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Some pregame notes as we count down the 7:35pm puck drop between the Sabres and Rangers here at First Niagara Center in Buffalo.
With the NHL trade deadline less than a month away, there will be several team here tonight to scout the Sabres.
The Pittsburgh Penguins were dealt bad news on Wednesday when the team announced that left winger Connor Sheary would be lost to injury for the next 4-6 weeks.
Losing Sheary for a long period of time is a problem for the Penguins. The 24 year old Sheary has 17 goals and 18 assists in 42 games this season. Sheary has 16 even strength goals and 4 game winners this season. His loss from the Pens lineup will be sorely missed.
The Penguins have sent their VP of Hockey Operations and a pro scout to Buffalo to watch Sabres-Rangers in person.
At what price a valuable veteran power forward like Evander Kane?
In 38 games, Kane has landed 125 shots on opposing goals (11.2 shots %). He has 14G, 10A.
In 42 games, Sheary has 102 shots on goal (16.7 shot %). He has 17 goals and 18 assists.
Wonder if Jim Rutherford is open to trading top four, left shot D Olli Maata to the Sabres for Kane, who has one year remaining on his current deal at $5.25M AAV.
One wonders why Maatta is currently ranked sixth in TOI on the Penguins blue line this season?
Maatta is averaging just 18:30 TOI per game in 47 games played. Justin Schultz, Ian Cole, Brian Dumoulin, Trevor Daley and Kris Letang all skate more TOI per game than Maatta.
Tim Murray has been looking all season long for a left shot rock star to play alongside his number one D Rasmus Ristolainen.
Maatta and Ristolainen are very familiar with one another from having played together for Team Finland's World Junior Championship gold medal team.
Maatta, 22, is a value contract at $4.08M AAV per season for this sand the next five seasons.
The Penguins are smashed against their salary cap ceiling right now and would have to trade a sizable contract in order to fit a sizable contract into their salary cap at the March 1 NHL trade deadline.
Might the Penguins be willing to make a good old fashioned hockey trade with the Sabres?
Taylor Hall once was traded in exchange for Adam Larsson, right?
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The Los Angeles Kings have been here several times in the past two months. The Kings once again have a senior scout here again tonight.
It's no secret that Dean Lombardi continues his search for a top six scorer who can help the Kings improve their even strength scoring and PP production.
Evander Kane has been hotter than a pistol, scoring 14 goals since December 3. Kane has 13 even strength goals in his torrid scoring streak.
The Kings got more salary cap relief on Thursday when seventh D-man Tom Gilbert cleared through waivers. Gilbert was assigned to the AHL Ontario Reign. The Kings will now gain an additional $353,611 in prorated salary cap space.
According to Cap Friendly, Lombardi now has $8.48 million in liquid salary cap space to invest in a top six forward.
The Kings pounded Matt Duchene, Gabiriel Landeskog and the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday night.
Lombardi now has ample cap space to invest in Kane ($5.25M AAV), Duchene ($6M AAV) or Landeskog ($5.57M AAV).
On Tuesday, Lombardi made a surprising roster move when called up defenseman Paul LaDue from AHL Ontario.
The 24-year-old Ladue, has appeared in 36 games during his rookie season with Ontario, posting 18 points (6G, 12A) and 26 PIMs.
At the time of his recall he ranked tied for first in goals and third in assists among Reign defensemen. Ladue ranks fifth among AHL rookie D-men in goals, is tied for ninth in assists, tied for eighth in points and tied for second in PPGs (4).
LaDue is a right shot D 6'2" and 205 lbs., is native of Grand Forks, North Dakota. He attended North Dakota University where he played for three seasons. Ladue won an NCAA national championship with NoDak last year. In his time at NoDak, Ladue scored 62 points in 123 games and took the team to the Frozen Four three years in a row.
Ladue was a sixth round draft choice in 2012.
Are the Kings calling up Ladue to showcase him for a trade?
Ladue did not play in LA's 5-1 romp over the tanking Colorado Avalanche on Wednesday night. However, Ladue will likely make his NHL debut on the Kings' four game Eastern road trip that kicks off in Philadelphia on Saturday. The road will also lead the Kings to Washington, Tampa, and Sunrise, Florida.
Dean Lombardi has two top four left D whom Buffalo would have interest in in Jake Muzzin and Brayden McNabb.
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In a surprising move. Cal O'Reilly was placed on waivers today by Buffalo Sabres GM Tim Murray.
The eldest O'Reilly Brother is currently the second leading scorer in the Rochester Amerks with 8 goals and 26 assists in 36 games this season.
The 30 year old O'Reilly has had a successful career in the AHL where he has been a reliable scorer and playmaker for several NHL clubs. He would be a smart depth pick up for a team looking to add a respected veteran leader to help work with the kids in their organization. Cal O'Reilly has been a mentor and landlord for Buffalo 2017 first round pick Alex Nylander.
O'Reilly has played in eleven games for Buffalo this season. He has one assist in a fourth line checking role.
O'Reilly signed a two year contract in the summer of 2015 and will become UFA this summer.
The Sabres should be prepared for another team claiming COR off waivers in the next twenty four hours.
In January, Murray waived fourth line center Derek Grant who was immediately claimed by the Nashville Predators.
Pierre LeBrun tweeted that the Sabres are on the lookout around the NHL for a 4th line center.
Keep an eye on Murray and Ottawa Senators center Curtis Lazar.
The Sens are loaded down the middle of their forward ranks that there is nowhere for Lazar to play. If Lazar is going to stick and stay in Ottawa he will have to move to right wing. The Sens have centers Kyle Turris, Derick Brassard, Zach Smith, and J.G. Pageau.
Lazar turns 22 today and was Ottawa's first round draft (17th overall) choice in 2013. Senators head coach Guy Boucher has only played Lazar in 27 games this season. Lazar has been a healthy scratch more times than he cares to mentions. Lazar, a 70 point man with the Edmonton Oil Kings, has just one assist. Lazar has been a frequent flyer in the Ottawa press box or in the fourth line. Last week, the Senators traded for grinding veteran center/winger Tommy Wingels from San Jose which rendered Lazar obsolete.
For now.
Lazar spoke to the Ottawa media about his lack of playing time on Wednesday.
“It’s never fun being out, but we have some great depth here,… he said. “There’s no point in me pouting or letting the emotions get the better of me. I did that sometimes before the all-star break. It’s about being a good teammate. Every time I am in the lineup, I have to be tenacious, hard on the puck and the shoot the puck a little more.…
Sabres GM Tim Murray and his Uncle Brian drafted Lazar to Ottawa in 2013.
If Murray loses Cal O'Reilly to waivers, he may call his friend and Sens Pierre Dorion to swing a deal for Lazar. Murray has been looking to add forward depth and Lazar would add immediate value and offense to Buffalo's bottom six forward group.
Lazar was a 40 goal man in junior. He was a key cog as captain of Team Canada's World Junior Championship gold medal team in 2014-15. Sabres star Samson Reinhart also played on that special Team Canada gold medal winning squad. Lazar could be an option to play with Reinhart and Eichel. You never know.
The kid is a player, not a sitter.
“Maturity wise, you learn from your mistakes,… Lazar told the Sens website.
“Sometimes I go to bed and I’m wanting to hit my pillow and stuff like that, but that doesn’t get me anywhere. I’m using that as a learning curve. I have to press the re-set button and focus on small things.
Lazar carries an $894K salary cap hit and is set to become RFA in July.
Pierre Dorion may want to move on from Lazar for a second round draft pick. It appears to me that as long as Guy Boucher is the head coach in Ottawa Lazar will continue to ride the pine and eat popcorn in the press box.
I can see a day where Lazar will be traded between now and the March 1 NHL trade deadline.
Tim Murray will need a center if and when Cal O'Reilly gets plucked off waivers.
If we have learned anything about Tim Murray it's that he is not adverse to acquiring reclamation projects as evidenced by Evander Kane and Dmitry Kulikov. Murray might want to trade forward Tyler Ennis for Curtis Lazar.
The Sabres will host the Senators inn Saturday night.