Yup, Jost too. Making $2m this year so give him the bump for 1 year to take him to FA

It's very easy to make this a floor team while selling a vision of the future
- Hank Balling

Curious how long they get to keep selling the vision on the future before making the playoffs actually matters as an expectation.

Curious how long they get to keep selling the vision on the future before making the playoffs actually matters as an expectation.
- kingcong39

Well been trying to sell that since Eichel so it could be awhile.

miller's last playoff game as a sabre

he got yanked in game 7 vs the flyers and refused to sit on the bench and watch the rest of the series
- homiedclown

Found this online:

Miller was utterly hit or miss as he posted a 2.93/.917 in the seven games. He earned 1-0 shutouts in Game 1 and Game 4 (goals by Patrick Kaleta and Jason Pominville, respectively, won the games). But he also gave up five goals in losses in Games 2 and 6, and four before getting yanked in favor of Jhonas Enroth in Game 7.

Miller kept the Sabres afloat in the first period of the finale as the game remained scoreless into the final minute even though the Flyers had outshot Buffalo, 14-2. But Paul Gaustad lost a defensive zone faceoff in the final 30 seconds and Braydon Coburn's point shot deflected off the glove off Mike Grier past Miller to give the Flyers a lead they would not relinquish.

Miller got pulled two minutes into the third period after Buffalo fell into a 4-0 hole on a goal by Ville Leino, who scored three times in the series. That's how Leino infamously earned his way into the heart – and wallet – of owner Terry Pegula to become one of the worst free agent signings in NHL history less than three months later.

Current Philly captain Claude Giroux, then a 23-year-old in his second full NHL season, led the Flyers with eight assists and nine points in the series. Philly's top goal scorer? It was former Sabres co-captain Daniel Briere, who scored six times in the series and burned Buffalo with a power-play goal at 4:45 of the second period in Game 7 to put the Sabres in a 2-0 hole.

Ryan Miller was with the Sabres for parts of 12 seasons, so here are 12 key moments in his Sabres' career:

1. The NHL debut, Nov. 19, 2002: Miller was distraught after a 4-3 overtime loss at New Jersey. And he had good reason, as he was working a shutout for 43 minutes before giving up three third-period goals and losing at 1:23 of OT on a goal by future Hall of Famer Scott Niedermayer.

2. Taking the crease, Dec, 19, 2005: Miller stopped 33 of 34 shots through OT and earned a 2-1 victory at Philadelphia in his first game in nearly two months after suffering a broken thumb. It started a stretch where Miller went 19-4-2 and ensured he would be the No. 1 goalie for the rest of his years in Buffalo.


3. The first playoff shutout, April 30, 2006: Miller stopped all 24 shots he faced to blank Philadelphia 3-0 and give the Sabres a 3-2 lead in the first round in an NBC-televised game played at a raucous HSBC Arena.

4. Star power, Jan. 24, 2007: Miller joined Daniel Briere, Brian Campbell and coach Lindy Ruff at the All-Star Game in Dallas. It was the first time the Sabres had three reps since 1990. The East won 12-9 as Briere earned MVP honors with a five-point night. Miller allowed three goals in his period of play.

5. Tough loss, May 19, 2007: Miller is beaten by Daniel Alfredsson in overtime as Ottawa wins Game 5 of the Eastern Conference final 3-2 in HSBC Arena to win the series. Briere and Chris Drury leave in free agency two months later and it's another three years before the Sabres return to the playoffs.


6. The game on his stick: That was the call of NBC announcer Mike Emrick as Sidney Crosby approached Miller during the shootout of the first Winter Classic in Ralph Wilson Stadium. Crosby chipped the puck between Miller's legs to give Pittsburgh a 2-1 win in the snow in front of a then-NHL record crowd of 71,217. It came in the midst of a nine-game losing streak that was Miller's worst of his career, and was particularly frustrating because he went 0-4 in shootouts over the stretch.

7. Gold turns into silver: Crosby beat Miller in overtime of the gold medal game at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, but Miller was named the tournament's MVP – and got a standing ovation in Pittsburgh a few days later when he was introduced during a break in the game. In the handshake line, Team Canada assistant and Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said to his goalie, "Let's go win a Cup."

8. Miraculous save still not enough, April 21, 2010: Miller made one of the most spectacular saves of his career in Game 4 of the Sabres' first-round series in Boston, diving to his left to stop former Buffalo winger Miroslav Satan's shot in overtime with his glove. But Satan would score in the second OT and the Sabres would lose the series in six games, a disappointing finish to a season in which Buffalo won the Northeast Division.



9. The Vezina: Miller won his lone award as the NHL's outstanding goalie on June 23, 2010, earning 28 of 30 first place votes. He set a franchise record and ranked fourth among NHL goaltenders with 41 wins, was second in GAA (2.22) and save percentage (.929) and tied a career high with five shutouts.

10. The last time, April 24, 2011: Miller makes 44 saves, but the Sabres lose Game 6 of a first-round series in overtime to Philadelphia 6-5 in HSBC Arena. To date, it is the last Stanley Cup Playoff game in Buffalo. Miller had stopped 68 of 71 shots in the previous two games, including a 32-save shutout, as the Sabres had taken a 3-2 lead in the series. Buffalo lost Game 7 in Philly and has yet to play in the postseason since.

11. The hit, Nov. 12, 2011: You remember. Miller. Milan Lucic. Charging. Not much response. It came in a 6-2 loss in Boston and sent the Sabres' season on a downward spiral from which they didn't recover. Miller sat out a couple of weeks with a concussion.

12. The final game and the trade. Miller made 36 saves in his final game as a Sabre, a 3-2 win over Carolina on Feb. 25, 2014. Three days later, with the trade deadline approaching, Miller was dealt, along with captain Steve Ott

Bills to play in London

I may go even though I am a miserable jets fan

Bills to play in London

I may go even though I am a miserable jets fan
- dmarsden2988

Bad thing is it counts as one of are Home games.

I didn’t realize how bad Slafkovsky has been for the Habs.

https://twitter.com/jfres...&t=Zrhp8ZDWeEMiy58qgo6T1Q

I didn’t realize how bad Slafkovsky has been for the Habs.

https://twitter.com/jfres...&t=Zrhp8ZDWeEMiy58qgo6T1Q
- ImThatGuy

Should have never kept him with the big club, needs to grow into that lanky body.

Bills to play in London

I may go even though I am a miserable jets fan
- dmarsden2988

why whats wrong with zach wilson

I didn’t realize how bad Slafkovsky has been for the Habs.

https://twitter.com/jfres...&t=Zrhp8ZDWeEMiy58qgo6T1Q
- ImThatGuy

yeah some people are going to get the flame throwers out but that kid was never really the kind of player that had 'nhl @ 18' written on his forehead. there's no reason he should have been with Montreal past the preseason, and the preseason showed that.

The Athletic
NHL
NHL

Teams
Scores & Schedule
Standings
• • •
Trade board
Trade rumors and news
NHL 99 series
Top 2023 draft prospects
Which NHL prospects saw their stock rise in the first half of the season?

EDMONTON, ALBERTA - AUGUST 11: Carter Mazur #34 of United States looks on against Switzerland in their Group B game of the 2022 IIHF World Junior Championship at Rogers Place on August 11, 2022 in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. (Photo by Lawrence Scott/Getty Images)
By Corey Pronman
4h ago
16

Save Article
On the heels of our midseason update of the best NHL players and prospects under the age of 23 this week, today I thought I would highlight the young players who saw their prospect stocks rise the most in the first half among the higher echelon names.

Alexander Nikishin, LHD, Carolina
Calling Nikishin a riser may be an understatement. After being a third-round pick in the 2020 NHL Draft, he’s looked like a top five pick this season in the KHL. He’s been arguably the best defenseman in the KHL as a 21-year-old. His skating, physicality and size made him very interesting as an NHL prospect, but he’s added much more offense than I thought he had. Nikishin is making difficult plays with the puck now on a consistent basis to go with his bomb from the point. Now he has all the tools you want in an NHL player. The issue is his contract. After SKA traded for him this summer, they extended him until the end of the 2024-25 KHL season (this is according to SKA’s GM Roman Rotenberg). Thus, this could be another Evgeny Kuznetsov/Kirill Kaprizov situation — a wait for a major Russian prospect.


Tyler Boucher, RW, Ottawa
It’s a little weird to be profiling a recent 10th overall pick who I think projects as a middle-six winger, but after how tough Boucher’s 2021-22 season went, it wasn’t clear that was going to be his projection. He looks a lot better between his play in the OHL and world juniors this season. The most important thing I’ve seen on top of some more offensive touch is that his game has more pace to it to go with his usual physicality. That combination of traits should translate into a good pro, presuming he can stay healthy.

Filip Bystedt, C, San Jose
Bystedt has looked solid versus men this season and with Sweden’s U20 team at various tournaments throughout the year including the world juniors. His toolkit has always been highly enticing, but the consistency wasn’t always there. That part of his game still isn’t perfect, but it’s been better this season. So now you have a tall, fast, skilled center who can score and shows up more often; it makes for an exciting pro prospect.

Ryan Greene, C, Chicago
Greene was a tough player to figure out as a draft eligible. In the USHL you saw the talent he had. He was a good skater with legit skill, playmaking and finishing ability who also killed penalties for his junior team. Yet in his draft season he was 30th in league scoring and well below a point/game. I still liked him because of the talent but wasn’t over the moon about him. This season we’ve seen that talent again as a freshman at Boston University, but it’s on display more consistently. Greene has been excellent in college and came very close to making Canada’s U20 team.

Wyatt Johnston, C, Dallas
Things are going quite well for Wyatt Johnston and the Dallas Stars of late. After being the best player in the OHL last season, Johnston made Dallas as a teenager and hasn’t looked out of place in one of the league’s best offenses. He’s been on a steep upward trajectory ever since his significant growth spurt a few years ago to go with his great skill, vision and competitiveness. The knock on him has been a lack of top-end speed, but given those strengths and weaknesses I’ve talked to NHL scouts this season who compare his game to David Krejci. So far he’s shown his weaknesses aren’t holding him back in the big leagues.

Jiri Kulich, LW, Buffalo
Kulich has been very good in the AHL for an 18-year-old, playing a significant role on Rochester’s team. Kulich has skill and can score goals. That’s been evident in how he’s scored against men and juniors historically, but it’s his style of play that has really appealed to scouts. He is a competitor who gives an honest effort every night, goes to the high traffic areas, and has good pace in his game. I wouldn’t call him a dynamic player, but he does a lot of things very well and just continues to produce, coming off a great world juniors as well.

Carter Mazur, RW, Detroit
Mazur’s significant upward trend of development over the last few years has carried into this season, where he’s been one of the very best players in college hockey. His skating and compete level have always been positives in his game, but the level of offense he’s showing right now is quite significant compared to a few seasons ago. Mazur can shoot the puck, has good hands and offensive sense to go with his speed and direct style of play. He’s looking like someone who could be a top six winger in the NHL one day.

Juuso Parssinen, C, Nashville
Parssinen has to be one of the best prospect stories of the season and the biggest riser overall. After being a seventh-round pick in 2019, Parssinen has often lined up as Nashville’s first-line center this season. While I don’t think he’s an actual 1C, more of a 2/3 for me, that is a massive add to the organization from one of the very last selections of his draft class. Parssinen’s skating is still not great, but he’s shown a ton of skill and natural playmaking ability in the years since his draft. I saw flashes of skill when he was younger but did not see this level of puck game coming. He combines that with a good sized frame and a willingness to attack the inside with that frame. That pro-style mentality to go with his creativity has and will continue to lend itself to a lot of success.

Jimmy Snuggerud, RW, St. Louis
Snuggerud has been great this season, being a top scorer in college and then at the world juniors. Snuggerud was a top line forward with the USNTDP in his draft season but he was never *the guy* on that team. In fact, four other forwards on that team were picked ahead of him. Snuggerud was always viewed as a skilled goal scorer who worked hard but there were questions about his foot speed and how dynamic he was offensively. He’s shown this season he has another level of offense while still being one of the harder workers on the ice. Snuggerud is trending to being a strong top-six winger.

William Wallinder, LHD, Detroit
Wallinder has been excellent in the SHL this season, as the 20-year-old has been one of the top players for Rogle. As a 6-foot-4 defenseman who can skate quite well for his size and is showing a lot of offense this season, you can one day envision Wallinder in an NHL top four. His defending and physicality could use some improvement, but he’s not deficient as a defender. The tools he has distinguish him as a pro prospect, especially with the level of skill and playmaking he’s showing right now.

(Photo of Carter Mazur: Lawrence Scott / Getty Images)

What did you think of this story?

Rate as MEH
MEH

Rate as SOLID
SOLID

Rate as AWESOME
AWESOME


Corey Pronman is the senior NHL prospects writer for The Athletic. Previously, Corey worked in a similar role at ESPN. Follow Corey on Twitter @coreypronman

Kulich is gonna be fun, him and Rousek are nasty below the dot, don't like losing.

yeah some people are going to get the flame throwers out but that kid was never really the kind of player that had 'nhl @ 18' written on his forehead. there's no reason he should have been with Montreal past the preseason, and the preseason showed that.
- TheSabresTaco

Victim of his own size in that sense. He has a man's body, so a lot of people assumed everything else about him had matured as rapidly. Trying to do the NHL @ 18, after just moving to North America, and having to it in Montreal of all places... very low success rate IMO. This injury could be the best thing for him and the Habs long term. They can admit their mistake and develop him properly now; however, I'm sure one of the bazillion papers covering the Habs are murdering them.

why whats wrong with zach wilson
- TheSabresTaco

I think the death of his friend and development coach the Jets brought in really had an outsized impact on how terrible he is. It may have ended any chance he'll ever have. He's not a very mature man. This guy was supposed to be his security blanket and guru at the same time. I suspect Wilson will go the way of Jamarcus Russel.

Victim of his own size in that sense. He has a man's body, so a lot of people assumed everything else about him had matured as rapidly. Trying to do the NHL @ 18, after just moving to North America, and having to it in Montreal of all places... very low success rate IMO. This injury could be the best thing for him and the Habs long term. They can admit their mistake and develop him properly now; however, I'm sure one of the bazillion papers covering the Habs are murdering them.
- lacaprup

Nah injuries are never good. Stunting development sucks no matter what. Even if they're facing the pressure and, I don't know, embarrassment of having to send a 1OA to the minors, they should have done it in the preseason or at least after 10-15 games. Having Granato around you start to get the sense how coaches/orgs think when it comes to their high end prospects.

They waited for their high end guys to be ready. JJ, JQ, Cozens, Krebs even. It's clear they are doing Juraj a disservice by overwhelming him every night for months. But what do I know.

Nah injuries are never good. Stunting development sucks no matter what. Even if they're facing the pressure and, I don't know, embarrassment of having to send a 1OA to the minors, they should have done it in the preseason or at least after 10-15 games. Having Granato around you start to get the sense how coaches/orgs think when it comes to their high end prospects.

They waited their high end guys to be ready. JJ, JQ, Cozens, Krebs even. It's clear they are doing Juraj a disservice by overwhelming him every night for months. But what do I know.
- TheSabresTaco

Oh, I absolutely agree the Habs were wrong, but they seemed to not be able to admit their mistake for whatever reason.

Oh, I absolutely agree the Habs were wrong, but they seemed to not be able to admit their mistake for whatever reason.
- lacaprup

Hindsight just looks like bad player management. Many teams do it, we did it. I'm sure they'll fire back and state 'this is the place he needs to develop' or some poop, but his play on the ice and his analytics suggest otherwise. Let him be great in the AHL, who cares. Develop your body and your American pro game.

Oh well. Not our guy.

Hindsight just looks like bad player management. Many teams do it, we did it. I'm sure they'll fire back and state 'this is the place he needs to develop' or some poop, but his play on the ice and his analytics suggest otherwise. Let him be great in the AHL, who cares. Develop your body and your American pro game.

Oh well. Not our guy.
- TheSabresTaco

Yep.

We're all assuming Vinnie is claimed by the Habs given their situation, right?

We're all assuming Vinnie is claimed by the Habs given their situation, right?
- lacaprup

Might fit with Sutter and Calgary

We're all assuming Vinnie is claimed by the Habs given their situation, right?
- lacaprup

I dunno. I think the Sabres were willing to take future considerations for him and everyone else balked. Taking a guess on his future is tricky.

Might fit with Sutter and Calgary
- Buff36

I'm curious. Montreal has injuries, so that's why I'm leaning towards them. I do think someone will claim him, but I'm not going to be shocked if he passes through.

I dunno. I think the Sabres were willing to take future considerations for him and everyone else balked. Taking a guess on his future is tricky.
- TheSabresTaco

lolz if they couldn't get future considerations.

why whats wrong with zach wilson
- TheSabresTaco

Sabotage, otherwise he's the MVP clearly

His mom's friend wasn't allowed team visits so the receivers refused to get open for him

If they come out and lay another dud at home tonight I swear....

Sabotage, otherwise he's the MVP clearly

His mom's friend wasn't allowed team visits so the receivers refused to get open for him
- dmarsden2988

👀 👀
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cPz16LHTtpo