Reprinted with permission from hockeybuzz.com
Although the euphoria over draft weekend hasn't even begun to subside in Sabreland, the NHL's calendar is about to change and with it comes the start of free agency.
With the forward ranks stocked, but not complete, Buffalo Sabres GM Tim Murray said he'll turn his attention to the d-corps which is looking pretty thin, "I probably need a veteran UFA defenseman," he said post-draft, "or I have to trade for one. I've been talking to teams about a left-shot d."
New Sabres bench-boss Dan Bylsma is looking at a group of defensemen with Rasmus Ristolainen, Zach Bogosian, Josh Gorges, Mike Weber and 23 yr. old Mark Pysyk who will finally be with the team full time. Chad Ruhwedel and Jake McCabe could be in the mix, and they could probably hold their own, but one would think that the team would prefer more seasoning for them in the minors.
Bylsma said on WGR550 yesterday that he's still trying to figure out the defense. "I don't have a top-four, per se'," he told host Howard Simon. "Right now when you put [the d-corps] on paper, it's not there. I still think there's some room to possibly see another name to appear on that list for our team. Hopefully we'll explore that, look at that and see what July 1st brings."
Ideally Murray can find a left-handed d-man to join the right-handed Ristolainen on the team's top pairing. That's pretty far-fetched at this point, so what Bylsma said he was looking at was the possibility of moving Ristolainen to the left side with Bogosian on the right. It's something they'll try in training camp, if need be.
Left-shot, right-shot. It probably doesn't really matter much at this point. When Bylsma was asked if he was "married" to the left-shot/right-shot pairing on defense he said he wasn't. "I've been forced most of my career as head coach into not having that be the case. I had a lot of right-shots on defense in Pittsburgh. There's guys like (left-handed) Paul Martin who feels more comfortable on his off side, so I'm not married to that (left/right pairing.)
"As we stand now, we're gonna have to get creative with exploring other options then just having Ristolainen on the right side."
Kinda wild how things have changed. Three years ago the Sabres strength was on defense and they were short on right-handed defensemen. After this weekend, it's flipped as they're stocked up-front, especially down the middle, and they're searching for one or even two defensemen, preferably lefties, to plug into the roster.
Go figure.
There will be very little to choose from come tomorrow at 12 noon when free agency commences. Chicago's Johnny Oduya, a left-hander, will be a prime target. There will be plenty of teams willing pay dearly for RHD, Mike Green in the hopes that they can offer the environment to spark his offensive prowess. In Sabreland there will be talk of bringing back a minute-eater/puck-mover in Andrej Sekera even though he could command a salary in the $5 million/season category.
Perhaps the best option for the Sabres is 35 yr. Francois Beauchemin who just finished a 3 yr./ $10.5 million contract with Anaheim. Even a that age, Beauchemin lead the Ducks in 5-on-5 and short-handed ice-time on way to a team-leading 22:44/game.
He's left handed and accustomed to playing the opposition's best players and was instrumental as a mentor to his d-partner, young Hampus Lindholm (20 yrs. old,) as well as 22 yr. old Cam Fowler and 23 yr. old Sami Vatanen. For those reasons alone, having Beauchemin remain with the Ducks would be ideal for the team, but term might be an issue. The Ducks are in real good shape this season and it's assumed that they'd like to keep him on a short-term deal. The following season, however, Anaheim has Ryan Kessler hitting free agency while Lindholm and Vatanen will be restricted and a $3.5 million cap hit for a 37 yr. old d-man might make things difficult.
The Sabres might not have such a problem two or three years down the road and an offer of 3yrs/$12 million might just be enough for Beauchemin and the Ducks to cut ties. But it would be worth it as he would allow the defense to fall in line behind him and Ristolainen. And I'm pretty sure he'd be a pretty good mentor to the 19 yr. old Risto as well.
Just a thought.
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Congratulations to Phil Housley as he, Niklas Lidstrom, Sergei Federov and Chris Pronger represent members of the 2015 Hall of Fame class.
The former Sabres d-man played eight seasons for the Buffalo Sabres before bebopping around the NHL for the remainder of his impressive career which spanned from 1982-2003. When Housley retired he had the record for games played (1495) and points (1232) by an American-born player.
Outside of the Wiki-facts and other statistics to be found anywhere on the web, when legendary Sabres broadcaster Rick Jeanneret belted out "Wowie Housley!" on numerous occasions from 1982-1990, it was for a reason.
Buffalo Sabres head coach/GM Scotty Bowman selected Housley with the 6th-overall pick in the 1982 draft and the 5'10" 185 lb. left-handed d-man went straight to the NHL from high school. Housley was the first of three first round picks that year (Paul Cyr, 9th and Dave Andreychuk, 16th) that hearkened the end of the French Connection-era in Buffalo.
Housley's skating was phenomenal and at times (as often was the case with offensive-defensemen) he was likened to Bobby Orr. He wasn't quite Orr but his end-to-end rushes and dipsy-doodles brought Sabres fans to their feet quite often. He wasn't much for the defensive side of the equation, but really, who cared? The magic he worked in Buffalo and even moreso in Winnipeg where he helped a rookie named Temuu Selanne score a record-breaking 76 goals for the original Jets is etched in the minds of those lucky enough to watch him play on a nightly basis.
The only reason it took him 10 years to make it to the Hall is because he never played on a Stanley Cup-winning team. Although it took the Hall 10 years to figure out that he was Hall of Fame worthy, they finally got it right.
One final note.
Housley transferred his his extensive knowledge to the World U-20 Junior Tournament team in Ufa, Russia where he coached the USA squad to a gold medal and Sabres d-prospect Jake McCabe to a spot on the All-tournament team. After that stint he was hired by the Nashville Predators as an assistant under Barry Trotz and survived when Trotz was fired and Peter Laviolette was hired.
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Sabres forward Cody Hodgson was waived with the intention of the team buying him out.
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New Sabre Robin Lehner is getting ready to take on his new role as the Buffalo Sabres starting goaltender. Lehner, who was sidelined by a concussion after a freak accident after a collision with former Sabre Clarke MacArthur, said today that he's the off season has been good and that he's trying "to get his head together."
"I've been working out for a few weeks trying to get back into shape," said Lehner today. " I sat around pretty much not doing anything for three or four months. That's the first time in my career that I've been not moving for that long.
"I'm doing everything I can to get back into shape. It's two and a half months 'til go-time and I'm gonna make them count."
Lehner was targeted by Sabres GM Tim Murray at the draft as the answer to the question of who will start in goal for Buffalo this season. Murray drafted Lehner with the 46th pick in the 2009 draft, the highest spot Murray has ever used on a goaltender. Murray likes the size Lehner has as well as his compete-level and was more than happy to bring him to Buffalo.
"He believes in me," said Lehner of Murray, "that's special [to me]. We have some memories when we won the Calder Cup in Binghamton (Ottawa's farm team with Murray in charge) and he's been a big part of my development. It's a special moment, for sure. He shows [me] a lot of respect and I have a lot of respect for him."
Lehner talked about their history in Ottawa and how they didn't see to much of him while he was playing in Sweden and he said he was "kind of a wild card coming over," but Murray always seemed welcoming, "he's been around, he's been a nice, smiling face."
Sabres fans haven't seen that much of Murray's "nice, smiling face" the last 18 months because of the tall task that he faced. But with the thing looking up and the team progressing nicely, Murray flashed a smile or two after a banner draft weekend in Sunrise, FL which included the trade for Lehner and David Legwand who Lehner said, "was a very good guy, a true veteran and professional who's also a very funny guy to have in the locker room."
The big question marks with may not over concussion concerns, which he intimated may have been a bit overblown, it might be whether the 23 yr. old can handle starting 60 or so games in a season. "I haven't had fatigue problems," said Lehner, "even when I was a little younger when I was in a long stretch in the Calder Cup playoffs when we went all the way. I don't think that will be an issue.
"I'm looking forward to the opportunity, but I have to earn it. I have to perform. Then we'll go from there."
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Finally, there's been a lot of chatter concerning offer sheets from the Buffalo Sabres because of the minimal cap increase and the RFA talent available and I wouldn't be surprised in the least bit if Murray pulled it off as he's been surprising us since he's come on board.
But I always keep a couple of things in mind before throwing around $6.5 million per year.
First off, the post-draft euphoria is awesome and we Sabres fans should roll with it, but the fact is, there's a lot of work to be done, especially on defense, and there's a lot of chemistry to be had, if the Sabres are going to increase their season point total and reach the playoffs. We're talking a 30 point increase over last season. When it comes to the draft, all lottery teams, of which the Sabres will probably be one, will have a shot at the top three picks.
Secondly, the 2016 NHL Draft will be in Buffalo next season. I just can't see this team possibly missing out on a top-three pick and then sitting on the sidelines for two-plus rounds in front of the home crowd. Just doesn't make a lot of sense.
Next year's free agent crop should be much stronger and patience might truly be a virtue in this instance.
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