Patrick Kaleta - US Olympian?

Brian Burke says that there are 3 spots left on the US Olympic team.

So why not throw a little love out there for Angola, NY's pride and joy, Patrick Kaleta?

I know it is an extreme homer take. But, Patrick can skate well and what team couldn't use Kaleta on the 4th line to crash, bang, and agitate the hell out of their opponents?

Add in Patrick's ability to draw other teams into penalties and the case for Kaleta's inclusion on the team may be stronger than anyone thinks.

And you know Brian Burke won't be afraid to add grit to the US roster.

He uttered this take about what the Leafs were supposed to be like:

"We require, as a team, proper levels of pugnacity, testosterone, truculence and belligerence. That's how our teams play"

That describes Patrick Kaleta's game to me!

First place panic

First off, my thoughts go out to Mike Grier and his family.

I love Sabres fans.

The team is in first place in the Northeast Division despite the offense so far this season being sketchy at best and people are still contemplating things like:

- Trading away Tyler Myers' defense partner
- Dreaming of ways to pry away Martin Biron away from the Islanders

The tough part with any trade thoughts right now is the fact that the Sabres, and the vast majority of other teams, are in either a cap restricted situation or a budget restricted situation.

The Sabres cheapness rep isn't a reality this season with the Sabres less than $2 million below the cap.

That cap reality and the fact that guys like Vanek, Pominville, Connolly, and Hecht are for all intents and purposes unmovable (for one reason or another), and the Sabres are unlikely to add the game breaking forward that everyone would love to see Regier acquire.

So, fans have to just sit back, enjoy Myers, Kaleta, Kennedy, and Miller, and hope that the likes of Vanek, Connolly, Roy, and Pominville wake up soon.

Oh yeah, and hope that Ryan Miller doesn't get overworked and run out of gas!

Bump in the road

Last night's clunker sucked.

But, that happens time to time during an 82 game season.

The question now is what will happen Friday vs Boston & Saturday in Ottawa? I will be worried if the Sabres have "effort issues" against the B's and Sens.

Now if they have the same effort level that they did last weekend, then I'll feel a little bit better about this team in 2009-10.

Blogging about blogs

I can pile on after the horrible loss on the Island. But, I'm hoping that it was either the flu or a sugar overdose that caused them to get spanked on Saturday night.

On to a couple of comments fed by recent comments on other Sabres blogs.

Die By the Blade reminds us that Tyler Myers is 19 years old and will make mistakes. I know that Sabres nation has plenty of people that just wait for the first sign of trouble to jump off the bandwagon, but come on. No defenseman will be perfect. Heck, Nik Lidstrom has looked less like a Norris Trophy winner at times this season and more like someone who will be retired sooner rather than later.

So while Tyler has coughed the puck up a few times over recent games, I'm fine with it for a couple of reasons. First, he has kept playing his game and hasn't been paralyzed by the mistakes. Granted, you want players to learn from their mistakes. But, you also don't want young players to go into the "play not to lose mode". Myers hasn't done that. Second, it might get people to ease off the isanely high expectations people were starting to have given the way he started the year.

Tyler is a 19 year old defenseman. As such, I'm just hoping that he is a solid top 6 NHL defenseman this year. I can wait for him to be the stud #1 defenseman that the Sabres have needed for years.

Top Shelf admits to not being super duper in love with Patrick Kaleta because he's the type of player that you hate because he's dirty if their on another team.

Now, the die hard Pat fans will argue that Pat's hits aren't dirty. It's just the volume of big hits that he lays out will get under people's skin because in today's NHL even clean body checks are "dirty".

Personally, I expect the delayed love for Pat from someone who is in love with Henrik Tallinder.

I love Kaleta for a bunch of reasons. I'm a sucker for the hometown boy angle. I love guys that do the dirty work. I mean, Barnaby, Peca, and even Varada are guys that I've loved to pull for as Sabres and they've all had the rat/dirty player tag.

So, I have a hometown rat? The only thing that would top that would have been Pat Kane being drafted by the Sabres. And no, I don't care about how he treats cabbies.

C'mon Man! - Tyler Myers Edition

John Vogl @ The Buffalo News

Bucky Gleason @ The Sabres Edge Blog

I'm not sure who is annoying more - The fans that are freaking over the situation or the Sabres for not saying what we all know: Tyler Myers is not going anywhere.

I know fans in Buffalo have been burned so many times that they always take the glass half empty. But I can't see any scenario where the Sabres give up on a defenseman with 5 pts and is a team leading +8 after 8 games.

There is just no way that it happens.

If people want to get their pessimistic freak on, just fixate on the fact that a year ago, this team was 6-2-0 after 8 games and ended up missing the playoffs.

There is plenty of time for Ryan Miller to get run over in the crease and put on the shelf for a month.

Tim Connolly can still get hurt.

The injuries on defense can get worse than they are right now with Sekera and Lydman on the shelf.

The players can tune out Ruff for a while and lose 9 out of 10.

Or, this can be different.

People need to just watch this 50 times to get their minds right.....

Six games in

The Hockey News' Ryan Kennedy has the Tyler Myers love bug that has infected the Western NY region.

With 4 pts and a +5 after six NHL games, it's easy to see why fans are loving Tyler Myers right now.

Heck, most fans are giving Myers the credit for Henrik Tallinder looking like a solid NHL defenseman after two down seasons.

Since I'm a Sabres fan, I have to be fatalistic. So, here are my areas of concern:

- Inconsistent effort - The 2nd period versus the Islanders and the first 10 minutes against the Thrashers are the stretches of horrible effort that have plagued the Sabres the past two seasons and will need to be cleaned up if this club is to not repeat the results of the past two years and actually make the playoffs.

- The injury bug - Mair and Lydman started the season injured. Andrej Sekera, Thomas Vanek, and Matt Ellis have all missed games due to injury as well. Given that this isn't the deepest team in the league, it is worrisome that the team is already dealing with multiple injuries and one to a marquee guy in Vanek.

- Not winning when Miller is not in net - The "Patrick Lalime sucks" bandwagon is filling up after the 4-2 loss to Atlanta in Lalime's first start of the season. Personally, I think that while I believe the Sabres could use an upgrade at the back up goalie position, I'm putting the Atlanta loss more on the guys in front of Lalime than Patrick himself. Bottom line, this team needs to figure out how to win games when Miller gets the night off. If they don't, we can expect Miller to get overworked yet again as Ruff won't have much of a choice.

Who would you rather have: Derek Roy or Milan Lucic?

Fanhouse

I know that neither the Sabres nor the Bruins would talk a Derek Roy for Milan Lucic trade.

But, this blog post got me thinking.

The writer wondered if the Bruins overpaid by signing Milan Lucic to a 3 year $12 million contract extension.

The Sabres were able to lock center Derek Roy up for a longer term when they inked him to a 6 year $24 million deal in the summer of 2007. But, the cap hit is exactly the same, so it makes for a fun discussion.

And when it comes to comparing players, are there any two different forwards to compare than Roy & Lucic?

Roy is the offensive minded undersized center and Lucic is the prototypical power forward that will hit, fight, and chip in offensively.

So, are those two different skill sets equal when it comes to value to a hockey club in a salary cap world?

Personally, this is a very tough question. It's almost one of the old head versus heart tug of wars where my head wants to say that the offense that Derek Roy brings to the table is more valuable and my heart says that Milan Lucic is everything I want to watch and root for in a hockey player.

At the end of the day, I think that both guys are good values at $4 million per, but that Derek Roy is more likely to be the player that is underpaid at that price point.

One down, 81 to go

So, the Sabres had no puck luck whatsoever against the Habs on Saturday night.

At least they had a huge advantage in shots, chances, and Tyler Myers looked really good.

The team toughness quotient also appeared to be much improved over last season.

The next big question is what will Darcy Regier do when Adam Mair is healthy and comes off of IR.

Bucky Gleason had a blog post about this topic over at The Buffalo News website.

While my dream would be making some moves that kick Clarke MacArthur or Dan Paille out of town, ship a defenseman (preferably Henrik Tallinder or Nathan Paetsch) out, and gets an upgrade at LW on the second line where MacArthur looked less than stellar.

I'd even move Nathan Gerbe if it meant getting someone like Alexander Frolov from the LA Kings.

But, being the Sabres, my guess is that they will take the easy route and send Time Kennedy to Portland.

Although, I wouldn't be too surprised if Matt Ellis were sent down, either.

Paille would be a very interesting player to waive. But, I can't see Regier putting a former 1st round pick on waivers. Just doesn't seem like Darcy's style.

Hecht-Gaustad-Grier

Sabres Edge

Last night the potential (or probable) 3rd line for the Sabres of Jochen Hecht-Paul Gaustad-Mike Grier was effective against the Leafs. Jochen Hecht scored a goal and Paul Gaustad was causing so much havoc in front he was initially given credit for the goal before it was changed later.

I've always thought that the trio of Hecht-Gaustad-Grier was an obvious fit for a 3rd line/shutdown line combination.

Gaustad is good at faceoffs and has the size to physically handle anyone he comes up against. Hecht and Grier are both defensively responsible and are vets that will know their role and play it well.

The only downside to the trio is how much offense can the Sabres expect to come from them?

The other question that this 3rd line leaves his who is the 2nd line LW?

With Vanek as the 1st line LW and Hecht as the 3rd line LW, it would appear that Clarke MacArthur or Nathan Gerbe could start the season with Derek Roy and Drew Stafford.

Given the roster crunch and waiver possibilities, my guess is that Darcy Regier is hoping that MacArthur earns that job out of camp.

14 players sent down - 33 left in camp

Sabres.com

The Sabres sent 14 players to Portland yesterday. The biggest names in the group were Tyler Ennis and TJ Brennan.

That leaves 33 players on the roster. So, I thought I would break down who I think will make the team out of camp:

Goalies (3):

This is the easiest spot to call with Ryan Miller and Patrick Lalime locked in to make the team and Jhonas Enroth still in camp to get a little more seasoning before his inevitable red tag in his locker.

Defense (11):

Locks to make the club (5): Craig Rivet, Toni Lydman, Henrik Tallinder, Steve Montador, and Andrej Sekera

Likely to make the club (1): Chris Butler

Likely to get a look to start the season (1): Tyler Myers

Likely to get sent down (3): Joe DiPenta, Marc-Andre Gragnani, and Mike Weber

Likely to end up in forward/defense purgatory (1): Nathan Paetsch

I could see the Sabres keeping eight defensemen on the NHL roster to start the season with Nathan Paetsch getting a forward/defense slot as the Sabres see what they have in Tyler Myers for at least the first 9 games of the season.

The only reason that I could see Chris Butler getting sent down is due to the fact that he wouldn't have to clear waivers.

But, I don't expect too many surprises here.

Forwards (19):

Locks to make the club (9): Thomas Vanek, Jochen Hecht, Tim Connolly, Derek Roy, Paul Gaustad, Jason Pominville, Drew Stafford, Mike Grier, and Patrick Kaleta

Lock to either make the team or start the year on the injured list (1): Adam Mair

Likely to make the roster (3): Clarke MacArthur, Dan Paille, and Matt Ellis

Likely to get sent down barring a trade (3): Cody McCormick, Nathan Gerbe and Tim Kennedy

Likely to get sent down no matter what (3): Jeff Cowan, Philip Gogulla, and Felix Schutz

The forward situation is the trickiest one to call right now due to the potential for 8 defensemen making the team and the Mair injury.

I could see Cody McCormick getting the Mair roster spot as he fills that energy role better than Gerbe or Kennedy. I could see Gerbe or Kennedy playing themselves on the roster IF Regier can get a team to give up a reasonable draft pick for Dan Paille or Clarke MacArthur. But, I can't see Regier putting Paille or MacArthur on waivers to make a spot on the roster for Gerbe or Kennedy.

And stop dreaming about Tom Golisano paying the freight to send Jochen Hecht to Portland. That is not going to happen.

10 things I want to see this season

So, Pierre LeBrun at ESPN.com has his list of ten things he'd like to see this season.

Well, here is my Sabres specific list:

10. I'd like to see Pat Kaleta be able to lay some hard, but legal, body checks on a few guys this year and not be challenged to drop the gloves. Now if he crosses the line......

9. I want to see Patrick Lalime develop into a back up goalie that Lindy Ruff can trust at least 20 times this year. And that means that he has a winning percentage over .500.

8. This one is obvious: I want Tim Connolly to be healthy all year long and play 70+ games. I still think the contract extension they gave him was a mistake, but I want the Sabres to get rewarded for the gamble.

7. I want Chris Butler to avoid the sophomore slump. I really liked what I saw from him last year. The next step is for him to continue to develop and not take a step back this season. The Sabres need someone to step up and fill the void created with Jaroslav Spacek leaving town and Butler, along with Andrej Sekera, are the two most likely candidates.

6. I want Thomas Vanek to step up and be a more complete player. We know Vanek is a Dave Andreychuk-esque PP monster. Now let's see him become more of a two way player at 5 on 5 and keep him on the PK as well.

5. I want all the talk about accountability to be more than talk. Hopefully the addition of guys like Mike Grier and Steve Montador will help in this regard.

4. I want Jason Pominville to not worry about the big contract and get back to being the all around impact player that he was a couple of years ago. I also want Jochen Hecht and Henrik Tallinder to not worry about people like me wanting them gone and get back to being as good as they were a few years ago.

3. I want more offense out of the "energy guys" like Paul Gaustad, Patrick Kaleta, Adam Mair, Matt Ellis and crew. The Sabres need to get more offense from their 3rd and 4th line guys if they are to make the playoffs.

2. I want a young guy, whether it's Tyler Myers, Tyler Ennis, Tim Kennedy, Nathan Gerbe, or someone else, to step up and be a player that surprises everyone with what they bring to the team in 2009-10. Obviously all eyes are on Tyler Myers. But, I think Tyler Ennis is the guy that could really surprise people. Especially if Tim Connolly isn't healthy and the team needs an offensive minded center to step up and fill the void.

1. I want this team to make the playoffs. Two years out is two years too many!

Fantasy draft

The Buffalo News

I know they cheesed the idea from Columbus, but it's nice to see that the players appear to be fired up.

Now if they can maintain that for 82 games.........

Gone camping

I have to applaud both Drew Stafford and his agent. Drew showed up to day one of camp without a signed contract, took part in the conditioning drills, and then before Day 2 they hammered out a 2 year $3.8 million contract with Darcy Regier and the Sabres.

Drew needs to become more consistent and elevate his game from a guy that gets 15 to 20 goals and 40 to 45 points to someone who is a 30 goal 60+ point guy. I don't think that anyone believes that those type of numbers are outside the realm of possibility for a former 1st Round pick that has been a key offensive contributor in college at North Dakota and with US Jr National Teams and was well over a point per game in the AHL with 22 goals and 44 points in 34 games.

Other thoughts:

- Internet rumors that Jochen Hecht is out shape seem to be misplaced from people I trust. If Jochen did show up fat and out of shape, I would hope that Golisano would pay the freight to send him to the ECHL.

- I really hope that Tyler Myers is on the roster for the whole season. He won't be a top pairing guy. But, I think that he would be better off on the Sabres 3rd pairing this year as opposed to going back to the WHL where he has nothing left to learn.

- Looking at the Sabres payroll chart for this season, it looks like Golisano did give Regier a little more money to work with than expected.

Now for HOW they spent that money........

Top Shelf post at Top Shelf

Top Shelf

That post needs it's own RJ call associated with it.

Just read it. 'Nuff said

Vogl chats with Darcy

The Buffalo News

I hope that Ennis and Stafford are signed soon. The Sabres need Drew in camp on time and Ennis won't get much out of another year in the WHL. Thankfully Ennis is old enough that he can play in Portland this season.

I wish Ryan Kennedy's wish were to come true and Tyler Myers were able to play in the AHL this year.

Mair is on the shelf

The Buffalo News

Adam Mair had his hip scoped and it's expected that he'll miss at least 6 weeks of action.

I wonder if the Sabres knew about the hip issue and that is why they signed more than a few 4th line types such as Jeff Cowan and Cody McCormick?

While I really like what Adam Mair brings to the table, I'm more concerned about Drew Stafford still being an un-signed RFA.

Stafford far from the best un-signed RFA

Phil Kessel is still un-signed. After reading how the Islanders need to add more talent around John Tavares, how about this roll of the dice: Kessel to the Isles for their 1st Rounder in 2010?

The Isles get a former top 5 pick who had a 36 goal 60 point season last year. Granted, Kessel has had off season shoulder surgery and he might not be ready to go until mid-November, he would accelerate the development curve over whomever the Isles would get in next summer's draft.

Although, the Isles also get a player who is closer to UFA and they lose their Taylor Hall lottery ticket. But, Kessel on Josh Bailey's wing would certainly take some heat off the Tavares-Okposo line.

The Rangers have yet to sign center Brandon Dubinsky, as well. He is the type of guy that I'd love the Sabres to pick up. Too bad they have Connolly costing $4.5 million against the cap each of the next two seasons........

Other stuff

I hope Ice Edge Holdings wins the Phoenix Coyotes tug of war. If I were to fall into a billion dollars in the next couple of days, I'd try and get involved to return the Coyotes to their rightful home: Winnipeg!

The NHLPA is nuts.

The Crosby-Ovechkin debate from a stats-based viewpoint. They should throw Malkin into the mix, too.

Jerry, Jerry, Jerry

I'd love to cheap shot Jerry Sullivan after his latest column.

I'd love to say that the newspaper industry hasn't improved immensely since their customers have started to go away.

But, I won't go there. Instead I'll just point to Jerry's own indecision on the Drew Stafford contract situation as an example that even Jerry can't make up his mind about what the Sabres should do.

I mean, he suggests that the Sabres shouldn't play hardball with Drew. But, he also says that they shouldn't overpay him.

Well, aren't the odds of overpaying a guy pretty good if a team doesn't play hardball with a Restricted Free Agent like Drew? I would think so.

Get ready for another CBA war

TSN.ca

Paul Kelly has been whacked as the NHLPA head honcho. It appears that he was let go because he was actually developing a good working relationship with the NHL brass.

Apparently the NHL players want someone to go to war with Bettman and company.

We all know how well that approach went last time around.

NHL owners have already shown that they have the stomach to shut the league down for a season to get what they want.

I have yet to see the players hold together long enough to out wait the owners in a stare down. I hope the NHLPA doesn't go hard liner and we lose another NHL season (or more).

But, I'm not liking this situation at all.

Scratch Vancouver from the list of teams that might want Tallinder

TSN.ca

I'd take Schneider at $1.55M for one year on this roster to replace Spacek.

But, that's just me.

Why are people freaking out over the Cowan signing?

Sabres.com

I don't get the freak out over the Sabres signing Jeff Cowan to a two-way contract.

Too many people are freaking out that the Sabres have too many 4th line energy guys with the signings of Cowan and Cody McCormick.

I guess the fact that they both signed two way deals and one, or both, could be headed to Portland didn't register.

- I also don't get the piling on of Patrick Kane.

A 20yo kid did something stupid after a night out partying on Chippewa. I'm sure Kane is the first 20-something to do something regrettable after a night out on the town.

I just hope that Patrick learns from his mistake and grows up quick. I also hope that he has an attitude adjustment and shuts the haters up.

- Puck Daddy is having a cool series where various people give 5 reasons why they love hockey.

Here are my 5 reasons:

1) The 1980 US Men's Olympic Hockey team. Nuff said.

2) The orange seats in The Aud. I still remember climbing up to the upper deck at The Aud, feeling like I was going to fall forward and onto the ice, and watching the good old Blue & Gold.

3) Playing goal. I may be nuts, but there is nothing like playing goal in hockey. From the gear to being the one person that plays the whole game to the feeling of making a miracle save, it's just awesome.

4) The feeling of the wind in my face when I skate. It is this feeling that I love every time it happens, especially when the long summer break is over and new season starts.

5) Passing the love of the game along to my kids. My boys went to Amerks hockey camp a couple of weeks ago and seeing the huge smiles on their faces was priceless. Strapping goalie gear on my oldest son was so much fun as he develops the goalie bug.

What's new?

So, Sabres.com got an anti-slug facelift.

Teppo Numminen retired.

The Sabres signed another sub-6 footer to back up Jhonas Enroth in Portland in J-P Lamoureux.

The Sabres added a gritty 4th liner to a two way deal in Cody McCormick. The rumor mill is spinning with talk that Adam Mair may have a major hip injury and that's why McCormick was signed.

If you want to get your hopes up, check out this Twitter feed.

I mean, if you can believe that the Sabres could possibly be in the running for Todd Bertuzzi and close to re-signing Dominic Moore. If those two things happen, that would make for a tense first few days of camp.

Needful things

Regier signed Andrej Sekera to a very cap friendly two year deal.

And they re-signed Clarke MacArthur before doing the arbitration dance.

With Drew Stafford as the lone unsigned RFA left and the Sabres likely done with the UFA shopping, the talk moves toward what does the team still need?

The biggest problem with the Sabres is that they need to move guys out to make room for guys that can improve them.

I believe they could use a a guy that is a better leader, better on faceoffs, and more durable than Connolly.

But, they won't or can't move Tim.

They need an upgrade over Hecht at the 2nd line LW spot.

But, they won't or can't move Hecht.

They need an upgrade over Stafford opposite Vanek.

But, they haven't moved Stafford.

They need a PP QB defenseman.

But, that would require moving Tallinder and/or Lydman which hasn't happened yet.

They also need an upgrade over Lalime behind Miller.

But, a post-surgery Lalime @ $1M isn't going anywhere.

The biggest needs for this team are a more aggressive GM and an owner that isn't driven by the bottom line.

Back from the long weekend

I am going to have some quick hits from the first few days of Free Agency:

- I like the Montador signing for the Sabres. They needed more grit and "compete" and while Montador isn't the biggest and baddest guy out there, he is an Adam Mair-like blue collar guy that gives you everything he has. Add in the reasonable contract and I am happy with the deal.

- The Rangers find a taker for one bad deal (Gomez) and they hand out another (Gaborik). Do they have to have a few bad contracts at any given time?

- IF the Sabres get Biron, who can Darcy dump Lalime on?

- This makes the Mike Zigomanis fax machine blunder look like nothing. I'd love to see Barker and Versteeg in Buffalo, but I doubt it happens if they hit the market.

- I don't know what was more interesting, Pronger to Philly, Ryan Smyth to LA, or Hossa to Chicago. I have a feeling that the Hossa deal means that Campbell and Huet might be getting move out of the Windy City in the next 15 months.....

- THN's Sam McCraig has his best deals of FA so far. I like Craig Anderson in goal, but I'd go with Adrian Aucoin and Kent Huskins on defense, and Ian Laperriere, Chad LaRose, and Mike Knuble up front. You can get those six guys for less than the Sedin twins will make this year in Vancouver.

- I'm laughing at the Alexei Kovalev to the Sabres rumor, but am intrigued by the Derek Morris to the Sabres talk. The Sabres have had an interest in Morris over the years and would add another RH shot to the blueline.

- I love how NHL GMs almost never learn from past mistakes. I know Brian Gionta is a local guy and he had some good chemistry with Scott Gomez, but $5 million per year for a guy with declining numbers and had 20 goals and 60 points last year?

Is it a big deal?

The Willfull Caboose

Sabres Edge Blog

Sabres.com - Lunchtime Express

Yesterday I received a notification either via email or Twitter (or both) that Darcy Regier would be this week's guest on the Sabres.com Lunchtime Express WebTV show and that he would be on at 12:30pm today.

With NHL Free Agency set to begin at noon, that notice caused a bit of a stir.

WGR 550's Mike Schopp, and to a lesser extent his co-host The Bulldog, went off and said that Regier was flaunting the fact that the Sabres won't dive head first into the free agency pool.

Mike Harrington at The Buffalo News posted a quick little blog post about it as well.

Personally, I'm torn. While I agree that for appearance sake, the Sabres should perhaps have Kevin Devine on this week to go over the Sabres draft or first round pick Zack Kassian.

But on the other hand, I'm not expecting Regier to do a whole lot today, so I don't see the really big deal should Regier take 20 to 30 minutes out of his day to answer some fan questions.

Sure, I get the thought process that this is a symptom of the overall illness that the Sabres are currently suffer from. However, I think things like extending Tim Connolly's contract is a bigger symptom to be concerned about as I believe, despite what Schopp said, that things like giving Connolly a raise isn't trivia.

One day away and Jay McKee is available.....

We are one day away from Free Agency starting and a name familiar to Sabres fans is now available.

The St. Louis Blues opted to buy out the final year of Jay McKee's contract. McKee had trouble staying healthy in St. Louis playing in 23, 66, and 69 games in the three years with the Blues after signing a 4 year $16 million UFA contract with the club three summers ago.

Jay loves Western New York and wanted to stay in Buffalo, but the money changed his mind. It will be interesting to see how much interest there is for Jay. Despite all the injuries (he has only played 70+ games 5 times in his 12 year career), he is only 31 years old and turns 32 in September.

If he is willing to take Teppo Numminen-type dollars ($1 to 2 million range), I could see the Sabres having some interest. But, we shall see............

Who else could the Sabres be interested in?

Some people are speculating that the Sabres could be interested in Rochester native Brian Gionta. It will be interesting to see what kind of offers Gionta gets as he has seen his goal totals drop off after his career high of 48 in 2005-06. The past three seasons Gionta has only potted 25, 22, and 20 goals.

Again, depending on where the market goes, I could see the Sabres rolling the dice on Gionta as a replacement for Max Afinogenov and Ales Kotalik. But, I can't see the Sabres going much over $2 million a year for a guy that needs to get his game back on track.

One guy I'm interested in seeing what happens with him is Columbus center Manny Malhotra. THN's Ryan Kennedy says that Malhotra is likely to test the market as he wants #1 center dollars as he was a top line guy in Columbus. But, the feeling around the league is that he's more of a 3rd line guy.

If Malhotra is seeking top line money, that will likely price him out of the Sabres plans. But, he is the type of player that I would like the Sabres to add as insurance in the event that Tim Connolly struggles with injuries again. On top of that, Malhotra was top 5 in the NHL in Faceoff % last season and the Sabres could stand to improve in that department.

On defense, a couple of Nashville Predators could be good fits in Buffalo in Greg de Vries and Greg Zanon. Neither guy will cost and arm and a leg, but they both would add the veteran leadership and grit that the Sabres blueline could use. The key there, along with a potential move to add Jay McKee, would be whether the Sabres can move Henrik Tallinder and/or Toni Lydman.

My Day Before UFA Day Crazy Thought

It will never happen, but it would be interesting to see what the Sabres could get if they were to shop Ryan Miller.

Colorado, LA, and Edmonton would all appear to be desperate for a starting goalie like Ryan Miller.

Could the Sabres pry RFA defenseman Jack Johnson plus another key piece like goalie Jonathon Bernier or defenseman Colton Teubert out of the Kings?

Could they get Jordan Eberle or Sam Gagner and Theo Peckham out of the Oilers?

I can't imagine that the Avalanche would move Matt Duchene, but I'd ask and have Ryan O'Reilly and Kevin Shattenkirk.

I would then target Craig Anderson to start in Miller's spot until Jhonas Enroth is ready to go.

These moves would add to the Sabres prospect depth, clear budget space to upgrade the defense and/or forwards, and give the Sabres above average goaltending moving forward.

I know the thought of trading Miller is crazy. That's why it's the crazy thought of the day!

Looking back at the draft and forward to Free Agency

Sabres Prospects.com

Sabres.com

The Buffalo News

This year, the Sabres focused on size, toughness, and grit in the draft as went all North American with their 6 picks and all their picks have size and toughness in their descriptions.

1st Round - 13th overall - Zack Kassian - I loved this pick as Kassian was getting compared to Boston's Milan Lucic a lot prior to the draft. Kassian was the only real tough guy forward with 1st round skill in this year's draft. More than a few fans were disappointed that the Sabres passed on guys with more offensive upside, such as Jordan Schroeder from the University of Minnesota. But, I am not one of them. The Sabres have a lot of small, skilled guys on their roster and in the prospect pipeline. They don't have a lot of guys with top 6 skill and the size and toughness to open up space for the smaller guys. Kassian has the potential to do that in the NHL.

3rd Round - 66th overall - Brayden McNabb - At 6'4" and 200 lbs, McNabb is a big blueliner that has a bit of an offensive game. The big question for McNabb is his skating as he was exploited at the U-18s for Canada when their coaching staff asked him to play more conservatively than he is used to. Hopefully he turns into a physical defensive defenseman who can skate well enough to be effective. He looks to also add the size and toughness to help clear out the front of the crease. That element is missing in the Sabres pipeline outside of Mike Weber. With the Sabres' needs up the middle, an argument could have been made for guys like Michael Latta and Ryan Bourque at this spot. But, I won't argue too loud, especially given McNabb's experience playing with Tyler Myers in prep school.

4th Round - 104th overall - Marcus Foligno - Mike's second son to be drafted wanted to be a Sabre so bad that he was upset when the team didn't take him in the 3rd round. The Sabres see Marcus in the Paul Gaustad mold and their is nothing wrong with that. Again, this is a pick that I love. The Sabres are already talking about moving Foligno from LW to center, so that is a plus as well.

5th Round - 134th overall - Mark Adams - Adams is a guy that is flying under the radar a bit as he's Massachusetts prep school player who is slated to head to the Chicago Steel of the USHL before heading off to Providence College for the 2010-11 season. Sabres Prospects.com has Adams listed at 6'2" 205 lbs (NHL.com had him at 6'1" 187 lbs), so he's another guy 6'2" or taller and 200+ lbs. At the high school level, he was also a solid skater and contributed a lot offensively. The Sabres are likely to give Adams more than few years to mature before making a decision on him.

6th Round - 164th overall - Connor Knapp - Knapp was the Sabres yearly goalie prospect pick. At 6'5" 215 lbs, the Miami University goalie certainly has the size that is in vogue in the NHL. He had a solid freshman year for the Redhawks, but was on the bench during Miami's run to the NCAA Championship game. It will be interesting to see how he does over the next few years, along with guys like Brad Eidsness at North Dakota and Nick Eno at Bowling Green.

7th Round - 194th overall - Maxime Legault - The 6'2" 195 lb RW from Shawinigan is an overage draftee that the Sabres could choose to sign this summer and stick in Portland (or a lower league) or they can opt to have him return to the Q for an overage season. Legault is another lunch pail guy that won't fill up a stat sheet, but could develop into a 4th line guy that is tough to play against.

In summary, the Sabres draft strategy was pretty simple this year: get as many big, tough guys that are tough to play against into the system.

I can't argue with a blue collar draft for the Blue & Gold!

Free Agency starts up on Wednesday

THN Blog - Sam McCaig's all-overlooked free agent team

The Sabres will stick to the game plan that they've had recently with the owner, managing partner, GM, and head coach all coming back for another year.

So while some fans want big moves to happen, that just isn't in the offing for the Sabres. Chris Pronger was never coming to Buffalo. Jay Bouwmeester was never coming to Buffalo. Marian Gaborik, Marian Hossa, and Martin Havlat won't be coming to Buffalo.

But what I'm hoping for is that the Sabres look at some second tier guys like Chad Larose, Johnny Oduya, and Greg de Vries could be guys that could fit in on the Sabres if they are indeed under the radar guys.

I think Oduya is a guy that will get a lot of interest around the league, so I wouldn't be surprised if he were priced out of the Sabres budget.

The perfect forward for the Sabres this off season could be Ian Laperriere. He has the grit and leadership that could help stir up the locker room without costing an arm and a leg.

Greg de Vries could be the type of guy the Sabres want to help break Tyler Myers into the NHL.

But, what the Sabres do in free agency will be driven as much by what they are able to do with regards to moving contracts like Jochen Hecht and Henrik Tallinder as by the market. Darcy Regier will likely have a budget of around $50 million to work with this year and they already have around $46 million on the books for next season before re-signing any of their RFAs (Stafford, Sekera, Kaleta, and MacArthur) or UFAs (Ellis, Peters, and Spacek). Teppo Numminen, Max Afinogenov and Dominic Moore are also UFAs-to-be, but I would be surprised if they are back next season.

Personally, my hopes for the rest of the off season are influenced by the constraints that the Sabres are working under and the history of the current management of the team.

My hope is that they turn over 4 or 5 roster spots, trading away Hecht and Tallinder in the process, and add a Cup winner or two during that process.

I don't need a big name guy to land in Buffalo to be happy (although that would be nice). I just don't want the roster changes to be limited to Tyler Myers and a player or two from Portland being the new faces on the roster.

The not so crazy thought of the day

People are blasting me left and right for the Crazy Thought with regards to signing the Sedins and trading Vanek and Roy for the 1st overall pick.

That's fine. It was a CRAZY THOUGHT!

Now for my not so crazy thought:

Don't sign a single UFA and instead focus on making two to four solid trades to mix things up.

Regier has made some really solid trades over the years and I think that is the way the team needs to go this off season.

Trades like Rhett Warrener and Keith Ballard (to Colorado for Reinprecht and then Steven got flipped to the Flames) for Chris Drury, Chris Gratton for Daniel Briere, Mike Wilson for Rhett Warrener, and Matt Barnaby for Stu Barnes all added the type of leadership that this team needs.

I don't believe it should be beyond Darcy Regier to pull off a few trades that change the make up of this team enough that the attitude change this roster needs is made a reality.

In Regier's interview with WGR 550, he talked about how the team needs to development leadership from within the room. That scared me as I don't have a lot of confidence that guys like Roy, Connolly, Vanek, and Pominville have the inate ability to lead. And don't even get me started about guys like Hecht, Tallinder, and Lydman.

Adding Craig Rivet last year helped the leadership issues on the roster. I would like to see the team make some moves to add one or two more guys like that to the roster. Removing guys like Hecht and Tallinder that are dying for a change of scenery should help as well.

We shall see what Regier has up his sleeve over the next 2 weeks with the draft this weekend and UFA opening up next week.

I won't yell and scream when Jay Bouwmeester signs elsewhere for sick money and a long term.

I will yell and scream if on opening night the only new faces in the Sabres lineup are Tyler Myers and kids from Portland like Tim Kennedy and Mike Weber.

At a minimum, I want one player added who owns a Stanley Cup ring. Is that too much to ask?

Sabres Beat Writer for a Day

The Buffalo News Sports page had a cool twist to Bucky Gleason's "GM for a Day" column that has become somewhat of an annual tradition ahead of the draft and free agency.

This year, not only did Bucky do his thing as "GM for a day", but John Vogl did a "Coach for a day" column and Mike Harrington was "Quinn for a day".

So, I will channel my inner Bucky and do a "Sabres beat writer for a day" blog post.

I was disappointed that Bucky's changes, outside of adding resources to the amateur scouting department, were basically limited to getting rid of some dead weight and adding Jay Bouwmeester.

The talk of adding someone like Mark Howe, Terry Martin, or Les Jackson to the scouting department is something that I can most certainly get on board with. I think that the Sabres would be better off long term if they opted to pull back the player payroll budget $3 or 4 million per year and invested that money on the scouting department to try and unearth more hidden gems.

But after that, Bucky's day leaves me wanting. He talks about getting rid of Jochen Hecht, Henrik Tallinder, and Toni Lydman, but not really about how that would happen. He also leaves the team with a pretty green group of defensemen outside of Craig Rivet and Bouwmeester.

And the forward ranks don't really get the type of change that I would hope for. Also, where is the leadership upgrade that the team desperately needs given the fact that Lindy Ruff is returning as the head coach and it appears that the roster is tired of his message?

Where are the additions of veteran leaders, especially one or more with Cup rings, to help change the locker room dynamic?

Add in the fact that Bucky's moves don't really help the Sabres cap situation in 2010-11 and I'm left really wanting more.

I like Vogl's idea of starting the Mair-Gaustad-Kaleta line and telling them to "Run 'em". But again, I was left wanting.

Given that Vogl's GM for a day left the roster pretty much intact and no new veteran leaders being added to the room, I would wonder how Vogl would change the message to get through to this team that doesn't want to follow their coach's directions on a consistent enough basis to make the playoffs.

Maybe he's buying the players line that they've really learned their lesson this time and next year will be different........

Harrington pulled the easiest duty of the three as pretty much everyone can agree with the thought that Larry Quinn needs to get his nose out of the hockey side of thing, outside of putting pressure on the GM and Head Coach to improve the team A WHOLE LOT and actually MAKE THE PLAYOFFS.

Outside of maybe rattling Darcy and Lindy into being less "status quo", there Quinn doesn't need to do anything on the hockey side of things, IMO.

Crazy Thought of the Day

Most people on the Sabres BB thought I was nuts for proposing that the Sabres move Vanek and Roy and sign the Sedin Twins to the rumored carbon copy 12 yr $63 million deals.

I'll add to the craziness and wonder if the Isles would take Vanek and Roy for the #1 pick?

John Tavares and the Sedin Twins for Vanek and Roy?

I know. It's crazy.........

First the draft and then free agency

The draft is a mere three weeks away and while many are dreaming of the Sabres moving up into the top 5 for a player like Matt Duchene, Evander Kane, or Brayden Schenn, I don't believe that is likely to happen.

Since the lockout, no team has traded out of the top 5 and into the teens. And with younger players being value guys, I can't see that trend changing. Especially since Darcy Regier is unlikely to really blow a team away with a trade offer.

The only time in recent memory where Regier even tried to make a splashy move like that was when he had a trade asset he HAD to move in Michael Peca. But, when he failed to land Rick Nash, he had to settle for the Connolly-Pyatt combo from the Islanders.

If you are looking for some new school ideas on the draft, Puck Prospectus is the place to go. Sure, articles about how impact offensive defensemen are most likely to be drafted in the 1st round and impact goalies largely come from the top 3 rounds isn't earth shattering, but they do seem to cut through some of the traditional thinking (like overvaluing size in players) and go for some of the "Moneyball" type undervalued gems that have been adopted by pretty much everyone in Major League Baseball.

I think a couple of guys that PP will fall in love in this draft will be Windsor defenseman Ryan Ellis and Finnish forward Toni Rajala. Ellis was a PP specialist for Team Canada at the World Jrs and helped lead Windsor to a Memorial Cup title this season. And Rajala was just named the best forward at the U-18 World Championships after bagging 10 goals and 9 assists in 6 games for Finland.

Both seem to have a lack of size as the biggest negative attached to them going into the draft. And Puck Prospectus doesn't seem to buy into that rationalization for decreasing their draft stock.

It will be interesting to see how things work out.

Now about free agency.........

WGR is going topic radio with throwing a name of an UFA to be out there and seeing whom their listeners would like the Sabres to add this off season.

I'm going to go the other way and say that the Sabres #1 priority this off season should be to clear cap space.

CapGeek.com spells out why this should be a priority. The Sabres currently have the 7th worst cap situation in the NHL.

The toughest part of that is that they six teams in worst shape all made the playoffs this season.

Add in the uncertainty of of where the cap will go in 2010-11 and I'm worried that the Sabres will make their cap situation even worse if they dip into the UFA market this off season.

But with Regier and Ruff likely under the gun, my guess is that the long term status of their roster versus the cap won't be their #1 concern heading into UFA...........

Zags, we hardly even knew thee

Apparently the KHL is calling for Sabres prospect Marek Zagrapan.

And now the hindsight is 20/20 crew are bemoaning another Sabres 1st round draft bust and are looking at guys like TJ Oshie, Andrew Cogliano, and Ryan O'Marra who were centers that were drafted later in the 1st round of the 2005 NHL Entry Draft.

Personally, you can drive yourself nuts with revisionist history like this.

I'm more worried about the fact that the Sabres need to make some serious changes this off season and right now they have 8 forwards, 5 defensemen, and 2 goalies under contract for next season at a player payroll of $46.1 million (Cap Hit total of $46.5M).

So, if the player payroll budget is in the $51 to 52 million range, how do they add 5 or 6 forwards to the mix and 2 defensemen for $5 to 6 million?

And how much does Tyler Myers' signing bonus affect that budget as well?

Add in the doom and gloom about the 2010-11 cap falling to $50 million or less and I'm wondering if it might not be a good time to dump payroll.

I could even live with a reboot of immense proportions like sending Vanek to Edmonton, Pominville to Montreal, Miller to Detroit, and Hecht, Tallinder, and Lydman to parts unknown.

But, I know that this team doesn't have the stomach for something like that. We'll just get the Same Old Sabres........

Myers signed, 94% STH renewals, and more!

Sabres sign Tyler Myers

The Sabres headed off a boatload of fax machine jokes by signing Tyler Myers to an entry level contract yesterday.

With Myers leading the Kelowna Rockets to the Memorial Cup (programming note: The NHL Network will broadcast the Memorial Cup Finals live, so set your DVRs), the Sabres took a step in the right direction by locking Myers up.

Now it will be interesting to see if the Sabres go after a mentor for Myers this off season. My dream scenario would see the Sabres getting Chris Pronger or Robyn Regehr to pair with Myers next season. But, knowing the Sabres, the most I can hope for is a cheaper defenseman with re-signing Jaro Spacek being the "biggest" move I can reasonably expect.

But who knows, maybe they'll surprise me!

94% Renewal Rate

I'm sure this news has Bucky Gleason's head exploding as he seems to think that re-upping to buy season tickets to the Bills and Sabres means that fans are soft.

Personally, I'm into loyalty. And there is no way that I'm going to rip fans for continuing to support a sport and a team that they love.

I just hope that the Sabres do more to earn the loyalty that the fans are showing.

The one that got away

Sabres fans have been lamenting the ones that have gotten away lately with WGR 550's Mike Schopp openly wondering if the Sabres cut Steve Bernier loose too soon and Heather B missing Brian Campbell.

Add in some of the usual Drury, Briere, and to some extent Biron wishful hindsight stuff and you have a lot of people saying what if.

You can also add in all the drafting retrospectives like why did the Sabres take Dennis Persson instead of Nick Foligno.

The one that got away that worries me the most is Dennis Wideman. The Sabres let Dennis go simply because they didn't want to pay him what he thought he was worth coming out of Jr. Dennis has turned into a good NHL defenseman and has been traded for a guy that I would love on the Sabres in Brad Boyes.

Heck, I think I might want Boyes even more than Wideman right now.......

Balsillie as the bad guy

I'm sorry, but I can't get to the place where I think that a billionaire that wants to move an NHL team out of a bad US market like Phoenix to a good Canadian market like Southern Ontario is a bad guy.

Balsillie appears to be the type of NHL owner that I wish the Sabres had.

Why couldn't Balsillie have been from Western NY and not Southern Ontario?

The only thing the Sabres have to fear is.......

With all the reports of the possible relocation of the Phoenix Coyotes to Hamilton, Ontario, the Sabres seem to be fearful of what it will mean for them.

To me, it would appear that another team in Western Ontario could be a boon for the Sabres, if they approach things properly.

How you may ask?

Simple. I would hope that the Sabres, Leafs, and the new Hamilton team would all be in the same division for starters. If that were the case, the Sabres would now have 8 home games a year against Toronto and Hamilton.

And while Sabres fans would hate my reasoning, the bean counters at One Seymour H. Knox III Plaza should be salivating about more Platinum level variable pricing games.

Plus, you can market Sabres season ticket packages to plenty of fans of Toronto and Hamilton as very affordable alternatives to season tickets to the games in Toronto and Hamilton (I am assuming that the prices of tickets in Hamilton will be closer to those in Toronto than in Buffalo).

And if the NHL gets back to a divisional playoff structure, you could see a lot of Toronto-Buffalo and Hamilton-Buffalo playoff series down the line which would be amazing for the Sabres bottom line.

I guess it's all about how you look at the glass in this scenario. You can look at it half full and think that a Hamilton franchise as a death knell for the Sabres. Or, you can look the glass as half full and take the approach that another regional rival will be a very positive thing for the Sabres moving forward.

Quinn speaks

WGR 550

Sabres managing partner Larry Quinn was in-studio yesterday with WGR 550's The Bulldog and spoke about the whole Phoenix Coyotes situation and the potential that the team could relocate to Southern Ontario, but what the team is looking to do this off season.

Glass Half Full:

- Quinn said that they might make a big move or they might not. So, the glass half full is that the team might be open to making the big changes that many believe need to be made

Glass Half Empty:

- Quinn seemed to believe that Ruff hasn't lost the team and that the team as currently put together isn't flawed in areas like size. He even tried to say that the Detroit Red Wings are the smallest team in the league, so that isn't an issue with the Sabres and whether they can compete with a team that is built the way the Sabres are currently.

Personally, talk is cheap and I'm not going to flip out too much after this interview.

But, I've resigned myself to the lowest of expectations this off season as soon as the club quickly decided to retain Regier and Ruff.

The most concerning thing to me is that the management of this club seems headed down the same path they followed a year ago. And all that approach got them was 2 points closer to 8th place.

I've been slacking....

I have been thinking about the Sabres and where I think they should go this off season.

This thread over at HFBoards.com was fun.

My team looked like this:

Vanek-Connolly-Skille
Hecht-Kennedy-Pominville
Marchant-Gaustad-Burish
Moen-Mair-Kaleta
Mancari-Paille

Regehr-Myers
Butler-Rivet
Lydman-Gilbert
Weber

Miller
Lalime

What I like:

• The defense - I especially like getting bigger and having 3 natural RH shots
• Adding a couple of players with rings - Marchant and Moen were character guys on the Ducks Cup winning team from a couple of years ago and I think that is an element that this team sorely lacks
• Getting rid of Tallinder and Roy

What I don't like:

• Still having Hecht
• Having to place Tim Kennedy as the 2nd line center - I would have preferred to get someone bigger in that spot. I may need to go for round two and tweak my Roy deal and maybe pass on Regehr and instead re-sign Spacek
• Lalime as the back up - Too much money for a guy that didn't look comfortable with spot start duty

But honestly, I'm expecting the Sabres to return with a roster with not even this many changes, so what's the point?

Joch 'em if you got 'em

John Vogl has a blog post and an article in today's Buffalo News about Jochen Hecht.

My take is that the Sabres need to move Hecht and his three years remaining at a little over $3.5 million per year if it is at all possible.

Hecht is the type of quiet leader that the Sabres can't afford to keep around. Add in that he was less than effective overall this season and moving him out has to be a priority if this team is to improve this off season.

But, I'm bracing for the worst as I fully expect Regier to bring back 95% of this year's roster next season and all the talk will be about maturing, learning from mistakes, yadda, yadda, yadda.

Basically the same stuff we heard prior to this season after they just missed the playoffs last season.

What are people talking about today?

Bucky is wondering if the ruins of The Aud reflect the current state of the Sabres and Bills. Personally, I think the Waterfront (nothing has changed despite people flapping their lips) represents the Sabres more. Larry Quinn had a plan to upgrade the Waterfront, just like his plan for the Sabres, right............

John Vogl is wondering how much Drew Stafford is worth. I am very interested to see if the Oilers will give Stafford a Penner-esque RFA Offer Sheet . Penner received a five-year, $21.25 million offer sheet from the Oilers and the Ducks received a 1st, 2nd, and 3rd round picks in 2008 when they opted not to match.

This would give the Sabres a boatload of picks in next year's draft IF Edmonton opts to go that big for Stafford. The one reason that the Oilers would seem to be in play for Stafford is that Drew's uncle Barrie is the long time head equipment manager with the Oilers and there were rumors that the Oilers made an offer to Buffalo to flip picks in Drew's draft year so that they could draft him.

The other option would be a trade if the Oilers say were willing to trade a player that would fill a Sabres need like RH dman Tom Gilbert or maybe some of their bigger forwards like Kyle Brodziak and Zach Stortini.

The Willful Caboose takes a look at Thomas Vanek.

I like the overall take on Vanek. But, I don't know that Thomas will ever be the type of leader that she is hoping for. I would echo the need for Thomas to up his work ethic and remove any hint of lazy in his game.

But, that is the most I would expect from Vanek in the future as I don't believe he has true leadership in his make up. But for me, it's good enough if Vanek ups his level of compete, gets more ice time, and keeps producing at an elite level.

Props to The Buffalo News

I have to give some props to The Buffalo News and their coverage of the Sabres so far this off season.

First, Buck Gleason has some pretty damning quotes from French Connection member Rene Robert. Robert calls out Tom Golisano for nickle and diming things and not caring enough about winning. Then he goes on to say that Larry Quinn should be removed from any input on the hockey side of the organization as his background is in land development and not hockey.

Apparently there were more than a few fellow Sabres alumni that agreed with Rene's takes, but didn't want to have their name associated with quotes that could create a wedge between themselves and the club.

It's sad that the Sabres skin is so thin that they can't handle a little criticism in the face of back to back seasons of missing the playoffs.

In today's paper, John Vogl has a piece talking about how the Sabres were one of the quietest teams ever.

People have talked about how the chemistry of the team needs to change and this is a great example of some of the issues with the way the roster is put together that haven't gotten enough play in the media over the past few seasons.

It will be interesting to see if the Sabres move to bring in some more vocal leadership this off season.

Personally, they need to look at that part of building a team if they are to get anywhere.

Really?

Sabres.com

They better light a fire under their rears and make some real changes to the roster this summer after this announcement.

But, I'm preparing for another year of the Same Old Sabres.......

It's all about Lindy day

Bucky Gleason has his take on Lindy Ruff in today's Buffalo News.

The Sabres Edge Blog at The Buffalo News.com has a poll on whether Lindy should return.

The Willful Caboose has a break down on Lindy.

With almost 85% of the 755 votes in the poll in favor of bringing Lindy back, it would appear that most fans are on the same page as Bucky Gleason.

Personally, this team needs change. I am with Bucky in pointing the finger above Lindy for the bulk of the team's issues. However, I don't think that Ruff's performance over the past 7 seasons has been enough to warrant bringing Ruff back if management doesn't go about the roster changes that are needed.

We've seen it in pro sports all the time where a good head coach is let go because a change is needed. The best example where both the fired coach and the team got a ring is Tony Dungy being let go by Tampa Bay. The Bucs won a Super Bowl with Jon Gruden and the Colts won with Dungy.

Personally, I have doubts that management (from Golisano through Regier) will be willing to make the needed changes where bringing Ruff back will get the team to the level where a playoff spot is a reasonable expectation.

Right now, I think the Sabres are once again a coin toss with regards to making the playoffs. They've finished 10th in back to back seasons and missed the playoffs by 4 pts in 2007-08 and 2 pts this season.

So, it is not a stretch to say that the team could make the playoffs next season with minor tweaks.

But, that is not what I want. I want the team to make the 4 to 5 changes that can get this team from just outside the playoffs to a team that is at worst going to make the playoffs and at best is fighting for the division or a 4 seed in the East.

This team doesn't need to be blown up. But, it needs more than a minor tweak to get where I want it to be next season, as well.

Pirates roll in Game 1 versus Providence

Jhonas Enroth and the Portland Pirates shut out Providence 3-0 last night in Game 1 of the their 1st Round AHL playoff series.

Marek Zagrapan scored the GWG and the empty netter to seal the deal, Mark Mancari set up both of Marek's goals, and Felix Schutz scored an unassisted goal early in the 3rd.

Also, Paul Baier and Marc-Andre Gragnani were both +3 on the night with Marc-Andre getting the secondary assist on the GWG.

Matt Generous was the loan ATO player in the lineup for the Pirates.........

Sabres need to "Play out of character"

Here is what I want out of Sabres ownership and management this off season:

Compete

Compete like you want your players to compete 82 games a year.

"Play out of character" and do some things that get dismissed as "that's not the way the Sabres do things" because it's painfully obvious that the status quo is not good enough with two straight 10th place finishes and the team light years away from a Cup when compared to where the club was in the two seasons after the lockout.

And the Sabres need to look no further than Toronto to see a GM that is being aggressive in making over his team.

Brian Burke is going hard after NCAA FAs, a stud FA European goalie, and now he's saying that he wants to talk to the Islanders about the 1st overall pick so that they can land Canadian superstar forward John Tavares.

For me, the Sabres need to stop with the status quo.

They need to look at not being patient with the players on the roster that were under achieving.

They need to seriously look at the GM and head coach.

They need to look at fast tracking Tyler Myers.

Heck, trying to cut massive amounts of payroll to have boatloads of cap space in 2010-11 when the cap is supposed to plummet and the Sabres could take advantage is even something I can get down with.

But, I can't stomach another off season of minor tweaks to the roster and no major shake ups.

If Regier, Ruff, and 90% of the players are back in 2009-10, we'll be in the same boat as this season and last season where they'll be in the 8 to 10th in the East mix because of inconsistent play.

Someone needs to step up and say that is not the direction this organization wants to go in.

Golisano needs a sense of humor

Jerry Sullivan and John Vogl both have blog posts up at The Buffalo News website that says Tom Golisano is annoyed that the PRESS is bringing up a line he spoke at a pre-season PRESS CONFERENCE.

Ummmm, yeah.

Memo to B. Thomas Golisano:

Get a sense of humor.

Seriously man, you made a joke, your team came up a little short, so you are taking some shots. What would you expect to happen given the way the season played out?

And if you told Darcy Regier to cut payroll at the deadline, then you really have to look in the mirror when analyzing how things went.

Glass half full

There will be plenty of time to pile on and point out all the problems with the Sabres. But, I would like to point out a few of the good things that happened for the Sabres this season:

- Chris Butler - It usually take a defenseman a little while to mature. But, Chris Butler stepped up big time in his rookie pro season out of Denver University and he has sped past Andrej Sekera and Mike Weber on the blueline depth chart

- Portland Pirates - Nathan Gerbe won the AHL Rookie of the Year, Tim Kennedy led all AHL rookies in scoring with 67 points in 73 games, Jhonas Enroth won three team awards including MVP, and the team made the playoffs in the first year of the Sabres being the sole parent club which will provide the future Sabres much needed exposure to playoff intensity.

- Thomas Vanek - Vanek has flaws, but he did finish tied for 5th in the NHL in goals with 40. Whenever you are tied with Rick Nash, Eric Staal, and Marian Hossa in an offensive stat, you are doing something right.

- Ryan Miller - Let me start off by saying that I really like Ryan Miller. But, I did question whether his big contract extension was warrented. Well, I really liked some of the things that Miller said at locker clean out day yesterday and I am starting to come around on Miller being worth the money.

3rd & 4th line guys - Matt Ellis, Adam Mair, Paul Gaustad, and Pat Kaleta gave everything they had on every shift this season. I know they aren't the most skilled guys in the world, but the Sabres would do well to take a cue from those guys moving forward as this market loves a gritty, blue collar team as much as a highly skilled squad.

Just replacing Ruff won't be enough for me

Yesterday, Schopp and The Bulldog were talking about what the problem is with the Sabres.

Schopp said that we would be excited about next season merely if the Sabres were to replace Lindy Ruff with Peter Laviolette who won the Stanley Cup with the Carolina Hurricanes.

Here is my response to that line of thinking:

I think Mike’s take on the people at the Sabres slacking because everyone feels like they have “Jobs for Life” was dead on.

And to me, it all starts with Golisano. Coming out of the lockout, Golisano was visible at the games and in the media. But, after the honeymoon ended, the Drury & Briere debacle occurred, and the fans and media got ticked off, Golisano seemed to disappear.

Add in Larry Quinn’s statement a few weeks ago that Ruff and Regier would be back even if they missed the playoffs “because that’s not how we do things here” and the biggest issue with the Sabres is that from ownership on down there is not the sense of urgency present that the fans and media would like to see from their team.

To me, replacing Ruff with Laviolette wouldn’t be enough to get me revved up for next year. I think this roster is really flawed and the spike from a new voice would get drowned out over the course of the year.

Management (Golisano, Quinn, and Regier) need a sense of urgency with regards to remaking the team (coaching staff and players) this offseason. There needs to be concrete moves made that show that finishing 10^th in back to back years (along with missing the playoffs in 5 of the last 7 seasons) is not good enough.

And to me, bringing back 80 to 90% of the players and changing the coach is not enough.

They need a new voice PLUS they need to remove 3 or 4 “Core” players and replace them with some real war horse veterans, preferably ones with Stanley Cup rings on their fingers.

And if we are talking head coaches for a Buffalo team, I would hope they would go more blue collar than Laviolette. He may need some seasoning, but Bob Boughner has been coaching in Major Junior. I could see Bob being a coach that Buffalo would love to move forward with

Status Quo should be a No Go

Given that the team has lost back to back "Must Win" home games, I think it is safe to start talking about what the Sabres need to do to make the playoffs in 2009-10 after missing in 5 of the past 7 seasons.

Need #1: Ownership needs to wake up

Has anyone seen Tom Golisano lately? Seriously.

I am sick of this hands off ownership and the team being run day to day by Larry Quinn who I blame for the Sabres losing Drury and Briere.

There needs to be accountability and Larry Quinn hinting that Ruff and Regier would be back even if they missed the playoffs is not good enough.

Status Quo is not good enough. And that message needs to start at the top of the organization and filter down.

That has not been the case over the past two seasons and it needs to stop now.

Need #2 : A major roster shake up

Darcy Regier loves to tweak his roster. But right now, this team needs a major shake up.

This team needs a real king pin on the blue line and up front.

There are rumors that the Ducks would be looking to move Chris Pronger this off season. I would seriously entertain the thought of trying to move Derek Roy and Jochen Hecht in a deal that lands Chris Pronger with the Sabres.

I know that Derek Roy led the team in scoring this season. But, I see Roy, Vanek, and Connolly as the poster children for what is wrong with this team. I think there is hope that Vanek can turn things around and I don't believe anyone would take Connolly's contract.

But, the Ducks need help at center and left wing and Roy and Hecht would give them help at those two spots. The only issue would be if Anaheim were looking purely to dump salary and that would make a deal tough unless Buffalo could move Roy and Hecht in other deals to teams that wouldn't mind adding salary.

Up front, I would love the Sabres to trade for Shane Doan. If Phoenix looks to shed payroll by moving their captain, the Sabres would appear to have the young talent available to swing a deal. Doan would add leadership and grit to a team that needs it.

On the free agent market, players like Mike Knuble, Todd Marchant, Mike Grier, Travis Moen, and even Chris Neil could be reasonable FA forwards that would add bite to the Sabres.

On defense, I would be interested in seeing who amongst guys like Hal Gill, Andrew Alberts, Kent Huskins, even Mike Komisarek might be cost effective enough to add. There always seems to be a decent defensive defenseman or two that slips through the cracks of free agency.

But, with the boatload of young defensemen coming up, this isn't a huge need for the Sabres this off season. Although, I do hope that Teppo retires, they trade Tallinder, and Spacek comes back for a deal in the $2.5 to 3 million per year range.

Need #3: Keep Lindy and Regier on a short leash

If there is not a major roster shake up, then there needs to be a shake up behind the bench.

Lindy is not getting through to the team enough for whatever reason. So, the only option is to either shake up the roster or change the coach.

I think that the roster has more issues than Lindy does. But, if Regier is either unable or unwilling to make the needed roster changes, then there needs to be a coaching change.

John Tortorella or Ken Hitchcock would be the type of coach I would look to bring in to Buffalo as this team needs a coach that can get offensive players to play a more well rounded game and Hitchcock and Tortorella have done that in their careers. Oh yeah, and they both have Cup rings............

4 points out, 4 games left

If only this team had shown up in the 1st period on Saturday..........

If they had won that game, tonight's game in hand versus Detroit would be be to pull into a 3 way tie with Florida and the Rangers with 3 games to play for each team.

Given that the Sabres would win a 3 way tiebreaker, I would like their chances. But, with the Sabres hosting Detroit (6-4-0 last 10), then visiting Toronto (5-5-0 last 10) and Carolina (8-1-1 last 10), before closing out the season at home versus Boston (8-1-1 last 10), I don't like their odds of running the table.

That's what I expect of this team since they had their 4-0-1 streak snapped when they failed to show up in the first two periods versus the Devils on Saturday night. To make matter worse, they were returning home after a three game road trip and should have shown a lot better.

I hope they win to make things more interesting. But, I am expecting this team to miss by a point or two......

Cue the fat lady

Thanks to last evening's OT loss in Atlanta, the Sabres are now 5 points behind Montreal with 6 to play, it's a pretty safe bet that the Sabres will miss the playoffs for the 5th time in the last 7 seasons.

I felt bad for Thomas Vanek last night as he scored the Sabres two goals, but he was wearing the goat horns after he coughed up the puck to Kovalchuk on the OT game winning breakaway goal.

I can't wait for the draft talk to start, though.....

Down on the farm

The Sabres signed St. Lawrence defenseman Matthew Generous and he signed an ATO with Portland to add depth to their blueline.

With Dennis Persson landing with the Pirates a few weeks ago and TJ Brennan likely getting signed for next year as well, the Sabres defensive depth appears to be growing.

But, the team could also be looking to cut guys like Mike Funk and Mike Card loose, as well.

Props to Gerbe and Kennedy

Nathan Gerbe and Tim Kennedy were named to the AHL All-Rookie team yesterday.

The team is voted on by coaches, players, and media in the 29 AHL cities.

It will be interesting to see what the Sabres do with Gerbe and Kennedy next season. I would expect the Sabres to cut Max Afinogenov loose, who knows if they will re-sign Dominic Moore, Andrew Peters, and Matt Ellis, and will they retain RFA forwards Clarke MacArthur, Drew Stafford, and Patrick Kaleta.

I would expect Kaleta to return, I would be surprised if Stafford and MacArthur weren't back, but Peters would be the only UFA-to-be that might be back and his status likely won't affect the futures of Gerbe or Kennedy.

Personally, I would love to see Jochen Hecht traded to open up a spot for Gerbe or Kennedy. But, I believe the Sabres will have a hard time moving Hecht's contract.

Let the beatings begin

Since the Sabres have a snowball's chance in Hades of making the playoffs, the blame game is already starting amongst the Sabres fanbase and the local media.

As expected, GM Darcy Regier and Head Coach Lindy Ruff have taken their fair share of the blame, along with the players.

Personally, I would start further up the food chain.

B. Thomas Golisano saved the Sabres from bankruptcy when he bought the team for virtually pennies on the dollar. Coming out of the lockout, Golisano was soaking in the love as not only were the Sabres back, but they were thriving on the ice.

But, over the last two seasons, Golisano has been less and less visible. Given how Daniel Briere and Chris Drury, the co-captains during the team's President's Trophy winning 2006-2007 season, left town, it is not surprising that Golisano has chosen to step out of the line of fire.

Then you have Sabres managing partner Larry Quinn. I was worried when he was brought back into the fold given how things went during his first tour with the Sabres that ended with both John Muckler and Ted Nolan being shown the door.

While everyone involved with the Sabres needs to take a piece of the blame for the treadmill of mediocrity that the Sabres are currently on, to me the most blame needs to go to those with the most power.

And with the Sabres, the buck has to stop with Golisano and Quinn.

Over the last few weeks, there was a message board topic about what needs to happen to turn things around. My tongue in cheek response was to trade Golisano for Mark Cuban. To me, the Sabres need an owner that is engaged and has as a good handle on what it takes to build a successful NHL franchise.

Golisano may have known how to build up Paychex from a small start up to a billion dollar company. But, he doesn't appear to have a handle on how to properly run a sports-entertainment business.

My hope for the Sabres future is that Golisano and Quinn look at the more successful franchises around the league and they figure out how to get from a state where there is talk of competing for the cup, but the team isn't moving in that direction to a team that actually sees results on the ice.

But we shall see............