6'8 270 brawler. Needs to work on his skating. His knuckles and brute strength are his meal ticket to the NHL.
Buffalo Sabres General Manager Darcy Regier today announced that the team has agreed to terms with unrestricted free agent forward John Scott on a one-year contract.
"John's size and toughness make him a difficult player to battle against," Regier said. "His physical play will be a valuable addition to our team."
Scott (6’8”, 270 lbs., 9/26/82) split the 2011-12 season between the Chicago Blackhawks and New York Rangers, tallying one assist and 53 penalty minutes in 35 games. In four NHL seasons, the native of Edmonton, Alberta has appeared in 146 career games with the Rangers, Blackhawks and Minnesota Wild, recording five points (1+4) and 236 penalty minutes.
McCormick centering a fourth line for Scott and Kaleta sounds good to me.
Scott takes on all comers. He won't pick his spots.
***
Updated 7pm EDT:
Caveat: Just because you are not hearing chatter right now about the Sabres, doesn't mean that Darcy Regier and his lieutenants are not hard at work looking to upgrade their squad.
Regier is working on a number of options. One in particular is Bobby Ryan from the Anaheim Ducks.
Ryan, the South Joisey native, has said publicly in recent days that he's sick and tired of always being mentioned in Anaheim trade rumours. He's said as much. He sounds like he's committed to leaving Anaheim for white ice elsewhere. That elsewhere could be Philly, or, it could be Buffalo. Last weekend, while his current boss, Bob Murray and the Ducks brass were in Pittsburgh for the NHL Draft, Ryan popped off in a South Jersey newspaper, the Camden Courier-Post, about him being sick and tired of his name always being thrown around the NHL rumour mill.
“I take things personally,” Ryan said. “Anaheim to me has been a team over the past year that really has shown me nothing to prove that they want me here, unfortunately. Obviously, it’s not the ideal situation. When you get drafted, you want to win championships with that team and every time they look to add a piece to the puzzle, I’m the piece going the other way.
“I gotta be honest with you. At this point, I don’t care. Move me … because it’s just tough going to the rink every day knowing that if something goes wrong, you’re going to be the guy moved.”
Ryan added:
“I heard Anaheim was a little overwhelmed with offers and they only took four seriously, but none of the teams were mentioned to me other than Philly,” Ryan said. “Everybody wants to play in your hometown, but it would be tough because a lot of expectations come when you're put into a situation like that. For me, if I'm moved, Philadelphia would be a very ideal and comfortable place for me.”
One of the four teams is said to be the Sabres.
The Ducks have beefed up their blueline by adding vets Sheldon Souray, Bryan Allen, and Jordan Hendry on UFA Day.
The ask for Ryan will now likely be a top six forward and a forward prospect. anaheim has allegedly asked Philly for Brayden Schenn or Sean Couturier.
Were I the Sabres, I'd protect Ennis, Vanek, and Stafford. Roy and Leino are up for grabs.
You really wanna shake up the core on this Buffalo squad? Toss the captain into the Pacific Ocean. Metaphorically speaking, of course.
You want to scatter the flock? Get rid of the sheppard.
You want to send a strong, stern message? I'm willing to trade captain Jason Pominville to the Ducks in exchange for Ryan. I'm also will to include Luke Adam in the deal.
Pommer's coming off his best season as a pro from a point production standpoint. He represented the Sabres at NHL All Star Game in Ottawa in late January.
Pominville is a $5.3 million cap hit for the next two seasons. Ryan is a $5.1 million cap hit for the next three seasons.
Pommer scored 30 goals last season. His stock may never be higher.
All Ryan does is score 30 goals per season.
Derek Roy is a nice spinney, flashy lure, however, he's not exactly the type of bait that you can go great white shark hunting with. For that, you need to chum up the waters to create a frenzy. You do that by dangling a substantial hunk of bait that the shark can chomp down on.
If you answered "no" to the above, you may want to consider that Pominville may have more value around the NHL than you think he does. Great two way guy and can PK like a mother.
No fireworks for Sabres fans on Canada Day... Yet.
Don't fret Sabres fan. Your team is still in the hunt. They have needs to address in the for of scoring and team toughness. They will make transactions.
The secondary trade market will fire up the minute Parise and Suter declare their new postal codes. Until then, the Sabres will lurk in the shadows.
Lets look back to Trade Deadline day. Who saw Darcy Regier trading Paul Gaustad a first rounder? Who saw Darcy unloading Zack Kassian for Cody Hodgson?
You didn't. I didn't. Regier knew what he was doing. He doesn't kiss and tell.
The Zach Parise and Ryan Suter sweepstakes will rage on deep into Sunday night, Monday morning. Parise and Suter will be offered a king's ransom, however, there's no urgency for them to accept an offer from a suitor on Sunday. So, each player will make his final reveal on Monday. At the very moment that both UFA whales sign on the dotted line, the NHL trade market will officially open.
Darcy Regier was bang on when he descibed this 2012-13 UFA market as "thin on quality".
thanks, wgrz.com
Regier and his scouts have done their dilligence. They drafted a bevy of beauties last week in Pittsburgh. They've targeted several key players who are playing for other teams right now. Not UFAs or RFAs. Difference makers with term left on their present deals (see: Steve Ott and Paul Stastny).
Back to the ridiculousness of the UFA market.
Parise and Suter will get paid gobs of money. Better for the Sabres to hold off until late Sunday night or early Monday morning to call to make a last-ditch effort to land Parise. The market has spoken. Sunday came and went, and the two belles of the ball, Parise and Suter allowed six NHL GMs to play the all too entertaining "anything you can do. I can do better" game. Parise wants a $12 million signing bonus now AND another $12 million bonus on July 1, 2014. Thats brass nads, if you ask me. Someone will pay it. Ditto Suter. $24 million in year one? Hasta luego.
Best to go fishing in the trade market instead of blowing monopoly money in the UFA market.
Phase 1 of the "free agent frenzy" saw third and fourth liners, and, back up goalies switch teams.
Here's the list of player moves thus far:
F Warren Peters Pittsburgh Minnesota
G Cedric Desjardins Montreal Colorado
F Michael Blunden Montreal Montreal
D Aaron Rome Dallas Vancouver
W Jordin Tootoo Detroit Nashville
F Brandon Prust Montreal NY Rangers
C Jay McClement Toronto Colorado
D Mike Kostka Toronto Tampa Bay
F Mikael Samuelsson Detroit Florida
D Scott Ford St. Louis Nashville
D Taylor Chorney St. Louis St. Louis/Edmonton
G Mike McKenna St. Louis Ottawa
D Greg Zanon Colorado Minnesota/Boston
F Matt Frattin Toronto Toronto
F Ryan Hamilton Toronto Toronto
G Jussi Rynnas Toronto Toronto
D Dylan Reese Pittsburgh NY Islanders
D Adrian Aucoin Columbus Phoenix
F P.A. Parenteau Colorado NY Islanders
F Alexei Ponikarovky Winnipeg New Jersey/Carolina
F George Parros Florida Anaheim
F Micheal Haley NY Rangers NY Islanders
F Darcy Hordichuk Edmonton Edmonton
D Sheldon Brookbank Chicago Anaheim
F Dustin Penner Los Angeles Los Angeles
D Matt Carkner NY Islanders Ottawa
G Chad Johnson Phoenix NY Rangers
F Arron Asham NY Rangers Pittsburgh
F Guillaume Latendresse Ottawa Minnesota
F David Moss Phoenix Calgary
D Filip Kuba Florida Ottawa
F Tanner Glass Pittsburgh Winnipeg
F Riley Holzapfel Pittsburgh Winnipeg/Anaheim
G Jeff Zatkoff Pittsburgh Los Angeles
F Chris Kelly Boston Boston
G Tuukka Rask Boston Boston
G Curtis McElhinney Columbus Phoenix/Columbus
F Adam Burish San Jose Dallas
F Brad Boyes NY Islanders Buffalo
F Steve MacIntyre Pittsburgh Pittsburgh
F Ray Whitney Dallas Phoenix
F Torrey Mitchell Minnesota
F Colby Armstrong Montreal Toronto
F Brett Sutter Carolina Carolina
F Zenon Konopka Minnesota Ottawa
G Jonas Gustavsson Detroit Toronto
G Michael Leighton Philadelphia Philadelphia
D Mike Lundin Ottawa Minnesota
D Joe Corvo Carolina Boston
G Justin Peters Carolina Carolina
F John Mitchell Colorado NY Rangers
D Stu Bickell NY Rangers NY Ranger
F Benoit Pouliot Tampa Bay Boston
G Yann Danis Edmonton Edmonton
The creme de le creme still remain. Nash, Ryan, Ott, Stastny, Malone, and more are still in play.
Shane Doan will wait until July 9 to declare his position on whether he stays in the desert or if he skates to greener pastures.
Join the Discussion:
»