The NHL trade deadline is a little over four weeks away and normally we'll see one of those market-setting, benchmark trades happen right around All-Star weekend.
Nothing on that front yet, but there was a trade yesterday, one that was more significant than the swapping of AHL'ers--veteran Calgary Flames center Brendan Morrison was traded to the Chicago Blackhawks for defenseman, Brian Connelly.
The Hawks have been looking for depth down the middle all season, in fact early on they even tried RW Patrick Kane there.
Forward Patrick Sharp has been out of the lineup since January 9 with a wrist injury and his absence may gave created a sense of urgency for GM Stan Bowman. Sharp is expected to return just after the All-Star break.
At 36, Morrison isn't exactly young anymore, but he should be able to hold the fort while the injured return to form and provide depth during the stretch and into the playoffs.
The Hawks are jockeying for position in the tough Central Division and are presently in fourth place, although they rank 6th in the Western Conference.
Calgary is one of six teams battling for the 7th and 8th seeds in the Western Conference and presently sit in 11th place, three points out.
Connelly is a 25 yr. old who was in his fourth season with the Rockford Ice-Hogs, was an undrafted free agent signing for Chicago in 2009. The 5'10, 186 lb, puck-moving d-man and was pretty far down the depth chart for Chicago.
Sabres center Derek Roy is said to be on the market, although unlike Morrison, he still has one more year on his contract at the end of the season.
Calgary's depth down the middle, which was thin to begin with, now only has Olli Jokinen as a bonafide top-two. Twenty-two year old Mikael Backlund would now be looked to as the #2 center.
It's a somewhat curious move for Flames GM, Jay Feaster to move a player from a position of weakness. It could be one of those "domino" things where he's making room for a veteran #2 center.
With the Sabres playoff hopes slim at best, and a core shake-up almost a certainty, Calgary would seem to be a good fit for Roy.
Regier is said to be looking for a top-six forward in return for any of his top-six, core players and Backlund might be considered just that. He's only into his fourth NHL season having played a total of 132 games so there is upside.
Feaster and Sabres GM Darcy Regier made a swap last June--the Robyn Regehr trade--that was fair to both sides so maybe they can do it again.
Saturday, January 28, 2012
Friday, January 27, 2012
Status Quo
The All-Star game is Sunday.
The Sabres are at home thinking about their 2-1 SO win at New Jersey.
And the 12-game road-losing streak-a franchise record- is officially history.
Jason Pominville is in Ottawa on Team Alfredsson, ironic since he burned the Ottawa captain on a move that goes down as one of the most famous goals in Sabres' history. It was also the only time in NHL history that an overtime playoff game ended on a short-handed goal.
The Sabres sit tied for dead-last in the Eastern Conference after hovering around the playoff bubble to begin the month of December. Their record since then: 7-15-4.
Everything coming out of the organization says that, because of injuries, status quo is the way to go.
That includes GM Darcy Regier and Head Coach Lindy Ruff still at the helm. Assistant coaches James Patrick and Kevyn Adams, as well as goaltending coach, Jim Corsi, are still with the organization.
"The core" remains as well and with them the defense and goaltending.
"Injuries" is the theme and patience is the motto.
With the goal of 93 pts. to make the playoffs, the Sabres, who are last in the Northeast Division with 45 pts., would need a record of 21-5-6 to hit that mark.
Good luck with that.
The Sabres are at home thinking about their 2-1 SO win at New Jersey.
And the 12-game road-losing streak-a franchise record- is officially history.
Jason Pominville is in Ottawa on Team Alfredsson, ironic since he burned the Ottawa captain on a move that goes down as one of the most famous goals in Sabres' history. It was also the only time in NHL history that an overtime playoff game ended on a short-handed goal.
The Sabres sit tied for dead-last in the Eastern Conference after hovering around the playoff bubble to begin the month of December. Their record since then: 7-15-4.
Everything coming out of the organization says that, because of injuries, status quo is the way to go.
That includes GM Darcy Regier and Head Coach Lindy Ruff still at the helm. Assistant coaches James Patrick and Kevyn Adams, as well as goaltending coach, Jim Corsi, are still with the organization.
"The core" remains as well and with them the defense and goaltending.
"Injuries" is the theme and patience is the motto.
With the goal of 93 pts. to make the playoffs, the Sabres, who are last in the Northeast Division with 45 pts., would need a record of 21-5-6 to hit that mark.
Good luck with that.
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Bruins goalie Tim Thomas apolitically shuns White House visit
"This was not about politics or party, as in my opinion both parties are responsible for the situation we are in as a country. This was about a choice I had to make as an INDIVIDUAL."
--Boston Bruins Goalie Tim Thomas on why he opted to not visit the White House
Apolitical and sound.
Although not as earth-shattering as Muhammad Ali's conscientious objection to the Vietnam War, a solid declaration for the Conn Smythe winner on the Stanley Cup Champion Boston Bruins.
Thomas is a Republican and may have merely been diplomatic in his objection to a visit with a Democratic President, but he chose this route to express his displeasure for the state of affairs in this country.
His full statement:
"I believe the Federal government has grown out of control, threatening the Rights, Liberties, and Property of the People.
This is being done at the Executive, Legislative, and Judicial level. This is in direct opposition to the Constitution and the Founding Fathers vision for the Federal government.
Because I believe this, today I exercised my right as a Free Citizen, and did not visit the White House. This was not about politics or party, as in my opinion both parties are responsible for the situation we are in as a country. This was about a choice I had to make as an INDIVIDUAL.
This is the only public statement I will be making on this topic."
http://www.nesn.com/2012/01/tim-thomas-releases-statement-on-white-house-absence-says-government-has-grown-out-of-control.html
--Boston Bruins Goalie Tim Thomas on why he opted to not visit the White House
Apolitical and sound.
Although not as earth-shattering as Muhammad Ali's conscientious objection to the Vietnam War, a solid declaration for the Conn Smythe winner on the Stanley Cup Champion Boston Bruins.
Thomas is a Republican and may have merely been diplomatic in his objection to a visit with a Democratic President, but he chose this route to express his displeasure for the state of affairs in this country.
His full statement:
"I believe the Federal government has grown out of control, threatening the Rights, Liberties, and Property of the People.
This is being done at the Executive, Legislative, and Judicial level. This is in direct opposition to the Constitution and the Founding Fathers vision for the Federal government.
Because I believe this, today I exercised my right as a Free Citizen, and did not visit the White House. This was not about politics or party, as in my opinion both parties are responsible for the situation we are in as a country. This was about a choice I had to make as an INDIVIDUAL.
This is the only public statement I will be making on this topic."
http://www.nesn.com/2012/01/tim-thomas-releases-statement-on-white-house-absence-says-government-has-grown-out-of-control.html
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Sabres without pilot--figuratively and literally
You're Terry Pegula and the Buffalo Sabres.
The team that once came back from a triumphant opening in Europe to an upgraded locker room with high expectations soon goes into a downward spiral.
Your franchise goaltender got run by a hated rival and the entire team is called out for being wussies.
There have been an number of embarrassments, including one in Pittsburgh where Pegula calls out the goaltending in an 8-3 loss.
That particular loss begins a franchise-record, road losing streak, which sends the team plummeting in the standings.
The streak hit 12 games after last night (the previous record was seven games) as the Sabres dropped a 4-2 decision in St. Louis.
The plan was for the team to board their charter jet and head back to Buffalo before travelling to New Jersey for their final game before the All-Star break.
But...
Jhonas Enroth @JEnroth125
This road trip just got even worst and longer. We don't have a pilot that can fly us home. #ugh
The team that once came back from a triumphant opening in Europe to an upgraded locker room with high expectations soon goes into a downward spiral.
Your franchise goaltender got run by a hated rival and the entire team is called out for being wussies.
There have been an number of embarrassments, including one in Pittsburgh where Pegula calls out the goaltending in an 8-3 loss.
That particular loss begins a franchise-record, road losing streak, which sends the team plummeting in the standings.
The streak hit 12 games after last night (the previous record was seven games) as the Sabres dropped a 4-2 decision in St. Louis.
The plan was for the team to board their charter jet and head back to Buffalo before travelling to New Jersey for their final game before the All-Star break.
But...
Jhonas Enroth @JEnroth125
This road trip just got even worst and longer. We don't have a pilot that can fly us home. #ugh
Saturday, January 21, 2012
"The Core" no more?
The names of Derek Roy and Drew Stafford are whirling around the hockey world as the trade deadline approaches.
It's still five weeks away, but with the Sabres mired in a franchise-record road losing streak and only three points from the bottom of the Eastern Conference, the hockey world is looking at the Sabres as sellers this season.
Sabres President Ted Black was on the Howard Simon Show Thursday talking about the state of GM Darcy Regier, Head Coach Lindy Ruff and a group known as "the core."
Simon referred to them as a "core group of players," as Regier has done often times over the past four and a half seasons.
When asked by Simon if the Sabres organization still believes that this core group is the right group and a group they can win the cup with, Black distanced himself, "I've never used the term core group, so I assume you mean the Rochester guys?" [6:00-mark]
He continues, "The fact of the matter is, over a two or three year period, teams flip over for the most part." Then he pretty much opens the door for the dismantling of the core, "I don't think we're committed to any group of players whatsoever."
"The Rochester Guys" include, Thomas Vanek, Jason Pominville, Derek Roy, Paul Gaustad and Ryan Miller. All of them spent the lockout season in Rochester and all came up together as the NHL entered their "New-NHL" phase. Drew Stafford is also looked at as a core player, although he came up and stuck with the team a year later.
The "New NHL" has come and gone, and with it the effectiveness of some of the "Rochester Guys."
Also in question should be the person who brought this group together and has staunchly defended and overrated some of them, Darcy Regier.
Black opened the door to changes, just who will be involved and how far reaching it will be is yet to be determined. But what we're looking at are some significant changes that may constitute a rebuild as opposed to a retool.
It's still five weeks away, but with the Sabres mired in a franchise-record road losing streak and only three points from the bottom of the Eastern Conference, the hockey world is looking at the Sabres as sellers this season.
Sabres President Ted Black was on the Howard Simon Show Thursday talking about the state of GM Darcy Regier, Head Coach Lindy Ruff and a group known as "the core."
Simon referred to them as a "core group of players," as Regier has done often times over the past four and a half seasons.
When asked by Simon if the Sabres organization still believes that this core group is the right group and a group they can win the cup with, Black distanced himself, "I've never used the term core group, so I assume you mean the Rochester guys?" [6:00-mark]
He continues, "The fact of the matter is, over a two or three year period, teams flip over for the most part." Then he pretty much opens the door for the dismantling of the core, "I don't think we're committed to any group of players whatsoever."
"The Rochester Guys" include, Thomas Vanek, Jason Pominville, Derek Roy, Paul Gaustad and Ryan Miller. All of them spent the lockout season in Rochester and all came up together as the NHL entered their "New-NHL" phase. Drew Stafford is also looked at as a core player, although he came up and stuck with the team a year later.
The "New NHL" has come and gone, and with it the effectiveness of some of the "Rochester Guys."
Also in question should be the person who brought this group together and has staunchly defended and overrated some of them, Darcy Regier.
Black opened the door to changes, just who will be involved and how far reaching it will be is yet to be determined. But what we're looking at are some significant changes that may constitute a rebuild as opposed to a retool.
Sunday, January 15, 2012
We are good enough
"As difficult as it might be for me, for you, for our fans, there is going to continue to be patience involved."
--darcy regier, nov. 5, 2010--
"To the extent we make changes it'll be on a patient basis, not a fire-sale basis."
--nov 5, 2010--
We're not talking about bad people," he said. "We're actually talking about good people who, if we talk about focus, we talk about energy level and things like that, then it's well within their capabilities."
"I am concerned [with 30th place]" "Well you start with the players in the room, you start with the team on the ice and, I think there's some postitive signs, but in a lot of ways, like the start of the last game where we give up a short-handed goal, that seems to be really the tipping point. And, in that case, awfully early in the game. I would say what he have had...right from the start of the season is we have had tremendous efforts like in atlanta, a two-nothin' lead, maybe one of the best periods of the year...For whatever reason, they haven't followed through in the second...we've had some inconsistencies in the game we're still working through getting things to fit."
"there is a division of labor here, whether it’s the coach, the general manager or the ownership. It is as it should be. Each of us has our own responsibilities and my responsibility is the hockey club and personnel"..."One of the obligations we have is to find better players...That’s a constant obligation"--april 29, 2010
[do you have a top-line center]..."Yes we do. Yes we do. How you want to measure that, you can pick how you measure that...
"For us, it is better than a trade,'' Regier said today. "I think when you look at anything that is available in the summer, anything that is available right now on the trade market, in order to keep Tim [connolly] here, not to give up any assets to acquire someone like Tim, I think it's a terrific day for the Sabres organization. [connolly's] healthy now. We expect him to be healthy. If you look at the marketplace in the summer, there's very few short-term contracts so that's what he gave back to the club (a two-year deal). We think he's one of the top players at his position in the National Hockey League. .. . The bet for us is obviously on his health. It's one that ownership was willing to make, one that I was willing to make on the management side."
[better players] "They are a big part of the team, they are important to your success and they are not readily available...So if teams have them, the likelihood of them giving them up isn’t very high. That brings you back to the people you have, and doing the work, in season and offseason, and helping them grow and become better. To the extent that that fails, then you have to try and figure out what to do going forward."
"...I'll assume when you're talking about doing something you're talking about trades...I think there's alot you can do prior to...trade is one aspect. To assume you're gonna make a trade and that's gonna fix it, Bulldog, if you were gonna take that position, I think it's a bad place to be. If you want to start to make moves now at this point in the season, the only way you're going to be able to do it is you're going to have to give up your assets, and those are your best players and the reality is we're not going to move our best players."--nov 5, 2010--
"I think, for the most part, the players are playing the way Lindy wants them to play...I think Lindy's looking at the same things I'm looking at from a coaching perspective is how can we change things up, how can we get things to click a little bit better...playing with everything from lines to individuals..."
We're not talking about bad people," he said. "We're actually talking about good people who, if we talk about focus, we talk about energy level and things like that, then it's well within their capabilities."--october 28, 2010--
"I am concerned [with 30th place]" "Well you start with the players in the room, you start with the team on the ice and, I think there's some postitive signs, but in a lot of ways, like the start of the last game where we give up a short-handed goal, that seems to be really the tipping point. And, in that case, awfully early in the game. I would say what he have had...right from the start of the season is we have had tremendous efforts like in atlanta, a two-nothin' lead, maybe one of the best periods of the year...For whatever reason, they haven't followed through in the second...we've had some inconsistencies in the game we're still working through getting things to fit."--november 5, 2010--
"there is a division of labor here, whether it’s the coach, the general manager or the ownership. It is as it should be. Each of us has our own responsibilities and my responsibility is the hockey club and personnel"..."One of the obligations we have is to find better players...That’s a constant obligation"--april 29, 2010 
[do you have a top-line center]..."Yes we do. Yes we do. How you want to measure that, you can pick how you measure that...--april 29, 2010--
If you want to look at number one centers...we have two in the top twenty [in the NHL]--june 24, 2010--
"For us, it is better than a trade,'' Regier said today. "I think when you look at anything that is available in the summer, anything that is available right now on the trade market, in order to keep Tim [connolly] here, not to give up any assets to acquire someone like Tim, I think it's a terrific day for the Sabres organization. [connolly's] healthy now. We expect him to be healthy. If you look at the marketplace in the summer, there's very few short-term contracts so that's what he gave back to the club (a two-year deal). We think he's one of the top players at his position in the National Hockey League. .. . The bet for us is obviously on his health. It's one that ownership was willing to make, one that I was willing to make on the management side."--march 4, 2009--
[better players] "They are a big part of the team, they are important to your success and they are not readily available...So if teams have them, the likelihood of them giving them up isn’t very high. That brings you back to the people you have, and doing the work, in season and offseason, and helping them grow and become better. To the extent that that fails, then you have to try and figure out what to do going forward."--april 29, 2010--
[best players] "...players like...the obvious is ryan miller right down to players...tyler myers...it's players like that and to varying degrees inbetween. I'm not gonna sit here and rate the players for you, Bulldog, I'll leave that for you guys and your show. My position is we'll do what we did in the past...we'll work through it, we have in the past."
--november 5, 2010--
"...I'll assume when you're talking about doing something you're talking about trades...I think there's alot you can do prior to...trade is one aspect. To assume you're gonna make a trade and that's gonna fix it, Bulldog, if you were gonna take that position, I think it's a bad place to be. If you want to start to make moves now at this point in the season, the only way you're going to be able to do it is you're going to have to give up your assets, and those are your best players and the reality is we're not going to move our best players."--nov 5, 2010--
"I think, for the most part, the players are playing the way Lindy wants them to play...I think Lindy's looking at the same things I'm looking at from a coaching perspective is how can we change things up, how can we get things to click a little bit better...playing with everything from lines to individuals..."--november 5, 2010--
Friday, January 13, 2012
Dear Terry, the last thing Sabres fans want to hear is...
..."It's hard to evaluate something that has been torn apart the way this thing has."
The above quote was taken from an article by Bucky Gleason in the Buffalo News today. Terry Pegula pulled out the ole' injury excuse as a reason for his teams poor season. Forget the fact that his good start was due to a very favorable schedule against teams that were at or near the bottom-half of the league, and that this teams' slide was due in large part to higher quality teams. No, it's not that at all, Buffalo, it's injuries. And because of that, we will stay the course.
The Sabres have the exact same record--18-19-5--this season as last. Unlike last season, though, this team has been in a serious downward spiral since November and it got worse in December after embarrassing their owner in an 8-3 loss in Pittsburgh.
That loss started a 2-7-2 plummet from a spot in the top-eight to 11th in the Eastern Conference with only five points separating the team from the bottom of the conference.
The title of Gleason's article, Pegula not ready to pull the trigger, wreaks of "same ole, same ole/same sh!t, different owner."
Actually, when you read his quotes, it sounds as if GM Darcy Regier and/or Head Coach Lindy Ruff is talking through the owner:
Simple fact, through all the "core is growing into their roles" (2008,) "injuries to Ryan Miller and Thomas Vanek (2009,) "we have two of the top-20 centers in the league (2010,) "we're not happy, our goal is to win the Stanley Cup" (2011,) the Sabres are not any better off now than they were four and a half years ago. They just have a couple of first round and out playoff appearances to their resume'.
Nothing has changed with this team since the summer of 2007. Players have come and gone, but it's basically the same team. It's virtually the same core up-front, the ones that were to "grow into their new roles and mature into leaders," as the one they had back then.
In case you missed it, they haven't done that, they aren't doing it now, and it's highly doubtful that they will, save for Vanek and Jason Pominville who continue to pull their weight. It's the same formula this season as it's been the past four and a half seasons, soft-but-(supposedly) skilled and marginal leadership up-front.
On defense, it's the same formula--plenty of "puck-movers" and heavy on offense with very little grit.
It doesn't help that Ryan Miller is a mess either. He's having his worst season with the club. Throughout the post Chris Drury/Daniel Briere era, every season could be maked by these words, "as Ryan Miller goes, so go the Sabres."
About the only thing that's gone right personnel-wise it a huge upgrade with Jonas Enroth as the back-up to Miller.
That's it.
It's the same team we've witnessed the last four and a half seasons, only the names on the back are different. It's the same inconsistencies, the same finesse, the same showmanship at home, the same lack of urgency and passion, the same collapse under pressure, the same gutless play and the same cop-out that has plagued this team as a whole for years.
And now, what's really troubling is that it's also the same excuse-filled, "stay the course" attitude that ownership and upper management have been selling for four and a half years. You could say that the names at the top have changed, but it's still the same. Terry Pegula and company are now on par with the previous regime, a group that was loathed for years.
After seeing what Sabres fans have been seeing over the last four and a half season, the "patience" trumpeted by right-hand man, Ted Black, could be trumped by only one thing--an owner using injuries as an excuse to stay the course.
The above quote was taken from an article by Bucky Gleason in the Buffalo News today. Terry Pegula pulled out the ole' injury excuse as a reason for his teams poor season. Forget the fact that his good start was due to a very favorable schedule against teams that were at or near the bottom-half of the league, and that this teams' slide was due in large part to higher quality teams. No, it's not that at all, Buffalo, it's injuries. And because of that, we will stay the course.
The Sabres have the exact same record--18-19-5--this season as last. Unlike last season, though, this team has been in a serious downward spiral since November and it got worse in December after embarrassing their owner in an 8-3 loss in Pittsburgh.
That loss started a 2-7-2 plummet from a spot in the top-eight to 11th in the Eastern Conference with only five points separating the team from the bottom of the conference.
The title of Gleason's article, Pegula not ready to pull the trigger, wreaks of "same ole, same ole/same sh!t, different owner."
Actually, when you read his quotes, it sounds as if GM Darcy Regier and/or Head Coach Lindy Ruff is talking through the owner:
- "What everybody is missing is that I've been carrying around 167 man games,"
- "We've had 18 players go down. It's like a merry-go-round every night. You look on the ice and what are your defensive pairs tonight? Hell, who knows? Who's healthy?"
- I have to believe we're a better hockey team than we were last year. We just didn't have this massive, catastrophic injury problem. Put yourself in anybody's place in the organization. How do you evaluate what's going on?"
Simple fact, through all the "core is growing into their roles" (2008,) "injuries to Ryan Miller and Thomas Vanek (2009,) "we have two of the top-20 centers in the league (2010,) "we're not happy, our goal is to win the Stanley Cup" (2011,) the Sabres are not any better off now than they were four and a half years ago. They just have a couple of first round and out playoff appearances to their resume'.
Nothing has changed with this team since the summer of 2007. Players have come and gone, but it's basically the same team. It's virtually the same core up-front, the ones that were to "grow into their new roles and mature into leaders," as the one they had back then.
In case you missed it, they haven't done that, they aren't doing it now, and it's highly doubtful that they will, save for Vanek and Jason Pominville who continue to pull their weight. It's the same formula this season as it's been the past four and a half seasons, soft-but-(supposedly) skilled and marginal leadership up-front.
On defense, it's the same formula--plenty of "puck-movers" and heavy on offense with very little grit.
It doesn't help that Ryan Miller is a mess either. He's having his worst season with the club. Throughout the post Chris Drury/Daniel Briere era, every season could be maked by these words, "as Ryan Miller goes, so go the Sabres."
About the only thing that's gone right personnel-wise it a huge upgrade with Jonas Enroth as the back-up to Miller.
That's it.
It's the same team we've witnessed the last four and a half seasons, only the names on the back are different. It's the same inconsistencies, the same finesse, the same showmanship at home, the same lack of urgency and passion, the same collapse under pressure, the same gutless play and the same cop-out that has plagued this team as a whole for years.
And now, what's really troubling is that it's also the same excuse-filled, "stay the course" attitude that ownership and upper management have been selling for four and a half years. You could say that the names at the top have changed, but it's still the same. Terry Pegula and company are now on par with the previous regime, a group that was loathed for years.
After seeing what Sabres fans have been seeing over the last four and a half season, the "patience" trumpeted by right-hand man, Ted Black, could be trumped by only one thing--an owner using injuries as an excuse to stay the course.
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