I don’t want to hear another gripe, complaint or critique of Samson Reinhart’s skating stride ever again. Please. Thank you.
It’s a bunch of bunk.
If you were one of the 17,115 lunatics that packed the barn on Friday night for the long-anticipated Blue & Gold scrimmage featuring Reinhart and Eichel, you saw for yourself that the Kootenay Kid’s skating has taken a quantum leap forward since the last time we saw him in Buffalo last November. On a night when all 34,230 eyeballs were glued to Eichel, In broad daylight, Reinhart seemingly stole the show. Talk about making a statement. Reinhart looked like he was playing for Team Canada’s gold medal winning World Junior squad once again. He danced, dipsy-doodled, drove the net, dangled, deked and deposited vulcanized rubber in the net.
Samson skated with ice water and adrenaline rushing through his veins. He wanted this opportunity. Badly. He needed this opportunity. He ultimately succeeded due to dedication and commitment to be the best player for the Buffalo Sabres that he can possibly be.
On Friday night, Samson Reinhart stepped to center court at Wimbledon and showed the world that he was worthy of the #1 ranking and 17,115 sweat soaked Sabres stalkers tipped their buckets to Samson The Delighta.
Reinhart’s edge work and his pivots in tight areas to avoid contact while making plays at a high pace were impressive. He slipped checks, found the trailer and owned the puck on most of his shifts. When Gold defenders found him and tracked him down, he rolled off their checks and eluded them with NHL tact. No panic. Straight fire confidence. Reinhart proved all week to Tim Murray and Dan Bylsma that he was serious about getting bigger, faster, stronger and more balanced than he was when he was sent back to juniors after his nine game NHL tryout last fall.
Reinhart was the best player on the ice from start to finish. Hand’s down. He was great at making plays in all three zones. He also lit the lamp twice and assisted on another. He along with his line mates William Carrier and Hudson Fasching were the best forward trio on the night. Head coach Dan Bylsma called the Carrier-Reinhart-Fasching line the best forward group of the game. That line graded out as a +9 combined. Carrier potted a goal and added two assists and was ready for Reinhart’s tape to tape passes at all turns. Fasching played a big, burly power game on the walls and in front of the net while creating ice for Reinhart and Carrier to create plays in. Reinhart and Carrier played together for Team Canada in international competition a few years back and they have solid chemistry playing together.
Thanks, Sabres.com
**
Jack Eichel had himself a fine game as well. He held onto pucks, drove up the gut of the ice and had a half dozen solid chances. Were it not for the goaltending excellence of RPI goalie Jason Kasdorf in the first 30 minutes of the game, Eichel might have had two goals. Kasdorf was a brick wall for the Blue team and he turned aside chance after chance after high percentage chance. After the game, Dan Bylsma commented on Eichel’s lack of explosiveness. He said that that’s not Eichel’s usual explosive styke. Perhaps the kid was gassed from dragging parachutes and resistance equipment around the ice at Thursday’s practice.
After the game, Eichel didn’t make excuses for his play. He said that teher are things that he wants to get better at. I like this kid’s honest self evaluation.
Thanks, Sabres.com
Personally, I think it’s healthy for Eichel to have to find ways to be better next practice and next game. Samson Reinhart certainly showed Eichel, a fellow second overall pick, how to get the Buffalo crowd on its feet. I think that the peer pressure that exists between Reinhart and Eichel will do a lot of good for both players and the team as a whole in the weeks and months to come.
Eichel will shine in Sunday’s 3 on 3 tournament. Mark my words.
***
Justin Bailey has been to three Sabres development camps. He has been one of Buffalo’s best performances all week long. He played a real heavy, aggressive game on Friday night and was rewarded with a nifty goal that he scored while on one knee.
“I think for me, one of the things that’s been communicated to me is I need to be a little harder to play against,” Bailey said. “Playing in the NHL, you’ve got to be physical and it was good for me to get out there on my first shift and that set the tone for the rest of the game.”
Thanks, Sabres.com
Dan Bylsma liked what he saw of Justin Bailey, too.
“I did not see that at all in today’s game, in fact the opposite,” Bylsma said. “He showed his speed, showed his size, also had the ability in the offensive zone; he had a couple plays that didn’t turn into goals that I was impressed with a big guy with his speed being able to make those plays. Of this whole week so far this is his best performance and it’s where he should be in the game.”
Beaming ear to ear, Bailey said:
“It was probably one of the most fun games of hockey I’ve ever played in my life,” he said.
Full disclosure: I’m a huge Justin Bailey fan. I have a lot of time for the kid because he works tirelessly and trains his body and brain to be a Buffalo Sabre morning, noon, and night. I know how hard he has worked and continues to work. I’ve watched him play live with Kitchener and The Soo. He seemingly gets better every time I see him play.
Bailey’s hard work is paying off. Dan Bylsma likes what he sees of the Williamsville native and lifelong Sabres fan.
**
Jake McCabe played like a man possessed on Friday night. I’m happy for the former University of Wisconsin and Team USA star. This is his fourth Buffalo development camp and he wants to earn a job on Dan Bylsma’s blue line. If he keeps playing with bite and confidence like this, Bylsma will have to give the kid a shot when training camp breaks in September. On Friday night, McCabe’s game was equal parts power, passion, pugnacity, precision and perfection. He was all over the ice. Every time he was on the ice, something positive happened. He had two assists and vibe perfectly with the Carrier-Reinhart-Fasching trio.
Thanks, Sabres.com
I told McCabe two years ago that I thought that he reminded me of former Sabres great D-man Mike Ramsey for his size, strength, skating and scoring. I still feel that same way. McCabe can do it all. He deserves a featured role in Bylsma’s lineup come training camp. Let’s see if he aces NHL exhibition games the way that he has this week at Buffalo’s development camp.
**
Before Friday night, Josh Chapman an undrafted, pain-in-the-ass-to-play-against defenseman from the Sarnia Sting. The Stouffville, Ontario native collected 84 PIMs last year. He is aggressive, nasty and can skate well for a 6’3” 210 lb. youngster. I saw Chapman play a few times this season when Sarnia hooked up with the Erie Otters. Chapman was the man responsible for face-washing, taunting, and being a prick to Connor McDavid in the first round of the OHL Playoffs. I loved his compete level against McDavid and I developed a new found respect for him for having fought a bigger stronger mountain of a man In in Kea.
Chapman trucked forward Maxwell Willman with a teeth-rattling hit in the neutral zone in the final minute of the first period. Team Blue’s cop Justin Kea saw it, tracked down Chapman and then challenged him to a punch in the face contest.
Kea, a third-round pick by the Sabres in 2012. It was Kea’s second career fight at the prospects scrimmage. He threw hands with Anthony Florentino in last year’s game.
“It’s a game. It’s another game,” Jack Eichel said of the rough stuff. “You want to make an impression so it’s another game and whatever you do – if you fight, if you score goals, if you check – you do what you do.”
Bylsma liked what he saw of the scrap:
“What I didn’t like about the [play] was that there was a no-call on the hit. The Chapman hit was clearly an interference penalty by a mile, so I am upset at [the referee] for not calling a penalty. That’s the only thing I didn’t like about that play,” he said while laughing.
Perhaps Chapman will get a job in Rochester. His "boss" is newly acquired Sabres center David Legwand who co-owns the Sarnia Sting with former NHLer Derian Hatcher. Chapman is a Sarnia Stinger player. Legwand might want to put in a good work for his bleep disturber with Tim Murray. Rochester could use a fearless heavyweight like Chapman.
**
My 7 Stars of The Scrimmage:
1. Reinhart: Best player on the ice. Smart, poised, fast, skilled; chip on shoulder; Polished
2. Carrier: Confident net drive, soft hands, heads up hockey
3. Eichel: Long, strong, fast, deft passes, moves like Jagger on penalty shot
4. McCabe: Mike Ramsey Version 2.0: Big, mean, fast, efficient, offensive
5. Bailey: Power. Forward. Flushed the walls, turned over pucks, fought for his chances
6. Kea: Paul Gaustad with better wheels and soft hands; terror in faceoff circle; Protector
7. Chapman: Mobile, Agile, Hostile. Underdogs are loved in Buffalo.
Honorable Mention:
Victor Oloffson: heavy shot, excellent vision and foot work
Mitchell Mason (Undrafted): Aggressive fore checker.
Devante Stephens: Big, strong Kelowna boy who hits and hacks. Skates well. Ham and egger
***
So, what now becomes of Chicago Blackhawks UFA D Johnny Oduya now that Patrick Sharp has been traded to Dallas? On Friday night, the Hawks sent their prolific sniper and prospect Stephen John to Dallas in exchange for crafty D Trevor Daley and grinder Ryan Garbutt.
During a conference call to discuss the Sharp deal cap clearance trade late Friday night, Hawks GM Stan Bowman didn’t object to re-signing Oduya re-signing. He didn't give it the two thumbs up either.
“I’m not going to rule anything out or in,” Bowman told CSN Chicago. “It’s still sort of a fluid situation.”
The 33-year-old to-time Cup champ has been waiting patiently for the Blackhawks to clear salary cap space in order to re-sign him in Chicago. As of Saturday morning, Bowman has only $981,000 in available cap space to work with. He can free up $4 million if he trades heavyweight Bryan Bickell. If Bickell stays in ChiTown, then Oduya leaves, and vice versa.
Oduya has spent parts of four seasons with the Blackhawks.
His three-year, $10.1 million deal expired on July 1 making him an unrestricted free agent.
Oduya has been strongly linked to Buffalo because of his relationship with Zach Bogosian and Evander Kane. The trio played together for two and a half seasons in Atlanta and Winnipeg.
Oduya is a left handed D. Tim Murray is still mining and fracking for a left handed D who can make the one touch pass to his flying forwards to activate the breakout. Oduya fits that bill perfectly. I spoke with a couple of NHL scouts recently who feel that Oduya will be perfectly suited to play a big role on the Buffalo Sabres. Dan Bylsma would trust him to make the smart decisions with the puck while eating 22-24 minutes TOI per night. as well as having him mentor youngsters Rasmus Ristolainen, Zach Bogosian, and Jake McCabe.
Oduya has been sitting on a substantial offer from an NHL suitor. I'm told that it's Buffalo that made Oduya's agent the offer on July 1. Oduya has been in a holding pattern waiting patiently to se if Boman can clear enough cap space to fit him in on a multi-year deal in Chicago. The Sharp trade was believed to be the move that had to be named, however, Daley carries a $3.3 million cap hit while Garbutt is a $900,000 cap hit. Sharp is a $5.9 million cap hit and Johns is an $800,000 cap hit. Do the math. Bowman sent out $6.7 million in contracts and took back $4.2 million in contracts in he Sharp trade. Bowman still has to re-sign RFA forward Marcus Kruger, a player that Bowman covets for the long term.
I've been saying for weeks that Oduya will end up in Buffalo if he is not re-signed by the Blackhawks.
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