Recapping the Sabres Part 2

So all that random dramatic stuff I said in the beginning of the last post? Who knows where it came from, because that is not where the writing went but oh well. Now here is a breakdown of what I liked and didn't like from each player, and some thoughts on everybody. Again, mostly for my own record, but feel free to comment as you wish. :)

In numerical Order:

3- Mike Funk- 4GP, 0Points, OPIMs and -3
he didn't play too many games, but seemed pretty decent when he was out there. He's a pretty decent skater for such a big guy. We could see good things out of him in the future.

4- Nolan Pratt- 55GP, 1G, 6A, 7pts, +1. 30PIMs
Overall, I was pretty happy with Pratt. He came in fairly early in the year but established himself as a steady, stay at home D-man and didn't make too many horriffic plays. Pretty reliable as a 4th or 5th guy. keep him around!

5- Toni Lydman- 82GP 4G 22A 26Pts +1, 42PIMs 1 PPG
I like the PPG there Toni my man. He was very good at times and pretty strugglin at others. Much like the whole Sabres team. Sadly, it seemed like night when he (and his partner in crime, Tallinder) were ON, the rest of the Sabres were weak, or Miller was letting in softies or some such. The team had such a tough time gelling this year and that hurt them. However, I'd surely keep Lydman around, he's got it in him to become mroe consistent and be 1/2 of the #1 pairing every night. He ate up tons of minutes, AND played all 82 games, which is something to be said, especially with the injuries we had to the D this year.

6- Jaro Spacek- 60GP 9G 23A 32Pts +7, 42PIMs 7 PPG
I think the last stat is most telling there- I'm impressed. In comparison, he had 1 PPG on last year's killer team. Hmm. I've gotta be honest with you guys, I was not expecting much out of Jaro before the season started. When the Sabres picked him up 2 summers ago I was like.. ooh woo Spacek. They talked about how great he was and all I could remember was his less than stellar play for the Blue Jackets for a while, and his strugglin-ness for the Oilers in the finals of 06. Last year he was decent but year he really seemed to step it up and be a leader for this floundering young club. Spock is an oldtimer and had somewhat of a calming influence on the team. And he played much smarter- and tougher!- than he used to. I was overall very pleased with him. If he hadn't missed 22 games with injuries, it would have helped.

9- Derek Roy- 74GP 32G 49A *careerhighs all of them* 81Pts 46PIMs +13
Oooh Royzie, where to begin? I love this guy. He just does something to me, and while he wasn't quite ON every night (none of the Sabres were, lets be honest) this was a very good year for Derek. He set career highs in goals, assists and points and logged some sick ice time- 21 mins/night, good for first among Forwards and 4th overall. not too shabby. He and Pommers trailed on Ovie and Malkin in pts after the all-star break and he finished the season on a 13-game? (or was it 12) point streak. AND he was 18th overall in pts. That's not bad either, for a team that didn't make the playoffs! All the numbers aside, it seemed to take Royzie a little while to get going, but he really stepped it up and did some great things this year. I expect him to only get better. He's a very smart player, he knows how and where to use his teammates, and he's an extremely good puckhandler. Plus he's small and quick and not afraid to mix it up on occasion. ;) I like the feisty Derek, I want to see more of him next season. BUt he certainly proved his worth and I think he will be a leader and an offensive force on this team for years to come. (and thank heavens he's already locked into a 6yr contract!)

10- Henrik Tallinder- 71GP 1G 17A 18Pts +5 48PIMs
I thought Hank was pretty good this year. He had games in which he could have been better (they all did) but overall he was consistently steady and a defensive Defenceman. I like those guys. It's good to know that someone's got our team's back. ANd of course there was that killer shootout goal that beat MARTY BRODEUR of all people. Man that was awsome. :) For that alone, I'll love you forever Hank. ANd because Heather B. digs you so much, it just kinda rubbed off on me. ;) In any case my man, keep up the good stuff, fix the few bad things and I'd welcome you back any day of the week.

12- Ales Kotalik- 79GP 23G 20A 43Pts -5 58PIMs 12 PPG
Al, I wanted to like you, I really did. I thought it was nifty the first 11 times you scored on the one-timer on the PP. The other 3489756 times you tried it (before that last Montreal game) and didn't score it was annoying as HELL. You've really got to improve your repitoire. If you could do that I'd apprecite it a lot. I think the Sabres are done with you. You are not creative enough for their ideas. Or something. Kotalik was extremely frustrating to me, as you can see there, and I don't have much else to say. He didn't adapt well and it was not fun to watch. I think he can find a new home some where else and I'd be totally okay with that.

17- Marc-Andre Gragnani 2GP 0Pts -2 4PIMs
Dude, I really have nothing to say about this kid, he only played 2 games and I think I missed one of them. He looked decent out there, but he needs to develop some more. He's got potential though.

19- Tim "Tissue Paper Man" Connolly- 48GP 7G 33A 40Pts +4 8PIMS
Oh Timmy. I feel for the guy, really I do but maaaan he is fragile! And frankly, he's a good playmaker, but I think there is a little too much hype about how the team is 238945894756894057 times better when he's in the lineup. It's getting old already. Do I like to have him around (when he's healthy?) Absolutely. But the Sabres have to learn to win without him. I really hope his surgery this spring went well and he can come back and play a full season because he is a good player and he's nice to have on our side. I'd take him back, I'm just tired of hearing about him.

20- Danny Paille- 77GP 19G 16A 35Pts +9 14PIMs 3SHG
This was a good story. I like this kid! He plays hard, he brings lots of energy and he seems to want to be there every night. That's the kind of attitude I appreciate. I wish he could have gotten that one more goal, but hey 19 isn't bad at all. and 3 shorties ties him with Royzie for team lead. Not bad Danny-boy, not bad at all. Keep him, he will get better.

21- Drew Stafford- 64GP 16G 22A 38Pts +3 51PIMs
I don't know what to think about Staffy. He's very young (which always seems to surprise me when I notice it) so there is surely room for growth. He had a decent year, but there were large stretches when he was just invisible. He really needs to work on that and then we can talk business. He wasn't terrible, but I think he needs to play with a little more edge and drive. I'm not writing him off just yet.

22- Adam Mair- 72GP 5G 12A 17Pts -2 66PIMs 2 of his goals were Game Winners
I like Mairsy. He's that unheralded 3rd/4th line mucker who does the dirty work and gets very little credit for it. He showed up every night and played some serious in your face hockey night in and night out. That's great stuff. He may look like the joker from Batman, but he's a tough dude and it was nice to see him rewarded with some more ice time and some starting lineup calls later in the season. He was consistent, not always on the scoreboard, but with the intangibles that are just as important for winning hockey games. Keep this dude here, he's quality.

26- Thomas Vanek- 82GP 36G 28A 64Pts -5 64PIMs 19PPG
Vanek Vanek.. where to start with you? I maligned this dude hardcore in the beginning of the season. He was supposed to be THE MAN for the Sabres and he was not producing at the rate he should have been. Now I don't need 12 goals a night, but something a little more than what he was doing would have been good. Finally he got it in gear and started scoring like a madman, which was nice but next year can we please cut to the chase a little earlier? Thanks. I know there is a lot of pressure on Van, and he is very young but he need to live up to his potential (and paycheck) for him to be a good member of this team. He redeemed himself in the 2nd half but I really hope he comes ready to play from the START of next season, or it's going to be rough all over again.

27- Teppo Numminen- 1GP
Not much to say about your game Teppo but ya looked good out there! Teppo is hardcore awsome for even trying to play this year after open heart surgery. And he had a great attitude about the whole thing. I really hope to see him back in Buffalo next year, because we could use the veteran-ness.

28- Paul Gaustad- 82GP 10G 26A 36Pts -4 85PIMs
Goose is the man. he has really matured as a player over the past year or so. He is smarter out there, and uses his size better- and his skating isn't too bad. He is a demon in the face-off circle which is grand and shows up every night. He seems to be a leader in the room, just in a more suble, lead-by-example way and the team responds to that. Plus he's not afraid to drop someone for messing with his boys. And he teaches kids to read and exercise and is all about recycling so really, how could you NOT love him? :) The Sabres need to keep this one around big time. HONK!

29- Jason Pominville- 82GP 27G 53A 80Pts (team high) +16 20PIMs
Pommers proved everybody wrong this year. They all thought he'd be lost without Briere but guess what? He carried this team quite a bit this year. He quietly went out and picked up 80 pts. He was very consistent for such an up and down year for the team. He always seemed upbeat and ready to do whatever it takes to win. I love that he had the "C" for 2 months and wouldn't be surprised to see him with some sort of letter next year. If the Sabres don't re-sign him, they're IDIOTS and I'll cry. he is my #2 guy afterall.

30- Ryan Miller- 76GP 2.64GAA .906Save% 36-27-10 3SO
Miller drove me nuts this year. It seemed like there were nights when the team was rockin but he was totally out of it, but the nights when he was bustin, they couldn't seem to score. That's obviously not his fault but it was annoying nonetheless. He needs to be more consistent. Right now he's a good NHL goalie, and he's on the edge of becoming a GREAT goalie. I hope he can put himself over the line. And I want him to stay as a Sabre of course.

34- Mike Weber- 16GP 0G 3A 3Pts +12 14PIMs
Yeah you read that right- +12. That is outrageous! But great anyway. Apparently we play better with Mike Weber in the lineup. He wasn't around much but I certianly liked what I saw, especially later in the season. He's very young but he didn't look out of place in some very high pressure situations. I'd like to see more of him next year.
***Plus, Weber wins the Face First Into the Boards mascot competition after that hit during the Boston game. DAAMN that was hardcore!

35- Jocelyn Thibault 12GP 3-4-2 2SO
Poor Joce- he didn't really get a chance to play much. The sadder part is I think he's past the point of being a guy that can take on a bunch of games and get ya some key wins while your starter is resting. He's not a bad goalie,and with a better team in front of him (some nights they really hung him out to dry) he could be even more decent. He might be a good backup for a guy like Brodeur who can play 80 games and still be incredible or just a team with better defence. Frankly I don't see him in Buffalo next year. GOod luck to ya though TBone, it's been real.

36- Patrick Kaleta- 40GP 3G 2A 5Pts +1 41PIMs
Who doesn't love Pat Kaleta? The kid is just fun. He hits everything that moves. He plays with incredible energy and enthusiasm. He's just all around great and provides a spark to the team every time he hits the ice. he came up and stayed here for a while because of that energy. I hope to see much more of him soon.

37- Mike Ryan- 46GP 4G 4A 8Pts -4 30PIMs
I don't have much to say about Ryan. He was okay, didn't strike me too much one way or the other. I wouldn't mind seeing him around but he's got to do something more noteworthy to get more words outta me here. ;)

38- Nathan Paetsch- 59GP 2G 7A 9Pts +3 27PIMs
Hmm.. I don't know about Patches. Kinda like with Mikey Ryan, I can't seem to think of anything that stood out in particular about him. He was decent as a d-man, needs some work but could be the #7 dude on the bubble kinda guy. I dunno. I think Weber and Sekera are better but he's all right as a fill-in. How's that?

41- Clarke MacArthur- 37GP 8G 7A 15Pts +3 20PIMs
I love his name! Don't know why exactly, it's just very aesthetically pleasing. Moving on, he was a fun guy to watch. I liked the energy he brought to games and a hint of scrappiness too. I expect to see a lot more of him in Buffalo in the coming years.

44- Andrej Sekera- 37GP 2G 6A 8Pts +5 16PIMs
I liked Sekera. I think he played with a maturity beyound his years in some tough situations. That is a very good thing to have. I want him to be a regular next year.

45- Dmitri Kalinin- 46GP 1G 7A 8Pts -7 32PIMs
Poor 'Tri was often the scapegoat of all that was wrong with the Sabres, and that wasn't very fair. He's an okay D-man, made his mistakes, but they all did. I think he needs some work to get a little faster on the transition but overall I was not displeased with his season. I wouldn't mind seeing him as a Sabre at least next year.

55- Jochen Hecht- 75GP 22G 27A 49Pts +1 38PIMs
Yo-Yo was the surprise of the year. He took over the vacant "captain clutch" position and ran with it. He seemed to score the craziest goals from weird angles at just the right time. He was very underrated coming into the year but he definetly kept the Sabres alive in some situations they were strugglin with. He's a great leader too and a guy that the others seem to look up to. I really want to see him for years to come.

56- Steve Bernier- 76GP 16G 16A 32Pts -1 64PIMs
Welcome to Buffalo, Big Bear! He had 2 goals in his first game, then it took him a while for #3 but he was a decent addition. He's also rather young (aren't they all?) so there is room to grow for him. Bernier is a strong, physical player and I think that next season he will be more accustomed to his teammates and that will be good. I hope he is here next year, he brought good things to the team.

61- Maxim Afinogenov- 56GP 10G 18A 28Pts -16 42PIMs
Yeeeeesh Max, how are you a -16? I know that +/- isn't all that but woooow that's bad. He bugged me a lot this year. Max has mad speed and some good skillz but he CAN'T THINK ON HIS FEET! He is terrible about changing plans in the middle of a rush. He just gets the puck and goes as fast as he can, then shoots. If there is someone in the way.. well too bad. it's like this weird one-track mind thing with him. Which is why he will never be a truly great player, because he can skate like crazy and he's shifty but he's not a Smart player. He doesn't know what to do if Plan A goes awry- there is no Plan B with him. It's frustrating to watch, Plus he tends to take dumb penalties, also frustrating to watch. he and Al need to hop a plane to somewhere far far away. Your time here is done Max. Thanks for the memories.

76- Andrew Peters- 44GP 1G 1A 2Pts -2 100PIMs
Oh dear Petey. You are not a good fighter. At all. It's sad really, when your "fighter" can't really fight worth a darn. He's not very good as an enforcer, but not decent enough of a player to take a regular shift. he did get the token 1 goal and somewhere along the way scraped up an assist but really. Petey has always been a terrible fighter and probably always will be. he needs to work on his skating and stuff and maybe he can become a 4th line regular guy. Maybe. But he seems to be a decent dude off the ice, and he did make that funny video with Royzie so it's not like I hate him as a person, I just can't stand watching him circle and dance and not actually HIT SOMEBODY! But he's all we've got for now so I guess we'd better take what we can get.

^^Honorable Mention to 51-Brian Campbell- No longer a Sabre (thank goodness) but I'll discuss him a bit anyway. Soupy had fancy Spin-o-Ramas that never did anyone any good but looked nifty. He had mad giveaways in his zone that everyone seemed to forget about 2 minutes after they happened. (weird how that is) He made annoying commercials about excessive sweating and vericose veins. He squabbled over money and couldn't concentrate on playing hockey. And yet Buffalo still misses him. I DON'T! Soupy, you had your time here and it was sometimes good sometimes bad, but I'm glad you're somehere else giving some other goalie heart attacks with your giveaways and spinoramas. Have fun there. You'll always be a part of my original Sabres experience (the last 3 years) but it's time to part ways.

Phew. That seriously took me 2 hours to write all this stuff. I am so done. If you read it all, I applaud you. :) G'night!