The 2024-2025 Roster Thread

[Irie]

This is from a post on the Blues board:

"On Feb. 18, The Athletic's Matthew Fairburn was asked if an offer of Dylan Cozens, prospect Konsta Helenius, and a 2026 second-rounder would land Jordan Kyrou. His colleague, Blues beat writer Jeremy Rutherford, felt that would be a fair trade."

I'd do that. Blues board seems to lean no.

I don't think Buffalo can afford to trade two centers for a winger. Doesn't really make sense unless there is another deal in place.

Switch buffalos 2nd to an unprotected first and swap Kyrou for Thomas, and it feels better for the Sabres to me, and although I think the value would be there, pretty sure Blues fans would reply with GTFO, as I think Thomas is untouchable for them.

 

[Chainshot]

Outside the box idea about center

I’d bet the NYR would love to get outta Mika Zibanejad, 31 and 4 more years at a little over $8 but for a couple years as a #2 center…

He has been dog shit all year. For that kind of money, too much of a risk IMO.

 

[Irie]

He has been dog shit all year. For that kind of money, too much of a risk IMO.

He's a guy that historically starts slow and picks it up as the season goes on. He's got 10 points in his last seven games, but unless he's coming for free and the team has nothing else to spend Terry's money on, I'm steering clear of that contract - it has future anchor written all over it.

 

[My Cozen Dylan]

I wouldn't do that. I think the Sabres aren't great at center. Until the Sabres get another center, Cozens needs to stay there. And Helenius is one of our two good center prospects.

It has to be Pettersson or another top line center to get me off that stance. Kyrou is really good but Adams has to rebuild the center spine with Thompson at RW now and Cozens struggling.

I'm interested in watching McTavish tonight. The Ducks board thinks he might be on the outs.

Except that Cozens isn't a center.

 

[Chainshot]

He's a guy that historically starts slow and picks it up as the season goes on. He's got 10 points in his last seven games, but unless he's coming for free and the team has nothing else to spend Terry's money on, I'm steering clear of that contract - it has future anchor written all over it.

That contract looks like a current anchor, not future.

 

[My Cozen Dylan]

I'm interested in watching McTavish tonight. The Ducks board thinks he might be on the outs.

McTavish for Cozens swap would intrigue me.

 

[PatLaFontaineASMR]

How much do you think Bennett gets in free agency? Buffalo offer 1 million more than the other teams and see if he comes here. I think I would target Bennett over Crouse.

Similar to Chandler Stephenson deal. To come here probably 7x7.5M. That would be a big no from me.

 

[ValJamesDuex]

McTavish for Cozens swap would intrigue me.

Edit, was thinking of Kasper, never mind.

 

[MarkusKetterer]

He's one of the Wings better players recently (9pts in last 10) and that talk has seems to have dissipated. You also probably prefer to trade Cozens out West.

When did McTavish get traded to the Wings?

 

[ValJamesDuex]

When did McTavish get traded to the Wings?

whoops, was thinking of Kasper. My bad.

 

[Irie]

That contract looks like a current anchor, not future.

Well, he is definitely overpaid, but I watched three ranger games this last week and he's really not anchor status yet, at least not in the context of his current play.

He went from mostly playing with Panarin and a younger Kreider as wingers to playing with Reilly Smith and Will Cuylle, and his production fell off. Not sure what was going on with him injury or efffort-wise earlier this season, but I think that if you get the guy that is playing the way he is playing right now, it's not too bad. He's probably worth more than 1.5M more than Cozens, relatively speaking (that is the difference in their current contracts).

That said, I don't have interest in him for free unless Terry and Adams have no plans on spending to bring anyone else in going forward. If he were signed for just this year and next year, I think I might take a flyer on him as a temp solution.

 

[HOOats]

How do we get Whitecloud or Korczak? Ideally using Quinn, Joki, and prospects/picks.

 

[Chainshot]

How do we get Whitecloud or Korczak? Ideally using Quinn, Joki, and prospects/picks.

Figure Korczak isn't going anywhere as he's still on his ELC. Whitecloud was someone a bunch of Vegas fans thought might be the odd man out to get him into the lineup, but with cap expansion, they don't really need to make that move. His deal is really great value.

 

[Uberpecker]

Power, Cozens
for
Byfield, Clarke

 

[Chainshot]

Power, Cozens
for
Byfield, Clarke

LA would have to add a lot. Put Mikey Anderson in there and I would do it.

 

[Der Jaeger]

LA would have to add a lot. Put Mikey Anderson in there and I would do it.

You are just doing that so we have a “Mikey” on the team.

 

[MarkusKetterer]

How do we get Whitecloud or Korczak? Ideally using Quinn, Joki, and prospects/picks.

Joker at this point would be irrelevant to Vegas unless he had a contract. But I’d trade him + a 2nd + someone like Kisakov (simply to thin out the FW contracts) for him.

And I think that’s not even enough to get Vegas to consider it, but at the same time it would because Vegas is a weird franchise.

 

[TheMistyStranger]

You are just doing that so we have a “Mikey” on the team.

I think he likes it

 

[StrompTroller]

Power to whatever team needs defense before the league catches on. Never gonna win shit with him. Hit that sell button now.

 

[Chainshot]

You are just doing that so we have a “Mikey” on the team.

You know how much I hate the "Joey", "Mikey", "Johnny" crap but at least with Anderson that would be one player on the team who can play shut down defense.

 

[truthbluth]

Power to whatever team needs defense before the league catches on. Never gonna win shit with him. Hit that sell button now.

Not quite there, but not far off. You certainly risk tanking his return the longer you wait.

 

[Fezzy126]

Except that Cozens isn't a center.

Since the end of the 13-game losing streak, Cozens' metrics have been great, all while playing center:

He's been elite over the past month as well. The individual scoring isn't quite where it needs to be, but he's been good at 5v5 - tied for 60th in the league over that span. The slow start was a thing, but he's starting to figure his game out and been very good for a while now. I mentioned this earlier in the year - I think deploying him with some vets instead of letting him flounder with with a bunch of kids has really helped him a great deal.

I think it's time to pivot from "we need a better player" to "what needs to change with his offseason program/preparation".

Add Quinn to that list as well.

Not quite there, but not far off. You certainly risk tanking his return the longer you wait.

I was "there" before we drafted him, and barring several small glimpses of greatness, nothing since has deterred me. He has Karlsson-like on-ice impacts, but his d-zone play and engagement level is horrific, and likely always will be.

However, I don't think his value will ever "tank". Hell, in the last game all I can remember is him abandoning the front of the net and leaving a wide open Duck in the slot THREE times in a row in the last two minutes of a 1-goal game. But he was solely responsible for our first goal with his hard work in the O-zone along with his vision and passing. And at the end of the day, his metrics from the game were elite:

I'd bet that there would be a long list of teams that would jump at the chance to maximize his strengths while mitigating his weaknesses with the right partner and/or deployment.

 

[TheBarnIsElectric]

Since the end of the 13-game losing streak, Cozens' metrics have been great, all while playing center:

View attachment 983181

He's been elite over the past month as well. The individual scoring isn't quite where it needs to be, but he's been good at 5v5 - tied for 60th in the league over that span. The slow start was a thing, but he's starting to figure his game out and been very good for a while now. I mentioned this earlier in the year - I think deploying him with some vets instead of letting him flounder with with a bunch of kids has really helped him a great deal.

I think it's time to pivot from "we need a better player" to "what needs to change with his offseason program/preparation".

Add Quinn to that list as well.



I was "there" before we drafted him, and barring several small glimpses of greatness, nothing since has deterred me. He has Karlsson-like on-ice impacts, but his d-zone play and engagement level is horrific, and likely always will be.

However, I don't think his value will ever "tank". Hell, in the last game all I can remember is him abandoning the front of the net and leaving a wide open Duck in the slot THREE times in a row in the last two minutes of a 1-goal game. But he was solely responsible for our first goal with his hard work in the O-zone along with his vision and passing. And at the end of the day, his metrics from the game were elite:

View attachment 983187

I'd bet that there would be a long list of teams that would jump at the chance to maximize his strengths while mitigating his weaknesses with the right partner and/or deployment.

I like what you said about the importance of pairing Cozens with some vets. I'd apply the same to Power. Let's give him a functional vet partner and then reevaluate what we have.

 

[My Cozen Dylan]

I like what you said about the importance of pairing Cozens with some vets. I'd apply the same to Power. Let's give him a functional vet partner and then reevaluate what we have.

Oh yeah, I can't wait to be in the exact same spot next year because we need yet *another* year of "evaluation".

 

[Fjordsen]

Oh yeah, I can't wait to be in the exact same spot next year because we need yet *another* year of "evaluation".

Another mistake of these guys, when the team misses the playoffs again and the players are already playing without pressure and their mental side is starting to improve. It is just stupid not to change anything, this team will miss the playoffs again with this roster next season.