Cal Petersen To Turn Pro, Forego Senior Season At Notre Dame
Just minutes after the Buffalo Sabres announced the signing of goaltending prospect Jonas Johansson, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish announced that fellow Sabres prospect Cal Petersen will not be returning for his senior season. Instead, Petersen will either sign a professional contract with the Sabres, or wait to become a free agent later this summer. Since four years have passed since Petersen was selected in 2013, the Sabres will have just 30 days to sign him before he becomes a free agent.
Interestingly, the announcement from Notre Dame comes without any inkling that the Sabres are close to a deal with the goaltender. Though Tim Murray was clear before he was fired he had made an offer to Petersen to join the club, it’s not clear where new GM Jason Botterill stands with him. While Petersen was with Team USA at the World Championships earlier this month, he had said the idea of competing in the Olympics would factor into his decision on whether or not to turn pro. Apparently, that didn’t have enough of an effect to keep him in school.
Petersen is a top goaltending prospect after posting three outstanding seasons at Notre Dame and developing into an excellent all-around goaltender. Though he doesn’t have the size of many NHL netminders—Petersen stands just six-foot-one—he has excellent positional play and was even the first goaltender in Notre Dame history to serve as captain. He started 90 consecutive games for the school, and set several school records including his .924 career save percentage.
Botterill won’t be alone in wooing Petersen to Buffalo, as earlier today John Vogl of the Buffalo News reported that Sabres superstar Jack Eichel had given him a pitch before the US World Championship team had split up.
I obviously told him that we’d love to have him. I just kind of gave him a bit of an earful about what Buffalo is like, how passionate the people were here and how great an organization it is.
As he’s done with everything so far, Petersen will likely take his time to weigh all of his options now that he’s made this decision. The longer it stretches into June the more Buffalo fans will cross their fingers, but the Sabres are still clearly the favorite to land him after spending a fifth-round pick on him and being in constant contact.
Buffalo Sabres Sign Jonas Johansson To Three-Year Deal
The Buffalo Sabres have added to their goaltending depth, signing prospect Jonas Johansson to a three-year entry-level contract. No financial details were released. The Sabres had one year remaining of exclusive negotiating rights with the Swedish netminder, but will get him into their system right away.
Johansson signed an ATO and played seven games for the Rochester Americans this spring, and has apparently done enough to warrant an entry-level deal. In those seven contests, he registered a 3-3-1 record and an .892 save percentage. The big, 6’4″ goaltender was selected in the third round (61st-overall) of the 2014 entry draft, and has been developing in the Swedish Allsvenskan over the past few seasons. Still raw but supremely talented, he’s one of the goaltenders the Sabres hope can develop into a real NHL talent in the future.
Johansson’s role in the organization is likely in Rochester, though with Cal Petersen still a possibility this summer there may not be enough starts for both on the AHL squad. Petersen is undecided about whether he will turn pro or return to Notre Dame for his senior year. While Linus Ullmark is likely heading for the NHL to be Robin Lehner‘s backup—unless of course the team re-signs Anders Nilsson—Petersen would likely garner the lion’s share of the starts for the Amerks next year. If he does turn pro, Johansson may see some time in the ECHL just to get work in next year and continue his development.
Latest On Buffalo Sabres’ Coaching Search
The Buffalo Sabres brought in San Jose Sharks assistant coach Bob Boughner for an interview yesterday according to Pierre LeBrun of TSN. The Sabres continue to search for their next head coach after firing Dan Bylsma earlier this spring. Boughner has been with the Sharks for two seasons, and had two lengthy runs as head coach of the Windsor Spitfires of the OHL.
Before entering coaching, Boughner played 630 games in the NHL including three seasons for the Sabres. The tough defenseman put up just 72 points in his NHL career, but is considered an up-and-coming head coach that will eventually land a job somewhere around the league.
Earlier updates…
- Former Edmonton Oilers head coach Ralph Krueger had been linked to the job, though he has no intention of returning to the NHL just yet. Now chairman of a soccer team in the EPL, Krueger apparently has already turned down two different offers this year to return and is quite happy with his current situation.
- Todd Reirden has been mentioned in connection with the job, but his close ties to the outgoing Bylmsa may pose an issue. While obviously the two don’t coach exactly the same, they have worked together at several stops and would likely bring many of the same messages. As Buffalo tries to rebuild its identity, bringing someone in from the same coaching bubble may not be the ideal move.
- Clark Donatelli, the man Botterill hired to replace Mike Sullivan when he was promoted in Pittsburgh has also been linked to Buffalo. Donatelli could also be in the running for the AHL job after the Sabres fired Dan Lambert the incumbent head coach.
- Finally, Phil Housley has been connected to the vacancies in both Florida and Buffalo but teams are waiting for him to finish his Stanley Cup run with the Nashville Predators. Housley was drafted and made his debut with the Buffalo Sabres, playing eight seasons with the club at the beginning of his career. For what it’s worth (which isn’t very much), he even uses a photo of himself playing for the Sabres in his Twitter profile. It would be a solid marketing move to bring back one of the greatest defensemen ever to play for the franchise as its next head coach, but Florida will likely give ample competition for his services.
Expansion Primer: Buffalo Sabres
Over the next few weeks we will be breaking down each team’s situation as it pertains to the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft. Which players are eligible, and which will likely warrant protection or may be on the block. Each team is required to submit their protection lists by 4pm CDT on June 17th. The full rules on eligibility can be found here, and CapFriendly has provided a handy expansion tool to make your own lists.
After finishing the 2015-16 season with 81 points (a 27 point increase on the previous year) a Stanley Cup-winning coach and a budding superstar who had scored 56 points as a teenager, the Buffalo Sabres felt pretty good about their future. So they went out and gave a 28-year old Kyle Okposo a seven-year, $42MM deal, traded for Dmitry Kulikov and held onto the off-ice troublemaker Evander Kane. It looked like they would compete for the playoffs this season, but the optimism wasn’t held for long.
Decimated by injury, the team couldn’t put it together even after Eichel’s mid-season return and would finish with just 78 points. They now head into this offseason with a much different outlook, clearing house and bringing in first-time GM (save for a short interim period in Pittsburgh) Jason Botterill to hire coaches for both the NHL and AHL clubs. They’ll pick eighth once again in this year’s entry draft and have quite a lot of picks in the first few rounds, though are looking to compete next season and catch up with the success that Edmonton and Toronto realized this season. In terms of expansion, they find themselves in a pretty good spot because many of their prized possessions are still ineligible for selection.
Eligible Players (Non-UFA)
Forwards:
Ryan O’Reilly, Kyle Okposo (NMC), Evander Kane, Matt Moulson, Tyler Ennis, Nicolas Deslauriers, William Carrier, Zemgus Girgensons, Justin Kea, Marcus Foligno, Johan Larsson
Defensemen:
Rasmus Ristolainen, Zach Bogosian, Josh Gorges, Jake McCabe, Justin Falk, Brady Austin
Goaltenders:
Notable Exemptions
Jack Eichel, Sam Reinhart, Alexander Nylander, Nicholas Baptiste, C.J. Smith, Hudson Fasching, Brendan Guhle, Justin Bailey, Viktor Antipin
Key Decisions
The Sabres have no need to go with the eight skater route unless they make a move for a defenseman prior to the draft, and even then it would mean exposing some of their forwards for no reason. With Franson and Kulikov both headed to free agency, there isn’t a glut of defenders to protect this season. Their biggest decisions will be with the last couple of spots up front, for which there are some interesting candidates.
Obviously O’Reilly will be protected, as he’s likely the team’s second best forward and is still just entering his prime. Though the trade and contract hasn’t worked out exactly as Buffalo had hoped, the 26-year old is still an excellent center capable of competing among the elite players of the game. Okposo too will be protected, though his no-movement clause doesn’t give much chance otherwise. He had a scary bout in the hospital recently, but he is apparently on the road to recovery and should be ready for next season. Kane, for all his trouble outside of the rink is still an effective scoring threat inside of it and will be protected. Whether he starts next year in Buffalo may be another story, but the team won’t just give him away for free. 
The interesting decisions come in the next few slots. It’s been two years now since Ennis was an effective scorer in the league, dealing with injury and ineffectiveness throughout the year. With just 24 points in 74 games combined over two seasons, his $4.6MM cap-hit looks incredibly high. There are only two more seasons on it, but like Moulson who is in a similar situation, Ennis just doesn’t produce at a high enough level anymore to warrant the deal. The Sabres could leave him available, or protect him and hope for a big bounce-back year in his age-28 season. Similar things could be said for Foligno and Girgensons, who still haven’t found that next level in their offensive production. They each are solid NHL players, and have room to grow but are both restricted free agents this summer and decisions will have to be made on their future with the club.
Among the other interesting young players are Larsson and Carrier, both of whom are second-round picks who have shown snippets of their potential as solid NHL contributors. Larsson missed most of this season due to injury, while Carrier made his NHL debut and stuck for 41 games. Perhaps Botterill believes that one of them has more to give offensively, or could be part of a shutdown line in the future. Vegas would certainly take a risk on either one as they’ve already shown they’re at least capable of staying in an NHL lineup.
On defense, there isn’t much to decide outside of perhaps what to do if Gorges is selected. It would be hard to see him earn a protection slot, but the veteran still did log valuable minutes for the Sabres this season. The 32-year old defensive specialist has just one year left on his contract, but could be part of a leadership group in Vegas should they decide he’s worth it.
In net, Lehner will be protected and given the reins to the team once again. Ullmark does pose an interesting option for Vegas, as he has actually posted a strong .913 save percentage in 21 NHL starts. At just 23 he’s ready to take on a bigger role and should spend most of the season in the NHL if Anders Nilsson isn’t retained this summer.
Speaking of Nilsson, he represents one of the possible free agent acquisitions that Vegas could sign prior to the draft if they choose. That would mean forfeiting their selection from Buffalo, but perhaps he or one of the free agent defensemen—Franson or Kulikov—would be worth it. Franson is still a good possession player with solid offensive upside, even if he does need sheltering at times from tough defensive matchups. With such a lack of right-handed shot defensemen on the market, perhaps he would be appealing to the young Vegas club. Giving up their selection from Buffalo would be tough though, and would need them to believe a bidding war of sorts would occur after July 1st—something that for any of the Sabres’ free agents would be hard to believe.
Projected Protection List
F Kyle Okposo (NMC)
F Ryan O’Reilly
F Evander Kane
F Zemgus Girgensons
F Marcus Foligno
F Johan Larsson
F William Carrier
D Rasmus Ristolainen
D Zach Bogosian
D Jake McCabe
As Botterill continues to try and reshape the team into what he wants going forward, leaving exposed the big, underperforming cap-hits of Ennis and Moulson seems like the way to go, even if it does give up the chance of a bounce-back. A 27-year old, three-time 20-goal man would be tough to watch walk out the door, but the Golden Knights would almost certainly jump on Carrier or Larsson if left unprotected.
There is always a chance that the team moves Kane or another forward before the draft, opening up another slot for them to protect. Like many other teams that need defense though, acquiring one before the expansion draft from a worried club would put one of your own at risk. While Bogosian has been somewhat of a disappointment since he arrived from Winnipeg, giving him up for free seems a bit short-sighted. That means a deal for one of the surplus Anaheim defenders, or a Minnesota blueliner doesn’t seem in the cards in the next few weeks.
One thing to note is that newly signed Viktor Antipin is not eligible for the draft, despite his extensive experience in the KHL. The years of professional experience he gained in Russia don’t count towards the expansion draft requirements because he wasn’t playing them under an NHL Standard Player Contract (SPC). He’s a first year pro, and will be untouchable in the draft.
Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Buffalo Sabres Fire AHL Head Coach
While new Buffalo Sabres GM Jason Botterill continues to search for a new coach for his NHL club, he’ll also have to be on the lookout for an AHL bench boss. Today, it was announced that Botterill and the Sabres have fired Rochester American’s head coach Dan Lambert. The team will immediately begin a search for his replacement, something that Botterill has done before as the previous GM of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.
Lambert took over as head coach of the Amerks this year after serving as an assistant to Dan Bylsma in Buffalo in 2015-16. The AHL team finished with a losing record for the third straight season, and will now be looking for their fourth head coach in four years. Despite some talented young players and a goaltender that has shown he can compete at the NHL level, the team floundered near the bottom of the North Division. In Pittsburgh, great emphasis was placed on the AHL team as a developmental tool for future NHL players and coaches to great success. Botterill had a huge hand in that, first bringing in current Penguins’ coach Mike Sullivan and then Clark Donatelli, a man recently linked to the Sabres search.
The Sabres have committed to restructuring their organization under Botterill, and this will now allow him to build the Amerks back from the ground up. Botterill had previously said that he wanted an NHL coach hired by the entry draft, but the minor league level could likely wait a little longer. We’ll see if he goes with a new face, or someone he’s worked with in the past.
Snapshots: Price, Johansen, Cincinnati
Beginning on July 1, several notable players will be eligible to sign contract extensions ahead of the final year of their contracts. Connor McDavid is the biggest name, but Carey Price is in a similar stratosphere.
The superstar goaltender is entering the final year of his six-year, $39MM contract ($6.5MM AAV), signed back in 2012. Price has a no-move clause (NMC) which allows him to submit a list of 15-team trade list.
According to TSN’s Pierre LeBrun, Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin and Price’s agent Gerry Johansson will meet next week to begin discussions. The two have had some preliminary discussions at the World Championships earlier this month, but have not had any “real negotiations” yet. The two sides are reportedly aiming to have something ready for Price to sign on July 1.
The Price contract will have a big impact on the Canadiens’ plans going forward. While he could command in the neighborhood of $10MM, that would negatively impact Bergevin’s ability to bring in offensive help, something the Canadiens desperately need.
- Nashville center Ryan Johansen appeared on TSN 1040 in Vancouver, and opened up about his season-ending injury and comments about Ducks shut-down center Ryan Kesler. Johansen took a hit from Josh Manson, and was going to pull himself out of the game when the game ended in overtime. By the time Johansen hit the showers, he was unable to walk and had emergency surgery just hours later. He’s expected to make a full recovery, which is good news considering the serious risks related to acute compartment syndrome. Regarding Kesler, Johansen said his only regret was not being able to shake the Ducks’ hands at the end of the series.
- The Buffalo Sabres have found a new AA affiliate, signing an agreement with the Cincinnati Cyclones. The Sabres’ previous ECHL affiliate, the Elmira Jackals, folded earlier this year. The Cyclones were previously affiliated with the Nashville Predators organization. This isn’t the first time there has been an agreement between Buffalo and Cincinnati; back in the 1970s, the Sabres had the Cincinnati Swords as their AHL affiliate. With the AHL above them, the ECHL is generally low on NHL prospects; just four Sabres prospects played in Elmira last season.
Buffalo Sabres Officially Sign Viktor Antipin To One-Year Contract
All the Buffalo Sabres can breathe now, the Viktor Antipin saga is over. After a long courtship, the team has finally announced the signing of the Russian defenseman to a one-year entry-level contract. The short term is due to his age; at 24, Antipin was only eligible for a one-year entry-level deal, and will become a restricted free agent next summer.
New Sabres’ GM Jason Botterill released a statement on why they though Antipin was a fit in Buffalo:
Victor is a well-rounded defenseman who has played in all situations at the pro level. His mobility and puck-moving skills make him a perfect match for what we’re hoping to build with our defense corps next season.
The mobility that Botterill mentions was on display at the recent World Championships, where Antipin recorded four assists and was one of Russia’s better defenders. His size is the biggest issue he’ll face in the NHL, as though the Sabres list him as 5’11” 179-lbs in their press release, the IIHF had him at just 5’9″ during the tournament. Either way, he’ll never compete with some of the bigger NHL players physically, but has never let his disadvantage slow him down in the KHL. During his six seasons there—he broke into the professional ranks at 18—he’s put up strong offensive numbers and been relatively healthy. Despite his team, Magnitigorsk, losing in the finals this season to SKA St. Petersburg, Antipin was named the best defenseman of the championship series. His seven playoff goals were the most from any defender.
For Buffalo, signing Antipin gives them another option on the blueline next year to build around. Along with Rasmus Ristolainen, Jake McCabe and Zach Bogosian, the team is looking to get younger and more mobile. Brendan Guhle will likely play a part at some point, while Devante Stephens could impress and make a case for himself during the year. With Dmitry Kulikov and Cody Franson likely on their way out in free agency, it will be a new-look blueline to be sure at the start of 2017-18.
Clark Donatelli Latest To Be Linked To Buffalo Coaching Search
- Pierre LeBrun of TSN gave a list of names that he believes the Buffalo Sabres are looking at in regards to their head coaching position, and many of them had already been publicly linked. One name that had been overlooked was Clark Donatelli, which Paul Hamilton of WGR 550 added in a follow-up tweet. Donatelli was the replacement for Mike Sullivan in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton when he was promoted to the NHL in 2015-16, hired of course by new Sabres’ GM Jason Botterill when he was in charge of the baby-Penguins. Donatelli led the WBS Penguins to a 51-20-5 record this season, good for first overall in the AHL. While he has no NHL experience so far, he has been groomed all the way from the ECHL by Botterill, and perhaps is ready for the next step.
Jason Botterill Expected To Bring Randy Sexton From Pittsburgh Penguins
- Chuck Gormley reports that the Buffalo Sabres’ new GM Jason Botterill may bring Randy Sexton with him to his new job. Sexton has found success as the Pittsburgh Penguins’ director of amateur scouting, but is most known for his selection of Alexandre Daigle when he was the GM of the Ottawa Senators. Daigle of course was one of, if not the, worst draft busts in history. Signed to a five-year, $12.25MM deal before he’d even hit the ice for the team, the league would later introduce rookie limits due to the disaster that was Daigle’s deal. Sexton has since served as the GM of the Florida Panthers, before joining the Penguins in 2010.
Viktor Antipin To Join Buffalo Sabres Next Week
In what has been one of the worst kept secrets this spring, Viktor Antipin will indeed join the Buffalo Sabres for next season. He confirmed to Alexei Shevchenko of Sport-Express that he will head to Buffalo on May 29th to sign his deal and is excited to get started in the NHL. The 24-year old just completed the World Championships for Russia where he won his second straight bronze and third medal overall. Like many other players at the tournament, he’ll look to North America for the next opportunity in his hockey career.
Antipin has been one of the more consistent defensemen in the KHL for several years, scoring at least 15 points for the past five seasons. He logged more than 20 minutes a night for Magnitogorsk this season, leading them to the finals against St. Petersburg. Named the best defenseman of the final series, he still couldn’t contain Ilya Kovalchuk and the rest of the super-powered SKA team, losing in five games. Overshadowed offensively at times by Chris Lee a former AHL wash-out that suited up for Canada at the recent tournament, Antipin can play successfully at both ends of the rink. He has the ability to work on a powerplay and will likely get a chance to contribute significant minutes for the Sabres as they try to rebuild their defense corps.
Beyond Rasmus Ristolainen, the Sabres have had trouble finding much consistency on the back end, with even Zach Bogosian facing injury and performance troubles at times. There may be more success coming though, as Ristolainen (22) will likely see Jake McCabe (23) and Brendan Guhle (19) take on a bigger role in the next couple of seasons.