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Hurry Up To Slow Down

June 20, 2013, 12:14 PM ET [612 Comments]
GARTH'S CORNER
NHL news by Garth • RSSArchiveCONTACT
Call me the grand optimist. I like the the fact that Regier is entertaining trades. The market is clogged right now.

After today's presser, Regier held a side bar session with a few reporters where he talked about the many factors that have stalled the current market.

Factors like free agency.

The Sabres have Miller Vanek and Ott heading into final year of deals. Regier cited teams like San Jose who have Marleau and Thornton coming due. NYR have Lundqvust and many more. Some teams have double digit players on their current roster whose contracts will end in the next year. The majority of players coming due are high dollar, high profile players. Save for Datsyuk and Malkin, none have signed long term extensions.

This causes a clog on the current market. Regier said that he fully expects a frenzy of activity on draft floor in 6/30. He, Devine and his scouts have all targets market. Now we wait. Regier said he and his GM peers talk about "stretching out" the market. So that there isn't gridlock.


You know how consumers wait to buy cars on the last day of the month thinking they get a better deal if they wait? Thats the current state of the NHL.

Hurry up to slow down.


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Darcy Regier is not like Flyers GM Paul Holmgren in that he will not be using one of his amnesty buyouts to send the mercurial Ville Leino packing from Buffalo.

Regier said today that Leino did indeed undergo a "procedure". Surgery? Regier wouldn't elaborate. Just said "prcedure". Regier says that he sees Leino working out in Buffalo "everyday" and that his Finnish winger is showing sign of improvement.

The Sabres will not be buying out Leino or any player on their roster right now, for that matter.

Leino has been mired in long scoring slumps since he became a Sabre. In 2011-12, he was paralyzed by the enormity of his huge UFA contract. In 2013, he battled hip and lung injuries.

Teams are allowed two compliance buyouts to limbo under the shrinking $64.3 million salary cap for 2013-14.


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Speaking of Sabres players working out in Buffalo, I chatted up Tyler Ennis as he was leaving and I was entering the security doors for the Regier and Enroth pressers.

"What are you doing here?", he asked me.

"Regier and Enroth pressers", I answered.

Ennis said that he has been in Buffalo for the past week. He is working out daily with Tyler Myers, Mark Pysyk, Brian Flynn and a couple of other Sabres.

Ennis looks to be in good shape, and he told he that he like the way he and his teammates are putting in the Summer fitness work.

Ennis said that he'll be staying in Buffalo til the end of the month. He will jet home to Edmonton and continue his workouts there.

Yes. Ennis has his Summer Flow in full effect. i would have taken a picture of it, but my camera lens is not wide-angled.


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For weeks, there has been speculation surrounding the Buffalo Sabres and their desire to climb out of the 8 and 16 draft slots and into the top three positions iin the draft. Last week, Sabres Director of Amateur Scouting, Kevin Devine, sent shock waves through the fan bases of the Sabres and Avs when he said during a radio interview that he and the Sabres were in talks with Patrick Roy and the Avs regarding their first overall pick.

Presumably, Devine and Regier were interested in drafting Nathan MacKinnon.

Sometimes the eyes are bigger than the stomach.

Regier said today at his pre-draft presser that its going to be near impossible for the Sabres to jump into the top three. There a better likelihood of them making a deal with Nashville, Carolina, Calgary and Edmonton at the respective 4-7 slots. Regier said that he has spoken with GMs that are behind him in the draft about trading back. Devine said that the 8th pick is more or less off limits because the Sabres plan to pick a top 6 forward or a top 4 D with their 8th overall pick. However, he will discuss trading back from #16 if the right deal presents itself.


Regier said:

“I had an opportunity to speak with many of my counterparts and I would characterize the draft and the ability to move in the draft, to move up into those top spots will be extremely difficult if not impossible given the conversations that I have had as recent as yesterday.”


Regier added, "We’ve also talked to teams behind us since we have 8 and 16, so we’re exploring all the options and will continue to try to move up, but it appears the teams are getting more locked into keeping the pick and making the selection.


We’ll see if that changes going into the draft.”



Here's the presser in its entirety:



Thanks, Sabres.com



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Thanks, sabres.com




jhonas
Photo courtesy IIHF




The Ryan Miller trade speculation will now hit a fever pitch.

Jhonas Enroth has signed a two year contract extension.









Enroth was scheduled to become RFA on July 5th.


Enroth's two year, $1,350,000 contract was quite a value for the Sabres. It became a ridiculously insane value when Enroth back stopped his Team Sweden to the gold medial championship at the recently completed IIHF World Championships in his hometown of Stokholm, Sweden.

According to reports, Enroth will earn $1.25 million per season.





I anticipate the Sabres trading Miller this or next week, and the Sabres leaning heavily on a goalie tandem of Enroth and Hackett next season.

It will be a thin goalie market with Bernier, Backstrom, and Luongo at the top of it. Miller will fetch the Sabres a hefty sum (1st rounder in this year's draft, a roster player, and a prospect)

On Sabres locker clean out day (April 27th), Jhonas Enroth let it be known for all to hear that he wants to play more meaningful hockey games in Buffalo. More is better than less. Less sucks. More is better.

Enroth has paid his dues. Time after time. He's done his sentence, but committed no crime. And bad mistakes? He's made a few. He's had his share of ice chips being kicked in his face, but he's come through.

Enroth is a champion, my friends, and he'll keep on fighting til the end.


Thanks, sabres.com

Enroth played 12 impressive games this past season, going 4-4-1 record with a 2.60 GAA and .919 save %.

Then, he literally shocked the world by winning the gold medal at the IIHF World Hockey Championships in his hometown, Stockholm, Sweden.

Jhonas was brilliant in compiling his 5-2-1 record with a microscopic 1.15 GAA and .956 save %.

Most impressive about his heroics on the Worlds stage is that he slayed three fire-breathing dragons in the elimination stage of the tourney, en route to the gold medal:

Canada, Finland and Switzerland.

Enroth, will become a restricted free agent in July when his bridge contract expires. Suffice to say, he's going to get paid. He earned a tidy sum $675,000 in 2013. He and his agent will be seeking an annual contract north of $2 million per season, which is far less than Ryan Miller's $6.25 million.

Of you haven't done so already, think about the type of player the Sabres can afford this season when they use Miller's $6.25 million. Stastny, Backes, Oshie, Grabner, and Couture are the types of difference-makers that the Sabres will be looking to add to their veteran leadership group, who will help to teach and bring to the next level Hodgson, Grigorenko, Ennis, Foligno, Porter, Flynn, Armia, Larsson and the young guns.

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The Fort Worth Star Telegram breaks the news:

Lindy Ruff will be the next head coach of the Dallas Stars.



The Dallas Stars are in the process of hiring Lindy Ruff as the team's next head coach, Stars' president Jim Lites said at a Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce luncheon on Thursday at the Colonial Country Club.

Lites said he shook Ruff's hand in Frisco as he walked to his car to head to Fort Worth, saying that barring any unforeseen circumstances, the Stars would sign Ruff.

Ruff was the head coach of the Buffalo Sabres from 1997 to 2003, and coached against the Stars in the 1999 Stanley Cup Finals.



The news of the hiring coincided with Darcy Regier's draft presser and preceeded the Enroth media event.

Regier said of Ruff:


“If it works out that way and he’s happy, then I’m happy for him".

Regier was asked if there would be a little irony in Ruff coaching Dallas.

“I think you could find some,” he quipped.

yesterday, June 19th was the 14th anniversary of "NO GOAL".



More reaction to come....
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