EM88

Technically correct. He will score just like he has this year, but scoring 3 goals is scoring, but certainly not enough. He has had some time with Edmonton's top players. I think he was skating with McDavid on a line and McDavid set him up on Skinner's first goal of the year. But in the time he spent with those top guys, he did so little that they quickly removed him from those guys and his ice time fell. 2 or more years ago I think it would be correct to say that if you put him on a top line he would put away the garbage and put up goals. But in the last year or two I think his ability to do that has drastically receded and he just doesn't have much of it left anymore. Skinner is not a skater he functions better in the half-court type of game. I think his best bet to return to maybe a 20-25 goal scorer would be if he was moved to Toronto. I think he would function well on one of their 2 top lines. But that is one of the few places left I think he would fit in, and even then I have my doubts he would reach those heights of production.

Exactly. 100%. It does not have to be more complicated than this. That is why changing the GM without changing everything around him does very little. I firmly think as you said Pegula is the defacto GM. He lets Adams make the phone calls and do the paperwork, but nothing gets done without his approval, and more significantly the bigger things are likely more his decision than the hockey department. Even if one wants to think the above is not true, then the next logical step is to take their word on something else. Adams and other members of the Sabres say that most decisions the hockey department makes are more 'group think' among them rather than Adams running rough-shot over the hockey department. If that is the case and you hire a new gm but Karmanos and Jakubowski and Forton and Ventura are still there contributing to decision making, not much changes. Even less so if one of them is your new GM.

I disagree. I do not think the Bills are moving in the next 5-7 years. But I do not think a 2 billion dollar stadium anchors them here. This is not a decade ago. There are closing in on 1000 billionaires in the USA and Canada alone. Last time I saw a list there are over 50 alone that are worth more than $20 billion, dozens worth more than $50 billion. Those numbers, both in terms of dollars and the number of people, are growing. This is without even bringing up how many lesser billionaire or multi-millionaire celebrities might band together in a celebrity ownership group backed by private investors that can do the same. Leaving behind a $2b stadium in Buffalo is nothing to them, especially with what might be waiting for them in a much larger market. If an individual really wants an NFL team, and wants them in a much larger market than Buffalo, a $2 billion dollar stadium here is not going to stand in their way. They can write a check for that and the attention they will get for being a new owner, the view they will be for being the hero that brings a franchise to a new city, will far outweigh the money they have to spend to do that. If the Pegula family continues to own the Bills, or someone with Buffalo roots such as Jeffrey Gundlach decides they want the team because they are a Buffalo fan buys the team, then it will be here longer term. If that does not happen, this team will not be here. Its a very binary thing. That $2 billion stadium is a huge deal to this area. Its not much to anyone outside of the area with outside interests.

He has never played more than 55 games in a season and he is hurt again. Not ideal. $4.2 million per year I could live with if he can stay healthy. I try to look at everyone if you take the name off of it. Imagine If the Sabres had an opportunity to pick up a D-man from another team, someone who was 24, signed long term for $4m per season, was a high 2nd round pick, and had flashes in the past of being really good. I would think there would be people who would think that is someone they want to take a chance on. I know some others do not. But for those who would, you do not have to trade assets for that guy. He's here already. You just have to get him to figure out his game again.

I can not get behind that analogy totally. I am not well schooled on the star wars mythology. But to me Adams is more like the Darth Vader or Darth maul character, and Pegula is the emporor. A better comparison to me would to compare Adams to a General given orders to win the war. But that General has to run every decision by the president/prime minister, and has to win the war with the tolls the president/prime minister gives them along the way. Then when the war is not won soon enough, the president/prime minister (in this case) gets to blame the general (Adams, in this case). I would like my general (Adams) to be able to tell the president/pm (pegula) what is needed to win the war, and then have the president/pm supply that and get out of the way with battlefield decisions. I do not think Pegula operates that way. The Sabres had other generals in the past. The President/PM got rid of them because he simply wants his generals to execute his orders his way, he does not want them giving him feedback, or demands on what they need to do the job. Those previous Generals have not been fired to make way for one that was told the only way he is getting the job is to do what he is told. That new general might be great at his job, or as others have said he might be terrible, But we will not ever know until the President/PM decides to step aside or step away from decision making. And should you fire this current general, you are likely to get more of the same. The president will not hire someone new and give them what they need no questions asked. The dynamic will remain the same.

I am not disagreeing that its true. I just think its dumb to not trade in your division. You should always make the best deal available. If it makes a division team better also then so be it. Your goal is to win the cup, not just the division. If you make a trade, you make the best trade possible no matter who it is to.

I'm going to repeat what someone else posted that I agree with the more I think about it. Its 3 positions or players that need to pick things up, that really it. Quinn, Cozens, and the goaltender. At this moment the 1st, 3rd, and 4th lines are at least meeting expectation. The defensive unit is up and down but they are not a liability 60 minutes a game for you. Quinn and Cozens combined for the season at 0 for 32 on even strength shot attempts. Quinns was an empty netter and Cozens a PP goal. Even if you count those they are 2 goals on 52 shots. If on those 52 shots they have 3-5, maybe 6 extra goals sprinkled around the season, you likely have a couple more wins and less losses. Especially if you had your goalies with a save percentage of at least .900. If you want to maybe add Benson to that list, but we know he was playing hurt. The Sabres forwards on a cumulative basis minus Benson, Quinn and Cozens are a plus 14 in plus-minus. Quinn, Cozens, and Benson, just between those 3, are a -11/

I think, maybe in a very small way, they didn't want to give it to Tuch when he is only signed for this year and next year. If you name him captain now and then do not extend him next year, going into his final year, its something that they might be afraid would look bad. Pegula, as an owner, doesn't want even the smallest things out there to make him look cheap, or bad.

Foligno getting traded was one of the saddest departures for me over the Pegula Era.

I think one of the bigger failures of this front office is not finding someone like that in the first couple rounds of the draft over the past decade. Jake McCabe, Will Borgen, and Nikita Zadarov are all guys who are in the top 20 in hits in the NHL over the past 2 years among defensemen. They are all big guys over 6 feet tall and over 200 lbs. None of them are elite but they all are good enough to at least be 3rd pair NHL guys, maybe 2nd pair. Of course they all were Sabres property at some point.

That is the best explanation that describes how I feel about Terry Pegula also. He hides behind the GM but Adams has to do what Pegula wants when Terry gets something on his mind. Pegula has been impulsive. The quotes like the existence of this team is to win a cup. The no cap on scouting and facilities. The way he ended up hiring Rex Ryan. His involvement in Erhoff and Leino. The Eichel situation. He seems to run the franchise with more emotion and less letting the people below him do their job 100%. I could also certainly see him being very instrumental in the Thompson and Cozens deals, in so far as pushing to get them done. Its a lazy and easy argument to say this is Adams mess. Pegula went with Adams to the supermarket, let Adams put some items in the cart but then Pegula filled the cart up with stuff he wanted, and now Adams is charged with preparing the meal with a lot of what Pegula told him to do, not what he wanted.

I do not think Cozens is 'lost'. I think he is an inconsistent $4m player that was signed to a $7m contact. As far as the Pegula and Adams point, I'm more on the side that Pegula is handcuffing him. Adams may be incompetent, but we really don't know because of the handcuffing. You have a GM that is an artist, the roster is his painting. To use your analogy, adams may be a great painter or he may be awful, but as he is wearing handcuffs we really do not know.

Serious question here: If Adams gets fired, how does that make things better? I tend to agree with others that made the point Pegula will still want to oversee, suggest, veto, or have last word in all player moves. I see a new GM, who will be chose by him, as just someone bringing him different choices for him to choose or not choose from. Pegs seems to have his fingerprints all over this team from the time he took over. Free agent signings, at least some input into contracts, or who gets contracts and who doesn't. He picks all the GM's and presidents and likely the coaches. I really think Adams is not much more than a puppet for pegula. If a new GM comes in, it will be someone who Pegs picks to have the same role. How does that change anything? It isn't about what may happen in the future. Many or most of us are commenting on how we feel right now. When seeing the last 3 games, in addition to the season as a whole, telling fans who invest in this team to Relax isn't all that appropriate. We are fans, we comment on what we just saw, not what may happen sometime in the future.

Happens every year? I know I'm new to posting here. But your post looks like someone who just is taking the other side of the argument and wants to look clever with your response.

Yes. Plus if he is even just slightly more physical now, he may not get a reputation across the league that he is anti-contact.

The extra games played helps with points. Ultimately, when everyone plays the same number of games, its point percentage that determines where you finish. In terms of points per game played, only 2 teams in the conference are below Buffalo, those being Montreal and Philly. The Sabres are in a time for 13th/14th place with Pittsburgh. To keep with the spirit of this thread, recently in the past week they are playing better than several of the teams above them.

I thought that also. Some other posters made some points that got me thinking linemates might not be the answer. Apparently he is taking more shots than ever and as a poster earlier point out those shots are coming from the same areas. In short he is playing the same game he did when he scored 31 goals 2 seasons ago. The only difference is his rate of converting those chances. The NHL edge does a good job of showing where the shots he takes are coming from. Same prime spots. When we watch games we even see they aren't rushed chances. I do not think linemates of different skill or type fix Cozens. He is already getting better looks than anyone on the team. He simply needs to be more accurate in when letting shots fly.

Playing a solid 2-way game is a problem for him. Every 2 or 3 games he seems to play a game with a really bad giveaway or he is just not where he should be. To be a good and reliable 2-way player he must cut out those mistakes considerably

Interesting to think of. Who is your other Center? If this is your 2nd line, who plays C on the 3rd line?

There was a post earlier today showing that Cozens goes on really long streaks of great offensive production only to be followed by exceptional long streaks of subpar production. I think that is what he is. Some are saying he is the 30 goal scorer of 2 years ago. Others are saying he is the guy who can't put anything in. I think both of those arguments are both correct and incorrect at the same time. He isn't worth $7m per year. That was a mistake contract. There may be months he may play that well. He might have another year or 2 of over 30 goals. Just as sure as that is to happen, so will streaks like he currently is on. Cozens is a 20 goal per season guy that will have long lengths of time of considerably higher and much much lower levels of scoring. Barring injury I expect him to break out of his scoring slump somewhat soon. Only to likely go back into one for weeks or months at a time later in the year.

Cozens will be a guy who gives you incredible peaks and deep lows in production at seemingly random times.

I think Lindy is a net positive for the team.

My first thought is no I do not want to do that. But why not? Its not just getting Cozens to hit the back of the net. If it helps Quinn also its a good idea.

I did not like giving him 2 years even at a low aav. Early returns look like it might be a good move.

I see above a lot of posters reference the fight he got in last year. His production drop seems to be close to that date. But when I watch him play I don't see him playing any worse in any way other than scoring. The Cozens I see is the same Cozens I have watched in the past except he is shooting poorly