Kevin Hoffman-USA TODAY Sports
Is it bad to be apathetic in regards to Tyler Myers’s season ending broken leg? I know how important Tyler Myers is to the Buffalo Sabres, he is plays more minutes than any other Sabre not named Ryan Miller. But Myers has never taken that full step from promising prospect to franchise cornerstone. Myers’s unfulfilled potential is one of the many reasons the Sabres have failed to be serious playoff contenders the past few years.
Ever since before he was drafted, scouts salivated over Myers’s grandiose size and offensive capabilities. Myers, at 6’8 and currently at 220 lbs, was widely considered by the Sabres front office and fans alike to be the dominating physical presence the diminutive Sabres sorely lacked. Visions of a more fluid skating Zdeno Chara danced through everyone’s heads. Unfortunately, that isn’t who Myers is.
Myers is not a physical player. When forced, he doesn’t mind doing a little pushing and shoving but it doesn’t seem like he’ll ever be the dominating physical force of every Sabres fans’ dreams. His skating is impressive for a man of his size, especially at his position, but he isn’t going to breeze by anyone. Instead, he must use his large frame to gain and maintain position against defenders going against him but he is usually off his trajectory a little too frequently. He also seems more like a playmaking defenseman.
Myers is still young at 23. His continuing maturation as a player is important. There are times in some games where Myers is still trying to figure out what kind of player he should be, which is normal for a player that young. However, Sabres fans have anxiously anticipated Myers to improve upon his Calder Memorial Trophy performance and that has yet to happen. Perhaps Myers’s broken leg will help put things into perspective for him and allow him to progress from a physical and mental standpoint as he will have a lot of time on his hands rehabbing.
I wish Tyler Myers to get well soon. I know how important he is to the present and future of the Buffalo Sabres. Hopefully, he will return with a renewed fire in his belly and finally begin to take the next step from rookie of the year to one of the NHL‘s best.
