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Buffalo Sabres
Posted on August 30, 2010 by Patrick Moran
 WKBW-TV is the first to report that former Buffalo Sabres forward Tim Kennedy will sign a one-year deal to play for the New York Rangers in 2010-11.
Kennedy, the South Buffalo native who was one of the better forwards for the Sabres in the playoffs last year, was surprisingly waived following his $1.1-million salary awarded to him when he and the team went to arbitration. The move prompted a flood of criticism from fans, who complained that owner Tom Golisano was shaving money off the payroll by sacrificing a gritty hometown player who hadn’t yet hit the prime of his career.
Kennedy scored 10 goals and had 26 points in his first full season in the NHL with Buffalo last year. He also had a goal and two assists and was a plus-three during the Sabres’ first round playoff loss to Boston.
We’ll have more information as it becomes available.
Posted on August 26, 2010 by Kevin Snow / Buffalo Sabres
Buffalo Sabres GM Darcy Regier announced today the Sabres have signed unrestricted free agent forward Colin Stuart to a one-year contract.
Stuart (7/8/1982, 6’2”, 205 lbs.) spent last season with the AHL’s Abbotsford Heat where he was fourth in team scoring with a career-high 36 points (17+19) in 67 games. The native of Rochester, MN, has 51 games of NHL experience with the Atlanta Thrashers from 2007-09, collecting 13 points (8+5) including four shorthanded goals.
Stuart played four years at Colorado College (2000-04), and was originally drafted by Atlanta in the fifth round (135th overall) of the 2001 Entry Draft
Posted on August 20, 2010 by Kevin Snow/Buffalo Sabres
 The ninth annual Buffalo Sabres Street HockeyFest presented by HSBC Bank is all set for this weekend – August 21 and 22 – on the streets surrounding HSBC Arena. Now spread over two days, this family-friendly event also offers fans their first chance to buy individual game tickets for the 2010-11 season.
Individual game tickets for both preseason home games and the first 10 home games of the 2010-11 Buffalo Sabres regular season schedule will go on sale at 9 a.m. on Saturday, August 21. To purchase tickets by phone, call 1-888-223-6000, or visit www.sabres.com or www.tickets.com to purchase online.
The two-day street hockey tournament features 206 teams of boys and girls ages 5-17 in six divisions: Micron (ages 5-6), Mite (7-8), Squirt (9-10), PeeWee (11-12), Bantam (13-14) and Midgets (15-17). The Micron, Mite and Squirt divisions will play on Saturday. Sunday’s action will feature the PeeWee, Bantam and Midget divisions. All the action gets underway at 9 a.m. each day. Please check www.sabres.com for complete tournament schedule information.
Sabres Street Hockey Fest Set For This Weekend – continue reading…
Posted on August 12, 2010 by Kevin Snow/Buffalo Sabres
 The Buffalo Sabres announced ticket prices for their two pre-season home games on Sept. 25 and Oct. 3. All 100 and 200 Level tickets for each game are $20, while seats in the 300 Level are just $15. Tickets for both games will go on sale Saturday, August 21 at 9 a.m. To purchase tickets by phone, call 1-888-223-6000, or visit www.sabres.com or www.tickets.com to purchase online. Visit www.sabres.com or call 1-888-GO-SABRES for more information.
Buffalo opens their pre-season schedule at home on Saturday, September 25 at 7 p.m. against Toronto. This game is not included in season ticket packages. After playing their next four on the road, the Sabres close out their schedule at home on Sunday, October 3 at 6 p.m. versus Philadelphia. This game will be included in season ticket packages.
Sabres Announce Preseason Ticket Pricing – continue reading…
Posted on August 10, 2010 by Will Eldredge
 I’m going to go ahead and say it. The Buffalo Sabres decision to wave and buyout Tim Kennedy’s one million dollar arbitration award was the right move. If the team adds another winger, a move I hope is in the works, it would have made Kennedy a million dollars of press box fodder. He’s not more dangerous offensively than Tyler Ennis. He’s not a better two way player than Jochen Hecht and he’s not a better energy player than Cody McCormick. The last thing you want as a fan or an owner is seeing that much money tied up in guys who aren’t being paid to play. The team’s initial offer, a two way contract, reflected this. Kennedy thought he was worth a more concrete deal, something his initiation of arbitration clearly reflects. But his demands were higher than his production and unfortunately for Tim, he moved towards the hearing with little in the way of leverage.
Opinion: Upon Review, Kennedy Release Was Right Move – continue reading…
Posted on August 9, 2010 by Dave Davis
 Apparently, building a team that amasses 100 points and wins a division title doesn’t get you much slack or credibility in this town.
In the midst of a hot Buffalo summer that many Sabres fans were hoping would see some changes at the top of the forward lines and a touch-up on the power play unit, GM Darcy Regier has once again had his own feet put to the fire by Sabres Nation due to his trademark calculated and methodical management style.
In case you’re not keeping score at home, that’s the same infuriating management style that under his watch has produced four conference finals appearances.
One of those campaigns was ended in the ’99 Stanley Cup Finals with Brett Hull’s toe in the crease. Another was halted in the ’06 Eastern Conference Finals with four of Buffalo’s top defensemen out of the lineup against an otherwise evenly matched opponent in Carolina.
Regier Takes Another PR Hit For The Team – continue reading…
Posted on August 5, 2010 by Kevin Snow/Buffalo Sabres
Buffalo Sabres GM Darcy Regier announced today the Sabres have re-signed restricted free agent defenseman Marc-Andre Gragnani (Gruh-na-nee) to a one-year contract.
Gragnani (3/11/1987, 6’2”, 201 lbs.) spent the 2009-10 season with Buffalo’s AHL affiliate in Portland, scoring 43 points (12+31) in 66 games. His 12 goals were third among AHL blueliners, and he was 11th in defense scoring. In addition, six of Gragnani’s 12 goals were scored on the power play. In three AHL seasons with Portland/Rochester, the 23-year-old has 146 points (35+111) in 220 games. He has also played in six NHL games with the Sabres during this time.
Gragnani was drafted by Buffalo in the third round (87th overall) of the 2005 Entry Draft.
Posted on August 5, 2010 by Kevin Snow/Buffalo Sabres
 Time is running out to enter your team in Buffalo’s largest street hockey tournament! The ninth annual Buffalo Sabres Street HockeyFest presented by HSBC Bank is all set for the weekend of August 21-22, and limited spaces remain in all age groups. The newly-expanded two-day event runs from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day on the streets surrounding HSBC Arena. Last year’s tournament featured 186 teams with almost 1,000 participants.
The street hockey tournament is open to boys and girls ages 5-17 at a cost of $125 per team. Each team consists of up to five people and all teams are guaranteed three games. Each team member will receive a HockeyFest hat and t-shirt. Trophies will be awarded to the champions of each division.
Deadline Approaching For Sabres Street Hockeyfest – continue reading…
Posted on August 2, 2010 by Buffalo Sabres Press Release
 Buffalo Sabres GM Darcy Regier announced the Sabres have agreed to terms with unrestricted free agent defenseman Shaone Morrisonn on a two-year contract.
Morrisonn (12/23/1982, 6’4”, 217 lbs., shoots left) has spent the last five seasons with Washington. The 27-year-old was consistently among Washington’s leaders in hits and blocked shots throughout his career, including 163 hits and 104 blocks last season. In 418 career games with Washington and Boston, Morrisonn has 70 points (10+60), 423 PIMs and is a plus-36.
A native of Vancouver, BC, Morrisonn was originally drafted in the first round (19th overall) by Boston in the 2001 Entry Draft. He was traded to Washington in March 2004 in the deal that sent Sergei Gonchar to the Bruins. Morrisonn played his junior hockey with the WHL’s Kamloops Blazers.
Posted on August 2, 2010 by Patrick Moran
 As evidence that the Buffalo Sabres and owner Tom Golisano are trying to save money any way possible, the team has shockingly waived forward Tim Kennedy, just days after he was awarded a one-year, $1-million dollar contract through arbitration.
In a report by Bucky Gleason of the Buffalo News, Kennedy’s agent expressed shock over the move.
“It makes no sense to me,” said Allain Roy, Kennedy’s agent to Gleason.. “You’ll have to talk to Darcy on that one. It’s an enigma to everybody in hockey.”
The move can’t be salary cap relate. Buffalo was close to $9 million under the $59.7 million salary cap before Kennedy’s arbitration reward.
He was also improving on the ice. Kennedy had 10 goals and 26 assists as a rookie last season. He was also one of Buffalo’s few bright spots among the forwards in their first round playoff loss to Boston this spring.
Couple that with the fact that he’s a hometown boy, and there has to be more to this story than meets the eye. Releasing Kennedy after his arbitration merely to save the organization money will turn a lot of fans against the organization.
We’ll await more details and an explanation from Darcy Regier. He’s unlikely to speak until after the waiver period ends Tuesday at noon. At that time, it appears the Sabres will buy out Kennedy’s deal and he’ll become an unrestricted free agent.
The Sabres haven’t made any official announcement. In fact, the only news currently released were highlights from Patrick Kaleta’s Beach Volleyball event this past weekend on Sabres.com.
Stay tuned.
Posted on July 30, 2010 by Will Eldredge
 It’s been more of the same from the Buffalo Sabres so far this offseason. A few bodies lost, a few medium to-low-impact signings and a lot of quotes from the powers that be about how they like where they stand and filling holes from within is the right route to go.
Unfortunately for fans, that’s not what they desire to hear after a rebound season for the team ended with an embarrassing six-game loss to the Boston Bruins in the first round. While the team showed vast improvement over the year before and won themselves a division title, their shortcomings were heavily exposed against a more physically dominant Boston squad that rendered the majority of Buffalo’s skilled players as useless.
Here’s what’s happened so far this offseason:
Is Regier Done Dealing? Let’s Hope Not – continue reading…
Posted on July 30, 2010 by Chris Roy
 The Buffalo Sabres have agreed to terms on a one-year deal with forward Dennis McCauley.
McCauley, 24, played last year for the San Jose Sharks AHL affiliate in Worcester, Mass. where he appeared in 45 games, scoring 10 goals, four assists for 14 points with 84 penalty minutes.)
It’s expected that McCauley will be in Portland when the season begins. At 6-3, 225-pounds, McCauley, along with Tim Conboy, will give the Pirates some much needed size up front.
The Billerica, Mass. native played four years at Northeastern University where he scored 45 points (22g, 23a) in 129 games.
(Chris Roy is a contributing hockey writer for Buffalo Sports Daily. He’ll be covering the Sabres AHL-affiliated Portland Pirates. He also runs a very good hockey site called the Maine Street Journal. Be sure to check it out)
Buffalo Sabres forward Tim Kennedy was awarded a one year, $1 million contract today by an arbitrator. Kennedy’s hearing took place July 27 in Toronto. As per the NHL’s Collective Bargaining Agreement, the club is not eligible to walk away from an award lower than $1,611,180.
Kennedy collected 26 points (10+16) in 78 games during his rookie season last year with the Sabres. The 24-year-old Buffalo native also contributed three points (1+2) in six playoff games.
 Buffalo Sabres GM Darcy Regier announced today the Sabres have agreed to terms on a two-year deal with restricted free agent winger Patrick Kaleta. Kaleta was previously scheduled for a club elected arbitration hearing later this month.
Kaleta (6/8/1986, 5’11”, 205 lbs.) set career-highs in goals (10), points (15) and games played (55) during the 2009-2010 season. Kaleta also picked up two points (1+1) in six playoff games. Overall, the Angola, NY native has appeared in 153 NHL games with Buffalo, collecting 31 points (17+14) and 241 penalty minutes.
Kaleta was selected by the Sabres in the sixth-round (176th overall) in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft.
Posted on July 17, 2010 by James O'Brien
Montreal Canadiens have brought on a new right-hand man for general manager Pierre Gauthier. The team appointed Larry Carrière, formerly of the Washington Capitals and Buffalo Sabres, as their new assistant general manager on Friday.
Carrière was a member of the Washington Capitals organization since 2004 as pro scout. He spent the previous two decades with the Buffalo Sabres, handling the duties of Assistant General Manager from 1995 to 2004 (including a brief stint as General Manager in 1997). With the Sabres, he also worked as Director of Player Evaluation (1993 to 1995), as well as amateur scout (1983 to 1993).
“I am very pleased to join the Montreal Canadiens organization. Having grown up in the Montreal boroughs of Parc-Extension and Ville St-Laurent, I am grateful for this opportunity to bring my experience to the Canadiens. I have a great deal of respect for the tradition of the organization, and the passion of its fan base. I look forward to this new challenge, and will do my best to contribute to the success of the Canadiens for many years to come “, said Carrière.
Former Sabre Carriere becomes new Montreal Assistant GM – continue reading…
 The Buffalo Sabres announced today that the team has capped the number of season tickets for the 2010-2011 season at 14,825 and had a renewal rate of 98% from last year. In addition, there are currently over 1,600 members of the Blue and Gold Club which is comprised of individuals on a waiting list for season tickets. The team also unveiled their variable ticket pricing schedule and mini-pack prices for the 2010-2011 regular season.
“Our season ticket holders have been a crucial part of the business success of the Buffalo Sabres in recent years,” said Chief Operating Officer Dan DiPofi. “We are extremely grateful for their constant support and passion for our team. As the relationship between our fans and the organization continues to grow, we look forward to celebrating the 40th anniversary of Sabres hockey in Western New York with our community.”
Sabres Season Tickets at 98% Renewal Rate – continue reading…
Posted on July 9, 2010 by Will Eldredge
 The Sabres made a small splash in free agency Wednesday, signing veteran center Rob Niedermayer, who last played for the New Jersey Devils as well as re-upping backup netminder Patrick Lalime.
Although Niedermayer is going to be 36 years old, he fills two holes in the Sabres lineup at an affordable 1.15 million dollars.
First off, Niedermayer is a capable center, and the Sabres haven’t had four top nine pivots in far too long, a fact that killed them against the Bruins.
Thoughts on Niedermayer And Lalime – continue reading…
 The Buffalo Sabres today announced their 2010 preseason schedule. The team will play six games, including two at HSBC Arena. Start times and ticket information for each home game will be announced at a later date.
The Sabres will begin their preseason slate at home on Saturday, September 25 when their cross-border rivals from Toronto visit HSBC Arena. The same teams will also square off two days later at the Air Canada Centre on September 27. For the second time in three years, Buffalo was selected to participate in the NHL’s Kraft Hockeyville game. This year, the contest against the Ottawa Senators will be held in Dundas, Ontario on Tuesday, September 28. The Sabres will then travel to Montreal to play the Canadiens on September 30, before concluding with a pair of games against the Philadelphia Flyers — October 1 at Philadelphia, and October 3 in Buffalo.
Sabres Announce 2010 Preseason Schedule – continue reading…
Posted on July 8, 2010 by Chris Roy
 Wednesday was a busy day for the Buffalo Sabres on the free agent market.
Nothing of note in regards to a signing for the Pirates as of yet, but Sabres GM Darcy Regier said today they are still proactive on the market for veterans who can play with Portland, but not committed to necessarily bringing back any of the veterans who played with the Pirates last season.
“We will sign veterans, whether or not it’s the same guys is still too early to tell.”
Regier touched on numerous issues during his encounter with the media including the signings of Rob Niedermayer and goaltender Patrick Lalime.
Both Niedermayer and Lalime were signed to one-year deals.
Darcy Regier Touches on Variety of Topics – continue reading…
 Buffalo Sabres GM Darcy Regier announced today the Sabres have agreed to terms with unrestricted free agent goaltender Patrick Lalime on a one-year contract. Lalime – who turns 36 today – has spent the past two seasons with the Sabres after signing as a UFA on July 1, 2008.
Lalime (7/7/1974, 6’3”, 189 lbs.) was 4-8-2 for the Sabres last season with a 2.81 GAA and .905 save percentage. On March 27, Lalime became the 66th goaltender in NHL history to record 200 career wins when he backstopped Buffalo to a 7-1 win over Tampa Bay at HSBC Arena.
Lalime has played 12 NHL seasons, compiling a record of 200-169-48 and a 2.57 GAA with Pittsburgh, Ottawa, St. Louis, Chicago and Buffalo. He has also posted 35 career shutouts, including 27 between 2000-04. Lalime was named to the NHL’s All-Rookie Team in 1996-97 with Pittsburgh. During that season he set the NHL record for longest unbeaten streak by a rookie goaltender to start his career by going 14-0-2.
Lalime was originally drafted in the sixth round (156th) by Pittsburgh in the 1993 Entry Draft.
 Buffalo Sabres GM Darcy Regier announced today that defenseman Mike Weber has agreed to his qualifying offer and signed a one-year deal with the Sabres.
Weber (12/16/1987, 6’2”, 211 lbs., shoots left) played 80 games with the AHL’s Portland Pirates last season, finishing with 21 points (5+16) and a team-high plus/minus of +18. Weber was also second on the Pirates with 153 PIMs. A native of Pittsburgh, PA, Weber has collected three assists and a plus-9 rating in 23 NHL games with the Sabres.
The 22-year-old Weber was Buffalo’s third-round selection (57th overall) in the 2006 Entry Draft.
Posted on July 7, 2010 by BSD Staff Reports
 TSN is reporting that the Buffalo Sabres have signed veteran center Rob Niedermayer to a one-year contract.
Niedermayer, 35, played with the New Jersey Devils last season, totaling 10 goals and 22 points in 71 games. He had spent the previous six seasons in Anaheim.
A 16-year veteran in the NHL, Niedermayer won the Stanley Cup as a member of the Ducks in 2006-07. For his career he has 181 goals and 450 points in 1,082 games.
Niedermayer should be considered a depth signing. It’s highly likely he’ll center the third or fourth line. He’s scored 20 goals or more just once in his career, totaling 26 in 1995-96. Surely, general manager Darcy Regier made the acquisition based on the leadership Niedermayer will bring to the locker room.
Posted on July 6, 2010 by Chris Roy
 The Buffalo Sabres added a piece of offense to the Portland Pirates today by announcing they have signed Corey Tropp to a three-year entry level contract.
Tropp played three years for Michigan State University and was named Team MVP and Outstanding Offensive Player last season after he led the team in scoring with 20 goals, 22 assists for 42 points in 37 games. He was consistently ranked near the top in nation in goals, power play goals and game-winning goals.
However, he might be more famous for something he’d like to forget that happened a year prior.
Sabres get Tropp under contract – continue reading…
Posted on July 2, 2010 by Will Eldredge
Darcy Regier has never been known to go after the biggest fish in the pond and when free agency began yesterday afternoon, things were no different. Out went veteran blueliners Henrik Tallinder and Toni Lydman, while defenseman Jordan Leopold was added to the fold.
Last season, Leopold proved to be a solid top four defenseman in his stay with Florida, leading a solid Panthers defense corps in both even strength and shorthanded ice time before being traded to the Penguins at the deadline. The seven year veteran also tallied eleven goals, more than any Sabres’ defenseman not named Tyler Myers.
Regier Follows Status Quo on Day One of Free Agency. – continue reading…
Posted on July 1, 2010 by David Olesky
 The Buffalo Sabres were looking for an offensive defenseman to fill a need on the blue-line and they did that by signing Jordan Leopold to a three-year contract. Leopold played most recently for the Pittsburgh Penguins after being acquired at the trade deadline from the Florida Panthers.
I like the signing of Leopold and I expect we will earn that he signed for less than Lydman and Tallinder. He is bigger than most people think he is and he is a good skater. He scored 11 goals last season which proves his offensive worth to Sabres fans.
We’ll have much more on this acquisition later tonight.
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