Updated:
Jason Botterill is remaking the Buffalo roster on this Blue & Gold Monday.
Matt Moulson has been waived, Evan Rodrigues has been recalled, Kyle Criscuolo has been demoted and now Scott Wilson is a member of the Sabres. Wilson and a Botterill are very familiar with one another. This is the second time that Wilson has been traded this season. Wilson and a 3rd round pick were traded to Detroit from Pittsburgh for forward Riley Sheahan and a 5th rounder.
Wilson is a UMass-Lowell product who hails from the Buffalo suburb of Oakville, Ontario. Botterill will tell you that Wilson plays the game the right way.
“We are very happy to add Scott to our roster," Botterill said. "Scott is a hard-working, young player that will be a great fit for our club. As a two-time Stanley Cup champion, his experience will be an asset both on and off the ice."
Wilson won’t wow you with high skill, however, he is an aggressive puck possession winger. Wilson has a reputation of holding on to pucks and sustaining zone time with his speed and strength. Wilson thrived under head Clark Donatelli in WSB. Wilson played alongside Pens young guns Jake Guentzel, Conor Sheary, Tom Kuhnhackl, Bryan Rust, and Brian Dumoulin.
In 123 career NHL regular season games with the Penguins and Red Wings, Wilson has scored 13 goals and 19 assists for 32 points and 44 PIMs.
Sabres GM Jason Botterill is very familiar without Wilson having spend considerable time with him with the Wilkes Barre Scranton Penguins. Wilson was a seventh-round pick (209th overall) of the Penguins at the 2011 NHL Draft.
TRADE: We've acquired forward Scott Wilson from @DetroitRedWings in exchange for our 5th round pick in the 2019 #NHLDraft. pic.twitter.com/eHjqZLofIN
— Buffalo Sabres (@BuffaloSabres) December 4, 2017
UPDATE: The #RedWings have traded F Scott Wilson to the Buffalo Sabres for a fifth-round pick in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft. pic.twitter.com/VINA1mS8VF
— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) December 4, 2017
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It’s Blue Monday in Buffalo.
Losers of four straight games and owners of a 1-8-1 record in their past ten games, the Buffalo Sabres are a team in turmoil.
A seismic shift occurred in Buffalo on Monday morning.
The last place Buffalo Sabres have waived popular forward Matt Moulson for the purpose of assignment. If and when Moulson goes unclaimed, he will report to the Rochester’s amerks on Tuesday at Noon.
Phil Housley spoke about the Moulson move after a Monday practice before the team stabs westward for dates with the Avalanche, Blackhawks and Blues.
"We talked quite a bit throughout the last two weeks," Housley said. “Just the direction that our team's going, we have to make roster spots and try to push some other buttons and try to get some internal competition within our team."
.@BuffNewsVogl asked Phil Housley if he discussed the move with GM Jason Botterill. Of the things Housley said this morning, this response stood out #Sabres pic.twitter.com/FRewHgO12K
— Matthew Bové (@Matt_Bove) December 4, 2017
Moulson, a frequent healthy scratch, has zero goals and zero assists in 14 games this season.
Moulson has one more season remaining on his contract after this season, which carries a hefty $5M AAV. Moulson will be a UFA in July 2019.
Moulson, 34, Scores 35 goals and 59 assists in 253 games in a Buffalo sweater .
In 650 career NHL games, the Toronto native has scored 176 goals and 193 assists for 369 career points.
There are NHL teams who need a power play expert who may call on Moulson to help them.
If/when Moulson clears waivers in Tuesday, he will count $3.975 million against Botterill’s 2017-18 salary cap. However, Botterill and his AGMs Randy Sexton and Steve Greeley will receive $1.025 million in salary cap relief from his Moulson’s prohibitive $5M salary cap number.
To blame Buffalo’s 6-17-4 record on Moulson’s deficiencies is totally unfair. Moulson played a role in the failures of the Sabres. A small role. Waiving Moulson is a loud and clear signal to the rest of the listless Sabres that nobody is safe from the scrutiny.
I see this as catalyst for several more roster moves that will be made by Jason Botterill, who inherited Moulson’s sliding production and albatross of a contract from his predecessor Tim Murray. There will be trades. There will be recalls from the minors.
Evander Kane will be moved for a treasure trove of assets. Samson Reinhart may be traded as well.
Botterill has had 27 games to evaluate his entire Buffalo roster. He will now begin the process of subtracting the season players who represent the past failures and notbthe future successes to be had.
Botterill has called up speedy, skilled center Evan Rodrigues from the Rochester Amerks. Center Kyle Criscuolo has been assigned to the Amerks.
Jack Eichel lived with Moulson, his wife and two kids during his rookie season. Eichel was visibly emotional when asked about the departure of one of his closest friends.
Jack Eichel lived with Matt Moulson during his rookie season. Over the years they've grown close, making today's news tough for the #Sabres assistant captain. pic.twitter.com/0ge7HO6N2k
— Matthew Bové (@Matt_Bove) December 4, 2017