According to Bill Hoppe, Lindy Ruff says McNasty has passed his baseline testing, which should clear him to practice full-go, and to resume play in games. Great news!
Ruff says that McNabb will not play in Montreal on Tuesday night. Might he play vs. the Rangers on Wednesday night? That remains to be seen.
Regehr and Ehrhoff paid immediate dividends when they played in the New Jersey game on 1/24. Add in McNabb, while sitting Weber, and you've got a formidable back end for the first time in a long time.
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The Blackhawks, Devils, Canucks, Sharks, Oilers, Jets, Blue Jax and few other teams are looking for competetnt NHL blueliners.
The Gleason signing in Carolina today creates some heat around the availability of Dmen.
Earlier today, the Devils place Hank Tallinder on IR retroactive to mid-January due to the serious blood issue he is having in his injured leg.
Sabres have depth on D now that Regehr, Ehrhoff and McNasty are healthy.
The Sabres now have a quality D-man to spice up a deal for a scoring top 6 forward (centre preferably) between now and the trade deadline.
Derek Roy and a D for (insert player here).?
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Updated 2:50pm:
Another ray of light for Sabres fans.
Brayden McNabb is skating with the team.
He was cleared for exercise early last week.
He suffered a concussion against the Maple Leafs on January 13.
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Tyler Ennis has missed the past 16 games with a high ankle sprain (December 20- injured reserve). Ennis will re-join the starting lineup in Montreal on Tuesday night. Lindy Ruff said as much last Tuesday morning on his weekly radio show. Rather than play the two players in Newark and risk an injury setback, Ruff game each of his forwards an extra week off to rest and recover. The Sabres offense sure could use an infusion of Ennis' speed and silky mitts.
Paul Gaustad will be ready to play in Montreal as well. He .sustained an upper body injury when Chicago's Jamal Mayers jacked the centre from behind on recent The Road Trip From Hell.
The Sabres will skate at First Niagara Center at 2:45 pm EDT today. They will immediately jet off to Montreal for Tuesday night's huge four pointer with Le Bleu, Blanc, et Rouge.
The Sabres won 2-1 in New Jersey last Tuesday, and are looking to win their second straight game for the first time since mid-November.
I'll be shocked if Luke Adam is not back with Vanek and Pommer in Montreal.
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Loui Eriksson to Buffalo?
I'm told that it could happen. The Sabres are committed long term to Ville Leino. The though process is that Buffalo are looking for a complimentary part in order to kick start Leino's long overdue offensive production.
Eriksson is not a # centre, he's a left winger, however, he is able to play all three forward positions.
Eriksson is in year one of a six year deal that makes him $4,250,000 cap hit per season. He was an NHL All Star last season. At 6'3 195, Eriksson does it all.
Why would the Stars consider moving such a talented player? Money. The Stars have had financial problems for years and are very cost-conscious and are protective of their bottom line. Their $49 million payroll puts them in the bottom three payroll teams in the NHL.
Like New Jersey with Zach Parise, the Stars may be considering trading their young sniper now may fetch them younger, skilled players that will help them to compete in the future.
Lets keep an eye on Dallas as the February 27 trade deadline approaches.
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Lindy Ruff disciple, Randy Cunneyworth, is ready to face his former team.
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