Two in the Box

Overthought is a semi-regular series that takes a look at some of the more interesting and notable tidbits shared by Elliotte Friedman in his weekly 32 Thoughts column. Each edition will feature some unique thoughts on the state of the Sabres or league as a whole before digging in on some of the notes from Freidman’s weekly column.

One piece of the post mortem on Hockey Canada and the World Junior Championship that I found particularly interesting was the focus on their decision to lean into role players over skill. Canada has some of the deepest skill to draw from for the WJC but opted for a more well rounded roster. Many have pointed out that they would’ve been better off leaning into their skill for a short tournament. I believe something to the effect of “In a short tournament, skill can grit but grit can’t skill” was said with respect to their roster.

It made me think about the final choices made by the Team USA roster for the 4 Nations Face Off. While the players who rounded out the US roster are still proven producers at the NHL level, they do draw some parallels to what happened with the Canadian WJC team. Brock Nelson, Vincent Trocheck and Chris Kreider are more than capable NHLers, but will the Americans regret not having Clayton Keller or Cole Caufield once the tournament is rolling? It’s something I referred to when the rosters came out, but as this is a bit of fan service that will tease interest for next year’s Olympics, there was a perfect opportunity for the various decision makers to be more creative with their choices. It didn’t need to be a Very Serious tournament, yet the rosters were built as such. As we just saw in an event with actual stakes, trying to find a perfect fit for every role vs. finding the best possible players didn’t work out for the Canadians. Hopefully the US. doesn’t fall victim to the same issue.

6. The Athletic’s Josh Yohe reported Vancouver turned down a Miller for Mika Zibanejad deal, and I believe he’s correct — with some semantics. (A few weeks ago, New York denied it, but all it takes is for someone like Yohe to shake it out, and information follows.) 

You’ll remember that when Miller took his mental health break, the Rangers, who covet the player, were in Vancouver. From what I understand, they approached the Canucks to discuss what something could look like, and Zibanejad was included in the conversation. I don’t know that Zibanejad, who has a no-move clause, was ever approached. I asked at the time and did not receive a clear answer. I also think it was actually a bigger deal, and one of the issues is that Vancouver adores Braden Schneider, who the Rangers do not want to trade. This would be the second time New York has rejected a Vancouver attempt for him.

Everyone is eagerly waiting to see how this saga in Vancouver ends. We spoke about Pettersson on this week’s podcast and concluded that he’s a player the Sabres should be pushing hard to acquire. His lingering knee tendinitis is a scary wrinkle to any trade, but he adds a level of talent to the Sabres’ forward corps that they don’t have. 

The Rangers side of this note is curious. Not because it’s another laughable offer from the land of untouchables, but Schneider seems like the ideal piece for the Canucks to ask for from Chris Drury. He’s a young, right handed defender who would strengthen the Canucks top four. New York’s defense needs a bit of a remodel and dealing Schneider would make that job a lot harder.   

8. The most coveted Ranger is undoubtedly Vincent Trocheck. But they aren’t interested in doing that, and, listening to his comments lately, you could see them making him captain.

Given their track record, making him captain would appear to be a precursor to a deal. 

9. Jan. 1 is the earliest players on a one-year contract can extend. One that sounds like it will happen: Eric Robinson, a good fit in Carolina. Another good bet: Edmonton’s Ty Emberson, looking strong after an initial adjustment. Can’t imagine too much trouble for Toronto and Steven Lorentz. Vancouver will try with Kevin Lankinen, but he’s earned a raise and some security. And it’s believed Buffalo will try to keep Jason Zucker.

I would imagine that if the Sabres can get anywhere close to a deal with Zucker that he won’t be available at the deadline. I’m thinking something similar to the year when the locker room wanted to stick together so players like Colin Miller didn’t get dealt. Devil’s advocate: if they could get a first for him and they actually used the pick in another deal, I’d still hope they’d consider a deal and roll the dice on July 1. 

I’d personally prefer to see the Sabres bring Zucker back on another one year deal just to maximize flexibility and to hedge against his aging curve. But I won’t be shocked if they wind up locking him down to a two or three year deal at like $6.25 million. 

11. Pittsburgh’s made it clear it has forwards, defencemen and goalies available. The Penguins are willing to use their cap space to take on contracts, as long as it gets what they really desire: young players, prospects and draft picks (in that order).

Buffalo’s present situation all but eliminates this as an option (as does his no trade protection) but Marcus Pettersson would have been an ideal trade target for the Sabres. He is a lefty but he would make a pretty ideal partner for Owen Power. Would’ve been a deal to make earlier in the year when the Sabres were still in the mix and the Penguins were in the tank. File that one under shoulda, woulda, coulda. 

15. I believe the Buffalo player the Red Wings were (are?) looking at is Dylan Cozens.

This was another podcast topic but it’s awfully hard to see a trade made within the division (or conference for that matter) involving a player like Cozens that wouldn’t involve an impact player coming back the other way. I’m not sure many would buy a package of Michael Rasmussen and Axel Sandin-Pellikka for Cozens, regardless of his struggles. I think if Cozens is getting shipped out, you’re asking for a similarly aged, impact player, or shipping him to a team in the West where any future success doesn’t sting quite as badly. 

18. Watching Dallas in person during my trip to Illinois, I was reminded Miro Heiskanen deserves a Norris Trophy. Not easy in the age of Quinn Hughes and Cale Makar, more visibly spectacular. Heiskanen’s a franchise player, with plenty of it occurring on his weak side. Him not winning a Norris will age poorly. Like, at his Hall-of-Fame induction.

Copy/paste the above and add the bad team tax for Rasmus Dahlin (TBD on Dahlin’s Hall-of-Fame credentials). If the Sabres had any sort of playoff pulse, he’d be discussed among the league’s best every season. Instead, he’s an afterthought because the Sabres are so irrelevant around the league. Dahlin and Tage Thompson are among some of the most impactful players in the entire league and the Sabres are squandering their talent. Sound familiar? 

27. This season’s Winter Classic was my 20th outdoor game. No matter how jaded you might be about them, when you get into the host city and the host stadium, you get caught up in the enthusiasm. Everything was great about this event — except the game (unless you’re a Blues fan). Every market should experience one. The low television ratings indicate something fresh is a must, with Florida and Tampa Bay scheduled to host games in 2025-26. The Denver Post’s Corey Masisak suggested one more Sidney Crosby-Alexander Ovechkin showdown, and it’s a phenomenal idea. But I’d like to see the NHL go international for this… Wembley, Old Trafford — that kind of football stadium with historic juice — Azteca. That would be something.

I like the idea of Azteca. Wembely, Allianz Arena and San Siro all seem like slam dunks. Massive, world famous stadiums in areas the NHL has been trying to make in-roads. A game at San Siro as a precursor to th Olympics would have been a winner, though it’s a bit late in the game for that. But there’s baker’s dozen soccer stadiums that would be a great fit for an NHL outdoor game. The NFL and MLB stadiums have absolutely gotten stale, so they need to find a way to mix it up a bit. Here’s a quick list I’d consider for a future outdoor game host site:

Wembley: I find it odd that the NHL hasn’t returned to London since 2007 and what better way to reintroduce yourself than a game or two in the national stadium? 

Allianz Arena: The NHL has enjoyed great success in Germany in recent years, playing an outdoor game at thee home of Bayern Munich would be a good next step. 

San Siro: As mentioned above, could have been a nice tie in with the Olympics.

Aviva Stadium: I’m really just including this because I think this is one of the most beautiful stadiums in the world. But why not play a game in Dublin? The NHL loves to put the Bruins into outdoor games and the added ties to Ireland would make them a shoo-in for a hypothetical game in Dublin. 

Lake Placid: Setting aside the logistical issues for a moment, this would be out of the Lake Tahoe book and I could see it being a winner. You have obvious ties to the Miracle on Ice and USA Hockey that can be made and the ability to set the game against the backdrop of the lake and Adirondacks. I thought the Lake Tahoe games looked incredible and I’d like to see the NHL dip their toe back into that water. 

National Mall: I doubt I’m the first to float this one and I seem to remember this being spitballed back in the early 2010s. Either way, it would make for a tremendous backdrop and likely wouldn’t be as much of a logistical challenge as Lake Placid or other non-stadium options. 

Rose Bowl: Yes it’s a football stadium, but it has the historic character that made the Cotton Bowl a fun venue (although Notre Dame stadium fell flat), so maybe there’s something there to draw on. It wouldn’t be on top of my list, but I think the Rose Bowl is a lot more interesting than Raymond James Stadium, for example.