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Days Numbered For Sabres As Lottery Team |
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Ask Tim Murray what to expect from his Buffalo Sabres in 2016-17 and he will tell you that he expects his team to be a playoff team. Murray will also tell you that his days of wanting to be a GM who selects first or second overall every season at the NHL Draft are numbered.
Murray's Sabres have reversed their collective fortunes in one calendar year.
Buffalo traveled to Columbus to play Game 81 last season.
Updated:
On Friday night, the Sabres hosted the Blue Jax for Game 81 and lost 4-1.
No big whoop. No damage done. No public outrage. No shouting from the roof tops. No snarky from radio boys with draft simulator toys.
What a difference a year makes.
The Sabres will end their “Next Chapter” season tonight in Brooklyn.
Sabres fans are a helluva lot happier today than they were a year ago today.
All of the angst, fighting amongst the fan base, the losing, depression and negative vibes have segued to harmony and good thoughts.
The Sabres have corrected their course and their GM likes the direction that his team is heading in for the 2016-17 season and beyond.
On Friday afternoon, Murray told WGR that he likes where his team at right now rather than where they were a year ago at this very same time. Murray admitted that he was forced to have to make more critical decisions last summer After two tanking seasons. He told us at his introductory press conference that changes were coming to his 30th place team and that there were no sacred cows among his players. Murray's top-down evaluation of the hockey department has ben thorough and meticulous. This season has given the fans a shift in paradigm. No longer are they looking through the rear view mirror to the failures and wretched play of the past.
Instead, fans are excited to be gawking future forward through their windshield.
No longer will you have to dread and loathe the past.
The future looks bright and Sabres fans are wearing their shades.
I'm a firm believer that in pro sports, business and in life that individuals and organizations cannot win until they have learned how to lose.
We as Sabres and Bills fans can write a thesis on losing. Right?
What's not to love about having four 20-goal scorers like Ryan O'Reilly, Evander Kane, Jack Eichel and Samson Reinhart in the lineup?
Who among us hasn't pinched him or herself 100 different times this season when watching Eichel and Reinhart completely torch their opponents?
What's not to love about having two quality goaltenders in Chad Johnson and Robin Lehner?
Who doesn't love Rasmus Ristolainen's season which in my opinion will be Norris Trophy nomination worthy if he can repeat it in 2016-17? What about the emergence of Jake McCabe and Zach Bogosian?
“ Big difference. I knew that there were going to be some tough conversations and tough decisions at the end of last year and I don't see as ,many of those (today), so it's easier. It's different. It's better”.
Better, indeed. Buffalo Sabres fans would agree with their GM.
Murray's days of selecting first or second overall at the NHL Draft are over.
With wins against the Blue Jackets and the Islanders, the Sabres can pull even at the .500 mark this season which is a far cry from the 54 point debacle which was akin to the crash landing of the Hindenberg that the team ended with last April.
The 2014-15 Sabres were an unmitigated disaster and sported a -113 goal differential. They enter tonight's game with a very respectable -19 goal differential. Were it not for the serious injuries to Tyler Ennis and a season-long slumps of Matt Moulson and Zemgus Girgensons, Buffalo would easily be plus goal differential team right now.
Entering Friday night's action, the Sabres are +25 in terms of point differential year to year.
There's always next season, right?
“We should be better. We should improve. That's the one thing. Are we going to be a playoff team next year? That's the goal, obviously. Can we do enough in the offseason to insure that? You never know. You don't know. We're picking probably 9th (position at the NHL Draft) if the draft was today. So, I don't see that player having a huge impact short term, right off the bat. So, that's probably a longer term prospect. Can we make a deal this summer, or two? We'll see. But, we should improve. Our young guys should be, obviously they'll be a year older. So you can look forward to that. They should be better.. They should improve. We should upgrade.. we will upgrade the talent level.”
Murray noted that earlier this season he didn't like his team level of aggression as it related to their fore check. He said that was a function of new players and new coaches. Murray noted that it all came together and now he really likes the way that his team competes with more aggression and are harder to play against.
As part of a bigger discussion on talent improvement and procurement, Murray said that the NHL can save their phone call and the paper that the invitation will be written on. He will not be attending the NHL Draft gong show in Toronto on April 30. There will be a representative from the Sabres there that night, but it won't be the acerbic Murray. He will be doing other things to improve his team on that night. Murray said that the NHL can call him that they've either won the lottery or that they've moved back two picks in the batting order due to the lottery. Murray said that his representative in Toronto will get him the news.
Murray said that he sees a lot of good prospects in the top ten and then a drop off after that. He has his eye on all players in the top ten. You never know what may happen.
“ I get very specific in my own head in what I want to do. When I came in here (to Buffalo), I was quite hopeful having made a call that I could add Ryan O'Reilly to this group.. because of the situation he was in (in Denver), because of the role that he had on that team, and because I felt quite frankly that he could take a bigger role (in Buffalo) and be good at it. The price you pay is the role he was in at the time. I get specific in positions and player names even, but I can't talk about it because you just don't do that . But, I'd really like to add to our D, a quarterback, type of player, in general. My staff knows the names of the players I like and the players I don't like. They understand to a pretty high degree what I'm looking for and what I need them to look for me. We get pretty specific”.
To further his point on scouting for summer trades, Murray said that he, his assistant general manager, and some of his staff that it is their job get information and intel on players that they are interested in. Not just to go watch them skate in games and then file reports on what they watched. Murray continues to challenge his scouts and personnel men to dig in the corners for the grit and the dirt on players. He says its their job” to bring him the 4-1-1. They are like detectives or agents in Murray's private, exclusive secret service.
“I think if you want to be better than other people, and that's what I ask our guys to be, its getting information. A lot of information gets exchanged in pro sports as we know. So, it's to get information, the proper information, piece it together, and come up with a solution. That's really all I ask of our guys to do. I consider that part of the job”.
Thanks, WGR
My take:
Murray will use his top ten pick to select a left D like Mikhail Sergachev or Olli Juolevi. I don't think Murray will try to trade into the top five to snag one of Laine, Puljujarvi, Tkachuk, or Chychrun. But hey, you never know. Tim has a hockey net filled with “murrency” in th eform of 12 picks in the draft that he happens to be hosting in Buffalo in late June. Talk about mic drop moments: “Patrik Laine”!! (GMTM walks off stage at a rapid pace)
Steven Stamkos was, is, and will continue to be a target for Murray. His successful blood clot injury notwithstanding, Stamkos has tremendous value and Murray loves, loves, loves to emancipate players from negative situations with their present employers (see: O'Reilly, Kane, Lehner). Steve Yzerman messed up big time last July 1 when he stood idle and allowed Stamkos' no trade clause to activate. Now, he's one skate stride out of Tampa and the next foot is about to drop on the ice.
With $35 million of available cap space in his mitts, Murray will put the full court press on Stamkos as the offseason approaches.
Murray may even be interested in Ottawa's Bobby Ryan, a multi-time 30-goal man. Sens owner Eugne Melnyk promises big changes in Canada's capital this summer. Murray traded for Ryan when he was AGM in Ottawa. Ryan is American, not that it matters and he was a second overall pick in the NHL draft. Hello, Jack Eichel's wingman. That is if Murray cannot absconded with Stamkos first.
Regarding the defensive QB, look no further than Anaheim's Cam Fowler. Tim Murray covets him. for his puck transporting skills and his ability to chew up 25+ minutes TOI per game. Ducks GM Bob Murray will be re-signing pending RFA D-men Sami Vatanen and Hampus Lindholm in July. Fowler will become the odd man out and will be replaced by young stud Shea Theodore. I've been banging the drum for years for the Sabres to acquire Fowler. He's a $4 million salary cap hit for the next two seasons which is a helluva value considering he will be a 50+ point D-man when he is welded to Ristolainen's side on Buffalo's top pair.
***
Congratulations to Harvard senior Jimmy Vesey who has won the prestigious Hobey Baker Award.
One year after finishing as a runner-up for college hockey’s MVP award, Vesey edged Michigan freshman forward Kyle Connor and Boston College junior goaltender Thatcher Demko to become the fourth player in Harvard history to win the coveted award.
In 33 games for the Crimson this year, Vesey scored 24 goals and added 22 assists. He was 7th U.S. college hockey in points per game (1.39). He averaged 4.48 shots on goal per game, good for fifth in the nation, and finished with five game-winning goals.
Vesey was runner up to Buffalo Sabres rookie Jack Eichel last year. Eichel won the Hobey Baker as a freshman. Today he is killing it in the NHL.
Eichel and Vesey are good friends away from the ice and train together in suburban Boston. Something tells me that Vesey will be bending the ear of Eichel next weeake in th emonths to come.
Which NHL team should be play for now that he can select his team of choice?
The 6'3” 200 lb. power winger can do it all. He has NHL level skillk when Jack heads home to Boston after finishing his rookie season in the NHL. Vesey has a big decision to ms right now and will be a plug-n-play NHLer come September.
Next month, he will graduate from Harvard after his stellar four year academic and athletic careers have now come to an end.
Next stop: NHL.
Vesey's father Jim, Sr. made news when he spoke with media after his son won the Hobey Baker. Vesey Sr., a scout with the Toronto Maple Leafs said that the final decision will belong to Jimmy as to where he will play his NHL hockey.
The father and son made their first public comments since Vesey turned down the Nashville Predators and paved his road to unrestricted free agency last month.
The elder Vesey said that right now his son has no “favorite” team that he would like to sign with in the NHL. Vesey will become UFA on August 15 after he told the Nashville Predators “No Thanks” last month.
Jimmy Vesey and his father both said Friday night in Tampa that the Harvard forward has not decided yet which team he wishes to sign with.
Don't assume that he will be skating to Boston or Toronto.
Vesey Sr. raised eyebrows when he told media that he suggests that his son NOT sign with Boston because it would be a lot of pressure for the hometown kid to have to live up to. Mr. Vesey said that he would like to see his son start his NHL career elsewhere.
Adam Oates, eh?
I'm hearing that if Boston misses the playoffs, then Claude Julien will lose his job. I've heard that a plausible replacement would be current Harvard head coach and former Bruin Ted Donato. Bruins GM Don Sweeney and Donato are Harvard alum and are former teammates.
Jimmy can always end his NHL career in Beantown.
Toronto may not be Jimmy's cup of tea either. Talk about pressure?! Toronto-born players don't even like to play n their own hometowns. Vesey would have a ton of undo media pressure on him in Boston and Toronto. Vesey would never make Leafs fans forget about legends Wendel Clark, Dave Keon, Doug Gilmour and Mats Sundin.
Mr. Vesey would be wise to counsel his son against signing with Toronto. The conflict of interest accusations are running rampant around the NHL and will continue to if Vesey signs there. The Leafs hired Mr. Vesey to be their Boston area scout last fall. They also selected Vesey's brother on the 6th round of the NHL Draft.
Obvious much?
If and when Steven Stamkos leaves Tampa, they will need a replacement. Why not Vesey?
When Pavel Datsyuk leaves Detroit to head home to Russia this summer the Wings will have big skates to fill. Why not Vesey? His buddy Dylan Larkin won't mind having Vesey as a liney.
In my opinion, Buffalo is a perfect place for Vesey to land.
Tim Murray can promise him a winger job next to Eichel.
Less pressure and better foundational support in Buffalo.
Jack Eichel will have direct access to Vesey beginning this week. The two Hobey Bakers often cross paths in and around the rinks of suburban Boston. They will no doubt get caught up and discuss the rigors and the thrills of the NHL. Eichel earn himself a lucrative "commission" if he can sell and close Vesey on the merits of playing alongside him in Buffalo.
I love Jack's chances of closing Vesey. Eichel is a charming and persuasive guy. He doesn't take no for an answer very easily.
Buffalo's cupboards are loaded with eye-popping assets in the form of young, slick, fast, offensive, aggressive players.
Just. Like. Jimmy.
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