When putting these forward lines together for the Sabres, the first three units took a certain level of thought. There were at least three new players to slot in since the beginning of last season (Leino, Boyes, Gerbe), and certain ones needed to be broken up (Roy-Vanek). It made for some juggling and mixing/matching. But now as we get to the 4th unit it gets a lot easier. Right from the beginning, I had these three players plugged in for the “grit line”. It was a slam dunk, easy.
Line 4 is Cody McCormick-Paul Gaustad-Patrick Kaleta.
This line’s role is clearly defined as playing with an edge and physicality. Of course they need to be under control of their pugnacity and responsible defensively, but production from the three of them is really a bonus. Ideally they keep the opposition on their heels with sustained aggression and play a decent puck possession game as well.
Gaustad – I’ve finally made my peace with Goose. I think a lot of fans felt similar to me in that we expected a more from Gaustad. A few years back, even before he signed his 2.3 million dollar extension, I wondered how much upside he had. While I never imagined a goal scoring power forward, I was hoping 15 to 20 goals in a season wasn’t too much of a stretch. Well, it was in a big way.
But I’ve accepted Gaustad for what he is. While slightly overpaid, I can be happy with Paul if he plays like he did at the tail end of last season. He has to be mean and use that large frame of his to inflict damage on other players. The fact that he’s the team’s best faceoff man elevates his value for sure. And he’s a terrific penalty killer. I just flashback to game 1 of the playoffs vs the Flyers last season when a stickless Goose kept blocking shot after shot in what I think was a 2 man advantage for Philly. He can also be a force in front of the net in the offensive zone as well – his battles with Chara are always fun to watch. If he can pitch in 10 goals a year and play this style, he’s valuable. If his physical game disappears, he’s pretty worthless, though. But that can be said of this whole line.
McCormick – What a pleasant surprise this guy was. I was glad when he signed his one-way contract after 2009-2010 as I was impressed with his play in the postseason when he subbed in against Boston. We also needed someone who could drop the gloves ever since Andrew Peters left. The difference between Peters and McCormick is Cody can actually play a little hockey. He skates pretty well and isn’t lost in the offensive zone. Cody scored 8 goals last year, a career high, and was one of a few players along with Roy and Leopold that didn’t look completely lost the first part of the season.
So not much more to say about McCormick other than he needs to keep doing what he’s been doing. If he can provide more offense, become a PK’er, or bring other added benefits, that would just be icing on the cake.
Kaleta – Has the luster come off the hometown boy from Angola? Whether it’s his constant injury problems or dangerous play, questions surround him more than his first couple seasons. He came out gangbusters those early days, mixing a combination of Michael Peca’s hitting and Matthew Barnaby’s pestiness. The fact that he was one of us, a true blue Buffalonian, gave him that extra popularity where he could do no wrong. And then two seasons ago, he put together his best all around effort with 10 goals in only 55 games while increasing his role a bit by playing some penalty killing. Most fans overlooked punk moves like ending Paul Kariya’s career and going into turtle mode when challenged by a larger opponent, as long as he played a solid two-way game and drew penalty after penalty.
But last year he regressed significantly. He played 4 less games and scored 6 less goals. His highlight of the season was most likely his fight vs Derek Dorsett of Dallas when he landed countless southpaw, jackhammer shots. Overall he was less effective, though, regressing to the kamikaze hitting and trash talking with less smart hockey play. He’s always good for getting under the skin of the opponent but if that’s his only focus, he’s one-dimensional. So I can’t predict which Kaleta we’ll get this season and it’s quite possible we’ve seen all the upside he has. And with his style of play, I don’t think you’ll ever get 70-80 games out of him. Injuries will be a constant with Pat. With the focus on head shots and his reputation of being a dirty player, even he admitted his approach may need to change. But how much more does he have to offer?
If Zach Kassian or Marcus Foligno suddenly make a push and show that their development is further along with limited time in Rochester, it could spell the end for Patrick’s time with his favorite team. But for now, I still think you go with #36. If he can keep away from taking stupid penalties himself, keep the opponents distracted and from focusing on their own games, and land clean, punishing hits in the corners, he will fit right in with his other two linemates and help provide exactly what you need in a fourth line.
Well that’s it for my Sabres’ forward combinations. As always I will post the previous entries below so you can have the whole picture. Do these lines work? Feel free to share your comments with me here or on Twitter.
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Previous Forward Line Combo Articles:
Line 1A – Vanek-Leino-Pominville
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