With the season starting a month from now, we start taking a look at the players on the roster and what they will end up doing this season. The series started with Tim Connolly a few weeks ago and we continue with Matt Ellis.
A few weeks ago, Matt Ellis still wasn't on this roster and was still looking for a team that was interested. Now, Ellis has a two-way contract that will see him competing for a spot on the roster. With the emergence of players like Tyler Ennis and Nathan Gerbe, Ellis will most likely be affected by a roster squeeze and will be a veteran presence in Portland. If players are injured or if Ellis really impresses in camp, you could see someone else heading up the Thruway though.
Ellis isn't a forward that is going to put a ton of points on the board but he is going to be a player that will always give the team his full effort and be able to contribute a handful of goals. A typical fourth-line grinder, Ellis is usually facing off against the other team's fourth line which his team lowest quality of competition accounts for.
Three Year Stats
| Year | GP | G | A | P | +/- | PIM | PPG | SHG | GWG | S | S% |
| 09-10 | 72 | 3 | 10 | 13 | -1 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 112 | 2.7 |
| 08-09 | 45 | 7 | 5 | 12 | 4 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 73 | 9.6 |
| 07-08 | 54 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 3 | 26 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 66 | 4.5 |
| 3-year avg. | 57 | 4 | 7 | 11 | 2 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 84 | 4.7 |
Again, Ellis isn't the player that is going to light the lamp in every game, but he is going to contribute. While the game-winning goal stat is relatively flawed, it is interesting to see that Ellis has at least one in the past three seasons.
2010-2011 Outlook
| Year | GP | G | A | P | +/- | PIM | PPG | SHG |
| 2010-2011 Projected Stats | 20 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 0 |
Due to Ellis' two way contract and the likelihood that he will start the season in Portland, it makes sense that Ellis will only see a handful of games this season. Ellis will see the lineup if someone gets injured or someone really starts to struggle but the Sabres are looking to keep only 12 forwards in the lineup.
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