The 2024-2025 Roster Thread

[Dreakon13]

The problem with the PP is that somehow these guys keep getting worse when pressured with the puck. As soon as someone skates within a foot or two of them, they literally pass the puck in any direction most of the time (sometimes directly to the other team). I dunno if that's the fault of the puck carrier, or the guys that are supposed to be getting open and giving them options... or both.

Even if the coaching or the plan on PP is good, it's hard to tell under the circumstances, these guys can't improvise at all when things get dicey and they need to get set up again.

They have the same problems at even strength, but since they do occasionally play defense and aren't limited to 2 minutes to figure something out, it isn't quite as noticeable. On the PP though, they're all focused on offense, and frequent turnovers in the offensive zone from the slightest pressure can be brutal... both in that it usually gives the other team a free clear out of the zone, and it's easier to get behind the "defense".

The book is out that if you pressure these guys at all, they will just give you the puck. Even worse teams in the league know they'll get in the Sabres heads if they just play a few minutes or a period like it's a playoff game.

 

[old kummelweck]

Swap Cozens and McLeod. Wondering if Quinn's struggles aren't linked to Cozens.

 

[Gras]

Swap Cozens and McLeod. Wondering if Quinn's struggles aren't linked to Cozens.

How does Cozens affect Quinn's skating

 

[Chainshot]

How does Cozens affect Quinn's skating

Or standing around near the boards doing nothing. Cozens number of shots is more in spite of having Quinn being a lot of suck most nights.

 

[old kummelweck]

How does Cozens affect Quinn's skating

Yeah, I'm not with you on that one. But its a strong one-liner, I'll give you that.

It's more about breaking up two struggling players.

 

[Chainshot]

The easy way to break up two struggling players is put one in the pressbox.

 

[My Cozen Dylan]

I’d like to see on Tuesday (assuming Greenway can go):

Peterka - Thompson - Tuch
Kulich - McLeod - Quinn
Zucker - Krebs - Benson
Greenway - Lafferty - Malenstyn

Cozens in a suit.

 

[Mattilaus]

I’d like to see on Tuesday (assuming Greenway can go):

Peterka - Thompson - Tuch
Kulich - McLeod - Quinn
Zucker - Krebs - Benson
Greenway - Lafferty - Malenstyn

Cozens in a suit.

While you are at it, Sammy can also sit for Bryson.

 

[toddkaz]

Its unfortunate Benson can't play in the AHL.

Teams should be able to buy the rights from CHL teams for a sum of money that would help the CHL team. 200K to Benson's WHL team would be a nice cash injection for them and beneficial to Benson's development.

At the moment the WHL team benefits nothing from Benson. It seems like a win win.

 

[Chainshot]

If someone had said this is the sort of Krebs they would get and that Kulich had played his way onto the team, we'd be happy.

Sadly, it's everyone else who is markedly sucky to some degree, including the goalies.

 

[Mattilaus]

If someone had said this is the sort of Krebs they would get and that Kulich had played his way onto the team, we'd be happy.

Sadly, it's everyone else who is markedly sucky to some degree, including the goalies.

I sense a pattern here. Kinda like last year? If you had said before the season Benson was so good he stayed on the NHL roster, UPL would be a top 10 goaltender by seasons end, and Peterka would score almost 30 goals. I would have thought we made the playoff for sure given how 2022-2023 went.

But everyone else sucked.

 

[Chainshot]

I would say that Peterka is also delivering as a caveat to my post above. Benson's been okay, McLeod with Zucker and Greenway too. It's that too much of the team continues to make the one mistake every game that results in a untimely or bad goal against.

 

[Djp]

I’d like to see on Tuesday (assuming Greenway can go):

Peterka - Thompson - Tuch
Kulich - McLeod - Quinn
Zucker - Krebs - Benson
Greenway - Lafferty - Malenstyn

Cozens in a suit.

Peterka-Tage-Greenway
Kulich-cozens-tuch
Zicker-McLeod-Benson/quinn
Malendtyn-Krebs-lafferty

 

[Djp]

Its unfortunate Benson can't play in the AHL.

Teams should be able to buy the rights from CHL teams for a sum of money that would help the CHL team. 200K to Benson's WHL team would be a nice cash injection for them and beneficial to Benson's development.

At the moment the WHL team benefits nothing from Benson. It seems like a win win.

I think of you played most of the seasons games in nhl as as n 18 yr old you no longer have the CHL rights as a 19 yr old

 

[Matt Ress]

The problem with the PP is that somehow these guys keep getting worse when pressured with the puck. As soon as someone skates within a foot or two of them, they literally pass the puck in any direction most of the time (sometimes directly to the other team). I dunno if that's the fault of the puck carrier, or the guys that are supposed to be getting open and giving them options... or both.

Even if the coaching or the plan on PP is good, it's hard to tell under the circumstances, these guys can't improvise at all when things get dicey and they need to get set up again.

They have the same problems at even strength, but since they do occasionally play defense and aren't limited to 2 minutes to figure something out, it isn't quite as noticeable. On the PP though, they're all focused on offense, and frequent turnovers in the offensive zone from the slightest pressure can be brutal... both in that it usually gives the other team a free clear out of the zone, and it's easier to get behind the "defense".

The book is out that if you pressure these guys at all, they will just give you the puck. Even worse teams in the league know they'll get in the Sabres heads if they just play a few minutes or a period like it's a playoff game.

They make it pretty easy to defend. If everyone stands in one spot, the other team can pressure the puck and easily determine where it’s going to go. They need to move their feet. I don’t know why they have this 2010 notion that they can walk into the zone and just set up shop until they get the shot that they want. Oh yeah, it’s because that’s what they practice against every day.

 

[Djp]

They make it pretty easy to defend. If everyone stands in one spot, the other team can pressure the puck and easily determine where it’s going to go. They need to move their feet. I don’t know why they have this 2010 notion that they can walk into the zone and just set up shop until they get the shot that they want. Oh yeah, it’s because that’s what they practice against every day.

If you dont move you can just defend the passing lanes and not the player.

 

[Sabresbyswords104]

How to save the season ? They need to play better as the team seem to play very weak hockey

 

[Matt Ress]

If you dont move you can just defend the passing lanes and not the player.

That’s really all teams do. Often times the defending PK clog up the boards and behind the net because that’s what the Sabres use when under duress. It’s so easy to defend that everyone has been successful. Yet, the PP keeps banging their head on the wall hoping the wall will break. 7 games into the season and the PP is a net negative. They literally are better off declining penalties if that absurdity were an option.

 

[TageGod]

Benson has been disappointing, but likely due to injury. Maybe just shut him down, Kulich and Krebs can handle roster duties while he gets healthier.

Quinn is waaaaay too skilled, and too smart to suck like this for long.

 

[joshjull]

 

[Zman5778]

Something I've noticed a bit over the games I've been able to watch:

While in general it seems like our passing is better (especially from the defense).......our ability to receive a pass still seems quite lacking to me. The number of rushes/chances that have been killed because someone can't receive a pass is still way too high, IMO.

 

[MarkusKetterer]

Something I've noticed a bit over the games I've been able to watch:

While in general it seems like our passing is better (especially from the defense).......our ability to receive a pass still seems quite lacking to me. The number of rushes/chances that have been killed because someone can't receive a pass is still way too high, IMO.

All sizzle, no steak

 

[Doug Prishpreed]

Since the PP is so bad, can't they call up some kids from Rochester, to try them out in those positions as part of the accountability culture? Whichever player is hot on the PP down there right now. There must be at least a few, right?

 

[Jim Bob]

Since the PP is so bad, can't they call up some kids from Rochester, to try them out in those positions as part of the accountability culture? Whichever player is hot on the PP down there right now. There must be at least a few, right?

You are funny.

 

[Mattilaus]

Since the PP is so bad, can't they call up some kids from Rochester, to try them out in those positions as part of the accountability culture? Whichever player is hot on the PP down there right now. There must be at least a few, right?

Ignoring that the amerks also suck on the PP. I don't think we need to do this. We have plenty of bodies if we want to pull someone off the PP. Give Krebs or Greenway (once healthy) a shot at the PP in favour of cozens if we are looking to send a message to him.