Tim Murray And The McEichel Tank

With these Buffalo Sabres, any game could go any way, and they’re really a wild card. Well, figuratively, not literally.

Jan 9, 2014; Buffalo, NY, USA; Buffalo Sabres general manager Tim Murray speaks to the media during the press conference announcing his hiring as the new Sabres general manager at First Niagara Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Hoffman-USA TODAY Sports

Obviously, Buffalo sits well outside the wild card race, trailing the New York Rangers by 11 points. Put it into games, that is a six-game difference. Six games that we have to win, while the Rangers and every other team has to lose or at least struggle in to be held out of the two spots.

Buffalo had a decent December, not a great one, but 6-6-1 is looking better. But is that the record of a team who is trying to earn a spot in the McEichel draft? In my eyes, they never were.

If the season ended right now, Buffalo would have finished in third place in the McEichel standings, with Edmonton owning the top spot, followed by Arizona. Granted, even the odds on that changes. As most of you are aware, Buffalo was the last place team last season, and they still managed to move back to the second selection.

Would they have selected Aaron Ekblad instead of Sam Reinhart if they were able to? In my eyes, probably not, but it still makes you wonder. Ekblad has become a staple in Florida, something maybe Buffalo would have like to possess. Granted, Florida is not much better, but they are currently in 19th place overall and knocking on the door to get into the playoffs.

Ok, the season started out very, very rough. But the Edmonton Oilers are giving Buffalo a run for their money. Lets break it down so far.

Buffalo didn’t earn their first victory until their fourth game; with Edmonton waiting until their fifth victory to win.
Buffalo has been winning as of late, going 5-4-1 in their last 10 games; Edmonton has been 1-7-2 over the past 10 games.
Every player except one that has suited up has notched a point this season; Edmonton has six players that haven’t been able to get onto the score sheet
Buffalo has played fairly well on home ice (10-8-2), while being away is the big issue (4-12-1); Edmonton cannot remain consistent either at home (5-12-2) or on the road (2-10-5)
Buffalo has had three head coaching changes in the past 10 years (Ruff made it partway into the lockout-shortened season, Ron Rolston lasted from February 2013 to November 2013 and Ted Nolan came back after an ugly exit in 1997 to help a struggling team); Edmonton has had six.

I’m in no way a hockey expert, let me be clear about that. But in my eyes, Buffalo does not need a first or second pick to make a good club.

Since 2004, Edmonton has held a pick inside the top 10 a total of seven times, six of which have been from 2009 to this past years draft. Out of those seven, Edmonton held three straight first round picks from 2010-2012. In that time frame, they have taken standout players in Taylor Hall, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Nail Yakupov. But still, Edmonton hasn’t found success since then.

Consider the fact that Edmonton is in full fire sale mode and yesterday they signed Derek Roy, Edmonton could be in the business of working a deal to send some players our way if Tim Murray can get the right price.

In a team of young standouts, Edmonton lacked a core of veteran players that were able to install a veteran mindset. It’s almost as if Edmonton tried to assemble a 1980 Miracle on Ice team, but they were short on a few things. Obviously, being skilled is being able to play through adversity and playing to the best of their ability. Something that RNH and Hall have been able to manage, with Yakupov coming in here and there.

Another thing that the 1980 MOI team had was a one Herb Brooks. The late coach knew talent when he saw it, he knew how to formulate a hybrid-system that utilized a young group and his crazy plan worked. The Oilers don’t have that luxury. Since 2004, Edmonton has changed their bench boss a total of six times, with two of those in Tom Renney and Dallas Eakins making it to their second season. Eakins was the most recent to have lost his job, being fired just last week.

Buffalo has the Herb Brooksian thought process in Ted Nolan. No, I’m not comparing the two and saying Nolan is on the same level as Brooks, but if there was one coach who could take a team of youngsters, throw in a few vets and use that formula for success, that’s him.

This just adds to the thought. No team needs Connor McDavid or Jack Eichel. Yes, at some point a team needs to swing down to the top spot and pick up a youngster who can add a caliber of depth. But right now, the Oilers assembled a great junior team, but without someone who has been around the block, this team cannot prosper in the right circumstances.

Do I believe that Buffalo is in the tanking business? No.

Some fans would like to believe that a team is losing on purpose to better their franchise, but to me, that is just obsurd. Good teams are built through many different phases. Tim Murray grew under his uncle, whom I believe is a great GM. Buffalo has an opportunity to build a great franchise, and Murray can be aggressive to achieve that. We saw glimpses of it at the trade deadline and draft/free agency. In my eyes, Murray had a goal and almost achieved a total package. Do I believe he could have gone out and gotten a few others rather than a few, yes, but that’s the reason I am writing here and not running the team. AS the joker once said, “it’s all part of the plan.”

Right now, the Sabres stand at making a stand in the free agent market and the trade deadline, they should turn their focus to building some veteran presence, rather than focus on the generational players in this draft.

Good teams are built through:

Scouting
Draft/Prospects
In-season deals
Free Agency/Contract

In that order. But Buffalo, however, should focus minimally on scouting these big names. Thats why I feel that this is a more appropriate order at this point in the season.

Draft/Prospects
In-season deals
Free Agency
Scouting

By just paying attention to the players we are most likely to have fall to us, Tim Murray has the chance to dual-build from both veterans, the prospect pool and through the draft. There are 28 other names that can become a franchise player. It’s not a two person draft. If you took away both Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel, there would be a focus on someone else. There is always a focus on someone.

Buffalo has a prospect pool as deep as an Olympic sized pool, we have Sam Reinhart, who will one day lead the Sabres into the promise land. Our forwards are consistently making news over their game, and that is something to be happy about.

Buffalo has been reaping the benefits of a young defense being dominated by well built offenses. Mix it in with aggressive players like Josh Gorges and Tyler Myers with sprinkles of Mike Weber here and there. Nikita Zadorov, despite being a scratch while Reinhart got his stay, has been a defenseman that any team would love to have. To go from scratched on a daily basis to leading the team in ice time while others recover, that’s what we need instead of focusing on losing games to try and pick up one player. Add Rasmus Ristolainen to the mix and you have a defense that is a few key additions away from a winning formula.

Let’s look. Sidney Crosby has won only one championship. John Tavares hasn’t won a cup yet. Patrick Kane is the only first overall pick to have won more than one championship.

The draft doesn’t win championships, but it certainly helps. Let’s avoid looking at two top players and focus on the other 28.

Buffalo gets no help from the New York Islanders, who have been playing very good hockey this season, Buffalo gets their first round pick in the place that they finish. Buffalo also receives a first round pick from St. Louis thanks to the Steve Ott and Ryan Miller deal. That just leaves the pick they will get depending on the position they place.

The list of free agents is a good focal point for the team, along with the three picks and list of prospects, Buffalo could still finish very low, and trade into the top pick if that is the route they want to go.

Right now, the main focus should be to recover from injuries, focus on the trade deadline and try and get the right setup going into the draft.

Don’t believe in the tank, but believe that it’s not always the best route to go.

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