Impressions of, and questions concerning--D, Marco Scandella

Published by hockeybuzz.com, 5-6-2019

Defenseman--Marco Scandella DOB: February 23, 1990 (age (29)
Draft: 2008, 2nd round (55th overall) MIN
How acquired: Trade with Minnesota, June 30, 2017
Last contract signed: November 29, 2014, 5yr./$20 million
Final year of contract: 2019-20

2018-19 Stats:  63 games | 6 goals | 7 assists | 13 points | -13 | 17:37 ATOI

Buffalo Career Stats:  145 games |  11 goals | 24 assists | 35 points | -28 | 20:50 ATOI

What we wrote preseason:  To say it was a rude awakening for Buffalo and new head coach Phil Housley to start last season would be an understatement. The honeymoon lasted all of three games as the Sabres got bludgeoned twice after playing a solid season opener. Through it all, however, Scandella was able to hold his own but it was quiet evident early on that the depth chart was out of whack a bit with a number of players playing in roles that were above their pay grade.

The struggles of the team weighed on Scandella as well with the 6'3" 208 lb. Montreal, Quebec native also having difficulties keeping up with the top-end talent he faced on a nightly basis. Scandella has a lot of great attributes which includes being an excellent skater for a man his size, but after watching him for a full season in Buffalo, it looks as if he was in the proper top-four, regular season role in Minnesota.

Scandella is a true pro. He doesn't say much off the ice but says a lot with how he approaches the game and how he plays it on the ice. He's got size and skill, can skate, defend, score a bit and sees the ice very well. And when you see him and Ristolainen hitting the HarborCenter ice as some of the earliest players to skate in preparation for the upcoming season, you see a quiet leadership that positively influences the youngins, which includes a superstar in the making in Dahlin. Buffalo is lucky to have him at this point in his career. 

What we wrote mid-season:  Bogosian's health, McCabe's strong game and Pilut's fit thus far with the big club has pushed Scandella down to the third pairing and it's good for him as well as the team. The 28 yr. old had been struggling with top-four minutes but was strong as an anchor for Buffalo's penalty kill prior to an injury which saw him miss a chunk of time from late November to mid December. Upon his return Scandella's ice-time went from 23:33 in his first game back to the high teens in two of the last three games and with his spot in the d-corps rounding out Buffalo's top-six, it looks as if the Sabres have a solid group that can at least compete with any team in the league. 

Impressions on his play this year:  Scandella is 29 yrs. old but looked older out there. Perhaps it's the weight of playing for a Buffalo team that has really struggled since he was traded for or maybe he's aged quickly because of the hard minutes he's played. Sabres GM Jason Botterill traded for Scandella thinking that the second-pairing d-man from the Minnesota Wild might have more to offer and he put him on the top-pairing with Rasmus Ristolainen averaging 23:19/game. Buffalo finished in last place and that season alone probably shortened his career by two or three years.  

Scandella took a beating on the ice and in social media where it seemed as if every mistake, or perceived mistake, he me made was dissected to the nth degree and every loss somehow had something to do with him. Such is the role of whipping boy, especially in Buffalo where losing has messed with the collective psyche of the fan-base and they'll put together a caravan to the airport quicker than you can say Tom Barrasso.

That statement wasn't meant to excuse Scandella for his poor play, to absolve Botterill of overstating his potential in Buffalo or to be a cover for this writer who believed the big, minute-eating defenseman would be a net positive for the Sabres in a top-four role. It didn't work out all that well and save for his strong work on the penalty kill, Scandella had his problems on the ice. But obsessing over him serves no purpose.

Questions moving forward:  What will the new coach see in him? Is he a trade chip come draft day? Over the summer? At the trade deadline? With the Bogosian injury possibly affecting the opeining night roster, is Scandella back in the top-four to start next season? If fellow whipping boy Ristolainen is traded, is Scandella back in the top-four? Is there a younger player in the system ready to replace him? Would Botterill entertain bringing in a comparable bottom-pairing d-man or save himself the trouble and just keep Scandella? What would happen to the collective psyche of the fan base if Bogosian, Ristolainen and Scandella were all a part of Buffalo's defense corps next season?

Contract info via CapFriendly, stats via sabres.com and hockey reference.com.