Pimlach

Terrible call ref.

Made it in time for the 3rd period. Tuch gets another, yeah, let’s trade him. TNT with 2. Norris gets his first apple. Go Sabres!!

They were very weak at center. Tage as a 1C center is debatable, his two way game against other teams top line is not very good, which is why Lindy moved him to wing. Cozens was a below average 2C. Krebs a below average 4C. Only McLeod is the only one adequate in his role as 3C. The center spline is poor, despite al the draft picks spent on center.

How many times in the modern NHL do real hockey fights happen, let alone two. No one was looking for a Donnybrook with the score 5-1 and the time almost out. Looking at the replay, Cozens gets hit, he didn’t like it and crossed checked Hathaway in the back. Hathaway looks up and sees they are going off and decides to engage Cozens. Cozens mistake was he picked the wrong dance partner and he thought he was just going to push and shove with the gloves on. Hathaway drops the gloves and then totaled Cozens. Johnson came in to help during the pushing and a linesman clears him out, he let them fight to get them off. In today’s game you rarely ever see other players squaring off during a flight - with gloves off, and wrestling with another player, and then a second fight starts. That is removed from the game, gloves off is a penalty today. The immaturity of Cozens comes through when he slams the metal ladder on his way to the dressing room. After all this he is forced to play with a plastic face shield and it affected his played for a few weeks but after that he was ok. He had some periods of both good and bad play. The lost fight is not a reason for his longer term issues. I will concede that the team makeup, lots of young kids playing against grown men, makes it harder for our kids to get comfortable out there. They are intimidated physically and mentally. A big Adams mistake that he refuses to properly address. Part of Cozens problem is he cares so much that he gets emotional and his game suffers. To make matters worse, someone decided to give Cozens an A, even though they had Tage and Tuch wearing them. Nothing like piling more on the kid who we all knew from last season needs to simplify everything. Cozen performance against Tampa was one of a guy who knew he was out. He probably felt failure and regret because he cares a lot. My summary is they rushed him. Maybe not rushed into the league, but the rushed him into the leadership roles he played on the team. He was not mature enough to lead and take on the problems that Adams and Pegula created In Ottawa he has tougher linemates and more top cover. He just might find his game, get stronger from his natural growth, and become a good player.

Sure. Bettman can try. He probably cannot make Terry increase his payroll or operating costs, and the “experienced NHL hockey people doing the analysis and providing outside advice” would have to be paid by the league. And then what about their access to the team and the teams processes? And who will listen to their findings? Is Terry even obligated to make changes based on the findings? Probably not. I consult to Program Management Executives in the Aerospace and Defense business, providing independent analysis to my customers. I can tell you that without the backing at the top level, and a willingness to fix problems and make change, my work can be a waste of money. Terry can hire his own outside consulting, and maybe supplement them with league staffers, but he has to want it, pay for it, and be willing to listen.

Maurice never played past the OHL. He went from playing juniors to coaching juniors. He would have played against Ray in the OHL though, so maybe back then. Ray would never stretch the truth.

Imlach, Bowman, Meehan, Muckler, and Regier - none were brothers of the players. That was a ridiculous statement and a bad concept for any sports organization who’s goal is to win. The big boss just cannot be one of the boys. Adams acts childish. A GM should have no trouble calling out a player to the coach, or trading a player. Personal feelings and having favorites will negatively impact the team. Visits the GMs office seem weird to me. Today are the players are different? Sure. But the relationship between them and the coach and the GM has to have some boundaries.

The Sabres considered him a team leader since he was 21. Shameful organization. Many of the fans here said “give him the C” during his 31 goal season.

This group has had two coaches, Granato and Lindy. Lindy has been worse thus far. The players aren’t listening to him.

And do what? Move them to Houston?

Agree, but they moved Kulich from winger to 1C. Less of a stretch.

Remember Byram looked like a hard worker. Bernier was the classic

Worse, Kotakiiemi knew who was lined up against and planned to make a statement to fire his team that was on a losing streak. I would love to know who first said “we are going on puck drop”, Cozens knew the fight was coming.

That is a terrible offer? My counter would be Point for Tuch. The call could end quickly and that’s ok. The Sabres don’t need futures. Tampa was counting (hoping) on Adams to continue stockpiling picks and prospects while they focus on winning now.

Hire an experienced hockey executive as the new POHO and let him have full authority to run the hockey operations.

Yes, he is probably near my age. The lack of compete bothers me too, and the inconsistency is troubling. They have a 5-3 lead late in the second period and give up two goals inside the final 2:17. That cannot happen, but yet it happens a lot to this team. Ray Ferraro called them out and questioned what kind of closeness this team has. Cozens watched Dahlin take on 3 guys. That was the second time they let their captain down in that game. The Sabres are hard to like. There are 3 guys I would not trade, the rest are nothing to me. Adam’s and Ruff will be back and I see nothing changing.

Lots of outsiders and pundits believe in the “concept of Cozens”. I am shocked at how bad he has played this season, he was even worse than last season. He is mentally fragile right now and he was completely disengaged from the team in the last game against Tampa. The responsibility put on him as a core player, with a big contract, and with an “A” on the sweater was too much for him. He will probably be a better player for Ottawa. That seems to be the trend.

To Zach, Adam’s gets no credit for rejecting an obvious one sided offer.

Tell Dad that Norris for Cozens is a pretty fair trade. The rest is immaterial. They kept Greenway and Zucker so hopefully they are more of a vet team next season. Off season trades and signings are more impactful. As for the plan moving forward, that’s up to Terry, Adams and Lindy. No one else knows what their plan is, they probably don’t have one.

He just doesn’t do it for me. Talking about team toughness and 5 man pack mentality, they need to fight at times, and yet he trades Gilbert and tosses in a #2. He tries to sound accountable and promises to be better and more “self aware”. Yet every off season he never does enough. Every off season is a fail. The team gets worse every year, it’s not getting better. I just can’t believe the guy. He said he asks “Do you want to be here and why?” in his conversations with a player. How about “what are you working on to improve your game and how?”

He had the same recurring shoulder injury for several seasons. They think its finally fixed now.