Storyline: The Buffalo Sabres may have had the best NHL off-season. Don’t be surprised if they compete for a playoff spot in Year 1 of the Jack Eichel era.
It’s almost like a mirage: the Leafs are in full rebuild mode. They dealt the top scorer for future talent and, actually, did pretty well in the trade.
Courtesy: sportsnet.ca
Admit it, Leafs’ fans: last year you were asking for a bag of pucks at the trade deadline, just wanting to rid your team of a contract that put a heavy burden on your team. But you not only received a bag of pucks, you got the Penguins’ best prospect, a couple of role players, and a first-rounder, too.
That’s quite a bit for a player who has been thrashed around by the media over the past two years. Unfortunately, 35 goal-scorers don’t grow on trees and Kessel has a good shot at scoring 40 next year. My prediction for Kessel next year (Leafs’ fans close your eyes): 42 goals and 39 assists for an 81-point season, playing on the top power-play unit with Crosby or Malkin. But this is one of those trades that should be good for both teams.
Chris Pronger’s contract has been traded. You know there’s something wrong with the CBA when you can trade a retired Hall of Famer and league office official’s contract to a team that’s required to spend a certain amount of money just to play in the league. But that’s exactly what happened. Ron Hextall did the impossible and he was able to get out of salary cap hell without giving up any talent.
But what a mess Paul Holmgren made of the Flyers! This team is building from the blue line out, and they should make a run at the playoffs this year or next. I still expect another defensemen to be dealt and it’s going to be either Luke Schenn or Andrew MacDonald.
Courtesy: committedindians.com
Brandon Saad is dealt to Columbus and I’m confused by this trade—not by the fact that they dealt Saad, but that the return was so mediocre. When they signed Anismov to a decent-sized contract, couldn’t they have signed Saad to a similar contract? It’s really difficult to see the logic with this one. But the Hawks have also won 3 Cups in the past 6 years. So who am I to judge?
Ryan O’Reilly does it all. He’s an absolute perfect fit for a young Sabres team. The Sabres locked him up for 7 years and he’ll show this young team how to do everything properly.
He’s exactly the type of player the Oilers need as well—somebody to show them how to play the game right. The Oilers still haven’t done enough to shore up the “D,” but they’ll be an extremely exciting team to watch next year. Cam Talbot will come back down to Earth with his numbers, especially with the Oilers playing firehouse hockey.
TJ Oshie is now a Cap and the return to St. Louis was average, at best. Oshie is a younger, faster version of Joel Ward. It was a great move by the Caps, but the Blues don’t seem to realize they don’t have the Getzlaf, Toews, or Kopitar- factor yet—that proven winner who’ll do anything to push his team to victory. Tarasenko will score a bunch of goals but, when it comes down to crunch time, he isn’t going to lead this team to The Promised Land. I predict another early exit from the playoffs and, then, Hitchcock’s head will roll.
Courtesy: buffalohockeybeat.com
Goaltenders were shuffled about and I think only the Sabres got better. Lehner is going to be a star in this league and I think the Senators made a mistake with the one that they let go. Andrew Hammond will be an ok backup, at best, in this league–a Patrick Lalime 2.0.
Cody Franson is still up for grabs. He’s the best all-around defenseman in this UFA class. I’ll be shocked if he doesn’t end up back in Toronto. It seems to me that Nashville doesn’t have quite the money to lock him up, plus they have an abundance of talent already back there.
The Red Wings were brilliant once again by bringing in Mike Green to be a power-play specialist. At a 3-year contract they won’t have to worry about getting burnt on a long-term deal. If only they had done the same with Jimmy Howard. They’ll utilize him perfectly by keeping him out of tough defensive situations. He can be injury prone, but I think he should be fine if the team keeps his minutes down per game.
Jack Eichel (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
Overall, the Sabres had the best off-season in my opinion. Jack Eichel is going to be a star. In Lehner they shored-up goaltending. Ryan O’Reilly can do it all. And they didn’t give out outrageous contracts.
I wouldn’t be surprised if the Sabres compete for a playoff spot in Year 1 of the Jack Eichel era.
Dennis: Kevin Dineen of the Portland Pirates, who are still in the thick of the AHL playoff race, is a guy’s name I’ve heard for Vancouver.Nolan feels like far too bold a move for a guy like Nonis to make. I do think that’d be a tefirirc choice, however.