Flyers at Sabres Tonight
Granted, I didn’t see the Boston game so maybe I am talking out of my ass here, but after reading the transcript of Lindy Ruff’s press conference and what the players are saying about the mistakes they have made and their “lack of focus,” I couldn’t disagree more with Ryan’s assessment that we shouldn’t bring up a player or two from the minors. Now to be fair to Ryan, it likely isn’t the long-term answer, and to entertain the possibility of doing so we would have to lose players from the current roster through trades, demotions which would make them unlikely to clear waivers, or the use of injured reserve. So bringing up a player may just be a fantasy for those reasons alone. Ryan clearly makes that point, so his argument is not incorrect, he’s using logic and reason. But let’s just fantasize for a minute here, shall we?
Ryan’s point that the players we have in Portland are the same as the players we have here in Buffalo may be correct from this standpoint:
However, bringing up Mike Mancari won’t solve much of anything right now. In fact, no one on the Pirates roster is going to help turn things around with the Sabres because they simply have nothing to offer this team. The Sabres’ roster doesn’t need another goal scoring winger. We have plenty of people that can score goals on this team…
The premise, on the surface, is correct.
And:
The two biggest things hurting the Sabres are defense and discipline, neither of which will come from a rookie not used to NHL speed and style of play. Tossing a young guy into the fire will take an adjustment period no matter how well versed he is in the “system” the organization has in place. A Mancari, Kennedy, or Gerbe getting a roster spot is going to equal mistakes and bad penalties. Experience comes from opportunity, yes, but allowing that experience to accumulate takes time we just don’t have.
Again, on the surface, correct.
But in all honesty, while I agree with the two major points he is making, I have come to the opposite conclusion. If it were possible to make room on the roster for Mancari and Gerbe, I would call them up in a heartbeat. Why? Because they might not take their playing time for granted and actually do what the coach tells them to do.
To whit, from Lindy, on the lack of discipline:
“It’s going to have to cost guys dearly with ice time. You can correct [lack of focus]. If you want to get focus, you want to get desperate, maybe some players will have to miss games. A player last night missed a lot of ice time. Really, that’s the only choice you have as a coach.”
Because of the new CBA that doesn’t allow players to travel freely between the minors and the NHL, some players know they have a job regardless of their play. There aren’t a lot of ways to shake guys up, but one way is to put a rookie in their place and take away their time on the ice. Would Mancari, who has played in a total of three NHL games in his whole career (but 215 games in Rochester prior to this year), make some mistakes? Possibly, but I seem to recall him being a fairly responsible defensive player. So what is more important, the occasional mistake made by a Mancari (when such mistakes are already being made), or the message his insertion into the lineup would send?
Why is it that so many NHL teams end up with a player in his first year who gets people excited, scores some goals, and takes folks by surprise, but the Sabres never do? I know it seems like the easy answer – the quick fix – but sometimes it’s just what a team needs.
But to reiterate, as Ryan points out as well when he writes “Demoting Kaleta at this point simply isn’t an option, and I can’t think of another reasonable option to free up a roster spot,” it’s all a pipe dream unless players are moved. Come to think of it, not a bad option either.
As for tonight’s game, we won’t be seeing No. 48 on the ice. Just this week I saw a NYS license plate that read “DANB48″, and I wondered if the woman driving still cheers for Danny, or if she’s just counting the minutes until she can get a less-stupid plate, probably one that reads “ROY-Z” or “POMMERS”. My point? Not sure if I have one.
Philly is currently in a tie for ninth in the East with 18 points, but considering the disastrous start to their season they have played quite well of late. Simon Gagne is playing like Simon Gagne played before his head got turned to mush, and has 11 goals and 11 assists on the year.
According to Mike Harrington of The Buffalo News, old friend Marty Biron will be in net for Philly tonight. It’s a 7:30 start, and it should be the usual crowd of Friday night drunks at HSBC. Sadly, I won’t be one of them tonight.
UPDATE: Thanks to Will in comments and Mike Harrington from Sabres Edge:
Mancari is skating with Paul Gaustad and Daniel Paille and Lindy Ruff (finally) will make Maxim Afinogenov a healthy scratch. One-goal Max is on the ice but not skating on the lines, which look like this:
Vanek-Hecht-Pominville; Paille-Gaustad-Mancari; MacArthur-Roy-Stafford; Kaleta-Mair-Peters
And now more news: Henrik Tallinder is a healthy scratch for tonight in the wake of Wednesday’s disaster in Boston…
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Does anyone know if we’ll be able to see the UB game on TV tonight?
Sounds like a reasonable alternative at this point…
Time Warner customers can see it on channel 13 at 6pm. Not sure whether other carriers are showing the game.
Seriously, does anyone really think this team would be any worse off if Max and Stafford got hit by a bus yesterday? It can’t hurt to shake up the lineup – the message it sends is always far more important than the practical effects of potential youth mistakes. I mean, what, is losing by four instead of two such a big deal?
I don’t know what the problem is, except that we have one center made out of cotton fucking candy and at least three other guys who’ve apparently gotten their long-term deals and are willing to coast to retirement now. But maybe a couple trades need to be made. (Note to Derek Roy: You are not Tim Connolly. Cut the dipsy-do shit and play hockey.)
Gerbe can play in the NHL right now. I doubt Mancari will have a home here, but maybe it’s time to move a couple guys while we still can. Darcy fucked up with Max two years ago, but I don’t see Stafford making much more of an impact in the next couple years. He’s 6-2 and gets pushed around like Roy. No one will take Max, but benching him a couple games to see what Kennedy’s got right now wouldn’t be the end of the world. (And no, no one will pay 3.3 mil for Max.)
Finally, our D is fully healthy and is playing like shit. Goaltending has been average at best. At least three goals weren’t really Miller’s fault last game, but jesus, he’s had his head up his ass for a couple weeks now. Maybe 6 mil does that to a 28-year-old, but on paper this team should be running away with it.
Mancari’s up and gets the nod over Max tonight, per the News:
“The fans’ clamor has apparently been heard: The Sabres have just taken the ice for the morning skate and right winger Mark Mancari is here from Portland, where was second in the AHL in scoring with 25 points (11 goals, 14 assists) in 14 games.
Mancari is skating with Paul Gaustad and Daniel Paille and it looks like Lindy Ruff (finally) will make Maxim Afinogenov a healthy scratch. One-goal Max is on the ice but not skating on the lines, which look like this:
Vanek-Hecht-Pominville; Paille-Gaustad-Mancari; MacArthur-Roy-Stafford; Kaleta-Mair-Peters
And now more news: Henrik Tallinder just skated near the Flyers’ bench and told one of the visitors he’s a healthy scratch for tonight in the wake of Wednesday’s disaster in Boston that was a key topic in the locker room yesterday.”
http://buffalonews.typepad.com/sabres/2008/11/bulletin-mancar.html
Correct me if I’m wrong but isn’t free agency (restricted vs. unrestricted) determined by age and number of NHL games played. Could there be some long term contract issues with early free agency if we bring some of the boys up now instead of gradually over the next couple years.
Don’t get me wrong, I’d love to see the young kids come up and shake things up but this might be some of Darcy’s thinking in not wanting to bring them up.
Fosty – All those guys (Mancari, Gerbe, Kennedy, etc.) have signed pro contracts. Mancari is actually at the end of his, and Kennedy and Gerbe are on their first years of entry-level deals. They are already pros, so the clock is already ticking.
That was surprisingly gentle, Kevin.
I didn’t really consider the short term/long term impact of bringing a guy up, but after thinking over what you said I can’t complain about Mancari getting the nod. The “actually do what the coach tells them to do,” is also a great point, and maybe Max and Hank sitting a game can fire them up.
Perhaps the mistakes will be minimized because Mike is a forward, as many of the callups we’ve seen recently have been on the blue line and have been magnified as such. (Weber, Sekera, Paetsch…) I must say I’d love to be wrong and see Mancari give the team a big boost, but I’m still skeptical. I’ll be the first to say I am wrong if it happens, though…
The Sabres need to try shaking up this team. Benching Max and Tallinder for a game (or more) and playing someone else might be a start. Mancari needs to go out and play smart and make the most out of this callup. If Paetsch plays a smart game as well, maybe the rest of the defense will see that if they continue to make rookie-like mistakes and play poorly, Paetsch gets to play and they can spend some time in the press box as well. Maybe Darcy needs to consider making a trade– he may have to give up a combination of a current Sabre (no one wants Max or Connolly, so maybe Stafford), a current player with Portland, a draft pick, etc. to get a player this team needs. If Miller wants to be a top goalie in this league, then he needs to get his head in the game and start playing like a top goalie. Roy needs to get back to playing solid hockey and stop the fancy crap. The rest of them need to step it up — more forechecking and backchecking, more finishing their checks, win more battles in the corners, smart passes, etc.
I believe the “player in his first year who gets people excited, scores some goals, and takes folks by surprise, but the Sabres never do?” statement is a bit of a stretch. Wasn’t it only a few years ago that Roy and Pomminville started in Rochester before getting called up and scoring 20 or so goals over the rest of the season? Granted they’re both playing like ass now, but they weren’t when they first got here.
Boy I hope my prediction of 6 in the tank is so wrong – if these guys don’t get their act together on D – Philly will skate all over them, just as Boston did and, Montreal will Saturday night. It don’t look good
HOLY SHIT!
You want exciting football, UB has it! They did it again! Tied it late and won in OT!
MAC EAST CHAMPIONS! BOWL BOUND!
Off to ESPN News for highlights!