On the Buffalo Sabres …
Brayton Wilson of WGR 550: It has been rumored for awhile that defenseman Viktor Antipin would be signing with the Buffalo Sabres, likely after the World Championship. League source today Howard Simon that Antipin will definitely be signing but no date on when the deal will be done. Former GM Tim Murray had wanted to bring Antipin over for awhile. Even though Murray is gone, it’s still expected that he’ll be signing with the Sabres.
“Until told otherwise, I would assume that (Antipin) is still coming (to the NHL),” Friedman said Friday morning on WGR.
Bill Hoppe of Buffalo Hockey Beat: Goaltender Robin Lehner was former GM Tim Murray’s guy, but Lehner’s status with a new GM may be different. The new GM could make Lehner available and bring in his own guy.
The Sabres also have Linus Ullmark, who might exposed for the expansion draft. The Sabres could protect Ullmark over Lehner.
2013 draft pick Cal Petersen could opt for free agency in August, but if Lehner is not with the team, Petersen might think he’ll have a quicker route to the NHL.
Anders Nilsson is a pending UFA and would be interested in returning.
On the New York Islanders and John Tavares …
Chris Nichols of FanRag Sports: Elliotte Friedman on NHL Network said he thinks the New York Islanders and John Tavares will meet soon to see where they each side sits. The Islanders are bringing Doug Weight back as their head coach and the organization is looking to make a proposal to build an arena at Belmont Park.
“I don’t profess to know what John Tavares is thinking. Everybody thought Steve Stamkos was going to leave Tampa Bay last year and he stayed. Now, this is a different situation. But I will tell you this: there are teams out there who think that if John Tavares wants to be traded, they would be potentially on a list where he would want to go. And I think what they are doing is they are waiting to see what his decision is. They are figuring out what they would need to do if they had to make a trade for him. And they’re going to sit patiently and not do anything else until they know what Tavares says about his future.
“I think we should know in the next couple of weeks – get an indication at least of what he’s thinking and the Islanders have to do.”