The 2024-2025 Roster Thread

[Dubi Doo]

3 of a possible 12 points. Flushing the season down the toilet in the first month again. Glad I missed yesterday's game. I'll be lucky to hit 10 games this season. Im tired boss!

 

[Dubi Doo]

Yeah, I'm kinda out of ideas and optimism with this group. I'm open to them proving me wrong if they can string together a few wins... but I have to think every team in this league either plays faster/harder than them, or smarter, or both.

I think it's mostly a confidence issue but as long as every single position on this team (F, D, G) will give up the easiest of opportunities and goals every game or every other game, it'll never get better. I'd say they just need to get mad and work through it but you can't really fake confidence in this league.

The worst part is anyone you bring in will succumb to it, since no one or two players (that aren't veteran generational players maybe) will fix a whole team that have sunken this deep. Basically have to move the team, give them a new name, start that playoff drought clock over again.

The bolded parts are very well said. We have players on this squad whose development have been hindered by consistent bad play of the team around them. Those mistakes the players around them made when they entered the league have now crept into their game. Look no further than Dahlin. He's an immense talent. You'll see flashes of greatness, but then you'll see flashes of dumbassery. Bad mistakes or reads that end up in the back of the net. What could have been if he went to a competent team instead of one who changed coaches a bunch of times and has changed the players around him. This is the product you get- a good player who succumbs to the same dumb shit that's plagued this team for a decade +.

The team is rotten to the core. If they don't pull themselves out of this mess, then a retool needs to happen. I know it will probably lead to more heartache, but the unknown is better than the known. The only players I care to keep in the top-6 are Tage, Peterka, and Benson. On defense, I think you can still build around Power and Dahlin, though I'd honestly be open to idea of trading Dahlin for that 1st line C we need, which seems unlikely to happen.

I'm ready to never watch this core either halfass their way through a game or commit stupid plays all over the ice (Tuch and Cozens...I'm looking at you) or a mix of both ever again.

The reality is this core likely isn't going to be the crew that breaks the playoff drought. Sad thought that's slowly coming to fruition.

 

[TageGod]

Banking on Benson after being a ghost for 30 games last season was a bad idea. 0 points in 5 games.
Quinn gets a pass for a few games from me due to injury issues.
Cozens I think has earned more production than he has but is not elevating his line. Second line D has been bad.

Defense. Idk what is going on, but it feels like Connor Clifton is the only NHL defender we have?

I am assuming Dahlin is NOT back to full health.

Get Samuelsson off the roster. He has cost us at least two games already.

 

[jc17]

I don't think we need a blowup. Our record reflects mostly special teams and goaltending, along with some underperformance


1. Under performers: As much as cozens and Quinn have bugged me I don't need us to ship them out, just be selective with the usage until they figure it out. Samuelsson seems to be actively hurting us more consistently. Time to start looking at options there.

2. Special teams needs to improve yesterday. If we're actually caring about winning now, that's where heads should roll even if it's stupid early in the season

3. Goaltending is probably been the toughest thing to get right here, and we're just kind of at the mercy of levi and UPL, but teams do make the playoffs with mid goaltending

 

[old kummelweck]

I think it's time to fire the GM.

 

[Doug Prishpreed]

This team was always built to win in 2030. Never sooner.

Sabres who leave and go on to win join teams with established, quality veterans which we don’t have and will never have. We literally have to wait until they age into those roles in 5 more years.

The team is fine, they just still need like 5 more years of experience together before they start winning.

 

[Doug Prishpreed]

I wonder how many other teams in the league can say that they could put together a better team of former players currently playing in the league than their current roster ? I got a feeling it's not too many.

That’s because we trade them away as they reach their peak in their late 20s. Which is what we’d be doing by trading away any of the valuable parts of the team now.

We should be open to trading any and all prospects but otherwise the only thing you can really do is wait a long time for these kids to mature.

 

[TehDoak]

This team was always built to win in 2030. Never sooner.

Sabres who leave and go on to win join teams with established, quality veterans which we don’t have and will never have. We literally have to wait until they age into those roles in 5 more years.

The team is fine, they just still need like 5 more years of experience together before they start winning.

Imagine the bonds of friendship they will have then.....their families will gather round and talk about being swept in the 1st round over beers forever. We will have a beyond blue and gold segment in 2040 to reflect on it. They'll update alumni plaza to talk about that one game that went to OT. So close!

 

[Willgamesh]

If they trade Dahlin I'm done with this team. I wouldn't be surprised if he plays injured the whole time (Eichel).

Same, that would be the final straw.

 

[toddkaz]

Jeff Skinner 4 points in 5 games.

Was 3rd in goals last year on this team and is 2nd in points on Edmonton.

But I was told by another poster all of his offense dried up. Perhaps that poster should take a look at Cozens.
(No I am not saying we should have cut Cozens or that Skinner is better I am not advocating either way)

 

[Doug Prishpreed]

Jeff Skinner 4 points in 5 games.

Was 3rd in goals last year on this team and is 2nd in points on Edmonton.

But I was told by another poster all of his offense dried up. Perhaps that poster should take a look at Cozens.
(No I am not saying we should have cut Cozens or that Skinner is better I am not advocating either way)

But he’s not playing the way Lindy wants his players to play. Like it or not, that’s what the coach demands and Skinner isn’t willing/able to do that.

If we wanted to keep Skinner, maybe a real coaching search would’ve allowed that.

 

[sabremike]

Jeff Skinner 4 points in 5 games.

Was 3rd in goals last year on this team and is 2nd in points on Edmonton.

But I was told by another poster all of his offense dried up. Perhaps that poster should take a look at Cozens.
(No I am not saying we should have cut Cozens or that Skinner is better I am not advocating either way)

Don't forget about the most wrong man in the entire Buffalo sports media!

 

[TehDoak]

Jeff Skinner 4 points in 5 games.

Was 3rd in goals last year on this team and is 2nd in points on Edmonton.

But I was told by another poster all of his offense dried up. Perhaps that poster should take a look at Cozens.
(No I am not saying we should have cut Cozens or that Skinner is better I am not advocating either way)

The biggest issue has been our special teams this year. The PP is 0/17 and the PK is at 71%.

Skinner was awful on the PP and wasn't near the PK.

I'm not sure how having Skinner here would have solved any of our issues.

 

[Chainshot]

Needed, specialist PKing defenseman, right shot need only apply.

They don’t have the ability to not use Jokiharju on the PK like they did (or didn’t ) for the first half of last season. That cat is terrible on the PK. And since Power is right now the other option… weak.

 

[HogtownSabresfan]

This team was always built to win in 2030. Never sooner.

Sabres who leave and go on to win join teams with established, quality veterans which we don’t have and will never have. We literally have to wait until they age into those roles in 5 more years.

The team is fine, they just still need like 5 more years of experience together before they start winning.

Sarcasm. Right

The biggest issue has been our special teams this year. The PP is 0/17 and the PK is at 71%.

Skinner was awful on the PP and wasn't near the PK.

I'm not sure how having Skinner here would have solved any of our issues.

It's all relative. Skinner had eight PP goals. If he was awful, what were the other guys?

 

[HogtownSabresfan]

Don't forget about the most wrong man in the entire Buffalo sports media!

I actually think that moron influences decisions in Buffalo. He is the main columnist in town and I've literally never seen someone so wrong on so many things who will never admit he is wrong on anything. The guy twists everything he says that turns out to be wrong to be that was then. Give your money to Chad. He works hard, at least. That little girl shoved out of the scrum can maybe replace him when she is an adult.

 

[toddkaz]

But he’s not playing the way Lindy wants his players to play. Like it or not, that’s what the coach demands and Skinner isn’t willing/able to do that.

If we wanted to keep Skinner, maybe a real coaching search would’ve allowed that.

Are the players now playing the way Lindy wants? I agree his defense is lacking but look at this team now.

I am just saying perhaps Skinner wasn't the problem here. It seems to be a team thing.

Its frustrating watching ROR, Eichel, Reinhart winning when they move on and if Edmonton or Tampa wins the cup just more and more core guys winning elsewhere.

Even Olofsson has 3 goals in 4 games. I am not saying I want Skinner or Olofsson here but it seems like guys go to other teams and become productive.

It really speaks about the franchise as a whole.

 

[MOGlLNY]

It was our destiny to draft McDavid and win the Stanley Cup in 999 of 1,000 universes. We are living in that 1 universe and are in an eternal hell instead.

 

[Dreakon13]

Its frustrating watching ROR, Eichel, Reinhart winning when they move on and if Edmonton or Tampa wins the cup just more and more core guys winning elsewhere.

Even Olofsson has 3 goals in 4 games. I am not saying I want Skinner or Olofsson here but it seems like guys go to other teams and become productive.

It really speaks about the franchise as a whole.

People paid more than me need to figure out what the deal is. We've had a lot of talented players come through the last 13 years, we have talented players now. Everyone that comes to this team eventually regresses, most players that ever had NHL potential succeed elsewhere.

Can blame Pegula all we want, or Adams... but Dahlin isn't thinking about those two guys (at least he shouldn't be ) when he whiffs a pass, spins around, falls over and gives up a breakaway that goes in.

That's why people think/thought it's coaching and just the day to day habits and preparation that need to get beaten into these guys. I still kinda think that, though I'm questioning the true top end potential of this group too now, and if they can really turn it around before the malaise of too many failed years sinks in for our top guys, if it hasn't already.

 

[chi777]

The biggest issue has been our special teams this year. The PP is 0/17 and the PK is at 71%.

Skinner was awful on the PP and wasn't near the PK.

I'm not sure how having Skinner here would have solved any of our issues.

It wouldn't. Skinner is nobody and he was here for the better part of a decade and accomplished nothing.

The problem here is not that Skinner is gone, or his dead cap hit. It's that they were supposed to bring in a veteran replacement. All they came up with was Zucker, who's not even a top 6 player.