SB Nation - Teppo Numminen

Re-Living a Classic Buffalo Sabres Match

Rafal Ladysz — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 23:29:46 -0000

More photos » by Lynne Sladky - AP

2 months ago: Buffalo Sabres center Derek Roy (9), defenseman Tyler Myers (57), and defenseman Henrik Tallinder (10), of Sweden, celebrate after Myers scored a goal in the first period against the Florida Panthers during an NHL hockey game in Sunrise, Fla. Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2009. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

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About a week ago, I read a post by Puck Daddy highlighting the ten finest NHL games of the last decade. Intensity could be found in a particular contest while another was recognized for its historic moment or unpredictability. My only complaint is the unmentioned match that I can recall like it was yesterday. Whether it involved the Buffalo Sabres or not, I'd label it my favorite hockey game in recent memory.

May 5, 2006: Buffalo had just dispensed the Philadelphia Flyers from the opening round of the postseason in a series that finished with a 7-1 wipe-out. Next, they would take on the Ottawa Senators and it wasn't a predicament many expected the Sabres to survive.

Ottawa finished first in the Eastern Conference with 52 wins and outlasted Buffalo in five of eight season meetings. I'll be honest, I was a bit worried because here was a team that handled the Sabres for the most part rather easily and had 13 players who registered at least 30 points.

But I didn't doubt Buffalo's abilities for a second. As the fourth seed, they weren't pushovers and when others underestimated or took them for granted, Lindy Ruff's troops only fed off it. And the first game of this series would foreshadow the conclusion which was Jason Pominville scoring a shorthanded overtime winner in game five to knock off the Senators.

If you're a fan of stellar goaltending, avert your eyes.

First Period

0:35: A puck chipped along the boards finds Derek Roy's stick and with Wade Redden the sole remaining defenseman, he locates Mike Grier all alone at the side of the net for a tap-in. The crowd is stunned at Scotiabank Place less than a minute into the contest and they continued to be as the night progressed.

3:05: To their credit, the Senators didn't waste any time in responding. Dany Heatley enters the zone on the left side and sends a perfect pass to Jason Spezza who was by himself much like Grier on the first goal.

3:20: Anton Volchenkov fires a shot towards the goal which Ryan Miller stops. But Bryan Smolinski see's a rebound before anyone else and tucks it between the legs of the goaltender. Just fifteen seconds following the equalizer, Ottawa appears ready to blow-out Buffalo like they'd done before.

6:56: Roy feeds Teppo Numminen at the blue line and the Finn unloads a one-timer by Ray Emery for a powerplay marker. For the remainder of the frame, the scoring ceased and it was a 2-2 draw heading into the second.

Second Period

1:47: Christoph Schubert utilizes the two-line pass availability and sends Martin Havlat on a partial break-away. With a slick shift to the backhand, he makes it count propelling Ottawa into another early lead.

3:29: Shorthanded, Tim Connolly dekes Daniel Alfredsson to the ice creating a two-on-one. As Redden attempts to poke the puck off his stick, he drags it underneath and finds a hole between Emery and the post. You have to see this to believe it because it may be Connolly's finest goal.

4:15: On the same man-advantage, Zdeno Chara and Heatley each had a few cracks from in close before the latter finally buried it.

19:30: Henrik Tallinder jumps into the play, grabs a dish from Grier and backhands a lovely pass to Roy who put it into the back of the net instantly. Four goals in the first, four more in the second and nothing is decided yet.

Third Period

0:16: Havlat's shot attempt is blocked and deflected directly to Mike Fisher who has a gift with Miller in no position to make a stop. Actually, the next 18 minutes or so were quiet but it felt like more excitement was in store.

18:23: Andrej Meszaros pinches in on the power play and misses. As a result, Connolly collects the disc on another two-on-one and this time he waits for Redden to commit to the shooter before feathering a delicate pass over to Roy for a late equalizer. Little did we imagine, it was still far from over.

18:47: Again, Ottawa takes advantage of the power play after allowing a shorthanded tally. Alfredsson with a great presence of mind, finds the open man rather than shooting himself. Smolinski capitalizes flashing a big grin on his face in the process. However, he who laughs last laughs loudest.

19:49: Behind the net, Daniel Briere centers the puck and Emery can't get a handle on the puck as it escapes from the mob for Connolly to backhand top shelf. With 11 seconds left on the clock, these two teams were deadlocked and overtime would settle it.

Overtime

0:18: Mistakes were made constantly in this match and jumped on each occasion. Goals came in amazing time frames and you didn't expect sudden death to take long. Volchenkov over-skates the puck after fanning on a pass and it introduced an immediate chance. Grier corralled the puck, and fed Chris Drury who was held off the scoresheet in regulation. But his contribution was the ultimate difference as he let go a wrist shot past Emery's blocker to win the game. By the bench, Drury is swarmed by his teammates in celebration.

Notes

13 goals were scored on 56 combined shots. Ryan Miller faced 33 while Ray Emery was challenged with 23 shots.
Derek Roy notched five points (two goals, three assists).
Tim Connolly showcased his talent with two goals and an assist.
Ten different players scored and 21 registered at least a point.
Unfortunately, Connolly was injured for the rest of the playoffs after taking an open-ice hit in game two.
Every game in the series was decided by one goal with three going into overtime. Buffalo prevailed in each of those matches.

What a game and what a postseason for the Buffalo Sabres. Although they fell short in the Conference Finals to Carolina with numerous injuries throughout the line-up, their spirit and competitive nature could not be denied. It's games like this that give fans hope for the future. And hope is never lost among true supporters.

2009-10 NHL Season Preview: Buffalo Sabres

James Mirtle — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 12:00:19 -0000

More photos » by Alex Brandon - AP

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Who's in: Jeff Cowan, Mike Grier, Cody McCormick, Steve Montador
Who's out: Maxim Afinogenov, Dominic Moore, Teppo Numminen, Andrew Peters, Jaroslav Spacek, Mikael Tellqvist

Outlook: It was another fairly quiet off-season for the Sabres, who only added depth defenceman Steve Montador and checking winger Mike Grier via free agency and watched as Jaroslav Spacek, Maxim Afinogenov and Teppo Numminen all flew the coop for various reasons.

Long-time GM Darcy Regier will be hoping mostly for growth from within, and he should get some help from young reinforcements like giant defenceman Tyler Myers and pint-sized sniper Nathan Gerbe. Both will contend for full-time roles as rookies in a group that's already relatively young, especially a back end that will rely on Andrej Sekera and Chris Butler to pick up a lot of Spacek and Numminen's minutes.

What coach Lindy Ruff needs more than anything from this group is a return to form from his big guns and more scoring support from the likes of Drew Stafford, Clarke MacArthur and Jochen Hecht, all of whom should be able to threaten the 25-goal mark with enough playing time. If Derek Roy, Thomas Vanek and Jason Pominville can return to a close to point a game clip and Tim Connolly plays 60-plus games, Buffalo will easily be a playoff team (and a high-scoring one at that).

Working in the Sabres' favour is the fact that the Northeast Division remains in flux, with all three of the Eastern Conference Canadian clubs in various stages of rebuilding (or "retooling"). Challenging Boston is probably not going to be on the agenda, but Buffalo could surprise with some help from their unheralded young talent.

And, as always, a healthy Ryan Miller is key.

X-factor: Tyler Myers

For a more in-depth Sabres preview, visit Die By The Blade
For more NHL analysis, check out the McKeen's Hockey Yearbook

Poll

Where will the Sabres finish in the Eastern Conference this season?

1

10 votes

2

3 votes

3

6 votes

4

20 votes

5

30 votes

6

60 votes

7

55 votes

8

42 votes

9

30 votes

10

44 votes

11

25 votes

12

14 votes

13

4 votes

14

1 votes

15

10 votes

354 votes | Poll has closed

Numminen to retire

James Mirtle — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 16:54:44 -0000

More photos » by Don Heupel - AP

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A reader over in Finland offers a rough translation of the following article:

Teppo Numminen has decided to hang up his skates. He told Finnish newspaper Suomen Kuvalehti that the 82 game season was starting to feel too onerous for him during the 2008-09 season. He had some restrictions from doctors after the heart operation he went through (e.g. he wasn't allow to lift weights normally) and it has affected his game. He has to take blood pressure medicines as well.

"I had to take a mental step backwards when the medicines remind me all the time about the condition," Numminen said. "The level of my game decreased and my skating speed slowed down. Sometimes I was very tired.

"If somebody had told me [in the beginning] that I would be playing in the NHL at the age of 40 and have a total of 1,454 games in my pocket, I wouldn't have believed it. What can you do but just wonder and be grateful of it?"

Jari Kurri of the Finnish Olympic team has asked Numminen to work as a scout during the NHL season.

Numminen's been around a long, long time, and despite missing all but one game the season before last, is 38th all-time in NHL games played. In a bit of a quirky stat, he's been on the ice for more goals against than all but 21 players.

Numminen broke into the league with the Winnipeg Jets 21 years ago and played eight seasons in Manitoba and another seven once the club moved to Phoenix. He leads that franchise, by far, in total games played, with 1,098 games as a Jet or Coyote.

Numminen was the last remaining active player of the 252 chosen in the 1986 draft and has played more regular season NHL games than any other European-trained player.

He's also well out in first in terms of NHL games played by a Finnish player (only three have ever played 1,000 games) and I've heard from more than one hockey fan over there today mourning the loss.

Tuesday's news: A new front man for the Preds, and a big day on Long Island

Dirk Hoag — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 14:08:24 -0000

Have the Nashville Predators made a front-office hire? Will the New York Islanders get their new arena? Will the legal mess in Phoenix ever get resolved? It may be early August, but there's plenty going on around the NHL; check out these stories and more after the jump...

Derek Perez trades Tech for Hockey - Bright Side Of News
Have the Predators hired "a new front man to handle the media"? It appears so, but the team has yet to confirm. From this personal interview with Perez, the former Director of Public Relations for nVidia (the video card company), he lists Wayne Gretzky as one of the top people he admires, so that's a good start. This article from Techgage says that Perez will be the team's new Director of Marketing.

Twitter / Steve Sullivan: I should reword my last la ...
Sully steps in and confirms that the @BarryTrotz Twitter account is a fake. It's always fun to see one of the Preds following and contributing to the conversation that hockey fans are having online.

Around the NHL

For Islanders and their fans, Tuesday's critical moment for future - Puck Daddy
It's a big day on Long Island, as a public hearing is held regarding the proposed Lighthouse Project, which would give the Islanders a new arena along with related other developments. If the Islanders can pull this off, it would be a huge shot in the arm to the entire league, much like the Chicago Blackhawks have been over the last two seasons.

ZHERDEV LIKELY TO LEAVE RANGERS - New York Post
Larry Brooks lays out the reasons why the New York Rangers are likely to walk away from Nikolai Zherdev's $3.9 million salary arbitration award. Despite what some of the rumor-mongers are spreading, don't expect Nashville to make a big push for him.

Teppo Numminen Officially Retires - Die By The Blade
It looks like a website in Finland is reporting the retirement of Buffalo's Teppo Numminen, one of the most consistent blueliners of the last 15 years.

Ranger Pundit: Yippee Kiya! Rangers Firewagon Hockey
Is John Tortorella bent on transforming the Rangers into a run-and-gun type of team, rather than the defensively oriented, offensively limited teams during the Tom Renney regime? He certainly gave Vincent Lecavalier and Martin St. Louis all the ice time they could handle during his time in Tampa.

Judge postpones auction for Coyotes - National Post
The latest legal development in Phoenix has seen the auction for the Coyotes has been postponed until September. Meanwhile, the various contending parties are trying to get each other disqualified from the process.

Something Smells in Glendale - Phoenix News
No, this isn't a critique of Wayne Gretzky's coaching ability; it's a fascinating article which suggests that the City Manager of Glendale, Arizona has in fact been steering the Coyotes into the hands of Jerry Reinsdorf for several months, well before current owner Jerry Moyes even started the sale process (found via Puck Daddy).

The top goaltender of the 2000s - The Copper & Blue
A running debate has been going on for a few weeks now about the relative merits of various goaltenders. SB Nation's Edmonton Oilers blog takes a hearty swing at it...

Somewhere in Philadelphia... - Barry Melrose Rocks
BMR comes up with an interesting theory as to where last year's Nashville Predators marketing slogan came from.

Ottawa rumor mill reports Senators turned down Sharks offer... - Sharkspage
PJ Swenson walks through the details of a supposed trade offer by San Jose to obtain Ottawa Senators malcontent Dany Heatley. Frankly, if I was in Bryan Murray's shoes, I don't know if I'd accept the rumored deal either.

Chatterbox: Social Media in Hockey | USA Hockey Magazine
The monthly magazine for USA Hockey takes a look at the social media revolution sweeping its way through the hockey world, particularly focusing on Twitter. Feel free to follow me at @Forechecker, and you can keep with USA Hockey Magazine at @USAHMagazine.

Video: Ovechkin on sex before games, Russian vs. U.S. women - Puck Daddy
Greg Wyshynski shares a dubbed version of a Russian television interview that tells you everything you ever didn't want to know about Alex Ovechkin.

Counting the Stars - Numbers 77, 72 & 65

Art_M — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 13:00:15 -0000

Every day leading up to training camp Defending Big D will count down the greatest players in franchise history (both Dallas and Minnesota), based on the sweater number they wore. Starting with the highest numbers, where most were only worn by one player, we'll finish up with what should be some great debates. Is Marty Turco the greatest Star at #35? Or is it maybe Andy Moog or even Gary Anderson? Sure Jamie Langenbrunner seems like a lock at #15, that is until you remember Dave Gagner wore that number as a North Star. Keep coming back every day for a look at who's the best in Stars history.

Today we come across the first number that was worn by more than one player in Stars history but unfortunately it's not much of a contest.

#77 - Pierre Turgeon

We at Defending Big D love us some Matt Barnaby. He was a very good player, an entertaining agitator and maybe the only ESPN personality we can stomach to watch on a regular basis. But for as much as we like the guy, 39 games with the Stars in his last NHL season can't vault him into top spot for his sweater number. That honor goes to Pierre Turgeon.

Pierre was already a 17 year NHL veteran when he signed with the Stars in the summer of 2001, but after coming off a 30 goal, 82 point season with the St. Louis Blues it was felt Turgeon could be exactly what the Stars needed to kick start their offense that just saw the departure of Brett Hull to Detroit.

Turgeon though started showing his age almost instantly and struggled through a meager 15 goal season. His line mate in St. Louis, Scott Young, was even brought in the year after in hopes that it would improve his numbers, but they got even worse!

Turgeon wore #77 for all but two seasons of his NHL career. After the lockout he signed with the Colorado Avalanche and wore #87 (the year he was drafted into the NHL, not because of Sidney Crosby) since his old #77 had been retired for Ray Bourque.

(After the jump, check out two players who got to walk away with top honors without a contest at all...)

#72 - Shayne Corson

In the early 2000's it was getting to be a running joke that old NHL players didn't die, they just went to Dallas to play their final NHL season. Shayne Corson added to that trend in 2004.

Corson had actually retired from hockey and the Toronto Maple Leafs right in the middle of the 2003 playoffs, later revealing that he was suffering severe panic attacks during that time. The Stars lured him out of retirement in February of '04 to help give the team a veteran boost of leadership for the stretch and playoff run.

Corson was best known for wearing the #27 with Montreal and Toronto, but when he got to Dallas defenseman Teppo Numminen had already been wearing that number, so Shayne simply flipped his 27 to get 72 and a spot on this list.

#65 - Chris Conner

If the only number he had ever wore as a Dallas Star was #25, then there would be no chance on earth Conner would make this list. But during his first two seasons with the Stars, he - as most "tweener" type players that float back and forth between NHL and AHL clubs do - wore #65 thus he qualifies to be on this list.

Conner each season showed very strong potential and Stars fans had hoped that each call-up that brought him to the NHL Stars would be the one where he'd put his speed and ability together and become an NHL regular. His inconsistency though was usually his undoing and even time spent on a line with Mike Modano couldn't spark his potential to be an NHL sniper.

He signed this summer with the Pittsburgh Penguins where he will fight for a spot with that club just like he did with the Dallas Stars. If he gets on that team, we doubt Maxime Talbot will give up his #25 for Chris and he may not even get #65 as that is taken by Penguins defensive prospect Ben Lovejoy!

Evaluating the remaining UFAs: Defencemen Edition

James Mirtle — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 14:07:46 -0000

More photos » by Elise Amendola - AP

Carolina Hurricanes defenceman Dennis Seidenberg, right, checks Chuck Kobasew.

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Following up on my look at the remaining unrestricted free agent forwards, here's a gander at the blueliners still available. For a stats legend, see Behind The Net:

	Even Strength	TM	GP	TOI	QCMP	Pt/60	GFON/60	GAON/60	Diff
1	OSSI VAANANEN	VAN	49	14.07	-0.01	0.70	2.78	2.09	0.69
2	PAUL MARA	NYR	75	13.73	-0.01	0.52	2.33	2.04	0.29
3	M. DANDENAULT	MTL	41	10.28	-0.06	1.42	2.56	1.85	0.71
4	ALEXEI SEMENOV	S.J	47	11.81	0.00	0.76	1.94	1.73	0.21
5	DENNIS SEIDENBERG	CAR	70	16.34	0.02	0.89	2.10	2.36	-0.26
6	JAY MCKEE	STL	69	13.53	-0.03	0.45	2.38	1.99	0.39
7	CORY MURPHY	T.B	32	12.31	-0.07	0.91	2.13	1.37	0.76
8	M-A BERGERON	MIN	72	12.96	-0.04	0.90	2.44	2.06	0.38
9	KEN KLEE	PHX	71	13.21	-0.08	0.64	2.50	1.79	0.71
10	CHRISTIAN BACKMAN	CBJ	56	12.46	-0.07	0.26	2.15	1.63	0.52
11	NATHAN OYSTRICK	ATL	53	13.67	-0.02	0.83	2.40	2.57	-0.17
12	MAREK MALIK	T.B	42	15.18	0.00	0.47	2.07	2.45	-0.38
13	DEREK MORRIS	NYR	74	15.98	0.02	0.61	1.78	2.49	-0.71
14	PHILIPPE BOUCHER	PIT	41	15.19	-0.07	0.48	2.31	1.83	0.48
15	MATHIEU SCHNEIDER	MTL	67	15.48	-0.01	0.69	2.60	2.95	-0.35
16	MARTIN SKOULA	MIN	81	16.49	0.01	0.54	1.93	2.61	-0.68
17	ANDREW ALBERTS	PHI	78	13.10	-0.06	0.65	2.53	2.29	0.24
18	PATRICE BRISEBOIS	MTL	62	12.28	-0.05	0.71	2.29	2.36	-0.07
19	TEPPO NUMMINEN	BUF	57	13.63	-0.06	0.77	2.24	2.55	-0.31
20	JASSEN CULLIMORE	FLA	68	14.69	-0.06	0.54	1.92	2.52	-0.60
21	NICK BOYNTON	FLA	68	13.28	-0.13	1.20	2.92	2.66	0.26
22	FRANCIS BOUILLON	MTL	54	13.72	-0.03	0.65	2.11	3.00	-0.89
23	BRET HEDICAN	ANA	51	13.98	-0.09	0.34	2.52	2.86	-0.34
24	GREG DE VRIES	NSH	71	12.82	-0.10	0.33	1.98	2.84	-0.86
25	DENIS GAUTHIER	L.A	65	11.66	-0.11	0.32	1.90	2.77	-0.87

These are the only 25 UFA defencemen who played regularly in the NHL last season, with only Sergei Zubov of note left off the list (he played under 30 games, which was my cutoff). In terms of even-strength play, I think Dennis Seidenberg may offer the best value, as he logged big-time minutes last season on a team that went to the conference finals and will likely at this point come fairly cheap. He's also young and made just more than $1-million last season.

Ossi Vaananen, Paul Mara, Mathieu Dandenault (who doubles as a forward often), Alexei Semenov, Jay McKee and Marc-Andre Bergeron are also decent options here, although you'll note that the majority of the players listed here score low on quality of competition. Seidenberg's an exception, as is Derek Morris and Martin Skoula.

After the jump, a look at potential power play quarterbacks and penalty kill specialists.

	Power Play	TM	GP	TOI	Pt/60	GFON/60	GFOFF/60	Diff
1	CORY MURPHY	T.B	32	3.83	3.92	6.86	6.18	0.68
2	MATHIEU SCHNEIDER	MTL	67	3.50	3.58	8.70	6.73	1.97
3	M-A BERGERON	MIN	72	3.09	3.51	6.75	7.38	-0.63
4	DENNIS SEIDENBERG	CAR	70	2.70	3.49	6.66	5.96	0.70
5	TEPPO NUMMINEN	BUF	57	1.89	3.34	5.56	7.62	-2.06
6	PAUL MARA	NYR	75	2.55	3.13	5.32	3.03	2.29
7	PATRICE BRISEBOIS	MTL	62	2.72	2.49	4.26	8.03	-3.77
8	PHILIPPE BOUCHER	PIT	41	2.27	1.93	6.44	4.67	1.77
9	DEREK MORRIS	NYR	74	2.19	1.11	3.33	6.22	-2.89
10	CHRISTIAN BACKMAN	CBJ	56	2.12	1.01	2.52	5.68	-3.16

Not a lot of options here now that Francois Beauchemin's off the table, although Cory Murphy played big minutes with the man advantage in Tampa Bay and racked up some decent points. He would be a good fit somewhere as a No. 6 or 7 defender who plays on the power play somewhere.

Schneider also helped in that role in Atlanta and Montreal and may have something left at a steep discount, while Seidenberg's versatility shows here.

No world beaters, though, certainly. These would all be second unit guys.

	Penalty Kill	TM	GP	TOI	GAON	GAON/60	GAOFF/60	Diff
1	NICK BOYNTON	FLA	68	1.32	5	3.35	6.76	-3.41
2	GREG DE VRIES	NSH	71	1.82	6	2.78	5.88	-3.10
3	FRANCIS BOUILLON	MTL	54	1.93	9	5.19	8.27	-3.08
4	PAUL MARA	NYR	75	1.83	4	1.75	4.48	-2.73
5	ANDREW ALBERTS	PHI	78	2.38	13	4.20	6.45	-2.25
6	MAREK MALIK	T.B	42	2.61	11	6.02	8.15	-2.13
7	JASSEN CULLIMORE	FLA	68	1.78	9	4.46	6.47	-2.01
8	DEREK MORRIS	NYR	74	2.01	16	6.45	6.94	-0.49
9	KEN KLEE	PHX	71	1.78	17	8.07	8.55	-0.48
10	DENIS GAUTHIER	L.A	65	2.53	16	5.84	5.59	0.25
11	MARTIN SKOULA	MIN	81	2.58	13	3.74	3.30	0.44
12	DENNIS SEIDENBERG	CAR	70	2.44	18	6.33	5.87	0.46
13	OSSI VAANANEN	VAN	49	2.82	15	6.51	5.10	1.41
14	JAY MCKEE	STL	69	3.07	26	7.37	4.40	2.97
15	PHILIPPE BOUCHER	PIT	41	1.93	16	12.16	7.47	4.69

Mara had a very strong year on a good Rangers penalty kill, but really didn't log big minutes there. Few of these players did, although some big bodies like Andrew Alberts, Marek Malik and the like could help a team in a specialized role.

The Ducks, Bruins, Blue Jackets, Devils, Flyers, Penguins and Blues could all use another blueliner.

2009 NHL Free Agency / Teams by Cap Space / Unsigned UFA's and RFA's

Robert L — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 19:19:41 -0000

This is a listing of NHL teams by order of remaining cap space as of July 4. The Islanders top the list with approximately $23M left to spend. The Sharks have just under $2M remaining. The list is helpful in determining which team are closest to filling out their 2009-10 lineup. As one can see, there is much work to be done at both ends of the spectrum. The numbers figures are based on totals given by NHL Numbers.com.

1 - New York Islanders: $23.265 (18)

UFA: Andy Hilbert C 28, Dean McAmmond C 36, Mike Sillinger C 38, Thomas Pock D 27, Yann Danis G 28, Joey MacDonald G 29.

RFA: Nate Thompson C 24, Jeremy Colliton C 24, Jamie Fraser D 23, Jack Hillen D 23.

2 - Phoenix Coyotes: $21.972 (18)

UFA: Brian McGrattan R 27, Dmitri Kalinin D 29, Ken Klee D 38.

RFA: Nigel Dawes L 24, Joakim Lindstrom C 25, Enver Lisin R 23, Scottie Upshall R 25, Daniel Winnik C 24, Keith Yandle D 22.

3 - Atlanta Thrashers: $19.599 (15)

RFA: Eric Perrin C 33.

UFA: Kari Lehtonen G 25, Colby Armstrong R 26, Jim Slater C 26, Boris Valabik D 23.

4 - Nashville Predators: $17.913 (16)

UFA: Radek Bonk C 33, Scott Nichol C 34, Greg de Vries D 36.

RFA: Ryan Jones R 25, Antti Pihlstrom L 24,.

5 - New York Rangers: $16.436 (13)

UFA: Blair Betts C 29, Mark Bell L 28, Patrick Rissmiller C 30, Paul Mara D 29, Derek Morris D 30.

RFA: Christopher Higgins R 26, Ryan Callahan R 24, Brandon Dubinsky C 23, Lauri Korpikoski L 22, Nikolai Zherdev L 24, Corey Potter D 25.

6 - Anaheim Ducks: $14.295 (17)

UFA: Rob Niedermayer F 34, Todd Marchant C 33, Francois Beauchemin D 29, Bret Hedican D 38.

RFA: James Wisniewski D 25.

7 - Tampa Bay Lightning: $14.295 (17)

UFA: Matt Pettinger L 28, Wade Brookbank L 31, Jason Ward R 30, Marek Malik D 34, Josef Melichar D 30, Cory Murphy D 31, Noah Welch D 26.

RFA: Martins Karsums R 23, Radek Smolenak L 22, Matt Lashoff D 22, Matt Smaby D 24, Mike Lundin D 24, Karri Ramo G 22, Mike McKenna G 26.

8 - Columbus Blue Jackets: $13.313 (20)

UFA: Chris Gratton C 33, Manny Malhotra C 29, Michael Peca C 35, Jason Williams C 28, Christian Backman D 29.

RFA: Jiri Novotny C 25, Marc Methot D 24, Ole-Kristian Tollefsen D 25.

9 - Dallas Stars: $13.193 (19)

UFA: Sergei Zubov D 38, Brendan Morrison C 33, Joel Lundqvist C 27, Mark Parrish R 32, Landon Wilson R 34, Tobias Stephan G 25, Darryl Sydor D 37.

RFA: Mark Fistric D 23.

10 - St. Louis Blues: $12.295 (22)

UFA: Trent Whitfield C 32, Dan Hinote R 32, Jay McKee D 31, Manny Legace G 36.

RFA: Brandon Crombeen R 23, Chris Porter C 25, Steve Regier L 24, Roman Polak D 23, Jeff Woywitka D 25, Marek Schwarz G 23.

11 - New Jersey Devils: $12.129

UFA: Brendan Shanahan L 40, Kevin Weekes G 34, Niclas Havelid D NJ.

RFA: Travis Zajac C 24.

12 - Toronto Maple Leafs: $12.022 (20)

UFA: Brad May L 37, Bates Battaglia L 33, Andre Deveaux C 25, Boyd Devereaux C 31, Jeff Hamilton C 31, Kris Newbury C 27, Ben Ondrus R 27, Jay Harrison D 26, Jamie Heward D 38, Martin Gerber G 34, Olaf Kolzig G 39, Curtis Joseph G 42.

RFA: Jeremy Williams R 25, Justin Pogge G 23, Jaime Sifers D 26, Ryan Hollweg C 26.

13 - Chicago Blackhawks: $11.797

UFA: Aaron Johnson D 26.

RFA: Cam Barker D 23, Troy Brouwer R 23, Ben Eager L 25, Colin Fraser C 24, Kris Versteeg R 23.

14 - Colorado Avalanche: $11.654 (15)

UFA: Joe Sakic F 39, Ben Guite R 30, Brian Willsie R 31, Andrew Raycroft G 29.

RFA: Kyle Cumiskey D 22, David Jones R 24, Cody McCormick C 26.

15 - Montreal Canadiens: $10.454 (16)

UFA: Alexei Kovalev F 36, Saku Koivu C 34, Alex Tanguay L 29, Robert Lang C 38, Mathieu Schneider D 40, Tom Kostopoulos R 30, Mathieu Dandenault D 33, Patrice Brisebois D 38, Francis Bouillon D 33, Marc Denis G 31.

RFA: Tomas Plekanec C 26, Matt D'Agostini R 22, Guillaume Latendresse R 22, Kyle Chipchura C 23, Gregory Stewart L 23.

16 - Los Angeles Kings: $10.285 (21)

UFA: Derek Armstrong F 36, Denis Gauthier D 32, Kyle Calder L 30.

RFA: Jack Johnson D 22, Teddy Purcell R 23.

17 - Washington Capitals: $9.720 (15)

UFA: Viktor Kozlov C 34, Alexandre Giroux C 28, Bryan Helmer D 26, Brent Johnson G 32.

RFA: Jeff Schultz D 23, Shaone Morrisonn D 26, Milan Jurcina D 26, Eric Fehr R 23, Boyd Gordon R 25.

18 - Buffalo Sabres: $8.976 (16)

UFA: Matt Ellis L 24, Dominic Moore C 28, Andrew Peters L 29, Teppo Numminen D 40, Maxim Afinogeno F 29,

RFA: Andrej Sekera D 23, Drew Stafford R 23, Clarke MacArthur L 24, Patrick Kaleta R 23.

19 - Florida Panthers: $8.405 (18)

UFA: Ville Peltonen L 36, Richard Zednik L 33, Jassen Cullimore D 36, Nick Boynton D 30.

RFA: Anthony Stewart C 24, Steve Eminger D 25, Tanner Glass L 25.

20 - Carolina Hurricanes: $8.083 (18)

UFA: Ryan Bayda L 28, Dennis Seidenberg D 27.

RFA: Tuomo Ruutu C 26, Anton Babchuk D 25.

21 - Vancouver Canucks: $7.282 (18)

UFA: Mats Sundin C 38, Jason Krog C 33, Rob Davison D 29, Ossi Vaananen D 28, Curtis Sanford G 29, Michel Ouellet R 27.

RFA: Shane O' Brien D 25. Kyle Wellwood C 26, Jannik Hansen R 23.

22 - Minnesota Wild: $6.296 (20)

UFA: Stephane Veilleux L 27, Krys Kolanos C 27, Marc-Andre Bergeron D 28, Kurtis Foster D 27, Martin Skoula D 29.

RFA: Dan Fritsche C 23, Benoit Pouliot L 22, Kyle Brodziak C 25, Josh Harding G 25.

23 - Edmonton Oilers: $6.404 (20)

UFA: Ales Kotalik R 30, Dany Sabourin G 28.

RFA: Liam Reddox L 23, Gilbert Brule C 22, Ryan Potulny C 24, Rob Schremp C 22, Denis Grebeshkov D 25, Ladislav Smid D 23.

24 - Detroit Red Wings: $5.554 (16)

UFA: Darren McCarty R 37, Aaron Downey R 34, Chris Chelios D 47.

RFA: Jiri Hudler C 25, Ville Leino L 25.

25 - Boston Bruins: $5.340 (18)

UFA: Stephane Yelle F 35, P.J. Axelsson L 34, Manny Fernandez G 34.

RFA: Phil Kessel F 21, Matt Hunwick D 24.

26 - Ottawa Senators: $4.649 (22)

UFA: Mike Comrie C 28.

RFA: Brendan Bell D 26, Brian Elliott G 24.

27 - Pittsburgh Penguins: $3.137 (19)

UFA: Mike Zigomanis C 28, James Connor L 26, Miroslav Satan L 34, Petr Sykora R 32, Janne Pesonen L 27, Philippe Boucher D 36.

RFA: Paul Bissonnette R 24, Tim Wallace R 24, Ben Lovejoy D 25, John Curry G 25.

28 - Calgary Flames: $3.053 (19)

UFA: Todd Bertuzzi R 34, Andre Roy R 34, Rhett Warrener D 33.

RFA: Dustin Boyd C 22.

29 - Philadelphia Flyers: $2.125 (20)

UFA: Josh Gratton L 26, Boyd Kane L 31, Andrew Alberts D 28, Lasse Kukkonen D 27, Martin Biron G 31, Antero Niittymaki G 29.

RFA: Jared Ross C 26, Danny Syvret D 24.

30 - San Jose Sharks: $1.774 (16)

UFA: Claude Lemieux R 43, Jeremy Roenick C 39, Tom Cavanagh R 27, Alexei Semenov D 28, Mike Grier R 34, Marcel Goc C 25, Tomas Plihal L 26, Lukas Kaspar L 23.

RFA: Torrey Mitchell C 24, Thomas Greiss G 23, Brad Staubitz R 24.

NHL Free Agency: Will the Sabres Stay on the Sidelines?

David Oleksy — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 00:05:00 -0000

More photos » by Don Heupel - AP

8 months ago: Buffalo Sabres right winger Patrick Kaleta answers a question from the media after cleaning out his locker in Buffalo, N.Y. on Monday, April 13, 2009. (AP Photo/Don Heupel)

Browse more photos »

On Saturday afternoon Darcy Regier indicated "The Sabres would not go for the home run" when July 1 comes around. He said "It could be a week or even two before the Sabres get involved in the free agent market". In his press conference today he changed his wording slightly. He basically said that the Sabres needed a change but needed to ship some players out in order to do that. I think the Sabres could be more active than any of us thought they would be.

Here is a quick look at the Sabres pending free agents as well as some potential targets in the free agent market. Just follow the jump and see what may be in store for the Sabres on July 1 and beyond.

Pending UFAs: Maxim Afinogenov, Jaroslav Spacek, Teppo Numminen, Dominic Moore and Andrew Peters

Pending RFAs: Drew Stafford, Clarke MacArthur (eligible for arbitration), Patrick Kaleta, Andrej Sekera and Mark Mancari

Salary Cap Space: Approximately $8.6 million

Projected Budget: $50-51 million...meaning they have only $3.5-4.5 million left to spend

Key Needs: The Sabres need to get tougher. They need to rid themselves of some under achieving players that are making good money as well as players like Andrew Peters to bring in some tough players that have some offensive talent. Players that will defend their goalie in the defensive zone and create space for the skill players in the offensive zone.

Potential Targets: Sami Pahlsson, Mike Knuble, Mikael Samuelsson, Ruslan Fedetenko, Ian Laparriere, MIke Grier (not likely) Hal Gill, Brett Hedican and Jay McKee

What the rest of the division wants: It's time to take a look at the rest of the Northeast Division, starting with the Division Champ Boston Bruins at Stanley Cup of Chowder. The Habs have a long needs list considering they have almost nobody under contract. Eyes on the Prize has a look at their free agent situation. I'll add the others as they become available.

The fine tech folks at SB Nation have once again made us a very fine widget for all your free agency needs. Make sure to check it out regularly before, during and after free agency begins.

Teppo Numminen: 208-2009 Report Card

David Oleksy — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 14:00:22 -0000

It's time to put the finishing touches on the 2008-2009 season for the Buffalo Sabres. Here is a complete report card of every single player that played a significant amount of time with the Sabres this season. Thanks to Japers Rink and Mile High Hockey for the inspiration.

Teppo Numminen

#27 / Defenseman / Buffalo Sabres

Height: 6-2

Weight: 198

Born: Jul 03, 1968

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	GTG	SOG	PCT
2008 - Teppo Numminen	57	2	15	17	-4	22	1	0	1	0	34	5.9

Key Stat: Numminen played in 57 games this season. That is impressive coming off a season where he played in only one game because of heart surgery. Even more impressive when you consider that he was 40 years-old this season.

Interesting Stat: Teppo finished the season as a minus four. It was only the third time in his 19-year career that he has finished the season as a minus player. He was a minus three in his rookie season and he was a minus five in his only season with the Dallas Stars.

Fun Fact: Numminen used to be owner of Montreal Sports, along with his father. Montreal is a major stick company that produces sticks for many players in the NHL.

The Good: Numminen was able to come back and play an entire season just one year removed from heart surgery. He played in only 57 games but he averaged 17:30 of ice time.

He scored two goals for the Sabres this season. That matches a season high (done twice) since he joined the Sabres.

He blocked a total of 45 shots which was eighth on the team. He took only 11 minor penalties on the season.

The Bad: By the end of the season he spent most of his time in the press box. His age finally caught up with him and it was obvious that Chris Butler was outplaying him.

Numminen had a total of 23 giveaways on the season and was a minus nine in the takeaway/giveaway category. He was also a minus three in the penalty plus/minus category.

2008-2009 Salary: $1,100,000

2009-2010 Status: Unrestricted Free Agent

Vote: It's time to grade Numminen for his play in Buffalo during the 2008-2009 season. Every player has expectations so vote based on those expectations. If a player played to their potential they should receive a "C" if they exceeded expectations they would receive a "B" or an "A".

Discuss: Do you think that Numminen was utilized properly by Lindy Ruff last season? Do you think that Numminen is going to retire at some point this off-season? If not do you think he should? There has been talk of Numminen becoming an assistant coach...do you think that he would make a good assistant coach?

Up Next: Nathan Paetsch

Poll

Grade Teppo Numminen or his play in the 2008-2009 season

A

16 votes

B

46 votes

C

70 votes

D

39 votes

F

1 votes

172 votes | Poll has closed

Sabres Finish In Style

David Oleksy — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 03:01:07 -0000

I won't bore you with a full recap of the Sabres regular season finale. Everyone is well aware that the playoffs are out of the question for the Sabres and this game was as meaningless as the Dominic Moore trade turned out to be. With that being said, it was nice to see the Sabres come out with a purpose early.

Both teams were without some of their best players, the Bruins were resting some while the Sabres had some injuries. It was the Sabres that took advantage of the Bruins depleted roster, scoring four first period goals to take complete control of the game.

It's amazing how much different this team plays when they have absolutely nothing to lose. I've preached about how talented this team is time and time again and games like tonight prove they are talented. The problem with this team is and has been confidence. It's tough to win hockey games and when you always worry about making mistakes.

Vanek Hits 40

Thomas Vanek scored two goals in this game to hit the 40 goal mark for the second time in his career. It took a power play goal with only 16 seconds left to help Vanek hit that plateau.

It was nice to see Vanek hit that milestone but it was better to hear him in the locker room saying "It means nothing without making the playoffs". Vanek is one player that has really matured over the past couple of seasons and will likely mature even more over the next couple of seasons.

Farewell Teppo

Unfortunately for Teppo Numminen, it became painfully evident that the game has passed him by. He will likely retire but either way, he has likely played his last game with the Sabres.

Numminen played in place of Toni Lydman tonight and registered an assist on the Sabres last fourth goal scored by Daniel Paille.

Butler Keeps Playing

Chris Butler scored his second NHL goal tonight and after the game he was sent to Portland to play for the Pirates in the playoffs. The Pirates will be happy to welcome Butler back in the lineup and he will get some valuable playoff experience.

Roll Call

I apologize for missing the last open thread of the season but sometimes the real job gets in the way...today was one of those days. Thanks to everyone who commented today and throughout the season. Today was the last open thread on Die by the Blade but we still have time to adopt a team and join in their open thread.

Roll Call: HO, Stanley Cup of Chowder, Joan O., qdloser
Total Users: 4
Total Posts: 55

Name	# of Posts
Joan O.	22
HO	22
qdloser	9
Stanley Cup of Chowder	2

Up Next

Locker clean out day nd a huge off-season for Die by the Blade. We have plenty of things planned for the off-season and hopefully we are ready to take Die by the Blade to the next level. Keep checkig in everyday and we promise you won't be disappointed.