This little ditty will be short and sweet because that’s all the Sabres signing of John Scott is.
It’s not Parise, but it’s something. John Scott’s one-year, $600,000 contract with the Sabres was announced on the night of one of the more boring “Free Agent Frenzy” days in recent memory.
The immediate reaction amongst most was “who the hell is this guy?” And for good reason. Scott was undrafted and has 5 points in 146 NHL games. So now you may be wondering why the hell the Sabres might sign him. Long story short, he beats the shit out of other players. We’re talking 6’8″ and 270 lbs. of destruction.
Cool, right?
I’m not going to make this more or less than it is. The Sabres saw other teams around them get tougher (most notably Montreal) and saw a need for someone other than McCormick to knock guys around. And, being the Jolly Green Giant’s stunt double will help Scott do just that.
Now, let’s imagine it’s next season (if there’s no lockout). The Sabres are playing the Bruins. Milan Lucic is like “I’m gonna run that Ryan Miller again.” Then, during warm ups, he sees a mass of humanity wearing number 32, who is shadow boxing instead of shooting around, because I assume that’s what enforcers do in warm ups instead of actual hockey stuff. All of a sudden, those thoughts vanish because he doesn’t want to get force fed the massive fists anytime soon (unless he’s into that kinda stuff).
I may be a little more excited about this signing than some because my very first hockey memories involve the likes of Rob Ray and Brad May beating the snot out of other guys. Hell, I asked for NHL 2002 when I was young, strictly so I could fight other players. So, seeing someone to protect our star guys once again is refreshing.
It’s also important to note the Sabres ARE NOT done. A lot of players are still out there and all indications are that Bobby Ryan is still on the table. The Scott signing is also just a little more than getting someone to protect Miller. It also shows the Sabres recognition that they need a new direction. For too long, they’ve gotten pushed around by bigger guys. Scott is no where near a complete culture change, but his presence will make the Lucic’s out there think twice before they go and run one of our star players. And, it’s cool to think they’re getting bigger and stronger.
The bottom line is, you wanted size and fighting, you got it with John Scott. It’s an ok signing that won’t necessarily win any Cups, but it’ll win plenty of fights. Believe it or not, this is something the Sabres needed. As my colleague Brandon mentioned on Twitter, it’s just one piece of the puzzle.
I’ll say it again just to clarify, if this is the only signing, I’m unhappy, but to think the Sabres are done would be plain stupid. Almost none of the “bigger” names signed today and there was one trade. None of the big dominoes have fallen and the Sabres tend to fly under the radar. We’ll see how the next few days unfold.
I’ll leave you with a brief video resume of John Scott:
A fight in which Derek Dorsett forgets Scott is a member of the Monstars.
A fight in which Scott practically knocks the mustache off of George Parros’ face.
A fight in which Scott beats Kevin Westgarth beyond recognition.
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