Something Big?

[SabresFan526]

They specifically said in an interview that the reason they didnt want to resign Shanahan was to let the younger players like Datsyuk to step up..Disagree with me all you want but cant disagree with the words of the GM from the team..

 

Do you have a source because the only person who has a source is Wolf and his source indicates that Ken Holland specifically wanted to bring Shanahan back but was not able to due to the salary cap constraints. I even remember during that offseason that the Wings were way over the cap and had to do everything possible to get under the cap and tried their best to keep Shanahan, but he got better money from the Rangers and bolted. If you've got a source that contradicts Wolf, I'd like to see it.

 

Not to rain on any parades, but the Wings wanted to bring back Shanny:

And they could have brought him back but because of the cap, they couldn't offer him much of a raise:

That's what I remember from the summer of 2005 just after the lockout. I thought they wanted to bring Shanny back, but didn't have enough money to keep him.

 

Regardless, I still don't think swapping Schneider for Rafalski constitutes much of a youth movement when the Wings were still the oldest team in the NHL this past season.

[Bmwolf21]

That's what I remember from the summer of 2005 just after the lockout. I thought they wanted to bring Shanny back, but didn't have enough money to keep him.

 

Regardless, I still don't think swapping Schneider for Rafalski constitutes much of a youth movement when the Wings were still the oldest team in the NHL this past season.

Yeah I just found it kind of strange that a team like Detroit would say - to one of the game's best leaders in Brendan Shanahan, who was coming off a 40-goal/81-point season and yet another Central Division title - thank, but we want to give the youngsters a chance to play.

[X. Benedict]

A move like this is made more for sentimental reasons than actual hockey reasons.

 

Sentiment, eh? :lol:

[stenbaro]

Do you have a source because the only person who has a source is Wolf and his source indicates that Ken Holland specifically wanted to bring Shanahan back but was not able to due to the salary cap constraints. I even remember during that offseason that the Wings were way over the cap and had to do everything possible to get under the cap and tried their best to keep Shanahan, but he got better money from the Rangers and bolted. If you've got a source that contradicts Wolf, I'd like to see it.

That's what I remember from the summer of 2005 just after the lockout. I thought they wanted to bring Shanny back, but didn't have enough money to keep him.

 

Regardless, I still don't think swapping Schneider for Rafalski constitutes much of a youth movement when the Wings were still the oldest team in the NHL this past season.

 

 

Yeah I just found it kind of strange that a team like Detroit would say - to one of the game's best leaders in Brendan Shanahan, who was coming off a 40-goal/81-point season and yet another Central Division title - thank, but we want to give the youngsters a chance to play.

Its on MSG player profiles..I dont have a link..They play it during the daytime when no live sports are on..Its the Brendan Shanahan profile and they play out his career from when he was a kid till last year..In that they interview the owner the gm and Shanahan and they all say the same thing..Does it mattter enough to try and find a link? Not to me..Just saw it hope my word is good enough for you..

[Bmwolf21]

Its on MSG player profiles..I dont have a link..They play it during the daytime when no live sports are on..Its the Brendan Shanahan profile and they play out his career from when he was a kid till last year..In that they interview the owner the gm and Shanahan and they all say the same thing..Does it mattter enough to try and find a link? Not to me..Just saw it hope my word is good enough for you..

No offense, but I've never heard anything close to that and everything I've seen/read has said completely the opposite. So until I see some confirmation that Holland and Illitch said that I have to believe what I've already read and posted.

[stenbaro]

No offense, but I've never heard anything close to that and everything I've seen/read has said completely the opposite. So until I see some confirmation that Holland and Illitch said that I have to believe what I've already read and posted.

Believe what you will.No skin off my back.. :thumbsup:

 

 

It bothered me so I found it..You gotta watch the video but the interviews are there...16 minute and 40 mark..

 

http://rangers.nhl.tv/team/console?type=fvod&id=7376

 

Sounds a lot like Drury..Doesnt it.

[Bmwolf21]

Believe what you will.No skin off my back.. :thumbsup:

It bothered me so I found it..You gotta watch the video but the interviews are there...16 minute and 40 mark..

 

http://rangers.nhl.tv/team/console?type=fvod&id=7376

 

Sounds a lot like Drury..Doesnt it.

I fast-forwarded it to the 16:40 mark, and I gotta say, I think you're way over-analyzing a PR/fluff piece. I never heard Illitch or Holland say they weren't bringing him back because of the young players.

 

I heard Shanny say "they wanted to me to come back but at the same time they were really waiting for these young players to take the leadership role. I just felt that rather than wait for someone else to make the decision for me I would make it for myself, and come to the place that I always wanted to try playing at."

 

I also heard Holland say he thought Brendan would retire a Red Wing.

 

Watching that really does nothing to discount anything I posted, and I just don't see that video as proof of anything, except that Yzerman retired and Shanny felt a little out of place with the new, younger core and decided to move on.

 

I don't see any resemblance to Drury's situation, either.

[stenbaro]

I fast-forwarded it to the 16:40 mark, and I gotta say, I think you're way over-analyzing a PR/fluff piece. I never heard Illitch or Holland say they weren't bringing him back because of the young players.

 

I heard Shanny say "they wanted to me to come back but at the same time they were really waiting for these young players to take the leadership role. I just felt that rather than wait for someone else to make the decision for me I would make it for myself, and come to the place that I always wanted to try playing at."

 

I also heard Holland say he thought Brendan would retire a Red Wing.

 

Watching that really does nothing to discount anything I posted, and I just don't see that video as proof of anything, except that Yzerman retired and Shanny felt a little out of place with the new, younger core and decided to move on.

 

I don't see any resemblance to Drury's situation, either.

I saw it a while ago and miswrote what I thought i heard..Regardless if Shanny felt they were going in a younger direction he had no reason to make it up..As far the Drury situation goes if the part where Shanahan said he always wanted to be a Ranger doesnt remind you of what Drury said then I guess there is no resemblance....

[Bmwolf21]

I saw it a while ago and miswrote what I thought i heard..Regardless if Shanny felt they were going in a younger direction he had no reason to make it up..As far the Drury situation goes if the part where Shanahan said he always wanted to be a Ranger doesnt remind you of what Drury said then I guess there is no resemblance....

I'm not saying he made anything up. I'm saying that he decided to leave, the Red Wings didn't cut him loose to make room for younger players. That was always the issue in question. The Wings always wanted him back.

 

As for the Drury comparison - no, I just don't see it. Shanny said he wanted the challenge of playing in NY, not that he was a lifelong Rangers fan who grew up dreaming of playing in Madison Square Garden...

[stenbaro]

I'm not saying he made anything up. I'm saying that he decided to leave, the Red Wings didn't cut him loose to make room for younger players. That was always the issue in question. The Wings always wanted him back.

 

As for the Drury comparison - no, I just don't see it. Shanny said he wanted the challenge of playing in NY, not that he was a lifelong Rangers fan who grew up dreaming of playing in Madison Square Garden...

Fair enuff....

[deluca67]

This is pure nonsense. The Sabres are all about business. They tried to stiff Teppo last year based on cold hard business. If you said they signed him as part of their settlement, that would have actually made more sense.

The Sabres looked at Detroit's "D" and decided their original belief that a mobile, quick passing defense is the way to go. Furthermore, to assume that a 20 year old defensemen with less then 20 games experience is ready for full time duty makes little sense for someone who professes to know as much as you do.

If the Sabres took a long hard look at Detroit's "D" they would realize that having the best defensemen and arguably one the greatest of all-time in Lindstrom and adding a Rafalski is the way to go. Much like the Duck's did with Pronger and Niedermayer.

 

Where is written in stone that a 20 year can't be ready to play? The kid showed he has the talent and is tough enough for the NHL game. His physical presence alone out weighs any possible contribution that Teppo could make. Teppo is a weaker version of the defensemen we already have, He is soft in the corners and in front of the net.

 

The Sabres have a history of hanging on to players for non-hockey reasons. Just look at Tim Connolly for proof of that.

[deluca67]

The bolded sentence is nonsense, as is most of this post.

 

Where to begin? Let's go in order:

 

1. Darcy and Lindy are in the business of winning hockey games. They make signing decisions based on that factor, not on "sentimental reasons". If "sentimental reasons" were so important, you'd have seen them take a real shot at Orpik, whom everyone wanted and who is from WNY.

 

2. I assume you checked your facts before posting and so you realize that 2 years ago Teppo played 21 minutes per game, had 29 points and was a plus-17. I also assume that you have decided that his age and the fact that he missed last year lead to the unavoidable conclusion that his game will slip dramatically from his performance of 2 years ago, even though he looked pretty good in the last game of the year last year. Is that right?

 

3. Who, specifically, were the options available for the Sabres that were better than Teppo? I assume you are going to respond with Orpik. Please explain why, as a UFA, if he is so great, he didn't attract a huge offer that would've kept him from coming back to Pittsburgh. Please also list the other "numerous" options that were available. Did you want them to sign Redden? What, exactly, would you have liked to have occurred that would have given us a better top 6 than:

 

Rivet-Spacek

Tallinder-Lydman

Teppo-Sekera

 

4. Who in the East has a better top 6 than the above?

 

5. Why exactly do you think that Darcy and Lindy would favor Teppo over Weber? More specifically, why would they play a guy who wouldn't give them a better chance to win than another guy?

 

Everyone likes Weber. I like him too. But to ignore the facts about Teppo's long career, especially his recent performance with the Sabres, in favor of relentless beating the drum for a guy who's played a grand total of 16 NHL games is just silly. More to the point, it is borderline insane to assume that Darcy and Lindy wouldn't play Weber and bench ANY of the top 6 if they thought it would give us a better chance to win.

1) They did it with Connolly.

2) 2 years and a heart surgery later.

3) I would have resigned Pratt for less. How about Marek Malik?

4) There are three in the division alone - Sens, Habs and Bruins.

5) They do it all the time. When they have numbers they will send the guy down who can bypass waivers. The decision is not based on the best players staying in the lineup.

[SabresFan526]

1) They did it with Connolly.

Connolly was not sentimental. Connolly was a favor by Larry Quinn to his old high school buddy who happens to be Connolly's dad. That's not sentimental, that's just returning a favor to an old high school buddy.

 

2) 2 years and a heart surgery later.

Where's the evidence that indicates that Teppo will not return to form? The Sabres management seems to think so. Also, you don't seem to like him, but from your posts it seems as though you have some misplaced hatred. You seem to not like Tallinder and Lydman and assume that Teppo is just the same as them. However, you clearly do not watch enough Teppo as your posts clearly indicate it. Teppo is positionally sound and has an active stick that creates turnovers for the other team. Second, I've been watching a lot of the NHL Network's replay of the 2007 playoffs, and there was not even a question, Teppo was the best defenseman on the team. His passing is a thing of beauty and something not one single defenseman on this team has had or does have and I'm including the offensive superstar, Brian Campbell. Teppo's passing creates the transition offense, which in turn creates offensive chances as well as penalties. Case in point, I was watching Game 5 of the Rangers series this morning. Teppo makes the long breakout pass to Roy that sets up an offensive chance on a pass to Max, who draws the penalty on Blair Betts. That PP was the one where Max scores in OT to win the game. Very few in the NHL are even in the same stratosphere as Teppo when it comes to clearing the puck and breakout passes to set up transition offense. Since he's so bad as you seem to claim, I'd like you to post a youtube video where Teppo has made an egregious mistake that has single handedly caused a goal for the other team. His +/- would also seem to contradict your point that he's not good in the defensive zone, which is a stat you seem to love to throw in the face of everyone, especially when it comes to your favorite whipping boy, Daniel Briere. Your argument based exclusively on opinions really don't seem to support the facts and the numbers that show Teppo can add value.

 

3) I would have resigned Pratt for less. How about Marek Malik?

I really tried to read this without laughing, but this is too much. Pratt brings absolutely zero offense and aside from providing a bit more of a physical presence, I'm not even sure he's better than Teppo defensively. And then you throw Marek Malik out there. Pratt, I was okay with, but this is ridiculous. The guy got booed out of New York. He brings absolutely nothing to the table, so little that the fans in New York booed him relentlessly whenever he touched the puck, and he played for them.

 

4) There are three in the division alone - Sens, Habs and Bruins.

This is debatable. I don't think the Sens are as good without Redden. I'll give you Meszaros and Volchenkov, but Chris Phillips is not as good as any of the Sabres defenseman. Schubert is terrible defensively, so he plays forward more than he plays defense. Brian Lee is promising, but young, he and Sekera are a wash in my opinion. Then, there's Jason Smith. He's old and injury prone. Every argument you make against Teppo apply just as much to Jason Smith, except Jason Smith brings zero to the table offensively while Teppo is a beautiful passer who can set up the transition offense.

 

Habs are good, but they've lost Mark Streit. Markov's good, but I think Hamrlik is overpaid and overrated. I'll give you Komisarek, but he adds zero value offensively. Josh Gorges is young, but decent with upside. O'Byrne is young and inexperienced as well. I don't think Bouillon or Dandenault are better than anyone on the Sabres blueline. Aside from Markov and Komisarek, I'm not sure there's a lot there on the blueline for the Habs, at least nothing that concerns me that makes me think they are significantly better than the Sabres.

 

The Bruins are probably the only team I think you can make a case for. Chara, Wideman, Ward, and Ference are all very solid. After that, their bottom pair is not that great and I think the Sabres have a better bottom pair. However, I will say that the Sabre forwards and the Sabres team has done a very good job against the Bruins d with their speed. And this past year, really handled the Bruins very well, so again, not very concerned. With Rivet and Teppo, I think the Sabres have the most experienced blueline in the Eastern Conference that also has talent.

 

5) They do it all the time. When they have numbers they will send the guy down who can bypass waivers. The decision is not based on the best players staying in the lineup.

How quickly you forget the entire 2005-2006 season to completely disprove your point. The Sabres had every opportunity to send Derek Roy down to Rochester as he did not need to clear waivers, but instead of doing that, they simply made Taylor Pyatt a healthy scratch on many occasions. Additionally, in that same season, as I'm sure you remember, the Sabres sent Jason Pominville to Rochester and he cleared waivers, and when they recalled him, he cleared re-entry waivers as well. So, the Sabres are willing to keep guys if they are producing regardless of whether they have to clear waivers or not. Another recent example is Drew Stafford. He can still be sent down without clearing waivers as he is still on his entry level contract, but he's played his way into the lineup and will not be sent down anytime soon. The Sabres are not as sentimental as you seem to think as they seem to play the best players and that's what the past three seasons have shown us.

[carpandean]

How quickly you forget the entire 2005-2006 season to completely disprove your point. The Sabres had every opportunity to send Derek Roy down to Rochester as he did not need to clear waivers, but instead of doing that, they simply made Taylor Pyatt a healthy scratch on many occasions. Additionally, in that same season, as I'm sure you remember, the Sabres sent Jason Pominville to Rochester and he cleared waivers, and when they recalled him, he cleared re-entry waivers as well. So, the Sabres are willing to keep guys if they are producing regardless of whether they have to clear waivers or not. Another recent example is Drew Stafford. He can still be sent down without clearing waivers as he is still on his entry level contract, but he's played his way into the lineup and will not be sent down anytime soon. The Sabres are not as sentimental as you seem to think as they seem to play the best players and that's what the past three seasons have shown us.

Also, don't forget that they put Kalinin in the box last season as a healthy scratch and called up Sekera to start (March 4th vs. the Flyers.) Unfortunately, Tallinder got hurt in that game, so Kalinin came back the next game, but the plan was clearly to sit the starter for an AHL call-up to finish up the season.

[deluca67]

Also, don't forget that they put Kalinin in the box last season as a healthy scratch and called up Sekera to start (March 4th vs. the Flyers.) Unfortunately, Tallinder got hurt in that game, so Kalinin came back the next game, but the plan was clearly to sit the starter for an AHL call-up to finish up the season.

Do you honestly believe that if the top seven defensemen during the preseason doesn't include Teppo that they would cut him or send him down?

[carpandean]

Do you honestly believe that if the top seven defensemen during the preseason doesn't include Teppo that they would cut him or send him down?

I believe that they signed Teppo because they believe that, in addition to just being a good defensemen, his play and presence make the rest of the defensive core better. I also believe that a players performance during preseason is only part of what factors into the equation when determining who starts in the lineup. Together, I believe that this means Teppo will be in the starting lineup, barring a major (and quite unlikely) major decline.

 

Weber had 18 games in the NHL in which he played well. I think that he demonstrated his potential to be a very good defenseman in the near future. I do not, however, share the sentiment that he was the top defenseman on the team at the end of last year. I look forward to watching him play in the future, but I am not ready to guarantee him a spot even if he plays well for a couple of "meaningless" preseason games. I would be just fine with starting him in Portland and I do believe that if they felt that a defenseman (including Teppo) was really not pulling his weight and Weber continued playing very well in Portland, then they would make the necessary move to bring him up.

[LabattBlue]

Something "big" this week? :rolleyes: I maintain my stance from earlier this offseason...I'd be shocked if Max is still a Sabre on opening night.

[nfreeman]

Something "big" this week? :rolleyes: I maintain my stance from earlier this offseason...I'd be shocked if Max is still a Sabre on opening night.

 

Please, something, anything!! And what's the deal with Pommer?

 

As for Max, while I can see a mini-wave (throughout the NHL) of trades/signings/player moves that could include a Max trade (especially if, say, Gerbe has a great camp), I can't say I'd be "shocked" if it didn't happen by opening night. But I hope you're right and that it nets us a big center.

[Guest Sloth]

Please, something, anything!! And what's the deal with Pommer?

 

Everyday I wake up and I hope to see a deal between the Sabres and Pomminstein. I did the same thing w/ Miller and I was beyond excited when he signed. I thought Pommer's would be signed w/ in a month. What the hell is going on? This is something management can't phuck up. Pomminstein had better be on their list of corp players to build around. Management is putting the fear of losing key players back in my mind. :(

[Buffalo Wings]

Everyday I wake up and I hope to see a deal between the Sabres and Pomminstein. I did the same thing w/ Miller and I was beyond excited when he signed. I thought Pommer's would be signed w/ in a month. What the hell is going on? This is something management can't phuck up. Pomminstein had better be on their list of corp players to build around. Management is putting the fear of losing key players back in my mind. :(

Given the FO's history, I can understand the concern.

 

But let's chill out a bit....Pommer still has a contract for this year and we're more than a month from the start of TRAINING CAMP. I'd be more concerned if this was January and we still hadn't heard a word.

[shrader]

Given the FO's history, I can understand the concern.

 

But let's chill out a bit....Pommer still has a contract for this year and we're more than a month from the start of TRAINING CAMP. I'd be more concerned if this was January and we still hadn't heard a word.

 

And he's restricted at the end of the year if it goes that far. Sure, letting him get to that point isn't ideal, but its far from doomsday.