Sabres hitting the Beach?

An "On The Fly" segment on the NHL Network this week had a mention of the Sabres trying to ship veteran winger Maxim Afinogenov to Vancouver as part of a deal that would land the Sabres the #10 pick in next month's draft. GM Darcy Regier spoke of Afinogenov's possible departure at his postseason press conference, and it seems that Canucks fans have always had an interest in the speedy Russian since the days of Pavel Bure. Already holding picks 13 and 26 (from San Jose), the Sabres could have three first round picks in one of the deeper drafts this decade. The Sabres rumored target with that #10 pick? Kyle Beach, the 6'3, 208-pound forward from Everett of the WHL. A player who goes hard to the net, Beach brings a powerful mix of skill and physical play that could allow him to immediately jump to the professional ranks. He'd likely be gone by the time the 13th selection rolls around. While piling up points and PIMs (27-33-60 222 PIM in 60 GP), his style also contributed to two concussions (from fists) and a fractured orbital bone (from a puck) in a span between December and March. Character issues have been raised in the past, but the impact forward could thrive given time to mature with the right organization. Is he really a gamble? There's no question that his tools would be a welcome addition to the Sabres pipeline.

2/5: Tuesday Slap Shots

- With Maxim Afinogenov re-tweaking his groin in yesterday's practice, and Clarke MacArthur coming down with a bad flu this morning, the Sabres re-called punishing forward Patrick Kaleta from Rochester just 24 hours after sending him down. Kaleta is in the Buffalo lineup tonight, making his presence felt early as the Sabres battle the Bruins. - It appears that an injury to Ducks prospect Logan MacMillan isn't as severe as originally thought after a Saturday collision with Sabres defensive prospect, T.J. Brennan. With no apparent MCL or ACL damage, the Mooseheads forward instead looks to have a charley horse. The two players collided knee-on-knee at center ice after Brennan stepped up to meet the rush. MacMillan had to be helped off the ice and did not return. Brennan, the Sabres first of two 2nd round picks in 2007, was called for kneeing on the play and received an extra fighting major after Guillaume Monast came to the defense of his injured Halifax teammate. - After injuring his shoulder in a January 25th game against Lake Erie, Amerks defenseman Michael Funk is slated to return to action this weekend. - Speaking of Funk, the Buffalo Sabres Foundation is currently accepting bids for vintage style, game-issued jerseys of the former Portland Winter Hawk, as well as fellow prospects Marek Zagrapan and Marc-Andre Gragnani. Bidding opens at $250 each. The auctions will close on Valentines Day. - In the only game on tonight's Sabres prospect docket, Brad Eidsness and the Okotoks Oilers (39-9-0-4) host top-ranked Camrose (41-6-0-5). Backed by a strong outing from Eidsness, the Oilers handed the Kodiaks a 2-1 loss in their last meeting one week ago. As always, an update will follow the game.