Buffalo Sabres

The Pegula Puzzle: Who to keep?

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It is the first offseason under the Pegula Era and just about everyone is expecting to see significant moves made. This is the first part of a series aimed to focus on some of those changes. It is entitled “The Pegula Puzzle”. I will look at what will be taking place down at the corner of Washington and Perry during the summer months. The first portion will focus on which players are to be resigned before the July 1 free agency period begins.

The Sabres enter the offseason with 24 total free agents to resign. Many of these players (nine to be exact) played exclusively in Portland this past season. Of those nine, Dennis McCauley, Tim Conboy, Mark Parrish and Colin Stuart are unlikely to return. In addition, Tim Connolly, Patrick Lalime and Rob Niedermayer are unlikely to receive a contract from the Sabres as well.

Of the ten UFAs the Sabres have, I would only think Cody McCormick, Steve Montador, Mike Grier and Matt Ellis could return in 2011-12. Of those four, I would only extend offers to McCormick and Ellis. I would entertain the thought of bringing back Mike Grier for the veteran minimum in a limited fourth line role, but that wouldn’t be my first choice.

As for the RFAs, Darcy Regier has a little work cut out for him. He got off to a quick start by locking up Drew Stafford for $16 million before July was even within sight. There are also a couple names – Felix Schutz and McCauley – who he won’t need to worry about tendering with a qualifying offer. McCauely is a fighter and can be easily replaced, Schutz went back to Germany and will not receive a tender. I would also let Dennis Persson go. He has been passed by TJ Brennan and Drew Schiestel on the development track and Brayden McNabb isn’t far behind. Let Persson go back to Europe, outside of depth, he doesn’t offer much upside. Continue reading →

Chatting about franchise goaltenders once again

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Probably about a year and a half ago I did a post on the great goaltending debate. After a the debate was sparked last fall, I re-posted this piece. Bucky’s recent GM for a day column sparked my interest in this again, along with the big money goalies who played deep into the playoffs this season.
The post below is made up, mostly, of facts and thoughts I penned shortly after the Chicago/Philadelphia Stanley Cup Final. I am going to leave as much of the original work intact as I can, with some additions about this season and some other thoughts on Ryan Miller and where he fits with the Buffalo Sabres.

Could Drury return to Buffalo?

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When news broke this morning that Chris Drury would be bought out by the New York Rangers, the fans and media in Buffalo exploded with the though/theory that Captain Clutch might return to the Queen City.

I had a few thoughts on the matter early on regarding the matter. When the news originally broke I didn’t think much of Drury’s impending UFA status other than what he could bring to the table. However, now that everyone and their brother is throwing their opinion in the ring, I feel like I have more thoughts on the matter.

It is my contention that Drury can help the Sabres, for the right price. His current deal runs for a $7M per season, his performance with the Rangers shows he is due for a pay cut. If he is looking to make more than $3M per season, no thank you. If he is willing to take a deal in the $1.5-$2.5 neighborhood then there is room to work. Continue reading →

Chris Drury to be bought out by NYR

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It appears as if the New York Rangers will buy out the final year of Chris Drury’s massive contract when the NHL buyout period begins on June 15.

Drury’s $7M cap hit on his $35M deal is a crippling contract for the Rangers. He is part of a group of questionable signings that is not limited to guys like Wade Redden from a big free agency summer of 2007. Sabres fans enjoy booing him because he bolted for a king’s ransom from the Blueshirts. Often they forget he had reached a deal, in principle, but paper work and a certain owner kept the contract from being signed. Continue reading →

McCutcheon released by Sabres

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Word has come down that Brian McCutcheon has been released from his position on the Buffalo Sabres coaching staff.

This is a surprising move but one that I think was necessary. By most accounts McCutcheon was the man who ran the power play for the Sabres after Scott Arniel’s departure. If my facts are incorrect on that one I apologize. Based on that info, it was time for the Sabres to look somewhere else for a man to run the power play and cook up an offensive game plan.

Mike Foligno and Kevyn Adams have both been mentioned as possible replacements. I say great, either one will bring a fresh look to the position and likely a refreshed message. I would hope for Foligno simply because he has been coaching with Anaheim so he has some additional experience behind an NHL bench. Adams can’t say that at this point.

As for McCutcheon, there is a chance he ends up as the head coach in Rochester – if Buffalo does indeed purchase them and switch their affiliation. There is a chance he gets nothing and is left to find a new gig. I wouldn’t hate it if he was put in Rochester. He had some success there previously and may be better suited for that type or role.

This is yet another move you may not have seen under the Golisano ownership. McCutcheon was doing a satisfactory job (at best) and still had a contract. It would have been shameful to let him go if the team was to owe him money. The “winning is a goal” motto has it’s fingerprints on this decision. It would seem the organization wants to have the best people in important positions. Replacing McCutcheon was deemed as a decision that needed to be made and I applaud them for making the right move.

Sabres unveil new locker room plans

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If living in Buffalo has taught me anything it is to not get excited over pretty pictures. Every fourth Thursday there is a new idea for a waterfront attraction or a new building downtown only to be shot down by an idiot preservationist or a citizens group advocating for some birds.

However, there is no fear of the Sabres’ new locker room will not be built. In fact, I have little fear that the new locker room won’t be the envy of the entire league and help to attract free agents.

I’m not an architect, so most of the artwork on the rendering means little to me. Based on what I know of the current HSBC layout I can say the term ‘major overhaul’ is a massive understatement. The training, coaches and locker facility looks as if it will be monstrous and somewhat similar to what the Pittsburgh Penguins new room at the Consol Energy Center looks like (based on what 24/7 showed). The visitors facility looks just as impressive, although I’m left wondering where the Bandits will dress.

This is just another example of the Pegula regime not only following through, but hitting a home run with their promises. This is one of the puzzle pieces the organization sees as a step towards building a Stanley Cup winner. They say Mark Cuban spiffed up the visitors locker room to attract players, hopefully the Sabres can strike the same chord with the players who will bring the Cup to Washington and Perry.

Sabres and Amerks to reunite?

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It seems the Buffalo Sabres’ short relationship with the Portland Pirates may not last much longer.

Sources have said Sabres owner, Terry Pegula is close to buying the Rochester Americans.

This is an interesting development considering the Pirates have had moderate success since the Sabres took over, while the Amerks have floundered under their affiliation with the Florida Panthers. By purchasing the Amerks, Pegula would basically be paving the way to reunite the two franchises.

I have to say his would be an ideal situation for the Sabres. Their prospects would be 90 minutes down the road (again) and it allows the team to strengthen regional fans anywhere east of Batavia. Not to mention it would allow the Sabres to have full control over their farm system, a useful tool in player development.

Based on he timing and info provided I have to think this is very real. If that is the case we may be witnessing the beginning of Terry Pegula putting the puzzles pieces together in his master plan for the Sabres.

Goose and Grags at the Worlds, Aces back to Portland

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Since the Buffalo Sabres’ departure from the 2011 Stanley Cup Playoffs their players have dispersed to various locations. The “Black Aces” like Jhonas Enroth and Mark Mancari have been sent back to Portland to help with their playoff run. Meanwhile, Marc-Andre Gragnani and Paul Gaustad accepted invitations to represent their countries in the IIHF World Championships.

Gaustad recently joined Team USA for yesterday’s 4-2 win over Norway. Gaustad logged two penalty minutes and was given an ‘A’. It should be interesting to see if Gaustad’s time with the US will help him gain some additional experience against the best in the world and in clutch situations. Having another player with big-game experience will be huge moving forward. Continue reading →

Stanley Cup Playoffs: Round one recap

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To say the first round of the 2011 Stanley Cup playoffs were highly entertaining would be a massive understatement.

Half of the series went to a game seven and three of the four deciding games were spectacular. The one exception was the 5-2 drubbing the Flyers put on the Sabres. The other four series were equally entertaining. I would say the Caps 4-1 triumph and Detroit’s sweep of the Desert Dogs were the only ho-hum parts of the first round.

Eastern Conference

#1 Washington Capitals defeat #8 New York Rangers 4-1

I had the Caps winning in five, which really is no great stretch of a prediction. This could have shaped up to be a much different series had Marian Gaborik not gift-wrapped the game four overtime goal for Jason Chimera. The Capitals improved defense was strong as was Michael Neuvirth. Washington scored timely goals and Henrik Lundqvist wasn’t enough to counter the superior match up. Turning point: Marian Gaborik’s gaffe leads to OT winning goal to give Washington a 3-1 series lead. MVP: Michael Neuvirth – 4-1, 1.38 GAA, .946 SV% Continue reading →

Sabres series recap, what to remember

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As I just wrote, there are plenty of things to forget about this series. However there are plenty of things to stroll into the offseason happy about. Not all of them are silver lining, grass is greener reasons either.

– The kids are alright. Tyler Ennis came to the party a little late, but he was still dynamic with the puck on his stick late in the series. Chris Butler may be my only exclusion from this list because it seemed like he ran out of energy as the series wore on, he had quite a few bad turnovers. However, Mike Weber and Marc Andre Gragnani made some strides and Tyler Myers showed his nasty side. Big time. Last, but not least, Nathan Gerbe asserted himself as an NHL forward. He had a terrific second half of the season and continued to show his strengths in this series. I think it is safe to say he and Paul Gaustad are a pretty great match on the third line moving forward. Continue reading →