It's time to put the finishing touches on the 2010-2011 for the Buffalo Sabres. Here is a complete report card for every player that has touched the ice for the Sabres, and when we say every we mean every. The journey starts with Luke Adam and finishes with Thomas Vanek.
Introduction: Adam got his first cup of tea with the Buffalo Sabres on October 26th and played another 18 games for the team as a replacement fill-in five different times. In those 19 games, Adam registered three goals, including the game winning goal on January 6th against the San Jose Sharks, and another assist. For much of Adam's time with the team, he played on the third and fourth lines filling in at center where he was needed.
In Portland, Adam played 57 games with the AHL affiliate and registered 29 goals and 62 points which was two points behind Mark Mancari for the team lead. Those stats earned Adam the AHL Rookie of the Year award, the third straight Pirate to win that award,
Key Stat: Adam averaged 1.09 points/game in 57 games during his Rookie of the Year campaign for the Pirates. In 2008, Nathan Gerbe averaged .98 points/game in 57 games and in 2009 Tyler Ennis averaged .94 points/game in 69 games. Gerbe won his Rookie of the Year in 2008 and Ennis won it in 2009.
Thumbs Up: Adam made a name for himself during his first couple callups at the beginning of the season. Adam registered his first NHL point with an assist on November 26th against Toronto and his first NHL goal against the Boston Bruins on December 7th.
Thumbs Down: After Adam seemed to be the call up du jour at the beginning of the season, he fell out of favor for players like Mark Mancari and Paul Byron. Adam played only one game for the Sabres after he was returned to the Pirates on January 18th.
Voting: On a scale of one to ten, with one being the lowest and ten being the highest, grade Luke Adam on his season according to your expectations for him and whether he exceeded them or not.
Topics of Discussion: Where will Luke Adam end up at the start of next season, the Sabres roster or the Pirates roster?