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26CornerBlitz

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  5. Christian Ehrhoff bought out; Signs with PIT, 1yr $4M

    in The Aud Club

    Posted

    Sure, that's probably true. I'm not convinced he'd be negative. Not saying he'd be a cheerleader, but the lack of being positive doesn't necessarily mean he'd mope around and ruin the locker room.

     

     

     

    I personally like Glass' "phantom injury" idea to avoid recapture.

     

    Right now I'm just cringing at some of the horrendous UFA contracts we're about to give out.

     

    I have a feeling Murray will say exactly what they were thinking with this move. :)

  7. Christian Ehrhoff bought out; Signs with PIT, 1yr $4M

    in The Aud Club

    Posted

    @RealKyper

     

    # Sabres Ehrhoff has the option to not go on #NHL waivers. Won't get his buyout agreement until he notifies club he is opting out of waivers

     

    We can't all get what we want. He's a top pairing Dman at a great cap hit. In two years when the team is much improved he'd be a major asset to winning.

     

    TM and TN most likely didn't want any negativity around the team with so many younger guys around. Makes sense from that perspective.

  10. 2014 NHL Draft Poll: Favorite/Least favorite and grade

    in The Aud Club

    Posted

    Grading each NHL team's 2014 draft

    The NHL draft is first and foremost about distributing the league's future talent among its franchises, but it's also an opportunity for each team to assess its overall needs and set the course of the organization for the coming weeks and months. With that in mind, we set to grade each team's efforts at the hockey-palooza that is the draft weekend. Each team received a grade for the talent they managed to acquire and another grade for how well the team's fortunes fared in the same 48 hours.

     

    Corey Pronman provided the talent grades and emptied his notebook (including re-printing each first-rounder's scouting report from Friday's live blog) to give you a comprehensive glimpse at each team's future, while Frank Provenzano graded each front office's weekend.

     

    Buffalo Sabres | GRADE: A

     

    Top Pick: Sam Reinhart is the best pure passer in the draft class. His ability to dictate tempo elevates his game to a distinct level. Reinhart can make all kinds of plays with the puck, and his elite hockey sense stands out regularly. He has average size but will work hard in battles for the puck. Some of the skills that distinguish Reinhart are his smart play in the defensive zone and his ability to shut down opposing top players, and he is an asset on the penalty kill.

     

    Day 2 picks: Lemieux is a very strong winger who is physical and intense every shift. He is an above-average skater, though I've gotten mixed reviews from scouts on that area of his game. He isn't an overly skilled player, but he's decent offensively, with good instincts. Lemieux needs to work on reigning in his emotions and not taking bad penalties, which he does often. ... Cornel is a skilled puck-possession forward with top-six upside at the NHL level. As with many skilled prospects, he can try to do too much on the ice, turning the puck over. He works hard, but his off-puck reads and value are underwhelming. Cornel needs to bulk up, and isn't the best in the physical game. ... Karabacek controls the puck with some flashy skills, and good overall instincts and decision making. His shot has developed well, as he gets the puck off his stick quickly and with accuracy. His size (5-foot-11, 185 pounds) is a limitation, but not to the same degree as some of the other skilled forwards on this list. ... Johansson is the kind of goalie who doesn't move very much in the net, but takes away shooting space with his angles. He can be effective taking away second chances. Scouts are split on his athletic skills, with some saying he's good in that area and others saying he doesn't wow them as much when he has to move a lot. His reads and reactions are solid to above average. ... Martin's first-pass and transition game get praise from NHL sources. Martin is a clear above-average skater with solid to above-average puck skills. He's a physical player who leans on his checks and battles well. Martin can be fine in his own end, and while he'll still make the odd mistake typical of players his age, he understands the game defensively. He doesn't really stand out in any area. ... Max Willman is a bit of a late bloomer, but he's certainly toolsy. Willman can skate, and has above-average puck possession tools. The Brown commit is a bit of a project, but he's an intriguing upside pick. ... Chris Brown has intrigued some scouts with his above-average skating and puck skills. He plays in Michigan high school though, which is a pretty low level of play though and has made it tough to evaluate him.

     

    Summary: With Reinhart the Sabres' depth down the middle in young players is elite currently. They added a bunch of talent after Reinhart, adding several top forward prospects and a former top prospect in Brycen Martin who has been up and down in the WHL. There were no pluggers, and even though Lemieux is a physical player, he has offense to his game too. They have an elite farm system, and after today, you need a really convincing argument to say they don't have the best pipeline in the NHL.--Pronman

     

    Organizational assessment: The Sabres used this draft to continue their trawl of the hockey talent ocean, adding the highly-talented center Sam Reinhart in the first round to go along with five other picks in the subsequent two rounds. With probably the best prospect pipeline in the NHL and oodles of cap space, the Sabres are poised to rapidly scale the NHL standings ladder in the near future. Grade: A+--Provenzano

  11. Around the NHL: 2014-2015

    in The Aud Club

    Posted

    Unfortunately, Malhotra brings face-off ability but not much else these days. In that sense, he is basically Konopka minus the fisticuffs.

    Difference of opinion but I think he's basically done. Damaged goods. Liked him in Vancouver but he never really recovered from the injury. How could you ?

     

    http://espn.go.com/nhl/player/_/id/561/manny-malhotra http://hurricanes.nhl.com/club/player.htm?id=8467334

     

    His 7G and 6A last season would make him a sniper on the Sabres. :rolleyes: All kidding aside, he'd be an excellent leader to show the younger players all about dedication to the profession of hockey. He wore an "A" for the Hurricanes last season and I'd prefer him on the team over Konopka and Ellis. JMO.

  14. Official 2014 NHL Draft thread

    in The Aud Club

    Posted · Edited by 26CornerBlitz

    Restocking the Cupboard: Tim Murray’s First Draft With the Buffalo Sabres

    General Manager Tim Murray put his stamp on the Buffalo Sabres rebuild with a plethora of picks in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft. The Sabres have stockpiled picks in this year’s and next year’s draft to add to the club’s arsenal of young talent. After a trade with the Washington Capitals in the second round, the Sabres amassed a total of six picks in the first three rounds of this year’s draft putting the club in a great spot to build towards the future.

     

    This year’s draft was held in Philadelphia and there was no love lost between Flyers’ fans and Sabres’ fans at the top of the draft. After the City of Brotherly Love serenaded NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman with a chorus of boos, Sabres GM Tim Murray wasted no time in announcing the Sabres’ first round draft pick, which was the second overall in the draft. Many took to twitter to praise Murray’s no nonsense approach to the draft and this would set the tone for the club’s upcoming picks.

     

    While the Sabres’ picks will likely spend the better part of next season developing, the players that GM Tim Murray brought into the system have a lot of promise. Fans may find themselves growing frustrated with the team’s performance this coming season. Be that as it may, with the club’s stockpile of talent makes the future appear to be very bright.

     

    In addition, with three picks in the first round of the 2015 NHL Entry Draft the Sabres will continue to add to the talent pool next summer. If the cupboard of talent comes to fruition, the Sabres are poised to be perennial contenders in the NHL in the not-so-distant future. Here is a look at the players that the Sabres have added to the organizational depth charts during the 2014 NHL Entry Draft.

     

    The biggest winners of NHL draft weekend

    3. Buffalo Sabres: The Sabres drafted center Sam Reinhart No. 2 and he could end up playing among the team's top six forwards next season.

     

    Plus, second-round picks Brendan Lemieux, son of Claude Lemieux, and Eric Cornel were rated as first-round picks on some lists. It's like they landed three first-round picks.

     

    Lemieux had added value because he is a disruptive presence on the ice, just as his father was. He will be excruciatingly painful to play against.

     

    The Sabres are putting together a strong collection of young talented players. They are going to be struggling Sabres for another season and a half and then they are going to be like the Chicago Blackhawks.

  17. Official 2014 NHL Draft thread

    in The Aud Club

    Posted · Edited by 26CornerBlitz

    SABRES DRAFT EIGHT PLAYERS ON SECOND DAY OF NHL DRAFT

    THREE SECOND-ROUND SELECTIONS HIGHLIGHT BUSY DAY FOR BUFFALO

     

    BUFFALO, N.Y. (June 28, 2014) --- The Buffalo Sabres selected eight players on the second day of the 2014 NHL Entry Level Draft, including three in the second round. After taking winger Brendan Lemieux with the 31st overall pick, Buffalo traded pick 39 to Washington in exchange for the Capitals’ 44th and 74th picks this year.

     

    The Sabres’ first second-round selection, Lemieux (6’0”, 206 lbs., 3/15/95) has played two seasons with the Barrie Colts of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). Last season, Lemieux finished tied for third on Barrie with 53 points (27+26) and led the club with 145 penalty minutes. The son of four-time Stanley Cup champion and 1995 Conn Smythe Trophy winner Claude Lemieux, he also played for Canada’s gold-medal winning team at the 2013 Ivan Hlinka Memorial, scoring in the championship game versus the U.S.

     

    With the 44th overall picks, the Sabres selected center Eric Cornel. Cornel (6’2”, 186 lbs., 4/11/96) has played two seasons with Peterborough of the OHL, appearing in 131 games and registering 78 points (29+49). During the 2013-14 season, Cornel finished third in team scoring with 62 points (25+37) in 68 games. The Peterborough native recorded two five-point games during 2013-14 and notched three assists in five games for Team Ontario at the 2013 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge.

     

    Five picks later, with the 49th overall selection, the Sabres picked left wing Vaclav Karabacek of the QMJHL. Karabacek (6’0”, 179 lbs., 5/2/96) played with the Gatineau Olympiques last season after being selected by the team (18th overall) in the 2013 Canadian Hockey League Import Draft. He finished the season fifth in QMJHL rookie scoring with 47 points (21+26) in 65 games. A native of the Czech Republic, Karabacek was part of Team Czech Republic’s silver-medal winning team at the 2014 Under-18 World Championship, totaling six points (3+3) in seven games.

     

    The Sabres’ first of two third-round selections, taken with the 61st overall pick, was Swedish goaltender Jonas Johansson. Johansson (6’4”, 187 lbs., 9/19/95) began playing with Brynas IF of the Swedish Hockey League (SHL) in 2013-14, appearing in four games, recording a 2.32 GAA and .914 save percentage. Born in Gavle, Sweden, Johansson also won a silver medal while playing with Team Sweden at the 2014 World Junior Championship.

     

    With the 74th overall selection, the Sabres selected their only defenseman of the draft, choosing Swift Current (WHL) defenseman Brycen Martin. Martin (6’1”, 195 lbs., 5/9/1996) finished the 2013-14 WHL season ranked second among Swift Current defensemen with 37 points (6+31) in 72 games and was ranked 26th among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting. The Calgary, Alberta native led all defensemen with nine points (2+7) at the 2013 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge.

     

    The Sabres went with a pair of high school forwards with their next two picks, selecting left wing Maxwell Willman in the fifth round (121st overall) and center Christopher Brown in the sixth round (151st overall).

     

    Willman (6’0”, 180 lbs., 2/13/1995) has committed to Brown University for the 2014-15 season after recording 44 points (21+23) in 25 games with Williston-Northampton in Massachusetts in 2013-14. Brown (6’0”, 179 lbs., 2/22/1996), who tallied 84 points (26+58) in 28 games for Cranbrook Kingswood in Michigan last season, will attend Boston College in 2015-16 after a spending the 2014-15 season with the Green Bay Gamblers (USHL).

     

    The Sabres rounded out the draft with the selection of Swedish right wing Victor Olofsson in the seventh round (181st overall). Olofsson (5’11”, 177 lbs., 7/18/1995) recorded 53 points (32+21) in 44 regular-season games for MODO Jr. and appeared in 11 games for MODO (SHL) during the 2013-14 season.

     

    Buffalo Sabres' 2014 Draft Class:

     

    Round (Overall) – Player (Pos) / Amateur team

     

    1 (2) – Sam Reinhart © / Kootenay, WHL

    2 (31) – Brendan Lemieux (LW) / Barrie, OHL

    2 (44) – Eric Cornel © / Peterborough, OHL

    2 (49) – Vaclav Karabacek (LW) / Gatineau, QMJHL

    3 (61) – Jonas Johansson (G) / Brynas IF, Swedish Hockey League

    3 (74) – Brycen Martin (D) / Swift Current, WHL

    5 (121) – Maxwell Willman (LW) / Williston-Northampton, Mass. H.S.

    6 (151) – Christopher Brown © / Cranbrook Kingswood, Mich. H.S.

    7 (181) – Victor Olofsson (RW) / MODO Jr., SWE-Jr.

     

    Tim Murray post-draft (6/28/14) <15:06>

    Sabres GM Tim Murray spoke with reporters at the conclusion of the 2014 NHL Draft in Philadelphia.
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