Chris Taylor Had A Verbal Extension Agreed On Before Firing
Canucks winger Micheal Ferland has resumed skating as he continues to work his way back from concussion issues, reports Rick Dhaliwal of TSN 1040 and The Athletic (Twitter link). He suffered a concussion back on October 30th where he missed a little more than a month. He tried to come back in December but was shut down in his second game. He made a second comeback attempt in February but was pulled from his first game on a conditioning assignment as the symptoms came back once again.
At that time, he was ruled out for the season but with play not resuming until into the summer, there’s now a possibility that Ferland could return while having the benefit of a full training camp to show that he has indeed recovered. If healthy, he can make a difference in the bottom six for the Canucks, bringing them a physical presence with some offensive upside after recording at least 40 points in each of the previous two seasons.
Elsewhere around the league:
- People with diabetes are at a higher risk if they contract COVID-19 and accordingly, some have wondered if NHL players in that situation would opt out of playing. However, com’s Dan Rosen relays that Rangers winger Kaapo Kakko is expected to play in their play-in round series against Carolina while Sarah McLellan of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune reports the same for Wild winger Luke Kunin who is expected to suit up against Vancouver.
- Now-fired AHL Rochester head coach Chris Taylor actually had a two-year extension verbally agreed to before getting let go among Buffalo’s big shakeup earlier this week, notes Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman in his latest 31 Thoughts column. Ownership opted to hold up the deal which had been negotiated with ex-GM Jason Botterill and will now not honor it. The rationale for Taylor’s departure (which included his assistant coaches) was attributed to how the team wants to run the Amerks. In recent years, they’ve relied on veterans but it appears that they will shift towards a younger team with a higher emphasis on prospect development.
Reactions To Sabres’ Front Office Changes
If there was any doubt as to why Jason Botterill lost his job as GM of the Buffalo Sabres, Terry and Kim Pegula have more-or-less cleared it up. The Sabres owners felt their voices weren’t being given proper weight by the former administration, thus prompting yesterday’s changes, per The Athletic’s John Vogl. Presumably, the reason the Pegulas decided to stay in-house with their next GM was because they believe that, in Kevyn Adams, they have found someone who will act on their input. What exactly that means, of course, is unclear. With half the scouting department and both assistant GMs jettisoned along with Botterill, it should be much easier for the Pegulas to have their voices heard. By the time they’re done making personnel decisions, they may be the only ones left in the room with Adams. Let’s check in on some other reactions to Botterill’s firing…
- The front office moves made by the Sabres yesterday were clearly made with the goal of having a leaner management team to lead the organization through the pandemic crisis, per Mike Harrington of the Buffalo News. Neither assistant GM is likely to be replaced, and the Pegulas aren’t interested in hiring a team president either. The Pegulas are moving forward with the gameplan of “Effective, Efficient and Economic.” While the alliteration certainly works for a slogan, there’s a one-track quality to the Pegulas new motto that seems fixated on finances (which, if nothing else, is properly alliterative). That’s reasonable for a business owner, to a point, though it’s also fair to wonder in this circumstance if the kind of penny-pinching that’s in store for the Sabres will be detrimental to their rebuilding efforts. Of course, according to Kim Pegula, the Sabres aren’t rebuilding. Among the other things the Sabres aren’t doing: winning plaudits from the hockey media and winning games on the ice. What exactly they are doing, only the Pegulas seem to know.
- The thinking from many around the NHL is that it takes approximately five years to see whether a GM’s team-building strategy is working, per The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun. By that standard, the Pegulas keep turning off their movie little more than halfway through. Previous GMs Tim Murray and Jason Botterill each got three years at the helm, enough time to make progress, for sure, but perhaps not enough time to see a championship program actualized. New GM Kevyn Adams has been with the organization for nine years, so that should help him get a head start, but the program wasn’t his until yesterday – the clock starts now. How much time he’ll get to build a winner in Buffalo remains to be seen, but if history is to provide us with clues, he better act fast.
More Dismissals From Buffalo
9:00 PM: A source within the organization tells the Associated Press’ John Wawrow that 12 scouts have been fired today. This is believed to be more than half of the Sabres’ scouting staff. Also included in the purge was Assistant Director of Amateur Scouting Jeff Crisp.
4:05 PM: Director of Amateur Scouting Ryan Jankowski has also been relieved of his duties with the Buffalo Sabres, per Elliotte Friedman.
2:52 PM: After now-former-GM Jason Botterill was let go from the Buffalo Sabres earlier today, it was perhaps more surprising to hear that two well-regarded assistants would be cut loose from Buffalo as well. Apparently, more carnage is coming. It’s not yet clear the extent to which layoffs will be made, but there are more firings to come, per The Athletic’s John Vogl. Scouts and hockey operations personnel may be cut loose by the end of the day. Per Vogl, these changes were not at all anticipated by those inside the building.
Chris Taylor is the latest name to be let loose from Buffalo. The Amerks head coach has been officially relieved of his duties. This comes following the news earlier in the day that Rochester GM Randy Sexton was also let go. Taylor’s assistants in Rochester, Gord Dineen and Toby Peterson, have also been fired, per Mike Harrington of TBN Sports.
After nine straight losing seasons, the Sabres don’t have a ton of public capital saved up, and they’ve lost some more today. Sweeping changes have come at a strange time, given previous comments made by ownership and the general (if slight) upward trajectory of the organization over the last calendar year. Whatever the reason for the changes, the organization made some bold decisions today, and there are some respected hockey minds hitting the open market right now.
Sabres Move Quickly, Stay In-House For Next GM
News broke this morning that Buffalo Sabres ownership had changed course and decided to fire GM Jason Botterill less than a month after confirming him in his role. The Sabres have been relatively trigger happy in the past with leadership roles, evidenced by the fact that Botterill’s predecessor Tim Murray is still on the books until the end of this month, per The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun.
At least for the next couple of weeks, the Sabres will be bankrolling three different GMs – but the one that matters most now is the new guy: Kevyn Adams. Botterill’s replacement isn’t actually all that new, as he is the Sabres’ current Senior Vice President of Business Administration. Adams originally came to the organization in 2009 as a player development coach before joining the bench an assistant coach from 2011 to 2013, writes NHL.com’s Jourdon LaBarber. Adams is a former player who lasted 11 seasons in the NHL with Toronto, Chicago, Columbus, Florida, Carolina and Phoenix. He won a Stanley Cup with the Carolina Hurricanes in 2005-2006.
On the promotion of Kevyn Adams to GM, ownership said this: “New General Manager Kevyn Adams and Head Coach Ralph Krueger already have a close working relationship and we are excited to see what they can do together as we reconfigure our hockey operations…We have had the pleasure of watching Kevyn build his post-playing career over the past nine years under multiple roles throughout our organizations. We are confident Kevyn and Ralph will work together to build a consistent contender. As always, we are here to provide the necessary resources…”
It’s a little surprising to see a replacement named so quickly, especially given that the Sabres don’t expect to take the ice again for quite some time. One would think that now would be the perfect time for an exhaustive search for the perfect candidate. If nothing else, the Sabres could have used this opportunity to gain insight into rival organizations through the interview process, as is common practice with this type of hire. Evidently, Sabres’ ownership felt they had the right candidate in-house already.
Adams will presumably be expected to hop-to and show ownership notable improvement. In his favor, the team is already on an upward trajectory, and Adams should have plenty of time to get his house in order prior to the draft and offseason. If the Sabres miss the playoffs next year, they’ll have tied the longest playoff drought in league history.
Sabres Fire GM Jason Botterill
The Buffalo Sabres have relieved General Manager Jason Botterill of his duties after three years in the role, per a team release. Senior Vice President of Business Administration Kevyn Adams will take over as Botterill’s permanent replacement.
The move comes as a bit of a surprise as we’re just three weeks removed from ownership announcing a plan to keep Botterill in his role. Botterill joined the Sabres as a respected hockey mind from the Penguins organization.
Sabres’ owners Terry and Kim Pegula released a statement this morning with the news, reasoning the change thusly: “This morning, we informed Jason Botterill he will no longer be the General Manager of the Sabres. This decision was made after many candid discussions with Jason during a full review of our hockey operation. We recognized we have philosophical differences regarding how best to put ourselves in a position to compete for a Stanley Cup. So, we decided to make this change.”
The statement goes on to thank Botterill for his time with the Sabres. During his three years span, Botterill signed star Jack Eichel to a long-term contract (8-years, $80MM), but the Sabres failed to finish higher than 6th in the Atlantic Division. This season, they finished 25th overall, just one spot out of the 24-team playoff. They haven’t reached the postseason since the 2010-2011 season – the longest active postseason drought in the NHL.
More changes could be afoot for the Sabres, as Botterill’s firing did not happen in a vacuum. Wholesale changes are being made to the Sabres’ hockey operations department. Assistant GM Randy Sexton as also let go by the club, per the Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun. Steve Greeley was another casualty, tweets Frank Seravalli of TSN Sports, though Seravalli thinks Greeley and Sexton should have no trouble catching on with another organization.
Sabres Sign Oskari Laaksonen To Three-Year, Entry-Level Deal
The Buffalo Sabres announced the signing of defenseman Oskari Laaksonen to a three-year contract, per the team. Laaksonen joins Buffalo on an entry-level contract after the team made him a third-round pick in the 2017 draft.
Since being drafted 89th overall by the Sabres, Laaksonen, 20, has spent the past three seasons with Ilves of the Finnish Elite League. Laaksonen recorded 12 points for the Ilves over 46 games this past season. He also won a gold medal with Team Finland at the 2019 World Junior Championship while skating alongside another Sabres’ youngster, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen.
Laaksonen’s stock jumped shortly after the draft, and the young puck-mover has continued to impress during his time in his native Finland. He had signed a two-year deal with the Ilves, putting doubt into whether he’d be ready to make the jump to the NHL. But evidently, he’s ready.
The deal comes on the heels of the Sabres learning that they’d lost defenseman Lawrence Pilut to the KHL. Pilut, 24, looked like a potential building block for the Sabres, who instead now transition the future of their defence to Laaksonen. Included in the press release announcing the signing was a comment from Sabres’ GM Jason Botterill, who said, “The work Oskari has put in to improve his game has paid off during his last two seasons. His success on the international stage and what he’s done as a 19- and 20-year-old playing in a professional league is impressive.”
The Sabres finished the year in sixth place of the Atlantic Division, on the outside looking in for the upcoming 24-team playoff. Buffalo hasn’t made the playoffs since the 2010-2011 season, the second of back-to-back losses in the quarterfinals to the Flyers and Bruins, respectively.
Lawrence Pilut Signs In KHL
It’s official now, Buffalo Sabres defenseman Lawrence Pilut has decided to take his talents overseas. The 24-year old has signed a two-year contract with HC Traktor of the KHL, leaving the NHL after parts of two seasons.
When Pilut was first linked to the KHL last month, the Sabres told John Vogl of The Athletic that there would be an NHL out-clause in the contract that would allow him to return, though it is not clear if that was included.
The Sabres will be able to temporarily retain the restricted free agent’s exclusive rights by extending him a qualifying offer this summer.
Pilut actually appeared to be a potential building block for the Sabres, given how well he had transitioned to the AHL after a breakout season in the SHL. Over 67 minor league contests, the smooth-skating defenseman recorded 49 points, earning himself 46 opportunities in the NHL.
That clearly wasn’t enough for him, or perhaps he is worried about the huge break that will be between seasons for the Sabres. As one of the teams that will not participate in the expanded playoffs this summer, it could be as many as ten months between NHL games for Buffalo.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Vision Disorder Contributed To 2019-20 Struggles For Sabres’ Carter Hutton
In an honest interview with the Buffalo News’ Lance Lysowski, Buffalo Sabres’ goaltender Carter Hutton revealed that his career-worst season was not merely due to bad luck or age. While Hutton did face a disproportionate amount of difficult scoring chances while in net for a struggling Sabres squad and at 34 is no longer as equipped to face such a challenge, a medical issue played a major role in his difficulties. Hutton tells Lysowski that he has been battling a vision disorder that has had a destructive impact on his ability.
Hutton has been diagnosed with a condition called convergence insufficiency. In short, Hutton’s eyes do not move at the same time. His left eye moves slower than his right, making for serious struggles with depth perception. As a result, tracking pucks and anticipating shots became extremely difficult. Hutton admits that even simple practice shots were often enough to fool him. Hutton sought treatment and has been working daily to improve his optical strength and visual reflexes in hopes of returning to form. Meanwhile, he was hiding his struggles away from the media as he did not want to be perceived as using the disorder as a crutch for his poor play.
Hutton posted a career-worst .898 save percentage and 3.18 GAA in 31 appearances this season. This included a 12-game stretch from October to November in which he did not record a win and allowed more than four goals per game. Hutton’s struggles were not the only reason that Buffalo also floundered yet again in 2019-20, but even a few wins in that 12-game stretch may have been enough to get the team into the upcoming expanded playoff field. Instead, Hutton and company have a long off-season ahead of them and will face questions next season. Hutton in particular – one season removed from starting 48 games for the Sabres and two seasons removed from posting the NHL’s top marks in save percentage and GAA as the backup for the St. Louis Blues – faces an uphill battle to return to form in a contract year.
Hutton deserves respect for battling this disorder that so greatly impacts his play without using it as an excuse and for continuing to work through treatment on a daily basis in hopes of extending his career. However, if these visual impairments continue despite his dedication to improvement, his playing days are almost certainly numbered.
Kyle Okposo Undergoes Knee Surgery
With the offseason now underway for seven teams in the NHL, players can start working towards the 2020-21 campaign. In Buffalo, Kyle Okposo has undergone surgery on his right knee. The veteran forward is expected to make a full recovery in six weeks.
Okposo, 32, played just 52 games with the Sabres this season after dealing with head injuries once again. He recorded just 19 points during those games, the lowest total of his career (even including those seasons cut short by injury or a lockout).
That’s troubling given Okposo’s contract, which still has three years remaining on it at a $6MM cap hit. Though the actual salary owed will drop in the last two years, the former New York Islander is the third-highest paid forward on the Sabres but is performing more like a bottom-six player.
That disconnect between performance and salary is what led our Zach Leach to list Okposo as a potential compliance buyout candidate in his recent series. Should the league go in that direction, there is no better option on the Sabres roster (unless perhaps you believe Jeff Skinner‘s dreadful 2019-20 campaign is a sign of things to come).
If the league does not institute compliance buyouts, it will be interesting to see if the Sabres try and move Okposo to free up some salary. The forward does have a 15-team no-trade clause but with a stagnant salary cap and substantial raises coming for restricted free agents like Sam Reinhart, Victor Olofsson, Brandon Montour and Linus Ullmark the Sabres may be looking to shed a hefty cap hit like Okposo.
Obviously a six-week recovery timeline means the 32-year old will be back for 2020-21, given that teams like the Sabres may not play again until January.
Snapshots: Phase 3, Draft Pick Deadline, Ristolainen
According to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, the NHL has informed players that Phase 3 of the league’s return to play plan, a three-week training camp, will not start before July 10. Phase 2, small group workouts, is expected to begin as early as next week.
Though a mid-July start for training camp shouldn’t surprise anyone at this point, it does mean that the Stanley Cup will not be awarded for quite some time. James Mirtle of The Athletic suggests it could be October before a 2019-20 champion is crowned.
- There was some confusion today when reports from several sources including Darren Dreger of TSN surfaced, explaining that the league is pushing the June 1 entry-level contract deadline back a month. As CapFriendly tweets, this is not referring to the deadline for players like Winnipeg Jets draft pick Declan Chisholm, who still needs a contract by Monday or will become an unrestricted free agent. Instead, this is referring to the initial period (between March 1 and July 1) when entry-level contracts can be signed for the following season. Basically, this extended deadline will give the NHLPA more time to negotiate against the league’s decision to not allow players like Kirill Kaprizov and Alexander Romanov to sign for the 2019-20 campaign without risk of being late to file a 2020-21 contract. Though the league was clear about not wanting these players jumping right into the playoffs, the union and their individual representatives are still fighting.
- Several Buffalo Sabres players were obviously frustrated today when speaking to reporters about another failed season, and like always Rasmus Ristolainen provided some juicy quotes. As John Vogl of The Athletic tweets, Ristolainen believes he’ll be “one of the first ones that’s probably going to get traded” if the Sabres decide to make sweeping changes to the roster. It’s not the first time that Ristolainen has implied he feels like he could be on the way out of Buffalo, but just yesterday GM Jason Botterill referred to him as a “core player.” Ristolainen has two years remaining on his current contract which carries a $5.4MM cap hit.