The 2013 NHL Draft will be upon us soon. The Buffalo Sabres, for the second season in a row, have four picks in first two rounds. They have the #8 and #16 in the first round, #38 and #52 in the second.
Many believe that the team should do anything they can to get into the top-3 this year to land a "franchise player." Sabres GM Darcy Regier is actively trying to move up, but going from 8th into the top-3 is nearly impossible, and as we'll see later, not many picks in the 4th-6th spots get moved.
Chances are the Buffalo Sabres will be drafting somewhere around #8.
The following series looks at past drafts from 1979-2003, bookending what are widely considered the best drafts ever over that 25-year span, and what that might mean for the Sabres in this year's draft.
In Part-1 of this series we looked at an overview of this years draft class. The consensus is that there is a strong top-three or four, an additional two or three game-changers just below them and quality, top-end talent down to the 10th slot or so.
A potential group of solid NHL'ers stretches into the low-20's while some see a group of solid prospects possibly going into the early part of the third round.
Where will this draft class stack up against the others?
Today: Five draft classes lead by 1979
There are two draft classes that are widely regarded as the best ever--1979 and 2003.
In the 23 years between, there's an array of draft classes ranging from poor (1992, 1994, 1999) to top-heavy (1981, 1985, 1997.)
There was the 1984 draft that featured a "once in a generation player," Mario Lemieux, with a solid group featuring one HOF'er and a decent amount of All-Stars picked after.
Vincent Lecavalier (1998) was clearly the cream of his draft class with a significant drop-off to mostly serviceable players at #2 and below. Wendell Clark (1985) and Chris Phillips (1996) were at the head of a class that lacked stars, yet produced a large group of servicable NHL'ers with long careers.
While comparisons with 2003 abound, it's unlikely that the 2013 draft class will reach that standard and, consequently, will not reach the heights of the 1979 class.
If 2013 is as deep and talented as most say it is, the class will likely be tucked in just below those two.
Opinions vary as to which years come next, but for the sake of historical perspective, we'll be taking a look at the 1983, 1988 and 1990 draft classes chronologically, each of which are characteristically different and at least a notch below 1979 and 2003.
One common thread running through these five drafts is quality down to the eighth spot where Buffalo picks this year.
--1979--
The 1979 draft class is widely considered the best draft class ever for quality and depth as it basically incorporated two classes into one. The NHL lowered the draft age that year from 19 to 18 yrs old.
That class lists three HOF'ers--Mike Gartner (#4 overall,) Ray Bourque (#8) and Michel Goulet (#20)--and boasts 12 All-Stars amongst the 21 players selected in the first round.
First overall selection Rob Ramage lead a list of 11 first round picks who played over 1000 NHL games. Four players had over 1000 points (Gartner, Bourque, Goulet, and #14, Brian Propp) while five scored over 400 goals (Gartner, Bourque, Goulet, Propp and #5 Rick Vaive.)
The first round also included players like Mike Foligno (#3,) Keith Brown (#7,) Laurie Boschman (#9,) Mike Ramsey (#11) and Brad McCrimmon (#15) who had long, productive careers. For posterity sake, Lindy Ruff was drafted by the Sabres with the 32nd pick in 1979.
Duane "Dog" Sutter (#17-overall) made strong contributions to the NY Islander dynasty of the early-80's. He was lucky enough to be drafted by the Isles and has the distinction of winning four Stanley Cups in his first four years in the league. Kevin Lowe (#21) was a cog in Edmonton winning five Stanley Cups in 13 seasons with that franchise.
Oh, and there was some guy named Wayne Gretzky who would have been in the draft via the WHA/NHL merger that year, but instead a deal was made where the Edmonton Oilers kept him and agreed to draft last in every round.
Picks in that 1979 draft also included All-Stars Pelle Lindberg (#35,) Mats Naslund (#37,) Dave Christain (#40,) Dale Hunter (#41,) Neal Broten (#42,) and the Captain's Captain, Mark Messier (#48.)
--2003--
The 2003 draft class may end up surpassing the 1979 class when all's said and done. The players drafted that year are all in their primes right now and are making significant contributions on Stanley Cup winners and contenders.
Of the 32 first round picks, eight already have their names on the Cup: G Marc-Andre Fleury (#1-overall,) C Eric Staal (#2,) Nathan Horton (#3,) Jeff Carter (#11,) Dustin Brown (#13,) Brent Seabrook (#14,) Ryan Getzlaf (#19,) Mike Richards (#24,) and Corey Perry (#28.)
The 2003 class also boasts 16 All-Stars of 30 first round picks including Thomas Vanek (#5,) Milan Michalek (#6,) Ryan Suter (#7,) Dion Phaneuf (#9,) Zach Parise (#17,) Brent Burns (#20,) and Ryan Kesler (#23.)
In the second round, Loui Eriksson (#33) was an All-Star for Dallas, Boston's Patrice Bergeron (#45) has his name on the Cup as the Bruins top-line center, and Nashville's All-Star defenseman Shea Weber (#49) is considered one of the best defensemen in the league.
About the only thing separating 2003 from 1979 is time. Ten years from now, especially with the LA Kings (Brown, Carter and Richards,) the Boston Bruins (Horton and Bergeron) and the Chicago Blackhawks (Seabrook) perenial Cup-favorites, and with Suter, Weber, Perry and Parise as perenial All-Stars, this class has the potential to eclipse the number of HOF'ers from the 1979 class.
--1983--
Although the 1983 lacks the depth of 1979 and 2003, there are three HOF'ers in the top-nine: Pat LaFontaine (#3-overall,) Steve Yzerman (#4,) and Cam Neely (#9.)
The first-overall pick of the draft, Brian Lawton, had a spotty career, but high-school drafteeTom Barrasso (#5) won two Stanley Cups with the Pittsburgh Penguins and John McLean (#6) was alternate captain with the New Jersey Devils when they won their first Stanley Cup in 1995 and had a long, productive career.
Russ Coutnall (#7) and Dave Gagner (#12) both were All-Stars and had very long careers of 15-plus seasons.
Pound-for-pound, the top-nine has players to rival that of 1979 and 2003, but there's a severe drop-off in talent beyond those nine until you get to the second round. And even then, it's spotty.
The 26th pick in that draft, which would still be in the first round today, was 1995 Conn Smythe winner, Claude Lemieux. Philadelphia's Peter Zezel (#41) would score at a .70 pts/game clip for 15 seasons. Bob Probert (#46) would protect fellow Red Wings (including Yzerman) and Blackhawks for 19 seasons and was an All-Star.
--1988--
The 1988 draft class is top-heavy, like 1983, but stretches one pick farther in depth. It's a stronger group and boasts more 1000-game players (seven) than 1983 (three) in the top-10 picks.
Three players from that draft class will likely make it into the Hall of Fame: Mike Modano (#1-overall,) 2013 HOF-elligible, Rod Brind'Amour (#9) and Teemu Selanne (#10.) A fourth, Jeremy Roenick (#8) scored 513 goals and had 1216 points in 1363 games, albeit without a Stanley Cup ring like the other three.
After Sellane at #10 this draft falls off the edge of a cliff until redemtion is found at the top of the fourth round. Only two made any kind of contribution to the NHL--Tim Taylor (second round, #36) played in nearly 800 NHL games while Steve Heinze (third round, #60) played 694.
Fourth-rounders Mark Recchi (#67) and Rob Blake (#70) both have their names etched on the Cup, with the latter a possible candidate for the HOF. Tony Amonte (#68) was a perennial All-Star from 1997-2001 and scored over 30 goals six years straight (1995-2001) in the "clutch and grab" era of the NHL. He had the misfortune of being traded late in the 1994 season from the eventual Stanley Cup winning NY Rangers.
Pick #70, it should be noted, is in the upper portion of the third round today. Also of note, the Sabres' third-round pick this year will be the 69th.
--1990--
There's a mini-battle as to which draft class is better--1988 or 1990.
Although the first round of the 1990 NHL draft doesn't boast the four potential HOF'ers like 1988, there was a lot of depth in the first round with a total of nine players playing at least 1000 games.
The 1990 draft also has five All-Stars in the top-eight picks, with one sure-fire HOF'er in Jaromir Jagr (#5-overall.)
Other All-Stars include Owen Nolan (#1,) who played 18 seasons in the league and had the misfortune of being traded early in the season the year the Colorado Avalanche won their first Cup. Keith Primeau (#3) played 15 productive years mainly with Detroit and Philadelphia, unfortunately without a Stanley Cup.
Daryl Sydor (#7) won a Stanley Cup with Dallas while Keith Tkachuk (#19) had a robust, 19-year career amassing over 500 goals and over 1000 assists.
Were it not for injuries and a change in the NHL that left him as a "pylon," 8th overall pick Derian Hatcher, would garner a lot more attention for his leadership and physical play. Sandwiched between fellow bad-asses Scott Stevens and Chris Pronger during his playing days, Hatcher captained the Dallas Stars to the franchise's first Stanley Cup in 1999.
The gem of the draft was Martin Brodeur (#20,) considered one of the best goalies of all time. Brodeur, like Jagr is still playing and will be a sure-fire, first-ballot HOF'er once he completes his stellar career.
Other notables include Felix "The Cat" Potvin (#31) who played 16 years in the league and Doug Weight (#34) who has his name on the Cup as a member of the Carolina Hurricanes.
The 1990 draft class had plenty of quality and depth, although not quite the first-line quality and depth of 2003. In a few years, after HOF elligible players are elected to the hall, this class may end up being veiwed as the third-best behind the 1979 and 2003 draft classes.
.
As mentioned in part 1 of this series, the overall consensus is that the 2013 draft class has a lot of depth with elite/top-end talent stretching as far down as the 10th pick.
Using the five drafts encapsulated above, if this holds true, it would seem as if Buffalo has a good chance of landing a top-end player in the 8th spot should they be unable to trade up.
Next: The 8th-overall picks from 1979 to 2003.
Tuesday, June 4, 2013
Sunday, June 2, 2013
2013 NHL Draft, Part 1--An overview of this year's draft class
The 2013 NHL Draft will be upon us soon. The Buffalo Sabres, for the second season in a row, have four picks in first two rounds. They have the #8 and #16 in the first round, #38 and #52 in the second.
Many believe that the team should do anything they can to get into the top-3 this year to land a "franchise player." Sabres GM Darcy Regier is actively trying to move up, but going from 8th into the top-3 is nearly impossible, and as we'll see later, not many picks in the 4th-6th spots get moved.
Chances are the Buffalo Sabres will be drafting somewhere around #8.
The following series looks at past drafts from 1979-2003, bookending what are widely considered the best drafts ever over that 25-year span, and what that might mean for the Sabres in this year's draft.
Part One: The 2013 Draft Class--An overview
Most draft experts and hockey pundits all seem to believe that defenseman Seth Jones will be the top pick in the NHL Draft. Although not considered a runaway choice, Jones has nudged ahead the other top-prospects mainly on the strength of two factors: his overall talent and the needs of the team that has the first selection in this year's draft, the Colorado Avalanche.
Center Aleksander Barkov, who tops Central's International rankings, is rated as a top-2 talent on some boards and there's a chance Barkov could crack the top three at the draft. At the very least he's as strong a #4 as you can get.
The next grouping is a little bit harder to corral, but the #5 to #9 area almost invariably includes LW Valeri Nichushkin, D Darnell Nurse, C Elias Lindholm and C Sean Monahan. There are variations as to where they are slotted, and one or another might be replaced by another prospect, but for the most part those four names appear on nearly every mock draft in the 5-9 grouping.
Below the top-nine is said to be another grouping that will be even more varied. Depth is said to be had as low as #18 with names like fast-rising Bo Horvat, Alexander Wennberg, Hunter Shinkaruk, and goalie Zachary Furcal in that area.
Although many have been saying that the 2013 draft class is deep, often comparing it to the 2003 class, just how deep and what constitutes depth won't be known for years.
Sabres director of amateur scouting, Kevin Devine, at the Draft Combine in Toronto, talked about the class. He called it a deep draft saying that "it probably goes into the low-20's. A team is going to get a very good player and player at 20 may be just as good as a player at 11."
The Sabres currently have the #8 and #16 picks in the first round, and it would seem as if he's pretty confident that they'll be able to land quality players at those two spots.
Corey Pronman of hockeyprospectus.com sees this draft class as a "very strong one, with a fantastic top end, good depth in terms of the top tier of prospects, and quality overall depth."
He has Druoin up top with MacKinnon second and Jones rated third.
His next two tiers are filled with familiar names and he thinks that there are 16 top-end prospects this year as opposed to a normal eight to 10 with "six or seven elite prospects available."
Brian Costello of The Hockey News, though, penned a piece back in February tempering expectations for this group.
He wrote, "Contrary to popular belief, the 2013 draft isn’t nearly as deep as scouts initially projected the past couple of seasons," as he leaned on the opinion of two unamed scouts to back him up.
“The 2013 draft is not as strong or as deep as we first thought,” Costello quotes one scout. “It’s a deep top 10 and an OK first round, but I don’t see a lot of depth."
“The 2013 draft won’t come close to 2003,” another scout said. “Let’s make that clear right now. Take away the first eight or 10 picks and you’re looking at guys who can contribute on the third and fourth lines, not the first line.”
The Calgary Flames have the #6 pick in the draft. Flames assistant GM of player personnel John Weisbrod offered that "There are five or six names, in my mind, that could still conceivably be worthy of first-pick consideration." Weisbrod was with the Boston Bruins organization for the 2011 draft where he witnessed a "two horse race" that year between Taylor Hall and Tyler Seguin.
He continues by adding "[I] consider this draft to be a really deep one, and usually what that depth means, is that depth shows up starting in the latter part of round one and carries as far as the middle of round three.
Depth or not, the Buffalo Sabres at #8 are a few slots back of the "potential superstar" area where the top-3 (or 4) are, and may be right at that cut-off point between "elite" and "top-end."
GM Darcy Regier, along with Devine, will have a ton of decisions to make as to that #8 pick. Regier has also stated that he would like to move up in the draft and the team has some trade-package options to shop as well.
The Sabres have veterans Ryan Miller and Thomas Vanek entering the final years of their contracts and both could be on the move. Either might be used as "chips" to move up or could possibly be used to secure another first round pick either this year draft or in the future.
The Sabres also have two picks in the second round--again--and may be able to use one or both to move up.
Regardless of whether the Sabres can move up in the draft from the 8th pick, nearly everyone agrees that there are at least six, maybe even seven or eight, blue-chip prospects in this draft with elite/top-end talent possibly stretching to the 10th pick.
Even if the team can't trade up, they're in a good spot, and dependent upon how this draft class shakes out, they could be looking at an impact player with the 8th pick.
A lot depends upon the draft class.
For this series, we'll be focusing upon the #8 area looking at 25 years of drafting between 1979 and 2003--two draft classes that are considered the best ever.
Next: Five draft years including the oft-referenced 2003 draft class and what's considered the greatest draft class ever, 1979.
Many believe that the team should do anything they can to get into the top-3 this year to land a "franchise player." Sabres GM Darcy Regier is actively trying to move up, but going from 8th into the top-3 is nearly impossible, and as we'll see later, not many picks in the 4th-6th spots get moved.
Chances are the Buffalo Sabres will be drafting somewhere around #8.
The following series looks at past drafts from 1979-2003, bookending what are widely considered the best drafts ever over that 25-year span, and what that might mean for the Sabres in this year's draft.
Part One: The 2013 Draft Class--An overview
Most draft experts and hockey pundits all seem to believe that defenseman Seth Jones will be the top pick in the NHL Draft. Although not considered a runaway choice, Jones has nudged ahead the other top-prospects mainly on the strength of two factors: his overall talent and the needs of the team that has the first selection in this year's draft, the Colorado Avalanche.
 |
| MacKinnon (l,) Jones (c,) and Drouin (r) will likely be the top three picks in the 2013 NHL Draft. Their order, though, remains to be seen. |
Central Scouting has Jones perched atop it's final North American Skaters rankings.
Most also agree that C Nate MacKinnon, who ended up atop the International Scouting Services board, and LW Jonathan Drouin, who has been ranked #1-overall this past season at one time or another, round out the top-3. If either were selected #1-overall, especially MacKinnon, not an eye would be batted at the choice.
Center Aleksander Barkov, who tops Central's International rankings, is rated as a top-2 talent on some boards and there's a chance Barkov could crack the top three at the draft. At the very least he's as strong a #4 as you can get.
The next grouping is a little bit harder to corral, but the #5 to #9 area almost invariably includes LW Valeri Nichushkin, D Darnell Nurse, C Elias Lindholm and C Sean Monahan. There are variations as to where they are slotted, and one or another might be replaced by another prospect, but for the most part those four names appear on nearly every mock draft in the 5-9 grouping.
Below the top-nine is said to be another grouping that will be even more varied. Depth is said to be had as low as #18 with names like fast-rising Bo Horvat, Alexander Wennberg, Hunter Shinkaruk, and goalie Zachary Furcal in that area.
Although many have been saying that the 2013 draft class is deep, often comparing it to the 2003 class, just how deep and what constitutes depth won't be known for years.
Sabres director of amateur scouting, Kevin Devine, at the Draft Combine in Toronto, talked about the class. He called it a deep draft saying that "it probably goes into the low-20's. A team is going to get a very good player and player at 20 may be just as good as a player at 11."
The Sabres currently have the #8 and #16 picks in the first round, and it would seem as if he's pretty confident that they'll be able to land quality players at those two spots.
Corey Pronman of hockeyprospectus.com sees this draft class as a "very strong one, with a fantastic top end, good depth in terms of the top tier of prospects, and quality overall depth."
He has Druoin up top with MacKinnon second and Jones rated third.
His next two tiers are filled with familiar names and he thinks that there are 16 top-end prospects this year as opposed to a normal eight to 10 with "six or seven elite prospects available."
Brian Costello of The Hockey News, though, penned a piece back in February tempering expectations for this group.
He wrote, "Contrary to popular belief, the 2013 draft isn’t nearly as deep as scouts initially projected the past couple of seasons," as he leaned on the opinion of two unamed scouts to back him up.
“The 2013 draft is not as strong or as deep as we first thought,” Costello quotes one scout. “It’s a deep top 10 and an OK first round, but I don’t see a lot of depth."
“The 2013 draft won’t come close to 2003,” another scout said. “Let’s make that clear right now. Take away the first eight or 10 picks and you’re looking at guys who can contribute on the third and fourth lines, not the first line.”
The Calgary Flames have the #6 pick in the draft. Flames assistant GM of player personnel John Weisbrod offered that "There are five or six names, in my mind, that could still conceivably be worthy of first-pick consideration." Weisbrod was with the Boston Bruins organization for the 2011 draft where he witnessed a "two horse race" that year between Taylor Hall and Tyler Seguin.
He continues by adding "[I] consider this draft to be a really deep one, and usually what that depth means, is that depth shows up starting in the latter part of round one and carries as far as the middle of round three.
Depth or not, the Buffalo Sabres at #8 are a few slots back of the "potential superstar" area where the top-3 (or 4) are, and may be right at that cut-off point between "elite" and "top-end."
GM Darcy Regier, along with Devine, will have a ton of decisions to make as to that #8 pick. Regier has also stated that he would like to move up in the draft and the team has some trade-package options to shop as well.
The Sabres have veterans Ryan Miller and Thomas Vanek entering the final years of their contracts and both could be on the move. Either might be used as "chips" to move up or could possibly be used to secure another first round pick either this year draft or in the future.
The Sabres also have two picks in the second round--again--and may be able to use one or both to move up.
Regardless of whether the Sabres can move up in the draft from the 8th pick, nearly everyone agrees that there are at least six, maybe even seven or eight, blue-chip prospects in this draft with elite/top-end talent possibly stretching to the 10th pick.
Even if the team can't trade up, they're in a good spot, and dependent upon how this draft class shakes out, they could be looking at an impact player with the 8th pick.
A lot depends upon the draft class.
For this series, we'll be focusing upon the #8 area looking at 25 years of drafting between 1979 and 2003--two draft classes that are considered the best ever.
Next: Five draft years including the oft-referenced 2003 draft class and what's considered the greatest draft class ever, 1979.
Wednesday, May 29, 2013
Sorry Danny, Kevin and Petey...
Florida or Tampa Bay as a trading partner with Colorado doesn't make a lot of sense.
The Colorado Avalanche have the #1-overall pick in the 2013 Draft and it's widely assumed that that they will be using it on Portland Winterhawks D Seth Jones. Jones is considered by most to be the top prospect in the draft.
Freshly inked Head Coach/VP of Hockey Operations, Patrick Roy, has made his mark already by telling Excutive VP of Hockey Operations, Joe Sakic, that the Avalanche, "need to study the possibility of trading the teams first round pick."
Puck Daddy's Greg Wyshinski quotes Roy as wondering aloud saying, "Are we going to keep the first overall? Are we going to move the first overall?"
And Adam Gretz of cbssports.com has Roy "reportedly being the one working out trades with other teams, and it appears that one of those trades could include one of Colorado's most valuable assets, the #1 overall pick."
Gretz concedes that a GM (or in this case, the head coach/VP of hockey ops?) wouldn't be doing their job if they didn't at least listen to offers. He believes that maybe Roy is "drumming up interest in the pick so that another team presents them with an offer that totally blows them out of the water."
There are six teams between the Avalanche at #1 and the Sabres at #8. All of them could presumably put together a strong package in a pitch for the coveted top-pick. And, of course, all of them would represent less of a drop in the draft than the Sabres.
The player coveted, however, doesn't seem to be Jones. Teams are looking at Halifax Mooseheads C Nathan MacKinnon. And there isn't a team in the NHL who wouldn't want a potential franchise center like MacKinnon.
Sabre great Danny Gare was on WGR's Hockey Hotline today. He, Kevin Sylvester and Andrew Peters were discussing the possibility of Colorado trading the pick and with whom they would trade?
For a good chunk of the segment they talked about Florida who has the #2 overall and Tampa Bay at #3.
Their thought process needs to be questioned in this matter as to why either of those two teams would want to make an "blown out of the water offer" to Colorado to move up one or two spots to draft a top-line/#1 center.
The Panthers drafted Jonathan Huberdeau #3 overall in the 2011 Entry Draft. Hockey's future has Huberdeau as the third best prospect in the league.
In the pipeline for the Cats down the middle are Nick Bjugstad (ranked as the 39th best prospect,) Drew Shore and Rocco Grimaldi.
Florida doesn't really need another center prospect, although if MacKinnon dropped to them, the choice is easy. What they could use is an NHL-ready, potential franchise defenseman similar to Jay Bouwmeester, picked third overall by the Panthers in the 2002 draft. Sitting at #2 and having someone else pick MacKinnon opens the door for them to draft just that in Jones.
And besides, Petey, I'm no expert, but I'm pretty sure that Brian Campbell's trade value has declined considerably. Not to mention that I believe Florida would be remiss in trading away the league's top-rated goalie prospect in Jacob Markstrom (#12 overall.)
As for Tampa Bay, they're in pretty good shape with the #3 pick.
If Jones and MacKinnon occupy the first two picks, they'll be "settling" for Halifax LW Jonathan Drouin.
Drouin is an electric player with great hands and serious playmaking skills. After amassing 105 points in 49 games this past season, some believe he has the most talent of the three. He won the Michael Bossy Trophy as the QMJHL's best professional prospect and many consider him on par with Chicago's Patrick Kane.
The Lightning already have a bonafide #1, franchise centerman in Steven Stamkos. They have veteran Vinny Lecavalier signed for an eternity (with a no trade clause) in a top-six role and Vladislav Namestnikov as an up and coming two-way center.
In addition they have undrafted FA center Tyler Johnson. As an overager for the Spokane Chiefs in the WHL he racked up 115 points in 71 games in the 2010-11 WHL season with seven goals and seven assists in 14 playoff games that year. With the Syracuse Crunch (AHL) this season he scored 61 points (37 goals) in 62 games and was named the 2012-13 AHL MVP.
Not to discount what MacKinnon could bring to the Lightning, but I tend to believe that they're salivating at a potential top-line of Drouin/Stamkos/St. Louis.
It would make more sense if Tampa was willing to trade up to land Jones than MacKinnon, but they drafted Victor Hedman with the 2nd overall pick in 2009. He has a similar build and skill-set to Jones, has 258 NHL games under his belt and is only 22.
Simply put, the Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning are in pretty good shape if they stay put. They will get one of the top three players in the draft all of whom occupied the top-prospect spot at one time or another.
Not to say that it couldn't happen, but why on earth would either team give the Avalanche an offer they couldn't refuse for the #1 overall pick when a franchise-type player will fall to them if they stay put?
Doesn't make a lot of sense.
For the Sabres at #8, or any team occupying the #'s 4-7 slots, that's a different story.
The Colorado Avalanche have the #1-overall pick in the 2013 Draft and it's widely assumed that that they will be using it on Portland Winterhawks D Seth Jones. Jones is considered by most to be the top prospect in the draft.
Freshly inked Head Coach/VP of Hockey Operations, Patrick Roy, has made his mark already by telling Excutive VP of Hockey Operations, Joe Sakic, that the Avalanche, "need to study the possibility of trading the teams first round pick."
Puck Daddy's Greg Wyshinski quotes Roy as wondering aloud saying, "Are we going to keep the first overall? Are we going to move the first overall?"
And Adam Gretz of cbssports.com has Roy "reportedly being the one working out trades with other teams, and it appears that one of those trades could include one of Colorado's most valuable assets, the #1 overall pick."
Gretz concedes that a GM (or in this case, the head coach/VP of hockey ops?) wouldn't be doing their job if they didn't at least listen to offers. He believes that maybe Roy is "drumming up interest in the pick so that another team presents them with an offer that totally blows them out of the water."
There are six teams between the Avalanche at #1 and the Sabres at #8. All of them could presumably put together a strong package in a pitch for the coveted top-pick. And, of course, all of them would represent less of a drop in the draft than the Sabres.
The player coveted, however, doesn't seem to be Jones. Teams are looking at Halifax Mooseheads C Nathan MacKinnon. And there isn't a team in the NHL who wouldn't want a potential franchise center like MacKinnon.
Sabre great Danny Gare was on WGR's Hockey Hotline today. He, Kevin Sylvester and Andrew Peters were discussing the possibility of Colorado trading the pick and with whom they would trade?
For a good chunk of the segment they talked about Florida who has the #2 overall and Tampa Bay at #3.
Their thought process needs to be questioned in this matter as to why either of those two teams would want to make an "blown out of the water offer" to Colorado to move up one or two spots to draft a top-line/#1 center.
The Panthers drafted Jonathan Huberdeau #3 overall in the 2011 Entry Draft. Hockey's future has Huberdeau as the third best prospect in the league.
In the pipeline for the Cats down the middle are Nick Bjugstad (ranked as the 39th best prospect,) Drew Shore and Rocco Grimaldi.
Florida doesn't really need another center prospect, although if MacKinnon dropped to them, the choice is easy. What they could use is an NHL-ready, potential franchise defenseman similar to Jay Bouwmeester, picked third overall by the Panthers in the 2002 draft. Sitting at #2 and having someone else pick MacKinnon opens the door for them to draft just that in Jones.
And besides, Petey, I'm no expert, but I'm pretty sure that Brian Campbell's trade value has declined considerably. Not to mention that I believe Florida would be remiss in trading away the league's top-rated goalie prospect in Jacob Markstrom (#12 overall.)
As for Tampa Bay, they're in pretty good shape with the #3 pick.
If Jones and MacKinnon occupy the first two picks, they'll be "settling" for Halifax LW Jonathan Drouin.
Drouin is an electric player with great hands and serious playmaking skills. After amassing 105 points in 49 games this past season, some believe he has the most talent of the three. He won the Michael Bossy Trophy as the QMJHL's best professional prospect and many consider him on par with Chicago's Patrick Kane.
The Lightning already have a bonafide #1, franchise centerman in Steven Stamkos. They have veteran Vinny Lecavalier signed for an eternity (with a no trade clause) in a top-six role and Vladislav Namestnikov as an up and coming two-way center.
In addition they have undrafted FA center Tyler Johnson. As an overager for the Spokane Chiefs in the WHL he racked up 115 points in 71 games in the 2010-11 WHL season with seven goals and seven assists in 14 playoff games that year. With the Syracuse Crunch (AHL) this season he scored 61 points (37 goals) in 62 games and was named the 2012-13 AHL MVP.
Not to discount what MacKinnon could bring to the Lightning, but I tend to believe that they're salivating at a potential top-line of Drouin/Stamkos/St. Louis.
It would make more sense if Tampa was willing to trade up to land Jones than MacKinnon, but they drafted Victor Hedman with the 2nd overall pick in 2009. He has a similar build and skill-set to Jones, has 258 NHL games under his belt and is only 22.
Simply put, the Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning are in pretty good shape if they stay put. They will get one of the top three players in the draft all of whom occupied the top-prospect spot at one time or another.
Not to say that it couldn't happen, but why on earth would either team give the Avalanche an offer they couldn't refuse for the #1 overall pick when a franchise-type player will fall to them if they stay put?
Doesn't make a lot of sense.
For the Sabres at #8, or any team occupying the #'s 4-7 slots, that's a different story.
Thursday, May 23, 2013
Darcy Regier on team-building plus John Scott and other tidbits
It took a while.
Sabres GM Darcy Regier is finally of the mind-set that his group of soft-but-skilled, New-NHL core players can't compete in today's NHL.
Better late than never, I guess.
"I think what we're seeing in the game is it's shifting again to a bigger man's game," said Regier on WGR's Hockey Hotline. "I do generally think the game is getting bigger and you [need] to have people who are willing to compete and you [need] to have size in your lineup. There's a shift in that general direction over what we saw coming out of the [2004-05] lockout."
"We're headed to a very hard-working team and a very hard-working-game being," Regier continued in the interview, "I still think you need a blend. First of all you need competitors, but you need a blend of skill and you need a blend of work and the signature for us is to revolve around work."
It took Regier years to realize that the New-NHL came and went. He's been talking about "tougher to play against" for years and now he would like everyone to believe that the man who dismantled the hardest working team in hockey will rebuild a bigger version of that.
I'll believe it when I see it.
This off-season will give Sabres fans a clue as to whether Regier's really intent upon building like that or if it's lip service.
Looking back at past drafts, one must wonder if he's even capable of finding a player with those assets. When faced with a choice of skill or compete, he nearly always goes with the skill aspect:
Mike Weber (#57, 2006,) Corey Tropp (#89, 2007,) Brayden McNabb (#66, 2009,) and Zemgus Girgensons (#14, 2012) are the only ones in the top 100 picks during Regier's tenure that fit the compete aspect of the equation.
Does Regier have it within him to find those types of players?
He may recognize the need for bringing in players with size, grit and compete, but based upon his history, it's doubtful.
************
John Scott was re-signed for another year this week.
The knock on Scott has been that, outside of his enforcer/protector role, he was not worthy of playing a regular shift.
The big guy did his job as enforcer. Regier summed it up rather nicely on GR saying, "[Scott] created a safe work environment" for the team.
What surprised the organization, though, was his ability to log fourth-line minutes without being a detriment to the team.
Coach Ron Rolston used Scott up to 10 minutes for a few games later in the year based upon the solid work the he did when he played a regular shift.
That's a good thing for Buffalo.
Scott is also good in the locker room and his goofy antics have lightened things up a bit.
************
With the NY Rangers down 3-0 in their playoff series with Boston, head coach John Tortorella benched C Brad Richards for tonight's do or die game at the Garden.
Richards is having a horrendous playoff with only one goal. His play has been so bad in the eyes of "Torts" that before his scratch he was relegated to fourth-line duties.
Two years ago, Richards was the premier free agent on the market and Buffalo was amongst the teams ready to pony up the cash and term to sign the former Conn Smythe winner.
The Olean-Times Herald's Bill Hoppe briefly recounts that time.
"Not surprisingly," Hoppe writes, "the Sabres, then at the height of their spending frenzy, wanted Richards. The brain trust planned to go up and meet with Richards as free agency opened."
Regier and Co. decided they didn't have a chance and turned their attention to FA Ville Leino, whom they signed to a 6 yr./$27M contract.
Safe to say that neither of those two signings have worked out all that well and Hoppe surmises that both may end up being an amnesty buyout this off-season.
It should be noted, though, that Leino may not be an amnesty buyout candidate due to his injury which caused him to miss the final 13 games of this shortened season.
Perhaps that's part of the reason why the Rags scratched Richards rather then use him on the fourth line. He's healthy and eligible for the buyout, which would remove his $6.66M cap-hit from their books.
If he is bought out, some team will be able to land a quality center at a very reasonable price.
His precipitous drop from franchise-like #1 center to healthy scratch is curious to say the least. Teams will need to decide if his skill-level is in serious decline or if there were mitigating factors like Torts and/or possibly the addition of Rick Nash.
Something's not right.
I've often felt Richards was overrated and that he was able to ride that playoff MVP for far too long and for far too much money.
But, he's not that bad, is he?
He's still a top-line center and if he's available this summer, the Sabres might want to take a look at signing him.
I don't care what this year's playoff numbers say.
*************
Sabres back-up goaltender Jhonas Enroth is full of confidence after leading Team Sweden to the gold medal in the IIHF World Championship.
"I'm ready [to start]," he told Jon Vogl of the Buffalo News. "I've been growing a lot," he continued. "I learned a lot from this season. And last season too. My goal is to be a starter one year in the NHL."
That one full year is, presumably, to prove that he can be a full-time #1 goalie.
There seems to be a pretty good chance that he'll have that opportunity this coming season.
Ryan Miller is in the last year of his contract. The team has Enroth on the big club already, and their trade-deadline acquisition, Matt Hackett, is out of waiver options.
*************
Speaking of Miller, if he is on the move, no one knows where he might end up.
He has a limited no-trade clause where he can list eight teams that he doesn't want to be traded to. Unfortunately for the Sabres, teams like the NY Islanders, Florida Panthers and Edmonton Oilers, all of whom could use a #1 goalie, are probably on his no-trade list.
There are other teams who would make for an interesting trade partner, most notably the Philadelphia Flyers, Tampa Bay Lightning and possibly the Washington Capitals or the Colorado Avalanche.
This could be a defining moment for the Sabres organization.
I have no idea what Regier is thinking or what the return would be, but one would guess that he'd love to be able to use Miller as a spring-board to a top-3 pick this season--read a trade with Colorado, Florida or Tampa Bay.
It's highly doubtful that the 'Lanche, who have the #1 overall pick in the draft, would trade that for Miller or even some package from the Sabres.
************
Colorado has a new head coach and VP of hockey operations in Hall of Fame goaltender Patrick Roy.
Roy is a legend in Colorado after leading the team to two Stanley Cups. He was brought in by another Avalanche legend, Joe Sakic, who was also a key cog on those Cup winning teams.
Colorado and Buffalo should not be dismissed as trade partners this summer.
Miller is in a similar situation in Buffalo that Roy was in Montreal before the latter demanded a trade. The Sabres #1 goalie has been derided in Buffalo for sub-par performances over the last couple of seasons and he even gave a booing home crowd a mock-wave.
Roy was humiliated in Montreal by his coach in an 11-1 loss. After finally getting pulled by Mario Trembley he said it would be his last game in Montreal.
He was traded to Colorado, won the Cup that same season and the rest is history.
When Miller was asked about similarities between his game and Roy's he said, "It doesn't mean I want to leave, but if that's what you're getting at, the guy won two Stanley Cups. So, hey, why not?"
The guy he's talking about is now in Colorado with questionable goaltending in Semion Varlamov and one would think that he'd rather have a true #1 goalie manning the crease.
Another connection with Roy and the Sabres is that concerning Mikhail Grigorenko.
Grigorenko played under Roy for the Quebec Remparts and had a stellar season before joining the Sabres after the lockout ended.
I'd asked Kris Baker of sabresprospects.com about the possibility of Roy being highly interested in Grigorenko but Bakes said that the Russian center wasn't a good fit in the locker room after his return to junior.
Even so, it wouldn't be all that surprising if the Sabres an Avalanche hooked up. What the pieces would be is the interesting part.
Sabres GM Darcy Regier is finally of the mind-set that his group of soft-but-skilled, New-NHL core players can't compete in today's NHL.
Better late than never, I guess.
"I think what we're seeing in the game is it's shifting again to a bigger man's game," said Regier on WGR's Hockey Hotline. "I do generally think the game is getting bigger and you [need] to have people who are willing to compete and you [need] to have size in your lineup. There's a shift in that general direction over what we saw coming out of the [2004-05] lockout."
"We're headed to a very hard-working team and a very hard-working-game being," Regier continued in the interview, "I still think you need a blend. First of all you need competitors, but you need a blend of skill and you need a blend of work and the signature for us is to revolve around work."
It took Regier years to realize that the New-NHL came and went. He's been talking about "tougher to play against" for years and now he would like everyone to believe that the man who dismantled the hardest working team in hockey will rebuild a bigger version of that.
I'll believe it when I see it.
This off-season will give Sabres fans a clue as to whether Regier's really intent upon building like that or if it's lip service.
Looking back at past drafts, one must wonder if he's even capable of finding a player with those assets. When faced with a choice of skill or compete, he nearly always goes with the skill aspect:
- 1998--D Dmitri Kalinin (#18 overall) over D Robyn Regehr (#19)
- Slick forwards Artem Kryukov (#15, 2000,) Jiri Novotny (#22, 2001,) Marek Zagrapan (#13, 2005,) Joel Armia (#16, 2011) and Mikhail Grigorenko (#12, 2012.)
- Puck-moving defensemen--Henrik Tallinder (#48, 1998,) Keith Ballard (#11, 2002,) Dennis Persson, (#24, 2006) TJ Brennan (#31, 2007,) Tyler Myers (#12, 2008) and Mark Pysyk (#23, 2010) plus Brian Campbell, Doug Janik, Andrej Sekera, Drew Schiestel, and Jerome Gauthier-Leduc.
- Small, but skilled forwards--Derek Roy, Jason Pominville, Tyler Ennis and Daniel Catenacci
- Big forwards and defensemen who play/played small--Ales Kotalik, Drew Stafford, Michael Funk, Mike Card, Luke Adam and Zack Kassian.
Mike Weber (#57, 2006,) Corey Tropp (#89, 2007,) Brayden McNabb (#66, 2009,) and Zemgus Girgensons (#14, 2012) are the only ones in the top 100 picks during Regier's tenure that fit the compete aspect of the equation.
Does Regier have it within him to find those types of players?
He may recognize the need for bringing in players with size, grit and compete, but based upon his history, it's doubtful.
************
John Scott was re-signed for another year this week.
The knock on Scott has been that, outside of his enforcer/protector role, he was not worthy of playing a regular shift.
The big guy did his job as enforcer. Regier summed it up rather nicely on GR saying, "[Scott] created a safe work environment" for the team.
What surprised the organization, though, was his ability to log fourth-line minutes without being a detriment to the team.
Coach Ron Rolston used Scott up to 10 minutes for a few games later in the year based upon the solid work the he did when he played a regular shift.
That's a good thing for Buffalo.
Scott is also good in the locker room and his goofy antics have lightened things up a bit.
************
With the NY Rangers down 3-0 in their playoff series with Boston, head coach John Tortorella benched C Brad Richards for tonight's do or die game at the Garden.
Richards is having a horrendous playoff with only one goal. His play has been so bad in the eyes of "Torts" that before his scratch he was relegated to fourth-line duties.
Two years ago, Richards was the premier free agent on the market and Buffalo was amongst the teams ready to pony up the cash and term to sign the former Conn Smythe winner.
The Olean-Times Herald's Bill Hoppe briefly recounts that time.
"Not surprisingly," Hoppe writes, "the Sabres, then at the height of their spending frenzy, wanted Richards. The brain trust planned to go up and meet with Richards as free agency opened."
Regier and Co. decided they didn't have a chance and turned their attention to FA Ville Leino, whom they signed to a 6 yr./$27M contract.
Safe to say that neither of those two signings have worked out all that well and Hoppe surmises that both may end up being an amnesty buyout this off-season.
It should be noted, though, that Leino may not be an amnesty buyout candidate due to his injury which caused him to miss the final 13 games of this shortened season.
Perhaps that's part of the reason why the Rags scratched Richards rather then use him on the fourth line. He's healthy and eligible for the buyout, which would remove his $6.66M cap-hit from their books.
If he is bought out, some team will be able to land a quality center at a very reasonable price.
His precipitous drop from franchise-like #1 center to healthy scratch is curious to say the least. Teams will need to decide if his skill-level is in serious decline or if there were mitigating factors like Torts and/or possibly the addition of Rick Nash.
Something's not right.
I've often felt Richards was overrated and that he was able to ride that playoff MVP for far too long and for far too much money.
But, he's not that bad, is he?
He's still a top-line center and if he's available this summer, the Sabres might want to take a look at signing him.
I don't care what this year's playoff numbers say.
*************
Sabres back-up goaltender Jhonas Enroth is full of confidence after leading Team Sweden to the gold medal in the IIHF World Championship.
"I'm ready [to start]," he told Jon Vogl of the Buffalo News. "I've been growing a lot," he continued. "I learned a lot from this season. And last season too. My goal is to be a starter one year in the NHL."
That one full year is, presumably, to prove that he can be a full-time #1 goalie.
There seems to be a pretty good chance that he'll have that opportunity this coming season.
Ryan Miller is in the last year of his contract. The team has Enroth on the big club already, and their trade-deadline acquisition, Matt Hackett, is out of waiver options.
*************
Speaking of Miller, if he is on the move, no one knows where he might end up.
He has a limited no-trade clause where he can list eight teams that he doesn't want to be traded to. Unfortunately for the Sabres, teams like the NY Islanders, Florida Panthers and Edmonton Oilers, all of whom could use a #1 goalie, are probably on his no-trade list.
There are other teams who would make for an interesting trade partner, most notably the Philadelphia Flyers, Tampa Bay Lightning and possibly the Washington Capitals or the Colorado Avalanche.
This could be a defining moment for the Sabres organization.
I have no idea what Regier is thinking or what the return would be, but one would guess that he'd love to be able to use Miller as a spring-board to a top-3 pick this season--read a trade with Colorado, Florida or Tampa Bay.
It's highly doubtful that the 'Lanche, who have the #1 overall pick in the draft, would trade that for Miller or even some package from the Sabres.
************
Colorado has a new head coach and VP of hockey operations in Hall of Fame goaltender Patrick Roy.
Roy is a legend in Colorado after leading the team to two Stanley Cups. He was brought in by another Avalanche legend, Joe Sakic, who was also a key cog on those Cup winning teams.
Colorado and Buffalo should not be dismissed as trade partners this summer.
Miller is in a similar situation in Buffalo that Roy was in Montreal before the latter demanded a trade. The Sabres #1 goalie has been derided in Buffalo for sub-par performances over the last couple of seasons and he even gave a booing home crowd a mock-wave.
Roy was humiliated in Montreal by his coach in an 11-1 loss. After finally getting pulled by Mario Trembley he said it would be his last game in Montreal.
He was traded to Colorado, won the Cup that same season and the rest is history.
When Miller was asked about similarities between his game and Roy's he said, "It doesn't mean I want to leave, but if that's what you're getting at, the guy won two Stanley Cups. So, hey, why not?"
The guy he's talking about is now in Colorado with questionable goaltending in Semion Varlamov and one would think that he'd rather have a true #1 goalie manning the crease.
Another connection with Roy and the Sabres is that concerning Mikhail Grigorenko.
Grigorenko played under Roy for the Quebec Remparts and had a stellar season before joining the Sabres after the lockout ended.
I'd asked Kris Baker of sabresprospects.com about the possibility of Roy being highly interested in Grigorenko but Bakes said that the Russian center wasn't a good fit in the locker room after his return to junior.
Even so, it wouldn't be all that surprising if the Sabres an Avalanche hooked up. What the pieces would be is the interesting part.
Friday, May 17, 2013
From the IIHF to the Sharks/Kings plus Lupul and the Leafs collapse
It was a good hockey day yesterday. Was able to catch the most of the Slovakia/Finland game and the Canada/Sweden game yesterday afternoon at the Worlds. Plus, later that night I caught a good portion of the San Jose' Sharks/LA Kings playoff matchup.
A few things about the IIHF games:
--Jhonas Enroth was stout in net for Team Sweden, and as shown when he stifled Canada's Steven Stamkos on a breakaway, he's tough to beat mano-y-mano. Therefore the shootout win. He's done that in Buffalo often over the last couple of seasons with the Sabres. Gotta love his competitive fire.
--Former Sabres' head coach Lindy Ruff was behind the bench for Team Canada. They played a tight defensive game, clogging up the neutral zone and generally playing a cautious game. Enroth's stop on Stamkos was a game-changer as Team Canada could have gone up 2-0 had he connected. Kinda sounds familiar to Sabres fans.
--Team Canada goalie Mike Smith played a solid game. Should the Sabres end up trading Ryan Miller, Smith may be a viable alternative in net. He's coming off a contract that paid him $2M last season. Smith is a solid goalie who has kicked up his game in the playoffs. There are signs of a Tim Thomas like future ahead of him should he land on a Cup-quality team. Wouldn't mind tandem of Enroth and Smith heading into 2013-14. Might be pretty solid. And it won't break the bank either.
--Andrej Sekera scored Slovakia's second goal last night to help them claw back from a 3-0 deficit vs. Finland. The Sabres' defensman playing for his homeland team moved to the center of the ice on the play and blasted a rising shot through a crowd from near the blueline. With a much larger ice-surface in international play, Sekera had plenty of room to skate all through the game. There's a marked difference between his international game and the one he plays on a smaller NHL rink. Which isn't good for the Sabres.
*************
While watching the Sharks/Kings game last night, I couldn't help but notice the smaller ice surface in the NHL and was left to wonder why the biggest players in the world play on a smaller rink.
If the NHL really wanted to improve the game they'd make the ice-surfact bigger. Right?
Of course that would mean hundreds of high dollar seats eliminated and no owner would want that.
Perhaps Commish Gary Bettman and Co. should devise a plan to widen the rinks in the future. Maybe they could use that as a premise for the next lockout when the owners will want to add more to their share of hockey related revenue.
*************
The Kings are a team that knows how to navigate a smaller ice surface, know how to play the North American game, have oodles of talent and sandpaper and are the defending Stanley Cup Champions.
The Sharks had them on the hook last night, but two penalties late in the game allowed the Kings to pull out a victory.
Los Angeles looks primed to hoist the Cup once again.
They're hitting their stride having won six in a row and look very tough to beat.
*************
When the Toronto Maple Leafs blew a three-goal lead in Game-7 at Boston, the anguish that Leafs fans felt should not be wished upon anyone.
But...
if it's gonna happen to any team and fan-base, gotta love that it happened to Toronto (with Vancouver being a very close second.)
Speaking of the Maple Leafs collapse, forward Joffery Lupul was quoted as saying, "that hockey game will haunt me until the day I die."
Karma's a bitch there, Jof.
Better heed the warning signs, buddy. If you screw up in this life, Satan has it all lined up for you in hell: locked in a hotel room in Buffalo with a continuous loop of your Leafs' third period/overtime, Game-7 collapse.
A few things about the IIHF games:
--Jhonas Enroth was stout in net for Team Sweden, and as shown when he stifled Canada's Steven Stamkos on a breakaway, he's tough to beat mano-y-mano. Therefore the shootout win. He's done that in Buffalo often over the last couple of seasons with the Sabres. Gotta love his competitive fire.
--Former Sabres' head coach Lindy Ruff was behind the bench for Team Canada. They played a tight defensive game, clogging up the neutral zone and generally playing a cautious game. Enroth's stop on Stamkos was a game-changer as Team Canada could have gone up 2-0 had he connected. Kinda sounds familiar to Sabres fans.
--Team Canada goalie Mike Smith played a solid game. Should the Sabres end up trading Ryan Miller, Smith may be a viable alternative in net. He's coming off a contract that paid him $2M last season. Smith is a solid goalie who has kicked up his game in the playoffs. There are signs of a Tim Thomas like future ahead of him should he land on a Cup-quality team. Wouldn't mind tandem of Enroth and Smith heading into 2013-14. Might be pretty solid. And it won't break the bank either.
--Andrej Sekera scored Slovakia's second goal last night to help them claw back from a 3-0 deficit vs. Finland. The Sabres' defensman playing for his homeland team moved to the center of the ice on the play and blasted a rising shot through a crowd from near the blueline. With a much larger ice-surface in international play, Sekera had plenty of room to skate all through the game. There's a marked difference between his international game and the one he plays on a smaller NHL rink. Which isn't good for the Sabres.
*************
While watching the Sharks/Kings game last night, I couldn't help but notice the smaller ice surface in the NHL and was left to wonder why the biggest players in the world play on a smaller rink.
If the NHL really wanted to improve the game they'd make the ice-surfact bigger. Right?
Of course that would mean hundreds of high dollar seats eliminated and no owner would want that.
Perhaps Commish Gary Bettman and Co. should devise a plan to widen the rinks in the future. Maybe they could use that as a premise for the next lockout when the owners will want to add more to their share of hockey related revenue.
*************
The Kings are a team that knows how to navigate a smaller ice surface, know how to play the North American game, have oodles of talent and sandpaper and are the defending Stanley Cup Champions.
The Sharks had them on the hook last night, but two penalties late in the game allowed the Kings to pull out a victory.
Los Angeles looks primed to hoist the Cup once again.
They're hitting their stride having won six in a row and look very tough to beat.
*************
When the Toronto Maple Leafs blew a three-goal lead in Game-7 at Boston, the anguish that Leafs fans felt should not be wished upon anyone.
But...
if it's gonna happen to any team and fan-base, gotta love that it happened to Toronto (with Vancouver being a very close second.)
Speaking of the Maple Leafs collapse, forward Joffery Lupul was quoted as saying, "that hockey game will haunt me until the day I die."
Karma's a bitch there, Jof.
Better heed the warning signs, buddy. If you screw up in this life, Satan has it all lined up for you in hell: locked in a hotel room in Buffalo with a continuous loop of your Leafs' third period/overtime, Game-7 collapse.
Saturday, May 11, 2013
LA taking down St. Louis is great on a couple of levels
I've always been a fan of Robyn Regehr.
It's not that I'd followed the Calgary Flames all that much when he was playing for them for a decade, but when I did catch their games I really liked what he brought to the team.
The Sabres for the past seven years have needed more professionalism, more grit, more leadership. Regehr is that type of player and it's players like him who get the respect of hockey world.
Regehr brought those attributes to the Sabres for the nearly two years, but as his rugged style of play began to wear on him a bit, he wasn't quite as effective with the Sabres as he was with the Flames. He's not washed up by any stretch of the imagination, but the load he had to carry in Buffalo, from a leadership and grit perspective, is too much to ask a 33 yr. old player who's never missed more than 14 games in a full season.
It's too bad Sabres GM Darcy Regier opted to pick Dmitri Kalinin one spot ahead of Regehr in the 1998 draft. We could have seen him on a nightly basis smack-dab in his prime. Who knows, maybe the Carolina series would've turned out differently and/or maybe a pro like Chris Drury would've opted to re-sign with Buffalo.
Methinks the past eight seasons would've turned out quite differently--for the better.
Regehr is out in LA now, headed to the second round of the playoffs with his Kings teammates.
Much respect to the Sabres organization for sending him there (for two 2nd-round picks.) It's probably the best possible situation for him to win the Stanley Cup.
The Kings are filled with leadership, skill, grit and tenacity. They're defending their Stanley Cup crown on a shortened season and seem to be hitting their stride right now.
What's asked of Regehr is simply to play his game. Clear the front of the net. Lay some hard hits on the opposition. Help anchor the PK.
For 21:00/game Regehr is simply asked to be the player he is--a tough defensive defenesman.
After spending an entire career being a true professional in both Calgary and Buffalo, the world would be right if he was on the last team standing.
*************
A very young and talented St. Louis Blues team was eliminated in the first round and it exposed a couple of holes in the line-up.
The Kings knocked out the Blues in six games, winning the last four straight. St. Louis scored six goals on 110 shots in those four losses.
Bernie Miklasz of the St. Louis Post Dispatch called out management for " inexplicably ignoring the obvious need to add a proven finisher to the lineup."
Miklasz wants a "fearless, cold-blooded sniper that won't get the yips and repeatedly miss putting the puck in the net at crucial moments" in the lineup.
The Sabres Thomas Vanek is a sniper. He can score in a variety of ways from any area of the ice and he's proven he can score in the playoffs.
St. Louis bench-boss Ken Hitchcock had that type of player in Brett Hull when the Dallas Stars defeated the Buffalo Sabres in the 1999 Stanley Cup Finals.
Although Vanek is not Brett Hull, he may be the best winger available this off-season for the Blues to acquire.
In 26 playoff games for the Sabres, Vanek has 15 goals. His average shooting percentage over those four appearances is 18.3%.
As the only real offensive weapon for Buffalo in their last two playoffs in 2010 and 2011, he had seven goals in 10 games and shot at rates of 20% and 25% respectively.
Hmmmm...
Miklasz also points out another flaw in the Blues--goaltending. He says, "[LA Kings goalie] Jonathan Quick outplayed the Blues' Brian Elliott when pressure seeped into this series."
In blog dating back to the trade deadline, it was noted that the Blues allowed the least number of shots per game in the NHL, but their goalies' save percentage was weak.
It's a trend that bit them again in the first round of the playoffs.
Miklasz points out that over the last three Blues losses to the Kings, Elliott had an .871 sv.%. For the series Elliott had a 1.90 gaa and a .919 sv%. Pretty solid numbers on the whole, but when it really counted those last three games--when Elliott needed to steal a game--an .871 sv.% doesn't get the job done.
Elliott is what he is--a real strong back-up who can play like a starter on a number of occasions, but isn't that bonafide #1 goalie.
The Blues have a potential #1 goalie in Jake Allen, but at a very young 22 yrs. old, he still has a lot of growing to do.
The Sabres' Ryan Miller is a bonafide #1 goalie who has proven that he can steal a game or two in the playoffs.
Just look back on the Philadelphia series two years ago when he had two shutouts vs. the Flyers. The Fly-boys had possibly the best group of forwards in the NHL that year. The Sabres countered with one of the worst defenses in the playoffs that year. Of the eight d-men who dressed for that series, only three remain.
Miller is highly regarded throughout the league (outside of Buffalo, of course) and has a way of getting in the opposition's heads. If he doesn't need to worry about his defensemen playing the game properly, he's out high in his crease challenging shooters.
And when he's on, he's real tough to beat.
It wouldn't be surprising to see the Blues and the Sabres hook-up in the off-season. St. Louis needs a sniper like Vanek and could justify bringing in a bonafide #1 goalie like Miller.
The Blues also have a bevy of young talent throughout the organization with, according to Hockey's Future, depth and talent at center and on defense in the pipeline. They have size, skill and grit on the big club. And they have so much youth that moving a 1st-round draft pick this season and/or next will not set the organization back that much.
They need to make a move for some vets to fill the two holes Miklasz points out.
And the Sabres would be the team to call.
It's not that I'd followed the Calgary Flames all that much when he was playing for them for a decade, but when I did catch their games I really liked what he brought to the team.
The Sabres for the past seven years have needed more professionalism, more grit, more leadership. Regehr is that type of player and it's players like him who get the respect of hockey world.
Regehr brought those attributes to the Sabres for the nearly two years, but as his rugged style of play began to wear on him a bit, he wasn't quite as effective with the Sabres as he was with the Flames. He's not washed up by any stretch of the imagination, but the load he had to carry in Buffalo, from a leadership and grit perspective, is too much to ask a 33 yr. old player who's never missed more than 14 games in a full season.
It's too bad Sabres GM Darcy Regier opted to pick Dmitri Kalinin one spot ahead of Regehr in the 1998 draft. We could have seen him on a nightly basis smack-dab in his prime. Who knows, maybe the Carolina series would've turned out differently and/or maybe a pro like Chris Drury would've opted to re-sign with Buffalo.
Methinks the past eight seasons would've turned out quite differently--for the better.
Regehr is out in LA now, headed to the second round of the playoffs with his Kings teammates.
Much respect to the Sabres organization for sending him there (for two 2nd-round picks.) It's probably the best possible situation for him to win the Stanley Cup.
The Kings are filled with leadership, skill, grit and tenacity. They're defending their Stanley Cup crown on a shortened season and seem to be hitting their stride right now.
What's asked of Regehr is simply to play his game. Clear the front of the net. Lay some hard hits on the opposition. Help anchor the PK.
For 21:00/game Regehr is simply asked to be the player he is--a tough defensive defenesman.
After spending an entire career being a true professional in both Calgary and Buffalo, the world would be right if he was on the last team standing.
*************
A very young and talented St. Louis Blues team was eliminated in the first round and it exposed a couple of holes in the line-up.
The Kings knocked out the Blues in six games, winning the last four straight. St. Louis scored six goals on 110 shots in those four losses.
Bernie Miklasz of the St. Louis Post Dispatch called out management for " inexplicably ignoring the obvious need to add a proven finisher to the lineup."
Miklasz wants a "fearless, cold-blooded sniper that won't get the yips and repeatedly miss putting the puck in the net at crucial moments" in the lineup.
The Sabres Thomas Vanek is a sniper. He can score in a variety of ways from any area of the ice and he's proven he can score in the playoffs.
St. Louis bench-boss Ken Hitchcock had that type of player in Brett Hull when the Dallas Stars defeated the Buffalo Sabres in the 1999 Stanley Cup Finals.
Although Vanek is not Brett Hull, he may be the best winger available this off-season for the Blues to acquire.
In 26 playoff games for the Sabres, Vanek has 15 goals. His average shooting percentage over those four appearances is 18.3%.
As the only real offensive weapon for Buffalo in their last two playoffs in 2010 and 2011, he had seven goals in 10 games and shot at rates of 20% and 25% respectively.
Hmmmm...
Miklasz also points out another flaw in the Blues--goaltending. He says, "[LA Kings goalie] Jonathan Quick outplayed the Blues' Brian Elliott when pressure seeped into this series."
In blog dating back to the trade deadline, it was noted that the Blues allowed the least number of shots per game in the NHL, but their goalies' save percentage was weak.
It's a trend that bit them again in the first round of the playoffs.
Miklasz points out that over the last three Blues losses to the Kings, Elliott had an .871 sv.%. For the series Elliott had a 1.90 gaa and a .919 sv%. Pretty solid numbers on the whole, but when it really counted those last three games--when Elliott needed to steal a game--an .871 sv.% doesn't get the job done.
Elliott is what he is--a real strong back-up who can play like a starter on a number of occasions, but isn't that bonafide #1 goalie.
The Blues have a potential #1 goalie in Jake Allen, but at a very young 22 yrs. old, he still has a lot of growing to do.
The Sabres' Ryan Miller is a bonafide #1 goalie who has proven that he can steal a game or two in the playoffs.
Just look back on the Philadelphia series two years ago when he had two shutouts vs. the Flyers. The Fly-boys had possibly the best group of forwards in the NHL that year. The Sabres countered with one of the worst defenses in the playoffs that year. Of the eight d-men who dressed for that series, only three remain.
Miller is highly regarded throughout the league (outside of Buffalo, of course) and has a way of getting in the opposition's heads. If he doesn't need to worry about his defensemen playing the game properly, he's out high in his crease challenging shooters.
And when he's on, he's real tough to beat.
It wouldn't be surprising to see the Blues and the Sabres hook-up in the off-season. St. Louis needs a sniper like Vanek and could justify bringing in a bonafide #1 goalie like Miller.
The Blues also have a bevy of young talent throughout the organization with, according to Hockey's Future, depth and talent at center and on defense in the pipeline. They have size, skill and grit on the big club. And they have so much youth that moving a 1st-round draft pick this season and/or next will not set the organization back that much.
They need to make a move for some vets to fill the two holes Miklasz points out.
And the Sabres would be the team to call.
Thursday, May 2, 2013
Quinn and Regier/Black and Regier--Same Sh*t, Different Owner...
and it's the last thing Sabres nation needed.
The boys at the Buffalo News' were ready to rumble at the end of year presser on Monday.
They couldn't wait to get at the two representatives of the Buffalo Sabres sitting in front of them--Team President Ted Black and GM Darcy Regier.
The News' Mike Harrington got the mike first and immediately dove into the organization.
When he asked Black to "end all speculation" concerning the status of Regier, his first question wasn't really a question, but a statement of disbelief.
Everyone knew that Regier was still on board. He was right there in front of them.
Was Regier still GM? "Yes," was Black's direct answer to the "question."
What Harrington was really trying to get at, as he asked the follow-up, was why, after six years of failure, and when the Sabres fired their longtime coach, is Regier still GM?
Black's answer started chronological, "the decision to extend [Regier] into next year was made before the lockout ended," then turned evasive, "the reality is...," he continued.
Let's stop right there.
The reality is, this team is a mess.
The reality is, this team has being mismanaged on the hockey side--Regier's side--and it seems to be severely affecting the business side--Black's side.
The reality is, Regier's team did not make the playoffs two years running and it's affecting Black's bottom line.
The reality is, owner Terry Pegula listened to his senior advisor, Ken Sawyer, as the latter called Regier a "hockey genius" and it's strained the relationship between owner and fans.
The reality is, the "hockey genius" is causing Black to lose tens of millions of his owners money, much more than anyone ever thought.
The reality is, Black's "Hockey Heaven" in Buffalo is now "Hockey Hell" and an owner who once said his main job is to be liked is now being vilified for what amounts to the incompetence of his two main charges.
Despite Pegula's lavish expenditures on everything from a newly refurbished dressing room to expensive free agent contracts, the present state of the Sabres seems to be nothing more than extension of the Tom Golisano regime.
Black's responses at the presser exposed a very troubling trait. His owner who once said "if I want to make money, I'll drill another well" has such a financial mess on his hands that the team is relying on league welfare for the second season in a row. Just like the previous regime did.
The multi-billionaire has a team president who said they had to raise ticket prices, not because of a league mandate like he initially intimated, but because the Sabres must show year over year revenue growth in order to be eligible for revenue sharing.
Said Black, "the entire process allows this franchise to still qualify unencumbered for revenue sharing. The 4% ticket price increase, is about an obligation [to the league] to raise money so you don't jeopardize that revenue stream."
With Sabres' ticket prices in the bottom quarter of the league, according to Black, they're losing bushels of money because they havent' made the playoffs.
Losses could be in the area of $10M per year outside of the playoffs. And that includes revenue sharing.
No owner, no matter how well off, should be expected to lose that amount of money year over year.
As Black said, "I can't get drunk off Terry's wealth and assume he's going to live forever and he's going to spend money forever."
Turns out we were all drunk on his wealth when he bought the team.
But none moreso than the GM.
With the financial chains off, Regier proceeded to:
That sucking sound you hear is the sound of millions of dollars being thrown away on a team that failed to make the playoffs--again.
So why, after two years of futility on the ice and with a team hemorrhaging money, would they want to keep Regier on board?
Maybe it's about money--again.
It would make sense that they wouldn't want to eat Regier's contract and pay a new GM in the process.
Right now the Sabres have still have Regier in charge as they continue to dismantle his core. He's proven capable of moving players for a good return like he did when trading core players Paul Gaustad, Derek Roy and Jason Pominville over the last 18 months or so.
Two more of his core, who happen to be the two best players on the roster--Ryan Miller and Thomas Vanek--look to be on the move as well, and the return will probably be mostly picks and prospects.
Financially, there isn't really much more damage Regier can do to the organization by trading high-priced veterans for picks and/or prospects.
What does all this mean?
One would expect that Regier's hand in the rebuild may be limited to the dismantling part. The Sabres will probably be heading into the 2013/14 as the youngest team in the NHL and will be relying on Head Amateur Scout/Assistant GM Kevin Devine to mold the future through draft picks and prospects.
Higher priced vets like Christian Ehrhoff, Steve Ott and Ville Leino, as well as underachieving Drew Stafford will probably remain for a variety of reasons. The Sabres still need to put a product on the ice, they'll still have the cap-floor to reach and they'll still need some veteran leadership.
We should not, however, expect any big splashes in free agency with high-priced players coming to Buffalo this off season.
And with the salary cap going down, the Sabres payroll going down, not paying for two GM's next season, and ticket prices increasing, Black should be able to keep the team finances in check for the upcoming season.
It should also be assumed that the team will retain interim head coach Ron Rolston for another year. As the team continues to pay Ruff's salary, it makes sound financial sense to keep a coach on the cheap.
This attention to the bottom line is what the team went through from 2007-2011 when Golisano owned the team and had his "just break even" mandate to then team president--and part-owner--Larry Quinn.
Same shit, different owner for Sabres fans which is the last thing Sabres-nation needed.
The boys at the Buffalo News' were ready to rumble at the end of year presser on Monday.
They couldn't wait to get at the two representatives of the Buffalo Sabres sitting in front of them--Team President Ted Black and GM Darcy Regier.
The News' Mike Harrington got the mike first and immediately dove into the organization.
When he asked Black to "end all speculation" concerning the status of Regier, his first question wasn't really a question, but a statement of disbelief.
Everyone knew that Regier was still on board. He was right there in front of them.
Was Regier still GM? "Yes," was Black's direct answer to the "question."
What Harrington was really trying to get at, as he asked the follow-up, was why, after six years of failure, and when the Sabres fired their longtime coach, is Regier still GM?
Black's answer started chronological, "the decision to extend [Regier] into next year was made before the lockout ended," then turned evasive, "the reality is...," he continued.
Let's stop right there.
The reality is, this team is a mess.
The reality is, this team has being mismanaged on the hockey side--Regier's side--and it seems to be severely affecting the business side--Black's side.
The reality is, Regier's team did not make the playoffs two years running and it's affecting Black's bottom line.
The reality is, owner Terry Pegula listened to his senior advisor, Ken Sawyer, as the latter called Regier a "hockey genius" and it's strained the relationship between owner and fans.
The reality is, the "hockey genius" is causing Black to lose tens of millions of his owners money, much more than anyone ever thought.
The reality is, Black's "Hockey Heaven" in Buffalo is now "Hockey Hell" and an owner who once said his main job is to be liked is now being vilified for what amounts to the incompetence of his two main charges.
Despite Pegula's lavish expenditures on everything from a newly refurbished dressing room to expensive free agent contracts, the present state of the Sabres seems to be nothing more than extension of the Tom Golisano regime.
Black's responses at the presser exposed a very troubling trait. His owner who once said "if I want to make money, I'll drill another well" has such a financial mess on his hands that the team is relying on league welfare for the second season in a row. Just like the previous regime did.
The multi-billionaire has a team president who said they had to raise ticket prices, not because of a league mandate like he initially intimated, but because the Sabres must show year over year revenue growth in order to be eligible for revenue sharing.
Said Black, "the entire process allows this franchise to still qualify unencumbered for revenue sharing. The 4% ticket price increase, is about an obligation [to the league] to raise money so you don't jeopardize that revenue stream."
With Sabres' ticket prices in the bottom quarter of the league, according to Black, they're losing bushels of money because they havent' made the playoffs.
Losses could be in the area of $10M per year outside of the playoffs. And that includes revenue sharing.
No owner, no matter how well off, should be expected to lose that amount of money year over year.
As Black said, "I can't get drunk off Terry's wealth and assume he's going to live forever and he's going to spend money forever."
Turns out we were all drunk on his wealth when he bought the team.
But none moreso than the GM.
With the financial chains off, Regier proceeded to:
- eat Ales Kotalik's $3M contract in the Robyn Regehr trade
- sign Christian Ehrhoff to a 10-yr./$40M contract, $18M of it in the first two years
- sign Ville Leino to a 6 yr./$27M contract
- bury Shoane Morrison's $2M contract in the minors
- re-sign Tyler Myers to a 7 yr./$38.5M contract with a $10M bonus paid out this year
- re-sign Andrej Sekera to a 4 yr./$11M contract with $7.5M paid out the first two years
That sucking sound you hear is the sound of millions of dollars being thrown away on a team that failed to make the playoffs--again.
So why, after two years of futility on the ice and with a team hemorrhaging money, would they want to keep Regier on board?
Maybe it's about money--again.
It would make sense that they wouldn't want to eat Regier's contract and pay a new GM in the process.
Right now the Sabres have still have Regier in charge as they continue to dismantle his core. He's proven capable of moving players for a good return like he did when trading core players Paul Gaustad, Derek Roy and Jason Pominville over the last 18 months or so.
Two more of his core, who happen to be the two best players on the roster--Ryan Miller and Thomas Vanek--look to be on the move as well, and the return will probably be mostly picks and prospects.
Financially, there isn't really much more damage Regier can do to the organization by trading high-priced veterans for picks and/or prospects.
What does all this mean?
One would expect that Regier's hand in the rebuild may be limited to the dismantling part. The Sabres will probably be heading into the 2013/14 as the youngest team in the NHL and will be relying on Head Amateur Scout/Assistant GM Kevin Devine to mold the future through draft picks and prospects.
Higher priced vets like Christian Ehrhoff, Steve Ott and Ville Leino, as well as underachieving Drew Stafford will probably remain for a variety of reasons. The Sabres still need to put a product on the ice, they'll still have the cap-floor to reach and they'll still need some veteran leadership.
We should not, however, expect any big splashes in free agency with high-priced players coming to Buffalo this off season.
And with the salary cap going down, the Sabres payroll going down, not paying for two GM's next season, and ticket prices increasing, Black should be able to keep the team finances in check for the upcoming season.
It should also be assumed that the team will retain interim head coach Ron Rolston for another year. As the team continues to pay Ruff's salary, it makes sound financial sense to keep a coach on the cheap.
This attention to the bottom line is what the team went through from 2007-2011 when Golisano owned the team and had his "just break even" mandate to then team president--and part-owner--Larry Quinn.
Same shit, different owner for Sabres fans which is the last thing Sabres-nation needed.
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