The Buffalo Sabres will have to wait a few days until they can hire Jason Botterill to be their next GM. The Pittsburgh Penguins associate GM and his current team have to play Game 6 on Monday night on their home ice.
Facing elimination in Washington on Saturday night, the Caps escaped with a 4-2 win over the Pens to force a seventh and final game in Pittsburgh on Monday night. Had the Penguins won Game 5, Botterill would be free to pursue his interest in Buffalo.
The waiting is the hardest part.
Botterill, 40, is the one candidate to have interviewed twice with Terry and Kim Pegula. To the best of my knowledge there was only one interview for Mike Futa, Bill Zito, Paul Fenton, Bill Guerin, and Craig Conroy.
The Pegulas fired Tim Murray two weeks ago and have been searching for his successor concurrently while they are interviewing candidates to take over for the Buffalo Bills GM, Doug Whaley, whom they fired last Sunday.
I know. It's confusing and frustrating for you Sabres fanatics.
The waiting is killing you.
Relax, it will all be over soon.
I sincerely do not see Penguins owner Mario Lemieux granting Botterill permission to accept the Buffalo position tonight. How awkward would it be if the Sabres hired Botterill on Sunday then introduced him to the media at a presser on Monday morning, hours before a clinching Game 6 between the Penguins and Capitals.
Gary Bettman seemingly will not allow such a thing to happen. That's why the Pegulas will have to pump their brakes and follow the lead of the NHL and Mario Lemieux. Bettman knows what side his bread is buttered on. He works for the owners of the NHL. Lemieux is one of the most influential owners in the NHL. He has a lot of sway and leverage. I can assure you that Bettman does not want to green light a Botterill exit strategy from Pittsburgh ahead of Monday's Game 7 and risk annoying the NHL's model franchise in Pittsburgh.
Bettman does not and will not shake his money makers in Lemieux and Sidney Crosby.
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The Botterill hiring will have to wait another 2-3 days.
Bettman controls the news cycle during the Stanley Cup Playoffs and the Finals. The Pegulas and Penguins ownership and management will have to follow the lead of the NHL on the Botterill matter.
Why Botterill?
He's young, disciplined, structured, articulate, level-headed, bright, approachable, and extremely well-read on matters relating to the NHL salary cap. Botterill is a well know expert on hockey analytics and salary cap analysis. He is progressive and forward thinking. His Wilkes Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL) have made the playoffs the past 15 years. Botterill continues to draft, develop and prepare his AHL prospects for the NHL, see: Conor Sheary, Matt Murray, Bryan Rust, Brian Dumoulin, Tom Kuhnhackl, et al.
Early on in the Buffalo GM search process, I wrote about when/if Botterill is hired as Buffalo GM, he will likely bring his friend Rick Tocchet with him to Buffalo to be head coach.
On Hockey Night In Canada, Elliotte Friedman confirmed my report that Penguins assistant coach Rick Tocchet is a strong candidate for the Buffalo head coaching job.
Tocchet played 18 years in the NHL for six different teams, He is a four-time All-Star. Tocchet won a Stanley Cup playing alongside Mario Lemieux, Jaromir Jagr and the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1992.
In 1144 regular season games, Tocchet scored 440 goals, 512 assists, 952 points and 2972 PIMs. In 145 playoff games, Tocchet scored 52 goals, 60 assists, 112 points and 471 PIMs.
Tocchet transitioned nicely into coaching after his playing days ended.
Tocchet was named an assistant coach for the Colorado Avalanche less than a year after he retired. He then moved to Phoenix to be an assistant under Wayne Gretzky, before moving to Tampa Bay in 2008 as an assistant for Barry Melrose. Tocchet replaced Melrose that season and was the head coach of Tampa Bay until 2010. Tocchet made an impression on a young star named Steven Stamkos while in Tampa, however, he was dismissed in 2010 when new ownership took over the Bolts.
Tocchet was given a second chance by his former team in 2014 when he was brought on as an assistant coach for the Penguins by former bench boss Mike Johnston. Tocchet was retained by then new hire Mike Sullivan. The Penguins won the 2016 Stanley Cup championship.
Botterill is said to be close with Tocchet.
Tocchet has been a positive influence and solid role model on superstars named Stamkos, St. Louis, Lecavalier, Crosby, Malkin, Kessel as well as talented kids named Sheary, Rust, Kuhnhackl tells me that Tocchet has innate leadership qualities, which makes him a perfect choice to help manifest Botterill's vision in Buffalo.
Botterill and Tocchet will be inheriting a team loaded with young stars in Jack Eichel, Samson Reinhart, Ryan O'Reilly, Evander Kane, Kyle Okposo, Rasmus Ristolainen, Jake McCabe, Marcus Foligno, Zemgus Girgensons, Evan Rodrigues, Brendan Guhle, Tyler Ennis and presumably Cal Petersen, and Viktor Antipin . add in highly sight after prospects Justin Bailey, Hudson Fasching, Nick Baptiste, Alex Nylander, and others.
The Sabres have not played in the playoffs since 2011.
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