Reimer or Gustavsson

Before we dive in, quickly go and vote in my latest poll; Who won the Camalleri trade?


Well it appears it's time to add another team to the list of those dealing a bit if a  goaltending controversy, to deal with; Sabres, Canucks, and Flyers have all had their own "mini goalie controversies." The biggest one coming in Buffalo, with Miller playing poorly and Enroth playing well, fans were calling for Miller's head. Now neither goalie is playing well, and the Sabres can't find their butts from a hole in the ground! The Canucks and Flyers have both down played their goaltending strategy, saying they are happy having 2 solid guys between the pipes. But when you play in the hockey crazed market of Toronto, you're likely to hear about any controversy lots of times but that can be multiplied by 100 when it's a goaltending controversy. As we all know, the media sometimes likes to create their own, but this season, right now, the Leafs are in the middle of a legitimate goaltending controversy; Reimer or Gustavsson. But let's go back to the beginning of the season, to get the full picture of what's going on in T.O

At the beginning of the season there was little to no doubt that James Reimer was the number one netminder for the Leafs, after his remarkable second half play in 2011. Reimer started the season 4-0-1, before suffering a "head injury" on October 22nd against the Canadians. He then missed 18 games due to his "head injury" when news first broke, many Leaf fans panicked, thinking Gustavsson wouldn't be able to get the job done in Reimer's absence. And they appeared right Gustavsson started a little rough, but not horribly, going 9-5-0 and winning 5 of the last 6. Then Reimer returned, thus everything was good in the continuing saga of Leafs goaltending, except for the fact that Reimer wasn't nearly as sharp as before his injury. Since returning from injury on December 3rd Reimer went 3-4-3, not the type of play expected from a number one netminder. Finally head coach Ron Wilson had seen enough and decided it was time to give Jonas Gustavsson a chance to see what he could do. A 3-2 loss to the Winnipeg Jets on New Year's Eve, was the last time Wilson had started Reimer in a game. Starting Gustavsson is likely the smartest thing Wilson has done all season; 
Gustavsson won 4 straight games to ring in 2012, and went on to win 9 of 13 games, helping push the Leafs back into playoff contention. But after losing the last 2 starts (a 3-2 loss to Buffalo and a 3-0 loss to the Rangers) Wilson decided it was time to give Reimer another short between the pipes. Now despite Gustavsson playing better than Reimer and helping steal games for the Leafs throughout the season, his stats Still aren't what you like to see in a number 1 goalie should be sporting; Gustavsson is sporting a decent 13-9-0 record, while Reimer is 7-4-4. But here's where the stats get whacky; Gustavsson's GAA is 2.92 (33rd) and Save Percentage of .906 (31st) are nothing to cheer about. The team flat out plays better in front of Gustavsson than they do Reimer. Let's look back to January 5th, in front of Reimer the Leafs had scored 56 goals, while in front of Gustavsson they put up 69 goals. Regardless of the numbers, and  whether coaches or goalies or anyone else wants to admit it or not, right now the starting job has to be Gustavsson's. Now I know Wilson is started Reimer last night, but who knows how many starts he'll give Reims, before throwing Gustavsson back in. 


So where did this goaltending controversy come from; 2 places, head coach Ron Wilson and GM Brian Burke. "It's hard to say what the order is going to be," Wilson said. "I have in my mind who's going to play (Tuesday) night (against Carolina) and beyond that I haven't decided." Wilson then went to claim that he was going to play which ever goalie was winning games; a win and your in sort of thing. Since Gustavsson was the one winning games, Wilson decided to ride him for a little while. Then GM Brian Burke, came out and stated that Gustavsson had single handedly saved the Leafs season, and that the rest of the Leafs knew it was Gustavsson saving their butts on a night to night bases. Interesting comments to go public from a GM who likes to keep things tight lipped.

But when push comes to shove the Leafs are going to have to make a decision about their goaltending, I don't think Gustavsson has much a future in Toronto, they signed him back in 2008 and has been all but bust due to health issues and poor play. Right now he's healthy and playing well. Right now would be the perfect time to trade the young netminder, who may benefit from a change in scenery. Gustavsson is a free agent at the end of the year and will most likely walk away for nothing at the end of the season. The Leafs need Reimer to be the future, after signing him to a 3 year deal. This situation reminds me of the one the Habs had with Halak and Price a couple of years ago. So I have to think that Gustavsson will play the Halak role, meaning his time in Toronto is all but done.

Reimer or Gustavsson

Before we dive in, quickly go and vote in my latest poll; Who won the Camalleri trade?


Well it appears it's time to add another team to the list of those dealing a bit if a  goaltending controversy, to deal with; Sabres, Canucks, and Flyers have all had their own "mini goalie controversies." The biggest one coming in Buffalo, with Miller playing poorly and Enroth playing well, fans were calling for Miller's head. Now neither goalie is playing well, and the Sabres can't find their butts from a hole in the ground! The Canucks and Flyers have both down played their goaltending strategy, saying they are happy having 2 solid guys between the pipes. But when you play in the hockey crazed market of Toronto, you're likely to hear about any controversy lots of times but that can be multiplied by 100 when it's a goaltending controversy. As we all know, the media sometimes likes to create their own, but this season, right now, the Leafs are in the middle of a legitimate goaltending controversy; Reimer or Gustavsson. But let's go back to the beginning of the season, to get the full picture of what's going on in T.O

At the beginning of the season there was little to no doubt that James Reimer was the number one netminder for the Leafs, after his remarkable second half play in 2011. Reimer started the season 4-0-1, before suffering a "head injury" on October 22nd against the Canadians. He then missed 18 games due to his "head injury" when news first broke, many Leaf fans panicked, thinking Gustavsson wouldn't be able to get the job done in Reimer's absence. And they appeared right Gustavsson started a little rough, but not horribly, going 9-5-0 and winning 5 of the last 6. Then Reimer returned, thus everything was good in the continuing saga of Leafs goaltending, except for the fact that Reimer wasn't nearly as sharp as before his injury. Since returning from injury on December 3rd Reimer went 3-4-3, not the type of play expected from a number one netminder. Finally head coach Ron Wilson had seen enough and decided it was time to give Jonas Gustavsson a chance to see what he could do. A 3-2 loss to the Winnipeg Jets on New Year's Eve, was the last time Wilson had started Reimer in a game. Starting Gustavsson is likely the smartest thing Wilson has done all season; 
Gustavsson won 4 straight games to ring in 2012, and went on to win 9 of 13 games, helping push the Leafs back into playoff contention. But after losing the last 2 starts (a 3-2 loss to Buffalo and a 3-0 loss to the Rangers) Wilson decided it was time to give Reimer another short between the pipes. Now despite Gustavsson playing better than Reimer and helping steal games for the Leafs throughout the season, his stats Still aren't what you like to see in a number 1 goalie should be sporting; Gustavsson is sporting a decent 13-9-0 record, while Reimer is 7-4-4. But here's where the stats get whacky; Gustavsson's GAA is 2.92 (33rd) and Save Percentage of .906 (31st) are nothing to cheer about. The team flat out plays better in front of Gustavsson than they do Reimer. Let's look back to January 5th, in front of Reimer the Leafs had scored 56 goals, while in front of Gustavsson they put up 69 goals. Regardless of the numbers, and  whether coaches or goalies or anyone else wants to admit it or not, right now the starting job has to be Gustavsson's. Now I know Wilson is started Reimer last night, but who knows how many starts he'll give Reims, before throwing Gustavsson back in. 


So where did this goaltending controversy come from; 2 places, head coach Ron Wilson and GM Brian Burke. "It's hard to say what the order is going to be," Wilson said. "I have in my mind who's going to play (Tuesday) night (against Carolina) and beyond that I haven't decided." Wilson then went to claim that he was going to play which ever goalie was winning games; a win and your in sort of thing. Since Gustavsson was the one winning games, Wilson decided to ride him for a little while. Then GM Brian Burke, came out and stated that Gustavsson had single handedly saved the Leafs season, and that the rest of the Leafs knew it was Gustavsson saving their butts on a night to night bases. Interesting comments to go public from a GM who likes to keep things tight lipped.

But when push comes to shove the Leafs are going to have to make a decision about their goaltending, I don't think Gustavsson has much a future in Toronto, they signed him back in 2008 and has been all but bust due to health issues and poor play. Right now he's healthy and playing well. Right now would be the perfect time to trade the young netminder, who may benefit from a change in scenery. Gustavsson is a free agent at the end of the year and will most likely walk away for nothing at the end of the season. The Leafs need Reimer to be the future, after signing him to a 3 year deal. This situation reminds me of the one the Habs had with Halak and Price a couple of years ago. So I have to think that Gustavsson will play the Halak role, meaning his time in Toronto is all but done.

Bye Bye Cammy

Quickly vote in the poll on the right please!
Last night during a regular season tilt between the Boston Bruins and the Montreal Canadians, there seemed too be nothing out of the ordinary. But then Canadian's Mike Cammalleri was a no show for the third period; meaning one of two things; either he was injured or he had been traded. Sure enough it was the later of the two options, and Cammalleri was being shipped out of Montreal. Cammalleri, had been told to get out of his equipment, get in a cab and go back to the hotel to await further instructions. 


The Montreal Canadians agreed on a deal that will send Cammalleri, back to Calgary in exchange for Rene Bourque. 
To Calgary; Mike Cammalleri, Karri Ramo (currently in the KHL), and a 5th round pick in 2012.
To Montreal: Rene Bourque, Patrick Holland(currently in the WHL), and a 2nd round pick in 2012.
The timing of the trade couldn't have come at a more peculiar time; On Wednesday Cammalleri made some comments to the media about his reduced ice time, and how the Canadians were going into games with a losing mentality. “I can’t accept that we will display a losing attitude as we’re doing this year. We prepare for our games like losers. We play like losers. So it’s no wonder why we lose.” Cammalleri also told the reporters to "read between" the lines, that he would accept a trade if at all feasible. Now as usual this story got a little bigger than it likely should of once the media got wind of it. But I really do believe Cammalleri wanted out of Montreal, and I don't think this will be the last player leaving the historic city.




Player comparison;
Let's take a look at the stats of Bourque and Cammalleri, so for this season.
In 38 games Cammalleri has 9 goals, and Bourque has 13.
In two plus season with the Canadians Cammalleri, has 54 goals in 169 regular season games; which works out to a .32 goals/per game average.
In the same time period Bourque has fared slightly better out in Calagary; 67 goals in 191; a goal per game average of .35; .3 percent better than Cammalleri.
In the post season there is no comparison; it's like comparing apples and bananas; Cammalleri is a proven post-season man, scoring 13 two season ago and 3 last year, while Bourque hasn't been to the post-season since 2008-2009. (the last time Cammalleri was a flame).
Bourque has shown more consistency; producing back to back 27 goal seasons, and well on pace to do it again. But heres the key to the trade; Bourque is tougher, bigger and stronger than Cammalleri, can put the puck in the back of the net and has a cap hit of $3 million less than Cammalleri's. With this deal, the Canadians now have around 8 million to spend come trade deadline; which makes me wonder what else Habs GM Gauthier has planned.


I thought it was a little odd, how fast the Gauthier made this deal happen; I understand the issue with the Cammalleri secretly wanting out, but if Gauthier held out another 3 or 4 days, I think he could have gotten a great deal more in the deal. It's very likely that the 28 other GM's didn't even know that Cammalleri was available, so the Flames got lucky, and actually gave up very little to get a star/ top notch player in Cammalleri. So the trade was rushed and very poorly executed on the part of Gauthier. This deal paints I bad light on the Canadian's, as they quickly jumped at the first deal possible and didn't even talk to Cammalleri about the deal.


Who won the trade:
I personally think the Flames won the deal, or at least the short term affects; Bourque can't even play as he's in the middle of a 5 game suspension. 
Cammalleri played in Calgary and had one of his best years ever there, 39 goals and 82 points. He is now returning to that place, the atmosphere, some of the same teammates and not to mention Jarome Igilna! Igilna and Cammalleri and almost the perfect match. Igilna was happy to have his old lineman back, and you can bet Igilna helped convince Flames GM Jay Feaster about this deal; “We had good chemistry. He has a knack to get open and get a one-timer. But he’s not just a shooter too. He’s able to make passes and get points and produce. I know he enjoyed playing here. The fans liked him and he liked Calgary. You felt like anywhere you passed it around, he could get it off and and get it on net. That’s one of his biggest strengths. Power play but also just able to get open.”
The prospect that hab's got in the deal is not likely to be a top 6 forward in the NHL. Patrick Holland is expected to be a solid 4th line player at best, while goaltender Karri Ramo is expected to be a decent goalie in the NHL one day and maybe take over the Flames goaltending duties one day.
So to me the Calagary Flames won this trade; it will make immediate dividends and perhaps push the Flames back to the post season.
Vote in poll on the right to have your say in who won the trade!

Bye Bye Cammy

Quickly vote in the poll on the right please!
Last night during a regular season tilt between the Boston Bruins and the Montreal Canadians, there seemed too be nothing out of the ordinary. But then Canadian's Mike Cammalleri was a no show for the third period; meaning one of two things; either he was injured or he had been traded. Sure enough it was the later of the two options, and Cammalleri was being shipped out of Montreal. Cammalleri, had been told to get out of his equipment, get in a cab and go back to the hotel to await further instructions. 


The Montreal Canadians agreed on a deal that will send Cammalleri, back to Calgary in exchange for Rene Bourque. 
To Calgary; Mike Cammalleri, Karri Ramo (currently in the KHL), and a 5th round pick in 2012.
To Montreal: Rene Bourque, Patrick Holland(currently in the WHL), and a 2nd round pick in 2012.
The timing of the trade couldn't have come at a more peculiar time; On Wednesday Cammalleri made some comments to the media about his reduced ice time, and how the Canadians were going into games with a losing mentality. “I can’t accept that we will display a losing attitude as we’re doing this year. We prepare for our games like losers. We play like losers. So it’s no wonder why we lose.” Cammalleri also told the reporters to "read between" the lines, that he would accept a trade if at all feasible. Now as usual this story got a little bigger than it likely should of once the media got wind of it. But I really do believe Cammalleri wanted out of Montreal, and I don't think this will be the last player leaving the historic city.




Player comparison;
Let's take a look at the stats of Bourque and Cammalleri, so for this season.
In 38 games Cammalleri has 9 goals, and Bourque has 13.
In two plus season with the Canadians Cammalleri, has 54 goals in 169 regular season games; which works out to a .32 goals/per game average.
In the same time period Bourque has fared slightly better out in Calagary; 67 goals in 191; a goal per game average of .35; .3 percent better than Cammalleri.
In the post season there is no comparison; it's like comparing apples and bananas; Cammalleri is a proven post-season man, scoring 13 two season ago and 3 last year, while Bourque hasn't been to the post-season since 2008-2009. (the last time Cammalleri was a flame).
Bourque has shown more consistency; producing back to back 27 goal seasons, and well on pace to do it again. But heres the key to the trade; Bourque is tougher, bigger and stronger than Cammalleri, can put the puck in the back of the net and has a cap hit of $3 million less than Cammalleri's. With this deal, the Canadians now have around 8 million to spend come trade deadline; which makes me wonder what else Habs GM Gauthier has planned.


I thought it was a little odd, how fast the Gauthier made this deal happen; I understand the issue with the Cammalleri secretly wanting out, but if Gauthier held out another 3 or 4 days, I think he could have gotten a great deal more in the deal. It's very likely that the 28 other GM's didn't even know that Cammalleri was available, so the Flames got lucky, and actually gave up very little to get a star/ top notch player in Cammalleri. So the trade was rushed and very poorly executed on the part of Gauthier. This deal paints I bad light on the Canadian's, as they quickly jumped at the first deal possible and didn't even talk to Cammalleri about the deal.


Who won the trade:
I personally think the Flames won the deal, or at least the short term affects; Bourque can't even play as he's in the middle of a 5 game suspension. 
Cammalleri played in Calgary and had one of his best years ever there, 39 goals and 82 points. He is now returning to that place, the atmosphere, some of the same teammates and not to mention Jarome Igilna! Igilna and Cammalleri and almost the perfect match. Igilna was happy to have his old lineman back, and you can bet Igilna helped convince Flames GM Jay Feaster about this deal; “We had good chemistry. He has a knack to get open and get a one-timer. But he’s not just a shooter too. He’s able to make passes and get points and produce. I know he enjoyed playing here. The fans liked him and he liked Calgary. You felt like anywhere you passed it around, he could get it off and and get it on net. That’s one of his biggest strengths. Power play but also just able to get open.”
The prospect that hab's got in the deal is not likely to be a top 6 forward in the NHL. Patrick Holland is expected to be a solid 4th line player at best, while goaltender Karri Ramo is expected to be a decent goalie in the NHL one day and maybe take over the Flames goaltending duties one day.
So to me the Calagary Flames won this trade; it will make immediate dividends and perhaps push the Flames back to the post season.
Vote in poll on the right to have your say in who won the trade!

Sabres midseason

Well the Buffalo Sabres have officially hit the halfway point of the 2011-2012 season; playing 41 games with a 18-18-5 record and currently sitting in 11th place in the Eastern Conference. So it's time to take a little look and see if the Sabres have improved from their Quarter season review. But let's be honest here for a moment, there is no question this team has been under performing as of late, but there are some bright spots being shown right now. Players are starting to return from early season injuries (Myers) and the goalies are starting to find their groves. You may not agree with my ratings, but tough luck this is my blog! To all my Leaf fans out there, I will have a Leafs mid season report out later this week.

Forwards;

The Sabres offence can be summed up with two names; Vanek and Pominville, this dynamic duo could and should find themselves playing in the All-Star game in Ottawa; Pominville has 14 goals and 43 points, while Vanek has 19 goals and 40 points. To put that in perspective, of the 105 goals the Sabres have scored so far Vanek and Pominville are responsible for 31 percent. Now on any other team having a top duo scoring tons of goals is great, but on those other teams they generally have secondary scoring as well, the Sabres haven't had that all season. The next best player is rookie Luke Adam, who briefly centered the line of Vanek and Pominville. Rookie Adam has 10 goals and is on pace for a 20 goal season, but has failed to register a point in his last 9 games. Albiet with players of lesser ability than Vanek and Pominville. I'd hate to see where this team would be without their dynamic duo no I just can't go there and imagine that, it would not be pretty. In fact this offence is on pace for their lowest goals scored over the entire season post lockout era; currently on pace for 210 goals, a far cry from the 231 which was their previous worse. The Sabres need help from winger Drew Stafford, last season he scored 31 times in just 62 games last season (a contract year). Coming into the 2011-2012 season, many were expecting bigger things from Stafford perhaps a 40 goal season; but right now he is a far cry from the expectations thrust upon him. Stafford has just 7 goals in 40 games, and isn't even threatening to reach 20 goals. Last Season Cody McCormick excited fans by scoring 8 and 20 points while being designated the team fighter, but this season McCormick has failed to score, has just 2 assists, is a -7 and has been a healthy scratch twice this season. Both Stafford and McCormick's last two seasons have been night and day compared to what they are accomplishing or failing to accomplish this season. Then there was our big free agent prize Ville Leino, saying he has failed to produce would be an immense understatement. Leino was brought in to be the new first line centre, he's currently playing one of the 4th line wingers! In fact he and his line mate, Brad Boyes make up what hat to be the most expensive 4th line in NHL history. Both of these guys have a $4 million cap hit. This was a huge mistake, we bring Leino in and pay him big money to be our first line centre and he's playing 4th line wing, sorry that just blows my mind! Good news is, Leino was starting to find his game before his injury, so hopefully the injury won't set him to far back.
           Grade; C- I'd say at the most they are a c- and even that's being a little generous they are probably closer to a D.

Defence; 

Despite Tyler Myers poor play before his injury, it is clear that the Defence missed the presence of the "big easy". Since returning to play last Friday, Myers has been fantastic and even scored his 3rd goal of the season. With the Return of Myers the defence looks re-energized and just seems more solid. Brayden McNabb is a kid who kind of gets lost with all the injury talk, but McNabb has really solidified his place        in the lineup, he hits hard and is staring to play complete hockey games. Since the return of Myers, these two have been paired together and have been full force for shutting down the opposition. Playing with Myers should only further the development of McNabb. The quite leader of the blue line while Myers was injured, was Robyn Regehr. Regehr has often taken heat for his choices on defence that have lead to goals, but for the most part he has been very solid in the back end. Christian Ehrhoff was brought in, to help bring more offence from the defence, he has a killer slap shot that saw him score 14 goals in Vancouver in his last 2 previous seasons. But Ehrhoff is now injured and could miss up to several weeks, he was a key defenceman that logged major minutes for the Sabres. Ehrhoff's shot hasn't been as effective in his time in Buffalo, as he is on pace for just 6 goals! Marc Gragnani has taken several steps backwards since, his major contribution in the post season last year for the Sabres. In all fairness to Gragnani, the bar may have been set a little high. However, in a testament that shows how meaningless the plus/minus stat is, Gragnani is leading the team at +12 and was recently one of two Sabres named to the all-rookie team of the first half.

Grade; C+

Goaltending;
I hate beating up on my favorite goalie; Ryan Miller, so I'm not going to. Statistically yes, he is having his worst season ever as a starting goalie, but he is still the same guy who won the Vezina in 2010 he hasn't changed. I'm a firm believer that blaming the goalie for the team losing is not right, and you should  never throw your starting goalie under the bus. Once your number 1 goalie has 2 or 3 weak seasons, you  look for other options, but right now it's too early for the Sabres to panic on Miller, he could back stop us smack dab into the playoffs, or have an amazing year next season. People who suggest trading Miller are out to lunch and no nothing about hockey. Remember when the Habs traded Halek over Price? Well they took a lot of criticism for that move, but it was the right move, you stick by your number 1. Since they showed confidence in Price, he has been a solid goalie and hasn't missed a beat. You never give up on your starter!  There is still signs of the amazing goaltender that Miller is, you'll be watching the game and he'll make an outstanding save that just brings you too your feet, then he'll let in a stinker of a goal, that makes you cringe. Right now for Miller it's all about consistency, in my mind I see him improving from the beginning of the season, believe it or not, he is playing better! Jhonas Enroth, the other Sabre on the "all rookie team," started off the season strong as Miller's BACKUP key word backup. He played well he even brewed up a minor goaltending controversy, then Miller went down with an injury and Enroth got his chance to shine, and blew it. Since Miller has come back and Enroth has gone back to his rightful backup role, he's been hot and cold and just as unreliable as Miller. This tandem of goalies has let in 3 or more goals in 15 of the last 19 games, not the type of goaltending needed to make the post season.
Grade C- this is again a very generous c-, in many people books this could easily be a D or lower.
I'm not a type of person who likes to evaluate the coaches and front office, like seriously what does that accomplish. You're not a GM or manager, you don't know what they put up with or how hard they work to give us the fans the best possible team. Until you have the opportunity to be a coach or GM shut up and just let them do their jobs! Maybe Lindy Ruff's time is up, maybe Regier needs to go and maybe Pegula needs to stop being a fan and start changing the team, that's not for us to decide, I will say though, that if Ruff were under consideration to be fired, I'd fire Reiger first and then let the new GM decide Ruff's fate. The coach can only work with the players he's been provided.

Overall I'd grade this team at a C- threw 41 games. Here's the kicker; A year ago today the Sabres had the exact same record and points, and trailed Montreal by 8 points for the final playoff spot. We ended up finishing in 7th with 96 points to earn ourselves a hard earned spot in the playoffs. But the difference between now this year and now last year; The Sabres were already turning their game around a year ago; they had won 4 of 5 games. But this year we have lost 8 of 10 games, another bad week and we can all but kiss our playoff hopes goodbye. But there is a key factor everyone seems to forget, and it's the turning point in the Sabres first half of the season. The Milan Lucic hit on Miller changed the mindset of this hockey club; before the incident we were 10-5 and in 5th place in the conference, threatening for a top spot,  since the incident we are 8-13-5 and have failed to win back to back games. Dang, look at the box scores, since that hit, they've failed to win back to back periods! Since that hit, which hurt Miller and forced him to miss time, the Sabres have been falling like dominos, 17 players have gone down with injuries and we have lost 183 man games to injury this season.

I'm hoping the Sabres can turn it around in the second half of the season; they need more forwards to step up and score a few goals. Vanek and Pominville need some help, don't want to wear them out before the playoffs. The goaltending of Miller has to be better, all those wanting the team to ride Enroth can kiss the playoffs good bye. If this team is going to make the playoff it will be with Miller between the pipes!

Sabres midseason

Well the Buffalo Sabres have officially hit the halfway point of the 2011-2012 season; playing 41 games with a 18-18-5 record and currently sitting in 11th place in the Eastern Conference. So it's time to take a little look and see if the Sabres have improved from their Quarter season review. But let's be honest here for a moment, there is no question this team has been under performing as of late, but there are some bright spots being shown right now. Players are starting to return from early season injuries (Myers) and the goalies are starting to find their groves. You may not agree with my ratings, but tough luck this is my blog! To all my Leaf fans out there, I will have a Leafs mid season report out later this week.

Forwards;

The Sabres offence can be summed up with two names; Vanek and Pominville, this dynamic duo could and should find themselves playing in the All-Star game in Ottawa; Pominville has 14 goals and 43 points, while Vanek has 19 goals and 40 points. To put that in perspective, of the 105 goals the Sabres have scored so far Vanek and Pominville are responsible for 31 percent. Now on any other team having a top duo scoring tons of goals is great, but on those other teams they generally have secondary scoring as well, the Sabres haven't had that all season. The next best player is rookie Luke Adam, who briefly centered the line of Vanek and Pominville. Rookie Adam has 10 goals and is on pace for a 20 goal season, but has failed to register a point in his last 9 games. Albiet with players of lesser ability than Vanek and Pominville. I'd hate to see where this team would be without their dynamic duo no I just can't go there and imagine that, it would not be pretty. In fact this offence is on pace for their lowest goals scored over the entire season post lockout era; currently on pace for 210 goals, a far cry from the 231 which was their previous worse. The Sabres need help from winger Drew Stafford, last season he scored 31 times in just 62 games last season (a contract year). Coming into the 2011-2012 season, many were expecting bigger things from Stafford perhaps a 40 goal season; but right now he is a far cry from the expectations thrust upon him. Stafford has just 7 goals in 40 games, and isn't even threatening to reach 20 goals. Last Season Cody McCormick excited fans by scoring 8 and 20 points while being designated the team fighter, but this season McCormick has failed to score, has just 2 assists, is a -7 and has been a healthy scratch twice this season. Both Stafford and McCormick's last two seasons have been night and day compared to what they are accomplishing or failing to accomplish this season. Then there was our big free agent prize Ville Leino, saying he has failed to produce would be an immense understatement. Leino was brought in to be the new first line centre, he's currently playing one of the 4th line wingers! In fact he and his line mate, Brad Boyes make up what hat to be the most expensive 4th line in NHL history. Both of these guys have a $4 million cap hit. This was a huge mistake, we bring Leino in and pay him big money to be our first line centre and he's playing 4th line wing, sorry that just blows my mind! Good news is, Leino was starting to find his game before his injury, so hopefully the injury won't set him to far back.
           Grade; C- I'd say at the most they are a c- and even that's being a little generous they are probably closer to a D.

Defence; 

Despite Tyler Myers poor play before his injury, it is clear that the Defence missed the presence of the "big easy". Since returning to play last Friday, Myers has been fantastic and even scored his 3rd goal of the season. With the Return of Myers the defence looks re-energized and just seems more solid. Brayden McNabb is a kid who kind of gets lost with all the injury talk, but McNabb has really solidified his place        in the lineup, he hits hard and is staring to play complete hockey games. Since the return of Myers, these two have been paired together and have been full force for shutting down the opposition. Playing with Myers should only further the development of McNabb. The quite leader of the blue line while Myers was injured, was Robyn Regehr. Regehr has often taken heat for his choices on defence that have lead to goals, but for the most part he has been very solid in the back end. Christian Ehrhoff was brought in, to help bring more offence from the defence, he has a killer slap shot that saw him score 14 goals in Vancouver in his last 2 previous seasons. But Ehrhoff is now injured and could miss up to several weeks, he was a key defenceman that logged major minutes for the Sabres. Ehrhoff's shot hasn't been as effective in his time in Buffalo, as he is on pace for just 6 goals! Marc Gragnani has taken several steps backwards since, his major contribution in the post season last year for the Sabres. In all fairness to Gragnani, the bar may have been set a little high. However, in a testament that shows how meaningless the plus/minus stat is, Gragnani is leading the team at +12 and was recently one of two Sabres named to the all-rookie team of the first half.

Grade; C+

Goaltending;
I hate beating up on my favorite goalie; Ryan Miller, so I'm not going to. Statistically yes, he is having his worst season ever as a starting goalie, but he is still the same guy who won the Vezina in 2010 he hasn't changed. I'm a firm believer that blaming the goalie for the team losing is not right, and you should  never throw your starting goalie under the bus. Once your number 1 goalie has 2 or 3 weak seasons, you  look for other options, but right now it's too early for the Sabres to panic on Miller, he could back stop us smack dab into the playoffs, or have an amazing year next season. People who suggest trading Miller are out to lunch and no nothing about hockey. Remember when the Habs traded Halek over Price? Well they took a lot of criticism for that move, but it was the right move, you stick by your number 1. Since they showed confidence in Price, he has been a solid goalie and hasn't missed a beat. You never give up on your starter!  There is still signs of the amazing goaltender that Miller is, you'll be watching the game and he'll make an outstanding save that just brings you too your feet, then he'll let in a stinker of a goal, that makes you cringe. Right now for Miller it's all about consistency, in my mind I see him improving from the beginning of the season, believe it or not, he is playing better! Jhonas Enroth, the other Sabre on the "all rookie team," started off the season strong as Miller's BACKUP key word backup. He played well he even brewed up a minor goaltending controversy, then Miller went down with an injury and Enroth got his chance to shine, and blew it. Since Miller has come back and Enroth has gone back to his rightful backup role, he's been hot and cold and just as unreliable as Miller. This tandem of goalies has let in 3 or more goals in 15 of the last 19 games, not the type of goaltending needed to make the post season.
Grade C- this is again a very generous c-, in many people books this could easily be a D or lower.
I'm not a type of person who likes to evaluate the coaches and front office, like seriously what does that accomplish. You're not a GM or manager, you don't know what they put up with or how hard they work to give us the fans the best possible team. Until you have the opportunity to be a coach or GM shut up and just let them do their jobs! Maybe Lindy Ruff's time is up, maybe Regier needs to go and maybe Pegula needs to stop being a fan and start changing the team, that's not for us to decide, I will say though, that if Ruff were under consideration to be fired, I'd fire Reiger first and then let the new GM decide Ruff's fate. The coach can only work with the players he's been provided.

Overall I'd grade this team at a C- threw 41 games. Here's the kicker; A year ago today the Sabres had the exact same record and points, and trailed Montreal by 8 points for the final playoff spot. We ended up finishing in 7th with 96 points to earn ourselves a hard earned spot in the playoffs. But the difference between now this year and now last year; The Sabres were already turning their game around a year ago; they had won 4 of 5 games. But this year we have lost 8 of 10 games, another bad week and we can all but kiss our playoff hopes goodbye. But there is a key factor everyone seems to forget, and it's the turning point in the Sabres first half of the season. The Milan Lucic hit on Miller changed the mindset of this hockey club; before the incident we were 10-5 and in 5th place in the conference, threatening for a top spot,  since the incident we are 8-13-5 and have failed to win back to back games. Dang, look at the box scores, since that hit, they've failed to win back to back periods! Since that hit, which hurt Miller and forced him to miss time, the Sabres have been falling like dominos, 17 players have gone down with injuries and we have lost 183 man games to injury this season.

I'm hoping the Sabres can turn it around in the second half of the season; they need more forwards to step up and score a few goals. Vanek and Pominville need some help, don't want to wear them out before the playoffs. The goaltending of Miller has to be better, all those wanting the team to ride Enroth can kiss the playoffs good bye. If this team is going to make the playoff it will be with Miller between the pipes!