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Full Circle: Eichel-Pominville Chemistry |
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Wasn't it the Jason Pominville trade to the Minnesota Wild in 2013 considered the key that turned on the ignition of the infamous Buffalo tank?
The Sabres traded their captain and a fourth-round draft pick in 2014 to the Wild before the NHL deadline for forward Johan Larsson and goalie Matt Hackett plus a first-round draft pick in 2013 and a second-round draft pick in 2014.
Wild GM Chuck Fletcher paid an exceptionally high price to acquire Pominville. The Wild were willing to invest some of their assets for a 20 goal scoring two-way forward with playoff experience in his career in Buffalo.
Darcy Regier didn't whiff on the chance to dump a big salaries, aging forward in exchange for building blocks for the future rebuild.
"It's going to involve rolling back a little bit organizationally," Regier said at the time of the Pominville trade. "Acquire the assets, the players, the draft picks and do it in a way that's going to allow us to group enough young players together, or players together, in order to win a championship."
Regier was saying goodbye to the past with an eye to the future.
Then, Regier was fired and replaced by Tim Murray in January 2014.
Murray continued the dive to the bottom of the NHL standings and finished stripping the Sabres down to the studs and concrete foundation.
Murray drive the tank that earned the Sabres the opportunity to select generational talent Jack
with the second overall pick at the 2015 NHL Draft.
Fast forward to June 2017. Sabres GM Jason Botterill, who replaced Murray six weeks before,
Called Chuck Fletcher and completed a trade that sent Pominville and Marco Scandella to Buffalo in exchange for forwards Marcus Foligno and Tyler Ennis.
All things old are new again.
What a juicy juxtaposition it would be if re-acquiring Pominville results in fueling Buffalo's first playoff appearance since 2011.
Botterill played with Pominville in Rochester and Buffalo. He knew down deep that "Pommer" could help his young team with even strength and PP scoring. Botterill also knew Pominville's leadership capabilities. Botterill wasted little time bringing Pominville back to Buffalo.
Sabres training camp opened last Thursday. Sabres fans and media wondered: which line will Pominville in the lineup?
I've been telling people all summer long that I would slot Pommer next to Jack Eichel. Many people scoffed. "Pommer is too slow to play with Jack and Evander Kane" the doubters said.
I don't subscribe to that narrow minded thinking. I contended (and still do) that a Kane-Eichel-Pominville is a puck possession trio that could yield 90 combined goals if Housley played them together.
Pominville is a natural born scorer. He has 261 career goals and 401 assists in 905 games played during his 12 year NHL career. Pominville has always had the innate ability to make the puck dance.
On Tuesday night in Happy Valley against the Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins, the Kane-Eichel-Pominville power cluster proved my prediction correct. They made the puck dance like Usher.
The power trio of 9-15-29 scored three of Buffalo's four goals in the 4-3 OT win.
Look at Eichel's gorgeous pass to Pominville who buried the sexy knee drop at back post. That, my friends, is a well executed scoring play. Eichel's vision and lighting fast hands found Pominville who found white ice at the back door.
Pominville picked up the loose change created by Kane and Eichel for his second goal of the game.
After the game, Eichel tipped his bucket to Pominville for finishing the chances he created.
"You see his hands around the net, there's a reason he's scored as many goals as he has in this league and has been playing as long as he has," Eichel said. "He's a really smart player, and we'll just continue to build chemistry."
Pominville complimented Eichel for his deft play making.
Thanks, Sabres.com
Phil Housley likes what he saw from the 34 year old sniper.
"It's good to see Pommer score a couple goals," Housley said. "Really gritty around the net, finding a way to get those pucks in."
Defenseman Matt Tennyson tied the game at 3-3 late in regulation.
Then, Eichel closed the show in dramatic fashion with the OT GWG.
Eichel finished with a goals and two assists. Pominville two goals and Kane one assist.
A six point night is a great night for Kane-Eichel-Houlsey line.
O'm going to buy Phil Housley a black sharpie so that he can write "Kane-Eichel-Pominville" line on his dry erase board in his office.
Housley's top six likely will be:
Kane-Eichel-Pominville
Girgensons-O'Reilly-Okposo
Not a bad top six, eh?
Thanks, Matt Bove for video highlights
***
Darren Dreger reports that there may be a meeting later this week between Jack Eichel's agent and Sabres GM Jason Botterill.
I've been saying throughout the summer that it would not surprise me if Eichel signs his new contract before puck drop on the 2017-18 season. The Sabres will host the Montreal Canadiens on October 6.
Eichel will likely be receiving an 8-year contract extension in the neighborhood of $80 million to $88 million per in total.
Talks between Botterill and Eichel's advisors have been amicable and progressive since they began on July 1. There is a voracious appetite on both side to get a deal completed. Talks are ongoing and there is no need to panic. Eichel wants to be a Sabres for at least eight more years and the feeling is mutual for the Pegula family and Jason Botterill.
For obvious reasons, Jack Eichel contract chatter has taken a back seat since the opening of Buffalo Sabres training camp last Thursday. The Sabres kicked off their schedule of exhibition games on Monday night versus Carolina, a game that Eichel didn't play in. However, Eichel Is in the lineup tonight when the Sabres play the Pittsburgh Penguins at Pegula Arena at Penn State University.
Have patience, Sabres fans.
The Eichel contract will be a thing if the past in the near future.
**
Regarding disgruntled Colorado Avs forward Matt Duchene's trade status, Dreger said:
"I'm told that there are as many as eight teams that remain in fairly consistent communication," with Sakic regarding Duchene.
Nashville, Columbus, Ottawa, and Montreal are some of the teams who continue to call Sakic about Duchene.
Sakic isn't doing himself any favors by playing stall ball with Duchene. He has upwards of eight NHL GMs waiting with eager anticipation to learn where Duchene will be traded to but not one of those GMs feels confident that he will be the winner of the Dutchy Sweepstakes.
What is the asking price for Duchene today?
Sakic seemingly has a different ask of all the teams involved. Is it a top pair left shot D and a first round pick? Maybe. Is it a top line forward and a second rounder? Uh huh. Is Sakic holding out for a number one centr? Why not.
Talk about Rocky Mountain High. Colorado, man.
The usually mild manored Duchene never intended to be an Avs player long after the World Championships. He wanted to be dealt before or during the NHL Draft. It's been a
Long, stressful summer for the recently married Duchene whose representatives are taking it day by day. The player clearly wants his walking papers from Denver so he can resume his NHL career elsewhere. The issue is Sakic doesn't want to lose another lopsided trade of one of his star players like he did when he traded Ryan O'Reilly and Jamie McGinn to Buffalo for Mikhail Grigorenko, Nikita zadorov, prospect J.T. Compher and a second round draft choice in June 2015. Sakic is still walking with a proverbial limp as a result of the one-sided ROR trade with Buffalo.
Sakic seemingly is saying to his NHL GM counterparts: I will not be taken advantage of again.
Sakic has zero leverage right now. He has to trade Duchene and everyone of importance inside the NHL knows it.
Duchene is not a happy camper and his teammates and fans have seen and heard enough of the ongoing gong show.
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