Atlantic Notes: Point, Plekanec, Thompson
The six-year, $31MM extension that Tampa Bay gave winger Yanni Gourde on Friday raised more than a few eyebrows given his relative inexperience. Matt Larkin of The Hockey News suggests that the Lightning may have created another problem for themselves with the move as it pertains to pending RFA center Brayden Point. His agent has already indicated that his preference is to wait until the summer to get a new deal for Point finalized and with a strong start that has seen him collect 14 points in 12 games to start the season, the asking price is only going up at this rate. Accordingly, Larkin likens the situation to Toronto and RFA William Nylander where the team may be banking on Point taking a discount to keep the core intact. If he’s unwilling to do so (and doesn’t want to take a bridge contract), GM Julien BriseBois may have to move out a couple of players before next season to free up enough room to re-sign Point and fill out his roster.
More from the Atlantic:
- Canadiens center Tomas Plekanec returned to practice for the first time since sustaining a back injury in mid-October, notes TVA Sports’ Renaud Lavoie (Twitter link). The veteran has played in just three games this season after beginning the year as a healthy scratch and then suffering this injury just after reaching the 1,000 games played milestone. While he is still likely at least a few days away from returning, it’s worth noting that Montreal is carrying a full roster and they have already lost one player to waivers as a result of that crunch earlier this season.
- Sabres center Tage Thompson will be scratched for the sixth time already this afternoon which has led to some discussion about whether or not the 21-year-old would be better served playing with AHL Rochester instead. Head coach Phil Housley told Bill Hoppe of the Olean Times Herald that they believe that there’s value in keeping him up for extra drills after practice and video sessions but acknowledged that playing time is still most important for his development. With that in mind, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him sent down if he’s not back in Buffalo’s lineup over the next few games.
2006 NHL Draft Take Two: Twenty-Fourth Overall Pick
Hindsight is an amazing thing, and allows us to look back and wonder “what could have been.” Though perfection is attempted, scouting and draft selection is far from an exact science and sometimes, it doesn’t work out the way teams – or players – intended. For every Patrick Kane, there is a Patrik Stefan.
Our look back at the 2006 NHL Entry Draft is now in full swing as we poll the PHR community to see who would have been selected in the first round and in what order knowing what we know now. Through the first 21 picks, we’ve already seen potential Hall of Fame players switch teams, and multiple captains move up and down the draft board.
Here are the results of the redraft so far:
1st Overall: Jonathan Toews (St. Louis Blues)
2nd Overall: Claude Giroux (Pittsburgh Penguins)
3rd Overall: Nicklas Backstrom (Chicago Blackhawks)
4th Overall: Brad Marchand (Washington Capitals)
5th Overall: Phil Kessel (Boston Bruins)
6th Overall: Jordan Staal (Columbus Blue Jackets)
7th Overall: Milan Lucic (New York Islanders)
8th Overall: Kyle Okposo (Phoenix Coyotes)
9th Overall: Erik Johnson (Minnesota Wild)
10th Overall: Derick Brassard (Florida Panthers)
11th Overall: Bryan Little (Los Angeles Kings)
12th Overall: Nick Foligno (Atlanta Thrashers)
13th Overall: Semyon Varlamov (Toronto Maple Leafs)
14th Overall: Artem Anisimov (Vancouver Canucks)
15th Overall: Michael Grabner (Tampa Bay Lightning)
16th Overall: Patrik Berglund (San Jose Sharks)
17th Overall: Jeff Petry (Los Angeles Kings)
18th Overall: Jonathan Bernier (Colorado Avalanche)
19th Overall: Mathieu Perreault (Anaheim Ducks)
20th Overall: Michael Frolik (Montreal Canadiens)
21st Overall: Cal Clutterbuck (New York Rangers)
22nd Overall: James Reimer (Philadelphia Flyers)
23rd Overall: Leo Komarov (Washington Capitals)
Komarov winds up with a very nice boost from his original draft slot as he was a sixth-round pick (180th overall) by Toronto. It took him quite a while to make it to North America as he spent his first three post-draft seasons in Finland before spending three more full years in the KHL.
He finally crossed the pond in 2012-13 where he split the year between the KHL, AHL, and NHL. His time with Toronto was short-lived as instead of re-signing with Toronto in the 2013 offseason, he opted to return to the KHL. While that raised a few eyebrows at the time, it turned out to be the right decision. He had a career year while he was eligible for unrestricted free agency in 2014.
Toronto handed him a four-year, $11.8MM contract and while he wasn’t the most productive player, he still played an important role on the Maple Leafs, logging 16:24 per game in that span while collecting 113 points in 285 games. However, his physicality set him apart as he had a staggering 984 hits, just shy of 3.5 per contest.
However, with the Maple Leafs needing to cut some of their veterans this summer with big contracts on the horizon for their young core, the Estonia native had to move on. He fared surprisingly well on the open market, landing a four-year, $12MM deal with the Islanders in July where he is off to a decent start with four points and 29 hits through his first ten games.
Given how much time he spent overseas, Komarov isn’t close to the leaders in this draft class when it comes to production or even games played but he has still carved out a nice career for himself as a physical bottom-six forward. That’s a far cry from Washington’s original pick in Varlamov but given how much the Caps have relied on quality veterans in their bottom six in recent years, Komarov certainly would have fit in well with them.
Now, we move onto the 24th selection in the draft which was held by Buffalo. To say that the Sabres didn’t do well with this pick would be an understatement. They chose Swedish defenseman Dennis Persson who was one of just three players picked in the first round to not play in a single NHL game.
Persson spent three years after being drafted in Sweden where he split time between the Elitserien and Allsvenskan. He then joined Buffalo’s farm team for three seasons (Portland and Rochester) but was never more than a depth player at that time. Following the conclusion of the 2011-12 campaign, he headed back home, signing with Brynas for three years followed by MODO for two, the last of which came in 2015-16. and he hasn’t played since then.
Clearly, the Sabres are going to fare better in our redraft than they did the first time around. Who should they take with the twenty-fourth selection? Have your say by voting in the poll below.
2006 Redraft: 24th Overall
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Steve Mason 20% (98)
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Michal Neuvirth 14% (68)
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Victor Stalberg 9% (43)
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Chris Stewart 9% (42)
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Jamie McGinn 8% (39)
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Nikolay Kulemin 8% (38)
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Trevor Lewis 7% (36)
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Andrew MacDonald 7% (34)
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Jiri Tlusty 5% (22)
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Derek Dorsett 4% (21)
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Shawn Matthias 4% (17)
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Matt Beleskey 3% (16)
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Peter Mueller 2% (11)
Total votes: 485
Mobile users, click here to vote.
Justin Falk Signs PTO With Colorado Eagles
Just last season Justin Falk was a semi-regular player for the Buffalo Sabres, suiting up for 46 games and giving them some extra size on the blue line. After being allowed to leave via unrestricted free agency, Falk spent training camp with the Calgary Flames on a professional tryout (PTO), trying to show someone around the league that he still had enough skill to compete in the NHL. He’s going to try that again, after signing a PTO with the Colorado Eagles of the AHL yesterday.
Falk, 30, has played in 269 regular season games since being selected 110th overall by the Minnesota Wild in 2007. The 6’5″ defenseman has never been much of an offensive presence, but has found himself routinely inserted into the lineup of whatever team he was playing for to give them a bottom pairing option and presence on the penalty kill. While not overly effective, he’s certainly been fine depth for the Wild, Sabres and both New York Rangers and Columbus Blue Jackets. The fact that he hasn’t even played this season on an AHL deal likely means he’s trying hard to work out a two-way contract with an NHL club, given that there are many minor league affiliations that could use his experience on a nightly basis.
If all goes well on the Colorado PTO, you may see Falk signed at some point as a depth option for a team looking to make a deep playoff run. At the very worst, he’ll be able to continue his playing career in the minor leagues and try to show someone enough to keep him on next season. The veteran defenseman has a history of winning at the lower levels, taking home a Memorial Cup with the Spokane Chiefs and a Calder Cup with the Lake Erie Monsters. Even if his game has slowed a step, it would be surprising to see him forced out of professional hockey so soon.
Brandon Hagel Signs Entry-Level Contract With Chicago Blackhawks
After seeing his exclusive negotiating rights expire when the Buffalo Sabres failed to sign him, Brandon Hagel returned to the Red Deer Rebels of the WHL as an unrestricted free agent. He hadn’t earned a professional contract, and instead is now playing as an overager for the Rebels and finding great success. Today, the Chicago Blackhawks rewarded that success by signing Hagel to a three-year entry-level contract. He’ll remain with the Rebels for the remainder of the season.
Hagel, 20, has 12 goals and 28 points in just 15 games for the Rebels and is one of the most dangerous offensive players in the entire WHL. Though that comes partly because of his age and experience, he has put up solid results in the past and isn’t an overwhelming physical presence. Instead, he’s using his quick decision making and play below the hash marks to create chances for himself and teammates.
Red Deer is off to a great start in the WHL at 10-4-1, and have their eyes on a potential Memorial Cup berth if they can get through the playoffs. They’ll need Hagel at his best to pull something like that off, and the Blackhawks would love to see him contribute to a victorious team. You can bet whenever the Rebels are eliminated, Hagel will join the Rockford IceHogs for a few games. The first season of his deal will be burned this year either way.
Jeff Skinner's Next Contract Could Resemble Evander Kane's Contract
Sabres winger Jeff Skinner is off to a strong start with his new team after Buffalo acquired him in the offseason from Carolina. Through his first 11 games this season, he has a dozen points to lead the team in scoring. While the team is certainly pleased with his performance thus far, Skinner is also bolstering his case when it comes to his next contract.
He currently is making a $6MM salary with a $5.725MM cap hit and is poised to improve upon that as a pending UFA this summer. Jared Clinton of The Hockey News suggests that the best comparable player may actually be the player he ultimately replaced on the Sabres in winger Evander Kane. Kane signed a seven-year, $49MM contract this offseason but Skinner has actually been the more productive player in terms of goals per game and points per game over that span. Fortunately for Buffalo, they have plenty of salary cap space to work with if they want to give the 26-year-old that type of raise as they have just under $55MM committed to 14 players for next season, per CapFriendly.
Oilers’ Zack Kassian Granted Permission To Seek Trade
The Edmonton Oilers are off to a better start this season, out to a 5-3-1 record in the first month of the season. There has been far less controversy surrounding the team so far, as they look to get back to the playoffs following a very disappointing 2017-18 campaign. However, not everyone is feeling the positive effects of the new year. Forward Zack Kassian has been underutilized and unproductive early this season, a continuing trend from last season, and his frustration has boiled over. According to Sportsnet insider Elliotte Friedman, Kassian requested and has been granted permission to seek a trade to another team. His time in Edmonton could soon be over.
Kassian, 27, is a big, power forward right winger and was once a top NHL prospect. Selected 13th overall by the Buffalo Sabres in 2009, Kassian was valued not only for his size and physicality, but also his offensive upside after solid production in the OHL. That scoring ability never quite developed and Kassian has made a living in the league – with Buffalo, the Vancouver Canucks, and now Edmonton – as a part-time player used to inject grit and energy into the lineup. That is until 2016-17, when Kassian earned a full-time role with the Oilers, playing in a career-high 79 games, finishing among the top forwards in hits, and contributing 24 points as well.
There was no turning back after that, as Kassian was convinced he had proven himself to be an NHL starter. Rumors of his dissatisfaction began last season, when Kassian saw his ice time slip, unsurprisingly along with his performance. However, the situation has come to a head this year, as Kassian has been a healthy scratch for a third of the Oilers’ games, has skated under ten minutes per night on average, and has been held scoreless to boot. This may simply be the new reality for Kassian, who is better suited as a match-up player to be used when toughness is needed or he’s showing flashes of offense, but it will likely take a change of scenery for him to realize that. With plenty of players who could fill a role on the fourth line, Edmonton has little reason not to take what they can for Kassian and rid themselves of two more years of his nearly $2MM cap hit. With mutual interest in a separation, this seems like a situation that will be resolved via trade in short order, although don’t expect much of a return for the Oilers or a breakout for Kassian with his new team.
Buffalo Sabres Sign Matej Pekar To Entry-Level Contract
The Buffalo Sabres already got their way when convincing 2018 draft pick Matej Pekar to play in the OHL this season, and now the two sides have agreed again on a step in his hockey career. Pekar has signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Sabres.
Selected in the fourth round in June, Pekar was expected to stay in the USHL for one season before heading to the college ranks. All that went out the window when the Sabres convinced him to play with the Barrie Colts this season, ending his NCAA eligibility and setting him up for a quicker path to professional hockey. The talented Czech-born forward has made an impact right away scoring 11 points in his first 10 OHL games, and looks like a steal for the Sabres at this point—early as it may be.
It’s obviously difficult to judge a draft just a few months after it happens, but the Sabres look like they have quite a few gems from the last two years. While Casey Mittelstadt and Rasmus Dahlin are easy choices, others like Pekar, Mattias Samuelsson and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen could make it an excellent group. That’s exactly what the Sabres need as they try to climb out of the bottom of the league, and getting these players under contract is just another step along the way.
Zach Bogosian Activated From Injured Reserve
The Buffalo Sabres are off to a pretty good start this season, and will now get part of their leadership group back on the ice. Zach Bogosian has been activated from injured reserve and will suit up for his season debut tonight against the Vegas Golden Knights. The team has assigned Matt Tennyson to the minor leagues to make room on the roster.
At one point in time, Bogosian was seen as a top two-way defenseman in the NHL and one of the league’s up and coming stars. That point what quite some time ago though, and the 28-year old has struggled to stay healthy over the last several years. Playing in just 18 games last season with the Sabres, he registered a single point and was a complete question mark coming into training camp. Bogosian even responded directly to some of his doubters, indicating that he was working hard to get back to full strength and ready for the season. Now he’ll get a chance to show the entire world that he can still be a top-four defenseman in the NHL and log the big minutes that the Sabres desperately need him to.
Though Rasmus Dahlin has been as advertised and is already averaging nearly 19 minutes a night, the team could really use another option to use on the penalty kill and at even strength. Nathan Beaulieu is currently averaging fewer than 14 minutes of even-strength action, while Casey Nelson isn’t too far ahead of that. It’s Nelson that’s coming out of the lineup tonight, and who could eventually lose his spot completely if Bogosian can prove his health. That’s still certainly a question, but it’s one that the Sabres will eagerly await the answer to later tonight.
2018-19 Season Primer: Buffalo Sabres
With the NHL season now just underway, we continue our look at what each team has done this summer and what to watch for in the year to come. Next up is a look at the Buffalo Sabres.
Last Season: 25-45-12 record (62 points), eighth in the Atlantic Division (missed the playoffs)
Remaining Cap Space: $618K per CapFriendly
Key Additions: F Patrik Berglund (trade with St. Louis), D Rasmus Dahlin (draft), F Remi Elie (waivers, Dallas), G Carter Hutton (free agent, St. Louis), D Matt Hunwick (trade with Pittsburgh), F Conor Sheary (trade with Pittsburgh), F Jeff Skinner (trade with Carolina), F Vladimir Sobotka (trade with St. Louis), F Tage Thompson (trade with St. Louis)
Key Subtractions: D Victor Antipin (free agent, Magnitogorsk, KHL), D Justin Falk (free agent, unsigned), D Josh Gorges (free agent, unsigned), G Chad Johnson (free agent, St. Louis), F Jacob Josefson (free agent, Djurgardens, SHL), G Robin Lehner (free agent, NY Islanders), F Jordan Nolan (free agent, St. Louis), F Benoit Pouliot (free agent, unsigned), F Ryan O’Reilly (trade with St. Louis)
[Related: Sabres Depth Chart From Roster Resource]
Player To Watch: F Jeff Skinner – After a summer fueled with trade speculation, Carolina finally gave up on Skinner, moving him to Buffalo for a collection of future assets. While going to a team that finished in the basement of the league last season wouldn’t normally be viewed as a positive, it was a good landing spot for the 26-year-old as he gets to play with a high-quality center in Jack Eichel.
From Buffalo’s standpoint, Skinner represents a significant upgrade on the left wing compared to recent seasons. They’re certainly hoping that this will allow Eichel to take a key step forward offensively while it’s reasonable to expect Skinner to build on his 49-point output from last year as well.
That would bode quite well for Skinner as he’s in the final year of his contract and will be eligible for unrestricted free agency at the end of the season. He’ll be one of the younger players to hit the open market if he makes it there and a strong showing would certainly boost his negotiating leverage around the league if he doesn’t re-sign with Buffalo. While the Sabres have a lot to play for as they look to work their way back to respectability, Skinner himself has plenty at stake in the 2018-19 season.
Key Storyline: Last year, Buffalo struggled defensively, to put it lightly. They allowed nearly 33 shots per game and received below average goaltending from Lehner and Johnson. While they tried to address their deficiency between the pipes this summer, they turned to Hutton who is coming off of a career year but has yet to play more than 40 games in a single season. Can he be the answer in goal and if not, will youngster Linus Ullmark be able to pick up the slack? The early returns are promising but we’re still in the first week of the season.
On the back end, not much work was done as GM Jason Botterill wound up shaking up the forward group instead. Adding Dahlin is great for their long-term hopes as he’s pegged to be a franchise piece when he develops but how much of an impact can he have this season? Can he alone turn what was a poor defense corps into a playoff-caliber one? Even with his upside, that’s a lot to put on a first-year NHL player.
Even with their improved depth up front, that alone isn’t going to change Buffalo’s fortunes overnight. They’ve made improvements in goal and on the back end but are those enough to get back into the playoff hunt?
Overall Outlook: While Colorado went from dead last two years ago to a playoff spot last season, it’s hard to see Buffalo doing the same. There is a distinct top-three in the Atlantic and the Sabres aren’t anywhere near that level. Even a Wild Card push seems iffy at this point. They will be better and should be able to move safely out of the basement in the division but more work needs to be done before they can truly become a postseason threat.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Johan Larsson Close To Returning
- The Sabres will soon be facing a tough decision with center Johan Larsson soon, suggests Bill Hoppe of the Olean Times Herald. While he didn’t suit up today against Vegas, he’s close to returning from the lower-body injury he sustained in the preseason. However, Buffalo has a full roster and while they have a pair of waiver-exempt forwards in Tage Thompson and Casey Mittelstadt, it wouldn’t make sense to send one of them down to make room for Larsson. Accordingly, they’re going to have to decide if there’s still a place for the 26-year-old on the roster or if they’re going to need to try to either trade or waive him in the coming days. Larsson carries a $1.475MM cap hit and will be a restricted free agent next summer.