Chris Butler

[tom webster]

http://www.buffalonews.com/sports/story/642200.html

[LabattBlue]

http://www.buffalonews.com/sports/story/642200.html

It sounds like the kid has a good head on his shoulders and knows what he has to do to keep on improving.

[SabresFan526]

I really like Butler. I think he's got a lot more offensive upside than we saw this year. I thought he was one of the few guys on the blueline that played slightly physical and had a tiny bit of a mean streak. I think he's going to be fantastic. Just like in the article, I'd like to see more offense from him next year, throwing pucks at the net, and going in on the rush like he did I think against Florida where he shielded the goalie on a slapper by Connolly and jumped up to get out of the way of the Connolly shot and the goalie never saw it. That was one of my favorite plays by Butler this season. I think if he puts on a bit more weight he can really start playing a lot more physically, and lord knows this team needs a more physical defensive presence. I'm really excited by the future of Chris Butler.

 

On the flipside, I was a bit disappointed by Sekera this year. I think he's a little too loose with the puck in the defensive zone and he mishandles the puck a lot. I think Sekera has more offensive upside than we saw and he needs to work on his shot. I do like his aggressive play when he joins the rush, and I hope he continues to do that, but he needs to handle the puck with more care and caution in the defensive zone.

[VansTheMans]

Butler, Sekera, Weber. Alot of hope is riding on these young dmen.

 

I hope to see Weber up more next season. He was an excellent stay at home dman for us in the 07-08 season. What was even more impressive was both his and Sekera's plus minus; I believed they were close to leading the team in that department.

[LabattBlue]

I thought he was one of the few guys on the blueline that played slightly physical and had a tiny bit of a mean streak.

Sorry, but I didn't see much of a physical side except for a few occasions when he was first called up and I definitely did not see anything close to resembling a mean streak.

[That Aud Smell]

no doubt about it - that young man's quiet, confident play is the biggest positive to take away from this season.

 

no matter how much promise a young player shows at a given level (major juniors, ncaa), there's just no way to tell whether and how they will adjust when the game around them is elevated to another level. as much if not moreso than any other sport, the nhl effectively dispatches dozens of promising young players every year who, for reasons unknown, were never able to take their game to the next level.

 

butler has given every indication that he's the kind of guy who's going to grow and evolve -- he's going to be a good one -- i'm thinking he might turn out to be a hybrid of mckee and campbell -- mind you, i am not saying he will have each of those player's complete package, but i see him having a fair portion of each of those player's games -- which would be quite nice, obviously.

[carpandean]

I could be wrong (getting old), but didn't Shrader say before the start of the season that he thought Butler had the most potential of those three? Seems that he may be right.

[shrader]

I could be wrong (getting old), but didn't Shrader say before the start of the season that he thought Butler had the most potential of those three? Seems that he may be right.

 

I don't know if I mentioned long term potential, but I did think he was the most likely to make an impact this year. The other two definitely fell under more of a project label, especially Gerbe.

 

Here's the other thing I got out of that story. I wish Peters was a better hockey player, because he seems like an incredible teammate. It's a shame that a guy who may very well be one of the biggest leaders in that locker room only plays 20 minutes a season.

[X. Benedict]

He's got Billy Hajt's composure.

[tom webster]

no doubt about it - that young man's quiet, confident play is the biggest positive to take away from this season.

 

no matter how much promise a young player shows at a given level (major juniors, ncaa), there's just no way to tell whether and how they will adjust when the game around them is elevated to another level. as much if not moreso than any other sport, the nhl effectively dispatches dozens of promising young players every year who, for reasons unknown, were never able to take their game to the next level.

 

butler has given every indication that he's the kind of guy who's going to grow and evolve -- he's going to be a good one -- i'm thinking he might turn out to be a hybrid of mckee and campbell -- mind you, i am not saying he will have each of those player's complete package, but i see him having a fair portion of each of those player's games -- which would be quite nice, obviously.

 

The same could be said about how they develop throughout their NHL career. While I am encouraged by the play of Butler this year, Sekera and Weber last year and what may be on the horizon with Myers, there is no way to know for sure how they will develop. Sports is full of stories of players who looked like can't miss that in fact, did miss for one reason or another.

[X. Benedict]

The same could be said about how they develop throughout their NHL career. While I am encouraged by the play of Butler this year, Sekera and Weber last year and what may be on the horizon with Myers, there is no way to know for sure how they will develop. Sports is full of stories of players who looked like can't miss that in fact, did miss for one reason or another.

Well put.

 

Did you notice that Brian Campbell was conspicous by his lack of ice time last night?

 

Third pairing.

[VansTheMans]

Here's the other thing I got out of that story. I wish Peters was a better hockey player, because he seems like an incredible teammate. It's a shame that a guy who may very well be one of the biggest leaders in that locker room only plays 20 minutes a season.

 

Yea, he seems to be a very positive influence in the locker room.

 

From the very few times he played this season, it did seem his game improved from last year. Still, he's a far cry from an NHL regular now a days.

[bottlecap]

wait til Peters finds out that Butler's been boning his wife.

[That Aud Smell]

The same could be said about how they develop throughout their NHL career.

that is a fair point -- inexplicable regression of an up-and-coming young player is something we see as well -- still, if you're talking about risks, there's a far greater risk that a prized prospect simply won't pan out in the first instance than there is a risk that a young player who's already demonstrated an upward trajectory in the league will thereafter inexplicably regress.

 

Did you notice that Brian Campbell was conspicous by his lack of ice time last night?

 

Third pairing.

I didn't watch the game, but it looks like he was still third in TOI for the game among the D. No?

 

Anyway, I suspect Quenneville's seen a box score entry like this one from June 1, 2006:

 

3rd Period - 10:18 - Brian Campbell: 2 Minutes for Delay of Game - Puck Over Glass

 

I won't soon forget it. :death:

[SabresFan526]

Sorry, but I didn't see much of a physical side except for a few occasions when he was first called up and I definitely did not see anything close to resembling a mean streak.

No, there's not much of one, but compared to the rest of the wusses on the blueline, it is infinitely more. Towards the end of the season, I saw him getting in some scrums to protect Miller, the same could not be said for Tallinder, Lydman, Spacek, and Sekera. I'm not saying he's a nasty defenseman, but he has much more of a physical edge to his game than anyone else besides Rivet on the defense core. That doesn't say much, but I think he could develop into that type of a player. I don't expect him to drop the gloves, but I think he can bring more of a physical game than anyone else aside from Rivet.

[carpandean]

3rd Period - 10:18 - Brian Campbell: 2 Minutes for Delay of Game - Puck Over Glass

I still hate that rule more than any other. As I've said before, they should just treat it like an icing: faceoff deep in your defensive zone and you don't get a line change (the other team does.)

[shrader]

I still hate that rule more than any other. As I've said before, they should just treat it like an icing: faceoff deep in your defensive zone and you don't get a line change (the other team does.)

 

Personally I think they shouldn't allow line changes for any type of infraction: icing, offside, hand pass... It might get a bit tricky on penalties though.

[stenbaro]

Sorry, but I didn't see much of a physical side except for a few occasions when he was first called up and I definitely did not see anything close to resembling a mean streak.

He reminded me of a young Bill Hajt

[Chief Enabler]

Butler, Sekera, Weber. Alot of hope is riding on these young dmen.

 

I hope to see Weber up more next season. He was an excellent stay at home dman for us in the 07-08 season. What was even more impressive was both his and Sekera's plus minus; I believed they were close to leading the team in that department.

Glad you mentioned, I was thinking the same thing. I thought we would see alot more of him this year. Pair Weber & Butler to re-invent the McKee/Warrener days :thumbsup:

 

Sekera is dead to me.

[jimiVbaby]

Glad you mentioned, I was thinking the same thing. I thought we would see alot more of him this year. Pair Weber & Butler to re-invent the McKee/Warrener days :thumbsup:

 

Sekera is dead to me.

Weber was hurt for much of the year if I do recall correctly. And to think of it, when he was up he looked much more lost than last year.

 

 

As for Sekera, puck moving defenseman do not grow on trees and that's why every team is looking so desperately for them. Give him some time and he'll be a top two pairing guy.

[...]

Here's the other thing I got out of that story. I wish Peters was a better hockey player, because he seems like an incredible teammate. It's a shame that a guy who may very well be one of the biggest leaders in that locker room only plays 20 minutes a season.

 

 

Absolutely. Peters is a waste of space on the bench, but I bet he's one of the guys who always tried to keep the locker room up. That article made me feel bad for hoping he's not resigned, but I can deal with feeling bad if it makes the team better on the ice.

 

On another note, I think Sekera will be fine and would like to see him stick around for a while. He's young, but has an incredible upside. Compared to someone like Stafford, I thought Sekera did a good job maturing this past season.

[shrader]

Absolutely. Peters is a waste of space on the bench, but I bet he's one of the guys who always tried to keep the locker room up. That article made me feel bad for hoping he's not resigned, but I can deal with feeling bad if it makes the team better on the ice.

 

There's nothing to feel bad about. No matter where he goes, he has made more than enough money at this point to live quite comfortably.

[nfreeman]

Sorry, but I didn't see much of a physical side except for a few occasions when he was first called up and I definitely did not see anything close to resembling a mean streak.

I agree. Butler is getting a bit too much hype, IMHO. He had a good debut, but it's far from clear that he'll be a difference-maker, let alone a reliable top-4 defenseman.

 

The same could be said about how they develop throughout their NHL career. While I am encouraged by the play of Butler this year, Sekera and Weber last year and what may be on the horizon with Myers, there is no way to know for sure how they will develop. Sports is full of stories of players who looked like can't miss that in fact, did miss for one reason or another.

Good post.

 

Weber was hurt for much of the year if I do recall correctly. And to think of it, when he was up he looked much more lost than last year.

As for Sekera, puck moving defenseman do not grow on trees and that's why every team is looking so desperately for them. Give him some time and he'll be a top two pairing guy.

Another good one. Sekera was a bit streaky this year, but I keep going back to the fact that he's better now than Soupy was at that stage of his career. And Reggie can really skate. Not much of a slapper, though, and Soupy's is pretty good.

 

On another note, I think Sekera will be fine and would like to see him stick around for a while. He's young, but has an incredible upside. Compared to someone like Stafford, I thought Sekera did a good job maturing this past season.

I hadn't thought of this before, but now that you mention it, I think Sekera had about as good a year as Stafford did. Plenty of very strong games, but still enough streakiness to be a bit unreliable overall.

[Two or less]

As well as Butler played this season, i don't know if i am holding him in higher regard then i did mike weber after his play in buffalo his first season up. and his game in the 2nd year was waaaaaaaay down then his first. so as positive as i am about butler, i am hoping he doesn't go through the same learning curves as weber did. but fact is, butler was outstanding i thought for most of the season. some games, like calgary for instance, he was garbage but it happens and those were few and far apart.

[DR HOLLIDAY]

3rd Period - 10:18 - Brian Campbell: 2 Minutes for Delay of Game - Puck Over Glass

 

I won't soon forget it. :death:

 

Gimme a break, the guy was on the ice almost the entire game, played his heart out and got called for the cheesiest penalty in all of sports.......... :beer: