Lawrence Pilut wants to return to the Sabres

[Brawndo]

 

[inkman]

RHD or LHD?

[Brawndo]

A LHD 

[Doohicksie]

I suspect that bridge is burned.... not so much because there is any bad blood between the Sabres and Pilut but because I think any defensemen the Sabres bring in will be from the perspective of helping the young defensive studs adjust to the NHL, a league he has not played in for a couple of years and in which he was never fully established.  Plus he's a left shot.

I could see him coming over to play for the Amerks or possibly the Sabres trading his rights as a minor part of a trade.

[sabresparaavida]

I’d sign him for the Amerks with a shot at the NHL, but wouldn’t expect him to make it. 

[GASabresIUFAN]

So you want to leave Russia and the KHL.  I’m shocked 😮 

[RochesterExpat]

1 minute ago, Doohickie said:

I could see him coming over to play for the Amerks or possibly the Sabres trading his rights as a minor part of a trade.

Pretty sure this is the correct take.

Given his age, he's no longer waiver exempt, correct? So, in theory, Buffalo could recall him in the event of injury, give him a 10 game look, but if he were to stay past that he'd need to clear waivers, right?

[DarthEbriate]

He's been out-flown (ha, pilot puns!) by Antipin Bryson as the nifty smallish puckhandler guy. But if Pilut is game for it, the Amerks could use a PP guy if Prow is only on the one-year contract plan. And he could always catch on elsewhere after waivers.

[Huckleberry]

Yeah we got Bryson as a depth guy already, doubt there is room for him.   But he never looked completely out of place to me, Ristolainen always looked better with Pilut as his defense partner.    A bottom pair of Fitzgerald - Pilut might not be all to bad either.

[Amerks8796]

Good teams build good depth. If he makes the team, great. If not, Rochester has one defenseman signed for 22-23. 

[Doohicksie]

So that relationship didn't work out for ya, eh Larry?

22 minutes ago, RochesterExpat said:

Pretty sure this is the correct take.

Given his age, he's no longer waiver exempt, correct? So, in theory, Buffalo could recall him in the event of injury, give him a 10 game look, but if he were to stay past that he'd need to clear waivers, right?

I don't even think he gets 10 games.

[Flashsabre]

Or trade him. Getting anything for an asset you were going to get nothing for is a win.

I liked Pilut. He could be a depth piece or a stud in the AHL if he agreed to that.

He wants out of Russia for obvious reasons. He has no choice but to return to Buffalo if he wants to play here.

[IvanPutski]

I'd bring him back - from what i recall, his first pass out of the defensive zone was really good.  Worth a look.

[That Aud Smell]

37 minutes ago, Huckleberry said:

But he never looked completely out of place to me, Ristolainen always looked better with Pilut as his defense partner.

Pilut may have made Risto look better, but Risto was an absolute anchor on Pilut's 5v5 shot rate metrics.

[Weave]

He wasn’t good enough then.  He sure as hell won’t be good enough now.

[ddaryl]

Love to have him back in the system competing. He has some work to do

He's a player  I think that can flourish in Granato's system IMO. He also is a trade piece possibility.

[msw2112]

If he's willing to play in Rochester if he fails to make the team, then I'd be all for bringing him back.  You can't have too many good players and he's certainly good enough to contribute in Rochester and perhaps at the back end of the Sabres' lineup.

[Porous Five Hole]

1 hour ago, RochesterExpat said:

Pretty sure this is the correct take.

Given his age, he's no longer waiver exempt, correct? So, in theory, Buffalo could recall him in the event of injury, give him a 10 game look, but if he were to stay past that he'd need to clear waivers, right?

I’m wondering if he would need to clear waivers in order to be sent down after training camp?
There’s no harm in bringing him in for camp, and if he gets poached because he is sent down, then so be it. 

[Taro T]

2 hours ago, Brawndo said:

 

If he gets out of his KHL deal, sure, sign him.  But right now he's at absolute tops the 5th LHD on the depth chart & if Johnson signs, he's 6th at best.  That doesn't include the possibility that a AAAA guy they sign this summer won't pass him as well.

When the team had no LHD other than Scandella there was a place for him.  Adams flipping the D depth over to the left side makes his road to the NHL, barring a trade, rather onerous.

And this from somebody that liked the kid.

[inkman]

Wasn’t Pilut the guy who avoided contact like the plague?  It may have been after he came back from injury or maybe I’m thinking of a different player altogether.  

[Derrico]

23 minutes ago, inkman said:

Wasn’t Pilut the guy who avoided contact like the plague?  It may have been after he came back from injury or maybe I’m thinking of a different player altogether.  

Nobody knows what goes on in Ink's mind

[Taro T]

26 minutes ago, inkman said:

Wasn’t Pilut the guy who avoided contact like the plague?  It may have been after he came back from injury or maybe I’m thinking of a different player altogether.  

Wouldn't say he avoided it like the plague, but he didn't initiate it after returning from injury either.

[PromoTheRobot]

6 hours ago, Weave said:

He wasn’t good enough then.  He sure as hell won’t be good enough now.

Can you trust any player development from the bad old days?

[North Buffalo]

Be interesting to see... has he put on weight... put him in Rochester and see. 

[MDFan]

F him.  There is absolutely no reason to dddle around with him.  He was borderline to begin with plus he baled on the team. I do not see any scenario where bringing him back is a net positive.  Let him lie in the bed he made.