Murray On Nolan: "We Want Him To Be Our Coach" (sabres halak murray lafontaine)

sabres halak murray lafontaine

Murray On Nolan: "We Want Him To Be Our Coach"

By GARTH'S CORNER

Mar 2, 2014 • 7:08 pm

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Updated:

Jaro Halak said Sunday that he knew when he signed up to be a pro hockey player that there are risks associated with the job. Trades happen. Its part of the hockey business.

Halak wonders if he will still be a Sabres goalie in the next few days. Its very likely that he will be moved again at or before Wednesday's NHL trade deadline.

Thanks, Sabres.com

Chris Stewart heard all the rumors leading up to his trade to Buffalo. He said that he is not going to get bogged down in the negativity.

He too may be traded again by Wednesday.

My own personally feeling is that I can live without Halak. However, I would love it of the Sabres held on to Stewart. The guy is a tank at 6'3 230. The guy loves to hit, loves to fight, loves to score greasy goals.

****

Another day, another Sabres press conference.

This time, Sabres President Ted Black and GM Tim Murray faced the firing squad.

Thanks, Sabres.com

When asked about the future of Ted Nolan with the Sabres, Murray said emphatically that "We want him to be our coach going forward".

Murray says that contract negotiations with Nolan are ongoing.

Murray made it a point to say that he wants to work with people who want to be in Buffalo. That stands for players, and his head coach.

"I just want people that want to be here to be here. If he wants to be here, I want him to be our coach."

If Nolan wants to remain as Sabres head coach, the job is his.

Right?

Murray said that he won't beg anybody to take the Sabres coaching job.

Translation: If Nolan is upset and bothered by LaFontaine's herky-jerky departure from the team on Saturday, then Nolan better get over it quickly or else.

Murray thanked LaFontain for giving him his first NHL GM job. Murray said that he and LaFontaine were on the same page for the six weeks he has been on the job in Buffalo. He said that all calls that he had received regarding trades were discussed with LaFontaine. Murray said that he believes in communicating with the owner, the guy who pays the bills.

***

Bullet points from Black:

* He knows that the Sabres fans have had to "swallow" a lot of *stuff* in the past few days: Miller, Ott and Lafontaine gone in a matter of 36 hours. * He said that LaFontaine was gone before the Miller trade. * There was no "discord" between LaFontaine and the team. * Miller trade was not the tipping point in Lafontaine's departure * The Sabres created the President of Hockey Ops position specifically for Lafontaine. Now that he's gone, the Sabres will not hire a replacement for St. Patrick. * Lafontaine brought in Craig Patrick to Buffalo. Patrick will remain a senior advisor.

***

Thanks, Sabres.com

After the brief skate, Sabres interim head coach Ted Nolan spoke about the Pat LaFontaine resignation.

Nolan wears his heart on his sleeve for all the world to see and he is clearly upset by the whole fiasco. He said that he's too upset to even think about it all right now. He said that his first obligation is not to himself but instead to get 22 players re-focused so that they can have success on this three game southern roadie.

Nolan is wise to leave his keep his innermost, intimate thoughts to himself at this emotional time. He is in line to be given a multi-year contract extension, one that he has earned. He has to be diplomatic and not make similar emotional decisions like the ones that he forced to have to make in 1997. Nolan lived their nightmare once. I'm sure he doesn't want to go there again.

Right now, Nolan needs to hold his head up and do what he does best: motivate young men and instill his pride and belief in them. His two captains were traded on Friday night and there needs to be a calming influence with a steady hand to guide the kids through these days of weirdness.

His contract extension takes a back seat to his coaching. Perhaps he's being evaluated by hire ups as to how he navigates these difficult days without Lafontaine at his side. If he can rip off 3-5 wins in a row during these trying times, his stock rises considerably because he will have proven that he can block out all outside noise and focus his attention on developing players and winning games. Now is not the right time for Nolan to show negative emotion. Channel it into positive actions.

Emotional. Rollercoaster.

Good morning.

The Sabres skated for 30 minutes inside First Niagara Center this morning. They will charter to Lindy Ruff country this afternoon to play the Stars on Monday night.

The Sabres tweeted this morning that recently acquired veteran goalie Jaro Halak will not play in Dallas on Monday night.

Why not throw Halak a bone? Why did Murray trade for him if he's not going to play him? Is Halak about to be traded again? To Minnesota? To Washington?

The guy comes from the Western conference and has had good success against the Stars in his days with the Blues.

Jhonas Enroth has won two games in a row since losing twelve in a row dating back to October. Ted Nolan said Friday night that Enroth would get the bulk of the starts in the final 22 games of this forgettable season. Also, the Sabres are on a season-best three game winning streak.

Chris Stewart skated with the Sabres this morning. Like Halak, he may be a Sabre for only a little bit longer.

The word is that Murray would like to flip him and Moulson to Uncle Bryan for a handsome return.

Unlike Halak, Stewart will play in Dallas on Monday night. After today's skate, Stewart said stated on the record that he's not going to let negative emotions overcome him right now. Hes all about the hockey.

Halak may likely be simply laying over in Buffalo before the catch their connecting flight to another NHL city. Halak to Minneapolis? Stewart to Ottawa?

Stay tuned for more drama...

***

Its Sunday March 2nd. The Buffalo Sabres return to the rink today for practice. Afterwards, the team will jet off to Dallas, Texas. Not a moment too soon. The Sabres will take their season-best three-game roadie away from the bright lights and the dysfunction at First Niagara Center. The road is the best place for this group of players right now. The players must be clamoring to get the wheels up and to get out of town after the dramatic events for the past 36 hours that saw two respected veteran leaders get traded rather hastily as the team was preparing to host the San Jose Sharks. Then, around the supper hour on Saturday night, the Sabres confirmed the rumors that their former President of Hockey Operations Pat LaFontaine had resigned from the organization after only being on the job since November 13.

The dramatic turn of events all started at 5:45 Friday night when Ted Nolan was informed by someone other than Pat LaFontaine (Pat’s responsibility) that he should grab Ryan Miller and tell him that he’s not starting his final home game in a Sabres and that he’d likely be trade. Thirty or so minutes later, Nolan was informed by someone other the President of Hockey Operations, the man who allegedly had all authority over the hockey department, to inform Steve Ott that he wouldn’t be playing either. Miller and Ott were trade together to the St. Louis Blues in exchange for power forward Chris Stewart, goalie Jaro Halak, a prospect, a 2015 1st rounder and a conditional 3rd rounder in 2014 that can and will be upgraded to a 2014 1st rounder should Ryan Miller re-sign with the Blues as a UFA in July, or, if the Blues earn one of the two berths in the 2014 Western Conference Finals.

One door abruptly closed and another one instantly opened.

The Ryan Miller chapter in Buffalo closed rather suddenly. It was bound to happen. The timing for such a departure wasn’t the best, however, Sabres GM Tim Murray lived up to his word that if a deal were made to him for his pending UFAs that really tickled his fancy and that would be of benefit to the organization, then he would pull the trigger on it. In the case of the Miller-Ott trade, Murray was able to maximize the return on two of his assets ad was able to haul in several valuable foundation pieces for the re-build project that is now in full effect. The LaFontaine resignation is still a head scratcher. I’m not even going to pretend to know what happened in the upper management-ownership suite to create such a reaction as LaFontaine abruptly tendering his resignation from his job inside the Pegula organization, that two weeks ago in a TV interview he said he loved. There’s no question that friction existed between LaFontaine and a member(s) of the organization. What that person(s) is a story for another day. What stings the most today is the cold hard fact that LaFontaine is gone and his departure may create a chilling effect in the marketplace for unrestricted free agents and their respective agents who are or were considering making Buffalo one of their destinations of choice this summer. It’s a shocker that Patty is gone. We may never know all of the reasons why.

The timing of the Miller-Ott trade and LaFontaine resignation wasn’t ideal, however, it served as a blasting cap of explosives to held loosen the foundation and to allow the re-building process to truly begin. Think about it. For the past year, since Lindy Ruff was fired (YES that happened just one year ago!), we’ve been hearing on an endless loop phrases like “suffering…, “re-tooling…, “organizational shift… and other euphemisms for what the process really is: it’s a demolition project, not an improve the aesthetics project. The goal is to tear off the dry wall down to the studs, rip out the electrical, reinforce the joists and trusses, and to fortify the foundation of structure to insure proper code compliance. Now that LaFontaine is gone, Tim Murray heretofore will be known as the “general contractor…. He’s the demolition man. He’s also the architect. He’s had a month to assess the Sabres organization from the outside in and he’s crafted the solution. He’s got the schematic and the blueprints in his hands now. It’s his vision. Phase one of the demo project began Friday night. LaFonatine’s departure won’t inhibit nor thwart Murray’s forward progress. I’m told that Murray will not be flying south with the team later today. Instead, he and his AGM Kevin Devine and the scouts will be conversing at length about players, prospects and other assets, both inside and outside the Buffalo organization that can be of benefit to the long term turnaround of the Buffalo Sabres.

**

If I’m Matt Moulson, I likely pack more than three suits for the trip to Dallas, Tampa and Sunrise. The veteran sniper will most likely be dealt to a contender between now and Wednesday at 3pm. Moulson is a man in hot demand right now and his trade value is increasing by the day. He and Thomas Vanek are the two most sought after forwards at this trade deadline. With Vanek ear-marked for his long anticipated return to The State of Hockey, Moulson becomes the eight-point trophy buck that all of the hunters want to bring home with them. There’s only one Moulson and there are 12-15 GMs “hunting… him right now. The Ottawa Senators really, really want Moulson to help kick start Jason Spezza scoring, which hasn’t been consistent all season long. The Sens have tried every winger package with Spezza, still no chemistry. Its March for crying out loud and the Sens are dangerously close to being knocked out of the top eight race in the Eastern standings. Uncle Bryan and Tim Murray really want to make a trade with one another. The chatter is at a consistent pace regarding a Matt Moulson and Chris Stewart to Ottawa swap. Tim’s applying pressure. Bryan will have to say “uncle… at some point. I’ve heard that Tim Murray is intent on bringing his former Binghampton Senators Calder Cup winning goalie Robin Lehner to Buffalo. Left winger Matt Puempel’s name is also mentioned. There's also a first round pick being mentioned. Puempel has served his AHL apprenticeship and is ready for the NHL. He’s one of those 21 year olds that you often hear Murray describe. He was the 24th overall pick of the Senators in the 2011 NHL entry draft. He has 20 goals and 31 points (82 PIMs) for the Bingo Sens this season.

If Bryan Murray doesn’t like the ask for Moulson and or Stewart, then the crafty, resourceful sniper will likely end up in Los Angeles. The Kings are aggressive looking for scoring and they’ll likely strike out with Vanek. The Kings let Moulson skate away years ago and that decision has come back to bite them in the butt ever since. Moulson became a multi-time 30 goal scorer when he departed from AHL Manchester. The Kings would love to right that wrong and re-acquire Moulson and skate him in their top six forward group and play the hell out of him on their PP. At what price Moulson? I’ve been telling you all season long. Tyler Toffoli. Tim Murray watched in his own backyard the former Ottawa 67 sniper light up the OHL in junior. Toffoli scored 57 goals in 2010-11 and scored 52 in 2011-12 in Ottawa. He scored another 33 playoff goals for the 67s as well. In 52 games with the LA Kings, Toffoli has scored 12 goals and added 14 assists. In a season and a half at AHL Manchester, Toffoli scored 43 goals and accumulated 74 points. He’s too good for the NHL and is deserving of a full time gig in the NHL. Just not happening for him in LA where Darryl Sutter is loyal to his aging vets. In my opinion, Toffoli needs a change of scenery. He plays right wing and center. He’s 6’1 200 lbs. He’s from Scarborough. He’s a five on five champ and an all-star on the power play. He’s the kind of player that Murray loves. He's a former second round pick (47th overall) looking for a place to happen. He has a lot of Corey Perry’s traits and snarl, too. Murray knows a thing or two about drafting Perry, having done it in Anaheim.

***

What will become of Christian Ehrhoff?

The Boston Bruins are said to be one of a few teams that are serious about acquiring the German D-man at the deadline. Peter Chiarelli lost Dennis Seidenberg for the rest of the season and is currently patching that position with kids. The Bruins have done to fill the Seidenberg hole from within, however, they need a veteran solution.

Ehrhoff eats big minutes 5 on 5, can create offense on the PP and kills penalties.

His contract is very cap-friendly at $4M AAV per season. He also has term left on his deal. Seven years remaining at $4 shmill per. Talk about a steal. Dan Girardi signed for 6 years aat $5.5 shmill per season on Friday. Ehrhoff has more veteran experience and a larger body of work than that Girardi does.

Boston's first rounder or a second rounder and a prospect may get it done.

If Boston misses out on Ehrhoff, he may be headed back to the left coast. The Anaheim Ducks are looking to upgrade their top four D and Ehrhoff would fit like a glove there. Ehrhoff for two young forwards, like Nick Bonino and Devante Smith Pelly.

Ehrhoff started his career in San Jose. They too are looking for an upgrade on D.

***

Cue the Gotye......

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