Published by hockeybuzz.com, 5-30-2017
The Stanley Cup Finals got off on the wrong foot yesterday as a rather lengthy delay negated a goal by the Nashville Predators. The play in review had Nashville's Filip Forsberg accepting a pass while straddling the Pittsburgh Penguins blueline with the linesman parked right behind him, which is where he should have been as he looked for a possible offside. While straddling the line Forsberg took the pass and it seemed as if his right skate was in the air before the puck crossed the blueline. The linesman on the play did not indicate an infraction, the play continued and PK Subban lit the lamp for the first goal of the 2017 Stanley Cup playoffs. However, there was a review of the play on a coaches challenge and the goal was overturned. (to view a nice angle on the play at the blueline, NBC ProHockeyTalk has it right here.)
The NHL mandates that indisputable evidence must be presented to overturn a call. Last night officials determined that Forsberg's skate was in the air when the puck crossed the blueline therefore making him offside and thus disallowing the goal.
The only problem we should have with that call is that it's not indisputable.
Circumstantially we can assume that Forsberg's skate was up in the air through body positioning and the natural movement of a skater. But how could one say with 100% certainty that a thin, white blade with a sliver of silver against white ice as a backdrop was or was not on the ice?
You can't. Not from the camera angles we were given.
Preds coach Peter Laviolette told reporters after the game that ""The impact of that moment, and the chain of events that happened after that—the penalty kills, I think, changed the course of the game." In other words Toronto and the officials changed the course of the game as momentum clearly shifted and Nashville soon found themselves down 3-0 instead of bein up 1-0.
There were other factors in the eventual Predators loss, like the aforementioned penalty kills which involved the Pens scoring on a five-on-three and Nashville goalie Pekka Rinne being unable to corral two pucks he should have stopped. And no one could predict the outcome if the goal had counted. But, for as much as the NHL wants to get things right via replay, if 100% certainty is the rule, just like a skate in the air is a definitive offside, then keep it at that.
If the NHL and their officials don't subscribe to that notion whole-heartedly, it leaves the door open for questions about favoritism and God knows "The face of the NHL" plays for Pittsburgh not Nashville.
*****
Sabres fans know a little bit about rules and how they somehow get altered for convenience sake.
In 1999 Dallas Stars forward Brett Hull scored the Stanley Cup clinching goal by beating Buffalo's Dominik Hasek late in the third overtime of Game-6 of the Finals. However the NHL put a rule in at the start of the 1998-99 season that said if a player was in the crease when the goal was scored, the goal would be disallowed. Hull's skate was clearly in the crease when he scored which would indicate that it shouldn't have counted.
NHL officials didn't see it that way that night and a parade of experts tried to justify their conclusion invoking possession rules and a player "deemed" to have possession of the puck. What was once a simple clear rule that a player could not score a goal while in the crease all of a sudden had clauses in it.
The next season the rule was changed allowing players in the crease as long as they do not impede a goalies ability to make the stop which has also created headaches for the NHL as they're having trouble getting that right.
One final note on rules and "No Goal," the Stars were transplanted from Minnesota in 1993 as NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman's foray into "non-traditional hockey markets" was in full swing.
*****
A case for indisputable vs. circumstantial could also be made when the Sabres played the Dallas this past season.
With Buffalo down 4-3, Sam Reinhart spun a backhand to the Stars net which Kari Lehtonen stopped. But where he stopped the puck was contentious. After the play was whistled dead and players began to disperse, Lehtonen got up and the puck was sitting on end clearly over the goal line. Buffalo's Jack Eichel was right behind the net feverishly pointing at the puck over the goal line. The refs went to review, it went to Toronto, and after a very long review the call stood--no goal.
Here's the video from Sportsnet:
There's a perceived double standard in the NHL and officiating is at the root of it. It's not so much that they make mistakes, which is human, but when it goes to Toronto and they still mess it up--or in the case of the Subban, a no-goal call without 100% surety--the perception is that grey areas lead to subjectivity which leads to favoritism.
It doesn't matter if they are or are not favoring a team as it's hard to prove something like that, but perception is reality and controversy's like this doesn't help the league.
Wednesday, May 31, 2017
Tuesday, May 30, 2017
Nashville's defense is the ideal, but trying to exact it in Buffalo may prove futile
Published by hockeybuzz.com, 5-28-2017
Who doesn’t love theNashville
Who doesn’t love the
It’s a special top-four in Nashville
The Preds model on defense is one worth noting as it gives the opposition fits and with rebuilding the Buffalo Sabres defense as Priority-1 for new GM Jason Botterill, in time the Sabres may have a similar look on the back-end. However, we may want to keep in mind a couple of things before we have dreams of a Nashville North on defense--from players to coaching, the Preds defense took years to build and develop and it's never a good idea to be chasing trends.
Nashville began building their defense in 2003 with what is considered the greatest NHL Draft of all time. In the first round they took agile, two-way d-man Ryan Suter with the seventh-overall pick then followed that up with two more blueline picks in the second--Kevin Kline (37th-overall) and Shea Weber (49th.) They would continue to add through the years but the had two cornerstones in Suter and Weber with which to anchor the defense while the rest developed behind them.
Suter and Weber along with goalie Pekka Rinne (2004, 258th) would form a "Bermuda Triangle" and for years the trio would help Nashville make the playoffs on the strength of their defense. Unfortunately, lack of offense would be their undoing and the trio would eventually splinter away. Suter would take the free agency route to Minnesota in 2012 and Weber would get traded to Montreal in a mega, two-player deal for fellow superstar PK Subban last off season. Rinne remains and he's regained his Vezina finalist form these playoffs.
Subban, who's known for his offensive acumen and flare as well, would join a strong group of young, homegrown puck-movers in Josi (2008, 38th,) Ellis (2009, 11th) and and Ekholm (2009, 102nd) to form what is now the most dangerous foursome in the league. But even then, it took the work of assistant coach Phil Housley to get them to this level of play.
Housley was drafted by the Sabres and by the end of his Hall of Fame career, the extremely talented offensive defenseman collected 338 goals and 894 assists in 1495 NHL games. Nashville had just come off of a 27th place finish in 2012-13 and they hired Housley, according to a Josh Cooper piece for The Hockey News, "to add a different voice to the coaching staff."
"But," added Cooper, "Nashville also wanted him to help unlock the potential in both Ellis and fellow young blueliner Ekholm."
Add in the adept head coaching of Stanley Cup-winner Peter Laviolette and you have a perfect storm of player-type and style that has the Preds four wins away from their first-ever Stanley Cup.
When you count the Weber for Subban trade, which allowed the Predators to add another offensive force on the back-end in Subban, the Preds defense took 14 years to get to the point where they are now, and they probably wouldn't be there without the leadership of both Housley and Laviolette.
Housley will be a head coach this coming season and it will be either in Buffalo or Florida. The preference here is for him to choose Buffalo, but regardless of where he goes, once could easily assume he's interested in fashioning a defense-corps in the Predators image.
The Sabres, they have one, maybe two of those pieces in the system right now. Rasmus Ristolainen has offensive acumen to go along with his size while 19 yr. old Brendan Guhle is a gifted skater who seems to have some offense to his game. Maybe Housley could get more offense out of Jake McCabe, his captain when Team USA won the gold medal at the 2013 World Junior Championships, as well. But for a new head coach in Buffalo, that corps has a long way to go before they could even come close to the Predators level and who's to say that the NHL will even be played that way if and when Buffalo finally gets there.
That's the problem with chasing trends, if you're late to the party, you've already missed it and you're back to square-one trying to figure out your next rebuild.
Having a mobile defense to join the rush with some very talented forwards already in Buffalo would be welcome. Trading away the future to be like the Nashville Predators might prove to be folly. It's preferable for the new head coach to be flexible enough to take the players he has on hand and play them to their strengths. And it's also up to the GM to have his vision for the team yet allow it to begin flowing with what he has on hand.
You can never go wrong with drafting and developing hockey players and before we get to the point where people think that means building a "hardest working team in hockey," the terms 'hockey player' and 'skill' are not mutually exclusive. You see it in players like Sidney Crosby, Jonathan Toews, Connor McDavid, along with your Scheifele's, Marchand's, Pacioretty's, Hedman's and Karlsson's. It's a compete-thing, using every ounce of energy to get the most out your skills.
The Sabres have players like that in Ristolainen and McCabe, Ryan O'Reilly, Kyle Okposo as well as Evander Kane and Jack Eichel. They also have moldable young players in William Carrier, Justin Bailey, Nick Baptiste and Hudson Fasching up-front as well as prospects Guhle, Will Borgen and Casey Fitzgerald on defense.
The biggest problem we saw with the Sabres, as well as with the Buffalo Bills the last two years, involved coaches trying to fit the players to the system instead of the other way around. Both coaches are no longer with the club after only two seasons.
What I'd like to see in Buffalo is a coach who can look at this roster and say, "this is what we've got, and this is what we need to do to be successful." The ideal of what GM and coach want to build with can still be there, but flipping present strengths to attain pieces of the ideal will only set the franchise back and waste valuable time.
The Preds have an enviable blueline but it's unlikely to be recreated elsewhere in that the copy is rarely, if ever, as good as the original. Perhaps the Sabres can add that element to the Pittsburgh/Chicago high draft pick rebuild model they started this with to create a hybrid. Maybe keep the Western Conference size they have to add a heavy element to the package.
Regardless of how this unfolds in the near future for Buffalo I hope that Botterill and his new head coach refrain from chasing trends and continue building upon the strengths they now have. Sure their defense is a mess but I'm not sure they have a 14-year window to exact the Preds d.
Sunday, May 28, 2017
Could Marc Methot be on the market?
Published by hockeybuzz.com, 5-27-2017
Everyone in hockey knows the Buffalo Sabres are in need of defensemen. Even though they'll have at least one, and maybe two additions to the defense-corps, there's still that spot on the top-pairing next to Rasmus Ristolainen that remains a question mark.
Over the past two seasons we found veteran Josh Gorges being overextended in that slot and youngin Jake McCabe was stretched to the extremes of his talents as the Sabres' No. 2 defenseman. Gorges did a respectable job there during the 2015-16 season and so did McCabe last season. But neither were in a position to make the most of what they had to offer. McCabe may end up being in that top spot but he's much better suited to a second-pairing role while age is creeping up on Gorges and it looks as if he'd be best suited to a bottom-pairing/penalty kill role in Buffalo.
Victor Antipin is the new kid on the block for the Sabres defense. The former KHL d-man looks as if he has top-four potential but we won't know how his game transfers over to the NHL. Soon to be 20-yr. old Brendan Guhle has shown that he can play at the pro level but there's a big difference between spot starts and full-time duty. Both players, however, are not expected to be a top-pairing defenseman at this point in time. Which means that if nothing changes, McCabe will probably be slated for No. 2 duty.
Yesterday we looked at one possible expansion draft casualty that the Sabres could trade for in Minnesota's Jonas Brodin. The Wild have a bit of a problem on their hands as a number of no-movement contracts are hampering their protected list. Brodin is a bit down the depth-chart but every bit a top-four d-man with top-pairing potential. If the Wild can't make a deal to maneuver out of this jam, one of Brodin or Marco Scandella might get picked by the Las Vegas Golden Knights in the expansion draft.
Come to find out yesterday that another team may have a bit of a problem when it comes to the expansion draft--the Ottawa Senators.
Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun writes that the Senators will be facing some tough decisions with their protected list which might leave Methot exposed. "[Sens GM Pierre] Dorion has to put together a protected list and there are decisions to make. On defence, the expectation is they’ll choose to protect three blueliners. The popular opinion is the Senators will have a difficult time putting Marc Methot on that list."
Garrioch goes on to say that the Sens could ask defenseman Dion Phaneuf to waive his no-trade clause and make a side deal with Vegas not to take him.
The 6'3" 224 lb., left-handed Methot logged some big minutes for Ottawa in this year's playoffs pulling in the second-most 5-on-5 time on ice/game behind only Eric Karlsson. The staunch defensive, defenseman was also third on the team in PK average time on ice. Methot is known for his strong defensive presence and solid play with very few breakdowns.
That would seem like a pretty good match for Buffalo as Ristolainen is a righty who has offense on his mind but has been focused on the defensive side of things the past two seasons. It's not to say that he can't play defense, it's more like he has a lot more to give from an offensive perspective and setting him loose might help get the offense reach a another level.
Too bad GM Tim Murray isn't around. Murray was in the organization and seemingly made a 2015 Draft-Day trade that had "future considerations" written all over it.
Back in June, 2015 Murray traded the 21st overall pick to his former team, the Ottawa Senators, for goalie Robin Lehner and aging center David Legwand. It was a rather steep price to pay but in doing so with his uncle Bryan, it's possible that a trade like that with the elder Murray was to set up something down the road. Unfortunately both Murray's are no longer GM's so anything worked out between the clubs would stand on its own.
With the expansion draft protected lists due less than a month from now, there will be plenty of speculation as to who will or will not be protected and whether or not there are deals to be made. Most are calling for the time between the end of the season and the end of the NHL Draft to be the busiest time in NHL history for trades. I'm not sure if I'd go that far yet and as a Sabres fan all I care about is being able to do one trade--for a No. 3-2 d-man.
Get that done and we could go into the season with greater expectations.
Everyone in hockey knows the Buffalo Sabres are in need of defensemen. Even though they'll have at least one, and maybe two additions to the defense-corps, there's still that spot on the top-pairing next to Rasmus Ristolainen that remains a question mark.
Over the past two seasons we found veteran Josh Gorges being overextended in that slot and youngin Jake McCabe was stretched to the extremes of his talents as the Sabres' No. 2 defenseman. Gorges did a respectable job there during the 2015-16 season and so did McCabe last season. But neither were in a position to make the most of what they had to offer. McCabe may end up being in that top spot but he's much better suited to a second-pairing role while age is creeping up on Gorges and it looks as if he'd be best suited to a bottom-pairing/penalty kill role in Buffalo.
Victor Antipin is the new kid on the block for the Sabres defense. The former KHL d-man looks as if he has top-four potential but we won't know how his game transfers over to the NHL. Soon to be 20-yr. old Brendan Guhle has shown that he can play at the pro level but there's a big difference between spot starts and full-time duty. Both players, however, are not expected to be a top-pairing defenseman at this point in time. Which means that if nothing changes, McCabe will probably be slated for No. 2 duty.
Yesterday we looked at one possible expansion draft casualty that the Sabres could trade for in Minnesota's Jonas Brodin. The Wild have a bit of a problem on their hands as a number of no-movement contracts are hampering their protected list. Brodin is a bit down the depth-chart but every bit a top-four d-man with top-pairing potential. If the Wild can't make a deal to maneuver out of this jam, one of Brodin or Marco Scandella might get picked by the Las Vegas Golden Knights in the expansion draft.
Come to find out yesterday that another team may have a bit of a problem when it comes to the expansion draft--the Ottawa Senators.
Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun writes that the Senators will be facing some tough decisions with their protected list which might leave Methot exposed. "[Sens GM Pierre] Dorion has to put together a protected list and there are decisions to make. On defence, the expectation is they’ll choose to protect three blueliners. The popular opinion is the Senators will have a difficult time putting Marc Methot on that list."
Garrioch goes on to say that the Sens could ask defenseman Dion Phaneuf to waive his no-trade clause and make a side deal with Vegas not to take him.
The 6'3" 224 lb., left-handed Methot logged some big minutes for Ottawa in this year's playoffs pulling in the second-most 5-on-5 time on ice/game behind only Eric Karlsson. The staunch defensive, defenseman was also third on the team in PK average time on ice. Methot is known for his strong defensive presence and solid play with very few breakdowns.
That would seem like a pretty good match for Buffalo as Ristolainen is a righty who has offense on his mind but has been focused on the defensive side of things the past two seasons. It's not to say that he can't play defense, it's more like he has a lot more to give from an offensive perspective and setting him loose might help get the offense reach a another level.
Too bad GM Tim Murray isn't around. Murray was in the organization and seemingly made a 2015 Draft-Day trade that had "future considerations" written all over it.
Back in June, 2015 Murray traded the 21st overall pick to his former team, the Ottawa Senators, for goalie Robin Lehner and aging center David Legwand. It was a rather steep price to pay but in doing so with his uncle Bryan, it's possible that a trade like that with the elder Murray was to set up something down the road. Unfortunately both Murray's are no longer GM's so anything worked out between the clubs would stand on its own.
With the expansion draft protected lists due less than a month from now, there will be plenty of speculation as to who will or will not be protected and whether or not there are deals to be made. Most are calling for the time between the end of the season and the end of the NHL Draft to be the busiest time in NHL history for trades. I'm not sure if I'd go that far yet and as a Sabres fan all I care about is being able to do one trade--for a No. 3-2 d-man.
Get that done and we could go into the season with greater expectations.
Saturday, May 27, 2017
Antipin signs. Let's fill in the blanks on the Sabres blueline
Published by hockeybuzz.com, 5-26-2017
With former KHL defenseman Viktor Antipin finally in the fold, a soon to be revamped Buffalo Sabres defense got it's first new face.
Antipin just finished his fifth full KHL season with Metallurg Magnitogorsk scoring 24 points (6+18) in 59 games. In all the 24 yr. old Antipin played 266 games for Metallurg scoring 36 goals and adding 62 assists. The 5'9" 179 lb. all-situations defensemen just finished a bronze medal run in the IIHF World Hockey Championships with four assists and a plus-5 rating in 10 games.
What will he bring to the Sabres defense?
It looks as Buffalo has a top-four d-man in Antipin, one who is a very capable skater and puck-mover, can play defense and also jump into the play on offense. He saw plenty of time on the penalty kill during the Worlds and if you watch some of his highlights from the KHL, he has a nose for pinching in on offense and has shown the ability to finish.
The addition of Antipin gives the Sabres three certainties on defense, barring a trade of any sort. Rasmus Ristolainen is the workhorse on the back-end while Jake McCabe has solidified his spot in the top-four, ideally on the second pairing.
Buffalo also has three other defensemen under contract any of whom may be exposed to the upcoming expansion draft. Zach Bogosian has three years remaining on his deal while both Josh Gorges and Justin Falk have one year. Bogosian and Gorges have been in the top-four for Buffalo with both looking as if they'd be more suited to a role in the No. 4-6 range. Falk was re-signed by former GM Tim Murray to a one-year extension after proving to be a very reliable reserve defenseman last season.
A wild-card in this whole process is Brendan Guhle. The soon to be 20 yr. old acquitted himself very well at the pro-level which included a three-game stint with Buffalo as an emergency recall from his Canadian Junior team in November. He joined the Rochester Americans after finishing his last two junior seasons and looked right at home. In 12 games with the Amerks he scored two goals, added four assists and was a minus-3. Where his development will take him next year is still unknown but most think he has a great shot at joining the Sabres defense.
If the season started today, this is the possible defense-corps we'd see hit the ice:
Ristolainen-McCabe
Antipin-Bogosian
Guhle-Gorges
Falk
New GM Jason Botterill has stated that upgrading the defense is a top priority wants and he may have the opportunity to do so with as the upcoming expansion draft will put a few teams in a bind come when protected lists are submitted. Two of them, the Anaheim Ducks and Minnesota Wild, may be forced to expose a good defenseman and risk losing him for nothing if they don't work something out in a trade prior.
With the signing of Antipin and the possibility of Guhle joining Buffalo's defense next season, barring anything weird happening the Sabres may be looking at one move on the back-end as they attempt to bolster the blueline. Here are a couple of possibilities for Buffalo to upgrade their d-corps:
Anaheim Ducks
Because of their depth on defense, the Ducks will more than likely protect eight skaters instead of seven forwards and three defensemen. On defense, despite injuries that will sideline them for months, Hampus Lindholm and Sami Vatenen are locks to be protected and with his performance in the playoffs, Cam Fowler will be protected as well. What they do with Kevin Bieksa will shape how they approach the final spot. Because of his no-movement clause, Bieksa is required to be protected leaving young d-man Josh Manson as possibly being exposed.
If the Ducks fail to do anything with Bieksa, the Sabres could be looking at the 6'3" 215 Manson as a possible addition. The right-handed Manson is quite mobile for a player of his size and played well in a third-pairing defensive role for the Ducks. He's steady on the back-end but one shouldn't expect much on offense. A trade for him shouldn't cost too much and one could plug him in alongside the left-handed Guhle on the third pairing in Buffalo.
Minnesota Wild
The Wild is a team that probably would like to go with eight skaters in order to protect four d-men, but three NMC's amongst the forward group coupled with three young players who have plenty of upside has Minnesota looking at the 7/3 model. On defense the Wild will be protecting Ryan Suter and it looks as if Jared Spurgeon and Matt Dumba aren't going anywhere either. That leaves two pretty valuable pieces exposed--23 yr. old Jonas Brodin and 27 yr. old Marco Scandella.
Brodin is an excellent puck-mover who had 25 points (3+22) in 68 games for Minnesota last season and would net them a pretty good return. The left-handed all-situations defenseman would look good in the top-four on the Sabres, especially at a favorable $4.16 million cap-hit.
Landing a player like Brodin, or even Scandella from Minnesota would be a pretty good upgrade for the Sabres. Problem is, there are a ton of other teams looking for he same thing. Would the Sabres be willing to trade the No. 8 overall pick at this year's draft, and possibly more for Brodin? If they're looking at a run to the playoffs this season, I could see them doing a deal like that.
With former KHL defenseman Viktor Antipin finally in the fold, a soon to be revamped Buffalo Sabres defense got it's first new face.
Antipin just finished his fifth full KHL season with Metallurg Magnitogorsk scoring 24 points (6+18) in 59 games. In all the 24 yr. old Antipin played 266 games for Metallurg scoring 36 goals and adding 62 assists. The 5'9" 179 lb. all-situations defensemen just finished a bronze medal run in the IIHF World Hockey Championships with four assists and a plus-5 rating in 10 games.
What will he bring to the Sabres defense?
It looks as Buffalo has a top-four d-man in Antipin, one who is a very capable skater and puck-mover, can play defense and also jump into the play on offense. He saw plenty of time on the penalty kill during the Worlds and if you watch some of his highlights from the KHL, he has a nose for pinching in on offense and has shown the ability to finish.
The addition of Antipin gives the Sabres three certainties on defense, barring a trade of any sort. Rasmus Ristolainen is the workhorse on the back-end while Jake McCabe has solidified his spot in the top-four, ideally on the second pairing.
Buffalo also has three other defensemen under contract any of whom may be exposed to the upcoming expansion draft. Zach Bogosian has three years remaining on his deal while both Josh Gorges and Justin Falk have one year. Bogosian and Gorges have been in the top-four for Buffalo with both looking as if they'd be more suited to a role in the No. 4-6 range. Falk was re-signed by former GM Tim Murray to a one-year extension after proving to be a very reliable reserve defenseman last season.
A wild-card in this whole process is Brendan Guhle. The soon to be 20 yr. old acquitted himself very well at the pro-level which included a three-game stint with Buffalo as an emergency recall from his Canadian Junior team in November. He joined the Rochester Americans after finishing his last two junior seasons and looked right at home. In 12 games with the Amerks he scored two goals, added four assists and was a minus-3. Where his development will take him next year is still unknown but most think he has a great shot at joining the Sabres defense.
If the season started today, this is the possible defense-corps we'd see hit the ice:
Ristolainen-McCabe
Antipin-Bogosian
Guhle-Gorges
Falk
New GM Jason Botterill has stated that upgrading the defense is a top priority wants and he may have the opportunity to do so with as the upcoming expansion draft will put a few teams in a bind come when protected lists are submitted. Two of them, the Anaheim Ducks and Minnesota Wild, may be forced to expose a good defenseman and risk losing him for nothing if they don't work something out in a trade prior.
With the signing of Antipin and the possibility of Guhle joining Buffalo's defense next season, barring anything weird happening the Sabres may be looking at one move on the back-end as they attempt to bolster the blueline. Here are a couple of possibilities for Buffalo to upgrade their d-corps:
Anaheim Ducks
Because of their depth on defense, the Ducks will more than likely protect eight skaters instead of seven forwards and three defensemen. On defense, despite injuries that will sideline them for months, Hampus Lindholm and Sami Vatenen are locks to be protected and with his performance in the playoffs, Cam Fowler will be protected as well. What they do with Kevin Bieksa will shape how they approach the final spot. Because of his no-movement clause, Bieksa is required to be protected leaving young d-man Josh Manson as possibly being exposed.
If the Ducks fail to do anything with Bieksa, the Sabres could be looking at the 6'3" 215 Manson as a possible addition. The right-handed Manson is quite mobile for a player of his size and played well in a third-pairing defensive role for the Ducks. He's steady on the back-end but one shouldn't expect much on offense. A trade for him shouldn't cost too much and one could plug him in alongside the left-handed Guhle on the third pairing in Buffalo.
Minnesota Wild
The Wild is a team that probably would like to go with eight skaters in order to protect four d-men, but three NMC's amongst the forward group coupled with three young players who have plenty of upside has Minnesota looking at the 7/3 model. On defense the Wild will be protecting Ryan Suter and it looks as if Jared Spurgeon and Matt Dumba aren't going anywhere either. That leaves two pretty valuable pieces exposed--23 yr. old Jonas Brodin and 27 yr. old Marco Scandella.
Brodin is an excellent puck-mover who had 25 points (3+22) in 68 games for Minnesota last season and would net them a pretty good return. The left-handed all-situations defenseman would look good in the top-four on the Sabres, especially at a favorable $4.16 million cap-hit.
Landing a player like Brodin, or even Scandella from Minnesota would be a pretty good upgrade for the Sabres. Problem is, there are a ton of other teams looking for he same thing. Would the Sabres be willing to trade the No. 8 overall pick at this year's draft, and possibly more for Brodin? If they're looking at a run to the playoffs this season, I could see them doing a deal like that.
Friday, May 26, 2017
Evander Kane dilemma a tough one, but it can work in Buffalo
Published by hockeybuzz.com, 5-25-2017
Buffalo Sabres winger Evander Kane's NHL career has spanned eight seasons in three cities for two franchises. As a fourth-overall pick in the 2009 NHL Draft expectations were high for the Vancouver native and product of the hometown Vancouver Giants and after hitting a career high in goals those expectations got even higher.
In three seasons with the Atlanta Thrashers, Kane's production rose to a 30-goal, 57-point season (in 70 games) and he was heralded as a premier powerforward that could skate, score, hit and fight. Those traits lead to Kane cashing in on a rather lucrative six-year, $31.5 million contract of which he has one year remaining.
Kane entering the final year of his contract poses a dilemma for the Sabres as his many positives on the ice are offset by his troubles away from the rink. Part of those troubles revolve around the image he likes to exude which at times resembles that of a sharp, well-dressed playboy with a touch of gansta. It landed him in hot water in Winnipeg after the Atlanta franchise moved there and he just finished a stint on probation in Buffalo for an incident last summer.
Such is the dichotomy of Evander Kane.
As we move further into the 2017 off-season, once again Kane's name his making the rounds in the rumor mill. Elliott Friedman (via WGR550) was on CHED 630 in Edmonton saying, according to GR, "it's now or never for a Kane trade." And it's true, with his contract running out after next season and with Kane coming off of a 28-goal campaign, if they aren't able to come to terms on a contract extension, now is the time to trade him.
But who wants Kane? At what price? And what does it do to the Sabres roster?
TSN's Darren Dreger was on MSG's The Instigators and had this to say about Kane and possible destinations, "Keep in mind that general managers, because of the salary cap really not going up much on an annual basis, they’re wary. They’ve very careful in how they spend their dollars and when you’re bringing in a contract you’ve got to be absolutely rock-solid sure that this is a player that is going to be worth it. That he’s going to give you whatever edge you need, who’s going to make you better to be a playoff contender or a Stanley Cup contender. If that team is out there, then what is the market for him. What is the rate of return. It’s going to be a fairly substantial draft pick, I would say, certainly upwards of second round. Maybe there’s a player that has to fit in there as well. But that’s just kind of my broad speculation."
Another factor for potential suitors might be whether or not a new team would want to, or even could, sign him to an extension and all of that makes for a diminished return.
What it really may come down to is how Kane feels about playing in Buffalo. From everything I've read and heard, he likes Buffalo and his on-ice production may be an indication that he feels comfortable on skating with the likes of Jack Eichel, Ryan O'Reilly and company. If he likes Buffalo, great. And if Buffalo likes him, that's great too.
However, despite his uptick in production, Kane still has a lot of work to do convincing Buffalo and the hockey world that he's finally matured. At 25 years old and with a big contract already under his belt, his street-suave image can surely be maintained no matter what happens in the near future, but does he have enough savvy to stay out of trouble outside the rink while projecting that image?
Ownership in Buffalo doesn't need or want deal with issues like that and one could reasonably assume that neither does new GM Jason Botterill. There's a trust factor involved and Kane to this point hasn't held up his part of the deal.
In that respect, and when you throw in that Kane has had injury issues that have limited his on-ice performance prior to and including this past season, it's hard to see the Buffalo Sabres offering Kane a long-term deal. A player entering his third contract with nearly 500 games played, while also coming off a strong season, is probably expecting a long-term, cash-in contract, but is Kane worth something like that to Buffalo or even another club who might trade for him?
Ideally, Kane and the Sabres can come to a shorter-term agreement that ups his annual salary a bit from the $5.25 million he now makes. In order for that to happen, Kane will need to agree that based upon his past, now is not the time to be thinking lucrative, long-term. For a guy who once posted a picture of himself doing pushups in Las Vegas with stacks of money on his back, it's seems like a difficult proposition. But with his past history, Kane simply shouldn't expect a lucrative, long-term contract from any NHL team.
Is he irreplaceable? No. But will he be difficult to replace? Probably. And it may end up doing more harm than good. If Kane is moved, the Sabres will have another hole to fill in their roster. Although we've heard of a youngster like Alex Nylander taking his spot and recently someone suggested bringing Thomas Vanek in to replace Kane, neither would bring what Kane does.
Perhaps a shorter three or four-year deal with a modest bump in salary with the Sabres will do both him and the team well. It would put him on solid footing moving forward with the potential to cash-in a bit down the road and it will also keep Buffalo from possibly committing to a "problem child" long-term.
It can work, but it'll take some work from both sides.
Buffalo Sabres winger Evander Kane's NHL career has spanned eight seasons in three cities for two franchises. As a fourth-overall pick in the 2009 NHL Draft expectations were high for the Vancouver native and product of the hometown Vancouver Giants and after hitting a career high in goals those expectations got even higher.
In three seasons with the Atlanta Thrashers, Kane's production rose to a 30-goal, 57-point season (in 70 games) and he was heralded as a premier powerforward that could skate, score, hit and fight. Those traits lead to Kane cashing in on a rather lucrative six-year, $31.5 million contract of which he has one year remaining.
Kane entering the final year of his contract poses a dilemma for the Sabres as his many positives on the ice are offset by his troubles away from the rink. Part of those troubles revolve around the image he likes to exude which at times resembles that of a sharp, well-dressed playboy with a touch of gansta. It landed him in hot water in Winnipeg after the Atlanta franchise moved there and he just finished a stint on probation in Buffalo for an incident last summer.
Such is the dichotomy of Evander Kane.
As we move further into the 2017 off-season, once again Kane's name his making the rounds in the rumor mill. Elliott Friedman (via WGR550) was on CHED 630 in Edmonton saying, according to GR, "it's now or never for a Kane trade." And it's true, with his contract running out after next season and with Kane coming off of a 28-goal campaign, if they aren't able to come to terms on a contract extension, now is the time to trade him.
But who wants Kane? At what price? And what does it do to the Sabres roster?
TSN's Darren Dreger was on MSG's The Instigators and had this to say about Kane and possible destinations, "Keep in mind that general managers, because of the salary cap really not going up much on an annual basis, they’re wary. They’ve very careful in how they spend their dollars and when you’re bringing in a contract you’ve got to be absolutely rock-solid sure that this is a player that is going to be worth it. That he’s going to give you whatever edge you need, who’s going to make you better to be a playoff contender or a Stanley Cup contender. If that team is out there, then what is the market for him. What is the rate of return. It’s going to be a fairly substantial draft pick, I would say, certainly upwards of second round. Maybe there’s a player that has to fit in there as well. But that’s just kind of my broad speculation."
Another factor for potential suitors might be whether or not a new team would want to, or even could, sign him to an extension and all of that makes for a diminished return.
What it really may come down to is how Kane feels about playing in Buffalo. From everything I've read and heard, he likes Buffalo and his on-ice production may be an indication that he feels comfortable on skating with the likes of Jack Eichel, Ryan O'Reilly and company. If he likes Buffalo, great. And if Buffalo likes him, that's great too.
However, despite his uptick in production, Kane still has a lot of work to do convincing Buffalo and the hockey world that he's finally matured. At 25 years old and with a big contract already under his belt, his street-suave image can surely be maintained no matter what happens in the near future, but does he have enough savvy to stay out of trouble outside the rink while projecting that image?
Ownership in Buffalo doesn't need or want deal with issues like that and one could reasonably assume that neither does new GM Jason Botterill. There's a trust factor involved and Kane to this point hasn't held up his part of the deal.
In that respect, and when you throw in that Kane has had injury issues that have limited his on-ice performance prior to and including this past season, it's hard to see the Buffalo Sabres offering Kane a long-term deal. A player entering his third contract with nearly 500 games played, while also coming off a strong season, is probably expecting a long-term, cash-in contract, but is Kane worth something like that to Buffalo or even another club who might trade for him?
Ideally, Kane and the Sabres can come to a shorter-term agreement that ups his annual salary a bit from the $5.25 million he now makes. In order for that to happen, Kane will need to agree that based upon his past, now is not the time to be thinking lucrative, long-term. For a guy who once posted a picture of himself doing pushups in Las Vegas with stacks of money on his back, it's seems like a difficult proposition. But with his past history, Kane simply shouldn't expect a lucrative, long-term contract from any NHL team.
Is he irreplaceable? No. But will he be difficult to replace? Probably. And it may end up doing more harm than good. If Kane is moved, the Sabres will have another hole to fill in their roster. Although we've heard of a youngster like Alex Nylander taking his spot and recently someone suggested bringing Thomas Vanek in to replace Kane, neither would bring what Kane does.
Perhaps a shorter three or four-year deal with a modest bump in salary with the Sabres will do both him and the team well. It would put him on solid footing moving forward with the potential to cash-in a bit down the road and it will also keep Buffalo from possibly committing to a "problem child" long-term.
It can work, but it'll take some work from both sides.
Thursday, May 25, 2017
Of captains, goalies and the coaching search in Buffalo
Published by hockeybuzz.com, 5-24-2017
New Buffalo Sabres GM Jason Botterill was on The Instigators program yesterday talking with hosts Andrew Peters and Craig Rivet. They covered many subjects over the course of the interview, but one moment really stood out to me--the future of the captaincy for the Sabres.
After talking about communication and trust between various aspects of the team, Botterill was pressed for a little more insight as to who might be a good captain for Buffalo. His response was that it would be more of a team effort saying rather emphatically, "the days of Mark Messier, the one guy leading the charge, is so long gone. It's long gone."
Messier, of course, is known as "The Captain's Captain." In the 80's he captained the Edmonton Oilers to a Stanley Cup without Wayne Gretzky and for an encore carried the weight of a 54-year NY Rangers Cup drought on his shoulders and almost single-handedly willed them to the 1994 Stanley Cup.
Botterill followed up the Messier quote by saying "there's a lot more leading by example...that it has to be a collaboration model. You may name a captain, whoever it may be named here in Buffalo," he continued, "and if there's not a good support group, it's not going to work."
Which begs the question. Is this just GM-speak as he's left with a tough decision concerning three players, who all may or may not be captain material? Or does he truly believe this?
Botterill was in the Dallas Stars organization when they won the Cup over Buffalo in 1999. The captain of that team was hard-nosed defenseman Derian Hatcher. It was a team that had stars like Mike Modano, Brett Hull, Joe Nieuwendyke and an aging, but extremely effective Eddie "The Eagle" Belfour in goal. While in the Sabres organization from 2002-04, Buffalo went from the captaincy of Stu Barnes, to a rotating captain after he was traded. And in Pittsburgh, Crosby was captain the entire time Botterill was in the front office. The Pens won two Cups and are on the verge of a back-to-back SCF appearance.
As mentioned, the Sabres have three candidates with none being a clear-cut favorite. Franchise center Jack Eichel could be the choice based upon his team-leading skills while forward Ryan O'Reilly seems to have the experience and character to wear the 'C'. Defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen has always been a mature player both physically and mentally and would be a good choice as well, but they all have their flaws too.
It's a touchy situation for Botterill as ego comes into play. It's a sad but true fact. How will Player X react to Player Y getting the captaincy? Or how would either or both react to Player Z getting the letter.
Botterill is much closer to the pulse of the NHL than any of us outsiders so a deference to his position is in order. But in hockey I'm still of the opinion that a captain defines what the organization wants from it's team and that a strong figure, one who's willing and able to carry that weight, can take the team farther than they thought they could go. Carrying the weight like Messier did in '94 might be a thing of the past, but having a leader everyone respects and follows on the ice may still be very much in vogue.
*****
Parity has proven to be more attainable in the NHL than in the NBA to which it's often compared to. But unlike basketball where NBA superstars can and almost exclusively do take over a game, NHL stars and superstars can and usually do take over games and series but have a wild card in goaltending to deal with. A hot or cold goalie can make or break a series and often times a great goaltending performance can be the great equalizer in a game or series.
It doesn't happen often, but you'll see a team get to the Stanley Cup Finals, and even win a Cup, riding a hot goaltender. We're seeing that right now as Pekka Rinne has already lead the 16th seeded Nashville Predators to the SCF representing the Western Conference while Ottawa's Craig Anderson could do the same for the Senators in the East. Yesterday they forced a Game-7 against a talented, albeit injury-challenged on defense Pittsburgh Penguins club. The Sens finished second in the Atlantic Division with 98 points while the Pens finished second in the conference with 111 points..
Bucky Gleason of the Buffalo News has a good article today talking about the rise of the Predators. He rightfully points to an organization that stuck to it's plan and after he throws a token jab at "tanking," tells of how Nashville made it to their first ever Finals appearance this year after backing into the playoffs with 94 points. He also notes that in the salary-cap era, only two teams made it to the Finals after entering the playoffs with less than a 100-point season--the 2008-09 Pittsburgh Penguins and the 2011-12 Los Angeles Kings.
The NHL is on the verge of having two sub-100 point teams make it to the Finals and it can be attributed mostly to goaltending. After a sluggish regular season, Rinne has been stellar. He started his run by allowing a mere three goals to the Chicago Blackhawks, followed that up by outdueling an equally impressive young goalie Jake Allen of the St. Louis Blues. Rinne and the Preds finished off the Anaheim Ducks in six games and he'll be heading into the SCF with a 1.70 GAA and .941 Sv% while facing the third-most shots these playoffs.
The leader in shots-against is Anderson who has faced 548 shots in 18 games these playoffs. He's sporting a very respectable 2.36 GAA and .922 Sv%. Anderson just came off of a 45 save performance against the Pens in Game-6 to help the starless Senators reach a winner-take-all game tomorrow night.
Whether he's making $7 million/per season like Rinne or $4.2 million, like Anderson, having that goaltender get hot in the playoffs makes a huge difference. Even in Pittsburgh where the Pens have superstars Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, goalie Marc-Andre Fleury--a former first-overall pick who is making $5.75 million per season--is second in the playoffs in shots against and had been tremendous for the Pens. He faltered and back-up Matt Murray, the goaltending hero of last year's Cup win for Pittsburgh is working his magic once again.
What it comes down to is goaltending is the great equalizer and it's the main reason why lower seeds consistently upset higher seeds and why we may see a matchup between a No. 16 and No. 12. It's something you'll never see in the NBA.
*****
For those interested in the Sabres coaching search, Botterill mentioned on The Instigators that he'll be casting a pretty wide net and admitted, "I don't know who I want, but there are certain people I want to talk to."
TSN's Pierre LeBrun tweeted out today a handful of names that most fans are familiar with, "On Sabres' HC radar, I think, in no particular order: Krueger, Tocchet, J. Montgomery, J. Martin, Housley, Reirden, Boughner..."
Ralph Krueger has international coaching experience and had a one-season stint in Edmonton, but is now chairman of a Premier League Football club in Southampton, Hampshire, England. How his name keeps popping up is rather curious as his NHL coaching resume featured only 19 wins in 48 games during the lockout-shortened 2012-13 season.
Both Rick Tocchet (PIT) and Phil Housley (NSH) are still in the playoffs and both are considered to be favorites at this point. Jim Montgomery has had a very successful college coaching career and is coming off of a national championship with Denver. Jacques Martin started his head coaching career in 1986 and has coached almost 1300 regular season games.
Tom Reirden has ties to Botterill after a nearly four-year stint in Pittsburgh (2010-14) and spent the last three years in Washington as an assistant coach while Bob "The Boogieman" Boughner was a very successful coach for the OHL's Windsor Spitfires who won back-to-back Memorial Cups in 2009 and 2010.
Botterill is taking a methodical approach to the huge pile of work he has with Buffalo and has said that the coach will probably be in place before the NHL Draft. He spent last week getting to know his scouts while comparing notes on prospects plus the World Championships were just completed and he may be interested in overseas free agents other than defenseman Viktor Antipin who's said to be signing in Buffalo. The NHL Scouting Combine begins this weekend and runs through June 3, with Buffalo as the host city once again so he and his scouting staff will once again be focused upon prospects.
The measured approach Botterill's employing right now is perfect for the mountain of tasks at his feet right now and to his credit he knows a hasty decision does no one any good. Besides, the two front-runners are still in the playoffs and there's a chance that both may not be available for an interview until June 14, the potential last game of the SCF.
Although it doesn't give them much time between then and June 17, the day that Expansion Draft Protected Lists are due, most of the work for that may fall on Botterill anyway. At least that's what we in Sabreland are hoping.
New Buffalo Sabres GM Jason Botterill was on The Instigators program yesterday talking with hosts Andrew Peters and Craig Rivet. They covered many subjects over the course of the interview, but one moment really stood out to me--the future of the captaincy for the Sabres.
After talking about communication and trust between various aspects of the team, Botterill was pressed for a little more insight as to who might be a good captain for Buffalo. His response was that it would be more of a team effort saying rather emphatically, "the days of Mark Messier, the one guy leading the charge, is so long gone. It's long gone."
Messier, of course, is known as "The Captain's Captain." In the 80's he captained the Edmonton Oilers to a Stanley Cup without Wayne Gretzky and for an encore carried the weight of a 54-year NY Rangers Cup drought on his shoulders and almost single-handedly willed them to the 1994 Stanley Cup.
Botterill followed up the Messier quote by saying "there's a lot more leading by example...that it has to be a collaboration model. You may name a captain, whoever it may be named here in Buffalo," he continued, "and if there's not a good support group, it's not going to work."
Which begs the question. Is this just GM-speak as he's left with a tough decision concerning three players, who all may or may not be captain material? Or does he truly believe this?
Botterill was in the Dallas Stars organization when they won the Cup over Buffalo in 1999. The captain of that team was hard-nosed defenseman Derian Hatcher. It was a team that had stars like Mike Modano, Brett Hull, Joe Nieuwendyke and an aging, but extremely effective Eddie "The Eagle" Belfour in goal. While in the Sabres organization from 2002-04, Buffalo went from the captaincy of Stu Barnes, to a rotating captain after he was traded. And in Pittsburgh, Crosby was captain the entire time Botterill was in the front office. The Pens won two Cups and are on the verge of a back-to-back SCF appearance.
As mentioned, the Sabres have three candidates with none being a clear-cut favorite. Franchise center Jack Eichel could be the choice based upon his team-leading skills while forward Ryan O'Reilly seems to have the experience and character to wear the 'C'. Defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen has always been a mature player both physically and mentally and would be a good choice as well, but they all have their flaws too.
It's a touchy situation for Botterill as ego comes into play. It's a sad but true fact. How will Player X react to Player Y getting the captaincy? Or how would either or both react to Player Z getting the letter.
Botterill is much closer to the pulse of the NHL than any of us outsiders so a deference to his position is in order. But in hockey I'm still of the opinion that a captain defines what the organization wants from it's team and that a strong figure, one who's willing and able to carry that weight, can take the team farther than they thought they could go. Carrying the weight like Messier did in '94 might be a thing of the past, but having a leader everyone respects and follows on the ice may still be very much in vogue.
*****
Parity has proven to be more attainable in the NHL than in the NBA to which it's often compared to. But unlike basketball where NBA superstars can and almost exclusively do take over a game, NHL stars and superstars can and usually do take over games and series but have a wild card in goaltending to deal with. A hot or cold goalie can make or break a series and often times a great goaltending performance can be the great equalizer in a game or series.
It doesn't happen often, but you'll see a team get to the Stanley Cup Finals, and even win a Cup, riding a hot goaltender. We're seeing that right now as Pekka Rinne has already lead the 16th seeded Nashville Predators to the SCF representing the Western Conference while Ottawa's Craig Anderson could do the same for the Senators in the East. Yesterday they forced a Game-7 against a talented, albeit injury-challenged on defense Pittsburgh Penguins club. The Sens finished second in the Atlantic Division with 98 points while the Pens finished second in the conference with 111 points..
Bucky Gleason of the Buffalo News has a good article today talking about the rise of the Predators. He rightfully points to an organization that stuck to it's plan and after he throws a token jab at "tanking," tells of how Nashville made it to their first ever Finals appearance this year after backing into the playoffs with 94 points. He also notes that in the salary-cap era, only two teams made it to the Finals after entering the playoffs with less than a 100-point season--the 2008-09 Pittsburgh Penguins and the 2011-12 Los Angeles Kings.
The NHL is on the verge of having two sub-100 point teams make it to the Finals and it can be attributed mostly to goaltending. After a sluggish regular season, Rinne has been stellar. He started his run by allowing a mere three goals to the Chicago Blackhawks, followed that up by outdueling an equally impressive young goalie Jake Allen of the St. Louis Blues. Rinne and the Preds finished off the Anaheim Ducks in six games and he'll be heading into the SCF with a 1.70 GAA and .941 Sv% while facing the third-most shots these playoffs.
The leader in shots-against is Anderson who has faced 548 shots in 18 games these playoffs. He's sporting a very respectable 2.36 GAA and .922 Sv%. Anderson just came off of a 45 save performance against the Pens in Game-6 to help the starless Senators reach a winner-take-all game tomorrow night.
Whether he's making $7 million/per season like Rinne or $4.2 million, like Anderson, having that goaltender get hot in the playoffs makes a huge difference. Even in Pittsburgh where the Pens have superstars Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, goalie Marc-Andre Fleury--a former first-overall pick who is making $5.75 million per season--is second in the playoffs in shots against and had been tremendous for the Pens. He faltered and back-up Matt Murray, the goaltending hero of last year's Cup win for Pittsburgh is working his magic once again.
What it comes down to is goaltending is the great equalizer and it's the main reason why lower seeds consistently upset higher seeds and why we may see a matchup between a No. 16 and No. 12. It's something you'll never see in the NBA.
*****
For those interested in the Sabres coaching search, Botterill mentioned on The Instigators that he'll be casting a pretty wide net and admitted, "I don't know who I want, but there are certain people I want to talk to."
TSN's Pierre LeBrun tweeted out today a handful of names that most fans are familiar with, "On Sabres' HC radar, I think, in no particular order: Krueger, Tocchet, J. Montgomery, J. Martin, Housley, Reirden, Boughner..."
Ralph Krueger has international coaching experience and had a one-season stint in Edmonton, but is now chairman of a Premier League Football club in Southampton, Hampshire, England. How his name keeps popping up is rather curious as his NHL coaching resume featured only 19 wins in 48 games during the lockout-shortened 2012-13 season.
Both Rick Tocchet (PIT) and Phil Housley (NSH) are still in the playoffs and both are considered to be favorites at this point. Jim Montgomery has had a very successful college coaching career and is coming off of a national championship with Denver. Jacques Martin started his head coaching career in 1986 and has coached almost 1300 regular season games.
Tom Reirden has ties to Botterill after a nearly four-year stint in Pittsburgh (2010-14) and spent the last three years in Washington as an assistant coach while Bob "The Boogieman" Boughner was a very successful coach for the OHL's Windsor Spitfires who won back-to-back Memorial Cups in 2009 and 2010.
Botterill is taking a methodical approach to the huge pile of work he has with Buffalo and has said that the coach will probably be in place before the NHL Draft. He spent last week getting to know his scouts while comparing notes on prospects plus the World Championships were just completed and he may be interested in overseas free agents other than defenseman Viktor Antipin who's said to be signing in Buffalo. The NHL Scouting Combine begins this weekend and runs through June 3, with Buffalo as the host city once again so he and his scouting staff will once again be focused upon prospects.
The measured approach Botterill's employing right now is perfect for the mountain of tasks at his feet right now and to his credit he knows a hasty decision does no one any good. Besides, the two front-runners are still in the playoffs and there's a chance that both may not be available for an interview until June 14, the potential last game of the SCF.
Although it doesn't give them much time between then and June 17, the day that Expansion Draft Protected Lists are due, most of the work for that may fall on Botterill anyway. At least that's what we in Sabreland are hoping.
Wednesday, May 24, 2017
Awaiting Antipin and...on Ryan O'Reilly
Published by hockeybuzz.com, 5-22-2017
Although he's only 5'9" 176 lbs. Russian defenseman Viktor Antipin will be welcome with open arms on the Buffalo blueline as the Sabres defense-corps is ripe for change.
KHL insider and European hockeybuzz colleague Aivis Kalnins has been on the story and tweeted yesterday that he's "hearing Viktor Antipin is set to sign with the Buffalo Sabres. Player also told ''Sport Express'' that he is arriving in Buffalo next week."
Also of interest, Kalnins reports that the Pittsburgh Penguins were in the mix for Antipin's services. "[Present Sabres GM Jason Botterill comes from an organization that also wanted to get Antipin, that should tell the story," he tweeted yesterday. We'd heard that a number of teams were in on him but this is the first team to be named.
The story is that Antipin, despite his size has managed to do some real good things during his six seasons with the KHL's Magnitogorsk Metallurg. The 24 yr. old broke into the league with a two-game taste in 2010-11 then followed with a robust rookie campaign of 10 goals and 11 assists in 50 games for Metallurg. Last season he finished with 24 points (6+18) in 59 games and during his five full seasons with the team he was never minus player. Antipin was on two Gagarin Cup-winning teams, was a 2013 All-Star and now has two silver and two bronze medals on his international resume thanks to Russia's bronze medal performance at the 2017 IIHF World Hockey Championships.
For those of us who were able to catch some of the Worlds this year, Antipin saw plenty of ice-time in all situations with the left-hander playing both sides of the ice. He has excellent recovery time on defense and can find open ice in the offensive zone, especially deep in the slot. Antipin, like seemingly every Russian defenseman knows how to get up ice and into the play.
The Sabres presently have two players who are almost assured to be on the blueline next season--Rasmus Ristolainen and Jake McCabe. After that it's somewhat of a crap shoot. No. 3 on the depth chart is Zack Bogosian who has a hefty contract that's difficult to live up to, especially when injuries are starting to take their toll on the soon to be 27 yr. old. After that there's 32 yr. old Josh Gorges, who's role was drastically reduced last season, and Justin Falk who was re-signed by former Sabres GM Tim Murray as a depth defenseman.
It's a situation that leaves the door wide open for Antipin and one of the main reasons he'll reportedly be joining the Sabres instead of some other NHL club. God knows that Buffalo defense-corps can use a jolt.
*****
Sabres center Ryan O'Reilly and Team Canada took home the silver medal at the World's after Henrik Lundqvist backstopped Team Sweden to a shootout win in the Gold Medal Game. O'Reilly scored the only goal for Canada yesterday and nicked the crossbar on his shootout attempt. He finished the tournament with six goals and three assists in 10 games including an overtime winner against Team Russia in the semi-finals.
O'Reilly was a workhorse for Canada coach Jon Cooper much like he's been for Buffalo since coming over in a trade from Colorado in June, 2015. He logged huge minutes for the Canadians throughout the tourney and was on the ice in all situations taking huge faceoffs at critical times. But for him, the 2016-17 hockey season is over and after some down time O'Reilly will begin to focus on next season in Buffalo.
O'Reilly's two-way acumen would be welcome on any team and in he'll be sharing top-two center duties on the Sabres with 20 yr. old Jack Eichel. There's a lot up in the air in Buffalo including the coach and the captaincy and you can bet that O'Reilly and Eichel will be the focus for the new coach on the captaincy.
Murray was generally lauded for bringing O'Reilly to the club via trade although he gave up some pretty good young players in the process, notably left-handed defenseman Nikita Zadorov and center prospect JT Compher who could end up being a player like O'Reilly. It was the contract extension Murray re-signed O'Reilly to that seems to be on the minds of most Sabres fans.
O'Reilly signed a seven year extension in 2015 that will keep him as a Sabres until the end of the 2022-23 season and his cap-hit of $7.5 million is beginning to draw the ire of stat-watchers. Although he lead the team in scoring two years ago and was second last season, his 41 goals and 74 assists doesn't seem befitting of a contract like that. Other stats like his team-leading time on ice and face off percentage as well as a year-over-year 15 point gain in plus/minus won't move the needle for stat-watchers either.
That said, there have been a lot of problems in Buffalo, most notably last season, which may have hampered players from reaching their potential. Where those problems stemmed from will soon be revealed as there will be a new coach this season and hopefully a revamped defense and I'm starting to think that the last two seasons should be viewed rather skeptically. And that goes for a lot of the roster last season.
The new Sabres coach will have the task of getting O'Reilly and Eichel into their proper roles and it will be paramount to driving the offense up-front. There are two big egos at play in those two and if they can align properly, the Sabres won't need to worry too much about the forwards because they'll have their top-two centers--a goal-scorer and two-way player--in place.
It's been 10 years since the organization could make that latter claim and other than a true No. 1 defensemen getting a top center is very difficult to do in today's NHL.
Regardless of how it all plays out, one thing we can count on is O'Reilly carrying a huge load in all situations for the club, just like he did the past two season in Buffalo and for Team Canada at the Worlds.
Although he's only 5'9" 176 lbs. Russian defenseman Viktor Antipin will be welcome with open arms on the Buffalo blueline as the Sabres defense-corps is ripe for change.
KHL insider and European hockeybuzz colleague Aivis Kalnins has been on the story and tweeted yesterday that he's "hearing Viktor Antipin is set to sign with the Buffalo Sabres. Player also told ''Sport Express'' that he is arriving in Buffalo next week."
Also of interest, Kalnins reports that the Pittsburgh Penguins were in the mix for Antipin's services. "[Present Sabres GM Jason Botterill comes from an organization that also wanted to get Antipin, that should tell the story," he tweeted yesterday. We'd heard that a number of teams were in on him but this is the first team to be named.
The story is that Antipin, despite his size has managed to do some real good things during his six seasons with the KHL's Magnitogorsk Metallurg. The 24 yr. old broke into the league with a two-game taste in 2010-11 then followed with a robust rookie campaign of 10 goals and 11 assists in 50 games for Metallurg. Last season he finished with 24 points (6+18) in 59 games and during his five full seasons with the team he was never minus player. Antipin was on two Gagarin Cup-winning teams, was a 2013 All-Star and now has two silver and two bronze medals on his international resume thanks to Russia's bronze medal performance at the 2017 IIHF World Hockey Championships.
For those of us who were able to catch some of the Worlds this year, Antipin saw plenty of ice-time in all situations with the left-hander playing both sides of the ice. He has excellent recovery time on defense and can find open ice in the offensive zone, especially deep in the slot. Antipin, like seemingly every Russian defenseman knows how to get up ice and into the play.
The Sabres presently have two players who are almost assured to be on the blueline next season--Rasmus Ristolainen and Jake McCabe. After that it's somewhat of a crap shoot. No. 3 on the depth chart is Zack Bogosian who has a hefty contract that's difficult to live up to, especially when injuries are starting to take their toll on the soon to be 27 yr. old. After that there's 32 yr. old Josh Gorges, who's role was drastically reduced last season, and Justin Falk who was re-signed by former Sabres GM Tim Murray as a depth defenseman.
It's a situation that leaves the door wide open for Antipin and one of the main reasons he'll reportedly be joining the Sabres instead of some other NHL club. God knows that Buffalo defense-corps can use a jolt.
*****
Sabres center Ryan O'Reilly and Team Canada took home the silver medal at the World's after Henrik Lundqvist backstopped Team Sweden to a shootout win in the Gold Medal Game. O'Reilly scored the only goal for Canada yesterday and nicked the crossbar on his shootout attempt. He finished the tournament with six goals and three assists in 10 games including an overtime winner against Team Russia in the semi-finals.
O'Reilly was a workhorse for Canada coach Jon Cooper much like he's been for Buffalo since coming over in a trade from Colorado in June, 2015. He logged huge minutes for the Canadians throughout the tourney and was on the ice in all situations taking huge faceoffs at critical times. But for him, the 2016-17 hockey season is over and after some down time O'Reilly will begin to focus on next season in Buffalo.
O'Reilly's two-way acumen would be welcome on any team and in he'll be sharing top-two center duties on the Sabres with 20 yr. old Jack Eichel. There's a lot up in the air in Buffalo including the coach and the captaincy and you can bet that O'Reilly and Eichel will be the focus for the new coach on the captaincy.
Murray was generally lauded for bringing O'Reilly to the club via trade although he gave up some pretty good young players in the process, notably left-handed defenseman Nikita Zadorov and center prospect JT Compher who could end up being a player like O'Reilly. It was the contract extension Murray re-signed O'Reilly to that seems to be on the minds of most Sabres fans.
O'Reilly signed a seven year extension in 2015 that will keep him as a Sabres until the end of the 2022-23 season and his cap-hit of $7.5 million is beginning to draw the ire of stat-watchers. Although he lead the team in scoring two years ago and was second last season, his 41 goals and 74 assists doesn't seem befitting of a contract like that. Other stats like his team-leading time on ice and face off percentage as well as a year-over-year 15 point gain in plus/minus won't move the needle for stat-watchers either.
That said, there have been a lot of problems in Buffalo, most notably last season, which may have hampered players from reaching their potential. Where those problems stemmed from will soon be revealed as there will be a new coach this season and hopefully a revamped defense and I'm starting to think that the last two seasons should be viewed rather skeptically. And that goes for a lot of the roster last season.
The new Sabres coach will have the task of getting O'Reilly and Eichel into their proper roles and it will be paramount to driving the offense up-front. There are two big egos at play in those two and if they can align properly, the Sabres won't need to worry too much about the forwards because they'll have their top-two centers--a goal-scorer and two-way player--in place.
It's been 10 years since the organization could make that latter claim and other than a true No. 1 defensemen getting a top center is very difficult to do in today's NHL.
Regardless of how it all plays out, one thing we can count on is O'Reilly carrying a huge load in all situations for the club, just like he did the past two season in Buffalo and for Team Canada at the Worlds.
Monday, May 22, 2017
O'Reilly leads Team Canada to win over Russia. Antipin ready to ink?
Published by hockeybuzz.com, 5-20-2017
Buffalo Sabres center Ryan O'Reilly scored the game-winning goal and added a primary assist on an empty-netter in helping Team Canada rally for a 4-2 victory over Team Russia at the IIHF World Championships in Cologne, Germany. Much like he did in Buffalo, O'Reilly was a workhorse for the Canadians as he skated 21:21 which was second only to defenseman Colton Parayko (STL.) He was recognized as the Player of the Game for Team Canada.
O'Reilly has eight points (5+3) in nine game for the tournament and will have the opportunity to add to that as Team Canada will face off against the winner of today's Sweden-Finland matchup for the right to play for the gold medal.
Meanwhile, Russian defenseman Viktor Antipin, whom the Sabres are said to be signing very soon, will play in tomorrow's bronze medal game against the loser of Sweden-Finland. The 5'9" 176 lb. Antipin left the Canada/Russia matchup with a plus-1 rating and one shot on goal. For the tournament Antipin has three assists in nine games and has a plus-4 rating.
Antipin's name has been associated with the Sabres for weeks now with hockeybuzz.com's Aivis Kalnins tweeting yesterday that "Antipin and Sabres talked recently and nothing has changed, expect him to sign with the Sabres." That the Antipin signing was still moving in that direction was confirmed when Russian hockey writer Igor Eronko talked with hosts Howard Simon and Jeremy White on WGR550 Radio yesterday.
"I heard this months ago that [Antipin's] definitely leaving [the KHL]," Eronko told the hosts. "I can confirm that he will sign exactly with Buffalo."
The hosts were curious as to why Antipin chose Buffalo and, as Sabres fans know, there was an obvious reason. "Because there's a place for him," he said. "The Sabres don't have the best defense in the NHL, obviously, and they have a spot for a guy like him." He continued on giving us a little insight into the player that is Viktor Antipin. "He's small in stature but very strong on the puck. [He's] a good puck-moving defensemen and that's exactly what may be needed for Buffalo in the top-four.
"He's wins a lot of battles, he plays penalty kill and powerplay and in all key situations he's on the ice. He's a defenseman that's quite reliable."
Anyone who's had the opportunity to watch Russia in this tournament can see that their transition game is top-notch and their defense is very active. Antipin is definitely of that ilk and oft-times one can find him in the slot in the offensive zone.
On the negative side, Eronko thinks Antipin will need to add speed and strength.
If all works out, perhaps sometime early next week we will have Antipin's signature on a Sabres contract which constitutes a step in the right direction for the team as they try to fix a broken defense-corps.
Buffalo Sabres center Ryan O'Reilly scored the game-winning goal and added a primary assist on an empty-netter in helping Team Canada rally for a 4-2 victory over Team Russia at the IIHF World Championships in Cologne, Germany. Much like he did in Buffalo, O'Reilly was a workhorse for the Canadians as he skated 21:21 which was second only to defenseman Colton Parayko (STL.) He was recognized as the Player of the Game for Team Canada.
O'Reilly has eight points (5+3) in nine game for the tournament and will have the opportunity to add to that as Team Canada will face off against the winner of today's Sweden-Finland matchup for the right to play for the gold medal.
Meanwhile, Russian defenseman Viktor Antipin, whom the Sabres are said to be signing very soon, will play in tomorrow's bronze medal game against the loser of Sweden-Finland. The 5'9" 176 lb. Antipin left the Canada/Russia matchup with a plus-1 rating and one shot on goal. For the tournament Antipin has three assists in nine games and has a plus-4 rating.
Antipin's name has been associated with the Sabres for weeks now with hockeybuzz.com's Aivis Kalnins tweeting yesterday that "Antipin and Sabres talked recently and nothing has changed, expect him to sign with the Sabres." That the Antipin signing was still moving in that direction was confirmed when Russian hockey writer Igor Eronko talked with hosts Howard Simon and Jeremy White on WGR550 Radio yesterday.
"I heard this months ago that [Antipin's] definitely leaving [the KHL]," Eronko told the hosts. "I can confirm that he will sign exactly with Buffalo."
The hosts were curious as to why Antipin chose Buffalo and, as Sabres fans know, there was an obvious reason. "Because there's a place for him," he said. "The Sabres don't have the best defense in the NHL, obviously, and they have a spot for a guy like him." He continued on giving us a little insight into the player that is Viktor Antipin. "He's small in stature but very strong on the puck. [He's] a good puck-moving defensemen and that's exactly what may be needed for Buffalo in the top-four.
"He's wins a lot of battles, he plays penalty kill and powerplay and in all key situations he's on the ice. He's a defenseman that's quite reliable."
Anyone who's had the opportunity to watch Russia in this tournament can see that their transition game is top-notch and their defense is very active. Antipin is definitely of that ilk and oft-times one can find him in the slot in the offensive zone.
On the negative side, Eronko thinks Antipin will need to add speed and strength.
If all works out, perhaps sometime early next week we will have Antipin's signature on a Sabres contract which constitutes a step in the right direction for the team as they try to fix a broken defense-corps.
Saturday, May 20, 2017
Of Buffalo's FA's, coaching search, NSH d and Jack EiCHeL
Published by hockeybuzz.com, 5-19-2017
The Buffalo Sabres have 19 free agent contracts on the docket with 10 unrestricted and nine restricted.
Half of the UFA's are in Rochester with four of them--forwards Cole Schneider and Derek Grant plus defensemen Erik Burgdoerfer and Mat Bodie--as possible re-signs. Cal O'Reilly already moved on after being loaned to the Toronto Marlies late last season. The other five UFA's were from the big club--captain Brian Gionta, defensemen Cody Franson, Dmitry Kulikov and Taylor Fedun plus goalie Anders Nilsson--and of those only Gionta and Fedun look to be possible re-signs at this point in time.
Unlike UFA's, restricted free agents have little say in their immediate future with the team holding all the cards. Here's the list of restricted free agents new general manager Jason Botterill and his staff will be looking at:
F, Marcus Foligno
F, Johan Larsson
F, Zemgus Girgensons
F, Evan Rodrigues
LW, Jean Dupuy
C, Justin Kea
D, Brady Austin
G, Robin Lehner
G, Linus Ullmark
Botterill spent this week hunkered down with his scout to compare notes about the upcoming draft. Among the other things he needs to work on is finding a head coach as well as hiring those who will lead his scouting departments. Eventually he'll get to all of these free agents as the Expansion Draft is coming soon and the start of free agency begins shortly thereafter.
Not much has been coming out but our hockeybuzz colleague in Europe, Aivis Kalnins, tweeted that "Botterill also reached out to Girgensons via text but no contract has been discussed yet." Kalnins also tweeted that a Viktor Antipin/Sabres union is still a go, but nothing formal has been announced. "Antipin and Sabres talked recently and nothing has changed, expect him to sign with the Sabres," he tweeted.
Good news for the Sabres on both fronts.
*****
The Sabres and the Florida Panthers are the only NHL teams without head coaches at this juncture and it's almost assured that Nashville Predators assistant coach Phil Housley will occupy one of those positions.
Housley's been getting a lot of press lately for the job he's done with the mobile, offensive-minded Preds defense, and rightfully so. Nashville's d-corps is an aggressive group is constantly on the offensive, which is pretty much how Housley played his entire career. His coaching career got a huge boost when he lead Team USA to the 2013 World Junior Championship in Ufa, Russia and he also survived a coaching change in Nashville when Barry Trotz was replaced by Peter Laviolette.
And not too long ago there was word of a Botterill/Rick Tocchet link to the Sabres head coaching job even before Botterill was officially announced as the Sabres new GM. Which make sense. A new general manager leans towards bringing in people he's familiar with and Tocchet had been in Pittsburgh since June, 2014.
Tocchet's coacing resume' is a bit longer than Housley's in that he cut his teeth behind the bench in 2002 and he also had a 148-game stint as the head coach of the Tampa Bay Lightning from 2008-10. Not much came out of that except that he received props for getting Steven Stamkos' career on track.
Botterill had said that he would be doing a fairly extensive head coaching search but Sun Media's Steve Simmons tweeted out, "Most people on the inside I talk to are expecting either Rick Tocchet or Phil Housley to be the next coach of the Buffalo Sabres."
There are some other names mentioned to be in the mix like Todd Reirden, Kevin Dineen, Bob Boughner and Ralph Kreuger but Housley and Tocchet always seem to be at the fore. And for good reason. Both are said to have a great rapport with young players and both, because of their playing careers and their successes as assistant coaches on winning teams, should gain the type of locker room respect Botterill is looking for.
*****
Speaking of Nashville, Simmons Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Mike Babcock and his GM Lou Lamoriello were taking in the Anaheim Ducks/Preds game last night. "Been covering playoffs for more than 30 years. It's rare to ever see an eliminated NHL coach at another playoff game," tweeted Simmons. "Have to believe if Mike Babcock and Lou Lamoriello are in Nashville it ain't for hanging out on Broadway. There must be defenceman in play."
Both Anaheim and Nashville are loaded on the back end and with the expansion draft coming up, there's a possibility that a quality d-man may be available. It's well known that the Sabres are in need of some help in the top-four and although he wasn't physically at the game, one would bet that Botterill has his eye on that series.
*****
Team USA was shut out 2-0 by Team Finland yesterday at the IIHF World Championships in Cologne, Germany. Buffalo's Jack Eichel did not have the greatest of tournaments with zero goals and five assists in eight games plus he ended the tournament in the penalty box after he was called for a high-stick with 1:52 to play.
International play seems to be hit or miss with Eichel, which is fine as long as he brings it during the NHL season. Here's what Eichel has done on the international stage for Team USA:
2013 U17: 5gp, 3g, 2a
2013 WJC18: 7gp, 1+1
2014 WJC18: 7gp, 5+5
2014 WJC: 5gp, 1+4
2015 WJC: 5gp, 1+3
2015 WC: 10 gp, 2+5
2016 WCOH: 3gp, 1+1
2017 WC: 8gp, 0+5
In all 60 games played, 14 goals, 21 assists.
His NHL totals: 142 games played, 48 goals, 65 assists.
Bust!
Eichel joined Girgensons (Team Latvia) on the outside looking in while Buffalo still has World Championship interest as the aforementioned, but unsigned as of yet, Antipin is still in it for Team Russia and Team Canada with Ryan O'Reilly have advanced to the semi-finals.
The Buffalo Sabres have 19 free agent contracts on the docket with 10 unrestricted and nine restricted.
Half of the UFA's are in Rochester with four of them--forwards Cole Schneider and Derek Grant plus defensemen Erik Burgdoerfer and Mat Bodie--as possible re-signs. Cal O'Reilly already moved on after being loaned to the Toronto Marlies late last season. The other five UFA's were from the big club--captain Brian Gionta, defensemen Cody Franson, Dmitry Kulikov and Taylor Fedun plus goalie Anders Nilsson--and of those only Gionta and Fedun look to be possible re-signs at this point in time.
Unlike UFA's, restricted free agents have little say in their immediate future with the team holding all the cards. Here's the list of restricted free agents new general manager Jason Botterill and his staff will be looking at:
F, Marcus Foligno
F, Johan Larsson
F, Zemgus Girgensons
F, Evan Rodrigues
LW, Jean Dupuy
C, Justin Kea
D, Brady Austin
G, Robin Lehner
G, Linus Ullmark
Botterill spent this week hunkered down with his scout to compare notes about the upcoming draft. Among the other things he needs to work on is finding a head coach as well as hiring those who will lead his scouting departments. Eventually he'll get to all of these free agents as the Expansion Draft is coming soon and the start of free agency begins shortly thereafter.
Not much has been coming out but our hockeybuzz colleague in Europe, Aivis Kalnins, tweeted that "Botterill also reached out to Girgensons via text but no contract has been discussed yet." Kalnins also tweeted that a Viktor Antipin/Sabres union is still a go, but nothing formal has been announced. "Antipin and Sabres talked recently and nothing has changed, expect him to sign with the Sabres," he tweeted.
Good news for the Sabres on both fronts.
*****
The Sabres and the Florida Panthers are the only NHL teams without head coaches at this juncture and it's almost assured that Nashville Predators assistant coach Phil Housley will occupy one of those positions.
Housley's been getting a lot of press lately for the job he's done with the mobile, offensive-minded Preds defense, and rightfully so. Nashville's d-corps is an aggressive group is constantly on the offensive, which is pretty much how Housley played his entire career. His coaching career got a huge boost when he lead Team USA to the 2013 World Junior Championship in Ufa, Russia and he also survived a coaching change in Nashville when Barry Trotz was replaced by Peter Laviolette.
And not too long ago there was word of a Botterill/Rick Tocchet link to the Sabres head coaching job even before Botterill was officially announced as the Sabres new GM. Which make sense. A new general manager leans towards bringing in people he's familiar with and Tocchet had been in Pittsburgh since June, 2014.
Tocchet's coacing resume' is a bit longer than Housley's in that he cut his teeth behind the bench in 2002 and he also had a 148-game stint as the head coach of the Tampa Bay Lightning from 2008-10. Not much came out of that except that he received props for getting Steven Stamkos' career on track.
Botterill had said that he would be doing a fairly extensive head coaching search but Sun Media's Steve Simmons tweeted out, "Most people on the inside I talk to are expecting either Rick Tocchet or Phil Housley to be the next coach of the Buffalo Sabres."
There are some other names mentioned to be in the mix like Todd Reirden, Kevin Dineen, Bob Boughner and Ralph Kreuger but Housley and Tocchet always seem to be at the fore. And for good reason. Both are said to have a great rapport with young players and both, because of their playing careers and their successes as assistant coaches on winning teams, should gain the type of locker room respect Botterill is looking for.
*****
Speaking of Nashville, Simmons Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Mike Babcock and his GM Lou Lamoriello were taking in the Anaheim Ducks/Preds game last night. "Been covering playoffs for more than 30 years. It's rare to ever see an eliminated NHL coach at another playoff game," tweeted Simmons. "Have to believe if Mike Babcock and Lou Lamoriello are in Nashville it ain't for hanging out on Broadway. There must be defenceman in play."
Both Anaheim and Nashville are loaded on the back end and with the expansion draft coming up, there's a possibility that a quality d-man may be available. It's well known that the Sabres are in need of some help in the top-four and although he wasn't physically at the game, one would bet that Botterill has his eye on that series.
*****
Team USA was shut out 2-0 by Team Finland yesterday at the IIHF World Championships in Cologne, Germany. Buffalo's Jack Eichel did not have the greatest of tournaments with zero goals and five assists in eight games plus he ended the tournament in the penalty box after he was called for a high-stick with 1:52 to play.
International play seems to be hit or miss with Eichel, which is fine as long as he brings it during the NHL season. Here's what Eichel has done on the international stage for Team USA:
2013 U17: 5gp, 3g, 2a
2013 WJC18: 7gp, 1+1
2014 WJC18: 7gp, 5+5
2014 WJC: 5gp, 1+4
2015 WJC: 5gp, 1+3
2015 WC: 10 gp, 2+5
2016 WCOH: 3gp, 1+1
2017 WC: 8gp, 0+5
In all 60 games played, 14 goals, 21 assists.
His NHL totals: 142 games played, 48 goals, 65 assists.
Bust!
Eichel joined Girgensons (Team Latvia) on the outside looking in while Buffalo still has World Championship interest as the aforementioned, but unsigned as of yet, Antipin is still in it for Team Russia and Team Canada with Ryan O'Reilly have advanced to the semi-finals.
Friday, May 19, 2017
Buffalo-centric tidbits featuring Leino, Bills, Sabres & 30 Thoughts
Published by hockeybuzz.com, 5-17-2017
Former Buffalo Sabres forward Ville Leino hoodwinked the Sabres into a six-year, $27 million contract back in 2011. Now he's hawking a "artist series" hoodie because, apparently, the $1.2 million annual tag for the compliance buyout by the Sabres through the 2019-20 season isn't enough of a financial cushion for his exile from the National Hockey League.
Leino performance was universally panned and contract is widely considered one of the worst free agent signings of all time. His career with the Sabres spanned 137 games in which he scored 10 goals and added 36 assists. Leino pocketed $16 million in those first three years with the Sabres which comes out to $1.6m/goal and another $7.33 million for Buffalo to say good riddance.
But the dude has some serious issues with his final year in Buffalo that needed to be expressed artistically, so he drew some kids scrawl artwork featuring a crude face, cross and the word "Jail," as if to imply that his last year in Buffalo was like being in jail.
Here's his quote about the "work":
"One of my most personal works. I was playing my third year in Buffalo Sabres with long and big contract. Things weren't working with me and the team. I was getting a lot of pressure and heat and there was no way out of it. I felt trapped and down. All I could do was get up every morning and go to work and try to make it work. This painting reflects those feelings that I was going through on that perioid of time." - Ville Leino.
He seems to have put more work into that than he did on the ice in Buffalo and my God, when you signed that contract there, Ville, you mean to tell me that you weren't prepared for the pressure and scrutiny of a lucrative long-term contract like that? And there was no way out? Really?
Get real.
It's an intriguing piece in a way, and I'd certainly be interested in buying it.
*Reaches into pocket*
I've got 17 cents, a ball of lint and some crumbs from the pizza I ate last night. How's that? I'd say it's about equal to what you gave the Buffalo Sabres organization while you were here.
*****
The Buffalo sports scene has been in a rut and, like Leino, has been universally panned lately, or in the case of the Buffalo Bills, the entirety of this century. However, and I say this cautiously, things look to be getting better.
When the Pegula's took over the Sabres and the Bills they soon found themselves in way over their heads. Terry Pegula headed a very successful energy company but he soon found out, unlike the man in the Oval Office, the world of pro sports is a completely different beast and it's best to surround oneself with those who know how it works.
To their credit, the Pegulas gave the incumbent general manager and coach the opportunity to continue on with the new owners. Unfortunately both tandems failed which lead to a dual GM search this spring and two new coaches this calendar year. However, there is still no "guru" at the top of either organization.
In lieu of that, the Pegulas are heading in the right direction with quality front office hires for their football operations. It actually started with the hiring of new head coach Sean McDermott and although he has an unusual amount of power for a head coach, at least he seems to be putting the Bills on the proper course.
McDermott was at the forefront of hiring Carolina Panthers AGM Brandon Beane to be general manager in Buffalo and as the Bills begin to build a scouting department that was let go along with the firing of former GM Doug Whaley, they've added two more quality people. Joe Schoen, the Miami Dolphins director of player personnel was hired as an assistant GM and Brian Gaine as new vice president of player personnel. Gaine was brought over from Houston where he served as director of player personnel with the Texans.
Both are roundly accepted as quality hires for Buffalo as they try to break out of a 17-year playoff drought.
*****
Elliotte Friedman's 30 Thoughts for Sportsnet.ca is a mainstay for hockey fans and he had plenty to say about the Buffalo Sabres in his latest edition.
The Sabres have a new GM in Jason Botterill and are looking for a new head coach. Botterill gave a general framework as to what he's looking for in a head coach and also said that experience is not a necessity. Yet he wants the new head coach to have respect when he walks into the locker room, something that was apparently missing last season with departed head coach Dan Bylsma.
There are only two teams in the NHL without a head coach right now--Buffalo and the Florida Panthers. Friedman points out that Cats GM Dale Tallon is in Europe taking in the IIHF World Championships as part of Team USA's leadership. Among the names mentioned in association with Florida are, Marc Crawford (OTT), Phil Housley (NSH) and Paul MacLean (ANA).
Crawford is an interesting name to crop up in the conversation as he won the Stanley Cup with Colorado in 1996. He's coached over 1100 games for four different franchises and is presently an associate coach with the Ottawa Senators.
Friedman then brings some other names to the fore.
"Botterill knows Todd Reirden (WSH) and Rick Tocchet (PIT) very well," he wrote. "He almost hired New Jersey assistant Geoff Ward for AHL Wilkes-Barre, eventually choosing Mike Sullivan. Housley and San Jose’s Bob Boughner could be interviewed here, too. And I do wonder if he’d ask Jim Rutherford about Montreal’s Kirk Muller. Rutherford hired Muller in Carolina."
Botterill is in no hurry as he has other things on the front burner, but those are some names to keep an eye on.
*****
In more front office work, Friedman also mentions Botterill's under the radar search to fill scouting vacancies.
"Botterill said there have been 'no restrictions' on who he can take from Pittsburgh to Buffalo, with one caveat: no lateral moves. So, if he’s taking anyone, it has to be a promotion. He wouldn’t comment on specific names, but two are making the rounds. One is former Ottawa and Florida GM Randy Sexton, who is the Penguins’ director of amateur scouting. The other is Derek Clancey, director of pro scouting."
*****
Finally, Friedman touched upon Russian defenseman Viktor Antipin who opted out of his KHL contract and is said to be headed to Buffalo.
The previous regime got the wheels turning on this one and there were questions as to whether or not Buffalo and Antipin is still in the works with a new GM. "The vultures circled, wondering if the changes in Buffalo meant Antipin would waver on his decision to join the Sabres," wrote Friedman. "But it sounds like he’s sticking with his original decision. Not for lack of trying."
Which is good news for a Sabres defense which seems to be priority-one from a roster perspective. And just for good measure, Friedman had to bring forward Evander Kane into the conversation as Botterill mentioned using every possible avenue to try and fix the defense. "[Botterill] wouldn’t discuss specifics, but the organization has to make a decision on Evander Kane. Do they let him play out his contract, re-sign him or try to move him for that defender?"
Good question. It's one that should be in the news for a while.
Former Buffalo Sabres forward Ville Leino hoodwinked the Sabres into a six-year, $27 million contract back in 2011. Now he's hawking a "artist series" hoodie because, apparently, the $1.2 million annual tag for the compliance buyout by the Sabres through the 2019-20 season isn't enough of a financial cushion for his exile from the National Hockey League.
Leino performance was universally panned and contract is widely considered one of the worst free agent signings of all time. His career with the Sabres spanned 137 games in which he scored 10 goals and added 36 assists. Leino pocketed $16 million in those first three years with the Sabres which comes out to $1.6m/goal and another $7.33 million for Buffalo to say good riddance.
But the dude has some serious issues with his final year in Buffalo that needed to be expressed artistically, so he drew some kids scrawl artwork featuring a crude face, cross and the word "Jail," as if to imply that his last year in Buffalo was like being in jail.
Here's his quote about the "work":
"One of my most personal works. I was playing my third year in Buffalo Sabres with long and big contract. Things weren't working with me and the team. I was getting a lot of pressure and heat and there was no way out of it. I felt trapped and down. All I could do was get up every morning and go to work and try to make it work. This painting reflects those feelings that I was going through on that perioid of time." - Ville Leino.
He seems to have put more work into that than he did on the ice in Buffalo and my God, when you signed that contract there, Ville, you mean to tell me that you weren't prepared for the pressure and scrutiny of a lucrative long-term contract like that? And there was no way out? Really?
Get real.
It's an intriguing piece in a way, and I'd certainly be interested in buying it.
*Reaches into pocket*
I've got 17 cents, a ball of lint and some crumbs from the pizza I ate last night. How's that? I'd say it's about equal to what you gave the Buffalo Sabres organization while you were here.
*****
The Buffalo sports scene has been in a rut and, like Leino, has been universally panned lately, or in the case of the Buffalo Bills, the entirety of this century. However, and I say this cautiously, things look to be getting better.
When the Pegula's took over the Sabres and the Bills they soon found themselves in way over their heads. Terry Pegula headed a very successful energy company but he soon found out, unlike the man in the Oval Office, the world of pro sports is a completely different beast and it's best to surround oneself with those who know how it works.
To their credit, the Pegulas gave the incumbent general manager and coach the opportunity to continue on with the new owners. Unfortunately both tandems failed which lead to a dual GM search this spring and two new coaches this calendar year. However, there is still no "guru" at the top of either organization.
In lieu of that, the Pegulas are heading in the right direction with quality front office hires for their football operations. It actually started with the hiring of new head coach Sean McDermott and although he has an unusual amount of power for a head coach, at least he seems to be putting the Bills on the proper course.
McDermott was at the forefront of hiring Carolina Panthers AGM Brandon Beane to be general manager in Buffalo and as the Bills begin to build a scouting department that was let go along with the firing of former GM Doug Whaley, they've added two more quality people. Joe Schoen, the Miami Dolphins director of player personnel was hired as an assistant GM and Brian Gaine as new vice president of player personnel. Gaine was brought over from Houston where he served as director of player personnel with the Texans.
Both are roundly accepted as quality hires for Buffalo as they try to break out of a 17-year playoff drought.
*****
Elliotte Friedman's 30 Thoughts for Sportsnet.ca is a mainstay for hockey fans and he had plenty to say about the Buffalo Sabres in his latest edition.
The Sabres have a new GM in Jason Botterill and are looking for a new head coach. Botterill gave a general framework as to what he's looking for in a head coach and also said that experience is not a necessity. Yet he wants the new head coach to have respect when he walks into the locker room, something that was apparently missing last season with departed head coach Dan Bylsma.
There are only two teams in the NHL without a head coach right now--Buffalo and the Florida Panthers. Friedman points out that Cats GM Dale Tallon is in Europe taking in the IIHF World Championships as part of Team USA's leadership. Among the names mentioned in association with Florida are, Marc Crawford (OTT), Phil Housley (NSH) and Paul MacLean (ANA).
Crawford is an interesting name to crop up in the conversation as he won the Stanley Cup with Colorado in 1996. He's coached over 1100 games for four different franchises and is presently an associate coach with the Ottawa Senators.
Friedman then brings some other names to the fore.
"Botterill knows Todd Reirden (WSH) and Rick Tocchet (PIT) very well," he wrote. "He almost hired New Jersey assistant Geoff Ward for AHL Wilkes-Barre, eventually choosing Mike Sullivan. Housley and San Jose’s Bob Boughner could be interviewed here, too. And I do wonder if he’d ask Jim Rutherford about Montreal’s Kirk Muller. Rutherford hired Muller in Carolina."
Botterill is in no hurry as he has other things on the front burner, but those are some names to keep an eye on.
*****
In more front office work, Friedman also mentions Botterill's under the radar search to fill scouting vacancies.
"Botterill said there have been 'no restrictions' on who he can take from Pittsburgh to Buffalo, with one caveat: no lateral moves. So, if he’s taking anyone, it has to be a promotion. He wouldn’t comment on specific names, but two are making the rounds. One is former Ottawa and Florida GM Randy Sexton, who is the Penguins’ director of amateur scouting. The other is Derek Clancey, director of pro scouting."
*****
Finally, Friedman touched upon Russian defenseman Viktor Antipin who opted out of his KHL contract and is said to be headed to Buffalo.
The previous regime got the wheels turning on this one and there were questions as to whether or not Buffalo and Antipin is still in the works with a new GM. "The vultures circled, wondering if the changes in Buffalo meant Antipin would waver on his decision to join the Sabres," wrote Friedman. "But it sounds like he’s sticking with his original decision. Not for lack of trying."
Which is good news for a Sabres defense which seems to be priority-one from a roster perspective. And just for good measure, Friedman had to bring forward Evander Kane into the conversation as Botterill mentioned using every possible avenue to try and fix the defense. "[Botterill] wouldn’t discuss specifics, but the organization has to make a decision on Evander Kane. Do they let him play out his contract, re-sign him or try to move him for that defender?"
Good question. It's one that should be in the news for a while.
Wednesday, May 17, 2017
Eichel/USA take down Russia/Antipin at Worlds as PP finally breaks through
Published by hockeybuzz.com, 5-16-2017
It took a while for Team USA to finally figure out how to break through on the powerplay and thanks to Team Russia's penchant for aggressive stick penalties, the Americans had themselves plenty of chances. Russia committed eight minor penalties with seven being either slashing or high-sticking.
Team Russia came out wielding the stick 3:51 into the first period and by the end, Team USA was on their fifth powerplay, which included a double-minor for drawing blood on a high-stick. Unfortunately USA couldn't get one past Russia netminder Andrei Vasilevsky as his penalty killers clogged the middle with a tight box. However two unsuccessful powerplays did forshadow how the Americans could finally break through.
On one powerplay mid-way through the first, Team USA got a shot through and crashed the net on one of the few rebounds Vasilevsky left. Although it didn't work, early in the second period with a carryover powerplay Clayton Keller (ARI) got a shot through from the point that handcuffed Vasilevsky and he left a rebound in the crease. Brock Nelson (NYI) found the puck and found a wide open Jimmy Hayes (NYR) on the weak-side and Hayes buried it to knot the score at 1-1.
The second period was about as good a period of hockey you'll ever see as two long-time hockey adversaries traded hits, skating and scoring chances. When all was said and done Team USA overcame two more one-goal deficits and headed into the intermission with a 3-3 tie.
With just under eight minutes to play and the game knotted still knotted, the Americans took their first lead of the game by converting on the powerplay again. Buffalo's Jack Eichel, who'd been trying time and time again to get a cross-ice pass through the tight Russian defense finally did as he sent a bullet to Johnny Gaudreau (CGY) on the weak side. Gaudreau wasted no time sending it to Anders Lee (NYI) on the far side of the crease for the tap in.
USA would add an empty net goal for the 5-3 final score. It was Team USA's sixth win in a row after dropping their first preliminary round game to Germany. With the win USA wins Group A.
Potential Buffalo Sabres free agent signee Viktor Antipin was patrolling the Russian blueline and finished the game with 17:28 of ice-time while registering a shot and an even plus/minus rating. He was on the weak side when Eichel made his pass to Gaudreau but couldn't do much on the play. Antipin played both sides of the ice and looked very solid. For the seven preliminary round games he's played in Antipin registered one assist, had five shots on goal and was a plus-2.
Word on the street is that Antipin will be signing with the Sabres after the World Championships.
It took a while for Team USA to finally figure out how to break through on the powerplay and thanks to Team Russia's penchant for aggressive stick penalties, the Americans had themselves plenty of chances. Russia committed eight minor penalties with seven being either slashing or high-sticking.
Team Russia came out wielding the stick 3:51 into the first period and by the end, Team USA was on their fifth powerplay, which included a double-minor for drawing blood on a high-stick. Unfortunately USA couldn't get one past Russia netminder Andrei Vasilevsky as his penalty killers clogged the middle with a tight box. However two unsuccessful powerplays did forshadow how the Americans could finally break through.
On one powerplay mid-way through the first, Team USA got a shot through and crashed the net on one of the few rebounds Vasilevsky left. Although it didn't work, early in the second period with a carryover powerplay Clayton Keller (ARI) got a shot through from the point that handcuffed Vasilevsky and he left a rebound in the crease. Brock Nelson (NYI) found the puck and found a wide open Jimmy Hayes (NYR) on the weak-side and Hayes buried it to knot the score at 1-1.
The second period was about as good a period of hockey you'll ever see as two long-time hockey adversaries traded hits, skating and scoring chances. When all was said and done Team USA overcame two more one-goal deficits and headed into the intermission with a 3-3 tie.
With just under eight minutes to play and the game knotted still knotted, the Americans took their first lead of the game by converting on the powerplay again. Buffalo's Jack Eichel, who'd been trying time and time again to get a cross-ice pass through the tight Russian defense finally did as he sent a bullet to Johnny Gaudreau (CGY) on the weak side. Gaudreau wasted no time sending it to Anders Lee (NYI) on the far side of the crease for the tap in.
USA would add an empty net goal for the 5-3 final score. It was Team USA's sixth win in a row after dropping their first preliminary round game to Germany. With the win USA wins Group A.
Potential Buffalo Sabres free agent signee Viktor Antipin was patrolling the Russian blueline and finished the game with 17:28 of ice-time while registering a shot and an even plus/minus rating. He was on the weak side when Eichel made his pass to Gaudreau but couldn't do much on the play. Antipin played both sides of the ice and looked very solid. For the seven preliminary round games he's played in Antipin registered one assist, had five shots on goal and was a plus-2.
Word on the street is that Antipin will be signing with the Sabres after the World Championships.
Tuesday, May 16, 2017
Buffalo Sabres Expansion Draft protected list, Version 1.0
Published by hockeybuzz.com, 5-15-2017
New Buffalo Sabres general manager Jason Botterill has said that he'll be focusing upon his amateur scouting department this week as he huddles with his scouts to compare notes for the upcoming NHL Entry Draft in June. In addition, Botterill will also be prepping for the upcoming NHL Scouting Combine later this month which will once again be hosted by Buffalo.
After the combine ends on June 3, the next big event facing Botterill will be preparing for the Expansion Draft which begins with teams submitting their list of protected players by 5 p.m. on June 17.
Botterill is familiar with the Sabres roster as he was in charge of keeping tabs on all NHL teams, their players and salary cap situation as an assistant/associate GM with Pittsburgh over the last eight years. Add in the proximity between Buffalo and Pittsburgh plus any games between their AHL affiliates and Botterill has a general idea as to what the Sabres have in the organization.
The Sabres right now are close to the salary cap with a number of contracts that are rather unsightly and one would think that a capologist like him might look at the expansion draft as a way of moving one of them. It might take some extra incentive if the form of a draft pick for the Las Vegas Golden Knights to sign-on to a proposition like that, but deals like that happen more often than we think.
The cool part about Botterill taking over right now for deposed GM Tim Murray is that he's totally unencumbered by the former GM's decisions. Players like Matt Moulson, Zach Bogosian, Josh Gorges and Robin Lehner, all players acquired by Murray, are now fair game and for players like that any idea of a comfort zone has evaporated with the new GM.
It's something to keep in mind.
The Expansion Draft has a ton of rules but the best way to wade through them and pick your protected list is to go to CapFriendly.com's Expansion Draft page. Players who must be protected are already checked and all you need to do is start clicking.
Here's what I came up with while protecting seven forwards, three defensemen and on goalie as I went down CapFriendly's list of Buffalo Sabres players:
Forwards
Kyle Okposo--this was an easy one as he was already checked because of his no-movement clause. Even if Okposo didn't have that clause, it's still an easy one as he's their top right-winger.
Ryan O'Reilly--another easy one. O'Reilly is the Sabres best two-way center and their premier all-situations forward. Despite lacking numbers that some would suggest don't justify his cap-hit, Botterill has already singled him out as one of two centers teams "crave."
Evander Kane--over the course of the last 11 months many thought he would be a perfect candidate for exposure as his $5.25 million cap-hit, average production and off-ice issues seemingly had him out the door in one way or another. However, a 28-goal season changes the conversation completely.
Marcus Foligno--he's a big body that can hit, fight, play defense and score. He was placed well above his talent-level last season while getting an inordinate amount of time in the top-six, but he did manage a career-high 13 goals and there's no reason to think that he can't continually produce double-digit goals in a bottom-six role.
Zemgus Girgensons--the former first-round pick was the first player in former coach Dan Bylsma's doghouse but with Bylsma gone things could be different. Girgensons doesn't seem to have the offensive acumen for a scoring role and at 23 yrs. old he could be settling into the player he is. But he works the forecheck hard, defends well and, unlike former Sabre Mike Grier who had very similar traits, can score on a breakaway. As of right now he's a very solid bottom-six player that every team could use.
Johan Larsson--he and Girgensons have basically come up through the ranks in Buffalo toghether. Larsson is known for his pesky play and defensive acumen, but he can score as well. Before his injury he was Buffalo's third-line center and didn't look out of place. It was a pretty gruesome injury, however, and we've not heard anything as to his recovery time or prognosis, but based upon his play, he's another strong bottom-six player.
William Carrier--although he had a rather pedestrian rookie campaign in Buffalo that was also cut short by injury, Carrier's got the wheel's Botterill seems to like. At 6'2" 212 lbs. he's got heft as well but it doesn't detract from his skating one bit. Carrier climbed through the ranks in Rochester and upped his production in year-two for the Amerks. There's no reason to think that he can't continue to develop in Buffalo and may end up being at least a top-nine player for the Sabres.
Defensemen
Rasmus Ristolainen--another no-brainer. Enough said.
Jake McCabe--a new GM usually talks in generalities at his introductory presser, especially when it comes to the roster. Players like Jack Eichel, Ryan O'Reilly and Ristolainen are well-known commodities and referencing them by name is not unusual. But Botterill also mentioned McCabe by name as well while also mentioning that he thought McCabe had some untapped offensive, puck-moving potential. McCabe is already known for is solid defensive work and also laying out big hits so adding in some offense would really round out his two-way game.
Taylor Fedun--this was a tough one. Fedun basically got robbed of playing time in Buffalo last season because he was waiver-exempt and the Sabres had seven defensemen on the roster. However, he made an impact with the team when he did play as he showcased his puck-moving ability and offensive instincts during his stint in Buffalo. He also did some nice work against Pittsburgh back in November with a primary assist on Carrier's first NHL goal. Fedun seems to be the type of defenseman that Botterill would be interest in. Then again, he may have soured on Buffalo and, as an unrestricted free agent, may be taking headed elsewhere.
Goalie
Linus Ullmark--there are a lot of angles for this choice beginning with Botterill having no ties to Lehner who surely would have been protected over Ullmark under Murray. Lehner played well for Buffalo last season, as his numbers would indicate, but there's a sense that many are not convinced he's the answer going forward and a lot of it has to do with him looking very shaky in odd-man rush situations and breakaway situations, the shootout in particular. And with the market being somewhat set by Ben Bishop's $4.9 million cap-hit in Dallas, the Sabres may be looking at a $4-4.5 million Lehner contract extension that Botterill might not be thrilled with. The Sabres could be placing themselves in treacherous waters if Lehner were to be snatched up by Las Vegas, but I don't think the Knights would do it and even if they did, Ullmark, with a strong veteran presence as a back-up, looks like he'd be able to handle the heat. By protecting Ullmark, odds are that they could go into the season with a Lehner/Ullmark tandem if Lehner went unprotected.
Probably the toughest decision may have come with the forward ranks, specifically with Tyler Ennis.
Ennis has struggled lately due to injuries, most notably concussion issues, which caused him to miss 90 games over the past two seasons. Perhaps that's why he had a pretty dismal 2016-17 campaign with only 13 points (5+8) in 51 games. Then again it could be his East/West, jitterbug style of play that kept him from moving his production close to pre-injury levels.
Regardless of the reasoning behind his scoring woes last season, Ennis is carrying a $4.6 million cap-hit over the next two seasons. For Buffalo, it's a burdensome hit for his production when placed in a group that includes Moulson ($5 million,) Bogosian ($5.1m,) and Gorges ($3.9m.)
Ennis may provide the bridge that can help both Las Vegas and Buffalo. The Golden Knights can get themselves a former three-time 20-goal scorer who has the skill to be in their top-six while the Sabres can continue to move on from the tank years as well as jettison a rather large cap hit. And with Ennis now a part of two former regimes, it might not be that far-fetched of an idea.
New Buffalo Sabres general manager Jason Botterill has said that he'll be focusing upon his amateur scouting department this week as he huddles with his scouts to compare notes for the upcoming NHL Entry Draft in June. In addition, Botterill will also be prepping for the upcoming NHL Scouting Combine later this month which will once again be hosted by Buffalo.
After the combine ends on June 3, the next big event facing Botterill will be preparing for the Expansion Draft which begins with teams submitting their list of protected players by 5 p.m. on June 17.
Botterill is familiar with the Sabres roster as he was in charge of keeping tabs on all NHL teams, their players and salary cap situation as an assistant/associate GM with Pittsburgh over the last eight years. Add in the proximity between Buffalo and Pittsburgh plus any games between their AHL affiliates and Botterill has a general idea as to what the Sabres have in the organization.
The Sabres right now are close to the salary cap with a number of contracts that are rather unsightly and one would think that a capologist like him might look at the expansion draft as a way of moving one of them. It might take some extra incentive if the form of a draft pick for the Las Vegas Golden Knights to sign-on to a proposition like that, but deals like that happen more often than we think.
The cool part about Botterill taking over right now for deposed GM Tim Murray is that he's totally unencumbered by the former GM's decisions. Players like Matt Moulson, Zach Bogosian, Josh Gorges and Robin Lehner, all players acquired by Murray, are now fair game and for players like that any idea of a comfort zone has evaporated with the new GM.
It's something to keep in mind.
The Expansion Draft has a ton of rules but the best way to wade through them and pick your protected list is to go to CapFriendly.com's Expansion Draft page. Players who must be protected are already checked and all you need to do is start clicking.
Here's what I came up with while protecting seven forwards, three defensemen and on goalie as I went down CapFriendly's list of Buffalo Sabres players:
Forwards
Kyle Okposo--this was an easy one as he was already checked because of his no-movement clause. Even if Okposo didn't have that clause, it's still an easy one as he's their top right-winger.
Ryan O'Reilly--another easy one. O'Reilly is the Sabres best two-way center and their premier all-situations forward. Despite lacking numbers that some would suggest don't justify his cap-hit, Botterill has already singled him out as one of two centers teams "crave."
Evander Kane--over the course of the last 11 months many thought he would be a perfect candidate for exposure as his $5.25 million cap-hit, average production and off-ice issues seemingly had him out the door in one way or another. However, a 28-goal season changes the conversation completely.
Marcus Foligno--he's a big body that can hit, fight, play defense and score. He was placed well above his talent-level last season while getting an inordinate amount of time in the top-six, but he did manage a career-high 13 goals and there's no reason to think that he can't continually produce double-digit goals in a bottom-six role.
Zemgus Girgensons--the former first-round pick was the first player in former coach Dan Bylsma's doghouse but with Bylsma gone things could be different. Girgensons doesn't seem to have the offensive acumen for a scoring role and at 23 yrs. old he could be settling into the player he is. But he works the forecheck hard, defends well and, unlike former Sabre Mike Grier who had very similar traits, can score on a breakaway. As of right now he's a very solid bottom-six player that every team could use.
Johan Larsson--he and Girgensons have basically come up through the ranks in Buffalo toghether. Larsson is known for his pesky play and defensive acumen, but he can score as well. Before his injury he was Buffalo's third-line center and didn't look out of place. It was a pretty gruesome injury, however, and we've not heard anything as to his recovery time or prognosis, but based upon his play, he's another strong bottom-six player.
William Carrier--although he had a rather pedestrian rookie campaign in Buffalo that was also cut short by injury, Carrier's got the wheel's Botterill seems to like. At 6'2" 212 lbs. he's got heft as well but it doesn't detract from his skating one bit. Carrier climbed through the ranks in Rochester and upped his production in year-two for the Amerks. There's no reason to think that he can't continue to develop in Buffalo and may end up being at least a top-nine player for the Sabres.
Defensemen
Rasmus Ristolainen--another no-brainer. Enough said.
Jake McCabe--a new GM usually talks in generalities at his introductory presser, especially when it comes to the roster. Players like Jack Eichel, Ryan O'Reilly and Ristolainen are well-known commodities and referencing them by name is not unusual. But Botterill also mentioned McCabe by name as well while also mentioning that he thought McCabe had some untapped offensive, puck-moving potential. McCabe is already known for is solid defensive work and also laying out big hits so adding in some offense would really round out his two-way game.
Taylor Fedun--this was a tough one. Fedun basically got robbed of playing time in Buffalo last season because he was waiver-exempt and the Sabres had seven defensemen on the roster. However, he made an impact with the team when he did play as he showcased his puck-moving ability and offensive instincts during his stint in Buffalo. He also did some nice work against Pittsburgh back in November with a primary assist on Carrier's first NHL goal. Fedun seems to be the type of defenseman that Botterill would be interest in. Then again, he may have soured on Buffalo and, as an unrestricted free agent, may be taking headed elsewhere.
Goalie
Linus Ullmark--there are a lot of angles for this choice beginning with Botterill having no ties to Lehner who surely would have been protected over Ullmark under Murray. Lehner played well for Buffalo last season, as his numbers would indicate, but there's a sense that many are not convinced he's the answer going forward and a lot of it has to do with him looking very shaky in odd-man rush situations and breakaway situations, the shootout in particular. And with the market being somewhat set by Ben Bishop's $4.9 million cap-hit in Dallas, the Sabres may be looking at a $4-4.5 million Lehner contract extension that Botterill might not be thrilled with. The Sabres could be placing themselves in treacherous waters if Lehner were to be snatched up by Las Vegas, but I don't think the Knights would do it and even if they did, Ullmark, with a strong veteran presence as a back-up, looks like he'd be able to handle the heat. By protecting Ullmark, odds are that they could go into the season with a Lehner/Ullmark tandem if Lehner went unprotected.
Probably the toughest decision may have come with the forward ranks, specifically with Tyler Ennis.
Ennis has struggled lately due to injuries, most notably concussion issues, which caused him to miss 90 games over the past two seasons. Perhaps that's why he had a pretty dismal 2016-17 campaign with only 13 points (5+8) in 51 games. Then again it could be his East/West, jitterbug style of play that kept him from moving his production close to pre-injury levels.
Regardless of the reasoning behind his scoring woes last season, Ennis is carrying a $4.6 million cap-hit over the next two seasons. For Buffalo, it's a burdensome hit for his production when placed in a group that includes Moulson ($5 million,) Bogosian ($5.1m,) and Gorges ($3.9m.)
Ennis may provide the bridge that can help both Las Vegas and Buffalo. The Golden Knights can get themselves a former three-time 20-goal scorer who has the skill to be in their top-six while the Sabres can continue to move on from the tank years as well as jettison a rather large cap hit. And with Ennis now a part of two former regimes, it might not be that far-fetched of an idea.
Monday, May 15, 2017
Buffalo has two centers teams "are craving for." Botterill looking to fill wings
Published by hockeybuzz.com, 5-13-2017
Perhaps there is truth to the rumor that the Buffalo Sabres are looking to trade Evander Kane. Still, according to some.
The logic seems simple enough--on the ice he's a helluva player but off the ice he's had issues and after coming off of a resurgent season scoring 28 goals in 70 games, his value has never been higher since the Sabres traded for him.
Kane's most recent off-ice issues are no more as he spent a six-month probationary period issue-free and the judge in his case from last summer dropped the charges and sealed the case. How much damage was done inside the Pegula Sports and Entertainment offices is yet to be determined and where he stands without fired GM Tim Murray, the man who traded for him, will be revealed sometime this off season.
Buffalo just announced the hiring of Jason Botterill as Murray's replacement and he just finished his first couple of days in his new position. Botterill's been making the rounds in the media while presumably meeting and greeting everyone he can within the Sabres offices. He said one of his first major priorities is sitting down with the scouting department to compare notes for the upcoming NHL Entry Draft and he's also keeping an eye on the IIHF World Junior Championships which are going on in Europe. Buffalo has three participants in centers Jack Eichel (USA,) Ryan O'Reilly (Canada) and Zemgus Girgensons (Latvia,) a goalie prospect in Cal Petersen (USA) and a potential free agent signee in Viktor Antipin (Russia.)
At his introductory presser Botterill was thrilled with his top two centers saying, "people are craving for centermen like O'Reilly and Eichel." This, of course, was coming from a Pittsburgh Penguins organization that has two dominant centers in Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. "This is a league that thrives on centermen," he would also say, "and the fortunate thing [in Buffalo] is that we have a couple of amazing high-end centermen."
It's something we've known somewhat as fans of the team the last two seasons. O'Reilly lead the team in scoring two years ago and was second last season. He's also an every-situation player who's one of the top faceoff centers in the league and is considered one of the better two-way centers in the game. Eichel looks to be a superstar in the making. He lead the team in points last season despite missing 21 games and were in not for some fits and starts to his career, especially with the injury last season, he'd be mentioned more often in the same breath as some of the exceptional young guns making an impact in the NHL before the age of 21.
Botterill stressed and "up-tempo, puck-possession, North/South" game for his new team which fits right into the strengths of his top two centermen. Filling the wings will be a priority for him and he gave some indication as to what he looks for in his top-six wingers in an appearance on WGR550 radio yesterday morning.
"We dealt with it with Malkin and Crosby," Botterill told the hosts. "If you look at the history of [their] wingers they're all very different, but the one thing I would say is there's a high compete, high battle level.
"Whether it's a Patric Hornqvist-type player who gets to the front of the net, " he continued, "or you look at, now, Jake Guentzel having success with Crosby. A big part of that is, yeah he has great hockey sense to make plays but he gets in on the forecheck. Chris Kunitz, Pascal Dupuis, not the most skilled players, but they had a lot of success with Crosby just because they got in on the forecheck and got him pucks.
"For top line players like Jack or O'Reilly, it's a scenario of guys who want to get in on the forecheck, get after pucks so that star players can have the puck."
Who on this Sabres team can do that?
Kyle Okposo is one. He was having a great season before a concussion knocked him out of the lineup and a reaction to medication had him in the Intensive Care Unit (thanks to Kris Baker for the early work on that scoop last month.) From all indications he'll be 100% for training camp.
The much-maligned Kane is another one. Rumors of him being on the trade-block may follow him for the rest of his career, as will his youthful indiscretions that may or may not be a thing of the past. Kane is exactly the type of player that Botterill mentioned to play an up-tempo, North/South game. Puck possession might be a weak point but he made great progress last year in working with his linemates as well as curbing his propensity for wild shots that ended up wide and going the other way. And one can almost guarantee that every defensemen in the league knows when he's barreling at them with a head of steam.
Zemgus Girgensons, who has spent more time at wing than at center, may not be a top-six player by trade, but he gets on the forecheck and is great with the puck in the corners. He doesn't seem to have high-end skill or elite hockey sense, but Botterill intimated there is room for players like that. "We've tried, whether it's in Pittsburgh or Wilkes-Barre (their AHL club) where we have less skill," he said at his presser, "you can still play a high-percentage, high-intensity game.
Botterill was in awe of the overall size on the Sabres roster. He's got a few young wingers in William Carrier, Justin Bailey and Nick Baptiste who not only have good NHL size (at least,) but are fast skaters. All of them have paid their dues in the AHL-level, have had success there and are ready for the opportunity to stick in Buffalo.
Evan Rodrigues doesn't have the size, but he had enough skill, skating and sense to hang on Eichel's wing at Boston University while Sam Reinhart, whom Botterill is projecting as a winger at this point, played with and succeeded on Eichel's wing.
The forward ranks are stocked with varying degrees of talent and, based upon the last two seasons, all Eichel and O'Reilly need are two more wingers to make their line whole. This group had a horrible go of it under former head coach Dan Bylsma in that the system was complicated and he constantly changed things up outside of his dedicated forward pairings. Botterill mentioned something else and his presser that should be of interest to all those in Sabreland.
"I think some of the success in Pittsburgh is from the standpoint of simplicity," he said
The Sabres have plenty of what he's looking for up-front. Always have. But perhaps that last aspect will remove the seeming impediment that kept them from reaching higher than their talent would dictate.
Perhaps there is truth to the rumor that the Buffalo Sabres are looking to trade Evander Kane. Still, according to some.
The logic seems simple enough--on the ice he's a helluva player but off the ice he's had issues and after coming off of a resurgent season scoring 28 goals in 70 games, his value has never been higher since the Sabres traded for him.
Kane's most recent off-ice issues are no more as he spent a six-month probationary period issue-free and the judge in his case from last summer dropped the charges and sealed the case. How much damage was done inside the Pegula Sports and Entertainment offices is yet to be determined and where he stands without fired GM Tim Murray, the man who traded for him, will be revealed sometime this off season.
Buffalo just announced the hiring of Jason Botterill as Murray's replacement and he just finished his first couple of days in his new position. Botterill's been making the rounds in the media while presumably meeting and greeting everyone he can within the Sabres offices. He said one of his first major priorities is sitting down with the scouting department to compare notes for the upcoming NHL Entry Draft and he's also keeping an eye on the IIHF World Junior Championships which are going on in Europe. Buffalo has three participants in centers Jack Eichel (USA,) Ryan O'Reilly (Canada) and Zemgus Girgensons (Latvia,) a goalie prospect in Cal Petersen (USA) and a potential free agent signee in Viktor Antipin (Russia.)
At his introductory presser Botterill was thrilled with his top two centers saying, "people are craving for centermen like O'Reilly and Eichel." This, of course, was coming from a Pittsburgh Penguins organization that has two dominant centers in Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. "This is a league that thrives on centermen," he would also say, "and the fortunate thing [in Buffalo] is that we have a couple of amazing high-end centermen."
It's something we've known somewhat as fans of the team the last two seasons. O'Reilly lead the team in scoring two years ago and was second last season. He's also an every-situation player who's one of the top faceoff centers in the league and is considered one of the better two-way centers in the game. Eichel looks to be a superstar in the making. He lead the team in points last season despite missing 21 games and were in not for some fits and starts to his career, especially with the injury last season, he'd be mentioned more often in the same breath as some of the exceptional young guns making an impact in the NHL before the age of 21.
Botterill stressed and "up-tempo, puck-possession, North/South" game for his new team which fits right into the strengths of his top two centermen. Filling the wings will be a priority for him and he gave some indication as to what he looks for in his top-six wingers in an appearance on WGR550 radio yesterday morning.
"We dealt with it with Malkin and Crosby," Botterill told the hosts. "If you look at the history of [their] wingers they're all very different, but the one thing I would say is there's a high compete, high battle level.
"Whether it's a Patric Hornqvist-type player who gets to the front of the net, " he continued, "or you look at, now, Jake Guentzel having success with Crosby. A big part of that is, yeah he has great hockey sense to make plays but he gets in on the forecheck. Chris Kunitz, Pascal Dupuis, not the most skilled players, but they had a lot of success with Crosby just because they got in on the forecheck and got him pucks.
"For top line players like Jack or O'Reilly, it's a scenario of guys who want to get in on the forecheck, get after pucks so that star players can have the puck."
Who on this Sabres team can do that?
Kyle Okposo is one. He was having a great season before a concussion knocked him out of the lineup and a reaction to medication had him in the Intensive Care Unit (thanks to Kris Baker for the early work on that scoop last month.) From all indications he'll be 100% for training camp.
The much-maligned Kane is another one. Rumors of him being on the trade-block may follow him for the rest of his career, as will his youthful indiscretions that may or may not be a thing of the past. Kane is exactly the type of player that Botterill mentioned to play an up-tempo, North/South game. Puck possession might be a weak point but he made great progress last year in working with his linemates as well as curbing his propensity for wild shots that ended up wide and going the other way. And one can almost guarantee that every defensemen in the league knows when he's barreling at them with a head of steam.
Zemgus Girgensons, who has spent more time at wing than at center, may not be a top-six player by trade, but he gets on the forecheck and is great with the puck in the corners. He doesn't seem to have high-end skill or elite hockey sense, but Botterill intimated there is room for players like that. "We've tried, whether it's in Pittsburgh or Wilkes-Barre (their AHL club) where we have less skill," he said at his presser, "you can still play a high-percentage, high-intensity game.
Botterill was in awe of the overall size on the Sabres roster. He's got a few young wingers in William Carrier, Justin Bailey and Nick Baptiste who not only have good NHL size (at least,) but are fast skaters. All of them have paid their dues in the AHL-level, have had success there and are ready for the opportunity to stick in Buffalo.
Evan Rodrigues doesn't have the size, but he had enough skill, skating and sense to hang on Eichel's wing at Boston University while Sam Reinhart, whom Botterill is projecting as a winger at this point, played with and succeeded on Eichel's wing.
The forward ranks are stocked with varying degrees of talent and, based upon the last two seasons, all Eichel and O'Reilly need are two more wingers to make their line whole. This group had a horrible go of it under former head coach Dan Bylsma in that the system was complicated and he constantly changed things up outside of his dedicated forward pairings. Botterill mentioned something else and his presser that should be of interest to all those in Sabreland.
"I think some of the success in Pittsburgh is from the standpoint of simplicity," he said
The Sabres have plenty of what he's looking for up-front. Always have. But perhaps that last aspect will remove the seeming impediment that kept them from reaching higher than their talent would dictate.
Saturday, May 13, 2017
A Botterill bolstering of the Sabres blueline will admittedly be a challenge
Published by hockeybuzz.com, 5-12-2017
New Buffalo Sabres general manager Jason Botterill had himself a very successful introductory press conference yesterday and came off as being well prepared for his first crack at running a National Hockey League team. He seemed rather forthright with his vision of what kind of teams--which includes the Rochester Americans as well--he plans on building, which endeared him to the media and fanbase. But he certainly has his work cut out for him when he gets into the nuts and bolts of this franchise.
Botterill wisely stayed away from any expected timelines for success at his presser saying, "you can't predict, in my mind, in three years or five years we'll be going for the Stanley Cup" (unlike the owner had done and the former GM had intimated.) What he did guarantee was that the Sabres "will be better." Yet maintained a solid grasp of where his team was along with a "respect for this league" noting that some teams that didn't make the playoffs this year and will be better next year thus creating "a more competitive environment in that regard."
It's a realism, perhaps borne of his executive background that eschews bold proclamations for a more well thought out, structured approach, which is exactly what Sabres ownership wanted. Botterill said as much on WGR550's Schopp and the Bulldog yesterday evening when talking about what to look for from his GM style. "I think I have more of a patient, systematic approach to making decisions," he told the hosts.
Botterill has some core pieces in place as in two "amazing and high-end centermen" up-front but a big part of the "we will be better" process will be focused upon fixing the blueline which was generally considered a disaster last season. The jury's still out on whether a majority of the blame goes to the GM for lack of talent or to the head coach who's system didn't seem to jibe with the players (more likely a combination of both,) but regardless, the defense-corps needs some serious work.
Two players, it would seem, had already caught Botterill's eye haing seemingly made it through last season virtually unscathed--Rasmus Ristolainen and Jake McCabe.
Ristolainen logged the fifth-most average time on ice in the league last year and was referenced by Botterill. "I like the fact that we have some young defensemen that can handle some big minutes up there," he said at his presser, then later on GR he referenced "players who can eat up some big minutes." Botterill also brought up McCabe directly telling the GR hosts, "you [also] have players like McCabe who I think can help from a puck-movement standpoint."
To no one's surprise, those two are the "elements" whom he noticed and whom he seems to like in the defense corps right now.
Although Botterill has scouted the Sabres, he doesn't know what he has, nor can he say for sure whether or not any will fit into his future plans. What he did say on WGR550 is that this team not onl needs more on the back-end, but that they need to keep the pipeline full. "If you look at the success of most teams in the playoffs right now, it's continually adding to the blueline."
The Sabres right now have Ristolainen and McCabe along with three veteran defensemen in Josh Gorges, Zack Bogosian and Justin Falk under contract and one of those three could be on their way to Las Vegas in the expansion draft. Buffalo has a highly regarded prospect in Brendan Guhle who seems poised for a potential Sabres roster spot and rumor has it that an as of yet unsigned KHL player in Viktor Antipin may also be in the mix. Anyone in the AHL--like Casey Nelson, Brady Austin and Brycen Martin--will probably remain there to further their development, which is a big part of the Botterill program, leaving Buffalo to look outside the organization to find suitable top-six defensemen.
Going outside the organization for help is no surprise to Sabres fans as they've seen what the Sabres have and what's in (or not in) the pipeline. However bolstering the blueline will be easier said than done and Botterill is well aware of that. He told the GR hosts that he thinks "85 percent or 90 percent of the teams in the NHL are looking for more defensemen or looking to improve their defense.
"That may be a goal of ours," he continued, "but finding partners and trying to do it will certainly be a challenge."
In so many words, patience will once again be a virtue in Sabreland when it comes to the mini reclamation project Botterill's set to embark upon. Fixing that defense looks to be a top priority but it will take time. Although the team isn't completely devoid of d-prospects, solid prospects like Guhle and Devante Stephens need time to grow and mature.
And that's as much of a challenge as finding NHL-ready d-men to plug into the lineup right now.
New Buffalo Sabres general manager Jason Botterill had himself a very successful introductory press conference yesterday and came off as being well prepared for his first crack at running a National Hockey League team. He seemed rather forthright with his vision of what kind of teams--which includes the Rochester Americans as well--he plans on building, which endeared him to the media and fanbase. But he certainly has his work cut out for him when he gets into the nuts and bolts of this franchise.
Botterill wisely stayed away from any expected timelines for success at his presser saying, "you can't predict, in my mind, in three years or five years we'll be going for the Stanley Cup" (unlike the owner had done and the former GM had intimated.) What he did guarantee was that the Sabres "will be better." Yet maintained a solid grasp of where his team was along with a "respect for this league" noting that some teams that didn't make the playoffs this year and will be better next year thus creating "a more competitive environment in that regard."
It's a realism, perhaps borne of his executive background that eschews bold proclamations for a more well thought out, structured approach, which is exactly what Sabres ownership wanted. Botterill said as much on WGR550's Schopp and the Bulldog yesterday evening when talking about what to look for from his GM style. "I think I have more of a patient, systematic approach to making decisions," he told the hosts.
Botterill has some core pieces in place as in two "amazing and high-end centermen" up-front but a big part of the "we will be better" process will be focused upon fixing the blueline which was generally considered a disaster last season. The jury's still out on whether a majority of the blame goes to the GM for lack of talent or to the head coach who's system didn't seem to jibe with the players (more likely a combination of both,) but regardless, the defense-corps needs some serious work.
Two players, it would seem, had already caught Botterill's eye haing seemingly made it through last season virtually unscathed--Rasmus Ristolainen and Jake McCabe.
Ristolainen logged the fifth-most average time on ice in the league last year and was referenced by Botterill. "I like the fact that we have some young defensemen that can handle some big minutes up there," he said at his presser, then later on GR he referenced "players who can eat up some big minutes." Botterill also brought up McCabe directly telling the GR hosts, "you [also] have players like McCabe who I think can help from a puck-movement standpoint."
To no one's surprise, those two are the "elements" whom he noticed and whom he seems to like in the defense corps right now.
Although Botterill has scouted the Sabres, he doesn't know what he has, nor can he say for sure whether or not any will fit into his future plans. What he did say on WGR550 is that this team not onl needs more on the back-end, but that they need to keep the pipeline full. "If you look at the success of most teams in the playoffs right now, it's continually adding to the blueline."
The Sabres right now have Ristolainen and McCabe along with three veteran defensemen in Josh Gorges, Zack Bogosian and Justin Falk under contract and one of those three could be on their way to Las Vegas in the expansion draft. Buffalo has a highly regarded prospect in Brendan Guhle who seems poised for a potential Sabres roster spot and rumor has it that an as of yet unsigned KHL player in Viktor Antipin may also be in the mix. Anyone in the AHL--like Casey Nelson, Brady Austin and Brycen Martin--will probably remain there to further their development, which is a big part of the Botterill program, leaving Buffalo to look outside the organization to find suitable top-six defensemen.
Going outside the organization for help is no surprise to Sabres fans as they've seen what the Sabres have and what's in (or not in) the pipeline. However bolstering the blueline will be easier said than done and Botterill is well aware of that. He told the GR hosts that he thinks "85 percent or 90 percent of the teams in the NHL are looking for more defensemen or looking to improve their defense.
"That may be a goal of ours," he continued, "but finding partners and trying to do it will certainly be a challenge."
In so many words, patience will once again be a virtue in Sabreland when it comes to the mini reclamation project Botterill's set to embark upon. Fixing that defense looks to be a top priority but it will take time. Although the team isn't completely devoid of d-prospects, solid prospects like Guhle and Devante Stephens need time to grow and mature.
And that's as much of a challenge as finding NHL-ready d-men to plug into the lineup right now.
Friday, May 12, 2017
Some of Jason Botterill's checklist as new Sabres GM
Published by hockeybuzz.com, 5-11-2017
The Buffalo Sabres officially announced Jason Botterill as their eighth general manager this morning. And in other news, the sun rose today and the Washington Capitals are out of the playoffs early once again.
Although it wasn't 100% definitive that Botterill had the job, only an act of God or the retirement of Pittsburgh Penguins GM Jim Rutherford seemingly could have kept Botterill out of Buffalo. Rutherford and associate manager Botterill played Batman and Robin in Pittsburgh bringing that team back to prominence after five-plus years of Caps-like playoff disappointment. Botterill was an integral part of the Penguins 2009 Stanley Cup victory under former GM Ray Shero (now with the NJ Devils) and was a big part in putting together this present Pittsburgh team that heads to the Eastern Conference Final as reigning Stanley Cup Champions.
As has been well documented, Botterill has the credentials after his steady climb upwards in the front office with a GM position about the only thing missing from his impressive resume. For a background piece on him click here.
The Buffalo Sabres have been without a GM since Tim Murray was fired on April 10, along with his head coach, Dan Bylsma. From all indications, Botterill inherits a team that has some very strong pieces up front, a weak blueline, solid goaltending and a farm system that's been depleted but is slowly being filled as numerous draft picks from the previous three drafts. He'll have decisions to make on a handful of draft picks, 20 free agents and extensions for some important players entering the last year of their contracts. He'll also be faced with some dead weight contracts that put a 26th-place team close to the cap.
And those are just the tangibles.
In addition, Botterill will need to bring together a fractured group where some were at odds with the former coach as well as with each other in the dressing room.
Welcome to the Buffalo Sabres, Jason Botterill.
There will be a press conference today at 4 pm where Botterill will be introduced and he'll be forced to use broad generalizations to specific questions, some of which may have nothing to do with him but are loaded in a way to chastise the previous regime and/or owner. And, no doubt the Sabres six-year playoff drought will be referenced as well as the Buffalo Bills 17-year playoff drought along with suffering Buffalo fans. Once presser is over he'll make his token rounds with the media where he'll do much the same and after an evening filled with interviews and eventually sleep, tomorrow will represent his first full day as the general manager of his own team.
Here are some of the things he will/should do in the near future beginning tomorrow:
Fire up the Pegula jet and head over to Europe for the IIHF World Championships
Botterill needs to visit Team USA where he'll try to convince franchise center Jack Eichel that Bylsma is now in the firmly in the past and that the new GM is accustomed to working with superstars, just ask Sidney Crosby. He'll hopefully say he's been in touch with Jack's agent and as soon as the World's are done they can start hammering out an extension.
Botterill will also have the opportunity to talk with Eichel's USA teammate, Notre Dame goalie Cal Petersen, a 2013 fifth-round pick of Buffalo's that has yet to declare his future intentions. Botterill might also want to mention that he's the new sheriff in town and will want to remind Petersen that he has no ties to present No. 1 Sabres goalie, Robin Lehner (while maybe whispering Chicago's on the decline, the Olympics are overrated and that the team he helped build is in the conference finals again.)
Then it's over to Team Canada to talk with Sabres center Ryan O'Reilly to tell him everything's cool with Jack and that he's very cool with O'Reilly but there will be no promises of who the new captain will be.
After that it's time for Team Latvia where restricted free agent Zemgus Girgensons is on a surprising Latvia team that presently sits atop Group-A. He'll also remind "The Latvian Locomotive" that Bylsma's no longer around and that if Girgensons wants to endear himself to the new GM, there will be no plastering of Eichel to the boards like he did with Sam Reinhart in the D-Camp scrimmage a few years ago.
Finally he might want to drop in on Team Russia and have a visit with defenseman Viktor Antipin, whom the Sabres are said to be ready to sign, and remind him that the defense-corps in Buffalo will get overhauled soon and that he could/should be a part of it.
On Saturday Botterill and whatever scouts he brought along can hook up with their European head scout, Anders Forsberg, and take in USA/Latvia in Germany followed by Russia/Slovakia and then off to France for Canada/Switzerland before heading back to the States.
Sunday's a chill day of time-zone adjustment, making calls and lining up coaching prospects
There will be no day of rest for Botterill on Sunday but he can chill a bit while battling jet-lag while on the phone. He needs to get on the horn to Las Vegas Knights GM George McPhee about the upcoming expansion draft. Former Sabres GM Murray supposedly had a deal in the works for the Knights to return a favor, but with him gone that deal is probably nixed.
Botterill will need to convince McPhee that he's an upstanding guy who could use a little help. The Sabres have some unruly contracts and if McPhee can take on one of them, it would be greatly appreciated with the favor being returned in the form of a draft pick and/or through future considerations.
Get the coaching search going
With the Pittsburgh still in the playoffs, the coaching search may be pushed back a little bit as one of the potential candidates rumored to be on the list is Penguins assistant coach, Rick Tocchet. Another assistant who'd be a prime candidate for Buffalo's opening is Nashville's Phil Housley. His Predators team is also still in the playoffs and there's a good possibility that they could meet the Penguins in the Stanley Cup Final.
One of the coaches he might want to start the process with is Jim Montgomery, the Denver Pioneers coach who lead that team to the 2017 NCAA Championship. Botterill may also want to pick Montgomery's brain concerning Girgensons whom he coached for one year while at Dubuque with the Fighting Saints.
All things Entry Draft need to get going next week
Botterill has an extensive scouting department to work with but one that's without two key cogs of the previous regime. The Sabres scouting department right now is headed by Assistant Director of Scouting Jerry Forton and they still have long-time Sabres scout and personnel guy, Kevin Devine to help smooth the transition.
The scouts have their reports for the upcoming draft and next week is usually when they sit down and compare notes. After that's done it's time to get ready for the NHL Combine which hits Buffalo on May 28. There will be 114 player invites to the combine and at it's conclusion there will only be a few weeks to prepare for the 2017 NHL Entry Draft in Chicago which begins June 23.
Still need to keep an eye on the expansion draft
For as important as the Entry Draft is, the Expansion Draft is just as important short-term.
Teams must submit their protected list by 5 pm June 17. Las Vegas is required to make their selections by 5 pm June 20 with the announcement of their selections the following day.
Once again, welcome aboard, Jason.
Have fun.
Here's the press release concerning Botterill's hiring from sabres.com:
"We are very happy to welcome Jason Botterill to the Buffalo Sabres family," Owner Terry Pegula said. "Jason's hockey knowledge, experience drafting and developing players, and his approach to management stood out to us during our interview process. Jason has built a solid reputation as a leader that connects strongly with players and staff around him. We are confident he will have a positive impact within our organization and will help us get to our ultimate goal."
The Buffalo Sabres officially announced Jason Botterill as their eighth general manager this morning. And in other news, the sun rose today and the Washington Capitals are out of the playoffs early once again.
Although it wasn't 100% definitive that Botterill had the job, only an act of God or the retirement of Pittsburgh Penguins GM Jim Rutherford seemingly could have kept Botterill out of Buffalo. Rutherford and associate manager Botterill played Batman and Robin in Pittsburgh bringing that team back to prominence after five-plus years of Caps-like playoff disappointment. Botterill was an integral part of the Penguins 2009 Stanley Cup victory under former GM Ray Shero (now with the NJ Devils) and was a big part in putting together this present Pittsburgh team that heads to the Eastern Conference Final as reigning Stanley Cup Champions.
As has been well documented, Botterill has the credentials after his steady climb upwards in the front office with a GM position about the only thing missing from his impressive resume. For a background piece on him click here.
The Buffalo Sabres have been without a GM since Tim Murray was fired on April 10, along with his head coach, Dan Bylsma. From all indications, Botterill inherits a team that has some very strong pieces up front, a weak blueline, solid goaltending and a farm system that's been depleted but is slowly being filled as numerous draft picks from the previous three drafts. He'll have decisions to make on a handful of draft picks, 20 free agents and extensions for some important players entering the last year of their contracts. He'll also be faced with some dead weight contracts that put a 26th-place team close to the cap.
And those are just the tangibles.
In addition, Botterill will need to bring together a fractured group where some were at odds with the former coach as well as with each other in the dressing room.
Welcome to the Buffalo Sabres, Jason Botterill.
There will be a press conference today at 4 pm where Botterill will be introduced and he'll be forced to use broad generalizations to specific questions, some of which may have nothing to do with him but are loaded in a way to chastise the previous regime and/or owner. And, no doubt the Sabres six-year playoff drought will be referenced as well as the Buffalo Bills 17-year playoff drought along with suffering Buffalo fans. Once presser is over he'll make his token rounds with the media where he'll do much the same and after an evening filled with interviews and eventually sleep, tomorrow will represent his first full day as the general manager of his own team.
Here are some of the things he will/should do in the near future beginning tomorrow:
Fire up the Pegula jet and head over to Europe for the IIHF World Championships
Botterill needs to visit Team USA where he'll try to convince franchise center Jack Eichel that Bylsma is now in the firmly in the past and that the new GM is accustomed to working with superstars, just ask Sidney Crosby. He'll hopefully say he's been in touch with Jack's agent and as soon as the World's are done they can start hammering out an extension.
Botterill will also have the opportunity to talk with Eichel's USA teammate, Notre Dame goalie Cal Petersen, a 2013 fifth-round pick of Buffalo's that has yet to declare his future intentions. Botterill might also want to mention that he's the new sheriff in town and will want to remind Petersen that he has no ties to present No. 1 Sabres goalie, Robin Lehner (while maybe whispering Chicago's on the decline, the Olympics are overrated and that the team he helped build is in the conference finals again.)
Then it's over to Team Canada to talk with Sabres center Ryan O'Reilly to tell him everything's cool with Jack and that he's very cool with O'Reilly but there will be no promises of who the new captain will be.
After that it's time for Team Latvia where restricted free agent Zemgus Girgensons is on a surprising Latvia team that presently sits atop Group-A. He'll also remind "The Latvian Locomotive" that Bylsma's no longer around and that if Girgensons wants to endear himself to the new GM, there will be no plastering of Eichel to the boards like he did with Sam Reinhart in the D-Camp scrimmage a few years ago.
Finally he might want to drop in on Team Russia and have a visit with defenseman Viktor Antipin, whom the Sabres are said to be ready to sign, and remind him that the defense-corps in Buffalo will get overhauled soon and that he could/should be a part of it.
On Saturday Botterill and whatever scouts he brought along can hook up with their European head scout, Anders Forsberg, and take in USA/Latvia in Germany followed by Russia/Slovakia and then off to France for Canada/Switzerland before heading back to the States.
Sunday's a chill day of time-zone adjustment, making calls and lining up coaching prospects
There will be no day of rest for Botterill on Sunday but he can chill a bit while battling jet-lag while on the phone. He needs to get on the horn to Las Vegas Knights GM George McPhee about the upcoming expansion draft. Former Sabres GM Murray supposedly had a deal in the works for the Knights to return a favor, but with him gone that deal is probably nixed.
Botterill will need to convince McPhee that he's an upstanding guy who could use a little help. The Sabres have some unruly contracts and if McPhee can take on one of them, it would be greatly appreciated with the favor being returned in the form of a draft pick and/or through future considerations.
Get the coaching search going
With the Pittsburgh still in the playoffs, the coaching search may be pushed back a little bit as one of the potential candidates rumored to be on the list is Penguins assistant coach, Rick Tocchet. Another assistant who'd be a prime candidate for Buffalo's opening is Nashville's Phil Housley. His Predators team is also still in the playoffs and there's a good possibility that they could meet the Penguins in the Stanley Cup Final.
One of the coaches he might want to start the process with is Jim Montgomery, the Denver Pioneers coach who lead that team to the 2017 NCAA Championship. Botterill may also want to pick Montgomery's brain concerning Girgensons whom he coached for one year while at Dubuque with the Fighting Saints.
All things Entry Draft need to get going next week
Botterill has an extensive scouting department to work with but one that's without two key cogs of the previous regime. The Sabres scouting department right now is headed by Assistant Director of Scouting Jerry Forton and they still have long-time Sabres scout and personnel guy, Kevin Devine to help smooth the transition.
The scouts have their reports for the upcoming draft and next week is usually when they sit down and compare notes. After that's done it's time to get ready for the NHL Combine which hits Buffalo on May 28. There will be 114 player invites to the combine and at it's conclusion there will only be a few weeks to prepare for the 2017 NHL Entry Draft in Chicago which begins June 23.
Still need to keep an eye on the expansion draft
For as important as the Entry Draft is, the Expansion Draft is just as important short-term.
Teams must submit their protected list by 5 pm June 17. Las Vegas is required to make their selections by 5 pm June 20 with the announcement of their selections the following day.
Once again, welcome aboard, Jason.
Have fun.
Here's the press release concerning Botterill's hiring from sabres.com:
"We are very happy to welcome Jason Botterill to the Buffalo Sabres family," Owner Terry Pegula said. "Jason's hockey knowledge, experience drafting and developing players, and his approach to management stood out to us during our interview process. Jason has built a solid reputation as a leader that connects strongly with players and staff around him. We are confident he will have a positive impact within our organization and will help us get to our ultimate goal."