For those who always want to bash the Sabres FO

[RockStar36]

Here is proof that things happen behind the scenes that we don't always know about.


"We talked to the Sabres last summer," Biron said. "I'm hoping to get a situation, whether it's here or somewhere else, where I get to play on a regular basis -- if not every other game, then maybe even 50-60 games a year. I don't feel like I'm at a point right now where I'm ready to play 20 games a year."

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/blog/index?entryID=4682923&name=lebrun_pierre



So there you have it. The Sabres were worried about the backup goalie situation even with Lalime under contract. They talked to Marty, but unfortunately they can't put a gun to his head and make him sign on the dotted line.

[DMBcrew36]

Old news - it was made known when the Sabres first played the Islanders this season, weeks ago.

[Philagape]

Tried to sign Marty. Check.

On to the 61 other screw-ups ...

[DMBcrew36]

Tried to sign Marty. Check.

On to the 61 other screw-ups ...

61 other screwups? Give me a break.

[Philagape]

61 other screwups? Give me a break.

Going from final four to 2 years of no playoffs is worth that much, metaphorically.



And I symbolically chose that particular number too.

[SabreEleven]

So we are excited about the Sabres ALMOST bringing in a player that they needed...Oh, how far we have fallen....

[RockStar36]

So we are excited about the Sabres ALMOST bringing in a player that they needed...Oh, how far we have fallen....

It's not excitement.

I'll explain it better since I apparently didn't the first time.

All summer people bashed the FO because they weren't addressing certain situations, this being one of them specifically.

My point was that they are attempting to address situations and there is more going on behind closed doors that weren't not fully aware of.

Basically slamming the FO all the time isn't fully warranted because none of us fans obviously know all the details.

[DMBcrew36]

Going from final four to 2 years of no playoffs is worth that much, metaphorically.



And I symbolically chose that particular number too.

Yeah Max has 20 pts in 20 games, +5 right now. It's too bad Lindy quit on him and put him on the 4th line in his last year and a half here, where he had little chance of playing well. The guy wasn't going to put up points playing with Mair and Ellis.

[SabreEleven]

It's not excitement.

I'll explain it better since I apparently didn't the first time.

All summer people bashed the FO because they weren't addressing certain situations, this being one of them specifically.

My point was that they are attempting to address situations and there is more going on behind closed doors that weren't not fully aware of.

Basically slamming the FO all the time isn't fully warranted because none of us fans obviously know all the details.

I hope you don't think I was bashing your original post because I wasn't . I knew what you meant but the bottom line is that the Sabres failed to address an off-season need.

[RockStar36]

I hope you don't think I was bashing your original post because I wasn't . I knew what you meant but the bottom line is that the Sabres failed to address an off-season need.

Ok, I assumed, I just wanted to re-state.

I just find it hard to say they completely failed to address the issue when they obviously knew about it and tried to get the right guy.

Personally I think Marty is crazy to think he can go 50-60 games a year. Signing with the Islanders should've told him that much about his interest from all the other teams.

[Philagape]

Yeah Max has 20 pts in 20 games, +5 right now. It's too bad Lindy quit on him and put him on the 4th line in his last year and a half here, where he had little chance of playing well. The guy wasn't going to put up points playing with Mair and Ellis.

He earned his way to that line. I don't care what he's doing now. Any Sabre fan should know that numbers don't tell the whole story (coughSatancough)

[RockStar36]

Yeah Max has 20 pts in 20 games, +5 right now. It's too bad Lindy quit on him and put him on the 4th line in his last year and a half here, where he had little chance of playing well. The guy wasn't going to put up points playing with Mair and Ellis.

You're not actually defending Max, are you?

Please tell me you're not.

[DMBcrew36]

You're not actually defending Max, are you?

Please tell me you're not.

I am defending Max and it's extremely easy. You obviously don't have Centre Ice package or haven't watched much hockey this year. I've seen numerous Atlanta games and Max is playing great. The fact is, Max was placed into a ****ty situation in Buffalo upon returning from his concussion and wrist injury. Lindy didn't handle him properly, for one, and a scenery change was probably the best for both parties. As soon as he got to another team he flourished. I'm sure it helps that he is playing alongside fellow Russians, Kovalchuk and Antropov.

[RockStar36]

I am defending Max and it's extremely easy. You obviously don't have Centre Ice package or haven't watched much hockey this year. I've seen numerous Atlanta games and Max is playing great. The fact is, Max was placed into a ****ty situation in Buffalo upon returning from his concussion and wrist injury. Lindy didn't handle him properly, for one, and a scenery change was probably the best for both parties. As soon as he got to another team he flourished. I'm sure it helps that he is playing alongside fellow Russians, Kovalchuk and Antropov.

Yeah, you're probably right on all accounts.

[DMBcrew36]

Yeah, you're probably right on all accounts.

During the offseason, I felt Washington and Atlanta were the two best options for Max, since they both have a good amount of Russian forwards. Sure enough, Atlanta came calling and it has certainly shown to be a good situation thus far.

[OpIv37]

I don't fault the Sabres at all for ditching Max. He wasn't performing here, period. You can argue that it was Lindy's fault for relegating him to the 3rd and 4th line, but what did Max himself do to earn a chance on one of the top lines? Remember, it was his own poor play that got him demoted to that line before the injuries, and he did nothing to work his way back up.

He consistently made one too many moves with the puck without shooting or passing. He consistently turned the puck over, and he was a straight-up liability on D.

For whatever reason, Max was just not a good fit here.

[DMBcrew36]

I don't fault the Sabres at all for ditching Max. He wasn't performing here, period. You can argue that it was Lindy's fault for relegating him to the 3rd and 4th line, but what did Max himself do to earn a chance on one of the top lines? Remember, it was his own poor play that got him demoted to that line before the injuries, and he did nothing to work his way back up.

He consistently made one too many moves with the puck without shooting or passing. He consistently turned the puck over, and he was a straight-up liability on D.

For whatever reason, Max was just not a good fit here.

It was after his main injuries that he was demoted - his concussion and the broken scaphoid bone in his wrist.

His performance wasn't crap before those. And it took little or no time before Lindy dumped him down.

[RockStar36]

For the record, I do have Center Ice and watch plenty of hockey, but that is a stupid argument to get into.

Max was worthless in Buffalo. Spinning in circles, turning the puck over, dangling over the blue line and doing nothing with the puck. Good riddance to him. He is succeeding in Atlanta because he is trying again. He was once good here until he decided to dick around. I really could care less how good he is doing in Atlanta because they suck now and will always suck.

[DMBcrew36]

For the record, I do have Center Ice and watch plenty of hockey, but that is a stupid argument to get into.

Max was worthless in Buffalo. Spinning in circles, turning the puck over, dangling over the blue line and doing nothing with the puck. Good riddance to him. He is succeeding in Atlanta because he is trying again. He was once good here until he decided to dick around. I really could care less how good he is doing in Atlanta because they suck now and will always suck.

They suck now? 3pts behind Buffalo and handled Buffalo in their 1st meeting this season. If you watched Atlanta, you'd see that they are pretty decent and have a better PK and PP than the Sabres.

So, I guess the Sabres suck, then, too.

[RockStar36]

The Thrashers suck. Their organization sucks. Their fans suck.

Let's talk in April when they are bottom feeding once again.

[Crisis]

Max is playing with Kovalchuk, I'm sure that has nothing to do with his offensive success this year.

[chernobylwraiths]

I liked Max a lot, but he was doing nothing to help himself stay with the team the last two years. Third or fourth liners usually match up against 3rd or 4th lines. If you have talent, you will get chances to score.

[DMBcrew36]

Max is playing with Kovalchuk, I'm sure that has nothing to do with his offensive success this year.

It has boosted his assists, but Max also has 9 goals, which is 2 more than any Sabre. Once again, if any of you actually watched the Thrashers, you'd see how well the guy is playing and wouldn't question it. But it's apparent none of you do.

[Crisis]

From what I've heard of people who watched the Trashers, he's still the same ol turnover machine he's always been. He's just playing with a top 3 player who teams try and contain and as a result he's having a great year offensively.

He's also playing in a system completely different from ours, and much isn't expected of him defensively. The Thrashers are 29th in Shots against average in the league.

[DMBcrew36]

From what I've heard of people who watched the Trashers, he's still the same ol turnover machine he's always been. He's just playing with a top 3 player who teams try and contain and as a result he's having a great year offensively.

He's also playing in a system completely different from ours, and much isn't expected of him defensively. The Thrashers are 29th in Shots against average in the league.

Hearsay from people who supposedly watch the Thrashers eh? Believe what you want. I have played enough hockey and watched enough of their games this year to field my own opinion. Maybe if you watched their games you could argue with me. Because if you watched their games, you'd know that Max hasn't played with Kovie all year. He was promoted to that first line because of how well he was playing. He was on the 3rd or 4th line in the first few weeks of the season. So don't say it's just because he's playing with Kovie.

[Crisis]

Hearsay from people who supposedly watch the Thrashers eh? Believe what you want. I have played enough hockey and watched enough of their games this year to field my own opinion. Maybe if you watched their games you could argue with me. Because if you watched their games, you'd know that Max hasn't played with Kovie all year. He was promoted to that first line because of how well he was playing. He was on the 3rd or 4th line in the first few weeks of the season. So don't say it's just because he's playing with Kovie.
Max has gotten most of his points playing with Kov and Antropov on the first line. He's still the same old Max, off to a good start now. He never would've worked out here, he needed the change of scenery.

It's crying over spilled milk now, Max is still the same player he was. He's just playing with one of the most gifted offensive players of our generation now. His defense is still more than suspect, and he's also averaging way more icetime in Atlanta than he did here.

He's playing in an open system and he has no defensive liability there. It's a GREAT situation for him, especially since he's playing for his future this year.

What exactly are we arguing about anyways?

[chernobylwraiths]

Whether he is playing good or not, it doesn't change the fact that the Sabres probably couldn't unload him last year because of his salary. Nobody wanted him when free agency started and he was signed very late by Atlanta for a low salary and I believe one year deal. He is playing for his professional life, it would be no wonder he is working his ass off. Plus, as has been pointed out, Atlanta plays a much more offensive minded game than the Sabres do. He usually didn't want to play defense and that is why he was constantly benched here. I also don't care to watch most other team's games.

[RockStar36]

Whether he is playing good or not, it doesn't change the fact that the Sabres probably couldn't unload him last year because of his salary. Nobody wanted him when free agency started and he was signed very late by Atlanta for a low salary and I believe one year deal. He is playing for his professional life, it would be no wonder he is working his ass off. Plus, as has been pointed out, Atlanta plays a much more offensive minded game than the Sabres do. He usually didn't want to play defense and that is why he was constantly benched here. I also don't care to watch most other team's games.

Max was actually brought in to Atlanta for a training camp tryout before they even gave him the one year deal. Nobody in the NHL wanted to touch the guy during the summer. So yes, he is playing for his career right now.

[DMBcrew36]

Max was actually brought in to Atlanta for a training camp tryout before they even gave him the one year deal. Nobody in the NHL wanted to touch the guy during the summer. So yes, he is playing for his career right now.

Meh don't overstate it, though. He had very good offers from KHL teams, where he could play near home. He just stated that he would still rather play in the NHL.

And yes, the KHL isn't anywhere close to what the NHL is - I'm not stupid. But money is money.