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Nicholas Baptiste

Sabres Acquire Jack Dougherty From Predators For Nicholas Baptiste

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The Sabres and Predators have swapped minor leaguers.  Buffalo has acquired defenseman Jack Dougherty from Nashville in exchange for winger Nicholas Baptiste.  Both teams have announced the trade.

Dougherty was a second-round pick of the Predators back in 2014 (51st overall) but has yet to make it to the NHL level over his first two professional seasons.  Last year, he suited up in 63 games with their AHL affiliate in Milwaukee, collecting 13 points (1-12-13).  The 22-year-old is in the final year of his entry-level contract and carries a cap hit of $695K.  He is also waiver-exempt for the entire season so if Buffalo needs him during the season, they can bring him up and send him down without having to expose him to the wire.

Meanwhile, Baptiste split last season between the Sabres and AHL Rochester.  In 33 games with Buffalo, he picked up four goals and two assists while averaging 9:58 per night of ice time in largely a fourth line role.  He was a bit more productive at the minor league level, tallying 18 points (7-11-18) in 36 contests with the Americans.

The 23-year-old has a total of 47 career NHL games under his belt, all with the Sabres.  Unlike Daugherty, he is eligible for waivers but passed through unclaimed on Sunday and will likely report to Milwaukee.  Baptiste is on a one-year deal that pays just under $788K in the NHL and will be a restricted free agent next summer.

Training Camp Cuts: 9/30/18

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It’s the last day of September and the start of the regular season is mere days away. Final cuts are looming and the decisions are going to get much tougher. While the drama really lies with the waiver wire over the next few days, keep track here of all the players otherwise sent down right here:

Buffalo Sabres (via team Twitter)

F Justin Bailey (to Rochester, AHL)
F Nicholas Baptiste (to Rochester, AHL)

Carolina Hurricanes (via CapFriendly)

F Patrick Brown (to Charlotte, AHL)
F Greg McKegg (to Charlotte, AHL)

Chicago Blackhawks (per CapFriendly)

G Collin Delia (to Rockford, AHL)
F Dylan Sikura (to Rockford, AHL)

Columbus Blue Jackets (per team release)

G Jean-Francois Berube (to Cleveland, AHL)
D Tommy Cross (to Cleveland, AHL)
F Zac Dalpe (to Cleveland, AHL)
F Dan DeSalvo (to Cleveland, AHL)
F Nathan Gerbe (to Cleveland, AHL)
F Miles Koules (to Cleveland, AHL)
F Mark Letestu (to Cleveland, AHL)
F Ryan MacInnis (to Cleveland, AHL)
D Michael Prapavessis (to Cleveland, AHL)
D Dillon Simpson (to Cleveland, AHL)
F Sam Vigneault (to Cleveland, AHL)
D Justin Wade (to Cleveland, AHL)

Dallas Stars (via Mark Stepneski of NHL.com)

F Erik Condra (to Texas, AHL)
F Michael Mersch (to Texas, AHL)

Detroit Red Wings (per team Twitter update)

F Jussi Jokinen (released from PTO, via MLive’s Ansar Khan)
F David Pope (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
D Vili Saarijarvi (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
G Harri Sateri (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
F Givani Smith (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
F Dominic Turgeon (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
F Filip Zadina (to Grand Rapids, AHL)

Edmonton Oilers (per team Twitter update)

D Jakub Jerabek (awaiting assignment)

Montreal Canadiens (per team release)

G Charlie Lindgren (to Montreal, AHL)

New York Rangers (per team Twitter update)

D Brandon Crawley (to Hartford, AHL)

Philadelphia Flyers (per team release)

D Mark Friedman (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
G Carter Hart (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
D Philippe Myers (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)

Tampa Bay Lightning (per team release)

D Erik Cerna (to Syracuse, AHL)
F Mitchell Stephens (to Syracuse, AHL)
F Alexander Volkov (to Syracuse, AHL)

Toronto Maple Leafs (per team Twitter update; Dhiren Mahiban)

D Andreas Borgman (to Toronto, AHL)
F Jeremy Bracco (to Toronto, AHL)
F Adam Brooks (to Toronto, AHL)
F Emerson Clark (to Toronto, AHL)
F Rich Clune (to Toronto, AHL)
F Pierre Engvall (to Toronto, AHL)
F Colin Greening (to Toronto, AHL)
F Carl Grundstrom (to Toronto, AHL)
D Timothy Liljegren (to Toronto, AHL)
F Mason Marchment (to Toronto, AHL)
F Trevor Moore (to Toronto, AHL)
D Calle Rosen (to Toronto, AHL)
F Dmytro Timashov (to Toronto, AHL)
D Sean Durzi (from Toronto, AHL to Owen Sound, OHL)
D Mac Hollowell (from Toronto, AHL to Sault Ste. Marie, OHL)

Washington Capitals (via The Athletic’s Chris Kuk)

F Riley Barber (to Hershey, AHL)
F Liam O’Brien (to Hershey, AHL)

Fifteen Players Placed On Waivers

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Another busy day on the waiver wire as 15 players were placed on waivers today, according to TVA’s Renaud Lavoie (Twitter link). No players was claimed from yesterday’s group of 16 players, but with the regular season fast approaching, teams are continuing to make big decisions.

F Justin Bailey (Buffalo)
F Nicholas Baptiste (Buffalo)
F Riley Barber (Washington)
D Matt Bartkowski (Minnesota)
F Patrick Brown (Carolina)
F Erik Condra (Dallas)
G Andrew Hammond (Minnesota)
F Mike Liambas (Minnesota)
D Evan McEneny (Vancouver)
F Greg McKegg (Carolina)
F Michael Mersch (Dallas)
F Liam O’Brien (Washington)
F Kyle Rau (Minnesota)
F Matt Read (Minnesota)
F Anton Rodin (Anaheim) — placed on unconditional waivers (per Lavoie)
D Matt Tennyson (Buffalo)

There are a few interesting names, including the “Hamburglar,” who lost his bid to unseat goaltender Alex Stalock as the backup goaltender in Minnesota. Hammond hasn’t been a full-time backup since the 2015-16 season, but has shown flashes of brilliance when he’s hot, including getting into three playoff appearances for Colorado last year. One of those games, Game 5, Hammond stopped 44 of 45 shots in leading the Avalanche to a 2-1 victory over the Nashville Predators. However, he wasn’t able to keep that success going as he yielded five goals the following game as Colorado was eliminated.

The 23-year-old Bailey is another interesting player who has worked his way up level-by-level and was on the border of a regular spot. Bailey has had three stints in the NHL now and last year’s was one of the more successful ones has he tallied three goals and four points in 12 games. Baptiste is another 23-year-old in Buffalo, who got an even longer look with the Sabres, 33 games, but only managed four goals in that time.

Read is another player with tons of experience. The 32-year-old had played quite a bit in the NHL before struggling to get playing time in Philadelphia, while the 25-year-old Rau posted 23 goals in Iowa last season in the AHL.

Buffalo Sabres Sign Justin Bailey To One-Year Contract

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The Buffalo Sabres have signed another restricted free agent as they have signed Justin Bailey to a one-year, two-way contract worth $715K. The winger will still have two RFA years remaining after next season. It marks the third restricted free agent to ink a new deal after Danny O’Regan signed earlier today, while Nicholas Baptiste signed on Saturday.

Bailey has been solid at every level he’s played so far, but hasn’t been able to break into the Sabres’ lineup. While he has the size and speed to play in the NHL, he hasn’t found the skill or consistency yet. The 23-year-old potted 20 goals twice with the Rochester Americans of the AHL and spent a lot of time going back and forth between Rochester and Buffalo this past year. The Buffalo native scored 10 goals and five assists in 37 games with the Americans this season, while posting three goals and an assist in 12 games with the Sabres.

Bailey’s contract is for less than he made during his entry-level deal when he was making $894K at the NHL level. The Sabres still have two restricted free agents remaining as they still have to sign winger C.J. Smith and most importantly center Sam Reinhart.

Sabres Re-Sign RFA Forward Danny O’Regan

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The Buffalo Sabres continue to work through a substantial list of restricted free agents. While it was reported yesterday that they had agreed to terms with forward Nicholas Baptiste, the team this morning both confirmed that deal and announced the signing of fellow RFA forward Danny O’Regan. With the deadline for accepting a qualifying offer arriving later today, O’Regan accepted his offer of $874,125 at the NHL level and $70K at the AHL level.

O’Regan was acquired by the Sabres at the NHL Trade Deadline in the deal that sent Evander Kane to the San Jose Sharks. The 2012 fifth-round pick had recorded four assists through 19 games with Sharks prior to the deal and saw action in two contests with Buffalo down the stretch, but was held scoreless. While his NHL offensive efforts to date – five points in 22 games – are underwhelming, O’Regan has not yet been put in a position to succeed, seeing limited ice time in an energy role. That could change in Buffalo, where he joins former Boston University teammates Jack Eichel and Evan Rodrigues up front for the Sabres. O’Regan displayed strong offensive instincts and scoring ability at BU and in his only full season at the AHL level, scoring at a point-per-game pace over the three campaigns. If given proper opportunity up in Buffalo, O’Regan could prove to be an exciting addition.

With O’Regan and Baptiste officially in the books, that still leaves Justin Bailey, C.J. Smith, and most importantly Sam Reinhart as remaining restricted free agents for GM Jason Botterill and the Sabres to sort out. Perhaps before the deadline today, new deals can be hammered out with Bailey and Smith – both of whom could be bound for the AHL for much of next season – but work on Reinhart’s extension is slow and steady.

Buffalo Sabres Sign Nicholas Baptiste To One-Year Deal

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7/15: The team has officially announced the signing. Baptiste will carry a $787.5K cap hit at the NHL level and will be paid $70K in the minor leagues.

7/14: The Buffalo Sabres have signed restricted free agent Nicholas Baptiste to a one-year, two-way contract, according to TVA’s Renaud Lavoie. The 22-year-old winger will make $788K next season.

Baptiste has developed nicely in the Sabres’ system as he scored 25 goals with the Rochester Americans of the AHL in the 2016-17 season and followed that up by splitting time between Rochester and Buffalo this year. With injuries hampering the Sabres’ squad, Baptiste was able to get into 33 games this past season, putting up four goals and six points in limited time. Playing in a bottom-six role, he averaged just 9:58 of ATOI.

At 6-foot-1, 205 pounds, the forward has both the size and speed to be a solid player, but has struggled to put it all together at the NHL level as he has received some time at the top-six. The team may be looking at Baptiste as either a trade chip or more of a permanent bottom-six rotation player, but he will get one more year to prove that he can take that next step in Buffalo. That might be more challenging with the Sabres’ adding more talent this season, including some veterans like Patrik Berglund and Vladimir Sobotka, which could force Baptiste back to Buffalo.

Minor Transactions: 4/8/18

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With the Eastern Conference still undecided until today’s final regular season game, the Western Conference has no questions as the Colorado Avalanche finished off the St. Louis Blues in a 5-2 victory Saturday as they clinched the final playoff spot. The Nashville Predators got the top spot and will face the Avalanche. In other first-round matchups, the Vegas Golden Knights will face the Los Angeles Kings, the Anaheim Ducks will face the San Jose Sharks and the Minnesota Wild will face the Winnipeg Jets. 

Buffalo’s Jack Eichel Out Indefinitely With High Ankle Sprain

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5:09 PM: Head coach Phil Housley told reporters, including NHL.com’s Joe Yerdon (Twitter link) that Eichel could still return this season.  He is, however, expected to miss the next four-to-six weeks at a minimum.

1:05 PM: The Buffalo Sabres will be without their best player as the team announced that Jack Eichel will be out indefinitely with a high ankle sprain. This is the second year in a row he’s suffered this injury, although last year’s sprain was with his left leg. This sprain is with his right leg.

Eichel, the team’s leading scorer suffered the same injury a year ago when he missed the first 21 games of the season and didn’t start his season until Nov. 29 in 2016. A similar timetable could suggest he might miss most if not all of the remainder of the season. The 21-year-old center has played in 55 games this year and has 22 goals and 53 points and was well on his way to posting career highs this season.

From a team outlook, Eichel’s loss shouldn’t affect much as the team plans to be sellers at the deadline and have the second-worst record in the league with a 16-29-10 record. The team should have a good chance of snagging the top pick in the 2018 draft lottery in Rasmus Dahlin.

The Buffalo News’ John Vogl tweets that the team plans to recall 22-year-old center Nicholas Baptiste from the Rochester Americans of the AHL. He has one goal in eight games with the Sabres this year.

 

Minor Transactions: 2/3/18

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With 26 teams in action today, there will likely be plenty of roster shuffling around the league.  Here’s where we’ll keep tabs on those moves.

  • As expected, the Stars have recalled a goaltender to take Ben Bishop’s spot on the roster, summoning Landon Bow from AHL Texas, per the AHL’s transactions page. The 22-year-old has yet to play at the NHL level but has been a regular in the AHL this season, posting a 2.81 GAA with a .905 SV% in 28 appearances this season.
  • The Blue Jackets announced (Twitter link) that they have recalled defenseman Cameron Gaunce from Cleveland of the AHL. He has two goals and ten assists in 36 minor league games so far this season and gives them some more depth with Ryan Murray still injured.
  • The Penguins have recalled winger Zach Aston-Reese from AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, per a team release. Aston-Reese was highly sought after in college free agency last season and is off to a good start to his first full professional season with 29 points (9-20-29) in 41 games.  To make room for him on the roster, winger Conor Sheary has been placed on injured reserve.
  • The Bruins announced that they have summoned winger Austin Czarnik from Providence (AHL) on an emergency basis.  The diminutive forward has been very productive in the minors so far this season as he sits tied for sixth in league scoring with 42 points (13-29-42) in 38 games.
  • The Buffalo Sabres have assigned forward Nicholas Baptiste back to the Rochester Americans of the AHL, according to NHL.com’s Joe Yerdon. The 22-year-old was called up on Jan. 19 and played four games for the Sabres. He scored his first NHL goal on that stint with a goal last week against Vancouver. He likely was sent down as the team is ready to activate defenseman Nathan Beaulieu off of injured reserve. Beaulieu has been on IR since Jan. 23.

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