Shutdown Pair

Tag: sabres

  • We’re Still Talking About HIM?

    Tim Connolly.  Say that name near Sabres fans, and you’ll get a reaction.  Largely, a negative one.  Maybe a few will reminisce about when he was ‘good’, recall his play in the playoffs after the lockout, but then they bring up the injuries, the concussions, and you end up back at the same place – good riddance!

    Except…have you seen the other options for centers out there?  You’ve got Brad Richards on the radar (you and every other team that is), but then what?  For UFA’s, the field is pretty bleak.  Jason Arnott?  Eric Belanger?  Brooks Laich?  Laich might be the best bet, but nobody out there is screaming Number ONE center loudly (or Number TWO for that matter).  RFAs aren’t happening either.  Offer sheets for the good ones will be matched, and if they aren’t ‘good’, see above.  You aren’t finding Danny Briere on the scrap heap every year.  Though if they could pull it off again…well, we can dream.

    So that leaves trades.  The trick here is having what others want, and the other team needing to make a move for some reason.  The fact that the salary cap went up as much as it did complicates that – not as many teams need to shed salary to keep their best players.  There are some targets out there (Stephen Weiss?  Paul Stastny?) but their are complicating factors (for Weiss, the Panthers are barely hitting the floor, and Weiss’s cap hit is over $3mil, and Stastny has a big money deal on another team near the floor).

    That brings things back to Tim Connolly.  He’s a known quantity, for better or worse.  He’s had productive stretches, though not in the playoffs lately.  He’s been brittle.  He infuriates you with his potential.  He doesn’t talk to the media very much, so despite the fact that he’s been here seemingly forever, we don’t really know him.  At least for Max, he had the language barrier, but Timmy is from this very state.

    Look, we all know the Sabres NEED a center for one of the top two lines.  I don’t think TC can do that anymore.  However, this year is not a year with an easy solution to that problem.  Sign Brad Richards! but for how much and how long?  Despite the loosened purse strings and Darcy flexing his deal-making muscles, you still don’t want to kill your flexibility.  Especially with Tyler Myers coming due for a pay upgrade.  Timmy might just be the only feasible option (at a much lower price than the last contract) while we wait and see if someone else comes available, or someone like Luke Adam takes hold of a spot.  I’m not sure I like it any more than you do, but what I am saying is, don’t be surprised if it does happen.

  • Sabres Draft Six and Land Regehr

    To be honest, I wasn’t able to be as into the draft this year as I wanted to, thanks to family obligations and time constraints.  The players the Sabres drafted are here.  Some things haven’t changed from the past few years.  Most of them are big, over 6 feet tall.  Most are North American, though they finally broke out of that by drafting Joel Armia from Finland with their first pick (at 16).  From the report by Kris Baker on Armia, sounds like a guy to watch a couple of years down the road.

    The Sabres also got their man in Robyn Regehr, acquired in a trade from the Calgary Flames.  We also got Ales Kotalik back, who might play (he DID have his best years here) or who might go to Portlan–er, Rochester, or who could always go play in Europe.  Buffalo also nets a 2nd round pick next year, while giving up Chris Butler, who showed promise at times but could never seem to get past Sekera on the depth chart, and Paul Byron.  Regehr is big and tough and migh just settle in as a partner for Tyler Myers.  It’s one of those spots people thought needed to be addressed this offseason (a veteran D, a top-flight C), and it didn’t cost the Sabres too much.  There are plenty of good prospects still stacked up, and there’s room for more deals to be done.

  • Schedule Day and Robyn Regehr

    The Sabres and the rest of the NHL have released the schedule for next year, but I bet most of you are already investigating just who Robyn Regehr is and who we might be giving up to get him.  Assuming he waives his NMC.  He’s a solid hitter, also defensively, and might just be the partner Myers needs.  I like him, and hope the deal happens.  Best part is, the Sabres are involved and active.

  • The Sabres Blogger Summit

    I was having my fun with this yesterday, tweeting a few reasons why I’m not attending, but of course, I wasn’t actually invited to tomorrow’s event.  One wonders how the attendees were picked, but we’ll never know.  Am I too nice to the team?  Do I not blog enough?  Am I not enough of a squeaky wheel?  I wonder.  Anyway, I was surprised when it was announced that we could watch the proceedings.  No better way to make the more amateur bloggers (as in, the ones that don’t go on the radio or what not) nervous than to put ’em on video.

    In all seriousness, the folks that are going are a great crew, and we should get some solid information out of it.  If it goes well, hopefully it becomes a regular thing.  Have fun guys!

  • Sabres Sign Pysyk

    Multiple reports have the Sabres signing 2010 1st rounder Mark Pysyk to his entry level contract, though he is most likely going to return to juniors next season for a fourth season.  Sabres Prospects has the rundown including Mark’s recent stats.  He captained the team, and seems likely to be on Canada’s next World Junior Championships team.

    Pysyk is active on Twitter, mostly chirping his Edmonton Oil Kings teammates, and creeping on Taylor Swift.  Were he to make the team next year (an outside shot, he can do the 9 game tryout if he really impresses at camp), he might just be the first Sabres tweeter since Drew Stafford.  That we know of, anyway.

  • Sabres Sign Foligno

    Marcus Foligno, that is.  Combine Foligno with Kassian and an increased role from Weber (and a few others on the roster now), and this is a Sabres team that is getting tough in the next few years.

    Foligno posted career highs in goals (23), assists (36) and points (59) for Sudbury of the Ontario Hockey League. The league’s coaches also named him the best body checker in the Eastern Conference.

    Best body checker?  I’ll take that.  Buffalo has some strong, talented players in the pipeline, and think I might love how this team looks and plays in a couple of years.  This year too, maybe, depending on how the offseason goes.  Let’s make some moves!

  • On Vanek and Stamkos

    Let me preface all this with:  I don’t think anyone will do an offer sheet on Stamkos, least of all the Buffalo Sabres.  I don’t think there’s an amount of money you could offer that would get him, no way Tampa let’s him go now that they finally seem ready to stay competitive again.

    That being said, the talk of Stamkos has gotten me thinking about Vanek and the Sabres.  There are two questions I’d like to put to you fine people:

    1.  Would Steven Stamkos score 50 goals as a member of the Sabres?

    2.  Will Thomas Vanek ever score 50 goals as a member of the Sabres?

    This is assuming Lindy Ruff is still coach, also.  For number one, I am thinking no, probably not.  He’d be a 40 goal guy, for sure, but I just don’t see Lindy Ruff using him in ways that would lead to 50+.  Would Ruff double-shift him?  Put him out for a whole power play?  Stamkos averages a full minute more of PP ice time than any Sabre – and that was Derek Roy.  Vanek was next at 3:15 per game.  You could look at it like this:  the Lightning had about 1 minute more per game of power play time, and Stamkos was always on the ice for it.  No, the ‘system’ wouldn’t have that happening.  Not that I think that’s completely bad – the system works when the parts are competent – but it’s enough that Stamkos would not eclipse the 50 goal mark.  He’d get the same grief Vanek got after signing his big offer sheet at that point, “we signed this guy and he’s not scoring???” even though it also wouldn’t be his fault.

    That brings us to question number 2.  I personally don’t think Vanek will ever break 50 goals, for much the same reasons as above.  Though I’d be interested to see him back with a true playmaking center now, with another working line of actual scoring to keep the pressure off.  Even with that, I think Lindy’s preference is to keep things more balanced, so Vanek would have to go OFF (think Stafford hat tricks last year with his normal tip-ins and deflections).  Don’t see it happening.

    Don’t agree?  Comment away…let’s kill off some of this ‘no Sabres hockey’ time.

  • 2011 Sabres Untouchables

    With a little distance from the Sabres’ playoff elimination, it’s time to look at what players are must-keep for next year, and who can go.  Things are changed, with the Pegula era entering it’s first offseason.  We don’t know how trades are going to go, if he wants an RFA, whether he truly likes Derek Roy or not, and so on.

    The Buffalo Sabres currently only have 12 players under contract for next year (not counting AHLers and draft picks).  8 forwards, 3 D, 1 goalie.  Stafford, Gerbe, Sekera, Butler, Weber, Gragnani, and Enroth are all RFAs.  Normally, I’d imagine all would at least be qualified but a move to clear out a D or two for a veteran wouldn’t be out of the question.  Anyway, I’m including these guys in my list as far as potential untouchables go:

    1. Ryan Miller – You can win several different ways, as the playoffs are showing.  You can have a franchise goalie (Vancouver), or a cast of thousands (Philly).  You can lose both ways too.  Miller gives stability, and the return of Enroth would finally give us a tandem to feel comfortable about going into next season.
    2. Tyler Myers – Big, scoring defensemen who can defend are rare, so keeping the Big Easy is a no-brainer.  If the physical play he had for the playoffs continues to play out next year, watch out.  Now lets get him a partner.
    3. Thomas Vanek – Still the best scorer the Sabres have, Vanek has shown more and more leadership potential each year.  A far cry from the guy getting sat down in his first playoffs.  His serious demeanor on and off the ice just seems to keep the team at an even keel.  Needs a center.

    There are a whole mess of guys on the next tier, guys I want to keep, but I’d let them go if there was a deal to be made.  You’ve got to give talent to get talent.  Is there anyone else who HAS to stay?

  • Pick me, Cody!

    Hello, Mr. McCormick.  You don’t know me, but I have a proposition for you.  As you probably know by now, your agents recently made some politically-charged comments about gay marriage from the Twitter account that previously had only been used to tweet positive developments in the careers of their clients.  Now, whether or not you agree with what they said, you can see how it would be bad for business to have your agents suddenly start tweeting about such a divisive topic.

    I would like to offer my services as your new player agent.  I don’t have any experience, but if your preference is to stay here in Buffalo, I think even a Rhesus monkey with an accordion could negotiate a raise with Darcy for you, especially if Lindy is standing next to him bellowing about your ‘grit’.  There are other advantages to my representation as well:

    • As stated, I guarantee I will not tweet about politics
    • Standing next to me will make you appear cooler by comparison
    • I have cute children – great photo opportunities
    • I’d have no problem tweeting about every single positive contribution you make on the ice
    • Anyone that fights you loses
    • Fairly certain I and my followers can come up with better nicknames than Allan Walsh (Halak it like that?  Pavelectric?  puh-leeze)

    In closing, I think this could be a mutually beneficial relationship.  Let me know!

  • Think of Tomorrow

    I promise, I (might) still post about hockey before the Sabres get back to work.  I’m focusing a bit more on  Honk If You Love Justice! right now as it’s summer movie season, and I’m reading more.  Of cours, for this to work I need to get to more movies but that will happen, especially with Thor on the way this week.

    It’s hard to be too upset with the way things ended since the future looks so bright.