--new Buffalo Sabres GM Tim Murray
With all due respect to Matt Moulson, Steve Ott, and especially Ryan Miller, the Buffalo Sabres new GM Tim Murray nailed it at his introductory press conference yesterday.
Based upon the game last night vs. the Forida Panthers if any team wants a Buffalo Sabres player, then go right ahead. Make an offer.
The Cats beat the Sabres 2-1 in the shootout with former Sabre Brad Boyes scoring the winner as the puck banked off the post, hit Buffalo goalie Jhonas Enroth in the back of the leg and crossed the goal line.
It was one of many posts Florida hit last night, about a half a dozen, all told, and it was a rather fitting ending.
Buffalo was without to key players--Cody Hodgson who's out with an injury and Tyler Myers who was serving the first game of a three-game suspension from an illegal hit to the head of New Jersey's Dainius Zubrus. Would they have made a difference? Probably, as Florida in no juggernaut.
In fact Florida is very similar to Buffalo. They have an great goalie in Tim Thomas and a group of solid vets. Unlike Buffalo they do have some strong young talent like Jonathan Huberdeau, Eric Gudbranson and Aleksander Barkov. All top-three picks which is a path the Sabres are on right now.
Before the influx of that top-three talent, there really weren't any untouchables on the Panthers either.
Murray is a talent evaluator, a former scout who worked his way up the ranks to the position he now holds. The lens he's looking through is an honest one, that a 30th place team has replaceable players. He has been watching the Buffalo Sabres for a long time and he knew what was on the team before he even got here. Pretty sure he knows who he wants and who he will move on from.
That's only part of the rebuild process right now. And as they move forward the team philosophy for this rebuild is to do it through the draft which suits Murray well.
"With talking to Pat [LaFontaine] he showed a lot of intrerest and respect for what I'd done in the past," said Murray. "It wasn't a big job or a glamourous job. He told me and showed me the importance of scouting.
"You build a team through the draft. Good drafting [also] allows you to trade well. You may trade draft picks for established young players. And that's still a part of the rebuilding process they're young and fit the mold of what you're trying to do here."
Murray, who hadn't even got his computer yesterday, intimated that his real first order of business will be to sit down with Assitant General Manager/Head Amateur Scout Kevin Devine. "Right off the bat, short-term," he said, "is to talk to Kevin and go over the scouting staff and to go over lists and reports with him to make sure we're on the same page."
Devine was the driving force behind both of the Sabres first round picks in 2013, defensemen Rasmus Ristolainen and Nikita Zadorov. Said Murray of those players, "I was at the World Juniors watchting them. They jump out at you. You know that they're NHL players."
But just drafting, or even aqcuiring those players is not enough, they'll need to be developed as well. "It's how much much help you're gonna give them. How you're gonna help them be better than that. It's my goal to put an emphasis on developing the people that are already here."
Back in February, 2011 when Terry Pegula bought the team, he said that there's no NHL salary cap on scouting and player development he said that he planned on increasing both. True to his word he's done that.
 |
| New Sabres GM Tim Murray (r) answers a question at his introductory presser yesterday. Sabres President of Hockey Operations Pat LaFontaine (c) and special advisor to the hockey departement Craig Patrick (l) look on. (photo Bill Wippert, sabres.com) |
The Buffalo Sabres have increased the number of scouts in the field (around 25, not 50) including slightly increasing their overseas presence. They brought in Randy Cunneyworth as a scout in November and two days ago promoted him to special assistant/player development coach.
And speaking of special assistants, at the presser last night was Craig Patrick who was also brought on board as special assistant and advisor to the hockey department. Read: Pat LaFontaine's right hand man.
It's surprising that it took this long for Pegula to bring Patrick on board. We thought it would have happened much sooner.
The Buffalo News' Bucky Gleason has a great piece on LaFontaine and Patrick and how the former brought a grown man close to tears.
"Why?" wrote Gleason. "Because 30 years ago he crossed paths in USA Hockey with an 18-year-old phenomenon who promised he would never forget him and never did. All these years later, after building his own life and his own Hall of Fame career, Pat LaFontaine stayed true to his word. It was enough to make a grown man cry."
'He (LaFontaine) told friends of mine in the past that if he ever got a job, he’s bringing me with him. He can trust me till the end of time,' said Patrick.
Paul Hamilton of WGR also compliments the hire of Patrick when he wrote, "More has to be made of the hire of Patrick. LaFontaine couldn't have found a better advisor and he had to hire him away from Columbus. He won back-to-back Cups in Pittsburgh and helped build the 1980 USA gold medal Olympic Team. He brings winning to this organization."
It really didn't matter what happened on the ice last night. A win would have been nice. But this team is what it is and the eyes that were brought in know that. It's a 30th place team with 31st place talent and a coach who somehow squeezes blood from a stone.
And Murray is right, no one should feel comfortable. After all, he's taking the reigns of the NHL's last place team.
No comments:
Post a Comment