dudacek

Tuch, Cozens, Samuelsson and Thompson were rotating the ‘As”. The 3 holdovers still are. Samuelsson’s problems are similar to what buried Cozens: he’s a good kid who was handed a mantle of leadership before he earned it and before he was ready. he was not given the support in the room or on the ice to deal with bumps and the pressures he’s not as good a player as the organization thought he would be when it gave him that contract. Basically, he’s a quality person handed responsibility he was not ready for by an organization that failed to consider what happens to even good people when they are put in situations they aren’t qualified to handle.

Heroes and villains, passion, anger, jubilation: I just really miss how today's game made me feel.

Von Barnekow, Meidema and Costantini are very much longshots to even be good AHLers, Marjala is only slightly better. The proper context to regard any player picked below the 2nd round is that ^^^ is the most likely outcome. You hope a few Kozaks and Novikov surface and accept most won’t do that. They’re raffle tickets and having multiple picks in that range is the same as having multiple tickets.

He's not good at faceoffs, but the rest of this is objectively incorrect. Over the past 3 seasons he has averaged 39 assists over 82 games player and has a 52.6% Goals for % This season it's 33 and 58.4%. That's as the Sabres best offensive weapon, playing against the other team's best defenders. By no measure is that 'bad'.

I'm not sure how anyone can say Thompson was masquerading as a centre given the way he's performed in the middle.

Thanks for the opportunity to reinforce where I was headed with my earlier post. I doubt there is a single person on this site pencilling Peyton Krebs into a top 6 role next year. Looking at these numbers, I'd say it would be prudent to treat Benson, Kulich and Quinn the same way until proven otherwise.

Can Benson produce the type of offensive numbers that elevate him from a good checking winger into a good top 6 winger? That’s the question that’s grown in my mind watching him this season. What’s the upside? He’s got the brain and the work ethic. Does he have the physical gifts? Im sure it was argument in the scouting meetings as well.

I don’t think we’re really arguing here. Benson is a good defensive forward and his expected goals % shows that. Your initial post was good and relevant to my initial post. I think Benson has been a better player than the other 3 this year.

Since he seems incapable of scoring goals from outside of 12 feet, it’s good to see that he takes most of his shots from inside that range. Sure wish he took more actual shots and put more of them in the net though. Krebs is objectively terrible at both, but Zach has not been good at those things either. That probably sounds snarkier than intended. It’s a good thing Benson gets to the net and my eye test also says his backchecking this year is better than Kulich and is miles better than Quinn. But let’s not confuse his expected goals for with his ability to produce offence.

All four of these players have ES ATOI within 40 seconds of each other. Krebs ES points: 17; Goals For %: 46.3; SAT 50.9%; most common linemates Lafferty/Malenstyn Benson ES points: 18; Goals For % 46.7; SAT 55.7%; most common linemates Krebs/Quinn Kulich ES points: 19; Goals For % 50.0; SAT 52.1%; most common linemates Tage/Peterka Quinn ES points: 14; Goals For % 40.0; SAT 50.2%; most common linemates Peterka/Cozens Benson’s shot attempt stats and Quinn’s +/- stick out, but I find it really hard to find compelling statistical evidence to support any of them as being significantly better than the others. Particularly when linemates are taken into account.

So basically the same forwards that matter as this year, except swapping Cozens for Norris? Locked in? Are you saying this is what you like, or what Adams will do?

This just seems inevitable.

I just don’t know if people appreciate how many goals Tage scores that only a handful of players can score. Dude seems to never pop in the easy ones: they’re all power drives to the net, sick dangles, laser wrist shots and absolute bazookas. It’s a ***** shame he and Ras are surrounded by this supporting cast because for me they might be the two most entertaining highlight reel skaters this team has had since 16 and 89 were tearing it up 30 years ago, and I’m including studs like Eichel and Briere.

Probably just wishful think from me, because ^^^ has certainly been his MO. But the Cozens trade says maybe that’s changing: he dumped one of his long-term guys and he did it for a guy of similar stature but a different game, with an eye on creating a better fit. I don’t want people to get caught up on the names, but is it possible to leverage the talent we all know is there for better roster fits? Can we trade a Bo Byram type for a Boone Jenner type? A Konsta Helenius type for a Brett Pesce type? Or a JJ Peterka type for a Sam Bennett type? I took the trade, his presser and even today’s Dahlin shitstorm as a general acknowledgement that this core isn’t working and more significant surgery is going to be needed.

The more I think about it, if you want real change, the most logical guys to move are the most hurtful: Peterka and Power. The only way you’re bringing in pieces of significance is by moving out pieces of value.

So you’re going to fix this by trading 3 guys getting healthy scratched from a basement dweller, plus Bo Byram and spending maybe $10M in free agency? With that, you’re going to add a top 6 forward and upgrade 4 starting D in Byram/Muel/Clifton/Joker? Meanwhile, you’re still running back Power and Lukkonen in key roles while - I assume - playing Benson and Kulich in your top 9? And finding the backup goalie and 4th line in house or through minimum wage pickups? Isnt this why we’re in 29th right now?

This may have been true once, but it’s not been the case this season. His on-ice goals for percentage this year is 58.4% - those are very good 2-way numbers, tied with Point and just ahead of Draisaitl and Marner. He consistently faces the other team’s best defenders and consistently wins those battles, despite playing for the Sabres. https://www.nhl.com/stats/skaters?report=puckPossessions&reportType=season&seasonFrom=20242025&seasonTo=20242025&gameType=2&position=F&filter=timeOnIcePerGame5v5,gte,13&filter=gamesPlayed,gte,50&sort=goalsPct&page=0&pageSize=50

So there's no way they move on from one or more of Tuch, Peterka, Quinn, Benson, Kulich, Power, Samuelsson, Byram and Clifton?

Sorry, it should have said Tage and Dahlin are core pieces that work. I've edited. Tuch works, but he is also one of the parts I could see leaving. He's one I personally want to keep, but he's also the oldest member of the core, a pending free agent, and someone who should be in demand around the league and fetch a good return. If you're serious about fixing things, you've got to offer him an extension and weigh your options in the wake of his response.

Didn’t Adams say during his presser that he had a long talk with Dahlin at or around the deadline? I don’t doubt Bisonette was told what he was told, or that Dahlin expressed frustration during that meeting with the state of the team, or that Dahlin is being truthful in his quotes this morning. Sounds like a bit of game of telephone going on here.

I think the writing is on the wall. If Adams or (God willing) his replacement is serious about improving the team, Cozens is just the start. Tage and Dahlin are the core pieces that work. Actions show it won’t be Zucker, Greenway or Norris leaving. The Laffertys and Brysons don’t matter. Multiple players from the group of Tuch, Peterka, Quinn, Benson, Kulich, Power, Samuelsson, Byram and Clifton will have to be moved out in order to create space for the new guys coming in. Everybody is going to have guys they want to keep from that list, but you’ve got to give to get and you’ve got to create space for the incoming players. Those are the guys on the chopping block. Never mind the cap, the simple roster math doesn’t work otherwise.

Worked with Eichel.

I sorta hope it’s this, but instead of Kulich, plug in “off-season acquisition”. Flexibility with Tage allows the team to focus on best forward available, rather than a specific position. Also, pencilling Kulich (or Benson or Quinn) into the top six in September would just be repeating last summer’s mistake. In my ideal world, Zucker is the training camp F6 (after Tage, Tuch, Peterka, Norris and a player TBD ) and the only way one of those guys is in the top 6 is by beating him out.

Not sure exactly when Lindy moved Tage over. It was after he returned from his injury in late November, in order to shelter him in his recovery, and he has played some games at centre again since the switch. But he's been filling the net like an elite goal scorer — he's got 11 goals in his past 13 and is now tied with Ovie for 4th in the league — playing mostly as a winger. Now I'm not saying the move to the wing is responsible for his surge — he's produced this way as a centre as well — but I'm curious what people think about the switch. Where do you want him playing moving forward?

Gotta say, the game-winner was one of the better hockey plays we've seen from the team this season. Nice effort and hands by Norris, sweet finish by Tage. Can't recall ever seeing a goal quite like it; I wouldn't call it remarkable, but it was original: two forecheckers flanking a dman on either side like that, the sublime hand skills for the steal and pass, and then the patience gliding backwards east-to-west from Tage, before roofing it: skill, smarts, creativity, teamwork and effort — all in a clutch time situation. I'll take any little bit of joy this year where I can find it.