Updated:
The San Jose Sharks have re-signed Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau to cap friendly three year contract extensions.
Thornton's AAV is $6.75M per season while Marleau's is $6.66M per.
Great signings for Doug Wilson.
Sabres sniper Matt Moulson and Thomas Vanek's market value has now been defined. Moulson and Vanek are tge two hot-demand pending UFAs.
Prediction: Let the bidding wars for Moulson and Vanek begin.Perennial 30-goal scorers will get paid fat stacks of jack with the advent of the rising salary cap. Moulson stands to double his current $3.1M AAV.
If Im Tim Murray, I trade Moulson to the contending team that agrees to send back a first and second rounder plus two prospects.
I have Vanek going home to Minneapolis. Chuck Fletcher will have no problem paying Vanek north of $6M AAV.
Let the games begin!
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Which NHL team is big enough and bad enough to shoot down the Anaheim Ducks this season? Is there a team that is better than the Ducks in the NHL this season? Bruce Boudreau’s winged warriors are 10-2-0 in their last 12 games. They are a lights out 20-3-0 in their last 23 games. On Thursday night, Anaheim outlasted Los Angeles 2- for their 11th win in their last 12 games at Honda Center (11-1-0).
As for the Kings, if they have designs on slaying the Ducks, they better go get themselves a goal scorer. NOW! The Kings are having a dreadful time putting the puck in the net. Jonathon Quick and Martin Jones continue their net brilliance, however, neither is getting goal support from the forwards and D. Something better change for the Kings or else they will only be considered one of a few contenders in the West to win the Stanley Cup. Adding an accomplished 30-goal scorer like Matt Moulson now could tip the scales in their favor and allow them to win arms race battles like the 2-1 loss to the Ducks on Thursday night.
The Ducks have it all: Bruising D, stellar goaltending, balanced goal scoring throughout its forward and D ranks. With 177 goals scored this season, the Ducks have scored the most goals through 53 games in club history. In addition Anaheim’s 126 goals allowed are the fewest in club history.
The Ducks improved to 39-10-5 (81 points) overall. This marks Anaheim’s best ever start to a season through 53 games, besting the previous mark of 32-13-8 for 72 points in 2006-07. This marks the deepest into a season (53 games) that the Ducks have ever led the league in points. (Previously 48 games, 2006-07) _______________________________________________________________________
So, TSN has polled NHL scouts and has released its own mid-season draft rankings of the top junior prospects who are eligible for the 2014 entry draft. We've seen a lot of the top prospects at the WJCs and at last week's top prospects game in Calgary. Its appropriate to discuss the mid-season rankings.
I happen to agree wholeheartedly with their top pick, Aaron Ekblad of the Barrie Colts.
The 6'4 220 lb. D has been a is +33 this season and has 14 goals and 18 assists this season. He played very well for team Canada at the recently concluded IIHF World Junior Hockey Championships tourney in Malmo, Sweden.
TSN Director of Scouting Craig Button:
When you build a team, you need a solid foundation. Aaron is a pillar defenseman who can play 25 minutes or more and do so in all important situations. His on-ice maturity is exceptional.
TSN Director of Scouting Craig Button:
"When you build a team, you need a solid foundation. Aaron is a pillar defenseman who can play 25 minutes or more and do so in all important situations. His on-ice maturity is exceptional".
Bang on assessment.
The rest of the TSN Top 10 NHL draft prospects:
2. Sam Reinhart 3. Sam Bennett 4. Michael Dal Colle 5. Leon Draisaitl 6. Haydn Fleury 7. Nick Ritchie 8. Brendan Perlini 9. Kasperi Kapanen 10. Jake Virtanen
I have no argument with TSN's 2 and 3 rankings. Personally. I'd rank Draisaitl above Dal Colle at this juncture but both players are very deserving of their top 5 rankings. I would slot Perlini at 6, Ritchie at 7 and Fleury at 8. I have no qulams with Kapanen at 9 and Virtanen at 10.
Assuming Buffalo finishes last overall in the NHL standings and wins the first overall pick in the lottery, and the draft were next week, I would have no problems at all selecting Ekblad first overall in the June entry draft. I know that the Sabres need offense more than D at this point but I wouldn't be so quick to bypass Ekblad. The scouts that I speak with tell me that Ekblad is the real deal. He's mature beyond his 17 years and is physically ready to play in the NHL now. I can't say no to a 6'4 20 lb. D who loves to eat minutes and plays great D. I realize that the Sabres have studs Ristolainen, Zadorov, McCabe ,and Ruhwedel in their organizational pipeline right now. I don't care. I'd get my hands on Ekblad before the Calgary Flames or Edmonton Oilers do. I'd use the 1st rounder acquired from the NY Islanders to grab a scoring forward. That is, IF the Islanders decide to give the pick to the Sabres this June instead of in June 2015. I'd select my scoring forward with the pick received from the Islanders.
I like Reinhart and Bennett. I'm not sold on either as a first overall pick today. Of course, that all can change in the next 4 months. There's a chance that one or both will be available when Buffalo makes its second pick in the first round.
Look at the 2013 entry draft and you'll see that there were some surprise selections that re-shuffled the top ten draft deck. Who saw Barkov jumping the 2 hole? Seth Jones falling to #4? Monahan falling to #6? Nurse falling to #7? Ristolainen going 8th? Nichushkin falling to #10?
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Sabres GM Tim Murray reiterated Wednesday afternoon his position on his team's current roster:
"We are open for business", Murray told WGR radio in Buffalo.
Murray told Pierre LeBrun on Wednesday that the market would determine the futures of his UFAs to be Ryan Miller, Matt Moulson and Steve Ott, to say nothing of other players on his current roster. Murray's got his dealing shows and is ready for concrete, tangible offers. The time for tire kicking is long since gone because as Murray said it, there are quite a few teams that are on the bubble right now in each conference who have designs on making the playoffs this season. Many bubble team GMs are looking to add a role player or two to make his respective team better. Murray confirmed that there is a lot of conversations and that they will continue. Will trades be made before the Olympic roster freeze on February 7? Murray says that he doubts it, however, says anything is possible.
I love how Murray refers to himself as a "horse trader", however he said that he doesn't want to treat his players "like cattle".
Courtesy WGR, here's the sit down with Tim Murray. Fast forward through the boring Buffalo Bills news to the 21:05 mark and listen until the 34 minute marker to hear a very candid and revealing interview with the most talked about GM in the NHL today. Stick tap, Schopp and Bulldog.
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Several NHL teams have dispatched their scouts to tonight's Sabres-Canes game. Among them: St. Louis, LA, Anaheim, San Jose, Dallas, Columbus, and Phoenix.
More to come...
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