Over the past few weeks, there have been numerous discussions between a certain two BSI staff members about Andrew Peters. No agreement can be made about whether or not he actually belongs in the lineup, so we decided to have a discussion.
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eSabre: Andrew Peters. Please state your case as to why he should even have a roster spot
Scary Good: Peters should have a roster spot for a few reasons. First off, he's great in the locker room... his teammates and coaches will always tell you he keeps everyone loose. Now to the obvious reason, if you are little Derek Roy, would you rather go all out knowing Peters will step on the ice and destroy someone if you get hit from behind? Or, would you rather have Mair or Goose love tap them? He is like a $500,000 a year insurance policy.
eSabre: An insurance policy that plays 3 shifts a game.
Scary Good: No one made fun of Rob Ray, everyone
looooved Rob Ray. But hey, if you wanna make fun of a guy that wins the majority of his bouts, be my guest
eSabre: Who cares who wins a fight? A fight is a fight. Peters is incapable of playing a regular shift. It's pointless to dress him because all he's doing is forcing the coaches to double shift guys and mess up lines.
Scary Good: Is he really not capable of a regular shift? When has he been given a shot in the new NHL? When has he given the puck away leading to a goal? Ever see him in front of the net? Oh yeah..against the Flyers... HE SCORED. And everyone cares who wins a fight. If the Sabres come out flat and trail 2-0, and Peters disfigures someone, it obviously will fire the team up.
eSabre: If you put together a montage of all of Peters' shifts this season, there wouldn't be one where he contributed to any kind of offensive threat. Usually he's either out of the play trying to pick a fight, which obviously contributes nothing, or he's struggling to make a play with the puck. As for the goal against Philly, it was a nice play, but if you're at this level you better be able to make that play or you really shouldn't be on the ice.
Scary Good: Yeah, well... why sign the guy? Darcy and Lindy obviously wanted to keep him around. I think Lindy has seen that he can hold his own as he's played in the last 4 games. He's dropped nearly 20 pounds to be in faster playing shape this year. Not to mention, Petey's probably the hardest worker on the team. First on the ice, last off.
eSabre: Well, when you have no talent, you need to be. I'm sure the signing had some PR-related motivation. They probably kept him solely because of the locker room thing. I'm sure the players would've been upset to lose their two captains and the team clown. Bottom line is, there's no reason he should be playing over anyone on the roster, or even some that are in Rochester, unless it's a) an emergency due to injuries, or b) because the 4th line is pure pests and he's needed to back up a teammate (say, i don't know... Kaleta).
Scary Good: HA. No skill...we are talking the NHL here. He's better than any AHL lifer, or else he wouldn't be there. Kaleta is terrible. He runs around like a chicken with his head cut off... charging and elbowing. If it wasn't for Peters, Kaleta would have got beaten down by the Blue Jackets in preseason for a cheap hit. Any heavyweight would kill the hometown boy.
Scary Good: Case in point, Mair just fell 3 times during a fight. Hopefully he didn't rip his panties
eSabre: Yeah, but unlike Peters, despite the misses, it's obvious Kaleta's out there to hit, and he does it well. Peters is too slow. And he misses even worse. Kaleta will draw penalties just because guys WILL go after him. Peters just fails to do anything to fire up opponents. He's a joke. Kaleta's a guy teams will actually hate, like an Avery. You shouldn't be dressing guys because of fighting ability. They should be able to contribute in both ends of the ice. Peters doesn't. Peters just does not fit as a viable linemate of anyone on the roster other than Adam Mair. You can’t put yourself in the position to have a guy on the bench with nowhere to be.
Scary Good: He should get 4th line minutes. And he is a good hitter...Kaleta will have to defend himself, and won't be able to save himself at the NHL level. Peters is no doubt the toughest player in the Sabre organization. Enjoy the next 2 years of #76, soon to be heavyweight champ, Andrew Peters.
eSabre: Well, the toughest player in the organization doesn't fit in to the team's system. Every other player on the roster can play special teams except for Peters
Scary Good: Put him infront of the net on the PP, Gaustad line 1, Peters line 2...instant success. No one would be able to move him.
eSabre: It doesn't matter if Peters is there. Gaustad gets that spot because he's the best faceoff guy, it's not just about being big and tough. Gaustad has the skill to back up the size.
Scary Good: Yeah, so TRY it. The PP usually sucks anyway, why not?
eSabre: The Sabres have a PPG in 9 of the last 10. Their powerplay is 8th in the NHL. There's no reason to try it
Scary Good: I said USUALLY, like all of 06-07.
eSabre: Well, here's a newsflash: this isn't last year.
(some off-topic insults here… discussion continues…)Scary Good: By the way, Peters is quite the community guy...just did a Halloween event with young children, attends community events and is on the NHLPA board of players. Many people don't know this.
eSabre: And how much does that help on the scoreboard? 0.
Scary Good: Not like Mair or any other enforcers help on the score sheet. Call me when Brashear is a 20-20 guy.
eSabre: Brashear sucks, and I don’t see how he’s relevant. Mair has 2 goals this season. He can take faceoffs. He can kill penalties if needed. He can play a regular shift, and hey, he can fight, too!
Scary Good: He can fight? If you fall down 3 times in a fight, you should never drop the gloves at all. Mair should have those little mitten ties on his gloves, so he can't throw them all the way to the ice...embarrasing fisticuffs.
eSabre: Listen, I know you're a fighting officianado, but get a clue. A fight is a fight. It's a major penalty. To put a guy in the lineup who does his best taking penalties is an absolute joke.
Scary Good: He doesn't take penalties...he always plays with heart. He always backs up his players, and let's face it, he can always be seen talking shit, it's great...
eSabre: Doesn't take penalties? He's got 11 PIM this season, only one fighting major. That's three penalties that cost the team in his limited time. He hasn't played more than just over 2 1/2 minutes at all this season. He doesn't get ice time in the 3rd, and one time he did, and he goes ahead and takes a 4 minute penalty after the whistle with less than 8 minutes left.
Scary Good: Yeah, an ACCIDENTAL 4 minute high stick with the team DOWN 6-2. Come on. You're gonna get on Peters for an accidental high stick when Vanek is too lazy to back check? And Kotalik hooks 4 times a game?
eSabre: It was 5-2. And this discussion isn't about any other player. The players you named are actually talented.
Scary Good: Eh, I dunno bout that, they were done either way.
eSabre: You know what team we're talking about right? A 3 goal deficit is not "done".
Scary Good: Well tell that to Lindy. He's played more than Ryan lately.
eSabre: I wouldn't be shocked if that was due to Ryan being banged up.
Scary Good: Or Ryan's lack of everything.
eSabre: Well, when playoff time rolls around, who's more likely to be in the press box? That's what matters. There's no point of him playing now when he won't be playing in April.
Scary Good: Well if teams run your stars, you'll never make it to April.
eSabre: This isn't old time hockey. Your stars don't get run. And there are plenty of people on the roster capable of dealing with that that Peters isn't needed. Peters doesn't belong in the lineup. Period.
Labels: ANDREW PETERS, BACKCHECKING DEBATE, sabres
