Schedule Tomfoolery

Apparently, the NHL has done everything in its power to create a schedule that takes all the momentum out of a teams, and their fans, sails. For what seems the 100th time this season the Sabres have a break after a Friday night game until Wednesday. While the rest certainly never hurts I think this is part and parcel to the team's struggles right now. Like any sport a team needs to find its rhythm. This is something they seem to have struggled with a ll season.

They are hardly alone. There has been numerous instances where teams around the NHL have had 1 game in a 11 day period. I believe this has interrupted their flow as well. It is harder to stay focused and practice becomes stale, it also robs intensity from games. This leads to boring games. Also, and this is my opinion, the more practice time you have the more work a team can do on its defense. I don't think it is coincidence that scoring is down as teams have been able to be far more organized defensively early in the season. It will be interesting to see if this theory bears out when the schedule tightens up after Christmas and they start playing 4 times a week.

Maybe the league could consider tightening up the schedule by 2-3 weeks and eliminate these gaps. There has to be a better way than this.

Painful

I have avoided writing this one. Partially out of denial, partially because it is so easy to pile on. But... well, now is the time.

This Sabres team is broken. Not broken in the sense that there are poor players or coaching. I am talking broken in the spiritual sense. I had not, I admit, seen this coming. sure all of the signs were there, especially the ones in neon lights (see Briere and Drury leaving). I thought that Miller, Gaustad, Campbell would pick up the slack. I truly did. What I have seen is an unemotional team going through the motions on most nights. I acknowledge they picked it up big time in the past two games against the Bruins and Leafs, but no one was home to score those clutch goals that They-who-shall-not-be-named used to score.

Who is to blame? Yes it starts with Regier. He was wrong, pure and simple. There is still time to right the ship but the fix is going to be expensive in the way of prospects. There are players to be had, players that can fill the Drury/Briere roles but they are going to cost Buffalo some of their exquisite depth and prized prospects.

Lindy doesn't get off easy here either. For the first time ever Lindy seems at a loss. I think part of it is a sense of betrayal. I know if I had signed a new 3 year deal at less than market value and then had my veteran leaders stripped I would feel betrayed too. I can't help but sense that it has seeped into his thinking and the room as a whole.

Tom Golisano gets a bite of the apple too. He has done tons of good while here in Buffalo, but anyone who listened to the fans and read the news knew that bringing one of those two back was critical to the perception of this team, if nothing else. Now this team must win in order to draw. Losing Briere and Drury destroyed any grace period this town was willing to give. Tom, as a business man, you should have known better than that.

The players. The players have been downright awful. What shakes me is this unwillingness to take ownership of the team. Instead of grasping the leadership role they have played hot-potato with it. It may have something to do with the fact that being the captain of this team is akin to a death sentence. Ruff's rotating captaincy has been criticized. i think it is more of a result of a locker room waiting for the other guy. A true team would DEMAND and push forward a captain. Yet, they sit back and let the opportunity sail by. This leads me to believe that the role needs to be filled from the outside. I don't know who that guy is, but he better be found and brought in soon.

Sabres Play Nearly Flawless Game...and Get Shutout

BBR has to be smiling somewhere right now. Buffalo and the Habs played a nearly perfect game last night. Good flow, lots of chances, good hitting and way too much Cristobal Huet! It is hard to get down on the Sabres effort everyone came to play and 9 out of 10 games the Sabres win.

My quandry with this team is I have no idea how good they are. They are immensly talented, but the Habs had that something that the Sabres seem to be lacking now. What is it? Its not quite leadership, it isn't a lack of ability. I am not sure.

Thoughts?

NEWS and NOTES:

- Newly arrived defenseman Nolan Pratt hurt his groin in his first game. He is day-to-day.

- Jaro Spacek is injured again. Apparently he reinjured his shoulder against Boston. He is day-to-day as well.

- Adam Mair suffered a ankle injury against the Habs. It will be interesting to see if the Sabres make a call up. The MSG telecast highlighted Dylan Hunter. I have to wonder if my idol's son is going to get the call.

- 19 year old defenseman Mike Weber has been very solid in his 3 games in place of the injured players. He skates well and is very physical. He did a marvelous job against Kovalev and the rest of the Habs speedy forwards yesterday. Color me impressed.

- Andrei Sekera, after a rough, rough start looks like a new man. He is definitely skating with a purpose and taking more and more control. He may be here for the long haul now.

- Derek Roy may want to consider taking his head out of his butt. He has looked lost and made numerous careless mistakes with the puck lately. He has hurt the team far more than helped lately.

Paging Ryan Miller....

The Sabres are struggling. No, they aren't terrible,but they aren't good either. a-number-one on my hitlist, Ryan "the franchise" Miller. I will grant you they are playing a schedule only Gary Bettman could dream up, but I expect more from Sir Ryan and so do many Sabres fans. Particularly irritating is his seeming loss of concentration at key moments and the shoulder shrug reminiscent of the days of Joe Ferguson's head hanging.

The bottom line is this:

Stop the damned puck if you want to be considered among the elite!!!!

Spacek Emerging from Numminen's Shadow

Jaro Spacek has started hot. He has three goals to start the season and has looked every bit the player the Sabres thought they were getting when they signed him as a free agent last year. The question is, why now?

I believe it is the simple fact that he is finally being allowed to play the role he was brought to Buffalo to fill. Lindy Ruff is a great coach, but even great coaches have their unique ways of doing things. One of Lindy's trademarks is leaning on his veterans and being generally uncomfortable with newcomers. Last year when Spacek struggled a bit early it seemed that Ruff quickly turned the page and went to his security blanket that was Teppo. Furthermore, the power play last year was dominated by shooters and the puck movement wasn't always crisp. Spacek, who is more of a shooter than a distributor seemed out of synch from the start. Unable to fill the role of PP QB he was a forgotten man on the unit by mid-season.

It is no coincidence that the powerplay is far better with Tim Connolly manning the left side halfwall. Teams genuinely fear Connolly's abilities. Though Briere and Drury are fine players neither is Connolly's equal on the power play when it comes to quarterbacking the play and distributing the puck. His reemergence has allowed Spacek and Brian Campbell to return to the roles of point man blasters that they both thrived in two seasons ago. Another bonus is the willingness of Thomas Vanek and Paul Gaustad to park in front of the net. Neither Drury or Briere seemed particularly comfortable in or were built for that area.

I expect you will continue to see Spacek thrive in his enhanced role and with the larger ice time. He is a horse and hopefully will add a larger physical presence defensively as well.

News and Notes:

- Sorry for the lag in posting. for some reason I cannot access the site at certain times of the day and that along with extended trips to Chicago and Atlanta have hampered me.

- Rumours abound that the Sabres may sign C Randy Robitaille. RDS is reporting that it is between Buffalo and Ottawa for the former Islander. It would seem he would be looked at to fill the 3rd or 4th center role in Buffalo if he signs.

- Jocelyn Thibault has yet to play for the Sabres. I expect he will get a start during one of the midweek games coming up.

Sabres Season Preview

It's time for a new season and here is a brief preview of the roster the Sabres will take into the new season and my predictions for the 2007-2008 season.

Goaltenders:

Sabres:
Ryan Miller
Jocelyn Thibault

On the Farm:
Adam Dennis

No matter how you feel about the Sabres off-season losses. The hope for this campaign all begins and ends right here, with Ryan Miller. This team is undoubtedly Miller's now. He is the leader and seems poised for greatness and I fully expect him to fulfill that promise. I am looking for a Vezina-winning possible MVP season out of Ryan.

Thibault was shaky in the pre-season, but I am not overly concerned with that. I think he will prove to be a solid addition to the club and hold his own. Adam Dennis was hot and cold in Rochester. an unorthodox goalie he has some ability but i doubt he will amount to more than a solid backup at the NHL level. If the Sabres run into injuries they will have to pursue the trade route to fill the hole.

Defense:
Henrik Tallinder
Toni Lydman
Brian Campbell
Jaro Spacek
Dmitri Kalinin
Nathan Paetsch

On the farm:
Andrei Sekera
Mike Funk
Marc-Andre Gragnani
Mike Card

The Sabres bring back an extremely solid defensive corps. The loss of Teppo Numminen to heart surgery is a blow, but it does open a roster spot for Nathan Paetsch who was very good in extensive duty last year. Look to see lots of ice time for super shutdown tandem Lydman and Tallinder. Tallinder could be a darkhorse Norris Trophy candidate if he can avoid the big injury. Brian Campbell is in a contract year and is coming off an all-star campaign. I expect big things from him as well as a better showing on the power play. Dmitri Kalinin and Jaro Spacek struggled at times last year, but I feel that the loss of Numminen may actually help them as it will put them in more positions that suite their skills. I think Spacek will actually jump into Numminens role and be very sucessful. Kalinin will have a relatively short leash this year and may find his way off the roster if he struggles again. it appears Andrei Sekera will easily be the first call up and I would not be surprised if he was a regular by mid-season.

Funk, Gragnani, Card and Mike Weber lead an good group off youngsters that could make an impact in years to come. Funk has added significant muscle and looked far more comfortable in camp this year than last. Gragnani is an impressive talent and could earn a surprise call-up especially if the Sabres struggle offensively from the back end.

Forwards:

Max Afinigenov, Jason Pominville, Ales Kotalik, Andrew Peters
Derek Roy, Tim Connolly, Paul Gaustad, Clarke Macarthur
Thomas Vanek, Jochen Hecht, Adam Mair, Dan Paille, Mike Ryan

On The Farm:

Marek Zagrapan, Mark Mancari, Dylan Hunter, Pat Kaleta

No doubt about it, the Sabres took some serious hits with the losses of Danny Briere, Chris Drury and Danius Zubrus in the off-season. Fortunately, the Sabres might have been the one team that could afford to absorb those types off losses. Tim Connolly appears healthy and poised to make a big impact and Derek Roy and Thomas Vanek justified their new contracts with monster contracts. The only truly new faces in the lineup this season appear to be gritty winger Dan Paille, mike Ryan and Clarke Macarthur. This team should have little trouble scoring. The key will be whether or not the youngsters can step into the roles filled by Drury and Briere.

Marek Zagrapan and Pat Kaleta seem to be the only real forwards likely to see significant time in Buffalo this year. The overall depth in terms of NHL ready players took a hit with the losses, but the Sabres prospect pool is far from shallow.

Management:

All members of the coaching and management staff return so that is of some comfort. I fully expect Lindy Ruff to be a candidate for coach of the year. Darcy Regier has alot of flexibility this season and has the team poised to be able to swing a big deal if a player to their liking comes available.

Predicition: I will be in the firm minority here, but I believe the Sabres have all the tools for another cup run. I predict first in the Notheast and second overall behind Pittsburgh in the Conference. I see the Sabres playing San Jose for the cup and bringing Buffalo home its first Stanley Cup.

Sabres Finish Pre-Season Strong

The Sabres finished the NHL Pre-season proving two things. One, they can still score even without Briere and Drury and two, Derek Roy appears ready to step in and fill the #1 center shoes for this team.

The Sabres opened the final week of the Pre-season by beating up the Maple Leafs 7-2 in Toronto. The Line of Drew Stafford, Roy and Thomas Vanek totally dominated the Leafs and Roy recorded 6 points. The Sabres followed that impressive victory with equally an equally impressive sweep of a home and home series with the Pittsburgh Penguins. In game one Roy continued his impressive play and led the Sabres to a 6-5 victory. In the final game the Sabres, led by Connolly and Roy, rallied to a 4-3 victory.

News and Notes

- Derek Roy led the NHL in Pre-season scoring and it appears that he will center a line with Drew Stafford and Thomas Vanek to start the season.

- with Teppo Numminen out at least 3 months with heart troubles I expect Mark Mancari to fill the role of 13th foward/ 7th defenseman for short term injuries. if a defenseman goes out longer expect to see Andrei Sekera called up.

- The most interesting training camp battle appears to be a four-way battle for playing time among Clark Macarthur, Mike Ryan, Mark Mancari and Marek Zagrapan. all three were very good in preseason with Zagrapan appearing to be the best. That being said I expect MacArthur and Mancari to start in Buffalo with Zagrapan coming up quickly if either falters. Though I think the Sabres like Ryan, I think he gets lost in a numbers game. he will be on an NHL roster somewhere this season though.

- Jocelyn Thibault, the Sabres only free agent acquisition in the off-season has not looked sharp int he preseason. It will be interesting if it is just an adjustment period or if Thibault has lost a bit.

- It appears Jochen Hecht will recieve the kiss of death..er Sabres captaincy to start the season. This means he has approximately one-two years remaining in his Sabres career. Seriously, though, I would prefer that the team name Paul Gaustad as the captain, but Ruff has a good track record of finding the right guys.

- It appears the Sabres will be fully healthy going into the start of the season.

Harry Neale replaces Jim Lorentz on Sabres Telecasts

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20071001.NEALE01/TPStory/

With the sudden retirement of color analyst Jim Lorentz the Sabres had a big hole to fill. Well, they filled it in a big way with legendary Hockey Night In Canada and Leafs TV color man Harry Neale joining the Sabres TV and Radio telecasts. The Sabres had been utilizing John Tucker, Matt Barnaby and Mike Robitaille as color men in the pre-season. Neale, who along with Bob Cole, was replaced as the #1 team on HNIC this season will remain with HNIC. It remains to be seen what the Sabres will do on Saturday Night telecasts though early speculation is that Tucker, Barnaby or Robitaille will fill in on those telecasts.

The Sabres open their season on Friday Night against the New York Islanders.

Sabres Lose to Wild 2-1 in North Dakota

The Sabres dropped a 2-1 decision in Grand Forks, ND, Monday, in a pre-season tilt with the Minnesota Wild. Phillipe Gogulla scored the Sabres only goal, set up by Marek Zagrapan. Jocelyn Thibault (above) started and played the whole way making 20 saves. He was the games third star.

The game was a homecoming, of sorts, for Paul Gaustad, who grew up in the area and Drew Stafford who played at the University of North Dakota. According to Jim Lorentz Gaustad had 65 tickets for the game.

On Sunday the Sabres and Blue Jackets finished off the back-to-back fight fest with the Sabres scoring a 3-2 shoot out victory. The game highlighted bouts in the first period between Sabres enforcer Andrew Peters and Jackets tough guys Tommy Sestito and Jody Shelley in seperate bouts. Al Kotalik and Jason Pominville scored the goals for Buffalo and Ryan Miller went the whole way in net.

In the shootout Miller shut the Jackets down and Max Afinigenov and Kotalik both scored on their opportunities for Buffalo.

News and Notes:

36 players remain in camp

No major injuries to report.

The team returned five players to their junior clubs:
Benjamin Breault (Baie-Comeau, QMJHL)
Jean-Simon Allard (St. John’s, QMJHL)
Paul Byron (Gatineau, QMJHL)
Drew Schiestel (Niagara, OHL)
T.J. Brennan (St. John’s, QMJHL)

Sabres - Jackets Play Old Time Hockey

The Sabres and Jackets opened the pre-season with a brawl filled contest in which it often looked like circa-70s hockey as opposed to the "new" NHL. Patrick Kaleta got things rolling with a run at Blue Jackets star Nikoli Zherdev which caused Manny Malhotra to come to Zherdev's aid. After that it was, as they say, game on. The final was 4-1 Blue Jackets with the Sabres only goal coming off the stick of Clarke Macarthur.

News and Notes:

Camp has been fairly quiet. Andrei Sekera has been the most visible youngster of note. There is not much to report in the way of competition or injuries.

By all accounts Teppo Numminen's heart surgery was a success. The Sabres and Teppo both expect he will be back in 2-3 months.

Sabres Unveil Reebok Edge Uniform

One year after changing their overall jersey style the Sabres were at it again Tuesday. Well, sort of. The team unveiled their new jersey in the Reebok Edge design. The most marked change is the flowing stripes of white from the bottom of the jersey vertically across the arms.

Brian Campbell, who wore the Edge jersey in last years all-star game said "There’s a little difference in the players’ arms. The major thing is getting the sizing for every individual guy. I’m sure some guys are going to be complaining; some guys won’t have a problem with it. A lot of guys have liked them."

The Sabres will also not be wearing their third jersey, with the original crossed-swords logo for at least the first year of the new jersey roll-out due to marketing concerns. It has been reported previously that the third jersey will be re-rolled out next season with a blue to match the current jersey and the original Sabres crest. We shall see.

Anticipation: Philly Style

After easing my summertime hockey withdraw at rookie camp this morning, I felt it was about time my Philadelphia season preview was written. We have been called the most improved team in the NHL by Sports Illustrated, and unless you've been hiding under a rock this off-season, you know why. We weren't the team that got arguably the top 2 free agent centres (NY Rangers - Drury, Gomez) to bolster our offense, but we were the team that reconstructed it's roster, from top to bottom.

For those of you who haven't beeen enlightened, I'll give a brief synopsis.

Before season's end, the Flyers newly appointed GM, Paul Holmgren started the re-vamping of the roster. As the trade deadline approached, Holmgren decided it was in the best interest of the club to part ways with captain Peter Forsberg. Foppa was sent to Nashville in return for highly regarded defensive prospect Ryan Parent, a 1st round pick in the upcoming Entry Draft, and quick fan favorite Scottie Upshall. If that wasn't enough, he kept going. He acquired Buffalo goaltender Martin Biron for a 2nd round pick (T.J. Brennan), Atlanta defenseman Braydon Coburn, and Chicago defenseman Lasse Kukkonen. Not bad for only a few weeks of work.

Prior to one of the most anticipated free agency periods in recent memory, Holmgren showed the hockey world that he was here to stay by sending the Pred's 1st round pick (Jonathan Blum) back to them and acquiring offensive-defeseman Kimmo Timonen and budding power forward Scott Hartnell. Soon after shocking the hockey community with his bold move, he prepared for a free agency period that would truly change the face of the franchise, as if it wasn't different enough. Just hours into free agency, Holmgren signed star centre Daniel Briere to an 8 year, $52 million, front-loaded contract. Later in the day he continued to reassure fans by trading away frustrating defenseman Joni Pitkanen and talented, but over-the-hill forward Geoff Sanderson to Edmonton. In return the Flyers acquired locker room favorite Jason Smith and potential-driven winger Joffrey Lupul.

Whew...not-so-brief. Thanks for sticking with me. Almost done.

Many analysts are writing the Flyers off as not making the playoffs this upcoming season. What one needs to remember is that the Flyers, prior to last season, were riding a streak of 11 straight seasons making the playoffs. Another thing that people are seeming to forget is that the year prior to last season, the Flyers still had a lot of their leaders from previous years in the lineup, notably Keith Primeau (even injured, his presence was more than enough), Eric Desjardins, and Chris Therien, all of whom retired the following off-season. Point being, last year is not what people should be going by when they think of the Flyers. Even towards the end of last season, we were a competing opponent. Here is a fact that may be making you re-think our team at the end of last year: of our 19 games after the trade deadline, 13 of them were either losses by 1 goal or wins. That's 68%. That same stat before the trade deadline is 33 games out of 63, being 52%. You can't tell me that this year's team should be judged by last years overall measures after that fact.

The keys to success this season lie in chemistry, special teams, and depth. There is no doubt that the Flyers might be the best team on paper going into this season, but if there is no chemistry on the ice, the paper doesn't mean anything. Our powerplay last season was hard to watch. In fact, it felt like we had more scoring chances on our penalty kill - I wouldn't be surprised if the numbers are close. Now that we have powerplay specialist Timonen and penalty kill specialist Smith, we should have improved both areas significantly. Regarding depth, the Flyers need to prove that they can stay healthy, and if not, still succeed. 05-06 was a good year for the Flyers in that area; we set a season high for man days lost to injuries yet still made the playoffs. We had a lot of help from the minors, to say the least. What needs to happen this year is that youngsters like Ryan Potulny (a personal favorite), Steve Downie, Ryan Parent, Lars Jonsson, Stefan Ruzicka, and Ben Eager have to show that if their time comes, they are up to the task.

There aren't too many roster spots open going into training camp as of right now (0 centers, 1 wing, 0 defensemen), so look for the roster to look like it does now going into the regular season. It should be a good one Philadelphia fans. Let's just forget about last year and be excited about this one!

There were a few other points I wanted to touch on (division challenges, possible captainship, etc.), but for the sake of brevity, I'll hold off.

Otherwise, let's go Flyers!!

Guess what.........

Its almost hockey season!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Defending a Cheapskate

Actually, I have to defend Golisano and the Sabres on this one. The process came out of a trend that had developed in Buffalo. Most of the Weekend Games and marquee games (Leafs, Canadians, Sens, Flames, Oilers and a few other teams) sold out quickly. What they found was that fans were buying these and flipping them on e-bay for a large markup. Meanwhile, midday games, games against teams like the Wild, Thrashers, etc lagged.

In an effort to answer the supply and demand and maximize attendance and revenue the team instituted the variable pricing TWO seasons ago and it has been a large success. The Sabres have sold out the past two seasons and already are nearly there this year. The paln has had the desired effect of keeping the building full so the team can miximize parking, souvenier and refreshment revenue. A real stroke of genius in my estimation. Also remember that every single game is shown on TV as well. This team due to marketing, pricing and media coverage is the most accessible team in Buffalo. The NFL's Bills could learn some real lessons from the Sabres.

The fans here have actually embraced the variable pricing, for the most part, because it creates affordable lower end games for the income challenged and enables the Sabres to maximize profit on the uber-high demand games and the influx of Canadian fans that are willing to pay 200-300% premiums. Basically, they cut into the e-bay crowds markup and made that profit their own.

The policy extends to the season ticket base as well. Season ticket sales have gone through the roof for two reasons: 1) Team is very good and 2) The sabres have one of the lowest ticket costs in the league. Season ticket holders in Buffalo get a significant discount. This has enabled the Sabres to manage their revenue to their significant advantage.

The Drury and Briere decisions, in my view, were independent. What it really came down to is that Briere and Drury were vastly overpaid for their relative worth. The fact that both are getting $10 million in the first season is highly relevant. I don't think the Sabres flinched at Drury's price, It was clearly Drury's decision to just be done in Buffalo due to a falling out with management over a contract extension dispute. Poorly managed, yes. Cheap? No.

As for Briere I believe that the signing of Tim Connolly to a three year deal,even when injured, was the writing on the wall. Getting a 8-year deal with nearly $10 million in salary year 1 from the Flyers sealed the deal. I believe the plan all along was to cut Briere loose. I also believe they were genuinely shocked to lose Drury.

So, as opposed to crucifying the Sabres and Golisano for gouging the fans I tend to recognize the fact that he utilized good business sense that extended benefits to the fans. The fact that the Sabres are spending $12 million more per season on salaries than prior to the cap is also a significant argument against the cheapskate argument. It is truly a win-win situation. The fact that the team is financially viable in spite of this salary increase is the real story. The Sabres, while doing a terrible job with Drury and Briere, are a model of how to manage a small market team and be competitive in an inherently unfair marketplace.

Cheapskate Owners Fleece Fans on Both Ends

While I was away in Maine last week, the Buffalo Sabres announced an ingenious new ticket pricing plan. The Sabres call it the "Variable Pricing System." Here is how the team describes this new system:

Individual game tickets are based upon the Sabres innovative, Variable Pricing system, which is a newly created program where each game is designated by one of four different classifications (Gold, Silver, Bronze and Value). Each classification is determined by the opponent, time of the year, day of the week, rivalries and games against all-star players.

GOLD GAMES

Gold games will be those games that typically have the highest demand with regard to the opponent or the date of the game.

SILVER GAMES

Silver games will typically be weekend games (Friday, Saturday or Sunday) or games versus high demand opponents.

BRONZE GAMES

Bronze games will typically be mid-week games or against up-and-coming opponents.

VALUE GAMES

Values Games will be "family friendly" priced games that are offered at a deeply discounted rate for the season.

For the cheapest seats in the house, here is the price breakdown:

Gold: $68

Silver: $41

Bronze: $29

Value: $20

The Sabres host the Rangers and Flyers twice each. One game against each team is slotted as a "Gold" game and one game against each team is slotted as a "Silver" game.

So, what does this all mean? Well, it means that the Billionaire Owner of the Buffalo Sabres, Tom Golisano, didn't think it was worth his money to re-sign either Chris Drury or Daniel Briere, but he certainly thinks it's worth his fans' hard-earned money to watch them come back to Buffalo and play against their team. For the four games against the former Sabres stars, fans have to pay $218 as opposed to the regular price of $80 for games Golisano and his errand boys in the marketing department didn't deem worthy of extortion. It must feel great to pay so much extra for the right to watch these guys play for another team. Talk about pouring salt in the open wound.

This is what makes the small-market NHL owners so lovable. They whined and screamed for a lockout, and took over the wheel of the league and drove it straight into the iceberg. Now, they finally get the system they held the players and fans hostage to get, and they are complaining about the big-market teams spending too much money. But, that won't stop them from charging their own small-market fans an arm and a leg to see those big-spenders when they come to town. The best part of this is that other owners will catch onto this idea, and it will drive up revenues, which, in turn, will raise the salary cap. But, if you think owners like Golisano will take your money and use it to put a better product on the ice, don't hold your breath. They will be the ones trying to shut the league down again to lower salaries, and blaming the Rangers and Flyers for destroying the small markets, while they laugh all the way to the bank to deposit the extra money they made off those very same evil teams.

Sabre Notes

Mostly Quiet on the Sabres front...

Team is reportedly close to signing prospect Felix Schutz whom they drafted in the 4th round of the 2006 draft. Shutz has apparently decided against resigning with his German league club and will join the Sabres. Schutz is a speedy, shifty centerman that measures in at 5'11 190 pounds.

Talk has heated up regarding talk of Ales Kotalik being moved for help in another area. I think it is more likely that Clarke Macarthur or Jochen Hecht will get the first opportunity to win the 3rd line center job and then moving Kotalik would be considered. This is unless an offer for a quality young blueliner comes around and Kotalik is as good as gone.

Rumours were abound that Sabres were about to sign Tim Kennedy from Michigan State. Kennedy was picked up after the Capitals had selected him in a quiet draft day trade in 2006 and has blossomed with the Spartans. He is a local Buffalo kid and has shown tremendous finishing touch.

Don't be surprised in Andrei Sekera comes in and takes a job from either Dmitri Kalinin or Jaro Spacek. Unfortunately it could result in one of those two (or both) being cast off for relatively nothing.

The more I think of it the more I like the Jocelyn Thibault signing. The man can play and seems to thrive in the backup role. I especially like it that this should allow Buffalo to rest Ryan Miller far more often than they did late last season.

Will the Rangers go “All the Way”? - Size Does Matter

In addition to staying True Blue to my tagline of “Shooting From Angles Not Covered By Any Other Blogs”, I am going to be just a little forward and fire my rubber load (so to speak) in the direction of a subject that I have yet to see mentioned on any Ranger blogs, websites, message boards, newspapers or magazines. And if this subject has been covered in any of the aforementioned forms of “social intercourse”, its coverage has been scanty.

While the main focus continues to be (and justifiably so) on the Rangers sizzling summer, double-dip splash into the UFA pool – A.K.A. Scott Gomez and Chris Drury – other ubiquitous Ranger topics include: 1) draft day’s Russian Heist (Alexei Cherapanov), 2) the relatively peaceful signings of Henrik Lundquist, Brendan Shanahan, Petr Prucha and Marcel Hossa, 3) the signing of Sean Avery after an ornery arbitration hearing (and its long-term consequences), 4) the trading of Matt Cullen and who his replacement will be, 5) the potential impact of Marc Staal and other highly touted prospects, 6) what will become of the current glut of defensemen and how the defense corps will ultimately pan out, 7) general opinions on the Rangers chances of winning the Stanley Cup, etc.

What never seems to be brought up is a very simple question: Are the Rangers physically equipped to be capable of winning the Stanley Cup? One of the reasons this potent poser should be a timely one is the urge that some of the league has had to enlarge since the events of last spring. Once the Anaheim Ducks consummated their season with hockey’s ultimate gratification, the Stanley Cup, some NHL teams have chosen to “go with the flow” and mimic the mighty Ducks. This was evident in the 2007 entry draft, where some teams refused to succumb to the temptation of raw talent, and instead decided to reload their pistols with brawnier ammunition. After all, in this copy-cat league the physically dominant Ducks have become the envy of all their gamey rivals in the hunt for next year’s big prize.

One might argue that the league’s rules favor fast, skilled teams - not necessarily big ones, and Anaheim’s championship was more an aberration as opposed to the beginning of a new trend. This argument would be supported by the fact that no Stanley Cup winner has repeated in 10 years, and that historically a size advantage in the playoffs doesn’t necessarily become the deciding factor. The Philadelphia Flyers, in their Bobby Clarke days, are the probably the best examples. On the other hand, had the Flyers actually added an elite goalie to the mix for many of these years, their physicality might have been the force that carried them over the top to lift Lord Stanley’s Cup.

The biggest difference between today’s hefty hockey teams and those of yesteryear is that some of the current NHL teams, namely Anaheim and San Jose, have a frightening combination of size, strength, speed and youth. Anyone, who was watching the Detroit-San Jose series, would have bet the family fish tank after game 3 that the Sharks were going to swim away with this one. But despite being seemingly over-aged, out-muscled, out-skated and out-matched for much of the first 3 games, Detroit proved in a stunning 3 game turnaround that a “strength of character” advantage can sometimes offset an entire host of physical deficiencies. Should the Sharks be able to overcome their character issues this year, their daunting endowment of assets might make them the favorites to sink their teeth into the Cup.

Anaheim is dealing with a number off-season issues often encountered by defending Stanley Cup champions, such as players contemplating retirement and an increase in their players’ perceived value (and salary demands). This often leads to the loss of some players, who are lured away by other teams willing to overpay for their services. So depending on how things shake out for Anaheim, they could be headed for a fall this spring. On the other hand, should Anaheim eventually be able to get their Ducks in a row without ruffling too many of their franchise feathers, they will be every bit as formidable as they were last year.

What about the Rangers? As much as I enjoyed their brilliant resurrection late last season, which climaxed with an improbable surge to the playoffs and a first round thumping of a throttled Thrasher team, I knew that they realistically had no chance of “going all the way”. Although the Rangers inevitable encounter with the Buffalo proved to be a much closer contest than I could have ever anticipated, ultimately they were destined to succumb to the Sabres wealth of weapons.

But even if the Rangers could have pulled off the humongous upset against Buffalo and had the stamina to outlast the Senators (in what would have been a tough and evenly matched series), their bubble would certainly have burst against a physically superior Western Conference foe.

In the playoffs, much of a team’s success depends upon which opponents they are pitted against and how well they match-up against them. The Rangers had plenty of skill and speed, but not nearly as much as Buffalo. The Rangers certainly had enough size and grit to physically stand up to any Eastern Conference team that made the tournament, but not nearly enough to withstand the perpetual pounding that they would have received at the hands of the Ducks or Sharks. Had the Rangers encountered either of these teams in the Finals, they would have been eaten alive – as Duck soup for Anaheim or as Shark bait for San Jose.

In fact, the Rangers were fortunate that Philadelphia and Toronto didn’t make the playoffs last year. In the regular season, even though the Rangers could compete with these teams, it was obvious that both the Flyers and Leafs were more broadly built than the Blueshirts. Had the Rangers faced either squad in the post season, they would have had trouble holding their own in hit-for-hit hockey. Of course, the more drawn-out a series becomes and the further into the playoffs the match-up occurs, the more difficult it is for a smaller team to cope with the carnage inflicted by their colossal counterparts. This means that the Rangers would have a better chance of surviving this kind of clash had it occurred in the first or second round, as opposed to the final two rounds.

Relatively also enters into this equation. Certainly a team can more easily overcome a disadvantage, if the disadvantage is a minor or moderate one. A real mismatch can arise when one team has substantial supremacy in size, speed, or skill.

As teams continue to assemble the off-season pieces to their respective puzzles, it’s hard to say for certain how much of a relative advantage/disadvantage each club will have next year in the desirable attributes of size, speed, and skill. We won’t know the answers until each team’s internal competitions have been decided in league-wide training camps and all their final transactions have been made.

Aside from particular line combinations and defensemen pairings, the Rangers really have only a few spots that remain in question. Assuming that Ryan Callahan and Daniel Girardi have completed their post graduation requirements from the Hartford Academy and will remain in New York, along with two year veteran, Hossa, that leaves only one center position, a couple of fourth line positions, and one or two defense positions remaining in limbo (assuming no further trades).

Therefore, we have a pretty good picture of how the Rangers breakdown in some of the key physical categories. They would appear to have good (but not excellent) team speed and plenty of skill that would probably allow them to stay competitive (in this sense) with just about any team in the playoffs – especially since the Sabres machine lost two of their main cogs in Briere and Drury. Although the Rangers parted with a very speedy center in Matt Cullen and a very skilled center in Michael Nylander, they picked up two very fast centers in Gomez and Drury – with Gomez possessing excellent playmaking skills and Drury bringing a host of intangible qualities (one of which bit the Blueshirts in the butt in game 5 of the Sabres series).

As far as size and strength goes, they’re simply not among the Rangers strong suits - notwithstanding a couple of players whose physical force could potentially wear down their playoff opponents, such as Jaromir Jagr and Hossa. This is not to say that the Blueshirts don’t have some gritty players, as well as some other players (aside from Jagr and Hossa) of impressive stature - at least 6’1” and over 210 lbs. It’s just that Shanahan, Marik Malik and Paul Mara don’t play a physical style that wears down the opposition, while Colton Orr and Jason Strudwick are fringe players who are often not dressed.

Brad Isbister, whose offensive capabilities could never be confused with Joe Thornton’s, did provide the Rangers with some well-needed bulk late last season and in the playoffs. His ability to work the boards, cycle the puck and compliment Jagr made him an effective player, and in that sense, he will be missed. I should also mention that if the question mark at center is answered by Brandon Dubinsky, then on top of the other talents he brings to the table, his ponderous proportions and feistiness would definitely be a welcomed addition to the team.

Overall, I would say that the Rangers could physically endure a playoff series against most teams, but would very likely get blown away by the power of some of the jumbo jets they could engage in battle.

The reason that I’ve barely touched upon the “joys of youth” is because a Stanley Cup championship team is generally composed of a nice blend of young bucks and wily vets. Next season, the Rangers will probably have the right mixture of those ingredients.

Perhaps the most important factor in determining whether the Rangers have a chance to “win it all” is chance itself. Who knows if the elements that GM, Glen Sather, compounds will result in good chemistry? Who knows how healthy the team will be, especially heading into the playoffs? Who knows if a topsy-turvy season will be topsy or turvy in late April? And finally, who knows in the pursuit of the ultimate conquest, what sequence of opponents will need to be conquered?

So with size being one of many uncertain variables, will Lady Luck scorn the Rangers for their physical shortcomings? Or will the Rangers have the goods to get the gold (silver in this case)? These answers will go a long way in determining how deeply they can penetrate into the big dance come next spring. The final score will either show the Rangers living large as Stanley Cup champions, or being pre-maturely humbled as inadequate also-rans.

Postscript: Should the Rangers surmount all the obstacles and defy all the odds this season to hoist hockey’s Holy Grail, then next summer they would be wise to beware of invaders from the Great White North (Edmonton). For if “Kevin the Poacher” aims his next Lowe blow at the Rangers family jewels, they must prepare themselves by defending their Cup.

Courtesy of The Hockey Humorist - http://hockeyhumorist.blogspot.com/

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Soo...Roy got his 4m a year, now what?

Well, at least I am right once in awhile. The Sabres and Derek Roy agreed to a contract nearly identical to the one the Panthers gave Nathan Horton. It averages out to 4m per year for 6 years. Nor really a surprise especially since the Dustin Penner fiasco in Edmonton.

So this leaves us with the Sabres and whats next. The only unsigned player of note is Nathan Paetsch who is pending arbitration. It would seem Paetsch is ready for prime time. So that leaves the Sabres with two obvious marketable commodities on defense in Jaro Spacek and Dmitri Kalinin. The Sabres seem to have a large hole at center after Connolly, Roy and Gaustad. Do they swing a deal, do they give Clarke Macarthur and Marek Zagrapan first shot? Could they take a preemptive strike and move a guy like Brian Campbell for a big name center?

My guess is the Sabres use the depth in their system to pick up a veteran centerman who can fill that third line role for the team. I am thinking someone along the lines of a Steve Reinprecht of Phoenix or Jeff Halpern of Dallas. Both games translate well to Buffalo and Lindy Ruff's various styles and both are defensively reliable.

Lets see, maybe a blind squirrel can find an acorn again ;)

Peca Wants Buffalo But......

According to the Buffalo News article today Buffalo doesn't want him. Don Meehan says he called Darcy to indicate Peca's desire to play in Buffalo. He said Regier indicated to him that they weren't interested and were going to keep the team building in-house. Oddly, Regier denies speaking to Meehan about Peca (here we go again?).

On the surface it seems like a good move for the Sabres. Peca would definitely help fill the hole left by Chris Drury. This could simply be a situation were Regier feels that Peca is done and just isn't good enough. If that is the case, so be it. If he still can play I think it would be a great move to help heal some of the wounds incurred in recent weeks by the Sabres' (mis?)-management.

Interestingly, yesterday in a post on the Billszone Sabres' message board poster Coach Sal (via poster Dr. Lecter). Coach Sal states that Regier is still upset with Peca and wouldn't sign him unless there was an apology for statements and treat of Regier by Peca during the dispute many years ago. Apparently money isn't a problem. Furthermore, he reports a sit-down with Sabres management over coffee. Whether or not Peca apologized is not clear.

So that raises the question. Is this a case where Peca isn't good enough or one where Regier is holding grudge? I hope it isn't the latter. Personal feelings need to exorcised from Sabres' negotiations and the right thing needs to be done. Hopefully any decision to sign or not sign Peca is a true hockey decision. The Sabres and their fans deserve that.

Sabres-Penguins January 1, 2008 at Ralph Wilson Stadium

ESPN and WGR550 are reporting that the Sabres and Pittsburgh Penguins will play an outdoor game in Ralph Wilson Stadium, home of the NFL Buffalo Bills. There has been no official announcement yet from the league but the teams are scheduled for a 1:00 P.M. game on that day. It is being reported that the league has held off the announcement pending the working out of details between the league, Sabres and Bills. According to the Bill's current lease, they are entitled to all revenues generated by the stadium. It is believed negotiations are underway and close to being completed to allow the Sabres and Bills to split revenues on the venture.

I will report any more information on this event as they become available. It sounds like a fine time for the first ever Bleu, Blanc et Rouge blogger convention though!