Sabres news, some good and not so good.

First off, some really good news for NHL fans as the league is targeting a January 13th start to a 56-game NHL season. Whether or not there will be fans in the seats in any capacity remains to be seen as Coronavirus vaccine manufacturing and distribution is just beginning but there is light at the end of a tunnel and even though it's long and dark, the first steps back to a sense of normalcy have been taken.

The National Hockey League has been hit hard by the pandemic and with that we'll lead into the not-so-good news for the Buffalo Sabres this long off season before ending on some happier notes.

Financial health of the NHL and Sabres

NHL franchises took a tough hit in the Spring as the normal season was cancelled in March, but the league managed to scrape out some TV revenue with an alternative end to the regular season and a full slate of playoff games in two bubbles. The toll it took on some franchises, including the Buffalo Sabres, was pretty harsh. In it's annual listing of team values Forbes outlined the impact of the pandemic on the league:

--the average team value dropped by 2%

--the $4.4 billion in revenue from a season that was 85% completed was 14% below the prior year

--operating income was down a whopping 68% ($250 million)

The rich/poor disparity was glaring as well in a pandemic-ravaged 2019-20 season. "The league’s five most valuable teams—the New York Rangers ($1.65 billion), the Toronto Maple Leafs ($1.5 billion), the Montreal Canadiens ($1.34 billion), the Chicago Blackhawks ($1.085 billion) and the Boston Bruins ($1 billon)," wrote Forbes, "accounted for almost a quarter of the league’s revenue. Without them, the league would have lost $50 million."

Unfortunately the Sabres aren't amongst those big-market, money-machines even though they have big-money ownership in Terry and Kim Pegula. The Pegula's saw the current value of their team drop 4% to $385 million on an initial investment of $189 million in 2011. There were seven other teams in Buffalo's boat at -4% and five who fared worse at -5%.

According to Forbes, revenue for the Sabres last season was $120 million with only 10 teams below them (the NY Rangers led the league with $225 million in revenue) while operating income for Buffalo was $-11 million, which was seventh-worst in the league (the Montreal Canadiens led with $87 million on revenue of $215 million.)

Possible NHL realignment for 2020-21

Those are some big losses for Buffalo but in a tribute to the commitment the Pegula's made at their 2011 introductory press conference, management has been given the financial resources to ice a roster that will hopefully end their league long, nine-year playoff drought.

Unfortunately for the Sabres, the pandemic has forced the NHL to temporarily realign their divisions. International travel restrictions are probably giving us an all-Canadian division with the league leaning towards three regional divisions in the States. Preliminary indications has the Sabres in a group with Boston, New Jersey, NY Islanders, NY Rangers, Philadelphia and Washington along with Pittsburgh or Carolina. Only two of those teams, Buffalo and New Jersey, failed to make the expanded playoffs last year while Boston, Washington and Pittsburgh have been perennial playoff teams. Add in the Islanders, Philadelphia and Carolina as teams on the upswing and the Sabres are in a bit of a pickle.

Should the league be looking at another expanded playoff scenario of 24 teams (six from each division,) the Sabres will need to get into the top six. Boston hasn't missed the playoffs since 2015-16 and have a Stanley Cup finals appearance since then while Washington has the 2018 Stanley Cup and hasn't missed the post season since 2013-14 so putting those two at or near the top of the division isn't much of a reach. The NY Islanders made a run to the 2020 eastern conference finals while Philadelphia lost a seven-game, second round series to those same Islanders and either Pittsburgh, with their long history of making the playoffs during the entirety of the Sidney Crosby-era (2006-present, including three Cups) or an upstart Carolina franchise (two consecutive playoff appearances,) seem poised to take the fifth spot.

That leaves three teams vying for one playoff spot--the New Jersey Devils, NY Rangers and Buffalo Sabres.

Does Buffalo have the wherewithal to take that spot? Adding 2018 league MVP Taylor Hall helps, and so does trading for top-six center Eric Staal but they may need to upgrade goaltending and/or their defense corps if they want to make it.

Three Sabres make IIHF World Junior Team Canada and Team USA  squads

On a positive note, Buffalo's prospect pool is getting stronger. As noted in the previous blog their AHL affiliate, the Rochester Americans, should see a sizeable influx of homegrown talent this upcoming season and behind them is another group that's making it's way through the system.

Center Dylan Cozens leads the way with the 2019, seventh-overall pick set to make his second consecutive IIHF World Junior Championship skating for Team Canada. Cozens posted nine points (2+7) in a subdued role for the tournament champion Canadian team last year and will play a larger role this year. Joining him on the squad is Buffalo's 2020, eighth-overall pick Jack Quinn. There were questions concerning Quinn and whether or not he'd make the team but he did and early projections have him skating in a top-six role for the high-profile, talent-laden Canadians.

In addition to those two forwards, it was announced today that defenseman Ryan Johnson has made Team U.S.A. Johnson, a 2019 first round pick (31st-overall) plays in the NCAA for the Minnesota Golden Gophers. 

Sabres scouting staff growing incrementally

Those three draft picks were from an amateur scouting staff that was definitively hacked in the spring as management decided to get more efficient and/or rebuild the scouting department. After going through the 2020 NHL Entry Draft with a skeleton crew, The Buffalo News reported yesterday that Anders Forsberg will rejoin the Sabres as their scout in Sweden. Forsberg had been a scout for the club from 2015-17 and is back in the fold, albeit in more of a "consulting" role, according to the News, while the also wrote that "his work will have a heavy emphasis on video."

Forsberg is the second scout brought in since the spring purge bringing their total to eight. He joins Tristan Musser, who was hired October 7 as both an amateur and pro scout, as new adds under director of scouting Jeremiah Crowe and assistant director Jason Nightingale. 

Sabres new No. 13 says Jack is ready to lead. Plus Summer Showcase news

Published by hockeybuzz.com, 7-29-2019


The Buffalo Sabres will have a new No. 13 when they hit the ice for the 2019-20 season. Recently acquired winger Jimmy Vesey tweeted out that he will be wearing that number for the Blue and Gold. Vesey, a former college free agent who shunned the Nashville Predators and the Sabres when he signed with the NY Rangers in 2016, wore No. 26 for the Blueshirts but unfortunately for him that number is taken by 18 yr. old defenseman Rasmus Dahlin.

Of note, only six other players in Sabres fancies history have worn the No. 13: defenseman Jim Schoenfeld, on his second go-round with the Sabres; winger Yuri Khmylev; Vyacheslov Koslov, the disenchanted winger who came to Buffalo in the Dominik Hasek-forced trade with the Detroit Red Wings; first round pick Jiri Novotny; Buffalo native Tim Kennedy; and the most recent, Nicholas Baptiste in 2017-18.

Botterill picks Cozens and Johnson and NHL Draft, builds around Eichel and Dahlin

Published by hockeybuzz.com, 6-22-2019


While those of us in Sabreland may have been screaming for Buffalo to draft an elite-playmaker like Trevor Zegras or a pure goal-scorer in the diminutive Cole Caufield with the seventh-overall pick in the 2019 NHL Draft, general manger Jason Botterill went in a little different direction by drafting center Dylan Cozens. Although his skill-set lacks the dynamics of the other two, Cozens has the traits the Sabres are looking for in a future top-six player. His skating is exceptional, he has a high compete level, he has great size, plays a 200' game and does his scoring 5v5 which has been a focus of Botterill's since he took the Sabres GM position (see Jeff Skinner.)

As fans it’s pretty easy to get caught up in immediate needs of a bottom-feeding team at the draft and as we look at the Sabres they need certain things right now, like scoring. And, as is often the case, we the fanbase of a team that hasn't made the playoffs in eight seasons scoff at patience while forgetting that players drafted outside the top-three or so usually take while to incubate and most won't hope to have an impact for at least a few years. Although it doesn't offer immediate relief, Sabres fans should take solace in, and be reminded of, the fact that they have two premier pieces in place and that the future holds great promise if Botterill builds this thing properly.

Buffalo's window is just beginning to open again after it was shut on the fingers some two years ago. Coming out of the tank years and taking a couple steps back from where they want to be is going to take some time regardless of how quickly we want it. Yes, we know, the clock is ticking on Jack Eichel's contract and a three-year build into (hopefully) a Stanley Cup contender means that half of it will have been wasted. However, should everything fall into place in the latter part of his contract, methinks Eichel will have no problem leading the parade down Delaware Avenue after captaining Buffalo’s first Cup-winning team.

That’s the dream and as we found out with the previous general manager there are no short-cuts, as a host of Cup-winning teams this decade have proven.

2019 NHL Mock Draft--Picks 22-31

The 2019 NHL Draft will be held in Vancouver, B.C. June 21-22

22. Los Angeles Kings--C, Philip Tomasino

Los Angeles gets a little lucky and have Tomasino drop to them at No. 22 and it's just what the doctor ordered. The 6'0" 180 lb. center has good size, something that will never go out of style with the Kings but he also has speed, plays a 200' game with pace and is a very hard worker. Fits right into what GM Rob Blake is looking for. 

23. NY Islanders--RW, Bobby Brink

Back in 2014 the Isles used the 28th-overall selection to snag RW, Josh Ho-Sang who elicited strong opinions from both ends of the spectrum on his draft worthiness. Five years later the Islanders select another right wing in the lower portion of the first round. With size no longer that big of an issue league-wide, drafting a 5'8" 163 lb. player is more common place than it once was and the Isles get themselves a slippery David Pastrnak-type of player in Brink who scored 68 points (35+33) in 43 USHL games.

24. Nashville Predators--LW, Nicholas Robertson

With their pipeline still well stocked on defense, the Preds add the dynamic Robertson to their prospect pool. Although small at 5'9" 161 lbs. Robertson tops off his high skill level with a large dose of compete in all three zones. The Arcadia, California native opted to play junior in the OHL and had himself a solid season with 55 points (27+28) in 57 games as a 17 yr. old and he won't turn 18 until September 11, 2001. Yes, that 9-11.

25. Washington Capitals--D, Ville Heinola

The Caps pluck Heinola from Finland where he had a solid introduction to the Finnish elite league with 14 points (2+12) in 34 games. Heinola is another of those heady defensemen coming out of Sweden and Finland who possess great puck-moving skills and excellent skating ability, traits that could put him in a top-four role with proper seasoning.

26. Calgary Flames--D, Tobias Bjornfot

The Flames need defenders in the pipeline and it's getting to the point in the draft where there's not much left in the first round. Make no mistake as Bjornfot isn't that much of a reach as ISS has him at No.27 while McKeen's has him ranked as the 19th best prospect in the draft, seventh amongst defensemen. Expectations were very high for him as a 16 yr. old but he dropped after struggling a bit at the next levels. However, Bjornfot has good size at 6'0" 193 lbs. and has a skill package that includes excellent mobility within a solid two-way game that keeps him in the first rounds with projections as a possible top-four NHL defender.

27. Tampa Bay Lightning--D, Alex Vlasic

The Lighting learned a little from getting swept in the first round of the playoffs this year. No, they're not going to throw their entire system out the window but they do realize they need a little more of an edge to their game and add that by drafting the 6'6" 198 lb. Vlasic. The Boston University commit will use the next couple of years to fill out his huge frame and work on a skill-set of decent offensive qualities that will allow him to contribute offensively when he hits the next level.

28. Carolina Hurricanes--LW, Nils Hoglander

Although the name may drum up visions of a powerforward on the wing, or a guitarist for some European rock band, Hoglander is a speedy and highly-skilled forward that the 'Canes are looking for. And after his career is over he can start his own restaurant chain in Carolina. Who wouldn't want to eat at Hoglander Barbeque?

29. Anaheim Ducks--RW, Samuel Poulin

The Ducks have a well balanced prospect pool with players set to hit the bigs with more frequency beginning in 2019-20, and that would include d-prospect Brendan Guhle who came from the Sabres (along with this pick) in the Brandon Montour trade. As with Cozens selected ninth overall in this mock, Poulin has size although his skill isn't quite up to that of Cozens. However, Anaheim does get a  smart, competitive player with an NHL frame who showed he could carry a huge weight for his team while also showing some nice year-over-year progression.

30. Boston Bruins--D, Ryan Johnson

Much to the dismay of those in Sabreland and elsewhere in the NHL, the Bruins remain competitive while continually filling their prospect pool with quality and that doesn't change with the addition of Johnson. Sure, the loss to St. Louis in the Stanley Cup Finals was a bit embarrassing and extended the city's championship drought to over 140 days leaving the chowdaheads grimacing (boo hoo,) but they'll always have the opportunity for another championship as long as Tom Brady's in the NFL. As for the B's, Johnson is a good, all-around, puck-moving, two-way d-man who won't replace Zdeno Chara, but could be one of those pieces that makes for a strong defense by committee.

31. Buffalo Sabres--LW, Jakob Pelletier

Odds are that the Sabres will use this pick in a trade for immediate help but if they don't, they have plenty of options and a real good skater like Pelletier who's both smart and competitive fits in rather nicely for what they want. It doesn't hurt that he had a solid season in the Q with 89 points (39+50) in 65 games for Moncton either. The Sabres need scoring and they'll either add some now by trading this pick for immediate help or they'll draft someone here who'll need a couple years of development and Pelletier isn't a bad choice for the latter.