Updated:
Sidney Crosby certainly knows firsthand about the disappointment of not being able to compete in games due to personal injuries. On Wednesday night, Sid said that he can feel for his buddy Steven Stamkos who who ruled out of the Sochi Olympics earlier in the day.
Team Canada GM has a big decision to make by Friday, and that is, which Canadian forward will be selected to replace Stamkos?
Your leading candidates are Sid’s teammate James Neal, Claude Giroux, Marty St. Louis, and Andrew Ladd. They are all great players to be sure. All deserve to represent their country at the Olympics. St. Louis becomes the emotional favorite considering he was snubbed off the original roster. I like Giroux and Ladd, however, I’m leaning towards adding Neal to the team. He’s big, strong, competes hard, can skate, and has a heavy-accurate shot.
Who do you like as the replacement for Stamkos?
***
Do you get the sense that Sabres vets Steve Ott and John Scott have had just about enough of the their team’s current three game losing streak?
***
If that was Ryan Miller's final home game in a Buffalo Sabres sweater, it left a lot to be desired.
Miller wasn't great, however, the team that played in front of him were downright pathetic.
Miller surrendered 5 goals to the swashbuckling Eastern conference leading Pittsburgh Penguins.
As a team, the Sabres are in a crisis of confidence right now with D and forwards playing to not make mistakes rather than playing with poise and confidence. Miller's been hung out high and dry in his last two starts. His team failed to answer the alarm clock for the 7-1 blowout in Denver on Saturday. He allowed another five goals on Wednesday night,
The loss to Pittsburgh stung Miller all the more because Team USA head coach Dan Bylsma was ice level for the debacle. Miller wants to be the Team USA starting goalie in Sochi next week, and he doesn't want to be judged by his last two performances. Bylsma said earlier Wednesday that Miller’s inspired play and his full body of work in 2013-14 will be judged in the final analysis. Not the last two starts where his teammates mailed it in. season who might’ve been playing his last home game.
Ted Nolan didn't sugar coat it after the 5-1 loss to the Pens:
“It had nothing to do with Ryan tonight,… Nolan said. “It was the guys in front of him. Our team, we need everyone in front him. We had a couple guys no-show tonight. Playing one of the better teams in the league, you think they would be excited to play, and a couple weren’t.…
Bylsma admitted after the game that he was happy to see Crosby score his PPG from high atop the the Penguins' bench. Next week in Sochi, Miller and Bylsma will be teammates fighting Crosby for international ice hockey supremacy. Crosby scored the OT GWG against Miller in to give Canada the gold medal in Vancouver in 2010.
"It did dawn on me that both those players are going to be on opposite teams again in a couple of weeks," Bylsma said. "So it did dawn on me as Sid was going in and he scores the goal. I was cheering the goal this time."
***
Will Miller start in Ottawa on Thursday night?
He said he's not sure. He said he'll play of his team needs him to.
__________________________________________________________________________
Sid being Sid.
How the Hell does he make it look so damn easy?
He's got Ryan Miller's number. 87 has recorded points in 17 straight games against the Buffalo Sabres.
___________________________________________________________________________
Its 3-1 Pens after 40 minutes of play. The Sabres took the 1-0 lead on Drew Stafford's goals in the first period, then, the Pens took control of the puck and the scoreboard. Harry Zolnierczyk made it 1-1 after 20 minutes, then the Sid and Geno freak show occurred. Poor McBain. Geno McBurned him badly.
Tonight's #Pens Goal GIFs (so far):
Zolnierczyk:
http://t.co/YmM90V0Ctd
Crosby:
http://t.co/roApRj8AiY
Malkin:
http://t.co/gMIOll5Vn8
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) February 6, 2014**
Inquiring minds want to know, do the Washington Capitals have a scout in the Buffalo press box tonight?
No. They do not.
However, the following teams have scouts on high:
Boston, Nashville, Winnipeg, St. Louis, Dallas, Toronto, Vancouver, San Jose, Chicago, Florida, Detroit, Ottawa and Tampa.
***
Memo to the other 29 members of the NHL GM union:
Tim Murray is ready to do deals. What are you waiting for?
Murray quickly warmed up an otherwise crappy, snowy Wednesday afternoon drive when he told Schopp & The Bulldog on WGR 550 in Buffalo that he has spoken with a couple of teams regarding the availability of Ryan Miller.
Murray on Miller’s “status…:
"His status at this point is he's a Buffalo Sabre. I've had talks with a couple teams, they've shown some interest. They haven't done anything yet to change that scenario."
Sound like the tire-kicking phase has segued to the discussion phase in the past few days.
Take a listen and appreciate Murray’s candor.
"
Murray said he needs “dance partners… to work with in order to craft a deal. My gut tells me that “they… must have low-balled Murray in the preliminary round on talks. Perhaps Murray is telling “them… to sharpen their pencils and to add more real value to their offer or no deal. For example, I can’t see Murray trading Miller at or before the March 5th NHL trade deadline for only a first round draft choice. Murray is in the driver’s seat. Especially if a desperate GM like Washington Capitals GM George McPhee is the voice on the other end of the line. Murray must be asking for a three-asset package for Miller that includes not only a first rounder but also a roster player and a top organizational prospect. Last year at this time, did you ever imaging that Darcy Regier could leverage a 1st, 2nd, and two top prospects from Minnesota GM Chuck Fletcher in exchange for Jason Pominville? That happened. As did Regier asking for and receiving a 1st, 2nd, and pending UFA Matt Moulson for Thomas Vanek, who is also a pending unrestricted free agent.
Think of it this way: if a GM has phoned Murray to inquire about Miller, Moulson, Ott, or any other player not named Girgensons for that matter, doesn’t that suggest that that rival GM is feeling some “pain… right about now? It’s a “tell…. Great poker players read their opponents while they are reading the cards. Ditto savvy NHL GMs. They wouldn’t be calling Murray of they were totally infatuated with their current roster of players and organizational depth. Having okay goaltending gets teams into the playoffs. It also gets that same team knocked out in the first round (see 2013 Minnesota Wild and St. Louis Blues). Great goaltending gets teams to the conference finals and the Stanley Cup Finals.
On Sunday, GMGM told NBC Sports analyst Joe Micheletti that he felt like his team would currently have ten more points right now in the Eastern standing if his goaltending were better this season. Caps head coach Adam Oates agreed with his GM. How do you think that comment from the GM made Braden Holtby and Michal Neuvirth feel about themselves and their respective contributions to the Caps this season?
I have a lot of respect Murray’s answer when he was asked if he would consider adding veteran players at the deadline as a means of convincing Ryan Miller to stay in Buffalo after this season. Murray said he’s open to adding those high-twenty to low-thirty-somethings (Ryan Callahan? Dan Girardi?) if the deal will improve the Buffalo Sabres overall moving forward. Any players he may make a trade for will be about adding equity to the future of the Buffalo Sabres, not the future of Ryan Miller. Interesting take.
I also like how Murray said that he’d be willing to trade an asset (ie: a pending UFA) in order to get his hands on a 20 or 21 year-old prospect (former first or second rounder) of another organization that has already served his AHL apprenticeship or has already completed his final season in major junior hockey. The LA Kings have been craving a sniper all season long. They are very familiar with Sabres UFA-to-be Matt Moulson. Moulson once starred for the Manchester Monarchs. He was the one that got away. If they so choose, the Kings can ease their pain and make a play to reacquire Moulson. I wonder if Kings GM Dean Lombardi would consider offering a top prospect like Tyler Toffoli (a former 2nd rounder) and a future first rounder in exchange for Moulson? It never hurts to ask, right?
You think Murray doesn’t frequent hockey websites and listen to sports talk radio? There’s not a more plugged-in, well-informed GM in the NHL right now than Murray. He has his finger on the pulse of the NHL community right now. He has the players that other GMs want to acquire and he isn’t being coy or shy. He has been tasked with that tall order of re-building the Sabres through the draft, like he was partly responsible for doing when he was in Anaheim and Ottawa.
Murray is ready.