Vanek Paired With Roy

[VansTheMans]

Sabres GM Regier can wait for season to start

By John Vogl

 

It's easy to look ahead to the opening of the NHL season. The teams have played their share of preseason games. They've thinned training camp down to the core guys and the top prospects. Just drop the puck already.

 

Darcy Regier, though, isn't ready. The Buffalo Sabres general manager thinks this final week of training camp is just as vital as eight days from now, when the regular season starts.

 

"I have no desire to get ahead of ourselves or can hardly wait till the start of the season," Regier said Thursday in HSBC Arena. "For me, these are important days."

 

Regier is still looking to evaluate players, get to know them better and see where their skills fit. He wants more conversations with the coaches, to hear their thoughts on individual players and team dynamics.

 

"It's an opportunity to learn, and I think we need that time," Regier said.

 

The Sabres play their final two preseason games this weekend, traveling to Montreal on Saturday and Toronto on Sunday. While the team is looking to improve its 3-0-1 record, Regier is looking at who should be on the team when the games really count.

 

"It's making the right choices on the personnel front," he said. "Collectively, we need to get that right and get a good start."

 

The Sabres have their starting forwards penciled in, at least on the top three lines. Coach Lindy Ruff said between practices Thursday that he anticipates Tim Connolly centering left wing Clarke MacArthur and right wing Jason Pominville. Derek Roy figures to be flanked by Thomas Vanek and Drew Stafford. Paul Gaustad has looked good with wingers Jochen Hecht and Mike Grier.

 

"I initially would like to start the season that way," Ruff said.

 

That scenario would likely leave out prospects Tim Kennedy and Nathan Gerbe, whose skills are more suited to scoring lines than fourth-line checking roles. But they shouldn't give up hope yet. Regier doesn't want to commit to a lineup with so much time before the Oct. 3 opener against Montreal.

 

"It's too early to tell," Regier said. "Because of the level of competitiveness in camp, it's really important not to filter things. We do anyway, but to limit the biases we might have ... and to remain open-minded and be as objective to the decisions as we can because they need to be right."

 

Regier still wants chats with the amateur scouts to see if players like Tyler Myers are better suited for juniors or the NHL. He wants talks with the pro scouts to see if guys such as Kennedy and Gerbe are ready to leave the minors for the next level.

 

"You need the diversity of information coming from different areas," Regier said. "In the end, I think you're respectful of those situations, and they all weigh in."

 

It's clear by Ruff's words certain players have established an edge through the first two weeks of training camp.

 

"If you look at the numbers, not a lot [of spots are available]," Ruff said. "But there's some players you're always looking at, and we've always been a team that a player that's impressed you, you end up putting that in your pocket knowing that you've got a player that can fit in and play a certain role, and that player eventually pushes himself into the lineup."

 

Ruff has decided to move Vanek back with Roy after a failed experiment alongside Connolly and Pominville. Roy has been Vanek's center for most of their pro careers.

 

"If you look at what Timmy, Van and Pommer have done five-on-five in the preseason, there hasn't been a lot there," Ruff said. "The Detroit game, when Clarke MacArthur went up on left wing and Thomas got away from the other team's top line and played on the other line, we instantly got a little chemistry going."

 

MacArthur has apparently separated himself from his prime contenders on the left wing, Gerbe and Daniel Paille.

 

"Clarke has done a nice job," Ruff said. "He had 17 goals. You put him in a position where he feels like he's getting a good offensive opportunity, it's an opportunity for him to move forward of where he was at last year."

 

Ruff echoed Regier in saying no one should slack off yet.

 

"The competition is there," Ruff said. "It's there every year. It puts players in tough positions, but I think they need to feel that. They need to feel that they really need to do something to be in the lineup or to make the team."

 

Ehhhhhh. Thoughts on this? I was quite excited for Vanek to be paired with a raw playmaker like TC. I also dislike when Vanek plays with Stafford. I see Stafford as more or less a "Vanek-lite". He's always clogging up Vanek's typical scoring lanes, instead of doing his job as a power forward.

 

Any thoughts on this?

[wonderbread]

Based on previous seasons if somethings not working he will change things up. The lines are not set in stone. I don't mind them coming out and saying who wil be on what line. Usually they makes in game adjustments based on preformance.

[deluca67]

Ehhhhhh. Thoughts on this? I was quite excited for Vanek to be paired with a raw playmaker like TC. I also dislike when Vanek plays with Stafford. I see Stafford as more or less a "Vanek-lite". He's always clogging up Vanek's typical scoring lanes, instead of doing his job as a power forward.

 

Any thoughts on this?

Maybe Ruff simply wants to put Vanek with a reliable center. Someone he can practice with on a daily basis and hopefully build a strong chemistry.

[SwampD]

Based on previous seasons if somethings not working he will change things up. The lines are not set in stone. I don't mind them coming out and saying who wil be on what line. Usually they makes in game adjustments based on preformance.

fixed.

 

(That's for you, PA)

[darksabre]

I think it doesn't matter who Vanek plays with as long as there is someone at the point who can get the puck through on net and let him battle for it. That's how Vanek scores goals. You can talk about the line he plays on all night long, but if his D men aren't getting shots through, he's worthless.

[inkman]

Any thoughts on this?

Hate it.

[nfreeman]

Hate it.

I'm not crazy about it either. We need to drop Vanek to the 2nd line b/c he's not effective against the other top lines? That doesn't sound good.

[Sabres09]

Vanek is the top line. whoever vanek plays with is the top line. Does not matter to other coaches where you say he plays, vanek is who they will try to match lines to.

 

I like the ability to play vanek on either of the lines. Double shift vanek with Connoly, Pom.

[nfreeman]

Vanek is the top line. whoever vanek plays with is the top line. Does not matter to other coaches where you say he plays, vanek is who they will try to match lines to.

 

I like the ability to play vanek on either of the lines. Double shift vanek with Connoly, Pom.

Welcome to the board. I think I'll disagree with you though -- I think the top line is the one that gets the most ice time. I'll predict that Connolly-Pommer-XYZ get more ice time than Roy-Vanek-Stafford.

[korab rules]

Welcome to the board. I think I'll disagree with you though -- I think the top line is the one that gets the most ice time. I'll predict that Connolly-Pommer-XYZ get more ice time than Roy-Vanek-Stafford.

 

 

I think the line that is producing the most chances/points is the line that will get the most ice time. Which line that is, whether Timmy C's 1A or Roy's 1B, may change from period to period.

 

Too bad Vanek and Timmy can't develop some chemistry, as I like the thought of Timmy C dishing to Vanek and Pommer. I don't think Vanek shoots the puck enough from more than 3 feet away. He scored a lot of goals that way a couple years ago when playing with Roy and Max.

 

The good thing is that LR's line combos usually don't last more than a couple games at a stretch, and if they aren't producing, they may not make it out of the first period.

[Stoner]

Welcome to the board. I think I'll disagree with you though -- I think the top line is the one that gets the most ice time. I'll predict that Connolly-Pommer-XYZ get more ice time than Roy-Vanek-Stafford.

 

Lindy has hinted this might be the year Vanek finally gets "elite ice time." But he qualified it by saying Vanek will get it if he delivers "elite play." Very rough paraphrase.

[Eleven]

Vanek is the top line. whoever vanek plays with is the top line. Does not matter to other coaches where you say he plays, vanek is who they will try to match lines to.

 

I like the ability to play vanek on either of the lines. Double shift vanek with Connoly, Pom.

 

Welcome to the board. I like the idea of double-shifting Vanek in certain situations--especially games where he's not getting a lot of additional time on the power play.

 

Agreed that coaches will try to match lines to Vanek, not Connolly. Let's see what happens.

 

But Swamp's point is well-taken. Line juggling will begin at approximately 8 pm on October 3.

[shrader]

Welcome to the board. I like the idea of double-shifting Vanek in certain situations--especially games where he's not getting a lot of additional time on the power play.

 

Double shifting him on the Roy and Connolly lines though isn't the best of ideas. You would basically be taking ice time away from Roy-Stafford-Connolly-Pominville by doing that. They can't be rolled out back to back and their shifts would more than likely be shortened a bit.

[...]

Lindy has hinted this might be the year Vanek finally gets "elite ice time." But he qualified it by saying Vanek will get it if he delivers "elite play." Very rough paraphrase.

 

 

But accurate.

 

Interesting - I don't like these decisions either. Why the hell have camp, then? Why keep telling us that the new guys have a chance to make the big club? And that these young guys are "getting a look"? WTF?!

 

Yes, yes, clearly they need a camp, and, yes, they are, I'm sure, "looking" at the new guys. But when the end result is, essentially, the SAME GARBAGE FROM THE LAST TWO SEASONS what the hell is the point?

 

I feel used. I cautiously bought into the pre-season hype and they're already letting us down.

 

This puts me a little closer to the DR/LR have to go camp.

[Eleven]

Double shifting him on the Roy and Connolly lines though isn't the best of ideas. You would basically be taking ice time away from Roy-Stafford-Connolly-Pominville by doing that. They can't be rolled out back to back and their shifts would more than likely be shortened a bit.

 

Well, you'd be taking ice time away from whoever is the variable winger that's going to play with Connolly and Pominville, not from any of those four guys, at least given the example in nfreeman's post. I've seen Vanek handle back-to-back shifts in a few games. Bet he can do it again.

[wjag]

These lines will last one period, tops.

[shrader]

Well, you'd be taking ice time away from whoever is the variable winger that's going to play with Connolly and Pominville, not from any of those four guys, at least given the example in nfreeman's post. I've seen Vanek handle back-to-back shifts in a few games. Bet he can do it again.

 

My logic here is that if he double shifts, each of those two shifts will probably end up being slightly shorter than the average shift, which shortens the amount of time the players on those two lines are out on the ice.

[SwampD]

I JUST DON'T GET HOW A 40 GOAL SCORER (sorry, didn't realize caps lock was on, but maybe I am mad enough to shout) doesn't get elite time. The point of hockey is to score more than the other team. It isn't to give ice time to guys who, dog gone it, are just tryin' harder than the others. If we need a goal, I want Vanek on the ice.

 

It's just another example of Ruff over thinking the game and taking it away from the players.

 

 

 

 

 

It's time...

[Eleven]

My logic here is that if he double shifts, each of those two shifts will probably end up being slightly shorter than the average shift, which shortens the amount of time the players on those two lines are out on the ice.

 

Yep, I getcha. I think there are plenty of shifts with whistles where even the little fifteen seconds are enough to let TV go another "full" shift. It's not the 1:12 long, change-on-fly shifts that I'm thinking of; it's the shifts that last 25 seconds before a whistle and a change.

[VansTheMans]

 

 

It's just another example of Ruff over thinking the game and taking it away from the players.

 

 

 

 

 

It's time...

 

Well if they miss the playoffs again this year everyone is gone. So no worries.

[bottlecap]

Vanek and Roy are good together. I'd like to see Pominville with them. As for Connelly, I'm not sure he can be counted on. Kind of like Gaborik lite. I'm tired of reading about Ruff, Regier, Hecht and Tallinder and some of the others who have been here too long. They've had their chance and new blood is needed now.

[nobody]

I JUST DON'T GET HOW A 40 GOAL SCORER (sorry, didn't realize caps lock was on, but maybe I am mad enough to shout) doesn't get elite time. The point of hockey is to score more than the other team. It isn't to give ice time to guys who, dog gone it, are just tryin' harder than the others. If we need a goal, I want Vanek on the ice.

 

It's just another example of Ruff over thinking the game and taking it away from the players.

 

 

 

 

 

It's time...

 

 

I concur 100%. Show you trust the guy already by putting him on the ice for 25 minutes. PP, PK, all of it!

[wjag]

I concur 100%. Show you trust the guy already by putting him on the ice for 25 minutes. PP, PK, all of it!

Me too!! I sort of bought into the idea two years ago with the shiny new contract and all the pressure. Remember, it was the evil-doers in Edmonton who put this 'unwanted pressure' on Thomas. Last year though, no way, no excuses. Only in Buffalo would we pay a king's ransom for a player and then staple his butt to the bench. This coaching decision makes no sense at all.