On the Buffalo Sabres …
Mike Harrington of the Buffalo News: Harrington thinks the Sabres should trade their first round pick for an NHL defenseman. The Sabres will draft at the No. 8 slot again this year.
The Sabres need to win next year and they need to improve their blueline for that to happen. Brendan Guhle and Viktor Antipin (assuming he’s signed) will help, but they need to package the No. 8 pick in a deal for a defenseman from a team like the Anaheim Ducks or Minnesota Wild. Both the Ducks and Wild could have some decisions to make about their blueline before the expansion draft in June.
On the New Jersey Devils …
Chris Ryan of NJ.com: Devils GM Ray Shero on winning the draft lottery and the first overall pick.
“It’s good fortune for the Devils, which was well needed,” Shero said. “And we’ll take advantage of it.”
It doesn’t mean they won’t trade the pick, but Shero notes on the rare opportunity they now have.
Chris Nichols of FanRag Sports: Pierre LeBrun was on TSN 690 and was talking about Washington Capitals and pending UFA defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk.
“No. 2, he’s a right-handed transitioning offensive defenseman. I mean, that’s like a unicorn. Those guys are just never available.
“So even though I think there’s a real risk of a team overpaying him July 1, at the end of the day the need for a power play right-handed quarterback is so huge for so many teams, I still think he gets paid.
“You just mentioned Ray Shero. I’d be shocked if the New Jersey Devils weren’t one of the teams that threw an offer at him.”
Talk turned to Ilya Kovalchuk. Shero was scheduled to talk to his agent sometime this week. LeBrun on why he may not be a fit with the Devils.
“I think a lot of people are asking, ‘Why now?’ Why now is because Kovalchuk just turned 34. This is his last chance to get a multi-year deal in the NHL. If you wait one more year, at 35, teams will be way less interested in giving him more than a year because then there’s all the salary cap implications for 35-and-over. So the timing is extremely important for Ilya Kovalchuk at this point.
“And who knows? Maybe once he sees what the actual interest is he decides to go back to the KHL. We don’t know that yet.”