It’s time to put the finishing touches on the 2010-2011 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 began with Luke Adam and will conclude in a month with Mike Weber. Thanks to Japers Rink and Mile High Hockey for the inspiration.
I think we forgot that we had five more of these to finish.
Introduction: Derek’s Roy season ended four months too soon for a player that was averaging a point per game, the first time Roy has done that since he had 81 points in 78 games during the 2007-08 season. Roy’s season essentially ended when he tore his quadriceps after a hit from Florida’s Dmitri Kulikov. That happened on December 23rd and many Sabres fans thought that his injury was going to be the end of the Sabres season as we knew it because at the time he was the best player on the ice.
The Sabres rebounded their season without Roy in the lineup and Roy returned for the final game of the Flyers series in the playoffs where he registered an assist in the lone game he played in. Roy comes into the 2011-12 season with something to prove as he needs to continue to show that he is possibly a number one center in this league.
Key Stat: While Roy’s point per game production has been bandied about a lot, I figured I would highlight Roy’s faceoff percentages. Roy had an offensive zone faceoff percentage of 45.9%, 41.4% in the defensive zone, and 41.7% in the neutral zone.
Thumbs Up: Roy was having a phenomenal season before he was injured with 10 goals and 25 assists in 35 games. Before he went down, he was the best player on the Sabres roster by far. Roy has only finished a season at a point per game once before, in 2007-08 and also finished with the highest ratio of assists per game at .71.
Thumbs Down: Not really a thumbs down for the team, but when Roy’s season was derailed around Christmas, the Sabres as a team turned themselves around and made a major push to make the playoffs. Other players stepped up and became the star of the team, including Drew Stafford. This has led to many discussion as to how expendable Derek Roy has become.
Voting: On a scale of one to ten, one being the lowest and ten being the highest, grade Derek Roy 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.
Topics of Discussion: Can Derek Roy come back to his old form after missing half of last season? Is Derek Roy a true number one center?
What rating does Derek Roy get for the 2010-2011 season
| 10 | 21 |
| 9 | 56 |
| 8 | 124 |
| 7 | 101 |
| 6 | 51 |
| 5 | 21 |
| 4 | 13 |
| 3 | 5 |
| 2 | 4 |
| 1 | 2 |