Updated 12:25pm EDT:
More to come....
Thanks, Buffalo Hockey Beat.
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Thanks to the Buffalo Sabres, I’m able to watch their morning practice session from the heated comfort of my office. Good to see my good man, Brian Duff and Rob Ray on my computer as the practice session is being streamed live on sabres.com.
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In a bit of a surprise, Ron Rolston is skating Ville Leino on a line with Ott and Grigorenko. You'll recall that Lindy Ruff found instant kharma when he ran
Ott-Grigo-Leino together during the one week training camp before the season started. The line played exceptionally well together in their brief time together. I hope that Rolston has the courage to play 9-25-23 together as Buffalo's second line against Ottawa on Saturday. I'd persoanlly like to give the line 15+ minutes to show me what they can do in real games. I bet that the line would score at least one goal and would create some positive zone time by holding onto pucks and cycling down low.
Leino right now is jumping out of his skin to play his first NHL game of the season. He’s had to sit and watch the Sabres first 26 games of this season while his wonky hip heals. I fully expect to see Leino make his season debut vs. Ottawa on Saturday afternoon at First Niagara Center.
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Tyler Ennis is skating in a limited role this morning in a red “don’t touch me sweater”. Ennis is playing soft-toss with the suspended Pat Kaleta. He appears to be mending nicely from the freight-train hit from behind that Wayne Simmonds of the Flyers buried Ennis with on Sunday night in Filthydelphia. Will Ennis be ready to compete vs. Ottawa? Time will tell. The day off on Wednesday, coupled with no games until Saturday gives Enzo ample time to skate in two practices and to spend quality time with the Sabres athletic trainers. More will be known about Ennis’ status after Friday’s team practice.
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“The 585 Line” is still intact for today’s skate. Foligno-Porter-Flynn played a huge role in Tuesday night’s win over Lundvist and the Rangers. Foligno scored twice and was an angry grizzly bear on the wall. Porter held pucks and made nice plays. Flynn skated well and notched his first NHL assist in the win.
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All hands are on deck from the blue line corps. Ehrhoff, Myers, Regehr, Sekera, Weber, Leopold, Brennan and Pardy are present and accounted for.
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Good luck trying to pry information out of the Buffalo Sabres organization these days. It would be easier to bust into Fort Knox to steal a king's ransom than it would be to abscond with trade secrets and inside information. With six weeks remaining in the regular season, many NHL teams have been circling over head in recent weeks. Like vultures in the arid desert, they are patiently waiting to pounce on the meaty bison if and when it finally collapses under the weight of its own failures. Speaking of the Kings, they've been trailing the Sabres and Amerks for weeks, as have Calgary, Minnesota, St. Louis, San Jose, Colorado and Anaheim to name a few.
Suffice to say, the scouts from Western teams are not traveling to Buffalo (and following them on the road) in the dead of winter just because they have nothing better to do. Western GMs are hungry to make deals to improve their rosters. Ditto Eastern GMs. In recent weeks, the Sabres have sent scouts to watch games in LA, Denver, and St. Louis. Coincidence? I think not. There are a few bubble teams and several Western contenders who have come calling on Buffalo in the past eight weeks. Shortly, we will know which ones were tire kicking and which ones have their deal making shoes on.
Will Buffalo sell? Will they buy? Will they stand pat? Only Darcy Regier and his closest advisors know the answers. For now, many NHL scouts are peeping Buffalo live in person, doing their diligence and documenting every move the Sabres make. My sense is that Buffalo will trade away a player or two in order to acquire a player or two. Look at the Hodgson-Kassian deal as the template. A good ole fashioned hockey deal for both Buffalo and Vancouver. Regier needed a top line centre and Gillis needed a big winger. Each team got what it needed, and then some in Buffalo's case. Sulzer tips the scales in Buffalo's favor due to the fact that he is a roster player in Buffalo today, injury notwithstanding. MA Gragnani played in Couver last spring, however, now he finds himself toiling in AHL Charlotte, the affiliate of the Carolina Hurricanes.
I suspect that Regier is looking to align himself with a similar dance partner(s) this time around. Its no secret that the Kings and Avs are looking to upgrade their respective offenses. The word is that they feel like their breakouts can be better. Puck moving D who can make a crisp first pass to get out of the zone and who can join the rush are of interest to the LA, Colorado, and St. Louis. The thinking is if their skilled forwards can't get the puck while moving and on the rush, in scoring areas, their offenses will continue to suffer.
Buffalo have a couple of veteran puck movers who can add instant credibility and value to a contending or bubble team's roster.
In the East, 8 points separate the 6th place Maple Leafs (31 points) from the 15th place Sabres (25 points).
In the West, only 6 points divide the 3rd place Canucks (30 points) from the 15th place Avalanche (24 points).
The conference playoff races are so tight that they are squeaking right now.
A hockey trade or two will affect the precarious dynamics of the balance of inter-conference power.
When the Sabres are going to make a move (or moves) in the days and weeks to come, the first domino to fall will be on Buffalo's back end.
The Buffalo blue line is an area of interest for many contending teams. The Sabres have nine D, some healthier than others, some playing more consistently than others.
His a D by D analysis:
1). Christian Ehrhoff- Buffalo's best All around D. Not available to would be suitors.
2). Tyler Myers- Seriously inconsistencies in his game. Not available. Or, is he?
3). Robyn Regehr- Has played steady and stout this season. UFA to be. Not available.
4). Andrej Sekera- Has played well since returning from injury.
Available
5). Mike Weber- Has shown nice growth and development. Not available.
6). Jordan Leopold- Disappointing season abbreviated by injury. Healthy.
Available.
7). TJ Brennan- Needs more ice time to get his game up to NHL standards.
Available.
8). Adam Pardy- Rugged. Reliable depth D man.
Available.
9). Alex Sulzer- Steady. Injured. Reliable. Not available.
Playing 48 games in 97 nights revealed many truths regarding player conditioning, endurance and good health, and consistency.
Regier has been holding onto two mitts full of D all season long. Now will be a good time to start cashing in some chips. Trading a D or two now might fetch the veteran centre that Regier has been seeking since the season began. Regier will have to make a move in the next two days as Ville Leino will be ready to be activated for the injured reserve. Its likely that Leino will make his season debut on Saturday afternoon when Ottawa comes calling. Activating Leino would mean that Regier will have to waive a player to get the roster to the 23 man limit. TJ Brennan has been sitting more than playing in Buffalo. He will have to pass through waivers in order make his way back down the I-90 to Rochester. Its likely that one of the other 29 NHL GMs would pluck Brennan off waivers, thus, Regier has to be careful. He can also waive a veteran forward like Hecht, who likely would clear waivers.
In the three man group comprised of Regehr-Leopold-Sekera, I see Darcy Regier moving Sekera and Leopold before he trades Regehr. Here's why:
Though he doesn't have an "A" or a "C" stitched on his sweater, Robyn Regehr plays a huge leadership role in the Buffalo room and on their bench. Trust me when I tell you, Regehr is a strong voice and he provides the backbone and guidance that youngsters like Myers, Weber, McNabb, and Brennan look up to. Regehr's sphere of influence is not just limited to the Buffalo D group. The forwards seek his advice and expertise as well. Trading Regehr now would strip out a ton of character and credibility, and in a room as young as Buffalo's, Regehr is all the more valuable. Another mitigating factor is that Regehr has the right of refusal on trades as he has a no movement clause in his contract. Terry Pegula didn't fly Regehr and his the pregnant wife all the way to Buffalo to sell them on Western New York just to let them fly away into the sunset two short years later. Regehr has a very young family and he has told me that he and his wife love living in Buffalo. Uprooting youngsters now would only invite challenges at home for the veteran D. I can see a day in the near future when Darcy Regier avoids losing the UFA-to-be and he extends Regehr's present contract by 2-3 more years.
Jordan Leopold returned to the Buffalo lineup on Tuesday night and he played well. The veteran D missed 10 games due to an upper body injury just as Ron Rolston seized the reigns of the Sabres squad after the Lindy Ruff firing. Leopold struggled out of the gate after the lockout ended and his D zone issues continued to snow ball to the point that he was benched after his umpteenth D zone break down. Leopold and Myers have become Buffalo's poster boys for inconsistency. Lets face it, there's enough blame to the thrown around to all of the Buffalo D for the team's failures to win this season. Right now, the D corps is the Achilles Heel of the Buffalo team. Personally, I don't think that Leopold has lost the ability to play NHL hockey. I think he just needs a change of scenery.
Reggie Sekera is Buffalo's best trade option right now. He's a true two way, top four D with a very cap-friendly cap hit. ore valuable as next season's He'll earn $2.75 for the next two seasons. His money slots very nicely into most salary caps, and it becomes all the more attractive considering that next season's cap will decrease from $70 million to $64 million. Since he's returned from his recent injury, Sekera now has points in four of his last five games.
Trading Sekera now would open up a roster spot for Brennan to settle in and get the minutes that he needs on a nightly basis. Brennan is a PP specialist who Rolston needs to work in to the lineup more often. The Sabres have the NHL's worst PP right now. The Buffalo PP fails at an 89% rate. 11% success is not good enough. Brennan's nasty clapper can't help the Sabres if he and his twig are sitting in the press box.
Whats more, the Sabres have youngsters Brayden McNabb abd Mark Pysyk waiting in the wings in Rochester.
Kenny Rogers said it best:
"You've got to know when to hold 'em. Know when to fold 'em. Know when to walk away. And know when to run".
Time for Darcy Regier to start dealing his cards.
I'll review the Buffalo forward corps in my next analysis. Who's likely to stay? Who's likely to go? Which players comprise Buffalo's core?
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More to come.....
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