The 2024-2025 Roster Thread

[Ace]

 

[Snippit]

Cozens and Quinn sucking is just a nightmare. Those guys are too important to our future.

 

[Irie]

What about the opposite? Are there players with bad metrics that are actually good, after correcting with the eye test?

Washington's 4th line last year is one potential example, although the article I posted over the summer seems to attribute the positives mostly to Dowd and not the other two players on Buffalo now.

Can't think of many other examples, although our GMs and coaches have insisted to fans for the past decade+ that Risto and Joki are good, despite their awful numbers.

I think too often there are narratives that certain players are just plain bad players while they are in Buffalo, when in reality, most of those players are just bad when misused. They often perform quite well when used appropriately, or go elsewhere and are slotted into roles that better fit their skillset.

Knowing the player's limitations and putting them in the best situation for them to succeed is where the various coaching staffs of this organization have failed for a long time. As fans we should probably question some of the crazy coaching decisions more often than blaming the players who are playing roles that are obviously above what they are qualified to play.

 

[Sabre the Win]

Cozens and Quinn sucking is just a nightmare. Those guys are too important to our future.

Add UPL into that mix, we cant win when hes letting in 6 goals, I haven't liked his low glove and making himself small in the net again. Its like he reverted back to his suck before the second half of the season. At least hes not as scrambly like he was before and in Europe.

I see Levi running away with the start and we have a 5 million dollar back up.

 

[Deep Blue Metallic]

Leave lines 1 and 3 alone. Temporarily platoon Cozens and Quinn; each could use some PB time.

2: Benson-Krebs-Kulich (heavy to o-zone starts)
4: Malenstyn-Lafferty-Cozens/Quinn

6K only plays the second game of back-to-backs and whenever Levi needs a rest. (I'm not giving up on 6K. He was crap early on last season too.)

 

[SnuggaRUDE]

What about the opposite? Are there players with bad metrics that are actually good, after correcting with the eye test?

Washington's 4th line last year is one potential example, although the article I posted over the summer seems to attribute the positives mostly to Dowd and not the other two players on Buffalo now.

Can't think of many other examples, although our GMs and coaches have insisted to fans for the past decade+ that Risto and Joki are good, despite their awful numbers.

Wild guess about 10-20% of goalies fall into this category every year.

 

[SnuggaRUDE]

If Johnson is good to go I'd like to see him draw in for Samuelsson.

 

[joshjull]

Cozens and Quinn sucking is just a nightmare. Those guys are too important to our future.

It really is.

I wish Ruff would swap Benson and Peterka. JJ would really give the Cozens line a boost and his years of chemistry with Quinn could get him going.

Cozens needs to get his head out of his ass and start engaging. That physical player we saw awhile back has been MIA this season. It started after getting his face smashed last year.

 

[joshjull]

I can’t wait until NAK returns from injury. The 4th line is just not the same weapon it was in preseason and the first game without him. Plus Lafferty hasn’t been nearly as good on the wing as he was at center.

 

[tsujimoto74]

The horrible PP is killing us early on this season. We’re soundly out-chancing and, more importantly, outscoring opponents at ES so far, but we’re missing out on points because the PP is inept.

Something has to change there. Personnel, coaching, both…something.

 

[Fjordy]

The horrible PP is killing us early on this season. We’re soundly out-chancing and, more importantly, outscoring opponents at ES so far, but we’re missing out on points because the PP is inept.

Apparently it was so difficult to hire a PP coach, I don’t understand why they didn’t do it.

 

[joshjull]

Apparently it was so difficult to hire a PP coach, I don’t understand why they didn’t do it.

They did hire someone to fix the PP, Appert. So far he’s been terrible at fixing it.

I’m only half kidding when I say bring Ellis back to run it. His PP was #9 his first year running it. Then crapped out last year when Tage broke his hand and Ellis couldn’t adjust. A predictable PP getting the occasional goal is a pretty big improvement over the current mess.

 

[Jacob582]

They still have a forward problem.

They have one 2nd line (Tage)
One 3rd line (McLeod)
And two 4th line (Cozens, Krebs)

 

[Fjordy]

They did hire someone to fix the PP, Appert. So far he’s been terrible at fixing it.

I’m only half kidding when I say bring Ellis back to run it. His PP was #9 his first year running it. Then crapped out last year when Tage broke his hand and Ellis couldn’t adjust. A predictable PP getting the occasional goal is a pretty big improvement over the current mess.

But as I understand it, Lindy is also responsible for PP, because it seems it wasn't just Appert, but also Ruff. Ellis? It's funny, but maybe it really would have been better. So far, it's just some kind of horror.

 

[GettingYourMoms]

 

[Tatanka]

Leave lines 1 and 3 alone. Temporarily platoon Cozens and Quinn; each could use some PB time.

2: Benson-Krebs-Kulich (heavy to o-zone starts)
4: Malenstyn-Lafferty-Cozens/Quinn

6K only plays the second game of back-to-backs and whenever Levi needs a rest. (I'm not giving up on 6K. He was crap early on last season too.)

If Krebs is the answer, you are asking the wrong question or it is more dire than it appears.

 

[Dubi Doo]

They still have a forward problem.

They have one 2nd line (Tage)
One 3rd line (McLeod)
And two 4th line (Cozens, Krebs)

I really, really like Tage and Peterka this year. Peterka battled more against Pitt than he did all of last season combined. Ok...a lot of hyperbole there, but he was involved all over the ice. I was impressed. Tage is just playing much smarter. I don't know, I think they're playing close to a top line caliber from my limited viewing. Tuch still annoys me, but he has scoring touch.

The problem is Cozens line. How long has a line he centered just been destroyed game in and game out. Now, Cozens is getting chances, but the brain farts....oyeee.

I had high hopes for him after the World's tourney, but he still suffers from a lot of the same issues. Don't even get me started on Quinn. He's playing some of his worst hockey as a pro, so I think it's just a funk, and he'll come around. Frustrating to watch, though.

 

[GettingYourMoms]

If Krebs is the answer, you are asking the wrong question or it is more dire than it appears.

Peterka-Kulich-Quinn even better. I guess, maybe i am wrong Peterka also speaks Czech, judging from his czech last name, just like Kahun, Draisaitl and Fiala.

 

[DapperCam]

Quinn looked so good last year when he wasn’t injured, what happened this offseason?

 

[TehDoak]

I was told that the power play couldn't possibly be worse than last year

 

[Chainshot]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1846923991258148971

Quinn's lack of burst, his tentative turns to the boards... showing in his speed charting thus far.

 

[BFLO]

I was told that the power play couldn't possibly be worse than last year

I should have saved the post you made over the summer about this. I want to pull it up. Would be good for a laugh.

The horrible PP is killing us early on this season. We’re soundly out-chancing and, more importantly, outscoring opponents at ES so far, but we’re missing out on points because the PP is inept.

Something has to change there. Personnel, coaching, both…something.

Slight correction due to the pedantry of hockey stats websites.

We're out chancing and outscoring at regular 5v5.

Even strength includes regular 5v5, but also empty net situations(which are generally excluded from 5v5 despite still being 5v5), 4v4 and 3v3. We are not outscoring or out chancing at ES.

 

[KeepKane]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1846923991258148971

Quinn's lack of burst, his tentative turns to the boards... showing in his speed charting thus far.

sit him down until he proves he's skating at a level like last yr pre-injury.

 

[Chainshot]

sit him down until he proves he's skating at a level like last yr pre-injury.

Seems he's sitting tonight as he should.

https://x.com/i/web/status/1846940216734404943

 

[toddkaz]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1846923991258148971

Quinn's lack of burst, his tentative turns to the boards... showing in his speed charting thus far.

"Quinn was injured Saturday against San Jose in a play along the boards during the Sabres 5-2 win against the Sharks. Quinn's left leg rolled up underneath him as his skate blade slid into the lower part of the boards.Jan 30, 2024"


Poor Quinn, its unfortunate but how does one not come to the conclusion that its either the injury still bothering him or the fear of getting injured again.