Thank you, I forgot about Leo. Nice thing about these is that several of these guys can eat up huge minutes too if needed (Hoff and Leo in particular, Sekera obviously can't go beyond 22 minutes. )
that statement ranks #2 on the Top 10 Best Lolz of the Offseason list
I agree that seems like the best pairing right now for Myers. Only issue with that is then who do you put with Regehr? Weber/Regehr looked shaky often, and the general assumption is that Ehrhoff/Sulzer will be a line again at least to start the season. If McNabb makes it interesting things will happen though I suppose.
Leopold-Regehr is a solid 3rd pairing. Not sure who Regehr was playing with when he got beat bad during that Philly game but I want someone with decent wheels playing with him to avoid situations similar to that. I think probably the best reason for holding onto Leopold until McNabb is ready is that it keeps Weber off the ice. He and Regehr in the same lineup scares me...
Myers does need to show some progression, and earn Ruff's confidence to return to a shutdown role.
I'd like to see Sekera-Myers back together. When the Sabres went on that 2nd half run in 2011, it was fueled by that pairing (and pommer/vanek chemistry)
We see the pairing similarly. If Myers redeems, the defense is fine, regardless of having three 2013 UFA's. Myers and Sekera as the top pairing, playing well, solves a ton of issues. Ehrhoff provides additional offense, and stability. Round out 3-7 by resignings, UFA's, or the rookies.
Leopold-Regehr is a solid 3rd pairing. Not sure who Regehr was playing with when he got beat bad during that Philly game but I want someone with decent wheels playing with him to avoid situations similar to that. I think probably the best reason for holding onto Leopold until McNabb is ready is that it keeps Weber off the ice. He and Regehr in the same lineup scares me...
Sekera cheated up and got caught, leaving Regehr alone to catch up with Matt Read. I would clarify what you said to have Regehr paired with a safer d-man that won't take chances, rather than being fast. But Ruff's system puts d-men in a constant state of deciding whether to pinch, so I'm not sure anyone would qualify. FWIW I would like this set-up best...
Sekera-Myers
Sulzer-Ehrhoff
Regehr-Leopold (they paired together in Calgary years back)
Sekera cheated up and got caught, leaving Regehr alone to catch up with Matt Read. I would clarify what you said to have Regehr paired with a safer d-man that won't take chances, rather than being fast. But Ruff's system puts d-men in a constant state of deciding whether to pinch, so I'm not sure anyone would qualify. FWIW I would like this set-up best...
Sekera-Myers
Sulzer-Ehrhoff
Regehr-Leopold (they paired together in Calgary years back)
Same idea, said better by yourself. I agree that this is the way the D should look assuming there are no moves. I'd love that first paring to play well enough to get the lion's share of the minutes, really want to see if Sekera can handle it (we already know that Myers can from his Tallinder days). And while Myers needs to be a beast on both special teams, I'd like to see Sekera's PK minutes increased at the expense of his role on the PP. Let him focus on shutting down the other team's best guys, and maybe he'll run into 15-25 points by the time the season's over. Myers, Hoff, and Leopold can handle the points, and Hodgson should be given a chance to unleash his rocket of a shot from the sides of the umbrella as well.
If this is Ruff behind the bench, his track-record has been to give one pairing most of the tough defensive assignments and let the other pairs have easier. During the surge, that was Regehr-Sekera. It wouldn't surprise if that's his go-to pairing at the start of the year. We saw great chemistry from Ehrhoff-Sulzer and that puts Leopold-Myers as the other pairing. With that structure, R/S gets PK and ES time, L-M gets PP, PK, and ES time, and E-S gets ES and PP time (perhaps with Sulzer swapped out for either Pominville or one of Leo or Myers).
Myers is huge, literally and figuratively. Can he put the offensive game from his rookie year within the context of the physical game he developed last year? Does he have a better feel for when and how to gamble offensively? Is he adding strength and more mass this off-season? If he can synergize the excellent PKer with the offensive gallop, making smart puck security decisions and playing with a bit of snarl? Giddy-the-****-up, that's the guy we want.
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It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it. - Aristotle
Surprised to see Ehrhoff on their list, as I thought he was easily our 2nd best defenseman last season. They seem to be basing their argument entirely on points, however, so I guess it shouldn't be that surprising that there is no mention of his stellar play in his own end.
Quote:
Christian Ehrhoff, Buffalo Sabres -- Ehrhoff followed a career season in 2010-11 by signing a 10-year deal with Buffalo. The Sabres are certainly hoping for better things in Year 2. Ehrhoff dropped from 14 goals to five and from 50 points to 32, missing 16 games with injuries. His plus/minus fell from plus-19 with the Vancouver Canucks in '10-11 to minus-2 last season. The Sabres need the 30-year-old defenseman to be more like the player who averaged 12 goals and 45 points in the three seasons before he came to Buffalo.
Surprised to see Ehrhoff on their list, as I thought he was easily our 2nd best defenseman last season. They seem to be basing their argument entirely on points, however, so I guess it shouldn't be that surprising that there is no mention of his stellar play in his own end.
Not only his solid in-zone play but his ES points/60 minutes went way the hell up. It isn't on him that the Sabres don't have Sedin-Sedin on the powerplay. What they need from him is more games played. Injury isn't something one can often control, just for him to be aware of how much they need him on the ice.
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that statement ranks #2 on the Top 10 Best Lolz of the Offseason list
