Regier happy for Cunneyworth

From John Vogl of the Buffalo News:

Cunneyworth, who has coached the Sabres’ AHL team in Rochester for the past eight seasons, was hired as an assistant coach by the Atlanta Thrashers. Cunneyworth joins the staff of new Thrashers head man John Anderson.

“I’m very happy for him,” Sabres General Manager Darcy Regier said Friday. “It’s well-deserved, and he’ll do a terrific job.”

Read the entire article here.

Cunneyworth paid his dues in the AHL and will be a good addition to the Thrashers bench. Eventually, the former NHL forward should become a solid NHL head coach.

Report: Darche signs one-year deal with Sabres

From John Vogl of the Buffalo News:

In other news, veteran forward Mathieu Darche reportedly has agreed to a one-year, two-way contract with the Sabres.

The 31-year-old played 73 games for Tampa Bay last season, scoring seven times and adding 15 assists. Darche has spent most of his career in the minor leagues, recording 352 points in 440 games. The Sabres need to add players to fill out their roster in Portland, but Darche is hopeful of playing in Buffalo.

“I figured that’s where I’ll have a good chance,” Darche told the Syracuse Post-Standard. “Lindy Ruff is a lot like [former Tampa Bay coach] John Tortorella. You get what you deserve. I decided the fit was good in Buffalo, and I liked the talk I had with Darcy Regier.”

Read the entire article here.

The Sabres are trying to fill out their depth lines and Darche isn't a bad addition. The veteran forward played well under John Tortorella last season and has earned the chance to play on a one-way contract.

Pominville next up for Sabres

From Mike Harrington of the Buffalo News:

Because Pominville will only be an RFA next summer, the Sabres hold a lot more cards with him than Miller or any potential UFA. Still, they want to get him locked up longterm and would be wise to do that before he gets in the 100-point range.

Derek Roy got a six-year, $24 million deal prior to last season. I would certainly say Pominville may be worthy of being a $4 million player as well, perhaps more. How about four years, $18 million? Or maybe, for old times sake, kick the can again for five years-$25 million? (Relax, just kidding. Couldn't resist).

Read the entire post from Sabres Edge here.

Pominville will probably get at least $4 million per season once his contract is up next summer. He is one of the more underrated forwards in the NHL and I can't see the Sabres not re-signing him to a long-term extension.

How things can change from one summer to the next

From Bucky Gleason of the Buffalo News:

The contract extension was critical on many fronts. For once, it didn’t take the Sabres an hour to make minute rice. The deal was done 18 days after they were eligible to begin negotiations.

There were no lowball offers, no botching of tentative agreements, no animosity, no jerking around a star player, no distractions. It was a grand departure from business practices that led to Chris Drury and Daniel Briere bolting, Brian Campbell getting traded and the franchise landing on its ear. By golly, maybe they’ve finally learned their lesson.

Miller wanted to remain here. The Sabres showed they were committed to keeping him. Everybody’s satisfied.

Read the entire story here.

Gleason is right, the Sabres have their core locked up for the foreseeable future and are now a more attractive option to players. As Gleason says, it appears the days of "pinching pennies" are over, and that has to sit well with Sabres fans.

Sabres sign Ryan Miller to five-year contract extension

From TSN:

The Buffalo Sabres re-signed goaltender Ryan Miller to a five-year, $31.25 million contract extension on Friday.

Entering the final year of his current contract this season, Miller will now remain the club's franchise netminder through the 2013-2014 season.

Read the entire article here.

No surprise here. As I said just under two weeks ago, the speculation that he was headed to Detroit was overblown. Now that he is entrenched as the number one netminder in Buffalo for the foreseeable future, Sabres fans can rest easy.

Want to see the Leafs play for free?

From Mary Ormsby of the Toronto Star:

The Toronto Maple Leafs – one of the NHL's costliest ticket vendors – will host a free pre-season game Sept. 22 against the Buffalo Sabres for 20,000 people lucky enough to get ducats from the hockey club and sponsor Coca-Cola.

Yes, free Leaf hockey. At a cost of close to $2 million to stage. Famously tight-fisted owner Harold Ballard should be whirling in his grave right about now.

Read the entire story here.

You couldn't pay me to watch the Leafs this season.

Sabres hoping to re-sign Ryan Miller

From Mike Harrington of the Buffalo News:

It's encouraging that Darcy Regier has told the media twice in the last few days that he's had contract talks with Ryan Miller's agent and that he thinks Miller wants to stay in Buffalo for the long term. But the bottom line is this: A new deal for Miller has to get done before the season starts and preferably before training camp.

You think the Brian Campbell situation last year was a distraction for both player and team? Just wait for the circus that would ensue if Miller was unsigned. It's the first question he'd get from the media every day and I'm not just talking about the local corps. Miller would be dealing with hordes in Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal and how about an early trip to Detroit?

Read the entire entry from Sabres Edge here.

The talk that the Wings are going to swoop in and try and sign Miller may be overblown. Ken Holland recently stated in an interview that he doesn't like to open up his team's bank account for goalies. Moreover, who is to say Miller would even be the answer in Detroit? My money is on the Sabres and Miller coming to an agreement sometime before the season begins. The deal will probably be something along the lines of 6yr, $36 million.

Rivet dealt to Buffalo

From nhl.com:

The Buffalo Sabres acquired veteran defenseman Craig Rivet from the San Jose Sharks on Friday.

The Sharks sent the 33-year-old veteran and a seventh-round selection in the 2010 Entry Draft to the Sabres in exchange for second-round selections in the 2009 and 2010 Drafts.

Read the entire article here.

Well, the Sharks got their man in Boyle and decided that Rivet was now expendable. This is a trade that works out for both teams. The Sharks acquire a couple picks to make up for what they traded away in the Boyle trade and eliminate any problems their top 6/7 defense corps would have had over ice-time.

On the other hand, the Sabres acquire a steady top-four pairing defenseman who should help stabilize their back-end. Rivet is a solid two-way defenseman, who also brings strong leadership skills to the dressing room. His willingness to sacrifice his body and play in all types of situations should make him an instant favorite in Buffalo.

Regier still thinks highly of Afinogenov

From John Vogl of the Buffalo News:

“He’s not going to score 10 goals next year,” Regier said. “Whether it’s here or
not, he’s here right now, he certainly is going to get back on track. He’s a
young player. There’s no reason not to. He’s an outstanding player.”

Read more from Vogl here.

Regier admits in those comments that Afinogenov could be playing elsewhere next season. Clearly, the GM is not going to bring down the value of his player on the trade market with comments about Afinogenov's struggles. Instead, he is trying to boost Afinogenov's perceived value to the team in order to try and get more in a trade.

Sabres never made Orpik an offer

From John Vogl of the Buffalo News:

The desire in Western New York to have a tough, home-grown defenseman on the Buffalo blue line didn’t reach HSBC Arena. The Sabres were never in the running for Orpik, the defenseman from East Amherst said Wednesday after re-signing with the Pittsburgh Penguins.

“They called my agent and asked what we were looking for,” Orpik said. “That was the only time we heard from them. They never came close to making a contract offer. They were way on the outside, to be honest.”

Read the entire article here.

No surprise really. Aside from the fact that Orpik is from Western NY (which made him more appealing), his salary demands didn't fit in with what the Sabres are willing to spend on a defenseman playing that role for their hockey club.

Lalime signs 2 year deal with Sabres

From TSN:

James Duthie has just announced that the Sabres have signed Patrick Lalime to a 2 year, $2 million deal.

Well, Lalime will be backing up Ryan Miller and should expect to play in about 8-10 games next season. However, the shopping centers in Buffalo are the happiest about this news as they will make a lot more money on shampoo next year than originally anticipated.

Gaustad re-signs with Sabres

From John Vogl of the Buffalo News:

The Sabres have taken one of their restricted free agents off the market, agreeing to terms with Paul Gaustad on a four-year deal worth $9.2 million. The big forward and fan favorite will earn $1.7 million this season and $2.5 in each of the three years after that.

Read more from Vogl here.

Gaustad is a massive winger, whose hands aren't that bad. His size and willingness to battle in the corners and drop the gloves are important to the Sabres' cause. Not a bad signing by Darcy Regier.

Could Orpik end up in Buffalo?

From the Buffalo News:

The Sabres aren't allowed to talk to other teams' free agents until July 1. But the Sabres' prospects can talk to their brothers, so they've got that going for them, which is nice.

Andrew Orpik, the East Amherst native who was the Sabres' seventh-round pick in 2004, lives with his brother, Brooks, in the offseason...

"I think Buffalo is a place he'd definitely want to come. He grew up here and he's got a special bond with the place, but like I said, it's a business, too, and it's his way of living so we'll see what happens."

Read the entire entry from Sabres Edge here.

Speculation will continue all around the NHL as to where Orpik may end up. As of now, it sounds like he'll stay on the east coast.

Dmitri Kalinin hitting free agency

From John Vogl of the Buffalo News:

It was March 4 in Philadelphia when Dmitri Kalinin's eight-year run with the Sabres came to an end. He was skating laps around Wachovia Center, and coach Lindy Ruff was in his face screaming, "Show some [expletive] passion!" Sure, the mistake-prone defenseman likely deserved it, but with unrestricted free agency coming up, why would he go through it again?

Agent Jay Grossman said by phone last week he had not had one discussion with the Sabres, who reportedly aren't interested in Kalinin, either. It was clearly time to split ways, something that's been obvious for sometime. The 1998 first-round pick can start anew elsewhere. Hopefully, the quiet and gracious guy can live up to his potential there.

Here is the short entry.

Kalinin will certainly attract interest on the free agent market. He can skate and move the puck, those are two attributes which are of vital importance in today's NHL. It appears this split will make both sides happy.

1. Terry Frei with an excellent article about how much he likes watching games in Canada.
2. Canada opens the World Championships with a win.
3. The USHL has announced the finalists for their end of season awards.
4. A look at possible scenarios unfolding tonight.
5. Watch the PTI guys talk hockey.
6. Kind of a dated article, but an interesting take on accountability in blogging.
7. John Buccigross wants to see the Islanders outdoors.
8. Can mono explain the poor play of Brad Richards?
9. Last night's loss to Ottawa has secured a Top 10 draft pick for the Leafs. Said pick will be traded for another goalie in 3,2,1...
10. An update on the sort of hockey movie, the Love Guru.
11. Surely not the first time this has been said, but the Flames sneak in the back door. Zing!
12. Wait til next year might finally mean something in Edmonton.
13. Allan Muir profiles some unheralded NHL'ers who have made major contributions.
14. Jim Kelley names David Poile as his Executive of the Year.
15. Michael Farber with his Best and Worst of the Year.
16. A tongue in cheek rendition of the Senators' season.
17. Spector is reporting that the Flames have re-signed Daymond Langkow.
18. The Angry T blog with a projection of how many goals AO would have scored in the early '80's.
19. Interesting article on pre-draft evaluations and the effect of a player's willingness to compete.
20. A brief biography of Bugsy Watson.
21. Scott Morrison feels the Penguins are primed and ready for a playoff run.
22. Elliotte Friedman discusses the Senators woeful slump.
23. The dance card is filled out in the West, but the East is still open.
24. The Canadiens hope to end their franchise worst Stanley Cup drought this year.
25. A Sabres fan is suing the team claiming he was injured by falling plexiglass.

ROY LETS IT GO, VANEK TAPS IT HOME!

Last week the Buffalo Sabres had an amazing comeback vs the Tampa Bay Lightning. They scored 6 goals in the third period to secure a 7 - 4 win, keeping their playoff hopes alive.

Thomas Vanek was the star of the game scoring three goals, here is his third goal of the game. In this goal Vanek casually taps the puck out of the air into the net. Usually on goals where the puck is tapped out of the air there is more a baseball bat swing but Vanek kept himself under control and was just trying to make contact. Very nice!

The fantastic play-by-play here is done by Rick Jeanneret. Rick has been providing Sabres play-by-play since 1971 and still has the same excitement and enthusiasm for the game as when he started. From watching it, you really get the sense that he is that excited about hockey.

NHL Morning Papers (Sunday Edition)

Here are the Eastern Conference morning papers:

• The Thrashers put forth one of their worst performances of the season last night in Toronto, writes Craig Custance. It is official, the Thrashers will not be re-signing Marian Hossa before Tuesday's trade deadline.
• The Bruins capped off a successful five game road trip last night with a 5-3 victory over the Lightning, writes Fluto Shinwaza. Kevin Paul Dupont says he expects the Bruins to make a deal before Tuesday. (Writer's note: Dupont's articles are always top notch.)
• Even though he scored twice last night, Ales Kotalik wore the goat horns, writes John Vogl. The Buffalo fans didn't exactly give Chris Drury a warm welcome in his first game back at the HSBC Arena.
• After last night's victory over Washington, the Hurricanes stretched their lead to six points in the Southeast Division.
• Jaromir Jagr ended his twelve game goalless drought last night in the Rangers' 4-3 victory over the Sabres. Larry Brooks of the NY Post gives kudos to the NY Islanders franchise and also provides readers with a fair number of rumors to chew on before deadline day. Meanwhile, if you are expecting a Jaromir Jagr trade--don't, writes John Dellapina.
• The Flyers were less than five seconds away from ending their nine-game losing streak last night, but unfortunately for Flyers fans, the team blew their 1-0 lead and lost 2-1 in overtime. Also in the Philly papers, Tim Panaccio takes a closer look at the GMs efforts to minimize goalie equipment.
• The Penguins blew a 3-0 lead to the Senators at home yesterday, and are hoping that their blown point doesn't come back to bite them in the end. Off the ice, the Penguins are doing terrific at the box office.
• The Capitals continue to lose crucial ground in the Southeast Division race, writes Tarik El-Bashir.
• Having blown third period leads far too many times this season, the Panthers finally were able to turn the tables last night against the Flyers, writes Steve Gorten. In a strange way, Jacques Martin's future depends on the play of Olli Jokinen, writes Ethan Skolnick.
• The shutout machine that is Pascal Leclaire ruined Bob Gainey night in Montreal, leading the Jackets to a 3-0 road victory. Habs coach Guy Carbonneau was disappointed with his team's performance last night.
• Martin Brodeur made sure the Islanders' dominance of the Devils stopped yesterday, writes Rich Chere.
• On Long Island, the Isles have lost Mike Sillinger for the season with a hip injury.
• The Senators were ripped into by coach John Paddock last night, and the team actually responded, writes Bruce Garrioch. Here are Garrioch's Sunday rumors and here are more rumors courtesy of Garrioch.
• There are rumors all over the place about Brad Richards, writes Erik Erlendsson.
• Rose Dimanno of the Toronto Star breaks down Mats Sundin's possible line of thinking. Sundin isn't the only player being asked to waive his no-trade clause, writes Mike Zeisberger.

Here are the Western Conference morning papers:

• Today's important tilt versus the Wild, could go a long way in determining who wins the Northwest Division, writes Jean Lefebvre of the Calgary Herald. The Flames are treating every remaining game like a playoff contest, writes Steve MacFarlane.
• The Blackhawks were able to salvage two points last night in Los Angeles after they blew a huge lead to the Kings in the third period.
• Terry Frei previews the trade deadline in this morning's Denver Post.
• Jackets netminder Pascal Leclaire can't explain why Quebec is a goaltending factory, writes Aaron Portzline. Bob Hunter of the Columbus Dispatch has some advice for Jackets GM Scott Howson.
• With the way the Stars are playing, Mike Heika wonders if they have to do anything at the trade deadline.
• Kevin Allen of USA Today gives Red Wings fans his take on a lot of issues involving their favorite team. In injury news, Chris Chelios has joined the rest of the Wings' ailing defensemen with a chip on his fibula.
• In Edmonton, Ethan Moreau continues to exhibit why he is such a great leader. Ryan Smyth will be returning to Edmonton for the third time this season, but this will be his first trip back without his legendary mullet.
• The Kings made a valiant effort to comeback on the Blackhawks and earn a point in the standings.
• Michael Russo has the details behind the Wild's re-signing of Nick Schultz.
• The Predators were playing short-handed last night, but that doesn't mean they couldn't have brought a better game to the table, writes John Glennon.
• Coyotes forward Mike York's play has improved as of late, writes Jim Gintonio.
• Sharks coach Ron Wilson has experienced his fair share of trade deadlines, writes David Pollak.
• The Blues saw what could happen at last year's trade deadline, so they aren't averse to some movement again this season.
• With a healthy defense corps, the Canucks are looking like their old-selves these days, writes Jason Botchford.

For Illegal Curve, I'm Richard Pollock.

Email any thoughts, ideas or suggestions to illegalcurve@gmail.com

News You Can Use Late in the Day

1. Peter Forsberg has resumed skating with Modo.
2. Bob McKenzie with an homage to Don Wittman.
3. The CHL Hot or Not list looks at Claude Giroux of the QMJHL.
4. An update on the ongoing Bertuzzi-Moore scandal.
5. Sidney Crosby will not have an MRI until Tuesday. Expect the NHL to devote full coverage to the event.
6. Mike Lundin has won a spot on the Bolts' blueline by playing a simple game. Checkers?
7. Kyle Okposo is adjusting well to life in the AHL.
8. Patience is paying dividends for Don Waddell in Atlanta.
9. Ice Age looks at how a couple of Flames defensmen deal with trade rumours.
10. Scott Burnside profiles the upcoming Trade Deadline by looking back at past deals.
11. You want NCAA power rankings? Ok, fair enough.
12. Mike Chen tries his hand at predicting trade value.
13. Larry Brooks thinks the Rangers are making a mistake by not honoring past greats.
14. The Puck Stops Here touts Patrick Sharp as the next winner of the Selke.
15. Jacques Lemaire is a fan of consistency. Why wouldn't he be? He has the personality and offensive flair of dry toast.
16. A compilation of NHL trade rumors, courtesy of Spector.
17. An interview with NAHL Commissioner, Mark Frankenfeld.
18. Check out the world's worst fight. I get more touching in washing the dishes with my wife.
19. A little known Swede has become a hot property in the NHL.
20. Scott Morrison details the NHL's plans to "jazz" up the All-Star Game.
21. Jeremy Roenick says Chris Chelios intends to play until he is 50.
22. Very, very good read on the Dave Semenko-Muhammed Ali fight. Is that Jerry Seinfeld in the picture with Ali and Semenko?
24. News and Views from Around the NHL.
25. In a stunning moment of clarity, Mike Brophy writes that the Sabres shouldn't overpay Brian Campbell.

Nightly Recap - Flyers deliver another punishing blow

Boston 6 - Philadelphia 3 - In the first game between the two teams since the Randy Jones incident there was a bit of deja vu as midway through the second Scott Hartnell gave Andrew Alberts an "unspecified head injury". In actual game news, Boston wins for their fifth time in seven games, Marc Savard lead the way with a goal and three assists. Glen Murray scored two goals and Tukka Rask made 20 saves for his second win in his second NHL start. Someone has lit a spark under Glen Murray, he now has eight points in his past seven games.
Here is a video of the Hartnell on Alberts hit. (hat tip to james mirtle).
At first it was a coincidence that a few illegal hits have come from Flyers players (Boulerice, Jones, Downie), but at four players it's becoming a correlation. Is a team fine in order? Ridiculous.


Dallas 3 - NY Islanders 2 (OT) - Dallas is now 6-0-2 in their past eight, Marty Turco got the call in net tonight making 23 saves in the win. It was only his second start in the past six games. Mike Modano scored his 7th and 8th goals of the season, the 8th being the overtime winner.

Buffalo 3 - Washington 1 - Buffalo...so hot right now, they have a five game win streak under their belt, albeit three wins came vs Montreal, but a win streak is a win streak. Jochen Hecht recorded a goal and two assists and Ryan Miller stopped 30 in the win. Alex Ovechkin scored a highlight reel goal tonight (video up later) and is now riding a 9 game point streak.

Edmonton 3 - Columbus 1 - Dwayne Roloson was big tonight making 30 saves for the Oil. Rookie Andrew Cogliano scored the go ahead goal for Edmonton in the third period, his 5th of the campaign. Ales Hemsky put his 8th goal of the season into the empty net to ice the game for the Oilers. Edmonton has gone 3 - 3 on their season long six game home stand.

Tomorrow's Games (all times Eastern)
7:00pm CGY@DET (VS)
7:30pm MTL@TOR (TSN)
10:00pm ANA@VAN (TSN)

Nightly Recap: Modano becomes all time American leading scorer

-Jeff Carter and Joffrey Lupul score on two of the first three shots for the Flyers. Philadelphia, who went 0-8 last season vs Pittsburgh are now guaranteed to do better this year as the Flyers defeat the Penguins 3 - 1.

-Buffalo defeats Boston 2 - 1 in overtime. Clarke MacArthur, who had just been called up earlier in the day from Rochester scored the winning goal. Ales Kotalik popped in the first goal for the Sabres, who snapped a three game losing streak. Here is a video of the MacArthur's overtime winner, the always enthusiastic Rick Jeanneret provides the play-by-play and Harry Neale does his best with the color commentary.

-Tampa Bay wins 3 - 1 over Florida. It was only the third victory for the Lightning in the past twelve games. Vinny Lecavalier had a goal and an assist for the Lightning, Marty St. Louis and Jan Hlavac also chipped in with a goal each.

-Detroit, in their first game since Nov 1 were up 2 - 0 on goals by Dan Cleary and Jiri Hudler. Ryan Suter and JP Dumont netted goals to tie it up in the third. The game had to be decided in a shootout Pavel Datsuyk put home the winner. Detroit 3 - Nashville 2 (SO).

-In a 3:57 span in the third period, Jonathan Toews, Brent Seabrook and Duncan Kieth score to give Chicago the 5 - 2 win over Columbus. Tuomo Ruutu, Rene Bourque and Toews had two points each, it was the rookie Toews's first multi point game of the season.

-Ian Laperriere scored two goals and had one assist during regulation, but goals by Wojtek Wolski and Marek Svatos won it for the Avs in a shootout. Colorado 4 - Edmonton 3 (SO)

-BEAST of the night Peter Mueller scored his first career hat trick for the Coyotes and Steven Reinprecht pocketed three points in the Coyotes 6 - 5 overtime win over the Ducks. The overtime winner was scored by Shane Doan, it was his third goal of the year.

-It was a milestone night for Mike Modano, he scored two goals to pass former Winnipeg Jet Phil Housley's record for points by an American player. Marty Turco was a rock in the net stopping 38 of 39 for the Stars in the 3 -1 win over the Sharks.

Tomorrow's Games
7:00pm TB@CAR, PHI@NJ, PIT@NYR,
7:30pm MTL@BOS (TSN), WSH@OTT
9:00pm VAN@CGY, DAL@PHX