While Sabres fans are still basking in the afterglow of another impressive prospect development camp, there are second-tier free agents still available who can help the Sabres to re-build this team the right way. One wonders when GM Darcy Regier is going to make a long awaited free agent signing that will add instant leadership and credibility to the Sabres soon-to-be lineup.
Brenden Morrow is still on the open market. For what reason, I don't know.
Its time to giddy-up and get this guy locked up, Darcy. Morrow is the exact player that the evolving Buffalo roster needs right now.
The Sabres were lacking in the on-ice, on-bench leadership department last season.
Thankfully, Steve Ott grabbed the bull the horns the moment that he skated into Erie County. In my opinion, the NHL lockout handicapped the Sabres in that the vets and the youngsters never really spent meaningful time of the ice together during the work stoppage. The only bonding that happened was amongst the handful of guys who stayed in Buffalo. Many of the Sabres veteran leaders like Regehr, Leopold, Ott, Kaleta, Stafford, and Ellis stayed put and played shinny at the Northtowns Center while their teammates Ehrhoff, Myers, Ennis, Weber, Sekera, Vanek, Pominville, and Hecht jumped the pond to play meaningful hockey in Europe.
When the owners cut the padlocks off the doors to their rinks, the mad scramble to get NHLers back from Europe was fast and furious. Some skated hard, others limped. The NHL mandated seven day "training camp" to prepare for the regular season was a joke.
The lack of a proper NHL training camp really didn't do much to help Buffalo.
Leaders cannot lead players who are playing in foreign countries.
I'm a strong proponent of having the leaders take charge from Day 1 of a training camp. The leaders are an extension of the coaching staff. The guys with chipped teeth and zipper-like battle scars on their faces play huge roles on teams. For the coming season in Buffalo, the grey beards are going have to play and even bigger role, what with the youth movement that is taking shape inside the organization as we speak.
Steve Ott and Thomas Vanek are perfect leaders for the youngsters like Grigorenko, Girgensons, Myers, Foligno, Ennis, Armia, Larsson, Tropp, McNabb, Ristolainen, and Zadorov to look up to. Mike Weber, Pat Kaleta, Christian Ehrhoff, Ville Leino and Drew Stafford will add their voices to the leadership group as well. The advent of more kids and prospects in the lineup means that the team will need more on-ice and in-dressing room leadership. Especially if Ryan Miller leaves by way of a trade in the next 60-90 days.
I feel like the Sabres are missing a thirty-something leader like Brenden Morrow, who leads by his dogged determination and painful examples on the ice. Sorry, Hank Tallinder doesn't provide the same type of leadership as Morrow.
I consider Morrow to be an insurance policy. He can play the same role that Mike Grier played when 2005-06 Sabres were learning how to win. Back then, Miller, Gaustad, Vanek, Pominville, Roy, Tallinder and all of the Amerks learned the pro game from Grier. Briere and Drury played leadership roles on those teams, but never under-value the role that Mike Grier played in the room, on the ice, on the bikes after games, on the bus, at the hotel, and in the trainer's room.
Morrow would play the same role for the 2013-14 Sabres that Griere played for the 2005-06and 2006-07 Sabres teams. He's a grizzled, street smart veteran who refuses to quit. He plays the game with zeal, passion, and truculence, at as close to 100 mph as his 34 year old legs can get him to and he doesn't back down from any challenges. Morrow is a warrior.
Like Ott, he does the little thing correctly. ALL of the little things, not some of them.
Ott told me on more than one occasion this season that his former Dallas Stars teammates Morrow, Mike Modano, Joe Nieuwendyk, and Bill Guerin all have helped to mold him into the man and the player that he is today. Ott, now 30, was the apprentice to he hockey superstars in Dallas. he learned how to lead and how to earn respect from his teammates by emulating Morrow and the elders. Now, Ott is an elder.
Photo courtesy Dan Hickling
Who better to add to the Buffalo roster than a respected leader like Morrow?
Most of you people want Ott to be the next captain of the Sabres. Who do you think helped to mold Ott into the player and man that he is today? Morrow did.
Morrow scored 12 goals last season and can still light the lamp and create plays. he will ease a lot of the load off Ott and Vanek so that they don't have to ignore their offensive and defensive responsibilities.
In 850 regular season games, Morrow has scored 249 goals and added 293 assists for 542 points. He's accumulated 1222 PIMS, too. In 92 career playoff games, he's scored 19 goals and added 27 assists for 46 points, and 108 more PIMs. The guy is a brahma bull who knows where the back of the net is. He's exactly what the Sabres need right now.
The Northeast division has become a street fighter division in the past few weeks with Toronto, Montreal, Boston, Tampa, Florida, and Detroit all adding toughness and grit. As it stands right now, the Sabres are lacking in the toughness department. I'm not talking about a brawler like John Scott. I'm talking about a guy like Morrow who wrecks opponents and wears them down with a hard, 60 minute fore check. Morrow will toss the mitts, no problem. The Sabres need to stay out of the box and draw penalties so that Jope Sacco's soon-to-be revamped PP can get to work lighting the lamp and making opponents pay for their sins.
Regier better grab Morrow now and sign him to a 2-3 year deal, before Carolina or Detroit get his name on the bottom line first.
In the near future, Ott will be signing a long term extension to stay in Buffalo. Its time for Regier to buy an insurance policy like Morrow to add depth and leadership the likes of which Regehr and Leopold used to provide before they were traded away.
Morrow's agent recently told me that the Sabres are interested in Morrow:
We had a good visit and they like the player. We will circle back to them later to see where they are at
.
Over pay Morrow if you have to, Darcy. He's worth every penny.
The sun will come out to Morrow.
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Ahem!!!
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