Pacific Notes: Canucks, Miller, Christoffer
While the Canucks have been linked to the Hurricanes and defenseman Noah Hanifin, that isn’t the only prominent Eastern Conference player they appear to have interest in. TSN’s Bob McKenzie suggested in a segment on TSN 1040 (audio link) that Buffalo center Ryan O’Reilly is also on their radar. It’s no surprise that Vancouver is in the market for help down the middle after losing Henrik Sedin to retirement; they now have that void to fill inside their top-six. While on the surface it would seem counter-intuitive to add veteran help when the team appears to be in rebuilding mode, O’Reilly still has five years left on his contract so he’d still be around when the Canucks look to shift gears and try to get into contention. He carries a $7.5MM cap hit with most of his money due in annual signing bonuses so it’s worth watching to see if Buffalo tries to deal him before a $7.5MM payment is due next month.
Elsewhere in the Pacific:
- Golden Knights defenseman Colin Miller sustained a broken nose during Monday’s Game Four loss to the Capitals, the team announced (Twitter link). The injury was sustained in the third period in a collision with Washington winger T.J. Oshie. Miller remained in the game and should be available to play in what is a must-win Game Five for Vegas on Thursday night.
- Oilers pending RFA winger Braden Christoffer has signed a one-year contract with their minor league affiliate in Bakersfield, the AHL team announced. Christoffer was signed as an undrafted free agent by Edmonton back in 2015 but has yet to make it past the AHL. This past season, he had 15 points along with 96 penalty minutes in 63 games with the Condors. This makes it likely that he will not be qualified by the team in advance of the June 25th deadline.
Ryan O’Reilly “Preparing To Be In Buffalo”
At the end of the season, Ryan O’Reilly of the Buffalo Sabres was very critical of himself and the fact that he had lost some of the love he had for the game of hockey. He spoke about maybe becoming too complacent and allowing the team to be satisfied with losing. It immediately sent up alarm bells for Sabres fans, who had heard O’Reilly’s name thrown around in trade rumors even before his comments.
Those comments though had a similar effect. Rumors have swirled for the last few weeks around the 27-year old center, wondering if there was a break up approaching between him and Buffalo. O’Reilly did his best to put those rumors to bed recently, as he spoke with Darren Dreger of TSN:
I was being honest. When I reflect on the year, who else can I look at? I’m one of the guys who plays the most minutes, and it’s my fault. I want to change. I want to be in Buffalo. I love it there. Obviously we’re getting the first pick which is huge, but it’s a great city and I want to be there and I want to win.
I think I have a pretty good relationship with the GM, and you know if something happens it happens and that’s hockey. But you know, I plan and am preparing to be in Buffalo. Same role, same sort of thing.
O’Reilly has five years left on his massive $52.5MM contract, but would still have some value in trade should someone approach the Sabres. The hard-nosed center led the league in won faceoffs this season, and put up 61 points even while playing with some questionable linemates at times. That’s the second-highest total of his career, something he’ll have to build on if he is to really turn the Sabres around next season.
Obviously, there are changes coming in Buffalo. Rasmus Dahlin is expected to be selected first-overall, but some of their other young players will need to step up. Casey Mittelstadt will likely be given a full-time role, while Brendan Guhle should earn more time with the NHL club. O’Reilly’s leadership will be a key part of their development, and the overall success of the club.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Sabres Expected To Receive Trade Interest In Ryan O’Reilly
While John Tavares is going to receive the bulk of the headlines when it comes to available centers this summer due to his looming free agency, Buffalo’s Ryan O’Reilly is certainly a name to keep an eye on as well. In a segment on 630 CHED (audio link), Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman stated that he expects the Sabres to receive a lot of interest in their two-way pivot.
Last month, O’Reilly made waves at his exit interview, stating how he was content with losing and was losing his passion for the game. Some have speculated that his preference is to be dealt and that his comments were a ploy to force his way out of town.
The 27-year-old has emerged as a high-quality two-way player and is one of the best in the league at the faceoff dot. He also has been quite consistent offensively, putting up between 55-64 points in six of the last seven seasons; the one year he didn’t was the lockout-shortened 2012-13 campaign (where his point-per-game pace extrapolated to 57 points over a full year). This past season, he had 61 points (24-37-61) in 81 games while taking over 2,000 draws for the first time in his career, winning a career-best 60% of them.
There is, however, one other notable factor and that’s his contract. O’Reilly has a $7.5MM cap hit which may be difficult to fit in for some teams but the breakdown is also noteworthy. The majority of his deal is in the form of signing bonuses that are payable in the summer; his in-season salary is just $1MM per year. Potentially, that could present a concern for some more budget-conscious teams, especially since the setup allows him to be paid most of his money even if there is another work stoppage on the horizon.
Despite that, given the demand for quality centers, it’s certainly reasonable to expect that GM Jason Botterill will field some quality offers in the weeks to come. In the interview, Friedman alludes to a belief that Botterill feels he needs to change the core (aside from drafting defenseman Rasmus Dahlin next month) and moving O’Reilly would be one way to do so while landing a quality package in return.
Sabres Notes: O’Reilly, Ristolainen, Lehner
With the Buffalo Sabres at the bottom of the standings, you can expect that general manager Jason Botterill plans to shake things up. However, where do you start? The obvious answer is start looking at players who don’t want to be there and it looks like center Ryan O’Reilly has made it clear he wants out of Buffalo, according to the Buffalo News’ Jon Vogl.
The talented 27-year-old shocked a lot of people during his exit interview when he revealed that he was fine with losing and has started to lose his love for the game. Vogl writes that it isn’t just a coincidence that O’Reilly admitted these things on his way out the door for another offseason. He believes O’Reilly and his agent have orchestrated this to force his way out of Buffalo as he and his agent have had a major role in dictating every stage of his pro career, from his entry-level deal to his restricted free agent years to his trade from Colorado.
While his numbers are good as the center has scored 65 goals and 111 assists in three years in Buffalo, a trade would still likely to be difficult as he has five more years on his contract at $7.5MM. Even with the salary cap likely to go up, that’s a big contract that many playoff teams couldn’t afford unless the team intends to retain salary, which they’d likely prefer not to do.
“The sense that I’ve been given from the management in Buffalo, is yeah of course he’s going to listen on Ryan O’Reilly,” TSN’s Darren Dreger said on WGR Friday. “But it would take an absolute sweetheart deal for the Buffalo Sabres to consider. In saying that, he’s a hell of a player. On pretty much every team in the league he’s at least a #2 center isn’t he? There’s going to be a market for Ryan O’Reilly and Jason Botterill is going to have some tough decisions specific to O’Reilly. Teams who need centers will do whatever they need to do to get in that conversation…Botterill will be big game hunting.”
Throw in the fact that Botterill will be looking for a big payday after finding himself on the losing end of the deal when he traded away forward Evander Kane to the San Jose Sharks for much less than what he had hoped. So a trade partner might even be more difficult to find.
- Mike Harrington of The Buffalo News writes that besides O’Reilly, the team will likely also seriously look to trade defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen, even suggesting he should find a real estate agent. Ristolainen is another player who puts up solid numbers, but seems to lack the leadership skills that Buffalo needs to take that next step. The 23-year-old blueliner had six goals and 35 assists this year.
- Harrington also admits the team will attempt to trade goaltender Robin Lehner, but after a difficult season in which he had just 14 wins and a 3.01 GAA, the team might have trouble moving him. The good news is Lehner does not require surgery on his hip injury, which should make him a little easier to move. Harrington believes that the team may choose to let him walk as a restricted free agent if the team fails to find a trade partner, allowing him to become an unrestricted free agent.
Snapshots: Bozak, World Championships, Fast
The Vancouver Canucks received some financial certainty today, when Henrik and Daniel Sedin confirmed their intention to retire at the end of the season. With their decision comes the fact that the Canucks have $14MM coming off the books, and should have ample room to make a splash in free agency if they choose.
Rick Dhaliwal of News 1130 notes that he’s hear Tyler Bozak‘s name as a player the Canucks could have interest in, should he go unsigned by Toronto and reach free agency. Bozak, 32, isn’t a top-line player anymore (if he ever was) but should still command a multi-year deal as one of the better center options on the open market. Where he fits into a Canucks rebuild isn’t clear, but the Vancouver front office has been clear that they aren’t willing to turn the entire franchise over to the young guns, and want some experience to help guide them through the next few years.
- The World Championships are coming fast, and several players indicated their intentions today over whether to play in it or not. Matt Duchene told media that he wouldn’t play for Team Canada in the upcoming tournament, while Ryan O’Reilly confirmed to Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic that he would be. O’Reilly has competed five times previously, including being named an alternate captain last year. With two golds and one silver, he will be a welcome addition to a team that looks like it could be a powerhouse.
- Jesper Fast will likely not play again for the New York Rangers this season, after suffering a groin injury that should keep him out the rest of the year. That ends what has been a career year for the 26-year old, with 33 points in 71 games. The Rangers will hope that progression can continue over the next two years of his current contract, as he’ll be relied upon as a key forward while the team rebuilds with their eyes on contention down the road.
Atlantic Notes: O’Reilly, Nylander, Marner, Borgstrom
With the Sabres struggling once again this season, a few teams are kicking the tires on center Ryan O’Reilly, TSN’s Darren Dreger reported on WGR 550 (audio link). He adds that there’s no indication that Buffalo is shopping him or that a deal is close, just that some teams are inquiring. GM Jason Botterill acknowledged to John Vogl of the Buffalo News that they have had conversations with other teams in general but that nothing is imminent.
O’Reilly would be a pricey acquisition for any team as he carries a $7.5MM cap hit through 2022-23 on a front-loaded deal that is almost entirely signing bonuses. However, top-six pivots are always in high demand and the 26-year-old also happens to be one of the better faceoff players in the league. If the Sabres are open to moving him, they should be able to garner a strong return although because of that cap hit, it may make more sense to wait to trade him until the offseason where teams will have more flexibility on the payroll which could bring out a few more suitors.
Elsewhere in the Atlantic:
- While Maple Leafs wingers Mitch Marner and William Nylander aren’t off to as good of a start to this season as they were in 2016-17, Damien Cox of the Toronto Star argues that it isn’t necessarily too bad of a problem, at least in off the ice. With Nylander hitting restricted free agency this coming summer, his asking price could drop if he continues at his current pace while a similar case could be made for Marner, who still has one more year left on his entry-level deal after this one and can sign an extension in July. Toronto undoubtedly would prefer their key youngsters to get back to (or beat) their numbers from last season but if that doesn’t happen, this would at least be a small consolation as they look to reshape their payroll in the coming years.
- While Panthers center prospect Henrik Borgstrom hasn’t made up his mind as to whether or not he turns pro next season, his head coach Jim Montgomery told Walter Villa of the Miami Herald that he expects Florida to sign him which would eliminate his remaining college eligibility. The 23rd overall pick in 2016 is once again dominating with Denver University, posting 13 goals and 10 assists through the first 15 games of the season. With that type of production, it’s hard to argue that it won’t be time for him to move up to the professional level.
Winnipeg Might Have Contract Issues With Trouba Again
Less than a year ago, the Winnipeg Jets dealt with dragout negotiations with restricted free agent Jacob Trouba. The young blueliner and his agent Kurt Overhardt attempted to force the Jets’ hand, requesting a trade and holding out. The team finally managed to get the former ninth-overall pick in 2012 to agree to a two-year bridge deal worth $6MM. Once signed, Trouba withdrew his trade request and everything seemed fine. The 23-year-old had career highs in assists and points, finishing the season with eight goals and 25 assists for 33 points, but he played in 21 fewer games than the year before.
With one year remaining on his deal signed a year ago, however, no extension was agreed to yet this offseason and James O’Brien of NBC Sports writes that the team could have similar problems with Trouba coming up in the future. With that restricted status preventing him from getting the contract that he really wanted and forcing him to sign a team-friendly deal, the scribe writes that Trouba and his agent may force the Jets’ hands this time around with either a high-paying extension or forcing a trade elsewhere.
Many short-bridge, team-friendly deals (especially messy contract disputes) have later forced teams to pay up big-time. Although Trouba will remain an RFA in a year, O’Brien compares these negotiations to that of other players who were later traded, including P.K. Subban (formerly of Montreal), Ryan O’Reilly (formerly of Colorado), Ryan Johansen (formerly of Columbus) and Kyle Turris (formerly of Arizona). Several of those players were Overhardt clients, who is known to be aggressive.
Could that mean that Trouba could find himself on the trade wire at the trade deadline this year? O’Brien suggests that while he may not be a top defenseman yet, he could command more than Seth Jones money ($5.4MM AAV) on his next contract and the young defenseman has another year to prove his worth on the ice. Either Winnipeg will have to pay up or move him to a team that will.
Snapshots: Scandella, Benson, Sabres
The Minnesota Wild will be without defenseman Marco Scandella for the foreseeable future. Scandella suffered a high ankle sprain in his right ankle back on October 27 versus the Buffalo Sabres, according to a team release.
Scandella had previously been listed as week-to-week, before the Wild placed him on Long Term Injured Reserve. According to Cap Friendly, his entire $4MM cap hit is now available for the Wild to use until he returns. While Minnesota hasn’t given an indication other than week-to-week and now LTIR, generally high ankle sprains take 4-6 weeks at minimum to recover from. The Wild have recalled defenseman Mike Reilly from Iowa to take his place, as well as forwards Christoph Bertschy and Zack Mitchell.
- The WHL All-Stars and Russian Juniors are even at one game apiece in the CIBC Canada Russia Series. One of the WHL’s best players in their game two win was Vancouver Giants left winger Tyler Benson, with a goal and two assists in a 4-1 win. Benson was playing in his hometown of Edmonton, who also drafted him 32nd overall back in June. Benson has dealt with injuries for much of his junior career, but told Sportsnet’s Mark Spector that he’s “starting to get [his] game back” after dealing with a shoulder injury in training camp. Benson was expected to be a top pick before injuries contributed to his slide down the rankings. Back in 2013, Benson was widely predicted to be the first CHL Exceptional Status Player from the WHL, before he decided to play at a prep school in B.C. In 2012-13, Benson scored an astounding 57 goals and 146 points in 33 games in Bantam AAA hockey (doubling his next highest-scoring teammate), breaking that league’s record for points.
- The Buffalo Sabres received some news on the injury front, with winger Evander Kane expected to return tonight, according to Dan Bylsma (quoted by Amy Moritz). However, Ryan O’Reilly is questionable for tonight with an unspecified injury and Tyler Ennis is out with a “mid-body injury.”
Atlantic Notes: Vanek, O’Reilly, Ristolainen, Byron, Czarnik
While he was quickly cast aside in recent years by Montreal and Minnesota, winger Thomas Vanek is still full of confidence and motivation heading into the season, writes MLive’s Ansar Khan. After the Wild bought him out in June, Detroit quickly snapped him up, signing him to a one year, $2.6MM deal. Vanek noted a big reason for signing with the Red Wings was their belief that he can fill a key role with the team:
“The way they described my game and how they see my fit here, it’s something I wanted to hear because I still feel I can score 20-plus goals.”
Vanek is expected to start the season alongside speedy center Darren Helm although the opposite winger has yet to be determined. Head coach Jeff Blashill also stated that Vanek should play on the top power play unit, where he will be expected to get to the front of the net instead of playing on the perimeter as much as he has in recent years.
[Related: Red Wings Depth Chart]
Elsewhere in the Atlantic Division:
- Sabres center Ryan O’Reilly left Wednesday’s preseason game – his first since returning from the World Cup of Hockey – with back and midsection spasms, notes John Vogl of the Buffalo News. However, the injury doesn’t appear to be series with head coach Dan Bylsma classifying it as a day-to-day issue. The team already is missing right winger Kyle Okposo plus blueliners Zach Bogosian and Dmitry Kulikov with various bumps and bruises, although none are believed to be too serious.
- Bylsma also expects the team to reach an agreement with a contract with RFA defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen before the start of the season next week. The 21 year old is in camp with the team and is taking part in practices (unlike the other restricted free agents around the league) but has not yet suited up in the preseason.
- Canadiens left winger Paul Byron is battling pneumonia, reports TVA Sports’ Renaud Lavoie. He’s expected to miss at least a few days which at least puts his availability for the beginning of the season into question. Byron had a career high 11 goals with Montreal last season, earning himself a three year contract in the process.
- Boston center prospect Austin Czarnik has made a significant impression in training camp which has allowed head coach Claude Julien to experiment with an all centers second line comprised of Ryan Spooner, David Krejci, and David Backes, notes CSNNE’s Joe Haggerty. However, Julien suggested that the team may yet experiment with Czarnik on the wing which would force one of the other centers (likely Backes or Spooner) back to the third line.
Ryan O’Reilly DUI Case Dismissed In Court
According to a series of tweets from London Free Press reporter Jane Sims, the case against Ryan O’Reilly from last summer’s impaired driving incident has been dropped, due to “no reasonable prospect of conviction.”
O’Reilly was charged with impaired driving and failure to remain at the scene when he crashed his truck into a Tim Hortons in London, Ontario on July 9th of last year. The Buffalo Sabres forward had recently signed a seven-year contract extension worth $52.5 million dollars.
No word on whether the league will hand out additional discipline to the center, but for now O’Reilly can start to put the incident behind him. The Sabres hope that nothing else comes of it, as O’Reilly played exceptionally well for them last season, scoring 21 goals and 60 points in 71 games.