mjd1001

A few of us have been saying this is kinda how we are 'getting' through the season....for me thinking of why I liked the games as a kid. You want them to make the playoffs of course, and even as a kid I was watching the standing and thinking a bit about the playoffs. But, it was much, MUCH more entertainment on a nightly basis. There is a game tonight! I want to see goals! You might or might not be aware of the front office/coaching staff, but sometimes you weren't and if you were, you didn't care. The team won 36 games, that is 36 times you felt good at the end of the night. The last team to make the playoffs won 40 games. They got that 'winning feeling' less than 1 time per month more than you did. I don't think there is any fan that doesn't care at all about the playoffs...but there are some fans that just want to see hockey and 'hope' their team wins...nothing more.

So, now its the playoffs for Cozens, something he obviously never got here. He has a chance to show if he is a 'playoff' guy or not. As far as the regular season, with 20 games with Ottawa...he basically was close to the same guy he was here. With Ottawa: -20 games, 4 goals, 9 assists, -4, 8.7% shooting (82 game pace: 16 goals, 37 assists, -16) -His advanced stats slightly negative. 50 being equal: Corsi 44.0, Fenwick 44.8, Shots 46.7, Goals for/against 44.0, Scoring chances 41.6, High danger chances 43.8 Link here: https://www.naturalstattrick.com/playerteams.php?fromseason=20242025&thruseason=20242025&stype=2&sit=5v5&score=all&stdoi=oi&rate=n&team=OTT&pos=C&loc=B&toi=0&gpfilt=none&fd=&td=&tgp=410&lines=single&draftteam=ALL David Perron was Cozens linemate he spent the most time with since the trade (almost 180 minutes). Cozens brought Perrons analytics way down compared to before Cozens was there. With Cozens, Perrons Corsi went down almost 8 points, his fenwick down almost 8 points, shots for vs against down 5.5, scoring chances down 5.5, high danger chances even. Again, its no mystery that I personally wanted Cozens gone. But, again, playoffs for him. A couple well timed goals and an upset over the Leafs and he may be viewed as a different player.

I don't think Pegula wants to give up any level of involvement, decision making, contact, etc with the team. If, IF they hired a President of Hockey operations, I don't think Pegula does anything differently. I think it would just be one more person included with everyone else, between him and the on ice players. And by 'between' I don't mean it would distance him from anything. I think there is the "on ice product", then a "group of 6-8 guys" in the front office, and then Pegula. The only think would change would be that group/pool of 6-8 now becomes a group/pool of 7-9.

I just don't see Bernard-Docker as anything good. Maybe he can still develop? I know some on this board like that he plays a bit physical, but I just don't (yet) see him as anything other than a borderline NHL D-man. I still like the trade. For Ottawa, I saw a fan characterize the deal in a way that might be true for them (the Senators). A healthy Norris is better than Cozens, but a healthy Cozens is better than an often injured Norris. For the Sabres, I'm just glad, regardless of the return, the minutes Cozens was getting are going to other players. Kulich getting minutes in place of Cozens (with some extra minutes going to Krebs and McLeod), is just fine. My personal opinion is the Sabres are slightly better with those 3 guys getting more minute and not having Cozens take minutes away from them at all. As for Norris? I'm hopeful he is going to be a major part of this team. For the contract, he needs to be.

Ready to give up on them no. There is not much they can or can't do, change or not change....there is no 'line in the sand' for me. However, I posted this about a week ago, something hit me then. I just didn't feel like watching anymore, I didn't care if they won, or lost. If they drafted 10th or 6th. For the last 7-10 days, I'm feeling very little about this team. And...that is new for me. I didn't feel that way through the losing streak, through last year, or the year before..or even most of this year. Don't know what it is...just, whatever happens, happens. I'm looking forward to the matchups in the playoffs. The Sabres just don't matter to the league, and at this moment not to me. The thing that gets me thinking is...this is what happened to me with Football and the Bills. Had Bills season tickets for years and years starting when I was a teenager. Never missed a game. Memorized the rosters...all that stuff. Even through the Bills drought I followed them a 'tad' less, but I was always there. 2-3 years ago, when the started making the playoffs with Allen being great...I just stopped caring. No idea why Now I barely watch half the games and if I hear Bills talk on the radio I'm usually switching the channel. No idea why it happened, it just did.

I would say they are very close, but I'd put McLeod as slightly faster actually. Using available data, If you go over their careers, in terms of absolute top speed, McLeod wins (23.83 to 23.76). If you also look at how many 'speed bursts" over 20 mph per game played, McLeod wins there too over the last 3 years: 2.86 per game for Norris, 3.77 per game for Mcleod.

I'm likely watching tonight, my wife is working tonight. But I'm feeling something the last week with the Sabres I have never felt before with them, something that hit me with the Bills 4 or 5 years ago. For the first time, I really don't care. It actually hit me during the win over Carolina last week, I kinda just stopped watching the game toward the end. I had the rest of the games on over the past week, but I felt less for the last few games than for any regular season game I can remember. I cared more during the losing streak this year, cared more for pretty much every game the last 5 years. Its probably temporary, but even during a win, something hit me and its like I lost interest. If I watch tonight...win, lose, overtime, blowout either way...I just feel it matters 99% less to me than it did even a week ago.

I'm going back and forth on both of them in my mind....but right now, this very moment, I might rather have Samuelsson as a 3rd pair guy with him on the PK all the time....rather than having Byram getting paid more in a new contract being a 1st/2nd pair guy. If I had to choose between those 2 choices.

Isn't El Salvador in North America?

Your above argument is one side of it. Of course the other side of it is that a lot of people right across the border are Sabres fans. The truth, I believe, is someplace in the middle. I have brought up on this forum in the past, we live near Lewiston, just a couple miles from the Queenston-Lewiston Bridge. We can see Canada walking down the street. We make frequent trips into Canada (Niagara Falls, St. Catherines, etc) because its a 10 minute drive for us. Just casually walking around the outlet mall in St. Catherines, you can see more Sabres jerseys on people than just about any other team other than the Leafs (and its pretty close). Now, those members on this board that DO live in Niagara Falls on the Canadian side..or Welland, or St. Catherines can speak to this better than I can. I am not saying the are 100% Sabres country..but rather being close to the border does in fact make more Sabres fans there than in most other areas of Canada. I'm not sure there is any data on this...but I think if you took a survey of the 250,000-or-so people living between the border and the Welland Canal, I would think you have a good percentage of Sabres Fans. Not as much as in Erie county, but more than in the areas west of that. Now, younger fans? probably not, but older fans, especially those 45+...I think a lot of them are. When they were growing up as kids, Sabres games were broadcast over local channels (NBC/Channel 2 in Buffalo), and that signal, the games, were well able to be watched by those people, as well as they get Buffalo sports talk crystal clear on the radio. Again, does that mean they are just as much fans of the Sabres as people across the border? Probably not, but to say they 'generally people who don't give a flying ***** about the Sabres and just want to see NHL hockey", I think that is exaggerating the lack of interest in the Sabres a bit too much.

I would think you would try Dahlin more. Maybe he is awful on them in practice? In his career he has now been in 38 shootouts, and he has 3 attempts. About 1 in every 13 shootouts he gets used.

To me he certainly is. When I watch him play, I don't see players pulling away from him. The opposite in fact, on the backcheck, I see him keeping up with, or catching opposing players more than most other guys on this team. Just recently look at some of his short handed goals....guys with lesser speed might have been caught from behind, he usually isn't. In terms of stats, NHL edge tracking has him above average in terms of top speed every year since he has been here, and in the top 25 percentile of the league every year in terms of speed bursts.

What do you consider a defensive forward? To me its not about offense and defensive, its a subtle difference....."with the puck" and "without the puck" I have always thought he was the best forchecker on the team and one of the best in the league. He's not great in his own end...He's not taking the body all the time or taking the puck away from the opposition in the defensive end. Still, seeing how he is good at forchecking, and I consider him very good "without the puck".

McLeod with 50 points now. Dahlin with an outside shot for 70 points. The top of the roster is hitting, or getting near, some nice round numbers.

That is the tough thing about Tuch. He is very valuable. In my opinion, the 3rd best player on this team. But how do you deal with his next contract? -3rd best player. Fan favorite. From the area. He has an A. -His next contract will START when he is 29, going on 30. Players, on average (not all the time but on average), peak right about the age he is now. He my very well be starting his 'production decline' as he starts a new deal. How much do you pay him, for how long? Give him a 3-4 year offer and he may balk at that, and have a lot of fans that say the offer is offensive. Give him 6-7 and its ALMOST a certainty he will be overpaid for the majority of the deal. I have no idea how this plays out.

Sorry, maybe my memory is short...or I read too much of this forum....but I sometimes have difficulty keeping opinions of some users differernt from others. I respond to what is in front of me. If I search for the opinions of every user that I reply to...I'd be spending more time searching users and their opinions than I do at my job. I know you don't like Adams and you think that the franchise moves forward when he is gone. I know you think Bryam is over-rated by many users....and I agree with that. I honestly do not know your exact opinion of Cozens as a player. And I stopped using the search function on here a long time ago....If a converstaion is currently happening I will re-iterate my point for those who may not know what it is...rather than forcing them to search, as that can be very time consuming.

Because I agree with him. I have posts where I share my opinions on Cozens, many times replying and engaging due to replying to others comments, and yet I'm curious as to the downpost emojis from you. I do what to know, what is your opinion of Cozens? What kind of player do you think he is, was it wrong for the Sabres to give up on him? I keep seeing the 'dislikes', but I haven't seen you put your stake in the ground definitevely. I'd like to know, when someone disagrees with me or anyone else, where they actually stand? Its a lot easier to disagree with someone, while leaving saracastic posts or ones that are often vague. Thats fine, its a message board, but if you are going to disagree with me or someone else on a topic, I'd just like to know the specific opinion where the differences lie.

Post count....oh brother. 🙄

After watching some replays of the game and thinking about it a little more.... I think they played not-so-well last night. Its not just that they were outshot. They got away with some giveaways, Carolina seemed to me to have more possession and 'better possession (not sure of the stats on this, but that is what it felt like to me). I think the Sabres were outplayed positionally. Now, they got the better goaltending and Tage and Tuch put the puck in the net and they are having great years, so having the talent to put the puck in the net when you get the chance matters. Its just this winning streak/run.....remember, I think it was 2018 or 2019 where in November the Sabres were winning quite a bit but being outplayed every game....and eventually that 'luck' ran out and they started losing? This streak has the same feeling to me. They are winning. They are scoring. But the positional play just seems....lacking. Winning is better than losing. So its more fun this way, It just doesn't 'look' right.

As many of us have said, Cozens was a net negative on the team. He caused more goals against and he got his linemates less involve/engaged than an average #2/#3 center. His skating, his hitting, his aggressive forcheck....it wasn't enough to even 'even out' his negatives. Since he has been gone what happened with his ice time? Kulich, McLeod, and Krebs have gotten more. I would say the his 16 or so minutes are being 'played better' by those 3 guys than by him.

I agree it wasn't presented well, I tried to figure out the same thing. My guess is that, after a hot start, Dylan Cozens is basically playing the same way/just as effective in Ottawa as in Buffalo. Looking at his analytics (50 being 'even', anything above 50 good, below 50 bad...) Cozens with Buffalo this year: 50.8 Corsi, 49.2 Fenwick, 49.7 shots, 47.5 expected goals, 48.9 scoring chances, 44.2 high danger chances, 41.7 high danger goals. Cozens so far with Ottawa: 44.5 Corsi, 44.8 Fenwick, 45.9 shots, 40.4 expected goals, 41.3 scoring chances, 45.1 high danger chances, 50 high danger goals. Those analytics are pretty close, mostly negative with both teams. In terms of his individual production (82 game pace for comparison: -With Buffalo 82 game pace this year: 15 goals, 27 assists, -17, 7.9% shooting percentage. -With Ottawa 82 game pace this year: 14 goals, 33 assists, -9, 7.7% shooting percentage. Since the trade and he left Buffalo and joined Ottawa: Sabres: 11w-5L (112.75 point pace). Senators: 11w-6L (106 point pace) His 17 games with Ottawa are a very small sample size in the grand scheme of things. One good game makes his 'projected' numbers look a lot better. One bad game makes them look a lot worse...but.... As of now...He is who he is. He is in Ottawa who he was in Buffalo. His numbers are close. He has 'average' statistical giveaways but they are often very costly ones with both teams. One team has not benefited more than the other (if anything, they both got better but Buffalo has gotten "more better" than Ottawa, especially considering Norris hasn't played). Maybe he'll have a great playoffs, or will change his game with an offseason in Ottawa. But as of now, not much has changed with his play to this moment.

Ok, I'm not upset with his play, but I have yet to see him be much more than an average 3rd pair guy. I'm looking, and I'm hoping, but I just don't see enough signs that he is anything more than that yet.

I think he is a slightly above average overall D-man. Basically he positionally plays 'average at best' but he has some skating skill. I won't be uspset if he his here next year, but I just don't see him, at least right now', playing like a really valuable piece of this team.

I'll focus on the 'on ice' product and direct coaching of it: -Pay whatever it takes to get Mitch Marner (if possible). -Overpay (via trade, give up some prospects or in free agency offer more money) for one legit, veteran, very good top 4 D-man. -Fix the goalie situation. I have no idea how to do it. Maybe UPL was playing hurt, maybe you need a free agent guy, maybe Levi is ready. Who know...I don't. But goalie needs to be a lot better. -The young guys need to show they are ready/earn it. Benson, Kulich, Quinn, anyone from Rochester...they can be on this team but they have to show they are ready, ready to work, and show they are better through camp. If not, they don't just 'go in the lineup'. They either go back to Rochester or they sit in the pressbox. There are a ton of things that can be done, I'm sure other people have much more lengthy lists than me...but my first 2 above are very heavy lifts. I'd just focus on the 3 things above. Oh, maybe a 4th one. PowerPlay. Find the best coach in the league, the guy who schematically does the best with the PP, have Pegula pick him up on his private jet, offer his family a vacation, make him the highest paid assistant in the league...WHATEVER you need to do, just get him here (along with letting Lindy have full control over his other assistants if he is back as coach)

So you are telling me that since the trade, the Sabres have increased their pace of play by a greater margin than the Senators.