Author: Chris Ostrander

The Curious Case of the Third Round Picks Buffalo Shipped Away

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The third round of the NHL Draft is hardly an electrifying portion of the event. The picks all hold fair value on the floor and in trade negotiations, but in either case you’re not referring to any blockbuster moves.

However, the Buffalo Sabres’ own involvement in the 2016 third round was actually somewhat interesting. Not so much for the picks they made, but for the ones which found their way to other teams.

At one point or another, the Sabres held five picks in this year’s third round. Buffalo would only wind up making a pair of selections in the round after entering the weekend with a trio of picks. Cliff Pu would be selected 69th (nice) and Casey Fitzgerald 86th while the other three selections previously held by the Sabres found their way to other cities. Continue reading →

The Instigator Podcast on Stitcher

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For those who use devices other than iPhones, we wanted to make sure to give you the ability to tune into The Instigator as well. Among the other apps available to you for podcast enjoyment, we have tapped into Stitcher as well. Now, in addition to the iTunes store and this site, you can listen to the podcast direct through Stitcher. Hit this link to catch up on all the episodes.

Sabres Free Agent Targets – Forwards

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A quiet draft weekend from Tim Murray may leave the Sabres GM as a more active player in the free agent shopping spree this summer. He indicated as much after the draft, although even had Murray netted more than just Dmitri Kulikov over the weekend it seems as if he still would have been a player in free agency this summer.

There has been plenty of talk about Steven Stamkos and the Sabres’ role as a player for the star. However, Stamkos will come with a hefty cap hit that may actually be better spent elsewhere. The Sabres will and should still take a long, hard look at Stamkos given the skill he possesses and the resume he boasts. But there are plenty of other quality options available to explore. Here’s a list of some of the players I could see Murray extending offers to this year. Continue reading →

Sabres Free Agent Targets – Defensemen and Goalies

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The acquisition of Dmitir Kulikov balanced out the pairs on Buffalo’s blueline and may leave Tim Murray done for the offseason when it comes to his defense corps. However, he hasn’t found a true puck mover for his power play and it would seem advantageous to acquire at least one more body to fill that role.

The market really thinned out when Alex Goligoski and Keith Yandle signed their respective deals. Perhaps the Sabres just wait until Brendan Guhle is ready for NHL time, maybe that even means this season. Given the thin market, Murray may simply choose to add depth, but there are a couple attractive options available, including two listed here.

Additionally, the Sabres are without a backup goaltender at this moment. Assuming Linus Ullmark will play another season in Rochester, the Sabres will be looking for a replacement for Chad Johnson. Those options remain far more plentiful than along the blueline as free agency approaches. Continue reading →

Brick by Brick – How We’d Build the Sabres, Part 2

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Before we began this venture Jimmy Vesey was still property of the Predators and both Alex Goligoski and Keith Yandle had yet to be moved, let alone signed. That only alters the course for Chris and Tyler so much, which is ideal. Here’s our second piece of how we’d build out the Sabres roster. Continue reading →

Brick by Brick – How We’d Build the Sabres, Part 1

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The NHL Draft is upon us and free agency is right around the corner. That means Tim Murray is going to be busy shoring up the Sabres roster in hopes of pushing into a playoff position. As the flurry of moves are set to begin, Tyler and I got together once again to discuss which direction we would go in shaping the Sabres roster.

As always, this is written from the perspective of any conversation you have with your buddies at the bar. All trades are evaluated to ideally provide equal value both ways and at no point will you find us swapping Sidney Crosby for a sixth round pick. We’re working on our own opinions on moves we’d make if we were in Tim Murray’s shoes. You may not agree with our moves, you may not agree with the prices we’d be paying; we encourage you to let us know how stupid (or smart!) you think we are. Continue reading →

The Instigator Podcast 5.5 – Vesey and the Draft with Joe Yerdon of NHL.com

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A special thanks to Joe Yerdon of NHL.com for joining Tyler and I for this week’s podcast. We discuss the Jimmy Vesey trade and the likelihood that the Sabres get the young prospect under contract. We also explore the options Tim Murray will have at the draft. This includes who the Sabres may pick at eight and potential trade targets. We end on a bang with a particularly interesting proposal for Sabres fans to mull over. You can listen to this week’s podcast here or via iTunes by following this link.

Jimmy Vesey Takes – An FJM Story

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There’s a small joke running on Twitter on the #NeverTradeAnybody topic as the seemingly annual rite of Sabres fans discussing trade prospects for the club treks along. This particular joke was born from various conversations and posts from Sabre Noise on a handful of players who had been rumored to be connected with the Sabres. It was more or less in good fun than anything else.

However, this article Sabres Should Have Passed on Jimmy Vesey takes it to a new level. The post itself is missing a few key points while also fitting beautifully into the #NeverTradeAnybody narrative. So, I thought I’d add something of a running commentary to the post as I have some thoughts on the subject. The original text will be plain with my thoughts in bold.

Let us begin. Continue reading →

Murray Made the Right Gamble with Vesey, but There is Work to be Done

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In case you had forgotten, Tim Murray isn’t afraid to go out and take what he wants. Look no further than yesterday’s acquisition of Jimmy Vesey’s negotiating rights.

Murray swapped the pick obtained from Anaheim in exchange for Jamie McGinn for an additional two months to negotiate with Vesey and his representatives on the Hobey Baker winner’s entry level contract. While Vesey’s agent came out shortly after the trade to claim his client would still exercise his right to explore free agency, you can’t be left without a slight inkling that Murray entered this deal with some idea of what direction Vesey was leaning.

Sacrificing a third round pick may seem like some as drastic overpayment. After all, Keith Yandle and Alex Goligoski only fetched sixth and fifth round picks, respectively. The pick itself was basically free; acquired in exchange for a departing free agent. In addition, Vesey comes as not only a highly touted prospect but a player with a number of club controlled RFA years to come. Bear in mind that far more third round picks turn into very little or nothing at the NHL level whereas Vesey is a known quantity. So from a strict value perspective, the 23 year-old player entering his entry level deal will typically carry more value than an unrestricted defenseman who is beyond 30. Continue reading →

The Instigator Podcast 5.4 – Expanding our Outlook

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With Las Vegas ready to be introduced as the league’s 31st franchise, Chris and Tyler discuss the outlook for the new team and how the league’s dynamic may shift. Along the way we discuss previous expansions follies and success and take potential relocation possibilities into account. We close with discussion over the recent rumors of a Buffalo regional sports network after Pegula Sports posted a set of TV-related jobs. You can listen to the podcast here or download it on iTunes by clicking here. As always we welcome your feedback and suggestions.