The Kibosh (sabres benning chiarelli bruins lafontaine)

sabres benning chiarelli bruins lafontaine

The Kibosh

By GARTH'S CORNER

Nov 20, 2013 • 1:37 pm

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Mikhail Grigorenko

Updated:

The Sabres attempt to send Mikhail Grigorenko to AHL Rochester for a two week conditioning assignment has been kiboshed. The news was true. The NHL is not okay with the 19 year old skating in the AHL, not even for two weeks.

Back to the drawing board for Pat LaFontaine, who on Tuesday returned four young prospects to their respective development teams. He sent Nikita Zadorov back to OHL London. He also sent Rasmus Ristolainen and Johan larsson to the Amerks. The intended idea for Grigo was to send him to the Amerks, play him a ton in the next two weeks, then call him back to Buffalo for another look see.

On Wednesday morning, the NHL pulled out its Buffalo-shaped voodoo doll and poked another needle through it.

Here's the long and short of it:

The NHL is upholding an agreement that it has in place with the Canadian Hockey League.

"We determined that the assignment would not have been consistent with our obligations under the league's agreement with the CHL," said NHL spokesman Frank Brown.

The NHL's rejection of the player move eliminates a crucial option for Pat LaFontaine.

Now, the Sabres have to re-group on the matter and they must choose to either reconsider and keep Grigorenko in Buffalo until further notice, or, they will try to return Grigorenko to the Quebec Remparts. The former looks like the most plausible option right now as the Remparts are already at their two "import" player roster limit. Will Remps GM Phillipe Boucher be willing to make a trade of either of his import players, Sorensen or Herzog, to make room for Grigorenko? Or, will Boucher trade Grigo's junior rights to another team in "The Q" who can use a scoring centerman who has 40 games of NHL experience under his belt at 19 years of age.

Grigorenko had difficulty earning playing time in Buffalo. Before the demotion, he missed two straight games and five of seven as a healthy scratch.

What more can go wrong for this kid in his brief, albeit, emotional roller coaster of a first year in professional hockey in North America?

My take:

Ted Nolan and Pat LaFontaine should sit the kid down imemdiately and have a heart to heart with him. Their team isn't going to be representing the Eastern Conference in the Stanley Cup Finals. There has to be a role on this Sabres team that he can play. He needs repetition. He needs continuity. He needs his confidence back. Nolan has turned around Tyler Ennis' entire game in just three practices and three games under Nolan. Look at how Marcus Foligno plays under Nolan. What about Girgensons? Nolan has the opportunity to teach Grigo the right way to play in the NHL. His confidence must be shot right now. Hell, he can't even get demoted properly for crying out loud. he was on the right path with Lindy Ruff, then Rolston took over and parked the kid in the corner of the garage like a snow blower waiting for a lake effect storm to be finally used.

Nolan is the right man to coach Grigorenko. The kid has to be willing to act humble and contrite and to listen to all of the knowledge and guidance that not only his head coach but the assistants and his teammates are giving him.

Maybe this is the hunk of humble pie that Grigo has needed to take a bite out of some time now.

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Luke Adam and Brayden McNabb will make their triumphant returns to teh Buffalo Sabres lineup on Thursday night in Philly.

Adam has 13 goals in 15 games with the Amerks this season.

McNabb has 2 goals and 10 assists in 15 games and has 29 PIMs.

Adam and McNabb add more NHL experience to the Buffalo lineup then Johan Larsson and rasmus Ristolainen did.

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Pat LaFontaine’s persistence appears to have paid off in his quest to interview and hire the next head coach for the Buffalo Sabres. The Sabres’ newly minted president of hockey operations has been in contact with several NHL teams, most notably, Pittsburgh and Boston to ask permission to interview their respective assistant GMs for the vacant GM job in Buffalo.

Its true. When Pat LaFontaine calls is NHL GM counterparts around the NHL, they pick up the phone and engage him in conversation.

On Tuesday, Boston Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli, granted LaFontaine permission to speak with Boston Bruins assistant general manager Jim Benning for GM job that was vacated when Darcy Regier was fired last Tuesday night after the Sabres had beaten the LA Kings on home ice, in the shootout.

"I've talked to LaFontaine a couple of times and he asked today for permission, so we gave him permission," Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli said.

Benning has served as the assistant general manager of the Bruins for the past seven in his current role. Benning knows the Sabres organization well, having worked for the team for 12 seasons, including eight as the director of amateur scouting. Chiarelli told the Associated Press that he’s pleased that the Sabres are interested to speak with Benning.

"You feel proud," Chiarelli said of Buffalo's interest in Benning. "Both our assistants, Donnie Sweeney and Jimmy, both are very deserving of that type of thing. They've helped us and they've grown as professionals and it speaks well of the organization when that happens and you feel proud. It's always a good thing when people are advancing and this is another example of that."

One important thing to consider about Benning is that he was in the Buffalo front office the last time that Ted Nolan was the head coach in Buffalo. The two men know one one another having worked together in their careers. Should Benning be named head coach, he may be more accepting of Nolan as his head coach, moreso than another candidate, say for instance Pittsburgh’s Jason Boterill, who may have designs on selecting his own head coach. The Buffalo situation is unique right now in the GM candidates who will be interviewed have to know and respect that the LaFontaine-Nolan bond is a strong one. Although Nolan’s business card reads “Interim Head Coach Buffalo Sabres…, the expectation level among the fans and media is that Nolan will be installed as the permanent head coach at the conclusion of the 2013-14 regular season. I haven’t heard any buzz about Benning and Nolan other than to say that both men respect one another and have collaborated together in the past. I think Benning would be an excellent addition to the Sabres organization. He’s had success in Buffalo in the past. Since he departed Buffalo for Boston, he’s honed his skills and has become an even better hockey man. The Bruins won the Stanley Cup in 2011 and Benning’s fingerprints are all over that Cup winning roster, be it through draft choices (Marchand, Lucic), trades (Paille), free agent acquistions (Horton), or more importantly, trades that weren’t made.

On my GM candidate hierarchy, I rank Benning second behind Rick Dudley as my favorite candidates to become the next GM of the Buffalo Sabres.

Talk about full circle. Benning drafted Ryan Miller in the 5th round out of Michigan State.

If Benning is hired as GM, he will be involved directly with Miller once again. Miller will be UFA in July 2014.

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