It's starting to get a bit wierd in the NHL because of the lockout

The NHL lockout is beginning to take it's toll. Inanity is starting to rear it's misguided head as NHL media is starting to look for stories.

Buffalo, though, is not. Fans in Western New York have their own worries as fans are really in a foul mood after what transpired over the weekend.

I'm with ya.

Kinda makes me want to vent.

And vent I shall.


***Pooh, poohing from Bill Daly

Deputy NHL Commisioner Bill Daly came out yesterday and said that the cancellation of the entire preseason due to the lockout cost the NHL $100M.

After emerging from talks with the NHLPA saying that "he didn't have any progress to report, Daly went tugging on heart strings, "That [$100M] is not going to be recouped and that's going to cost both sides," Daly told reporters in New York. "That's unfortunate but it's a reality of where we are."

C'mon, really? You want anyone outside the ownership circle to feel sympathy? Go screw yourself.

NHLPA rep Donald Fehr summed it up nicely, "If this is a loss, this is a loss that is entirely of their own making," Fehr told The Canadian Press in an interview. "They're the ones that did this, nobody told them to."

The two hour talks on yesterday were directed towards defining hockey related revenue, which is a logical first step. How can you get a definitive split of the pie if the pie is ill-defined.

There are so many loopholes and clauses, just like the U.S. tax code, that it might take an army of accountants and lawyers to figure it out. Unlike the Average Joe, former NHLPA counsel and the players, the last CBA--and everything it entails--makes sense to Fehr. He sits across the table, looks Commisioner Gary Bettman in the eye, and says no, the players really aren't making 57% of HRR.

Maybe that's why Daly said, "Unless they show some willingness to compromise, I don't know how we get this done," he told reporters.

Hey, jackass, Fehr and company didn't just fall off of the turnip truck. You ever heard of Major League Baseball?


***Lindy Ruff and Derek Roy

"First and foremost, if you look at Derek's ice-time, you know what I thought of him as a player."--Lindy Ruff

Taken from a piece by WGR's Paul Hamilton entitled, Sabres Ruff will miss Roy.

He might, but most Sabres fans won't.

Sure, Lindy, you might miss his "playmaking skills." But this Sabres fan will not miss his dipsy-doodle turnovers, his attempt at showmanship, and his tendency to fold under pressure.

He's a top-six center at best who really thought he was a Daniel Briere-type top-liner.

Yeah, Ruff put him in tough positions on the ice, but he really had no one else down the middle. And Roy simply couldn't get 'er done.

All you need to know about Roy's character and why he was moved is encapsulated here:

“We had high expectations at the start of the year. We knew that,” said Sabres center Derek Roy, who has only eight goals and 24 points. “Going forward now there’s low expectations. So now it’s easier to play. We just play loose, play fun. Go out there and play hard.

The era of "The Core," or as Sabres President Ted Black puts it, "The Rochester Guys," was defined rather simply:  they were great when it was easy, folded when it was tough.

And Derek Roy was one of the leaders of that.

Adios. Take your sorry ass to Dallas, Derek. And by all means, make sure you never lose your cuteness.

***Cody Hodgson starts the year with the Amerks

One of the reasons that the Sabres could deal "cutie-pie" Derek Roy was the trade for center Cody Hodgson last season.

Hodgson will be looked upon to fill a top-six role on the team at the center position (along with Tyler Ennis.)

And he's happy to be gearing up for meaningful hockey.

SlamSports' Rob Longley did a piece on Hodgson calling that latter a "budding Sabres star." Which is cool.

What's even cooler is that Hodgson is not taking his hockey career lightly. He may not have the "dipsy-doodle" prowess of Roy or deft skating skills, but he seems to be willing to do the work necessary to make himself the best player he can be.

This summer he completed yet another workout with the renowned workout guru, Gary Roberts, and he says that he's coming into the season in the best shape of his career.

He seems willing to do whatever's necessary during the NHL lockout and for right now is simply looking forward to getting back into a "competitive atmosphere."

Somehow, there's got to be a lingering animosity towards the Canucks and their handling of his injury in 2009. And somehow I'd like to think that Hodgson would really like to stick it to his former GM Mike Gillis who threw him under the bus this past summer.

Gillis, if y'all recall, said he spent more time on Hodgson's "issues" than the rest of the team combined over the last three years.

And if that wasn't enough, he continued to rip Hodgson saying that the latter didn't want to be in Vancouver and that he "built [Hodgson] into something he could move."

Ouch.

Roberts took issue with Gillis' shot at his pupil, "For me, I'd like to be the guy that looks at Mike Gillis and says, 'You're a moron,'" he said.

Oh, and by the way, where's Marc Andre-Gragnani these days, Mike? And how's Zack Kassian doin'?


***Stupidity from Canoe

Speaking of morons.

Steve Simmons of the same SlamSports had this brilliant article, What if the NHL cut salaries and ticket prices in half?.

What if you had half a brain, dumb ass.

How about if your bosses cut your salary in half. Maybe they should for the inanity printed in that piece.

The only thing worse is the lemmings following your lead at an 86% clip.

Must be all Maple Leaves fans. The highest ticket prices in the league for a sorry ass product.

That's the ludicrosity of the lockout and just how far people need to go to find an original thought.

So, what's next?

With the fireworks over across the country, except for those communities who had them rained out, it's now on to the dog days of summer.

NHL GM's, though, still have some work to do even though the two biggest names in this year's free agent crop--Zack Parise and Ryan Suter--have officially signed with Minnesota

A couple of quick notes on Parise and Suter.

It's really great to see the Wild outbid the big-market teams and land those two as opposed to the Rangers, Flyers and Wings. It was a hefty price to pay--$98M over 13 years with $25M up-front--but they did it. And they should feel pretty good about it.

In Buffalo, GM Darcy Regier, is still looking for a #1 center--Colorado's Paul Stastny keeps coming up--and he may be looking to upgrade on the wing as Anaheim's Bobby Ryan is said to be on the market. Rick Nash has not been moved either.

Regier has done some pretty good tweaking to the roster thus far. Bringing in behemoth John Scott and his Hulk-like "smash" demeanor will be useful in certain situations.

But trading Derek Roy for Steve Ott and Adam Pardy really changes the team.

Roy had been a whipping boy in Buffalo for years, and it rarely had anything to with his production. For years after Chris Drury and Daniel Briere left, Roy was near a point/game pace.

But, what he really lacked, and what was sorely needed, were the intangibles in a top-six role.

Even though he wore a letter, he never really exuded leadership. He wasn't on the ice to bring toughness. Nor was he pesky.

He was a skater, "soft-but-skilled" incarnate.

For five seasons we watched a whole team of soft-but-skilled skaters. The Sabres over that time span were considered "easy to play against." And over that time period they never made it past the first round of the playoffs, having missed them altogether three times.

Steve Ott is the antithesis of Roy. He has the grit and the leadership. He goes north/south, goes through, and goes at it.

Unfortunately, he's a bottom-six winger as opposed to a top-six center. And the Sabres are really thin down the middle.

The teams' centers at this time are Tyler Ennis, Cody Hodgson, and Cody McCormick.

Ennis and Hodgson are young (both are 22) and still have bountiful upside, but they're untested. Ennis showed glimpses of possibly being a top-six, maybe even top-line, center late last season when he, Marcus Foligno and Drew Stafford went on a tear that almost got the team into the playoffs.

Hodgson got off to a real slow start with the Sabres, but seemed to finished a bit stronger last season. After the trade from Vancouver he seemed to settle in. He's presently training with Gary Roberts.

As for McCormick, although he still brings grit and toughness to the team, his lack of production last season may see him start the season in Rochester.

The trade of Roy means that the purging of Regier's "vaunted" core players has really kicked in.

All four of the teams' top centers from 2007-08 are now gone. Tim Connolly left last off-season for free agency, Paul Gaustad was traded to Nashville this past February and it looks as if Jochen Hecht will not be offered a contract for this season.

Regier has been doing a masterful job of retooling this team on the fly over the past five months and has brought a sense of excitement as to where the team is headed.

Let's hope he keeps it going.



More on the Roy/Ott trade from Dallas:
http://www.foxsportssouthwest.com/07/02/12/Ott-trade-to-Sabres-a-definite-shocker/landing_stars.html?blockID=755390&feedID=9341


puckdaddy on the Roy/Ott deal:
http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nhl-puck-daddy/sabres-finally-trade-derek-roy-acquire-steve-ott-221635734--nhl.html

Hope doesn't seem to float anymore in Sabreland

Would you, in effect, trade a 29 yr. old, top-six/nine center who plays in all situations and averages three points every four games, for a bottom-six grey-beard on the back-end of his career and a mid-round draft pick (s) and/or a mid-level prospect?
Doesn't make a lot of sense, really. At least on the surface.

You could hope that C Derek Roy has a bounce back season, one that would get him back to 0.78 points a game; hope that he plays with the focus that he had in the fall of 2011 before he was injured.

But it doesn't seem as if Owner Terry Pegula relies on hope and it would seem as if the message is getting across to his charges.

They didn't hope that D Robyn Regehr would change his mind and allow a trade to Buffalo, they went out and convinced him that Buffalo would be his new home.

The Sabres didn't hope for D Christian Ehrhoff to sit down with them on July 1 to negotiate a contract, they went out and traded for his rights to talk to him exclusively.

They didn't hope that an opportunity to sit down with C Brad Richards would get them his services, they saw the writing on the wall and moved on, aggressively signing F Ville Leino.

And at the 2012 Draft, they didn't hope C Zemgus Girgensons would fall to them at #21, they went and made sure they got him by moving up to #14 (thanx Flames GM Jay Feaster.)

You could sit there and hope that Roy regains his form to become that top-six, two-way center he had the potential to become, or had become. But, it doesn't seem as if Pegula wants to sit around waiting.

Which puts GM Darcy Regier in a difficult position. He's always had unabashed faith in--read "overvalues"--his homegrown, "core" players, but he may need to eat this one.

Derek Roy is a real good player. He could play in a number of circumstances on a number of teams and make solid, potential Cup-winning, contributions. Just not in Buffalo.

Even though is stock is low right now, it doesn't mean he doesn't have value.

What it means is that one team will probably get a "steal" in a trade with the Sabres simply because there's not a lot of demand right now for a smaller center like Roy.

It's really more of a timing thing. Two years ago, Roy could have been looked at as a viable top-six, possibly top-line center in the NHL. But league-wide circumstances (like the emergence of size up-front) have diminished his value.

And it hasn't helped that the Sabres went all-in during the last four months down the middle.

They traded for Cody Hodgson and put Tyler Ennis back at center while at the draft they spent five of their picks on centers.

If that's not enough, the team is still talking about bolstering the center position.

So with all that writing on the wall, getting a 3rd and/or 4th-round pick and/or a mid-level prospect may be all that Regier could get for Roy at this time. And he may have to swallow hard and take it.

That being said, if they move on from Roy, they'll have a very, very young group down the middle.

They really could use a veteran prescence and as mentioned in another piece, Jason Arnott might be a good player to bring in.

At 37, Arnott's no spring chicken. But the guy can still play. He could anchor the bottom-six, help groom the youngsters, and add leadership to the forward group as well as add Cup-winning leadership to the entire team.

If there's another player out there who could play a bigger, top-six role while providing those intangibles, it would be safe to say that Pegula and Co. are on it. But as a back-up plan Arnott would look to be a real solid choice.

Could they get him to sign on July 1? Show him the money, and the term and I think the Sabres have a decent shot at it.

So, would I, in essence, trade a 29 yr. old, top-six/nine center (Derek Roy) who plays in all situations and averages three points every four games, for a bottom-six grey-beard on the back-end of his career (Jason Arnott) and a mid-round draft pick (s) and/or a mid-level prospect?

In this case, yes.

Flashback: "The Core" as prospects in 2005

Hockey'sfuture is a good read for info on prospects, and it's a site worth visiting for those interested in delving into NHL organizations and their talent pools.

I happened across and interesting read that goes back to October 12, 2005--The Buffalo Sabres Top-20 prospects ranking from Ken McKenna of Hockey'sfuture.

The NHL, as we all should know, was coming out of the lockout and the "new-NHL" emerging.

The Sabres had all of their top prospects playing in Rochester in the 2004/05 season with the Amerks falling short of the Calder Cup. But the Sabres came out of the lockout with a group of players that had a full year playing together in the AHL.

Out of this group emerged "the core," or as Sabres President Ted Black called them recently, "the Rochester Guys." It included present members Thomas Vanek, Derek Roy, Jason Pominville, and Drew Stafford as well as Paul Gaustad who was traded to the Nashville Predators at the 2012 trade deadline.

Also included in the top-20 were former Sabres forwards Daniel Paille and Clarke MacArthur, among others.

As we head towards the draft, free agency and the upcoming season, I found it interesting to look back at what was being said about "the core" at that time. (For the entire page and player analyses, click on the link above.)

(#1 prospect) Thomas Vanek--"Vanek has displayed the scoring touch that most expect from him, but he has also shown excellent passing skills that have come as a surprise to some observers. The bottom line is that Vanek is the package of offensive skill that the Sabres have lacked for many a year, a fact that should cheer Sabres fans that have suffered through some mediocre hockey since their last appearance in the playoffs in 2001."

#3 Derek Roy--"...his performance in camp was not quite good enough to help him secure that roster spot. Roy’s mediocre preseason performance, combined with his sometimes lackadaisical play in Rochester during the 2004-05 season no doubt has the Sabres concerned that the talented center is resting on past laurels."

#5 Drew Stafford--"While possessing some offensive ability, Stafford’s main attributes are his skating and consistent effort from game to game."

#6 Jason Pominville--"It would seem that Pominville has NHL ability, but it remains to be seen if his road to the NHL will run through Buffalo. There may simply be too much quality in front of him, as well as a few up-and-comers behind him, for Pominville to make his mark in this organization."



#8 Paul Gaustad--"Gaustad also has improved his skating to the point where he is now a bona fide NHL player who could eventually be a solid checking-line center. The Fargo, North Dakota native will never be an offensive star, but he could develop into one of the better role players in the NHL."



The others:

#4 Daniel Paille--" Paille did manage to impress some observers with his speed and effort, but his overall game is not yet to a point where he could push for a NHL job."

#7 Clarke MacArthur--"The Lloydminster, Alberta native is a good skater with a deft scoring touch, but his overall game needs refining before he is ready for the next level."



And finally:

#2 Marek Zagrapan--"Although the Sabres had an obvious need for a top flight defenseman going into the 2005 NHL Draft, they instead chose to select skilled center Marek Zagrapan with their first pick...Zagrapan showed flashes of his ability during his time in camp, but he clearly requires more time to develop in the junior ranks."


For more info on the "Rochester Guys" and their careers with the Amerks, click here.

Mario Williams signing a welcome diversion for Sabres

The signing of free agent Mario Williams is big for the Buffalo Bills. No, it's bigger than big, it's huge. And it's not just for the Bills, but for the entire Western New York area and the Buffalo Sabres as well.

Williams' decision is being put on par with that of another standout defensive end, the late Reggie White. Nearly 20 years ago White, "The Minister Of Defense," left Philadelphia for Green Bay in 1993.

From the beginning of NFL free agency on Tuesday until his signing with the Bills yesterday (a span of three days which is unprecedented,) the Williams saga grabbed all of the big headlines and all of the big talk on talk radio. And it should have. During the past 50 years, there are few "landmark" moves for the Bills.

WGR's Paul Hamilton ranks the Williams signing as close to his top-two Bills moves:  OJ Simpson and Jim Kelly. The trade for Cornelius Bennett back in the late 80's is up there as is the drafting of Bruce Smith.

The signing diverted attention away from the Sabres, and it's a good thing for Lindy Ruff and the team. The team, on the outside looking in, needs every point they can get for their playoff push, and for the second game in a row on Wednesday night--smack dab in the middle of the Willams saga--they gave up a game-tying goal with less than five seconds to play in the game.

That's troubling.

The first time it happened was against Montreal on Monday night as the Habs David Desharnais scored with less than five seconds left in the third.

Although they came back two minutes into overtime as Derek Roy fed a streaking Tyler Myers for the game-winner, they should have felt lucky to come away with the extra point.

But, tempting fate two games in a row?

On Wednesday night against a better Colorado Avalanche team, the Sabres did exactly that as Jamie McGinn scored his second goal of the game with 1.9 seconds left on the clock.



It was back-to-back Keystone Cops moments.

After the Montreal game the team practiced 6-on-5 situations, as Ruff stressed the importance of the back-door. Well, it obviously didn't resonate as the team choked away a point vs. Colorado pushing them one point further away from the playoffs.

Although the videos speak for themselves concerning defensive breakdowns, what's more troubling is the fact that they are getting very little production from their "top-line." Their failure to extend a lead has them scrambling to hold on to a one goal lead late in the game.

The team is getting production throughout the line-up at various stages except from their "top-line." That line had Derek Roy reunited with Thomas Vanek and Jason Pominville back on February 19 against Pittsburgh and they had a stellar game. In the 12 games since they've been nearly invisible five-on-five.

Take away special teams play and their stat-line as the "top-line" looks like this:

• Derek Roy:  0 goals, 2 assists, minus-5
• Thomas Vanek:  1 goal, 2 assists, minus-2
• Jason Pominville:  1 goal, 3 assists, minus-7

Put it all together and their "top-line" five-on-five combined for 2 goals, 7 assists and are a minus-14 in the last 12 games.

Their lack of production is really hurting the team. In a strange twist though, Lindy "the Tinkerer" Ruff has kept this line intact.

We'll see what happens when the team plays in Florida tomorrow night. Right now the team is enjoying the two days off in a row for the first time this month. Yesterday they were given the day off and will have an early practice today.

If the team wants to keep it's playoff hopes alive two points will be needed against Florida. If they really want to help their cause, getting two points in regulation will keep the team six points back of the Cats who are battling for the division crown trying to the a red-hot Washington Capitals team at bay. The Caps sit in eighth place in the division three points ahead of the Sabres with one game in hand.

There's a good feeling in Buffalo right now because of the Mario Williams signing and it would be great if the Sabres can keep that going.

If not, there's always March Madness.



update:

The "top-line" has been broken up. Mike Harrington of the Buffalo News gives us this practice update with the lines being:

Marcus Foligno, Tyler Ennis, Drew Stafford
Cory Tropp, Derek Roy, Jason Pomiville
Ville Leino, Cody Hodgson, Thomas Vanek
Cody McCormick, Brad Boyes, Patrick Kaleta

The defensive pairings remain the same with Tyler Myers serving the second of his three-game suspension and Andrej Sekera recovering from pneumonia:

Robyn Regehr/Jordan Leopold
Christian Ehrhoff/Alexander Sulzer
Brayden McNabb/Mike Weber

Myers and Sekera skated as the extra pairing.


http://blogs.buffalonews.com/sabres/2012/03/tropp-joins-roy-and-pominville.html

Sabres' "top-line" lauded for their performance vs. Carolina

Center Derek Roy was reunited with wingers Thomas Vanek and Jason Pominville nine games ago when Pittsburgh came to town. They came out smokin' but then fell into a bit of a funk.

In that first game,  6-2 Sabres win, the line combined for 2 goals and 3 assists five-on-five. Add in Roy's short-handed tally, assisted by Pominville, and the complete stat-line for the game is 3 goals, 4 assists and an astounding plus-10 by that line.

After that, the bottom fell out. The next seven games they combined for 2g, 6a and a minus-11: 

• Roy--1g (powerplay,) 3a, minus-4
• Vanek--1g, 1a, minus-3
• Pominville--0g, 2a, minus-4

Oddly enough, Head Coach Lindy "the Tinkerer" Ruff, a coach noted for changing lines constantly, has kept these three together.

After last night's 3-2 OT win versus Carolina, you would think that the line had a dominating performance. The Buffalo News had this as one of it's headlines, Sabres' first line rewards Ruff's patience.

Paul Hamilton really liked the "top-line." On WGR's Howard Simon Show this morning, he said, "They spent most of the time in the offensive zone. It was like night and day, [Thomas] Vanek got himself moving, he was skating, he was active and I think it really helped the line do what they're supposed to do, and that's score goals."

Actually, that line didn't score goals. Both Vanek and Pominville lit the lamp on the powerplay, both finished with a goal and an assist each while linemate Roy went pointless (although he banged a couple off of the post.)

Vanek and Pominville have been doing this all season no matter who's centering that line going back to rookie Luke Adam who started the year there and had 10g/10a before slumping.

Through the 2011 portion of the season both Vanek and Pominville were at a point-per-game pace. Vanek is mired in a 2012 calender-year slump while Pominville was Mr. Steady up until those seven games between Pittsburgh and Carolina.

Ruff had himself a difficult decision to make. Yesterday before the Carolina game, Ruff mentioned that this was the toughest stretch that Pominville's gone through all season (see above stats.) And what does he do?

Ruff goes to Roy and asks him if he should keep the line together.

The same Derek Roy who's been centering a line that was invisible for the better part of the last seven games.

The same Derek Roy who's having the worst statistical season since his rookie year.

The same Derek Roy who from the Milan Lucic hit on November 14 through the end of the teams' record-setting road losing streak of 12 games on January 24 had 4 goals, 9 assists and was a minus-11. In the 31 games he played in during that stretch, the team went from the top-half of the Eastern Conference to the bottom with a 10-17-4 record.

The same Derek Roy who had this to say in the middle of the above mentioned malaise, “We had high expectations at the start of the year. We knew that,” he said, who has only eight goals and 24 points (as of the Jan. 9 writing.) “Going forward now there’s low expectations. So now it’s easier to play. We just play loose, play fun. Go out there and play hard."

You've got to be kidding, Lindy, right?

Oh yeah, I forgot, Roy's like a son to you (11:50-mark.) You end up throwing your leading goal scorer (five years running) under the bus in that same interview.

That interview was on February 21st which, coincidentally, is the same time that the "top-line" started tanking. A quick reminder, from that night vs. the NY Islanders through the Winnipeg loss this past Monday--a span of seven games. Thomas Vanek had 1 goal (that very same night @ the Islanders,) 1a and was a minus-3. Pominville went on his worst scoring drought of the year, 0g, 2a, minus-4 and Lindy's son had 1g, 3a and was a minus-4.

Getting back to Ruff's question to Roy, if you are Derek Roy and you're having the type of season he's having, and you get the opportunity to remain with the teams' top scorers and use them as a life preserver, what the hell else would you say other than, "yes, keep the line together."

Another reminder, both goals by Vanek and Pominville were on the powerplay last night and Roy did not factor in either.

Therefore the "top-line," five-on-five at least is still in a funk.

****

Ryan Miller has been on a tear: 4-1-0, 1.61gaa and a .953 sv.% in his last five games. Over the last 10 he's 7-1-2 with a 1.80 gaa and a .942 sv. %. He's not allowed more than three goals in any of the contests and had back-to-back shutouts on the road.

He was the NHL first star of the week last week.

I blame Ryan Miller (and other thoughts)

Think about it.

Ryan Miller just finished stopping 82 shots in back-to-back games. He got the shutout in each.

It's the first time that a goalie has done that since 2010 when Miller did it in his Vezina winning season. It was the first time it was done on the road since the Bruins Tim Thomas did it back in 2008.

No small feat.

Miller has been hot lately. But he's been ramping it up for quite a while. He seemed to have bottomed out, along with the team, during their franchise-record 12-game road losing streak that finally ended in New Jersey on Jan. 24.

He entered that game with a 3.15 goals against average and a .897 save percentage. Since that game in New Jersey he's gone 10-2-3 with four shutouts (including a shutout in a shootout loss to the NY Rangers Feb. 1,) his goals against average is down to 2.58 and his save percentage is up to .915. Both of those latter numbers are right around his career numbers.

Those are not Dominik Hasek/Martin Brodeur elite numbers, but what he's done, especially after the departure of Chris Drury and Daniel Briere, is carry the team on his back for long stretches and be consistent enough to keep them in the playoff race most years, like he's doing this year.

Without Miller this season the team would be near the bottom of the league, just like they were when he was slumping/recovering from the Milan Lucic hit.

And if you take him out of the equation for 2007/08 and 2008/09, the team probably would have had a lottery pick instead of mid-first rounders. Although they did well with Tyler Myers at #12 in 2008, Zack Kassian, their 13th overall pick in 2009 was traded for a center earlier this week--Cody Hodgson.

This edition of the Sabres is on a pace to score the least amount of goals since the 2002/03 season. In 2003 the team finished with the fifth worst record in the league and picked Thomas Vanek with the #5-overall pick.

So, I blame Ryan Miller because he's kept the Sabres from bottoming out and getting upper-level draft talent for at least two years.

And it looks as if he's doing it again.

Carrying on with that theme, after watching Hodgson last night, I could see two things--Vancouver has some real good forward depth from the skill side to be able to trade away a talent like him and Hodgson already looks to be better than almost anyone on the team up-front.

His skating is pretty smooth, he has great on-ice vision, his transition game is quick, he backs off the defenders and he always seems to be in the right position. His line was clearly the best line on the ice last night, and although he didn't register a point, he was on the break as linemates Tyler Ennis and Drew Stafford combined on the latter's goal.

I don't know if it's Hodgson's overall talent or the Sabres lack of upper-eschelon talent up-front, maybe it's a combination of the two, but the Sabres brass really need to upgrade the talent up-front in the off-season. Hodgson was a good start (potential great start,) but it looks as if he's already leaving a couple of "top-six" guys in the dust.

Which brings us to a "top-six" guy on the Sabre who's been MIA for a big chunk of the 2012 calendar year--Thomas Vanek.

Vanek's in a slump, which isn't all that peculiar.

But his four goals in 23 games since the beginning of the calendar year should at least be of note. As should his upper body injury that kept him out of three games. Since his return from injury, though, he's managed three goals, three assists and is a plus-2 in 11 games.

Vanek and linemate Jason Pominville were the only contributors to the Sabres offense during the first half of the season. Pominville has continued his steady, productive pace while Vanek has dropped off.

Lindy Ruff has had Derek Roy centering those two for quite a few games now and they still don't seem to click. When you put Hodgson's line up against Roy's line, the latter looks like it has checking line talent.

On WGR's The Howard Simon Show 10 days ago, Ruff had some interesting thoughts on the two. Ruff called his relationship with Roy, "almost like a father/son relationship where you're tough on your kid" (11:50-mark.) Ruff was almost playful in his response.

But when it came to Vanek, Ruff became terse. Because of Vanek's penchant for dumb penalties in the offensive zone this year, Simon asked Ruff how much rope will the talented goal-scorer get. Ruff responded cut and dry, "No more rope anymore."

"I've probably given out too much rope in that situation during the year," Ruff continued, "and there's been too many conversations about the type of penalties he's taken."

As he delves into his response a little further, Ruff ties in Vanek's penalties as costly in important games throughout the year, especially the games he pointed out earlier where the Sabres could've come away with points most notably Carolina early in the year and St. Louis in January.

Ruff basically throws Vanek under the bus, indirectly blaming him for a handful of losses and then continues his theme, "I've told him there's no more rope. If you want to take those penalties, whether we think there was a penalty or not, I don't want him taking any more."

Vanek is not innocent, by any stretch of the imagination, but who'd have thought that Roy would be Ruff's boy, and Vanek, the team's leading goal scorer for five years running, would be Ruff's whipping boy?

*shrugs*

Four moves for the Sabres....

if GM Darcy Regier and the Sabres brass are willing to throw in the towel on the season.

That, of course, is a big "if."

The goal, in this blogger's eyes, is to add some center depth now and better position themselves for the draft  by trading movable players. Unrestricted free agents are obvious, but teams are always looking for defensive depth at this time of year and there are a number of teams that could use a top-six center.

The names we'll look at are Derek Roy, Paul Gaustad, Jordan Leopold and Brad Boyes.

What we're looking for are at least two center prospects in return and two draft-picks somewhere in the the #16-56 range (ideally, we'd want to go higher, but that might be a bit of a stretch.)

Qualifier:  It's kind of fun playing GM from behind a keyboard. After all, your ass isn't on the line as you spend millions of your owner's money both near-term and years down the road. Nor do you have the responsibility of uprooting a player and, possibly, his family.

Speculation is the order of the day at this time of year and even though there's no inside info here, with the amount of information on the internet you can draw some conclusions as to what players, especially prospects, are all about. With that info in hand, you can look at a teams' playoff position and read up on needs and/or wants then play match-maker.

Far be it for me to be so stodgy as to stand idly by with the trade deadline less than a week away. This is the time of year armchair gm's relish as they toy with delusions of Stanley Cup grandeur, and I'm game.

That being said, here we go.

(Edit:  After posting this article, the Tampa Bay Lightning traded forward Steve Downie to the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for defenseman Kyle Quincy. Bolts GM Steve Yzerman then sent Quincy to Detroit for a 2012 first-round pick and a minor league defenseman--Sebastian Piche.)

Derek Roy

It's been said that the Sabres tried trading Roy over the summer, and, obviously it hasn't happened yet.

Up until the Pittsburgh game this past Sunday, Roy was having a dismal season. But during that game he showed glimpses of why he was near a point/game player for a few years.

Back in early January, we focused on three teams in the playoff hunt that could use a top-six center like Roy--Florida, Minnesota and Phoenix.

Florida is in a battle with Washington for the Southeast Division lead and the loser could still end up in the playoffs. Minnesota is a mere four points out of a playoff spot in the Western Conference with four teams to jump. And Phoenix is presently holding down the #7-seed in the West.

We looked at a return for Roy, with the return being a mid-upper level center prospect coming back. The names:  Nick Bjugstad (Florida,) Zack Phillips (Minnesota,) and Ethan Werek (Phoenix.) Click on the link above for more info.

But there's an interesting development in Washington.

Their center depth was depleted with the injury to Niklas Backstrom back in January. Right now down the middle they have sophomore center Marcus Johansson, Brooks Laich, Jeff Halpern and Matthieu Perreault at the pivot.

Backstrom's out with concussion related problems and he's yet to resume skating. Although the Caps are not in dire straights right now, a move to keep them in the hunt for both the playoffs and the division title might be a good one.

The Caps are tight against the cap, but could create space for Roy's $4M cap-hit this season and be in pretty decent shape for next season as well.

The cool part about the Caps is that they have an extra first-round pick this season thanks to Colorado giving theirs up for goalie Semyon Varlamov.

As Roy begins to heat up along with Washington's playoff chase, Roy could be put to good use by the Caps. Yes, they are having goaltending problems and would probably would like to have a Jonathan Bernier (LAK) or a Cory Schneider (VAN,) but that isn't likely to happening until the off-season.

If the Caps want to add a #2 center like Derek Roy, they have an extra first-round pick to give in return. But if I were in the Sabres shoes, I wouldn't stop there.

The goal for this arm-chair gm is to add depth to the center position too.

The Sabres are not going to get the Caps top-center prospect, Cody Eakin. Nor will they get any upper-level prospect (unless there's a package deal) so Buffalo can set their sights on an older "prospect" in the Caps system--Mattias Sjorgen.

The 24 yr. old free agent signing is presently playing in Europe after an ill-fated stint with the Hershey Bears. According to Hockey's Future, Sjorgen used an out-clause in his contract and his status with the team is unknown.

Sjorgen has good size, 6'1", 210lbs, and is projected out as a bottom-six center. For the Sabres, other than Luke Adam, their center depth has prospects on the small/skilled side of the equation.

Would the Sabres be able to get Sjorgen along with one of Washington's two first-rounders?

Why not? As a free agent Sjorgen cost the Caps nothing to sign. And they'll have Roy, a clear #2 behind Backtrom, or an outstanding #3 behind Johansson as well.

The trade by buffalosabresnow:

• Derek Roy to Washington for one of their two first-round picks and prospect Mattias Sjorgen.

Paul Gaustad

"Goose" is a perfect UFA for a contender looking for a deep run in the playoffs. He's big, his defensive play is outstanding and his prowess in the dot is top-five. You're not going to get much offense out of him, but there are at least a couple of teams who wouldn't care.

Oh, and his $2.3M annual cap-hit is easily absorbed.

But, as mentioned here (and a lot of places as well,) Goose to Detroit is about as good a fit as any this trade deadline.

Sunday, on Hockey Day In America, Gaustad's line was up against the Evgeni Malkin line as the Pittsburgh Penguins visited the First Niagara Center. Goose, along with LW Nathan Gerbe and RW Patrick Kaleta, throttled Malkin as the Sabres rolled to a 6-2 win.

Something like that would only enhanced Gaustad's worth.

The Red Wings aren't exactly spring chickens anymore, although players like Niklas Lidstrom somehow defy age. But, as aged as they are, right now they could be looked at as the Stanley Cup favorite this season.

For the Wings, the future is now and adding Gaustad certainly will give them one of the deepest groups of forwards in hockey.

So, as we move Goose to the Wings, a fit like that deserves a decent return. The Wings have plenty of center depth in their system with three of them ranked in the mid-upper area of the organization:  Riley Sheahan, Calle Jarnkrok and Landon Ferraro.

Of the three, Sheahan has attributes that any team would want, specifically the Buffalo Sabres.

A junior at Notre Dame, Sheahan has an NHL-ready 6'2", 200lb frame, plays a solid two-way game and seems to have a good head on his shoulders.

The trade by buffalosabresnow:

• Paul Gaustad to the Detroit Red Wings for Riley Sheahan

Jordan Leopold

Leopold is one of those veteran, top-four defensmen that always seems to be on the move at the deadline in fact he knows it first-hand. He's dependable, good in his own end, can put up points, and can log big minutes.

The only drawback to him being moved is that he will have one more year on his contract after this season, so he's not a rental.

The Sabres have quite a few defenseman who can do what Leopold does so moving him would not really hurt them next season.

Once again, there are always a few teams that are looking for veteran defensive depth, but one team could really use his services--Florida.

The Panthers are turning their franchise around after not making the playoffs for the last 10 years. They've done it by bringing in a bevy of veterans to hold the fort while their deep pool of prospects develop.

After a hot start, Florida dropped out of the Southeast Division lead only to gain it back a game later from Washington. But injuries on the back-end have the potential to derail their playoff push.

Three of their six starters on defense are on IR with veteran Ed Jovanoski slated to return very soon.

Enter Leopold.

With Florida well-stocked at every position in the organization, the Cats could, conceivably get by with minimal picks in the upcoming 2012 draft. Sending a couple Buffalo's way for Leopold would not hurt the organization in any way.

The buffalosabresnow trade:

• Jordan Leopold to Florida for a 2012 2nd-round and 2012 4th-round pick

Brad Boyes


The first acquisition by Sabres GM Darcy Regier under the new ownership of Terry Pegula.

Boyes is a former 40-goal scoring winger who was brought in to bolster the forward group--as a center.

It didn't work out well. In 67 games with Buffalo, Boyes has eight goals and 19 assists and has been dropped to the fourth line.

Boyes will be an unrestricted free agent, and with most of his $4m contract being paid, teams in the hunt for the playoffs, or looking to (hopefully) bolster their scoring from the wing for a long playoff run could look to Boyes as an option.

The team that Boyes could end up with is the team that he's played for before--Boston.

The equation is simple. Bruins RW Nathan Horton is out with a concussion and the team is said to be looking for a replacement. Rick Nash has gathered all of the headlines as the Columbus Blue Jackets have said that all is on the table for their last-place team.

But Nash does not make any sense for the Bruins at this juncture of the season. They're looking for rental.

After Nash, the Edmonton's "Captain Canada," Ryan Smyth, would be next on their list, but he's said that he wants to stay in Edmonton. Another Oiler, Ales Hemsky has been a perennial trade candidate for a couple years now with nothing ever coming of it. Perhaps his $5M cap-hit has been a determent.

As we move down the depth-chart of wingers, we get to Brad Boyes. He has the size and can play a gritty game at times, plus he wouldn't cost the Bruins much in return.

The buffalosabresnow trade:

• Brad Boyes to Boston for a 2012 3rd-round pick.

When owner Terry Pegula said that "the reason for the existence of the Buffalo Sabres is to win the Stanley Cup," he didn't say how they would do it. When he mentioned that his goal was a Cup in three years, he obviously thought this team was closer than they really were, but that vision has been obliterated.

A partial reconstruction should be in the cards this season. This trade deadline along with a potential a lottery pick in the 2012 draft represents a unique opportunity for a team that's in dire need of, at least, a "re-tool."

For too long--nearly ten years--Buffalo has been mired in mediocrity to the point where they're not good enough to win it all, yet not bad enough to get a top-five draft pick. It's time to buck that trend and tank the season.

The buffalosabresnow plan of attack using that thought and the aforementioned trades:

• Sabres end up in the top-five of the draft and land an impact center.
• Derek Roy gets them a mid-lower first-round pick plus a big, bottom-six center prospect (Mattias Sjorgen)
• Paul Gaustad gets them potential top-six center prospect Riley Sheahan
• Jordan Leopold lands a second and a fourth round pick in the upcoming draft
• Brad Boyes gets the team a third-rounder

What would you rather have, a team that goes on a run and falls short of the playoffs ending up out of the top-ten in the draft?

Or a team, via the above moves (and a drive to the bottom of the standings by the team) with two first-rounders (including a top-five,) three second-rounders, two third-rounders and a fourth rounder along with two center prospects?

That was fun.

Thanx for reading.

It's No Fun Losing

Yesterday on WGR's Mike Schoppsie and the Bulldog, one of the topics was that the Sabres don't seem to be enjoying themselves right now. It was somewhat spurned by a caller who's young son pointed it out while watching them practice.

Pretty obvious.

The discussion evolved into the fact that this Sabres' team isn't having any fun.

And, they're not.

The simple fact is, it's no fun losing.

No true professional athlete would say they're having fun out there when their team is inconsistent and out of a playoff spot, nor would they utter the words, "we're just gonna go out there and have some fun" as a way of getting out of a funk.

Back in the 90's when the Buffalo Bills were in the midst of their consecutive Super Bowl loss streak, I remember Thurman Thomas and Jim Kelly saying that they're gonna go out and just try to have fun as a way of dealing with pressure. That attitude was a harbinger of the disaster that was about to happen.

As the Sabres continue in their funk, not one player should feel as if "going out there and having fun" is the best way to deal with the pressure of losing. They neither have the talent, nor the pedigree nor the rich history to feel so bold as to eschew hard work in favor of fun.

It's worth repeating:  it's no fun losing.

Who is having the best season for the Sabres thus far? It would be Thomas Vanek.

Does he look like he's having fun out there? No.

For him it's all business. It's all hard work. It's paying the price to score a goal.

Vanek never has been the most graceful one on the ice, and he's floundered and tripped over himself as he stretches for something that's just out of reach, but it doesn't matter. He is doing whatever's necessary to get the job done. It's a fourth-line mentality in a top-line player.

Vanek has busted through every threshold that's stood before him since he signed that $50M contract. As he's matured, so has his play. He's still hard on himself for missing an opportunity, but his overall game has developed immensely over the last four years.

He matured to the point where last season he was given a letter and helped lead the team to the playoffs after a dismal start. This season he was clearly disappointed when he didn't get the "C" sewn on his sweater, and what did he do? Stepped up his game. He is on a pace for his third 40-goal season. He's on a pace for career highs in assists and points as well.

The headline for today's Buffalo News article is, Following Vanek's example may cure Sabres' scoring woes.

Maybe it should read like this, "Following Vanek's example may cure the Sabres' immaturity, ineptitude and inconsistency woes."

The Sabres "scoring woes" are a direct result of not putting in the hard work on the ice, of not going to the places where goals are scored, of trying to look to cute and of a general apathetic approach to stretches within the game.

Sabres' players can hide behind the "just gonna go out there and have fun" front, but are they really? Are they really enjoying it, or are they just looking good for the camera?

Are they interested in the Stanley Cup? or the red solo cup?





Big thanx to Cabin for turning me on to the video.


Edit:  this from the Tonawanda News on January 9

“We had high expectations at the start of the year. We knew that,” said Sabres center Derek Roy, who has only eight goals and 24 points. “Going forward now there’s low expectations. So now it’s easier to play. We just play loose, play fun. Go out there and play hard.


“I think scoring goals has been a key factor this season. The goal scorers got to go out and execute.” (hmmmm...like Thomas Vanek?)

What a surprise, Roy shows his "leadership" by saying "play fun."
http://tonawanda-news.com/sabres/x205476229/Glass-half-empty-at-halfway-point

A Valiant Effort



Paul Gaustad knew what needed to be done. Or felt that he needed to challenge Milan Lucic. And he did on their first shift. And he took a pretty good beating. Good thing it was real early, Lucic wasn't warmed up yet, “It was my first shift, you know,’’ he said. “It’s kinda tough to get angry.’’



The girls' reaction in the second row says it all.
Everyone knew what Gaustad was in for
tangling with Milan Lucic, but it didn't matter.
The effort was appreciated
througout Buffalo.



Gaustad earned some respect, though. As did the Sabres even though they eventually dropped a 4-3 decision to Boston in a shootout.

After the game, Lucic was asked about Gaustad and the fight, "It was straight to the point," he said. Teammate Chara gave props to Goose, "You have to give Gaustad credit," Chara said. "He's a stand-up guy and he did a good job for his team. So did Looch."

Gaustad and the team earned back the respect of their fans as well. The 18,690 in attendance and those of us watching loved it, even though they knew the outcome of the Goose/Looch fight. As John Vogl of the Buffalo News put it, "What mattered was their team was back from the land of kittens and custard."

Goose also came in mid-way through the first to pound Brad Marchand into the boards after Marchand nailed Nathan Gerbe with a check. The B's descended upon Goose and Corey Tropp like a pack of wolves with fists flying. Amongst the Bruins on the ice were some pretty tough customers like Adam McQuaid and Johnny Boychuk.





Out of the melee' came Zdeno Chara and Robyn Regehr. Regehr, who's not the greatest fighter took some lumps from the 6'9" Chara, but managed to sneak in a punch or two himself.

Regehr has always been well respected throughout the league, and it's a good thing he was out there.

The Sabres as a team acquitted themselves very well in what turned out to be an old-school, Adams Division-type rumble for a period and a half. The played some pretty inspired hockey and they didn't back down despite the fact that they were clearly outnumbered in the manly-man category.

For as small as he is,
Nathan Gerbe's heart can
fill the entire F'N Center.

Gerbe, the shortest player in the ice, had eight hits on the game, which isn't all that surprising considering that's the game he plays, "That's fun to play, I'll tell you that much," said the Sabres forward. "Those games are awesome. It's fun to play. It's fun to compete."

That attitude, along with Gaustad manning up early, got their blood pumping to the point where they lead the game by two goals twice, 2-0 and 3-1, but just couldn't bury the defending Stanley Cup Champions with that third one.

Nor could they protect a one-goal lead in the third. Nor could they score in overtime or the shootout.

But all-in-all they played one of their best games of the season, especially in the first period.

For all the purported skill Darcy Regier was supposed to have stocked the team with, they're still not quite as skilled as he believes them to be.

Thomas Vanek scored on a wicked wrist shot to put the Sabres up 2-0. He's got mad skills, although he'd love to have the shot that Chara blocked back. Maybe put some air under it.

Christian Ehrhoff showed why the Sabres went after him. His game-opening goal was a blast from the point through a thick screen in front of Tim Thomas.

Other than that, lack of finish still seems to haunt this team.

The Bruins are a tough match-up for the Sabres. The B's beat them the first time with intimidation and the second time with just a little more skill and finish.

It's not an egregious mismatch, by any stretch, but a tweak or two may be in order if they want to match up with the champs.

The Sabres should in no way hang their heads after their defeat. They gave it all they had, and now need to find it within themselves to sustain that level of play they showed in the first period and a half throughout an entire game.

Although Brad Marchand got leveled
by Thomas Vanek on this play,
he got up and scored seconds later.
The mark of a champion.

There's no better team than the Boston Bruins to emulate now. They had their Lucic/Ryan Miller moment when Marc Savard was nailed by Matt Cooke and there was no response. Eventually they did with Shawn Thorton going after Cooke. And from then on they built themselves into a Stanley Cup Champion.

It's a long way to Tipperary, and these two games with the Bruins showed just how far the Sabres need to go. The team has some really solid pieces, strong goaltending and some skill up-front. They proved last night, as they've proven on more than one occasion before, that they can play a physical game.

They just need a piece or two to be able to come out on top in an Adams Division-type rumble.

~~~~~~~~~~

Jochen Hecht made his debut last night and showed his savvy. He had Mike Grier-like moments last night where he somehow got in on Thomas only to be denied.

Sabres d-man TJ Brennan
celebrates his first goal in
his first NHL game.

TJ Brennan got thrown into the fire and played a real strong game. He was strong on the puck in his own end and moved the puck out of trouble on a number of occasions. His goal, in his first NHL game, was a combination of savvy and skill as he jumped into an opening and buried his shot from the slot.

~~~~~~~~~~

From bostonherald.com:

If Lucic-Miller was the big story of the previous Bruins-Sabres meeting in Boston, Brad Marchand’s interactions with Sabres forward Derek Roy was an interesting sub-plot. Throughout that game, Marchand pestered Roy with little shoves and hooks before and after the whistle, and non-stop trash talk.



“He does a good job at it,” said Roy. “There are only a few guys in the league who can do what he does.


“It doesn’t bother me. People have being doing that stuff to me since was a kid. You’re used to it and you just shrug it off. You can’t worry about what he’s doing on the ice, just what you’re trying to do.”

It should be interesting to note that with the Sabres up 3-2 early in the third period, Roy was called for hooking behind the Buffalo net. Zdeno Chara scored on the ensuing powerplay to tie up the game.

About the Only Thing We Know Concerning the Sabres Top-Two Lines...

...is that the #1 center position is quite the quandary.

Right now the wings have plenty of skill and depth, but that pesky center position has been a thorn in the side of GM Darcy Regier ever since the debacle that was the 2007 off-season.

No, Darcy, you never had "two of the top-20 centers in the National Hockey League." Stats, which was the basis for that statement after the 2009/10 season, are for use by fans playing fantasy hockey.

The Buffalo Sabres have one legitimate top-six center on their team right now--Derek Roy.

He's not a #1 center, although if you went purely by stats, you'd have a case.

Derek Roy is a nearly a point-per-game player for the past four seasons and there were moments where he and his wingers looked like a legitimate top-line. At $4M/year, Roy is underpaid, relatively speaking, for his statistical production.

Using Terry Pegula's quote that he "wants to keep not only statistically good players, but winners, gritty players," Roy seems to  be a less than complete player when looking through that lens.

Derek Roy (L) lead the 2003
Kitchener Rangers to the
Memorial Cup.
Not sure how much leading he'll
do (if any) for next season's Sabres team.

On the "winner" aspect, Roy's resume' is filled with awards in junior including a Memorial Cup as captain of the Kitchener Rangers in 2003 when he was named MVP of the tournament.

His NHL career, however, has not lead to anything along those lines. After the departures of Daniel Briere and Chris Drury in 2007, Roy was designated as one of "the core" that would take over the reigns as leaders on the team.

Since then, the Sabres missed the playoffs twice and were bounced in the first round in 2010 by Boston--a series where he failed to score a goal.

This past season saw the team in the bottom-third of the Eastern Conference when Roy was felled by an injury. The team proceeded to come together "as a team" and work their way into the playoffs as the 7th-seed.

Did the Sabres come together as a team because Derek Roy was not there?

I'd say a case could be made.

His demeanor throughout the majority of the past four seasons can be encapsulated in an observation by WGR beat-reporter Paul Hamilton. The Sabres first home game of the 2010/11season was a 6-3 blowout loss at the hands of the NY Rangers. Hamilton noted this about the Sabres' "#1 center": "[Tyler] Ennis was streaking down the near side boards waiting for a trailer to break to the net but no one arrived. [Derek] Roy was too busy trying to draw a penalty and let the referees know there should have been an infraction called."

Although he did rebound to the point where he was showing some leadership in a primary assist role, the team was trudging along at a .500-clip. After a 3-9-2 start to the season, .500-hockey would not get the Sabres to the playoffs.

Interesting to note that Roy was given an "A" on his sweater for the past four seasons, but when he came back for game seven of this seasons playoff loss to the Flyers, he wasn't wearing one.

As for the "gritty" aspect of Pegula's quote, at one point early in his career Roy had spunk. Not any more. Grit seems like a foreign concept to him.

Derek Roy will probably be on the team this season for a number of reasons including, lack of centers on the team, Regier's affinity for his "core,' and his production-to-cost ratio. The latter, though, makes him a very tradeable commodity, especially if the Sabres have a chance to up-grade to a legitimate #1 center.

But, for now, dependent upon what they do between now and July 1st, it's safe to assume that Roy will be a top-six center on the team and, if the Sabres do nothing to address the #1-center position, he will be up-top by default.

On the second line, if Roy does take over the #1 center position, there's a possibility, barring the acquisition of another center, that rookie Luke Adam will be the starting #2 center.

Can Luke Adam Whoop it up
as the Sabres #2 center for the
2011/12 season?

After the Sabres were bounced in the playoffs, Regier and Ruff headed to Portland to watch the Pirates in the playoffs.

Ruff had the opportunity to watch their Sabres prospects in action in the playoffs and said that Adam "is going to be a good two-way centerman that could possibly push up into a one-two role."

Will that role be for the up-coming 2011/12 season, or was he projecting further up the road? Don't know.

What we do know is that the 6'2", 215lb center had a good taste of the NHL this past season putting up pedestrian numbers (3goals, 1assists) in 19 games. The jump to the big club was an eye-opener for both him and Sabreland.

He never really adjusted to the speed of the game and, as shown by his minus-6 rating, had difficulty grasping the defensive aspects of the NHL game.

But, considering he was a rookie and a second-round pick, it was to be somewhat expected.

There could be other options within the next few weeks as it will be much easier to get a #2 center than it is a #1, but for now, it looks as if the #1 center position is a big question mark with the #2 spot being filled by
Derek Roy, although the position will be dictated by what does or does not occur at the top.

Rounding out the top-six on the wings:

• LW/RW Thomas Vanek who's shown very strong signs of becoming a complete player and leader who could, quite possibly, wear the "C" next season. Vanek seems to have passed through a multitude of thresh-holds since he signed that $50M offer sheet in 2007 and his play really picked up this season after Derek Roy went down for the year. Coincidence?
• RW Jason Pomminville, a somewhat overpaid two-way forward who does all the little things that go unnoticed by casual fans and who's ripped for lack of statistical production. Yet, this team plays a really solid two-way game when he's in the line up. Don't expect him to come out smokin' on the score sheet to start the year. He seems to really pick things up in the new year and onward into the stretch-drive.
• Forward Tyler Ennis--the "greazy" (Ruff's word) forward looks to improve upon a very solid rookie campaign which saw him hit the 20 goal mark and tack on 29 assists. In 13 playoff games over two seasons he's managed 3 goals and 5 assists and is a plus-5. At 5'9", 165lbs. Ennis will need to rely on skill and creativity to maximize his potential, but he will also need to curb some bad tendencies--namely, holding on to the puck too long and staying on the perimeter--that have some looking at him as the second-coming of Maxim Afinogenov.
• RW Drew Stafford--Recently inked to a 4 year/ $16M contract by the Sabres. Was this, finally, his breakout year? (shrugs) For more on him, click here.

the buffalosabresnow 2011/12 roster foundation:

Goalie:

• Ryan Miller
• Jhonas Enroth

Defense:

• 1st-pairing: Tyler Myers, ?
• 2nd-pairing: Jordan Leopold, Chris Butler
• 3rd-pairing: Mike Weber, Marc-Andre Gragnani
• reserve: ?

Top-Six Forwards:

• Thomas Vanek, ?, Jason Pomminville
• Tyler Ennis, Derek Roy, Drew Stafford

derek roy, blue-collar leader?

soooooo...you may have heard that drew stafford scored a hat trick vs. the bruins a couple of nights ago...pretty damn impressive, especially because they were the only three goals that the sabres scored..two of them came on the normally languid pp as well...plus, sabres won that four-point match vs. their adams division rival...most definitely first star worthy...

pretty sure that most fans know that derek roy clocked in with three assists, most definitely second star worthy...and the cool part about his helpers?...they were all primary...

***we saw daniel briere play, you, sir are no briere***

derek roy has been driving me crazy and during the past two-plus seasons i've wanted him shipped out...yup, i'll admit it...i loved him for his first couple seasons as he hit the ice with alot of spunk for such a small player...and his feistiness lead to some solid production...but...

after july 1, 2007, i began to turn on him...and it wasn't for his production, which hit a career high of 81 points in 78 games in the '07/8 season, it was how he got those numbers and the style of game he played... he seemed to be skating with a sense of entitlement instead of a sense of purpose...he moped alot and gave up when the going got tough...on many instances lindy ruff called him out for being too fancy, especially in front of the home crowd..imo, he thought he was the second coming of daniel briere, and after briere's departure, it was if he felt that he was the anointed successor to briere's leadership role...

***thick-headed***

derek roy would love to score highlight-reel goals in a "run-n-gun" system, that's what the sabres did in his second season when the team scored a league-high 3.63 goals per game on their way to the presidents trophy...and who wouldn't?...it was his preferred style, a style in which he was reared...lots of goals in a free-style manner is good for the ego and, probably more importantly, good for the wallet...

the problem, though, is that since that '06/7 season the league has changed, clutching and grabbing has crept back in and it's a helluva lot harder to score goals....and, for three seasons, roy still thought he could dipsy-doodle his way through this pre-lockout style of play...the end-result was solid numbers for roy, two non-playoff years and a first-round knockout delivered at the hands of the boston bruins for the team...

***from spotlight to second-fiddle***

this year seems to be different...it may have started out similar to non-playoff years, though, with the sabres going into an october funk the likes of which hasn't been seen for quite some time...roy lead the team in goals (6) and assists (7) and was in the top-ten in points league-wide, even leading the league at one point...he was also one of the games 3-stars three times (1st, 2nd, 3rd)...but the sabres finished the month 3-7-2, near the bottom of the eastern conference...great for roy, bad for the team...

november hit, and the sabres fortunes started to turn around...one of the biggest reasons was because of derek roy, "the set-up man"...

during the month roy's goal total went from six to three and he was named a game-star once (3rd)...but roy had eight assists during november and of them six were primary...the sabres began to pull themselves out of the hole they dug by going 6-6-1 for the month...

***keep it going***

the team has started out the month of december by going 4-1-1 playing some pretty good hockey against some pretty good teams...we've seen thomas vanek get off the schneid as he begins to heat up...we saw drew stafford come back from an injury twice during the month and in two games he has four goals (including the hat trick)...and we've seen the pp edge upwards poised to hit the middle-third of the league after an atrocious start...

as we look at what roy has done during this month, he's continuing to be the set-up man and is on pace for a career-high of 60 assists...of his eight assists this month, five have been primary...he's been named a star of the game only once (2nd) so far in december...

***roy's niche***

the sabres are playing a much stronger team game and are moving up the standings...for his part derek roy seems to have found his niche, at least in terms of how he, and the team, can be successful in the league as the game is played right now...

is it too early to dump the "poor man's briere" and "dipsy-doodle" monikers from roy?...mmmmmm...maybe...is it to early to say "he's got it?"...possibly...is his simplified (can't believe i'm gonna type this,) unselfish approach helping the team?...yup, immensely...

derek roy is actually becoming the team-leader he always thought he was (or could/should be) by not trying to be the hero, by not being highlight-reel fancy, and by not wanting to be a star...and i believe he's smart enough to understand, and may further embrace, the irony of it...blue-collar buffalonians certainly do...

up from the ashes

a heckuva run thus-far for the buffalo sabres...five games in a row decided after regulation, four of them ending up in wins for the good guys...

some thanx need to go out...

to fate... for having drew stafford go down to injury and captain craig rivet go down to illness...in wishing no ill will towards any player (including anyone from the ottawa senators, toronto maple leafs and philadelphia flyers) the down-time for these two players seemed to help the team in two areas...

firstly, "la core" of top-six forwards was shaken up for more than just a shift, period or game...as has been mentioned before, the top-six were all of the same ilk--generally speaking, soft-but-skilled and lacking heart...stafford was the embodiment of that...you just can't have two-thirds of your top-six (stafford and tim connolly) wussing out and failing to put it on the line...in addition, thomas vanek was flustered in his attempt to bust through a wall this season, his frustration leading to bouts of coasting, and that's half of your top-six...

stafford going down allowed for young-gun tyler ennis to reclaim a spot next to derek roy on the top-line with vanek taking the other wing...ennis, who has danny gare-like qualities, had been plying his trade in the bottom-six because there was no room at the top...how did ennis respond?...by schooling jean-sebastian giguere for the game-winning/sabres winless streak ending goal:



since that line has been together, the sabres have gone 4-0-1, all games going past regulation moving the team from the bottom of the eastern conference to 10th place...ennis (3 goals, +4,) roy (2 goals, 6 assists +7) and vanek (2 goals, 4 assists +5) combined for 7 goals and 10 assists and are a whopping +16...they also came through in the clutch...ennis vs. toronto (see above,) roy got the game-winning shoot-out goal vs. new jersey and thomas vanek gave the "how-do-you-do" to the capitals in ot on the espn #1 highlight:



then followed it up by harassing vancouver canucks defenseman dan hamhuis into a giveaway that leads to tyler myers' game-winner in overtime:



on the back end, the embattled, oft-injured, recently benched and food poisoned/flu-bit craig rivet has been out of the line-up since the toronto game...kind of a good thing too...

this is nothing against him and his style of play, but with both him and shaone morrison in the line-up, that's two heavy-chevy's in an increasingly faster nhl...his abscence wouldn't be that prevalent vs. the nj devils or the ny rangers (one win and one ot loss,) but the washington capitals and vancouver canucks represented porsche's in the nhl...the defense for the sabres became much more mobile and as a result the team was able to skate with both teams...the result?...the sabres get their first home win of the season vs. the caps in overtime and follow that up with an end-to-end speed-rush-duel victory in overtime vs. the canucks...

other factors in the alignment of the stars for the sabres:

• jason pomminville getting back into game-shape after his bout with a concussion and stabalized an inept pk
• jhonas enroth holding the fort while ryan miller went down, especially vs. toronto in the shoot-out (see above)...his numbers weren't anything to speak of, but the team seemed to "find it's legs" while playing in front of the rookie net-minder and he came up big when it was necessary...
• matt ellis gets the call from portland to add some size and grit on the fourth line and plays really well

all-in-all, the sabres are out of the cellar, next stop, .500 hockey...

some thoughts on the devils game

• derek roy--congrats on having your name up-top in the league for scoring, does that mean you can float in ot and let one of the league's premier snipers skate into the slot uninhibited?...dude...that was lame at best, but really abhorrent for a "leader" on this team
• andrej sekera--ummm...the puck in your own face-off circle is very important...especially in overtime
• ryan miller--single-handedly got the team a point...please, leave the ambassador role for the off-season...this sabres team is gonna really need you......again
• attendence--a sell-out?...really? (shakes head)
• cody mccormick--nice work dropping them with a big dog, way to show some passion
• pat kaleta--easy there, you're smarter than that
• drew stafford--how many times have we seen staff play like puke, have a kick-ass game after a talking to from lindy ruff, only to see his game deteriorate back down to puke a few games later?
• thomas vanek--was knocked on his ass numerous times while battling for the puck, but just kept fighting,..."got to kick at the darkness 'til it bleeds daylight" (bruce cockburn)

3rd period/ot faceoffs

• over the first two periods, the buffalo sabres went 19-11 in faceoffs
• from the third period on the sabres went 2-12 on the dot...
• the sabres did not win a faceoff from the 6:10 minute mark on
• tim connolly lost all five of his faceoffs, including both in ot
• derek roy lost six of seven
• rob niedermayer lost his only faceoff
• paul gaustad won his only faceoff

if this team, as a whole, played with emotion, i'd like them more...they'd probably win more...and am pretty sure that the fan-base would develop an emotional attachment with the team...right now the buffalo sabres look lame

the journey of a thousand miles...

begins with derek roy driving to the net...twice for goals in a 2-1 win for the sabres...

methinks that this is a good sign for roy...mehopes that it'll continue the entire length of the buffalo sabres hockey season...metakes the role of "doubting thomas"...for now...

roy is not really known for this type of play, which makes me think that he caught the sens d and goalie a bit off-guard...am pretty sure the rest of the teams take notice and will be ready for him in the future...could derek "dipsy-doodle" roy become derek "drive-to-the-net" roy?...not really sure...

i do remember a guy named maxim afinogenov who was highly skilled and flashy...whenever he drove to the net great things would happen...but those instances were too few and far between...

congrats to roy and the sabres for beating their nemesis, ottawa, in their season opener...a great way to start their 40th anniversary season...

some interesting articles: 
robert "rip" simonick has been with the buffalo sabres for 40 years...buffalo news columnist bucky gleason culls some very interesting info from the equipment manager including this, "People don't believe me when I tell them these guys had their own ashtrays on the road with their numbers on them. Gilbert, Jerry Korab, Rene [Robert], Rico [Rick Martin], all of them. Now, they have six beers [for the entire team] after a game. Back then, it was more like six cases."
http://www.buffalonews.com/sports/columns/bucky-gleason/article212886.ece

"holy mackerel," the buffalo news chats with rick jeanneret who says that after 39 years behind the microphone, "he's closer to the end than the beginning."
http://www.buffalonews.com/sports/article215153.ece