m patton
So the season is over, no cup in Buffalo and it is the beginning of another somber summer as a Sabres enthusiast. There really isn't much to really complain about other than it sucks that you really can't have it all. 10-0 start, wire to wire divisional leader, wire to wire conference leader and the President's Trophy were all we would get, one step short of the ultimate goal. Enough about the end result for now, we have all summer to think what could have been if.
Conference Finals
This series was as simple as it was short. Ottawa hit their peak performance in the Spring and rode it all the way into and through the playoffs. If they keep up the same pace in the Finals, they will be Cup Champs. At no point during this series did Buffalo match the skill, speed, or intense pressure that Ottawa brought every game and in the end, it cost the series.
It's debatable as to whether the Sabres were even a match for the almost perfect hockey played by Ottawa's deep defense and top scoring line, but the one undebatable fact is that the line everyone in Buffalo, New Jersey, and Pittsburgh now loaths was the difference maker in each series. As much as it pains this writer to admit, Spezza, Heatley, and Alfredsson do make up the best line in the playoffs this year.
Enough about Ottawa for now. The Sabres didn't hang themselves out there, but they did build the gallows. Two power play goals in 5 games on over 20 tries is the first stat that showed that Buffalo was in deep trouble. The power play was so bad, that the tone for the series was set very early when Ottawa's first goal of the series game on Buffalo's second power play. The extra man offense is something that Lindy Ruff will surely be haunted by this summer when he tries to figure what went wrong and how to fix it next year.
About the only thing that did work in that series for Buffalo was Ryan Miller. It's cliche by now, but the series would have been a sweep had he not kept them in every game. Aside from his play, his attitude and leadership off the ice was top notch and he shows that his experience in the playoffs last year made him even better this year. Ryan Miller represents the only bright spot of the playoffs for the Sabres.
Early Rounds
The one thing that makes my blood boil more than anything is the stupid hockey press that keeps saying that Buffalo barely got by the Islanders and squeaked by the Rangers.
Let's start with the Islanders series. This was a series won in five games by the Sabres that included only two games where the Islanders ever lead during the game. Should the top team beat the eight seed? Yes. Should they sweep them? Maybe. Do they need to sweep while winning every game by more than one goal? No. A five game series with two games won on the road hardly constitutes a case where one would say the Sabres barely got by. They out-skilled the Isles and won the series because of it.
The Rangers series was more challenging for Buffalo. It was a six game series with all but one game decided by one goal. However, what the hockey heads refuse to take into account is the clutch play by the Sabres, offensively and defensively. This was a series that forced the Sabres to play a different style of game and have to rely on defense and grit to win. Last I checked, they won the series by grinding out some close games, even after their fast paced speed game was "marginalized" by a big hitting Ranger defense. There was nothing lucky about that series win. The Sabres were the better team and it showed by the different ways they found to win. Also, let us not forget that Lundqvist was by far the hottest goalie in the playoffs at the time and if he didn't out of his mind, then that series would have been over a lot sooner.
It remains a mystery where the hockey press gets the information that support their conclusions
Another Summer On Edge
Even though there are a lot less players that need to be signed this summer, they are three of the most important and include the entire co-captaincy and the leading goal scorer. I don't want to speculate as to who they should sign. I want both Briere and Drury wearing Sabres jerseys next fall. Is it likely? No. But is it possible? Yes.
Signing Briere and Drury will come down to a few key things, money and years. Obviously, we have the cap to worry about and some trimming will need to be done in order to stay under the cap. Some of that trimming will be take care of itself while other trimming will need to be chosen.
We have to figure that Teppo Numminen will either retire, or play somewhere else next year. He is pushing 40 and although he has had 2 great seasons in Buffalo, we are not likely to ante up the 2.5 - 3 million that he will most likely command. I personally think that given his age, his hockey stick business and his safe-for-now record of playing the most games as a European born player, he will hang it up and call it a career. Before his 2 seasons for the Sabres, he had never been past the first round of the playoffs, and I think he realizes it will be tough to get further with another team.
Zubrus is one of those wait-and-see players for now. The reality is that we wont be able to sign him, Briere, and Drury. And given the status of the later two, they will be first priority. However, if talks reach an impasse with either Chris or Danny before July 1, then expect talks to quickly spark up with Zubrus as he proved himself as a valuable asset that Lindy can build some physical play around.
Spacek, while signed for 3 years, remains someone who might find himself somewhere else. While I know that it is not smart to cut up the defense, we have to really look at value here. Spacek got paid due to his great numbers in the playoffs last year. When we look at the horror show of stats from this year, we might start to think that his value peaked last year and that his playing with Chris Pronger in Edmonton could have helped that along. I still think he is all-around a great player and did do some things this year that helped us win some games, I'm not so sure that we can justify keeping his salary around when we want to lock in Vanek long-term and re-sign the co-captains. Trying to score a few draft picks for Spacek might be a better option than trying to find out if he can bounce back after a disastrous playoff showing this year.
The biggest wild-card will be the years in the contracts for Drury and Briere. We know that they both will want contracts that will essentially close out their careers so we are talking 4-5 years each. We also now that Darcy is notorious for being reluctant to sign long term deals like that (thanks for that, Dominator). But, I think that Darcy realizes what these two guys mean to this town and what they mean to this team's success. I think that once Tom Golisano realizes the business impact that losing these two could have on the team, he will give Darcy the old Steinbrenner lean to get these two locked up. For the record, I am in no way comparing Tom Golisano to Steinbrenner.
Of course this is all speculation and I was completely wrong last summer as I thought Darcy wouldn't find a way to lose Mike Grier and J.P. Dumont. So like any off-season, anything can happen.
Liking This Town
One of things that separates this off-season from any other off-season in regards to free agents is the openness of the soon-to-be free agents' desire to stay in Buffalo. This is usually never the case. For Briere to come right out and say that he wants to be a Sabre and would accept the proverbial hometown discount should mean a lot to fans. Since most players whose stock peaks in Buffalo usually can't get out soon enough, for him to say that means a lot. Even for a player like Adam Mair, who is unrestricted, to share the same sentiments shows a change in tide. Add Zubrus to that mix and it looks like the players really believe in the team and the system, along with the city and the fans. I give Drury a pass for not being as vocal, but he has come out to say that he loves this town as a hockey town and would love to play here for years to come. After the episodes involving Hasek, Kozlov, and Doug Gilmore, it is refreshing to see true superstars show the desire to remain a part of this team in Buffalo
Must Not See TV
With the Finals set with Ottawa and Anaheim, it will be tragically humorous to see TV ratings on Vs. and NBC. I just hope they can compete with Arena Football on ESPN2.
So the season is over, no cup in Buffalo and it is the beginning of another somber summer as a Sabres enthusiast. There really isn't much to really complain about other than it sucks that you really can't have it all. 10-0 start, wire to wire divisional leader, wire to wire conference leader and the President's Trophy were all we would get, one step short of the ultimate goal. Enough about the end result for now, we have all summer to think what could have been if.
Conference Finals
This series was as simple as it was short. Ottawa hit their peak performance in the Spring and rode it all the way into and through the playoffs. If they keep up the same pace in the Finals, they will be Cup Champs. At no point during this series did Buffalo match the skill, speed, or intense pressure that Ottawa brought every game and in the end, it cost the series.
It's debatable as to whether the Sabres were even a match for the almost perfect hockey played by Ottawa's deep defense and top scoring line, but the one undebatable fact is that the line everyone in Buffalo, New Jersey, and Pittsburgh now loaths was the difference maker in each series. As much as it pains this writer to admit, Spezza, Heatley, and Alfredsson do make up the best line in the playoffs this year.
Enough about Ottawa for now. The Sabres didn't hang themselves out there, but they did build the gallows. Two power play goals in 5 games on over 20 tries is the first stat that showed that Buffalo was in deep trouble. The power play was so bad, that the tone for the series was set very early when Ottawa's first goal of the series game on Buffalo's second power play. The extra man offense is something that Lindy Ruff will surely be haunted by this summer when he tries to figure what went wrong and how to fix it next year.
About the only thing that did work in that series for Buffalo was Ryan Miller. It's cliche by now, but the series would have been a sweep had he not kept them in every game. Aside from his play, his attitude and leadership off the ice was top notch and he shows that his experience in the playoffs last year made him even better this year. Ryan Miller represents the only bright spot of the playoffs for the Sabres.
Early Rounds
The one thing that makes my blood boil more than anything is the stupid hockey press that keeps saying that Buffalo barely got by the Islanders and squeaked by the Rangers.
Let's start with the Islanders series. This was a series won in five games by the Sabres that included only two games where the Islanders ever lead during the game. Should the top team beat the eight seed? Yes. Should they sweep them? Maybe. Do they need to sweep while winning every game by more than one goal? No. A five game series with two games won on the road hardly constitutes a case where one would say the Sabres barely got by. They out-skilled the Isles and won the series because of it.
The Rangers series was more challenging for Buffalo. It was a six game series with all but one game decided by one goal. However, what the hockey heads refuse to take into account is the clutch play by the Sabres, offensively and defensively. This was a series that forced the Sabres to play a different style of game and have to rely on defense and grit to win. Last I checked, they won the series by grinding out some close games, even after their fast paced speed game was "marginalized" by a big hitting Ranger defense. There was nothing lucky about that series win. The Sabres were the better team and it showed by the different ways they found to win. Also, let us not forget that Lundqvist was by far the hottest goalie in the playoffs at the time and if he didn't out of his mind, then that series would have been over a lot sooner.
It remains a mystery where the hockey press gets the information that support their conclusions
Another Summer On Edge
Even though there are a lot less players that need to be signed this summer, they are three of the most important and include the entire co-captaincy and the leading goal scorer. I don't want to speculate as to who they should sign. I want both Briere and Drury wearing Sabres jerseys next fall. Is it likely? No. But is it possible? Yes.
Signing Briere and Drury will come down to a few key things, money and years. Obviously, we have the cap to worry about and some trimming will need to be done in order to stay under the cap. Some of that trimming will be take care of itself while other trimming will need to be chosen.
We have to figure that Teppo Numminen will either retire, or play somewhere else next year. He is pushing 40 and although he has had 2 great seasons in Buffalo, we are not likely to ante up the 2.5 - 3 million that he will most likely command. I personally think that given his age, his hockey stick business and his safe-for-now record of playing the most games as a European born player, he will hang it up and call it a career. Before his 2 seasons for the Sabres, he had never been past the first round of the playoffs, and I think he realizes it will be tough to get further with another team.
Zubrus is one of those wait-and-see players for now. The reality is that we wont be able to sign him, Briere, and Drury. And given the status of the later two, they will be first priority. However, if talks reach an impasse with either Chris or Danny before July 1, then expect talks to quickly spark up with Zubrus as he proved himself as a valuable asset that Lindy can build some physical play around.
Spacek, while signed for 3 years, remains someone who might find himself somewhere else. While I know that it is not smart to cut up the defense, we have to really look at value here. Spacek got paid due to his great numbers in the playoffs last year. When we look at the horror show of stats from this year, we might start to think that his value peaked last year and that his playing with Chris Pronger in Edmonton could have helped that along. I still think he is all-around a great player and did do some things this year that helped us win some games, I'm not so sure that we can justify keeping his salary around when we want to lock in Vanek long-term and re-sign the co-captains. Trying to score a few draft picks for Spacek might be a better option than trying to find out if he can bounce back after a disastrous playoff showing this year.
The biggest wild-card will be the years in the contracts for Drury and Briere. We know that they both will want contracts that will essentially close out their careers so we are talking 4-5 years each. We also now that Darcy is notorious for being reluctant to sign long term deals like that (thanks for that, Dominator). But, I think that Darcy realizes what these two guys mean to this town and what they mean to this team's success. I think that once Tom Golisano realizes the business impact that losing these two could have on the team, he will give Darcy the old Steinbrenner lean to get these two locked up. For the record, I am in no way comparing Tom Golisano to Steinbrenner.
Of course this is all speculation and I was completely wrong last summer as I thought Darcy wouldn't find a way to lose Mike Grier and J.P. Dumont. So like any off-season, anything can happen.
Liking This Town
One of things that separates this off-season from any other off-season in regards to free agents is the openness of the soon-to-be free agents' desire to stay in Buffalo. This is usually never the case. For Briere to come right out and say that he wants to be a Sabre and would accept the proverbial hometown discount should mean a lot to fans. Since most players whose stock peaks in Buffalo usually can't get out soon enough, for him to say that means a lot. Even for a player like Adam Mair, who is unrestricted, to share the same sentiments shows a change in tide. Add Zubrus to that mix and it looks like the players really believe in the team and the system, along with the city and the fans. I give Drury a pass for not being as vocal, but he has come out to say that he loves this town as a hockey town and would love to play here for years to come. After the episodes involving Hasek, Kozlov, and Doug Gilmore, it is refreshing to see true superstars show the desire to remain a part of this team in Buffalo
Must Not See TV
With the Finals set with Ottawa and Anaheim, it will be tragically humorous to see TV ratings on Vs. and NBC. I just hope they can compete with Arena Football on ESPN2.
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