Shutdown Pair

Tag: Shaone Morrisonn

  • One Possible Roster

    Playing with the Cap Calculator at Capgeek (too much fun), I’ve worked out this roster possibility.  I’ll post new ones as the Sabres make more moves, or the real cost of an RFA contract becomes known.  I gave everyone that I brought on a bit of an upgrade in salary, seems like what usually happens to most RFAs.

    CAPGEEK.COM CAP CALCULATOR

    FORWARDS
    Thomas Vanek ($7.142m) / Derek Roy ($4.000m) / Jason Pominville ($5.300m)
    Brad Boyes ($4.000m) / Ville Leino ($4.500m) / Drew Stafford ($4.000m)
    Tyler Ennis ($0.875m) / Jochen Hecht ($3.525m) / Patrick Kaleta ($0.907m)
    Nathan Gerbe ($1.433m) / Paul Gaustad ($2.300m) / Cody McCormick ($1.200m)
    / Luke Adam ($0.875m)

    DEFENSEMEN
    Tyler Myers ($1.300m) / Robyn Regehr ($4.020m)
    Jordan Leopold ($3.000m) / Christian Ehrhoff ($4.000m)
    Andrej Sekera ($1.200m) / Mike Weber ($0.850m)
    / Marc-Andre Gragnani ($0.600m)

    GOALTENDERS
    Ryan Miller ($6.250m) / Jhonas Enroth ($1.200m)

    BUYOUTS: Tim Kennedy ($0.166m)

    CAPGEEK.COM TOTALS (follow @capgeek on Twitter)
    (these totals are compiled without the bonus cushion)
    SALARY CAP: $64,300,000; CAP PAYROLL: $62,645,357; BONUSES: $562,500
    CAP SPACE (22-man roster): $1,654,643

    This is a fairly typical Lindy Ruff 22-man roster, I didn’t work too hard on lines and pairings as Lindy changes them as often as Bruce Boudreau changes his bib at lunch.  This setup demotes or trades Kotalik and Morrisonn, but really it could be done by moving Hecht or Boyes (or both) instead.  Basically, Buffalo has a ton of guys in that $3mil – $5.5mil price range, it makes sense that they’d get some of these guys out to make room not just for the space to sign the RFAs they have, but to also make room for some of the Amerks that are ready to make the jump.  The team is remade, and will be remade again next year.

  • May You Live In Interesting Times

    Well, this had to be one of the most interesting Sabres seasons in recent memory.  Buffalo started the season with a whimper, losing at a pace that had more of us thinking draft lottery than playoffs.  The first hints of Terry Pegula gave a vague hope for the future, but we didn’t know anything about him yet, so it was only a small distraction.  November was better than October, but not by much.

    December finally had a good game or two for Ryan Miller, and the Terry Pegula rumors picked up steam.  The Sabres’ best offensive player at the time, Derek Roy, went down with an injury and only just now was able to return.  After that, many of us (myself included) counted Buffalo out.  They’d only gotten 30 points in the first 33 games, Miller was not the Vezina Miller, and Myers was looking more like a rookie this year than last.

    January, things got VERY interesting there.  You’ll remember that’s when Stafford-mania began, as Buffalo came home for a game in the middle of the WJC road trip and beat the Bruins 7-6, on the back of a Staffy hat trick.  The beginnings of the upward swing were showing, with the Sabres going 4-0-1 after a sort of bottoming out loss to Calgary.  Nathan Gerbe suddenly found his way, earning his spot in the lineup and coming up huge (er, sort of) as the team inched their way back up the standings.  The month ended with the long all-star break, but the real story was still Terry Pegula, who kept appearing in all the right places as the team sale picked up steam.

    February, yeah, February was kind of fun.  Terry Pegula really did buy the team, Thomas Vanek was in Atlas mode, Twitter met the Pegula daughters, and Tyler Myers was an OT hero.  Pegula day was AWESOME, and the team was rolling.  March was much of the same, with Buffalo in the playoffs and controlling their own destiny.  Even their deadline day acquisition contributed for more than one game.  We fell in love with these guys, and never wanted the ride to end.  The Sabres won a bunch of games to end the regular season, looking primed to upset some dudes in the playoffs.

    Well, we all know what happened there.  They took the Flyers to 7, but couldn’t get it done.  Injuries to key guys didn’t help, but in the end, it was a 2 seed over a 7 seed.  So what now?  It’s hard to say.  This is Terry Pegula’s first off-season, and the team has ‘no financial mandates’.  Buffalo will have a lot of cap room (as high as $21 million thanks to the new TV deal) but also a lot of spots up for grabs.  Defense in particular could look very different, with only 3 guys under contract (one of them Shaone Morrisonn).  Will they make a big trade?  Go hard after the biggest names?  Fill spots with guys from Portland that should get a shot?  Do Kassian and Foligno figure in?  What do they do with Enroth (RFA)?  The ride will continue, and I can’t help but think the outlook continues to be bright.

    What will happen here?  Locker cleanout usually has some interesting bits, where we find out who was injured, especially.  I may comment on the other games and series, and then it’s off-season mode.  Future posts will look at the roster, the spots and free agents.  Thank you Sabres.

  • You Just Don’t Know

    Really, you just can’t know how a team, any team, will respond to an injury to a key player.  Many of us wrote off the season after Roy got hurt (myself included), but all the Sabres have done since then is go on a run.  Since the 5-2 loss in Calgary, Buffalo has gone 4-0-1, including a 7-6 barnburner highlighted by a Drew Stafford hat trick, and a 3-0 real shutout of San Jose, and a 2-1 win against the Coyotes, games in which the Vezina quality Ryan Miller made appearances.

    Players and coaches will always throw out the ‘other guys need to step up’ cliche when an injury like this happens, but it really is true, and it’s happened here.  EX:

    “Since Derek’s (Roy) gone, there’s a chance for a lot of guys to step up and play some extra minutes. Guys are trying to take advantage of that.”  Jochen Hecht

    Stafford is on a tear (in addition to the hatty he had an OT game-winner in Phoenix), Jordan Leopold has 10 goals, Shaone Morrisonn has brought an increased physical presence, Mike Weber has too (in addition to a few goals!) and there have been goals by Jochen Hecht, Luke Adam, and Jason Pominville, all guys who are in that ‘needs to step up’ category.

    Looking at the standings, Buffalo is currently 10th, 8 points behind Boston and Montreal (catching both would jump them all the way into 3rd).  The schedule for the month means Lalime will be keeping the bench warm quite a bit, as there is only 1 back to back set of games as part of a 3 in 4, with two of them against the Isles.  Gotta get him in once there, I’d think.  There’s a game each against the teams they are chasing in the Northeast, how successful January is probably turns on how they do there.  It’s a tough lead to make up, but a team that plays the way they have in the past few games can do it.  They are making it interesting, at least.

  • Fins to the Left

    We get a visit from the San Jose Sharks tonight, who apparently managed a come from behind win last night against the Flyers.  It was 4-1 Philly when my wife got home, so good on the Sharks for coming back.  A Flyers loss is always a good thing.

    Buffalo has done quite well against the Sharks here at the Arena, owning a 13-1 record against them.  Pretty solid.  The Sabres will most likely be without Drew Stafford and Shaone Morrisonn, along with Tim Connolly.  Coach has Mike Weber’s back too.

    I have been dealing with a huge amount of stuff lately (sick little girl, cub scout party last night, etc.) so I haven’t been able to post much.  Should get things back up and running right soon.

  • Gameday 2010-2011 – Sabres at Flyers

    Buffalo is visiting Flyers for the first time tonight, with a 7:30pm game on everyone’s favorite channel, Versus.  Buffalo is flying high after a resounding win on Saturday against the Kovy-less Devils.  The boys are on the mend, with Shaone Morrisonn and Craig Rivet both practicing and Pominville steadily improving.  Only Rivet *might* play tonight, as there’s no need to rush anyone back with the way Butler, Sekerea and Weber played in their absence.

    Philly lost last night to the Blue Jackets, with an effort that made their coach angry.

    “The first 40 minutes there was nothing there,” Laviolette continued. “There was no jam to our game. We played mindless hockey without any energy, without any passion.”

    ‘Mindless’, ouch.  It’s possible that Philly (being who they are) come in with bodies (and elbows) flying.  Just noticed that there was some rough stuff at the end of the CBJ game, as noted by Broad Street Hockey:

    Something to look out for, though: Scott Hartnell received a ten-minute misconduct at the end of the game, possibly for hitting a ref with his stick.

    Yeah, sounds about right for him.  For the rest of the team, it appears that Pronger is still feeling the effects of knee surgery and is not at full speed, and Danny Briere was a penalty machine against the Jackets.  Also, wondering if we’ll see any fisticuffs from Jody Shelley, assuming he doesn’t end up in the press box.

    Just found out Luke Adam is called up for tonight, but not sure for who.  Stay tuned.

    edit:  Rob Niedermayer is out, didn’t travel with the team as per WGR550.  Well there you go.  Good chance for Adam to shine with the goalie sinkhole of Philly on tap.

    edit again:  The Niedermayers had a baby!  Congratulations, guys.

  • Gameday 2010-2011 – Sabres at Thrashers

    Well, Lindy did the expected, and bag-skated the team, along with a line shuffle.  Here’s what they will look like according to Vogl at the Buffalo News:

    Vanek – Roy – Stafford
    Hecht – Connolly – McCormick
    Gerbe – Gaustad – Kaleta
    Ennis – Niedermayer – Grier

    Reuniting Vanek and Roy is good, and Stafford isn’t terrible so far.  McCormick might give the Connolly line a spark with some hard work and hits.  That third line could be sneaky good, as Kaleta has some offensive upside, combine that with Gerbe’s speed and Goose’s size in front of the net and you might have something.  On the whole, it’s a good balance, every line should be able to contribute at both ends.

    On D, Morrisonn is doing the lonely ‘skating on his own’ and will be out tonight.  Miller should get the start in net.

    While the Atlanta games are never easy for Buffalo, even without Kovalchuk in the mix, it’s winnable.  It could even be a get-right game, with Chris Mason and a 3.0 GAA in net.  Ondrej Pavelec is still out after collapsing on the ice, though he should be back soon, which is great.  I probably won’t get to watch the beginning of the game with family commitments, but I’ll try and get in by the second period.

  • Gameday 2010-2011 – Canadiens at Sabres

    Buffalo is hosting their 40th anniversary celebration tonight, as 40 years ago they opened the season against the Montreal Canadiens.  Members of the Knox family are in, Buffalo is wearing their whites at home, and more.  Should be a fun time.

    Shaone Morissonn is out with a groin injury, so either Weber or Butler will be in tonight (will update if I see which one).  Pominville is still out so expect the same forwards in play.  Montreal is currently 1-1-1, even with the Sabres points-wise.

    I will be watching this game, either in the building or at home depending on the situation.  Wife and kids had a rough day yesterday so hopefully things are better tonight.

    edit:  Butler is in, Miller starts (have to imagine Lalime tomorrow night, does follow the ‘play him against his former teams’ thing they have going with him).

  • I’ll Take It

    I was camping this weekend, so I didn’t get to see any hockey or football, so I have no specific insight into any of the games.  Looking at the results, I am very happy Buffalo was able to beat the Senators, which is really the only thing I wanted out of the weekend.  Very good to see Derek Roy producing, Leopold and Morrisonn contributing, and Tyler Ennis in the mix too.  Beyond that, there’s not much I can say.  Hopefully will get the game on tonight.

  • Gameday 2010-2011 – Sabres at Senators

    You know, what was AWESOME to type.  Yes, boys and girls, it’s hockey time again, with the Sabres opening their schedule away at the hated Senators.  The lineup is ‘healthy‘, so all 23 roster players could be in the mix.  Myers is paired with Morissonn, beyond that the defense pairings are in flux.  Sekera has the inside track to play, which would leave Butler and Weber out.  Gerbbe is the odd forward out, tonight at least.  Pascal Leclaire in goal for the Sens, probably Miller for the Sabres but haven’t seen anything for sure yet.

    For the Senators, Jason Spezza hurt his groin and may miss the game.  It remains to be seen if the Sabres will take advantage this year.  Volchenkov is gone, Gonchar in on D.  Let’s get this year started on the right foot, with a win against these jerks.  I’m probably out of posting action the rest of the weekend, and may be stuck listening to the game on the radio or following on my phone, so whoever goes on Saturday, make it loud.

    edit:  Lines and pairs here, but no official word on Miller.

  • Buffalo Sabres: A Look At The Depth Chart

    With training camp less than a month away, and the Buffalo Sabres roster looking pretty much set, I thought now would be a good time to investigate the lines and defense pairings for the coming season.  Starting up front:

    Ennis – Connolly – Pominville
    Vanek – Roy – Stafford/McCormick?
    Gerbe – Gaustad – Kaleta
    Hecht – Niedermayer – Grier

    It’s an odd mix of diminutive players and size/grit, to be sure.  Zack Kassian could make things interesting when he’s off his time-out from GMDR and gets to sign.  I’m not sure what happens if McCormick gets one of the RW spots, Stafford really is the only one that can come out.  I don’t think you play anybody out of position to try and keep him in the lineup.  Gerbe, I suppose, could end up on the fourth line if Lindy wants to keep Hecht up on the third, though my hope is with cagey vets like Grier and Niedermayer taking over the fourth line will get more than 6 minutes a night.  It’s a lineup that has some scoring potential, but should help out the revamped defense core quite a bit as well.  Speaking of:

    Myers (RH) – Morrisonn (LH)
    Montador (RH) – Leopold (LH)
    Rivet (RH) – Sekera (LH)

    Butler (LH)

    Obviously Myers is the top dog, and I slotted Morrisonn next to him as he’s another more stay at home type as Tallinder was for Tyler last year.  You get a similar Off/Def pair with Montador/Leopold, leaving Rivet and his bad shoulder to mentor Sekera and Butler in the third pair.  This keeps the left hand/right hand balance, and keeps Rivet healthier so he can bulldoze some guys in front of Miller.  If Leopold can chip in points to balance the Myers pairing, the offense from the backend will be right where it needs to be.  Now, Morrisonn may not fit in as a first pair guy which blows all this up but I think this works the best.

    I don’t HAVE to go over the goalies, do I?  Miller gets more work than we like (without the Olympics thankfully), especially considering the TWENTY TWO back to back game situations.  Does Lalime get 15 games?  Lalime and Enroth combined for 14 starts last year, I’d like to see that at 20 with all the back to backs but I can’t predict it.

    Look, it’s not the wholesale changes in the top 6 we were looking for, but as we’ve investigated before, there aren’t a lot of guys available who are a for-sure improvement.  Stempniak might be a one-hit wonder, and there’s that self-imposed cap…