Pegulaville26

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

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.

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)

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

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.

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.

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?

Yeah just realized I refered to Tim Murray as Brian Murray in first paragraph. That's pretty embarrassing.

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.

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!

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.

I would be all for this if the conditional pick didn't turn into a 2014 1st if Miller resigns with the Blues

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.

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.

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.

1997-2013…The Darcy Regier era for the Buffalo Sabres has come to an end. For the first time in 16 years Regier is not calling the shots over the hockey department in Buffalo. A long time coming. Perhaps one of his worst decisions keeping Ron Rolston as head coach was also shown the door today. Under Rolston the Sabres went 19-26-6; however very few of those wins came in regulation. This year the Sabres gave up the most shot in the NHL and continued to be one of the worst teams in puck possession in the league. Rolston was in over his head and not ready to be an NHL coach yet. I’m not going to bash Regier and Rolston today though. Everyone knows what lead to their failures and no need to go over again. Instead I want to focus on the new era of the Sabres that will be led by new Director of Hockey Operations Pat LaFontaine and in the short term Interim Head Coach Ted Nolan. First I’m going to touch on what Ted Nolan brings. Nolan and Rolston are on complete opposite sides of the coaching spectrum. Rolston is an X and O’s teacher and Nolan is a lets go play hockey who needs fancy systems guy. Nolan believes in outworking your opponent and winning the battles for the puck. This is a very different style than what was preached by Ruff and Rolston for the players; however I think Nolan’s style better fits this young team better. Nolan is going to demand his players to work hard or they simply won’t play. I think Nolan’s style also fits really well with one important Sabres player in particular…Tyler Myers. I think Myers will be able to join the rush more and show his offensive side we haven’t seen in two years without a coach shoving defense first and second down his throat. Also look for out casts like Luke Adam (11 goals in the AHL this year), Brayden McNabb, and Patrick Kaleta to get another chance to show what they have with no eyes watching. Now to the main attraction Pat LaFontaine. LaFontaine was working for the NHL under Bill Daly before being brought in by Buffalo. People are going immediately point to the fact LaFontaine has no experience however I don’t recall Neely in Boston or Sakic in Colorado having experience before being handed the keys to the hockey team in those organizations and so far so good for them. The hiring of LaFontaine brings excitement and some credibility back to the organization. LaFontaine said he has a short list of GM candidates he’s looking at to replace Regier. He also spoke about his #1 candidate being someone with “multiple Cups” and “one of the smartest hockey people knows”. I immediately jumped to LaFontaine’s former teammate currently working in Edmonton Mark Messier. Messier would bring more star power and credibility to the Sabres front office. Another name to watch who is always connected to Buffalo is Rick Dudley. Do these moves today help the Sabres turn this season around? Probably not. Sabres are still likely headed for a top 3 draft selection in April; however it makes the plan of rebuilding more acceptable to the fans with new people overseeing this organization. It’ll be interesting to see the ripple effects in the lineup these changes cause. Also should be a next interesting few weeks as LaFontaine looks to bring in the new GM of Hockey Heaven. Oh yeah….Sabres have a home and home with the Leafs this weekend, meeting for the first time since the preseason line brawl. Should be intriguing.

I don't get this from a Islanders point of view. Vanek is pretty much going to Minnesota in July unless he's blown away by playing with Tavares. Also Moulson and Vanek are almost = in production. Then for the Sabres to get a 1st and 2nd is robbery. Not to mention if Moulson has no interest in an extension he can flipped for more picks/prospects at the deadline. Darcy saves his job again with a trade.

If it was my league this clown would be banned after this. No place for players like him in the NHL. Players like him are why players have to fight after dishing out a good clean hit. It bothers me to end that every good hit results in a fight now.

Suffering- “to undergo or feel pain or distress.” Since Sabres GM Darcy Regier dropped this now infamous line in the offseason the 2013-14 Buffalo Sabres season has been coined the “Season of Suffering”. So far the young season has lived up to that. The Sabres limp into Long Island tonight 0-6-1 tying the franchise record for worst start to a season. They’re the lowest scoring team in the NHL with 7 goals in 7 games and a NHL leading +/- defenseman in Mike Weber who’s a -9. Mikhail Grigorenko is making his second stop to the press box in 7 tonight games and Tyler Myers has showed very little improvement over his awful campaign last year. One has to wonder how many games the Sabres need to lose before someone is out of a job. 10? 15? 20? In reality none of those numbers get main target Darcy Regier canned. Pegula seems oblivious to the obvious while he’s out building hockey arena’s at Penn State and Harbor Center in downtown Buffalo, as his hockey teams continues to crumble under his leadership. By the way I think the Penn State and Harbor Center things are great, but simply making a point of his focus. Let’s make a shift here because frankly I’m sick of beating the horse of negativity to death on this team. I want to look at a potential positive. Let’s say in my best case scenario Darcy is fired within the first 2 months of the season and a new GM comes in. Don’t hit the “X” at the top of the screen after reading that last line, stay with me. Would you sign up for a season where the Sabres finish in the bottom 3 of the league thus getting a top 3 pick next year in the draft? Thus resulting in the Sabres to select D-man Aaron Ekblad or center Sam Reinhart or forward Michael Dal Colle. Outside of that the Sabres finally make the long overdue moves of trading Thomas Vanek and Ryan Miller. Let’s start with Miller. I still think the best match barring injury for a Miller trade is the St. Louis Blues. For arguments sake here’s the deal; 2nd round pick and a player like Jaden Schwartz or Vladimir Tarasenko for Miller. Schwartz and Tarasenko might be a bit much, but I don’t think out of the question. I think Tarasenko would be great on the wing with Grigorenko and that would be my preferred choice. However if he keeps up with the pace he’s started the season the Blues would be crazy to move him. So let’s say the return is a 2nd and Schwartz. Now let’s move to the Thomas Vanek trade. This is going to be a little tougher than people think. Thought around the league is that Vanek wants to play in Minnesota and Minnesota wants Vanek. In fact Vanek was the initial player the Wild contacted Buffalo about last season before making the Pominville trade. Do the Sabres figure out a way to make a move with the Wild again and make everyone happy? Cap wise I can’t see it working this season with the Wild. They need to clear Heatley’s contract before bringing in Vanek. Unless…..the Sabres take Heater back in a potential deal. Too many maybe’s for me to go down that road. I honestly can’t even think of a potential team right now for Vanek. So let’s go basic here and say you get a 1st and a prospect for Vanek. So let’s recap, going into the 2014 draft you have two 1st round picks (one being a top 3) and two 2nd round picks. You picked up Jaden Schwartz and another high potential prospect. With their top 3 pick they draft Dal Colle or Reinhart or Ekblad. A new GM is in control and lastly your prospect/youth cupboard is stacked with Girgensons, Pysyk Ristolainen, two 2014 1st round picks, Armia, Zadorov, Grigorenko, McNabb, Hodgson, Foligno, Larsson, Schwartz, and prospect from Vanek trade. If you’re a Sabres fan do you take one season of “suffering” for the scenario I laid out above or would you rather have a team like last year?

“Grigorenko’s talent level is undeniable. He is a gifted offensive center who possesses great patience with the puck and the ability to thread passes all over the ice. He is a smooth skater and has the potential to be a top scorer in the NHL. Grigorenko has been criticized for inconsistent and disinterested play in the past, though he has played through injuries.” That is the scouting report on Mikhail Grigorenko from hockeysfuture.com. The section I bolded is the part to remember as I go through this. Tonight the 2012 1st round pick will be a healthy scratch for the 3rd time in his short career. Last year the Russian Center was given a break because he spent the majority of his time on the 4th line with Patrick Kaleta and John Scott. Surely no place for a 18 year old scoring center to grow. However a few things stood out last year that left you worried about the young Russian. First off unlike the scouting report above Grigorenko was not a smooth skater. He had a choppy stride and didn’t look like he could keep up with the NHL pace. Grigo worked with Sabres skating instructor Dawn Braid a lot last season to improve his skating. You can tell his skating has improved this year; however it’s still a work in progress. Here is where the bolded section in the above scouting report comes into play. Perhaps the most alarming buzz coming out on Grigorenko last year was his work ethic. The rookie center was getting his desire and work ethic questions by coaches and players. In games you could tell he wouldn’t go after loose pucks with much determination and would on occasion give up on his back check. I was ready to write this off as an 18 year old kid being new to the NHL and not knowing what it takes. This year I expected someone to get into Grigorenko’s ear and he would come back working extremely hard. So far into the young 2013-14 season the same issue continues. Grigo was given the chance to play with hard working wingers Brian Flynn and the Sabres other 2012 1st round pick Zemgus Girgensons. The big Latvian forward Girgensons has already lapped Grigorenko in his development. However that’s for another day. Grigorenko didn’t seem to fit the mold with that line. You could tell on occasion his effort was poor and Grigo didn’t play with the same intensity as his wingers. This often resulted to Kevin Porter being moved up to be the center on that line and tonight results in young 2 way center Johan Larsson being given the chance, while Grigorenko sits. So what do the Sabres do from this point? Should new captains Steve Ott and/or Thomas Vanek talk with the young Russian? Should Grigorenko just sit until he gets it? Should the Sabres let him play through it and hope it clicks? Should they try to move Grigorenko while he still has some value? Honestly, I don’t know the best course of action. I think Grigorenko could use a year in the AHL however his age prohibits that. With Corey Tropp and former 1st round pick Joel Armia a few weeks from returning from injury; roster spots will start to become tougher to earn. The only way Grigorenko gets back in the lineup now is to show he deserves in practice or injury. So far the chances of him earning it look thin based on past history. I believed that drafting fellow Russian Valeri Nichushkin in this year’s past draft would not only been a good move for Buffalo’s forward talent, but a move to help out Grigorenko as well. However the Sabres opting to go with two big defenders in Ristolainen and Zadorov ended that plan. The kid has the talent to play at this level; he just needs the drive to go out and earn it. You can teach someone how to play the game, but you can’t teach them to want to play the game.

This makes sense in some ways. In others it makes none. Didn't the Avs give up a 1st for Varlamov 2 years ago and they give up on him already? Better D in Colorado could fix everything. If the Sabres are really kicking the tires on this then they must be having contract issues with Hodgson, another growing concern as camp is right around the corner.

As we approach the offical start of Free Agency on Friday, teams are starting to talk to players in hope of agreeing to a deal before Friday. I expect the first day of Free Agency to be exciting. The Sabres themselves sit in an interesting spot this year. After attacking the top players in UFA the last two season under the Pegula regime I think they are going to take a different approach this year. I believe they are going to attack the second tier and look for players that will fit in with the young core that is being built. Here five players I would target this year: 1. Danny Briere-35 years old-C/LW The former Sabres Co-Captain is the #1 target this year. I have been told this by an acquaintance who works in Sabres hockey operations department (aka source). Management wants Briere back badly and will go all out to bring him back. They believe Briere can get perhaps get Leino going again with the magic they had in Philly. Also they believe that bringing back Briere will help them convince Vanek to stay. Lastly they believe that Briere can help groom future Sabres stars like Hodgson, Grigorenko, and Girgensons. At this point in his career Danny will not likely play a full season however I think he would be a great fit for the Sabres. 2. Viktor Stalberg-27 years old-LW I think Stalberg would fit in well with his speed and size to a young Sabres roster. The 6'3 winger landed in the dog house during the playoffs in Chicago. I have always liked the game Stalberg played during his time in Chicago. His mix of size and speed would be great for an awful PP and puck possession, Now Stalberg does have some red flags. He will need a coach who can push him to bring it every game and Rolston made a statement last season that you earn your ice or sit. Perhaps a new start could be just what Stalberg needs to jump his career. The Sabres are in a spot where they can take a chance on a player like Stalberg. 3. Damien Brunner-27 years old-LW The Swiss product had a great start to his NHL career last season with Detroit. He ended the campaign with 26 points in 44 games. Like Stalberg, Brunner would fit in well with a young team looking to grow. Brunner could be an example of the magic that happens when you put on the winged wheel sweater, however again a 2-3 year lower salary contract is something the Sabres can live with. I still believe there's a good chance Brunner ends up back with the Wings when all is said and done. 4. Pierre-Marc Bouchard-29 years old-C/W Bouchard's career has been slowed down with injuries. I love a team with speed and excitment, which is why I would look at a player like Bouchard. The Canadian forward will likely get a prove it 1 or 2 year deal from any time this year. To stick with the theme hear why not try to catch lightning in a bottle and a shot with Bouchard. He can bring scoring from a 2nd/3rd line role which the Sabres need badly. If Bouchard can stay healthy I still think he can make an impact in this league. Thats the catch though. Can you get enough games out of him to make it worth it. 5. Mason Raymond-27 years old-LW Raymond struggled to live up to expectations in Vancouver and also delt with a rash of injuries. Raymond was oftern included in trade chatter over the last two seasons and the Sabres did kick the tires on Raymond at one point. A fresh start for Raymond could be just what the doctor ordered. Being out of the spotlight in Vancouver could allow the 27 year old winger to relax and play his game. Raymond can play in both ends of the rink. He can help on the PP or PK. On a line with a player like Steve Ott and a young playmaker like Mikhail Grigorenko I think Raymond has the chance to excel. The Sabres right now sit with 15.5 million cap space after the buy out of Nathan Gerbe. They need to still sign Hodgson, Flynn, Hackett, and Tropp who are RFA's. That should leave the Sabres with about 9-10 million to play with. I dont expect the Sabres to be big players outside of Briere. They'll be looking for players who fit roles.

Injured they can't

Sabres have placed winger Nathan Gerbe on Waivers to buy him out. This move saves the Sabres 1.4 million in cap space this season. This is likely more of a respect move for Gerbe. Numbers game doesn't leave room for him on the roster with Armia, Girgensons, and Leino playing in the NHL possibly this year. This allows Gerbe to look for a roster spot somewhere else. A little surprised that there was no trade market for him, if the Sabres did try to gauge his market. The 5'5 winger was a fan favorite in Buffalo and will be missed. Perhaps Gerbe's best moment as a Sabre...

The citizens of Hockey Heaven are still ready to jump off the cliff because Thomas Vanek and Ryan Miller are still Buffalo Sabres. To those people I say calm down, still a long way to go. I still believe Buffalo will do everything in their power to keep Vanek in blue and gold. However I mainly want to focus this on what did happen Sunday in Newark. The Sabres flirted early in the day with making a move to the 5 spot in a trade with Carolina. Rumors were swirling of Myers going to the Canes for the 5th pick, which turned out to be totally false and Sekera was the Sabres player in question there. Sekera would eventually find his way to the hated Canes later in the day, I'll get to that later. First lets take a look at the Sabres 1st round selections at 8 and 16. Personally I was hoping for the Russian power forward Valeri Nichushkin. I thought he would be a great fit with Grigorenko and his 6'4 size on the wing would be just what the Sabres need. However I can understand them staying away with the KHL question looming thus causing the big Russian winger to fall to Lindy Ruff and the Stars at 10. Kind of ironic looking back at Ruff's not so great history with Europeans especially Russians (see Afinogenov, Kozlov, and Grigorenko). Instead the Sabres went with Finish blue liner Rasmus Ristolainen. The 6'3 Finn is known to be hard to play against and physical in his own zone. He brings a heavy shot from the point and could be a great PP QB in the future. Riso has a decent chance of making the opening night roster. To be honest I didn't spend a lot of time looking into Ristolainen because I expected the Sabres to go forward at 8, I'm still doing my research. At 16 I again expected the Sabres to look at a player like Adam Erne or Hunter Shinkaruk, they went to the blue line again selecting punishing London Knights defender Nikita Zadorov. The 6'5 Russian was labeled as perhaps the meanest player in the draft this year. Zadorov is more known for his hitting and size than his skill. I can see him projecting out as a Robyn Regehr type player with more speed. He's not going to wow you with his skill, but he will be strong in his end and punish the opposing forwards in the corner. A player who is hard to play against is always a plus. The Sabres need to make teams not want to come into the First Niagara center. The second round I think is where the Sabres earned the excellent draft grade a lot people are giving them. Darcy again was back to robbing his opposing GM's when he traded Andrej Sekera to Carolina for Jamie McBain and the 35th pick. I liked the way Sekera played however to many puck movers on the Sabres blue line and Regier did a good job flipping an asset. McBain is a good pick up with his potential. However I'm more excited about the player Buffalo picked at 35 J.T. Compher from the USAHL. Compher could of gone in the 1st round in a less stacked draft. He has the potential to be a strong two way center who is hard to play against (see the theme here). Compher can be the replacement Sabres fans have been looking for since Drury left. Compher may not score as much, but has some of Drury's same tools. I know the kid is 18 and I might be getting carried away however I love the pick. Also it was nice to see the Sabres select Buffalo's own Justin Bailey with their third 2nd round pick. Bailey is 6'3 190 lbs and has the reputation of being a hard worker and again hard to play against. The Sabres would later pick up another home grown talent in Sean Malone in the 6th round. All in all I give the Sabres an A yesterday. Regier did a good job stocking the cupboard with size and tough prospects. I know they didn't get that exciting forward however they still have Miller, Stafford, and Vanek as chips to deal this offseason. I'll be back later this week with a look at Free Agency for the Sabres. Who could be a surprisingly active team, but not for high end UFA's.