The Blues and the C

by Ryan

Back in the Roost tonight.


Love the view.

Should be Jay McKee's first game back in Buffalo, unless he stubs his toe in a doorjam somewhere. Or trips over a stray moose. Or steps on a crack in the pavement. (Just kidding, love ya Jay!)

On a more serious note, the Sabres look to keep the winning streak alive and finish out the month of November on a positive note. After the disaster that was the first half of "Rivalry Month", I think I'll take the current state of things.

The last game of the month means a new captain should be in place for the Canes game on Saturday. Unless you are very, very new to the site you know my choice for December. In fact, while researching for the Caps game I found something that disproves one of my "negatives" towards Goose.

Paul Gaustad averages 16.31 minutes a game. This is a big increase from last year, almost as much TOI as "skill players" such as Vanek and Afinogenov. (although understandably so for the latter) Compare that to Washington's captain Chris Clark, who averages 17.77 minutes per game.

All of that sounds like a wash, doesn't it? Well, add on top of that the fact that one of Washington's "A"s, Donald Brashear, only averages 9 minutes per game. With regards to TOI, that's like handing Mike Ryan (9) or Adam Mair (7.56) the A. (Although that may one of Washington's problems...)

The point of all this is the following: there really is nothing keeping Goose from getting the C, at the very least an A. At this point, with the leadership he's shown on ice and the other "options" out there, the C opposite Goose's 28 at some point is a lay up.

Quick reminder of recent history: the last time we finagled with the rotating captaincy it wasn't until December in which we finally settled on permanent co-captains. Whether history will repeat itself here or not, I say you have to give the kid his shot.