Same Day Analysis: Ryan Nugent-Hopkins stays in Edmonton, Don Granato sticks around in Buffalo
'The Nuge' could have gone elsewhere and made more money and the Sabres could have hired a bigger name, but both the Oilers and Sabres did the right thing
With Ryan Nugent-Hopkins committing to the Edmonton Oilers essentially for the rest of his career, the reality is he will probably be a better player for them making $5.1 million than he was making $6 million. Nugent-Hopkins wanted more money and the Oilers probably would have preferred to sign him to a shorter term. But when a really good player wants to remain part of what the team is building and there’s no way the team is going to get a comparable player for that price, they find a way to get things done.
And that was exactly the case with Nugent-Hopkins and the Oilers. He wanted to stay. They wanted him back. It would have been a failure of both sides if this deal hadn’t gotten done. Both sides were realistic and reasonable and came to an eight-year extension worth $41 million.
“To do a deal, I’m not getting my term and my cap number,” said Oilers GM Ken Holland. “I had to decide on one of the two things. Cap number was important to me, term was important to Ryan. And ultimately, I got a cap number that I was pleased with and they got a term they were pleased with.”
And now the Oilers can go about figuring out just how they can get better in a flat-cap world with one fewer worry. And Nugent-Hopkins can play secure in the knowledge that he’s taken care of himself and his family and will be playing in his preferred place. The Oilers have to get better and Nugent-Hopkins has to be a part of that effort. For at least five years of this deal, he’s going to have to continue to be the versatile, productive and low-maintenance player he has been for the Oilers the past couple of seasons. He can play on the left side of either Connor McDavid’s or Leon Draisaitl’s line, or he can drive a line by himself. What he cannot be is a shutdown center. The Oilers have tried that and it failed for both parties. So you have to now go out and find that guy, along with a few other pieces. Because if this team doesn’t somehow become a more difficult opponent, they will continue to waste away the talents of McDavid and Draisaitl in their primes.
“I look at the team now,” Holland said, “the time to try to win is now. These players are in the prime of their careers. We’re trying to get deeper. We’ve got to get a little bit deeper.”
GRANATO BRINGS SANITY, STABILITY TO BUFFALO
In his post-season news conference, Don Granato was pretty frank about his desire to have the interim tag moved by the Buffalo Sabres. “You saw some of my coaching,” Granato said at the time, “but you obviously haven’t seen it all.”
Well, after an almost 30-year career that has spanned every level of hockey, Granato will finally have a chance to display his coaching acumen as a head coach behind an NHL bench. He’s been a head coach or assistant at every level of hockey, so he’s clearly qualified for the post. You could argue that the Sabres could have gone out and hired a bigger name, someone with more presence than Granato. But with all the upheaval, all the drama and all the failure that has surrounded this franchise, good on the Sabres for making a hire that’s based on solid hockey background and relevant experience.
The Sabres occupy far too much of the hockey world’s bandwidth for the wrong reasons. They’re always in the news for the wrong reasons and they still have to deal with the Jack Eichel mess that it has created. And they’re a terrible team, worst in the league and on the outside of the playoffs looking in for a full 10 seasons. There is no quick fix in Buffalo, nothing that Mike Babcock or John Tortorella or Rick Tocchet could have come in and turned around quickly. What the Sabres have now is a teacher who has a long history of developing players and winning at every level. Now if ownership can stay out of its own way and allow the people there to do their jobs, maybe, just maybe the Sabres will have an opportunity to grow under Granato into a respectable contender. At a reasonable pace, but not a quick one.
Even though his record was just 9-16-3 under Granato, there was a marked difference in which the Sabres played. Ralph Krueger stubbornly tried to make this team play a pedantic, dump-and-chase style that never worked. Granato focused on puck possession and speed. And the improvement of some of their young players was remarkable. Casey Mittlestadt, a formerly highly touted prospect who looked lost and headed for oblivion under Krueger, played some of the best hockey of his career under Granato. So did Rasmus Dahlin.
It’s about time the Sabres started enjoying coming to the rink again. They deserve that. And they deserve the chance to play without putting up with a bunch of white noise they didn’t create. We can only hope this marks the beginning of that.
Why do this before the expansion draft? Why not have an agreement in place, let the Kraken pick their team (without protecting Nugent-Hopkins) and then on the 22nd or 23rd you announce this deal?