If Evander Kane won Power Ball he would bust out his money phone and make a long distance call.
Perhaps he would buy the Winnipeg Jets.
Dare to dream.
**
The six game losing streak in the rear view mirror, the Buffalo Sabres return home from their highly successful three game Midwestern roadie a happier, more content hockey team.
The Sabres easily could have won all three games on the trip were it not for the greasy Danault goal that Chad Johnson allowed in the 55th minute in Chicago on Friday night.
Still, four out of a possible six points ain't nothin' to sneeze at.
Dan Bylsma and his staff must feel good about themselves now that the Sabres have thrown off the mental chains that were binding their abilities earlier this month.
The Sabres will play back to backers against Boston and Washington on Friday and Saturday nights, respectively. Then they stab westward for winnable games in Arizona and Colorado.
The glass half full story is that with 38 points in 43 games played, the Sabres find themselves trending upwards. They are one of nine teams who are fighting for a wild card playoff spot. Tampa have 48 points, Boston 47, Pittsburgh and Ottawa 46, Carolina 45 , Philadelphia 43, and Toronto 39 points.
The glass half empty take is that the Sabres are just 4 points out of the NHL cellar which is currently occupied by Columbus (34 point).
Welcome to the crossroads in the 2015-16 Buffalo Sabres season.
Are the Sabres a bona fide playoff contending team this season? Or, are they better served to go dumpster diving for the opportunity to win a lottery pick names Matthews, Puljujarvi, Laine, Tkachuk or Chychyrn?
Tried and true, diehard Sabres fans will tell you that they believe that Bylsma and the boys can and will fight and claw to achieve the eighth and final playoff spot or a wild card berth. I tend to believe that line of thinking as the East is a one horse race now with Washington the only team capable of beating the best teams in the West in the postseason. Eastern contenders Montreal and NY Rangers have fallen on the black ice that is the result of the dog days of winter. Eastern GMs are looking high and low for veteran players who can be added rentals.
There is also a school of thought, which I embrace, inside the NHL that the Sabres are better off in their next chapter season to sell off their aging vets for other teams' top prospects and premium draft choices. You should know by now that Murray loves him some "murrency": young players and draft choices. Murray and the Sabres will host the 2016 NHL Draft in June and you better belive that Murray and his scouts want to stock-pile as many premium picks in the top 60 slots of Buffalo-based draft, which promises top be one of the best in a long time. It's not quite the McEichel Draft, however, the first and second rounds are going to be chock full o'top talent on both sides of the puck. The 2016 NHL Draft will produce players who will skate right into the NHL and make an immediate impression next season.
It's looking and sounding more and more like Murray is about to sell-off some of his late twenty and early thirty-somethings for more young players and premium picks. Murray and his management team now know what their young core is capable of doing moving forward. He also knows that he has valuable veteran players that his NHL GM counterparts have been scouting for months who can add immediate value to their respective teams during the playoffs.
Murray has become the master of the mic drop moment at the NHL draft. In his first two NHL drafts as Sabres GM , Murray has confidently sped to the stage and proudly selected Jack Eichel and Samson Reinhart with his second overall draft choices in 2014 and 2015. Murray loves to drop the mic and skate away. In June, he will be the host of the NHL draft and you best believe that he wants to shock the world with a blockbuster trade like the Ryan O'Reilly-Jamie McGinn show stopper that occurred moments before puck drop at the NHL draft in Sunrise, Florida. Murray loves the drama and the pageantry. He's highly competitive and he loves to puff his chest out and admire his own work in front of his peer group and media.
Today, Murray has 11 draft choices in the June draft. However, he wants more "murrency".
Murray will not trade his first overall pick which will be lottery protected. He has single second, fourth, sixth round picks. Murray also is the owner of three third rounders, two fifth rounders and two seventh rounders.
Murray will tell you that he can never have enough draft choices, especially quality picks in the Top 60 selections. Today, Murray has only two Powerball tickets for the Top 60 drawing in June. He will be adding more via trade in the days and weeks to come. Murray wants another first round draft choice and more second rounders in the 2016 draft.
Murray told Pierre LeBrun earlier this week that he is realistic about his team's lot in life right now.
"The approach is the same. We’re in 29th place. I do stress that we think we’ve improved greatly everywhere but in the standings," Sabres general manager Tim Murray said.
"This is the process. If I can acquire younger assets or future assets for some of our veterans, especially veterans on expiring contracts, I’m going to pursue that for sure."
The first 43 games of the season has afforded Murray and Bylsma fair, balanced, and highly accurate assessments on players young and old.
Murray and Bylsma are pleased as punch at their new core which includes: Jack Eichel, Ryan O'Reilly, Evander Kane, Samson Reinhart, Jamie McGinn, Zemgus Girgensons, Marcus Foligno, Nic Deslauriers, Rasmus Ristolainen, Zach Bogosian, Jake McCabe, Mark Pysyk, Robin Lehner and Linus Ullmark.
Based on Murray's comments, if my name is Mike Weber (pending UFA), Josh Gorges (oneyear remaining), Cody Franson (one year remaining), Brian Gionta (one year remaining), Tyler Ennis, David Legwand, Matt Moulson (multiple years remaining), Johan Larsson (pending RFA), Carlo Colaiocovo (pending UFA) and Chad Johnson (pending UFA) there may be changes blowing through Buffalo between now and the February 29 NHL trade deadline.
I see a four year contract extension in Jamie McGinn's future. He will sign a new deal with an AAV of $4 million. McGinn is an adhesive guy who is made of equal parts velvro, duct tape and glue. Ryan O'Reilly and McGinn are best friends off the ice and play a very complimentary game together on the ice. For that reason I know McGinn staying in Buffalo for a long time.
Before you give the Bronx Cheer to the idea of contending teams trading for Mike Weber, Josh Gorges, Cody Franson, Tyler Ennis, Johan Larsson, and Chad Johnson pump your brakes. I speak to NHL scouts and NHL personnel men on a regular basis. Just because you don't see value in the aforementioned players doesn't mean that they are not highly sought after perfirmers. Look at Torrey Mitchell and Brian Flynn. Montreal GM Marc Bergevin loved both former Sabres so much that he traded for both of them and baked them into his veteran core immediately after they were traded there last winter.
I'm confident that Murray could trade Tyler Ennis for a mid to late first rounder. Speaking to scouts and suits one gets the impression that Ennis' trade value is still high despite the three injuries that he has suffered from t hi s season. Twenty goal scorers are not raised on a farm in Alberta. They are special players. Ennis is a young, aggressive twenty goal scorer who when health can add pop and offense to a team's lineup.
Mike Weber, Josh Gorges, Cody Franson, Larsson and Johnson today can and should fetch second round draft choices. They can also be used as sweeteners in trades.
I'm told that Murray has already had dialogue with teams this season as it relates to to availability of Webwr, Ennis, Gorges. Up until lastvweek whwn they made the Vinny LeCavalier-Luke Schenn trade with Philly, the LA Kings scouted the Sabres for weeks. They were looking for a veteran blue liner to replace veteran Matt Greene who was placed on LTIR. I'm told that the Kings were interested in Josh Gorges and Mike Weber. They were looking for a grizzled, veteran hammer. The opportunity past when Dean Lombardi made a deal with Ron Hextall.
At the present moment, Murray has only two picks in the Top 60 in the Buffalo draft. I'd be willing to bet that he is going to add between 3 and 5 more pics in the top 60 of the 2016 NHL draft before the February 29 NHL trade deadline.
Murrency makes the world go round.
He with the most murrency at the end of the game wins.
Join the Discussion:
»