Sabres Murray: Believe Nothing I Say, And Everything I Do

[dejeanneret]

Well then we've got an actual writer in our midst because the language and style is far more professional than most of us bozos around here. Anyway, I do want to see that "Lemieux wouldn't sign" rumor go away though (speaking of which, Jakubec is not TSN). That one is absurd on so many levels.

 

https://twitter.com/ajonsports

 

AJ Jakubec Twitter Tag

 

"Play-by-play/host at TSN 1200 Radio Ottawa. Senators, REDBLACKS, Fury FC, 67's. NOT the grim reaper of Ottawa sports".

 

Other sites have credited him with being from TSN as well.

[Stoner]

I wrote it exclusively for this forum

 

I appreciate the love from everyone

You won't get more love from shrader than that. Quite the compliment, actually.

 

Are you an aspiring sports writer? Why share it with us exclusively? You should write something like that every week here. SDS might even highlight it somehow.

[shrader]

https://twitter.com/ajonsports

 

AJ Jakubec Twitter Tag

 

"Play-by-play/host at TSN 1200 Radio Ottawa. Senators, REDBLACKS, Fury FC, 67's. NOT the grim reaper of Ottawa sports".

 

Other sites have credited him with being from TSN as well.

I wonder how different their radio/play by play is from the main station's credibility level. It's amazing how little comes up when you google this guy. It obviously doesn't matter at this point since Lemieux is gone, but I still have a hard time believing this one. 20 months before it would even be relevant, the threat makes no sense right now. But I'll leave it alone now, I don't need to fixate on one single point.

 

PA, I'm always going to call out something where it looks like stealing someone else's work. I've seen it happen to friends and it sucks. Fortunately it looks like we have a new poster who can string together his/her thoughts in a clear manner. We need more of those.

[dejeanneret]

Well then we've got an actual writer in our midst because the language and style is far more professional than most of us bozos around here. Anyway, I do want to see that "Lemieux wouldn't sign" rumor go away though (speaking of which, Jakubec is not TSN). That one is absurd on so many levels.

i appreciate the compliments.  I just had to double check and make sure I didn't screw up the source.

[shrader]

i appreciate the compliments. I just had to double check and make sure I didn't screw up the source.

I'm skeptical with a lot of these reports that come out of lesser known guys covering junior hockey or the agents. There's typically a lot of bias there and they're trying to push an agenda. It's particularly bad with the Q (Lemieux is OHL though).

[Taro T]

Pulling off the first blockbuster trade of the NHL season, on paper the Buffalo Sabres gave up a lot.

 

In acquiring volatile top three forward Evander Kane, defensemen Zach Bogosian, and a goalie prospect for Tyler Myers, Drew Stafford, Joel Armia, Brendan Lemieux, and their worst slotted first round selection in this summer’s draft, it seems the Sabres gave up a king’s ransom for two players with all the potential in the world and little to guarantee they will achieve it.

 

However, a deeper look reveals the trade isn’t about Kane or Bogosian.

 

It’s about Connor McDavid.

 

McDavid, whose talents and contribution to his future NHL team may rival Sidney Crosby, Mario Lemieux, or Wayne Gretzky; is the undisputed top ranked prospect heading into the 2015 draft.  Jack Eichel, who is a poor man’s McDavid, has also been forecasted to have a similar effect at his new NHL home.  They are both once in a generation prospects who can alter the course of a franchise on talent alone.  Take them out of the picture and there is a huge drop-off.

 

Hockeyprospect.com, ISS Hockey, and NHL Central Scouting Mid-Terms all have McDavid ranked 1^st and Eichel ranked 2^nd.  After that there is no clear consensus pick.  No franchise-changer. No one worth tanking a season for.

 

If the Buffalo Sabres finish last in the league, they have a 20% chance of securing the first spot, and are guaranteed the 2^nd pick.  Either selection will give them a building block at Center that they don’t have on their roster nor will be available to acquire on the trade market.

 

Finishing second-to-last gives them a 13% chance of landing the number one pick and a 66.5% chance of falling to the 3^rd pick.  The Sabres are currently four points behind the Edmonton Oilers for the worst record, and ten points behind Carolina with two-thirds of the season gone. 

 

Simply put, General Manager Tim Murray is playing the percentages and he’s not taking any chances.

 

Stafford is a UFA at the end of the season. His 31-goal season seems like an eternity ago, and his 10 goal average over the last three years has frustrated fans and coaches alike.

 

Myers has been a huge disappointment since his Calder Trophy campaign when he lead the Sabres defense with 11 goals and 48 points.  Over his last three seasons, he has 42 points combined, which is underwhelming production for the seven-year $38.5 million extension he signed in 2011.

 

With Stafford being the team’s third leading scorer and Myers leading the team in minutes played this season, Murray is giving up two players who are major contributors at the moment.  Consider that Bogosian is the only piece who can contribute this season; the trade makes the Sabres less-skilled on paper for now.

 

Mission accomplished.

 

AJ Jakubec from TSN reported that Lemieux’s dad Claude told the Sabres point blank his son wasn’t going to sign with them.  That makes his inclusion in this deal a little easier to digest.  Although Armia is reportedly on the verge of being NHL ready, his success at the next level is a crapshoot.  A late first-round pick is years away from being NHL ready, if ever.  The Sabres farm system is ranked first in the league by Hockeysfuture.com. What the Sabres sent to Winnipeg shouldn’t be a deal-breaker considering Buffalo’s depth.

 

Safe to say all 30 NHL teams would have traded the entire package Buffalo gave away on Wednesday for the rights to McDavid or Eichel alone.  If you add in Kane and Bogosian, one could say Murray got the steal of the century.

 

Any team who isn’t challenging for last place and a chance at McDavid or Eichel wouldn’t be able to receive the same value as the Sabres.  That’s what makes Buffalo’s situation so unique.

 

Despite the song and dance that Murray slings across any interview or press conference, there is a method to his madness.  He will blame himself for the team being bad.  He will blame himself for the team losing 14 in a row.  He will stomp his foot and pound his fist about how the players are not trying to tank the season for the rights to the next hockey messiah.

 

That’s because he is doing it for them with a grin and a wink from owner Terry Pegula.

 

Murray’s excitement is building as he prepares for this summer’s draft.  He did throw a bit of shade on head coach Ted Nolan during Wednesday’s press conference regarding the Sabres recent play, which in my mind is laying the foundation to bring in the guy he really wants to lead the team, Luke Richardson. 

 

Murray’s work isn’t done.  Arguably he has some huge pieces still in play--led by forward Chris Stewart.  I also believe that the underachieving Cody Hodgson, Marcus Foligno, and Mike Weber will all be moved as well.  It’s an easy sell to say all three of those players would be more productive in different environments.  It would also fit in Buffalo’s plan to become weaker now, in order to be much stronger down the road.  Their loss wouldn’t put a dent in the team’s character, either.

 

What Murray does next is anyone’s guess as the March 2^nd trade deadline approaches.  Whatever trade he pulls off, you can bet he has one thing in mind that’s music to the ears of Sabres fans abroad.

 

Sacrifice this season in order to quicken the rebuilding process for the future.

 

And that will speak much louder than anything he says to the contrary.

Welcome aboard. Great screen name. Keep up quality posting.

[Doohicksie]

Too much text.

 

 

 

...That is all.

 

;)

 

For the TLDR crowd:  Safe to say all 30 NHL teams would have traded the entire package Buffalo gave away on Wednesday for the rights to McDavid or Eichel alone.  If you add in Kane and Bogosian, one could say Murray got the steal of the century.