On March 2, Buffalo Sabres GM Tim Murray traded three of his pending UFAs.
Forward Torrey Mitchell was traded to Montreal.
Staring goaltender Michal Neuvirth was traded to the NY Islanders.
Chris Stewart was traded to Minnesota.
Like many players who have been traded to new teams at the trade deadline, each player met with the Buffalo. They thanked the Sabres for the opportunity and expressed thanks for being moved to playoff contending teams.
Mitchell boogied without making a ripple in the waters while Neuvirth and Stewart took time to express their disdain for the way that the Sabres management team is tanking this season away.
Among NHL GMs, he who finishes 30th and 29th overall will select Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel, respectively, with the first or second overall in this June's NHL Draft.
Stewart is a proud soldier who gave his all to the Sabres since he was acquired with Jaro Halak, William Carrier, and a 2015 1st rounder from the St. Louis Blues in the February 2014 Ryan Miller-Steve Ott trade blockbuster trade.
Stewart vented his spleen about tanking.
“Everybody keeps talking about the TankNation---tanking for McDavid. I know those guys in the (Buffalo) dressing room. They gave it their all,” Stewart said defiantly.
"I know days are dark right now. It’s not going to last forever. They definitely have got some pieces.”
Stewart is an NHL veteran. He's earned the right to sound off on the subject of tanking. He and a few other Sabres didn't find it particularly cool that McDavid and his Erie Otters played one of their home games at the Sabres' rink back in October.
Is he wrong? No, I don't think he is. Stewart is a gladiator. He believes in his fellow gladiators. In the NHL parlance, games are won and lost by the guys in the room tonight. No 18 year old can help a team win tonight if he's still playing major juniors or in the NCAA. In the NHL, teams have to dance with who brung 'em to the party.
Stewart told me several times this season that he and his teammates were all about trying to win games. He would laugh in your face and call you a nasty name or three if you asked him to deliberately lose hockey games. Stewart and his former Buffalo teammates needed help in the form of better players in order to win more games this season. Management chose not to infuse difference making players to help turn this season around. The players can only control their performances. They don't build the roster and trade for players. Stewart and his Buffalo mates did their best to stick it to the man with the limited resources that they were given this season. When the season started slipping away and the losses started piling up like eight feet of Lake Erie lake effect snow, the players weren't given a snow blower or snow play. They were tasked with having to clear a path with just their hockey sticks. It's been a daunting process. As the struggles continued and the losses started to mount, the veterans in the room, and head coach Ted Nolan, implored the boys to play for the man sitting next to him in the change room. It had become an us against the world" fight. Classic Ted Nolan. Just like Team Latvia nearly shocking the world at the Olympics, it was a gang mentality. Win or lose, the guys in the room fought for each other, regardless of the score.
Though they don't admit to it, Sabres players listen to sports radio, read blogs, and the local newspaper. Sabres players are stars in the Buffalo community and its hard to escape in public. The cashier at Wegmans, the pastor at church service, the day care teacher, and the drive thru dude at Timmy Ho's have zero problem chatting up Sabres players on the full array of subjects. Its part of the fabric of the WNY community that players learn to love and embrace.
Tanking talk is not off limits in Buffalo. Nor should it be. There are thousands of Sabres fans who refuse to embrace the losing-for-a-better-draft-choice philosophy. I admit that I didn't jump on the tank train until Christmas time. That's when I saw McDavid and Eichel player alpha dog roles at the IIHF World Junior Hockey Championships. As a competitor, I could not wrap my head around professional athletes quitting on its fans and losing games on purpose. It took me a few months to realize that the two generational players that occupy the first and second overall picks in the 2015 NHL Draft are rock stars. Watching them play live in person re-shaped my opinion that you do whatever you have to do to secure McDavid or Eichel.
Neuvirth wasn't as diplomatic as Stewart. It seemed as though Neuvirth's strong play over the final four weeks of his Buffalo career was a metaphoric, defiant middle finger in the face of Tim Murray, and the haters.
Neuvirth's strong play in his starts after Jhonas Enroth was traded on February 11 served as a rallying cry for his Sabres teammates. Neuvirth appeared to be thumbing his nose at the man in the name of pride and self respect.
Neuvirth's non verbal statement was like:
"Me and my teammates aren't going down without a fight! We are not tankers!!"
Fast forward to the 3:30 mark of the interview for Neuvirth's anti-tank message.
"That's crazy... if you wanna lose to get a first (overall) draft pick, that doesn't seem right to me. You always want to win"
Thanks, Sabres.com
Today, the boys at Hockey Central @ Noon kicked around the subject of whether players on the Sabres, Coyotes, Oilers, and Leafs have tried or are trying to mess with management's tank plans. In other words, can headstrong players derail the best laid tanking plans?
Thanks, Sportsnet
Can the Sabres players derail the tank?
I say no. With 15 games to play, the Sabres hold a three point "lead" on Edmonton and six points on Regierizona.
Chris Stewart, Michal Neuvirth, Jhonas Enroth, Tyler Myers, Drew Stafford, and Torrey Mitchell have been moved out of Buffalo in the past month. They have been replaced in the lineup by Johan Larsson, Anders Lindback, Matt Hackett, Zac Dalpe, and Jerry D'Amigo.
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