matter2003 Posted November 23, 2006 Report Share Posted November 23, 2006 If there was any question before, there is no longer a question after the unbelievable no-look behind the back pass that Vanek dished off to Briere after drawing 3 Maple Leafs players to him in the slot... Not only is Vanek our leading goal scorer this year, on pace for an astounding 56 goals to go with 48 assists for 104 points, in this his second full season, but he also is the team leader in +- with an unbelievable +16, which ranks him 2nd in the entire NHL. Vanek also seemingly draws 2 to 3 penalties by himself every game as the opposition hooks him, grabs him after he steals the puck away from them in their own zone, or make a diving attempt to stop him after he has deked them out of their hockey pants... Vanek is turning into a bonafide NHL superstar at age 22 right before our eyes. After averaging .59 PPG last year, a decent total for a 21 year old rookie, he is now averaging 1.27 PPG and is only 10 goals shy of his total output from last year which came in 81 games... I can't wait to see what he develops into in about 2 or 3 years when he is at his peak...definitely a player that we can build around for the future....hopefully the Sabres lock him up for a long,long time... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Knightrider Posted November 23, 2006 Report Share Posted November 23, 2006 He is becoming a monkey wrench in any hopes of both retaining Briere and Drury. Vanek is going to require big money next year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matter2003 Posted November 23, 2006 Author Report Share Posted November 23, 2006 He is becoming a monkey wrench in any hopes of both retaining Briere and Drury. Vanek is going to require big money next year. Nah, he is an RFA, which means he can't become an unrestricted FA until he is at least 26... All we have to do is give him a certain percentage raise... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Knightrider Posted November 23, 2006 Report Share Posted November 23, 2006 Nah, he is an RFA, which means he can't become an unrestricted FA until he is at least 26... All we have to do is give him a certain percentage raise... What I'm worried about is some team will make him a huge offer. We would have the right to match, of course. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
X. Benedict Posted November 23, 2006 Report Share Posted November 23, 2006 Nah, he is an RFA, which means he can't become an unrestricted FA until he is at least 26... All we have to do is give him a certain percentage raise... I think he can arbitrate, but I don't want to think about any of that, not until June 15, 2007. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Knightrider Posted November 23, 2006 Report Share Posted November 23, 2006 I think he can arbitrate, but I don't want to think about any of that, not until June 15, 2007. Sorry... :doh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taro T Posted November 23, 2006 Report Share Posted November 23, 2006 I think he can arbitrate, but I don't want to think about any of that, not until June 15, 2007. Nope, he has 1 more year to go to get to arbitration. The possibility that someone will try to pull a Booby Clarke is real, however. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
X. Benedict Posted November 23, 2006 Report Share Posted November 23, 2006 Nope, he has 1 more year to go to get to arbitration. The possibility that someone will try to pull a Booby Clarke is real, however. On this Thanksgiving Day, I, on behalf of the board, am grateful to you Dave, for actually reading the CBA. Happy Turkey Day! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kristian Posted November 23, 2006 Report Share Posted November 23, 2006 .. I can't wait to see what he develops into in about 2 or 3 years when he is at his peak...definitely a player that we can build around for the future....hopefully the Sabres lock him up for a long,long time... Ruff needs to pull a Rick DiPietro on Vanek. As much as I like Briere, I see him as the most "expendable" of the Drury, Briere, Vanek trio. Not saying I'd want him to leave, but he's making 5 mill. already, has a career year brewing, and he's on a one year deal. They'd have to pay some 7 mill. to keep him around, and that's too much for any player with cap locked where it is. Max is going to demand the big bucks as well. All in all, things look pretty bleak in that department, and I'm afraid we're due for huge gutting in the off-season :( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deluca67 Posted November 23, 2006 Report Share Posted November 23, 2006 Ruff needs to pull a Rick DiPietro on Vanek. As much as I like Briere, I see him as the most "expendable" of the Drury, Briere, Vanek trio. Not saying I'd want him to leave, but he's making 5 mill. already, has a career year brewing, and he's on a one year deal. They'd have to pay some 7 mill. to keep him around, and that's too much for any player with cap locked where it is. Max is going to demand the big bucks as well. All in all, things look pretty bleak in that department, and I'm afraid we're due for huge gutting in the off-season :( Didn't Max just sign a three year deal? I don't think "gutting" is the best word. I think "turnover" is a better word. Just like Dumont and Grier leaving. Young players will have to pick up the slack. The goalie and defense are locked up. The young forwards will to have step up. Guys like Pominville, Gaustad and Vanek will have to become the leaders of this team. I can see Gaustad with a 'C' on his sweater someday. With players like Stafford, Paille and Ryan (Who has great hands around the net That was a great tip in. Just the wrong net :blink: ) in the pipeline? I'm not to worried about the future. With the Sabres youth they are geared towards long term success. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kristian Posted November 23, 2006 Report Share Posted November 23, 2006 Didn't Max just sign a three year deal? Did he? That one ocmpletely passed me by, guess I'm so used to the one year deals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rickshaw Posted November 23, 2006 Report Share Posted November 23, 2006 Everyone is locked up 'cept Drury and Briere. I would like them both to stay but I think Briere needs to be dealt with first. He's an offensive machine. As much as I like Drury, there are other young guys in our system that can play his game. Drury is not a bonafide offensive threat like Briere is. Hopefully they like it enough in Buffalo to each accept slightly less than they could get elsewhere. But this team is basically set for the next 3 years if you don't count the above mentioned. Not bad considering. I believe one of the two will stay. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DR HOLLIDAY Posted November 23, 2006 Report Share Posted November 23, 2006 Everyone is locked up 'cept Drury and Briere. I would like them both to stay but I think Briere needs to be dealt with first. He's an offensive machine. As much as I like Drury, there are other young guys in our system that can play his game. Drury is not a bonafide offensive threat like Briere is. Hopefully they like it enough in Buffalo to each accept slightly less than they could get elsewhere. But this team is basically set for the next 3 years if you don't count the above mentioned. Not bad considering. I believe one of the two will stay. I think we need to keep Danny to, tough choice to make............. :blink: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FogBat Posted November 26, 2006 Report Share Posted November 26, 2006 Didn't Max just sign a three year deal? Sure did! In fact, Darcy was quite adamant to avoid arbitration with as many players as possible -- Max being one of them. Got that info from Home Ice on XM. Other than that, it's old news. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr.Christopher Posted November 26, 2006 Report Share Posted November 26, 2006 Sure did! In fact, Darcy was quite adamant to avoid arbitration with as many players as possible -- Max being one of them. Got that info from Home Ice on XM. Other than that, it's old news. If Max went to arbitration, he possibly could of gotten $5 million. It was a good move to avoid going to arbitration with him and locking him up for a couple years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
topshelfcookies Posted November 26, 2006 Report Share Posted November 26, 2006 I couldn't agree more about Vanek. Great original post Matter, and good point about the penalties that Vanek draws. That's almost as big of a deal as scoring goals, because the PP is such a large part of this team's success. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chilly Posted November 26, 2006 Report Share Posted November 26, 2006 Vanek's been the best player on the Sabres so far this year. How the hell he's not on the all-star ballot makes me boggle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr.Christopher Posted November 26, 2006 Report Share Posted November 26, 2006 Vanek's been the best player on the Sabres so far this year. How the hell he's not on the all-star ballot makes me boggle. He does deserve to be on the ballot. I have been voting for him on the write in. I was a big fan of his from the start of last year and I still supported him when he played poorly late last season and during the playoffs. He is playing a lot better than last year. Vanek has been skating hard this year. He has been blocking shots, and his efforts have gotten him some time on the penalty kill. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matter2003 Posted November 27, 2006 Author Report Share Posted November 27, 2006 That move he made against Montreal on the breakaway in OT was just unbelievable... The Montreal player had the angle and was trying to swipe the puck away, and Vanek did some type of move where he pulled the puck around his leg, and then put his right leg in front of the area where the defenseman was trying to get to so he had absolutely no chance of getting to the puck...he then was stopped nicely by Huet but that was a big time goalscorer's move... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SHAAAUGHT!!! Posted November 28, 2006 Report Share Posted November 28, 2006 Well, everyone seems to have a man crush on the teams leading goal scorer, but does anyone else notice how he not giving a full 60 minutes a game anymore? I am still worried that he will fall back into bad habits and become Satanish. He has been brilliant with the puck and has gotten much quicker on his feet, but he is starting to coast more on his shifts and is not showing up at all during some shifts. He of course is still scoring like crazy, but it seems to be easy goals (I realize not all of them were easy). Has anyone else noticed this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inkman Posted November 28, 2006 Report Share Posted November 28, 2006 I am still worried that he will fall back into bad habits and become Satanish. Or possibly Satanic? :chris: Muwahahaha... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Two or less Posted November 28, 2006 Report Share Posted November 28, 2006 Well, everyone seems to have a man crush on the teams leading goal scorer, but does anyone else notice how he not giving a full 60 minutes a game anymore? I am still worried that he will fall back into bad habits and become Satanish. He has been brilliant with the puck and has gotten much quicker on his feet, but he is starting to coast more on his shifts and is not showing up at all during some shifts. He of course is still scoring like crazy, but it seems to be easy goals (I realize not all of them were easy). Has anyone else noticed this? Honestly, i don't know what you're talking about. I think he's always skating hard, he is laying out some hits like he didn't do last year and he's even playing the penalty kill. Lindy Ruff would never let someone who is playing half-assed play the penalty kill. Notice Kotalik ever on the PK? Vanek is just fine, he's a star player, amazing with the stick. Might he seem slow on some plays? Probably, but when you're skating at full blast all the time, you get tired. Vanek doesn't just show up to play the PP and late in games. Every shift out there you can notice him. And the comment of "easy goals" really got to me. He has 16 goals for gods sake. And only 6 of them are on the PP. He has 14 assists. And i'd beg to differ about the easy goals, i think he has many awesome goals, some look easy, like the Florida goal in OT, but you have to hand it to Vanek for being in the right place, right time, and that is also part of skill of a top class player. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matter2003 Posted November 28, 2006 Author Report Share Posted November 28, 2006 Yeah, I honestly think Vanek should be an all-star this year. The man does something virtually every shift he is out there. I went back and rewatched parts of the last 6 games and I don't see what you are talking about with him coasting. He draws penalties left and right on players because he is becoming Derek Roy like in his peskiness, he has an unbelievable skill set to work with that is just getting better and better every game, and he has a true goal-scorers knack of always finding the open space where the puck just seems to find him. The man is an absolute force this season.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr.Christopher Posted November 28, 2006 Report Share Posted November 28, 2006 Honestly, i don't know what you're talking about. I think he's always skating hard, he is laying out some hits like he didn't do last year and he's even playing the penalty kill. Lindy Ruff would never let someone who is playing half-assed play the penalty kill. Notice Kotalik ever on the PK? Vanek is just fine, he's a star player, amazing with the stick. Might he seem slow on some plays? Probably, but when you're skating at full blast all the time, you get tired. Vanek doesn't just show up to play the PP and late in games. Every shift out there you can notice him. And the comment of "easy goals" really got to me. He has 16 goals for gods sake. And only 6 of them are on the PP. He has 14 assists. And i'd beg to differ about the easy goals, i think he has many awesome goals, some look easy, like the Florida goal in OT, but you have to hand it to Vanek for being in the right place, right time, and that is also part of skill of a top class player. I agree. I'm impressed he is starting to hit some people. He nailed Forsberg in a game against Philadelphia. He was even a bit physical against Jagr. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrruin Posted November 28, 2006 Report Share Posted November 28, 2006 this is certainly the most interesting stat so far. He used to score a lot of goals in PP situation but where his game really matured at is 5 on 5. Thats why I cannot really see where the "taking shifts off" argument is coming from. http://www.nhl.com/nhlstats/app?fetchKey=2...viewName=points Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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