Shutdown Pair

Tag: Toni Lydman

  • Duck Season

    Much more exciting than the Sabres’ recent games, at least for fans, is the fact that the GM of the Ducks has declared their roster open for business, with only Selanne and Koivu off limits.  They’ve already tried a coaching change, and are still only 1 point away from being the worst team in the NHL, so now it’s roster shakeup time.  We’ve talked about Bobby Ryan before (blast from the past there – remember when Kaberle had trade value?) and Ryan Getzlaf would be the center everyone dreams of.  That’s not even mentioning Corey Perry.  And hey, maybe we could get Toni Lydman back.  That would be kind of fun.

    Interesting that Bob Murray wants ‘core players’ in return for his core players if he trades them, not picks or prospects.  That creates an atmosphere where an actual blockbuster trade might really happen.  As for who can go from the Sabres…well, I’ve had ‘Untouchables’ the past few years, but not anymore.  There are two players I would be upset over if they got traded, Myers and Vanek, but if Darcy got a good return, I could probably be brought over to his side.  I just don’t think you trade your best goal-scorer when goal-scoring has been a problem at times.  I like a lot of the other guys, but I like a lot of the Ducks too.  There’s never been a better time for a roster shake-up.  Get it done, Darcy

  • What to Expect: Ryan Miller

    What can we expect next season for Ryan Miller?  He’s coming off his best year so far, with a 2.22 GAA, .929 SP, 5 shutouts, an Olympic silver medal, the Vezina trophy, and a super-hot girlfriend.  There are some causes for concern, no question.

    First thing to look at is that the D in front of Ryan will be quite different.  Gone are Toni Lydman and Henrik Tallinder, in is Jordan Leopold (and most likely Mike Weber).  Definitely a few wild-cards there, barring additional signings or trades.  Tyler Myers has to mesh with a new partner and continue to progress.

    Secondly, the workload comes into play.  Since Patrick Lalime is back as the backup (with some potential spot starts for Jhonas Enroth), you can rest assured Ryan sees 65-70 games again barring injury.  Really feels like a non-issue to me now as Miller had a tighter schedule last season and did well.

    Why there is hope:  Miller’s game is about positioning, knowledge of the game and quickness.  All of which he’ll still have.  His even-keeled attitude is exactly what is needed for long term success.  For numbers, I’m thinking GAA in the 2.35 range, .920 SP.  43 wins.

  • Backing Up Miller

    The backup goalie spot for the Buffalo Sabres is an interesting question for next season.  Barring injury, you can probably pencil Miller in for 65-70 starts again in the regular season, leaving 10-15 for whoever the backup is.  There are a few trains of thought out there as to who that should be.

    1. See if Jhonas Enroth is ready.  He’s progressed well at the AHL level (2.37 GAA, .919 SP last season), and could be a solid, inexpensive option for next year.  A bit more of a wild-card than an established vet, but more upside.
    2. Trade Enroth for a top-6 forward (center?) or D-man (if neither Hank nor Toni re-sign I imagine) and sign a vet backup.  I call this the Marty Biron, as that’s who most folks want back as the backup.  Probably costs a bit more than Enroth, but wouldn’t be a huge cap hit.
    3. Keep Enroth in the AHL and sign a vet backup.  Could still be Marty, Enroth would play more, but with Miller here long-term, it may be better to try and get something for Jhonas, especially with the number of teams that have goalie questions.

    Stick-tap to TheFinnishLine on Twitter for the idea of trading Enroth, as I hadn’t thought of it.  The more I think about it, the more I like the idea.  Miller is our guy, and Enroth could net us (with a pick or a prospect or two) a new center to drop next to Vanek, or a top-4 defender to fill in for Hank or Toni if neither comes back.  I’d lean toward the forward myself, and give some of the Portland guys a try on the back line, but either way it wouldn’t bother me.  If they can’t make a trade, I think I’d want him here as the backup, and not with the Pirates.  I don’t think he’s going to get too much better there, and having a mentor like Ryan Miller could be good for him.

  • Kassian, Tallinder, Lydman and You

    John Vogl over at the Buffalo News has a wide ranging interview up with Darcy Regier, that’s a great readif you haven’t gotten there already.  The biggest update is on Zack Kassian, where Darcy is temporarily putting contract negotiations on hold.  I don’t think this is that huge, as it sounds like Zack was getting the business from some drunk assholes, and gave it back to them.  He shouldn’t have done it, not at all, but it happens.  He needs to learn from it, and hopefully this delay in signing will remind him that he needs to be more responsible, as shenanigans like that could affect his livelihood.

    Darcy also mentioned that he’s had talks with the agents for Henrik Tallinder and Toni Lydman, and expects them to continue next week.  Doesn’t necessarily mean either one comes back, but he’s putting the work in.

    For other work Regier is putting in, he also apparently has talked to ‘all’ the other GMs, including Brian Burke, but wouldn’t comment about getting Kaberle.  I imagine some (maybe most) of those conversations have been of the “hey, do you want anybody we have?  No?  Okay, see you at the draft” variety.  Could be wrong, though.

    And finally, I just want to thank everyone that’s been reading and commenting.  It’s well beyond what I was expecting, you guys are the best.

  • Tallinder, Sabres Talking

    This news comes to us from Nick Mendola, now over at WECK:

    Henrik Tallinder’s agent has spoken with the Buffalo Sabres about the Swedish defenseman’s upcoming unrestricted free agency, and they plan to speak again in the coming weeks before the start of free agency

    As we discussed previously, many (including me) believed Buffalo would at least attempt to bring one of the Tallinder/Lydman set back.  It remains to be seen if anything comes of this, or if Toni gets a call from Darcy too.  I’m betting he will;  I think Darcy remembers what happened the last time he had two guys at the same position hitting free agency.

  • UFA! UFA! UFA!

    Since the Buffalo Sabres have been eliminated for a while now, I think it’s safe to take a look at the pending UFAs and see who we want to bring back.  The Sabres got out ahead of us, by announcing the signing of Mike Grier to a 1 yr, $1.4 million deal the other day.  He said right off he wanted to be back, so this was the easiest decision GMDR and company have made.  Grier is an important part of the PK as well as being the sort of hard worker you want the younger guys learning from and leaning on.

    The rest of the UFAs, with last season’s cap hit after:

    • Raffi Torres – $2,250,000
    • Adam Mair – $758,333
    • Matt Ellis – $500,000
    • Toni Lydman – $2,875,000
    • Henrik Tallinder – $2,562,500
    • Patrick Lalime – $1,000,000

    Not including the AHL roster filler guys like Joe DiPenta (although Cody McCormick did make an impression).  Looking at the forwards, I’d be fairly certain Raffi Torres is not sticking around.  He just never found ‘it’ here, and he has his sights set on other locales anyway.  Mair and Ellis are a bit different, though.  It’s easy to say ‘let them both go!’ and bring in Gerbe or Ennis or someone like that, but it’s not that simple.  Mair has stuck around longer than you’d imagine, simply due to the fact that he’s one of the few ‘tough’ Sabres.  But there are guys coming up (Zack Kassian, for one) who can provide that with more upside.  Matt Ellis seems more likely to be back, especially if he is willing/able to go on a two-way deal.  Lindy seems to be a big fan, and he has been a consistent effort guy, which you can’t always say for the top six as currently formed.

    For the defense (your honor), Tallinder and Lydman are both heading towards free agency.  Keeping both seems unlikely, but I’m not sure which one I would choose.  Lydman may be better all around, but I also have a hard time letting go of the guy Tyler Myers developed so much chemistry with.  Keeping neither is also an option, though the questions around Rivet’s shoulder might make at least one coming back more likely.

    As for backup goalie, Patrick Lalime may be the best option out there as far as a guy willing to take that role, unless Marty Biron decides it’s worth coming back.  To be honest, the numbers weren’t much different last year between the two, but Marty is still a fan favorite and has an obvious love of the area.  Management is probably comfortable with either guy, so the wants and needs of other teams may be the biggest factor here.

    A trade involving the upper half of the roster is still possible, and I know some of you are hoping it’s likely, to give the forward lines a bit of a shakeup.  I don’t think that does much to change what the Sabres do with these guys, though.  Will be looking at RFAs another time.