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Zemgus Girgensons

Snapshots: Sabres, Kulich, Hagg

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Still without forwards Jeff Skinner, Zemgus Girgensons, and Jordan Greenway, the Buffalo Sabres have dealt with numerous injuries to their forward core this season, but should be welcoming an up-and-coming player back to the lineup tonight. In an article from Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News, there is every expectation that Jack Quinn will draw back into the active roster, and make his season debut against the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Dealing with an Achilles injury suffered in late June, Quinn has been prohibited from building upon his rookie season last year, in which he scored 14 goals and 37 points in 75 games, finishing 12th in Calder Trophy voting. Seeing their offensive output drop from third in the league last year, to only 26th in the league this season, the Sabres will only benefit from reintroducing Quinn back into the lineup.

After just failing to reach the playoffs last season, Buffalo currently holds a 13-6-3 record through 32 games this year, sitting 5th in the Atlantic Division and five points behind the last Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference. With Quinn undoubtedly needing a few games to get back to full speed, the Sabres are hoping increased health in the organization will help change the trajectory of their season.

Other snapshots:

  • Staying in Buffalo, Lysowski mentions in the same article that the team has loaned top prospect, Jiri Kulich, to Team Czechia for the 2023 World Junior Championships. Kulich was originally drafted 28th overall by the Sabres in the 2022 NHL Draft and has transitioned rather well to North American hockey. Playing for the Rochester Americans this season, Kulich has 16 goals and 22 points in 22 games, leading the team in scoring.
  • According to Derek Lee of The Sporting Tribune, the Anaheim Ducks have sent defenseman Robert Hagg down to their AHL affiliate, the San Diego Gulls. Originally recalled on December 10th, Hagg served as a healthy scratch for all five of the team’s games in the meantime, failing to suit up once for Anaheim this season.

Sabres Appear Unlikely To Send Benson To World Juniors

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Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News is reporting that it seems likely that the Buffalo Sabres will hold on to 18-year-old Zach Benson rather than sending him overseas to play for Team Canada at the IIHF World Junior Championship. Nothing concrete has been decided yet, but as Lysowski writes, the Sabres will likely need the 2023 13th overall pick to fill in for the injured Jeff Skinner.

Hockey Canada is hoping to finalize their roster by the end of this week and purposely left a roster spot vacant because they were hoping to see if an NHL player could be made eligible at some point this week. With Skinner out, the Sabres have lost a top-line left winger and will have to try to fill that void by committee, and Benson could be a big part of that.

Benson has dressed in 20 games thus far this season posting three goals and five assists. While his offensive numbers don’t jump off the page at first glance, his analytics are quite good and he’s done a very good job of driving play at 5 on 5.

The Sabres are dealing with a bunch of injury issues at the moment and likely won’t be able to spare a forward when they are already missing Skinner, Jordan Greenway, Jack Quinn, and Zemgus Girgensons.

TSN’s Darren Dreger also weighed in on the situation and echoed what Lysowski had said. Dreger believes that Benson is not expected to be loaned to Team Canada.

Atlantic Notes: Sabres, Monahan, Zacha, Giordano

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There is some good news and some bad news on the injury front for the Sabres.  Bill Hoppe of the Olean Times Herald notes that wingers Alex Tuch (hamstring) and Jordan Greenway (upper body) could suit up later on in Buffalo’s road trip next week.  Both players landed on injured reserve last weekend.  Tuch has started to get going offensively in recent weeks, collecting 12 points in 13 games since the start of November while Greenway remains quiet at the offensive end with just seven points in 21 games so far in his first full season with Buffalo.

Meanwhile, the news isn’t as good for Zemgus Girgensons.  Hoppe relays that the forward has not progressed in his recovery from his lower-body injury.  Head coach Don Granato indicated the initial expectation was that he’d be out for about another week but it appears the Sabres will be without the long-time checker for at least a little longer than that.

Elsewhere in the Atlantic:

  • Canadiens center Sean Monahan reached his $15K bonus by playing in his 26th game of the year against Los Angeles on Thursday, relays Stu Cowan of the Montreal Gazette. That brings his total compensation for the season to an even $2MM.  Monahan opted for this one-year deal last spring, electing to stay in Montreal where he had early success before multiple injuries ended his year.  So far, he has stayed healthy and indicated to Cowan that he’d love to sign a long-term deal to stick with the Canadiens.  If that doesn’t happen, he’ll likely be one of the more prominent rentals to keep an eye closer to the trade deadline, as long as he isn’t injured at the time.
  • The Bruins announced (Twitter link) that center Pavel Zacha suffered an upper-body injury in today’s game against Arizona and did not return. The injury occurred at some point during the first period.  The 26-year-old had 57 points in 82 games last year, his first campaign with the Bruins.  Zacha has produced at a similar clip this season, posting 19 points in 25 contests heading into today’s action.
  • Maple Leafs defenseman Mark Giordano skated before practice today, notes David Alter of The Hockey News (Twitter link). It’s the first time he has skated since suffering a thumb injury late last month.  The 40-year-old is averaging nearly 18 minutes a night so far this season and with Toronto missing some other blueliners, they’ll certainly be looking forward to getting him back.

Atlantic Notes: Klingberg, Sabres Injuries, Komarov

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Last weekend, it was suggested that the Maple Leafs would have further clarity on John Klingberg’s undisclosed injury.  Namely, they need to know if he will need potential season-ending surgery.  Speaking with reporters today including Terry Koshan of the Toronto Sun (Twitter link), head coach Sheldon Keefe indicated that they have not received an update on the veteran’s status just yet.  Klingberg’s $4.15MM cap hit is currently on LTIR, giving Toronto short-term cap flexibility.  However, they can’t realistically use that money to go out and acquire a replacement for him if they know he’s going to be back before the end of the season; they’d have to be cap-compliant in order to activate him.  Accordingly, until they know more about Klingberg, GM Brad Treliving will be quite limited in what he can try to do to add to an injury-riddled back end.

Elsewhere in the Atlantic:

  • Earlier this week, Sabres GM Kevyn Adams provided injury updates to Bill Hoppe of the Olean Times Herald on several injured Buffalo forwards. Tage Thompson is progressing well from his hand injury and the team hopes that he’ll be on the shorter end of the timeline for a recovery period that’s supposed to be less than two months; he has been out since November 14th.  Jack Quinn, meanwhile, is on track to return sometime around January 1st as he works his way back from a torn Achilles tendon from the offseason.  As for Zemgus Girgensons, who has missed the last week with a lower-body injury, is listed as week-to-week.
  • Still with Buffalo, Sabres prospect Vsevolod Komarov is expected to be traded in the QMJHL to Drummondville in the coming days, reports Journal Express’ Jonathan Habashi. The 19-year-old was a fifth-round pick back in 2022 and earned his entry-level contract back in May following a good showing with Quebec in their Memorial Cup run.  Now with the Remparts rebuilding, it appears that Komarov will get a chance to catch on with another contender.  Through 21 games this season, he has two goals and 14 assists.

Sabres Recall Jiri Kulich And Isak Rosen

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With Zemgus Girgensons leaving yesterday’s game early due to injury and Jordan Greenway being a late scratch, the Sabres needed some reinforcements up front.  Those have come in the form of Jiri Kulich and Isak Rosen as the team announced that both forwards have been recalled from AHL Rochester.

To make room for them on the roster, Girgensons has been placed on injured reserve and is listed as week-to-week with a lower-body injury.  Greenway, meanwhile, is away from the team for personal reasons, making him eligible for non-roster status.

Kulich was the 28th overall pick by Buffalo in 2022 and appears to be well on his way toward outperforming that draft spot.  He spent all of last season with the Americans and fared quite well as an underager, notching 24 goals and 22 assists in 62 regular season games while chipping in with 11 points in a dozen playoff contests.  This year, he’s off to an even better start with 11 goals and six helpers in his first 16 appearances.  Kulich can play up to nine games with the Sabres before officially burning the first year of his entry-level contract so it’s quite possible that his promotion will be a short-term one.

As for Rosen, whose promotion was first reported by Pickin’ Splinters’ Kevin Oklobzija, the 20-year-old was the 14th pick by the Sabres in 2021.  He also had his rookie season in North America last year and acquitted himself well, collecting 14 goals and 23 assists in 66 regular season games before chipping in with eight points in their 12 playoff matches.  Rosen scored the overtime winner last night for Rochester and is their scoring leader with 19 points in 16 games so far.  Unlike Kulich, Rosen is not subject to the nine-game threshold.

Kulich and Rosen are viewed as two of Buffalo’s top prospects.  After starting in the minors together last season, it appears both of them will get a chance to make their NHL debuts together tonight against New Jersey.

Atlantic Notes: Sabres, Minten, Senators New Arena

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The Sabres are expected to recall a forward later today, notes Bill Hoppe of the Olean Times Herald.  They finished yesterday’s victory over Pittsburgh with just ten forwards as center Zemgus Girgensons left the game in the second period with a lower-body injury while winger Jordan Greenway was a late scratch with an undisclosed injury, resulting in Buffalo having to dress seven blueliners.  Notably, the Sabres don’t have any open roster spots – they’re one of the teams carrying three goalies as well – so any recall would require an IR placement or waiver-exempt blueliner Ryan Johnson being sent down to AHL Rochester.

Elsewhere in the Atlantic Division:

  • Maple Leafs prospect center Fraser Minten is on the move as WHL Saskatoon announced that they’ve acquired the 19-year-old from Kamloops. Minten made Toronto’s roster out of training camp and got into four games with them before being assigned back to junior last month.  Since that re-assignment, he has been quite productive offensively, notching ten points in his first seven games.  Saskatoon moved a pair of first-round picks as part of the swap, a fairly high price tag for a one-year rental as Minten will be eligible to play in the AHL next season if he doesn’t crack Toronto’s roster out of camp once again.
  • Senators owner Michael Andlauer has received an extension on determining if LeBreton Flats is the right location for a new arena, Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch reports. Originally, their exclusivity agreement was set to expire in the fall but will now go until next September.  This location has long been viewed as the best fit for a new building although Andlauer and his ownership group will need time to look into an assess other potential opportunities which this extension will give him a chance to do.

Free Agent Profile: Zack Kassian

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Zack Kassian had one of the lowest-scoring seasons we’ve seen in quite some time as he put up just two goals last season in 51 games with the Arizona Coyotes. This prompted Arizona to buy out the 32-year-old forward prior to free agency in a move that made sense, given the lack of production from the former 13th overall pick. Kassian lasted just a single season in the desert and never really seemed comfortable playing on a very bad Coyotes team.

This is Kassian’s first crack at free agency and unfortunately for him he is coming off a season in which he posted career lows in many statistical categories. As mentioned earlier, he had just two points on the season, and posted a -18. His hitting was way down, which is one of the facets of the game he typically excels in. Kassian threw just 32 hits in 51 games last season, a dramatic drop from the 158 he threw the year prior with the Edmonton Oilers in 58 games. It’s not uncommon for physical players to see a decline in their 30’s, but the decline generally isn’t that steep.

Kassian deserves a ton of credit for battling several off-ice issues and resurrecting his career when it looked like it could be in trouble. At one point in 2015 Kassian bounced from Vancouver to Montreal to Edmonton in less than six months and looked like he could be out of the league. But, to his credit, he turned it around and even managed to post career highs in 2019-20 when he potted 15 goals to go along with 19 assists in 59 games. This run of good play prompted the Oilers to sign Kassian to a four-year contract extension in January 2020 worth $3.2MM annually. Unfortunately for the club and the player, Kassian struggled through the pandemic shortened 2020-21 season and hasn’t regained his footing ever since. Over the past three seasons combined Kassian has posted just 10 goals and 16 assists in 136 games, a drastic decline from his 2019-2020 numbers. The other issue that will work against Kassian is that he is strictly a 5 on 5 player. He has never been a regular contributor on the power play and hasn’t been a regular part of a penalty kill since 2018-19.

In a normal cap world, Kassian would have played out the final season of his contract with a salary that is well below his cap hit but given how poor his play was Arizona opted to move on and spread out that cost over two seasons.

Despite his struggles last season, it is still likely that Kassian will get an opportunity when training camps open in a few weeks. Teams are always looking for physical players, especially ones who can take a regular shift and will play under a reduced cap hit. Kassian checks all those boxes, which is a good indication that someone will give the Windsor, Ontario native a look to see if he still has anything to offer.

Stats

2022-23: 51 GP, 2-0-0, -18 rating, 50 PIMS, 25 shots, 37.5% faceoffs, 38.4% CF, 9:09 ATOI
Career: 661 GP, 92-111-203, -55 rating, 913 PIMS, 798 shots, 31.0% faceoffs, 48.2% CF, 12:37 ATOI

Potential Suitors

Kassian is still chasing hockey’s ultimate prize, the Stanley Cup. And after spending a dozen years in the league, he would probably prefer to spend his time chasing a championship with a Stanley Cup contender. However, given his status as a fringe NHLer at the moment, he likely won’t have the opportunity to be choosey. That doesn’t mean he won’t have a suitor, but it could mean that he would be playing on a weaker team, or a team that has a borderline chance of making the playoffs. But anything can happen, and even players that are past their best before date can catch on with good teams when it is least expected.

Let’s start out West in Edmonton. Kassian found his game almost eight years ago when it looked like his career was hanging on by a thread. It was there that he turned his intensity and physicality into effective NHL minutes on a team that was competitive for most of his run there. Kassian brought an edge that the Oilers severely lacked and gave them an option that they could plug almost anywhere in their lineup. But that was then, and this is now, and Kassian isn’t that player anymore. His body has broken down, as per normal with physical players when they hit the wrong side of 30. But Kassian could still help Edmonton, and it feels like the Oilers are always looking for bodies up front. Kassian couldn’t play in Edmonton’s top-9, but he could be a could fill-in for their fourth line if they aren’t able to find help between now and the start of the regular season.

Sticking with the West, the Colorado Avalanche were riddled with injuries last season. So much so that it looked like they might miss the playoffs entirely, however, a late-season rally secured their spot in the round of 16. But it was there that they were physically dominated by the Seattle Kraken and ousted in an exhilarating seventh game. The Avalanche were one of the lightest-hitting teams in the NHL last season, which on the surface isn’t the big of a deal given how skilled they are. However, the regular season and the playoffs are two different things and Colorado didn’t have an answer for Seattle in the postseason and really missed some of the grit they lost when Nazim Kadri departed last summer. Now, Zack Kassian is far from the answer to that problem, but he can offer Colorado something that is in short supply in their group, and it wouldn’t cost them more than a contract slot and a league minimum contract.

Finally, in the East, one team that could use a depth physical forward is the Buffalo Sabres. Coincidently, the team that took Kassian in the first round of the NHL entry draft some 14 years ago. The Sabres have a competent fourth line at the moment with Tyson Jost centering Kyle Okposo and Zemgus Girgensons, but injuries happen (see Jack Quinn), and Kassian could provide insurance to their Sabres if they were to lose any additional depth up front. The Sabres were also a team that didn’t throw the body around all that often-last year and with the talent that they have up front, they could likely place Kassian into a role that wouldn’t overextend him and could allow him to perhaps resurrect his career once again.

Projected Contract

Kassian enters free agency at a time when his free agent stock is very damaged. And while he has his shortcomings, he still offers a rare combination of physicality mixed with a bit of skill and could find success when he is sheltered in the right situation.

At this point in his career Kassian would be lucky to get a one-way contract for the league minimum of $775K. The most likely outcome for him will be a PTO with a team that is looking to add a 13th forward that offers some sandpaper and can chip in on the fourth line when a regular falls out of the lineup. A role like that would allow Kassian to play to his strengths and would offer longer windows of recovery for an aging player who has been banged up from years of throwing his body around with reckless abandon.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Buffalo Sabres Re-Sign Zemgus Girgensons

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The longest-tenured member of the Buffalo Sabres is sticking around for another season. Center Zemgus Girgensons has signed a one-year, $2.5MM contract to stay in Buffalo, keeping one of the team’s most integral leaders in the organization. CapFriendly confirms the entirety of Girgensons’ deal is paid in base salary.

The 29-year-old Latvian just completed his ninth year as a Sabre and has settled in as a reliable enough bottom-six pivot over the past couple of seasons, although he has played much of his career on the wing. Selected 14th overall in 2012, Girgensons never did hit his ceiling coming up through one of the darkest eras in Sabres history, which makes his desire to stick around all the more justified – he wants to see Buffalo’s rebuild through rather than looking for more term on the open market.

Girgensons matched his point totals from 2021-22 this past season, scoring 10 goals and eight assists, but it took him 80 games to do so. His offense has never been a strong suit, though – in fact, he’d never put up consecutive double-digit goal seasons until his last three campaigns. Still, he’s far from a liability defensively, with some advanced metrics going so far as to label him one of the best pure shutdown centers in the league.

It hasn’t been an easy road to consistency for Girgensons, either. A hamstring injury kept him out for the entire (albeit shortened) 2020-21 campaign, and he missed more than 20 games the following year with various injuries.

He’ll attempt to make the playoffs for the first time in his career next season with a slight pay bump. Buffalo had signed him to a three-year, $2.2MM average annual value deal before the 2020-21 season. It’s certainly fair compensation for his role with the Sabres, on and off the ice.

General manager Kevyn Adams had this to say earlier in the offseason:

Zemgus is, I would call it, a quiet leader, goes about his business but cares about his teammates and teammates care about him. He’s literally the same every game. There’s very little drop off [or] ups and downs with him.

He’ll likely reprise a fourth-line role next season, and he joins a Sabres team that’s already filled out with youngsters but still looking to add in free agency. With depth crunches coming at forward, it’s fair to wonder what today’s news means for Tyson Jost, a pending restricted free agent who gave the team some decent depth scoring after being claimed on waivers from the Minnesota Wild early in the season. If the team believes better options are attainable on the open market, he could go unqualified.

Atlantic Notes: Matthews, Vrana, Girgensons

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The Maple Leafs will welcome back their top center as Auston Matthews confirmed to reporters, including Sports Illustrated’s David Alter (Twitter link) that he is ready to return after missing two games with an undisclosed injury.  That’s certainly a big boost for Toronto as the 25-year-old has 20 goals and 27 assists in 41 games while anchoring their top line and power play.  However, Matthews indicated that the injury is “something I’m going to have to stay on top of” which suggests that he hasn’t fully recovered from it and that it’s likely going to linger over the second half of the season.  Toronto sits nine points behind Boston in the Atlantic heading into tonight’s matchup between the two teams.

More from the Atlantic:

  • In the AHL, there is a rule that prohibits teams from loading up on veterans as it is a developmental league. That rule is proving to be a problem for Red Wings winger Jakub Vrana as it was relayed in the preview of their game last night (Twitter link) that the rule was going to keep him out of the lineup for the second time.  The 26-year-old has struggled since joining Grand Rapids as he has just an assist in six games and now that he’s part of a veteran rotation, it will be even more difficult for him to rediscover his scoring touch.
  • Sabres center Zemgus Girgensons did not accompany the team to Nashville and will miss tonight’s game due to illness, relays Bill Hoppe of the Olean Times Herald. The 29-year-old continues to be a fixture in Buffalo’s bottom six, a role he has held for nearly a decade and has four goals and six assists in 39 games so far this season.

Buffalo Sabres Name Kyle Okposo Captain

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The Buffalo Sabres made their 2022-23 leadership group official Sunday afternoon, naming longtime Sabres forward Kyle Okposo the 20th captain in Sabres history. Forward Zemgus Girgensons and defenseman Rasmus Dahlin will serve as Buffalo’s alternate captains for the upcoming season. The team went without a captain last season after trading the injured Jack Eichel, their previous captain, instead electing to have Okposo and Girgensons serve as full-time alternates, and Dahlin an alternate at times later in the season.

Sabres’ GM Kevyn Adams, had the following to say about Okposo:

“It’s impossible to overstate what Kyle has meant to this group – he is patient, he is a lifelong learner, he is levelheaded, and most of all, he is proud to be a Buffalo Sabre. When times get difficult, Kyle knows when to speak up, and when he does, the team takes it to heart. Kyle and his family have made Buffalo their home and want to see our organization succeed, both on and off ice. I am proud that Kyle will represent our organization with class.”

After many years of on-ice struggles, the Sabres appeared to begin the turn-around last season, beginning to win consistently in the second half. The leadership group of Okposo and Girgensons provides the right influence to a predominantly young, and talented, Sabres roster. On the Sabres organization and the roster he’s about to lead, the newest Buffalo captain had this to say:

“I’m just happy to be a part of it. I’m happy to be somebody that the guys in this organization and the guys that play on the team can look up to and try and continue to move this culture forward. I’m just so proud of where we’re at from a team standpoint. It’s not a guarantee that the results follow a good culture, but it’s a hell of a good start. That’s what I’m definitely most proud of over the last year.”

The captaincy comes in the final year of a seven-year deal Okposo signed during the 2016 offseason, bringing him upstate from the New York Islanders and Long Island to western New York and the Sabres. Things weren’t always as exciting and hopeful as they are now for Buffalo or Okposo. As the team struggled year after year, Okposo dealt with injuries and struggles to produce the way the Sabres, and his $6MM cap hit, had expected. Things did turn around for both in 2021-22 though, the Sabres seeming to turn things around and Okposo rebounding with a strong 21 goal, 24 assist performance over 74 games.

What the future holds for both sides is unclear, but naming Okposo captain while the team has plenty of building blocks around him would appear to show their commitment to the veteran moving forward, evidenced all the more by Adams’ words. To Okposo’s point, culture isn’t the be-all-end-all, but it’s a strong start, and considering what the franchise has been through since its last postseason berth in 2011, building a strong culture will be paramount to their future success.

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