Return of Teppo...Now Done

[SabresFan526]

I'm sick of all this Teppo bashing. Plain and simple. If you have no respect for Teppo's style of game and the way he plays hockey, then you probably also have no respect for Nicklas Lidstrom's style of game. I don't care what anyone says on this message board, in my opinion, Nicklas Lidstrom is hands down the best defenseman in the NHL and his game is very similar to Teppo's game. It's a smart brand of hockey that is all about making smart defensive plays, puck possession, and minimizing the impact of the hits you take. If anyone watches Lidstrom's game, you will notice he rarely is an imposing force physically but creates numerous turnovers with his positional hockey and his active stick on the ice. Also, Lidstrom is an excellent passer and great at puck possession. The thing that differentiates Teppo's style of game and Lidstrom is that Lidstrom has more offense and can score goals with his excellent shot from the point. Teppo does not have that anymore, but their style of play is very similar. So, if anyone tells me they think Teppo is useless because of his style of play, then basically they are telling me that Lidstrom is useless because of his style of play, and anyone who says either doesn't have a good eye for hockey in my opinion.

 

As for the health concerns regarding Teppo, I think they may be valid with his age and heart condition. HOWEVER, if the doctors think his heart is fine and there are no problems, I do not see what the problem is with having him on the team. He has played fewer than 60 games only twice in his career, excluding the lockout shortened 1994-1995 campaign. Once last year and once in 1993-1994. Teppo's style of game minimizes his risk of getting hit by major impact. He's stayed healthy almost his entire career, and nothing in his body of work of his entire career indicates that he is injury prone. The repair of his faulty valve, which he planned on doing after his career was over, seems to indicate that he's 100% normal and continue on with his career and according to doctors, major hits on the ice are not going to impact his heart condition at all. So, if he's not injury prone, is a smart hockey player who is positionally sound and great at puck possession and generating offense from the blueline, what about him is not good for the Sabres? Must every single defenseman play only one sided hockey that is mean, nasty, and hit anything that moves without contributing a lick on offense? Sorry, but Nicklas Lidstrom proves that the best defenseman in the NHL are the ones who can contribute both offensively and defensively, and you don't have to be a big time hitter to contribute defensively, and anyone who's watched Teppo's game knows how much he can contribute defensively including his play on the PK as well as during the 2006-2007 playoffs when he was paired with Campbell since Spacek and Kalinin were incredibly useless. Should he play 20 minutes a game? Probably not, but his leadership, experience and his smart style of hockey are what Buffalo needs.

[nucci]

I'm sick of all this Teppo bashing. Plain and simple. If you have no respect for Teppo's style of game and the way he plays hockey, then you probably also have no respect for Nicklas Lidstrom's style of game. I don't care what anyone says on this message board, in my opinion, Nicklas Lidstrom is hands down the best defenseman in the NHL and his game is very similar to Teppo's game. It's a smart brand of hockey that is all about making smart defensive plays, puck possession, and minimizing the impact of the hits you take. If anyone watches Lidstrom's game, you will notice he rarely is an imposing force physically but creates numerous turnovers with his positional hockey and his active stick on the ice. Also, Lidstrom is an excellent passer and great at puck possession. The thing that differentiates Teppo's style of game and Lidstrom is that Lidstrom has more offense and can score goals with his excellent shot from the point. Teppo does not have that anymore, but their style of play is very similar. So, if anyone tells me they think Teppo is useless because of his style of play, then basically they are telling me that Lidstrom is useless because of his style of play, and anyone who says either doesn't have a good eye for hockey in my opinion.

 

As for the health concerns regarding Teppo, I think they may be valid with his age and heart condition. HOWEVER, if the doctors think his heart is fine and there are no problems, I do not see what the problem is with having him on the team. He has played fewer than 60 games only twice in his career, excluding the lockout shortened 1994-1995 campaign. Once last year and once in 1993-1994. Teppo's style of game minimizes his risk of getting hit by major impact. He's stayed healthy almost his entire career, and nothing in his body of work of his entire career indicates that he is injury prone. The repair of his faulty valve, which he planned on doing after his career was over, seems to indicate that he's 100% normal and continue on with his career and according to doctors, major hits on the ice are not going to impact his heart condition at all. So, if he's not injury prone, is a smart hockey player who is positionally sound and great at puck possession and generating offense from the blueline, what about him is not good for the Sabres? Must every single defenseman play only one sided hockey that is mean, nasty, and hit anything that moves without contributing a lick on offense? Sorry, but Nicklas Lidstrom proves that the best defenseman in the NHL are the ones who can contribute both offensively and defensively, and you don't have to be a big time hitter to contribute defensively, and anyone who's watched Teppo's game knows how much he can contribute defensively including his play on the PK as well as during the 2006-2007 playoffs when he was paired with Campbell since Spacek and Kalinin were incredibly useless. Should he play 20 minutes a game? Probably not, but his leadership, experience and his smart style of hockey are what Buffalo needs.

I think there are only 1 or 2 bashing him. Most here want him back.

[Hawerchuk]

I like Teppo and I want him back this year to stabilize the "D". Don't know who will be the odd man out though? Weber or Paetsch??

 

If Buffalo agrees with Teppo, then I hope Darcy has one more trick up his sleeve to get a veteran offensive player, notably a Centerman. I think this team needs one more vet boost. Anyone agree?

 

LETS GO BUFFALO!!

[SabresFan526]

I like Teppo and I want him back this year to stabilize the "D". Don't know who will be the odd man out though? Weber or Paetsch??

 

If Buffalo agrees with Teppo, then I hope Darcy has one more trick up his sleeve to get a veteran offensive player, notably a Centerman. I think this team needs one more vet boost. Anyone agree?

LET GO BUFFALO!!

I agree. Don't know how much that's worth to you, but I agree.

[james duncan]

I think there are only 1 or 2 bashing him. Most here want him back.

 

That's what I thought too. Had to go back and re-read the thread when I read the prior email to yours.

 

Teppo's 40 now but if he's healthy, he's worth bringing back at the right price. I go back to the Philly series a couple years back. With him out of the lineup, Philly won two games. The Sabres were a different team. He came back and the Sabres didn't look back. Clearly, his effect wasn't lost on the Fly-boy coaches who were quick to point out his ability to calm/settle the game down. Suspect he can still do that.

 

We could do a lot worse...or nothing at all...which would really concern me.

[darksabre]

I look forward to his greasy locks flowing in the air. :wub:

[nfreeman]

Remember, this is a guy who just a year ago didn't even have a job at the start of the season. Pratt has very little, if any leverage anywhere around the league at this point.

 

You are right. My point was simply that I'd expect Pratt to turn down a 2-way contract offered in July to see whether he could get a 1-way deal later.

 

If you were Teppo, would you have any interest at all in pulling up stakes and moving to play for one of the very few teams (or more accurately, the only team) never to make the playoffs? (Atlanta's the other team to never win a playoff game, but they did technically make them.)

 

'05-'06 should have taught us that a team definitely needs more than 7 D-men that they are comfortable with in the organization. Without Teppo they have 7 tops, and the jury is still out on Paetsch and Weber. They need at least 1 more veteran on this team for leadership reasons alone. While I would have preferred to see Nordstrom or Smith, neither is an option, and Teppo fills the leadership role very well.

 

You will see plenty of Weber this year as he will be the 1st injury callup and will likely get into games before Paetsch. Butler will probably only get a couple of games as Lindy definitely doesn't like to rush young D-men into the lineup.

 

I like the idea of playing Sekera w/ Teppo. (I'd actually probably prefer having Lydman paired up w/ Teppo as he seems to have more brain farts than Sekera did (at least after Sekera got out of the deer in the headlights routine in his initial callup).) There are things that a veteran player brings to the table that a coach can't. You need both.

 

1 final thing to consider in all this is it is very likely that Teppo would get an incentive laden contract so if his body does finally start to show age like most everyone else, he'd only end up w/ a bit over $1MM. And if he's healthy he'd probably get close to what he'd have gotten had he played last year.

 

Excellent post. I would just add that there are quite a few very good defensemen in the NHL who are getting up there in years. Lidstrom is 37. Zubov is 36. Schneider is 38. Also, it's generally accepted wisdom in the NHL that defensemen take a while to develop, and that rushing them can set back their careers -- so Teppo being in the top 6 does NOT mean that Weber or Paetsche or Butler is a washout. It just means we aren't going to rush their development if we have a quality veteran filling the spot.

[inkman]

I'm sick of all this Teppo bashing.

 

Not sure if I Teppo bashed or not but the only problem I have with Teppo is that too many of the other Sabres D play his style of game. If the Sabres wanted to move Tallinder, then I see Teppo as a good move.

[shrader]

Why does Butler even enter the equation right now? He's going to be a first year pro and will have a lot of work to do. He still has to jump over people like Gragnani (if he plays D, Card, andFunk (not listed on the Sabres website for some reason) before he's getting a sniff of the Sabres roster. That's not to say he's viewed by the team that low on the list, but he still has a lot to prove.

[shrader]

Not sure if I Teppo bashed or not but the only problem I have with Teppo is that too many of the other Sabres D play his style of game. If the Sabres wanted to move Tallinder, then I see Teppo as a good move.

 

They may have his style, but none of them have his head. His knowledge of the game and his leadership is a good thing to have around this team. Whether or not that warrents a full time roster spot is another story, but it can't hurt to have him around.

[inkman]

They may have his style, but none of them have his head. His knowledge of the game and his leadership is a good thing to have around this team. Whether or not that warrents a full time roster spot is another story, but it can't hurt to have him around.

 

I agree. I guess my dislike of Tallinder/Lydman is being trasposed onto Teppo. I have to keep reminding myself that Campbell and Kalinin are gone. I was hoping Weber was going to be a full time Sabre but the signing of Teppo all but locks Mike into Portland.

[BetweenThePipes00]

I agree. I guess my dislike of Tallinder/Lydman is being trasposed onto Teppo. I have to keep reminding myself that Campbell and Kalinin are gone. I was hoping Weber was going to be a full time Sabre but the signing of Teppo all but locks Mike into Portland.

 

That's true, but only because of his contract status ... Paetsch has to show SOMETHING or Weber will be up quickly I think ... it's not unlike when they sent Roy down to start 05-06 ... they basically did it because they could, he didn't have to clear waivers ... all accounts indicated he was one of the 18 best skaters in camp. he came up for good very soon after. Pominville too, although somehow he cleared waivers .... could Paetsch clear like Pominville did? I don't know, but he seemed to have a future in 06-07 and showed so little last season ... I was stunned to see he played in 50+ games, I swear he had no positive impact ...

[That Aud Smell]

Why does Butler even enter the equation right now?

i agree. unless someone's heard something that i haven't in terms of how high the team is on butler, i don't see how he has anything to do with this. based on what i know at this point, i'd be stunned to see that kid in our lineup this year. (which isn't to say that i'm not intrigued by his reported potential.)

[That Aud Smell]

I was hoping Weber was going to be a full time Sabre

i still think injuries and that kid's play will translate into ~30 games for him this year.

 

let's hope he avoids another incident like

, though.

 

(and again, i ask: how do i embed that clip into the post itself?)

[nfreeman]

I agree. I guess my dislike of Tallinder/Lydman is being trasposed onto Teppo. I have to keep reminding myself that Campbell and Kalinin are gone. I was hoping Weber was going to be a full time Sabre but the signing of Teppo all but locks Mike into Portland.

 

Well, we don't have any Prongers, but Rivet, Spacek and Lydman are all fairly physical. Sekera and Tallinder are the 2 smooth Euro types. FWIW, while Paetsche isn't that big, he plays with a bit of an edge, and Weber is a good hitter, so #7 & #8 are also on the physical side.

[JoeFerguson]

Keeping guys like Teppo and Pratt this year is just like when they hung on to James Patrick for those two or three years extra years. These old guys don't have egos, know their roles, and most importantly are NOT liabilities in their own zone.

 

The Senecas are going to be pretty happy about this signing too! One more chain smoker living in WNY.

[SabresFan526]

Not sure if I Teppo bashed or not but the only problem I have with Teppo is that too many of the other Sabres D play his style of game. If the Sabres wanted to move Tallinder, then I see Teppo as a good move.

Was not directed at you specifically, just generally to the Teppo naysayers. My point is this, Nicklas Lidstrom is the best defenseman in the NHL. He plays a very smart style of hockey. Teppo plays a very similar style of hockey, albeit not as good offensively (I'm not delusional to think that Teppo = Lidstrom, don't worry, not that crazy, but a little bit? yes).

 

While Tallinder and Lydman could be like Teppo, the fact is, neither one of them have proven to be as good as Teppo is. Also, the thing that Teppo brings that Lydman and Tallinder do not bring (or have not shown to bring over the course of the last few years) is the offensive aspects to their games and their ability to generate the transition offense. Tallinder has a tendency to skate the puck and chip and charge much like Campbell used to do, but not nearly as effectively as Campbell. Tallinder is also not as good of a passer as Teppo. Lydman is willing to pinch and throw in the occasional offense, but based on last season was terrible at generating the transition offense. He had problems simply clearing the puck out of the zone let-alone generating offense on the transition.

 

Also, watch Teppo play carefully. He never gets caught running around in the defensive zone as though his head is cut off like a chicken like Lydman and Tallinder both tend to do at times, as did Campbell last season, and even Spacek as well. For some reason, it seems to be a disease on the Sabres blueline that allows opposing forwards to stand in the slot with absolutely no one remotely close to them allowing them free centering passes and goals basically from point blank range. I felt this reached epidemic status during many Ottawa games last season and especially true against the New York Rangers as well, but was a major problem for the defense as a whole throughout the season. My point being, Teppo does not make those mistakes and does not get caught out of position and always makes the smart play both defensively and when he has the puck. He's one of the few guys in the league who can generate offense from defensive positions, much like Roger Federer does in tennis (if you watch tennis). He makes the clearing pass that will set the forwards up offensively and the Sabres dearly missed that ability last year. I think the Sabres last year are a playoff team with Teppo, and are a playoff team this year with Teppo.

 

There will be plenty of time for Butler and Weber to get their chance in Buffalo. With Spacek most likely not going to be re-signed after next season, and at this point, I'd have a very tough time re-signing Lydman and Tallinder after 09-10. And, this year could be Teppo's last hurrah and he goes it with a solid season for Buffalo and after this season, two more spots open up on the blueline for young guys. There will be plenty of opportunity for the young guys to play, but I think the Sabres need to have a veteran presence who plays very smart hockey both offensively and defensively and that can teach a bunch of youngsters a thing or two about playing hockey.

[bob_sauve28]

I think a lot of you underestimate the positive effect Teppo has had on this team when he's played.

 

A lot of people point to the loss of Briere and Drury last year, as they should, but hardly anyone stops to notice that Teppo was out last year and that is a major reason why our transition game was frazzled. He's the calmest player on the ice at any given point, and I said this before, go look at videos throughout 05-06, and 06-07, there's one just of the sabres last comebacks on youtube, and you'll see one thing in common throughout all those videos. Teppo is on the ice.

 

I really wish I could remember who said it, but on TV one night they were talking about him and the opposing coach said that his effect is transcendent on the team. He's so calm and he always makes the right play it's a calming influence for a young team. We need that in my opinion, and I'm more than willing to have Teppo here, as a leader, a player and role model for our young D and the team.

 

It sounds like if you guys had your choice you'd choose to field a squad of people who could hit and do nothing else.

 

This is from the article in the BUffalo News today:::

 

“He’s one of these players league-wide that even with the recognition he’s gotten, he’s underappreciated. We got to experience some of that ‘underappreciation’ last year.”

 

Coaches and players around the league often pointed out last season how much they felt the Sabres missed Numminen, who just turned 40 on July 3.

 

Former Ottawa coach John Paddock, who coached Numminen when they were in Winnipeg, said he felt the loss of the veteran defenseman actually damaged the Sabres more than the losses of Daniel Briere and Chris Drury to free agency.

Nice post.

 

If I remember right, we beat the Flyers in the playoffs 2 games in a row and then Teppo was out of line up and we lost two in a row before he returned and we won the last two.

 

I'd also like to add that while he is calm and all that out there, the guy is a great skater.

[stenbaro]

I'd think Paetsch is more likely #7 and Weber is more likely to start the year in Portland.

 

Rivet

Spacek

Tallinder

Lydman

Teppo

Sekera

Paetsch

I will take weber over Paetsch, Sekera Teppo Lydman..Why keep him in Portland..Let the Big Dog Bark

[stenbaro]

I think a lot of you underestimate the positive effect Teppo has had on this team when he's played.

 

A lot of people point to the loss of Briere and Drury last year, as they should, but hardly anyone stops to notice that Teppo was out last year and that is a major reason why our transition game was frazzled. He's the calmest player on the ice at any given point, and I said this before, go look at videos throughout 05-06, and 06-07, there's one just of the sabres last comebacks on youtube, and you'll see one thing in common throughout all those videos. Teppo is on the ice.

 

I really wish I could remember who said it, but on TV one night they were talking about him and the opposing coach said that his effect is transcendent on the team. He's so calm and he always makes the right play it's a calming influence for a young team. We need that in my opinion, and I'm more than willing to have Teppo here, as a leader, a player and role model for our young D and the team.

 

It sounds like if you guys had your choice you'd choose to field a squad of people who could hit and do nothing else.

 

This is from the article in the BUffalo News today:::

 

“He’s one of these players league-wide that even with the recognition he’s gotten, he’s underappreciated. We got to experience some of that ‘underappreciation’ last year.”

 

Coaches and players around the league often pointed out last season how much they felt the Sabres missed Numminen, who just turned 40 on July 3.

 

Former Ottawa coach John Paddock, who coached Numminen when they were in Winnipeg, said he felt the loss of the veteran defenseman actually damaged the Sabres more than the losses of Daniel Briere and Chris Drury to free agency.

I also remember the positive impact Perrault had...Can we reisgn him also..Just overstating a point..The guy is 40 and if you want him as a number 7 or 8 I am fine with it..But its time to move on...

[Hawerchuk]

I also like Teppo's MONTREAL Hockey Stick Brand that his dad founded.

[Taro T]

I also remember the positive impact Perrault had...Can we reisgn him also..Just overstating a point..The guy is 40 and if you want him as a number 7 or 8 I am fine with it..But its time to move on...

Some of these guys are just incredible physical specimens and don't age/wear down at the same rate everybody else does. Chelios scored nearly 40 points at age 40 coming back from a major knee injury the previous year. He's gotten 6 more years in after that.

 

If Teppo is one of your top 6 (or top 4) play him. If not, then don't bother. It appears they think he's still got something left, so bring him back.

[shrader]

I will take weber over Paetsch, Sekera Teppo Lydman..Why keep him in Portland..Let the Big Dog Bark

 

He'll be in Portland, but on a short leash. If anyone is out for a significant time, he'll be called up and bumped into the lineup ahead of Paetsch. There is no point in carrying him on the everyday roster if he's going to sit in the press box. And you can preach that line about taking him over all those others, but I'm sure you know better than that.

[darksabre]

I also like Teppo's MONTREAL Hockey Stick Brand that his dad founded.

 

I didn't know his dad founded it, but I do use Montreal's exclusively when I play hockey. Both wood and composite! I like em.

[FogBat]

I think there are only 1 or 2 bashing him. Most here want him back.

Count me amongst the Teppo boosters. Just go back two years. He almost brought Finland their first ever gold medal in Men's ice hockey in the 2006 Winter Olympics. (I still hate the fact that Sweden won.) :death: