Updated Eastern Conference Standings pic.twitter.com/AKo8QEjbCV
— @SabresBuzz (@SabresBuzz) January 6, 2019
There were radical changes made to the Carolina Hurricanes front office, bench and roster last summer. Canes ownership never saw this coming.
Former GM Ron Francis was blown out the door and replaced by Don Waddell.
Western Conference All Star head coach Bill Peters was sent packing and replaced by Rod Brind'Amour.
With just 41 points in 40 games played, the Carolina Hurricanes are prepared play "Let's Make A Deal". The Canes' 30th ranked pop-gun offense (103 goals scored) has undermined the plan for them to become a playoff contender. Only Los Angeles has scored fewer goals this season (98) than Carolina has.
The Canes cannot score goals on a consistent basis. But, they have scored with their choreographed postgame cellys.
.@BrockMcGinn21 lays down the hammer in tonight's Storm Surge! pic.twitter.com/dbABEboYXP
— Carolina Hurricanes (@NHLCanes) January 5, 2019
(*insert eye roll here*)
Disney on Ice!
The Canes chased after William Nylander to no avail. They have been scouting teams in both conferences desperately seeking goal scoring because they traded away a their offense.
In July, red hot rifleman Jeff Skinner was traded to Buffalo. Skinner is second in NHL goal scoring with 28 markers and has 13 apples to boot. Skinner's 41 points in 42 games puts him on pace for a career-high 55 goals and 80 points this season.
Skinner is a pending unrestricted free agent and will be rewarded with an eight year, $64 million contract with the Sabres in the near future.
Skinner is going to get paid!
Last June, Noah Hanifin and Elias Lindholm were traded to Calgary in exchage for Dougie Hamilton and Michael Ferland. I went the record at the time of this trade and said that Calgary won this deal by a country mile.
I wasn't wrong.
Hanifin as been a tower of power and has already scored 3 goals and 20 assists. Hanifin's career best points production is 32 points. Lindholm has scored a career best 20 goals and 28 assists in 43 games played. He's on pace for a 96 point season.
The Flames are now a legit Stanley Cup contending team due to the infusion of offense, special teams and defense that Hanifin and Lindholm continue to create offense on a game to game basis.
As of Sunday morning, Hanifin and Lindholm have combined for 23 goals, 48 assists and 71 points in their first half season in Calgary. That's a 142 point pace. Nice. Add in Skinner's offensive windfall to the equation and you have 51 goals and 61 assists that skated out of Raleigh last summer compared to the Hamilton and Ferland have 32 combined points.
Is that good?
Hell yes it is. For the Flames and Sabres!
What were the Hurricanes thinking?
“A name I’m curious about is Dougie Hamilton,… Elliotte Friedman said on Hockey Night in Canada. “They(Canes) have four right-shot defencemen, They’ve been asked about Hamilton. If you’re willing to come back to them with a "score" I think that they would consider doing it.…
Hamilton has been decent this season. He started slowly but has been scoring lately. With 5G, 8A this season, the 25 year old is on pace for another 30-point season.
The Boston Bruins selected Hamilton with the #9 overall pick in the 2011 NHL Draft.
At 6'6" and 210 pounds, Hamilton has the size, dexterity, shot, skating proficiency and offensive ability to play in the top four. He's averaging 19:52 TOI with the Canes this season. In 463 career NHL games, Hamilton has scored 69 goals and 164 assists for 233 points. He has 23 career PPG and 71 power play points.
Recenty, I spoke with a source who also hails from Hamilton's hometown of St. Catherines, Ontario. Hamilton would not mind a move that will get him closer to his family. Buffalo, NY happens to be just a short 23 mile drive from downtown Buffalo to Exit 48 St. Catherines off the Queensway.
The former Niagara Ice Dogs star need only ask Toronto kid Jeff Skinner how much fun he is having playing so close to his family and friends in a hockey-addicted region like Western New York.
If the price is right, an NHL club may take possession of Hamilton and pending free agent Micheal Ferland.
“A team that has said, ‘We cannot be in a position to lose an unrestricted free agent for nothing’ is Carolina and I believe that’s why a lot of talks have heated up on Micheal Ferland,… Friedman said. “I don’t think they’re anywhere close between the team and the player.…
Ferland has scored 12G,7A this season.
On many a night this season I have seen as many as three scouts from the Carolina Hurricanes at Buffalo Sabres home games.
In recent weeks, Sabres GM Jason Botterill has been looking for a second line center and a veteran right shot defenseman.
The Sabres have struggled with secondary and tertiary scoring.
The Canes badly miscalculated and traded away all of their goal scoring and now need offense in a bad way. I recommend that Waddell and company fold their cards now. Take a deep dive to the bottom of the NHL ocean and go fishing for Jack Hughes.
The NHL trade deadline is February 25.
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Like Hurricanes, the Philadelphia Flyers are not going to make the Stanley Cup playoffs. The Flyers will be active in the trade market ahead of the February 25 NHL trading deadline.
Firing GM Ron Hextall and head coach Dave Hakstol has not solved one problem in Philly. The team looks listless, tired and disinterested in the message that interm head coach Scott Gordon is trying to sell-in.
Six goalies and counting cannot keep the puck out of the Philly net.
The Flyers find themselves 30th in the NHL with just 36 points.
I think its time for the Fly Boys to declare their desire to "Lose For Hughes" (Jack Hughes, first overall 2019).
I predict new GM Chuck Fletcher will begin the selling off of his assets in the very near future. Several NHL playoff contenders have been staicking close to Fletcher since he assumed the helm from Hextall. Fletcher has decisions to make on his players with expiring contracts like Wayne Simmondds, Jori Lehtera, Michael Raffl, Jordan Weal, Christian Folin, and Michael Neuvirth.
Fletcher is looking for forward prospects and premium draft choices to invest in building blocks for the future.
Contending teams will trade second and third round picks for rental players. Hell, Fletcher certainly could trade Simmonds for a mid to late first rounder because of the pugnacity, truculence and offense that the power forward woud infuse into a Cup contending team's roster.
Another Flyers player to keep an eye on is center Sean Couturier. I've been hearing Couturier's name in trade rumors. It makes sense to me. Hes a productive player on a very friendly cost controlled contract. Couturier is a 30-goal, 80 point producer that is fixed at $4.333M AAV for the next three seasons after this one.
Couturier is exactly the player that Sabres GM Jason Botterill is looking to add to his group which is in need of an upgrade at 2C where rookie Casey Mittelstadt is still learning to play the NHL game. Trading for Couturier the Sabres a 1-3 center punch of Eichel-Couturier-Mittelstadt.
Couturier is a younger, more cost efficiency answer to their 2C needs than Brayden Schenn, Kevin Hayes or Jeff Carter.
Botterill has said he will consider trading one of his first rounders for a young impact player with a fair contract, term. Acquiring a 26 year old vet 30 goal scoring center with a $4.333M AAV is bang on #Sabres
— @SabresBuzz (@SabresBuzz) January 5, 2019
Fletcher has been tasked with making tough decisions about the future of the Flyers. Their organizational depth screams defense. They desperately need to re-stock their organizational cupboards at forward and goaltending.
Fletcher isn't married to the players on the current Flyers roster that was constructed by Hextall. If he has the opportunity to trade Couturier to Buffalo for a first rounder and a forward prospect then he likely will consider the proposal. Fletcher is seemingly thinking: if the Flyers aren't winning with Couturier and other vets in the lineup this season, why not make a bold trade or two as an investment in our future?
Fletcher has been given the support of his ownership to change the culture inside the Flyers organization. Bold decisions lie ahead. Losing sucks but it has its rewards. Jack Hughes is not a generational talent, however, he is an excellent center who reminds me a lot of Maple Leafs forward Mitch Marner. Don't blame Hughes for Team USA losing the gold medal game to Finland athe World Junior Chamionships on Saturday night in Vancouver. Hughes missed three games in the tourney with an upper body injury. Hughes had four assists in four games played at the WJCs. He will be the first overall pick at the 2019 NHL Draft.
Fletcher didn't start the fire in Philly, however, he is tasked with extinguishing it.
Why not sell off veterans and their fat contracts and load up on premium pick draft choices in 2019 NHL Draft?
Fletcher and Botterill are close friends. They worked together during the metamophosis of the Pittsburgh Penguins. Fletcher has seen the immediate positive impact that the first overall pick can make to an NHL team. Sidney Crosby. Connor McDavid. Auston Matthews. Rasmus Dahlin.
Botterill owns three first round selections in 2019. Botterill has said he is willing to entertain trading one of his first rounders for a young player with a fair AAV and term. Botterill can trade San Jose's first rounder and a forward to Philly in exchange for Couturier. Botterill also needs a right shot D. Perhaps Fletcher would agree to trade Couturier and Travis Sanheim to Buffalo in exchange for a first rounder, a top nine forward (say Kyle Okposo) and a forward prospect.
Welcome to silly season.
— @SabresBuzz (@SabresBuzz) January 5, 2019
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Congratulations to Buffalo Sabres prospects Ukko Pekka Luukkonnen and Oskari Laaksonen.
The Sabres prospects played starring roles for Team Finland's gold medal victory at the 2019 World Junior Championships in Vancouver.
Finland defeated USA 3-2 on Saturday night.
Congrats, UPL! #Sabres pic.twitter.com/e85lcNa1AK
— @SabresBuzz (@SabresBuzz) January 6, 2019
"UPL" was fantastic for the fesity Finns. He made 151 saves on 162 shots faced and posted a .932 SV% and 1.80 GAA in 7 games played.
The moment Sabres goalie prospect Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and Team Finland won gold at the World Juniors pic.twitter.com/kPIjDsLxnT
— Brady Trettenero (@BradyTrett) January 6, 2019
Laaksonen scored a goal and an assist and was +5 in 7 games played.
Thanks, IIHF
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Jason Botterill would be wise to put in a waiver claim in RD Jordan Schmaltz. Former 25th overall pick of STL. NoDak star. 6’2… and 195 lb., two-way D, moves the puck well. Excellent shot. Botterill likes NCAA players #Sabres
— @SabresBuzz (@SabresBuzz) January 6, 2019
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