Buffalo Boy's Blog
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Why Stever Bernier?
If I have one question for Darcy about yesterdays trades is this...Why did you have to give up Steve Bernier? Is Max really that worthless? We could have used Bernier's toughness and goal scoring touch on the front line. He's young and has a lot of room to grow still.
So, is giving up Steve Bernier, two second round picks and a third rounder too much for Rivet? You could have given up a lot less for a 35 year old defenseman with a lot of mileage under his belt. Im not saying Rivet wasn't worth picking up, but the round about way it took to get him, you could have gotten without giving up the former first rounder in Bernier and two second rounders. Essentially, the assets gotten for the Brian Campbell trade are gone.
I think they could have tried at least to move Max to Vancouver instead of Bernier. Darcy seems to think that Max will return to form....Honestly Im sick of his form, Id rather have Bernier who adds toughness with the scoring touch.
Anything short of a 30-40 goal seaon from Max this year will be disappointing with all the talk Darcy has been doing in the paper and through interviews about Max and his return to form. Stick him with Roy and Vanek and he better perform.
Stever Bernier to me was never given half a chance, the day he came to Buffalo he played with Roy and Vanek and had a goal and two assists with some big hits, the rest of the season he was on the third or fourth line, how is a guy supposed to produce playing with Adam Mair? No knock against Mair but he can't score and nobody playing with him can either.
So, we can compare Max and Bernier this coming season because Vancouver is planning on using him as a top six forward, I am predicting a breakout year for Bernier, 30-40 goals. Go ahead, laugh it up, he had 16 in 07-08, on the 1st or 2nd line in Vancouver with his speed, size and hands, easy 30, go ahead and make him a sleeper pick in your fantasy drafts, Im staying a mile away from Max.
Craig Rivet Comes To Buffalo
We are familiar in Buffalo with Craig Rivet from his time in Montreal. Last season he was with San Jose. The guy is 35 years old and tough as nails on the blueline. Finally someone who can knocks someones head off in front of the net. He was also an assistant captain with San Jose so Darcy addressed the leadership and defense issues with one move.
This is a little of his toughness courtesy of Youtube:
Finally Worth The Trip?
There has been lots of news lately about the Erie Canal Harbor and the "revitalized" Buffalo waterfront. So much so, I feel like its worth a trip down there to see it.
Has anyone been down there yet? How does it look and is it worth the trip? It sounds good, the news is hyping it up like its worth it.
May actually become a good, cheap way to enjoy an afternoon in the city. We will have to reserve a Sunday afternoon for a trip down there to see what all this is about. When I do, Ill bring Youtube footage back with me so the rest of you can see and make up your own minds.
Back Off The Sabres
Im listening to Schopp and the Bulldog on WGR 550 and I want to turn it off because of the negativity of the fans of this team. How can anyone criticize this hockey team or its management?
Plain and simple, this team spent to the salary cap two years in a row following the lockout, so calling them cheap is a joke. Last year, they had two centers who they could have signed. They could have but then you would have lost Thomas Vanek and you would have been looking at not being to lock up Derek Roy long term because you would have had Briere or Drury eating up that money.
If anything last year I fault this team for signing guys like Numminen and Andrew Peters and not going out and finding a defenseman who was younger and ready to play. But these other squabbles over how this team has been mismanaged is a joke.
I would rather have Thomas Vanek and Derek Roy over Daniel Briere and Chris Drury any day of the week if for any other reason than the fact that Vanek and Roy have more productive years ahead of them that either of our former two co-captains.
Brian Campbell's contract even at $5 million a year like he would have taken last year would have taken them over the cap. There is no way this team was going to spend the $56 million it took for Chicago to sign him either.
So going into this season if no moves are made I feel pretty good about this team. They have a ton of depth at forward which someone like Max, Kotalik or Connelly could easily be traded off for defensive help. What other team could say they have 15 NHL caliber forwards (thats five lines worth) ready to go?
Drew Stafford and some of the youth on this team last year should be much better than last year with some playing time under their belt and their young stud defensemen Mike Weber and Andrej Sekera will be better as well.
This is not a dying team. They are a young team and a deep team. Remember, even if they don't go out and sign a defenseman in free agency they can still try Michael Funk, Nathan Paetsch or Marc-Andre Gragnani. They have had incredible success pluging young guys in and getting immediate results.
Their problem isn't management, their problem is they are young. But with the long term committment to Paul Gaustad, hopefully, they signed their new permanent captain who can lead the way. Cut out the negativity and chill out and give this team a chance.
Welcome To Buffalo Patrick Lalime
Patrick Lalime just signed on to be the back up goalie in Buffalo for the next 2 years at $1 million per season. Lalime is 35 and last year played in 32 games for the Chicago Blackhawks.
I hope hes ready to play a lot less. The only way he plays more than 20 games is if Ryan Miller is hurt. Lalime should be a major upgrade at backup over Jocelyn Thibault and should provide that capability to play more games if needed.
As last season went on the Sabres couldn't even trust to put Thibault in, they should be able to trust Lalime 100 times more than Thibault. Thibault only had three wins last year, so anything better than that would be welcome.
Gaustad Back for 4 More
Paul Gaustad is back signed for 4 years today by the Buffalo Sabres. What a difference a year makes, this is another in a line of solid moves the club this offseason and next on the list is Ryan Miller.
Gaustad isn't a first or second line center, but he is a heart and soul kind of guy, one that plays fearless and will anchor their third and fourth lines for the next four years. He has 15-25 goal potential and can drop the gloves if needed.
A brilliant move especially if they want to keep any sort of toughness in the lineup. Gaustad was one of the key guys they had to sign, the other two now are Miller and Pomenville. Keep up the good work Darcy.
Max for Mckee
The question around here lately is would ya do it? Max Nation to the Blues for Jay McKee.
Yes. If the deal is there to be had I'd do Max for McKee in a heartbeat. Hell, I'd even throw in Max's first three meals when he gets to St. Louis.
Max was awful this past season, injuries, slow start, forgot how to play both ends of the ice and overall, became a liability to this team even when healthy. He has always been looked at as a guy with a hell of a lot more potential than he showed, he was exciting to watch, but without the finish. A change of scenery may very well be the best thing for him. And you have to think someone around the league still values him, one of those teams may be St. Louis who is weak at forward and could use the speed in their lineup.
Mckee while not exactly injury free has been more unlucky with his rash of injuries. They haven't exactly been season enders just annoying little stuff. Things that you get when lying down to block shots on a regular basis. His work ethic would be welcome on this team again and hes only 31. He didn't play as much the last two years because of those little injuries and probably has a few extra years to give because of that.
Mckee would be a guy who wants to come back and play in Buffalo, still lives here and never really wanted to leave to begin with. He'd be a guy you could throw the "C" on right away if you wanted to as well. It would be cheaper than going out and signing a free agent defenceman and if hes healthy Mckee could be as good as any free agent out there. Spacek and Mckee as a tandem sounds nice on paper going in doesn't it?
So I ask, do ya do the deal if there is one to be done? Max for Mckee? (And Max's first three meals in St. Louis)
Bigger, Stronger Defense
Ahhh, can you smell it in the air? Its almost hockey season!. The draft is over and its almost free agency time. There will be just as much news around here during the next two months as there is during the season and it started with the draft this weekend.
Im pretty impressed with the draft. The first two picks in the first round couldn't be any more opposite from each other. You have the 6'7" monster Tyler Myers and then you have the 5'8" squeaker Tyler Ennis. We will have a few Tylers in the lineup before long. Myers is 6'7" but still needs to fill in, hes only 205 pounds so hes a bit on the twiggy end of things, Ennis is talented but again needs seasoning.
The other 6 guys included three defensemen. We knew they would and they went out and got bigger and stronger with the picks and they also selected Luke Adams a center in the third round who is a 6'2" bruising forward.
I'd give them about a B+ on this draft for sticking to their game plan, but the only problem is, Max Nation is still located in Western New York. There are still 15 forwards on this team waiting to fill out 12 slots on the roster. A nice problem to have, but now what?
Something tells me there is a busy summer ahead with a few surprise trades starting with the one we know is moving.
Probably the more shocking news from the weekends draft wasn't even in Buffalo, it was the news that Toronto granted permission for Mats Sundin to negotiate with the Canadians? Huh? Id be a little upset, I thought Toronto fans hated Montreal and btw what are the Leafs doing trying to pawn him off in the division???????? Send him west or at least to a different division!!! Come on Cliffy, use whats left of your brain cells.
Dickey Case Should Bring Attention To Cell Phones
The Cara Dickey case at South Buffalo Charter School is another incident in a school in which a student had a cell phone. Yes I understand that Dickey is probably not innocent, but the young man who was potentially involved with her had HIS cell phone confiscated, which says he was probably no angel in this thing either.
Again, a case in a local school that has some form of modern technology like a cell phone in the hands of a young adult/student. Ultimately, it will come down to Dickey and the choices she may or may not have made in interacting with the young student, but if the cell phone was never in the boys hands, does he communicate as much as he did with her?
Cell phones and other forms of modern communication can get everyone into trouble if not used for basic communication needs, especially young kids who don't know the potential harm they can do if mishandled and used for other than good intentions.
Parents should not provide their children with cell phones, period. There is absolutely no need for a child, elementary, middle or high school age to have a cell phone. If they do, they are asking for things like this to happen. It makes improper communication all the more likely, especially if not monitored.
Dominator Belongs in the Rafters
The Dominator retired last week from professional hockey. He had 16 great and at times turbulent seasons filled with miraculous saves, fueds with the media, phony retirements, questionable injuries and many other moments we will never forget here in Buffalo.
Despite the tendency for the dramatic with Hasek, he was besides Gilbert Perreault, the single greatest player to wear a Buffalo Sabres jersey.
He's not my favorite player ever to play for the Sabres, that honor belongs to Danny Gare. But the saves and the incredible moments he gave us belong in the rafters at HSBC Arena, love him or hate him, the number 39 belongs there.
My favorite moments with Dominik involved him trying to hit a home run out of his end of the rink by throwing the puck in the air and swatting it with his stick. The most memorable game? Easily the 4 overtime 1-0 win against New Jersey in the playoffs.
Dominik made saves we never thought possible and with every part of his anatomy. I remember back in the 1997/1998 season Dominik had 13 shutouts, an incredible campaign by anyones standards. I was in Aiken, South Carolina at the time on my first clinical affiliation for physical therapy school. Three weeks went by with hardly a word down there about anything close to hockey, they simply didn't talk about it down there.
So, three weeks, I came back and Hasek had posted some 5 or 6 shutouts in the month of December. He simply amazed us. Off the ice he frequently had us questioning hwhat the hell he was thinking, which I suppose matches what he did on the ice, always had us guessing what he was going to do next.
So, does his jersey belong in the rafters? I say it does.
