Alexei Zhitnik playing time watch

[Judge]

Last night against the Devils-

24:15 of ice time, the most on the team.

This guy is irreplaceable. Who on this roster can/will step in to fill that kind of workhorse icetime?

[Sabre Ally]

Thank you. I'm tired of being the only one in here who likes him. Ok, he takes some penalties.......they're up all over the league though. Nick Lidstrom already has as many as he usually gets in a full season. Alex hasn't taken any more than he normally did.

[Ebenezer]

I have to admit...at his current price Zhitnik is not replaceable. My complaint in the past had always been that he was overpaid. That cannot be said this year.

[Typ0]

Maybe if he played a little less they wouldn't have scored 3 goals in the last ten minutes of the game.

[Sabre Ally]

First of all, they weren't all in the last ten minutes of the game, and second of all, you absolutely cannot blame Zhitnik for them. That one where Madden scored coming out of the penalty box........Kalinin was on that side of the ice, how can you blame Alex? get real

[Ebenezer]

They need to put Warrener and McKee back together again.

[Sabre Ally]

Why?

[Typ0]

I'm not blaming him. I'm saying he's getting worn down because too much is being asked of him...he's playing well but doesn't have the support necessary to field a good team. Cut down his minutes and tell him to focus more energy into less minutes and maybe the goaltenders won't get pounded so bad.

[Judge]

Originally posted by Ebenezer
I have to admit...at his current price Zhitnik is not replaceable. My complaint in the past had always been that he was overpaid. That cannot be said this year.

Zhitnik has been playing 25-30 minutes per game for as long as he has been on the Sabres, from my recollection.

I used to split season tix with friends, and every game I went to was amazed by the total ice time he had. He's been a workhorse for 6 or 7 years.