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Who are the consensus most important Sabres?

dudacek

By dudacek
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dudacek Hall of Famer

dudacek

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So this seems more like an off-season exercise than something you do in the heat of a playoff race.

But the conversation in the Leino and Gerbe threads has been good and it begs the question: what is the Sabrespace consensus on our players?

 

Your simple assignment: assume every player on the roster will be a free agent at the end of the year and rank them in order of the most to least important to what’s left in the season

 

My list:

1. Miller (Most likely to make a difference or win a game on his own)

2. Vanek (clutch goal scorer, only player other coaches game plan about defending)

3. Pominville (glue guy, go-to player in more situations than any other forward)

4. Ehrhoff (see Pominville, substitute defenceman for forward)

5. Myers (can take the load off Regehr and Ehrhoff, with potential to do so much more)

6. Ennis (seems to have provided our missing offensive centre)

7. Regehr (we will struggle to stop impact playoff performers without him)

8. Roy (compare the past 20 games to the mid-40 and tell me a nine firing on all cylinders doesn’t make a huge difference)

9. Stafford (makes Ennis better, capable of getting hot)

10. Sekera (has become mentally tough and been so dependable in our zone)

11. Leino (versatile and rises to the occasion, makes an impact without scoring)

12. Leopold (calm, very capable of moving up the depth chart)

13. Foligno (inflated value because a physical presence who can play with our skill guys has been missing way too long)

14. Hodgson (his addition gave us three lines and a guy who can complement our skill and depth on the wings)

15. Kaleta (every team needs a rat and he’s become smarter about it)

16. Gerbe (inspirational effort and speed on a team that’s not as fast as it used to be)

17. Weber (battle from the number six spot)

18. Sulzer (quietly dependable if you can spot him)

19, Enroth (hope we never need him, but he’s nice to have)

20. Tropp (adds some hustle and edge to a team that lacks it)

21. Boyes (theoretically capable of filling for an offensive forward if one goes down)

22. McCormick (some toughness on a team that lacks it)

23. Ellis (won’t hurt you if you need a fourth line fill-in)

 

If Hecht can come all the way back, he would be a great boost as the eighth or ninth forward.

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Eleven Hall of Famer

Eleven

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Dude (a-check), that's a lot more effort than I want to get into. I like the spirit of the thread, so here's my somewhat-protected list (there's a price for every player), in no particular order:

 

Pominville

Miller

Ehrhoff

Vanek

Myers

Regehr

Ennis

 

There are some also-rans, but if I had to pick a modern-day core (we hate that word, right?), those are the guys that would be in mine. And Ennis barely made it; he's the youth representative. Kind of like Laettner on the original Dream Team.

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5th line wingnutt Top Prospect

5th line wingnutt

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1. Miller Yup.

2. Pominville (glue guy, go-to player in more situations than any other forward)

3. Vanek Yup.

4. Myers (see Pominville, except for glue guy)

5. Ehrhoff (see Vanek)

6. Ennis I have wanted him at center from the first time I saw him play. Has the skills and vision to be a very good 2nd line center and too small to be a winger. Ask Foligno or Stafford about vision and skills.

7. Regehr Yup.

8. Roy Yup, even getting involved physically.

9. Stafford has come alive with Ennis.

10. Foligno, physical presence gives our skill guys room and has pretty good skills, too.

11. Sekera dependable in our zone, and is more physically involved lately.

12. Leopold Yup.

13. Hodgson Yup.

14, Enroth decent backup but inconsistent.

15. Leino seems to be trying harder but so far little impact,

16. Gerbe adds a bit of offense to the 3rd line and some real good compete.

17. Sulzer A pleasant surprise.

18. Boyes Decent, adds a bit of offensive threat to 3rd/4th line.

19.Hecht decent offense, decent defense, penalty killer, versatile, probably down for the count. If healthy at least 5 spots higher.

20. Weber decent physically, prone to mistakes, no offensive upside.

21. Tropp (adds some hustle and edge to a team that lacks it)

22. McCormick (some toughness on a team that lacks it)

23. Ellis (won’t hurt you if you need a fourth line fill-in)

37. Kaleta good compete, no offensive upside, referees hate him, needs to be a player coach in Rha-Cha-Cha.

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Doohickie Hall of Famer

Doohickie

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From Lucic to the trade deadline, I felt the team was missing a lot. Since then, I like the whole team as a unit. Putting CoHo and Tropp with Vanek made all the other lines fall into place. I'd be afraid to change a single piece of the offensive lines... at least the top 3 lines, for fear of messing with the chemistry that's suddenly appeared. So, then, my top rated player is Vanek, CoHo, Tropp, Foligno, Ennis, Stafford, Leino, Roy, Pommer, Miller, Regehr, Ehrhoff, Sulzer, Sekera, Myers, Leo.

 

My second rated player is the entire fourth line, whoever's filling it out that night (CodyMac, Boyes, Kaleta tonight). Throw the scratches in there at Number Three- Weber, Ellis, Enroth, Turnbull, etc.

 

And for all the Kaleta haters, I think he's still growing as a player. The penalty he took was a BS call- hit the Cap shoulder-to-shoulder as they hit the boards. Good hockey play. He got that due to reputation, granted, but he's still an energy player that gets under the skin of opponents, is a great shot blocker (too great, lately), and excellent on the PK. He's not the offensive liability you all seem to think he is; certainly not for a fourth-liner. I bet after the captains and Miller hoist the Cup, Kaleta will be next.

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wjag All Star

wjag

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From Lucic to the trade deadline, I felt the team was missing a lot. Since then, I like the whole team as a unit. Putting CoHo and Tropp with Vanek made all the other lines fall into place. I'd be afraid to change a single piece of the offensive lines... at least the top 3 lines, for fear of messing with the chemistry that's suddenly appeared. So, then, my top rated player is Vanek, CoHo, Tropp, Foligno, Ennis, Stafford, Leino, Roy, Pommer, Miller, Regehr, Ehrhoff, Sulzer, Sekera, Myers, Leo.

 

My second rated player is the entire fourth line, whoever's filling it out that night (CodyMac, Boyes, Kaleta tonight). Throw the scratches in there at Number Three- Weber, Ellis, Enroth, Turnbull, etc.

 

And for all the Kaleta haters, I think he's still growing as a player. The penalty he took was a BS call- hit the Cap shoulder-to-shoulder as they hit the boards. Good hockey play. He got that due to reputation, granted, but he's still an energy player that gets under the skin of opponents, is a great shot blocker (too great, lately), and excellent on the PK. He's not the offensive liability you all seem to think he is; certainly not for a fourth-liner. I bet after the captains and Miller hoist the Cup, Kaleta will be next.

 

The replay showed he hit him early. He tried to time the hit for the arrival of the puck and the puck was slow to get there. Replay clearly showed it. I had no problem with the call.

 

By the way, nice work on the Caps board...

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Doohickie Hall of Famer

Doohickie

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The replay showed he hit him early. He tried to time the hit for the arrival of the puck and the puck was slow to get there. Replay clearly showed it. I had no problem with the call.

That happens routinely every game and is almost never called.

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