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One of my favorite Ray Charles songs of all time is apropos to describe the 2016-17 Buffalo Sabres.
The third verse of Charles' Blues classic goes:
"That's why I say if everybody went to heaven
Hey-ey-ey, I believe I'd miss the call
But you see if it wasn't for bad luck,
Trying to tell you son if it wasn't for bad luck, now now
Oh, oh, I wouldn't have no luck at all
Would you believe I wouldn't have no luck at all"
These Sabres, man.
They can't buy a friggin break.
The Sabres have now lost 126 man games and counting to injury this season. It's truly a Christmas miracle that Buffalo is a .500 team right now.
Jeesh.
The team announced more injury news on Sunday. Defenseman Josh Gorges is now gone for a while and rear guard Taylor Fedun is also dinged.
Just when they get Jack Eichel back from his 21 game injury absence they lose two more players.
Dmitry Kulikov has been sidelined for the past 12 games with a lower back injury that hebsuffered in a meaningless preseason game gainst the Toronto Maple Leafs in late September. Remember when I told you when it happened that the Colin Greening hit in Kulikov would be dogging him all season long? I was correct.
Kulikov has been skating solo for a week and finally joined the team for its practice on Sunday morning. Kulikov is now listed as day to day. We may see him back in the lineup Friday night when the Sabres host The Great 8 and his Capitals.
Don't celebrate for too long because veteran D Josh Gorges is now gone for weeks. According to Dan Bylsma, Gorges will be lost for "weeks" with a non-displaced fracture in his foot. He blocked a shot in the late stages of suffered of Thursday's comeback win over the New York Rangers.
Gorges leads the team in shot blocks and is averaging 21 minutes TOI per game.
* Face Palm*
Taylor Fedun suffered an injury in Saturday's loss to Boston.
Tim Murray may have to call up another Rochester D to replace Fedun.
It's likely that Eric Burgdoerfer, 27, who has never played in an NHL game will get the call because rookie Casey Nelson has been sidelined with a neck injury.
The only positive of this whole injury drama is Brendan Guhle will be sticking and staying in Buffalo. Guhle told me Saturday afternoon after his impressive performance in his NHL debut he wasn't sure if he'd be flying with the team to Washington. The injuries to Gorges and Fedun have punched Guhle's ticket to his second NHL game Monday night versus the Capitals.
Guhle, 19, was an playing in juniors when he was a dispatched to Buffalo late Friday night as an emergency call up.
***
Ask any pro scout what makes Brendan Guhle so unique as a hockey player and they will tell you that the Sherwwod Park, Alberta is a relantless defender in all three zones. Guhle's calling card is creating offense from the mayhme that he causes opposing forwards. NHL talent evaluators will also tell you that Guhle can skate like the wind. His long, powerful skating strides carry him from Point A to Point B in no time flat. His deft passing and his deceptively hard, accurate point shot tends to take enemy goalies and D by surprise.
On Saturday afternoon, Buffalo Sabres fans got an all you can eat brunch buffet of Guhle's elite level skills.In his NHL debut, Guhle skated 16:20 TOI, was +1, had a team-high shot attempts and landed 4 shots on Tuuka Rask. One point shot in particular fooled Rask who left a fat rebound in the paint which Brian Hionta potted for a goal. Or, so we thought. The Gionta goal was disallowed due to a kicking motion ( I call B.S. On that) but the memory remained of Guhle's posise, confidence, skating and abillity to get shots to the net.
After the 2-1 loss, I caught up with Guhle in the Buffalo room. We talked about his performance in his ever NHL game.
“My game is moving pucks and being simple. When I get into trouble is when I try to do to much. Out there, there is a lot of skilled players so I don't have to do everything. I tried to just do what I normally do”.
From his first shift until the final horn, Guhle looked like an NHL veteran defenseman. What nerves? What butterflies? In his postgame presser, Dan Bylsma made it a point to illuminate Guhle's fearlessness and his confidence to jump up and be the fourth man in the rush.
I told Guhle that I was writing on my computer at a point in time in the third period when the Sabres were buzzing, trailing 2-1 and looking for the tying goal, I told him I looked up to see a 6'3 speedster with long, fluid strides tearing ass down the middle of the ice. I told Guhle that at first I was watching Jack Eichel go the distance through all three zones. It wasn't Jack. It was Gughle who has a very similar skating stride to Eichel.
Point blank:
I asked Guhle if he ever has or had played forward at any level of organized hockey. To my eyes, he has the speed, panache and strength to play a top six forward role.
“I never played forward. I wouldn't be a very good forward I'm not in that good of shape (laughs). I just hop up when I can. I like playing defense because it's an easy game out there sometimes, most of the time if you are playing the right way. I definitely like to hop up when I can”.
You think it's easy to take off with the puck against NHL stars like Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci? From the mouths of babes, Guhle is a 19 year old kid and you would never know it watching him back skate and use his edges and strength to re-route opposing forwards. I said two summers ago that I think Guhle skate harder and faster backwards than most NHL players can skate forwards. Guhle's play on Saturday afternoon further accentuated my theory.
Guhle has the speed to join the rusk and to also be the first man back.
Guhle told me his technique of using his edgwork and lower body strength to play exact defensive angles. Guhle's closing speed is exceptional. He closes so quickl on puck carriers and is able to re-route them to the middle where he gets help from his forwards and D partner,
“If you can get those guys (puck carrying forwards) to the middle and get your stick on the puck so they don't shoot it, most of the time it's going to be a cluster unless it's a straight up two-on-two. When guys go wide, sometimes they can just throw it to the net and get good chances. But if they go down the middle, and you have a good stick they can't get a shot off”.
Guhle is 6'3 and 195 lbs. and he can tighten gaps with his feet and hands in tandem. It's a treat to watch Guhle use his stick to defend a 360 degree radius around his body. It's un-freakin-canny how opposing forwards get frustrated as they burn their energy skating up ice with the puck only to have Guhle extend his XL wing span and pok ethe puck to a quiet area for his forwards to transition to chances the other way.
The scouting report on Guhle says “great stick”. Man, is it ever.
“A good stick has always been a trait of mine. Ever since I was a 16 year old in the WHL. It's one thing I try to pride myself on: having a good stick. It helps to limit other team's chances when you consistently play with a good stick out there”.
**
I asked Guhle if he will be on the charter to Washington for Monday night's tilt with the Capitals. He shrugged his shoulders.
I said “Let's assume you play in Washington and the nee dyou to play against your hometown Edmonton Oilers”.
Guhle's smile curled ear to ear.
“Wow. That would be pretty awesome. I know a lot of their players from growing up there being younger and watching them. Yeah, obviously it would be a fun game to play in because there is a lot of skill on that team and a lot of skill. It will be awesome”.
“I'm not sure. They told me just take it day by day”
I think you passed your audition, Brendan.
“Honestly, I don't know how this thing works. I'm just doing what they tell me to do”
Keep doing what you do so effortlessly and you will stick in Buffalo for your nine game NHL tryout period.
With Josh Gorges expected to be lost for "some time" with his damaged foot, Guhle becomes a very attractive option for the Sabres. What happens if Guhle scores 2G, 4A in 9 games in Buffalo. Would Tim Murray burn a year of his ELC to keep him in Buffalo? Or, would Guhle be sent back to WHL?
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Are the Montreal Canadiens looking to trade their captain Max Pacioretty?
There have been constant murmurs out of Montreal that there is tension between Pacioretty, a multi-time 30 goal scorer, and his boss Mike Therrien. Pacioretty isn't fond of his usage. Therrien loves tweaking his star players. Pacioretty and Therrien have been rumored to be at odds.
Is a change of venue in Pacioretty's future?
Might there be a trade in the near future?
Trading Pacioretty would clear the path for Therrien to give the "C" to Shea Weber. It's hard to peel the "C" off the swetar of a captain and give it to the new guy while the old captain is still on the roster, right?
Pacioretty is a $4.5 million avarage annual value this season and for two more after that.
The Habs are looking to beef up their top six. They covet a power forward who can score and mix things up as well as a scoring center. The Habs are also in the market for a defenseman.
The Canadiens sent their director of scouting to Buffalo on Saturday afternoon. Their Senior VP and AGM are routinely at Sabres games.
I'm told that the Habs have been keeping an eye on Evander Kane.
Montreal Senior VP, Hockey Operations, Rick Dudley worked with the Atlanta Thrashers from 2009 to 2011, beginning as AGM before being promoted to GM.
Kane was drafted 4th overall by Dudley and the Thrashers in 2009.
Kane is a $5.25 million AAV this and next season.
Kane's name will continue to percolate in the rumor mill.
The Kane to Vancouver chatter ended two weeks ago. Kane is playing well since returning from his cracked rib injury. Kane has been outstanding riding shotgun for Jack Eichel and Samson Reinhart for the past three game. Kane scored his first goal of the season on Saturday afternoon. He now has 5 points in 13 games played. Kane missed 11 games with cracked ribs.
Pacioretty has scored 5 goals and 10 assists in 24 games this season.
Would Tim Murray trade a 30 goal scorer for another 30 goal scorer?
Murray has said any trade he executes would have to be dollars in, dollars out.
Pacioretty and Kane are left wingers.
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The Dallas Stars have been scouting Buffalo consistently for weeks.
Zemgus Girgensons may be the object of Dallas' desire.
Girgensons, the former first round draft choice of the Sabres, has been relegated to 8 minutes a night and a fourth line role after he failed to impress Dan Bylsma during Jack Eichel's 21 game injury absence.
The Sabres have been looking for left D help. The Stars may be willing to walk away from veteran puck mover Johnny Oduya die to the emergence of Stars' D prospect Julius Honka.
Oduya, 35, is playing on an expiring contract. Girgensons, 22, will be RFA in July.
Girgensons, a former first rounder, skated only 7 minutes TOI in Ottawa while Carrier was promoted to the number one trio with Ryan O'Reilly and Kyle Okposo while playing 12 minutes TOI. Girgeensons skated just 11 shifts for 8:39 TOI against Boston.
Girgensons continues to play hmself out of the lineup.
In 21 games with Eichel on the shelf and Dan Bylsma begging for an offensive hero to emerge, Girgensosn went largely unnoticed scoring only 1 goal and 3 assists. He's regressed from a 20-goal man to an energy role forward of late. The Latvian's strengths are his speed, physicality and finishing ability. He's on pce to score 4 goals this season. Bylsma and Murray expect more offense from Girgensons. It's in him.
In many ways, Girgensons has been given the opportunity to show his head coach and GM that he belongs in the Buffalo core group moving forward. Maybe that is why Tim Murray waited until the end of summer to re-sign Girgensons to his current one year contract. THe Sabres didn't offer Girgensons a long term contract. They signed him to a one year bridge deal to put the onus on the young power forward to prove that he is worthy of a long term commitment.
Tim Mrray and Dan Bylsma are still waiting.
Where is his confidence? Will he ever find it?
Girgensons is failing to live up to the demanding expectations of Dan Bylsma.
Unlike power forward Marcus Foligno, Girgensons has failed to deliver the goods under Bylsma.
Foligno has thrived under Bylsma because he is playing the exact role that has been defined for him by the coaches staff. Foligno has transformed his game and is now one of Buffalo's more reliable, physical 200 foot players.
Like Tyler Ennis, Girgensons has never rid himself of the old habits that were commonplace and accepted by former Sabres coach Ted Nolan.
In the tanking days, Girgensons and Ennis were free wheeling, swashbuckling forwards who piled up points by freelancing. When Bylsma took the job in Buffalo, the tanking days were thrown into the landfill. Bylsma has been waiting patiently for Girgensons and Ennis to accept their roles in his strict defense-first system.
Eichel's long term injury allowed Bylsma and Murray get along firsthand look at their organizational forward depth.
When Eichel was injured there were several Rochester Amerks forwards in the Buffalo lineup.
Will Carrier has taken the bull by the horns and doesn't appear to be yielding to anybody. He has one goal in 12 games and has been a whirling dervish hitting opponents and battlling for position in the low post.
Justin Bailey was held pointless in two games in Buffalo, however, has checked the boxes in terms of his size, speed, skill and jam. Hudson Faschimng played six strong games before he was injured.
Hudson Fasching projects to be a terror on the wing and in the paint. Derek Grant, acquired in a trade with Ottawa last season, has been a 54% faceof man and a godsend on the penalkty kill.
Derek Grant is Paul Gaustad Version 2.0 and has offensive upside yet and is a dogged defender.
Cole Schneider is a big, brave, skilled winger who has a knack for finishing (0 goals in 4 games in BUF).
Nick Baptiste potted two goals in his 12 games in Buffalo and his unique blend oif size-sped-skill is enticing.
Alex Nylander, the 2016 first round pick is thriving in the AHL. Nylander will be a high producer in Buffalo's top six for years to come.
The long and short of it is Buffalo is brimming with young, gifted forwards.
Has Girgensons reduced himself to the role of oddman out?
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