Buffalo Sabres GM Tim Murray and AGM Mark Jakubowski did some yeoman's work this off-season in shoring up the upper half of the lineup while also keeping the support group in-house with very reasonable contracts.
At the June draft in Buffalo, Murray was able to land defenseman Dmitry Kulikov in a trade with the Florida Panthers. The edgy Russian who's being looked at as a possible top-pairing defenseman comes to Buffalo on the final year of his contract with a $4.3M cap-hit. A few days later the Sabres signed 28 yr. old RW Kyle Okposo to a long-term deal. The Sabres have Okposo for the next seven seasons with a cap-hit of $6M.
Murray and Co. started the off season well by re-signing center Johan Larsson to a very reasonable $950k contract in April and when the summer commenced they slowly chipped away at their remaining restricted free agent list. They began by re-signing defenseman Casey Nelson to a two-year extension after the college free agent performed very well in his NHL debut. Nelson is waiver exempt and has a cap-hit of $650K. Odds are that he'll play the majority of the season in Rochester.
The very next day, in what could be a very underrated deal, the team re-signed defenseman Jake McCabe to a three-year/$4.8M contract extension. McCabe played all of last season on the second pairing, mostly with Zach Bogosian, and had himself a very solid rookie campaign. Even if he merely remains a solid, second-pairing d-man his $1.6M cap-hit will help create crucial cap-space over the course of the next three years.
Marcus Foligno was next up and re-signed for $2.25M, his NHL salary from the prior season. Foligno is a solid bottom-six forward who has shown a penchant to produce at that level. A strong finish by the 25 yr. old had many thinking he'd be in for a bump but it was not to be.
Showing posts with label 2016 Off Season. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 2016 Off Season. Show all posts
Monday, September 5, 2016
Sunday, August 28, 2016
What Dave Bolland to Arizona means for Buffalo
Arizona Coyotes GM and analytics guru John Chayka has made some pretty bold moves this summer as he continues to add to the stockpile of prospects he inherited when he was promoted at the end of last season. Chayka took the reigns from the released Don Maloney with a young roster, deep pool of prospects and a boat-load of cap-space, a combination that allowed him add even more to his already burgeoning prospect pool.
On the first day of the 2016 NHL Draft Chayka made a trade with the Detroit Red Wings to take on Pavel Datsyuk's $7.5M cap-hit. No actual salary was involved in the deal but the Wings were still on the hook for the hit after Datsyuk decided to head back to Mother Russia. Chayka was able to move up from the 20th overall pick to the 16th overall pick to select defenseman Jakob Chychrun by simply having enough cap-space to absorb the hit. Of note, Arizona also gave up a second-rounder in the deal.
Yesterday Chayka was at it again as he agreed to take on an injured Dave Bolland and the remaining three years of his bloated contract. The Florida Panthers were saddled with a $16.5M cap-hit over the next three years and have a number of youngins coming off of their entry-level contracts during that time. They finally found a taker in the 'Yotes, but it came at a hefty price. In the trade the 'Cats added in 2015 11th-overall pick Lawson Crouse in to make it work. In return Florida received a 2017 third round pick and a conditional 2018 second-rounder.
On the first day of the 2016 NHL Draft Chayka made a trade with the Detroit Red Wings to take on Pavel Datsyuk's $7.5M cap-hit. No actual salary was involved in the deal but the Wings were still on the hook for the hit after Datsyuk decided to head back to Mother Russia. Chayka was able to move up from the 20th overall pick to the 16th overall pick to select defenseman Jakob Chychrun by simply having enough cap-space to absorb the hit. Of note, Arizona also gave up a second-rounder in the deal.
Yesterday Chayka was at it again as he agreed to take on an injured Dave Bolland and the remaining three years of his bloated contract. The Florida Panthers were saddled with a $16.5M cap-hit over the next three years and have a number of youngins coming off of their entry-level contracts during that time. They finally found a taker in the 'Yotes, but it came at a hefty price. In the trade the 'Cats added in 2015 11th-overall pick Lawson Crouse in to make it work. In return Florida received a 2017 third round pick and a conditional 2018 second-rounder.
Tuesday, August 23, 2016
Lookin' for that top-six left-winger.
Buffalo Sabres GM Tim Murray has done a lot of work putting together a lineup to his liking. He's come a long way since this lineup to open the 2014-15 campaign:
Matt Moulson, Tyler Ennis, Drew Stafford
Cody Hodgson, Sam Reinhart, Brian Gionta
Marcus Foligno, Zemgus Girgensons, Chris Stewart
Nicolas Deslauriers, Cody McCormick, Torrey Mitchell
Josh Gorges, Tyler Myers
Andre Benoit, Andrej Meszaros
Mike Weber, Rasmus Ristolainen
Jhonas Enroth
In the Press Box--Brian Flynn, Tyson Strachan, Nikita Zadorov
That said, despite fortifying his roster with young-vets like Ryan O'Reilly, Evander Kane, Zach Bogosian and as of July, Kyle Okposo, he still has some holes to fill.
In June Murray took a calculated risk sending third-rounder to the Nashville Predators for the rights to Hobey Baker-winner, Jimmy Vesey. Although the Sabres gave it their best shot, Vesey (in a curious move considering what other teams had to offer) opted for the NY Rangers. The 6'3" 195 lb. Vesey would have had the opportunity to land in a top-six/top-nine role in Buffalo despite not having any pro experience.
With him out of the equation, there is a top-six slot on the left side that needs to be filled. How will Murray do it?
Let's take a look at the contenders.
Matt Moulson, Tyler Ennis, Drew Stafford
Cody Hodgson, Sam Reinhart, Brian Gionta
Marcus Foligno, Zemgus Girgensons, Chris Stewart
Nicolas Deslauriers, Cody McCormick, Torrey Mitchell
Josh Gorges, Tyler Myers
Andre Benoit, Andrej Meszaros
Mike Weber, Rasmus Ristolainen
Jhonas Enroth
In the Press Box--Brian Flynn, Tyson Strachan, Nikita Zadorov
That said, despite fortifying his roster with young-vets like Ryan O'Reilly, Evander Kane, Zach Bogosian and as of July, Kyle Okposo, he still has some holes to fill.
In June Murray took a calculated risk sending third-rounder to the Nashville Predators for the rights to Hobey Baker-winner, Jimmy Vesey. Although the Sabres gave it their best shot, Vesey (in a curious move considering what other teams had to offer) opted for the NY Rangers. The 6'3" 195 lb. Vesey would have had the opportunity to land in a top-six/top-nine role in Buffalo despite not having any pro experience.
With him out of the equation, there is a top-six slot on the left side that needs to be filled. How will Murray do it?
Let's take a look at the contenders.
Sunday, August 14, 2016
Charge of the youngins--The first wave
It's been a little over four years since the Buffalo Sabres ushered in their rebuild by trading core player Paul Gaustad, and just over three years since they hastened the teardown by trading away Jason Pominville.
The 2012 and 2013 drafts would represent the beginning of the future for the team and. Defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen (2013, 8th-overall) has made the biggest impact on the team thus-far as he anchored the top-pairing last season. Jake McCabe (2012, 44th) hit the pros after his junior season at Wisconsin and looks to have solidified a spot in the top-four on defense. And despite coming off of a very poor 2015-16 NHL campaign, forward Zemgus Girgensons (2012, 14th) is still considered a top-nine forward with enough upside to possibly crack the top-six.
Those three young players essentially held the fort, along with longer-term Sabres Tyler Ennis and Marcus Foligno during this period of transition with the youngest of that group, Girgensons, playing in 202 NHL games through the two bottom-dwelling seasons and last year's rise from the ashes. Buffalo GM Tim Murray's goal after taking the reigns in January, 2014 (other than dismantling what was left of the former core group of players) was to begin laying a foundation by adding seasoned vets into the mix. Through the next three drafts he was able to add to the stable of quality prospects he inherited and with the volume of picks and prospects that Buffalo had acquired over the course of the rebuild he was able to use them to acquire young-vets.
Through it all the Sabres were able to finish 8th in the league last season with one of the youngest teams in the league.
The 2012 and 2013 drafts would represent the beginning of the future for the team and. Defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen (2013, 8th-overall) has made the biggest impact on the team thus-far as he anchored the top-pairing last season. Jake McCabe (2012, 44th) hit the pros after his junior season at Wisconsin and looks to have solidified a spot in the top-four on defense. And despite coming off of a very poor 2015-16 NHL campaign, forward Zemgus Girgensons (2012, 14th) is still considered a top-nine forward with enough upside to possibly crack the top-six.
Those three young players essentially held the fort, along with longer-term Sabres Tyler Ennis and Marcus Foligno during this period of transition with the youngest of that group, Girgensons, playing in 202 NHL games through the two bottom-dwelling seasons and last year's rise from the ashes. Buffalo GM Tim Murray's goal after taking the reigns in January, 2014 (other than dismantling what was left of the former core group of players) was to begin laying a foundation by adding seasoned vets into the mix. Through the next three drafts he was able to add to the stable of quality prospects he inherited and with the volume of picks and prospects that Buffalo had acquired over the course of the rebuild he was able to use them to acquire young-vets.
Through it all the Sabres were able to finish 8th in the league last season with one of the youngest teams in the league.
Wednesday, August 10, 2016
NHL.com's 30-In-30: "This current group of Sabres in uncharted territory.”
Every year NHL.com gives hockey fans something to digest during the precipitous lull that is the off season--30 Teams in 30 Days. Today it was Buffalo's turn as the NHL.com staff moves their way up from the bottom to the top giving an overview of each team.
Simply put, NHL.com's Dan Rosen said the bar has already been set and expectations have risen, so said head coach Dan Bylsma through an interview with Rosen back in July. The Sabres had been a doormat two years running but made great strides going from 54 points in 2014-15 to 81 points in 2015-16. In the last of his five questions from that interview Rosen posed this, "Nobody had any expectations for the Sabres last season, but I don't think we can say the same thing now. What can you do to manage the expectations? Or do you even want to manage them? What do you think about having expectations to potentially be a playoff team?"
"I think it's a really valid point and it's one we're going to be dealing with right from the start of training camp," began Bylsma's reply. "We're going to have that and we're going to want that expectation for our group.
"When we talked about our plan starting last year, we thought we were going to be an 80- to 85-point team last season even though we were obviously trying to make the playoffs right from the start. Prior to getting Kyle [Okposo] and the possibility of getting Jimmy Vesey, we thought we could be a 90- to 95-point team this year. Now Kyle and Dmitry Kulikov, and if we can add Jimmy Vesey into our top six, we should expect to be 95 points or higher than that. We think we're better on defense. We think we're stronger. We're deeper. If you're looking at expectations from within, we should be above 95 points at the end of the season. It took 95 points to get into the playoffs in the East last season."
Simply put, NHL.com's Dan Rosen said the bar has already been set and expectations have risen, so said head coach Dan Bylsma through an interview with Rosen back in July. The Sabres had been a doormat two years running but made great strides going from 54 points in 2014-15 to 81 points in 2015-16. In the last of his five questions from that interview Rosen posed this, "Nobody had any expectations for the Sabres last season, but I don't think we can say the same thing now. What can you do to manage the expectations? Or do you even want to manage them? What do you think about having expectations to potentially be a playoff team?"
"I think it's a really valid point and it's one we're going to be dealing with right from the start of training camp," began Bylsma's reply. "We're going to have that and we're going to want that expectation for our group.
"When we talked about our plan starting last year, we thought we were going to be an 80- to 85-point team last season even though we were obviously trying to make the playoffs right from the start. Prior to getting Kyle [Okposo] and the possibility of getting Jimmy Vesey, we thought we could be a 90- to 95-point team this year. Now Kyle and Dmitry Kulikov, and if we can add Jimmy Vesey into our top six, we should expect to be 95 points or higher than that. We think we're better on defense. We think we're stronger. We're deeper. If you're looking at expectations from within, we should be above 95 points at the end of the season. It took 95 points to get into the playoffs in the East last season."
Sunday, July 31, 2016
Sworn depositions in the Evander Kane case not good for the Sabres forward
Evander Kane was arraigned in City Court on charges of disorderly conduct, harassment and criminal trespass last week after turning himself in to Buffalo police. As time goes on, more and more is being released about the incident including sworn depositions from those who filed complaints.
According to Buffalo News writers Lou Michel and Dale Anderson the four--three women and a bouncer--"describe a series of aggressive incidents including grabbing women by the neck and pulling their hair." Each woman, according to the News, said that "Kane grabbed them by "forcibly by the hair" and two of them said "he put his hands on their throat" to the point where they felt like they couldn't breathe."
Kane was playing celebrity bartender at Bottom's Up on Chippewa St. in downtown Buffalo that night and the event seemed to center around "hooking up," according to the depositions of two of the women.
"He came up to me like he always does,” one woman said. “He said, ‘You’re coming to my house with me and you’re going to like it.’" Another was quoted as saying, “It came out of nowhere,” she said. “I was surprised. I don’t really know him. He kept after me about hooking up. I kept telling him no. He pulled my hair and went off.”
The bouncer at the club said "he got a text message with complaints about you grabbing girls inappropriately."
"I told him to leave," claimed the bouncer. "He pushed me against the register and he was grabbed by me and another security guard. We took him out from behind the bar. He resisted us all the way to the middle of the dance floor. He broke free ... and pushed me again. ... Someone else grabbed Kane and walked him out the back.”
There is a surveillance video of the incident which other employees watched that morning to corroborate the bouncer's statement. Attorney Paul Cambria, who is representing Kane, said that he's seen the video telling the News, “There is more to this than meets the eye.
“I’ve seen the video and, as far as I’m concerned, it doesn’t support these statements,” Cambria said.
This is an extremely murky situation for Kane, the Sabres and General Manager Tim Murray. The GM traded for Kane aware of the controversy surrounding Kane when he was a member of the Winnipeg Jets. In doing so he put himself on the line and thus far Kane really hasn't done his boss any favors.
It's the third time Kane has found himself in the news. The first centered around an incident with a female but was never charged then in February he overslept and missed practice after hanging in Toronto during the NBA All-Star Game.
This latest incident still needs to play itself out but it doesn't shine a very good light on the 24 yr. old, his bosses, the team or ownership. Kane is a young, talented forward who's just entering his prime and on the ice he's widely considered to be all-in yet off-ice issues continue to plague him. Rumors of Buffalo entertaining the thought of trading the troubled forward began at the draft that was held in Buffalo the same weekend of the Kane/Bottom's Up incident.
It's hard to believe any team would be interested in trading for Kane at this juncture unless it was at a steep discount to his talent which puts Murray on the spot. At the time of the incident Murray was ready to wait until figuring out what the next step would be.
“I don’t know all the details. I don’t know what’s right or wrong," said Murray at the time. "I’m sitting right here, and you can come in and say ‘I’m over there banging my head against the wall,’ I don’t know. The police will investigate. There will be evidence or there won’t be evidence. And it’ll either go forward or it’ll go away.
“If it’s true then we have to deal with it. If it’s false again, then I guess we have to come up with a different plan of attack to make sure that these accusations that may not be true, how do we stop them [from happening]?”
On thing Murray can be pretty sure of, in light of Kane's past, this won't simply "go away."
Thx to the Buffalo News.
http://www.hockeybuzz.com/blog.php?post_id=78387
According to Buffalo News writers Lou Michel and Dale Anderson the four--three women and a bouncer--"describe a series of aggressive incidents including grabbing women by the neck and pulling their hair." Each woman, according to the News, said that "Kane grabbed them by "forcibly by the hair" and two of them said "he put his hands on their throat" to the point where they felt like they couldn't breathe."
Kane was playing celebrity bartender at Bottom's Up on Chippewa St. in downtown Buffalo that night and the event seemed to center around "hooking up," according to the depositions of two of the women.
"He came up to me like he always does,” one woman said. “He said, ‘You’re coming to my house with me and you’re going to like it.’" Another was quoted as saying, “It came out of nowhere,” she said. “I was surprised. I don’t really know him. He kept after me about hooking up. I kept telling him no. He pulled my hair and went off.”
The bouncer at the club said "he got a text message with complaints about you grabbing girls inappropriately."
"I told him to leave," claimed the bouncer. "He pushed me against the register and he was grabbed by me and another security guard. We took him out from behind the bar. He resisted us all the way to the middle of the dance floor. He broke free ... and pushed me again. ... Someone else grabbed Kane and walked him out the back.”
There is a surveillance video of the incident which other employees watched that morning to corroborate the bouncer's statement. Attorney Paul Cambria, who is representing Kane, said that he's seen the video telling the News, “There is more to this than meets the eye.
“I’ve seen the video and, as far as I’m concerned, it doesn’t support these statements,” Cambria said.
This is an extremely murky situation for Kane, the Sabres and General Manager Tim Murray. The GM traded for Kane aware of the controversy surrounding Kane when he was a member of the Winnipeg Jets. In doing so he put himself on the line and thus far Kane really hasn't done his boss any favors.
It's the third time Kane has found himself in the news. The first centered around an incident with a female but was never charged then in February he overslept and missed practice after hanging in Toronto during the NBA All-Star Game.
This latest incident still needs to play itself out but it doesn't shine a very good light on the 24 yr. old, his bosses, the team or ownership. Kane is a young, talented forward who's just entering his prime and on the ice he's widely considered to be all-in yet off-ice issues continue to plague him. Rumors of Buffalo entertaining the thought of trading the troubled forward began at the draft that was held in Buffalo the same weekend of the Kane/Bottom's Up incident.
It's hard to believe any team would be interested in trading for Kane at this juncture unless it was at a steep discount to his talent which puts Murray on the spot. At the time of the incident Murray was ready to wait until figuring out what the next step would be.
“I don’t know all the details. I don’t know what’s right or wrong," said Murray at the time. "I’m sitting right here, and you can come in and say ‘I’m over there banging my head against the wall,’ I don’t know. The police will investigate. There will be evidence or there won’t be evidence. And it’ll either go forward or it’ll go away.
“If it’s true then we have to deal with it. If it’s false again, then I guess we have to come up with a different plan of attack to make sure that these accusations that may not be true, how do we stop them [from happening]?”
On thing Murray can be pretty sure of, in light of Kane's past, this won't simply "go away."
Thx to the Buffalo News.
http://www.hockeybuzz.com/blog.php?post_id=78387
Thursday, July 28, 2016
Danny DeKeyser inks primo deal. Will it affect Ristolainen negotiations?
Red Wings defenseman Danny DeKeyser is widely viewed as a solid top-four d-man who'll give you 20+ minutes of pretty solid defensive play while contributing a decent amount on offense. The former undrafted college free agent who signed with the Wings in 2013 has 14 goals and 65 assists in 234 games played for Detroit. It comes out to just about five goals and 22 assists for the 6'3" 190 lb. Macomb, Michigan native.
For his efforts, the 26 yr. old DeKeyser just avoided arbitration and landed himself a 6yr/$30M contract courtesy of Wings GM, Ken Holland, complete with "a no-trade clause from 2017-18 through 2019-20 and a modified no-trade clause the last 18 months of the contract," according to the Detroit Free Press.
Buffalo Sabres defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen is coming off of his entry-level deal and will be entering his fourth season with the Buffalo Sabres. Last season he was the Sabres workhorse logging over 25 minutes of ice-time, good for 10th in the league in ATOI. In 2015-16 he had career highs in goals, assists and points after finishing with nine goals and 32 points in 82 games.
For his career Ristolainen has 19 goals and 46 assists in 194 games which averages out to eight goals and 19 assists per 82-game season. Those numbers are very similar to DeKeyser's five goals and 22 assists per 82 games.
In addition, they're right on par with fellow defenseman Zach Bogosian. For his 478-game career, Bogosian has scored 47 goals and added 111 assists for the same 8g/19a average that Ristolainen has. Even recently acquired defenseman Dmitry Kulikov is in that range averaging five goals and 19 assists over his 460-game career.
With DeKeyser making $5M/season, Bogosian at $5.14M/season and Kulikov with a cap-hit of $4.33M/yr. the price of defensemen has gone up.
How will this affect Ristolainen and his contract talks?
I'm pretty sure every Sabres fan felt that his cap-hit would be at least $5M on a longer term contract and in light of the DeKeyser contract, that will likely be the minimum. We should probably expect a long-term contract in the $5.5-6M range. Something like an 8yr./$44M deal would probably work.
Hopefully they can get 'er done soon.
http://www.hockeybuzz.com/blog.php?post_id=78358
For his efforts, the 26 yr. old DeKeyser just avoided arbitration and landed himself a 6yr/$30M contract courtesy of Wings GM, Ken Holland, complete with "a no-trade clause from 2017-18 through 2019-20 and a modified no-trade clause the last 18 months of the contract," according to the Detroit Free Press.
Buffalo Sabres defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen is coming off of his entry-level deal and will be entering his fourth season with the Buffalo Sabres. Last season he was the Sabres workhorse logging over 25 minutes of ice-time, good for 10th in the league in ATOI. In 2015-16 he had career highs in goals, assists and points after finishing with nine goals and 32 points in 82 games.
For his career Ristolainen has 19 goals and 46 assists in 194 games which averages out to eight goals and 19 assists per 82-game season. Those numbers are very similar to DeKeyser's five goals and 22 assists per 82 games.
In addition, they're right on par with fellow defenseman Zach Bogosian. For his 478-game career, Bogosian has scored 47 goals and added 111 assists for the same 8g/19a average that Ristolainen has. Even recently acquired defenseman Dmitry Kulikov is in that range averaging five goals and 19 assists over his 460-game career.
With DeKeyser making $5M/season, Bogosian at $5.14M/season and Kulikov with a cap-hit of $4.33M/yr. the price of defensemen has gone up.
How will this affect Ristolainen and his contract talks?
I'm pretty sure every Sabres fan felt that his cap-hit would be at least $5M on a longer term contract and in light of the DeKeyser contract, that will likely be the minimum. We should probably expect a long-term contract in the $5.5-6M range. Something like an 8yr./$44M deal would probably work.
Hopefully they can get 'er done soon.
http://www.hockeybuzz.com/blog.php?post_id=78358
Thursday, July 21, 2016
Buffalo's Murray chippin' away--only Ristolainen and Girgensons left to re-sign
With the re-signings of G, Jason Kasdorf and F, Daniel Catenacci Buffalo Sabres GM Tim Murray only has two of his own free agents left to sign--D, Rasmus Ristolainen and F, Zemgus Girgensons--both of whom are restricted free agents.
Although both are first round picks and started their NHL careers the same year, the Sabres approach to re-signing them is decidedly different.
Ristolainen is a cornerstone top-pairing/No. 1 d-man that will anchor the Sabres defense corps for years to come. Murray and Company--most notably Mark Jakubowski his main contract negotiator--are focusing on extending Ristolainen and whether it's a bridge contract or long-term is a question that will go a long way in determining his cap-hit. Regardless, as of right now Ristolainen seems to be Priority-1 for Buffalo.
The Sabres went long-term on 2009 Calder Trophy winning defenseman Tyler Myers a few years back, going with a 7 yr./$38.5M contract for the lengthy defenseman with a scoring touch. It was a departure from the old way of doing business for that regime as they transitioned to a new era under new owner Terry Pegula. The 2011 off-season saw the team break free from the financial chains of former owner Tom Golisano and strike anew with a commitment to acquiring and keeping players deemed important foundational pieces.
Ristolainen is in that vein. He was the 8th-overall pick in the 2013 NHL Draft and hit the ice with the Sabres beginning that very same year. When the front office and coaching staff were dismissed, Ristolainen would eventually be sent to the "safe-haven" that was Rochester as Buffalo was about to embark on an ugly drop to the bottom of the league.
Although both are first round picks and started their NHL careers the same year, the Sabres approach to re-signing them is decidedly different.
Ristolainen is a cornerstone top-pairing/No. 1 d-man that will anchor the Sabres defense corps for years to come. Murray and Company--most notably Mark Jakubowski his main contract negotiator--are focusing on extending Ristolainen and whether it's a bridge contract or long-term is a question that will go a long way in determining his cap-hit. Regardless, as of right now Ristolainen seems to be Priority-1 for Buffalo.
The Sabres went long-term on 2009 Calder Trophy winning defenseman Tyler Myers a few years back, going with a 7 yr./$38.5M contract for the lengthy defenseman with a scoring touch. It was a departure from the old way of doing business for that regime as they transitioned to a new era under new owner Terry Pegula. The 2011 off-season saw the team break free from the financial chains of former owner Tom Golisano and strike anew with a commitment to acquiring and keeping players deemed important foundational pieces.
Ristolainen is in that vein. He was the 8th-overall pick in the 2013 NHL Draft and hit the ice with the Sabres beginning that very same year. When the front office and coaching staff were dismissed, Ristolainen would eventually be sent to the "safe-haven" that was Rochester as Buffalo was about to embark on an ugly drop to the bottom of the league.
Saturday, July 16, 2016
Takeaways from the Vesey vid. On the Foligno signing. Plus...
While Buffalo Sabres GM Tim Murray isn't losing any sleep knowing that the team made a solid pitch to Jimmy Vesey, the hockey world is still interested in the 23 yr. old who is locked in on an August 15th date with free agency. CSN Boston's Joe Haggerty met with a somewhat uncomfortable Vesey for a nine minute interview yesterday after a workout session in Foxboro.
Haggerty tried to keep it light throughout, but it's a pretty heavy subject for a guy who shunned the team that drafted him (Nashville) and has the most important career decision of his life coming in mid-August. Vesey touched on free agency, his respect for the Buffalo contingent he met with, on Boston definitely being on his short list of teams, and how he's taking advantage of a loophole in the NHL Collective Bargaining Agreement that allows him this unique opportunity.
Being in Boston with a Bruins beat writer naturally brought out the homerism as Haggerty asked Vesey if there were any favorite players he'd heard from to, you know, give Bruins GM Don Sweeney a heads-up on who he might want to attend the eventual meeting. Haggerty even invoked the name Tom Brady, the patron saint of chowdah heads, as a reference point. Vesey could've gone number of ways from Milan Lucic to Raymond Borque to Team President Cam Neely but none of those were came out.
Vesey mentioned Joe Thornton as his favorite Boston Bruin and that he wears No. 19 because of him. That had to be a bit awkward.
Other than that, the only other thing worth noting is that Vesey likes Italian food. It's a homebody staple.
Just a head's up to the Sabres, should they get another sit-down with Vesey this time in Buffalo, they might want to reserve a table at Chef's in Buffalo or Como in Niagara Falls or a homey spot like Frank's Sunny Italy. You know, just to make Vesey feel at home.
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The Sabres signed forward Marcus Foligno to a 1 yr./$2.25M contract yesterday which is the same salary he had last season.
Foligno came on rather strong later in the season while playing on the team's most consistent line with Johan Larsson at center and captain Brian Gionta on the other wing. It's pretty obvious this is a show-me year for Foligno as he'll need to start bringing every facet of his power forward game to the ice night-in/night-out.
As mentioned in his player re-cap for 2015-16, "Foligno is what he is, so there aren't too many questions save for, how far can he take his role? Can he become like a "Mule," ala Detroit's Johan Franson, and up his intensity-level to the point where he and his 6'3" 222lb. frame simply won't be denied? Will his stick-work around the net improve to the point where he can reach and maintain a 15-goal/30-point level? Is he prepared to take on more of the big bruisers in the league like Radko Gudas and Tom Wilson when necessary? "
**********
I'd assumed he'd get a raise, but the contract Murray and assistant GM Mark Jakubowski signed him to is even better as it helps the team with their cap this season. As mentioned before, the Sabres haven't had to keep the NHL's salary cap in mind for quite some time but this year, they'll be butting up against it.
A quick take on their status using various cap-sites put them at just under $60M before the Foligno signing. With him in the fold the Sabres have two more restricted free agents to sign--Rasmus Ristolainen and Zemgus Girgensons--and are now at about $62M, or $11M under the league's $73M salary-cap ceiling.
Which leaves plenty of room to sign Risto, Gus and Vesey and add two depth players at the league minimum.
Haggerty tried to keep it light throughout, but it's a pretty heavy subject for a guy who shunned the team that drafted him (Nashville) and has the most important career decision of his life coming in mid-August. Vesey touched on free agency, his respect for the Buffalo contingent he met with, on Boston definitely being on his short list of teams, and how he's taking advantage of a loophole in the NHL Collective Bargaining Agreement that allows him this unique opportunity.
Being in Boston with a Bruins beat writer naturally brought out the homerism as Haggerty asked Vesey if there were any favorite players he'd heard from to, you know, give Bruins GM Don Sweeney a heads-up on who he might want to attend the eventual meeting. Haggerty even invoked the name Tom Brady, the patron saint of chowdah heads, as a reference point. Vesey could've gone number of ways from Milan Lucic to Raymond Borque to Team President Cam Neely but none of those were came out.
Vesey mentioned Joe Thornton as his favorite Boston Bruin and that he wears No. 19 because of him. That had to be a bit awkward.
Other than that, the only other thing worth noting is that Vesey likes Italian food. It's a homebody staple.
Just a head's up to the Sabres, should they get another sit-down with Vesey this time in Buffalo, they might want to reserve a table at Chef's in Buffalo or Como in Niagara Falls or a homey spot like Frank's Sunny Italy. You know, just to make Vesey feel at home.
**********
The Sabres signed forward Marcus Foligno to a 1 yr./$2.25M contract yesterday which is the same salary he had last season.
Foligno came on rather strong later in the season while playing on the team's most consistent line with Johan Larsson at center and captain Brian Gionta on the other wing. It's pretty obvious this is a show-me year for Foligno as he'll need to start bringing every facet of his power forward game to the ice night-in/night-out.
As mentioned in his player re-cap for 2015-16, "Foligno is what he is, so there aren't too many questions save for, how far can he take his role? Can he become like a "Mule," ala Detroit's Johan Franson, and up his intensity-level to the point where he and his 6'3" 222lb. frame simply won't be denied? Will his stick-work around the net improve to the point where he can reach and maintain a 15-goal/30-point level? Is he prepared to take on more of the big bruisers in the league like Radko Gudas and Tom Wilson when necessary? "
**********
I'd assumed he'd get a raise, but the contract Murray and assistant GM Mark Jakubowski signed him to is even better as it helps the team with their cap this season. As mentioned before, the Sabres haven't had to keep the NHL's salary cap in mind for quite some time but this year, they'll be butting up against it.
A quick take on their status using various cap-sites put them at just under $60M before the Foligno signing. With him in the fold the Sabres have two more restricted free agents to sign--Rasmus Ristolainen and Zemgus Girgensons--and are now at about $62M, or $11M under the league's $73M salary-cap ceiling.
Which leaves plenty of room to sign Risto, Gus and Vesey and add two depth players at the league minimum.
Wednesday, July 13, 2016
Ryan O'Reilly acquitted--comments from the peanut section
Ryan O'Reilly was acquitted of an impaired driving charge stemming from an incident that occurred last summer when a pickup truck slammed into the storefront of a Tim Horton's doughnut shop.
It's taken a year to bring this incident into the courts and the trial was expected to last two days. But with only one witness at the store and said witness unsure of who was driving the vehicle, the case against O'Reilly was dropped in the early afternoon of the first day.
Fans are usually quick to judge the off-ice antics of professional players, and to most said player is "guilty until proven innocent." And even when the player is found to be innocent of the charges against them, he's still guilty because of a payoff and/or a corrupt police dept. and/or corrupt judicial system.
After the incident last summer, O'Reilly hit the ice in Buffalo for his first season with the Sabres. He had an outstanding year for the club and was a model player both on and off the ice. For his work he was nominated for the NHL’s Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy is given annually to the athlete “who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey.”
It was a very fitting nomination considering everything he'd done for the Sabres that season, but there was outright consternation and scorn at the nomination as seen from some tweets (via USA Today's Hemal Jhaveri, March 28):
Ian McLaren (the Score)--Looks like Buffalo is choosing to double double down on Ryan O'Reilly. Sad. Frittering away a nomination, glazing over the facts imo
McLaren--Ryan O'Reilly is so dedicated to hockey, not even a donut shop can stand in his way.
Jeff Veilette (the Leafs Nation)--What is it this season with the media fawning over all over players who do things that are detrimental to society?
Veilette--The Masterton is great because its nominees act as a list of role models.
Ryan O'Reilly overcame drunkenly crashing a car into a Timmies.
Those were some of the milder ones.
Upon O'Reilly's acquittal, social media is a back at it.
Comments from a Jared Clinton piece in The Hockey News:
--I guess if Tim Horton dies drunk driving, it's cool to drive drunk into his restaurants?
--And there ya go everyone. The justice system for you.
These are the guys kids take as their models growing up. "Hey if you play in the NHL and you do some stupid s... you'll be alright cause you make millions and you're famous!!
Twitter is the scorn of modern day society as people are allowed to shoot their mouths off without repreucussion.
--O'Reilly bought off the witness through a third party intervenor. O'Reiily had to to blow over on the breathalezer(sic) if he was pulled over. The charges should've stuck with the science proving him to be legally drunk. Ray Bourque got pinched and he admitted to his crime. The OPP in the south western Ontario region have a history of corruption. I know this from first hand knowledge.
--O'Reilly was never pulled over. He was walking when he was approached by the police. I have no use for O'Reilly or any other useless drunk behind the wheel of a vehicle but I'm not going to make things up to try a prove something. Are the South West Ontario OPP the only corrupt police force in NA? There isn't a police force on the planet that isn't corrupt. If I was the owner of the Sabres, I would be dumping players with low morals and character like O'Reilly and Kane.
Comments from an AP piece as published at Sportsnet:
--Corruption all around from judges, police, etc. etc. Was the lack of evidence lacking or was the bribes greater. Evidence: Truck hit the building while being driven. Who was the driver? If it was the NHL hockey paper he must have came up with a lot of lies (money-bribes) to get charges dropped. We know the building did not lie. The damaged truck did not lie. Not enough evidence is a bunch of bullbribes. The prosecutors must be looked at very closely in this incident.
--WOW... lesson here kids... if you drink and drive... leave the scene of the crime and sober up before you see the cops... you'll leave scott FREE... pretty disgusting....
But he's a millionaire... he can afford a good lawyer...
And, a little satire from this Yahoo commenter:
--Drunken hipster. Was probably taking selfies before, during & after the crash
From everything I've gathered since O'Reilly came to Buffalo, he seems like an outstanding individual and that Masterton Trophy nomination given by local chapter of the Pro Hockey Writer's Association was completely warranted. What happened on that early summer morning in Ontario will never be known, but there was never enough concreter evidence provided by the prosecution to convict him and unlike social media, he's innocent until proven guilty.
As for social media, momma alw
It's taken a year to bring this incident into the courts and the trial was expected to last two days. But with only one witness at the store and said witness unsure of who was driving the vehicle, the case against O'Reilly was dropped in the early afternoon of the first day.
Fans are usually quick to judge the off-ice antics of professional players, and to most said player is "guilty until proven innocent." And even when the player is found to be innocent of the charges against them, he's still guilty because of a payoff and/or a corrupt police dept. and/or corrupt judicial system.
After the incident last summer, O'Reilly hit the ice in Buffalo for his first season with the Sabres. He had an outstanding year for the club and was a model player both on and off the ice. For his work he was nominated for the NHL’s Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy is given annually to the athlete “who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey.”
It was a very fitting nomination considering everything he'd done for the Sabres that season, but there was outright consternation and scorn at the nomination as seen from some tweets (via USA Today's Hemal Jhaveri, March 28):
Ian McLaren (the Score)--Looks like Buffalo is choosing to double double down on Ryan O'Reilly. Sad. Frittering away a nomination, glazing over the facts imo
McLaren--Ryan O'Reilly is so dedicated to hockey, not even a donut shop can stand in his way.
Jeff Veilette (the Leafs Nation)--What is it this season with the media fawning over all over players who do things that are detrimental to society?
Veilette--The Masterton is great because its nominees act as a list of role models.
Ryan O'Reilly overcame drunkenly crashing a car into a Timmies.
Those were some of the milder ones.
Upon O'Reilly's acquittal, social media is a back at it.
Comments from a Jared Clinton piece in The Hockey News:
--I guess if Tim Horton dies drunk driving, it's cool to drive drunk into his restaurants?
--And there ya go everyone. The justice system for you.
These are the guys kids take as their models growing up. "Hey if you play in the NHL and you do some stupid s... you'll be alright cause you make millions and you're famous!!
Twitter is the scorn of modern day society as people are allowed to shoot their mouths off without repreucussion.
--O'Reilly bought off the witness through a third party intervenor. O'Reiily had to to blow over on the breathalezer(sic) if he was pulled over. The charges should've stuck with the science proving him to be legally drunk. Ray Bourque got pinched and he admitted to his crime. The OPP in the south western Ontario region have a history of corruption. I know this from first hand knowledge.
--O'Reilly was never pulled over. He was walking when he was approached by the police. I have no use for O'Reilly or any other useless drunk behind the wheel of a vehicle but I'm not going to make things up to try a prove something. Are the South West Ontario OPP the only corrupt police force in NA? There isn't a police force on the planet that isn't corrupt. If I was the owner of the Sabres, I would be dumping players with low morals and character like O'Reilly and Kane.
Comments from an AP piece as published at Sportsnet:
--Corruption all around from judges, police, etc. etc. Was the lack of evidence lacking or was the bribes greater. Evidence: Truck hit the building while being driven. Who was the driver? If it was the NHL hockey paper he must have came up with a lot of lies (money-bribes) to get charges dropped. We know the building did not lie. The damaged truck did not lie. Not enough evidence is a bunch of bullbribes. The prosecutors must be looked at very closely in this incident.
--WOW... lesson here kids... if you drink and drive... leave the scene of the crime and sober up before you see the cops... you'll leave scott FREE... pretty disgusting....
But he's a millionaire... he can afford a good lawyer...
And, a little satire from this Yahoo commenter:
--Drunken hipster. Was probably taking selfies before, during & after the crash
From everything I've gathered since O'Reilly came to Buffalo, he seems like an outstanding individual and that Masterton Trophy nomination given by local chapter of the Pro Hockey Writer's Association was completely warranted. What happened on that early summer morning in Ontario will never be known, but there was never enough concreter evidence provided by the prosecution to convict him and unlike social media, he's innocent until proven guilty.
As for social media, momma alw
Tuesday, July 12, 2016
Buffalo, and anyone outside the hockey dept., needs to chill on the Vesey courtship
A Die By the Blade blog posted a picture of a billboard in Buffalo that was eventually picked up by Yahoo's Sean Leahy and spread to a much larger audience. On it were the words "Buffalo Loves Vesey." The Vesey, of course, is in regards to Jimmy Vesey, the recent Harvard graduate whom the Sabres own the rights to until August 15 when he becomes an unrestricted free agent.
A lot has been said and written about the left winger with an NHL-ready frame and two strong developmental years for the Crimson that lead to 56 goals and 104 points in his last 70 games as a junior and senior. There's no question that he'd fit right into what Buffalo is doing and spot in the top-nine is legit at this point in time with the strong possibility that he'd have an opportunity as either Jack Eichel or Ryan O'Reilly's wingman in the top-six.
The Sabres just met with Vesey in Boston last week as Sabres GM Tim Murray, head coach Dan Bylsma and assistant director of scouting Jerry Forton, who helped recruit Vesey when he was an assistant coach at Harvard, all headed to Beantown to make their pitch. The trio represented hockey and the organization and presumably had answers to the questions Vesey had concerning where he fit into the grand scheme of things.
That was important as Vesey is looking at the next two years, his entry-level contract years, as a springboard to a longer, and presumably a more lucrative, NHL contract coming out on the other side. One of Vesey's agents, Peter Fish told the Buffalo News that "the meeting went very well" while also telling WGR550 that Vesey felt "very comfortable" with Murray and Bylsma. "However," continued Fish, "until we sit down with Jimmy and fully digest everything we heard [Thursday], I can’t really comment on how it might affect Aug. 15th.”
The Sabres did well in their sales pitch. Murray, whose known to keep it brief and to the point, said of the meeting to The News, “We went down there, we talked to him about the city and the organization, then we came home.”
That would be the proper amount of pitch without any overwhelming pressure being put on a young man staring down the first big decision of his professional career. What's not proper is the over-the-top "Buffalo Loves Vesey" billboard from Northtown Automotive. Although it attracts attention, in the end, smothering affection like that hurts the process.
As an example, take the Toronto Maple Leafs pitch for then unrestricted free agent Steven Stamkos, a Toronto-area native.
Rare is the time when a free agent of his caliber hits the open market and there was no small amount of interest from a number of teams including the Buffalo Sabres who talked with the Stamkos camp during the open period on draft weekend. The Montreal Canadians were also said to have talked to them and Stamkos also had meetings with Toronto and then Detroit lined up.
But Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun wrote today that the heavy hand of the Leafs soured Stamkos not only on Toronto, but on the process as well. Simmons cites "numerous NHL people who attempted to woo Stamkos" as the basis for his piece.
"The availability of [Stamkos] all but ended after a Monday night meeting in Toronto that included Maple Leafs ownership, front office executives, Toronto Mayor John Tory, Canadian Tire CEO Michael Medline and others from the corporate community," wrote Simmons. "It was apparently an impressive sell with all kind of bells and whistles — just not impressive to Stamkos."
Even though the 26 yr. old Stamkos is an eight-year NHL veteran, facing that kind of crush from Toronto had to be startling. I'm not sure any player could come out of meeting like that expecting to perform even to the lowest of his own expectations were he to sign with any team much less his hometown team. According to Simmons, "He left the meeting with the Leafs, and apparently turned to his advisors and said: 'No more meetings.'"
Sorry Detroit.
The gist of this, other than the utter absurdity at the Center of the Hockey Universe for deploying an army like this to woo Stamkos, is that players want to play hockey where they feel comfortable and the best pitch is simply to lay out what there is to offer and let the chips fall where they may. No amount of bells and whistles and/or socio-political dignitaries and/or money-figures and/or billboards will change a player's perception of what's inside the hockey department and how he'll reach his potential as a hockey player.
The Northtown Auto Group, the Mayor of Toronto and others outside the hockey community needed to back off and let hockey people do their jobs. Although Vesey is no Stamkos, they are both humans and will go somewhere else if the pressure's too much. That's what free agency, or in these two cases, impending free agency, allows a player, the choice of where he wants to play.
Why suffocate them?
A lot has been said and written about the left winger with an NHL-ready frame and two strong developmental years for the Crimson that lead to 56 goals and 104 points in his last 70 games as a junior and senior. There's no question that he'd fit right into what Buffalo is doing and spot in the top-nine is legit at this point in time with the strong possibility that he'd have an opportunity as either Jack Eichel or Ryan O'Reilly's wingman in the top-six.
The Sabres just met with Vesey in Boston last week as Sabres GM Tim Murray, head coach Dan Bylsma and assistant director of scouting Jerry Forton, who helped recruit Vesey when he was an assistant coach at Harvard, all headed to Beantown to make their pitch. The trio represented hockey and the organization and presumably had answers to the questions Vesey had concerning where he fit into the grand scheme of things.
That was important as Vesey is looking at the next two years, his entry-level contract years, as a springboard to a longer, and presumably a more lucrative, NHL contract coming out on the other side. One of Vesey's agents, Peter Fish told the Buffalo News that "the meeting went very well" while also telling WGR550 that Vesey felt "very comfortable" with Murray and Bylsma. "However," continued Fish, "until we sit down with Jimmy and fully digest everything we heard [Thursday], I can’t really comment on how it might affect Aug. 15th.”
The Sabres did well in their sales pitch. Murray, whose known to keep it brief and to the point, said of the meeting to The News, “We went down there, we talked to him about the city and the organization, then we came home.”
That would be the proper amount of pitch without any overwhelming pressure being put on a young man staring down the first big decision of his professional career. What's not proper is the over-the-top "Buffalo Loves Vesey" billboard from Northtown Automotive. Although it attracts attention, in the end, smothering affection like that hurts the process.
As an example, take the Toronto Maple Leafs pitch for then unrestricted free agent Steven Stamkos, a Toronto-area native.
Rare is the time when a free agent of his caliber hits the open market and there was no small amount of interest from a number of teams including the Buffalo Sabres who talked with the Stamkos camp during the open period on draft weekend. The Montreal Canadians were also said to have talked to them and Stamkos also had meetings with Toronto and then Detroit lined up.
But Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun wrote today that the heavy hand of the Leafs soured Stamkos not only on Toronto, but on the process as well. Simmons cites "numerous NHL people who attempted to woo Stamkos" as the basis for his piece.
"The availability of [Stamkos] all but ended after a Monday night meeting in Toronto that included Maple Leafs ownership, front office executives, Toronto Mayor John Tory, Canadian Tire CEO Michael Medline and others from the corporate community," wrote Simmons. "It was apparently an impressive sell with all kind of bells and whistles — just not impressive to Stamkos."
Even though the 26 yr. old Stamkos is an eight-year NHL veteran, facing that kind of crush from Toronto had to be startling. I'm not sure any player could come out of meeting like that expecting to perform even to the lowest of his own expectations were he to sign with any team much less his hometown team. According to Simmons, "He left the meeting with the Leafs, and apparently turned to his advisors and said: 'No more meetings.'"
Sorry Detroit.
The gist of this, other than the utter absurdity at the Center of the Hockey Universe for deploying an army like this to woo Stamkos, is that players want to play hockey where they feel comfortable and the best pitch is simply to lay out what there is to offer and let the chips fall where they may. No amount of bells and whistles and/or socio-political dignitaries and/or money-figures and/or billboards will change a player's perception of what's inside the hockey department and how he'll reach his potential as a hockey player.
The Northtown Auto Group, the Mayor of Toronto and others outside the hockey community needed to back off and let hockey people do their jobs. Although Vesey is no Stamkos, they are both humans and will go somewhere else if the pressure's too much. That's what free agency, or in these two cases, impending free agency, allows a player, the choice of where he wants to play.
Why suffocate them?
Sunday, July 10, 2016
Jeanneret on the call and a live stream for today's B&G scrimmage
Published by hockeybuzz.com, 7-9-2016
Broadcast legend Rick Jeanneret will call today's Blue and Gold Scrimmage at HARBORCENTER. The youngins are in Day-4 of the one-week camp and after three days of going through drills they'll finally be able to have some fun in a live-action setting. Jeanneret will be joined by Brian Duff in the booth for the 1p.m. start.
Names of note for Team Blue include Williamsville native Justin Bailey (2013, 52nd-overall) who finished strong in Rochester last season while also getting an eight-game taste of the NHL with the Sabres in his first professional season. Joining him is fellow 2013 draft pick in RW, Nicolas Baptiste (69th) and 2016 second-rounder center Rasmus Asplund (33rd) whom the Sabres traded up for at this year's draft.
Player to keep an eye on--G, Cal Petersen.
The Notre Dame junior carried a huge work-load for the Fighting Irish as a sophomore last season and made huge developmental strides in the process. Petersen is positionally sound and tracks the puck extremely well and he hates to get scored on. It's what he does after a goal against that he's been working on and from all reports that aspect is coming along swimmingly.
Team Blue Roster:
Number/Name (Draft)/Age/Notes
Forwards:
13--C, Christopher Brown (2014, 151st,) 20. Will be a sophomore at Boston College
17--F, Judd Peterson (2012, 204th,) 22. Was one of the youngest players in his draft class
34--RW, Daniel Muzito-Bagenda (FA,) 20. Amerks signee played for MODO
36--LW, Brandon Hagel (2016, 159th,) 17. Youngest of the youngins. Had 47 pts for Red Deer
41--Vasily Glotov (2016, 190th,) 18. Last pick for Buffalo this year. Good camp thus far
56--Justin Bailey (2013, 52nd) 21.
61--Cliff Pu (2016, 69th) 18. Played understated role for London, one to keep an eye on
65--Rasmus Asplund (2016, 33rd) 18.
71--Evan Rodrigues (FA,) 22. Former Eichel linemate ready to make some noise this year
73--Nicolas Baptiste (2013, 69th,) 20.
86--Eric Cornel (2014, 44th,) 20. Ready for full-time duty with Rochester this year
Defensemen:
5---Jalen Chatfield (invitee,) 20. Had 37 points (10+27) for Windsor (OHL)
6---Nolan Gluchowski (invitee,) 20. Had 16 points (6+10) in the ECAC
8---Daniel Brinkley (invitee,) 21. Utah native played with Casey Nelson at Minn. St.
10--Paul Geiger (invitee,) 24. The elder statesman just graduated from Clarkson.
27--Frank Hora (invitee,) 20 Amherst native played for Kitchner of the OHL
33--Philip Nyberg (2016, 129th,) 19. Played for Linkoping (Sweden-Jr.)
49--Austin Omanski (2016, 189th,) 18. East Aurora native has raised eye-brows thusfar
54--Brycen Martin (2014, 74th,) 20. Will be making the pro jump next season in Roch.
78--Mike Campoli (invitee,) 18. The youngest invitee is a USNTDP (USHL) product
Goalies:
30--Cal Petersen (2013, 129th,) 21.
31--Antoine Samuel (invitee,) 18. Young pup got his feet wet in QMJHL playing 43 games
Team Gold boasts highly skilled left-winger Alexander Nylander up-front as well as 2015 second round pick Brendan Guhle, who was the surprise of training camp last year until he was felled by a rollicking check from Dion Phaneuf, on defense. Also in the mix are stand-up d-man Anthony Florentino, who will be a senior at Providence this year and Hudson Fasching, who scored his first NHL goal on his first-ever shift and is ready for full-time duty with Rochester this season.
Player to keep an eye on--C, Giorgio Estephan. The Sabres plucked Estephan with a 6th-round pick last year as turmoil within his Lethbridge Hurricanes team sent his stock plummeting. After things stablilized he responded with 74 points (30+44) in 59 games, most of it coming in the latter half of the season. Although he got a taste of Rochester last season, he'll be back in Lethbridge next season, hopefully terrorizing the league.
Team Gold Roster
Forwards:
37--C, Connor Hurley (2013, 38th,) 20. Youngest player in 2013 draft looking to build confidence
48--LW, William Carrier (2013, 57th, STL,) 21. Had a strong season with Amerks. Watch injuries
52--RW, Hudson Fasching (2013, 118th, LAK) 20.
58--C, Giorgio Estephan (2015, 152nd,) 19.
67--F, Max Willman (2014, 121st,) 21. Bang, Bang Maxwell needs to bring a bigger hammer
72--C, Jean Dupuy (FA,) 21. Tough and gritty. Played well for Rochester as a rookie last year
74--RW, Vaclav Karabacek (2014, 49th,) 20. Stocky winger had six goals in the QMJHL playoffs
75--LW, Alexander Nylander (2016, 8th,) 18.
84--LW, Victor Olofsson (2014, 181st,) 20. MODO product seems to surprise every year
85--LW, Brett Murray (2016, 99th,) 18. Penn St. recruit has the eye of alum Terry Pegula
Defensemen:
3---Will Borgen (2015, 92nd,) 19. St. Cloud State raised some eyebrows as a freshman last year
38--Casey Fitzgerald (2016, 86th,) 19. Had 27 points (4+23) for Hockey East powerhouse BC
42--Ivan Chukarov (2015, 182nd,) 21. Will continue developing at UMASS (NCAC)
45--Brendan Guhle (2015, 51st,) 18.
46--Anthony Florentino (2013, 143rd,) 21.
51--Vojtech Budik (2016, 130th,) 18. Czech plied his trade with 16 points for Prince Albert (WHL)
53--Devante Stephens (2015, 122nd,) 19. Shutdown d-man for Kelowna Rockets (WHL)
81--Ryan Mantha (invitee,) 20. Big d-man (6'5" 225 lbs.) had solid numbers for Niagara (OHL)
Goalies:
35--Steve Racine (invitee,) 24. Williamsville native gets the call for a sick Linus Ullmark
50--Jonas Johansson (2015, 61st,) 20. The big Swede put up good numbers for Almtuna (Sweden)
The Outlook:
This looks to be a mismatch as the Sabres brass pooled a bunch of invitees on defense to take on a pretty stacked Gold lineup. Team Blue will be besieged by Gold and they'll be counting on Petersen and Samuel to hold the fort in net. Unfortunately the Blue net will resemble Fort Knox as Team Gold makes fills it in a 7-4 win. Olofsson with a pair and Murray with three assists.
The game will be streamed live at sabres.com beginning at 1pm.
Broadcast legend Rick Jeanneret will call today's Blue and Gold Scrimmage at HARBORCENTER. The youngins are in Day-4 of the one-week camp and after three days of going through drills they'll finally be able to have some fun in a live-action setting. Jeanneret will be joined by Brian Duff in the booth for the 1p.m. start.
Names of note for Team Blue include Williamsville native Justin Bailey (2013, 52nd-overall) who finished strong in Rochester last season while also getting an eight-game taste of the NHL with the Sabres in his first professional season. Joining him is fellow 2013 draft pick in RW, Nicolas Baptiste (69th) and 2016 second-rounder center Rasmus Asplund (33rd) whom the Sabres traded up for at this year's draft.
Player to keep an eye on--G, Cal Petersen.
The Notre Dame junior carried a huge work-load for the Fighting Irish as a sophomore last season and made huge developmental strides in the process. Petersen is positionally sound and tracks the puck extremely well and he hates to get scored on. It's what he does after a goal against that he's been working on and from all reports that aspect is coming along swimmingly.
Team Blue Roster:
Number/Name (Draft)/Age/Notes
Forwards:
13--C, Christopher Brown (2014, 151st,) 20. Will be a sophomore at Boston College
17--F, Judd Peterson (2012, 204th,) 22. Was one of the youngest players in his draft class
34--RW, Daniel Muzito-Bagenda (FA,) 20. Amerks signee played for MODO
36--LW, Brandon Hagel (2016, 159th,) 17. Youngest of the youngins. Had 47 pts for Red Deer
41--Vasily Glotov (2016, 190th,) 18. Last pick for Buffalo this year. Good camp thus far
56--Justin Bailey (2013, 52nd) 21.
61--Cliff Pu (2016, 69th) 18. Played understated role for London, one to keep an eye on
65--Rasmus Asplund (2016, 33rd) 18.
71--Evan Rodrigues (FA,) 22. Former Eichel linemate ready to make some noise this year
73--Nicolas Baptiste (2013, 69th,) 20.
86--Eric Cornel (2014, 44th,) 20. Ready for full-time duty with Rochester this year
Defensemen:
5---Jalen Chatfield (invitee,) 20. Had 37 points (10+27) for Windsor (OHL)
6---Nolan Gluchowski (invitee,) 20. Had 16 points (6+10) in the ECAC
8---Daniel Brinkley (invitee,) 21. Utah native played with Casey Nelson at Minn. St.
10--Paul Geiger (invitee,) 24. The elder statesman just graduated from Clarkson.
27--Frank Hora (invitee,) 20 Amherst native played for Kitchner of the OHL
33--Philip Nyberg (2016, 129th,) 19. Played for Linkoping (Sweden-Jr.)
49--Austin Omanski (2016, 189th,) 18. East Aurora native has raised eye-brows thusfar
54--Brycen Martin (2014, 74th,) 20. Will be making the pro jump next season in Roch.
78--Mike Campoli (invitee,) 18. The youngest invitee is a USNTDP (USHL) product
Goalies:
30--Cal Petersen (2013, 129th,) 21.
31--Antoine Samuel (invitee,) 18. Young pup got his feet wet in QMJHL playing 43 games
Team Gold boasts highly skilled left-winger Alexander Nylander up-front as well as 2015 second round pick Brendan Guhle, who was the surprise of training camp last year until he was felled by a rollicking check from Dion Phaneuf, on defense. Also in the mix are stand-up d-man Anthony Florentino, who will be a senior at Providence this year and Hudson Fasching, who scored his first NHL goal on his first-ever shift and is ready for full-time duty with Rochester this season.
Player to keep an eye on--C, Giorgio Estephan. The Sabres plucked Estephan with a 6th-round pick last year as turmoil within his Lethbridge Hurricanes team sent his stock plummeting. After things stablilized he responded with 74 points (30+44) in 59 games, most of it coming in the latter half of the season. Although he got a taste of Rochester last season, he'll be back in Lethbridge next season, hopefully terrorizing the league.
Team Gold Roster
Forwards:
37--C, Connor Hurley (2013, 38th,) 20. Youngest player in 2013 draft looking to build confidence
48--LW, William Carrier (2013, 57th, STL,) 21. Had a strong season with Amerks. Watch injuries
52--RW, Hudson Fasching (2013, 118th, LAK) 20.
58--C, Giorgio Estephan (2015, 152nd,) 19.
67--F, Max Willman (2014, 121st,) 21. Bang, Bang Maxwell needs to bring a bigger hammer
72--C, Jean Dupuy (FA,) 21. Tough and gritty. Played well for Rochester as a rookie last year
74--RW, Vaclav Karabacek (2014, 49th,) 20. Stocky winger had six goals in the QMJHL playoffs
75--LW, Alexander Nylander (2016, 8th,) 18.
84--LW, Victor Olofsson (2014, 181st,) 20. MODO product seems to surprise every year
85--LW, Brett Murray (2016, 99th,) 18. Penn St. recruit has the eye of alum Terry Pegula
Defensemen:
3---Will Borgen (2015, 92nd,) 19. St. Cloud State raised some eyebrows as a freshman last year
38--Casey Fitzgerald (2016, 86th,) 19. Had 27 points (4+23) for Hockey East powerhouse BC
42--Ivan Chukarov (2015, 182nd,) 21. Will continue developing at UMASS (NCAC)
45--Brendan Guhle (2015, 51st,) 18.
46--Anthony Florentino (2013, 143rd,) 21.
51--Vojtech Budik (2016, 130th,) 18. Czech plied his trade with 16 points for Prince Albert (WHL)
53--Devante Stephens (2015, 122nd,) 19. Shutdown d-man for Kelowna Rockets (WHL)
81--Ryan Mantha (invitee,) 20. Big d-man (6'5" 225 lbs.) had solid numbers for Niagara (OHL)
Goalies:
35--Steve Racine (invitee,) 24. Williamsville native gets the call for a sick Linus Ullmark
50--Jonas Johansson (2015, 61st,) 20. The big Swede put up good numbers for Almtuna (Sweden)
The Outlook:
This looks to be a mismatch as the Sabres brass pooled a bunch of invitees on defense to take on a pretty stacked Gold lineup. Team Blue will be besieged by Gold and they'll be counting on Petersen and Samuel to hold the fort in net. Unfortunately the Blue net will resemble Fort Knox as Team Gold makes fills it in a 7-4 win. Olofsson with a pair and Murray with three assists.
The game will be streamed live at sabres.com beginning at 1pm.
Thursday, July 7, 2016
A numbers breakdown. Buffalo will be butting up against NHL cap.
It's been a while since the Buffalo Sabres been close to the NHL's salary cap ceiling. The last time was when a 2011 shopping spree brought the team to within $1.836M of the NHL's cap that season. After a ignoble run to 9th place Buffalo blew the whole thing up giving way to the rebuild, the trades for young-vets, and most recently the July 1 signing of free agent Kyle Okposo.
In 2011-12 the Sabres had a cap-hit of $65.492M, according to nhlnumbers.com but the team fell way short of expectations and they began to dismantle. With the scorched earth rebuild set to begin their salary cap number would be reduced to $63.792M in 2012-13 and would hit a low of $59.211M in 2013-14 when they finished last in the league.
The Sabres would finish in last place again the following season with a total cap-hit of $62.340M yet they were $9.586M under the NHL salary cap. In 2015-16 Buffalo came in at $61.725M.
Heading into the 2016-17 season the NHL has set the ceiling at $73M and it looks as if the Sabres will be right up against it barring anything weird happening between now and the October 13 opener vs. the Montreal Canadiens. Buffalo GM Tim Murray has three restricted free agents who were on the roster last season to re-sign in forwards Marcus Foligno and Zemgus Girgensons and defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen with about $13M in cap-space as of this juncture.
In 2011-12 the Sabres had a cap-hit of $65.492M, according to nhlnumbers.com but the team fell way short of expectations and they began to dismantle. With the scorched earth rebuild set to begin their salary cap number would be reduced to $63.792M in 2012-13 and would hit a low of $59.211M in 2013-14 when they finished last in the league.
The Sabres would finish in last place again the following season with a total cap-hit of $62.340M yet they were $9.586M under the NHL salary cap. In 2015-16 Buffalo came in at $61.725M.
Heading into the 2016-17 season the NHL has set the ceiling at $73M and it looks as if the Sabres will be right up against it barring anything weird happening between now and the October 13 opener vs. the Montreal Canadiens. Buffalo GM Tim Murray has three restricted free agents who were on the roster last season to re-sign in forwards Marcus Foligno and Zemgus Girgensons and defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen with about $13M in cap-space as of this juncture.
Monday, July 4, 2016
Jake McCabe signs. "Crazy money" for Okposo? The Evander Kane debate
Reprinted with permission from hockyebuzz.com
Having defenseman Jake McCabe in the fold for three years is a good thing for the Buffalo Sabres. Having him re-sign at a $1.6M cap-hit is even better.
McCabe played on the second pairing with the Sabres mostly with young-vet Zach Bogosian as probably Buffalo's most consistent pairing for the better part of last season. McCabe, who was taken with the 44th pick in the 2012 NHL Draft played in 77 games his rookie season recording 14 points (4+10) while leading the team in plus/minus with a plus-6 rating.
With only full season under his belt, McCabe has established his floor as a gritty, positionally sound second-pairing defenseman with a high hockey IQ who will stand you up at the blueline and harass you in his own end. He has the remarkable capacity to regroup after a poor shift, period or game and come back with a strong performance. McCabe also has untapped offensive upside as he has a penchant for finding that soft spot in the offensive zone (especially sneaking in from the left side) and has a shot from the point that regularly finds it's way through to the net.
It's not surprising that he seemed to spend most of last season focusing on defense, nor is it surprising that he found himself way down the powerplay depth-chart under head coach Dan Bylsma, who was in his first year behind the bench for Buffalo. However, with his smarts and shot a real shot on the second power play unit could yield some very positive results.
Having defenseman Jake McCabe in the fold for three years is a good thing for the Buffalo Sabres. Having him re-sign at a $1.6M cap-hit is even better.
McCabe played on the second pairing with the Sabres mostly with young-vet Zach Bogosian as probably Buffalo's most consistent pairing for the better part of last season. McCabe, who was taken with the 44th pick in the 2012 NHL Draft played in 77 games his rookie season recording 14 points (4+10) while leading the team in plus/minus with a plus-6 rating.
With only full season under his belt, McCabe has established his floor as a gritty, positionally sound second-pairing defenseman with a high hockey IQ who will stand you up at the blueline and harass you in his own end. He has the remarkable capacity to regroup after a poor shift, period or game and come back with a strong performance. McCabe also has untapped offensive upside as he has a penchant for finding that soft spot in the offensive zone (especially sneaking in from the left side) and has a shot from the point that regularly finds it's way through to the net.
It's not surprising that he seemed to spend most of last season focusing on defense, nor is it surprising that he found himself way down the powerplay depth-chart under head coach Dan Bylsma, who was in his first year behind the bench for Buffalo. However, with his smarts and shot a real shot on the second power play unit could yield some very positive results.
Friday, July 1, 2016
Sabres on the sidelines for yesterday's fireworks
Reprinted with permission from hockeybuzz.com
For those on the sidelines yesterday, a group of NHL teams put on an impressive display of fireworks with some stunning moves:
--Steven Stamkos agrees on a contract extension with the Tampa Bay Lightning
--the Montreal Canadiens and Nashville Predators pull off a trade of top-notch defensemen
--the Columbus Blue Jacket extend defenseman Seth Jones
--and Peter Chiarelli drops a huge bomb trading Taylor Hall to New Jersey
Stamkos
For the Buffalo Sabres, the Steven Stamkos deal had the most significance as Buffalo GM Tim Murray and the Brinks truck were said to be rollin' hard and fast to Toronto to try and land the prized free agent. Stamkos did the right thing in staying with the Lightning as they have everything he said he wanted including an eighth year on his contract. The $68M total value of the deal was a final offer by GM Steve Yzerman and Stamkos took it.
With the Lightning coming of back-to-back deep playoff runs--one of which brought them to within two wins of the Stanley Cup--that part of Stamkos' equation seems to have taken a front seat to finances in the matter. The $68M was significantly less than what he could have gotten on the open market considering that the Sabres were rumored to be headed into the $12M/year area which would be $84M on a seven-year deal. A $68M payday is nothing to sneeze at, and it goes a little farther in a state tax-free state like Florida, Stamkos left a lot of money on the table.
Although it's not good news for the Sabres either short-term or long-term, good for him. Quality move by a quality individual.
For those on the sidelines yesterday, a group of NHL teams put on an impressive display of fireworks with some stunning moves:
--Steven Stamkos agrees on a contract extension with the Tampa Bay Lightning
--the Montreal Canadiens and Nashville Predators pull off a trade of top-notch defensemen
--the Columbus Blue Jacket extend defenseman Seth Jones
--and Peter Chiarelli drops a huge bomb trading Taylor Hall to New Jersey
Stamkos
For the Buffalo Sabres, the Steven Stamkos deal had the most significance as Buffalo GM Tim Murray and the Brinks truck were said to be rollin' hard and fast to Toronto to try and land the prized free agent. Stamkos did the right thing in staying with the Lightning as they have everything he said he wanted including an eighth year on his contract. The $68M total value of the deal was a final offer by GM Steve Yzerman and Stamkos took it.
With the Lightning coming of back-to-back deep playoff runs--one of which brought them to within two wins of the Stanley Cup--that part of Stamkos' equation seems to have taken a front seat to finances in the matter. The $68M was significantly less than what he could have gotten on the open market considering that the Sabres were rumored to be headed into the $12M/year area which would be $84M on a seven-year deal. A $68M payday is nothing to sneeze at, and it goes a little farther in a state tax-free state like Florida, Stamkos left a lot of money on the table.
Although it's not good news for the Sabres either short-term or long-term, good for him. Quality move by a quality individual.
Wednesday, June 29, 2016
Sabres sorting out their FA list, qualify seven RFA's
Buffalo Sabres GM Tim Murray went into the off season with a boatload of free agents both restricted and unrestricted. After re-signing Johan Larsson on April 29th, Buffalo was looking at 22 total free agents to make decisions on.
The Sabres announced yesterday that they've qualified seven RFA's:
D, Rasmus Ristolainen
D, Jake McCabe
D, Casey Nelson
F, Zemgus Girgensons
F, Marcus Foligno
F, Daniel Catenacci
G, Jason Kasdorf
Buffalo now has 15 unrestricted free agents headed towards July 1st.
From the roster:
C, David Legwand
D, Carlo Colaiacovo
G, Chad Johnson
In the system:
D, Bobby Sanguinetti
D, Matt Donovan
D, Chad Ruhwedel
D, Michael Sdao
C, Eric O'Dell
C, Colin Jacobs (not qualified)
RW, Jerry D'Amigo
C, Tim Schaller
F, Cole Schneider
LW, Alexander Guptill (not qualified)
LW, Jack Nevins (not qualified)
G, Nathan Lieuwen (not qualified)
The Sabres announced yesterday that they've qualified seven RFA's:
D, Rasmus Ristolainen
D, Jake McCabe
D, Casey Nelson
F, Zemgus Girgensons
F, Marcus Foligno
F, Daniel Catenacci
G, Jason Kasdorf
Buffalo now has 15 unrestricted free agents headed towards July 1st.
From the roster:
C, David Legwand
D, Carlo Colaiacovo
G, Chad Johnson
In the system:
D, Bobby Sanguinetti
D, Matt Donovan
D, Chad Ruhwedel
D, Michael Sdao
C, Eric O'Dell
C, Colin Jacobs (not qualified)
RW, Jerry D'Amigo
C, Tim Schaller
F, Cole Schneider
LW, Alexander Guptill (not qualified)
LW, Jack Nevins (not qualified)
G, Nathan Lieuwen (not qualified)
Tuesday, June 14, 2016
Notes on Pittsburgh's Stanley Cup victory, what it may mean for Buffalo
Reprinted with permission from hockeybuzz.com
Congrats to Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan, Conn Smythe-winner Sidney Crosby and the rest of the Pittsburgh Penguins on their Stanley Cup victory. It was the second time in seven years that the Pens won the Cup and it was also the second time that a mid-season coaching change got them to the promised land. The first time was in 2009 as the Penguins were struggling mightily under coach Michel Therrien. He was replaced by Dan Bylsma who is now the head coach of the Buffalo Sabres.
Sullivan was a grinder in the NHL for 10 seasons as a player scoring 54 goals and adding 82 assists in 709 regular season games. He had a NHL head coaching stint with the Boston Bruins in the seasons surrounding the 2005 lockout and has a first-round playoff loss on that part his resume. The Penguins brought him in for their AHL club this season then promoted him after only 23 games as head coach for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton where he was 18-5.
Sullivan's Penguins put on an awesome display of speed and tenacity in the playoffs that was unmatched by any other team. Although they had immense star-power in the likes of Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Phil Kessel and Kris Letang, Crosby was the playoff MVP without scoring a goal in the Finals. In post-game, on-ice interviews amidst the celebration, one player described Crosby as the ultimate grinder.
"Grinder?" Crosby? Yup. But that was just part of it.
Congrats to Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan, Conn Smythe-winner Sidney Crosby and the rest of the Pittsburgh Penguins on their Stanley Cup victory. It was the second time in seven years that the Pens won the Cup and it was also the second time that a mid-season coaching change got them to the promised land. The first time was in 2009 as the Penguins were struggling mightily under coach Michel Therrien. He was replaced by Dan Bylsma who is now the head coach of the Buffalo Sabres.
Sullivan was a grinder in the NHL for 10 seasons as a player scoring 54 goals and adding 82 assists in 709 regular season games. He had a NHL head coaching stint with the Boston Bruins in the seasons surrounding the 2005 lockout and has a first-round playoff loss on that part his resume. The Penguins brought him in for their AHL club this season then promoted him after only 23 games as head coach for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton where he was 18-5.
Sullivan's Penguins put on an awesome display of speed and tenacity in the playoffs that was unmatched by any other team. Although they had immense star-power in the likes of Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Phil Kessel and Kris Letang, Crosby was the playoff MVP without scoring a goal in the Finals. In post-game, on-ice interviews amidst the celebration, one player described Crosby as the ultimate grinder.
"Grinder?" Crosby? Yup. But that was just part of it.
Monday, June 13, 2016
Buffalo's free agent list. Re-sign or not to re-sign? If so, how much? Pt.3
Reprinted with permission from hockeybuzz.com
The final portion of the free agent list focuses upon the restricted free agents in the system. At this level most will be qualified with a minimum raise if the team wishes to retain their rights and most players sign the offer. Those who are not qualified by Buffalo become unrestricted free agents.
After going through Buffalo's UFA's and roster RFA's in the past two segments, only six players remain as free agents.
Once again, here' the list of Buffalo's remaining restricted free agents, their cap hit or salaries if on a two-way contract, an opinion as to whether or not Buffalo should re-sign said player and a gander as to how much they might be re-signed for if all sides put ink to paper. And we start with two goaltenders.
The final portion of the free agent list focuses upon the restricted free agents in the system. At this level most will be qualified with a minimum raise if the team wishes to retain their rights and most players sign the offer. Those who are not qualified by Buffalo become unrestricted free agents.
After going through Buffalo's UFA's and roster RFA's in the past two segments, only six players remain as free agents.
Once again, here' the list of Buffalo's remaining restricted free agents, their cap hit or salaries if on a two-way contract, an opinion as to whether or not Buffalo should re-sign said player and a gander as to how much they might be re-signed for if all sides put ink to paper. And we start with two goaltenders.
Saturday, June 11, 2016
Buffalo's free agent list. Re-sign or not to re-sign? If so, how much? Pt.2
Reprinted with permission from hockeybuzz.com
Yesterday we went through a large yet rather unimpressive group of unrestricted free agents whom the Buffalo Sabres will need to make decisions on. The nature of the beast at this stage of the rebuild showed a list of UFA's who were amongst the lower-ranked roster players, borderline NHL'ers, AHL'ers with a chance and career AHL'ers.
Today's list gets much more interesting as we go through the restricted free agents GM Tim Murray and AGM Mark Jakubowski will be negotiating with. These are "the youngins," with some regarded as foundational pieces, some organizational pieces with upside and some considered long-term projects.
Here's the list of Buffalo's restricted free agent roster players from the end of last season, their current cap-hit, an opinion as to whether or not Buffalo should re-sign said player and a gander as to how much they might be re-signed for if all sides put ink to paper.
Yesterday we went through a large yet rather unimpressive group of unrestricted free agents whom the Buffalo Sabres will need to make decisions on. The nature of the beast at this stage of the rebuild showed a list of UFA's who were amongst the lower-ranked roster players, borderline NHL'ers, AHL'ers with a chance and career AHL'ers.
Today's list gets much more interesting as we go through the restricted free agents GM Tim Murray and AGM Mark Jakubowski will be negotiating with. These are "the youngins," with some regarded as foundational pieces, some organizational pieces with upside and some considered long-term projects.
Here's the list of Buffalo's restricted free agent roster players from the end of last season, their current cap-hit, an opinion as to whether or not Buffalo should re-sign said player and a gander as to how much they might be re-signed for if all sides put ink to paper.
Friday, June 10, 2016
Buffalo's free agent list. Re-sign or not re-sign? If so, how much?
Reprinted with permission from hockeybuzz.com
The Buffalo Sabres re-signed forward Johan Larsson to a one-year, $950K contract extension on April 29th. Larsson hit career-highs in goals (10) and points (17) and centered the Sabres most consistent line in the latter half of last season.
Sabres GM Tim Murray and AGM Mark Jakubowski have their work cut out for them as they have 24 free agents to make decisions on, 23 if you discount goalie Andrey Makarov, who's back home in Mother Russia and was none too happy with what he perceived as grossly unfair treatment by the Sabres organization.
With that said here's the list of free agents, their current cap-hit, an opinion as to whether or not Buffalo should re-sign said player and a gander as to how much they might be re-signed for if all sides put ink to paper.
Today we begin with unrestricted free agents.
The Buffalo Sabres re-signed forward Johan Larsson to a one-year, $950K contract extension on April 29th. Larsson hit career-highs in goals (10) and points (17) and centered the Sabres most consistent line in the latter half of last season.
Sabres GM Tim Murray and AGM Mark Jakubowski have their work cut out for them as they have 24 free agents to make decisions on, 23 if you discount goalie Andrey Makarov, who's back home in Mother Russia and was none too happy with what he perceived as grossly unfair treatment by the Sabres organization.
With that said here's the list of free agents, their current cap-hit, an opinion as to whether or not Buffalo should re-sign said player and a gander as to how much they might be re-signed for if all sides put ink to paper.
Today we begin with unrestricted free agents.
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