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Vladimir Sobotka

Vladimir Sobotka Undergoes Knee Surgery

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After already missing the last three weeks with a lower-body injury, Buffalo Sabres forward Vladimir Sobotka has now been ruled out indefinitely. That announcement follows surgery on his right knee, one injured by a low hit earlier this month. The team has also announced that Rasmus Dahlin and Kyle Okposo remain out indefinitely with concussions.

This is a difficult outcome to come to terms with for Sabres fans, who watched Nikita Kucherov hit Sobotka low during the Global Series games in Sweden and not receive any sort of discipline from the league. It may well cost their player the rest of the season.

Buffalo did not specify what the surgery was for, but after an original timeline of four to six weeks has now been thrown out there likely won’t be a return for Sobotka anytime soon.

Minor Transactions: 11/23/19

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As usual, Saturday is a very busy day on the NHL calendar with 28 teams in action.  There should be plenty of roster movement around the league as a result and we’ll keep tabs on those moves here.

  • The Senators announced (Twitter link) that they have returned defenseman Christian Jaros to Belleville of the AHL. His NHL stint lasted just one day but he did log a little more than ten minutes of ice time on Friday.  It’s expected that Nikita Zaitsev (personal) will be available for their next game on Monday.
  • Joseph Blandisi is back on his way to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, per a Penguins team release. The 25-year-old has a goal and an assist in nine games with Pittsburgh this season but had been a healthy scratch over their past two games.  The Pens are off until Monday so the move may just be to bank a little bit of cap space as well.
  • The Red Wings announced that they’ve assigned defenseman Joe Hicketts to AHL Grand Rapids.  The 23-year-old has played in six games with Detroit this season, logging a little over 18 minutes per night.  Although he has been productive in the minors (nine assists in 11 games), that didn’t translate to the big club as he has just a pair of NHL helpers on the season.
  • Eric Comrie is back with the Coyotes who announced that they’ve recalled the goalie from his conditioning stint.  He got into four games with the Roadrunners, posting a 2.75 GAA and a .900 SV%, but had spent the maximum amount of time possible in the minors and had to be recalled.  Where things go from here is a bit trickier.  He’s waiver-eligible and clearly the third-string option behind Darcy Kuemper and Antti Raanta.  In the short-term, he’ll likely be spending a lot of time in the press box in Arizona.
  • The Boston Bruins have returned Urho Vaakanainen to the AHL in anticipation of the return of Torey Krug to the lineup on Saturday. Vaakanainen has not done much scoring at either level this season –  scoreless in the NHL and just two assists in the AHL – but he did not look out of place in five games with Boston. The Bruins’ top defensive prospect, Vaakanainen may be developing into more of a smooth-skating puck transition defenseman than an offensive dynamo.
  • The San Jose Sharks have announced that veteran defender Dalton Prout has been placed on injured reserve. Taking his roster spot for the time being is forward Noah Gregor, promoted from the AHL Barracuda. Gregor has yet to record his first NHL point through ten games with the Sharks this season, but has been better than a point-per-game in the minors.
  • The Athletic’s Joe Yerden relays that the Buffalo Sabres defenseman Zach Bogosian has already been activated, while forward Vladimir Sobotka has been placed on LTIR, which puts the Sabres just over $3MM into their LTIR allotment.

Vladimir Sobotka Out Four To Six Weeks

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The Buffalo Sabres Have made several announcements in regards to their injury situations today, including one on Vladimir Sobotka. The veteran forward will be out four to six weeks with a lower-body injury following the low hit from Nikita Kucherov that occurred in Sweden at the Global Series games. The team will however get Zach Bogosian and Marco Scandella back at practice today as they get closer to a return, and have recalled Curtis Lazar from the AHL.

While Sobotka’s absence was expected after he was helped off the ice, the return of Bogosian and Scandella is an important step if the Sabres want to move out some of their defensive depth for help up front. When both return the team has at least nine NHL-caliber defensemen, with other names like Lawrence Pilut and William Borgen waiting for their next chance in the minor leagues.

Lazar may get some time in Sobotka’s spot, but it’s obvious why the Sabres are looking to add another forward to the mix. The team has lost five straight after their hot start and have scored just eight goals during that stretch, obviously not enough to compete in the high-flying Atlantic Division.

Buffalo Sabres Looking For Forward Help

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The Buffalo Sabres have been looking to move some of their defensive depth for some time, and now on the latest edition of TSN’s Insider Trading Pierre LeBrun reports that they are after a top-nine forward. LeBrun suggests the recent injury to Vladimir Sobotka could make the Sabres act even more quickly to acquire that forward.

The Sabres are enduring a familiar crash in the standings recently, losing their last five games after starting the season on fire. Almost the exact same thing happened a year ago when the team plummeted in the standings after winning ten in a row, something the organization obviously doesn’t want to experience again.

Buffalo has scored just 50 goals through 17 games, 30 of them from the same four forwards. That offense needs to be spread out a little more if they want to contend for the playoffs this season, but who exactly they could target is unclear.

The Los Angeles Kings have made Tyler Toffoli a healthy scratch and today removed Ilya Kovalchuk from the lineup, but both of them come with hefty cap hits that the Sabres may not be able to take on once Zach Bogosian comes off long-term injured reserve (unless of course the move salary out the other way). Speculation has already begun in New Jersey with regards to Taylor Hall, but if he’s ever made available Buffalo would be one of many suitors bidding on him.

Perhaps less decorated options like Nic Petan or Joshua Ho-Sang could be an option, given how both have clearly been available this season and don’t carry big salaries. The team may be looking for a more proven player first however, given they already have a young core in place with room to grow.

Poll: Should Kucherov Have Been Disciplined For Hit On Sobotka?

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With the eyes of the hockey world on Stockholm this week for the NHL Global Series, the first game between the Tampa Bay Lightning and Buffalo Sabres featured a questionable no-call, followed by an equally suspicious lack of response by the league. Sabres forward Vladimir Sobotka was forced from the game early after receiving a low-bridge hit from Lightning star Nikita Kucherov. There was no penalty called on the play and The Athletic’s Joe Smith reported that no supplemental discipline will come from the NHL Department of Player Safety. Especially after responding quickly to the Nick Foligno hit on Friday and given the visibility of the Global Series game, should the league have done more about this incident?

The hit in question is questionable indeed (video). Sobotka throws the puck on goal from out near the blue line, while continuing to coast to his left with his focus staying on the puck, now behind the Tampa net. A defenseless and unexpecting Sobotka runs into Kucherov, who has bent down and lowered his body to deliver a hip check that decks Sobotka, sending him end-over-end. This type of low bridge hit has been punished in the past by the league, but there was no call on the ice – likely as attention was on the puck – and the league did not feel it warranted further review. Yet, it seemingly meets many of the criteria that would raise the hit to the level of supplemental discipline. It was late, away from the puck, with intent, and did in fact cause injury. Sobotka was seen after the game with a cast and is expected to miss time for Buffalo.

With that said, this style of low check used to be a non-issue in the NHL. The fact that it was late and away from the play should have resulted in an interference or roughing penalty on the ice, but the hit itself would not have been finable or suspendable years ago. While the league should have at least admitted the error by the referees, there is some understanding as well as to why there was no further review. The issue now is whether the league will be consistent in not issuing discipline for low bridge hits, which the likes of Brad Marchand and Nazem Kadri have been nailed for in the past. Kucherov’s status as a superstar and the fact that the league wanted him available for game two of their international event should not have been a factor in the decision, but very well could have been.

What do you think? Should Kucherov have been disciplined for the low-bridge hit that injured Sobotka? Vote below and share your thoughts in the comments.

Snapshots: Sobotka, Archibald, Hall

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Buffalo Sabres forward Vladimir Sobotka was removed from today’s game against the Tampa Bay Lightning after being hit low by Nikita Kucherov, and did not return. John Vogl of The Athletic saw Sobotka after the game in an air cast, but Sabres’ head coach Ralph Krueger wouldn’t speculate on how long he will be out.

Though he has been the whipping boy for many Sabres fans frustrated with the team’s lack of secondary scoring, Sobotka still seems to be a favorite of the coaching staff that continues to give him regular ice time. In his first season with Buffalo last year he failed to make much of an impact scoring just 13 points in 69 games, and has just three so far this season. The Sabres will likely insert Evan Rodrigues into the lineup for the other Global Series game tomorrow afternoon.

  • The Edmonton Oilers have activated Josh Archibald from injured reserve, and will also have Riley Sheahan back in the lineup when they take on the New Jersey Devils tonight. The team is looking to get back in the win column after two straight losses to Western Conference opponents, but still sit atop the Pacific Division with a 10-5-2 record.
  • Taylor Hall will be front and center in that matchup as he returns to Edmonton in the midst of plenty of contract speculation, including some suggesting that the Oilers would have some interest in bringing him back. Mark Spector of Sportsnet examines the Hall situation, explaining how the player has expressed clearly his desire to return to the playoffs before his time as a star in the league runs out. The Devils sit at 4-6-4 on the season, in last place in the Metropolitan Division.

Atlantic Notes: Rosen, Palat, Borowiecki, Sobotka

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While the Toronto Maple Leafs are still without injured defenseman Jake Gardiner, the team will get some defensive help as head coach Mike Babcock said that the Toronto Marlies’ top defensmean, Calle Rosen, is expected to join the Maple Leafs in New York on Monday and jump into Toronto’s lineup immediately, according to TSN’s Mark Masters.

The 25-year-old Rosen has put up a big season in the AHL as he has seven goals and 46 points in 54 games this season and was signed to a two-year extension in December to keep him with the team at a cheap price with the general belief that Rosen will be a solid, inexpensive option who can provide the team with the depth they need over the next couple of years.

Babcock said that Rosen, who hadn’t been called up yet after suffering a foot injury several weeks ago, will stay in the lineup until Gardiner is ready to return.

  • The Tampa Bay Lightning are expected to get back winger Ondrej Palat on Saturday after he was forced to leave Monday’s game against Boston with an upper-body injury, according to Tampa Bay Times’ Mari Faiello. The forward took a big hit from the Bruins’ Connor Clifton in the first period and did not return. He then missed Tuesday’s practice, but skated on Friday and again this morning and is expected to return to the lineup without having missed a game, taking the place of Ryan Callahan, who will be a healthy scratch.
  • The Ottawa Senators will be without defenseman Mark Borowiecki on Saturday, as he has been ruled out with an upper-body injury, according to NHL.com’s Craig Medaglia. While the 29-year-old is listed as day-to-day, the injury isn’t considered to be too serious and he is expected to return before the season ends. “It shouldn’t keep him out too long,” said the coach this morning. “Unfortunately he will not be able to play for us this evening.” The team also expects that forward Zack Smith is expected to return to the lineup tonight against Toronto.
  • The Buffalo Sabres announced that veteran forward Vladimir Sobotka will be out Saturday with an upper-body injury. The 31-year-old Sobotka hasn’t had the season that many had hoped for when Buffalo picked him up this summer as part of a package for center Ryan O’Reilly. Sobotka, who recorded 11 goals and 31 points last season in St. Louis, has just five goals and 13 points this season in 69 games.

2018-19 Season Primer: St. Louis Blues

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With the NHL season now just a month away, it’s time to look at what each team has done this summer and what to watch for in the year to come. Today, we focus on the St. Louis Blues.

Last Season: 44-32-6 record (94 points), fifth in the Central Division (failed to reach the playoffs)

Remaining Cap Space: $284,845 per CapFriendly

Key Additions: F Ryan O’Reilly (trade, Buffalo Sabres); F Tyler Bozak (free agent, Toronto Maple Leafs); F David Perron (free agent, Vegas Golden Knights); F Patrick Maroon (free agent, New Jersey Devils); G Chad Johnson (free agent, Buffalo Sabres); F Brian Flynn (free agent, Dallas Stars); D Tyler Wotherspoon (free agent, Calgary Flames); F Jordan Nolan (free agent, Buffalo Sabres)

Key Departures: F Kyle Brodziak (free agent, Edmonton Oilers); G Carter Hutton (free agent, Buffalo Sabres); F Patrik Berglund (trade, Buffalo Sabres); F Vladimir Sobotka (trade, Buffalo Sabres); F Tage Thompson (trade, Buffalo Sabres); F Wade Megan (free agent, Detroit Red Wings); F Beau Bennett (free agent, Dinamo Minsk (KHL)); Petteri Lindbohm (free agent, Laussane (Swiss League))

[Related: Blues Depth Chart From Roster Resource]

Player To Watch: G Jake Allen — The team has upgraded its offense, already had a solid defense and has several of their top prospects banging on its door, hoping to get into their rotation this year. What they didn’t do much with is their goaltending. Allen, once considered the franchise goalie, has now struggled for more than a full season, but with three years at $4.35MM per season still on the books, he’s not going anywhere this year.

The 28-year-old netminder struggled down the stretch during the 2016-17 season, but his consistency got even worse last year when he posted a .906 save percentage and a 2.75 GAA in 59 games. The team was forced to use Hutton on many occasions to replace the struggling goaltender. In hopes of redeeming his job, Allen has said that he has changed some of his training methods this summer and hopes to come into camp and prove that he is the starting goaltender.

The team had better hope that he can, because the team lost Hutton to the Buffalo Sabres in the offseason and replaced him with Johnson, who struggled in a one-year stint in Buffalo, albeit behind an atrocious defense. The team does have prospect Ville Husso waiting in the AHL, but many believe he still needs at least one year of seasoning there before he can challenge Allen for his job.

Key Storyline: The offense has been thoroughly upgraded in the last few months and it will be up to the team to find a way to gel and make it work. One key story will be whether they can get the breakout performance that everyone in the NHL has been waiting for from Vladimir Tarasenko. The winger posted three impressive seasons coming into last year, including a 37, 40, 39-goal seasons. However, while the 26-year-old still had a solid season last year, his 33 goals was a disappointment for a player who many felt was closer to a 40-goal scorer than a 30-point scorer.

One possibility to Tarasenko’s season could come down to the addition of O’Reilly. Adding a top-line center will be critical and if the two can co-exist, then you might see the development of a superstar as Tarasenko and Paul Stastny had limited chemistry together. There is also a likelihood that Maroon, who played together with Connor McDavid in Edmonton for a while, could add his physicality to that first line and give Tarasenko an even better chance to have a big season.

Overall Outlook: Looking at the massive changes to the team, especially at the forward position means the team expects to win now. The franchise has put a lot of expectations on head coach Mike Yeo and the team as they are expected to not just make the playoffs, but compete for the Central Division title. That’s a tough chore for any Central Division team if you assume that the Nashville Predators and Winnipeg Jets will likely assume the first two spots in the division. That leaves just two playoffs spots for the rest of the division that includes the Minnesota Wild, who have been to the playoffs for six straight years, an improving Dallas Stars team, a young impressive Colorado Avalanche franchise and the Chicago Blackhawks who are trying to prove that their run isn’t over just yet. If the team fails to impress early on, that could put Yeo on the hot seat.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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.

Western Notes: Pettersson, Fabbri, Blues, Skinner

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The Vancouver Canucks top prospect Elias Pettersson received a gold medal today at the IIHF World Championships. While the 19-year-old center did not  play after fracturing his thumb last week in a game against finals opponent Switzerland, there is also no word on whether he intends to sign his entry-level deal with the Canucks either, according to Sportsnet’s Rick Dhaliwal.

Dhaliwal said he believes that Pettersson has yet to make up his mind about whether he wants to sign with Vancouver or stay another year in the SHL and play another year for Vaxjo. There is no timetable when the 2017 fifth-overall pick will make his decision.

  • In a mailbag edition, St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s Jeff Gordon writes that the best option for both the St. Louis Blues and restricted free agent Robby Fabbri is a one-year deal. Fabbri who hasn’t played a game since Feb. 4, 2017, is recovering from a torn ACL injury and had to undergo surgery a second time in training camp this year when he reinjured the same knee. Gordon writes with his value at an all-time low, as many players have trouble coming back from double surgery to the same knee, so both teams would want a one-year deal, including Fabbri who would want to prove to everyone he’s healthy if he wants to cash in on a lucrative contract.
  • Sticking with the Blues, The Athletic’s Jeremy Rutherford (subscription required) writes that the St. Louis Blues continue to shop some of worst contracts in hopes of clearing some cap space, including Patrik Berglund, Vladimir Sobotka and goaltender Jake Allen, although it’s unlikely they would be able to move any of those contracts. The 29-year-old Berglund has a $3.85MM AAV deal for another four years. Sobotka has two more years at $3.5MM AAV, while Allen has three more years at $4.35MM.
  • The Athletic’s Allan Mitchell (subscription required) evaluates the play of Edmonton Oilers goaltending prospect Stuart Skinner, who has been a solid prospect, but had a really good stretch after he was traded to the WHL’s Swift Current Broncos. The 2017 third-rounder posted a .932 postseason save percentage in 26 games, leading Swift Current to the WHL title. Is he the goalie of the future for the Oilers? Mitchell compares the prospect to other top goaltending prospects, but still admits its too early to know how good he could be. Regardless, the Oilers have something to look forward to in the future.

 

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