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Going To A Bogo

December 27, 2019, 2:39 PM ET [6 Comments]
GARTH'S CORNER
NHL news by Garth • RSSArchiveCONTACT
Happy Holidays from balmy Buffalo where the temps are in the 50s and it was a green Christmas.

The forecast calls for more of the same for the next week.

The NHL resumes play tonight with eleven games on the schedule after the mandatory NHL holiday break.

The NHL holiday roster freeze will officially thaw at the stroke of midnight in the East on Saturday December 28.


Get ready because several NHL general managers are going to activate their trade behavior early in order to beat the rush.


There will be trades ahead of the February 24 NHL trade deadline. New Jesery Devils GM Ray Shero and Arizona Coyotes GM John Chayka were the first GMs to break the ice.


On December 16, the New Jersey Devils traded pending unrestricted free agent forward and former NHL MVP Taylor Hall to the Arizona Desert Dogs in exchange in exchange for lucartive trade package including:

Arizona’s 2020 first-round draft pick (conditional), 2021 third-round draft pick (conditional), and prospects Kevin Bahl, Nick Merkley, and Nate Schnarr.

The Coyotes are also acquired prospect forward Blake Speers as part of the blockbuster deal.


The Devils agreed to retain 50% of Hall’s $6M AAV. Hall is in the final year of his current congtract and is eligible for unrestricted free agent on July 1, 2020.



In Buffalo, the Sabres are hosting Atlantic Division rivals the Boston Bruins. A win tonight will elevate Eichel & Associates into third place in the Atlantic Division standings.


Sabres GM Jason Botterill has several trade scenarios in progress. Botterill must give his captain Jack Eichel the gift of more goal scoring. Eichel has been having a Hart Trophy season. With 24 goals in 37 games so far this season, Jack Eichel is on pace to shatter his previous best goal total (28), set in the 2018-19 season.


Eichel’s output through 38 team games currently has him on pace to finish the season with 53 goals and 112 points, which would be the highest goal and point totals by a Sabre since Pat LaFontaine (53+95) and Alexander Mogilny (76+51) in 1992-93.


LaFontaine (83 in 1992-93) and Mogilny (78 in 1992-93) are the only Sabres ever to have recorded more even-strength points in a season than the 77 Eichel is currently on pace for.


Botterill must acquire a top six forward in the near future. Botterill owes Eichel and the Sabres a difference maker. His players have lived up to their end of the bargain. The Sabres have put their team in a position to qualify for their first Stanley Cup playoff berth in ten seasons. They are competitive on most nights and are no longer folding like a crusty leisure suit.

The Sabres have been pesky and highly entertaining. They are one of the best teams in the NHL on home ice with their 11-3-3 record. At times they struggle to score goals on the road. Adding another goal scorer will help to kick start the offense on Jeff Skinner's unit.

Skinner has 11 goals after 38 games, however, would be scoring at a higher rate at even strength if he had a legit collaborator on his line along with center Marcus Johansson.

Botterill has been working his sources since the summer. It's time to make a deal, Jason.


Jack can't continue to carry his teammates on his shoulders for the next four months.


It won't surprise me when Botterill finally pulls the trigger on a trade or two. Botterill has eight NHL defensemen in Buffalo. Boterill laso has a bevy of skilled puck movers in Rochester in Lawrence Pilut, Will Borgen, John Gilmour, Jacob Bryson and Casey Fitzgerald.

To call it awkward is a mild understatement. Call it poor asset management.

Depending on the opponent, Ralph Kreuger may role six or seven D which relegates one of two defensemen to the press box. This trend continues to occur in Buffalo and I think its become a huge distraction. Botterill needs to trade a defenseman.


Two weeks ago, veteran defenseman Zach Bogosian requested a trade. Bogosian underwent successful hip surgery last summer. He made his season debut in November. Bogosian was a scratch in mid-Dedcember and requested a trade because he was concerned about his lack of playing time. Bogosian clearly opting to put his needs ahead of the team has illuminated the problems Botterill and Kreuger have on their D corps. They act like its a bad problem to have eight healthy NHL defensemen who can battle, compete and create offense.

Trade Bogosian already. His ice time has been taken away by the team's three best right shot defensemen in the reinvigorated Rasmus Ristolainen, and highly competitive veteran in Brandin Montour and twenty year old whiz kid Henri Jokiharju. Bogosian has been a healthy scratch five times in the last seven games.

Bogosian will be UFA in July and will not be re~signing with the Sabres.


Another Buffalo defenseman that can fetch serious trade value is Colin Miller, who Botterill traded to Las Vegas second and fifth round picks for back in June.

At the time of the Miller trade with the Golden Knights, Ristolainen was Buffalo's odd man out on defense. In June, it appeared as though Ristolainen's days were numbered as a Sabre. He was mad as hell and wasn't going to take losing anymore. Botterill acquired Miller and Jokiharju (in July from Chicago) to counter-balance the inevitable loss of Ristolainen and his 25:00 TOI per game.

There was no way for Botterill to predict that Ralph Kreuger and Rasmus Ristolainen would forge the tight, collegial relationship that they have in the first 38 games of Kreuger's first year as Sabres head coach.

Ristolainen has accepted a reduction in his ice time to 22:50 TOI and he has become a more responsible defender for it. In 38 games played this season, Ristolainen has scored 3G,14A. Ristolainen is +6 this season after finishing -41 last season.

Kreuger has been the Ristolainen Whisperer and there are no longer trade rumors surrounding the feisty Finn.

I don't know what Colin Miller did to piss off Kreuger but it appears he has lost the trust of his head coach. The vetreran has been healthy yet has played in only 27 games.
Miller has scored 1G,5A and is -6. Miller will draw back into ths lineup tonight versus Boston due to a sickness to veteran D Marco Scandella. There will be scouts o'plenty in the house to assess Miller's play with and without the puck.


To get a top six forward that has term left on his contract, Botterill will have to trade defenseman Colin Miller, forward Conor Sheary or Evan Rodrigues, and a second round draft choice. For a pending UFA, thee second rounder will have to be upgraded to a conditional first rounder (See: Taylor Hall).



Let's take a look at the top six forwards that Buffalo have been tracking:



View this post on Instagram

Tonight!🏒

A post shared by Tomas Hertl (@hertlik48) on




Tomas Hertl, San Jose Sharks

The Sharks are tied for dead last in the NHL standings and are sinking like a sunset. The Sharks own a dismal -32 goal differential. Despite Pete DeBoer being fired the team is 1-8-1 in its last 10 games. Hertl,26, is the power forward the Sabres desperately have been seeking. Hertl plays all three forward positions. He is big, fast, strong and highly skilled. He's also a great value at $5.625 million for the next three seasons. In 439 career regular season games, Hertl has scored 130G,144A. Last season, he scored 35G,39A. This season, Hertl has scored 14G,16A. In 62 career playoffs games, Hertl has scored 24G,18A.


Hertl is a client of Newport Sports Management, the agency that Botterill likes to do his hockey business with. Oh, by the way, Colin Miller is also repped by Newport Sports.





Rickard Rakell, Anaheim Ducks

The Ducks also are tied for dead last in the NHL standings and have been scouting the Sabres for months. Rakell plays all three forwatrd positions. The Ducks have done an excellent job of drafting young, skilled forwards in Trevor Zegras, Sam Steel, Max Jones, Max Comtois, Troy Terry and Isac Lundestrom. The Ducks need to upgrade their D corps both at the NHL and AHL level. Rakell, 26, has scored 10G,15A in 36 games this season. In 418 career regular season games, Rakell has scored 124G,142A for 266 points. In 46 career playoff games, Rakell has scored 11G,8A. Rakell earns $3,789,444 for the next three seasons.


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You 💙 to see it.

A post shared by New York Rangers (@nyrangers) on



Chris Kreider, NY Rangers
Kreider is a pending UFA and will likely be testing the market on July 1, 2020. Kreider is very productive and is responsible on both sides of the puck. He would add needed scoring pop to Buffalo's second line. He also infuses power and purpose. Kreider will earn $4,625,000 this season. In 36 games played this season, Kreider has 10G,11A. In 496 career regular season games, Kreider has scored 143G,149A. In 77 playoff games, Kreider has produced 23G,14A. The Rangers are looking for a 2020 first round pick in a deal for Kreider.

Botterill has to decide if he is willing to trade his 2020 first rounder on a player who may or may not re-sign with the Sabres on July 1, 2020. I think Botterill would go all-in on trading his 2020 first rounder if Kreider and prospect forward Lias Andersson were a package deal. Chris Kreider and Lias Andersson for Colin Miller and Buffalo's 2020 first rounder.



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🤸‍♂️🏒

A post shared by Tyler Toffoli (@tofff73) on





Tyler Toffoli, Los Angeles Kings
Toffoli, 27, will be an unrestricted free agent on July 1, 2020. The Scarborough, Ontario native has scored 130 goals and 147 assists in 493 career regular season games. In 49 Stanley Cup playoff games, Toffoli has scored 9 goals and 12 assists.

Toffoli’s career high for goals scored in a season is 31 tucks. Toffoli plays both wing positions.

Toffoli has his name twice engraved upon the Stanley Cup Toffoli is earning $4.6M AAV this season.

2019-20: 38 games – 9 goals, 12 assists, 21 points, -4, 15:45 ATOI
2018-19: 82 games – 13 goals, 21 assists, 34 points, -16, 17:13 ATOI

Botterill won't have to trade his 2020 first rounder to acquire Toffoli.








Alex Tuch, Vegas Golden Knights
Tuch is in the first yeear of his new seven contract that pays him $4.750M AAV. In I81 career regular season games, the big, skilled power forward has scored 40G,60A and 100 points.






Andreas Athanasiou, Detroit Red Wings

Athanasiou, who plays all three forward positions, scored 30 goals last season, however, he doesn't factor in the future in Detroit.


Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman made an in-person scouting mission to Buffalo last Saturday. I'm told Stevie Y is close to trading the pending RFA with arbitration rights Athanasiou for a defenseman. The Red Wings are a bad hockey team and should begin the tear down project to Tank For Alex LaFreneiere.

In 282 career regular season contects, Athanasious has scored 78G,69A for 147 points,including 5G,12A this season.


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Thank you Devils fans. It was a fun year 👊🏼

A post shared by Miles Wood (@miles.wood44) on





Miles Wood, New Jersey Devils

Wood, 24, is an excellent power forward who has scored 41G,42A in 236 career regular season games. Wood, a Buffalo native, can play up and down the lineup.

Wood is in the second year of his four year contract that pays him $2.75M AAV.



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