The hockey buzz will not go away in Buffalo ahead of the March 5 NHL trade deadline.
In fact, the buzz keeps intensifying by the hour.
There's an undeniable amount of chatter and phone pressure that is focused on the Big 3 pending UFAs in Ryan Miller, Steve Ott and Matt Moulson.
Why stop at the UFAs to be? Tim Murray has been screaming from the rooftops since he took over the Sabres GM office in January that there are no untouchables on a 30th place team. The GM is correct to send the message that its open season on all players, young and old, not named Zemgus Girgensons.
In terms of Myers, there is considerable interest according to sources close to the Buffalo Sabres. But GM Tim Murray isn't trying to push this guy out the door. Is he available? Is he interested in moving him? Yes he is. We're looking at Toronto as potentially a fit, as would be the Anaheim Ducks. And the Colorado Avalanche are definitely looking for a defenceman. So there will be options, but come ready to pay a premium.
I’m going to role play the part of Sabres GM Tim Murray. Here’s how I would handle the Myers matter.
Ok, Patrick Roy. If you want to dramatically upgrade your D corps by adding Tyler Myers, are you prepared to send Ryan O…Reilly to Buffalo in the deal? The trade freeze on O’Reilly lefts on February 28th, one year to the date of Colorado matching Calgary’s offer sheet for O’Reilly. ROR become a restricted free agent in July. You should know by now that I’m an unabashed Ryan O’Reilly fan. He’s a younger, comparably skilled Jonathon Toews and Patrice Bergeron.
Toronto intrigues me. Although I’d hate to play against Myers in the division for the next 5+ seasons, I wouldn’t mind getting my hands on Nazem Kadri and Morgan Rielly in exchange for Myers. I like Kadri’s skill set at the center position and I respect Rielly’s maturity and composure beyond his years.
Murray knows the Anaheim organization like the back of his hand having helped stock it with great young prospects over the years. I’d be asking for forwards Nick Bonino and Devante Smith-Pelly. Size, skill, and snarl.
Count Chicago, Montreal, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Pittsburgh and as teams also interested in Myers.
There's no secret that Myers is a wanted man inside the NHL largely due to his size, skating and skill. Former Sabres GM Darcy Regier thought very highly of Myers and would always consider him a key cog in the wheel. Rightly so. When he's on his game and he's joining the rush, Myers is a weapon that other coaches have to respect and find ways to stop. Regier would never think of trading Myers, but Murray might. Murray doesn't have an emotional attachment to players in Buffalo and Rochester. Maybe its better that way. Regier tended to over value some of his prospects and roster players while Murray doesn't seem to fall into that model. Murray's numero uno priority right now is to do what is best to re-build the Buffalo Sabres organization. If that means trading Myers, why shouldn't Murray consider it?
Granted, Myers has had issues with his consistency and confidence in Buffalo for the past two years. So what? He's a young kid who is still learning how to synthesize all of the elements that make embody the best of the best NHL D. Chris Pronger and Zdeno Chara struggled early on in the r developmental years. How did their careers turn out?
NHL GMs and scouts marvel at Myers what special gifts he brings to the rink every day.
In 2012-13 he began collecting his 7 year, $38.5 million contract. He's a $5.5M AAV and he has term remaining on his deal that will expire at the end of the 2018-19 season.
With the cap ceiling increasing in the coming seasons, Myers' contract would not be an impediment for most NHL teams.
The Sabres have youngsters Mark Pysyk, Nikita Zadorov, Rasmus Ristolainen, Brayden McNabb Chad Ruhwedel and Jake McCabe kicking in the door to get into the Buffalo D zone. Sabres GM Tim Murray may be able to get his hands on Aaron Ekblad with his top the pick in the June entry draft.
Now more than ever, I'd say that Myers will have fierce competition from the youngsters in the not too distant future.
It just might turn out to be that Murray gets an offer for Myers that he can't refuse. Murray strikes me as the anti-Regier. He'll pull the trigger on a great deal rather than hemming and hawing.
Murray could ask for a first round pick, a roster player and a prospect for Myers, and he'd get it from more than one team.
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I'm not going to lie. The Buffalo Sabres' change room won't be the same without Ryan Miller in it.mI have to say that its been a pleasure to have covered him for the past twelve seasons(nine in this space). I always look forward to his post game pressers because of his preparation, opinions, philosophies, and and his expert analysis. To me, Miller is in a class all by himself in terms of his candor, honesty and raw emotion.
He's not your garden variety dumb jock. He hates cliches and the mundane.
Friday night will likely be his last ever post game presser inside the Sabres room. I'm going to enjoy every moment of it.
Thanks, Sabres.com
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St. Louis Blues GM Doug Armstrong has gone on the record and has given his starting goalie Jaro Halak the ultimate vote of confidence. Armstrong said Wednesday that he realizes that Halak causes anxiety and high blood pressure symptoms for the fans of the Blues.
Despite the fact that Halak lost his Team Slovakian starting net job to third stringer, journeyman Jan Laco after an abysmal Olympics, Armstrong told the Post Dispatch not so fast on tossing Halak aside in St. Louis.
“St. Louis historically has been a graveyard for goaltenders,… Armstrong said. “I’m not being critical of the fans, but it doesn’t seem like they’ve ever been happy with who’s in the net. Jaro doesn’t deserve to have the past put on him."Because of injuries, “Jaro has been our starting goaltender for exactly two playoff games,… Armstrong said. “He hasn’t failed. He’s going to have the opportunity to show what he’s capable of. That’s how it is in sports. Until you win, you can’t win.… Armstrong, the former Dallas GM, likens Halak to Eddie Belfour, a goaltender from his Dallas past. Belfour was considered an underachiever and enigma in Chicago until winning the Stanley Cup in Dallas.
“The knock on Jaro, is the same knock I heard on Belfour — that he couldn’t win the big games,… Armstrong said. “We got him in Dallas, and we won it all.…
I understand why Armstrong would pump Halak's tires. Thats his starting goaltender and he has to instill his faith in his starter. I get it.
Armstrong comparing Halak to the eccentric Eddie Belfour?
Really?!!
Doesn't Armstrong feel a pang of doubt in his gut or a slight bit of hesitation when projecting down the road to the playoffs with Halak as the fortress surrounding his immensely talented army against invasions by hostile Western killing machines like San Jose, LA, Anaheim, or Chicago?
If what Armstrong is saying about Halak is true, then we can likely rule out St. Louis as the eventual landing spot for Ryan Miller when he is traded in the next few days. At least at the March 5 NHL trade deadline anyway. Perhaps Armstrong likes his chances of attracting Miller to St. Louis via a draft day trade or as a UFA signing. He'll have stiff competition from Anaheim in that scenario. Both Halak and Ducks' starting goalie Hiller will be UFAs in July.
Miller will not be playing back-up goalie to anyone after he is traded. Either he will be the #1 man, or there's no deal.
How can Armstrong capitulate and now make a trade for Miller after making such an impassioned plea of support for Halak?
If I'm Washington or Minnesota, I read Armstrong's comments to mean that maybe there's a greater chance that Miller will be available and won't be distracted by St. Louis in the coming days.
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I had to laugh when I heard a rumor of the Pittsburgh Penguins wanting to take a legitimate run at landing Ryan Miller via the trade rout by March 5.
The same Pittsburgh Penguins team that employs Dan Bylsma and Ray Shero as its head coach and GM, respectively.
Why would Miller want to play for the same two gentleman that allowed him to sit and watch the quarterfinals, semifinals and bronze games at the Sochi Olympics?
Pittsburgh fans would love to reinforce their net. Their hearts have been broken by Marc Andre Fleury's playoff antics in the recent past. A Miller to Pittsburgh move might make sense from a pure hockey perspective, however, the Bylsma-Shero relationship with Miller may not be so rosy right now. Look at the Steve Yzerman / Marty St. Louis issue that is raging in Tampa right now. I'm not saying that there is bad blood between Bylsma, Shero and Miller, however, one wonders how Miller feels about being stapled the the bench after his defeated Slovenia 5-1 in the preliminary round of the Olympics. Miller never got another sniff at playing. Team USA went all-in with Jon Quick. Not a bad idea, until USA lost to Canada in the semis.
I said it last week and I'll say it again:
If Bylsma would have started Miller in the bronze medal game vs. Finland, then the USA would have won the bronze medal. Team USA needed a kick in the ass and a pick-me-up after the kick in the stomach loss to Canada the day before. In his post game presser, Bylsma said that he wasn't second guessing his decision to play Quick vs. Finland. he also went on to say that he never thought of pulling Quick and replacing him with Miller after 40 minutes when the USA was loafing all over the ice. The rest is Team USA history.
For Miller, the memory remains.
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