A Boston Bruins/St. Louis Blues SCF--uggh. C'est la vie

Published by hockeybuzz.com, 5-22-2019


We're not sure how much worse the 2019 Stanley Cup Final could be for hockey fans in Sabreland when you look at the matchup this year. The Boston Bruins and St. Louis Blues in the Finals is pretty much a worst-case scenario for the Sabres but it is what it is and from a National Hockey League perspective, and it should prove to be a good series despite possibly not being ideal for the league. Although it does offer up this historical starting point.

One of the most iconic photos in the history of sports came in 1970 when Boston's Bobby Orr scored the Cup-clinching goal in overtime against the St. Louis Blues. Orr is horizontal to the ice about three feet up, courtesy of a Noel Picard trip, with arms raised in a joyous goal celebration as he flew through the air.

An aside to that courtesy of The Hockey News' Luke Fox. The person who took that photo, Ray Lussier, had shifted to that area of the rink during the intermission. Legend has it that he found that open spot after the previous photographer vacated it to hit the beer stand. With the overtime lasting a mere 40 seconds said photographer came bad to his spot with Boston Garden in a frenzy and the game over.

This was the third time the Blues were in the Stanley Cup Final and the third time they got swept (the other two by the Montreal Canadiens.) St. Louis was part of the NHL's 1967 expansion that saw the league double with the addition of six teams. They were part of the Western Division made up exclusively of expansion teams while the East was made up of the Original Six. They really had no chance against the juggernaut's of the Original Six but they're in the Blues are in the history books as reaching the Stanley Cup Finals in the first three seasons of their existence.

Impressions of, and questions concerning--D, Lawrence Pilut

Published by hockeybuzz.com, 5-20-2019

Defenseman--Lawrence Pilut

DOB:  December 30, 1995 (age, 23)

Draft:  Undrafted Free Agent (Sweden) 

How acquired:  Signed by Buffalo

Last contract signed:  May 15, 2018;  2yr./$2.7 million ($832,500 base salary)

Final year of contract: 2019-20

2018-19 Stats:  33 games | 1 goal | 5 assists | 6 points | -8 | 17:25 ATOI

Buffalo Career Stats:  33 games | 1 goal | 5 assists | 6 points | -8 | 17:25 ATOI

What we wrote preseason:  The 22 yr. old Swedish defenseman has been making some waves at camp and has caught the eye of Housley. "I think it's just his calmness and poise with the puck," Housley told the media at practice the other day. "He attacks the game the right way. He gets into the play, he'll make those moves on the blue line. It shows the confidence he has in his abilities."

Pilut has never seen a play he wasn't ready to jump into which is the way Housley played the game. However, it looks as if Pilut may have a little more going for him on the defensive side of the equation.

The injury to Bogosian is a huge opportunity for one of the remaining defensemen still with the club to land a spot and Pilut may have had the best camp thus far amongst a group that includes Nathan Beaulieu, Brendan Guhle and Brandon Hickey.

What we wrote mid-season:  I think I speak for nearly every Sabres fan when I say very politely to coach Chris Taylor and his Rochester Americans, "You can't have Pilut back." Although the 22 yr. old rookie has only played eight games for Buffalo, he sure looks like he belongs. Pilut's skating is very smooth while his poise, vision and stickwork seem to get him out of almost any defensive zone situation. The 22 yr. old rookie was called up by Buffalo on November 27 and left Rochester with 22 points (3+19) and a plus-19 rating in 16 games with 10 of those points coming on the powerplay. By no means has Pilut been perfect with the Sabres, nor has he really injected offense into his game to this point, but the way he's been able to adapt to the speed of the NHL game as a rookie has been impressive. Based upon the small sample size thus far, this looks to be a very, very good free agent signing by Botterill and the Sabres.

Impressions on his play this year:  Pilut certainly showed poise and puck-moving ability early on and certainly looked as if he belonged on the roster. However, as it is with most young players, especially defensemen, the opposition eventually figures it out. Once they had enough tape on Pilut they took away some of his strengths like jumping up ice and pinching in while also laying the body hard on him in the defensive zone. 

Pilut played his first NHL game on his second recall November 30 and proceeded to play very well although he did suffer an injury mid-December which may or may not have hindered his development with Buffalo. From that first game until January 18, Pilut played in 16 games for the Sabres, had a goal and four assists and was a plus-4 while averaging ice-time in the high-teens. After that he struggled immensely with only one assist in 13 games and a plus/minus rating that plummeted to his season-ending minus-8.

Those struggles continued in Rochester, with only a brief stint of good player. The Amerks were swept in the first round of the Calder Cup playoffs and Pilut was injured in that final game. Come to find out that he underwent shoulder surgery and will be out five to six months. What once was an extremely strong start to an NHL career turned south and he'll need to rehab physically and mentally before moving forward with his game.

Questions moving forward:  What did that last portion of the season do to his psyche? How long will it take him to get up to speed next season. Can he put most of the 2019 portion of his hockey season away? How will he adapt to the opposition and how they're playing against him? Will he start in Rochester, or if Buffalo makes some moves on the blueline, will the Sabres need him? Would it be best for him to spend his 2019-20 campaign in Rochester getting a better feel for the pro game?

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

Impressions of, and questions concerning--D, Casey Nelson

Published by hockeybuzz.com, 5-19-2019


Defenseman--Casey Nelson DOB: July 18, 1992 (Age, 26)
Draft: Undrafted
How acquired: College Free Agent (Minnesota State,) 2016
Last contract signed: May 2, 2018 (2yr./$1.625 million)
Final year of contract: 2019-20

2018-19 Stats:  38 games | 1 goal | 5 assists | 6 points | +1 | 15:25 ATOI

Buffalo Career Stats:  93 games | 4 goals | 14 assists | 18 points | -15 | 16:22 ATOI

What we wrote preseason:  At 26 yrs. old Buffalo Sabres defenseman Casey Nelson is far from being a wide-eyed rookie in the NHL. Yet with only 55 games played he still has a lot to learn at the NHL-level. Nelson was an under-the-radar signing by Buffalo in 2016 out of Minnesota State University (Mankato) but caught the attention of Sabreland with four assists in his first three pro games. The smooth skating, offensive defenseman showed well on NHL ice to the point where a good camp would mean a knocking on the door of a spot on the opening night roster for 2016-17.

He would have a rough go of it in the NHL, was sent down and spent most of his first full pro season in Rochester. 

Nelson's journey to full-time NHL duty, should it play out that way, was marked by smack-downs and revivals from college onward. A numbers game kept Nelson in Rochester for most of last season and from a development standpoint it worked out rather well. He will face a similar situation this year. Buffalo GM Jason Botterill signed Nelson to a two-year contract extension in May and without waiver eligibility for the defenseman, one would expect he and coach Phil Housley expect Nelson to be in the lineup for the opener on October 4.

What we wrote mid-season:  One of those walking-wounded defensemen is Nelson, who was pretty solid in a reserve role before being placed on injured reserve on December 8. Nelson was another good free agent addition by the Sabres as the former Minnesota State Mavericks defenseman has been paying his dues while playing for both the Amerks (118 games) and Sabres (77 games) since signing with Buffalo in 2016. He plays a quiet game while simply getting the job done and can be called upon to hold the fort in a reserve role. The 26 yr. old is out of waiver options and is another reason why Pilut might end up back with the Amerks once Buffalo's defense gets healthy. Nelson has a goal and four assists in 22 games for the Sabres this season and leads all Buffalo defensemen with a plus-6 rating.

Impressions on his play this year:  Nelson is what he is a good, puck-moving defensive-defenseman who isn't going to wow you. He's a bottom-pairing/reserve d-man who plays a rather quiet, reserved game with that demeanor (negatively) on full display in a March incident concerning captain Jack Eichel.

Eichel was checked hard into the boards by Colorado Avalanche defenseman (and former Sabre) Nikita Zadorov with the latter ripping off the helmet of Eichel. Nearby was Nelson, who did nothing. Fellow d-man Marco Scandella flew in to defend his captain and was soon followed by Sam Reinhart as they engaged the perpetrator. Even Jeff Skinner got in on the act as he and Miko Rantenen scuffled enough to draw coincidental roughing penalties. 

After all was said and done and visions of the Milan Lucic/Ryan Miller incident danced around Sabreland, Nelson would find himself on the bench as a healthy scratch the next game. The benching, ironically, came at the hands of head coach Phil Housley, one of the softest players in Sabres history.

Questions moving forward:  What does new bench boss Ralph Krueger think of him in a reserve role? What does Krueger think of the Eichel/Zadorov incident? Can Nelson up his offense a little more? Can he stay on the plus side of the plus/minus rating? Did they find an ATOI sweet sport for him at 15-16 minutes? Is there hidden intensity within Nelson's rather stoic on-ice demeanor? 

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

Krueger's optimism may be put to the test amidst a Sabres culture of losing

Published by hockeybuzz.com, 5-18-2019

For as much "natural, organic" communication Ralph Krueger had with Sabres general manager Jason Botterill, and despite the comfort level he felt with owners Terry and Kim Pegula, Buffalo's new bench boss has a team to run. And it's something he hasn't done in a while. Krueger obviously impressed Sabres president Kim Pegula after already convincing Botterill that he should be Buffalo's next head coach but now comes the tough part--convincing his team that he, the coaching staff he surrounds himself with and the systems they want to employ are worthy of their trust. 

It's been four years in the muck for the Sabres under two head coaches, both of whom lasted only two years. Stanley Cup-winning head coach Dan Bylsma's aloof nature wore on the players and although they were able to play semi-respectably, locker room discord may have been the predominant reason why he was canned. Rookie head coach Phil Housley replaced him and as the team got worse, the locker room reached perilous depths eventually forcing the trade of No. 2 center Ryan O'Reilly to St. Louis after the Sabres last place finish in 2017-18. Although Housley's second season was better points-wise thanks to a 10-game winning streak and the abysmal prior season, things fell apart, the players seemed to lose interest half way through and he was shown the door as well.

Krueger's well aware of what transpired in Buffalo over the last two seasons. His conversations with Botterill certainly covered that and if he didn't' get a full picture the toll losing had taken on the hockey community, he probably got an earful from the unsuspecting fans he interacted with at different bars while watching the playoffs on TV in Buffalo. One could only imagine what he heard in those conversations, but it seems as if he gained a full appreciation of what the fans were going through and a better idea as to what had been going on throughout Sabreland. 

The Ralph Krueger hire for Buffalo-checking boxes and (hopefully) putting Sabreland at ease

Published by hockeybuzz.com, 5-17-2019


It's safe to say that everyone in Sabreland, outside of the principles involved with the hiring of a head coach for the Buffalo Sabres, didn't really know what to make of Ralph Krueger. Candidates from Jacques Martin to Sheldon Keefe all had resumes that were tangible and immediate with names that were generally recognizable in the vast hockey community but Krueger's name was a bit more obscure. It seems as if he's highly regarded within inner hockey circles but is more of an unknown to layman with only a short stint as head coach for the Edmonton Oilers.

From old school media to social media, the general feeling is that Krueger individually checked off a box for them although some of those checks might have been in pencil. For Buffalo general manager Jason Botterill, who was said to be leaning towards a head coach with NHL experience, Krueger has that, albeit barely. Krueger was a consultant with the Carolina Hurricanes for five seasons before joining the Edmonton Oilers as an assistant in 2010. Two years later he was named head coach in Edmonton for the lockout-shortened 2012-13 season where he coached the Oilers for 48 games before being fired.

After that Krueger found himself involved in Premier League soccer as director, then chairman of Southampton. During his conference call on Wednesday he mentioned "sports science and analytics" which checked off a box for those in the analytics community. While answering a question about his thoughts on analytics, Krueger said there were things he learned in soccer that he felt he could bring to Buffalo. "In these last few years in Southampton I've been able to learn many, many, many things that I'd like to put into play in the National Hockey League," he said. "We have quite a bit of opportunity to develop that area."

However Kruger did qualify that by saying, "I believe it's an important part but above all it will come down to not overusing analytics.You need to create a space where the players have certain guidelines and a framework but within that space I like them to be able to be creative and also to let their instincts play and finding that balance is the challenge we have as a head coach."

Piecing together the curiosity that is Ralph Krueger

Published by hockeybuzz.com, 5-15-2019

Word of a serious Buffalo Sabres coaching candidate came last weekend when Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman tweeted that "Ralph Krueger has a legit shot at Buffalo coaching job." It was a tweet that immediately raised eyebrows in Western New York. The Sabres have been in the market for a head coach ever since GM Jason Botterill fired Phil Housley on April 7. As the big names came and went--from Joel Quenneville to Todd McLellan to Alain Vigneault--and coaches from potential neophytes (Rickard Grönborg) to dinosaurs (Jacques Martin) were checked off for various reasons, the pickin's was getting mighty slim for Buffalo and their timeline getting ever shorter. Botterill, after supposedly going through seven or eight interviews, hired Krueger as the team's 19th head coach.

The whole situation, culminating with the reported hire of Krueger has been something that was pieced together using various sources in the hockey world. Krueger's name had been an outlier from the beginning as it was said that Botterill had interviewed him the last time they were looking for a head coach in 2017, but his name never gathered any steam until the Friedman tweet on Saturday. After that we got word from Pierre LeBrun, who had interviewed him in early April, that Krueger wanted back in the NHL but in more of a front office role. Friedman made an appearance on The Instigators (MSG and WGR550 Radio) on Monday saying the he had people telling him he was "underselling" it and that the talks were "much farther along" than he was reporting." And finally, TSN's Bob McKenzie tweeted out late last night, "As Friedman first suggested/speculated, Krueger will indeed be the next head coach in Buffalo."

So the coaching search is over, but what exactly did the Sabres get in deal?

First off, it was reported that Botterill was looking for someone with NHL head coaching experience, perhaps that's the reason a fan-favorite like Grönborg ended up signing a deal to coach Switzerland's ZSC Lions. The only head coach of interest with NHL experience right now is Dave Tippett, whom some have suggested might be a fit in Edmonton with the Oilers. The 59 yr. old Krueger does have that NHL experience, albeit rather minimal. He coached the Oilers during the lockout-shortened 2012-13 season and compiled a 19-22-7 record before being fired by new GM Craig MacTavish and  many now believe he got a raw deal and the classlessness was exacerbated by a "blindsided" firing over Skype.

Impressions of, and questions concerning--D, Brandon Montour

Published by hockeybuzz.com, 5-14-2019

Defenseman--Brandon Montour

DOB:  April 11, 1994 (age, 25)

Draft:  2014, second round (55th-overall,) ANA

How acquired:  Trade with the Anaheim Ducks February 24, 2019

Last contract signed:  July 24, 2018, 2yr./$6.775 million

Final year of contract: 2019-20

2018-19 Buffalo Stats:  20 games | 3 goals | 7 assists | 10 points | -4 | 21:46 ATOI  

Career Stats:  189 games | 19 goals | 54 assists | 73 points | +7 | 20:53 ATOI

What we wrote preseason:  N/A

What we wrote mid-season:  N/A 

Impressions on his play this year:  If Montour had been acquired earlier, perhaps in December or even early January when the Sabres were still in a serious playoff hunt, perhaps he may have had more of an impact. Then again, with the way this team devolved since the end of their 10-game winning streak in November, one would be hard pressed to make a case that Montour would have made that much of a difference.

Buffalo GM Jason Botterill tapped into the rich pool of defensemen Anaheim has stocked up over the years and got the Ducks to move one of them. But Montour didn't come cheap. Botterill sent d-prospect Brendan Guhle, who had been on a proper developmental curve ever since he was drafted 52st overall in 2015, along with what will end up being a low, 2019 first rounder to the Ducks in the deal. It may end up being a good hockey trade for both clubs as Guhle can stretch out their prospect pool a bit while the 25 yr. old Montour offers immediate help to Buffalo.

This was good use of the Sabres extra first rounder this year by Botterill. In acquiring Montour Buffalo received an extremely mobile, point-producing defenseman who can quarterback the powerplay. Montour's 10 points since joining the team was second only to Jack Eichel's 14 while his minus-4 rating was second best amongst Buffalo d-men who played in half or more of those games and he led the team with 19:36 of even-strength ice-time.

Montour was a good get for the Sabres in that all the numbers and metrics meshed with the eye-test and point to a solid top-four, point-producing d-man for Buffalo. On the flip side we also saw deficiencies on defense some of which may be inherent, some which may have been a product of the system he was playing in. One thing are pretty sure of, with Rasmus Dahlin soon entering the realm of full-fledged No. 1 defenseman, Montour will either be playing beside him, as they did many times this past season, or he'll be bringing the offense in a second-pairing role, which would be ideal for Buffalo if they can find the right d-partners for both. 

It's been an extremely slow makeover on defense for Buffalo but it's moving in the right direction. The Sabres needed more mobility on, and offense from, the back end and they got it in when they drafted Dahlin and traded for Montour. How far they go in that direction is to be determined but this is shaping up to be a much better d-corps than anything we've seen in quite some time, perhaps dating back to Tyler Myers Calder Trophy season of 2009-10.

Of note, Montour suffered an injury at the IIHF World Hockey Championships in Slovakia yesterday. The extent of the injury is unknown at this time but we do know that the 2019-20 probable Sabres defense-corps has taken a huge hit this off season. Veteran Zach Bogosian had hip surgery an may or may not be ready for the season opener. Rookie Lawrence Pilut, who appeared in 33 games for the Sabres last season suffered a shoulder injury in Rochester Americans final game of the AHL playoffs. He had surgery and is expected to be out five to six months.

Questions moving forward:  What was the injury? How long will the recovery take? Will the new head coach pair him with Dahlin next season?  Would Montour be better off paired with more of a defensive defenseman? Will the Sabres use two d-men on the powerplay? If they use two, did Montour displace Rasmus Ristolainen in that role? How will he adapt in going from a very successful Ducks organization to a Buffalo team that hasn't made the playoffs in eight seasons? 

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