Ted Nolan thinned out the Buffalo blue line by sending Jake McCabe and Mark Pysyk to AHL Rochester on Thursday. McCabe was injured in Buffalo's final exhibition game. Pysyk was injured just 54 seconds into Buffalo's preseason schedule when he suffered an upper body deal against Carolina on his first shift of the game.
Pysyk returned to the ice on Thursday.
Pysyk says he felt good on the ice today, first day back at practice with the team. #Sabres pic.twitter.com/6xuJBDonFY
— Buffalo Sabres (@BuffaloSabres) October 16, 2014
Nolan mixed and matched his D pairs at practice:
Gorges-Myers Weber-Strachan Benoit-Meszaros McCabe-Ristolainen Pysyk and Zadorov were the extra D
Benoit and Meszaros have been downright awful playing together. In the first three games of the season they were a combined -10. Nolan would be wise to keep 61-41 away from one anither. I'd like to see Benoit take a seat the for the Florida game. He hasn't impressed me at all this season. If Meszaros had to sit for his previous sins, Benoit should be held to the same standard. For once and for all, I'd like to get a look at Nikita Zadorov in a real NHL game. Nolan and Tim Murray have kept the kid in Buffalo rather than sending him back to OHL London where he would be skating 25+ minutes per night. My guess is that the London Knights are working on a trade (possibly to the Erie Otters) and they need more time to get it done. Zadorov has been practicing and working out with his Buffalo teammates and he's been doing all of the work that has been required of him. I'd like to see Nolan throw the kid a bone and let him play on Friday night.
Nolan has been tinkering with his D corps and may make other changes ahead of the Sabres-Panthers game on Friday night in Buffalo.
Nolan benched Meszaros on Wednesday night. Tyson Strachan took his minutes in Buffalo's first win of the season
The two demotions leave Nolan with eight healthy D in Tyler Myers, Josh Gorges, Andrej Meszaros, Rasmus Ristolainen, Andre Benoit, Tyson Strachan, Mike Weber, and Nikita Zadorov.
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Poor Mikhail Grabovski. He was run over by the Battleship USS John Scott on Thursday night. Grab went to the room and ever returned after Scott pancaked him with this clean body check.
No penalty was called on the hit.
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Dear Christian Ehrhoff,
The next time that a multi billionaire scratches you a check for $12 million to leave his NHL club, don’t flap your gums about your negative experience in that city after you've been shown the gate. Instead, take the high road. Thank the fan base who bought your sweater and cheered for you. Or, say "no comment" when reporters in your new NHL city ask you about your experiences in Buffalo. In other words, keep your mouth shut.
You are Pittsburgh’s problem now. You don’t work in Buffalo anymore because Tim Murray didn’t see the value in keeping you. You had a three year audition as part of your 10 year, $40 million contract that the Pegulas generously handed to you. You were rewarded the contract after your impressive showing during the Stanley Cup run with Vancouver Canucks in 2011. Like Ville Leino, you got paid fat stacks of jack largely due to the role that you played within your former employer’ system. Once you left that system, the CSI Buffalo ultraviolet black light revealed your warts and blemishes.
“I thought it was a team on the uprise,… he said. “They had a good roster and I felt, with a few additions, that they could take the next step to be a competitive team. Unfortunately it didn’t work out that way and they went into full rebuild mode. That was obviously a little frustrating because that’s not the reason I (signed) there…, the defenseman told NBC Sports
On behalf of the fans of the Buffalo Sabres, let me tell you that the feeling of frustration is mutual, Chris. Sabres fans expected more from you, too. The Sabres organization did, too. Nice accountability.
Sabres fans were left wanting more after each of your three seasons in the Blue & Gold. You were positioned to the fan base as a veteran leader who would bring to another level the game of players around you. You were supposed to add leadership and stability on the back end. You were supposed to score on the power play. You were supposed to be a one man breakout drill.
Remember the sales pitch? Sabres fans do.
The Sabres were a playoff team when you arrived in Buffalo. They failed to make the playoffs in three seasons that you played in Buffalo. Coincidence? You only scored 16 goals and accumulated a so-so total 87 points in 192 games with the Sabres.
The 2013-14 season will be the one that sticks in my craw concerning Ehrhoff. He wasn’t a leader. He was a part of the problem. He turned over pucks, made ugly mistakes, and was hardly a good role model to the many young kids that Ted Nolan had assembled on the Buffalo roster.His body language on the ice screamed “get me outta here….
“Last year was obviously very frustrating finishing last in Buffalo – not what I had hoped for when I signed there,… Ehrhoff said.
When you shook hands and signed the 10 year deal, it was under the auspices that the Sabres were going to be building for their future. Unlike the vets who were playing on expiring contracts, the ownership and management ear marked you as a building block for their future. You were given a more than generous signing bonus on a 10 year deal so that you would be around to se the re-building through to its end.
Sounds like the break-up was inevitable. You were frustrated and wanted to win. You put your own personal needs ahead of those of the team. When Ryan Miller, Steve Ott, Matt Moulson, were traded at the NHL Trade Deadline in March, you mailed it in for the final month of the regular season. Things could have ended differently for you in Buffalo had you busted your ass in practice and in games while your coaches were relying on you to assume a leadership role for the kids to pattern their games after.
Nope. Not you.
You jumped off one bandwagon to jump onto the Penguins gravy train. Front runner. The Pens wisely signed you to a one year deal. You'll have to earn your future years.
Sid the Kid has high expectations of you. Don’t cave under the pressure of trying to live up to your advanced billing.
"A lot of experience, he’s played a long time,… said Crosby of the defenseman. “On the power play he’s got a big shot, sees the ice well and then defensively, he’s playing with Tanger (Kris Letang) and they’re going to see a lot of top guys so a lot of minutes. I think all the way around he’s a big acquisition for us.…
You seem to have forgotten the bad times in Buffalo.
“It’s tough to say,… he said. “The fact is, it didn’t work out and I’m happy with getting another shot at it here with Pittsburgh.…
The Pegulas will be sending you a check for $860,000 each season until 2027-28.
Face it, Ehrhoff failed here in Buffalo. You’d think that he’d be humble and contrite about his poor performances in Buffalo. Not Ehrhoff. It appears as though he’s telling anyone who will listen to him that he wasn’t part of the problem in Buffalo. The Sabres were the problem in Buffalo. “I don’t think I have to prove anything to myself,… he said, “but obviously I want to be a big part of this team and help this team win.…