(WGR 550) -- Lindy Ruff says he has every intention of suiting up No. 61 when the Sabres host Montreal in their first post-trade deadline game, Wednesday evening at HSBC Arena.
"My plan is to have (Maxim Afinogenov) in the line-up, yes," Ruff said during his weekly 8 a.m. Tuesday appearance on The Howard Simon Show. "He's been healthy, but it's just whether he's been ready."
It's also whether or not he'll be a Sabre. The unrestricted-free-agent-to-be has a laundry list of history, both good and bad, with Buffalo, where he's spent his entire career. A lackluster 2007-08, followed by a miserable and injury-riddled start to this year has cast doubts on his ability to perform. He has just two goals and 10 assists to go with a minus-14 rating in 34 games.
Afinogenov is the longest-tenured Sabre, with 555 games under his belt, the first of which was played Nov. 10, 1999, when he scored and added an assist in a 6-2 win over Boston. Will his Buffalo goodbye be an improper one, injured in a Jan. 3 affair against those same Bruins? It's just one of the trade deadline questions facing Ruff and general manager Darcy Regier.
"The trade deadline is always an interesting time," Ruff said. "On the offensive side, we're getting Thomas back. We've got some questions with Ryan, and how long it's going to be until he gets back, but for us, in our own hearts... we know (we can play). There's always going to be something available that you're going to weigh, whether its an offensive player or a veteran who can fit in. On the defensive side of it, we've played well. On the offensive side, we've struggled for the past three games. We have the offensive fire power."
Regardless of high praise, the Sabres were run through a five-hour practice and film gauntlet Monday at HSBC Arena after a 2-0 loss to the Isles on Saturday. Make no bones about it, the Sabres looked awful against the worst team in the National Hockey League, and Lindy Ruff is making sure his team pays for its letdown.
"I don't take any of that lightly," Ruff said. "Don't expect easy days after a performance like that."
The Sabres head coach made a point of naming names, and laying a bit of the blame on on-ice leadership.
"I think our offensive leadership his at fault," Ruff said. "Our Hechts, Pominvilles, Roy... I think that those players, our offensive leaders. I thought a guy like Gaustad got some plays there, but I thought out offensive leadership was lacking. I thought those sorts of guys have to grab the bull by the horns."
How can a player say the Islanders wanted it more, when New York has nothing to play for, and the Sabres had everything to lose?
"That's a great question," Ruff said. "When you're always looking for that prettier play -- and we have lots of examples -- of opportunities where we could've got to the net, we could've drove the net... We've been here before. You can't question, 'Can we do it?', but we didn't do it."
"When you look at it, I have to separate what's real and what isn't real. The effort we had in Carolina was real. We had some opportunities that we didn't put away. I was disgusted with some of the play, and how hard we worked with some of our offensive opportunities in the Islander game."
"I have told the players how lucky we are to have the jobs we have," Ruff said. "Don't take a minute for granted. We're entertainers, people that a lot of young people look up to, and I want those people to be proud of the way we perform, the way we act, the way we carry ourselves. We are blessed to be in the position we're in, to have the salaries we have, and to play a game we love."
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