Archives for June 2012

'Consider the following: his goals-against average the last two seasons has ranked 22nd and 22nd; his save percentage has ranked 18th and 19th; last year, he failed to backstop his team to the postseason for the third time in five seasons.' … [Read more...] about Sabres’ Miller has morphed into average NHL goalie

'Some players do well and some players struggle under Ruff's system. The players who succeed, like Jason Pominville, have two-way talent. It appears the system isn't going to change, so the roster has to. Running three purely offensive lines and asking several one-way players like Leino to work in both ends is asking for either failure or a long adjustment period (which may be … [Read more...] about Myth Busting: Taking on Lindy Ruff’s ”System”

'“Zemgus fits in great in the locker room with his teammates. He’s extremely well respected for his work ethic because it’s incomparable. He’ll go extremely hard in practice, but then when he’s in line to do drill, he’ll be goofing around with someone with a huge smile on his face. He brings a kind of energy that teammates feed off of."' … [Read more...] about The legend of Zegmus

'No matter how much has been said about Grigorenko, we know very little about him. He hasn’t played enough hockey for us to make an accurate evaluation. What’s mostly known is how he played last season, including the world juniors. Maybe he didn’t feel challenged. Maybe he wasn’t healthy. Maybe he’s a teenager who acts like one.' … [Read more...] about Too early to label Grigorenko

'Following two wildly inconsistent seasons, Myers has been overtaken.' … [Read more...] about Sabres’ Myers no longer NHL’s brightest young defenseman

'“I think it helps. It’s going to change how you practice, when you practice, the odd time your day off is going to have to be between games, but at the same time it should be more rest for your club which is the whole reason you try to get away from the back to back.”' … [Read more...] about Sabres Ruff is on board with new schedule

'Don't mistake what the stats say for the fact that the Sabres could have success with Ennis, Foligno and Drew Stafford on a line next season. All are talented and their chemistry last season was undeniable. However, if you had to make a trade today, Ennis is a player that could be high bang-for-your-buck.' … [Read more...] about Advanced Stats Say Sabres Should Consider Dealing Ennis

'"The other thing that impacts it is I think we're going to be pretty darn good this year. I really do. I thought there was some promise last year, and with the maturation of the team alone it should be better. I know they're going to do something else before the free agency period has totally passed by. I'm looking forward to that as well. That of course, as you well know, … [Read more...] about Jeanneret back to full slate

'“I got an opinion about my game,” Vanek said in April. “I thought the first half was good, the second half I couldn’t find my game anymore. That’s my fault.”' … [Read more...] about Sabres’ Vanek still struggling to reach expectations

'The local legend, who signed a new multi-year contract earlier this month, had been working a reduced number of games for several years. He called 57 last year.' … [Read more...] about Jeanneret to call every Sabres game next season

'“I spent a lot of time sitting at home (last season),” Jeanneret said in a phone interview. “The time I spent in Florida, twice for a couple of weeks, was fine. That wasn’t an issue. There were a couple of games I sat and watched that I should have been at. It stuck in my mind I should take another run at it. If I’m going to make a run at it, I might as well try it on for … [Read more...] about Jeanneret not going quietly

'“People have said I could play next year in the NHL and people have said it’ll take me five years so if a guy says I can make it and a guy says I can’t, probably both are right so I’ve got to see what happens next year and go from there.” Now what is his opinion, “I feel like I can play next year if I’m physically ready and I think I will so it’s something I have to see.”' … [Read more...] about Will the Sabres Girgensons be the imact player?

'After initially announcing his intention to once again miss a handful of games during the season, the NHL’s longest-tenured broadcaster has decided to call all 82 games of the Sabres’ 2012-13 schedule.' … [Read more...] about RJ will go the distance

'Of the 13 players in the study added by the Sabres, the production of nine of them – 69.2 percent – dropped compared to their prior team. Three (15.3 percent) improved their point-per-game numbers in Buffalo. Steve Montador maintained the pace he set with his prior club.' … [Read more...] about Acquisitions fizzle with Sabres

Rochester Americans need help in free agency (Rochester D&C) … [Read more...] about Wednesday’s Rochester Coverage