Just over 48 hours later, the results of Tim Kennedy’s arbitration hearing are in.

Arbitrators announced a 1-year, $1 million deal for Kennedy with the Sabres on Thursday.

In a normal case, the team would have 48 hours after the arbitrator’s decision is announced to either pick up the contract, or walk away, allowing Kennedy to become an unrestricted free agent.

However, Kennedy’s case is different because his award is too low. The new CBA has a minimum walk-away figure for this year of $1,611,180. The figure was originally $1,042,173 when the CBA went into effective, and has increased based on the league’s average salary increase.

Since Kennedy’s contract is for less than that, the team does not have the option of walking away, confirming that the Buffalo native will remain with his hometown team for at least another year.

Kennedy had 10 goals and 16 assists in 78 games last season, including three game-winning goals. The 24-year-old spent most of the 2008-2009 season with the Portland Pirates of the AHL, where he tallied 18 goals and 49 assists, as well as 67 penalty minutes.

Melissa Kania
NHLHS Buffalo Sabres Correspondent
mkania@nhlhotstove.com
Twitter: @melissakania

With arbitration hearings underway, the Buffalo Sabres met with arbitrators on Tuesday to settle Tim Kennedy‘s case.

A ruling is expected within 48 hours, and the team can either accept the ruling and sign Kennedy, or walk away, letting him become an unrestricted free agent.

According to reports, the team offered Kennedy around $700,000 for a one-year deal, which includes a $635,000 base salary and a mandatory ten percent raise. A multi-year contract would offer a higher base salary.

It’s believed that Kennedy is looking for more than $1 million per season, and maybe as much as $1.4 million depending on the length of the deal.

After the ruling is announced on Thursday, the question lies: is he worth it? The 24-year-old Buffalo native had 10 goals, including 3 game winners, in 78 games last season. He tied for 9th on the team with 26 points.

He played one game with the Buffalo club in 2008-2009, and spent most of the season playing with the Portland Pirates (AHL). In 73 games there, he had 18 goals and 49 assists and 67 penalty minutes.

Last week, Patrick Kaleta avoided arbitration and signed a two-year deal with the team. The aggressive forward will earn $860,000 in the 2010-11 season, and $955,000 in the 2011-2012 season. Kaleta made $522,000 last season and was scheduled to meet with arbitrators on July 29.

Kaleta had 10 goals and 5 assists in 55 games last season. He also had 89 penalty minutes in a season where he faced several injuries. He missed games with flu-like symptoms (1), a neck injury (3), and an upper body injury (6). Kaleta was suspended two games for delivering a hit from behind. The Angola, NY native also posted his first career multi-point and multi-goal games on October 13 and December 12.

Kaleta also led the team in short-handed goals last season.

Melissa Kania
NHLHS Buffalo Sabres Correspondent
mkania@nhlhotstove.com
Twitter: @melissakania

Hey all, this is Melissa, your new Buffalo Sabres correspondent for NHL HotStove. With just over two months before training camp and preseason begins, teams are looking to the future and improving through free agency and – in some cases – trades.

The Sabres entered free agency with a handful of players to deal with, and as free agency began on July 1, they lost two key defense. Henrik Tallinder, who had been a member of the organization since being drafted in 1997, quickly signed a four year deal with the New Jersey Devils. The deal will pay him an average of $3.375 million per year. Defenseman Toni Lydman also signed with the Anaheim Ducks for a deal that will pay him $9 million over three years.

On the same day the Sabres signed defenseman Jordan Leopold who played with the Pittsburgh Penguins at the end of last season. Leopold signed for a three year, $3 million/yr contract. The 29-year-old knew current Sabres forward Thomas Vanek, and contacted him for advice before agreeing to sign with the Sabres.

The team later re-signed enforcer Cody McCormick, who played most of last season with the Sabres’ AHL team, to a one year, $500,000 contract. Young defenseman Mike Weber, who has a chance to play with the big club this season, accepted his qualifying offer, and the team also signed Derek Whitmore.

To the surprise of many fans, the team chose to resign goaltender Patrick Lalime to a one-year deal. There were talks that the team would not sign a goaltender, and instead bring up Jhonas Enroth from the AHL, but this new deal allows Enroth one more year of experience in the AHL before probably coming up to the NHL next season.

The Sabres lost left winger Philip Gogulla, as he decided to return home to play in Germany. Defenseman Mike Kostka is also reportedly not returning to the team. Both players were in Portland (AHL) last season.

The biggest splash in the team’s offseason thus far has been the signing of forward Rob Niedermayer to a one-year, $1.15 million deal on July 7. Niedermayer adds veteran experience to an otherwise fairly young team. He had 10 goals and 12 assists in 71 games last season with the New Jersey Devils. Niedermayer also won a Stanley Cup with the Anaheim Ducks in 2006-07.

On July 16, the team announced that they have signed UFA Tim Conboy, who spent the last three seasons with the Carolina Hurricanes, to a one-year deal.

The Sabres are far from done this off-season. Hometown forward Tim Kennedy is taking the team to arbitration. The team is also taking Angola native Patrick Kaleta to arbitration, a rare move that ensures Kaleta will suit up for the blue and gold next season.

They also have a couple free agents still on their radar, including Raffi Torres, who was a disappointment with just five assists in 14 games with the team last season. Adam Mair, Matt Ellis, Jeff Cowan and Joe DiPenta round out the UFAs for the team. Mark Mancari, Matt Generous, Marc-Andre Gragnani and goaltender JP Lamoureux are all restricted free agents.

Melissa Kania
NHLHS Buffalo Sabres Correspondent
mkania@nhlhotstove.com
Twitter: @

With the 23rd overall pick in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, the Buffalo Sabres select…

Quinton Howard

Looking to add depth down the middle, Buffalo selected the best available C with the 23^rd pick.  Howden will need to put on some bulk before he makes it to the NHL, but he already is a solid 2-way player that can skate. The added bulk will make him a force battling for the puck.

Finishing up the ’09-’10 season with Medicine Hat as a point-a-game player with 65 points in 65 games.  Being a smart defensive Center will fit right in with Buffalo’s game plan.  Look for him to develop into a solid 3^rd liner with 2^nd line potential in a few years.

Jose Simoes
NHLHS Restoring the Rosters Correspondent
jsimoes@nhlhotstove.com
Twitter: @RTRHockey

We got your fix right here.

We go live tomorrow with our 2009-2010 NHL season wrap-up show.

Be sure to tune in live with us tomorrow from 1-3 p.m. EST.

The Hockey Guys on Blog Talk Radio – link for show tomorrow. Chat room will open approximately 5 minutes prior to show’s puck drop.

It was a playoff series that featured the world’s best goaltender and one of the rising stars on the backend. The majority of experts, when making their playoff picks, chose the Buffalo Sabres to roll over the Boston Bruins in the first round of the NHL’s Stanley Cup playoffs.

Things did not go as planned, as they rarely do, and the Bruins were able to pass the Sabres in six games without the help of number one center and offensive playmaker Marc Savard. ‘Savvy’, who is a large piece of the Bruins puzzle, has been out since March 7, when Penguins’ forward Matt Cooke threw the infamous check that led to Savard missing the remaining games of the regular season and well into these playoffs as he still hasn’t returned.

It seems the news is good for Savard as he has been medically cleared to return to action. This comes after speculation that he would return during the series against Buffalo.

The possible match-ups for Boston are either the Pittsburgh Penguins, if the Washington Capitals win, or the Philadelphia Flyers, if the Montreal Canadiens win. It is obvious that the preferred match-up would be the Flyers, but the New Jersey Devils thought the same thing and look where they ended up.

If the Bruins end up playing the Flyers you can expect a very physical series. This would not bode well for the returning Savard as the last thing the Bruins can afford right now is another injury, especially one to a star player. The Flyers have already put out a Bruins player to a concussioninjury in recent history (SEE: Patrice Bergeron). It would be a very heavy hitting series, especially since Philly is missing two key guns in Simon Gagne and Jeff Carter. However, let’s not forget the Winter Classic.  If that game was to dictate any type of playoff atmosphere, this series, if indeed it happens, is one for the making.

The Penguins are scary for any team to face and for obvious reasons. This is the team that took home the Cup last season and made a trip there the previous year. With loaded guns like Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Sergei Gonchar, and you can’t forget to mention Marc-Andre Fleury, the Pens are ready for a seemingly lengthy run.

Whoever the Bruins draw in the second round will be a tough go. They did show in the first round that they could manage a series victory, despite their lack of scoring in the regular season. They kept up their physical play and were solid on the PK, not allowing a single Sabres’ goal on the man advantage.

Bruins captain Zdeno Chara propelled his game for the series and showed that he still has that intimidating presence when he wants to. If the Bruins are going to succeed they will need ‘Zee’ to continue his scary play.

The team are on the captain’s extra large shoulders.

Follow me on Twitter @bMacdonald8

E-Mail me at b.macdonald8@gmail.com

Mature for this league, although some may differ when it comes to age. Either way, neither have prevented Coyotes number one goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov from performing as nothing short of outstanding.

His performance during last year’s IIHF World Championship tournament opened some eyes to the fans who are not as open to the small market teams and their players.

Bryzgalov helped Russia capture gold with a stellar performance during the tournament. Carrying that momentum into this season has provided the Coyotes with a man who can now place his name among the tops in the league within the position.

This year, Ilya Bryzgalov has helped his Phoenix Coyotes into their first playoff birth in many years. He has been rewarded from his outstanding play as being one of the three finalist for the Vezina trophy.  The other two: New Jersey Devils goalie Martin Broduer and Buffalo Sabres goalie Ryan Miller.  Not to shabby to be part of that group of goalies.

Ilya Nikolayevich Bryzgalov was born on June 22, 1980, in Togliatti, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union.

Starting his professional career in his native Russia, Bryzgalov played for two teams during the 1999-00 season. He started out in the RSL-2 with the team known as Spartak Moscow and then jumped up to the Russian Superleague (RSL) to play for Lada Togliatti.

Bryzgalov was selected 44th overall during the 2000 NHL Entry Draft by the, at the time, Anaheim Mighty Ducks.  He played 78 games total over the course of five seasons as a member of the Ducks organization.

With All-Star netminder Jean-Sebastien Giguere and back-up Martin Gerber ahead of him in the club’s depth chart, Bryzgalov spent the better part of his first four seasons in North America with the Ducks AHL affiliate, the Cincinnati Mighty Ducks. He made his NHL debut with the Mighty Ducks during the 2001-02, playing in his first of two games during that four-season stretch.

During the summer of 2005, Gerber departed which in turn finally opened a door for Bryzgalov to get some real NHL time. During the 2005-06 season, Giguere went down with an injury allowing Bryzgalov to finally show his capabilities between the pipes.

That year, he responded to the challenge with a 13-12-1 regular season record.  He posted a 2.51 goals against average and a .910 save percentage. The Ducks made the playoffs that season and Bryzgalov made three starts with one relief appearance in their first-round series against the Calgary Flames.

In Game One, he filled in for an injured Giguère, recording a 2–1 overtime loss^. He would again relieve Giguère in Game 5, stopping all 19 shots he faced in a 3–2 loss. At that point, the Ducks handed the starting position to Bryzgalov for Games 6 and 7 of the series, winning 2–1 in Game 6 and recording a shutout in the decisive Game 7.

Advancing further into the playoffs, Bryzgalov found himself on top of his game. He recorded 5–0 and 3–0 shutouts in the first two games of the second series against the Colorado Avalanche, giving the young netminder three consecutive shutouts which tied the 1945 record set by Frank McCool, and passed Giguère who had recorded consecutive shutouts during the 2003 playoffs which held the record for the third longest playoff shutout streak of all-time.

Despite his success in the first two rounds, Bryzgalov struggled in the semi-finals against the Edmonton Oilers. He was eventually replaced by Giguère for the rest of the series as the Ducks were eliminated in five games.

On November 16, 2007, Bryzgalov was placed on waivers and claimed by the Phoenix Coyotes the following day.

With the Coyotes, he stepped into an organization who were unsure of the direction they were heading in. However, Bryzgalov showed the Coyotes he was prepared to be a full time number one netminder.

His first year with Phoenix saw Bryzgalov appear in 55 games posting a record of 26-22-5 with a 2.42 goals against average and a .921 save percentage.

Last season was a bit of a down year for Bryzgalov as he posted a record of 26-31-6 with a 2.98 goals against average and a save percentage of .906.

As mentioned previously, the World Championships that took place last season helped Bryzgalov become exactly what he is today.

A career year for Bryzgalov has helped propel the Coyotes into a game seven first round series during this years Stanley Cup playoffs. Even if his opponent are the mighty Detroit Red Wings, the regular season alone has been a story in itself.

If the Coyotes do advance to this year’s semi-finals, one thing has made itself clear.  Ilya Bryzgalov has fed life into a franchise that is currently in turmoil.

Anthony Curatolo
NHLHS Senior Writer
acuratolo@nhlhotstove.com
Twitter: @HockeyGuy_AC

We are back to regular programming hours today, which means the show will start live at 2 p.m. EST. To join us live is very simple.

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/thehockeyguys

Use that link, create a user name, sign in and join us.

Jeff Marek will be joining the guy’s within the first hour of the show.

We hope to see you all there today.

Have a great final day of the weekend.

~THG

For the Buffalo Sabres and Ryan Miller, things are constantly looking up.

If last season was any indication as to how vital Miller is to the line up and on-ice performance of the Buffalo Sabres, just look at this season and where the Sabres currently are.

As the number three seed heading into the 2010 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs, there truly isn’t anyone else on this Sabres roster to thank, outside of rookie standout Tyler Myers, other than Miller.

Ryan Miller was born on July 17, 1980 in East Lansing, Michigan, United States.

With five family members who all played for Michigan State University, Ryan Miller is the standout. This years Vezina trophy candidate has had an amazing season to date and yet, knows how much more there is to accomplish in moving forward.

As a college player for the Spartans, Miller set an NCAA record with 26 career shutouts. He was the 2001 Hobey Baker Award winner, leading the the country in wins, winning percentage, save percentage (an NCAA record .950 mark), goals-against average and shutouts (an NCAA record 10).

Miller was selected as the 2001 Big Ten-Jesse Owens Men’s Athlete of the Year.

Miller was drafted in the 5th round, 138th overall, by the Buffalo Sabres in the 1999 NHL Entry Draft.

After three seasons with Michigan State, Miller went on to play in the American Hockey League (AHL) with the Rochester Americans in 2002-03. The Americans are the AHL affiliate of the Buffalo Sabres. During that season he played 15 regular season games for Buffalo.

His time in the AHL saw him spend most of his career as the starting goalie for the Americans winning 41 games and tying Gerry Cheevers’ record.

Miller finished the ’05-’06 season by establishing himself as the starting goalie for the Sabres. He was ranked 11th among NHL goalies with a 2.60 goals against average and ninth with a .914 save percentage.

Miller led the Sabres to a season that came as a surprise where he won 30 games and proved to be one of the hardest working goalies in the league.

Miller played well in the postseason as well, advancing the Sabres to the conference finals. Unfortunately, injuries caught up with the team and they lost game 7 to the Carolina Hurricanes that year.

After the 2005–06 season, Miller became a restricted free agent, yet waived his right to arbitration. His agent, Mike Liut, continued to negotiate with the Sabres through the summer. On September 8, 2006, the Sabres announced that they re-signed Miller to a three-year contract.

His 2010 Winter Olympics performance was nothing short of stunning.  Miller was outstanding in helping the United States capture Silver in the Men’s Ice Hockey tournament. Take that performance and add it to both the regular season that Ryan Miller had along with, although early, his playoff performance and give me one good reason why he does not walk away at the end of the year with the Vezina trophy, which he is a finalist for.

Throughout his six year NHL career, Miller has appeared in 333 games. He has 187 wins 104 losses 33 ties and of those 187 wins 17 have come by way of shutout. His career goals against average is 2.57 and he has a career save percentage of .914.

On March 28, 2008, Miller played in his 73rd game of the season, breaking the Sabres franchise record for most games played in a season, passing two all-time greats Grant Fuhr and Dominik Hasek as well as Martin Biron. Even with, at the time backup goaltender Jocelyn Thibaults presence,Miller finished the season with 76 games played, recording a 2.64 GAA and a .906 save percentage.

A star who will shine for many more years in Buffalo.

Anthony Curatolo
NHLHS Senior Writer
acuratolo@nhlhotstove.com
Twitter: @HockeyGuy_AC

In what has been discussed time and time again, the National Hockey Leagues second season, also known as the Stanley Cup Playoffs, is all about goaltending.

Jonathan Quick of the Los Angeles Kings, Brian Boucher of the Philadelphia Flyers, Roberto Luongo of the Vancouver Canucks, Tuukka Rask of the Boston Bruins, Ilya Bryzgalov of the Phoenix Coyotes, Ryan Miller of the Buffalo Sabres, Pekka Rinne of the Nashville Predators, Martin Brodeur of the New Jersey Devils, Evgeni Nabokov of the San Jose Sharks, Marc-Andre Fleury of the Pittsburgh Penguins, Antti Niemi of the Chicago Blackhawks, Brian Elliot of the Ottawa Senators, Jimmy Howard of the Detroit Red Wings, Jaroslav Halak of the Montreal Canadiens, Craig Anderson of the Colorado Avalanche as well as both Jose Theodore and Seymon Varlamov of the Washington Capitals have not only stepped up to make some amazing saves but have been able to keep each and every series even or close enough to it.

On top of their in-game play, there have been some sensational saves throughout the opening round of these playoffs.  Boucher, Luongo, Quick and others have been outstanding, Anderson has set new records but Pekka Rinne’s stop on Chicago’s Patrick Sharp is one that stands out the most. Although the Hawks beat the Predators yesterday, that series remains up in the air with no clear cut favorite at this point.

Yes, as I mentioned, Craig Anderson made 50 saves in regulation yesterday, which has become the new record for saves in regulation time for a playoff game.  He is the backbone to the Avalanche advancing and so far, so good.

Sidney Crosby and Braydon Coburn have both played “hero” in saving their netminders and team by stopping goals as well.  Crosby slid across the crease with the puck standing on the goal line to keep the Senators off the score board. Another stand out moment during these playoffs.

We also were able to witness two hat tricks in one game when Montreal’s Andrei Kostitsyn and Washington’s Nicklas Backstrom did so in game 2 of their Eastern Conference playoff series.

Henrik Zetterberg of the Detroit Red Wings also has a three goal game to his credit in this first round. Evgeni Malkin has a goal per game for his Penguins.  Mike Richards has been a man possessed for the Philadelphia Flyers. And the list goes on.

In these playoffs, outside of goaltending, it all rests on the players that take their game to the next level. In that game 2 between the Canadiens and Capitals, Nicklas Backstrom was on player who truly took his game up a notch.  Showing people Peter Forsberg like skills, Backstrom had a four point affair helping the Capitals gain a much needed victory in what was likely the most important period and game of their season.

It has been a wild and crazy start to the 2010 Stanley Cup playoffs, to say the least.

Joe Depto, a writer here at the hot stove as well as one part of the brand known as The Hockey Guys, called yesterday “Separation Sunday”.

The Colorado Avalanche, Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins and Phoenix Coyotes all took control of their series; at least by the series records.

With that, if yesterday was any indication to what is in store for us tonight you better have your jersey on tight and your seat prepared in front of your television sets.  It’s only going to keep getting better.

What is YOUR favorite moment from these playoffs so far?

Anthony Curatolo
NHLHS Senior Writer
acuratolo@nhlhotstove.com
Twitter: @HockeyGuy_AC