Who Else?

9:24 left in the thid period. Carolina has just scored to make it 5-3. Who comes on the ice, but John Scott. This gut must be a goal scorer or something. Sabres are going to have to find a new tough guy, because Scott seems to be Lindy's offensive answer.

He looks like a drunk guy trying to hard in a beer league game, all over the place and about two steps behind.

TRue and don't forget the Sabres got Sulzer as a bonus. ( I view Gragnani as a through away from an organization who already had many of the similar players.)

Gerbe can give more with cheap shots and gritty play than Scott floating around looking out of place for 2 to 4 minutes a game. We don't need fighters fighting fighters. The most effective " tough guys" seem to be also skill guys like Lucic, Hartnell, and even the smaller players like Marchand in Boston.

I think Ray does a great job adding the color commentary. I haven't really noticed the seen vs. saw issue, but the quirk that drives me up the wall is the overusage and mispronouciation of the phrase "at all." He pronounces it like "a Toll" The only other thing that bugs me about Ray, is when he is discucssing PP stategy or like the 5 on three PK yesterday. It's kind of like OK Rob you're the expert. Still we could have a total tool like Bob Errey or Darryl Raugh, and anyone is better than Neale.

Gionta had a nice run on Jersey last year.

I agree give him a few games on the third or fourth line and say, "this is your shot kid" With the compressed schedule, there will certainly be time to stick him in here and there, especially when they play physically weaker teams like Montreal so the bangers can get rest. If he doesn't perform then adious.

What my point is, is that I don't believe having Hecht on the team makes them better as long as Ruff is the coach. If you are purely looking at lines on paper, yes Hecht looks like a great fit. I'm not really trying to pile on Ruff, but there seem to be other here that think Ruff will have Hecht on a line with pominville in no tima, as I do. If there has been one major thing missing on this team over the last several years other than toughness, it has been any consistancy or chemistry in the first two and maybe all the lines.

I really like Hecht. He would make a good 3rd line center / PK guy on any team. I have a feeling that if he is completely healthy there will be more teams than just the Sabres looking at him. I think his best attribute is that he is a very versitile player. Though I can not remember him ever playing on the right side, he is a good stop gap for any line (temporarily). I agree that he does not even come close to having first line skill, but he has played there and does not look totally out of place. He is like a baseball utility infielder. This is the exact reason why I do not want him back in Buffalo playing for the ultimate line shuffler. By the third week, instead of using Hecht as a a third/fourth liner, Ruff will have used him on every line. Citing reasons like "history with Pommers" or "Experience on a young team". If the top 2 lines are going to stay together to develop any chemistry this year, Ruff's options for line combinations must be limited, because he has clearly proved thar he can not help himself.

They are drafted. They hold two drafts. One for the North Americans and a supplemental one for the Europeans. My point is simply that, the OHL is great if you have a good team. If you don't live in the markets of the "favored" teams you just go to watch the other teams players. Just because Buffalo would be considered a big market in the OHL, does not mean that they will draw the better players as insinuated above. The Mississauga, Toronto, and Ottawa teams has rarely been good on a consistant basis.

I am from Erie and go to about 15 - 20 games a year. The OHL is great. The Hockey is Great. I think the OHL would work great in any city that was excited for and supported it. When the Otters were relevant, when they had players like Connelly, Boyes, Rupp, Coliocchavo, and Vallequette, they were fun to watch andthere was a waiting list for season tickets. On weekend nights every game was practically sold out for several years. Unfortunately the attendance has dropped, because of their performance and the atmosphere. Firstly, the Otters attendance is way way down because of the total lack of fan experience. In recent years with the exception of last the team was very exciting to watch, no matter what their record was. They would jump on the Canadian teams that would have to make the long trip in town. Whether they won or lost the early lead almost always made the games enjoyable. However when in the arena the hockey is the only form of entertainment. There is nothing for kids to get into. There is absolutely nothing at these games to make you want to go other than the chance there will be three well played 20 minute periods, and with a team like the Otters that almost never happens. Second, the OHL is corrupt. It is no Coincidence that it is always the same few teams that do well. London, Kitchener, and Windsor somehow always end up with the future NHL Studs. Teams like the Erie, Kingston, and Brampton can never seem to get these great prospects even though they get the highest picks. If you are an American born player and you de-commit from college you can pick any team to go to. For instance Jack Johnson, the goalie for team USA Junior team the last couple years, decided he would play for who? Windsor. There is no level playing field here and Erie fans have become quite jaded by this. Now when we go to games we go to see the other teams players, not ours. This whole situation is unfortunate and the Otters were very close to moving away this year. Erie is renovating its arena, so don't be surprised if the Otters are "given" a couple future NHLers.

I don't know why this has to be so complex. Fire everyone involved or implicated. Arrest and bring to justice for those who deserve it and move on. People act like the Nittany Lion did this or something. Let the team play with egg on their face and let them be a reminder to all that this problem exists, while the victims and advocate groups take every last penny thet earn. This way no innocent (non-involved) person or group will get penalized while the press and advocacy groups can fund and form a campaign to limit this kind of behavior in the future.

Good hit. At some point doesn't a player (Letang) have to have some awareness on the ice? Players take runs like this every night, but the potential hittee knows where he is and avoids that kind of contact. Why is Mibury on TV anyway? Who actually likes this guy?

Ennis or Hodgson on the wing? Did I miss the trade yesterday where the Sabres got another center?

Varone = ex Erie Otter Connolly, Montador, Boyes.

Hodgson is not an upgrade or replacement for Gaustad. There will be a hole left in the checking line that I don't want to see this guy fill. That kind of player (even Gaustad in particular) can be picked up this off-season. Matt Ellis is not exactly a shut down guy. With Roy Ennis and Hodgson, LIndy is going to create a line to go skill to skill with the other teams top line.

I was just going to edit that, but once Roy gets on that line it's the only one Lindy seems to keep intact unless he's forced by injury.

We all know Lindy is not going to take Roy off that line barring an injury. I agree with you on Ennis though. I would like to see how he plays with Vanek. I just don't see it happening.

Why not play with Vanek? What other center in Buffalo now has had any chemistry with him? Call it First line Second line, whatever. Pominville and Roy have been playing well together lately. Through a wing with them and one with Hodgson and Vanek and see how it works.

I almost feel sorry for the kid. He has only played a handful of NHL games and is now being tauted as Vancouvers answer to the big bad Bruins.

LIstening to GR and reading posts; It's amazing how many fans went from treating Kassian as this teams savior to a bum.

I've said it before Kassian is a big body that does not play rough and has a propensity and reputation for being stupid. Buffalo wanted this guy to be someone he is not. I'm not saying he is a bad player, just that Buffalo was trying to fit square peg into a round hole.

Love this deal. I don't quite understand the Sultzer part. If the Sabres are deep in one area (including Rochester), it is at defense. I would have liked a forward prospect in return.

I'm with you on that one. It absolutely drives me crazy when some shows (Not this one) shows the previews right before the opening scene.

Trade 'em all Stafford Roy Gaustad Leino. With the exception of Boyes, the players we most want out of here collectively played their best game of the year.