Buffalo Sabres Midseason Awards

Just past the midpoint of the 2008-2009 season, the Buffalo Sabres sit in seventh place in the Eastern Conference witha 21-16-5 record. 

The season began with hope and promise, when the young Sabres started out by winning six of their first seven games.

Since then it has been a roller coaster of a year—but not without plenty of promise for the playoffs come April. 

Midseason Awards for the 2008-2009 Buffalo Sabres:

Hart (MVP) - Thomas Vanek

Tied for the league lead in goals scored (27), second in points for the team (39), leads the team in shots on goal (145), 12 power-play goals vs. 25 for the rest of the team, half of the team's shorthanded goals (2). 

Finally establishing himself as a true goal scorer.  He can beat you with forehand or backhand, and also freeze opposing goalies with a deke or two.

Vezina (Top Goalie) - Ryan Miller

LaLime has been hot and cold while giving Miller some much needed rest, but Ryan has really started to come into his own this year. 

One knock on Miller has been that he cannot steal a game by himself.  But he has done that a few times this year with shutouts against the Devils and Kings.  Both games he literally stole the game without much help from his teammates. 

The other big knock on Miller was he was weak during shootouts and breakaways.  While the Sabres have only been in six shootouts so far this year, Miller has won five of them easily.

Norris (Top Defenseman) - Jaroslav Spacek

Overall the best defenseman on the Sabres. Fifth on the team in points. Plays in power-play and shorthanded situations. 

This is a contract year so I look for him to be moved at the trade deadline unless negotiations open up soon.  It will be a big loss for Buffalo to not resign Jaroslav, but the pockets are not deep on this team.

Calder (Top Rookie) - Mark Mancuri

Not many rookies stay long in Buffalo before being sent back to Portland (AHL), and Mark is no exception.  He is one of the top scorers in the AHL and has established himself as a hard-working forward with a future in the NHL.

Lady Byng (Most Gentlemanly) - Daniel Paille

Quiet winger that makes his presence felt by his play—not his other actions on the ice.

Biggest Disappointment - Maxim Afinogenov

Sadly, I do not fault Max for this designation.  He has been bounced around from line to line and in and out of Lindy Ruff's doghouse so much the past few seasons. 

He is too fast for his own good and has no one to keep up with him.  Darcy Reiger's asking price of a first-round pick is too high, given Max's performance this and last season.

Coaching - Lindy Ruff

While he continues to adapt to the players he has to work with, he has still never had really good special teams. 

This is a guy that supposedly excelled in coaching special teams in Florida before becoming a head coach.  Buffalo will never win it all until this aspect of their game improves vastly.

Top Games of the Season

1).  October 13, 2008 - Sabres at Islanders

Sabres win this one 7-1 and give LaLime his first win of the season—but it was not easy for him having to make 35 saves.  14 different Sabres picked up points in a complete team win.

2).  November 1, 2008 - Capitals at Sabres

Ryan Miller shuts down the Capitals with a 5-0 shutout and a 29-save performance.  Two goals by Vanek gave him 11 goals at that point in the young season.

3).  January 3, 2009 - Sabres at Bruins

The Eastern Conference-leading Bruins faced a very motivated Sabres team. Helped by Miller's 31 saves, the Sabres came away with a 4-2 victory.  This game I chose because the Sabres beat the Bruins at their own game—a hard-hitting physical victory.

Overall the Sabres have exceeded my expectation's for the season, but front office and coaching will dictate how the remainder of the season plays out.  They could use some help on the second and third lines, as well as on defense. 

Afinogenov will most likely be traded at the deadline, as will Spacek.  With Kotalik's contract up at the end of the season and him underachieving, he could be moved as well.

Scouting department? Well, there is no scouting department anymore. The Sabres have chosen to do it all from video in Buffalo. 

Time will tell if this is a good or bad move, but I feel this is a very bad move for a team that once prided itself on the strength of building from within.