[SabreRock]

Awiniganov1271, on 30 July 2010 - 10:46 PM, said:

I agree with you, mostly because Ennis wouldnt do much playing with Niedermayer and stone-hands Grier

I disagree with you. I think Ennis would learn a lot about playing NHL hockey by playing with Niedermayer. It's not like Ennis would get no ice time aside from even strength. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Hecht is the best complement to Connolly on this team, and it has been shown that Connolly isn't the same player with Hecht on a different line. Why do you think Ruff keeps going back to that combination? It isn't because he's trying to find something that works, it's because he knows it does. Ennis doesn't do what Hecht does. I think Hecht on another line would be a lost cause, as would Connolly. That's why I say keep that group together until the chemistry is gone. Once it doesn't work anymore, go to something else. But you have a proven, point producing line. You don't break it up just because your rookie might play with other players. Even Pominville spent time on the 4th line as a rookie.

And this is all under the assumption Ennis even makes the team. If he doesn't, it wouldn't be the first time a player earned a roster spot the season before only to be sent down because he's not high enough on the contract pecking order. It happened to Roy, Paille and Weber, all since the lockout ended. He's obviously good enough to play here. But if there are 14 forwards who would have to clear waivers, he's SOL, unless they make a trade.

[Awiniganov1271]

The 2nd part is a very good point, he still hasnt technically made the team. However, i may be in the minority here but i dont really consider Niedermayer a great player. Sure hes a good role player but hes not exactly the guy i want Ennis emulating. Not to mention its one thing to learn from him (which he can do in the lockerroom and in practice, he doesnt need to play on his line in order to talk to him), but plugging Ennis on a shutdown line BEFORE he gets to work on his scoring would be a bad move IMO

You develop the strengths before working on the weaknesses, at least in my opinion. But then again, im nowhere near an NHL coach so what do i know

[htsportplaya]

The problem is that I think most of us would say that Ennis probably has at least an 85% chance to make the squad, but he doesn't really have a natural fit on a line, especially if you want to keep Hecht with Connolly and Pominville. Ennis and Roy play too similar a game to be on the same line. If they're together, that puts Vanek in the role of space-eater which he can be effective in but doesn't compliment his talents at all. Vanek and Roy need a player who's willing to work the boards for them, and even though Kennedy doesn't have the size, he's one of the two (Hecht) players we have on our roster with the offensive talent to play in the top 6 and the willingness to battle along the boards for the puck.

Connolly doesn't handle the puck as much as Roy and could benefit from having someone else on his line who could make plays on his level. Connolly's proneness to getting injured has affected his ability to handle the puck and make plays at the same time. Anyone who's been hurt that badly that many times would be cautious while handling the puck. He might be better off being the 2nd puck handling option on a line, which would allow him to use his vision to see the ice and make quick passes as he receives the puck as well as shoot the puck more (his shot is very underrated, IMO).

Finally, I'd love to see Stafford on the ice regularly, I still have faith in his potential and hold out hope that he'll reach it one day. The problem is that, unless he has a huge camp/preseason, you can't just hand a guy like him top-6 minutes and I don't feel playing bottom-6 minutes, especially on the 4th line, will do anything for his confidence or overall attitude.

[jwallinator10]

put Ennis with Vanek and Roy and try to spark them or put him with Connolly and Stafford who knows? might work

[MillerTime3039]

There's not going to be any trade to land a top 2 center. I'm assuming we're basically going with the roster we have, minus a D-man. If they can trade Sekera they will. If not, they'll probably have to release Butler because I can't see any team wanting him at the present time. However, I can't say I'd be completely against trading Rivet for picks if it means getting Gragnani in the mix, as well as ensuring Weber a spot on the team.

Ennis-Roy-Vanek
Hecht-Connolly-Pommers
Gerbe-Niedermayer-Kaleta
Stafford-Gaustad-Grier
x McCormick

Morrisonn-Myers
Leopold-Montador
Weber-Rivet
x Sekera

Vanek playing on the right side is not a problem at all, IMO. The third line is one that I think can score some goals (I don't see the need for a shut-down line since Lindy tends not to match lines, and the Connolly line is already very reliable defensively) and we all know that a healthy Gaustad will never receive 4th line minutes (PP, key faceoffs). I really hope Stafford legitimately plays his way back into the top 6, because I feel that if he can't do that we will have a former 1st round pick making almost $2 mil sitting in the press box quite frequently.

Call me crazy but I think the D-pairings look rather solid. Montador's play can be sporadic, but hopefully Weber will push him for ice time (defensively he could be more NHL-ready than Myers was at the start of last year.)

[Teepee]

Is Stafford really the new Afinogenov now?

I think it's great we have so many D. You have to also think that up to two will be injured for a good part of the season or playoffs.

[weave]

MillerTime3039, on 03 August 2010 - 04:48 PM, said:

Ennis-Roy-Vanek
Hecht-Connolly-Pommers
Gerbe-Niedermayer-Kaleta
Stafford-Gaustad-Grier
x McCormick

That's an interesting forward lineup but I don't see Gerbe meshing well with Niedermayer. I really don't see Gerbe contributing properly if he doesn't have a top 6 role. And I don't know if Stafford is up to switching to the left side.

It seems to me that there are still some parts on this team that don't quite fit. I thought Kennedy was in that situation when we signed Niedermayer. I think Gerbe is still in that situation. And if Ennis ends up with a top 6 position, Stafford doesn't quite fit either. It seems like the "benefit" of that would be another scoring line but Goose and Nieds aren't going to be centering a line that is going to score more than only very occassionally.

Hmmm, even if you tried to make another scoring line by puting Staff and Gerbe on the same line there still isn't a center for it.

Gerbe - Goose - Stafford
Grier - Nieds - Kaleta/McCormick

[yse325]

I just finished watching the Regier press conference and here are my conclusions.

1) Kennedy was cut to save a roster spot and thus $1 if someone claimed him or 800K+ this season if they had to buy him out.

2) Regier and Co. have an internal budget and that budget keeps the team in the black and somewhat competitive, but the franchise has no real interest in competing for a Cup.

3) Kennedy is not the last to be deleted from the roster. I think, reading between the lines, that the Sabres may go with as few as a 21 man roster in order to save money.

4) Regier and Co. are mostly incompetent when making payroll decisions and thus should be fired. Since they overpaid for Connolly, Vanek, Leopold, Sekera, and Stafford; Kennedy had to go. The stupid thing is that Regier knew that Kennedy had arbitration rights and should have known that the award would be under the magic number requiring the Sabres to "keep" him. They should have qualified him and then traded his rights away for something (a draft pick, bag of pucks, a lie detector, a bad prospect; whatever), because they clearly had little intention of keeping him unless he accepted a crappy qualifying offer of 600K after they gave Kaleta and his 10 goals 1.8 mill for two seasons. Dumb and incompetent.

5) Regier and Co. came up with the best excuse possible for dumping Kennedy, but the truth is they are enamored with failures like Stafford and Connolly and won't give up on them despite overwhelming evidence that they suck.

6) If I were Gerbe and Ennis, I wouldn't be counting on making this roster.

7) One of Sekera, Butler or Weber won't be a Sabre or Pirate this season. Gragnani say hi to Portland.

Here is the NHL roster as it stands
LW - Hecht, Vanek and probably Ennis
C - Connolly, Roy, Gaustad, Neidermayer and McCormick
RW - Pominville, Stafford, Grier and Kaleta
G - Miller, Lalime
D - Myers, Rivet, Morrisonn, Montador, Leopold, Sekera and Butler

Enjoy this the new Sabres 21 man roster.

[TheChimp]

I didn't listen to it. But if he's staying this far under the Cap and not spending any more on a great player, I seriously am gonna laugh when he retains his job and all the season ticket holders still buy them up before the end of next April. Cha CHING!

[SabreRock]

Yeah, I just threw up in my mouth a little there.

[Palladius]

Kennedy was cut to save a roster spot... ?

Unless I'm mistaken, the roster doesn't need to be trimmed down to the 23 player max until the start of the regular season?

Sooooo......

[weave]

yse325, on 03 August 2010 - 06:15 PM, said:

2) Regier and Co. have an internal budget and that budget keeps the team in the black and somewhat competitive, but the franchise has no real interest in competing for a Cup.

It seems like a lot of folks that were willing to give ownership and mgt the benefit of the doubt are finally coming to this conclusion today.

Quote

Here is the NHL roster as it stands
LW - Hecht, Vanek and probably Ennis
C - Connolly, Roy, Gaustad, Neidermayer and McCormick
RW - Pominville, Stafford, Grier and Kaleta
G - Miller, Lalime
D - Myers, Rivet, Morrisonn, Montador, Leopold, Sekera and Butler

Enjoy this the new Sabres 21 man roster.

I actually like that defense. Especially if Weber ends up winning a spot over Sekera and Butler.

I can't quite make a full set of 4 lines that look right with those forwards though.


"May you live in interesting times"

[yse325]

weave, on 03 August 2010 - 07:04 PM, said:

I actually like that defense. Especially if Weber ends up winning a spot over Sekera and Butler.

I can't quite make a full set of 4 lines that look right with those forwards though.

I agree the defense is improved, but was that the real problem with the Sabres?
You can't make 4 lines out of that roster, because that isn't a group someone would want to make 4 lines out of unless someone put a gun to their head.

[yse325]

Palladius, on 03 August 2010 - 06:42 PM, said:

Kennedy was cut to save a roster spot... ?

Unless I'm mistaken, the roster doesn't need to be trimmed down to the 23 player max until the start of the regular season?

Sooooo......

You are correct!. None of this had to be done today. As I said in my 4th conclusion, the Sabres should have waited a few days, weeks, and try to field some offers for some of the players instead of simply dumping Timmy. Instead, Regier let his temper get in the way of his better judgement and wanted to teach Timmy and his agent a lesson for out maneuvering him by using his arbitration rights. Regier said exactly the opposite of this in the press conference, but actions speak louder the lies.

[SabreRock]

weave, on 03 August 2010 - 07:04 PM, said:

It seems like a lot of folks that were willing to give ownership and mgt the benefit of the doubt are finally coming to this conclusion today.

Not necessarily about what you quoted, but I'm through with these know-nothings. I supported Darcy, but this makes me think the guy just hates to lose on a personal level. Not as a team, but him personally. He hates having to do what other tell him to do. It reeks of arrogance. Take it from someone who reeks of arrogance. This, to me, is as bad of a PR move the team could have made. Half because Kennedy is who he is, and half because of what this type of move in general could do to the moral in the room or for players around the league. It was below dirty. It was disgusting. It was purely business and it is a disgrace. The players shrug it off on the surface, say it's just business, but you can't do shit like this and live as a general manager for very long.

I'm done with Darcy, I've been done with Lindy, and I never even got started with Larry Quinn. They're all nice people. I've talked to each of them. But their times have come, have been past. What a boneheaded move.

I wonder how many ticket renewals were questioned today?

[yse325]

SabreRock, on 03 August 2010 - 10:28 PM, said:

Not necessarily about what you quoted, but I'm through with these know-nothings. I supported Darcy, but this makes me think the guy just hates to lose on a personal level. Not as a team, but him personally. He hates having to do what other tell him to do. It reeks of arrogance. Take it from someone who reeks of arrogance. This, to me, is as bad of a PR move the team could have made. Half because Kennedy is who he is, and half because of what this type of move in general could do to the moral in the room or for players around the league. It was below dirty. It was disgusting. It was purely business and it is a disgrace. The players shrug it off on the surface, say it's just business, but you can't do shit like this and live as a general manager for very long.

I'm done with Darcy, I've been done with Lindy, and I never even got started with Larry Quinn. They're all nice people. I've talked to each of them. But their times have come, have been past. What a boneheaded move.

I wonder how many ticket renewals were questioned today?

I just wrote something similar on the "In Defense of Darcy" thread.

[SabreRock]

yse325, on 03 August 2010 - 10:30 PM, said:

I just wrote something similar on the "In Defense of Darcy" thread.

read it while you were typing this. LOL

There is no more defending Darcy. He's baseless imnsho.

[TheChimp]

SabreRock, on 03 August 2010 - 08:28 PM, said:

I wonder how many ticket renewals were questioned today?

ZERO. Chet and Muffy are too busy preparing the picnic basket for their fall-time family outings to HSBC to even care what actual players they have to watch between soda crackers and brie.

[SabreRock]

TheChimp, on 04 August 2010 - 01:34 AM, said:

ZERO. Chet and Muffy are too busy preparing the picnic basket for their fall-time family outings to HSBC to even care what actual players they have to watch between soda crackers and brie.

You lost me, but that wouldn't be the first time that's happened. Were you trying to be funny?

[weave]

SabreRock, on 04 August 2010 - 02:00 AM, said:

You lost me, but that wouldn't be the first time that's happened. Were you trying to be funny?

He was trying to say that the "family outting" evironment in the arena attracts people with no relationship to the players and no real care about the quality of the show on the ice. They are there to have fun with the applause-o-meter, kiss cam, and get waited on in the 200 level.

And they'll keep buying tickets regardless of how poorly the team on the ice is managed. What Darcy did yesterday doesn't bother them in the slightest.