Patrick Kaleta gets 10 games and...
Cody Hodgson has a couple of things to say about his time in Vancouver.
First.
The Buffalo Sabres are no longer winless leaving the New Jersey Devils as the only winless team in the NHL.
The Sabres pulled out a 4-3 shootout win on Long Island in a hard-fought game where the Sabres got stronger as the game went on.
Coach Ron Rolston had this to say postgame, "I think a lot of the emotion of the game helped our guys. A lot of the rough stuff going on, the hits in the game were emotional where our guys were really plugged into the game the whole night just because of that.
Guys took it to heart of where we're at."
Where they were at was the bottom of the league. Now with the win, they join Edmonton, Philadelphia and the NY Rangers with one win on the season.
Quick note: None of those teams were expected to go through "suffering" this season.
Marcus Foligno netted his first of the season to tie the score at three with just over two minutes to go in regulation.
After losing the draw in the Islanders zone, defenseman Tyler Myers stopped a clearing attempt at the blueline and fed Foligno in the high slot. Foligno whirled and sent a seeing eye shot that beat Evgeni Nabokov glove-side with Drew Stafford parked in front of the net.
The line of Foligno and Stafford centered by Tyler Ennis clicked last night with Ennis also scoring his first of the season pouncing on a puck lying in the crease behind Nabokov.
All told that line was good for two goals and an assist and were a collective plus-6.
The other goal last night was by Thomas Vanek, his third of the season off a feed from Hodgson on the powerplay. Hodgson collected his fifth point in the last five games.
***
Last season, Nick Kypreos of Sportsnet.ca said that Sabres' goalie Ryan Miller's days might be numbered. Although Miller is still on the team, he was being shopped around at the deadline and around Draft Day. (for a quote and more on Miller, click here)
Now, says Kypreos, Buffalo GM Darcy Regier's days are numbered.
He said last night that Regier "is on the hot seat." Speculation had Regier being replaced around Christmas, but that timetable was moved up due to the dismal start of the team.
Since then, that rumor has been denied by the Buffalo Sabres.
Despite squashing the school-girl giddiness of his WGR partner, Jeremy White, Howard Simon tracked down someone within the Sabres hierarchy and got this text from the Sabres, "there is zero truth to the report."
Methinks the fans inside of the F'N Center will have something to say about this when the Vancouver Canucks visit on Thursday.
***
Vancouver is off to a good start at 4-3-0 under new head coach John Tortorella. They have a couple of holes in the line-up including down the middle where Hodgson once played.
'Nucks GM Mike Gillis traded Hodgson for winger Zack Kassian in 2012.
Hodgson was said to be a high maintenance player with Gillis going as far to say the he spent more time on the center and his problems than the rest of the team combined.
It was also said that Hodgson had an overbearing father and he was said to be unhappy with his playing time in Vancouver.
In an article with Tony Gallagher of the Vancouver Province, Hodgson wanted to "clear the air" on both those issues.
'I’ve been hearing all this stuff about my dad being involved with the team and making calls to the team and I wanted to tell everyone that my dad had nothing to do with it,' he said. 'This isn’t Pee Wee hockey where the dad can call up the coach and interfere with what’s going on. This is professional hockey and that sort of thing doesn’t happen. He never called the team.'
And as for his ice time, he said, 'I never once asked for more ice time when I was in Vancouver, even though the media asked me every day if I thought I should be playing more. I was just happy to be playing in the NHL when I was there at that stage of my career.'
He also said that 'someday [he'll] talk more about his time in Vancouver.'
Gallagher also talks about the struggles the Canucks have had finding a center to replace Hodgson likening the situation to that of "the Flyers enduring a search for a goaltender."
And, Gallagher points out, the trade that had Kassian going to Vancouver for Hodgson? "Kassian," he said, "hasn’t exactly been Milan Lucic since he got here."
***
And finally, Patrick Kaleta got a 10-game Shanaban for his hit to the head on Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Jack Johnson.
A video that Brendan Shanahan uses shows that Kaleta missed the check and connected with Johnson's chin.
Stupid, Patty, stupid. And dangerous.
Kaleta is hated throughout the league, some of it warranted, some exaggerated. (Adam Proteau of The Hockey News thinks the suspension wasn't enough.)
Having served three of his ten games already, Kaleta will be eligible to return in early November and will be over $150,000 lighter in the pocket book.
Showing posts with label ron rolston. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ron rolston. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 16, 2013
Saturday, October 5, 2013
Rolston rips his GM's veteran, "star" players
"There were a lot of shortcuts...a lot of rest in shifts."
“In this league, if you have even a short span of a couple of shifts where you don’t execute, that can be the difference in a game. A lot of times that’s been the case here.”
The above quotes were from Sabres coach Ron Rolston surrounding a 3-1 loss to the Toronto Maple Leaves back in February.
Eight months later, the theme remained.
After yesterday's 1-0 loss to Ottawa in the 2013-14 home opener, Rolston was asked about rookie Mikhail Grigorenko's game, and before the reporter could even finish the question Rolston shot out, "it was OK."
He followed with this, "Along with a lot of other guys, the compete's got to be way, way, way higher at this level."
That's three "way's," meaning this team still has a long ways to go.
As to the way he wants his team to compete, Rolston talked about the line of Kevin Porter with rookies Zemgus Girgensons and Brian Flynn, "They just play with effort and they play the right way," he said. "It's a simple, simple game. We don't have enough guys playing the right way right now."
That was the best line last night. A reporter asked, "Isn't that the statement, though, that if they were the best line..."
Rolston finished it for him, "then we're in trouble."
He was none too happy after the loss. His post-game presser was short, almost [John] Tortarella-like and his answers were direct.
The only difference-maker on the team, other than the line Rolston talked about, was Ryan Miller. Miller was in a goaltending battle with Ottawa's Craig Anderson and stonewalled the Sens until Erik Karlsson snuck in and one-timed a feed from former Sabre Clarke MacArthur with 1:35 left in regulation.
And it wasn't as if it was a tight-checking game. The team's combined for 39 shots in the first period, an expansion era (1967 onward) record.
The forward line on the ice at the time of the goal consisted of Tyler Ennis, Cody Hodgson and Sabres co-captain Thomas Vanek.
Vanek, who Karlsson snuck behind on the game-winner, pulled a Alexander Ovechkin for the game. He pumped nine shots on goal, including some choice opportunities, and as has happened often in the past, he came up empty.
Throughout the off season he's said that he's waiting to see how this team develops before he talks about committing to a long-term (and one would believe, very lucrative) contract with the Sabres.
With performances like last night, perhaps the Sabres should take a look at his overall game and what kind of leadership he's providing.
Does he play and produce like an $8 million/per year superstar?
Or is he a talented floater?
The players Rolston sent the message to were all developed before he got there and were all draft picks that were of the same ilk as the old "core." GM Darcy Regier's "core" were soft and skilled. Their lack of compete led them to a six-year span of underachievement.
The first two games of the season saw Miller at his best, but the team come up short. The only player that has scored yet is rookie Girgensons, a player who "plays the right way."
Maybe the "purge of the core" isn't quite finished yet. And we're not talking about Miller either.
“In this league, if you have even a short span of a couple of shifts where you don’t execute, that can be the difference in a game. A lot of times that’s been the case here.”
The above quotes were from Sabres coach Ron Rolston surrounding a 3-1 loss to the Toronto Maple Leaves back in February.
Eight months later, the theme remained.
After yesterday's 1-0 loss to Ottawa in the 2013-14 home opener, Rolston was asked about rookie Mikhail Grigorenko's game, and before the reporter could even finish the question Rolston shot out, "it was OK."
He followed with this, "Along with a lot of other guys, the compete's got to be way, way, way higher at this level."
That's three "way's," meaning this team still has a long ways to go.
As to the way he wants his team to compete, Rolston talked about the line of Kevin Porter with rookies Zemgus Girgensons and Brian Flynn, "They just play with effort and they play the right way," he said. "It's a simple, simple game. We don't have enough guys playing the right way right now."
That was the best line last night. A reporter asked, "Isn't that the statement, though, that if they were the best line..."
Rolston finished it for him, "then we're in trouble."
He was none too happy after the loss. His post-game presser was short, almost [John] Tortarella-like and his answers were direct.
The only difference-maker on the team, other than the line Rolston talked about, was Ryan Miller. Miller was in a goaltending battle with Ottawa's Craig Anderson and stonewalled the Sens until Erik Karlsson snuck in and one-timed a feed from former Sabre Clarke MacArthur with 1:35 left in regulation.
And it wasn't as if it was a tight-checking game. The team's combined for 39 shots in the first period, an expansion era (1967 onward) record.
The forward line on the ice at the time of the goal consisted of Tyler Ennis, Cody Hodgson and Sabres co-captain Thomas Vanek.
Vanek, who Karlsson snuck behind on the game-winner, pulled a Alexander Ovechkin for the game. He pumped nine shots on goal, including some choice opportunities, and as has happened often in the past, he came up empty.
Throughout the off season he's said that he's waiting to see how this team develops before he talks about committing to a long-term (and one would believe, very lucrative) contract with the Sabres.
With performances like last night, perhaps the Sabres should take a look at his overall game and what kind of leadership he's providing.
Does he play and produce like an $8 million/per year superstar?
Or is he a talented floater?
The players Rolston sent the message to were all developed before he got there and were all draft picks that were of the same ilk as the old "core." GM Darcy Regier's "core" were soft and skilled. Their lack of compete led them to a six-year span of underachievement.
The first two games of the season saw Miller at his best, but the team come up short. The only player that has scored yet is rookie Girgensons, a player who "plays the right way."
Maybe the "purge of the core" isn't quite finished yet. And we're not talking about Miller either.
Thursday, September 12, 2013
Notes as the Sabres ready themselves to hit the ice. Cody Hodgson extended
It's time.
Let the hockey season begin.
A few notes as the Sabres hit the ice today for the first time as the second day of training camp gets under way.
But first, the Sabres and Cody Hodgson have agreed to a contract extension. The 23 yr. old center signed a reported 6yr./$25.5M contract yesterday for a cap-hit of $4.25M.
The pros and cons of the long-term deal are many and will undoubtedly be hashed out and beaten to death for years to come. That's simply the way things work in Sabretown.
With the six-year commitment from Buffalo, Sabres GM Darcy Regier and his staff look at Hodgson as a top-six, potential top-line, center for years to come. Hodgson showed great chemistry in the offensive zone with bonafide top-line winger Thomas Vanek.
In the 68 games since coming to the Sabres from Vancouver, Hodgson has 18 goals and 24 assists for .62 pts/game.
But, on the negative side his plus/minus for Buffalo is minus-11. Which brings us the cons.
Matthew Coller of WGR wrote an extensive piece about Hodgson's defensive lapses using a boatload of advanced stats and concludes, "by all statistical measures, he was one of the worst defensive players in the NHL." He also throws in a couple of videos to stress his point.
Nothing earth-shattering. Even Canucks GM Mike Gillis openly admitted that he hid Hodgson's defensive shortcomings and anyone who has watched the Sabres for any length of time will tell you that he needs some serious work in the defensive zone. Something that's not lost on Hodgson.
One should also not dismiss Hodgson's skill and vision on the ice, though. Nor should one dismiss his realtively young age. Nor should one dismiss his commitment to an off season conditioning program which keeps him in top shape. Regier said that Hodgson has been working with Sabres skating coach Dawn Braid this summer in addition to his annual visit to Gary Roberts' camp.
The skill is there and the dedication seems to be there as well, which makes for a real solid contract, if not steal, down the road.
Hodgson is a very good player right now and seems like a pretty solid character-guy. After travelling from Vancouver to Buffalo to Rochester and back to Buffalo in a matter of 10 months, Hodgson must be pretty happy to establish some roots for the next six years.
For the Sabres, at the very least they have themselves a solid #2 center who should be good for around 60 points per season at a $4.25M cap-hit within an eventual $70-80M salary cap.
Which is a pretty good deal for all parties involved.
***
The Sabres have four players signed long-term, Hodgson, Ville Leino, Christian Ehrhoff and Tyler Myers.
Leino and Ehrhoff were signed at the start of free agency in 2011 while Myers signed an extension later in that off season.
Myers has seen his confidence and performance decline since he won the Calder Cup in 2010 when he was partnered with Henrik Tallinder (Ryan Miller won the Vezina that same year.)
Tallinder was allowed to walk in the 2010 off season (of which owner Terry Pegula was said to term the departure as "unbelievable,") which may or may not have affected Myers' play. But the team thought it would be advantageous to bring Tallinder back and made a trade with New Jersey to get him.
The tall, lanky former 2nd-round pick for Buffalo (1997) came to the defense of his former d-partner, "I think Tyler is an exceptional young man and player," Tallinder said. "When he came in his first year, I've never seen a guy that talented and that good at that age. Or very few of them, that I"ve played with at least. I think he's still young. I think you guys have been pretty hard on him too. He's going to be an exceptionally good player still. Just give him time. Let him play."
Oddly enough, Sabres head coach Ron Rolston has Myers paired with Ehrhoff to start camp while Tallinder will be with rookie defenseman Mark Pysyk.
Tallinder should prove to be a steadying force for a very young Buffalo Sabres squad and looks to be a very busy man.
In addition to helping Myers mature, he'll be mentoring Pysyk and bestowing fatherly advice on fellow Swede, goalie Jhonas Enroth.
Who knows, if he's healthy, maybe he'll even get some 2nd-pairing minutes.
***
This will be Rolston's first full season behind the bench for Buffalo and his first NHL training camp.
Among the things he mentioned:
Two of his assistants, Joe Sacco and Jerry Forton were professional acquaintances.
On Sacco who was hired July 2, Rolston emphasized his experience and success as a head coach (Jack Adams candidate with Colorado.) He talked about Sacco's work ethic, knowledge of the game and his communication skills who has been with young teams and knows how to develop them.
Rolston had known recent hire Forton for years through college connections. Forton, he said, "has a lot of character, a lot of integrity and a tremendous passion for the game. He shows a lot of grit as a person overall.
The final thing, which is probably most important, is he's an outstanding communicator and relationship-builder."
Forton will be up in the pressbox replacing Teppo Numminen.
Numminen has been up in the press box for the Sabres for two years and will now be on the bench.
Rolston said that Numminen wasn't in as prominent a position before as he will be now. "He'll be running the defensive core and he'll be working with our powerplay," said Rolston. "He in the position now where he'll be able to make a big difference for our hockey team."
Defense and powerplay? With the performance of the team in those two areas over the years, I'd say Numminen has his work cut out for him.
***
Regier took to the podium and talked about impending free agents Thomas Vanek and Ryan Miller.
Not much needs to be said. Everyone's in a holding pattern, just like the league in general when it comes to player movement.
Late July, after second-tier free agent signings, and August are usually devoid of player movement and this summer was no exception. Especially with the salary cap diving to $64M from $70M.
Regier said the trade-window was "closed right now" and that he doesn't expect much to happen on that front until the deadline approaches.
Vanek addressed the issue in his cold, business-like fashion (which isn't necessarily a bad thing.) He basically said that he was here as a Buffalo Sabre and from his standpoint he'd like to see where this rebuild goes before talking extension. And he expects the Sabers to take the same approach.
Vanek has said before that he likes to keep his options open.
As for Miller, he was a bit warmer to Buffalo and the thought of an extension, "Darcy [Regier] has to build a team and maybe he feels he wants me here," said Miller. "I'm happy to be here, I have a great connection with the city."
He reiterated that he and his agent Mike Liut never asked for a trade yet also knew that it was a possibility and said of a possible trade, "I don't know if that was the best thing for me anyway."
Regier was on WGR this morning and made it clear that the organization would welcome the opportunity to talk to both players but emphasized that the club does not have a standing offer for Vanek or Miller.
Another player that will be a free agent at season's end is forward Steve Ott. Regier said that the two sides have had some preliminary conversations.
***
The Sabres training camp roster:
Let the hockey season begin.
A few notes as the Sabres hit the ice today for the first time as the second day of training camp gets under way.
But first, the Sabres and Cody Hodgson have agreed to a contract extension. The 23 yr. old center signed a reported 6yr./$25.5M contract yesterday for a cap-hit of $4.25M.
The pros and cons of the long-term deal are many and will undoubtedly be hashed out and beaten to death for years to come. That's simply the way things work in Sabretown.
With the six-year commitment from Buffalo, Sabres GM Darcy Regier and his staff look at Hodgson as a top-six, potential top-line, center for years to come. Hodgson showed great chemistry in the offensive zone with bonafide top-line winger Thomas Vanek.
In the 68 games since coming to the Sabres from Vancouver, Hodgson has 18 goals and 24 assists for .62 pts/game.
But, on the negative side his plus/minus for Buffalo is minus-11. Which brings us the cons.
Matthew Coller of WGR wrote an extensive piece about Hodgson's defensive lapses using a boatload of advanced stats and concludes, "by all statistical measures, he was one of the worst defensive players in the NHL." He also throws in a couple of videos to stress his point.
Nothing earth-shattering. Even Canucks GM Mike Gillis openly admitted that he hid Hodgson's defensive shortcomings and anyone who has watched the Sabres for any length of time will tell you that he needs some serious work in the defensive zone. Something that's not lost on Hodgson.
One should also not dismiss Hodgson's skill and vision on the ice, though. Nor should one dismiss his realtively young age. Nor should one dismiss his commitment to an off season conditioning program which keeps him in top shape. Regier said that Hodgson has been working with Sabres skating coach Dawn Braid this summer in addition to his annual visit to Gary Roberts' camp.
The skill is there and the dedication seems to be there as well, which makes for a real solid contract, if not steal, down the road.
Hodgson is a very good player right now and seems like a pretty solid character-guy. After travelling from Vancouver to Buffalo to Rochester and back to Buffalo in a matter of 10 months, Hodgson must be pretty happy to establish some roots for the next six years.
For the Sabres, at the very least they have themselves a solid #2 center who should be good for around 60 points per season at a $4.25M cap-hit within an eventual $70-80M salary cap.
Which is a pretty good deal for all parties involved.
***
The Sabres have four players signed long-term, Hodgson, Ville Leino, Christian Ehrhoff and Tyler Myers.
Leino and Ehrhoff were signed at the start of free agency in 2011 while Myers signed an extension later in that off season.
Myers has seen his confidence and performance decline since he won the Calder Cup in 2010 when he was partnered with Henrik Tallinder (Ryan Miller won the Vezina that same year.)
Tallinder was allowed to walk in the 2010 off season (of which owner Terry Pegula was said to term the departure as "unbelievable,") which may or may not have affected Myers' play. But the team thought it would be advantageous to bring Tallinder back and made a trade with New Jersey to get him.
The tall, lanky former 2nd-round pick for Buffalo (1997) came to the defense of his former d-partner, "I think Tyler is an exceptional young man and player," Tallinder said. "When he came in his first year, I've never seen a guy that talented and that good at that age. Or very few of them, that I"ve played with at least. I think he's still young. I think you guys have been pretty hard on him too. He's going to be an exceptionally good player still. Just give him time. Let him play."
Oddly enough, Sabres head coach Ron Rolston has Myers paired with Ehrhoff to start camp while Tallinder will be with rookie defenseman Mark Pysyk.
Tallinder should prove to be a steadying force for a very young Buffalo Sabres squad and looks to be a very busy man.
In addition to helping Myers mature, he'll be mentoring Pysyk and bestowing fatherly advice on fellow Swede, goalie Jhonas Enroth.
Who knows, if he's healthy, maybe he'll even get some 2nd-pairing minutes.
***
This will be Rolston's first full season behind the bench for Buffalo and his first NHL training camp.
Among the things he mentioned:
- Forward Tyler Ennis, whom Rolston likes at center, will start the season on left wing. Mikhail Grigorenko will join Hodgson down the middle
- He and his staff will decide the captain, not the players, and they will take their time
- All players look to be healthy, including Leino who's coming off of hip surgery, save for Chad Rhuwedel. The defenseman suffered an upper-body injury at Traverse City and is day-to-day
Two of his assistants, Joe Sacco and Jerry Forton were professional acquaintances.
On Sacco who was hired July 2, Rolston emphasized his experience and success as a head coach (Jack Adams candidate with Colorado.) He talked about Sacco's work ethic, knowledge of the game and his communication skills who has been with young teams and knows how to develop them.
Rolston had known recent hire Forton for years through college connections. Forton, he said, "has a lot of character, a lot of integrity and a tremendous passion for the game. He shows a lot of grit as a person overall.
The final thing, which is probably most important, is he's an outstanding communicator and relationship-builder."
Forton will be up in the pressbox replacing Teppo Numminen.
Numminen has been up in the press box for the Sabres for two years and will now be on the bench.
Rolston said that Numminen wasn't in as prominent a position before as he will be now. "He'll be running the defensive core and he'll be working with our powerplay," said Rolston. "He in the position now where he'll be able to make a big difference for our hockey team."
Defense and powerplay? With the performance of the team in those two areas over the years, I'd say Numminen has his work cut out for him.
***
Regier took to the podium and talked about impending free agents Thomas Vanek and Ryan Miller.
Not much needs to be said. Everyone's in a holding pattern, just like the league in general when it comes to player movement.
Late July, after second-tier free agent signings, and August are usually devoid of player movement and this summer was no exception. Especially with the salary cap diving to $64M from $70M.
Regier said the trade-window was "closed right now" and that he doesn't expect much to happen on that front until the deadline approaches.
Vanek addressed the issue in his cold, business-like fashion (which isn't necessarily a bad thing.) He basically said that he was here as a Buffalo Sabre and from his standpoint he'd like to see where this rebuild goes before talking extension. And he expects the Sabers to take the same approach.
Vanek has said before that he likes to keep his options open.
As for Miller, he was a bit warmer to Buffalo and the thought of an extension, "Darcy [Regier] has to build a team and maybe he feels he wants me here," said Miller. "I'm happy to be here, I have a great connection with the city."
He reiterated that he and his agent Mike Liut never asked for a trade yet also knew that it was a possibility and said of a possible trade, "I don't know if that was the best thing for me anyway."
Regier was on WGR this morning and made it clear that the organization would welcome the opportunity to talk to both players but emphasized that the club does not have a standing offer for Vanek or Miller.
Another player that will be a free agent at season's end is forward Steve Ott. Regier said that the two sides have had some preliminary conversations.
***
The Sabres training camp roster:
BUFFALO SABRES 2013 TRAINING CAMP ROSTER
# DEFENSE POS HT WT S BIRTHPLACE DATE 12-13 TEAM GP G A PTS PIM
67 Austin, Brady D 6-3 232 L Bobcaygeon, Ontario 6-16-93 Belleville (OHL) 64 8 15 23 22
24 Bagnall, Drew D 6-3 220 L Oakbank, Manitoba 10-26-83 Houston (AHL) 47 1 5 6 88
42 Boland, Connor D 6-2 200 L Whitby, Ontario 11-29-94 Peterborough (OHL) 49 1 2 3 34
62 Crawford, Nick D 6-1 192 L Brampton, Ontario 2-23-90 Rochester (AHL) 53 5 14 19 18
10 Ehrhoff, Christian D 6-2 203 L Moers, Germany 7-6-82 Buffalo Sabres 47 5 17 22 34
34 Gauthier-Leduc, Jerome D 6-1 190 R Quebec City, Quebec 7-30-92 Rochester (AHL) 48 3 4 7 8
51 Lepkowski, Alex D 6-4 202 L West Seneca, New York 4-8-93 Barrie (OHL) 60 0 9 9 78
47 MacKenzie, Matt D 6-5 212 R New Westminster, British Columbia 10-15-91 Rochester (AHL) 30 0 4 4 66
Gwinnett (ECHL) 2 1 0 1 2
4 McBain, Jamie D 6-2 200 R Edina, Minnesota 2-25-88 Carolina Hurricanes 40 1 7 8 12
44 McNabb, Brayden D 6-5 212 L Saskatoon, Saskatchewan 1-21-90 Rochester (AHL) 62 5 31 36 50
57 Myers, Tyler D 6-8 227 R Houston, Texas 2-1-90 Buffalo Sabres 39 3 5 8 32
3 Pysyk, Mark D 6-1 193 R Sherwood Park, Alberta 1-11-92 Rochester (AHL) 57 4 14 18 20
Buffalo Sabres 19 1 4 5 0
55 Ristolainen, Rasmus D 6-4 224 R Turku, Finland 10-27-94 TPS (SM-liiga) 56 3 12 15 32
5 Ruhwedel, Chad D 5-11 182 R San Diego, California 5-7-90 UMass-Lowell (H-East) 41 7 16 23 20
Buffalo Sabres 7 0 0 0 0
52 Sulzer, Alexander D 6-1 204 L Kaufbeuren, Germany 5-30-84 Buffalo Sabres 17 3 1 4 10
20 Tallinder, Henrik D 6-4 215 L Stockholm, Sweden 1-10-79 New Jersey Devils 25 1 3 4 10
6 Weber, Mike D 6-2 199 L Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 12-16-87 Buffalo Sabres 42 1 6 7 70
61 Zadorov, Nikita D 6-5 219 L Moscow, Russia 4-15-95 London (OHL) 63 6 19 25 54
# GOALTENDER POS. HT WT C BIRTHPLACE DATE 12-13 TEAM GP W-L-OT GAA
1 Enroth, Jhonas G 5-10 166 L Stockholm, Sweden 6-25-88 Buffalo Sabres 12 4-4-1 2.60
31 Hackett, Matt G 6-2 173 L London, Ontario 3-7-90 Houston (AHL) 43 19-20-3 2.66
Rochester (AHL) 3 3-0-0 1.62
Minnesota Wild 1 0-1-0 5.08
49 Knapp, Connor G 6-5 215 L York, New York 5-1-90 Rochester (AHL) 7 1-6-0 3.34
Greenville (ECHL) 12 5-7-0 3.05
50 Lieuwen, Nathan G 6-5 192 L Abbotsford, British Columbia 8-8-91 Rochester (AHL) 4 1-2-0 2.65
Greenville (ECHL) 27 14-10-2 2.93
35 Makarov, Andrey G 6-1 193 L Kazan, Russia 4-20-93 Saskatoon (WHL) 61 37-17-5 2.62
30 Miller, Ryan G 6-2 175 L East Lansing, Michigan 7-17-80 Buffalo Sabres 40 17-17-5 2.81
General Manager: Darcy Regier
Head Coach: Ron Rolston
Asst. Coach: Joe Sacco
Asst. Coach: Teppo Numminen
Asst. Coach: Jerry Forton
Goaltending Coach: Jim Corsi
Strength & Conditioning Coach: Doug McKenney
Admin. Asst. Coach: Corey Smith
Sunday, August 18, 2013
On NHL.com's 30-in-30 series--Buffalo Sabres
NHL.com is gearing up for the regular season covering 30 teams in 30 days.
On August 16, they took a look at the Buffalo Sabres.
In their overview, they touched upon the tumultuous 2013 lockout shortened season with the departures of long time coach Lindy Ruff as well as veterans Robyn Regehr, Jordan Leopold and homegrown captain Jason Pominville.
Author Davis Harper points that GM Darcy Regier iced the youngest roster in the league at the trade deadline as the aforementioned three vets were traded for picks and prospects. And he rightfully gives Regier his due for landing a first-rounder and second-rounder for Pominville, two seconds for Regehr and a second for Leopold. Regier also landed two very good prospects--C, Johan Larsson and G, Matthew Hackett in the Pominville trade to Minnesota.
The purge of the Regier's "core," or as Team President Ted Black calls them--"the Rochester Guys"--is in full-force with only two homegrown "core" players remaining--F, Thomas Vanek and G, Ryan Miller.
In looking at the team, which presently stands as the third youngest in the league according to NHL Numbers.com, the Buffalo Sabres are putting the charge of the youngins in the hands of head coach Ron Rolston.
Rolston had been part of an extremely successful US National Team Development Program from 2004-11 and was credited with being, "Perhaps the most decorated coach in NTDP history, Rolston-led teams have never missed the championship game in either of the major NTDP tournaments--the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge and International Ice Hockey Federation World Under-18 Championship. In the 4 IIHF U-18 Championships that his teams competed in, they brought home 3 golds and a silver medal."
"The first professor at the University of Sabres" hits the real world full-time this season with what will probably be the youngest team in the NHL.
As a teacher, he will have the benefit of a full training camp with which to teach and evaluate. And with such a young group of players, he will have the opportunity to mold them into players that fit the new identity of the Buffalo Sabres.
That identity was defined early when new owner Terry Pegula stated at his first presser in 2011 that he wanted "not only statistically good players, but winners, gritty players."
At the 2012 Draft Assistant GM/Head Amateur Scout Kevin Devine hearkened "bigger, stronger, faster."
Leading up to the draft this season we heard Pegula on WGR saying that he likes "players who will not be outworked."
In an interview with GR a few days later, Regier acknowledged (finally?) that "the game is getting bigger and you [need] to have people who are willing to compete and you [need] to have size in your lineup." he said. "There's a shift in that general direction over what we saw coming out of the [2004-05] lockout."
At the 2013 NHL Draft, Devine asked the question, "Do you want to get tougher to play against?" as hulking defenseman Nikita Zadorov kept falling to them at #16. The answer was a resounding yes. They did not hesitate picking the hard-hitting d-man.
Devine himself was a gritty, two-way forward in his pro hockey career and his picks, especially this year, are laden with those traits.
As the team moves forward this season, it will be up to Rolston to mold this group of young players into the team envisioned by the Sabres hierarchy.
After taking over for Ruff last season, Rolston proceeded to stabilize an ugly situation in Buffalo. The team he inherited was a sieve on defense and their effort was inconsistent at best.
His attention to detail and focus upon fundamentals pulled the team up from the depths of the Eastern Conference. Although it wasn't quite enough to get them in to the playoffs, the team ended up a very respectable 15-11-5 during his tenure.
Said Regier of taking the "interim" moniker off of Rolston's title, "seeing Ron's interaction with the team, both as a teacher and a motivator ... for me personally, it became more and more evident that he was a very good fit not only for the present but for the future."
As the team heads into the 2013/14 season, the future is now for Rolston and his charges.
Just how, or even if, his teachings and motivation will result in wins at the NHL-level is to be determined. The Sabres have two big question marks heading into the season in Vanek and Miller who should be looked at as keys to immediate success on the ice.
Without one or both, there could be much more darkness before the dawn.
As Harper concludes, "the overhauled Sabres enter their first full season, [the] future remains uncertain, but the plan is fully in motion."
Which is fine.
The rebuild is on. Let's get the suffering over and done with.
On August 16, they took a look at the Buffalo Sabres.
In their overview, they touched upon the tumultuous 2013 lockout shortened season with the departures of long time coach Lindy Ruff as well as veterans Robyn Regehr, Jordan Leopold and homegrown captain Jason Pominville.
Author Davis Harper points that GM Darcy Regier iced the youngest roster in the league at the trade deadline as the aforementioned three vets were traded for picks and prospects. And he rightfully gives Regier his due for landing a first-rounder and second-rounder for Pominville, two seconds for Regehr and a second for Leopold. Regier also landed two very good prospects--C, Johan Larsson and G, Matthew Hackett in the Pominville trade to Minnesota.
The purge of the Regier's "core," or as Team President Ted Black calls them--"the Rochester Guys"--is in full-force with only two homegrown "core" players remaining--F, Thomas Vanek and G, Ryan Miller.
In looking at the team, which presently stands as the third youngest in the league according to NHL Numbers.com, the Buffalo Sabres are putting the charge of the youngins in the hands of head coach Ron Rolston.
Rolston had been part of an extremely successful US National Team Development Program from 2004-11 and was credited with being, "Perhaps the most decorated coach in NTDP history, Rolston-led teams have never missed the championship game in either of the major NTDP tournaments--the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge and International Ice Hockey Federation World Under-18 Championship. In the 4 IIHF U-18 Championships that his teams competed in, they brought home 3 golds and a silver medal."
"The first professor at the University of Sabres" hits the real world full-time this season with what will probably be the youngest team in the NHL.
As a teacher, he will have the benefit of a full training camp with which to teach and evaluate. And with such a young group of players, he will have the opportunity to mold them into players that fit the new identity of the Buffalo Sabres.
That identity was defined early when new owner Terry Pegula stated at his first presser in 2011 that he wanted "not only statistically good players, but winners, gritty players."
At the 2012 Draft Assistant GM/Head Amateur Scout Kevin Devine hearkened "bigger, stronger, faster."
Leading up to the draft this season we heard Pegula on WGR saying that he likes "players who will not be outworked."
In an interview with GR a few days later, Regier acknowledged (finally?) that "the game is getting bigger and you [need] to have people who are willing to compete and you [need] to have size in your lineup." he said. "There's a shift in that general direction over what we saw coming out of the [2004-05] lockout."
At the 2013 NHL Draft, Devine asked the question, "Do you want to get tougher to play against?" as hulking defenseman Nikita Zadorov kept falling to them at #16. The answer was a resounding yes. They did not hesitate picking the hard-hitting d-man.
Devine himself was a gritty, two-way forward in his pro hockey career and his picks, especially this year, are laden with those traits.
As the team moves forward this season, it will be up to Rolston to mold this group of young players into the team envisioned by the Sabres hierarchy.
After taking over for Ruff last season, Rolston proceeded to stabilize an ugly situation in Buffalo. The team he inherited was a sieve on defense and their effort was inconsistent at best.
His attention to detail and focus upon fundamentals pulled the team up from the depths of the Eastern Conference. Although it wasn't quite enough to get them in to the playoffs, the team ended up a very respectable 15-11-5 during his tenure.
Said Regier of taking the "interim" moniker off of Rolston's title, "seeing Ron's interaction with the team, both as a teacher and a motivator ... for me personally, it became more and more evident that he was a very good fit not only for the present but for the future."
As the team heads into the 2013/14 season, the future is now for Rolston and his charges.
Just how, or even if, his teachings and motivation will result in wins at the NHL-level is to be determined. The Sabres have two big question marks heading into the season in Vanek and Miller who should be looked at as keys to immediate success on the ice.
Without one or both, there could be much more darkness before the dawn.
As Harper concludes, "the overhauled Sabres enter their first full season, [the] future remains uncertain, but the plan is fully in motion."
Which is fine.
The rebuild is on. Let's get the suffering over and done with.
Thursday, April 11, 2013
You can't teach old dogs new tricks, or... (Andrej Sekera, Cody Hodgson, Drew Stafford, Jochen Hecht)
which "core" veterans will be retained?
I like interim head coach Ron Rolston.
I like his attention to detail, I like what he's stressed defensively and I like he work he's done with the players he's been given.
In a very short time he's managed to stabilize a very ugly situation. The team is still blowing leads, still laying an egg from time to time and still playing inconsistent hockey, but there seems to be more of a concerted effort, especially in the defensive zone.
There are still some concerns, like the ability to bury a scoring chance. It's something that's been going on for years. Two nights ago at Winnipeg, forward Thomas Vanek admitted that he could've had at least three, maybe four goals instead of none.
Other areas of concern are poor passing, a tendency to play "too cute," and an anemic powerplay. All of which are intertwined and were at one point getting better. Unfortunately it's gone south.
Rolston walked into a huge headache and he's done admirably thus far. The Sabres have a 10-8-5 record since he took over. Whether or not he'll get another shot next year is up in the air, but one thing we know; the organization is continuing to part ways with the "old dogs" of the team; read GM Darcy Regier's "core" or, as President Ted Black calls them, the "Rochester Guys."
There are only three Sabres left who go back to the first post-lockout season--Vanek, Ryan Miller and Jochen Hecht. Two others, Drew Stafford and Andrej Sekera made their debuts in the 2006/07 season.
How are these "old dogs" doing in the 23 games with Rolston at the helm?
Vanek--14 games played: 4 goals, 4 assists, -2
Hecht--22 GP (one healthy scratch): 3g, 4a, +5
Stafford--21 GP (two healthy scratches): 4g, 2a, -11
Sekera--17 GP: 1g, 7a, +2
Miller--20 GP (one in relief late in the third): 8 wins, 8 losses, 4 OT/SO losses (including the relief appearance) On Feb 21, he had a 2.94 GAA and a .915 Sv%. As of today he has a 2.78 GAA and a .914 Sv.%.
Come June and beyond, it would seem as if more big changes are on the way with the above five players being the focus.
Two of them, Vanek and Miller, have hefty cap-hits for the 2013/14 season,Vanek-$7.1M and Miller $6.25M, and both will be on the last year of those contracts. Both are core players in the middle of their prime and both have said that they're really not looking forward to a long rebuilding process.
About the only difference between the two heading into next season is Miller having a limited no-trade contract. Vanek has not.
One or both may be gone in the off-season, be it an organizational decision or the individual players decision.
Stafford is signed for $4M over the next two seasons. Sekera has a $2.75M cap-hit for two more seasons, but is only due $3.5M in salary over those two seasons.
Hecht will be an unrestricted free agent at seasons' end.
Stafford has had a horrendous season and his name was linked to trade rumors for a month leading up to the April 3 trade deadline. He could find his way to another team for "fresh start."
Sekera is somewhat of a wizard. Some of his plays are so atrocious--like a direct responsibility for both Boston goals in a 2-0 loss, that you want him shipped to the KHL. Yet, he manages to play a good "puckmover" type of game, and the next thing you know he has goals, assists and is in the plus-column.
As for Hecht. As long as Rolston or any other coach uses him in a 4th-line/bottom-six role, his game has worth. Plus he doesn't carry a hefty price-tag anymore.
In addition to the future of interim coach Rolston, question marks abound with the Sabres organization going forward. And that includes the GM position where one could speculate as to whether or not Regier will be in charge of the rebuild. In the past month he has amassed a bevy of picks by trading Jordan Leopold (2013 2nd-rounder) and Robyn Regehr (2014 2nd and 2015 2nd).
He also received a 2013 1st and 2014 2nd from Minnesota for Jason Pominville at the trade deadline. In addition to those two picks he received two mid-upper level prospects: forward Johan Larsson and goalie Matt Hackett.
Senior Advisor Ken Sawyer, owner Terry Pegula's right-hand man, has called Regier a "hockey genius." Based upon the work Regier has done between the 2012 and 2013 trade deadlines, it would be a very accurate statement...at least when it comes to acquiring draft picks and prospects.
But Regier has not made any moves for roster players since Steve Ott came over from Dallas for Derek Roy, which may lead one to believe that Pegula's unsure as to Regier's choice of roster players.
Circling back to the "old dogs" learning Rolston's new tricks, the stat-line for the recently traded Pominville--the captain of "the core"--under Rolston: 20 GP, 3g, 7a, +3.
By comparison, Vanek and Pominville's center through most of the season has been Cody Hodgson. Under Rolston: 22 GP, 6g, 9a, +4.
Hodgson, it should be noted, played 19 games in Rochester with Rolston as head coach. He had 5g, 14a, and was a minus-3.
Which of the veterans will be around at the beginning of next season?
Maybe the first question should be, what kind of player does Pegula want?
Methinks this quote from Pegula's initial presser is the one that should come to the forefront:
It's almost time for a look at who will be a part of the Pegula Rewards Program, 2013.
Addendum
Regier receives a vote of confidence from Black this morning:
“My opinion of Darcy is based on my work history with him, which is two years,” Black said. “That’s how I judge him. I think the opportunities that he’s had, whether it be through free agency to the trade deadlines and the draft, I think he has done well in each of those instances.
“That doesn’t mean that I think Darcy has built a championship team right now since we’ve bought the team. I think he has used those opportunities to improve us.”
I like interim head coach Ron Rolston.
I like his attention to detail, I like what he's stressed defensively and I like he work he's done with the players he's been given.
In a very short time he's managed to stabilize a very ugly situation. The team is still blowing leads, still laying an egg from time to time and still playing inconsistent hockey, but there seems to be more of a concerted effort, especially in the defensive zone.
There are still some concerns, like the ability to bury a scoring chance. It's something that's been going on for years. Two nights ago at Winnipeg, forward Thomas Vanek admitted that he could've had at least three, maybe four goals instead of none.
Other areas of concern are poor passing, a tendency to play "too cute," and an anemic powerplay. All of which are intertwined and were at one point getting better. Unfortunately it's gone south.
Rolston walked into a huge headache and he's done admirably thus far. The Sabres have a 10-8-5 record since he took over. Whether or not he'll get another shot next year is up in the air, but one thing we know; the organization is continuing to part ways with the "old dogs" of the team; read GM Darcy Regier's "core" or, as President Ted Black calls them, the "Rochester Guys."
There are only three Sabres left who go back to the first post-lockout season--Vanek, Ryan Miller and Jochen Hecht. Two others, Drew Stafford and Andrej Sekera made their debuts in the 2006/07 season.
How are these "old dogs" doing in the 23 games with Rolston at the helm?
Vanek--14 games played: 4 goals, 4 assists, -2
Hecht--22 GP (one healthy scratch): 3g, 4a, +5
Stafford--21 GP (two healthy scratches): 4g, 2a, -11
Sekera--17 GP: 1g, 7a, +2
Miller--20 GP (one in relief late in the third): 8 wins, 8 losses, 4 OT/SO losses (including the relief appearance) On Feb 21, he had a 2.94 GAA and a .915 Sv%. As of today he has a 2.78 GAA and a .914 Sv.%.
Come June and beyond, it would seem as if more big changes are on the way with the above five players being the focus.
Two of them, Vanek and Miller, have hefty cap-hits for the 2013/14 season,Vanek-$7.1M and Miller $6.25M, and both will be on the last year of those contracts. Both are core players in the middle of their prime and both have said that they're really not looking forward to a long rebuilding process.
About the only difference between the two heading into next season is Miller having a limited no-trade contract. Vanek has not.
One or both may be gone in the off-season, be it an organizational decision or the individual players decision.
Stafford is signed for $4M over the next two seasons. Sekera has a $2.75M cap-hit for two more seasons, but is only due $3.5M in salary over those two seasons.
Hecht will be an unrestricted free agent at seasons' end.
Stafford has had a horrendous season and his name was linked to trade rumors for a month leading up to the April 3 trade deadline. He could find his way to another team for "fresh start."
Sekera is somewhat of a wizard. Some of his plays are so atrocious--like a direct responsibility for both Boston goals in a 2-0 loss, that you want him shipped to the KHL. Yet, he manages to play a good "puckmover" type of game, and the next thing you know he has goals, assists and is in the plus-column.
As for Hecht. As long as Rolston or any other coach uses him in a 4th-line/bottom-six role, his game has worth. Plus he doesn't carry a hefty price-tag anymore.
In addition to the future of interim coach Rolston, question marks abound with the Sabres organization going forward. And that includes the GM position where one could speculate as to whether or not Regier will be in charge of the rebuild. In the past month he has amassed a bevy of picks by trading Jordan Leopold (2013 2nd-rounder) and Robyn Regehr (2014 2nd and 2015 2nd).
He also received a 2013 1st and 2014 2nd from Minnesota for Jason Pominville at the trade deadline. In addition to those two picks he received two mid-upper level prospects: forward Johan Larsson and goalie Matt Hackett.
Senior Advisor Ken Sawyer, owner Terry Pegula's right-hand man, has called Regier a "hockey genius." Based upon the work Regier has done between the 2012 and 2013 trade deadlines, it would be a very accurate statement...at least when it comes to acquiring draft picks and prospects.
But Regier has not made any moves for roster players since Steve Ott came over from Dallas for Derek Roy, which may lead one to believe that Pegula's unsure as to Regier's choice of roster players.
Circling back to the "old dogs" learning Rolston's new tricks, the stat-line for the recently traded Pominville--the captain of "the core"--under Rolston: 20 GP, 3g, 7a, +3.
By comparison, Vanek and Pominville's center through most of the season has been Cody Hodgson. Under Rolston: 22 GP, 6g, 9a, +4.
Hodgson, it should be noted, played 19 games in Rochester with Rolston as head coach. He had 5g, 14a, and was a minus-3.
Which of the veterans will be around at the beginning of next season?
Maybe the first question should be, what kind of player does Pegula want?
Methinks this quote from Pegula's initial presser is the one that should come to the forefront:
"I want not only statistically good players, but winners, gritty players."Legendary Hall of Fame coach Al Arbour, revered the same qualities in his players as well. When asked by Mark Malinkowski of the Hockey News the people/personality qualities he most admired, Arbour said, "Honesty. The grit. The people who never quit."
It's almost time for a look at who will be a part of the Pegula Rewards Program, 2013.
Addendum
Regier receives a vote of confidence from Black this morning:
“My opinion of Darcy is based on my work history with him, which is two years,” Black said. “That’s how I judge him. I think the opportunities that he’s had, whether it be through free agency to the trade deadlines and the draft, I think he has done well in each of those instances.
“That doesn’t mean that I think Darcy has built a championship team right now since we’ve bought the team. I think he has used those opportunities to improve us.”
Monday, March 4, 2013
The whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Plus...
some notes on the Rochester Americans at Cleveland vs. the Lake Erie Monsters.
The Buffalo Sabres just finished up a four games in six nights stretch that took them to Florida, back up to Buffalo and over to NYC culminating in back-to-back games vs. New Jersey and the Rangers.
They came away with seven of eight points after last night's SO loss to the Rags. No small feat for a team that was booed off the ice in the game before the stretch, were sitting in last place in the eastern conference at the time, and spent the last two games without their best offensive player, Thomas Vanek.
Ryan Miller was stellar in net for the team keeping them in every game and/or doing everything in his power to maintain a lead. He was in three shootouts in a row, denying Florida and New Jersey any goals before succumbing to exhaustion against NY. Rick Nash and Ryan Callahan both scored rather easily last night.
Miller was the game's 1st star in a 2-1 win at Tampa, 2nd star at Florida and 2nd star vs. the Devils. He was great in last night's game as well, but had nothing left to give in the shootout.
Vanek, the team's leading scorer was out with an upper body injury the last two games.
The team finally got some secondary scoring during the four-game stretch as Tyler Myers, Drew Stafford and Nathan Gerbe all contributed. Gerbe scored two vs. NJ and was named the game's 1st star. Last night at NY he scored a short-handed goal to tie the game 2-2 after a nice feed from Steve Ott.
And, you know things are going well when Jochen Hecht scores. He potted his first of the season vs. the Devils in one of his "from goal-line down/bank it off the goalie" shots.
All-in-all, if I were a Sabre though, I'd be ticked that the team didn't get get the win last night. They had a golden opportunity going on the powerplay then having an extended 5-on-3 in overtime.
But. Nothing.
The powerplay has been awful. They have absolutely no chemistry.
They're dead last in the league in pp efficiency-no flow, no one backing off defenders, and very few shots getting through from the point or anywhere else.
Sabres coach Ron Rolston had a multitude of problems to correct when he took over the team 12 days ago and he chose to focus upon the back-end first, which has looked much better over the past four games. There's been progression in each game and you can see confidence building.
Next he needs to focus his attention on the powerplay. It's the sole reason they gave away a point in this game. The team is now 9 for 84, a 10.4% rate. Tampa Bay leads the league with a 29% conversion rate.
And why Jason Pominville is still on the point is beyond me. It's something that hasn't been working for years and it has gotten progressively worse this season. He's much better suited to the half-wall where he can stickhandle and try to find an open man. He is not a powerplay quarterback from the point, nor does he have the knack for getting pucks through. Plus, far too often, maybe as much as Andrej Sekera, the puck either jumps his stick at the blueline or he mishandles which leads to bad things happening, like his hooking/interference penalty against New Jersey.
Speaking of Pominville, he's been gathering some points lately, but he seems to have more mental lapses than a veteran player should.
A perfect example is the game vs. New Jersey.
He scored two goals but ended up a minus-1 as he was on the ice for New Jersey's three goals, out of sorts on two of them.
Somethings not right.
Either he's been looked at through blue and gold colored glasses over the last few seasons or he's starting to decline a bit. Maybe it's the pressure of being the captain. Maybe it's that his linemates--Vanek and Cody Hodgson--have quite a bit more raw talent than him and he's just a bit off playing with them. Maybe the speed of the game is beginning to pass him by.
For whatever the reason, he's not what he should be--Mr. Consistency with the puck and a leader by example.
What Rolston has done with this team so far is just short of remarkable. He's 3-2-1 since being named interim coach, 3-0-1 since his opening two losses.
He's been solidifying the Sabres defense, which was said to be a strength before the season started, but was awful for 19 games. They're now playing sound team defense in their own end keeping most shots to the outside. They're playing odd man rushes better and they're getting their sticks in on a lot of plays.
And when things break down, Miller's there to cover.
Rolston doesn't have a lot of talent to work with, but he has them playing a team game. They've not been able to generate much offense, but they've been able to capitalize on their opportunities. They're lacking talent up front, especially without Vanek and, to an extent, Ville Leino, but he has most of them playing to the best of their abilities right now.
That's how he's managed to get seven of a possible eight points the last four games.
As a whole, they're getting it done, and unless Darcy Regier brings in a top-six player, this is what Rolston will be working with.
And if they continue to progress the way they have over the last four games, methinks they'll be making some noise in the "bubble group."
Some quick notes:
--Veteran defenseman Robyn Regehr has been playing the best hockey since he's been in Buffalo. That scowl is back and he's be roughin' it up with a lot of forwards in and around the net. But one of the coolest things was when Gerbe scored that shortie last night. Regehr had an expression of pure joy.
Five games for Kaleta, as long as there is at least two games for Girardi. If Girardi gets one, Kaleta should get no more than three. IMO, of course.
(Sabres gritty forward Steve Ott has some interesting thoughts on the Kaleta hit, including a mention that Richards, despite looking like he was writhing in pain after the hit, returned to the ice the next shift on the powerplay. Thx to the Howard Simon show on WGR for the interview.)
--Gerbe has been the teams best player up-front lately. He has three goals in the last two games including a bullet, one-timer that went top-shelf over Henrik Lundqvist's glove last night. Earlier in the season he'd been playing like he was ready for a demotion to Rochester. But the Sabres stuck with him.
He had off-season back surgery and it seems as if he's finally recovered fully. He said after last night's game that he feels more comfortable (via WGR) "[I'm] feeling better now feeling better with the puck," he said, "but that comes with time. That comes with healing; trust in my body, trust in my back."
That allows him to play his gadfly-like/junk-yard dog-type game. It also allows him to go after the likes of Dion Phaneuf and Alexei Ponikarovsky lookin' for a fight.
I like what Rick Jeanneret said of Gerbe vs. New Jersey after the leagues shortest player (5' 5") was tussling with the 6' 4" Ponikarovsky, "Why is he always picking on the big guys?"
*************
Some notes while taking in my second Rochester Americans game of the season.
--Mark Mancari may be the Amerks AHL version of Dave Andreychuk. He has that kind of veteran presence for the Amerks. Unfortunately for the organization, he may also be considered the new Jody Gage--one of the best in AHL, can't cut it in the NHL. He'll have a good career in Rochester.
--As of right now Luke Adam will be lucky if he's as good as Mancari. He looked slow as ever yesterday afternoon--both mentally and physically. During the game he fell no less than five times on his own trying to keep pace. If Regier can somehow get something decent for him, it would be a semi-miracle.
--Zemgus Girgensons has progressed well. Back in December you could see he was still getting a feel for the game, yet he was always in position and seemed to be ahead of the play quite often.
He's taken that a step further. Girgensons was in constant motion yesterday, always keeping his feet moving and he was always in the right spot at both ends of the ice. He has some real strong two-way skills and may even get a crack at the NHL as a call-up this season if he continues to play this well. The jury's still out on whether he'll be able to contribute in a top-six role, but he will be in the NHL sometime in the near future. At the very least he looks to be a top-nine center.
--5'9" 135 lb. Amerks forward Fredrick Roy got in a beauty of a fight with the Monsters' 5'10" 175 lb. Tyler McNeely. Roy landed a couple of doozies before McNeely came back and landed a couple of his own. It was a long, spirited bout that proved Roy not only can fight, but can take a punch too.
--David Leggio is a pretty damn good goalie. He looks as if he'll have a damn good AHL career. His positioning is very sound and he anticipates real well. The goals against last night were very late with the Amerks already up 4-0. The first one was a turnover that lead to a tap in for Lake Erie. The second was a beautiful shot that went top-shelf from in tight. Most NHL goalies would be hard-pressed to stop that one.
He's playing well enough to get a look from the Sabres should Jhonas Enroth falter in his next start.
*************
Speaking of Enroth, Rolston should opt to play the back-up at Carolina on Tuesday despite him not having won since November, 2011. Miller has been playing lights-out and the toll it's taken could be seen in the shoot-out last night.
In this situation--with a tired Miller, no back-up he could count on and every point at a premium--former coach Lindy Ruff would ride Miller until he fell over. That "falling over" normally lead to a lopsided loss anyway.
I hope Rolston goes with Enroth to give Miller a much needed rest.
The Buffalo Sabres just finished up a four games in six nights stretch that took them to Florida, back up to Buffalo and over to NYC culminating in back-to-back games vs. New Jersey and the Rangers.
They came away with seven of eight points after last night's SO loss to the Rags. No small feat for a team that was booed off the ice in the game before the stretch, were sitting in last place in the eastern conference at the time, and spent the last two games without their best offensive player, Thomas Vanek.
Ryan Miller was stellar in net for the team keeping them in every game and/or doing everything in his power to maintain a lead. He was in three shootouts in a row, denying Florida and New Jersey any goals before succumbing to exhaustion against NY. Rick Nash and Ryan Callahan both scored rather easily last night.
Miller was the game's 1st star in a 2-1 win at Tampa, 2nd star at Florida and 2nd star vs. the Devils. He was great in last night's game as well, but had nothing left to give in the shootout.
Vanek, the team's leading scorer was out with an upper body injury the last two games.
The team finally got some secondary scoring during the four-game stretch as Tyler Myers, Drew Stafford and Nathan Gerbe all contributed. Gerbe scored two vs. NJ and was named the game's 1st star. Last night at NY he scored a short-handed goal to tie the game 2-2 after a nice feed from Steve Ott.
And, you know things are going well when Jochen Hecht scores. He potted his first of the season vs. the Devils in one of his "from goal-line down/bank it off the goalie" shots.
All-in-all, if I were a Sabre though, I'd be ticked that the team didn't get get the win last night. They had a golden opportunity going on the powerplay then having an extended 5-on-3 in overtime.
But. Nothing.
The powerplay has been awful. They have absolutely no chemistry.
They're dead last in the league in pp efficiency-no flow, no one backing off defenders, and very few shots getting through from the point or anywhere else.
Sabres coach Ron Rolston had a multitude of problems to correct when he took over the team 12 days ago and he chose to focus upon the back-end first, which has looked much better over the past four games. There's been progression in each game and you can see confidence building.
Next he needs to focus his attention on the powerplay. It's the sole reason they gave away a point in this game. The team is now 9 for 84, a 10.4% rate. Tampa Bay leads the league with a 29% conversion rate.
And why Jason Pominville is still on the point is beyond me. It's something that hasn't been working for years and it has gotten progressively worse this season. He's much better suited to the half-wall where he can stickhandle and try to find an open man. He is not a powerplay quarterback from the point, nor does he have the knack for getting pucks through. Plus, far too often, maybe as much as Andrej Sekera, the puck either jumps his stick at the blueline or he mishandles which leads to bad things happening, like his hooking/interference penalty against New Jersey.
Speaking of Pominville, he's been gathering some points lately, but he seems to have more mental lapses than a veteran player should.
A perfect example is the game vs. New Jersey.
He scored two goals but ended up a minus-1 as he was on the ice for New Jersey's three goals, out of sorts on two of them.
Somethings not right.
Either he's been looked at through blue and gold colored glasses over the last few seasons or he's starting to decline a bit. Maybe it's the pressure of being the captain. Maybe it's that his linemates--Vanek and Cody Hodgson--have quite a bit more raw talent than him and he's just a bit off playing with them. Maybe the speed of the game is beginning to pass him by.
For whatever the reason, he's not what he should be--Mr. Consistency with the puck and a leader by example.
What Rolston has done with this team so far is just short of remarkable. He's 3-2-1 since being named interim coach, 3-0-1 since his opening two losses.
He's been solidifying the Sabres defense, which was said to be a strength before the season started, but was awful for 19 games. They're now playing sound team defense in their own end keeping most shots to the outside. They're playing odd man rushes better and they're getting their sticks in on a lot of plays.
And when things break down, Miller's there to cover.
Rolston doesn't have a lot of talent to work with, but he has them playing a team game. They've not been able to generate much offense, but they've been able to capitalize on their opportunities. They're lacking talent up front, especially without Vanek and, to an extent, Ville Leino, but he has most of them playing to the best of their abilities right now.
That's how he's managed to get seven of a possible eight points the last four games.
As a whole, they're getting it done, and unless Darcy Regier brings in a top-six player, this is what Rolston will be working with.
And if they continue to progress the way they have over the last four games, methinks they'll be making some noise in the "bubble group."
Some quick notes:
--Veteran defenseman Robyn Regehr has been playing the best hockey since he's been in Buffalo. That scowl is back and he's be roughin' it up with a lot of forwards in and around the net. But one of the coolest things was when Gerbe scored that shortie last night. Regehr had an expression of pure joy.
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| Sabres Pat Kaleta boards the Rangers Brad Richards. |
--Speaking of roughing it up, Patrick Kaleta pulled a bone-headed move last night boarding Brad Richards. He got a five minute major/game misconduct and has a hearing with Brendan Shanahan scheduled for this afternoon. A suspension is on the way, maybe up to five games. But it could be something that hinges upon Shanahan's call on NYR d-man Dan Girardi, if he gets a phone call.
Girardi pasted Tyler Ennis from behind in OT. Ennis fell to the ice stunned. The refs called it a two minute minor for boarding, but it could easily have been a five minute major/game misconduct. (click here for link to a video of both hits as well as some opinon from CBSSportsline.com's Brian Stubitz.) Shanahan will need to look at that one as well. As good a guy as Girardi is, he should get a couple of games, just like Niklas Hjalmarsson got when he boarded Pominville a couple years ago.
Five games for Kaleta, as long as there is at least two games for Girardi. If Girardi gets one, Kaleta should get no more than three. IMO, of course.
(Sabres gritty forward Steve Ott has some interesting thoughts on the Kaleta hit, including a mention that Richards, despite looking like he was writhing in pain after the hit, returned to the ice the next shift on the powerplay. Thx to the Howard Simon show on WGR for the interview.)
--Gerbe has been the teams best player up-front lately. He has three goals in the last two games including a bullet, one-timer that went top-shelf over Henrik Lundqvist's glove last night. Earlier in the season he'd been playing like he was ready for a demotion to Rochester. But the Sabres stuck with him.
He had off-season back surgery and it seems as if he's finally recovered fully. He said after last night's game that he feels more comfortable (via WGR) "[I'm] feeling better now feeling better with the puck," he said, "but that comes with time. That comes with healing; trust in my body, trust in my back."
That allows him to play his gadfly-like/junk-yard dog-type game. It also allows him to go after the likes of Dion Phaneuf and Alexei Ponikarovsky lookin' for a fight.
I like what Rick Jeanneret said of Gerbe vs. New Jersey after the leagues shortest player (5' 5") was tussling with the 6' 4" Ponikarovsky, "Why is he always picking on the big guys?"
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| Drew Stafford and rookie Mikhail Grigorenko celebrate Stafford's goal vs. NY |
Rookie center Mikhail Grigorenko has been playing fourth line minutes, but his game seems to be coming along. Although he's still catching up to the speed of the game, he's been working pretty hard and he is starting to see some results.
Last night he took a face off deep in the Rangers zone, lost it, continued on, got the puck and passed it back to a wide open Stafford in the slot. Stafford one-timed it past Henrik Lundqvist. It was good for the rookie and good for Stafford who scored for only the second time this season.
"It always makes me happy to [get] points," he said. "Finally I feel I can help my team."
In the previous game vs. New Jersey Grigorenko worked a little magic behind the net and fed Hecht for his first goal of the year.
Grigorenko has been with Stafford and Hecht the last two games and the trio has been producing. He mentioning Stafford by name post-game.
One would think that when Ville Leino returns, we might see a Grigorenko/Stafford/Leino line as a #3. And that has the potential to really add some offense.
*************
Some notes while taking in my second Rochester Americans game of the season.
--Mark Mancari may be the Amerks AHL version of Dave Andreychuk. He has that kind of veteran presence for the Amerks. Unfortunately for the organization, he may also be considered the new Jody Gage--one of the best in AHL, can't cut it in the NHL. He'll have a good career in Rochester.
--As of right now Luke Adam will be lucky if he's as good as Mancari. He looked slow as ever yesterday afternoon--both mentally and physically. During the game he fell no less than five times on his own trying to keep pace. If Regier can somehow get something decent for him, it would be a semi-miracle.
--Zemgus Girgensons has progressed well. Back in December you could see he was still getting a feel for the game, yet he was always in position and seemed to be ahead of the play quite often.
He's taken that a step further. Girgensons was in constant motion yesterday, always keeping his feet moving and he was always in the right spot at both ends of the ice. He has some real strong two-way skills and may even get a crack at the NHL as a call-up this season if he continues to play this well. The jury's still out on whether he'll be able to contribute in a top-six role, but he will be in the NHL sometime in the near future. At the very least he looks to be a top-nine center.
--5'9" 135 lb. Amerks forward Fredrick Roy got in a beauty of a fight with the Monsters' 5'10" 175 lb. Tyler McNeely. Roy landed a couple of doozies before McNeely came back and landed a couple of his own. It was a long, spirited bout that proved Roy not only can fight, but can take a punch too.
--David Leggio is a pretty damn good goalie. He looks as if he'll have a damn good AHL career. His positioning is very sound and he anticipates real well. The goals against last night were very late with the Amerks already up 4-0. The first one was a turnover that lead to a tap in for Lake Erie. The second was a beautiful shot that went top-shelf from in tight. Most NHL goalies would be hard-pressed to stop that one.
He's playing well enough to get a look from the Sabres should Jhonas Enroth falter in his next start.
*************
Speaking of Enroth, Rolston should opt to play the back-up at Carolina on Tuesday despite him not having won since November, 2011. Miller has been playing lights-out and the toll it's taken could be seen in the shoot-out last night.
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| Ryan Miller give up a shootout goal to the Rangers Ryan Callahan. |
Callahan made him look like an AHL'er on that one. And afterwards, Miller just lay face-down in the crease seemingly with nothing left to give.
Rolston should give Enroth his start, come what may. The team as a whole looks as if they've bottomed out and they're on the upswing. A loss with Enroth in net would be a step back but could yield more positive results down the road as the team looks strong enough to overcome adversity.
In this situation--with a tired Miller, no back-up he could count on and every point at a premium--former coach Lindy Ruff would ride Miller until he fell over. That "falling over" normally lead to a lopsided loss anyway.
I hope Rolston goes with Enroth to give Miller a much needed rest.
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Sabres get Rolston his first NHL win
It wasn't a thing of beauty, but it was a win nonetheless.
In his third game since taking over the head coaching reigns, Ron Rolston finally got his first victory as a head coach in the NHL, a 2-1 win over Tampa Bay and their potent offense.
The Lightning came into the game with a league best 3.70 goals/game and the 7th best powerplay. Steven Stamkos, Martin St. Louis, Vinny Lecavalier, and Cory Conacher must have been licking their chops looking at this one. The Sabres defense had given up the fourth most goals against in the league (3.23) and had a penalty kill ranked in the bottom half.
With the score tied 1-1 in the 2nd, the Sabres had a parade to the penalty box that lasted nearly a full five minutes with 43 seconds being down two men. With the help of a fortuitous post rung by Stamkos 5-on-3, the Sabres weathered that tornado and, unlike previous games this season, the weathered the entire second period as well.
Ryan Miller came up strong throughout the game and was awarded the 1st star. But unlike other nights this season, he wasn't tested often. The defense looked much better position-wise and kept most of the shots to the outside. They also refrained from screening their goalie and made cross-ice, one-timers into long passes giving Miller ample time to scoot over.
The post hit by Stamkos was one of two breaks that the Sabres got last night, the first being Cody Hodgson's eighth goal of the season. Hodgson gathered the puck behind the net and sent it out front to Jason Pominville but it deflected off of Tampa d-man Sami Salo into the net. That tied the score not long after Stamkos put the Lightning up 1-0.
Rolston called it a "gritty win" last night and it was. Not from the sense of a street brawl with, say, Boston, but from the perspective that they were exorcising (or trying to exorcise) the many demons that have plagued this team throughout the 2013 season.
Not everything was corrected last night, but they moved the puck much better out of their zone with fewer (although still too many) turnovers. They also had sustained pressure in the offensive zone more than we've seen all year. Their defense was tighter and they had fewer breakdowns.
"Baby steps," as Rolston put it the other day.
And the true grit came out when they came back from Stamkos' goal a mere 1:30 into the game and while they had that parade to the box early in the second period. Plus, they were able to get the lead in the third and hold it, not by sitting back, but by attacking more than they've done so far.
Are they Stanley Cup contenders? No. Are they among the elite in the conference or division? No. Is this the beginning of a drive to the playoffs? It's their fourth win in the last 14 games.
What we may have seen is a bottoming out last Saturday vs. the NY Islanders. There's still a ton of work to do, but a victory like last night should start moving the confidence meter a notch away from despair.
And now Rolston is 1-2 as Sabres interim head coach.
In his third game since taking over the head coaching reigns, Ron Rolston finally got his first victory as a head coach in the NHL, a 2-1 win over Tampa Bay and their potent offense.
The Lightning came into the game with a league best 3.70 goals/game and the 7th best powerplay. Steven Stamkos, Martin St. Louis, Vinny Lecavalier, and Cory Conacher must have been licking their chops looking at this one. The Sabres defense had given up the fourth most goals against in the league (3.23) and had a penalty kill ranked in the bottom half.
With the score tied 1-1 in the 2nd, the Sabres had a parade to the penalty box that lasted nearly a full five minutes with 43 seconds being down two men. With the help of a fortuitous post rung by Stamkos 5-on-3, the Sabres weathered that tornado and, unlike previous games this season, the weathered the entire second period as well.
Ryan Miller came up strong throughout the game and was awarded the 1st star. But unlike other nights this season, he wasn't tested often. The defense looked much better position-wise and kept most of the shots to the outside. They also refrained from screening their goalie and made cross-ice, one-timers into long passes giving Miller ample time to scoot over.
The post hit by Stamkos was one of two breaks that the Sabres got last night, the first being Cody Hodgson's eighth goal of the season. Hodgson gathered the puck behind the net and sent it out front to Jason Pominville but it deflected off of Tampa d-man Sami Salo into the net. That tied the score not long after Stamkos put the Lightning up 1-0.
Rolston called it a "gritty win" last night and it was. Not from the sense of a street brawl with, say, Boston, but from the perspective that they were exorcising (or trying to exorcise) the many demons that have plagued this team throughout the 2013 season.
Not everything was corrected last night, but they moved the puck much better out of their zone with fewer (although still too many) turnovers. They also had sustained pressure in the offensive zone more than we've seen all year. Their defense was tighter and they had fewer breakdowns.
"Baby steps," as Rolston put it the other day.
And the true grit came out when they came back from Stamkos' goal a mere 1:30 into the game and while they had that parade to the box early in the second period. Plus, they were able to get the lead in the third and hold it, not by sitting back, but by attacking more than they've done so far.
Are they Stanley Cup contenders? No. Are they among the elite in the conference or division? No. Is this the beginning of a drive to the playoffs? It's their fourth win in the last 14 games.
What we may have seen is a bottoming out last Saturday vs. the NY Islanders. There's still a ton of work to do, but a victory like last night should start moving the confidence meter a notch away from despair.
And now Rolston is 1-2 as Sabres interim head coach.
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Rolston's Challenge continues
No, it's not a series on CWTV or the Hallmark channel. It's the task of the new Sabres head coach. Although the 2013 edition of the Buffalo Sabres has all the makings of a soap opera right now.
Sabres' bench-boss Ron Rolston had no idea what he was walking into when he made the jump from Rochester to Buffalo.
After Saturday's 4-0 home loss to the NY Islanders, he continues to dig deeper in search of answers.
Yesterday marked the first time in his short tenure that he's had a the chance to put the team through a full practice.
And after watching his team skate, the operative word he came up with is "patience."
Via Bill Hoppe, buffalohockeybeat.com: “I know patience isn’t big with anybody,” interim coach Ron Rolston said Monday inside the First Niagara Center after the Sabres prepared for tonight’s tilt in Tampa Bay against the Lightning. “It’s not big with me. It’s not big with fans. It’s not big with media. But right now, it’s going to be a process.”
It's been six days since the Lindy Ruff era ended and the retraining of the Sabre's began. In that short span, this is what we've learned about the team from Rolston:
Sunday was an off day for the team, and Rolston had plenty of time to go over the debacle that was the Islanders game, and this is what he came away with:
The next step for him is how the team practices.
Hoppe says that Rolston, who was dubbed "the first professor at the University of Sabres," is still in instructor mode doing a lot of 'educational teaching,' and the thing that he's working on is pace. 'Pace,' deduced Hoppe, 'not just team speed but doing everything quickly – has been a big message from the coach.'
I culled an interesting quote from Walter Gretzky, "the Great One's" father and mentor when it comes to practice.
From totalgameplan.com:
The Sabres have always been a fast team, even while adding more grit to the lineup. But they've looked extremely slow this shortened season. When you watch other teams play, especially the upper-echelon teams, they're continually in motion, continually in overdrive and always seem to be moving north-south with a sense of purpose.
“In terms of team speed, and not only is it how you can skate, but how you move the puck and how clean you are moving the puck and where your support is moving the puck,” Rolston said. “So there’s a lot of elements to a team being a fast team, and right now … we need to be much faster.”
The Sabres more often than not seem to be plodding at times, cruising at others, rarely kicking it into gear. There are probably a number of factors involved, like practicing at a causal pace.
In his first segment on WGR, Rolston said he is looking at each player individually, "Right now, there are habits we can change." he said. "We talk about systems but right now it's the individual within the system and the details that those individuals have. If we're not going to be detailed we're not going to have good habits."
Picking up the pace at practice will help iron some things out. This is a team that's been in Lindy Ruff's system for many years, most of them for their entire careers. They know where to be and what needs to be done and it's not too far-fetched to believe that many players--too many--have had a laissez-faire attitude. But as game-day has proven time and again, a waltz through practice will leave you a step or two behind during the game.
Rolston seems to be on the right track. He's trying to sort out this mess and he's taking "baby steps." He's there to teach, correct and, one would assume, eventually evaluate for the future.
Regardless of whether or not this season is lost, Rolston has the task of rooting out the bad habits that each individual has and laying a foundation with which to build upon for the future of the Sabres that are in the system. There's a lot of talent there right now and the team is not going to bring any of them into a laconic and/or toxic situation.
"We have a lot of players in Rochester who are talented, "he said. "We just want to make sure we have the right environment here when we do [bring a player up] especially with younger players. Right now we want to make sure we solidify things first, take care of what's going on here."
And the Rolston challenge continues with a game tonight at Tampa Bay.
Sabres' bench-boss Ron Rolston had no idea what he was walking into when he made the jump from Rochester to Buffalo.
After Saturday's 4-0 home loss to the NY Islanders, he continues to dig deeper in search of answers.
Yesterday marked the first time in his short tenure that he's had a the chance to put the team through a full practice.
And after watching his team skate, the operative word he came up with is "patience."
Via Bill Hoppe, buffalohockeybeat.com: “I know patience isn’t big with anybody,” interim coach Ron Rolston said Monday inside the First Niagara Center after the Sabres prepared for tonight’s tilt in Tampa Bay against the Lightning. “It’s not big with me. It’s not big with fans. It’s not big with media. But right now, it’s going to be a process.”
It's been six days since the Lindy Ruff era ended and the retraining of the Sabre's began. In that short span, this is what we've learned about the team from Rolston:
“From what I saw [looking at video,] it was more there were just a lot of shortcuts … a lot of rest in shifts,” Rolston said prior to the Sabres’ 3-1 loss to the Leafs. “The things that you just have to eliminate if you’re going to be a good hockey team.”--February 21
“We’re the team that blinks first when you have a stare down,” Rolston said this afternoon inside the Northtown Center following his first full practice as coach. “The faceoff's in the (Toronto) zone and we make a mistake in execution, and the next thing you know it’s a 2-1 game going into the third,” Rolston said. “And that’s part of the reason things aren’t going the way we want them to go.” He added: “In this league, if you have even a short span of a couple of shifts where you don’t execute, that can be the difference in a game. A lot of times that’s been the case here.”--February 22
Sunday was an off day for the team, and Rolston had plenty of time to go over the debacle that was the Islanders game, and this is what he came away with:
“There’s two things,” Rolston said. “You go into hockey games and some teams hope they’re going to win, and some teams know they’re going to win in this league that night. The better teams are the knowing teams, and we’re right now the hope team.
“To get from hope to know is a process. And to get there, you got to do a lot of things well, and you got to do them for 60 minutes. We’re still hoping. Our job is to get to the point we’re knowing.”So how do you get from "hoping" to "knowing?"
The next step for him is how the team practices.
Hoppe says that Rolston, who was dubbed "the first professor at the University of Sabres," is still in instructor mode doing a lot of 'educational teaching,' and the thing that he's working on is pace. 'Pace,' deduced Hoppe, 'not just team speed but doing everything quickly – has been a big message from the coach.'
I culled an interesting quote from Walter Gretzky, "the Great One's" father and mentor when it comes to practice.
From totalgameplan.com:
"One day, when Wayne Gretzky was already the greatest hockey player in the world, he was practicing with his team, the Edmonton Oilers. Walter watched from the stands. Afterwards, the two drove home together.
'You just wasted two hours of your life,' Walter Gretzky told his son. 'If you’re going to practice, then do it right.'"
The Sabres have always been a fast team, even while adding more grit to the lineup. But they've looked extremely slow this shortened season. When you watch other teams play, especially the upper-echelon teams, they're continually in motion, continually in overdrive and always seem to be moving north-south with a sense of purpose.
“In terms of team speed, and not only is it how you can skate, but how you move the puck and how clean you are moving the puck and where your support is moving the puck,” Rolston said. “So there’s a lot of elements to a team being a fast team, and right now … we need to be much faster.”
The Sabres more often than not seem to be plodding at times, cruising at others, rarely kicking it into gear. There are probably a number of factors involved, like practicing at a causal pace.
In his first segment on WGR, Rolston said he is looking at each player individually, "Right now, there are habits we can change." he said. "We talk about systems but right now it's the individual within the system and the details that those individuals have. If we're not going to be detailed we're not going to have good habits."
Picking up the pace at practice will help iron some things out. This is a team that's been in Lindy Ruff's system for many years, most of them for their entire careers. They know where to be and what needs to be done and it's not too far-fetched to believe that many players--too many--have had a laissez-faire attitude. But as game-day has proven time and again, a waltz through practice will leave you a step or two behind during the game.
Rolston seems to be on the right track. He's trying to sort out this mess and he's taking "baby steps." He's there to teach, correct and, one would assume, eventually evaluate for the future.
Regardless of whether or not this season is lost, Rolston has the task of rooting out the bad habits that each individual has and laying a foundation with which to build upon for the future of the Sabres that are in the system. There's a lot of talent there right now and the team is not going to bring any of them into a laconic and/or toxic situation.
"We have a lot of players in Rochester who are talented, "he said. "We just want to make sure we have the right environment here when we do [bring a player up] especially with younger players. Right now we want to make sure we solidify things first, take care of what's going on here."
And the Rolston challenge continues with a game tonight at Tampa Bay.
Saturday, February 23, 2013
Ron Rolston's assesment of the team he inherited
On February 20, 2013, Lindy Ruff was fired by the Buffalo Sabres after 16 years as head coach.
It's a landmark date.
For the past five seasons--a period marked at the beginning by the loss of Chris Drury and Daniel Briere (another landmark date)--the team as languished in mediocrity. And thus, for the past five seasons, there was a debate amongst Sabres fans: were those results because of inadequate coaching or the players they had to work with?
With Ruff now gone, we should begin to a better idea. But don't take my word.
We'll let the words of interim coach Ron Rolston speak about the team.
Roslton had been on the job less than 48 hours and his comments were pretty direct.
In his words, this is what he has to work with:
Bill Hoppe, who does exceptional work at buffalohockeybeat.com, used a term in that last link that we've been seeing a lot of over the past five-plus seasons--the Sabres wilted. And that's not a good thing.
Tonight Rolston will be coaching his first home game against the NY Islanders. The team is 3-5-1 at home this season, 115-73-28 during the last five-plus seasons.
It's a landmark date.
For the past five seasons--a period marked at the beginning by the loss of Chris Drury and Daniel Briere (another landmark date)--the team as languished in mediocrity. And thus, for the past five seasons, there was a debate amongst Sabres fans: were those results because of inadequate coaching or the players they had to work with?
With Ruff now gone, we should begin to a better idea. But don't take my word.
We'll let the words of interim coach Ron Rolston speak about the team.
Roslton had been on the job less than 48 hours and his comments were pretty direct.
In his words, this is what he has to work with:
“From what I saw [looking at video,] it was more there were just a lot of shortcuts … a lot of rest in shifts,” Rolston said prior to the Sabres’ 3-1 loss to the Leafs. “The things that you just have to eliminate if you’re going to be a good hockey team.”--February 21
“We’re the team that blinks first when you have a stare down,” Rolston said this afternoon inside the Northtown Center following his first full practice as coach. “The faceoff's in the (Toronto) zone and we make a mistake in execution, and the next thing you know it’s a 2-1 game going into the third,” Rolston said. “And that’s part of the reason things aren’t going the way we want them to go.” He added: “In this league, if you have even a short span of a couple of shifts where you don’t execute, that can be the difference in a game. A lot of times that’s been the case here.”--February 22
Bill Hoppe, who does exceptional work at buffalohockeybeat.com, used a term in that last link that we've been seeing a lot of over the past five-plus seasons--the Sabres wilted. And that's not a good thing.
Tonight Rolston will be coaching his first home game against the NY Islanders. The team is 3-5-1 at home this season, 115-73-28 during the last five-plus seasons.
Thursday, February 21, 2013
"The First Professor" hits the real world
Sabres GM Darcy Regier hired Ron Rolston as head coach of the Rochester Americans in the 2011 off-season. He was immediately dubbed "the first professor at the University of Sabres."
That moniker was pinned on him as the team, under new owner Terry Pegula, began to lay a foundation for the future. Pegula is noted for his open wallet approach to free agency, but he also has put a premium on scouting and player development.
As the "first professor," Rolston was in charge with teaching the fundamentals to the youngsters coming up through the organization. That's what he was noted for as head coach for a very successful US Hockey National Team Development Program.
As the new, albeit interim, head coach he'll be in charge of a Buffalo Sabres Team Development Program. The team is in a mess right now and is in need of structure, especially on the back end.
According to Regier, Rolston's teams "play with structure, discipline, they have a work ethic." And no where will the structure and discipline be more welcome than on defense.
CBC.ca delves into Rolston via an interview with Ron's younger brother Brian, a recently retired veteran of over 1200 NHL games.
Here's what Brian had to say:
Another area for Rolson to address is the lack of secondary scoring through the underperformance of some players, most notably Drew Stafford and, to an extent, Marcus Foligno. Both made up two-thirds of a potent line, with Tyler Ennis in the middle, that almost jettisoned the Sabres into the playoffs in the 2011/12 season.
Stafford has been downright abysmal, which is a huge step back from being inconsistent for the length of his career in Buffalo. He has the size and skill to be a consistent 20-25 goal scorer, but for some reason his head seems to be somewhere else way too often.
Foligno was developed under Rolston in Rochester for much of the 2011/12 season before being called up.
The big power forward took it to the next level with a vengeance scoring 13 points in 14 games. Foligno was the epitome of north/south--strong to the net, strong in the corners of the offensive zone, strong on the back-check.
Like the team as a whole, Foligno is off to a rather slow start with only one goal thus far. He also seems to have lost those attributes which lead to success in his first pro campaign a year and a half ago.
Other youngsters up-front who will need more attention are Cody Hodgson, Ennis and, maybe most importantly, rookie Mikhail Grigorenko, all of whom are young centers on this team.
Hodgson spent the entire lockout with Rolston over in Rochester. He was a point per game player during that time. He'll probably never be known as a two-way center, but if he continues to score and be the glue that keeps the top line together, then nearly all will be forgiven.
Tyler Ennis was finally moved to the middle by Ruff last year and he responded with a fantastic run. This season he's provided the only consistent secondary scoring on the team with 5 goals and 8 assists through 17 games.
As for Grigorenko, he's just getting his feet wet and is looked upon as a future top-six/top-line center. He has been relegated to the bench for much of the young season in favor of veteran Jochen Hecht on the third line. The mantra from the organization was that he would be developed slowly--playing some, sitting some--much like the Boston Bruins did with Tyler Seguin.
Grigorenko has not been lighting it up, nor has he been a total disaster. Rolston's structure and attention to detail should help the 18 yr. old develop a sound NHL foundation with which to build upon.
It all starts tonight in Toronto against Maple Leaves team that's found new life under new head coach Randy Carlyle. They are presently third in the Northeast Division, sixth in the Eastern conference, have a 10-7-0 record including 4-2-0 vs. the Northeast. Buffalo beat the Leaves in their second game of the season--a game Ryan Miller stole--and gained a point in an OTL eight days later.
Rolston is being thrown into the fire with a mish-mash of styles and skill-levels to work with. And more importantly he'll be guiding a team that lacks a true identity. What he'll be relying upon moving forward is the innate professionalism within each player as he tries to move this underachieving group forward.
Right now there are only two players on this roster who have played up to their level thus far--Thomas Vanek and Ryan Miller.
Vanek found new life to his game during the lockout while playing in Austria, his homeland. He leads the league in points (25) and goals (12.)
Miller has been under duress all season, maybe even his entire career in Buffalo, and has acquitted himself well lately. During the past six games he's given up more than two goals once (4, Pittsburgh,) stole a game on Long Island to help end a poor run by the team, and was named 2nd star in a loss to Boston.
The rest will need to fall into place, the defense in front of Miller and the offense behind Vanek.
And it will be up to the "first professor" to bring it all together as he moves from the "university" into the real world of the NHL.
That moniker was pinned on him as the team, under new owner Terry Pegula, began to lay a foundation for the future. Pegula is noted for his open wallet approach to free agency, but he also has put a premium on scouting and player development.
As the "first professor," Rolston was in charge with teaching the fundamentals to the youngsters coming up through the organization. That's what he was noted for as head coach for a very successful US Hockey National Team Development Program.
As the new, albeit interim, head coach he'll be in charge of a Buffalo Sabres Team Development Program. The team is in a mess right now and is in need of structure, especially on the back end.
According to Regier, Rolston's teams "play with structure, discipline, they have a work ethic." And no where will the structure and discipline be more welcome than on defense.
CBC.ca delves into Rolston via an interview with Ron's younger brother Brian, a recently retired veteran of over 1200 NHL games.
Here's what Brian had to say:
"[Ron] demands that everybody is prepared; and he wants a north-south game. His attention to detail starts with having to take care of the defensive end first," Brian said. "I was lucky to play nine seasons for a great coach in Jacques Lemaire, and Ron would ask me, 'What does Jacques do here? What does he think about this?'
In Boston, we had a rule: the forwards back-checked the puck and the defence took the middle of the ice away. The goalies knew the shot was coming from the outside. Ron will be like that. He'll set up a defensive system and expect the players to stick with it."There have been fans bemoaning Lindy Ruff's defensive "system" over the past four or five seasons preferring "the Ferrari" of 2006/07. But, you can't do a damn thing if you don't have the puck, or turn the puck over when you have it. Or have the puck end up in the back of your net because you're constantly out of position or losing your man.
Another area for Rolson to address is the lack of secondary scoring through the underperformance of some players, most notably Drew Stafford and, to an extent, Marcus Foligno. Both made up two-thirds of a potent line, with Tyler Ennis in the middle, that almost jettisoned the Sabres into the playoffs in the 2011/12 season.
Stafford has been downright abysmal, which is a huge step back from being inconsistent for the length of his career in Buffalo. He has the size and skill to be a consistent 20-25 goal scorer, but for some reason his head seems to be somewhere else way too often.
Foligno was developed under Rolston in Rochester for much of the 2011/12 season before being called up.
The big power forward took it to the next level with a vengeance scoring 13 points in 14 games. Foligno was the epitome of north/south--strong to the net, strong in the corners of the offensive zone, strong on the back-check.
Like the team as a whole, Foligno is off to a rather slow start with only one goal thus far. He also seems to have lost those attributes which lead to success in his first pro campaign a year and a half ago.
Other youngsters up-front who will need more attention are Cody Hodgson, Ennis and, maybe most importantly, rookie Mikhail Grigorenko, all of whom are young centers on this team.
Hodgson spent the entire lockout with Rolston over in Rochester. He was a point per game player during that time. He'll probably never be known as a two-way center, but if he continues to score and be the glue that keeps the top line together, then nearly all will be forgiven.
Tyler Ennis was finally moved to the middle by Ruff last year and he responded with a fantastic run. This season he's provided the only consistent secondary scoring on the team with 5 goals and 8 assists through 17 games.
As for Grigorenko, he's just getting his feet wet and is looked upon as a future top-six/top-line center. He has been relegated to the bench for much of the young season in favor of veteran Jochen Hecht on the third line. The mantra from the organization was that he would be developed slowly--playing some, sitting some--much like the Boston Bruins did with Tyler Seguin.
Grigorenko has not been lighting it up, nor has he been a total disaster. Rolston's structure and attention to detail should help the 18 yr. old develop a sound NHL foundation with which to build upon.
It all starts tonight in Toronto against Maple Leaves team that's found new life under new head coach Randy Carlyle. They are presently third in the Northeast Division, sixth in the Eastern conference, have a 10-7-0 record including 4-2-0 vs. the Northeast. Buffalo beat the Leaves in their second game of the season--a game Ryan Miller stole--and gained a point in an OTL eight days later.
Rolston is being thrown into the fire with a mish-mash of styles and skill-levels to work with. And more importantly he'll be guiding a team that lacks a true identity. What he'll be relying upon moving forward is the innate professionalism within each player as he tries to move this underachieving group forward.
Right now there are only two players on this roster who have played up to their level thus far--Thomas Vanek and Ryan Miller.
Vanek found new life to his game during the lockout while playing in Austria, his homeland. He leads the league in points (25) and goals (12.)
Miller has been under duress all season, maybe even his entire career in Buffalo, and has acquitted himself well lately. During the past six games he's given up more than two goals once (4, Pittsburgh,) stole a game on Long Island to help end a poor run by the team, and was named 2nd star in a loss to Boston.
The rest will need to fall into place, the defense in front of Miller and the offense behind Vanek.
And it will be up to the "first professor" to bring it all together as he moves from the "university" into the real world of the NHL.
Sunday, March 4, 2012
February 27, wasn't the only deadline for the organization
There's another deadline tomorrow at 3PM for the Amerks. But more on that in a bit.
We're nearly a week removed from the 2012 NHL trade deadline, and the Sabres are making some noise by stringing together three west coast victories putting them two points out of the 8th spot in the east.
It's a far cry from January when the team was in the midst of a franchise record 12-game losing streak and they had a 0.3% chance (according to sportsclubstats) of making the playoffs. It's a far cry from early February as well when the team went on a four-game winless streak and looked to be cooked once again.
Even last week, the moves that Darcy Regier made at the trade deadline, especially Paul Gaustad and a 2013 4th-rounder for a 2012 1st-round pick, had the look of a retool.
Safe to say that almost everyone was looking in that direction.
Kevin Oklobzija covers the Rochester Americans for the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle. And he was thinking the same thing when he wrote this about Regier, "The best part of what Regier did today," he wrote, "He made a very realistic assessment of the Sabres’ chances to earn a playoff berth and knows they’re probably done. He’d never say that, but the deals indicate that was his thinking."
Oklobzija breaks down the day along with "Regieran" attributes that happened to work, like holding out for a first round pick for Gaustad. The bottom line: Regier, the "Texas Hold'em player," landed his "pair of Jacks" on the draw. He moved a 7th-round pick for a first rounder, landed a top-six center with skill, but lost grit and toughness, the latter a move that was necessary.
Unbeknownst to a lot of hockey fans (myself included) the AHL deadline is 3pm tomorrow. Oklobzija forsees the possibility of some moves for the Amerks, especially with the number of defensemen on the team.
According to Oklobzija, Regier will be on a conference call today with Amerks Head Coach Ron Rolston, Assistant to the General Manager, Mark Jakubowski and Head of Amateur Scouting, Kevin Devine.
Oklobzija says that "While Regier has the final say on all matters hockey within the organization, Devine oversees operations in Rochester. (Yes, he needs an amendment to his job title; his duties span well beyond just amateur scouting.")
It's not something that's official on the registrar, but Regier referred to Devine as "our Director of...Assistant General Manager who still oversees our scouting," on WGR two Friday's ago.
The Amerks are looking to bolster their team for the playoffs. After a win last night at Toronto, the Amreks are one point out of the final playoff spot. A mere two points separates the #6 seed and the #11 seed right now.
It will be interesting to see what Devine does at his first "trade deadline."
Another interesting note that came out of Oklobzija's article was that the Sabres put in a waiver-claim on the Minnesota Wild's Brad Staubitz. An undrafted free agent signing by the San Jose' Sharks back in 2005, Staubitz has got some size--6'1", 215lbs--and had some attitude ta boot. Montreal, who had the worse record, made the claim and received the services of Staubitz. He is a free agent at the end of the season.
All-in-all a great week for the Sabres organization with Regier wheeling-and-dealing, the team pulling off an improbable three-game west coast win-streak and the Amerks looking to bolster their roster for the stretch-run to the playoffs.
We're nearly a week removed from the 2012 NHL trade deadline, and the Sabres are making some noise by stringing together three west coast victories putting them two points out of the 8th spot in the east.
It's a far cry from January when the team was in the midst of a franchise record 12-game losing streak and they had a 0.3% chance (according to sportsclubstats) of making the playoffs. It's a far cry from early February as well when the team went on a four-game winless streak and looked to be cooked once again.
Even last week, the moves that Darcy Regier made at the trade deadline, especially Paul Gaustad and a 2013 4th-rounder for a 2012 1st-round pick, had the look of a retool.
Safe to say that almost everyone was looking in that direction.
Kevin Oklobzija covers the Rochester Americans for the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle. And he was thinking the same thing when he wrote this about Regier, "The best part of what Regier did today," he wrote, "He made a very realistic assessment of the Sabres’ chances to earn a playoff berth and knows they’re probably done. He’d never say that, but the deals indicate that was his thinking."
Oklobzija breaks down the day along with "Regieran" attributes that happened to work, like holding out for a first round pick for Gaustad. The bottom line: Regier, the "Texas Hold'em player," landed his "pair of Jacks" on the draw. He moved a 7th-round pick for a first rounder, landed a top-six center with skill, but lost grit and toughness, the latter a move that was necessary.
Unbeknownst to a lot of hockey fans (myself included) the AHL deadline is 3pm tomorrow. Oklobzija forsees the possibility of some moves for the Amerks, especially with the number of defensemen on the team.
According to Oklobzija, Regier will be on a conference call today with Amerks Head Coach Ron Rolston, Assistant to the General Manager, Mark Jakubowski and Head of Amateur Scouting, Kevin Devine.
Oklobzija says that "While Regier has the final say on all matters hockey within the organization, Devine oversees operations in Rochester. (Yes, he needs an amendment to his job title; his duties span well beyond just amateur scouting.")
It's not something that's official on the registrar, but Regier referred to Devine as "our Director of...Assistant General Manager who still oversees our scouting," on WGR two Friday's ago.
The Amerks are looking to bolster their team for the playoffs. After a win last night at Toronto, the Amreks are one point out of the final playoff spot. A mere two points separates the #6 seed and the #11 seed right now.
It will be interesting to see what Devine does at his first "trade deadline."
Another interesting note that came out of Oklobzija's article was that the Sabres put in a waiver-claim on the Minnesota Wild's Brad Staubitz. An undrafted free agent signing by the San Jose' Sharks back in 2005, Staubitz has got some size--6'1", 215lbs--and had some attitude ta boot. Montreal, who had the worse record, made the claim and received the services of Staubitz. He is a free agent at the end of the season.
All-in-all a great week for the Sabres organization with Regier wheeling-and-dealing, the team pulling off an improbable three-game west coast win-streak and the Amerks looking to bolster their roster for the stretch-run to the playoffs.
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Two Big Bodies Stick With the Sabres, A Huge Body Gets His NHL Contract
Of the five youngin's who were with the team in Saturday's 5-1 win vs. the no-show Washington Capitals, two are still with the team--Brayden McNabb and Zack Kassian--while RW Corey Tropp (10 games, 1 goal, 1 assist, minus-2,) TJ Brennan (3 games, 1 goal, 0 assists, zero plus/minus,) and Paul Szczechura (1 game, 0 goals, 2 assists, plus-two) were sent back to Rochester.
They were sent down because a trio of walking wounded--Robyn Regehr, Drew Stafford and Patrick Kaleta--will all get back into action tonight vs. the NY Islanders.
A quick note on the Capitals. The players, led by Alexander Ovechkin, were successful in ousting their coach, Bruce Boudreau, as he was fired yesterday. GM George McPhee had this to say, "The reason for the change was we weren't winning obviously, This wasn't a slump. You can ride out slumps. This was simply a case of the players no longer responding to Bruce.
"When you see that, as much as you don't want to make a change, you have to make a change." (for more, click here.)
Boudreau was replaced by Dale Hunter.
Another note (part 2): The Carolina Hurricanes fired Paul Maurice (for the second time) replacing him with Kirk Muller the same day.
OK. Back to the Sabres.
We all know what happened with Milan Lucic and Ryan Miller. We also know about the rematch. As Sabres fans we've also seen a parade of smaller, skilled players in the 2000/2010's and the transition to a bigger team seems to be gaining traction.
The decision to keep McNabb (6'4", 205 lbs.) and Kassian (6'3", 215 lbs.) is based, in large part, upon size and, to an extent, attitude. Both used their size and showed glimpses of ferocity on Saturday and will have the opportunity to get more of a taste of the NHL.
They join 2007 draftee Luke Adam (6'2", 203 lbs,) and 2008 draftee Tyler Myers (6'8", 227 lbs.) on a Sabres team intent upon getting bigger.
Yesterday, the team announced that they signed defenseman Joe Finley to a three-year, two-way contract worth $1.575M.
Ironically enough, Finley was drafted by the Washington Capitals with the 27th overall pick in the 2005 draft. He left high school after his junior year and played in the USHL in 2004/05, the year before the draft. Finley attended the University of North Dakota afterwards playing for the Fighting Sioux. In his four years there he played in 154 games scoring seven goals, adding 28 assists and finishing his career plus-66.
For Finely, though, injuries started to creep in. He played in only 27 games his senior year at North Dakota due to concussion. He played in a mere 15 games in 2009/10 for Washington's ECHL affiliate in South Carolina due to a deep hand bruise. Last season he ruptured an artery in his hand and appeared in only 26 games for the Stingrays.
The Capitals opted not to resign Finley after his two year entry-level contract was up. Darcy Regier and the Buffalo Sabres invited him to camp and he was eventually signed to an AHL contract.
You can't teach size, nor can you teach work ethic and Finley has both. Hockey's Future had this to say about him, "Finley has an enormous frame with tremendous focus and a strong work ethic."
The size is obvious, but when he was injured kingsofleonis.com pointed out that he "took a positive approach regarding the time missed due to his injury." Finley put it this way, “Looking back I am just thankful that it wasn’t a lower body injury that would have kept me from skating and doing lower body exercises. It just means that I’ve had more time to work hard and get better at specific areas of my game."
That's where Ron Rolston, Jay McKee and "Sabres University" comes into play.
Finley had acquitted himself well in the previous pro seasons with the South Carolina Stingrays and the AHL's Hershey Bears. In fact only once was he a minus-player. But it's a big jump from the ECHL to the AHL, and there's an even bigger jump to the NHL.
Surprisingly, for a player that big, skating isn't the issue. He can play the role of defensive-defenseman using his size and girth, he's not afraid of hitting people, nor is he afraid of dropping the gloves. Injuries and opportunity were his biggest hurdles up until this point. Being big and tough, as well as being able to skate, and play top-pairing minutes in the AHL is a big advantage for Finley with the way the NHL has changed over the last decade and a half.
And it worked for a little while, that was until Milan Lucic took out Ryan Miller.
That hit may have changed the whole thought-process of the organization. It showed that Regier's "soft-but-skilled" players are still easy to push around in the post-"New-NHL" era.
So it's not surprising that the Sabres signed big Joe Finley to a three-year NHL contract.
And he's doing his part by putting in the work and playing his game. Letsgoameriks.dom did a piece on Finley. The author of the article, Keith Wozniak, asked Rolston about Finley during the Sabres training camp. Here's what Rolston had to say, “Joe came in and really impressed a lot of people there (in Buffalo). The way he moves, his size, it’s the first thing you see.” He continued, “Watch him skate and his hands, he has a lot of things there. He wasn’t put into any game situations, playing will give him that opportunity to show this is the place to play.” (this Wozniak piece is a great read)
From there to the Amerks where he is paired in a shutdown role with with Shaone Morrisonn. His plus-10 rating, which is consistent with his hockey career, is tops on the team and proves he can play the pro game.
Can he eventually bring his size and brawn to the Sabres? He's definitely out to prove it. The Sabres organization is loaded with puck-movers on the back-end, so Finley stands out. "A guy like (Sabres defenseman) Robyn Regehr, he's obviously someone you want to pattern your game after," Finley said. "But there really isn't any other defenseman that really fits that mold."
If he could get himself into a #6 role playing 10-12 minutes on the NHL level, I'm pretty sure the Sabres would be ecstatic. But he still has some work to do.
For now, Finley is a project that could pay big dividends should he continue to thrive in Rochester. Former Bears coach, Bob Woods, mentioned his sheer size but also mentioned his desire to learn, "His stick's taller than I am," he joked. "He's a big boy, great kid. You can tell he really wants to learn. He's looked good. He moves well for a big boy."
With his size and desire to grow as a player, as well as Rolston's player development acumen and McKee's NHL insight on defense, Joe Finley could be the guy that brings the organization's vision of a "Sabres University" to life.
They were sent down because a trio of walking wounded--Robyn Regehr, Drew Stafford and Patrick Kaleta--will all get back into action tonight vs. the NY Islanders.
A quick note on the Capitals. The players, led by Alexander Ovechkin, were successful in ousting their coach, Bruce Boudreau, as he was fired yesterday. GM George McPhee had this to say, "The reason for the change was we weren't winning obviously, This wasn't a slump. You can ride out slumps. This was simply a case of the players no longer responding to Bruce.
"When you see that, as much as you don't want to make a change, you have to make a change." (for more, click here.)
Boudreau was replaced by Dale Hunter.
Another note (part 2): The Carolina Hurricanes fired Paul Maurice (for the second time) replacing him with Kirk Muller the same day.
OK. Back to the Sabres.
We all know what happened with Milan Lucic and Ryan Miller. We also know about the rematch. As Sabres fans we've also seen a parade of smaller, skilled players in the 2000/2010's and the transition to a bigger team seems to be gaining traction.
The decision to keep McNabb (6'4", 205 lbs.) and Kassian (6'3", 215 lbs.) is based, in large part, upon size and, to an extent, attitude. Both used their size and showed glimpses of ferocity on Saturday and will have the opportunity to get more of a taste of the NHL.
They join 2007 draftee Luke Adam (6'2", 203 lbs,) and 2008 draftee Tyler Myers (6'8", 227 lbs.) on a Sabres team intent upon getting bigger.
Yesterday, the team announced that they signed defenseman Joe Finley to a three-year, two-way contract worth $1.575M.
 |
| Recent-signee, Joe Finley may be on hisway to bringing that snarl, not to mention his size, to the Buffalo Sabres |
Finley is a huge specimen at 6'8", 260 lbs, and adds even more size to the Sabres organization, an organization who has the Boston Bruins to look at six times per year. Lindy Ruff on the Howard Simon Show today, while talking about the Sabres/Bruins rematch last week, talked about matching up with the Bruins in the physicality department saying, "It's gonna be a war when we play 'em." (12:51-mark)
Ironically enough, Finley was drafted by the Washington Capitals with the 27th overall pick in the 2005 draft. He left high school after his junior year and played in the USHL in 2004/05, the year before the draft. Finley attended the University of North Dakota afterwards playing for the Fighting Sioux. In his four years there he played in 154 games scoring seven goals, adding 28 assists and finishing his career plus-66.
For Finely, though, injuries started to creep in. He played in only 27 games his senior year at North Dakota due to concussion. He played in a mere 15 games in 2009/10 for Washington's ECHL affiliate in South Carolina due to a deep hand bruise. Last season he ruptured an artery in his hand and appeared in only 26 games for the Stingrays.
The Capitals opted not to resign Finley after his two year entry-level contract was up. Darcy Regier and the Buffalo Sabres invited him to camp and he was eventually signed to an AHL contract.
You can't teach size, nor can you teach work ethic and Finley has both. Hockey's Future had this to say about him, "Finley has an enormous frame with tremendous focus and a strong work ethic."
The size is obvious, but when he was injured kingsofleonis.com pointed out that he "took a positive approach regarding the time missed due to his injury." Finley put it this way, “Looking back I am just thankful that it wasn’t a lower body injury that would have kept me from skating and doing lower body exercises. It just means that I’ve had more time to work hard and get better at specific areas of my game."
That's where Ron Rolston, Jay McKee and "Sabres University" comes into play.
Finley had acquitted himself well in the previous pro seasons with the South Carolina Stingrays and the AHL's Hershey Bears. In fact only once was he a minus-player. But it's a big jump from the ECHL to the AHL, and there's an even bigger jump to the NHL.
Surprisingly, for a player that big, skating isn't the issue. He can play the role of defensive-defenseman using his size and girth, he's not afraid of hitting people, nor is he afraid of dropping the gloves. Injuries and opportunity were his biggest hurdles up until this point. Being big and tough, as well as being able to skate, and play top-pairing minutes in the AHL is a big advantage for Finley with the way the NHL has changed over the last decade and a half.
 |
| Joe Finley (L) goes at it with Paul Bissonette |
The days of Dave Semenko protecting Wayne Gretzky or the late Bob Probert protecting Steve Yzerman are fading away. Any enforcer-type needs to be able to play solid minutes. The latest enforcer for the Sabres was Andrew Peters. The organization rid themselves of his 2 minutes per game preferring an "enforcer by committee
" approach.And it worked for a little while, that was until Milan Lucic took out Ryan Miller.
So it's not surprising that the Sabres signed big Joe Finley to a three-year NHL contract.
And he's doing his part by putting in the work and playing his game. Letsgoameriks.dom did a piece on Finley. The author of the article, Keith Wozniak, asked Rolston about Finley during the Sabres training camp. Here's what Rolston had to say, “Joe came in and really impressed a lot of people there (in Buffalo). The way he moves, his size, it’s the first thing you see.” He continued, “Watch him skate and his hands, he has a lot of things there. He wasn’t put into any game situations, playing will give him that opportunity to show this is the place to play.” (this Wozniak piece is a great read)
From there to the Amerks where he is paired in a shutdown role with with Shaone Morrisonn. His plus-10 rating, which is consistent with his hockey career, is tops on the team and proves he can play the pro game.
Can he eventually bring his size and brawn to the Sabres? He's definitely out to prove it. The Sabres organization is loaded with puck-movers on the back-end, so Finley stands out. "A guy like (Sabres defenseman) Robyn Regehr, he's obviously someone you want to pattern your game after," Finley said. "But there really isn't any other defenseman that really fits that mold."
If he could get himself into a #6 role playing 10-12 minutes on the NHL level, I'm pretty sure the Sabres would be ecstatic. But he still has some work to do.
For now, Finley is a project that could pay big dividends should he continue to thrive in Rochester. Former Bears coach, Bob Woods, mentioned his sheer size but also mentioned his desire to learn, "His stick's taller than I am," he joked. "He's a big boy, great kid. You can tell he really wants to learn. He's looked good. He moves well for a big boy."
With his size and desire to grow as a player, as well as Rolston's player development acumen and McKee's NHL insight on defense, Joe Finley could be the guy that brings the organization's vision of a "Sabres University" to life.
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Don't Let the "Big-City" Signings Fool You
Despite the image of a free-spending Terry Pegula, the Buffalo Sabres organization has always put a premium on building from within through internal player development. And they continued with that philosophy recently with the July-hiring of Ron Rolston for the Rochester Americans head coaching slot and the August promotion of player development coach Kevyn Adams to assistant coach with the Buffalo Sabres.
"There's no NHL salary cap on scouting budgets and player development budgets, I plan on increasing our...scouting budgets" --Sabres Owner Terry Pegula, Feb. 22, 2011
Although those two coach's don't represent an increase in resources devoted to scouting (although it's been mentioned that more scouts are on the way,) they do represent a commitment to player development on a minor league and rookie level within the organization and both are noted for their work in that area.
Darcy Regier and Co. have done very well in the last 14 years when it came to their draft picks making it in the NHL. In fact a couple of years back, the Sabres had the most draft picks playing in the NHL.
Recognizing that, Terry Pegula and his right-hand man, Ted Black, are really focusing on the developmental aspect of the team right now as the team moves from the "honeymoon-phase" into the nuts-and-bolts of a long-term marriage.
With Director of Amateur Scouting Kevin Devine and his merry band of scouts scouring the CHL for prospects, the pipeline seems to be getting stronger by the year. In fact, two of the last three back-to-back-to-back AHL Rookies of the Year (Tyler Ennis and Luke Adam) are a direct by-product of their scouting. That group also scouted Tyler Myers, the 2010 NHL Rookie of the Year.
Former Portland Pirates Head Coach Kevin Dineen was a huge part of that success in the AHL as well as a big reason that the Sabres received strong contributions last season from forwards Ennis and Nathan Gerbe and young d-men Marc-Andre Gragnani and Mike Weber.
With Dineen now in Florida as the Panthers new head coach (well deserved, I might add,) the Sabres continued to focus on the development aspect of the above formula by hiring Ron Rolston as head coach of their AHL affiliate Rochester Americans.
Ron who?
Exactly.
In a typical Regierian move, the Sabres brought in someone that no one outside of management had ever thought of, or in this case, even heard of. Rolston's only connection to the NHL is his last name. The same last name that belongs to his brother Brian, a veteran winger.
So, what kind of credentials does Ron Rolston have to be a coach at the pro level in the AHL?
No pro experience at all. His resume' has him as assistant coach at the collegiate level to begin his career, then the last seven years as the head coach of the US Hockey National Team Development Program.
But...Notice that word--"development."
And that's what the Sabres were looking for when they hired him. He will teach. If you need more of an indication as to what role Rolston will play, Ted Black even called him the "first professor at the University of Sabres."
It seems like a very good fit. Rolston turned down an offer by Western Michigan to serve as head coach and is thrilled to be a part of an organization that he sees as having a "clear vision on where they want to go, and philosophy they have for players at every level."
Rolston will be looked upon to bring his NTDP success (all seven of his teams made it to the championship game) to the Amerks and will also be expected to continue the success that Dineen had with the youngsters.
Regier put it this way, ""I personally believe you have to be in the forefront of whatever business you're in," he said. "In our case we have, for a number of reasons, strived to find advantages outside of conventional wisdom. ... I recognized that when we first decided to come back to Rochester. The reference to university was largely about doing things differently, taking more responsibility for the players' development and also demand the player take more responsibility for his own development.
"When we started to look at the model and started to look at potential coaches who could fill that, Ron to me was right at the forefront. He was our first choice."
Some of the players Rolston helped develope--Patrick Kane (Chicago,) James Van Riemsdyk (Philadelphia,) Phil Kessel (Toronto,) Cam Fowler (Anaheim) and Kevin Shattenkirk (St. Louis.)
"Development" was also a major theme as the Sabres recently announced that their Assistant Coach vacancy will be filled by player development coach, Kevyn Adams.
Adams spent a year and a half in his former position and will take over for Brian McCutcheon, a long-serving coach in the Sabres organization, who's contract was not renewed.
Much has been said about Adams and his work with the likes of Nathan Gerbe and Tyler Ennis, with Gerbe talking about how much Adams had to do with his "spin-o-rama" goal versus Philadelphia late last season.
Drew Stafford had a tremendous, breakout season last year scoring 31 goals in 62 games and soon re-signed for four-years, $16M. In an article by Bucky Gleason about Adams' hiring, Stafford's name was mentioned right along side of Gerbe as being a huge benefactor of Adams' coaching.
Another example of Adams work was with Paul Gaustad.
Gaustad had a 59.8% faceoff percentage last season, good for #3 in the entire league. The year before it was at 54.9% and the year before that 52.7%.
Adams was on WGR's Howard Simon Shown this morning talking with Jeremy White when they got to talking about his work with the players--players that Lindy Ruff "assigned" to him--and Adams briefly talked about Gaustad (6:20 mark.) When mentioning "Goose" he talked about their approach using video and the tweaks that were made, "little things," he said..."maybe even a little thing like how [he] may go into a faceoff...something you wouldn't notice, but even where his hand position is, the detail."
In short, Adams helped Nathan Gerbe build the confidence to erase a horrible first-half, helped Drew Stafford reach 30 goals at a half-a-goal/game clip, and helped Paul Gaustad get to third in the league in faceoff percentage.
Player development.
Terry Pegula and Co. are being brandished in the media for their big-city, big-dollar free agent signings last month, but behind the scenes their doing subtle things that will focus upon long-term, home-grown player development.
From Kevin Devine and his scouts to Ron Rolston to Kevyn Adams, a player picked by the Buffalo Sabres should have quality coaches at every level to help them grow professionally and they will be afforded every opportunity to develop their pro-game to the fullest.
Which is good for both the player and the organization.
USA Hockey Ron Rolston resignation:
http://www.usahockey.com/USANTDP/default.aspx?id=305944&DetailedNews=yes
Kevyn Adams promotion:
http://sabres.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=585706
"There's no NHL salary cap on scouting budgets and player development budgets, I plan on increasing our...scouting budgets" --Sabres Owner Terry Pegula, Feb. 22, 2011
Although those two coach's don't represent an increase in resources devoted to scouting (although it's been mentioned that more scouts are on the way,) they do represent a commitment to player development on a minor league and rookie level within the organization and both are noted for their work in that area.
Darcy Regier and Co. have done very well in the last 14 years when it came to their draft picks making it in the NHL. In fact a couple of years back, the Sabres had the most draft picks playing in the NHL.
Recognizing that, Terry Pegula and his right-hand man, Ted Black, are really focusing on the developmental aspect of the team right now as the team moves from the "honeymoon-phase" into the nuts-and-bolts of a long-term marriage.
With Director of Amateur Scouting Kevin Devine and his merry band of scouts scouring the CHL for prospects, the pipeline seems to be getting stronger by the year. In fact, two of the last three back-to-back-to-back AHL Rookies of the Year (Tyler Ennis and Luke Adam) are a direct by-product of their scouting. That group also scouted Tyler Myers, the 2010 NHL Rookie of the Year.
Former Portland Pirates Head Coach Kevin Dineen was a huge part of that success in the AHL as well as a big reason that the Sabres received strong contributions last season from forwards Ennis and Nathan Gerbe and young d-men Marc-Andre Gragnani and Mike Weber.
With Dineen now in Florida as the Panthers new head coach (well deserved, I might add,) the Sabres continued to focus on the development aspect of the above formula by hiring Ron Rolston as head coach of their AHL affiliate Rochester Americans.
Ron who?
Exactly.
In a typical Regierian move, the Sabres brought in someone that no one outside of management had ever thought of, or in this case, even heard of. Rolston's only connection to the NHL is his last name. The same last name that belongs to his brother Brian, a veteran winger.
So, what kind of credentials does Ron Rolston have to be a coach at the pro level in the AHL?
No pro experience at all. His resume' has him as assistant coach at the collegiate level to begin his career, then the last seven years as the head coach of the US Hockey National Team Development Program.
But...Notice that word--"development."
And that's what the Sabres were looking for when they hired him. He will teach. If you need more of an indication as to what role Rolston will play, Ted Black even called him the "first professor at the University of Sabres."
It seems like a very good fit. Rolston turned down an offer by Western Michigan to serve as head coach and is thrilled to be a part of an organization that he sees as having a "clear vision on where they want to go, and philosophy they have for players at every level."
Rolston will be looked upon to bring his NTDP success (all seven of his teams made it to the championship game) to the Amerks and will also be expected to continue the success that Dineen had with the youngsters.
Regier put it this way, ""I personally believe you have to be in the forefront of whatever business you're in," he said. "In our case we have, for a number of reasons, strived to find advantages outside of conventional wisdom. ... I recognized that when we first decided to come back to Rochester. The reference to university was largely about doing things differently, taking more responsibility for the players' development and also demand the player take more responsibility for his own development.
"When we started to look at the model and started to look at potential coaches who could fill that, Ron to me was right at the forefront. He was our first choice."
Some of the players Rolston helped develope--Patrick Kane (Chicago,) James Van Riemsdyk (Philadelphia,) Phil Kessel (Toronto,) Cam Fowler (Anaheim) and Kevin Shattenkirk (St. Louis.)
"Development" was also a major theme as the Sabres recently announced that their Assistant Coach vacancy will be filled by player development coach, Kevyn Adams.
Adams spent a year and a half in his former position and will take over for Brian McCutcheon, a long-serving coach in the Sabres organization, who's contract was not renewed.
Much has been said about Adams and his work with the likes of Nathan Gerbe and Tyler Ennis, with Gerbe talking about how much Adams had to do with his "spin-o-rama" goal versus Philadelphia late last season.
Drew Stafford had a tremendous, breakout season last year scoring 31 goals in 62 games and soon re-signed for four-years, $16M. In an article by Bucky Gleason about Adams' hiring, Stafford's name was mentioned right along side of Gerbe as being a huge benefactor of Adams' coaching.
Another example of Adams work was with Paul Gaustad.
Gaustad had a 59.8% faceoff percentage last season, good for #3 in the entire league. The year before it was at 54.9% and the year before that 52.7%.
Adams was on WGR's Howard Simon Shown this morning talking with Jeremy White when they got to talking about his work with the players--players that Lindy Ruff "assigned" to him--and Adams briefly talked about Gaustad (6:20 mark.) When mentioning "Goose" he talked about their approach using video and the tweaks that were made, "little things," he said..."maybe even a little thing like how [he] may go into a faceoff...something you wouldn't notice, but even where his hand position is, the detail."
In short, Adams helped Nathan Gerbe build the confidence to erase a horrible first-half, helped Drew Stafford reach 30 goals at a half-a-goal/game clip, and helped Paul Gaustad get to third in the league in faceoff percentage.
Player development.
Terry Pegula and Co. are being brandished in the media for their big-city, big-dollar free agent signings last month, but behind the scenes their doing subtle things that will focus upon long-term, home-grown player development.
From Kevin Devine and his scouts to Ron Rolston to Kevyn Adams, a player picked by the Buffalo Sabres should have quality coaches at every level to help them grow professionally and they will be afforded every opportunity to develop their pro-game to the fullest.
Which is good for both the player and the organization.
USA Hockey Ron Rolston resignation:
http://www.usahockey.com/USANTDP/default.aspx?id=305944&DetailedNews=yes
Kevyn Adams promotion:
http://sabres.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=585706
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