News, Notes and Thoughts From the 2011 Draft Weekend (David Leggio, Joel Armia, Robyn Regehr)



The Robyn Regehr acquisition was
big for the Buffalo Sabres, but
there was plenty to talk about
at this year's draft weekend.

Before we delve into a weekend that featured the un-Sabre-like trade for Calgary Flames defenseman Robyn Regehr, among other things, we'll go back to something which occured this off-season that will start paying dividends, maybe huge dividends, a few years down the road:  The Sabres Draft Combine.

"Starting today, there will be no financial mandates on the Buffalo Sabres hockey department. there is no salary cap in the NHL on scouting budgets and player development budgets. I plan on increasing...our scouting budgets." --New Sabres owner Terry Pegula at his Feb. 22nd press conference

Early in June, the Sabres held their first ever Draft Combine which lasted four days, something that wouldn't have been considered by the previous regime(s.)

A man of his word, Terry Pegula

It was something that the scouting staff had wanted to do, but the commitment was not there from ownership. Pegula, citing the New England Patriots, mentioned it to GM Darcy Regier who turned it over to Director of Amateur Scouting Kevin Devine.

Devine said that the combine was put together quickly and that there were 35 invitees. These invitees, unlike the NHL draft combine, consisted of some players outside the top-100, all of whom were also evaluated in on-ice workouts, something that's not done at the National Combine in Toronto.

Included in the wide range of players they brought in:  players that they were looking at with the 16th-overall pick, players they were looking at in the third-round, value picks for the latter rounds and local kids.

For an organization that once had the most drafted players that played in the NHL, and which boasts the last three Dudley "Red" Garrett Award Winners for AHL Rookie of the Year, this is a step that would further enhance an already impressive scouting department.

~~~~~~~~~~

 

Joel Armia was drafted 16th-overall by the Buffalo Sabres.

 

The pick was introduced by new owner Pegula and broke a trend. The Sabres had not drafted an overseas player since Jhonas Enroth was drafted 46th overall in the 2006 draft.

 

Buffalo Sabres 2011 #1 pick Joel Armia
 flanked directly by Kevin Devine on his right and
 Jon Christiano on his left with the rest of the
Sabres family.

With an admittedly bare-bones scouting department overseas, why would they pick Armia, who played in Finland's top proffessional league? They had a chance to get a first-hand look at him during the World Junior Championship held at HSBC Arena last winter.

 

Although he didn't do very much at the World's apparently he did enough for Devine to get in touch with a staffer's "friend of a friend" overseas. They received a video package of Armia and after watching that, the Sabres liked him enough to waste no time heading to the podium to select him with their first pick.

 

From the NHL's Director of European Scouting, Goran Stubb:  ""He's big and tall but surprisingly mobile for a player of his size," he said of Armia. "He has a heavy wrist shot that he gets off quickly and is always looking for the empty spots on the ice. He's a sniper with a good selection of shots. You might have to look for him during some shifts, but then, suddenly, he scores the winner."

 

Although Armia is a right-winger and the Sabres are thin at center prospects, Devine and company were thrilled that "THE guy" they wanted fell to them at 16. Devine mentioned his size, 6'3" and his hands and that Armia is a pure goal-scorer. In fact, his minmal English is dominated by two words:  "Score goals."

 

~~~~~~~~~~

 

The other Sabres' picks in the 2011 draft:

• #77--Speed-demon, Daniel Catenacci, center
• #107--Texan Colin Jacobs, center
• #132--West Seneca native, Alex "the big" Lepkowski, defense
• #167--Former Kootenay Ice and Brayden McNabb team mate, Nathan Lieuwen, a goalie
• #197--High school product, Brad Navin, center

Interesting to note that both Lepkowski and Navin were a part of the Sabres first-ever draft combine.

For full coverage of the draft and all of the Sabres prospects, visit good friend Kris Baker at:  http://www.sabresprospects.com/

~~~~~~~~~~

Last off-season, the very thought of the Buffalo Sabres taking on salary to get a player they coveted was unthinkable.

 

Yesterday, the Sabres took on $7M in salary to get a big, tough, physical, veteran, top-pairing d-man to play along side Tyler Myers (who,btw, listed Regehr as his favorite player.)

 

Although it took two days for Robyn Regehr to decide to waive his no-movement clause and accept the trade to Buffalo, the deal was consumated with the Sabres not only taking on his $4M salary, but that of NHL outcast and former Buffalo Sabre, Ales Kotalik who will make $3M next season.

 

Terry Pegula put his money where his mouth was and lifted financial constraints in pursuit of Stanley Cups (yes, plural, in his words.)

 

Sabres d-man Chris Butler, who was insisted upon by Calgary Flames GM Jay Feaster, was sent north along with diminutive center-prospect Paul Byron.

 

Butler handled it professionally, calmly and realistically which can be found in the audio here. I've always trumpeted him as a smart, shut-down-type with top-four or even top-two potential.  

 

Good luck, Chris.

~~~~~~~~~

 

Former Winnipeg Jet and Buffalo Sabre
Teppo Numminen should be back in the fold
"doing some work" for the Sabres next season.
He'll probably need those glasses
for his European Scouting Reports.

Butler mentioned Teppo Numminen first in his list of players he's played with and who, probably, had a big influence upon the young d-man and his game.

 

Oddly enough, it wasn't the first time Numminen's name was mentioned this past weekend. While talking about their Finnish first-round pick in Joel Armia, Regier mentioned  (:56 mark) "ironically I've had conversations with [Teppo] Numminen about doing some work with us next year."

This is major on a couple levels. First, the whole physically-unable-to-perfom problem that happened for the 2007/08 season when he had heart surgery seems to have been put to rest and Terry Pegula continues to mend the wounds that the previous regime(s) have caused.

Second, Numminen represents a trusted voice overseas as the team expands their scouting department.

Bravo!

~~~~~~~~~~

Also mentioned in that Regier piece was that Williamsville native David Leggio will return in goal for the Rochester Americans.

David Leggio's rise has been
a lesson in perseverence.
The Sabres like him anchoring
the goal in Rochester.

That's right, it was announced that the Buffalo Sabes AHL affiliate will once again be in Rochester, NY as Pegula spent $5M to bring the Amerks back into the fold.

Leggio, who was mentioned here, had a real solid year last season for the Portland Pirates and re-upped for a contract with the Buffalo organization that could reach the $525K-mark.

~~~~~~~~~~

The Regehr trade will be talked about for years to come as a definitive cut from the past on many levels. But one thing that should not be forgotten:  on Saturday, Day-2 of the NHL Draft, Terry Pegula, his wife Kim and Sabres Head Coach Lindy Ruff flew to Prince Albert, Saskatchewan to meet with the new Sabre with Regehr waiting at the airport for the trio to arrive.

Pegula was influential in getting the trade done, and the fact that Ruff is well respected in the league certainly didn't hurt matters either.

It's a family affair. Terry Pegula (L) has
involved his wife Kim in the Sabres operations.
She joined him and Lindy Ruff on an
"ambassador" mission to meet with newly
acquired Sabre Robyn Regehr and his wife Kristina.

The fact that Pegula wanted to personally welcome Regehr to the family and the fact that his wife Kim was brought along to ease any worries that Kristina Regehr, Robyn's wife, might have had with their move to Buffalo shows that the team is really focusing upon total commitment to the player and his needs.

When you add this to the return of "prodigal son," Rene Robert, the on-ice appearance of "The French Connection," the last home game/fan appreciation/alumni party, Rhett Warrener talking highly of Buffalo to Regehr months ago and the recent quote about Teppo Numminen, Pegula certainly is getting noticed by players in the NHL for all the right reasons.

~~~~~~~~~~

A couple of other quick notes before we move on.

Apparently Terry Pegula is a big fan of Tim Connolly. Connolly has been a fan and media whipping boy for the latter part of his career in Buffalo, yet performed admirably in his role vs. the Flyers in the playoffs before getting injured. Regier said that he has talked to Connolly's agent and will continue to do so.

Regier also said that the team would not be buying out Ales Kotalik. Not only that, he said the they wouldn't be buying out any player and that Kotalik "can play in the National Hockey League...and we expect him to come into camp and compete for a postion.

~~~~~~~~~~

The above two notes were taken from a post-draft article by WGR's Paul Hamilton.

At Day-1 of the draft, Hamilton stated on WGR that it felt good to be there. He walked into the Xcel Center in Minnesota with word that the Regehr trade was on the table and said that it was good to walk in and "have the Sabres relevant again."

And relevant they were.

All because of the influence of new owner Terry Pegula.

This from Darcy Regier (via the above link):  "It's the belief system that he brings. He's very focused on winning championships, not even winning one. He's not focused on 'let’s do our best', it's more than that and it's real. He's on a plane up to visit Robyn, he mentioned last night 'I think I'll go up and see him' and he's very focused on making this family oriented, relationship based and he believes that's what will drive our success. I have not been part of an ownership that has taken that much of an interest in the players and the relationships with them and the importance of it for him." 


An absolutely SOLID!!! start to the Pegula-era.

Which Buffalo Sabres' Unrestricted Free Agents...

...will be a part of the Pegula Rewards Program?

The decisions this season will not be as difficult as, say, 2007 when Daniel Briere and Chris Drury were up for a new contract. Nor will it be on par with last off-season when decisions were made on d-men Hank Tallinder and Toni Lydman.

Still, it's a new regime this 2011 and some UFA decisions will need to be made concerning current Sabres. And GM Darcy Regier is still in charge.

A quick look at Buffalo's UFA's and whether they could/should be a part of the future Blue and Gold:

--Tim Connolly--A classic case of not cutting your losses and, worse, compounding them by doubling down.

Going back to Connolly's 1999 draft-class, take out Daniel (#2 overall) and Henrik (#3) Sendin and you have one of the worst first round drafts in decades.

Tim Connolly


The #1 overall pick that season was one of the all-time busts--Patrick Stephan. The #4 pick, one pick before the NY Islanders selected Connolly #5, was Pavel Brendl. Other notable first-round picks include:  Taylor Pyatt (#8,) Branislav Mezei (#10,) Jeff Jillson (#14,) David Tanabe (#16) and Barret Heisten, who was the Sabres first-rounder (#20.)

Connolly, along with Pyatt, came from the NY Islanders in the Michael Peca deal. The dismantling of "the hardest working team in hockey" was in full swing with that trade, and it seems as if Regier wanted Connolly to be the centerpiece for his team-building philosophy.

There's no denying that Connolly had mad skills to center the top-line for the Sabres, as witnessed by his 11pts (5g, 6a) in eight games of the 2006 playoffs when he was a force. Unfortunately he had zero goals in three playoff appearances since.

Injuries plagued his entire career, but Regier stuck to his player. And the losses mounted after Connolly was felled by a concussion in the 2006 playoffs against Ottawa.

He was never the same after that. Nor was the league, for that matter.

Yet, Regier held firm.

The Connolly timeline after he was knocked out of the 2006 Ottawa series:

• re-signed by Regier in the 2006 off-season to a three-year contract extension while recovering from a concussion.
• because of that concussion, played only the final two regular season games of the 2006/07 season, but played 16 games in the playoffs producing nine points (all assists) that playoff year.
• played 48 games in the 2007/08 season, the team missed the playoffs
• played a total of 48 games in the 2008/09 season. Was re-signed to a two-year extension with a 50% bump in salary at the 2009 trade-deadline. Regier's logic? That Connolly's return from injury and subsequent re-signing was like bringing in a top-two center without giving up anything in return. The team missed the playoffs
• Connolly plays in the most games (73) since the 2002/03 season and scores a career-high in points (65,) but misses the final nine regular season games with a foot injury. The team finishes 3rd in the Eastern Conference in the 2009/10 season.
• Connolly and fellow top-two centerman Derek Roy, do not score a goal in a six-game loss to the underdog Bruins in the 2010 playoffs. Regier called Connolly a "top-20 center in the league" at the 2010 end of season press conference based upon Connolly's career best, regular season production.
• His production falls noticeably in the 2010/11 season and his plus/minus plummets from a plus-10 the previous year (his fifth year in a row on the plus-side) to a minus-10, the Sabres enter the playoffs as a #7-seed.
• Connolly is felled by a Mike Richards boarding penalty in game six of the 2011 playoffs. His ineffectiveness on offense relegated the center to a big-minute checking/penalty-kill forward. He had no goals in the playoffs again.

WGR's Paul Hamilton, when asked about Tim Connolly on numerous occasions throughout this past season, simply said that "he's shot."

I agree, and so is the decade-long Tim Connolly experiment.




Veteran d-man Steve Montador
may have some thinking about
where he wants to go next season.

 --Steve Montador--"Monty" came to Buffalo via FA in 2009 with a rep for playing a tough, physical game. But what really caught my eye as I watched him on a daily basis, was how well the 6', 200lb. d-man moved the puck up-ice. Plus, he could put up a reasonable amount of points. Which was all well and good.

 I doubt that anyone slated him for a top-four d-man role, yet that's where he found himself earlier this season along side Jordan Leopold. And he played pretty well, leading the team in plus-minus. But, as was the case throughout his two years in Buffalo, he was inconsistent.


In 2009/10 he played well, then was benched, then was probably the best d-man in the six-game loss to Boston in the playoffs.

In 2010/11, he was excellent, then dipped, then got better, then got worse.

Basically, this is something you'd expect from a young d-man, not a 30-year old who'd been to a Cup Finals(Calgary, 2003.)

I like the guy as a tough leader, despite his propensity for turnovers and mental errors in his own end. And ya gotta love a guy who will drop the gloves for his teammates despite rarely winning a fight. But the fact is, the Sabres can get that type of play from their youngsters who, unlike Monty, have plenty of up-side.

It comes down to a numbers-game. The Sabres are full of young d-men and they have a back-log in the system.

Thanx for the hard work, Monty, and good luck. Someone will give you a contract worth more than the Sabres offer and some team will get you much more playing time than you'll likely see in the Blue and Gold.



Sabres winger Mike Grier may be
ready to hang up the skates. Let's
hope he remains with the team
in some front office capacity.

 --Mike Grier--The amazing thing about Grier was how many breakaways the 36 yr. old got this season. After losing what little speed he had throughout 12 years as a hard-hitting, hard-playing, hard-charging winger, somehow, someway he was able to get behind the d and go in all alone. Not that he had a scorers touch or anything like that, but he broke free.

When Grier bolted in 2006, it was a big loss for the team, as well as the fan-base. He was a decidedly different player from the core--less talent, more heart--and to have him walk away was like ripping a piece right out of you.

His return was welcomed, but it was painfully obvious that he was near the end of his career.

And his playing career should come to an end. But, a guy like him with his smarts and passion should not be let go again.

How does Assistant GM/Director of Player Development, Mike Grier sound?




Rock solid veteran
Rob Niedermayer

 --Rob Niedermayer--Another veteran war-horse along the lines of Grier, only with a Stanely Cup on his resume.

"Nieds" did what he was brought in for--provide leadership in the playoffs. Of course, there was a time when the Sabres were a long-shot to make the playoffs, and he certainly wasn't helping much. He didn't score his first goal of the season until the 53rd game.

 But in the playoffs he was everything they'd hoped for--leadership in a checking role while putting up a few points.

Would the Sabres want him back at $1.2m?

I don't think so, nor would it be fair to offer him less to stay. Nieds is very close to retiring and the Sabres are at least two big pieces away from contending.

As of right now with the team as is, it doesn't look as if there'd be a match. But, if the Sabres were to add those pieces and had the financial wiggle room to play him in a limited role for the regular season then an increased role in the playoffs, I would re-sign him. Even at $1.2m.

I like what he brings to the table.

Willing pugilist, Cody McCormick

--Cody McCormick--Became a fan favorite after being called up from the minors during the 2010 playoffs. He endeared himself by going all out every shift and his game, so unlike "the core,"  was encapsulated in one play that saw him charge hard to the net taking out both goalie and the cage.

McCormick's a fourth-line/energy player. A dime-a-dozen-type of player, he can play LW and center and gives you his all in a limited role. He's a tough customer and willing pugilist.

All-in-all, he's a solid fourth-line player who's hard work and dogged determination has earned him a spot in the line-up. If, somewhere down the road a better role player comes along, then so be it.

As for now, he's in.



Yeah, I'm Matt "Friggen" Ellis.
Gotta problem with that?

 --Matt Ellis--As mentioned above with someone possibly (eventually?) replacing a fourth-liner, so is the case with Ellis.

He was a hard-working energy guy for the Sabres and was in the line-up until he was, essentially, replaced by McCormick.

Quick story on Ellis:  Much to the dismay of Los Angeles Kings GM Dean Lombardi, Darcy Regier plucked the left-winger off of waivers in October of 2008. That was a mere four months after the draft-day, trade-up by Regier with Lombardi to select Tyler Myers.

Ellis is presently the captain of the Portland Pirates and brings strong leadership to the team.

No reason why he shouldn't remain in that role again.

Patty Lalime (left) and buddy Ryan Miller.

 --Patrick Lalime--The consummate team player. But, unfortunately the Sabres needed much more than that, they needed a back-up goalie who could actually win games.

Lalime's record in two years as back-up for the Sabres--9-21-5.

Thanx, Patty, but Jhonas Enroth will take over from here.




Mark Mancari shouldn't hold his
breath waiting for the Sabres to
offer him a one-way deal.

 --Mark Mancari--Big right-winger scoring oodles of goals and putting up great numbers in the AHL.

Unfortunately, Mancari was never able to bring those numbers to the big-club.

Some may say that he never got a real shot as he spent most of his time in a bottom-six role.

(shrugs)

It's probably more of a case of Mancari not being able to catch-up with the speed of the NHL. He's pretty slow, and he lacks the grittiness that would befit, what amounts to a fourth-line, energy player.

He'll get a shot somewhere else next season.


The Pegula Rewards Program buffalosabresnow list:

• GM, Darcy Regier--No
• Head Coach Lindy Ruff--Yes
• Director of Amateur Scouting Kevin Devine--Yes

UFA Players,

• Tim Connolly--No
• Steve Montador--No
• Mike Grier--Yes, in a front office role
• Rob Niedermayer--Yes, if the Sabres are contenders
• Cody McCormick--Yes
• Matt Ellis--Yes, in two-way contract
• Patrick Lalime--No
• Mark Mancari--No 

Sabres Play Near-Perfect Road Game In 1-0 Shutout

Ya gotta love playoff hockey.

And ya gotta love what the Sabres pulled off last night. The Flyers applied all kinds of pressure for nearly the entire game and the Sabres held their ground.

Philadelphia had five powerplays (Buffalo had one) including a five-on-three for :38 and the Sabres held their ground.

The Sabres blocked 16 shots including one by Paul Gaustad, who was without his stick on the penalty kill, on a shot from the point.

Buffalo played a near-perfect road game last night. They took care of their own end, they clogged the shooting lanes and the forwards didn't cheat up-ice.

Not to say that it was a flawless game. The Sabres did turn the puck over, were hemmed in their own zone often and they also had a bit of luck as an early James van Riemsdyk shot beat Ryan Miller five-hole only to glance off of the post. They couldn't generate much of a forecheck either as their offensive zone presence was minimal.

But that's to be expected, especially in the playoffs.

Shoutouts:

• Chris Butler--"Buts" was rock-solid all night logging a game-high 26:04 of ice-time including all of the :38 five-on-three against. The 24 yr. old d-man seems to have passed through a thresh-hold and has taken his Nik Lidstrom-type game to another level.
• Marc-Andre Gragnani--"Grags" was basically thrown into the fire and he looked like a vet out there. You may of forgotten but Grags was making a strong pitch to be on the roster out of camp before an injury scuttled that.

• Pat Kaleta- Kaleta was shutout by the Philly media on the Three Stars Of the Game ballots, but drove to the net to pounce on a big Sergei Bobrovsky rebound for the game's only goal. He also played a disciplined, hard-checking game including leveling Flyers forward Ville Lieno at the Flyers blueline.
• Paul Gaustad--Honk for the "Goose!" He did it all including getting the puck to a wide-open Grags in garnering the secondary assist on the only goal of the game.

• Ryan Miller--He set the tone early by face-washing Philly's captain, Mike Richards early on. He was challenging shooters all night, his positioning was stellar and he, unlike Bobrovsky, did not give up the big rebound.

Special shoutout to Tim Connolly. Much maligned all season for his less than stellar offensive play, the Sabres center was a monster--yes, monster--in his own zone. He (along with other Sabres forwards) was helping out his young defenseman (as well as the two vets who were playing like rookies) all night. Connolly was out there with Buts and Tyler Myers for the entire :38 of five-on-three against as well. And, he was 11 of 18 (61%) on the face-off dot.

Sabres Head Coach Lindy Ruff
post-game after his team's 1-0 game one victory.

The Sabres have now beaten the Flyers for three consecutive games beginning with a come-from-behind 5-3 victory on March 5th when the Sabres were in the middle of a seven-game road-trip and battling to get into the playoff picture.

Buffalo is also on a five-game winning streak, it's longest of the season.

Finally, I love this picture. It was taken as the Sabres were headed into the Wells Fargo Center for the opening game of the series. A picture is worth a thousand words, and you look at the players, their clothing and demeanor and it says a lot about the four players. 

The Sabres' Keys To the Series From the Goal Out



First things first:  Forget the regular season.

--Forget that the Philadelphia Flyers head into the playoffs stumbling. It really doesn't matter.
--Forget that the Buffalo Sabres head into the playoffs on a serious roll. It will help them, but it doesn't mean too much.


This is the playoffs, the NHL's second season. The Flyers went to the Stanley Cup Finals last season and are loaded with playoff experience. They know what to do and what to expect this time of year.

The Flyers and Sabres boast contrasting organizational styles when it comes to team building:
--Philadelphia's GM, Paul Holmgren, has built a team heavy on finances and heavy on free-agency
--Buffalo's Darcy Regier has built the team on a fairly tight budget through drafting and patience.

Both teams boast two of the best coaches in the business:
--the Flyers with Stanley Cup-winner Peter Laviolette
--the Sabres with Lindy Ruff

The contrast in team-building styles takes the ice tonight in the first-round matchup.

Holmgren has hedged his bets on building a team of high-priced skaters at the expense of goaltending. The roulette wheel in goal for the Flyers has not helped them win the Cup yet, but they were knocking on the door last season losing in the Finals to Chicago in six games. This year, like last season, they're one of the favorites to win the Cup, or come out of the East at the very least.

Regier has the philosophy of build from the goal out and has placed his bet upon goalie Ryan Miller to lead the Sabres to their first Stanley Cup. And this is where we'll start with the #7-seed Sabres keys to beating the #2-seed Flyers in round one of the playoffs which begins tonight.

Buffalo's keys to taking the series:

• Ryan Miller--Captain Obvious here, but as Miller goes, so goes the Sabres. Fact is, it will be hard to pitch a shutout vs. the potent Flyers' offense. The tremendous forecheck from the Orange and Black will produce plenty of turnovers and, therefore, a multitude of scoring opportunities. Miller's task will be to keep the scoring to a minimum and come up with big saves at crucial times. In addition, he'll see plenty of odd-man rushes coming his way, and a big save could be a momentum-turner. This is how an elite goalie will be judged. He's rested, should be fully focused and has shown the ability to rise to the occasion.
• The Buffalo D-Corps--They're young. They will be under constant pressure from the Fly-boys and will need to keep their turnovers to a minimum. And, because Ruff wants his defense to join the rush, they'll need to pick their spots as well.
• The Forwards In Their Own Zone--Don't cheat up-ice. Guaranteed they'll get caught and it'll end up in their own net. It all starts with defense and transition. Working up a sweat in the defensive zone has been known to lead to goals for the hardest workers.
• The Brad Boyes/Tyler Ennis/Drew Stafford Line--This line is known as a "perimeter line" right now. Ennis and Stafford could be expected to play that way, but Boyes needs to get his nose dirty. He's the key. Continued perimeter play from him will continue his goal-scoring drought and exacerbate an problem that occurred in last year's playoffs--no goals from the Sabres top-two centers. Scoring from this line eases the pressure on the Tim Connolly/Thomas Vanek/Jason Pomminville line.
• Connolly--He was one of the aforementioned centers from last season. His special teams play has been excellent as of late and he needs to keep it up. On the PP, though, he needs to take care of the puck when heading into the Flyers zone. He cannot beat three defenders and needs to be smarter. Five-on-five he needs to show the desire he had in the 2005/06 playoffs and he needs to trust his shot, which is lethal. 
• Put Doubt Into the Flyers Goalie Situation--Laviolette now has three goalies to juggle and a very short leash. Make him choose between the three by making any of them look shaky.

All-in-all, this is a test of the team-building of Paul Holmgren and Darcy Regier.

Will the Flyers win with all there money up-front? Or will the Sabres "build from the goal out"/balanced approach win out?

Don't know, but this is a series that should go at least six games, possibly seven.

redemption for darcy regier is right there

in the previous blog i wrote about wanting the first-round pick that the bruins got from toronto in the phil kessel deal...my thinking was that boston may be looking to bolster the team down the middle due to the loss of center marc savard and that tim connolly would be a fit as a rental...


i used the mike fisher to nashville trade as a base...the return on fisher was a first and either a second or third...

i also brought out the point that anywhere from three to six teams could use connolly's skills in a top-nine/top-six role including boston, pittsburgh and washington as well as, possibly, atlanta, calgary and columbus...

dallas stars center brad richards
is out indefinitely with
a possible concussion

since then, dallas center brad richards went down with an "upper-body injury"...speculation is that it is a concussion as he will not be flying with the team on their road trip which began last night in edmonton (a 4-1 loss) and continues tonight in calgary...

dallas is falling fast (2-7-1 in their last 10 games)...injuries have decimated the stars and are the main reason they've gone from tops in the pacific to a couple of losses away from dropping out of the playoff race...

i'm not saying connolly will be traded, but darcy regier has a shot at redemtion for the $9m contract he gave connolly two years ago as well as the innanity of his "two top-twenty centers in the league" statement...

nor am i saying that dallas would be the place that connolly ends up...but, what we have is another team that could use help up the middle...supply and demand...demand is getting higher and supply is tight, especially with ufa's...

with the bruins trading for bottom-six forward, chris kelly, the likelyhood of them going after another center diminishes...but the fact remains that the sabres could get a good return for connolly no matter where he goes...

redemption is there, mr. regier...

(knock, knock, knock)

that's opportunity at the door

i want the sabres to get boston's #1 pick in 2011

no, not the bruins own pick...i want the one that they got from toronto in the phil kessel deal...

and the player i see them using to get it?..........tim connolly

hear me out...

the sabres will not win the cup this year unless there's an almost unprecedented alignment of the stars; so why cling to an asset that can bring back a very good return?....there are other players on the team who can be moved, but connolly will be a player that quite a few teams will covet...

why?

tim connolly has mad skills, plays in all situations and can be considered a #2 center on many teams...he's a #2 center on the buffalo sabres right now...when healthy, he does produce and has shown that he can produce in the playoffs (last season not withstanding)...and, as of late he's beginning to heat up...

with "#1" center derek roy out for the season, moving the sabres #2 center would leave the team perilously thin up the middle, but, so what?... right now the sabres have as good a chance at making the playoffs without him as they do with him...in addition, he's is very marketable right now as teams bolster try to their roster for the playoffs...

the trade deadline is based upon supply and demand which is why there's so much overpayment for hockey commodities...right now, at least three teams in the east could be looking for a #2 center based upon injuries and/or lack of depth--boston, pittsburgh and washington...

the plight of bruins center marc savard is well documented...the skilled center just can't stay healthy and he's out, yet again, with a concussion...boston also has two #1 picks in the up-coming draft, their own and the one they got from the leafs in the phil kessel deal...

the pens have been decimated by injuries to sidney crosby (out indefinitely with a concussion) and evgeni malkin (out for the year with torn mcl and acl)...although jordan staal can move up to the top line, injuries to the pens top-two centers leave them really thin...

washington is having a helluva time scoring this year...they're strong on the wing and only have one legitimate center--1st-liner nicklas backstrom...they're falling fast right now and could use a #2 center to boost scoring...

even atlanta, who's been plummeting in the standings could use a center to bolster their playoff chance...in the western conference there's columbus and calgary who are battling for a playoff spot...

all-in-all that's anywhere from three to six teams, at least, that could be bartering for the services of connolly...and, since the sabres have eaten most of his contract this season, teams should have more flexibility eating what's left of his $4.5m salary...

what could the sabres get for him as a return?...high demand and low supply should equal a pretty good return for the sabres...

we'll start with the mike fisher...fisher was sent from ottawa to the nashville preds for a 1st-round pick and a conditional pick...although they are two different players, both connolly and fisher are top-nine centers who could help a team from the deadline and on into the playoffs...

based upon connolly's skill, the fact that he can play in all situations, the laws of supply and demand and the mike fisher trade, is there any reason to believe that he'd fetch anything less than a low first-rounder?...

yeah, possibly...and you're probably sayin' to yourself, "self?, boos may be right, but even if there's a snowball's chance in hell that connolly's worth that much, how would the sabres get the leafs top-10, possibly top-five pick that the bruins own?"...

almost every playoff-bound team, especially the ones with stanley cup-aspirations, looks to bolster their defense at the trade deadline...

the sabres have eight d-men on the roster, surely one of them not named myers could be available...ufa-to be steve montador and his inexpensive salary would make sense for boston...

so now we're looking at connolly and montador for the pick...that's the BASIS for the trade...fill in the rest to get it done...

oh, and one more thing when it comes to the boston bruins, jim benning, a part of the sabres organization for a number of years, is gm peter chiarelli's assistant with the bruins...

far-fetched?...maybe...but it's that time of year, isn't it?

every fan wants to play gm this time of year...it's one of the big-three "arm-chair gm" days, the others being draft day and july 1st...

and?.................................i'm a fan...


: )

connolly, broken nose, out at least one week

tim connolly is out again, done in by a hard hit from the lightning's nate thompson...nothing really illegal, but the finishing hip by thompson into connolly was something that the on-ice sabres shoulda been pissed at...

jordan leopld had a bird's eye view of the play and did absolutely nothing to stick up for his fallen teammate...and it's not surprising, that's who jordan leopold is...

another puck-mover from gm darcy regier...kinda reminiscent of the departed hank tallinder and how he would stick up for his teammates...pretend like he didn't see it

connolly would come back during the game, though:

reconstructive surgery lies ahead

a welcome return?

drew stafford looks as if he'll
dress for tomorrow's game
vs. the bruins

oft-injured, much-maligned
sabres center tim connolly
should be available this
weekend, maybe sooner

two

sabres

could

return

as

early

as

wednesday

vs.

the bruins

the sabres sit in 11th place in the eastern conference, behind carolina and ottawa for 9th place in the standings, a full eight points out of a playoff spot...

on november 24th, both #2 center, tim connolly, and #3 center, rob neidermayer joined winger drew stafford (nov. 5th) on the injured list, and it looks as if at least one, maybe two of the three should be back for the game tomorrow night vs. the bruins...

head coach lindy ruff has given every indication that drew stafford, who has played one game (dec. 3rd, clb) in the last 16 since going down with a shoulder injury, is ready to come back and, although connolly said he's ready, ruff is leaving his options open by remaining non-commital...



"just the stats, man"



since connolly joined stafford on the injured list, the sabres have gone 3-3-1 with stafford returning for a win (not included) on dec. 3rd vs. clb...the team scored 14 goals in those seven games with six of them coming against san jose...they were shut out twice in regulation--a loss (vs. pitt) and a shoot out win (at ottawa)...

in their absence, the sabres called up colin stuart (3 games) and mark mancari (3 games) to replace stafford...they combined for 0 goals, 1 assist and a cumulative minus-1...some juggling occurred to replace connolly, with rookie luke adam being moved into the #2 slot and jochen hecht being moved to the #3 slot (replacing the injured neidermayer)...in seven games they combined for 1 goal and 2 assists with a cumulative minus-4

as much as fans like to bag on connolly, he's fifth on the team in scoring (13) and tied for fifth on the team (stafford) in goals (5)...and he's missed eight games...stafford has played only 15 games...

pretty sure the numbers speak for themselves...as much as sabres fans yearn for the day that connolly's no longer in the blue and gold, right now he's needed...

and as much as sabres fans loathe stafford's inconsistency and throw him into trade scenarios (myself included,) there's really no one in the pipeline to replace him...

and that's the precarious state of the buffalo sabres up-front right now..

injuries up the middle baffle lindy ruff

two portland pirates got the call yesterday as the injury bug is starting to make it look like training camp all over again...center luke adam and free agent lw colin stuart will get the call as the pittsburgh penguins pay a visit to hsbc arena tomorrow night...

tim connolly and rob niedermayer, the sabres #2 and #3 centers, respectively, will both be out of the lineup with niedermayer undergoing a knee scope that will keep him out at least two to three weeks...compounding the problem is the sabres lack of depth down the middle...

during lindy ruff's weekly appearance on wgr's howard simon show, the coach was somewhat baffled as to how to approach a question as to who his #2 center is...after stammering for words, the coach stated that paul gaustad is the #2 center...the "yikes-moment" prompted him to quickly shift to a call-up, though, "if you're looking to the offensive side of it, we've called luke adam up."...then he shifts to something that "we've done this in the past and it worked real well for us,"--moving jochen hecht to the center slot....

jochen hecht's worst full-season in the nhl can be directly attributed to his playing in the top-six as a center during the 2008/9 season...it was awful to watch...no surprise that when he was switched back to lw for the 2009/10 season he promptly put up typical hechtian numbers--21 goals, 21 assists and he lead the team with a plus-14 rating...

ok, fine...out of necessity, hecht moves to center along with adam and they join derek roy and paul gaustad down the middle...since gaustad was not mentioned for a top-nine slot, where to put adam and hecht had ruff talking in circles, "with connolly out we would probably have adam slide into the two-spot," he said..."we would...have jochen hecht move into the middle and he would really be our #2, and we're pretty comfortable with luke [adam] being our #3 for us."

is it any wonder why the coach was searching desperately for words when you have roy, hecht, adam and gaustad going up against the pens on wednesday?...sidney crosby and evgeni malkin anchor the middle for pittsburgh with mark lesetsu and craig adams on the bottom-six...were it not for an injury to "third-line" center jordan staal, it could get really ugly for the sabres tomorrow night...

what this situation really exposes is the lack of forward depth in the sabres system, specifically at center...a brief look at the sabres drafting this past decade reveals a blatant disregard for the center slot and ineptitude in the players chosen...since 2001 when the sabres drafted jiri novotny (#22,) derek roy (#32,) and chris thorburn (#50) with their first three picks, this is what they've done for the center position:

2002--maxim schevjev, 6th round--never sniffed the nhl
2003--no centers taken
2004--no centers taken
2005--marek zagrapan, 1st round--couldn't crack the big club, plays in the khl
       --nathan gerbe, 5th round--presently playing wing in a bottom-six role
2006--felix schutz, 4th round--playing in europe after leaving portland this season
       --benjamin breault, 7th round, no longer with the organization
2007--paul byron, 6th round--diminutive center plying his trade with portland
2008--tyler ennis, 1st round--presently on the sabres top line as lw
       --luke adam, 2nd round, just got the call for the third time this season

no wonder ruff's talking in circles...sheeesh...