I can't defend Mac after walking out on the team. It shows how dedicated he is when he had to be photoshopped into the team picture.
I thought it was a personal issue. Either way, I can't imagine anyone saying with a straight face that Rolston properly handled those 2 in the first 2 months. If you can, we'll just agree to disagree. Doesn't matter now anyway.
I'm going to the game this Friday. It will be interesting to see what the lineup looks like. The Sabres can pull the guys they know will be playing in the NHL (Hodgson, Foligno), but what about the guys that would normally get a look in camp during the offseason? Rochester can't function if they pull all their prospects and guys on two-ways. I'm assuming they've evaluated guys the last few months and leave guys like McNabb on the farm.
You are right. The games played by the guys on the Amerks is a better evaluation of prospects than a regular (much less shortened) training camp.
You will see a very lean training camp roster. Camp is short and they need to hit the ground running (or sprinting). They may bring Grigorenko in. Brennan will be there because his AHL only contract will be void now that the lockout is over. He will need to clear waivers to be assigned to Rochester. McNabb is not going anywhere.
What does the line-up look like with the Buffalo regulars back up? Hoping to see what Sundher can do it an increased role.
I'd project the forwards as either of these:
Quote:
28 Zemgus Girgensons - 12 Kevin Porter (C) - 25 Mark Mancari (A)
72 Luke Adam - 10 Brian Flynn - 15 Evan Rankin
74 Nick Tarnasky - 32 Rick Schofield - 91 Frederick Roy
92 Kevin Sundher - 22 Phil Varone - 29 Maxime Legault
24 Jonathan Parker
You could flip Legault and Roy above, but Tarnasky-Schofield-Roy has good chemistry.
Quote:
28 Zemgus Girgensons - 12 Kevin Porter (C) - 25 Mark Mancari (A)
72 Luke Adam - 22 Phil Varone - 10 Brian Flynn
74 Nick Tarnasky - 32 Rick Schofield - 15 Evan Rankin
91 Frederick Roy - 92 Kevin Sundher - 29 Maxime Legault
24 Jonathan Parker
Either way, Sundher would still have a fourth line role until a recall or injury.
You don't think they move Girgensons inside to center?
That's certainly another option, but no, I don't think that's what they'll do. I can't recall them giving Girgensons even a sniff of center yet, so there's nothing to indicate that he's more likely to move from the wing than any of Flynn, Adam or Sundher.
With Hodgson and Foligno up, I believe the Amerks only have 11 forwards tomorrow. Time for some defensemen to play forward. Let's see how the Sabres handle this.
If the Sabres didn't bother signing players to a PTO or calling guys up from the ECHL before, do we really think they're going to do something before tomorrow? We'll have D at forward.
With Hodgson and Foligno up, I believe the Amerks only have 11 forwards tomorrow. Time for some defensemen to play forward. Let's see how the Sabres handle this.
Any word on the new line combo's? I would think the 1st would stay the same girgs-porter-mancar-, I think some changes need to be made on the 2nd and obviously 3rd line - probably see Sundher and Tarnasky come down, just curious of the combinations...
With Hodgson and Foligno up, I believe the Amerks only have 11 forwards tomorrow. Time for some defensemen to play forward. Let's see how the Sabres handle this.
I'm guessing not much gets done until NHL rosters shake out.
Rolston did say Legault and Schofield should be ready to go within a week, as both skated today, but that doesn't help the Amerks in the short-term. I'd bet it's more of Schiestel at forward tomorrow.
I'm guessing not much gets done until NHL rosters shake out.
I agree.
Mike Harrington@BNHarrington "I got a lot of #Amerks questions. Darcy said after the presser they will need to go get a few more players for Roch cuz NHL is starting."
With Hodgson and Foligno up, I believe the Amerks only have 11 forwards tomorrow. Time for some defensemen to play forward. Let's see how the Sabres handle this.
Perpare for the worst. Or simply "the usual".
__________________
It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it. - Aristotle
Always do, though I'll certainly never be quiet about it.
I'm really not worried about tonight's game. It's not often a lockout ends, so understandable they didn't get anyone. But by next week, there better be some additions to the team. And not ECHL players.
From the transaction wire, so far, it's mostly ECHL callups, but teams can't sign players to 2 way contracts until Saturday, so that's when everything will start moving.
MacIntyre was an all star and had an insane season and playoff run with Hamilton.
Jonathan Cheechoo was a former NHL 50 goal scorer. Patrick O'Sullivan was once a desirable NHL trade deadline acquisition. Now MacIntyre can't find work in the AHL and, possibly, overseas. If hockey was played on paper, we'd be talking about the gold medal Canadian Junior team with it's 10+ NHL 1st round draft picks. The truth is that this is what makes hockey interesting. Only time will tell if MacIntyre can regain the form that you outlined above. Perhaps next year we'll be talking about Drew MacIntyre, the former Amerks goalie and current AHL all star goaltender, maybe not.
From the transaction wire, so far, it's mostly ECHL callups, but teams can't sign players to 2 way contracts until Saturday, so that's when everything will start moving.
Jonathan Cheechoo was a former NHL 50 goal scorer. Patrick O'Sullivan was once a desirable NHL trade deadline acquisition. Now MacIntyre can't find work in the AHL and, possibly, overseas. If hockey was played on paper, we'd be talking about the gold medal Canadian Junior team with it's 10+ NHL 1st round draft picks. The truth is that this is what makes hockey interesting. Only time will tell if MacIntyre can regain the form that you outlined above. Perhaps next year we'll be talking about Drew MacIntyre, the former Amerks goalie and current AHL all star goaltender, maybe not.
I don't see your point. MacIntyre was the best goalie in the AHL in 2010-2011. The Sabres signed him as a free agent that summer. The guy earned his reputation and place in the league many times over by that point. Rotating him every other game with Leggio for the first 1.5 months of the season is poor coaching and poor handling and there's really no argument to the contrary. I'm sorry, Leggio didn't even start playing well until January.
I forgot that Drew MacKenzie signed a two-way with Abbotsford. It looks like he'll get a look there soon after being recalled from Utah yesterday.
I'm kind of curious to see how he does. All things considered his NHL chances are likely comparable to Nick Crawford, Alex Biega, Drew Schiestel, or Matt MacKenzie, just they were all signed and there was no more room. Then there's that whole mysterious tweet thing...
I don't see your point. MacIntyre was the best goalie in the AHL in 2010-2011. The Sabres signed him as a free agent that summer. The guy earned his reputation and place in the league many times over by that point. Rotating him every other game with Leggio for the first 1.5 months of the season is poor coaching and poor handling and there's really no argument to the contrary. I'm sorry, Leggio didn't even start playing well until January.
I hate this line of thinking. MacIntyre had so many chances to have big games and win the starting role. He never did it. How many times did he give up a goal a minute into a game? Or give up 3 goals in the 2 minute span when we had the lead? You're a goalie, you show up and play. If you don't stop pucks, that's your own fault.
My point is that, at least my thinking is, if he signed an ECHL deal, he couldn't get an AHL deal. If he couldn't get an AHL deal, that had to have been a reason for that. There are numerous reasons for why that may have happened and unless it comes out, which is highly unlikely, all I can do is speculate. Teams may have not been impressed with how he played in Europe, they might have had full rosters, or they may not have liked his time in Rochester. Pure speculation is that there is a chance that other teams were also not impressed with how he played in Rochester, regardless of when he played, who he played against, or what the coach did. Again it's pure speculation, but that's all that we as fans have to go on.
