Updated 12:30pm EDT:
So, my good man Tim Panaccio tweeted earlier today that the Philadelphia Flyers and Edmonton Oilers have discussed the availability of Jordan Eberle. Curious in that the Flyers need an extreme makeover on their blue line and in their goal crease. Eberle is a #1 centerman. In Philly, captain Claude Giroux is the #1 center, with high priced UFA import Vinny Lecavalier the #2. Eberle isn't a 3rd line center. So, why would Philly be pursuing him, unless of course they are looking to trade Giroux or Lecavalier.
On the other side of the rumor is the Oilers are a red hot mess right now, as are the Flyers. Both clubs need huge upgrades on their respective blue lines and in their nets. If I'm Edmonton, I like Brayden Schenn or Sean Couturier in a trade. Luke Schenn too, despite the fact that he has been stapled to the Flyers bench for the past three games.
The Flyers goaltending is a joke, too.
So, then, what "currency" do the Flyers have to swing a deal for Eberle?
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Perhaps the Oilers are speaking with more than one team right now. They need to stip their bleeding on the goals against issues.
There is a lot of pain and suffering happening in Philly and Edmonton right now. Oilers GM Craig MacTavish was seen scouting the Eastern teams at MSG earlier this week with Oilers consultant Mark Messier. On Wednesday, Oilers head coach Dallas Eakins proclaimed in the record that center Nail Yakupov is not being shopped by the Oilers. Perhaps Eberle will be the odd man out in the City Of Champions. Looks like Hall, RNH are keepers. Coin flip between Eberle and Yakupov?
On Friday morning, Flyers owner Ed Snider spoke with media and proclaimed that in his 47 years of ownership of the once proud Flyers squad, that he's never seen anything like his team's plight in the first 5 weeks of this season.
Thanks, Flyers TV
Perhaps Snider should once and for all fire Paul Holmgren and replace him with Ron Hextall already. The hand writing is has been on the wall for the first month and a half of the season.
My take:
Sabres GM Darcy Regier should be all over the Eberle opportunity, if he isn't already on top of it.
Buffalo has Ryan Miller, Jamie McBain, Brayden McNabb and a 2nd rounder to offer for Eberle. Buffalo also have goalie depth in the organization in Makarov, Lieuwen, and Knapp. I've heard that the Oilers want to get their hands onformer Edmonton Oil King hero Mark Pysyk, however, he's not available. Buffalo have depth in spades in the areas that the Oilers need to address like yesterday.
The 23 year old Eberle would slot nicely into Buffalo's youth movement. They need center depth and have oodles of goal tending and D options at their disposal.
Perhaps Philly is looking to shake thins up by trading their captain away to make room for the 31 center in Eberle. Edmonton could get Couturier and Luke Schenn and a #1. Then, Philly could trade Giroux for Miller.
Hey, you never know when three teams are playing as badly as Edmonton, Philly, and Boston are playing this season. The Flyers would get their puck stopping solution in exchange for a gifted offensive dynamo who has been slow out of the gate this season.
Change might do some good. How can it hurt at this point?
There's no such thing as a bad idea.
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Updated 10am:
The rumour was true. Kevin Dineen fired in Florida.
Sabres had him and let him go. Sabres Hallo of Famer Craig Ramsay was also let go.
The Sabres should right two wrongs and re-hire Dineen and Ramsay as scout/coaches today.
They did so with Randy Cunneyworth last week.
The Sabres can use more teachers to groom their kids.
Panthers statement:
The Florida Panthers on Friday fired coach Kevin Dineen and named Peter Horachek the club's new interim coach.
Also fired were Dineen's assistant coaches, Gord Murphy and Craig Ramsay.
Horachek had been coaching the Panthers' American Hockey League affiliate, the San Antonio Rampage.
Director of player development Brian Skrudland and professional scout John Madden have been added as assistant coaches.
"Peter is a bright hockey mind who brings to our club a wealth of coaching knowledge," Panthers general manager Dale Tallon said. "He is a focused, determined and demanding coach who has experienced great success at all levels of competition. Both Brian and John are proven winners who won multiple Stanley Cups and are individuals that our players know very well. With these additions, we are confident that we have a staff that will work tirelessly to bring continued success to our organization."
Dineen was in his third season as the Panthers' coach. After guiding the team to a Southeast Division title and the franchise's first playoff berth in 12 years in 2011-12, his first season, the Panthers finished 15th in the Eastern Conference last season and were seventh in the Atlantic Division at 3-9-4 this season.
"After 16 games it was clear that our team needed a change in philosophy and direction," Tallon said. "We have not met the expectations that we set forth at training camp and it is my responsibility to make the necessary changes to ensure that our club performs at its maximum potential. We thank Kevin, Gord and Craig for their hard work and dedication to our organization and the professionalism that they displayed throughout their tenure."
Read my take below.....
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Jonathan Quick played his 300th NHL game a memorable one by shutting out the Buffalo Sabres 2-0 in front of his home fans at Staples Center on Thursday night.
At the other end of the rink, Jhonas Enroth did what he could do to give his team a chance to win. In the end, PPGs from Mike Richards and Anze Kopitar killed the Sabres.
My biggest takeaway from the game is this blind side head hit that Kings forward Matt Frattin delivered on Sabres grinder Cody McCormick. With a 1:10 remining in the second pe3riod, Kings leading 2-0, Frattin unfair advantage of his oppoenent by lowering his shoulder into the prone McCormicks’s head. In my opinion, this is a Rule 48 violation considering Frattin’s principle point of contact was McCormick’s head.
Watch the hit and judge it for yourself.
McCormick would finish the game. In fact, he found Frattin late in the third period and pasted the head hit perp against the glass as to send a message that what he did wasn't cool.
FYI, the Kings visit the Sabres on Tuesday night. Were I the NHL, I'd sit Frattin for that game. If he skates away from the long arm from the NHL law like a few players have done recently (ie: Seidenberg and Chara), there's no doubt that the Sabres will be looking for Frattin on Tuesday night. Isn't that the way it works? Players police the players if the NHL won't get involved?
Is this not the very same hit the Brendan Shanahan and the NHL Department of Player Safety is trying to eliminate altogether from the NHL?
I feel like this hit is worthy of a 2-3 game suspension.
If you don’t think so, think of it in this context:
If Sabres Patrick Kaleta or John Scott delivered this same hit to Frattin, would there be a disciplinary hearing scheduled?
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I’m hearing that there is some truth to Josh Rimer’s report that the Florida Panthers may be moving closer to making a coaching vjange. Bad tyeam. There is perennial awful attendance in Sunrise in the early part of the season until the “snow birds” arrive to Florida from their northern homes. Their gate receipts are down this season. New owner. The GM, Dale Tallon, and head coach, Kevin Dineen are under serious scrutiny right now. The Panther made the playoffs two seasons ago largely ue to the superior play of veteran castoffs who found a second chance in Sunruse,. This season, the vets are not scoring, the kids like Bjugstad, Huberdeau, Barkov, Gudbranson, and Markstrom can’t carry the weight of the world on their young shoulders. The goaltending is bad (Tim Thomas hurt), Markstrom being baptized by fire and is allowing soft goals every game.
If I’m the Buffalo Sabres, I’m waiting and watching this situation closely. Kevin Dineen was a great mentor and head coach to Sabres prospects like Ennis, Gerbe, Adam, and Enroth in AHL Portland. He is a bright, focused, and prepared hockey man who understands the nuances of the pro game. Dineen is a great teacher. If he were made available, I’d snatch him up in a WNY minute. Even if its for him to play a “scout/coach” role like Randy Cunneyworth was brought back to the organization to do last week.
Dineen is a winner. If he loses his job in Sunrise, so be it. He was never going to move up the coaching ladder in Buffalo due to the tenure and longevity of Lindy Ruff on the Sabres bench. Those dynamics changed last February. The Sabres have 3 wins in 18 games. They need all the help they can get right now.
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