Teppo talk

Darcy Regier told me today the Sabres are negotiating with Teppo Numminen to bring the veteran back and it appears the parties are getting close to a deal that I imagine would be for one year and at quite a bit less than last year's $2.6 million. Hmmmm. Here's what I see:

Pro-Teppo: He's a great guy, a class act. He'll be great in the locker room and on the bench in crunch times -- he was badly missed last year. He'll be a great influence on the young defensemen like Nathan Paetsch, Mike Weber and Andrej Sekera. Still has puck skills.

Anti-Teppo: He's 40 years old and coming off heart surgery!!!! How will he hold up to physical play? He played surprisingly well in the season finale at Boston but that was his one appearance. Can he really be expected to play even 10-15 minutes a game for an entire year? Will he need nights off on some of those 17 back-to-backs the Sabres have?

So are you thumbs-up or thumbs-down to getting Teppo back in the fold?

---Mike Harrington

Comments

[Don F]

Bob:

"So Stafford can spell Afinigenov, Kotalik, Peters and Keleta..."

I'll bet he can spell Peters, but those other three are difficult.

[Don F]

Yeah, but have you ever heard Teppo lay down the bass line on The Real Me? Dude's on FIRE man.

[not fade away]

"Teppo Numminen is the (cleaner living) John Entwhistle of hockey. Quietly proficient, contributing far more output than commonly recognized at fist glance. Sign him."

and then entwhistle dropped dead from a heart attack...not the best comparison, m'man.

[bob]

Kevin W don't forget that Connolly will go down 10 games in so Kotalik will move to centre and Staffford full time winger on that line. When Afinigenov goes down in game 15 with an injury, MacArthur will move to that line full time too

[bob]

Kevin W
When the Oilers won their Stanley Cups - even they had enforcers in their lineup. One year at least three Dave Hunter, Dave Semenko and Kevin Mclelland. The Oilers had many better hockey players than Semenko - but all great teams have the right mix of players. Semenko even played on a line with Gretzky and Kurri and scored 12 goals in at least two seasons. He would camp out in front of the net, put his legs together and Gretzky would bank pucks in off of his shins pads. The point is, all great teams need a mix of players. That mix must include at least one tough guy. Knowing that if you run a teams defencmen into the boards often enough, and you're going to get a punch in the face, slows down your agression. So Stafford can spell Afinigenov, Kotalik, Peters and Keleta but everyone admits we were soft last year - yet we only played our enforcer 44 times (and as I pointed out earlier, we fared much better with him in the lineup than with him out).

[Chad]

"Now, as far as saying comparing Numminen and Orpik to apples and oranges. I agree. One is a old apple core and the other is a blooming, juicy orange. So yeeh, they're different."

Look, I'm not taking the bait on this Orpik issue. I will say this: I will take a proven player who can still play for $1.5 mil and 1 year over a player who had two good months for 4 years and $16 mil. You can't even begin to compare the level of risk on those two contracts.

"If you are asking would I give Orpik 4yrs/$16 million over Numminen's anticipanted $1.5 million for one year the answer is yes."

I wasn't asking. Besides, I wasn't making any value determinations in my previous post, just pointing out to you that the Orpik and Numminen situations are quite different. Because they are.

"I guess I'm most upset about the Orpik ordeal not so much because they didn't sign him but because they didn't even TRY to sign him."

You don't know this. It's been established Regier called Orpik's agent. You don't know what was said or what Orpik's agent was asking for from Buffalo. It's possible that Buffalo didn't offer b/c the agent said "you're going to need to offer _____ to even get in the door" and Darcy determined that threshold amount was even too high. It seems pretty clear that Orpik thought he was going to get a Birthday Deal from somebody in free agency and, when he didn't, he went back to Pittsburgh. Smart move. I probably would have played it the same way if I were him.

[Eriko]

I have had about all I can take with this Orpikmania. Yes, he's from the area, and yes, he had one shift in the playoffs that was so fantastic I was shouting at the tv, my girlfriend, and the dog for five minutes... but that's where it ends.

Orpik's stats (1G, 10A, 16:57 TOI) line up with other defensive stalwarts like Douglas Murray (1G, 9A, 17:28 TOI) or Milan Jurcina (1G, 8A, 16:38). Perhaps most enjoyably, they also line up with Dmitri Kalinin (1G, 7A, 17:20 in 32 fewer games) or Nathan Paetsch (2G, 7A, 13:37 in 20 fewer games).

Murray makes $0.5M. Jurcina makes $0.8M. You already know Kalinin and Paetsch.

So until you can look me in the eye and say 'yes, Nathan Paetsch is a twenty two million dollar player,' I will never accept that Brooks Orpik should have been paid like that.

[goal10der44]

Kevin, are we back to the whole Orpik issue? I'll give you one reason why the Sabres should sign Teppo for 1.5M vs. Orpik for 4M - ice time.

In 79 games, Teppo's 06/07 ATOI = 20:48 (3rd on the team, 76th in the NHL for D-men)

In 78 games, Orpik's 07/08 ATOI = 16:57 (13th on the team, 170th in the NHL for D-men)

Why pay for someone MORE who will only play 1/4 of a game when you can pay someone less, who will play 1/3 of a game? To rehash a point already made: Orpik doesn't play the PP or PK, Numminen at least covers the PK...and does it well!

All of the other things that come with Teppo being on the ice are the intangibles - his leadership, calmness and smart passing. These are things that Orpik has yet to (consistently) prove.

I am all for bringing Teppo back and leaving Weber in Portland for some more seasoning (though I do like him and can't wait to see the damage he does when his body finally fills out!).

[Kevin W]

With all due respect, there is no way Peters starts ahead of Stafford so putting that as one of your lines is a mute point at best. You do bring up an intriquing statistic with regard to our winning percentage with Peters in the lineup but let's face reality....it's not going to happen.

Let's also not forget that Stafford played his first full year in the NHL last year and while he struggled mightily for a significant portion of the season he still got over 15 goals. I truly believe he is ready for the next jump in his development. I put him on the line with Roy and Vanek and I see up to 25 goals from Staff.

Now, as far as saying comparing Numminen and Orpik to apples and oranges. I agree. One is a old apple core and the other is a blooming, juicy orange. So yeeh, they're different. If you are asking would I give Orpik 4yrs/$16 million over Numminen's anticipanted $1.5 million for one year the answer is yes. Orpik is 27, just entering his prime and showed tremendous leadership potential in the Penguins playoff push last year. Combine that with his toughness and he would have been everything this team needs to get back to the level (or near it) that we have gotten accostumed to over the past few years.

I guess I'm most upset about the Orpik ordeal not so much because they didn't sign him but because they didn't even TRY to sign him.

Orpik, Rivet, Lydman, Tallinder, Spacek and Sekera looks pretty damn good to me.

[bob]

glenn w,

thanks for your kind comments re: my lineup.

Re:defence - I think Weber and Sekera are for real and will play at this level this year and for a long time to come. That's why i would keep them. short of that though, lydman will never sit behind Pratt - Pratt is a nice defensive guy who will drop gloves now and again but is just a really poor skater and is definitely odd man out

[jan]

They need to sign Teppo for his leadership skills -- his was really missed by this team last year. He has a stabilizing effect on the players and helped the younger defenseman improve their skills. He doesn't have to play every game or play the usual amt. of minutes a defenseman plays each game-- his presence on this team will have a positive effect, and he should be signed. If that means Weber goes to Portland, I'd rather see Weber play every day in Portland so he's ready to come up when the injuries occur.

[Glenn W]

Bob,

I love the lineup for your forwards and you make a decent argument about Peters - I would prefer a Stafford or MacArthur start over Peters as far as hockey ability goes...but you could be onto something with his enforcer presence...of course the fact that he gets his butt kicked in every fight makes him a bit less of a presence.

On defense, however, I think we need to make sure Teppo gets in the lineup - at the very least have him on the bench.

Spacek/Tallinder
Rivet/Numminen
Pratt/Sekera

That leaves Paetsch, Lydman and Weber to fill in as needed.

Or course this assumes that Pratt is going to stick around, which I hope he does - anyone hear any news on him yet?

[danp727]

Chad, thanks for the info on Michael Ryan. I understood the free agency status but hadn’t heard any talk about resigning him. Connolly, Kotalik, Afinogenov and Peters are all in the last year of their contracts and looking at UFA. Add to that Pominville, Stafford and Kaleta all being RFA at the end of next season and it becomes an interesting guessing game as to who stays and who goes. Of these 8 players only Peters and Ryan are LW and one would think that they are both expendable.

It would be nice to see the Sabres start the season with their lines set instead of experimenting with combinations to see what might work. But, that not going to happen unless there are some trades still to be made in the off-season.

I agree with Don H that the fact that the Sabres want to sign Teppo is an indication that the Sabres still are not satisfied with the defense. Nathan Paetsch is a definite question mark and maybe Weber moves up to the role of 7th defenseman?

[JB]

If Teppo is willing to come back after last year's fiasco, God bless him. Sign him, sign him fast, get him a uniform. I said it all last season and I still believe it with all my heart - Losing Numminen's calming leadership and effect on the defence had much more of an impact on the team than did losing Briere and Drury. The team was still amongst the leaders in scoring without those two. The defence, on the other hand...Here's to hopefully welcoming Teppo back!

[bob]

Don't think Teppo fits anymore. Here's what I see shaping up.

Forwards, from left to right wing.

Line 1 is Vanek, Roy and Gaustad.(scorer, setup man and corner man).
Line 2 is Paille, Hecht and Pominville.(3 very good two way players).
Line 3 is Kotalik, Connolly and Afinigenov.(if they are all still here, play them).
Line 4 is Kaleta, Mair and Peters.(sparkplugs, all physical and we need enforcer in uniform).

Stafford rotates into line 3 and 4 and then fills in for whomever gets hurt on line 1 and 2. Then MacArthur same fill-in role.

Roll 4 lines equally first period. 4th line plays every other rotation second period and perhaps not at all in 3rd period depending on circumstances.

Must play Peters more, not less!. He is only enforcer on team and other teams will stop taking liberties with the rest of our very soft team when he is in lineup. If you’ve played game at a competitive level, you’d know the difference.

In fact, with Peters in lineup we were 22 wins 15 losses and 7 shootout losses last year. We were better with him than without. Some of those 15 losses were ot losses so we had better than 50 of our 90 points when Peters was dressed last year.

Defence is 1. Spacek and Rivet 2. Tallinder and Lydman and 3. Sekera and Webber. 4 of the 6 have lots of nhl experience.
Paetsch fills in when someone needs a break or gets injured. Leaves 8th spot to be filled by Numminen or Gragnani. Does Numminen want the 8th spot? Do we want to pay over a million for our 8th defenceman? Maybe grab UFA, 27 year old Niagara Falls Ontario native Kevin Dallman for $500,000 per year as our 8th. He’s small but scrappy. He can skate and led Ontario Jr. League twice in scoring for defenceman.

[Heather B.]

I love what we've seen of Mike Weber but 15 games isn't a huge sample.

I think Chad's right though. Lindy will play the top six d-men no matter who that turns out to be. If anything, I think Paetsch is the question mark. I haven't heard anyone with the Sabres mention him at all this off-season whereas there has been a lot of talk about Sekera and Weber.

[PJ]

Good point Chad! While there is still the chance that Teppo might die on the ice, that risk is much lower than, say, Tim Connolly breaking a nail and missing 65 games.

[Chad]

Kevin, allow me to interrupt the argument that you seem to have started with yourself. I'll try to address a few things:

1) I highly doubt they're going to sign Numminen for anything close to $2.5 million for this season. When he got that contract, he hadn't yet had heart surgery and Buffalo was depending on him to be a big contributor on defense. Now, he'd be signed for his leadership and depth purposes. Looking at comparables, I'd guess around $1.5 mil. That's a fair number.

2) Without getting too deep on the Orpik issue, which is obviously a very flammable issue on these boards, I think the Numminen and Orpik situations are quite different. Surely you see the difference between giving a guy $1.5 mil for one season and giving a guy $16 million over four seasons. Apples and oranges, in my opinion.

3)I wouldn't get too fired up about the Weber situation. I think the Sabres want him on the team and will give him every opportunity to earn a spot. I don't think he'd be squeezed out in any sort of "numbers game" or that there'd be some command from on high to play the higher salaried players. Lindy wants the best players on the ice and could care less about that side of it. If he gets sent down it will be because he didn't play well in the preseason. That said, I don't think it's going to happen. The Sabres' blueline has been decimated with injuries the last few years. I think we're going to see a lot of Mike Weber this year.

4) You seem enamored with Orpik and Weber's toughness, and rightly so, they're both tough guys. But don't you think there's some "toughness," both physical and mental, that is required in order to play hockey a few months after your heart was cut open on an operating table. I think that would require some toughness, too.

[Kevin W]

Teppo? Seriously? I realize they are desperate for veteran leadership but if they end up giving Teppo another $2.5 million I'm going to go ballistic. For another $1.5 million they could have had Orpik, who is only 27 years old, tough as nails, from the area and just reaching his prime. But alas, according to Orpik we didn't even make a freakin' call. Why not? We couldn't of at least kicked the tires to see what was available?

Teppo signing also means Weber going down to Portland. What is it about Weber we don't think is ready? His toughness? His +12 in about 15 games? His chemistry with Sekera? Yeah, who needs that on the team.

[Don F]

A minute ago I awoke from a terrible dream in which several Sabres bloggers were having an intelligent conversation.

[Buffalo Excuses]

Mac,

I am trying to give them the benefit of the doubt recently too, but I think I am more in the "I can't believe they screwed me again" camp more than you are.

Believe me, it is no fun at all dissing your favorite team. Although I must admit it is fun having the pissing contest though as childish as they are.

I grew up playing street hockey, my kids play ice hockey and I honestly think hockey is the greatest sport on the planet, bar none.

But I am trying to become optimistic again, that's why I asked. I think Darcy is a great GM and have said so several times. Where I see optimism is a multi year plan:

Sign the core (even if only good enough to be top 6 at best next year) for 5 years.

Stay healthy.

Next year or two 2 players mature from minors as near All Star quality.

Sign a stud in free agent that year.

That makes 3 players and a 4th at the deadline will give us a shot at the cup.

That would be a savvy way to go after the cup and make tons of dough at the same time. You may run the risk of losing money in the cup year but not in this town.

Takes lots of patience (something I sorely lack) to pull it off and Darcy has certainly shown patience.

Problem is next year. Keeping fans on board as we struggle. I also agree that the time is short with the fans, although I thought that this year as well.

[Mac]

Buffalo Excuses: I've seen your posts on these boards and generally enjoy your commentary, particularly your sense of humour. Truth be told, I've been more inclined to agree with your take on management (though I continue to place the burden of failure on Golisano/Quinn instead of Regier) than Elma Golf's view. But each of you make actual contributions to these boards by articulating your positions and (mostly) avoiding the needlessly hostile rubbish that I so often see here. Honestly, if a pissing contest is idiotic, what is an online version of the same?

As to my closing comment, I was very deliberately trying to strike an optimistic tone. Like many Sabres fans I know, I am actually worn down from all the teeth-gnashing and outrage I've experienced over the past two offseasons. As fans and paying customers, we have every right to be angry, even bitter, about management's well-documented screw-ups. You are spot on about the "sub-optimal competitive positioning" (thanks, I think I'll use that phrase now, lol) which seems representative of the Golisano/Quinn regime. Obviously, if it continues unabated, we can look forward to mediocrity and successive nonplayoff seasons until the franchise is sold to someone more interested in winning a Cup.

But at some point I feel like I have to at least try to be positive about the direction they appear to be going in. Assuming Pominville and Numminen are retained, the young kids are properly developed in Portland, and yes, ideally we had some more muscle (and skill) to counter our size disadvantage. I believe this team MIGHT be headed in the right direction. If they screw it all up again (and I've already suggested I have serious concerns in this regard), I'll be the first to lambaste the Sabres "brain trust" and will be far less likely to be so forgiving next time. I guess what I am saying here is I am endeavouring to give them the benefit of the doubt... perhaps for the last time, mind.

[michael]

We basically replaced Campbell with Rivet, and Thiboux with Lalime. Although I love the Campbell for Rivet deal this team still has a long ways to go. Then I read we are "negotiating" for Temmpo. Are you kidding? Didn't we try this last year? What are we negotiating? He's 40, coming off major heart surgy, and no one else wants him. In my mind he is either playing for what we decide or we go elswhere. The mangement of this team is horrible! These are the same guysthat said "we still have one of the best defenses in the legague" right after we lost Drury/Briere. Then this team susequently posts one of the worst goals against in the league. Here we come Stanley Cup. If you don't beleive me just ask Quinn/Reiger they will tell you.

[Buffalo Excuses]

Mac,

Read your note because of the post by Elma. IMO Elma articulates his thoughts very well, but somehow always rationalizes back to supporting management. Nothing personal Elma, just my view.

While I have been a vocal critic, and sometimes jousted, my view has been the franchise seems locked in sub-optimal competitive positioning (Chad will love that phrase) due to hamstring of self-imposed salary cap.

You offered some interesting thoughts, but your summary was confusing. Why is it that you think the team is headed in the right direction? Isn't this basically the same team as last year?

[Chad]

Dan, Mac and Mancari were RFA's, hence the qualifying offers. Michael Ryan is a UFA. He hasn't signed elsewhere yet, that's for sure. Maybe Buffalo will bring him back for the minimum for depth purposes. Maybe he'll go to Europe.

As I've mentioned on these boards before, based on his intermission interview during the last game of the season at Boston (NESN's feed), it sure sounded like he knew that was his last game as a Sabre. When asked what Buffalo had to do this upcoming year to get back to the success of 2006, he twice referred to the team as "they." Seemed like more than a Freudian slip.

[danp727]

oops!!! Forgot that MacArthur and Mancari had already accepted qualifying offers … Haven’t heard anything about Ryan though.

[danp727]

Thanks, goal10der44 … that makes sense. I thought possibly the Sabres were looking at adding a little size to their fourth line and making it Kaleta/Mair/Darche. Darche had better numbers last season (7 goals, 15 assists) than Peters has in his career.

I am also wondering if the Sabres are interested in signing Michael Ryan? Haven’t heard anything about him or Clarke MacArthur.

[goal10der44]

"nhlnumbers.com added UFA Mathieu Darche to the Sabres roster this morning. I don't know much about him and wonder what this move, if it is correct, is all about. Anyone else hear anything?"

I saw a brief tidbit on letsgosabres.com last night. Here is the link:

http://www.letsgosabres.com/pressbox/fullstory.php?newsid=10713

[ElmaGolf]

Mac - I appreciate your civility as well (and always like to see someone who gives me a run for length of posting).

A little hectic today, but I look forward to discussing your points later.

And no, I wasn't aiming the "hindsight judgment" at you personally - it's just a big theme from a number of the management critics. You comments below certainly show you understand the importance of understanding how a situation looked at the time the decision had to be made.

[Robert]

Clearly the Sabres could use Teppo next season based on their lack of depth at the position. Losing Khalinin and gaining Rivet is a net gain performance wise, but doesn't address the shortage of defensemen that annually plagues the Sabres at some point during the season. At his age, you would expect him to miss a bunch of games - even after last year's rest - but that would provide the younger defensemen a chance for more playing time.

[Glenn W]

Great analogy Philbootny!

Tom - I definitely agree with you that at the beginning of the season last year there was no real leadership on the team. However by game 82 I think we had a lot of players stepping into bigger roles and I think the team mindset was starting to meld again.

However - NO MORE ROTATING CAPTAINS THIS YEAR! Maybe in a "rebuilding" year rotating captains makes sense, but we need clear and decisive moves this season. No more of this wishy-washy stuff.

Getting Teppo back on the ice I think will be a boon for re-establishing that team and leadership mindset...for many of the reasons already mentioned on this board. I know I missed him last year - an unfortunate loss of another core leader.

I would also like to see Pratt sticking around - he is always a safe presence on the ice. Dependable.

Lydman and Paetsch on the other hand...I dunno...

[danp727]

nhlnumbers.com added UFA Mathieu Darche to the Sabres roster this morning. I don't know much about him and wonder what this move, if it is correct, is all about. Anyone else hear anything?

[Amanda]

Regarding the comment about Teppo getting hit: if he was worried about his health after being hit, he wouldn't play. He's a smart man from what I can glean. Besides, he's such a crafty veteran that he hardly ever GETS hit.

Regarding the perception that Thomas Vanek is "soft": in the past three seasons that Thomas has been with the Sabres (basically, since he made the team), he's missed ONE game. I believe that was due to illness, not injury. How can a player be "soft" and yet be that durable?

So he's not a big hitter? So what? Is Spezza a big hitter? Koivu? Malkin? Datsyuk? No, no, no, and no. Thomas' game is skating and shooting. That's all we need from him, IMO.

[kriszaP]

Mac, Could not agree with you more on your assessment that Regier takes alot of heat for decisions that were made by Quinn and Golisano. The Drury debacle was not all Regiers fault, it was upper mgt who miss read the market and Drury loyalty. If look at at Regier track record with trades it would be hard pressed to find a trade that we totally goty the short end on. Has he been consevative yes , but is net trade results have been consistently good.

I also agree strongly that we need a phyiscal leader upfront. And i do not believe we have enough depth at center. Do we really want to have Hecht at center again?

I think adding Rivet and Teppo will give us enough depth on defense. Its unfortunate we can not use soem of our excess wingers (Max, Kotalik) for some help at center.

Keep up the imformative conversation Max and Elma, much easier to read the The Excuses.

[danp727]

I agree with both Dominic and Don H ... Let's get Teppo back. He's still a gamer and will probably see more ice time than Tim Connolly. Interestingly, the Sabres haven't said anything about Spacek who is in the last year of his contract.

BTW, www.nhlnumbers.com added UFA Mathieu Darche to the Sabres roster this morning. I don't know much about him and wonder what this move, if it is correct, is all about. Anyone else hear anything?

[bob]

Mike,

What is the skinny on Connolly's health? Does it appear he will be 100% or 90% come opening day? Any word?

[Dominic S]

Thumbs up, without question. His loss last season was a HUGE factor that I think is generally under appreciated.

[Ayden Chamberlin]

Thumbs Down!

I just don't know how much Teppo is going to be able to take coming off heart surgery snd I'm worried more than anything. Like look at some of the divisions hard hitters:

Chara, Ward, Begin, Ruutuu & even more! Like one of those players could hit Teppo and he could acquire another thing with his heart and at his age maybe even have a heart attack.

So the reason I don't want him to play is because I'm worried abvout him, I mean I'm still his lova!

[Don H]

First of all, there are a number of NHL veterans in their 40's still playing effective hockey. Secondly, bringing back Teppo, while a tribute to his skills, is also an indication that management is not satisfied with the Sabres' existing defense corps.

[Mac]

Elma Golf, I appreciate your comments and general tone of civility. That quality is frequently missing from these boards, which too often degenerate into ad hominem attacks.

Hindsight is always 20-20, yes, but some of this management team's decisions in recent years were demonstrably poor ones even at the moment they were made. Btw, I'm not sure whose quote you used in support of your hindsight comment but it certainly wasn't mine. I think Miller was wise to stay put, especially for the money the Sabres are willing to pay him.

My comment concerning Roy being overpaid should have been tempered a bit. What I was driving at in mentioning his and especially Vanek's contracts was that Sabres management was clearly desperate to stop the hemorrhaging which began when they lost Drury and Briere on the same day. The tendency in such situations is to overcompensate as a means of damage control to appease fans. To reiterate the obvious: they could have prevented the whole rotten scenario from playing out if they'd done their jobs and retained the heart and soul of the franchise. That's not hindsight; any knowledgeable Sabres fan knew it at the time.

Unlike Vanek (I still dream of those four #1 picks we would have received from Edmonton if not for the panic move), Roy proved worthy of his new contract this past season. He will of course need to continue to earn his keep. It would be nice to think Vanek will bounce back this season but his overall soft play has always concerned me. “Delicate” players like him and Connolly don’t cut it in this league.

I like what Regier said about Teppo in this morning's paper; very encouraging. You'll note that I took pains to implicate the meddlesome -- and exceedingly irksome to any Sabres fan who recalls his loathsome history with the team back in the '90s -- Quinn, rather than lay everything at Darcy's doorstep as so many seem to do when criticizing management. I happen to believe Golisano is a very hands-on businessman who employs his buddy Quinn as designated hatchet man. I often wonder how well Regier might have handled the Drury-Briere fiasco if he'd been able to operate completely unhindered. And don't forget, he was hamstrung by the criminally corrupt (literally) Rigas family prior to this regime. I honestly don't know how good a GM Darcy actually is, but the Briere-for-Gratton deal was nothing short of superb and acquisitions like Rivet also suggest he knows what he's doing. That's why my criticisms, when they come, always go to the top.

And again, the securing of Pominville is absolutely critical to the future success of this team. Right now, I'm feeling hopeful about both Pommer and Teppo. I agree that they could certainly use another physical forward who can skate (Bernier couldn't) and play (Peters can't). Another physical presence on the blueline would be welcome, too. The Sabres have been too soft for too long and as Tom suggested earlier, that brave new world of exciting hockey we witnessed just after the lockout is long gone now. Restraining fouls are NOT being called and if you don't have big, physical players to protect your small, skill players and generally establish a don't-mess-with-our-goalie attitude, you're going nowhere fast. After two miserable offseasons in a row, the Sabres are headed in the right direction again. But there is still work to be done.

[Philbootny]

.
Teppo Numminen is the (cleaner living) John Entwhistle of hockey. Quietly proficient, contributing far more output than commonly recognized at fist glance. Sign him.
.

[Douglas]

Lindy loves having these kinds of vet guys. Remember James Patrick and his one year deals?

[ElmaGolf]

Mac - "I've seen your comments here and it's clear you're a big fan of management and that they can do no wrong in your eyes"

Apparently you missed the dozens of times that I said they blew the Drury signing, and that was then compounded by a number of factors (i.e Thibault playing horrendously, Teppo's surgery, etc.) I've questioned their cavalier style with players at times, and can't for the life of me figure out why they ever use Max on a 4th line.

I'm not a Kool-Aid drinker, I just think many of the criticisms here overreach or a based on a ridiculous amount of hindsight judgment (such as "why on earth would Miller ever want to stay here with this management team?")

You can certainly espouse your opinions, and I'll throw out things to consider as well - maybe I'll temper my thoughts based on your input and possibly you'll do the same.

You are right - it is a "mixed bag" with this management team. But doesn't every management team make some mistakes here and there? There are risks taken all the time with no guarantees. Some work out (Roy), some don't (Connolly). Miller's signing is just another in a long line of risks that will likely be subject to much hindsight judgment years from now.

However, I can't figure out why you think they overpaid at $4MM for one 80 point scorer (Roy), but think they'd better get another 80 point scorer (Pommer) signed soon.

Anyway - I agree with you on Rivet. I was hoping they'd pick up some similar type of gritty veteran for the forward ranks, but it doesn't appear likely.

[Buffalo Bill]

Teppo is an usually gifted Olympic athlete who compliments the Sabres fast skating transition game. The key to the Sabres attack is d-man who can skate with the puck, not guys like Bobby the
Boogieman who have to rely on using the boards to get the puck out of zone. It's guys who can skate it out of the zone and then hit guys like Thomas Vanek on the fly. Speed is the name of the game. Sabres management will make sure health-wise Teppo is on his "A" game. In my mind he may be the best option out there at this moment, however Darcy would probably love to find a way to get Jay Boumeister away from Florida.

[Tom]

Teppo is a nice #5-6 defenseman on a team with a bunch of leaders. Teppo has a calm style of play and others can pick up on it, but he is not a proactive type of leader...the type of leader this team needs. This isn't a young defense. Spacek, Rivet, Tallinder, Lydman, Teppo....all 30+ this season. Weber and Sekera are young, but are #6+7. Something about old dogs and new tricks.....maybe Rivet can light a spark if this team is competitive, but there is nothing to go crazy about with this crew.

As far as Miller getting hurt...he was lucky he wasn't hurt last year with as many times as he was run. Law of averages says he gets hurt before the entire defense grows a sack.

This Sabres team is talented, and they have many very capable players. It is just an example of the sum of the whole being worth less than the sum of the parts. When there is no heart or leadership (yes, I know...I'm not a real fan...these guys stick up for each other...blah, blah, blah), all the talent in the world is worthless. Last we left these guys, there was no real leadership. I do not see how that was addressed to a point where I should get excited.

This could very well be the "spit the bit" year. The team has had recent enough success that they all might think last year was a fluke. As they progress into the season and teams keep hitting them and playing defense, the realization will slowly sink in that the fluke was really the success they had coming out of the lockout into a no contact league.

[Amanda]

Solid thumbs up. He might not be able to play 82 games + playoffs, but if he can play 50-60 games + playoffs I'm good with that.

Even if all he does is suit up and play 10 minutes and then sit on the bench talking the other D down from the ledge and reminding them that Miller doesn't take kindly to being manhandled, that's enough for me.

Teppo is still in fine shape, despite the heart surgery. Yes, heart surgery is very serious, but if you compare him to Chelios, who's had more serious injuries over his career? Chelios, hands down. Who is six years older? Chelios. Let Teppo play!

This defense is CRYING out for a veteran leader. Hopefully the combination of Teppo, Spacek, and Rivet holding down the fort will make a world of difference.

[eric]

I'd give Teppo 2 years. Even with the health issues he has had, he definitely has less wear and tear than a guy like Chelios, and i can see him playing almost almost as long.
The guy's still a physical specimen and a huge development asset with guys like Weber and Sekera even if he isn't the prototypical knock-em-sock-em defenseman that Sabres fans seem to prefer.

[Mac]

I nearly forgot. Regier's acquisition of Craig Rivet was brilliant. This was likely the best deal he's made since the famous Briere-for-Gratton steal.

We still need depth on defense but at least Rivet provides a legitimate physical presence (including fighting ability we haven't seen at this position in years) and a good deal of talent.

Again, sign Teppo for another year and get Pominville locked up for the long haul. We might just have something...

[Mac]

Elma Golf: They wouldn't have had to weather the loss of Drury if they handled the situation properly in the first place. I've seen your comments here and it's clear you're a big fan of management and that they can do no wrong in your eyes. I don't subscribe to that point of view. Over two offseasons we lost high-character, high-quality players (Drury, Briere, McKee, Dumont, Grier) because Golisano/Quinn tried to nickel and dime them into submission, sending Regier out to pitch absurd "hometown discount" notions to the fans and media. The result? A near Cup-winning team in '06, a President's Cup winner and legitimate Stanley Cup contender in '07 became an also-ran who did not make the playoffs at all in '08 and is unlikely to in '09. Calling a spade a spade is NOT disloyalty; it's reality.

Yes, I take your point about Teppo. Selectively (perhaps when Darcy is able to convince the meddling Quinn to let him do his job), the Sabres dole out good money to certain players. They way overpaid to retain the dubious (and very soft) Vanek. They did what they had to do to keep Miller, again paying more than his actual value. They were smart to get Gaustad under contract, too. And they probably had to pay too much for Roy for fear of losing him. The guaranteed money they gave to Connolly was ludicrous and myopic. It's always a mixed bag with this management team. One thing is for certain, however. They damn well better get Pominville re-signed to a long-term deal or they're going nowhere fast.

Being a Sabres fan (or a fan of any Buffalo team) is never easy, no matter how naturally it comes to those of us who live and die with our hometown team(s). But I will never drink the Kool-Aid and pretend everything is fine and dandy when I can see perfectly well that is isn't.

Keep Teppo and get Pommer signed. Then maybe, MAYBE, we can talk about getting things right -- or even the playoffs. Until then, I'll rightly remain cynical about this management team.

[ElmaGolf]

"Name the defensive pairing that will be on the ice when Ryan Miller is injured in the crease and misses the next two months with a broken collarbone or torn ACL.."

Probably the same pairing that was on the ice last time Miller had his collarbone broken.

Hold on... I'm being handed a note here.... oh, yeah... that hasn't happened.

Are you saying that Soupy was the Intimidating Force that kept Ryan safe the last 3 years?