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Tim Murray defines a "changing" core for his team |
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The word "core" can be a four-letter word from the point of view of a Sabres fan in 2015. It's a word that conjures up visions of a talented group of individual players who's underachieving, passive play inevitably lead to years of mediocrity as a team. "Core" can be a good word, like in Los Angeles with the Kings or with the Blackhawks in Chicago. Or it can touch a nerve, like in Buffalo.
When Sabres' broadcaster Brian Duff asked Buffalo GM Tim Murray to "define the core," yesterday before the game at Washington, it caused a mild twitch, albeit much milder than in recent years past. And that's a good thing as the past is slowly giving way to the future.
So how many players represent Murray's core right now?
"It changes depending on the circumstances," Murray told Duff. "Certainly today when you have Brian Gionta, Matty Moulson and Josh Gorges (the Sabres' three captains) and [Zemgus] Girgensons and [Mike] Weber and the two kids on the blue line (Rasmus Ristolainen and Nikita Zadorov.)
"They're here. They're all NHL players."
Gorges, Gionta and Moulson comprised a big July 1st for Murray in 2014. It was his first free-agency as GM of the Sabres and he was able to sign Gionta and Moulson as well as trade for Gorges. These were surprising moves for a team that most felt would be barreling towards the bottom of the league for the second straight season. And just as surprising was the fact that legitimate NHL players were interested in Buffalo.
"We finished in 30th place," said Murray at the end of the day last July 1st, "and today shows that there are quality players that want to come here. These were the guys we thought that we should go forward quickly with for what we wanted to achieve.
"Yesterday [Gionta] was the captain of the Montreal Canadians, a storied franchise, a playoff team. That wasn’t a token title. That was real,” he said. “There is stuff in this game that’s real and stuff that’s not real. And that’s real stuff. That’s legendary stuff. And he’s now a Buffalo Sabre.”
"We've got a lot of character now," added Murray when talking of that group July 1st. "We have leadership now. That's important to me when you're adding young players every year. There's a short term and a long term. The long-term is that your young players get better. Your young players become pros. They're not just good players, they're good NHL players, and I think that this group of people that we've added today can help in that regard."
Girgensons is one of those young players who was getting better before he took a hard slapshot to the ankle two weeks ago. He's the type of player who has skill, but more importantly has the will. He just turned 21 on January 4th and was the only youngin to see the First Niagara Ice for the bulk of the last two seasons of suffering. That he stayed and progressed while others were sent to minors or junior for further development is a testament to his intestinal fortitude and thick skin.
In 61 games played this season, Girgensons had career highs in goals (15) and assists (15.)
Another of those younger players, albeit one who has over 300 games under his belt is F, Tyler Ennis who Murray said would be in a top-six role. The 25 year-old who's in his 6th NHL season is on pace for his second 20-goal season in a row and is on pace to match last season's 43-point output. This is on a team that will once again will challenge the modern NHL mark for scoring futility.
One of "the two kids on the blueline" mentioned by Murray is Ristolainen who's all of 20 years old but has been playing against men for the better part three seasons in Europe and North America. He came into camp cut and with an attitude that said "you won't be sending me to Rochester this year." The other of the "Twin Towers" on the blueline, the 19-year old Zadorov, came into camp showing less dedication than Ristolainen and has had a very uneven season. His size, skill-level and on-ice demeanor make for a compelling package moving forward, but it would seem as if Zadorov is contributing to the "changing" portion of Murray's statement right now.
Quite possibly the biggest "core" piece that Murray's banking on is 23-year old Evander Kane.
Kane was acquired from Winnipeg but is out for the season. Coming back, Murray said he "hopes" the one-time former 30-goal scorer "can come in and do what we think he can do, play in a top-three role."
Murray was probably curbing his enthusiasm over the projections for Kane, although not nearly as much as when phenom Connor McDavid once said he "hoped" he'd be picked for the Canadian World Junior team. But Kane has to be considered a core piece and he must be looked at as a skilled, top-line player, one who very well could end up playing next to McDavid next season.
After the trade, Murray said of Kane, ""He's gonna be a big part of any success we have here, I believe. You watch him play on the ice, he plays hard, he plays in traffic, he doesn't play a perimeter game, he plays a heavy game, he scores goals from around the net, he plays the game right.
"He finishes checks, he's a good fighter. That's his character on the ice."
The other main piece of Murray's trade with Winnipeg was Zach Bogosian, a player he might have "overlooked" when mentioning his core to Duff.
Bogosian is a big-minute defenseman laying out big hits while patrolling the blueline. Although he skates extremely well and was touted as having offensive acumen, the 24 yr. old has yet to light it up. "He's big, strong, athletic kid who plays hard," Murray said of Bogosian at the time of the trade. "[He] has a ton of character, in my estimation, he has leadership qualities. I've liked him from the first game I saw him as an amateur player."
"Both guys (Kane and Bogosian) bring multiple dimensions, but the one dimension they both bring is they're hard to play against," said Murray. "They make us as a team, harder to play against. I guess I'm a fan of that."
Every one of the youngins mentioned by Murray, whether homegrown or acquired is considered "hard to play against." And that goes for Weber as well. Despite his shortcomings in the talent department, you won't get short-changed in the effort department and no one will get a free pass if he can help it. Weber's turning out to be a character player and although the future may only yield a #6/7 role for him, you know he'll give you everything he's got in that role.
There's room for more and the final six weeks of the 2014-15 season will offer a unique opportunity for players within the Sabres organization to show what they have to offer. "This is a great time to audition for them to show us that maybe we can sign them to a one-way deal, short-term to see what they can do for us."
In that mix are players like Johan Larsson, Phillip Varone, and Tim Schaller. Varone is playing on the top line and has played very well while Schaller has impressed all season. Larsson may have busted through a threshold last night in Washington as he easily had his best game as a Sabre.
This extended time in Buffalo offers a full view of a players' potential for Murray. "You go down to Rochester and it's a different game (in the AHL,)" said Murray. "They play in different roles. A first or second-line player in Rochester may be a third or fourth line player [in Buffalo].
"How do they adapt? Are they an adaptable player? Can they go up and down your lineup? These are all things we are looking at and we evaluate them every game. They'll show us. I've always said the players make the decision, basically, because they show you whether or not they're ready to be a good contributor."
One of those expected to be a "good contributor" is 2014 2nd-overall pick Sam Reinhart.
He got his nine games in this season before he was sent back to junior. The smarts were there, but the NHL size was not.
"This summer is huge for him," said Murray of Reinhart. "If he can gain 5-7 lbs. (putting him over 190 lbs. on his 6'1" frame,) he's a different player. The talent's there. The hockey sense is there. Everything's there. Now can he step up and take the constant grind of playing against 10-15 year veterans.
"Strength, to me is the one thing he has to improve [upon] and to me it's the easiest thing to improve. It's a matter of maturing and becoming a man."
I remember a time when former head coach Lindy Ruff was always asking his players to "play out of character" in reference to being harder on the puck and tougher to play against.
Hopefully that will be forgotten soon.
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