Derek Roy: 2010-2011 Report Card

by Zachary Zielonka on Jul 11, 2011 10:00 AM EDT in 2010-2011 Report Cards

It's time to put the finishing touches on the 2010-2011 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 began with Luke Adam and will conclude in a month with Mike Weber. Thanks to Japers Rink and Mile High Hockey for the inspiration.

I think we forgot that we had five more of these to finish.

Derek Roy

#9 / Center / Buffalo Sabres

Height: 5-9

Weight: 184

Born: May 04, 1983

+/-

PIM

2010 - Derek Roy

Playoffs

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-2

Introduction: Derek's Roy season ended four months too soon for a player that was averaging a point per game, the first time Roy has done that since he had 81 points in 78 games during the 2007-08 season. Roy's season essentially ended when he tore his quadriceps after a hit from Florida's Dmitri Kulikov. That happened on December 23rd and many Sabres fans thought that his injury was going to be the end of the Sabres season as we knew it because at the time he was the best player on the ice.

The Sabres rebounded their season without Roy in the lineup and Roy returned for the final game of the Flyers series in the playoffs where he registered an assist in the lone game he played in. Roy comes into the 2011-12 season with something to prove as he needs to continue to show that he is possibly a number one center in this league.

Key Stat: While Roy's point per game production has been bandied about a lot, I figured I would highlight Roy's faceoff percentages. Roy had an offensive zone faceoff percentage of 45.9%, 41.4% in the defensive zone, and 41.7% in the neutral zone.

Thumbs Up: Roy was having a phenomenal season before he was injured with 10 goals and 25 assists in 35 games. Before he went down, he was the best player on the Sabres roster by far. Roy has only finished a season at a point per game once before, in 2007-08 and also finished with the highest ratio of assists per game at .71.

Thumbs Down: Not really a thumbs down for the team, but when Roy's season was derailed around Christmas, the Sabres as a team turned themselves around and made a major push to make the playoffs. Other players stepped up and became the star of the team, including Drew Stafford. This has led to many discussion as to how expendable Derek Roy has become.

Voting: On a scale of one to ten, one being the lowest and ten being the highest, grade Derek Roy 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.

Topics of Discussion: Can Derek Roy come back to his old form after missing half of last season? Is Derek Roy a true number one center?

Poll

What rating does Derek Roy get for the 2010-2011 season

10

21 votes

9

56 votes

8

124 votes

7

101 votes

6

51 votes

5

21 votes

4

13 votes

3

5 votes

2

4 votes

1

2 votes

398 votes | Poll has closed

Tweet Comment 12 comments | 0 recs |

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Comments

Extrodinary

I gave him a nine which is the highest score I have awarded any Sabre in this series. Roy exceeded my expectations by a huge margin. I expected his output and attitude to decline last season. Instead, he played with an edge that was previously lacking and he scored goals at cricial times during several games. All in All, I was very pleased with his performance. Now, if he can only get it together in the lockerroom!

by Geolover on Jul 11, 2011 10:39 AM EDT reply actions

I gave Roysie an 8

He used to be a player I did not like, but his play and the people of the DBTB community have changed my mind about him. His PPG pace for the first 35 games are 1st line center numbers, and his contributions to the PK and PP would make him hard to replace on any team. While the Sabres improved once he went down, I do not think they improved because he went down; the Roy injury seemed to wake up our team and bring us closer together, which correlated to our large second half improvement. If he continues his strong play from last season and our team does not start out in a huge funk, we will be a contender for the Cup…no problem.

"We’re gonna win the Stanley Cup. Then, you know what, we’re gonna win it again,"
-Terry Pegula

by bgred105 on Jul 11, 2011 10:52 AM EDT reply actions

10

I cannot fault him for sustaining an unfortunate injury. So from the games we had to judge Roy by, he was incredible. His production was rockets to the stars at a time when the rest of the team was garbage in the dumpster. He carried this team on his back for weeks and every point ended up being crucial. His playoff return was inspiring. Roy has silenced any criticisms I have had for him in years past. He seems to have matured (no more “frat Roy” jokes) and I look forward to watching him continue his dominance when healthy.

by lassathrax on Jul 11, 2011 11:19 AM EDT reply actions

Silly Questions

How do Roy’s face-off percentages compare to …

1. Overall NHL average?
2. Number 1 center’s league average?
3. Number 2 center’s league average?

Finally, how relevant are the questions to the big picture?

Thanks!

by BobDH on Jul 11, 2011 2:06 PM EDT reply actions

For some reason, I have a feeling the overall average is 50 percent :)

by kitaman27 on Jul 11, 2011 2:53 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs

lol, Rec'd

Now attending the Univ. of Hockey.

by bflo on Jul 11, 2011 3:22 PM EDT up reply actions

I don’t know about broken down by o-zone/d-zone but i know teams win about 52% of their face-offs on the power play.

On the Mike Weber bandwagon!
I hate Christian Ehrhoff because he should have been Tomas Kaberle.

by Ubiquitous on Jul 11, 2011 4:38 PM EDT up reply actions

Roy is slightly below average in the league (50%). There is no correlation between face-off percentage and what line you play on, because line match-ups vary by team coaching style, and more importantly because face-off skills are not related to play-making/scoring skills (Gaustad is proof of this). So I would argue that those questions are completely irrelevant to the big picture (assuming by “big picture” you mean which line Roy belongs on).

by lassathrax on Jul 11, 2011 4:44 PM EDT up reply actions

FO%

Hrm… something is odd, ESPN and NHL.com have him winning 46.4% of his faceoffs last season. Now, that isn’t broken down by zone, so maybe that factors in and my math isn’t good enough to figure it out? But I don’t see how his overall percentage can be higher than any of his per zone percentages.

by clownfat on Jul 11, 2011 4:43 PM EDT reply actions

I just don’t want him on a line with Vanek, the chemistry and playing styles don’t mix

by billsfan26 on Jul 11, 2011 11:34 PM EDT reply actions

Can’t I give him an “incomplete?”

by Philaster on Jul 13, 2011 11:38 AM EDT reply actions

I agree

I would agree with the incomplete grade. People in the media looked at the Sabres playoffs surge without Roy to justify the argument that the Sabres don`t need him and that he is a cancer to the team. I dismiss this as typical Buffalo Bashing!! I think the team was starting to turn the corner and was headed in the right direction before his injury. I believe he is a very valuable member of this team and look for some great play from him this upcoming season.

by BUBLSRM on Jul 21, 2011 12:55 PM EDT up reply actions