The 2024-2025 Roster Thread

[Duddy]

If you want to keep zucker here, you re-sign him. We have basically no need for more draft picks. We need players that can contribute now. No more sitting, waiting and wishing. This mindset killed this franchise.

 

[michaelsaas]

Zucker has been playing like he wants out of Buffalo in a contract year. And if he does want to stay, I'd question his commitment to winning

 

[joshjull]

Because he wasn't good at it! He is great at shutting down rushes, he is a strong forechecker, he is good at taking the body, all the things that are easy to see... He is not good at reading the play and he gets up ice too early leaving the D outnumbered down low (wrong side of the check/puck as they say). [/B]McDavid had one bad game against the Sabres over the last three seasons and Tage was the matchup.

You may not agree with it but the argument is Cozens wouldn’t be doing those things in a defensive role. Or at least not as often. The shift in focus and simplification of what was asked of him would go a long way with this. The flip side of that is I don’t see another 30+g 60+pt season again. I don’t think he has the ability to produce that kind of offense playing in that role.

I doubt how good or bad he was had anything to do with Granato not continuing with him there. That had to do with Granato not using a direct matchup line. So he wasn’t gonna bother developing anybody in that role. In his mind those games were a mental break for Cozens. There were plenty of young players, struggling or in over their heads in a variety of uses in those development years. None of them got moved because of it.

 

[Fjordy]

If Zucker really wants to be here, and isn’t expecting a contract based solely on this year’s performance, sure. I’d still trade him at the deadline and tell him to hire a house sitter for a few months

I think it will be a mistake, it will be difficult to replace him in all senses and you never know what will happen next, maybe the opponent will want to re-sign him, where we traded him and he will like it there or someone in UFA will offer him a good contract. It is quite rare for guys to come back after a trade, especially since we are Buffalo, losers, for whom it is already difficult to sign players. I would just re-sign him now and not think about it, we can't take the risk over and over again and lose every year.

Zucker has been playing like he wants out of Buffalo in a contract year. And if he does want to stay, I'd question his commitment to winning

Or he's just a guy who doesn't like to move and has a difficult family situation, maybe he just wants to settle down where he feels good.

 

[TheMistyStranger]

Not sure why you'd want 1. There is no saving this season. Why let Adams did the hole deeper?

#2 all the way.

I included it because there's a number of people here who have lost interest in watching the team until the roster changes. I don't blame them.

 

[Der Jaeger]

Because he wasn't good at it! He is great at shutting down rushes, he is a strong forechecker, he is good at taking the body, all the things that are easy to see... He is not good at reading the play and he gets up ice too early leaving the D outnumbered down low (wrong side of the check/puck as they say). McDavid had one bad game against the Sabres over the last three seasons and Tage was the matchup.

V

You may not agree with it but the argument is Cozens wouldn’t be doing those things in a defensive role. Or at least not as often. The shift in focus and simplification of what was asked of him would go a long way with this. The flip side of that is I don’t see another 30+g 60+pt season again. I don’t think he has the ability to produce that kind of offense playing in that role.

I doubt how good or bad he was had anything to do with Granato not continuing with him there. That had to do with Granato not using a direct matchup line. So he wasn’t gonna bother developing anybody in that role. In his mind those games were a mental break for Cozens. There were plenty of young players, struggling or in over their heads in a variety of uses in those development years. None of them got moved because of it.

Didn't you post something where it showed how well Cozens did in those defensively focused deployments?

 

[zenthusiast]

I think it will be a mistake, it will be difficult to replace him in all senses and you never know what will happen next, maybe the opponent will want to re-sign him, where we traded him and he will like it there or someone in UFA will offer him a good contract. It is quite rare for guys to come back after a trade, especially since we are Buffalo, losers, for whom it is already difficult to sign players. I would just re-sign him now and not think about it, we can't take the risk over and over again and lose every year.


Or he's just a guy who doesn't like to move and has a difficult family situation, maybe he just wants to settle down where he feels good.

I mean, if he’d rather go elsewhere, so be it. The situation I’m referring to is one where he states wanting to be here long term as his preference. If that’s so, do us a solid

I agree that the team needs to have veterans that play the right way, but they also shouldn’t be drawn in too much by a contract year performance from an aging player. To me, he’s specifically a player I’d like, not a player they need

 

[toddkaz]

If you want to keep zucker here, you re-sign him. We have basically no need for more draft picks. We need players that can contribute now. No more sitting, waiting and wishing. This mindset killed this franchise.

Or you can trade him away for assets and if he wants to come back resign him. If you trade Zucker for a 2nd you are allowed to trade that 2nd away for a player or package the pick.

You ask him what he wants. Zucker is not going to be able to perform over an 82 game schedule like he previously has as he gets older and we have many forward prospects.

 

[Fjordy]

I mean, if he’d rather go elsewhere, so be it. The situation I’m referring to is one where he states wanting to be here long term as his preference. If that’s so, do us a solid

I agree that the team needs to have veterans that play the right way, but they also shouldn’t be drawn in too much by a contract year performance from an aging player. To me, he’s specifically a player I’d like, not a player they need

Well yeah, if he's willing to sign a 1-2 year extension now that makes a lot of sense to me. If he can't figure it out before TDL, trade him.

 

[StrompTroller]

Imagine yourself two years ago in turmoil about whether or not to resigning Jason effing Zucker lol.