SBNation.com User Blog: bciskie

• Celebrating hockey’s ‘anti-heroes’

NHL playoffs: Will Blackhawks respond in Game 3?

bciskie — Sun, 19 May 2013 20:25:33 -0000

After his team lost Game 1 of its Western Conference semifinal series in Chicago Wednesday night, Detroit Red Wings coach Mike Babcock offered up a theory as to why his team looked slow in the last 40 minutes.

"We did a lot of traveling in the first series, back and forth," he said. "I saw us (Tuesday in practice) and I wasn't surprised when I saw us today."

Wisely, Babcock and his team headed back to Detroit after Wednesday's game, taking advantage of the extra day between games.

Needless to say, it worked.

More: 24/7 Wings coverage at Winging It In Motown

The Red Wings looked fresher and brought more zip to their game as a result Saturday afternoon, walloping the West's top seed 4-1 in Chicago, in a game that might not have been as close as the score indicates.

"When you do good things, good things happen over time," Babcock said afterward. "Obviously we were disappointed that we didn’t play the way we were capable of in Game 1 so we went through it and had a look at it and just felt that, if we do what we normally do we’ll be right here and it will be a tight series and we’ll have an opportunity."

One of the great things about playoff hockey is how quickly the opportunity comes to erase a poor performance, no matter the reasons for said poor performance. Short memories are a must, but most of the guys who are good enough to play at this level have already shown that trait at some point.

And while Detroit gives you the normal lines about sustaining this and playing well again in Game 3 Monday at The Joe, it's Chicago's turn to exhibit a short memory.

"I thought the first 10 minutes of the pace was probably as fast as at any point, but we didn’t sustain it," head coach Joel Quenneville said. "We didn’t do what we were hoping to do over the course of the last 50 minutes."

Top-line center and captain Jonathan Toews, who was not at his best in any way Saturday: "We knew that they were going to come back and play much better than they did in Game 1. Obviously we didn’t quite match the effort."

Toews went on to say that he felt his team did "a lot of good things," but I'd challenge him or Quenneville or anyone else to name those things. Besides netting the first goal of the game, little went right for the Blackhawks on this day.

The Red Wings deserved everything they got. They were physical. They were undeterred when some strong early play from Chicago goalie Corey Crawford kept them off the board. They outshot the home team 30-20 and easily had the better of the scoring chances. Instead of it being the Jimmy Howard Show, as it was for a good chunk of Chicago's Game 1 win, Howard was able to watch his teammates -- led by first-year captain Henrik Zetterberg -- dominate.

Of the Wings' captain, Howard says he "is just a very competitive player. This time of year, he seems to step up his game and it was no difference (Saturday)."

Zetterberg told reporters that the Wings wanted to prove they could play a better game. Now, it's time to play an even better one.

Chicago wasn't a tough team to play against for a good chunk of Saturday's game. Quenneville tweaked some lines, and it sounds like Viktor Stalberg will play in Game 3 on Monday night. You can expect a hungry visiting team on Monday, as this is the first real adversity the Blackhawks have faced in these playoffs.

(Yeah, they lost a game to Minnesota, but that series was never seriously in peril. Chicago can ill afford to play like that again in this series.)

Hockeytown should be ready. This final meeting of these legendary franchises as conference rivals took on a really interesting tone on Saturday, and now it's time for the heavy Stanley Cup favorites to respond.

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• Celebrating hockey’s ‘anti-heroes’

Blackhawks vs. Red Wings: Chicago dominates in Game 1

bciskie — Thu, 16 May 2013 10:36:17 -0000

After dispatching the Minnesota Wild with relative ease in the opening round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, Chicago Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville made it abundantly clear that more would be expected.

"I still think there's another level we gotta get to," Quenneville said after the series ended last week.

For the most part, the veteran bench boss got what he was looking for Wednesday at United Center. Chicago used a dominant final 20 minutes to blow by Detroit 4-1 in Game 1 of their conference semifinal series.

"Much better from our prior series," Quenneville noted. "I thought what we're talking about in our team game was in place. Had some pace, some speed, zone time, and I thought everyone contributed."

In the first period, Chicago looked like a team that hadn't played in almost a week. By the third, Detroit looked like a team that basically had four cross-country flights in about a week's time.

"I don't know if they had their legs in the first period," Red Wings coach Mike Babcock said. "I thought they skated way better than we did in the second and third. To be honest with you, we're looking forward to a day off. We did a lot of traveling in the first series, back and forth. I saw us yesterday (in practice) and I wasn't surprised when I saw us today."

This isn't an excuse, at least not the way Babcock offered it up. Face it: There's a few reasons the Red Wings are really looking forward to playing in the Eastern Conference starting next season, and "Not having to leave the time zone for playoff games" has to be high on the list.

Because there is an extra day between games -- they don't play until Saturday afternoon -- the Red Wings flew back to Detroit after the game, and will return to Chicago on Friday.

I thought Detroit showed it can compete over the long haul in this series. During the first period, the Wings were physical, won faceoffs, and seemed to have Chicago on its heels for a good portion of the 20 minutes.

Does that sound familiar, Blackhawks fans? It should, because Minnesota did similar things for short stretches of the first round.

And much like the first round series, the Red Wings couldn't sustain that level of intensity over 60 minutes. They also couldn't get pucks past Chicago goalie Corey Crawford, who continues to look very sharp. As long as Crawford is playing this well, it will be incredibly difficult to beat the Blackhawks, especially when four wins over six games is required like it now is for Detroit.

As well as Jimmy Howard played for Detroit, he deserved a better fate than his team losing by three goals.

"Howie was unbelievable for us again," captain Henrik Zetterberg said. "Really gave us a chance to win. We had a few chances but couldn't really find a way to score a goal."

Wild fans can sympathize. Josh Harding deserved a better fate, too.

Zetterberg also echoed his coach's thoughts on how the game turned in the last 40 minutes.

"I think in the first it was pretty even," he said, "but then I think in the second and third they looked like they had a little more energy than we did. It's going to be nice to have a day off (Thursday) and practice and then looking forward to Game 2."

This series can still turn, but it might take a Crawford meltdown. Travel or not, the Red Wings struggled to handle Chicago's depth. Dave Bolland made an obvious impact in his return to the lineup, Marcus Kruger scored a huge goal in the third period, and it was defenseman Johnny Oduya -- not well-known stars Duncan Keith or Brent Seabrook -- scoring the winning goal on a nice wrist shot in the third.

Marian Hossa had a power play goal for Chicago, but the top line was generally held off the scoresheet again. It wasn't for a lack of chances. Jonathan Toews and Hossa combined for a glorious scoring chance in the game's first minute, and Brandon Saad was able to get to the net a few times. Howard shut the door on them, plain and simple.

Can Babcock find a matchup to slow them down? Can he find a way to get his top players going? If he answers those questions, Detroit has more than a chip and a chair in this series. If he doesn't, it will end quickly, and Detroit can begin preparing for its run in the Eastern Conference.

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Stanley Cup playoffs: Future completely uncertain for knocked-out Wild

bciskie — Fri, 10 May 2013 11:45:40 -0000

Over a five-game Western Conference playoff series victory, the Chicago Blackhawks showed exactly why they have lost a grand total of seven games in regulation out of 53 this season.

Speed, skill, depth, grit, defense, goaltending, experience. Chicago has it all. And if you listen to the head coach, Chicago isn't "there," yet.

"I still think we have to be better. I’m not doing cartwheels the last two games," Joel Quenneville said after Thursday's 5-1 home win over the Minnesota Wild that gave Chicago a 4-1 series win. "I still think there’s another level we gotta get to, to be more consistent in our game."

I don't want to be the guy that forgets this, or tries to act like it isn't important. Anyone who thought the Blackhawks somehow got away with a fluke in the regular season should be convinced at this point that this team is completely legit. It will take an amazing effort for anyone in the NHL to beat this team four times in seven games.

However, the Wild made moves last summer aimed at making the franchise relevant. While it made the playoffs for the first time in five years, a late-season swoon cost Minnesota a shot at the Northwest Division title, and it almost cost Minnesota a playoff spot.

Speculation going into the team's season finale at Colorado was that coach Mike Yeo would be in trouble if the team didn't qualify for the tournament.

Is one win and two generally non-competitive performances over five playoff games enough to change that? Should it have been that way in the first place?

The head coach is just one spot where the Wild will have to make a tough decision heading into the summer. With the salary cap set to drop, it's expected that free agent Pierre-Marc Bouchard will not return to the club. Matt Cullen is a huge question mark, as is restricted free agent forward Cal Clutterbuck, who might see his rights traded despite his status as a bit of a cult hero in Minnesota.

Goalie Niklas Backstrom is a free agent, too, and could very well have played his last game for Minnesota.

Dany Heatley has a large cap number, declining production, and might have the last year of his contract bought out. Or maybe not. Heatley was a presence in the lineup and was a leading scorer for Minnesota before a shoulder injury cost him the season. He was greatly missed, especially on the power play, where the Wild went a staggering 0-for-17 in the series against Chicago.

Thursday's game featured a strong Minnesota start, but again, the Wild couldn't score.

"Great start, can’t seem to buy that first goal and they grab the lead," Yeo said. "We’re still pushing and second goal seemed to do us in, kind of similar to last game."

So what happens to Yeo?

Star Tribune ace Michael Russo mentioned after the game that he believes general manager Chuck Fletcher is safe. He also said that if there's a coaching change, it's a decision Fletcher makes and not one handed down from owner Craig Leipold. That's an interesting nugget, because Leipold admitted multiple times that he's not the most patient chap out there, and that was before he authorized $200 million in contracts for forward Zach Parise and defenseman Ryan Suter last summer.

If Fletcher fires a second coach in his four-year tenure as GM, it may end up saying more about him than it does Yeo. But that doesn't mean Yeo should skate here.

Yes, there were injuries, including what seems to be an obvious injury to top-line center and team captain Mikko Koivu. Heatley went down hours after the Wild traded for Buffalo captain Jason Pominville at the deadline. Matt Cullen was injured April 1 and never the same afterward, though the exact extent of his knee injury is unknown. Pominville missed three playoff games after taking a dirty elbow from Kings captain Dustin Brown April 23.

But there were other things that happened along the way. The Wild were set up with a must-win in Colorado April 27 after losing 6-1 at home to Edmonton the night before. The game started with a staged fight between Zenon Konopka of the Wild and the Oilers' Mike Brown. That fight was made possible by Yeo's decision to counter the Oilers' fourth line with his own fourth line, and not the top line, to start the game.

The goal-less power play was slow to adjust in the Chicago series, and ineffective when it did adjust. The top line of Koivu, Parise, and Charlie Coyle was completely shut down, largely because of Koivu's injury, but Yeo never really mixed up the personnel.

Is the late-season swoon and quick exit enough to drive Yeo out of town? One can hope not, because the list of potential candidates doesn't exactly inspire. Lindy Ruff missed the playoffs seven out of 11 years, and Dave Tippett -- whose deal with Phoenix is up this summer -- coaches a defensive style that might not mesh with the Wild's stable of young talent.

(Parise did have a 38-goal season under defensive-minded coach Jacques Lemaire in New Jersey, so maybe it isn't an awful fit in that regard.)

More than that, and not to sound like a Yeo excuse machine, the Wild made significant changes last summer, and Yeo didn't have a full training camp to get used to his team. And the players didn't have a training camp to get used to the coach.

I think Yeo should return, and it should be interesting to see how this team develops. There's plenty of room for improvement, and Fletcher has to find a No. 1 goalie. Promise exists, but much work is needed before that promise can be fulfilled.

As for the winners, the Blackhawks get a short respite, and then what should be a great series against the red-hot Sharks or heated rival Red Wings. 12 wins to go for Chicago on its mission, and it looks completely attainable.

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NHL playoffs: Jason Zucker's winner keeps Wild very much alive

bciskie — Mon, 06 May 2013 00:37:22 -0000

After a Game 2 loss in Chicago Friday night, Minnesota Wild coach Mike Yeo credited the Blackhawks, in a way.

"There was clearly another level to their game tonight," Yeo said after Chicago's 5-2 win, "and I’d say that there’s at least another level to ours that was unfortunately in the wrong direction."

Yeo's thoughts? Chicago got better, and his team got worse. The on-ice production Friday certainly looked to be a confirmation of Yeo's comments.

Heading into Sunday's highly-crucial Game 3 in St. Paul, Yeo told reporters in a pregame meeting he wanted his team to crank up the physicality.

"We have a lot of guys that they’re getting their first taste of playoff hockey and some guys that haven’t been a part of it for awhile. There’s no question that I really believe that to be successful, there has to be a level of hatred for the team that you’re playing against. It shouldn’t be hard for us. They’re trying to take away something from us."

Early on in Sunday's game, it didn't appear to be working that well. The Blackhawks owned the puck for the most part, and Johnny Oduya got the game's first goal off a feed from Jonathan Toews.

More: 24/7 Wild coverage at Hockey Wilderness

Something happened later in the first. It looked to be keyed by a great shift from the line of Kyle Brodziak, Cal Clutterbuck, and Pierre-Marc Bouchard. They buzzed the Chicago net, forechecked, and established some semblance of aggressiveness for the home team. Bouchard's goal late in the first leveled matters, and then everyone got going.

It was clear in the series opener that Chicago had issues handling the speed of Wild rookie Jason Zucker. He had a couple strong scoring chances, and hit a crossbar in overtime. And Zucker's speed and aggressiveness showed themselves again Sunday.

Another point that became clear Sunday was this: While Zach Parise and Ryan Suter make a ton of money, get more of the attention, and are considered the Wild's stars going forward, guys like Zucker and Charlie Coyle are a huge part of what this franchise is going to do in the next few years.

Zucker was a second round pick by the Wild in 2010. He played two years of college hockey at the University of Denver, then turned pro and had the proverbial cup of coffee with Minnesota late last season. Zucker was up and down this year, getting sent down after a hot start with the Wild after an injury and an uptick in Bouchard's play relegated him to fourth line duty. He was called up a second time, but sent back down in the final ten days of the regular season after his play slipped.

Called up for the Wild's must-win regular season finale against Colorado April 27, Zucker has made the most of it.

He was fantastic in Game 1 against Chicago, nearly scoring the overtime winner. He might have been better Sunday. Zucker provided the Wild with a great spark at the end of a strong second period effort with a punishing (clean) hit on Chicago defenseman Brent Seabrook.

Then after a superb effort from Matt Cullen, Zucker's short-side shot found a way past Corey Crawford to get the Wild on the board in the series.

"Cully made a falling pass to me, it just happened to land on my stick," Zucker said. "Just tried putting it on net."

Coyle was part of the Brent Burns trade with San Jose in 2011, announced while the Wild were hosting the NHL Draft that June. Playing at Boston University at the time, Coyle left school during the 2011-12 season and played for the Saint John Sea Dogs (QMJHL). After a short stop in Houston, Coyle got the call and quickly joined the Wild's top line with Parise and Mikko Koivu.

While Devin Setoguchi was said to be the key part of that deal, the Wild really liked Coyle and felt it was significant he be dealt in the Burns swap. He didn't start great on Sunday, appearing to have a bit of panic with the puck on his stick. But Coyle is strong as an ox on the wall, and his work on the boards led to Parise's goal, as Coyle won a battle and flipped a great backhand pass to Parise out front.

"I just kind of threw it, and luckily (Parise) made a nice play," Coyle said. Asked if he knew Parise was where he was, Coyle said "you know you can find him there (in front of the net)."

Some would argue Minnesota's playoff push has the franchise slightly ahead of schedule, even after owner Craig Leipold authorized nearly $200 million in contracts for Parise and Suter last summer. They provide the star power, but it's up to general manager Chuck Fletcher and his scouting staff to provide depth around them. Coyle and Zucker are young, but they are exactly what the Wild need to contend. They are high-end players who have a lot of improvement to come, but can still help the team win now.

Game 4 is Tuesday, and you'd be crazy to expect the Blackhawks to get outhit 34-13 again. The West's top seed will be better, and it's up to the Wild to be better, too. For that to happen, Yeo needs more out of everyone. That doesn't just include veterans like Koivu, Parise, Suter, Cullen, and Setoguchi. It also means Coyle and Zucker -- along with Calder Trophy candidate Jonas Brodin, Suter's defensive partner and a star in his own light -- have to keep doing what they've been doing.

The future is bright for the Wild, but they'd like to think they're not done in the present.

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Blackhawks vs. Wild: Josh Harding can't quite steal win for Minnesota

bciskie — Wed, 01 May 2013 00:42:38 -0000

Part of the fun of playoff hockey is its unpredictability.

After missing the playoffs four straight years and failing to win a round in a decade, the Minnesota Wild's return to the postseason probably couldn't have started worse than it did.

Trade deadline acquisition Jason Pominville, who practiced Monday after missing the last two games of the regular season with an injury that seems a lot like a concussion but isn't being disclosed as such, woke up "not feeling well" Tuesday. As a result, he didn't take to the ice for the morning skate, and he was ruled out of Game 1 in Chicago.

It got worse before the game started. During pregame warmups, starting goalie Niklas Backstrom appeared to tweak his groin lunging for a rebound.

"Pretty much getting ready to pull up the lineup and post the lineup and sure enough find out that he’s not suited to go," Wild head coach Mike Yeo said, "so that was a bit of a curve ball to say the least."

In Backstrom's place, the Wild started Josh Harding in goal. Harding played in five games all year as he struggled to work through medication being used to treat multiple sclerosis. In his last start, Harding allowed two goals on four shots before getting yanked ... against Chicago on Jan. 30. The Wild would rally to win that game in a shootout.

So things weren't looking all that good for the Wild, already a heavy underdog in the series.

Harding, however, wasn't about to let his team quietly disappear in the series opener. Neither were his teammates, who packed it in tightly around their emergency starter, blocking shot after shot throughout the game.

No, Harding didn't get a win. Bryan Bickell scored on a two-on-one rush in overtime to give Chicago a 2-1 win and a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven series.

While the Wild did what they could to protect Harding, who hadn't played in an NHL game since that Chicago start before relieving Backstrom in Friday's humiliating 6-1 home loss to Edmonton. Harding also made some outstanding saves and clearly belonged in the moment.

"I thought that we played a pretty good game, but obviously came up on the short end," Harding said after the game. "I thought we played good and if we just capitalize on a couple more chances I think that we’re going to be set. Tomorrow is a new day, I take the positives out of this game and forget about the negatives and go from there."

Forward Kyle Brodziak wasn't sure how many of the Wild players saw what happened to Backstrom during the warmup.

"You have to applaud Josh on the way he came in, and in a tough situation play the way he did," he said.

While the Wild blocked lots of shots, with Jared Spurgeon and Marco Scandella among the leaders in that regard, and while Ryan Suter set a franchise record by logging over 40 minutes of ice time, there just wasn't enough offensive push on this night.

The top line of Mikko Koivu, Zach Parise, and Charlie Coyle combined for only five shots on goal, and the trio wasn't the kind of threat that fans are used to seeing. Without them, it's going to be tough on the Wild to compete over the long haul in this series.

Most of the offensive threat came from rookie Jason Zucker, a Las Vegas native who was in the AHL not even a week ago after a string of ineffective play with the Wild. Zucker's speed was a factor every time he touched the puck. He also played a more structured and responsible game than he had been playing in his last NHL stint. Zucker drew a penalty in overtime (should have been a double minor, too, but that's water under the ol' bridge) and hit the crossbar on a shot that beat Chicago goalie Corey Crawford.

While Crawford was outstanding after Cal Clutterbuck scored a softie in the first, and his team won the game, the story of the night was Crawford's counterpart in net.

Harding had precisely 20 minutes of playoff playing time before Tuesday, but he made the most of his situation on Tuesday.

"Obviously we would’ve liked a better outcome, but we definitely put up a fight tonight and we’re going to come back, put the work boots on tomorrow and get better tomorrow."

The Wild's nominee for the Bill Masterton Trophy has overcome quite a bit just to get on the ice at all. For Harding to perform like that on a big stage -- on short notice, too -- is nothing short of a great story. It would probably be a surprise if Backstrom bounced back and was available to start Friday's Game 2, so Harding will probably get a chance to add another layer to his tale.

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Pressure mounts on struggling Minnesota Wild

bciskie — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 12:43:47 -0000

When the Minnesota Wild signed Zach Parise and Ryan Suter to identical 13-year contracts over the summer, it became clear that this was a franchise looking for a playoff run and the national relevance that comes along with it. Season ticket sales spiked, the Wild invigorated a sleeping but potentially vibrant fan base, and the on-ice product had the kind of expectations it hasn't had in years.

Once the lockout ended in January, it instantly became up to the players and coaches to fulfill those expectations. After a tough start to the season, the team seemed to be rounding into form just in time for the playoff run everyone had been seeking.

More: 24/7 Wild coverage at Hockey Wilderness

Then the calendar flipped from March to April. Along with that, the Wild bandwagon has come to a screeching halt.

A 4-1 loss to St. Louis opened the month. Consecutive losses in San Jose and Los Angeles followed. After beating the Blue Jackets in "Lumbus" on April 7, the Wild went winless over a three-game homestand that saw them get shut out twice.

Thursday's blowout loss in San Jose was followed by Sunday's 4-1 clunker at home against Calgary.

The numbers lately are staggering. The Wild have scored just four goals in their last five home games (0-4-1). A completely capped-out team has one line that appears capable of putting the biscuit in the basket. Outside of the top defensive pairing (Suter and Jonas Brodin, who should be a Calder candidate in this season where no rookie has put forth a dominant, eye-popping season), the blue line borders on a dumpster fire at times. Goalie Niklas Backstrom has been really good at times this season, but has also looked equally shaky at others. With no proven backup, the cage looks to be his until the end of the season.

(Josh Harding should be activated from injured reserve now that his conditioning stint in Houston is over, but he hasn't played in a long time, so it's not fair to expect him to step in and be anything more than a backup at this point.)

It's a free-fall, but the Wild still control their proverbial destiny when it comes to the playoffs.

This team has shown it's capable. It needs another line to step up to help the top line of Parise, Mikko Koivu, and Charlie Coyle. Those three can't carry them. Matt Cullen is not himself since getting hurt April 1, and the impact of his loss is obvious. Mikael Granlund has yet to show he's ready to be a top six NHL center, and until that happens, the Wild are not deep enough in the middle to contend through the spring.

Minnesota probably needs to win two out of three this week to get in, but the reality is that the Wild are still in a pretty good position, if all you do is look at the standings.

Not only that, but as so many teams in so many sports -- most recently, the Los Angeles Kings -- have proven, all you have to do is get in the playoffs, and anything can happen from there. Just make the tournament, as the kids say.

It was once a mortal lock that Minnesota would do just that. Despite the foibles as of late, it still looks good. And once it happens, anything can happen.

Of course, if it doesn't work out, all bets are off. Owner Craig Leipold wasn't known for being a terribly patient guy, and that was before he signed Parise and Suter. I think Mike Yeo has done a pretty good job in his two seasons, but I don't know that he can survive this team collapsing and missing the playoffs, given the way things were lined up after the Wild beat the Kings March 30.

I'm not a "Fire X" kind of guy, but a lot of people are, and just think about what their reaction will be if the Blue Jackets -- led by former Wild coach Todd Richards -- get in and the Wild don't.

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NHL trade deadline: Blue Jackets biggest winners, Steve Yzerman a loser

bciskie — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 11:49:09 -0000

The NHL Trade Deadline was making news for all the wrong reasons for most of Wednesday.

That's because nothing -- no, I mean literally nothing -- was happening. Then Rob Flick got traded, and he started trending on Twitter. That's how desperate everyone was to talk about actual trades.

Now that the wave of moves has come and gone, it's time to look at some of the winners and losers from the day. And, no, we're not talking about Darren Dreger or Nick Kypreos.

More: Every deadline day deal Deals help Rangers top pens

Winners

* Marian Gaborik: There is no secret here. Gaborik, playing for the New York Rangers, waived a no-move clause to go to Columbus. I wonder why that could be. Maybe it's related to John Tortorella, the Rangers coach who finds a way to rub more than a few people the wrong way. Torts says he'll "miss" Gaborik, but even if you believe him, the feeling probably isn't all that mutual. Gaborik will be cherished in Columbus, where the long-suffering fanbase is craving some star power. He'll build off a disappointing run in New York this year, and should at least flourish in the short term as the Blue Jackets chase a playoff spot for the second time in franchise history.

* Ryane Clowe: He picked his trade destination, possibly forcing San Jose to take an inferior deal from the Rangers. Then he scored two goals in his Rangers debut. In just a few hours, Clowe justified the draft picks the Rangers gave up to San Jose, and also showed his zero goals in 28 games was a bit of a fluke.

* Minnesota Wild: There are Sabres fans who wish their team didn't feel it necessary to trade the popular Jason Pominville. There are Wild fans irritated that general manager Chuck Fletcher coughed up two prospects and a first-round pick to make the deal. In the end, it's a huge psychological boost for a Wild team that just hasn't been known for making these types of moves. Pominville helps a struggling power play, wakes up a penalty kill that hasn't been good lately, and adds leadership to a team that has a lot of it (no such thing as too much).

* Buffalo Sabres: Yeah, they win here, too. There is no pressure to keep Ryan Miller, now that the Sabres have two hotshot young goalies to look at once Miller departs. Jhonas Enroth will have competition from Matt Hackett, one of the key pieces in the Pominville trade. Hackett goes to Rochester, but that's just for now. Johan Larsson, the forward Buffalo got, has the tools to be a top two-way, all-situations type of player. Sound familiar, Sabres fans? Since there was a need to move Pominville, the return here is pretty good for Darcy Regier.

* Ray Shero: He did all his work before the deadline day, acquiring Douglas Murray, Jarome Iginla, and Brendan Morrow last week. Then he got Jussi Jokinen from Carolina Wednesday to give the team more depth while Sidney Crosby is out. Shero had a masterful deadline week-plus.

* Ottawa Senators: For Ben Bishop, who hasn't shown himself to be anything better than a marginal NHL goaltender so far, the Senators picked up young forward Cory Conacher, who immediately becomes their leading scorer. Well done, Bryan Murray.

* Jarmo Kekäläinen: The first-year general manager of the Blue Jackets not only got Gaborik, but he also swung a deal with Philadelphia, swapping goalies (Steve Mason for Michael Leighton). Oh, and he got a third-round pick from the Flyers along with Leighton. If that isn't enough, Kekalainen made these moves without surrendering any of the three first-round picks Columbus has in June. Great work by the new guy.

* Boston Bruins: Wade Redden and Jaromir Jagr might not be spring chickens anymore, but both can help this team win in the spring. Jagr should inject some life into a power play that is struggling, while Redden helps solidify the blue line.

* David Poile: Yes, he ended up making Martin Erat's request for a trade public. But unlike Scott Howson last year, Poile did it only after actually fulfilling the request, and he did so with the full cooperation of the player. The return from Washington -- 2012 first-round pick Filip Forsberg -- is solid, but more than that, I like what this move says about Poile. The longtime GM does right by his players, and I think it will help the team's reputation that Erat's request was handled the way it was.

* Raffi Torres: By simply behaving himself for half a shortened season, Torres has rebuilt his reputation to a point where he was deemed worth trading for. San Jose did just that, dealing a draft pick to the ~~NHL~~ Coyotes.

Losers

* Roberto Luongo: You couldn't ask him to handle this any better, but Luongo is still a Canuck, and that means he won't be playing much down the stretch. Cory Schneider has clearly established himself as the top goalie in Vancouver. That's a hell of a price to pay for a backup goalie, so we add to the list of deadline losers here.

* Mike Gillis: Blame whoever you want for Luongo not getting traded, but the reality here is that Gillis negotiated that deal, and Gillis is the man who decided not to trade Luongo. Gillis deserves a share of this.

* Cory Schneider: Luongo might be his best friend on the planet. I don't know, and it doesn't matter. Reality is that Schneider knows he has a long-term, big money contract looking at him from the bench. And that's not the kind of distraction a team needs while pushing for a division title.

* Toronto Maple Leafs: Dave Nonis struck out on two chances to get a backup goalie. Certainly, it's hard to blame him for not wanting to take on Luongo's contract and the baggage -- much of which, by the way, isn't necessarily Luongo's fault -- that comes with it. Nonis also couldn't coax Miikka Kiprusoff out of Calgary. The veteran decided to not accept a trade to Toronto, and it sounds like he will retire after the season. Nonis settled for one deadline deal, getting depth defenseman Ryan O'Byrne from Colorado for a draft pick.

* Steve Yzerman: I understand he felt a need to upgrade his goaltending. But I'm not sure Bishop is an upgrade for the Lightning over what was already there. Not only that, but giving up Conacher is just a lot for a goalie who isn't guaranteed to be a full-time starter. Yzerman has made some good moves with Tampa, but this was not one of them.

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NHL trade deadline: With Jason Pominville deal, Wild aren't all in

bciskie — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 21:10:45 -0000

A sleepy, trade-free trade deadline day exploded with activity as the magic hour of 3 p.m. ET approached.

For the Minnesota Wild, word came down as their pregame skate began in San Jose, and changes came quickly. Rookies Johan Larsson and Matt Hackett were yanked off the ice, clearly signaling that either they were out too late the night before and just got caught, or they were about to be traded.

Not surprisingly, it was the latter.

(They're upstanding young men, so why would you think they were out too late Tuesday night?)

More: Wild fans react to trade Sabres fans, too

Larsson and Hackett are heading to Buffalo, part of possibly the most significant trade deadline deal the Wild have ever been a part of. Minnesota acquired Buffalo Sabres captain Jason Pominville before the deadline Wednesday.

The trade also includes the Wild sending their first-round pick this summer and 2014 pick to the Sabres. It's a steep price, but one the Wild clearly were willing to pay, as made clear by general manager Chuck Fletcher in his comments about Pominville.

"He’s scored 30 goals in the league, he’s had 70 points, he’s a team captain. He’s a hard-working, 200-foot player, and I think like some of our other top players, like Parise and Koivu and Backstrom and Suter and you can go right down the list, not only is he talented, he’s got a hard-working mentality and a high level of character.

"He plays the point on the power play, he kills penalties. He’s just a guy that brings a lot of dimensions and versatility and a player that could fit into a lot of different roles."

Ace reporter Michael Russo of the Minneapolis Star Tribune wrote the Wild were in on now-Rangers forward Ryane Clowe, but his no-trade clause allowed him to choose his destination. He wanted to play in the Eastern Conference over going to Minnesota.

Pominville, via a limited no-trade clause, was able to submit a list of eight teams he would not approve a trade to. Minnesota was not on the list. Now, he's set to join the Wild.

It's significant on multiple fronts.

For starters, this franchise has been around for over a decade. In that time, the Wild have sold a lot more than they've bought, and moreover, when the Wild do make a deadline addition, it's for Chris Simon.

This isn't Chris Simon.

In a short amount of time, Fletcher and assistant GM Brent Flahr have rebuilt a pool of prospects that was virtually non-existent for a while. They've drafted marvelously, and did a good enough job stocking picks for the 2013 draft that they felt they could afford to part with a first-rounder in this deal.

As Fletcher told Russo, "we aren't sellers anymore."

Despite this trade, Minnesota will still have at least one pick in every round from two to seven, and the Wild still have two picks in both the third and seventh rounds this summer. Plenty of time to find more young players to stock the system with.

Larsson is a good young player. He hasn't played in the NHL much, but did very well in Houston this season. He isn't Pominville by a long shot at this point, but there are facets of his game -- namely his two-way play -- that seem similar, at least.

Hackett appeared to be Minnesota's goalie of the future, but Fletcher still has Darcy Kuemper and Johan Gustafsson in the system, with the latter expected to come to North America next season. He is a nice candidate to take over for the clearly-departing Ryan Miller in Buffalo.

At first glance, giving up this much for one guy (Pominville) could be taken as a sign the Wild are all-in for a Stanley Cup run this year. Of course, nothing could be further from the truth.

For starters, Pominville has one more year left on his contract. Furthermore, we all know Zach Parise and Ryan Suter are signed long-term. So is captain Mikko Koivu. Jonas Brodin is a rookie defenseman who 1) is going to be a superstar, and 2) is under team control for a long time. We've already seen that youngsters like Charlie Coyle and Jason Zucker can play at this level. Soon enough, the same will be learned of guys like forward Brett Bulmer and blue-liners Matt Dumba and Marco Scandella, among others.

Undoubtedly, Fletcher believes this team can win. If he's right, no one will question this deal. Even if he's wrong, Pominville and his new teammates have more opportunity to make management look good.

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NHL trade deadline: Who's buying, who's selling in the West?

bciskie — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 00:17:19 -0000

With the NHL trade deadline rapidly approaching, and the Twitter drama significantly increasing, it's time to take a look at each team in the Western Conference, and make some sort of determination of their deadline status.

Anaheim Ducks

The Ducks sit firmly in the second spot in the West. Because long-term deals for forwards Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry kick in next year, Anaheim is looking at plenty of cap room to make deals if it chooses. I'd like to see Anaheim add a two-way forward or a strong defenseman, perhaps the kind of role player to aid one of the NHL's worst penalty kills. There's no guarantee the fit is out there, but special teams can bite even the best-looking teams come playoff time. Adding some help there can't possibly be a bad thing.

More: All the NHL trade rumors Every deadline day deal

Calgary Flames

There might not be a bigger seller in the NHL right now than Calgary. Certainly, there isn't a bigger one in the West. The Flames dealt captain Jarome Iginla to Pittsburgh last week. They traded defenseman Jay Bouwmeester to St. Louis Monday night. Who's next? Possibly goalie Miikka Kiprusoff, if the Flames can find a team willing to take on a big cap hit for a goalie with a save percentage of just .873. Anyone else Calgary might try to sell off -- even pending UFA defenseman Anton Babchuk, who has played two more games this season than I have -- has a no-trade or no-move clause. Brilliant work, GMs.

Chicago Blackhawks

Sitting in first in the West for most of the season, Chicago shook off a pretty average stretch with a 7-1 beatdown of the Red Wings Sunday afternoon. GM Stan Bowman might not make more moves after Monday's addition of Michal Handzus from San Jose, but he also gets to welcome forwards Marian Hossa and Patrick Sharp back to the lineup soon. That might feel like a deadline addition.

Colorado Avalanche

While Colorado is at the bottom of the West, it's hard to figure the young Avs will sell many parts. Veteran forward Chuck Kobasew could have some value to a playoff contender as a depth addition, and defenseman Greg Zanon is a shot-blocking machine who has another affordable year ($2.25 million) on his deal. The rest of the core is pretty young and inexpensive, and there's little reason to move anyone unless GM Greg Sherman opts for a shakeup.

Columbus Blue Jackets

This could be an interesting case. Coach Todd Richards has this team contending unexpectedly for a playoff spot. Sergei Bobrovsky has been a great find in goal, and the team is finding ways to win despite not really filling the net with goals. If management could find a way to bring in a scorer at the deadline without mortgaging something from the future, one has to think it would be at least discussed. Columbus really isn't scoring much, and it could be something that hampers the team's surprise playoff hopes.

Dallas Stars

Joe Nieuwendyk clearly made the decision Tuesday that his team are sellers. While the West race is tight, the Stars had (and still have) pieces of value. The big one was veteran forward Jaromir Jagr, who can clearly still play (14 goals), and is on a one-year deal. Jagr went to the Bruins, while forward Derek Roy went to the Vancouver Canucks. Are the Stars done?

Detroit Red Wings

As Sunday's blowout loss at home showed, these aren't the normal Red Wings. This group will have to scratch and claw to make the playoffs, and it would help if someone could step up and score some goals. Detroit is remarkably average offensively, something that will need to improve if Jimmy Howard doesn't. There aren't a lot of proven goal scorers out there, and will Ken Holland willingly give up a future piece for a rental?

Edmonton Oilers

As impressive as Edmonton's young players are, the Oilers could be headed toward another lottery pick. Veteran defenseman Ryan Whitney -- UFA this summer -- could be moved, but there isn't much else Steve Tambellini can do here. I don't see the Oilers making any big moves. Flip Whitney for a draft pick and keep trying to build with youth. The Oilers might be buyers, but it doesn't make sense to buy much.

Los Angeles Kings

The defending champions struggled a bit for a while, but have been playing quite well lately. GM Dean Lombardi knows what it takes to win, and while there's a chance the Kings will make a play for another forward, I tend to think their deal Monday for Buffalo defenseman Robyn Regehr -- potentially a great pickup to help in the playoffs -- could be it.

Minnesota Wild

The Wild loaded up in the summer, signing Zach Parise and Ryan Suter. They aren't going to add a lot of money in future years, because there will be a lot of big dollars given out to young players on their second contracts. Instead, it makes sense that any move Minnesota makes will be about the short term. Could pending UFA Pierre-Marc Bouchard be dealt?

Nashville Predators

Like many teams, the Predators are in a tough spot. Buyer or seller? If the Predators sell, who would they give up on? 2014 UFA David Legwand has a no-trade. If Nashville decides to buy, the need for some more skill up front is there, and I doubt David Poile would turn down another blue-liner if he can find one. It's just a matter of deciding what this team's place is, and that isn't an easy call.

Phoenix Coyotes

At 2-5-3 over the last ten games, the Coyotes could be a team that sells this week. Despite his reputation, Raffi Torres could be a guy with value on the market. He can score, and he obviously brings a lot of snarl, along with experience. Phoenix has a few veterans who -- according to CapGeek -- have modified no-trade clauses, so they could be difficult to move. But with so much uncertainty surrounding the franchise, it's hard to imagine an older player turning down a deal to a playoff contender.

San Jose Sharks

Between trades already made Douglas Murray going to Pittsburgh, Michal Handzus going to Chicago and Ryane Clowe headed to Broadway, the Sharks are definitely sellers, despite being in the conference's top eight. They are clearly trying to get younger in San Jose. More moves -- Dan Boyle? -- could come before the deadline, but it won't stop this team from trying to get to the playoffs, either.

St. Louis Blues

The Blues got Jordan Leopold from Buffalo over the weekend, then dealt for Bouwmeester Monday. They could stay aggressive. There is still the need for more scoring, and goalie Jaroslav Halak was injured Monday night. That could put the Blues in the market for another veteran goalie. There are a few out there as the deadline approaches.

Vancouver Canucks

Who should we discuss here? TSN's Bob McKenzie tweeted that Mason Raymond's name has been mentioned as a potential trade target. He's UFA this summer. Oh, and there's Roberto Luongo. Is this the week he is finally dealt to Toronto or somewhere else? Or will @strombone1 live on in Vancouver?

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Jarome Iginla trade puts pressure on Penguins' Eastern rivals

bciskie — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 11:41:29 -0000

When the Calgary Flames announced captain Jarome Iginla would be a healthy scratch for Wednesday's home game against the Avalanche, everyone knew a trade was coming, and it was probably coming soon.

(On a side note, how typical would it have been for Calgary to leave Iginla in the lineup, then watch in horror as he broke his hand in a fight or something?)

More: Pens fans react Bruins fans react Flames fans react

TSN's Aaron Ward reported Iginla was traded to the Bruins, telling his 96,000-plus Twitter followers the trade was a done deal. Problem: It wasn't.

Instead, Iginla is heading to a team many believe is the Bruins' main competition for the Prince of Wales Trophy That No One Will Want To Touch. He's going to Pittsburgh.

The Pittsburgh Penguins have acquired forward Jarome Iginla from the Calgary Flames in exchange for Ben Hanowski, Kenny Agostino and a 2013 first-round draft pick, it was announced today by executive vice president and general manager Ray Shero.

Iginla, 35, joins the Penguins after spending his entire 16-year career with the Flames. The long-time Calgary captain has appeared in 31 games this season, tallying nine goals, 13 assists and 22 points.

Big move, one described by many as an all-in move by Pittsburgh. Is it?

Iginla's deal is up after the season, making him a rental by the Penguins. He's a valuable player, however, one who was highly-regarded by the Bruins. There was a market for the player, and the Flames' return here is still not terribly impressive.

Hanowski is a senior at St. Cloud (Minn.) State. He's not a bad prospect at all, but he also doesn't necessarily have the look of an impact player at the next level. Hanowski has 16 goals in 34 games for the Huskies this season, as they prepare to play Notre Dame in the NCAA Tournament Saturday in Toledo. In 153 career games at SCSU, Hanowski has 61 goals and 111 points. He has the size, he's a high-character player (up for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award this season), and he can shoot.

Agostino is a junior at Yale. He leads the Bulldogs with 37 points (15 goals) in 33 games. Yale plays Minnesota Friday in the NCAA Tournament. Agostino has 40 goals and 96 points in 97 games at Yale. He probably rates as a slightly better pro prospect than Hanowski. Agostino is a very good skater and has good hockey sense. I like his goal-scoring ability. But, again, is he an impact prospect? Probably more than Hanowski is, but it's still not great return for everything Iginla gave the Flames over the years.

(To be fair, I'm not sure I'd call these guys "low-level" or "marginal" prospects, but they aren't impact players, either.)

The Penguins didn't have to give up an NHL player for Iginla, and while first-round picks carry value, it's going to be a pick in the high 20s, barring a playoff upset. Pittsburgh might look like it's all-in, but the pressure isn't on the Penguins now. It's on everyone else who wants to contend in the Eastern Conference.

The trade deadline is Wednesday. Who's going to step up and make a move to get better and try to match what the Penguins have done?

There were reports Boston is interested in Edmonton's Ryan Whitney, a native Bostonian and former Boston University star. Does the price go up a bit, with the Oilers knowing the Bruins now feel a crunch to make a move?

Will there be a surprise move at the deadline? We can only hope there is, because now that the top player "on the block" has been dealt a week early, there aren't a lot of juicy trade stories to grab onto.

Perhaps Pittsburgh stepping out and making this move -- at a relative bargain, it seems -- will inspire other teams to try to get better. There are teams that could fall back far enough in the next five days to become sellers, and teams around the playoff bubble that could afford to take on additional money for a short-term fix.

No matter what, trade deadline buyers have a lot of work to do to match what Pittsburgh has done to improve the team without completely giving up on the future. People will talk about all the pressure on the Penguins, but as long as Ray Shero doesn't go completely all-in by giving up on the future, the real pressure falls on someone else.

Jack Parker retires at Boston University, leaving gaping hole that NHL could fill

bciskie — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 23:39:53 -0000

There are multiple layers to the news that Jack Parker -- a winner of nearly 900 games at Boston University -- would retire at season's end.

For starters, college hockey is losing one of the true all-time greats. Parker's teams at BU over the last 40 years have been among the best in the sport. The Terriers won three NCAA titles under Parker, made 24 NCAA Tournaments (they are on the bubble right now, and need more wins to cement a 25th bid in Parker's last season), won 21 Beanpot titles, and won seven conference championships. Parker's record of 894-471-115 translates to a superb .643 winning percentage. He's third all-time in wins, but it's worth mentioning that the top two on the list -- Jerry York and Ron Mason -- both worked at more than one school. Parker's wins have all come for Boston University.

(This isn't to diminish anyone's accomplishments. It's just worth noting that Parker hasn't coached anywhere but at Boston University.)

All this said, Parker's legacy isn't a simple one. Recent problems with off-ice behavior have caused many to wonder exactly how well Parker did his job. Ryan Lambert of Puck Daddy did a fantastic job covering this after news broke of Parker's decision.

... incidents prompted Boston University to make a number of changes following a massive task force investigation that found a team-wide alcohol problem, "celebrity culture," and "sexual entitlement" to be at the center of the trouble. Among the recommendations that task force made was eliminating the position of "executive athletic director" Parker previously held so that he had to answer to a higher authority even as he stayed on as coach. The report also found more, unreported cases of sexual assault that took place ...

The run of bad behavior, and the uncovering of more bad behavior by players, doesn't help when it comes time to remember how great a coach Parker was. After all, there's no way of really knowing exactly what hockey players at BU got away with over the years. All we know is the school is now taking steps to curtail the problems.

Now, on to what will soon become a pressing matter for BU.

Who does the school tab to take over for such a legend, not just within the program but in the sport?

Well, Adrian Dater of The Denver Post went where we all knew someone would eventually go. Two members of the Avalanche coaching staff have BU ties, and all three have college hockey roots in that region of the country.

(Head coach Joe) Sacco and (assistant David) Quinn are Terriers alumni, after all, who both played under Parker — Sacco from 1987-90 and Quinn from 1984-87. They're both native New Englanders, Sacco from Massachusetts and Quinn from Rhode Island.

The BU job is one of the most prestigious in NCAA Division I, and it would only be human nature if either Sacco or Quinn had interest in that job. Come to think of it, the Avs' other assistant coach, Tim Army, probably would too, having been a former head coach at Providence College.

Of course, it's worth noting that none of the three could pursue the BU opening without permission from Colorado management. While Dater notes the organization has given assistants permission to look elsewhere in the past, it's hard to imagine that the coaches of a promising young team would automatically be granted the same permission.

Unquestionably, the Boston University job is going to be attractive, for both college and professional coaches. College jobs in general tend to carry more security than NHL gigs do. Even moderate success can be met with the kind of job security pro coaches can only dream of. While Barry Trotz continues to hold down the title of "NHL's longest-tenured coach," he has little on guys like Parker, York, and many others.

Sacco might not be the ultimate target, but the speculation is justified. Especially in a shortened season, the pressure to make the playoffs is magnificent. Who knows what will happen if Colorado doesn't make the top eight?

At BU, Parker's successor will have access to top recruits from all over North America, especially the Northeast. Parker built an impressive pipeline, and Job No. 1 for the Terriers' next coach will be to make sure that pipeline remains.

BU is a top program, even though it appears to have fallen behind York and Boston College in recent years. It will attract a top coach, and it will continue to attract top recruits.

And if your favorite NHL team has coaches with Boston University ties, be wary of what could come in the next few weeks as the schools sorts out a list of candidates.

Lindy Ruff part of a dying breed of NHL coaches

bciskie — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 21:49:13 -0000

Some NHL franchises are models of stability.

When that word comes to mind in this sport, two organizations should immediately pop into your head. In Nashville, general manager David Poile and coach Barry Trotz are all the Predators have known. They've endured more ownership changes (one) than coaching changes (zero).

The other organization you should think of? Buffalo.

(Yes, Detroit is another great example, but it's easy to forget the way the Red Wings have created organizational stability because of the insane success they've enjoyed on the ice. Makes me wonder -- fair or not -- if they would be just as stable if the team leaned more towards average more often.)

The stability in Buffalo has been remarkable. Ruff held the gig for 15 years and won 571 games before he was let go Wednesday and replaced by Rochester (AHL) coach Ron Rolston.

For 24/7 Sabres coverage, join the conversation at Die By The Blade

Ruff was the coach for over 5,600 days, in a climate where teams are usually not patient enough to let a coach get to 20 percent of that number. He survived year after year, despite only making playoff appearances in eight of 15 seasons, and facing more playoff disappointment than playoff success.

While things haven't been perfect, Ruff and general manager Darcy Regier have been pretty successful when it comes to building a team that can at least compete for a playoff spot every year. While this move by Regier means he will be under some pressure to engineer a turnaround from a 6-10-1 start to the season, it should by no means diminish what either man has accomplished with the Sabres.

Hired two weeks before Trotz, Ruff was the longest-tenured coach in the NHL, and second to only San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich among North American coaches. Other franchises -- even successful ones -- haven't been as lucky, no matter the sport. Guys like Mike Scioscia, Popovich, Trotz, Bill Belichick, and Marvin Lewis are the dying breed of sports coaching.

The era of the long-term coach has gone away.

Franchises like the Sabres just aren't very common.

Look at that list. Scioscia's Los Angeles Angels are a perennial contender, as are the Spurs. Belichick wins every year with the New England Patriots. Trotz and the Predators are an annual playoff team now, one that sells out a building that rarely sold out in the not-too-distant past.

Franchises like the Sabres just aren't very common. It took Trotz and Poile some time, but they've built a consistent playoff team in Nashville, one that continues to get better and has reached a point where it's a very good draw in a market a lot of people had questions about when it joined the NHL.

Calling it a "tough" decision, Regier said Tuesday's 2-1 home loss to Winnipeg was a "tipping point." Fans in Buffalo have obviously grown tired of the mediocre play, and even though Regier recently got a contract extension, he has to think he is on thin ice with the struggles the Sabres are having on the ice.

Ruff will probably coach again in the league. He's done too many good things in the league, and coaches with 571 career wins -- assuming they want to continue coaching -- are hard to turn away from.

Regier strongly denied the notion Ruff lost the team, noting that the former coach was given a chance to address the team before it departed for Thursday's game in Toronto. He said there were "handshakes and some hugs" after Ruff spoke to the players.

The Sabres' problems are pretty clear. Ryan Miller's save percentage is a respectable .915, but Buffalo has yielded 56 goals in 17 games, a minus-nine goal differential. Rolston's first task is going to be to tighten a defensive group that has yielded way too many shots -- second most per game in the NHL -- to be successful on a consistent basis.

Thomas Vanek is off to a great start with 12 goals and 25 points, but the Sabres' porous defense has them in danger of wasting that effort.

Rolston is an accomplished coach at various levels, having done well in his first season and a half at Rochester after a good run with USA Hockey, where he coached the National Team Development Program and also worked numerous international events.

This was a great run for Ruff, and he did well to win as much as he did in a small market. However, the team was clearly underachieving this season, and it's hard to argue against the decision to make a change, or the timing behind said change. There's still time to do something positive with the season, but the Sabres need to move quickly.

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