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Murray Chasing Biggest Fish In NHL History

June 25, 2016, 8:49 AM ET [58 Comments]
GARTH'S CORNER
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That's a wrap!

The 2016 NHL Draft has come to a successful close.

Many teams fortified and improved themselves via the draft and trades in the past 36 hours.


The next logical question is:

What now becomes of Steven Stamkos, who becomes UFA on July 1?


The Buffalo Sabres are considered to be th efront runner to secure Stamkos' UFA services. They have the money, the financial wherewithal, and the "blueprint" to convince Stamkos to leave Tampa and play hockey for the next seven seasons in hockey crazed Buffalo.

At the conclusion of Day 2 of the draft in Buffalo, Murray met with media and let it be known that is in hot pursuit of Steven Stamkos.

Murray:

"We're going to chase the big fish".

Murray hit on the following points in his media address:



*He thinks that teams can win with $10-$11 million per season players.

* Murray said that he has spoken with Stamkos; agent and will again shortly.

*Murray likes Stamkos at center and "ONLY at center" (Eichel or O'Reilly to the wing?)


* Murray said that the competition will be "stiff" for Stamkos, however, those teams will not be able to offer Stamkos "geography". His hometown of Toronto is a Par 4 away from Buffalo.





Oh, and Bolts GM Steve Yzerman told reporters he and Stamkos' agent are both very clear of one another's "position" on Stamkos' pending UFA status. Yzerman conformed that there is no change in the status.

Translation:

Yzerman will likely trade away Stamkos' UFA rights before July 1. It's that or risk losing him forevcer for zero compensation.

Yzerman has zero leverage in this Stamkos matter as the Tampa captain has a no move clause that activated on July 1, 2015.



Tim Murray sounds like he is ready, willing and able to make a trade for Stamkos' UFA rights just as he had last June when he traded for Ryan O'Reilly.

Much more to come!




**

Murray also spoke publicly for the first time about the latest Evander Kane incident.

"It's frustrating, if true, we'll deal with it", Murray said. I"I don't know all the details. I don't know what's right or wrong".



**









I see Tim Murray working.

The Buffalo GM wants badly to sign UFA Jimmy Vesey, from North Reading, Mass. native. In the days leading up to the NHL Draft in Buffalo, Murray traded a third round pick to Nashville for the UFA negotiating rights to Vesey.

At 12:01 am EDT Saturday morning, Murray was encouraged to contact Vesey's agent to begin the discussions on an ntry level contract for Vesey to stay in Buffalo. Vesey reserves the right to sign with any team that he pleases after July 1. Murray rolled the bones and took the gamble by throwing a third rounder at the Predators with confidence that he will be signing Vesey to an ELC in the days to come. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

On Day 2 of the NHL Draft. Murray upped the ante on the Vesey recruitment by drafting with the 86th overall pick one of Jimmy's best friends from North Reading, Mass. Casey Fitzgerald, who grew up playing hockey in New England with and against Eichel and Vesey. The trio play summer hockey together in the Foxboro summer league back home.Fitzgerald is the son of former NHLer Tom Fitzgerald, who played 1,000+ NHL games. Tom Fitzgerald and Dan Bylsma won a Stanley Cup together as members of the hierarchy of the 2009 Pittsburgh Penguins. Bylsma has known Casey for most of his life.










Fitzgerald is also personal friends of 2016 NHL draftees and former USNDT teammates Auston Matthews, Charlie McAvoy, and Matt Tkachuk. Fitzgerald's older brother Ryan is a prospect of the Boston Bruins. By the way, Vesey himself liked the below tweet of Casey Fitzgerald's.







Call it a sign from the hockey gods in Hockey Heaven.


Clearly Tim Murray grabbed Fitzgerald as a two-phase pre-emptive strike:

1. To use him as a recruiter along with Jack Eichel to get Vesey to sign in Buffalo.
2. To keep him out of the hands of the Boston Bruins.

That's vintage Tim Murray right there.

Murray wants to divide and conquer Camp Vesey.

What better way to do so than to recruit Jack Eichel's entire entourage (including Evan Rodrigues) to Buffalo.


I see Vesey signing his entry level contract with Buffalo in the very near future.




***

Day 2 at the NHL Draft saw the home team trade a right D for a left D.


Tim Murray just traded Mark Pysyk for Dmitri Kulikov



At first blush, it appears that the Panthers get the better end of this deal.

Pysyk is a much more skilled, better skating D than Kulikov is. Pysyk's contract is a tremendous value as well.

Pysyk, a former first rounder, failed to impress Dan Bylsma and Tim Murray in his 55 game stint with the Sabres last season. Pysyk managed only 37 hits, 49 blocked and 44 shots on goal in 15:54 TOI last season.

This trade looks to me like Murray likes the jam and physicality of Kulikov, two ingredients that were deficient in Pysyk's game last season. Personally, I would have only trade Pysyk under two circumstances: If trading him in a package with a forward could have landed me Edmonton's 4th overall pick; Or, if I could get Cam Fowler from the Ducks for a package that included Pysyk, a forward and a pick.


Kulikov, who turns 26 in October, is a left shot D. He will earn $4.3 million next season.

Pysyk, 24, is a right shot D and will earn $1.125 million next season.






Kulikov's best point production season was 28 points in 2011-12.

Kulikov averaged 21:02 TOI last season and landed 99 shots on goal. He scored a goal and added 16 helpers.

He had 122 hits and 121 blocked shots.


He also had 54 turnovers and 31 takeaways.


Kulikov was rendered obsolete when Florida traded for the UFA rights, then signed veteran puck mover Keith Yandle earlier this week.


Kulikov is not a great defenseman. He is alright defenseman. I can't say that I have ever been wowed by him. I'm of the opinion that if he were so good, why isn't he is Florida's top six today? The answer is that Kulikov was replaceable.


This move smacks of Tim Murray not being able to land Ducks D Cam Fowler. Perhaps Anaheim's asking price caused Murray to say "See Ya Later" . Murray may have changed course by trading for Kulikov and the one remaining year on his contract with the intention of giving youngster Brenden Guhle (2nd round 2015) the opportunity to make the Sabres club out of training camp this season.

I see Kulikov as a second pair D.

I'd pair him with Zach Bogosian.

I've always liked the way that Rasmus Ristolainen and Jake McCabe have played together in Rochester and during Sabres development camp. Perhaps the Kulikov move will act as an elevator for McCabe to get to the top pair alongside Ristolainen, a pending RFA who will be signing a fat contract extension in the near future.

I keep the Stamkos situation in the back of my mind as well. Kulikov is only a one year cap hit for Buffalo. Guhle is on an entry level deal. I s Tim Murray doing all that he can to create enough salary cap space to give Stamkos a whopper of an 7 year, $84 million contract ($12M AAV)? Of course, the Pegulas have the ability to structure a healthy signing bonus to be paid to Stamkos immediately (see Christian Ehrhoff and Tyler Myers) upon the signing of his Buffalo contract. Perhaps the Cam Folwer ante was upped Friday night to the point where Murray folded his card and moved in another direction. Murray did say that there was a team at the end of the first round that offered him the opportunity to walk across the draft stage one more time in exchange for three valuable "pieces". Anaheim selected 30th overall.



The upside to the Kulikoiv trade is that Murray traded up five spots from 38 to 33 where he drafted Finn Rasmus Asplund, who was listed as the fourth best European skater by Central Scouting.







**


Tampa Bay Lightning GM Steve Yzerman has a lot on his mind and many balls in the air right now in Buffalo.

On Friday night, Yzerman drafted forward Brett Howden in the first round of the 2016 NHL Draft. He also signed RFAs Brown, Pacquette, and Witkowski.

When the clock struck midnight EDT in Buffalo on Saturday morning, Steven Stamkos was free to begin speaking with NHL teams that are interested in signing him as an unrestricted free agent on July 1.


Yzerman told the Tampa Bay Times in Buffalo that he "hasn't closed any doors" on signing his captain and face of his franchise. Yzerman has said repeatedly here that he hasn't ruled anything our regarding Stamkos.

Asked how he feels about the Stamkos matter, the always guarded and tight-lipped Yzerman would only say:

"I'd prefer not to share how I feel," he said.

Stevie Y's words don't nnecessarily inspire great hope in re-signing Stamkos, do they?

Well, they shouldn't.

The time to re-sign Stamkos was on or before June 30, 2015. Stamkos' no move clause kicked in on July 1, 2015. It's been almost a year that Yzerman and Stamko' agent have been doing this exhausting dance.

In the winter of this year, Yzerman reportedly offered Stamkos a contract extension with $8.5M AAV million.

Asked if the reported $8.5 million offer is a "take it or leave it" offer, Yzerman said:

"I haven't given you anything up until now, I'm going to keep it that way."

I get the distinct impression that Yzerman will be executing a sign-and-trade deal for Stamkos between now and July 1. Stamkos needs to change the narrative. He's been mired in all of the "will he, wont he sign in Tampa" crap for a year now. I think Stamkos will be traded in the very near future. Who cares if Tampa is the only cluc that can offer him an eighth year on his contract. I think Stamkos will be willing to leave that one year on the table just to move along in his career in another NHL market.

Say, Buffalo.


Asked about a sign-and-trade in Buffalo Friday night Yzerman gruffly said that he "never given that a thought". He added: "Maybe I should think about it."

"Losing (Stamkos) for nothing or losing him for an asset, I'd love to get an asset," Yzerman said.

Losing your captain for no compensation NEVER crossed your mind, Steve?!

Please. On June 25, 2016 is when you decide that you will consider a sign-and-trade of Stamkos?

You better do something quick, Stevie. The window is open and Stamkos has one leg out the window.


I think Yzerman has no other other than to trade Stamkos today. It's Day 2 of the NHL Draft in Buffalo. Buffalo Sabres GM has 9 picks remaining in this draft. I'm sure that Murray wouldn't have an issue trading his #38 pick to Yzerman in exchange for the UFA rights of Stamkos.

Stevie Y. needs to just tear off the bandage from the chronic wound. Just do it. The sooner he doe its, the sooner he and Stamkos can move on with their hockey lives. Breaking up is hard to do.

Just do it already and move on.







___________________________________________________________________________






Thanks, Sabres.com


Tim Murray spoke glowingly of Alex Nylander in his post-draft presser on Friday night.

Murray said that Nylander's pedigree certainly was a determining factor of the Savres selecting him with the eighth overall pick in the NHL Draft. Murray said that he was impressed when Nylander told the Sabres GM that he wanted to be in Buffalo and play for the Sabres.

The brash Buffalo Sabres GM said that Nylander was one of the three players that he and his scouting team had identified in the weeks leading up to the draft. Murray said that the Sabres came away very impressed with Nylander after their Scouting Combine interview with him. Murray said he was all the more impressed with the Swedish sniper when the Sabres interviewed him again on Friday.


Perhaps it was the Hagelin-Bonino-Kessel line of the Pittsburgh Penguins winning the Stanley Cup championship that inspired Muray and his scouts to really take a hard look at Nylander for his ability to play fast hockey. Nylander is blessed with an explosive skating stide and the hand of jewel thief. He pass the puck with great dexterity and has an NHL caliber shot that he doesn't need a lot of time to get off his stick.

According to Murray, Nylander has that special "it factor" that was too captivating to ignore.

"(Nylander) has the skill, skating, the whole package," Murray said. "I don't think it's any different for us, but you hear everyone in the league talking after Pittsburgh wins about speed and skill and that. I mean, that's what we've been trying to do here there last couple years and we don't have enough of it yet. We've made great strides, but to add a guy like him that we think is a top-six forward that we can fit into our blueprint".

Murray also noted that Nylander's ascent to the NHL may be accelerated because of his experiences of having been exposed to a father who played 15 seasons in the NHL and a brother who was recently drafted by the Toronto Maple Leafs. Murray is a horse owner and breeder and I think he sees a thoroughbred in Alex Nylander.


"As I told (Nylander) today, I had his dad in New York (NY Rangers), and (Michael) turned around to look to see who said that, and I said, 'I know. I'm really old,'" said Murray. "He said, "That was a good team though and a really good line, eh?' And I said, 'It was.' What it does is, he has a brother (Williams) that was drafted already (Toronto Maple Leafs) who's been through a year of pro. His dad's been through it. He has a little more insight than players from non-hockey families on what it takes and how hard it is to get to the next level. There should be no surprises to him down the road as far as his development."


Nylander is 18 years of age. Murray said that the Nylander could play in Sweden next season, go back to Mississauga for another season, play for AHL Rochester, or earn a spot with the Sabres out of training camp.

"We have many options with Nylander", Murray said.

A confident, explosive skater and puck handler, Nylander scored 28 goals and accumulated 75 points with Mississauga in 2015-16. Nylander played in the OHL as a result of him being on loan from Sweden. He had the luxury of having his father Michael, a former NHLer, be his head coach in Mississauga.

"I'm just trying, of course, to do everything I can this summer to be as prepared this summer for the NHL and try to make the team and I'm just going to do that," Nylander said. "It's going to be a lot of fun going into next year."


Nylander may well end up being the new winger for Jack Eichel and Samson Reinhart.




Thanks,Sabres.com




***

Tim Murray said that he continues to speak with a couple of NHL teams.

One of them being the Anaheim Ducks.


Murray said that discussion s are still on going and that it is hard to gauge the progress of the discussion. He said that he is confident that all it will take is another phone conversation to get things heated up again in terms of trades.


Murray will be looking for his left shot QB come Saturday.


Keep an eye on Cam Fowler of the Anaheim Ducks.



Murray won't have to trade his 8th overall pick for Fowler.

It's looking like a Zemgus Girgensons, Mark Pysyk, second rounder package.


More to come....






**


Thanks, Sabres.com
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