Sabres Preview: Travis Turnbull Autograph Card

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This will likely be the preface to all of this year's Season Preview posts: I liked doing last year's format, so I'll be doing it the same way this seaosn, partly because of that but also because as a father of a toddler and a baby, I just do not have enough time to write two separate posts per day on each blog. I'll copy these on each one instead. Like last year, the entire scope of the analysis will take place here and the player will have some sort of direct connection to what's written.

Caveats: at this point, despite training camp being set to start in less than two weeks, several players haven't found a team yet, most RFAs haven't signed with their respective teams yet, and a few teams are currently above the salary cap, which means there is much maneuvering left to do.

Key exits: Sam Reinhart (C), Linus Ullmark (G), Rasmus Ristolainen (D), Jake McCabe (D), Will Borgen (D), Matt Irwin (D), Tobias Reider (RW), Riley Sheahan (C), Taylor Hall (F, at last year's deadline)

Key Arrivals: Aaron Dell (G), Craig Anderson (G), Devon Levi (G), Robert Hagg (D), Mark Pysyk (D), John Hayden (C), Vinnie Hinostroza (RW), Will Butcher (D)

Top prospects: Owen Power (D), Jack Quinn (RW), Arttu Ruotsalainen (C), John-Jason Peterka (LW), Isak Rosen (F), Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (G)

The Buffalo Sabres are a complete trainwreck, and have been for the better part of the last two decades. They have not made the playoffs since the 2010-11 season and haven't won a round since 2005-06. Even before then, they were acting as if they were in the middle of a pandemic, making drastic cuts to their drafting budget, letting go three-quarters of their staff and having the ones that remain work mostly from video footage instead of actually traveling to see the young players perform live. They failed to extend captain (Daniel Brière) after captain (Chris Drury) after captain (Jason Pominville) after captain (Thomas Vanek), they wasted elite goaltending (Dominik Hasek, Ryan Miller), and even getting rid of a locker room cancer with a habit of drunkenly crashing his cars into coffee shops such as Ryan O'Reilly did nothing for them but allowed ROR to win a Stanley Cup with the St. Louis Blues.

They are on their fourth GM (Kevyn Adams, following in the footsteps of Jason Botterill, Tim Murray and Darcy Regier), who themselves have overseen head coaches Lindy Ruff, Ron Rolston, Ted Nolan, Dan Bylsma, Phil Housley, Ralph Krueger, and now Don Granato; job security or stability do not have a home here.

What makes their odds look good:
Only a die-hard fan or gambler in need of a long-shot win would put their money on Buffalo. They'll perhaps be better than last year in team play, but the talent level just isn't there apart from a few pieces - and Granato as a coach is not Barry Trotz, so this isn't the next New York Islanders, either.

Question marks: When does disgruntled captain Jack Eichel get traded, and what will the return be? Is Aaron Dell really going to be their starting goalie, or will Devan Dubnyk agree to sign with the one team left that still has an opening for top spot in net?

Outlook:
There are building blocks here: Casey Mittelstadt is looking like a centre who can play on one of the top two lines, Victor Olofsson can score on the powerplay and would ideally be slotted in the middle-six on a good team but will see top-line ice time here, and Dylan Cozens shows promise up front as well, with Jack Quinn and J.J. Peterka possibly coming in in a few years, but re-signing Jeff Skinner was always going to be dead money, and Anders Bjork, Tage Thompson and Cody Eakin only seem to be placeholders at this point, either to play out their contracts while the team tanks or (particularly in Eakin's case) until a trade deadline deal to a contender makes enough sense. There are more defensive sure bets per capita, with Rasmus Dahlin seeming like he's regained form under Granato, Owen Power graduating from College eventually and Robert Hagg as a rescue project from the Philadelphia Flyers. I can't say I'm as optimistic about former New Jersey Devils prospect Will Butcher, though. But you don't lose your two best centres, you legitimate #1 goalie and your two most consistent defensemen without replacing any of them and purport to leave the bottom of the standings.

Prediction:
8th in the Atlantic Division.

Which brings me to Travis Turnbull, whose father Perry was a useful NHL journeyman who finished his career playing in Italy and Germany. Undrafted, the Sabres signed Travis as a free agent following a four-year career with the Michigan Wolverines in the NCAA; after four seasons in the Sabres' system, consistently improving from one season to the next, he was allowed to suit up in three games with the parent club in 2012-13, scoring a goal. Unfortunately, the 2012-13 lockout happened, and he set his sights for Germany, putting up 46 points and 88 penalty minutes for Düsseldorfer EG, so he may have preferred being a star player overseas than a grinder in North America. His point production regressed starting in 2016-17, but what he brought to the game was still appreciated nonetheless. He was captain of the Schwenninger Wild Wings last season (11 points in 32 games), and I suspect he will be this year as well. This is leadership the Sabres could have brought back at just about any moment in the last decade, but instead chose ROR to lead the room, then handed the reigns to his heir apparent without ever earning it or showing him what he should keep from O'Reilly's teachings and what to throw away. Since Ruff's firing, the Sabres have seemigly always hired the wrong leader at every crucial position, strating with management down to the coaching staff all the way down to the players on the ice. They will need to admit it to their fans before embarking on another rebuilding phase.

Here is Turnbull wearing the team's retro white (away) uniform, on card #SI-TR from Panini's 2013-14 Select collection and Select Signatures sub-set:

It features a blue-sharpied on-sticker autograph.

Cameron Gaunce Autograph Card

Cameron Gaunce knew he was a depth piece on defense when the Tampa Bay Lightning re-signed him to a one-year, two-way deal at league minimum ($700K), and they knew what they were getting: a 29-year-old veteran who had very little to prove as a role/defensive player but was starting to find his offensive game in the professional ranks as well, having come off a 46-point, 65-penalty minute season in 59 games with their AHL affiliate Syracuse Crunch; he'd also chipped in with a +3 rating and 7 penalty minutes at the NHL level.

This season, he's been called upon to provide more than hits and has delivered, posting 4 points in 3 games wit the Bolts so far (+2, 4 penalty minutes) to go with a 30-point output (36 PIMs, +10) in 49 games wit the Crunch.

We are starting to see the two-time OHL All-Star emerge, after he'd been drafted 50th overall by the Colorado Avalanche in 2008. He'd also spent time with the Dallas Stars, Florida Panthers, Pittsburgh Penguins and Columbus Blue Jackets organizations, for a total of 37 NHL games so far with the Avs (11), Stars (9), Pens (12) and Bolts (5).

He seems to have a knack for signing with one team and one of their main rivals (Dallas/Colorado; Pittsburgh/Columbus; Florida/Tampa); he's going to have to find two more teams next or try the Minnesota Wild (Colorado and Dallas rivals), Philadelphia Flyers (Pittsburgh) or Montréal Canadiens (the Florida teams) to keep with the theme.

One thing's for sure, though: he's playing on a legitimate Stanley Cup contender and earning his playing time, so his next deal might be of the $1M cap hit variety.

Here he is wearing the Avalanche's RBK Edge piping-heavy burgundy (home) jersey on a card that mentions he's now with the Stars, #SI-CG from Panini's 2013-14 Select set and Select Signatures sub-set:

It's a silver foil card and the sides are green - even if the scan shows it all black. Over his head reads "DALLAS STARS" in yellow and top-right, over his left shoulder, a note says he was traded to the Stars on "4/2/13". The card features a blue-sharpied on-sticker autograph that just has his initials, a typical pet peeve among autograph collectors.

His brother Brendan also plays professionally, in the Boston Bruins organization.

Jamie Tardif Autograph And Swatch Card

Despite being just 34 years old, Jamie Tardif is already nearly two years removed from his last professional hockey game, which isn't to say he didn't get opportunities or that he wasn't successful: the rugged right winger played himself into a point-per-game role in five seasons with the OHL's Peterborough Petes circa 2001-06, becoming a Calgary Flames draft pick - fourth round, 112th overall in 2003 - and signing with three NHL teams (Detroit Red Wings, Boston Bruins and Buffalo Sabres) while never getting traded in the following seven years.

Sure, he mostly played AHL for nost of that time, save for a couple of games with the Bruins, but he made his mark with six 30-point seasons (with a high of 54 in 77 games with the Grand Rapids Griffins in 2010-11), all while usually attaining the 80-PIM mark.

He them moved to Germany, spending three seasons with the Mannheim Eagles from 2014-15 until 2016-17, then accepting a player/assistant-coach position with the ECHL's Quad City Mallards in 2017-18.

He's made the definitive move to coaching since, having been an assistant-coach with the OHL's Sault-Ste-Marie Greyhounds since the summer of 2018.

Here he is wearing the Bruins' white (away) uniform on the "all-dressed" insert version of card #201 from Panini's 2013-14 Select set:

It features a black "event-worn" jersey swatch and on-sticker blue-sharpied autograph. At the time of his call-up in the 2012-13 season, he was second in the AHL with 20 goals. He finished the season with a round 30, for 45 points, in 62 games.

Ben Holmstrom Autograph Card

Ben Holmstrom was one of those undrafted College kids that sign with a professional team when they reach maturity, which is usually seen as less of a risk to the pro team, seeing as the player is already an adult, has been training at school and had more practices than games to learn to play a two-way game. Another risk associated with drafting American College kids is they can refuse to sign with the team that drafted them for four straight years and become free agents, resulting in a wasted pick.

A three-year captain - out of a four-year tenure - of the UMass Lowell River Hawks, Holmstrom signed with the Philadelphia Flyers, appearing in 7 games over five seasons, captaining their AHL affiliate Adirondack Phantoms for the last three.

He then moved onto the Charlotte Checkers for one season, and then the New York Islanders organization, where he captained their AHL affiliate, the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, for four years.

After an injury-plagued season, he signed with the ECHL's Norfolk Admirals last summer, the only team in the league to not have an NHL affiliation; his 4 goals, 5 assists and 9 points in 21 games are rather unimpressive, which leaves me thinking the team signed him to please their leading scorer Josh Holmstrom (18 points in 30 games), his brother.

That being said, Ben is the only one with NHL experience. Here he is as a member of the Flyers on card #SI-HM from Panini's 2013-14 Select set and Signatures sub-set:

The card features a blue-sharpied on-sticker autograph. He looks good in Flyer orange.

This year marks the fourth team with which the Homstrom brothers are teammates; they also played together at UMass-Lowell, in Bridgeport and for the USHL's Sioux Falls Stampede before going to  College.

Eric Hartzell Autograph Card

Most Hobey Baker Award winners don't have a huge NHL career, and the finalists are oftentimes career minor-leaguers. Such is the case with Eric Hartzell, who starred and had tremendous numbers for the Quinnipiac University Bobcats, leading the Pittsburgh Penguins to sign him to a one-year entry-level contract.

He only appeared as a backup once with the main team but had an excellent season with the AHL's Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in 2013-14, sharing the "Hap" Holmes Award as the league's best goalie, but it was mostly an ECHL and European thing after that magical season.

His final stint in the ECHL, with the Quad City Mallards, ended when the team folded at the end of the 2017-18 season. He never found work between the pipes after that, retiring at age 28, but I hear he may be a teacher at a hockey school in the summer.

And that's the difference between an undrafted player and one where the team feels forced to keep giving some guys chances despite pedestrian numbers on the long term - think Scott Darling, James Reimer and Carey Price - often rewarded with untradeable contracts to boot.

Here he is stopping pucks during warm-ups on the signed version of card #260 from Panini's 2013-14 Select set and Dual Rookie Class sub-set:

It features a blue-sharpied, on-sticker autograph and shows him wearing the Pens' then-white (away) uniform. I'd like to get some ECHL and European cards of him signed one day.

Anthony Peluso Autograph Card

Anthony Peluso was a sixth-round pick of the St. Louis Blues (160th overall) in 2007. At the time, the Blues were an overachieving regular-season team that consistently failed in the playoffs when play gets tighter and more rugged, so it was thought the 6'3", 225-pound tough guy North York, Ontario would help the Blues' more talented players feel more "protected" if he were in the lineup.

However, in three full seasons with the St. Louis organization, he never suited up once for the team, instead spending the bulk of his time with the AHL's Peoria Rivermen. He was then signed by the Winnipeg Jets, with whom he was a regular on-ice contributor, mostly via fisticuffs, as his 4 goals, 10 assists and 14 points in 142 games in the 'Peg pale in comparison to his 209 penalty minutes. His presence helped alleviate, to some extent, the emotional and physical workload of players like Dustin Byfuglien, Mark Stuart and Chris Thorburn.

Prior to last season, he signed a one-year, two-way deal with the Washington Capitals, although he only played in four NHL games (and 38 more for the AHL's Hershey Bears).

While he did not participate in the Caps' Stanley Cup victory, he may have a chance to do so this year with the Calgary Flames, who signed him to a similar deal last summer., because sometimes lightning does strike twice.

Here he is sporting the Jets' white (away) uniform, on the signed insert version of card #254 from Panini's 2013-14 Select set(and Dual Rookie Class sub-set):

The mostly-silver foil (but also with some gold) card features a blue-sharpied on-sticker autograph.

He will be entered as #14 in my Jets Numbers Project.

Mark Barberio Autograph Card

Slowly but surely, Mark Barberio is making a name for himself patrolling his hometown Montréal Canadiens' blue line, on the third pair with Alexei Emelin. His strong, safe play (not unlike Greg Pateryn's) has relegated both Pateryn and Jarred Tinordi to watching games from the press box, a fate that might also also be reserved to Tom Gilbert when he comes back from his injury.

It's weird to think that in Juniors, he was mostly an offensive-minded defenseman and how well-rounded his game has become. Kind of like his favourite player growing up, when you think of it... yes, like myself, Barberio was a huge Andrei Markov fan.

He's sure looking like yet another Marc Bergevin steal, what with coming over as a free agent over the summer after being let go by the Tampa Bay Lightning.

I'll be writing more about him in the coming months, for sure, so I'll leave it at that for now and just showcase him wearing the Bolts' blue (home) uniform, with a nice view of their the 20th Anniversary chest patch:

It's card #345 from Panini's 2013-14 Select collection (numbered 187/299), a beautiful if very thick card that's all-foil on the front - half silver, half gold - with an on-sticker blue-sharpied autograph and two mentions of this being his rookie card - the yellow/light gold Rookie word mark underneath the sticker, and the Dual Rookie Class shield top-left.

Sean Burke: 7 Autographed Items (Part 2)

(continued from the previous post)

The greedy Devils got into a nasty contract dispute with Burke, which made him sit out the 1991-92 season, during which he went back to Team Canada and played in the 1992 Olympics, winning a silver medal. The Devils then sent his rights to the Hartford Whalers with Eric Weinrich for Bobby Holik and Jay Pandolfo. The next 3 cards are of Burke as a Whaler:

Top-left, showing him wearing the Whalers' white (home) jersey is card #127 in Pinnacle Brands' 1994-95 Select set; top-right is a beauty, from the 1995-96 Parkhurst International set (card #96) by Parkhurst, which was then a stand-alone brand after Pro Set went bankrupt and Upper Deck reneged on their distribution deal. The card at the bottom is from Fleer/Skybox's 1996-97 Skybox Impact set (card #52), with a nice view of the away jersey from the back.

(continued in the next post)