Must be a slow news day.
Ryan Miller and Thomas Vanek are not heading to Edmonton in a blockbuster trade "package".
Ryan Miller may be, however, Vanek's heart is in Minneapolis-St. Paul these days. The Stillwater, Minnesota resident was reminded earlier this week about how badly he misses playing with his best friend and former right winger Jason Pominville. If Vanek goes anywhere, its to The Wild later this season.
Both Sabres are playing out the final season of their respective current contracts.
The Oilers are desperate to acquire an experienced goaltender to upgrade its roster. They also want an NHL D man. Devan Dubnyk and Jason LaBarbera cannot get the job done on a consistent winning basis. Dubnyk will be the starter on Long Island tonight.
Miller is the man that Oilers GM Craig MacTavish has at the top of his goalie wish list.
Kate Upton is the hottie that every 18 year old high school senior wants to take to his senior prom.
Everybody wants what they can't have.
Miller has a limited no trade clause, which means that Miller has submitted to Darcy Regier his list of eight teams that he will not accept a trade to. Its likely/probable that the Oilers are on the list. Does this mean Miller is a no-go for Edmonton? Not exactly. Lists were made to be changed.
Can Miller waive his limited no trade clause to accept a trade to Edmonton. Of course he can, if the Oilers agree to offering Miller a Corey Crawford style 6 year, $6 million contract extension. Miller is 33 years of age. Big asking price for a goalie who will be pushing 40 when the deal expires.
There will be many eyes in the sky watching Miller tonight. Edmonton, Philly, and Dallas will be three of the teams who are looking for a solution to their goal tending 911 crises.
I'll be at the game.
The internet rumor chirpers will not be at the game.
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Ron Rolston spoke after the morning skate and said that Marcus Foligno will once again play center tonight against Canucks. Foligno is a left winger by trade, however, he played a ton of center at the end of last season, and again on Tuesday night on Long Island. He frustrated John Tavares on faceoffs and was a difference maker for the Sabres in their first win of the season. Rolston likes that Marcus is big, physical, and can skate with the best centers in the NHL. Rolston likes the matchup aspect of playing a 6'4 227 pound physical center against skilled centers.
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Here are your lines and D pairs:
Vanek – Hodgson – Ott
Ennis –Foligno –Stafford
Porter– Larsson – Flynn
Scott – Grigorenko – McCormick
Ehrhoff – Pysyk
Tallinder – Myers
Weber – Ristolainen
Miller
Enroth
* Scratched: 4 Jamie McBain, 28 Zemgus Girgensons
** Suspended: 36 Patrick Kaleta
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Ryan Miller will start for the Sabres tonight.
Roberto Luongo for the Canucks
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Cody Hodgson did not skate this morning. Coach Rolston said that CoHo's is working through a couple of injuries. He will play tonight and will center the Vanek-Ott line.
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Zemgus Girgensons skated this morning, however, the Latvian Locomotive will not play tonight due to his swollen eye. The rookie was struck in th eeye by a Tyler Myers wrister on Tuesday night on Long Island.
**
Recently suspended Sabres winger Patrick Kaleta skated at Buffalo's morning skate. Kaleta will be appealing his 10 game suspension. There was no penalty on Kaleta's hit on Columbus D-man Jack Johnson, nor was there an injury to the player. Kaleta's 10 game suspension was largely attributed to his repeat offender status with the within the NHL. Kaleta's reputation proceeds him. Suspending an NHL player for 10 games for having a bad reputation is curious, isn't it. By this new NHL logic, St. Louis Blues rat Max Lapierre should receive a 20 game suspension for knocking out San Jose D-man Dan Boyle and sending him to the hospital on a stretcher.
Tonight's game marks the fourth game of Kaleta's 10 game suspension. NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman will hear the appeal. If need be, Kaleta can have his case heard by an independent abrbitrator.
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On Tuesday night in Philly, Tortarella saw an opportunity to separate Daniel and Henrik Sedin, He moved Henrik Sedin to a line with Ryan Kesler and Chris Higgins. Trailing 2-1 on the road in the third period in Philly, Henrik found Chris Higgins for the game tying goal, and speaked the Canucks comeback. They would go on win the game 3-2.
Henrik didn’t seem to mind the departure from his brother’s line for the opportunity to play with Kesler and Higgins.
Tortarella told Canucks.com that he
“I think they (Sedins) want it,” said Tortorella. “They’re smart enough to know they were being checked pretty closely, and I wasn’t going to take them off because the opposing team was putting its checking line out there. They got to find a way to get through it.”
At Wednesday’s practice, Torts refused to say what his lines will be when the Canucks play the Sabres tonight.
“I’m not sure what the lines are going to be (in Buffalo)”.
Daniel Sedin- Jordan Schroeder-Zack Kassian was a line at practice Wednesday, as was between Tom Sestito- Brad Richardson-Dale Weise.
Daniel doesn’t seem to mind the movement away from Henrik either.
“We’re excited about this, and it’s a good thing as a team and for us personally,” said Daniel of being split apart from Henrik.“
It’s been like that for a lot of years and now we can spread things out. It gives us a spark that we need and it’s going to happen more.”
John Tortarella demands that his players block shots. Recently, Torts admitted that he doesn’t have a method to teaching his players how to throw their bodies into harm’s way to take on for the team.
“People asked me about blocking shots and it’s taken on a life of its own. We don’t teach them how to do it, we just want them to do it. To me, the willingness is the most important thing.”
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