mjd1001

I normally defend the D-men more than most. Including Power. I think they try to play positionally and the game plan is to not take guys out in front of the net all the time but to make sure your stick is down to get to loose pucks. I think the D has played a lot better than most people do this year.... But yeah, that one was on Power 100% He was right in front of the net but no Montreal players were there, the goal scorer was to the side of the net. He's the lower near part of the box, he has to recognize that is his guy.

I'd be complaining about it a lot more if I could muster up any reason to care about winning this game tonight.

As I just mentioned above before I read your post...yeah. I think his value may be a lot lower than most of us think, and his play along with the contract that was given to him put Adams/Pegula/the team in a bad situation. -If they force a trade just to get rid of him, the return might be...rather small. A 2nd or 3rd round pick? A low-mid level prospect? If that was the case, a certain portion of the fan base would be ALL OVER the Sabres because they will accuse the team of 'giving him away' or 'getting fleeced'. -On the other hand, if they are afraid of the above, they can keep him here. And continue to have him make this team a worse team, contributing to more losses than victories.

I'm going to have the game on at the beginning, but I'll probably be doing something else while watching it (reading emails, getting a jump on tomorrows work, etc) There just isn't much new with this team that is exciting to watch....nothing to look forward to even game-by-game.

Personally, I have started to post the analytics only in the last few months. For the previous 1.5 years I was basing my criticism of him based on play after play, game after game of watching him with my own eyes sink this team and make dumb play after dumb play..... The Analytics have only been used recently to show just how drastic they can be to back it up. Dylan Cozens has, analytically or with the eye test, been a very bad hockey player. When we have spent 1.5+ years posting screenshots and commenting on what we see with his play, many of us have nothing else to say about that part of his game so we have gone into the 'deeper stats'. I personally think the reason he hasn't been moved yet is primarily because he does not have much value around the league because of what other teams analytics dept and their scouts opinion of him. I hope the Sabres know he hasn't been all that good. But for a trade to happen, the other team likely has to value what you are giving them more than you do. In Dylan Cozens case...especially with his contract...he may be stuck here because the Sabres know he's a problem, but other teams think he is even a bigger problem than the Sabres think. I hope I'm wrong on this one.

Yep, this team has been worse this year simply with him on it. If Cozens didn't play a game this year, the team likely would have a better record. To keep him around or not....the question is.....is he a BETTER player than he has been all year? Some people do think so. Others like me just want him off the team, get futures back even and the team will be better without him for the remainder of the season than it was with him up to this point.

Unless Cozens turns into a different player he needs to be gone now. What comes back in return is a bonus. This team is better without him because of all the negatives he brings. I cannot be 100% sure, but I would assume most of the other teams in the league have watched his video quite a bit, see his mistakes, and they know his analytics are awful as is his topline production. I think his 'value' around the league is a lot less than many in fans in Buffalo want to believe. It would not surprise me if his 'value' is no more than 2nd round pick OR a mid-level prospect...(especially with his contract) Even if that is true, I still want him moved, and the sooner, the better.

When healthy, I think Dahlin can be a top 10 Defenseman in the league. When healthy, Tage is a top 10 scorer in the league (he currently is the best 5-on-5 scorer per 60 in the entire league.) You don't trade either of them. As far as anyone else besides Cozens, probably not unless its a super great deal. With this team not making the playoffs this year, they SHOULD fall into the category of 'sellers', and most of the national media/rumors put them into that category. But traditionally, 'sellers' are teams that are failing and looking to get assets to rebuild. That is NOT this team.

I agree 100% on Thompson. No way he should be moved, unless you are getting something beyond the realm of belief.

I'd take futures for Cozens, as it might just be addition by subtraction removing him. They aren't going anywhere this year and maybe those 'futures' can be flipped in the offseason for legit help to start next season. For anybody else, nope. Not unless you have a current roster play who is a free agent, begging you to get out, and has made it clear he is not going to be interested in this team next year.

The time period is about a year...but its not just 'this' year. His slump started almost exactly when he signed his contract extension last year. -His production dropped dramatically from the time he signed until the end of the regular season -he got even worse in the playoffs, with less than 1/2 point per game (previously in his career he was more than a point per game playoff guy) -Of course this year, that production drop has continued -As others have mentioned, he was a non-factor in the 4 nations tournament So its not just a bad stretch, this is going on for about a year now. 2 different regular seasons, a playoff run, an exhibition tournament. He never had a stretch of 'down' production in his career even close to this long. The only plausible explanation for many is he has an injury, but the team denies it, he denies it, and if he did, he had an entire offseason to rest it in the middle of this bad stretch and he still has not returned to form. So yeah, to say he will never be a point per game player? maybe he will, maybe he won't...but there is something that is 'off' for sure with is game....and no one has a good explanation for it yet. I don't know. I don't get it. I like him as a player and I thought he was on his way to being a top 10 player in the league...but his play lately is not even a fraction of that.

I haven't really watched much of the last 2 games maybe 5-10 minutes of each. I have gotten to the 2nd point of this season where the team has worn me down. I'm there with you with Cozens of course.....the team has 3 games yet between now and the trade deadline. Either They win 2 or all 3 and Cozens is one of the main reasons why in every game.....or he gets moved before Friday for me. He's had 5 years with this team and what....350 games of experience now and he hurts this team and contributes to losses probably more than any player in the NHL who gets significant ice time. Unless he turns his game around into a star in the next 3 games....which will give me some fleeting thing to hold on to.....or he needs to move. If neither of those things happen, I'm going to be so depressed about the direction of this team...and how bad the decisions makers are...I'll likely need to just walk away from it for a few games. (not as if that is any kind of a threat to the sabres...."Do what I want or else...", they don't care about what I think....its just going to be for my mental sanity regarding following sports.)

Top 4 in the draft would be nice, but I don't want them to get down to that level intentionally or even semi-intentionally.

I would be disappointed. I think he is a lot better than you make out in your post. Next to Dahlin and Tage, he would be 2rd on the list of getting me to think/say "WTH are you doing as a franchise anyway" if he was traded.

Again, its not about if he has improved the team overall. I'm not talking about the big context. I'm talking about the people who are saying "no trades" because I don't like Adams being in charge of the trades. If a trade is there that would help the team, I want it made. Simple. No over-analysis beyond that needed.

That is not all about trades. That is also about overall roster construction, development, drafting, free agents signings or lack of. This team needs changes. There is no way I'm going to say 'don't make any trades because I'm upset at the GM....when that is what this team needs....and the end result of the reign of this GM probably has more to do recently with all those other things than trades. There might, MAYBE be a move out there that will improve this team. Its doesn't make sense to me to say that I don't want any trades to be made because I don't like the guy pulling the trigger in a blanket statement, where you might miss that available move.

His recent trades and moves have not been disasters or anything close to it. I disagree.

We really need the Sabres to make some kind of move, if for no other reason than to give us something else to talk about, some other players to talk about and evaluate...and most importantly for us to at least feel Buffalo is part of the league.

Probably not. Not unless it is a major deal. This team is not making the playoffs this year, so no extra playoff revenue. I don't think Pegula retains salary for a move that will help them NEXT year, he'll likely worry about that in the offseason.

Short answer: Move Cozens. Instantly the team gets better. Either he plays much better here (not likely, and if it does happen likely means a move to wing) and the team is better overall......or the team is better without him and with ANYTHING you get back for him. I really, REALLY do think it can be that simple, and a lot more desirable than trading Peterka. (See my above 2-3 posts on this very page. I firmly beleive this to be true via my own personal "Eye test" and the numbers dramatically back it up.) Longer answer...Pegula opens up the checkbook and overpays, dramatically if needed, for a good, 2-way, veteran middle 6 guy and a good, top 4 quality RH d-man. Longer answer 2: You trade some prospects, either at the deadline, or in the offseason to a team tighter to the cap that might be willing to move that vet center or RHD for a young, 1st round drafted prospect. All of those options for me are better than trading Peterka, if you do that you may fill a hole but are creating another.

And dumb. There is absolutely no reason for the Sabres to move him. They would really need to be fleecing another team with what they get back for this team to be better without him long term.

Sorry quoting my own post but some more numbers this year: Even strength, JJP has not played the majority of the time with Tage as his center, actually only about 35% His centers by ice time even strength: Tage 35% Cozens 26% Kulich 19% McLeod 14% Krebs 6% To further my point about getting him away from Cozens...he has played 18 games where Cozens has been his primary, or only center by ice time. In those 18 games with Cozens, JJP has: 4 goals, 7 assists, -6 (82 game projects to 18 goals, 31 assists, -27) In the 37 games with anyone else: 13 goals, 20 assists, +7 (82 game: 29 goals, 44 assists, +15) and as a reminder of those 'other 37 games without Cozens, almost 55% of that ice time was with Kulich, McLeod, or Krebs at center, NOT just Thompson. So even this year, he functions as a positive player, a near 30 goal pace guy, a close to 80 point player when you pair him with ANYONE on the team not named Cozens. Even when the majority of that time is not Tage as his center.

In terms of who JJP plays with as his center.....I'm going to look at actual goals for vs goals allowed and high danger chances for vs high danger chances allowed. Personally if I have to pick 2 of the many analytics, I think that covers the most bases (actual goals for and against and actual quality chances for vs against) Overall play (offense and defense combined, 50% is neutral): With Thompson (336 minutes together): Goalsfor% 61.7 Highdangerchance% 54.3 With Cozens: (212 minutes together): Goalsfor% 41.9 Highdangerchance% 43.3 What about the other 200 minutes played even strength? Its hard to break it down by player because there are a few guys with very few minutes, but if you add them all up, at least in terms of goals for vs goals against, from what I can tell that number is 58.3% So this year, the key with Peterka is keep him away from Cozens. Yeah, he does best with Tage, but he is a net positive player with everyone else combined..even if its not Thompson...just not Cozens. And that isn't just this year. If you look for the last 3 years combined....goals for vs goals allowed (again, 50 being neutral) JJP with Thompson is 63.89. With Cozens only 45.11. With everyone and anyone else other than those two 51.61. Again, I can easily turn anything into a 'lets bash Dylan Cozens thread', but the eye test, the top line numbers, even the underlying analytics....show JJP is a good to very good player when he plays with anyone other than sharing the ice with Dylan Cozens.

I do care. He has made some good mores, more of them recently. This team needs a couple of key changes, I want those changes to be made.

Its like he was given his contract and his role on the team by a fan, not by someone who has access to an analytics department or even someone who listens to the coaching staff. "He scored 31 goals, he was a first round pick, SIGN HIM TO A BIG DEAL!" (something I would expect a casual fan to say) "His 31 goals may have been a result of a one time increase in his shooting percentage. His defensive metrics/analytics are bad and haven't improved, he is still a minus player despite those 31 goals, and even in this apparently good year, the players he played with had better numbers without him than with him, especially defensively. Our coaches should notice he is making just as many mistakes without the puck at the end of the year as he did day 1 with the team, there is little-to-no improvement. Lets wait on a big contract or giving him a big role on the team." (something I would expect anyone with any experience in a front office/coaching staff to say) Again, he was given a contract, role, and playing time based on only the things a casual fan would notice.