Sabres sign Myers

[Two or less]

Regier announces Sabres have signed Tyler Myers to a 3-year entry level contract. According to Sabres Text.

[Two or less]

http://sabres.nhl.com/team/app/?service=pa...rticleid=422350

[MattPie]

http://sabres.nhl.com/team/app/?service=pa...rticleid=422350

 

So this means he isn't going back to juniors next year, correct? And since this is an entry level, he can play up to 10 games in the NHL and still be sent down sans-waivers to Portland? (Forgive my contract non-savvy!)

[Two or less]

So this means he isn't going back to juniors next year, correct? And since this is an entry level, he can play up to 10 games in the NHL and still be sent down sans-waivers to Portland? (Forgive my contract non-savvy!)

 

He can't play in Portland next season. He can play 10 games with Buffalo, but then would have to go back to the WHL if Sabres are not pleased. If he plays his 11th in Buffalo, he's stuck here for rest of the season.

[spndnchz]

So this means he isn't going back to juniors next year, correct? And since this is an entry level, he can play up to 10 games in the NHL and still be sent down sans-waivers to Portland? (Forgive my contract non-savvy!)

If he plays less than 10 games they can extend his entry level contract a year also. He was born in Feb, so not turning 20 between Sept and Dec of first contract year.

 

I thought he's exempt from all the waiver stuff because he's 19 and in the first three years of his contract?

 

He has one more year of junior eligibility remaining. He can play 10 games for the Sabres next season before they decide whether he returns to junior or stays in the NHL for a full season. He would not be eligible to play in AHL Portland until his junior eligibility expires after next season.

[darksabre]

Yessss

[shrader]

I thought he's exempt from all the waiver stuff because he's 19 and in the first three years of his contract?

 

The criteria for waiver eligibility varies depending on the age when they sign their deal. All players on an entry level deal are expemt from waivers until they reach a certain number of years or games played in the NHL (whichever comes first). Myers won't be eligible until he hits 4 years in the league or 160 games played in the NHL.

 

 

Not that waivers will ever be an issue for this kid (hopefully).

[jimiVbaby]

Did they sign his moustache too?

[nfreeman]

I'd guess that we'll see Myers in Buffalo next year for a number of reasons:

 

1. turnover on D -- Spacek and Teppo are probably gone as UFAs, and I assume Tallinder and/or Lydman will be floated as trade bait this summer.

 

2. Myers won't cost much

 

3. pressure on Darcy to bring in new faces.

 

In any case I'm looking forward to seeing the kid play. But I really hope this isn't the big offseason move.

[darksabre]

I'd guess that we'll see Myers in Buffalo next year for a number of reasons:

 

1. turnover on D -- Spacek and Teppo are probably gone as UFAs, and I assume Tallinder and/or Lydman will be floated as trade bait this summer.

 

2. Myers won't cost much

 

3. pressure on Darcy to bring in new faces.

 

In any case I'm looking forward to seeing the kid play. But I really hope this isn't the big offseason move.

 

Come on, you aren't ready for the press conference already? I mean, they don't even need to write a new script, just cross out some old names and put in a new one...or two.

 

"Everyone is [buying/selling] this year and the market was [overpriced/very light/not what we expected]. You just never know, but with the signing of [Tyler Myers/some bargain bin player/a soft winger/Andrew Peters], we think we did alright."

[Two or less]

I'd guess that we'll see Myers in Buffalo next year for a number of reasons:

 

1. turnover on D -- Spacek and Teppo are probably gone as UFAs, and I assume Tallinder and/or Lydman will be floated as trade bait this summer.

 

2. Myers won't cost much

 

3. pressure on Darcy to bring in new faces.

 

In any case I'm looking forward to seeing the kid play. But I really hope this isn't the big offseason move.

 

No doubt about it. I think we'll see Myers with Buffalo as well. Although, not sure how far the Sabres can go with such a young defense? Other guys who i expect with Buffalo from the start as locks are Sekera (22), Butler (21), Myers (19) and i really think Mike Weber (20) is very close. Depending on how he recovers from his injury, he could start the season with us. That's ALOT of kids.

[darksabre]

No doubt about it. I think we'll see Myers with Buffalo as well. Although, not sure how far the Sabres can go with such a young defense? Other guys who i expect with Buffalo from the start as locks are Sekera (22), Butler (21), Myers (19) and i really think Mike Weber (20) is very close. Depending on how he recovers from his injury, he could start the season with us. That's ALOT of kids.

 

Chicago is doing alright and their best D-men are all 25 or under. Sure our D would be young, but doing this, at least we can call it a legitimate building year and lower our expectations a little. They can't be any worse than Tallinder. Sekera, Weber, Butler, Myers, Rivet and Lydman would at least be a change of pace. And I wouldn't hate to keep Spach if we could get rid of Tallinder and leave Weber down in Portland.

[wonderbread]

If Spacho is not re-signed then DR will have to insert one either Myers or Weber or even Card. That is a lot of youth on the blueline. We still need a vet D man and Spacho may just be the answer. Either way if tallinder is on this team then IMO DR has dropped the ball.

[darksabre]

If Spacho is not re-signed then DR will have to insert one either Myers or Weber or even Card. That is a lot of youth on the blueline. We still need a vet D man and Spacho may just be the answer. Either way if tallinder is on this team then IMO DR has dropped the ball.

 

We concur. I'd rather waive him then have him around for another season. Trade him for a pick. Spach's vet presence would probably be a good thing to have. #%^$#!, I'd even take Teppo back for another year as the 7th D-man if all else fails.

[VansTheMans]

Im very excited; Myers is looking like the real deal.

 

Myers, a smooth-skating 19-year-old, capped a great week with the deal. The Houston native and Calgary resident was named Most Valuable Player of the Western Hockey League playoffs Saturday for putting up five goals and 20 points in 22 games. Myers led his Kelowna Rockets to the WHL title over the Calgary Hitmen and put them in the Memorial Cup.

 

He had nine goals and 33 assists in 58 regular-season games for the Rockets this season.

 

Those are very impressive numbers for such a young dman. I can't wait to see him in the NHL next season.

 

His quick development should provoke Darcy to begin reworking the Sabres' defense:

 

 

-If the Sabres could sign Spacek to a shorter term contract (2 years) averaging 3.5 million per season, he'd be worth holding on to. If he wants a longer term contract or more than 4, I'd let him go.

 

-Tallinder should be traded. It's long overdue, he desperately needs a change in scenery and we have too many talented young dmen waiting to take his spot.

 

-I'd say that both Weber and Butler are ready to be full time Sabres. Weber has a bit of a mean side to him, and would be a good stay at home physical dman. Butler proved his worth this season, and I believe he has some untapped offensive upside to him.

 

So, the D would look like this next year:

 

Defense

Butler

Sekera

Weber

Lydman

Rivet

Spacek?

Paetsch as the 7th Dman.

Myers as a wildcard.

 

Its a younger looking defense, but our defense corp is due for an overhaul. If the Sabres pair a vet dman with a young player (Ex. Rivet + Butler, Lydman + Weber, Spacek + Sekera), I wouldn't be too concerned about the relative youth of our defense.

 

If Myers plays extremely well in his first 10 games up with the Sabres, I'd be all for allowing him to stay up for the remainder of the season. Allow him to grow up and mature with the team. Many teams are now allowing prized defensive prospects to do this, and theyre having success in doing so. Zach Bogosian in Atlanta is a good example of this.

[LabattBlue]

I'd rather not see Weber filling the role of the 7th defensemen(at his age he needs to be playing fulltime whether it be the AHL or the NHL) and I can't see Butler, Myers, Sekera & Weber all in the top 6. That would be just too much inexperience.

 

 

So how will it shake out IMO...

 

 

Tallinder traded

Spacek let go as a USA

Teppo retires

Physical 2nd pairing dman brought in via FA or trade

 

Rivet

Butler

Lydman

Myers

2nd pairing physical dman acquired via trade or FA

Sekera

Paetsch, FA dman#2 or Weber

[shrader]

If Myers plays extremely well in his first 10 games up with the Sabres, I'd be all for allowing him to stay up for the remainder of the season. Allow him to grow up and mature with the team. Many teams are now allowing prized defensive prospects to do this, and theyre having success in doing so. Zach Bogosian in Atlanta is a good example of this.

 

You might want to go for a better example than a guy who missed a good portion of the season due to injury and a team that continues to underachieve. Also, to call any of these guys a success so early in their careers seems like a stretch. We have no idea yet how this is going to effect them with their careers. They may thrive, they may fail, and starting their free agency clock a bit earlier might even lead to them leaving the franchise earlier than he would have, if they do thrive.

[VansTheMans]

Yes, he did break his leg and miss nearly half the season. But he healed, came back and played very well in the second half of the season. No doubt Atlanta continues to underachieve, but Bogosian was one of the few highlights of their season.

 

Mike Green is another example of a talented young dman brought up. He's done quite well for himself thus far.

 

I'm not saying every young dman is capable of being thrown into the NHL mix, but it has been done and teams have had great success in doing so. At the very least, I'd hope the Sabres would take that into consideration.

 

I also don't like the reasoning of keeping a player out of the NHL to prevent their "free agency clock" from ticking. The Sabres should always develop their players to the best of their ability. If that means allowing the player to play in the NHL earlier than usual, than so be it. Allowing the threat of free agency to hold back a player from achieving full potential would be a heinous act to commit.

 

Obviously the Sabres know Myers more than I do, but if they feel he's prepared to make the jump to the NHL next season, I hope they would allow him to do so.

[Guest Sloth]

Mike Green is another example of a talented young dman brought up. He's done quite well for himself thus far.

 

I'm not saying every young dman is capable of being thrown into the NHL mix, but it has been done and teams have had great success in doing so. At the very least, I'd hope the Sabres would take that into consideration.

 

I also don't like the reasoning of keeping a player out of the NHL to prevent their "free agency clock" from ticking. The Sabres should always develop their players to the best of their ability. If that means allowing the player to play in the NHL earlier than usual, than so be it. Allowing the threat of free agency to hold back a player from achieving full potential would be a heinous act to commit.

 

Obviously the Sabres know Myers more than I do, but if they feel he's prepared to make the jump to the NHL next season, I hope they would allow him to do so.

 

That couldn't have been said any better. Myers would bring a whole new presence to the Sabres D. I hope Buffalo re-signs Spacek to help lead the younger D-men. I think too many people overlook Butler. Buffalo's D could be on the verge of being scary good. I know the key word is "could," but I'm excited about how good Buffalo's D could be in a couple of years. I know Ryan Miller has to like what is on the horizon. Of course, on the horizon has been something most Buffalo fans have been saying for years... :cry:

[jimiVbaby]

You might want to go for a better example than a guy who missed a good portion of the season due to injury and a team that continues to underachieve. Also, to call any of these guys a success so early in their careers seems like a stretch. We have no idea yet how this is going to effect them with their careers. They may thrive, they may fail, and starting their free agency clock a bit earlier might even lead to them leaving the franchise earlier than he would have, if they do thrive.

This is a good point, but what does Myers have to prove in juniors next season? The kid is already the finals MVP in the WHL, a league that's known for its hard nose play. Bringing him up, and letting him sink or swim is really the only option.

[shrader]

This is a good point, but what does Myers have to prove in juniors next season? The kid is already the finals MVP in the WHL, a league that's known for its hard nose play. Bringing him up, and letting him sink or swim is really the only option.

 

I have absolutely no problem with it as long as he's ready. If he's in Buffalo, he needs to play every game. Obviously this team needs to shake things up a bit and this would definitely be a new route for this team to go. He can't claw his way up through the minors like just about every young guy does with this organization.

[nfreeman]

This is a good point, but what does Myers have to prove in juniors next season? The kid is already the finals MVP in the WHL, a league that's known for its hard nose play. Bringing him up, and letting him sink or swim is really the only option.

Good post.

[shrader]

I should mention that I really don't put too much stock into the "he has nothing left to prove" line of thought. I've seen so many guys over the years where that was said, who still managed to take something more from staying in school/with their team. The latest would be this year's Hobey winner Matt Gilroy. Everyone said it was time to go after last season. Hell, his own coach even gave away his scholarship, assuming he was going pro. Instead, he stuck around, won the Hobey and a national championship. That didn't improve his standing with anyone (other than the fact that he no longer fell under the entry level restrictions), as reports had about 20 teams offering him contracts last year. Depending on the team they play for and their coach, these players can still learn so much and develop as players by using that last year of eligibility.

 

I'm sure we can run off countless examples of guys who left too early, didn't leave on time, or stayed just the right amount of time. I'd say that it's all a wash in the end. It all depends on the player. What's right for one will be completely wrong for another.

[R_Dudley]

I should mention that I really don't put too much stock into the "he has nothing left to prove" line of thought. I've seen so many guys over the years where that was said, who still managed to take something more from staying in school/with their team. The latest would be this year's Hobey winner Matt Gilroy. Everyone said it was time to go after last season. Hell, his own coach even gave away his scholarship, assuming he was going pro. Instead, he stuck around, won the Hobey and a national championship. That didn't improve his standing with anyone (other than the fact that he no longer fell under the entry level restrictions), as reports had about 20 teams offering him contracts last year. Depending on the team they play for and their coach, these players can still learn so much and develop as players by using that last year of eligibility.

 

I'm sure we can run off countless examples of guys who left too early, didn't leave on time, or stayed just the right amount of time. I'd say that it's all a wash in the end. It all depends on the player. What's right for one will be completely wrong for another.

 

 

Good post !

[X. Benedict]

Now we just have to fit Myers with Tyler Ennis' mouthguard....