The kids are alright in Sabreland

It's taken a few weeks, but the Buffalo Sabres have gotten rid of the stench left by former head coach Ralph Krueger. The defensive, systemic load that Krueger shoveled for the entirety of his 97 games as Buffalo's bench boss has been sent to the incinerator of extreme ineptitude and has been replaced by a refreshing dose of speed and puck control with an emphasis on driving play and creating offense. 

And Sabreland couldn't be happier.

Eichel-4 Sens-2. Plus, on the Rasmus Dahlin benching, Rasmus Asplund and more

Published by hockeybuzz.com, 11-17-2019


Jack Eichel has had some big games for the Sabres dating back to December 26, 2016 in Boston where as a rookie he led the charge (2 goals, 2 assists) in a come from behind 6-3 win against his hometown Bruins. the 23 yr. old Eichel has a had hat trick before and has had more four-point games before, which includes two already this year (both games 2+2.) However, he reached another level in last night's four-goal game in the Sabres 4-2 win over the Ottawa Senators. It's not just the fact that he scored four goals or that he outscored Ottawa himself, Eichel carried his team on his back when they needed it most.

The Sabres have been struggling since getting off to a torrid start to the season, came into the game on a six-game winless streak (0-4-2) and as a team couldn't beat Sens goalie Craig Anderson last night. It's a movie Buffalo hockey fans have seen over and over again for over a decade, one in which they played a team they could or should beat, but in the end were left to lament that they worked hard and had the chances but just couldn't finish and/or didn't have puck luck. For the Sabres other 17 skaters on the ice against last night, that part of the equation was true.

What those previous teams didn't have was a player like Eichel who has the skill-level to defy that scenario.

An eye on the Amerks with Don Stevens

Published by hockeybuzz.com, 11-7-2019

A dozen games into their 2019-20 season, the Rochester Americans are doing well. They're tied for third in the division right now with a 7-3-1-1 record with those 16 points placing them tied for fourth in the conference. Rochester is also fifth in the AHL with a .667 points percentage. 

But it hasn't been easy road to get there.

The Amerks started out the season with their head coach up in Buffalo serving as a Sabres assistant. Chris Taylor got the call to Buffalo after Sabres assistant coach Don Granato was hospitalized with a severe case of pneumonia, which his brother Tony described as a "scary" situation. Don Granato was hospitalized for an extended length and Taylor was picked to take his spot behind the bench while his assistant, long-time hockey-man Gord Dineen, became the interim bench boss in Rochester.

According to long-time Amerks broadcaster Don Stevens, whom I chatted with yesterday, things look as if they'll be returning to normal as Granato's "getting better" and they expect him back soon. 

Checking in on the Sabres prospect pool with Kris Baker of sabresprospects.com, Part II

Published by hockeybuzz.com, 11-5-2019


This is the second of a two part series looking at the Sabres prospect pool with Kris Baker of sabresprospects.com. Part I can be found by clicking here. 



As laid out in the previous blog, what Buffalo Sabres general manager Jason Botterill has been able to do on the blueline for his team the last three years has been pretty impressive and that's without landing a franchise-type defenseman in Rasmus Dahlin with the first overall pick in the 2018 NHL Draft. Botterill fortified and modernized his D-corps through some savvy trades while he and his scouting staff focused on the blueline at the draft using eight of their 18 picks on defensemen.

That's the good part of the prospect pool. The not so good part comes into play when we take a look at the forwards and goalie situation.

There's a two-fold reason for the not so good part when it comes to the forwards in the system. Botterill inherited a pool bereft of forward talent because a.) they were still recovering from the scorched-earth rebuild of his predecessor and b.) the Sabres top prospects were picked high in the draft and quickly made their way into the NHL lineup. Second-overall picks Sam Reinhart and Jack Eichel were playing for the Sabres as teenagers, while 2017 eighth-overall pick, Casey Mittelstadt also started out his rookie season as a teenager. Which is fine as those top picks are expected to be on a fast-track to the NHL.

Should he stay or should he go?

Published by hockeybuzz.com, 9-30-2019

Preseason ended for the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday with a 3-2 shootout win against the Penguins in Pittsburgh. Yesterday the team had a very early practice so they could be at New Era Field in Orchard Park, NY to watch the Buffalo Bills take on the New England Patriots (which turned out to be a defensive struggle with the Pats coming out on top 16-10.)

Today the powers that be are huddled in Sabres offices trying to figure out who should stay and who should go. Yes, we know Sabreland, if it was up to the most vociferous of the fan base Kyle Okposo and Rasmus Ristolainen would have been traded by now, Vladimir Sobotka bought out, Zemgus Girgensons, Johan Larsson and Scott Wilson all waived with Marco Scandella given a one-way ticket to anywhere in the world and every one of those fans willing to drive him to the airport. 

Ain't gonna happen.

Impressions of, and questions concerning--F, Tage Thompson

Published by hockeybuzz.com, 5-11-2019

Forward, Tage Thompson

DOB:  October 30, 1997 (age, 21)

Draft:  2016 1st round (26th-overall,) STL

How acquired:  July 1, 2018 trade with STL

Last contract signed:  March 7, 2017 ELC, 3yr./$3.4125M ($832,500 base salary)

Final year of contract: 2019-20

2018-19 Stats:  65 games | 7 goals | 5 assists | 12 points | -22 | 12:08 ATOI

Career Stats:  106 games | 10 goals | 11 assists | 21 points | -34 | 12:03 ATOI

What we wrote preseason:  When you see a young guy like Thompson pull off a play like he did against Leafs a week ago, the wow-factor of a 6'5" 205 lb. forward who can create separation like that and finish with a wicked shot whets your appetite to see him skating in a Sabres uniform this year. As it stands right now, Thompson is behind at least two right wingers on the club--Sam Reinhart and Kyle Okposo--and because of Jason Pominville's status both contractually and as a vet on the team, Thompson might only see fourth-line duty with the Sabres at this juncture.

Although it doesn't mean he's worse than a player like Pominville, it would seem as if Housley will have too many question marks with Thompson heading into the season as he wants to get off to a fast start. Thompson still has waiver-exempt status and could use more seasoning in the AHL to develop consistency to his game. He's got top-six talent but right now for Buffalo there's really no need to rush him.

What we wrote mid-season:  He's tall (6'6"), has an impressive wing-span, can handle the puck extremely well and when he has open space and enough time, he has a rocket of a shot. We've seen short spurts of incredibly skilled play from Thompson this season but have also seen him disappear for very long stretches which has him moving up and down the lineup. One would like to see him use his large frame more and though he skates very well, especially when he gets active, he's still seems to be behind the play a bit. The 21 yr. old Thompson has all the tools to be a scorer but he's been dropped to the fourth line lately, and ironically it may be the best thing for him. The two players anchoring that line are full-go compete and prior to the break Thompson looked as if he was feeding off/playing like that and if he can ever internalize the compete those two have, the Sabres could have themselves a heck of a scoring forward.

Impressions on his play this year:  The mid-season mention of Thompson feeding off of Zemgus Girgensons and Johan Larsson on the fourth line was meant to be taken seriously as a big aspect missing in his game was compete. Thompson picked up on that when he played fourth-line duties but he was out of place in that role. In fact, the case could easily be made that he was a tad out of place in the NHL. 

The Sabres decided to keep him in Buffalo to work on his game at the NHL-level and from what was said, he really embraced the development program they earmarked for him. That was just before he scored five goals in seven games and it made management look brilliant. However, as is often the case with young players, the consistency wasn't there and Thompson disappeared. Instead of sending him to Rochester when things went cool for him and sour for the team, Buffalo kept him up and his development stagnated at best. When he was finally sent to the Amerks, he was a force popping six goals in eight games. Things dried up in the AHL playoffs but against his peers, the 21 yr. old Thompson looked dominant. 

Thompson's shot is remarkable but he struggled to find time and space at the NHL level to uncork it. Although he has a condor's wing-span and some very impressive stickwork for any player, much less a big man, on too man occasions Thompson tried to do too much himself instead of using his teammates and oft times the puck ended up headed the other way. Those things are something often seen in rookies and are things that can be worked on.

The Sabres are looking at him to fill out his frame to the tune of 15-20 lbs. and if he can do that while maintaining his excellent skating abilities, his size and talent would make up the foundation of a budding powerforward. But there's a lot of work to be done as his talent is raw and his decision-making is still that of a rookie.

Questions moving forward:  How much bulk can he add this summer? What's his ideal playing weight? Where will he start next season, Buffalo or Rochester? Can he find chemistry with a Sabres center next season? Where will his compete-level be? Will bulking up help that? How much will Bufalo's new head coach affect his game? Can he double his goal production? Can he lower a Sabres second-worst minus-22 rating?

Contract info via CapFriendly, stats via sabres.com and hockey reference.com.

That's a fact Jack, Eichel is back. Plus, the "rockstar" (and All-Star) returns home

Published by hockeybuzz.com, 1-11-2019


Buffalo captain Jack Eichel looks to be back in the lineup as word from the rink in Carolina has him taking line-rushes with the team. Eichel was out with an upperbody injury suffered prior to their December 31 game vs. the NY Islanders. The Sabres leading scorer took the ice against the Islanders but only played a couple of minutes before leaving the game. Eichel missed three games full games and his team went 2-1-0 in his absence.

The cool part about Eichel being out and not having it be a total disaster is that we found out who on the team was ready to step up in his absence and one of those players earned a look on Eichel's line for tonight's game against the Hurricanes.

Tage Thompson started out the season slow and was a healthy scratch but received individual attention from the coaching staff and took it all in. Since getting back into the lineup he's slowly ramped up his game and was consistently one of the best Buffalo Sabres on the ice in Eichel's absence. Head coach Phil Housley ended up moving Thompson to right wing in a top-six role and the 6'6" 205 lb. winger responded with 11 shots, a goal, an assist and a plus-1 rating.

Thompson will join the Sabres leading scorer in Eichel (49 points) and their leading goal-scorer in Jeff Skinner.

Even with Jack Eichel back in the lineup, Housley needs to revamp lines

Published by hockeybuzz.com, 1-7-2019



Is there better evidence as to just how much Jack Eichel means to the Sabres than the Boston game on Saturday night. Buffalo was in trouble early in the game and struggled through the first period before the Bruins steamrolled them through most of the second period. Although the B's only had a 2-0 lead, they spent much of the third period playing the game in preseason-mode as opposed to the playoff-like fury they unleashed on the Sabres the prior two periods. Were it not for goaltender Linus Ullmark, this game would have been a laugher.

Eichel was signed to an 8yr./$80 million contract extension in October, 2017 despite not playing to his superstar potential on a regular basis. On many occasions we'd seen his remarkable skating, stickwork and scoring ability fueled by a deep desire to win, but in comparison to the other young superstars in and around his class, we hadn't seen it from Eichel for a full season. Had he not come out and dominated the way he has this year, the injuries and team dysfunction he dealt with his first three seasons would have added up to nothing more than empty excuses. What we've seen this year is full on-Eichel as he roared to a 100-point pace on a team that looked destined for it's first playoff appearance in seven seasons.

Then an injury hit which sidelined him for two games.

It's not a dream, 9-game winning streak propels Sabres to top spot in NHL

Published by hockeybuzz.com, 11-25-2018


There's a nice symmetry to the Buffalo Sabres nine-game winning streak as they've won three in regulation, three in overtime and three in the shootout. In addition to that, nine different Buffalo players have scored the game-winning/game-deciding goal during the streak.

Last night in Detroit it was Sam Reinhart's turn. But it almost never happened as his giveaway in the neutral zone with only :17 seconds left led to a golden opportunity for the Red Wings that was snuffed out by the quick glove-hand of Sabres goalie Linus Ullmark. After the whistle one could see Reinhart in a gesture of thanks then saying some words that might have included, "I owe you one."

Seven rounds into the shootout both goalies had allowed one goal each and Reinhart skated to center ice with a chance to win it. He roofed a nifty backhand from in tight past Detroit Red Wings goalie Jimmy Howard for the 3-2 shootout win and the call from Sabres play-by-play man Dan Dunleavy said it all, "Say hello to your first place Buffalo Sabres."

Prior to this winning streak Buffalo sat fifth in the Atlantic division with a 7-6-2 record good for 16 points and had just come off of a 3-1 loss in New York where they were stonewalled by Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist. All-in-all their place in the standings at the time wasn't bad considering where they came from the prior year and the difficulties they had coming out of the gate this year.

Thoughts on the loss last night

Published by hockeybuzz.com, 9-23-2018


First things first. This Buffalo Sabres team looks a lot better right now when it comes to their passing, breakouts and the speed with which they play the game then they have in recent memory. But there's still a ton of work to be done.

The Sabres saved their big guns for the second of a home-and-home with the Toronto Maple Leafs and lost last night at KeyBank Center by a 3-2 score. Losing is disappointing whether it's preseason or not and doing it with the likes of Jack Eichel, Jeff Skinner, Sam Reinhart, Patrik Berglund, Kyle Okposo, Rasmus Ristolainen, Rasmus Dahlin, Marco Scandella, and Jake McCabe--a group of players who are in the top half for Buffalo--made last night a little tough to take. However it is what it is.

Leafs coach Mike Babcock has been in Toronto for three full seasons and has his systems in place. The Leafs front office, lead by team president Brendan Shanahan the past four years, has been loading the organization up with quality depth that reach down to the bottom lines and pairings of the reining Calder Cup champion Toronto Marlies. They know the system and play it well.

So when the Sabres faced off against a Leafs team that was missing some star power up front in John Tavares, Mitch Marner and Nazem Kadri along with Ron Hainsey and Morgan Reilly on the blueline, the talent-needle leaned a tad Buffalo's way. However, in a tribute to the quality depth the Leafs have developed and coaching Toronto enjoys with Babcock, the Sabres just couldn't get the job done.

The loss drops Buffalo to 2-2 on the preseason with three games to go. Both of those losses came at the hands of their QEW rival Maple Leafs.

Prior to the game last night the Sabres sent forwards Eric Cornel, Vasily Glotov and Kevin Porter, defensemen Zach Redmond and Devante Stephens and goaltenders Michael Houser and Adam Wilcox to Rochester. They have 43 players still on the roster and head coach Phil Housley told the gathered media post game last night that he doesn't "see too many more roster cuts" pointing to three games this week to close out the preseason.

Players up and down the lineup have been trying to gain the attention of the Sabres brass through four games. On Friday night in Toronto, forward Tage Thompson turned some heads as he showed off some deft stickwork and sniping ability on his goal. Thompson, who was acquired by the Sabres in the Ryan O'Reilly trade with St. Louis, was promised by Buffalo GM Jason Botterill a shot in the top-six and he got it last night when he was placed on a line with Eichel and Skinner.

For as much skill as he has, Thompson's defense needs some work. He was on the ice for both of Toronto's early second period goals and didn't see the top line again as Reinhart moved up to Eichel's right wing. Thompson finished with 13:08 of ice time, had five shots on goal (two on the top line) and was a minus-2. He's a minus-5 for the Toronto home-and-home including Tavares' empty-netter on Friday night.

Reinhart taking Thompson's place on the top line worked pretty well as he played extremely well in his first game back after ending a holdout by signing a two-year contract extension. "I thought he was one of our best forwards," Housley said last night. "He looked comfortable, fit right in, was on the puck. He was making plays." Sure enough. Buffalo first goal he got the puck to Eichel after a powerplay draw and headed towards his spot in front of the net. Eichel passed it to Okposo in the circle and he buried it with Reinhart providing a screen.

Reinhart also drove the net and sent a shot on net that was kicked to the stick of a Skinner who was also crashing the net. Skinner pounced on the rebound from in tight and put it home to tie the score 2-2.

Skinner looked real good again and seems to be developing some chemistry with Eichel. He had a goal while Eichel had two assists.

Dahlin had a couple of hair-raising moments last night, most notably when he had his pocket picked by 39 yr. old veteran Patrick Marleau who went the other way for a breakaway. Housley said afterwards that the 18 yr. old Dahlin will need to learn who's on the ice and that he expects the rookie to make mistakes. To his credit Dahlin motored on through the game with a short memory.

Marleau was stopped on his breakaway by Buffalo goalie Carter Hutton which was good to see for Sabres fans. For the past couple of seasons, opposition breakaways had the tendency to end up in the goal. Not so last night as Hutton closed the door. The former St. Louis Blue who signed a three-year free agent contract with Buffalo this summer looks like he's hell bent on solidifying his spot as the Sabres No. 1 goalie.

Hutton has a lot of good qualities and one of his best ones is how he handles the puck. He's very good with his stick and isn't afraid to wing it up-ice to a skater like he did on many occasions last night. For a team that had trouble moving the puck up ice last season, having a goalie who can move it like that is a huge weapon for this club.

It was good to see Zach Bogosian back on the ice. He looked pretty solid considering he hasn't played since January after undergoing back surgery. He was on Buffalo's third pairing with Nathan Beaulieu and came away with a plus-1 rating in over 18 minutes of ice-time.

The Sabres have a day off before preparing for Tuesday's Kraft Hockeyville USA game against the Columbus Blue Jackets in Clinton, NY just outside of Utica.

Sabres "B-squad" hold it's own at TOR. Leafs in BUF tonight

Published by hockeybuzz.com, 9-22-2018


If you were in the process of getting yourself a snack and/or a frosty adult beverage to take in the first game of a preseason home-and-home between the Buffalo Sabres and Toronto Maple Leafs you missed something pretty rare. Buffalo's Andrew Oglevie pounced on a rebound off of a Casey Nelson shot to make the score 1-0 only :30 seconds into the game last night. In 82 regular season games last season the Sabres scored a minute or less into a game only twice--Justin Bailey did it exactly 1:00 into a game against the Vancouver Canucks on October 20 while Ryan O'Reilly scored :30 into a game vs. the Ottawa Senators on April 4.

Buffalo lost both of those games by the same 4-2 score.

In fact it was pretty rare for Buffalo to score an opening goal in the first period last season. They did so once in six preseason games and only 26 times in 82 regular season games.

What a jolt. What a treat. Right?

Not really. Buffalo was blitzkrieged last night after that opening marker as the Leafs slapped three quickies on the Sabres beginning :18 seconds later. Toronto's Ron Hainsey, Pierre Engvall and John Tavares all scored in a 2:54 span to give the Leafs a 3-1 lead before Buffalo gathered their senses.

Toronto did what a lot of teams did to the Sabres last season--attack with speed and pressure while Buffalo was on it's heels. The Sabres top line of Casey Mittelstadt, Alexander Nylander and Tage Thompson were victimized on the latter two goals while Toronto's top two lines were responsible for two of the three goals.

For comparison's sake, these where the team's top two lines:

Toronto
Tavares, Mitch Marner, Zach Hyman
Nazem Kadri, Connor Brown, Josh Leivo

Buffalo
Mittelstadt, Nylander, Thompson
Vladimir Sobotka, Oglevie, Zemgus Girgensons

Much to their credit, the Sabres bounced back and pulled to within one goal as Smith charged the net off the half-wall and waited patiently before depositing it past a sprawling Garrett Sparks and into a gaping Toronto net to make it 3-2.

The Sabres would eventually tie it on a beautifully wicked toe-drag/snapshot from Thompson but the Leafs answered and would tack on an empty-netter for the 5-3 win.

There's a lot to be said about this Sabres team last night as the "B-squad" group of players held their own pretty well, especially after being down. Most of the players who struggled during Toronto's 3-goal outburst settled down and played well the rest of the way, beginning with goalie Linus Ullmark.

The 25 yr. old Ullmark who's slated for backup duty in Buffalo looked shaky as the Leafs buzzed the zone. He couldn't bail out his skaters on the first two goals as turnovers in their own zone caused some Keystone Cops moments, especially amongst the defensemen. On the third goal, Ullmark kicked out a rebound that went to an unchecked Tavares who was trailing on the play. He buried it into a gaping net.

Mittelstadt lost coverage on that one and perhaps Buffalo head coach Phil Housley had seen enough as he demoted the 19 yr. old his next shift. Without singling him out, Housley told the gathered media post game, "It wasn't working. So you try to make some changes."

Housley said that his team "got some momentum" off of those changes and that they scraped their way back into the first period.

Thompson's toe drag was nasty, as shown here from Sabres.com:

 

 

 

The tall (6'6") but slender (205 lb.) Thompson has a long reach and the way he controls his stick is a wonder. He was another one that got off to a slow start, looked slow and was playing slow but he managed to turn things around. He had another toe drag later in the game but shot it high and wide.

 

Housley loved defenseman Lawrence Pilut's game and had him on the ice for a game-high 25:31 while Sobotka lead Buffalo's forwards with 21:14 of ice-time. Nylander and Thompson both topped 19 minutes and Mittelstadt played 13:20 with the wingers going a minus-3 each while Mittelstadt was a minus-2.

 

Smith raised some eyebrows with his goal and some real good play, Nelson was solid and did what he usually does--get his shot through. Rasmus Asplund played his two-way game and was almost always in the right place while Brendan Guhle's sketchy night was the best of the d-corps after Pilut and Nelson.

 

For many of these players, last night's game against Toronto will represent the last time they'll don the Blue and Gold this preseason. Buffalo has three more preseason games after tonight where they'll whittle down the roster and get ready for the opener less than two weeks away.

 

 

*****

 

Sabres/Leafs Part Deux continues tonight with a matchup of American phenoms Jack Eichel and Auston Matthews, respectively, and some guy named Rasmus Dahlin who will patrol the blueline for Buffalo. In addition, former contract holdout Sam Reinhart will be making his 2018 preseason debut for the Sabres as well. Sabres defenseman Zach Bogosian, who had hip surgery in January, is scheduled to make his preseason debut tonight.

 

What the Leafs did last night featuring a large group of it's stars, Buffalo will do tonight. The Sabres' "Group A" played the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday and held on for a 3-2 win after jumping out to a 3-0 lead. Sobotka, Jake McCabe and Eichel tallied for Buffalo with Eichel's shorthanded breakaway goal showcasing his speed and deft stickwork:

 

 

(via Sabres.com)

 

Tonight's probable lineup from Chris Ryndak of Sabres.com:

53 Jeff Skinner - 9 Jack Eichel - 29 Jason Pominville
71 Evan Rodrigues - 10 Patrik Berglund - 23 Sam Reinhart
95 Justin Bailey - 22 Johan Larsson - 21 Kyle Okposo
20 Scott Wilson -51 Kyle Criscuolo - 65 Danny O'Regan 
64 Tyler Randell

6 Marco Scandella - 55 Rasmus Ristolainen
26 Rasmus Dahlin - 19 Jake McCabe
82 Nathan Beaulieu - 4 Zach Bogosian

33 William Borgen

 

 

Sabres prospecst take on Boston tonight after taking names vs. NJ

Published by hockeybuzz.com, 9-8-2018


It was pretty much everything a Sabres fan could want out of the first Prospects Challenge game. From Rasmus Dahlin scoring two goals and adding an assist to Victor Olofsson showing off his quick release and wicked shot to Alexander Nylander with some magic stickwork while potting one of two Sabres short handed goals to Tage Thompson getting on his horse and scoring the second shortie on a breakaway, a lot of things clicked for the youngins last night (see highlights below.)

This is the future of the Buffalo Sabres and for the 1,800 fans in attendance at HarborCenter they put on a helluva show in a 6-4 win over the New Jersey Devils last night.

With no disrespect to center Casey Mittelstadt, Dahlin leads this wave of young players. The fact Dahlin nudges out Mittelstadt, who played so well in his short six-game stint in Buffalo last season leading to a No. 2 center slot heading into this season, is an indication of just how good the prospect pool is at the top.

Dahlin was the first pick in the 2018 NHL Draft and was said to have franchise-changing qualities. At Sabres development camp Dahlin's skill level was on display as he flew through drills with ease and did everything except dominate the score sheet in the 3-on-3 tournament. However, that was against his fellow prospects and camp invitees. The Prospects Challenge would be his first taste of action against the best prospects from other NHL teams and after Round-1, the reviews were outstanding.

"Obviously he's a special player," Sabres Prospects coach Chris Taylor told the gathered media post game. On Dahlin's second goal the 18 yr. old native of Sweden jumped on a loose puck in the neutral zone and fed tournament invitee Myles Powell at the Devil's blueline before barreling towards the net. Powell sent a low shot far side that was kicked out to the right circle where Dahlin was there to blast home the rebound. Using that play as an example, Taylor said Dahlin's "instincts are amazing," and that "he's a smart player, knows when to go (on the attack) and when not to go" while also having "the confidence and ability to get back."

Sabres fans might be breathing a brief sigh of relief at Nylander's performance. Nylander was said to be engaged throughout the game and his shorthanded goal was a product of following the play and heading to open ice in front of the net. The skill Nylander showed on that goal was the type that had him labeled as possibly the most skilled player in his draft class yet his Houdini acts on the ice have him moving perilously towards bust status.

Nylander's shortie was set up by Rasmus Asplund who drew two defenders to the Devils left face off circle and outworked them to get the puck to a wide open Nylander. Asplund also set up Victor Olofsson for a one-timer on the powerplay. Olofsson used that patented one-timer on many occasions in Sweden while on his way to a league-leading 27 goals in the SHL last season, but his quick release blast from the slot wowed the fans at HarborCenter who were seeing it live for the first time.

The Svensk Brigade of Dahlin, Olofsson, Asplund and Nylander stole the headlines at this one but there were many other who made their mark. Thompson, acquired from the St. Louis Blues in the Ryan O'Reilly trade, showed great speed for a big man (6'5" 205 lbs.) as he jumped on a puck in the neutral zone while shorthanded and went in for a breakaway. He also showed off some deft stickwork with a deke and a shot that went top-shelf from in tight. Matej Pekar (2018, 94th) had two assists in the game and defenseman Will Borgen (2015, 92nd) patrolled the ice with a physicality that everyone at HarborCenter noticed.

Buffalo went into this tournament with what is widely considered one of the best, if not the best, prospect pools in the NHL and it showed. Dahlin lead the charge, the rest got their jiggy on and the Devils had no answer of which SB nation's John Fischer wrote, "On the ice, [the Sabres] were mostly a better team from start to finish. Their passes were better. Their puck control was better. They committed fewer and less costly turnovers. They appeared to have more attack time than New Jersey. They definitely had more odd-man rushes and breakaways. Their special teams were better. Most importantly, their best players on paper were the best players on the ice."

For Sabres fans the future, especially encapsulated in Fischer's last sentence, is pretty exciting.


*****

The Sabres take on the Boston Bruins tonight at 7 pm and despite The Athletic's Corey Pronman ranking
 the Bruins prospect system as 27th in the league, they still have some good quality players in the system. Boston's prospects beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 4-2 in the matinee yesterday.



2018 Prospects Challenge highlights--NJ Devils vs. Buffalo Sabres (via sabres.com)

 

 

Quick Scoresheet:

 

Rasmus Dahlin--3 pts. (2 goals, 1 assist)

Rasmus Asplund--2pts (2 assists)

Matej Pekar--2 pts. (2 assists)

Victor Olofsson--1 pt. (1 goal)

Tage Thompson--1 pt. (1 goal)

Cole Coskey--1 pt. (1 goal)

Alexander Nylander--1 pt. (1 goal)

Kevin Hancock--1 pt. (1 assist)

Oscari Laaksonen--1 pt. (1 assist)

Eric Cornel--1 pt. (1 assist)

Myles Powell--1 pt. (1 assist)

 

Primary assists:

 

Asplund--2

Hancock, Powell, Dahlin--1 each

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

• Pittsburgh vs. Boston, 3:30 p.m.
• Buffalo vs. New Jersey, 7 p.m.

 Saturday, Sept. 8

• New Jersey vs. Pittsburgh, 3:30 p.m.
• Buffalo vs. Boston, 7 p.m.

 Monday, Sept. 10

• Boston vs. New Jersey, 9:30 a.m.
• Buffalo vs. Pittsburgh, 12:30 p.m.

All games will be HarborCenter. Tickets are $10.

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

Digesting the Ryan O'Reilly deal

Published by hockeybuzz.com, 7-2-2018


Former Buffalo Sabres GM Darcy Regier was a thief when it came to the return he got for his players. Tim Murray was a drunken sailor in respect to what he sent away to get his players. in the two years between the two when the Sabres were in rebuild-mode, the assets Regier got from trading is core group were thrown around by Murray and essentially wasted as none of the big three players Murray wanted to fast track his rebuild with are on the team are on the team. Jason Botterill came in as GM last season and in 14 months stopped the madness and began replenishing the cupboards that were left barren by his predecessor.

Murray's acquisitions of Evander Kane, Robin Lehner and Ryan O'Reilly cost the Sabres two first-round picks, a second rounder, three young prospects (Brendan Lemieux, J.T. Compher and Nikita Zadorov) and two older prospects (Joel Armia and Mikhail Grigorenko) in various deals. He also completely emptied the organization in pursuit of the top-overall picks in two consecutive drafts. The two years after Murray and the Sabres tanked for Jack Eichel, his teams in Buffalo and Rochester were still left barren, he was fired and Botterill was brought in last May to clean up the mess.

Botterill took two of Murray's 'Big Three' and brought home some assets. At the 2018 trade deadline he traded Kane to the San Jose Sharks for what would end up being a 2019 first round pick, prospect Danny O'Regan and either a 2019 fourth-rounder or 2020 third round pick (at the discretion of the Sharks.) Last night he traded O'Reilly to the St. Louis Blues for a 2019 lottery protected first round pick, a 2021 second, big forward prospect Tage Thompson and two veteran forwards in Patrick Berglund and Vladimir Sobotka. Of the eight futures Murray traded away to get his trio, Botterill was able to receive six in return.

Which isn't bad considering the place Botterill was in. Everyone knew Kane, a pending UFA, was a goner by the trade deadline and an O'Reilly trade was becoming more and more a foregone conclusion with each passing day. Yet both were valued enough by their new teams for them to send a decent amount of assets Buffalo's way to land them. Did Botterill fleece his trade-partner? Not even close. But he did what he could with what he had and for the situation he was in.

Quantity over quality seems to be the theme of this trade with the picks, namely the first-rounder, being the highlights of the trade. The Sabres now have three first round picks at the 2019 NHL Draft which is strangely familiar to what the team had in 2015. Much to the dismay of some in Sabreland Murray traded two of those picks (Nos. 21 and 25) in separated deals for young vets. Three years later it seems as if the consensus is that they should be trading one of their 2019 first rounders for immediate help.

There were thoughts that Botterill could land a top prospect, hopefully a left-winger, in the O'Reilly trade but when that didn't happen and because of it there seems to be a movement that would like to see a package, including a first-rounder, sent to another team for a top prospect. Which probably won't happen (although many thought the O'Reilly to St. Louis trade was finished.)

Thompson is a former first round pick (2016, 26th overall) but in his brief foray into the NHL, hasn't shown much. After leaving school (UConn) early, the 6'5" 205 lb. Thompson played for the Blues AHL affiliate for 16 games then made the big club last season out of camp. He ended up playing 41 games for St. Louis scoring nine points (3+6.) However, he had more success at the AHL-level scoring 18 points (8+10) for the San Antonio Rampage.

"What we see with Tage," said Botterill in a conference call with the media last night, "is a kid that has a great shot, great size, a really good reach on the ice. We think he's going to be a really good player that will step into our lineup and grow with our young centermen." Botterill would add later, "we really like his hockey sense and he has a bit of a shooter's mentality."

Berglund and Sobotka were interesting acquisitions by Buffalo in that their combined cap-hit of $7.350 million is just shy of O'Reilly's $7.5 million AAV. Berglund has four more years left on his deal while Sobotka has two. O'Reilly is a top-two center on most clubs in the league and will fall right into place in St. Louis.

On the same conference call Botterill framed the acquisition of the two veteran forwards as "getting NHL forwards that come in and [provide] more internal competition for our group, which is very important." The versatile Berglund will probably be somewhere in the top-nine  for Buffalo and if he ends up at center he may be able to help ease the burden of 19 yr. old center Casey Mittelstadt who's right behind Eichel on the depth chart at center. Sobotka can anchor the fourth line in an energy role. Either player can play center or wing.

Although it's not a huge haul for Buffalo talent-wise, perhaps Botterill learned a lesson from the Kane deal. It was rumored that a couple of first-rounders were on the table for Kane in December but Botterill waited. At the trade deadline the Sharks were only team to put forth a viable offer for the talented powerforward and Botterill had to take it. Had he not re-signed with the Sharks, that first-rounder Buffalo got would have turned into a second round pick.

Both St. Louis and the Montreal Canadiens were said to be in on O'Reilly but the Blues came through, and did so prior to 12:01 am today meaning that they took on O'Reilly's $7.5 million bonus for this season. Botterill said that if it went past that deadline and the Sabres had to pick up the bonus, "the asking price was certainly going to be a lot different." In doing that, Botterill put together a package that might not have been the most enticing to Sabres fans, but it got Blues GM Doug Armstrong to consummate the deal. "[Picking up the bonus] certainly played a role in making sure the deal was done" he said.

Botterill played it cool when it came to the goings-on in Buffalo's locker room, of which O'Reilly was rumored to be somewhat of a problem. He wiggled around that notion saying that he and his management group felt that they "had to change the dynamic."
"Bottom line," he continued, "there's a lot of great people in that locker room,  but when you finish 31st you must look to make changes."

Eichel was drafted as a franchise center and ever since that day the Sabres were looked at as his team. Most feel that O'Reilly never subscribed to that philosophy, something that may have caused some friction in the locker room. With him being traded, that's now in the past. The Sabres will move forward with a very young core featuring Eichel, Mittelstadt and Sam Reinhart up front and will be anchored by 2018 first-overall pick Rasmus Dahlin on the back end.

With O'Reilly now gone, Botterill's stamp is firmly on this team. Opinions will vary as to how good of a job he's done to this point but in 14 months he's been able to lay a foundation with his vision of what kind of team he wants and he may have moved out pieces that never fit his idea of the type of character he wants in his players.

Three years ago Tim Murray went out with the old and in with the new, as in young vets and two second-overall picks. Botterill flushed Murray's ideals away and starts anew with a very talented group of youngins cutting their teeth in new positions. He did what he had to do, now we'll see where it all leads.