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Tim Murray hasn't traveled with the Sabres on their road trips for weeks. Instead, he sips a Timmy Ho's while he handicaps the best prospects at the top of this June's NHL Draft class. He doesn't do so from his desk inside the First Niagara Center. His gypsy blood takes him to chilly rinks in medium and small sized OHL and NCAA markets. Murray will tell you that he can't properly and respectfully evaluate a player via internet streamed video nor by reading reams of chicken-scratch notes that have been submitted by his own scouts. For Murray, the proof is in the pudding. That's why he has been barnstorming North America for the past 20 weeks.
Murray thinks that the 2015 NHL Draft is a "good" draft, not a "great draft" like the 2003 NHL draft was. Murray loves the top end of the draft and rightly so because that is where he and the Sabres will be selecting in either the #1 or #2 positions.
Last Thursday night, Murray was in Erie, PA to assess the greatness that is Connor McDavid. Thge Erie Otters and Sarnia Sting began their first round playoff series with Murray seated in his customary seat in the lower bowl. He has also been keeping a close eye on his Erie forward prospect Nick Baptiste, as well as super center and top five pick Dylan Strome . Murray also has been charting the play of draft eligible forward Pavel Zacha of the Sarnia Sting. It was in Erie that Murray confided in the NY Times that he has been watching McDavid too much lately. Murray is intoxicated by McDavid's off the charts skill set and professional attitude. He would love nothing more than to
On Friday night, Murray high-tailed it eastward to Manchester, N.H. where he watched consensus #2 overall pick Jack Eichel play on back to back nights. Eichel's Terrier advanced to the NCAA Frozen Four with nail-biter wins over Yale and Minnesota Duluth. BU goalie Matt O'Connor has also been an object of Murray's desire. There's no chance now that Murray can sign and play the free agent tendy due to the fact that Buffalo's season ends on 4/11 and the Frozen 4 begins on 4/9. Murray was prepared to sign and play O'Connor in NHL games now had his Terriers been booted from the NCAA postseason.
On Monday night, it just so happened that his schedule took him to the Meridian Centre in St. Catherines. Murray was there scouting Ottawa 67s center Travis Kocecny and Niagara IceDogs D Vince Dunn while his Buffalo Sabres were winning in regulation in Arizona on Monday night.
Such is the life of Tim Murray. He's the man in constant motion.
The second year GM has heavier lifting to do than to watch his team go through the motions in the final stages of the worst season in franchise history.
When Murray accepted the Buffalo GM job in January 2014 it was with the caveat that he was embarking in a mission to steadfastly execute the razing of the Sabres franchise in order to rebuild it in a winning likeness. Murray has kept his word and has been working the plan that he had so artfully crafted some 15 months ago.
Murray was asked to assess the two players at the top of the NHL Draft: Connoir McDavid and Jack Eichel. Murray put to bed any speculation that he's a McDavid or bust kind of GM when he told TSN 1200 on Monday night that he thinks that Eichel and McDavid are "very close" to one another in terms of their overall value. Side by side, Murray gardes both centers similarly. Murray noted that McDavid may have a slight edge in the court of public opinion, especially in Canada, because of all of teh media attention that he receives. Eichel doesn't have nearly the same amount of media demands on his time as McDavid does which is a big reason why the BU Terrier can go to the rink and just worry about hockey. Eichel is being visited by 25-30 U.S. and Canadian media members after game day skates and after games. Nor is Eichel being visited in his locker room between period by uber fans who are seeking his autograph.
The bottom line is that Murray thinks that McDavid and Eichel each are franchise players, certainly impact players. That's good enough for him. Both are high character young men who happen to be sickly skilled with supreme hockey smarts and jaw dropping manual dexterity.
Murray gave Eichel is seal of approval.
"Jack deserves a lot of talk and a lot of praise because he's just a helluva hockey player and you know, there's going to be lots of good discussions on those two guys by 2 or 3 or 4 teams at the bottom before the lottery. Certainly, I think that both the guys are going to help the teams that are lucky enough to get them ".
There. He said it Sabres fans. You now don't have to feel like you got the booby prize if McDavid goes to another team in the NHL Lottery and you get "stuck" with Jack Eichel. To the contrary. Murray is saying that Eichel's brand is just as equitable and valuable, however, McDavid gets the halo effect in the marketplace due to his very high media profile and his top of mind awareness.
Eichel is a superior talent who will electrify NHL fans for the next 15 years.
Murray should be commended for putting his Sabres in pole position to select either McDavid or Eichel in the NHL Draft.
He also restated his desire to improve his team via the acquisition of notable free agents this summer. He also will be looking to catch notable stars who get chopped off the rosters of teams who will be met with salary cap crises. Its not outside of the realm of possibility that Murray lands Tyler Toffoli from L.A., Patrick Sharp or Johnny Oduya from Chicago and/or Ryan O'Reilly from Colorado. The still nose -diving Canadian dollar coupled with flat salary cap continues to be a huge impediment to the GMs of contending teams. Look at how Garth Snow dramatically improved his Islanders by snatching D-men Johnny Boychuk and Nick Leddy from Boston and Chicago, respectively. There will be more cap casualties this fall. NHL teams can operate at 10% over their salary cap until such time that NHL training camps end. Then, the great purge will begin. Murray will have acres of salary cap space to catch difference makers when then fall off the rosters of their current teams.
Click the link below to hear Murray's full interview from the second period intermission of the 67s and IceDogs game on TSN 1200:
Sabers GM Tim Murray joins AJ to talk Travis Konecny, McDavid/Eichel and NHL Draft @AJonSports @TSN1200 #NHLdraft
— Stephen Bunda (@TSN1200Bunda) March 31, 2015
***
No Tyler Ennis?
No problem.
Just when you thought it was safe to crown the Buffalo Sabres the kings of the McEichel standings, they committed themselves to proving that they are not the biggest tanking crew in the NHL.
Connor Murphy scored 1:17 into the game and it looked like a repeat of last Thursday's Coyotes win in Buffalo. Buffalo goalie Anders Lindback shut Arizona out from there and finished with 28 saves.
Buffalo desperately clinged to its 2-1 lead late in the third period when Lucky Lindback flashed the toe of his skate on an Oliver Ekman-Larsson power-play shot with four minutes left.
That save sent the Coyotes to defeat.
Sabres captain Brian Gionta added a shorthanded empty net goal with 1:49 left in regulation play.
Rasmus Ristolainen scored an empty-net goal with 43 seconds left.
Andrej Meszaros scored twice in Glendale and twice in the previous game in Denver.
The win allowed the Sabres to snap their five game losing streak.
Final Score:
Sabres 4 Dogs 1
The Sabres now hold a slim 4 point lead over the Dogs in the McEichel standings.
27th place: Toronto / 62 points 28th place: Edmonton / 59 points 29th place : Arizona / 54 points 30th place: Buffalo / 50 points
FINAL: @BuffaloSabres 4, #Coyotes 1
ARI goal by @Cmurphy5 | Mike Smith made 32 saves pic.twitter.com/tRCec5NDUz
— Arizona Coyotes (@ArizonaCoyotes) March 31, 2015
The Sabres host the listless and lethargic Tornto Maple Leafs on Wednesday night, A Buffalo regulation loss to the Leafs would reduce their McEichel lead over the Coyotes to only 2 points.