There is a report out of Quebec that the Sabres have sent center Mikhail Grigorenko back to the Quebec Remparts.
More to come.
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Jaro Halak is in double secret probation right now. The St. Louis Blues' starting goalie finds himself trapped in a place that he doesn't want to be in, and that is Ken Hitchcock's crap list.
Halak's play has slipped in the month of November after he thrived October.
On Sunday night, Halak allowed 3 quick goals on 6 shots in just 15 minutes of play. Halak was given the quick hook after Hitchcock had seen enough of the madness.
The word around First Niagara Center today was that Halak will be the starter in Buffalo on Tuesday night.
Halak's win/loss record is deceiving. He's 10-3-2 this season, however, Hitchcock is reportedly concerned with Halak's escalating goals against average and his falling save percentage. In October, the former Montreal Canadiens net minder allowed just 19 goals on 228 shots that he faced. He finished October with a .916 save percentage. The goal light has been flashing quite frequently in November. Halak has allowed 16 goals on just 121 shots faced ( .867 save percentage).
Halak's last three performances have been iffy. He has a bloated 3.95 GAA and a concerning .816 save percentage.
The scouting report on Halak is that he is experiencing a crisis in confidence right now. He's been giving up fat rebounds that are leading to increased scoring opportunities against the Blues.
Bottomline:
Halak's 2.48 GAA is respectable, however, it is a high as it's been since his first season in St. Louis in 2009, his save percentage is .900 overall. Hitchcock is a patient man, however, he's not interested in having a good goalie. Hitch wants Halak to get his act together now. Good isn't good enough for Hitchcock, who's Blues have been punted from the Stanley Cup playoffs by Jonathon Quick and the L.A. Kings the past two post seasons.
Halak's back-up Brian Elliott is 3-0-1 with a 1.94 GAA and .927 save % this season.
Halak better get his act together, or else. Ryan Miller may well be the superstar goalie that Hitchcock has been longing for. The Blues have been scouting the Sabres in Buffalo and on the road for the past few weeks.
Halak and Elliott are both UFAs-to-be. Miller wil become UFA in July 2015.
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Once the buzz of the LaFontaine-Nolan takeover in Buffalo had subsided, one of my first thoughts was "what will become of the Sabres and their commitment to youth"?
I pondered whether LaFontaine and Nolan would embrace and continue to play four teenagers like Regier and Rolston had in the first 20 games of this season, or, would the paradigm be shifting away from youth to feature more experienced players?
Driving home from Friday night's game, I thought long and hard about what Nolan had said in his post game presser. Nolan is an old school thinker who rolls four lines and preaches "team first". Thats why you saw John Scott, Cody McCormick and Corey Tropp on the ice with regularity late in both Toronto games this past weekend. Nolan said that he'll play everyone on his bench because they are on his team and he's all about the team. What about the kids in the press box? How can they crack the lineup and play if all they do is skate drills in practice. Seems to me that Nolan and LaFontaine have done their homework and they know which players that they would like to move forward with. Some are surprises, others are not.
Case in point, Mikhail Grigorenko and Nikita Zadorov.
Grigo isn't growing as a player while watching the game from 150 feet above the ice surface. Skating in practice drills and performing in practice is one thing. Doing it against 30 year old men every night is another. Grigo cannot be sent to the Amerks for the rest of the season. The rules will not permit it. The only other option for him right now is to skate back to the Quebec Remparts. He's far too good to be playing with other 18 and 19 year olds, however, he needs to ice time and the good feelings to return to his game. Grigo is like one of the kids in a bitter divorce. His first two NHL coaches were fired in a nine month period of time. The GM who drafted him also was relieved of his duties. Regier committed to Grigo that he would stay and play all season in Buffalo. Ain't happenin' now. Better to go back to "The Q" and take out the anger and aggression on opposing goalies. The NHL is not in the crystal ball for Grigo.
Zadorov also has an option to jump he can jump the ditch and head back to juniors. The Hunters are probably begging for Zadorov to be sent back to OHL London Knights. Why not let the kid go play 26-30 minutes a night as the #1 D on a Memorial Cup-bound junior team? How could that stifle his growth?
I’m also wondering what Nolan thinks of Ristolainen right now. Perhaps the kid could benefit from a more clearly defined role in Rochester where he would play top pair minutes and play PK and PP. A demotion for Ristolainen would open the door for LaFontaine and Nolan to reward Brayden McNabb who has been a beast down on the farm this season. McNasty is a man playing amongst boys right now in “The A”. Of I’m Nolan, I’m handing a cookie to McNabb by way of a call up. McNabb has earned a promotion to Buffalo. In 15 games played, he has 2 gaols and 10 assists. He also has 29 PIMs. He's big, strong, fearless, and skilled.
Shouldn’t they be playing meaningful minutes (22-25 per night) on juniors? Conversely, Luke Adam is the hottest weapon in the AHL right now, scoring 13 goals (7PPGs) in 14 games played in Rochester. Shouldn’t Adam be given the respect of a well-deserved call-up? The kid was forgotten about by Ruff and Rolston. He’s done his chores and is more mature. He’s an offensively skilled player who can help the Sabres win shifts and games today. Shouldn’t he be given another look?
How about Pat Kaleta? He’s spent the past two weeks in Rochester and by all accounts has cleaned up areas of his game and smoothed out some rough spots. He scoring goals, assisting on others, blocking shots, playing a regular shift and keeping his thoughts focused on playing valuable hockey. Doesn’t PK36 deserve a second chance?
Today, after his uptempo practice, Nolan intimated that changes may be coming for the youngsters in Buffalo. Mike Weber should be healed and ready to play this week.
Maybe we'll be seeing addition by subtraction in the form of kids leaving and vets coming. Johan Larsson would benefit from playing a top six role and reading his name on the scorer's sheet again. Sitting in the press box in Buffalo isn't helping to develop Larsson's two-way game right now. Its time for a change.
Thanks, Sabres.com
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