Opie

Not to be an ass here and overstate the obvious when was the last time that line look "special" or even skated together. LIVE IN THE NOW WAYNE!! Don't think about this as the Maltby from 2-3 years ago, this is a very average hockey player now, who doesn't even agitate anymore, I am not saying he isn't responsible, but if all year long the biggest concern has been secondary scoring, why on Earth would Malts be the answer?

We have had this out before so I am not trying to start another flame war, but what does Maltby offer that the wings don't already have in Spades? PK: Dats, Z, Drake, Mule, Draper, Cleary Vet leadership: Cheli, Lids, Draper, Ralf, Drake, Mac, Sammy at least has the potential to create some offense. It may not have been a huge play in your mind but he put that puck on Flip's stick and then flip put it in Mule's wheel house. Again I am not saying the guy played stellar, but I think to say that Maltby offers something that Sammy doesn't that the wings don't already have a ton of is not a true statement in my mind. Note: you never said he did offer something Sammy didn't but.. by saying you would choose Malts over him would lead me to believe you think he can bring something Sammy can't. And I also realize that you are putting Huds in Sammy's role so you are not making a direct replacement, just saying I don't think Maltby is the guy! If you had said Abdelkader or some one with an offensive upside I would have agreed with you. BTW with what I have seen this year (Yeah I am getting ahead of myself) I think the 3rd line next year should be Cleary-Draper-Helm!! EDIT: After some thought I wouldn't be upset with ZDH Huds - Flip- Mule Cleary- Draper- Drake Maltby/Downey/Abdelkader*-Helm- Mac * my preference Although to tell you the truth I would rather see Downey on that line than Malts. So I guess what I am saying is that I would rather see Downey in the line up than Sammy!!! WOW did I just type that!!!!!! I actually think those lines would be very good, and at the same time the back end of the rotation looks like a tough couple of lines!! Wait what did you just do to me GMR, I take you off of ignore and now you are brainwashing me!! CUT IT OUT!

I think the team will be ok, as long as the do it before an offer sheet is thrown at him

Nothing personal TimeBinder but I am going to have to go with this man's opinion, as he has slighty more experience and I would have to assume more knowledge than you! Now you may not have seen in other threads I have actually said that next year Sammy should be traded away for whatever late round pick they can get, and that up until last night he should have been benched. But come one dude, they guy was decent/ok/alright last night. Which if Flip and Sammy can manage to play well and Mule keeps this streak up that line will be dangerous. *Cough* I would still rather see some one else on the pp, and I think there are better options on the second line, but Babs is right this line could get going, this team will be golden. *cough* I will say I think putting Cleary on the 2nd line is a mistake though, you give up your best defensive line, IMO that is more important than having Sammy off of the 2nd line. AGAIN THIS IS MY OPINION!!!

Gratuitous Just For Men Commercial Mention!!!

HAHAHAHAHA This is what I love about this place, I only post here during the day (At work) so when I come in this morning I get to see another Sammy thread!!! I have been all for benching him this post season because he has looked sloppy. I read an article where Babs says he Franzen and Cleary were the best line on the ice, and then I read you guys posting still about how he sucks. He played well last night, lets just hope he can string a couple together, if he can play decent, not stellar, decent this team becomes a lot more dangerous. Granted a half a sleep Theodore helped, but that line was damn good last night!

Great blog!!!

Again not to dog on Malts but what does he bring that the team doesn't already have in spades?

I would have gone with Hairy floppa but that is just me!

Now the Rain man one, that was funny!! I get my boxer shorts at K-Mart in Cincinnati.

This post on the bottom made me laugh:

NFM25 Buhahahahahahahahahaha Porous Chump, Is his girlfriend named Quenny instead of Jenny. Mama always said Stupid is as Adam Foote does!

I think the preds were/are just a bad match up for the wings, much in the same way I think Pit is a bad match up for the wings. Except the Pens have a little bit more skill to go with that speed than the Preds do.

Funny?, it is down right hilarious!!!

I have been listening to Melrose and others complain all day that AO didn't shoot and instead passed to Feds. MY take on this is that the only way people don't second guess him is if the puck ends up in the back of the net. Melrose's and other's big complaint is that he is the most prolific goal scorer in the league and he should have shot. I think he played it perfect, however Feds (due to backchecking not his own fault) couldn't get his stick on the puck. If he so much as deflects that Melrose and his cohorts are talking about how complete of a player AO is becoming, that being able to find open players makes him better. If he shoots and doesn't score, people would say he should have passed, or that he is selfish and isn't working with his teammates. MY take, is he used his reputation (his skill) to set up a play for a wide open player. Had the Flyer D-man not got a piece of Feds or his stick that is a sure goal. As much as I have said I didn't want Feds back on the wings, it doesn't matter if he is untouched or not bother/affected by the D-man that is game set match, welcome to the second round. I think he made the smart, heady, unselfish play. When he wound up the D and Biron were all over him, Biron was outside of the blue paint to cut down the angle, if AO does shoot, there is not much net, is he talented enough to score, sure but that IMO was the best play to make. Sorry if this was handled in the GDT thread!

Or Drake, Mac, That would have been funny had the effort and thought been put into it to use old players or here is an interesting idea, come up with something besides a geriatric joke!

And that my friends puts an end to this thread!! Remember the 7:30 show is never the same as the 9:30, enjoy the veal!

Well because Lilja got the initial nod to start, that would lead you to believe that Lilja> the other d-men. When Babs wanted to replace him he used Lebda thus making you assume the original list was Lilja > Lebda > the other d-men With the switch it becomes Lebda > Lilja > rest of the D-men. At least in my mind but I wouldn't be surprised at all to see Babs play Ericsson or Quincey or Meech!

Good point forgot about that!!! And I left Boston off of that list, Fernandez and Thomas don't have the stuff to be an true #1! Opinion though!

I am a fan of Maltby, but not a Maltby fan, if that makes sense to you. However at this point in time I think he lives more on reputation than skill. I know Sammy has played like crap so far in the post season but he gives you something that Maltby can't. He has offensive upside (If he can keep the puck on his stick) and Maltby does not. Maltby is a decent PK player, and is a very smart PK player, mainly due to doing it for so long, but this team has plenty of forwards that can play the PK. If Babs wanted to he can run out 6 separate forward units that could play on the PK. Z, dats, Draper, Drake, Mule, Cleary why would he add another PK specialist (and a character guy, Dmac, Cheli, Cleary, Drapes team is loaded with them too), when what he needs most is goals. Yes I understand that Sammy right now looks like he couldn't hit an open net when he was the only one in the zone (I defended him all season, but he really looks like crap right now). But the potential is there and Maltby doesn't have that potential. Plus look how well it worked out having young guys in the post season last year. The guys look much more comfortable this go around, and if he isn't costing the wings anything (helm is costing them nothing) why not let him continue to play!

HAHA do you know why that is so funny???? Because it is TRUE!!!!

No that is like a Baldwin calling Tom Hanks a bad actor! See because Forsberg is a diver like the Baldwins are bad actors, and Dats isn't a diver like Tom Hanks isn't a bad Actor!! Hey holy s***, that should be on the SATs!!!

I am not surprised by this, the team basically told him they didn't believe in him. Why on earth would he stay. I will be very surprised if they don't sign Huet. Why does everyone think Miller will be moved this off season when his value to the Sabres is at its lowest. If Buffalo is going to get rid of him you can bet it will be around the trade deadline when Miller's value is the highest! Or maybe they will be in the hunt next year and keep him until the post season. But unless Buffalo can get a big name netminder they will have a very, very hard time selling tickets, with no netminder this team is worse than they are this year, yet he has shown the ability to carry an offense only team last season, all the way to the best record in the NHL. If the Sabres trade him before the season they are committing suicide, tix sales will be way down, same with Jersey sales, they will not have a big name on the team at all. They need to keep him this year and if they can grab a UFA stud forward a decent UFA d-man they have a shot at the playoffs, with Miller. Without the season is lost, unless they can sign a UFA netminder. But who is out there for them, an old and abandoned Kolzig, Huet, Theodore, and ???? Col, Was, Stl, Tor, Tbl, amongst others will be in the hunt for those names as well. Sorry for the hijack!!!

Great Point in bold!! It is very possible that Lebda and Lilja will be playing side by side on some overlap, they very likely will be playing shifts after the other, and both will know that they are competing with the other. That could make for the 2 of them really raising their level of play!! Great point my man/woman I never thought of that!

Kind of a hopeful story on my part. Again I will use a Celtics analogy. Leon Powe had a crappy first 1/4 of the season, his wife gave birth to Leon Powe III and he went on to be the second best bench player on the team. He said it gave him a much greater sense of responsibility to make sure he had a long basketball career, which made him focus on getting better. I am not sure if Stuart and his wife have other kids or not, but who knows this could make him more motivated to help his team get the cup!