dEnnis the Menace

haha...ok. First, I have not brought up either of those (MVP or Vezina), and have said "I am not saying he's the best ever, just the best for us right now." I would rather have a better goalie for less, and even said so in one of my last posts! I'm pretty sure D4rk feels the same way. However, as Arc said, most of us don't think Enroth can take over, and there isn't anyone else ready to take over. I don't think his attitude sucks. I think that he answer questions truthfully without specifically mentioning a players name. He's also hard on himself, and takes responsibility for losses. I've heard him on a few different occasions say that he should've made another stop or two. He's not a locker room cancer by any means from what I've seen, especially given the fact that his teammates have voted him team MVP, and because a lot of the team speaks highly of him. I'm done with this argument because it's going in circles now. I'm certain that his numbers will be better this season. I really don't think getting rid of Miller is a solution to bring in a #1 C, or other top 6 forward, and I especially don't think that Enroth could be our full time starter based on watching him play last season. You know how I feel about the subject, I know how you feel. good game.

I think Miller not still suffering symptoms/still recovering would've been better, but Miller in the state he was in would not have been. My point is, Enroth should've won at least one or two of those close games. He couldn't. I don't hate Enroth at all, in fact I am a big supporter of him being Miller's backup. I don't think he can handle the rigors of being the full time starter, and I don't think he is or will be better than Miller ever. I'm not saying Miller is the greatest ever, but look at his all time wins in a Sabres jersey. Now, you can argue that Hasek would have more wins to his name if there was a shootout instead of ties, but still, even so, Miller would still be a very close 2nd, even if 2/3 of Hasek's ties were wins! Do all those wins get credited to him, no, but a good number of them over the last couple of years do! since '05-'06, Miller has yet to post under 30 wins!! He's not a problem, in fact, I think he's part of the solution. Why trade him now, and create a hole in the roster? There is no mythical #1C that we are going to get by trading Miller, even with other pieces. exactly, thank you!

I always complain about this argument...but I always engage in said argument :wallbash: :( the last point you make though seems to be very true around Sabreland

haha...yeah I've been told that a few times this week. I'm just drinking a little kool-aid ;)

exactly. is there a double standard? Look at Miller's steals! So Enroth can come up short against the big guns, and you still want him to replace Miller? I want a goalie that steals games from those teams!! The team didn't help Miller much on the west coast, or against a lot of teams, but he still managed to steal a bunch of wins. I like Miller as our top option right now. I'd be open to trade him if an option of equal quality or better was available (especially with a better contract), but the truth is, Enroth is NOT better than him, nor do I see him being better than him. So for right now, I think that Miller's our best option, and gives us the best chance at winning games. I also see him having a better year than last. And I also think that if Ruff gives Enroth 22-25 games again this year, and if he can win at least half of them, we'll be in good shape.

I could live with Stafford + a defenseman listed, or Adam + defenseman listed, but not Armia.

I wouldn't be opposed to that. I think we have a D-men or 10 that we could use in a trade...

That's the undergraduate student talking...c'mon man...he's upgraded to grad student level :P

No, he dangerously swung his stick with the intent to injure after a nice clean open ice hit on...wait... :doh: I just can't bring myself to finish that... I do remember the playoff run, well. He played out of his mind, in a contract situation, with a healthy lineup, against teams that had no scouting on him on where his weaknesses are. And it's pretty amazing that Miller was able to salvage a save percentage back to that level, don't you think? the fact that he was able to do so, is the reason I want him around. How many 35+ shot nights can Enroth keep us in the game? Miller did it regularly after he was back to form. And after November, Once Miller came back, both goalies played with the same team in front of them. Enroth still couldn't pull out a win to save his life.

I don't see where these mythical "Enroth had better numbers" stats are coming from! Like I pointed out in my post, the only difference was .001 in save percentage, equating to maybe 1 goal, which doesn't change the course of this season. Like you, I'm no mathematician, but I think the numbers tell the truth.

He never used the excuse himself, but it was widely believed that it was the reason he was so off (now here is where I am using opinion(s) rather than fact(s)). I've never seen a goalie be so out of touch with everything for a long stretch like that. The guidelines measure whether or not you test to the level of your base exam, so if you have a low base exam (unlike Pominville who had a high base exam), it's easier for Dr's to say 'yeah, mental capacity is there, looks fine.' The symptoms may not be as apparent any more, but it will still make you second guess what you are doing, and slow you down a step or two. A lot of broadcasters/analysts even said Miller didn't look the same after the incident for a while. Enroth's numbers were not better than Millers, in fact, they were worse other than his save %, which was .917, while Miller's was .916...what does that equate to? 1 goal over the course of the season?. Enroth's GAA was 2.70, Miller's 2.55. Enroth had 1 shutout over 23 games, Miller had 6 all season, and he even posted back to back shutouts carrying the team against teams we should not have beaten at the time. Enroth also had a 8-11-4 record, no? Real game stealer there. Enroth didn't steal us any games, nor did he even win a game after November, when Miller went down. I for one am not ready for him to take over the starting job.

That worked well in the playoffs, now didn't it?

definitely interesting. That was a good way to spend 6 minutes at work today :blush:

Exactly. You can't trade your trash for someone else's treasure. Yes, Luongo is getting traded, but who said Vancouver is getting something great back? I highly doubt they get more than a couple draft picks or a draft pick and a serviceable player. IMHO, a goaltender isn't going to net you a star forward, unless you add a ton more pieces to the trade, at which point, you're getting hosed. Miller bails this team out time and time again. There are so many examples from the last 5 seasons, it's ridiculous. Yeah, he was terrible for a long stretch there, but that happens to coincide with getting railed by Milan Lucic, coming up with a concussion and whiplash, and being thrust back into starting too soon. It was also his second concussion or so within a year (remember the concussion(s) from taking a shot to the helmet the season prior?). It takes time to come back from a concussion, especially when, as a goalie, 75% of your game is mental. I'll admit, I was high on Enroth for a while, but that was a 'what are you doing for me right now?' high. and he was winning at the end of that season. After watching his positioning, and the way he was playing last season, I'm more worried about him than high on him now. I think right now, Miller is a necessity on the team. Goaltending isn't our problem right now, but if we ship Miller off, it becomes one. Whether you like him or not, we don't have a starting NHL caliber goaltender in the wings. Enroth cannot withstand the grind of a full season IMO, and none of our AHL goalies are ready. We have an ABUNDANCE of defensemen/d prospects that we can trade without losing too much there, and that wouldn't set us back. Shipping Miller off equates to 1 step forward, 2 steps back in my mind. thank you

On the contrary...there's tons of Ville's, and no Richards' ;)

Most everyone sees him as the life preserver of the team in my opinion. They always say, "we left Millsie hanging out there" or "we missed our assignment, leaving that guy all alone with Millsie." They know when they screw up, Miller is going to have his saves, and his misses, and that there's no need to call him out when he misses when they screwed up to begin with. It's not the team's job to call him out when he has a bad game though, as Ruff does that amply well (as does Pegula). I wouldn't call out my goaltender on an off night when he spends 90% of the rest of his time bailing my ass out like Miller does with this team.

:w00t: :cry:

maybe he interpreted it as a sign of the other Weber

yupp, and yupp. well done :thumbsup:

QFT! It seems like we actually have depth this season...but i dont want to test that.

As of today, all 9 of the Bills draft picks are signed, with a little over two weeks until the start of training camp. So much hype over this team this season, I really cannot wait for it to start (plus the football season starting means we're that much closer to hockey!)

It really depends on the organization's philosophy with young players. It seems as if the Sabres have a history of putting a majority of their younger players into the minors to start with, and then bring them up. I really expect to see "oreo blizzard" in a Sabres uni at the start of the season though.

great post. well said! :beer: :beer:

It's a safe bet to assume that he will be starting the first 9 games of the season with the big boys, and if it pans out (i.e like Myers did), he'll stay up here. I for one do not foresee him going back to juniors. I think he has the talent level to stay with the club, and I think his perceived attitude problem is a little blown out of proportion, mostly due to the fact that he was sick for a long stretch of time last season.

There's a thread for that :P any new rumors today, or is it all "sit and wait for a CBA to be hashed out?"