Published by hockeybuzz.com, 6-21-2019
Housley hired by the Arizona Coyotes
Phil Housley's time in Buffalo was a train wreck with the final four-plus months of his tenure being an utter disaster. Housley's Sabres went 58-84-22 during his two seasons as Buffalo's head coach and he had a 10-game winning streak to his credit but other than that the team took a huge step backward.
The Sabres were the worst team in the league from November 29, the end of their streak, until the end of the season managing only 40 points in 57 games (16-33-8.) They went from first in the entire NHL to a 26th place finish and within that downward spiral they failed to win consecutive games from December 13 until the final two games of the season. Buffalo was also shut out three games in a row (for a franchise record 199:58) for the second consecutive season, the first NHL team since 1929 to have that dubious distinction.
The month of March was a particularly bad month as the Sabres went 2-12-2 with a pair of seven-game losing streaks with the latter stretching one game into April. In both instances Buffalo was threatening to do what no other team in NHL history had done--have a 10-game winning streak and 10-game losing streak in the same season.
Those are just the overall numbers. The fallout from Housley's tenure can be found in players like Patrik Berglund, who walked away from the game and over $12 million while in Buffalo. Berglund came over from St. Louis in the Ryan O'Reilly trade.
O'Reilly infamously said after the 2017-18 season (Housley's first as head coach) that he "lost his lover for the game at times" that season and was traded to the Blues. What followed was a remarkable run by St. Louis buoyed by the type of play O'Reilly was originally traded for. The Blues won their first-ever Stanley Cup with O'Reilly winning the Conn Smythe and he added to his mantle of awards with the Selke Trophy.
Some coaches are better off as assistants and right now it looks as if Housley is that type of coach. He'll be doing in Arizona what he did for the Nashville Predators--activating the defense to become a force on the ice.
Too bad we wasted two seasons finding out that he wasn't a head coach.
Could Vegas deal Max Pacioretty?
Although he might have had the most to do with what turned out to be a terrible season, Housley wasn't the only problem in Buffalo. Sabres GM Jason Botterill lost a big piece of their top-six when he sent O'Reilly to the Blues and had other holes up-front that were never filled. This off season he has designs on filling them and a number of names have surfaced as possibilities.
One that might be added to the list is Vegas Golden Knights winger Max Pacioretty.
In his NHL Rumor Mill piece, Lyle Richardson of Spector's Hockey cites Sportsnet's Chris Johnson as speculating that Pacioretty (or center Paul Stastny) could be shopped by the Golden Knights. He points out that Vegas is already "maxed out" against the cap and that the team ceiling could be lower than an original projection of $83 million.
CapFriendly is using $82 million as the cap-ceiling and the Golden Knights are already $1.125 million over that with at least three roster spots to fill. Something's got to give in Vegas and although center William Karlsson would be a great get for Buffalo, either Pacioretty or Stastny would be solid consolation prizes.
The 30 yr. old Pacioretty has four more years left on his contract at $7 million AAV while the 33 yr. old Stastny has two years left at a $6.5 million cap-hit. Both have modified no-trade clauses with a 10-team no-trade list.
Of the two Pacioretty might be more inclined to allow a trade to Buffalo should be of interest to the Sabres as he and 40-goal scoring winger Jeff Skinner would make for a formidable left side in the top-six. Sure, the Sabres really could use a center, but those are very hard to come by and even if they were forced to put a still very young Casey Mittelstadt back in that role, a veteran leader like Pacioretty could surely help him find his way.
Corey Perry
The Anaheim Ducks ditched right wing Corey Perry and the remainder of his contract with a buyout. Perry was selected 28th-overall in the famed 2003 draft class and spent all of his 14 seasons with the Ducks. In that time he won a Stanley Cup, and took home a "Rocket" Richard Trophy as the league's leading scorer and the Hart Trophy as the league's MVP. The London, Ontario native might be a little salty at the way he and the team parted after an injury plagued 2018-19 campaign and might still feel he has a lot to give and prove.
Enter Buffalo.
The Sabres could use a player with Perry's tenacity and skills although those skills have waned the past few seasons. At 34 yrs. old he's no spring chicken and you won't see him anywhere close to the top line however, if Buffalo wants a veteran up-front like they've had the past five seasons, a player like Perry fits the bill.
Back in 2014 Buffalo brought in former Montreal Canadiens captain Brian Gionta who was the veteran role model for the team. His contract was not renewed and he was replaced by former Sabre Jason Pominville who came back to Buffalo in a trade with the Minnesota Wild.
It's the opinion here that Gionta was a much better leader than Pominville and there's also a belief that the Sabres would be much better if they moved on from Pominville, who was a core player in Buffalo's soft-but-skilled years.
Perry is anything but soft and if he's got anything left in the tank, having him as that type of leader in a third-line role might be a fit for both him and the Sabres.
Sabres 50th anniversary uniforms
There's a lot of banter and speculation concerning the Sabres 50th anniversary uniforms and a lot of consternation concerning the shade of blue they have and should be wearing.
Anything more than a quick blurb on any of those two subjects is a waste of time and energy.
Here's a quick blurb--go out and enjoy the day.
Happy Draft Day everyone.
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