Published by hockeybuzz.com, 7-4-2017
It was a frenetic two weeks for Sabres GM Jason Botterill and Co. between the time Buffalo needed to submit their finalized expansion protected list on June 17. From there he had to wait out the process as the Las Vegas Golden Knights decided what they would do and it left him only a few days to get ready for the NHL Entry Draft that weekend. A week later was the start of NHL Free Agency.
During that two-week span players came and players went and when all was said and done, the Sabres will be entering the 2017-18 season with Zemgus Girgensons and Rasmus Ristolainen as their who was drafted 14th-overall in 2012, as their longest-tenured Sabres player (by age and draft year.)
That fact was made possible by the departures of young vets Tyler Ennis and Marcus Foligno in a trade with Minnesota. On June 30, prior to the July opening of free agency, Botterill sent Ennis (2008, 26th-overall) and Foligno (2009, 104th) plus a third round pick to the Wild for defenseman Marco Scandella, former Sabre Jason Pominville (2001, 55th) and a fourth round pick.
Pominville was Buffalo's captain at the time of his trade to the Wild back on April 3, 2013 and with Ennis and Foligno gone, no one on that team is with the club any more. The Pominville trade to Minnesota (plus a fourth round pick) netted the Sabres Johan Larsson (who is still on the team,) Matt Hackett, a 2013 first round pick (Nikita Zadorov, 16th) and a 2014 second round pick (Vaclav Karabacek, 49th.)
As the roster stands right now, other than Girgensons, the Sabres have only four homegrown picks presently on it:
D, Jake McCabe (2012, 44th)
D, Rasmus Ristolainen (2013, 8th)
F, Sam Reinhart (2014, 2nd)
C, Jack Eichel, (2015, 2nd)
Barring any other moves, the overhaul of the Sabres in the Terry Pegula era is complete. It now spans three GM's (Darcy Regier, Tim Murray, Botterill,) five head coaches (Lindy Ruff, Ron Rolston, Ted Nolan, Dan Bylsma and Phil Housley, who was hired prior to the Ennis trade) plus one President of Hockey Operations in Pat LaFontaine.
Perhaps we jumped the gun a little bit thinking that the Sabres were well on their way at any point between the hiring of LaFontaine and shortly after the 2015 NHL Draft. Regardless of where anyone stood at any of those points, looking at what's left from Pominville's last game and his return the overall change is pretty stark.
*****
Buffalo's draft situation over the course of the last five years represents a team that bottomed out, yet found itself still spinning it's wheels.
In 2013, as the deconstruction of Regier's "Core" gained steam with the trade of Pominville, the Sabres finished 23rd in the league and selected eighth-overall. The following two seasons were dedicated to bottoming out which resulted in 30th place finishes and consecutive second-overall picks thanks to unlucky lottery results. The Sabres began their climb back to respectability in 2015-16 by finishing 23rd again and drafted eighth overall once again.
Buffalo entered last season with expectations that they could build upon the positives from the prior one. A multitude of reasons had them take a step back and finish 26th overall and under a new lottery system, they'd once again fall prey to the unlucky bounce of the pingpong balls and drop from fifth in the draft to eighth.
Prior to the 2013 draft, the Sabres had never drafted eighth-overall, and now they've done so in three of the last five years.
Also of note, this stretch of five consecutive top-10 picks is the longest in franchise history. The Sabres drafted top-10 three times in a row from their inaugural draft in 1970 to 1972. After that they'd drafted top-10 in consecutive seasons only twice: 1982-83 and 1986-87.
*****
Buffalo Sabres Development Camp begins this weekend with the schedule looking like this:
Sat., July 8: 2 to 3:30 p.m. and 4 to 5:30 p.m.
Sun., July 9: 10 to 11:15 a.m. and 2 to 3:15 p.m.
Mon., July 10: 10:30 to 11:45 a.m. and1:45 to 3:00 p.m.
Tue., July 11: French Connection Tournament: 9:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.
Not on tap is the Blue and Gold Scrimmage, which was a fan favorite. Who can forger over 17,000 fans showing up on a Friday in July to watch Jack Eichel, Sam Reinhart and Co. go at it back in 2015.
Perhaps it's more of a business-like approach this year. The French Connection Tournament is an intra-squad 3-on-3 tournament with multiple teams playing games in rapid-fire succession on half-sheets of ice. For fans it's not super exciting but the Sabres organization uses it as a tool to gauge where prospects and players are on their developmental curves.
All on-ice sessions will be held at HarborCenter and will be free and open to the public.
Have a Happy 4th, y'all. Keep it safe.
Wednesday, July 5, 2017
Tuesday, July 4, 2017
Botterill continues to shape organization with busy July 1 start to free agency
Published by hockeybuzz.com, 7-2-2017
At his first presser in Buffalo, GM Jason Botterill said the defense would a main area of focus for him and true to his word he's been making moves to revamp the d-corps. He also said that Rochester would not be forgotten, and after a pretty busy day to the start of NHL Free Agency, the Amerks rebuild is well on it's way.
Botterill and the Sabres ended the day by signing eight players for the organization, in contrast to the prior regime who had only one July 1 FA signing in both 2016 (D, Justin Falk) and 2015 (F, Jason Akeson.)
The first signing of the day was former Sabres goalie Chad Johnson (1yr./$2.5M) who comes in as starter Robin Lehner's back-up but will also provide stiff competition. Johnson was Lehner's backup for the 2015-16 season and assumed the starters role when Lehner went down with a high-ankle sprain in the first game of the season. He feels that career-high 45-game season provided him with plenty of confidence in his abilities to be a legit NHL starting goalie.
Although competition is a great source of inspiration to take players, especially goalies, to another level, in the very least the Botterill likes where his goalie sitatuation is right now. "Having Robin and Chad, and [Linus] Ullmark in the three-hole," he said, "makes it a strength for our organization."
Botterill also said that Ullmark is "a very important piece" for the team and that he didn't want the 23 yr. old sitting on the bench for two, three weeks at a time. "He could probably handle the back-up role this upcoming year, but as a young goalie, I'm a big believer in he needs to be playing."
The new Sabres GM, who came over from a deep and talented Pittsburgh Penguins organization, is a firm believer in proper seasoning for players. Yesterday he added a player in winger Beniot Pouliot (1yr./$1.15M) who he said "can play anywhere in that No. 2, 3 or 4 hole [on the left side]." Prior to that signing the Sabres had Evander Kane in the top-six on that side and Matt Moulson, who landed in the bottom-six last season. Botterill just traded away F,Tyler Ennis who'd spent a majority of his time in Buffalo at left wing and LW, Marcus Foligno, a bottom-sixer who spent time in the top-six last season.
Pouliot played in Edmonton last season and had a down year to the point where the Oilers bought out the final two years of a contract that averaged $4 million per season. Botterill said yesterday that Pouliot had bounced back before from difficult seasons and said that he was looking for in Buffalo. "You look at his size, his ability to get in on the forecheck," said Botterill, "we just felt he was a guy who could complement our centers well and be a guy that sort of gets his career back on track."
For those who'd hoped, or thought that Alexander Nylander would be the answer in a top-six, left wing role, it doesn't look as if that will be the case. Nor should it. Botterill is big on development and Nylander needs more time to fill out his frame and acclimate himself more to how the pro game is played.
Botterill said he was "very happy with what we've accomplished on the back-end" yet he continued to add depth with the signing of defenseman Matt Tennyson to a two year deal ($650K/yr.) that's a two-way in year-one and a one-way in year-two. The 27 yr. old Minneapolis, MN native is a tweener who has played in 105 NHL games over the course of his six pro seasons.
He played 45 games for the Carolina Hurricanes last season and Botterill said Tennyson plays "a strong two-way game" and "we view him as one of the guys who can step in right off the bat in training came and really fight for a position."
Competition is the name of the game going forward under Botterill and he wants that stretching all the way down to Rochester. He said there's always a scenario where there will be completion for spots but there will also be openings. Botterill also stated that the team isn't done and that they will continue to look at fits for the organization whether it's through free agency or via trades. "There is going to be competition for spots," he said, before changing that to, "there has to be competition for spots.
It's important that young players learn how to fight for their position so when they get to the NHL-level, they're comfortable with that and know how to handle that situation."
The Sabres do have some youth making there way into the pro ranks, but as they begin their journey in Rochester, they'll need vets to help guide them along. Forwards Kevin Porter (2yrs./$650K) and Kyle Criscuolo (2 yrs./$650K,) who were both signed to two-way contracts, will help that along.
The 31 yr. old Porter returns to the Sabres organization after stints in the Detroit and Pittsburgh organizations. Botterill has seen a lot of Porter the last two season. Porter he played in 85 games for Wilkes-Barre Scranton with Botterill as the team's GM. "He's a player I'm very familiar with," said Botterill. "[He] was a strong leader for Wilkes-Barre over the past couple of years, but also was a player, especially two years ago, that (Penguins head coach) Mike Sullivan really trusted at the National Hockey League level."
It's something we saw from Porter during his two-year stint with Buffalo and Rochester.
Criscoulo comes over from the Detroit organization where he helped the Grand Rapid Griffins bring home the Calder Cup this season. Botterill points out he's a Harvard grad who was on an AHL deal last year. The 5'8" 165 lb. forward "can play center," said Botterill while also adding that the 25 year old Criscoulo "plays with a lot of pace, with a high compete [level] and can play the type of pace that Phil (Housley) wants to play."
Botterill continued to add goaltending depth even after signing Johnson when he inked Adam Wilcox to a one-year, two-way deal ($650K.) The 24 yr. old product of the University of Minnesota has spent the last three season in the AHL playing for the Syracuse Crunch (TBL) and Springfield Thunderbirds (FLA) compiling a combined 34-27-15 record with a cumulative 2.90 GAA and .900 Sv%.
"We wanted to strengthen our goaltending situation throughout our organization," said Botterill, "and Wilcox is a player who is still in his mid-20's who was traded to Springfield and had a really strong end to the season (7-4-0, 2.02 GAA, .932 Sv%.)
Wilcox will be in a battle with recently signed Sabres draft pick Jonas Johansson (2014, 61st-overall) for back-up duty behind Ullmark in Rochester. Buffalo also has Jason Kasdorf signed for one more season and one of the three will be in Cincinnati with the ECHL's Cyclones.
Seth Griffith (1yr./$650K) had some pretty big numbers during his junior career with the OHL's London Knights. In 207 games with London he scored 102 goals and added 129 assists and he continued to contribute at the AHL-level for the Providence Bruins (BOS) and Toronto Marlies (TOR) with 202 points (66+136) in 203 games.
"Griffith is a player we think has an extremely high offensive upside," said Botterill. "We think in the right situation, he can provide scoring at the National Hockey League level in the future.
The 5'9"192 lb. right-winger has played in 58 NHL games scoring six goals while adding 10 assists.
The Sabres final signing was former first round pick (NJD, 2009) Jacob Josefson, whom they signed to a one-year, $700k contract.
Josefson played in 247 games for the Devils over the course of seven NHL seasons with a high of 62 games played in one season. The 26 yr. old center was called "an enigma" by Amanda Rosko of The Hockey Writers back in November, 2015. "Fans wondered what they were getting with the Stockholm, Sweden native and six years later some fans are still asking the same question.
"Just when people think they have his capabilities figured out something changes."
Rosko goes on to write that Josefson "exhibits a solid skill-set" but lacks "physicality and finish." She goes on to perpetuate the curious case of Jacob Josefson when she writes, "the mystery continues when a person examines Josefson’s shootout record and ability. When number 16 takes the ice for the Devils, it is almost automatically assumed that he will beat the oppositional goaltender regardless of whom it is when the game goes beyond 65-minutes. He excels and stands out in the skills competition."
Over the past five seasons Josefson has gone 11/20 (55%) in shootout attempts and is tops in the league over that period for players with 20 or more shootout attempts. The Sabres were 25th in the league scoring at a 22% rate (6/27.)
With New Jersey in the same division as the Penguins, Botterill has had plenty of exposure to what he has to offer and perhaps he thinks they can turn Josefson into a reclamation project, but that shootout performance certainly sticks out.
Like he said, he isn't done. Botterill is still looking to upgrade the forward group. "Do we still want to change things around from an offensive standpoint up at the forwards? Yeah, we'll continue to talk to people to see if there are some fits that can make us better, maybe make us a little quicker up front," he said.
Overall, when you consider the expansion draft, the trade with Montreal for defenseman Nathan Beaulieu, the trade with Minnesota for defenseman Marco Scandella, the NHL Entry Draft and Day-1 of free agency, Botterill said that they were happy with what they were able to accomplish and that "it's been a good week for our organization."
Botterill finished yesterday's conference call by continuing to espouse the virtues of a strong Rochester Amerks club and saying that "it's going to be a philosophy of making sure it's a priority for us."
"Whether it's through our players or coaches," he continued, "[it's] making sure that the two teams are certainly in unison with each other. [For] the long-term success of our organization, it's imperative that there's a winning culture, winning environment down in Rochester."
*****
One final note on from the call, Botterill admitted that he lost individual toughness when he traded Marcus Foligno to the Wild in the Scandella trade. "It's part of the reason we didn't want to lose Marcus because he does brings that element," he said.
Botterill shifted the focus saying that he was "a big believer in a scenario of trying to have more of a team toughness mentality," he said.
"We have players such as Evander Kane, [Rasmus] Ristolainen, [Zach] Bogosian and Scandella who have a lot of size to them and certainly can finish checks and play a very physical game out there." Botterill concluded, "So we do think we have some team toughness, but it is one of the aspects that we will continue to look at to see if there's a fit to our organization."
Thanks to CapFriendly for some of the contract numbers.
At his first presser in Buffalo, GM Jason Botterill said the defense would a main area of focus for him and true to his word he's been making moves to revamp the d-corps. He also said that Rochester would not be forgotten, and after a pretty busy day to the start of NHL Free Agency, the Amerks rebuild is well on it's way.
Botterill and the Sabres ended the day by signing eight players for the organization, in contrast to the prior regime who had only one July 1 FA signing in both 2016 (D, Justin Falk) and 2015 (F, Jason Akeson.)
The first signing of the day was former Sabres goalie Chad Johnson (1yr./$2.5M) who comes in as starter Robin Lehner's back-up but will also provide stiff competition. Johnson was Lehner's backup for the 2015-16 season and assumed the starters role when Lehner went down with a high-ankle sprain in the first game of the season. He feels that career-high 45-game season provided him with plenty of confidence in his abilities to be a legit NHL starting goalie.
Although competition is a great source of inspiration to take players, especially goalies, to another level, in the very least the Botterill likes where his goalie sitatuation is right now. "Having Robin and Chad, and [Linus] Ullmark in the three-hole," he said, "makes it a strength for our organization."
Botterill also said that Ullmark is "a very important piece" for the team and that he didn't want the 23 yr. old sitting on the bench for two, three weeks at a time. "He could probably handle the back-up role this upcoming year, but as a young goalie, I'm a big believer in he needs to be playing."
The new Sabres GM, who came over from a deep and talented Pittsburgh Penguins organization, is a firm believer in proper seasoning for players. Yesterday he added a player in winger Beniot Pouliot (1yr./$1.15M) who he said "can play anywhere in that No. 2, 3 or 4 hole [on the left side]." Prior to that signing the Sabres had Evander Kane in the top-six on that side and Matt Moulson, who landed in the bottom-six last season. Botterill just traded away F,Tyler Ennis who'd spent a majority of his time in Buffalo at left wing and LW, Marcus Foligno, a bottom-sixer who spent time in the top-six last season.
Pouliot played in Edmonton last season and had a down year to the point where the Oilers bought out the final two years of a contract that averaged $4 million per season. Botterill said yesterday that Pouliot had bounced back before from difficult seasons and said that he was looking for in Buffalo. "You look at his size, his ability to get in on the forecheck," said Botterill, "we just felt he was a guy who could complement our centers well and be a guy that sort of gets his career back on track."
For those who'd hoped, or thought that Alexander Nylander would be the answer in a top-six, left wing role, it doesn't look as if that will be the case. Nor should it. Botterill is big on development and Nylander needs more time to fill out his frame and acclimate himself more to how the pro game is played.
Botterill said he was "very happy with what we've accomplished on the back-end" yet he continued to add depth with the signing of defenseman Matt Tennyson to a two year deal ($650K/yr.) that's a two-way in year-one and a one-way in year-two. The 27 yr. old Minneapolis, MN native is a tweener who has played in 105 NHL games over the course of his six pro seasons.
He played 45 games for the Carolina Hurricanes last season and Botterill said Tennyson plays "a strong two-way game" and "we view him as one of the guys who can step in right off the bat in training came and really fight for a position."
Competition is the name of the game going forward under Botterill and he wants that stretching all the way down to Rochester. He said there's always a scenario where there will be completion for spots but there will also be openings. Botterill also stated that the team isn't done and that they will continue to look at fits for the organization whether it's through free agency or via trades. "There is going to be competition for spots," he said, before changing that to, "there has to be competition for spots.
It's important that young players learn how to fight for their position so when they get to the NHL-level, they're comfortable with that and know how to handle that situation."
The Sabres do have some youth making there way into the pro ranks, but as they begin their journey in Rochester, they'll need vets to help guide them along. Forwards Kevin Porter (2yrs./$650K) and Kyle Criscuolo (2 yrs./$650K,) who were both signed to two-way contracts, will help that along.
The 31 yr. old Porter returns to the Sabres organization after stints in the Detroit and Pittsburgh organizations. Botterill has seen a lot of Porter the last two season. Porter he played in 85 games for Wilkes-Barre Scranton with Botterill as the team's GM. "He's a player I'm very familiar with," said Botterill. "[He] was a strong leader for Wilkes-Barre over the past couple of years, but also was a player, especially two years ago, that (Penguins head coach) Mike Sullivan really trusted at the National Hockey League level."
It's something we saw from Porter during his two-year stint with Buffalo and Rochester.
Criscoulo comes over from the Detroit organization where he helped the Grand Rapid Griffins bring home the Calder Cup this season. Botterill points out he's a Harvard grad who was on an AHL deal last year. The 5'8" 165 lb. forward "can play center," said Botterill while also adding that the 25 year old Criscoulo "plays with a lot of pace, with a high compete [level] and can play the type of pace that Phil (Housley) wants to play."
Botterill continued to add goaltending depth even after signing Johnson when he inked Adam Wilcox to a one-year, two-way deal ($650K.) The 24 yr. old product of the University of Minnesota has spent the last three season in the AHL playing for the Syracuse Crunch (TBL) and Springfield Thunderbirds (FLA) compiling a combined 34-27-15 record with a cumulative 2.90 GAA and .900 Sv%.
"We wanted to strengthen our goaltending situation throughout our organization," said Botterill, "and Wilcox is a player who is still in his mid-20's who was traded to Springfield and had a really strong end to the season (7-4-0, 2.02 GAA, .932 Sv%.)
Wilcox will be in a battle with recently signed Sabres draft pick Jonas Johansson (2014, 61st-overall) for back-up duty behind Ullmark in Rochester. Buffalo also has Jason Kasdorf signed for one more season and one of the three will be in Cincinnati with the ECHL's Cyclones.
Seth Griffith (1yr./$650K) had some pretty big numbers during his junior career with the OHL's London Knights. In 207 games with London he scored 102 goals and added 129 assists and he continued to contribute at the AHL-level for the Providence Bruins (BOS) and Toronto Marlies (TOR) with 202 points (66+136) in 203 games.
"Griffith is a player we think has an extremely high offensive upside," said Botterill. "We think in the right situation, he can provide scoring at the National Hockey League level in the future.
The 5'9"192 lb. right-winger has played in 58 NHL games scoring six goals while adding 10 assists.
The Sabres final signing was former first round pick (NJD, 2009) Jacob Josefson, whom they signed to a one-year, $700k contract.
Josefson played in 247 games for the Devils over the course of seven NHL seasons with a high of 62 games played in one season. The 26 yr. old center was called "an enigma" by Amanda Rosko of The Hockey Writers back in November, 2015. "Fans wondered what they were getting with the Stockholm, Sweden native and six years later some fans are still asking the same question.
"Just when people think they have his capabilities figured out something changes."
Rosko goes on to write that Josefson "exhibits a solid skill-set" but lacks "physicality and finish." She goes on to perpetuate the curious case of Jacob Josefson when she writes, "the mystery continues when a person examines Josefson’s shootout record and ability. When number 16 takes the ice for the Devils, it is almost automatically assumed that he will beat the oppositional goaltender regardless of whom it is when the game goes beyond 65-minutes. He excels and stands out in the skills competition."
Over the past five seasons Josefson has gone 11/20 (55%) in shootout attempts and is tops in the league over that period for players with 20 or more shootout attempts. The Sabres were 25th in the league scoring at a 22% rate (6/27.)
With New Jersey in the same division as the Penguins, Botterill has had plenty of exposure to what he has to offer and perhaps he thinks they can turn Josefson into a reclamation project, but that shootout performance certainly sticks out.
Like he said, he isn't done. Botterill is still looking to upgrade the forward group. "Do we still want to change things around from an offensive standpoint up at the forwards? Yeah, we'll continue to talk to people to see if there are some fits that can make us better, maybe make us a little quicker up front," he said.
Overall, when you consider the expansion draft, the trade with Montreal for defenseman Nathan Beaulieu, the trade with Minnesota for defenseman Marco Scandella, the NHL Entry Draft and Day-1 of free agency, Botterill said that they were happy with what they were able to accomplish and that "it's been a good week for our organization."
Botterill finished yesterday's conference call by continuing to espouse the virtues of a strong Rochester Amerks club and saying that "it's going to be a philosophy of making sure it's a priority for us."
"Whether it's through our players or coaches," he continued, "[it's] making sure that the two teams are certainly in unison with each other. [For] the long-term success of our organization, it's imperative that there's a winning culture, winning environment down in Rochester."
*****
One final note on from the call, Botterill admitted that he lost individual toughness when he traded Marcus Foligno to the Wild in the Scandella trade. "It's part of the reason we didn't want to lose Marcus because he does brings that element," he said.
Botterill shifted the focus saying that he was "a big believer in a scenario of trying to have more of a team toughness mentality," he said.
"We have players such as Evander Kane, [Rasmus] Ristolainen, [Zach] Bogosian and Scandella who have a lot of size to them and certainly can finish checks and play a very physical game out there." Botterill concluded, "So we do think we have some team toughness, but it is one of the aspects that we will continue to look at to see if there's a fit to our organization."
Thanks to CapFriendly for some of the contract numbers.
Sunday, July 2, 2017
Goalie Chad Johnson back in Buffalo
Published by hockeybuzz.com, 7-1-2017
A well-travelled Chad Johnson has been chasing opportunity for a number of years and has done so while playing for six different teams stretching from the NY to Phoenix to Boston, back to NY with the Islanders, cross state to Buffalo and back to his hometown of Calgary Alberta. On June 17 his hometown Flames traded him to Arizona in the Mike Smith deal and now he's back in Buffalo with the Sabres.
Johnson said today that the move from his first stint in Buffalo to Alberta "was nice and an opportunity to be in my hometown of Calgary" but the move was also precipitated by an opportunity to play a big role for the Flames as well.
Throughout his five NHL seasons prior to being traded to Buffalo, Johnson was working his way up the ranks and served as a backup to Tuuka Rask in Boston and to Jaroslav Halak on Long Island. He was traded to the Sabres by the Islanders in the Michal Neuvirth deal at the 2015 NHL Trade deadline and even then he never dressed for a game in Buffalo. Johnson took a shot to the ankle prior to his first scheduled start for the Sabres (March 6) and was sidelined for the rest of the season.
He entered the 2015-16 season as a backup to Robin Lehner and as luck would have it, Johnson would play the role of Buffalo's No. 1 goalie for most of the season. He played in an NHL career-high 45 games for Buffalo won a career-best 22 games while posting a second-best GAA (2.36,) and Sv% (.920.) Johnson said he felt he had a really good second half to that season and "wanted to continue that" if given the opportunity.
"When I left," said Johnson, "I always felt that I had unfinished business [in Buffalo]."
Johnson was never given that opportunity under the previous regime, but now that the Sabres have a new coach and a new GM, he felt that Buffalo was a good fit for him. "Anytime there's change, there's always opportunity for new people coming into an organization," he said. "For me, seeing changes [in Buffalo] was a positive."
The GM and head coach may have changed, but other things haven't as a lot of familiar faces still with the club. "There are a lot of players that are still there that I know and have a lot of trust in and respect for," he said, which influenced his decision. "Looking at the roster and breaking different teams down," he said of the process, "it made sense for me to be able to come back. I have a good relationship with Robin and to be able to come back and compete with him and push this team into being a playoff team.
"I see this organization going in the right direction, [they are] committed to winning, that's what I want to be a part of."
There's a familiar face in new GM Jason Botterill, for Johnson as Botterill was in the organization when the goalie was at the University of Alaska--Fairbanks. And in coming back to the Sabres, Johnson will presumably be working with his goalie coach from 2015-16 in Andrew Allen. "Having a relationship with Andrew was important in my decision when breaking down the teams in the process.
"He understands my game and really took my game to the next level."
Fit and opportunity brought Johnson back to Buffalo and although he looks to be in a back up role for the Sabres, we know from experience that if anything happened along the way where Lehner wasn't the starter, Johnson is more than capable to handle that role.
A well-travelled Chad Johnson has been chasing opportunity for a number of years and has done so while playing for six different teams stretching from the NY to Phoenix to Boston, back to NY with the Islanders, cross state to Buffalo and back to his hometown of Calgary Alberta. On June 17 his hometown Flames traded him to Arizona in the Mike Smith deal and now he's back in Buffalo with the Sabres.
Johnson said today that the move from his first stint in Buffalo to Alberta "was nice and an opportunity to be in my hometown of Calgary" but the move was also precipitated by an opportunity to play a big role for the Flames as well.
Throughout his five NHL seasons prior to being traded to Buffalo, Johnson was working his way up the ranks and served as a backup to Tuuka Rask in Boston and to Jaroslav Halak on Long Island. He was traded to the Sabres by the Islanders in the Michal Neuvirth deal at the 2015 NHL Trade deadline and even then he never dressed for a game in Buffalo. Johnson took a shot to the ankle prior to his first scheduled start for the Sabres (March 6) and was sidelined for the rest of the season.
He entered the 2015-16 season as a backup to Robin Lehner and as luck would have it, Johnson would play the role of Buffalo's No. 1 goalie for most of the season. He played in an NHL career-high 45 games for Buffalo won a career-best 22 games while posting a second-best GAA (2.36,) and Sv% (.920.) Johnson said he felt he had a really good second half to that season and "wanted to continue that" if given the opportunity.
"When I left," said Johnson, "I always felt that I had unfinished business [in Buffalo]."
Johnson was never given that opportunity under the previous regime, but now that the Sabres have a new coach and a new GM, he felt that Buffalo was a good fit for him. "Anytime there's change, there's always opportunity for new people coming into an organization," he said. "For me, seeing changes [in Buffalo] was a positive."
The GM and head coach may have changed, but other things haven't as a lot of familiar faces still with the club. "There are a lot of players that are still there that I know and have a lot of trust in and respect for," he said, which influenced his decision. "Looking at the roster and breaking different teams down," he said of the process, "it made sense for me to be able to come back. I have a good relationship with Robin and to be able to come back and compete with him and push this team into being a playoff team.
"I see this organization going in the right direction, [they are] committed to winning, that's what I want to be a part of."
There's a familiar face in new GM Jason Botterill, for Johnson as Botterill was in the organization when the goalie was at the University of Alaska--Fairbanks. And in coming back to the Sabres, Johnson will presumably be working with his goalie coach from 2015-16 in Andrew Allen. "Having a relationship with Andrew was important in my decision when breaking down the teams in the process.
"He understands my game and really took my game to the next level."
Fit and opportunity brought Johnson back to Buffalo and although he looks to be in a back up role for the Sabres, we know from experience that if anything happened along the way where Lehner wasn't the starter, Johnson is more than capable to handle that role.
Saturday, July 1, 2017
The 2017 NHL Free Agent Checklist. Who fits in Buffalo?
Published by hockeybuzz.com, 6-30-2017
It's a pretty thin market for impact free agents this summer, which is typical as of late as teams are locking up their top players on long-term deals to keep them in the fold. It's good for the team and definitely very good for the player. However, for those looking to bolster their team via free agency, those long-term deals to upper echelon players suppresses supply, and with demand usually high, it creates a windfall for the top free agents hitting the open market.
Teams need to fill holes and cost be damned, they're gonna do it.
The Buffalo Sabres have one big need right now. It happens to be on defense in a top-pairing role. They also could use help on the wing in a top-six role on the left side. Depth at the right price is never a bad thing so they also could be in the market for a bottom-six forward as well.
With that in mind, what the Sabres really need is in very short supply and there are a number of other teams who need or want the same thing. And the price goes up, which is something that hasn't phased new owner Terry Pegula. He jumped into his first off season as owner of the Sabres by reportedly going after the best free agent on the market to fill a gaping hole at top-line center. It never really went far with Brad Richards as he signed with the NY Rangers so the Sabres focused upon filling that hole with Ville Leino whom they signed to a 6 yr./$27 million contract.
That was an utter disaster and shows the pitfalls of supply and demand in free agency. The Sabres used a compliance buyout on Leino in 2014 and will continue to pay him $1.2 million/year not to play for them through 2019/20.
This year there are two defensemen who could fit what Buffalo needs--Kevin Shattenkirk and Karl Alzner.
Shattenkirk is the prime free agent on the market this year meaning he and his agent will be commanding top dollar. The 28 yr. old native of New Rochelle, NY is a mobile puck-moving, offensive defenseman with a scoring touch who fits right in with the way defensemen are expected to play in today's game. Amongst the teams mentioned to be pursuing him are Buffalo, the New Jersey Devils, the NY Rangers, Tampa Bay Lightning, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Las Vegas Golden Knights.
The front-runner in the "Shatty Sweepstakes" is said to be the Devils. GM Ray Shero has $25 million in cap space with NHL insider Pierre LeBrun being quoted as saying the Devils will make the biggest bid for Shattenkirk. By the looks of it, a seven-year contract in the $50 million range is not that far-fetched.
Word on the street is that Buffalo is in the mix and is willing to pony up that kind of cash and term. No doubt the Sabres could use his acumen on defense, despite his less than stellar playoff performance, and as proven by last year's signing of Kyle Okposo, who was the best free agent on the market, they have the chutzpah to do so.
If Shattenkirk were a left-handed shot it would be a no-brainer for the Sabres as he'd fit right along side the right handed Rasmus Ristolainen on the top pair. Shattenkirk's a righty, however which means one of the two would be playing their off side or they'd be anchoring the right side of the defense in the top-four. Which isn't a bad scenario save for the fact that they just paid big bucks for a player and still have the exact same hole they had before hand.
It's never a bad idea to add talent, but when you're getting into free agent contracts like that, a truer fit would seem to be more sensible.
Alzner, on the other hand, is a lefty and he played the left side in a top-pairing shutdown role for many years in Washington. The 28 yr. old has proven to be durable as he's played in ever Capitals regular season games over the past seven seasons.
On the plus side, putting Alzner on the top pair next to a more mobile and offensive-minded defenseman like Ristolainen seems like a great fit. He's a defense-first guy who can hold the fort in his own zone and has a good outlet pass to help get the transition game going. However,don't expect much out of him to go end-to-end or produce much offensively. Alzner's best season was 21 points (5+16) three years ago.
Amongst the teams said to be interested in Alzner are the Vancouver Canucks, Chicago Blackhawks, Dallas Stars, Montreal Canadiens and Toronto.
Alzner's coming off of a four-year, $11.2 million contract with Washington and very little has come out concerning contract demands. At his age and with how he plays the game along with the number of games he's played it might be a buyer beware situation. Alzner will be looking to max out this contract which could place him in the $4-5 million range for five to seven years.
Not sure the Sabres would want to do anything like that, especially with a new coach like Phil Housley who coached an up-tempo, offensive minded defense-corps in Nashville.
There's not much happening at left wing either this off season.
As mentioned in the last blog, while the right side of the forward group is stable in the top-six thanks to Okposo's long-term contract and 21 yr. old Sam Reinhart's versatility, the left side has plenty of question marks.
Evander Kane is a top-six left winger, but will be entering the final year of his contract and no one knows exactly where it's all headed with him. Other than that the Sabres had bottom-sixer Marcus Foligno playing a good chunk in the top-six with mediocre results and players like Tyler Ennis and Zemgus Girgensons given shots there. Ennis has had two dismal seasons fraught with injuries and should he ever return to form he has top-six talents. But we're not sure Buffalo can bet on that happening at this juncture.
The best free agent left wing out there is Patrick Marleau but it's suspected he'll either remain with the Sharks or stay on the West Coast if he leaves San Jose. Other than that, the next best player available is former Sabre Thomas Vanek. At 33 yrs. old he ain't exactly a spring chicken but his passing skills and sniping ability remain as does his shootout acumen which was best in the league--5/5.
Is Vanek a top-six left wing? Probably not. He never was fleet of foot and his skating looked as if he didn't really care. Conceivably he could keep up with Ryan O'Reilly and Okposo on a line just by virtue of his hockey sense and passing ability, but that might be a stretch. However, the big thing with Vanek would be signing him to a reasonably priced short-term deal (say, 1yr./$3 million) to not only help bolster the forward ranks, but also to help give the youngins one more season of development.
New Buffalo Sabres GM Jason Botterill could also bring in a vet like Beau Bennett short-term to help ease the youngsters into the NHL game. Bennett was a Pittsburgh Penguins first round pick when Botterill was in the front office there. As of now he looks like a bottom-six winger but he has the speed and creativity to contribute plus the versatility to play either side of center.
Botterill was thrown into the fire when he accepted the GM spot in Buffalo. After being hired on May 11 he had to prep for the expansion draft as well as the NHL Entry Draft while also looking ahead to the July 1 opening of free agency. All the while he's had to think about extensions for Jack Eichel and Reinhart, as well as starting goalie Robin Lehner, while also navigating the choppy waters of the Kane situation.
It would take some big kahunas for him to go all-in for Shattenkirk and Alzner might not be what they're looking for when looking through the eyes of Housley. Vanek is a gamble, that might prove worth it while Bennett might end up being a decent depth signing at a reasonable price.
One thing he does have going for him is the prospects of bringing in UFA goalie Chad Johnson as a back up to Lehner. Another thing Botterill has had to deal with in his short tenure was the Cal Petersen situation where the Sabres 2013 draft pick looks to be headed to Los Angeles as a King via free agency. Botterill took it all in stride and if rumors that Johnson will be coming back to Buffalo are true, he just stabilized his goalie situation this season with that move.
Rumors will be coming hard and fast leading up to tomorrow's 12 Noon start to NHL free agency. How much Buffalo is involved remains to be seen, but I'm not expecting too much.
It's a pretty thin market for impact free agents this summer, which is typical as of late as teams are locking up their top players on long-term deals to keep them in the fold. It's good for the team and definitely very good for the player. However, for those looking to bolster their team via free agency, those long-term deals to upper echelon players suppresses supply, and with demand usually high, it creates a windfall for the top free agents hitting the open market.
Teams need to fill holes and cost be damned, they're gonna do it.
The Buffalo Sabres have one big need right now. It happens to be on defense in a top-pairing role. They also could use help on the wing in a top-six role on the left side. Depth at the right price is never a bad thing so they also could be in the market for a bottom-six forward as well.
With that in mind, what the Sabres really need is in very short supply and there are a number of other teams who need or want the same thing. And the price goes up, which is something that hasn't phased new owner Terry Pegula. He jumped into his first off season as owner of the Sabres by reportedly going after the best free agent on the market to fill a gaping hole at top-line center. It never really went far with Brad Richards as he signed with the NY Rangers so the Sabres focused upon filling that hole with Ville Leino whom they signed to a 6 yr./$27 million contract.
That was an utter disaster and shows the pitfalls of supply and demand in free agency. The Sabres used a compliance buyout on Leino in 2014 and will continue to pay him $1.2 million/year not to play for them through 2019/20.
This year there are two defensemen who could fit what Buffalo needs--Kevin Shattenkirk and Karl Alzner.
Shattenkirk is the prime free agent on the market this year meaning he and his agent will be commanding top dollar. The 28 yr. old native of New Rochelle, NY is a mobile puck-moving, offensive defenseman with a scoring touch who fits right in with the way defensemen are expected to play in today's game. Amongst the teams mentioned to be pursuing him are Buffalo, the New Jersey Devils, the NY Rangers, Tampa Bay Lightning, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Las Vegas Golden Knights.
The front-runner in the "Shatty Sweepstakes" is said to be the Devils. GM Ray Shero has $25 million in cap space with NHL insider Pierre LeBrun being quoted as saying the Devils will make the biggest bid for Shattenkirk. By the looks of it, a seven-year contract in the $50 million range is not that far-fetched.
Word on the street is that Buffalo is in the mix and is willing to pony up that kind of cash and term. No doubt the Sabres could use his acumen on defense, despite his less than stellar playoff performance, and as proven by last year's signing of Kyle Okposo, who was the best free agent on the market, they have the chutzpah to do so.
If Shattenkirk were a left-handed shot it would be a no-brainer for the Sabres as he'd fit right along side the right handed Rasmus Ristolainen on the top pair. Shattenkirk's a righty, however which means one of the two would be playing their off side or they'd be anchoring the right side of the defense in the top-four. Which isn't a bad scenario save for the fact that they just paid big bucks for a player and still have the exact same hole they had before hand.
It's never a bad idea to add talent, but when you're getting into free agent contracts like that, a truer fit would seem to be more sensible.
Alzner, on the other hand, is a lefty and he played the left side in a top-pairing shutdown role for many years in Washington. The 28 yr. old has proven to be durable as he's played in ever Capitals regular season games over the past seven seasons.
On the plus side, putting Alzner on the top pair next to a more mobile and offensive-minded defenseman like Ristolainen seems like a great fit. He's a defense-first guy who can hold the fort in his own zone and has a good outlet pass to help get the transition game going. However,don't expect much out of him to go end-to-end or produce much offensively. Alzner's best season was 21 points (5+16) three years ago.
Amongst the teams said to be interested in Alzner are the Vancouver Canucks, Chicago Blackhawks, Dallas Stars, Montreal Canadiens and Toronto.
Alzner's coming off of a four-year, $11.2 million contract with Washington and very little has come out concerning contract demands. At his age and with how he plays the game along with the number of games he's played it might be a buyer beware situation. Alzner will be looking to max out this contract which could place him in the $4-5 million range for five to seven years.
Not sure the Sabres would want to do anything like that, especially with a new coach like Phil Housley who coached an up-tempo, offensive minded defense-corps in Nashville.
There's not much happening at left wing either this off season.
As mentioned in the last blog, while the right side of the forward group is stable in the top-six thanks to Okposo's long-term contract and 21 yr. old Sam Reinhart's versatility, the left side has plenty of question marks.
Evander Kane is a top-six left winger, but will be entering the final year of his contract and no one knows exactly where it's all headed with him. Other than that the Sabres had bottom-sixer Marcus Foligno playing a good chunk in the top-six with mediocre results and players like Tyler Ennis and Zemgus Girgensons given shots there. Ennis has had two dismal seasons fraught with injuries and should he ever return to form he has top-six talents. But we're not sure Buffalo can bet on that happening at this juncture.
The best free agent left wing out there is Patrick Marleau but it's suspected he'll either remain with the Sharks or stay on the West Coast if he leaves San Jose. Other than that, the next best player available is former Sabre Thomas Vanek. At 33 yrs. old he ain't exactly a spring chicken but his passing skills and sniping ability remain as does his shootout acumen which was best in the league--5/5.
Is Vanek a top-six left wing? Probably not. He never was fleet of foot and his skating looked as if he didn't really care. Conceivably he could keep up with Ryan O'Reilly and Okposo on a line just by virtue of his hockey sense and passing ability, but that might be a stretch. However, the big thing with Vanek would be signing him to a reasonably priced short-term deal (say, 1yr./$3 million) to not only help bolster the forward ranks, but also to help give the youngins one more season of development.
New Buffalo Sabres GM Jason Botterill could also bring in a vet like Beau Bennett short-term to help ease the youngsters into the NHL game. Bennett was a Pittsburgh Penguins first round pick when Botterill was in the front office there. As of now he looks like a bottom-six winger but he has the speed and creativity to contribute plus the versatility to play either side of center.
Botterill was thrown into the fire when he accepted the GM spot in Buffalo. After being hired on May 11 he had to prep for the expansion draft as well as the NHL Entry Draft while also looking ahead to the July 1 opening of free agency. All the while he's had to think about extensions for Jack Eichel and Reinhart, as well as starting goalie Robin Lehner, while also navigating the choppy waters of the Kane situation.
It would take some big kahunas for him to go all-in for Shattenkirk and Alzner might not be what they're looking for when looking through the eyes of Housley. Vanek is a gamble, that might prove worth it while Bennett might end up being a decent depth signing at a reasonable price.
One thing he does have going for him is the prospects of bringing in UFA goalie Chad Johnson as a back up to Lehner. Another thing Botterill has had to deal with in his short tenure was the Cal Petersen situation where the Sabres 2013 draft pick looks to be headed to Los Angeles as a King via free agency. Botterill took it all in stride and if rumors that Johnson will be coming back to Buffalo are true, he just stabilized his goalie situation this season with that move.
Rumors will be coming hard and fast leading up to tomorrow's 12 Noon start to NHL free agency. How much Buffalo is involved remains to be seen, but I'm not expecting too much.
Friday, June 30, 2017
Defense. Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes. Plus, lookin' for another top-six LW
Published by hockeybuzz.com, 6-29-2017
From Edmonton to Buffalo moves altering the course of the Buffalo Sabres upcoming season, but the big move new GM Jason Botterill needs to make to really get things rolling probably won't happen this off season.
Defense, defense, defense.
The Sabres don't exactly have a top-five defense-corps in the league which leaves them looking to upgrade, especially filling a top-pairing need next to RHD, Rasmus Ristolainen. Botterill was able to fortify his lower pairings a bit with the signings of Victor Antipin, the trade for Nathan Beaulieu and the re-signing of Taylor Fedun. That trio adds plenty of depth from for new head coach Phil Housley to work with, but a top-four of Ristolainen, Beaulieu, Zach Bogosian and Jake McCabe isn't close to what he worked with in Nashville last season.
It will take time. And for those who are looking for a jolt this July 1, you can pretty much fuggedaboutit. The top two free agent d-men on the market are Kevin Shattenkirk and Karl Alzner both of whom will collect huge paychecks on long-term deals despite flaws in their games. Buffalo could be in the running if Botterill was willing to go above and beyond an expected overpayment for both, but despite plenty of room under the cap this year, it wouldn't seem as if it's in his blood to reach like that.
So the Sabres look to be headed into the off season, and possibly into training camp as well, with a defense corps as is. One possible addition, as mentioned here a couple of weeks ago, is that of soon to be free agent defenseman Will Butcher who's opting to go to free agency August 15 instead of signing with the team that drafted him. In a quick blurb I mentioned that having an opportunity in Buffalo to play under a coach like Housley who values puck-movers might pique his interest. Even if the Sabres were to land him, his impact, if any, wouldn't be felt for a few years as Butcher will probably need a couple years of seasoning for his development.
*****
Speaking of development, Botterill released player development coach Randy Cunneyworth two days ago.
After leaving the Rochester Americans in 2008 to pursue an NHL coaching career, Cunneyworth was brought back in 2015 as player development coach. He spent the 2015-16 season coaching in Rochester before going back to his previous position.
From 2015 to 2017 the Amerks were near the bottom of the league although the players that were brought up to Buffalo seemed to be well prepared for the NHL game. Unfortunately none were able to have an impact for the Sabres.
Botterill also released pro scout Jon Christiano. The Buffalo native had been with the Sabres since 1997 and spent three years as Director of Pro Scouting under GM Darcy Regier.
Also dismissed was amateur scout Kevin Prendergast who came on board in 2013.
Owner Terry Pegula and Botterill have slowly been purging the hockey department to start anew. Cunneyworth, Christiano and Prendergast join scouting director Rob Murphy, director of amateur scouting Greg Royce, pro scout Jim Kovachik and amateur scouts Keith Hendrickson and Brandon Jay as those on the outs since Pegula fired GM Tim Murray and head coach Dan Bylsma.
*****
The hockey world just got a major jolt yesterday when word got out that Edmonton Oilers phenom Connor McDavid is looking at a contract extension that will have a cap-hit over $13 million. McDavid is entering the final year of his entry-level deal and the Oilers aren't messing around.
And they shouldn't.
McDavid just finished his sophomore season as the only 100-point player in the league and captained his Oilers team to Game-7 of the Western Conference Finals. He also backed up the truck at the NHL Awards Show in Las Vegas last week. He took home the Art Ross Trophy (leading scorer,) Hart Trophy (league MVP,) and the Ted Lindsay Award as the leagues top player voted by his peers.
The shockwaves rattled rinks all the way to Buffalo as the Sabres and Jack Eichel are said to be talking about a contract extension. Eichel was taken second-overall behind McDavid in the 2015 NHL Draft and although he's had two real good seasons on a team that was in the 'build' stage of rebuild, his 113 points (48+65) in 142 games aren't on the same level as McDavid's 148 (46+102) in 127 games. However, there's still plenty of untapped upside for Eichel which is why his next contract could be in the $8-9 million/season range.
They're two different players with enormous talents who came into the leagued in two different situations. Both will forever be tied to the whole 2015 "McEichel" Draft and will be compared from a points, salary and impact perspective.
The Sabres are lucky to have Eichel and it might be in everyone's best interest to get him signed long-term. They could fool around with a three-year bridge contract that could possibly extend his stay in Buffalo to 11 years if they went max contract thereafter. Or they could just come together on an eight-year deal and save everyone the worry.
*****
Word on the street is that the Sabres are losing a goalie prospect but gaining a veteran backup in net.
To no one's surprise, Sabres prospect Cal Petersen (2013, 129th-overall) is not signing in Buffalo but instead will be headed to Los Angeles. Although nothing can be announced until Saturday, July 1, reports have Petersen and the Kings agreeing to a contract.
Petersen opted to forgo his senior season at Notre Dame to turn pro and the Sabres had nearly all of June to sign him but he elected to become a free agent.
The loss of Petersen effectively jumbled the goalie depth-chart as Buffalo was missing a piece. The two givens were that Robin Lehner is the Sabres starter and Jonas Johansson will be starting his first full North American pro season in Rochester. Linus Ullmark, whom Botterill effectively kept from Las Vegas in the expansion draft, could have been Lehner's backup had Petersen signed with Buffalo.
But our very own Buffalo 39 mentioned a couple days ago that the Sabres and former goalie Chad Johnson were in talks and word on the street is that Johnson will be back in Buffalo next season. Having him behind Lehner means that Ullmark goes back to Rochester as their starter for the second consecutive season.
Which is a good thing.
Goalies need reps and Ullmark will get a lot of them with the Amerks. The move also bodes well for Johansson who can get eased into the North American pro game.
Losing Petersen is a downer as he has legit No. 1 potential, but the Sabres will need to make lemonade.
*****
The Sabres, as mentioned above, could use a top-pairing defenseman but the could also use help on the wing in the top-six. And, as luck would have it, this isn't a particularly strong free agent class at LW.
The list at left wing is topped by veteran forward Patrick Marleau. However reports have him not wanting to leave San Jose and if he does, he wants to stay on the West Coast as to not disrupt his family.
After that the Sabres could, and should, have of some interest in Thomas Vanek.
Since being traded by Buffalo in October, 2013, Vanek has been wandering around the league. Vanek was traded by the NY Islanders to the Montreal Canadiens that same season then signed a two-year deal with the Minnesota Wild as a free agent. He signed a one-year, $2.6 million deal with the Detroit Red Wings last off season and was traded to Florida at the trade deadline March 1.
During this sojourn, word came out that Vanek's name appeared on a list in a Rochester, NY gambling sting and he apparently lost millions of dollars. With Pegula touting virtues like character and his Murray-firing presser, Vanek might not fit into what he wants moving forward. Yet you can't deny that Vanek still has the chops. Last season he scored 17 goals and added 31 assists in 68 games for Detroit and Florida. Those 48 points would have placed him third on the Sabres in scoring behind only Eichel and Ryan O'Reilly. He also lead the league in the shootout going a perfect 5 for 5.
Speaking of gambling, the Sabres could also look into signing former first-overall pick Nail Yakupov to a "show me" contract. Yakupov has been set adrift after four years with the Oilers and one season in St. Louis. It would be a low-risk/high-reward scenario for the Sabres but most feel that the upside just isn't there as there's a disconnect with him and the NHL game.
Finally, maybe we should keep an eye on winger Beau Bennett who was the 20th-overall pick of the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2010 when Botterill was in the front office.
The 6'2" 207 lb. Bennett is listed as a right-winger but can play either side.
Of course if Buffalo's own Tyler Ennis could return to form, it would eliminate the need for a top-six left-winger. Ennis' last two seasons have been dismal as he's had injury problems and just could never get into the flow of things. The Edmonton, Alberta native has only eight goals and 16 assist while playing in only 84 games the last two seasons.
As of right now the Sabres have only one legit top-six left wing in Evander Kane. He'll be entering the final year of his contract with questions as to whether or not there will be an extension for him this off season. There's been speculation that the Sabres would be trading him, but Pierre LeBrun told the WGR afternoon guys yesterday that Botterill is listening but not actively shopping Kane.
From Edmonton to Buffalo moves altering the course of the Buffalo Sabres upcoming season, but the big move new GM Jason Botterill needs to make to really get things rolling probably won't happen this off season.
Defense, defense, defense.
The Sabres don't exactly have a top-five defense-corps in the league which leaves them looking to upgrade, especially filling a top-pairing need next to RHD, Rasmus Ristolainen. Botterill was able to fortify his lower pairings a bit with the signings of Victor Antipin, the trade for Nathan Beaulieu and the re-signing of Taylor Fedun. That trio adds plenty of depth from for new head coach Phil Housley to work with, but a top-four of Ristolainen, Beaulieu, Zach Bogosian and Jake McCabe isn't close to what he worked with in Nashville last season.
It will take time. And for those who are looking for a jolt this July 1, you can pretty much fuggedaboutit. The top two free agent d-men on the market are Kevin Shattenkirk and Karl Alzner both of whom will collect huge paychecks on long-term deals despite flaws in their games. Buffalo could be in the running if Botterill was willing to go above and beyond an expected overpayment for both, but despite plenty of room under the cap this year, it wouldn't seem as if it's in his blood to reach like that.
So the Sabres look to be headed into the off season, and possibly into training camp as well, with a defense corps as is. One possible addition, as mentioned here a couple of weeks ago, is that of soon to be free agent defenseman Will Butcher who's opting to go to free agency August 15 instead of signing with the team that drafted him. In a quick blurb I mentioned that having an opportunity in Buffalo to play under a coach like Housley who values puck-movers might pique his interest. Even if the Sabres were to land him, his impact, if any, wouldn't be felt for a few years as Butcher will probably need a couple years of seasoning for his development.
*****
Speaking of development, Botterill released player development coach Randy Cunneyworth two days ago.
After leaving the Rochester Americans in 2008 to pursue an NHL coaching career, Cunneyworth was brought back in 2015 as player development coach. He spent the 2015-16 season coaching in Rochester before going back to his previous position.
From 2015 to 2017 the Amerks were near the bottom of the league although the players that were brought up to Buffalo seemed to be well prepared for the NHL game. Unfortunately none were able to have an impact for the Sabres.
Botterill also released pro scout Jon Christiano. The Buffalo native had been with the Sabres since 1997 and spent three years as Director of Pro Scouting under GM Darcy Regier.
Also dismissed was amateur scout Kevin Prendergast who came on board in 2013.
Owner Terry Pegula and Botterill have slowly been purging the hockey department to start anew. Cunneyworth, Christiano and Prendergast join scouting director Rob Murphy, director of amateur scouting Greg Royce, pro scout Jim Kovachik and amateur scouts Keith Hendrickson and Brandon Jay as those on the outs since Pegula fired GM Tim Murray and head coach Dan Bylsma.
*****
The hockey world just got a major jolt yesterday when word got out that Edmonton Oilers phenom Connor McDavid is looking at a contract extension that will have a cap-hit over $13 million. McDavid is entering the final year of his entry-level deal and the Oilers aren't messing around.
And they shouldn't.
McDavid just finished his sophomore season as the only 100-point player in the league and captained his Oilers team to Game-7 of the Western Conference Finals. He also backed up the truck at the NHL Awards Show in Las Vegas last week. He took home the Art Ross Trophy (leading scorer,) Hart Trophy (league MVP,) and the Ted Lindsay Award as the leagues top player voted by his peers.
The shockwaves rattled rinks all the way to Buffalo as the Sabres and Jack Eichel are said to be talking about a contract extension. Eichel was taken second-overall behind McDavid in the 2015 NHL Draft and although he's had two real good seasons on a team that was in the 'build' stage of rebuild, his 113 points (48+65) in 142 games aren't on the same level as McDavid's 148 (46+102) in 127 games. However, there's still plenty of untapped upside for Eichel which is why his next contract could be in the $8-9 million/season range.
They're two different players with enormous talents who came into the leagued in two different situations. Both will forever be tied to the whole 2015 "McEichel" Draft and will be compared from a points, salary and impact perspective.
The Sabres are lucky to have Eichel and it might be in everyone's best interest to get him signed long-term. They could fool around with a three-year bridge contract that could possibly extend his stay in Buffalo to 11 years if they went max contract thereafter. Or they could just come together on an eight-year deal and save everyone the worry.
*****
Word on the street is that the Sabres are losing a goalie prospect but gaining a veteran backup in net.
To no one's surprise, Sabres prospect Cal Petersen (2013, 129th-overall) is not signing in Buffalo but instead will be headed to Los Angeles. Although nothing can be announced until Saturday, July 1, reports have Petersen and the Kings agreeing to a contract.
Petersen opted to forgo his senior season at Notre Dame to turn pro and the Sabres had nearly all of June to sign him but he elected to become a free agent.
The loss of Petersen effectively jumbled the goalie depth-chart as Buffalo was missing a piece. The two givens were that Robin Lehner is the Sabres starter and Jonas Johansson will be starting his first full North American pro season in Rochester. Linus Ullmark, whom Botterill effectively kept from Las Vegas in the expansion draft, could have been Lehner's backup had Petersen signed with Buffalo.
But our very own Buffalo 39 mentioned a couple days ago that the Sabres and former goalie Chad Johnson were in talks and word on the street is that Johnson will be back in Buffalo next season. Having him behind Lehner means that Ullmark goes back to Rochester as their starter for the second consecutive season.
Which is a good thing.
Goalies need reps and Ullmark will get a lot of them with the Amerks. The move also bodes well for Johansson who can get eased into the North American pro game.
Losing Petersen is a downer as he has legit No. 1 potential, but the Sabres will need to make lemonade.
*****
The Sabres, as mentioned above, could use a top-pairing defenseman but the could also use help on the wing in the top-six. And, as luck would have it, this isn't a particularly strong free agent class at LW.
The list at left wing is topped by veteran forward Patrick Marleau. However reports have him not wanting to leave San Jose and if he does, he wants to stay on the West Coast as to not disrupt his family.
After that the Sabres could, and should, have of some interest in Thomas Vanek.
Since being traded by Buffalo in October, 2013, Vanek has been wandering around the league. Vanek was traded by the NY Islanders to the Montreal Canadiens that same season then signed a two-year deal with the Minnesota Wild as a free agent. He signed a one-year, $2.6 million deal with the Detroit Red Wings last off season and was traded to Florida at the trade deadline March 1.
During this sojourn, word came out that Vanek's name appeared on a list in a Rochester, NY gambling sting and he apparently lost millions of dollars. With Pegula touting virtues like character and his Murray-firing presser, Vanek might not fit into what he wants moving forward. Yet you can't deny that Vanek still has the chops. Last season he scored 17 goals and added 31 assists in 68 games for Detroit and Florida. Those 48 points would have placed him third on the Sabres in scoring behind only Eichel and Ryan O'Reilly. He also lead the league in the shootout going a perfect 5 for 5.
Speaking of gambling, the Sabres could also look into signing former first-overall pick Nail Yakupov to a "show me" contract. Yakupov has been set adrift after four years with the Oilers and one season in St. Louis. It would be a low-risk/high-reward scenario for the Sabres but most feel that the upside just isn't there as there's a disconnect with him and the NHL game.
Finally, maybe we should keep an eye on winger Beau Bennett who was the 20th-overall pick of the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2010 when Botterill was in the front office.
The 6'2" 207 lb. Bennett is listed as a right-winger but can play either side.
Of course if Buffalo's own Tyler Ennis could return to form, it would eliminate the need for a top-six left-winger. Ennis' last two seasons have been dismal as he's had injury problems and just could never get into the flow of things. The Edmonton, Alberta native has only eight goals and 16 assist while playing in only 84 games the last two seasons.
As of right now the Sabres have only one legit top-six left wing in Evander Kane. He'll be entering the final year of his contract with questions as to whether or not there will be an extension for him this off season. There's been speculation that the Sabres would be trading him, but Pierre LeBrun told the WGR afternoon guys yesterday that Botterill is listening but not actively shopping Kane.
Wednesday, June 28, 2017
Fedun signing adds depth to D, plus the qualifiers and Andreychuk.
Published by hockeybuzz.com, 6-27-2017
In addition to bring two assistant general managers aboard in Randy Sexton, who will be the GM in Rochester, and Steve Greeley the Sabres made some player moves.
But before we get to that, a tip of the hat to Dave Andreychuk who was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame yesterday. The veteran of 23 NHL seasons heads to hockey immortality in a November 13 ceremony with the rest of the 2017 class--Teemu Selanne, Paul Kariya, Mark Recchi along with Danielle Goyette and two in the builders category, Buffalo native and Boston Bruins owner Jeremy Jacobs and Clare Drake.
Andreychuk spent 11 season with the Sabres using his long reach and big body go amass 368 goals and 904 points in 837 games. He would go on to total 648 goals and 1338 points in his 1639 game NHL career. The 640 goals ranks 14th all time and before his induction, he was the only one of the top-15 goals scores not in the HOF.
Although third on the all-time goals list for left wings, a good chunk of those goals came on the powerplay which may have kept him out of the Hall this long. Winning the Stanley Cup as captain of the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2003 helped Andreychuk's chances of getting inducted but it still took him nine years to get in.
His days in Buffalo were marked by individual success but much like team mates Phil Housley and Tom Barrasso, lack of team success lead to a divided fan base when it came to his accomplishments. I was of the "meh" crowd who teetered on whether or not he was a Hall of Famer, but upon hearing about his induction I thought to myself, "Good for him."
*****
The Sabres are still in need of a defenseman to anchor the left side of the top-pairing. It's a difficult acquisition to make as they're not readily available and if they are, it will cost a bundle to land one. And by the looks of it, new GM Jason Botterill isn't going to pay the price even if one were available. I lieu of that, Botterill continues to add depth to the blueline.
Yesterday it was announced that the Sabres re-signed veteran d-man Taylor Fedun to a two year deal that will pay him $650k/year, according to CapFriendly. Fedun's Rochester Americans salary is $300k.
Since coming on board May 11, Botterill signed free agent Russian defenseman Victor Antipin, whom the previous regime set the table for, and traded for Montreal Canadiens defenseman Nathan Beaulieu.
With the signing of Fedun the depth chart looks something like this:
Jake McCabe-Rasmus Ristolainen
Zach Bogosian-Beaulieu
Antipin-Fedun-Josh Gorges-Justin Falk-Casey Nelson
Rookie Brendan Guhle is the wild card here. His athleticism, skill, skating and puck movement place him above the bottom-five listed above talent-wise, but Botterill and Co. may feel more comfortable having him start the year in Rochester.
The Sabres may carry eight defensemen or they may carry seven, but in either case, as of right now Nelson looks to be the odd man out unless there's a trade. Falk was re-signed in February and would be a strong veteran presence in Rochester were he not on the Sabres roster.
*****
Speaking of defense, 2012 seventh round pick (193rd overall,) Brady Austin was not tendered a qualifying offer by the Sabres which means he's an unrestricted free agent. The 6'4" 225 lb. rearguard, who is surprisingly mobile for a man his size, can still be resigned by the Sabres at a lower number that his $635K NHL salary from last season or he could be signed to a minor league contract with the Rochester Americans if Botterill's so inclined.
With Housley as the new head coach and Botterill coming from a Pittsburgh Penguins organization that leaned heavily on puck-movers on the back end, it's not too surprising that Austin wasn't qualified. The Bobcaygeon, Ontario native struggled in Rochester for much of his pro career with the Amerks but looked pretty solid in a five-game stint late last season with the Sabres and perhaps Botterill and Amerks GM Sexton may want to see more of Austin, but not at that price. The duo will need to rebuild a flawed Rochester club from top to bottom.
Should Guhle end up in Rochester, they have the makings of a pretty solid defense-core when you add in one or both of Falk and Fedun along with Nelson, who made great strides in the latter part of the season. They'll also be joined by first year pro Devante Stephens.
Others in the mix at this juncture could be Brycen Martin, who's signed for two more seasons and Anthony Florentino who had a five-game audition with Rochester on a minor league contract.
Forwards Jean Dupuy and Justin Kea also were not qualified.
The Sabres tendered qualifying offers to:
G, Robin Lehner--$3.15M
F, Marcus Foligno--$2.25M
F, Zemgus Girgensons--$1.15M
D, Nathan Beaulieu--$1M
F, Johan Larsson--$997k
F, Evan Rodrigues--$787k
In addition to bring two assistant general managers aboard in Randy Sexton, who will be the GM in Rochester, and Steve Greeley the Sabres made some player moves.
But before we get to that, a tip of the hat to Dave Andreychuk who was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame yesterday. The veteran of 23 NHL seasons heads to hockey immortality in a November 13 ceremony with the rest of the 2017 class--Teemu Selanne, Paul Kariya, Mark Recchi along with Danielle Goyette and two in the builders category, Buffalo native and Boston Bruins owner Jeremy Jacobs and Clare Drake.
Andreychuk spent 11 season with the Sabres using his long reach and big body go amass 368 goals and 904 points in 837 games. He would go on to total 648 goals and 1338 points in his 1639 game NHL career. The 640 goals ranks 14th all time and before his induction, he was the only one of the top-15 goals scores not in the HOF.
Although third on the all-time goals list for left wings, a good chunk of those goals came on the powerplay which may have kept him out of the Hall this long. Winning the Stanley Cup as captain of the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2003 helped Andreychuk's chances of getting inducted but it still took him nine years to get in.
His days in Buffalo were marked by individual success but much like team mates Phil Housley and Tom Barrasso, lack of team success lead to a divided fan base when it came to his accomplishments. I was of the "meh" crowd who teetered on whether or not he was a Hall of Famer, but upon hearing about his induction I thought to myself, "Good for him."
*****
The Sabres are still in need of a defenseman to anchor the left side of the top-pairing. It's a difficult acquisition to make as they're not readily available and if they are, it will cost a bundle to land one. And by the looks of it, new GM Jason Botterill isn't going to pay the price even if one were available. I lieu of that, Botterill continues to add depth to the blueline.
Yesterday it was announced that the Sabres re-signed veteran d-man Taylor Fedun to a two year deal that will pay him $650k/year, according to CapFriendly. Fedun's Rochester Americans salary is $300k.
Since coming on board May 11, Botterill signed free agent Russian defenseman Victor Antipin, whom the previous regime set the table for, and traded for Montreal Canadiens defenseman Nathan Beaulieu.
With the signing of Fedun the depth chart looks something like this:
Jake McCabe-Rasmus Ristolainen
Zach Bogosian-Beaulieu
Antipin-Fedun-Josh Gorges-Justin Falk-Casey Nelson
Rookie Brendan Guhle is the wild card here. His athleticism, skill, skating and puck movement place him above the bottom-five listed above talent-wise, but Botterill and Co. may feel more comfortable having him start the year in Rochester.
The Sabres may carry eight defensemen or they may carry seven, but in either case, as of right now Nelson looks to be the odd man out unless there's a trade. Falk was re-signed in February and would be a strong veteran presence in Rochester were he not on the Sabres roster.
*****
Speaking of defense, 2012 seventh round pick (193rd overall,) Brady Austin was not tendered a qualifying offer by the Sabres which means he's an unrestricted free agent. The 6'4" 225 lb. rearguard, who is surprisingly mobile for a man his size, can still be resigned by the Sabres at a lower number that his $635K NHL salary from last season or he could be signed to a minor league contract with the Rochester Americans if Botterill's so inclined.
With Housley as the new head coach and Botterill coming from a Pittsburgh Penguins organization that leaned heavily on puck-movers on the back end, it's not too surprising that Austin wasn't qualified. The Bobcaygeon, Ontario native struggled in Rochester for much of his pro career with the Amerks but looked pretty solid in a five-game stint late last season with the Sabres and perhaps Botterill and Amerks GM Sexton may want to see more of Austin, but not at that price. The duo will need to rebuild a flawed Rochester club from top to bottom.
Should Guhle end up in Rochester, they have the makings of a pretty solid defense-core when you add in one or both of Falk and Fedun along with Nelson, who made great strides in the latter part of the season. They'll also be joined by first year pro Devante Stephens.
Others in the mix at this juncture could be Brycen Martin, who's signed for two more seasons and Anthony Florentino who had a five-game audition with Rochester on a minor league contract.
Forwards Jean Dupuy and Justin Kea also were not qualified.
The Sabres tendered qualifying offers to:
G, Robin Lehner--$3.15M
F, Marcus Foligno--$2.25M
F, Zemgus Girgensons--$1.15M
D, Nathan Beaulieu--$1M
F, Johan Larsson--$997k
F, Evan Rodrigues--$787k
With any kind of decent coaching, Buffalo's D, as is, should make big strides
Published by hockeybuzz.com, 6-28-2017
Yeah, I said it.
Although a top-four of Rasmus Ristolainen, Nathan Beaulieu, Zach Bogosian and Jake McCabe isn't quite a Cup-contending core, with any kind of coaching, along with solid goaltending (and, of course, goal-scoring,) it should be enough for the team to make a big jump from their poor 2016-17 season.
The Sabres had about as bad a season as a team could've had last year and the brunt of the fan backlash fell on the shoulders of Buffalo's defense corps. If it were up to many, veteran players like Bogosian and Josh Gorges would've been on the first Greyhound Bus out of Buffalo mid-season. Some, like myself, acknowledge the poor play of the defense but also attribute the Sabres 78-point season to a number of other factors which includes a dismal start to the season after losing Jack Eichel and Evander Kane to injuries and a strict adherence to the system employed by head coach Dan Bylsma.
The former is easy to quantify while the latter, without revealing insight from the players, is almost impossible to prove. However, the fact that there indeed was a disconnect between player and coach, which ultimately lead to Bylsma's firing, does give credence to the belief that his systems didn't fit the personnel GM Tim Murray gave him. We can add in that the roster Murray build wasn't a Cup-contender either. It had plenty of holes and, according to some reports, he had no answers when owner Terry Pegula asked what he was going to do moving forward. Murray was fired along with Bylsma and the team is starting fresh.
New GM Jason Botterill inherited a team that has some definitive strengths up front, goaltending that looks solid and a defense corps that has a hole in the top-pairing. Many had hoped that he'd somehow be able to find a d-man to fill said hole, but pickin's are slim this off season. One player that may be considered for the top pair is free agent, Kevin Shattenkirk jowever, being the top free agent defenseman in a brutally thin market means the puck-mover will probably be asking for top dollar with some suggesting 7yrs./$7M per season. With his good, but not great, 2017 playoff performance, that seems quite high and is probably out of Buffalo's reach.
There are other FA d-men available but most would be considered top-four at best with Washington's Karl Alzner and the NY Rangers Brendan Smith maybe being able to hold down a top-pairing spot in Buffalo. After that there's aged vets like Chicago's Brian Campbell and Johnny Oduya, Montreal's Andrei Makarov and a pair of 33 yr. olds in Trevor Daley (PIT) and Dan Girardi (NYR) who wouldn't be a good fit for the Sabres.
What it comes down to at this juncture is basically, what you see on the back end right now, is pretty much what you're going to see next season. It's a proposition that have some in a tizzy. Yet most feel that with a new GM and head coach in Phil Housley, the Sabres are in a transitional period, especially on the back end where Housley is coming in with visions of an attacking group of puck movers. As dire as it might seem to some right now, with any decent coaching, this group of defensemen should be able to hold their own and help the Sabres progress.
Lindy Ruff has yet to win a Stanley Cup but he's been able to take flawed teams to the playoffs and talented teams deep into May and June. When he was in Buffalo he wanted his teams attacking when he had the talent, but he also leaned towards the defensive side of the equation when his team lacked firepower up front. In 2009-10 he had a Vezina Trophy winning goalie in Ryan Miller and Rookie of the Year in defenseman Tyler Myers. They made the playoffs. Although his defense was active he wasn't in full-bore attack mode for 60 minutes like when he coached his back-to-back Eastern Conference Finals teams.
Ruff went into the 2010-11 minus two of his top three defensemen as Henrik Tallinder and Toni Lydman were lost to free agency. They were replaced by Jordan Leopold and Shaone Morrisonn with Morrisonn starting out the season on the team's top-pairing with Myers. But as the two suffered early in the season, Morrisonn fell down (and even out of) the lineup while Myers was dropped to the second pairing and eventually landed with third-year pro Chris Butler. Leopold moved up top with gritty, veteran defenseman Steve Montador while the bottom-pairing was a mix of Andrej Sekera (who ended up with plenty of time in the top-four,) Mike Weber, the plummeting Craig Rivet (who was eventually waived by Buffalo) and Marc-Andre Gragnani.
There was a lot of mixing and matching by Ruff that season as players like Morrisonn and Rivet fell precipitously, Myers suffered through a sophomore slump, Sekera and Butler rose while Leopold and Montador held steady in their roles. It ended up being a defense by committee in that these were the top-four in even strength ice-time:
Leopold--18:00
Montador--17:16
Sekera--17:11
Myers--16:57
The same four were atop in average time on ice:
Leopold--23:19
Myers--22:27
Sekera--21:05
Montador--19:43
The Sabres made the playoffs that season with only one player in the top-50 in point production (Thomas Vanek, 73) but with scoring by committee that placed them ninth in the league. Miller had a 2.59 GAA and .916 Sv%, well off of his Vezina highs, and the Sabres fell from a fourth-best GAA in 2009-10 to 16th in 2010-11.
Buffalo started out the 2010-11 season with Derek Roy and Tim Connolly centering a top-six that featured Vanek, Jason Pominville, Drew Stafford and Tyler Ennis on the wings. It was the last time Buffalo made the playoffs and they did so with a lineup that was weaker as a whole and especially up front in the top-six at center than last year's Sabres.
Having said that, a top-four featuring Ristolainen, Beaulieu, Bogosian and McCabe isn't that far removed from the top-four that Ruff started with, or even finished with, in 2010-11.
On April 8, 2011, the Sabres clinched a playoff berth after Nathan Gerbe tied the score at 3-3 half-way through the third period against the Philadelphia Flyers. The defensemen in that overtime game ranked by TOI were:
Butler--25:04
Myers--24:45
Gragnani--22:11
Montador--20:13
Weber--15:12
Morrisonn--13:27
Just sayin'
You can relive the highlights from that Philly game and a raucous Buffalo crowd with this mcskyns YouTube video:
Yeah, I said it.
Although a top-four of Rasmus Ristolainen, Nathan Beaulieu, Zach Bogosian and Jake McCabe isn't quite a Cup-contending core, with any kind of coaching, along with solid goaltending (and, of course, goal-scoring,) it should be enough for the team to make a big jump from their poor 2016-17 season.
The Sabres had about as bad a season as a team could've had last year and the brunt of the fan backlash fell on the shoulders of Buffalo's defense corps. If it were up to many, veteran players like Bogosian and Josh Gorges would've been on the first Greyhound Bus out of Buffalo mid-season. Some, like myself, acknowledge the poor play of the defense but also attribute the Sabres 78-point season to a number of other factors which includes a dismal start to the season after losing Jack Eichel and Evander Kane to injuries and a strict adherence to the system employed by head coach Dan Bylsma.
The former is easy to quantify while the latter, without revealing insight from the players, is almost impossible to prove. However, the fact that there indeed was a disconnect between player and coach, which ultimately lead to Bylsma's firing, does give credence to the belief that his systems didn't fit the personnel GM Tim Murray gave him. We can add in that the roster Murray build wasn't a Cup-contender either. It had plenty of holes and, according to some reports, he had no answers when owner Terry Pegula asked what he was going to do moving forward. Murray was fired along with Bylsma and the team is starting fresh.
New GM Jason Botterill inherited a team that has some definitive strengths up front, goaltending that looks solid and a defense corps that has a hole in the top-pairing. Many had hoped that he'd somehow be able to find a d-man to fill said hole, but pickin's are slim this off season. One player that may be considered for the top pair is free agent, Kevin Shattenkirk jowever, being the top free agent defenseman in a brutally thin market means the puck-mover will probably be asking for top dollar with some suggesting 7yrs./$7M per season. With his good, but not great, 2017 playoff performance, that seems quite high and is probably out of Buffalo's reach.
There are other FA d-men available but most would be considered top-four at best with Washington's Karl Alzner and the NY Rangers Brendan Smith maybe being able to hold down a top-pairing spot in Buffalo. After that there's aged vets like Chicago's Brian Campbell and Johnny Oduya, Montreal's Andrei Makarov and a pair of 33 yr. olds in Trevor Daley (PIT) and Dan Girardi (NYR) who wouldn't be a good fit for the Sabres.
What it comes down to at this juncture is basically, what you see on the back end right now, is pretty much what you're going to see next season. It's a proposition that have some in a tizzy. Yet most feel that with a new GM and head coach in Phil Housley, the Sabres are in a transitional period, especially on the back end where Housley is coming in with visions of an attacking group of puck movers. As dire as it might seem to some right now, with any decent coaching, this group of defensemen should be able to hold their own and help the Sabres progress.
Lindy Ruff has yet to win a Stanley Cup but he's been able to take flawed teams to the playoffs and talented teams deep into May and June. When he was in Buffalo he wanted his teams attacking when he had the talent, but he also leaned towards the defensive side of the equation when his team lacked firepower up front. In 2009-10 he had a Vezina Trophy winning goalie in Ryan Miller and Rookie of the Year in defenseman Tyler Myers. They made the playoffs. Although his defense was active he wasn't in full-bore attack mode for 60 minutes like when he coached his back-to-back Eastern Conference Finals teams.
Ruff went into the 2010-11 minus two of his top three defensemen as Henrik Tallinder and Toni Lydman were lost to free agency. They were replaced by Jordan Leopold and Shaone Morrisonn with Morrisonn starting out the season on the team's top-pairing with Myers. But as the two suffered early in the season, Morrisonn fell down (and even out of) the lineup while Myers was dropped to the second pairing and eventually landed with third-year pro Chris Butler. Leopold moved up top with gritty, veteran defenseman Steve Montador while the bottom-pairing was a mix of Andrej Sekera (who ended up with plenty of time in the top-four,) Mike Weber, the plummeting Craig Rivet (who was eventually waived by Buffalo) and Marc-Andre Gragnani.
There was a lot of mixing and matching by Ruff that season as players like Morrisonn and Rivet fell precipitously, Myers suffered through a sophomore slump, Sekera and Butler rose while Leopold and Montador held steady in their roles. It ended up being a defense by committee in that these were the top-four in even strength ice-time:
Leopold--18:00
Montador--17:16
Sekera--17:11
Myers--16:57
The same four were atop in average time on ice:
Leopold--23:19
Myers--22:27
Sekera--21:05
Montador--19:43
The Sabres made the playoffs that season with only one player in the top-50 in point production (Thomas Vanek, 73) but with scoring by committee that placed them ninth in the league. Miller had a 2.59 GAA and .916 Sv%, well off of his Vezina highs, and the Sabres fell from a fourth-best GAA in 2009-10 to 16th in 2010-11.
Buffalo started out the 2010-11 season with Derek Roy and Tim Connolly centering a top-six that featured Vanek, Jason Pominville, Drew Stafford and Tyler Ennis on the wings. It was the last time Buffalo made the playoffs and they did so with a lineup that was weaker as a whole and especially up front in the top-six at center than last year's Sabres.
Having said that, a top-four featuring Ristolainen, Beaulieu, Bogosian and McCabe isn't that far removed from the top-four that Ruff started with, or even finished with, in 2010-11.
On April 8, 2011, the Sabres clinched a playoff berth after Nathan Gerbe tied the score at 3-3 half-way through the third period against the Philadelphia Flyers. The defensemen in that overtime game ranked by TOI were:
Butler--25:04
Myers--24:45
Gragnani--22:11
Montador--20:13
Weber--15:12
Morrisonn--13:27
Just sayin'
You can relive the highlights from that Philly game and a raucous Buffalo crowd with this mcskyns YouTube video:
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