SB Nation - Jhonas Enroth

Buffalo Sabres Prospects: Top 25 Weekly Recap

David Oleksy — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 02:20:38 -0000

Disclaimer - I am suffering from a terrible cold/flu and I was highly medicated while writing this. Please report any errors in this post, factual or otherwise to the site administrator.

It's another week and another opportunity to have a look at some players at the farm and some in juniors or college. Overall it was a good week for the Sabres youngsters both in Portland and elsewhere.

The most important thing to hapen this week might be the resurgence of Jhonas Enroth in goal for the Portland Pirates. Enroth won both of his starts this week and is slowly getting his numbers back to respectability.

Sticking with the Pirates, they are turning things around with the help of some of their key players. We all know about Tyler Ennis and Nathan Gerbe and each contributed a goal this week. A guy we don't hear about is Felix Schutz. He is making a pitch to join the German team in the Olympics and this week he scored three goals to make his case. Schutz started slow but now he has four goals in the last two weeks.

The Pirates blueline received a boost with the return of Marc-Andre Gragnani and Gragnani had two assists this week. Matt Generous had his best week of the season as well, with three assists and a plus-4 rating.

The Sabres have a talented bunch of players that are playing in the Canadian Hockey League. Luke Adam has to be the best of the group and he proved it again this week with four goals and three assists. He now has 19 goals on the season. Jacob Lagace is trying his best to keep up with Adam in "The Q" and he scored three this past week. Maxime Legault also added a pair of goals in "The Q" this week.

Nick Crawford was playing well before he was traded and he has not had any trouble fitting in with the Barrie Colts. Crawford had four assists for the Colts this week. (I am going to see Crawford play on Friday night in Erie against the Otters).

Marcus Foligno has not had the best season but this week he scored twice to give him three goals on the season. Brayden McNabb is another 2009 draft pick and another player that had a good week. McNabb netted a pair of goals and added two assists playing for Kootenay in the Western Hockey League.

It wasn't a banner week for the collegiate players that are part of the Sabres system. We have grown accustomed to Corey Tropp lighting up the scoreboard for the Michigan State Spartans so his goal and an assist seems like a subpar week for him.

Follow the jump for full statistics.

Buffalo Sabres Prospect Rankings				W	L	OTL/T	GAA	SV %	Weekly Notes
Rank	Player	Team	GP	G	A	PTS	+/-	PIM	Weekly Notes
1	Tyler Myers	Buffalo Sabres	24	3	10	13	3	10	four assists
2	Tim Kennedy	Buffalo Sabres	24	2	5	7	0	28	1 goal - 1 assist
3	Nathan Gerbe	Portland Pirates	19	5	14	19	-1	16	1 goal - 1 assist
4	Jhonas Enroth	Portland Pirates	14	6	8	0	3.53	0.883	2 games played - 2 wins
		Buffalo Sabres	1	0	1	0	4.14	0.892
5	Mike Weber	Portland Pirates	24	0	5	5	6	40	3 games played
6	Philip Gogulla	Portland Pirates	21	4	8	12	-1	12	2 games played - 4 PIMs
7	Luke Adam	Cape Breton Screaming Eagles (QMJHL)	29	19	25	44	13	40	4 goals - 3 assists
8	Tyler Ennis	Portland Pirates	24	8	14	22	-7	6	1 goal - 2 assists
		Buffalo Sabres	1	1	0	1	1	0
9	Drew Schiestel	Portland Pirates	19	1	2	3	-5	6	1 assists - minus-1
10	Zack Kassian	Peterborough Petes (OHL)	20	7	12	19	-6	50	2 assists - minus-2
11	Paul Byron	Portland Pirates	20	4	7	11	-7	16	1 goal - minus-1
12	TJ Brennan	Portland Pirates	20	0	4	4	2	43	plus-2
13	Marc-Andre Gragnani	Portland Pirates	10	2	4	6	3	6	2 assists - plus-3
14	Felix Schutz	Portland Pirates	18	4	5	9	0	17	3 goals
15	Corey Tropp	Michigan State Spartans (NCAA)	16	10	9	19	0	14	1 goal - 1 assist
16	Alex Biega	Harvard Crimson (NCAA)	9	1	3	4	0	4	1 assists
17	Dennis Persson	Portland Pirates	19	0	1	1	-5	10	minus-1
18	Bradley Eidsness	North Dakota Fighting Sioux (NCAA)	13	7	3	2	1.89	0.92	2 games played, 1 win, 1 tie
19	Marcus Foligno	Sudbury Wolves (OHL)	28	3	10	13	-6	84	2 goals - plus-1
20	Brayden McNabb	Kootenay Ice (WHL)	20	6	15	21	-4	57	2 goals - 2 assists
21	Corey Fienhage	North Dakota Fighting Sioux (NCAA)	5	0	1	1	0	2	first assist of season
22	Drew Mackenzie	Vermont Catamounts (NCAA)	11	0	4	4		10	2 games played
23	Nick Crawford	Barrie Colts (OHL)	27	5	26	31	13	8	4 assists - plus-4
24	Jacob Lagace	Chicoutimi Sagueneens (QMJHL)	23	19	18	37	-2	18	3 goals
25	Mark Adams	Chicago Steel (USHL)	16	3	2	5	-3	28	game played
-	Nick Eno	Bowling Green Falcons (NCAA)	10	2	6	1	3.13	0.905	3 games played, 2 losses, 1 tie
-	Connor Knapp	Miami-OH Redhawks (NCAA)	6	1	1	3	2.58	0.9	1 game played, tie
-	Jordon Southorn	PEI Rocket (QMJHL)	27	3	9	12	10	35	1 assist
-	Justin Jokinen	Minnesota State Mavericks (NCAA)	10	1	0	1	-2	8	Did not play
-	Mike Kostka	Portland Pirates	24	1	4	5	-4	9	1 assist - minus-2
-	Derek Whitmore	Portland Pirates	24	4	5	9	4	4	1 assist - plus-1
-	Travis Turnbull	Portland Pirates	18	2	3	5	3	41	Did not play
-	Maxime Legault	Shawinigan Cataractes (QMJHL)	14	8	7	15	10	19	2 goals - 2assists
		Portland Pirates	5	0	0	0	-4	4	No longer with team
-	J.P. Lamoureaux	Portland Pirates	12	5	5	0	2.87	0.898	allowed five goals in loss
-	Matt Generous	Portland Pirates	18	1	5	6	5	13	3 assists - plus-4

Sabres Prospects: Top 25 Weekly Recap

David Oleksy — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 15:15:09 -0000

More photos » by FRED CHARTRAND - AP

about 1 month ago: Buffalo Sabres' Tim Kennedy gets an elbow in the face from Ottawa Senators' Jason Spezza, (19), during the third period of an NHL hockey game in Ottawa Saturday Nov. 21, 2009. Ottawa defeated Buffalo 5-3. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press,Fred Chartrand)

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The Buffalo Sabres have been struggling as of late so with a couple of days off, let's take a look at what some of the future Sabres have done this past week. It's always fun to look at the ups and downs the youngsters have at every level whether that be the NHL, AHL, Junior or NCAA.

It seems that every week we are talking about Luke Adam and Corey Tropp and they both remain at the top of their respective squads point leaders but they have both cooled off considerably. The story this week has been the resurgence of the Portland Pirates, the play of Zack Kassian and what Jacob Lagace has done in the "Q".

J.P. Lamoureaux had three consecutive wins this week while top Sabres prospect Jhonas Enroth can do nothing more tha watch the teams success. Lamoureaux was signed in the off-season and after a slow start he has been really good as of late. He recieved some offensive help from Philip Gogulla and Nathan Gerbe to name a few.

Jacob Lagace has put up good numbers all season but he was especialy good this week. In three games Lagace had three goals and two assists and now has more goals than Luke Adam on the season. Lagace is not has highly touted as Adam but he is trying his best to turn some heads and move up the prospect rankings.

Follow the jump for complete prospect statistics.

Buffalo Sabres Prospect Rankings				W	L	OTL/T	GAA	SV %	Weekly Notes
Rank	Player	Team	GP	G	A	PTS	+/-	PIM	Weekly Notes
1	Tyler Myers	Buffalo Sabres	20	3	6	9	3	10	no points, minus-2
2	Tim Kennedy	Buffalo Sabres	20	1	4	5	-1	26	no points, minus-2
3	Nathan Gerbe	Portland Pirates	16	4	13	17	-1	16	1 goal - 4 assists
4	Jhonas Enroth	Portland Pirates	12	4	8	0	3.89	0.872
		Buffalo Sabres	1	0	1	0	4.14	0.892
5	Mike Weber	Portland Pirates	21	0	5	5	6	40	1 assist, plus-3
6	Philip Gogulla	Portland Pirates	19	4	8	12	-1	8	goal and two assists
7	Luke Adam	Cape Breton Screaming Eagles (QMJHL)	26	15	22	37	11	36	3 assists
8	Tyler Ennis	Portland Pirates	21	7	12	19	-7	6	1 goal and 4 assists
		Buffalo Sabres	1	1	0	1	1	0	Scored first NHL goal
9	Drew Schiestel	Portland Pirates	16	1	1	2	-4	4	first professional goal
10	Zack Kassian	Peterborough Petes (OHL)	17	7	10	17	-4	41	2 goals and 3 assists
11	Paul Byron	Portland Pirates	17	3	7	10	-6	14	2 assists
12	TJ Brennan	Portland Pirates	19	0	4	4	0	41	minus-1
13	Marc-Andre Gragnani	Portland Pirates	8	2	2	4	0	6	Injured - Did not play
14	Felix Schutz	Portland Pirates	15	1	5	6	-1	17	goal and assist, plus-3
15	Corey Tropp	Michigan State Spartans (NCAA)	14	9	8	17	0	12	assist, minus-2
16	Alex Biega	Harvard Crimson (NCAA)	7	1	2	3	1	4	assist, minus-2
17	Dennis Persson	Portland Pirates	16	0	1	1	-4	8	minus-1
18	Bradley Eidsness	North Dakota Fighting Sioux (NCAA)	11	6	3	1	1.69	0.929	2 losses, 4 goals against, 62-of-66 shots
19	Marcus Foligno	Sudbury Wolves (OHL)	24	1	10	11	-7	76	minus-2
20	Brayden McNabb	Kootenay Ice (WHL)	18	3	13	16	-4	42	Did not Play - Injury
21	Corey Fienhage	North Dakota Fighting Sioux (NCAA)	3	0	0	0	0	2	2 games played
22	Drew Mackenzie	Vermont Catamounts (NCAA)	9	0	4	4		10
23	Nick Crawford	Barrie Colts (OHL)	24	5	22	27	8	8
24	Jacob Lagace	Chicoutimi Sagueneens (QMJHL)	22	16	18	34	-2	18	3 goals and 2 assists
25	Mark Adams	Chicago Steel (USHL)	15	3	2	5	-3	28	minus-1
-	Nick Eno	Bowling Green Falcons (NCAA)	7	2	4	0	3.11	0.908	1-0-0, 2 goals against, 29-of-31
-	Connor Knapp	Miami-OH Redhawks (NCAA)	5	1	1	2	2.12	0.921	0-0-1, won in shootout, 1 goal against, 29-of-30
-	Jordon Southorn	PEI Rocket (QMJHL)	24	3	8	11	8	26	1 assist, plus-4
-	Justin Jokinen	Minnesota State Mavericks (NCAA)	10	1	0	1	-2	8
-	Mike Kostka	Portland Pirates	21	1	3	4	-2	9	minus-1
-	Derek Whitmore	Portland Pirates	21	4	4	9	3	4	1 goal and 1 assist, plus-1
-	Travis Turnbull	Portland Pirates	18	2	3	5	3	41	plus-1
-	Maxime Legault	Shawinigan Cataractes (QMJHL)	11	6	5	11	7	11	1 goal and 1 assist
		Portland Pirates	5	0	0	0	-4	4	No longer with team
-	J.P. Lamoureaux	Portland Pirates	11	5	4	0	2.75	0.902	3-0-0
-	Matt Generous	Portland Pirates	15	1	2	3	1	11	1 goal and 1 assist, plus-1

On The Farm: Pirates Split The Weekend And Head To Buffalo

Zachary Zielonka — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 15:00:52 -0000

via www.portlandpirates.com

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The Portland Pirates split their games this weekend against the Springfield Falcons and Hershey Bears. On Friday night, the Pirates shutout the Hershey Bears 5-0. The Pirates spread out the scoring with five different players scoring goals and goaltender Jean-Phillippe Lamoureaux earned his first career AHL shutout. On Sunday night, the Springfield Falcons defeated the Pirates 2-1 with Phillip Gogulla scored the only goal for the Pirates.

Pirates Schedule

This Week Games

@ Wilkes Barre	Wed 11/11	7:05 PM EDT
Rochester *in Buffalo	Thurs 11/12	7:00 PM EDT
@ Bridgeport	Sun 11/15	4:00 PM EDT

Last Week Games

Hershey	Fri 11/6	W 0-5
Springfield	Sun 11/8	L 2-1

The Pirates are still last in the Atlantic Division with a 5-9 record, but have played .500 hockey over their last six games. They head into their first of two games in Buffalo this season against the Rochester Americans. The Americans are first in the North Division and first overall in the AHL with an 11-1-1 record.

Overall this past week, goaltender Jean-Phillippe Lamoureaux has been the player of the week. Lamoureaux stopped 47 of 49 in the past two games in relief for Jhonas Enroth. While Lamoureaux started the season slow, he has heated up in the first two games in November. Lamoureaux should continue to play well for this team as he continues to gain experience in his first AHL season.

For the forwards, Phillip Gogulla had three points on the week, with one goal and two assists. He was the lone scorer in the Springfield game and is currently fourth on the team in points with seven. This is Gogulla's first season in the AHL and if he continues at this pace, he will continue to move up the forward ladder.

Sabres Recall Enroth From Portland

David Oleksy — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 15:16:42 -0000

More photos » by Dean Duprey - AP

3 months ago: Buffalo Sabres goalie Jhonas Enroth makes a glove save under pressure from Washington Capitals' Mike Knuble (22) during the third period of a preseason NHL hockey game at HSBC Arena in Buffalo, N.Y., Thursday, Sept. 17, 2009. The Capitals won 4-3. (AP Photo/ Dean Duprey)

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The Buffalo Sabres announced they have recalled Jhonas Enroth from the Portland Pirates. The announcement came via the Sabres official Twitter account.

The Buffalo Sabres have recalled Jhonas Enroth... check sabres.com shortly for more information

There is plenty of speculation as to why the move was necessary. Some people think that Lalime may have re-injured his groin, there is also speculation that either Miller or Lalime might have the flu. There is also some speculation the Sabres will waive Patrick Lalime.

I think it would be safe to bet Patrick Lalime is either injured or suffering from the flu. There was no good reason for Ryan Miller to play on Saturday and the logical explanation would be an injury or illness.

I will update this post when more info becomes available.

[Update by David Oleksy, 11/04/09 10:19 AM EST ] - This is from WGR 550

A Swedish website is reporting that Enroth is coming up to join the Sabres for the second time in his career in order spell Patrick Lalime who is battling groin trouble.

The Buffalo Sabres have officially reported it was a groin injury that will sideline Lalime. Lindy Ruff stated that if Lalime is not ready by the weekend, Enroth would likely make his season debut.

On The Farm: Pirates Find First Road Win of Season

Zachary Zielonka — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 14:00:44 -0000

Pirates Schedule

This Week Games

Lowell	Fri 10/30	7:00 PM EDT
Bridgeport	Sat 10/31	7:00 PM EDT

Last Week Games

@ Norfolk	Fri 10/23	L 2-4
@ Norfolk	Sat 10/24	W 6-5
@ Hershey	Sun 10/25	L 2-3

The Pirates have struggled this season on the road and they finally find their first road win of the season last Saturday against the Norfolk Admirals. The Pirates went 1-2 this past week to put their record at 3-7 this season. The team has given up 42 goals while only scoring 26 goals which mainly explains the struggles that they are having. Jhonas Enroth is not playing very well this season. He has a 2-6 record with a 4.32 GAA and .861 SV%.

After the jump we take a look at the good, bad, and ugly and the three stars of the week.

The Good

The Pirates offense is starting to find the back of the net with 10 goals in three games this season.

Tyler Ennis is looking good again this week with two more goals. He now leads the team with six goals in ten games.

Jean Phillippe Lamoureaux earned his first AHL win of his career against the Admirals on Saturday night.

The Bad

Lamoureaux allowed five goals in the Pirates win against the Admirals.

Nathan Gerbe was held off the scoresheet with only one assist in three games. Gerbe has eight points on the season.

The Ugly

Jhonas Enroth. Seven goals allowed on 58 shots.

Pirates Three Stars of the Week

1. Tyler Ennis - 2 goals and an assist

2. Mark Mancari - 1 goal and three assists

3. Phillip Gogulla - 3 assists

On The Farm: Pirates Having Issues on the Road

Zachary Zielonka — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 14:00:52 -0000

Every week Die by the Blade will take a look at how things are going on the farm with the Portland Pirates. We will discuss their games from the previous week and take a look at the team leaders. We will post a three stars of the week and ask for your comments on the team.

The Pirates are still looking for their first road after dropping two road games this past weekend. Losses to Manchester and Providence are showing how much trouble this team is having keeping games close on the road. The only bright spot of the weekend is their win over the Wolf Pack.

Pirates Schedule

This Week Games

@ Norfolk	Fri 10/23	7:15 PM EDT
@ Norfolk	Sat 10/24	7:15 PM EDT
@ Hershey	Sun 10/25	5:00 PM EDT

Last Week Games

Hartford	Fri 10/16	W 3-6
@ Manchester	Sat 10/17	L 0-4
@ Providence	Sun 10/18	L 2-7

The Good

- Tyler Ennis had his first career hat trick against the Wolf Pack as he scored the first three goals of the game and added an assist as well.

- Cody McCormick ends road scoreless streak at 124:41 with goal against Providence.

- Portland scored first powerplay goal of the season after going scoreless on their first 26 attempts.

The Bad

- J.P Lamoureux started his first game of the season and allowed 4 goals on 27 shots against Manchester. He also filled in for Enroth against Providence and allowed 2 goals on 14 shots.

The Ugly

- Jhonas Enroth is continuing to struggle this season allowing 5 goals on 24 shots against Providence.

Portland Three Stars

1. Tyler Ennis- 4 goals, 1 assists

2. Jeff Cowan - 2 goals

3. Nathan Gerbe - 1 goal, 3 assists

On the Farm: Pirates Woes Continue

David Oleksy — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 17:52:18 -0000

The Portland Pirates are off to a rough start this season. They hoped the play of Jhonas Enroth would be a key this season and it has been in a negative manner. Enroth has struggled in the early part of the season and was pulled from the 4-0 loss to Lowell on Sunday.

Pirates Schedule

This Week Games

Hartford	Fri 10/16	7:00 PM EDT
@ Manchester	Sat 10/17	7:00 PM EDT
@ Providence	Sun 10/18	4:05 PM EDT

Last Week Games

@ Albany	Fri 10/09	L 2-5
Providence	Sat 10/10	W 4-2
@ Lowell	Sun 10/11	L 0-4

The Good

Nathan Gerbe had two goals and an assist in his three games this week. He may get a chance in Buffalo with Vanek out of the lineup but I would guess it would take another injury to see him in Buffalo.
Mark Mancari is finally getting to into form after missing the pre-season. He had a goal and two assists in the Pirates win on Saturday night.
The Pirates victory came after trailing 2-0. They outscored Providence 4-0 and outshot them 29-18 in the final two periods.
J.P. Lamoureaux stopped all 18 shots he faced in relief of Enroth on Sunday night. Lamoureaux is expected to earn his first AHL start this weekend.

The Bad

The Pirates lost two out of three last weekend and have started the season 1-3-0.
Portland was outscored 9-2 in their two road losses last weekend.

The Ugly

Jhonas Enroth stat line...11 GA, 1-2-0 record and 76-87 shots.

Three Stars of the Week

Nathan Gerbe - 2G-1A-3P
Mark Mancari - 1G-2A-3P
Paul Byron - 1G-1A-2P

Training Camp Profiles: The Goalie Prospects

Zachary Zielonka — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 16:00:16 -0000

Over the next few weeks we will take a look at the 2009-10 Buffalo Sabres and examine what lies ahead for each player during training camp and preseason. Today's look will be part one of a three part series based on the prospects and tryouts that will be attending camp.

via cdn.nhl.com

Jhonas Enroth

Enroth has been apart of the Sabres organization since 2006 when he was drafted 46th in the draft that year. He has played professional hockey for five years, four in Sweden and is currently playing for the Portland Pirates. In his only season with the Pirates last season, Enroth had a solid season going 26-20-6 with a 2.75 GAA and a .914 SV% which put him sixth among rookie goaltenders in the AHL.

He has always impressed people with his skill. He first was noticed in the 2008 WJC where he posted a .905 SV% and 2.33 GAA on the way to getting a silver medal. He was a runner up as Elitserian rookie of the year that year and then proceeded to come to the United States to play with the Pirates. Enroth is also primed to become the backup goaltender when Patrick Lalime's contract ends at the end of the season. He was called up as a backup during the time when Lalime went down with a hip injury last season but never made it into a game. With the status of Lalime's hip injury not really known, Enroth may see some playing time this season. If that is the case, he should impress and be seriously considered as the full time backup of this team.

via www.prohockeynews.com

Jean-Philippe Lamoureux

Lamoureux was signed by the Sabres this past offseason to back up Jhonas Enroth in Portland. Last year, Lamoureux was the ECHL goaltender of the year last year with a 2.29 GAA and .923 SV% in 51 games while leading the Alaska Aces to the ECHL championship round before losing in seven games to the South Carolina Stingrays. In the playoffs, Lamoureux had an amazing 1.95 GAA and 4 shutouts in 21 playoff games.

On top of being a really good ECHL player, Lamoureux played well during his four years at North Dakota. He was a Hobey Baker finalist and led the Sioux to the Frozen Four in his senior season. During his career at North Dakota, he was 60-38-10 with a 2.14 GAA and a .920 SV%.

Lamoureux helps the Sabres in two ways. First, being signed as a backup in Portland will only help Jhonas Enroth who started to wear out due to playing 56 games last season. Second, it only strengthens the goaltending prospects of this team. While Lamoureux may never make it as a goalie here in Buffalo, if he impresses in Portland he could be serious trade bait down the road. A concern with Lamoureux is his small size, 5' 9" and 190 pounds although size doesn't matter though when you make plays like these.

Looking Ahead to Sabres 2010 Free Agents

David Oleksy — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 13:00:11 -0000

The job of being a General Manager in the NHL is not an easy one despite how easy way make it look when he say "sign this guy" or "trade that guy". When trying to build a team a GM has to look at the big picture and not just this season. There is no doubt that Darcy Regier is looking at next season when he is negotiating with Drew Stafford and Mark Mancari. I'm sure he is looking beyond this season when he is dealing with the trade market as well.

This has been a relatively quiet off-season for the Sabres but next season may not be as quiet. The Sabres currently have six forwards, four defensemen and one goalie signed for the 2010-2011 season. That is a total of 11 players that are set to make aroun $39.5 million in 2010-2011.

Based on natural progression and the need to add some cheap players into the lineup, we can assume that Tyler Myers, Nathan Gerbe and possibly Jhonas Enroth will be regulars in the Sabres lineup by 2010. When adding those three players to the roster the Sabres would have 14 players signed for around $42 million. We could also be adding Drew Stafford and Mark Mancari to the list above depending if they sign and for how many years.

We have plenty of time to speculate on who will or won't be here next season but for arguments sake we'll just show you who will looking for a new contract next off-season. Follow the jump to see the list of players.

Unrestricted Free Agents

Adam Mair - 2009 Salary: $775,000

Mair is gritty player that has become a fan favorite because of his style of play. Before signing is last contract he professed his love for Buffalo and said "he wouldn't play anywhere else". His feelings may have changed because the team has not enjoyed the same success that they had before he signed his last contract. His role is that of a fourth liner and can probably be signed for a relatively cheap price.

Matt Ellis - 2009 salary: $500,000

Ellis is another gritty player that gives 100% on every shift. He is another role player that can be replaced easily by someone else but will likely be a candidate to be re-signed by the Sabres once again. The luxury of him signing a one year contract is that the Sabres have options with him.

Toni Lydman - 2009 Salary: $3,150,000

Lydman is a solid defensemen that is the but of criticism from many Sabres fans. Some of the criticism is warranted but he is possibly the Sabres best defenseman in his own zone. There is a possibility that the Sabres would try to bring him back next season but he would have to take a hefty pay cut from his current salary.

Henrik Tallinder - 2009 Salary: $3,250,000

I really don't need to say much about Hank. He is nowhere near the player that he was a couple of seasons ago and he is likely to leave the team unceremoniously, much like Dmitri Kalinin did.

Nathan Paetsch - 2009 salary: $1,050,000

Paetsch is a versatile player that has played both defense and forward for the Sabres. Every team loves to have a player that is as versatile as Paetsch but he will likely leave the team for an opportunity to play everyday with another team.

Joe Dipenta - 2009 Salary: $550,000

Dipenta was signed to add a veteran presence in Portland for this season. Nobody knows what the future will hold for Dipenta and would be unfair to speculate before he plays this season.

Patrick Lalime - 2009 Salary: $1,000,000

He makes too much money for a marginal backup goalie. He wasn't as good as needed to be when the Sabres needed him the most but his hip injury could have played a role in his play last season. With Jhonas Enroth pushing for a roster spot he will likely not be a member of this team beyond next season.

Restricted Free Agents

Clarke MacArthur - 2009 Salary: $1,400,000

MacArthur signed a one-year contract last week just one season after netting 17 goals last season. This will be a big season for MacArthur and will probably determine how hard the Sabres will try to re-sign him next year. There has been plenty of debate on this site about just how good C-Mac is and whether he was worth the money he signed for this season.

Daniel Paille - 2009 Salary: $1,350,000

Paille had a career high 19 goals two seasons ago but scored only 12 last season. He has been criticized for his lack of consistency but will be playing for a contract this season. He has shown at times that he can be a dominate player and a true power forward despite his size.

Patrick Kaleta - 2009 Salary: $522,500

Kaleta plays every shift like he is a bull in a china shop. He will be back after last season and will still come at a cheap price tag for the Sabres. He is possibly the most fearless player I have ever seen but he has suffered some head injuries that make him a concern for the team to sign.

Tim Kennedy - 2009 Salary: $635,000

Kennedy has some potential but has played in only one NHL game. He is likely to get an opportunity to prove what he can do at the NHL level this season. The Sabres like to keep the players they have developed and they will try to re-sign him after next season.

Other RFA's Next Season

In addition to the players listed above the Sabres have other minor league players that will be restricted free agents next season. The list includes Phillip Gogulla, Marc-Andre Gragnani, Mike Weber, Matt Generous, Derek Whitmore and Mike Kostka.

Enroth Selected in KHL Entry Draft

David Oleksy — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 21:32:37 -0000

I have been receiving Press Releases from the KHL since the began late last summer. Up until now there was never anything to talk about but today that changed. The KHL held their first ever Draft and they selected a mixture of young Russian players and players they are hoping will jump ship to the KHL. Jhonas Enroth was among those players selected, he was selected in the third round by Atlant Moscow Reg.

It is unlikely that Enroth would leave the Portland Pirates and play in the KHL at this point in is career. It will definitely be an option for him or any other player that feels they are not getting a fair shot at playing in the NHL. There is no indication that Enroth is unhappy with his role in the Sabres organization.

The Sabres have made it clear that they feel he is the Goalie of the future. He is the goalie of the future but that begs the question, when is the future? Enroth may not be willing to wait for the future and may see this as an opportunity.

There are still a few questions that need to be answered. Will the Sabres just blow this off and continue with their business? Will this force them to move Enroth along at a quicker pace? Will this give the Sabres a reason to trade him away instead of losing him to another league?

It will be an interesting situation to watch but from a distance. I don't think that anything will happen immediately but it still deserves attention.

Dirk has an interesting post on the KHL draft at On the Forecheck. He also posted the entire press release if you want to read it.