Reprinted with permission from hockeybuzz.com
Prior to the Buffalo Sabres game at the Winnipeg Jets, the team announced that they'd traded LW Luke Adam to the Columbus Blue Jackets for forward Jerry D'Amigo.
Adam was taken in the second round (44th overall) of the 2008 draft. He was the third Sabres pick behind the two Tyler's--Myers (12th) and Ennis (26th.) With the Sabres lacking size and depth down the middle they plucked the 6'2" 203 lb. Adam from the St. John's Fog Devils of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.
Kris Baker of Sabresprospects.com echoed what the Sabres were seeing in the big center when they drafted him. "[Adam] goes hard at both ends, and was the leading scorer for St. John's this past season. With an Owen Nolan/Rick Nash type game, he's a responsible, soft-handed scorer who likes use his 6'2, 200-pound body to bang and create. His skating has prevented him from entering the elite tier of forwards."
Showing posts with label luke adam. Show all posts
Showing posts with label luke adam. Show all posts
Monday, December 22, 2014
Monday, July 28, 2014
Luke Adam at the crossroads
Reprinted with permission from hockeybuzz.com
Amerks forward Luke Adam is the last of the Sabres restricted free agents still unsigned this summer.
The 24 yr. old who was drafted in the 2nd round (44th overall) of the 2008 NHL Draft was qualified by the Sabres but has yet to accept the offer.
All of the RFA's GM Tim Murray looked to keep either signed with the club (Marcus Foligno, Chad Ruwhedel, Tyler Ennis) or accepted their qualifying offer (Matt Hackett.)
Amerks forward Luke Adam is the last of the Sabres restricted free agents still unsigned this summer.
The 24 yr. old who was drafted in the 2nd round (44th overall) of the 2008 NHL Draft was qualified by the Sabres but has yet to accept the offer.
All of the RFA's GM Tim Murray looked to keep either signed with the club (Marcus Foligno, Chad Ruwhedel, Tyler Ennis) or accepted their qualifying offer (Matt Hackett.)
Saturday, October 8, 2011
Notes From the Sabres Opening Game Victory
Although the Anaheim Ducks are not the Stanley Cup team they were back in 2007, they are still a tough team to beat. They're big, mobile and skilled. And even though soon to be Hall of Fame defenseman Scott Niedermayer is retired and soon to be retired, future Hall of Famer Teemu Selanne is 41, the team is still mentioned as a contender coming out of the Western Conference.
For their part, the Buffalo Sabres are considered improved to the point where nearly all of the "experts" picked them to be a #3-#6 seed for the playoffs this season. Some picked them to go as far as the Eastern Conference Finals, which doesn't seem to be that far of a reach at all.
Yesterday in their opener versus Anaheim in Helsinki, Finland, the Sabres kicked in the after-burners for a good portion of two periods en route to a 4-1 win.
The team jumped out to a 2-0 lead less than halfway through the first period, answered a Ducks goal in the second with a goal of their own :73 later, grabbed a three-goal lead with a little less than half the second period left and then went into a defensive mode for the remainder of the game. In fact the Sabres did not register a shot in the final period.
It's pretty impressive when a team can go full throttle for the better part of two periods, then switch to shutdown mode for the remainder of the game. Usually the latter will get a team into trouble, but Ryan Miller, his defense and a back-checking group of collapsing forwards did not yield a goal during that stretch.
For their part, the Buffalo Sabres are considered improved to the point where nearly all of the "experts" picked them to be a #3-#6 seed for the playoffs this season. Some picked them to go as far as the Eastern Conference Finals, which doesn't seem to be that far of a reach at all.
Yesterday in their opener versus Anaheim in Helsinki, Finland, the Sabres kicked in the after-burners for a good portion of two periods en route to a 4-1 win.
The team jumped out to a 2-0 lead less than halfway through the first period, answered a Ducks goal in the second with a goal of their own :73 later, grabbed a three-goal lead with a little less than half the second period left and then went into a defensive mode for the remainder of the game. In fact the Sabres did not register a shot in the final period.
It's pretty impressive when a team can go full throttle for the better part of two periods, then switch to shutdown mode for the remainder of the game. Usually the latter will get a team into trouble, but Ryan Miller, his defense and a back-checking group of collapsing forwards did not yield a goal during that stretch.
The Offense and the Afterburners
The forwards on Buffalo are highly reminiscent of the 2006/07 team which Jaromir Jagr, at the time, called a "Ferrari." When they are in attack mode, they swarm the opposition with speed and quickness.
Ville Leino got his first goal as a Sabre due to a swarming forcheck, a pinching d-man and some pretty impressive hand-eye coordination (see video below.)
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| The Sabres 1st-unit power play got off on the right foot scoring two goals on four pp opportunities. Vanek, Pominville, Stafford, Gragnani and Ehrhoff |
Christian Ehrhoff was brought in to, among other things, help with the power play. Marc-Andre Gragnani was inserted into the line-up to, among other things, help with the power play. With those two on the point, Jason Pominville is now working down low. That group, along with Drew Stafford working the wall and Thomas Vanek in front of the net, scored two power play goals as the team went 2/4 with the man advantage.
The New Captain, Pominville, Nets One For "The Core"
Over the last four seasons, there have been a core group of Sabres that management and the coaching staff have put a lot of faith in to win. When Terry Pegula took over he had the opportunity to dismantle, or even tweak, that group. But, just like his retaining both Darcy Regier and Lindy Ruff, he did not.
In fact, Pegula, upper management and the coaches went the in the opposite direction, they gave "the core" even more responsibility by awarding them letters.
Pominville, who has worn a letter for years, including the rotating "C" in 2007/08, had that letter permanently sewn to his jersey. Derek Roy, who has also worn a letter for four years, continues as an alternate captain.
Two seasons ago, Paul Gaustad got the "A," and during that time the team made the playoffs. He's back in that role.
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| New Sabres Alternate Captain, Drew Stafford, and his "Stafford-Scowl." |
Vanek was awarded an "A" last season when Roy was lost for the season, he retained that. And Drew Stafford, coming of of a career year and a multi-year, multi-million dollar contract extension, was chosen to be the final alternate.
Of the core as captains, Ruff said, "We talked with, obviously Darcy and management and even Terry was involved, we felt it was the right move for this group that has grown up together (see this from the Rochester Americans website We kept it to that same core, that it's their time."
Pominville, the captain, answered the Ducks lone goal with the third for the Sabres cycling in the circle down low with Vanek providing a screen. He also had a wicked shot stopped the Ducks' Jonas Hiller low, glove-side. "Pommer" continued to do what he's always done--a solid, if unspectacular game through and through. Both he and Vanek flanked rookie Luke Adam, who did not look out of place.
Robyn Regehr Does His Thing
Much will be made about the toughness Regehr brings to the table, and he showed it versus Anaheim by roughing it up with the league's toughest tough-guy, George Parros.
Regehr also did some pounding in the corners as well, which is typical of his game. For the Sabres, they haven't had Western Conference toughness in a top-pairing role and I'm sure that Miller and the rest of the team really appreciate Regehr having their backs.
But one play that really sets the tone for the season on the back-end, one that was mentioned by the media post-game, was Regehr breaking up a two-on-one by the Ducks. It was fundamental, Defense-101 as Regehr played the pass and Miller squared up to the shooter. Such a little thing like that was missing on most occasions last season, and frustrated Miller to the point that he couldn't figure out what he should do. The eventual lack of trust in his young d-men contributed to his less than stellar performance in goal.
Simple plays like that, and with Regehr leading the defense back to basics in their own zone, should contribute to a lower goals against average for the team and allow Miller to challenge more, which is something seen repeatedly, when he's on his game.
What the Opposition Media Said After the Game
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| Fellow Finn and Ducks Legend Teemu Selanne may have the mural, but new Sabres forward and Finland native, Ville Leino, netted a goal and his Sabres' team got the win. |
From Lisa Dillman of the L.A. Times, this headline: Ducks Buffaloed in Helsinki as teams put their best Finns forward. Not much to the article and not surprising considering the game's outcome. She did lead off with this, "The celebratory homecoming for one Finn could not have gone better or more smoothly." The Finn she was referring to was the one without a mural on the wall of the Helsinki arena but of a Finn who happened to play for the Buffalo Sabres--Ville Leino.
From the Orange County Register, writer Jeff Miller lead off an after-game notes article talking about the Ducks' big line of Corey Perry, Bobby Ryan and Ryan Getzlaf getting big minutes yet getting shut out. He had this quote from Coach Randy Carlyle, "I think our big line dominated the puck control down low for good stretches but didn't score, obviously" Carlyle said. "I think the frustration level built in that group."
It's an excellent start to the season for the Buffalo Sabres, but as Ruff has said on many occasions, it's a marathon not a sprint. Except on the ice where the Sabres will be going full-throttle.
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Sabres 2011/12 Season Preview Part 3--The Forwards
Two areas of weakness were exposed last season in the playoffs: veteran, top-four talent on defense and the lack of a true #1 center up front.
The former, being somewhat easier to fill than the latter, was addressed in a matter of a few days as the team traded for Robyn Regehr and the rights to Christian Ehrhoff whom they signed soon thereafter.
Buffalo was in the running for the only bonafide #1 center on the free agent market, Brad Richards, but Richards opted to sign with the NY Rangers. GM Darcy Regier immediately implemented Plan B and signed former Philadelphia winger Ville Leino whom the team plans to play at center.
The whole Leino signing was a head-scratcher--from a return to his preferred position at center, to the length and term of his 6-year/$27m contract. But Head Coach Lindy Ruff, having watched Leino's work up close for seven games versus the Flyers in the playoffs, saw enough to be convinced that Leino will work at center for the team.
With that in mind, we take a look at the forwards heading into the 2011/12 season starting with the centers.
Ville Leino--What Ruff saw against Philadelphia in the playoffs was Leino often times playing down low as a center. He saw a gifted passer who could hang on to the puck while waiting for trailers. And what he also saw is a player who could get himself into position to bury the puck in crucial situations as evidenced by Leino's overtime game-winner in Game 6 with the Flyers on the brink of elimination.
Leino's journey to a fixture on the Sabres for the next six years has been long and full of ups and downs. Going forward, this season presents a whole new set of circumstances that he'll need to adjust to. He's going from big-city Philly to small-city Buffalo. He's moving from wing to center. His contract goes from $825K to $4.5M. But the saving grace for him, as he plays under the microscope in Buffalo, will be that he's replacing former Sabre Tim Connolly. Connolly was a whipping boy, deservedly or not, for a number of years and it won't take much for Leino to endear himself to the fan base and media in Buffalo.
One would expect Leino to surpass his 19 goals and 34 assists from last season, but to expect a breakout year may be asking too much. It will take some time for him to adjust. His capacity and desire to learn and grow in his new role will be key. Should he adapt well, it's not out of the question to see him pick things up in the latter part of the season and into the playoffs.
Derek Roy--A fixture in the top-six for the Sabres since 2007, Roy will continue in his role as 1A center on the team. There's no denying his consistent point production over that span and were it not for a season ending injury last year, he'd have been near the top of the Sabres scoring once again.
It's never been about production when it comes to Roy, though. It's always been whether or not he can ditch the sophomoric tendencies that he's clinged to since his placement in the top-six. As the season went on last year he seemed to ditch the immaturity--the diving, the complaining to referees--and was looking like a complete player.
Roy has always seemed to be at odds with Ruff and how he wants his team to play. In direct contrast to the team game Ruff wants to see, over the years we've seen too much of "Dipsy-doodle Derek" and his dangling-puck showmanship. Once again, though, that seemed to be abating last season before Roy's injury.
This is a signature moment for Roy as to how he's perceived by not only Ruff, but his teammates as well. The team went on a tear to reach the playoffs last season with him on the sidelines and the mantle of leadership may pass him by. He may not wear a letter this season and how he handles all of this may be a determining factor as to how he fits in to the Sabres plans beyond the season.
There's a new core rising and a set of leaders that are more in-tune with Ruff's five-men-as-a-unit concept than Roy seems to be.
Make no mistake, Derek Roy is a valuable component to the team as he's on the ice in all situations. Whether or not he can accept his diminished status and lead without being expected to be a leader is another story.
Paul Gaustad--"Goose" will anchor the bottom-six and dependent upon who's in the line up he'll either be on the third line or fourth line. Regardless of where he plays, he'll be expected to provide two things: leadership and proficiency on the dot.
The 6'5", 225lb center has a presence about him both on and off of the ice. Were it not for his bottom-six role, he'd probably be the captain of the team, though it doesn't really matter.
Gaustad will be looked to for his typical 10-15 goals and 30 points and as well as the staunch defense of his teammates in hostile situations. We'll also see him on the dot in a crucial face off situation as well.
"Goose" is a consummate veteran. He knows his role on the team and leads by example on the ice. We know he'll never be a "Jumbo" Joe Thorton in the scoring department, but he has shown the capacity to be a lesser Johan "The Mule" Franzen and I wouldn't be surprised if Gaustad's numbers took a decent jump if we see him centering the likes of Nathan Gerbe and Patrick Kaleta, a trio that worked together during the off season. That line has been solid lately.
Luke Adam--The determining factor as to whether or not, and where, Adam plays is the health of Jochen Hecht. Hecht still is not fully recovered from an inadvertent hit to the head by teammate Shaone Morrisonn early in training camp.
One thing we do know is that Adam is making strong push to be in the lineup for Friday's season opener versus Anaheim in Finland.
WGR beat reporter Paul Hamilton is adamant about the progress made by Adam ever since he was removed from linemates Zack Kassian and Marcus Foligno (both who've been sent Rochester) and placed in a top-six role centering Thomas Vanek and Jason Pominville (WGR audio 11:24-mark.) Adam seems to be much quicker and his hockey sense is getting much sharper and he seems to be adapting well to the speed of the game.
It remains to be seen just what Ruff will do on opening night, but there's a good possibility that Adam, because Hecht will not be in the lineup, will be a part of the roster, not in a bottom-six role, but up top. We know the kid can score and be a force in the AHL, what remains to be seen is what he can do with the big boys.
Jochen Hecht--As one of the Sabres best two-way forwards, Hecht will find himself in the bottom-six once he returns to from his concussion. Ruff really likes him because of his two-way play and because of his defensive work. But Hecht is no slouch when it comes to scoring. Twice in the past four years he's scored over 20 goals and he's averaged 40 points over the past six seasons.
Sabres fans cringe at the though of Hecht at center and would rather see him on the wing (actually most, because of his $3.5M salary, would like to see him gone.) Having Hecht in a bottom-six role for the last year of his contract is not a bad thing for the team, no matter what position he plays, and you can look for him to be a big part of the Sabres' penalty kill.
Both left and right wings are loaded with talent on this edition of the Buffalo Sabres. But we'll move over to left wing and start with a player who's considered the biggest scoring threat on the team as of now...
Thomas Vanek--Vanek has performed extremely well for the team as he continues on a path to a complete player. A lot has transpired since his early years with the Sabres both with the team and for Vanek himself.
He has passed through a multitude of thresholds which saw him go from being benched in the playoffs early in his career, to being a consistent threat over the last two playoff seasons and has probably matured more than any other "core" Sabre over that timespan. He has gone from bearing the weight of his ridiculous (at the time) contract to shouldering the mantle of leadership last season. And he's gone from pure offense to a player who Ruff may look to on the penalty kill (see 1:50 mark of WGR audio clip here).
Thomas Vanek has never scored less than 25 goals in his NHL career. He's surpassed 30 goals four times reaching 40 or more twice. And he can score in many ways including a wicked slapshot or a tip in while being harassed in front of the net.
Vanek also seems poised to take the reigns of leadership this season as he's being seriously considered for the captaincy of the team (which would be my personal choice.) Last off-season he took Drew Stafford under his wing and staff produced 31 goals in 62 games. This preseason he's been seen talking Luke Adam through the game, and Adam is poised to be on the opening night roster.
His maturation process has been fraught with pitfalls as he tried to live up to that mammoth contract he signed in 2007. He's now four years removed from that and seems comfortable with who he is and confident in his game.
He may not wear the "C" this season, but you can bet that he'll be wearing an "A" like he did last season. And one should expect continued production from him and his linemates as well as continued growth in his overall game.
Tyler Ennis--The charge of the yougins starts on the back-end with Tyler Myers. Up-front "the other Tyler" joins his namesake as "the new core" for the Buffalo Sabres.
Ennis had a very strong rookie season for the Sabres last year scoring 20 goals and adding 29 assists. This was after netting three goals and garnering six assists during a 10-game stint the previous season.
Ennis also showed he can contribute in the playoffs with three goals and five assists in 13 games and can be a clutch player as evidenced by his Game-5 overtime winner versus the Flyers last season.
The former center who now plays on the wing will be expected to be Ville Leino's "Daniel Briere" this season. Leino and Briere, along with Scott Hartnell made for a formidable line in Philly.
It's a lot of responsibility for the (soon to be, like, tomorrow) 22 year old, but Ennis seems like the type of player who has enough confidence in his game to handle it.
What would constitute a breakout year for the 5'9", 160lb center? Who knows? He'll be adapting to a new center who's new to his position as well. Hell, we're not even sure of any line combinations at this point. But if Ennis were to equal or surpass his regular season output and continue to produce in the playoffs, I'd say that's a damn good start to his career.
Nathan Gerbe--At one point last season it looked as if Gerbe and his 5'5", 180lb frame would be shipped to the AHL because of his inconsistent/poor play. But a funny thing happened on the way to Portland--he got "it" and stuck with the big club.
Late in December he added consistency to his game and it built his confidence. Then in January he started scoring some goals, which furthered his confidence. Then, as the team was transitioning to new ownership on a three-game home losing streak, he buried a puck at center ice as a way to end the team's home futility. The team finished with a 9-1-2 home record after that punctuated by a win versus Philadelphia in the last home game of the regular season. Gerbe netted the game-tying goal on this wicked backhand:
Still young and finding his game, the short, stocky fireplug exudes leadership and a fierceness that his teammates feed off of. He'll be relegated to third-line minutes this season behind Vanek and Ennis, but it wouldn't be surprising to see him hit the 20 goal, 40 point mark. In addition, you'll see Gerbe on the ice during the power play and on the penalty kill. He's also earned the confidence of Ruff to where he'll be on the ice in crucial game-ending situations.
Gerbe, unlike last season, is not being taken lightly by anyone in hockey. He's mentioned behind the likes of Ehrhoff and Leino, Vanek, Ennis and Myers, Pominville and Roy and Miller. But he is being mentioned as an impact player for the team.
Cody McCormick--A fan favorite because of his blue-collar, balls-to-the-wall style of play. McCormick is energy and on the fourth line, he'll provide it. He can score as well.
The versatile forward will be playing either center or left wing for the club dependent upon the health of the Sabres forwards. But no matter where he plays, you can bet he'll be playing smash-mouth hockey to the applause of Sabres fans.
$5.3M, $4M and $4M.
Those are the cap-hits for top-nine RW's Jason Pominville, Drew Stafford and Brad Boyes respectively. All of them have hit the 30-goal plateau at one point in their careers (Boyes netted 43 one season,) yet one of these $4M+ players will be "relegated" to third-line minutes. Which, when put into perspective, is a good thing when the Sabres roll three, maybe four, lines.
Jason Pominville--Arguably the Sabres best two-way forward and a strong candidate to wear the "C."
Pomville is rock-solid in all facets of the game--top-line winger, 1st unit power play, 1st unit penalty kill and go-to guy in the waning minutes of a tight game. His understated style of play goes largely unnoticed by the causal fan and his $5.3M contract is often times said to be albatross-like.
"Pommer" is paid what he's paid. That's it. Whether grossly overpaid or not is up for discussion, but there's no denying that his all around game is sorely missed when he's not on the ice, something that's was a rarity up until last season as he played full seasons in the four years prior to last season.
The biggest hit to the team in his absence was on the penalty kill last season and in the playoffs as well. As a quiet scorer, he's somehow managed to average .80 points per game over the last five seasons including 80 points in 2007/08. In the four years prior to last, he's never had less than 20 goals or 62 points.
Pominville is comfortable in himself and his game and has the respect of both coach and teammates. He will be wearing a letter like he's done for the past four seasons. And a letter looks right on his uniform.
Drew Stafford--"The Enigma" Just what "Staff" will bring to the table this season is not known. We do know that his inconsistencies over the past three seasons have been maddening.
Will he use his 6'2", 215lb frame to the fullest? Will he continue to work the corners with velcro on his stick? How will he mesh with his probable linemates Ennis and Leino? Can we expect him to score in bunches and possibly surpass his 31 goals from last season? Is he capable of 40 goals? Will he be able to transfer regular season success into the playoffs?
Maybe it all hinges upon whether or not he put his "guitar-hero" dreams on hold to focus on hockey. He said he did that last year and he scored at a half-a-goal/game clip.
He's always had the tools, but rarely showed desire up until last season.
Staff will be looked upon as a key cog in the Sabres offense this season. And it's good to see that Ruff has enough faith in his defensive game to put him out on the penalty kill.
What it comes down to with Stafford is whether he wants to be John Leclair or Steve Bernier.
Brad Boyes--The former 40 goal scorer may be the one to end up with third line minutes. But, more importantly, Boyes will be playing on the wing instead of center.
Ruff has said on more than one occasion that without Boyes, the Sabres may not have made the playoffs. And that's true.
As for the playoffs? Simply put--fail. Was it because of his position? or was it because he just doesn't have what it takes to succeed in the post season?
Boyes' lone 40-goal season came when "the New NHL" was still alive back in the 2007/08 season. It was still a hands-off league at the time and perimeter players were able to put up points without interference from the opposition. But the league has changed and it's tougher to score goals. Many now, just like in the playoffs, coming from the "bloody nose" areas down low. And, so far, Boyes hasn't shown a willingness to go into those areas.
If that changes, and he can at least provide 20-25 goals playing third-line minutes, the Sabres top-nine will give the opposition fits.
Patrick Kaleta--Stay healthy and don't get stupid.
Everyone knows Kaleta's game. He is the gadfly, the antagonist, the pest that the opposition hates. Buffalonians love him though. And it helps that he's a native.
Kaleta's problem, due to who he is and his style of play, has been injuries. Not once over the past four seasons has he played more than 55 games.
But, the kid knows his role and he provides a 60-minute motor in overdrive on the energy line. He can score goals and put up points, but will never be confused with Dale Hunter or Claude Lemieux, but if he can channel his energies more in the direction of production instead of destruction, he may surprise a lot of people.
Matt "Friggen" Ellis--Ellis will straddle the AHL and NHL this season. When he plays in Rochester, which will be most of the season, he'll be their captain. When he's up in Buffalo he'll be logging fourth-line energy minutes and displaying a knack for working the corners and playing keep away along the wall. A character guy through and through, Ellis is a good player to have in the organization, one who not only accepts his role, but relieshes it.
All in all, the 2011/12 edition of the Buffalo Sabres is deep up front with one persistent hole--#1 center. Their strength is on the wings and the fact that at least three of the four lines will represent a threat to score will help negate their lone weakness.
They have scorers, two-way players, size, skill, energy and some attitude. As constructed they'll need to embrace the philosophy of "the whole is greater than the sum of it's parts" to reach the promised land.
One should expect that this team's style of play up-front will be leaning towards the "Ferrari" of the 2006/07 team where Ruff rolled four lines while saying "stop me if you can." They don't have top-two centers like Briere and Drury, but they have plenty of speed and more grit up-front than that edition.
Lindy Ruff's line combinations will be a work in progress, as injuries and chemistry affect them. And he gets angry when lines are mentioned as first, second, third...etc.
What he's probably looking at are forwards that are interchangeable in his "five-men-as-a-unit" scheme. Looking for forwards to be all-in no matter which role they find themselves. Looking for them to play "out of character" and willing to do what's necessary in any given situation. Looking for as much desire in their own zone as they have in the opposition's.
Chan Gailey, head coach of the Buffalo Bills, has been able to hide offensive deficiencies through his game planning. His weaknesses on the o-line have been covered to the point where the team has one of the most highly rated offenses in the league. This is without a "franchise" quarterback.
The Sabres will be looking to do the same thing. Without a true #1 center up front, Ruff will be hiding that deficiency through depth.
And as the Boston Bruins proved last season without their #1 center, Marc Savard, it can work.
The former, being somewhat easier to fill than the latter, was addressed in a matter of a few days as the team traded for Robyn Regehr and the rights to Christian Ehrhoff whom they signed soon thereafter.
Buffalo was in the running for the only bonafide #1 center on the free agent market, Brad Richards, but Richards opted to sign with the NY Rangers. GM Darcy Regier immediately implemented Plan B and signed former Philadelphia winger Ville Leino whom the team plans to play at center.
The whole Leino signing was a head-scratcher--from a return to his preferred position at center, to the length and term of his 6-year/$27m contract. But Head Coach Lindy Ruff, having watched Leino's work up close for seven games versus the Flyers in the playoffs, saw enough to be convinced that Leino will work at center for the team.
With that in mind, we take a look at the forwards heading into the 2011/12 season starting with the centers.
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| Ville Leino, now a Buffalo Sabre celebrates his overtime game-winner in Game 6 of last year's playoffs. |
Leino's journey to a fixture on the Sabres for the next six years has been long and full of ups and downs. Going forward, this season presents a whole new set of circumstances that he'll need to adjust to. He's going from big-city Philly to small-city Buffalo. He's moving from wing to center. His contract goes from $825K to $4.5M. But the saving grace for him, as he plays under the microscope in Buffalo, will be that he's replacing former Sabre Tim Connolly. Connolly was a whipping boy, deservedly or not, for a number of years and it won't take much for Leino to endear himself to the fan base and media in Buffalo.
One would expect Leino to surpass his 19 goals and 34 assists from last season, but to expect a breakout year may be asking too much. It will take some time for him to adjust. His capacity and desire to learn and grow in his new role will be key. Should he adapt well, it's not out of the question to see him pick things up in the latter part of the season and into the playoffs.
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| Derek Roy may find himself not wearing a letter on his sweater. Will it affect his game? |
It's never been about production when it comes to Roy, though. It's always been whether or not he can ditch the sophomoric tendencies that he's clinged to since his placement in the top-six. As the season went on last year he seemed to ditch the immaturity--the diving, the complaining to referees--and was looking like a complete player.
Roy has always seemed to be at odds with Ruff and how he wants his team to play. In direct contrast to the team game Ruff wants to see, over the years we've seen too much of "Dipsy-doodle Derek" and his dangling-puck showmanship. Once again, though, that seemed to be abating last season before Roy's injury.
This is a signature moment for Roy as to how he's perceived by not only Ruff, but his teammates as well. The team went on a tear to reach the playoffs last season with him on the sidelines and the mantle of leadership may pass him by. He may not wear a letter this season and how he handles all of this may be a determining factor as to how he fits in to the Sabres plans beyond the season.
There's a new core rising and a set of leaders that are more in-tune with Ruff's five-men-as-a-unit concept than Roy seems to be.
Make no mistake, Derek Roy is a valuable component to the team as he's on the ice in all situations. Whether or not he can accept his diminished status and lead without being expected to be a leader is another story.
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| Sabres Alternate Captain, Paul Gaustad, may not get big minutes, but he's still a big man both on and off of the ice. |
Paul Gaustad--"Goose" will anchor the bottom-six and dependent upon who's in the line up he'll either be on the third line or fourth line. Regardless of where he plays, he'll be expected to provide two things: leadership and proficiency on the dot.
The 6'5", 225lb center has a presence about him both on and off of the ice. Were it not for his bottom-six role, he'd probably be the captain of the team, though it doesn't really matter.
Gaustad will be looked to for his typical 10-15 goals and 30 points and as well as the staunch defense of his teammates in hostile situations. We'll also see him on the dot in a crucial face off situation as well.
"Goose" is a consummate veteran. He knows his role on the team and leads by example on the ice. We know he'll never be a "Jumbo" Joe Thorton in the scoring department, but he has shown the capacity to be a lesser Johan "The Mule" Franzen and I wouldn't be surprised if Gaustad's numbers took a decent jump if we see him centering the likes of Nathan Gerbe and Patrick Kaleta, a trio that worked together during the off season. That line has been solid lately.
Luke Adam--The determining factor as to whether or not, and where, Adam plays is the health of Jochen Hecht. Hecht still is not fully recovered from an inadvertent hit to the head by teammate Shaone Morrisonn early in training camp.
One thing we do know is that Adam is making strong push to be in the lineup for Friday's season opener versus Anaheim in Finland.
WGR beat reporter Paul Hamilton is adamant about the progress made by Adam ever since he was removed from linemates Zack Kassian and Marcus Foligno (both who've been sent Rochester) and placed in a top-six role centering Thomas Vanek and Jason Pominville (WGR audio 11:24-mark.) Adam seems to be much quicker and his hockey sense is getting much sharper and he seems to be adapting well to the speed of the game.
It remains to be seen just what Ruff will do on opening night, but there's a good possibility that Adam, because Hecht will not be in the lineup, will be a part of the roster, not in a bottom-six role, but up top. We know the kid can score and be a force in the AHL, what remains to be seen is what he can do with the big boys.
Jochen Hecht--As one of the Sabres best two-way forwards, Hecht will find himself in the bottom-six once he returns to from his concussion. Ruff really likes him because of his two-way play and because of his defensive work. But Hecht is no slouch when it comes to scoring. Twice in the past four years he's scored over 20 goals and he's averaged 40 points over the past six seasons.
Sabres fans cringe at the though of Hecht at center and would rather see him on the wing (actually most, because of his $3.5M salary, would like to see him gone.) Having Hecht in a bottom-six role for the last year of his contract is not a bad thing for the team, no matter what position he plays, and you can look for him to be a big part of the Sabres' penalty kill.
Left Wing and the Emerging Youngins
Both left and right wings are loaded with talent on this edition of the Buffalo Sabres. But we'll move over to left wing and start with a player who's considered the biggest scoring threat on the team as of now...
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| Thomas Vanek looks good with the "A" on his sweater. What else is in store for the winger? |
He has passed through a multitude of thresholds which saw him go from being benched in the playoffs early in his career, to being a consistent threat over the last two playoff seasons and has probably matured more than any other "core" Sabre over that timespan. He has gone from bearing the weight of his ridiculous (at the time) contract to shouldering the mantle of leadership last season. And he's gone from pure offense to a player who Ruff may look to on the penalty kill (see 1:50 mark of WGR audio clip here).
Thomas Vanek has never scored less than 25 goals in his NHL career. He's surpassed 30 goals four times reaching 40 or more twice. And he can score in many ways including a wicked slapshot or a tip in while being harassed in front of the net.
Vanek also seems poised to take the reigns of leadership this season as he's being seriously considered for the captaincy of the team (which would be my personal choice.) Last off-season he took Drew Stafford under his wing and staff produced 31 goals in 62 games. This preseason he's been seen talking Luke Adam through the game, and Adam is poised to be on the opening night roster.
His maturation process has been fraught with pitfalls as he tried to live up to that mammoth contract he signed in 2007. He's now four years removed from that and seems comfortable with who he is and confident in his game.
He may not wear the "C" this season, but you can bet that he'll be wearing an "A" like he did last season. And one should expect continued production from him and his linemates as well as continued growth in his overall game.
Tyler Ennis--The charge of the yougins starts on the back-end with Tyler Myers. Up-front "the other Tyler" joins his namesake as "the new core" for the Buffalo Sabres.
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| "Greazy" is how Lindy Ruff described Tyler Ennis last season. As shown after his overtime game- winner in Game 5 versus the Flyers, the kids' got game. |
Ennis had a very strong rookie season for the Sabres last year scoring 20 goals and adding 29 assists. This was after netting three goals and garnering six assists during a 10-game stint the previous season.
Ennis also showed he can contribute in the playoffs with three goals and five assists in 13 games and can be a clutch player as evidenced by his Game-5 overtime winner versus the Flyers last season.
The former center who now plays on the wing will be expected to be Ville Leino's "Daniel Briere" this season. Leino and Briere, along with Scott Hartnell made for a formidable line in Philly.
It's a lot of responsibility for the (soon to be, like, tomorrow) 22 year old, but Ennis seems like the type of player who has enough confidence in his game to handle it.
What would constitute a breakout year for the 5'9", 160lb center? Who knows? He'll be adapting to a new center who's new to his position as well. Hell, we're not even sure of any line combinations at this point. But if Ennis were to equal or surpass his regular season output and continue to produce in the playoffs, I'd say that's a damn good start to his career.
Nathan Gerbe--At one point last season it looked as if Gerbe and his 5'5", 180lb frame would be shipped to the AHL because of his inconsistent/poor play. But a funny thing happened on the way to Portland--he got "it" and stuck with the big club.
Late in December he added consistency to his game and it built his confidence. Then in January he started scoring some goals, which furthered his confidence. Then, as the team was transitioning to new ownership on a three-game home losing streak, he buried a puck at center ice as a way to end the team's home futility. The team finished with a 9-1-2 home record after that punctuated by a win versus Philadelphia in the last home game of the regular season. Gerbe netted the game-tying goal on this wicked backhand:
Still young and finding his game, the short, stocky fireplug exudes leadership and a fierceness that his teammates feed off of. He'll be relegated to third-line minutes this season behind Vanek and Ennis, but it wouldn't be surprising to see him hit the 20 goal, 40 point mark. In addition, you'll see Gerbe on the ice during the power play and on the penalty kill. He's also earned the confidence of Ruff to where he'll be on the ice in crucial game-ending situations.
Gerbe, unlike last season, is not being taken lightly by anyone in hockey. He's mentioned behind the likes of Ehrhoff and Leino, Vanek, Ennis and Myers, Pominville and Roy and Miller. But he is being mentioned as an impact player for the team.
Cody McCormick--A fan favorite because of his blue-collar, balls-to-the-wall style of play. McCormick is energy and on the fourth line, he'll provide it. He can score as well.
The versatile forward will be playing either center or left wing for the club dependent upon the health of the Sabres forwards. But no matter where he plays, you can bet he'll be playing smash-mouth hockey to the applause of Sabres fans.
Big Money On the Right Wing
$5.3M, $4M and $4M.
Those are the cap-hits for top-nine RW's Jason Pominville, Drew Stafford and Brad Boyes respectively. All of them have hit the 30-goal plateau at one point in their careers (Boyes netted 43 one season,) yet one of these $4M+ players will be "relegated" to third-line minutes. Which, when put into perspective, is a good thing when the Sabres roll three, maybe four, lines.
Jason Pominville--Arguably the Sabres best two-way forward and a strong candidate to wear the "C."
Pomville is rock-solid in all facets of the game--top-line winger, 1st unit power play, 1st unit penalty kill and go-to guy in the waning minutes of a tight game. His understated style of play goes largely unnoticed by the causal fan and his $5.3M contract is often times said to be albatross-like.
"Pommer" is paid what he's paid. That's it. Whether grossly overpaid or not is up for discussion, but there's no denying that his all around game is sorely missed when he's not on the ice, something that's was a rarity up until last season as he played full seasons in the four years prior to last season.
The biggest hit to the team in his absence was on the penalty kill last season and in the playoffs as well. As a quiet scorer, he's somehow managed to average .80 points per game over the last five seasons including 80 points in 2007/08. In the four years prior to last, he's never had less than 20 goals or 62 points.
Pominville is comfortable in himself and his game and has the respect of both coach and teammates. He will be wearing a letter like he's done for the past four seasons. And a letter looks right on his uniform.
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| Were Drew Staffords numbers last season an aberration? Or will it be the norm? |
Drew Stafford--"The Enigma" Just what "Staff" will bring to the table this season is not known. We do know that his inconsistencies over the past three seasons have been maddening.
Will he use his 6'2", 215lb frame to the fullest? Will he continue to work the corners with velcro on his stick? How will he mesh with his probable linemates Ennis and Leino? Can we expect him to score in bunches and possibly surpass his 31 goals from last season? Is he capable of 40 goals? Will he be able to transfer regular season success into the playoffs?
Maybe it all hinges upon whether or not he put his "guitar-hero" dreams on hold to focus on hockey. He said he did that last year and he scored at a half-a-goal/game clip.
He's always had the tools, but rarely showed desire up until last season.
Staff will be looked upon as a key cog in the Sabres offense this season. And it's good to see that Ruff has enough faith in his defensive game to put him out on the penalty kill.
What it comes down to with Stafford is whether he wants to be John Leclair or Steve Bernier.
Brad Boyes--The former 40 goal scorer may be the one to end up with third line minutes. But, more importantly, Boyes will be playing on the wing instead of center.
Ruff has said on more than one occasion that without Boyes, the Sabres may not have made the playoffs. And that's true.
As for the playoffs? Simply put--fail. Was it because of his position? or was it because he just doesn't have what it takes to succeed in the post season?
Boyes' lone 40-goal season came when "the New NHL" was still alive back in the 2007/08 season. It was still a hands-off league at the time and perimeter players were able to put up points without interference from the opposition. But the league has changed and it's tougher to score goals. Many now, just like in the playoffs, coming from the "bloody nose" areas down low. And, so far, Boyes hasn't shown a willingness to go into those areas.
If that changes, and he can at least provide 20-25 goals playing third-line minutes, the Sabres top-nine will give the opposition fits.
Patrick Kaleta--Stay healthy and don't get stupid.
Everyone knows Kaleta's game. He is the gadfly, the antagonist, the pest that the opposition hates. Buffalonians love him though. And it helps that he's a native.
Kaleta's problem, due to who he is and his style of play, has been injuries. Not once over the past four seasons has he played more than 55 games.
But, the kid knows his role and he provides a 60-minute motor in overdrive on the energy line. He can score goals and put up points, but will never be confused with Dale Hunter or Claude Lemieux, but if he can channel his energies more in the direction of production instead of destruction, he may surprise a lot of people.
Matt "Friggen" Ellis--Ellis will straddle the AHL and NHL this season. When he plays in Rochester, which will be most of the season, he'll be their captain. When he's up in Buffalo he'll be logging fourth-line energy minutes and displaying a knack for working the corners and playing keep away along the wall. A character guy through and through, Ellis is a good player to have in the organization, one who not only accepts his role, but relieshes it.
Lindy Ruff and Chan Gailey Have One Thing In Common
All in all, the 2011/12 edition of the Buffalo Sabres is deep up front with one persistent hole--#1 center. Their strength is on the wings and the fact that at least three of the four lines will represent a threat to score will help negate their lone weakness.
They have scorers, two-way players, size, skill, energy and some attitude. As constructed they'll need to embrace the philosophy of "the whole is greater than the sum of it's parts" to reach the promised land.
One should expect that this team's style of play up-front will be leaning towards the "Ferrari" of the 2006/07 team where Ruff rolled four lines while saying "stop me if you can." They don't have top-two centers like Briere and Drury, but they have plenty of speed and more grit up-front than that edition.
Lindy Ruff's line combinations will be a work in progress, as injuries and chemistry affect them. And he gets angry when lines are mentioned as first, second, third...etc.
What he's probably looking at are forwards that are interchangeable in his "five-men-as-a-unit" scheme. Looking for forwards to be all-in no matter which role they find themselves. Looking for them to play "out of character" and willing to do what's necessary in any given situation. Looking for as much desire in their own zone as they have in the opposition's.
Chan Gailey, head coach of the Buffalo Bills, has been able to hide offensive deficiencies through his game planning. His weaknesses on the o-line have been covered to the point where the team has one of the most highly rated offenses in the league. This is without a "franchise" quarterback.
The Sabres will be looking to do the same thing. Without a true #1 center up front, Ruff will be hiding that deficiency through depth.
And as the Boston Bruins proved last season without their #1 center, Marc Savard, it can work.
Sunday, June 19, 2011
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.
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.
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:
the buffalosabresnow 2011/12 roster foundation:
Goalie:
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.
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| 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. |
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.
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| Can Luke Adam Whoop it up as the Sabres #2 center for the 2011/12 season? |
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
- 1st-pairing: Tyler Myers, ?
- 2nd-pairing: Jordan Leopold, Chris Butler
- 3rd-pairing: Mike Weber, Marc-Andre Gragnani
- reserve: ?
- Thomas Vanek, ?, Jason Pomminville
- Tyler Ennis, Derek Roy, Drew Stafford
Thursday, March 24, 2011
will luke adam make it three in a row?
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| luke adam |
the portland pirates and head coach kevin dineen may have themselves another dudley "red" garrett memorial trophy winner in forward, luke adam...
if adam does take home the outstanding ahl rookie honors, he will make it three in a row for the buffalo sabres organization, following in the footsteps of forwards nathan gerbe (2008/09) and tyler ennis (2009/10)...
the only organization to have back-to-back-to-back "red" garrett winners within the last 35 years was the providence reds (ny rangers) from 1973-76...a team who was coached by former sabres gm, john muckler, during that stretch...
a look at adam's stats as of right now gives an strong indication that he's the one to beat...amongst rookies he leads in points (54,) points/game (1.15,) goals (25) and plus/minus (+21) and he's tied for fourth in assists (29)...
all this in 47 games for the portland pirates this season (less games than any other rookie save nazem kadri's 44)...
this is a tribute to luke adam himself who has done a great job shuttling back and forth between the pirates and the sabres...it's a tribute to his willingness to take a demotion as a learning experience and continue to improve upon his game...
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| sabres director of amateur scouting, kevin devine (left) with 2009 1st round pick, zack kassian (center) and amateur scout, al mcadam (right) |
gerbe was a 2005 fifth-round pick (#142) of jim benning's staff...benning left the organization in 2007 and kevin devine, as head of amateur scouting, is responsible for drafting both ennis (#26 overall) and adam (#44) in 2008...(in that same draft he also convinced sabres gm darcy regier to trade up to the #12 spot to draft 2009/10 nhl rookie of the year, tyler myers)...
interesting to note that before gerbe, the organization's last "red" garrett winner was mika noronen in the 1999/00 season...
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| portland pirates head coach, kevin dineen |
all year long players get called up to the big club and then get sent back...they're injured and they return...a combination of call-ups to the big club and/or injuries on a large scale means plugging holes with echl players who on a tryout basis...all the while, the coach and his staff are the only real constants throughout the season...
from the draft to juniors to the ahl, there seems to be a foundational thread running through the organization all the way up to the big club...both gerbe and ennis are making solid contributions to the sabres in their first full nhl seasons...adam, who had three goals and an assist in 19 games with the sabres this season, got a good taste of life in the nhl this year and should make a strong push for the big club next season...
even if he doesn't win the award, ya gotta love what's on the horizon for the sabres organization...
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
injuries up the middle baffle lindy ruff
two portland pirates got the call yesterday as the injury bug is starting to make it look like training camp all over again...center luke adam and free agent lw colin stuart will get the call as the pittsburgh penguins pay a visit to hsbc arena tomorrow night...
tim connolly and rob niedermayer, the sabres #2 and #3 centers, respectively, will both be out of the lineup with niedermayer undergoing a knee scope that will keep him out at least two to three weeks...compounding the problem is the sabres lack of depth down the middle...
during lindy ruff's weekly appearance on wgr's howard simon show, the coach was somewhat baffled as to how to approach a question as to who his #2 center is...after stammering for words, the coach stated that paul gaustad is the #2 center...the "yikes-moment" prompted him to quickly shift to a call-up, though, "if you're looking to the offensive side of it, we've called luke adam up."...then he shifts to something that "we've done this in the past and it worked real well for us,"--moving jochen hecht to the center slot....
jochen hecht's worst full-season in the nhl can be directly attributed to his playing in the top-six as a center during the 2008/9 season...it was awful to watch...no surprise that when he was switched back to lw for the 2009/10 season he promptly put up typical hechtian numbers--21 goals, 21 assists and he lead the team with a plus-14 rating...
ok, fine...out of necessity, hecht moves to center along with adam and they join derek roy and paul gaustad down the middle...since gaustad was not mentioned for a top-nine slot, where to put adam and hecht had ruff talking in circles, "with connolly out we would probably have adam slide into the two-spot," he said..."we would...have jochen hecht move into the middle and he would really be our #2, and we're pretty comfortable with luke [adam] being our #3 for us."
is it any wonder why the coach was searching desperately for words when you have roy, hecht, adam and gaustad going up against the pens on wednesday?...sidney crosby and evgeni malkin anchor the middle for pittsburgh with mark lesetsu and craig adams on the bottom-six...were it not for an injury to "third-line" center jordan staal, it could get really ugly for the sabres tomorrow night...
what this situation really exposes is the lack of forward depth in the sabres system, specifically at center...a brief look at the sabres drafting this past decade reveals a blatant disregard for the center slot and ineptitude in the players chosen...since 2001 when the sabres drafted jiri novotny (#22,) derek roy (#32,) and chris thorburn (#50) with their first three picks, this is what they've done for the center position:
2002--maxim schevjev, 6th round--never sniffed the nhl
2003--no centers taken
2004--no centers taken
2005--marek zagrapan, 1st round--couldn't crack the big club, plays in the khl
--nathan gerbe, 5th round--presently playing wing in a bottom-six role
2006--felix schutz, 4th round--playing in europe after leaving portland this season
--benjamin breault, 7th round, no longer with the organization
2007--paul byron, 6th round--diminutive center plying his trade with portland
2008--tyler ennis, 1st round--presently on the sabres top line as lw
--luke adam, 2nd round, just got the call for the third time this season
no wonder ruff's talking in circles...sheeesh...
tim connolly and rob niedermayer, the sabres #2 and #3 centers, respectively, will both be out of the lineup with niedermayer undergoing a knee scope that will keep him out at least two to three weeks...compounding the problem is the sabres lack of depth down the middle...
during lindy ruff's weekly appearance on wgr's howard simon show, the coach was somewhat baffled as to how to approach a question as to who his #2 center is...after stammering for words, the coach stated that paul gaustad is the #2 center...the "yikes-moment" prompted him to quickly shift to a call-up, though, "if you're looking to the offensive side of it, we've called luke adam up."...then he shifts to something that "we've done this in the past and it worked real well for us,"--moving jochen hecht to the center slot....
jochen hecht's worst full-season in the nhl can be directly attributed to his playing in the top-six as a center during the 2008/9 season...it was awful to watch...no surprise that when he was switched back to lw for the 2009/10 season he promptly put up typical hechtian numbers--21 goals, 21 assists and he lead the team with a plus-14 rating...
ok, fine...out of necessity, hecht moves to center along with adam and they join derek roy and paul gaustad down the middle...since gaustad was not mentioned for a top-nine slot, where to put adam and hecht had ruff talking in circles, "with connolly out we would probably have adam slide into the two-spot," he said..."we would...have jochen hecht move into the middle and he would really be our #2, and we're pretty comfortable with luke [adam] being our #3 for us."
is it any wonder why the coach was searching desperately for words when you have roy, hecht, adam and gaustad going up against the pens on wednesday?...sidney crosby and evgeni malkin anchor the middle for pittsburgh with mark lesetsu and craig adams on the bottom-six...were it not for an injury to "third-line" center jordan staal, it could get really ugly for the sabres tomorrow night...
what this situation really exposes is the lack of forward depth in the sabres system, specifically at center...a brief look at the sabres drafting this past decade reveals a blatant disregard for the center slot and ineptitude in the players chosen...since 2001 when the sabres drafted jiri novotny (#22,) derek roy (#32,) and chris thorburn (#50) with their first three picks, this is what they've done for the center position:
2002--maxim schevjev, 6th round--never sniffed the nhl
2003--no centers taken
2004--no centers taken
2005--marek zagrapan, 1st round--couldn't crack the big club, plays in the khl
--nathan gerbe, 5th round--presently playing wing in a bottom-six role
2006--felix schutz, 4th round--playing in europe after leaving portland this season
--benjamin breault, 7th round, no longer with the organization
2007--paul byron, 6th round--diminutive center plying his trade with portland
2008--tyler ennis, 1st round--presently on the sabres top line as lw
--luke adam, 2nd round, just got the call for the third time this season
no wonder ruff's talking in circles...sheeesh...
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
looking for that #2 lw
on wgr yesterday morning, lindy ruff talked about the ennis, roy, vanek line on the howard simon show...ruff mentions the progression of that line from the beginning of the year before they were broken up to now where they're now considered a "big-gun" line...
will lindy "the tinker" ruff keep this line together?...he said that they will get more ice-time the better they play, so i guess it's up to them...pretty sure most sabres fans would like for that line to continue to produce, and lead--and therefore continue as a legitimate #1 line--so that the sabres can address other areas...
since darcy regier seems to be married to #2 center tim connolly, at least until the end of the season, most sabres fans would agree that "tiny-tim" isn't going anywhere...add in the fact that his lack of production dating back to last years post season has caused his "stock" to plummet and you have an "immovable 'glass' object" skating for the sabres at center...fine...whatever...maybe we'll revisit this in 2011...
jason pomminville is a solid top-six, all-purpose rw, so that position is set...which leads us to #2 lw...
i'll defend jochen hecht 'til the end...during the '08/9 season which saw his play and production plummet, hecht was vilified by the media and fan-base...last season he produced typical hechtian numbers--20 goals, 20 assists and lead the team with a +14...even so, he was considered "grossly" overpaid...
sure, hecht has a cap-hit of over $3m, but with the sabres under the cap by $4m, he should not be considered a cap-liability...he should be considered a quality #3 winger who can ably fill in on the second-line, one who can produce in that role provided he has good chemistry with his line-mates...last season the hecht, connolly, pomminville line was the best, most consistent line...until hecht's injury and the subsequent demise of connolly...in addition to 5-on-5, hecht anchors the sabres top pk-unit along with pomminville...
ideally, hecht playing on the third-line in a shutdown role with rob niedermayer at center and mike grier on the other wing this season...if the sabres could fill that #2 lw spot with a quality top-six winger and drop hecht down to the third-line, they could make some serious progress (the only thing better being a quality #2 center)...
that being said, i've probably gotten way ahead of myself concerning the near-future of the sabres roster, but it's still interesting to see if the sabres could pull off an upgrade to the top-six lw spot...here's a list of some lw's who could fit in nicely...are they actually available?...(shrugs)...what would it cost the sabres?...probably more than gm darcy regier is willing to give up...an exercise for an "arm-chair" gm?...absolutely...nothing more, nothing less:
those are three for now...
although it's fun to think that the sabres would actually upgrade the top-six by pursuing a #2 lw, any likely move up there would come from within...
6' 2" 215 lb luke adam is tearing it up for the portland pirates this season with team high 11 goals, 19 points (tied for the team lead) and is a defensively responsible plus-10 in 15 games...the organization cannot deny what adam brings to the table...the question remains whether he can transfer that to the nhl...average results in two games with the sabres this season did nothing to detract from his potential, though, conversely, it did nothing to force them to keep him up...although he's playing center for the pirates, a move to the lw on the second line may not be bad for himself or the buffalo sabres...
will lindy "the tinker" ruff keep this line together?...he said that they will get more ice-time the better they play, so i guess it's up to them...pretty sure most sabres fans would like for that line to continue to produce, and lead--and therefore continue as a legitimate #1 line--so that the sabres can address other areas...
since darcy regier seems to be married to #2 center tim connolly, at least until the end of the season, most sabres fans would agree that "tiny-tim" isn't going anywhere...add in the fact that his lack of production dating back to last years post season has caused his "stock" to plummet and you have an "immovable 'glass' object" skating for the sabres at center...fine...whatever...maybe we'll revisit this in 2011...
jason pomminville is a solid top-six, all-purpose rw, so that position is set...which leads us to #2 lw...
i'll defend jochen hecht 'til the end...during the '08/9 season which saw his play and production plummet, hecht was vilified by the media and fan-base...last season he produced typical hechtian numbers--20 goals, 20 assists and lead the team with a +14...even so, he was considered "grossly" overpaid...
sure, hecht has a cap-hit of over $3m, but with the sabres under the cap by $4m, he should not be considered a cap-liability...he should be considered a quality #3 winger who can ably fill in on the second-line, one who can produce in that role provided he has good chemistry with his line-mates...last season the hecht, connolly, pomminville line was the best, most consistent line...until hecht's injury and the subsequent demise of connolly...in addition to 5-on-5, hecht anchors the sabres top pk-unit along with pomminville...
ideally, hecht playing on the third-line in a shutdown role with rob niedermayer at center and mike grier on the other wing this season...if the sabres could fill that #2 lw spot with a quality top-six winger and drop hecht down to the third-line, they could make some serious progress (the only thing better being a quality #2 center)...
that being said, i've probably gotten way ahead of myself concerning the near-future of the sabres roster, but it's still interesting to see if the sabres could pull off an upgrade to the top-six lw spot...here's a list of some lw's who could fit in nicely...are they actually available?...(shrugs)...what would it cost the sabres?...probably more than gm darcy regier is willing to give up...an exercise for an "arm-chair" gm?...absolutely...nothing more, nothing less:
- simon gagne, tampa bay lightning--went to the bolts in the off-season as a philadelphia cap-casualty...a former #1 pick of the flyers (#22 overall) in 1998, gagne is a former two-time 40-goal scorer capable of potting 30+ provided he stays healthy...something that's become a problem over the past few seasons...the bolts moved #2 lw, ryan malone and his $6m contract, to the right side to make room for gagne, who played 6 games for his new team producing zero points and coming in at a minus-8 before he was, again, sidelined by injury...gagne has a cap-hit of $5.25m and will be hitting ufa-status this off-season...would be a classic rental for a team in the stretch-run heading into the playoffs...some problems for the sabres: incredibly pricey for the frugal sabres, pairing gagne with connolly could end in disaster as both are known to be injury-prone and, probably most important, gagne has a no-trade clause in his contract...every year for the past two or three years, tampa has been hailed by the pundits as the team on the rise ready to reach the playoffs, and every year they've missed out...should this pattern continue, the bolts may want to ship him to a contender, and should the sabres be in that position, they would have the cap-space to bring on that contract...
- cory stillman, florida panthers--the panthers went into full rebuild-mode under new gm dale tallon before the draft shipping some serious quality in nathan horton and keith ballard to boston and vancouver respectively...stillman, a former #1 pick of calgary (# 6 overall) in 1992, is with his 6th team, including a stint with ottawa as a rental...he has two stanley cup rings during his career bookending the lockout with a championship in '04 (tampa) and one in '06 (carolina)...although stillman never hit 30 goals, he was consistently in the lower to mid-twenties through the prime of his career...not sure how much this 6' 200 lb, 36 year old has left in the tank, and he's surely not known for his defense, but buffalo could use his pp acumen (five times hitting 10 goals or more) on the second unit...they could also use two-ring playoff leadership in a top-six role ...he comes at a price ($3.5m) that is "more affordable" for the sabres (as opposed to gagne) and the return for him could probably end up in the second-round area, a place where regier seems very comfortable...
- wojtek wolski, colorado avalanche---could be a classic "fish out of water" in phoenix...where does the only polish player in the nhl go for pierogis, kielbasa and golabki in glendale arizona?...exactly...bring him in, sit him down at the polish villa in cheektowaga with a large solidarnosc flag and give him a taste of home...wolski's starting to pick up the pace for the yotes after a very slow start, and it'll be interesting to see what the former #1 pick (#21 overall, colorado, 2004) does for the remainder of the year...he's had solid numbers throughout his young career and is surrounded by a quality coach and team in arizona...problem for the sabres would be that phoenix is weak down the left side behind ray whitney, which means the yotes would probably not be interested in moving him, and if they did, the price would be much higher than for the previous two...it would be worth it, though...the sabres could jump-start their organizational move towards a bigger team by adding the 6'3, 210 lb winger and not skimp on the skill-set either...wolski's signed for the next two seasons with a cap-hit of $3.8m
those are three for now...
although it's fun to think that the sabres would actually upgrade the top-six by pursuing a #2 lw, any likely move up there would come from within...
6' 2" 215 lb luke adam is tearing it up for the portland pirates this season with team high 11 goals, 19 points (tied for the team lead) and is a defensively responsible plus-10 in 15 games...the organization cannot deny what adam brings to the table...the question remains whether he can transfer that to the nhl...average results in two games with the sabres this season did nothing to detract from his potential, though, conversely, it did nothing to force them to keep him up...although he's playing center for the pirates, a move to the lw on the second line may not be bad for himself or the buffalo sabres...
Saturday, November 13, 2010
luke adam gettin' some love
the 2008 second round pick (#44 overall) is tearing up the ahl in his rookie campaign to the tune of 11 goals and eight assists...he's also a +11 on a portland pirates team that sports a 11-3-1 record, tops in the ahl...were it not for the strong possibility of adam getting an extended stay with the sabres, pirates head coach kevin dineen would be looking at a potential third straight rookie of the year in the 6'2", 203 lb center (nathan gerbe, 2008, tyler ennis, 2009)...
nhl.com has this piece on adam...
the sabres have a bevy of prospects plying their trade in junior as well and you can keep up on their progress by visiting kris baker's site sabresprospects.com
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