I think Botterill is ready to move past Lehner. He's an RFA and got $4MM this year. What are they going to do? Sign him to another two year deal? Sign him to a long term deal? No way! I think he's likely to be part of a package. But it's time for Rob & the Sabres to part ways. He deserves the chance to show what he can do with a real NHL defense in front of him. Philly may see him as a cheap upgrade over their current NHLers and may prefer to give your excellent prospects a chance at more development. That's always a good thing for goalies. So, I think Hex could go for this because he could be getting a decent G cheap, and buy time for the future starters.
Hextall said Hart needs 1 year of AHL exposure before he's NHL ready, so that's the 19-20 season. So Lehner is a 1 year rental. What does that say for Lyons and Stolarz ? They've been paying their dues in the AHL and know they have 1 shot and 1 season at the NHL level next season, so they lose it to Lehner? I would be pissed if I were either of them. Now if Buffalo had someone else the Flyers wanted, as you said Dan, and packaged Lehner in the deal, that's different. Now that Kane is gone and Eichel is not going anywhere, I don't see who else they would want.
Rochester has had a good season because they have some good talent in the pipeline. Philly needs G and depth at F, (that should read bottom six). I could see a power F like Hudson Fasching fitting in very well there. This is never going to be a blockbuster or involve big names, but I've maintained for quite some time that PHL & BUF match up well for a "hockey" trade. You have depth at D and that's what the Sabres would be asking for. It's far from a sure thing, but I would not be surprised to see the two teams deal this summer. Bear in mind that they would not look for Lehner to start 60+ games, one of the two prospects could get the backup role in Philly. If they're pissed I'd answer "get better". Also, there's about a zero percent chance that a team looking for another playoff season would start two inexperienced G's in the big league. So, it would - in this scenario - be Rob Lehner and one of the other two. Hart needs at least a year in the AHL.
Hart was in Juniors this year, so next season 18-19, would be his AHL debut season. I'd give him 1 year there and that's it and that's if he's not called up mid-way in the season if he's as good as they think he is. Elliott and Neuvirth are both under contract too, so they may not do anything, but after this postseason and the swiss cheese shown in goal, I don't trust either next season. I'd be happy with cutting one and having the other be #1 and Lyons and Stolarz battle it out for the backup job and let Hart lead the AHL team and see how he does etc. Stolarz tore his ACL or MCL in October 2017, so that's why he wasn't starting earlier vs getting better. It's all a big mess right now till the summer and Hextall starts to make moves. Well, I hope he makes many moves.
Russ Brandon has resigned as the president of the Buffalo Bills and Buffalo Sabres, Pegula Sports Entertainment announced Tuesday. In a statement released by Pegula Sports and Entertainment, owners Terry and Kim Pegula accepted Brandon's resignation. Kim Pegula assumes Brandon's previous responsibilities as president of the organizations, while Terry Pegula will continue to oversee the team operations. "We have a tremendous amount of confidence in the strong leadership teams we have built within each of those entities over the last several years," the Pegulas said in the statement. "We are excited about the direction of our teams, especially after this past weekend's NFL Draft and the NHL lottery results. Our focus remains on building championship teams on and off the field for our fans and community."
Looks like he likes woman... inappropriately. http://www.chicagotribune.com/sport...-sabres-president-resigns-20180502-story.html
all I can find is "his resignation is tied to an internal investigation into Brandon's workplace behavior and allegations of personal misconduct having to do with allegations of inappropriate relationships with female employees at PSE."
It’s prbably a “superior/subordinate” thing. Many companies have this policy, as it protects the corporate entity if shit (in the relationship) blows up and gets messy. Since he is at or near the top of the food chain in the company, any relationship with any employee could be a problem and/or a direct violation of their policies on the matter.
There's more to the early-postseason than just winning the draft lottery. Although winning the right to draft Rasmus Dahlin cannot easily be overstated in terms of its importance. He is the confluence of BAP* and PoN** gift-wrapped in one big Swede. * The first overall pick often does not prove to be the Best Available Player. But rarely is it so obvious that an individual deserves to be selected first. Dahlin is on par with McDavid & Matthews in the sense that that there is no question that'll he'll be selected #1. He may prove to be the best D-man in hockey. He is several year's ahead in his development, comparatively speaking, to where current D-elite players were when they were his age. Since he's been playing in the SHL, there is nothing to suggest that his game cannot translate*** well to the NHL. Dahlin is super-competitive and seemingly undaunted by anyone else on the ice. He'll make some NHL All-Stars look silly if they attempt to challenge the rookie. (*** This is not to deny that every player moving from the smaller Euro ice to N.A. needs to adjust. Some do that quickly, e.g., Panarin, and with ease. Others fail miserably like Linus Omark. Most need some time. I do not expect unimpeded greatness from the start for Dahlin. I do expect him to be in Buffalo from day one, and that'll he'll probably show fans once or twice per game just why he's so highly regarded.) ** PoN; teams with poor draft records often reach for a Position of Need rather than selecting BAP. In the Sabres case there are several needs, but the most glaring is top-pair D that can carry the puck and pot that biscuit with alacrity. They're coached by the NHL's alltime record scorer by a D-man, yet they still looked atrocious. TEH Phil knows a few things about how to play offensive defense. The Sabres simply lacked the personnel to execute that system. Rasmus Dahlin skates like a top-six F and thinks like a hockey savant. He's going to enable the team to utilize their other players much more effectively. (That may help Rasmus Ristoleinen more than anyone else.) The Sabres not only get the BAP at their most critical PoN, but they can now hope to implement and execute a modern NHL game plan. In addition to winning the draft lottery there are two other developments worth noting: The Sabres signed unrestricted SHL FA Lawrence Pilut, the reigning D MVP in Sweden. He'll be in the mix for bottom pair minutes in Buffalo, PP duty, and in general giving Housley another asset to make his game plans effective. BTW, Brendan Guhle (2/#51, 2015) is a big fast blueliner that has Sabres fans salivating since the first day he skated in Buffalo. I think he is determined to make the big club out of camp. But the additions of the two Swedes greatly reduces the pressure on the FO & coaches to rush him out of necessity. I believe GM Botterill will actively try to add a top four D-man through FA or trade. The Swedish upgrades make it easier to attract FA's since the team no longer looks like a 31st ranked D. Bots now can be a bit more selective in terms of who he might trade for, and for what price he pays. Getting Dahlin is huge! Also, the team will skate Sept. 25 in Clinton, NY against Columbus in the Kraft Hockeyville USA game. This is a nice opportunity to strengthen the team's fan appeal in Central NYS, and an even better opportunity for Clinton. Fan alliances in NYS look to the south (New York City) roughly east of I-81. Clinton is not far from Cooperstown, so while in Upstate NY, the locals are probably split between Rangers & Sabres fans. They'll be an even better hockeyville when that gets skewed more to the west and the Good Guys.
The Sabres' system is solid as long as they can train them. 2 years away from being like the Leafs are now IMO. But with a more defensive focus, which is better as long as they can get some goals.
Secondary scoring is another glaring need for BUF. I think Dahlin single-handedly addresses part of that. He may outscore Ristoleinen, who was the only defenseman to contribute meaningfully at all. His speed also means he'll carry the puck into the O zone more than what we've seen. That also should help increase scoring chances (while cutting down on turnovers). There's a lot of work still to be done. A lot. But, the addition of Dahlin gives a structural system to the team that can allow for true team-building. The previous efforts really resembled repair work (patch work) and not team building.
The Sabres still have a very strong prospect pipeline despite graduating several recently. There's a real push to make both Rochester and ECHL Cincinnati very competitive. Buffalo's top six is really not too bad (assuming Casey Mittlestadt is ready). (It is my personal belief that that's a liberal assumption - but I expect it's a matter of when, not if, he becomes a star player.) There are literally about ten forwards that could force their way onto the opening roster. (Not 10 that will, but 1 or 2 out of 10 may give the team no other viable choice but to promote them.) One to watch is former 7th round pick V. Olafsson who skated with Dahlin in Sweden. He will hopefully start the season in Rochester. He has a game that in time could make most wonder how so many teams passed by him so often. His wrister is so wicked it looks like a slap shot. This all said, it is very unlikely that the Sabres compete for much more than league respect in 2018-2019.
^^but good times are ahead for Buffalo. they're getting the right pieces to build into a strong team for years to come. it's not like they are banking on just Dahlin to lift them out of the cellar by himself. they have Eichel and other players there now contributing and more will come to build one helluva team. the dark days are almost over for Buffalo.
