Daily Links for Thursday, Dec. 31

by Andy Boron on Dec 31, 2009 6:00 AM EST in Daily Links

Happy New Year's Eve, everyone! We have a metric ton of links today and tomorrow dealing mostly with the Olympics and the upcoming Winter Classic in Boston, so please check after the break if you're looking for more info, such as the Canadian Olympic roster. As for tonight, hopefully everyone is able to be with friends and/or family, and hopefully hockey fans and their loved ones everywhere stay safe this evening. Stay at home, designate a driver or sleep at a friend's house tonight so we can all enjoy a new year of hockey in 2010!

Veterans, strong goalie play highlight Finnish roster | NHL.com
Saku Koivu and the Ruutu brothers highlight the Finnish Olympic roster, which includes Sabres defenseman Toni Lydman.

Germans enter Vancouver with a new look | NHL.com
German coach Uwe Krupp announced his 23-man roster for the Olympics and is sending a squad that has a decidedly new look. Sabres prospect Philip Gogulla has made the team, Jochen Hecht did not.

GERBE, WEBER NAMED TO AHL ALL-STAR TEAM | Buffalo Sabres
The American Hockey League announced today the PlanetUSA AHL All-Star team roster for the 2010 Time Warner Cable AHL All-Star Classic. Good for the boys!

Winter Classic equipment managers prepare for all conditions | NHL.com
Dave Williams, equipment manager for the Buffalo Sabres, talks about how he prepared the team's gear for the first Winter Classic.

Canada unveils a powerhouse lineup for Olympics | NHL.com
Canada's squad is just silly with talent, and there will definitely be some controversy with who made the roster and who didn't. They will certainly be a difficult team to beat.

A look inside Team Canada's decision making | NHL.com
You know the names, now learn how the Team Canada Brain Trust came up with the final roster.

Swiss looking to take one giant last step with Krueger | NHL.com
The Swiss roster has been set, with only 3 NHL players on the squad. They do have cool first names though, like Yannick, Ivo, Sandy, and Hnat. So they've got that goin' for them.

Scores of NHLers will help Czechs score in Vancouver | NHL.com
Scores of NHL players, led by Tomas Plekanec, Tomas Kaberle, Tomas Vokoun and Patrik Elias will don the Czech jersey for the 2010 Olympics.

Photo Expedition: Fenway's Classic makeover, cool hockey gear | Puck Daddy
Ryan Lambert over at Puck Daddy takes us on a small photo tour of the now mutated Fenway Park.

Washington-Columbus trade works both ways | The Hockey News
The Washington Capitals have traded captain Chris Clark and defenseman Milan Jurcina to the Columbus Blue Jackets for grinding winger Jason Chimera. Ryan Kennedy explains how this holiday trade benefits both teams.

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Comments

Weber is second among AHL defensemen with a plus 16! I didn’t realize he had bounced back so well. I think it’s time he got another shot and maybe Darcy starts shopping around for one of our defensemen.

by Traver on Dec 31, 2009 6:36 AM EST reply actions

But who?

All of our defensemen have been playing well this year, IMO. I was one of the doubters when it came to Toni and Hank at the beginning of the year, but they’ve been doing well (enough to make their respective Olympic squads). These may be the most likely to go, however, as they are in contract years.

Maybe Paetsch could be put on the block, but I don’t know that we’d get a lot for him. I liked keeping him around as a healthy scratch for “utility-man” purposes, since we could throw him in offensive or defensive roles. But then Lindy showed a few weeks ago that Sekera can play offense as well, possibly taking away that niche.

So I think that to shop around any of the D-Men that I would be willing to part with, I don’t think we’d get enough in return.

by The Burl 8 on Dec 31, 2009 10:20 AM EST up reply actions

Well, I think that Weber can nicely fit the spot left by Lydman. I say resign Hank and trade Lydman for some draft picks.

by Traver on Dec 31, 2009 1:16 PM EST up reply actions

we should keep our D for a cup run, let one or both free agents sign elsewhere in the off-season and then Weber can be a Sabre starting next season. If we have enough injuries he might even play this season. No reason to change the team when it is performing beyond expectations.

by lassathrax on Dec 31, 2009 5:55 PM EST up reply actions