Last summer, NHL legend Paul Bissonnette filed his retirement papers with the NHLPA. He traded in his twig and 5:00 TOI per game for a microphone.
In his first media foray, BizNasty2Point0 invaded the beautiful British Columbia.
BizNasty and his new media teammates created a hilarious 5-episode documentary.
I love this first episode. LOVE it because it features the Buffalo Sabres.
Biz knows the Buffalo Sabres very well having grown up just a short par three away in nearby Welland, Ontario.
I came for the exclusive rap with Buffalo Sabres all star center Jack Eichel (2nd overall, 2015).
However, I stayed for the Samson Reinhart party.
Watch as BizNasty flips his lid when he learns of a plot of conceit by his producer who head-faked him with and Eichel 1v1. Unbeknownst to Biz, the producer replaced the Eichel exclusive with a face to face with West Vancouver native Reinhart.
Had BizNasty done his homework, he would have asked questions of Reinhart to spill the beans on Eichel's away-from-the-rink personality and habits.
Media pigeon.
Reinhart was the #2 overall pick behind Aaron Ekblad at the 2014 NHL Draft.
Dude can't get any love from BizNasty, who himself said he wanted "filet Mignon" in Eichel but had to settle for "ground chuck" in Reinhart.
Reinhart, 22, is a pending restricted free agent. In 2017-18, the Kootenay Ice legend scored 25 goals and 25 assists in 82 games for the Sabres. His 50 points last season are a career high.
In 249 career games with the Sabres, Reinhart has scored 65 goals and 75 assists for 140 points. Dude, that ain't chopped liver.
In my opinion, Reinhart has earned a multi-year contract with the Sabres. Reinhart and his agent are likely asking the Sabres for a five year, $25 million contract moving forward. As of locker clean out day in Buffalo, Botterill had yet to speak with Reinhart';s agent about an extension to stay in Buffalo. Last summer, Botterill opted to not re-sign Reinhart. The then first year NHL GM told Reinhart to "show me what you've got".
Reinhart started his season slowly but when the calendar flipped to "2018", Reinhart went to work showing Botterill wwhat he was made of.
Reinhart scored 18 goals and 19 assists in his last 38 games of the season. He scored 20 goals in 43 games in 2018, which tied him for 12th-most in the NHL from January 1 until the end of the regular season.
Now Reinhart is telling Botterill, and BizNasty: "SHOW ME!"
Hopefully, Botterill and the Sabres won't be treating Reinhart at the negotiating table like BizNasty did last summer. That would suck for Samson. Don't be surprised if Reinhart ends up in his hometown Vancouver with the Canucks next season. I'm not saying it will happen. It very wel could happen. The Canucks scouted Buffalo heavily in 2017-18. They were looking at two players in particular: pending UFA Evander Kane and pending RFA Samson Reinhart. Both players are VanCity natives. With the recent joint retirement of the legendary Sedin twins, the Canucks now have approximately $20 million in slary cap space to invenst in their foorward ranks and defense for next season. Botterill and the Sabres will be shaking up the veteran core. I can see a scenario where the Sabres hold on to center Ryan O'Reilly and D Rasmus Ristolainen and trade center/winger Reinhart for a power winger to play alongside Jack Eichel. Vancouver has two intriguing winger prospects in Cole Lind and Jonah Gadjovich that can be used as currency to acquire a playmaking, scoring young veteran forward like Reinhart.
By comparison, Bissonnette was an NHL pylon. He was one of the best fifth liners in the history of the NHL. In a short period of time, he has become a social media star. The media room is a more hilarious place when BizNasty is in it.
In 202 career games with the Pittsburgh Penguins and Phoenix Coyotes, BizNasty scored 7 goals and 15 while compiling 340 PIMs.
Press play and take a tour of picturesque Vancouver with BizNasty and Samson Reinhart.
Thanks, Barstool Sports
**
As I reported in April, Swedish defenseman Lawrence Pilut is a Buffalo Sabre.
Jason Botterill has signed Pilut to a two-year, entry-level contract.
Pilut led all Swedish Hockey League defensemen with 8 goals, 30 assists in 52 games for HV71 last season and was named the 2017-18 SHL Defenseman of the Year. He also ranked fifth in the league in assists and 13th in points.
The Buffalo blueline is badly need of an extreme makeover. Phil Housley’s D corps was brutal last season with injuries to Zach Bogosian, Jake McCabe and Marco Scandella. All are expected to return healthy and motivated in 2018-19. Rasmus Ristolainen’s season started slowly but finished on an up trend.
Help us in the way.
Jason Botterill will be investing the first overall pick in the NHL Draft in Swedish rockstar D-man Rasmus Dahlin.
Veteran rear guards Josh Gorges and Justin Falk are about to leave Buffalo as UFAs. Import D-man Victor Antipin may be heading home to his mother Russia after a forgettable first season on NHL ice. First year D Nathan Beaulieu never adapted to Housley’s north-high pace D posture. It would not surprise me if he is traded this summer.
Wunderkind D Brendan Guhle is expected to push hard for a top four role in 2018-19. Casey Nelson came in strong and made a favorable impression by earning the trust of Housley. Pilut will be given the opportunity to compete for an NHL job at training camp.
A native of Tingsryd, Sweden, Pilut scored 15 goals and 56 assists in 191 career SHL games. Pilut, the son of an American father who played professionally in Sweden, represented Tre Kronor at the 2015 IIHF World Junior Championship, where he scored two goals and added two assists in eight games.
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