JohnRobertEichel Posted March 8, 2007 Report Share Posted March 8, 2007 Spacek, Numminen, Kalinin...all 3 better not still be on the Sabres roster this July. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inkman Posted March 8, 2007 Report Share Posted March 8, 2007 Spacek, Numminen, Kalinin...all 3 better not still be on the Sabres roster this July. They will. If not them, then someone else playing in the NHL right now but teams don't get rid of half their defensive core because of one bad game. Funkand Card are still years away while Sekera could be next year's Paetsch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deluca67 Posted March 8, 2007 Report Share Posted March 8, 2007 They will. If not them, then someone else playing in the NHL right now but teams don't get rid of half their defensive core because of one bad game. Funkand Card are still years away while Sekera could be next year's Paetsch. Spacek did had a horrible game last night. :doh: The Sabres have their '07 - '08 defense already. Paetsch steps in for Teppo. Then on eof the young kids step up to the #7 spot unless they go the veteran #7 route. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
X. Benedict Posted March 8, 2007 Report Share Posted March 8, 2007 Spacek, Numminen, Kalinin...all 3 better not still be on the Sabres roster this July. Do me a favor and name three d-men that replace their skill set for Buffalo's system. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inkman Posted March 8, 2007 Report Share Posted March 8, 2007 Spacek did had a horrible game last night. :doh: Are you being a dick just because it's me or did you actually think I thought Spacek played last night? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deluca67 Posted March 8, 2007 Report Share Posted March 8, 2007 Are you being a dick just because it's me or did you actually think I thought Spacek played last night? You're so defensive :D Actually it was more of a comment on the entire thread. The Sabres are #1 in the East and will be #1 in the NHL again once the games played evens out. Yet half of their starting six defensemen suck and don't deserve to return next season? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
norfend Posted March 8, 2007 Report Share Posted March 8, 2007 Spacek, Numminen, Kalinin...all 3 better not still be on the Sabres roster this July. I thought Kalinin looked great last night, jumping up in plays and making plays at both ends of the ice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
X. Benedict Posted March 8, 2007 Report Share Posted March 8, 2007 I don't think the D or Miller lost the game last night. The forwards never really tested Budaj and passed up a lot of shots for the extra pass. Neutral zone turnovers didn't help the cause either. Colorodo gives Buffalo the same problems that the Florida panthers do. But throw the D out :blink: If you watch other teams, there is probably no other team D where every guy can stretch the ice with tape to tape passes and also join the rush. Everyone has been stunned by the Rochester call ups, but it has been D in the last 10 games that has stepped up their game getting all these young guys the puck with speed. But maybe it is time we replace these guys with three stay at home defensemen who dump the puck to the neutral zone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LabattBlue Posted March 8, 2007 Report Share Posted March 8, 2007 If you want to whip on somebody on the blueline, don't give Campbell a free pass. I'm in the minority, but his play closely resembles his play from 03-04 and the beginning of the 05-06 seasons. Kalinin's play is much better then it was earlier this year, same for Teppo and like was said earlier I didn't know Spacek was playing last night. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnRobertEichel Posted March 8, 2007 Author Report Share Posted March 8, 2007 They will. If not them, then someone else playing in the NHL right now but teams don't get rid of half their defensive core because of one bad game. Funkand Card are still years away while Sekera could be next year's Paetsch. OK, but I was referring to their body of work for the entire year...obviously not just last night (Spacek being injured should have been a clue). While my opinion of these guys could be "incorrect," I assure you it's not a knee-jerk one. I've been cursing them from my TV screen all season. Also, just because we're currently the #2 team in the NHL doesn't mean we can't try to get better in the future. Besides, last I checked, we haven't won the Stanley Cup yet. So who's to say our current group of D-men are good enough and couldn't be improved upon? And another point: not re-signing Teppo and trading/releasing Kalinin and Spacek would free up a lot of money to re-sign Roy, Vanek, Briere, Drury, etc... Finally, I don't follow the Rochester players closely, so I'm wondering what those who do follow them think. I know we tend to bring along our D-men slower than our forwards, but what makes people generally believe Sekera will be more NHL-ready next season than Funk or Card? Just curious. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LabattBlue Posted March 8, 2007 Report Share Posted March 8, 2007 Finally, I don't follow the Rochester players closely, so I'm wondering what those who do follow them think. I know we tend to bring along our D-men slower than our forwards, but what makes people generally believe Sekera will be more NHL-ready next season than Funk or Card? Just curious. I haven't seen the Amerks play this year, but I believe prior to the season that Sekera was viewed as the better of the 3 prospects and will clearly be the first of the 3 to hit the NHL on a regular basis. I'm not sure if this still holds true. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnRobertEichel Posted March 8, 2007 Author Report Share Posted March 8, 2007 Actually it was more of a comment on the entire thread. I think Spacek, Numminen, and Kalinin are 3 players whose production we could improve upon (or at least break even on) next year while saving some cap space at the same time. Not the most ridiculous thread concept, IMO. More ridiculous would have been another "Marv is old" or "JP Lose-man" tirade from you on TSW. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inkman Posted March 8, 2007 Report Share Posted March 8, 2007 I haven't seen the Amerks play this year, but I believe prior to the season that Sekera was viewed as the better of the 3 prospects and will clearly be the first of the 3 to hit the NHL on a regular basis. I'm not sure if this still holds true. Sekera has been paired with Brandon Smith for much of the season. He is/was considered the best defenseman on the team, and FYI he is an AHL vet the Panthers signed to help the youngsters along. Funk and Card have been relegated to third defense pairing with the aquisitions of Helbling and Lehtonen. Once Noah Welch recovers from his concussion, he's the guy Florida got for Gary Roberts from the Pens, Funk or Card will be on the bench. Actually both of them could be on the bench with highly touted Martin Lojek still on the team, he's another Panther prospect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nucci Posted March 8, 2007 Report Share Posted March 8, 2007 I think Spacek, Numminen, and Kalinin are 3 players whose production we could improve upon (or at least break even on) next year while saving some cap space at the same time. Not the most ridiculous thread concept, IMO. More ridiculous would have been another "Marv is old" or "JP Lose-man" tirade from you on TSW. I think it would be difficult to replace all 3. You stated you would use the cap space to re-sign all our forwards but this would leave us very thin on D. I'm not sure you want to bring up 3 rookies on D all at once. You would need at least one veteran defenseman and he would not be cheap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frisky Posted March 8, 2007 Report Share Posted March 8, 2007 To me, I think Kalinin has plateau'd with the Sabres but as someone mentioned previously on another thread from a while back, they probably aren't ready to quit on him just yet. Paestch is ready to step up to take Numi's place. Sekera might be ready to be the #7 next year. Spacek is the one I think we could replace at this point unless he starts playing up to his $3+ mil salary. We could probably have someone half as much at his rate of play. But, maybe it will take him a year to adjust giving him the benefit of the doubt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shrader Posted March 8, 2007 Report Share Posted March 8, 2007 While we're at it, let's replace Peters, Mair, Kotalik, Zubrus, Paille, Conklin, Miller, Gaustad, Hecht, and Connolly. Noah Welch is a hack. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nfreeman Posted March 8, 2007 Report Share Posted March 8, 2007 1. There is absolutely no chance in the world that we will unload either Kalinin or Spacek. 2. I put the probability of Teppo's return to the Sabres next year at 95%. 3. Anyone who thinks the sabres' D corps has major problems just isn't paying attention. Goalie and D are the foundation of this team and the system they play. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bmwolf21 Posted March 8, 2007 Report Share Posted March 8, 2007 1. There is absolutely no chance in the world that we will unload either Kalinin or Spacek.I wouldn't be so sure. The salary cap will likely force the Sabres into making decisions quicker than they normally would on underachieving players, and Spacek has been a non-factor at best for most of the year. With a $3.2M cap hit, it wouldn't surprise me if the Sabres looked to move him. I think Spock is going to have a solid playoffs so he should be back, but trading him is not out of the realm of possibility... 2. I put the probability of Teppo's return to the Sabres next year at 95%.I would put the probability of Teppo's return next year at about 20% at best. He has looked old and slow for growing portions of the season, and he is definitely not worth $2.6M, and Lindy & co. will be hard-pressed to keep Paetsch out of the lineup for a slowing 39-year-old defenseman... 3. Anyone who thinks the sabres' D corps has major problems just isn't paying attention. Goalie and D are the foundation of this team and the system they play.No argument about the system, but that doesn't mean that the guys back there aren't without problems or are immune to bad play. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allan in MD Posted March 8, 2007 Report Share Posted March 8, 2007 As many have indicated, moving Spacek makes more sense than anything else. From early in the season, his mistakes were glaring. Of course, one could argue that Spacek has had little chance to adjust to a new team, especially with his injuries. And he did play well last season. But with the cap savings he would bring, moving him definitely makes some sense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nfreeman Posted March 8, 2007 Report Share Posted March 8, 2007 I wouldn't be so sure. The salary cap will likely force the Sabres into making decisions quicker than they normally would on underachieving players, and Spacek has been a non-factor at best for most of the year. With a $3.2M cap hit, it wouldn't surprise me if the Sabres looked to move him. I think Spock is going to have a solid playoffs so he should be back, but trading him is not out of the realm of possibility... Spacek has been solid, but not great. His production hasn't quite matched up to his contract, but it hasn't been a ridiculous ripoff either. He's missed about 20% of the year with a couple of different injuries, which I think has hampered his progress. Bottom line is that mobile, experienced defensemen who can shoot and pass are at a premium in the NHL now, esp. in our system. After goalies, good defensemen are the most important assets a team can have (unless you have Crosby). Jaro fits our system very well. We are not going to unload him for salary cap space. Remember everyone demanding that Darcy bring in more defensemen so we wouldn't have a repeat of the 2006 playoffs? I would put the probability of Teppo's return next year at about 20% at best. He has looked old and slow for growing portions of the season, and he is definitely not worth $2.6M, and Lindy & co. will be hard-pressed to keep Paetsch out of the lineup for a slowing 39-year-old defenseman... He's 2nd on the team in ice time. He's also a +14 and 2nd among our D in scoring. It's impossible to be objective on this, but he doesn't look "old and slow" to me at all. I think it's just a very easy logical assumption for people to make -- ie he's 38, most atheletes have retired by then, we could use the $2.6 million, so he should retire. The problem is that it's just not borne out by the facts. If he were old and slow Lindy wouldn't be playing him this much. IMHO he's the 2nd best defenseman we have -- and I think we have the best defense in the NHL. Paetsch has played well, and I definitely see him moving into our top 6 in the future, but I don't see any reason to rush and certainly no reason to dump Teppo or any of the other top 6. After next year, Campbell will be a UFA and Teppo will be another year older. If Paetsch is as good as we are hoping, my expectation is that that will be his time. No argument about the system, but that doesn't mean that the guys back there aren't without problems or are immune to bad play. Of course -- players are human beings and can have good and bad stretches. And we don't have 6 Prongers back there. However, I do think we have one NHL-top-5 defenseman (Tallinder) and a bunch of really good others, each of whom would be top-2 or top-4 on 26+ other NHL teams and each of whom is experienced, mobile and good at playing our system. Just my opinion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chileanseabass Posted March 8, 2007 Report Share Posted March 8, 2007 everyone remembers spacek from last year's playoffs when he played quite well, but he was a huge disappointment before his trade to the oilers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bmwolf21 Posted March 8, 2007 Report Share Posted March 8, 2007 n, I guess we're just on opposite sides of the fence here. I don't see it as very likely that they bring back Numminen, given: * Cap space needed to retain Drury & Briere and others - I don't see Darcy throwing another $2.6M at him next year, so if he is back, it would most likely have to be at a reduced rate and probably in a reduced role; * Teppo's age - 39 at the start of next season. Guys that play well past 35, 36, etc are the exception, not the rule, and Teppo has a heart defect to boot; * Paetsch's play - I can't see how they can keep him out of the lineup or make him sit as a no. 7 defenseman again next year. Hell, he is pushing guys for playing time right now, so unless something major changes between now & next year, I expect him to be in the top-6 to start next season. Personally, I think the +/- is a somewhat misleading stat for this team, since the numbers are probably skewed by the Sabres' insane ES scoring. Likewise, Teppo's ice time was inflated by all the injuries to the defense - Hank and Spacek missed a lot of time and that meant that Lindy relied on him and Campbell more than he probably would have otherwise. What does concern me is that Teppo is getting older, he is looking slower to me and a lot of other fans as well (and I am sure opponents are seeing it too.) I'm not saying he doesn't serve a purpose this year, but it is becoming apparent to me that the music is winding down for his time in Buffalo, and I hope that he doesn't try to hold on longer than he should and take ice time and a roster spot from some deserving youngster. As for Spacek - I think he'll be a big part of our playoff run and is worth keeping for most of next year, but if his play is the same - average to below average, in some cases (remember Lindy pretty much calling him out before he git hurt again) - then I would look at moving him in a hockey trade, not a salary dump. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DR HOLLIDAY Posted March 8, 2007 Report Share Posted March 8, 2007 I like our defensemen and as a group they are one of the best sets in the NHL, try watching some other teams play, IE the leafs and you will be thankful for what we have............. :beer: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bob_sauve28 Posted March 8, 2007 Report Share Posted March 8, 2007 . Everyone has been stunned by the Rochester call ups, but it has been D in the last 10 games that has stepped up their game getting all these young guys the puck with speed. The D has been the rock of ages for us in the past few weeks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deluca67 Posted March 9, 2007 Report Share Posted March 9, 2007 I think Spacek, Numminen, and Kalinin are 3 players whose production we could improve upon (or at least break even on) next year while saving some cap space at the same time. Not the most ridiculous thread concept, IMO. More ridiculous would have been another "Marv is old" or "JP Lose-man" tirade from you on TSW. First of all get it right. I said Marv "sucks" and he has yet to do anything to prove me wrong. Second. Someone has to try to rejuvenate the pride of Bills fans. The way they just roll over and take losing season after season is sickening. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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