Updated 5pm:
The Sabres have re-signed Matt Ellis to a two year deal.
Its a two-way contract.
he will be Rochester's captain, as Darcy Regier mentioned at Tuesday's presser.
Great signing
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Updated 3pm EDT:
Former Niagara Ice Dogs D stud Alex Pietrangelo and power forward Chris Stewart are both RFA, and will remain unsigned between now and the opening of the free agent market on Friday.
St. Louis Blues GM Doug Armstrong said on Wednesday that he did not believe that he would get Pietrangelo and Stewart signed by Friday.
Armstrong doesn't seem concerned that having Pietrangelo and Stewart unsigned would cause problems with his cap moving forward. Stewart will likely opt for salary arbitration.
"We have a number in place for (Pietrangelo and Stewart). Stewy, we have an arbitration number. (Blues caplogist) Ryan Miller has done very good work at giving us the high and the low end of that. There's enough contracts out there for Petro that I know the high and the low end of that. So we're comfortable that we're going to get these guy in the ranges that we have budgeted. Whether it's now, September, October or November, I don't know that answer. But I'm comfortable we'll get them in in the areas that we and they believe are fair."
I'm trying to figure out why Armstrong would not want to get Pietrangelo locked up long term as soon as possible. Why risk losing one of the best and brightest young D in the NHL?
The Blues were instead busy signing Jordan Leopold to a new two year deal and they qualified another one of their young D.
Armstrong signed UFA Jordan Leopold to a contract extension on Wednesday.
Leopold, 32, will sign a two-year extension worth $4.5 million for an annual average value of $2.25 million per season. That is a haircut for the former Sabres D who just completed a three-year, $9 million ($3 million AAV) contract.
Armstrong told the Post-Dispatch that his D corps stacks up with the best in the NHL.
.
"He was here for a short period of time, and I thought that his experience was something that was beneficial to our team," Blues general manager Doug Armstrong said. "I thought he and Shattenkirk found a comfort level with each other. I think now with Bouwmeester, Leopold, Jackman on that left side ... and our right side, I think, is our strength... I think that gives us maybe one of the strongest defenses in the league with both experience and youth, and it's something that is a good fit for us."
They also have signed RFA Kris Russell, after he cleared waivers Wednesday.
The Blues made a $1.3 million qualifying offer to Russell. He does possess arbitration rights.
Armstrong doesn't include Russell in his top seven. I betcha Russell gets traded.
Alex Pietrangelo, Jay Bouwmeester, Jordan Leopold, Kevin Shattenkirk, Barret Jackman, Roman Polak and Ian Cole.
The Blues will bring 8 D to camp.
Shattenkirk was given a four year extension last week at an annual cap hit of $4.25 million.
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Where there's smoke, there's fire.
Last week, heading into the NHL Entry Draft, St. Louis goalies Jaroslav Halak and Brian Elliott found their names in the trade rumor mill, and rightly so. For the second year in a row, the Blues were punted from the playoffs by the LA Lings. Goaltending was the bugaboo for the second season in a row. Now comes word out of St. Louis that their GM, Doug Armstrong, tried to trade Halak and Elliott, however, he struck out. The Blues GM told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that he believes that Halak and Elliott will attend Blues training camp, along with young star on the rise, Jake Allen.
"I would say now that all indications are that Jaro, Brian and Jake will be the three goalies at camp," Armstrong said. "And that's an interesting one. When the season ended, and the emotion subsides....I talked to Ken probably about this situation more than anything....where we would have been if we didn't have one of these three guys last year?
So if there's something that's a way to improve our team, we always look at doing that. But it's a strength, for me, after a time of reflection."
Hmm. Three goalies. Who's the #1? #2?
I take Armstrong's quote to mean that he and Hitchcock are sick of having their stacked team get bounced in the early rounds of the playoffs because their goalies are their Achilles Heel. Armstrong tried to get rid of his two UFAs to be, but was given the thumbs down. Halak will earn $3.75 million in the final year of his deal while Elliott will earn $1.8 million in the last year of his contract. Jake Allen is RFA. The thought process here is that the Blues want to keep Allen long term and are willing to move Halak or Elliott.
Perhaps teams, like say, Buffalo for example, are asking for too much compensation in exchange for Ryan Miller. Perhaps Armstrong called on Miller and Regier asked for TJ Oshie, Vlad tarasenko, or Ty Rattie and a second rounder and Armstrong said "see you later".
That doesn't mean he won't keep trying.
Armstrong made it a point to say that if there is a way to improve his club's goaltending, then he'll do it.
Keep an eye on Buffalo and St. Louis with regard to Ryan Miller talks in the days to come.
Hitchcock's patience may be reaching its end.
***
Updated 2pm EDT:
Capgeek.com showing that Gerbe is a compliance buyout. In other words, his $1,450,000 will not hit Buffalo's cap.
***
Are the Buffalo Sabres actively shopping for Nathan Gerbe's replacement at left wing?
Of so, there is an abundant, rich crop of candidates available to them via the UFA market:
Danny Briere
Brenden Morrow
Val Filppula
Ryan Clowe
Dustin penner
Benoit Pouliot
Clarke MacArthur
Viktor Stalberg
Mason Raymond
Matt Cooke
Isn't Bobby Ryan a LW as well?
Hasn't he been rumored to be heading to Philly for the past two offseasons? Now that teh Flyers have maxxed out their cap with the Lecavalier UFA signing, they are in no position to take on Ryan's $5.1 million salary for this and next season/
Dare to dream.
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Updated 12:37pm EDT:
My friend Bill Hoppe has spoken with Gerbe's agent. The player and agent didn't see this waiver move coming.
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More to come....
TSN reports Nathan Gerbe on buyout waivers.
Gerbe will earn $1,450,000 this season.
The winger has been placed on unconditional waivers for the purposes of buying him out of the final year of his deal.
Darcy Regier has said repeatedly during this offseason that he would not be activating his two buyouts. Something is about to happen that we didn't see coming.
The left winger underwent back surgery last Summer after he sustained a serious injury during the 2011-12 regular season. He used the entire lockout period as an opportunity to rest and recover from his surgery. In 42 games last season, the Oxford, Michigan native scored 5 goals and added 5 assists.
Gerbe thrilled Sabres fans when he scored a career high 16 goals and added 15 assists in 64 games in 2010-11. Thats the Gerbe that the Sabres were intrigued with when he starred at Boston College and with the Portland Pirates. If only he could have scored more than he did. The Sabres wanted more than 29 goals and 72 points from Gerbe in his 188 game Sabres career.
This Gerbe waiver move may be the precursor to the Sabres signing a left winger when the UFA period opens at Noon on Friday.
If not a UFA acquisition, perhaps the Sabres are preparing to add a left winger through a trade.
Right now, the Sabres depth chart at left wing looks like this:
Vanek
Foligno
Leino
Gerbe
Scott
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