Twitter follower @johnsonrod17 pointed out a potential conflict with the NHL rule book. Burke tweeted the link to the NHL Department of Player Safety video that was produced to differentiate between a dangerous trip and a slew foot.
What ensued was a smart give and take on the NHL rules regarding tripping and slew foot trips.
Who says that Sabres D-man Tyler Myers can't play the physical game as well as he plays the offensive game?
Ask Jamie Benn what he thinks about big #57's strength and pugnacity.
Thanks, Sportsnet
Myers dropped Benn like a bad habit. Don't think that his physicality is lost on NHL scouts. Myers can drop the hammer on opposing forwards. His critics know this. Their beef is that they would like to see it out of him on a more consistent basis.
Myers also scored his third goal of the season against Lindy Ruff's struggling bunch. Word has it that Lindy and GM Jim Nill are interested in Buffalo goalie Jhonas Enroth. More on that later.
Myers' name has been omnipresent in NHL trade chatter since last spring. As the March 2 trade deadline approaches, the whispers will intensify.
The Anaheim Ducks, Colorado Avalanche, and Detroit Red Wings all want a piece of Myers. The asking price has been and will continue to be high on Myers. And rightly so.
Don't sleep on the LA Kings. They have expressed interest in Myers as ell, however, they are more than tire kickers on Myers. The Kings lost top four D Alec Martinez to an upper body injury in their win at Tampa on Saturday afternoon. Test results have not been made public on the exact nature and extent of Martinez's injury.
No clear indication on severity of Martinez's injury via Darryl, Dean. Will continue to be looked at.
The Kings were said to be looking at Toronto's pending UFA D Cody Franson. However, its been said that Franson's camp will be seeking five year, $25+ million deal this summer.
Myers carries a $5.5 million cap hit for this and the next three seasons.
If MRI results show structural damage to Martinez then Kings GM Dean Lombardi will have no other recourse than to intensify his trade talks with Tim Murray. If its a long term injury, Lombardi will get long term injury cap relief.
The Kings will be in an world of hurt if Martinez is lost long term They are already playing without top four D Slava Voynov whose domestic violence court case begins on March 2, the NHL trade deadline day.
The Kings are not assured a Western Conference playoff berth right now. They are hanging on for dear life in the West. They waived Mike Richards a couple of weeks ago to free up $925,000 in cap space to acquire a top four D like Myers. Robyn Regehr and Brayden McNabb are playing big roles on the beat up Kings D corps and they know Myers very well from their days plying together in Buffalo. Speaking of Regehr, he was forced to play a season high 29 minutes. Ditto Drew Doughty. The Kings are an exhausted hockey team as they have played a ton of hockey the past three seasons with very little time for rest and recovery during the summers. When a team wins two Stanley Cups in three season, there is bound to be fatigued, exhaustion and injuries to key players. The Kings are one of the oldest teams in the NHL and they are showing signs of wear and tear. Its natural. They need an infusion of new talent. Myers has a lot of tread left on his tires. He's played six seasons in the NHL and is just 24 years of age. Darryl Sutter wants Myers to skate 29 minutes a game, not Reggie Regehr who is bound to break down if he continues to play north of 22 minutes per game. Sutter needs a horse to eat minutes and to stabilize his PK and PP. Myers is the right stallion for the job. Myers is already eating 25-28 minutes TOI per game and he is fresh and healthy. Dean Lombardi can ill afford to lose Doughty, Regehr, Muzzin, Greene or McNabb due to a fatigue-related injury. The Kings need a top four D sooner than later to take the pressure off the LA vets.
For what price Myers?
LA would have to trade forward Tyler Toffoli (14G, 16A), goalie Martin Jones (4-3-2, 2.20 GAA, .908 save %), and Jordan Nolan (6'3 220 lbs, 2G, 27 PIMs)) to Buffalo. Jones will be RFA this summer. He will always play second fiddle to Jonathon Quick in LA. Always. Tim Murray scouted Toffolli in person while he tore up the OHL when he was with the Ottawa 67s. He's big, super-skilled, young and entering his prime years. He'd fit perfectly in Buffalo's re-built offense that will include Connor McDavid or Jack Eichel and Sam Reinhart next season. Jones is a big, highly skilled goalie who will add stability to the Buffalo fortress. If he stays in LA he will have to be happy starting 10 games a season for the next 6-8 years. Jonathon Quick is a hard many to sit down. Quick is the #1 G in LA until further notice. Jones would be an immediate starter in Buffalo. Nolan is a hammer. He's add grit, toughness and intimidation to the Buffalo lineup that will be losing snarl and skill when Chris Stewart is traded away.
Will that be enough of a compensation package to acquire Myers when the Ducks, Avs and Red Wings have many more blue chip pieces to offer to Tim Murray?
Murray's phone is going to spontaneously combust due to all of the inbound calls, texts, emails and snap chats that he is receiving regarding Myers, Stafford, Stewart, Enroth, Mitchell and Neuvirth.
I suspect that we will start seeing trade action this week and next.
The Ducks better pounce on Myers before LA or Colorado beat them to the punch. The Kings losing Voynov and now Martinez creates two huge gaping holes in the six man rotation. The Avs have been playing with their #1 and #2 D-men Erik Johnson and Tyson Barrie, respectively. The Ducks are less desperate than the Kings and Avs because they already have a high playoff berth already in the hockey bag. The Kings and Avs? Not so much. There wil be a bidding war for Myers. Perhaps it will scare off Detroit GM Ken Holland if the price gets too high for Myers.
All I know is that you trade assets at their highest value. Myers' stock value hasn't been this high as it is right now since 2012. Its time to strike while the iron is hot.
***
A few weeks ago, Boston SD'er Brad Marchand was suspended for slew footing an opponent during a game. He was correctly suspended two games for his jack assery.
On Saturday in Beantown, NY Islanders captain John Tavares slew footed Marchand. No penalty was called on the greasy play.
All things equal, shouldn't Tavares be suspended for two games for his stupidity?
Fair is fair, right?
Tavares has never been suspended.
Buffalo Tank Nation supporters don't want to see Tavares suspended for Sunday's Sabres-Islanders game. Its a 5pm puck drop in Buffalo. Tank Nation will be up in arms if JT is suspended and the Sabres beat the Islanders. The Edmonton Oilers were trounced in Tronna on Saturday night while the Sabres stung the Stars 3-2. Tank Nation wants no part of a two game winning streak. The 30th place Sabres have 35 points. The 29th place Oilers have 37 points.
What a crappy Saturday night it was for Buffalo tanking advocates.
The majority of Buffalonians wrote a big fat "L" next to this game on their refrigerator magnet schedules.
No way in Hell that Lindy Ruff and his high-falootin' Dallas Stars would lose to the 30th place Buffalo Sabres in the house that Lindy built. Right?
Wrong!
Latvian Locomotive Zemgus Girgensons scored a beauty of a goal and an assist. Chris Stewart added three assists, Tyler Ennis and Tyler Myers also lit the red lamp to lead the Buffalo Sabres to a 3-2 win against Ruff and his Stars. Jhonas Enroth made 38 saves on 40 shots on the that he faced.
The Sabres took a dramatic 3-0 lead and held on for dear life to preserve the win in front of the home fans who wished and hoped for a later Stars scoring surge. Many fans in the building were heard cheering for a Stars third period comeback and regulation win.
Why the long faces, Buffalo Tank Nation?
Look no further than the Toronto Maple Leafs who laid a 5-1 curb stomping on the Edmonton Oilers while the Sabres were beating the Stars.
The 29th place Oilers have lost two straight games and now own 37 points. Edmonton are 4-6 in their last 10 games.
The 30th place Sabres have two of their past three games and now have 35 points in the NHL standings. The Sabres are 2-8 in their last 10 games.
The Battle For McEichel rages on.
The Sabres get a chance to reverse their fortunes when they host John Tavares and the NY Islanders on Sunday afternoon. The Oilers travel to where Jimmy Hoffa lives to play the Devils on Monday night.
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