nfreeman Posted July 21, 2009 Report Share Posted July 21, 2009 Calm down. I know it's hard to hear negative things regarding one of the few morsels this front office offers it's fans. He's just not an impact player. You might as well get upset about Matt Ellis. The Sabres have gone this entire offseason to date and have not improved the roster even the slightest bit. That's where your rage needs to be directed. I appreciate your concern, but I actually meant that you were the enraged beast. Either way, though, I think you are misunderestimating Montador. Of course he's not an "impact player" like Hossa or Bouwmeester would've been, but I think he's going to be a top-4 defenseman who plays hard and tough. He's going to fight anyone who runs Miller and he's going to jump into every scrum. I think the net effect of subtracting the non-physical Tallinder (hopefully!) from the regulars and adding the blood-and-guts Montador -- and the ripple effects on Butler and Myers -- will be more than you are expecting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
X. Benedict Posted July 21, 2009 Report Share Posted July 21, 2009 I like the idea of Malhotra too. Any other centers out there worthy of consideration? I don't think Comrie has a job, which surprises me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spndnchz Posted July 21, 2009 Report Share Posted July 21, 2009 The same Bruins team that grossly underachieved in the playoffs? The same Bruins team that ran away with the Eastern Conference and couldn't make it to the ECF? You think that maybe because of some problems on defense and the need to play a Steve Montador as much as they did was part of their problem? So u r saying the Bruins had problems on d, and then decide to play Montador to fix those problems? Or u r saying he was part of the problem? I don't see a guy that played 11 playoff games, got 3 points and was a plus+5 a "problem". And all your barking and hootin' about someone needs to stand up for Miller and you don't like Montador? Pleeeez. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Calvin Posted July 21, 2009 Report Share Posted July 21, 2009 Correct. I'd also add that Sekera is far from certain to be top-4. The following would give us 3 lefty/righty pairs (assuming the stars align and we are able to unload Tallinder). Lydman-Rivet Butler-Montador Sekera-Myers with Weber and Paetsch (both lefties) on deck. He played top-4 minutes for Anaheim and Boston last year -- 2 teams that were substantially better than the Sabres. I expect him to be top 4 on the Sabres. I'll go even further than that and say I expect you to like him. There we go. That Sekera-Myers pairing might be a weak link. In a couple of years undoubtedly that will be one of the best pairings around, but right now that could lead to a lot of trouble. One of the reasons that Butler transitioned in as well as he did was because of old hands Rivet and Teppo bringing him along very well - kudos to both of the old dogs! However, Sekera has enough issues with his own game that he needs to work out first before being saddled with the responsibility of supporting a rookie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nfreeman Posted July 21, 2009 Report Share Posted July 21, 2009 The same Bruins team that grossly underachieved in the playoffs? The same Bruins team that ran away with the Eastern Conference and couldn't make it to the ECF? You think that maybe because of some problems on defense and the need to play a Steve Montador as much as they did was part of their problem? Perhaps, but it seems much more likely that they lost because (i) in their 4 losses they scored 2, 2, 1 and 0 goals and (ii) Ward outplayed Thomas, who allowed 3, 3, 4 and 3 goals. It's kind of a stretch to blame a playoff loss by a team that finished #1 in the EC on that team's #4 defenseman. You can still be PO'd if this is the only move they make. I just don't think you should pretend that this guy is another Paetch or Ellis. It's patently false and therefore devalues your whole argument. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Calvin Posted July 21, 2009 Report Share Posted July 21, 2009 I don't think Comrie has a job, which surprises me. Malhotra, Comrie, Moore.. seems like the bottom fell out of the market for scrappy centers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inkman Posted July 21, 2009 Report Share Posted July 21, 2009 Malhotra, Comrie, Moore.. seems like the bottom fell out of the market for scrappy centers! Fixed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Calvin Posted July 21, 2009 Report Share Posted July 21, 2009 Fixed :lol: :lol: :lol: would you rather have Hecht centering than any of these guys though? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darksabre Posted July 21, 2009 Report Share Posted July 21, 2009 Calm down. I know it's hard to hear negative things regarding one of the few morsels this front office offers it's fans. He's just not an impact player. You might as well get upset about Matt Ellis. The Sabres have gone this entire offseason to date and have not improved the roster even the slightest bit. That's where your rage needs to be directed. Yup, all three weeks of it. Free agency is 20 days old and you expect the Sabres to have gone from mediocre to playoff competitors. We still have 10 weeks until the season starts. Will it kill you to practice a little patience? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
X. Benedict Posted July 21, 2009 Report Share Posted July 21, 2009 Malhotra, Comrie, Moore.. seems like the bottom fell out of the market for scrappy centers! I don't quite get it. I think the league is waiting to see what happens to a few players in arbitration. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inkman Posted July 21, 2009 Report Share Posted July 21, 2009 :lol: :lol: :lol:would you rather have Hecht centering than any of these guys though? No. Just thought it was funny. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wonderbread Posted July 21, 2009 Report Share Posted July 21, 2009 Fixed of course any of these centers could be an improvement over our 3rd and 4th line centers. Which speaks volumes as to how deep this team is up the middle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shrader Posted July 21, 2009 Report Share Posted July 21, 2009 I don't quite get it. I think the league is waiting to see what happens to a few players in arbitration. I'm kind of curious to see which players eventually face the choice between heading overseas or taking about $1 million even (maybe even less) just to stay. We just might see even more of it in the next two years if the predicted cap drop happens. It seems like those ridiculous contracts of the last 2-3 offseasons are finally starting to catch up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
X. Benedict Posted July 21, 2009 Report Share Posted July 21, 2009 I'm kind of curious to see which players eventually face the choice between heading overseas or taking about $1 million even (maybe even less) just to stay. We just might see even more of it in the next two years if the predicted cap drop happens. It seems like those ridiculous contracts of the last 2-3 offseasons are finally starting to catch up. 38 UFA's without a home...... http://www.fromtherink.com/2009/7/19/95483...-without-a-home PLAYER Pos Age TM Cap hit 10 TANGUAY, ALEX LW 29.6 MTL 5.250 13 ZUBOV, SERGEI D 38.9 DAL 5.350 18 BIRON, MARTIN G 31.9 PHI 3.500 21 LANG, ROBERT C 38.5 MTL 4.000 29 FERNANDEZ, MANNY G 34.8 BOS 4.333 32 SUNDIN, MATS C 38.4 VAN 8.211 33 SYKORA, PETR RW 32.6 PIT 2.500 35 AXELSSON, P.J. LW 34.3 BOS 1.850 37 MORRIS, DEREK D 30.8 NYR 3.917 42 WILLIAMS, JASON C 28.9 CBJ 2.200 43 PYATT, TAYLOR LW 27.9 VAN 1.575 46 MALHOTRA, MANNY C 29.1 CBJ 1.200 47 SHANAHAN, BRENDAN LW 40.4 N.J 0.800 48 SEIDENBERG, DENNIS D 27.9 CAR 1.200 53 MOORE, DOMINIC C 28.9 BUF 0.900 55 COMRIE, MIKE C 28.8 OTT 4.000 62 GERBER, MARTIN G 34.8 TOR 3.700 63 SCHNEIDER, MATHIEU D 40.0 MTL 5.625 64 CULLIMORE, JASSEN D 36.6 FLA 0.830 66 HILBERT, ANDY C 28.4 NYI 0.675 68 SATAN, MIROSLAV RW 34.7 PIT 3.500 69 GRIER, MICHAEL RW 34.5 S.J 1.775 70 SILLINGER, MICHAEL C 38.0 NYI 2.200 71 PECA, MICHAEL C 35.3 CBJ 1.315 72 BETTS, BLAIR C 29.4 NYR 0.615 75 SKOULA, MARTIN D 29.7 MIN 1.800 78 BERGERON, M-A D 28.7 MIN 1.254 80 BOUILLON, FRANCIS D 33.7 MTL 1.875 81 HEDICAN, BRET D 38.9 ANA 0.871 82 NIEDERMAYER, ROB C 34.5 ANA 2.000 83 PELTONEN, VILLE LW 36.1 FLA 1.100 86 PERRIN, ERIC C 33.7 ATL 0.750 87 AFINOGENOV, MAXIM RW 29.8 BUF 3.333 88 BERTUZZI, TODD RW 34.4 CGY 1.950 90 BOUCHER, PHILIPPE D 36.3 PIT 2.400 93 BACKMAN, CHRISTIAN D 29.2 CBJ 2.300 95 BONK, RADEK C 33.5 NSH 1.475 100 BAYDA, RYAN LW 28.6 CAR 0.475 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shrader Posted July 21, 2009 Report Share Posted July 21, 2009 They can get a depth center so easily if they can find a taker for Tallinder. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
X. Benedict Posted July 21, 2009 Report Share Posted July 21, 2009 They can get a depth center so easily if they can find a taker for Tallinder. You'd think that Jason Williams would be a steal for somebody. Mostly a wing but still..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wonderbread Posted July 21, 2009 Report Share Posted July 21, 2009 They can get a depth center so easily if they can find a taker for Tallinder. I have stated it before and i still thouroughly believe that Darcy has this intention. However if he waits to long and fails to accept a trade in which isn't equal he will keep hank and his salary and the team will fail to land a decent 3rd line center. A player of Maholtra's ilk would do wonders for our 3rd line. Hecht could move back to wing to utilize him at his natural position. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
That Aud Smell Posted July 21, 2009 Report Share Posted July 21, 2009 all your barking and hootin' about someone needs to stand up for Miller and you don't like Montador? Pleeeez. fair point. (sorry, deluca.) i like montador just fine as fitting into the top-4. maybe in an ideal world, he's paired in the 5/6, but i don't see him in the top 4 as an obstacle to our making the playoffs. i see plenty of other obstacles, but montador ain't one of them. my main concern with montador is that he's under-sized to be taking as many punches as he does -- take a look at his fight cards and some of the accompanying video -- yeesh. http://www.hockeyfights.com/players/496 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
X. Benedict Posted July 21, 2009 Report Share Posted July 21, 2009 fair point. (sorry, deluca.) i like montador just fine as fitting into the top-4. maybe in an ideal world, he's paired in the 5/6, but i don't see him in the top 4 as an obstacle to our making the playoffs. i see plenty of other obstacles, but montador ain't one of them. my main concern with montador is that he's under-sized to be taking as many punches as he does -- take a look at his fight cards and some of the accompanying video -- yeesh. http://www.hockeyfights.com/players/496 It's a minor but real concern....generally he'll show up. That's the good part. He's not going to KO anybody. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carpandean Posted July 21, 2009 Report Share Posted July 21, 2009 I don't think Comrie has a job, which surprises me. Comrie still thinks that he is a legitimate #2 center in the NHL, so he's looking for that kind of money. The problem is that after the last two seasons that he's had, teams don't share his belief. If he comes down to third-line numbers, even for a short-term contract, he could be a good deal for someone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spndnchz Posted July 21, 2009 Report Share Posted July 21, 2009 Correct. I'd also add that Sekera is far from certain to be top-4. The following would give us 3 lefty/righty pairs (assuming the stars align and we are able to unload Tallinder). Lydman-Rivet Butler-Montador Sekera-Myers with Weber and Paetsch (both lefties) on deck. He played top-4 minutes for Anaheim and Boston last year -- 2 teams that were substantially better than the Sabres. I expect him to be top 4 on the Sabres. I'll go even further than that and say I expect you to like him. There we go. Didn't one of us put together a leftie-rightie list before? Might give some semblance of who's where. My initial take Rivet/Butler Montador/Lydman Sekera/Tallinder/Myers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tom webster Posted July 21, 2009 Report Share Posted July 21, 2009 I'm kind of curious to see which players eventually face the choice between heading overseas or taking about $1 million even (maybe even less) just to stay. We just might see even more of it in the next two years if the predicted cap drop happens. It seems like those ridiculous contracts of the last 2-3 offseasons are finally starting to catch up. My take would be that the rest of the league realizes that the difference in ability between the 6th forward and the ninth forward doesn't merit more then a $1.5 to 2.5 million salary. I have said it before and I will beat the drum again, its all about the top two lines, four blue liners and 1 goaltender. Its why the Hecht deal was ridiculous at the time and even more ridiculous now. I'm still waiting for these "big" contracts to really hurt these teams the same way a lot of people around here keep waiting for that big cap fall next year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shrader Posted July 21, 2009 Report Share Posted July 21, 2009 My take would be that the rest of the league realizes that the difference in ability between the 6th forward and the ninth forward doesn't merit more then a $1.5 to 2.5 million salary. I have said it before and I will beat the drum again, its all about the top two lines, four blue liners and 1 goaltender. Its why the Hecht deal was ridiculous at the time and even more ridiculous now. I'm still waiting for these "big" contracts to really hurt these teams the same way a lot of people around here keep waiting for that big cap fall next year. I've always thought of it more as hurting the players, which is exactly what we're seeing here. Those big end deals leave less for the mid-level players, leaving you with a lot of top heavy teams with no depth. These are the kind of guys that can put a team over the top. Instead, they're stuck going the far more risky route of expecting entry level guys to fill the gaps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wonderbread Posted July 21, 2009 Report Share Posted July 21, 2009 My take would be that the rest of the league realizes that the difference in ability between the 6th forward and the ninth forward doesn't merit more then a $1.5 to 2.5 million salary. I have said it before and I will beat the drum again, its all about the top two lines, four blue liners and 1 goaltender. Its why the Hecht deal was ridiculous at the time and even more ridiculous now. I'm still waiting for these "big" contracts to really hurt these teams the same way a lot of people around here keep waiting for that big cap fall next year. Hopefully when these "big" contracts actually start to hurt they won't will change the rules to help out the major players. Otherwise all the penny pinching and savy deals in the world won't help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PASabreFan Posted July 21, 2009 Report Share Posted July 21, 2009 My take would be that the rest of the league realizes that the difference in ability between the 6th forward and the ninth forward doesn't merit more then a $1.5 to 2.5 million salary. I have said it before and I will beat the drum again, its all about the top two lines, four blue liners and 1 goaltender. Its why the Hecht deal was ridiculous at the time and even more ridiculous now. I'm still waiting for these "big" contracts to really hurt these teams the same way a lot of people around here keep waiting for that big cap fall next year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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