Unrelated to Vegas’ COVID protocol players is Buffalo Sabres’ forward John Hayden, who was placed in COVID protocol earlier today (link). While the Sabres don’t play tonight, COVID protocol affects all elements of a player’s involvement with the team, so an announcement of Hayden’s unavailability on an off day makes sense.
Sabres Rumors
Sabres Trade Hagg To Florida For A Sixth-Round Pick
A day after acquiring Claude Giroux from the Philadelphia Flyers, the Florida Panthers are acquiring a former Flyer in that of defenseman Robert Hagg from the Buffalo Sabres, reports Frank Seravalli of The Daily Faceoff. The pick is expected to be a sixth-round selection in 2022, reports The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun. That pick was originally the Calgary Flames’ selection, but was traded to Florida last year along with Sam Bennett.
The now 27-year old Hagg was once one of the Flyers’ top prospects and has gone on to be a steady defenseman in the NHL. He was traded by the Flyers to the Sabres last summer in the Rasmus Ristolainen trade. This year, Hagg has eight points in 48 games, averaging 17:01 time on ice for the rebuilding Sabres and will now join his former teammate Giroux as additional depth in the wake of Aaron Ekblad’s injury.
Penguins Have Shown Interest In Robert Hagg
- The Penguins have shown interest in Sabres defenseman Robert Hagg, reports Josh Yohe of The Athletic (subscription link). Cap space will be an issue for Pittsburgh with all of their current space coming from Jason Zucker who’s on LTIR but will return next month but if Buffalo is able to retain half of Hagg’s $1.6MM AAV, his cap hit would be just above the league minimum which is something they should be able to afford.
Buffalo Sabres “Open” To Bringing Back Craig Anderson
It’s been quite the career reversal for veteran netminder Craig Anderson. After a reported retirement last season, Anderson may now be returning to the NHL yet again in 2022-23, back with the same team that offered him their starting role last summer. Speaking with both Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams and Anderson, The Buffalo News’ Lance Lysowski reports both sides would be interested in a reunion for 2022-23.
Battling through injury, the 40-year-old goalie has had quite the season in Buffalo. He’s been by far the team’s best option this season, and he actually has a record above the .500 mark (10-8-0). The other Sabres goalies have combined for a 10-24-8 mark this year.
Buffalo will have a lot of money to spend in free agency, though, and goaltending is obviously a position they’ll look to upgrade. The team looks to finally carry some positive momentum into the following season, and they’ll likely be at least moderately active in filling out their roster.
But the question remains on whether Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen will be ready for full-time NHL action next season. He’s struggled at times in the minor leagues but has looked more comfortable in NHL action in limited samples. If the best place for Luukkonen is the NHL, is there room for Anderson if the Sabres choose to buy a goalie on the open market?
There may be still, as Anderson’s not only proved a valuable on-ice contributor in Buffalo but he’s been an incredibly positive voice in helping build back a winning culture in Buffalo this season along with other leaders such as Kyle Okposo and Alex Tuch. It very well may be that Father Time hasn’t come for Anderson just yet.
Mark Jankowski Clears Waivers
March 16: Jankowski has cleared and can now be re-assigned to the AHL.
March 15: The Buffalo Sabres have placed Mark Jankowski on waivers today, according to Chris Johnston of TSN. The move suggests that Zemgus Girgensons is ready to return from injured reserve.
It seems like a decade ago that Jankowski broke out with 17 goals as a rookie, even though it was actually in 2017-18. The 27-year-old forward has fallen off a cliff since then, and has been a healthy scratch for the Sabres over the last few weeks. With just two goals and five points this season, his totals from the past three seasons combined reach just 11 and 23, coming as a part of three different teams.
Now on waivers for the first time in his career, there will be an easy way to tell what kind of value the rest of the league places on the 2012 first-round pick. Jankowski is signed to just a one-year, two-way contract that carries an NHL cap hit of just $750K, one that he didn’t even ink until partway through the season. If there was anyone looking for a depth addition who can play both center and wing, there’s no financial reason why they couldn’t claim him.
Still, given his play so far and the fact that he can’t get into the Buffalo lineup, it seems more likely that he’ll clear and be sent to the minor leagues. Before signing the NHL deal in November, he had 12 points in 13 games for the Rochester Americans.
Snapshots: Draft Capital, Juniors, Anderson
When it comes to acquiring rentals at the trade deadline, the most used currency is draft picks. Dozens of picks usually change hands, with several first-round selections being tossed around to try and give teams the best chance at the Stanley Cup. This year has an interesting “wrinkle” according to Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff, who reports that 2023 selections are seemingly preferred over 2022 picks at the moment.
There’s no doubt that the excitement around next year’s draft is palpable. Not only is there Connor Bedard and Matvei Michkov at the very top (though the latter’s status is a bit complicated by the recent change in the NHL-KHL relationship) but an early feeling that 2023 will be an impressive draft well into the middle rounds. That opinion manifested in a recent trade between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Arizona Coyotes. In it, the Maple Leafs surrendered a conditional pick that is either a 2023 third or 2025 second. Coyotes general manager Bill Armstrong even explained at the time that they believed 2023 would be a very strong draft, and that they would take that pick if “the player is there” when the turn comes up.
- There soon may be another league for scouts to visit, as Ryan Kennedy of The Hockey News reports that an announcement on a new junior hockey league based on the west coast is expected tomorrow. The league, yet unnamed, is backed by four NHL franchises and spearheaded, according to Kennedy, by Ben Robert, founding partner of West Coast Hockey Sports and Entertainment. The league would potentially give players from the area an alternative to the USHL or CHL.
- Craig Anderson is expected to generate some “tire kicking” according to Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic, though the insider notes that it is likely up to the veteran goaltender on whether he goes or stays. Jeff Marek and Elliotte Friedman also touched on Anderson in the latest 32 Thoughts podcast for Sportsnet, explaining how much the Buffalo Sabres have appreciated his leadership this season. Anderson, 40, has a .907 save percentage in 18 appearances this season, winning career game number 301 on Sunday at the Heritage Classic.
Alex Tuch Leaves Sunday's Game Early
- Sabres winger Alex Tuch left today’s game against Los Angeles after crashing into the post. Fortunately, following the game, head coach Don Granato told reporters, including Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News (Twitter link) that the post-game testing was “as positive as it can be”. Tuch has certainly impressed after being acquired from Vegas and has collected seven goals and 16 assists in 25 games with Buffalo this season.
Zemgus Girgensons And Vinnie Hinostroza Nearing Returns
- Sabres forward Zemgus Girgensons returned to practice today for the first time in nearly six weeks after re-aggravating a lower-body injury, relays Bill Hoppe of the Olean Times Herald. However, he will miss at least the next two home games for Buffalo next week. Meanwhile, Hoppe adds that winger Vinnie Hinostroza could return at some point next week from his lower-body injury. The pending UFA could be of interest as a depth addition so him being able to get back in the lineup before the March 21st trade deadline is of particular importance for Buffalo.
Sabres Taking Calls On Depth Defensemen
There’s no doubt that the Buffalo Sabres will be sellers once again at this year’s Trade Deadline, but there have been many questions posed about how many desirable assets the Sabres actually have. The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta can report, though, that Buffalo is “taking calls” on a good portion of their defense core, including Colin Miller, Mark Pysyk, Robert Hagg, and Will Butcher, who are all pending unrestricted free agents. Miller and Pysyk especially have had good results this season, and could command at least a mid-round pick and pose as solid depth for contending teams. The team has also received interest in power-play specialist and pending restricted free agent Victor Olofsson, per Pagnotta. While it may seem surprising that the Sabres would currently be willing to deal a young forward, it looks like Olofsson’s inconsistency and poor defensive play are making the Sabres front office question his future with the team.
Henri Jokiharju Out Week-To-Week
The Buffalo Sabres released an updated injury report today, one that still includes Drake Caggiula and Malcolm Subban listed simply as “out” as they deal with long-term issues. Will Butcher, Vinnie Hinostroza, and Jack Quinn are all now day-to-day, suggesting they’ll be back in the near future, while Henri Jokiharju has joined Colin Miller and Zemgus Girgensons in the week-to-week category.
Jokiharju is the big news, as the young defenseman left a game last week but had not yet received an official timeline. The 22-year-old has really taken a step forward this season into the legitimate top-four option that many had projected when he was selected 29th overall in 2017, a role that he will now have to vacate while he works on his recovery.
In 36 games, Jokiharju has 12 points and is averaging more than 21 minutes a game. Most of that–in fact almost all of it–has come beside Rasmus Dahlin, giving the first-overall pick a stable defensive partner to help even out his development after some up-and-down years.
Both Jokiharju and the Sabres don’t have to worry about an injury affecting contract negotiations this time around, as the young defenseman signed a three-year, $7.5MM deal in September.