Contract: Signed through 2014-15 at $1,800,000.
Report Card Grade in 2013: N/A
Introduction: The Sabres acquired Jamie McBain as well as the pick that became J.T. Compher at last year’s draft in exchange for Andrej Sekera. In Carolina Sekera became one of the Hurricanes most dependable defensemen. McBain was a different story in Buffalo. McBain and his frequent defensive partner Mike Weber earned the nicknames “Tank” and “Dozer” here on Die By The Blade.
Key Stat: Two. That’s the number of goaltenders that were knocked out of games as a result of McBain checking people into them. Poor Jhonas Enroth and Matt Hackett. The tank was too strong, they never stood a chance.
Here’s him knocking Brendan Gallagher into Enroth:
And here’s McBain tripping Torey Krug right into Hackett:
Thumbs Up: Offensively, it wasn’t a terrible year for McBain. His six goals put him just under his average goal total from his highest seasons in Carolina. He may not have always been stellar, but Ted Nolan did use him in many different situations. In fact, only Christian Ehrhoff and Tyler Ennis were on the ice for more time than McBain. Finishes third on the team in blocked shots.
Thumbs Down: McBain has a negative relative Corsi and Fenwick and was a -13. For a player who got so much powerplay time, he only scored two goals a man-up. His 5-on-5 shooting percentage was far lower than his last two seasons, 5.5 as compared to his 8.3% shooting percentage in his last two seasons in Carolina, and he had one of the worst giveaway/takeaway ratios on the team.
Once again, there’s also the taking out two goalies thing. Fans asked for the Sabres to finish last in the league, and McBain delivered.
Memorable Moment: McBain scored one of the prettiest goals of the season against the New York Islanders, as he took advantage of lackluster defending to score a coast-to-coast goal.
Voting: Voting: We’re grading on a curve this year, adjusting for the Sabres organizational ineptitude. So, using the good old grade school system of A, B, C, D, F, with A representing a great season (for the Sabres) C an average season, and F a very poor season (again, for the worst team in the league) grade Jamie McBain on his performance this year.
Based on his play this season, what grade would you give Jamie McBain?
| A | 10 |
| B | 14 |
| C | 124 |
| D | 178 |
| F | 82 |