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00:00Rolling along here on a busy Friday. Busy, I mean, guest list-wise. There's not, like, other than the World
00:07Cup, there's not a whole ton popping in the sports world on this summer Friday, but we are keeping things
00:14rolling along here into the 4 o'clock hour with our buddy Paul Hamilton on the West Her Hotline to
00:20pour over more off-season moves and moves not made in the NHL. Paul, good afternoon. How are you, buddy?
00:28I'm well. How are you today?
00:30I'm good. You are going to see some music tonight, is that right?
00:33Well, I had a choice between Little Big Town, which I've seen quite often, or the Femmes of Rock, who
00:39I've seen a couple of times, so I decided to go to Art Park with the Femmes of Rock.
00:44It's a very, very unique show, very enjoyable show. It's, I think, the third or fourth time I've seen them,
00:50and I've liked them every time.
00:52All right, excellent. I have a suggestion for you, and it involves a band.
00:56I think I, did I send you, I've mentioned this band Grosh to you before.
01:01Local act.
01:03I've started looking for their, so I'm going to get there at some point.
01:07I've started looking for when they are playing and if it matches my schedule.
01:11They are playing, they do this a time a year or so, I think.
01:16They're doing a Zeppelin tribute set tomorrow night at Sportsman's Park.
01:23Actually, it's like 5 o'clock, I think, 7 o'clock showtime.
01:26So, yeah, tomorrow night, which is adjacent to the Sportsman's Tavern on Amherst Street in Buffalo.
01:31And highly recommend to Paul or anyone else out there.
01:34I know you're going to a concert tonight, so maybe you don't want to do the same thing.
01:37But really cool scene there, 20 bucks, bring a lawn chair.
01:41There's, you know, drinks and food trucks and whatnot.
01:43And they will absolutely kill it.
01:48The guitar player, Grace, is one of the best guitar players in the city.
01:51The vocalist, Megan Brown, is tremendous.
01:54They're great.
01:55Highly recommend that show for anyone out there tomorrow at Sportsman's.
01:59My schedule opened up around 11 o'clock this morning.
02:02I was supposed to do something tomorrow.
02:04And unfortunately, it kind of changed where I wouldn't be able to do it.
02:09So, it is definitely a possibility now where it would not have been had my schedule not opened up.
02:14Let's put it on the list.
02:15All right.
02:16Enough of that, Paul.
02:17So, I put up a poll earlier today.
02:20These things we know are not scientific.
02:24I think you and I are in agreement here.
02:26The number one center spot on this team, the Sabres, I think as much as I want to get excited
02:33about Uri Koulik coming back,
02:34and I like Josh Norris, I still think, like, Dylan Larkin would be the prize if you could somehow make
02:41it happen.
02:41But I don't think either of us are optimistic that it will.
02:44So, I don't know what to do about it.
02:46But I think, objectively, if I were looking at the Sabre roster right now,
02:51I think that would still be the thing that I would be most focused on them lacking,
02:55is, like, someone that I can count on to be a point-a-game guy and play the games.
03:00Like, I think Norris could be close to that if he could play all the games.
03:04We'll see about Koulik coming back off a year off.
03:07But, man, I think that's still the biggest hole I see on the roster.
03:12Yeah, it is.
03:12And I see Larkin now has expanded to four teams.
03:17Dallas is on the list right now.
03:19Congrats.
03:20And I think if he wants to be traded, he probably is going to have to expand to more than
03:28four teams.
03:30So, you know, the Buffalo Sabres obviously are not on his list yet as far as a team that he'd
03:35be willing to go to.
03:37That doesn't mean they would not eventually be on that list.
03:43So, that's the guy right there that I would be looking at.
03:47Of course, I'd be interested in Robertson, but not at $15 million a year.
03:51I just don't think he's that guy.
03:55But I would definitely overpay for Dylan Larkin if that's what it were to take.
04:00That's the guy I would overpay for.
04:02But he has to loosen his – that's the thing.
04:06You want to be traded, but you basically are telling the Red Wings, yeah, but here, I'll tell you where
04:12you can trade me.
04:13And good luck with that.
04:14You want the team to untie your hands while you tie theirs with the same rope, basically, is what Dylan
04:19Larkin's trying to pull.
04:20And the other thing that's really interesting about his situation, Paul, like, a lot of these things that come to
04:27a head, it's, you know, a year or two off.
04:30Like, Wierenski hasn't been traded yet.
04:32We'll see if he ever does, like, during this cycle, I mean.
04:36But he's got two years left, but there's concern that he won't resign.
04:40Kachuk was the same way in Ottawa.
04:41Like, it wasn't at the deadline yet, but it was, yeah, I'm not going to engage in another contract with
04:48you guys, so you should just get the best deal you can now.
04:51And there's leverage in that.
04:53There's power in that.
04:54Larkin has five years left.
04:56Like, I think that makes it very tough for him to give them so little to work with because I
05:03think his leverage is really lacking.
05:06No, I agree.
05:07I mean, and, you know, the other teams have a salary cap they have to, you know, abide by also.
05:13Does the team that he wants to go to have cap space?
05:18Do they need a centerman, even though he's a very good centerman?
05:21Are they all set at center?
05:23Is he a guy maybe they really don't need?
05:26Maybe he thinks he needs to go there, but they may be looking at it going, well, you know, thanks.
05:32You're a great player, but we're all set as far as that goes.
05:36So, yeah, I mean, I just think it's not for sure, but I think it's a pretty good possibility.
05:43He's going to have to loosen things up a little bit if that's what he wants to be traded.
05:48Otherwise, he's going to wind up another year with the Detroit Red Wings, and how will that roll?
05:52Yeah, and I wonder how much that changes even in another year because he'll still have four years left next
05:57offseason.
05:58And, like, he just – I think it's a weird – he's gone about it in a strange way, I
06:03guess I would say.
06:03Yeah, and he doesn't have leverage.
06:05How are your teammates when you've basically said, I don't want to be here anymore, you know, but you're stuck
06:09here, and you're – they haven't traded you, and here you are on opening night, but you've said you don't
06:15want to be here.
06:16You know, how does that go over?
06:18Yeah, no, especially for the captain, right?
06:20I mean, just a tough scene.
06:21Paul Hamilton on the Western Hotline.
06:23So, I had this poll, like, the Sabres need – simple question, the Sabres need, right?
06:30Number one center, veteran replacement for Tuck, a goaltender upgrade, or, like, trust the kids.
06:37Those were the choices.
06:39And a couple of people replied to me, like, hey, you left off the most glaring one, which is another
06:44D.
06:46And I think you and I are in agreement here.
06:49I think they're done with their defense core right now, right?
06:52I mean, I think Zellweger and Crevier, I think, are nice ads.
06:57You and I have gone back and forth a couple times on who's going to play where, but either way,
07:02like, those two guys are in their top six, I think.
07:05And I like the Zellweger bet.
07:09And Kekeleinen even said they like the potential of him replacing some of what Byram gave them, if not all
07:16of what Byram gave them.
07:17So, I think the decor, I'm buying that.
07:22I think that's a good bet, Zellweger especially.
07:23And I'm intrigued by the Crevier kid, too.
07:26And if you have an injury, Metz is around still, and he showed us last year that he's just fine
07:30in the National Hockey League.
07:32So, Metz is around.
07:33Timmons is a penalty killer.
07:35I'm not extremely thrilled with him at 5-5-5.
07:38But, you know, see, you got the two of them, too.
07:41So, yeah, definitely, I agree with you that defense, I saw the early part of your poll.
07:48I don't know if it's changed.
07:48I know goaltending was the number one thing at the time.
07:52I think people are a little too crazed over how bad the goaltending is.
07:58I don't think it's my opinion.
08:00I don't think it's as bad as some people let on that it is.
08:06So, again, I'm not saying that, you know, Hellebuck can't return to form after one bad year.
08:15He might.
08:16We don't know.
08:17But he did have the one bad year.
08:19So, we don't know if that means he's on the way down or if it was just one year.
08:24And that's an $8.5 million bet that you're making that it was just one year if you do acquire
08:31him.
08:31Plus, whatever you have to trade to get him.
08:35Lucanen was better last year.
08:37It's as simple as that.
08:39Lucanen, I think too many people forget what he did for a long, long period of time from December,
08:45both Lucanen and Lyon, from December towards the end of the season.
08:52And even in the playoffs, I mean, they don't win the game in Montreal that they had to win without
08:57him.
08:58I mean, he was great in that game.
09:00And Game 7, I didn't mind him either in Game 7.
09:02I thought he was fine.
09:03I just don't think he's as bad as people make him out to be.
09:07And I think there are a lot more problems on this team than Ukopeka Lucanen.
09:11Yeah.
09:11Goalie upgrade is slightly edging out No. 1 center.
09:1433.5% to 32.7%.
09:16Vet replacement for Tuck is 23.3% and then Trust the Kids, not surprisingly, lagging in fourth place at
09:2410.4%.
09:25Yeah, you know, the goalie thing to me, Paul, has largely been, I think when we started pondering the offseason
09:34and what moves could get made and started sitting with the possibility that Hellebuck might be available,
09:40I was mostly a no.
09:42I don't want to spend the assets.
09:45I don't want to spend the money at 33 years of age.
09:49I'm just not sure.
09:50But we get through the draft and free agency and Robert Thomas isn't getting traded.
09:59Dylan Larkin isn't on our list.
10:00You know, we couldn't find a way to acquire Matthew Nyes to replace Tuck.
10:04I end up sort of settling on, well, I guess I could try to upgrade goaltending.
10:10And I'm not sure the Sabres view it that way, but that was the pecking order for me.
10:15And I feel like I'm sort of left with my last resort type thinking.
10:19All right, try the goalie thing because I want to do something, I think.
10:24And I don't know, that probably isn't good process.
10:26You're right.
10:27In my opinion, just the thing of let's do something.
10:32And then, you know, do something that.
10:34And, again, you are trading for a goaltender coming off a bad year.
10:40As simple as that.
10:41And, again, it might have just been one year, but do you want to take that chance?
10:45I mean, are you really improving your goaltending?
10:49Might be.
10:50Then again, you might not be.
10:51And then you gave up those assets and you're stuck with an $8.5 million goaltender,
10:56which I'm not crazy about either, to upgrade a thing that I don't think is as bad as people make
11:04it out to be.
11:05So, no, I am still in the camp of that's not the direction I would head in unless the Sabres
11:12could get them for a song
11:14and maybe Winnipeg could just keep some money or, I don't know.
11:18It just, I think it's an awfully big chance on a guy who also has not been a playoff performer
11:25recently.
11:26And, you know, what has he done for, I mean, Winnipeg were the president's trophy winners.
11:32Where did having the best goalie in the world get him?
11:38Yeah, well, agreed.
11:40And I also, I've said quite a few times this week that, yes, you know, in 13 playoff games we
11:46had a, you know,
11:48it was Lukanen, then Lyon, then Lukanen again, then Lyon again, then Lukanen again.
11:53It was, you know, it was a little scattershot.
11:56But in the regular season, the two of them plus really even Ellis, like, I think it was a strength
12:02of the team.
12:03Like, they rated very favorably in goals saved above expected, both guys.
12:07Lyon more so than Lukanen, but Lukanen was certainly very good in that regard, too.
12:12So, it's one of those recency things, right?
12:15Like, well, I've got to do it in the playoffs, and in the playoffs they were, you know,
12:19each guy got pulled multiple times, how much do I want to trust it?
12:23So, I think that really circles you back to the conversation, even having legs at all.
12:29Paul Hamilton on the West Tour Hotline with us.
12:31All right, I said we were going to spend some time on some of the other teams,
12:34and I'm sure you've prepared diligently for that.
12:38Let's just, quickly, Florida, I think Florida is going to be back.
12:43They made the huge move to get Brady Kachuk.
12:46They're betting on Jacob Markstrom, and that might be sketchy.
12:49Talk about goalies, right?
12:50I don't know how that'll work for them, but they're going that route instead of staying with Bobrovsky.
12:55I think that's a team that'll be right back at the top of the Atlantic again.
12:59Yeah, and Schmidt is also going to be in goal for them from Vegas, so those are their two goaltenders.
13:04Markstrom, two years ago, you would have said, oh, good job.
13:08You've got a good goaltender there.
13:09But he's had a couple of years now that have been subpar.
13:14We all know Brady Kachuk.
13:15The problem with Brady Kachuk is he sits in the penalty box too much.
13:19I mean, and I remember saying this with Brian.
13:23Anytime they played Ottawa, I go, this guy sits in the penalty box half the night,
13:27taking stupid penalties, and then against Buffalo, he would take the dumbest penalties,
13:32and you're just like, what are you doing?
13:33You can't take that penalty as the captain of this team.
13:37They need you on the ice.
13:39They do not need you in the penalty box.
13:42You know, does he learn that in Florida?
13:44I don't know, but, and then, you know, it's like, well, and then after that, let's goon it up.
13:49We've got to get Goudis and Hathaway.
13:51You know, let's get back to the 70s and the Broad Street bullies and everything.
13:55So, I don't know.
13:59Mark Strome is definitely a question mark.
14:01That's the biggest question mark, I think.
14:04Yeah, where does he take them?
14:06If he plays like he did a couple years ago, yeah, they're going to be in good shape again.
14:10Plus, you know, the guys that they've gotten back that didn't trade for,
14:14that didn't play hardly at all last year.
14:16You know, their captain is back, and he's huge to be in their lineup.
14:22I mean, absolutely huge, Barkoff.
14:25Yeah, and even was back enough to play.
14:27He played in the World Championships.
14:29Yeah.
14:29Helen Hughes was on a line with him somewhat frequently, I think.
14:33Of all those other guys I mentioned, Barkoff means more to them than any of the rest of them do.
14:37Yeah, I agree, too.
14:37You know, so, yeah, that's for Florida.
14:39I mean, and I got Tampa Bay right under them.
14:44You got three defensemen who were 35 years old and older, but you picked up Carlson.
14:48Right.
14:49What has he got left in the tank?
14:51We'll see.
14:52You know, so, and they really haven't done, they got Radish.
14:55But, again, that's an offensive type of defenseman.
14:58No, they moved him to Toronto.
14:59Or they moved him.
15:00I'm sorry.
15:01That's what I meant.
15:02Carlson for Radish.
15:03Right.
15:03Is, I just misspoke.
15:06So.
15:08That's a bet.
15:09I'm all right with that bet.
15:10Yeah, because Carlson's a better defenseman.
15:13All-around player, yes, I think.
15:15And Radish, I'm not down on Radish.
15:17I think Radish got paid about what he should get paid off of the year he had.
15:22And even if he regresses to, like, 15 goals and 50 points, I think 8.5 million, like,
15:26that's the going rate.
15:27I think Toronto did all right there.
15:28But Tampa, I like the bet for Carlson to at least bridge the gap for a bit here
15:34and see what's left there.
15:36But how much better did Tampa get by getting Radish?
15:39I don't know.
15:40To Toronto.
15:41I'm sorry, Toronto.
15:42Yeah, I got Tampa on the mind.
15:44They're both tees.
15:45I got, yeah.
15:45How much better did Toronto get by getting Radish?
15:48I mean, they also got Bobrowski.
15:50But we don't know what that's going to turn into.
15:52If it's what it was the past year or so, not going to turn into much.
15:56And then McKenna, you don't know what a first overall pick.
15:59Some of them start off and are really, really good.
16:02Some of them need a little bit of seasoning before they're really, really good.
16:05So, yeah, you got Bobrowski and you got Radish and you got McKenna.
16:10How much better does that actually make you?
16:13Yeah, they did remake their bottom six.
16:15I think they'll be faster and maybe defensively a little better.
16:18But, yeah, I'm not worried about them.
16:20Like, I started with Florida and you brought right into Tampa, which is fine,
16:25because those are teams that I think I expect to be battling at the top.
16:29Toronto, I think, is still behind the Sabres here and maybe behind everybody else, too.
16:35Like, I don't think they've improved enough to be a team that's even in the wild card mix.
16:40I mean, we'll see how it shakes out.
16:42I'm curious about Montreal.
16:44I feel like they maybe have been a little bit quieter, it feels like.
16:48Yeah, very quiet.
16:50That's okay.
16:50I mean, they've got a lot of really nice young players there who've already played.
16:55Like, you know, they decided to pay Demidoff.
16:57They've got a contract already for Hudson.
16:59They paid a goalie.
17:00They paid Dobis, although I still think the other guy is going to be better than him, Fowler, in the
17:05long run.
17:07So Montreal is mostly – they're more like the Sabres.
17:10They're sort of standing still here.
17:12But I still like a lot of what they've got there.
17:15Yeah, they took the Kevin Adams way of doing things.
17:18Sign your own, which is what they spent the offseason doing.
17:21And they signed them to reasonable contracts.
17:24You know, so really didn't do much else other than that.
17:28Gallagher wasn't playing anyway.
17:30So, you know, he's gone.
17:32I believe he went to Vancouver, if I'm going by memory here.
17:36And so, yeah, they basically went with the model of these are our players.
17:43These are the guys we like.
17:44These are the guys that got us where we're going to go.
17:47They're still young.
17:48Let's get these guys signed.
17:49Let's get these guys part of the group now.
17:53And that's been their offseason so far.
17:55Well, we know we already covered Kachuk leaving and going to Florida, and we talked about Florida.
18:01Ottawa, it feels to me like, is in a – I don't want to say tailspin, but, I mean, they
18:07were forced at gunpoint to trade their captain.
18:09Right.
18:09I just think that's going to be – that's going to be hard to recover from in one year, I
18:13think.
18:14I do like William Eklund.
18:15I think that's a good get for them.
18:17They still have Stutzel and Batherson.
18:20Giroux's back.
18:21Shane Pinto's a nice player.
18:23Dylan Cousins, whatever you want to say about him, he put some points up on the board last year.
18:28He had the year we were waiting for him to have again last year.
18:31He put some points up on the board last year.
18:33So they still have those guys.
18:34They got Sanderson at the blue line.
18:37I'm not crazy at all about Erson.
18:39I don't know why they thought that was a good idea.
18:43But I guess they thought it was a good idea.
18:46But I do like Eklund.
18:48I thought that was a good get for them.
18:50And the Bruins.
18:51I've been waiting to talk to you about the Bruins, Paul, because I heard you on draft night after the
18:56trade they made with Utah to pick up Paterka.
19:00And you were just, I mean, guns blazing on J.J. Paterka.
19:05Like, tell us how you really feel is how I felt sitting in my truck.
19:08It was one of those, I parked and I was just sitting because you were just going.
19:12And I'm like, I got to hear all of this.
19:14And, like, I get it.
19:16I mean, it obviously didn't work.
19:17I mean, holy cow.
19:18Utah traded Josh Doan and Kesselring for him.
19:20And then they just bailed out after one year.
19:22And then they signed him for what?
19:23Seven?
19:23Was it 7.7?
19:25Somewhere in there?
19:25Yeah, it's over seven.
19:27And it wasn't long.
19:27Maybe five years, I think.
19:29It's not a big, long deal.
19:30But still, they made a commitment and just pulled the chute.
19:33All that said, I love him.
19:36If Boston can stand his defensive shortcomings, which is a lot to say, I know, I think he'll score 35
19:43to 40 goals playing with Pasternak.
19:45I think that is going to be excellent for them.
19:49He better get to 40 with as bad as he is defensively.
19:53I mean, he can score 30, but I have no use for him as a 30-goal scorer if he
19:59doesn't improve as a two-way hockey player because he absolutely kills them.
20:04He killed Utah last year to the point where they took him out of their top six.
20:08It's like, surprise, do you guys have scouts?
20:12Do you actually scout a team before you stupidly trade Doan and Kesselring for some guy?
20:18I mean, what is wrong with you people?
20:20But, to their credit, they got out from under what might have been the worst trade in team history.
20:28Plus, one of the, well, I'm including Arizona, too.
20:33As well as maybe the worst contract you wrangled in team history.
20:39Somehow, you got out of it and got first-round picks out of it.
20:42So, I'm like, okay, good job.
20:45I'm impressed.
20:46I'm impressed that you admitted your mistake, how bad it was, and I'm very impressed how you got out of
20:52it.
20:53I want to get some action with somebody on him scoring 35 goals.
20:57I feel like that's my floor on Paterka.
21:00So, I like that for them.
21:01I was not really bullish on them having staying power, watching them play the Sabres.
21:08But, you know, Higgins might be someone to really elevate.
21:12And I'm, as I've already said, I'm pretty bullish on this Paterka idea.
21:17I think that's going to work out for them.
21:20So, I'm treating them like they've improved, I think.
21:24I think the Bruins, I like what the Bruins have done, even though you hate Paterka.
21:28I just don't think he's ever going to learn.
21:30Yeah, well, you know, that he goes to another team and he's still the same guy.
21:36Try this on.
21:37And the other team's like, yeah, we got to get him out of here.
21:40Yeah, right.
21:40No, I know.
21:41It looks bad.
21:42Try this on.
21:43I got a buddy of mine that I see at the bar I hang out at.
21:49He's Boston Chris.
21:50He's from Boston.
21:51He's a Bruins fan.
21:53And I saw him last weekend and I said, you know, man, I love this Paterka trade for you.
21:58He's like, German coach.
22:00He's betting on Marco Sturm, who's a legend in Germany.
22:05Like, that will bring Paterka.
22:07That'll be the come to Jesus on defense meeting for Paterka.
22:11And I don't know.
22:12We'll see if that works.
22:13But one other little piece to throw into the stew for you is maybe the coach.
22:19Maybe that'll get Paterka to, like, dig in and play some defense.
22:23Maybe.
22:25It is a point to make, you know, having a German coach who can show him to believe in him.
22:33Look at what Granato did for Darlene.
22:36Basically wouldn't say a bad thing about him.
22:39It didn't matter if he was any good.
22:41Granato, every single time he went to a podium, talked about how great Darlene was, whether he was or wasn't.
22:47And Darlene really, really appreciated it.
22:50And he really got him going.
22:54And I give Don Granato all the credit in the world for that.
22:58Do we need to talk about Detroit?
23:00Well, you kind of did already, right?
23:01We talked about Larkin.
23:02We don't know, like, what's really going to happen there.
23:04Kane's gone.
23:05And, oh, Will Borgan's on defense for Boston, too.
23:09So is Clifton.
23:10And they got a couple of three former Sabres, so that's basically their moves.
23:14I wasn't prepared to bring those up as ideas that are helping them, Paul.
23:19Will Borgan will help him.
23:21He's a pretty good defenseman.
23:22Okay.
23:22All right.
23:23Well, enjoy your concert.
23:25And maybe you can make it down to the Sporto tomorrow for Grosh.
23:28Yeah, no, I didn't know about that, so I'm glad you put it on my radar.
23:31Put it on the board.
23:32I won't be able to make it.
23:33I have plans.
23:34I'm spoken for tomorrow.
23:35But it is an outdoor deal.
23:36It's an outdoor show, yes.
23:38There's a park next door to the Sportsman's.
23:41So bring a chair.
23:42Bring a chair and some sunscreen.
23:45Yeah.
23:45Awesome.
23:46All right, Paul.
23:46Thanks a lot for this.
23:47Appreciate it.
23:47Have a great weekend.
23:49Take care.
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