LabattBlue Posted June 3, 2006 Report Share Posted June 3, 2006 With the draft only a few weeks away and free agency starting on July 1st, I'm already fired up for next year. Here is my list of where players on the current roster fall for next year... ABSOLUTELY NOT GOING ANYWHERE...no need for explanation in my eyes Drury Connolly Miller Tallinder Lydman Briere Hecht Gaustad Roy Pominville 50/50...WOULD NOT BOTHER ME IF SENT PACKING IN A TRADE TO IMPROVE THE TEAM Kotalik...I've seen enough. Even though he showed hustle in the playoffs, he is a one dimensional player. Biron...Just can't afford to pay 2 million to your backup. Dumont...Very inconsistent over the years. When he is on his game, he is a hitter, an instigator and a scorer. When he is not, he is invisible. Pyatt...No scoring touch. Would be okay on the 4th line if he played hard every night, but I'm ready to turn the page and give one of the younger guys(Paille, Thorburn or Stafford) a chance. PLAYERS THAT I HAVE MIXED FEELINGS ABOUT Max...huge playoff disappointment in my eyes. That being said, Max will be back in 06 Vanek...He frustratrated the hell out of me. Let's see if a different Vanek shows up in training camp Kalinin...Do the Sabres continue to give him chances to step up? Campbell...Tough to put him in this category. I've always thought he was a defensive liability, but he really impressed me with his play over the last couple of games where he had to log huge minutes including penalty killing. I wanted to put him in the "not going anywhere" category, but I need to see him take this play into next year. UFA THAT WILL HOPEFULLY BE RE-SIGNED McKee 3 million per year, I would hate to see Jay go, but anything more than 3 million is crazy. Grier 1.25 million per year, but needs to be on the 4th line and serve as a role model for the yourg players PROBABLY WILL NOT BE BACK Fitzpatrick Peters Jillson Teppo READY TO STEP UP TO THE NEXT LEVEL??? Paille Stafford Novotny Thorburn Janik Paetsch In summary, I believe you will see a new backup goalie and possibly 3-5 new faces on the roster depending on whether Teppo & McKee are brought back. I don't view change as a bad thing...I believe that you constantly have to try to improve the roster. They have a core to build around and need to find the right group of players to complement the core. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corp000085 Posted June 3, 2006 Report Share Posted June 3, 2006 I'd move campbell into the untouchable category after one game next year... See if his amazing growth carries over. The only thing i disagree with you is with teppo. I can fully see him signing a modest contract to be the 5th through 7th defenseman, depending on where the depth chart lies. I'd use max and/or kotalik as some major trade bate to land another top 4 defenseman. Depending on what mckee's intentions are, this could be a big trade for the sabres. Darcy has a lot of work to do, but its so much easier tweaking a winner than rebuilding a loser. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LabattBlue Posted June 3, 2006 Author Report Share Posted June 3, 2006 I'd move campbell into the untouchable category after one game next year... See if his amazing growth carries over. The only thing i disagree with you is with teppo. I can fully see him signing a modest contract to be the 5th through 7th defenseman, depending on where the depth chart lies. I'd use max and/or kotalik as some major trade bate to land another top 4 defenseman. Depending on what mckee's intentions are, this could be a big trade for the sabres. Darcy has a lot of work to do, but its so much easier tweaking a winner than rebuilding a loser. I know because of his age and his heart problems that Teppo has considered retirement in the past and that was part of the reason why I put him in the category I did. If he is healthy and wants to come back for another year, all the more power to him. The one player who I struggled with and just didn't know where to put him was Pominville. I think he can offset the loss of Kotalik if he is traded, but the only downside I see with that is Pominville is a much smaller player than Ales. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corp000085 Posted June 3, 2006 Report Share Posted June 3, 2006 i misunderstood you then... If teppo does not play for the sabres next year, its because he retired... If he plays NHL hockey next year, i'm fully confident it will be with the Buffalo Sabres. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Done Posted June 3, 2006 Report Share Posted June 3, 2006 Interesting thoughts..... I think Pyatt was the best foreward on our team this last series. That was what we've been waiting for. He was immovable along the boards, and in front of the net on the PP. He scores 20 next year without trying. Kalinin is a playoff performer. He was our best D by far when healthy. He can play in any situation well. I would keep him over any other D we had. Kotalik is a trade away from being an Allstar. He has grown up and plays a more complete game, but there is still a bit of distrust between him and Lindy. Max had an ankle injury in the Philly series. I don't know if it carried all the way through, but he was having a tough time skating the way he wanted to. He woke up enough during the regular season to warrant a chance to improve. Overrated: Drury- Don't get me wrong, he's good, but a lot like Peca, I don't see why everyone has a woody for him. His intelligence gets him about 10 goals a year, but his overall hockey skills are basically hard work. Faceoffs...yeah, but they disappeared at times in the playoffs. Hecht- Again, good player, but Lindy seems obsessed with guys like him and Pominville who are supposed to be good on defense. I don't see him as a finisher. I kept asking where he was this series. Greir seemed to skate better than him Basically, we are a team with a bunch of 2nd and 3rd line forewards, and a bunch of #2-4 defensemen...that's what made us so good. I don't really see an untouchable on this team, except maybe Breiere. He showed me that he has the skill and temperment to be a superstar and a leader this year. Otherwise this team is Plug & Play. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eleven Posted June 3, 2006 Report Share Posted June 3, 2006 Unless Numminen decides to retire or Connolly cannot play, I would prefer to see this team stay exactly the same. A good part of my enjoyment of this team this season was watching this group of players grow, and I want to see them again next year. I felt much differently in 1998--then I thought the Sabres were a player or two away from the Cup. This year, I think that THESE Sabres might be a year or two away, not a player or two. Guys who played only occasionally such as Thorburn, Fitzpatrick, Peters, etc., I don't feel the same way about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elcrusho Posted June 3, 2006 Report Share Posted June 3, 2006 I would like to see Jillson, Janik up in Buffalo next season along with Talinder, Kalinin, Campbell and McKee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corp000085 Posted June 3, 2006 Report Share Posted June 3, 2006 elcrusho, what about lydman?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peace Frog Posted June 3, 2006 Report Share Posted June 3, 2006 My proposal for next year's roster would be summed up like this: Gone (via trade, retirement, or just straight release) Martin Biron - we need to trade him; he needs to be a starter and we could get something good Teppo Numminen - when you're 37 and you injure your groin, your reliability is an issue (see Hasek) Tim Connolly - Love the guy's performance but concussions are like termites (just when you think they're gone....see LaFontaine) Rory Fitzpatrick - I have not been impressed and age is an issue Andrew Peters - His spot could be better utilized by someone we could actually use. On The Bubble (they better start producing or they could be trade bait) Max Afinogenov - Love his speed but hate his turnovers in the offensive zone Derek Roy - What can I say? He's just there. Thomas Vanek - I need to see more from him, like consistency. Anyways, that's just my take. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frisky Posted June 3, 2006 Report Share Posted June 3, 2006 I would like to see essentially the same team with minor changes. I hope they re-sign Grier and McKee (but not at some ridiculous contract that would mortgage the future ala TB). I'd like to see us get at least one solid defenceman in the offseason. I think that some of the Rochester kids will get a chance to move up next year. I was impressed with how quickly Janik improved from game to game. I also think that Marty will likely be gone although I hate to see him leave as I just like him. But I think that's why they traded for Leighton from Chicago earlier this year. Perhaps they will develop Adam Dennis down in Rochester as a result. But all-in-all I like they group we have mostly with some minor changes/improvements. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elcrusho Posted June 3, 2006 Report Share Posted June 3, 2006 elcrusho, what about lydman?? yeah him 2 :P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hopeleslyobvious Posted June 3, 2006 Report Share Posted June 3, 2006 My proposal for next year's roster would be summed up like this: Gone (via trade, retirement, or just straight release) Martin Biron - we need to trade him; he needs to be a starter and we could get something good Teppo Numminen - when you're 37 and you injure your groin, your reliability is an issue (see Hasek) Tim Connolly - Love the guy's performance but concussions are like termites (just when you think they're gone....see LaFontaine) Rory Fitzpatrick - I have not been impressed and age is an issue Andrew Peters - His spot could be better utilized by someone we could actually use. On The Bubble (they better start producing or they could be trade bait) Max Afinogenov - Love his speed but hate his turnovers in the offensive zone Derek Roy - What can I say? He's just there. Thomas Vanek - I need to see more from him, like consistency. Anyways, that's just my take. I disagree about Roy. He's still pretty young, and I think he came a long way developmentally this year. He showed a lot of offensive promise during the year when he was centering Max and Vanek, and he also fit in perfectly on the Drury Grier line. Not to mention he logs a lot of time on both the PP and the PK. I would be very disappointed if he was not a member of this team for a long time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shrader Posted June 3, 2006 Report Share Posted June 3, 2006 Max needs to start producing or else he's gone? He was the team's top scorer this year. Yes, playoff production would be nice, but he's nowhere near the chopping block yet. Players who are near the top of my list of those who could/should be replaced: -Andrew Peters: I don't need to explain this one -Rory Fitzpatrick: same deal here -Teppo Numminen: this is completely up to him, if he doesn't retire, there's room for him -Adam Mair/Taylor Pyatt: I could see one of these guys being gone, but not both. -Marty Biron: He's my favorite Sabres, but as everyone has already said, how can you justify paying him what he will be making this year? It doesn't matter where he goes, I'm buying that jersey. I won't list McKee because I believe they'll work out a deal with him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taro T Posted June 3, 2006 Report Share Posted June 3, 2006 My guess for how this roster will look next year is something like: Centers: Briere, Drury, Connolly, Gaustad Wingers: Hecht, Dumont, Grier, Roy, Max, Kotalik, Pominville, Pyatt, Vanek, Mair D: Tallinder, Lydman, Campbell, Kalinin, McKee/free agent (or Marty trade), Paetsch, Janek, free agent/Jillson Goalies: Miller, Leighton (or free agent / trade) I don't see Peters or Rory back and would be (pleasantly) surprised if Teppo comes back. Peters spot could be filled by McMorrow on an as needed basis. I can't remember what Jillson's status is for next season but doubt that he will be on the Sabres opening day roster. I could see Marty and Ales dealt for a decent D-man, but don't expect to see the Sabres bring in a top name. Paille really seemed ready to make the big club by the end of the regular season and Novotny played well enough in his limited opportunities with the big club to warrant a long look next preseason. That furthers my belief that A forward will be traded along with Marty for a D-man - the numbers dictate that someone won't be back. I don't see the Sabres trading away enough forward depth for Stafford to be with the big club much (if at all) next season, but could be wrong about that. I think the Sabres would be better served playing him in Rochester next year. Thorburn also appears ready to play a game here or there in Buffalo but could be caught up in a numbers game. The obviously huge question regarding how the team looks next year is how Darcy handles all the RFA's and the handful of UFA's. It sounds like the players on the team WANT to be in Buffalo. Hopefully they still feel that way after they see the Sabres initial offers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shrader Posted June 3, 2006 Report Share Posted June 3, 2006 Dave, I think Thorburn would fill the Peters role before McMorrow would. I still don't see any need for that role at all though. We already have the guys who can step up and fight if they have to (Gaustad, Mair, and possibly Grier). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hopeleslyobvious Posted June 4, 2006 Report Share Posted June 4, 2006 Not that I have to convince too many people around here, but I really want to see Grier re-signed. I know a lot of fans complain because he doesn't put up big numbers, but I think he was definately one of the big reasons our PK was so successful this year. Not to mention the fact that he is a great forechecker, plays a very physical game, and appeared to be one of the leaders on this team. He contributed a lot in ways the stats could never reflect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
apuszczalowski Posted June 4, 2006 Report Share Posted June 4, 2006 I don't see what everyones problem with Peters is. He does his job well, he's an enforcer, he goes out to get in fights when needed, thats it, hes not supposed to be a 50 goal scorer or a #1 defencemen. He is supposed to log little time, and go out and hit and fight, thats it. Although it would be nice to replace him with a goal scorer, it would take away some of the toughness from this team, and we could end up a team like the Sens where we are always being questioned as to if we have the toughness to win it all. I don't see him going anywhere Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottnc Posted June 4, 2006 Report Share Posted June 4, 2006 I don't see what everyones problem with Peters is. He does his job well, he's an enforcer, he goes out to get in fights when needed, thats it, hes not supposed to be a 50 goal scorer or a #1 defencemen. He is supposed to log little time, and go out and hit and fight, thats it. Although it would be nice to replace him with a goal scorer, it would take away some of the toughness from this team, and we could end up a team like the Sens where we are always being questioned as to if we have the toughness to win it all. I don't see him going anywhere The problem with Peters is he has ZERO hockey skills. I think there's plenty of toughness on this team without him. The fact that he logged absolutely no ice time in the playoffs shows what his value is... Kalinin is a playoff performer. He was our best D by far when healthy. He can play in any situation well. I would keep him over any other D we had. Are you talking about the same guy who went to the press box in favor of Fitzpatrick a few games towards the end of the season, and I believe a couple of playoff games as well? I've got to disagree with you him being our best D by far when healthy. I place Tallinder, Lydman and McKee above him in that category. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taro T Posted June 4, 2006 Report Share Posted June 4, 2006 I don't see what everyones problem with Peters is. He does his job well, he's an enforcer, he goes out to get in fights when needed, thats it, hes not supposed to be a 50 goal scorer or a #1 defencemen. He is supposed to log little time, and go out and hit and fight, thats it. Although it would be nice to replace him with a goal scorer, it would take away some of the toughness from this team, and we could end up a team like the Sens where we are always being questioned as to if we have the toughness to win it all. I don't see him going anywhere The problem I have with Peters is he is only going to play for, at most, 5 minutes per game. The Sabres bread and butter is rolling 4 lines. Nearly all the forwards have taken shifts on the penalty kill over the course of the season and 8 forwards will get regular shifts on the power play as the Sabres play with 2 set units each with 1 forward on the point (2 forwards on 5 on 3). 3 of the 4 guys that typically don't get power play time will come out on the next shift following the powerplay (with either Hecht or Grier taking Pominville's spot on the 4th line for that particular shift). While the 4th line doesn't play anywhere close to 20 minutes, 12 - 14 minutes is not terribly out of the range of expectations. When Peters is in the lineup, the team CAN NOT or WILL NOT (take your pick) roll 4 lines. That forces Grier and/or Hecht to double shift and on occasion disrupt their normal line(s). While Peters has decent/good speed for a goon, we can all agree that 95% of the reason he dresses in a particular game is because the other team is going to dress a goon. He'd play against Ottawa because McGratton could be expected to do something stupid, and the same with Atlanta and Boulton. It's better (sad in a way, but better nonetheless) to risk Peters getting injured in a fight with one of these cement heads rather than risk losing Mair or Gaustad to a long term injury. He only got into 28 games this year (so obviously, Lindy typically felt he had better options to use in most games) and averaged a grand total of 3:15/game. Out of all the players to play for the Sabres this season, there were only 2 others that averaged less than 10 minutes of ice time - Mair and Thorburn. Everyone else (including Mair), when put in the lineup, were part of the "if you wear a Shatanic Goathead on your chest, you are one of us and expected to contribute". Andrew wasn't a part of that parade. I felt it made sense to keep him on the roster this season for a few reasons, none of which will likely still apply next season. 1. No one knew for certain heading into the season that fighting was going to be as rare as it was this year. The Sabres as a team drew a grand total of 22 majors. If all of them were for fighting (they weren't), that would be essentially 1 fight every 4 games. No one wanted to risk getting an extra 2, it was believed heading into this season that that would be the case, but no one knew that for certain. Now we can assume that the league will probably have as few, or possibly fewer fights next year as I can envision some teams (hopefully the Sabres will be one) that don't waste a roster spot on a full time goon. 2. The Sabres through the course of this season brought many young forwards up from Rochester - Roy, Gaustad, Pominville, and Vanek and IIRC didn't bring a couple of minor league vets back to Rochester. There was therefore an opportunity for the Sabres to give guys like Paille, Novotny, Thorburn, and Ryan an opportunity to get quality ice time in Rochester filling the slots that these other guys filled last year. Having Paille sit in the press box in the Mmarena would not help his development any. Playing 20 minutes or so per game and playing in pressure situations would and did. The Sabres needed to have at least 1 spare forward in the press box so that if someone got sick or hurt in warmups they could have a full complement of skaters. Peters was cheap ($450k), would not complain about sitting in the press box as he knew he was replaceable, and I truly doubt his development was hindered by sitting in the press box. 3. The Sabres knew they would play some teams this season that did have goons in their lineups (Ottawa, Atlanta, TO, etc.) and already had Peters on the roster. As long as he was already here, they might as well keep Peters in the press box in case they wanted to put him in the lineup and risk having a goon break him rather than someone they "care" about. The Sabres right now, assuming they re-sign all their forward FA's will have 14 forwards on the roster (not including Peters). I'd have to believe that they would like to get 1 or 2 of the kids in Rochester up on the big team (even though it would mean a fair amount of press box time) next year to spur competition for jobs and to show the kids in Ra-cha-cha that if they work hard and produce they will get rewarded for it. Keeping Peters on the roster denies one deserving kid of that shot and keeps one more buried a little lower on the depth chart in Ra-cha-cha. For the 20 or so fights the Sabres will get into next season, Pyatt, Gaustad, Mair, and whomever the "tough" D-man is next year can probably divide them up pretty evenly without getting pummelled too badly. (Heck, if there is a real "bad blood" game next year that they want a goon for, they can send one of the kids back to Ra-cha-cha for the game and bring up Ra-cha-cha's goon.) This is not meant as a knock on him, just a statement of facts as I see them. I simply don't see any upside that Peters brings to the team next year and do see drawbacks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bob_sauve28 Posted June 4, 2006 Report Share Posted June 4, 2006 Interesting thoughts..... I think Pyatt was the best foreward on our team this last series. That was what we've been waiting for. He was immovable along the boards, and in front of the net on the PP. He scores 20 next year without trying. Overrated: Drury- Don't get me wrong, he's good, but a lot like Peca, I don't see why everyone has a woody for him. His intelligence gets him about 10 goals a year, but his overall hockey skills are basically hard work. Faceoffs...yeah, but they disappeared at times in the playoffs. Ok, you think Pyatt was the best forward and Drury was overated. I'm glad you are not running the team. could actually use. On The Bubble (they better start producing or they could be trade bait) Max Afinogenov - Love his speed but hate his turnovers in the offensive zone Derek Roy - What can I say? He's just there. Thomas Vanek - I need to see more from him, like consistency. Anyways, that's just my take. Ya, lets just give Roy away to Boston. We don't need a young, fast player who is pretty gritty, kills penalties and scores goals. This is the new NHL! Players like that don't fit in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hopeleslyobvious Posted June 4, 2006 Report Share Posted June 4, 2006 Ya, lets just give Roy away to Boston. We don't need a young, fast player who is pretty gritty, kills penalties and scores goals. This is the new NHL! Players like that don't fit in. :lol: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Done Posted June 4, 2006 Report Share Posted June 4, 2006 The problem with Peters is he has ZERO hockey skills. I think there's plenty of toughness on this team without him. The fact that he logged absolutely no ice time in the playoffs shows what his value is... Are you talking about the same guy who went to the press box in favor of Fitzpatrick a few games towards the end of the season, and I believe a couple of playoff games as well? I've got to disagree with you him being our best D by far when healthy. I place Tallinder, Lydman and McKee above him in that category. Kalinin has the skills to be a true #1 defenseman. He has the size to play physical, the speed to contribute offensively, but most importantly he has the field vision to run the team. He must have hit 5 cross-ice breakouts against Philly. I was disappointed in his regular season showing, but he showed me he knows when it's time to play. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shrader Posted June 4, 2006 Report Share Posted June 4, 2006 The thing about Kalinin is that he may be a bit fragile. Hopefully it was just a run of bad luck, but he was injured a lot this year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
X. Benedict Posted June 4, 2006 Report Share Posted June 4, 2006 The thing about Kalinin is that he may be a bit fragile. Hopefully it was just a run of bad luck, but he was injured a lot this year. We keep Kalinin because there is not going to be a tremendous market out there for him. I think Teppo and Lydman stay. I 've heard from people that they have become close friends and really enjoy the city. I think they will both accept a reasonable offer. Note to Dwight: If you don't see what a value Drury is to this team, on special teams, regular line play, and as a Captian - I don't think anybody is going to have much luck explaining it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Done Posted June 4, 2006 Report Share Posted June 4, 2006 We keep Kalinin because there is not going to be a tremendous market out there for him. I think Teppo and Lydman stay. I 've heard from people that they have become close friends and really enjoy the city. I think they will both accept a reasonable offer. Note to Dwight: If you don't see what a value Drury is to this team, on special teams, regular line play, and as a Captian - I don't think anybody is going to have much luck explaining it. I know he has value, he is a smart player. If you gave me a choice of who i would keep on the team....Drury and Hect or Pyatt,Kotalik and Kalinin, I would rather keep the last 3, because someone out of that group is going to be a star. Gustaud is Drury Jr., and Hecht is a nice player, but Pyatt will be better than him in the long run. Call me crazy, but the light went on for him Big Time in that series. I would even be willing to wager that Pyatt comes within 10 goals of Drury next year, if not surpass him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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