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: I won’t bore you with too many details about Clarke MacArthur. He was traded away at the trade deadline and I get the feeling that Sabres fans are happier without him. C-Mac was a guy that I hyped up before the season started and felt that Sabres fans were giving up on a good player, just months later the organization gave up on him as well.
Voting: On a scale of one to ten, one being the lowest and ten being the highest, grade Clarke MacArthur 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.
Thumbs Up: For the second consecutive season he did just enough offensively to make people feel he had potential. He scored 17 goals in 2008-2009 and he finished with 16 goals this season between Buffalo and Atlanta. He seemed to become a more physical player this season as well. I don’t think of him as a gritty player like Adam Mair or Paul Gaustad but he seemed more comfortable in the corners and won a few more battles this season.
Thumbs Down: While I thought he held his own in the offensive zone, his defensive play regressed considerably. He finished the season as a minus-16 and was easily the worst defensive player in the Sabres lineup most of the season. It became apparent that he was not going to Commit to playing the Sabres defensive system and the writing was on the wall that he would not be here much longer.
Discuss: Did the Sabres make the right move by trading away MacArthur? Buffalo received a 3rd and 4th round pick for C-Mac, did they get enough? Did C-Mac get a fair chance to succeed in Buffalo?
Give a grade to Clarke MacArthur for his play in the 2009-2010 season.
| 10 | 2 |
| 9 | 1 |
| 8 | 0 |
| 7 | 7 |
| 6 | 16 |
| 5 | 33 |
| 4 | 42 |
| 3 | 33 |
| 2 | 11 |
| 1 | 11 |