Adam Mair Placed on Waivers

by David Oleksy on Nov 9, 2009 10:37 PM EST

The first reaction to hearing the news of Adam Mair being placed on waivers was a simple wow. It came as a bit of a surprise to me. Mair is a well liked player from what we know and he is a fan favorite. He plays the role of a fourth line grinder who always plays with energy which helps him be a favorite of the fans and his teammates.

After the initial shock wore off, it is not really a surprising move. Mair has played in only 3 games this season and was not going to crack the top four lines anytime soon. I have said it on a couple of occasions "the Sabres have the best fourth line in hockey" unfortunately that line didn't include Mair.

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	GTG	SOG	PCT
2009 - Adam Mair	3	0	0	0	-1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0.0

Mair is a veteran of the Buffalo Sabres and the National Hockey League. The Sabres are trying to give him an opportunity to play with another team because he was not getting the playing time in Buffalo. The move would also effectively eliminate some payroll, although Mair was not making a large amount of money.

"We’ve just got extra forwards. He’s not playing, he’s in a contract year and it’s an opportunity to hopefully get a chance elsewhere."

Follow the jump for video of the Darcy Regier press conference.

The move is easy to make because the Sabres have some players that can step into his role if there is injury. The Sabres signed Cody McCormick and Jeff Cowan in the off-season and either player would be capable of adding the grit and energy that Mair brings to the ice. McCormick would obviously be the most likely choice because he is younger and could develop into the role with the squad while Cowan is more of a veteran player.

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Comments

First Paille and now Mair, you get the feeling they might be looking to sign someone.

by Rafal Ladysz on Nov 9, 2009 11:41 PM EST reply actions

how does anyone still think that Ellis is better than Mair?

Blue and Gold (of Buffalo)

by Ebscer on Nov 10, 2009 12:36 AM EST reply actions

really because he is. Ellis does the little things that most people don’t recognize. he’s rarely out of position, defensively he is solid, he hits and creates chances and he effectively covers the point when a d-man pinches.

by gatornation on Nov 10, 2009 9:58 AM EST up reply actions 1 recs

Totally agree. Ellis is a solid blue collar player perfect for the fourth line. He never stops moving his feet or trying to get the puck.

by ajs29 on Nov 10, 2009 10:46 AM EST up reply actions

mair is undersized and injury-prone. Ellis seems to be more rugged (knock on wood) and more consistent, particularly defensively.

as the article says, there are several guys who can step into his role.

by sabre74kkn on Nov 10, 2009 10:38 AM EST up reply actions

Ellis = Way Better than Mair

Mair is a fan favorite because he plays the game with an edge. I like that part of his game but he is a one dimensional player. He is not good in the defensive zone, he is not good with the puck and he is often out of position because he tries to hard to make a hit. I still like Mair but Ellis does a lot more to help the team.

D.O.
www.diebytheblade.com - An SB nation destination for Sabres fans everywhere

by David Oleksy on Nov 10, 2009 10:48 AM EST up reply actions

100% agree

I love Adam Mair, but Ellis is just better. Don’t forget Ellis can score. For a period of last January, he was the hottest player on our team, and did not look out of place playing on the 2nd line with Pommer.
If you don’t think Ellis is better than Mair, just watch him play just one shift. Follow his movements throughout the shift. He hauls a$$ to every puck and every position on the ice. If our top lines played as hard as Ellis did every shift, we would certainly have fewer losses in my mind. Mair is a tough son of a gun, but Ellis is a better, all-around hockey player

B-B-B-Byrd Byrd Byrd, Byrd is the Wyrd!"

by willgarr15 on Nov 10, 2009 11:49 AM EST up reply actions