Buffalo Sabres General Manager Darcy Regier today announced that the team has signed defenseman Alex Biega to a one-year, two-way contract.
Biega (5’10”, 191 lbs., 4/4/88) was Buffalo’s fifth-round pick (147th overall) in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft. After spending the 2010-11 season with the Portland Pirates (AHL), Biega played for the Rochester Americans last season and recorded 23 points (5+18) in 65 games with the Amerks.
Biega has appeared in 126 career AHL games over two seasons, collecting 41 points (8+33), 99 penalty minutes and a +28 rating. A native of Montreal, Quebec, Biega also played four seasons of college hockey at Harvard.
The odds on a Sabres run to the 2013 Stanley Cup appear to be better today than they were when the regular season ended.
Bovada has published its mid-Summer odds. They list the Sabres at 22/1 odds to win the Cup. That's 12th out of 30 teams.
The Cup winning Kings are fourth choice at 12/1.
Pittsburgh remains Bovada's fave to win it all at 8/1, while the New York Rangers are in second place with 9/1 odds, largely based on their Rick Nash splash.Vancouver are listed at 11/1 and will likely improve their lot if they can sign Shane Doan. Lets face it, whoever signs Doan becomes a Cup favorite, right? The Cup winning Kings are fourth choice at 12/1.They like the Flyers at 13/1.
Due to UFA signings and trades, some teams have impressively improved their odds of winning it all. There are some other notable movements on the NHL betting line.
Minnesota went from 75-1 in June to 18-1 after signing Zach Parise and Ryan Suter.
Edmonton jumped from 60-1 to 30-1 after landing former top Ducks prospect Justin Schultz and drafting Nail Yakupov first overall.
Anaheim, Colorado, Montreal, Ottawa, Phoenix and Florida are listed at 40/1
Here are the teams listed in order of faves to dogs.
Pittsburgh Penguins 8/1
New York Rangers 9/1
Vancouver Canucks 11/1
Los Angeles Kings 12/1
Philadelphia Flyers 13/1
Chicago Blackhawks 14/1
Detroit Red Wings 15/1
Boston Bruins 16/1
St. Louis Blues 16/1
Minnesota Wild 18/1
San Jose Sharks 20/1 Buffalo Sabres 22/1
Carolina Hurricanes 22/1
Nashville Predators 25/1
Tampa Bay Lightning 25/1
Washington Capitals 25/1
New Jersey Devils 28/1
Edmonton Oilers 30/1
Toronto Maple Leafs 35/1
Anaheim Ducks 40/1
Colorado Avalanche 40/1
Florida Panthers 40/1
Montreal Canadiens 40/1
Ottawa Senators 40/1
Phoenix Coyotes 40/1
Calgary Flames 50/1
Dallas Stars 50/1Winnipeg Jets 50/1
New York Islanders 75/1
Columbus Blue Jackets 100/1
BUFFALO, N.Y. (August 2, 2012) --- The Buffalo Sabres today announced the variable ticket pricing plan for all Sabres home games in the 2012-13 season. The variable pricing plan breaks games down into five classifications to determine ticket price: Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze and Value. Games were categorized based on the opponent, time of the year, day of the week, classic rivalries and games against marquee players.
The pricing plan for the 2012-13 season includes one Platinum game (Dec. 26 vs. WSH), ten Gold games, fifteen Silver games, nine Bronze games, and six Value games.
A breakdown of ticket prices for the 2012-13 season is below. The full season schedule with game pricing designations is attached to this release.
USA Hockey announced the 40 players who will participate in the inaugural CCM/USA Hockey All-American Prospects Game, which will take place Sept. 29 at First Niagara Center in Buffalo, N.Y.
Buffalo, NY and Rochester, NY will be represented by three top flight prospects.
Justin Bailey, of Williamsville, is the son of former Buffalo Bills LB, Carlton Bailey. Justin played for Pat LaFontaine's Long Island Royals squad, which won the NY State Triple A Midget Championship in Buffalo in April. Justin will play for the OHL Kitchener Rangers.
Sean Malone of Buffalo attended Nichols School and will be attending Harvard.
Matt Lane of Rochester is a product o fthe USA Under 18 program and will be attending Chris Drury's alma mater, Boston University.
The roster boasts 40 of the top American prospects eligible for the 2013 National Hockey League Entry Draft. Represented are 31 players from the United States Hockey League, the top junior league in America, including 22 from USA Hockey's National Team Development Program in Ann Arbor, Mich. Additionally, at least 28 of the 40 are future NCAA Division I college players.
Among the 12 defensemen invited are Seth Jones (Plano, Texas) and Will Butcher (Sun Prairie, Wis.), who helped the U.S. National Under-18 Team win a gold medal at the 2012 International Ice Hockey Federation Men's Under-18 World Championship. They are joined by Dakota Mermis (Alton, Ill.), who helped guide the USHL's Green Bay Gamblers to Anderson Cup and Clark Cup titles in 2012.
The 24 forwards feature J.T. Compher (Northbrook, Ill.), Ryan Hartman (West Dundee, Ill.), Matt Lane (Rochester, N.Y.), Anthony Louis (Winfield, Ill.), Quentin Shore (Denver, Colo.) and Frank Vatrano (East Longmeadow, Mass.) who were also members of the U.S. team that won the 2012 IIHF Men's Under-18 World Championship.
Goaltenders for the event include Jared Rutledge (Chicago, Ill.), who also captured gold as a member of the U.S. National Under-18 Team at the 2012 IIHF Men's Under-18 World Championship; Hunter Miska (North Branch, Minn.) from the NTDP; and Eamon McAdam (Perkasie, Pa.) and Cal Petersen (Waterloo, Iowa), both from the USHL's Waterloo Blackhawks.
Here's the entire roster:
2012 CCM/USA Hockey All-American Prospects Game Roster – Buffalo, N.Y.
GOALTENDERS (4)
Hunter Miska North Branch, Minn. U.S. National Under-17 Team
Eamon McAdam Perkasie, Pa. Waterloo Black Hawks (USHL) Penn State University
Cal Petersen Waterloo, Iowa Waterloo Black Hawks (USHL)
Jared Rutledge Chicago, Ill. U.S. National Under-18 Team University of Michigan
DEFENSEMEN (12)
Gage Ausmus Grand Forks, Minn. U.S. National Under-17 Team University of Denver
Will Butcher Sun Prairie, Wis. U.S. National Under-17 Team University of Denver
Cody Corbett Lakeland, Minn. Edmonton Oil Kings (WHL)
Mike Downing Canton, Mich. Dubuque Fighting Saints (USHL) University of Michigan
Trevor Hamilton Grosse Pte. Farms, Mich. U.S. National Under-17 Team Miami University
Seth Jones Plano, Texas U.S. National Under-18 Team
Clint Lewis Burnsville, Minn. U.S. National Under-17 Team
Ian McCoshen Hudson, Wis. Waterloo Black Hawks (USHL)
Dakota Mermis Alton, Ill. Green Bay Gamblers (USHL) University of Denver
Steve Santini Mahopac, N.Y. U.S. National Under-17 Team Boston College
Scott Savage San Clemente, Calif. U.S. National Under-17 Team Boston College
Keaton Thompson Devilʼs Lake, N.D. U.S. National Under-17 Team University of North Dakota
FORWARDS (24)
Evan Allen Sterling Heights, Mich. U.S. National Under-17 Team University of Michigan Justin Bailey Williamsville, N.Y. Indiana Ice (USHL)
Taylor Cammarata Plymouth, Minn. Waterloo Black Hawks (USHL) University of Minnesota
Cole Cassels Columbus, Ohio Oshawa Generals (OHL)
J.T. Compher Northbrook, Ill. U.S. National Under-17 Team University of Michigan
Dawson Cook Cadillac, Mich. U.S. National Under-17 Team University of Notre Dame
Adam Erne New Haven, Conn. Quebec Remparts (QMJHL)
Austin Farley Park Ridge, Ill. Fargo Force (USHL) University of Minnesota Duluth
Hudson Fasching Burnsville, Minn. U.S. National Under-17 Team University of Minnesota
Ryan Fitzgerald North Reading, Mass. Malden (Mass.) Catholic High School Boston College
Ryan Hartman West Dundee, Ill. U.S. National Under-18 Team Miami University
Luke Johnson Grand Forks, N.D. Lincoln Stars (USHL) University of North Dakota
Tyler Kelleher Longmeadow, Mass. U.S. National Under-17 Team University of New Hampshire Matt Lane Rochester, N.Y. U.S. National Under-18 Team Boston University
Jimmy Lodge Downingtown, Pa. Saginaw Spirit (OHL)
Anthony Louis Winfield, Ill. U.S. National Under-17 Team Miami University Sean Malone West Seneca, N.Y. Nichols School (N.Y.) Harvard University
Mike McCarron Macomb, Mich. U.S. National Under-17 Team Michigan State University
Jacob Montgomery Oakdale, Minn. Shattuck-St. Maryʼs (Minn.) University of Nebraska Omaha
Tyler Motte St. Clair, Mich. U.S. National Under-17 Team University of Michigan
Ross Olsson North Billerica,Mass. Williston Northampton School (Mass.) Northeastern University
Quentin Shore Denver, Colo. U.S. National Under-18 Team University of Denver
Devin Tringale Medford, Mass. Lawrence Academy (Mass.) Harvard University
Frank Vatrano East Longmeadow, Mass. U.S. National
I'm imposing a strict moratorium on my Shane Doan information gathering-sharing
It seems that some in this hallowed community could care less about the fact that Sabres GM Dracy Regier is enamored with the 35 year old UFA. Where there's smoke, there's fire. For you lunatic fringe people that could care less about Doan, I tip my bucket to you.
Its August 2, and the Sabres still need a top line centre. The Buffalo pivot position is nice, but it needs some oomph. Ennis will be signed this week. Hodgson will be a solid second liner. Grigorenko may make the team out of camp. Girgensons will play in Rochester this season. No need to rush and arrest the development of Grigo and Girgo. Their time will come. They need pro hockey experience and a serious dose of heavy hockey in order to earn their membership card into the NHL club.
The UFA market for centres is as brown, burned and arrid as my front lawn right now. Gilbert Brule? Really? Jason Arnott? Maybe.
Darcy Regier is steadfastly searching for a centreman through the trade channels.
He need look no further than the Colorado Avalanche for the solution to his centre conundrum. The Avs need D. Buffalo have a stocked wine cellar. The Sabres need a vet centre. The Avs have them in spades. Its time to make a hard, legitimate charge at one of two Avs C's:
Ryan O'Reilly or Matt Duchene.
Like Tyler Ennis is in Buffalo, Ryan O'Reilly is an RFA in Denver.
Did you know that O'Reilly is Colorado's only unsigned player for next season? Weird, isn't it? My Twitter friend Adrian dater of the Denver Post (@adater) tweeted on Wednesday that he has spoken with O'Reilly's agent on 8/1. The agent said that he and teh Avs would be talking about O'Reilly's new contract in a week or two. A week or two?!! Why is Colorado GM, Greg Sherman, leaving his best player dangling in the wind? Something is fishy is Denver.
It can be argued that Ryan O'Reilly is the best player on the Avs roster because of his carbon copy similarities to Jonathon Toews. He's a big, tough, centreman who can win draws, play excellent special teams, and defends all 200 feet by 85 feet of the ice rink with amazing dexterity for a man his age. Whats more, he's got 20-25 goals in his twig annually. What would you be willing to pay a player of O'Reilly's ilk?
O'Reilly's entry level deal has expired and now he and his agent are waiting patiently for the Avs to re-sign him. On its surface, seems like a two foot tap-in putt, right?
Not so fast. Something happened last week that may be causing a tremor in the Rockies. Matt Duchene, O'Reilly's team mate took a hometown haircut to stay in Denver. Two years and $7 million for a 21 year old, 40+ goal producer, with 250 NHL games in his equipment bag? I'll admit that I was taken aback when I heard the brevity of Duchene's term and his team-friendly $3.5 million annual cap hit. Some are saying that Duchene left money on the table. If its true, how can that help O'Reilly in his quest to maximize his leverage in his quest for a new long term deal with an annual cap hit that will be north of $3.5 large?
Duchene's deal sets the market in Denver. Duchene will be used as a comparable to O'Reilly. Sucks for O'Reilly.
Young centres like Duchene, Tavares, and Hodgson to name a few don't grow on trees. Thats why GMs lock them up long term when given the opportunity to do so.
Adrian Dater of the Denver Post recently wondered if Matt Duchene's new deal may have usurped whatever leverage that O'Reilly had with the team. Its possible.
Thus, there's no urgency to sign O'Reilly. It must be noted that its only mid-July. Training camps won't open for 60 days, or more, if there is another work stoppage due to the new collective bargaining agreemnent.
Both Duchene and O'Reilly came into the NHL at the same time. Each have similar numbers, though it can be argued that O'Reilly is the more well-rounded and complete pivot, while Duchene is the sniper. Their ELCs had expired at the same time. Duchene was the third overall pick in the 2009 NHL Draft, while O'Reilly was the thirty third overall pick (second round) that same year.
Statistically speaking, Duchene had the better start to his Avs career, scoring more points than O'Reilly in his first two seasons. Then, last season, while Duchene was nursing injuries, that would sabotage his season, O'Reilly established himself as a force and created quite an impressive brand name for himself by virtue of his rugged two way game.
One asks:
How is it that the Avs are taking their sweet old time re-signing O'Reilly? How does the guy go from being your best player to your last player to sign, all in one fell swoop?
Perhaps the Sabres should make an inquiry as to the status of O'Reilly. I'd be asking the obvious question of the Avs front office: how do they value O'Reilly? I'd also be asking the Avs if he's available for a trade to Buffalo.
The Avs have their two top centres, Stastny and Duchene locked up right now. O'Reilly sits and waits for his next contract. Eventually, O'Reilly will be re-signed. Or, will he? Perhaps the Avs are content to move forward with Stastny and Duchene as their one-two punch down the middle, and, perhaps they are more interested in trading O'Reilly for a high scoring winger to compliment the amazing Gabriel Landeskog, like say Jason Pominville or Bobby Ryan. Buffalo can include a veteran puck-moving, mobile D like Sekera or Leopold to sweeten a deal. The Avs have centre prospect Joey Hishon on the come, and I'm told that he may be making the Avs squad this season.
Hishon played his ass off and was a force for the Owen Sound Attack for the past four seasons. He's NHL ready. Perhaps the Avs want to plug-n-play Hishon and trade O'Reilly. Hishon was the 17th overall pick in the 2010 NHL Draft. He's a magician with the puck on his stick as he can score and can create plays in traffic and out of the corner for his linies. Hishon scored 110 regular season goals and added 9 playoff goals in his four years at Owen Sound. He also added 145 assists in regular season play.
Here's Hishon's body of work from his junior hockey career at Owen Sound:
214 regular season games played. 110 goals. 144 assists. 254 regular season points. 1.19 points per game. 162 PIMs. +16 . 26 playoff games. 9 goals. 22 assists. 31 points. 1.19 points per game. 38 PIMs. +4.
Hishon is a beast, and he needs to play in the NHL this season.
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