One thing Bergevin and Cheveldayoff both did is show a loyalty to trying to win. They haven't offered sentimental contracts and weren't afraid to part with franchise players or let a few dollars limit their drive to keep a group together. Both have fired coaches and let core players go. I would expect MacIver would at least be capable of that, loyalty to making the team better as opposed to loyalty to individuals. I don't think half the gms in the league can say the same thing. So while MacIver is a big question mark to me, I do think he wouldn't hesitate to make a tough decision on a coach or player for the sake of getting the franchise to perform better. He's seen it too many times to be hesitant of it.
I do think Cheveldayoff has been a failure, but I haven't seen blind loyalty to contracts he writes, just to be clear.
I've gotta agree with you on everything here. If the team does not develop a strong identity all the talent in the world will be pissing into the wind. That starts with people-skills at the top. Curiously, I've heard no mention of the team bringing in a President in charge of hockey operations. Lindy Ruff, who still lives in the area would be a candidate. But then again, I could just be blinded by the fact that - other than the past four years - he's been a lifetime Sabre. There's no doubt that the team is going to get into cap-crunch situations. I think it's manageable considering Molson, Ennis, and Bogosian should all come off the books. Still, signing Jack, and the underappreciated Samson must happen. I think Kane will be retained. So, things get tight in a hurry. I hope that Gionta is retained, if he's willing to take a pay cut. His stats are not really that bad and I do think he has a very positive influence in the clubhouse. Oh, and he's from outside Rochester, and I have a thing for WNY hockey players.
That's one key trait I want. I also want him to be very approachable by the players. A GM that can relate to today's pros but is not trying to be their buddy.
Buffalo Sabres will hire Penguins Associate General Manager Jason Botterill as their new General Manager.
I've actually come around to wanting Botterill as I looked more deeply into the candidates who interviewed. I wanted one with a pedigree at a SC winning org. And I really preferred a GM with a strong player background. Jason was actually a first round pick himself once, so obviously could play the game. He went to U. Michigan and I have heard he's literally brilliant. I'll be comfortable with whomever he brings in at HC. But I'm still pining for Phil Housley.
It's official Jason Botterill will be named GM. Good. Congratulations... What?! Quitcher yapping and get to work! Ink Antipin as soon as the WC is done. Sign Cal Peterson by June 1. Interview every single player in the organization. Amongst other things, ask "do you want to be in the Sabres organization?". Do not dance around this issue. Botterill needs to determine before early June if in fact there are any malcontents the contributed to this season's epic fail. I literally do not care who may not want to be in BUF. Do your damnest to accommodate him. (No hard feelings, I don't really blame a player if they've had enough.) Prep for the expansion draft. Note to Jason: this event actually represents an opportunity and not a danger to the Sabres. Leverage the fact that very few attractive players will be on the exposed list to swing a deal with a team like MN or ANA that are at risk of losing a meaningful asset. Prepare for the draft. This is a fine year for trading down, or even back to 2018. Notes of appreciation will flow your way if you build a diverse group (CHL, NCAA, Euro., etc.) of defensive prospects that can slowly percolate though the pipeline. No need to go nuts with FA's in early July. Relax and take a deep breath. The framework for a contending team is already in place. Instill confidence and a sense of team identity (and pride) into this roster. Talk to Jack and Samson (assuming he doesn't want out) and get those new contracts done sooner than later.
Rumours swirling about either Tocchet or J Martin for head coach. I don't think there's a sabres fan that would be happy with that.
Jason spoke a bit about what he's looking for in his HC, and there are a lot of candidates he wants to speak with. I just have a nagging sense that Tochett's past gambling indiscretions may be held against him. I still believe Phil Housley is/should be a top candidate. He has a lot of coaching experience and is currently responsible for coaching the best defensive corp still playing. I was at a game in NAS when he was honored for something; he has a great presence bordering on charismatic. I think he'd win over the young Sabres quickly, instill a much more sound system - especially on D. Of course he does not have to do one thing to win over Sabres fans. And I think that counts for something after the past five seasons.
Defenseman Viktor Antipin expected to join Sabres next?week Following the IIHF World Hockey Championships on Sunday, where Antipin was a key player for the Russian team that won the Bronze Medal, Antipin told a Russian news outlet (via the Buffalo News) that he will be leaving for Buffalo on May 29th so that he can join the Sabres. The 24-year-old Antipin spent the past six years playing for Magnitogorsk Metallurg in the KHL. In 59 games this past season he scored six goals and added 18 assists. He had a really strong showing at the recent World Championship tournament, playing close to 18 minutes per game and recording four assists to go with a plus-five rating. The Sabres defense was a major sore spot this season as the team took a pretty significant step backward in its ongoing rebuild, resulting in the firing of general manager Tim Murray and coach Dan Bylsma. As a team the Sabres allowed more than 34 shots on goal per game (the worst mark in the league) and 2.82 goals per game (20th in the league). The only defensemen the Sabres have under contract for the 2017-18 season at the moment are Rasmus Ristolainen, Zach Bogosian, Josh Gorges, Jake McCabe and Justin Falk so Antipin should get a pretty good opportunity to get a significant role right from the start. _______________________ I didn't realize the Sabres were so short-handed on defense... a perfect situation for Antipin to get himself some real minutes with Buffalo. Hope you like what he brings, Dan.
Viktor Antipin (an tee pin') is almost exactly what the doctor ordered for the Sabres D. It would be better if he were a bit bigger, but he carries the puck and can skate well. He should be an immediate upgrade. He was courted by several teams - I know the Pens wanted him. One thing that swung it in Buffalo's favor* was the Sabres will allow him to go back to the KHL rather than sending him to Rochester. (The biggest factor, which he cited for picking the Sabres, is the fit.) There's very little risk that he won't get significant TOI in Buffalo. Gorges, Franson, and Kulikov look done in Buffalo. One of their 2015 2nds, Brendan Guhle, has looked great in the couple of chances he's had in blue & gold. He'll push hard for a roster spot and adds offense to the blueline. Ideally, however, he'd start out the coming season in Rochester. If it weren't for the fact that literally over half the teams want to add D, I'd be more confident that a solid top four D could be added around expansion draft time. As it is, Buffalo has more to offer than a lot of teams. It's virtually certain Botterill will trade for more D. The question is how good will that player be?
The next six weeks could be one of the most critical periods in the history of the Buffalo Sabres. The organization is well past the relatively easy phase of getting rid of current assets for potential future gems. They no longer possess a gaudy quantity of high draft picks and prospects* that would permit lavish quantity-for-quality deals. On paper, the team should have been a bubble playoff contender this season. On ice; they failed miserably. However, there were statistical anomalies (and those are what I focus on when trying to discern future results) that indicate that the paper version of this team may actually be a more representative indication of what to expect on ice. Their PP unit lead the league, and they had an outstanding record vs. playoff teams. (Obviously this means they were a suck vs. non-playoff teams.) We've had a few weeks to reflect on the HC's expected dismissal, and the surprising firing of the GM. It all points to a dual failure: a poor strategy with personnel ill-prepared to execute the (flawed) game plan. And, more seriously, an organization that was incoherent and not able to communicate effectively internally. The outcome was an extremely young team that had no real plan, and was particularly prone to frustration. However, they had sufficient talent to occasionally rise above that. I ask this: what is the identity of the Buffalo Sabres? In truth, I doubt anyone has a clue, because they never worked hard to establish and implement that identity. As a fan, this is extremely frustrating since the whole purpose behind blowing up this team was to move from being a mediocre playoff contender, to a legitimate SC contender. Two or three years of that effort may have been wasted. I'll return to post what I think the next six weeks could look like. I will say that the team is not going off the rails and will go back to tanking. But, they have a basic question that must be answered quickly: can 1) a new scheme, a few new players, and an offseason reset button sufficiently energize this roster to take a major step forward in 2017-18, or 2) does this team to shed some of the roster of malcontents? The second option would not likely result in an improved team this coming season; it would be akin to one step backwards for two steps forward in a year or two. The objective is unchanged: become a SC contender. This can happen, but the decisions made over the next six weeks will likely be looked back upon as the deciding ones that determined success or failure.
I sure hope it wasn't a wasted 3 years. I hope they have learned that lofty goals are going to require lofty and sometimes dramatic changes. One thing Buffalo needs to do is attack this systemically from the very top down. Are they happy with the GM's and higher ups? Is the coaching staff where it needs to be? These questions, I believe , should be addressed before the actual player personal on the ice can be utilized to their highest potential. (One thing I'm concerned about in Detroit, because I'm not on the Blashill bandwagon). In retrospect its easy to see the moves and holes created in the lineup, but what was the filler? Was it the best move possible? Is Buffalo working to address the farm system as well? So many factors involved it makes my little head spin. I'm just a big fan of the 'head' that controls being sound as possible first... then the rest will, by hard work and observation with correct movement, fall into place. The whole thing (NHL) is so sensitive, that one seemingly small move could send them up or down. I also wonder how much goes into player development in the Sabres org? I would imagine most of the teams have this down to a science. Buffalo also needs to be attractive to other FA's and the management needs to be willing to bring them in also. Seems you must spend money in order to make money, but the Salary Cap and parity throughout the League because of it causes transitions from average to great to run slow. The more I attempt to think about this and talk Sabres hockey with you, the more questions I have and also the more I realize my ignorance to the situations involved. _________ I'm real curious now, thanks to you, what the Sabres do in the next little while and what you think they should do... hopefully the right braintrust is in place to make decisions that will bring back winning ways to Buffalo. Good Luck... hope I didn't lul you to sleep. Just felt like talkin' some Sabres pucks.
The sabres have a lot of work ahead of them this off-season, 3 D's become UFA. They have$22M of capspace, the question is, how many quality FA's on the market on D and do they sign a goalie? Do they have any talent coming up on the farm? They should have a wealth of talent coming up based on the amount picks they had from the previous few years. A lot of young talent went off to the jets, but, I'm sure there must be something ready. https://www.capfriendly.com/teams/sabres
I had an unfulfilled * on my earlier message today. That was intended to footnote the fact that several roster players would be considered prospects based on their draft. In other words, Buffalo is very deep in very gifted young talent. I am simply going to disagree with you regarding the return the Jets got in the E. Kane trade. Stafford - spare part. Myers - forever unfulfilled potential. Armia? I was actually delighted that he was dumped out of the org. He has that first round talent but possesses a smug self-entitled attitude that makes him a coaches nightmare. Lemieux? I never thought this would be possible, but he's a bigger asshole than his father. They did get a first, and that may be what they have to show for Kane, Bogo, and a G prospect. I'm not calling this a loss for BUF, but it was absolutely not a win for WPG. Either through indifference or incompetency nothing has been done to establish a winning culture in the farm system. TM did hire some talent for Rochester, but I do not view anything that points to a coherent plan. (The new GM spoke early and at length about the need to have a winning team in Rochester. It's almost a side note that he personally had his most productive professional seasons as an American.) It comes down to this: TM probably won many more trades than he lost. He drafted well to good (his 2015 draft may turn out to be superlative with possible contributions from all 7 rounds.) Player selection and acquisition were not deficient. Prospect evaluation were more than adequate. He's gone because he did not instill a coherent sense of identity and confidence in the org. Buffalo will be forever a small market by many measures of what that means. But, it is also one of the strongest hockey markets on the planet. They have challenges, but they have several natural advantages that will make the city attractive to hockey personnel. In the final analysis, the city and the market are advantages for the Sabres. Obviously they won't win 'em all, (see Vesey & Babs), but no team - not even T.O. - does, (e.g., Stamkos & Gorges). Every season a team or two makes a huge stride forward. There is no logical basis to support a contention that this could not be the case for Buffalo in 2017-18. But saying Buffalo could make such a leap is far from saying they will. I believe that if the mindset of the current roster is positive and where everyone knows and accepts their role, that the necessary changes to make such a leap possible can be managed over the next six weeks. The big unknown is not one of talent and potential - the unknown is the commitment to achieve and deliver on that potential. Some players may need to be purged (Kane and even Reinhart, for instance). If one or two of these players are moved, it's likely to be for the greater good. It's also possible that Buffalo may "win" those trades in the long run. But, if that's the direction the team deems necessary then I think they're another two to three years away from being a consistent contender.
Goalie is more of an opportunity than a risk at this time for Buffalo. Lehner played a full season and his stats were good (not great). And he played behind of a lousy D. It is my contention that much of the defensive deficiencies lie at DB's feet. But there's no denying that the D corp was overpaid and under-skilled. Viktor Antipin is almost an ideal antidote for this team's woes. He won't be a star, but he will be a significant improvement. The Sabres have plenty of assets to compete with any team in the trade market for a top four player. And it is always possible to lure a blueliner or two in FA. The bottom line is this. G is not a challenge this offseason and it is possible that circumstances may enable them to upgrade a more than adequate unit. The D is a critical need. But, the situation is far from dire. Again, it all hinges on what's between the ears of every player and prospect in the org. I'm glad Botterill has an established track record in terms of figuring these matters out.
Great question. I think it's 50:50 now that he's moved. (Believe it or not, I think Boston may make sense. But there'll be interest from several teams if he goes on the market.) Extending him carries more than the usual elements of risk. I would not expect the Sabres to be immediately better after a Kane trade. He is example A for the type of player that may need to be purged. (Example B would be Samson Reinhart.) If either of these players are traded I'd expect the type of return that would help a lot in 2-4 years, but not in 1 year.
