It'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: In his third career promotion to the NHL, Mark Mancari made the biggest personal impact in the 2009-10 season. While Mancari only played six games, he had two points and more importantly was a +3 in those six games, note the plus/minus statistic is incredibly biased.
Voting: On a scale of one to ten, one being the lowest and ten being the highest, grade Mark Mancari 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.
Key Stat: Mark Mancari only played six games for the Sabres this season, but led the Portland Pirates in scoring this season. His 28 goals and 74 points came in 74 regular season games in the AHL. Mancari has averaged .3125 career points/game in 16 NHL games and it will be interesting if he finally gets a shot on the roster next year.
Thumbs Up: Mark Mancari may end up as a career AHL player with the Buffalo Sabres, but he also could crack a few NHL lineups. Mancari had his best set of games in this year's promotion to the roster. Mancari scored one goal and one assist and most important was a +3 in six games. Mancari was a career -5 coming into this season.
Thumbs Down: Mancari most likely will never crack the Sabres lineup as a full time player. He has been leapfrogged on the hierarchy of talent by Nathan Gerbe and Tyler Ennis and if he was to stay in the system, he would have to be offered another contract by the Sabres as he is a restricted free agent. Mancari was a holdout of sorts last season after being disgruntled about his status with the Sabres. It will be interesting to see if the Sabres sign him and offer him as part of a trade package.
Discuss: What are the prospects of seeing Mark Mancari as a full-time Buffalo Sabre?