Over the next couple of weeks we will have a new feature on Die by the Blade. WE will take a look at the players that will be free agents as of July 1. The restricted free agents will be first and the unrestricted will follow.
- Patrick Kaleta (RFA) - Read Post
- Clarke MacArthur (RFA) - Read Post
- Andrej Sekera (RFA)
- Drew Stafford (RFA)
- Max Afinogenov (UFA)
- Dominic Moore (UFA)
- Andrew Peters (UFA)
- Jaro Spacek (UFA)
- Mikael Tellqvist (UFA) - signed with Ak-Bars in KHL.
Andrej Sekera was called upon to fill in at the end of the 2007-2008 season and he performed admirably in that role. That season he was an AHL player with promise. This season he became and everyday NHL defenseman. We sometimes forget that Sekera is a rookie when watching him play.
It's hard to criticize Sekera's play at the ripe young age of 22 years-old. I know that people are tired of hearing about how young the players on this team are but it is the reality of the situation.
Stregnths
This season we seen a glimpse of what Andrej Sekera can do and it brings plenty of hope for the future. Sekera is a very good skater and proved that he can help the Sabres as a potential puck moving defenseman. He isn't quite Brian Campbell but he has many of the same qualities that Campbell has.
If we are using Brian Campbell as a benchmark for the progress of Sekera, he is leaps and bounds ahead of where Campbell was at the same point in his career. He doesn't have the same offensive talent that Campbell has but he is much more responsible in the defensive zone.
Weaknesses
Sekera needs to become more consistent in the defensive zone. He needs to eliminate the "rookie" mistakes with bad clearing attempts and sloppy passes. Sekera is always trying to make the perect play instead of sometimes making the "smart" play.
Possibly the biggest weakness in his game was how much he regressed at the end of the season. It seemed that he wasn't the same player after the injury but more importantly...he lost confidence. He needs to find a way to regain confidence in his game because he looked lost in the final 15-20 games of the season. It could have been his injury but it could also be his inability to handle pressure situations. Only time will tell how good of a player Sekera will be.
Bottom Line
Sekera is a ighly touted propsect that everyone in the organization raves about. He has shown glimpse of what we thought he could bring to the table and he started the season like he was primed to become a great defenseman. The Sabres need Sekera to mature quickly into the player he is supposed to be.
Verdict
He will definitely be re-signed by the Sabres. I don't think there is any chance that the Sabres will let Sekera test te free agent market and they will not be in any hurry to trade him away.