Does This Team Not Care About Miller Anymore?

[R_Dudley]

i dunno. i just hope they do things over the next 3-4 weeks that make this incident seem like a departure point for something better, not a moment that defined them for the season.

 

Good points that I bolded.

 

Really have gone back and forth on this overall topic myself but after the emotion settled down and I look at the replay I agree with what you closed with.

 

Maybe this can be the future fortune changer early in the season. A wake up call with time to still change how they are going to need to play with some attitude and as a team to make a real good run in the playoffs.

[spndnchz]

This is all BS from the Miller haters that he is always throwing his teammates under the bus. He is always one of the harshest critics of his own play, and when he does make comments, its always WE, as in the team didn't play well, or lost, etc.

 

Its funny how everyone alsso says that he always lets in "soft goals", like no other goalie in the league gets beat. Every goalie lets in "soft goals" on a regular basis, and you can ask any goalie and they will tell you they should have had 99% of the shots they have ever let in.

 

Like Enroth's second goal last night?

[tom webster]

Over the years, I have heard Miller be openly critical of the team and it's play after just about every loss. Meanwhile, he continued to let soft goals in, often at the absolutely worst time, like when the team had just scored, and were working hard to get in the lead, or to come back while trailing. It's all fine and dandy to call out teammates, and criticize them but you can't have it both ways. You'd better be just about perfect yourself before you go expecting perfection from someone else...not sure who decided that Miller is a "whole-world goalie", and that he is like the captain and leader of the team. At his best, he's good, but rarely does he win the team a game by himself

like Thomas did/dos in Boston, and other goalies do with other teams. The Leafs pretty much count on their goalies to keep them in games. Yes, maybe the team does resent Miller after all the years of hearing only bad from him about the rest of the team and how they play.

 

 

Only problem with this logic is that team voted him their MVP two or three years running. They doing that sarcastically?

[qwksndmonster]

There are quite a few other threads on this.

why dont u shut ur mouth and stop being the board p...

 

*insert incoherent response from some troll calling you the board police*Just figured I'd get that out of the way.

Oh.

[qwksndmonster]

They should trade him for Stamkos and a second.

Nah, they should trade him for Malkin and Staal.

[DumbPuck]

Like Enroth's second goal last night?

 

I wouldn't refute the original point that all goalie's let in some bad goals. However, I will say that Enroth's post-game interview last night was a breath of fresh air. For a guy who doesn't have the best English, he sure knows how to say the right things in my book:

 

When asked if he really liked the Shoot Outs since he seemed to do so well in them he responded to the likes of "With guys like Vanek, Boyesie, Pommers, and others they make it a lot easier in the shootout."

 

When challenged about the second goal being kinda "soft" he fessed up and seemed to honestly say yeh he messed up and he really doesn't want to miss a shot like that in the future. He seemed truly sincere.

 

He, in general, seems excited to be on the ice with these guys.

[stevecana]

What makes me sick over this whole thing more than anything is not the lack of initial reaction from the players who were on the ice when Miller got ran, it was when Kaleta had the opportunity to lay out Thomas but pulled up. Ok, so he just got back from a suspension right? Too bad! In that moment you have the chance to show the Bruins and the rest of the NHL that the Sabres are NOT soft and take care of their own, instead they showed that they are gutless.

[LabattBlue]

Most know that I am a big fan of Tyler Myers but his response was awful and that's probably got him a seat in the press box, more than his poor play.

 

I think Ruff sent him a huge message to start getting tough out there. We all know he's not a nasty guy but he was the biggest

I do think Enroth is liked better and it's only human nature to care about someone you like, more than one you don't.

I think that this was a wake-up call for those who like to point to one or two physical plays Myers makes every couple of months, and claim he will grow into the next Chara. He is a very tall offensive defenseman(not even sure where that part of his game has been this year). He will not become this dominant physical presence, this year, next year or 5 years from now.

 

That being said, there is no reason when something like this happens once a year or so, that you can't drop the gloves. Chances are, that it won't even be a 1 on 1 battle, as there will be 10 guys all grouped together. If you get your lip bloodied, you will get over it(This goes for all Sabres, not just Myers).

[X. Benedict]

I think that this was a wake-up call for those who like to point to one or two physical plays Myers makes every couple of months, and claim he will grow into the next Chara. He is a very tall offensive defenseman(not even sure where that part of his game has been this year). He will not become this dominant physical presence, this year, next year or 5 years from now.

Way too soon to say. Hard to know if the kid will be able to add and hold weight.

 

That being said, there is no reason when something like this happens once a year or so, that you can't drop the gloves. Chances are, that it won't even be a 1 on 1 battle, as there will be 10 guys all grouped together. If you get your lip bloodied, you will get over it(This goes for all Sabres, not just Myers).

Just lack of experience IMO.

[LabattBlue]

Way too soon to say. Hard to know if the kid will be able to add and hold weight.

 

 

Just lack of experience IMO.

Putting on weight isn't going to make him tougher or more willing to be physical! ;)

[Weave]

I think that this was a wake-up call for those who like to point to one or two physical plays Myers makes every couple of months, and claim he will grow into the next Chara. He is a very tall offensive defenseman(not even sure where that part of his game has been this year). He will not become this dominant physical presence, this year, next year or 5 years from now.

 

That being said, there is no reason when something like this happens once a year or so, that you can't drop the gloves. Chances are, that it won't even be a 1 on 1 battle, as there will be 10 guys all grouped together. If you get your lip bloodied, you will get over it(This goes for all Sabres, not just Myers).

 

I agree with all of this. I think Myers' physical play in the Philly series last year was an aberration. If he was going to become a physical force we'd be seeing it alot more frequently by now. He's a two way defenseman with freakish dimensions, not the next Chara. More like Hal Gill or maybe Brian Boyle with more offensive potential.

 

And yes, he still needs to get comfortable with the idea of dropping the gloves in defense of a teammate a couple times a year.

[Weave]

Way too soon to say. Hard to know if the kid will be able to add and hold weight.

 

 

Just lack of experience IMO.

 

I don't buy it is a lack of experience. He's a 3rd year pro. I know he's still young but he's been playing against men for two full seasons and into a 3rd. If he's not getting comfortable playing rough now I doubt he ever will.

 

there's nothing "wrong" with it, but I think it is reasonable to temper expectations of physicality at this point.

[X. Benedict]

Putting on weight isn't going to make him tougher or more willing to be physical! ;)

 

As long as you are comparing him to Chara.....Chara was probably 23 or 24 before he started playing a physical game, and it still took him about 4 more years to learn to skate.

 

Until then he was just a stay at home cat with a big reach.

 

Myers played very physical in the playoff series with Philly.

 

You've seen it.

[X. Benedict]

I don't buy it is a lack of experience. He's a 3rd year pro. I know he's still young but he's been playing against men for two full seasons and into a 3rd. If he's not getting comfortable playing rough now I doubt he ever will.

 

there's nothing "wrong" with it, but I think it is reasonable to temper expectations of physicality at this point.

 

I think you see his lack of experience come out at least one point every week. Young defensemen...one step forward two steps back.

 

Sometimes it is a bad angle. Other times a bad penalty. Most recently he hasn't adjusted to players playing off him to pick his pass. You see it. Sitting him makes sense. But not to see any potential I think is shortsighted.

[LabattBlue]

As long as you are comparing him to Chara.....Chara was probably 23 or 24 before he started playing a physical game, and it still took him about 4 more years to learn to skate.

 

Until then he was just a stay at home cat with a big reach.

 

Myers played very physical in the playoff series with Philly.

 

You've seen it.

Actually, I am not comparing him to Chara. It is others who think he will become a dominant physical defenseman. Obviously I can't predict the future, but IMO, I think what you see is what you get with Myers in his own end.

[X. Benedict]

Actually, I am not comparing him to Chara. It is others who think he will become a dominant physical defenseman. Obviously I can't predict the future, but IMO, I think what you see is what you get with Myers in his own end.

 

We'll have years to see it unfold.

[LGR4GM]

No one is saying anything about Miller's interview in which he basically said his team mates have his back and the media does not see what goes on when they allow them into their locker room because they (the team) act different with the media in there?

 

Sounds to me like there is some rumblings going on in that room and everyone knows and does have Miller's back. I heard Boyes spoke up to his team mates about it which is a good sign as well.

 

I have said it before but this team will either grow and come together through adversity or fall by the wayside... I have not seen it yet but the more adversity they face early on the better.

[RazielSabre]

No one is saying anything about Miller's interview in which he basically said his team mates have his back and the media does not see what goes on when they allow them into their locker room because they (the team) act different with the media in there?

 

Sounds to me like there is some rumblings going on in that room and everyone knows and does have Miller's back. I heard Boyes spoke up to his team mates about it which is a good sign as well.

 

I have said it before but this team will either grow and come together through adversity or fall by the wayside... I have not seen it yet but the more adversity they face early on the better.

Fastest way to bond as a team is to face adversity, completely agree. I haven't caught it yet but I know the interview you mean.