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.
Key Stat - In 2008-2009 Chris Butler emerged out of nowhere and cemented his spot on the roster this season. He finished last season with a plus-11 rating on a team that missed the playoffs. This season was a complete turnaround for Butler. He finished with a team worst minus-15 rating. Although plus minus can be a misleading stat a look at the advance stats shows that teams were more likely to score when Butler was on the ice, than they were to score when he wasn't.
Interesting Stat - Butler missed 12 games due to injury this season and he missed a 11 regular season games as a healthy scratch. He was a healthy scratch in all six of the Sabres playoff games.
Fun Fact - Butler played his 100th NHL game on 3/26/10 against the hated Ottawa Senators.
Defensive Partners -
- Craig Rivet - 56.14%
- Andrej Sekera - 8.61%
- Tyler Myers - 6.06%
The Good - It is difficult to find a silver lining in a season that Butler appeared to regress considerably. He gained some more NHL experience as a very young player that is still in his rookie contract. He had immediate success in the NHL and this season may have taught him a lesson that things won't always come easily.
The Bad - This was a nightmare season for Butler. In 2008-2009 he was a huge surprise to the Sabres when he was called up during an injury. Opponents scored over a full goal less when he was on the ice as opposed to when he was off the ice. Those numbers all look ugly this season. Opponents scored almost three goals per 60 minutes on the ice, he was a minus 15 and he was not good enough to see the ice in the playoffs.
2009-2010 Salary - $850,000
2010-2011 Status - Signed $850,000
Vote- It's time to vote on the play of Chris Butler. Last season we used a letter grade but this season we are adapting the Japers' Rink method of rating. Every player has expectations before the season begins. This ranking should be based off of those expectations. If a player met your expectations you will give him a 5 or a 6 ranking. If they exceeded your expectations the rating should be higher with 10 being the best. If they fell short of expectations the rating will be lower with 1 being the worst.
Discuss - There are always ups and downs for a professional athlete. Will Chris Butler be able to bounce back from a disappointing season or should the Sabres look to move him in the off-season?
