Next year's lineup...

[deluca67]

maybe Rivet will throw some hits now after his shoulder surgery

He may throw them but at his speed the guy will be long gone before contact. Rivet's nickname should be 'The Continent', if you stand off the coast eventually the plates will shift enough and you will be hit. It just may take about 100 million years.

[bunomatic]

Lydman was also a wall when it came to sacrificing his body to block shots. Someone has to step up in that regard as well.

[TheChimp]

I have no doubt that Gerbe could have a successful NHL season. I do, however, doubt that he could with the Sabres unless there are a lot of changes to the roster around him. If you look around the league, almost every team has one short (under 5'10") scoring-line forward; few have more than one. Those players tend to be fast and nimble, but also since they made it despite their size, they tend to have a good shot and/or hands. They use those strengths and the space that their larger linemates can create to provide offense. The Sabres have two such forwards already, assuming Ennis makes it, so adding a third is unlikely to be effective. I like Gerbe, but I think that Ennis makes him tradeable.

I'd be OK with two. Ennis and Gerbe.

[Kristian]

maybe Rivet will throw some hits now after his shoulder surgery

 

A fresh shoulder won't remove the concrete from his skates, and you need at least some sort of forward momentum to throw a hit.

 

Where's Nolan Pratt these days?

[deluca67]

A fresh shoulder won't remove the concrete from his skates, and you need at least some sort of forward momentum to throw a hit.

 

Where's Nolan Pratt these days?

LOL :lol:

 

How long has Rivet's shoulder been injured? He has played like crap for two plus years. Did Regier give up two 2nd round picks for damaged goods?

[WannabeGM]

Leopold is in the Tallinder mode of playing postionally sound. With Weber, Rivet, Myers and Montador; the defense is not void of physical players, just not an imposing presence like Pronger...but how many players are like him. Maybe Myers can get there but he doesn't seem as angry as he needs to be.

That's what I'm talking about. With all the talented forwards we face, I'm tired of seeing our defense Ole them with their stick, and not take the body. What I noticed last year, was that Montador, Rivet and Myers tried to, and Lydman, Tallinder, and Butler/Sekera, tried to poke check. Just my observation. Lydman hit in the corners pretty well, just not one an one.

[static70]

Next years line up:

 

Betty White - Betty White - Betty White

Betty White - Betty White - Betty White

Betty White - Betty White - Betty White

McCormick - Gaustad - Kaleta

 

I think its time we started feeding the team Snickers.

[Patty16]

What qualifies Montador as a physical player. He tossed less hits than Stafford while playing more games and only had 4 more hits than Butler while playing 19 more games? The Sabres let their most physical defenseman, Lydman, walk.

 

so hits is the standard for toughness? its a subjective stat and trying to say Montador isnt a physical defenseman makes you look silly.

Paul gaustad had more hits than chris pronger last season... does that make pronger a sissy?

[WannabeGM]

Next years line up:

 

Betty White - Betty White - Betty White

Betty White - Betty White - Betty White

Betty White - Betty White - Betty White

McCormick - Gaustad - Kaleta

 

I think its time we started feeding the team Snickers.

 

HA! Now that's funny... Accurate too.

[WannabeGM]

so hits is the standard for toughness? its a subjective stat and trying to say Montador isnt a physical defenseman makes you look silly.

Paul gaustad had more hits than chris pronger last season... does that make pronger a sissy?

He is... Didn't you read the Chicago papers during the Cup Finals?

Edit: Can't get the link to work... Sorry

[thesportsbuff]

LOL :lol:

 

How long has Rivet's shoulder been injured? He has played like crap for two plus years. Did Regier give up two 2nd round picks for damaged goods?

 

I still to this day don't understand the reasoning behind Rivet getting the "C" as soon as he arrived. He hasn't stood out at all as a leader other than a few fights. The one moment I have to give him credit for was his tying goal (with 3.3 left) against San Jose just after the Clarence plane crash.. If I recall Buffalo blew a 4 or 5 to nothing lead and actually ended up trailing in the game, when Rivet somehow found the back of the net as time ticked away. Then Buffalo won in the shootout.

 

I thought that was a pretty powerful moment and definitely what Buffalo needed at that time. But other than that, he's just been one of the guys. "Craig Rivet! Craig Rivet! The captain strikes gold!"

[nfreeman]

Leopold is in the Tallinder mode of playing postionally sound. With Weber, Rivet, Myers and Montador; the defense is not void of physical players, just not an imposing presence like Pronger...but how many players are like him. Maybe Myers can get there but he doesn't seem as angry as he needs to be.

If Weber makes the top 6, he will be the punishing one.

 

What qualifies Montador as a physical player. He tossed less hits than Stafford while playing more games and only had 4 more hits than Butler while playing 19 more games? The Sabres let their most physical defenseman, Lydman, walk.

Do you think Lydman was a physical defenseman? He was a decent shotblocker, but IMHO only an average hitter. He certainly didn't police the crease much.

 

This year I expect Rivet, Montador, Weber (if he makes the top 6) and hopefully Myers all to be more physical than Lydman.

 

so hits is the standard for toughness? its a subjective stat and trying to say Montador isnt a physical defenseman makes you look silly.

Paul gaustad had more hits than chris pronger last season... does that make pronger a sissy?

very nice.

[thesportsbuff]

so hits is the standard for toughness? its a subjective stat and trying to say Montador isnt a physical defenseman makes you look silly.

Paul gaustad had more hits than chris pronger last season... does that make pronger a sissy?

 

A little off-topic here, but the other day in an Ek rumor he mentioned Gaustad as possibly being dealt and said it would be a tough loss for Buffalo, and that he was a key member of our team or something along those lines. Where does he get this stuff? :rolleyes:

[carpandean]

A little off-topic here, but the other day in an Ek rumor he mentioned Gaustad as possibly being dealt and said it would be a tough loss for Buffalo, and that he was a key member of our team or something along those lines. Where does he get this stuff? :rolleyes:

We haven't seen it on the ice recently, but whenever players or coaches talk about leaders in the locker room, his name is included. Obviously, they feel that he is and are in a better position to know than we are.

[thesportsbuff]

We haven't seen it on the ice recently, but whenever players or coaches talk about leaders in the locker room, his name is included. Obviously, they feel that he is and are in a better position to know than we are.

 

They're also happy with Rivet as captain. Heck, at the time I probably would have been happier with Gaustad as captain. I don't think anybody in that locker room knows what they're talking about.

[Patty16]

We haven't seen it on the ice recently, but whenever players or coaches talk about leaders in the locker room, his name is included. Obviously, they feel that he is and are in a better position to know than we are.

 

The saem goes for Rivet, he was voted on by the players. Leadership is a lot more than what can be seen on TV by joe six pack.

[thesportsbuff]

The saem goes for Rivet, he was voted on by the players. Leadership is a lot more than what can be seen on TV by joe six pack.

 

I know that according to all media reports and interviews that's how it went down, but I have a real hard time believing 20 or so dudes who'd never played with Rivet before voted him to be their captain as soon as he got there. If it's true, the only conclusion I can draw is that nobody else wanted the added pressure and responsibility (ie nobody had the balls), so the brat pack ganged up and decided to throw it on the new guy.

[Patty16]

I know that according to all media reports and interviews that's how it went down, but I have a real hard time believing 20 or so dudes who'd never played with Rivet before voted him to be their captain as soon as he got there. If it's true, the only conclusion I can draw is that nobody else wanted the added pressure and responsibility (ie nobody had the balls), so the brat pack ganged up and decided to throw it on the new guy.

guys in the league talk so im sure they had some idea of who Rivet was before he showed up. And a lot can be done in training camp to establish ones self on a team devoid of any veterans. Rivet has been respected as a leader on every team he's played on too so it shouldnt be a shock. It says more about him than it does about the rest of the team.

I wouldnt miss goose or his salary.

[Kristian]

The saem goes for Rivet, he was voted on by the players. Leadership is a lot more than what can be seen on TV by joe six pack.

 

I obviously agree that we as fans aren't "in the know" about what makes a leader in the locker room, but my alarm bells have been ringing since Rivet was voted captain.

 

Clearly, these guys should have NO say in who their captain is. As a matter of fact, they shouldn't have a say in who their coach is either. Remember when Larry the Moron told the press that the players told him that Ruff was the coach "they wanted coaching them"?

 

I could be reading way too much into this, but there mere thought of guys like Roy, Connolly, Stafford and Pominville having a say in anything scares me to death :bag:

[shrader]

Do you think Lydman was a physical defenseman? He was a decent shotblocker, but IMHO only an average hitter. He certainly didn't police the crease much.

 

This year I expect Rivet, Montador, Weber (if he makes the top 6) and hopefully Myers all to be more physical than Lydman.

 

The type of player that most around here are usually calling for on the blueline is that guy that won't let anyone come anywhere near Miller. A guy who won't lose many battles for the puck behind the net. Very little of that stuff is actually going to show up in the hits stat kept by the NHL. That stat is almost always about plays made on the puck. The stuff that the big time physical defenseman does is away from the puck a good amount of the time, so that stat means very little when trying to analyze that kind of player.

 

Deluca's golden boy of this year's free agent class of defenseman, Anton Volchenkov? Ranked 28th in hits last year. His games played factors in a bit, but even with a full 82 game season, he doesn't find his way into the top 10. In fact, in the same number of games played, Volchenkov was out-hit by a margin of 25 hits by 5'9 journeyman defenseman Freddy Meyer. I guess that makes Meyer the big time physical defenseman that everyone needs. He's a free agent too.

[thesportsbuff]

guys in the league talk so im sure they had some idea of who Rivet was before he showed up. And a lot can be done in training camp to establish ones self on a team devoid of any veterans. Rivet has been respected as a leader on every team he's played on too so it shouldnt be a shock. It says more about him than it does about the rest of the team.

I wouldnt miss goose or his salary.

 

That may be true, but seriously -- A couple months was enough time to earn the "C" over players who'd played together since at least 05/06 for the most part? (I think that says something about the team as a whole, too, but I won't touch on it since it was two years ago.) How long is he gonna wear it, 'til his contract is up? Until he retires? I say slap it on Vanek, or Roy, or even Pominville and hope that it works as a confidence booster for them. No problem with Craig wearing an "A" or something, and if he's such a "veteran leader yada yada" type of guy, he would realize it was purely a motivational tool. An established leader should know you can still be a 'leader' without being captain.

[wonderbread]

The saem goes for Rivet, he was voted on by the players. Leadership is a lot more than what can be seen on TV by joe six pack.

 

 

Personally I prefer to be called Jim Juice Box.

[darksabre]

Personally I prefer to be called Jim Juice Box.

 

Is that you Andrew Peters?

[inkman]

so hits is the standard for toughness? its a subjective stat and trying to say Montador isnt a physical defenseman makes you look silly.

Paul gaustad had more hits than chris pronger last season... does that make pronger a sissy?

Any use of the word sissy is a plus in my book.

[jpgr909]

That may be true, but seriously -- A couple months was enough time to earn the "C" over players who'd played together since at least 05/06 for the most part? (I think that says something about the team as a whole, too, but I won't touch on it since it was two years ago.)

Players arriving in camp and receiving the "C" isn't new. Some guys are natural leaders and it's recognized immediately. I'm not privy to how it worked with Rivet, and I'm not giving an opinion on him wearing the "C", but I'd guess he fell into it naturally and it was recognized. I'm not--repeat NOT--comparing Rivet to him, but as an example Mark Messier showed up with the Rangers and was almost immediately named captain. His reputation preceded him, which accounted for that, but he would've worn it anyway because he was a natural leader.