The salary cap floor is now a moot point for Buffalo. The floor is someplace around $51MM and Buffalo is now less than an ELC size contract short of $52MM. After Ennis and any of the other RFA's are signed they will have the flexibility to trade veterans (Stafford, Stewart, etc.) if they get the right offers. This roster is all about becoming a legitimate SC contender as soon as possible. The player has to be young with a great upside, or he must be a veteran player willing to help the young players achieve that potential. I see Gionta almost as a player-coach; Moulson will lead by example, as will Gorges. Mezsaros will help keep a player that would have made last season's roster in Rochester or the OHL, and could be moved at the deadline for a 15 pick. I've seen some [del]reports[/del] musing about Buffalo's playoff chances in 14-15. Playoffs?! Egads!, this team was 14 points away - 14 points away from 29th place. This team will be in the lottery next year, but unless one is 15 years old or of similar mental acumen, there is no question that Buffalo is not tanking for a chance at the top two in the draft. They'll probably get one of them anyway because I don't believe any of the bottom dwellers got demonstrably worse and while Buffalo's on-ice performance could be demonstrably better, it won't by that much.
Steve Ott is still out there, and I know TM has talked to him (before the trade deadline and in late June). He is the type of player that is best suited to skip the season and wait for the playoffs, although his recent postseason performance more than dinged that reputation. Still, I believe he's getting attention from contenders. But he fits in very well with the qualities mentioned in my message above: Otter epitomizes Buffalo's blue collar mentality and is one of our most-liked players in history. I'd rather have him than Stafford or even Stewart.
After some back-and-forth with one of the most esteemed posters on MnC, I feel that I should preemptively clarify this comment: This was written after the Sabres made several moves that got them to the salary cap floor and that brought veteran leadership into the locker room. I want to make it clear that I accept that people could view Buffalo as a tank wreck after letting Ehrhoff go, but that IMO it has been established that it is not Buffalo's strategy. Any perceived jab at infantile posters was really directed to NYI fans and their ilk. (Yes, that is a jab at NYI fans.) The team does not want to merely become a playoff contender; they want to be SC contenders. That will certainly take a lot more work, but I believe they are on the right track.
I believe Tim Murray continues to stay in the FA market, but he has become much more selective. For the time being his work is done; you know that to be the case when he states that his focus now is to "get a couple of guys for Rochester". He has been in discussion with Steve Ott since Tuesday and remains interested but has told him to not stop talking to others. As for trades; he's not actively calling anyone, but he is listening to everyone that calls. If some team overwhelms him he'd move Myers, Hodgson, etc., but the roster looks to be fairly set for training camp. Buffalo could improve this season by 7-10 wins and still be in last place. The rebuild got started at the trade deadline in 2012, but until the draft last week I really view this as the tear-down mode. The rebuild got started, in that sense, last week. The FA signings are merely staging for what is to come at the deadline this year and what's to follow. After the next year's draft I think everyone in the NHL will see some clarity for where the team is headed.
This is copied from the Sports Nation Sabres site: Sabres have 8 prospects in ESPN's top 100 http://www.diebytheblade.com/2014/8/13/5999097/buffalo-sabres-8-prospects-espn-top-100 Corey Pronman of ESPN and Hockey Prospectus... just released his list of the Top 100 Prospects in the NHL (ESPN Insider required) and the Buffalo Sabres have a whopping eight players in the top 100, more than any other NHL team. The obvious pick, Sam Reinhart, sits in the #5 position behind Jonathan Drouin, Aaron Ekblad, Sam Bennett, and William Nylander. After that, the Sabres have three of the top 21 players, and five in the top 51. The eight prospects that made the list are: #5 - Sam Reinhart #17 - Mikhail Grigorenko #21 - Nikita Zadorov #44 - Hudson Fasching #51 - J.T. Compher #60 - Joel Armia #69 - Gustav Possler #72 - Jake McCabe I have no intention to pay ESPN for access to information about a sport they hardly acknowledge. Therefore, other than the first four players I only know about the Sabres prospects included on this list. On average each team should have 3 1/3 prospects, so obviously Sabres fans are happy with eight. Also, there is a player, Rasmus Ristolainen, who now has 25+ games in the NHL so was not included but is still regarded as a prospect. I believe - I actually believe! - that it is not delusional for Sabres fans to be very excited about the future of this team.
But, I have no qualms about using information that has been posted from the report. The following lacks detail, i.e., the names for the prospects, but it gives a good idea for the high-end quality of each team's prospect pipeline. I am only going to list teams where there seems to be regular interest on MnC. Corey Pronman's list of the Top 100 Prospects in the NHL, by team: Team Top 50 Top 100 Buffalo 4 8 NY Islanders 3 7 Montreal 1 6 Detroit 1 5 St. Louis 2 5 Boston 2 4 Columbus 2 4 Vancouver 3 4 Chicago 1 3 Philadelphia 0 3 Pittsburgh 2 3 Toronto 1 2 New Jersey 0 1 NY Rangers 1 1 To be clear, the Top 50 is a subset of the Top 100, or as an example, Buffalo has 4 in the Top 50 and 4 in the 51-100 for 8 in the Top 100.
The Intriguing Rebuild of the Buffalo Sabres Nilsen Report, August 15, 2014, By Matthew McKenna http://nilsenreport.ca/2014/08/15/the-interesting-rebuild-of-the-buffalo-sabres/ - The Sabres have the top rated prospect pipeline according to ESPN/Hockey's Future. - The Sabres already have three first round picks in the stacked 2015 draft. - Their owner has no money concerns and is willing to spend. (I believe he learned his lesson during his inaugural season, i.e., signing Ehrhoff & Leino, that it's not what you spend, but how you spend it that matters.) The team is intent on becoming a SC contender and cost, (other than the cap) is no object. - Tim Murray has less than a season under his belt as a GM. It may be a bit early, but the indications are that he has the moxie to be a very good manager. Certainly, his decisiveness cannot be questioned; as noted, time will be required before we can assess his effectiveness. - I have followed the Sabres since 1970 and can state that I am excited about this team - more excited that I have ever been other than 1975. My conclusion: The Sabres are on their way to becoming a perennial SC contender in the Blackhawks and Kings mold. They are likely to finish dead last this coming season, but should be ready to contend for a playoff spot as early as 2015-16. I will measure progress this season by effort* in Buffalo, and wins in Rochester. (* They were epically bad last year mostly because they started the season truly believing that they sucked and therefore did not display an effort for lengthy stretches in games. That's a sure recipe for defeat that's more influential than a lack of talent.)
The HarborCenter in Buffalo is going to be a very big deal. It will be one of the finest - perhaps the finest - hockey facilities on the planet when it is completed next year. This will make Buffalo the focal point for many hockey events, for instance:
http://www.cbssports.com/nhl/eye-on-hockey/24668014/core-values-sabres-rebuild-off-to-good-start CBSSports: Core Values: Sabres rebuild off to good start
Interesting write-up and really informed me on what their trying to do. I'm no expert, but it appears to me they are headed in the right direction and the process doesnt appear to be a process that takes forever to make work. Good luck. Its also nice to see the Sabres doing so well as far as NHL markets in the States go. It also seems to me they are flying under the radar, so to speak, because I just live on the other side of the lake from them and never hear much about them at all, but they certainly have a system thats working out well. They certainly dont seem shy about making moves for the betterment of the team...and I like that.
The Sabres are done with what I consider to be the easy part of the rebuild. Now the hard part starts, figuring out who stays/sticks and who goes over the next 2 years, and what type of system they want to use. I agree with the comment in the article about "patience" being needed. Not too many cities are fortunate to have an owner like Pegula, willing to eat revenue for the sake of long term interests. It will still be a pretty bumpy road ahead, but in one more year it will be very interesting to watch.
Agreed. I will add that it is almost universally acknowledged that they've done a very good job at the "easy part". (I call this stage 3; stage 1 is when it finally dawns on the team that they need to make radical changes - that started before the 2012-13 season. Stage 2 is the razing of the team; that started with the Pominville trade to MN and was completed at the trade deadline this year. Stage 3 is when the team starts to pick up the pieces and starts to organize things for the rebuild.) I think there's an extra challenge since I am not convinced that Ted Nolan is considered the long term answer behind the bench. It is interesting that Buffalo just promoted Randy Cunneyworth to player development coach - he had been the coach in Rochester and left for a short stint in Montreal. Those inclined to like intrigue will look at this as a possible future HC already in Buffalo. Needless to say, the coach should have a great deal to say about the system, and there is a high degree of uncertainty in Buffalo. Others take a more sanguine view and applaud bringing back a coach known to work well with young talent. I agree with the comment about Pegula. I will add that Buffalo is a rather sophisticated hockey market and there are few distractions for hockey purist there. This may permit the Sabres to utilize rebuilding strategies that many other markets would not be willing to put up with. Sabres fans are actually rather accommodating to the reality that the team will be abysmal this season. Some Buffalo fans advocate wearing blindfolds for the next year so we'll not be witnesses to the carnage on the ice. Others advocate blinders so we do not lose focus on the "prize", (McDavid, or at least Eichel). Bob offers a caution that there are no assurances that this plan will be successful - it is certainly not preordained. What I am willing to say is that the Sabres have accumulated an extremely impressive prospect pool, and there is likely to be a tremendous infusion of talent at the 2015 draft, (three first round picks). Deciding who goes may be more important than deciding who to add in the future through the draft and trades. It is realistic to believe that if they continue this process with the level of competency demonstrated so far that the Sabres will achieve their objective. The objective is to be a perennial SC contender in the Chicago and LA mold.
Thanks, Matty. Love that Sabres' crest FYI, I am heading to Ireland soon so will be silent on MnC for a few weeks.
Time to start tracking how Pegula shifts ownership around. I'm guessing it will be similar to what Kroenke did with the Avs.
I followed the Bills' sale as closely as I could, but not like I would have if I had been in the country. I certainly expected Pegula would be the winner, and believe that this is a very good thing for the Bills and for Buffalo. He is essentially retired now and can devote his time to more pleasurable pursuits such as sports. Hockey has always been his passion. He is also very passionate about Buffalo and was motivated to make sure the Bills stay where they belong for a long time. I expect that he may be less involved with the Bills than the Sabres as a result. I believe that his developments in Buffalo bear consideration - specifically the nearly completed HarborCenter and the need for a replacement stadium for the Bills. I would not be surprised - in fact I expect - that in due time he will announce a new stadium will be constructed in downtown Buffalo. Done well, which is almost a given with Pegula, the football and hockey facilities can be very complimentary for each other. Buffalo will be a much more interesting city to visit, IMO, in about one decade's time.
Drew Stafford scored the first Sabres' goal of the 2014-15 season, and Tyler Ennis scored their second. The team earned their first win and they got their first shutout. The team is at .500 W/L. I figured I should get in this chance to say something positive about the team as it may soon be too late for any of that stuff. For the record, the team is dramatically improved over last season. They have better talent and I expect they will show a lot more heart. They will also display better team chemistry, IMHO, due to veteran imports such as Gionta and exports like Ehrhoff. This is not likely to make that much difference in the final standings as they were 14 points out last season - that's 14 points out of 29th place! The team could improve by ten points this year and still be in last place. The Senators and Flames are the teams most likely to put a scare in Buffalo's bid for McDavid. I expect the Sharks may be this year's version of the Canucks, and meanwhile Vancouver should be one of the bigger rebound teams. I think the Wild will disappoint their faithful; especially when it comes to playoff time. The Panthers are better poised than any other club to make a huge move up as the Avs did last year. Speaking of which, the Avs had stupid-good goalie stats last year that I do not expect to be replicated. They are still very young but have added some graybeards. If the old guys play like their ages suggest then they'll be in the lottery. If they bring leadership and their stats reflect their prior greatness then they could be contenders. The Avs are the hardest team in the NHL on which to make projections. The NYI are vastly improved in goal but remain weak on defense. They have a solid pipeline ready to pay dividends. Garth is one of the most eager-for-the-playoffs gm's ever, (he's traded their '15 first and second to Buffalo). I think they'll be on the bubble but most likely will miss out. The Sabres will enjoy having the #15 overall pick. The Blues are going to be fine and Buffalo will enjoy using their #22 pick. Les Habs will likely rule the EC standings, and the Ducks may make a run at the PC. While they are now a better playoff team, the Kings and Hawks are still the class of the NHL. One of those teams is very likely to be the SC winner. Since they have been rotating, this season appears to be Chicago's turn. Just figured I'd ramble a bit. I did not plan to talk about any team other than Buffalo, so I may have to write another chapter later with my thoughts about teams such as Dallas, Edmonton, Pittsburgh and Toronto, etc. Fuck you Boston, and fuck you too, Philadelphia! That felt good
