News Article: Gerbe bemoans lack of playing time, being healthy scratch

[SabreBlood]

In that Florida game, he probably got more ice time because he produced two 1st period goals (in the first 12 minutes, IIRC). I think that's an important distinction.

Fair.

 

[Jacob582]

Would Gerbe be in any team's top six?

Would he clear waivers?

 

[Chainshot]

Alright folks. Enough with the personal shots. Debate post points, not poster. Stop with the snide, thinly veiled swipes at other posters and the general denegration of the board. Capice?

 

[Chainshot]

Gerbe ought to shut the **** up and play better. The guy has not been good enough at all this season and if he thinks he has been, he's delusional.

 

[Zip15]

I think Friedman made a reference to this today in his 30 thoughts column:

27. In a year where a number of Buffalo Sabres have been openly angry about their individual situations, credit Drew Stafford for quietly accepting his benching in Montreal last weekend. Stafford blamed just one person -- himself.

http://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/opi...-gasoline-poured-on-flames-trade-rumours.html

 

[stokes84]

Drew Stafford: Quiet on and off the ice.

Sorry, I don't give him any credit. His compete level is abysmal this year. I'd rather see him angry, at least we'd know he's not checked out, which is how it appears.

 

[Zip15]

I'd rather not see Stafford trying to blame the coaching staff or a supposed lack of opportunity for his lack of success.

Anyways, I wasn't referring to Stafford, so stop trying to derail the thread by making this about him. I was pointing out how a member of the national (well, international) media is pointing out how many guys on this team are *****ing about playing time.

 

[RazielMoshman]

It's a bad year and everyone is disgruntled. As much as Miller and Kaleta say there is, there seems to be no family in this team any more.

 

[littletonhockeycoach]

As far as Gerbe's comments... there's a new sheriff in town these days and his name is not Lindy Ruff (or Andy Griffen for that matter).

The **** that is now leaking out from under the locker room door provides some insight to what most folks have felt the team's environment (personna) has been for a long while. Gerbe's whining tells me a lot of favoritism had been conferred on a select few and a sense of entitlement had developed. And some of the boys aren't too smart about how to deal with it 'cause going to the media and whining is not acceptable. Heck, he might as well twitter Pegula's daughter and complain about not getting enough ice time through her.....

The Sabres got holes in their on ice product. And it sounds like there are a number of unhappy players who just don't get it in the locker room as well. Time for a house cleaning.

Performance seems to be what counts on Rolston's team. And he's not honoring anybody's past status. That's REFRESHING!!!

 

[Sabres Fan UK]

They are professionals, they shouldn't be happy about getting scratched. The proper response is to get your head down in training and earn your place back on the roster rather then whining. At the end of the day, Rolston doesn't need to appease any players, he needs to play who he believes is his best team and if that means someone has to sit in the press box they should deal with it.

 

[cardiffgiant]

Drew Stafford: Quiet on and off the ice.

Sorry, I don't give him any credit. His compete level is abysmal this year. I'd rather see him angry, at least we'd know he's not checked out, which is how it appears.

In the early part of the season I really felt like he was playing well, despite not producing. I liked his intensity ad felt like he was leading by example on the ice. I don't recall feeling that way after about game 15. It's great that he has a positive attitude and is clear on where the problem lies... now let's see him freakin fix it.

 

[Jacob582]

Glad the Mod finally stepped in. This has been one of the most snippy, and cutting threads on these Boards in a while. Really makes everyone all look bad guys.

As far as Gerbe's comments... there's a new sheriff in town these days and his name is not Lindy Ruff (or Andy Griffen for that matter).

The **** that is now leaking out from under the locker room door provides some insight to what most folks have felt the team's environment (personna) has been for a long while. Gerbe's whining tells me a lot of favoritism had been conferred on a select few and a sense of entitlement had developed. And some of the boys aren't too smart about how to deal with it 'cause going to the media and whining is not acceptable. Heck, he might as well twitter Pegula's daughter and complain about not getting enough ice time through her.....

The Sabres got holes in their on ice product. And it sounds like there are a number of unhappy players who just don't get it in the locker room as well. Time for a house cleaning.

Performance seems to be what counts on Rolston's team. And he's not honoring anybody's past status. That's REFRESHING!!!

It's interesting that there were a handful of Amerk's fans who complained that Rolston never sat anyone or held the players accountable for their play.

Difference in a development environment?

 

[Daz28]

It's interesting that there were a handful of Amerk's fans who complained that Rolston never sat anyone or held the players accountable for their play.

Difference in a development environment?

I'd like to add to your point, if I may. Porter's stat line is horrendous, 15G, 0G, 2A, -3. Is his spot on the 3rd line performance based? Heck, Gerbe's 26G, 3G, 3A, -3 looks better on paper, but still doesn't look good. I realize Porter is a C, and his line has some chemistry, but it flies in the face of anything performance based, imo.

In the early part of the season I really felt like he was playing well, despite not producing. I liked his intensity ad felt like he was leading by example on the ice. I don't recall feeling that way after about game 15. It's great that he has a positive attitude and is clear on where the problem lies... now let's see him freakin fix it.

Ya, the only problem with Staffy not whining is that he's not putting in the effort. He's the guy out of all the ones we discuss who truly HAS the potential to be a good hockey player. I can't say he gets any respect from me because he's keeping quiet about his poor play. Quietly letting your team down might be worse than going out kicking and screaming sometimes.

This doesn't mean I think players should whine, but I think Gerbe may have been more talking about playing hard than playing well. I'm sure he's more aware of his stat line than anyone. The media has been out to get these guys lately, and I, frankly, don't trust their reporting to be 100% honest at this time.

 

[joshjull]

It's interesting that there were a handful of Amerk's fans who complained that Rolston never sat anyone or held the players accountable for their play.

Difference in a development environment?

Are those the same Amerk fans that seem to complain about everything? I ask because its hard to get a read on Amerk land at times due to their overwhelming negativity.

I remember reading about how brutal Cassidy was and the team was a joke. I look at the standings and they were 6-3-1 in their last 10. Not what I was expecting in light of the complaining.

 

[gallagt01]

I'd like to add to your point, if I may. Porter's stat line is horrendous, 15G, 0G, 2A, -3. Is his spot on the 3rd line performance based? Heck, Gerbe's 26G, 3G, 3A, -3 looks better on paper, but still doesn't look good. I realize Porter is a C, and his line has some chemistry, but it flies in the face of anything performance based, imo.



Ya, the only problem with Staffy not whining is that he's not putting in the effort. He's the guy out of all the ones we discuss who truly HAS the potential to be a good hockey player. I can't say he gets any respect from me because he's keeping quiet about his poor play. Quietly letting your team down might be worse than going out kicking and screaming sometimes.

This doesn't mean I think players should whine, but I think Gerbe may have been more talking about playing hard than playing well. I'm sure he's more aware of his stat line than anyone. The media has been out to get these guys lately, and I, frankly, don't trust their reporting to be 100% honest at this time.

Based on my own game viewings, Porter's line spends less time in the defensive zone than any other.

I don't think that's a fair comparison considering Gerbe's dreadful possession numbers.

Stafford has had a down year but he's become criminally underrated around these parts. His alleged "lack of work ethic" is mythical and a very Buffalo fan-like thing to say (he's not producing ergo he's not working hard). To suggest he should whine about his benching is wrong. If he did that, people would just complain about his lack of leadership, no?

Gerbe's the odd man out because, as Rolston said, he hasn't given them a reason to stay in. His bottom-six possession numbers suck and his game hasn't come anywhere close to warranting a top six spot.

He works hard. So do players who aren't a liability whenever they're onthe ice (Ott, Porter, Flynn, Kaleta, Foligno and yes, everyone's favorite whipping boys, Stafford, Hecht and Leino).

 

[Jacob582]

Are those the same Amerk fans that seem to complain about everything? I ask because its hard to get a read on Amerk land at times due to their overwhelming negativity.

I remember reading about how brutal Cassidy was and the team was a joke. I look at the standings and they were 6-3-1 in their last 10. Not what I was expecting in light of the complaining.

Good point. Not sure which crowd it was.

Yeah, going to the Amerks thread is depressing for me. Even when the Amerks are on a winning streak.

 

[tsujimoto74]

I'd like to add to your point, if I may. Porter's stat line is horrendous, 15G, 0G, 2A, -3. Is his spot on the 3rd line performance based? Heck, Gerbe's 26G, 3G, 3A, -3 looks better on paper, but still doesn't look good. I realize Porter is a C, and his line has some chemistry, but it flies in the face of anything performance based, imo.

Watching Porter though, I'm convinced that much of the decision to keep him playing is just for the steadying effect on his linemates, both rookies. I've noticed him a few times out there directing traffic, communicating, being vocal. We don't have a lot of guys that I've noticed doing that, and we definitely don't have many centers to work in and out of the line-up.

 

[Daz28]

Watching Porter though, I'm convinced that much of the decision to keep him playing is just for the steadying effect on his linemates, both rookies. I've noticed him a few times out there directing traffic, communicating, being vocal. We don't have a lot of guys that I've noticed doing that, and we definitely don't have many centers to work in and out of the line-up.

Makes sense. I'm not advocating him sitting, especially because as we both pointed out, he's a much needed center. I'm just kind of pointing out that at some point his lack of production may become an issue.

 

[joshjull]

Would Gerbe be in any team's top six?

Would he clear waivers?

I've been wondering that myself.

 

[Daz28]

Stafford has had a down year but he's become criminally underrated around these parts. His alleged "lack of work ethic" is mythical and a very Buffalo fan-like thing to say (he's not producing ergo he's not working hard). To suggest he should whine about his benching is wrong. If he did that, people would just complain about his lack of leadership, no?

.

I don't think anyone underrates Drew, I think they feel that he's went from inconsistent to almost invisible. I already said he's got talent/tools, but you simply can't ignore that he's on pace for like a 10 goal, 30 points season, and he's still due $12M.

I don't think his work ethic is a myth. In fact, I don't have the link, but it's been posted that he didn't take his career serious enough in the past. Maybe that bug is biting him again, who knows?

I(and no one) is advocating he whine, but the others showed passion about their situations. I'd have liked to see a bit more out of Drew. In his defense, maybe he was just smart enough to know the media has been misrepresenting players thoughts, and decided keeping quiet was the best bet. I guess I give him a pass on that on 2nd thought.

I've been wondering that myself.

Rumor is there's not a lot of players available, so I'd shoot in the dark, and so no. Then again, a lot of people thought Dvorak wouldn't clear, and he did.

 

[thefifagod]

I've been wondering that myself.

I think he would considering he has another year left at 1.45 million. That's pretty steep. I think someone would take the chance if they didn't have to commit to him past this season. I think that's why McCormick wasn't claimed either; overpaid and have an extra year to commit to.

 

[littletonhockeycoach]

It's interesting that there were a handful of Amerk's fans who complained that Rolston never sat anyone or held the players accountable for their play.

Difference in a development environment?

I don't know anything about Rolston's interactions in Rochester and can only base my assessment what I'm observing with Buffalo's club. So far, I like what he's done and how he's handling things - decisions, actions and consequences that should have been made, taken or happen long ago.

 

[Karate Johnson*]

He works hard. So do players who aren't a liability whenever they're onthe ice (Ott, Porter, Flynn, Kaleta, Foligno and yes, everyone's favorite whipping boys, Stafford, Hecht and Leino).

We must be pretty good if all those players are trying so hard. Every one of our forwards is a tireless worker?

 

[RazielMoshman]

Based on my own game viewings, Porter's line spends less time in the defensive zone than any other.

I don't think that's a fair comparison considering Gerbe's dreadful possession numbers.

Stafford has had a down year but he's become criminally underrated around these parts. His alleged "lack of work ethic" is mythical and a very Buffalo fan-like thing to say (he's not producing ergo he's not working hard). To suggest he should whine about his benching is wrong. If he did that, people would just complain about his lack of leadership, no?

Gerbe's the odd man out because, as Rolston said, he hasn't given them a reason to stay in. His bottom-six possession numbers suck and his game hasn't come anywhere close to warranting a top six spot.

He works hard. So do players who aren't a liability whenever they're onthe ice (Ott, Porter, Flynn, Kaleta, Foligno and yes, everyone's favorite whipping boys, Stafford, Hecht and Leino).

Stafford and Hecht often look listless. Kaleta puts a lot of work in to his physical role, he has little interest in hockey though.

 

[gallagt01]

I don't think anyone underrates Drew, I think they feel that he's went from inconsistent to almost invisible. I already said he's got talent/tools, but you simply can't ignore that he's on pace for like a 10 goal, 30 points season, and he's still due $12M.

I'm with you. He's undoubtedly underachieving. He needs to be contributing offensively and he's not. That's why he's likely on the way out.

I don't think his work ethic is a myth. In fact, I don't have the link, but it's been posted that he didn't take his career serious enough in the past. Maybe that bug is biting him again, who knows?

That did happen -- several years ago. I'm fairly certain he's a gym rat and is in very good physical condition now. I don't think that's the issue (though I have no tangible evidence). I just think he's not playing good hockey. That happens.

I(and no one) is advocating he whine, but the others showed passion about their situations. I'd have liked to see a bit more out of Drew. In his defense, maybe he was just smart enough to know the media has been misrepresenting players thoughts, and decided keeping quiet was the best bet. I guess I give him a pass on that on 2nd thought.

Drew simply didn't take his qualms about not playing to the media (a leader's way of tackling that situation). None of us know for sure what kind of passion he showed when he was benched. I'm sure he was upset but he took it professionally, worked hard in practice and got back on the ice. Drew knows his numbers suck.

We must be pretty good if all those players are trying so hard. Every one of our forwards is a tireless worker?

No, actually. We're an awful team because we lack team-wide talent. We have a roster littered with players that are either underachieving (Stafford), past their prime (Hecht) or just not that talented (Gerbe, Porter). That doesn't mean they don't work hard. They're just not very good.