mjd1001

We all know the issue with Cozens and Quinn. The 2nd highest paid forward on your team and the young, up-and-coming scorer who would be his winger on your 2nd line. We know how poorly they are playing and producing. But to put some numbers on it: Over the last 2 seasons before this year.... -combined they scored 72 goals in 262 games. That 'combo' production is equal to expecting 45 goals between them over a full 82 game season together. They collectively shot 12.3% And they are both 'young' so you would expect them to keep getting BETTER than they have been. This season though 25 games.... -combined scored 6 goals in 49 games. That combo production is equal to expecting 20 goals between them over a full 82 game season together. They are shooting collectively 5.4%. (yes, these are your 'top 10' draft pick forwards who are entering the prime of their career) Those aren't 2nd line numbers. They are barely 3rd line numbers. They are what you would put up with on a 4th line..... Oh wait, on your 4th line you would probably not even do that, as they are a combined -15 through those 25 games, an that pitiful production is with a pretty good amount of power play time, and they are both getting almost 60% offensive zone start times. Oh, and Cozens is getting almost 18 minutes of ice time per game and, until recently, Quinn was over 15 minutes per game. So, their numbers and production are, quite frankly pitiful. Put that in the context of the ice time the get, the power play time, and the offensive zone start percentages...and that 'combo' that you were expecting to be your 2nd line...those 2 together might be 2 of the most disappointing players in the entire league. So here is my 'positive spin'. All the things we are all complaining about today...Pegula, Adams, the defense, any other player......ALL of those things could be the same, but if Quinn and Cozens just weren't 'sucking' so much right now, this team could/would probably be a playoff team right now.

Actually, if I looked at the standings after now watching the beginning of the season I would not feel that way. I'd feel more like "Ugh, more of the same". With a new coach, Tage being healthy, Quinn and Peterka and the Defense a year older, and a full season of UPL as your starter, I would expect more of than this by almost 1/3 into the season.

I have argued with many that I think the problem is more Pegula than Adams or any other GM. We can go back and forth on who is the biggest problem all day. But yeah, I think MOST (not all but most) will accept that Pegula is at least some sort of problem. It just feels like, and over a decade of missing the playoffs seems to confirm...that this team is in need a a major reset. A reset bigger than trading any few players can bring. A reset bigger than bringing in a new GM can bring. It needs all of that and probably more (Pegula). This thought enters my mind quite a bit: Selling the team means moving the team. Yeah, I can see that as a possibility. But, just how crazy would it be that the day a new owner took over, and said he would make this 'hockey heaven', and that the 'sole reason for the existence' of the team was to win the cup, and that money wouldn't be an object 'I'll drill another well'....just how Ironic would it be that it would be THAT guy who said THOSE thing that immediately put the team on the road and drove the car himself... to no longer being in Buffalo?

I'm a little different there. I like watching other teams. Normally I would think win or lose of course the Sabres games are more fun/more interesting. Right now, I usually enjoy, legit enjoy watching a mid-week game even if its Columbus vs Philly more than most sabres games. Not joking at all.

Last nights game hit a little harder than I thought it would. Yeah, I was upset and unhappy after the game last night like many, but usually what happens is I wake up the next morning and I'm thinking "on to the next game, its just a night's entertainment" And this was to a team that is 'middling' in the standings now. Against a team that lost 3 of their last 4 games. That was outscored 18 to 7 in those games. THAT team you faced and you had a 4 goal lead, and were told 'just don't blow this for 2 periods after they put their newly aquired BACKUP goalie in." I woke up this morning and I don't feel that way. I don't feel like I did last night, but I woke up this morning just not caring as much. Thinking 'its not worth the time'. Normally I'd say "if you are going to lose at least score some goals and I'll be entertained" . But... A game like that is just NOT enjoyable to watch at a fan, at all. The logical side of my brain says something like....If you wake up one day and they are in a playoff 'spot', then its ok to tune in to the next game. That means they are at least playing slightly above average to maintain that spot. Now I could say, if they get back into that playoff spot they have to win some games to just get there and do you want to miss that? Well, yeah, I can watch the highlights if I miss a game they win. But right now, last night was the night I 'hit the wall' of thinking of canceling the cable subscription for the year. (50%+ of the reason we have it is for Sabres games). I figure I can watch highlights. I can even watch the 'condensed games', look at the stats..read bout the team if I want in the mean time, its just not worth the time to even give up watching a 'decent' sitcom on tv with the family over the Sabres games. It usually takes a lot for me to get to this point every year. And sometime I 'get here' and take some time off, but eventually come back to watching the games after I fully accept its yet another 'wasted season'. But this morning, this is the FIRST morning I have felt this way this early in the season. So, as of right now I feel like I'm going to stop making the games 'appointment viewing' and skip some, maybe skip alot, until I wake up in the morning before a game and they are back INTO a playoff spot. They are now 25th out of 32 teams in the league, they are a minus goal differential team, they again have a losing home record. In other words, just 25 games into the season, they are totally irrelevant, they do not matter to anyone in any other city in the league. Right now the 8th spot in the east is at .540 point percentage. Buffalo is down to .480. It would take 4 wins in a row to get above .540 right now. I need them to 'prove it'. Entertainment of tuning into a hockey game with a team wearing the 'colors of the area I live in' isn't enough for the moment.

Yeah, but I'm getting a bit tired of giving Benson a pass. He's making as many mistakes as most forwards and not producing much lately.

They have allowed 34 shots on goal in just UNDER 2 periods. Not good.

I'd be more than happy having Adams make a trade if Pegula is out of the area and the trade can be made without his input/oversight/suggestions/opinions.

I really see not much of anything positive from Quinn. If he's not scoring, the best you can hope is he doesn't hurt in other areas. Does that mean I don't like him? No, it just is he's a guy I don't notice out there at all unless he is scoring. He's the guy on the team that you don't even see until a goal is scored, and then you look up and it was him. If he's not scoring at least 20 goals a year for me (and hopefully more), he is of little use.

I "Love" all the eyerolls on any comments sayhing the issue is more Pegula than Adams, and the people looking to pin all of this on Adams. Wake up. Pegs has had 4 different GM's. 8 different 'coaching teams' (Ruff now here 2 times). He's made a lot of moves in the front office. Multiple 'presidents'. He's the constant. Turning a blind eye to the real problem, its obvious, its been Pegula. Adams might be awful at being a GM, he might be OK, he might be good, he might be bad but getting better but still 'not good'. Doesn't matter. Pegula is the issue and if he doesn't change how he does things, any turnaround or march into the playoff is going to continue to be a lot harder simply because of him.

I agree with you 100%, there should be a 'non interference' policy with the Sabres also. But for some reason, he doesn't want that. Remember the last GM before Adams and why he got fired? There were direct quotes from both Terry and Kim saying they fired Botts because they felt "they weren't being listened to" in terms of hockey related decisions and they wanted more input. So yeah, you had a guy that came up with a different organization, bred to be a 'hockey guy', not a 'business guy', with experience with a winning team (Botts). Was he going to be a great GM? Well, he wasn't give much time but he was fired because the Pegula's had a different vision for the 'on ice' product and he wasn't receptive enough to them or made them feel 'heard' enough.

Again, he has been active in the decision making for the Sabres, even on personal decisions. I'm not going to run though it again on here, but in several recent threads, there are stories, quotes directly from him, that he doesn't WANT to get out of the way in Hockey. He wants to, and continues to be directly involved in many (not all, I'm sure not picking one 4th liner over the other) hockey decisions.

As is my main issue with Pegula, and why firing Adams likely won't change anything. In Football, there are more layers to separate him from the product on the field, in Hockey, Pegula wants to be involved, and he isn't going to hire someone who will tell him to 'butt out' of the hockey department. How can the team get better when you may need a new hockey department, but the one person who may be able to change that hockey department might be the single biggest problem with it?

Tenacity and grit...I'm not sure what the definition of those things are or how they translate to wins. I'll say this, I wish this team had ONE heavyweight to drop the gloves with anyone that had enough skill to play a regular shift. Just give us one, is that too much to ask? So yeah, I want that. But in terms of everyone else, yeah, some guys have it some guys don't. Most teams are like that. But that isn't the only issue with this team: We keep hearing that Lindy says to them "you are going to lose games, just don't let one loss turn into a losing streak" Yeah. This team has 13 losses. Nearly half of them (6 of them) have come in their two 3-game losing streaks. In those 6 games, they have scored the following: 1 goal, 1 goal, 1 goal, 0 goals, 3 goals, 0 goals. As much as this team needs more 'tenacity' and 'grit'....more than that they need more scoring out of Cozens and Quinn. The team is "OK" when Tage gets on a role, but you shouldn't have to expect him to play like a 50-60 goal scorer all the time just to score enough to make the playoffs. He's not a $14m per year player. He is a $7m per year player. You need offense from some other places. This team gets shots. They are near the middle of the league last time I checked in terms of quality scoring chances. They are good enough in terms of how many goals they allow. I'm not sure how much more 'grit and tenacity' help, vs having your current guys be slightly better at converting their chances.

not when there are 100 other players in the NHL making more. You are getting the production from him for what you are paying him. They haven't really been the problem with my goals against though. Neither of the first 2 goals scored were there problem. One was a bad bounce off of/near Joki, and the SH goal was the entire unit having their 'box' turn into a triangle...and that was primarily because of the forwards.

I don't have a huge problem with the play of Power and Dahlin and any of the D-men right now. Sure for $11m per year I want Dahlin to score more but they aren't the reason this team is losing their games. Quinn, Cozens, the lack of production lately from Peterka and Thompson....that is where the problem lies right now.

$7m per year is NO WHERE near elite pay. There are about 100 contracts in the NHL right now at $7m per year or more...so that means there are probably 90-100 guys getting paid more than Tage. He hasn't scored in a few games, but to say he doesn't produce to his contract is just garbage. Hes not getting paid a lot in the grand scheme of the league. He probably out-produces/scores goals a $7 per year deal.

Tuch is 28 and has had 4 playoff runs and 66 (SIXTY SIX!) playoff games played. (Cup finals and 7th games) Zucker is almost 33, had been in the playoffs 9 different seasons with 52 games played. McLeod is 25, has played in 4 playoff seasons with 56 games played (Cup finals and 7th games) Greenway is almost 28 and has been in the playoffs 4 different times. Clifton is 29, 5 different years in the playoffs, a deep cup finals run and 44 career playoff games. Malenstyn and Kubel have been in the playoffs (Kubel with 30 career playoff games). They have vets who have been through the playoffs. They have guys who have experienced the playoff runs. The younger guys (now not-so-young for many of them) need to produce. At this point 'youth' and 'lack of veterans' really isn't an excuse anymore.

Cozens just isn't a good shooter. He had the one-timer lined up, and he's not able to pick corners. He pretty much shot it right toward the center of the net and almost into the goaltender.

This team isn't playing bad defensively today. I can't find an major errors in any of the goals allowed. Its just their scoring has totally vanished (almost totally). 12 goals in 7 games (including tonight) just doesn't cut it. Nor does it make for entertaining hockey for the fans to watch.

Adams in trouble? Wishful thinking at this moment. And yeah, who replaces him? likely someone gets promoted, and you get more of the same. Or an outside hire that Pegula only approves if that outside hire will defer to him....and again more of the same.

Agree. I posted very little in the GDT yesterday. Normally I'll post 10-15 times, but I logged off because it was just too negative for me. As for the game, yeah, any NHL team can beat any other on any night, but this Sabres team is better than the Islanders. They have more points, and even then a lot of the Isles points are "OT loser points". The Sabres are positive in goal differential, while the Isles are tied for 4th worse at -12. If the Sabres lose its not the end of their playoff chances at all, but by every measure this is a 'should win' if you want to be considered a semi-serious team at this point in the season. Get it done.

They are 'fine' scoring right now. Do we want them to be better? Sure, but they aren't bad. They are 15th in the league in scoring, even after being shut out last night, even with Tage missing some games. Do we want them to be better? Sure, but its not a 'problem' now. Cozens scoring, Quinn scoring (or lack of) is a problem, but the whole team is decent for now. It DIDN'T happen, but if they would have scored 3 goals last night, they would be in the top 10 in the league in scoring. Again, it didn't, but if/when they have one good game scoring, things will look better. If they score 4 total goals or less in their next 3 games, then maybe I'll be saying something different. But for now, I want more goals, but I don't think its a problem in need of addressing right now.

A Peterka goal would be nice. Hot start, but only 1 goal in his last 9 games (including tonight so far).

They are different players, different positions, different teammates, but there ARE some similarities: Reinhart's worst statistical year with the Sabres was in 2016-17, the 3rd season after he was drafted. Going into Thanksgiving that year, Reinhart had 3 goals and 6 assists through 20 games. Quinn, this year is going into Thanksgiving has 1 goal and 4 assists through 20 games. So a bit worse than Reinhart, but in the same ballpark. FYI, in the 15 games following Thanksgiving that year, Reinhart had 5 goals and 7 assists in those next 15 games. It would be nice if Quinn could have as much of a turnaround in production.