hope it sends a message that sticks to Dylan and JJP

[Doohicksie]

30 minutes ago, JoeSchmoe said:

Krebs on the 1st line is the ultimate desperation move. 

You never know, it could work.

[French Collection]

Nice to see Greenway back.

Kulich has earned some more looks. 

[GASabresIUFAN]

That lineup is a joke.

[WhenWillItEnd66]

Throw ***** against the wall...  

[Pimlach]

If the practice lines are the way he is leaning for the next game, then Lindy is saying Krebs is ascending and playing the way he wants, and JJP is not. 

Cozens on the 3rd line is finally putting him were I think he should be.    At this point in his career Cozens as a 3rd line center/wing is more in line with were he would play on most playoff level teams in this league.  That is what he is today, a promising 3rd line player, still young and developing, and with a ceiling for 2nd line.   That is what he is.  The pressure for him to be more is hurting more than helping.  

It is sad in some ways that Cozens is getting so much flak because the GM paid him too much too soon, that expectations were quickly set at 2C, and that he wears an "A" when he still lacks big game experience and know-how in this league.   Reality can be painful at times.  

Greenway will need a spot, he was very good with Zucker and McLeod for a short period. I hope he goes back to what we saw before the injury.  

Quinn will likely sit out more games, watch/learn and wait for his next chance- it will come.  He is suffering from the same thing as Cozens.  Expectations are bigger than he can handle.  

Kozak and Kulich will push for ice.   

On the defense the pairing of Power and Joki has looked pretty weak to the eye test, have not seen if the advanced fancy stats verify what I think I see with that pair.  

 

[Gatorman0519]

It is beyond comprehension how after all these top end picks over a decade and the roster is devoid of talent or with any vision in mind of the type of team we want to be. 

[HumanSlinky39]

[bob_sauve28]

28 minutes ago, Gatorman0519 said:

It is beyond comprehension how after all these top end picks over a decade and the roster is devoid of talent or with any vision in mind of the type of team we want to be. 

 

[Pimlach]

32 minutes ago, Gatorman0519 said:

It is beyond comprehension how after all these top end picks over a decade and the roster is devoid of talent or with any vision in mind of the type of team we want to be. 

They didn't stick with the first group that included Eichel and Reinhart.  Now they are men, in their prime years, and on teams were they don't have to carry the rest of the team every night.  

[Mango]

Some posters watching box scores: “Cozens has been better lately because point per game”

Lindy Ruff: “Go be a rotational player on the third line and think about what you’ve done.”

Edited December 8 by Mango
Has anybodies autocorrect been taking some crazy liberties lately?

[Mango]

4 hours ago, Pimlach said:

If the practice lines are the way he is leaning for the next game, then Lindy is saying Krebs is ascending and playing the way he wants, and JJP is not. 

Cozens on the 3rd line is finally putting him were I think he should be.    At this point in his career Cozens as a 3rd line center/wing is more in line with were he would play on most playoff level teams in this league.  That is what he is today, a promising 3rd line player, still young and developing, and with a ceiling for 2nd line.   That is what he is.  The pressure for him to be more is hurting more than helping.  

It is sad in some ways that Cozens is getting so much flak because the GM paid him too much too soon, that expectations were quickly set at 2C, and that he wears an "A" when he still lacks big game experience and know-how in this league.   Reality can be painful at times.  

Greenway will need a spot, he was very good with Zucker and McLeod for a short period. I hope he goes back to what we saw before the injury.  

Quinn will likely sit out more games, watch/learn and wait for his next chance- it will come.  He is suffering from the same thing as Cozens.  Expectations are bigger than he can handle.  

Kozak and Kulich will push for ice.   

On the defense the pairing of Power and Joki has looked pretty weak to the eye test, have not seen if the advanced fancy stats verify what I think I see with that pair.  

 

Regarding Cozens, this is Adams fault. His contract makes it difficult to field a roster with a 7 year/ $7M 3rd line winger. 

I have to wonder how those contract negotiations went. Just looking at Mitts deal who outperformed Cozens in a contract year. Something like 3x $4.5M had to have been on the table right?

Did Adams call Dylan’s agent after 3 too many manhattans? 

Im struggling to think of another comp for both term, compensation, age, and production for Cozens. 

Edited December 8 by Mango

[PerreaultForever]

Honestly, how bad is your hockey team if Krebs is on your top line? 

[DarthEbriate]

19 minutes ago, Mango said:

Im struggling to thing of another comp for both term, compensation, age, and production for Cozens. 

The only comparable players: Center, signing age 20-23, contract start date 2023 are: Tim Stutzle, Robert Thomas, Josh Norris, and Nick Suzuki. For what it's worth, Cozens' deal is the cheapest among them.

Kotkaniemi falls in the same parameters, but had signed an RFA offer sheet for a 1-year deal, then an 8-year deal that was only $4.8M (and hasn't really even lived up to that, as yet).

[DarthEbriate]

2 minutes ago, PerreaultForever said:

Honestly, how bad is your hockey team if Krebs is on your top line? 

It's all about the fit. You can find yourself with a Bunting alongside Matthews really easily. Earlier this year in Florida it was Evan Rodrigues on the Barkov-Reinhart line. And if you've got Lemieux-Jagr, you can be the luckiest go-to-the-net and fight-on-the-boards guy in the world in Kevin Stevens.

I thought Ruff would've done it much earlier; I thought we'd even see Malenstyn in the top 6 line in camp. Not because he's got the skill to be there, but because the team needs a grinder to open up space for Thompson and do the work while the sniper hunts for space.

[Mango]

13 minutes ago, DarthEbriate said:

The only comparable players: Center, signing age 20-23, contract start date 2023 are: Tim Stutzle, Robert Thomas, Josh Norris, and Nick Suzuki. For what it's worth, Cozens' deal is the cheapest among them.

Kotkaniemi falls in the same parameters, but had signed an RFA offer sheet for a 1-year deal, then an 8-year deal that was only $4.8M (and hasn't really even lived up to that, as yet).

Suzuki and Stutzle were both more productive for at least a couple of seasons before they got that deal. Cozens had one good s again and one meh season. 

It almost reminds me of Skinner-lite or a pass rusher who hit double digits the first time in a contract year. 

[DarthEbriate]

2 minutes ago, Mango said:

Suzuki and Stutzle were both more productive for at least a couple of seasons before they got that deal. Cozens had one good s again and one meh season. 

It almost reminds me of Skinner-lite or a pass rusher who hit double digits the first time in a contract year. 

An inexperienced GM afraid to lose his guy since he just shipped all the previous era's guys out of town for picks.

[Pimlach]

54 minutes ago, Mango said:

Regarding Cozens, this is Adams fault. His contract makes it difficult to field a roster with a 7 year/ $7M 3rd line winger. 

I have to wonder how those contract negotiations went. Just looking at Mitts deal who outperformed Cozens in a contract year. Something like 3x $4.5M had to have been on the table right?

Did Adams call Dylan’s agent after 3 too many manhattans? 

Im struggling to thing of another comp for both term, compensation, age, and production for Cozens. 

Fair. 

What we can hope for is that he gets his game going on the 3rd line, builds confidence, continues to mature and build his body, and gets back to the second line, which I think is his future.  

[Archie Lee]

I would still like to see Cozens get a 5-10 game stretch playing with two veterans instead of two players younger than him.  I would take 5 games of him just playing wing with McLeod and Greenway. I’m not blaming Quinn, Benson, Kulich, and Peterka for Cozens’s struggles, but it is sad to me that we have not found a way to give Cozens at least one legit veteran line mate to play with. 

I don’t hate trying Krebs with Thompson. As a prospect, Krebs was a pass-first, assist per game, type player. Obviously that has not materialized in the NHL, but he also has not been given an extended period of playing time with players like Tuch and Thompson. 

The theme of this post is that we continue to expect too much from too many young players.

Edited December 8 by Archie Lee

[Thorner]

The Buffalo Sabres will be fine 

[Carmel Corn]

8 minutes ago, Archie Lee said:

I would still like to see Cozens get a 5-10 game stretch playing with two veterans instead of two players younger than him.  I would take 5 games of him just playing wing with McLeod and Greenway. I’m not blaming Quinn, Benson, Kulich, and Peterka for Cozens’s struggles, but it is sad to me that we have not found a way to give Cozens at least one legit veteran line mate to play with. 

I don’t hate trying Krebs with Thompson. As a prospect, Krebs was a pass-first, assist per game, type player. Obviously that has not materialized in the NHL, but he also has not been given an extended period of playing time with players like Tuch and Thompson. 

The theme of this post is that we continue to expect too much from too many young players.

Part of me says what the heck and put Cozens with Malenstyn and NAK.  The line would have speed and he would have a couple of rugged wingers to ride shotgun with.  Maybe crazy, but nothing else has worked.