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Sun's out. Jack Eichel guns are out.
Eichel got his first ink on Sunday.
The Sabres sophomore will be heading to Team North America's training camp soon.You don't think Eichel would get an "I Heart McDavid" tat, do you? Perhaps Jack is rocking a Sabres logo. I see the color combo of red and black on Jack's gun. Maybe he's going for the Team North America logo.
Eichel and McDavid will be the focal point players on the Young Guns squad at the upcoming World Cup Of Hockey.
No such luck.
You'll see in the blow pic that Jack has chosen a cross as his first tattoo.
Eichel Inkorporated.
Damn, Jack. The Erie County Sheriff will want to know if you've got a permit for them guns?
Looks like Jhonas Enroth is Jack's tattoo master.
**
I played in an annual charity hockey tournament this weekend at Hockey Outlet. If I was asked once, I was asked 50 times the same question by friends and fellow puck heads:
"What's going on with Rasmus Ristolainen's contract?"
My answer remains the same today as it was in April:
"Ristolainen will re-sign when the term and dollars are commensurate with his talents".
Translation:
Long term. Heavy AAV.
The former eighth overall draft pick has improved every season. The Finn had his career best season in 2015-16 when he scored 9 goals and added 32 assists for 41 points.
Ristolainen was excellent on the power-play, where he contributed 21 of his total points. In addition, he proved his durability by playing in all 82 games and leading the Sabres in TOI with 25:17.
I must sound like a broken record by now.
The fact is, Ristolainen will be signed, sealed and delivered to the Sabres by the time the puck drops at the World Cup of Hockey in Toronto in a couple of weeks.
It's not a question of if, but when.
I've been patiently waiting for Risto's agent, Mike Liut, to return my request for an update on the status of the negotiations between he and Sabres GM Tim Murray. Not surprisingly, the agent has been very quiet.
Risto and his agent know his value to the Sabres. Tim Murray knows's Ristolainen's value to the Sabres. The two sides will come together on a deal that is mutually beneficial for both parties involved. .
No,. Ristolainen will not be signing a two-year bridge deal similar to the ones that Cody Ceci and Matthew Dumba have signed. Ottawa signed Ceci to a two year $5.6M deal last week. Minnesota signed Dumba a two year $2.65M contract extension last month.
Ristoalinen's target comparables are Tyson Barrie's recently signed 4 year, $22M contract extension that carries a $5.5M AAV. Seth Jones' 6 year, $32.4 million deal with a $5.4M AAV. Danny DeKeyser's 6 year, $30M deal carries a $5M AAV. Earlier this summer, Anaheim re-signed Sami Vatanen to a 4 year, $19.5M contract extension that carries a $4.875M AAV.
At what price Ristolainen?
I expect the young Finn to score a six year, $36-$38 million contract extension.
Anaheim's Hampus Lindholm and Winnipeg's Jacob Trouba are also unsigned RFA rear guards who will no doubt be looking at Ristolainen's new contract for their
Last week, Octagon, the agency that represents Ristolainen in his contract negotiations, tweeted out this reminder that Ristolainen will be anchoring Team Finland's blue line at the upcoming World Cup of Hockey. The agent is confident that Ristolainen will be on the ice. You should be, too.
***
The Tim Murray Tree has many branches that stretch fro Shawville to Florida to Anaheim to Ottawa and to Buffalo.
Murray hired a new head scout in Early August. Jeff Crisp is his name. Murray and Crisp worked together in Anaheim back in the day.
After 14 years on the Anaheim Ducks amateur scouting staff, Crisp Is now reunited with Murray in Buffalo.
According to the Peterborough Examiner, Crisp, 45, started his hockey career working as the Peterborough Petes marketing director from 1995 to 2000. He was a scout for the Calgary Flames from 2000 to 03 before joining Anaheim.
"My wife Trish and I decided it was time for a different challenge and to try something new," Crisp said. "We decided to let my contract run out and become a free agent this summer. It was an intense and interesting time. I'm not sure I'd want to go through it again, but I was glad to go through it once. Change is hard but change is exciting."
Crisp shook off advances from other NHL teams in order to accept his new role on Murray's hockey ops team. Crisp must be salivating at the thought of adding valuable prospects to the Buffalo gold mine that includes Jac Eichel, Samson Reinhart, Justin Bauley, Xemgus Girgensons, Alex Nylander, Jake McCabe, Brendan Guhle, Linus Ullmark, Cal Petersen, Will Borgen, Nick Baptistery l, Rasmus Asplund and others.
"For every Chicago or Pittsburgh who did a rebuild that worked there are rebuilds around the league and in other sports that never work," Crisp said. "Just because Buffalo had a few high picks and a couple of struggling years there is no guarantee they're going to be upwardly mobile. Hopefully, I'll have my small fingerprint in helping Tim and (Sabres director of scouting) Rob Murphy get our way up to the top."
Crisp's primary responsibility will be scouting players for the NHL Entry Draft. Crisp will also act as consigliere to Murray and Murphy when evaluating pro and amateur players for NHL trades.
"My forte is amateur because that's what I've done and I'd like to think I have an aptitude for. We love seeing these kids at 18 and projecting what they'll be like at 24," he said. "It's not an easy job but has certainly been a rewarding and fun job."
Maybe Crisp can assist Murray and Murphy in constructing the package of players and picks that will once and for all deliver Anaheim QB Cam Fowler to Buffalo.
Calm on the surface but frantically paddling under water, the Ducks are currently in a salary cap crunch. On August 28, they have just $7.5 million in available salary cap space left and they must invest in two of their difference making restricted free agents in Hampus Lindholm and Rickard Rackell. Lindolm is seeking the same deal that Rasmus Ristolainen is holding out for in 6 years and $36 million. Rackell is seeking a multi-year deal with a $4M AAV.
How will Ducks GM Bob Murray be able to satisfy his top two RFAs and their $10+ million in combine contract demands when he has just $7.5 million in cap room?
Trade Cam Fowler and his $4M AAV to Buffalo.
That's how.
For Bob Murray, trading Cam Fowler to the Sabres will be addition by subtraction.
Voila!
Lop off Fowler's $4 million average annual value and throw it into the pot of gumbo that contains the $7.5 million in available cap dollars.
Doing this would give Bob Murray $11.5 million to sign Lindholm and Rackell to long term deals in their price point.
Don't worry about the Ducks missing Fowler. Today, Bob Murray has $21,350,000 tied up in 2015-16 contracts for eight defensemen, including Fowler. That's 29.5% of Anaheim's salary cap budget invested in D-men. Re-signing Lindhlm to a $6M AAV would push the Ducks' total salary cap expenditure to $27,350,000 which is way out of whack.
Anaheim's current top eight D:
Sami Vatanen
Cam Fowler
Kevin Bieksa
Simon Despres
Clayton Stoner
Hampus Lindholm
Josh Manson
Korbinian Holzer
Subtracting Fowler's $4M AAV for the next two season will alleviate cap pressure. Bob Murray then can immediate promote D prospect studs Shea Theodore ($863,333 AAV) and Brandon Montour ($925,000 AAV) from AHL San Diego.
As Crisp will attest to, Theodore and Montour are far too good to be playing another full season in the AHL. One or both of them need to play with men in the NHL. I'd promote Theodore to Anaheim after training camp and then promote Montour later in the season when the injury bug hits.
How will Tim Murray has $9.6 million in available salary cap space, which will easily be devoured by the inevitable re-signings of Important young RFAs Ristolainen and Zemgus Girgensons?
How can Tim Murray re-sign Risto and Zemgus AND trade for Cam Fowler, too?
Trade Evander Kane's $5.25M AAV (next two seasons).
Kane appeared in Buffalo City Court earlier this month to answer charges following an incident at a Buffalo disco in late June.
Kane is charged with four harassment violations, a disorderly conduct violation, and criminal trespassing, a class B misdemeanor.
Kane pleaded not guilty to all charges.
The 24-year-old Vancouver, B.C. native was arrested July 22 after turning himself in to Buffalo Police. Kane was handcuffed by a Buffalo Police officer outside central booking.
Trading Kane to is still a very real possibility with A reportedly healthy Tyler Ennis preparing to be a high achiever again this season. Rookie Alex Nylander also is going to lay it all on the line to earn a job in training camp. Ennis and Nylander are LWs. Ditto Kane.
Keep an eye towards Vancouver as it pertains to Kane.
Kane will return to Buffalo City Court on September 9.
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