Published by hockeybuzz.com, 3-3-2017
It's getting to the point where "what if?" is making it's way into the vernacular. For the Sabres some of them would include, "What if Jack Eichel wasn't injured? or "What if they'd managed to get a handful of points from teams like Boston?" or "What if they'd taken care of business at Colorado and Arizona last weekend?"
Homie ain't gonna play that game. The only one to play is, "What it is."
Simple fact is the Buffalo Sabres are outside a playoff spot with multiple team to jump and 18 games remaining in the regular season. Last night they defeated the Arizona Coyotes 6-3 to snag two points with the scoreboard tilting slightly in their favor as Boston lost while Florida and Toronto got loser points. The Sabres are five points out of the second wild card spot and seven points out of third place in the division.
GM Tim Murray visited the Sabres locker room yesterday to talk to his troops, something he rarely does. The NHL Trade Deadline came and went with no movement involving Buffalo. Everyone knew the names that could've been moved--Dmitry Kulikov, Cody Franson and Brian Gionta--but none were moved and, considering the Sabres were in a 0-3-1 rut, no one was brought in to bolster the club.
The trade deadline is a tough time for players, especially those with families, as uncertainty reigns supreme well into the late afternoon. With the team in the dressing room getting ready for the game Murray went in and talked to his team. After the meeting he went on air with WGR550 an talked about it. "This is our team," Murray said about his talk. "We're relatively healthy right now and we're going to play as hard as we can and get as many points as we can. D-day has gone by. This is our team. You're here. There's 19 games left and let's see what we can do."
And he reiterated his faith in his team, "It's late. It's getting down to the nitty gritty for sure and it's going to be tough and I still believe these players can get it done. Maybe it's false belief. I don't know. I told them I believe in them."
That resonated well amongst those gathered. According to media reports, Ryan O'Reilly said "it was something we needed to hear" while Eichel embraced the team unity aspect about "everyone caring for each other, and everyone gets better and moves forward."
Marcus Foligno said that "everyone in the organization is on the same page. That's what it was" then concluded "Being on the same page and hearing it from Tim was nice. You hear it from your general manager and everyone is going to listen and respect what he said to us."
It kinda makes you what if Murray....
Nope. Ain't gonna go there.
Murray's team responded with a good win that was closer than the score indicated. Buffalo played their usual Jekyll and Hyde game where sometimes they look like world-beaters and at other times they can't help but stumble over themselves. They had a great night on special teams with two powerplay goals and a shortie by Foligno who was set up by some hard work by O'Reilly. But they also gave up a short handed goal and allowed the Coyotes to tie the score twice before pulling away.
Evander Kane, "Mr. Five-on-Five," sent a laser past Arizona goalie Mike Smith to put the Sabres up 4-3 and Buffalo would add two empty net goals by Foligno and Sam Reinhart for the final score.
There's a big test for the Sabres coming on Saturday when they take on the Tampa Bay Lightining in a "four-point" game. Tampa is one point ahead of Buffalo in the standings with two games in hand and they'll make up one of those games tonight as they're in Pittsburgh to take on the Penguins.
The Sabres haven't fared well against the Bolts lately. They're 0-2 so far this season and went 1-3 vs. Tampa Bay last year. However, tomorrow night's game represent a prime opportunity for Buffalo as they're at home and Tampa's will be coming in for the second game of a back-to-back roadie.
Murray speech yesterday did some good, but how long it will last remains to be seen.
Showing posts with label 2017 NHL Trade Deadline. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 2017 NHL Trade Deadline. Show all posts
Saturday, March 4, 2017
Friday, March 3, 2017
Buffalo Sabres 2016-17 Individual Stats--February, TDL Edition
Published by hockeybuzz.com, 3-2-2017
Well, for those who took off work to be in on the action at the NHL's Trade Deadline Day, what a waste of time that was. A total of 10 trades were made yesterday by the 3 p.m. deadline and none involved the Buffalo Sabres.
The ta-do yesterday and today is, how could Buffalo GM Tim Murray not move any of his pending unrestricted free agents. Simply put there wasn't a big enough market for the likes of defensemen Dmitry Kulikov and Cody Franson, even though he kept things in perspective concerning the return. Murray stood at the podium yesterday evening talking about the non-event that was the TDL, looking somewhat disappointed and a bit miffed at not being able to get something done. According to Murray, he'd been in conversations with other GM's concerning Kulikov, but seemed to imply that injuries kept anything from getting done.
You can't blame any GM in the league for having reservations. Any scout that came to see Kulikov play had to leave with a poor impression as the veteran defenseman has struggled mightily all season.
The only other player in play was captain Brian Gionta, whom Murray said he had a call on. Murray contacted Gionta and the captain reiterated that he wanted to remain with the team and the GM respecting that.
With the trade deadline now come and gone and nothing happening in Buffalo, what we've seen on the roster is what we've got for the final 19 games of the regular season. The Sabres are at home tonight vs. the Arizona Coyotes and head coach Dan Bylsma looks intent upon shaking his team out of their present four-game winless streak by juggling the forward lines. Here were the lines at practice today (from Jourdon LaBarber, sabres.com):
Tyler Ennis-Ryan O'Reilly-Kyle Okposo
Marcus Foligno-Jack Eichel-Sam Reinhart
Evander Kane-Zemgus Girgensons-Brian Gionta
Matt Moulson-Evan Rodrigues-Justin Bailey
The "big" move is Bailey and Ennis switching spots. Bailey once again showed promise in a top-six role but it faded as he ended February with only a goal and two assists in 13 game, although he lead the team in plus/minus for the month with a plus-5.
Ennis has been relegated to fourth-line duty but managed to double Bailey's number by scoring two goals and adding four assists. He was second on the team with a plus-4.
Bylsma's obsession with Foligno continues as he gets another shot in the top-six while Kane, who lead the team with eight goals in February, drops back down to the third line. Gionta had a one-game stint in the top-six switching places with Reinhart, but he's back where he belong--on the third line--while Reinhart is where he belongs--on Eichel's wing.
Speaking of "Jack Flash," watching him and Kane fly up ice was a lot of fun. For most of the month the Kane and Eichel were together and although Eichel only had two goals in the month of February, he lead the team with 14 assists, eight being of the primary variety and he was in on six of Kane's eight goals.
On the downside, Kulikov was a minus-7 for the month while Kane was a minus-6.
With the team basically treading water during a 6-6-2 month of February, it's not surprising that we didn't see much movement statistically from the Sabres goaltenders although Robin Lehner did post his first two shutouts of the season.
It's the final month and a half of the season and the pressure is really off the team right now. There's just a glimmer of hope for a playoff spot and this is usually the time we see some players coming to the fore. But look over the past two months and see who the drivers were on this team. Those are the ones that welcomed the pressure and are ready for the next step--Eichel (27 pts,) Kane (14 goals,) O'Reilly (21 points) and Lehner. There are others who've played well but just haven't hit the scoresheet and there are rooks like Bailey and Rodrigues who are learning the ropes.\
This is the team we've been watching, and it will be the team we'll be watching for the rest of the season.
Buffalo Sabres 2016-17 Individual Stats leaders:
Points
--October: Okposo, O'Reilly, Ristolainen, 7; Moulson, Brian Gionta, 5
--November: Okposo, Reinhart, 8; O'Reilly, 5
--December: Ristolainen, 15; Eichel, Kane, Reinhart, 10
--January: Kane, O'Reilly, 11; Eichel, Gionta, 10
--February: Eichel, 16; O'Reilly, Okposo, 10
Goals
--October: Okposo, Moulson 4; O'Reilly, Brian Gionta, 3
--November: Reinhart, 4; O'Reilly, Okposo, Moulson, Foligno, 3
--December: Kane, 8; Eichel, 6; Reinhart, Okposo, Gionta, Larsson, Ristolainen, 3
--January: Kane, 6; Eichel, Okposo, Gionta, 5
--February: Kane, 8; O'Reilly, Reinhart, Okposo, 4
Powerplay Goals
--October: Moulson, 4; O'Reilly, 2; Okposo, Sam Reinhart, 1
--November: Moulson, Okposo, 2; Eichel, Reinhart, O'Reilly, Larsson, Franson, 1
--December: Okposo, 3; Reinhart, 2; Eichel, Kane, Moulson, Ristolainen, 1
--January: Eichel, 3; Reinhart, Okposo, 2
--February: Reinhart, 3; O'Reilly, 2; Eichel, Moulson, 1
Assists
--October: Ristolainen, 7; O'Reilly, 4; Reinhart, Okposo, Franson, 3
--November: Okposo, 5; Reinhart, Ristolainen, 4; Kane, Franson, 3
--December: Ristolainen, 12; Reinhart, 7; O'Reilly, Okposo, Moulson, Gionta, Foligno, 5
--January: O'Reilly, 9; Reinhart, 6; Kane, 5
--February: Eichel, 14; Ristolainen, 8; O'Reilly, Okposo, 6
Powerplay Assists
--October: Ristolainen, 6; Okposo, 3; O'Reilly, Reinhart, 2
--November: Okposo, 4; O'Reilly, Reinhart, Ristolainen, 2
--December: Ristolainen, 5; O'Reilly, 3; Eichel, Moulson, 2
--January: O'Reilly, 4; Ristolainen, 3; Eichel, Kane, Reinhart, Okposo, 2
--February: Ristolainen, 5; Eichel, Okposo, 3
Primary Assists
--October: O'Reilly, Reinhart, Ristolainen, 3; Gionta, Girgensons, 2
--November: Okposo, Kane, Reinhart, 3; Gionta, 2
--December: Ristolainen, 6; Reinhart, Okposo, 4;
--January: O'Reilly, 7; Reinhart, 6; Franson, 4
--February: Eichel, 8 Okposo, 5; Ristolainen, 4
Plus/Minus
--October: Gionta +3; Okposo, Franson +2
--November: Carrier +2; O'Reilly +1; Reinhart, Grant, Fedun, even
--December: Foligno +5; McCabe +3; Franson +2
--January: O'Reilly, +6; Kane, Girgensons, +4; Fedun Moulson, +3
--February: Bailey, +5; Ennis, +4; Moulson, +3
Plus/Minus (Bottom)
--October: Tyler Ennis -4; Deslauriers, Grant -3
--November: Kane, Gionta -5; Larsson, -4
--December: Kulikov, Bogosian -6; Kane -5
--January: Eichel, Foligno, C. O'Reilly, Bogosian, -5; Franson, -4
--February: Kulikov, -7; Kane, -6; Reinhart, Gionta, -4
Goalies (composite)
Robin Lehner
--October: 2-2-1; 2.61 GAA; .913 Sv%; 0 shutouts
--November: 5-7-3; 2.40; .921; 0
--December: 8-12-5; 2.51; .921; 0
--January: 12-13-5; 2.64; .918; 0
--February: 17-18-7; 2.63; .922; 2
Anders Nilsson
--October: 1-1-1; 1.96 GAA; .937 Sv%; 1 shutout
--November: 3-2-2; 2.20; .939; 1
--December: 5-3-3; 2.47; .925; 1
--January: 8-7-4: 2.60; .923; 1
--February: 9-8-4; 2.69; .921; 1
Well, for those who took off work to be in on the action at the NHL's Trade Deadline Day, what a waste of time that was. A total of 10 trades were made yesterday by the 3 p.m. deadline and none involved the Buffalo Sabres.
The ta-do yesterday and today is, how could Buffalo GM Tim Murray not move any of his pending unrestricted free agents. Simply put there wasn't a big enough market for the likes of defensemen Dmitry Kulikov and Cody Franson, even though he kept things in perspective concerning the return. Murray stood at the podium yesterday evening talking about the non-event that was the TDL, looking somewhat disappointed and a bit miffed at not being able to get something done. According to Murray, he'd been in conversations with other GM's concerning Kulikov, but seemed to imply that injuries kept anything from getting done.
You can't blame any GM in the league for having reservations. Any scout that came to see Kulikov play had to leave with a poor impression as the veteran defenseman has struggled mightily all season.
The only other player in play was captain Brian Gionta, whom Murray said he had a call on. Murray contacted Gionta and the captain reiterated that he wanted to remain with the team and the GM respecting that.
With the trade deadline now come and gone and nothing happening in Buffalo, what we've seen on the roster is what we've got for the final 19 games of the regular season. The Sabres are at home tonight vs. the Arizona Coyotes and head coach Dan Bylsma looks intent upon shaking his team out of their present four-game winless streak by juggling the forward lines. Here were the lines at practice today (from Jourdon LaBarber, sabres.com):
Tyler Ennis-Ryan O'Reilly-Kyle Okposo
Marcus Foligno-Jack Eichel-Sam Reinhart
Evander Kane-Zemgus Girgensons-Brian Gionta
Matt Moulson-Evan Rodrigues-Justin Bailey
The "big" move is Bailey and Ennis switching spots. Bailey once again showed promise in a top-six role but it faded as he ended February with only a goal and two assists in 13 game, although he lead the team in plus/minus for the month with a plus-5.
Ennis has been relegated to fourth-line duty but managed to double Bailey's number by scoring two goals and adding four assists. He was second on the team with a plus-4.
Bylsma's obsession with Foligno continues as he gets another shot in the top-six while Kane, who lead the team with eight goals in February, drops back down to the third line. Gionta had a one-game stint in the top-six switching places with Reinhart, but he's back where he belong--on the third line--while Reinhart is where he belongs--on Eichel's wing.
Speaking of "Jack Flash," watching him and Kane fly up ice was a lot of fun. For most of the month the Kane and Eichel were together and although Eichel only had two goals in the month of February, he lead the team with 14 assists, eight being of the primary variety and he was in on six of Kane's eight goals.
On the downside, Kulikov was a minus-7 for the month while Kane was a minus-6.
With the team basically treading water during a 6-6-2 month of February, it's not surprising that we didn't see much movement statistically from the Sabres goaltenders although Robin Lehner did post his first two shutouts of the season.
It's the final month and a half of the season and the pressure is really off the team right now. There's just a glimmer of hope for a playoff spot and this is usually the time we see some players coming to the fore. But look over the past two months and see who the drivers were on this team. Those are the ones that welcomed the pressure and are ready for the next step--Eichel (27 pts,) Kane (14 goals,) O'Reilly (21 points) and Lehner. There are others who've played well but just haven't hit the scoresheet and there are rooks like Bailey and Rodrigues who are learning the ropes.\
This is the team we've been watching, and it will be the team we'll be watching for the rest of the season.
Buffalo Sabres 2016-17 Individual Stats leaders:
Points
--October: Okposo, O'Reilly, Ristolainen, 7; Moulson, Brian Gionta, 5
--November: Okposo, Reinhart, 8; O'Reilly, 5
--December: Ristolainen, 15; Eichel, Kane, Reinhart, 10
--January: Kane, O'Reilly, 11; Eichel, Gionta, 10
--February: Eichel, 16; O'Reilly, Okposo, 10
Goals
--October: Okposo, Moulson 4; O'Reilly, Brian Gionta, 3
--November: Reinhart, 4; O'Reilly, Okposo, Moulson, Foligno, 3
--December: Kane, 8; Eichel, 6; Reinhart, Okposo, Gionta, Larsson, Ristolainen, 3
--January: Kane, 6; Eichel, Okposo, Gionta, 5
--February: Kane, 8; O'Reilly, Reinhart, Okposo, 4
Powerplay Goals
--October: Moulson, 4; O'Reilly, 2; Okposo, Sam Reinhart, 1
--November: Moulson, Okposo, 2; Eichel, Reinhart, O'Reilly, Larsson, Franson, 1
--December: Okposo, 3; Reinhart, 2; Eichel, Kane, Moulson, Ristolainen, 1
--January: Eichel, 3; Reinhart, Okposo, 2
--February: Reinhart, 3; O'Reilly, 2; Eichel, Moulson, 1
Assists
--October: Ristolainen, 7; O'Reilly, 4; Reinhart, Okposo, Franson, 3
--November: Okposo, 5; Reinhart, Ristolainen, 4; Kane, Franson, 3
--December: Ristolainen, 12; Reinhart, 7; O'Reilly, Okposo, Moulson, Gionta, Foligno, 5
--January: O'Reilly, 9; Reinhart, 6; Kane, 5
--February: Eichel, 14; Ristolainen, 8; O'Reilly, Okposo, 6
Powerplay Assists
--October: Ristolainen, 6; Okposo, 3; O'Reilly, Reinhart, 2
--November: Okposo, 4; O'Reilly, Reinhart, Ristolainen, 2
--December: Ristolainen, 5; O'Reilly, 3; Eichel, Moulson, 2
--January: O'Reilly, 4; Ristolainen, 3; Eichel, Kane, Reinhart, Okposo, 2
--February: Ristolainen, 5; Eichel, Okposo, 3
Primary Assists
--October: O'Reilly, Reinhart, Ristolainen, 3; Gionta, Girgensons, 2
--November: Okposo, Kane, Reinhart, 3; Gionta, 2
--December: Ristolainen, 6; Reinhart, Okposo, 4;
--January: O'Reilly, 7; Reinhart, 6; Franson, 4
--February: Eichel, 8 Okposo, 5; Ristolainen, 4
Plus/Minus
--October: Gionta +3; Okposo, Franson +2
--November: Carrier +2; O'Reilly +1; Reinhart, Grant, Fedun, even
--December: Foligno +5; McCabe +3; Franson +2
--January: O'Reilly, +6; Kane, Girgensons, +4; Fedun Moulson, +3
--February: Bailey, +5; Ennis, +4; Moulson, +3
Plus/Minus (Bottom)
--October: Tyler Ennis -4; Deslauriers, Grant -3
--November: Kane, Gionta -5; Larsson, -4
--December: Kulikov, Bogosian -6; Kane -5
--January: Eichel, Foligno, C. O'Reilly, Bogosian, -5; Franson, -4
--February: Kulikov, -7; Kane, -6; Reinhart, Gionta, -4
Goalies (composite)
Robin Lehner
--October: 2-2-1; 2.61 GAA; .913 Sv%; 0 shutouts
--November: 5-7-3; 2.40; .921; 0
--December: 8-12-5; 2.51; .921; 0
--January: 12-13-5; 2.64; .918; 0
--February: 17-18-7; 2.63; .922; 2
Anders Nilsson
--October: 1-1-1; 1.96 GAA; .937 Sv%; 1 shutout
--November: 3-2-2; 2.20; .939; 1
--December: 5-3-3; 2.47; .925; 1
--January: 8-7-4: 2.60; .923; 1
--February: 9-8-4; 2.69; .921; 1
Thursday, March 2, 2017
Buffalo Sabres 2016-17 Team Stats--Feb.--TDL Edition
Published by hockeybuzz.com, 3-1-2017
Stuck in the mud.
That's about the only way to describe the month of February for the Buffalo Sabres as they finished with a 6-6-2 record and are pretty much in the same spot they've been all season long.
First off, the NHL schedule-makers may still be ticked at the Sabres for their unabashed dive to the bottom only two years ago as they decided to give Buffalo their bye week in the shortest month of the year. In the end the Sabres will have played 14 games in only 23 days because of their five day bye. It meant four sets of back-to-backs all totaled including three within the a span of 18 days before the bye where Buffalo played a total of 11 games in that segment. A 6-4-1 record during that span kept their playoff hopes alive.
However, the bye week is not the reason they are now on a four game pointless streak (0-3-1) to finish the month. The Sabres, for a number of reasons, couldn't get the job done while either playing from behind, or for the last two games, playing with the lead. They held two-goal leads in both Arizona and at home last night vs. the Nashville Predators and choked them away. It's a trend that's happened quite a few times this season, especially with the pressure turned up.
Head coach Dan Bylsma has done some good coaching this season, especially considering the number of key injuries he's had to deal with as well as a sub-par defense-corps to work with, but something's amiss.
We've had the battles over systems and players and the deviation between systems is very little from team to team. Ask Buffalo captain Brian Gionta. Players are players and there's good ones and bad ones and all points in between. However, we've seen a number of in-season coaching changes that have brought back stellar results with a new bench boss coaching the same players.
Bylsma's Sabres have never been able to get out of the rut that was created early in the season with the loss of Jack Eichel to injury. And every time it looks as if they're gonna make it out, they slip back. Case in point, prior to the break they were making headway in the race for a playoff spot. They won three in a row but followed that up with their present four-game winless streak.
Should Bylsma's head be on the chopping block?
That's tough to say, not being in the room, but in looking over the season so far, he's not been able to guide them out of the rut their in and on many occasions, when a pressure situation arises, his team folds.
That's not a good sign.
*****
It's the NHL Trade Deadline day and with the Sabres on an 0-3-1 streak, and their playoff hopes faint at this point, one could safely assume that GM Tim Murray will be a seller. Names to watch are pending UFA's Dmitry Kulikov and Cody Franson, both defensemen and backup goalie Anders Nilsson. Gionta will also be unrestricted at season's end but has stated more than once that he wishes to remain in Buffalo.
Other names to watch are forwards Tyler Ennis and Zemgus Girgensons.
Buffalo Sabres Team Stats/League Rankings...(Leader):
Wins
--October: 3 (T-23rd)...(MTL, 8)
--November: 8 (T-28th)...(MTL, NYR, 16)
--December: 13 (28th)...(CBJ, 26)
--January: 20 (T-27th)...(WSH, 33)
--February: 26 (T-23rd)...(WSH, 42)
--2015-16: 35 (23rd)...(WSH, 56)
--2014-15: 23 (30th)...(ANA, 49)
Atlantic Division Standing
--October: 7th...(MTL)
--November: 8th...(MTL)
--December: 8th...(MTL)
--January: 7th...(MTL)
--February: 7th...(MTL)
--2015-16: 7th...(FLA)
--2014-15: 8th...(MTL)
Eastern Conference Standing
--October: 12th...(MTL)
--November: 15th...(MTL)
--December: 16th...(CBJ)
--January: 15th...(WSH)
--February: 13th..(WSH)
--2015-16: 14th...(WSH)
--2014-15: 16th...(NYR)
League standing/Points
--October: 20th/8...(MTL/17)
--November: 28th/21...(MTL/34)
--December: 28th/34...(CBJ/56)
--January: 27th/49...(WSH/72)
--February: 22nd/63...(WSH/91)
--2015-16: 23rd/81...(WSH/120)
--2014-15: 30th/54...(NYR/113)
Points Percentage
--October: .500 (T-15th)...(MTL, .944)
--November: .477 (26th)...(MTL, .739)
--December: .472 (28th)...(CBJ, .800)
--January: .500 (24th)...(MIN, .724)
--February: .500 (T-22nd)...(WSH, .734)
--2015-16: .494 (23rd)...(WSH, .732)
--2014-15: .329 (30th)...(NYR, .689)
Goal Differential
--October: -1 (16th)...(MTL, +17)
--November: -13 (25th)...(NYR, +29)
--December: -23 (27th)...(CBJ, +50)
--January: -21 (26th)...(MIN), +54)
--February: -24 (23rd)...(WSH, +73)
--2015-16: -21 (20th)...(WSH, +59)
--2014-15 -113 (30th)...(NYR, +60)
Goals/Game
--October: 2.50 (21st)...(NYR, 3.89)
--November: 1.95 (30th)...(NYR, 3.67)
--December: 2.14 (28th)...(CBJ, 3.46)
--January: 2.43 (24th)...(PIT, 3.55)
--February: 2.46 (24th)...(PIT, 3.46)
--2015-16: 2.43 (25th)...(DAL, 3.23)
--2014-15: 1.87 (30th)...(TBL, 3.16)
Shots/Game
--October: 27.4 (28th)...(TOR, 34.7)
--November: 29.4 (20th)...(PIT, 33.9)
--December: 29.5 (17th)...(PIT, 34.8)
--January: 29.8 (17th)...(PIT, 34.4)
--February: 29.7 (20th)...(BOS, 33.9)
--2015-16: 29.5 (17th)...(PIT, 33.2)
--2014-15: 24.2 (30th)...(CHI, 33.9)
Goals-against/Game
--October: 2.50 (12th)...(MTL, 1.44)
--November: 2.45 (10th)...(SJS. 2.09)
--December: 2.67 (14th)...(MIN, 2.06)
--January: 2.78 (17th)...(WSH, 2.10)
--February: 2.79 (18th)...(WSH, 2.08)
--2015-16: 2.62 (15th)...(ANA, 2.29)
--2014-15: 3.28 (29th)...(MTL, 2.24)
Shots against/Game
--October: 30.6 (20th)...(WSH, 25)
--November: 32.5 (26th)...(LAK, 25.4)
--December: 32.6 (27th)...(LAK, 25.9)
--January: 33.3 (29th)...(LAK, 25.9)
--February: 34.1 (30th)...(LAK, 26.0)
--2015-16: 30.6 (22nd)...(NSH, 27.3)
--2014-15: 35.6 (30th)...(LAK, 27.0)
Powerplay
--October: 25.0 (7th)...(NSH, 35.7)
--November: 22.7 (5th)...(CBJ, 27.8)
--December: 21.6 (9th)...(CBJ, 27.4)
--January: 22.7 (5th)...(CBJ, 24.6)
--February: 22.2 (4th)...(TOR, 23.0)
--2015-16: 18.9 (12th)...(ANA, 23.1)
--2014-15: 13.4 (30th)...(WSH, 25.3)
Penalty Kill
--October: 86.7 (7th)...(MIN, 96.2)
--November: 78.7 (25th)...(CAR, 89.7)
--December: 73.9 (30th)...(CAR, 88.8)
--January: 74.3 (29th)...(CAR, 87.8)
--February: 75.8 (29th)...(CAR, 86.0)
--2015-16: 82.6 (9th)...(ANA, 87.2)
--2014-15: 75.1 (30th)...(MIN, 86.3)
Faceoff Percentage
--October: 54.7 (3rd)...(ANA, 59.3)
--November: 51.5 (5th)...(ANA, 56.8)
--December: 51.1 (9th)...(ANA, 56.0)
--January: 50.6 (11th)...(ANA, 55.1)
--February: 49.9 (14th)...(ANA, 54.7)
--2015-16: 49.4 (21st)...(ARI, 54.7)
--2014-15: 44.9 (30th)...(BOS, 53.6)
Stuck in the mud.
That's about the only way to describe the month of February for the Buffalo Sabres as they finished with a 6-6-2 record and are pretty much in the same spot they've been all season long.
First off, the NHL schedule-makers may still be ticked at the Sabres for their unabashed dive to the bottom only two years ago as they decided to give Buffalo their bye week in the shortest month of the year. In the end the Sabres will have played 14 games in only 23 days because of their five day bye. It meant four sets of back-to-backs all totaled including three within the a span of 18 days before the bye where Buffalo played a total of 11 games in that segment. A 6-4-1 record during that span kept their playoff hopes alive.
However, the bye week is not the reason they are now on a four game pointless streak (0-3-1) to finish the month. The Sabres, for a number of reasons, couldn't get the job done while either playing from behind, or for the last two games, playing with the lead. They held two-goal leads in both Arizona and at home last night vs. the Nashville Predators and choked them away. It's a trend that's happened quite a few times this season, especially with the pressure turned up.
Head coach Dan Bylsma has done some good coaching this season, especially considering the number of key injuries he's had to deal with as well as a sub-par defense-corps to work with, but something's amiss.
We've had the battles over systems and players and the deviation between systems is very little from team to team. Ask Buffalo captain Brian Gionta. Players are players and there's good ones and bad ones and all points in between. However, we've seen a number of in-season coaching changes that have brought back stellar results with a new bench boss coaching the same players.
Bylsma's Sabres have never been able to get out of the rut that was created early in the season with the loss of Jack Eichel to injury. And every time it looks as if they're gonna make it out, they slip back. Case in point, prior to the break they were making headway in the race for a playoff spot. They won three in a row but followed that up with their present four-game winless streak.
Should Bylsma's head be on the chopping block?
That's tough to say, not being in the room, but in looking over the season so far, he's not been able to guide them out of the rut their in and on many occasions, when a pressure situation arises, his team folds.
That's not a good sign.
*****
It's the NHL Trade Deadline day and with the Sabres on an 0-3-1 streak, and their playoff hopes faint at this point, one could safely assume that GM Tim Murray will be a seller. Names to watch are pending UFA's Dmitry Kulikov and Cody Franson, both defensemen and backup goalie Anders Nilsson. Gionta will also be unrestricted at season's end but has stated more than once that he wishes to remain in Buffalo.
Other names to watch are forwards Tyler Ennis and Zemgus Girgensons.
Buffalo Sabres Team Stats/League Rankings...(Leader):
Wins
--October: 3 (T-23rd)...(MTL, 8)
--November: 8 (T-28th)...(MTL, NYR, 16)
--December: 13 (28th)...(CBJ, 26)
--January: 20 (T-27th)...(WSH, 33)
--February: 26 (T-23rd)...(WSH, 42)
--2015-16: 35 (23rd)...(WSH, 56)
--2014-15: 23 (30th)...(ANA, 49)
Atlantic Division Standing
--October: 7th...(MTL)
--November: 8th...(MTL)
--December: 8th...(MTL)
--January: 7th...(MTL)
--February: 7th...(MTL)
--2015-16: 7th...(FLA)
--2014-15: 8th...(MTL)
Eastern Conference Standing
--October: 12th...(MTL)
--November: 15th...(MTL)
--December: 16th...(CBJ)
--January: 15th...(WSH)
--February: 13th..(WSH)
--2015-16: 14th...(WSH)
--2014-15: 16th...(NYR)
League standing/Points
--October: 20th/8...(MTL/17)
--November: 28th/21...(MTL/34)
--December: 28th/34...(CBJ/56)
--January: 27th/49...(WSH/72)
--February: 22nd/63...(WSH/91)
--2015-16: 23rd/81...(WSH/120)
--2014-15: 30th/54...(NYR/113)
Points Percentage
--October: .500 (T-15th)...(MTL, .944)
--November: .477 (26th)...(MTL, .739)
--December: .472 (28th)...(CBJ, .800)
--January: .500 (24th)...(MIN, .724)
--February: .500 (T-22nd)...(WSH, .734)
--2015-16: .494 (23rd)...(WSH, .732)
--2014-15: .329 (30th)...(NYR, .689)
Goal Differential
--October: -1 (16th)...(MTL, +17)
--November: -13 (25th)...(NYR, +29)
--December: -23 (27th)...(CBJ, +50)
--January: -21 (26th)...(MIN), +54)
--February: -24 (23rd)...(WSH, +73)
--2015-16: -21 (20th)...(WSH, +59)
--2014-15 -113 (30th)...(NYR, +60)
Goals/Game
--October: 2.50 (21st)...(NYR, 3.89)
--November: 1.95 (30th)...(NYR, 3.67)
--December: 2.14 (28th)...(CBJ, 3.46)
--January: 2.43 (24th)...(PIT, 3.55)
--February: 2.46 (24th)...(PIT, 3.46)
--2015-16: 2.43 (25th)...(DAL, 3.23)
--2014-15: 1.87 (30th)...(TBL, 3.16)
Shots/Game
--October: 27.4 (28th)...(TOR, 34.7)
--November: 29.4 (20th)...(PIT, 33.9)
--December: 29.5 (17th)...(PIT, 34.8)
--January: 29.8 (17th)...(PIT, 34.4)
--February: 29.7 (20th)...(BOS, 33.9)
--2015-16: 29.5 (17th)...(PIT, 33.2)
--2014-15: 24.2 (30th)...(CHI, 33.9)
Goals-against/Game
--October: 2.50 (12th)...(MTL, 1.44)
--November: 2.45 (10th)...(SJS. 2.09)
--December: 2.67 (14th)...(MIN, 2.06)
--January: 2.78 (17th)...(WSH, 2.10)
--February: 2.79 (18th)...(WSH, 2.08)
--2015-16: 2.62 (15th)...(ANA, 2.29)
--2014-15: 3.28 (29th)...(MTL, 2.24)
Shots against/Game
--October: 30.6 (20th)...(WSH, 25)
--November: 32.5 (26th)...(LAK, 25.4)
--December: 32.6 (27th)...(LAK, 25.9)
--January: 33.3 (29th)...(LAK, 25.9)
--February: 34.1 (30th)...(LAK, 26.0)
--2015-16: 30.6 (22nd)...(NSH, 27.3)
--2014-15: 35.6 (30th)...(LAK, 27.0)
Powerplay
--October: 25.0 (7th)...(NSH, 35.7)
--November: 22.7 (5th)...(CBJ, 27.8)
--December: 21.6 (9th)...(CBJ, 27.4)
--January: 22.7 (5th)...(CBJ, 24.6)
--February: 22.2 (4th)...(TOR, 23.0)
--2015-16: 18.9 (12th)...(ANA, 23.1)
--2014-15: 13.4 (30th)...(WSH, 25.3)
Penalty Kill
--October: 86.7 (7th)...(MIN, 96.2)
--November: 78.7 (25th)...(CAR, 89.7)
--December: 73.9 (30th)...(CAR, 88.8)
--January: 74.3 (29th)...(CAR, 87.8)
--February: 75.8 (29th)...(CAR, 86.0)
--2015-16: 82.6 (9th)...(ANA, 87.2)
--2014-15: 75.1 (30th)...(MIN, 86.3)
Faceoff Percentage
--October: 54.7 (3rd)...(ANA, 59.3)
--November: 51.5 (5th)...(ANA, 56.8)
--December: 51.1 (9th)...(ANA, 56.0)
--January: 50.6 (11th)...(ANA, 55.1)
--February: 49.9 (14th)...(ANA, 54.7)
--2015-16: 49.4 (21st)...(ARI, 54.7)
--2014-15: 44.9 (30th)...(BOS, 53.6)
Wednesday, March 1, 2017
Bylsma shuffles the forward deck. Why? Not sure.
Published by hockeybuzz.com, 2-28-2017
According to Jourdon LaBarber of sabres.com, here were the Sabres' lines at this morning's skate:
Justin Bailey-Ryan O'Reilly-Kyle Okposo
Evander Kane-Jack Eichel-Brian Gionta
Marcus Foligno-Evan Rodrigues-Sam Reinhart
Matt Moulson-Zemgus Girgensons-Tyler Ennis
Losing to the two worst teams in the league while having playoff aspirations certainly complicated things for Buffalo head coach Dan Bylsma and seems to be mixing up his forward lines as a was to jostle them out of a three-game losing streak. Then again with their playoff hopes fading and the trade deadline tomorrow, perhaps they're showcasing Gionta in a top-six role for a playoff team. Or maybe Bylsma just wanted to reunite the Moulson-Girgensons-Ennis line as two years ago they were the top line on a last place team.
Perhaps Bylsma felt that Rodrigues deserved a bump up (which he did,) or that Girgensons, despite playing some of the best, if not the best, hockey since 2015, wasn't producing enough offensively for his liking. Or maybe he wants Reinhart to be more defensively responsible after his minus-4 rating against Colorado.
The again, there's a good possibility that Bylsma's feeling the heat from the disaster of losing to the two worst teams in the league and this was the best he could come up with.
Simple fact is, Bylsma's Sabres, who were in the hunt for a playoff spot prior to their present three-game losing streak, couldn't get the job done against the Avs and Coyotes and it's a trend that's been going on for months.
We harken back to December with the return of Jack Eichel and the surge of Evander Kane and how the Sabres kicked off the month with 4-2-1 record before two shootout losses made it points in seven of nine games. Up ahead on the schedule were five games within the conference and division with 10 points on the table. They came up way short winning only won and finishing the month with a disastrous home-and-home versu divisional rival Boston when the opportunity to make up some serious ground vanished.
After Eichel threw a post-game tantrum to end December, the Sabres got their act together in early January, won a quick three of four and were on a four-game point-streak. With momentum on their side and a chance to put some distance between themselves and two Eastern Conference wild card foes, they dropped both games to Tampa Bay and Carolina by a combined 9-4 score.
The roller coaster continued as Buffalo ripped off three wins in a row, all in overtime after coming back in the third period. They almost did it once again, but that loss in Dallas sent the Sabres on a 1-3-1 dive and after alternating wins and losses Buffalo rattled off three wins in a row with one game to go before their bye week. They got steamrolled by Chicago, had their bye, and then, with an opportunity to garner four points via two winnable games, they proceeded to lose to Colorado and Arizona.
It seems as if every time the Sabres had the opportunity to do something special, they laid an egg. One can easily lay the blame at the feet of an inadequate defense-corps, but the forward group had struggled as well with injuries and illness hindering any sense of continuity. Even with the losses the Sabres have had, it would seem as if the forward group fell into place lately.
For all of his well documented scoring woes, Girgensons has been doing exactly what Bylsma has asked him to do which is focus upon the defensive side of the game. He did that extremely well and his reward was getting dropped to the fourth line. Although one goal and two assists in his last nine games won't lead to any Gretzky comparisons, but it's the exact same output that Bailey has had through his last nine games.
Maybe even more puzzling is why Bylsma's revisiting the Gionta/Eichel experiment again, or why he's even trying to put the 38 yr. old in a top-six role. Just look at the tape from last season. Gionta couldn't keep up then, and he certainly won't be able to keep up now, especially with Kane joining Eichel on a screaming fast line.
Nothing against Bailey, who I think has an incredibly bright future, or Gionta, who's been playing his best hockey since joining the Sabres in 2014, but facts is facts.
As for Rodrigues, he played on Eichel's left wing at Boston University and had a career year but the Sabres have a need down the middle and he's played well in a bottom-six center role since that call-up. Rodrigues started as third-line center while Girgensons was out with an injury then moved to the fourth line and has goals in consecutive games. Switching him and Girgensons is understandable but switching Reinhart and Gionta doesn't seem to make a lot of sense. Anyone who's watched this team dating back to last season should be able to tell you that Gionta makes his linemates better on the third line, and that's what he is at this stage of his career, a third line right winger.
I'm not sure how this shuffling does anybody any good. Perhaps it's a desperate move to try and shake the team from it's three-game losing streak or it's rewarding players, like Rodrigues and Gionta, for their good work. Or maybe Bylsma was a bleary-eyed after being at KeyBank Center until 8:30 pm yesterday meeting with GM Tim Murray and scouts, according to WGR's Paul Hamilton.
Regardless, the Sabres have a home date vs. the Nashville Predators tonight. With the Sabres slumping and the Preds surging, I'm not sure how these moves will keep Bylsma's team from falling behind early or coughing up a lead late, which they've done plenty of during this month, but hey, at least he's trying something.
Right?
According to Jourdon LaBarber of sabres.com, here were the Sabres' lines at this morning's skate:
Justin Bailey-Ryan O'Reilly-Kyle Okposo
Evander Kane-Jack Eichel-Brian Gionta
Marcus Foligno-Evan Rodrigues-Sam Reinhart
Matt Moulson-Zemgus Girgensons-Tyler Ennis
Losing to the two worst teams in the league while having playoff aspirations certainly complicated things for Buffalo head coach Dan Bylsma and seems to be mixing up his forward lines as a was to jostle them out of a three-game losing streak. Then again with their playoff hopes fading and the trade deadline tomorrow, perhaps they're showcasing Gionta in a top-six role for a playoff team. Or maybe Bylsma just wanted to reunite the Moulson-Girgensons-Ennis line as two years ago they were the top line on a last place team.
Perhaps Bylsma felt that Rodrigues deserved a bump up (which he did,) or that Girgensons, despite playing some of the best, if not the best, hockey since 2015, wasn't producing enough offensively for his liking. Or maybe he wants Reinhart to be more defensively responsible after his minus-4 rating against Colorado.
The again, there's a good possibility that Bylsma's feeling the heat from the disaster of losing to the two worst teams in the league and this was the best he could come up with.
Simple fact is, Bylsma's Sabres, who were in the hunt for a playoff spot prior to their present three-game losing streak, couldn't get the job done against the Avs and Coyotes and it's a trend that's been going on for months.
We harken back to December with the return of Jack Eichel and the surge of Evander Kane and how the Sabres kicked off the month with 4-2-1 record before two shootout losses made it points in seven of nine games. Up ahead on the schedule were five games within the conference and division with 10 points on the table. They came up way short winning only won and finishing the month with a disastrous home-and-home versu divisional rival Boston when the opportunity to make up some serious ground vanished.
After Eichel threw a post-game tantrum to end December, the Sabres got their act together in early January, won a quick three of four and were on a four-game point-streak. With momentum on their side and a chance to put some distance between themselves and two Eastern Conference wild card foes, they dropped both games to Tampa Bay and Carolina by a combined 9-4 score.
The roller coaster continued as Buffalo ripped off three wins in a row, all in overtime after coming back in the third period. They almost did it once again, but that loss in Dallas sent the Sabres on a 1-3-1 dive and after alternating wins and losses Buffalo rattled off three wins in a row with one game to go before their bye week. They got steamrolled by Chicago, had their bye, and then, with an opportunity to garner four points via two winnable games, they proceeded to lose to Colorado and Arizona.
It seems as if every time the Sabres had the opportunity to do something special, they laid an egg. One can easily lay the blame at the feet of an inadequate defense-corps, but the forward group had struggled as well with injuries and illness hindering any sense of continuity. Even with the losses the Sabres have had, it would seem as if the forward group fell into place lately.
For all of his well documented scoring woes, Girgensons has been doing exactly what Bylsma has asked him to do which is focus upon the defensive side of the game. He did that extremely well and his reward was getting dropped to the fourth line. Although one goal and two assists in his last nine games won't lead to any Gretzky comparisons, but it's the exact same output that Bailey has had through his last nine games.
Maybe even more puzzling is why Bylsma's revisiting the Gionta/Eichel experiment again, or why he's even trying to put the 38 yr. old in a top-six role. Just look at the tape from last season. Gionta couldn't keep up then, and he certainly won't be able to keep up now, especially with Kane joining Eichel on a screaming fast line.
Nothing against Bailey, who I think has an incredibly bright future, or Gionta, who's been playing his best hockey since joining the Sabres in 2014, but facts is facts.
As for Rodrigues, he played on Eichel's left wing at Boston University and had a career year but the Sabres have a need down the middle and he's played well in a bottom-six center role since that call-up. Rodrigues started as third-line center while Girgensons was out with an injury then moved to the fourth line and has goals in consecutive games. Switching him and Girgensons is understandable but switching Reinhart and Gionta doesn't seem to make a lot of sense. Anyone who's watched this team dating back to last season should be able to tell you that Gionta makes his linemates better on the third line, and that's what he is at this stage of his career, a third line right winger.
I'm not sure how this shuffling does anybody any good. Perhaps it's a desperate move to try and shake the team from it's three-game losing streak or it's rewarding players, like Rodrigues and Gionta, for their good work. Or maybe Bylsma was a bleary-eyed after being at KeyBank Center until 8:30 pm yesterday meeting with GM Tim Murray and scouts, according to WGR's Paul Hamilton.
Regardless, the Sabres have a home date vs. the Nashville Predators tonight. With the Sabres slumping and the Preds surging, I'm not sure how these moves will keep Bylsma's team from falling behind early or coughing up a lead late, which they've done plenty of during this month, but hey, at least he's trying something.
Right?
Tuesday, February 28, 2017
Sabres should have the 'For Sale' sign up headed towards the trade deadline
Published by hockeybuzz.com, 2-27-2017
To rehash the events of the last couple of weeks, the Sabres started out a three-game winning streak with a sweet 3-2 win at Ottawa with one game left to go before their bye week. At the time they were enjoying a productive month going 6-3-1 to that point and were two points behind the Florida Panthers for third place in the division and only two points out of the second wild-card spot as well.
Unfortunately the teams around them had games in hand that were mostly made up during the Sabres bye week . After getting shellacked 5-2 by the Chicago Blackhawks before their hockey hiatus Buffalo sat on the sidelines and watched as deficit swelled to six points in both races.
On tap for the Sabres was a back-to-back roadie beginning Saturday against the two worst teams in the league--the Colorado Avalanche and the Arizona Coyotes. Teams coming our of their bye weeks had struggled mightily combining for a meager 4-12-4 combined record and when Buffalo fell behind 3-0 in the first period against the last place Avalanche, it looked as if they were going down in flames as well. The Sabres did claw their way back in a game that most had them losing and made it interesting but couldn't overcome a number of factors, including some egregious non-calls very late in the game, and went on to lose.
For a follow up the Sabres travelled to Arizona to take on the 29th place Coyotes who just traded away top-six center Martin Hanzal. A displeased and somewhat disjointed Coyotes club entered the third period down 2-0 against the Sabres but proceeded to score three unanswered goals to come away with the win.
With that loss, and the three-game losing streak the Sabres are on right now, their playoff hopes are about as slim as can be as they're seven points out of the second wild card spot and eight points out of third place in the division. It would take a herculean winning streak for Buffalo to get into the playoffs and we're pretty sure they don't have the horses to get there as they're longest winning streak of the season is three games.
The post-mortem on the season may simply read that this just wasn't going to be their year. From the injury to Jack Eichel the day before opening night which to an injury to Evander Kane on opening night, to Ryan O'Reilly's back-spasms and Dmitry Kulikov's unlucky fall into an open bench door, the Sabres barely clung to their senses early in the season. With Jack back and Kane on a tear, the team rose from the ashes but could never put together a sustainable run to get them to the top of a clump of teams in the middle of the conference.
It was also a season that clearly exposed some glaring weaknesses on the team. We'll never know what could've been with Kulikov healthy to start the season and playing in the World Cup of Hockey didn't help his transition to Buffalo either, but we do know that he's one of four defensemen on Buffalo that have looked below average.
This season also exposed problems between coach and players. Last night's loss was yet another where the Sabres tried to protect a lead only to give it up. This is a fragile Sabres team at times and last night after Rasmus Ristolainen's turnover lead to Arizona's first goal, Buffalo went into a shell and from there it was all down hill.
GM Tim Murray has a couple of problems on his hands right now, most notably the defense-corps. With his team too far out of a playoff spot and very little defensive help to be had at the trade deadline, he's more apt to unload what free agent contracts he has on hand and be a seller at this year's trade deadline. Kulikov and Cody Franson are both rentals that could add defensive depth for playoff teams at a very reasonable rate. There's no need to keep them as they don't look to be part of the future for Buffalo. If Murray could land a third or fourth rounder for either player, he'll have done well.
Another player the Sabres might be interested in moving is backup goalie Anders Nilsson who's having the best season of his career. Nilsson is 9-8-4 with a 2.69 goals-against average and a .921 save percentage. Perhaps he could fetch a fourth or fifth rounder.
The player that teams may want most is the one that doesn't want to be traded. Sabres captain Brian Gionta is a 38 yr. old veteran with a Stanley Cup to his resume. With 12 goals and 15 assists, Gionta is on pace to have his best season since signing in Buffalo back in 2014. He has publicly stated his desire to stay with the club and it's assumed that the Sabres would respect his wishes by not trading him.
Those were the pending UFA's but Kane's name keeps cropping up. Kane will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of next season and has been on a tear lately. There have been rumors linking him to the Los Angeles Kings and Minnesota Wild, the latter of which has a strong, deep defense pool from which to tap into.
Buffalo has one more game left before the trade deadline as they kick off a three-game home stand against the Nashville Predators tomorrow night. Between now and then we'll see just how fixated on the future Murray is.
To rehash the events of the last couple of weeks, the Sabres started out a three-game winning streak with a sweet 3-2 win at Ottawa with one game left to go before their bye week. At the time they were enjoying a productive month going 6-3-1 to that point and were two points behind the Florida Panthers for third place in the division and only two points out of the second wild-card spot as well.
Unfortunately the teams around them had games in hand that were mostly made up during the Sabres bye week . After getting shellacked 5-2 by the Chicago Blackhawks before their hockey hiatus Buffalo sat on the sidelines and watched as deficit swelled to six points in both races.
On tap for the Sabres was a back-to-back roadie beginning Saturday against the two worst teams in the league--the Colorado Avalanche and the Arizona Coyotes. Teams coming our of their bye weeks had struggled mightily combining for a meager 4-12-4 combined record and when Buffalo fell behind 3-0 in the first period against the last place Avalanche, it looked as if they were going down in flames as well. The Sabres did claw their way back in a game that most had them losing and made it interesting but couldn't overcome a number of factors, including some egregious non-calls very late in the game, and went on to lose.
For a follow up the Sabres travelled to Arizona to take on the 29th place Coyotes who just traded away top-six center Martin Hanzal. A displeased and somewhat disjointed Coyotes club entered the third period down 2-0 against the Sabres but proceeded to score three unanswered goals to come away with the win.
With that loss, and the three-game losing streak the Sabres are on right now, their playoff hopes are about as slim as can be as they're seven points out of the second wild card spot and eight points out of third place in the division. It would take a herculean winning streak for Buffalo to get into the playoffs and we're pretty sure they don't have the horses to get there as they're longest winning streak of the season is three games.
The post-mortem on the season may simply read that this just wasn't going to be their year. From the injury to Jack Eichel the day before opening night which to an injury to Evander Kane on opening night, to Ryan O'Reilly's back-spasms and Dmitry Kulikov's unlucky fall into an open bench door, the Sabres barely clung to their senses early in the season. With Jack back and Kane on a tear, the team rose from the ashes but could never put together a sustainable run to get them to the top of a clump of teams in the middle of the conference.
It was also a season that clearly exposed some glaring weaknesses on the team. We'll never know what could've been with Kulikov healthy to start the season and playing in the World Cup of Hockey didn't help his transition to Buffalo either, but we do know that he's one of four defensemen on Buffalo that have looked below average.
This season also exposed problems between coach and players. Last night's loss was yet another where the Sabres tried to protect a lead only to give it up. This is a fragile Sabres team at times and last night after Rasmus Ristolainen's turnover lead to Arizona's first goal, Buffalo went into a shell and from there it was all down hill.
GM Tim Murray has a couple of problems on his hands right now, most notably the defense-corps. With his team too far out of a playoff spot and very little defensive help to be had at the trade deadline, he's more apt to unload what free agent contracts he has on hand and be a seller at this year's trade deadline. Kulikov and Cody Franson are both rentals that could add defensive depth for playoff teams at a very reasonable rate. There's no need to keep them as they don't look to be part of the future for Buffalo. If Murray could land a third or fourth rounder for either player, he'll have done well.
Another player the Sabres might be interested in moving is backup goalie Anders Nilsson who's having the best season of his career. Nilsson is 9-8-4 with a 2.69 goals-against average and a .921 save percentage. Perhaps he could fetch a fourth or fifth rounder.
The player that teams may want most is the one that doesn't want to be traded. Sabres captain Brian Gionta is a 38 yr. old veteran with a Stanley Cup to his resume. With 12 goals and 15 assists, Gionta is on pace to have his best season since signing in Buffalo back in 2014. He has publicly stated his desire to stay with the club and it's assumed that the Sabres would respect his wishes by not trading him.
Those were the pending UFA's but Kane's name keeps cropping up. Kane will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of next season and has been on a tear lately. There have been rumors linking him to the Los Angeles Kings and Minnesota Wild, the latter of which has a strong, deep defense pool from which to tap into.
Buffalo has one more game left before the trade deadline as they kick off a three-game home stand against the Nashville Predators tomorrow night. Between now and then we'll see just how fixated on the future Murray is.
Friday, February 24, 2017
Where Buffalo stands plus a look at the schedules for teams surrounding them
The Buffalo Sabres won't resume action until Saturday when they play a 10pm EST game against the Colorado Avalanche at the Pepsi Center in Denver. The following night they'll be in Arizona to take on the Coyotes before travelling back home to face off against the Nashville Predators. Those are Buffalo's last three games before the March 1 NHL Trade Deadline and their outcomes, along with those of the teams clumped around them in the playoff chase, will go a long way in determining what the Sabres will do at the trade deadline.
With Buffalo on their bye week having played 60 games and netting 62 points in the process, the rest of the teams are beginning to catch up with the number of games played. In the Atlantic Division only the Ottawa Senators have two games in hand, the rest are either even or have only one game in hand. And in the Eastern Conference wild card grouping the Carolina Hurricanes have four games in hand on the Sabres while every other team vying for that second wild card spot are even or have one game in hand.
By the time the Sabres hit the ice on Saturday, every team except Carolina will have caught up with or surpassed Buffalo in the number of games played.
That said, here is where the Sabres stand in the Atlantic Division (games played as of today):
Montreal (60) -- 72 pts.
Ottawa (58) -- 70
Toronto (59) -- 67
Florida (59) -- 66
Boston (60) -- 66
Tampa Bay (59) -- 62
Buffalo (60) -- 62
Detroit (60) -- 58
Here's how it looks in the race for the second wild card spot in the Eastern Conference:
NY Islanders (59) -- 66 pts.
________
Florida (59) -- 66
Boston (60) -- 66
Philadelphia (60) -- 63
Tampa Bay (59) -- 62
Buffalo (60) --62
New Jersey (60) -- 60
Detroit (60) -- 60
Carolina (56) -- 56
As mentioned, Buffalo has three games between now and the March 1 trade deadline, here's what's on tap for those around Buffalo between now and then (number of games) :
Montreal (4)--vs. NYI; @ TOR; @ NJD; vs. CBJ
Ottawa (3)--@CAR; @ FLA; @ TBL
Toronto (3)--vs. NYR; vs. MTL; @ SJS
Florida (3)--vs. CGY; vs. OTT; vs. CAR
Boston (3)--@ LAK; @ DAL; vs. ARI
Tampa Bay (2)--vs. CGY; vs. OTT
Detroit (1)--@ VAN
NY Islanders (2)--@ MTL; vs, CBJ
Philadelphia (2)--@ PIT; vs. COL
New Jersey (2)--vs. NYR; vs. MTL
Carolina (2)--vs. OTT; vs. CGY
With Buffalo on their bye week having played 60 games and netting 62 points in the process, the rest of the teams are beginning to catch up with the number of games played. In the Atlantic Division only the Ottawa Senators have two games in hand, the rest are either even or have only one game in hand. And in the Eastern Conference wild card grouping the Carolina Hurricanes have four games in hand on the Sabres while every other team vying for that second wild card spot are even or have one game in hand.
By the time the Sabres hit the ice on Saturday, every team except Carolina will have caught up with or surpassed Buffalo in the number of games played.
That said, here is where the Sabres stand in the Atlantic Division (games played as of today):
Montreal (60) -- 72 pts.
Ottawa (58) -- 70
Toronto (59) -- 67
Florida (59) -- 66
Boston (60) -- 66
Tampa Bay (59) -- 62
Buffalo (60) -- 62
Detroit (60) -- 58
Here's how it looks in the race for the second wild card spot in the Eastern Conference:
NY Islanders (59) -- 66 pts.
________
Florida (59) -- 66
Boston (60) -- 66
Philadelphia (60) -- 63
Tampa Bay (59) -- 62
Buffalo (60) --62
New Jersey (60) -- 60
Detroit (60) -- 60
Carolina (56) -- 56
As mentioned, Buffalo has three games between now and the March 1 trade deadline, here's what's on tap for those around Buffalo between now and then (number of games) :
Montreal (4)--vs. NYI; @ TOR; @ NJD; vs. CBJ
Ottawa (3)--@CAR; @ FLA; @ TBL
Toronto (3)--vs. NYR; vs. MTL; @ SJS
Florida (3)--vs. CGY; vs. OTT; vs. CAR
Boston (3)--@ LAK; @ DAL; vs. ARI
Tampa Bay (2)--vs. CGY; vs. OTT
Detroit (1)--@ VAN
NY Islanders (2)--@ MTL; vs, CBJ
Philadelphia (2)--@ PIT; vs. COL
New Jersey (2)--vs. NYR; vs. MTL
Carolina (2)--vs. OTT; vs. CGY
Thursday, February 23, 2017
What's with all the Evander Kane talk?
Published by hockeybuzz.com, 2-22-2017
Nine months ago no NHL general manger would touch him, Sabres fans were ready to take a bag of pucks for him and derision spewed from those who "told us" that Evander Kane was nothing but a selfish piece of crap.
My, how things have changed. I guess that's what happens when you go on a streak of 21 goals in 36 games and look exactly like the player that scored 30 as a third-year player. Size, speed, skill, grit and moxie, that's what Buffalo GM Tim Murray traded for when he sent a package to the Winnipeg Jets to land Kane as the primary piece in a February, 2015 blockbuster deal. That Kane opted for surgery and was unavailable after the trade in the year of "McEichel" was a bonus.
Kane's tenure in Buffalo had been tenuous at best. That was up until he began his tear beginning December 3 with a goal vs. the Boston Bruins. Anyone who watched Kane in Atlanta playing for the Thrashers in his first few years knew what he had to offer and there wasn't a hockey fan on earth not envious of Le Thrash for having a power forward like him. Yet after Atlanta was relocated to Winnipeg, off-ice issues started cropping up with the Jets and continued in Buffalo. For a seven-month stretch beginning in December, 2015 and culminating with a bar room altercation in Buffalo while the Sabres and the city were hosting the 2016 NHL Draft, Kane caused consternation in Saberland to the point where, supposedly, owner Terry Pegula wanted him gone.
Pegula wasn't without reservations to begin with when it came to trading for Kane as he and his GM Murray were discussing the potential trade in early 2015. With the Winnipeg incidents still fresh in the minds of all involved, Murray laid it out pretty straight, like he always seems to do, for his boss. "[Pegula] asked questions and I answered them truthfully and to the best of my ability. It wasn't all unicorns and rainbows and juju's," said Murray of Kane's issues at the time of the trade. "it never is with any player. Players have warts. The best players have warts and I can tell you the best of the very best of players had warts. It's just what it is. He listened, asked questions, he wants to be informed and then he told me to do what I felt was best.
"I made a trade for Kane so I'm not worried about his character."
One can see Pegula seething in Murray's office after the organizationally embarrassing June, 2016 bar incident. Kane's were looking more like cancerous growths on the organization and I wouldn't be surprised if the rumors of Pegula wanting Kane gone were true. Unfortunately for Pegula, with Kane's off-ice track record and one decent 20-goal campaign, Kane's stock was at an all-time low and demand was even lower.
And it may have gotten lower, if that was possible. After breaking four ribs and missing 11 games then going goal-less for the next 10 games, not only was Kane chastised for his off-ice issues, but he was now getting a rep for being both injury-prone and overrated. However, luckily for Murray, who stuck with his guy, Kane turned it around. Then came the goal-surge and now the trade talk.
Everyone keeps bringing up trading Kane and I get that. I understand the concept "sell-high." But I'd also like to think that Murray didn't put his ass on the line from the beginning until now just to trade Kane away while he's performing exactly like the player Murray traded for. From that perspective it makes absolutely no sense.
Neither does it make sense from a roster perspective. Other than defense, left wing is the weakest position on the team with Kane being the only bona fide top-six winger on the team. Nor does it make sense from a line perspective as Kane and franchise center Jack Eichel are just beginning to click. To use a quote from head coach Dan Bylsma talking to the press about a Kane/Eichel possibility, "imagine [that] coming at you."
Kane and Eichel are bringing the heat and they have helped put the team in the playoff mix, as of this juncture. The Sabres seem to be a team that's tired of losing and even if the odds are further stacked against them, from my perspective, this group deserves the opportunity to take it as far as it will go and trading Kane will send them right back to where they were--Loserville.
The Kane situation is a tough one. He's still on probation from the draft incident and he'll be a free agent at the end of next season. Perhaps he's playing nice off-ice and those warts will come through again. O, perhaps he's maturing. Maybe he'll continue scoring like a banshee or may settle into that 20-25 goal range. In fact, with him certainty is anything but.
What it will come down to for Kane and those in Sabreland is his preference. Does he want to stay in Buffalo? Does he like the direction the team is headed in? And is there a contract extension in his future? The only one's who know are Kane, his agent, and possibly Murray.
I posed a question to a colleague asking, on a scale of 1-10 (with 10 being highest,) what kind of mark would Kane give Buffalo and the Sabres? I gave it a 7, to which he replied, "that seems fair."
Kane could be moved at the trade deadline, but the odds are long. Save for an incredible haul in return come next week, the only time I believe Murray will seriously entertain moving Kane is this off season. And even that would depend upon one thing, whether or not Kane will sign an extension, with a caveat that it will also be a reasonable one for the team moving forward.
That, in my opinion, should be the only real conversation right now.
Nine months ago no NHL general manger would touch him, Sabres fans were ready to take a bag of pucks for him and derision spewed from those who "told us" that Evander Kane was nothing but a selfish piece of crap.
My, how things have changed. I guess that's what happens when you go on a streak of 21 goals in 36 games and look exactly like the player that scored 30 as a third-year player. Size, speed, skill, grit and moxie, that's what Buffalo GM Tim Murray traded for when he sent a package to the Winnipeg Jets to land Kane as the primary piece in a February, 2015 blockbuster deal. That Kane opted for surgery and was unavailable after the trade in the year of "McEichel" was a bonus.
Kane's tenure in Buffalo had been tenuous at best. That was up until he began his tear beginning December 3 with a goal vs. the Boston Bruins. Anyone who watched Kane in Atlanta playing for the Thrashers in his first few years knew what he had to offer and there wasn't a hockey fan on earth not envious of Le Thrash for having a power forward like him. Yet after Atlanta was relocated to Winnipeg, off-ice issues started cropping up with the Jets and continued in Buffalo. For a seven-month stretch beginning in December, 2015 and culminating with a bar room altercation in Buffalo while the Sabres and the city were hosting the 2016 NHL Draft, Kane caused consternation in Saberland to the point where, supposedly, owner Terry Pegula wanted him gone.
Pegula wasn't without reservations to begin with when it came to trading for Kane as he and his GM Murray were discussing the potential trade in early 2015. With the Winnipeg incidents still fresh in the minds of all involved, Murray laid it out pretty straight, like he always seems to do, for his boss. "[Pegula] asked questions and I answered them truthfully and to the best of my ability. It wasn't all unicorns and rainbows and juju's," said Murray of Kane's issues at the time of the trade. "it never is with any player. Players have warts. The best players have warts and I can tell you the best of the very best of players had warts. It's just what it is. He listened, asked questions, he wants to be informed and then he told me to do what I felt was best.
"I made a trade for Kane so I'm not worried about his character."
One can see Pegula seething in Murray's office after the organizationally embarrassing June, 2016 bar incident. Kane's were looking more like cancerous growths on the organization and I wouldn't be surprised if the rumors of Pegula wanting Kane gone were true. Unfortunately for Pegula, with Kane's off-ice track record and one decent 20-goal campaign, Kane's stock was at an all-time low and demand was even lower.
And it may have gotten lower, if that was possible. After breaking four ribs and missing 11 games then going goal-less for the next 10 games, not only was Kane chastised for his off-ice issues, but he was now getting a rep for being both injury-prone and overrated. However, luckily for Murray, who stuck with his guy, Kane turned it around. Then came the goal-surge and now the trade talk.
Everyone keeps bringing up trading Kane and I get that. I understand the concept "sell-high." But I'd also like to think that Murray didn't put his ass on the line from the beginning until now just to trade Kane away while he's performing exactly like the player Murray traded for. From that perspective it makes absolutely no sense.
Neither does it make sense from a roster perspective. Other than defense, left wing is the weakest position on the team with Kane being the only bona fide top-six winger on the team. Nor does it make sense from a line perspective as Kane and franchise center Jack Eichel are just beginning to click. To use a quote from head coach Dan Bylsma talking to the press about a Kane/Eichel possibility, "imagine [that] coming at you."
Kane and Eichel are bringing the heat and they have helped put the team in the playoff mix, as of this juncture. The Sabres seem to be a team that's tired of losing and even if the odds are further stacked against them, from my perspective, this group deserves the opportunity to take it as far as it will go and trading Kane will send them right back to where they were--Loserville.
The Kane situation is a tough one. He's still on probation from the draft incident and he'll be a free agent at the end of next season. Perhaps he's playing nice off-ice and those warts will come through again. O, perhaps he's maturing. Maybe he'll continue scoring like a banshee or may settle into that 20-25 goal range. In fact, with him certainty is anything but.
What it will come down to for Kane and those in Sabreland is his preference. Does he want to stay in Buffalo? Does he like the direction the team is headed in? And is there a contract extension in his future? The only one's who know are Kane, his agent, and possibly Murray.
I posed a question to a colleague asking, on a scale of 1-10 (with 10 being highest,) what kind of mark would Kane give Buffalo and the Sabres? I gave it a 7, to which he replied, "that seems fair."
Kane could be moved at the trade deadline, but the odds are long. Save for an incredible haul in return come next week, the only time I believe Murray will seriously entertain moving Kane is this off season. And even that would depend upon one thing, whether or not Kane will sign an extension, with a caveat that it will also be a reasonable one for the team moving forward.
That, in my opinion, should be the only real conversation right now.
Wednesday, February 22, 2017
Scoreboard watching, a worse case scenario with Buffalo on their bye
Published by hockeybuzz.com 2-21-2017
The Buffalo Sabres enjoyed some upward movement in the standings thx to a stretch where they won three of four games heading into their bye week. After bouncing along near the bottom of the division and conference a three game winning streak gave them a boost to the middle of the playoff-contender pack. Alas, maybe that's why head coach Dan Bylsma said this about the bye week, "Five days is an eternity in the hockey season. It's a long time and it's a break you don't want at this point [with] the way we're playing and the wins we've put together. You maybe want to forgo the five days and keep playing."
However, the bye week was collectively bargained for by the NHL Players Association and it's Buffalo's turn. It just so happens to coincide with an important stretch of the season where the Sabres are trying to get into the playoff picture.
As of Monday night, Buffalo played 60 games, the most in the conference and here were the standings in the division:
Montreal--70 pts
Ottawa--68
Florida--66
Boston--66
Toronto--65
Buffalo--62
Tampa Bay--58
Detroit--56
Here are a list of games each team plays while the Sabres are on the bye:
Montreal (2) -- @ NYR; vs. NYI
Ottawa (2) -- @ NJD; @ CAR
Florida (2)-- vs. EDM; vs. CGY
Boston (2) -- @ ANA; @ LAK
Toronto (2) -- vs. WPG; vs. NYR
Tampa Bay (2) -- vs. EDM; vs. CGY
Detroit (1) -- vs. NYI
If every team in the division won their games, here's what the standings would look like:
Montreal--74 pts
Ottawa--72
Florida--70
Boston--70
Toronto--69
Tampa Bay--62
Buffalo--62
Detroit--58
Here's where Buffalo stood on Sunday night in the conference from the second wild-card spot down:
Boston--66 pts
______
Toronto--65
NY Islanders--62
Buffalo--62
Philadelphia--63
New Jersey--60
Tampa Bay--58
Carolina--56
Detroit--56
Here's the schedule for each team:
Boston (2) -- @ ANA; @ LAK
Toronto (2) -- vs. WPG; vs. NYR
NY Islanders (2) -- @ DET; @ MTL
Philadelphia (1) -- vs. WSH
New Jersey (1) -- vs. OTT
Tampa Bay (2) -- vs. EDM; vs. CGY
Carolina (2) -- vs. PIT; vs. OTT
Detroit (1) -- vs. NYI
There is only two possible "three-point game" on the schedule here (NYI/DET) so we're going to give the win Metropolitan Division (NYI) and a loser point to Atlantic Division (DET.) Here would be the standings if every team won their games with the three-point games going as laid out:
Boston--70 pts
______
Toronto--69
NY Islanders--66
Philadelphia--65
Tampa Bay--62
Buffalo--62
New Jersey--62
Carolina--60
Detroit--57
At worst, the Sabres would end up seventh in the division, eight points behind the third place Florida Panthers and would be 13th in the conference, eight points behind the Boston Bruins for the second wild card spot.
Of note, the Florida Panthers' five-game winning streak has them in a playoff spot right now. Prior to that the Cats were fifth in the division, five points out of third place, and they were 11th in the conference, four points out of the second wild card spot.
The Buffalo Sabres enjoyed some upward movement in the standings thx to a stretch where they won three of four games heading into their bye week. After bouncing along near the bottom of the division and conference a three game winning streak gave them a boost to the middle of the playoff-contender pack. Alas, maybe that's why head coach Dan Bylsma said this about the bye week, "Five days is an eternity in the hockey season. It's a long time and it's a break you don't want at this point [with] the way we're playing and the wins we've put together. You maybe want to forgo the five days and keep playing."
However, the bye week was collectively bargained for by the NHL Players Association and it's Buffalo's turn. It just so happens to coincide with an important stretch of the season where the Sabres are trying to get into the playoff picture.
As of Monday night, Buffalo played 60 games, the most in the conference and here were the standings in the division:
Montreal--70 pts
Ottawa--68
Florida--66
Boston--66
Toronto--65
Buffalo--62
Tampa Bay--58
Detroit--56
Here are a list of games each team plays while the Sabres are on the bye:
Montreal (2) -- @ NYR; vs. NYI
Ottawa (2) -- @ NJD; @ CAR
Florida (2)-- vs. EDM; vs. CGY
Boston (2) -- @ ANA; @ LAK
Toronto (2) -- vs. WPG; vs. NYR
Tampa Bay (2) -- vs. EDM; vs. CGY
Detroit (1) -- vs. NYI
If every team in the division won their games, here's what the standings would look like:
Montreal--74 pts
Ottawa--72
Florida--70
Boston--70
Toronto--69
Tampa Bay--62
Buffalo--62
Detroit--58
Here's where Buffalo stood on Sunday night in the conference from the second wild-card spot down:
Boston--66 pts
______
Toronto--65
NY Islanders--62
Buffalo--62
Philadelphia--63
New Jersey--60
Tampa Bay--58
Carolina--56
Detroit--56
Here's the schedule for each team:
Boston (2) -- @ ANA; @ LAK
Toronto (2) -- vs. WPG; vs. NYR
NY Islanders (2) -- @ DET; @ MTL
Philadelphia (1) -- vs. WSH
New Jersey (1) -- vs. OTT
Tampa Bay (2) -- vs. EDM; vs. CGY
Carolina (2) -- vs. PIT; vs. OTT
Detroit (1) -- vs. NYI
There is only two possible "three-point game" on the schedule here (NYI/DET) so we're going to give the win Metropolitan Division (NYI) and a loser point to Atlantic Division (DET.) Here would be the standings if every team won their games with the three-point games going as laid out:
Boston--70 pts
______
Toronto--69
NY Islanders--66
Philadelphia--65
Tampa Bay--62
Buffalo--62
New Jersey--62
Carolina--60
Detroit--57
At worst, the Sabres would end up seventh in the division, eight points behind the third place Florida Panthers and would be 13th in the conference, eight points behind the Boston Bruins for the second wild card spot.
Of note, the Florida Panthers' five-game winning streak has them in a playoff spot right now. Prior to that the Cats were fifth in the division, five points out of third place, and they were 11th in the conference, four points out of the second wild card spot.
Tuesday, February 14, 2017
News, notes and other tidbits
Published by hockeybuzz.com, 2-14-2017
The Buffalo Sabres are in Ottawa tonight to take on the Senators for the fifth and final time this season. The Sabres have won three of the four contests with two of those wins coming in Canada's Capital and they're 2-0 vs. Ottawa with Jack Eichel in the lineup. Buffalo defeated the Senators 5-4 in Eichel's return after missing the first 21 games in the season and the Sabres dominated Ottawa only 10 days ago in a 4-0 shutout.
It's been rough and rocky travellin' for the Sabres this season as not only did the Eichel injury have an impact earlier in the season but there have also been plenty of key players like Ryan O'Reilly and Evander Kane as well as a plethora of defensemen who've been sidelined due to injuries this season. It seem like just as one regular comes back, another one is out.
Tonight may be no different as defenseman Zach Bogosian should be back in the lineup after a six-game absence with a rib injury while Kane is said to be ill and may not be able to go tonight and is a game-time decision. According to the media, Matt Moulson replaced Kane on the Eichel/Sam Reinhart line. Here were the lines at this morning's practice according to Jourdon LaBarber of sabres.com:
Justin Bailey-Ryan O'Reilly-Kyle Okposo
Matt Moulson-Jack Eichel-Sam Reinhart
Marcus Foligno-Evan Rodrigues-Brian Gionta
Nicolas Deslauriers-Derek Grant-Tyler Ennis
And according to WGR550's Paul Hamilton here were the d-pairings:
Jake McCabe-Rasmus Ristolainen
Josh Gorges-Dmitry Kulkiov
Justin Falk-Zach Bogosian
Head coach Dan Bylsma said that Robin Lehner will get the start in net tonight marking his sixth start in seven post-All Star break games.
Game time is 7:30 pm
*****
There was a big ruckus after the Sabres laid an egg against Vancouver on Sunday night. It was a winnable game against the Canucks and the feeling is that Buffalo gave away at least a point, maybe two.
Goalie Robin Lehner was vocal about the team not following the game-plan to the point where he stated that he's angry because of it while winger Kyle Okposo said the same thing while calling Buffalo's second period performance, "gross." Although neither, especially Lehner, used individual names but there was a strong indication that they Jack Eichel was in their thoughts.
One of Buffalo's gaffes came in their own end in the waning seconds of a Vancouver powerplay when Eichel had the puck beside his own goal and chose to try and stick handle his way out of trouble. It didn't work and the smart thing to do was simply get the puck out of the zone and down the ice. Instead, it ended up in the back of Buffalo's net. So when a miffed Lehner talked post-game about the need to get the puck out of the zone, "but we get too fancy," it's not hard to think that the play Eichel muffed was stuck in his craw.
Things have subsided and everyone's saying the right thing. Head coach Dan Bylsma was on WGR550 this morning acknowledging things could have played out better and said that he's been stressing "situational hockey" where he wants his team to be aggressive, but at the right times. Bylsma wants his players aware of their surroundings which includes who's on the ice in what situation at what point in the game.
Probably the coolest thing to come out of the weekly spot with hosts Howard Simon and Jeremy White is that he told the boys at GR that he expected Eichel to make mistakes handling the puck and that if Eichel wasn't turning the puck over, he wasn't carrying the puck enough. Bylsma told the hosts what he said he told Eichel yesterday, "If you don't turn the puck over five times a game, you're not playing well."
To solidify his point that he wants Eichel carrying the puck and trying to make plays with his top-notch skills, Bylsma said, "If he gets to the red line and chips every puck in, I'm gonna bench him."
As the hosts said afterwards, it was a very refreshing approach.
So now we know. Bylsma is doing anything but stifling his best, most skilled offensive player.
***
Eichel felt the heat for what transpired on Sunday and after practice yesterday spent six minutes in front of the microphones talking about the game. In general he said that he didn't play a good game, said that they needed to stop blaming each other and get down to business.
Eichel was intent upon looking forward because nothing could be changed so "you can't sit there and dwell on the losses." He said he knows who he is and knows what he has to do and that every player in the locker room is in the NHL for a reason, because of a talent they have, and that his thing is to push the play offensively and take chances.
He admittedly said that there were areas he needed to clean up, but that he wasn't about to change who he is or the game he plays.
Add that in with what Bylsma said today and it's safe to say that they're both on the same page.
*****
Bylsma and many of the fans weren't on the same page when it came to the coaches system. When Bylsma used the term "grinding it out" a week or so ago, fans got in a tizzy because they had visions of former coach Ted Nolan or conjured up untruths about former coach Lindy Ruff stifling the creativity of his skilled players.
Not so said Bylsma and he explained how the terms "grinding" and "speed" are not mutually exclusive.
The system Bylsma uses is fairly simple and is used in one variation or another throughout the NHL, something captain Brian Gionta mentioned yesterday after practice. Gionta, who's played in 924 games for three NHL teams said, "Systems don't matter one bit," said the captain. "There are very subtle differences between systems. There's maybe two types of forechecks and maybe a couple different ways to play d-zone."
When Gionta was asked about a possible change when Bylsma had mentioned playing up-tempo in 2015 but has is heard mentioning "grinding," he said it was the same thing. "Playing with pace, playing with speed is as much about grinding," he said. "It's getting the pucks behind their team and wearing them down."
Bylsma echoed those sentiments saying that whether it's Eichel or Evander Kane using their speed to get the puck deep or whether it's a player like Marcus Foligno chipping and chasing, it's all the same thing. It's about turning the defense and working the offensive zone. "The way we want to play is quick and north and fast to the offensive zone," said Bylsma, "we want to be an aggressive team where we're on the forecheck where we're on the teams defensemen. Us being an offensive zone team and grinding down with our skill and speed in the offensive zone."
Not sure if that clears things up for everyone, but I get the picture.
*****
The Sabres have four games before their NHL mandated bye-week and will have three more to finish the month. The NHL Trade Deadline is 3 pm March 1.
Buffalo has two attractive pending UFA's on defense in Dmitry Kulikov and Cody Franson and I've said prior that the only one I'd trade is Franson. In this blogger's eyes he should be on the move regardless of where the Sabre are in the standings come March 1. That is if he's fully recovered from his foot injury.
I've also said that I'm all in for bringing in a fourth line center as the injury to Johan Larsson put a crimp in the bottom six. However, they might not need one if Evan Rodrigues continues to play the way he did the other night. He was quick and decisive and used his skill to set up Tyler Ennis for the first goal of the game. That could change dependent upon the status of third-line center Zemgus Girgensons who will miss his fifth game tonight with what's been described as a mid/full body injury.
I'm also of the opinion that the Sabres will continue to be "in the hunt" come TDL and if that's the case, GM Tim Murray should quit the losing ways and give this group of players the opportunity to do what they can to make the playoffs. And that would include keeping Kulikov and Gionta who's also a pending UFA.
If, however, the Sabres find themselves on a losing streak and are farther away than they are now, then all bets are off. Kulikov would be very enticing to a playoff-bound team and a top-four d-man like him should at least fetch a second-rounder. It's supply and demand and it's a seller's market right now so who knows what defensemen will bring in return?
The Sabres are in lose-one, win-one mode and I'm not sure if they have it in them to go on a run, but I think they deserve every chance to do so, even if that means facing a six-point deficit with 19 games left after the trade deadline.
*****
It's no surprise that Gionta wants to stay in Buffalo. The Greece, NY native is nearing the end of his career and his roots are deep in the Rochester area. Gionta's been having an excellent season thus far as the 38 yr. old has 27 points (12+15) in 56 games, his best output in years.
If he wants to stay, he should stay.
*****
Finally, Tyler Ennis has his own dressing out called Enzo Sauce. The mix of ranch dressing and hot sauce is set to hit the market with some of the proceeds going to charity.
Here's a link to the video for it:
https://www.nhl.com/video/c-49364603
The Buffalo Sabres are in Ottawa tonight to take on the Senators for the fifth and final time this season. The Sabres have won three of the four contests with two of those wins coming in Canada's Capital and they're 2-0 vs. Ottawa with Jack Eichel in the lineup. Buffalo defeated the Senators 5-4 in Eichel's return after missing the first 21 games in the season and the Sabres dominated Ottawa only 10 days ago in a 4-0 shutout.
It's been rough and rocky travellin' for the Sabres this season as not only did the Eichel injury have an impact earlier in the season but there have also been plenty of key players like Ryan O'Reilly and Evander Kane as well as a plethora of defensemen who've been sidelined due to injuries this season. It seem like just as one regular comes back, another one is out.
Tonight may be no different as defenseman Zach Bogosian should be back in the lineup after a six-game absence with a rib injury while Kane is said to be ill and may not be able to go tonight and is a game-time decision. According to the media, Matt Moulson replaced Kane on the Eichel/Sam Reinhart line. Here were the lines at this morning's practice according to Jourdon LaBarber of sabres.com:
Justin Bailey-Ryan O'Reilly-Kyle Okposo
Matt Moulson-Jack Eichel-Sam Reinhart
Marcus Foligno-Evan Rodrigues-Brian Gionta
Nicolas Deslauriers-Derek Grant-Tyler Ennis
And according to WGR550's Paul Hamilton here were the d-pairings:
Jake McCabe-Rasmus Ristolainen
Josh Gorges-Dmitry Kulkiov
Justin Falk-Zach Bogosian
Head coach Dan Bylsma said that Robin Lehner will get the start in net tonight marking his sixth start in seven post-All Star break games.
Game time is 7:30 pm
*****
There was a big ruckus after the Sabres laid an egg against Vancouver on Sunday night. It was a winnable game against the Canucks and the feeling is that Buffalo gave away at least a point, maybe two.
Goalie Robin Lehner was vocal about the team not following the game-plan to the point where he stated that he's angry because of it while winger Kyle Okposo said the same thing while calling Buffalo's second period performance, "gross." Although neither, especially Lehner, used individual names but there was a strong indication that they Jack Eichel was in their thoughts.
One of Buffalo's gaffes came in their own end in the waning seconds of a Vancouver powerplay when Eichel had the puck beside his own goal and chose to try and stick handle his way out of trouble. It didn't work and the smart thing to do was simply get the puck out of the zone and down the ice. Instead, it ended up in the back of Buffalo's net. So when a miffed Lehner talked post-game about the need to get the puck out of the zone, "but we get too fancy," it's not hard to think that the play Eichel muffed was stuck in his craw.
Things have subsided and everyone's saying the right thing. Head coach Dan Bylsma was on WGR550 this morning acknowledging things could have played out better and said that he's been stressing "situational hockey" where he wants his team to be aggressive, but at the right times. Bylsma wants his players aware of their surroundings which includes who's on the ice in what situation at what point in the game.
Probably the coolest thing to come out of the weekly spot with hosts Howard Simon and Jeremy White is that he told the boys at GR that he expected Eichel to make mistakes handling the puck and that if Eichel wasn't turning the puck over, he wasn't carrying the puck enough. Bylsma told the hosts what he said he told Eichel yesterday, "If you don't turn the puck over five times a game, you're not playing well."
To solidify his point that he wants Eichel carrying the puck and trying to make plays with his top-notch skills, Bylsma said, "If he gets to the red line and chips every puck in, I'm gonna bench him."
As the hosts said afterwards, it was a very refreshing approach.
So now we know. Bylsma is doing anything but stifling his best, most skilled offensive player.
***
Eichel felt the heat for what transpired on Sunday and after practice yesterday spent six minutes in front of the microphones talking about the game. In general he said that he didn't play a good game, said that they needed to stop blaming each other and get down to business.
Eichel was intent upon looking forward because nothing could be changed so "you can't sit there and dwell on the losses." He said he knows who he is and knows what he has to do and that every player in the locker room is in the NHL for a reason, because of a talent they have, and that his thing is to push the play offensively and take chances.
He admittedly said that there were areas he needed to clean up, but that he wasn't about to change who he is or the game he plays.
Add that in with what Bylsma said today and it's safe to say that they're both on the same page.
*****
Bylsma and many of the fans weren't on the same page when it came to the coaches system. When Bylsma used the term "grinding it out" a week or so ago, fans got in a tizzy because they had visions of former coach Ted Nolan or conjured up untruths about former coach Lindy Ruff stifling the creativity of his skilled players.
Not so said Bylsma and he explained how the terms "grinding" and "speed" are not mutually exclusive.
The system Bylsma uses is fairly simple and is used in one variation or another throughout the NHL, something captain Brian Gionta mentioned yesterday after practice. Gionta, who's played in 924 games for three NHL teams said, "Systems don't matter one bit," said the captain. "There are very subtle differences between systems. There's maybe two types of forechecks and maybe a couple different ways to play d-zone."
When Gionta was asked about a possible change when Bylsma had mentioned playing up-tempo in 2015 but has is heard mentioning "grinding," he said it was the same thing. "Playing with pace, playing with speed is as much about grinding," he said. "It's getting the pucks behind their team and wearing them down."
Bylsma echoed those sentiments saying that whether it's Eichel or Evander Kane using their speed to get the puck deep or whether it's a player like Marcus Foligno chipping and chasing, it's all the same thing. It's about turning the defense and working the offensive zone. "The way we want to play is quick and north and fast to the offensive zone," said Bylsma, "we want to be an aggressive team where we're on the forecheck where we're on the teams defensemen. Us being an offensive zone team and grinding down with our skill and speed in the offensive zone."
Not sure if that clears things up for everyone, but I get the picture.
*****
The Sabres have four games before their NHL mandated bye-week and will have three more to finish the month. The NHL Trade Deadline is 3 pm March 1.
Buffalo has two attractive pending UFA's on defense in Dmitry Kulikov and Cody Franson and I've said prior that the only one I'd trade is Franson. In this blogger's eyes he should be on the move regardless of where the Sabre are in the standings come March 1. That is if he's fully recovered from his foot injury.
I've also said that I'm all in for bringing in a fourth line center as the injury to Johan Larsson put a crimp in the bottom six. However, they might not need one if Evan Rodrigues continues to play the way he did the other night. He was quick and decisive and used his skill to set up Tyler Ennis for the first goal of the game. That could change dependent upon the status of third-line center Zemgus Girgensons who will miss his fifth game tonight with what's been described as a mid/full body injury.
I'm also of the opinion that the Sabres will continue to be "in the hunt" come TDL and if that's the case, GM Tim Murray should quit the losing ways and give this group of players the opportunity to do what they can to make the playoffs. And that would include keeping Kulikov and Gionta who's also a pending UFA.
If, however, the Sabres find themselves on a losing streak and are farther away than they are now, then all bets are off. Kulikov would be very enticing to a playoff-bound team and a top-four d-man like him should at least fetch a second-rounder. It's supply and demand and it's a seller's market right now so who knows what defensemen will bring in return?
The Sabres are in lose-one, win-one mode and I'm not sure if they have it in them to go on a run, but I think they deserve every chance to do so, even if that means facing a six-point deficit with 19 games left after the trade deadline.
*****
It's no surprise that Gionta wants to stay in Buffalo. The Greece, NY native is nearing the end of his career and his roots are deep in the Rochester area. Gionta's been having an excellent season thus far as the 38 yr. old has 27 points (12+15) in 56 games, his best output in years.
If he wants to stay, he should stay.
*****
Finally, Tyler Ennis has his own dressing out called Enzo Sauce. The mix of ranch dressing and hot sauce is set to hit the market with some of the proceeds going to charity.
Here's a link to the video for it:
https://www.nhl.com/video/c-49364603
Saturday, February 11, 2017
NHL Trade Deadline--Bail or hold for Buffalo?
Published by hockeybuzz.com, 2-10-2017
Coming out of the All-Star break there was a strong sense that things were headed in the right direction for the Buffalo Sabres. With a good push in the month of February the team could build upon a fairly successful January and with any luck they could pull themselves directly into the mix for a playoff spot.
Buffalo was on their way to finishing the month strong and despite falling just short in a comeback bid at Dallas in the last game before the break, having won the three previous games in come-from-behind fashion in overtime meant no game was out of reach.
Even though it was a tough loss against the Stars, the Sabres went into the break with confidence. That was until they came back down to earth with a crushing 5-2 defeat at the hands of the Montreal Canadiens. Buffalo slipped back to the .500 point mark with that loss and five games later they're at that mark once again. Playing .500 percentage point hockey is not the way you get back into the mix, it only keeps you where you're at--six points out of an Eastern Conference wild card berth, seven out of the Atlantic Division top-three.
Unfortunately for the club, this is where they've been pretty much all season. Injuries, inconsistencies and some questionable coaching have made for a very uneven season thus far causing fans at KeyBank Center to boo the club off the ice after the second period against the San Jose' Sharks on Tuesday.
Although they came back and won that game in overtime, again, since the All-Star break the Sabres are 2-2-1 and have failed to get on any kind of roll that would push them up the standings. As the NHL Trade Deadline draws nearer, it looks more and more as if they'll be on the outside of the playoffs for the sixth consecutive year.
And there's the rub.
It would be very easy for GM Tim Murray to simply go into sell-mode and start shipping off any Sabres player in the final year of their deal for futures. Defensemen Dmitry Kulikov and Cody Franson along with veteran winger Brian Gionta could all bring a respectable return in the least while Murray could also entertain moving players like RFA Zemgus Girgensons or even Evander Kane who has one more year on his contract.
But there comes a point in time where a team needs to start learning how to win and it's something Murray touched upon when he was on WGR550 radio just over a week ago. "We've lost a lot over the past two (rebuild) years," he told the hosts, "and winning is hard. When you're a team coming off of [those] two seasons previously, we lost a lot of games. Learning to win is a part of the process.
"You acquire talent, and that's management's job. Learning to win is hard but once you learn to win, it's hard to lose that."
Murray has been acquiring talent for the club and he has himself a pretty strong core with some rather nice complimentary pieces. No doubt there are holes in the roster which includes forward depth and definitive needs on the back-end, and they've shown that they have the capability to not only win games, but be a force in doing so at times. Has Murray acquired enough talent enough talent to win consistently? Maybe, maybe not. It's hard to tell at this stage of the game with the way this team has been bit by the injury bug.
No one in Sabreland, especially it's core players like Jack Eichel, Ryan O'Reilly, Rasmus Ristolainen and Kyle Okposo along with Evander Kane, Sam Reinhart and Jake McCabe, is particularly fond of the roller-coaster they've been on this season. Murray mentioned this group of players as "guys with pedigree that somewhere along the line they've won and enjoyed winning." There just hasn't been enough of it and it has many fans ready for the Sabres to put the "For Sale" sign, which to me sounds like it's in direct contrast to the culture of winning Murray said he's trying to instill.
I get the idea of not letting players walk for nothing. We saw plenty of that during the Darcy Regier years and it frustrated the hell out of us. Conversely we saw Murray get whatever he could for whatever player he could move when he acquired a bunch of low-round picks under the premise that one of those picks could turn into something. However, that was a different time and the Sabres are a year-and-a-half removed from that.
Murray may only be able to land a second-rounder for Kulikov while Franson and Gionta may fetch nothing more than a third or fourth-rounder at best. Those are picks that will take years of development and would still have long odds of making it to the NHL and even longer odds of having any kind of impact.
With the way they've been playing, there's a good possibility that they'll be in the exact same situation come March 1 as they are now and the big question will remain, do you bail on the season and continue with a rebuild mentality while acquiring futures? Or do you stick with this group and give them the opportunity to work their way through it and let the chips fall where they may?
With the former, you're doing the obvious which is getting something instead of nothing but how does waiting until next year help build a winning culture? That would make six consecutive years outside of the playoffs for the Sabres and to me, it might be more beneficial if they give their players every opportunity to try and right this thing rather than trade for mid-lower level futures which probably will never pan out.
Murray called winning an "acquired taste" in that WGR interview and I'm of the belief that you can't acquire a winning taste if you're constantly trading away talent. A move or two might serve the overall purpose this season, but the Sabres can't afford to lose all of their UFA's this season as it may backfire and prolong the process.
If you asked any of the players, I'd hazard to guess that they'd be all-in for letting it ride and putting this season in their hands. And I'm in agreement.
Coming out of the All-Star break there was a strong sense that things were headed in the right direction for the Buffalo Sabres. With a good push in the month of February the team could build upon a fairly successful January and with any luck they could pull themselves directly into the mix for a playoff spot.
Buffalo was on their way to finishing the month strong and despite falling just short in a comeback bid at Dallas in the last game before the break, having won the three previous games in come-from-behind fashion in overtime meant no game was out of reach.
Even though it was a tough loss against the Stars, the Sabres went into the break with confidence. That was until they came back down to earth with a crushing 5-2 defeat at the hands of the Montreal Canadiens. Buffalo slipped back to the .500 point mark with that loss and five games later they're at that mark once again. Playing .500 percentage point hockey is not the way you get back into the mix, it only keeps you where you're at--six points out of an Eastern Conference wild card berth, seven out of the Atlantic Division top-three.
Unfortunately for the club, this is where they've been pretty much all season. Injuries, inconsistencies and some questionable coaching have made for a very uneven season thus far causing fans at KeyBank Center to boo the club off the ice after the second period against the San Jose' Sharks on Tuesday.
Although they came back and won that game in overtime, again, since the All-Star break the Sabres are 2-2-1 and have failed to get on any kind of roll that would push them up the standings. As the NHL Trade Deadline draws nearer, it looks more and more as if they'll be on the outside of the playoffs for the sixth consecutive year.
And there's the rub.
It would be very easy for GM Tim Murray to simply go into sell-mode and start shipping off any Sabres player in the final year of their deal for futures. Defensemen Dmitry Kulikov and Cody Franson along with veteran winger Brian Gionta could all bring a respectable return in the least while Murray could also entertain moving players like RFA Zemgus Girgensons or even Evander Kane who has one more year on his contract.
But there comes a point in time where a team needs to start learning how to win and it's something Murray touched upon when he was on WGR550 radio just over a week ago. "We've lost a lot over the past two (rebuild) years," he told the hosts, "and winning is hard. When you're a team coming off of [those] two seasons previously, we lost a lot of games. Learning to win is a part of the process.
"You acquire talent, and that's management's job. Learning to win is hard but once you learn to win, it's hard to lose that."
Murray has been acquiring talent for the club and he has himself a pretty strong core with some rather nice complimentary pieces. No doubt there are holes in the roster which includes forward depth and definitive needs on the back-end, and they've shown that they have the capability to not only win games, but be a force in doing so at times. Has Murray acquired enough talent enough talent to win consistently? Maybe, maybe not. It's hard to tell at this stage of the game with the way this team has been bit by the injury bug.
No one in Sabreland, especially it's core players like Jack Eichel, Ryan O'Reilly, Rasmus Ristolainen and Kyle Okposo along with Evander Kane, Sam Reinhart and Jake McCabe, is particularly fond of the roller-coaster they've been on this season. Murray mentioned this group of players as "guys with pedigree that somewhere along the line they've won and enjoyed winning." There just hasn't been enough of it and it has many fans ready for the Sabres to put the "For Sale" sign, which to me sounds like it's in direct contrast to the culture of winning Murray said he's trying to instill.
I get the idea of not letting players walk for nothing. We saw plenty of that during the Darcy Regier years and it frustrated the hell out of us. Conversely we saw Murray get whatever he could for whatever player he could move when he acquired a bunch of low-round picks under the premise that one of those picks could turn into something. However, that was a different time and the Sabres are a year-and-a-half removed from that.
Murray may only be able to land a second-rounder for Kulikov while Franson and Gionta may fetch nothing more than a third or fourth-rounder at best. Those are picks that will take years of development and would still have long odds of making it to the NHL and even longer odds of having any kind of impact.
With the way they've been playing, there's a good possibility that they'll be in the exact same situation come March 1 as they are now and the big question will remain, do you bail on the season and continue with a rebuild mentality while acquiring futures? Or do you stick with this group and give them the opportunity to work their way through it and let the chips fall where they may?
With the former, you're doing the obvious which is getting something instead of nothing but how does waiting until next year help build a winning culture? That would make six consecutive years outside of the playoffs for the Sabres and to me, it might be more beneficial if they give their players every opportunity to try and right this thing rather than trade for mid-lower level futures which probably will never pan out.
Murray called winning an "acquired taste" in that WGR interview and I'm of the belief that you can't acquire a winning taste if you're constantly trading away talent. A move or two might serve the overall purpose this season, but the Sabres can't afford to lose all of their UFA's this season as it may backfire and prolong the process.
If you asked any of the players, I'd hazard to guess that they'd be all-in for letting it ride and putting this season in their hands. And I'm in agreement.
Friday, February 10, 2017
On Evander Kane
Published by hockeybuzz.com, 2-9-2017
Sabres winger Evander Kane is back in the spotlight again, this time for the right reasons. The former fourth-overall pick in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft took 11 games to recover from four broken ribs suffered in the season opener but since then has been racking up goals, while making life miserable for the opposition defense. With his two goals on Tuesday, capped off by the overtime winner, Kane has upped his season goal total to 16, all of them coming in the last 30 games.
That's great news for the Sabres, but of course there are always lingering questions concerning the 25 yr. old Kane.
Off-ice issues have plagued him since his days in Winnipeg and he didn't necessarily endear himself to Sabreland with a series of issues that grabbed the headlines in Buffalo. In matter of seven months he was accused of a sex offense, overslept and missed practice after hanging with the NBA All-Stars in Toronto and had a number of charges place against him after bar incident in Buffalo while the Sabres and the city were hosting the NHL Draft.
Then came the injury in the opener vs. Montreal where he slammed into the boards full speed and broke four ribs. Upon his return, which was probably too early at just under a month, Kane struggled mightily recording only four assists in 11 games.
Kane was never wholeheartedly welcomed by the entire Buffalo hockey fan-base as there were plenty of detractors listing negatives like the troubles he encountered in Winnipeg, his off-ice issues, and the fact that he had only one 20-goal season since scoring 30 in his third NHL season. From the get-go GM Tim Murray was heavily scrutinized for the blockbuster deal he made with Winnipeg and even after Kane hit 20 goals in 65 games for the Sabres in his first season, it still wasn't enough as he was thought to be injury-prone. Add that to the off-ice issues and rumors began swirling that Kane was on the trading-block.
Rumor had it that no teams were interested in Kane save for his hometown Vancouver Canucks and even they weren't that interested in him enough to give up anything of significance. As the summer went on the rumors still lingered and on opening night Kane crashed into the boards and during the 11 games he skated in upon his return fans grew increasingly restless with him but were resigned to the fact that he was immovable.
Some on the "inside" were adamant that Murray wasn't looking to trade Kane which in hindsight is a good move. Kane began his run on December 3rd against Boston but two games later he started resembling the powerforward Tim Murray traded for as he scored two goals, including the game-tying goal with 19 seconds left in the third period against Edmonton. Buffalo went on to beat the Oilers in overtime and slowly but surely Kane began rounding into form.
Instead of a problem child scoring at a modest rate who's troubles far outweighed his production and possibly even his value to the team, Kane has turned it around to the point where it would be a very tough decision to trade him right now and it would take a very significant offer for Murray to move him.
That's where we stand.
Right now Kane is still on probation from the June, 2016 bar incident and may be playing choir-boy while under the watchful eye of the courts. He'll also be a free agent at the end of next season when he'll be 26 yrs. old and perhaps he's starting to play like a player looking for that big long-term deal and maybe those are the reasons he's performing like the player he was drafted for over the course of the last two-plus months.
Or maybe he was just starting to feel fully healthy again. Maybe he feels comfortable in head coach Dan Bylsma's system and enjoys having some big-time talent around him with Jack Eichel and Ryan O'Reilly, among others on a team that's on the rise.
That's the problem with him. You just don't know what his motivation is.
With tools like size, speed, skill grit and the ability to fight, Kane should be a highly sought after powerforward, the type of player you can put in the top-six on the wing knowing that the opposition will need to game-plan for him. He's the type of player the Sabres have been after for years. And they have him.
So why trade him away?
Sell high! is the mantra and his return may never be higher. However trading him right now leaves a gaping hole on the left side. Sure, the Sabres might get a top-four d-man in return and maybe even a higher draft pick for him, but does anyone thing that Marcus Foligno, Tyler Ennis or rookie Alexander Nylander could come close to filling that role?
I'm of the opinion that the Sabres woes on defense will get better. Right now Ramus Ristolainen anchors the top-pair and Dmitry Kulikov is getting better as his health gets better. He's looking more and more like the type of player that might fill that d-slot opposite Ristolainen. Zach Bogosian, when healthy, and Jake McCabe have made a solid second pairing since McCabe's rookie season last year and the Sabres will be adding Brendan Guhle to the mix next year with visions of a potential top-four d-man.
I'm not for trading Kane, in fact I'd rather talk extension.
In knowing full well that he will become an unrestricted free agent next season, I'd see if I could get him to sign an extension in the off season, preferably a two or three year one.
Sabres winger Evander Kane is back in the spotlight again, this time for the right reasons. The former fourth-overall pick in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft took 11 games to recover from four broken ribs suffered in the season opener but since then has been racking up goals, while making life miserable for the opposition defense. With his two goals on Tuesday, capped off by the overtime winner, Kane has upped his season goal total to 16, all of them coming in the last 30 games.
That's great news for the Sabres, but of course there are always lingering questions concerning the 25 yr. old Kane.
Off-ice issues have plagued him since his days in Winnipeg and he didn't necessarily endear himself to Sabreland with a series of issues that grabbed the headlines in Buffalo. In matter of seven months he was accused of a sex offense, overslept and missed practice after hanging with the NBA All-Stars in Toronto and had a number of charges place against him after bar incident in Buffalo while the Sabres and the city were hosting the NHL Draft.
Then came the injury in the opener vs. Montreal where he slammed into the boards full speed and broke four ribs. Upon his return, which was probably too early at just under a month, Kane struggled mightily recording only four assists in 11 games.
Kane was never wholeheartedly welcomed by the entire Buffalo hockey fan-base as there were plenty of detractors listing negatives like the troubles he encountered in Winnipeg, his off-ice issues, and the fact that he had only one 20-goal season since scoring 30 in his third NHL season. From the get-go GM Tim Murray was heavily scrutinized for the blockbuster deal he made with Winnipeg and even after Kane hit 20 goals in 65 games for the Sabres in his first season, it still wasn't enough as he was thought to be injury-prone. Add that to the off-ice issues and rumors began swirling that Kane was on the trading-block.
Rumor had it that no teams were interested in Kane save for his hometown Vancouver Canucks and even they weren't that interested in him enough to give up anything of significance. As the summer went on the rumors still lingered and on opening night Kane crashed into the boards and during the 11 games he skated in upon his return fans grew increasingly restless with him but were resigned to the fact that he was immovable.
Some on the "inside" were adamant that Murray wasn't looking to trade Kane which in hindsight is a good move. Kane began his run on December 3rd against Boston but two games later he started resembling the powerforward Tim Murray traded for as he scored two goals, including the game-tying goal with 19 seconds left in the third period against Edmonton. Buffalo went on to beat the Oilers in overtime and slowly but surely Kane began rounding into form.
Instead of a problem child scoring at a modest rate who's troubles far outweighed his production and possibly even his value to the team, Kane has turned it around to the point where it would be a very tough decision to trade him right now and it would take a very significant offer for Murray to move him.
That's where we stand.
Right now Kane is still on probation from the June, 2016 bar incident and may be playing choir-boy while under the watchful eye of the courts. He'll also be a free agent at the end of next season when he'll be 26 yrs. old and perhaps he's starting to play like a player looking for that big long-term deal and maybe those are the reasons he's performing like the player he was drafted for over the course of the last two-plus months.
Or maybe he was just starting to feel fully healthy again. Maybe he feels comfortable in head coach Dan Bylsma's system and enjoys having some big-time talent around him with Jack Eichel and Ryan O'Reilly, among others on a team that's on the rise.
That's the problem with him. You just don't know what his motivation is.
With tools like size, speed, skill grit and the ability to fight, Kane should be a highly sought after powerforward, the type of player you can put in the top-six on the wing knowing that the opposition will need to game-plan for him. He's the type of player the Sabres have been after for years. And they have him.
So why trade him away?
Sell high! is the mantra and his return may never be higher. However trading him right now leaves a gaping hole on the left side. Sure, the Sabres might get a top-four d-man in return and maybe even a higher draft pick for him, but does anyone thing that Marcus Foligno, Tyler Ennis or rookie Alexander Nylander could come close to filling that role?
I'm of the opinion that the Sabres woes on defense will get better. Right now Ramus Ristolainen anchors the top-pair and Dmitry Kulikov is getting better as his health gets better. He's looking more and more like the type of player that might fill that d-slot opposite Ristolainen. Zach Bogosian, when healthy, and Jake McCabe have made a solid second pairing since McCabe's rookie season last year and the Sabres will be adding Brendan Guhle to the mix next year with visions of a potential top-four d-man.
I'm not for trading Kane, in fact I'd rather talk extension.
In knowing full well that he will become an unrestricted free agent next season, I'd see if I could get him to sign an extension in the off season, preferably a two or three year one.
Saturday, February 4, 2017
What positions do the Sabres need most.?
Published by hockeybuzz.com, 2-3-2017
Such was the question posed by our esteemed EK. Had he asked it right after the 5-2 debacle in Montreal, the answer would have been everything and if you posed this question to some of the fans, they'd say a new coach.
As of now the Sabres could use upgrades in three areas--defense, left wing and fourth-line center.
Since word is out via ESPN's Pierre LeBrun that the Sabres "are on the lookout around the league for a 4th-line center," that would be a good place to start and probably the easiest and most cost-effective position to fill. It was a problem that arose when third-line center Johan Larsson was lost for the season and it was compounded when Derek Grant was lost to Nashville on a waiver claim.
As chronicled in this piece last weekend, Buffalo had a number of things happen to the forward group that eventually forced the team to play defenseman-turned-winger Nicolas Deslauriers at center last night against the Rangers. A trade at some point would be nice, but that may not be necessary if they move on center Mike Ribeiro, who was just waived by the Dallas Stars.
Although a little long in the tooth, the soon to be 37 yr. old with a $1.05 million contract couldn't be any worse that what we've seen in that spot so far this year. In fact it might provide some fun as bot he and LW Will Carrier are pretty quick.
Speaking of left wings, Carrier at one point was playing in the top-six but the rookie was soon demoted and he's now on the fourth line. The left side wasn't all that problematic with Larsson playing as Zemgus Girgensons played there along with Evander Kane, Marcus Foligno and at times Matt Moulson. Tyler Ennis came back from injury and was inserted into the top-six but after scoring in his first game back, he went without a point and head coach Dan Bylsma dropped him to the fourth line last night.
With Ennis on the fourth line, Moulson was moved to the top line with Ryan O'Reilly and Kyle Okposo while Kane stayed on his line with Girgensons and Brian Gionta. Foligno has been playing with Jack Eichel and Sam Reinhart.
Kane has been playing extremely well on a line that's a bit below his talent-level and is seems as if Bylsma doesn't want to break that line up. But he needs to because Kane needs to be in the top-six on a skill line and one of Foligno (the preferred choice here) or Moulson need to be dropped down as they're not near the talent-level of the other players on their respective lines.
Adding a fourth-line center would help the club, but getting a talented left winger would be even better.
Of course the position of need right now would be defense.
Buffalo is off to a tough start heading towards the March 1 NHL trade deadline. The injuries that hit the forward group hard earlier in the year have now shifted to the defense-corps. As mentioned in a prior blog, the Sabres have used four AHL-designated players on defense this season who have appeared in, now, 67 man-games including two--Justin Falk and Taylor Fedun--who've been the Sabres third pairing since the beginning of the calendar year. Plus they called up Brendan Guhle on an emergency basis for three games.
With Josh Gorges out for the last 12 games, Jake McCabe, who was on the top pair with Rasmus Ristolainen, out for the last five games and Zach Bogosian suffering a mid-body injury last night, their defense-corps is uber-thin.
Good news for the Sabers is that Dmitry Kulikov is slowly getting healthier, although he will probably have lingering back issues the rest of the season. Kulikov was part of a deal with Florida at the 2016 NHL Draft in Buffalo and was expected to play on the top pair but a preseason tumble into an open bench door messed up his back and tail bone. He had a horrible first half but we're starting to see what the big, mobile d-man has to offer.
The Sabres could use an upgrade on defense preferably a mobile, puck-moving, offensive defenseman. Then again, who wouldn't? Guhle could be that man as early as next season but for now adding a little speed from the back-end wouldn't hurt.
Outside of landing a bona fide top-pairing d-man Buffalo may be inclined to grab a top-four if one was to become available. However, I'm not sure GM Tim Murray will pony up what it would take to grab one or he might not have the assets or he may not have the cap space.
Having McCabe returning to the lineup in a couple weeks solidifies the top-four, especially if Kulikov continues on his upward trend. McCabe and Bogosian played well together last season and there's no reason to believe that they couldn't do the same this season. That is when both get healthy.
Thing is, upgrades at the deadline are great if you're playoff team. And there's the rub with Buffalo, as of right now it doesn't look as if they'll be in the post season which means players will be moving out for picks and prospects.
But if they go on a long run, defense, left wing and fourth-line center will be areas they'll look to address.
Such was the question posed by our esteemed EK. Had he asked it right after the 5-2 debacle in Montreal, the answer would have been everything and if you posed this question to some of the fans, they'd say a new coach.
As of now the Sabres could use upgrades in three areas--defense, left wing and fourth-line center.
Since word is out via ESPN's Pierre LeBrun that the Sabres "are on the lookout around the league for a 4th-line center," that would be a good place to start and probably the easiest and most cost-effective position to fill. It was a problem that arose when third-line center Johan Larsson was lost for the season and it was compounded when Derek Grant was lost to Nashville on a waiver claim.
As chronicled in this piece last weekend, Buffalo had a number of things happen to the forward group that eventually forced the team to play defenseman-turned-winger Nicolas Deslauriers at center last night against the Rangers. A trade at some point would be nice, but that may not be necessary if they move on center Mike Ribeiro, who was just waived by the Dallas Stars.
Although a little long in the tooth, the soon to be 37 yr. old with a $1.05 million contract couldn't be any worse that what we've seen in that spot so far this year. In fact it might provide some fun as bot he and LW Will Carrier are pretty quick.
Speaking of left wings, Carrier at one point was playing in the top-six but the rookie was soon demoted and he's now on the fourth line. The left side wasn't all that problematic with Larsson playing as Zemgus Girgensons played there along with Evander Kane, Marcus Foligno and at times Matt Moulson. Tyler Ennis came back from injury and was inserted into the top-six but after scoring in his first game back, he went without a point and head coach Dan Bylsma dropped him to the fourth line last night.
With Ennis on the fourth line, Moulson was moved to the top line with Ryan O'Reilly and Kyle Okposo while Kane stayed on his line with Girgensons and Brian Gionta. Foligno has been playing with Jack Eichel and Sam Reinhart.
Kane has been playing extremely well on a line that's a bit below his talent-level and is seems as if Bylsma doesn't want to break that line up. But he needs to because Kane needs to be in the top-six on a skill line and one of Foligno (the preferred choice here) or Moulson need to be dropped down as they're not near the talent-level of the other players on their respective lines.
Adding a fourth-line center would help the club, but getting a talented left winger would be even better.
Of course the position of need right now would be defense.
Buffalo is off to a tough start heading towards the March 1 NHL trade deadline. The injuries that hit the forward group hard earlier in the year have now shifted to the defense-corps. As mentioned in a prior blog, the Sabres have used four AHL-designated players on defense this season who have appeared in, now, 67 man-games including two--Justin Falk and Taylor Fedun--who've been the Sabres third pairing since the beginning of the calendar year. Plus they called up Brendan Guhle on an emergency basis for three games.
With Josh Gorges out for the last 12 games, Jake McCabe, who was on the top pair with Rasmus Ristolainen, out for the last five games and Zach Bogosian suffering a mid-body injury last night, their defense-corps is uber-thin.
Good news for the Sabers is that Dmitry Kulikov is slowly getting healthier, although he will probably have lingering back issues the rest of the season. Kulikov was part of a deal with Florida at the 2016 NHL Draft in Buffalo and was expected to play on the top pair but a preseason tumble into an open bench door messed up his back and tail bone. He had a horrible first half but we're starting to see what the big, mobile d-man has to offer.
The Sabres could use an upgrade on defense preferably a mobile, puck-moving, offensive defenseman. Then again, who wouldn't? Guhle could be that man as early as next season but for now adding a little speed from the back-end wouldn't hurt.
Outside of landing a bona fide top-pairing d-man Buffalo may be inclined to grab a top-four if one was to become available. However, I'm not sure GM Tim Murray will pony up what it would take to grab one or he might not have the assets or he may not have the cap space.
Having McCabe returning to the lineup in a couple weeks solidifies the top-four, especially if Kulikov continues on his upward trend. McCabe and Bogosian played well together last season and there's no reason to believe that they couldn't do the same this season. That is when both get healthy.
Thing is, upgrades at the deadline are great if you're playoff team. And there's the rub with Buffalo, as of right now it doesn't look as if they'll be in the post season which means players will be moving out for picks and prospects.
But if they go on a long run, defense, left wing and fourth-line center will be areas they'll look to address.
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