D and S Sports: June 2010

2010 NHL Free Agency – Forwards

6/24/2010 | Posted by Devin

NHL Free Agency kicks off July 1^st, so I figure that now is a good time to review the upcoming UFA and RFA class. Unlike last season, I won't be ranking them in terms of overall worth, but instead the rankings will reflect their worth to the Sabres and how bad I'd like to see the particular player in blue and gold next season. Please remember, these rankings are completely biased.

Finally, we've made it to the forwards. This might be the biggest problem area for the Sabres this summer. Buffalo has put a ton of faith in their system and their guys, and so far it hasn't exactly worked out. Thomas Vanek has had his moments where he's been that guy, but other times where we all bash our head against the wall when we realize he is the highest paid player on the team. Jason Pominville is still living off his 15 minutes of fame for a big playoff goal he scored over four years ago. Derek Roy has been the leading scorer for the Sabres in the regular season but failed to show up in the playoffs. Tim Connolly opted not to play at all in the playoffs. I could go on and on, but you get the point. The Sabres need some more muscle up front and a true number one center.

If I had my choice, the Sabres trade Connolly and get a decent return. He has a $4.5 million dollar cap hit this season and then his contract expires. I'd like to see the Sabres get something from him because I think there is a 0.03% chance the Sabres bring him back after this season. I know other fans are quick to jump on the trade Derek Roy bandwagon, but I'm a little more hesitant on that one. Facts are facts. He has been the team's leading scorer for the past three seasons and he only makes $4 million per season. He is also locked up for the next three seasons. Not a bad deal if you ask me.

As if everyone needs this reminder again, but these rankings reflect my personal opinion on players the Sabres need and should go after, not overall UFA rankings like done in the past. That means no Ilya Kovalchuk in these rankings. Not happening, nor should it.

1. Patrick Marleau (SJ) – I would crack a bottle of champagne and celebrate the day if the Sabres signed Marleau. His point totals since the lockout have been 86, 78, 48, 71 and 83. He would instantly improve the Sabres goal scoring and be their best forward. Maybe he'd even show Pominville a thing or two about earning his contract.

(Ed. Note: After the writing this article, Marleau re-signed with San Jose for a massive $6.9 million per year.)

2. Tomas Plekanec (MTL) – There is a part of me that wonders if Plekanec is one of those guys who over-achieved during his contract year and will ultimately cash in and let down his next team but I'm willing to ignore those thoughts for the time being. This past season was definitely a bounce back season but he also chipped in 69 points in the 2007-08 season so maybe it's unfair to label him as a one hit wonder. Like I said in the defenseman rankings, another positive to signing Plekanec would be stealing him away from a division rival.

(Ed. Note: After writing this article, Montreal did in fact resign Plekanec to a 6 year deal.)

3. Alexander Frolov (LA) – Since the lockout, Frolov hasn't scored less than 50 points in any season. That would instantly put him in the top five for scoring on the team. Frolov's cap hit was $2.9 million but I'm guessing he'll be looking at about $4 million per season coming up. Judging on his numbers, he looks like a near identical image of Derek Roy, which probably isn't a heartwarming thought for most Sabres fans but I can live with it.

4. Ray Whitney (CAR) – Whitney isn't exactly young and won't exactly provide a ton of toughness, but there are other added benefits to signing him. I advocated for him at the trade deadline and nothing has changed, except the Sabres can now get him without giving up any players or draft picks. Because of his age (38), I'd be uncomfortable with anything more than a two year deal.

5. Lee Stempniak (PHX) - Stempniak flamed out in Toronto big time, but blew up after the trade deadline while in Phoenix. Stempniak grew up in the Buffalo area which automatically means he'd be a great Sabre. /sarcasm. But seriously, I think he showed his true potential in Phoenix. There are plenty of reasons why he struggled in Toronto. For one, putting it nicely, the Leafs weren't a very good team. Two, his game was examined under the strongest microscope with some of the toughest fans to please. When the pressure was off while playing in a non-hockey town, he lit it up. Granted he'd be going back into a big hockey city with large expectations, but I'd like to think he has his confidence back.

6. Manny Malhotra (SJ) –Malholtra falls into the bargain category. His cap hit was a miniscule $700,000 last season in San Jose. In return he scored 14 goals and 19 assists. That is essentially the same amount of money Adam Mair made while providing double the scoring. I will absolutely sign up for that. In fact, Mair has never even scored double digit goals during his seven seasons in Buffalo. His highest total is eight goals in the 2008-09 season. In a similar six year span, Malhotra scored nine goals one season and eclipsed double digit goals in the other five. This would be a very good under the radar signing for Buffalo if they went in that direction.

7. Matthew Lombardi (PHX) – Lombardi has a few aspects that stand out to me. He's only 28 years old and his cap hit was $1,816,667. To put that into perspective, that is a little more than what Mike Grier makes. It's less money than what Drew Stafford, Paul Gaustad and the majority of Sabres forwards bring home. With that in mind, Lombardi scored 19 goals last season and contributed another 34 assists. So no he isn't a top line 40 goal scorer, but for the cap hit and the production, he's a great bargain that would improve the team.

8. Bill Guerin (PIT) – Like Ray Whitney, Bill Guerin is a little too old for my taste, but I'd sign up for a one or two year deal. Guerin has the ability to chip in 20 goals but would also provide a great deal of toughness and leadership. Having someone like Guerin on the roster would help a great deal during the playoffs when the young guys are busy being invisible. All of that being said, Pittsburgh would be crazy to let him go. He's a perfect fit for them.

9. Matt Cullen (OTT) –Cullen would be a decent signing for the right price, mostly for the veteran presence and leadership. I can't stress this enough, the Sabres need more players that will take control of the locker room. There is a reason the Sabres wasted no time signing Mike Grier before letting him hit the open market. It was refreshing to see them recognize his importance and place a value on it.

10. Saku Koivu (ANA) –I'm lukewarm on the thought of Koivu in a Sabres uniform, but I needed a nice even list of 10 for this article so here he is. I'm all for adding another 50+ points to the Sabres group of forwards, but I wouldn't be crazy about him taking up three million or more against the cap. Now if you were to tell me that the Sabres were able to unload Drew Stafford and his $1.9 million cap hit and replace it with Koivu and a $3 million cap hit, I can easily live with that. Again, the Sabres need some more consistent scoring.

If I have one internet pet peeve, it's people playing GM on the internet with unrealistic scenarios that would only happen on Xbox. However, now that we've seen my rankings for goalies, d-men and forwards, allow me to play the role for a few minutes.

The Sabres currently have around $10 or $11 million in cap space for the upcoming season. They have 10 forwards, 5 defensemen and one goalie under contract.

Sign Martin Biron for $1.2 million. Sign Carlo Colaiacovo for $2 million. Trade for Tomas Kaberle, in the process trading Drew Stafford and whatever draft picks Brian Burke wants. Re-sign Patrick Kaleta and Tim Kennedy, each getting a minor raise. Sign Ray Whitney and Matthew Lombardi. Raise another division champion banner in HSBC.

Labels: Buffalo Sabres, Forwards, Free Agency

2010 NHL Free Agency – Defensemen

6/24/2010 | Posted by Devin

Since the lockout, Kaberle has contributed point totals of 67, 58, 53, 31 and 49. Factor in that his 31 points came in 57 games, and it's all the more impressive. Kaberle would instantly be the best scoring defenseman on the Sabres, along with Tyler Myers. The idea of Kaberle in Buffalo also excited me because he's a power play specialist and the power play for Buffalo is horrendous. Literally, it's to the point where I wish the Sabres could actually decline penalties and just play 5 on 5.

Buffalo is clearing right around 5.5 million with Tallinder and Lydman leaving and I'd be perfectly okay with them giving that money to Kaberle for roughly four years. Rumors I've read have said Buffalo would have to give up a couple of draft picks and possibly Drew Stafford to acquire Kaberle. For me, that just sweetens the deal. Maybe Stafford will pan out and become a very good player, but my patience has run out on him and the sooner he's gone, the better. If Buffalo traded for Kaberle and locked him up, they would head into the season with Kaberle, Rivet, Montador, Myers, Sekera and Butler. Call me crazy but I'm more than okay with that. Rivet will most likely miss the beginning of the season but the Sabres have two players in Mike Weber and Marc-Andre Gragnani that could easily fill in and even challenge Sekera and Butler for regular playing time.

There is always the chance that the Sabres don't get this deal done, so with that in mind, let's see who will be available on the open market. Keep in mind, this isn't an overall ranking, but a ranking on who I think would be a good fit for the Sabres. I'm also only ranking the top 10 players to keep this as short as possible. Salary, age and scoring are the three things I'm factoring in here. If there has been one thing lacking in the past few seasons, it's been consistent scoring from the defensemen.

1b. Anton Volchenkov (OTT) – Volchenkov doesn't fit the bill for a scoring defenseman like I highlighted above, but I'd still love to have him in Buffalo for a few reasons. Volchenkov is only 28 years old and has been one of the better defensemen for Ottawa over the past few seasons. He'll be looking for a large payday since he's arguably the top defenseman overall, so the odds of Buffalo making a play on him are pretty rare. Part of the allure in my eyes is not only would the Sabres be upgrading their blue line, they would be directly hurting a division rival in the process.

2. Carlo Colaiacovo (STL) – Colaiacovo isn't a household name for most hockey fans but he would be a very solid signing for Buffalo. His current salary was $1.4 million, so even with a raise; he would bring a modest cap hit at best. Combine that with his age (27) and his recent point production, and I'm all for this signing. After being drafted by Toronto and constantly being injured, he has been relatively healthy for the past two seasons playing in 73 and 67 games respectively. In those two seasons he chipped in 30 and 32 points, which would make him the second highest scoring defenseman in Buffalo.

3. Joe Corvo (WAS) – Corvo doesn't have the highest point totals, but I would definitely be on board with him signing in Buffalo. I'm guessing he'll be looking at a contract right around three million per season for about four years, and I could live with that. I think I've mentioned it at least 80 times in this article, but the Sabres power play is an absolute joke. Corvo isn't quite in the class of Kaberle or Gonchar, but he'd still help upgrade that particular aspect for the Sabres.

4.
Sergei Gonchar (PIT) – Gonchar's salary and age go directly against my rules for signing a defenseman in free agency. However, if it was a one or two year deal and he took a significant pay cut of two million or more, I could talk myself into that signing. Gonchar would be a veteran presence on the blue line (with Cup winning experience) and possibly someone who could breathe some life into the power play as well. Like Kaberle, Gonchar would immediately be the best offensive defenseman the Sabres would have. Tyler Myers led the Sabres last season with 48 points in 82 games. In only 62 games with Pittsburgh, Gonchar had 50 points.

5. Marc-Andre Bergeron (MTL) - Bergeron's point totals aren't anything to write home about, but his cap number is rather modest and he's only 29 years old, so I wouldn't mind this signing at all. In the past two seasons his point totals have been above 30, so if anything, he'd instantly be the second highest scoring defenseman on the team. The biggest concern I have about Bergeron is how much he's bounced around so far in his career. Since the lockout he's played for the Oilers, Islanders, Ducks, Wild and Canadiens. That's an awful lot of teams in such a short time span.

6. Dan Hamhuis (NAS) – Hamhuis would help upgrade the blue line for Buffalo, but not necessarily in the scoring department. His point totals since the lockout have been 38, 20, 27, 26 and 24. Combine that with is current salary (2.5 million) and the likelihood of a significant raise, and his odds of signing in Buffalo are pretty slim. The biggest thing I noticed about Hamhuis is his durability. In the past five seasons in Nashville, Hamhuis has missed a total of seven games.

(Ed. Note: Nashville has already traded Hamhuis' rights to Philadelphia, so unless they really screw up and don't sign him, he is already off the market.)

7. Paul Martin (NJD) – Martin's price tag is a bit much for my liking, but he'd be a solid signing nevertheless. Martin was hurt for the better part of last season but still managed to net 11 points in 22 regular season games. I'd have to defer to the experts on this, but I do wonder how much of his success is tied to the system in New Jersey

8. Jay McKee (PIT) – This is more of a nostalgic pick because to be honest, I really don't know how much McKee has left in the tank. He's only 32 which isn't terribly old, but he's blocked so many shots over the course of his career that he might as well be 40. With all that in mind, he still suited up for 62 games last season in Pittsburgh and among the games he missed, many were because he was the 7^th defenseman and ended up being a healthy scratch. His cap hit was only $800,000 which is a tremendous bargain considering what you're getting in return. If he would be willing to accept a similar amount of money with similar circumstances to come back home to Buffalo, I'd be more than fine with it.

9. Pavel Kubina (ATL) – At 33 and carrying a price tag of five million per season, Kubina would be a tough sell for me. Besides a veteran presence, Kubina really doesn't fit into any of the three categories I'd be looking for. However, if he took a minor pay cut and Buffalo signed him, I'd definitely be able to talk myself into it.

10. Jordan Leopold (PIT) – Leopold will be 30 heading into next season and looking at a cap hit around two million, so I wouldn't be too excited if the Sabres were to sign him. He's only eclipsed 30 points in a season once (in 2003-04) and didn't make a huge difference for Pittsburgh in their latest playoff run. There are obviously worse choices, but signing Leopold would most likely be a 'more of the same' type signing for Buffalo.

Labels: Buffalo Sabres, Defensemen, Free Agency

2010 NHL Free Agency - Goaltenders

6/22/2010 | Posted by Devin

When Biron left Philadelphia last summer, his main objective was to get a starting gig with any NHL team. Buffalo had actually approached him last summer about returning to the Sabres as Miller's backup, but Biron turned the offer down because like I said, he wanted to start. This year I think things will be a little different for Biron. He struggled big time to even find a job last summer and once he settled on Long Island, he got a whopping 29 starts total. Now based on the ideal situation of the Sabres backup playing around 22 games this season, wouldn't it make sense for Biron to return to Buffalo, get the same workload as last season, and be on a winning team? I think so.

Here is my biggest reason for wanting Biron back. He's played in Buffalo, he's comfortable in Buffalo, the Sabres team is comfortable with him, and he won't lose the confidence of the coaching staff. I highlighted this above but recent goalies have been quick to lose the confidence of Lindy. I'm assuming someone like Biron wouldn't fall into that category. Biron is also very familiar with the Sabres system and there would be a short learning curve. Biron made $1.4 million last season, which is a number the Sabres could easily fit into their budget.

2. Michael Leighton (PHI) – I'll admit it, I'm totally jumping on the Leighton bandwagon based on this past season. I realize he's been released and sent down to the minors by a handful of teams multiple times, so his recent string could've been blind luck. Then again, he played pretty good for the most part in the Cup and had the Flyers one goal and one game away from hoisting Lord Stanley. For those who weren't following the Flyers before the playoffs, Leighton was a big reason for their turnaround and played a huge part in getting them into the playoffs. During the regular season, Leighton posted a 16-5-2 record along with a 2.48 GAA and .918 save percentage. He then suffered an injury that opened the door for Brian Boucher to take over which is the reason most people were caught by surprise with Leighton came back in and did so well. It was very ironic that Boucher replaced Leighton because of injury and became a playoff hero until he suffered his own injury that allowed Leighton to step back in. Speaking of the playoffs, Leighton went 8-3 with a 2.46 GAA and .916 save percentage, along with three shutouts. Leighton did struggle at times during the Stanley Cup, but let's be honest here; the Sabres wouldn't need Leighton to fill that kind of role in Buffalo. If he backed up Miller and posted similar numbers to this past regular season, the Sabres would coast to another Northeast Division crown. Just for reference, Patrick Lalime won a combined nine games the past two seasons for Buffalo.

3. Antero Niittymaki (TB) – Niittymaki falls into the same category as Johan Hedberg (below), someone who would have to accept a lesser role in terms of playing time to suit up for the Sabres. The positives for Niittymaki are his numbers (2.87/.909) and the fact that he'll only be 30 when the season starts. In fact, his age is the reason I have him ranked as high as I do. He has played regularly in the NHL since the 2005-06 season so he has the experience necessary in case something happens to Miller along the way. Niittymaki had his fair share of rough games for Tampa Bay so the Sabres would have to take that into account, but again, he'd be filling a different role in Buffalo. I'd also like to think that his numbers would be more consistent playing for a team less dysfunctional than the Lightning.

4. Patrick Lalime (BUF) – It's been well documented that I've had a very on and off relationship with Lalime during his two year tenure in Buffalo. Fact is that when he gets decent goal support, he usually does well. The problem is that he usually doesn't get that goal support. I can only assume after watching the Sabres play that they sacrifice offensive chances to make sure they are helping out defensively, since they know they don't have Miller in between the pipes for that particular game. Regardless, the last two seasons in Buffalo could've been worse. Jocelyn Thibault anybody?

Lalime only played in 16 games last season, which just isn't enough, although it is close. Lalime is getting older and that worries me as well, but he is also familiar with Buffalo and seems to like it (and his teammates seem to really like him). I'm not advocating the re-signing of Lalime if the above players are still available, but if they are gone, I would have no issue with another season of Lalime.

5. Johan Hedberg (ATL) – Sabres fans are probably familiar with Hedberg because it's almost a guaranteed Sabres loss when facing the guy. Hedberg posted a 2.62 GAA and .915 save percentage last season for the woeful Thrashers, which speaks volumes about his ability. The biggest red flag for me personally is that he's 37 years old. Then again, if he's only playing for a season or two in Buffalo, that shouldn't be too much of an issue, as long as he can stay healthy. Hedberg hasn't played less than 30 games since the 2006-07 season so he would have to be willing to accept a much lesser role to play in Buffalo, but wouldn't winning factor into that decision? Or playing in front of a capacity crowd?

6. Andrew Raycroft (VAN) – I would be horribly unimpressed if the Sabres signed Raycroft, but he isn't the worst choice available. He only played 21 games last season in Vancouver which tells me he's already accepted his role as a backup and he did well in that role, going 9-5-1 as the starter and posting a 2.42 GAA and .911 save percentage. Raycroft also sat behind Roberto Luongo, so coming to Buffalo to sit behind Ryan Miller wouldn't be a drastic change at all for him.

If the Sabres were to sign anybody other than the six listed above, I have a feeling I'd have to really talk myself into it being a solid signing. The six goalies listed above all come at a reasonable price and all would fill the backup goaltender position fairly well. Although, there is one other option.

The Sabres could bring Jhonas Enroth up from Portland and allow him to take over the backup role. I don't see them doing this however because the Sabres have already stated that they want a "veteran" to fill the role of backup. That doesn't bode well for Enroth. He also only has one game of NHL experience so the Sabres would be taking a huge chance on letting him take over, not to mention they might stunt his growth as a hockey player by cutting his games by such a large amount.

With all that being said, I'd be okay with Enroth filling the role, or any of the six free agents listed above.

Let's see what the Sabres decide to do.

Labels: Buffalo Sabres, Free Agency, Goaltenders

2010 NHL Free Agency – Forwards

2010 NHL Free Agency – Defensemen

2010 NHL Free Agency - Goaltenders

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