Published by hockeybuzz.com, 8-28-2018
Sam Reinhart
22 yrs. old
6'1" 192 lbs.
2014, 2nd-overall
Career Stats: 249 games | 65 goals | 75 assists | 140 points | -44
The asterisks besides forward Sam Reinhart's name is there because the restricted free agent and the Buffalo Sabres have yet to come to terms on a contract extension. Reinhart played the final year of his entry-level deal in 2017-78 and did so in a bi-polar manner scoring only 11 points (5+6) through the 2017 portion of the schedule (38 games) before turning it on with 20 goals and 19 assist through the final 44 games.
A Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde type season is could very well be the main reason the two sides have yet to come together on a deal. Then again the unsigned restricted free agent list right now has some big names on it, most notably Toronto Maple Leafs forward William Nylander who might be the best comparable for Reinhart. The 22 yr. old Nylander played on a playoff team with the Leafs last season and posted a stat-line of 20 goals and 40 assists in 81 games while Reinhart's totals were 25 goals and 25 assists also in 81 games on a last place team. However, Nylander had a plus-20 compared to Reinhart's minus-24 and over the course of his young NHL career the Leafs winger has posted 48 goals and 135 points in 185 games.
There is a huge difference in the players themselves, their style of play and the teams they've played for over their young careers, but a Nylander contract might set the tone for what Reinhart ultimately signs for.
It's strange to say this, especially since the Sabres are coming off of their third last place finish in five seasons, but the salary cap is an issue this season. Center Jack Eichel's $8 million cap-hit kicks in this season and despite moving on from Ryan O'Reilly and his $7.5 million AAV, the Sabres added both Patrick Berglund and Vladimir Sobotka from the O'Reilly trade to the St. Louis Blues at the cost of a $7.35 million cap-hit. In addition the cost of upgrading left wing added Jeff Skinner's $5.725 million and Conor Sheary's $3 million to this year's cap. As of now the Sabres are $6.5 million under the NHL's cap ceiling, according to CapFriendly.
No bid deal, right? Just sign Reinhart to a $5-6 million dollar deal and call it a day.
However, as The Athletic's John Vogl points out, complicating the cap for next season are possible max-bonuses for two players on the first year of their respective entry-level deals. If both Casey Mittelstad ($850K) and Rasmus Dahlin ($2.85M) reach their max performance bonuses it will add roughly $3.7 million to this year's cap. Any cap-overage this year is deducted from next year's cap.
The eventual Nylander contract and cap implications aside, we're still not sure exactly what we have in Reinhart. We know he has a high hockey IQ, displays deft stickwork and despite having average at best NHL speed he's shown that he ability keep up with a speedster like Eichel using his smarts. We also know that despite being drafted as center, Reinhart plays much better on the wing and also that much of his goal production has come on the powerplay. His 29 powerplay goals over the last three years were second only to O'Reilly's 31 on the team and Reinhart has the highest ration of powerplay goals to goals during that span. Evander Kane scored only eight of his 68 total goals on the powerplay.
Reinhart has proven durable thus far missing only six games in his NHL career, but he also was benched for an entire game in 2016 when former GM Tim Murray and former head coach Dan Bylsma sat him after supposedly being late for a team meeting. And we're also left to wonder what caused the switch to be turned on last season while also left to contemplate whether or not it will last.
Last year was a really weird year in that Reinhart, as mentioned, was invisible through the first 38 games but came on strong over the next 44 games leading up to his RFA status. A season like that also brought back memories of another winger, Drew Stafford, who put up a career-high 31 goals and 52 points in a contract year that landed him a rather hefty four-year deal. Stafford had a good follow up season but faded hard and fast before being traded in the final year of the deal.
Most in Sabreland are pretty confident that the two sides will come together, most likely before the season starts, and when it happens Reinhart should be back on Eichel's wing. The two second-overall picks displayed a lot of chemistry prior to the start of last season when new head coach Phil Housley decided he wanted Reinhart at center. That was a huge blunder and when Reinhart was moved back to the wing and it lead to that stellar finish to the 2017-18 season for him.
If this contract dispute drags into the season, the Sabres are in pretty good shape on the right side. Kyle Okposo, who played well with NY Islanders center John Tavares, could start the season up top and there are a few young wingers who one would assume are chomping at the bit for the opportunity to play with Eichel. Tage Thompson came over in the O'Reilly deal and GM Jason Botterill promised him an opportunity in the top-six. Nicholas Baptiste and Justin Bailey have been plying their trade in Rochester and have the wheels to keep up with Eichel. And we could even throw 35 yr. old Jason Pominville into the mix as he had a robust start to last season playing in a top-six role.
There's no reason to think that Reinhart won't be signed prior to the season and hopefully before camp. If that comes to fruition, top-line right wing seems to be a role that has his name on it.
Building the 2018-19 Buffalo Sabres roster:
LW, Conor Sheary / C, Jack Eichel / Sam Reinhart
Wednesday, August 29, 2018
Tuesday, August 28, 2018
Building the 2018-19 Buffalo Sabres roster--LW, Conor Sheary
Published by hockeybuzz.com, 8-26-2018
LW--Conor Sheary
5'8" 175 lbs.
26 yrs. old
Undrafted Free Agent (2014, PIT)
184 games | 48 goals | 45 assists | 93 points | +25
The easiest route here would have been to put recently acquired left-winger Jeff Skinner in this spot. If you subscribe to the theory of definitive 1-2-3-4 lines, then Skinner would make a lot of sense here as he's a much more proven talent than Conor Sheary. But there's a lot to be said for Sheary skating on the top line in Pittsburgh and how he might help formulate the top-six whilst skating alongside Buffalo's top center, Jack Eichel.
Sheary came out of UMASS-Amherst in April, 2014, had a two-game stint and an impressive playoff run of 11 points (6+5) in 15 games with Pittsburgh's AHL affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. He was signed to a minor league deal with the club that summer. In his first full season with the 'Baby Pens' the 5'8" 175 lb. Sheary had an impressive rookie campaign of 20 goals and 25 assists in 58 games and added 12 (5+7) points in eight playoff games for WBS which lead to a two-year entry-level, NHL deal.
In 2015-16 Sheary split the season between the two clubs, stuck with Pittsburgh for 44 games (seven goals, three assists) and was a bit of a revelation in the playoffs. The undrafted 23 yr. old proved he could skate with the big boys and contribute on the big stage with 10 points (4+6) in 23 games as the Pittsburgh won the 2016 Stanley Cup. Sheary followed that season up with an impressive campaign scoring 23 goals and adding 30 assists in 61 games while riding shotgun with one of the league's elite centers, and quite possibly the best player of his generation, Sidney Crosby.
Sheary entered last season with a new 3yr./$9 million deal but faltered a bit with only 30 points in 79 regular season games and was ineffective in the playoffs with only two assists in 12 games. Production like that coupled with a $3 million cap-hit on a team that needed cap-space led the Pens to deem Sheary expendable. Buffalo Sabres GM Jason Botterill, who was the 'Baby Pens' general manager when Sheary signed his first pro contract, sent a conditional fourth round pick to Pittsburgh for the winger plus reserve defenseman Matt Hunwick.
What Sheary was able to accomplish as an undrafted player that worked his way up was not lost on Botterill. "When people were saying he couldn't do it," said the GM to the gathered media after the trade, "he found a way to become an American Hockey League All-Star. Then he found a way to get to the National Hockey League and found a way to help Pittsburgh win Stanley Cups."
Botterill saw what Sheary had to offer first hand. He had watched Sheary play with Crosby and what he showed Botterill was that "[he] can play with one of our offensive centermen, finish off chances from them, but also get in on the forecheck, get pucks to our centermen." He also pointed out that Sheary could help Buffalo's woeful five-on-five scoring. "We were looking to improve our even-strength scoring and we had to try to get a little bit in scoring from our wingers," said Botterill. "He creates a lot of chances out there."
And there's the added bonus of playoff experience and of being in high-pressure situations. "He knows how to play in pressure situations against other teams' top defenders, top players," said Botterill. "We've talked a lot about here, bringing in players who have playoff experience. It's why we were interested in bringing in [Marco] Scandella and [Jason] Pominville last year. Bringing in both Hunwick and Conor, who have played in playoff games, is very key for our group."
Although at the time of the trade, which was before the Sabres traded for Skinner, Botterill said it wasn't a given that Sheary would be skating with Eichel but he did point out that he believed Sheary could be able to skate with any of Buffalo's centermen.
What it comes down to is fit and chemistry. Buffalo's top-two centers are Eichel and more than likely Casey Mittelstadt and in keeping with that projection, which wingers would pair up better with which center will be something to watch at training camp and into preseason. The fact that Sheary had played with, subjected himself to and succeeded along side a player of Crosby's stature might give an indication that he should be able to do the same with Eichel.
Which is why we've got him here.
Building the 2018-19 Buffalo Sabres roster:
LW, Conor Sheary / C, Jack Eichel
LW--Conor Sheary
5'8" 175 lbs.
26 yrs. old
Undrafted Free Agent (2014, PIT)
184 games | 48 goals | 45 assists | 93 points | +25
The easiest route here would have been to put recently acquired left-winger Jeff Skinner in this spot. If you subscribe to the theory of definitive 1-2-3-4 lines, then Skinner would make a lot of sense here as he's a much more proven talent than Conor Sheary. But there's a lot to be said for Sheary skating on the top line in Pittsburgh and how he might help formulate the top-six whilst skating alongside Buffalo's top center, Jack Eichel.
Sheary came out of UMASS-Amherst in April, 2014, had a two-game stint and an impressive playoff run of 11 points (6+5) in 15 games with Pittsburgh's AHL affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. He was signed to a minor league deal with the club that summer. In his first full season with the 'Baby Pens' the 5'8" 175 lb. Sheary had an impressive rookie campaign of 20 goals and 25 assists in 58 games and added 12 (5+7) points in eight playoff games for WBS which lead to a two-year entry-level, NHL deal.
In 2015-16 Sheary split the season between the two clubs, stuck with Pittsburgh for 44 games (seven goals, three assists) and was a bit of a revelation in the playoffs. The undrafted 23 yr. old proved he could skate with the big boys and contribute on the big stage with 10 points (4+6) in 23 games as the Pittsburgh won the 2016 Stanley Cup. Sheary followed that season up with an impressive campaign scoring 23 goals and adding 30 assists in 61 games while riding shotgun with one of the league's elite centers, and quite possibly the best player of his generation, Sidney Crosby.
Sheary entered last season with a new 3yr./$9 million deal but faltered a bit with only 30 points in 79 regular season games and was ineffective in the playoffs with only two assists in 12 games. Production like that coupled with a $3 million cap-hit on a team that needed cap-space led the Pens to deem Sheary expendable. Buffalo Sabres GM Jason Botterill, who was the 'Baby Pens' general manager when Sheary signed his first pro contract, sent a conditional fourth round pick to Pittsburgh for the winger plus reserve defenseman Matt Hunwick.
What Sheary was able to accomplish as an undrafted player that worked his way up was not lost on Botterill. "When people were saying he couldn't do it," said the GM to the gathered media after the trade, "he found a way to become an American Hockey League All-Star. Then he found a way to get to the National Hockey League and found a way to help Pittsburgh win Stanley Cups."
Botterill saw what Sheary had to offer first hand. He had watched Sheary play with Crosby and what he showed Botterill was that "[he] can play with one of our offensive centermen, finish off chances from them, but also get in on the forecheck, get pucks to our centermen." He also pointed out that Sheary could help Buffalo's woeful five-on-five scoring. "We were looking to improve our even-strength scoring and we had to try to get a little bit in scoring from our wingers," said Botterill. "He creates a lot of chances out there."
And there's the added bonus of playoff experience and of being in high-pressure situations. "He knows how to play in pressure situations against other teams' top defenders, top players," said Botterill. "We've talked a lot about here, bringing in players who have playoff experience. It's why we were interested in bringing in [Marco] Scandella and [Jason] Pominville last year. Bringing in both Hunwick and Conor, who have played in playoff games, is very key for our group."
Although at the time of the trade, which was before the Sabres traded for Skinner, Botterill said it wasn't a given that Sheary would be skating with Eichel but he did point out that he believed Sheary could be able to skate with any of Buffalo's centermen.
What it comes down to is fit and chemistry. Buffalo's top-two centers are Eichel and more than likely Casey Mittelstadt and in keeping with that projection, which wingers would pair up better with which center will be something to watch at training camp and into preseason. The fact that Sheary had played with, subjected himself to and succeeded along side a player of Crosby's stature might give an indication that he should be able to do the same with Eichel.
Which is why we've got him here.
Building the 2018-19 Buffalo Sabres roster:
LW, Conor Sheary / C, Jack Eichel
Sunday, August 26, 2018
Building the 2018-19 Buffalo Sabres roster--C, Jack Eichel
Published by hockeybuzz.com, 8-25-2018
C--Jack Eichel
6'2" 206 lbs.
21 yrs. old
2015, 2nd-overall
Career Stats: 209 games | 73 goals | 104 assists | 177 points | -54
Jack Eichel signed the richest contract in Buffalo Sabres history when he put pen to paper on an 8yr./$80 million contract last October just two days before the start of the 2017-18 campaign. The price tag for Eichel, who was in the final year of his rookie deal, was pretty much set once fellow 2015 draft pick Connor McDavid (first-overall) signed his 8 yr./$100 million extension with the Edmonton Oilers. After an injury plagued first NHL season, McDavid proceeded to lead the league in scoring with consecutive seasons of 100 and 108 points, respectively, the last two years.
For as much as we've seen Eichel dazzle, and there have been plenty of moments, he's yet to put it all together for a full season despite being at or near the top in all scoring categories on the team. In his rookie campaign he lead the Sabres in goals (24) and was second in points (56) and assists (32) while playing in 81 games. Though he struggled with injuries the last two seasons, missing 21 games in 2016-17 and 15 games last season, he still managed to lead the team in points both seasons (57 and 64, respectively) and was top-two in goals (leading in one of those seasons.)
That he was at or near the top of the team in production with numbers that are above average but well behind the league leaders says quite a bit about him but also says a lot about the team. When placed beside what McDavid posted, Eichel's stats are rather underwhelming so why did the Sabres pay that much? McDavid setting the market had a lot to do with it, but Eichel is a top-line center and really is that good.
The underlying theme since the Chelmsford, Massachusetts native hit the ice in Buffalo has been discord as the team former GM Tim Murray built was a mess. The players Murray brought in were talented and could play a certain style but as a team there was little continuity. And for their part, the Sabres coaching staff wasn't able to reign in the rather large egos Murray assembled at the top of the food chain. Add that to a team with goaltending issues and little depth thanks to the scorched earth rebuild and you get a Sabres team that rose to the outskirts of mediocrity for a season before diving back to the bottom.
Through it all Eichel's talents were above anything that the Sabres had. He lead the team in cumulative production over his three years, lead them in all three scoring categories per 60 minutes and was the only player on the team that could drive possession and offense. His stickwork is impeccable, his shot is ridiculous and his vision elite.
However, he seemed to have his own maturity/ego issues to deal with. There were times he looked disinterested on the ice, looked as if he was floating and he didn't seem to handle adversity (like losing) very well. It was also reported that there was a rift between Eichel and the now departed Ryan O'Reilly and he was accused of being a coach-killer as he and Dan Bylsma reportedly didn't see eye to eye. Many called him a defacto general manager/owner, after both Bylsma and Murray were shown the door.
This really wasn't what the face of the franchise was supposed to look like and it would seem as if he's figured that out.
When Eichel was drafted many considered the Sabres to be his team. It wasn't over the last few seasons but with all the aforementioned now gone, this is Jack Eichel's team and many feel that they will sew the 'C' on his sweater this season. The Eichel we heard from at locker cleanout sounded much more mature than the one we'd been hearing over the last couple of years and he reflected on his time in Buffalo telling the gathered media, "It feels like yesterday I started here and to be three years into my career and yet to make the impact that I'd like is frustrating for sure."
It's frustrating for ownership and the fanbase as well. Time's a wastin'. There's been a three-year hiccup with this rebuild and with cost-controlled youth being a premium driver towards success in a salary-cap world, any lost time both he and the Sabres organization take to figure it out means a tighter window with which to make a run.
New general manager Jason Botterill has made a lot of changes in his 17 months on the job which includes finding wingers (Jeff Skinner, Conor Sheary) who can skate and score while benefitting from the 2018 draft lottery to land franchise (generational?) defenseman Rasmus Dahlin at the draft in June. He's added depth to the team and has more mobility on the blue line. Things are starting to shape up nicely for him and second-year head coach Phil Housley.
And at the top of it all is Eichel.
Through all the frustrations of the past three seasons, which included over displays of equipment-throwing antics, the fiery Eichel may have passed through threshold. At a workout this past week with other Sabres players he continued his more mature approach telling the gathered media, ''I've had a few years to learn about things and see some things that occur, and the right way to do things and the wrong way to do things. I do wear my heart on my sleeve, and I'm somebody who's very competitive. I like to win. This losing the last few years, I've never dealt with that in my life. And you kind of have to learn from it and figure out what you can do to change it.
''I think that's important, obviously, not reacting, body language, staying upbeat. I think that's part of it.
''Every day, if you come in here and work and put your head down, you do the right things, you're a good teammate, I think the results in the games will take care of themselves.''
That's what a leader does and what he'll need to do.
Eichel will have a ton of pressure on him this season which includes the weight of that $80 million contract kicking in. Fortunately for him there's more talent on the team now than at any point in the past three seasons. However, it still comes down to him as he's at the top of the food chain for the Sabres.
Building the 2018-19 Buffalo Sabres roster:
C-Jack Eichel
C--Jack Eichel
6'2" 206 lbs.
21 yrs. old
2015, 2nd-overall
Career Stats: 209 games | 73 goals | 104 assists | 177 points | -54
Jack Eichel signed the richest contract in Buffalo Sabres history when he put pen to paper on an 8yr./$80 million contract last October just two days before the start of the 2017-18 campaign. The price tag for Eichel, who was in the final year of his rookie deal, was pretty much set once fellow 2015 draft pick Connor McDavid (first-overall) signed his 8 yr./$100 million extension with the Edmonton Oilers. After an injury plagued first NHL season, McDavid proceeded to lead the league in scoring with consecutive seasons of 100 and 108 points, respectively, the last two years.
For as much as we've seen Eichel dazzle, and there have been plenty of moments, he's yet to put it all together for a full season despite being at or near the top in all scoring categories on the team. In his rookie campaign he lead the Sabres in goals (24) and was second in points (56) and assists (32) while playing in 81 games. Though he struggled with injuries the last two seasons, missing 21 games in 2016-17 and 15 games last season, he still managed to lead the team in points both seasons (57 and 64, respectively) and was top-two in goals (leading in one of those seasons.)
That he was at or near the top of the team in production with numbers that are above average but well behind the league leaders says quite a bit about him but also says a lot about the team. When placed beside what McDavid posted, Eichel's stats are rather underwhelming so why did the Sabres pay that much? McDavid setting the market had a lot to do with it, but Eichel is a top-line center and really is that good.
The underlying theme since the Chelmsford, Massachusetts native hit the ice in Buffalo has been discord as the team former GM Tim Murray built was a mess. The players Murray brought in were talented and could play a certain style but as a team there was little continuity. And for their part, the Sabres coaching staff wasn't able to reign in the rather large egos Murray assembled at the top of the food chain. Add that to a team with goaltending issues and little depth thanks to the scorched earth rebuild and you get a Sabres team that rose to the outskirts of mediocrity for a season before diving back to the bottom.
Through it all Eichel's talents were above anything that the Sabres had. He lead the team in cumulative production over his three years, lead them in all three scoring categories per 60 minutes and was the only player on the team that could drive possession and offense. His stickwork is impeccable, his shot is ridiculous and his vision elite.
However, he seemed to have his own maturity/ego issues to deal with. There were times he looked disinterested on the ice, looked as if he was floating and he didn't seem to handle adversity (like losing) very well. It was also reported that there was a rift between Eichel and the now departed Ryan O'Reilly and he was accused of being a coach-killer as he and Dan Bylsma reportedly didn't see eye to eye. Many called him a defacto general manager/owner, after both Bylsma and Murray were shown the door.
This really wasn't what the face of the franchise was supposed to look like and it would seem as if he's figured that out.
When Eichel was drafted many considered the Sabres to be his team. It wasn't over the last few seasons but with all the aforementioned now gone, this is Jack Eichel's team and many feel that they will sew the 'C' on his sweater this season. The Eichel we heard from at locker cleanout sounded much more mature than the one we'd been hearing over the last couple of years and he reflected on his time in Buffalo telling the gathered media, "It feels like yesterday I started here and to be three years into my career and yet to make the impact that I'd like is frustrating for sure."
It's frustrating for ownership and the fanbase as well. Time's a wastin'. There's been a three-year hiccup with this rebuild and with cost-controlled youth being a premium driver towards success in a salary-cap world, any lost time both he and the Sabres organization take to figure it out means a tighter window with which to make a run.
New general manager Jason Botterill has made a lot of changes in his 17 months on the job which includes finding wingers (Jeff Skinner, Conor Sheary) who can skate and score while benefitting from the 2018 draft lottery to land franchise (generational?) defenseman Rasmus Dahlin at the draft in June. He's added depth to the team and has more mobility on the blue line. Things are starting to shape up nicely for him and second-year head coach Phil Housley.
And at the top of it all is Eichel.
Through all the frustrations of the past three seasons, which included over displays of equipment-throwing antics, the fiery Eichel may have passed through threshold. At a workout this past week with other Sabres players he continued his more mature approach telling the gathered media, ''I've had a few years to learn about things and see some things that occur, and the right way to do things and the wrong way to do things. I do wear my heart on my sleeve, and I'm somebody who's very competitive. I like to win. This losing the last few years, I've never dealt with that in my life. And you kind of have to learn from it and figure out what you can do to change it.
''I think that's important, obviously, not reacting, body language, staying upbeat. I think that's part of it.
''Every day, if you come in here and work and put your head down, you do the right things, you're a good teammate, I think the results in the games will take care of themselves.''
That's what a leader does and what he'll need to do.
Eichel will have a ton of pressure on him this season which includes the weight of that $80 million contract kicking in. Fortunately for him there's more talent on the team now than at any point in the past three seasons. However, it still comes down to him as he's at the top of the food chain for the Sabres.
Building the 2018-19 Buffalo Sabres roster:
C-Jack Eichel
Saturday, August 25, 2018
Sabres find plenty of character, and a character, in Matej Pekar. Pt. 2
Published by hockeybuzz.com, 8-23-2018
This is the second of a two-part profile on 2018 Sabres fourth round draft pick (94th-overall,) Matej Pekar.
Part 1 can be found by clicking here.
After listening to Muskegon Lumberjack coaches talk about forward Matej Pekar's unrelenting work ethic and style of play, one might get the impression that he's all work, no play and is a really dull young man. To the contrary, Pekar seems like he's enjoying life in America as a teenage hockey player both on and off the ice and it shines through during interviews.
At his post draft presser an extremely giddy and smiling Pekar told the gathered media "I probably sound a little bit stupid, but I'm so happy to be here I don't know what to say." After he got hammered with a hard check by first-overall pick Rasmus Dahlin at development camp, Pekar told the local press with a smile of almost disbelief, and maybe a touch of pride, that he never saw Dahlin hit someone so hard.
And during the three on three tournament Pekar played his dogged style against 2017 Sabres first rounder Casey Mittelstadt who didn't take kindly to it. With a gadfly grin he told the media, "that’s my shot to kind of piss him off, get in his head and try to win the game for the team. It’s way more fun when you see Casey getting pissed at you."
There's an honesty about Pekar in how he plays the game and, seemingly, how he goes about life. On the ice he knows who he is and get's at it. Off the ice he has a very engaging personality and a smile that says he knows what to take seriously and what not to. It's something that shone through at Sabres Development Camp and turned him into a fan favorite. Sure, on the ice he oozes character, loves to play the game hard, and getting under an opponent's skin brings a broad smile to his face. That engaging smile may have been a product of a job well done and/or is the product of passing through difficult thresholds at a young age where he tasted failure and worked hard to overcome them.
Then again, maybe his father Joseph Pekar has something to do with his son's sunny disposition.
Make no mistake, Pekar got his work ethic from his father. "That's how he raised me. He always pushed me to work hard," he said. But when I asked him if he got his sense of humor from his father he was quick to reply, "100%."
At the draft presser Pekar told the story of the Sabres meeting Joseph while he was wearing his "funny Detroit Red Wings pants." Those "funny pants" were actually pajama bottoms that he'd bought while visiting his son. "He was here for a visit a year ago," Pekar told me, "and we saw them in some shop and he said, 'I have to buy them. For five bucks. I'm gonna buy them.'
"He used to wear them everywhere including business meetings," said Pekar chuckling the entire time he told the story and added that after Buffalo drafted him, Joseph's bosses said that they'd get him some Sabres towels.
"He's like that all the time," said Pekar. "People that know him well expect things like that from him."
Joseph should take pride in knowing that the son he raised worked hard at his game and ended up being selected in the NHL Draft while never losing that magnetic personality. It also had to be a very proud moment to have a connection to former Sabre and Czech legend, Dominik Hasek, who's hometown is only about 85 miles from them. Pekar lit up when I asked if he'd ever watched old videos of Hasek at the 1998 Nagano Olympics where the future Hall of Famer lead the Czech Republic to gold.
"Not only do I watch it, I've seen it a lot of times," said Pekar and even noted the trade of Hasek from the Chicago Blackhawks to Buffalo. He's also very familiar with another Czech legend, Jaromir Jagr and has followed him closely as well even pointing out, with a laugh, that Jagr, "liked to stick his butt out just to protect the puck."
With Pekar it's not so much that what he says, but it's how he says it. There's joy and humor for him in those comedic moments and it comes through (even over the phone) whether he's talking about his dad's "funny pants" or how Jagr "stuck his butt out."
When I talked to him on a Sunday, it was his day to be away from hockey and I asked him what he was going to do. Pekar said he was going to play a pickup game of basketball with his friends "to just get some...active rest," before stopping for a second and chuckling a bit at the term he just used. After that he said maybe he and his friends would go to the movies. Before I could ask what movie he might see or what kind of movies he liked, he said, "we don't go there for the movie, we just go there for the popcorn" and laughed.
The sheer joy of indulging in that slice of Americana really came through when he said "the last time we went there I ate a bucket [of popcorn] and fell asleep half-way through the movie" causing an eruption of laughter on both ends of the phone line.
Pekar's zest for life and positivity will be tested again this season as there's a lot of work ahead of him. The 18 yr old left winger will be venturing into new territory for Muskegon as the Lumberjacks will be looking at him as a scorer and to him for leadership. He knows that the coaching staff will put him in a position to score, but that "he has to score the goals" and he also said he's honored to be considered a leader, likes to be a leader and feels that he can lead both on and off the ice.
Pekar certainly has the on-ice character and work-ethic to succeed and the more he and the team succeed, the more his personality will blossom. The Sabres certainly could use players with on-ice attributes like that while the Buffalo media and fan base could use an influx of positivity and humor. It's a good combination and hopefully we'll see Pekar talking about him pissing off star NHL players and/or scoring goals in post-game interviews for the Sabres somewhere down the road.
This is the second of a two-part profile on 2018 Sabres fourth round draft pick (94th-overall,) Matej Pekar.
Part 1 can be found by clicking here.
After listening to Muskegon Lumberjack coaches talk about forward Matej Pekar's unrelenting work ethic and style of play, one might get the impression that he's all work, no play and is a really dull young man. To the contrary, Pekar seems like he's enjoying life in America as a teenage hockey player both on and off the ice and it shines through during interviews.
At his post draft presser an extremely giddy and smiling Pekar told the gathered media "I probably sound a little bit stupid, but I'm so happy to be here I don't know what to say." After he got hammered with a hard check by first-overall pick Rasmus Dahlin at development camp, Pekar told the local press with a smile of almost disbelief, and maybe a touch of pride, that he never saw Dahlin hit someone so hard.
And during the three on three tournament Pekar played his dogged style against 2017 Sabres first rounder Casey Mittelstadt who didn't take kindly to it. With a gadfly grin he told the media, "that’s my shot to kind of piss him off, get in his head and try to win the game for the team. It’s way more fun when you see Casey getting pissed at you."
There's an honesty about Pekar in how he plays the game and, seemingly, how he goes about life. On the ice he knows who he is and get's at it. Off the ice he has a very engaging personality and a smile that says he knows what to take seriously and what not to. It's something that shone through at Sabres Development Camp and turned him into a fan favorite. Sure, on the ice he oozes character, loves to play the game hard, and getting under an opponent's skin brings a broad smile to his face. That engaging smile may have been a product of a job well done and/or is the product of passing through difficult thresholds at a young age where he tasted failure and worked hard to overcome them.
Then again, maybe his father Joseph Pekar has something to do with his son's sunny disposition.
Make no mistake, Pekar got his work ethic from his father. "That's how he raised me. He always pushed me to work hard," he said. But when I asked him if he got his sense of humor from his father he was quick to reply, "100%."
At the draft presser Pekar told the story of the Sabres meeting Joseph while he was wearing his "funny Detroit Red Wings pants." Those "funny pants" were actually pajama bottoms that he'd bought while visiting his son. "He was here for a visit a year ago," Pekar told me, "and we saw them in some shop and he said, 'I have to buy them. For five bucks. I'm gonna buy them.'
"He used to wear them everywhere including business meetings," said Pekar chuckling the entire time he told the story and added that after Buffalo drafted him, Joseph's bosses said that they'd get him some Sabres towels.
"He's like that all the time," said Pekar. "People that know him well expect things like that from him."
Joseph should take pride in knowing that the son he raised worked hard at his game and ended up being selected in the NHL Draft while never losing that magnetic personality. It also had to be a very proud moment to have a connection to former Sabre and Czech legend, Dominik Hasek, who's hometown is only about 85 miles from them. Pekar lit up when I asked if he'd ever watched old videos of Hasek at the 1998 Nagano Olympics where the future Hall of Famer lead the Czech Republic to gold.
"Not only do I watch it, I've seen it a lot of times," said Pekar and even noted the trade of Hasek from the Chicago Blackhawks to Buffalo. He's also very familiar with another Czech legend, Jaromir Jagr and has followed him closely as well even pointing out, with a laugh, that Jagr, "liked to stick his butt out just to protect the puck."
With Pekar it's not so much that what he says, but it's how he says it. There's joy and humor for him in those comedic moments and it comes through (even over the phone) whether he's talking about his dad's "funny pants" or how Jagr "stuck his butt out."
When I talked to him on a Sunday, it was his day to be away from hockey and I asked him what he was going to do. Pekar said he was going to play a pickup game of basketball with his friends "to just get some...active rest," before stopping for a second and chuckling a bit at the term he just used. After that he said maybe he and his friends would go to the movies. Before I could ask what movie he might see or what kind of movies he liked, he said, "we don't go there for the movie, we just go there for the popcorn" and laughed.
The sheer joy of indulging in that slice of Americana really came through when he said "the last time we went there I ate a bucket [of popcorn] and fell asleep half-way through the movie" causing an eruption of laughter on both ends of the phone line.
Pekar's zest for life and positivity will be tested again this season as there's a lot of work ahead of him. The 18 yr old left winger will be venturing into new territory for Muskegon as the Lumberjacks will be looking at him as a scorer and to him for leadership. He knows that the coaching staff will put him in a position to score, but that "he has to score the goals" and he also said he's honored to be considered a leader, likes to be a leader and feels that he can lead both on and off the ice.
Pekar certainly has the on-ice character and work-ethic to succeed and the more he and the team succeed, the more his personality will blossom. The Sabres certainly could use players with on-ice attributes like that while the Buffalo media and fan base could use an influx of positivity and humor. It's a good combination and hopefully we'll see Pekar talking about him pissing off star NHL players and/or scoring goals in post-game interviews for the Sabres somewhere down the road.
Thursday, August 23, 2018
Sabres find plenty of character, and a character, in Matej Pekar. Pt. 1
Published by hockeybuzz.com 8-21-2018
When Buffalo Sabres owner Terry Pegula talked about "adding discipline, structure, communication and character" to the organization after firing general manager Tim Murray in 2017, he emphasized "we have to have character." Jason Botterill, the man he hired to replace Murray, is also a firm believer in character as a foundational building block. Prior to his first draft as a GM, Botterill talked with the hosts of The Instigators on his approach to selecting players that particular word came up numerous times.
"Let's be honest," he told the hosts back in 2017, "there's an element of luck (to the draft) but there also needs to be a structure to it. That's why it's so key, finding certain elements in the character aspect. You're picking a player when they're 17 or 18 yrs. old, they're not a finished product. There's much for them to do. Their drive off the ice, their willingness to improve their game in the weight room or on the ice. These are key attributes.
"You're not going to be perfect," he continued, "maybe they're not always going to be the most high-end guys, but you've got to find those character guys who are going to be willing to put the work in."
It took Botterill a year to get his scouting staff in place and 2018 looks to be a banner draft, especially when you have a defenseman like Rasmus Dahlin, who combines high-end skill and high character, at the top. Fourth round pick Matej (pronounced, meh-tay) Pekar from the Muskegon Lumberjacks of the USHL may not have the high-end skills of a Dahlin, but the 94th-overall selection has that character Botterill was looking for. And what we've come to find out since his selection, he's also a bit of a character as well.
At his post-draft presser, Botterill said of Pekar, "What we like about him is his tenacity, his ability to skate, his ability to get on the forecheck.
"Our guys talked about his style of play, relentless on the forecheck, getting after it," continued Botterill to the gathered media. "He's underdeveloped from a physical standpoint but everything we've heard from behind the scenes is that he's working very hard at that and that will continue to develop over the next little bit."
New Lumberjacks head coach Mike Hamilton was "behind the scenes" last year as an assistant in Muskegon and when I talked to him last week her relayed the same thing to me about Pekar via a phone conversation. He called the 18 yr. old left-winger a "meat and potatoes guy, with no ego to him who's going to show up to work every day."
Hamilton was just promoted to head coach after being a part-time assistant coach with the Lumberjacks for the last five years. A native of Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan just north of Detroit, Hamilton spent years coaching youth hockey with the HoneyBaked youth hockey program on the east side of the state and also played for Minnesota State University. Hamilton's connections with the Lumberjacks run deep. His son Trevor, who just signed with the Grand Rapids Griffins of the American Hockey League, also played at Muskegon and Hamilton had played junior hockey under John LaFontaine, the coach he replaced. He was involved with Dan Israel's purchase of the team.
LaFontaine had done some nice work in Muskegon coaching them to a 70-43-7 mark over his two seasons there which included setting a franchise record for most points in a season in 2016-17. Andrei Svechnikov, the second-overall pick in the 2018 NHL Draft, lead that record setting team with 29 goals and 58 points in 48 games while on his way to being named USHL rookie of the year. LaFontaine's team added another ROY honor the following season when Pekar was named the league's top rookie. Unfortunately, Muskegon was ousted in the first round in both of those seasons and LaFontaine was replaced by Hamilton.
Hamilton had nothing but high praise for LaFontaine, telling me that his predecessor "may have sacrificed some wins for [player] development, but he did his players great things by developing them and teaching them the right way to play the game." A total of five Lumberjacks were taken at the 2018 NHL Draft lead by Svechinkov, who played for Barrie of the OHL last season. Pekar was joined by team mates Jachym Kondelik (111th, NSH,) Mikael Hakkarainen (139th, CHI) and Emilio Pettersen (167th, CGY.)
Both Hamilton and LaFontaine were effusive in their praise of Pekar's work ethic and willingness to do whatever it took for team success. LaFontaine called him "the ultimate team player" with "a passion and work ethic that's above the charts." Hamilton said, "when there was ice, he was always first on the ice, last off it on a daily basis" and that Pekar "works and pushes and wants more and wants to get better. Wanting more instruction, wanting more video, wanting more analysis" calling him a "phenomenal young man" and adding that, "when people would call, it was almost as if we were giving them a line of B.S. because there's not a lot of bad things to say about Matej."
The coaches pointed to Pekar's difficult journey from the Czech Republic to NHL Draft as a driving force to his overall disposition. Pekar came to North America at the age of 14, played travel hockey with Tier-2 level Jimmy Johns jumped up the U-16 Tier-1 Elite Hockey League with the Oakland Jr. Grizzlies before getting drafted by the Chicago Steele in the third round (46th) of the USHL Draft. After not making the team out of camp, Pekar was traded to the Lumberjacks for Cole Kodsi who was a 16th round pick of the Lumberjacks.
"I didn't even make the 30-man roster (in Chicago,)" Pekar told me. "Fortunately they traded me to Muskegon which was even better for me."
LaFontaine pointed to Pekar and his hockey journey as someone who's "appreciative of what he's got," one who "stays humble, stays working, maybe because he didn't have everything handed to him and seemed to appreciate every step of the way."
When Pekar joined LaFontaine and the Lumberjacks he didn't know what to expect. "I was super nervous because I didn't make the Chicago team," he said. "I just tried to work hard and play the way I could play and try to prove myself to the coaches."
Pekar did make the team and started out at left wing on the second and third lines during exhibition games and played the first game of the season on the third line. Prior to the second game he got the opportunity to skate with the top line because of some lobbying on the part of a couple team mates. "The guys told me that Jachym (Kondelik) asked the coach if he could try putting two Czechs together to see how it works," he said.
"I would say two team mates," recalled LaFontaine. "At the time on our first line was a fellow countryman (Kondelik,) he was in his second year for us and our leading scorer Anthony Del Gaizo. They played together a week or two and they asked if they could try Matej on the line.
"Once we moved [Pekar] there, he never left the top line."
Pekar willfully and gratefully did a lot of the dirty work on that line going into the corners and fishing out the puck despite being a lengthy, skinny, somewhat scrawny kid who got pushed off the puck a lot. At least early on. But he was never afraid nor discouraged. According to LaFontaine said Pekar worked at it and figured out how play in those tight areas. That maneuvering lead to 40 assists which was tops amongst rookies and third in the league while his linemate Del Gaizo lead the league with 40 goals.
"He was a surprise for our whole staff last year in regards to how many points he really did put up ," said Hamilton of Pekar. "We knew he was a good player, but on a team that was that deep in high-end talent, we were absolutely surprised with a rookie coming in and putting up as many points as he did."
Pekar finished the season with 54 points which tied him amongst rookies with projected 2019 top overall pick, Jack Hughes.
After playing set-up man for the first 29 games of the season with 20 assists and only five goals, Pekar began to gain more confidence shooting and scoring while also continuing to rack up assists. He upped his goal-total to nine in the last 27 games of the season and could have had more according to the coaches saying he was unselfish to the point where he'd pass up an opportunity of his own to set up a team mate. Maybe passing up a little too many.
"During the middle of the season he was passing up too many opportunities to score himself," said LaFontaine. "He was playing with older players and he just wanted to please them. They got on his case and as coaches we told him it's time to be a little more selfish and he started putting the puck in the net which was great to see."
When asked if it was difficult for Pekar to make that transition into more of a scorer, LaFontaine said that it took a while for him to build up confidence. According to the coach, Pekar knew he was passing up shots, he just didn't have any confidence at all in his shooting ability but he worked at it. "He didn't want to let his linemates down," said the LaFontaine, "so like he's accustomed to doing, he put extra time in the weaknesses of his game, which was finishing, and by the end of the year it began to turn into a strength."
When Buffalo Sabres owner Terry Pegula talked about "adding discipline, structure, communication and character" to the organization after firing general manager Tim Murray in 2017, he emphasized "we have to have character." Jason Botterill, the man he hired to replace Murray, is also a firm believer in character as a foundational building block. Prior to his first draft as a GM, Botterill talked with the hosts of The Instigators on his approach to selecting players that particular word came up numerous times.
"Let's be honest," he told the hosts back in 2017, "there's an element of luck (to the draft) but there also needs to be a structure to it. That's why it's so key, finding certain elements in the character aspect. You're picking a player when they're 17 or 18 yrs. old, they're not a finished product. There's much for them to do. Their drive off the ice, their willingness to improve their game in the weight room or on the ice. These are key attributes.
"You're not going to be perfect," he continued, "maybe they're not always going to be the most high-end guys, but you've got to find those character guys who are going to be willing to put the work in."
It took Botterill a year to get his scouting staff in place and 2018 looks to be a banner draft, especially when you have a defenseman like Rasmus Dahlin, who combines high-end skill and high character, at the top. Fourth round pick Matej (pronounced, meh-tay) Pekar from the Muskegon Lumberjacks of the USHL may not have the high-end skills of a Dahlin, but the 94th-overall selection has that character Botterill was looking for. And what we've come to find out since his selection, he's also a bit of a character as well.
At his post-draft presser, Botterill said of Pekar, "What we like about him is his tenacity, his ability to skate, his ability to get on the forecheck.
"Our guys talked about his style of play, relentless on the forecheck, getting after it," continued Botterill to the gathered media. "He's underdeveloped from a physical standpoint but everything we've heard from behind the scenes is that he's working very hard at that and that will continue to develop over the next little bit."
New Lumberjacks head coach Mike Hamilton was "behind the scenes" last year as an assistant in Muskegon and when I talked to him last week her relayed the same thing to me about Pekar via a phone conversation. He called the 18 yr. old left-winger a "meat and potatoes guy, with no ego to him who's going to show up to work every day."
Hamilton was just promoted to head coach after being a part-time assistant coach with the Lumberjacks for the last five years. A native of Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan just north of Detroit, Hamilton spent years coaching youth hockey with the HoneyBaked youth hockey program on the east side of the state and also played for Minnesota State University. Hamilton's connections with the Lumberjacks run deep. His son Trevor, who just signed with the Grand Rapids Griffins of the American Hockey League, also played at Muskegon and Hamilton had played junior hockey under John LaFontaine, the coach he replaced. He was involved with Dan Israel's purchase of the team.
LaFontaine had done some nice work in Muskegon coaching them to a 70-43-7 mark over his two seasons there which included setting a franchise record for most points in a season in 2016-17. Andrei Svechnikov, the second-overall pick in the 2018 NHL Draft, lead that record setting team with 29 goals and 58 points in 48 games while on his way to being named USHL rookie of the year. LaFontaine's team added another ROY honor the following season when Pekar was named the league's top rookie. Unfortunately, Muskegon was ousted in the first round in both of those seasons and LaFontaine was replaced by Hamilton.
Hamilton had nothing but high praise for LaFontaine, telling me that his predecessor "may have sacrificed some wins for [player] development, but he did his players great things by developing them and teaching them the right way to play the game." A total of five Lumberjacks were taken at the 2018 NHL Draft lead by Svechinkov, who played for Barrie of the OHL last season. Pekar was joined by team mates Jachym Kondelik (111th, NSH,) Mikael Hakkarainen (139th, CHI) and Emilio Pettersen (167th, CGY.)
Both Hamilton and LaFontaine were effusive in their praise of Pekar's work ethic and willingness to do whatever it took for team success. LaFontaine called him "the ultimate team player" with "a passion and work ethic that's above the charts." Hamilton said, "when there was ice, he was always first on the ice, last off it on a daily basis" and that Pekar "works and pushes and wants more and wants to get better. Wanting more instruction, wanting more video, wanting more analysis" calling him a "phenomenal young man" and adding that, "when people would call, it was almost as if we were giving them a line of B.S. because there's not a lot of bad things to say about Matej."
The coaches pointed to Pekar's difficult journey from the Czech Republic to NHL Draft as a driving force to his overall disposition. Pekar came to North America at the age of 14, played travel hockey with Tier-2 level Jimmy Johns jumped up the U-16 Tier-1 Elite Hockey League with the Oakland Jr. Grizzlies before getting drafted by the Chicago Steele in the third round (46th) of the USHL Draft. After not making the team out of camp, Pekar was traded to the Lumberjacks for Cole Kodsi who was a 16th round pick of the Lumberjacks.
"I didn't even make the 30-man roster (in Chicago,)" Pekar told me. "Fortunately they traded me to Muskegon which was even better for me."
LaFontaine pointed to Pekar and his hockey journey as someone who's "appreciative of what he's got," one who "stays humble, stays working, maybe because he didn't have everything handed to him and seemed to appreciate every step of the way."
When Pekar joined LaFontaine and the Lumberjacks he didn't know what to expect. "I was super nervous because I didn't make the Chicago team," he said. "I just tried to work hard and play the way I could play and try to prove myself to the coaches."
Pekar did make the team and started out at left wing on the second and third lines during exhibition games and played the first game of the season on the third line. Prior to the second game he got the opportunity to skate with the top line because of some lobbying on the part of a couple team mates. "The guys told me that Jachym (Kondelik) asked the coach if he could try putting two Czechs together to see how it works," he said.
"I would say two team mates," recalled LaFontaine. "At the time on our first line was a fellow countryman (Kondelik,) he was in his second year for us and our leading scorer Anthony Del Gaizo. They played together a week or two and they asked if they could try Matej on the line.
"Once we moved [Pekar] there, he never left the top line."
Pekar willfully and gratefully did a lot of the dirty work on that line going into the corners and fishing out the puck despite being a lengthy, skinny, somewhat scrawny kid who got pushed off the puck a lot. At least early on. But he was never afraid nor discouraged. According to LaFontaine said Pekar worked at it and figured out how play in those tight areas. That maneuvering lead to 40 assists which was tops amongst rookies and third in the league while his linemate Del Gaizo lead the league with 40 goals.
"He was a surprise for our whole staff last year in regards to how many points he really did put up ," said Hamilton of Pekar. "We knew he was a good player, but on a team that was that deep in high-end talent, we were absolutely surprised with a rookie coming in and putting up as many points as he did."
Pekar finished the season with 54 points which tied him amongst rookies with projected 2019 top overall pick, Jack Hughes.
After playing set-up man for the first 29 games of the season with 20 assists and only five goals, Pekar began to gain more confidence shooting and scoring while also continuing to rack up assists. He upped his goal-total to nine in the last 27 games of the season and could have had more according to the coaches saying he was unselfish to the point where he'd pass up an opportunity of his own to set up a team mate. Maybe passing up a little too many.
"During the middle of the season he was passing up too many opportunities to score himself," said LaFontaine. "He was playing with older players and he just wanted to please them. They got on his case and as coaches we told him it's time to be a little more selfish and he started putting the puck in the net which was great to see."
When asked if it was difficult for Pekar to make that transition into more of a scorer, LaFontaine said that it took a while for him to build up confidence. According to the coach, Pekar knew he was passing up shots, he just didn't have any confidence at all in his shooting ability but he worked at it. "He didn't want to let his linemates down," said the LaFontaine, "so like he's accustomed to doing, he put extra time in the weaknesses of his game, which was finishing, and by the end of the year it began to turn into a strength."
Tuesday, August 21, 2018
A look back at the 2017-18 Buffalo Sabres season--April
Published by hockeybuzz.com, 8-19-2018
The Buffalo Sabres finished off the month of March with an impressive 7-4 win over the Nashville Predators but perhaps they thought the season was over. As the calendar turned to April only four games remained in a season that had started bad and never got much better and they ended the season on a four-game losing streak.
By game 79 the Sabres were at the bottom of the league three points behind the Ottawa Senators and the only question remained was, who would finish last. After opening the month with a 5-2 loss at Toronto, Buffalo headed home to face the Senators in a battle for the basement. The Sabres proceeded to lose that one 4-2 and their fate was sealed. For the third time in five seasons the Buffalo Sabres would finish in last place although this one, unlike the other two, wasn't choreographed.
General Manager Jason Botterill wasn't all that happy with the results either. Throughout the season there were signs of frustration and at a Saturday matinee in February against the Los Angeles Kings he took those frustrations out on a taco bar at KeyBank Center. He was seething at the end of season presser as the mess he had on his hands was much worse than he'd anticipated.
The biggest thing for him was trying to change a losing culture. One of the leaders of his Sabres last year was center Ryan O'Reilly who confessed at locker cleanout day that he "lost his love for the game multiple times" during the season and that he felt the team was "stuck in this mindset of being OK with losing."
At his end of season presser Botterill just laid it out to the gathered media. "Right now we have a losing culture," he said. "We haven't won here and it's up to [head coach] Phil [Housley] and I to change that."
One of the biggest problems with perpetual losing is the development of younger player and Botterill used Casey Mittelstadt as an example. The 19 yr. old first round pick (2017, eighth-overall) had just signed with the Sabres out of the University of Minnesota and acquitted himself quite well in the six games he played for Buffalo. Mittelstadt scored his first NHL goal and added four assists but it was the culture around him that concerned Botterill.
"Everyone talks about NHL experience, how valuable NHL experience is," he said at the presser. "But it goes both ways. It was great that Casey Mittelstadt got his first National Hockey League goal. That's a positive experience. But, off the top of my head, I think he lost five out of six games since he was up here. There are things about NHL experience that he has to change and make sure that he doesn't fall into that trap."
That trap was an unforeseen season that somewhat rivaled the tank years. Some numbers:
NHL finish/points (League-leader/points)
--2017-18: 31st/62...(NSH/117)
--2014-15: 30th/54...(NYR/113)
--2013-14: 30th/52...(BOS/117)
Goals for
--2017-18: 2.41 (31st)...(TBL, 3.54)
--2014-15: 1.87 (30th)...(TBL, 3.16)
--2013-14: 1.83 (30th)...(ANA, 3.21)
Goals-against
--2017-18: 3.39 (29th)...(LAK, 2.46)
--2014-15: 3.28 (29th)...(MTL, 2.24)
--2013-14: 2.96 (25th)...(LAK, 2.05)
Goal Differential
--2017-18: -81 (31st)...(TBL, +60)
--2014-15 -113 (30th)...(NYR, +60)
--2013-14: -91 (30th)...(BOS, +84)
Yes, it was ugly, but as we saw with Mittelstadt and the series of events that lead him to signing in Buffalo, there was light at the end of the tunnel. That light got a lot brighter on April 28, 2018.
Although Botterill never came out and said who he was going to pick with the No. 1 selection of the 2018 NHL Draft, there was no doubt that Swedish defenseman Rasmus Dahlin would be the choice.
At the end of the day, an incredibly dreadful season produced the best odds to win the lottery and after missing out on the first overall selection two times prior the Sabres got to the top. Botterill left the season with a sour taste in his mouth but by the end of the month had a lot to look forward to as his young core was getting stronger with Mittelstadt and Dahlin joining second-overall picks Jack Eichel (2015) and Sam Reinhart (2014) plus defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen (2013, eighth) as the future of the team.
The Buffalo Sabres finished off the month of March with an impressive 7-4 win over the Nashville Predators but perhaps they thought the season was over. As the calendar turned to April only four games remained in a season that had started bad and never got much better and they ended the season on a four-game losing streak.
By game 79 the Sabres were at the bottom of the league three points behind the Ottawa Senators and the only question remained was, who would finish last. After opening the month with a 5-2 loss at Toronto, Buffalo headed home to face the Senators in a battle for the basement. The Sabres proceeded to lose that one 4-2 and their fate was sealed. For the third time in five seasons the Buffalo Sabres would finish in last place although this one, unlike the other two, wasn't choreographed.
General Manager Jason Botterill wasn't all that happy with the results either. Throughout the season there were signs of frustration and at a Saturday matinee in February against the Los Angeles Kings he took those frustrations out on a taco bar at KeyBank Center. He was seething at the end of season presser as the mess he had on his hands was much worse than he'd anticipated.
The biggest thing for him was trying to change a losing culture. One of the leaders of his Sabres last year was center Ryan O'Reilly who confessed at locker cleanout day that he "lost his love for the game multiple times" during the season and that he felt the team was "stuck in this mindset of being OK with losing."
At his end of season presser Botterill just laid it out to the gathered media. "Right now we have a losing culture," he said. "We haven't won here and it's up to [head coach] Phil [Housley] and I to change that."
One of the biggest problems with perpetual losing is the development of younger player and Botterill used Casey Mittelstadt as an example. The 19 yr. old first round pick (2017, eighth-overall) had just signed with the Sabres out of the University of Minnesota and acquitted himself quite well in the six games he played for Buffalo. Mittelstadt scored his first NHL goal and added four assists but it was the culture around him that concerned Botterill.
"Everyone talks about NHL experience, how valuable NHL experience is," he said at the presser. "But it goes both ways. It was great that Casey Mittelstadt got his first National Hockey League goal. That's a positive experience. But, off the top of my head, I think he lost five out of six games since he was up here. There are things about NHL experience that he has to change and make sure that he doesn't fall into that trap."
That trap was an unforeseen season that somewhat rivaled the tank years. Some numbers:
NHL finish/points (League-leader/points)
--2017-18: 31st/62...(NSH/117)
--2014-15: 30th/54...(NYR/113)
--2013-14: 30th/52...(BOS/117)
Goals for
--2017-18: 2.41 (31st)...(TBL, 3.54)
--2014-15: 1.87 (30th)...(TBL, 3.16)
--2013-14: 1.83 (30th)...(ANA, 3.21)
Goals-against
--2017-18: 3.39 (29th)...(LAK, 2.46)
--2014-15: 3.28 (29th)...(MTL, 2.24)
--2013-14: 2.96 (25th)...(LAK, 2.05)
Goal Differential
--2017-18: -81 (31st)...(TBL, +60)
--2014-15 -113 (30th)...(NYR, +60)
--2013-14: -91 (30th)...(BOS, +84)
Yes, it was ugly, but as we saw with Mittelstadt and the series of events that lead him to signing in Buffalo, there was light at the end of the tunnel. That light got a lot brighter on April 28, 2018.
Although Botterill never came out and said who he was going to pick with the No. 1 selection of the 2018 NHL Draft, there was no doubt that Swedish defenseman Rasmus Dahlin would be the choice.
At the end of the day, an incredibly dreadful season produced the best odds to win the lottery and after missing out on the first overall selection two times prior the Sabres got to the top. Botterill left the season with a sour taste in his mouth but by the end of the month had a lot to look forward to as his young core was getting stronger with Mittelstadt and Dahlin joining second-overall picks Jack Eichel (2015) and Sam Reinhart (2014) plus defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen (2013, eighth) as the future of the team.
Sunday, August 19, 2018
A look back at the 2017-18 Buffalo Sabres season--March
Published by hockeybuzz.com, 8-17-2018
With the season gone, the Buffalo Sabres ambled into the month of March without their top left-winger, Evander Kane, and their top center, Jack Eichel. They were coming off of their best month of the season (6-6-2) and had played some pretty good games in the process. Buffalo took down the top two teams in the division, Tampa and Boston, two times each in February and that trend continued in March as they played some of their best game against some of the best teams in the league. They beat the Atlantic division's third place team, the Toronto Maple Leafs, twice and also came away with an impressive 7-4 win against the Predators in coach Phil Housley's return to Nashville.
Those three wins represented 60% of their five-win total for the month and their downward spiral continued as they went 5-8-1 in March which included a dreadful 1-4-1 six-game homestand which would drop them to the bottom of the league. Buffalo had an overall 2-6-1 record at KeyBank Center and other than their mini Stanley Cups against teams like the Leafs and Preds, there really wasn't much for the fans to get excited about. Even Eichel's return was met with cynicism as fans wanted to see him protected by having him shut down for the rest of the season.
Eichel told the media (via Bill Hoppe of the Olean Times) that's not how he rolls:
"It’s a pretty simple answer, to be honest with you, I’m playing because I’m a hockey player. It’s kind of ridiculous for somebody to think we’re out of the playoffs and we don’t have an opportunity to really do anything with our season that I would just pack my year in. It’s not who I am as a person, it’s not who I’ve ever been, it’s not who I am as a hockey player.
“At the end of the day, I love to play hockey. Whether we’re in first place or last place in the league, it doesn’t matter to me. I like to put my equipment on, go out there and play hockey. That’s why I’m playing. I love to play and I have a lot of fun doing it. It’s what I look most forward to in my day. There’s not really quite a feeling like it, so I enjoy it every day.
“I’m a competitor, I want to be out there competing. I want to play, so that’s why I’m playing. There should be a lot more questions asked if I decided I did want to pack it in, end my season."
While fans were debating the Eichel injury and beginning to dream about landing a franchise defenseman in Rasmus Dahlin at the draft, a series of events with huge ramifications was beginning to unfold.
The Minnesota Golden Gophers were on the precipice of making the NCAA tournament and needed one of six teams to lose in order to get into the post season. All six won meaning that their season was done in the middle of March leaving freshman center, and 2017 Sabres first round pick (eighth-overall) Casey Mittelstadt with a decision to make on his future.
Mittelstadt had an excellent season with 11 goals and 30 points in 34 games and showed signs of being ready for the NHL. He also wowed at the 2018 IIHF World Junior Championships which were held in Buffalo. His 11 points (4+7,) which included primary assists on all three USA goals in their shootout win over Team Canada at New Era Field, helped lead Team USA to a bronze medal and earned him Tournament MVP honors.
With Minnesota missing the post season and question marks surrounding the coaching staff, Mittelstadt decided to turn pro and he suited up for his first game as a Buffalo Sabre at home against the Detroit Red Wings on March 29. Mittelstadt would earn his first NHL point as he won a draw in the Wings zone and Evan Rodrigues would snap a shot home from the slot.
Mittelstadt would get points in five of the six games he played in, including his first NHL goal, and looked good in the process. The 6'1" 201 lb. center displayed deft stick work, solid skating and the ability to keep up with the speed of the NHL game. He was ready for full time NHL duty and because of it, the Sabres were able to trade No. 2 center Ryan O'Reilly in the off season to make room for him. Although there were other factors involved in the decision to trade O'Reilly and they did get some protection when they landed veteran center Patrick Berglund in the trade, the Sabres liked what they saw in Mittelstadt's six-game debut to the point where they felt the could make the move to youth now instead of later.
It was a long, cold season, just like the winter, and by the end of March most couldn't wait for it to be over. The Sabres were at the bottom of the standings, were last in goals/game (2.38,) last in goals against (3.31) and their -73 goal differential wasn't that far removed from the tank years.
Individually both O'Reilly and Sam Reinhart picked up the slack in Eichel's absence with Reinhart continuing his production surge that began with the Winter Classic on New Year's Day. Reinhart, who was downright awful in the 2017 portion of the season, had 14 points (9+4) in 14 games during March (including a hat trick) and matched his career highs in goals and points with four games still remaining.
There was light at the end of the tunnel as Mittelstadt was just the beginning of some good fortune rolling Buffalo's way. Not only would April mean the end of the season, but it also meant the NHL Draft Lottery and a shot at landing the first pick to select Dahlin.
For Buffalo's March team stats click here, for their individual stats leaders for the month click here.
For my March archive, click here.
With the season gone, the Buffalo Sabres ambled into the month of March without their top left-winger, Evander Kane, and their top center, Jack Eichel. They were coming off of their best month of the season (6-6-2) and had played some pretty good games in the process. Buffalo took down the top two teams in the division, Tampa and Boston, two times each in February and that trend continued in March as they played some of their best game against some of the best teams in the league. They beat the Atlantic division's third place team, the Toronto Maple Leafs, twice and also came away with an impressive 7-4 win against the Predators in coach Phil Housley's return to Nashville.
Those three wins represented 60% of their five-win total for the month and their downward spiral continued as they went 5-8-1 in March which included a dreadful 1-4-1 six-game homestand which would drop them to the bottom of the league. Buffalo had an overall 2-6-1 record at KeyBank Center and other than their mini Stanley Cups against teams like the Leafs and Preds, there really wasn't much for the fans to get excited about. Even Eichel's return was met with cynicism as fans wanted to see him protected by having him shut down for the rest of the season.
Eichel told the media (via Bill Hoppe of the Olean Times) that's not how he rolls:
"It’s a pretty simple answer, to be honest with you, I’m playing because I’m a hockey player. It’s kind of ridiculous for somebody to think we’re out of the playoffs and we don’t have an opportunity to really do anything with our season that I would just pack my year in. It’s not who I am as a person, it’s not who I’ve ever been, it’s not who I am as a hockey player.
“At the end of the day, I love to play hockey. Whether we’re in first place or last place in the league, it doesn’t matter to me. I like to put my equipment on, go out there and play hockey. That’s why I’m playing. I love to play and I have a lot of fun doing it. It’s what I look most forward to in my day. There’s not really quite a feeling like it, so I enjoy it every day.
“I’m a competitor, I want to be out there competing. I want to play, so that’s why I’m playing. There should be a lot more questions asked if I decided I did want to pack it in, end my season."
While fans were debating the Eichel injury and beginning to dream about landing a franchise defenseman in Rasmus Dahlin at the draft, a series of events with huge ramifications was beginning to unfold.
The Minnesota Golden Gophers were on the precipice of making the NCAA tournament and needed one of six teams to lose in order to get into the post season. All six won meaning that their season was done in the middle of March leaving freshman center, and 2017 Sabres first round pick (eighth-overall) Casey Mittelstadt with a decision to make on his future.
Mittelstadt had an excellent season with 11 goals and 30 points in 34 games and showed signs of being ready for the NHL. He also wowed at the 2018 IIHF World Junior Championships which were held in Buffalo. His 11 points (4+7,) which included primary assists on all three USA goals in their shootout win over Team Canada at New Era Field, helped lead Team USA to a bronze medal and earned him Tournament MVP honors.
With Minnesota missing the post season and question marks surrounding the coaching staff, Mittelstadt decided to turn pro and he suited up for his first game as a Buffalo Sabre at home against the Detroit Red Wings on March 29. Mittelstadt would earn his first NHL point as he won a draw in the Wings zone and Evan Rodrigues would snap a shot home from the slot.
Mittelstadt would get points in five of the six games he played in, including his first NHL goal, and looked good in the process. The 6'1" 201 lb. center displayed deft stick work, solid skating and the ability to keep up with the speed of the NHL game. He was ready for full time NHL duty and because of it, the Sabres were able to trade No. 2 center Ryan O'Reilly in the off season to make room for him. Although there were other factors involved in the decision to trade O'Reilly and they did get some protection when they landed veteran center Patrick Berglund in the trade, the Sabres liked what they saw in Mittelstadt's six-game debut to the point where they felt the could make the move to youth now instead of later.
It was a long, cold season, just like the winter, and by the end of March most couldn't wait for it to be over. The Sabres were at the bottom of the standings, were last in goals/game (2.38,) last in goals against (3.31) and their -73 goal differential wasn't that far removed from the tank years.
Individually both O'Reilly and Sam Reinhart picked up the slack in Eichel's absence with Reinhart continuing his production surge that began with the Winter Classic on New Year's Day. Reinhart, who was downright awful in the 2017 portion of the season, had 14 points (9+4) in 14 games during March (including a hat trick) and matched his career highs in goals and points with four games still remaining.
There was light at the end of the tunnel as Mittelstadt was just the beginning of some good fortune rolling Buffalo's way. Not only would April mean the end of the season, but it also meant the NHL Draft Lottery and a shot at landing the first pick to select Dahlin.
For Buffalo's March team stats click here, for their individual stats leaders for the month click here.
For my March archive, click here.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)