You Say Goodbye, And I Say Hello.

Okay, the initial burst of free agency is over, and while we’re all still holding our breaths for the magical all-our-bad-players-in-exchange-for-Malkin trade of our dreams, it’s time to take stock of the current situation. Who’s in and who’s out?

______

OUT: Mark Mancari

Mark Mancari, I absolutely refused to give up on you, and I’m sad you’ve moved on.  I’ll miss you… not so much your playing (which always seemed super fabulous to me, actually), but definitely your tall swarthiness.  Good luck in Vancouver, and don’t party too hard at the Roxy.

Now the Sabres don't have a player who looks like he might moonlight as a pirate. :(

_______

IN: Robyn Regehr

I’m totally, totally psyched that we’re going to have a stay-at-home, punchy defenseman named “Robyn” on the Sabres.  Thanks for waiving your no trade clause, Robyn. Please let me apologize in advance for your new nickname, which is “Sloth”. Yes, you do remind me a teensy-tiny bit of that guy from the Goonies, but I assure you, “Sloth” is a term of affection at my house.  There is no one I’d rather have on my side in case of a Mama Fratelli-related emergency than you, Robyn. Welcome to the team!

"Baby Ruuu-th?"

______

OUT: Rob Niedermayer

Dude Nieds, I finally learned how to spell your name, and then you had to go and move to Switzerland.

Well, thanks for that one goal you scored that one time! (No, but seriously, thanks for getting waaaay better in the playoffs. That was awesome. Hopefully some of these scrubs learned a thing or two from you.)

He's the best looking of all the Niedermayers!

______

IN: Ales Kotalik

Wait….what?

Um...okaaaay.

______

OUT: Steve Montador

This one stings a bit. There are just some guys you like, and Steve Montador is one of those guys. I wanted him to stay, and I feel a little bit like Monty got the shaft. I mean, he was totally a part of the Sabres bridge from suckiness to not-so-suckiness, and it doesn’t feel fair that he got the heave-ho. On the other hand he signed a FAT contract in Chicago, so I think he’ll survive without us just fine. (I fully expect for Monty to start showing up in the background of all the, “Patrick Kane Is On Another Bender” articles on Deadspin. As the designated driver, or course.) Good luck, Monty. Thanks for being all-around awesome, and also for wearing that CHIPS outfit at the Catwalk for Charity.

Nice

IN: Ville Leino

Ville Leino, I have a good feeling about this signing, but man, Darcy took a big chance on you. I know that when Darcy said, “I’d like to offer you $27 million dollars, but only if you like playing center,” the only sane response was, “I don’t like playing center, I LOVE playing center,” but, you better be good at playing center. Seriously.

I don’t really know how to tell you this, but you’re sort of the new Vanek in that we-can’t-afford-anyone-else-because-we-gave-all-our-money-to-you sort of way.

Uh, no pressure or anything though.

This expression bodes well.

OUT: Tim Connolly

Bye, Timmeh. Thanks for… everything. I wish things had ended differently, I really do. Mostly I wish you’d gone to, like, the Panthers or some team like that, so I could safely say “good luck,” but now you’re a disgusting Leaf, so you’ve left me no choice but to say, “I hope you never win again.”

Timmm-mehhh

IN: Christian Ehrhoff

This is the contract that really signaled that this is a new era of Sabres hockey. This contract completely blew my mind. Ehrhoff’s contract is mega-cap-circumvent-y and it (theoretically) extends until the end of time.The assumption is that eventually they’ll just buy him out, but still. It completely rocks my world-view that of all the current Sabres, Ehrhoff is the one slated to be around for the longest. In ten years I’ll be forty-five years old which is impossibly old. Surely I’ll be dead by then, right?

Get used to this face, because we’re going to have hoverboards before his contract is up again.

OUT: Chris Butler

There is NOTHING not to love about Chris Butler. I’ll miss you, Butts. Have fun in Calgary, and thanks for being such a good Sabre. I’m sorry I don’t have much to say about you, but this post is going on forever, and I’m really getting tired of writing it. The good thing about you is that I doubt you’ll mind. You seem like such a good sport about this sort of thing.

Good old Butts.

______

So, that’s where we stand. We’ve said our goodbyes, and we’ve welcomed the newcomers. I, for one, am ready for the new season to begin!

9 Things

1. I’m back (from camp), and I’m better than ever.

2. The end of Apple Hill usually coincides with start of the NHL free agency, which tends to contribute to my post-camp malaise. Leaving summer camp is sad, and watching other teams improve while the Sabres trot out Darcy for his bi-annual announcement about “building through the draft” doesn’t help matters at all. BUT THIS YEAR IS DIFFERENT! This year we have Richie Rich in our corner, and damn it, Terry Pegula gets his man. I honestly don’t have any idea what to expect, but I doubt I’ll be bored and/or horrified on July 1st this year.

3. On the other hand…. I know we’re all flush with excitement over the prospect of signing everyone and their mother on Friday, and lord knows it’s a good feeling, but I feel a responsibility to remind people that the free agent pool sucks donkey butt this year. It’s frustrating, but it’s true. (Yesterday I made a joke on Twitter wishing for the 2007 free agent pool instead of the 2011 free agent pool, and not only did no one laugh, but one person told me it was the most depressing tweet she’d ever read. Too soon?)

Brad Richards is going to command STUPID money, not because he’s worth stupid money but because he’s the best available option if you want to spend stupid money (which we kinda do).

So, the situation is a little confusing. Part of me wants the Sabres to just go nuts and get the best available guy, and another part of me is all, “Hold up. That’s the dumbest idea in the world.” Settling for the best available guy is how people (and teams) wind up in horrible, loveless marriages. We shouldn’t get married just for the sake of getting married. Is Brad Richards really the guy for us?  I dunno.

4. I appears that Steve Montador will be hitting the open market on Friday and this makes me feel hurt, angry, and confused.

5. Hey, thanks for waiving your no-trade clause, Robyn Regehr! We hope you like it here. We’ll do our best not to be too annoying (no promises there). Call me if you or any of your children need viola lessons.

6. The Flyers are fucking crazy. As in, C-R-A-Z-Y.

7.  The Honey Badger, aka Tenacious G, aka Lil’ Gerbs, aka Nathan Gerbe signed a very cap friendly, 3-year deal $4.3 million deal today. Honey Badger, call me if you ever need viola lessons.

8. The Sabres bought the Amerks and had a big happy press conference about it today.  Terry Pegula and Ted Black continue be all sassy and loveable and seemingly perfect in every way. We learned the following things:

• Amerks season tickets are going to cost, like, 12 cents, so everyone should run out and purchase them as fast as you can.

• We will now be referring to the Amerks as “The University of Hockey,” which is straight-up adorkable. I would like to offer my services teaching viola lessons as an elective credit to the future Sabres. I assume that the U of H understands the value of viola playing to young hockey players.

• When (when, not if) the Sabres win the Cup, Rochester gets a parade too. Or… our parade might go all the way to Rochester. Something like that. The details of the parade will be worked out later, and this is already skating a waaaaaay too close to “planning the parade” for my tastes, so, moving on…

9. Every year at Apple Hill there is a hotly contested ping-pong tournament, the winner of which is awarded the “Apple Hill Cup”. I can’t believe I’ve never blogged about this before, because look at the Cup. We write the names of the winners on it and everything.

It's basically exactly the same as the Stanley Cup except it hasn't been befouled by the Bruins.

 

Before the Penguins Game

Because of my Twitter sabbatical (only three days to go!), I feel pretty removed from the Sabres chatter around the interwebs.  I’m going to go ahead and assume that even in the sometimes-too-cranky Twitter environment, most people are quite chipper about the Sabres.  You’d have to be a very devoted crankypants to avoid a Sabres-related spring in your step these days.

(Also, it’s extremely beautiful outside today.  Spring is coming, you guys.  For real.)

Considering my incredibly good Sabres-mood, I found myself doing a rather odd thing this morning.  I found myself looking at the upcoming schedule, and wondering when would be a good time for a loss.  “Good” is a weird term when it comes to losses during a playoff push, but let’s face it, the Sabres are not going to win out, so there will be a loss or two in our future.  Maybe it will come tonight.  I hope not.

But, let’s make a promise to one another right now, Dear Reader. Let’s keep this Sabres-related spring in our step, either way.

I’ve never been a big fan of the “Don’t get to high, and don’t get too low,” philosophy.  That philosophy makes a lot of sense for the players, but for myself, I’ve always preferred to accept the low lows as a sort of payment to the Hockey Gods in exchange for the high highs.

But for some reason, this year feels different.  Things feel different around here lately, don’t they? Maybe it’s Pegula, maybe it’s this slow comeback from the brink, maybe it’s that the Sabres have been good in unexpected ways, or, maybe it’s not actually different at all.  Maybe it just feels different because I want it to be different this year.  Who knows.

For whatever reason, I’m not in the mood to live and die with every game. I’m in the mood to have faith in the Sabres.  I’m in the mood to take the long view. I’m in the mood to believe.

Don’t get too high, don’t get too low. Let’s stop examining our past, and let’s stop wringing our hands about the future. Let’s ride this thing out, one game at a time. Let’s give 110% every night.

All for one, and one for all.  Live together, die alone.  (And yes… that includes Tim Connolly.  In fact, that especially includes Tim Connolly.)

Huddle up, Sabres Nation!

LET’S GO BUFF-A-LO!

Twitterless: Day Two, “TWO POINTS, MOFOS!”

WE’RE CURRENTLY IN A PLAYOFF POSITION!!

Please read the following disclaimer before continuing:

DISCLAIMER: Almighty Hockey Gods, in no way, shape, or form is this post to be read as an assumption that the Sabres will be in a playoff position at the end of the year.  You are mighty and strong, and we know that you will rightfully smite those who take their playoff positions for granted.  The season is long, and there are still many games to be played.  Anything could still happen, which is why we will always remain faithful to your blessed word.  It is with great reverence to you that we celebrate the Sabres current position in the standings.   Thank you for sharing your wonderful game with us, mere mortals.  We pray to you for continued Sabres success.

For thine is the arena, and the slap shot, and the glory, forever and ever, Amen.

That said…

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!

The Sabres are certainly not perfect (you might want to reconsider the “give up a two goal lead almost every night” strategy, fellas), but they’re ours, and they are so very very lovable these days.  The season IS long, and we still have quite a way to go, but I don’t think it’s wrong to take a little moment to celebrate how far they’ve come.  These guys have battled admirably for many weeks, and while the 8th place slot is just a symbol today (nothing more), I’m really proud of this team.

A few thoughts from the game:

- How freaking great is it that we have a real, honest-to-goodness NHL-caliber goalie to back up Crunchy?  The backup situation has been so fraught with danger for the last few years, and it’s just SO good to realize that Lindy doesn’t have to play Miller every night.  And best of all?  When Lindy doesn’t play Miller, they might still win.

- Perhaps it’s just that the games mean so much more now, but I’ve been very  impressed with these last few games from an entertainment standpoint.  Hockey is fun and fast and exciting again!  (That really might be the difference between November hockey and March Playoff Push hockey.)

- I VERY briefly surrendered to my desire to tweet during this game right after Niedermayer scored.  (I mean, come on. N-I-E-D-E-R-M-A-Y-E-R SCORED!  That’s a totally tweetable occasion.)  But, I promise, I didn’t even check my @replies.  I just got in and got out.  However, the Wild almost immediately scored two goals.  So, fear not Sabres fans, I will not be tweeting again during my sabbatical, no matter how many goals Niedermayer scores before next Saturday.  The Hockey Gods still allowed the Sabres to win, so my indiscretion was apparently forgiven, but I shant make the same mistake twice.

- STAFF-Y!  STAFF-Y!  STAFF-Y!  That was a pretty foxy goal, no?

- Seriously though.  They need to stop giving up two goal leads.

- I’m still surprised to see Boyes out there with Vanek.  Every time I see him, I think, “DAMN!  LOOK AT MAIR GO!”  Unlike the other recent trade deadline day acquisitions, Boyes is, um, actually making a difference.  He is making the offense better, which is obviously exactly what he’s supposed to do. I was thinking the other day about how one of the problems with being a Sabres fan in recent years is this sense that we’re constantly losing good players and not replacing them.  Look at what Darcy just did!  He went out and got us a good player!  Just like that.

- That opening goal with Vanek to Pommers to Montador to Pommers was so so so so so pretty.  SO PRETTY.

- There was a sort of funny officiating moment tonight.  There was a play where the Wild were cycling the puck in the Sabres end (they might have been on the power play at the time), and the puck came verrrrry close to popping out.  The lineman ruled it out, but he did so by going down on one knee right on the blue line and VERY emphatically gesturing “OUT OUT OUT!”  It was very theatrical.  Then, the ref came over and helped the linesman to his feet and tapped him on the butt for good measure.  It was a pretty tough call (I thought the puck stayed in, actually), but I really enjoyed the linesman’s flamboyance.  I like it when the officials are a little dramatic.  This is show business, baby.

Trade Deadline Day: COMPLETE

You wily bastard.

 

NOT COOL, GUYS.

I had the intention of doing a big long post today about Darcy Regier.  I might still write that post, but I’ve been temporarily halted by a completely disturbing discovery.

Here at The Willful Caboose Headquarters, I do the research for my brainier posts in one of two ways.  I either google things in the form of a question, (Example: “Is Darcy Reiger as dumb and/or as smart as he looks?”), and if that doesn’t work, I usually just make shit up.   My post today was going to be super brainy, believe you me.  Like, mega suuuuper brainy.

I had some questions about Darcy’s trade history and what it might tell us about how he’ll proceed on Monday.  So, first I googled, “Everyone is constantly bringing up the fact that Darcy traded for Briere and Drury as evidence of Darcy’s mad trading skillz, but they always gloss over the fact that the Sabres missed the playoffs for the first two years that both of those guys were on the team.  Of course, that doesn’t detract from the awesomeness of those trades, but it DOES raise the question- Is Darcy capable of turning the Sabres around quickly?”

That google search turned up diddly-poo.  At first I thought it might be time to shift into the “just make shit up” portion of my research, but I decided to go the extra mile in an effort to make my suuuper-mega-brainy post extra legit.  I decided to google Chris Drury and Daniel Briere.  Truthfully, I wasn’t totally positive about that whole, “The Sabres missed the playoffs for the first two years that both Drury and Briere were on the team,” claim.  I thought it wouldn’t hurt to double check.

So, first I googled, Daniel Briere.  I learned that he was a deadline acquisition in 2003.  So, that means he WAS on the team when the Sabres missed the playoffs in both 2003, and 2004.  So far the facts were backing up my claim.

Then, I google Chris Drury.  And this is where I made a TOTALLY HORRIFYING DISCOVERY.

Seriously, you guys?  SERIOUSLY?!  WHAT THE EFF IS WRONG WITH US?

Yes, that’s right.  When you google, “Chris Drury,” the drop down menu provides “Chris Drury back to Buffalo,” AS AN AUTO-FILL.   What this means is that so many people have actually googled, “Chris Drury back to Buffalo,” that now Google just FILLS IT IN AS A HELPFUL TIME SAVER.

This discovery has completely derailed my research because now I’m just sitting here on the couch feeling vaguely embarrassed. I don’t want to write about the history of the Sabres anymore today. I don’t even want to think about the history of the Sabres anymore today.

Buffalo, we need to take a long, hard look in the mirror.  Constantly looking backwards is… I just… I MEAN, COME ON.  This is Chris Drury we’re talking about.

I want to move forward, and I suspect you do too.  So, let’s take baby steps.  We can do it together.  First step: We’re going to stop googling Chris Drury.  All of us.  We can do this, you guys.   Cold turkey.

We’re never ever ever ever ever ever going to google Chris Drury for fun again.  Ever.

If, for some reason I wind up needing to google Chris Drury for a TOTALLY LEGIT bloggy-type reason, I BETTER not find “Chris Drury back to Buffalo,” in the drop down menu again.  DO YOU HEAR ME, BUFFALO?

Here is an example of an acceptable drop down Google menu:

100% awesome, and not at all embarrassing (at least not for us).

Game Recap (ED. NOTE- THAT GAME WAS AWESOME)

(ed. note- About halfway through writing this Game Diary I realize that a lot of the stuff I wrote at the beginning of the diary was all wrong-headed.  So, I went back and made some notes.)

-Holy crap do I wish Vincent Lecavalier was a Sabre.

-Holy crap do I wish Jochen Hecht was not a Sabre.

-Remember that time Lecavalier and Hecht fought?  That was awesome.  If they fought again right now I might be rooting for Vinny. 

- I love it when a guy scores a goal and then immediately points to the guy who gave him the pass.  Vanek does that all the time.  Because he’s awesome.  Vanek has good manners, even in the heat of the moment.

(ed. note- At some point in here the score got to be 3-1, Lightning.  I really wasn’t paying super close attention to be honest.)

- The Lightning are an incredibly exciting and awesome team.  They’re just plan better than the Sabres. (ed. note- *cue hilarious foreshadowing music*) The Lightning are a good example of how quickly things can change when the right man takes over a franchise.  Have hope, Sabres fans!  Things can change.  Two years ago the Barry Melrose was coaching the Lightning and Stamkos was a bust, and now look at them!  They rock. (ed. note- They do not rock.)

- You know, even though the Sabres are currently losing 3-1, I still like this game.  Is anyone else just totally calm about the Sabres?  It’s Pegula.  I believe again, because now I’ve got some patience.   (ed. note- I REALLY BELIEVE AGAIN!  THANK YOU HOCKEY GODS!)

-Is there a guy in a Sabres Steve Bernier jersey sitting right behind Brian Engblom?  That is WEIRD.  If you’re the guy who ran out and bought that jersey the day after Bernier’s impressive debut against Nashville two years ago, aren’t you also the guy who has a closet full of jerseys?  And if you own other, non-Bernier jerseys, shouldn’t you be wearing one of those to the game?  Is it possible that this guy only owns one Sabres jersey, and that jersey is a…Bernier? (ed. note- The guy in the Bernier jersey is OBVIOUSLY LUCKY, and if Pegula is smart he’ll pay the Bernier-guy to travel around with the team, and wear his Bernier jersey in the first row behind the benches at every game. MAKE IT HAPPEN, PEGASAURUS!)

(ed. note: NOT weird!  HE’S A LUCKY CHARM AND I LOVE HIM!)

-Jason Pominville needs to score some goals.  Or at least be remotely visible on the ice. (ed. note- This actually still stands.)

- Huh.  The Sabres just tied it!  I did not see that coming.  It’s definitely easier to score when the opposing goalie is flat on his back.  The Sabres should send old Staffy out to trip up the goalie more often.  This game is now hilarious because the home fans are MEGA cranky and booing all over the place.  Can’t say I exactly blame them, although Staffy was just falling.  He didn’t mean nothin’ by it. (ed. note- The crowd should’ve saved their booing and just stood up and gone home.  The ax…it was hovering.  To say the least.  WOO!)

- WHY did Lindy put Niedermayer out on the 3-on-3?  WHAT POSSIBLE JUSTIFICATION COULD THERE POSSIBLY BE FOR NIEDERMAYER ON A 3-ON-3?!  WHY LINDY, WHY? (ed. note- WHY?!)

- Wow!  Tim Connolly just scored.  I repeat.  Tim Connolly just score the go ahead goal. That goal was nice work by Stafford, Ennis and Connolly. 4-3, Sabres.

- I am definitely losing my, “TRADE STAFFY NOW!” resolve.  Now I’m kind of like, “WE’RE WINNING THE CUP, AND STAFFY IS GOING TO BE THE MVP!”

- Okay, the Sabres just scored AGAIN.  This is the best game EVER!  (Except for possibly this game, which was also against the Lightning.) 5-3, Sabres.

- Why haven’t they pulled Roloson? (ed. note- I should be the coach of the Lightning.)

- HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Tampa Bay Lightning, WHY did you leave Vanek all alone right in front of the net?  Are you guys retarded? (ed. note- Yes!  THEY ARE!)  6-3, Sabres.

- Okay, Staffy.  You can stay.  It’s decided.  Tell us how much money you want, and we’ll have Pegula’s lawyers write up the contract.  IT’S A “MOOOORE BRAAAAAAINS” HAT TRICK! 7-3, Sabres.

- Aw, Vinny scored.  I love that guy.  I wish he was a Sabre.  Have I mentioned that recently? 7-4, Sabres.

- Well.  I think I speak for all Sabres fans when I say, “EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!” (ed. note- EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!)

-If you’re not jazzed after that one, we can’t be friends.

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!  WOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!! THE SABRES ARE NEVER LOSING AGAIN! (ed. note- It’s been far, far too long since I’ve said, “The Sabres are never losing again.”  Welcome back, Sabres.)

Blah Blah Blah Sabres Blah Blah

I recently read a good post on Black Dog Hates Skunks about the Oilers and how they may or may not handle the trade deadline.  The basic premise of the post is this: If you want to build a better team, keep the good players you have, and get more good players when you can.  This makes sense to me, because it’s logical and sane.  (Incidentally, I really recommend adding Black Dog Hates Skunk to your RSS feed.  Most of his posts are divided into two parts.  The first part is usually a story about himself or his family.  The stories are oddly heartwarming despite the fact that they’re 95% about drinking beer, making babies, or being generally unruly.  The second part is usually about the Oilers, and if you’re like me, and you don’t care about the Oilers, it’s easy to skip.)

I’ll admit, there is a part of me that wants to believe in the “blow it up” philosophy.   Blowing it up sounds satisfying, but what if it doesn’t work?  If you blow it up and you STILL stink, then what?

For the good of the bottom-line, I think it’s important for the Sabres to stay at least semi-competitive.  I don’t think the Sabres would be wise to take the Penguins/Blackhawk route, because, well, sucking that hard would….suck.  No fun.

Anyhooch, Black Dog’s post got me thinking seriously about the Sabres and who I think is realistic trade bait, and who I think the Sabres should keep.  I do think the Sabres should be sellers, but they should sell with the idea of getting better next year.  No need to blow anything up, m’kay Darcy?

We’ve got a few categories of players:

Players that I would consider addition by subtraction:

Hecht
Connolly
Rivet
Grier
Niedermayer
Lalime

The only players on this list that any team would even CONSIDER taking off our hands would be Connolly and maaaaybe Grier.   Trouble is, even when healthy, Connolly has been terrible this season, and his stock may have totally plummeted.  If Connolly is still trade-able it’s because GMs are morons….which, you know….they kind of are.  So, *fingers crossed*.  But let’s err on the side of not-getting-our-hopes-up, and assume that all of these players will finish the season as Sabres.  Bummer.  The good news about these guys is that with the exception of Hecht, all of their contracts are expiring this summer.

Untouchables:

Miller
Myers
Vanek
Sekera
Roy

Yeah, I know.  None one of these guys are having particularly great years, but I have faith that they’ll all be worth it in the end.  Even if Myers and Miller never return to 2009/10 form, they’re still very handy players to have around.  I initially thought maybe Darcy should dangle Sekera, but I think he’s developing into a nice little player.   Why should we assume a draft pick is going to be any better at hockey than Sekera?  All of these guys fall firmly into the category of “keep your good players,” if you ask me.  

Babies we should definitely keep:

Ennis
Weber
Adam
Byron

Ennis and Weber have performed admirably this season, and I was impressed with both Adam and Byron during their call-ups.  I’m looking forward to seeing all of these guys play more. These guys fall into the category of “keep your best prospects”.

Veeeerry Interesting players:

I’ll discuss them one by one.

Montador- I think the Sabres should definitely try to keep Montador.  He’s a solid defenseman, he’s surprisingly points get-y, he gives good interviews, and he somehow manages to be hot even when he’s NOT wearing his teeth.  Plus, the Sabres have been bleeding defensemen every summer for as long as I’ve been a fan, and frankly, I don’t think it’s working out too well.  Montador is pretty good.  He’s thrived in Lindy’s system.  Let’s keep him.  If Darcy is not already trying to negotiate with Montador, he’s stupid.   HOWEVER, if the Sabres already know that Monty wants to move on next year, I have to think he’d have some trade value.  In that case (although I would definitely shed a tear), Monty should be traded.

Gerbe- As recently as three weeks ago we all would’ve happily put Gerbe on a bus to Anywhere-But-Here.  Don’t deny it.  You know it’s true.  But little Gerbs is doing us a real solid by stepping up his game recently.  He’s proving that in the right conditions, he can be a productive NHL player.  I saw enough of him in the first half of the season to be veeeerrry skeptical of his abilities, so, I say let’s try to get something, anything, for this guy while the getting is good.

Butler- Someone took Paehcsehtchesch from us last year, so I think someone will take Butler.  Once upon a time I truly loved Butts, but he’s definitely on Lindy’s “unsalvageable” list, so if he can be traded, he should be traded.

Stafford- If he can stay healthy for the next month, I think Staffy is definitely our most valuable trade asset.  He’s big, he’s shown definite signs of being offensively gifted, and he’s got at least one more year of RFA status after his contract expires this summer.  Plus, he’s having a career year.

Staffy has NEVER played with consistency, in the past he’s PROVEN that he can be lazy and distracted (I mean, he’s said OUTLOUD in INTERVIEWS that he might prefer to be a rockstar.  I love you, but for FUCKS SAKE, Staffy!), plus he’s easily injured.  How would giving Stafford a contract now be any different from when Darcy gave Connolly his contract two years ago?  In reality, it would be worse, because at least Connolly had shown signs of near brilliance in previous years.  All Staffy has shown us with consistency is inconsistency.  Signing Staffy now would be the textbook definition of “buying high”.   (And, again, I direct you towards this post at Hockey Rhetoric which compares Stafford to Kotalik in a MOST unsettling way.)

When we rail against Darcy for overvaluing his draftees, we’re talking about guys like Drew Stafford.  I, for one, feel quite comfortable taking the risk that Staffy will go and be awesome for someone else, because honestly, I don’t think he’s going to be awesome for someone else.  I think he’ll be a 15-20 goal scorer for the rest of his career.  He’s useful, but he’s not special.   If the Sabres want to change, they have to ACTUALLY change some of the players (and not just defensemen).  They have to let players go. I think, for better and for worse, Staffy is emblematic of the post-2007 Sabres.  Stafford is part of the “core” that has proven beyond a DOUBT that they can’t get it done. Let’s move him while he’s hot, get something in return, and never look back.

_________

If there’s a player I didn’t mention it’s because I think he’s providing value to the Sabres in one way or another.  (I wasn’t entirely sure how to categorize Pominville until I remembered how terrible the penalty kill was when he was injured at the beginning of the season.  Remember that?  That was not cool.  We may be paying Pominville too much, but he’s definitely providing value.  I never ever ever ever want to watch the PK without him again.)

And on a sidenote, I have no idea what’s come over me in the last few days and compelled me to write such serious posts.  It’s very unlike me.  Hopefully I’ll return to whimsy and bullhonky in the very near future.  Thank you for your patience.

6 Things

1. THE SABRES WON!  THE SABRES WON!  THE SABRES WON!

2. I have to admit I’ve been a little less of a Miss-I-Heart-The-Sabres-Pants and a LOT more of a Miss-Arms-Crossed-With-Disapproval-Pants this season than in past seasons.  I don’t feel guilty about this in the slightest, but I DO feel sorry for myself that it didn’t even OCCUR to me to run down to the break room after our concert ended last night to watch OT and the shootout.  In my defense, the BPO had a post-concert reception of cupcakes and champagne, so I had delicious treats on the brain.  But regardless of the available desserts, it still surprised me when some of my hockey-loving colleagues showed up at the reception a few minutes late and asked, “WHERE WERE YOU?” My answer was, “What are you talking about?  I was here, eating cupcakes!  Where were YOU?!”  It literally did not cross my mind to go downstairs and watch the end of the game. I was blinded by cupcakes, I think.

I’m sorry about that, because I think I really would’ve enjoyed the end of that game.  Even the “On the Fly” highlights made my heart trill a little bit.  I don’t think I’ll ever stop being surprised by how something as relatively minor as a single shootout victory in November can put a little spring back into my step.

Everything is just better when the Sabres win, you know?  Let’s win more!

3. It’s awfully nice to know that even while wallowing in the depths of organizational despair, the Sabres are still capable of sticking it to the Leafs.  We’ve still got it, baby!  Just punch me in the face if I ever lose the ability to stop and smell the humiliating Leafs defeat roses after a game like that.

4. This weekend the BPO played two concerts with a guest conductor named Leon Botstein.  Botstein is an incredibly interesting person in that he’s a college president (Bard college), and an accomplished conductor (Music Director of the American Symphony Orchestra, and the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra), and an all-around smarty-pants famous intellectual (you can see him playing the role of “intellectual” here on the Colbert Report).  In addition to his fine conducting, the thing I enjoyed the most about him this week is that he manages to convey both a dazzling intelligence and a grounded friendliness.  “Super-mega-smart” and “friendly” are two qualities which are rarely found in one person in my less-than-super-mega-smart opinion.

This afternoon Botstein did something that I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a conductor do in a performance.  He turned around and addressed the audience between movements of the symphony (Prokofiev 3).

As many of you probably know, many classical pieces are composed in “movements” (meaning a larger work is divided into several smaller pieces).  In most cases, symphonic movements are totally separate, stand alone works.  At some point during fairly recent musical history (I want to say probably within the last 100 years) it became customary for the audience to hold their applause until all of the movements have been performed.

This custom has led to a weird and uncomfortable bit of classical music snobbery.  Not every audience member knows the unwritten “no applause between movements” rule, so they’ll applaud at the end of the first movement, but then they’ll quickly stop as they realize that not everyone is clapping.  Somehow, clapping has become “incorrect” at certain times during concerts.  It’s goofy.  In my opinion (and if I may be so bold as to speak for most professional musicians), applause at the end of a movement is perfectly fine.  I HATE that audience members are made to feel stupid for clapping.  (Incidentally, in my opinion, the absolute BEST applause is the applause we periodically get when the audience is moved to clap in spite of the “no applause between movements” rule.  Every once in a while you get the sense that the audience is just like, “That was sweet.  I’m clapping, damn it.”  That’s my favorite.)

Anyhooch, today we were playing Prokofiev 3, which is not performed very often, and could certainly be considered harsh (it’s very loud) and less accessible than, say, a Beethoven symphony.  After the first movement, there was a smattering of applause.  Now, I have no idea if this applause was from people who didn’t know NOT to applaud, or from people who just really liked the first movement and wanted to clap, but Botstein did something that I REALLY liked.  First, he looked at the orchestra, raised his eyebrows and smiled.  Then, he turned around to the audience and said, “We like that you liked it.”

This was such a simple gesture to the audience, but one that felt very generous and almost impishly conspiratorial.  The “no applause between movements” rule is…weird, and musicians DO like it when the audience likes what we play.  If I could change one thing about the classical music business it might be to abolish the rigidity of the “no applause between movements” rule, and replace it with a “applaud if and only when you really like what you just heard” rule.

The performance today was an interesting end to a good week at work.

5. Sometimes it really trips me out that I have a job where I literally get a round of applause at the end of my work day.  What kind of lucky girl am I?

6. Okay back to the Sabres for a second- How great was it that Enroth and Ennis were the heroes?  I approved of Lindy playing Enroth against the Bruins and then I was skeptical when I heard he planned to play him again last night (shows what I know).  It really does add a spark when a young guy comes up big in a tough situation.  It will be interesting to see how Lindy handles Lalime and Enroth if Miller is still injured this week.  The backup goalie situation seems fraught with hidden opportunity and pitfalls.

I don’t undersatnd why Lalime was re-signed if Lindy has no faith in him, but I can’t really blame Lindy for not having much faith in Laime.  The whole thing is curious.  I guess we’ll see.

Yearbook Retrospective: Craig Rivet and Tyler Myers

(This post is the second in a series of posts dedicated to studying the roster photos of the Sabres in an effort to figure out why they can’t play hockey anymore.  We must save future generations of Sabres so that they do not have to suffer as these Sabres are suffering now.)

Woe are Sabres fans!  Just when we thought it couldn’t get any worse, the Sabres played a game at home against the Bruins.  Oh the horrors these eyes have seen!

All of Buffalo is ablaze trying to figure out what s wrong with this disaster of a team.  At The Willful Caboose Research Laboratories, we understand that careful analysis of roster photos is the fastest and best way to correctly diagnose a hockey team.  Today we take a closer look at two key members of the defense.

Craig Rivet

Craig Rivet is the captain of the Sabres, and we here at The Willful Caboose Research Laboratories have a certain amount of sympathy for his plight.  His job is not easy, but it’s vitally important.  Someone has to talk to the media with a straight face after all these losses, and sadly for Craig Rivet, that job falls to him.  Off the ice, we think he’s performed admirably in the face of trying times.  He sounds intelligent and rational in his interviews, which we find reassuring, because at this point it’s difficult to say who is in charge of this team, and honestly, we think they could do worse than Craig Rivet if they’re looking for leadership.  (pleasedon’tmakeRoy-Zcaptain, pleasedon’tmakeRoy-Zcaptain, pleasedon’tmakeRoy-Zcaptain)

ON the ice, he’s been quite poopy.

What can we learn from Craig Rivet?

As usual, the roster photos paint a picture, clear as day.

2005

2006

2007

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2008

2009

2010

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ah, I think I see what happened here. It appears that in 2008, after the start of what looked like a promising career, Craig Rivet became a Sabre.  He also appears to have gotten old.

Analysis: Becoming a Sabre and getting old at the same time is an absolutely lethal combination of calamities.  Almost no hockey player could survive it.  Such a shame.  Poor Rivet.  Sabres management should take care to make sure this never again happens to an innocent San Jose Shark.

Tyler Myers

Tyler Myers was the rookie of the year for goodness sakes!  And now he’s terrible at hockey!  It is VITALLY important that we figure out what’s wrong with Mylers, because he still has YEARS of hockey ahead of him.  It’s not just future generations that can benefit from Tyler Myers’ story, it’s Tyler Myers himself.

Let’s go to the photos:

2009

2010

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Frankly, we don’t get it. Tyler Myers looks almost exactly the same in his roster photo this year as he did last year.  This might be a first for TWC Labratories- we can’t figure out what went wrong!

Analysis: You know, now that we look at these photos again, we are seeing sliiiight indications that Tyler Myers might not be as spiffy this year as he was last year, but we can’t really put our finger on what’s different.   In the end, we can only assume that whatever is preventing Tyler Myers from being awesome will go away on its own. It’s safe to assume things about the Sabres because “assume” makes an ass out of “u and me”, not “the Sabres”.  Assumptions like, “He won’t even notice the loss of Henrik Tallinder,” and, “A 20-year-old-boy can totally carry the weight of the entire defense on his skinny shoulders,” would NEVER come back to bite the Sabres (and the violists who blog about them) in the butt.  No sir.