Date: June 26, 2001
Source: the Buffalo News
Author: Melissa Geschwind
URL: http://www.buffalonews.com/editorial/20010626/1006639.asp

Sabres hope youth will serve them well

As Michael Peca ran full-speed toward the promised land of Long Island, he might have glimpsed a couple of kids amiably ambling in the other direction.
Tim Connolly and Taylor Pyatt - better known as "the other half of the Peca trade" - arrived in Buffalo Monday to finalize their conversion from New York Islanders to Buffalo Sabres. While the hockey world focused on star Isles-to-be Peca and Alexei Yashin, Connolly and Pyatt met the Western New York media, patiently answering questions along the lines of, "Which one of you is Connolly?"

OK, it wasn't quite that bad - but it was close. Both players were born in 1981 - the same year in which Sabres defenseman James Patrick was drafted by the New York Rangers - so neither newcomer has much bulk to his resume. They have three seasons of NHL experience between them, and Pyatt's teen years won't end until August 18, when he hits the big two-oh.

Still, Sabres general manager Darcy Regier insists that, "You're not going to hear anyone talk in terms of rebuilding. That's not what this is about."

How is that possible? Maybe because Connolly, a center, has missed just one game in two NHL seasons, bringing the games total for his nascent career to an impressive 163. Last season, he recorded the same number of points (41) as Peca had in 1999-2000. And left winger Pyatt's 6-foot-4, 220-pound body stands to be the largest in the Sabres' locker room next season, tied with the hulking frame of Dave Andreychuk, should he return.

Plus, the early indication is that Connolly and Pyatt have attitudes well-suited to their status as the youngest Sabres. Connolly, 10 months younger than Buffalo defenseman Dmitri Kalinin, seemed genuinely happy about the move Monday.

"We came from a team that's trying to make the playoffs to a team that's trying to win the Stanley Cup," he said. "It's a hardworking team, and I'm really looking forward to playing in the playoffs."

Pyatt, meanwhile, appeared to be taking his cues from Connolly, his elder by 104 days. Both expressed all the standard sentiments: they are glad to be here, consider the Sabres to be a top-notch organization and just hope to be able to contribute.

So far, so good. In exchange for Peca, Buffalo is getting a world of promise. Pyatt has been compared to Philadelphia Flyers left wing John LeClair, while Connolly supposedly resembles Detroit Red Wings captain Steve Yzerman on the ice.

What does that mean? It means Pyatt possesses a rare mix of size and speed, with the ability to bull to the front of the net and still hustle back on defense. Although he scored only four goals and 14 assists in 78 games with New York last season, Pyatt had 40 goals and 49 assists two years ago for his junior team. Given his young age, Pyatt still has plenty of time to find his scoring touch on the NHL level.

"A lot of people have labeled me a power forward, and that's a position that you have to grow into," he said. "I'm hoping that I can develop into a solid goal scorer, to contribute offensively and still play great defensive hockey as well."

Connolly owns the most ethereal of all qualities: creativity. Primarily a set-up man, he has the ability to see the whole ice surface and predict how plays will unfold. He's a quick skater and superior puck handler with an unquestionable work ethic. He's also a semi-local, having grown up in the Syracuse suburb of Baldwinsville, with a Buffalonian for a father.

With Buffalo's gap at the center position, Connolly looks like a lock to get plenty of playing time next season. Pyatt, though, might spend part or all of the year with the Rochester Americans, receiving the minor-league instruction he never got with the Islanders.

Sabres coach Lindy Ruff described Pyatt as "a young, big, strong, quick left winger," but also as "a young guy that maybe was forced into the NHL last year, that maybe should have played junior or in the American League." Ruff's intention is to give Pyatt a lot of ice time, either in the NHL or in the AHL.

So the word is "potential." Connolly, Pyatt and the Sabres, suddenly a very young team, have it. So do Peca and the Islanders. Now it remains to be seen which side can maximize that potential first.