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You can cherry pick low points of LOTS of other players around the league. Putting blame on any of them is easy if the TEAM misses the playoffs, but that ignores other issues too. Vanek can and does shoulder blame, if the team was any better or healthier last season, he would've gotten more credit for the season he had (which IMO was his best). It was problems below the first line and elsewhere that had much more to do with this disappointing season. Vanek will never be the player that some want him to be and will never produce to his contract, but he is a player that any team would want and maybe the only player on the Sabres that consistently paid the price to get around the crease and take abuse for dirty goals.
Yes he can be better, but overall, with a better team in roster spots that are much more lacking, Vanek would be a valuable piece to a Cup contender.
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