12 Questions For Christmas - #11

by Calvin on Dec 15, 2011 2:00 PM EST

The subject of question #11, Ville Leino #23 of the Buffalo Sabres. (Photo by Rick Stewart/Getty Images)

At this rate, the Buffalo Sabres medical staff will be in line for a hefty raise in remuneration come the end of the season. Losing a home game against a division rival despite leading going into the third period already reopened a gash that has been laid bare a few times already this season. To top it off, salt got rubbed into the wound with the news that Ville Leino will now be out for a few weeks with an as-yet-undetermined lower body injury

Speaking of Leino, he is the focus of today's question - this should make for some heated commenting and enthralling reading, after the jump.

#11 - What role is Ville Leino best suited for on the Sabres?

Leino has had a tough start to his time here in Buffalo. Signed in free agency in the offseason, he was heralded as the new top six center that this team has lacked for years, despite never having really played the position in the NHL while with the Detroit Red Wings and Philadelphia Flyers. Leino turned 28 at the beginning of this season, and hit it big in the contract stakes with a six-year, $4.5 million per year deal. This move was widely seen as a Hail Mary gamble - if Leino shined as a center the Sabres management would be feted as visionary, and if he flopped in the role then they would be vilified for overspending on an unproven commodity.

His tenure at center lasted only a few games and was an unmitigated disaster. That is really saying a lot when you consider that this is the same Sabres squad where Jochen Hecht is a first line center and even rookie Luke Adam succeeded for some time with the top six. He seemed to find his way a little after that, away from the spotlight in the lower lines.

Over the last few games he has been playing quite well, forming a good partnership with rookies Adam and Zack Kassian in a Sabres version of the third line, and has scored five points in the last seven games. After the injury to Nathan Gerbe, it appears coach Lindy Ruff abandoned his checking line and rolled out three (potentially) scoring lines, and a bits n' pieces trio with Marc-Andre Gragnani at left wing - Sabres fans will undoubtedly be having flashbacks of Nathan Paetsch, and look how that seasons-long experiment turned out.

With 29 games played, Leino has 3 G & 7 A, with only one of those points coming on the power play - quite a surprise since his slick hands were supposed to be a boon for the special teams units. Leino hangs on to the puck for way too long, passing up on shooting opportunities that eventually fizzle out into nothing. It's saying something when defensive pivot Paul Gaustad has the same number of total shots as him. However he has drastically cut down on his turnovers and even leads the team in takeaways. His -7 rating is a team-low, but I'm not sure what to make of it because Gragnani is second on the team in the giveaways category and yet leads the team with a +11!

Less than half a season is not enough time to make any long-term proclamations about a player, but at the same time we have seen enough to ask a few questions. Can we do something different with Leino to get more out of him? What is he best suited to do on this current squad? How can he contribute more this season?

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maybe its just me

but it looks as if Leino has lost a step this year. He always seems to be out of position and loses a lot of 50/50 battles. He doesnt appear to have good food speed/ quickness. I hope he can turn it around and give us a boost in the playoffs! we gotta put some wins together here!

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by thenewhockeytown on Dec 15, 2011 2:28 PM EST reply actions

I feel like he’s trying to show off too much. He needs to just relax and play hockey. He tries to stick handle around people or make a fancy pass when he could just use his body and get to open ice. He seems to make a lot of dumb mistakes. Hopefully he turns him game around because I’d love to call him Ville the Kid when he scores but he doesn’t deserve nicknames right now. I’d like to see him work harder and make some fundamental nice passes and play like he does (or did) in the playoffs everygame

by billsfan26 on Dec 17, 2011 6:06 PM EST up reply actions

I’m sure there are several people happy with his current place on the Injured list.

I think he was starting to click with his Rookie linemates, Adam and Kassian. I was really looking forward to seeing how that line was going to develop. But oh well, another Sabre on the IR.

"If we needed any more motivation to win a Cup sooner than later, we've got one now," Black said. "I really want to listen to the game that RJ calls when he finally gets to shout out, 'Buffalo wins the Stanley Cup.'"
"Do it or Die Trying."

by FloridaBuffalo on Dec 15, 2011 2:29 PM EST reply actions 1 recs

Yup.

That line was playing well, and I liked it a lot. I dont always agree with all of Lindys lines… but this one I liked.

Come on Buffalo, please?

by bflo on Dec 15, 2011 3:39 PM EST up reply actions

Maybe it's just me

but he hasn’t looked nearly as bad as people are making it seem. Yes, he needs to score more but so does pretty much every other player on the team.
For the most part, I like his play and think he was making great strides before his injury. He seems to play with a chip on his shoulder which really surprises me and, unlike some of his teammates, I don’t think you can knock his effort. He’s pretty much taken the place of Connolly as the player who can do no right by a large contingent of the fans, whether deserved or not.

by lgbfromoregon on Dec 15, 2011 3:12 PM EST reply actions 3 recs

In Buffalo, any player making more than $3M/year is inherently subject to undue criticism, lack of patience or benefit of the doubt, and extremely unrealistic expectations.

Not saying Leino deserves praise, but he certainly has not played terribly.

Sabres fans have for so long seen their team cuffed by self-imposed financial constraints that they have become accustomed to judging players based heavily on their salaries. On Pegula’s team, we shouldn’t be doing that anymore. Money is not an issue. Does it matter that Ehrhoff makes a huge bonus? It shouldn’t. All that matters is that he is committed to this team for 10 years with a very reasonable cap hit of $4M. So judge him as you would a player who makes $4M/year, because in the eyes of a fan, the rest of the money is none of your concern. Same goes for Leino or for Vanek. If you insist on holding them to a standard based on dollars, at least use their cap hit dollars.

by lassathrax on Dec 15, 2011 3:38 PM EST up reply actions

It's just you IMHO

"I wore my knees out praying we'd win the 1st choice and could take Perreault. I never wanted a hockey player more."--Punch Imlach

by Sabresfansinceday1 on Dec 15, 2011 7:25 PM EST via mobile up reply actions

Taking Connolly's role...

isn’t exactly a compliment.

Do you believe in miracles? YES!

by Up State NY on Dec 16, 2011 7:27 AM EST up reply actions

Nice Post

Ditto on both points, about making strides and about inheriting the Connolly black sheep role.

by CGoetz on Dec 16, 2011 10:02 AM EST up reply actions

If I were Ruff

I would put Leino back at center. He sucked at it in his first chances, I am not denying that. He has played marginally better at wing since shifting back over, sure. But this team still needs a top 6 center and they selected Leino to be that guy. What is the harm in giving him another shot (after he returns from injury, that is).

Alternatively, we could put him on the top line as a winger and try Pominville as a center. This putative top line (Vanek-Pominville-Leino) has some precedented success as a power-play unit. Pominville (and to a lesser degree, Drew Stafford) could represent some untapped playmaking potential at the center position. Pominville in particular is adept at the backchecking responsibilities that accompany the position – especially given his extensive experience as a power-play point-man.

by lassathrax on Dec 15, 2011 3:47 PM EST reply actions

worth a shot

Putting Pominville in at center could be interesting – he has been taking faceoffs during powerplays and is actually above 50% in those. His overall FO% is 48.6%, and only Roy, Gaustad and Adam have taken more faceoffs than he has.

Smile.. tomorrow will be worse.

by Calvin on Dec 15, 2011 3:52 PM EST up reply actions

If i were Ruff, I might even try the experiment before Leino returns, and try a Vanek-Pominville-Stafford or Vanek-Pominville-Ennis line. I’d at least try it out during practice or in a desperate game.

by lassathrax on Dec 15, 2011 4:06 PM EST up reply actions

.

His -7 rating is a team-low, but I’m not sure what to make of it because Gragnani is second on the team in the giveaways category and yet leads the team with a +11!

What I’d take away is the reinforcement that +/- is a really flawed stat.

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by Ogre39666 on Dec 15, 2011 7:28 PM EST reply actions

It has some relevance and should be considered, if you look at team +/- across the NHL you will see a distinct pattern. Now as to whether that is result of being good or a defining factor in what makes a team good I don’t know. I suspect the former

by IiiIIIiiIiI on Dec 15, 2011 9:35 PM EST up reply actions

1. I don’t even know how to say your screen name, so I won’t even try. I’ll just recognize you as the guy whose screen name gives me a headache when I try to focus on how many i’s and l’s there are.
2. I think +/- is a good indicator, but not perfect. It is like QB rating in the NFL. Generally, guys with high QB ratings are good QBs. Occasionally a guy gets a high QB rating but is generally not good. So, it is a good measure but has flaws. Coming onto the ice while the forwards are on a rush and score gives you a + even though you didn’t do anything…but, that’s pretty rare.

Thank you thank you thank you thank you sireric for bringing the furious punching cat back into my life. - poz

by bluecollarbuffalo on Dec 15, 2011 10:21 PM EST up reply actions

I don’t think Leino has been as bad as many seem to think. I think he should get the benefit of doubt considering the absurd expectations many had. We’re talking about a guy who had less than 150 NHL regular season games under his belt before he came here, and expected him to produce at a ppg pace.

Maybe this little setback of an injury will help some? Take a step back to take two forward. Get used to the organization a little more. See some games from up top, and learn what Lindy and his “system” is all about.

I still think he’s a good player, and I expect some good things from him down the road. I’m certainly not ready to run him out of town after only playing 30 games here on an injury plagued roster. Heck, it wouldn’t surprise me if and when he came back, he thrived playing center…

by krytime on Dec 15, 2011 10:34 PM EST reply actions

Excuse the snide comment

But so long as he doesn’t turn out to be injury prone. Then again, this isn’t a concussion.

Snark and thinly veiled Tim Connolly remarks aside, I 100% agree with you. He hasn’t gotten a chance to grow into his expectations.

Enjoys long walks on the beach, Molson Canadian, and making the playoffs.

by AcesNines on Dec 16, 2011 12:48 AM EST up reply actions

Leino can best serve the Sabres...

by being included in a package along with one of our little men for draft picks or as part of a bigger package for a legit quality hockey player like Bobby Ryan. The author said it best; he doesn’t shoot and he holds onto the puck for way too long, until he’s practically in the corner, before whipping the puck in front of the net where unfortunately none of our boys besides Vanek have had the sack to go this year in an attempt to screen the goal-tender or dig for garbage rebound goals. They signed him to play center so that’s what he should be doing but he should also be on the first train to any team stupid enough to pick up his tab.

Do you believe in miracles? YES!

by Up State NY on Dec 16, 2011 7:32 AM EST reply actions

well played sir

once he infomed the coach he didnt like playing center (I assume he stamped his feet for emphasis) and Lindy caved you knew Darcy had been had.
I’ll help carry him to the curb.

by boonies191 on Dec 16, 2011 9:09 AM EST up reply actions

all he needs is to be on a 3rd line with Briere and Hartnell.
We want him to be a #1 center?
For good reason the Red Wings walked away from him when he was their property…they must’ve LOL’ed this summer at Darcy the Ditherer.

by boonies191 on Dec 16, 2011 9:11 AM EST up reply actions

Bobby Ryan has been criticized in Anaheim for taking shifts/games off. He’s like a more talented Drew Stafford. He’s a good player but if he were a Sabre, you’d be complaining about him just as much.

by Philaster on Dec 16, 2011 10:45 AM EST up reply actions 2 recs

Yes

Selling the farm (think: McNabb, Ennis or Kassian, plus a first round draft pick, and maybe even more) for another scapegoat who doesnt even play the position we are lacking is not something I am about to sign up for.

by lgbfromoregon on Dec 16, 2011 10:52 AM EST up reply actions