Sabres GM Tim Murray caught yesterday's 5-4 OT win by the Rochester Americans in Rochester and spent about 10 minutes with members of the media discussing Buffalo's pro hockey teams.
Matthew Coller, who does an outstanding job covering the Amerks for WGR 550 penned a quick summation and provided some audio as well.
Basically Murray said that not much talk is going on between NHL GM's and he assumed that the veteran ones are using this time to recharge or focus upon other aspects of the organization. For his part, Murray is following a pretty full scouting schedule focusing upon the top-30 picks in the upcoming 2014 draft.
Murray talked about scouting beyond the top-10 in the draft due to the number of picks Buffalo presently has in the first two rounds. They have one first rounder and the potential for another via the Thomas Vanek trade plus three second-rounders. Said Murray, "Two of those seconds could become #15 or #19 so obviously I have to see more than the top-10."
Another year with (at least) two first-rounders seems to be on the horizon for the June draft in Philly.
The Sabres are in full-fledged rebuild-mode and the youth movement is in full swing. But one thing Buffalo fans won't be seeing in young players up on the big club should veterans be moved.
Said Murray about replacing departed vets this season, "I don't want to completely gut [Rochester]. They're in a playoff spot now and I think the playoffs are an extremely important part of development for young players. I would like to see this team succeed this year."
In fact, he mentioned the possibility of the opposite happening. Murray said that the team has a pretty good mix of "kids and vets" and that "maybe we need to help them out a bit more as far as talent-level."
A couple of players that would help that "talent-level" by keeping them in Rochester for the remainder of the season are defenseman Mark Pysyk and forward Johan Larsson. Although he did mention those two as a couple of players he'd "like to move forward with," possibly players who would get called up to replace a veteran.
Murray acknowledged that the Sabres scouting staff may have found more in the 22 yr. old Pysyk than he saw back in 2010. Pysyk, he said, is a "smart, steady defenseman who is probably a little bit better than I saw coming out of junior, I have to say that. Maybe a little bit different than I thought."
He thinks Pysyk has much more to give than a steady, defensive game and he wants to push him for everything he has within. "I want him to take big strides here. I don't want him to be happy being a safe, puck-moving defenseman, I want to see him push himself more offensively, push himself into the transition game a little more."
As for Larsson, he called the 21 yr. old "a real competitive bugger."
Murray had seen that competitive nature in Larsson coming out of junior, "he gives everything he's got, most games, most shifts and I think we knew that about him when he was drafted by Minnesota."
Amerks head coach Chadd Cassidy concurred. Said the coach of Larsson, who was playing his third game in three nights, (via Coller,) "He is a competitor. I remember at least two or three times in the offensive zone in the third period when he was using his cutbacks below the goal line and it looked like he had two or three guys on him and he came out with the puck.”
Larsson is playing extremely well. After a slow start, he is now at a point/game (28/28) and is a plus-13.
Murray conceded that communication with other GM's had been non-existent until he'd received a text from one yesterday. And he thinks that things will start picking up.
There's a lot of hockey being played right now, it just happens to be everywhere except in the NHL. And while Murray awaits the slow return of NHL GM's to their trade deadline routine, he'll be taking in as much prospect hockey as he can until he gets that call, or two, or three that will set the trade wheels in motion.
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