Are the Buffalo Sabres truly a model franchise in the new NHL?
Are the Buffalo Sabres truly a model franchise in the new NHL?
Sportsnet.ca's Jim Kelley is not quite mad as hell and refusing to take it, let's just call him really peeved (and ready to get a few things off his chest). He'll do just that each week in his column, BACKHANDS, where he'll deliver a virtual slap to NHL players, coaches and execs who rub him the wrong way.
The Buzz: The Buffalo Sabres are the model franchise of the "new" NHL. They have the team of the future and they've built it the right way.
The Backhand: Is that so? Maybe it's a tribute to the Sabres that they have what are universally considered the top two soon-to-be unrestricted free agents in the game -Chris Drury and Daniel Briere and the most coveted restricted free agent -Thomas Vanek (with centre Derek Roy a close second) heading to market, but the view from here is that that's not exactly a good thing. The Sabres absolutely refused to discuss contract extensions with their key players during the season claiming it was "club policy."
Really? Since when? The Sabres twice extended Dominik Hasek's contract when he was the premier goaltender in the NHL and playing in Buffalo. It was to their advantage as well as Hasek's, and much of the same management team in place then is still in place now so is this an ownership edict or what?
The Sabres could still salvage one (though not likely two) signings before July 1, but it may be too late for that and one has to wonder why they allowed themselves to get in this situation.
Double backhand: This is the way the Sabres lost Jay McKee before the start of last season. The defenceman led the league in shot blocking and signed a deal with St. Louis for $16 million over four years. That was deemed too rich for Buffalo and several other teams and perhaps rightly so, but the kicker is that McKee is on record as saying he would have stayed with Buffalo for four years for $10 million, but talks never got down to brass tacks.
It could be argued the loss of McKee was the biggest single reason the Sabres lost in the Eastern Conference Final to the Ottawa Senators this past spring, a team that ran over Buffalo's defence in the Buffalo end.
Triple Backhand: Not only do they lose McKee (and physical player and Drury friend Mike Grier, who signed with San Jose after stating Buffalo wasn't committed to winning), but they pay Jaroslav Spacek more than McKee was said to be asking and he turns into a bust (defensively weak and accounting for just one point in the playoffs and only one point in his last 35 regular season games). Not only did Spacek not hit, not defend well and not contribute to the power play that was woefully inadequate in the regular season and the playoffs, but he now appears to be a millstone in that they're on the hook for another two years in excess of $3.3 million per season.
Quadruple Backhand: The Sabres are already on record as saying they will play well under whatever cap figure is announced later this week. If they don't sign their free agents and don't intend to spend to the cap, how do they get other free agents to sign with a franchise that has never won a Stanley Cup and doesn't intend to spend to the limit to try? That's a "model" for a difficult future indeed.
The Buzz: The Toronto Maple Leafs improve in goal by acquiring Vesa Toskala and acquiring Mark Bell from the San Jose Sharks for draft picks.
The Backhand: True, Toskala is an upgrade over Andrew Raycroft and may be enough to get the Leafs into the playoffs next season (which now appears to be Toronto's only goal). Bell, it should be stated, was simply a contract the Leafs had to take on in order to get to Toskala. But the smart money should be on the Sharks. General Manager Doug Wilson has managed his cap situation as well as any GM in hockey and now is perfectly positioned to sign either a high-priced free agent (read Drury) and/or perhaps even a quality restricted player such as Vanek.
Drury has exactly what the Sharks need (leadership, grit, and a comfort zone playing behind Joe Thornton) and the Sharks have everything Drury needs (money, room for a lengthy deal, a shot at the Stanley Cup and the chance to take over a team in a way Thornton can't). Seems like a match made if not in heaven, than at least in Doug Wilson's wheelhouse.
The Buzz: The Leafs are in despair because Scott Bowman reportedly turned down the chance to join the hockey department.
The Backhand: If you're going to supplement the work of John Ferguson, well there are plenty of candidates out there besides Bowman. If you're going to hire a guy to eventually be Ferguson's successor, perhaps even in mid-season next season, well perhaps you want someone who has a track record in the position. Bowman is arguably hockey's greatest coach and he's got a pretty good eye for talent, but the world of administrating a hockey team is a 24/7 job and Bowman is pretty much in retirement.
John Muckler might have a short-term interest, especially with a chance to beat up on the Ottawa Senators on a regular basis, but if the Leafs are looking for Ferguson's eventual replacement, they don't need consultants, they need only look to teams with a GM in waiting that has learned from a winner and is ready to make his mark.
There's a long list of those kinds of candidates so it will be interesting to see what Maple Leaf team ownership's true intentions are.
The Buzz: The Vancouver Canucks will be quiet in the offseason free-agent market because they have cap issues and a boatload of unrestricted free agents to sign.
The Backhand: Tough. No time for sentiment here. If the Canucks are to move forward they need scoring and scoring is available in the marketplace. They may have to cut some vets, perhaps even Trevor Linden, but the smartest thing to do would be to make a run at a quality restricted free agent much the same way the Flyers went after Ryan Kesler last season. Do some buyouts, stir the pot and get a good young winger who can score in the clutch and grow with the team already in place.
The Buzz: A dull draft weekend, at least in regards to all the trade rumours that never came to pass.
The Backhand: What, you're surprised? Why make deals when you can go shopping in the free agent market and then, if it's not to your liking or your budget, go after post-signing deals that will become obvious once teams realize they need to get under cap restrictions because of the costs they picked up signing a free agent or two?
The new trading period is not at the All-Star Game, the draft or even at the trade deadline. It's when teams look at their budgets, their cap issues and their roster and have to trim accordingly. That's what will drive deals in the "new" NHL.
The Buzz: Americans are the new currency in the NHL draft.
The Backhand: True, but largely because the Russians are about as visible as Don Immus these days. No team is going to take a chance on a Russian player without a transfer agreement in place between the NHL and the Russian Federation, hence the rush to draft Americans.
The Feedback: A great many of you expressed shock and or surprise that Peter Forsberg was not on my list of top free-agents available. Understandable, but in defining the list I opted for players who will be impact players, not ones who's best days are behind them. That's why Hasek didn't make the list either. He's still good, but not good enough to carry a team any longer.
Our Good News Note: Brett Hull won't be back on NBC broadcasts in the U.S. Actually that's not so good for Hull, but lets not kid anyone here. Ray Ferraro was by far the more insightful analyst on NBC broadcasts. Controversy does sell, but not when no one is watching. If NBC wants to build an audience in the U.S., reasoned and insightful analysis that educates and informs the viewer is the way to do it. Hull simply had too little of either. Ferraro had it in spades.
Good Night and Good Luck: Vincent Damphousse.
