Line Combos: This team needs somebody who can win faceoffs

[Gras]

If they acquired that forward, they would not have needed Jost as a 13th. Jost, Olofsson, and Okposo were all opportunities to improve the team. Missed it.

You're connecting things that aren't connected, the urgency to move VO was gone due to the Quinn injury. At most bringing in another forward in July means Benson isn't on the roster.

 

[Bendium]

You're connecting things that aren't connected, the urgency to move VO was gone due to the Quinn injury. At most bringing in another forward in July means Benson isn't on the roster.

Completely disagree. VO had already proven last year he should not be on the roster. Therefor he should have been moved or waved anytime in the last year in favor of a better player on the Sabres roster. Jost plays hard but brings nothing else of value. Same argument.

If you're saying that Jost and VO being on the roster has nothing to do with whether or not we get a bottom six possession center? Well, your right if KA just didn't try to get one. Your wrong if you start adding up roster spots with those two signed and find you don't have room.

I am simply stating a couple opinions. First, VO and Jost should not be on the roster and should have been upgraded. Second, we have needed a bottom six possession center for years, and still don't have one. Two offseason misses IMO.

 

[Gras]

Completely disagree. VO had already proven last year he should not be on the roster. Therefor he should have been moved or waved anytime in the last year in favor of a better player on the Sabres roster. Jost plays hard but brings nothing else of value. Same argument.

If you're saying that Jost and VO being on the roster has nothing to do with whether or not we get a bottom six possession center? Well, your right if KA just didn't try to get one. Your wrong if you start adding up roster spots with those two signed and find you don't have room.

I am simply stating a couple opinions. First, VO and Jost should not be on the roster and should have been upgraded. Second, we have needed a bottom six possession center for years, and still don't have one. Two offseason misses IMO.

You do have room, its Benson's roster spot.

 

[TheDawnOfANewTage]

As much as I don’t like the Sens, their jerseys are fire.

Is that a coaching thing? It was either last year or the year before, but Mitts was crushing it at the dot, especially in the second half of the season. Where'd that go?

If they have a skills coach it's probably on him. SHL team I follow sucks but they brought in Kris Beech and now the centers win a lot if faceoffs (everything else is terrible though).

That's looking at the situation from 10,000'.

At ice level, there are situations where it is important. Losing an offensive zone draw on the PP, or with the goalie pulled, burns 20 seconds off the man advantage. Losing a defensive zone faceoff up a goal late against 6 skaters is a missed opportunity to ice the puck or score a clinching empty net goal. With the team gassed late in a PK after an icing. You get the point.

We don't need a specialist, just competence in those situations where it matters way more than a neutral zone faceoff early in a tie game. Casey winning barely 1/3 of the time as a 2C is a joke. We should be better.

Micro is important. Macro, it sort of falls down.

They need their top center to take it seriously and until they do, they're going to get kicked in the teeth in that department. But an Eakin type doesn't solve that. Having Thompson Anze Kopitar his faceoff game would at least make him closer to even or even a slight strength. Same with Mittelstadt - he had a good night last night by his standards (1 off being .500) but again... while we think it matters, they very much don't seem to think it does or they would be bringing in specialists and working on it at length.

I think Chainshot nailed it right there, and that’s why I worry about coaching. They gotta make the players understand this, and if Tage is really physically incapable for some reason- find a fix. Make it a priority. But there’s no urgency there, the same shit lingers and causes problems, and I just don’t get why the organization isn’t dealing with it.

Numerically, big picture, faceoffs aren’t too significant, but there are times you need a win and we got nothin. Make it a team-wide contest every practice, bring back Gaustad, I don’t give a f***, just actually show effort towards the issue. I refuse to believe it’s this thing where, damn, the coaches are really trying, it’s just every player developed by Buffalo since 2010 somehow can’t learn faceoffs.

 

[BG82]

It's called experience. The team needs more experience. It's the youngest team in the league, of course they're going to be bad at faceoffs. They're bad at a lot of things that will slowly improve over the years.

Give it a few more years and some of these guys will develop more skills. Or maybe they won't.

Oh come on.. It's not lack of
experience. Not sure where you were but not so long ago, young teams like Chicago, LAK and most recently TB were winning cups.. It's called balance your squad

A team of snipers who can't win draws and don't like defense never work..

Outside of Tuch, Krebs and Cozens nobody else in our top 9 is a 2 way player. I hope KA realizes the wealth he has and has the sense to diagnose the issue

 

[HogtownSabresfan]

$10 M in cap room and no one who can take a face-off. Go figure

 

[Gras]

$10 M in cap room and no one who can take a face-off. Go figure

Okposo 53.3%
Jost 52.6%
Cozens 49.5%

 

[DJN21]

It's called experience. The team needs more experience. It's the youngest team in the league, of course they're going to be bad at faceoffs. They're bad at a lot of things that will slowly improve over the years.

Give it a few more years and some of these guys will develop more skills. Or maybe they won't.

Many fans don't have a few more years after the last 12. Cant keep kicking the can down the road...

 

[Doug Prishpreed]

Many fans don't have a few more years after the last 12. Cant keep kicking the can down the road...

I'm not sure why the GM simply doesn't do more to help the team, but he seems insistent on going with the Winnipeg model of addressing needs either via draft or by someone giving you a bargain on a trade.

 

[Zman5778]

A team of snipers who can't win draws and don't like defense never work..

Outside of Tuch, Krebs and Cozens nobody else in our top 9 is a 2 way player.

Sooooooo Mitts and Greenway don't exist? Greenway is our best defensive forward, hands-downs and he's been quite effective in our top 9. Mitts has been the best backchecker on the team for 2 years now and looks like he's finally figured out what to do once the other team gets established.

Cozens (1 FOW shy of 50%) and Tage have both seen their faceoff percentages rise. Tage wasn't going to go from 43% to 50%+ percent in one season......it just doesn't happen like that. Mitts has also raised his FO% nicely after an abysmal first 5 games.

Let's let things play out. Certainly seems like by the end of the season Cozens is going to be taking all the important draws with Mitts right behind him.

 

[BG82]

Sooooooo Mitts and Greenway don't exist? Greenway is our best defensive forward, hands-downs and he's been quite effective in our top 9. Mitts has been the best backchecker on the team for 2 years now and looks like he's finally figured out what to do once the other team gets established.

Cozens (1 FOW shy of 50%) and Tage have both seen their faceoff percentages rise. Tage wasn't going to go from 43% to 50%+ percent in one season......it just doesn't happen like that. Mitts has also raised his FO% nicely after an abysmal first 5 games.

Let's let things play out. Certainly seems like by the end of the season Cozens is going to be taking all the important draws with Mitts right behind him.

Greenway sure, Mitts is 37% faceoff percentage this year and around 44% career... Mitts has heart sure and has taken step but pump the brakes on using him when were talking 2 way or defensive play.

We have the fire power and the upside but we could use a legit 2 way winger ideally taking Olofsson or Jost roster spot. Marcus Foligno or Mikael Backlund type winger would work with this team

Sooooooo Mitts and Greenway don't exist? Greenway is our best defensive forward, hands-downs and he's been quite effective in our top 9. Mitts has been the best backchecker on the team for 2 years now and looks like he's finally figured out what to do once the other team gets established.

Cozens (1 FOW shy of 50%) and Tage have both seen their faceoff percentages rise. Tage wasn't going to go from 43% to 50%+ percent in one season......it just doesn't happen like that. Mitts has also raised his FO% nicely after an abysmal first 5 games.

Let's let things play out. Certainly seems like by the end of the season Cozens is going to be taking all the important draws with Mitts right behind him.

 

[DJN21]

Greenway sure, Mitts is 37% faceoff percentage this year and around 44% career... Mitts has heart sure and has taken step but pump the brakes on using him when were talking 2 way or defensive play.

We have the fire power and the upside but we could use a legit 2 way winger ideally taking Olofsson or Jost roster spot. Marcus Foligno or Mikael Backlund type winger would work with this team

We don't use the "f" word around here when discussing our blunders..