Shocking News!!!! Connolly out with a sore back

[R_Dudley]

I agree, I wish they would have brought in another center and looked at Connolly as a bonus ...

But here's the thing ... I know Hecht playing center is viewed by most around here as if they were asking Lalime to play the point on the power play in full goalie gear ... but is it THAT bad? Consider:

- He did a lot of the dirty work centers do away from the puck even when Briere was here. I'm not saying Briere was cruising around the neutral zone like Ovechkin, but he wasn't exactly getting his nose dirty behind the Sabres net either.

- He played center most of the time last season and put up 22-27-49 in 75 games, 0.65 ppg and was +1 ... Drury was 0.71 ppg and -3 ... not saying he is as good as Drury, of course, but the average No. 2 center on the playoff teams last season was between 45-55 points, most of them played the PP more than Hecht and he is above average in his own end. Him playing center is NOT what kept the Sabres out of the playoffs.

What they NEEDED was a No. 3 center who can win draws and let Gaustad center the 4th line and occasionally play wing ... Hecht was playing on the No. 2 line with Pomminstein either way, Connolly or not. So that's what I wish they had done ... gotten a No. 3 center and if Connolly is healthy, great, if not, Hecht is fine in that spot. Not OUTSTANDING, just solid. I'm more worried about Tallinder/Lydman playing better and the kids buying in to playing both ends than I am hecht as the No. 2 center.

 

:thumbsup: Good reply.

 

While guilty of overhyping the back issue this sums up my position as well and I did think I recalled he did miss some games in years past with the back before. So given the other history of issues ..... :unsure:

[carpandean]

I agree, I wish they would have brought in another center and looked at Connolly as a bonus ...

But here's the thing ... I know Hecht playing center is viewed by most around here as if they were asking Lalime to play the point on the power play in full goalie gear ... but is it THAT bad? Consider:

- He did a lot of the dirty work centers do away from the puck even when Briere was here. I'm not saying Briere was cruising around the neutral zone like Ovechkin, but he wasn't exactly getting his nose dirty behind the Sabres net either.

- He played center most of the time last season and put up 22-27-49 in 75 games, 0.65 ppg and was +1 ... Drury was 0.71 ppg and -3 ... not saying he is as good as Drury, of course, but the average No. 2 center on the playoff teams last season was between 45-55 points, most of them played the PP more than Hecht and he is above average in his own end. Him playing center is NOT what kept the Sabres out of the playoffs.

What they NEEDED was a No. 3 center who can win draws and let Gaustad center the 4th line and occasionally play wing ... Hecht was playing on the No. 2 line with Pomminstein either way, Connolly or not. So that's what I wish they had done ... gotten a No. 3 center and if Connolly is healthy, great, if not, Hecht is fine in that spot. Not OUTSTANDING, just solid. I'm more worried about Tallinder/Lydman playing better and the kids buying in to playing both ends than I am hecht as the No. 2 center.

While I do agree that he does a lot of the dirty work that doesn't show up on the stats, I'm still not convinced that he shouldn't just continue to do those from the left wing.

 

1) Hecht is awful on faceoffs. He was at 42% last year with some games in the 20-30% range, while Drury was always very strong on faceoffs (58% in his last year here). Roy and Gaustad were both over 50% (Goose was highest with 58%, but some of that may be due to being on the third line and getting more favorable match-ups.) Lindy even talked about putting Goose on Hecht's wing to take faceoffs. I'm OK with that if they are on the third line, but not if they are being counted on to be a scoring line.

 

2) We are very short on capable left wings, too. We have Vanek and Paille. Then, there's MacArthur (who may or may not be good enough to be in the lineup) and Peters (ugh.) Anyone else is in Portland or would have to switch sides (e.g., Kotalik.)

 

3) Hecht spent several games as a left wing on Hecht-Connolly-Pommer and Hecht-Gaustad-Pommer last season (I'd guess close between a third and a half of the season), so not all of those points came at center. Connolly mostly played wing after the hip spur came up and he was playing every other game. I'm sure Lindy wanted to have a consistent center, so Hecht stayed in the position (though, again, Gaustad took some shifts centering the second line.)

[LabattBlue]

2) We are very short on capable left wings, too. We have Vanek and Paille. Then, there's MacArthur (who may or may not be good enough to be in the lineup) and Peters (ugh.) Anyone else is in Portland or would have to switch sides (e.g., Kotalik.)

I don't know whether I have read it here or on other message baords, but the Sabres are not "stocked" in terms of forward prospects. They are far from it. Just because there may not be a spot for MacArthur and in order to send him down he would have to clear waivers means nothing.

 

On the other hand, they do appear to be "stocked" in terms of blueline prospects.

[inkman]

This all means he's a young 27 right? Darcy better make sure they get him signed for another 7 years.

 

:lol: That's it. I'm saying it. I love nobody! :lol:

[inkman]

Gerbe plays more physical than half the team.

 

I want to curl up in the corner in the fetal position and suck my thumb.

[darksabre]

I want to curl up in the corner in the fetal position and suck my thumb.

 

The imagery of a baby in a diaper with ginormous calves is funny, but I'm not sure I follow. :bag:

[nobody]

:lol: That's it. I'm saying it. I love nobody! :lol:

 

:blush:

[apuszczalowski]

3 years ago you had Briere, Drury and an up and coming Roy on the team. Now you have just Roy. Now ask yourself again why people have changed their opinion on Connolly's value to the Sabres if he can stay healthy. ;)

 

So he has gone from Peters like status (just give him away cause he won't amount to anything) to being a key cog and a great player all because they let Drury and Briere walk and therefore had a talent drop?

 

The guy played 44 games last year and scored 40 points. Do the math.

 

The guy has a great sense with the puck and is very creative.

 

Connolly gets a 80 point season, we'll be a top 4 team. Mark my words. And i'd put money on it.

I can do the math, he scored just under a point a game for the games he played in. If I was given the chance to play in the NHL for a game and scored a point, I'd be a point per game player too. The point I was making is that everyone has pulled a complete 180 on their opinions of him after not even one full season played by him over 4-5 years. The only consistency he has shown in his careeer so far is that he will miss time with an injury at some point. Max had one good year too, and now he is back to his old self with the old rules creeping back in.

 

If Connolly plays enough to have an 80 point season, then I'd be putting money on them winning the Cup, the Bills winning the Super Bowl, and the City of Buffalo having big buisnesses flocking back in to rebuild the City

[That Aud Smell]

<Hecht> playing center is NOT what kept the Sabres out of the playoffs.

this was a great post that covered the waterfront on the hecht-aspect of this issue.

 

Quit being a smart ass.

 

Besides, despite what someone said below about Gerbe playing wing, no way does he survive in this league anywhere but center. If Gerbe gets a call up from Lindy this season, he'll play center.

hey man, i put the rolly-eyes in there.

 

but my point remains: projecting gerbe as a potential impact player is one thing (there's a decent chance he makes the jump this year and can make something of a difference), but going so far as to say that he's going to make that impact at a position where he has no meaningful or recent experience is something very different (and far more doubtful).

 

the issue at hand is what might be done to shore up the center position -- your suggestion that gerbe will be the/an answer is, to me, even more unfounded than suggesting that connolly will be.

[carpandean]

So he has gone from Peters like status (just give him away cause he won't amount to anything) to being a key cog and a great player all because they let Drury and Briere walk and therefore had a talent drop?

I can do the math, he scored just under a point a game for the games he played in. If I was given the chance to play in the NHL for a game and scored a point, I'd be a point per game player too. The point I was making is that everyone has pulled a complete 180 on their opinions of him after not even one full season played by him over 4-5 years. The only consistency he has shown in his career so far is that he will miss time with an injury at some point. Max had one good year too, and now he is back to his old self with the old rules creeping back in.

 

If Connolly plays enough to have an 80 point season, then I'd be putting money on them winning the Cup, the Bills winning the Super Bowl, and the City of Buffalo having big businesses flocking back in to rebuild the City

I don't think anyone has done a 180. Most everyone here would trade him for a bag of pucks because he can't stay healthy. When he is healthy, his is skilled and does contribute; when he's not, he contributes nothing. We've seen too much of the latter. However, as long as our only options at center are Roy, Connolly, Hecht, Gaustad and Mair, we are significantly better off with a healthy Connolly than without. If they can trade him (and maybe Max) at the deadline for another true top-two center, I'm sure that everyone would be ecstatic. Until they do, Connolly's health is important to the overall performance of the team.

 

The reality is that we did have a talent drop at center when Briere and Drury left. We went from 3 1/2 top-two centers (Briere, Drury, Roy, Connolly) to 1 1/2 (Roy, Connolly). We didn't necessarily need 3 1/2, but we did need at least 2. We needed to keep Briere or Drury, or we needed to bring in (through trade or FA) another top-two center. They chose Drury from the first two, but mucked up the negotiations. Fine, I could live with that if they had moved on to the third option. Instead, they counted on Connolly to go from a 1/2 to a full center. It didn't work. Again, fine, they gambled a little and it didn't pay off, but they needed to learn from that mistake this season (fool me once shame on you, fool me twice ...). They didn't. So, we are stuck at 1 1/2 again. We still need a #2, but until we get one, 1 1/2 is better than 1, especially if the fates pay out in our favor (i.e., that 1/2 becomes a 3/4 or even a 1.) That is why he is, with the current roster, a key player for our success.

[apuszczalowski]

I don't think anyone has done a 180. Most everyone here would trade him for a bag of pucks because he can't stay healthy. When he is healthy, his is skilled and does contribute; when he's not, he contributes nothing. We've seen too much of the latter. However, as long as our only options at center are Roy, Connolly, Hecht, Gaustad and Mair, we are significantly better off with a healthy Connolly than without. If they can trade him (and maybe Max) at the deadline for another true top-two center, I'm sure that everyone would be ecstatic. Until they do, Connolly's health is important to the overall performance of the team.

 

The reality is that we did have a talent drop at center when Briere and Drury left. We went from 3 1/2 top-two centers (Briere, Drury, Roy, Connolly) to 1 1/2 (Roy, Connolly). We didn't necessarily need 3 1/2, but we did need at least 2. We needed to keep Briere or Drury, or we needed to bring in (through trade or FA) another top-two center. They chose Drury from the first two, but mucked up the negotiations. Fine, I could live with that if they had moved on to the third option. Instead, they counted on Connolly to go from a 1/2 to a full center. It didn't work. Again, fine, they gambled a little and it didn't pay off, but they needed to learn from that mistake this season (fool me once shame on you, fool me twice ...). They didn't. So, we are stuck at 1 1/2 again. We still need a #2, but until we get one, 1 1/2 is better than 1, especially if the fates pay out in our favor (i.e., that 1/2 becomes a 3/4 or even a 1.) That is why he is, with the current roster, a key player for our success.

I'm talking about pre-lockout. He was at Peters status in that people had seen enough and thought he would never reach any possible potential he was supposed to have. Then he came back after the lockout and he was good, until he got hurt again.

[shrader]

You want to know why people think he would be great if he could stay healthy? Just look at the playoffs prior to his concussion in game 2 in Ottawa back in 06. He was the best player on the ice at the biggest time of the season. He was an absolute machine in that game 1 heart attack game. Playing like that on that stage tells me all I need to know about the guy.

 

Nevermind the fact that he's still at the age where he should be approaching his peak.

[LabattBlue]

So he has gone from Peters like status (just give him away cause he won't amount to anything) to being a key cog and a great player all because they let Drury and Briere walk and therefore had a talent drop?

Who said he is a "great" player? Not me. I'm just saying without any other legitimate scoring centers on the roster or in the minors, Connolly needs to stay healthy. He was never at "Peters like status". I was just trying to make a point that his value to the team because of the other centers on the roster at the time was much less than it is today.

 

Oh by the way, some players are known to become better over the course of their careers.

[apuszczalowski]

Who said he is a "great" player? Not me. I'm just saying without any other legitimate scoring centers on the roster or in the minors, Connolly needs to stay healthy. He was never at "Peters like status". I was just trying to make a point that his value to the team because of the other centers on the roster at the time was much less than it is today.

 

Oh by the way, some players are known to become better over the course of their careers.

from 2005 - http://forums.sabrespace.com/index.php...amp;hl=connolly - it should push dead wood like Pyatt, Connolly and Satan out of jobs

 

http://forums.sabrespace.com/index.php...amp;hl=connolly - Yeah Connolly is definitely not 4th line matierial. We know he can't check, so lindy would be wise to thorw someone else in on the 4th line

 

 

The archive doesn't go back any further, but before the lockout and the "New NHL", He wasn't thought of being much more then a Bust. I know players can improve over their careers, and I know that his value has risen in Buffalo because of the equivelant of one good year and lack of anything better, but I don't see that as a good thing. I see it as trying to justify/making something better then it really is because everything around it is worse

 

P.S. if you look at some of the posts in those threads, one of them actually has people suggesting Peters play on the fourth line over Timmy

[carpandean]

http://forums.sabrespace.com/index.php...amp;hl=connolly - Yeah Connolly is definitely not 4th line matierial. We know he can't check, so lindy would be wise to thorw someone else in on the 4th line

----------

P.S. if you look at some of the posts in those threads, one of them actually has people suggesting Peters play on the fourth line over Timmy

Traditionally speaking, though, that would be because of the type of the player that each is. Connolly is a skill player, who doesn't bang bodies. Peters is a hitter and fighter (or, at least, he was once perceived to be.) I wouldn't suggest playing Pommer on a fourth line, either. Not his "bag", unless you are rolling four scoring lines. I don't think that anyone has ever thought that Connolly has less pure-hockey skill than Peters.

[R_Dudley]

Who said he is a "great" player? Not me. I'm just saying without any other legitimate scoring centers on the roster or in the minors, Connolly needs to stay healthy. He was never at "Peters like status". I was just trying to make a point that his value to the team because of the other centers on the roster at the time was much less than it is today.

 

Oh by the way, some players are known to become better over the course of their careers.

 

I agree with that, in case my comment was misread I staed 4th line minutes but did mean to say he should be on the 4th line... Just leass of a work laod so he can stay healthy longer..

[inkman]

Peters is a hitter

 

Anjuice doesn't skate well enough to be classified as a hitter . Occasionally an opposing teams D will hang around the boards for about 5 minutes or so and Peters will take his mandatory 50 foot bee-line for said player and end up grazing him and slamming into the boards, putting himself out of position for the rest of his shift thus creating a power play for the other team.

 

So no, Peters is not a hitter, unless what I described above is the definition of a hitter.

[carpandean]

Anjuice doesn't skate well enough to be classified as a hitter . Occasionally an opposing teams D will hang around the boards for about 5 minutes or so and Peters will take his mandatory 50 foot bee-line for said player and end up grazing him and slamming into the boards, putting himself out of position for the rest of his shift thus creating a power play for the other team.

 

So no, Peters is not a hitter, unless what I described above is the definition of a hitter.

Well, at least he's willing to hit anything he can catch. Doesn't happen in open ice, but I've seen it happen around the net; less room to run. He's no Kaleta - too slow - but Connolly wouldn't hit a guy who was duct taped to the boards.

[spndnchz]

Peters added like 25 pounds during the off season. As well as being in better cardio shape. He knows his job isn't to score. I'd expect him to beat people up pretty well this year.

[nobody]

But if keeps that wacky flighting style where he keeps his punching arm behind his head it won't matter much.

[darksabre]

But if keeps that wacky flighting style where he keeps his punching arm behind his head it won't matter much.

 

Hopefully he took some notes from Rivet. If anything, I expect Rivet to call Peters a ninny and get him fired up.

[tom webster]

But if keeps that wacky flighting style where he keeps his punching arm behind his head it won't matter much.

 

For what its worth he seemed to abandon that style in a fight this pre-season...

[rbochan]

I have a sore back but it doesn't stop me from doing my job.

[Kristian]

Well, at least he's willing to hit anything he can catch. Doesn't happen in open ice, but I've seen it happen around the net; less room to run. He's no Kaleta - too slow - but Connolly wouldn't hit a guy who was duct taped to the boards.

 

Well, there's a good reason for that - He'd most likely injure himself.

[PASabreFan]

Peters added like 25 pounds during the off season. As well as being in better cardio shape. He knows his job isn't to score. I'd expect him to beat people up pretty well this year.

 

Yeah, he has his own Fathead poster now.