Same Story, Different Week

The Buffalo Sabres announced today that center Tim Connolly is out indefinitely with an upper body, musculoskeletal injury.  How much more specificity can there be dangled in a cloud of ambiguity?  No doubt this is still a part of the lingering effects from the shot he took courtesy of Blues forward Keith Tkachuk in last week’s game against the Blues. 

I’m not sure what to make of this whole thing.  In one corner, you have a player who has played through a good deal of pain in recent years.  For example, last season he fought through a good deal of his games while suffering from a hip pointer, which from what I understand, is one of the most painful injuries an athlete can play with.  In the other corner however, is a player who since signing a 3-year deal at the end of the 05-06 campaign, has played in only 56 of a possible 181 regular season games.

With that in mind, the biggest frustration surrounding Tim Connolly is that he is possibly the most gifted player on the roster.  When he is in the line-up the team takes on a different dimension offensively, and more than any other player on the team, Connolly garners respect from opposing defensemen.  His power play value is immeasurable, and his vision and passing are as good as it gets.

Nevertheless, the Sabres will move forward without his services for the foreseeable future, and with Kotalik already out, Buffalo are an injury to the forwards away from a phone call to Portland.  The speculation of who would be the first to get the call is as exciting as the thought of having Connolly back, what with all the talent lighting the lamp for the Pirates right now.  However, that excitement I believe begins and ends with Nathan Gerbe, and I have to admit that I don’t believe he would be the first call-up at this time.  I think the Sabres would have to go with Mark Mancari, who has been tearing up the AHL over the first month and a half of this season. 

Either way, we all should hope that it doesn’t come to that, but if it should, I wouldn’t deny the curiosity of the former Boston College star seeing his first NHL action this year.  Until such time however…

Go Sabres!

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