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Jack Eichel proved last month at the NHL Combine in Buffalo that he is a superior physical specimen.
Eichel got the best of McDavid in five of the six combine test categories, including:
Standing long jump
Vertical jump
Pro-agility test
Bench press
Pull-ups
Eichel also loutscored McDavid on the VO2 Max stationary bike . That test measures a player's endurance and stamina.
Thanks, NHL
On Thursday, Eichel flashed more of his core muscle and lower body prowess when he broke out into an impromptu hula hoop jam. Eichel sure does have a unique gift of making viral videos blow up the internet, doesn't he?
Laugh all you want, you haters. Eichel, 18, has the market corned on hula hoop solos among current NHLers.
Let's see Connor McDavid try to one-up Eichel's hula heroics.
Thanks, Buffalo Sabres
Eichel is such a determined competitor that he hates to lose. Especially at hula hooping.
NHL opponents will not be laughing at Eichel's jaw-busting, head-turning speed and arsenal of sick moves come October.
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Tim Murray made another signing to add blue line depth on Thursday.
Bobby Sanguinetti is now a Rochester Amerk.
On Wednesday, Murray signed free agent Nathan Donovan to a two way deal. He too will inject immediate experience and depth into the Rochester D corps
Sanguinetti signed a one-year, two-way contract.
Sanguinetti (6’3”, 190 lbs., 2/29/1988) spent last season as an alternate captain for the Utica Comets, scoring a career-best 16 goals in 61 AHL games. His 40 points (16+24) in 2014-15 led all Comets defensemen and tied for ninth among all AHL blueliners.
The Trenton, New Jersey native led all AHL defensemen in 2014-15 with six game-winning goals and his team-high plus-24 rating tied for eighth in the league. During the Comets’ deep 2015 playoff run, Sanguinetti recorded 14 more (3+11) in 23 games, again leading all AHL defensemen. At the conclusion of the season, he was named to the AHL Second All-Star Team.
Since becoming a first-round (21st overall) selection of the New York Rangers, Sanguinetti has appeared in 45 NHL games in parts of three seasons with the Rangers and the Carolina Hurricanes, registering six points (2+4) and eight penalty minutes. In eight AHL seasons, he has totaled 210 points (50+160) and 126 penalty minutes in 338 games.
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Tim Murray said Wednesday that his search for a left shot D (or two) is a work in progress.
The aggressive Buffalo GM said that he has made several offers to unrestricted free agent defensemen, some of who have already signed with new teams. See Paul Martin and Reggie Sekera. Murray also noted that he has offers on the table to some other lefties who have yet to sign with new teams. Chicago's Johnny Oduya comes immediately to the top of my mind. On Wednesday, a report had surfaced that Oduya was "sitting" on an offer from an NHL team and that he was waiting to see what else was available in the market. Perhaps Murray is the man who made Oduya the offer that he cannot refuse. Maybe not. It would be great if Murray could land Oduya, who played two and a half seasons with Zach Bogosian and Evander Kane in Atlanta and Winnipeg. Oduya, 33, would add immediate value to the Buffalo attack. He makes quick-ups to the forwards and can hunt down loose pucks in his end by activating the nitrous oxide speed burst button on his skates. Dude is in tremendous physical and respiratory condition and he skates like the Lake Erie wind. He would fit great in Buffalo's D corps as a top four.
Landing Oduya via the UFA route would answer a lot of questions for Murray, Dan Bylsma and Terry Murray. However, what happens if Oduya gets his hockey socks blown off by another offer from a contending team? What if the Hawks decide to retain his services? What would Murray do then? The Shawville Six Shooter mentioned at the Jack Eichel presser that he has already made trade offers to some left shot D-men.
Here are my candidates to be added to the Sabres via trade:
1. Torey Krug.
My number one target would be Krug who has one year remaining at $3.4 million. The 24 year old Michigan native is +31 in his past 2 seasons in Boston. In 160 regular season games, he has scored 26 goals and added 55 assists for 81 points. In 27 career playoff games, he has scored 6 goals and added 10 assists.
Krug has demonstrated that he can play big minutes in a top four role. He can also transition the puck quickly and cleanly to his forwards on the fly.
The Bruins will have to replace the truculence and size of Dougie Hamilton and Johnny Boychuk either by trade or via free agency. I wonder how new GM Don Sweeney values the less than pugnacious Krug? Sweeney appears to be loading up with hell raisers in Zac Rinaldo and Matt Beleskey in recent days.
Will Sweeney be willing to extend Krug for six years and $24 million?
I bet you dollars to donuts that Murray will.
What would I be willing to trade for Krug?
I would be willing to send Hudson Fasching, the 6'2 210 lb. power forward prospect to Boston for Krug. Straight up. Fasching, the skilled big man, will remain at the University of Minnesota this season to continue his development. Fasching is a right winger.
The Sabres suddenly have a surplus of right wingers in Buffalo and in Rochester. Largely due to the fact that they have center depth, Tim Murray and Dan Bylsma have the luxury of moving natural centers like Tyler Ennis, Zemgus Girgensons, Samson Reinhart, and Johan Larsson to the wings, if need be. Brian Gionta is also a right winger. In Rochester, Jerry D'Amigo, Evan Rodrigues (BU), and Jason Akeson are right wingers. Nick Baptiste and Justin Bailey will debut with the Amerks this season and will also man the right wing.
Where will Fasching fit when he finally leaves Minnesota and arrives in Rochester?
Here are my other trade targets:
If all else fails, and Murray gets shut out of UFA and trades for left D-men, I'm totally okay with Jake McCabe playing the #6 or #7 role in Buffalo this season. More on McCabe later.
What say you?
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