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Saturday night's dramatic come from behind victory in Boston was a reminder that the Buffalo Sabres cannot be successful unless it's best players are scoring and leading the way.
For the first time in nine games, Buffalo's A-list talent were leading men. Jack Eichel, Evander Kane, Jason Pominville, and Ryan O'Reilly led front the front. When your best players are your best players, the losing and inconsistency gets zeroed out. Phil Housley's leadership quartet landed 17 shots on (22 shot attempts) Boston goalie Anton Khudobin. The Sabres ended the evening with 42 shots on goal, 15 of which came during their impressive third period comeback.
That Housley's leaders grabbed the rest of the group by the belt loops of their Levi's and propped them up is a sign that the adversity doesn't always have to cripple the Sabres. Perhaps they learned as a group in Boston that adversity is an obstacle that can be navigated around IF each individual believes in the mission.
Kane-Eichel-Pominville-O’Reilly: 40 combined points. Kane, Eichel, Pominville now have 11 points each.
Trailing 3-0 in the second period in Boston on Saturday night, the Buffalo Sabres looked like a busted and battered team. Then, Jason Pominville scored to make it a legit hockey game. The goal was Pominville's fifth marker of the season. He also has six assists.
When David Pastrnak score his second goal of the night at 11:22 of the second stanza, it looked like all hope was dashed.
Boston native Jack Eichel made it 4-2 with 3:53 reamoning in the middle period. Eichel now has 4 goals and 7 assists.
At the 6:55 mark of the third period, Benoit Pouliot scored his first goal in a Sabres sweater to make the score 4-3.
Eleven minutes later, Evander Kane potted the game tying goal, his team leading sixth goal of the season, with 2:08 remaining in regulation play. For the second time this week, Kane snatched a point from the jaws of defeat. On Wednesday night in Las Vegas, Kane scored the game tying goal in dramatic fashion with a beauty of a goal with 8.9 seconds remaining in regulation. The Sabres would lose the game in OT. Not the case in Boston.
Kane's goal staggered the Bruins and gave the Sabres renewed life. He is tied for second in the NHL with 6 goals scored already this season. He trails just Nikita Kucherov and Alex Ovechkin, who have 10 goals apiece.
Kane is the seventh highest scoring player in the NHL with 6 goals and 5 assists. He's averaging 1.22 points per game.
At the 2:59 mark of overtime, Ryan O'Reilly potted the GWG.
The dramatic win gave the Sabres their second win of the season. Both wins have come on the road.
O'Reilly and Pominville each scored a goal and an assist while Jake McCabe chipped in two assists.
After an admittedly slow start to his season that saw him collect only one assist in his first five games, O'Reilly has erupted for three goals and three assists in his last four games. Despite his early offensive struggles, O'Reilly has been a tower of power in the faceoff circle. He has taken more draws (16) than any other center in the NHL. ROR has won more draws (134) than any other pivot in the league. O'Reilly's 62% faceoff win rate ranks second to only Anaheim's Antoine Vermette's 66.2% win rate. O'Reilly is averaging 20:29 TOI and appears to have gotten his mojo workin'.
With each passing game, Evander Kane's stock price seemingly roses. Like teammates Jack Eichel and Jason Pominville, Kane now has 11 points in 9 games played.
**
Jason Botterill and Craig Oester talk often. The Newport Sports Management agent represents several NHL A-list clients. Oester is the agent for a gang of star Buffalo Sabres players.
Ryan O'Reilly, Robin Lehner, Samson Reinhart and Evander Kane are all repped by Oester.
All of the above have had their moments of struggle this season in which the Sabres have won only one game in their first eight attempts this season.
Botterill and Phil Housley are scratching their heads. This isn't the blueprint for success that was drawn up during training camp. Botterill and Housley are slowly getting to know their individual players. There are no finger snap solutions. There is no time table to predict the end of this current Sabres malaise. New head coach. New general manager. New five man-attack system. Of Buffalo's active roster of 23 players, 10 of them are new to Buffalo.
The struggle is real. On both sides of the puck. It's difficult to pinpoint the exact root cause. The Buffalo D-zone has become a little fshoppe of horrors. The D are confused and tentative. The forwards are failing to help out in their own end. Breakouts are sloppy. There are too many spectators and not enough active problem solvers. Turnovers have been bountiful. The goaltending hasn't been great. The Sabres have an abysmal -11 goal differential.
Jack Eichel and Evander Kane will look to right the wrongs of their Sabres teammates in Boston.
On Friday, before the Sabres dropped a 4-2 decision to the Vancouver Canucks, Botterill was a guest on WGR radio. The rookie NHL GM was asked to give his evaluation of Sabres pending UFA winger Evander Kane.
Sabres fans want to know:
Where are the Sabres and Kane's agent in terms of a contract extension negotiations?
"I've always had a strong relationship with his agent. I love how Phil's reached out to Evander. We said we're not going to be doing a contract right away. Evander's been focused, loves Phil's style of game. He's been effective in a lot of different roles. He's helping our team, the contract situation will take care of itself."
How, exactly, will the contract take care of itself?
Will Botterill be re-signing Kane to an eight year, $64 million contract extension?
Will Botterill be trading Kane after Christmas?
This season, Kane is off to the hottest start of his career. For the first time in three seasons Kane is not nursing an injury at the beginning of the season. Healthy changes everything. Kane is laser-focused on being his better self. He's muted his off ice persona and has become the ultimate team player.
Kane continues to be the best all around player on a struggling Sabres team. His 5 goals and 5 assists lead the Sabres. Kane has scored two shorthanded goals. Kane has 19 hits (2nd), 4 blocked shots, 6 takeaways. Kane, a natural born sniper, is averaging 20:21 TOI. Playing alongside Jack Eichel and Jason Pominville has been a godsend for Kane.
Kane is averaging 1.25 points per game. If he keeps up this torrid offensive production, he will finish the season with 102.5 points.
I'm not expecting Kane to score 100-points this season, however, anything is possible.
If he scores 40 goals and 40 assists, he will earn himself a king's ransom.
Kane picked a fine time to play the best hockey of his career. The five-tool, power-winger is generating offense while playing on an expiring contract and is going to get paid when he becomes a free agent at season’s end.
Kane is Buffalo's most valuable player. With him in their nightly lineup, the Sabres have a puncher's chance of winning. If you were to take him away from the Sabres, they would be a last-place team.
The last time Kane was in his unrestricted season he scored 30 goals. On September 15, 2012, Kane signed a 6-year, $31.5 Million contract with the Winnipeg Jets. He's well on his way to equaling or exceeding the 30-goal plateau this season.
Back up the Brinks truck. Evander is betting on himself and he is winning.
However, in the salary cap era, there are only so many dollars available for uniquely talented players like Kane. Will Kane take a hometown haircut to remain a Buffalo Sabre? No. He will not. Kane and his agent will get maximum value. There will be no leaving money on the table in Kane's next contract.
Let's say Kane scores 80 points this season. Do you honestly think Kane would re-sign with Buffalo for say, four years and $24 million ($6M AAV)? No way. Five years and $32.5 million ($6.5M AAV)?
Take a lap.
When Ryan Johansen signed for 8 years and $64 million, Kane's floor was established. Leon Draisaitl's 8 year, $68 million largesse seemingly set Kane's ceiling.
In my opinion, any Buffalo offer less than Johansen's $8M AAV will not be acceptable to Kane.
Botterill has to know by now that Kane is shooting for the $64 Million Club, right?
One continues to wonder if Botterill can truly afford to re-sign Evander Kane on a long term extension.
If not, maybe now is the time to revisit trading Kane for a top pair defenseman and other assets. You trade an asset at it's highest value.
Botterill is a respected NHL salary cap expert. A concussion ended his professional hockey career at age 28 while with the Rochester Amerks. Botterill's hockey business career sky rocketed after he graduated with his MBA from the University of Michigan. The Pittsburgh Penguins hired him in 2007, naming him their director of hockey administration. When the Sabres hired him to succeed Tim Murray, Botterill was the AGM of the Penguins and GM of the Wilkes Barre Scranton Penguins.
There is no doubt in my mind that Botterill has already extrapolated Kane's current 1.25 points per game production over the remaining 73 games. If Botterill has learned anything about his Sabres team in the first eight games it's that they lack a true top pair left shot defenseman.
Housley's blue line is lacking a veteran presence to partner with struggling right shot D Rasmus Ristolainen. Nathan Beaulieu auditioned for the top pair left D role but has been a disappointment. Jake McCabe may be the man for the job somewhere down the road. Marco Scandella hasn't been a difference maker yet. Sabres top D prospect Brendan Guhle is the odds on, people's choice to flank Ristolainen right now. However, Botterill and Housley are insisting that Guhle cut his teeth in the AHL.
At puck drop tonight in Boston, Housley will have four veteran D-men on the injured list.
On Saturday, the Sabres placed Josh Gorges on injured reserve. Zach Bogosian is week to week. Nathan Beaulieu suffered an upped body injury on Friday night. Justin Falk has been out of the lineup with an injury of his own. Newly acquired Marco Scandella missed all of training camp with his own injury. The former Minnesota Wild D is playing himself into shape as we speak. Journeyman right shots D Zach Redmond was recalled from Rochester on Saturday morning.
Is Botterill contemplating trading Kane for a bonafide top pair defenseman? It would not surprise me in the least.
Kane's AAV is $5.25 million for this season.
At this current scoring and production rate, Kane's contract extension is going to be mammoth. Kane's market ahs already been set. The floor is Ryan Johansen's 8-year, $64 million contract which was finalized in July. The ceiling is Leon Draisaitl's 8-year, $68 million contract which features an $8.5M AAV.
Another factor for Botterill to consider is the eventual fate of fellow Craig Oester client Samson Reinhart, who will also become a restricted free agent on July 1, 2018. In July, Botterill opted to wait until the summer of 2018 to re-sign Kane and Reinhart, the former second overall pick in the 2014 NHL Draft.
Reinhart has struggled to find his game during the first three weeks of the NHL season. Reinhart has struggled at his native center ice position. He is only 10 for 32 (31.3%) on draws. He has only 10 shots on goal in 8 games. He is a team-worst -8 while playing 15:55 TOI.
Reinhart has been moved around the lineup from third line center to second line wing.
Reinhart has his eyes focused on Jack Eichel's eight-year contract extension to stay in Buffalo.
Reinhart will not be re-signing for 8 years and $80 million like Eichel had in September.
Reinhart will be looking for a $6 million annual average value.
Botterill has to be asking himself if he can afford to re-sign Kane and Reinhart for between $14 million and $14.5 million in salary cap per season.
Botterill currently has $18.4 million in available salary cap for next season when Eichel's $10M AAV hits the books for the first time.
Trading Kane for a package that contains a top pair D-man and a prospect is a plausible option.
The Vancouver Canucks were in Buffalo Friday night. The Canucks lost veteran winger Loui Eriksson for the next 6-8 weeks with a sprained knee. Kane is a Vancouver native. It's no secret that Canucks GM Jim Benning was very interested in acquiring Kane during the summer of 2016. Kane for Ben Hutton trade rumors persisted until U.S Thanksgiving 2016. I'm told Sabres GM Tim Murray put the kibosh on the Kane trade talks when Benning abruptly re-signed his young D-man to a two year bridge contract extension. Perhaps Benning will contact or already has contacted Botterill about Kane's availability. Minnesota Wild GM Chuck Fletcher wanted to trade for Marcus Foligno for three seasons. Murray kiboshed the idea three different times. Botterill immediately green-lighted the draft day deal that sent Foligno and Tyler Ennis to the Twin Cities for Jason Pominville and Marco Scandella.
The Vegas Golden Knights are looking to add a top six scoring forward. George McPhee has ten NHL defenseman on his current roster. McPhee will have to waive a D-man or two in order to create a roster spot for lefty Shea Theodore, who has been buried in AHL Chicago. The only reason Theodore is in the minors right now is that he doesn't have to clear waivers. The kid has already done his apprenticeship and has proven he is too good to be riding the buses of the AHL. Theodore is an excellent NHL top four D.
Might McPhee consider trading Shea Theodore in exchange for Evander Kane?
The Montreal Canadiens are mired in a dreadful losing skid of their own and have gone 1-6-1 to begin this season. The Habs have scored only 13 goals for and have allowed 33 goals against. Their -20 goal differential is the worst in the NHL today. The Habs scouted Sabres-Canucks Friday night. The Habs would have to trade their 19 year old rookie left D Victor Mete to Buffalo in exchange for Evander Kane. Mete has been playing exceptionally well alongside veteran gun slinger Shea Weber. Once upon a time, Habs assistant general manager Rick Dudley selected Kane fourth overall in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft while GM of the Atlanta Thrashers. The Habs sent their director of pro scouting to Buffalo on Friday night.
The Toronto Maple Leafs, St. Louis Blues, San Jose Sharks, Philadelphia Flyers and Winnipeg Jets also scouted Sabres-Canucks.
Perhaps Kane is not in play.
What if Botterill and Housley have arrived at the conclusion that they want to re-sign Evander Kane to a long term contract extension?
What then would become of Samson Reinhart? The 21 year old North Vancouver native has played 173 career games and has scored 41 goals and 50 assists for 91 points. He's a high IQ player who thinks and processes the game at an exceptionally high rate. Reinhart is rounding into a complete NHL player. Are Botetrill and Phil Housley sold on Reinhart as much as they are on Kane?
At this pace, Kane will earn himself massive pay raise come July 1, 2018 when he becomes an unrestricted free agent.
During his major junior career, he won the Memorial Cup with the Giants in 2007, finished as runner-up for the Jim Piggott Memorial Trophy as WHL rookie of the year in 2008 and was named to the WHL West First All-Star Team in 2009. Kane also set the Giants' franchise record for single-season goals in 2008–09.
After John Tavares, Victor Hedman and Matt Duchene were taken with the top three picks in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft, Kane was selected fourth overall by the Atlanta Thrashers. He became the highest drafted born-and-raised player from Vancouver since Paul Kariya was taken fourth overall in 1993, the highest drafted Vancouver Giants player in the history of the franchise (surpassing Gilbert Brulé, who was drafted sixth overall in 2005).and the highest drafted black player in NHL history. Less than a month later, the Thrashers signed Kane to an entry-level contract in July 2009.
Kane made the Thrashers' lineup out of his first NHL training camp for the 2009–10 season. He recorded his first career NHL point in his NHL debut on October 3, 2009, earning an assist on a goal by Rich Peverley against the Tampa Bay Lightning. His first goal was scored five days later, on October 8, beating Chris Mason with a snap shot in a 4–2 win over the St. Louis Blues. Kane finished his NHL rookie season with 14 goals and 26 points in 66 games, ranked 12th among NHL rookie scorers.
***
Bob McKenzie is reporting that the Pittsburgh Penguins have made a trade with the Detroit Red Wings for pivot Riley Sheehan. The Pens have been scouring the NHL looking for a third line center to replace the departed Matt Cullen.
The Wings are sending Sheahan and a fifth round pick to The Penguins for forward Scott Wilson and third rounder. Both draft picks are for 2018.
Sheahan will earn $2,075,000 this season.
Despite their tight resources, the salary cap strapped Penguins have debunked the myth that trades are unheard of in October. The Penguins have been active in the trade market in the past two weeks. That’s how you build a three-peat Stanley Cup champion. You can’t sit on your hands in today’s NHL.
Rutherford had $2 million-ish to invest in his third line center. After months of kicking tires, Rutherford finally made his purchase on saturday.
Two weeks ago, Pens GM Jim Rutherford traded prospect defenseman Derrick Pouliot to Vancouver for Pouliot, the eighth overall pick in the in 2012 NHL Draft.
Pittsburgh received Andrey Pedan and a 2018 fourth-round pick for Pouliot.
I wonder if Sabres GM Jason Botterill was aware of these tree opportunities. He had to be, right?
Jim Rutherford was his boss. He knows better than anyone what Pittsburgh’s Achilles heel is. Assuming Botterill was aware of the Penguins trades, I’m wondering if he made trade proposals of his own to Rutherford?
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