All of us at Sabres Weekly Radio hope you have an enjoyable summer and hockey offseason. We enjoyed doing the radio show and thank everyone who helped us out.
Here's to hoping that the Sabres will lock up both the goaltender and the possible future captain - and fix up their holes at the blueline.
For now, Adios.
email: sabresweekly@yahoo.com
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Local blogger tells it like it is
From: The Goose's Roost
From "Pommer's Blog" on sabres.nhl.com
We have to take the positives out of last night's game and I think we played well for 50 minutes, and just kind of had a few collapses in the last 10 minutes unfortunately. We weren’t able to close the deal when we needed to. We got caught in a few situations where we shouldn’t have against a good team and it cost us a game.
The good thing is we still have another chance.
I'm sorry, but what kind of bull is this? How can you title a post like this "Redemption"? What redemption is left? Weren't the last three years all about redemption and we screwed that up anyways? There aren't any more chances. There is an opportunity to beat Ottawa on Thursday, yes, but there is no chance for the only thing that really matters: the playoffs.
Maybe he feels differently then I do, but I'm sick of that "take the positives" approach we've been fed all year. You do not take positives out of a game where your team only plays 50 minutes. That last ten minutes matter. Not only that, that last ten minutes was the balance of your season.
You had a two goal lead against a team that was completely stagnant and you let them SCORE FIVE GOALS IN THE THIRD PERIOD. Here, let me rephrase that: You allowed four goals in nine minutes. Still, you want to tell me that the first 50 minutes matter because it's the positives that count. F--k you Captain VaJayJay, you screwed the pooch last night. Deal with it.
Here's a quick formula for you. Last week we overcame a three goal deficit to Tampa Bay. Beating a team like that means they are a bad team just for letting it happen. Four goals in nine minutes last night. What does that make us?
I'm so sick of searching for a silver lining, reaching for a positive in a night where your team puts forth half a game's worth of effort. The fact of the matter is that sometime last year this team got lazy. They dogged a few games and turned it on late to give us all those comebacks. It was fun and exciting and showed just how good this team could be, but eventually it became a bad habit.
That bad habit is still there, and when your team gets worse over the course of a calender year habits like that are going to hurt you more and more. What we are left with is a team full of immature hockey players with unmatched potential. A group with no direction and very, very little heart. You want a statement to finish that post with, Pommy, here it is: The good thing is we have no direction.
What a delusional captain.
Note from Sabres Weekly: It's nice of Pominville to step up and face the media, but hopefully it's been drilled into him that his dumb gamble in the Ottawa zone that led to goal #1 played a big part in the meltdown.
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
The scoop on the Sabres young "D"
From: Die By The Blade ; courtesy of David Oleksy, Co-host of Sabres Weekly Radio
It has been well chronicled that the Sabres suffered numerous injuries to the defense within the past week. Some people speculated that it would be impossible to overcome those injuries while others suggested that talking about it was making excuses. The Sabres had other ideas and have done their best to prove everyone wrong and for two games that strategy has worked. The Sabres beat two red hot teams in the Carolina Hurricanes (7-1 on Friday night) and the Toronto Maple Leafs (6-2 on Saturday night). I'm not willing to say that the three young defensemen have been the reason for the victories but they have certainly played their part.
On Friday night against the Carolina Hurricanes, both Sekera and Weber were a plus four and Sekera had an assist, two hits and two blocked shots while playing over 21 minutes. Sekera played 21 minutes again on Saturday against Toronto and he was a plus two with a hit and five blocked shots. Mike Weber appeared to be much more comfortable on Saturday and was rewarded with 19 minutes of ice time. Weber recorded four hits and two blocked shots on Saturday night.
The three young defensemen have played extremely well but they have benefited from an aggressive offensive strategy that has produced early leads. The Sabres offense has been great at taking the pressure off early by scoring quick goals. On Friday they jumped out to a 4-0 first period lead and Saturday they scaled that back leading only 3-1 after one period of play. The first period success has certainly helped the defensemen feel more comfortable. I expect the strategy to remain the same but eventually there will be some pressure situations for these guys to play in and who knows how they'll react.
Let's take a closer look at the three young defensemen that are currently in the lineup...
Andrej Sekera: Sekera is the highly touted of the three despite being the lowest draft pick. He was drafted in the third round, 71st overall in 2004 by the Sabres. He is the Sabres second rated prospect according to Hockey's Future.com. Sekera won the Max Kaminsky award, given to the OHL's top defenseman, in 2005-2006. He is in some good company who have won that award such as Dennis Potvin, Al MacInnis, Chris Pronger, Bryan Berard, John Erskine, Brendan Bell and ex-Sabre defenseman Brian Campbell. It has been unclear when Sekera would be able to make the jump to the NHL but it may be right now.
Mike Weber: Mike Weber plays a game suited for his hometown of Pittsburgh, a tough guy type role. At the ripe young age of 20 years old Weber has compiled 162 penalty minutes in his his first professional season. It is the second stint with Buffalo this season and although he needs more time at the farm he will be a really good NHL defenseman someday. A career highlight for Weber has to be winning the hardest shot competition for the Top Prospects game before being drafted. He was a second round draft pick for the Sabres in 2006, number 57 overall.
Mike Funk: Like Sekera he was drafted in 2004 but ironically enough he was drafted 43rd overall in the second round. Sekera has progressed at a much faster rate than Funk since they were drafted. Funk has always been known for being a big guy that can skate but he has developed a bit of an edge. Funk has eight assists and 85 penalty minutes in 50 games with Rochester.
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Don't look now, but Miller will be next
From: The Fourth Period
Sabres goalie Ryan Miller has one-year left on his current contract, and the National Post wonders how much longer he'll remain in Buffalo.
Miller, 27, is set to make $3.5 million next year and he doesn't appear to be in a rush to negotiate an extension.
"The earliest you can do it is July, and I like to celebrate my birthday in July and just have fun, so I don't think it's going to happen then," Miller told the Post. "So there's no point in bringing it up now. It doesn't help anything this season, and it might not even be a factor for most of next season."
On Tuesday, the Sabres were forced to trade defenseman Brian Campbell to San Jose because the two sides weren't able to come to terms on a contract extension. The Sabres offered Campbell a three-year deal, while the veteran was looking for a five- or six-year commitment.
In the summer, the Sabres lost Daniel Briere and Chris Drury to free agency. Over the past few summers, the team also waived goodbye to defenseman Jay McKee, right wing J.P. Dumont and right wing Mike Grier.
"You move forward," Miller said. "We have a group of guys who have gone through the playoffs and gone through a lot more than a lot of teams can say about their young players. I don't think it's hemorrhaging: Guys have to make decisions."
The Buffalo News reported earlier this week that Miller would be looking for a six-year extension when it's time to negotiate, worth around $41 million.
Sabres goalie Ryan Miller has one-year left on his current contract, and the National Post wonders how much longer he'll remain in Buffalo.
Miller, 27, is set to make $3.5 million next year and he doesn't appear to be in a rush to negotiate an extension.
"The earliest you can do it is July, and I like to celebrate my birthday in July and just have fun, so I don't think it's going to happen then," Miller told the Post. "So there's no point in bringing it up now. It doesn't help anything this season, and it might not even be a factor for most of next season."
On Tuesday, the Sabres were forced to trade defenseman Brian Campbell to San Jose because the two sides weren't able to come to terms on a contract extension. The Sabres offered Campbell a three-year deal, while the veteran was looking for a five- or six-year commitment.
In the summer, the Sabres lost Daniel Briere and Chris Drury to free agency. Over the past few summers, the team also waived goodbye to defenseman Jay McKee, right wing J.P. Dumont and right wing Mike Grier.
"You move forward," Miller said. "We have a group of guys who have gone through the playoffs and gone through a lot more than a lot of teams can say about their young players. I don't think it's hemorrhaging: Guys have to make decisions."
The Buffalo News reported earlier this week that Miller would be looking for a six-year extension when it's time to negotiate, worth around $41 million.
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Campbell for Bernier
From: Die by the Blade
The newest member of the Buffalo Sabres is Steve Bernier, formerly of the San Jose Sharks. There is one thing that is certain and that is that it will be much colder in Buffalo than it was in San Jose. Bernier was on the radar of a couple of teams and he ended up with the Sabres. He comes to Buffalo with big expectations because he will always be associated with Brian Campbell. It is unfair to put those type of expectations on Bernier but he will be asked to step into the lineup immediately.
Bernier seems to be a really good fit in Buffalo as a young power forward. At 22 years old Bernier has already played parts of three seasons in the NHL and he has 42 goals and 39 assists for 81 points in 160 games played. Bernier comes to Buffalo at a time that injuries have plagued the forwards. Max Afinogenov has been out since the Winter Classic on January 1 at Ralph Wilson Stadium, Tim Connolly can not play in back to back games, Michael Ryan is out at least three weeks and the latest victim to reach the sidelines is February captain Jochen Hecht.
It's too early to predict where Bernier will fit in with the Sabres because we have not yet reached the deadline but he adds some size and grit to what many consider to be a small lineup.
Saturday, February 23, 2008
Latest offer proves Campbell is as good as gone
From: Dave Davis, Co-host Sabres Weekly Radio
If there was any doubt that the future of Brian Campbell with the Buffalo Sabres is in serious jeopardy, then the latest laughable 3 year offer proves it. You have to wonder what GM Darcy Regier and his cohort Larry Quinn are thinking. Sure, it's been made clear by media types that it's not their final offer. Do you really think they're going to move their position that much by Tuesday?
The name of the game with these higher end players is TERM. It's not enough anymore just to hit a good annual salary number - if you're not doing at least 5 years then you're not in the game.
The fact that Regier only offered 3 years makes the annual salary component insignificant. He can offer Campbell 3 years at $10M per season and it still will be barely half of what the allstar defenseman can get in total dollars on the open market.
Regier is going to field offers for Campbell during the next few days. If there is no offer that knocks his socks off then he'll hold onto him as a rental player who can impact the Sabres chances to cause some trouble in the playoffs. Then Campbell will bolt on July 1 for a team that understands what it takes to retain top talent.
If there was any doubt that the future of Brian Campbell with the Buffalo Sabres is in serious jeopardy, then the latest laughable 3 year offer proves it. You have to wonder what GM Darcy Regier and his cohort Larry Quinn are thinking. Sure, it's been made clear by media types that it's not their final offer. Do you really think they're going to move their position that much by Tuesday?
The name of the game with these higher end players is TERM. It's not enough anymore just to hit a good annual salary number - if you're not doing at least 5 years then you're not in the game.
The fact that Regier only offered 3 years makes the annual salary component insignificant. He can offer Campbell 3 years at $10M per season and it still will be barely half of what the allstar defenseman can get in total dollars on the open market.
Regier is going to field offers for Campbell during the next few days. If there is no offer that knocks his socks off then he'll hold onto him as a rental player who can impact the Sabres chances to cause some trouble in the playoffs. Then Campbell will bolt on July 1 for a team that understands what it takes to retain top talent.
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Vanek: Leader or Loudmouth?
From: The Goose's Roost
“At the end of the year, we’ll be in the top eight, and that’s all that matters for right now”- Thomas Vanek, 2/17/08
He said it, and I'm still okay with it. In fact, he said it again today.
One of the big terms we've thrown around this year has been leadership. We've lost both captains to free agency and since that day many have wondered who will take over leadership on this team. Each new moon we look to the alphabet to tell us who is leading this team, on ice or otherwise. We all have opinions on the issue, but one thing we do know is this:
Thomas Vanek has balls.
Whether you agree with him giving "the Namath" or not, you have to admit the surge in confidence we've seen from him can only be good. It also is a form of leadership we haven't seen on this team all year. There have been so many times games have been chalked up to bad bounces or tired legs, Vanek is the first person I've seen step up and say flat out that they are a playoff team. It's a pretty startling change from a player who started out so flat in October.
Ryan
“At the end of the year, we’ll be in the top eight, and that’s all that matters for right now”- Thomas Vanek, 2/17/08
He said it, and I'm still okay with it. In fact, he said it again today.
One of the big terms we've thrown around this year has been leadership. We've lost both captains to free agency and since that day many have wondered who will take over leadership on this team. Each new moon we look to the alphabet to tell us who is leading this team, on ice or otherwise. We all have opinions on the issue, but one thing we do know is this:
Thomas Vanek has balls.
Whether you agree with him giving "the Namath" or not, you have to admit the surge in confidence we've seen from him can only be good. It also is a form of leadership we haven't seen on this team all year. There have been so many times games have been chalked up to bad bounces or tired legs, Vanek is the first person I've seen step up and say flat out that they are a playoff team. It's a pretty startling change from a player who started out so flat in October.
Ryan
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