Published by hockeybuzz.com, 2-25-2019
Sabres GM Jason Botterill made the big move last night in trading for Anaheim Ducks defenseman Brandon Montour. Buffalo gave up one of it's three 2019 first round picks (but not their own) and 21 yr. old d-prospect Brendan Guhle for Montour although the 24 yr. old Brampton, Ontario native won't be in the lineup tonight against his the Toronto Maple Leafs. Botterill told the gathered media that the team wasn't interested in rushing Montour to Toronto on a red-eye to play tonight but that he'll be in the lineup tomorrow night in Philadelphia against the Flyers.
In the only other move by Botterill and the Sabres, defenseman Nathan Beaulieu was traded to the Winnipeg Jets for a 2019, sixth round draft pick. Beaulieu was acquired by Botterill on June 17, 2017 from the Montreal Canadiens for a third round pick (Scott Walford) and played in 89 games for the Sabres scoring four goals and adding 12 assists with a minus-18 rating while averaging 15:32 of ice time. Beaulieu's time dwindled with Buffalo this season and he was often a healthy scratch causing him to ask for more ice-time while indirectly saying he wanted to be traded if Buffalo couldn't accommodate. His wishes came true today as the Jets added him for defensive depth.
Showing posts with label Brendan Guhle. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Brendan Guhle. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 26, 2019
Friday, September 7, 2018
Buffalo has a lot of talent heading into 2018 Prospects Challenge
Published by hockeybuzz.com, 9-5-2018
The third annual Buffalo Sabres Prospects Challenge is set to commence this Friday with the Sabres and three other teams--Boston Bruins, New Jersey Devils and Pittsburgh Penguins--trotting out their prospects in a round-robin tournament. Here's the schedule:
Friday, Sept. 7
The Sabres announced their Prospects Challenge roster yesterday and amongst the youngins that will be hitting the ice are center Casey Mittelstadt and defenseman Rasmus Dahlin, both of whom are expected to be in Buffalo's opening night lineup on October 4.
Mittelstadt was selected eighth-overall in 2017 by Buffalo and displayed NHL talent while playing in six games for the Sabres at the end of the last season. The 6'0" 209 lb. center left the University of Minnesota after his freshman season and scored his first NHL goal while adding four assists in six games for the Buffalo.
Dahlin was drafted first-overall at the 2018 NHL Draft and put on a skills clinic at Sabres Development Camp in June. The 6'3" 186 lb. Swedish defenseman is making the jump to the NHL as an 18 yr. old and this will be his first taste of competition against other NHL teams.
For Buffalo fans, you can't ask for much more when it comes to those two prospect headliners but there are some other intriguing names ready to hit the ice beginning Friday as an array of picks and free agents from various years compete to not only win, but also catch the attention of Buffalo's brass. In just under a year and a half, Sabres GM Jason Botterill has culled together a group of youngins that was recently dubbed the top farm system in the NHL by The Athletic's Corey Pronman. "And it wasn't even close," Pronman wrote.
Besides blue-chippers Mittelstadt and Dahlin, the Sabres Challenge roster includes defenseman Brendan Guhle (2015, 51st-overall,) who just finished his first full season with Buffalo's AHL affiliate, the Rochester Americans. The very athletic and smooth-skating Guhle looked poised for an opening night roster spot in Buffalo until the Sabres drafted Dahlin yet he still might force his way into the conversation come opening night. Guhle was dominant at development camp in June and there's no reason to think that he won't take all the professional experience he's gained the last year-plus and use it to make an impact at the tournament.
Two-way center Rasmus Asplund is making his North American debut this season after spending the last three seasons playing against men in the SHL, Sweden's top hockey league. The 20 yr. old said at this year's NHLPA’s Rookie Showcase in Toronto that initially he was disappointed he had to spend last season in Sweden but that afterwards he was happy that he played with Farjestad in the big role he was given for a playoff team.
The Swedish invasion continues with forward Victor Olofsson and defenseman Lawrence Pilut, both of whom were 2018 SHL award winners and acquitted themselves well at June's development camp. The 23 yr. old Olofsson is a 2014 seventh round draft pick (181st) who enjoyed a breakout season in the SHL as he sniped his way to a league high 27 goals earning the Hakan Loob Trophy given to the league's top goal scorer.
Pilut also enjoyed a breakout 2017-18 season in the SHL with career highs in goals (eight) and points (38.) The 22 yr. old lead all defensemen in points and assists (30) and was 13th in the league overall in scoring garnering him the Borje Salming Trophy as the SHL's best defenseman. He was one of only three undrafted defensemen to win the award. (For more on his game click here.)
An American duo coming from different directions will also be skating for he Sabres. Winger Tage Thompson was selected with the 26th-overall pick in the 2016 NHL Draft by the St. Louis Blues. He was a part of the return when Botterill traded Ryan O'Reilly to St. Louis. The burgeoning 6'5" 196 lb. powerforward has a good skill package and has a top-six opportunity waiting for him this fall. That opportunity begins now for the 20 yr. old native of Glendale, Arizona who decided to turn pro in 2017 after two years at the University of Connecticut.
Undrafted free agent Andrew Oglevie left Notre Dame after his junior season. The 23 yr. old from Fullerton, California finished his NCAA career with 41 goals and 89 points in 107 collegiate games for the Irish. Oglevie left college after leading Notre Dame to the NCAA Finals where he scored their lone goal in a 2-1 loss to the University of Minnesota-Duluth in the championship game.
Two fan favorites will also be skating for the Sabres in the 2018 Prospects Challenge.
Seventh-round pick Vasily Glotov churned his way into the hearts of fans at development camp with his Max Afinogenov-type darting and quickness while earning himself an AHL contract with Rochester. Glotov was selected 190th-overall at the 2016 NHL Draft and finished his two-year QMJHL career with 93 points (44+49) in 128 games.
Matej Pekar was selected at the top of the fourth round (94th) in June and made his mark at development camp as a pest in the Brad Marchand mold. Pekar dished out a hit to Dahlin and received an earth-shattering one in return from the 2018 first-overall pick. He also needled Mittelstadt off his game in their first 3-on-3 matchup at D-camp to the point where sticks were raised. Not only did Pekar draw the ire of Mittelstadt he also got a physical greeting from winger Brett Murray (2016, 99th) who take kindly to what Pekar was doing to his team mate. Something that got lost in Pekar's rat-like tendencies at D-camp was him undressing Dahlin for a goal in the first game of the 3-on-3 tournament. (For more on Pekar click here for Part I and here for Part II.)
The most intriguing name for Sabres fans might be left winger Alexander Nylander. The 2016 first rounder (eighth-overall) is battling bust-status not because of his immense skill but, moreso because of his seeming lack of desire. Nylander has struggled through his first two pro seasons, first as an 18 yr. old who made the jump direct from Sweden's Junior league to the North American pro game after the draft and last season he after suffering an injury early in the off season. Although it's still a little too early to dub the 20 yr. old a bust, he's got his work cut out for him.
Other notables include well-traveled 22 yr. old defenseman Brandon Hickey, who was acquired from the Arizona Coyotes along with Mike Sislo in exchange for winger Hudson Fasching. Hickey was a 2016 third round pick (64th) of the Calgary Flames who traded his rights to the 'Yotes. Hickey finished his college career this season at Boston University as captain of the Terriers and signed with Buffalo.
Left wing Pascal Aquin, an undrafted free agent out of the QMJHL, signed an AHL contract in May and had himself a strong development camp. Another undrafted free agent to keep an eye on might be LW, Kevin Hancock who tallied 54 goals and 154 points in 121 games for the OHL's Owen Sound over the past two seasons.
And finally, goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen opted to sign with the Sudbury Wolves (OHL) rather than return to his native Finland and because of it finds himself at the Prospects Challenge. The towering (6'4" 196 lb.) Luukkonen was a 2017 second round pick (54th) of Buffalo. The Sabres other goaltender this weekend is Jonas Johansson, a third round pick (61st) in 2014. At 6'5" 214 lbs. Johansson is physically huge in net but despite that size he hasn't been able to get the job done in North America.
Here's the full roster from Sabres.com:
Number--Player, Position
Forwards
76-Pascal Aquin, LW
74--Rasmus Asplund, C
46--Eric Cornel, C
79--Cole Coskey, RW
83--Shane Eiserman, C
77--Vasily Glotov, C
86--Kevin Hancock, LW
37--Casey Mittelstadt, C
92--Alexander Nylander, LW
52--Andre Oglevie, C
41--Victor Olofsson, LW
73--Matej Pekar, C
75--Judd Peterson, RW
78--Myles Powell, C
72--Tage Thompson
Defensemen
67--Arvin Atwal, RHD
70--Tobie Bisson, LHD
33--William Borgen, RHD
26--Rasmus Dahlin, LHD
45--Brendan Guhle, LHD
44--Brandon Hickey, LHD
58--Oskari Laaksonen, RHD
24--Lawrence Pilut, LHD
61--Devante Stephens, LHD
84--Nicolas Welsh, RHD
Goaltenders
34--Jonas Johansson
01--Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen
The third annual Buffalo Sabres Prospects Challenge is set to commence this Friday with the Sabres and three other teams--Boston Bruins, New Jersey Devils and Pittsburgh Penguins--trotting out their prospects in a round-robin tournament. Here's the schedule:
Friday, Sept. 7
- Pittsburgh vs. Boston, 3:30 p.m.
- Buffalo vs. New Jersey, 7 p.m.
- New Jersey vs. Pittsburgh, 3:30 p.m.
- Buffalo vs. Boston, 7 p.m.
- Boston vs. New Jersey, 9:30 a.m.
- Buffalo vs. Pittsburgh, 12:30 p.m.
The Sabres announced their Prospects Challenge roster yesterday and amongst the youngins that will be hitting the ice are center Casey Mittelstadt and defenseman Rasmus Dahlin, both of whom are expected to be in Buffalo's opening night lineup on October 4.
Mittelstadt was selected eighth-overall in 2017 by Buffalo and displayed NHL talent while playing in six games for the Sabres at the end of the last season. The 6'0" 209 lb. center left the University of Minnesota after his freshman season and scored his first NHL goal while adding four assists in six games for the Buffalo.
Dahlin was drafted first-overall at the 2018 NHL Draft and put on a skills clinic at Sabres Development Camp in June. The 6'3" 186 lb. Swedish defenseman is making the jump to the NHL as an 18 yr. old and this will be his first taste of competition against other NHL teams.
For Buffalo fans, you can't ask for much more when it comes to those two prospect headliners but there are some other intriguing names ready to hit the ice beginning Friday as an array of picks and free agents from various years compete to not only win, but also catch the attention of Buffalo's brass. In just under a year and a half, Sabres GM Jason Botterill has culled together a group of youngins that was recently dubbed the top farm system in the NHL by The Athletic's Corey Pronman. "And it wasn't even close," Pronman wrote.
Besides blue-chippers Mittelstadt and Dahlin, the Sabres Challenge roster includes defenseman Brendan Guhle (2015, 51st-overall,) who just finished his first full season with Buffalo's AHL affiliate, the Rochester Americans. The very athletic and smooth-skating Guhle looked poised for an opening night roster spot in Buffalo until the Sabres drafted Dahlin yet he still might force his way into the conversation come opening night. Guhle was dominant at development camp in June and there's no reason to think that he won't take all the professional experience he's gained the last year-plus and use it to make an impact at the tournament.
Two-way center Rasmus Asplund is making his North American debut this season after spending the last three seasons playing against men in the SHL, Sweden's top hockey league. The 20 yr. old said at this year's NHLPA’s Rookie Showcase in Toronto that initially he was disappointed he had to spend last season in Sweden but that afterwards he was happy that he played with Farjestad in the big role he was given for a playoff team.
The Swedish invasion continues with forward Victor Olofsson and defenseman Lawrence Pilut, both of whom were 2018 SHL award winners and acquitted themselves well at June's development camp. The 23 yr. old Olofsson is a 2014 seventh round draft pick (181st) who enjoyed a breakout season in the SHL as he sniped his way to a league high 27 goals earning the Hakan Loob Trophy given to the league's top goal scorer.
Pilut also enjoyed a breakout 2017-18 season in the SHL with career highs in goals (eight) and points (38.) The 22 yr. old lead all defensemen in points and assists (30) and was 13th in the league overall in scoring garnering him the Borje Salming Trophy as the SHL's best defenseman. He was one of only three undrafted defensemen to win the award. (For more on his game click here.)
An American duo coming from different directions will also be skating for he Sabres. Winger Tage Thompson was selected with the 26th-overall pick in the 2016 NHL Draft by the St. Louis Blues. He was a part of the return when Botterill traded Ryan O'Reilly to St. Louis. The burgeoning 6'5" 196 lb. powerforward has a good skill package and has a top-six opportunity waiting for him this fall. That opportunity begins now for the 20 yr. old native of Glendale, Arizona who decided to turn pro in 2017 after two years at the University of Connecticut.
Undrafted free agent Andrew Oglevie left Notre Dame after his junior season. The 23 yr. old from Fullerton, California finished his NCAA career with 41 goals and 89 points in 107 collegiate games for the Irish. Oglevie left college after leading Notre Dame to the NCAA Finals where he scored their lone goal in a 2-1 loss to the University of Minnesota-Duluth in the championship game.
Two fan favorites will also be skating for the Sabres in the 2018 Prospects Challenge.
Seventh-round pick Vasily Glotov churned his way into the hearts of fans at development camp with his Max Afinogenov-type darting and quickness while earning himself an AHL contract with Rochester. Glotov was selected 190th-overall at the 2016 NHL Draft and finished his two-year QMJHL career with 93 points (44+49) in 128 games.
Matej Pekar was selected at the top of the fourth round (94th) in June and made his mark at development camp as a pest in the Brad Marchand mold. Pekar dished out a hit to Dahlin and received an earth-shattering one in return from the 2018 first-overall pick. He also needled Mittelstadt off his game in their first 3-on-3 matchup at D-camp to the point where sticks were raised. Not only did Pekar draw the ire of Mittelstadt he also got a physical greeting from winger Brett Murray (2016, 99th) who take kindly to what Pekar was doing to his team mate. Something that got lost in Pekar's rat-like tendencies at D-camp was him undressing Dahlin for a goal in the first game of the 3-on-3 tournament. (For more on Pekar click here for Part I and here for Part II.)
The most intriguing name for Sabres fans might be left winger Alexander Nylander. The 2016 first rounder (eighth-overall) is battling bust-status not because of his immense skill but, moreso because of his seeming lack of desire. Nylander has struggled through his first two pro seasons, first as an 18 yr. old who made the jump direct from Sweden's Junior league to the North American pro game after the draft and last season he after suffering an injury early in the off season. Although it's still a little too early to dub the 20 yr. old a bust, he's got his work cut out for him.
Other notables include well-traveled 22 yr. old defenseman Brandon Hickey, who was acquired from the Arizona Coyotes along with Mike Sislo in exchange for winger Hudson Fasching. Hickey was a 2016 third round pick (64th) of the Calgary Flames who traded his rights to the 'Yotes. Hickey finished his college career this season at Boston University as captain of the Terriers and signed with Buffalo.
Left wing Pascal Aquin, an undrafted free agent out of the QMJHL, signed an AHL contract in May and had himself a strong development camp. Another undrafted free agent to keep an eye on might be LW, Kevin Hancock who tallied 54 goals and 154 points in 121 games for the OHL's Owen Sound over the past two seasons.
And finally, goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen opted to sign with the Sudbury Wolves (OHL) rather than return to his native Finland and because of it finds himself at the Prospects Challenge. The towering (6'4" 196 lb.) Luukkonen was a 2017 second round pick (54th) of Buffalo. The Sabres other goaltender this weekend is Jonas Johansson, a third round pick (61st) in 2014. At 6'5" 214 lbs. Johansson is physically huge in net but despite that size he hasn't been able to get the job done in North America.
Here's the full roster from Sabres.com:
Number--Player, Position
Forwards
76-Pascal Aquin, LW
74--Rasmus Asplund, C
46--Eric Cornel, C
79--Cole Coskey, RW
83--Shane Eiserman, C
77--Vasily Glotov, C
86--Kevin Hancock, LW
37--Casey Mittelstadt, C
92--Alexander Nylander, LW
52--Andre Oglevie, C
41--Victor Olofsson, LW
73--Matej Pekar, C
75--Judd Peterson, RW
78--Myles Powell, C
72--Tage Thompson
Defensemen
67--Arvin Atwal, RHD
70--Tobie Bisson, LHD
33--William Borgen, RHD
26--Rasmus Dahlin, LHD
45--Brendan Guhle, LHD
44--Brandon Hickey, LHD
58--Oskari Laaksonen, RHD
24--Lawrence Pilut, LHD
61--Devante Stephens, LHD
84--Nicolas Welsh, RHD
Goaltenders
34--Jonas Johansson
01--Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen
Wednesday, August 1, 2018
An early look at the 2018-19 Rochester Americans with Don Stevens
Published by hockeybuzz.com, July 30, 2018
This is the first of a two-part look at the 2018-19 Rochester Americans with broadcaster Don Stevens.
Don Stevens, 'The Voice of the Rochester Americans', will be entering his 33rd season broadcasting games for the club this Fall. In those 30+ years he's seen plenty of good, which includes calling seven Calder Cup Finals and two Calder Cup Championships, and not so good, such has been the last 13 years where the Amerks have not advanced past the first round of the playoffs and have completely missed the post season in seven of those years.
To say it's been rough and rocky travelling for the Amerks recently might be putting it mildly. They got sucked into the morass that was the bottom-dwelling Buffalo Sabres when the organization went with a full-on, scorched earth rebuild. During the 2014-15 season management traded away every ounce of talent on the team and as Buffalo called up Rochester's better players to fill the void, there wasn't much left for the Amerks to work with. In a three-year span beginning that season, trades by then Sabres GM Tim Murray took away some of the better prospects in an already thin system and when added to a decision to rebuild as such, it was a concoction that left the Amerks with a 96-120-13 record from 2014-2017 and a bottom-five AHL finish in three consecutive seasons.
When I talked to Stevens at season's end last year, he lamented the lack of depth in Rochester which was a result of those rebuilding years. "You could see what happened, when we'd lose a player or two players all of a sudden we'd go in the tank," he told me last May, and added that at one point, "nearly half the [Amerks] roster was first-year players or players on amateur tryout contracts." He said "one game they counted eight players on ATO's."
That changed last season. New Buffalo GM Jason Botterill took over in April, 2017 and he, along with his new AGM, Randy Sexton, cobbled together an Amerks club that included draft picks and free agents from previous regimes as well as free agent signings that filled the roster with quality players.
And nowhere is that depth more pronounced than on the blueline.
Buffalo will be icing a much deeper d-corps than they've had in recent memory. 2018 first-overall pick Rasmus Dahlin fits right into the top-four the Sabres top-four joining Rasmus Ristolainen, Marco Scandella and, probably, Zach Bogosian. Behind that group is Jake McCabe and one of Casey Nelson, Nathan Beaulieu or Matt Hunwick.
If no trades are made with players from that group, it means the Brendan Guhle (2015, 51st-overall) will more than likely at least start the season in Rochester. Guhle played big minutes for the Amerks last season and was impressive through most of it, including his short stints with the big club. However, the rookie "leveled off" in the playoffs, according to Stevens and he was quick to point out that the whole team did so as they got steamrolled by the Syracuse Crunch (TBL.)
With the situation the way it is, should Guhle need more time the Sabres have the option to send him to Rochester and let him develop properly without the feeling the need to rush him to the NHL. Then again, should he have a strong camp, he could push a player like Beaulieu or Hunwick down to Rochester fortifying the Amerks blueline.
With Guhle Rochester will be heading into the season with a very strong d-corps but even without him they'll have 2017 Rochester scoring leader Zach Redmond (66 games, 15 goals, 47 points) anchoring the defense along with a veteran group that includes Nathan Paetsch, Matt Tennyson, and Taylor Fedun, all of whom have combined to play in over 900 AHL games and over 450 NHL games. Andrew MacWilliam is another vet who brings over 300 games of AHL experience to the blueline.
Joining the vets this season will be Swedish free agent Lawrence "Larry" Pilut, whom the Sabres signed in May and Brandon Hickey, a Calgary Flames 2014 draft pick (64th) who just finished his college career in March, was acquired by Buffalo in June and signed with the club on July 1. In addition, rookie Will Borgen (2015, 92nd,) who got a taste of the pros in an eight-game stint with Rochester last season, will begin his first full pro season with the club.
Filling out the d-corps are a trio of defensemen who will be bouncing between Rochester an ECHL affiliate, the Cincinnati Cyclones--Arvin Atwal, Brycen Martin (2014, 74th,) and Devante Stephens (2015, 122nd.) Rochester also signed 21 yr. old Toby Paquette-Bisson from the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey league.
Stevens was very optimistic about the d-corps saying, "defensively this could be an extremely strong group." However, he did throw in a qualifier when he said that they may need to help out the goaltending which will be transitioning away from two-time Amerks MVP, Linus Ullmark.
And that's where we'll pick up next.
This is the first of a two-part look at the 2018-19 Rochester Americans with broadcaster Don Stevens.
Don Stevens, 'The Voice of the Rochester Americans', will be entering his 33rd season broadcasting games for the club this Fall. In those 30+ years he's seen plenty of good, which includes calling seven Calder Cup Finals and two Calder Cup Championships, and not so good, such has been the last 13 years where the Amerks have not advanced past the first round of the playoffs and have completely missed the post season in seven of those years.
To say it's been rough and rocky travelling for the Amerks recently might be putting it mildly. They got sucked into the morass that was the bottom-dwelling Buffalo Sabres when the organization went with a full-on, scorched earth rebuild. During the 2014-15 season management traded away every ounce of talent on the team and as Buffalo called up Rochester's better players to fill the void, there wasn't much left for the Amerks to work with. In a three-year span beginning that season, trades by then Sabres GM Tim Murray took away some of the better prospects in an already thin system and when added to a decision to rebuild as such, it was a concoction that left the Amerks with a 96-120-13 record from 2014-2017 and a bottom-five AHL finish in three consecutive seasons.
When I talked to Stevens at season's end last year, he lamented the lack of depth in Rochester which was a result of those rebuilding years. "You could see what happened, when we'd lose a player or two players all of a sudden we'd go in the tank," he told me last May, and added that at one point, "nearly half the [Amerks] roster was first-year players or players on amateur tryout contracts." He said "one game they counted eight players on ATO's."
That changed last season. New Buffalo GM Jason Botterill took over in April, 2017 and he, along with his new AGM, Randy Sexton, cobbled together an Amerks club that included draft picks and free agents from previous regimes as well as free agent signings that filled the roster with quality players.
And nowhere is that depth more pronounced than on the blueline.
Buffalo will be icing a much deeper d-corps than they've had in recent memory. 2018 first-overall pick Rasmus Dahlin fits right into the top-four the Sabres top-four joining Rasmus Ristolainen, Marco Scandella and, probably, Zach Bogosian. Behind that group is Jake McCabe and one of Casey Nelson, Nathan Beaulieu or Matt Hunwick.
If no trades are made with players from that group, it means the Brendan Guhle (2015, 51st-overall) will more than likely at least start the season in Rochester. Guhle played big minutes for the Amerks last season and was impressive through most of it, including his short stints with the big club. However, the rookie "leveled off" in the playoffs, according to Stevens and he was quick to point out that the whole team did so as they got steamrolled by the Syracuse Crunch (TBL.)
With the situation the way it is, should Guhle need more time the Sabres have the option to send him to Rochester and let him develop properly without the feeling the need to rush him to the NHL. Then again, should he have a strong camp, he could push a player like Beaulieu or Hunwick down to Rochester fortifying the Amerks blueline.
With Guhle Rochester will be heading into the season with a very strong d-corps but even without him they'll have 2017 Rochester scoring leader Zach Redmond (66 games, 15 goals, 47 points) anchoring the defense along with a veteran group that includes Nathan Paetsch, Matt Tennyson, and Taylor Fedun, all of whom have combined to play in over 900 AHL games and over 450 NHL games. Andrew MacWilliam is another vet who brings over 300 games of AHL experience to the blueline.
Joining the vets this season will be Swedish free agent Lawrence "Larry" Pilut, whom the Sabres signed in May and Brandon Hickey, a Calgary Flames 2014 draft pick (64th) who just finished his college career in March, was acquired by Buffalo in June and signed with the club on July 1. In addition, rookie Will Borgen (2015, 92nd,) who got a taste of the pros in an eight-game stint with Rochester last season, will begin his first full pro season with the club.
Filling out the d-corps are a trio of defensemen who will be bouncing between Rochester an ECHL affiliate, the Cincinnati Cyclones--Arvin Atwal, Brycen Martin (2014, 74th,) and Devante Stephens (2015, 122nd.) Rochester also signed 21 yr. old Toby Paquette-Bisson from the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey league.
Stevens was very optimistic about the d-corps saying, "defensively this could be an extremely strong group." However, he did throw in a qualifier when he said that they may need to help out the goaltending which will be transitioning away from two-time Amerks MVP, Linus Ullmark.
And that's where we'll pick up next.
Monday, July 30, 2018
The Sabres top-5 prospects to watch after Dahlin and Mittelstadt
Published by hockeybuzz.com, 7-27-2018
Once Swedish defenseman Rasmus Dahlin was selected first-overall in last month's NHL Entry Draft he immediately took his place at the top of the Sabres prospect pool. The teenager just completed a full season competing against men for Frolunda of the Swedish Hockey League and was impressive. After being drafted by Buffalo he hit development camp and showed why many feel he should be considered a franchise defenseman bordering on generational talent.
He's got that much going for him.
Dahlin displaced center Casey Mittelstadt as the Sabres top prospect. Mittelstadt spent last season playing for the Minnesota Golden Gophers in the Big-10. The Minnesota native was one-and-done in the NCAA finishing with 30 points (11+19) in 34 games for the Gophers but more importantly, Mittelstadt proved he could battle through tough defenses focused almost exclusively on him and produce against many players much older than him. It was with little surprise that he came to Buffalo after signing his entry-level deal and looked like he fit right in scoring a goal and adding four assists in six NHL games.
Those two represent great news for the future of the Buffalo Sabres. Even moreso when you add them to franchise center Jack Eichel and young workhorse defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen.
The cool part about the prospect pool is that it doesn't stop at Dahlin and Mittelstadt. Buffalo is emerging from a period where the system was gutted as past draft failures and underachieving prospects left the entire organization with bottom-dwelling teams. That, however, is changing. A few players like Evan Rodrigues, Casey Nelson, Nicholas Baptiste, Justin Bailey and goalie Linus Ullmark have graduated but instead of a huge void in Rochester and the other developmental leagues, a wave of prospects and free agents drafted and acquired over the last few years (and maybe a bit beyond that) are ready to step up.
General manager Jason Botterill has done a fine job augmenting decent group of prospects ready to hit the pro ranks this season and it looks as if his two drafts (2017 ands 18) will continue to strengthen the prospect pool.
For this exercise the phrase "prospects to watch" is used because they may have the most impact at the AHL or possibly NHL-level this season. Talent is definitely a criteria but also the ability/probability of them reaching their potential this season and in the future. And we begin with:
1. D, Brendan Guhle
Prior to the drafting of Dahlin, Guhle was the Sabres top d-prospect. The 2015 second round pick (51st-overall) has surprised and excited the Sabres and their fan base since his first training camp three years ago. Until he got walloped by a clean Dion Phaneuf hit in the preseason, Guhle looked as if he was headed for the opening night roster. That hit set him back but when he did make his NHL debut as an emergency call up in December, 2016 for three games, he certainly looked the part.
The 6'3" 192 lb. Edmonton, Alberta native can really get up ice and although he wasn't drafted as a scorer has shown some serious touch. Both smart and athletic, Guhle was put on the slower developmental track last season by Botterill who is a firm believer in getting prospects as much development as possible.
Guhle played top-pairing minutes for the Amerks last season and was up for 18 games with the Sabres last season. Although he and the rest of his Rochester teammates faltered in the playoffs, everything he has to offer was on display at development camp as the 20 yr. old looked like a man amongst boys.
His waivers exempt status and the fact that Buffalo is overflowing on defense right now may mean he'll start the season in Rochester, which really isn't a bad thing for any party involved and you can bet your bottom dollar that if that's the case, he'll be the first defenseman called up and will retain that status throughout the season.
NHL Projection: Top-four defenseman
2. F, Victor Olofsson
Simply put, Olofsson has proved to be a sniper. After plying his trade in his native Sweden since Buffalo drafted him with the 181st pick of the 2014 NHL Draft, the seventh rounder had a breakout season for Frolunda of the SHL. Olofsson lead the league with 27 goals in 50 games winning the Haaken Loob Trophy for the top goalscorer in the league.
The 5'10" 176 lb. winger found his niche while being deadly on the powerplay with a scorching one-timer. Because of that he's been labeled a powerplay specialist but he's a swift skater who has a knack for finding open ice. With the offensive skill there, Olofsson was said to have been working on his defensive game and a couple of things he'll also need to work on jumping the pond to North America is the smaller ice surface and a more rugged North American game.
If he can bring his defensive game to a respectable level and learn to avoid some of the North American aggression, especially as a smaller player, the Sabres could have found themselves a real seventh-round gem.
NHL Projection: Top-nine winger/Powerplay Specialist
3. D, Lawrence Pilut
Pilut is a very intriguing free agent signing out of Sweden by Botterill and the Sabres as they landed the reigning SHL defenseman of the year.
The 5'11" 181 lb. Pilut had a breakout season for HV71 of the SHL as he lead all defensemen with 30 assists and 38 points on his way to the Borje Salming Trophy. When describing Pilut's game, we'll let HV 71 head coach Johan Lindbom tell it. "[Pilut] he wants to be involved in the play all the time," Lindbom told me over the phone back in May. "He's not the toughest, he's not the strongest in front of the net," said the coach, "but he reads the play really well.
" Larry (as the team called him) was very talented at a young age. Maybe a little too small from the beginning but he's a fighter. He takes his hockey very seriously. He practices very hard and that's what makes him successful."
Lindbom had Pilut working on his defense last season and we're pretty sure Amerks bench boss Chris Taylor will be doing the same in Rochester. But as we saw from the 3-on-3 tourney at development camp, Pilut has too much ability to be corralled. He'll definitely need to play defense in North America but look for him to be jumping into the play often once he gets his footing.
NHL Projection: No. 4/5, offensive-minded defenseman
4. C, Rasmus Asplund
Asplund was the draft-eligible focal point of former GM Tim Murray when he mad a draft-day trade back in 2016. On the second day of the draft Murray pulled the trigger on a deal where the Sabres would move up from No. 38 to No. 33. There was no guarantee Asplund would be there but Murray was pretty sure to the point where the swap was insisted upon.
The 20 yr. old Asplund has been developing his strong two-way game in Sweden having spent almost four full seasons in the SHL. In 170 SHL games he tallied 62 points (20+42) and was a plus-17 for Farjestad BK. But stats aren't full where it's at with him.
Asplund plays an advanced two-way game where his high hockey IQ and hard working play were relied upon throughout the game. He has all the makings of a classic third-line/two-way center who's responsible all over the ice and can chip in on offense
NHL Projection: Third-line center.
5. LW, CJ Smith
Smith is another good free agent signing for the Sabres. Buffalo signed him out of UMass-Lowell in 2017 and he just finished a very solid rookie campaign in Rochester scoring 44 points (17+27) in 57 games for the Amerks.
Although Smith doesn't have ideal size at 5'11" 185 lbs., he's got plenty of skill and chutzpah, is a solid two-way player, has a strong work ethic and plays the game fast with plenty of determination.
NHL Projection: Top-nine winger
Honorable Mentions:
D, Brandon Hickey--a very intriguing trade with Phoenix this off season by Botterill brought in an excellent skating defenseman with size (6'2" 201 lbs.,) some physicality, leadership qualities and some offensive acumen.
LW, Alexander Nylander--if his desire ever rises to his skill-level, he's got top-six sniper written all over him. Key word 'if''.
Once Swedish defenseman Rasmus Dahlin was selected first-overall in last month's NHL Entry Draft he immediately took his place at the top of the Sabres prospect pool. The teenager just completed a full season competing against men for Frolunda of the Swedish Hockey League and was impressive. After being drafted by Buffalo he hit development camp and showed why many feel he should be considered a franchise defenseman bordering on generational talent.
He's got that much going for him.
Dahlin displaced center Casey Mittelstadt as the Sabres top prospect. Mittelstadt spent last season playing for the Minnesota Golden Gophers in the Big-10. The Minnesota native was one-and-done in the NCAA finishing with 30 points (11+19) in 34 games for the Gophers but more importantly, Mittelstadt proved he could battle through tough defenses focused almost exclusively on him and produce against many players much older than him. It was with little surprise that he came to Buffalo after signing his entry-level deal and looked like he fit right in scoring a goal and adding four assists in six NHL games.
Those two represent great news for the future of the Buffalo Sabres. Even moreso when you add them to franchise center Jack Eichel and young workhorse defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen.
The cool part about the prospect pool is that it doesn't stop at Dahlin and Mittelstadt. Buffalo is emerging from a period where the system was gutted as past draft failures and underachieving prospects left the entire organization with bottom-dwelling teams. That, however, is changing. A few players like Evan Rodrigues, Casey Nelson, Nicholas Baptiste, Justin Bailey and goalie Linus Ullmark have graduated but instead of a huge void in Rochester and the other developmental leagues, a wave of prospects and free agents drafted and acquired over the last few years (and maybe a bit beyond that) are ready to step up.
General manager Jason Botterill has done a fine job augmenting decent group of prospects ready to hit the pro ranks this season and it looks as if his two drafts (2017 ands 18) will continue to strengthen the prospect pool.
For this exercise the phrase "prospects to watch" is used because they may have the most impact at the AHL or possibly NHL-level this season. Talent is definitely a criteria but also the ability/probability of them reaching their potential this season and in the future. And we begin with:
1. D, Brendan Guhle
Prior to the drafting of Dahlin, Guhle was the Sabres top d-prospect. The 2015 second round pick (51st-overall) has surprised and excited the Sabres and their fan base since his first training camp three years ago. Until he got walloped by a clean Dion Phaneuf hit in the preseason, Guhle looked as if he was headed for the opening night roster. That hit set him back but when he did make his NHL debut as an emergency call up in December, 2016 for three games, he certainly looked the part.
The 6'3" 192 lb. Edmonton, Alberta native can really get up ice and although he wasn't drafted as a scorer has shown some serious touch. Both smart and athletic, Guhle was put on the slower developmental track last season by Botterill who is a firm believer in getting prospects as much development as possible.
Guhle played top-pairing minutes for the Amerks last season and was up for 18 games with the Sabres last season. Although he and the rest of his Rochester teammates faltered in the playoffs, everything he has to offer was on display at development camp as the 20 yr. old looked like a man amongst boys.
His waivers exempt status and the fact that Buffalo is overflowing on defense right now may mean he'll start the season in Rochester, which really isn't a bad thing for any party involved and you can bet your bottom dollar that if that's the case, he'll be the first defenseman called up and will retain that status throughout the season.
NHL Projection: Top-four defenseman
2. F, Victor Olofsson
Simply put, Olofsson has proved to be a sniper. After plying his trade in his native Sweden since Buffalo drafted him with the 181st pick of the 2014 NHL Draft, the seventh rounder had a breakout season for Frolunda of the SHL. Olofsson lead the league with 27 goals in 50 games winning the Haaken Loob Trophy for the top goalscorer in the league.
The 5'10" 176 lb. winger found his niche while being deadly on the powerplay with a scorching one-timer. Because of that he's been labeled a powerplay specialist but he's a swift skater who has a knack for finding open ice. With the offensive skill there, Olofsson was said to have been working on his defensive game and a couple of things he'll also need to work on jumping the pond to North America is the smaller ice surface and a more rugged North American game.
If he can bring his defensive game to a respectable level and learn to avoid some of the North American aggression, especially as a smaller player, the Sabres could have found themselves a real seventh-round gem.
NHL Projection: Top-nine winger/Powerplay Specialist
3. D, Lawrence Pilut
Pilut is a very intriguing free agent signing out of Sweden by Botterill and the Sabres as they landed the reigning SHL defenseman of the year.
The 5'11" 181 lb. Pilut had a breakout season for HV71 of the SHL as he lead all defensemen with 30 assists and 38 points on his way to the Borje Salming Trophy. When describing Pilut's game, we'll let HV 71 head coach Johan Lindbom tell it. "[Pilut] he wants to be involved in the play all the time," Lindbom told me over the phone back in May. "He's not the toughest, he's not the strongest in front of the net," said the coach, "but he reads the play really well.
" Larry (as the team called him) was very talented at a young age. Maybe a little too small from the beginning but he's a fighter. He takes his hockey very seriously. He practices very hard and that's what makes him successful."
Lindbom had Pilut working on his defense last season and we're pretty sure Amerks bench boss Chris Taylor will be doing the same in Rochester. But as we saw from the 3-on-3 tourney at development camp, Pilut has too much ability to be corralled. He'll definitely need to play defense in North America but look for him to be jumping into the play often once he gets his footing.
NHL Projection: No. 4/5, offensive-minded defenseman
4. C, Rasmus Asplund
Asplund was the draft-eligible focal point of former GM Tim Murray when he mad a draft-day trade back in 2016. On the second day of the draft Murray pulled the trigger on a deal where the Sabres would move up from No. 38 to No. 33. There was no guarantee Asplund would be there but Murray was pretty sure to the point where the swap was insisted upon.
The 20 yr. old Asplund has been developing his strong two-way game in Sweden having spent almost four full seasons in the SHL. In 170 SHL games he tallied 62 points (20+42) and was a plus-17 for Farjestad BK. But stats aren't full where it's at with him.
Asplund plays an advanced two-way game where his high hockey IQ and hard working play were relied upon throughout the game. He has all the makings of a classic third-line/two-way center who's responsible all over the ice and can chip in on offense
NHL Projection: Third-line center.
5. LW, CJ Smith
Smith is another good free agent signing for the Sabres. Buffalo signed him out of UMass-Lowell in 2017 and he just finished a very solid rookie campaign in Rochester scoring 44 points (17+27) in 57 games for the Amerks.
Although Smith doesn't have ideal size at 5'11" 185 lbs., he's got plenty of skill and chutzpah, is a solid two-way player, has a strong work ethic and plays the game fast with plenty of determination.
NHL Projection: Top-nine winger
Honorable Mentions:
D, Brandon Hickey--a very intriguing trade with Phoenix this off season by Botterill brought in an excellent skating defenseman with size (6'2" 201 lbs.,) some physicality, leadership qualities and some offensive acumen.
LW, Alexander Nylander--if his desire ever rises to his skill-level, he's got top-six sniper written all over him. Key word 'if''.
Thursday, June 21, 2018
Dahlin helps Buffalo's thin, but slowly improving prospect pool on defense
Published by hockeybuzz.com, 6-21-2018
While going through past blogs prior to the NHL Entry Draft, I came across a piece from 2015 just prior to the draft. In it we looked at the defense core depth and it was extremely thin at the time.
The 2015 Stanley Cup playoffs showcased a Norris Trophy defenseman in the Chicago Blackhawks' Duncan Keith and a future Norris winner in then 24 yr. old Tampa Bay Lightning d-man, Victor Hedman (who just won the trophy last night.) The duo put on a clinic in the finals that year.
At the time Keith was 31 yrs. old and the elder statesmen of a group of high-quality d-men featuring Norris Trophy winner PK Subban, who was with the Montreal Canadiens, and fellow Norris winner Erik Karlsson (OTT) who lead a group of 25 yr. olds that included Drew Doughty (LAK,) Alex Pietrangelo (STL) and Roman Josi (NSH.) After Hedman there was another wave of d-men just cutting their teeth in Oliver-Ekman Larsson (ARI,) Torey Krug and Dougie Hamilton (BOS,) Olli Matta (PIT) and 19 yr. old stud Aaron Ekblad (FLA.)
The Sabres at the time were coming off a scorched-earth rebuild that left their team mostly barren on the back-end. At the time just before the 2015 NHL Draft, the Sabres had young players with promise in 23 yr. old Mark Pysyk, 20 yr. olds Rasmus Ristolainen and Nikita Zadorov and...that's about it. The pipeline had Jake McCabe and Chad Ruhwedel at the top followed by Brady Austin, who played five NHL games and Jerome Leduc, who never saw the NHL ice. Anthony Florentino and Brycen Martin, both of whom are in the minors, rounded out the group.
Since that piece was done, the Sabres traded Zadorov and Pysyk and allowed Ruhwedel to walk. Buffalo's depth on defense struggled for the last three seasons as players drafted beginning in 2015 began making their way up through the system and GM's tried to fill holes with minor-league vets and free agent signings.
The Sabres did well in landing coveted college free agent Casey Nelson in 2016 and SHL Defenseman of the year, Lawrence Pilut last month. They also signed Victor Antipin out of the KHL in 2017 but that didn't work out so well. Antipin had a rough season that ended with him being carted off on a stretcher with four games to go. Buffalo GM Jason Botterill recently said that, contrary to some reports, Antipin has not signed a KHL contract and is looking to come back to the NHL.
As dreary as the last few years have been on defense, there is light at the end of the tunnel and the drafting of defenseman Rasmus Dahlin will shove this slow moving train even closer to the bright light of tomorrow. Dahlin is considered a franchise defenseman (some say generational) and will immediately be plugged into the lineup in a top-four role. What that does for the depth chart can't be understated as those on the big club will begin to fall into roles to suit them while those in the pipeline can continue to develop at lower levels.
There are still big holes on the back-end from Buffalo on down, but make no mistake, the selection of Dahlin allows for the organization to build quality depth, something that's desperately needed.
Barring any trades, the Sabres lineup on defense looks to have Dahlin, Rasmus Ristolainen, Marco Scandella, Zach Bogosian, Jake McCabe, Casey Nelson and Nathan Beaulieu right now with the possibility that their top d-prospect could be in the mix.
Although semantics will have Dahlin as the Sabres top prospect from the time he's drafted until opening day, why bother putting him there for this exercise? We'll start with the idea that he'll be with the Sabres beginning October 4 against the Boston Bruins and look at these tree as Buffalo's top d-prospects right now.
LHD, Brendan Guhle (2015, 51st-overall)
Guhle began his first pro season with the Rochester Americans and spent plenty of time playing top-pairing minutes in all situations. There's a lot to like about the 6'2" 196 lb. native of Edmonton, Alberta and Sabres fans are still wondering how he dropped to Buffalo at pick No. 51. Guhle is very athletic and skates extremely well, has exceptional on-ice vision and moves the puck seemingly with ease, all of which was on display in Rochester to start the season.
However, Guhle did hit some speed bumps along the way. After a short, two-game call-up in January he was sent back to Rochester and suffered a lower body injury. He would be recalled again for an extended 16-game stint in Buffalo where he struggled a bit before being sent down to Rochester for the AHL playoffs at the end of the NHL regular seaosn. In the latter part of that call-up he suffered an upper-body injury that cause him to miss an April 2 game against Toronto. He seemed well after that but had a miserable performance as the Amerks were swept by the Syracuse Crunch (TBL) in the first round of the Calder Cup playoffs.
What happened to Guhle, when it happened and how much it affected him is still somewhat of a mystery but his playoff performance against a very fast and talented Crunch team left the organization with question marks. Maybe he's not quite ready to join the Sabres on the opening night roster and will need a little more seasoning before he and the team can feel comfortable with him up in Buffalo.
Having Dahlin in the top-six is huge for the organization as they can do what Botterill wants to do with all of his prospects, let them fully develop before bringing them up. If Guhle has an outstanding camp and makes the opening night roster, fine. If he doesn't he can get more seasoning in Rochester. It's a win/win for player and team.
LHD, Lawrence Pilut (FA, 2018)
This could be a huge signing for Buffalo as Botterill and Co. were able to land the SHL's 2018 Defenseman of the Year. The 22 yr. old Pilut has been playing in Sweden's top professional league for the last four years and had a breakout 2017-18 campaign with 38 points which lead all SHL defensemen.
Pilut is an offensive-minded defenseman who skates well and has a good shot which you'll see in the highlights that are out there but here's what his coach, Johan Lindbom also had to say about his defenseman. "Larry (as the team called him) was very talented at a young age," said Lindbom. "Maybe a little too small from the beginning but he's a fighter. He takes his hockey very seriously. He practices very hard and that's what makes him successful.
"He's not the toughest, he's not the strongest in front of the net but he reads the play really well."
Lindbom and his staff were keen on honing the defensive aspects of Pilut's game as the 5'11" 179 lb. rearguard never saw a play he didn't want to jump into, and that's what he'll need to work on in North America, especially with the smaller rink.
Were it a year or two ago, Pilut could have been considered a candidate to make the Sabres if he had a strong camp. Right now, with the addition of Dahlin and having Guhle with a full pro season under his belt, Pilut slips nicely into the No. 2 d-prospect spot.
RHD, William Borgen (2015, 92nd)
There was a lot of fear rippling through Sabreland wondering whether or not the Sabres would be able to sign the St. Cloud State University standout. Buffalo fans had already been jilted by Jimmy Vesey and Cal Petersen, both college prospects who finished school and opted for free agency.
Borgen, however, chose to sign with Buffalo after his junior season in college. The 6'2" 189 lb. native of Moorehead, MN finished his career with five goals and 36 assists in 106 games for the Huskies and came in for a brief eight-game cup of coffee on an amateur tryout with the Rochester Americans this season.
Other than his NHL-ready frame, one of the things that stands out with Borgen is that he's a righty, something severely lacking in the Sabres d-prospect pool right now. He's also a defensive defenseman but don't let that lead you into believing he's some pylon on the back end as he has excellent skating ability.
Borgen was tabbed for the 2016 US World Junior squad and was also selected for the 2018 Olympic team, though he never dressed. He's projected to be a long-term project player that will continue to hone his defense while trying to find some of the scoring touch he had in high school. With Dahlin Guhle and possibly Pilut paving the way the next few years, Borgen will have all the time he needs to develop properly.
While going through past blogs prior to the NHL Entry Draft, I came across a piece from 2015 just prior to the draft. In it we looked at the defense core depth and it was extremely thin at the time.
The 2015 Stanley Cup playoffs showcased a Norris Trophy defenseman in the Chicago Blackhawks' Duncan Keith and a future Norris winner in then 24 yr. old Tampa Bay Lightning d-man, Victor Hedman (who just won the trophy last night.) The duo put on a clinic in the finals that year.
At the time Keith was 31 yrs. old and the elder statesmen of a group of high-quality d-men featuring Norris Trophy winner PK Subban, who was with the Montreal Canadiens, and fellow Norris winner Erik Karlsson (OTT) who lead a group of 25 yr. olds that included Drew Doughty (LAK,) Alex Pietrangelo (STL) and Roman Josi (NSH.) After Hedman there was another wave of d-men just cutting their teeth in Oliver-Ekman Larsson (ARI,) Torey Krug and Dougie Hamilton (BOS,) Olli Matta (PIT) and 19 yr. old stud Aaron Ekblad (FLA.)
The Sabres at the time were coming off a scorched-earth rebuild that left their team mostly barren on the back-end. At the time just before the 2015 NHL Draft, the Sabres had young players with promise in 23 yr. old Mark Pysyk, 20 yr. olds Rasmus Ristolainen and Nikita Zadorov and...that's about it. The pipeline had Jake McCabe and Chad Ruhwedel at the top followed by Brady Austin, who played five NHL games and Jerome Leduc, who never saw the NHL ice. Anthony Florentino and Brycen Martin, both of whom are in the minors, rounded out the group.
Since that piece was done, the Sabres traded Zadorov and Pysyk and allowed Ruhwedel to walk. Buffalo's depth on defense struggled for the last three seasons as players drafted beginning in 2015 began making their way up through the system and GM's tried to fill holes with minor-league vets and free agent signings.
The Sabres did well in landing coveted college free agent Casey Nelson in 2016 and SHL Defenseman of the year, Lawrence Pilut last month. They also signed Victor Antipin out of the KHL in 2017 but that didn't work out so well. Antipin had a rough season that ended with him being carted off on a stretcher with four games to go. Buffalo GM Jason Botterill recently said that, contrary to some reports, Antipin has not signed a KHL contract and is looking to come back to the NHL.
As dreary as the last few years have been on defense, there is light at the end of the tunnel and the drafting of defenseman Rasmus Dahlin will shove this slow moving train even closer to the bright light of tomorrow. Dahlin is considered a franchise defenseman (some say generational) and will immediately be plugged into the lineup in a top-four role. What that does for the depth chart can't be understated as those on the big club will begin to fall into roles to suit them while those in the pipeline can continue to develop at lower levels.
There are still big holes on the back-end from Buffalo on down, but make no mistake, the selection of Dahlin allows for the organization to build quality depth, something that's desperately needed.
Barring any trades, the Sabres lineup on defense looks to have Dahlin, Rasmus Ristolainen, Marco Scandella, Zach Bogosian, Jake McCabe, Casey Nelson and Nathan Beaulieu right now with the possibility that their top d-prospect could be in the mix.
Although semantics will have Dahlin as the Sabres top prospect from the time he's drafted until opening day, why bother putting him there for this exercise? We'll start with the idea that he'll be with the Sabres beginning October 4 against the Boston Bruins and look at these tree as Buffalo's top d-prospects right now.
LHD, Brendan Guhle (2015, 51st-overall)
Guhle began his first pro season with the Rochester Americans and spent plenty of time playing top-pairing minutes in all situations. There's a lot to like about the 6'2" 196 lb. native of Edmonton, Alberta and Sabres fans are still wondering how he dropped to Buffalo at pick No. 51. Guhle is very athletic and skates extremely well, has exceptional on-ice vision and moves the puck seemingly with ease, all of which was on display in Rochester to start the season.
However, Guhle did hit some speed bumps along the way. After a short, two-game call-up in January he was sent back to Rochester and suffered a lower body injury. He would be recalled again for an extended 16-game stint in Buffalo where he struggled a bit before being sent down to Rochester for the AHL playoffs at the end of the NHL regular seaosn. In the latter part of that call-up he suffered an upper-body injury that cause him to miss an April 2 game against Toronto. He seemed well after that but had a miserable performance as the Amerks were swept by the Syracuse Crunch (TBL) in the first round of the Calder Cup playoffs.
What happened to Guhle, when it happened and how much it affected him is still somewhat of a mystery but his playoff performance against a very fast and talented Crunch team left the organization with question marks. Maybe he's not quite ready to join the Sabres on the opening night roster and will need a little more seasoning before he and the team can feel comfortable with him up in Buffalo.
Having Dahlin in the top-six is huge for the organization as they can do what Botterill wants to do with all of his prospects, let them fully develop before bringing them up. If Guhle has an outstanding camp and makes the opening night roster, fine. If he doesn't he can get more seasoning in Rochester. It's a win/win for player and team.
LHD, Lawrence Pilut (FA, 2018)
This could be a huge signing for Buffalo as Botterill and Co. were able to land the SHL's 2018 Defenseman of the Year. The 22 yr. old Pilut has been playing in Sweden's top professional league for the last four years and had a breakout 2017-18 campaign with 38 points which lead all SHL defensemen.
Pilut is an offensive-minded defenseman who skates well and has a good shot which you'll see in the highlights that are out there but here's what his coach, Johan Lindbom also had to say about his defenseman. "Larry (as the team called him) was very talented at a young age," said Lindbom. "Maybe a little too small from the beginning but he's a fighter. He takes his hockey very seriously. He practices very hard and that's what makes him successful.
"He's not the toughest, he's not the strongest in front of the net but he reads the play really well."
Lindbom and his staff were keen on honing the defensive aspects of Pilut's game as the 5'11" 179 lb. rearguard never saw a play he didn't want to jump into, and that's what he'll need to work on in North America, especially with the smaller rink.
Were it a year or two ago, Pilut could have been considered a candidate to make the Sabres if he had a strong camp. Right now, with the addition of Dahlin and having Guhle with a full pro season under his belt, Pilut slips nicely into the No. 2 d-prospect spot.
RHD, William Borgen (2015, 92nd)
There was a lot of fear rippling through Sabreland wondering whether or not the Sabres would be able to sign the St. Cloud State University standout. Buffalo fans had already been jilted by Jimmy Vesey and Cal Petersen, both college prospects who finished school and opted for free agency.
Borgen, however, chose to sign with Buffalo after his junior season in college. The 6'2" 189 lb. native of Moorehead, MN finished his career with five goals and 36 assists in 106 games for the Huskies and came in for a brief eight-game cup of coffee on an amateur tryout with the Rochester Americans this season.
Other than his NHL-ready frame, one of the things that stands out with Borgen is that he's a righty, something severely lacking in the Sabres d-prospect pool right now. He's also a defensive defenseman but don't let that lead you into believing he's some pylon on the back end as he has excellent skating ability.
Borgen was tabbed for the 2016 US World Junior squad and was also selected for the 2018 Olympic team, though he never dressed. He's projected to be a long-term project player that will continue to hone his defense while trying to find some of the scoring touch he had in high school. With Dahlin Guhle and possibly Pilut paving the way the next few years, Borgen will have all the time he needs to develop properly.
Monday, May 21, 2018
Impressions of, and questions concerning--D, Brendan Guhle
Published by hockeybuzz.com, 5-20-2018
Defenseman--Brendan Guhle
DOB: July 29, 1997 (Age, 20)
Draft: 2015, second round (51st overall)
How acquired: Drafted by Buffalo
Last contract signed: July 27, 2015, 3yr./$2.775 million (2yr. Entry-level slide)
Final year of contract: 2019-20
2017-18 Stats: 18 games played | 0 goals | 5 assists | 5 points | -6 | 18:06 ATOI
Buffalo Career Stats: 21 games | 0 goals | 5 assists | 5 points | -5 | 17:51 ATOI
Defenseman--Brendan Guhle
DOB: July 29, 1997 (Age, 20)
Draft: 2015, second round (51st overall)
How acquired: Drafted by Buffalo
Last contract signed: July 27, 2015, 3yr./$2.775 million (2yr. Entry-level slide)
Final year of contract: 2019-20
2017-18 Stats: 18 games played | 0 goals | 5 assists | 5 points | -6 | 18:06 ATOI
Buffalo Career Stats: 21 games | 0 goals | 5 assists | 5 points | -5 | 17:51 ATOI
Sunday, April 8, 2018
There are a lot of positives for this team moving forward
Published by hockeybuzz.com, 4-7-2018
The Buffalo Sabres left Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida with a 7-5 loss. It was their 44th regulation loss in 81 games, 56th if you count overtime/shootout losses. Such has been the season for the 31st place team as they head for a high draft pick for the third time in five seasons.
There were typical hallmarks of this team in the 2017-18 season. The Sabres started the game looking like they were chilling on a Florida beach and found themselves behind early in the game. Egregious turnovers, lax defense and poor goaltending put the Sabres in a hole early, but they were able to bounce back and eventually take a 5-4 lead. However, they were unable to hold on, which isn't surprising considering the speed and firepower that the Tampa Bay Lightning have at their beck and call.
Buffalo came oh so close to tying the score with the goalie pulled, but in a tale of two goalposts, the Sabres' Evan Rodrigues hit the outside of the post with a wide open net and Tampa's Victor Hedman sent a 200' shot that caught the inside of the post and went in.
The Sabres knew this year was over months ago and looked like they'd packed it in. Except when playing against top teams in the division. From February through last night, the Sabres went 6-3-0 against Atlantic Division leaders Tampa, Boston and Toronto. Buffalo was also a very respectable 6-5-1 on the road during that time which included a 7-4 win over the NHL's top team, the Nashville Predators, to close out the month of March.
For those of us in Sabreland who've been watching nearly every game, it's things like that make this season a head-scratcher as to how could this team have looked so bad so often this season.
"A lot of things worked against Buffalo but [head coach] Phil [Housley] kept them together," said Lightning coach John Cooper via Mike Harrington of The Buffalo News. "Instead of folding down the stretch, they dug their heels in and played teams tough, including us. As an organization, they've found out a lot about themselves, they've done it the right way and they're set up to do some good things next year."
There are some good things on the horizon for the Sabres, and one of them was on display last night. Forward Casey Mittelstadt (2017, 8th-overall) scored his first NHL goal on a play that displayed poise, patience and skill.
(via NHL.com)
It was Mittelstadt's fourth point (1+3) in his first five NHL games and outside of those stats, the former Minnesota Golden Gopher who signed after his freshman season looks like he could be a big part of Buffalo's future.
Also netting his first NHL goal was fellow first round pick Alexander Nylander (2016, 8th.) Nylander made the jump from junior right into the AHL following his draft year and has struggled mightily with the Rochester Americans. However, he's been slowly turning it around in Rochester and got the call to Buffalo on Wednesday. After an uneventful season debut vs. the Ottawa Senators, Nylander made a nice play tipping a shot from the point for his first NHL goal:
(via NHL.com)
Nylander's goal was set up by another future bright spot for Buffalo, defenseman Brendan Guhle who was a 2015 second round selection (51st.) The athletic Guhle is an excellent skater with great vision who's been making waves while working his way up through the system. The Edmonton, Alberta native has been up with Buffalo since March 5 and has helped move the defense forward.
Buffalo has played Tampa three times in the past seven weeks and have beaten the Lighting twice. There other meeting came on November 28, a 2-0 shutout win for Tampa. In that time the Sabres have made some serious progress according to Cooper. "They've improved dramatically through the year and that's a good sign for them," he told Harrington. "They've got some good players. I had an up-close look at Ryan O'Reilly at the World Championships (for Team Canada) and he's a big-time player. Jack Eichel goes down for how many games? That doesn't help."
Tampa Bay is always one of those teams who are looked to as an ideal for a rebuild and they've been building this Stanley Cup contender for quite a while beginning in 2008 when they drafted Steven Stamkos first-overall after finishing tied for last with the Los Angeles Kings that season. The Lightning finished second-last the following season and drafted Victor Hedman second-overall in the 2009 NHL Draft and in two drafts they had their franchise center and a bona fide No. 1 defenseman.
Those two picks were added to a team lead by two Stanley Cup Champions, and probable future Hall of Famers in Vinny Lecavalier and Martin St. Louis. The Lightning hired Steve Yzerman as their general manager in May, 2010 and after struggling with Rick Tocchet and Guy Boucher behind the bench, Tampa hired Cooper who took over the team late in the 2012-13 season.
The Lightning have drafted well with 11 homegrown players on their present roster ranging from the eldest, Alex Kilorn, drafted in 2007 (77th) to the youngest, Anthony Cirelli in 2015 (72nd.) In all their homegrown picks consist of four first round picks on the roster, two 2nd's, three 3rd's, one 4th and one 6th. And from 2007 to 2013, the Lightning have drafted 15 players who have played in 100 or more NHL games.
Smart drafting (to go along with Stamkos and Hedman) and good trades have lead to playoff appearances in what will end up being four of the last five full seasons under Cooper with a Stanley Cup Finals appearance in 2015 and an Eastern Conference Finals appearance in 2016.
Although Cooper's words on the Sabres might be construed as some obligatory nod to an overall poor team with some definitive talent who happened to give his team a hard time, there's a lot to look forward to in Sabreland. The Lightning missed the playoffs twice after drafting Stamkos and after making it to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2011, missed the playoff two more times while they transferred away from their old core with Lecavalier and St. Louis and build around their new one featuring Stamkos and Hedman.
The Sabres have Eichel, and O'Reilly down the middle and be will joined at center in the top-nine next year by either Mittelstadt or Rodrigues who's really starting to find his NHL groove. Sam Reinhart, despite having an awful game last night, is climbing up towards his second-overall draft status while Guhle should help transform the back end. Rasmus Ristolainen should continue being a workhorse status pumping in 40 points from the back end and there are a host of others like Nicolas Baptiste, Justin Bailey, C.J. Smith and Nylander who will have ample opportunity to make the club out of camp.
There's one more game in this terrible season but it looks as if things may be coming together, at least talent-wise. Although there's still a long way to go, there are some positives to take with us into next season.
The Buffalo Sabres left Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida with a 7-5 loss. It was their 44th regulation loss in 81 games, 56th if you count overtime/shootout losses. Such has been the season for the 31st place team as they head for a high draft pick for the third time in five seasons.
There were typical hallmarks of this team in the 2017-18 season. The Sabres started the game looking like they were chilling on a Florida beach and found themselves behind early in the game. Egregious turnovers, lax defense and poor goaltending put the Sabres in a hole early, but they were able to bounce back and eventually take a 5-4 lead. However, they were unable to hold on, which isn't surprising considering the speed and firepower that the Tampa Bay Lightning have at their beck and call.
Buffalo came oh so close to tying the score with the goalie pulled, but in a tale of two goalposts, the Sabres' Evan Rodrigues hit the outside of the post with a wide open net and Tampa's Victor Hedman sent a 200' shot that caught the inside of the post and went in.
The Sabres knew this year was over months ago and looked like they'd packed it in. Except when playing against top teams in the division. From February through last night, the Sabres went 6-3-0 against Atlantic Division leaders Tampa, Boston and Toronto. Buffalo was also a very respectable 6-5-1 on the road during that time which included a 7-4 win over the NHL's top team, the Nashville Predators, to close out the month of March.
For those of us in Sabreland who've been watching nearly every game, it's things like that make this season a head-scratcher as to how could this team have looked so bad so often this season.
"A lot of things worked against Buffalo but [head coach] Phil [Housley] kept them together," said Lightning coach John Cooper via Mike Harrington of The Buffalo News. "Instead of folding down the stretch, they dug their heels in and played teams tough, including us. As an organization, they've found out a lot about themselves, they've done it the right way and they're set up to do some good things next year."
There are some good things on the horizon for the Sabres, and one of them was on display last night. Forward Casey Mittelstadt (2017, 8th-overall) scored his first NHL goal on a play that displayed poise, patience and skill.
(via NHL.com)
It was Mittelstadt's fourth point (1+3) in his first five NHL games and outside of those stats, the former Minnesota Golden Gopher who signed after his freshman season looks like he could be a big part of Buffalo's future.
Also netting his first NHL goal was fellow first round pick Alexander Nylander (2016, 8th.) Nylander made the jump from junior right into the AHL following his draft year and has struggled mightily with the Rochester Americans. However, he's been slowly turning it around in Rochester and got the call to Buffalo on Wednesday. After an uneventful season debut vs. the Ottawa Senators, Nylander made a nice play tipping a shot from the point for his first NHL goal:
(via NHL.com)
Nylander's goal was set up by another future bright spot for Buffalo, defenseman Brendan Guhle who was a 2015 second round selection (51st.) The athletic Guhle is an excellent skater with great vision who's been making waves while working his way up through the system. The Edmonton, Alberta native has been up with Buffalo since March 5 and has helped move the defense forward.
Buffalo has played Tampa three times in the past seven weeks and have beaten the Lighting twice. There other meeting came on November 28, a 2-0 shutout win for Tampa. In that time the Sabres have made some serious progress according to Cooper. "They've improved dramatically through the year and that's a good sign for them," he told Harrington. "They've got some good players. I had an up-close look at Ryan O'Reilly at the World Championships (for Team Canada) and he's a big-time player. Jack Eichel goes down for how many games? That doesn't help."
Tampa Bay is always one of those teams who are looked to as an ideal for a rebuild and they've been building this Stanley Cup contender for quite a while beginning in 2008 when they drafted Steven Stamkos first-overall after finishing tied for last with the Los Angeles Kings that season. The Lightning finished second-last the following season and drafted Victor Hedman second-overall in the 2009 NHL Draft and in two drafts they had their franchise center and a bona fide No. 1 defenseman.
Those two picks were added to a team lead by two Stanley Cup Champions, and probable future Hall of Famers in Vinny Lecavalier and Martin St. Louis. The Lightning hired Steve Yzerman as their general manager in May, 2010 and after struggling with Rick Tocchet and Guy Boucher behind the bench, Tampa hired Cooper who took over the team late in the 2012-13 season.
The Lightning have drafted well with 11 homegrown players on their present roster ranging from the eldest, Alex Kilorn, drafted in 2007 (77th) to the youngest, Anthony Cirelli in 2015 (72nd.) In all their homegrown picks consist of four first round picks on the roster, two 2nd's, three 3rd's, one 4th and one 6th. And from 2007 to 2013, the Lightning have drafted 15 players who have played in 100 or more NHL games.
Smart drafting (to go along with Stamkos and Hedman) and good trades have lead to playoff appearances in what will end up being four of the last five full seasons under Cooper with a Stanley Cup Finals appearance in 2015 and an Eastern Conference Finals appearance in 2016.
Although Cooper's words on the Sabres might be construed as some obligatory nod to an overall poor team with some definitive talent who happened to give his team a hard time, there's a lot to look forward to in Sabreland. The Lightning missed the playoffs twice after drafting Stamkos and after making it to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2011, missed the playoff two more times while they transferred away from their old core with Lecavalier and St. Louis and build around their new one featuring Stamkos and Hedman.
The Sabres have Eichel, and O'Reilly down the middle and be will joined at center in the top-nine next year by either Mittelstadt or Rodrigues who's really starting to find his NHL groove. Sam Reinhart, despite having an awful game last night, is climbing up towards his second-overall draft status while Guhle should help transform the back end. Rasmus Ristolainen should continue being a workhorse status pumping in 40 points from the back end and there are a host of others like Nicolas Baptiste, Justin Bailey, C.J. Smith and Nylander who will have ample opportunity to make the club out of camp.
There's one more game in this terrible season but it looks as if things may be coming together, at least talent-wise. Although there's still a long way to go, there are some positives to take with us into next season.
Thursday, January 18, 2018
Buffalo's bye week is a good time to talk about the future
Published by hockeybuzz.com, 1-17-2018
Sure, the Buffalo Sabres entered their bye week with a 3-1 win over a very good Columbus Blue Jackets team. As a refresher, the Sabres pumped 15 shots on net in the first period against the Jackets and headed into intermission with a 1-0 lead. Columbus gathered their druthers and began to right the ship peppering goalie Linus Ullmark with 34 shots on goal over the final two periods. Ullmark, an AHL All-Star who'd been called up the game before but didn't play, withstood the barrage allowing only one goal and left the ice with the win and the game's first star. Benoit Pouliot, Kyle Okposo and Jack Eichel (empty net) scored for the Sabres for their first win in 2018 (1-4-1.)
That performance coupled with the work he's been doing since coming to North America since 2015, has the 24 yr. old Ullmark looking like a big part of the future for the Sabres. As does rookie defenseman Brendan Guhle.
Guhle made his first Sabres appearance of the season and once again, did not look out of place. The Sabres have him on a development curve that should see him as a full-time fixture on the back-end beginning next season. As he's shown at every level, the 20 yr. old is an exceptional skater with great on-ice vision, a nose for open areas and the ability to finish. He's also pretty good in his own end while using his closing-speed, smarts and stickwork as well as his 6'3" 196 lb. frame (which still has plenty of room for growth.)
In 16:10 of ice-time against the Jackets, Guhle had an assist, his first-ever NHL point, and was a plus-2.
Buffalo is off until Thursday when they head to Madison Square Gardens to face off against the NY Rangers who are coming off of a pretty impressive 5-1 home win vs. the Philadelphia Flyers. During the last five days of their mandated bye week, the Sabres front office has had some time to look back on what's transpired this season as well as look forward to the February 26 trade deadline and beyond to the 2018 NHL Draft. They've had 44 games to evaluate the roster to see who will fit in moving forward and how GM Jason Botterill and company approach the future begins now.
Here are some of the things they've had plenty of time to discuss:
Where should Guhle play coming out of the bye?
Buffalo's defense-corps has been suspect at best but seemed to settle in a bit when Zach Bogosian came off of injury and was back in the lineup. However, Bogosian is once again injured and will be out another month or so.
Guhle has all the tools to successfully play in the NHL and might be the best defenseman on the team other than Rasmus Ristolainen. There's an easy case for Guhle to be sent back to Rochester, which includes (unfortunately) helping the Sabres secure a low finish and increasing their odds of landing a top-three pick in the draft.
Then again, as part of his development a lengthy exposure to the NHL game, especially with teams upping the intensity in a playoff run, could really set him up for success next season. I don't buy that being exposed to this team will kill his development. He's got too much going for him to be dragged down by any pettiness and anger that might infect the locker room through the remaining 37 games.
Speaking of Bogosian
When former GM Tim Murray traded for Bogosian as part of the Evander Kane deal, there was reason for optimism. The fleet-footed bruiser of a d-man with a cannon for a shot and a willingness to stand up for his teammates added an edge to a team in desperate need of one. Bogosian had a good start to his career in Buffalo, but a multitude of injuries and inconsistent play have left many to believe he should be moved. However, the problem with trading him is his contract which has two years remaining after this season at a $5.14 million cap-hit.
As has been proven in the past, anything can be done and there may be an out from Buckeye country.
Recent reports have Jackets' defenseman Jack Johnson wanting out. The 31 yr. old isn't getting enough playing time heading into free agency this off season. Johnson was reportedly looking to cash-in this summer after most of his earnings up to this point were frittered away by his parents who made a number of highly questionable moves with his finances.
Although Buffalo isn't the ideal place for him and his $4.34 million cap-hit, there's no reason the left-handed defenseman couldn't be placed on the top-pairing for the Sabres for the rest of the season to prove what he's got. With a Columbus having such a young team and the cap-ceiling not much of a worry this season, taking on an extra $1 million in salary and eventually placing Bogosian on the third-pairing could very well work.
Other things might need to be added on one side or the other, but it's a situation where both teams could benefit from those two as the primary pieces in what could basically be a hockey trade.
The NY Islanders and Robin Lehner
Sabres goalie Robin Lehner will be a restricted free agent at season's end and he probably won't be back in Buffalo. Botterill gave him a one-year deal in the summer and Lehner has given him an uneven season up until this point.
That said, when Lehner's on, he's outstanding.
The NY Islanders have a huge problem on their hands when it comes to franchise center John Tavares who will be an unrestricted free agent this summer. They've been building around him for years and only recently have they become playoff contenders.
The Isles have been an offensive juggernaut this season (3.39 goals/game) second only to the Tampa Bay Lightning (3.61) who have lit the league on fire. Tavares leads the charge with Josh Bailey and rookie Matthew Barzal lighting things up as well. But the problem with the team has been defense and goaltending as they're dead-last in the league with a 3.36 team goals-against average with the worst goaltending tandem in the league.
Jaroslav Halak is their starter and is only 13-13-2 on the second-highest scoring team in the league with a 3.22 goals against average and .906 save percentage. Back-up Thomas Greiss is even worse with a 3.89 GAA and .886 Sv%.
Lehner, who backstops the lowest scoring team in the league (2.25) has a 2.94 GAA and .910 Sv% that was only brought down recently.
Most people think there's a fit there and with the Islanders holding two first round picks and two second round picks in the upcoming draft, perhaps a second-rounder to Buffalo for Lehner is a small price to pay in helping convince Tavares they want him on the team moving forward.
Are they really going to get that much for Evander Kane.
Evander Kane is a pending UFA and word on the street is that the Sabres are looking for four pieces in a potential deal.
I'd be thrilled with a first-rounder and a mid-upper level prospect. Anything beyond that is icing on the cake. Perhaps the added pieces are an added pick or prospect to take on a dead-weight contract.
A decision needs to be made on Victor Oloffson
Kris Baker of sabresprospects.com opened up his weekly sabres.com Prospects Report with Victor Oloffson, a seventh-round pick of Buffalo's (181st) in 2014. The 22 yr. old winger leads the Sweden's top professional hockey league with 21 goals and is 10th in the SHL with 32 points.
Baker called him a "mainstay on the Swedish scoresheets" while also pointing out that Oloffson's "lightning quick release" has him scoring his 21 goals on only 103 shots (20.3%.)
The Sabres need to make a decision on him this year or lose his rights. Methinks there should be a place for him in the organization next season.
Sure, the Buffalo Sabres entered their bye week with a 3-1 win over a very good Columbus Blue Jackets team. As a refresher, the Sabres pumped 15 shots on net in the first period against the Jackets and headed into intermission with a 1-0 lead. Columbus gathered their druthers and began to right the ship peppering goalie Linus Ullmark with 34 shots on goal over the final two periods. Ullmark, an AHL All-Star who'd been called up the game before but didn't play, withstood the barrage allowing only one goal and left the ice with the win and the game's first star. Benoit Pouliot, Kyle Okposo and Jack Eichel (empty net) scored for the Sabres for their first win in 2018 (1-4-1.)
That performance coupled with the work he's been doing since coming to North America since 2015, has the 24 yr. old Ullmark looking like a big part of the future for the Sabres. As does rookie defenseman Brendan Guhle.
Guhle made his first Sabres appearance of the season and once again, did not look out of place. The Sabres have him on a development curve that should see him as a full-time fixture on the back-end beginning next season. As he's shown at every level, the 20 yr. old is an exceptional skater with great on-ice vision, a nose for open areas and the ability to finish. He's also pretty good in his own end while using his closing-speed, smarts and stickwork as well as his 6'3" 196 lb. frame (which still has plenty of room for growth.)
In 16:10 of ice-time against the Jackets, Guhle had an assist, his first-ever NHL point, and was a plus-2.
Buffalo is off until Thursday when they head to Madison Square Gardens to face off against the NY Rangers who are coming off of a pretty impressive 5-1 home win vs. the Philadelphia Flyers. During the last five days of their mandated bye week, the Sabres front office has had some time to look back on what's transpired this season as well as look forward to the February 26 trade deadline and beyond to the 2018 NHL Draft. They've had 44 games to evaluate the roster to see who will fit in moving forward and how GM Jason Botterill and company approach the future begins now.
Here are some of the things they've had plenty of time to discuss:
Where should Guhle play coming out of the bye?
Buffalo's defense-corps has been suspect at best but seemed to settle in a bit when Zach Bogosian came off of injury and was back in the lineup. However, Bogosian is once again injured and will be out another month or so.
Guhle has all the tools to successfully play in the NHL and might be the best defenseman on the team other than Rasmus Ristolainen. There's an easy case for Guhle to be sent back to Rochester, which includes (unfortunately) helping the Sabres secure a low finish and increasing their odds of landing a top-three pick in the draft.
Then again, as part of his development a lengthy exposure to the NHL game, especially with teams upping the intensity in a playoff run, could really set him up for success next season. I don't buy that being exposed to this team will kill his development. He's got too much going for him to be dragged down by any pettiness and anger that might infect the locker room through the remaining 37 games.
Speaking of Bogosian
When former GM Tim Murray traded for Bogosian as part of the Evander Kane deal, there was reason for optimism. The fleet-footed bruiser of a d-man with a cannon for a shot and a willingness to stand up for his teammates added an edge to a team in desperate need of one. Bogosian had a good start to his career in Buffalo, but a multitude of injuries and inconsistent play have left many to believe he should be moved. However, the problem with trading him is his contract which has two years remaining after this season at a $5.14 million cap-hit.
As has been proven in the past, anything can be done and there may be an out from Buckeye country.
Recent reports have Jackets' defenseman Jack Johnson wanting out. The 31 yr. old isn't getting enough playing time heading into free agency this off season. Johnson was reportedly looking to cash-in this summer after most of his earnings up to this point were frittered away by his parents who made a number of highly questionable moves with his finances.
Although Buffalo isn't the ideal place for him and his $4.34 million cap-hit, there's no reason the left-handed defenseman couldn't be placed on the top-pairing for the Sabres for the rest of the season to prove what he's got. With a Columbus having such a young team and the cap-ceiling not much of a worry this season, taking on an extra $1 million in salary and eventually placing Bogosian on the third-pairing could very well work.
Other things might need to be added on one side or the other, but it's a situation where both teams could benefit from those two as the primary pieces in what could basically be a hockey trade.
The NY Islanders and Robin Lehner
Sabres goalie Robin Lehner will be a restricted free agent at season's end and he probably won't be back in Buffalo. Botterill gave him a one-year deal in the summer and Lehner has given him an uneven season up until this point.
That said, when Lehner's on, he's outstanding.
The NY Islanders have a huge problem on their hands when it comes to franchise center John Tavares who will be an unrestricted free agent this summer. They've been building around him for years and only recently have they become playoff contenders.
The Isles have been an offensive juggernaut this season (3.39 goals/game) second only to the Tampa Bay Lightning (3.61) who have lit the league on fire. Tavares leads the charge with Josh Bailey and rookie Matthew Barzal lighting things up as well. But the problem with the team has been defense and goaltending as they're dead-last in the league with a 3.36 team goals-against average with the worst goaltending tandem in the league.
Jaroslav Halak is their starter and is only 13-13-2 on the second-highest scoring team in the league with a 3.22 goals against average and .906 save percentage. Back-up Thomas Greiss is even worse with a 3.89 GAA and .886 Sv%.
Lehner, who backstops the lowest scoring team in the league (2.25) has a 2.94 GAA and .910 Sv% that was only brought down recently.
Most people think there's a fit there and with the Islanders holding two first round picks and two second round picks in the upcoming draft, perhaps a second-rounder to Buffalo for Lehner is a small price to pay in helping convince Tavares they want him on the team moving forward.
Are they really going to get that much for Evander Kane.
Evander Kane is a pending UFA and word on the street is that the Sabres are looking for four pieces in a potential deal.
I'd be thrilled with a first-rounder and a mid-upper level prospect. Anything beyond that is icing on the cake. Perhaps the added pieces are an added pick or prospect to take on a dead-weight contract.
A decision needs to be made on Victor Oloffson
Kris Baker of sabresprospects.com opened up his weekly sabres.com Prospects Report with Victor Oloffson, a seventh-round pick of Buffalo's (181st) in 2014. The 22 yr. old winger leads the Sweden's top professional hockey league with 21 goals and is 10th in the SHL with 32 points.
Baker called him a "mainstay on the Swedish scoresheets" while also pointing out that Oloffson's "lightning quick release" has him scoring his 21 goals on only 103 shots (20.3%.)
The Sabres need to make a decision on him this year or lose his rights. Methinks there should be a place for him in the organization next season.
Monday, January 15, 2018
What to do with Brendan Guhle after the Sabres return from their bye week
Published by hockeybuzz.com, 1-13-2018
Prospect Brendan Guhle has played two games for the Buffalo Sabres this season and, similar to his three-game call-up from junior last season, hasn't looked out of place at all. Granted, the five game sample is too small to designate him a top-four defenseman for the Sabres, but he has the look of a future NHL'er and with the way he skates and attacks with speed leads one to believe that he could/should end up in a top-four role sooner rather than later.
The 6'2" 196 lb. Guhle was plucked in the second round (51st-overall) of the 2015 NHL Draft by Buffalo and was touted as an very athletic skater known more for being defensive-minded. Kris Baker of sabresprospects.com described Guhle as "a gym rat" in his profile writing that the Sherwood Park, Alberta native is "not flashy, gets the job done and takes care of his own zone first." Baker added, "He has great feet. His feet keep him in plays and he's got really good recovery speed so when he does go deep, he can get back."
His skating and his recovery speed are traitts that hat served him well throughout his journey thus far. The 20 yr. old is in his first pro season and some of those traits mentioned by Baker remain true. "It was great the way he stepped out from behind our own net and just attacked the game," said Sabres head coach Phil Housley on WGR550 Radio the morning following Guhle's first game of the season in Buffalo."I liked the way he jumped in, got down low and had guys covering for him, but even when he got caught down low he could use his speed to get back and recover. That's a great aspect of his game."
With defenseman Zach Bogosian out at least 4-6 weeks and forward Jacob Josefson on IR with a lower body injury, there's room for a roster player. Right now the Sabres have six healthy defensemen--Rasmus Ristolainen, Marco Scandella, Jake McCabe, Nathan Beaulieu, Justin Falk and Josh Gorges. Rookie Victor Antipin may or may not return to the lineup after being felled by a wicked bout with the flu. Antipin last played against the Boston Bruins on December 19, part of it was being a healthy scratch with the last six games sidelining him because of the flu. He was said to have "lost a noticeable amount of weight," according to John Vogl of The Buffalo News, and will be using Buffalo's bye-week to gain weight and strength while trying to get back into game-shape.
As of right now there is room for at least one of Guhle or Antipin, and possibly both, in the lineup dependent upon what Housley, and GM Jason Botterill, want to see moving forward. Botterill was on WGR before the Sabres game on Thursday saying that they will evaluate the situation with Guhle and goalie Linus Ullmark, after their bye.
Most rightfully think that Guhle should go back to a winning Rochester club to avoid the negativity and turmoil surrounding the Sabres dismal season to this point. He can also continue playing top-pairing minutes for the Amerks and be a main cog in the wheel as they make a drive to a high seed in the AHL's Calder Cup playoffs.
But a case can also be made for Guhle to get the call to Buffalo for a stay, possibly an extended stay, for as long as his development warrants. That would include keeping him in Buffalo until the Sabres season ends on April 7 and God knows the team and the fans in Buffalo could use a breath of fresh air.
Guhle has made great strides in Rochester as a rookie. He's tied for sixth on the team in scoring with 20 points (7+13) in 35 games while his 91 shots on goal lead the team as well as all rookie d-men in the AHL. Those 20 points also tie him for second in the AHL amongst rookie defensemen. He has a +4 plus/minus rating and he seems to have a full and complete grasp of the AHL.
As a team, the Amerks have made great strides this season after finishing 26th in the league the prior two seasons (plus a 28th-place finish the year before.) After their win last night, Rochester remains second in the Eastern Conference and third overall in the league with a 23-8-7 record. Botterill was true to his word when he said he wanted a strong AHL affiliate and stacked the Amerks with quality vets to help guide the youngins and even without Guhle, Rochester has a solid group of defensemen, bolstered by the recent return of Nathan Paetsch three games ago. They're also backed by Ullmark, one of the best goalies in the American Hockey League. This is a team that's almost certain to make the playoffs and are poised for a good run.
Should Botterill and company decided to keep Guhle in Buffalo for an extended stay that stretches into April, he'd still have plenty of time to get ready for the playoffs. Rochester has three games the week after Buffalo's season ends on April 7.
After Thursday night's Sabres win, Guhle and Ullmark were both sent down to Rochester yesterday and did not play in the Amerks 5-2 win vs. the Binghamton Devils (NJD.) Both should be in the lineup tonight as Rochester faces a red-hot Syracuse Crunch (TBL) team that has won seven in a row and 18 of their last 21. After that the Amerks play the Utica Comets (VAN) in a home and home Monday and Wednesday.
The Sabres are on their bye week until they return to action on Thursday when they travel to The Big Apple to face off against the NY Rangers. Whether Guhle is with them or not will be determined but for this fan, it would be great to get another look at him in the Blue and Gold. And should he continue to impress, an even longer look at that.
Prospect Brendan Guhle has played two games for the Buffalo Sabres this season and, similar to his three-game call-up from junior last season, hasn't looked out of place at all. Granted, the five game sample is too small to designate him a top-four defenseman for the Sabres, but he has the look of a future NHL'er and with the way he skates and attacks with speed leads one to believe that he could/should end up in a top-four role sooner rather than later.
The 6'2" 196 lb. Guhle was plucked in the second round (51st-overall) of the 2015 NHL Draft by Buffalo and was touted as an very athletic skater known more for being defensive-minded. Kris Baker of sabresprospects.com described Guhle as "a gym rat" in his profile writing that the Sherwood Park, Alberta native is "not flashy, gets the job done and takes care of his own zone first." Baker added, "He has great feet. His feet keep him in plays and he's got really good recovery speed so when he does go deep, he can get back."
His skating and his recovery speed are traitts that hat served him well throughout his journey thus far. The 20 yr. old is in his first pro season and some of those traits mentioned by Baker remain true. "It was great the way he stepped out from behind our own net and just attacked the game," said Sabres head coach Phil Housley on WGR550 Radio the morning following Guhle's first game of the season in Buffalo."I liked the way he jumped in, got down low and had guys covering for him, but even when he got caught down low he could use his speed to get back and recover. That's a great aspect of his game."
With defenseman Zach Bogosian out at least 4-6 weeks and forward Jacob Josefson on IR with a lower body injury, there's room for a roster player. Right now the Sabres have six healthy defensemen--Rasmus Ristolainen, Marco Scandella, Jake McCabe, Nathan Beaulieu, Justin Falk and Josh Gorges. Rookie Victor Antipin may or may not return to the lineup after being felled by a wicked bout with the flu. Antipin last played against the Boston Bruins on December 19, part of it was being a healthy scratch with the last six games sidelining him because of the flu. He was said to have "lost a noticeable amount of weight," according to John Vogl of The Buffalo News, and will be using Buffalo's bye-week to gain weight and strength while trying to get back into game-shape.
As of right now there is room for at least one of Guhle or Antipin, and possibly both, in the lineup dependent upon what Housley, and GM Jason Botterill, want to see moving forward. Botterill was on WGR before the Sabres game on Thursday saying that they will evaluate the situation with Guhle and goalie Linus Ullmark, after their bye.
Most rightfully think that Guhle should go back to a winning Rochester club to avoid the negativity and turmoil surrounding the Sabres dismal season to this point. He can also continue playing top-pairing minutes for the Amerks and be a main cog in the wheel as they make a drive to a high seed in the AHL's Calder Cup playoffs.
But a case can also be made for Guhle to get the call to Buffalo for a stay, possibly an extended stay, for as long as his development warrants. That would include keeping him in Buffalo until the Sabres season ends on April 7 and God knows the team and the fans in Buffalo could use a breath of fresh air.
Guhle has made great strides in Rochester as a rookie. He's tied for sixth on the team in scoring with 20 points (7+13) in 35 games while his 91 shots on goal lead the team as well as all rookie d-men in the AHL. Those 20 points also tie him for second in the AHL amongst rookie defensemen. He has a +4 plus/minus rating and he seems to have a full and complete grasp of the AHL.
As a team, the Amerks have made great strides this season after finishing 26th in the league the prior two seasons (plus a 28th-place finish the year before.) After their win last night, Rochester remains second in the Eastern Conference and third overall in the league with a 23-8-7 record. Botterill was true to his word when he said he wanted a strong AHL affiliate and stacked the Amerks with quality vets to help guide the youngins and even without Guhle, Rochester has a solid group of defensemen, bolstered by the recent return of Nathan Paetsch three games ago. They're also backed by Ullmark, one of the best goalies in the American Hockey League. This is a team that's almost certain to make the playoffs and are poised for a good run.
Should Botterill and company decided to keep Guhle in Buffalo for an extended stay that stretches into April, he'd still have plenty of time to get ready for the playoffs. Rochester has three games the week after Buffalo's season ends on April 7.
After Thursday night's Sabres win, Guhle and Ullmark were both sent down to Rochester yesterday and did not play in the Amerks 5-2 win vs. the Binghamton Devils (NJD.) Both should be in the lineup tonight as Rochester faces a red-hot Syracuse Crunch (TBL) team that has won seven in a row and 18 of their last 21. After that the Amerks play the Utica Comets (VAN) in a home and home Monday and Wednesday.
The Sabres are on their bye week until they return to action on Thursday when they travel to The Big Apple to face off against the NY Rangers. Whether Guhle is with them or not will be determined but for this fan, it would be great to get another look at him in the Blue and Gold. And should he continue to impress, an even longer look at that.
Saturday, January 13, 2018
Linus Ullmark leads Sabres into the 'bye week' with a win...plus
Published by hockeybuzz.com, 1-12-2018
There were a lot of good things to take away from last night's 3-1 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets. First and foremost, it stopped a five game winless streak for the Buffalo Sabres (0-4-1,) which was their third such streak of five or more games (one was six) on the season and it sent them into their 'bye week' on a positive note. Which is important.
The altercation at Wednesday's practice between defenseman Justin Falk and winger Evander Kane actually may have helped the team as the frustrations of a long, trying first half of the season boiled over. Maybe it was their Festivus, with the thoughts and emotions of an entire team in the throes of a losing season came through in these words from Falk, “Shut the (expletive) up, you selfish (expletive),” as reported by those on the scene. Although Falk wasn't speaking for the entire team in directing his ire towards Kane, God knows there had to be plenty of things bothering them and that eruption may have relieved a lot of pressure.
It was said to be an "angry practice" by long-time Sabres beat reporter Paul Hamilton of WGR550 Radio who also said that most of it dealt with head coach Phil Housley finding many teaching moments while expressing his desire for more passion. And that's what he got.
Housley's Sabres, who've had notoriously slow starts in most of their games this season, came out and stuck it to Columbus in the first period last night. Buffalo outshot the Blue Jackets 15-11 through the first 20 minutes while controlling most of the play and left the ice with a 1-0 lead as forward Benoit Pouliot, who'd not scored a goal in nearly a month, pounced on a rebound off of a Kyle Okposo shot. Pouliot became the most recent beneficiary of being placed on Jack Eichel's line while Okposo has been enjoying those benefits with two-points (1+1) last night and five (1+4) since moving up with Eichel two games ago.
Rookie defenseman Brendan Guhle also got in on the scoring last night as he notched an assist for his first NHL point. The bright-eyed and bushy-tailed 20 yr. old has been a breath of fresh air for a Sabres team that's been slogging through much of the season. Guhle was terrific while bringing much needed speed and energy to the team from the back end and was rewarded with a secondary assist when Kane's dump-in took a weird bounce and an unchecked Okposo buried and easy goal into a wide open net.
But the star of the show, and the game's first star was goaltender Linus Ullmark who was making is first NHL start of the season. Ullmark turned away 44 of 45 shots faced and was only beaten by a ridiculous backhand by the Jackets' Artemi Panarin with the Sabres shorthanded. Other than that he was solid.
Ullmark credited his team with keeping many shots to the outside, but he was challenging shooters all night and when he needed to come up with a big save, he did. "He's very calm. He doesn't overplay things," said Housley at his post-game presser. "He's pretty tight. He's pretty square to the puck and he makes that first save. He fought through some traffic then he made the second save. He stepped up, he was really on his angle and challenging and you could see the confidence in his game."
Confidence is the key word here. Housley also used it while describing Guhle's game and the reason both of those two have played in Rochester the entire season before this week is so that they can develop further and build more confidence in their game. Ullmark is amongst the leaders in every AHL goaltending category this season and was named to the AHL All-Star team while Guhle is tied for second amongst rookie defensemen in scoring while playing in all situations for the Amerks.
It was a good win last night for Buffalo and both Guhle and Ullmark give Sabres fans plenty to look forward to next season. Lest we start planning the parade, it was just one win and just one game and often times players have been known to fade, such as we've seen in Buffalo a number of times already this season.
But it was a win which they can take into their five-day 'bye-week', which is much better than the alternative.
*****
Eichel's empty net goal last night was impressive and there's not many times when you can say that about an empty-netter.
With the Sabres under pressure and less than 10 seconds to play Ryan O'Reilly intercepted a pass in the slot and fed Eichel to his right. After taking a few strides in his own zone Eichel wristed a rocket that went 125' in a second and hit a bullseye dead-center into the open net about three feet up for his 18th goal of the season.
It's not very often you see a goal from that far away sent with that much authority and that much accuracy. Good for him too.
Eichel has been on a tear lately. It was his second multi-point game in a row and now has 10 goals and seven assists in his last 12 games. His 41 points (18+23) lead the Sabres and places him tied for 23rd in the league while his 17 even-strength goals are tied for sixth. Eichel has only one powerplay goal, but his four empty-netters are second in the league only to Michael Grabner's (NYR) six.
*****
Defenseman Zach Bogosian was a casualty of Wednesday's "angry practice" and will be sidelined long-term (I know, and the sun came up today.) With him out of the lineup, the question of whether the team will recall Guhle (who was sent down to Rochester along with Ullmark today) after Buffalo's bye came up.
Buffalo GM Jason Botterill was on WGR's Schopp and the Bulldog and talked about his plans for the young players in the system. "You have to have about 25 different plans," said Botterill in reference to the multitude of possibilities that can happen between now and the February 26 NHL trade deadline. And that includes how the young players are developing. "It's something that we'll obviously follow closely with our players in Rochester and our players in college and junior in the second half (of the season.)
"Are they going to be ready? Because it's that balancing act come next Fall when you ideally want them in the National Hockey League, but you have to be careful of putting them on the roster in a situation where they're failing."
As for the rest of the season, the hosts asked Botterill if Guhle and Ullmark will come back to Buffalo after their bye. "Both will be sent down (and they were this morning) and they'll be in Rochester for the week and we'll re-evaluate the situation once we start up again next week.
"It's a scenario where we brought up [Ullmark] for precautionary reasons," said the GM, "but we tried to find a game for him (which they did last night.) With Guhle, he's done an outstanding job throughout the year and we felt like it was a situation where we could get him in for a couple of games, see what materializes and make a decision further from that."
Botterill was effusive in his praise for both those players, and from what we've seen of their play not only these last one or two games, but the progress they've made from their previous appearances in Buffalo, it wouldn't be too surprising to see both of them in the Sabres lineup again this season. Ullmark has made great progress since playing in 20 games for the Sabres as a rookie in the 2015-16 season and Guhle looked like he belonged as a junior call-up last season and in these last two games he's done nothing to make us believe that he doesn't still belong.
*****
Finally, back to Wednesday's altercation at practice.
Schopp and the Bulldog asked Botterill if he was ever a part of practice altercations during his playing career. "I was in a few fights at practice," he said. "It happens a lot. Actually we're excited (about what happened on Wednesday.)
"What I mean by 'excited about it' was that [Housley] has been demanding more compete, more battle in practice. We think, for us to take another step as an organization, we have to score more in practice. We have to compete more in practice. We have to win more one-on-one battles against each other in practice. From our standpoint, [what happened Wed.] was good to see."
There were a lot of good things to take away from last night's 3-1 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets. First and foremost, it stopped a five game winless streak for the Buffalo Sabres (0-4-1,) which was their third such streak of five or more games (one was six) on the season and it sent them into their 'bye week' on a positive note. Which is important.
The altercation at Wednesday's practice between defenseman Justin Falk and winger Evander Kane actually may have helped the team as the frustrations of a long, trying first half of the season boiled over. Maybe it was their Festivus, with the thoughts and emotions of an entire team in the throes of a losing season came through in these words from Falk, “Shut the (expletive) up, you selfish (expletive),” as reported by those on the scene. Although Falk wasn't speaking for the entire team in directing his ire towards Kane, God knows there had to be plenty of things bothering them and that eruption may have relieved a lot of pressure.
It was said to be an "angry practice" by long-time Sabres beat reporter Paul Hamilton of WGR550 Radio who also said that most of it dealt with head coach Phil Housley finding many teaching moments while expressing his desire for more passion. And that's what he got.
Housley's Sabres, who've had notoriously slow starts in most of their games this season, came out and stuck it to Columbus in the first period last night. Buffalo outshot the Blue Jackets 15-11 through the first 20 minutes while controlling most of the play and left the ice with a 1-0 lead as forward Benoit Pouliot, who'd not scored a goal in nearly a month, pounced on a rebound off of a Kyle Okposo shot. Pouliot became the most recent beneficiary of being placed on Jack Eichel's line while Okposo has been enjoying those benefits with two-points (1+1) last night and five (1+4) since moving up with Eichel two games ago.
Rookie defenseman Brendan Guhle also got in on the scoring last night as he notched an assist for his first NHL point. The bright-eyed and bushy-tailed 20 yr. old has been a breath of fresh air for a Sabres team that's been slogging through much of the season. Guhle was terrific while bringing much needed speed and energy to the team from the back end and was rewarded with a secondary assist when Kane's dump-in took a weird bounce and an unchecked Okposo buried and easy goal into a wide open net.
But the star of the show, and the game's first star was goaltender Linus Ullmark who was making is first NHL start of the season. Ullmark turned away 44 of 45 shots faced and was only beaten by a ridiculous backhand by the Jackets' Artemi Panarin with the Sabres shorthanded. Other than that he was solid.
Ullmark credited his team with keeping many shots to the outside, but he was challenging shooters all night and when he needed to come up with a big save, he did. "He's very calm. He doesn't overplay things," said Housley at his post-game presser. "He's pretty tight. He's pretty square to the puck and he makes that first save. He fought through some traffic then he made the second save. He stepped up, he was really on his angle and challenging and you could see the confidence in his game."
Confidence is the key word here. Housley also used it while describing Guhle's game and the reason both of those two have played in Rochester the entire season before this week is so that they can develop further and build more confidence in their game. Ullmark is amongst the leaders in every AHL goaltending category this season and was named to the AHL All-Star team while Guhle is tied for second amongst rookie defensemen in scoring while playing in all situations for the Amerks.
It was a good win last night for Buffalo and both Guhle and Ullmark give Sabres fans plenty to look forward to next season. Lest we start planning the parade, it was just one win and just one game and often times players have been known to fade, such as we've seen in Buffalo a number of times already this season.
But it was a win which they can take into their five-day 'bye-week', which is much better than the alternative.
*****
Eichel's empty net goal last night was impressive and there's not many times when you can say that about an empty-netter.
With the Sabres under pressure and less than 10 seconds to play Ryan O'Reilly intercepted a pass in the slot and fed Eichel to his right. After taking a few strides in his own zone Eichel wristed a rocket that went 125' in a second and hit a bullseye dead-center into the open net about three feet up for his 18th goal of the season.
It's not very often you see a goal from that far away sent with that much authority and that much accuracy. Good for him too.
Eichel has been on a tear lately. It was his second multi-point game in a row and now has 10 goals and seven assists in his last 12 games. His 41 points (18+23) lead the Sabres and places him tied for 23rd in the league while his 17 even-strength goals are tied for sixth. Eichel has only one powerplay goal, but his four empty-netters are second in the league only to Michael Grabner's (NYR) six.
*****
Defenseman Zach Bogosian was a casualty of Wednesday's "angry practice" and will be sidelined long-term (I know, and the sun came up today.) With him out of the lineup, the question of whether the team will recall Guhle (who was sent down to Rochester along with Ullmark today) after Buffalo's bye came up.
Buffalo GM Jason Botterill was on WGR's Schopp and the Bulldog and talked about his plans for the young players in the system. "You have to have about 25 different plans," said Botterill in reference to the multitude of possibilities that can happen between now and the February 26 NHL trade deadline. And that includes how the young players are developing. "It's something that we'll obviously follow closely with our players in Rochester and our players in college and junior in the second half (of the season.)
"Are they going to be ready? Because it's that balancing act come next Fall when you ideally want them in the National Hockey League, but you have to be careful of putting them on the roster in a situation where they're failing."
As for the rest of the season, the hosts asked Botterill if Guhle and Ullmark will come back to Buffalo after their bye. "Both will be sent down (and they were this morning) and they'll be in Rochester for the week and we'll re-evaluate the situation once we start up again next week.
"It's a scenario where we brought up [Ullmark] for precautionary reasons," said the GM, "but we tried to find a game for him (which they did last night.) With Guhle, he's done an outstanding job throughout the year and we felt like it was a situation where we could get him in for a couple of games, see what materializes and make a decision further from that."
Botterill was effusive in his praise for both those players, and from what we've seen of their play not only these last one or two games, but the progress they've made from their previous appearances in Buffalo, it wouldn't be too surprising to see both of them in the Sabres lineup again this season. Ullmark has made great progress since playing in 20 games for the Sabres as a rookie in the 2015-16 season and Guhle looked like he belonged as a junior call-up last season and in these last two games he's done nothing to make us believe that he doesn't still belong.
*****
Finally, back to Wednesday's altercation at practice.
Schopp and the Bulldog asked Botterill if he was ever a part of practice altercations during his playing career. "I was in a few fights at practice," he said. "It happens a lot. Actually we're excited (about what happened on Wednesday.)
"What I mean by 'excited about it' was that [Housley] has been demanding more compete, more battle in practice. We think, for us to take another step as an organization, we have to score more in practice. We have to compete more in practice. We have to win more one-on-one battles against each other in practice. From our standpoint, [what happened Wed.] was good to see."
Thursday, January 11, 2018
Quick notes plus, reports of blowups at today's practice
Published by hockeybuzz.com, 1-10-2018
The Sabres announced today that they'll be wearing the Winter Classic-style jerseys three more times this season:
--Thursday, Feb. 8 against the New York Islanders
--Monday, Feb. 19 against the Washington Capitals
--Wednesday, April 4 against the Ottawa Senators (Fan Appreciation Night)
Sabres PR also noted that on they'll be giving away a Winter Classic themed jersey towel at the Feb. 19 game and on Fan Appreciation Night, select fans will receive the Winter Classic-style jerseys worn by the players that night in their annual "Jersey Off My Back" promotion.
*****
Last night's 7-4 blowout loss to the Winnipeg Jets offered up some interesting stats.
Jack Eichel (2g, 1a,) Ryan O'Reilly (1+2) and Kyle Okposo (3 assists) all had three points and paced the forwards in time on ice at 20:57, 20:04 and 20:05, respectively.
Eichel and O'Reilly lead the team with six shots on goal each while Okposo had three.
All three were on the ice when former Sabre Joel Armia scored an empty net goal in Buffalo's 7-4 loss placing a minus-1 in each plus/minus rating.
Eichel was on the ice for seven of the game's 11 goals: three of Buffalo's four (with one on the powerplay) and four of Winnipeg's seven (three at even strength and the Armia empty-netter.)
Okposo was on the ice for six total goals: three Sabres goals-for (two even-strength, one on the powerplay) and was on the ice for two even-strength goals against and the Armia goal.)
O'Reilly was on the ice for four goals total: two even strength goals by Buffalo and one on the Sabres powerplay plus the empty-netter against.
At the end of the night Eichel was a minus-2, Okposo a minus-1 and O'Reilly was one of three Sabres players in the plus column at plus-1.
The others at plus-1 were Jake McCabe (18:49 TOI,) Jason Pominville (17:51) and Rasmus Ristolainen with a game-high 27:07 minutes played.
Buffalo's worst plus/minus last night belonged to the defense-pairing of Zach Bogosian and Nathan Beaulieu at minus-3 each. Bogosian skated a total of 18:05 was on the ice with Beaulieu for three goals against and was also on the ice for both Winnipeg powerplay goals.
*****
Defenseman Brendan Guhle started off his first Sabres game of the season by taking a penalty on his second shift of the game which lead to goal by Winnipeg which opened the scoring. However, once he got acclimated, he was flying up and down the ice in a way that did not go unnoticed.
Sabres bench boss Phil Housley was on WGR550 Radio this morning talking with the hosts and you could tell in his voice that he was really excited about what the 20 yr. old Guhle brought to the table. "It was great the way he stepped out from behind our own net and just attacked the game, beating the forechecker, carrying the puck up ice with just his speed. When he was getting involved in the offensive zone his reads were real good.
"I liked the way he jumped in, got down low and had guys covering for him, but even when he got caught down low he could use his speed to get back and recover. That's a great aspect of his game.
Guhle skated 17:45 last night and put up zeros across the board (including plus/minus,) with the one penalty and had three shots on goal.
*****
Housley ripped into his entire team after last night's loss and called his team out for lackadaisical play geared towards individual numbers. Here's how he put it to the gathered media last night:
"The thing for me – and it's very evident and I continue to talk about it – is our lack of respect and urgency playing defense. That's not only in the defensive zone. That starts in the offensive zone, sensing possession that's going to be in question, have a total urgency to get back. And we sit and wait at times. We're hoping that somebody's going to make a play.
"We don't get back, and then their D are ahead of us. That's where it starts, and then it gets back into our defensive zone. There's going to be times where you're going to have to sustain some defensive-zone pressure from other teams, but it's just having that urgency to kill a play, to suck it up and play solid defense."
Which is somewhat ironic considering that Housley, an offensive-minded defenseman who made it to the Hockey Hall of Fame because of his individual numbers, was never known for his defense either. In fact, during his first couple of seasons, Hall of Fame coach Scotty Bowman used him on the wing because his defense was so terrible.
*****
WGR Sabres beat reporter Paul Hamilton said last night post-game that what Housley described was the same thing we've been seeing often over the course of the last five years or so.
Sorry, Paul. You're wrong.
It goes back farther than that, to Darcy Regier's core post Drury/Briere. It's something that happened quite often at home even with a tough coach like Lindy Ruff in charge. More often than not that group of talented individual players were more interested in fancy plays to put on a show for the home crowd and more often than not, they ended up losing, sometimes in a very ugly fashion like we saw last night.
*****
The goalie during that time was Ryan Miller, a former Vezina Trophy winner who was booed and/or given a Bronx cheer on more than one occasion during the last stages of his Buffalo career. Miller was often left hung out to dry by the skaters in front of him and there were many times in-game where he'd come up big. But there were also times where he'd let in a softie or three.
Robin Lehner is similar in that respect as he's come up with some big saves only to let in some stoppable goals.
Last night was an awful game for him as he allowed three goals--two egregious softies and one that real good goalie should have had--on 17 shots against. Fortunately for him (and unfortunately for the team,) the KeyBank Center crowd is so accustomed to performances like this (a 5-11-3 Sabres home record) that remained without emotionless while Chad Johnson relieved Lehner.
Housley, who's tried to act like nurturing mother through this dismal season, didn't mince words when it came to Lehner's performance. The first thing out of is mouth at last night's post-game presser was delivered with a furrowed brow and a deep sigh before saying, "Well, first of all, we're gonna need some saves, you know, early on in the game."
Ouch.
*****
The Sabres scored on the powerplay. Yay!
Buffalo went into the game with the league's second worst powerplay at 12.4% then proceeded to go 1-3 on the night with the man advantage moving them to 12.9% on the year. The only team worse is the Columbus Blue Jackets (12.2%) who are presently second in the Metropolitan Division. Buffalo is second-last in the league.
*****
The losses are starting to take their toll.
Word from today's practice via Paul Hamilton had Evander Kane and Justin Falk in an on-ice altercation before the coaches pulled Falk away. Also from the practice this morning, WKBW's Matthew Bove reports that Bogosian slammed hard into the boards and was helped off the ice favoring his left leg. Apparently he got tangled along the wall with Kane.
Bill Hoppe of the Olean Times reported that Falk "yelled at Kane, called him selfish and shoved him."
Housley's reaction thanks to those on the scene, "It's good to see some emotion. It was a battle practice and tempers flared up. It was more the heat of the battle."
And, from the Falk, via Hamilton, "To be quite honest I think it's healthy. We're pushing each other, we're honest with each other, we're up front with each other, there's no B.S. behind anything and that's just the way you have to have it."
The Sabres announced today that they'll be wearing the Winter Classic-style jerseys three more times this season:
--Thursday, Feb. 8 against the New York Islanders
--Monday, Feb. 19 against the Washington Capitals
--Wednesday, April 4 against the Ottawa Senators (Fan Appreciation Night)
Sabres PR also noted that on they'll be giving away a Winter Classic themed jersey towel at the Feb. 19 game and on Fan Appreciation Night, select fans will receive the Winter Classic-style jerseys worn by the players that night in their annual "Jersey Off My Back" promotion.
*****
Last night's 7-4 blowout loss to the Winnipeg Jets offered up some interesting stats.
Jack Eichel (2g, 1a,) Ryan O'Reilly (1+2) and Kyle Okposo (3 assists) all had three points and paced the forwards in time on ice at 20:57, 20:04 and 20:05, respectively.
Eichel and O'Reilly lead the team with six shots on goal each while Okposo had three.
All three were on the ice when former Sabre Joel Armia scored an empty net goal in Buffalo's 7-4 loss placing a minus-1 in each plus/minus rating.
Eichel was on the ice for seven of the game's 11 goals: three of Buffalo's four (with one on the powerplay) and four of Winnipeg's seven (three at even strength and the Armia empty-netter.)
Okposo was on the ice for six total goals: three Sabres goals-for (two even-strength, one on the powerplay) and was on the ice for two even-strength goals against and the Armia goal.)
O'Reilly was on the ice for four goals total: two even strength goals by Buffalo and one on the Sabres powerplay plus the empty-netter against.
At the end of the night Eichel was a minus-2, Okposo a minus-1 and O'Reilly was one of three Sabres players in the plus column at plus-1.
The others at plus-1 were Jake McCabe (18:49 TOI,) Jason Pominville (17:51) and Rasmus Ristolainen with a game-high 27:07 minutes played.
Buffalo's worst plus/minus last night belonged to the defense-pairing of Zach Bogosian and Nathan Beaulieu at minus-3 each. Bogosian skated a total of 18:05 was on the ice with Beaulieu for three goals against and was also on the ice for both Winnipeg powerplay goals.
*****
Defenseman Brendan Guhle started off his first Sabres game of the season by taking a penalty on his second shift of the game which lead to goal by Winnipeg which opened the scoring. However, once he got acclimated, he was flying up and down the ice in a way that did not go unnoticed.
Sabres bench boss Phil Housley was on WGR550 Radio this morning talking with the hosts and you could tell in his voice that he was really excited about what the 20 yr. old Guhle brought to the table. "It was great the way he stepped out from behind our own net and just attacked the game, beating the forechecker, carrying the puck up ice with just his speed. When he was getting involved in the offensive zone his reads were real good.
"I liked the way he jumped in, got down low and had guys covering for him, but even when he got caught down low he could use his speed to get back and recover. That's a great aspect of his game.
Guhle skated 17:45 last night and put up zeros across the board (including plus/minus,) with the one penalty and had three shots on goal.
*****
Housley ripped into his entire team after last night's loss and called his team out for lackadaisical play geared towards individual numbers. Here's how he put it to the gathered media last night:
"The thing for me – and it's very evident and I continue to talk about it – is our lack of respect and urgency playing defense. That's not only in the defensive zone. That starts in the offensive zone, sensing possession that's going to be in question, have a total urgency to get back. And we sit and wait at times. We're hoping that somebody's going to make a play.
"We don't get back, and then their D are ahead of us. That's where it starts, and then it gets back into our defensive zone. There's going to be times where you're going to have to sustain some defensive-zone pressure from other teams, but it's just having that urgency to kill a play, to suck it up and play solid defense."
Which is somewhat ironic considering that Housley, an offensive-minded defenseman who made it to the Hockey Hall of Fame because of his individual numbers, was never known for his defense either. In fact, during his first couple of seasons, Hall of Fame coach Scotty Bowman used him on the wing because his defense was so terrible.
*****
WGR Sabres beat reporter Paul Hamilton said last night post-game that what Housley described was the same thing we've been seeing often over the course of the last five years or so.
Sorry, Paul. You're wrong.
It goes back farther than that, to Darcy Regier's core post Drury/Briere. It's something that happened quite often at home even with a tough coach like Lindy Ruff in charge. More often than not that group of talented individual players were more interested in fancy plays to put on a show for the home crowd and more often than not, they ended up losing, sometimes in a very ugly fashion like we saw last night.
*****
The goalie during that time was Ryan Miller, a former Vezina Trophy winner who was booed and/or given a Bronx cheer on more than one occasion during the last stages of his Buffalo career. Miller was often left hung out to dry by the skaters in front of him and there were many times in-game where he'd come up big. But there were also times where he'd let in a softie or three.
Robin Lehner is similar in that respect as he's come up with some big saves only to let in some stoppable goals.
Last night was an awful game for him as he allowed three goals--two egregious softies and one that real good goalie should have had--on 17 shots against. Fortunately for him (and unfortunately for the team,) the KeyBank Center crowd is so accustomed to performances like this (a 5-11-3 Sabres home record) that remained without emotionless while Chad Johnson relieved Lehner.
Housley, who's tried to act like nurturing mother through this dismal season, didn't mince words when it came to Lehner's performance. The first thing out of is mouth at last night's post-game presser was delivered with a furrowed brow and a deep sigh before saying, "Well, first of all, we're gonna need some saves, you know, early on in the game."
Ouch.
*****
The Sabres scored on the powerplay. Yay!
Buffalo went into the game with the league's second worst powerplay at 12.4% then proceeded to go 1-3 on the night with the man advantage moving them to 12.9% on the year. The only team worse is the Columbus Blue Jackets (12.2%) who are presently second in the Metropolitan Division. Buffalo is second-last in the league.
*****
The losses are starting to take their toll.
Word from today's practice via Paul Hamilton had Evander Kane and Justin Falk in an on-ice altercation before the coaches pulled Falk away. Also from the practice this morning, WKBW's Matthew Bove reports that Bogosian slammed hard into the boards and was helped off the ice favoring his left leg. Apparently he got tangled along the wall with Kane.
Bill Hoppe of the Olean Times reported that Falk "yelled at Kane, called him selfish and shoved him."
Housley's reaction thanks to those on the scene, "It's good to see some emotion. It was a battle practice and tempers flared up. It was more the heat of the battle."
And, from the Falk, via Hamilton, "To be quite honest I think it's healthy. We're pushing each other, we're honest with each other, we're up front with each other, there's no B.S. behind anything and that's just the way you have to have it."
Wednesday, January 10, 2018
On Myers, Antipin, Guhle, Lehner and Kane. Winnipeg at Buffalo tonight.
Published by hockeybuzz.com, 1-9-2017
Defenseman Tyler Myers was selected by the Buffalo Sabres 12th-overall in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft. And here's a little side story to how that selection came to be.
The Los Angeles Kings had the 12th pick in the draft that year, the Sabres had the 13th. Both were looking for defensemen and the two best-rated defensemen on the board sat there when it came to the Kings at No.12--Colten Teubert and Myers. Buffalo GM Darcy Regier proposed a trade to Kings GM Dean Lombardi as he and his scouting staff wanted Myers.
Lombardi had his choice as well but in order for him to sign off on the trade so the Sabres wouldn't take his guy, he proposed they write the name of the player they wanted on a napkin at the draft table. When they turned the napkins over, Regier wrote Myers, Lombardi wrote Teubert and the deal was done. Buffalo traded their pick, No.13 overall and a 2009 3rd-round pick to Los Angeles to move up a spot and picked Myers.
After the draft, Myers would spend one more season in junior where he helped lead the Kelowna Rockets to the WHL Championship while winning the WHL Finals Most Valuable Player award . On the way to that championship, the Rockets would defeat the Vancouver Giants in the conference finals who were lead by Evander Kane. The two would eventually be the two primary pieces of a blockbuster deal between Myers' Sabres and Kane's Winnipeg Jets on February 11, 2015.
The blockbuster trade between the Sabres and the Jets for Myers, who won the 2010 Calder Trophy as Rookie of the Year, and Kane also involved Buffalo's Drew Stafford, forward prospect Joel Armia (2011, 16th) and Brendan Lemieux (2014, 31st) plus a conditional first round pick (via the St. Louis Blues in the Ryan Miller trade) that turned into Jack Roslovic (2015, 25th.) The Jets sent defenseman Zach Bogosian and goalie prospect Jason Kasdorf to the Sabres.
Kane and Bogosian, Stafford (who's now with the New Jersey Devils) and Armia have already played their former clubs while Myers and Lemieux have not. But that will change for Myers tonight. After missing the first two meetings at Buffalo because of injury, he'll be in the lineup tonight for the first time since that trade went down nearly three years ago.
Meyers won the 2010 Calder Trophy as the NHL's Rookie of the year. He played 365 games for the Sabres scoring 45 goals and adding 106 assist for 151 points.
Teubert was traded by the Kings to the Edmonton Oilers in 2011 and played 24 games for them registering one assist. He played one more season in North America with Edmonton's Oklahoma City Barons AHL affiliate before heading overseas.
A little side note on that 2008 draft. While the Sabres and Kings were making a deal and taking their d-men, two picks later, the Ottawa Senators selected two-time Norris Trophy-winning defenseman Erik Karlsson with the 15th-overall selection.
*****
Speaking of defensemen, Buffalo rookie rear-guard Victor Antipin was on the ice for the pregame skate after missing over a week because of a tough bout with the flu. Sabres head coach Phil Housley said yesterday that Antipin had lost a lot of wait and that it would take time for him to regain his strength.
"Sometimes it hits different people different ways, and it seemed to hit him pretty hard," Housley told the gathered media yesterday. "He's just got to work his way back in. He lost a lot of weight. He was ill, and those things don't happen overnight. He's going to take some time to gain some muscle and some strength back."
*****
Antipin's illness created an opening for rookie defenseman Brendan Guhle who, according to Housley, has been playing some "terrific hockey" for the Rochester Americans this season. The 19 yr. old Guhle, who was selected in the second round (51st) at the 2015 NHL Draft has 20 points (7+13) for the Amerks and leads the team in shot with 91.
When asked about Guhle and his shots, something the Sabres have been lacking from their blueliners this season, Housley lit up and smiled. "I think he's just earned his way up," before mentioning Guhle's mobility as well as "his stick detail" on defense.
There have been plenty of opportunities to call Guhle up, but the Sabres opted for other d-men instead allowing him to develop. Housley called this a good opportunity "to see what he brings to practice," but by the looks of it, Guhle will be making his first Sabres appearance of the season tonight.
*****
Robin Lehner took a shot to the neck in Philadelphia. He crumbled to the ice, lay their briefly then got up, shook it off and finished the game. The team listed him as day-to-day and summoned goalie Linus Ullmark to come up so that Lehner could have a maintenance day.
According to reports from the rink this morning, Lehner was on the ice and will probably be in net tonight.
As for Ullmark, he got a good taste of practice with the club and may get sent to Rochester for their game tomorrow night in Bellville against the Senators (OTT.)
*****
Trade rumors have been surrounding Kane for years now. At first it was to move him because of off-ice troubles but now it's due to his impending free agency and status as possibly the top rental player available this season.
Kane has said before that he understands this is a business and ironically is having a career year in Buffalo. After 42 games he's second on the team in scoring, one point behind Jack Eichel. His hot start had him atop the Sabres leaderboard for most of the season, but things have cooled for him lately. He broke a seven-game scoring slump two days ago with a late goal against Minnesota, but he also said that he's been getting the opportunities.
"I think in my last few games I've had some Grade A scoring opportunities," said Kane via John Vogl of The Buffalo News. "I just haven't finished. That unfortunately happens throughout the course of a season but you try and rectify that as soon as possible."
No better time than tonight against his former team. Winnipeg has been on a roll lately with only one regulation loss in their last 10 games (7-2-1) which includes a 4-3 victory over the Sabres four days ago in Winnipeg. Vogl also points out that when the Jets play the same team within a week, they're a perfect 6-0 so far with a 28-5 scoring edge.
Tonight's projected lineup for Buffalo:
Girgensons-Eichel-Okposo
Kane-O'Reilly-Pominville
Wilson-Rodrigues-Reinhart
Larson-Josefson-Nolan
Scandella-Ristolainen
Beaulieu-Bogosian
Guhle-McCabe
Benoit Pouliot is the healthy scratch up front or the second time in three games while Josh Gorges and Justin Falk watch Guhle's season debut from the pressbox.
Defenseman Tyler Myers was selected by the Buffalo Sabres 12th-overall in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft. And here's a little side story to how that selection came to be.
The Los Angeles Kings had the 12th pick in the draft that year, the Sabres had the 13th. Both were looking for defensemen and the two best-rated defensemen on the board sat there when it came to the Kings at No.12--Colten Teubert and Myers. Buffalo GM Darcy Regier proposed a trade to Kings GM Dean Lombardi as he and his scouting staff wanted Myers.
Lombardi had his choice as well but in order for him to sign off on the trade so the Sabres wouldn't take his guy, he proposed they write the name of the player they wanted on a napkin at the draft table. When they turned the napkins over, Regier wrote Myers, Lombardi wrote Teubert and the deal was done. Buffalo traded their pick, No.13 overall and a 2009 3rd-round pick to Los Angeles to move up a spot and picked Myers.
After the draft, Myers would spend one more season in junior where he helped lead the Kelowna Rockets to the WHL Championship while winning the WHL Finals Most Valuable Player award . On the way to that championship, the Rockets would defeat the Vancouver Giants in the conference finals who were lead by Evander Kane. The two would eventually be the two primary pieces of a blockbuster deal between Myers' Sabres and Kane's Winnipeg Jets on February 11, 2015.
The blockbuster trade between the Sabres and the Jets for Myers, who won the 2010 Calder Trophy as Rookie of the Year, and Kane also involved Buffalo's Drew Stafford, forward prospect Joel Armia (2011, 16th) and Brendan Lemieux (2014, 31st) plus a conditional first round pick (via the St. Louis Blues in the Ryan Miller trade) that turned into Jack Roslovic (2015, 25th.) The Jets sent defenseman Zach Bogosian and goalie prospect Jason Kasdorf to the Sabres.
Kane and Bogosian, Stafford (who's now with the New Jersey Devils) and Armia have already played their former clubs while Myers and Lemieux have not. But that will change for Myers tonight. After missing the first two meetings at Buffalo because of injury, he'll be in the lineup tonight for the first time since that trade went down nearly three years ago.
Meyers won the 2010 Calder Trophy as the NHL's Rookie of the year. He played 365 games for the Sabres scoring 45 goals and adding 106 assist for 151 points.
Teubert was traded by the Kings to the Edmonton Oilers in 2011 and played 24 games for them registering one assist. He played one more season in North America with Edmonton's Oklahoma City Barons AHL affiliate before heading overseas.
A little side note on that 2008 draft. While the Sabres and Kings were making a deal and taking their d-men, two picks later, the Ottawa Senators selected two-time Norris Trophy-winning defenseman Erik Karlsson with the 15th-overall selection.
*****
Speaking of defensemen, Buffalo rookie rear-guard Victor Antipin was on the ice for the pregame skate after missing over a week because of a tough bout with the flu. Sabres head coach Phil Housley said yesterday that Antipin had lost a lot of wait and that it would take time for him to regain his strength.
"Sometimes it hits different people different ways, and it seemed to hit him pretty hard," Housley told the gathered media yesterday. "He's just got to work his way back in. He lost a lot of weight. He was ill, and those things don't happen overnight. He's going to take some time to gain some muscle and some strength back."
*****
Antipin's illness created an opening for rookie defenseman Brendan Guhle who, according to Housley, has been playing some "terrific hockey" for the Rochester Americans this season. The 19 yr. old Guhle, who was selected in the second round (51st) at the 2015 NHL Draft has 20 points (7+13) for the Amerks and leads the team in shot with 91.
When asked about Guhle and his shots, something the Sabres have been lacking from their blueliners this season, Housley lit up and smiled. "I think he's just earned his way up," before mentioning Guhle's mobility as well as "his stick detail" on defense.
There have been plenty of opportunities to call Guhle up, but the Sabres opted for other d-men instead allowing him to develop. Housley called this a good opportunity "to see what he brings to practice," but by the looks of it, Guhle will be making his first Sabres appearance of the season tonight.
*****
Robin Lehner took a shot to the neck in Philadelphia. He crumbled to the ice, lay their briefly then got up, shook it off and finished the game. The team listed him as day-to-day and summoned goalie Linus Ullmark to come up so that Lehner could have a maintenance day.
According to reports from the rink this morning, Lehner was on the ice and will probably be in net tonight.
As for Ullmark, he got a good taste of practice with the club and may get sent to Rochester for their game tomorrow night in Bellville against the Senators (OTT.)
*****
Trade rumors have been surrounding Kane for years now. At first it was to move him because of off-ice troubles but now it's due to his impending free agency and status as possibly the top rental player available this season.
Kane has said before that he understands this is a business and ironically is having a career year in Buffalo. After 42 games he's second on the team in scoring, one point behind Jack Eichel. His hot start had him atop the Sabres leaderboard for most of the season, but things have cooled for him lately. He broke a seven-game scoring slump two days ago with a late goal against Minnesota, but he also said that he's been getting the opportunities.
"I think in my last few games I've had some Grade A scoring opportunities," said Kane via John Vogl of The Buffalo News. "I just haven't finished. That unfortunately happens throughout the course of a season but you try and rectify that as soon as possible."
No better time than tonight against his former team. Winnipeg has been on a roll lately with only one regulation loss in their last 10 games (7-2-1) which includes a 4-3 victory over the Sabres four days ago in Winnipeg. Vogl also points out that when the Jets play the same team within a week, they're a perfect 6-0 so far with a 28-5 scoring edge.
Tonight's projected lineup for Buffalo:
Girgensons-Eichel-Okposo
Kane-O'Reilly-Pominville
Wilson-Rodrigues-Reinhart
Larson-Josefson-Nolan
Scandella-Ristolainen
Beaulieu-Bogosian
Guhle-McCabe
Benoit Pouliot is the healthy scratch up front or the second time in three games while Josh Gorges and Justin Falk watch Guhle's season debut from the pressbox.
Tuesday, January 9, 2018
Frustration Sunday as Bills/Sabres struggle on offense. Guhle, Ullmark recalled
Published by hockeybuzz.com, 1-8-2017
It was a football game they could have, and probably should have, won yesterday. The Buffalo Bills held the Jacksonville Jaguars to 10 points in the AFC Wild Card game but could only manage a field goal from their offense. It was a game of inept quarterbacks with one of them finding a winning formula by using his feet instead of a shaky arm while the other just couldn't get it done. Again.
The Bills' defense played a helluva game, but for one drive couldn't stop Blake Bortles scrambling. As expected, the Jaguars defense, one of the best in the league, throttled the Bills except for one drive, but in the end, a penalty, some miscues and a total collapse kept Buffalo out of the end zone as they settled for the field goal instead.
For those following the Bills, it wasn't all that surprising to see Buffalo's offense struggle with the defense carrying the team. Quarterback Tyrod Taylor and the Bills offense had one golden opportunity, which may have been just enough in this game, but a series of events left them short of the endzone leaving a fanbase frustrated once again.
Having this edition of the Bills break a 17-year playoff drought was a good thing, but leaving a win on the table like that wasn't very satisfying to many and they have every right to feel that way. However, the Bills can head into next season with the weight of the drought lifted and they should have a clear sense of what's needed to hopefully make the playoffs again.
While the Bills were in the main event for Western New Yorkers, the Buffalo Sabres were in Philadelphia to conclude a lengthy seven-game trip away from KeyBank Center with a matinee against the Flyers. This trip, like the season, had not gone very well and they proceeded to drop this one 4-1.
If it ain't one thing it's another with this team this year. Prior to yesterday's game, the Sabres were having trouble getting out of the gate and found themselves chasing the game. More often than not their comeback would fall short leading to a record of 10-23-9 would indicate. Yesterday, however, was different as they applied great pressure against the Flyers, outshooting them by a 12-5 margin in the first only to leave the period with the game tied at 0-0.
The Sabres came out strong in the second with Ryan O'Reilly scoring on Buffalo's third powerplay at the 1:55 mark of the period. From there things deteriorated. The Flyers scored 2:08 later and added another one at the 7:17 mark to take the lead.
As has happened throughout much of this season under new head coach Phil Housley, his Sabres, for reasons unknown, deviated from the game-plan against the Flyers. "We were staying with it, and then we got away from it and for some reason we wanted to make plays instead of trying to do the right thing and make the right choices," said Housley to the post-game media after.
Perhaps his players were left frustrated by a goalie who made some great saves in the first period, including one remarkable one on Sam Reinhart. As they continued to get stymied it looked like they were trying to do to much, got sloppy and choppy, and wound up getting burned in the process. "We just changed the way we were playing for some reason," said the coach. "A lot of East-West plays, turnovers. Puck management that was uncharacteristic from what we were doing in the first period."
The final two goals were empty-netters to make it 4-1.
This is a continuing problem for Housley and this group and it doesn't seem as if it's going to get ironed out anytime soon.
*****
Two top Sabres prospects playing in Rochester have been recalled. Defenseman Brendan Guhle and goalie Linus Ullmark have gotten the call and took the morning skate with the Sabres. Both have been integral parts of an Amerks turnaround that moved them from 26th in the league last season to second place in the AHL's Eastern Conference this year.
Guhle, who was selected in the second round (51st) of the 2015 NHL Draft, has been playing top-pairing, all-situations minutes in Rochester and is tied for second in scoring by a rookie defenseman with 20 points (7+13.) No word on any injuries right now but Victor Antipin has been out because of illness and didn't make the recent three game road trip to Minnesota, Winnipeg and Philadelphia (0-2-1.)
Ullmark is in his third pro season and has been a workhorse for the Amerks both this season and last. The Amerks 2016-17 Team MVP has continued to progress nicely for the club and is tied for the AHL lead with 17 wins. He also leads all AHL goalies with 26 games and has a .928 save percentage (4th) and a 2.27 goals-against average (6th.)
The 24 yr. old came to North America after helping MODO of Sweden's top league avoid relegation in 2014-15 then was rushed into duty after elective double hip surgery after goalie Robin Lehner went down with a high ankle sprain in the first game of Buffalo's 2015-16 season. He appeared in 20 games for the Sabres that season and had an 8-10-2 record with a 2.60 GAA and .913 sv%. Ullmark also played for the Amerks in his rookie season going 10-16-0 with a 3.41 GAA and .902 sv%.
Lehner, who has been the Sabres best and most consistent player lately, got dinged pretty good in the Philadelphia game as he took a hard shot off what looked like his collarbone in the second period. He would remain in to finish the game.
According to reports from the rink, Guhle skated on the second paring with Jake McCabe while Zach Bogosian was moved down to the third pairing with Nathan Beaulieu. Coach Housley mixed up his forward lines as well:
Girgensons-Eichel-Okposo
Kane-O’Reilly-Pominville
Wilson/Pouliot-Rodrigues-Reinhart
Larsson-Josefson-Nolan
Scandella-Ristolainen
Guhle-McCabe
Beaulieu-Bogosian
Gorges-Falk
The Sabres are home for the next two games and play three of the next four at KeyBank Center before heading out for a three-game Western Canada swing. The Winnipeg Jets come to town tomorrow and the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday.
The Rochester Americans play Wednesday and Friday so it will be interesting to see where Guhle ends up this week and how they'll work Ullmark into the mix for Buffalo.
It was a football game they could have, and probably should have, won yesterday. The Buffalo Bills held the Jacksonville Jaguars to 10 points in the AFC Wild Card game but could only manage a field goal from their offense. It was a game of inept quarterbacks with one of them finding a winning formula by using his feet instead of a shaky arm while the other just couldn't get it done. Again.
The Bills' defense played a helluva game, but for one drive couldn't stop Blake Bortles scrambling. As expected, the Jaguars defense, one of the best in the league, throttled the Bills except for one drive, but in the end, a penalty, some miscues and a total collapse kept Buffalo out of the end zone as they settled for the field goal instead.
For those following the Bills, it wasn't all that surprising to see Buffalo's offense struggle with the defense carrying the team. Quarterback Tyrod Taylor and the Bills offense had one golden opportunity, which may have been just enough in this game, but a series of events left them short of the endzone leaving a fanbase frustrated once again.
Having this edition of the Bills break a 17-year playoff drought was a good thing, but leaving a win on the table like that wasn't very satisfying to many and they have every right to feel that way. However, the Bills can head into next season with the weight of the drought lifted and they should have a clear sense of what's needed to hopefully make the playoffs again.
While the Bills were in the main event for Western New Yorkers, the Buffalo Sabres were in Philadelphia to conclude a lengthy seven-game trip away from KeyBank Center with a matinee against the Flyers. This trip, like the season, had not gone very well and they proceeded to drop this one 4-1.
If it ain't one thing it's another with this team this year. Prior to yesterday's game, the Sabres were having trouble getting out of the gate and found themselves chasing the game. More often than not their comeback would fall short leading to a record of 10-23-9 would indicate. Yesterday, however, was different as they applied great pressure against the Flyers, outshooting them by a 12-5 margin in the first only to leave the period with the game tied at 0-0.
The Sabres came out strong in the second with Ryan O'Reilly scoring on Buffalo's third powerplay at the 1:55 mark of the period. From there things deteriorated. The Flyers scored 2:08 later and added another one at the 7:17 mark to take the lead.
As has happened throughout much of this season under new head coach Phil Housley, his Sabres, for reasons unknown, deviated from the game-plan against the Flyers. "We were staying with it, and then we got away from it and for some reason we wanted to make plays instead of trying to do the right thing and make the right choices," said Housley to the post-game media after.
Perhaps his players were left frustrated by a goalie who made some great saves in the first period, including one remarkable one on Sam Reinhart. As they continued to get stymied it looked like they were trying to do to much, got sloppy and choppy, and wound up getting burned in the process. "We just changed the way we were playing for some reason," said the coach. "A lot of East-West plays, turnovers. Puck management that was uncharacteristic from what we were doing in the first period."
The final two goals were empty-netters to make it 4-1.
This is a continuing problem for Housley and this group and it doesn't seem as if it's going to get ironed out anytime soon.
*****
Two top Sabres prospects playing in Rochester have been recalled. Defenseman Brendan Guhle and goalie Linus Ullmark have gotten the call and took the morning skate with the Sabres. Both have been integral parts of an Amerks turnaround that moved them from 26th in the league last season to second place in the AHL's Eastern Conference this year.
Guhle, who was selected in the second round (51st) of the 2015 NHL Draft, has been playing top-pairing, all-situations minutes in Rochester and is tied for second in scoring by a rookie defenseman with 20 points (7+13.) No word on any injuries right now but Victor Antipin has been out because of illness and didn't make the recent three game road trip to Minnesota, Winnipeg and Philadelphia (0-2-1.)
Ullmark is in his third pro season and has been a workhorse for the Amerks both this season and last. The Amerks 2016-17 Team MVP has continued to progress nicely for the club and is tied for the AHL lead with 17 wins. He also leads all AHL goalies with 26 games and has a .928 save percentage (4th) and a 2.27 goals-against average (6th.)
The 24 yr. old came to North America after helping MODO of Sweden's top league avoid relegation in 2014-15 then was rushed into duty after elective double hip surgery after goalie Robin Lehner went down with a high ankle sprain in the first game of Buffalo's 2015-16 season. He appeared in 20 games for the Sabres that season and had an 8-10-2 record with a 2.60 GAA and .913 sv%. Ullmark also played for the Amerks in his rookie season going 10-16-0 with a 3.41 GAA and .902 sv%.
Lehner, who has been the Sabres best and most consistent player lately, got dinged pretty good in the Philadelphia game as he took a hard shot off what looked like his collarbone in the second period. He would remain in to finish the game.
According to reports from the rink, Guhle skated on the second paring with Jake McCabe while Zach Bogosian was moved down to the third pairing with Nathan Beaulieu. Coach Housley mixed up his forward lines as well:
Girgensons-Eichel-Okposo
Kane-O’Reilly-Pominville
Wilson/Pouliot-Rodrigues-Reinhart
Larsson-Josefson-Nolan
Scandella-Ristolainen
Guhle-McCabe
Beaulieu-Bogosian
Gorges-Falk
The Sabres are home for the next two games and play three of the next four at KeyBank Center before heading out for a three-game Western Canada swing. The Winnipeg Jets come to town tomorrow and the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday.
The Rochester Americans play Wednesday and Friday so it will be interesting to see where Guhle ends up this week and how they'll work Ullmark into the mix for Buffalo.
Sunday, December 17, 2017
The future looks brighter amidst the shadow of losses
Published by hockeybuzz.com, 12-16-2017
Their record is what it is, that of the Eastern Conference's last place team. But the Buffalo Sabres have shown marked improvement in their game lately, and although it hasn't gotten them two points on most nights, the door to success they've been beating on is beginning to show cracks.
Buffalo's game last night against the Carolina Hurricanes seemed to be the kind of game that head coach Phil Housley and his players wanted to play going back to the beginning of the season. However, the differences between playing a responsible, up-tempo game now as opposed to then begin with health, a slight up-tick in talent and players with a better understanding of who they are, where they fit in and what they need to do.
The Sabres and 'Canes combined for nine goals on 75 shots in a game that was played a little tight to begin with, but opened up as it went along culminating with a combined six goals less than 10 minutes into the third period. It ended up being a very exciting game for the fans to watch, which included a breakaway in overtime that could've sent the KeyBank Center crowd home in a frenzy. Yet, as games have gone so many times, especially as of late, it was not to be for Buffalo and they lost to Carolina in overtime, 5-4.
It was the third time in the last five games that Buffalo went to overtime and lost, and it was the second time that they overcame a two-goal, third-period deficit to force the extra session. Last Sunday Evan Rodrigues scored two goals, one early in the third and the other with 1:27 left, to force overtime against the St. Louis Blues but the Sabres lost 3-2. Last night Jack Eichel scored two goals a mere 10 seconds apart in the third period to tie the game at 4-4 after the Sabres gave up three unanswered goals.
With the overtime loss last night, the Sabres are now 1-6 in overtime (plus 0-1 in the shootout) and seem to be very close to breaking through. Evander Kane was stopped on a breakaway last night as he lost control of the puck in tight. Eight days prior, Jack Eichel had an overtime breakaway in Chicago but was stopped as he tried to go five-hole. In both instances the puck wound up going the other way and ending up in Buffalo's net.
Eichel was a beast last night as he scored the a trick, the first of his career, and added the primary assist on Jake McCabe's early third period goal that put Buffalo up 2-1. He had 11 shots on goal and was dominant as the 'Canes could not corral him on any of his three goals:
(Thx to the Buffalo Sabres for the vid and to Dan Dunleavy for "Jack-trick")
It was as dominant a game as we've seen from the 21 yr. old and is the type of game we've been expecting for a while now.
Although he's been playing well and covering the entire ice surface with his long strides and unique skating style, Eichel hasn't been producing like he's capable of. In Thursday's 2-1 loss at Philadelphia, he played a strong game, but was held off the score sheet. The official tally against the Flyers had him with zero shots on goal but he did clank two shots off the post.
We're not sure if his breakout, four-point night will lead to Connor McDavid-type numbers in the future, but one would think that after playing the way he did, Eichel will realize that he, like the McDavids, Crosby's and Matthews' of the league, can scare the crap out of the opposition.
Which is one of the reasons why this team future is looking brighter.
The holes in the Sabres lineup are still there as are the mental lapses and the missed opportunities (see Philadelphia game,) but Buffalo has been playing much better hockey since their back-to-back losses to Pittsburgh to begin the month of December. It began with a 4-2 win over the Colorado Avalanche to begin a three-game road trip and they've now gotten points in five of their last six games (2-1-3.)
The addition of Rodrigues to the lineup has helped immensely as he's been able to anchor the third line at center. Both he and Eichel are in their third pro season with Rodrigues climbing his way up to the Sabres squad.
Rodrigues came up from the Rochester Americans who entered last night's game second in the
AHL's North Division, fourth-overall in the league. Last night they had a big matchup against the division-leading Toronto Marlies but fell short by a 3-2 score.
Buffalo GM Jason Botterill focused upon turning the Amerks fortunes around this season and thus far he's been highly successful. It's much easier to complete a turnaround at the AHL-level than it is in the NHL and what Botterill and his staff have been able to do is change the culture and get those players playing the right way. Although Rodrigues was ready for full-time NHL duty prior to this season while playing an aggressive, up-tempo game, upon return from injury he worked right into what the Amerks were doing. After eight games where he scored 10 points (5+5,) Rodrigues got the call to Buffalo and continued that same type of play to help lead the bottom-six.
Along with the Sabres' Eichel and Rodrigues, Rochester defenseman Brendan Guhle is tearing it up for the Amerks. The 20 yr. old former second-round pick (51st-overall, 2015) is in his first full pro season logging top-pairing/all-situations minutes and is fourth on the team in scoring with 16 points (6+10) which ranks him third in the league amongst rookie defensemen. Last night Guhle scored a goal while joining the rush and wiring a shot from the top of the circle that beat Toronto goalie Calvin Pickard glove-side.
Rochester's Alexander Nylander (2016, 8th-overall) started the play by jumping on a turnover in his own zone and moving it up-ice. The 19 yr. old former first round pick (2016, 8th-overall) has been struggling since making the move to North America last season but shined last night against the league's best team. In addition to the secondary assist on Guhle's goal, Nylander added his own tally as he pounced on his own rebound in the slot and buried it.
One would be remiss not to mention rookie C.J. Smith, a free agent signee by Botterill this past spring. Smith leads the Amerks, by far, with 27 points (9+18) which is also tops in the AHL amongst rookies.
Despite the Sabres early woes and the desperate need for speed on the big club, Botterill stuck to his guns and kept some of his faster,more talented players in Rochester developing. It kept the Amerks strong and let the Sabres figure it out mostly on their own. Last night both teams lost but some of their bright spots shined through, lead by Eichel.
The Sabres are off until December 19 which happens to coincide with the NHL's holiday trade freeze. Botterill's been fielding calls on some of his players, which is what the GM of the league's second-worst team should be doing, but he's got to be a bit satisfied knowing that his vision of how he'd like to see his teams play, is beginning to take hold. It was ugly for a while in Buffalo, but his patience is beginning to pay off with some continuity stretching from Rochester up to Buffalo and in the process, some players are beginning to grab the spotlight.
Their record is what it is, that of the Eastern Conference's last place team. But the Buffalo Sabres have shown marked improvement in their game lately, and although it hasn't gotten them two points on most nights, the door to success they've been beating on is beginning to show cracks.
Buffalo's game last night against the Carolina Hurricanes seemed to be the kind of game that head coach Phil Housley and his players wanted to play going back to the beginning of the season. However, the differences between playing a responsible, up-tempo game now as opposed to then begin with health, a slight up-tick in talent and players with a better understanding of who they are, where they fit in and what they need to do.
The Sabres and 'Canes combined for nine goals on 75 shots in a game that was played a little tight to begin with, but opened up as it went along culminating with a combined six goals less than 10 minutes into the third period. It ended up being a very exciting game for the fans to watch, which included a breakaway in overtime that could've sent the KeyBank Center crowd home in a frenzy. Yet, as games have gone so many times, especially as of late, it was not to be for Buffalo and they lost to Carolina in overtime, 5-4.
It was the third time in the last five games that Buffalo went to overtime and lost, and it was the second time that they overcame a two-goal, third-period deficit to force the extra session. Last Sunday Evan Rodrigues scored two goals, one early in the third and the other with 1:27 left, to force overtime against the St. Louis Blues but the Sabres lost 3-2. Last night Jack Eichel scored two goals a mere 10 seconds apart in the third period to tie the game at 4-4 after the Sabres gave up three unanswered goals.
With the overtime loss last night, the Sabres are now 1-6 in overtime (plus 0-1 in the shootout) and seem to be very close to breaking through. Evander Kane was stopped on a breakaway last night as he lost control of the puck in tight. Eight days prior, Jack Eichel had an overtime breakaway in Chicago but was stopped as he tried to go five-hole. In both instances the puck wound up going the other way and ending up in Buffalo's net.
Eichel was a beast last night as he scored the a trick, the first of his career, and added the primary assist on Jake McCabe's early third period goal that put Buffalo up 2-1. He had 11 shots on goal and was dominant as the 'Canes could not corral him on any of his three goals:
(Thx to the Buffalo Sabres for the vid and to Dan Dunleavy for "Jack-trick")
It was as dominant a game as we've seen from the 21 yr. old and is the type of game we've been expecting for a while now.
Although he's been playing well and covering the entire ice surface with his long strides and unique skating style, Eichel hasn't been producing like he's capable of. In Thursday's 2-1 loss at Philadelphia, he played a strong game, but was held off the score sheet. The official tally against the Flyers had him with zero shots on goal but he did clank two shots off the post.
We're not sure if his breakout, four-point night will lead to Connor McDavid-type numbers in the future, but one would think that after playing the way he did, Eichel will realize that he, like the McDavids, Crosby's and Matthews' of the league, can scare the crap out of the opposition.
Which is one of the reasons why this team future is looking brighter.
The holes in the Sabres lineup are still there as are the mental lapses and the missed opportunities (see Philadelphia game,) but Buffalo has been playing much better hockey since their back-to-back losses to Pittsburgh to begin the month of December. It began with a 4-2 win over the Colorado Avalanche to begin a three-game road trip and they've now gotten points in five of their last six games (2-1-3.)
The addition of Rodrigues to the lineup has helped immensely as he's been able to anchor the third line at center. Both he and Eichel are in their third pro season with Rodrigues climbing his way up to the Sabres squad.
Rodrigues came up from the Rochester Americans who entered last night's game second in the
AHL's North Division, fourth-overall in the league. Last night they had a big matchup against the division-leading Toronto Marlies but fell short by a 3-2 score.
Buffalo GM Jason Botterill focused upon turning the Amerks fortunes around this season and thus far he's been highly successful. It's much easier to complete a turnaround at the AHL-level than it is in the NHL and what Botterill and his staff have been able to do is change the culture and get those players playing the right way. Although Rodrigues was ready for full-time NHL duty prior to this season while playing an aggressive, up-tempo game, upon return from injury he worked right into what the Amerks were doing. After eight games where he scored 10 points (5+5,) Rodrigues got the call to Buffalo and continued that same type of play to help lead the bottom-six.
Along with the Sabres' Eichel and Rodrigues, Rochester defenseman Brendan Guhle is tearing it up for the Amerks. The 20 yr. old former second-round pick (51st-overall, 2015) is in his first full pro season logging top-pairing/all-situations minutes and is fourth on the team in scoring with 16 points (6+10) which ranks him third in the league amongst rookie defensemen. Last night Guhle scored a goal while joining the rush and wiring a shot from the top of the circle that beat Toronto goalie Calvin Pickard glove-side.
Rochester's Alexander Nylander (2016, 8th-overall) started the play by jumping on a turnover in his own zone and moving it up-ice. The 19 yr. old former first round pick (2016, 8th-overall) has been struggling since making the move to North America last season but shined last night against the league's best team. In addition to the secondary assist on Guhle's goal, Nylander added his own tally as he pounced on his own rebound in the slot and buried it.
One would be remiss not to mention rookie C.J. Smith, a free agent signee by Botterill this past spring. Smith leads the Amerks, by far, with 27 points (9+18) which is also tops in the AHL amongst rookies.
Despite the Sabres early woes and the desperate need for speed on the big club, Botterill stuck to his guns and kept some of his faster,more talented players in Rochester developing. It kept the Amerks strong and let the Sabres figure it out mostly on their own. Last night both teams lost but some of their bright spots shined through, lead by Eichel.
The Sabres are off until December 19 which happens to coincide with the NHL's holiday trade freeze. Botterill's been fielding calls on some of his players, which is what the GM of the league's second-worst team should be doing, but he's got to be a bit satisfied knowing that his vision of how he'd like to see his teams play, is beginning to take hold. It was ugly for a while in Buffalo, but his patience is beginning to pay off with some continuity stretching from Rochester up to Buffalo and in the process, some players are beginning to grab the spotlight.
Friday, November 17, 2017
Injuries on defense continue to mount for Sabres. Two Amerks recalled
Published by hockeybuzz.com, 11-16-2017
Although the news isn't quite as earth-shattering as the Buffalo Bills going to their backup quarterback while still in a playoff spot, for Western New York hockey fans, the injuries hitting the Buffalo Sabres is becoming more of an issue. The Sabres announced today that defenseman Taylor Fedun was placed on injured reserve (out 6-8 weeks, according to reports from today's practice) and that defenseman Matt Tennyson was moved to IR from the injured list.
The Sabres have been getting hit hard by injuries on defense and have already dressed 10 defensemen just 18 games into this season. Zach Bogosian, who has yet to play this season, remains on IR while their top defender, Rasmus Ristolainen, suffered an upper body injury on November 2 and was also placed on IR. Justin Falk missed the first the first 12 games of the season while Nathan Beaulieu and Josh Gorges both suffered injuries that placed them on the injured list.
To help fill the holes in the defense-corps this season, Buffalo brought up Zach Redmond on recall, appearing in three games, while Fedun skated in seven games. Today the Sabres announced that they recalled defenseman Casey Nelson from Rochester. Nelson was a 2016 free agent signing out of Minnesota State and played seven games for Buffalo late that season. He started out his NHL career with a three-game point-streak (4 assists.)
Nelson began last season with the Sabres and played in eight forgetful games through November 15 registering zero points and a minus-4 rating while averaging around 12 minutes of ice-time per game. He came back for two more stints for a total of three games and showed improvement. He began this season in Rochester doing yeoman's work with four points (1+3) and a plus-2 rating in 14 games for the Amerks.
Where Nelson fits in will be determined tomorrow as Falk, according to reports, had a maintenance day at today's practice. According to the Sabres these were the pairings for practice:
Scandella-Nelson
McCabe-Beaulieu
Gorges-Antipin
*****
The Sabres also recalled forward Kyle Criscuolo who was signed by the Sabres to a two-year, two-way contract on July 1 by GM Jason Botterill.
Criscuolo came over from the Detroit organization after helping their Grand Rapids Griffins to the 2017 Calder Cup Championship. The 25 yr. old graduate of Harvard is tied for Amerks lead in scoring with 11 points (5+6) in 14 games while his plus-4 rating also leads the team.
At the time of the signing, Botterill said that Criscuolo "can play center...plays with a high compete [level] and can play the type of pace that (coach) Phil (Housley) wants to play." The Sabres could use some pace in the bottom-six as that group has struggled mightily thus far. The forward lines at today's practice were:
Pouliot-O'Reilly-Okposo
Kane-Eichel-Reinhart
Griffith-Larsson-Pominville
Nolan-Criscuolo-Girgensons
Head coach Phil Housley told the gathered media today that Criscuolo will be a game-time decision for tomorrow night's game at Detroit.
*****
Nelson and Criscuolo were called up from an Amerks team that's really starting to gel. After a rough start where they went 2-3-0 the Amerks have gotten points in eight of their last nine games while posting a 6-1-2 record. Rochester has outscored their opponents 33-25 during that stretch and the Amerks now find themselves second in the AHL's North Division.
Botterill got the ball moving in Rochester by making some July 1 moves strictly related to fortifying a franchise that had been neglected the past few years. He brought in center Kevin Porter from the Pittsburgh Penguins organization as captain to anchor the revival in Rochester. Once the Penguins AGM, Botterill ran their AHL affiliate, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, and saw what Porter had to offer."He's a player I'm very familiar with," said Botterill of Porter. "[He] was a strong leader for Wilkes-Barre over the past couple of years, but also was a player, especially two years ago, that (Penguins head coach) Mike Sullivan really trusted at the National Hockey League level."
With Porter and Criscuolo in the fold, Rochester was eventually handed over to Botterill's AGM, Randy Sexton, who is the general manager of the Amerks. Sexton began adding more players and more depth with signings like defenseman Stuart Percy and forward Sahir Gill (both from Wilkes-Barre) along with right wing Steve Moses (KHL) to help anchor the club. The goal was to build a winning culture and simultaneously provide an atmosphere where their young players can develop properly.
Only a handful of Sabres draft picks are in Rochester right now and that includes Brendan Guhle. With all the injuries on defense, many believe the Sabres top blueline prospect could be with the big club right now, at least on a temporary basis. But word out of Rochester is that the team is intent upon developing him the right way.
From a Let's Go Amerks tweet, Rochester head coach Chris Taylor had this to say about Guhle:
"He understands the process of it. Does he want to be a guy that goes up for one or two games or does he want to be a guy when he goes up, he's going to be there forever? He's got to understand that and that's what the best interest here is for him. That's what we have for every player (their best interest) and him especially. He's still learning. He's still making a lot of mistakes. We don't want to ruin his confidence. One of those mistakes up in the NHL is in the back of the net. We're being patient with him and he's understanding that. That's why he's still playing well right now with us."
That thought process should come as no surprise to any hockey fan in Western New York as Botterill is following through with what he said he'd do. All along he's been saying that he wants, needs, Rochester to be a winning environment that will allow the youngins to develop properly. It's what he saw in Pittsburgh during his 10 years with the organization and what he wants in the Buffalo organization.
The short-term pain in Buffalo will hopefully be a long-term gain for the entire Sabres organization.
Although the news isn't quite as earth-shattering as the Buffalo Bills going to their backup quarterback while still in a playoff spot, for Western New York hockey fans, the injuries hitting the Buffalo Sabres is becoming more of an issue. The Sabres announced today that defenseman Taylor Fedun was placed on injured reserve (out 6-8 weeks, according to reports from today's practice) and that defenseman Matt Tennyson was moved to IR from the injured list.
The Sabres have been getting hit hard by injuries on defense and have already dressed 10 defensemen just 18 games into this season. Zach Bogosian, who has yet to play this season, remains on IR while their top defender, Rasmus Ristolainen, suffered an upper body injury on November 2 and was also placed on IR. Justin Falk missed the first the first 12 games of the season while Nathan Beaulieu and Josh Gorges both suffered injuries that placed them on the injured list.
To help fill the holes in the defense-corps this season, Buffalo brought up Zach Redmond on recall, appearing in three games, while Fedun skated in seven games. Today the Sabres announced that they recalled defenseman Casey Nelson from Rochester. Nelson was a 2016 free agent signing out of Minnesota State and played seven games for Buffalo late that season. He started out his NHL career with a three-game point-streak (4 assists.)
Nelson began last season with the Sabres and played in eight forgetful games through November 15 registering zero points and a minus-4 rating while averaging around 12 minutes of ice-time per game. He came back for two more stints for a total of three games and showed improvement. He began this season in Rochester doing yeoman's work with four points (1+3) and a plus-2 rating in 14 games for the Amerks.
Where Nelson fits in will be determined tomorrow as Falk, according to reports, had a maintenance day at today's practice. According to the Sabres these were the pairings for practice:
Scandella-Nelson
McCabe-Beaulieu
Gorges-Antipin
*****
The Sabres also recalled forward Kyle Criscuolo who was signed by the Sabres to a two-year, two-way contract on July 1 by GM Jason Botterill.
Criscuolo came over from the Detroit organization after helping their Grand Rapids Griffins to the 2017 Calder Cup Championship. The 25 yr. old graduate of Harvard is tied for Amerks lead in scoring with 11 points (5+6) in 14 games while his plus-4 rating also leads the team.
At the time of the signing, Botterill said that Criscuolo "can play center...plays with a high compete [level] and can play the type of pace that (coach) Phil (Housley) wants to play." The Sabres could use some pace in the bottom-six as that group has struggled mightily thus far. The forward lines at today's practice were:
Pouliot-O'Reilly-Okposo
Kane-Eichel-Reinhart
Griffith-Larsson-Pominville
Nolan-Criscuolo-Girgensons
Head coach Phil Housley told the gathered media today that Criscuolo will be a game-time decision for tomorrow night's game at Detroit.
*****
Nelson and Criscuolo were called up from an Amerks team that's really starting to gel. After a rough start where they went 2-3-0 the Amerks have gotten points in eight of their last nine games while posting a 6-1-2 record. Rochester has outscored their opponents 33-25 during that stretch and the Amerks now find themselves second in the AHL's North Division.
Botterill got the ball moving in Rochester by making some July 1 moves strictly related to fortifying a franchise that had been neglected the past few years. He brought in center Kevin Porter from the Pittsburgh Penguins organization as captain to anchor the revival in Rochester. Once the Penguins AGM, Botterill ran their AHL affiliate, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, and saw what Porter had to offer."He's a player I'm very familiar with," said Botterill of Porter. "[He] was a strong leader for Wilkes-Barre over the past couple of years, but also was a player, especially two years ago, that (Penguins head coach) Mike Sullivan really trusted at the National Hockey League level."
With Porter and Criscuolo in the fold, Rochester was eventually handed over to Botterill's AGM, Randy Sexton, who is the general manager of the Amerks. Sexton began adding more players and more depth with signings like defenseman Stuart Percy and forward Sahir Gill (both from Wilkes-Barre) along with right wing Steve Moses (KHL) to help anchor the club. The goal was to build a winning culture and simultaneously provide an atmosphere where their young players can develop properly.
Only a handful of Sabres draft picks are in Rochester right now and that includes Brendan Guhle. With all the injuries on defense, many believe the Sabres top blueline prospect could be with the big club right now, at least on a temporary basis. But word out of Rochester is that the team is intent upon developing him the right way.
From a Let's Go Amerks tweet, Rochester head coach Chris Taylor had this to say about Guhle:
"He understands the process of it. Does he want to be a guy that goes up for one or two games or does he want to be a guy when he goes up, he's going to be there forever? He's got to understand that and that's what the best interest here is for him. That's what we have for every player (their best interest) and him especially. He's still learning. He's still making a lot of mistakes. We don't want to ruin his confidence. One of those mistakes up in the NHL is in the back of the net. We're being patient with him and he's understanding that. That's why he's still playing well right now with us."
That thought process should come as no surprise to any hockey fan in Western New York as Botterill is following through with what he said he'd do. All along he's been saying that he wants, needs, Rochester to be a winning environment that will allow the youngins to develop properly. It's what he saw in Pittsburgh during his 10 years with the organization and what he wants in the Buffalo organization.
The short-term pain in Buffalo will hopefully be a long-term gain for the entire Sabres organization.
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