- Brace Hemmelgarn-US PRESSWIRE
For many Buffalo Sabres fans, today was the day to get rid of #9 Derek Roy. When the rumors started coming out that Darcy was looking for a prospect and a first round pick, I knew that our tiny little locker room cancer was staying put.
Deadline day dragged on and on; and it seemed as if the Buffalo Sabres were content to put their team on a jet for Southern California and roll into the playoffs with the same team they rolled into the season with.
It seemed like it was going to be a very long boring day, and then we get word that Paul Gaustad is no longer a Buffalo Sabre, as Nashville plays big in the dealings of the day to make a push for the playoff. I was a bit disappointed that the only deal was to get something for Paul Gaustad. Then the move of the day happened for the Blue and Gold.
Zach Kassian, a once promising young star in Blue and Gold, will now be playing for another member of the class of 1970, as he and Marc Andre Gragnani have been shipped to the Vancouver Canucks. In return the Buffalo Sabres get Cody Hodgson, and Alexander Sulzer. Not a bad half day of work for Buffalo Sabres GM Darcy Regier.
Hodgson could be the start of the answer the Buffalo Sabres have down the middle. Ready to break out, Hodgson has been stuck behind Sedin and Kesler in Vancouver, and should be able to step in and make something happen in the top six. As the number one center, I am all for Jason Pominville handing Derek Roy a jersey on Wednesday night with the number 47 on it, so that Hodgson can keep his number 9. Drafted 10th overall in the 2008 draft (Kassian was drafted 13th overall in 2009), hes a year younger than Kassian.
Gragnani makes the cross country trip and is replaced on the blue line by Alexander Sulzer, formerly of the Canucks. Sulzer was the 92nd overall selection in the 2003 draft by the Nashville Predators. Possible good road roommate for Jochen Hecht, as he is a product of Germany as well.
Tags: alexander sulzer, Buffalo Sabres, cody hodgson, featured, marc-andre gragnani, nashville predators, Paul Gaustad, popular, trade deadline, vancouver canucks
Full time father, husband and Buffalo Sabres fan. Started writing with Fansided back when the network only covered the NFL. Launched Sabrenoise.com as the first non-NFL site. Haven't looked back since. If you have any questions or comments on the site please email me at timothy.redinger@fansided.com
I'm a wear white at home, blank sweater wearing fan, non laces type guy. I can't see spending money on a sweater with a guys name on it when he might not be around long enough to wear it out. If I am going to get a name on a sweater, its gonna be an old white home sweater, with either an 11 or a 7 on it.
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Kassian wasn't a good fit. He played hard!
Which Kassian have you been watching? He's been floating up and down the ice since his last recall. He's young, talented and big, yes. But to say he played hard in even half of his 27 games as a Sabre. Nope, didn't see it. Everyone wanted this guy to pan out sooooo bad, because he represented something we didn't really have: the promise of a nasty, physical winger who could score. I saw NONE of that. That said, If he ever puts it all together, he'll be a beast. Right now, though, he looks like the second coming of Steve Bernier, and THAT ain't a good thing.
Any offers for "Ruff" & not ready along with Darcy?
I just read the comments of one Tim Redinger. Pretty low class calling someone a cancer in the dressing room. Particularly a player that has led the team in scoring 3 of the past 4 years. Even the last year Roy hadn`t played for almost 2 1/2 months before one of his teammates passed him in points. Get a grip man.
Roy isn't the most popular guy in the dressing room. I agree with Tim, and have the sources to corroborate it.
Stan – I have nothing against Roy's production, last year before he got injured he was a point a game guy, but look how the team responded without him. It's commonly known around the team that the guys in the locker room question his off ice work ethic, and what Derek Roy will show up for the game. Its not low class if the ball is in the strike zone. If I were taking a shot at the guy's knees needlessly than sure.
Stan, you've got some good points, but keep in mind that Derek Roy leads the team in scoring during stretches where the team is not good. He put up numbers in 2007-2008 and they missed the playoffs, and then they repeated that in 2008-2009. When 2010 came and they made the playoffs, Roy & Connolly were the two guys that took the most heat for not showing up. You can't have your number one center disappear in the post-season.
Last year it finally looked like Roy had grown up, and he was a point per game before he got injured. But where was the team? He'd score points, but nobody wanted to play with him, and they were well out of the playoff picture by midway through the season. Then he gets hurt, Pegula buys the team, and they go on a miracle run to make the last seed. I'm sorry, I know a lot of that success is attributed to the energy Pegula brought, but I cannot get over the fact that taking one guy out of the locker room woke up beasts in Vanek, Pominville, and guys like Gerbe & Ennis.
Watching Roy play, he tries to be a one-man team. He holds on to the puck too long, or he tries to skate through three defenders, and it results in one of two things: a goal or a giveaway that leads to a goal against. It happens too often.
I'll meet you halfway, man. Roy made a *great* third line center with Vanek & Afinogenov. He is an excellent playmaker, and if he is in a complementary role on a team they will do well. But he is not a leader in the slightest, and unfortunately because of the way this team is built he is in a leadership position. He's got the skills, he's got the alpha male mentality, and you can watch the game and see him take the reigns over Vanek constantly. But he doesn't back that up with that same spark that we saw in Danny Briere or that stalwart calm that we see in Jason Pominville.
Miro Satan led the Sabres in scoring for 5 straight years. Yet everybody let out a sigh of relief when he got let go after the lockout. The cases are very similar.
Much can be said the same about Jochen Hecht who was lost this trade deadline because of his injury. I think if he were not on long term IR, he would have bene up on the chopping block as well. One of the perennial problems on this team has been their reliance on role players with no stars. Of course our role players played great when the stars were occupied with the top defenses of opponents.
Darcy gets an A+ for this deadline. I hate to say it, but he may have even bought himself another year as GM. A first round pick for a 3rd line center with 7 goals? Yikes. But give credit to David Poile, GM for Nashville, for "going for it" today. He is showing his team, and the team's fans, that they are committed to competing for a championship this season.
The Sabres now head into June's draft with 4 picks in the top 45 (or so) picks, depending on where Calgary finishes. Either they use all four picks and stockpile the prospect cupboards, or they parlay any number of these assets to either A) move up in the draft or B) trade for a roster player. Shrewd.
Do you think Regier used his Jedi mind-trick to sway Poile? "This IS the droid (Gaustad) your looking for."
Buffalo, you got the better deal, Cody Hodson is a star in the making…l feel like a loved one has died today. Never saw that coming. Congrats Cody, at least you'll be a top forward and appreciated for sure, the fans will love ya.
Dawn,
Thanks for reading and the comment. This has the makings of a good deal for us. If Kassian can bring his tough but responsible game to Vancouver, I don’t think you will be dissapointed in what you got in return.
Gentlemen, I have no doubt that the passion you have for your team has raised your anger towards Derek. You have thrown statistics at me from all angles and I can't argue them only by what I have seen in the past. Knowing Derek as I do I do know how your thoughts range about. This all started with a lad calling Derek a CANCER. Had the word not been used we wouldn't have this banter back and forth. I just wish a different adjective would have been used. Thanks for the argument and have a good day lads.
A good day to you as well. I thought it was kept fairly civil (at least moreso than most).