Former Sabres dot the 2020 Stanley Cup semi-finals

Nearly every National Hockey League team can lay claim to former players in the NHL's 'final four," and Buffalo is no different. However, the Sabres have the dubious distinction of trading away a player in center Ryan O'Reilly who ended up being a 2019 Conn Smythe winner for playoff MVP while helping to lead the St. Louis Blues to their first-ever Stanley Cup. O'Reilly also won the Selke Trophy for best two-way forward in 2018-19 while the Sabres were extending their playoff drought to eight seasons.

Egg meat face.

It happened. And there's no sense in re-hashing the details as that horse has been beaten to the point of cremation. Yet, as we move along in the 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs, there's another player from former Tim Murray's "young-vet" group of acquisitions that is helping power his team to possibly their first Stanley Cup.

Murray took over as Sabres general manager, made sure the Sabres finished dead last in 2015 (guaranteeing either Connor McDavid or Jack Eichel in the Blue and Gold,) and went for a quick rebuild after gutting the entire organization of talent. The process ended up setting Buffalo back years and the organization still hasn't fully recovered. While the Sabres are stuck in the bottom third of the league, closing in on an NHL playoff drought-tying record, some of the players Murray counted on to speed up the rebuild process have advanced with their teams.

The 2015 NHL Draft was a whirlwind of activity for the Sabres as not only were they planning on drafting Eichel second-overall, but also had Murray working the phones and pulling off trades for O'Reilly from the Colorado Avalanche and goalie Robin Lehner from his former team, the Ottawa Senators. 

Lehner actually kicked off the day for the Sabres as Buffalo traded the 21st-overall pick for a 23 yr. old goalie who was caught up in a three-way battle to man the crease in Ottawa. Murray called Lehner "high-end competitive" and believed he would become "a No. 1 starter...on a good team, on a contending team, on a playoff team."

True words, but not in Buffalo where he went 42-61-22 with a 2.77 goals-against average and .916 save percentage before the Sabres. It was a tumultuous time in Buffalo as not only was Lehner battling inconsistencies in front of him on the ice, but he was also, as we would come to find out after the Sabres let him walk in 2018, battling debilitating demons within. He finally landed with the Vegas Golden Knights after a 2018-19 season with the New York Islanders and a partial 2019-20 season with the Chicago Blackhawks who traded him to Toronto before the Leafs moved him to Vegas. Lehner would win the trust of Golden Knights head coach Peter DeBoer in the playoffs and wrestled the starters job away from three-time Cup-winner, Marc-Andre Fleury and just led Vegas to a Game-7 shutout win over the Vancouver Canucks last night. He heads to the semis with an 8-4-0 playoff record, a 1.99 GAA, .918 sv% and three shutouts.

Was Murray right in trading for O'Reilly and Lehner back in 2015? Yes and no. Right players (albeit a a premium,) bad timing might be the best way to look at it.

Another Murray-trade that turned out poorly was trading defenseman Brayden McNabb (2009, 66th-overall,) along with two second-round picks and F, Jonathan Parker to the L.A. Kings for Nicolas Deslauriers and prospect Hudson Fasching, whom he acquired as "heavies" for the team. Although this wasn't a direct egg-in-the-face trade, embarrassment came later. The Kings left McNabb exposed to the 2018 NHL expansion draft, the Knight's plucked him and McNabb has been a mainstay on their top-pairing displaying definitive chemistry with top Vegas d-man Nate Schmidt.

Another member of Vegas who was once in the Sabres organization is forward William Carrier, whom Buffalo left unprotected at the expansion draft. New GM Jason Botterill made a deal with Vegas GM George McPhee sending a 6th round pick to Vegas to protect goalie Linus Ullmark. McPhee took that pick and Carrier who has now played in 162 regular season and 32 playoff games over three seasons for the Golden Knights.

Carrier and Vegas recently agreed to a 4yr./$5.6 million contract extension.

Staying out west, the veteran laden Dallas Stars will take on Vegas with two former Sabres patrolling the blueline in lesser roles. 

Defenseman Andrej Sekera was a 2004, third-round pick of Buffalo and at 34 yrs. old is doing that journeyman thing. Sekera left Buffalo after the lockout-shortened 2012-13 season and has had stints in Carolina, Toronto, Los Angeles, Edmonton and now Dallas. The Stars have him in a lower-pairing role with heavy penalty killing duties. As a player who was much maligned in Buffalo by a fan-base that over-emphasized his short-comings while de-emphasizing his positive qualities, it would bring this writer some pleasure seeing him skate around the ice with the Cup in his hands.

Taylor Fedun is another former Sabres d-man playing for Dallas. The undrafted free agent initially signed with the Edmonton Oilers out of Princeton University, and played for the San Jose Sharks and Vancouver Canucks before landing in Buffalo in 2016. Botterill traded Fedun to the Stars in November, 2018 where he's been contributing as expected in a reserve role.

The NY Islanders have no former Sabres on their team as they head to the Eastern Conference Championship series but their opponent, the Tampa Bay Lightning do.

Defenseman Zach Bogosian was another young-vet, Murray acquisition and though he wasn't the primary piece received in a blockbuster deal with the Winnipeg Jets in 2015 (winger Evander Kane was the key player,) he was expected to, at the very least, be a top-four defenseman who would be with Buffalo a long time while Murray worked young players through the system.

Bogosian was in Buffalo for a relatively long time, six years, but only played in 243 games for the Sabres due to a rash of injuries that hit like clockwork on a yearly basis. The former first round pick (2008, third-overall) was drafted as a big, gritty defenseman with excellent skating and some real good offensive touch but little of that showed in Buffalo as he was either playing injured, on injured reserve or recovering from injuries. Eventually it came to the point where the Sabres wanted to trade him, but his $5.14 cap-hit made him immovable. 

When he came back from his latest injury, head coach Ralph Krueger gave him a shot and made him a healthy scratch (for the first time in the defenseman's career) prompting Bogosian asked for a trade. With no takers the 29 yr. old was waived, failed to report and was given his unconditional release. Bogosian hooked up with the Lightning on an NHL-minimum salary.

Like O'Reilly before him, Bogosian walked into a situation where the team was set and he had his defined role within that setup and he's performed well with nearly all of his advanced metrics either at the top amongst Tampa Bay defensemen or in top-three.

Odds are that at least one former Sabre will be skating around with a big smile on his face while lofting the Stanley Cup high above his head. Which one will it be?

We shall see.

Sabres in Los Angeles, plus former d-men Brayden McNabb and Mark Pysyk

Published by hockeybuzz.com, 3-16-2017


The Buffalo Sabres are in Los Angeles tonight for Game-2 of their three-game West Coast swing. The Sabres defeated the Kings in Buffalo back in December as they overcame a 2-0 deficit with four unanswered goals in a span of 6:15 to eventually win 6-3. Ryan O'Reilly, Jack Eichel (2,) and Brian Gionta scored in the Sabres blitzkrieg while Evander Kane and Sam Reinhart finished it off with goals late in the third period.

With that win, the Sabres are assured of at least a season split for the fourth season in a row. Somehow, even through the down years of 2013-15, Buffalo has managed a win at home. However, haven't won in Los Angeles since 2003.

The Kings are battling for a wild card spot while the Sabres, for all intents and purposes, have only 12 games left before their season ends.

It's been a rough season for the Sabres with everyone feeling the heat from the players to head coach Dan Bylsma to GM Tim Murray. Injuries and inconsistencies have plagued the club since Eichel was lost for the first 21 games with a high-ankle sprain. Although they had many opportunities to get on a roll, Buffalo's longest winning streak reached three games while their longest points-streak reached four. Every team above them in the standings has had a winning streak of at least five games or more save for the NY Islanders who've had two six game points-streaks with five wins each time.

The Sabres will face off against former defenseman Brayden McNabb who was traded by Murray to the Kings on March 5, 2014. In the deal Murray also sent two second round picks (both acquired from LA in the Robyn Regehr trade) and in return the Sabres received two "heavies," as Murray called them--forward Hudson Fasching and defenseman turned winger, Nicolas Deslauriers.
It was Murray's first trade of his own volition as the trade of Ryan Miller and Co. to the  St. Louis Blues on February 28, 2014 was in the works via the previous regime.

Murray is getting his fair share of the blame for a disappointing 2016-17 Sabres season as the defense he went into the season with has been sub-par at best, brutalized at worst. Although McNabb isn't anything close to a Bill Hajt-type shutdown defenseman, the 26 yr. old former third-round pick (2009) has managed to play a third-pairing role while also showing some capabilities when placed in the top four.

I'm not sure the left-handed McNabb would have brought much more to the table than any of the other bottom-four defenseman for Buffalo, but when you look at a poor season by Deslauriers, the injuries that have plagued Fasching this season as well, and when you add in that the Sabres defense looked to be in disarray for the better part of 2016-17, an argument could be made that he may have been able to help.

Fasching, who suffered a severe groin injury in a game October 30 may be back in the lineup tonight as rookie winger Justin Bailey has been dinged. The 6'2" 207 lb Fasching got the call from Rochester for the West Coast swing and is looking for his first NHL point this season. After returning from injury Fasching played in 23 games for the Amerks registering five goals and two assists in that span. He's had one point in his last six Amerks games.

It's another late start as the puck drops at 10:30 EST.


*****

There's a tendency in Sabreland, or most any fanbase for that matter, to consecrate a lost player as the second coming. Even though said player may have been a good player, when he leaves Buffalo he's placed a notch or two above where he really was.

We went through that with McNabb after he played next to Drew Doughty and acquitted himself well. All of a sudden, a projected third-pairing defenseman became was looked at as a top-two and the Sabres screwing up.

It's happening again with departed defenseman Mark Pysyk.

Pysyk was traded to the Florida Panthers along with two picks for defenseman Dmitry Kulikov and the 33rd-overall pick at the June draft. While Kulkove was struggling with injury and downright awful play at times, Pysyk was holding his own and playing well in a third-pairing role for the Panthers.

Good for him. When playing for Buffalo Pysyk was a steady defenseman who could move the puck and occasionally jump up into the play. He was the type of player that the Sabres could've used this season although how much of an impact he could've made is debatable as he probably would've been in the same bottom-pairing role he'd been in the previous season in Buffalo.

The Panthers had him playing big minutes the last three games and Pysyk has responded with two goals and an assist while the team has gone 1-2-0 in those three games. The last game was a 7-3 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs which prompted Cats color commentator (and NHL Hall of Fame defenseman) Denis Potvin to get fired up about Pysyk's potential.

That in turn was overheard by former Sabres defenseman Mike Robitaille who was on with the morning crew on WGR.

The talk moved toward "who's to blame" for the disappointing Sabres season and the focus was now on Murray and some of his trades. McNabb was the first name up then the host brought up Pysyk. Robitaille used Potvin's commentary as a springboard noting that Pysyk was said to be "taking over the Florida defense" with top d-man Aaron Ekblad out. Then he went on to say that Pysyk's "solid, money in the bank," and "a 15-year defenseman, top-four.

"He's the real deal," said Roby.

Pysyk may very well be "the real deal" but just how much of a "real deal" are we talking about. Normally when you use a phrase like that you're talking superstar or star playing in a top role. When Pysyk was in Buffalo, most thought he was a No. 4-6 defenseman which is probably where he'll end up his career. He's a smart player who knows how to play the game and will do so in a manner that may in fact last 15 years.

Once again, good for him. I always liked his game and if he's a good fit in Florida more power to him and the Panthers. If the trade ends up being a flop for Murray, and Kulikov's problems certainly make it that way for this season, and/or if Pysyk does become a Niklas Hjalmarsson-type or better, than so be it.

However, spare me the canonization of Pysyk at this juncture of his career.


*****

Defenseman Taylor Fedun has been recalled from Rochester and is headed to Los Angeles. Fedun was recalled to replace Justin Falk who's dinged up.

The 28 yr. old Fedun last played for the Sabres on February 12 against Vancouver. In 25 games for the Sabres the soon to be unrestricted free agent had seven assists and was a plus-3 while averaging 13:38 of ice-time.

As the preseason gets a bit tougher, spots on the Sabres roster are tougher to come by

Winning the first three games of the preseason basically says that one team's mix of youngins is a little beter than another on a given night. Vets sprinkled in with recent draft picks and second-year AHL'ers in the right combination vs. the right combination of the same doesn't really amount to much in the grand scheme of things.

Which is not to take away anything from the players who are busting their ass to make a good impression on the Sabres brass. Winning, as well as getting on the score sheet, is good for confidence, but as the preseason moves forward the chaff gets separated from the wheat and the competition becomes a little more NHL-like. A little tougher.

The Sabres have lightened the ship. They sent five back to their junior clubs--draft picks Nicholas Baptise, Justin Bailey, Justin Kea, Logan Nelson and free-agent signee Connor Boland--on Monday.

On Friday before this weekend's home-and-home with Toronto, the Sabres really took a chunk out of the training camp roster by cutting 14 players. They assigned 12 players to Rochester:  forwards Colin Jacobs, Eric Locke, free agent signee Jonathan McGuire, Jonathan Parker, Kevin Sundher, Shawn Szydlowski, and Frederick Roy; defenseman Alex Lepkowski, and Matt McKenzie plus goaltenders Connor Knapp, Nathan Lieuwen and Andrey Makarov.

They also announced that defenseman Nick Crawford was sent to Rochester pending waivers while defenseman Brady Austin and free agent forward Peter Trainor were assigned to their junior clubs.

The team just announced that they're down to 35 players after six more were moved off of the roster. Forwards Daniel Catenacci and Phil Varone along with defensemen Jerome Gauthier-LeDuc "of Earl" and Tim Schaller were sent to Rochester.

Jamie Tardiff was also sent to the Amerks, pending waivers.

Former Minnesota 1st-round pick Colton Gillies was released from his pro tryout contract.

The Sabres will need to get down to 23 players by September 30.


***

This is where things get pretty interesting for the Sabres, whittling away 12 players from their roster to get down to the league max.

The Sabres will have one less goalie before they hit the ice for their opener at Detroit on October 2.

Although there's always the possibility that Jhonas Enroth will be moved, odds are that either Matt Hackett will be sent to Rochester or Ryan Miller, who's in the last year of his contract, will be traded.

The battle for the remaining 11 roster spots is mostly on defense and rounding out the bottom-six forwards.

Save for one possibility.

Joel Armia was selected with the 16th overall pick in the 2011 draft by the Buffalo Sabres. Since then he's been plying his trade in his native Finland playing in the top league against men.

“You play against grown men that are stronger,” Armia said. “They know how to play hockey. So that’s been a big difference in my development.”

At 20 years old he still has a long way to go in his development despite having played against men. And as he begins his first season in North America, he'll also be acclimating himself to a smaller ice surface.

But one thing that can't be denied is the skill package Armia brings.

Kris Baker of sabres.com and sabresprospects.com has Armia ranked third in his 2013-14 prospects rankings saying, "Armia's size and speed have the look of the Sabres' next scoring line threat off the wing [and] will immediately compete for NHL minutes when he brings his scoring hands to North America in 2013-14."

Baker also mentions Armia's quick release, sense for open space and tip skills as attributes that might allow him to make the jump right to the NHL this season.

Armia has played in two preseason games, has one goal and one assist, both points while playing on the top line with Thomas Vanek and Cody Hodgson.

Vanek had some good things to say about the kid after the game, “You can see that he puts himself in good spots,” he said. “Those are things you can’t teach. You either have it or you don’t, and he seems to have it.”

Armia definitely has the "it" factor. But a willingness to fully engage on a consistent basis in all three zones is what he'll need to show.

If he can do that in the remaining preseason games, there may a chance for him to earn a spot out of camp.


***

That Armia as a talented right-winger should make Vanek happy.

For some reason Vanek seems to have an aversion to playing on the right side despite his right-handed shot. Having Armia on the right while he stays in his comfort zone on the left side certainly would make him happy.

To open preseason, Vanek was on the right with Hodgson in the middle and Marcus Foligno on the left. The trio formed a pretty good line. Foligno scored two goals with that line at Columbus.

Last night Vanek and Hodgson had the night off while Foligno was on the left side of Tyler Ennis, who was playing his first preseason game at center. Drew Stafford was on the right.

The trio almost single-handedly lead the Sabres to a playoff birth in 2011-12, but fell on hard times last season and were split up.

They regained their magic last night as the Sabres top-line. Although being somewhat limited on the score sheet with Foligno scoring a goal and Ennis garnering an assist, they looked real good as a line carrying the play much of the night.

The fate of Armia, as well as which side Vanek plays on, may very well rest on the play of this trio. If they continue to work well, a top-nine could feature Vanek/Hodgson/Armia and Foligno/Ennis/Stafford.


***

The other line should pretty much be etched in stone:  Mikhail Grigorenko centering Steve Ott and Ville Leino.

At 19 years old, Grigorenko will be entering his second NHL season. Because of NHL rules he is ineligible for the AHL. He can either play for the Sabres or be sent back to junior.

Sabres GM Darcy Regier has already said that Grigorenko will be with the big club.

And his best chance for success will be on a line with Ott on his wing.

Grigorenko is big--6'3" 200 lbs.--and his highly skilled. He tops Baker's list of Sabres top prospects. But he is also having a rough time acclimating himself to the NHL game.

His skating is average at best and he looks disinterested at times.

In his first preseason game, he finally kicked it into gear and looked like he could hang with the big boys. That was with Ott and Leino.

He looked good last night playing on that line again.

Sandwiched in between was a stint with Ennis on the left and Brian Flynn on the right. Grigorenko really didn't fare that well.

With Regier's insistence on Grigorenko being with Buffalo, his best chance for success would be with Ott on the left and Leino on the right.


***

There is quality competition at the forward position. But there's even more quality competition on defense.

Locks for the top six are Tyler Myers, Christian Ehrhoff, and Mike Weber.

Rookie Mark Pysyk is coming off of a good 19-game stint with Buffalo last season, and has looked even better this preseason. He looks to be a lock for the top-six as well.

Hank Tallinder was traded for in the off season and should be the veteran mentor of the defense corps. He and Pysyk had some excellent chemistry when paired together in the first game.

Probably the only question in the top-six is Weber's partner.

The Sabres traded for Jamie McBain at the draft and he has shown enough to be a reserve/bottom-pairing d-man. He also has no waiver options.

Chad Ruhwedel came straight from college into a 10-game stint with Buffalo last season. He played well, but can be sent to Rochester without clearing waivers. "Rudy" could also use some seasoning in the AHL.

The Sabres will probably carry eight defensemen like they did last season which essentially leaves three players vying for two spots.

The veteran of the group is Alexander Sulzer. He came over in the Hodgson trade with Vancouver and is a solid bottom-pairing d-man. The Sabres re-signed him to a one year contract this summer.

His veteran presence isn't really needed with the big club, but he could get claimed should he be exposed to waivers.

Rasmus Ristolainen was the teams first round pick (#8 overall) in the 2013 draft. After two years playing in the Swedish Elite League, he was said to be NHL ready. And he sure looks the part.

He looked real strong in the first two preseason games before taking a step back vs. Carolina. Last night vs. Toronto he got that step back.

Despite his "NHL-readiness" a short stint in Rochester may be the best way to go for him as he learns game-to-game management, an area which affected him in that third preseason game.

Brayden McNabb has been playing in Rochester the last two season after four seasons with Kootenay of the WHL.

He has the size, 6'5" 215 lbs and offensive instincts to make the team out of camp. And he's also having a pretty good preseason.

Jon Vogl rightly points out that McNabb is making a strong case to be on the Sabres opening day roster.

"Not long ago," writes Vogl, "McNabb was the Sabres’ hot prospect on defense. Buffalo figured his physical skills would plug a hole on the blue line for years to come. A few drafts, trades and injuries later, McNabb is almost an afterthought."

McNabb is in the middle. He's not a rookie any more, and with only 25 NHL games under his belt he's not a veteran either.

But a one goal, two assist night vs. Carolina certainly garnered some attention for the former 3rd round pick. "McNabb shined in his second game of the exhibition season. He ripped a slap shot home and directed two pucks toward the net that were tipped into the cage." continued Vogl.

If McNabb continues to get noticed for the right reasons, he may earn himself the opportunity to not only make the team, but get some bottom-six minutes as well.

2013 first round draft pick Nikita Zadorov should get one more game to whet his appetite for the NHL. He'll be headed back to junior next week.

The Sabres visit Toronto tonight and a good chunk of players will be playing their last preseason game for the club.

Just a part of the process.

The NFL draft is over, back to the Sabres

The Buffalo Bills made some noise this off-season, and with the Sabres falling short in the standings, and clinging to the status quo, it's not hard to have your attention directed towards the team with the longest playoff drought in the NFL (13 years,) and how they may emerge from an aggressive off-season thus far.

Draft grades will be coming out left and right, but the prevailing theme is that GM Buddy Nix and his group of scouts scored a solid B/B+ in the draft. A solid if unspectacular group of rookies will be headed to Orchard Park to join FA defensive end acquisitions Mario Williams and Mark Anderson. (Click here for The Buffalo News' Mark Gaughan draft re-cap.)

When taken as a whole, the Bills bolstered both lines. On defense the signings of Williams and Anderson gave the Bills one of the best front-four in the league (on paper.) It also allowed them to focus upon other areas in the draft.

Cornerback Stephon Gilmore (#10-overall) was the consensus second-best corner in the draft behind Morris Claibourne. The Bills got him.

The other possibility for the Bills first pick was T Cordy Glenn, a projected first-rounder who dropped to the Bills at #41, much to their delight.

They plucked a speed receiver in TJ Graham with their third-round pick and then set themselves upon building depth.

They picked two linebackers, Nigel Bradham (#105) and Tank Carder (#147,) as well as another DB in Ron Brooks (#124) to shore up the defense. Bradham and Brooks, as with all picks, will have the opportunity to vie for a starting spot, but they're also looked at as big contributors on special teams.

The Bills drafted themselves some football players throughout, and Carder is a tough competitor, maybe because of the obstacles he's faced throughout his short lifetime.

In addition to shoring up the defense, the Bills did not rest on their Cordy Glenn-laurels. They added depth on the offensive line, as well as big bodies--T Zebrie Sanders (#144) and OL Mark Asper (#168.)

In fact, Nix seemed to feel so confident in his work, that when it came to their final pick, they had the luxury to take a kicker, John Potter (#271.) Potter is somewhat of a specialist at this point. His strength is kickoffs as he's looked at to consistently put the kick into the endzone.

All-in-all, Nix and Co. may have produced a solid if unspectacular draft that focused upon areas of need and stretched into less glamorous areas like special teams.

Good work.

**********

What we missed concerning the Sabres



Had he hit the net more often in his first year with the Sabres, perhaps they'd have been talking about a first-round battle with the NY Rangers instead of philosophising over a lost year.

Ville Leino was signed in the off-season for 6yrs./$27M and Sabres management had some expectations for him that, in the end, were simply out of reach for the LW-turned Center-turned LW-turned Center. His eight goals and 17 assists in 71 games certainly attest to that.

Leino was a no-show for almost all of the season, especially the first half, and after the Sabres were eliminated in Philadelphia, he was a no-show preferring, according to WGR beat writer Paul Hamilton, to chat with his pals on the Flyers. At locker clean-out day, Leino once again was a no-show.

Pretty sure everyone expected nothing from him until training camp, but Jon Vogl of the Buffalo News landed an interview with the Finnish forward.

The season was a battle. So went the headline.

And what was he battling?

Pretty much everything.

The Sabres brought Leino to bolster a weak center position, he was a big disappointment.

Not sure where the problems came from, but off season adjustments were sure to play a part.

Leino, though, takes it a bit further.

He inferrs that Lindy Ruff did not use him, as well as other players, properly, "There was a lot of pieces that were kind of out of place," Leino said. " "Coaches do most of the work, and obviously players want to be better, too."

He somewhat defends the coaching staff by saying, "They've got to work with what they were given."

Basically, Leino wasn't thrilled with where he stood on the team. Which is not surprising. He's coming off as a primadonna, which is not unusual.

The offseason should be interesting, with Tyler Ennis emerging as a legitimate top-six center and the addition of Cody Hodgson as a potential top-six center, Leino can now focus upon the wing.

That is if he's not worrying about what the GM, coach and his other players are doing.

---------

Speaking of Hodgson, dude caught some serious flak from his former GM.

Mike Gillis ripped his former #1 pick (#10-overall, 2009,) not long after his team was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs, "There clearly were issues that were ongoing," Gillis said of Hodgson. "I spent more time on Cody's issues than every other player combined on our team the last three years."

One must take into account the the Canucks had just been bounced in the first round after making it to Game-7 of the Stanley Cup Finals last season.

The trade that Gillis made to bolster his team--or more specifically, to match up with the Boston Bruins and their toughness--was to send Hodgson to Buffalo for "rugged" right-winger Zach Kassian (#13-overall, 2009.)

Other than the fact that Gillis threw Hodgson under the bus and proceeded to back over him again, it's interesting as to how candid he was concerning the trade and it's evolution. "We made a determination that he didn't want to be here," he said.

"There were six young players that I would have traded him for if any of them were ever made available. One was made available at the trade deadline and it was Zack."

"We put Cody on the ice in every offensive situation we possibly could [to hide defensive deficiencies,]" Gillis said. "I don't think he took more than five or six defensive zone faceoffs and that was by design. And like I said earlier, I don't regret that move. I'd do it again. I'd do it today."

They 'Nucks, actually, had been looking to move Hodgson since last summer. This was said of Coach Allain Vigneault by Tony Gallagher of the Vancouver Province, "it’s abundantly clear coach Alain Vigneault is not one of his big fans as the youngster was always the last possible option and was repeatedly slotted into situations seemingly designed to make him fail." (original link inaccessible, was directed there via Lyle Richardson. For more visit my piece.)

Hodgson is now out of the tumult that is Vancouver and is ready to start his off-season workout.

Once again he'll be working with hockey guru Gary Roberts, Hodgson's third off-season with him. Roberts, via Jon Vogl of the Buffalo News, thinks his pupil got a bum rap from his former team.

"If anybody knew this kid, this young man, to know what he went through mentally and physically for two summers trying to find out what the heck was wrong with him [back problems] -- of course they dealt with his issues more than anybody else in the organization because he was injured and they couldn't figure out what was wrong with him."

Roberts did not take kindly to what Gillis had to say about Hodgson either, "I listened to Mike Gillis the other day," Roberts said by phone over the weekend, "and my impression was, 'Are you kidding me?' "For me, I'd like to be the guy that looks at Mike Gillis and says, 'You're a moron.' It doesn't really do anybody any good other than the fact that Mike Gillis looks like, as they say on TSN, a dud."

Alas, life begins anew in Buffalo for the center. And it's a place that wants and needs him. All he'll need to do is work hard and leave it all on the ice. And according to Roberts, Hodgson has a work ethic that's right up there with Tampa Bay Lightning superstar Steven Stamkos.

----------

Marcus Foligno hit his stride in a rip-roarin', 14-game debut for the Sabres.

It was hard to hide his excitement for next season even as his Rochester Americans were cleaning out after getting swept in the playoffs. "It's tough to say that you're excited for next season, but I'm ready to go," Foligno said last week in Rochester. "It's just tough that the playoffs went the way they did, but I see a great opportunity ahead. I'm excited for it."

Foligno is fired-up, as is the organization, as to what he can accomplish over an 82-game season.

Lots of praise in the above linked article by Jon Vogl from Tyler Ennis to Drew Stafford to Amerks coach Ron Rolston.

Even some praise from Toronto Marlies coach Dallas Eakins who's team swept Rochester in the playoffs, "This will be his last bunch of games in the American League," Eakins said. "That's a guy, if you're building a team for the playoffs, you want him on the ice."

Matthew Coller of WGR also looks forward to Foligno next season and adds in that both he and young defenseman Brayden McNabb "face great expectations."

Coller wonders if Foligno set the bar "too high" and taps into his hockeysfuture bio that projected him as "C-grade" prospect, “Foligno’s role in the future will probably be as an energy winger on the third or fourth line who has enough skill that he can chip in offensively every once in a while.”

As for McNabb, he has the right attitude, “I have to come out and prove myself again,” McNabb said. “I have to just keep coming and try to make a statement. I have to come in ready to camp next year. I'm looking forward to doing that.”

Foligno and McNabb, two bright spots from an otherwise lame season.

Let the new core rise.

Washington, Somehow, Comes Up With An Effort More Lame Than Buffalo In Columbus

The Columbus game two nights ago was about as pitiful as it gets. It was the most pathetic display of hockey I've ever had the displeasure of witnessing. The 5-1 loss at Columbus was distressing enough, but I brought a friend to the game, his first NHL game. The only redeeming quality was the AC/DC "For those about to rock! (cannon fires) We salute you" goal celebration. He's a huge AC/DC fan.

It's a good thing that the Sabres played the Washington Capitals last night. They might be the only team in the league right now that will put on a pathetic display of hockey that's worse than the Sabres did in Columbus the previous night. And, if you factor in the pure talent-level, the Caps probably put on the worst showing of any team in the NHL this season.

(from l-r) Marc-Andre Gragnani, Brayden McNabb,
and TJ Brennan suit up for the game vs.
the Washington Capitals

Thanks, Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, Alexander Semin, Dennis Wideman and Co. Without your lousy performance last night, the Sabres would be looking at a 0-3-1 record in the last four, a F'N Center home record of 4-7-1, and a spot outside of the top-eight in the Eastern Conference.

And it wouldn't have been surprising to see the Sabres take another hit at home at the hands of the uber-talented Capitals. The Sabres had the ready-made exuse--an inordinate number of injuries.

The Sabres were missing eight regulars and one #7 d-man.

Let's go down the list:

• Tyler Ennis (F,) Injured Reserve, 10-25-11--sprained ankle
• Ryan Miller (G,) IR, 11-14-11--concussion
• Cody McCormick (F,) IR, 11-16-11--"upper body"
• Mike Weber (D,) IR, 11-18-11--"upper body"
• Tyler Myers (D,) IR, 11-23-11--broken wrist
• Pat Kaleta (F,) day-to-day, 11-23-11--"lower body"
• Brad Boyes (F,) IR, 11-25-11--knee
• Robyn Regehr (D,) day-to-day, 11-26-11--"upper body"
• Drew Stafford (F,) day-to-day, 11-26--11--"undisclosed"

Rookie Zack Kassian and
journeyman Paul Szczechura
suit up for the Caps game.

That list includes the starting goalie (Miller,) two top-four d-men (Regehr and Myers) and three top-nine forwards (Ennis, Stafford, Boyes.)

Taking their place (not including journeyman, Matt Ellis and Jochen Hecht, who returned from injury):

• Drew MacIntyre (G,) journeyman goalie--recalled11-14-11
• Corey Tropp (F,) one full AHL season--11-16-11
• TJ Brennan (D,) two full AHL seasons--11-21-11
• Zack Kassian (F,) 21 AHL games (three in 2011 post-season)--11-24-11
• Brayden McNabb (D,) 19 AHL games--11-26-11
• Paul Szczechura (F,) journeyman forward with 83 NHL and 214 AHL games in five seasons--11-26-11

Also in the lineup:

• Luke Adam (C,) 21 yrs. old, second NHL season--rookie
• Jhonas Enroth (G,) 23 yrs. old, second NHL season--rookie
• Marc-Andre Gragnani (D,) 24 yrs. old, first full NHL season
• Nathan Gerbe (F,) 24 yrs. old, second full NHL season

Szczechura started things off when he went full-bore in the the corner and got former Sabres draft pick Dennis Wideman (8th-round, 2002) to freak out (see video below.) Wideman sent a blind feed off of "Chewy's" stick that went right to Luke Adam who one-timed it past Thomas Vokoun. He also worked the corner and fed Adam for his second goal as the big Sabres center waltzed in on Vokoun with four Caps--including a pylon named Oveckin--merely watching and blasted one by.

Brayden McNabb levels Jason
Chimera in his 1st NHL game.

McNabb lead the team with six hits, a couple of doozies, and cleared the crease with attitude. He replaced Regehr and played a stand-up, defensive d-man role in his first NHL game.

Kassian scored his first NHL goal (in his second game) and proceeded to hit like the player the team envisioned when he was drafted with the 13th overall pick in the 2009 draft. The gap-toothed power forward scored on a weak goal, five-hole just :27 seconds after Jason Chimera pulled the Caps within one.

Zack Kassian celebrates his
first NHL goal. Derek Roy retrieved
the puck.

Tropp continued to be a nuisance and continues to make a strong push to stick once the walking wounded return. Brennan has played solid in his three games

In a tribute to the continuity of the Sabres system, Rochester coach Ron Rolston has prepared the youngsters well for the NHL game played by Buffalo. Enroth was rarely tested as the team played a simple "road game" at home. Nothing fancy, just solid d and smart decisions.



Luke Adam puts up his bear-claw
to high-five his teammates as
an obviously disenchanted
Alex Ovechin of the Caps
heads to the bench.

 If this is "the year of the core"--veterans who've played together for years leading the team this season--last night showed us a glimpse of "the new core." All of these players will have the opportunity to develop further in Rochester this season hoping to someday join the likes of Myers, Ennis and Gerbe as well as Adam, Enroth and Gragnani as the future of the Blue and Gold.


And thanks to the Washington Capitals last night, they got off to a rollicking start.

edit: TJ Brennan, Paul "Chewy" Szczechura and Corey Tropp were all sent down yesterday (Nov. 28.) Zack Kassian and Brayden McNabb have stuck with the team with their size factoring in on the decision.

Brayden McNabb Takes To the Ice Tonight In the Memorial Cup

Recently inked Sabres d-prospect Brayden McNabb takes to the ice tonight in Day 2 of Memorial Cup action.

The 6'4", 216 lb defenseman will captain his Western Hockey League Champion Kootenay Ice in a match-up vs. OHL Champion Owen Sound Attack.

McNabb was just signed to an entry-level contract by the Buffalo Sabres. According to Fletcher Doyle of the Buffalo News' Sabres Edge, it's a three-year deal with salaries of $615K, $690K and $840K.

According to Kris Baker of sabresprospects.com, "as a 2009er drafted out of Canadian juniors, McNabb must be signed by June 1st for the Sabres to maintain control of his rights."

Here's the full press release on McNabb's signing from the Sabres web site:

Buffalo Sabres GM Darcy Regier announced today the Sabres have signed defenseman Brayden McNabb to a three-year entry level contract. McNabb was a third-round selection (66th overall) by the Sabres in the 2009 Entry Draft.

“Brayden is a big kid with great offensive abilities, and he’s continued to improve every year in Kootenay,” said Sabres General Manager Darcy Regier. “His outstanding performance in the WHL Playoffs was just another positive sign in his development, and we are thrilled to now have him under contract for the next three years.”

McNabb (6’5”, 216 lbs., 1/21/1991, shoots left) just finished his fourth full season with the Kootenay Ice of the Western Hockey League, and is headed to the Memorial Cup Championship that begins this weekend in Mississauga. McNabb’s 27 points led all Canadian Hockey League defenseman in the postseason, and his 24 assists were more than any other CHL defenseman’s total points.

A native of Davidson, Saskatchewan, McNabb was tied for second overall in WHL Playoff scoring, and had a 12-game point streak from April 3-May 10 where he scored 21 points (2+19). He also posted a league-best plus-23 rating in the Ice’s 19 playoff games.

The 20-year-old McNabb improved his regular season point total for the third year in a row, finishing second among WHL blueliners with 72 points (21+51) in 59 games. In four full seasons with Kootenay from 2007-11, McNabb had 176 points (50+126) in 258 games, along with 419 PIMs.

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