Quick hits: Grigorenko to the "Q"; Brennan takes his slapshot to South Beach, Pysyk gets his shot

Ville Leino's return to the lineup yesterday left the team with too many roster players.

Instead of sending Brian Flynn or Marcus Foligno to Rochester, or waiving a player--sayyyy, Jochen Hecht--the Sabres instead chose to send rookie Mikhail Grigorenko back the Quebec to finish off his junior year with the Remparts.

Grigorenko made marginal strides in his play, but never showed that "wow" factor. Sending him back to junior should further his development for a return to the Sabres or a slot with Rochester either this season or next.

The overall view for the organization is that returning the 18 yr. old back to junior would further help his development. Said Darcy Regier, “This is driven by what is best for Mikhail and best for his career.”

Regier added, “He surprised all of us by being here for the length of time he has been here, and depending how far they go in the playoffs, he will be here after the season."

The Sabres burned a year on his 3-year entry-level contract, which didn't seem to bother the Sabres' GM, “It was an experiment,” he said. “There certainly are benefits. He certainly has a very good understanding of what it takes to play in the National Hockey League going forward. I think it’s very important, and he agreed, that he spend as much time as possible here in the off season training and preparing for next season.”

Interim head coach Ron Rolston agreed with the move, “With the way we were at as a team, it was difficult to give him the opportunity that he probably needed developmentally,” he said. “We just thought for our organization right now, the best thing would be for him to go and play in the playoffs and get playoff experience, and really be … a really big part of that team and be in every situation. …


“And also to go back there and be a leader, and to go back, have the right attitude and really help the young players there and just build his leadership skills.”

Kris Baker of sabresprospects.com, who follows the youngins, says that having Grigorenko with the big club for an extended stay wasn't such a bad thing, "While Grigorenko didn't stick with the big club, the two-month NHL experiment should not be deemed a failure," he said. [Grigorenko's] skating especially his stops and starts, became much improved while his exposure to an elevated pace should lead to a continued dominance at the junior level."

There was really no mistake keeping him up after his five game "audition." They made a mistake in thinking there was a stable situation with which to develop him. It's been anything but. It's a bad situation right now with Lindy Ruff getting fired, an interim coach, the team near the bottom of the league and big changes probably on the horizon.

Get the kid away from the toxic environment at the foot of Washington St. and bring him back when things stabilize, whether it be at the end of the season or end of the summer.


*************

Regier also did something that was very "un-Regier-like" last week. He made a trade.

TJ Brennan, a 2007 second-round pick (#31 overall) was sent to Florida for a 2013 fifth-round draft pick.

Not only is it very unusual for Regier to make a trade this far in front of the trade deadline, it's also unusual for the team to give up on a prospect, especially one which they've been developing for the past five seasons.

Good for the organization and good for Brennan.

The defenseman was reunited with his Portland Pirates AHL coach, Kevin Dineen, and last night he played over 23 minutes, scored a goal and was named the game's 2nd star.

Not a bad start. 

Rolston kinda thought that it would be good for Brennan to play for Dineen again.

(via Bill Hoppe, buffalohockeybeat) "It’s a real good opportunity for him,” Rolston said yesterday afternoon. “He played with Kevin in Portland, and they have a good feel for what he can do. I’m excited. He’ll have a good opportunity there.”

Will Brennan be able to transfer his AHL scoring prowess to the NHL?

“I think so, and there were signs of it here,” Rolston said. “It’s just we were in a situation we probably couldn’t use him to the full amount in those capacities with where we were. I think eventually for him that’ll show up. They’re a real good team power play team, too, in Florida, so I’m sure they’ll use him properly.”

Brennan is considered a "powerplay specialist" who has a "booming" shot from the point.

The problem in Buffalo was that he wasn't better than the six or seven d-men in front of him and he contracted Alexi Zhitnik disease--his "booming" slapshot rarely hit the net.

When people start talking about "powerplay specialist" and "booming slapshot," the first thing that pops into my head is Ales Kotalik.

Al MacInnis-type slapshots from the point rarely get through in today's NHL with all the clogging in front of the net. A quick release is more important. Or, in the case of Mike Weber last night, a well timed wrister works just as well.

In any case, TJ Brennan and is "booming" slapshot are now in South Beach.


*************

The trade of Brennan and another injury to Andrej Sekera has opened up a spot for a young d-man.

Rookie Mark Pysyk was recalled from the Amerks and will be in the lineup tonight as a fill-in for Sekera.

Pysyk is 21 yrs. old and has not even had a full year in Rochester yet, but he's been playing some real good hockey over there. He has 18 points and a plus-8 rating in 57 games for the Amerks, and Rolston has often commented on his poise when on the ice.

(via Paul Hamilton, WGR)

"I had [Pysyk] there for quite a bit and he's playing very well for them. He's a real smart defenseman who skates very well, good puck-mover, good defender so he's got a complete game." Rolston added, "He keeps the game really easy on himself, he's real efficient."

Good luck to Pysyk in his first NHL game tonight.


***********

Gritty forward Patrick Kaleta has finished serving his five game suspension for the hit on the Rangers Brad Richards.

But, unfortunately for him, he'll be a healthy scratch at Washington as Rolston is sending the agitator a message.

The coach had this to say about Kaleta's missed time, "He understands what just happened and the way he’s got to play. But again, we want to balance the way he plays and not take that away from him either because that’s what makes him a valuable hockey player in this league."

The Sabres lost the Rangers game in OT and went 1-2-2 during Kaleta's suspension, a fact not lost on Rolston, "it’s a situation where he understands that sitting out five games for him wasn’t a good thing and it wasn’t a good thing for our team." The coach added, "We have to make adjustments and he has to make adjustments going forward.”

There's a new sheriff in town there, Patty.

Kaleta's response, "“I’m (ticked) off. I want to play,” Kaleta told reporters this afternoon in Washington. “And especially after watching some things, sitting there watching the game, I want to play.”

The charge of the youngins

Darcy Regier made it official today, center Mikhail Grigorenko will be in the lineup tonight vs. Toronto. With the move, the #12 overall draft pick in the 2012 draft will be playing in his sixth game for the Sabres making him ineligible to return to junior.

Barring any changes, the 18 yr. old Grigorenko will be joining 22 yr. old center Cody Hodgson and C Tyler Ennis, 23, to form one of the, if not the, youngest trios of top-three centers in the league.

It's a changing of the guard down the middle for Buffalo.

Regier's old core, or "the Rochester Guys" as President Ted Black called them, is slowly being dismantled. Only one center, Jochen Hecht (who was not a "Rochester Guy" but considered part of the core none the less,) is in the post-Chris Drury/Daniel Briere line up this season. Tim Connolly was not re-signed in 2011, Paul Gaustad was moved at the trade deadline in 2012 and Derek Roy was traded during the 2012 off season.

TJ Brennan will also be on the ice tonight. The 23 yr. old rookie will be making his first appearance this season. He has 11 NHL games to his credit--all from last year--and the Sabres carried him as an eighth defensman rather than risk loosing him to waivers.

He'll be joined on the ice by defenseman Mike Weber. Weber is far from a youngin, but the 25 yr. old only has a total of 132 games in his four seasons with the big club.

Both will be playing different roles for the team.

Buffalo is in need of scoring and they'll be looking to Brennan to help fill that role, especially on the PP where his wicked shot found the back of the net seven times while with Rochester this season. He'll be taking the place of journeyman Alexander Sulzer (healthy scratch) who has performed admirably, but is not considered an offensive threat.

The big, physical Weber will be replacing the big, physical veteran Robin Regehr who has a "lower body injury." He'll looking to bounce back from a very poor 2011/12 campaign which saw his minutes decline along with his plus/minus rating. He was a team worst -19 last season.

Although the team still has some vets in their prime like Thomas Vanek, Jason Pominville, Ryan Miller, Andrej Sekera, they are getting younger.

The 23-and-under brigade features the aforementioned centers--Ennis, Hodgson and Grigorenko--as well as LW Marcus Foligno (21) while Brennan will be joining fellow defenseman Tyler Myers (22) on the back end.

The changing of the guard is in full swing and the new core rising.

Defenseman TJ Brennan leaves Rochester with a bang

Sabres prospect TJ Brennan probably played his last game for Rochester last night. In fact, he probably played his last game in the AHL for now.

The 6'1", 213lb. offensive defenseman will head east to Buffalo for today's start to training camp after pulling off a "Gordie Howe Hat Trick" last night in Syracuse during the Amerks 4-1 win over the Crunch.

Brennan started out the trick last night by coming to the defense of Amerks forward Zemgus Girgensons who was leveled by Crunch forward Richard Panik. Although it wasn't much of a fight, Brennan did not hesitate to drop the gloves for what he considered a late/dirty hit on his teammate.

Next up, mid-way through the third period with the Amerks up 2-1, Brennan go the primary assist on Kevin Porter's goal to make it 3-1.

And lastly, Brennan connected on the PP with less than five minutes to go on a wicked one-timer from the circle (for video, visit sabresprospects.com).

Brennan left Rochester for the Sabres camp with a team-leading 14 goals, 21 assists, 35 points and seven powerplay goals in 36 games.

Drafted with the first pick in the second round (#31) of the 2007 draft, the former lacrosse player who didn't start playing hockey until he was 10, spent his first three seasons working on his defense. Although he still put up respectable offensive numbers.

During his first two seasons in Portland and last season in Rochester the defenseman was finding his way. In an interview with the Cherry Hill (NJ) Courier Post's Randy Miller, Brennan admits to 'kind of stressing a bit' during those seasons. But this season he may have finally "got it." 'It’s been a really fun year,” he said, "I think I’ve learned to just work on my game and do what’s in my control.'

What's in his control right now is a shot at making the team for this abbreviated season.

The Sabres, though, have eight NHL defensemen on the team already, and it will be a tough road to make the club.

But he does have two things working in his favor.

First, Head Coach Lindy Ruff seems as if he may be tinkering with the idea of incorporating specialists including a "specialty defensman" while givining his top-six forwards and top-four defensmen the bulk of the minutes. This could open the door for Brennan to be used as a powerplay specialist on the point.

And secondly, Brennan is on a two-way contract and is out of waiver options. Should he be exposed to waivers, there's little doubt he'll be picked up by any number of clubs who are in the market for defensemen.

Regardless of what happens, Brennan seems intent upon 'doing the best [he] can' while 'letting the people with power make the decisions,' and if he continues where he left off in the AHL, it will be a most difficult decision for the Sabres.

Buffalo adds another heavyweight and clogs up the blue line with two signings yesterday

It would seem as if the Milan Lucic/Ryan Miller incident from last November is stuck in the Sabres collective craw.

Terry Pegula saw his $6.25M investment get run over and his team do nothing about it, and it would seem as if he didn't want to see that happen again.

In another move to add toughness to the organization, the Sabres signed Nick Tarnasky to a two-way contract.

Tarnasky is coming back to North America after playing one season in the KHL.



Sabres signee Nick Tarnasky (r) takes on
Aaron Voros of the NY Rangers.



For parts of five season in the NHL before that, the 6'2" 225 lb forward was a willing combatant and abrasive forward with Tampa Bay, Nashville and Florida. He will be joining 6'8" 245 lb. Joe Finley as protector of the youngins in Rochester and should end up on a line with another good-skating, tenacious forward--Maxim Legault.

Amerks coach Ron Rolston thinks he'll be able to fill in up and down the lineup. Tarnasky is coming to Rochester on the heels of a season in Russia where he said he was playing nearly 18 minutes a game and was being used in all situations, something he was never asked to do in the NHL.

This is the third move for the Sabres organization directed at adding toughness. They signed the best heavyweight available in 6'8" pugilist John Scott and traded skill center Derek Roy to Dallas for gritty forward Steve Ott.

Adding more beef and toughness should allow the skill players in the organization a chance to feel more comfortable on the ice.

And maybe allow Terry Pegula to sleep a little better at night.



Defenseman TJ Brennan looks to be either a Buffalo Sabre or playing in another organization this season.

The 6' 215 lb rearguard was re-signed on a one year deal and will be entering his fourth pro season. He will not be able to join the Amerks without clearing waivers.

Brennan is coming off his best pro season in the AHL having scored 16 goals (tops amongst Amerks defensemen) and 30 points in 52 games.

Back when he was drafted with the first pick in the second round (#31, 2007) it was rumored that the Philadelphia Flyers were miffed that the Sabres snatched the New Jersey native with their pick. Brennan ended up being the draft pick that was swapped with Philadelphia for Sabres goaltender Martin Biron at the trade deadline that year.

He had been a lacrosse player up until 2006 when he decided to shift his focus solely on hockey and has been a project that's been progressing at a slow yet definitive pace.

In 192 games for St. John's and Montreal of the QMJHL the offensive-minded defenseman with a strong shot and powerplay acumen scored 37 goals (16 on the pp) and added 79 assists but was a minus-24.

In the last three years for Portland/Rochester he's played in 187 games, had 37 goals (14 on the pp,) added 55 assists and was a plus-14.


TJ Brennan hold the puck from
his first NHL goal on Nov. 23, 2011.



He had an 11 game stint with the Sabres last season which saw him get his first NHL goal in his first NHL game, the first time a Sabres defenseman had done that since Lindy Ruff in 1979. He also acquitted himself well on the back end finishing with an even plus/minus rating in over 14 minutes per game.

It's a been a steady progression for the 23 yr. old who's said that he's been focusing upon the defensive aspects of the game since turning pro. And his re-signing with no waiver option adds to the conundrum on the back-end this summer.

As of right now the Sabres have nine NHL-calibre defensemen presently on their roster. With Christian Ehrhoff, Tyler Myers, Jordan Leopold, Robyn Regehr and Andrej Sekera nailing down five of the top six spots, it leaves Brennan battling with Mike Weber, Alexander Sulzer (acquired from Vancouver in the Cody Hodgson trade) and recently acquired (via the Roy/Ott trade) Adam Pardy for the sixth and seventh spots on the back-end.

Pretty obvious that somethings got to give.




Links used in this piece:
http://www.democratandchronicle.com/article/20120717/SPORTS/307170056/Amerks-signing-Tarnasky-Brennan?odyssey=tab%7Ctopnews%7Ctext%7CSports


Brennan was one of six Sabres to score their first NHL goal last season.
For a video compliation, click here.

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.

A Valiant Effort



Paul Gaustad knew what needed to be done. Or felt that he needed to challenge Milan Lucic. And he did on their first shift. And he took a pretty good beating. Good thing it was real early, Lucic wasn't warmed up yet, “It was my first shift, you know,’’ he said. “It’s kinda tough to get angry.’’



The girls' reaction in the second row says it all.
Everyone knew what Gaustad was in for
tangling with Milan Lucic, but it didn't matter.
The effort was appreciated
througout Buffalo.



Gaustad earned some respect, though. As did the Sabres even though they eventually dropped a 4-3 decision to Boston in a shootout.

After the game, Lucic was asked about Gaustad and the fight, "It was straight to the point," he said. Teammate Chara gave props to Goose, "You have to give Gaustad credit," Chara said. "He's a stand-up guy and he did a good job for his team. So did Looch."

Gaustad and the team earned back the respect of their fans as well. The 18,690 in attendance and those of us watching loved it, even though they knew the outcome of the Goose/Looch fight. As John Vogl of the Buffalo News put it, "What mattered was their team was back from the land of kittens and custard."

Goose also came in mid-way through the first to pound Brad Marchand into the boards after Marchand nailed Nathan Gerbe with a check. The B's descended upon Goose and Corey Tropp like a pack of wolves with fists flying. Amongst the Bruins on the ice were some pretty tough customers like Adam McQuaid and Johnny Boychuk.





Out of the melee' came Zdeno Chara and Robyn Regehr. Regehr, who's not the greatest fighter took some lumps from the 6'9" Chara, but managed to sneak in a punch or two himself.

Regehr has always been well respected throughout the league, and it's a good thing he was out there.

The Sabres as a team acquitted themselves very well in what turned out to be an old-school, Adams Division-type rumble for a period and a half. The played some pretty inspired hockey and they didn't back down despite the fact that they were clearly outnumbered in the manly-man category.

For as small as he is,
Nathan Gerbe's heart can
fill the entire F'N Center.

Gerbe, the shortest player in the ice, had eight hits on the game, which isn't all that surprising considering that's the game he plays, "That's fun to play, I'll tell you that much," said the Sabres forward. "Those games are awesome. It's fun to play. It's fun to compete."

That attitude, along with Gaustad manning up early, got their blood pumping to the point where they lead the game by two goals twice, 2-0 and 3-1, but just couldn't bury the defending Stanley Cup Champions with that third one.

Nor could they protect a one-goal lead in the third. Nor could they score in overtime or the shootout.

But all-in-all they played one of their best games of the season, especially in the first period.

For all the purported skill Darcy Regier was supposed to have stocked the team with, they're still not quite as skilled as he believes them to be.

Thomas Vanek scored on a wicked wrist shot to put the Sabres up 2-0. He's got mad skills, although he'd love to have the shot that Chara blocked back. Maybe put some air under it.

Christian Ehrhoff showed why the Sabres went after him. His game-opening goal was a blast from the point through a thick screen in front of Tim Thomas.

Other than that, lack of finish still seems to haunt this team.

The Bruins are a tough match-up for the Sabres. The B's beat them the first time with intimidation and the second time with just a little more skill and finish.

It's not an egregious mismatch, by any stretch, but a tweak or two may be in order if they want to match up with the champs.

The Sabres should in no way hang their heads after their defeat. They gave it all they had, and now need to find it within themselves to sustain that level of play they showed in the first period and a half throughout an entire game.

Although Brad Marchand got leveled
by Thomas Vanek on this play,
he got up and scored seconds later.
The mark of a champion.

There's no better team than the Boston Bruins to emulate now. They had their Lucic/Ryan Miller moment when Marc Savard was nailed by Matt Cooke and there was no response. Eventually they did with Shawn Thorton going after Cooke. And from then on they built themselves into a Stanley Cup Champion.

It's a long way to Tipperary, and these two games with the Bruins showed just how far the Sabres need to go. The team has some really solid pieces, strong goaltending and some skill up-front. They proved last night, as they've proven on more than one occasion before, that they can play a physical game.

They just need a piece or two to be able to come out on top in an Adams Division-type rumble.

~~~~~~~~~~

Jochen Hecht made his debut last night and showed his savvy. He had Mike Grier-like moments last night where he somehow got in on Thomas only to be denied.

Sabres d-man TJ Brennan
celebrates his first goal in
his first NHL game.

TJ Brennan got thrown into the fire and played a real strong game. He was strong on the puck in his own end and moved the puck out of trouble on a number of occasions. His goal, in his first NHL game, was a combination of savvy and skill as he jumped into an opening and buried his shot from the slot.

~~~~~~~~~~

From bostonherald.com:

If Lucic-Miller was the big story of the previous Bruins-Sabres meeting in Boston, Brad Marchand’s interactions with Sabres forward Derek Roy was an interesting sub-plot. Throughout that game, Marchand pestered Roy with little shoves and hooks before and after the whistle, and non-stop trash talk.



“He does a good job at it,” said Roy. “There are only a few guys in the league who can do what he does.


“It doesn’t bother me. People have being doing that stuff to me since was a kid. You’re used to it and you just shrug it off. You can’t worry about what he’s doing on the ice, just what you’re trying to do.”

It should be interesting to note that with the Sabres up 3-2 early in the third period, Roy was called for hooking behind the Buffalo net. Zdeno Chara scored on the ensuing powerplay to tie up the game.