It’s always difficult to understand the NHL when it decides to fine or suspend players and coaches for their on-ice conduct. According to the Associated Press (h/t Sports Illustrated), the league decided to fine Buffalo Sabres coach Ron Rolston an undisclosed amount of money for his conduct during Sunday’s exhibition game between the Sabres and Toronto Maple Leafs.
The incident took place at the 10:01 mark of the third period. The Maple Leafs were up 4-3, so it’s not like the game was out of reach, and there was still half of a period to play.
After a fight between Buffalo’s Corey Tropp and Toronto’s Jamie Devane, a faceoff was scheduled at center ice. Devane won the fight decisively, and Tropp’s helmetless head hit the ice hard.
Rolston left John Scott on the ice, a man with one career goal and 305 career penalty minutes in 180 NHL games. Obviously, Scott was not left out there to score the tying goal.
Keep in mind this game was in Toronto and the Maple Leafs had the last change. Leafs coach Randy Carlyle clearly made a huge mistake by sending out his top goal scorer, Phil Kessel, after he saw Scott out there on the ice.
The result was hardly surprising. Scott challenged Kessel to drop the gloves. Kessel backed away and twice slashed Scott in the shins/ankles—and a line brawl broke out which featured all 12 players on the ice, including the two goalies.
Ultimately, 211 penalty minutes were handed out, with the Leafs’ David Clarkson being suspended 10 games for leaving the bench and Kessel getting a three-game ban for slashing Scott.
But here’s why the NHL was hypocritical to fine Rolston. The league allows and even tacitly condones fighting, which has been a part of the NHL since the league’s birth nearly a century ago.
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman even admitted as much in a 2007 interview with the Canadian Press. “My view on fighting hasn’t changed,” Bettman said. “We’ve never taken active steps or considered eliminating fighting from the game. I’ve always taken the view that it’s a part of the game and it rises and lowers based on what the game dictates.”
Participate in a fight in the NHL and you sit in the penalty box for five minutes while your opponent sits for five minutes. Engage in a brawl in the NFL, MLB or NBA and you’re going to get fined and probably suspended for a few games.
So again, we set the stage for Sunday’s exhibition game. Rolston just had a player badly beaten in a fight. The game was getting more physical and intense, but was still close. To protect his players or to send a message to the opposition, he sent out his enforcer, Scott, to start the next shift.
If a coach can’t send out his enforcer under those circumstances, when can he use him? We all know why Scott is in the NHL. It’s not because he has a great shot or because he’s a fast skater. He’s in the league because he can drop the gloves, protect his teammates and prevent opposing players from taking liberties with the more skilled players on his team.
Rolston used his enforcer in exactly the way the job description says he should. It was Carlyle who had the last change and chose to send out a goal scorer like Kessel opposite Scott. This is a foolish move at any time, but even more so in a meaningless preseason game. Nobody was surprised when Scott challenged the player lined up across from him. Kessel violently slashed Scott twice and earned himself a suspension for three preseason games.
If fighting is considered part of the game, then sending out a player to fight is part of a coach’s job description. Fining Rolston for doing just that doesn’t really make sense, especially when he was coaching the road team and didn’t have the last change.
The reason that Rolston was fined is most likely twofold. First, Scott ended up challenging a star player, and enforcers are not supposed to challenge stars to fights. And second, the star player Scott went after was Kessel, the biggest star on the Maple Leafs, the team in Canada’s biggest media market.
Let’s face it, if Scott had dropped the gloves with either Frazer McLaren or Colton Orr, Rolston wouldn’t have been and the line brawl that followed may have possibly been avoided.
In the end, it’s tough to determine what Rolston did to deserve a fine. He used his enforcer in one of the roles he was expected to play, to respond when a teammate was badly beaten in a fight. If fighting is “part of the game,” then what Rolston did is part of the game as well, and the league looks hypocritical for fining him.
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Heading into the 2013-14 NHL season, the Buffalo Sabres appear to have more questions than answers with their roster. Not only is it unclear which young players will make the roster, but the future of veterans like Thomas Vanek and Ryan Miller are both up in the air.
Entering their first full season under Ron Rolston, the Sabres hope that his skills in developing young talent pays immediate dividends. Still, the team is a part of the new-look Atlantic Division, which boasts five teams that made the 2013 playoffs.
Things could get ugly.
Though a significant amount of hope remains for the years to come, the 2013-14 season could provide even more heartache than the previous campaign. Let’s take a look at some of the biggest questions surrounding this squad as it approaches the season.
The Buffalo Sabres‘ goaltenders were busy last season.
The Sabres ranked dead last in the NHL by allowing 33.5 shots per game last season, with a significant gap between them and the 29th-rated team, the Edmonton Oilers.
While the Sabres’ defense likely will not be as porous as it was last season, the Sabres’ netminders likely figure to be active again. That means the lynch pin to the team’s success likely rests in the crease each night.
This puts a big spotlight on Ryan Miller or Jhonas Enroth every single game night.
Miller, despite seemingly having one foot out the door for most of the offseason, is back with the Sabres for at least the start of the season. Miller had a down year last year, posting a 2.81 goals against average, a career-high.
While Miller may not be the Vezina Trophy-winning, Olympic MVP he was four years ago, he still has the ability to be a top netminder in the NHL. The Sabres may be hoping that he finds the magic of the last Olympics this year with a spot on this year’s USA team in question.
Either way, the Miller situation is extremely fluid. There are a lot of factors that will play into it, including his play and the team’s position in the standings, but it seems that Miller’s name will be thrown around in trade talks all season long as well.
Miller’s backup is again Jhonas Enroth who bounced back nicely at the end of last season after a horrendous stretch dating back to the 2011-12 season. Buffalo fans may have a bit more confidence in Enroth as the starter now than they did that this time last season, but he still has some growing to do.
Enroth started last night’s preseason opener in Montreal and stopped 10 of 13 shots.
Behind Enroth, and possibly a part of a platoon if Miller were to be moved, is Matt Hackett. Hackett was acquired last year at the deadline along with Johan Larsson in exchange for Jason Pominville.
Hackett has some NHL experience, but will begin the season starting in Rochester of the AHL. Hackett looked great in last night’s preseason game, saving 11 of 12 shots, including a few of the highlight reel variety.
The Hackett trade certainly gives the Sabres’ front office more leeway with a possible trade and may have been the final organizational push that led to “Miller Watch 2013.”
Competing for Hackett’s backup position in Rochester include, in no particular order, Nathan Lieuwen, Connor Knapp and Andrey Makarov. Lieuwen and Knapp have AHL experience, but Makarov seems to have the inside edge on the job based on his play in the Traverse City tournament last week.
Overall, Miller will lead the way out of the locker room for the season opener in Detroit on October 2, but there is a real possibility he will not finish the year in a Sabres sweater.
Expect Enroth to have a more prominent role this season, if only to prepare him for an increased role next season when Miller will all but certainly be in a new city. Hackett will hone his game in the AHL, but may see some call up time sooner rather than later.
Regardless, all three should be ready for some busy nights come October.
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The Buffalo Sabres opened up their 2013 training camp on Wednesday with players reporting for physicals. One of the players returning is goaltender Ryan Miller.
Miller, who has been at the center of trade speculation in and around Buffalo for the better part of the last eight months, said he obviously didn’t know what the future held for him after last season, but he isn’t disappointed with how things have gone.
“I’m able to do a job in a city I’m familiar with; a city I’m very much at home,” Miller said during his media conference Wednesday morning. “This isn’t a bad situation.”
When asked about if he had ever requested a trade out of Buffalo, Miller openly denied that any such notion happened.
“I never asked for a trade,” he said. “I didn’t know if it was the best thing for me anyways.
“I signed a deal to be here, and I was committed to seeing it through.”
Miller, like many, thought that the season finale against the New York Islanders in April was going to be his last time donning a Sabres sweater. As he waved to the crowd and spent extra time on the ice after the game, Miller said that he didn’t want to take any chances just in case it did turn out to be his last time on the ice as a Sabre.
“I didn’t want to risk it,” Miller said. “It was the last game, we weren’t going to the playoffs. I know for a lot of people it was kind of a throwaway game, but it was my 500th game.
“I really had enjoyed all my time here. I’ve enjoyed the people, I’ve enjoyed the teammates and the organization. I didn’t want to risk leaving town without having the chance to at least wave a few times…I didn’t want to risk leaving town without people knowing how I felt.”
Miller made quite a few references to his love of the city and the community, and with that he remains open to continuing is career beyond this season in the city he’s called home for the past 12 years.
“I’m not going to close off anything,” he said.
He added: “Darcy (Regier) has to build a team, and maybe he feels that he wants me here.”
Miller did say, though, that he and the team haven’t had any extension discussions as of late.
All quotes obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.
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The Buffalo Sabres unleashed their new alternate jerseys today and most fans really wished they hadn’t.
After weeks of teasing what the new look would be, the team, along with forward Steve Ott, unveiled the third jerseys they’ll be donning during the year. Get a load of the action here from Ott‘s Twitter account.
*Breaking News… Times up! @BuffaloSabres 3rd Jersey Leaked #MiseryIsOver Can’t wait for the season to start!! pic.twitter.com/7diRxEhDBJ
— Steve Ott (@otterN9NE) September 4, 2013
A two-toned yellow front and sleeves with a blue cape-like look on the back of the jersey with the Sabres’ main logo as the crest. It’s….something. It’s also getting ravaged online by fans.
Buffalo’s Facebook page has turned into a commentary minefield, one that’s gotten so ugly some of the comments are being deleted due to their nastiness. Twitter isn’t treating the new look any nicer either.
I’m not taking the bait on #Sabres‘ new jersey. Nobody can convince me that it’s not the #Preds‘ old jersey. No way.
— Bucky Gleason (@TBNbucky) September 4, 2013
Even the Atlanta Thrashers 3rd Jersey is pointing and laughing at the new Buffalo Sabres one.
— The Royal Half (@theroyalhalf) September 4, 2013
Looking at it, I would say the misery has just begun MT @otterN9NE: 3rd Jersey Leaked #MiseryIsOver pic.twitter.com/liqlYYBxId
— Melissa Martin (@DoubleEmMartin) September 4, 2013
With all the talk about the Sabres’ lack of toughness, not sure why you’d give them a jersey that makes them literally yellow-bellied.
— Harrison Mooney (@HarrisonMooney) September 4, 2013
That’s just a brutal panning of what’s ultimately a pretty ugly jersey. Yellow isn’t exactly a popular color for a jersey, Nashville Predators aside, and the Sabres’ main look was already popular enough as it was. Doing a semi-old school throwback managed to win the fans back after taking a very ugly turn with the “Buffaslug” look.
Will it eventually win over the fans? Judging by today’s outpouring of disdain, it’s looking about as good as these jerseys do.
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Last season, the Buffalo Sabres opened up the year in January with what many determined was a surplus of talent on the blue line.
This year is much of the same, while at the same time being oh so different.
Last year’s depth was based on experience. Robyn Regehr, Jordan Leopold, Andrej Sekera and Adam Pardy all had significant time in the NHL, and all were expected to have a big impact on the Sabres’ success.
This year?
Of the four players mentioned, none remain with the team. Leopold and Regehr were dealt at the trade deadline for a glut of draft picks. Sekera was dealt at the draft. Pardy was allowed to walk as an unrestricted free agent.
So, how can the Sabres have a logjam on defense?
The queue is the product of the Sabres’ prospects on the blue line progressing to the point of competing for a NHL spot. Sure, there is experience infused throughout, but the Sabres have a much younger feel to them on the blue line than they did last season.
This year, Tyler Myers, despite his rocky year last year, will enter the season as the Sabres’ top defenseman, followed by Christian Ehrhoff, who quietly had a strong 2012-13 season.
Beyond those two, there seem to be a lot of moving parts.
The Sabres re-acquired Henrik Tallinder from the New Jersey Devils, likely to play with Myers to start. Mike Weber signed a three-year deal, which seems to suggest he has out-skated his role as the sixth or seventh defenseman. Jamie McBain, acquired in the trade for Sekera, has not lived up to his billing as an excellent offensive defenseman the past few seasons, but a change of pace may allow him to become a weapon for the Sabres.
Mark Pysyk likely earned himself a spot on the NHL roster with his steady play at the end of last season. Pysyk is a future top-four defenseman for the Sabres, so his ability to gain valuable game experience is important to the Sabres’ future as well.
After those six, there is also Alexander Sulzer, who was re-signed this offseason, Brayden McNabb, who fought injuries last season in Rochester, Chad Ruhwedel, free agent signing out of college from last season who was steady in his short stint, and Drew Bagnall, likely a signing for Rochester’s roster.
The wild card in all of this is Rasmus Ristolainen, the Sabres’ pick at eighth overall in June’s entry draft. Ristolainen has been touted as NHL-ready by numerous outlets and will have every opportunity to make the Sabres’ roster from day one. Given that he is signed to an NHL-AHL deal, he does not only have the traditional nine-game tryout either.
So as it stands, only Tallinder, Ehrhoff and Sulzer the only defensemen who are over the age of 25 to start the season. That’s a young blue line.
Seemingly, the top seven defensemen at first glance are Myers, Ehrhoff, Tallinder, McBain, Pysyk, Weber and Sulzer. However, Ruhwedel and Ristolainen should not be written off either.
That means that one thing that will not change this season is the trade winds swirling around the Sabres’ defense, especially the youth. While unlikely to occur to start the season, as the months wear on, the Sabres may be in a position of strength to deal some pieces on defense.
So, the predictions for the opening night lineup for the Sabres on defense are:
First Pairing: Tyler Myers–Henrik Tallinder
Second Pairing: Christian Ehrhoff–Mike Weber
Third Pairing: Mark Pysyk–Jamie McBain
Notes on the above predictions:
Alex Sulzer will be scratched on opening night.
Ristolainen will be essentially fighting for Sulzer‘s spot, so if he were to make the team, the Sabres will either have to waive Sulzer or scratch two defensemen a night.
Follow me on Twitter for NHL and Sabres news all season long: @SwordPlay18.
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Despite being division rivals dating back to the days of the old Adams Division, the Sabres-Bruins rivalry has become one of the NHL’s best in only the recent past. The Bruins have been the far more successful team of late, winning one Stanley Cup in 2011 and falling just short in 2013.
Still, there’s no shortage of history and bad blood between these two teams, giving every game a playoff atmosphere.
Like all good rivalries, this one was built in the postseason. There’s nothing like beating each other up for four to seven games to stir the pot.
The Sabres and Bruins have met in the playoffs on eight different occasions, with the Bruins taking six of them. In the first five matchups in 1982, 1983, 1988, 1989 and 1992, the B’s took it to the Sabres.
Finally, in 1993, Buffalo broke through. They swept the Bruins in four games in the opening round, capped off by this famous goal by Brad May and call by Rick Jeanneret.
In 1999, the Sabres and Bruins met in the Eastern Conference semifinals with Buffalo winning in six games en route to the Stanley Cup final.
The most recent matchup came in 2010, as the Bruins defeated the favored Sabres in six games in the opening round.
One of my personal favorite moments—though I was not alive to see it—was this awesome display of old-style hockey by Jim Schoenfeld of the Sabres.
With all of that history, you’d think there would be enough animosity right there. However, things have only gotten more heated in the past few years.
On Nov. 12, 2011, Milan Lucic barreled into Ryan Miller when both players were racing for the puck outside of the crease. Miller later left the game with a concussion and went on to miss an extended period of time. You can see the entire play in the video below.
Ryan Miller had some choice words that he shared with John Vogl of the Buffalo News after the game:
I’m not really going to get into that. [I] just stuck around because I wanted to say what a piece of [feces] I think Lucic is. Fifty pounds on me, and he runs me like that? It’s unbelievable. Everyone in this city sees him as a big, tough, solid player. I respected him for how hard he plays. That was gutless. Gutless. Piece of [feces].
Since then, things have hardly been cheerful. With guys like Lucic, Shawn Thornton and Brad Marchand for the Bruins and Patrick Kaleta and John Scott in Buffalo, there’s no shortage of ammunition when it comes to the fisticuffs.
Most recently in 2013, Brad Marchand and the Bruins took offense to a timeout called by the Sabres in the dwindling seconds of a 7-4 Sabres win. That led to some more nasty comments to the media, which are becoming all the more common in this rivalry.
The Bruins lead the all-time series with a record 147-137-29. That’s an awfully close battle considering that the teams have been playing each since 1970.
Right now, the Sabres are entering a rebuilding phase, while the Bruins are looking to add another Cup to their resumé. While some games may end up being lopsided in favor of the B’s, every minute of these games is must-see hockey.
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Though the Buffalo Sabres have never captured a Stanley Cup in their 43-year history, the team has been the home of many successful NHL players. Today, we pay homage to 25 of the best men to sport the blue and gold (or the late 90s goat logo if you’re into that).
Those who made the cut on this list include both Hall of Fame members and role players alike. Some were lifelong Sabres and others were only around for a short period of time. All of these players made a considerable impact on the team in their time in Buffalo.
In distinguishing from one player to another, there’s an obvious degree of subjectivity. There’s no way to make this an exact science, but the things taken into consideration are statistics, longevity and fan appreciation.
Let’s dive in.
Last year, the Buffalo Sabres by no means lit up the scoreboard.
Ranking 21st in the league in scoring, the Sabres offense, while at times showing flashes of dominance, was far too inconsistent to allow the Sabres to compete for the playoffs.
Thomas Vanek, last year’s leading scorer, will likely return to the Sabres lineup despite all of the offseason buzz that he would not. Vanek was limited to 38 games due to various ailments last season, but he was still able to amass 41 points, including 20 goals.
So what can Sabres fans expect from the team’s forwards this season?
There are only a few certainties for the Sabres in 2013-14, the first being that Mikhail Grigorenko will not have to worry about being sent back to Quebec of the QMJHL. According to John Vogl of the Buffalo News, Sabres general manager Darcy Regier said that Grigorenko would remain with the Sabres all season in July, and the consensus is that the declaration will help Grigorenko‘s development.
Another certainty is that Cody Hodgson, who remains an unsigned restricted free agent, will be the unquestioned first-line pivot after an impressive season last year. While he needs to work on his game defensively, Hodgson showed exactly why the Sabres were willing to trade Zack Kassian for him two years ago, posting 34 points in his 48 games.
Beyond those two things, the Sabres enter the season at forward very fluid.
The wild card is Ron Rolston and his willingness to play the team’s youth from the get-go this season. Players that may benefit from Rolston’s youth-leaning tendencies include Joel Armia, Zemgus Girgensons, Corey Tropp and Johan Larsson.
As it stands right now, Armia and Tropp have the best chance to start the season on the Sabres roster, but Girgensons especially has impressed as of late and may have a chance to crack the bottom six in October.
Another major question is how the former line of Marcus Foligno-Tyler Ennis-Drew Stafford will be broken up. Many seem to believe Ennis may be moving back to wing given his troubles defensively last year. That leaves Stafford as a candidate to flank Hodgson and Vanek on the first line and Foligno likely to land on the second or third line.
With all of that in mind, projections for the Sabres’ opening night forward lineup are (see the nhl.com projections):
Line 1: Thomas Vanek–Cody Hodgson–Drew Stafford
Line 2: Ville Leino–Mikhail Grigorenko–Steve Ott
Line 3: Marcus Foligno–Tyler Ennis–Joel Armia
Line 4: John Scott–Zemgus Girgensons–Corey Tropp
A few notes on the above projections:
If Girgensons is not deemed to be ready by Rolston, Kevin Porter will fill the fourth-line center position.
Ennis at center seems to be the Sabres’ best option at this moment, but if he is slotted in at wing, look for Steve Ott to play center full time instead of the center-wing hybrid he’ll play with Grigorenko as his pivot.
The scratch for the opener will be Pat Kaleta.
Follow me on Twitter for NHL and Sabres news all season: @SwordPlay18.
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Though the Buffalo Sabres appear to be in for a rough year, that doesn’t mean that the future is all grim.
Over the past few years, Darcy Regier and company have built up a stable of very talented prospects through the NHL Entry Draft. It’s the hope of both the organization and the fans that these players turn around the franchise’s misfortunes and bring a Stanley Cup to Buffalo.
Because the team just held its annual prospect development camp, it seems appropriate to take a look at which of these youngsters will be making the biggest impact in the future. It may take some time, but look for guys like Mikhail Grigorenko and Rasmus Ristolainen to usher in a new era of success in Buffalo.
