Published by hockeybuzz.com, 7-18-2018
The Rochester Americans announced today that they've signed forward Vasily Glotov to a one-year AHL contract. Glotov was selected in the seventh round (190th-overall) of the 2016 NHL Draft.
When he darted around the HarborCenter ice at Buffalo Sabres development earlier this month during the annual French Connection 3-on-3 tournament, Glotov looked a lot like another Russian who played in Buffalo--winger, Maxim Afinogenov. Although smaller than his predecessor, Glotov displayed the same speed and bursts of energy that Afinogenov parlayed into 10-year NHL career almost exclusively with the Sabres.
During the 3-on-3 tourney, Glotov burst through opening for many chances, some of which ended up being goals, and hopefully the 20 yr. old can build on that strong showing. For as much as we loved Max, and for as many times as he raised the excitement-level at the arena, save for a couple of good seasons, often times Afinogenov did a whole lot of choppin' with very few chips a flyin'.
Glotov finished off his 2017-18 hockey season with a five-game stint in Cincinnati (ECHL) where he scored a goal and added an assist for the Cyclones and also got in a game for the Rochester Americans. Prior to that he finished his two-year QMJHL career with 44 goals and 93 points in 128 games for both the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles and the Shawinigan Cataractes.
The 5'11" 174 lb. Moscow, Russia native always seems to be thrilled to be where he's at and hopefully he can add even more positivity to the Amerks locker room. During D-camp, WKBW's Matt Bove asked Glotov why he was so laid back, pretty fun, easy going and always seemed to have a smile on his face. "You've got to have some fun," said Glotov, "you can be serious sometimes, but all the time? I don't see the point in this.
"You've got to enjoy your life. You only live once."
That living continues in Rochester this fall.
Showing posts with label 2016 Draft. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 2016 Draft. Show all posts
Sunday, July 22, 2018
Friday, July 6, 2018
A Sabrecentric recap plus a little food for thought on this Fourth of July
Published by hockeybuzz.com, 7-4-2018
The Buffalo Sabres opted to follow a defense-heavy/Swede-heavy 2018 NHL Draft by jumping into development camp earlier than normal. Sabres D-Camp was usually scheduled after the Fourth of July but this year it was moved up to the last weekend in June, which happened to butt up against the start of free agency. That, along with the trade of Ryan O'Reilly made for a very busy week.
Some things may have been missed in the process so what better time to play a little ketchup today as we munch on our All-American burgers and enjoy fireworks.
A quick recap of the draft had the Sabres and GM Jason Botterill taking five defensemen out of six picks, three of them being from Sweden and one with Swedish heritage. The parade of Swedes was lead by first overall pick D, Rasmus Dahlin followed later by the picks of defensemen Linus Lindstrand Cronholm (4th round) and William Worge Kreu (7th.) Hulking defenseman Mattias Samuelsson (2nd) was born in the U.S. and played in the USHL for the National Development Program. He is the son of former NHL d-man Kjell Samuelsson who was born in Sweden.
The Sabres selected Czech-native Matej Pekar, a center who played in the USHL, with the first pick of the fourth round and with their first pick in the seventh round they took defenseman Miska Kukkonen out of Finland.
Interesting to note that for the second year in a row under Botterill, the Sabres did not select a player from the Canadian Hockey League. Botterill's reasoning was that for later round picks, players attending college or playing overseas allows for more development time. "In a scenario where you have an extended period of four years (as opposed to two years for CHL players,)" he said at the draft, "in most situations for Europeans or college players it allows you more opportunity to develop."
All six of those draft picks were on the ice last week for D-camp.
One thing we were able to see at camp right off the bat was just how great a skater Dahlin is. For those of us who couldn't make it out to HarborCenter, there were tweets galore showing Dahlin almost effortlessly glide through drills. We also had the opportunity to see Dahlin level Pekar with a check after the feisty Czech was said to have delivered a cheap shot to the franchise defenseman.
Here's a quick shot of that hit thanks to Highlight Haven:
Sabres development camp is what the name says it is as it's mainly about teaching young players how to be professionals and getting them acclimated to the work involved at the professional level. Players from five different draft classes with Eric Cornel being the farthest reaching (2014, 44th-overall.) But it isn't all about drills as they do have some competitive fun as the camp closes with the annual French Connection 3-on-3 Tournament.
Four teams with nine players each played a round-robin to determine seeding for the semi-finals with the winner of the semi-final rounds playing for the championship.
The tournament was streamed live via sabres.com.
Published by hockeybuzz.com, 7-4-2018
For the second year in a row, Casey Mittelstadt (2017, 8th) and his Team Martin (White) won the tournament. Mittelstadt must have learned something from the previous year as his team hit the win column until the final round robin game. They dismissed of Team Robert (Gray) in the semi-final and Team Perreault (Navy) in the finals.
Mittelstadt was the star of the show but it wasn't without some peril as Pekar hounded the hell out of him in their round-robin match. It got to the point where sticks were raised between the two and with a lot of in your face intensity. Pekar's focus on Mittelstadt frustrated the talented center but come the semi finals, Pekar laid off (perhaps at the insistence of management) and Mittelstadt was allowed to more fully play his game.
Pekar drew comparisons to Boston Bruins forward Brad Marchand who's known as "The little ball of hate" as he's got a gadfly-like intensity that annoys the hell out of people. In addition to that, Pekar did have his moment of revenge against Dahlin in the tournament's first game as he smoked the defenseman with a nifty deek at the right dot and proceeded to send a wicked wrister far-side.
Defenseman Brendan Guhle (2015, 51st) was drafted for his skating and athleticism and was a man amongst boys as he breezed across the ice in a display of skating that was awe-inspiring. His finish wasn't quite there but he showed the type of talents that have him on the cusp of full-time NHL duty.
Other notes:
--Goalie Hunter Shepard was a camp invite and wowed the crowd with a spectacular display of goaltending in Team Robert's second game. Although the 6'0' 205 lb. Minnesota-Duluth junior is a bit small by today's goalie standards he impressed to the point where an eye should be kept on him once he finishes his college career.
--Rasmus Asplund was the object of former GM Tim Murray's desire in the second round of the 2016 NHL Draft held in Buffalo. Since selecting him 33rd overall fans in Sabreland have been getting reports about a strong two-way player who's got a great feel for what's happening around him and that's what we saw 3-on-3.
--Winger Victor Olofsson (2014, 181st) was off the radar in Sabreland for three years until his breakout season in Sweden last year. His 29 goals lead the league and we had the opportunity to see his wicked shot during the 3-on-3. It's impressive.
--When the name Max Afinogenov is invoked, one thinks of a fast, dart-like skater who make a lot happen on the ice and that's what we saw with Vasily Glotov (2016, 190th.) Glotov was a wizard with his skating and had some finish, but did a lot of chopping with not a lot of chips flying.
--Undrafted left-winger Pascal Aquin was signed by the Rochester Americans in early May. The 6'1" 185 lb. native of Le Gardeur, Quebec was consistently in the mix throughout as he displayed plenty of speed and moves while also scoring the lone shootout goal in the Championship Game.
There were others who made a strong impression from goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (2017, 54th) to free agent signee Andrew Oglevie (2018, Notre Dame) to fellow free agent Lawrence Pilut (2018, SHL) to, of course Dahlin who simply wowed even without scoring much.
French Connection Tournament Highlights via sabres.com
*****
Botterill and the Sabres have had a busy off season dating back to early June when they relinquished the rights 2016 draft picks Vojtech Budik (130th,) Brandon Hagel (159th) and Buffalo native Austin Osmanski (189th.)
Buffalo signed three players from that 2016 draft class--Alexander Nylander (8th,) Asplund and Cliff Pu (69th)--to their entry-level deals while Casey Fitzgerald (86th) and Brett Murray (99th) are still in college with Philip Nyberg (129th) continuing his development playing in Sweden.
Also signed to his entry-level deal was Luukkonen.
Botterill and company also qualified six restricted free agents: Justin Bailey (2013, 52nd,) Nicholas Baptiste (2013, 69th,) Sean Malone (2013, 159th,) Sam Reinhart (2014, 2nd,) C.J. Smith (2017, FA) and Danny O'Regan (2012, 138th, SJS) who came over from the San Jose Sharks in the Evander Kane deal.
The Sabres did not qualify a trio lead by last year's starting goaltender. Robin Lehner was arbitration-eligible and was allowed to walk, He recently singed with the NY Islanders. Russian free agent Victor Antipin was released and after searching for a home in the NHL, will head back to the KHL. Scott Wilson wasn't qualified but the Sabres signed him to a two-year deal on July 1, the start of free agency.
*****
Speaking of free agency, Botterill went to work filling a few holes in the organization when he signed UFA goalie Carter Hutton to a team friendly three-year deal. Hutton was a starter for the St. Louis Blues last season. They also landed another goalie to take the reigns in Rochester as Scott Wedgewood signed a one-year, two-way deal with Buffalo.
Defenseman Brandon Hickey was signed to his entry-level deal on July 1 as well. Hickey came to Buffalo in a trade with the Arizona Coyotes that saw Hudson Fasching head to the desert.
Hickey was drafted by the Calgary Flames in the 3rd round (64th) of the 2014 NHL Entry Draft. The 6'2" 204 lb. puck-mover spent a full four years at Boston University which included playing with present Sabres Jack Eichel, Evan Rodrigues and O'Regan. During that time his rights were traded to Arizona as part of the Mike Smith deal.
The acquisition and signing of Hickey adds more depth to the prospect pool and a quality defenseman for the Rochester Americans.
*****
Botterill did some wheelin' and dealin' in addition to the Fasching/Hickey deal as he continued to mold the Sabres to his liking. Between the draft and the start of free agency, Botterill hooked up with his former team, the Pittsburgh Penguins, to land LW Conor Sheary along with D, Matt Hunwick.
Sheary was traded for to help fill a gaping hole at left wing for the Sabres while Hunwick may end up in Rochester.
But that trades and the moves before were small change compared to the blockbuster O'Reilly trade. Botterill moved O'Reilly, a player that just didn't seem to fit with where he wanted the team to go, to St. Louis for a lottery-protected first rounder, a second rounder, prospect Tage Thompson and veterans Patrick Berglund and Vladimir Sobotka.
The trade, which was consummated on July 1, firmly put Botterill's stamp on his club.
Have a Happy and Safe Fourth of July celebration.
The Buffalo Sabres opted to follow a defense-heavy/Swede-heavy 2018 NHL Draft by jumping into development camp earlier than normal. Sabres D-Camp was usually scheduled after the Fourth of July but this year it was moved up to the last weekend in June, which happened to butt up against the start of free agency. That, along with the trade of Ryan O'Reilly made for a very busy week.
Some things may have been missed in the process so what better time to play a little ketchup today as we munch on our All-American burgers and enjoy fireworks.
A quick recap of the draft had the Sabres and GM Jason Botterill taking five defensemen out of six picks, three of them being from Sweden and one with Swedish heritage. The parade of Swedes was lead by first overall pick D, Rasmus Dahlin followed later by the picks of defensemen Linus Lindstrand Cronholm (4th round) and William Worge Kreu (7th.) Hulking defenseman Mattias Samuelsson (2nd) was born in the U.S. and played in the USHL for the National Development Program. He is the son of former NHL d-man Kjell Samuelsson who was born in Sweden.
The Sabres selected Czech-native Matej Pekar, a center who played in the USHL, with the first pick of the fourth round and with their first pick in the seventh round they took defenseman Miska Kukkonen out of Finland.
Interesting to note that for the second year in a row under Botterill, the Sabres did not select a player from the Canadian Hockey League. Botterill's reasoning was that for later round picks, players attending college or playing overseas allows for more development time. "In a scenario where you have an extended period of four years (as opposed to two years for CHL players,)" he said at the draft, "in most situations for Europeans or college players it allows you more opportunity to develop."
All six of those draft picks were on the ice last week for D-camp.
One thing we were able to see at camp right off the bat was just how great a skater Dahlin is. For those of us who couldn't make it out to HarborCenter, there were tweets galore showing Dahlin almost effortlessly glide through drills. We also had the opportunity to see Dahlin level Pekar with a check after the feisty Czech was said to have delivered a cheap shot to the franchise defenseman.
Here's a quick shot of that hit thanks to Highlight Haven:
Sabres development camp is what the name says it is as it's mainly about teaching young players how to be professionals and getting them acclimated to the work involved at the professional level. Players from five different draft classes with Eric Cornel being the farthest reaching (2014, 44th-overall.) But it isn't all about drills as they do have some competitive fun as the camp closes with the annual French Connection 3-on-3 Tournament.
Four teams with nine players each played a round-robin to determine seeding for the semi-finals with the winner of the semi-final rounds playing for the championship.
The tournament was streamed live via sabres.com.
Published by hockeybuzz.com, 7-4-2018
For the second year in a row, Casey Mittelstadt (2017, 8th) and his Team Martin (White) won the tournament. Mittelstadt must have learned something from the previous year as his team hit the win column until the final round robin game. They dismissed of Team Robert (Gray) in the semi-final and Team Perreault (Navy) in the finals.
Mittelstadt was the star of the show but it wasn't without some peril as Pekar hounded the hell out of him in their round-robin match. It got to the point where sticks were raised between the two and with a lot of in your face intensity. Pekar's focus on Mittelstadt frustrated the talented center but come the semi finals, Pekar laid off (perhaps at the insistence of management) and Mittelstadt was allowed to more fully play his game.
Pekar drew comparisons to Boston Bruins forward Brad Marchand who's known as "The little ball of hate" as he's got a gadfly-like intensity that annoys the hell out of people. In addition to that, Pekar did have his moment of revenge against Dahlin in the tournament's first game as he smoked the defenseman with a nifty deek at the right dot and proceeded to send a wicked wrister far-side.
Defenseman Brendan Guhle (2015, 51st) was drafted for his skating and athleticism and was a man amongst boys as he breezed across the ice in a display of skating that was awe-inspiring. His finish wasn't quite there but he showed the type of talents that have him on the cusp of full-time NHL duty.
Other notes:
--Goalie Hunter Shepard was a camp invite and wowed the crowd with a spectacular display of goaltending in Team Robert's second game. Although the 6'0' 205 lb. Minnesota-Duluth junior is a bit small by today's goalie standards he impressed to the point where an eye should be kept on him once he finishes his college career.
--Rasmus Asplund was the object of former GM Tim Murray's desire in the second round of the 2016 NHL Draft held in Buffalo. Since selecting him 33rd overall fans in Sabreland have been getting reports about a strong two-way player who's got a great feel for what's happening around him and that's what we saw 3-on-3.
--Winger Victor Olofsson (2014, 181st) was off the radar in Sabreland for three years until his breakout season in Sweden last year. His 29 goals lead the league and we had the opportunity to see his wicked shot during the 3-on-3. It's impressive.
--When the name Max Afinogenov is invoked, one thinks of a fast, dart-like skater who make a lot happen on the ice and that's what we saw with Vasily Glotov (2016, 190th.) Glotov was a wizard with his skating and had some finish, but did a lot of chopping with not a lot of chips flying.
--Undrafted left-winger Pascal Aquin was signed by the Rochester Americans in early May. The 6'1" 185 lb. native of Le Gardeur, Quebec was consistently in the mix throughout as he displayed plenty of speed and moves while also scoring the lone shootout goal in the Championship Game.
There were others who made a strong impression from goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (2017, 54th) to free agent signee Andrew Oglevie (2018, Notre Dame) to fellow free agent Lawrence Pilut (2018, SHL) to, of course Dahlin who simply wowed even without scoring much.
French Connection Tournament Highlights via sabres.com
*****
Botterill and the Sabres have had a busy off season dating back to early June when they relinquished the rights 2016 draft picks Vojtech Budik (130th,) Brandon Hagel (159th) and Buffalo native Austin Osmanski (189th.)
Buffalo signed three players from that 2016 draft class--Alexander Nylander (8th,) Asplund and Cliff Pu (69th)--to their entry-level deals while Casey Fitzgerald (86th) and Brett Murray (99th) are still in college with Philip Nyberg (129th) continuing his development playing in Sweden.
Also signed to his entry-level deal was Luukkonen.
Botterill and company also qualified six restricted free agents: Justin Bailey (2013, 52nd,) Nicholas Baptiste (2013, 69th,) Sean Malone (2013, 159th,) Sam Reinhart (2014, 2nd,) C.J. Smith (2017, FA) and Danny O'Regan (2012, 138th, SJS) who came over from the San Jose Sharks in the Evander Kane deal.
The Sabres did not qualify a trio lead by last year's starting goaltender. Robin Lehner was arbitration-eligible and was allowed to walk, He recently singed with the NY Islanders. Russian free agent Victor Antipin was released and after searching for a home in the NHL, will head back to the KHL. Scott Wilson wasn't qualified but the Sabres signed him to a two-year deal on July 1, the start of free agency.
*****
Speaking of free agency, Botterill went to work filling a few holes in the organization when he signed UFA goalie Carter Hutton to a team friendly three-year deal. Hutton was a starter for the St. Louis Blues last season. They also landed another goalie to take the reigns in Rochester as Scott Wedgewood signed a one-year, two-way deal with Buffalo.
Defenseman Brandon Hickey was signed to his entry-level deal on July 1 as well. Hickey came to Buffalo in a trade with the Arizona Coyotes that saw Hudson Fasching head to the desert.
Hickey was drafted by the Calgary Flames in the 3rd round (64th) of the 2014 NHL Entry Draft. The 6'2" 204 lb. puck-mover spent a full four years at Boston University which included playing with present Sabres Jack Eichel, Evan Rodrigues and O'Regan. During that time his rights were traded to Arizona as part of the Mike Smith deal.
The acquisition and signing of Hickey adds more depth to the prospect pool and a quality defenseman for the Rochester Americans.
*****
Botterill did some wheelin' and dealin' in addition to the Fasching/Hickey deal as he continued to mold the Sabres to his liking. Between the draft and the start of free agency, Botterill hooked up with his former team, the Pittsburgh Penguins, to land LW Conor Sheary along with D, Matt Hunwick.
Sheary was traded for to help fill a gaping hole at left wing for the Sabres while Hunwick may end up in Rochester.
But that trades and the moves before were small change compared to the blockbuster O'Reilly trade. Botterill moved O'Reilly, a player that just didn't seem to fit with where he wanted the team to go, to St. Louis for a lottery-protected first rounder, a second rounder, prospect Tage Thompson and veterans Patrick Berglund and Vladimir Sobotka.
The trade, which was consummated on July 1, firmly put Botterill's stamp on his club.
Have a Happy and Safe Fourth of July celebration.
Saturday, June 2, 2018
Quick notes on three '16 Sabres draft picks hanging in the balance
Published by hockeybuzz.com, 6-1-2018
Buffalo Sabres GM Jason Botterill and his staff have decisions to make on three players from the 2016 NHL Draft class. All of them come from former GM Tim Murray's last class and all were selected in the lower rounds.
First off, a quick look at that 2016 class with those players either signed or deferred:
1st round (8th-overall)--F, Alexander Nylander. The Mississauga Steelheads winger made the jump right to the pros but has struggled in both AHL seasons as a teenager
2nd round (33rd)--C, Rasmus Asplund. The Swedish center was the object of Murray's affection in a draft-day trade with the Florida Panthers is under contract and will make his North American debut this season.
3rd round (69th)--C, Cliff Pu. Tore up the OHL with the London Knights the season after being drafted and continued his solid play after being traded from the Knights to the Kingston Frontenacs last year. Was signed to his three-year entry-level deal by Buffalo on October 23, 2017 which will kick in this season.
3rd round (86th) D, Casey Fitzgerald, 4th round (99th) LW, Brett Murray and 5th round (129th) D, Philip Nyberg are all in college at Boston College, Penn State and Wisconsin, respectively. No decisions need to be made on any until they leave college.
7th round (190th) C, Vasily Glotov. According to WGR550 Radio's Paul Hamilton, the Sabres needn't make a decision on him for two years because he's on loan to the QMJHL. Glotov has impressed every time he's hit the ice at Sabres camp. He dipped his toes in the pro game this season playing five games with the Cincinnati Cyclones (ECHL) and one game with the Rochester Americans (AHL.)
The three remaining players from that draft are:
5th round (130th) D, Vojtech Budik. At 6'2" 195 lbs. Budik has NHL size and the kid can also skate very well. He had 41 points (14+27) in 63 games for the Prince Albert Raiders of the WHL last season, but was it enough to convince the Sabres brass to use one of 50 pro contracts on him?
6th round (159th) LW, Brandon Hagel. Many in Sabreland thought they unearthed a gem in the late rounds as he tore it up in 2016-17 with 71 points (31+40) in 65 games for the Red Deer Rebels of the WHL. Kris Baker of sabresprospects.com/sabres.com called him "a bulldog" but since that impressive season his play has tailed off. Of the three he seems like the most likely to be signed.
7th round (189th) D, Austin Osmanski. The big, East Aurora, NY native looked like a token pick at the 2016 draft which was held in Buffalo, and the might end up being the case. Osmanski was projected to be more of a project player and he has shown year-over-year improvement. But the big 6'4" 207 lb. d-man might not have moved the needle enough to land a contract with his hometown Sabres.
Buffalo Sabres GM Jason Botterill and his staff have decisions to make on three players from the 2016 NHL Draft class. All of them come from former GM Tim Murray's last class and all were selected in the lower rounds.
First off, a quick look at that 2016 class with those players either signed or deferred:
1st round (8th-overall)--F, Alexander Nylander. The Mississauga Steelheads winger made the jump right to the pros but has struggled in both AHL seasons as a teenager
2nd round (33rd)--C, Rasmus Asplund. The Swedish center was the object of Murray's affection in a draft-day trade with the Florida Panthers is under contract and will make his North American debut this season.
3rd round (69th)--C, Cliff Pu. Tore up the OHL with the London Knights the season after being drafted and continued his solid play after being traded from the Knights to the Kingston Frontenacs last year. Was signed to his three-year entry-level deal by Buffalo on October 23, 2017 which will kick in this season.
3rd round (86th) D, Casey Fitzgerald, 4th round (99th) LW, Brett Murray and 5th round (129th) D, Philip Nyberg are all in college at Boston College, Penn State and Wisconsin, respectively. No decisions need to be made on any until they leave college.
7th round (190th) C, Vasily Glotov. According to WGR550 Radio's Paul Hamilton, the Sabres needn't make a decision on him for two years because he's on loan to the QMJHL. Glotov has impressed every time he's hit the ice at Sabres camp. He dipped his toes in the pro game this season playing five games with the Cincinnati Cyclones (ECHL) and one game with the Rochester Americans (AHL.)
The three remaining players from that draft are:
5th round (130th) D, Vojtech Budik. At 6'2" 195 lbs. Budik has NHL size and the kid can also skate very well. He had 41 points (14+27) in 63 games for the Prince Albert Raiders of the WHL last season, but was it enough to convince the Sabres brass to use one of 50 pro contracts on him?
6th round (159th) LW, Brandon Hagel. Many in Sabreland thought they unearthed a gem in the late rounds as he tore it up in 2016-17 with 71 points (31+40) in 65 games for the Red Deer Rebels of the WHL. Kris Baker of sabresprospects.com/sabres.com called him "a bulldog" but since that impressive season his play has tailed off. Of the three he seems like the most likely to be signed.
7th round (189th) D, Austin Osmanski. The big, East Aurora, NY native looked like a token pick at the 2016 draft which was held in Buffalo, and the might end up being the case. Osmanski was projected to be more of a project player and he has shown year-over-year improvement. But the big 6'4" 207 lb. d-man might not have moved the needle enough to land a contract with his hometown Sabres.
Tuesday, June 28, 2016
2016 Draft Weekend Recap--Picks, Trades and Stamkos
Reprinted with permission from hockeybuzz.com
Before we get into a busy weekend at the First Niagara Center as the NHL descended upon the First Niagara Center for the Entry Draft, big props to the Pegula's and their charges at Pegula Sports and Entertainment. Simply put, they put on a good show.
The centerpiece of the rejuvenation of downtown Buffalo is HARBORCENTER, a $190 million multi-faceted building conceived of and built by Kim and Terry Pegula, owners of the Buffalo Sabres and Buffalo Bills. The original idea designed around building a dual-rink complex complete with parking garage as a magnet for hockey, but once Kim got her hands on it the idea turned into a mult-faceted building complete with a Marriott hotel, sports bar and other amenities that make it a downtown destination.
Details of how the Pegula's helped kick in the rejuvenation of downtown Buffalo can be found in a wonderful piece from Sal Maiorana of the Rochester Democrat and Chronical. Kim Pegula states in the article how her husband wanted grass planted in the area that is now HARBORCENTER and the adjoining area known as Canalside. Maiorana aptly described it as "the depressingly unkempt space underneath the Skyway between the arena and the river." Terry was quoted by his wife at the time as saying of the area, "If they could just plant some grass. You know, at least make it look somewhat like you care," and thus it was born.
From grass to the NHL Draft and more to come.
I had the pleasure of striking up a conversation with a number of credentialed out-of-towners who were thoroughly impressed with everything in and around the F'N Center and HARBORCENTER, which is a good thing. Hopefully we won't be waiting another 18 years before the city of Buffalo hosts another NHL Draft but until then the Pegula's and Buffalo will be hosting their third consecutive NHL Combine in 2017 as well as the 2018 IIHF World Junior Championships.
Not bad for an idea that was as simple as planting grass. "We’re talking grass," said Kim in the article, "that’s all it was.”
Before we get into a busy weekend at the First Niagara Center as the NHL descended upon the First Niagara Center for the Entry Draft, big props to the Pegula's and their charges at Pegula Sports and Entertainment. Simply put, they put on a good show.
The centerpiece of the rejuvenation of downtown Buffalo is HARBORCENTER, a $190 million multi-faceted building conceived of and built by Kim and Terry Pegula, owners of the Buffalo Sabres and Buffalo Bills. The original idea designed around building a dual-rink complex complete with parking garage as a magnet for hockey, but once Kim got her hands on it the idea turned into a mult-faceted building complete with a Marriott hotel, sports bar and other amenities that make it a downtown destination.
Details of how the Pegula's helped kick in the rejuvenation of downtown Buffalo can be found in a wonderful piece from Sal Maiorana of the Rochester Democrat and Chronical. Kim Pegula states in the article how her husband wanted grass planted in the area that is now HARBORCENTER and the adjoining area known as Canalside. Maiorana aptly described it as "the depressingly unkempt space underneath the Skyway between the arena and the river." Terry was quoted by his wife at the time as saying of the area, "If they could just plant some grass. You know, at least make it look somewhat like you care," and thus it was born.
From grass to the NHL Draft and more to come.
I had the pleasure of striking up a conversation with a number of credentialed out-of-towners who were thoroughly impressed with everything in and around the F'N Center and HARBORCENTER, which is a good thing. Hopefully we won't be waiting another 18 years before the city of Buffalo hosts another NHL Draft but until then the Pegula's and Buffalo will be hosting their third consecutive NHL Combine in 2017 as well as the 2018 IIHF World Junior Championships.
Not bad for an idea that was as simple as planting grass. "We’re talking grass," said Kim in the article, "that’s all it was.”
Monday, June 27, 2016
The Fit. Alexander Nylander.
Reprinted with permission from hockeybuzz.com
When it came time for the Buffalo Sabres to make their selection at the 2016 NHL Draft it could be assumed that two of the prospects GM Tim Murray and his scouting staff had ranked in the top three that would be there. By all pre-draft accounts, defenseman Olli Joulevi was at the top of the list of the players they expected to be available at No. 8 and when the Arizona Coyotes went slightly off the board to select center Clayton Keller, you'd have to believe that Murray was looking at a choice between the player they took, RW Alexander Nylander and the player they didn't in defenseman Mikhail Sergachev.
With the pick in and microphones in front of him, Murray told the gathered media of the Nylander pick, “We were just going to go off our list. I’m not worried about position at all, best player available or best fit and the fit could be defense or it could be just like the player we took today."
Murray reiterated what many scouts had been saying about a player who many consider one of the most skilled in the draft. “Skill, skating, I mean he’s the whole package. I think after the Pittsburgh win you hear people talking about speed and that’s what we’ve been trying to do the past couple of years and we don’t have enough of it yet. We’ve made great strides and to get a guy like him that we think is a top six forward, just fit into our blueprint.”
So the Penguins winning the Stanley Cup had a bit to do with the selection. Although others might throw in another aspect.
It's widely perceived, at least amongst the fan-base, that Murray has an aversion to drafting Russians. And as of late, we could add 'keeping Russians' into the equation as Mikhail Grigorenko and Nikita Zadorov both were traded to the Colorado Avalanche. Another Russia, goalie prospect Andrey Makarov, will not be tendered an offer by the club and is headed home to the Motherland.
Sergachev would have fit well into one of the Sabres positions of need. He's a big, left-handed defenseman with strong skating skills and a nice pass out of the zone. An important tenet of breaking through the onslaught that was Pittsburgh's forecheck in the playoffs is having a defenseman who's skilled, but also cool under pressure. Kyle Woodlief and the boys at the Red Line Report say he has "zero panic to his game."
He's also perceived by many as the most NHL-ready of all the defensemen in the draft. And it showed. While Sabres Taco and I were discussing why he'd be an 18th round pick in Mrs. Taco's dude draft, the young prospects made their way in and around 716 and Sergachev stood out not only for his size, but he looked like a man amongst the many boyish faces we'd seen come through.
Right wing is pretty stacked in the Sabres system, so Nylander was a somewhat curious choice. There shouldn't be too much of a problem with the pick in Sabreland, however, as he's an extremely gifted player who, in my eyes, has plenty of chutzpah. There's one troubling aspect to his game is that he's perceived as a perimeter player. From today's Redline Report the boys said Nylander, "has a knack for lurking on the edges, and then bursting through a small crack at just the right moment to emerge with a great scoring chance. Not as good a skater as older brother, but still very elusive with fine east-west moves and agility. We’d like to see more of a three-zone effort and commitment in the greasy areas — spends far too much time on the perimeter. Rarely initiates contact, and if he’s not scoring, he’s not helping. But he’s a gamebreaker; can be invisible for 57 minutes, then win the game.
It sounds like a combination of Tyler Ennis, who's on the roster in a top-six RW role and Joel Armia, a former first rounder whom Murray traded to Winnipeg. We need to keep in mind that these are 18 yr. old kids we're talking about so things can change and I believe Nylander has enough attitude to fulfill his highly-skilled promise.
As for the holes on defense, as mentioned before, Buffalo has shown the capacity to land quality defensemen outside the first round and I wouldn't be surprised if they began today by selecting one with their first pick in the second round.
And as for a truly NHL-ready defenseman, they may be plugging a hole with a likely trade for Florida's Dmitri Kulikov.
When it came time for the Buffalo Sabres to make their selection at the 2016 NHL Draft it could be assumed that two of the prospects GM Tim Murray and his scouting staff had ranked in the top three that would be there. By all pre-draft accounts, defenseman Olli Joulevi was at the top of the list of the players they expected to be available at No. 8 and when the Arizona Coyotes went slightly off the board to select center Clayton Keller, you'd have to believe that Murray was looking at a choice between the player they took, RW Alexander Nylander and the player they didn't in defenseman Mikhail Sergachev.
With the pick in and microphones in front of him, Murray told the gathered media of the Nylander pick, “We were just going to go off our list. I’m not worried about position at all, best player available or best fit and the fit could be defense or it could be just like the player we took today."
Murray reiterated what many scouts had been saying about a player who many consider one of the most skilled in the draft. “Skill, skating, I mean he’s the whole package. I think after the Pittsburgh win you hear people talking about speed and that’s what we’ve been trying to do the past couple of years and we don’t have enough of it yet. We’ve made great strides and to get a guy like him that we think is a top six forward, just fit into our blueprint.”
So the Penguins winning the Stanley Cup had a bit to do with the selection. Although others might throw in another aspect.
It's widely perceived, at least amongst the fan-base, that Murray has an aversion to drafting Russians. And as of late, we could add 'keeping Russians' into the equation as Mikhail Grigorenko and Nikita Zadorov both were traded to the Colorado Avalanche. Another Russia, goalie prospect Andrey Makarov, will not be tendered an offer by the club and is headed home to the Motherland.
Sergachev would have fit well into one of the Sabres positions of need. He's a big, left-handed defenseman with strong skating skills and a nice pass out of the zone. An important tenet of breaking through the onslaught that was Pittsburgh's forecheck in the playoffs is having a defenseman who's skilled, but also cool under pressure. Kyle Woodlief and the boys at the Red Line Report say he has "zero panic to his game."
He's also perceived by many as the most NHL-ready of all the defensemen in the draft. And it showed. While Sabres Taco and I were discussing why he'd be an 18th round pick in Mrs. Taco's dude draft, the young prospects made their way in and around 716 and Sergachev stood out not only for his size, but he looked like a man amongst the many boyish faces we'd seen come through.
Right wing is pretty stacked in the Sabres system, so Nylander was a somewhat curious choice. There shouldn't be too much of a problem with the pick in Sabreland, however, as he's an extremely gifted player who, in my eyes, has plenty of chutzpah. There's one troubling aspect to his game is that he's perceived as a perimeter player. From today's Redline Report the boys said Nylander, "has a knack for lurking on the edges, and then bursting through a small crack at just the right moment to emerge with a great scoring chance. Not as good a skater as older brother, but still very elusive with fine east-west moves and agility. We’d like to see more of a three-zone effort and commitment in the greasy areas — spends far too much time on the perimeter. Rarely initiates contact, and if he’s not scoring, he’s not helping. But he’s a gamebreaker; can be invisible for 57 minutes, then win the game.
It sounds like a combination of Tyler Ennis, who's on the roster in a top-six RW role and Joel Armia, a former first rounder whom Murray traded to Winnipeg. We need to keep in mind that these are 18 yr. old kids we're talking about so things can change and I believe Nylander has enough attitude to fulfill his highly-skilled promise.
As for the holes on defense, as mentioned before, Buffalo has shown the capacity to land quality defensemen outside the first round and I wouldn't be surprised if they began today by selecting one with their first pick in the second round.
And as for a truly NHL-ready defenseman, they may be plugging a hole with a likely trade for Florida's Dmitri Kulikov.
Friday, June 24, 2016
How to steal some of Toronto's thunder at the 2016 NHL Draft?
Reprinted with permission from hockeybuzz.com
Make some noise.
Buffalo Sabres GM Tim Murray is not one to shy away from pulling the trigger on a trade he believes it makes his team better and as he's shown in the past, specifically at the 2015 draft, he always has irons in the fire. Last June in Florida he, got the morning started with the announcement of the trade for Robin Lehner and after doing the expected by drafting Jack Eichel second-overall, he Commish announced that the Buffalo Sabres had traded for Colorado center Ryan O'Reilly in a blockbuster that sent shockwaves all the way from Fort Lauderdale to Fort Niagara.
A year later, Murray finds himself with a much improved roster because of those moves but with less currency to work with in terms of high draft picks and highly touted prospects as well so dropping bombshells of that magnitude via trade scenarios is not likely. Yet, that doesn't mean he can't make some noise, especially with Leaf Nation headed south to Buffalo where this year's draft begins at 7:00 tonight.
This is home court for Buffalo--complete with a rejuvenated franchise and new-look downtown--and Murray, as always, is willing to do what it takes to make his team better. If it comes at the expense of the Toronto Maple Leafs and their projected selection of franchise center Auston Matthews first overall, so be it. If it comes at the expense of stealing the thunder from our neighbors to the north as they descend upon the First Niagara Center to celebrate the drafting of their own franchise center, all the better.
Make some noise.
Buffalo Sabres GM Tim Murray is not one to shy away from pulling the trigger on a trade he believes it makes his team better and as he's shown in the past, specifically at the 2015 draft, he always has irons in the fire. Last June in Florida he, got the morning started with the announcement of the trade for Robin Lehner and after doing the expected by drafting Jack Eichel second-overall, he Commish announced that the Buffalo Sabres had traded for Colorado center Ryan O'Reilly in a blockbuster that sent shockwaves all the way from Fort Lauderdale to Fort Niagara.
A year later, Murray finds himself with a much improved roster because of those moves but with less currency to work with in terms of high draft picks and highly touted prospects as well so dropping bombshells of that magnitude via trade scenarios is not likely. Yet, that doesn't mean he can't make some noise, especially with Leaf Nation headed south to Buffalo where this year's draft begins at 7:00 tonight.
This is home court for Buffalo--complete with a rejuvenated franchise and new-look downtown--and Murray, as always, is willing to do what it takes to make his team better. If it comes at the expense of the Toronto Maple Leafs and their projected selection of franchise center Auston Matthews first overall, so be it. If it comes at the expense of stealing the thunder from our neighbors to the north as they descend upon the First Niagara Center to celebrate the drafting of their own franchise center, all the better.
2016 NHL Mock Draft
Reprinted with permission from hockeybuzz.com
1. Toronto Maple Leafs--C, Auston Matthews. MLSE rejects lucrative deal for Ixtlan Peyote Company's "Join Us On the Journey" jersey patch. At a presser announcing the rejection, executives say Leaf Nation is already deep in the throes of an alternate reality using the hallucinogenic trade-up proposals to both the 3rd and 4th spots in the draft, while also taking Matthews 1st overall, as prime examples. President Brendan Shanahan says the brain cramps have absolutely to do with head shots and provides a lengthy video explanation as to how they came to this conclusion.
2. Winnipeg Jets--LW, Patrick Laine. Laine was said to have done an interview using face-time while lying in his bed. Some were taken aback by this casual approach to his career but it's no biggie for as Laine as he was simply expressing his individuality and it got a chuckle from most of the hockey world anyway. Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff was said to have rescinded an order for team-issued track suits after hearing of the interview and there's speculation that he has a call to immigration asking for a travel stipulation in Laine's visa. With a wisp of dejavu hanging over the Iceplex, Cheveldayoff doesn't want to take any chances and is doing everything in his power to keep Laine away from Las Vegas.
3. Columbus Blue Jackets--RW, Jesse Puljujarvi. Despite not landing in a top-two draft slot, Jackets GM Jarmo Kekäläinen is still giddy as he gets to add an elite talent--from his homeland, no-less--to a huge stockpile of forward prospects. Word is that during their Combine interview with Puljujarvi, Kekäläinen cranked up the Jackets' goal song--complete with cannon shot--and played it every time Puljujarvi nailed one of their questions. Reports have him screaming at the top of his lungs, "varten nuo kuka aikoo rock!!!"...*BOOM!!!*..."sinä tehdä kunniaa jklle teitä!!!" right along with the song.
4. Edmonton Oilers--LW, Matthew Tkachuk. Edmonton picking in the top-five isn't even funny anymore.
1. Toronto Maple Leafs--C, Auston Matthews. MLSE rejects lucrative deal for Ixtlan Peyote Company's "Join Us On the Journey" jersey patch. At a presser announcing the rejection, executives say Leaf Nation is already deep in the throes of an alternate reality using the hallucinogenic trade-up proposals to both the 3rd and 4th spots in the draft, while also taking Matthews 1st overall, as prime examples. President Brendan Shanahan says the brain cramps have absolutely to do with head shots and provides a lengthy video explanation as to how they came to this conclusion.
2. Winnipeg Jets--LW, Patrick Laine. Laine was said to have done an interview using face-time while lying in his bed. Some were taken aback by this casual approach to his career but it's no biggie for as Laine as he was simply expressing his individuality and it got a chuckle from most of the hockey world anyway. Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff was said to have rescinded an order for team-issued track suits after hearing of the interview and there's speculation that he has a call to immigration asking for a travel stipulation in Laine's visa. With a wisp of dejavu hanging over the Iceplex, Cheveldayoff doesn't want to take any chances and is doing everything in his power to keep Laine away from Las Vegas.
3. Columbus Blue Jackets--RW, Jesse Puljujarvi. Despite not landing in a top-two draft slot, Jackets GM Jarmo Kekäläinen is still giddy as he gets to add an elite talent--from his homeland, no-less--to a huge stockpile of forward prospects. Word is that during their Combine interview with Puljujarvi, Kekäläinen cranked up the Jackets' goal song--complete with cannon shot--and played it every time Puljujarvi nailed one of their questions. Reports have him screaming at the top of his lungs, "varten nuo kuka aikoo rock!!!"...*BOOM!!!*..."sinä tehdä kunniaa jklle teitä!!!" right along with the song.
4. Edmonton Oilers--LW, Matthew Tkachuk. Edmonton picking in the top-five isn't even funny anymore.
Friday, June 17, 2016
The Oilers choices with No. 4 (hello Buffalo) and Girgensons rumors gone wild
Reprinted with permission from hockeybuzz.com
If the Edmonton Oilers are looking to trade back in the draft to land one of the top-three defensemen in the league moving down to the eighth slot, where the Buffalo Sabres happen to be, is about as good a spot as any dependent upon how they view the top d-prospects.
Chances are that one of Olli Joulevi, Mikhail Sergachev or Jakob Chychrun will be there at No. 8. If all three are gone by then, one of Matthew Tkachuk or Pierre-Luc Dubois--the two best forwards outside the top-three, and two forwards they would probably have drafted at No. 4 anyway--will be there for the taking
But if they think they'll be getting kings ransom in a trade-down scenario, they might want to strongly consider a pilgrimage to Mount Maple Leaf where hallucinogenic trade proposals are part of the morning ritual. It begins with a blue and white robed Leaf Nation turned towards the Hockey Hall of Fame as a Cistercian Monks overdub pounds chants of hummmmmm...Shanahan, Babcock, Lou; hummmmmm...Shanahan, Babcock, Lou; hummmmmm...Shanahan, Babcock, Lou throughout the city.
If the Edmonton Oilers are looking to trade back in the draft to land one of the top-three defensemen in the league moving down to the eighth slot, where the Buffalo Sabres happen to be, is about as good a spot as any dependent upon how they view the top d-prospects.
Chances are that one of Olli Joulevi, Mikhail Sergachev or Jakob Chychrun will be there at No. 8. If all three are gone by then, one of Matthew Tkachuk or Pierre-Luc Dubois--the two best forwards outside the top-three, and two forwards they would probably have drafted at No. 4 anyway--will be there for the taking
But if they think they'll be getting kings ransom in a trade-down scenario, they might want to strongly consider a pilgrimage to Mount Maple Leaf where hallucinogenic trade proposals are part of the morning ritual. It begins with a blue and white robed Leaf Nation turned towards the Hockey Hall of Fame as a Cistercian Monks overdub pounds chants of hummmmmm...Shanahan, Babcock, Lou; hummmmmm...Shanahan, Babcock, Lou; hummmmmm...Shanahan, Babcock, Lou throughout the city.
2016 draft prospects--Fill the cupboard on defense
Reprinted with permission from hockeybuzz.com
The Buffalo Sabres don't need to take a defenseman in the first round of the 2016 NHL Draft. Many draftniks and fans see a weak prospect pool on defense, especially on the left side, and believe that GM Tim Murray will end up with one of the top three defensemen in the draft--all of whom who happen to be left-handed.
Yet the Sabres could also be looking to add prospect depth on the left side up-front as well, which is probably why there've been some that the Sabres are looking to trade up. The gist of it is that Murray, who isn't afraid to make a trade if there's a player he wants, will try to move up to No. 4 in a trade with Edmonton, then make one more jump to land in the three-spot which is presently where the Columbus Blue Jackets are. Left-wing Jesse Puljujarvi is the consenseus third-overall pick while either Matthew Tkachuk or Pierre-Luc Duboois are considered at the top of the next tier on the left side.
The higher probability is that Buffalo will remain at No. 8 and there's also a strong possibility that two--or even all three--d-men get chosen before they take the stage. If the best player available in their mind is a forward, Murray won't hesitate to make the pick. The least likely scenario is that Murray will trade down from No. 8 unless it's some sort of package to fill a roster hole.
The Buffalo Sabres don't need to take a defenseman in the first round of the 2016 NHL Draft. Many draftniks and fans see a weak prospect pool on defense, especially on the left side, and believe that GM Tim Murray will end up with one of the top three defensemen in the draft--all of whom who happen to be left-handed.
Yet the Sabres could also be looking to add prospect depth on the left side up-front as well, which is probably why there've been some that the Sabres are looking to trade up. The gist of it is that Murray, who isn't afraid to make a trade if there's a player he wants, will try to move up to No. 4 in a trade with Edmonton, then make one more jump to land in the three-spot which is presently where the Columbus Blue Jackets are. Left-wing Jesse Puljujarvi is the consenseus third-overall pick while either Matthew Tkachuk or Pierre-Luc Duboois are considered at the top of the next tier on the left side.
The higher probability is that Buffalo will remain at No. 8 and there's also a strong possibility that two--or even all three--d-men get chosen before they take the stage. If the best player available in their mind is a forward, Murray won't hesitate to make the pick. The least likely scenario is that Murray will trade down from No. 8 unless it's some sort of package to fill a roster hole.
Wednesday, June 15, 2016
No need for Buffalo to reach for a d-man at No. 8
Reprinted with permission from hockeybuzz.com
Conventional wisdom has the Buffalo Sabres coming out of the eighth slot in the 2016 NHL Draft with one of the top-three defenseman--Olli Joulevi, Jakob Chychrun or Mikhail Sergachev. All three are left-hand shots, which happens to be a right/left area of need in the system and all have offensive acumen based upon strong skating. Yet each bring a little something different to the table.
Most mock drafts have at least one of them there for the Sabres yet some believe that all three will be gone before Buffalo is on the clock at No. 8. The cool part about what the Sabres have been able to accomplish these last three drafts is that key roster positions look to have been filled, those being top-two centers (along with strength and depth down the middle) and a top-pairing defenseman. In 2014 they selected a top-six center in Sam Reinhart who was moved to the wing because of the 2015 Draft where they drafted Jack Eichel and traded for Ryan O'Reilly. In 2013 the Sabres drafted Rasmus Ristolainen with the 8th-overall pick and he anchored the Buffalo defense last season.
Conventional wisdom has the Buffalo Sabres coming out of the eighth slot in the 2016 NHL Draft with one of the top-three defenseman--Olli Joulevi, Jakob Chychrun or Mikhail Sergachev. All three are left-hand shots, which happens to be a right/left area of need in the system and all have offensive acumen based upon strong skating. Yet each bring a little something different to the table.
Most mock drafts have at least one of them there for the Sabres yet some believe that all three will be gone before Buffalo is on the clock at No. 8. The cool part about what the Sabres have been able to accomplish these last three drafts is that key roster positions look to have been filled, those being top-two centers (along with strength and depth down the middle) and a top-pairing defenseman. In 2014 they selected a top-six center in Sam Reinhart who was moved to the wing because of the 2015 Draft where they drafted Jack Eichel and traded for Ryan O'Reilly. In 2013 the Sabres drafted Rasmus Ristolainen with the 8th-overall pick and he anchored the Buffalo defense last season.
Tuesday, May 31, 2016
Matthew Tkachuk serves notice, just out of reach for Buffalo at #8
Reprinted with permission from hockeybuzz.com
WhileToronto and Arizona
While
With the 2016 NHL Draft less than a month away, however, those drafts are
old news. The eyes of the hockey world were focused on the last CHL game of the season
and through it all one player stood out in a way that should place him firmly in the
No. 4 slot of 2016 draft-eligible players--Matthew Tkachuk.
Outside of Auston Matthews the expected first overall pick,
Patrick Laine, the presumed second-overall pick, and Jesse Puljujarvi who should
go third, scouts and pundits had a varying array of three or four prospects slotted in that fourth-overall slot. Yet, with the performance yesterday of Knights’ Tkachuk in the Memorial Cup Final, there really shouldn’t be any doubt any more.
Monday, May 2, 2016
At least it wasn’t Edmonton. Buffalo stays at No. 8 after NHL Lottery
Reprinted with permission from hockeybuzz.com
Yes, it very well could have been the Edmonton Oilers winning the NHL Draft Lottery for the second year in a row, giving them five first-overall picks in the last seven years including three in a row from 2010-12.
Yes, it very well could have been the Edmonton Oilers winning the NHL Draft Lottery for the second year in a row, giving them five first-overall picks in the last seven years including three in a row from 2010-12.
Fortunately for everyone involved the Oilers did not get the
first overall, nor did they even stay in the top three. The league’s second
worst team had a 13.5% chance of winning the lottery and almost as much a
chance of picking second or third, but none of that happened as they were
jumped by two teams and fell to fourth-overall in the 2016 NHL Draft.
The Buffalo Sabres, who finished with the eight-worst record
in the NHL last season, had a 6% chance of landing the first overall pick and
slightly less than that for picks No. 2 and 3. They remained in the eighth slot
and will pick there for only the second time in franchise history.
At first glance, about the only thing worse for Buffalo,
other than Edmonton winning the lottery, would be the last place Toronto Maple
Leafs doing something the Sabres could not do the previous two seasons, win the
lottery with the best odds of any non-playoff team. The Leafs went in with a
20% chance of winning and that’s how the ping-pong balls fell.
Swooosh!!! The Leafs get the first overall pick and phenom
Auston Matthews will likely be the one selected to rest atop Mount Maple Leaf
and take his place as Solar god at the so-called Center of the Hockey Universe.
Sunday, May 1, 2016
Buffalo fans in draft-mode can finish with NHL Draft Lottery tonight
Reprinted with permission from hockeybuzz.com
Yeah, you can count me amongst the many Buffalo sports fans who’d much rather be watching their Sabres play in the second round of the playoffs. For those too young to remember, it did happen some nine years ago when the Buffalo Sabres appeared in their second of back-to-back Eastern Conference Finals.
Yeah, you can count me amongst the many Buffalo sports fans who’d much rather be watching their Sabres play in the second round of the playoffs. For those too young to remember, it did happen some nine years ago when the Buffalo Sabres appeared in their second of back-to-back Eastern Conference Finals.
Alas, it’s been a rough stretch since then and when you add
in that the Buffalo Bills haven’t even made the playoffs since 1999 (R.I.P.,
Prince), these past nine years have been a complete downer.
Hope springs eternal in Buffalo
In an effort to curb tanking amongst rebuilding clubs the
first three picks in the draft will chosen via the lottery with Buffalo having
a 6% or slightly better chance of landing in the top-three. Jon Vogl of the Buffalo
News wrote of Buffalo Buffalo
Friday, April 29, 2016
Anaheim loss nets another 2016 3rd-round pick for the Sabres
Reprinted with permission from hockeybuzz.com
The Buffalo Sabres added another 2016 draft pick to their burgeoning stable thanks to a Game-7 loss by the Anaheim Ducks at the hands of the Nashville Predators. The conditional 3rd round pick Anaheim sent to Buffalo for Jamie McGinn now stands as the Ducks failed to make it to the Western Conference Finals. Had Anaheim won two playoff rounds and McGinn played in at least 50% of their games, that 2016 third-rounder would have converted to a 2017 2nd round pick.
As it stands right now the Sabres will have 12 picks in the upcoming draft to be held in Buffalo April 24-25:
1st--presently 8th overall
2nd
3rd--BUF, ANA (McGinn trade, 2015) STL (Ryan Miller, 2014) DAL (Johnas Enroth, 2015)
4th
5th--BUF, MTL (Brian Flynn, 2015)
6th
7th--BUF, MTL (Torrey Mitchell, 2015)
The Buffalo Sabres added another 2016 draft pick to their burgeoning stable thanks to a Game-7 loss by the Anaheim Ducks at the hands of the Nashville Predators. The conditional 3rd round pick Anaheim sent to Buffalo for Jamie McGinn now stands as the Ducks failed to make it to the Western Conference Finals. Had Anaheim won two playoff rounds and McGinn played in at least 50% of their games, that 2016 third-rounder would have converted to a 2017 2nd round pick.
As it stands right now the Sabres will have 12 picks in the upcoming draft to be held in Buffalo April 24-25:
1st--presently 8th overall
2nd
3rd--BUF, ANA (McGinn trade, 2015) STL (Ryan Miller, 2014) DAL (Johnas Enroth, 2015)
4th
5th--BUF, MTL (Brian Flynn, 2015)
6th
7th--BUF, MTL (Torrey Mitchell, 2015)
Thursday, April 28, 2016
A couple suggestions to inject some life into the NHL Draft Lottery
Reprinted with permission from hockeybuzz.com
There's no getting around it, the NHL had the opportunity to put on a decent show at last year's draft lottery and they came up way short. Connor McDavid was the grand prize for the lucky winner last year as 14 non-playoff teams and much of their fan base were tuned in to see if their logo was on the golden card. About the only thing interesting about the event was the look on McDavid's face when the Oilers won the lottery.
Sure, it was nothing more than a draft lottery to see which team would be selecting first in the 2015 NHL Draft and for most teams with the lower odds there was no more than a casual interest, but a player like McDavid doesn't come around every day. All season long McDavid and Jack Eichel were the wonder twins at the top of the draft board with hype exceeding anything the league has witnessed since the Sidney Crosby draft in 2005 or even Alexander Ovechkin/Evgeni Malkin in 2004.
The draft lottery process itself involved team executives in the back room witnessing numbers being drawn to select the winner and a representative of Ernst and Young delivering a stack of large album-sized envelops to Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly at the podium. "Daddy Warbucks" Daly, who's better suited to be the face of a board room meeting than the face of the NHL lottery (nothing personal,) proceeded to open envelopes with Deal or No Deal-type background music infused to heighten tension.
There's no getting around it, the NHL had the opportunity to put on a decent show at last year's draft lottery and they came up way short. Connor McDavid was the grand prize for the lucky winner last year as 14 non-playoff teams and much of their fan base were tuned in to see if their logo was on the golden card. About the only thing interesting about the event was the look on McDavid's face when the Oilers won the lottery.
Sure, it was nothing more than a draft lottery to see which team would be selecting first in the 2015 NHL Draft and for most teams with the lower odds there was no more than a casual interest, but a player like McDavid doesn't come around every day. All season long McDavid and Jack Eichel were the wonder twins at the top of the draft board with hype exceeding anything the league has witnessed since the Sidney Crosby draft in 2005 or even Alexander Ovechkin/Evgeni Malkin in 2004.
The draft lottery process itself involved team executives in the back room witnessing numbers being drawn to select the winner and a representative of Ernst and Young delivering a stack of large album-sized envelops to Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly at the podium. "Daddy Warbucks" Daly, who's better suited to be the face of a board room meeting than the face of the NHL lottery (nothing personal,) proceeded to open envelopes with Deal or No Deal-type background music infused to heighten tension.
Saturday, April 16, 2016
Sabres fans will be rooting for Jamie McGinn and the Anaheim Ducks
Reprinted with permission from hockeybuzz.com
When Buffalo Sabres GM Tim Murray sent winger Jamie McGinn to the Anaheim Ducks at the 2016 trade deadline the return was a conditional 2016 3rd round pick. The condition: Should the Ducks advance to the Western Conference Finals and McGinn play in 50% of the their playoff games in the process that third would turn into a 2017 second-rounder.
The latter part of the equation is pretty much a given as McGinn has been a top-six presence for the Ducks as he's scored eight goals in 21 games since the trade. McGinn's continued presence in front of the net will be needed as they face one of the best goalies in the game--Pekka Rinne--in their opening round series against the Nashville Predators.
When Buffalo Sabres GM Tim Murray sent winger Jamie McGinn to the Anaheim Ducks at the 2016 trade deadline the return was a conditional 2016 3rd round pick. The condition: Should the Ducks advance to the Western Conference Finals and McGinn play in 50% of the their playoff games in the process that third would turn into a 2017 second-rounder.
The latter part of the equation is pretty much a given as McGinn has been a top-six presence for the Ducks as he's scored eight goals in 21 games since the trade. McGinn's continued presence in front of the net will be needed as they face one of the best goalies in the game--Pekka Rinne--in their opening round series against the Nashville Predators.
Thursday, March 31, 2016
Two more off the schneid. Casey Nelson continues to impress.
Reprinted with permission from hockeybuzz.com
When forward Zemgus Girgensons finally lit the lamp in Detroit on Monday, thus ending a 23-game drought, surprisingly it wasn't the longest goal-less streak on the team at the time. That dubious distinction belonged to the team's leading scorer, Ryan O'Reilly.
O'Reilly finally poked one home last night in the Buffalo Sabres 5-4 shootout loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins. Short-handed, no less. With the Sabres up 1-0 and Josh Gorges in the box for holding, O'Reilly battled two Pens along the boards and got the puck to David Legwand in open space inside Pittsburgh's blueline. Legwand's backhander squeaked through and trickled to the goal line before a Pens player saved it from going over the line. But the puck hit another Penguins player and lay there in the crease. O'Reilly smacked it home for his first goal in 24 games.
The first period was rather kind to those who hadn't scored in long time. The much maligned Matt Moulson, who's five goals on the season were far below expectations, opened the scoring for Buffalo on the powerplay. In the past, Moulson was a fixture in and around the crease and with a quick stick and accurate shot he was able to net three consecutive 30-goal seasons with the NY Islanders as well as solid production while with the Sabres during the past two bottom-feeding seasons. But this year, not so much. Moulson's goal ended an 18-game drought for him.
When forward Zemgus Girgensons finally lit the lamp in Detroit on Monday, thus ending a 23-game drought, surprisingly it wasn't the longest goal-less streak on the team at the time. That dubious distinction belonged to the team's leading scorer, Ryan O'Reilly.
O'Reilly finally poked one home last night in the Buffalo Sabres 5-4 shootout loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins. Short-handed, no less. With the Sabres up 1-0 and Josh Gorges in the box for holding, O'Reilly battled two Pens along the boards and got the puck to David Legwand in open space inside Pittsburgh's blueline. Legwand's backhander squeaked through and trickled to the goal line before a Pens player saved it from going over the line. But the puck hit another Penguins player and lay there in the crease. O'Reilly smacked it home for his first goal in 24 games.
The first period was rather kind to those who hadn't scored in long time. The much maligned Matt Moulson, who's five goals on the season were far below expectations, opened the scoring for Buffalo on the powerplay. In the past, Moulson was a fixture in and around the crease and with a quick stick and accurate shot he was able to net three consecutive 30-goal seasons with the NY Islanders as well as solid production while with the Sabres during the past two bottom-feeding seasons. But this year, not so much. Moulson's goal ended an 18-game drought for him.
Thursday, March 17, 2016
Gameday, finally. Plus GM meetings, the salary cap and Jason Kasdorf
Reprinted with permission from hockeybuzz.com
Tonight marks the fifth and final meeting this season between the Buffalo Sabres and the Montreal Canadiens. Since Les Habitants rolled over the Sabres in October by a 7-2 score Buffalo is 2-1-0 with 12 goals scored and nine surrendered. That good fortune for the Sabres happens to coincide with the injury to Habs starting goalie Carey Price which occurred in November. After the reigning Hart and Vezina winner went down, so did the Canadiens who now sit 6th in the division and 22nd in the league only five points ahead of the Sabres.
Buffalo has been playing well as of late and are just coming off of a thrilling 3-2 overtime victory over the Carolina Hurricanes. Rookie Jack Eichel took a 125' rainbow feed from Evander Kane and calmly slipped a backhand five-hole with :01 remaining on the overtime clock. It was his second goal of the game.
Kane was also in on Eichel's first goal as he and rookie Sam Reinhart worked a clean give-and-go at the Carolina blueline. Reinhart stopped on a dime at the right circle and fed a streaking Eichel for the tap-in.
Tonight marks the fifth and final meeting this season between the Buffalo Sabres and the Montreal Canadiens. Since Les Habitants rolled over the Sabres in October by a 7-2 score Buffalo is 2-1-0 with 12 goals scored and nine surrendered. That good fortune for the Sabres happens to coincide with the injury to Habs starting goalie Carey Price which occurred in November. After the reigning Hart and Vezina winner went down, so did the Canadiens who now sit 6th in the division and 22nd in the league only five points ahead of the Sabres.
Buffalo has been playing well as of late and are just coming off of a thrilling 3-2 overtime victory over the Carolina Hurricanes. Rookie Jack Eichel took a 125' rainbow feed from Evander Kane and calmly slipped a backhand five-hole with :01 remaining on the overtime clock. It was his second goal of the game.
Kane was also in on Eichel's first goal as he and rookie Sam Reinhart worked a clean give-and-go at the Carolina blueline. Reinhart stopped on a dime at the right circle and fed a streaking Eichel for the tap-in.
Tuesday, March 1, 2016
Tim Murray makes one move during a weak trade deadline, eyes the off season
Reprinted with permission from hockeybuzz.com
The Buffalo Sabres head into tonight's matchup with the Edmonton Oilers minus two players who were with the club when the season began--D, Mike Weber and F, Jamie McGinn. Sabres GM Tim Murray started out yesterday's post-trade deadline press conference by thanking both for their services in Buffalo.
"First I'd really like to thank Mike [Weber] and Jamie [McGinn] for their contributions here," said Murray to the gathered press. "Obviously Mike [was here in Buffalo] a long time, [was] a very good Sabre on and off the ice. Very good to me [during] my time here even down the stretch when he knew that he could be leaving town.
"I just spoke to Jamie and he was very gracious too. I want to thank both of those guys. They're character guys that more often than not you're looking for versus trading away but that's the position we're in."
The Buffalo Sabres head into tonight's matchup with the Edmonton Oilers minus two players who were with the club when the season began--D, Mike Weber and F, Jamie McGinn. Sabres GM Tim Murray started out yesterday's post-trade deadline press conference by thanking both for their services in Buffalo.
"First I'd really like to thank Mike [Weber] and Jamie [McGinn] for their contributions here," said Murray to the gathered press. "Obviously Mike [was here in Buffalo] a long time, [was] a very good Sabre on and off the ice. Very good to me [during] my time here even down the stretch when he knew that he could be leaving town.
"I just spoke to Jamie and he was very gracious too. I want to thank both of those guys. They're character guys that more often than not you're looking for versus trading away but that's the position we're in."
Sunday, February 21, 2016
Wear your favorite jersey night and why I like the Jax for the top pick
Reprinted with permission from hockeybuzz.com
For some Buffalo Sabres fans, tonight may there may be a tough jersey choice as Buffalo travels to Columbus, OH to take on the Blue Jackets. Today, Hockey Weekend kicks of with "Wear Your Favorite Jersey Day."
Many of us will recall how last season went down and how it wasn't until the Blue Jackets' Cam Atkinson who put the nail in the coffin on the Sabres season guaranteeing that Buffalo finished last. With only two games to go and last place in the balance, Atkinson scored the game-winner with just under 10 minutes to go in the third period at Nationwide Arena. Although Boone Jenner would add an empty-netter, the talk of the town was Atkinson, with many fans espousing the notion that they'd be going out and purchasing Atkinson's No. 13 in honor of the occasion.
That loss by Buffalo guaranteed a top-two pick in the 2015 NHL Draft and after losing the draft lottery, the Sabres selected Jack Eichel. He wears No. 15 for Buffalo.
As Buffalo takes on Columbus tonight at Nationwide Arena, those who have both may have a tough choice to make.
For some Buffalo Sabres fans, tonight may there may be a tough jersey choice as Buffalo travels to Columbus, OH to take on the Blue Jackets. Today, Hockey Weekend kicks of with "Wear Your Favorite Jersey Day."
Many of us will recall how last season went down and how it wasn't until the Blue Jackets' Cam Atkinson who put the nail in the coffin on the Sabres season guaranteeing that Buffalo finished last. With only two games to go and last place in the balance, Atkinson scored the game-winner with just under 10 minutes to go in the third period at Nationwide Arena. Although Boone Jenner would add an empty-netter, the talk of the town was Atkinson, with many fans espousing the notion that they'd be going out and purchasing Atkinson's No. 13 in honor of the occasion.
That loss by Buffalo guaranteed a top-two pick in the 2015 NHL Draft and after losing the draft lottery, the Sabres selected Jack Eichel. He wears No. 15 for Buffalo.
As Buffalo takes on Columbus tonight at Nationwide Arena, those who have both may have a tough choice to make.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)