When Tyler Myers burst onto the NHL scene last season, many fans were envisioning him as the next Chris Pronger and possibly the best defenseman the Buffalo Sabres franchise has ever had.

There is no denying he had one of the best seasons of a rookie defenseman in recent memory with 11 goals and 48 points in all 82 games last season. He very deservedly earned the Calder Memorial Trophy as the NHL’s Rookie of the Year.

Myers also displayed the type of mindset and persona ahead of his years. Many people did not expect him to have a sophomore slump; he was just too level-headed and talented to go through what many second-year players do.

This year, it is looking more like a season to forget for Myers. He is dead last in the NHL in plus-minus (minus-10) and has looked very shaky and indecisive in the defensive zone. Against the Dallas Stars, Myers gave away the puck to forward Jamie Benn, which led directly to a shorthanded goal for the Stars. He was late covering Steve Ott, who eventually scored that goal.

That play defines Myers’ season. He was tentative with the puck as he held on to the puck too long while assessing his options, rather than acting on instinct and getting rid of the puck quickly. To make a bad play worse, he was late covering the eventual goal-scorer.

The Sabres are in real trouble in this young season. Coach Lindy Ruff has already benched current captain Craig Rivet. However, that has failed to light a fire under this Sabres team. The Sabres are 14th in the Eastern Conference, leading only the New Jersey Devils, who have been playing with a short bench for most of the year due to their salary-cap troubles caused by the signing of Ilya Kovalchuk.

As coach, Ruff can only do so much, but he should tell Myers to take a seat in the press box. If the players fail to respond to these messages, this season will be lost, and many players who are currently on the roster will find themselves in different uniforms, and the jobs of Ruff and general manager Darcy Regier will be in jeopardy.

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