Sabres Free Agent Targets – Defensemen and Goalies

Chris OstranderLeave a comment

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

Chris OstranderLeave a comment

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

Chris Ostrander2 Comments

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 →

2016 NHL Mock Draft

Tyler RoederLeave a comment

With the draft set to kick off Friday night, it’s time to reveal my 2016 mock draft. There will likely be a handful of trades leading up to the draft as well as on the draft floor, but this mock is done without trades for obvious reasons. Continue reading →

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

Chris Ostrander6 Comments

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

Chris OstranderLeave a comment

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 →

Which Defensemen Should Tim Murray Target This Offseason

Two in the Box StaffLeave a comment

By John Barrett

It’s a very interesting time to be a Buffalo Sabres fan. With the NHL Draft in spitting distance, and perhaps the most interesting free agency period in two decades, the Sabres have positioned themselves well for both regards eleven picks and loads of cap space.

The biggest hole on the Sabres roster is, as Tim Murray puts it “a power play quarterback,” defenseman that can be paired with budding star Rasmus Ristolainen and be a big-time point producer with the man advantage. There have been a few defensemen around the NHL whose names have been linked to the Sabres, via restricted free agency, unrestricted free agency and cap motivated trades.

I examined the stats of a handful of these potential targets, that focus on two major areas; puck possession and power play production. I focused on these two areas because they were two key focus points that came right from the horses mouth when Murray discussed his blueline. I plotted the two year averages for players on a matrix of 5v5 Corsi For % Relative to the team and points per 60 minutes on the power play.targets Continue reading →

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

Chris OstranderLeave a comment

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

Chris OstranderLeave a comment

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.

Murray Should Focus on Value not Handedness in Defensive Pursuit

Chris Ostrander1 Comment

Tim Murray has made it no secret that he’s in the market for a defenseman this summer, specifically a puck moving, power play quarterback. It’s also been noted that acquiring a left handed defenseman to help balance Buffalo’s current left-right disparity is likely high on Murray’s shopping list as well.

In a perfect world Murray would find a defenseman that checked all of those boxes. For example, Cam Fowler checks nearly every single one of those boxes nicely. Not only does he meet many of Buffalo’s needs, but there’s an expectation that he will be on the block in Anaheim this summer. So there’s certainly a natural fit there.

There are also rumors swirling about Fowler’s Anaheim teammates Hampus Lindholm and Sami Vatanen. Tyson Barrie is thought by some to be a spare part in the eyes of Colorado management and even Kevin Shattenkirk’s name is making the rounds in the rumor mill. All five of these names are terrific defensemen who would drastically impact Buffalo’s blueline in the offensive end and when it comes to puck possession (Fowler’s fancy stats aren’t as impressive as the others, for what it’s worth).

The one issue is that three of the five defensemen mentioned above are right handed and the Sabres already have five righties on the roster. While maintaining a good balance between right and left handed blueliners is a key around the league, this may be a case where ignoring that stance suits the Sabres better. Continue reading →