With all of the summertime preoccupation with NHL entry draft, the futures of Ryan Miller, Thomas Vanek, the UFA signing of Sulzer, and the trade of Tallinder, do we know what's going on with the contract extension of RFA center Cody Hodgson? The top line center's three year contract made him an annual cap hit of $1,666,666.
His NHL salary was $787,500 with a bonus of $850,000.
According to capgeek.com:
Cody Hodgson's Qualifying Offer is For $826,875.
Because his base salary of $787,500 is greater than $660,000 and less than $1,000,000, it is increased by 5 percent for the purposes of his qualifying offer.
NOTE: It must be a one-way qualifying offer if a) the player appeared in 180 or more NHL games in three previous seasons; b) the player appeared in 60 or more NHL games the previous season; and c) the player did not clear waivers during the previous season. Backup goaltender appearances count as games.
Last we heard from Darcy Regier at the post-draft press conference last week, the Sabres GM had reached out to CoHo's agent, Ritch Winter. Regier said that he was awaiting a call back from the Sabres GM.
Earlier this week, I emailed Winter for an update.
I'm no closer to an update today.
Said Winter:
I do not comment publicly on client matters unless asked to do so by my client.
Hodsgon and Matt Hackett are Buffalo's biggest RFA right now. Brian Flynn, Luke Adam, Corey Tropp, and Nick Crawford are the others.
CoHo will report to Sabres training camp in September as the #1 center. Tyler Ennis and Mikhail Grigorenko project as the second and third line pivots. Kevin Porter, Zemgus Girgensons, and Johnan Larsson will be auditioning for the fourth line center role.
Hodgson's deal will get done sooner, rather than later.
Zemgus Girgensons has never apologized for the way he plays hockey. His style is raw, loud, aggressive, and in-your-face. His robust style impressed the Sabres so much that they invested one of their two 2012 first round draft picks in the jack hammer. At just 18 years of age, Girgensons became the highest Latvian drafted in NHL history (16 spots higher than Sandis Ozolinsh in 1991) when the Buffalo Sabres selected him in the first round (14th overall) of the 2012 NHL Draft.
In his rookie season on pro hockey, Grigensons' firebrand style earned him the immediate praise of his ten head coach Ron Rolston in Rochester. Rolston wasted little time putting the kid on the ice in key moments of games. When his rookie season began, Girgo was the youngest player in the AHL at age 18. His age meant nothing. It was just a number. Girgensons impressed the Sabres and Amerks mostly with his professional-built body and his fearlessness on the ice. He immediately played with the poise of a 22 or 23 year old who had played four years in the NCAA or in junior hockey. Girgensons made the huge jump from the USHL Dubuque club to pro hockey, in one fell swoop.
On Wednesday, just after his first day of his second pro camp had ended, Girgensons told me what has gitten him to this point in pro hockey:
"My will", he said. "I want to play in the NHL. Thats it, you know?".
His rookie season in "The A" saw him start fast and strong. He then hit a rookie lull period during a stretch of games in late December, early January. Maybe it was fatigue, or trying to do too much by himself. Typical symptoms that occur during rookie campaigns in pro hockey. Though he wasn't scoring ay the pace that he'd grown accustomed to in Dubuque, Girgensons was bringing the physicality and the hammer to every one of his shifts. Girgo learned quickly that if he wasn't scoring with regularity, then he better be playing the defensive side of the puck with vim and vigor. He did just that.
Then on January 12th, His rookie season to a major turn for the worse when he was suckered by Richard Panik of the Syracuse Crunch. In game 37 of his rookie season, he suffered a major concussion when he was plowed in the blind spot by a wreckless and cowardly hit that he never saw coming. For his idiocy, Panik earned a 5 minute major and a game misconduct for interference for his nuking of Girgensons.
He would be forced to sit out 15 games with his concussion and ensuing symptoms.
In 61 games played, Girgensons scored 6 goals and added 11 assists.
The takeaway from his injury-interrupted rookie season was the impressive way he played at the end of the regular season and in the first round of the playoffs. Girgensons led the Amerks with three goals in three playoff games before the Amerks were eliminated in the best-of-five series with the Toronto Marlies in the first round of the 2013 playoffs.
Girgensons is not lacking for confidence and self esteem. He told me that he's a better player now than he was at this time last season. His first year of pro hockey didn't kill him, it only made him stronger. His teammates better watch him in Friday's Blue & Gold scrimmage. He's feeling great about himself and his game and he feels like he has to be one of the leaders of the 40 man prospect group. Won't surprise me at all if Girgensons finishes his checks with authority and he drives the blue ice at 100 mph. Thats how he rolls.
Thanks, sabres.com
Girgensons was Buffalo's best forward in the morning session on Wednesday. After the session, he was laughing and cracking jokes with the rooks in the Buffalo room. On the ice, Girgensons is an intense, puck removal machine. Off the ice, he's a cool as the First Niagara Center air on a humid July afternoon.
Mikhail Grigorenko isn't looking in his rear view mirror. He's only looking through the windshield.
Grigo doesn't look back on his first season in pro hockey as a negative. On Wednesday at Sabres prospect camp, he said considers it a valuable learning experience.
“I knew that it’s going to be hard,” Grigorenko said of his maiden voyage in the NHL.
“I didn’t know how hard it would be. But I think it was pretty much what I expected. I was expecting a little more points and goals from me. But it doesn’t always go like you want. But I think it was a real good experience for me, and I think next year it’s going to be really good.”
The kid was shaken and stirred like a Stoli martini. yet through it all, he remained positive.
He covered a lot of square miles and literally spanned the globe to get to the NHL. In the end, it was well worth it.
Last year at this time, Grigo was recouping from a serious bout with mono. He played a grueling season schedule and playoffs for the Quebec Remparts. After his team was eliminated from the 2012 "Q" playoffs, he was drafted by the Sabres (12th overall). He participated in Sabres prospects camp in early July 2012, then stayed in Buffalo and worked out for a few weeks until August. He then flew home to Russia and attended Team Russia's U-20 camp. His Russian squad participated in the Subway Super Series against Team Canada, with games in Russia and Canada. He then attended Remparts training camp and began the season in QCity. In late December, he re-joined the Russian U-20 in his home country and was a rockstar at the IIHF World Junior Championships. He was one of Russia's best player in the tourney. When teh WJcs ended, Grigo was kept in Buffalo at the conclusion of the NHL lockout. He earned an extended stay and played well at first. Then, his minutes and playing time began to diminish. In February, he was relegated to spectator in the press box just before Lindy Ruff's firing. When Ron Rolston took over the club, Grigo was bumped over for aging vet Jochen Hecht and Amerks that Rolston had more confidence in. In March, the kid was sent back to junior to finish to play 20+ minutes a game and to get his confidence back. Playing five minutes a night with John Scott and Drew Stafford wasn't helping Grigo's development. In the end, the 25 games that he played in Buffalo were helpful for his development. It taught him that the NHL is a skating league. He worked on power skating in Buffalo and it showed in the "Q" playoffs. He was moving better and skating faster. he was stronger and was fresher at the end of games. When his Remparts were knocked out of the playoffs, he was summoned back to Buffalo to play out the string of games at the end of the regular season. He then went to Rochester and played in the first round of the AHL playoffs.
I'm exhausted just thinking about all of the travel and the ups-n-downs. Grigo survived the treacherous gauntlet that was his rookie NHL season, and today he is a better person and player for it.
Grigo played nearly 100 games between August 2012 and May 2013.
His offense suffered mightily in Buffalo as he scored one 1 goal and added four assists in 25 games.
In Quebec, he scored 30 goals and added 24 assists in 33 games played. He also added 5 goals and 9 assists in 11 playoffs games with the Remparts.
Grigo is a scorer. He'll find his magic touch in Buffalo this season. His coaches need to assign him his role and mentor him rather than treating him like a piece of furniture to be moved all over the place. Lets face it, the Sabres didn't hold up their end of the bargain in developing the kid in his rookie year.
Today at prospects camp, Grigo was fresh and rested.
He said that he's staying in Buffalo for the rest of the summer. No more globe trotting. His trans-continental travel days are gone.
Grigorenko can unpack his bags and stay a while because the Sabres have told him that he is not going to play in Quebec this season. Buffalo is his permanent address, and that stability is a good thing for the 19 year old.
He's rested. he's recovered. He's focused. He faster.
Rasmus Ristolainen has the proverbial hammer, and he's about to use it.
Risto is not interested in playing in Rochester next season. He said today that if the club doesn't feel that he's ready to play in Buffalo, then he's heading home to play the season in Finland with his hometown team, where he already has a deal in place for next season.
Talk about lasting first impressions. I'm confused.
Didn't he say at the NHL Entry Draft in Newark that he doesn't have a contract to play in Europe?
Today, the 8th overall pick had a new spin on whether he has a contract in Europe.
Ristolainen said matter of factly:
“I’ve got a contract with my hometown team.”
He's from Turku, Finland, and has played the past two seasons in the Finnish Elite League with his hometown TPS Turku club.
Its all on Ristolainen now. If he impresses in training camp and leaves Regier no other reason other than to play him in Buffal, then he stays and plays. if he has a so-so/sub-par camp, he's heading home to Turku.
One thing is certain:
Ristolainen will not be playing in Rochester.
Chadd Ruhwedel played a similar hand in his free agent negotaiations with Buffalo last season when his agent informed the Sabres that he would only sign with them if they agreed to play him in the NHL immediately, thus bypassing Richester. The Sabres agreed to the player demands and signed him to his entry level contract, thus burning year one of his Elc by only playing a two hands full of games in the NHL.
Thanks, WGRZ
(Ristolainen and Zadorov are the interviewees in the video)
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