The Sabres are back on the practice ice today in preparation for the Philly Flyers game in blustery Buffalo on Sunday night.
The team has had a nice break from skating. They lost to Ottawa on home ice Tuesday night. Ted Nolan cancelled on ice segment of practice on Tuesday. They skated Thursday, and had a scheduled day off on Friday.
So, what are veterans Chris Stewart and Josh Gorges missing from today's practice?
Were Stewart and Gorges given maintenance days? Or, are they a part of a trade?
The NHL trade deadline is March 2.
More to come....
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Is Buffalo Sabres GM Tim Murray done dealing?
No, he is not. He is far from done remodeling and overhauling his current roster.
The Evander Kane-Zach Bogosian-Tyler Myers-Drew Stafford is another notch on Murray’s gun belt. Now, he looks to add a couple more this month by making deals for several of his pending UFAs. Murray has said repeatedly that he is motivated to get maximum trade return for his players on expiring contracts. In that classification of players, Murray has Michal Neuvirth, Torrey Mitchell, Tyson Strachan, Pat Kaleta, Andrej Meszaros, Andre Benoit. Chief among his pending UFA’s is power forward Chris Stewart who is playing his most inspired hockey of the season for the Sabres.
Stewart has 4 points in his past 5 games, and has been playing a heavy, smart, physical, 200 foot game for the past month. Stewart has 9 goals, 13 assists and 47 PIMs this season. His versatility is what makes Stewart so enticing a player for contending teams. Stewart has thrown 66 hits, has taken 98 shots on goal and has blocked 12 shots. Sabres head coach has told his players to play like they are auditioning for other NHL GMs and scouts and Stewart has taken that message to heart. Make no mistake, Stewart is going to be traded. It’s better for Murray that Stewart has been playing like a man on a mission for the past six weeks because it’s no doubt improved his marketability and trade value. After a slow start to his season, Stewart has gotten better engaged in the process and has been one of Ted Nolan’s best players on most nights since the calendar flipped to 2015.
Tim Murray addressed two glaring areas of need with the Kane-Myers trade when he added a 23 year old, 200 foot, skilled power forward and a 23 year old ass kicker on his blue line.
Murray is actively trying to trade Stewart for a starting goaltender or a top nine forward. When Murray traded Jhonas Enroth to Dallas for Anders Lindback and a conditional third round pick, he weakened his net for the rest of this season from hell. Lindback is at best an NHL journeyman who has failed to grasp the NHL game. Neuvirth will get the majority of starts between now and the March 2 NHL trade deadline. Murray is hoping to see dominating performances from Neuvirth. With Enroth now gone, the #1 job now belongs to the veteran Czech. If he plays well, he may be offered a new contract. If he plays great, he will increase his trade value and a contender will want to offer Murray better compensation for him.
Murray doesn’t need to upset the apple cart with his goaltending this season. The Sabres are in 30th place in the standings and don’t wish to change that. However, they are going to need a starting goalie for the 2015-16 season. Murray can leverage his Chris Stewart value in order to fortify his goaltending for the future.
Now that the incumbent Enroth is gone to Dallas, Murray needs to fortify his goaltending positions. There are some quality tenders that if the price is right, Murray could make a trade for. Here’s a look at the goalies Murray will want to be targeting for future reference:
Robin Lehner:
Murray won an AHL Calder Cup Championship in 2010-11 with Lehner as his starting goalie. Lehner won 14 of Bingo’s 16 games en route to the AHL championship. Murray remains a big fan of Lehner who is 6’4 and 220 lbs. Lehner is big, mean and nasty. He plays the way Murray likes his goalies to play. Starter Craig Anderson has three years remaining on his deal at $3.5M AAV. Lehner has two years left at $1.5M AAV. The Ottawa Senators have been interested in Stewart since last season. They are 12 points out of a wild card playoff spot and are likely going to be a lottery team. Uncle Bryan may want to trade Lehner (8-11-3, 2.97 GAA and .908 save %) to nephew Tim in exchange for Stewart and a second rounder in 2015. Tim could throw in Neuvirth in order to get prospects Shane Prince (Rochester, NY) or Matt Peumpel in return.
Malcolm Subban:
The Boston Bruins were slapped by the Vancouver Canucks on Friday night and are at risk of missing the playoffs this season. They hold a paper-thin 4 point lead over Florida for a wild card playoff berth. They have been losing board battles and are sadly lacking in one on one combat action. The Bruins have become an easy team to play against as they are more known today as a finesse team than a bunch of Hell’s Angels. The Montreal Canadiens are drooling at the prospect of facing the Bruins in round one of the playoffs. That is, IF the Bruins make the playoffs. Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli has been keeping a close eye on Stewart all season long. The Sabres do not want to trade Stewart for a small prospect like Ryan Spooner. Murray wants goalie prospect Malcolm Subban (6’2” and 200 lbs.). HNIC’s Elliotte Friedman reported in Friday’s “30 Thoughts” column that Murray has asked for Subban and been given the thumbs down. Chiarelli may want to re-think Murray’s request as he and Claude Julien may be fired if the Bruins miss the playoffs entirely this season. Subban is a great athlete and will not be playing in Boston any time soon die to the long term, fat contract ($7.5M AAV next four seasons) of Tuuka Rask. I think that Bruins would accept Stewart and a second rounder for Subban.
Joni Ortio:
The Calgary Falmes have been the surprising team of the 2015-16 NHL season. Their goaltending has been outstanding with Jonas Hiller (1 year remaining on contract $4.5M AAV) and Kari Ramo (pending UFA) leading the Flames to victories on most nights. The Flames are holding their own right now, however, if they plan on doing some damage in the playoffs they may want to add a playoff battle tested top six forward in Chris Stewart. Ortio is 6’1” and 190 lbs. He’s big, fast and very competitive. He’s 20-12 in AHL Adirondack this season, however, is 4-1 with the Calgary Fleames this season with a 1.98 GAA and .931 save percentage. The Flames have been scouting Buffalo for the past two months. Perhaps they make a move to add Stewart’s size, skill, snarl, and truculence. I feel that Stewart and a second rounder is fair compensation for Ortio.
Dustin Tokarski:
Remember when Carey Price was wiped out and injured in the 2014 NHL playoffs? Remember what happened when Dustin Tokarski couldn’t play to Price’s all-world level after the injury? It’s still a sore subject in Montreal where their GM Marc Bergevin and his front office team still believe to this day that if Price had stayed healthy, the Habs would have given the LA Kings a serious run for their money in the Stanley Cup Finals. I happen to agree. The NY Rangers were match for Jon Quick and the Kings. Carey Price may have beaten Quick head to head in the 2014 Cup Finals. The world may never know what could have happened. That’s why Bergevin wants to upgrade his back-up goaltending position. Price is having a Vezina and Hart Trophy worthy seaso with his 30-11-2 record and 2.00 GAA and .933 save percentage. Bergevin must have wanted to punch the wall in the press box on Thursady night when Tokarski blew a third period lead, on home ice, to the Edmonton Oilers to force OT. The Oil would win it in extra time. Tokarski is a shade under six feet tall and is very athletic. Tim Murray may like him enough to use him as a starter for the rest of the season and a back-up in the future. Or, he could use him for trade bait at the NHL draft to accumulate more draft choices.
Bergy would be wise to trade Tokarski to Buffalo in exchange for Neuvirth and Stewart if he wants to make a serious run to the Stanley Cup Finals.
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Bad News for Tyler Seguin. He is injured and will be out of the lineup for "some time" according to his head coach Lindy Ruff. The Dallas head coach called the Kulilov hit "dirty" after the game. I happen to agree. Now, the matter is in the hands of NHL Department of Player Saftey. To my eyes, it looks like a sure thing to suspend Kulikov.
Lindy Ruff said Tyler Seguin and Ales Hemsky (both lower body) will miss some time". Eaves (head) went to hospital for evaluation.
You hate to see idiot plays like this in the NHL. Seriously. Florida Panthers D-man Dmitri Kulikov deserves a biff in the head and a ten game suspension for this disgusting submarine check on Dallas Stars all star center Tyler Seguin.
Kulivov clearly targeted Seguin's knees on this hit. No ifs and or buts about it.
Kulikov was assessed a five minute major for clipping and was booted from the game.
I'll be outraged if the NHL Department of Player Safety allows Kulikov to skate on this punk play. I want Kulikov too sit out 10 games for disrespecting Seguin.
Seguin is one of the most electrifying young scorers in the NHL. He has 29 goals and 30 assists in 52 games played.
Losing him to a long term injury would cripple the Stars and their chances o catching the Vancouver Canucks for a Western Conference playoff berth. Nothing is a guarantee for Ruff's club right now. They need all hands on deck every game in order to give themselves the best shot of making the playoffs.
To add insult to injury, Lindy Ruff also lost forwards Patrick Eaves and Ales Hemsky om Friday night,
The Stars defeated the Panthers 2-0. Look for Lindy Ruff to start newly acquired goalie Jhonas Enroth on Saturday night versus the Colorado Avalanche.
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'Twas another noteworthy night for Mr. Connor McDavid.
The prohibitive favorite to be selected first overall in the 2015 NHL Draft, McDavid was able to bounce back from an apparent right knee injury that he suffered in the first period. McDavid's injury occurred as the result of a reported knee-on-knee hit.
McDavid missed some game action midway through the first period. He returned with approximately six minutes remaining in the first period.
McDavid served up a dish of ice cold revenge when he scored the game winning goal early in the third period to elevate the Erie Otters' 4-3 win against Owen Sound on Friday night.
In so doing, McDavid extended his consecutive game point streak to 17 games. Former Buffalo Sabres center Tim Connolly (1997-98) & Rob Hisey (2004-05) hold the Otters' team consecutive games record points record of 18 games.
. @cmcdavid97 noticeably laboring as he skates to the bench as the PP ends, looks to be his right leg #erie
In trademark McDavid style, he grabbed a long stretch pass in stride and took off on a breakaway.
McDavid missed 17 games in November and December due to a broken bone n his hand. Despite his six week layoff, he now has scored 27 goals and 53 assists in just 32 games played. He's +38, if you need him. OHL scoring leader Mitch Marner (London Knights) has 98 points in 49 games played. McDavid's teammate Dylan Strome has collected 96 points in 52 games played.
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