Author: Chris Ostrander

Early look at the deadline

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Thus far it has been a very quiet and very disappointing deadline day.

Since the Boyes deal went down yesterday it doesn’t actually count as a deadline deal. Thus far there have been two trades moving five players and two picks today. Both have involved the Florida Panthers.

The Panthers appear to be selling as they shipped Radek Dvorak to Atlanta for Niclas Bergfors and Patrick Rissmiller. They later traded Dennis Wideman to Washington for a pick and a prospect (Jake Hauswirth).

Hopefully the final two hours bring some action to the table.

Sabres deadline dealing

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I entered Deadline Day 2011 with cautious optimism. I was sure that Darcy Regier would make a move or two, I just hoped that they would be the right moves.

I don't see the Sabres going for Brad Richards at the deadline, rather on July 1.

Over the past few years Regier has made the correct move (Steve Bernier, Dominic Moore, Raffi Torres) but the players haven’t fit in Buffalo. Have no fear, I will explain my evaluation of those pick-ups this week. I was sure with a little more leash that Darcy would wheel and deal a bit more. Don’t forget, this is the GM that flipped players like Mike Wilson, Brian Holzinger and Wayne Primeau for the likes of Rhett Warrenner, Danny Briere and the pick that became Ryan Miller. Continue reading →

Sabres acquire Boyes

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While you were sleeping, the Buffalo Sabres sent a second-round draft choice to St. Louis for Brad Boyes.

Regardless of his $4 million cap-hit, this is a fantastic pick up for Buffalo. Boyes brings a veteran presence and a ton of offensive upside. Sending a second-rounder is even better because they have yet to enter the dreaded, mortgaging the future phase.

In addition, Boyes is signed through to 2011-2012, even better.

OK, I have come down off the high of reading this news for the first time. As for my true reaction, I am still pumped. This is exactly the type of guy most Sabres fans have probably been clamoring for since, I don’t know, 2007. Boyes is a big-body who can play wing or center all while being capable of logging minutes in every situation.

I am about to write my full deadline breakdown for the Sabres, check it out.

Craig Rivet claimed by Columbus

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Craig Rivet’s time in Buffalo is officially over. He was claimed off re-entry waivers by the Columbus Blue Jackets today (per TSN).

Sabres fans can breathe easy knowing that there is now a spot on the roster for another player. I, for one, am sorry to see him go. He was a wise acquisition in 2008. Unfortunately, injuries and the speed of the game hampered his ability.

Hopefully he will get some minutes with the Jackets, he certainly deserved a better fate than sitting in the press box watching Andrej Sekera turn the puck over all night.

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Also picked up on waivers today: Marco Strum (LA to WAS) and Nick Boynton (CHI to PHI).

A few players of note who were put on waivers: Rob Schremp (NYI), Pascal Leclaire (OTT), Ty Conklin (STL) and a few other guys that don’t really matter.

Penguins acquire Kovalev

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After a quiet day of no trades on the 23rd, there have been a pair of deals made today.

After Anaheim picked up Dan Ellis (see post below) the Pittsburgh Penguins have traded for Alex Kovalev. Why?

They only gave up a seventh round pick, so hey certainly didn’t overpay – although I’d be willing to debate that point too.

What perplexes me about this deal is that the Pens just picked up a very good left winger in James Neal. I suppose they needed to fill their one-way Russian player quota since Evgeni Malkin is out for the year.

The only way his makes sense is if Kovy regains his form from 2008 while playing for a competitor. It wouldn’t surprise me if he was being a typical Red by dogging it in Ottawa.

For the Sens, the firesale continues as they look to completely retool thief roster. The only two left to be moved are Chris Neil and Chris Phillips. I wonder when they will be shipped out?

Anaheim acquires Dan Ellis

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The Anaheim Ducks made their, NHL leading, tenth trade of this season this morning.

The Ducks sent goaltender Curtis McElhinney to the Tampa Bay Lightning for goaltender Dan Ellis.

This is an interesting move on a few levels. First, McElhinney has shown throughout his career that he is the type of guy that you call up from the AHL in a pinch. He is not an every game starter nor he is a solid backup. The Lightning have thief starter in Dwayne Roloson and I would think that Mike Smith will be brought back with the big club as his back up. Expect to see McElhinney in Norfolk for the duration of the season.

As for Ellis, he is now caught in a bit of a logjam in Anaheim. Unless Jonas Hiller’s bout with vertigo is more serious than expected, I would think Ellis will be stuck in the press box or in the minors until the Ducks choose to move (or not resign) Ray Emery.

So, the Ducks now have two NHL-ready netminders who will likely keep out a few more goals than the tandem of McElhinney and Timo Pielmeier.

Personally, I was hopeful that the Sabres would snag Ellis to act as a backup for Ryan Miller for the rest of this season and into 2011-12. It has certainly been a trade season filled with players who I would have loved to see Buffalo get.

Lets chat about the in-arena experience, shall we?

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A lot is made of the lack of noise made at HSBC Arena during Sabres games. I feel I have a solution.

Quandary. How to make these people actually make noise.

I am on the bandwagon labeled ‘appalled’ at the lack of energy the fan base puts out on a game-to-game basis. This problem is two-fold. Part of he responsibility lies with the game presentation department to produce an experience that will captivate the fan base during breaks in the action, there are times when you may say this is lacking. However, there are times when it is not. The other half (maybe even 70%) lies with the fans. Sure, the game presentation people could absolutely kill it and still get no response from the people in the seats. This is why I get frustrated at games, because of my fellow fan. Continue reading →

Pegula taking over is so awesome

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When I first heard that Terry Pegula had interest in the Sabres I was cautiously optimistic. So often you hear rumors, more often than not they are completely ridiculous. I credit getting hooked on this story to the reporting that Bucky Gleason did on staying up on the entire process.

After watching yesterday’s press conference I have never felt more love for the team I have followed for longer than I can remember. Continue reading →

Craig Rivet waived by Buffalo

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The Buffalo Sabres placed Craig Rivet on waivers this morning. I learned the info via Bob McKenzie’s twitter account. In addition to Rivet, former Sabre Ales Kotalik was waived by Calgary along with Nik Zherdev (PHI) and Marek Svatos (NSH).

Kind of crazy to see Svatos waived. The Preds poached the winger from St. Louis when they signed him out of the KHL earlier in the winter.

It is about time that Rivet was given some sort of out. He has been stuck in the press box for quite some time, he deserved better than the fate he was receiving.

I wonder what will come of the Rivet situation? Do they send him to the AHL? Or are they confident a team like Montreal, Vancouver or Toronto will claim him? Either way, the next 24 hours could be interesting to watch.

Do you really need a franchise goaltender?

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Since Ryan Miller came down with Dan Cloutier syndrome on Sunday, a lot has been made about the fact that teams are succeeding without “franchise goalies” – at least with some of the more naive Buffalo radio hosts.
 

Many think that a franchise goalie will not win you a Stanley Cup.