Building the 2017-18 Buffalo Sabres roster--LW, Evan Rodrigues

Published by hockeybuzz.com, 9-13-2017


Evan Rodrigues
24 yrs. old
5'10" 183 lbs.
FA, 2015

Career stats:  32 games  | 5 goals  | 3 assists  |  8 points  |  -5


Forward Evan Rodrigues has been getting up to speed at the pro level for the last two seasons, mostly in Rochester. Although a tad small at 5'10" 183 lbs., the 24 yr. old native of Toronto, Canada has displayed the hockey smarts, skating and skills to make it in the NHL while his shot may keep him climbing up the ladder on the depth chart.

His versatility won't hurt either.

Coming out of Boston University in 2015, Rodrigues was known more for being Jack Eichel's wingman than anything else. In his final season at BU Rodrigues lit things up with 61 points (21+40) in 41 games, good for fourth in the nation, while playing on Eichel's left wing. It was a huge jump for Rodrigues who matched his goal output from the previous three seasons combined and had more total points as well.

However, Rodrigues is proving that he can stand on his own.

Rodrigues impressed at Sabres Development Camp in 2015 but had a slow start to his pro career as it took him 17 games to notch his first goal for the Rochester Americans. After a rough first half of the season, Rodrigues pulled it together to finish with 30 points (9+21.) He finished his rookie campaign donning the Blue and Gold for two games and scored his first goal of the season in the finale against the NY Islanders while also adding an assist.

Last season Rodrigues matched his previous Amerks point output of nine goals and 21 assists but did so in 24 less games (48) while also dropping his plus/minus rating from minus-15 to minus-2 for the season. With injuries hammering the Sabres last season, and with his play on an upward trend, Rodrigues played 30 games for the Sabres in a bottom six role scoring four goals and adding two assists while averaging 12:56 of ice-time. And he did so while playing both center and wing, sometimes within the same game. After a late-season game in Columbus where he scored a goal playing both positions, Rodrigues was asked by a reporter if it was an easy transition for him. "I've been doing it all year," he replied. "There's no real difficulty in that. You're either taking draws or you're not."

When talking with long time Amerks broadcaster Don Stevens late last season he said that Rodrigues played even better in Buffalo than he did in Rochester. "Overall," said Stevens, "I think he had an outstanding year and certainly has made a case for him to win a full-time job [in Buffalo.]"
With obvious weakness on the Sabres left side, there's a huge opportunity for Rodrigues to land a spot at left wing in Buffalo if that's where new head coach Phil Housley sees a fit for him. Housley was on The Instigators yesterday talking about versatility in his players, something GM Jason Botterill had also mentioned as well, which bodes well for a player like Rodrigues. "We're gonna move guys around," he told the hosts, "this is going to be part of the evaluation process.

"Guys are going to be in different spots," continued Housley, "we're going to find that chemistry, hopefully by that final exhibition game, where we say this is close to where we're going to be."

In looking at Rodrigues through Housley's eyes, he has a player who skates very well, has the hockey sense to get to open ice or find a teammate in open ice and has a quick and accurate shot while also showing the versatility to play wing or center. About the only thing Rodrigues doesn't have is loads of NHL experience, which he seems to have earned while working his way up the ranks in Rochester.

Rodrigues will have a good shot of landing a spot in the bottom-six in Buffalo out of camp should his progress continue. Placing him at left wing (or even center if that's how it unfolded) on the third line would be optimal projection for him heading into camp. We're not sure if he has the upside to ride shotgun on Eichel's wing but then again it shouldn't be ruled out.

Botterill came from a Pittsburgh organization that saw a number of different players excel on Sidney Crosby's wing while a noted goal-scorer like Phil Kessel did his thing on the third line.

One of the keys for the Sabres moving forward will be if he can play in a scorers role while his salary remains on the lower end of the scale like Connor Sheary and Jake Guentzel have done for the Penguins have done. Eichel's set to command a pretty hefty salary and he, along with players like Ryan O'Reilly, Kyle Okposo and defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen, are set to take up a huge chunk of the salary cap in the near future. That makes a player like Rodrigues very attractive.


Building the 2017-18 Buffalo Sabres roster:

LW, Evander Kane / C, Jack Eichel / RW, Sam Reinhart
LW, Benoit Pouliot / C, Ryan O'Reilly / RW, Kyle Okposo
LW, Evan Rodrigues / C, Johan Larsson /

D, Marco Scandella / D, Rasmus Ristolainen
D, Jake McCabe / D, Zach Bogosian

G, Robin Lehner


Follow me on twitter @boosbuzzsabres

Building the 2017-18 Buffalo Sabres roster--C, Johan Larsson

Published by bockeybuzz.com, 9-12-2017


Johan Larsson
25 yrs. old
5'11" 200 lbs.
2010, 56th-overall (MIN)
Acquired in a trade on April 3, 2013 with the Minnesota Wild

Career stats:  178 games  |  22 goals  |  26 assists  |  48 points  |  -11

At the end of the day on July 1, Buffalo GM Jason Botterill had just finished the arduous task of taking over a new team with a flurry of activity facing him. Botterill was hired on May 11 and had a quick introduction to his new scouting staff while prepping for the draft, had an expansion draft to prepare for, then the 2017 NHL Draft itself and finally onto free agency where he and his staff signed eight players to bolster both the Sabres and the Rochester Americans on the very first day.

After a brief period it was on to making decisions on the many RFA's in the organization which included arbitration for three players--Johan Larsson, newly acquired defenseman Nathan Beaulieu and starting goalie Robin Lehner.

Larsson was the first of the three to settle as he and the Sabres came together on a 2yr./$2.95 million deal July 8.

The stout, 5'11" 200 lb. native of Sweden and captain of their 2012 World Junior gold medal squad (their first since 1981) was a third round pick of the Minnesota Wild in 2010 (56th-overall) and came to Buffalo when the Sabres traded away Jason Pominville in . It was a trade that, for Buffalo, began an organization clearing tear-down in a scorched earth rebuild and ironically, Pominville is now back with the Sabres and Larsson is heading into his fifth season with Buffalo.

In 2015-16 Larsson completed his first full season with the club chalking up a career high 10 goals and 17 points and that seemed to be his floor. He was well on his way to taking up those numbers a notch before crashing awkwardly into the boards in Boston on December 31 and dislocating both his elbow and wrist. Surgery kept him out the rest of the season but he should be fully healthy when training camp starts in two days.

In 178 NHL games Larsson notched 48 points (22+26,) which is rather meager, but he does have seven game-winning goals as a Sabre and had 49.1% faceoff percentage last year, which was second on the team behind Ryan O'Reilly (58%) for those taking 250 or more draws. Numbers, however, don't tell the whole story with him.

When he's on his game, Larsson has a very abrasive style of play that grates on the opposition to the point where they end up chasing him around instead of following the play. He's very aware in the defensive zone as represented by his team-high 64.7% d-zone starts and was also used on the penalty kill. In a nod to the offensive side of his game, Larsson was also used sparingly on the powerplay (:28/game) and did manage a powerplay goal.

The knock on Larsson, and why he's in a defensive/checking role, has always been his skating, which he's been able to overcome with smarts and a (junk-yard) dogged determination. How that plays into  Phil Housley's scheme will be determined as the new head coach wants to play an up-tempo style with his defense joining the rush. Housley was hired by the Sabres nearly a full month before they re-signed Larsson to his two-year deal and it would seem as if he has no problem integrating Larsson into his system.

Injuries took away what was promising to be his best season ever and one could surmise that we still haven't seen Larsson's production peak yet. Regardless of that, when Botterill signed off on the deal he looked at the (then) 24 yr. old as an asset. The third-line center position could be up for grabs this year dependent upon how Housley wants it constructed and in the years to come, Larsson will have a couple of players, most notably Rasmus Asplund and Cliff Pu, nipping at his heels for that spot.

That's not a bad thing for the Sabres as ideally Larsson would make for an excellent fourth-line center on a Cup-contending team. And if we see him in that spot, it will mean good things are happening for the forward group.


Building the 2017-18 Buffalo Sabres roster:

LW, Evander Kane / C, Jack Eichel / RW, Sam Reinhart
LW, Benoit Pouliot / C, Ryan O'Reilly / RW, Kyle Okposo
/ C, Johan Larsson /

D, Marco Scandella / D, Rasmus Ristolainen
D, Jake McCabe / D, Zach Bogosian

G, Robin Lehner

Building the 2017-18 Buffalo Sabres roster--D, Zach Bogosian

Published by hockeybuzz.com, 9-11-2017


Zach Bogosian
27 yrs. old
6'3" 228 lbs.
2008, 3rd-overall (ATL)
Acquired in a trade with the Winnipeg Jets February 11, 2015

Career stats:  534 games  |  49 goals  |  120 assists  |  169 points  |  -73


Defenseman Zach Bogosian came to Buffalo as part of the Tyler Myers/Evander Kane deal back in February, 2015. Because of injuries he's played in 141 of a possible 201 games for the Sabres over the course of those two-and-a-half seasons, which is fairly typical of the way things have gone for the hard-nosed defenseman over the course of his career.

Bogosian got off to a tepid start in Buffalo after the trade with former head coach Ted Nolan skating him over 26 minutes/game. The following season with a new coach in Dan Bylsma, Bogosian settled in on the second-pairing with rookie Jake McCabe and at times were the best pairing on the ice. The duo had brain-farts on an individual basis but as a duo they performed pretty consistently with McCabe leading the team in plus-minus with a plus-6.

Last year didn't go as well for Bogosian as put up abysmal numbers in another injury-shortened season scoring a career-low two goals and equaling a career-low in points with 11. He missed 26 games while suffering knee and rib injuries and it took a while for him to get up to game-speed. Although Bogosian is only 27 yrs. old, his rambunctious play over the course of 534 NHL games is beginning to take it's toll and he still has a skill-set that can be put to good use.

Bogosian skates extremely well for a 6'3" 228 lb. defenseman and he's got a heavy shot ta boot. Last season he got up ice and blasted this one past perennial Vezina candidate Carey Price of the Montreal Canadiens (1:10-minute mark):



(Thank you, Sportsnet)


Things were amiss in Buffalo last season and we're still not sure exactly what caused the team to take a step backwards. Owner Terry Pegula wasn't satisfied with what transpired and he fired both GM Tim Murray, who orchestrated the trade for Kane and Bogosian, and coachBylsma on the same day. Little by little we're getting a picture of a team that, among other things, was in disarray in part because a clash between coaching style and players.

A lot of the blame for last year's woes fell on what was considered an inadequate, at best, defense corps and although that may be true to an extent, goalie Robin Lehner said that the problem last season was that "we didn't know how to play" while also saying "it was a common misconception" that the defense was the problem. Jack Eichel talked about new head coach Phil Housley wanting to play an up-tempo game that's right in his wheelhouse. "Obviously, pushing the pace, playing with the puck, possessing it, playing fast, all that stuff bodes well for me, and I think it should be a good fit," he said after a recent workout.

And Bogosian called the last two years under Bylsma, "frustrating and disappointing." He told WGR550's Paul Hamilton that "skating is definitely my strong point."

"Last year and the year before I felt like I was handcuffed back there," said Bogosian. "I don't think I got a chance to play my game in the way I know I can play and I'm just looking forward to a new start and play my game which is jumping up into the play.”

He should get the opportunity to "play his game" this season under Housley. The first time head coach was an assistant in Nashville last season and his defense-corps were the most dangerous group in the playoffs. However, regardless of what Housley may or may not be able to do with the d-men as a group, it's up to Bogosian to pick up his game. Coming off of possibly his worst season ever and with three years left on his contract at a $5.143 cap-hit, the Sabres are pretty much stuck with him and an "injury-prone" tag doesn't help matters either.

With a good training camp and, of course, barring injury, Bogosian should get the opportunity to use his skating and skill in a top-four role. The Sabres will have three new faces on defense including a 24 yr. old rookie coming over from Russia and a 24 yr. old who fell down the depth chart and into the press box in Montreal last season.

Either of those two may end up supplanting Bogosian if he falters or is injured, but having two d-men who are familiar with each other like Bogosian and McCabe are, at least to start the season, should help the transition under a new head coach.


Building the 2017-18 Buffalo Sabres roster:

LW, Evander Kane / C, Jack Eichel / RW, Sam Reinhart
LW, Benoit Pouliot / C, Ryan O'Reilly / RW, Kyle Okposo

D, Marco Scandella / D, Rasmus Ristolainen
D, Jake McCabe / D, Zach Bogosian


G, Robin Lehner


Follow me on twitter @boosbuzzsabres

Building the 2017-18 Buffalo Sabres roster--D, Jake McCabe

Published by hockeybuzz.com, 9-10-2017


Jake McCabe
23 yrs. old
6'1" 209 lbs.
2012, 44th overall

Career stats:  167 games  |  7 goals  |  28 assists  |  35 points  |  -4

It's pretty clear that when Buffalo GM Jason Botterill made the deal for Minnesota defenseman Marco Scandella that he was trading for Rasmus Ristolainen's partner on the top pairing. Although Scandella wasn't logging those minutes with the Wild, there's the belief that he will be able to step up his game and help anchor the Sabres blueline.

Ristolainen has been the Sabres workhorse the last two seasons and it showed as signs of the wear and tear became visible in his overall game. Along the way, Buffalo's top defenseman was paired with a number of players and the one he had the most success with was 23 yr. old Jake McCabe. The duo anchored the Sabres defense for most of the last season.

Automatically putting Scandella on the top-pairing may prove to be a disservice to McCabe as training camp and the preseason will sort things out, but having him on the second pairing will certainly help solidify the top four should things be laid out as such.

McCabe has taken the long, steady road to a spot in that top-four group. The Eau Claire, Wisconsin native spent three years in his home state playing four the Wisconsin Badgers before leaving for the pros. He got and a taste for the NHL with a seven-game stint in Buffalo at the end of the 2013-14 season and left Boston's Daneil Paille his calling card:

After spending all but one game in the 2014-15 season plying his trade in Rochester, McCabe would play one game for the Amerks the following season before being called up to Buffalo for good. At 6'0" 214 lbs. he always had a pro-ready frame but it took a while for his skills and hockey smarts to catch up to the pro game. McCabe isn't without faults and he's had his fair share of blunders, but one of the things he's always been able to do is bounce back from a mistake and rarely does it happen again.

Former Sabres coach Dan Bylsma had McCabe on the second pairing with Zach Bogosian in 2015-16 and the rookie lead the team with a plus-six rating while averaging 19:07 minutes/game. Last season that time was upped to 20:42 min./gm and he finished a minus-7 against much stiffer competition while playin on the top pair.

It would seem as if we're starting to find a sweet spot for his ice-time and a more well-defined slot in the d-corps, although he still has upside. McCabe will continue to learn and grow and tighten his defensive game but we shouldn't discount offensive upside, especially with new coach Phil Housley taking the reigns of the team.

McCabe has a knack for sneaking in from the point and finding that open seem in the slot as shown here in Team USA vs. Team Canada at the 2013 World Junior Championships in Ufa, Russia:



(Thank You, BigHockeyMoments)

That was the opening goal of the semi-final matchup that propelled Team USA past the rival Canadians and into the final where they won gold. McCabe was the captain of that team and the coach was Housley.

McCabe has continued to show that knack for finding open space at the NHL-level but has been unable to put the puck in the net with any consistency. He has seven goals in 167 career games with a shooting percentage of 4.9%.

Regardless of his offensive output to this point in his still young NHL career, McCabe has gotten a good handle on the speed of the NHL and is solid in his zone, which seemed to be his major area of focus these first few seasons. He's got an old-school mentality and doesn't say a lot, preferring to let his play speak for him. And, McCabe still has that calling card, something he laid on Winnipeg Jets star winger Patrick Laine back in early January: 



(Thank you, Sportsnet)


Building the 2017-18 Buffalo Sabres roster:

LW, Evander Kane / C, Jack Eichel / RW, Sam Reinhart
LW, Benoit Pouliot / C, Ryan O'Reilly / RW, Kyle Okposo

D, Marco Scandella / D, Rasmus Ristolainen


G, Robin Lehner


Follow me on twitter @boosbuzzsabres

Building the 2017-18 Buffalo Sabres roster--RW, Kyle Okposo

Published by hockeybuzz.com, 9-9-2017


Kyle Okposo
29 yrs. old
6'0" 208 lbs.
2006, 7th-overall (NYI)
Signed as a free agent July 1, 2016

Career stats:  594 games  |  158 goals  |  256 assists  |  414 points  |  -67


At the time it seemed as if it wasn't much of a big deal. Right wing Kyle Okposo was a late scratch for Buffalo as the Sabres travelled to Columbus to take on the Blue Jackets. Okposo, who had played in two games since dealing with a rib injury that kept him out 10 games prior, was listed as "ill" for the March 28 game and it was lost in controversy.

Prior to the game, winger Sam Reinhart had been suspended by the team, but with Okposo ruled out the team had to dress Reinhart to reach the NHL-mandated 20-player minimum. Without the possibility of bringing in a call-up on such late notice, the 21 yr. old sat on the bench the entire game.

We found out much later that the "illness" Okposo was suffering from was a concussion, which would cause him to miss the final six games of the season. Things would take a turn for the worse in early April as Okposo had an averse reaction tot the medication he was taking and wound up in the Neurosurgical Intensive Care Unit at Buffalo General Hospital.

"Intensive care is a scary place to be," he wrote in a letter to fans in July, "but I needed a place where I could be stabilized. My doctors felt that the Neuro Surgical ICU at Buffalo General was the best place for that to happen.

In that letter he laid out what had happened, that it was a "routine hit in practice" and that he "brushed it off" until his mood began to change and the people around him began to notice. "The medications they gave me to sleep caused a negative reaction in my body," he wrote. "I still couldn't sleep, and the weight loss continued at an alarming rate. At one point, I weighed less than 200 pounds."

During his stay in ICU he was alone with his thoughts. "Your mind starts to question a lot of different things," he told the gathered media after a workout this past week, which included what would happen with his hockey career and whether or not he'd feel normal again.

Okposo began to feel normal in May, in early June he visited the Sabres practice facility and had been in contact with new general manager Jason Botterill who said at coach Phil Housley's introductory press conference that "everything is looking great" for Okposo. "He physically looks great, mentally looks great... From our standpoint, everything will be ready for him at the start of training camp, just like all our other players."

In July, to everyone's delight, Okposo skated in Da Beauty League, an annual charity tournament in his home state of Minnesota. He didn't give any interview afterward but he did reflect upon his reasoning for playing in the tourney saying it wasn't so much to prove he could play again, but it was moreso to "get in more game action, just to try and get some timing back."

This was Okposo's first season in Buffalo after singing a 7yr./$42 million contract on Day-1 of free agency in 2016. Before he went down with his rib injury on March 4, Okposo was leading the team in scoring with 43 points (19+24) in 63 games. He added two assists in two games before his concussion and finished with 45 points in his first season in Buffalo tied for fourth on the team in scoring.

Okposo created great chemistry with center Ryan O'Reilly throughout the season despite the fact that they didn't play a full compliment of games because of injuries to both players. O'Reilly was hampered by back spasms early in the season and had an emergency appendectomy on Christmas day which kept him out for two weeks.

That O'Reilly/Okposo duo was the most consistent forward pairing for Buffalo last season and there's no reason to think that new head coach Phil Housley will deviate from that this season. Especially when Okposo will need some time to acclimate himself back into the speed of the NHL game.

Buffalo fans, who showed immense support for Okposo during his ordeal are sure to give him a rousing round of applause on opening night when the announcer belts out, "At right wing, Number 21, Kyle Okposo!"


Building the 2017-18 Buffalo Sabres roster:


LW, Evander Kane / C, Jack Eichel / RW, Sam Reinhart

LW, Benoit Pouliot / C, Ryan O'Reilly / RW, Kyle Okposo


D, Marco Scandella / D, Rasmus Ristolainen


G, Robin Lehner

Prospects Challenge = Watch youngins, see Nico and, heckle Butcher?

Published by hockeybuzz.com, 9-8-2017


The third annual Buffalo Sabres Prospects Challenge kicks off today. The four day event features prospects and invitees from four teams that will compete in a round-robin format beginning this afternoon at HarborCenter in downtown Buffalo. At 3:30 p.m. the Boston Bruins take on the Pittsburgh Penguins and at 7 p.m. the Sabres take on the New Jersey Devils.

Tickets are $10.

Fans of the Blue and Gold will be able to watch the future of the Sabres with players like Brendan Guhle, Alexander Nylander and Cliff Pu face off against prospects from other teams in peer vs. peer competition. Although the object is to win, and there will be plenty of skill on display, Rochester head coach Chris Taylor, who will be behind the bench for Buffalo, is focused upon compete-level. "It doesn't matter their skill level. It doesn't matter anything else. Their compete is what we're looking for," he told the press. "Are they willing to go in front and take the goalie's eyes away? Are they willing to box out in front of the net? Are they willing to get pucks off the walls? How hard are they going to battle?"

Nylander is one to keep an eye on in that department. Drafted eight-overall in 2016, Nylander possesses all the skill to be an impact forward yet there were concerns about his full-game compete.  "We’d like to see more of a three-zone effort and commitment in the greasy areas," wrote Kyle Woodlief's RedLineReport. "He spends far too much time on the perimeter. Rarely initiates contact, and if he’s not scoring, he’s not helping. But he’s a gamebreaker; can be invisible for 57 minutes, then win the game."

We saw that last year in Rochester. Longtime Amerks broadcaster Don Stevens attributed some of those negatives to lack of pro-ready frame which, in-turn, affects his confidence. "He's so worried about not getting killed, sometimes he's not doing the things he needs to do and stays away from the physical contact."

Adding bulk was Nylander's homework and he passed with flying colors as he's visibly bigger and thicker and seems more ready for the pro game. "He looks a little bigger," said Taylor. "Everything about him, he looks confident in what he's doing and how he's handling himself. He just looks a little more mature."

As mentioned in yesterday's blog, there's a huge hole on the left side after Evander Kane and a strong camp by Nylander, beginning with the Prospects Challenge, may give him a shot at a top-six role.

Guhle is another one to keep an eye on. The 2015 second round pick (51st-overall) just completed his junior career and heads to the pros full time after playing 12 games for Rochester in two years and appearing in three games for the Sabres last season. The 6'1" 186 lb. d-man from Edmonton, Alberta has made an impression whenever he was given a professional opportunity.

It began in the preseason in 2015 when there were thoughts that he could make the team and finished in April, 2016 when he played in six games for Rochester registering four points (1+3) and an even plus/minus rating. This past December he played for Buffalo on emergency recall (zero points, +1) and once again finished the year with the Amerks playing in another six games with two points (1+1) and a minus-3 rating.

Another player to watch is center Pu, who will eventually head back to London to skate his (probable) final season with the Knights in the OHL. Pu had a banner season while leading the team in scoring last year with 35 goals and 51 assists in 63 games. The skilled two-way forward was used in a different role during the playoffs, according to Kris Baker of sabresprospects.com/sabres.com, when "the Knights' staff used him in a match-up capacity against the opposition's top line."

Absent from the Prospects Challenge are college players and those overseas which represents a huge chunk of Buffalo's prospect pool. The breakdown, according to Baker has 12 players playing in the NCAA this season and five playing in Sweden and Finland.

Prized forward prospect Casey Mittelstadt (2017, 8th-overall) begins his college career at the University of Minnesota. Mittelstadt dazzled at Buffalo's development camp in July and caught everyone's eye at the World Junior Summer Showcase later that month and into early August. Should he progress at the level of his skill and talent, Mittelstadt could be a one and done with the Golden Gophers and end up in the pros next season. Also missing from the tournament is center Rasmus Asplund, who's entering his third season on the senior circuit in Sweden. Baker sees Asplund playing a big role for Färjestad BK this season "with his eyes set on forcing his way on to Sweden's Olympic team."

The Prospects Challenge is a place for "older" players like Justin Bailey an Nicolas Baptiste as well as invitees. It's a chance to play against peers and see how one stacks up against them. And it's a good place to make an impression.


*****

The New Jersey Devils are first up for Buffalo and fans at HarborCenter tonight will get to see 2017 first-overall pick Nico Hischier don the Devil for the first time.

Hischier was said to have taken over the Devils development camp (which he should) and tonight will be his first opportunity to show his stuff in a game situation. It should be a treat watching the Swiss center who models his game after Pavel Datsyuk.

Also on the ice for the Devils will be defenseman Will Butcher. The Denver Pioneers defenseman spurned the Colorado Avalanche, the team that drafted him 123rd overall in 2013, opted for free agency and signed with the Devils after a number of teams, including the Sabres, went hard after him.

Some fans might be inclined to boo or heckle Butcher but regardless, those in attendance will see first-hand what he has to offer in a game setting against his peers.


*****


Jason Botterill will have the opportunity to watch his own charges competing for the first time at the Prospects Challenge. The first-time general manager spent years working his way up the front office ladder soaking up everything he could along the way. He helped the Pittsburgh Penguins win three Stanley Cups under two GM's and he'll be joining two of his former bosses, Ray Shero (NJD) and Jim Rutherford (PIT,) as an equal these next four days.

Shero put together a Penguins team that went to back-to-back Stanley Cups and came out victorious in 2009. Botterill was hired by Shero in 2007 as director of hockey administration with the salary cap being a prominent focus and was moved up to assistant general manager on May 22, 2009. When Shero was relieved of his duties in May, 2014, Botterill was named interim GM before the Penguins hired Rutherford, and at his press conference, he promoted Botterill up to associate general manager.

"I owe so much of my career and where I’m at right now to Jim [Rutherford] and Ray [Shero]," Botterill told Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post Gazette. “I hope Ray and Jim look at it as a situation where I’m under their tree. They’re the ones who created me. Now there’s an opportunity for me to run my own team.”

The Devils have been a part of the Prospects Challenge since it's inception three years ago while this will be Pittsburgh's first time and Botterill was the chief negotiator for the spot while he was still with the Penguins, according to Mackey. It was also pointed out that Botterill was the driving force in the preseason game between Buffalo and Pittsburgh at the Pegula Ice Arena on the campus of Penn State.

Rutherford, especially, played a key role in Botterill landing his first GM position. Prior to Rutherford taking over, Botterill was considered an up and comer and his former boss never stood in the way of his goal. In fact, Rutherford "kept pitching his top lieutenant," according to Mackey. “What I really like about what happened over the last couple of years is Jim has been very supportive of promoting me to other organizations," said Botterill. "When other job opportunities came about, I know he was behind the scenes. I always knew I had great support from Jim.”

Botterill also knew that the goal of running his own team wouldn't happen in Pittsburgh with Rutherford at the helm and he ended up in Buffalo. This weekend he'll have the opportunity to sit down with Shero and Rutherford as their peer while watching the youngins hit the ice. And like many of his players on the HarborCenter ice, Botterill will be seeing how he measures up against his equals.


*****

Buffalo's Prospects Challenge Roster:

Forwards

95 Bailey, Justin RW 6’3” 214   (2013, 52nd-overall)
13 Baptiste, Nicholas RW 6’1” 206   (2013, 69th)
65 Blackwell, Colin C 5’9” 190   Invitee
46 Cornel, Eric RW 6’2” 194   (2014, 44th)
70 Danforth, Justin C 5’9” 181   (2017 FA, Rochester)
24 Fasching, Hudson RW 6’2” 209   (2013, 118th, LAK)
83 Glotov, Vasily C 5’11” 158   (2016, 190th)
62 Hagel, Brandon LW 6’0” 160   (2016, 159th)
64 Karabacek, Vaclav RW 6’0” 196   (2014, 49th)
81 Kile, Alex LW 6’0” 194   (2017 FA, Rochester)
37 Malone, Sean C 6’0” 190  (2013, 159th)
85 Muzito-Bagenda, Daniel LW 6’1” 205   (2016 FA, Rochester, re-signed)
92 Nylander, Alexander LW 6’1” 180   (2016, 8th)
59 Pu, Cliff RW 6’2” 192   (2016, 69th)
49 Smith, C.J. LW 5’11” 185 (2017 FA, Buffalo)

Defense

76 Atwal, Arvin D 6’0” 200   (2016, Cincinnati, ECHL, re-signed)
79 Budik, Vojtech D 6’1” 189   (2016, 130th)
72 Florentino, Anthony D 6’0” 207  (2013, 143rd)
45 Guhle, Brendan D 6’1” 186   (2015, 51st)
54 Martin, Brycen D 6’2” 212   (2014, 74th)
73 Neill, Carl D 6’1” 200   Invitee
58 Osmanski, Austin D 6’3” 196   (2016, 189th)
53 Stephens, Devante D 6’1” 172   (2015, 122nd)

Goalies 

34 Johansson, Jonas G 6’4” 206   (2014, 61st)
50 McGrath, Jake G 6’1” 158   Invitee

Building the 2017-18 Buffalo Sabres roster--LW, Benoit Pouliot

Published by hockeybuzz.com, 9-7-2017


Benoit Pouliot
30 yrs. old
6'3" 204 lbs.
Drafted 4th-overall, 2005 (MIN,) signed by Buffalo on July 1, 2017

Career stats:  551 games  |  117 goals  |  127 assists  |  244 points  |  +33


The Buffalo Sabres have a huge hole at left wing in the top-six right now as it's a bit of a mess. The only legit top-six winger for the past two seasons has been Evander Kane who missed 29 games during that span because of injury. Other than that it's been a revolving door.

Former coach Dan Bylsma had used a number of players in the top-six including Tyler Ennis, who had injury problems of his own, Matt Moulson who has skating issues and Zemgus Girgensons, who had issues on offense Rookie William Carrier, was plucked by Vegas in the Expansion Draft, fellow rookies Hudson Fasching and Justin Bailey need more seasoning and at one point Bylsma even lost his mind trying to fill that hole by putting Nicolas Deslauriers up there. Marcus Foligno, who is better suited to a bottom-six role, played the most time at left wing last season, mostly next to Jack Eichel, which was seen as a travesty by many, but a necessity by the coach.

The Sabres didn't do much to fill the hole at left wing this off season and the depth chart is somewhat thin behind a raw but highly skilled 19 yr. old in Alexander Nylander and Evan Rodrigues, who was signed as a winger but was moved to center last season. Fans are clamoring for Nylander to be inserted into the No. 2 left wing spot, but unless he has a killer training camp, odds are that he will at minimum start the season with in Rochester with the Amerks. Part of that has to do with his development and the other part stems from Botterill's time with the Pittsburgh Penguins, an organization that uses a long developmental curve with their players.

Benoit Pouliot was taken fourth-overall in the 2005 NHL Draft by the Minnesota Wild. He spent four years in the Wild system (65 games, 9 goals, 9 assists with the big club) before being traded to the Montreal Canadiens in November, 2009. Pouliot would play in 118 games for the Canadiens notching a respectable 28 goals while adding 26 assists before becoming a free agent.

From there he signed a series of one-year contracts beginning in Boston, then on to Tampa Bay and finally in New York with the Rangers. In all he played in 188 regular season games for those three teams scoring 88 points (39+49.) But it was a performance in the 2013-14 NHL playoffs that got him off the revolving one-year-deal wheel and on to a long-term contract.

The Rangers made it through the first two rounds of the 2014 playoffs with their stars struggling. Pouliot was on an unheralded line with Derick Brassard and Mats Zuccarello that, at times, carried the team. During that time, Pouliot's size, speed, skill and most importantly possession numbers came to the fore and in the off season, Edmonton Oilers GM Craig MacTavish signed him to a five-year, $20 million free agent contract.

In Pouliot's case, the numbers really didn't seem to add up to a $4 million AAV contract using common statistics but MacTavish was convinced that they found a gem and much of it stemmed from the analytics community, most notably Tyler Dellow and his MC79 blog.

Dellow was quoted by David Staples of the Edmonton Journal as tweeting this about the signing, “This Pouliot deal features sensible money. He’s a classic Oiler from the ’96-06 period: A ‘bust’ who can play. This is stunning.” Staples went on to write that Dellow "delved into shot metrics to show how the vast majority of Pouliot’s teammates in the previous three seasons had a better shot share when Pouliot was on the ice." Dellow also speculated, according to Staples, "that the Pouliot signing might be Edmonton’s best ever free-agent signing."

The Oilers brought Dellow on board that summer and two years later they did not renew his contract. Pouliot lasted three years before being bought out by Edmonton just prior to the 2017 NHL Draft.

Pouliot's play in Edmonton last year drew some harsh criticism as his tepid production and penchant for brain farts in the offensive zone lead to dumb penalties which drew the ire of Oilers Nation as well as the national media. Staples quoted Oilers Now, commentator Bob Stauffer as saying "Pouliot had a horrendous year," NHL network commentator Mike Johnson as calling Pouliot's play "dreadful," and TSN's Ryan Rishaug as saying, "He’s been awful. Beyond awful.”

So why did Botterill sign Pouliot this off season?

Pouliot came in on a reasonable one-year deal that pays him $1.3 million and he's a vet that can be a placeholder while those in the pipeline, like Nylander, have more time to further their development. It will allow Botterill to get an up-close look at Nylander, Rodrigues and 2017 free agent signee, C.J. Smith as well as the development of Bailey, who was drafted as a right wing powerforward but has been playing the left side.

Botterill told the gathered media of the signing, "If you look at Benoit's history, in situations where he's had a difficult season he's been able to bounce back strong. That's what we're looking for from him coming into Buffalo here.

"I think there's opportunities on our left side right now. I think he's a guy who can play anywhere in that two, three, four hole. It's going to be a matter of how he comes in and how he performs. You look at his size and his ability to get on the forecheck, we just think he's a guy that could complement our centers well and be a guy who can sort of get his career back on track."

As we head towards training camp, the two, three and four spots on the left side are open. What makes me think that Pouliot will get first crack at No. 2?

At 6'3" 204 lbs. he has the size plus he still skates very well and he does have the skill to produce as shown by a shooting percentage that has never dipped below double-digits outside of his first three NHL games in 2006-07. Being on a line with Ryan O'Reilly should be extremely helpful as well as he works well with his line mates and creates space.

Going into the 2016-17 season, new coach Phil Housley doesn't have a lot to work with on the left side. Training camp will sort a lot of this out but it wouldn't be too surprising to see Pouliot get a good shot at landing a spot next in the top-six. What he does with that, however, is up to him.