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Pegulaville26

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About Pegulaville26

  • Birthday 01/22/1988

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    New York
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    Buffalo
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    Sabres

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  1. I was always high on McNabb too. He was just stuck in a log jam of good young talent on the Sabres blue line. The main target in the McNabb trade was actually University of Minnesota forward Hudson Fasching. Fasching looks promising but, still has at least two years of college hockey left. I still think they gave up a lot, but they can do that with the larger quantity of draft picks
  2. Z will stay at the pivot. Thats where GMTM wants him. Girgensons is the future heart and captain of the Sabres. Gionta will hold the "C" for two years while Z matures. Mitchell was hurt a lot after the Sabres picked him up. I don't think he's a bad player, but I don't see him taking Deslauries spot who Nolan and Murray love. Remember the Sabres gave up McNabb and two 2nd's in that Deslauries trade, although Fasching was the main target. McCormick was given a new deal to play not go to Rochester and if PK36 can show he's back to form of two-three years ago then he easily earns a spot. All three of those guys are "Nolan" players.
  3. Hodgson moved to the wing the 2nd half of last season and played much better. He struggles in his own end so with him playing on the wing he has less responsibility. Ennis thrives down the middle so it's an easy call for Nolan. However a day will come when the Sabres will need to choose either Ennis or Hodgson. Not enough room for booth (foreshadowing)
  4. With training camp a little over two months away the Sabres will have a lot of roster spots up for battle. New GM Tim Murray and Head Coach Ted Nolan have stated since day one ice time will be earned not given. If the tone of prospect development camp was a slight insight into training camp, the coaching staff will be pushing competition and physicality hard. The goal of the Sabres offseason was to get harder to play against. I think they achieved their goal, perhaps too well and taking them out of potentially being involved for a top 2 draft pick in 2015. On the bubble: Going into camp a lot of players find themselves in a "prove it" situation. One player in particular is Patrick Kaleta. PK36 got into trouble with the NHL and then wore out his welcome with Regier and Rolston. Kaleta was on the verge of being recalled from being sent to the corner (Rochester) for being bad; when the Buffalo native tore his ACL ending his season. Kaleta has always been a favorite among fans. Kaleta is the type of hard to play against player GMTM is looking for, but he needs to clean up his game. He needs to go back to just being a hard player instead of a cheap player. If he shows he can clean his game up in camp I think he makes the opening night roster. Here are some other players that are on the bubble of the NHL/AHL/CHL: -Andre Benoit, Matt Ellis, Brian Flynn, Mikhail Grigorenko, Jake McCabe, Nikita Zadorov, Rasmus Ristolainen, Zac Dalpe, Nic Deslauries, Torrey Mitchell, Chad Ruhwedel, and Mark Pysyk Blue Line: The Sabres blue line has only three players locked in to roster spots in the persons of Tyler Myers and newly acquired Andrej Meszaros and Josh Gorges. The remaining three spots are up for grabs between Weber, Pysyk, Risto, Beniot, Zadorov, Ruhwedel and McCabe. The future is bright on the Sabres blue line however I don't think the future is now. Pysyk, McCabe, and as hard is it may be to do Ristolainen will be sent back for more seasoning. Risto and Pysyk still have a good chance of squeezing into the final roster, especially Risto if he can build on his strong development camp. Zadorov is pretty much a lock to be sent back to London for one more season. This paves the way for Weber, Beniot, and Ruhwedel to fill the remaining spots. If the Sabres carry a 7th defenseman on the roster then I think the Sabres will either keep McCabe up with the big squad and let Pysyk and Risto play in Rochester. Also don't rule out another signing before camp starts like Benoit. Forwards: The top 9 for the Sabres in 2014-15 are pretty set with Girgensons, Gionta, Reinhart, Ennis, Stewart, Stafford, Foligno, Hodgson, and Moulson. The battle will come on the 4th line and depth players to fill in the 23 man roster. Flynn, Kaleta, McCormick, Deslauries, Mitchell, Dalpe, Grigorenko, and Ellis will all battle for these spots. Grigo is likely on his way to Rochester play top minutes and prove his attitude is changed. The 4th line battle will be so close and interesting to watch throughout camp. I know it's the 4th line, but the 4th line plays a pivotal part in today's NHL. Especially in Nolan's system of rolling 4 lines. Goal: Enroth and Neuvirth. Hackett will not return from his ACL tear until January at the earliest or he would enter the conversation. Projected pre camp roster: Moulson-Ennis-Stafford Hodgson-Reinhart-Gionta Stewart-Girgensons-Foligno Kaleta-McCormick-Deslauries Myers-Gorges Meszaros-Weber Beniot-Ruhwedel Enroth Neuvirth Extra: Mitchell, Flynn, McCabe
  5. This week the Buffalo Sabres held their development camp with all the prospects in the system. A chance for the fans to get a look at the real future of the Sabres. I'll start with main attraction 2014 2nd overall pick Sam Reinhart. Over the first two days in camp you can see Reinhart has come as advertised. He's shifty, great instincts, and quick hands. On the first shift of Tuesday nights scrimmage Reinhart made a great no look pass under pressure right on the tape of 2014 2nd round pick Brendan Lemieux. The thing to watch with Reinhart is how he will stand up to the contact of men who will be out for him this season. Girgensons welcomed Reinhart with a booming hit Tuesday night along the wall Tuesday night and Reinhart jumped right back to his feet. After the scrimmage Reinhart spoke how he liked the contact and players trying to run him will just cause them to be out of position. I have no doubt in my mind Reinhart will be on the opening night roster. Camp stand outs: Rasmus Ristolainen- Risto looked like a man among boys. I find it hard to believe Risto will not start in Buffalo this season. He's too good to be sent back to Rochester. Only excuse they could give is to let him work on his offensive game in the AHL. A lot of upside around this kid; he is the building block of the Sabres blue line for years to come. Mikhail Grigorenko- The 2012 1st round has been a disappointment up to this point. However this year Grigo is back with a new attitude. The 20 year old has dropped the entitlement attitude and has accepted responsibility for his career. Telling the media that if he doesn't start the season in Buffalo he has nobody to blame but himself. Grigo has also worked hard in the offseason adding on 10 lbs. of muscle and it shows. He has been a dominant player in camp. A great sign for the Sabres Nikita Zadorov- Zadorov came up with a bang last year before being sent back to London by the new management regime. He also put on about 10 lbs. of muscle in the offseason and moves extremely well for a player his size. Zadorov will likely be headed back to London for one more season. However in 15-16 season he'll be ready to join a stacked blue line with Pysyk, Myers, Ristolainen, and McCabe. Nick Baptiste- The 2013 3rd round pick continues to just score goals. Last year in Sudbury Baptiste potted 45 goals in 65 games. In every appearance (Traverse City and development camp) Baptise scored in every game/scrimmage except one. The puck always seems to find the 6'0 forward. Baptiste will be a player to watch in the coming years as the 18 year old heads back to Sudbury next season. Linus Ullmark- The 2012 6th round pick is the goalie of the future in my opinion. Ullmark has been outstanding in camp so far. Last year for Modo in the Swedish Elite League Ullmark had a 2.08 GAA and .931 save % on his way to winning goalie of the year. Ullmark will heading back to Modo this year, but he'll be a big part of the Sabres future. Other notes- Newly acquired Jordan Samuels-Thomas is the true definition of a power forward, Brendan Lemieux shares the same feisty attitude his dad played with, Hudson Fasching and William Carrier are big and fast. The one disappointment of camp for me has been the play of 2011 1st round pick Joel Armia. Armia didn't develop the way I hoped he would last year in Rochester. The Finish forward needs to have a good season in Rochester next year to have a chance to make the jump to the NHL in the near future. Development camp wraps up after tomorrow's session. The way camp has gone this week Sabres fans have a lot to be excited about with three more 1st round picks coming in the 2015 draft.
  6. Last week the SJ Sharks became the 4th team in NHL history to blow a 3-0 series lead. Right when it looked like the Sharks would drop the playoff choker label, they instead went on to have perhaps their worst playoff choke in history. In 2010 and 11 the Sharks lost in the WCF winning a combined 1 game, 2012 the Sharks lost to the Blues in the WCQF 4-1 as a 7th seed, in 2013 lost to the Kings in 7 games in the WCSF as a 6th seed and now in 2014 were sent packing again by the Kings. Every season starts the same for the Sharks. They're looked at as contenders, but always seem to find a way to disappoint. The Sharks have the star power with Marleau, Thornton Couture, and Boyle. So after another failed playoff appearance what do the Sharks do from here? Marleau and Thornton were just signed to extensions through the 2016-17 season. Boyle is a UFA and I would be surprised if he returned to Northern California. An issue could be arising in net with Niemi for the Sharks. He was benched in game 6 in what I called a panic move by McLellan. I'll start with Niemi while I'm on the topic. Do the Sharks stay with the 30 year old tender who has one year remaining on his deal or do the Sharks look to move him and go a different direction? Stalock showed promise for the Sharks this year, but he is a UFA come July 1st. The Sharks could look at the UFA market come July for help in goal. Ryan Miller would welcome the chance to play in California with his wife living in LA. I don't see Miller returning to the Blues before he tests the market at least. The Sharks could also look at other options like Bryzgalov, Halak, Hiller, Nabokov, Vokoun, or Elliott. However none of the last six I mentioned seem like improvement over Niemi. I believe the Sharks would be wise to stick with the former cup winner in goal next season. Where I think the Sharks need to make changes is with one of their long tenured stars Marleau or Thornton. Neither played well in the playoffs this year. The Sharks have gone to battle with both for years and neither have led them to the promise land. Now is the time to try to get value for one or both of them while you still can. This team needs to be handed over to the new core of Pavelski, Couture and Hertl. The average age of the Sharks was 28.42 this year, which was the 9th oldest team in the NHL. Trading either or both of Marleau and Thornton could bring younger talent to the roster as well as top prospects to the Sharks system. Lastly I think a change is needed behind the bench. Todd McLellan is not a bad coach however if your team falls apart to blow a 3-0 lead especially when your team has a reputation for failure then a change is needed. McLellan has been the Sharks bench boss since 2008 and leads a great regular season team, but cannot get it done when it matters. Sharks management has already said they are not looking to replace McLellan, but could be on a short leash. Long story short it doesn't seem possible the Sharks can go at it again with the same crew. Change is needed, but where will it come? The Sharks should be a fun team to follow in the offseason.
  7. It's ironic that the last trade Darcy Regier made in his long tenure in Buffalo could be move that sets the Sabres up for a bright future. On October the 27th the Sabres sent Thomas Vanek to the New York Islanders for Matt Moulson a 2015 2nd round pick and a conditional 2014 1st round pick. When you look at the return Snow received on Vanek at the deadline (conditional 2nd and prospect); Regier outright robbed the Islanders. Everyone knows that Vanek is going to Minnesota on July 1st. I respect Snow's guts on this move, but it wasn't a wise move. What I want to focus on here is that conditional 2014 1st round pick. For those who don't know the condition on that pick is that if the pick is in the top 10 in 2014 the Islanders have the right to defer that pick to a 1st round pick in 2015. With the loss of Tavares for the season and the Vanek trade the Islanders are almost sure to finish in the bottom 5 if not bottom three in the NHL. Now I would be shocked if Garth Snow survives this season with all that has gone on. So from the Islanders standpoint what should they do? The Islanders are moving to the Barclay's Center in Brooklyn in 2015. You would think they would want to bring some buzz into that season with perhaps a top pick. However no guarantee the Islanders are going to be in the bottom again 2015, but still pretty likely. So do the Islanders swallow hard and let the Sabres keep a potential top pick in 2014? Another issue is that 2015 is the McDavid-Eichel draft. Does New York give up a potential golden ticket in that 2015 draft? If I was the Islanders GM I would let the Sabres take the 2014 pick. Keep an eye on the future with McDavid and Eichel. I know this will be hard to explain to fans however it's the smarter move long run. Now from the Sabres side I think it's simple. You'll take that golden ticket in 2015. Sure you could possibly get two of either Reinhart, Ekblad, or Bennett. I would rather take Reinhart this year and then put him with Eichel or McDavid next year and possibly another high pick in 15. Personally as a Sabres fan I'm begging the Islanders to take the pick this year. The Islanders need to make the decision by June 1st. The lottery is held at the end of April so the Islanders will have about a month after the lottery to make a decision. The only way I would understand the Islanders keeping the 14 pick is if they have the 1st overall pick. What do you think the Islanders should do?
  8. Yeah just realized I refered to Tim Murray as Brian Murray in first paragraph. That's pretty embarrassing.
  9. Almost seems like a perfect fit for the Sabres to claim Conacher. Canisus College grad from the area and Murray would know a lot about him. Makes a lot of sense. Sabres need players who can score and help on the wing.
  10. The Sabres seemed to be pulling off the impossible. They are the worst team in the NHL yet the fan moral was at a all time high. The fans were excited about the direction of the team under Pat LaFontaine and new GM Brian Murray. The residents of hockey heaven excepted the idea of losing and rebuilding. However after an eventful weekend in March the atmosphere has changed. On Friday the face of the franchise Ryan Miller and captain Steve Ott were traded to St. Louis. Most fans were sad, but understood it. A rebuilding moving assets to get younger and new parts. The following day is when hockey heaven erupted in confusion and despair. Early Saturday afternoon reports started to float out of a shakeup in the Sabres front office. I immediately first thought Tim Murray decided to let long time Assistant GM Kevin Devine go. However as the story unfolded it shifted to Pat LaFontaine leaving the Sabres front office. Around 6:30 PM Saturday the Sabres made the official announcement of LaFontainte's resignation. To say the least people were shocked and confused by this development. LaFontaine brought in the current Sabres coach in Ted Nolan and GM Tim Murray. Now he's out the door abruptly. The speculation quickly began around the NHL. Was there discord in the front office? Did LaFontaine realize this job wasn't for him? Was he homesick and wanted to back to NYC? The popular belief according to various reports is some sort of disconnect in the Sabres front office. LaFontaine was truly out the door by the beginning of last week. LaFontaine was not at all involved in the Miller and Ott trade which rules that out as being the discord. Next the belief was well there must of been a disagreement over the status of interim Head Coach Ted Nolan. Well turns out the Sabres offered Nolan a 3 year contract extension. However here is where it gets interesting. Nolan has not excepted the Sabres offer. Nolan said Sunday that at this point in time he doesn't want to talk about contract and was very upset about LaFontaine's departure. Why would Nolan be so upset if LaFontaine truly left on his own accord as the Sabres claim? In the end I think the Sabres mend fences with Nolan and he remains the coach. From what I have been told a few things resulted in LaFontaine's departure. First off PL thought he would have final say on all decisions. When PL first came in he talked about wanting to be a GM one day, but wasn't ready yet. Many believed he was going to learn on the job and then eventually take over full control. However it seemed as though LaFontaine didn't enjoy having another cook in the kitchen. He wanted everything ran through him first not Murray. The situation then escalated when Pegula friend Joe Battista the VP of Hockey-Related Businesses started to step on some toes. Battista was hired from Penn State by Pegula and has no NHL experience. LaFontaine didn't like the way Battista was getting involved hockey decisions and came to a head a few weeks ago. These two issues combined with the fact that LaFontaine was starting to believe this job was not for him resulted in his resignation. At the end of the day something happened in the front office. The 100% total truth we'll never know. The timing of this couldn't be worse with the deadline approaching. When all is said and done I think Murray is the right guy for the job to rebuild the Sabres. Time will of course tell and he'll get dropped right into the first this week. The turmoil and transition for Sabres fans will continue over the next few days with more player movement to come. On a side a note a colleague of mine and myself are going to be starting a hockey podcast in the next month called The Breakout. I'll have more details as the time comes closer to launch. However gives us a follow @TheBreakoutPC for hockey talk and news on twitter. Thanks for the read!
  11. Well when PL first came in he talked about wanting to be a GM one day. I think his long term goal was to get a GM in here kind of learn on the job and then eventually run the show. In the end I think he found out maybe this isn't for him. I love Pat and I was excited when he got here. But I think Murray and Patrick r the better hockey ppl.
  12. I would be all for this if the conditional pick didn't turn into a 2014 1st if Miller resigns with the Blues
  13. This plain and simple comes down to LaFontaine wanted final say on all moves. He wanted to resign Miller (bad idea) and was angry when Murray disagreed and pursued and executed the trade. This has nothing to do with Nolan. He actually has been offered a 3 year extension. I think the Sabres r better off now with one guy running the show. Big few days ahead for the Sabres. Let Murray do his job. I have full faith in Murray.
  14. I wouldn't want 99. He has no experience in that type of job and also I don't think he'll have interest. He'll likely end up in the Leafs front office. I like Murray the Sens asst GM or Bruins asst GM Jim Benning. Can't count out Botterill either with Sabres mgmt ties to Pittsburgh.
  15. From a Sabres point of view Myers would cost a ton. And Hartnell is not the type of player the Sabres r in the market for. You don't give up on a 23 year old 6'8 defenseman who skate and provide offense. I think he gets a bad ride in Buffalo. People expect him to be Chara but he's not. That's not his style. He's played well this season I think since coming into camp in shape and injury free. He's def started to excel in Nolans offensive style. He played well with Zadorov before the Sabres deciding to end the youth movement and said Zadorov to London. Next year that could be a great pair of size.
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