Pominville sets extension deadline for Sabres

[LabattBlue]

I'm with you. I want Max back. He just needs to fix that turnover thing after he rushes to the zone. I think that is "fixable".

This will be his 9th year in the league. If he hasn't learned by now, he never will. What you see is what you get.

[bottlecap]

why is it taking them so long to sign Pominville?

[spndnchz]

why is it taking them so long to sign Pominville?

They've only been talking for 2 or 3 weeks.

[Guest Sloth]

They've only been talking for 2 or 3 weeks.

 

If that is true, I'm ticked off. I know management had to sign the future Sabres, but Pomminstein should've been in the negotiation process two months ago. I'm sure one of the reasons Miller extended his stay in Buffalo was due to the idea management was going to do whatever it took to keep the "corp" players in town. If Pomminstein is not a "corp" player, management must be smoking something.

[cdexchange]

Even more reason for him to ignore his teammates when he has the puck. <_<

 

Agreed. Now he'll be even more inclined to try to make the highlight reel solo instead of working with his linemates to earn a goal. :wallbash:

[nucci]

If that is true, I'm ticked off. I know management had to sign the future Sabres, but Pomminstein should've been in the negotiation process two months ago. I'm sure one of the reasons Miller extended his stay in Buffalo was due to the idea management was going to do whatever it took to keep the "corp" players in town. If Pomminstein is not a "corp" player, management must be smoking something.

So if it is true and they have only been talking for 2-3 weeks, will you still be pissed if he signs tomorrow?

[Stoner]

I have no quarrel with you on this one, PA. I have no problem admitting when I'm wrong or giving credit to players that I usually hammer, and if Max reverts back to his 05-06/06-7 form and not to his 03-04 or previous years' form then I'll gladly take my lumps. But over the last two seasons I haven't seen much to indicate that his 05-06 and partial 06-07 numbers were anything but inflated numbers from the "new NHL" where defensemen weren't allowed to touch anyone.

 

Here's another thing to think about: Max's career high for GP in a season is 81. He hasn't played more than 56 games in three of his last five seasons, and missed 52 regular-season games over the last two years.

 

One final thing to consider -- I don't want a regular season-only star. I want someone who is going to step his game up when it's crunch time. And even in Max's best year - the 05-06 season or 06-07 season - he didn't tally more than nine points in either postseason run. For his career, he has just 10 goals and 23 points in 59 playoff games. That's nothing to write home about.

 

booooooo! I wanted you to tell me why people REALLY jump up when Max gets the puck. Heading for the restroom, grabbing their deer rifle, etc. Color me let down.

 

08-09 is all about redemption. Let's count the ways, starting with the entire team itself. But individually you have Connolly, Tallinder-Lydman, Miller and to a lesser extent Vanek -- and why not throw in Numminen and a lesser light like Paetsch. And Stafford. Max is just one opportunity to throw it in people's faces. Not to mention Lindy. You just know this guy is itching to get back on top. I like the cut of this team's jib. What's a jib?

[That Aud Smell]

for good and for ill, management has shown real resolve in getting "their" core guys locked up. (i think that resolve is partly a function of their own egos.) pominville is one of their guys. i fully expect them to extend pommer before the season begins. barring that, there's no way they let him walk as an rfa -- it'd be a bad idea to let it get that far, to be sure.

 

what's not to like about the guy? i just hope they don't overpay.

 

Then you, my friend, are an idiot.

you're better than that.

 

Max has and has shown a huge upside. It's a risk worth taking in my opinion.

wait, so there's a risk here? and it's one you deem worth taking? reasonable minds can differ on such choices -- because someone wants to run the other way from this risk, as you define it, doesn't make them an idiot. if there's one thing that gets me wrankled, it's the polarized and ad hominem style of debate that we see in just about all spheres of life -- from national politics to deal-negotiations in private industry.

 

for my own part, i almost always got out of my seat when max picked up a puck in his own end with a full head of steam, and i want him gone before the season starts. sometimes you have to cut to heal.

[shrader]

Even more reason for him to ignore his teammates when he has the puck. <_<

 

See, that's where someone needs to finally wake up. Non-stop people always talk about how he should be scoring more. How many times do you hear people say something along the lines of "he'd be like Bure if he had a better shot"? When will people realize that his ideal role is a setup guy? Defenders are sucked towards him when he's dancing all over the place. He does it from time to time, but the best results always come when he curls back and throws that cross ice pass leading to an easy one timer. If he ever started to do this more frequently, he'd be an assist machine. Maybe its an attitude thing, maybe its a vision thing, or maybe a coaching thing, but he has the talent to connect on that pass. We've seen it in the past.

[Kristian]

See, that's where someone needs to finally wake up. Non-stop people always talk about how he should be scoring more. How many times do you hear people say something along the lines of "he'd be like Bure if he had a better shot"? When will people realize that his ideal role is a setup guy? Defenders are sucked towards him when he's dancing all over the place. He does it from time to time, but the best results always come when he curls back and throws that cross ice pass leading to an easy one timer. If he ever started to do this more frequently, he'd be an assist machine. Maybe its an attitude thing, maybe its a vision thing, or maybe a coaching thing, but he has the talent to connect on that pass. We've seen it in the past.

 

I agree, but the way I see it, the opposition has caught on to this particular move a while ago, as I imagine they've watched a great deal of video on him, especially back in the day where they couldn't interfere with him.

 

The thing about Max though, which is possibly his weakest point - If you take away his options, he gets stressed, and when he stresses, THAT's when he'll make his patented bonehead turnovers, and I'm sure EVERY single coach in the NHL keep telling their guys - "Don't over commit on this guy, just try and take his options away, he'll cough it up soon enough if you do".

 

What he needs to learn is that it's ok to throw that puck back to the D-man, instead of trying to walk from the boards into the slot, or pass through 4 defenders in said slot, and come off a shift where he hasn't really "accomplished" anything offensively. To pick his moments, for a lack of a better word.

 

He hasn't yet, and with his current age and experience, I doubt he ever will.

 

This is only covering the offensive zone though, I'm not even going to start on his blind through-the-slot passes in his own zone.

[shrader]

I don't know how they'd catch on to it since he doesn't do it very often. There's no doubt though that he does end up drawing atttention on the ice, which will leave open lanes. If he ever starts finding them, look out. The buckling under the pressure thing could very easily be a result of suddenly being relied on, something that never happened before last year. I don't know if I expect him to adjust to that, but what the hell, its a possibility.

[Bmwolf21]

Max is 29. He's not going to suddenly "get it" or make adjustments or anything. Like we said about Mike Ryan - at this point, what you see is what you get. He's a talented, streaky, inconsistent player who tries to play in the system and use his teammates, but when the going gets tough he reverts back to his "SuperMax" persona, where he tries to take on all five guys himself, gets cornered, and then throws a blind pass through the slot, hoping someone will be there.

[Bmwolf21]

booooooo! I wanted you to tell me why people REALLY jump up when Max gets the puck. Heading for the restroom, grabbing their deer rifle, etc. Color me let down.

Sorry, consider that one a swing-and-a-miss on my part. My brain is turning to mush lately - haven't had a day off since Labor Day and not until Sunday the 20th.

08-09 is all about redemption. Let's count the ways, starting with the entire team itself. But individually you have Connolly, Tallinder-Lydman, Miller and to a lesser extent Vanek -- and why not throw in Numminen and a lesser light like Paetsch. And Stafford. Max is just one opportunity to throw it in people's faces. Not to mention Lindy. You just know this guy is itching to get back on top. I like the cut of this team's jib. What's a jib?

I heard that line on a "The King of Queens" episode and wondered the same thing...

[shrader]

The only chance is what I pointed out earlier. He was never expected to be that top line guy up until last year, so it was something new to him. That is something he can adjust to.

 

But yeah, I'm pretty much just rambling today. I need the distraction.

[Bmwolf21]

The only chance is what I pointed out earlier. He was never expected to be that top line guy up until last year, so it was something new to him. That is something he can adjust to.

 

But yeah, I'm pretty much just rambling today. I need the distraction.

I just don't think he can or will adjust, at least not here. His best two seasons came when he was playing third option to Briere and Drury's lines.

[nfreeman]

See, that's where someone needs to finally wake up. Non-stop people always talk about how he should be scoring more. How many times do you hear people say something along the lines of "he'd be like Bure if he had a better shot"? When will people realize that his ideal role is a setup guy? Defenders are sucked towards him when he's dancing all over the place. He does it from time to time, but the best results always come when he curls back and throws that cross ice pass leading to an easy one timer. If he ever started to do this more frequently, he'd be an assist machine. Maybe its an attitude thing, maybe its a vision thing, or maybe a coaching thing, but he has the talent to connect on that pass. We've seen it in the past.

 

Good post.

 

My general view on Max is that he's being scapegoated here. He certainly had a crappy year last year. However, as I've said before, Max was far from the only one who shriveled under the pressure of needing to step up last year. In fact, pretty much the entire team was guilty of it, with just a few exceptions. If we can get something good for Max, I'm fine with trading him (and the same is true for just about everyone on the team), but I don't agree at all with dumping him for a 3rd round pick -- and I'm pretty sure Darcy feels the same way. If he plays for the Sabres this year, I expect him to have a pretty good year.

 

I heard that line on a "The King of Queens" episode and wondered the same thing...

 

I'm no expert, but a jib is the 2ndary sail (ie the smaller sail) on a sailboat with 2 sails (i.e. the mainsail and the jib). Admiring the cut of someone's jib means you think he/she looks pretty shipshape/well-put-together, etc.

[carpandean]

His best two seasons came when he was playing third option to Briere and Drury's lines.

And in the initial post-lockout, "New NHL" years when interference was being called more tightly. Even in those years, it was being called less in the playoffs and look at his numbers there. Prior to the lockout, he was about what he was last year: a half-a-point-a-game, one-way (offensive) forward. When you look at guys like Paille (I'll spare the obvious over-shadowing by Pominville, Roy and even Hecht), who had almost a half-a-point-a-game last year (his first full season) and also brings two-way abilities, is Max worth keeping? We already have Ales, who brings similar numbers, but can actually handle a little clutch-and-grab.

 

Max is designed for a big rink, with no clutching-and-grabbing, where his speed and stick handling abilities allow him to back off the defense and create opportunities for his line mates. That's not the current NHL.

[Bmwolf21]

And in the initial post-lockout, "New NHL" years when interference was being called more tightly. Even in those years, it was being called less in the playoffs and look at his numbers there. Prior to the lockout, he was about what he was last year: a half-a-point-a-game, one-way (offensive) forward. When you look at guys like Paille (I'll spare the obvious over-shadowing by Pominville, Roy and even Hecht), who had almost a half-a-point-a-game last year (his first full season) and also brings two-way abilities, is Max worth keeping? We already have Ales, who brings similar numbers, but can actually handle a little clutch-and-grab.

 

Max is designed for a big rink, with no clutching-and-grabbing, where his speed and stick handling abilities allow him to back off the defense and create opportunities for his line mates. That's not the current NHL.

Yep. As I mentioned in a previous post - I haven't seen much that tells me his 05-06 and partial 06-07 numbers were anything but inflated numbers by the "new NHL" officiating standards, where defensemen weren't allowed to touch anyone.

[nobody]

If only the league would go back to the new NHL... You have to compare the numbers to see if the numbers drop since the league has gone back to the obstruction. If they have dropped then that is all you will get - if they have stayed somewhat the same then you have a player you want to keep.

[spndnchz]

We need to change the thread topic to

"Much a-do about Max"

[Bmwolf21]

If only the league would go back to the new NHL... You have to compare the numbers to see if the numbers drop since the league has gone back to the obstruction. If they have dropped then that is all you will get - if they have stayed somewhat the same then you have a player you want to keep.

I generally consider 05-06 and 06-07 as the height of the "New NHL," and consider 07-08 the first full year of the return to the "old NHL." I'm sure some definitions will vary, but for the purposes of this discussion that's what I'm going with.

 

Pre-lockout: five seasons, four full (missed 57 games in 02-03 with concussion problems) - never more than 21 goals and never more than 22 assists. One "plus" season out of five.

 

His best season pre-lockout:

01-02 --21G, 19A, 40 pts in 81 GP (.49 points per game.)

 

Max's post-lockout numbers:

05-06 -- 77 GP, 73 pts, .95 PPG, +6

06-07 -- 56 GP, 61 pts, 1.38 PPG, +19

07-08 -- 56 GP, 28 pts, .5 PPG, -16

[FogBat]

Because no one wants him and he will be available next year as a free agent.

And he will probably suffer the same fate as his fellow countryman Dmitri Kalinin.

 

If that's the case, we probably won't lose any sleep over it.

[frisky]

So it's Thursday and tomorrow is Pommer's self-imposed deadline. Anybody read any updates on anything anywhere? Sounds like it will be this year's cloud.

[bottlecap]

maybe the Sabres are really hell to negotiate with. it seems to keep happening over and over. why all this last minute BS?

[X. Benedict]

maybe the Sabres are really hell to negotiate with. it seems to keep happening over and over. why all this last minute BS?

 

Last minute is hardly the word, he's under contract now.