The Andreas Athanasiou situation is an interesting one to keep an eye on.

Published by hockeybuzz.com, 8-25-2017


For once the Buffalo Sabres don't have drama surrounding the signing of one of their players. Sabres GM Jason Botterill got all of his restricted free agents signed, and that includes starting goaltender Robin Lehner who had filed for salary arbitration before the two sides amicably came together on a 1 yr./$4 million deal that was a $850,000 bump over his salary from last season. Lehner is in Buffalo as we speak practicing with some of his teammates yesterday, according to a tweet from WGR550 radio's Paul Hamilton.

Whether real or imagined, the Sabres had some problems either keeping their own or signing them at a reasonable rate to keep the small market team competitive. At least pre-Terry Pegula. In the six years since Pegula bought the team, things have gone in the other direction with Buffalo overpaying players, but perhaps we're finally at a spot where it's beginning to balance out.

As it stands right now, the Sabres are $6.9 million under the NHL's cap-ceiling with all of their players signed, and their 44 pro contracts are under the league's maximum of 50, according to CapFriendly. Also, as of right now, Buffalo is in the mix for free agent defenseman Will Butcher. The 2017 Hobey Baker winner has reportedly narrowed his choices to four team with only two of them being named--Buffalo and the Vegas Golden Knights.

Were he to sign with the club (which could very easily happen,) the team still has plenty of wiggle room to add at least another contract or two. Adding talent is the name of the game and one could assume that Botterill is closely watching what's happening with a number of Group-2 free agents who've yet to come to terms off of their entry-level deals.

Unsigned restricted free agent problems are the realm of other teams this August and the list incudes some impressive talent. Topping that list would be Columbus Blue Jackets center Alexander Wennberg. The 22 yr. old center is coming off of a strong campaign in his third NHL season with 59 points (13+46) in 80 games.

I reached out to hockeybuzz.com colleague Paul Berthelot, who covers the Jackets, to see about the Wennberg situation.

Berthelot says Wennberg, "who is a true center that you will not see on the wing," was the used as the team's No. 1 center after Columbus traded Ryan Johansen in the Seth Jones deal. He also speculates that Wennberg might be looking for a Jonathan Drouin-type contract somewhere in the vicinity of 6 yrs./$5.5-6 million per season.

Sam Bennett out in Calgary is also have a bit of a problem coming to terms with the Flames. Bennett was taken fourth overall in the 2014 NHL Draft and just finished his second full season with the club.

The Flames have some impressive young talent with the likes of Sean Monahan, Johnny Gadreau and Matthew Tkachuk leading their charge of the youngins and Bennett hasn't lived up to his billing as of yet. According to Mark Parkinson of MatchsticksandGasoline, "Bennett hasn’t blown anyone away with his play, yet he really isn’t a bust either. It’s like he’s in some weird middle ground. Is he a true centre? Is he a forward? When will we see that potential the Flames saw when they selected him that high in the draft."

Out in Arizona Anthony Duclair had a tough go of it in his second season with the Coyotes. The 2013 third round pick (109th overall) went from 20 goals and 44 points in 2015-16 to five goals and fifteen points last season, a drop that ended up with him being demoted to the AHL's Tucson Roadrunners.

Hockeybuzz colleague James Tanner felt that Duclair's drop in production may not have been his fault completely saying, "Last year they acquired [Radim] Vrbata and Duclair lost his job before training camp even started. Then in the first preseason game he got like ten minutes, and the same with the season opener.

"He didn't so much have a bad season last year, as his season was self-sabotaged by the coach. [Dave] Tippett just didn't play him, and older guys no longer on the team got tons more minutes and PP time."

A dreadful season like that put 5'11" 185lb. left-winger in a weak bargaining position that has him looking at a bridge deal.

The most intriguing unsigned RFA, however, seems to be Detroit Red Wings forward Andreas Athanasiou.

Detroit is in a very vulnerable position at this time of the off season. There have been huge changes in Motown which includes the loss of owner Mike Illitch earlier this year and the move to a new arena. The Red Wings lost two key components of their Cup Champion team from 2008 in coach Mike Babcock and Pavel Datsyuk and for the first time in over 25 years missed the playoffs.

What's worse for them going into the season is that they're $3 million over the cap right now. Although GM Ken Holland will get some relief once the season starts, he may need to make a decision on Athanasiou sooner rather than later. The 23 yr. old forward is supposedly entertaining an offer from the KHL.

In his AskAnsar piece at M-Live this morning, Ansar Khan addressed the situation. "I have no idea what a 23-year-old player with 27 goals and 41 points in 101 games could earn in Russia," he wrote, "but I think it would have to be substantially more than what he can get from the Red Wings (my guess is between $1.5 million and $2 million per season for two years) for Athanasiou to go overseas. I doubt that it’s worth going for slightly more money, even though it’s tax-free there."

After a fan offered up a 3yr./$9 million deal for Athanasiou, Khan replied, "I’m sure Athanasiou would jump at that deal, but I doubt the Red Wings would offer that much."

The reasoning is very simple, according to Khan. He followed that up with an appearance on the Laidlaw and Allen Hockey Report saying, "In my opinion, even if [the Wings] had plenty of cap-space, I think they'd still be in the same predicament with Athanasiou because there is a gap between what they think this 23 yr. old coming off his entry-level contract should be paid and what Athanasiou's camp thinks he's worth.

"The Red Wings have always operated under this salary structure," continued Khan, "that this player with a certain amount of experience needs to be slotted in at this level, and they feel they'd disrupt that by giving him more than they feel he should get."

Khan points straying from their structure would have a "domino effect" because next year they'll need to re-sign two young, talented players in Dylan Larkin and Anthony Mantha.

Athanasiou has a pretty good skill package. He's "an elite skater" said Khan, "and what he's got at a fairly young age is finishing ability. He can make individual plays and when he gets in tight, he knows how to finish and he's proven it despite limited ice-time and limited powerplay time."

On the downside, Athanasiou, has been called out by coach Jeff Blashill on a couple of occasions for an inconsistent effort. "He takes too many shifts off," according to Khan, "doesn't pay attention to detail as much without the puck in the defensive end and sometimes his compete-level, as far as winning battles and consistently skating hard, has caused some rifts."

It's an interesting case to watch. Athanasiou is obviously talented, albeit with his flaws, but that doesn't seem to be the sticking point as much as a clash of contract philosophies. This isn't the same Red Wings organization that every player wanted to play for under their terms. It actually reminds me of the Sabres and some of their off seasons.

Vulnerability makes the Wings/Athanasiou situation very intriguing in that we could see the first offer sheet for an rfa since the ill-fated Flames offer sheet for Ryan O'Reilly in February, 2013. Perhaps the best part about all of this is that the poaching team could go as high as $3,755,233/season and only give up a second-rounder to the Wings. Or if a team feels that Athanasiou could be a key player for their team moving forward,  they could offer up a future first rounder, say in 2019, as an incentive not to try and poach him.

Do the Sabres have $3.5 million in cap-space over the next three years to use on a talent like Athanasiou? Would they feel a 2019 first-rounder for him would be worth it to avoid an offer sheet? They could do either.

It sure is nice to be on this side of the equation.

The Will Butcher watch begins at 12:01 a.m. tomorrow.

Published by hockeybuzz.com, 8-15-2017


We interupt this series on the past season to make a note on the present. Denver Pioneers defenseman Will Butcher, who was drafted by the Coloroado Avalanche in 2013 (123rd-overall,) is set to become a free agent at 12:01 a.m. if the Avalanche can't sign him, which has about a 99.9% chance of happening right now.

The 5'10 190 lb. right-handed shot from Sun Prarie, WI just finished his senior season on the NCAA National Men's Champion Denver Pioneers, and according to his Denver bio finished his senior season second in the nation in scoring by a defenseman (43 games-7g, 30a) and tied for third in plus/minus (+27.) In four seasons at Denver Butcher played 158 games had 103 points (28+75) and finished +49.

Butcher is set to hit free agency and the Buffalo Sabres are amongst many teams interested in signing him.

 

Ted Kulfan of The Detroit News, wrote today that the Detroit Red Wings are interested in the 2017 Hobey Baker winner as are "two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh, Chicago and Minnesota (both close to home for the Wisconsin native) [while] Buffalo, Toronto and New Jersey have been linked to Butcher, and in most cases, can offer immediate playing time."

 

That's a pretty tough list of teams for the Sabres to go up against for Butcher's services, and as for the "immediate playing time" portion of that quote, unless Buffalo moves a d-man like Zach Bogosian or Josh Gorges, Butcher will be in Rochester getting acclimated to the pro game. At least to start the season. In addition to those two d-men, as of now the Sabres have d-anchor Rasmus Ristolainen, two acquisitions in Nathan Beaulieu and Marco Scandella as well as free agent Russian signee Victor Antipin plus Jake McCabe. Justin Falk was a Grade-A call-up from Rochester last season and Taylor Fedun, who recently signed a two-year extension with the club, did yeoman's work in his 27 games as a call-up last season.

 

New Sabres GM Jason Botterill and new head coach Phil Housley have their work cut out for recruiting Butcher. They're up against two powerhouses in Pittsburgh and Chicago, a steady Minnesota Wild club and a fast-riser in the Toronto Maple Leafs coached by one of the best in the business. New Jersey shouldn't be dismissed either as they're being built by Penguins' Stanley Cup architect, Ray Shero, and just drafted a No. 1 center in Nico Hishier.

 

The Sabres shouldn't be taken lightly either. They have a core group that includes a franchise center in Jack Eichel, a top two-way center in Ryan O'Reilly and they just hired a coach in Housley that coached the most feared defense in last year's Stanley Cup playoffs. Botterill himself is no slouch as he was a part of helping to build Pittsburgh's  2009, 2016 and 2017 Stanley Cup champion teams.

 

Butcher was a fifth round pick in 2013 due to his smaller size for a defenseman, although he proved throughout his college career that he can handle bigger bodies in the defensive zone. He's never been afraid to lay the body on anyone and because of his strength, balance and the way he leverages his body, Butcher is extremely effective.

 

In addition to his strong two-way game he also has those intangibles like leadership which aren't so much a primary selling point as they are an augment to his hockey abilities.

 

Word is that he and his agent have said that they're looking for "the best organizational fit," according to Ryan Lambert of The Hockey News, which would include seasoning in the AHL, if necessary. Lambert calls Butcher "an NHL'er" and "the only reason teams shouldn’t be interested in a 22-year-old with a great pedigree is if they’re pushing up against the 50-contract limit."

 

The Sabres are presently at 43 contracts according to CapFriendly.

 

 

 

 

 

 

If Reinhart was moved to center--a look at the potential top-nine for Buffalo

Published by hockeybuzz.com, 8-6-2017


The idea has been bantered about here for a little while--moving Sam Reinhart back to his natural center position. That move would inevitably have the former second-overall pick using his hockey IQ and set-up skills in a third line role. Although Kris Baker of sabresprospects.com and Sabres.com thinks it's a better idea not to label lines anymore. In a tweet touting the Reinhart move to center, Baker hearkens back to the 2005-07 Buffalo Sabres when he mentions the line of Daniel Briere centering Jochen Hecht and Ales Kotalik.

 

"Aiming for balance," wrote Baker in his tweet. "Matchups. Opponent picks their poison. I look at HBK as a "third" unit. No more #ing lines. Top line is who's going best."

 

It's certainly a "modern" way to look at the four-lines concept, but back in that day the Sabres did have themselves a helluva third line in that center Derek Roy was third on the depth chart behind Briere and Chris Drury. On one wing was Thomas Vanek and on the other was Maxim Afinogenov.

 

Regardless of how you want to categorize the lineup, one thing the Sabres do have today is strength down the middle much like they did when they went to consecutive Eastern Conference Finals those two seasons. With Jack Eichel and Ryan O'Reilly occupying the top two center roles, perhaps Reinhart could be a Roy-like player to play the third center position.

 

What Phil Housley does on the wings with Reinhart moving out of the top-six is another matter.

 

Last year the duo of O'Reilly and right wing Kyle Okposo was formidable regardless of who their left-winger was and that included the likes of Matt Moulson for a good stretch early in the season. Players from William Carrier and Cole Schneider to Tyler Ennis and Marcus Foligno, as well as Evander Kane, also made appearances on that line and despite the lineup turmoil and the injuries O'Reilly finished with 55 points (20+35) in 71 games while Okposo had 45 (19+26) in 65 games.

 

When Drury and JP Dumont were kickin' it in a two-way role for Buffalo the other winger for much of the time was Mike Grier who wasn't exactly a point producer (383 points in 1060 career NHL games,) but they clicked, which was huge for the forward group. Which may lead one to believe that free agent signee Benoit Pouliot may end up on the left side of O'Reilly/Okposo. At 30 and with steadily declining numbers over the past few seasons, Pouliot isn't exactly a top-line or even a full time top-six player, but in a world of numberless lines, that trio may have an impact if the chemistry is there.

 

Former Sabres head coach Dan Bylsma was big on forward pairings which is a good concept when you're constantly juggling players and lines. It worked well with the O'Reilly/Okposo pairing and it also worked very well with Reinhart on Eichel's wing. But moving Reinhart back to center breaks up that forward pairing. In doing so a Kane/Eichel pairing would move to the fore and insomuch wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing. Sure both like the puck on their sticks, but Kane's play has been moving in the direction where his Alpha-male overtones have receded. Perhaps we may be jumping the gun a bit on Kane maturing that far but those two, with their speed and talent and ability to create space, are a nightmare for defenses and they've proven it most of the time when they were on the same line the past two seasons.

 

Filling the right side of the Eichel/Kane duo is somewhat problematic with Reinhart moving away from that spot. Thirty-four year old Jason Pominville was brought back but a full time top-six spot, especially on the wing with those two might make him age even faster.

 

This might be a golden opportunity for a young player like Nick Baptiste to take the reigns of his NHL career. He has speed and size the ability to hound the puck and can either snipe or set up. He played 41 games for a loaded Erie Otters team featuring Connor McDavid scoring 26 goals and adding 27 assists in 41 games. His pro career has shown steady improvement as he's gained more experience and confidence.

 

Filling that RW slot with Baptiste, or even young Justin Bailey, would allow for a very intriguing pairing as a young and developing Reinhart could have Pominville as his mentor as the two have more similarities than differences in their styles of play. Filling that left wing role on that line may be somewhat of a problem.

 

Moulson might get the first crack at a situation like this as the team could really use more output from a player making $5 million. Or Zemgus Girgensons (if/when he re-signs) may find himself a home with a well-defined position that seemed to be lacking under Bylsma. Or there might be an opportunity for a younger player to take on that role. Maybe Bailey or a player like Evan Rodrigues.

 

Rodrigues finally began to find his stride last year with the Rochester Americans and although the numbers aren't eye-popping, his progress has been steady and getting stronger. He's got a very high hockey IQ, finds open space and can score. Lest we forget, he did play on Eichel's wing in college and although his development has been somewhat elongated at the pro-level, he has all the tools to hang with quality NHL players.

 

It's early August with hockey two months away it's way to early to tell what the Sabres roster will look like. With the lineup as laid out above with two youngins on board, the final five forward spots right now would consist of Moulson, Girgensons, Johan Larsson, Jacob Josefson and Nicolas Deslauriers.

 

However, this could be the Sabres top-nine should they decide to move Reinhart to center:

 

Pouliot-O'Reilly-Okposo

Kane-Eichel-Baptiste

Rodrigues-Reinhart-Pominville

 

Is it a "pick your poison" lineup?

 

Not yet. But we've seen a helluva lot worse over the past few years or so.

 

 

 

 

And then there was one--Zemgus Girgensons

Published by hockeybuzz.com, 8-2-2017


The Sabres announced yesterday that defenseman Nathan Beaulieu was re-signed for two years at a $2.4 million AAV. Beaulieu was acquired from the Montreal Canadiens on June 17, 2017 for a third round draft pick. With the signing, all three players that filed for arbitration were re-signed by the club before their scheduled hearings. Forward Johan Larsson re-upped for a 2yr./$2.92 million deal while goalie Robin Lehner was re-signed at 1yr./$4 million.

In early June, new GM Jason Botterill had nine restricted free agents to consider. Forward Marcus Foligno was traded to Minnesota in the Marco Scandella deal while Jean Dupuy, Justin Kea and Brady Austin were not offered contracts. Goalie Linus Ullmark signed a 2 yr./$1.5 million deal on June 13 and Evan Rodrigues re-signed on July 27. With Larsson and Lehner re-signing, the Sabres have only one RFA left, forward Zemgus Girgensons.

Girgensons presents a curious case for Botterill and the Sabres. The former first rounder (2012, 14th-overall) is coming off of two poor seasons where he was relegated to bottom-six duty and more often than not found himself in a checking/defensive role. The Riga, Latvia native handled it very well, but coming off of a 15-goal season in 2014-15, more was expected of him than 14 goals and 20 assists in 146 games over the course of the following two seasons.

The Sabres as a whole fell well short of expectations last season which lead to the firings of GM Tim Murray and head coach Dan Bylsma, who was only in his second season. Much was made of the turmoil in Buffalo last season as there were disconnects between coach and players. Injuries certainly played a part in the Sabres 26th place finish but throughout much of the season, Bylsma and his players seemed to be on different pages. It was something that may not have been there in 2015-16 when they were making great strides while coming out of the cellar, but in one particular case, there certainly were signs that all was not well.

Back on October 16, 2015 Girgensons and Bylsma engaged in a conversation that went well above the norms of a player and coach talking as "it was clear from Girgensons’ frank facial expressions," wrote Jon Vogl of the Buffalo News, "they weren’t discussing the weather." The two stood at the red line after practice for 10 minutes or, "the longest on-ice conversation for the Sabres in at least a decade," according to Vogl.

From thence the conversation involving Girgensons revolved around his seeming inability to grasp the X's and O's of Bylsma's system. Or maybe it was a harbinger of things to come with the team as they were welded to a system that didn't seem to be working.

Regardless of what transpired, Bylsma is gone and Girgensons, who is the longest tenured Sabres' player, has a new coach, his fourth in Buffalo since his debut on October 2, 2013. Phil Housley takes the reigns as the Sabres new bench boss and how this affects Girgensons, or whether or not he'll be a fit for what Housley wants to do remains to be seen.

What we do know is that Girgensons does offer a power game with some scoring ability and had played well in a defensive role under Bylsma. We also know that he made $1.15 million last season and probably won't be singing for much more considering he only had 16 points (7+9) in 75 games last season.

Another chapter in the curious case of Zemgus Girgensons is about to unfold. Whether it's in Buffalo or somewhere else is yet to be determined as he's the last free agent left for Botterill.

Sabres re-sign forward Evan Rodrigues at two-years, $1.3 million

Published by hockeybuzz.com, 7-27-2017


The Sabres re-signed restricted free agent Evan Rodrigues today to a two-year deal with a $650,000 AAV. The first year of the deal is a two-way contract for the waiver's exempt Rodrigues and will pay him the same $650K salary whether he plays in Rochester or Buffalo, according to CapFriendly. The second year is a one-way deal.

Rodrigues signed with the Sabres as a free agent out of Boston University in 2015 after riding shotgun on Jack Eichel's wing for the Terriers. Rodrigues finished second in the league in scoring (to Eichel) that season with 54 points (18+36) in 35 games for BU while adding three goals and six assists in six post season games. The Terriers reached the NCAA championship game that year but lost to the Providence Friars in the Frozen Four Final.

One could easily think that the Rodrigues signing was a nod by then GM Tim Murray to Eichel as the Sabres were set him second-overall two months later. There were also those weren't sure if Rodrigues could stand alone without Eichel. After a slow start to his first pro campaign, Rodrigues showed the same skills he displayed in college. It took him 17 games to record his first goal for the Amerks and he only had three assists in the process. He tallied eight more goals and 18 more assists the rest of the way as he got a better feel for the way the pro game was played. He also got a taste of the NHL that year recording a goal and an assists in two games for the Sabres.

Rodrigues didn't look out of place in Buffalo for those two games and he took that experience with him back to Rochester for the 2016-17 season. He ended up with the exact same Amerks stat line of nine goals and 21 assists but did so in only 48 games as opposed to 72 the prior season. He also played in 30 games for the Sabres scoring four goals and adding two assists.

Although drafted as a winger, Rodrigues found himself playing center, often times playing both, sometimes within the same game. After one game in Columbus (a 4-3 loss) where he scored the first goal of the game (and the first one on the Blue Jackets Sergei Bobrovsky in 182:50), he was asked by a reporter if it was an easy transition for him. "I've been doing it all year," he replied. "There's no real difficulty in that. You're either taking draws or you're not."

Probably more difficult for him than switching positions was an AHL environment where the structure isn't there an oft times players aren't where they should be. Rodrigues has a strong hockey IQ and he told me later in that same post-game interview about the differences in the two leagues. "The players around here (the NHL) are really smart up here," he said. "I've been able to kind of read off of them and play my game." When asked if it was more structured he said, "Yeah, a little bit. I think that's what I'm kind of taking advantage of, knowing where guys are going to be. And I'm playing with good players too so both of those things together are working in my favor."

With the Rodrigues signing, Sabres GM Jason Botterill has only two more restricted free agents to re-sign--F, Zemgus Girgensons and D, Nathan Beaulieu who has an arbitration case scheduled for August 4.

As for Rodrigues, there are openings in the Sabres forward group and although we're not sure he has the chops yet to run shotgun again on Eichel's wing, he's certainly developed well enough to make a strong push for a spot amongst the top-12 forwards. If he doesn't make it, expectations are high for him to have an impact season in Rochester.

After a busy two months, all's quiet on the Sabres front

Published by hockeybuzz.com, 7-23-2017


Jason Botterill needed a break. The first time GM came to the Sabres on May 11 right after the Pittsburgh Penguins just finished eliminating the Washington Capitals in Round-2 of the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs. From there it was into the fire with his new club.

Botterill spent his first week on the job meeting with Sabres scouts to compare notes on the fast approaching NHL Entry Draft which was just six weeks away. And if that wasn't enough, he also had to prepare for the expansion draft as the Las Vegas Golden Knights were looking to build their roster with one player from every NHL team. Also on tap for Botterill was finding a head coach for his new team and building a management team to surround him which included finding an assistant general manager who could also serve as the GM of the Rochester Americans. The Amerks were also without a coach after Dan Lambert's contract wasn't re-upped.

The one reprieve from the huge pile of work that was in front of him was a on-ice Cup celebration with the victorious Penguins. Pittsburgh GM Jim Rutherford invited his former right-hand man to the celebration with Botterill gladly and rightfully accepting (he'll get a day with the Cup as well and said he's probably taking it to his hometown of Winnipeg.)

It was a nod to all the great work Botterill did with key role players that helped the Penguins to consecutive Stanley Cup wins. Even if his presence at the celebration seemed awkward, it was a fitting way to turn the page on a long and very successful tenure in Pittsburgh.

With the expansion draft a few days away, it was onward and Botterill worked out a deal with Golden Knights' GM George McPhee to keep young goalie Linus Ullmark. He sent a sixth-rounder to Vegas to keep McPhee from selecting the exposed Ullmark and watched as McPhee nabbed Will Carrier. Three days later he was huddled with his scouts in Chicago and lead his first NHL draft as GM. The Sabres, who had been dropped from fifth-overall to eighth at the draft lottery ended up with a player in center Casey Mittelstadt that most viewed as a top-five pick anyway.

Botterill said at his opening presser that he was focused upon revamping the Sabres defense and building a strong Amerks club. On June 17 he traded a 2017 third round pick for Montreal defenseman Nathan Beaulieu and less than two weeks later he sent Buffalo's longest-tenured players--Tyler Ennis and Marcus Foligno--to Minnesota for defenseman Marco Scandella and former Sabres captain Jason Pominville.

The two trades allowed Botterill to head into July 1 free agency without the need to overreach for an expensive free agent and allowed the new GM to follow through on his promise to fortify Rochester. Botterill and Co. had a busy start to free agency as they landed eight players. Three of them--goalie Chad Johnson and forwards Benoit Pouliot and Jacob Josefson--will be looked upon as contributors to the big club while the other five were of the depth variety that will add talent and experience at the AHL-level.

Weaving it's way through all the player moves was the hiring of coaches and front office personnel. On June 15, just four days after the conclusion of the Stanley Cup Finals, Botterill hired Nashville Predators assistant Phil Housley as the new head coach of the Sabres. On June 26 Botterill poached Randy Sexton from Pittsburgh to be his AGM and Rochester GM and on June 30, Chris Taylor was hired to be the new Ameks coach. Botterill retained Sabres goalie coach Andrew Allen on July 11 and he was bookended by the Housley hires of Davis Payne and Chris Hajt for his coaching staff.

Botterill downshifted a bit with a four-day Sabres Development Camp that ended on July 11 and now he's focused upon four restricted free agents to sign with two of them headed to arbitration--G, Robin Lehner and Beaulieu. Lehner's arb-date is this week, July 27, while Beaulieu's is August 4. Forward Johan Larsson had filed for arbitration but he and the Sabres settled while forwards Zemgus Girgensons and Evan Rodrigues remained unsigned.

After packing all of that into a two-month span, it's not surprising that all's quiet on the Sabres front right now. The additions of Beaulieu and Scandella certainly fortified the defense-corps for new head coach Housley and the Day-1 free agent signings will go a long way in stabilizing Rochester. Sexton is a very competent GM for the Amerks and Botterill hired Ryan Jankowski, who was director of player personnel for Hockey Canada, to head his amateur scouting department.

However, bubbling under the surface are contract extension talks with franchise center Jack Eichel as the history-making Connor McDavid contract (eight years and an NHL-record $12.5 million/season) serves as a backdrop. Botterill has already said that he'll wait on extending fellow second-overall pick Sam Reinhart and there's still the question of if or how Evander Kane fits into the grand scheme of things. All three players are in the final year of their respective contracts.

The Sabres are in a good place right now, which is a good thing after an extremely disappointing 2016-17 season. Perhaps Botterill took a little time to smash a brat and relax with a frosty adult beverage this summer. With his phone right by his side, no doubt. He got a lot accomplished, but there's still plenty to be done.

A look at Buffalo's three arbitration cases

Published by hockeybuzz.com, 7-6-2017


A total of 30 NHL players elected for arbitration yesterday. If a contract can't be finalized before their scheduled hearings, both sides sit down and plead their cases to an arbitrator who makes a binding decision on salary. Hearings are scheduled between July 20 and August 4 this year and most are settled beforehand. In many cases player selected arbitration is a way to ensure a contract negotiations don't drag on all summer.

If the two sides do end up at the arbitrator's table things can get contentious as players and their agents espouse their virtues while teams highlight the players' shortcomings. CSN Mid-Atlantic's Chuck Gormley reminded us recently that in 2002, after the Brendan Morrison hearing, then Vancouver Canucks GM Brian Burke had this to say about the process, “After inviting us into the alley, you can't complain if you get kicked in the groin.”

Oh the pugnacity.

Some other examples of rough negotiations pointed out by Gormley, 2015 piece:

--in 1997 then NY Islanders GM Mike Milbury reportedly drove goaltender Tommy Salo to tears by telling his agent he was one of the poorest conditioned athletes he’d ever seen.
--in 2003, the Phoenix Coyotes called Mike Johnson the “worst forward in the NHL”
--during the Canucks/Morrison hearing metnioned to above, at one point during their briefing the Canucks likened Morrison to a mouse who was carried across a river by two elephants, linemates Todd Bertuzzi and Markus Naslund.

In player elected arbitration the team can walk away from the deal if they get a result that's not to their liking. Since 1995 when the system was set up only a handful of players were left at the altar. The first was in 1999 when Boston said no to a $2.8 million award to Dmitri Khristich. Goalie Anti Niemi's case was a big one in 2010 as the cap-crunched Chicago Blackhawks walked away from that $2.75 million decision. Neimi's was one of three cases that year where teams balked as the Atlanta Thrashers said no to former Buffalo Sabre Clarke MacArthur's award and the Sabres themselves walked away from an award to Tim Kennedy.

That was the second time Buffalo had scoffed at a decision. The first time was in 2006 when they said no to JP Dumont's $2.9 million award. Just prior to that then GM Darcy Regier accepted the $5 million an arbitrator awarded forward Daniel Briere which put the Sabres in a bit of a cap-crunch of their own.

The Sabres have some flexibility under the cap for the 2017-18 season, but not too much. As outlined yesterday, if salaries for their roster free agents remain on the conservative side they'll be $8.5 million under the NHL's cap ceiling this year. However, they also need to take into consideration the possibility that $5.5 million could be paid out in performance bonuses to Jack Eichel and Sam Reinhart which could reduce it to about $3 million.

Buffalo has five arbitration-eligible restricted free agents with two of them--Zemgus Girgensons and Evan Rodrigues--not headed to arbitration. Girgensons' eventual salary will affect the Sabres cap situation while Rodrigues is probably headed to Rochester for another year of seasoning. That leaves us with the three who are headed to arbitration.

F, Johan Larsson

Why he chose this route is a head-scratcher, unless he simply wants to get this over with so he can enjoy the rest of his summer. Larsson is a good forward and a real good bottom-six center when he's on his game. On a contender he'd be a pesky fourth-line center and he may end up there for Buffalo this year dependent upon how the roster pans out. It's really not a good time for him to be headed to arbitration as he hasn't played since suffering multiple upper-body injuries sustained when he crashed into the boards on December 31 in Boston. Larsson's statistical highs came the prior season as he had 17 points on a career-high 10 goals in 74 games.

Speculation:  Larsson was qualified for just under $1 million by the Sabres to retain his rights. Call it an even $1 million and be done with it.


D, Nathan Beaulieu

In the first trade of his GM career, Jason Botterill acquired the Montreal defenseman for a third round er. The 24 yr. old Beaulieu is a former first round pick (17th-overall) who spent five years with the Canadiens working his way up the ladder. Last season he was placed on the top-pairing with Shea Weber but was eventually dropped to the third pair. Beaulieu is an all situations defenseman who was fifth in overall time on ice for the Habs defensemen last season, sixth in even strength ATOI, although his 28 points (4+24) tied him for third in scoring amongst Montreal's defensemen.

Speculation:  Beaulieu made $1 million last season. It's a new team and a new system where he may be able to really ramp up his production but we're not sure how this will all play out. A $1.5 million deal gives Beaulieu a nice 50% increase and keeps Buffalo happy during this feeling out period.


G, Robin Lehner

This is the big one for Buffalo. The Sabres picked up goalie Chad Johnson to be Lehner's backup, but the good thing about Johnson is that he can play the role of a team's No. 1. It's not ideal, but he can make it work. Lehner is coming off of an escalating three-year deal that averaged $2.25 million/season but paid him $3.150 million last year and that will be their jumping off point as he proved to be a legit NHL starter. In 59 games for the Sabres last season Lehner posted a 2.68 GAA and .920 Sv% while facing the third most shots in the league (1,910.) Montreal's Carey Price set the new bar for goalies as his new deal pays him $10.5 million AAV and others above Lehner in save percentage have cap-hits in and around the $4.2M (Craig Anderson, OTT) to $5.3M (Jimmy Howard, DET) range

Speculation:  One can see Lehner and his agent expecting to land in that range while the Sabres probably want to max out at $4 million or so. Perhaps $4.25 million will be the number they settle at, but it will be interesting to see what Botterill does if an arbitrator puts the number at $5M.

A quick look at Niederreiter and the Buffalo's current contract and cap situation

Published by hockeybuzz.com, 7-5-2016


First off, a big thanks to CapFriendly for their work, and second, Minnesota's Nino Niederreiter has filed for salary arbitration.

Niederreiter was taken fifth overall by the NY Islanders in the 2010 NHL Draft and his wish to be traded was fulfilled as he was sent to the Wild in exchange for Cal Clutterbuck and a 2013 third-round pick (NJD.) He went from scoring one goal in 55 games for the 2011-12 Islanders to a stint with their AHL affiliate, Bridgeport Sound, after the lockout ended then onward to Minnesota where he had 36 points (14+22) in 81 games for the Wild after the trade.

Since that season the 6'2' 212 lb. Niederreiter has steadily increased his point-total to a career high 25 goals and 32 assists last season.

The 24 yr. old is at the end of his second pro contract and had a $2.66 million cap-hit last year.

Why bring this up?

Niederreiter was the subject of trade rumors leading up to the expansion draft as GM Chuck Fletcher had some difficult decisions to make. Fletcher decided to protect Niederreiter and was forced into making a deal with the Las Vegas Golden Knights to keep them from nabbing unprotected players like defensemen Marco Scandella and Matt Dumba. Fletcher sent top prospect Alex Tuch to Vegas for a third-rounder and the Knights eventually selected F, Erik Haula in the expansion draft.

Scandella was eventually traded to Buffalo along with Jason Pominville, a former Sabres captain.

Although Fletcher has managed to keep his core together, Niederreiter seems to be like an electron that may eventually break free and the Sabres most likely are keeping an eye on the situation (as are other teams.)

Niederreiter is listed as a right-winger, of which the Sabres have many, but he's played both sides of center and would fit nicely in a top-six, left-wing role in Buffalo. It's possible that a $4 million or more arbitration ruling could be in the offing and although the Wild have the cap-space to absorb that, the ramifications of an arbitration hearing can lead to a messy situation.

But, onward to the Sabres.


*****

The trade for Scandella and Pominville added just over $3.3 million to the Sabres cap. As of right now, Buffalo is well under the $75 million cap ceiling with four restricted free agents they're expected re-sign for the roster--forwards Zemgus Girgensons and Johan Larsson, defenseman Nathan Beaulieu and goalie Robin Lehner.

A look at the Sabres cap situation.

Forwards

Ryan O'Reilly--$7.5M
Kyle Okposo--6.0
Jason Pominville--5.6
Evander Kane--5.25
Matt Moulson--5.0
Benoit Pouliot--1.15
Jack Eichel--.925
Sam Reinhart--.894
Nicolas Deslauriers--.775
Jacob Josefson--.700
Hudson Fasching--.925
Zemgus Girgensons--1.25 (estimate)
Johan Larsson--1.0 (estimate)

Total for 13 forwards--$37M (approx.)


Defensemen

Rasmus Ristolainen--5.4
Zach Bogosian--5.14
Marco Scandella--4.0
Josh Gorges--3.9
Jake McCabe--1.6
Victor Antipin--.925
Justin Falk--.650
Nathan Beaulieu--1.5 (estimate)

Total for 8 defensemen--$23M (approx.)


Goalies

Chad Johnson--2.5
Robin Lehner--4.0 (estimate)

Total for 2 goalies--$6.5M


Buffalo's total cap-hit for the 23-man roster as constructed above is right around $66.5 million leaving them roughly $8.5 million in cap-space.

We may also want to keep in mind a possible total of $5.5M in bonuses that could be paid out this year. Any cap-overage because of bonuses would affect next year's cap. Eichel's performance bonus number is $2.85 million while Reinhart's would be $2.65 million.

If play a conservative cap game and assume both players will hit their marks, the Sabres as of right now are $3.5 million under the NHL's $75 million cap-ceiling, which is a good cushion to cover injuries throughout the season.

Of note, the Sabres have a $41,667 cap-hit tied to the buyout of Cody Hodgson.

*****

As it stands right now Buffalo has 39 players signed to pro contracts with five RFA's to sign (the four roster players plus another one in F, Evan Rodrigues.) If the Sabres re-sign all five RFA's (which is likely) it will put them at 44 pro contracts, which is six under the league maximum of 50 NHL pro contracts allowed (last year they ran with 45.)

With 23 players projected to be signed to the Sabres roster, the rest of the Sabres pro contracts.


Forwards (11)

LW, C.J. Smith
W, Alexander Nylander
C, Sean Malone
RW, Nick Baptiste
C, Eric Cornel
LW, Vaclav Karabacek
RW, Justin Bailey
C, Kyle Criscuolo
F, Seth Griffith
C, Kevin Porter
F, Rodrigues (projected to sign)

Defensemen (6)

Matt Tennyson
Devante Stephens
Brendan Guhle
Brycen Martin
Casey Nelson
Taylor Fedun


Goalies (4)

Linus Ullmark
Jonas Johansson
Adam Wilcox
Jason Kasdorf

Happy 4th. Stuff to ponder while smashing your burger.

Published by hockeybuzz.com, 7-4-2017


It was a frenetic two weeks for Sabres GM Jason Botterill and Co. between the time Buffalo needed to submit their finalized expansion protected list on June 17. From there he had to wait out the process as the Las Vegas Golden Knights decided what they would do and it left him only a few days to get ready for the NHL Entry Draft that weekend. A week later was the start of NHL Free Agency.

During that two-week span players came and players went and when all was said and done, the Sabres will be entering the 2017-18 season with Zemgus Girgensons and Rasmus Ristolainen as their  who was drafted 14th-overall in 2012, as their longest-tenured Sabres player (by age and draft year.)

That fact was made possible by the departures of young vets Tyler Ennis and Marcus Foligno in a trade with Minnesota. On June 30, prior to the July opening of free agency, Botterill sent Ennis (2008, 26th-overall) and Foligno (2009, 104th) plus a third round pick to the Wild for defenseman Marco Scandella, former Sabre Jason Pominville (2001, 55th) and a fourth round pick.

Pominville was Buffalo's captain at the time of his trade to the Wild back on April 3, 2013 and with Ennis and Foligno gone, no one on that team is with the club any more. The Pominville trade to Minnesota (plus a fourth round pick) netted the Sabres Johan Larsson (who is still on the team,) Matt Hackett, a 2013 first round pick (Nikita Zadorov, 16th) and a 2014 second round pick (Vaclav Karabacek, 49th.)

As the roster stands right now, other than Girgensons, the Sabres have only four homegrown picks presently on it:

D, Jake McCabe (2012, 44th)
D, Rasmus Ristolainen (2013, 8th)
F, Sam Reinhart (2014, 2nd)
C, Jack Eichel, (2015, 2nd)

Barring any other moves, the overhaul of the Sabres in the Terry Pegula era is complete. It now spans three GM's (Darcy Regier, Tim Murray, Botterill,) five head coaches (Lindy Ruff, Ron Rolston, Ted Nolan, Dan Bylsma and Phil Housley, who was hired prior to the Ennis trade) plus one President of Hockey Operations in Pat LaFontaine.

Perhaps we jumped the gun a little bit thinking that the Sabres were well on their way at any point between the hiring of LaFontaine and shortly after the 2015 NHL Draft. Regardless of where anyone stood at any of those points, looking at what's left from Pominville's last game and his return the overall change is pretty stark.


*****

Buffalo's draft situation over the course of the last five years represents a team that bottomed out, yet found itself still spinning it's wheels.

In 2013, as the deconstruction of Regier's "Core" gained steam with the trade of Pominville, the Sabres finished 23rd in the league and selected eighth-overall. The following two seasons were dedicated to bottoming out which resulted in 30th place finishes and consecutive second-overall picks thanks to unlucky lottery results. The Sabres began their climb back to respectability in 2015-16 by finishing 23rd again and drafted eighth overall once again.

Buffalo entered last season with expectations that they could build upon the positives from the prior one. A multitude of reasons had them take a step back and finish 26th overall and under a new lottery system, they'd once again fall prey to the unlucky bounce of the pingpong balls and drop from fifth in the draft to eighth.

Prior to the 2013 draft, the Sabres had never drafted eighth-overall, and now they've done so in three of the last five years.

Also of note, this stretch of five consecutive top-10 picks is the longest in franchise history. The Sabres drafted top-10 three times in a row from their inaugural draft in 1970 to 1972. After that they'd drafted top-10 in consecutive seasons only twice:  1982-83 and 1986-87.


*****

Buffalo Sabres Development Camp begins this weekend with the schedule looking like this:

Sat., July 8: 2 to 3:30 p.m. and 4 to 5:30 p.m.
Sun., July 9: 10 to 11:15 a.m. and 2 to 3:15 p.m.
Mon., July 10: 10:30 to 11:45 a.m. and1:45 to 3:00 p.m.
Tue., July 11: French Connection Tournament: 9:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.

Not on tap is the Blue and Gold Scrimmage, which was a fan favorite. Who can forger over 17,000 fans showing up on a Friday in July to watch Jack Eichel, Sam Reinhart and Co. go at it back in 2015.

Perhaps it's more of a business-like approach this year. The French Connection Tournament is an intra-squad 3-on-3 tournament with multiple teams playing games in rapid-fire succession on half-sheets of ice. For fans it's not super exciting but the Sabres organization uses it as a tool to gauge where prospects and players are on their developmental curves.

All on-ice sessions will be held at HarborCenter and will be free and open to the public.



Have a Happy 4th, y'all. Keep it safe.

Sabres hire two AGM's. Also have RFA qualifying offers to decide upon

Published by hockeybuzz.com, 6-26-2017


The Buffalo Sabres announced today that they've hired Randy Sexton and Steve Greeley as assistant general managers. Sexton, who had been with the Pittsburgh Penguins for seven seasons, the last two as the Pens director of amateur scouting, will also be the GM of the Rochester Americans.

Buffalo GM Jason Botterill spent the last seven years working with Sexton and had this to say in a release:  "Randy and I developed a positive working relationship during our time in Pittsburgh and I think his experience and insight will be advantageous for our front office."

Greeley was  the assistant director of player personnel with the New York Rangers for the last two seasons. Said Botterill of him, "In Steve, we have hired a talented hockey executive who will offer unique insight to our organization.

"They both have experience at all levels of the game and we think they will be valuable assets for the Buffalo Sabres moving forward."

It's into the fire for all three, plus the rest of the staff as the July 1 free agent signing period is getting pretty close. First on the docket, however, will be qualifying offers to some restricted free agents. Buffalo has until 5:00 p.m. today to extend qualifying offers to a group of nine RFA's in order to retain their negotiating rights. A player can accept or reject a qualifying offer and in the case of the latter they'll still have their rights retained by said team. If they are not qualified, they become unrestricted free agents.

According to CapFriendly.com, the Buffalo has nine players in that boat and one could expect that nearly all will be qualified. Here's the player list with last year's salary ( ) and why the Sabres may or may not make an offer to said player :


G, Robin Lehner ($2.25M)
Lehner was Buffalo's starter last season. He appeared in 59 games finishing with a 23-26-8 record, a 2.68 GAA and .920 Sv%. with two shutouts. Heading into the season there were durability/injury questions with Lehner as he'd never had more than 36 appearances in one season. Lehner effectively put that to rest and he also had some remarkable games during the season, however those remarkable games were countered by some duds along the way. And then there was the shootout. Lehner went 0-4 in the skills competition and failed to stop a single shooter in eight attempts. Inconsistencies and an epic shootout fail aren't enough to show him the door by any stretch of the imagination but it maybe enough to keep him from getting a long-term deal.

F, Marcus Foligno ($2.25M)
One need only look at what the two-time defending Stanley Cup Champion Pittsburgh Penguins did when they acquired burly forward Ryan Reaves from the St. Louis Blues late last week. The enforcer role isn't officially dead but the days of John Scott are long gone and teams may feel the need to have a legit fourth-liner in that role. Marcus Foligno is a better scorer than Reaves and although a lesser fighter he is able to patrol the ice to a degree. Foligno is worthy of a third-line role next season on Buffalo. His career-high 13 goals last season was a result of skating along side Jack Eichel for long stretches but he's also played very well along side Johan Larsson and Brian Gionta. In his last four full seasons with the Sabres he's averaged about nine goals and 12 assists. Paying a player $2.25M for 23 points might be a little high, but he should get qualified and probably will be signed to a number very close to that for the upcoming season.


F, Zemgus Girgensons ($1.15M)
Girgensons is the poster-boy for the disconnect between players and former head coach Dan Bylsma. Early into Bylsma's short-lived, two year tenure in Buffalo Girgensons, according to the media, was at center ice with his new coach in a rather long, vociferous discussion. What was said hasn't been revealed but the results for Girgensons in his two years under Bylsma is pretty ugly--14 goals, 20 assists in 146 games. Girgensons may be settling into a hard-checking/defensive career that will probably net him some decent numbers once he settles in. A qualifying offer and another one-year "show-me" season under a new head coach could be in the offing for him in Buffalo.


D, Nathan Beaulieu ($1M)
You could bet the farm that Beaulieu will be qualified. The Sabres just traded for him and it looks as if the 6'2" 205 lb. lefty starts out his career in Buffalo in the top-four. With Beaulieu it's not a matter of "if" he'll be qualified, but more like what will the dollars and term be on a multi-year deal after they do so.


F, Johan Larsson ($950k)
An tough injury cut short what was shaping up to be a pretty good season for Larsson. He'd been clicking very well with then Sabres captain Brian Gionta on the third line and finished with 11 points (6g+5a) in 36 games. When all's said and done, if the Sabres can put together a playoff team in the near future, Larsson would be an excellent fourth-line center to have around. And they should keep him around by qualifying him this year.


F, Evan Rodrigues ($750k)
Rodrigues just finished his two-year entry-level deal after being signed out of Boston University. He put up grand numbers for the Terriers while riding shotgun on Eichel's wing at BU and has been slowly acclimating to the pro game. Rodrigues has the skills and has shown versatility as he was moved from wing to center and never missed a beat. As a measure of his growth, in his first season with Rochester he had nine goals and 21 assists in 72 games. A year later he had the exact same 30 points (9+21) in only 48 games while also going from a minus-15 his rookie pro season to a minus-2 last season for the Amerks. And he didn't look out of place in Buffalo either scoring eight points (5+3) in 32 games. With the way he plays the game using quickness, smarts and skill, methinks Rodrigues might be a Jason Botterill type of player.


F, Jean Dupuy ($600k)
The 6'1" 207 lb. Dupuy was signed by former GM Tim Murray out of the Ontario Hockey League at the age of 21. He got off to a grand start in Rochester with thoughts that he may someday use his size, speed and grittiness to make it to Buffalo in an energy role. However, he hasn't done much since. Maybe it was him, maybe it was the Amerks, or maybe it was a break in the developmental chain, but as of now Dupuy is on the cusp of a QO. He still has potential for Rochester, and the Amerks will need players, so he may get the offer But Dupuy seems to be a 50/50 proposition at this point.

F, Justin Kea ($575)
Things have not gone well for the former third round pick (2012) out of Kingston, Ontario. The big (6'4" 220 lb.) center had been bouncing between Rochester and Elmira (ECHL) in all three years of his entry-level deal and he may have bounced himself right out the door in Buffalo.

Let the off season begin, plus Stanley Cup notes

Published by hockeybuzz.com, 6-12-2017


With the Stanley Cup finished and Buffalo GM Jason Botterill back from Pittsburgh after celebrating with the Penguins team he helped build, time is short. Botterill has a lot on major issues on his docket that will need to be addressed including:

**Hiring a head coach for the Sabres--Buffalo was waiting for the end of the Cup to be able to interview Pittsburgh assistants Rick Tocchet and Jacques Martin as well as Nashville assistant coach Phil Housley who's considered the front-runner to be the Sabres next head coach. That decision should be in by the end of the week.

**Expansion Draft--Teams must submit their protected list for the expansion draft by Saturday at 5 p.m.
Buffalo isn't in a pressing situation like Minnesota where they're bound to lose a key player, but Botterill can use it to rid himself of an undesirable contract. Word on the street is that deals are in place already with the expansion Las Vegas Golden Knights and their GM George McPhee has stated that he already had a conversation with Buffalo and that there would be another on. Most feel that McPhee, and the rest of the NHL was waiting for the end of the Cup Finals before getting the ball rolling.

**NHL Entry Draft--The Golden Knights roster will be announced on Wednesday June 21 at the NHL awards ceremony and two days later the show heads to Chicago, IL for the draft June 23, 24. Botterill spent much of his first week in Buffalo getting to know his scouting staff and going over notes in preparation for the NHL Draft.

**July 1 NHL Free Agency begins--It's hard to believe it's less than three weeks away. Although the NHL's salary cap has taken away much of the luster, it's still an opportunity to land a piece to the puzzle without giving up anything to get it. Botterill has stated that revamping the Sabres defense is a top priority and there are names on the UFA list that might be of interest. How much room Botterill has to work with will probably depend upon what happens with the expansion draft.

Those are just the biggies for Botterill and Co. The buyout period begins this week and runs until June 30. The Sabres may be interested in that with names like Matt Moulson and Josh Gorges being mentioned. The period for team-elected salary arbitration begins this week with the Sabres having seven arbitration-eligible players. Botterill also needs to find a GM and coach for the Rochester Americans.



*****

The Pittsburgh Penguins have won the Stanley Cup for the fifth time in franchise history and is the first back-to-back Cup champion since the Detroit Red Wings did so in 1997-98. The Pens are also one of only three non-Original Six teams to win back-to-back Cups joining the 1974-75 Flyers and the Edmonton Oilers of the 80's.

Pens captain Sidney Crosby solidified himself as one of the greatest players to play the game as he lead Pittsburgh to their third Stanley Cup with him on board. Crosby received his second Conn Smythe Trophy in a row as playoff MVP joining the Flyers Bernie Parent ('74-75) and Penguins owner Mario Lemieux ('91-92) as the only players to do so since they began awarding the Trophy in 1965.

Crosby's stat-line of accomplishments is pretty damn impressive: 

3-Stanley Cups
2-Conn Smythe Trophies
2-Hart Trophies (League MVP)
2-Olympic Gold medals
1-World Cup
1-World Cup MVP

There's a general consensus that the four greatest NHL players of all time are Gordie Howe, Bobby Orr, Wayne Gretzky and Lemieux and Crosby is approaching that status. Penguins GM Jim Rutherford put him in the top two or three while riding the adrenaline rush of winning the Cup but putting him alongside Maurice "Rocket" Richard in that No. 5-6 conversation is certainly worthy.

And to think, the Penguins tanked for a top-four all-time great in Lemieux and another just outside in Crosby. It brought the city five Stanley Cups, but no one seems to care.

Just sayin'


*****

Analytics geeks have to be puzzled as to how a team like the Pens who had middle of the road advanced stats and were outshot an NHL playoff record 17 times in 25 games, won the Cup. Pittsburgh was also without their top defenseman, Kris Letang as well. The Nashville Predators dominated most of the Finals but couldn't come out on top.

Why?

A couple of reasons. First off the Penguins have two of the top 101 players in the NHL in Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. Crosby showed his dominance by taking over the game when necessary scoring eight goals and adding 19 assists while Malkin lead playoff scoring with 10 goals and 18 assists. Both those players make those around them better and were the driving force behind their third Stanley Cup together (Malkin won the Conn Smythe in 2009.)

The Penguins also got some stout goaltending, first by former first-overall pick and Cup Champion Marc-Andre Fleury with closing duties done by rookie goalie Matt Murray. Sure they had some dud games which lead to a fifth-best goals-against average of 2.28 but when it mattered most. MAF blanked the Washington Capitals in Game-7 in the second round while Murray pitched a shutout in the final two Stanley Cup games not allowing Nashville to score a goal over the final 126:52.

Not surprisingly, through all the static of stats permeating the entire season, what it came down to is the best player in the game and great, timely goaltending lead Pittsburgh to another Cup win.


*****

Pierre LeBrun had a good tweet last night noting that the Penguins are the first team with back-to-back wins in the salary cap era, which began with the '05-06 season. "Unreal accomplishment in the parity filled NHL of today."

Unreal accomplishment, no doubt in any league, but parity doesn't seem to include teams built with high draft picks.

The Penguins and the Chicago Blackhawks have won six of the last nine Stanley Cups and both teams had multiple top picks during bottoming-out periods. As mentioned, Pittsburgh tanked for Crosby selected first -overall and boasts Fleury (1st-overall) Malkin (2nd.) The Hawks have Patrick Kane (1st) and Jonathan Toews (3rd) with the qualifier that Kane was selected after Chicago jumped from fifth-overall to the top pick via the lottery.

The Los Angeles Kings won two Cups during that same period and with a lineup that had second-overall pick Drew Doughty anchoring their blueline.

Only the 2011 Boston Bruins were able to win the Cup in the past nine years without a home-grown top-overall pick playing a major role for their run.

The moral of the story?

Building through the draft is a good thing but having top picks seems like the best way to rise above parity.

Would you trade...

Published by hockeybuzz.com, 6-7-2017


Sam Reinhart for Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Noah Hanifin?

As mentioned in the previous blog, Buffalo GM Jason Botterill has no ties to any player presently in the system which gives him total freedom to do what he thinks is best for the organization. He has stated that fixing the defense is a top priority and we also know that the Sabres are way too close to the salary cap for a 23rd place team.

Botterill has no attachments to players like Evander Kane, Zach Bogosian, Josh Gorges and Robin Lehner, all of whom were acquired via trades by previous GM Tim Murray. He didn't sign Matt Moulson or re-sign Tyler Ennis nor did he draft Sam Reinhart with the second overall selection in the 2014 NHL Draft. Those in the group above represent individual question-marks for the team moving forward for one reason or another whether it be salary, term, inconsistencies, age, use and/or style of play.

Word on the street is that winger Evander Kane is on the block and that the Los Angeles Kings are a potential destination. Yesterday's question was, would you, Sabres fans, trade Kane to the Kings for defenseman Jake Muzzin? I am of the opinion that you keep a talented powerforward like Kane unless he's unwilling to sign a reasonable extension in the $6M/2-3 yr. range.

Today we look at trading from a position of strength for a position of need.

It wasn't all that long ago that we Sabres fans were hearing calls from Buffalo's GM that they had two of the top-20 centers in the league. That statement belied the fact that the Sabres were incredibly weak down the middle. At the time GM Darcy Regier made that statement, the Sabres did, however, have a pretty good crop of defensemen on the roster and in the system.

That was totally flipped by Regier's replacement, Tim Murray, as he went about fortifying the center position through a trade for Ryan O'Reilly and the drafting of two centers--Sam Reinhart (2014) and Jack Eichel (2015)--with the second-overall pick in consecutive years. It was assumed that those three would anchor the top-nine but lack of talent and depth pushed Reinhart to the wing and he found himself on the right side of both O'Reilly and Eichel in the top-six. It was also a preferred position for Reinhart in the eyes of former head coach Dan Bylsma. Taking over the third-line center duties was a rather capable Johan Larsson.

Bottom-six center depth is there with Larsson, Zemgus Girgensons and the emergence of Evan Rodrigues in his move from wing to center. Also in the pipeline, and probably not too far away, is 2016 second round pick Rasmus Asplund.

The Sabres are looking pretty solid down the middle especially when you have players like O'Reilly and Eichel in the top two slots. However, when Murray flipped his depth, the defense became woefully inadequate and Botterill, it would seem, is looking for an immediate influx of talent on the back end. Hence the Kane trade rumors.

Despite his issues, Kane has value, moreso now than in any time since he was traded for in 2014. Reinhart also has value.

The Vancouver, BC native and son of former NHL'er Paul Reinhart has NHL size (6'1" 193 lbs.,) great hockey sense, and can produce. In 158 games for the Sabres over the last two full seasons, Reinhart has scored 40 goals and added 49 assists. Although his goal production went down year-over-year (23-17) his assists went up (19-32) as he's beginning to live up to his pre-draft profile of being an elite play maker with supreme vision.

There isn't an iota of flash to his game and the subtlety with which he plays often goes unnoticed. It would seem as if he's the type of player that will continue to quietly get better and better, albeit at a slower pace than many fans would like.

At this point in time Reinhart is more of an enabler than a game-controlling player. Oft times he's being compared to his 2014 draft counterpart Leon Draisaitl who was selected one slot behind him. Draisaitl is coming off of a superior season of 29 goals and 47 assists in 77 games for the Edmonton Oilers. It's something that will hover over him until there's a change in the narrative.

Of a more direct concern for the Sabres, however, is how Reinhart fits into the way Botterill wants his team to play. Reinhart is a good NHL skater, but with the way the game is played, it doesn't look like his straight-line skating is enough to keep up. That's ultimately where his hockey smarts comes into play. He seems to add a half-step to his skating as his vision allows him see to what's unfolding in front of him well before it happens.

It may be a lengthy learning curve that will pay big dividends when all's said and done with the big question being, is Botterill all-in on Reinhart and his learning curve?

If not, using Reinhart as a valuable trade chip to land a top-four defenseman may be in the offing.

Much was made of Carolina's Noah Hanifin at the 2015 NHL Draft. He was the very talented third wheel in the Connor McDavid/Jack Eichel saga. Many had Hanifin as the consensus third overall pick behind those to but he dropped to the Hurricanes in the five-slot.

Hanifin has the size at 6'3" 206 lbs. and he's an exceptional skater, which is perfect for the way GM's are looking to build their blueline. The Boston, MA native started out well enough in Carolina with 22 points (4+18) his rookie season then increased those totals with five more assists in 2016-17. Hanifin was down the depth chart for the Canes' last season until Ron Hainsey was traded at the deadline and he was given more top-half minutes.

The knock on Hanifin is that the just turned 20 yr. old struggled with his defensive responsibilities which took some of the luster off of his potential. He's still and extremely gifted skater who can produce, but those struggles brought about question-marks as to whether or not the lefty will be able to handle top-pairing, or even top-three minutes.

Carolina has a very deep and talented defense-corps but needs forward help, especially in the top-six, while the Sabres have forwards but need defensemen. And that's why this could be a good hockey trade for both clubs. Even though they eclipsed their production from their rookie campaigns, both Reinhart, who's 21 yrs. old, and Hanifin had sophomore campaigns that overall, weren't looked upon favorably. But there's still plenty of upside for both players.

From this blogger's perspective, a swap like this is pretty easy to do despite the fact that, in regards to Reinhart, there's still plenty of untapped potential that will eventually be realized.

Would you trade Sam Reinhart for Noah Hanifin?

Would you trade Evander Kane for Jake Muzzin?

Published by hockeybuzz.com, 6-6-2017


Buffalo GM Jason Botterill rode into town with no ties to any player in the Sabres organization.

And that's a good thing.

When Botterill evaluates a player, eventually determining whether or not they'll fit into the type of team he wants to build, it will be with a set of fresh eyes. That's not to say that he has no idea as to what any of those players are made of, as he has spent time scouting various players within the organization when he was with the Pittsburgh Penguins, but, being devoid of any emotional attachment there's a clarity with which he can view them.

Botterill has no attachments to players like Evander Kane, Zach Bogosian, Josh Gorges and Robin Lehner, all of whom were acquired via trades by previous GM Tim Murray. He didn't sign Matt Moulson or re-sign Tyler Ennis nor did he draft Sam Reinhart with the second overall selection in the 2014 NHL Draft. Those in the group above represent individual question-marks for the team moving forward for one reason or another whether it be salary, term, inconsistencies, age, use and/or style of play.

In saying that, rumors are beginning to swirl that some in that group might be on the move. Botterill has a defense to fix and he may have a couple of pieces that will help get him closer to his goal. He also has a salary cap to fix as it's way to high for a 26th place team.

Solutions are on the horizon, but would you trade...?

Evander Kane for Los Angeles Kings defenseman Jake Muzzin?

As a staunch supporter of Kane I'd hate to see his north-south powerforward game leave Buffalo. I'm of the opinion that 28 goals isn't easy to replace and that a player like him--one with Eastern Conference speed and Western Conference truculence--should be a part of the core moving forward. But, there are a number of things working against him right now. The owners are very unhappy with his off-ice issues, especially the trouble he got into in Buffalo while they were hosting the draft. It's something that hasn't gone away. Murray was able to keep them at bay but with him gone, Kane may not be far behind.

But even with ownership out of the equation, Kane is entering the final year of his contract. No one knows how he feels about Buffalo and playing for the Sabres. He has a $5.25 million cap-hit and will be expecting a raise. He's also 25 yrs. old and may be looking for a long-term deal. None of that is good for Buffalo as there are too many question-marks with him right now.

Muzzin is a 28 yr. old, 2007 fifth-round pick of the Pittsburgh Penguins, Botterill's former team. The 6'3" 216 lb. minute-eating defenseman went unsigned by Pittsburgh (while Botterill was in the front office,) went back into the draft, went undrafted and was signed by the Kings in January, 2010. He made the team the following season and slowly worked his way up, eventually finding himself on the Kings' top-pairing with Drew Doughty when they won the Stanley Cup. Since then the left-handed defenseman settled into a No. 3/2, all-around role and may be someone who'd look good opposite Rasmus Ristolainen on the top-pairing for now.

The Kings are looking for offense and even though the Sabres sure could use more as well, defense seems to be a more pressing need at this point. This would be a good hockey trade between the two clubs but it may not even come down to that as the ultimate reasoning. In hiring Botterill ownership was looking for a culture change and Kane might not fit in with what they're looking for. A trade like this might be just what the doctor ordered.

From this blogger's perspective, the trade is an easy move to make if Kane was unwilling to re-sign for a reasonable amount and term. But if the team could work out a two or three-year deal in the $6 million/year range, I'd like to see what he could do under a different coaching staff.

A view from Waterloo. Seeing the situation through Cal Petersen's eyes.

Published by hockeybuzz.com, 6-1-2017


Yesterday Sabres goalie prospect Cal Petersen announced that he would be forgoing his senior season at Notre Dame to turn pro. Buffalo is now on the clock as they have 30 days to sign the highly touted Petersen before he becomes a free agent.

Kris Baker of sabresprospects.com/Sabres.com has been following the Petersen situation closely and has been telling us for months to look at the situation the 22 yr. old fifth-round pick has in front of him. This is the fourth June 1 that Petersen has had since being drafted in 2013 by the Buffalo Sabres and the Collective Bargaining Agreement allows him to forgo signing with the team that drafted him to become a free agent.

A situation like this is nothing new to Buffalo and their fans. Last year college standout and 2016 Hobey Baker winner Jimmy Vesey took the same route. The Nashville Predators drafted him 66th-overall in the 2012 NHL Draft and after openly stating that he would not sign with them, his rights were traded to the Buffalo Sabres for a third round pick. Vesey waited it out and on August 20 took his talents to "The Big Apple."

In the immortal words of Yankee great Yogi Berra, "it's deja vu all over again" for the Sabres.

Petersen is a top college talent and would be the top college free agent on the market. Although he hasn't "earned" this type of free agency, the CBA allows for it. Much to the dismay of many a Sabres fan,  Baker has been saying all along that even though the Sabres have done everything right concerning Petersen, the allure of picking a franchise that might best suit his situation is something that would be very hard to pass up for a young player. And there's a city very close to Petersen's hometown of Waterloo, Iowa that presents a pretty good option for him--Chicago.

The Blackhawks are the closest thing to a dynasty we have in the salary cap era as they've won three Stanley Cups in five years. They have a top-notch organization with a GM in Stan Bowman who has managed to keep this team in Cup contention despite needing to move out valuable talent to remain cap compliant. The organizational structure is in place as well and despite a Rockford IceHogs AHL affiliate that's struggled in five of the last seven seasons, they continue to be a key feeder for the Hawks which allows the big club to remain annual contenders.

That's one of the main points in this situation, but also of importance is Petersen's path to the NHL and a possible starters role. The Hawks have Corey Crawford signed for three more seasons but nothing behind him. Three years would be a very good incubation period for a goalie as he learns the pro game.

Craig Rivet, co-host of MSG's "The Instigators," succinctly laid out what he believes young players are looking for in situations like Petersen's and Vesey's. "These kids want to be in a good environment, they want to be on a good team" Rivet said yesterday, "which makes them better, which will now expedite their movement to the NHL." Although Vesey started in the NHL, he openly stated that he's looking beyond his two entry-level contract years and wants to set himelf up for the next contract.

On the one hand, it's basic economics. Both Vesey and Petersen will be locked in at a capped rookie salary (plus bonuses if applicable) for their two-year entry level deals and the quicker they can come in and make an impression, the better their next contract will be. And the best way to make an impression is to have an organization that provides direction as well as talent.

Unfortunately for Buffalo, they have some talent, but it's not close to the level of the NY Rangers or the Blackhawks. They're also on their third general manager and will be hiring their fifth head coach since 2013. Rivet, a former player, pretty much summed the organization when he said this yesterday. "Does it scare you?" began Rivet. "As a player you look down in Rochester and it's kind of in shambles, there's no coach. Where's the direction?

"Yes we have new GM (in Jason Botterill) that is going to right the ship, but how long before that ship is going in the right direction? There's a lot of question marks."

Baker who was appearing on the show also brought up the goalie situation in Buffalo which has a direct impact on the situation as well. As mentioned, Chicago's Crawford is 32 yrs. old and is signed for three more years with no other goalie in the pipeline. Buffalo's starting goalie situation couldn't be more different with Robin Lehner and from a player's perspective, Baker believe, a prospect like Petersen "wouldn't want to be behind a 25 yr. old, No. 1 goalie who the NHL team spent a first round pick to get." Baker qualifies it by saying we're not sure what will happen with Lehner, who is an unrestricted free agent, but that's what Petersen was up against even before Botterill became GM.

With all that said, if given the choice, where would you rather start your NHL career?

As a Sabres fan I'm not planning on Petersen signing with the Sabres although I'll still hold out some hope. As Baker told me, "if he was going to sign in Buffalo it would have already happened." He rhetorically followed that up with, "When was the last time a college team announced a guy leaving without announcing that he signed a contract?"

Nor will I harbor any ill will towards Petersen should he sign elsewhere and in my opinion no Sabres fan should either. The CBA affords college players an out like this and choosing one's own NHL destination at that young age is a dream come true.

This isn't a knock at the Sabres organization either. They've done everything right with Petersen and God knows they've been trying to right the ship. Buffalo still has some very talented pieces to start anew with in players like Jack Eichel, Ryan O'Reilly and Rasmus Ristolainen, among others, but they have a long way to go to reach the level of a team like the Blackhawks.

Waterloo, Iowa is 300 miles from Chicago. It's 500 more miles to Buffalo with the gap between franchises even farther at this point in time.

If you're Cal Petersen, what makes more sense?

An expected Antipin signing marks the beginnings of a revamped defense

Published by hockeybuzz.com, 5-1-2017



Kontinental Hockey League defenseman Viktor Antipin terminated his contact with Metallurg Magnitogorsk in order to sign with the Buffalo Sabres according to an Russian hockey writer Igor Eronko, who cited sources in his tweet.

It's been a largely anticipated move by Antipin since Elliotte Friedman mentioned the 24 yr. old defenseman and the Sabres back in March. In his "30 Thoughts article, Friedman notes that the Sabres could "win a recruiting battle [for Antipin] with Calgary, Chicago, Columbus and Pittsburgh all poking around."

The move is a good one for Antipin. Buffalo has big holes on defense and we could see as many as three new defensemen in the lineup come opening night next season. Right-handed defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen a 2013 first round pick (eighth-overall) is locked in as the team's top defender right now, but is without a steady partner at this time. Below Ristolainen on the depth chart is 23 yr. old Jake McCabe, who is entering his third full season in Buffalo after being drafted out of Wisconsin in 2012 (44th-overall.)

Questions loom with two veteran defensemen in Zach Bogosian and Josh Gorges. Bogosian was a part of the Tyler Myers/Evander Kane deal in February, 2014 and carries a very hefty cap-hit of over $5 million for the next three years while Gorges was acquired from Montreal in 2014 for a second round pick and has a cap-hit of $3.9 million for only one more season. With both players not in long-term, top-pairing plans and both suited to a more modest bottom-half role on defense, numbers would dictate that if one were to leave, it would/should be Bogosian because of the term left on his contract.

That's easier said than done, but much more difficult contracts have been moved in the past by other teams and perhaps the next yet to be named general manager can work a little magic. However, it might be safe to say that one of those contracts will be moved to make room for younger and/or healthier and/or more mobile and/or more offensive and/or more defensively responsible defensemen.

Much is being made about 19 yr. old Brendan Guhle who shined in Canadian Junior and had impressive six-game stints with the Rochester Americans the last two years while also never looking out of place in his three games as an emergency call-up for the Buffalo Sabres in November. Most feel that he will be in the top-six out of camp.

Veteran defenseman Justin Falk was re-signed to a one-year extension this season and will be either trade bait for expansion-draft purposes or will be used as a depth defenseman by Buffalo next season.

The only other question mark is if Taylor Fedun fits into Buffalo's plans. The mobile d-man with powerplay acumen played very well for the Sabres last season and would have stuck with the club all season had he not been waiver exempt. Then again, may also not have liked how he was treated in that regard and may not have been interested in re-signing in Buffalo. However, with the firings of both head coach Dan Bylsma and GM Tim Murray, things may change.

Signing a one-year deal with the Sabres would not hurt Antipin at all. He'd be coming over from Russia with a spot in the top-six and if rumors are true, it may be written into his contract that being sent down to Rochester is not an option. His one season audition will either endear himself to the Sabres for a contract extension or he will have showcased his talents for 30 other NHL teams.

At 5'11 174 lbs. Antipin is a little undersized for the NHL but from what little we've seen he looks to have the spunk and confidence to go into the dirty areas go score goals with some of his highlights seeing him in drift deep into the slot. And he did finish his last KHL season with a plus-10 rating.

How his skill transfers to the NHL-level is yet to determined and, of course, without a GM or coach we're not really sure how it will all fit together, but if Antipin does sign with Buffalo, at least the front office is following through with some of the positives the former GM was working on.

Will Buffalo have room for Evander Kane and a d-man like Shattenkirk?

Published by hockeybuzz.com, 3-13-2017


Buffalo Sabres left wing Evander Kane has played his way into a contract extension with the team. Scoring 25 goals and looking every bit the powerforward he's always been touted as has brought the conversation in Sabreland from "trade him for a bag of pucks!" to "will he want to re-sign in Buffalo? And for how much?" Because of Kane's exceptional season, it won't come cheap for Buffalo GM Tim Murray, but then again, nothing ever worth having does.

Kane still has one year remaining on his old contract which comes in at a $5.25 million dollar cap-hit.
Dollars and term are the big hurdles for the team and player, but I'm going to get this out of the way right now and say based upon his past history which includes off-ice incidents and solid but not premier production between 2011-12 when he scored 30 goals and this year where he' on a pace to equal that (which amounts to 21 goals/season,) dancing around that $7 million/year average seems a big high. A cap-hit of $6 million would be about right using that past history, however $6.5 million might very well be where this all ends up.

In looking ahead to the 2018-19 season, Murray has a few huge factors working in his favor when it comes to cap-management--some dead weight will be off the books by then, he will have a trove of forwards filling in at low cap-hits around his core group and two of his longer-term, top-four d-men, which includes Rasmus Ristolainen on the top pair, will account for a combined $7 million cap-hit.

Before we get to Kevin Shattenkirk who may end up signing a long-term deal somewhere (maybe Buffalo) for $6.5-7 million, let's take a look at the potential forward group heading into the 2018-19 season. There will be two players for sure on the team moving forward:  Ryan O'Reilly and Kyle Okposo. Matt Moulson and Tyler Ennis will be in the final year of their contracts and I can't see either being on the team at that point. Moulson looks to be a sure buyout candidate after this season and if Tyler Ennis can stay healthy enough his $3.65m salary but $4.6m cap-hit could be enough incentive for a team looking to get to the cap floor to take him off of Buffalo's hands.

In adding to the forward group we'll go high on Eichel and put him at an $8m cap-hit while Reinhart may be in the $4m range, which is a pretty hefty hike. The rest of the roster can be filled in using the present lineup which includes a lot of youthful speed and talent.

Here's how the forward group would stack up with Eichel at the top of the food chain and the rest falling in place behind him:

Eichel--$8m
O'Reilly--7.5
Kane--6.5
Okposo--6
Reinhart--4
Foligno--3
Girgensons--2
Larsson--2
Rodrigues--1
Carrier--1
Bailey--1
Baptiste--1
Nylander--.975
Reserve--.650

Approximate cap-hit forwards:  $44.6 million


On defense the Sabres will need a significant upgrade and Shattenkirk may be their ticket. With him and Ristolainen anchoring the right side, Jake McCabe and Brendan Guhle will probably be rounding out the top-four on the left side. Zach Bogosian who is under contract through the end of 2019-20 is a big question mark as his $5.14 million cap-hit makes things extremely tight, but here goes with him in the lineup:

Shattenkirk--$7m
Ristolainen--5.4
Bogosian-5.14
McCabe--1.6
Guhle--.700
#6 FA--1
#7 FA--.75

Approx. total cap hit d-men:  $21.5m

I'm of the opinion that Murray will be able to re-sign goalie Robin Lehner to a contract that won't exceed a $3m cap-hit and that for the 2018-19 season either Linus Ullmark or Cal Petersen will be his back-up. My bet is on Ullmark (if he's not taken in the upcoming expansion draft) which leaves us with a goalie tandem of:

Lehner--$3m
Ullmark--.9

Total for goalies:  $3.9m

Grand total for the entire roster:  $70 million

Add in Moulson's approximate buyout number of $2.83 (according to cap friendly.com) and the grand total for this roster as constructed in 2018-19 is about $73 million which is this year's NHL salary cap.

Add in that the cap will probably go up anywhere from $3-5 million in the next two years and the Sabres will be in good shape using the players and numbers laid out above.