Roy still has habits that get to his coach; Sabres send 14 to minors
Paul Hamilton Reporting
Buffalo, NY (WGR 550) -- Derek Roy has averaged 28 goals and 46 assists in his last three seasons. His plus/minus has gone down a lot from plus 37, to minus 5. There is never a question about Roy's talent. He has also gotten away from the constant diving on the ice and the game long complaining to the refs. What he hasn't gotten rid of is over playing situations. He handles the puck and the Sabres get nothing out of it. It's something Lindy Ruff has been pounding in his head for three years and watching the preseason games, it's still there. He dominated Washington last week with Drew Stafford and Clarke MacArthur, but they were still looking for the cute play. Ruff stopped practice last Friday after they did it again and told them they had a great game the night before. They forchecked and got in the zone, but got nothing. Ruff called it a great exhibition of passing that got them nowhere. I asked Ruff why he thinks he'll all of a sudden get through to him "Derek's been good, but again he can get more pucks to the net. The one game we had here he had great opportunities to get pucks to the net and he opted for looking to make plays. I'd like to see him use his shot like he did in Detroit on the power play and got one. If you uses it more often, I think we'll get more results. We've talked about it in Zurich, we talked about it in Bern, we talked about it in Calgary, I've had a lot of time with Derek. I think he's in agreement that we gotta get back to just a more disciplined game in the sense that it isn't a shinny game, a little less of the one on one. He's made some special plays, you can't take the special plays away because that's part of his game, but I would just like him to make some better decisions when it's there. When people are going to the net and they've got the offensive side of defensemen and we don't get the puck there and that guy had worked hard to get there, I look at it as a wasted opportunity and it's some of those situations that we're trying to clean up. He's been good, he's in agreement, he wants to work on it, he wants to get better and that's all I can ask for."
Roy is 26 years old and single. That means he's likely out and about more than some of the married guys. Maturity has always been an issue with him, but he has been a leader too captaining Kitchener to a Memorial Cup Championship. Ruff said, "Accountability is the next step, the lack of maturity has to come around. We've identified where we need to be better, now it's grab a hold of it and be better. Be a leader in the room and off the ice as well. If you're the guy doing the talking in the room, back it up with how you play on the ice. Our guys are motivated. Even the situation last night where Cowan got run by Erskine, Gaustad was right there, it was just like a drop on a hat. It's funny, when you take a penalty like that, a major, how you can kill those off because those are team penalties."
Adam Mair was on the ice with the team on a very limited basis. Ruff said, "Adam's doing a lot better. He's not at full practice yet, but can participate in many of the shooting drills." Mair waited until the very end of August to get his hip operated on. It's a six week recovery period according to Darcy Regier. Mair said, "I think as a player you want to get back as soon as possible, but we're following the protocol set up by the doctors and trainers. We had to indentify the problem, making sure we didn't rush into anything. Anytime you have a surgery, there's a lot of risk that's involved so it was just making sure the right decision was made and not rushing on that."
The Sabres announced that 14 players have been assigned to the Portland Pirates of the American League. In addition, defenseman Ryan Stokes and goaltender Glenn Fisher have both been released from their training camp tryouts. The moves leave the Sabres with 33 players remaining in camp: 19 forwards, 11 defensemen and three goaltenders.
Heading to Portland are: forwards Paul Byron, Tyler Ennis, Brad Larsen, Maxime Legault, Mark McCutcheon, Kyle Rank, Travis Turnbull and Derek Whitmore; defensemen T.J. Brennan, Matt Generous, Mike Kostka, Dennis Persson and Drew Schiestel; and goaltender J.P. Lamoureux.
Roy still has habits that get to his coach; Sabres send 14 to minors
Comment on this article
09/22/2009 5:01PM
yep.
Roy is a Canadian version of Max, without the amicable accent.
09/22/2009 5:03PM
So much to offer
I've always thought Derek Roy is talented, but I always say of him 'He is a puck hog and coughs up the puck too much.' Derek is very valuable to the Sabres, it's time for him to quit the fancy stuff and start listening to his coach.
09/22/2009 5:13PM
Yet another good player Lindy will ruin
Lindy was not a skilled guy when he played so he has no idea how to coach one. Let creative players be. If you have heart and talent, Lindy hates you (Roy, Paille for example). But if you have absolutely no talent, but lots of heart, Lindy loves you (Gaustad, good heart terrible hockey player). If you have no heart but loads of talent, Lindy loves you (Vanek, Connolly). Well, we have not made the playoffs the last two years, 5 out of the last 7, yet our "Great" Coach is still around to mess things up. Lindy, shut up and let the players play. Why not write articles on the major mistakes the organization has made such as putting their faith in Pominville ($5M/season) and Vanek ($7M/Season).
09/22/2009 7:46PM
Roy Bust
Roy is another Regeir failure, fire Regeir!
09/22/2009 7:50PM
Lindy Will Ruin...
That has to be just about the worst comments I've seen on here in a long time. Poor argument all around. I wouldn't even know where to start...
09/22/2009 8:29PM
nudniks
You people that write
comments on here are completely insane!
09/22/2009 9:45PM
roy bust?
Derek was a 2nd round pick and he's put up three 25 goal seasons and an 80 point season. He's also been our most consistent player. Whenever Vanek and Stafford disappear, and Connolly gets injured, Derek keeps getting points. Who else would you have fill his role?
09/22/2009 10:40PM
re: Lindy will Ruin
That post reads like something you might hear at a bar around 2am... if yyou're writing a novel about a Buffalo sports bar, keep going, but don't forget the quotes.
09/23/2009 7:13AM
Rebuttal for the guy that wrote Lindy will Ruin
For those of you that think I wrote this at a bar at 2am, you are moronic Sabre fans that live in a cloud that allows you to accept mediocre hockey. Sorry I have higher expectations of my hockey team, management and coaching. 5 out of 7 years are factsYOU CANNOT ARGUE! Lindy ruins good players, you just don't know enough about hockey to realize it. Lindy's guys: Mair, Gaustad, Ellis...all great character guys, but all 4th liners at best that get far too much playing time.
09/23/2009 8:58AM
Good Trade Bait
Derek Roy before the opener.
09/23/2009 9:43AM
2nd line..
i think it is critical roy plays on the second line this year. i just don't think he can handle what it takes to be on the first line. although his skill is obv. there will he ever mature. i fully agree with lindy to make his game more simple, you would be suprised how many more breaks and plays youre able to make when you keep it simple.
09/23/2009 11:47AM
Simple
Fire Regeir and Ruff!
09/23/2009 12:54PM
Sabres best plyr? ROY
This article may be true but it is also very critical of buffalo's best player. only other guy that is as good is Miller. Roy comes to play every night and skates his ass off every night. He makes less than Vanek, less than Connolly, less than Pominville, but is better than all of them.
09/23/2009 1:40PM
dubies
chill out guys have a cool one the season hasen't even started
09/24/2009 2:38AM
rebuttal for "ruff ruins" guy, who apparently knows more about hockey than everyone else
nobody said Roy is an elite player. nobody said they accept mediocre hockey. but we cant just have a great team overnight, and shipping off Roy for a 2nd round pick so we can draft another Jiri Novotny or Dan Paille type player isn't going to help. The Sabres aren't great, but trading our best player isn't going to help them improve. Unless you think that strategy works, of course...just look at Briere, Drury and Campbell. They weren't perfect, so we let them go. has it worked out?
09/24/2009 2:03PM
Lindy will Ruin ???
It doesn't take just 'skill' to coach. Look at Gretzky and the Coyotes. Heart verse talent is so relative. Who are we to say who has either? Your argument is that if a player has a load of either, Ruff loves them, but if you have both, he hates them? My God man, what a asinine comments. That, my friend, is what we call gobbledy-gook.
09/24/2009 10:34PM
Ruff
It is sad that there are chowderheads who still want Ruff fired, get out some, learn something about hockey, Ruff is one of the most respected and admired coaches in the entire sport, you do not get that reputation without reason, so finish your beer, itis closing time
09/25/2009 8:21AM
MIller
Mr. Softie is back at again...No change from last year..
09/25/2009 7:22PM
BDC
briere sucks, dude pulled his groin out, drury sucks, cant captain in NYC worth a damn, cant shoot, bad leader, campbell is nowhere worth that money. look at his playoff production. peace
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