We All Need Someone We Can Lehn On (vegas golden knights)

vegas golden knights

We All Need Someone We Can Lehn On

By Mark Pino

Oct 5, 2020 • 11:33 am

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On Friday, the Vegas Golden Knights debuted their sweet new threads for the 2020-21 season.

On Saturday morning, Knights goaltender Robin Lehner struck gold when he signed a well-earned 5 year, $25 million contract extension.

In 16 games played during the Stanley Cup Finals, Lehner posted a 9-7 record with four shut outs and 1.99 GAA and .917 SV%. Lehner was acquired from the Chicago Blackhawks at the trade deadline.

I'm thrilled for Lehner and his family. I'll never forget meeting Lehner for the first time in 2011 when he was the starting goaltender foor Team Sweden at the IIHF World Juniors that were played in Buffalo. I covered the man for his career in Buffalo and have the utmost respect for him today. Lehner was one of the most brutally honest, direct, intense competitors that I heave ever met. It was in Buffalo that Lehner came to the realization that his behavioral health was causing him serious issues in other parts of his life. The Sabres opted to not sign Lehner to a long term contract, however, former Sabres GM Jason Botterill stuck with Lehner as he was availing himself of the clinical assistance that the Big Swede badly needed in his life.

At this moment, Golden Knights GM Kelly McCrimmon has $12 million committed to his goalies Lehner and Marc Andre Fleury.

As I write this, Vegas is currently $100,000 over the $81.5 million salary cap ceiling. Between now and the NHL Draft on Tuesday, the Knights management team will have to a substantial contract or two.

The likelihood of a Fleury buyout rose exponentially when Lehner signed off on his new deal. Earlier this week, the NY Rangers bid adieu to their starting goaltendiner Henrik Lundqvist. When it is said and done, Fleury will likely join Lundqvist on the free agent goaltending market.

Fleury has two years remaining on his contract at $7 million annual average value.

Like the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Golden Knights will have to make difficult deciion to trade away a big contract or two in order to bring their salary cap into league compliance.

Like the Lightning, the Golden Knights have many players under no trade clauses or have no movement clauses written into their existing contracts. For example, Mark Stone, Max Pacioretty, Paul Stastny, William Karlsson, Reilly Smith and Jonathon Marcesshault all have trade protection and cannot be dealt without their consent.

One player that has zero trade protection who is attracting the attention of the Buffalo Sabres and other NHL clubs is forward Alex Tuch. The 24 year old power forward from Syracuse, NY was a tower of power in the playoffs. Tuch scored 8 goals and 4 assists in 20 playoff games played. He averaged 15:45 TOI and scored 3 game winning goals during the Knights' imoressive olayoff push. During the regular season, Tuch scored 8 goals and 9 assits in 42 games played.

Tuch has six years remaining on his contract at a very attractive $4,750,000 annual average value. In 200 career regular season games played, Tuch has scored 43 goals and 63 assists for 106 points. Tuch also has potted 15 goals and 9 assists in 47 playoff games.

Vegas has used Tuch as the RW3. He's fully capable of of playing on the first and second lines where he can drive offense from the wing. Tuch's career best is 20 goals, however, he's has taken his game to the next level and will no doubt tuck 30-plus goals when given a full-time role in the top six forward ranks with an elite center like Jack Eichel.

Were the Sabres to trade for Tuch, he would immediately play on Jack Eichel's wing. Samson Reinhart and Victor Olofsson would compete for the right wing role on the second line.

Reinhart, 25, is an restricted free agent and is seeking a long term extension at an average annual vaue in the $6 million range. Are the Sabres willing to go there with Reinhart, who has patiently played through and over delivered on his recently expired two year, $7.3 million bridge contract.

Earlier this week, Jack Eichel trade chatter took the internet by storm. n response to the Eichel trade buzz, Sabres Kevyn Adams said that it is job as GM to listen to and engage his NHL GM counterparts in discussions about not only players on his roster but players on other teams.

Adams is a perfect trade partner for Vegas for Vegas. I have been reporting and tweeting for months that Adams continues to desperately seeking a top six scoring forward and a veteran goaltender. Eric Staal was a nice addition at 2C, however, the Sabres need more sprimary and secondary scoring from its top six wingers.

The Sabres have inquired about scoring wingers Alex Tuch as well as Brock Boeser, Tyler Johnson, Chris Kreider, and Rickard Rakell.

The Sabres have $34 million in salary cap space and can buy and bake-in Tuch's contract with ease. The Sabres can also accomodate a Marc Andre Fleury contract which will be substantialy lower than his current $7M AAV. Fleury would become an unrestricted free agent were he to be bought out and his next contract would put him at a substantially lower AAV. Fleury has a string relationship with Sabres' goalie coach Mike Bales, who worked with Fleury and Matt Murray in Pittsburgh.

Tuch is connected to the Sabres by virtue of his relationship to the offseason training and performance staff at the Pegula Sports and Entertainment owned Academy of Hockey in Buffalo. Kevyn Adams has played an advisory role and has been an instructor at the Academy of Hockey at HARBORCenter. Former Sabres Adam Mair and Matt Ellis also worked with Tuch at the Academy of Hockey in Buffalo. Mair is now as assistant coach for teh Rochester Amerks while Ellis was hired last month as Buffalo's new Director of Player Development.

Tuch's younger brother, Luke, is an alum of the Buffalo Jr. Sabres and the USNTDP. Luke Tuck is a freshman at Boston Univdrsity and will be drafted by an NHL team next week.

**

Speaking of former Pittsburgh Penguins goalies, Matt Murray should call the U-Haul moving truck rental company if he hasn't already. The Penguins have re-signed RFA goalie Tristan Jarry to a three year $10.5 million contract.

I'm told that Buffalo, Toronto, San Jose, Minnesota, New Jersey, and Colorado have expressed serious interest in Murray, the two-time Stanley Cup champion goalie, this summer.

**

Former Buffalo Sabres teamleader Mike Grier made news on Friday when it was announced that he would not be joining Lindy Ruff's coaching staff. The news came as a surprise as Grier and Ruff worked so well together in Buffalo in the early 2000s.

Last season, Grier was an assistant coach on John Hynes' staff for the New Jersey Devils. Hynes was fired and replaced by Alain Nasserdine. I thought it was the wrong move to skip over Grier for head coach of the Devils. I felt then as I do now that Grier provides so much more value to an NHL team than just changung the forwards and runnng the penalty kill.

Grier played in the NHL from 1996-2011, suiting up for the Edmonton Oilers, Washington Capitals, San Jose Sharks and, on two occasions, the Buffalo Sabres. He scored162 goals and 383 points over 1,060 career games. Internationally, Grier represented Team USA at the 1995 IIHF World Junior Championship and won a bronze medal with the U.S. at the 2004 IIHF Men’s World Championship. When he retired from the NHL, Grier became a youth hockey coach. He served as an on-ice instructor at USA Hockey’s Boys’ Select 17 Player Development Camp and coached the CCM/USA Hockey All-American Prospects Game in Buffalo.

Grier is a leader of men. He is one of the most respected professional hockey players that I have ever had the opportunity to cover in my career. Grier is smart, driven and laser-focused. He's respected and revered by his former teammates. Grier is a winner.

I said it back in June and I will say it again today.

I want Kevyn Adams to hire Grier as his assistant general manager in Buffalo. Adams is a rookie NHL GM and he needs a substantial shoulder to lean on and to collaborate with in assembling a winning roster. The Sabres have not qualified for the Stanley Cup playoffs for the past nine seasons.

It is time to hire Mike Grier to inject immediate value and hockey IQ into the Sabres organization

Grier, 45, is the son of an NFL assistant coach and longtime scout, played 1,060 games in the NHL and was one of onlytwo African-American assistant coaches in the NHL. Grier's father is Bobby Grier, who used to be the Associate Director of Pro Personnel for the Houston Texans. Bobby Grier was a running back coach, director of pro scouting, and VP of player personnel for the New England Patriots.

Grier's older brother, Chris, 50, is the general manager of the Miami Dolphins: The only African-American general manager in the NFL.

Mike Grier is a winner and a fantastic leader. He is the excat ingredient that the Buffalo Sabres are missing.

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