By David Strehle
NHL Hot Stove Creative Editor

Fans of the Buffalo Sabres should circle February 22nd, 2011 on their calendars as one of the most important dates in their beloved team’s history.  It was on that blustery winter day in Western New York that the Sabres were given a new lease on life when Terry Pegula became owner of the franchise.

The Back Story

Previous owner Tom Golisano had seemingly reached the end of providing positives for hockey in the Buffalo area.  As much as he had helped rescue the club from the dire straights that the Rigas family had left the Sabres, he seemed much more entralled with his political aspirations.  His self-funded political campaigns for Governor of New York were reported to have cost the billionaire, who made his fortune by founding the Paychex payroll-processing company in excess of $50 million alone in 2002, the same year he purchased controlling interest in the Sabres.

Buffalo had experienced a steady progression of improvement during Golisano’s first four years as owner.  The culmination of his time at the Sabres helm came with 110 and 113-point seasons in 2005-06 and 2006-07, respectively, in which the team would go on to lose in the Eastern Conference Finals in both postseasons.

A third trip to the Stanley Cup Finals in franchise history – the first two being in 1975 and 1999 - looked to be just on the horizon.

But Golisano tightened the purse strings on the budget in which GM Darcy Regier was permitted to work.  In turn, Buffalo allowed team leaders Danny Briere and Chris Drury – their respective number one and three leading scorers from the year prior – to walk away via free agency in the summer of 2007.

The Sabres point totals dropped to the low-90′s in the next two campaigns, in which they also missed the playoffs in both seasons.

It didn’t help matters the following year, either when All-Star defenseman Brian Campbell – who was slated to become an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2008 – was dealt to the San Jose Sharks just prior to the trade deadline.

There were the ridiculous cuts to the club’s scouting department, to save

As pointed out by CBC’s Elliotte Friedman in a piece he did in February on Golisano’s cost-cutting measures, the Sabres lost a wealth of hockey knowledge from their hockey operations and scouting department during Golisano’s time:

Director of Pro Scouting Terry Martin, who helped make the decision to acquire Daniel Briere, bolted for Colorado in 2006.  Director of Amateur Scouting Jim Benning (now in Boston) and assistant general Manager Larry Carriere (Montreal) left in 2004. 

For almost a decade, the Sabres found a later-round gem in the NHL draft.  There was Brian Campbell (6th round, 1997), Ales Kotalik (6th, 1998), Ryan Miller (5th, 1999), Paul Gaustad (7th, 2000), Dennis Wideman (8th, 2002) and Patrick Kaleta (6th, 2004).  Since then, nothing much, although it’s too soon to evaluate recent selections.

These were acquisitions that just could not be duplicated via Golisano’s alternative use of “video-only scouting”, and the former owner’s excuse to Friedman when interviewed spoke volumes:

“These scouts are traveling all over the world.  All these expenses, could they accomplish a lot more staying in one place with the use of video?  And they believe they can.  If somebody interprets that as not being progressive and being regressive, that’s too bad.  But we think we’re far more efficient and have a much better scouting organization than we did three years ago.”

A message was being sent to the players, and that was if they wanted to score big pay days, they would have to do so in another NHL city.  The team didn’t appear willing to spend the money to keep the core of players together that had gotten them so close to a berth in the Cup Finals, and fears arose as to other stars following a similar path out of town when their time came for new contracts.

Regier was able, however, to re-sign All-World goaltender Ryan Miller to a 5-year contract extension worth over $31 million prior to the 2009-10 season.

It was indeed a step in the right direction, but much more would be needed to get Buffalo back to the point they were in the spring of 2007.

Enter Pegula

“Starting today, the Buffalo Sabres’ reason for existence will be to win a Stanley Cup“, Pegula proudly proclaimed on that February day during the press conference to announce the sale of the team.

Even though the same had been said by previous ownership, it was just lip service.  But there is good reason to believe that he was genuinely sincere.  You see Pegula not only owns the Sabres, he’s also a huge fan.  There is nothing that he desires more than to see his team skating around the ice taking turns hoisting Lord Stanley high above their heads as the calendar hits June next year.

The fourth owner in franchise history made a great move in retaining his GM (Regier) and head coach, Lindy Ruff.  The pair both joined the franchise in 1997 and proved in prior years that when given the financial framework to succeed, that they could do so.

Ruff, the longest-tenured NHL coach, has had to get the most out of the least provided for him for much of his 14 seasons with the Sabres.  Ruff has survived for as long as he has by using a basic formula that seems to work.  His teams protect their goaltenders - in his early years with Dominik Hasek, and then Ryan Miller after “The Dominator” - with a staunch defense and timely, opportunistic scoring.

Pegula with Rene Robert, Richard Martin, and Perreault from late-February. Within three weeks time, Martin would tragically pass away in a car accident. (Photo Credit: Rick Stewart / Getty Images)

Pegula also knows the importance of history, and to make sure to keep a link with the players of the past.

In addition to having current Buffalo skaters with him at the press conference, he also had faces from the past at his side.  He was even getting choked up when looking at a certain legend.

“I’m going to try not to look this way too much,” Pegula said of Sabres’ Hall-of-Fame centerman Gilbert Perreault, who was sitting to the new owner’s right.

His fondness for the Sabres took flight in the mid-1970′s, when the famed French Connection Line of Rene Robert, Richard Martin, and Perreault was wreaking havoc on NHL goaltending.

It’s obvious that the team is his absolute passion.

He’s a billionaire who built his wealth in the natural gas business, and isn’t looking to make any additional fortune through his hockey club - the way Golisano reportedly had.  Two statements Pegula made to the press that day stand out in that regard:

“If I want to make some money, I’ll go drill a gas well.”

“We’ll put the pedal to the metal as capably as we can.  I don’t know if it’s wise to spend to the cap every year.  But we’re not in this to save money, that’s for sure.”

The Moves

Pegula’s actions since his acquisition of the franchise speak even louder than his words as a testament to his aspirations in building a legitimate Cup-contender.

First, Regier worked out a deal in which Buffalo sent defenseman Chris Butler and smallish center Paul Byron to the Calgary Flames for rugged defenseman Robyn Regehr and former-Sabre winger Ales Kotalik.

Regier explained his mindset regarding the move in an interview on the NHL Network:

“We  have a lot of young D in our system.  We’ve drafted a lot of defencemen and they’re developing, and as they come up they need that guidance.  I think with Jordan Leopold and Robyn Regehr, players with a little more experience, a little bit of understanding and a stabilizing influence as well as leadership, it’s critical to the young defenceman’s development.”

The next pick up would also bolster the club’s blue line, when Regier shipped a fourth-round choice in the 2012 draft to the New York Islanders for the rights to pending UFA rear guard Christian Ehrhoff.  The Isles had acquired Ehrhoff’s rights from the Vancouver Canucks a day earlier, but it was apparent that they were not going to be able to sign him before July 1st.

On the eve of free agency, Regier and Ehrhoff’s agent, Rick Curran, hammered out a massive 10-year, $40 million pact.  Ehrhoff, 29, came very close to winning a Stanley Cup in June with runner-up Vancouver, and feels Buffalo will have a real chance at making a run of their own.

“My goal is to win the Stanley Cup,” the seven-year veteran said in a statement released by the organization.  ”And after the offer I received from Buffalo, I believe this is the best place to make it happen.”

With the addition of Regehr and Ehrhoff to a unit that already includes gargantuan youngster Tyler Myers, Leopold, Andrej Sekera, Mike Weber, Shaone Morrisonn, and the recently re-signed Marc-Andre Gragnani, Buffalo looks to have one of the deepest stables of rear guards in the NHL.

Coupled with excellent netminders in Miller and his recently re-signed back up Jhonas Enroth – as well as a group of forwards that are painfully conscious of their responsibilities in their own end - the Sabres appear to have the makings of one of the league’s stingiest squads in protecting their own net.

And there should be plenty of offense for Buffalo to succeed.

When it became apparent that center Brad Richards would likely sign with the New York Rangers, Regier inked another of the bigger named UFA forwards on July 1st when he reeled in former-Philadelphia Flyer Ville Leino with a 6-year, $27 million deal.  The 27-year-old Finn may just be a perfect fit on the right side of the club’s top line with Derek Roy at center and Tomas Vanek on the left.

The Buffalo GM explained the importance that was placed on signing the free agent winger:

“We felt very strongly about Ville, and we felt that it was important to make sure we didn’t allow a quality player like him to slip by us.  He was someone we identified early and moved him to the top of the list.”

Leino would seem to be able to be plugged right into the spot, being a deft puckhandler and tireless worker in the corners.  He may also see power play time, as his ability to come away from the corners with the puck and his passing skills could come in handy with Vanek setting up shop in his office in front of the opposing goalies.

He has also evolved into a clutch playoff performer, as the Sabres know all too well.  Leino’s overtime goal in Buffalo in Game 6 of the first round on Easter Sunday saved the Flyers from elimination at the hands of the Sabres.  The Orange-and-Black went on to take the deciding Game 7 back in Philadelphia two nights later, a game in which Leino scored again.  He ended the series with three goals and four points.  Leino’s thoughts after his signing were interesting:

“It was a tough series and, to be honest with you, I think they deserved to win.  I was looking at their roster earlier on, and I think they made some good additions.  I think we’ll have a good chance to win next year.”

And after the contract ordeal he went through in Philly – where he was going to be signed to a long-term deal shortly after Jeff Carter inked a 5-year extension, but never came to fruition – it was understandably imperative from Leino’s point of view to be locked into a secure situation.

“I wanted to focus on hockey and forget about everything else, contracts, everything.”

The team is hoping that two younger wingers who experienced breakout seasons last year – Drew Stafford (25 years old; 31 goals, 52 points in just 62 games) and Tyler Ennis (21 years old, 20 goals, 49 points) - can continue their rapid development.

With such complimentary firepower up front as former 43-goal scorer Brad Boyes, former 34-goal scorer Jason Pominville, workhorse centerman Paul Gaustad, crafty mighty mite Nathan Gerbe, the pesky Patrick Kaleta, along with Jochen Hecht and Cody McCormick, this looks to be the deepest group of Buffalo forwards in the last five years.

Of course, health will play a major part in just how well the Sabres are able to perform this season.  But then again, that’s the case for 29 other NHL teams, as well.

There is a feeling that something special is about to occur with the hockey team in Western New York; the same sort of feeling when the natives of the area sense a snowstorm is about to hit.

It’s almost unstoppable.

And it’s no coincidence that the positive vibes began once Pegula took over the club’s ownership.  He made a promise to the people of Buffalo that he would do everything in his power to bring a championship to the city, and he has backed up the talk with the bold moves made in improving the club’s roster over the summer.

If you have any comments or questions, you can email the author at dstrehle@nhlhotstove.com.  You can also follow him on Twitter – @David_Strehle

By Alexander Monaghan
President

Photo Credit: Mafue / Flickr

Maxim Lapierre and Alex Burrows of the Vancouver Canucks continue to prove that playing on the edge can be effective when it is conducted between the lines. Yes, Burrows bit Patrice Bergeron and Lapierre mocked the system but their antics, or tactics rather have irritated the Boston Bruins to the point that they find themselves within one loss of elimination.

So are they the winning formula?

This Stanley Cup winning formula, which seemingly changes every season, could be an elite goaltender, a puck-possession team, two elite centers or GMs around the League could think they need a guy like this to win games. A player who is not afraid of the physical aspects and can take a hulking presence like Milan Lucic or Zdeno Chara and neutralize them by averting their focus. Again, I am not claiming this is the winning formula, or that the Canucks will even come out on top of the series, but these players have been effective to say the very least.

But if this is the winning formula, it may be prudent to take a look at who will be available come July 1st or even via trade at the 2011 NHL Entry Draft.

Lapierre will be a restricted free agent next season and barring any cap restrictions should be re-signed with a modest raise over his current $900 K salary. Burrows is signed through 2013 at a cap-friendly $2 million. Neither of these players are on the market, but there are several agitators on the market or presumably available via trade that could be had if a hypothetical GM feels a skater of this nature is the perfect fit.

Before Burrows and Lapierre drew this large amount of praise, Dominic Moore and Steve Downie were previously commended for their hard work below the hashmarks in addition to their ability to score the timely goal. So perhaps, even if a team already has one agitator, or super pest, they can afford to take on yet another. It should be noted that these types of players have trouble even making the NHL which creates a broader range in defining an agitator or a power forward or even an enforcer who can score.

Scott Hartnell of the Philadelphia Flyers, signed through 2013 with a $4.2 million cap hit, agitates everyone around him and creates a large presence in front of the net. However, due to his large contract and his team’s dire need for a goaltender, one of the more hated players in hockey could need to find a jersey that does not match his hair color. Hartnell can and has in the past played with elite players and would be a similar fit to Burrows on another contender if moved. Every year it seems like his name comes up in trade rumors at the demand of the Philly faithful but this could be the year he actually goes due to an increased demand in this type of skater.

If a team prefers a less expensive route, they could take a gamble at the irritating Daniel Carcillo who only made $1.075 million and should be due for a raise as another restricted free agent. One might even go so far as to say Lapierre could set his market. With the limited cap space in Philadelphia, he could be replaced by a youngster like Ben Holmstrom or Zac Rinaldo or his role could be absorbed by Jody Shelley.

One of the most infamous pests in the League, Sean Avery, could also be on the block although someone taking his full cap hit of $3.785 million would be pretty touch to pencil in. Not to mention the rest of the League also seems content on blackballing the pariah. Earlier this week he was a candidate to get bought out following an ineffective season where he struggled to get noticed on most nights.

The Pittsburgh Penguins fell out of the Stanley Cup Playoffs rather quickly this year but it was not due to the play Arron Asham, who surprisingly led the team in points. As a UFA, and apparently not a priority to sign, Asham should get a job much earlier than he did last season, when signed close to training camp. He could make a contender much deeper and likely won’t require too much more than this season’s $700 K price tag.

Ben Eager and Scott Nichol of the San Jose Sharks both enter unrestricted free agency this offseason after another disappointing season out west. Nichol, who is more of a fighter, can take valuable faceoffs while getting under the skin of the opposition and Eager has been known to get in a cheap shot or two over his stay in the League. Nevertheless, neither really would be seen as an answer unless it was a depth move, as it was in San Jose or similar to how Lapierre found his way to Vancouver. The Sharks also have Jamal Mayers to re-sign, but again he would be more of a fighter than agitator and has lost a few steps during his 13-year career.

Last offseason, the Washington Capitals acquired tough guy DJ King for a somewhat promising agitator prospect Stefan Della Rovere. The move at the time seemed for smart and a bargain since King makes close to League minimum however they quickly learned his foot speed could not keep up with the rest of the team which made him, even at a lower rate, ineffective. King would play on 16 games in a Caps uniform last season.

The line between power forward, agitator and enforcer sometimes finds itself blurred as the Averys, Patrick Kaletas, and Jarkko Ruutus of the hockey world don’t necessarily grow on trees. A guy like Steve Ott is an essential part of the core with the Dallas Stars. You either want this type of player, or you don’t. And, for now, the emergence of a once-again effective agitator should make general managers crave this type of player.

Ruutu will be an UFA but a cursory look at the guys on the market indicates that if you want this sort of player, you will have to pay which makes a player like Hartnell or Avery somewhat appealing should a contender somehow hold that much cap space. Again, my point is not that these players will be the answer, but the pesky style works on the highest of stages so why would it not increase the value of similar players?

By David Strehle
NHL Hot Stove NHL / Philadelphia Flyers Correspondent

Ryan Miller stopped all 35 shots he faced and Buffalo got all the offense they would need on a Patrick Kaleta goal early in the third period, as the Sabres took home ice advantage away from the Philadelphia Flyers with a 1-0 victory.

Kaleta got separation from defenseman Danny Syvret to knock Marc-Andre Gragnani’s point shot past Sergei Bobrovsky, who left a big rebound out front.

It was the 22-year-old Russian rookie’s only mistake of the night, as he was otherwise flawless in making 24 saves on 25 shots.

“Everything happened really quickly,” said Bobrovsky of the goal.  ”The defenseman (Gragnani) shot it at me and the rebound went right to the other player.  It happened so quick I couldn’t react in time.”

“It was a point shot that came, and the guy was driving the net,” Syvret said after the game.  ”The rebound was kicked out, out of my reach.  I tried to lift his stick, but he pretty much had a gaping net.”

The result does not bode well for Philadelphia, as the winner of game one the last eight times these two teams have met in the postseason went on to win the series.

It was another blown chance for a Flyers team that dominated the number of quality scoring chances, but somehow could not find the back of the net.

James van Riemsdyk beat Miller in the first but the shot squirted through the goaltender and hit the near post.

“We have to do a better job next game of getting those second chance opportunities,” van Riemsdyk said after the game.

Second chance opportunities would be good, as well as some traffic in front of Miller so that he cannot see the shots.

Danny Briere concurred.  “You have to give Ryan Miller a lot of credit,” he said.  ”He was good tonight.  We just have to do a better job around him and try to get to the rebounds.  I thought that maybe we let him see too many shots but it wasn’t a bad effort.”

In addition to Miller’s excellent play, the Philly shooters found a way to either put a shot just wide or had a puck deflected with an open net.  The frantic scrambles that come up empty have become commonplace in games where the Flyers out-chance their opponents.

Another thorn in the side of the Orange-and-Black was the power play which went 0-5, including a two-man advantage for 38 seconds in the second period.

Realizing the importance of the opportunity, head coach Peter Laviolette even took his timeout when Shaone Morrisonn took a slashing minor with Steve Montador already off to give the Flyers the two man edge.

Kimmo Timonen had the best chance during the two-man power play with a slapshot, but Miller turned that aside.

“I thought we did well, we created energy, we moved the puck around, and we took some good shots,” Briere said about the play of the man advantage unit.  ”But, we have nothing to show for it, so it’s disappointing.”

The coach was encouraged by what he saw with the power play.  “There were lots of things that happened that were good,” Laviolette said.  ”There were lots of shots and attacks.  However, like the rest of the game, we didn’t find the back of the net.”

Philadelphia played much better than they have in recent weeks, as they regained the spirited play that had been lacking for some time.

For the past two months, many wondered where the Flyers team was that had breezed through the first 55 games of the National Hockey League schedule.

The passion and desperation that go hand-in-hand when the club is winning had been non-existent for over the last quarter of the games, and Philadelphia’s results suffered significantly.

“It’s frustrating obviously,” said captain Mike Richards.  ”A loss is not easy and you kind of wonder where you went wrong and what you could have done.  But we created a lot, we didn’t give up much, and we were pretty tight defensively.”

The bottom line is they once again came up short in the end, and their once vaunted offense was shut down once more.

“Obviously (Ryan) Miller was pretty good tonight,” said Timonen.  ”You never want to lose a game, but if you want to take anything out of it I thought we played pretty well.”

Then the 36-year-old defenseman added what will become a huge storyline in this series.  ”But, somehow we obviously have to score goals.”

Laviolette was asked about his top blue liner, Chris Pronger, who missed the contest as he continues to recover from surgery on his broken right hand.  “If Chris Pronger was available he could be a difference maker,” the coach said.  ”I think that speaks for itself.  But he’s not so there is not sense in worrying about things we don’t have right now.”

Philadelphia has to be encouraged by the play of Bobrovsky, who had many critics coming out of the woodwork prior to the commencement of game one.

“I thought he played pretty well,” Timonen assessed.  ”The saves he had to make, he made them.”

“I think Bob answered a lot of critics, we never questioned him,” said defenseman Sean O’Donnell.  ”As a team we didn’t play well the second half and Bob was part of that.  But we knew we were revved up to come in here game one and he gave us every chance to win tonight.”

The team has a lot of confidence in their young netminder, and all they can ask of him is that he give them an opportunity to win.  And he certainly did that tonight.

Something worrisome remains with the club’s play on home ice.  Including the last seven games of the regular season, the Flyers are just 1-3-4 in their last eight games at the Wells Fargo Center – and that is unacceptable.

Saturday’s game two becomes a must-win for Philadelphia, as they do not want to head to Buffalo on Monday down two games to none.

_____________________________________________

Taking a Flyer:  Timonen, van Riemsdyk, and Richards each tied with a game-high six shots on goal for the Flyers…the line of Scott Hartnell-Briere-Ville Leino was excellent all night, but was on the ice for the Buffalo goal.  The line kept the puck deep in the Sabres’ zone for nearly every shift on the ice, and combined for five shots on goal…This was Miller’s second career shutout, both coming against Philadelphia.

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If you have any comments or questions, you can email the author at dstrehle@nhlhotstove.com.  You can also follow him on Twitter – @David_Strehle

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: @

Just like life, the game of hockey is forever changing.  Too many times when you turn on the television to watch hockey highlights we witness brutality that transcends the sport itself.

Hockey is a wonderful combination of violence and beauty. But when the violence overshadows the beauty, the league has to take notice and start to make changes.  Colin Campbell, the man that has the power to change the culture of the brutality that has continued to infect this sport, is in a tough position. As much as we all think it is easy to just change the rules and/or suspend players because they have injured another player, we have to consider that he isn’t just battling the situation at hand.

Throughout the 90′s players like Scott Stevens, Jeff Beukeboom and Darius Kasparitis were notorious for their ability to crush opponents via the “open ice” hit. Many Don Cherry Rock ‘Em, Sock ‘Em highlight reels boasted these kinds of checks, not only from these three but many others as well. Concussions and headshots have been an issue for as long as we can remember. The problem now is that players are getting bigger, stronger and faster by the year and the equipment is matching the progress of the average hockey player.

All have had suspensions handed down due to disciplinary actions from the league.

Who could ever forget Stevens’ hits on Eric Lindros, Paul Kariya, Shane Willis and Ron Francis?  And who could forget the images of each of those players, knocked to the very edge of consciousness, attempting to regain their bearings and get back to their skates, looking as if they were doing a Bambi on ice impersonation.

As the years have come and gone, players have changed. However, in today’s game the dirty factor has played more of a role when observing and discussing some of the hits.

What has taken place this season, in regards to this subject, has touched on every spectrum of thought and emotion, from fans to NHL players.

Earlier this season, Mike Richards of the Philadelphia Flyers rocked the world of Florida Panthers forward David Booth. A hit that removed Booth from the game on a stretcher and caused him to miss 45 more. Writers and analysts across North America had mixed feelings about Richards hit that gave Booth a serious head injury. Many thought a suspension was a sure bet while others felt it was a clean hit.

Patrick Kaleta of the Buffalo Sabres has also been a topic of discussion around the league due to his style of play. Queue the “dirty player” title. Even some Sabres fans suggest that Kaleta should not be playing in this league. Interesting concept.

Most recently, Matt Cooke of the Pittsburgh Penguins name has surfaced from a hit in a game against the Boston Bruins’ Marc Savard.

There is too much gray area when it comes to the letter of the law? If a player breaks an NHL rule, he should be dealt with accordingly, right? How does one decipher what is a suspendable play and what isn’t? With hits, especially those to the head, there is a fine line between what’s supposedly dirty and what isn’t. What Cooke did to Savard wasn’t dirty because of where he hit him, it was the way he attacked him.

Blindside hits, like Cooke is notorious for, have to be dealt with severely by the league. It’s tough enough getting hit head on by a player, no matter the size, to get hit when you don’t see it coming, obviously increases the opportunity to inflict more damage.

However, by the existing NHL Rulebook these were all clean hits, just as those that Stevens had doled out years earlier.  But a growing faction has deemed the head shot unacceptable, and at recent GMs meetings, some sanity appears to be on it’s way to the National Hockey League.

In a sense, it is absurd that Cooke wasn’t suspended. This isn’t the first time Cooke has done this…even this season. Cooke likes to hit players when they least expect it, whether in the head or when he throws his leg out. Just ask Vincent Lecavalier and Ilya Kovalchuk about what kind of player they think Cooke is.

A repeat offender tag needs to hold ground as an automatic suspension. However, we simply can not hold Cooke as the only culprit.  There are other players who fit into this category. Even players who play dirty that do not fit within the realm of the main discussion here but Alexander Ovechkin has been tagged as a repeat offender and a dirty player.

That is another article for another time but it goes to show that, again, there lacks a common respect and sportsmanship with certain players in the league.

The GM’s as well as the league will be viewed under a microscope this off-season as to what exactly the new rule will transpire into.

Will justice be served?  Will lessons be learned? Or, will every shift become a worry?

Atlantic Division:

• Devils general manager Lou Lamoriello won’t use the word concussion when discussing the injury Patrik Elias suffered during Saturday’s game against the Colorado Avalanche in Denver.
• More likely, it was another discouraging start and an unhappy coach – either way, something lit a fire under the Rangers Sunday night, and they responded by hammering the Montreal Canadiens, 6-2, to break a three-game skid.
• Rick DiPietro stopped Patrick Kaleta to secure a 3-2 win in the second game of his comeback from the knee surgeries that kept him sidelined for much of the past two years. “I can’t tell you how good this feels,” DiPietro said.
• Despite a 6-2 loss at GM Place on Saturday night to cap a 3-2-0 road trip, Penguins coach Dan Bylsma witnessed encouraging signs from his club over the past 11 days. “We were more determined to play our game … and that means managing the puck and executing the way we need to,” he said.
• For the Flyers, the return of goalie Ray Emery did not mean a return to their winning ways today. Left winger Brooks Laich scored two goals – including a shorthanded breakaway after he took the puck away from Flyers captain Mike Richards early in the final period – to carry the Washington Capitals to a 5-3 win at the reverberating Verizon Center.

Northeast Division:

• Buffalo enters tonight’s game against the Phoenix Coyotes in Jobing.com Arena with a 7-0-1 record against the West — the only team in the league without a regulation loss to a club in the other conference.
• Sarah Anderson of The Ottawa Citizen sat down and got some one on one interview time with Senators defenseman Chris Campoli.
• Claude Julien didn’t have a lot of answers yesterday. The Bruins coach is presiding over one extremely banged-up hockey team, and he didn’t know who would be available to him for today’s matinee against the Ottawa Senators at the Garden.
• We’ve all heard that expression: You should quit while you’re ahead. The Canadiens took it literally last night as they forged a 2-0 first period against the New York Rangers and then folded their tents en route to a 6-2 loss.
• Somewhere between the summer signing of Jonas Gustavsson and the impressive training camps of Tyler Bozak, Viktor Stalberg, Nazem Kadri and Carl Gunnarsson, Leafs Nation took a turn off the long and winding road of a team-building process and started looking for the short cut to the Stanley Cup parade.

Southeast Division:

• As the Washington Capitals’ league-leading offense shifted into high gear in recent games, one name had been conspicuously absent from the score sheet: Brooks Laich.
• While Tampa Bay players used a shotgun approach to try and score Saturday, the Panthers brought their high-powered rifles equipped with laser scopes and scored five goals on their first 15 shots to beat the Lightning 5-2.
• The Thrashers held a two-goal lead over Carolina on Saturday when it happened – again.  Atlanta had to kill off a two-man disadvantage after drawing back-to-back penalties in the third period. It was a near disaster.
• Injured Lightning goalie Mike Smith has been sent back to Tampa, but he has not suffered any setbacks and could return to practice Wednesday, team athletic trainer Tommy Mulligan said Sunday.
• Speed is the biggest difference. And smarts. And let’s not forget the goaltending. The Carolina Hurricanes have brought in players in revolving-door fashion this season from the Albany River Rats, their American Hockey League affiliate. And though most already had played some NHL games, two made their NHL debuts.

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

Atlantic Division:

• Devils defenseman Paul Martin will almost certainly miss the Olympics after the decision to keep him off skates for another two weeks. General manager Lou Lamoriello said Friday that neither Martin nor David Clarkson will skate for another two weeks.
• The Olympics could be played on Mars next month, and Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury might find the surface as familiar as the ice at GM Place. A fractured left ring finger likely will prevent Fleury from playing tonight against the Vancouver Canucks.
• Rich Hofmann: Hanging out in the NHL replay room in Toronto. It doesn’t take long, less than a minute. They all have settled into their chairs in a dark room that glows from the light of about 30 television and laptop screens, settled in for a long night that will feature a dozen NHL games and the potential for at least a few controversies.
• The Islanders managed to become relevant despite the absence of an established goal scorer. But GM Garth Snow may be in the market to change that
• Shootouts – that “gimmick,” in John Tortorella’s word – are an opportunity to win a free point or go home with an undeserved sense of defeat, and recently the Rangers have been leaning toward the latter.

Northeast Division:

• A lot of times, you don’t even need to be watching the ice to know Patrick Kaleta has flown over the boards. Listen for the boom. That’s the sound of Kaleta crunching another opponent into the wall.
• Boivin, speaking in French and English, noted that Montreal has one of the largest overseas Haitian communities and pointed out the Canadiens’ Georges Laraque and the Stars’ Maxime Fortunus were among the Haitian-Canadian players in the NHL.
• It’s highly doubtful many folks outside their dressing room believed the Bruins, with a mountain of adversity stacked against them, could pull off the NHL upset of the year as they did Thursday in San Jose.
• Judging from the way he looked when he spoke to reporters in Montreal Friday morning, Ottawa Senators goalie Pascal Leclaire is going to be out for some time with what looks like a serious concussion.
• Whatever magic potion Vesa Toskala and the Maple Leafs swallowed in posting a shutout victory Thursday against Philadelphia wore off 49 seconds into the first period Friday evening in Washington.

Southeast Division:

• When rookie defenseman Dmitry Kulikov injured his knee almost a month ago, the Panthers had to plug another rookie into their top six – Jason Garrison.
• Some nights Alex Ovechkin helps the Washington Capitals win. Other nights he’s the biggest reason they do. It was the latter Friday night at Verizon Center, where the two-time MVP amassed a goal and four assists to lift the Capitals to their fifth win in six games.
• Lightning goalie Dustin Tokarski understands that his first NHL callup may last only a few days.  Tokarski, a 20-year-old prospect, was recalled from AHL Norfolk on Thursday to provide insurance until Mike Smith recovers from a neck strain (he’s day-to-day).
• Thrashers star Ilya Kovalchuk told the AJC on Wednesday that he is not frustrated by ongoing contract negotiations. Kovalchuk, who will become an unrestricted free agent after the season, also said he remains confident a deal will get done.
• Talk about timing. The Wings were coming off a 6-0 road loss to the New York Islanders on Tuesday. They were determined to shore up a power play that had been a woeful 2-for-45 in their past 14 games. But the Wings scored on their first two against the Canes

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

I am certain that an opinion piece of this nature will upset each team’s fans but these head shots have got to stop.  Of course, we are all hockey fans and love the big hit, some live for it but there needs to be a line drawn with the increasing speed to the game.  These hits need to stop or else hockey becomes a survival of the fittest in which young players stand little chance of establishing a career due to playing scared due to footage from the last gruesome head shot.

While the League’s general managers mull over a rule change, I would like to propose a rule change of my own.  Repeat dirty hits will lead to a permanent suspension from the League.  The OHL instilled a similar rule when they banned Michael Liambas, a notoriously dirty player, from playing in their League following a career ending hit against Ben Fanelli.  This instance marked just another time Liambas made a questionable hit, you cam see another one on first overall pick John Tavares here.  The NHL made a similar move with former NHL pugilist Ryan Hollweg, essentially calling any hit remotely borderline until he played his way out of the league.

The moral of my rant will be that these types of players simply do not deserve a paycheck in the National Hockey League.  A League where the rest of the world comes to play and play for the sport’s greatest trophies.  What kind of message does it send when careers start to end due to these injuries? Do we need Sidney Crosby or Alexander Ovechkin seriously injured before we start to see lifetime bans?

My nominees for a lifetime ban…

Patrick Kaleta - Kaleta first comes to mind after a brutal blindside hit to Paul Mara.  The hit came well after the blue liner moved the puck up ice however the right winger committed to a late hit in which he left his feet and subsequently broke Mara’s orbital bone.  This blatant hitting however did not stop with Mara as in the beginning of the year he left his feet to make shoulder-to-head contact with Phoenix Coyote Petr Prucha in October.  Due to a non-call or perhaps just the player’s tendency to skim the line, he delivered another brutal board to Jared Ross of the Flyers.

The 23-year-old recently received a head shot of his own, delivered by the equally dirty Jarkko Ruutu.  The entire city of Buffalo seemed to uproar at the notion of a dirty player allowed to take out one of their own, but in all honesty this instance was a case of a player receiving his just deserts.

One would think getting his proverbial bell rung would stifle his headhunting ways, but it seems like the lesson fell on deaf ears.  Last week, Kaleta comes out of the penalty box to immediately deliver a blind-side head shot to veteran Paul Kariya, a true travesty.  How can the NHL truly allow a player of this caliber to take out a great like Kariya.  The Blues list the veteran as day-to-day with concussion-related symptoms but one has to wonder if this would be the end of a great career due to some punk’s antics.

Jarkko Ruutu – Don’t you worry Sabres fans, Ruutu makes the list as well.  Just four short years ago the Finnish forward drilled Jaromir Jagr with a brutal looking hit during the Olympics.  The hit went unpunished by NHL officials as it took place off of their ice, but he should have been kept on a short leash.

Instead, the 34-year-old continued to play in the League with no punishment.  The veteran not only laid that dirty hit on an unsuspecting Kaleta, but also bit Andrew Peters last year.  I repeat, he bit a guy!  While the Helsinki native continues to antagonize opponents in hopes of instigating a fight or a penalty, he should be sitting at home watching the Senators game.  A player of this caliber with this track record shows no remorse for his actions and his play should not be welcomed in the best League in the world.

Brent Sutter – Sutter has given a lot to this great game of hockey, but his time has come and gone.  The style of play which he deploys dates back to the late seventies with an eye-for-an-eye style where specific players get taken out others in order to benefit your team.  This new NHL where the speed increased dramatically holds little value for head hunting and generally dirty play.

Even if we cannot prove that some of these hits are Sutter’s doing, I find the coincidences baffling.  Sending his own son, Brandon Sutter, to take out Russian star Alexei Cherepanov comes to mind, a blatant charge in which the younger Sutter clearly left his fee in order to commit a head shot not to mention skated the length of the ice to make the hit.  Notice another less than typical hit came from the shoulder of Sutter mercenary Curtis Glencross, where the winger delivered a blind-side head shot to Rangers captain Chris Drury, giving him another concussion.  The puck never even touched Drury’s stick yet Glencross has been trained to hit without attempting to retrieve the puck.

Perhaps the most daunting an thank god not most damaging hit came recently at the hands of Dion Phaneuf.  Similarly, the Flames defenseman took the body instead of looking for the puck when he drilled star center Anze Kopitar into the boards following a rush for the puck. A hit of this caliber warranted a game misconduct but no suspension from the league.  What would happen if this incident crippled Kopitar?

Here is a quote from Anze Kopitar, courtesy of LA Kings Insider with Rich Hammond:

“We’re going down for the puck. I’m reaching around, trying to get the puck. He doesn’t even think about the puck. You be the judge if that’s a dirty hit.”

Think of the last time that was said about a hit.  It involved Liambas, who similarly went straight for the hit instead of even attempting to play the pucks.  At this rate repeat offenders need permanent suspensions.  Harsh but true.  Mike Richards, Clarke MacArthur, Chris Pronger be warned, these attempts to injure should not stand.

Now I will take off my commisioner suit and enjoy the rest of this weekend’s hockey.  As always I hope you enjoyed our latest feature. You can help NHLHS stay alive by visiting our sponsors to the right or clicking on our donate tab at the top.

Follow me on Twitter for up-to-the-minute updates

-Alexander Monaghan
NHLHS Founder
thehotstove@gmail.com

I previously skipped over the Sabres, so here they are.

Based on Matthew Pouliot’s series on Circling the Bases, I have decided restore the rosters for every NHL team. Like Pouliot, I have established some ground rules for my selections.

1. Each team contains players they originally drafted or signed before any other NHL team. This includes players drafted and not signed, as well as European free agents coming over at an older age.
2. I have chosen to leave retired players off the list, and lean toward players in the AHL rather than those deported (KHL, SEL, DEL, etc.).

Essentially I am choosing the best available players for a team to succeed in the current NHL season. All 30 teams will be covered, with grades assigned to forwards, defense and goaltending. After all 30 articles are written, they will be ranked in order. This series’ intent is to reward or shame NHL scouts.

The Sabres rely heavily on their drafting and development of young players in order to keep their payroll down. Due to their restrictions monetarily, the team has succeeded in producing a vast amount of NHL regulars as well as some well regarded players.  Overall, there really is no weaknesses to their lineup from the net on out.  A mostly young core, this team greatly resembles the team currently constructed but with more depth and much improved blueline.

The lineup for the Buffalo Sabres is as follows.

Forwards:

The forward core consists of a good mix of young players.  As these players continue to develop, the team will only get better and better much like the current roster.

Thomas Vanek – Derek Roy – Jason Pominville

Clarke MacArthur – Tyler Ennis / Nathan Gerbe / Tim Kennedy – Drew Stafford

Daniel Paille – Paul Gaustad – Maxim Afinogenov

Ales Kotalik – Wayne Primeau – Patrick Kaleta

Extra(s): Brad May, Andrew Peters, Mike Zigomanis, Mark Mancari

The only glaring hole is the second line center.  I chose to let three highly touted prospects fight it out for a spot.  Those three smallish centers are a large part of the future in Buffalo therefore we can see why some other players like Afinogenov and Paille are no longer with the organization.  Although their forward core may appear to be impressive, and by all means it is, in no way does it compare to the plethora of NHL defensemen the team drafted and developed.

Grade: B+

Defense:

The Sabres probably have the best defensive core in the league.  Although they drafted so many good defensemen, it is mainly the bottom of the depth chart that are still with the team.

Brian Campbell – Dennis Widemann

Tyler Myers – Keith Ballard

Cory Sarich – Henrik Tallinder

Extra(s): Nathan Paetsch, Jay McKee, Chris Butler, Andrej Sekera, Jan Hejda

Every defenseman listed is a capable NHL defender. One would be hard pressed to find a better top four around the league.  It is just unfortunate that three out of the top four are out of the organization.  Sadly Wideman elected free agency before playing a single game for the team while Ballard yielded Steve Reinprecht ironically a solid 2nd line center.  Traded for Steve Bernier and a first round pick (Ennis), Campbell moved to San Jose to play with his close friend Joe Thornton.  An honestly decent trade, one which helped the Sabres even more in the long run.

Grade: A+

Goaltenders:

The Sabres produced perhaps the best goaltender in all of hockey.  In fact, the situation with this team closely resembles the same roster as the team’s post-lockout team.

Ryan Miller

Martin Biron

Extra: Jonas Enroth

As of this writing, Miller leads all goalies with a 1.83 GAA, .939 SV% and four shutouts through 26 games.  He clearly is the best tender to represent team USA in the Olympics and a strong contender for the Vezina.  Biron is still the same goalie who led the Flyers to the ECF two years ago.  He can string together an impressive string of wins regardless of his playing situation as shown in the past.

Grade: A

Hope you enjoyed this version of Restoring the Rosters.  You can help NHLHS stay alive by visiting our sponsors to the left.

Follow me on Twitter for up-to-the-minute updates

-Alexander Monaghan
NHLHS Founder
thehotstove@gmail.com