Player Discussion Tyson Jost [claimed off waivers from Minnesota]

[Bendium]

Someone else mentioned that it seems more likely that he realizes that this could very well be his last shot in the NHL, and maybe a light has gone off. The guy was just waived after all.

Small sample size yes, so let's hope that this is the case.

I think Jost looking good in our lineup.....is just a complete inditement of our bottom 6. Certainly Jost has had the problem of failing to live up to his draft expectations, and coaches and fanbases being disappointed.

That said, he was still learning. playing, and competing for playing time on two MUCH better teams than the Sabres. Teams who's bottom 6 far outclass ours and play a better NHL game.

So, he couldn't win a bottom 6 spot on those teams, but as a 13th forward on MIN/COL, he slots in as 9-10 ish on the Sabres. Its about the poor play of our bottom 6 more than its about Jost.

There is no player in our bottom 6 other than maybe Krebs because of his age, who we do not need to upgrade over. All of them need to be replaced with better players.

 

[toddkaz]

Reminds me of Lazar. So far he has been impressive as a waiver claim. Wonder if they will extend him. At 2.25m its a little high but doesn't really hurt the team.

He seems happy here. 2m x 2 or even 2.25m would be ok.

 

[WiHockeyGuy]

Reminds me of Lazar. So far he has been impressive as a waiver claim. Wonder if they will extend him. At 2.25m its a little high but doesn't really hurt the team.

He seems happy here. 2m x 2 or even 2.25m would be ok.

The Lazar comparable crossed my mind as well.

 

[brian_griffin]

I think Jost looking good in our lineup.....is just a complete inditement of our bottom 6. Certainly Jost has had the problem of failing to live up to his draft expectations, and coaches and fanbases being disappointed.

That said, he was still learning. playing, and competing for playing time on two MUCH better teams than the Sabres. Teams who's bottom 6 far outclass ours and play a better NHL game.

So, he couldn't win a bottom 6 spot on those teams, but as a 13th forward on MIN/COL, he slots in as 9-10 ish on the Sabres. Its about the poor play of our bottom 6 more than its about Jost.

There is no player in our bottom 6 other than maybe Krebs because of his age, who we do not need to upgrade over. All of them need to be replaced with better players.

While I believe there is a valid argument regarding an indictment of BUF bottom 6 in the Jost discussion, the second bolded seems extreme both practically and when considering the possibility that upgrading one or two individuals on a line can elevate the entire line's play.

If we accept a "bottom 6" is either all or a subset of:
Asplund
Girgensons
Hinostroza
Jost
Krebs
Mittelstadt
Okposo
Olofsson

then, personally, I have no interest in upgrading Asplund or Girgensons. For me, they sort high enough that I'm not worried they are keeping BUF from achieving the next team goal(s) - which I assume is to make the playoffs.
Krebs, Mittlestadt, Olofsson need to play consistently to the abilities they have shown. The problem is they are all on the same line (currently) and, e.g., unlike Thompson, Tuch, Skinner, if one of the three is having an off night, the others aren't able to overcome it. (I'd use Quinn-Cozens-Peterka as a comparison too, but Cozens doesn't seem to have off nights.)
I agree Krebs (won't turn 21 for another month) gets the longest leash.
Most every team has at least one of an Okposo, a Jost, or a Hinostroza.

And of course we ignore contract value for all the above, because that's a separate discussion and doesn't matter for this season.

Getting Asplund back will help.

 

[Jacob582]

He plays small amounts of ice time against lower QoC and is mediocre at it. He was waived for a reason.

Seeing that we had players playing against lower QoC and were below average at it; Jost works for now.

 

[Bendium]

While I believe there is a valid argument regarding an indictment of BUF bottom 6 in the Jost discussion, the second bolded seems extreme both practically and when considering the possibility that upgrading one or two individuals on a line can elevate the entire line's play.

If we accept a "bottom 6" is either all or a subset of:
Asplund
Girgensons
Hinostroza
Jost
Krebs
Mittelstadt
Okposo
Olofsson

then, personally, I have no interest in upgrading Asplund or Girgensons. For me, they sort high enough that I'm not worried they are keeping BUF from achieving the next team goal(s) - which I assume is to make the playoffs.
Krebs, Mittlestadt, Olofsson need to play consistently to the abilities they have shown. The problem is they are all on the same line (currently) and, e.g., unlike Thompson, Tuch, Skinner, if one of the three is having an off night, the others aren't able to overcome it. (I'd use Quinn-Cozens-Peterka as a comparison too, but Cozens doesn't seem to have off nights.)
I agree Krebs (won't turn 21 for another month) gets the longest leash.
Most every team has at least one of an Okposo, a Jost, or a Hinostroza.

And of course we ignore contract value for all the above, because that's a separate discussion and doesn't matter for this season.

Getting Asplund back will help.

That is exactly the subset I am talking about. I will continue ask people one question when discussing players in our roster build. Does that player have a game that translates to winning games in the playoffs? If not...then they need to go at some point. Obviously it is hard to move them all at once, but they are placeholders, not the future. My thoughts:

Aspland - Doesn't have the size or physicality. Doesn't play heavy. Is below average offensively. Not playoff.
Girgensen - Can absolutely handle a 4th line playoff role. Im ok with a 3 year extension here.
Hinostroza - Doesn't have the size or physicality. Doesn't play heavy. Need strong linemates.
Jost - Could possibly progress into a 4th line player.
Krebs - Too soon to know. I still think he should be Rochester #1 center.
Mitts - Center is too much responsibility. Need to find out if he can be a 3rd line winger.
Okposo - Solid in limited minutes on the 4th line. Soon to be not fast enough to keep up.
Olofsson - PP specialist that has to be protected by two strong players in the bottom 6.

We really have collected alot of misfits. We need to focus on getting more bottom 6 "FITS."

 

[DustyZ]

That is exactly the subset I am talking about. I will continue ask people one question when discussing players in our roster build. Does that player have a game that translates to winning games in the playoffs? If not...then they need to go at some point. Obviously it is hard to move them all at once, but they are placeholders, not the future. My thoughts:

Aspland - Doesn't have the size or physicality. Doesn't play heavy. Is below average offensively. Not playoff.
Girgensen - Can absolutely handle a 4th line playoff role. Im ok with a 3 year extension here.
Hinostroza - Doesn't have the size or physicality. Doesn't play heavy. Need strong linemates.
Jost - Could possibly progress into a 4th line player.
Krebs - Too soon to know. I still think he should be Rochester #1 center.
Mitts - Center is too much responsibility. Need to find out if he can be a 3rd line winger.
Okposo - Solid in limited minutes on the 4th line. Soon to be not fast enough to keep up.
Olofsson - PP specialist that has to be protected by two strong players in the bottom 6.

We really have collected alot of misfits. We need to focus on getting more bottom 6 "FITS."

This is why the waiver wire is still an option for this team

 

[brian_griffin]

That is exactly the subset I am talking about. I will continue ask people one question when discussing players in our roster build. Does that player have a game that translates to winning games in the playoffs? If not...then they need to go at some point. Obviously it is hard to move them all at once, but they are placeholders, not the future. My thoughts:

Aspland - Doesn't have the size or physicality. Doesn't play heavy. Is below average offensively. Not playoff. Is the best or near the best shot-suppressor on the team. Sabres lack that in spades. Teams absolutely value that skill, especially in the playoffs. I value that skill over the size / physicality / heavy play and offense.
Girgensen - Can absolutely handle a 4th line playoff role. Agree. Im ok with a 3 year extension here. (we'll figure that out later)
Hinostroza - Doesn't have the size or physicality. Doesn't play heavy. Need strong linemates. Has speed. The Sabres need speed.
Jost - Could possibly progress into a 4th line player. Agree.
Krebs - Too soon to know. Agree I still think he should be Rochester #1 center. I'm not opposed to that if there are 14 healthy forwards in BUF, given ROC has a dearth of centers.
Mitts - Center is too much responsibility. Need to find out if he can be a 3rd line winger. Need him to play consistently regardless of position.
Okposo - Solid in limited minutes on the 4th line. Soon to be not fast enough to keep up. Agree, that's also a self-solving problem. Okposo will exit when the time comes. Not worried.
Olofsson - PP specialist that has to be protected by two strong players in the bottom 6. Playoff teams have such a player, but I don't know if it merits holding on to him for that. It becomes the hockey equivalent of O. Henry's "Gift of the Magi", where trading Olofsson to a playoff team who will value his skill set and overlook his deficiencies will in turn trade someone to BUF who is an upgrade in puck possession so they then make the playoffs and realize they wish they had a PP specialist.

We really have collected alot of misfits. We need to focus on getting more bottom 6 "FITS."

Comments above in bold. We mostly agree on player assessments. They'll change out a couple players each year through waivers and/or contract non-renewals. Maybe a trade. I think they will be loathe to bring in outsiders unless they are confident the new player will fit in the locker room, regardless of skills.

 

[Zman5778]

There is no player in our bottom 6 other than maybe Krebs because of his age, who we do not need to upgrade over. All of them need to be replaced with better players.

I could not disagree more if you're lumping Zemgus in there. He's a good bottom 6er on contenders. Hell, he's the type of player that a lot of contenders feature in their bottom 6.

 

[brian_griffin]

I could not disagree more if you're lumping Zemgus in there. He's a good bottom 6er on contenders. Hell, he's the type of player that a lot of contenders feature in their bottom 6.

I wish BUF could clone both Zemgus and Rasmus Asplund, then play:
28-19-74 (or switch position as you see fit)
74-28-37 (or switch position as you see fit)

 

[DustyZ]

Just heard Jost interview, really hope this kid can flourish here.

Someone you'd like to root for

 

[Chainshot]

Nice gesture from the Avs before tonight's game.

 

[Ness]

Nice gesture from the Avs before tonight's game.

They played this on the Jumbotron during the first TV timeout, nice gesture from the Avs.

 

[Club]

I too like the Lazar comparable. I think he's a bit more useful though. Definitely think he'll earn a role here for a couple + seasons.

 

[Fjordy]

Jost was very decent

 

[Jim Bob]

'I know what they want out of me': Tyson Jost quickly finds a home with the Sabres

For the second straight game, a Jost forecheck helped lead to a crucial goal. This time, it helped knock off the defending champs.

theathletic.com

Tyson Jost cracked a wide smile at the mention of Scott Hartnell. Hartnell was Jost’s biggest NHL role model as a kid. Jost’s mother was best friends with Hartnell’s sister, so Hartnell gave Jost a personal connection to the league while growing up in Alberta. He was proof his dreams were possible.

Now 24 and on his third NHL team, Jost is starting to show some elements of Harnell’s style. No, he hasn’t yet grown long curly hair. He is wearing the No. 17, though. And more importantly, he’s become one of the Sabres’ most consistent and effective forecheckers. Hartnell played more than 1,200 career games and racked up more than 700 points by playing a tenacious and direct style of hockey. He wasn’t always flashy, but he did end up as a top-line player in Philadelphia.

So that’s why Jost smiles when it’s mentioned he’s starting to resemble his role model.

“One hundred percent,” Jost said. “I guess you could say that a little bit.”

I'll take that.

 

[Chainshot]

Listening to Duff and Marty today and they had Jost on. Apparently Jason Christie was coached by and lived with Jost's grandfather years ago.

 

[old kummelweck]

Listening to Duff and Marty today and they had Jost on. Apparently Jason Christie was coached by and lived with Jost's grandfather years ago.

He's a pretty likeable guy.

 

[DustyZ]

I still can't get over the fact he was waived.

Obviously Minnesota has some depth, but still.

 

[Bendium]

I still can't get over the fact he was waived.

Obviously Minnesota has some depth, but still.

And our bottom group and depth is very poor. Not taking anything away from Tyson, but it wasn't hard to beat out most of our bottom six for playing time.

 

[DustyZ]

And our bottom group and depth is very poor. Not taking anything away from Tyson, but it wasn't hard to beat out most of our bottom six for playing time.

How is it possible that we have limited depth on both offense and defense with years of high draft picks and all this time to catch up to others?

It's honestly amazing

 

[Dex]

And our bottom group and depth is very poor. Not taking anything away from Tyson, but it wasn't hard to beat out most of our bottom six for playing time.

I don't think the Sabres would have claimed him if they thought he would not be an improvement and a good fit with the team. It seems to me that his having been claimed was an acknowledgement of a need for improvement, a move that cost them nothing, and one that seems to be paying dividends right now. So, he really didn't have to beat out anyone. But he does have to earn the right to remain part of the team going forward.

I don't know his fancy stats, but by eye test and statistically, he seems to be playing well. He's scoring at the highest points per game of his career (albeit in this short period) and the line with Mitts and Olofsson appears to be playing better - which is no small task given the ytd performance of Mitts and VO when combined with anyone.

I'm guessing that our hockey scouting and analytics must have had a hand in the claim. Good claim.

 

[toddkaz]

Sometimes prospects take until they are 24-25 to figure things out.

He was the 10th overall draft pick. The skill is there.

Hoping we got a sleeper here. His confidence is really building.

 

[Fezzy126]

I still can't get over the fact he was waived.

Obviously Minnesota has some depth, but still.

Didn't they replace him in the lineup with Ryan Reaves?

Can you imagine if we did that, the pitchforks for Adams would be at an all time high.

 

[dortt]

Didn't they replace him in the lineup with Ryan Reaves?

Can you imagine if we did that, the pitchforks for Adams would be at an all time high.

we could use some of what Reaves brings, however