The Buffalo Sabres appear to have lost out on the chance to reap an additional first round pick from the Ryan Miller trade, as the 5-1 loss to the Stanley Cup Champion Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday ended one conditional aspect of the deal that sent the Sabres all-time winning goalie and former captain Steve Ott to the St. Louis Blues.
The Blues took a 2-0 series lead on consecutive home overtime victories before losing four straight to Chicago. Miller did not come up big in the series for St.Louis, allowing a weak Jonathan Toews goal in the first period of Game 3, a late tying goal by Bryan Bickell in Game 4, overtime winners by Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews in Game 5 and four third-period goals in the deciding Game 6.
The Blues simply have to wait until after the NHL Draft to re-sign Miller to avoid giving the Sabres an additional first round pick, but it is likely that St. Louis will pass and go with their top organizational prospect, Jake Allen, who was named the AHL’s Goalie of the Year this season.
The expectation is that Miller’s price tag will be in the neighborhood of his current $6.25 Million salary, whereas Allen is still on his entry level deal and scheduled to make $800,000 in 2014-15.
The status of Ott is another question entirely. The 32-year-old enjoyed being in the post-season for the first time in six seasons and was at his annoying best in the series, getting under the skin of the likes of Toews and Patrick Sharp with regularity.
“I’ve been waiting for that moment for a long time,” Ott said to
Mike Harrington of the Buffalo News over the weekend. “To have that feeling jump-started and get back after it, this is why we play this game. This is why we fight so hard for 82 games, to scratch and claw and get a chance in the playoffs. Now with the parity in the league, it doesn’t matter where you finish as long as you’re in the playoffs. To have this opportunity again, I’m definitely trying to relish it as much as I can.”
The combative forward is an unrestricted free agent this summer and will be unlikely to get anything close to his almost $3 Million salary from the Blues, as he scored just three points in 23 games , but could get that from another NHL club looking for character and workmanlike effort.
The Sabres recognize Ott’s popularity in Buffalo and could be open to paying him more than other NHL teams would based on their need to reach the salary cap floor next season.
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An interesting tidbit from
CBC’s Elliotte Friedman’s 30 Thoughts column regarding the decision to be made by the Islanders regarding their conditional first round pick from the Thomas Vanek deal.
Long Island News 12 producer Rob Del Muro with a good tip: Islanders GM Garth Snow attended a season-ticket holder event last week and told one fan, "It would be a safe wager on his part that we would utilize this year's (first-round draft) pick."
The decision for the Islanders to keep or give up their 2014 top pick or defer to their 2015 first rounder has to be made by June 1.
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