Season no joke for Hecht
Low Sabres winger predicts bounceback
Buffalo Sabres fans had to live with Jochen Hecht’s poor season for 60 minutes per night. Hecht had to live with it 24 hours a day.
He didn’t handle it well. “I was never happy about my game,” Hecht said. “It just kept dragging down.”
While Hecht was cleaning out his locker last week, he was trying to clean out his mind, too. The forward had the worst season of his life. About the only thing worse than his numbers was the toll they took on his psyche.
Hecht tends to keep to himself in the Sabres’ dressing room, but when he does open up it’s usually with a grin. There were few smiles this season. His performance led to frowns, and the frowns affected the performance.
“I had mostly lows,” he said. “I didn’t have too many highs.”
What remains to be seen is whether it was just a down year or the start of a downward cycle. The 31-year-old, in his 10th season, seemed a step behind much of the time. His passes tended to be off the mark, either because he wasn’t reacting as quickly or wasn’t moving as quickly. The same went for his shots and defensive assignments.
The results weren’t pretty. He plummeted from 22 goals and 49 points to 12 and 27. His minus-9 rating was worst among Sabres forwards and 751st in the NHL. Just two seasons ago, he was plus-19 and tied for 34th league-wide.
The Sabres, unless they try moving the forward as part of a roster overhaul, have to be hoping it’s just a one-year slump. Otherwise, they’re going to be paying on and off the ice.
The alternate captain is only one season into a four-year, $14.1 million contract. He will make $3.8 million next season (the same as this year), $3.5 million in 2010-11 and $3 million in 2011-12.
“I feel confident that I can be myself again next year,” Hecht said. “I don’t see why next year I should play the same way I did this year. It was frustrating, but I’m going to put it behind me and get a fresh start next year.
“I’ve just got to work hard and find my way back. I thought I played good again at the end of the season, but it was too late.”
Hecht was more solid from March 10 to the April 11 finale. He was a mi-nus player only once, going plus-6 in the month. He had four goals and three assists in the 16 games.
One reason for the improvement was his removal from the top two lines. He was more effective playing alongside Paul Gaustad in a third-line role than he was playing with Jason Pominville on a scoring line.
When Hecht was counted on to score, he didn’t. He had two nine-game goal droughts, an eight-game slump and a seven-game slide. He knows it was unacceptable and contributed to the Sabres missing the playoffs for the second straight season.
“We all expected more, out of our season, out of ourselves,” Hecht said. “We didn’t get it done to get to the playoffs. It was a close finish again, but we failed to make it.
“I think a lot of guys, including myself, didn’t play to expectations, and that could have been the difference.”
Log into MyBuffalo to post a comment
MyBuffalo is the new social network from Buffalo.com. Your MyBuffalo account lets you comment on and rate stories at buffalonews.com. You can also head over to mybuffalo.com to share your blog posts, stories, photos, and videos with the community. Join now or learn more.
Reader comments