Reposted from hockeybuzz with permission.
Greetings, y'all.
It's been a long time.
I'd like to start out by saying thanks to EK for the opportunity and to Eric for taking the time to read my blogs and for his assistance in this process.
This is a gig was unexpected but one that certainly is welcomed and appreciated.
To all my buzzard buds--homie, sip, indy, ray, 89, cab and others--I kinda missed you all.
And special thanks to Cisco for his awesomeness. We're all lucky to have his solid contributions as both a fan and a ref. My friend, I hope we can get together once again for some frosty adult beverages and maybe a sip or two of some tastiness from Scotland.
Anyhow.
The powers that be liked what I've written about the Buffalo Sabres over the years and asked if I would do the same for hockeybuzz. And I obliged.
Hopefully I can keep it rolling.
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Tim Murray and Co. cap a solid week by bringing two more prospects into the fold
The Buffalo Sabres announced yesterday that they signed RW Nick Baptiste to a three year entry-level contract.
Baptiste was drafted in the 3rd round (#69) last June and came out of the gate strong beginning last off season. He had a solid Blue and Gold scrimmage early in the summer then scored four goals and seven points at the Traverse City tournament in September.
The 6'1" 200 lb Ottawa native combined size, speed and skill to produce 45 goals and 89 points for the Sudbury Wolves in 2013-14.
Baptiste has top-nine potential and strengthens the right side of the Sabres organization. The 18 yr old slips in between top RW prospect Joel Armia (2011, #16) and trade deadline acquisition Hudson Fasching (LAK, 2013, #118) on the depth chart.
It's a good sign that Sabres GM Tim Murray looks at the hard working Baptiste as a part of the future and it's a nod to head amateur scout Kevin Devine that a third-rounder from the old regime was signed less than a year after he was drafted.
In addition to being on the same page with Baptiste, it would seem as if Murray and Devine also like the idea of adding more bulk on defense.
For a number of years, the Sabres eschewed bulkier defensemen opting instead to fill their blueline with as many mobile puckmovers as they could get their hands upon.
They came in an array of shapes and sizes from a 5'11" 206 lb. tree stump in Jaroslav Spacek to a gangly 6'3" 209 lb. Henrik Tallinder. And their skill level ranged from the creativity of Brian Campbell to a minute-eater like Andrej Sekera to the all-around cool of Teppo Numminen.
It worked for a while, but times have changed. And the Sabres d-corps is changing as well.
The organizational edict for the Sabres has been "bigger, stronger, faster" as stated by Devine at the 2012 NHL Draft.
In the seventh round that year, the Sabres selected 6'4" 234 lb. defenseman Brady Austin and on Thursday the team signed him to a three year entry-level deal.
For as big as Austin is, he's surprisingly mobile and can chip in a bit of offense as well. He had career highs in goals (9,) assists (24,) and points (33) this season with a plus-51 plus/minus rating.
He joins the 2013 twin towers--first round picks Rasmus Ristolainen (6'3" 205) and Nikita "Big Z" Zadorov (6'5" 220)--in bulking up the organization on the back end.
All told Murray and Co. inked three youngins last week: Baptiste, Austin and G, Linus Ullmark. They also re-signed F Nic Deslauriers (LAK, 2009, #84) to a two year extension.
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