Raffi Torres: 2009-10 Report Card
by Zachary Zielonka on Jun 2, 2010 10:00 AM EDT
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PrintIt's time to put the finishing touches on the 2009-2010 season for the Buffalo Sabres. Here is a complete report card of every single player that played any amount of time with the Sabres this season. The journey will begin with Chris Butler and conclude in almost a month with Thomas Vanek. Thanks to Japers Rink and Mile High Hockey for the inspiration.
Introduction: For a deadline player, Raffi Torres probably could not have made a larger thud in the lineup. While that seems like a harsh thing to say, Torres' time in Buffalo was fairly unforgettable. Torres registered 5 assists in 14 games with the Sabres and more importantly, no goals. His play was lackluster enough in the playoffs that he was benched for the final two games. Whether Torres' career takes off after Buffalo is yet to be seen, but he won't register much in the hearts of Sabres fans.
Voting: On a scale of one to ten, one being the lowest and ten being the highest, grade Raffi Torres on his season according to the expectations you had for him. If he met them, give him a five or a six. If he eclipsed them, aim for a seven or beyond. If he failed to meet them, give him a lower number relating to how poorly he missed the target.
Thumbs Up: Raffi Torres came into the Sabres with a lot of promise. His 19 goals led the team when he joined back in early March. He was touted as a player that played with a lot of grit and had some offensive scoring touch behind it which was something that the Sabres desperately needed at the time. Many around the league thought that the Sabres were winners at the trade deadline with this deal.
Thumbs Down: Torres couldn't live up to all of the hype. His play was lauded by fans at times and he never seemed to get find that scoring touch in the lineup. Worst of all, Torres suffered a wrist injury early in his time as a Sabre which affected his play and was another factor in what was a disappointing stretch with the Sabres. Sabres GM Darcy Regier had this say about Torres and the deal after the season ended:
"It didn't benefit him, and it didn't benefit us, and it didn't work," Regier told the Buffalo News. "When we looked at him, we looked at him from the standpoint of a bigger body and somebody who had played well in the playoffs for Columbus in the previous year. Quite honestly, me personally, I wasn't looking at his 19 goals as much as I was hoping that he could give us some competitiveness and board work in corners.
"I felt badly for him. He's an unrestricted free agent, and he's a good player, and I hope things work out very well for him."
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I gave Torres a five, because I predicted when he was hired that he would not have a significant impact on the effectiveness of the team. I was correct, he was invisible during most of the games in which he participated. Worse yet, his presence in the lineup meant that someone else was not playing who would have worked much harder and possibly improved the team.
I did not like this guy right from the beginning. I can’t express how I percieved his insincerity and unwillingness to be productive, but a strong sense of distrust and repugnance flitted through my mind when I first saw him on the ice. It just struck me that he was parasite who was passing through Buffalo on the way to somewhere else.
Geo – Am I getting the feeling you didn’t care for the Torres trade?
I give Torres a big thumbs down. And I actually had a lot of hope for him making a contribution here. It’s beyond me why he showed up out of shape, and how he couldn’t acclimate to the “system.” Was the guy dumb as a box of rocks?
I’m curious to see what he gets in FA. He certainly didn’t help himself. A telling indictment came from Regier. It sounded like they NEVER even thought about bringing him back after his tryout here. To not even think about it is pretty scathing if you ask me.
I think we need to cut Raffi a break
Anyone who thinks he played with a lack of effort is just dead wrong. Torres played a physical game in his short time in Buffalo but he didn’t produce offensively. I think we expected more out of him than Lindy Ruff did because Lindy never gave him a chance.
Lindy played Raffi mostly on the fourth line with our offensive juggernaut Adam Mair. He did get a little bit of ice time with the offensive players but not enough to develop some chemistry. I sometimes wonder if Lindy tries to sabotage any trades Darcy makes because he never gives deadline acquisitions an opportunity to contribute. We all make jokes about Dominic Moore and now Raffi Torres but Moore looked pretty good in the playoffs with Montreal and time will tell what Torres is able to accomplish in the future.
D.O.
www.diebytheblade.com - An SB nation destination for Sabres fans everywhere
Yeah but, when someone says that he, himself should be benched due to his play. And not showing up to his new team in shape… thats says it all right there… to me anyways.
And thats kind of an interesting take on Lindy possibly putting them (newly acquired player) in fail situations just to spite Darcy… Idk if I’d agree with it. But this is 3 straight years, and 3 straight flops by deadline deals… That had been playing well, or went on to play well outside of Buffalo.
And yes when Moore scored that one goal vs Washington I did a… “Wow Washingtons going to Wait, what…. Dominic Moore… as in our old Dominic Moore?!” lol
"Ok, its Gudda hoe, all about my Bills like Buffalo."
oh shoot I forgot about him. Yeah first game 2 goals, an assist and kicked some ass sticking up for Roy at the end of the game. Then… to quote Yukon Cornelious " ……. nothin!"
"Ok, its Gudda hoe, all about my Bills like Buffalo."
I actually liked Bernier's game.
I think a lot of the whole “Lindy putting deadline acquisitions in fail situations” is that either 1) they haven’t earned his trust yet or, 2) Lindy acknowledging how demanding and difficult his system can be to learn so he puts them on the 4th line to get a on the job crash-course.
Save Jenrry Mejia!
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