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You are currently browsing all posts tagged with 'Buffalo Sabres'
 I’ve lived back in Buffalo for about five years now and during that span, I’m always struck by how hard the media seems to be on the Buffalo Sabres franchise netminder, Ryan Miller. Last night with a victory against Montreal, Ryan Miller tied Dominik Hasek for career wins as a Sabre (234).
No one will ever dispute Hasek’s greatness, but as sure as the sun rising, Hasek almost exclusively got a free pass in this town. The only one to stand up to him was the late, great sports columnist Jim Kelley and if you’re old enough to remember, you know exactly how that went down.
On the contrary with Miller, the feeling I get is nearly every writer who covers or blogs about the team bashes him seemingly at every turn. They always call into question his attitude, personal habits and general “tell it like it is” personality.
Is Everyone Too Hard On Ryan Miller? – continue reading…
 Now that the NHL All-Star break is over, the Buffalo Sabres are finally close to healthy. Tyler Ennis is slated to return to the line-up tonight against the Montreal Canadiens, and center Paul Gaustad has a chance to return this evening as well. If Gaustad does, the Sabres will have the same line-up they had in Europe when they ran roughshod over Anaheim and Los Angeles in back to back games to begin the 2011-12 campaign.
Things of course were much different then. The team was completely healthy except for Jochen Hecht, who didn’t seem to be missed much. Luke Adam appeared poised to have a monster year after netting two goals and two assists in the first two games. Part of that was because the youngster played between Thomas Vanek and Jason Pominville. For a brief stretch Adam was the number one center this team desperately needed – young, big, and skilled.
Yes, things were much different then.
Healthy Sabres Need To Give Adam Another Chance – continue reading…
 ♦ The Buffalo Bills are pretty much going to a 4-3 base in 2012, which doesn’t differ as much as you think from last year. The biggest change moving forward is that Nick Barnett is no longer the middle linebacker. Instead, he’ll move over to the weak side with second-year pro Kelvin Sheppard taking over inside. Who plays on the strong side in the 4-3 remains to be seen. On paper Shawne Merriman appears to be the favorite, yet I’m not even convinced he’ll be on the roster next season.
♦ Former UB Defensive Coordinator William Inge was recently hired by the Bills as an assistant defensive line coach and while thrilled for him personally, I was a bit bothered by head coach Chan Gailey’s comments about the move on Monday. I’m paraphrasing here, but regarding Inge getting the job Gailey alluded to Inge quite possibly growing into a great coach someday. Call me crazy, but shouldn’t the Bills be focused on hires that are great coaches now after 12 straight seasons of no playoffs? It’s that kind of mega -patient mentality within the organization that drives me nuts. Again, this is no knock on Inge at all.
Moran’s Musings: 4-3 Defense, Sabres & Tavares – continue reading…
 Even when it’s designed to be a good thing, anything related to the Buffalo Sabres seems to have lost its appeal around the league. The NHL will hold its official Player Fantasy Draft to select its two All-Star teams Thursday evening in Ottawa. Those squads will be selected alternately and are captained by Ottawa center Daniel Alfredsson with the other by Boston defensemen Zdeno Chara.
In the meantime, the league’s official website ran a “mock draft” on Monday with NHL.com columnist Dan Rosen representing Alfredsson’s squad and writer Dave Lozo selecting on behalf of Chara.
The Sabres have just one All-Star on the roster in forward Jason Pominville. Predictably, Buffalo’s leading scorer was the very last pick of the mock draft, selected by Lozo in the 19th round— dead last out of 38 eligible participants.
It is worth noting that the very last pick of the actual draft on Thursday receives a car for his public degradation.
Cue the Rodney Dangerfield impressions.
 The Buffalo Sabres returned to practice on Monday afternoon at the First Niagara Center, and as expected, reporters swarmed goaltender Ryan Miller following the session to get his reaction on getting pulled last week and benched in favor of Jhonas Enroth in consecutive games over the weekend.
What wasn’t quite expected was Miller’s candid… very candid response to reporters when asked about his feelings on getting pulled last Tuesday against Philadelphia after just six minutes; a span that saw him give up three goals.
“”I don’t want things to be confused… I’m here to win,” Miller told several reporters. “That’s the emotion you get from me. That’s my spirit. I’m pissed off. That’s just how it is. I want to win. I don’t want to be out there getting scored on. I don’t want to be pulled out. I wanna, you know… win the (explicit) game!”
Ryan Miller Wants To Win The Flippin Game – continue reading…
 The Buffalo Sabres today announced that 70 of the team’s regular season games in 2011-12 will be broadcast on the MSG Network and that 12 of the team’s games will be part of national telecasts on the newly-combined networks of NBC and Versus (to be re-launched as NBC Sports Network on Jan. 1 2012). Every game of the 2011-12 season will be televised on either MSG and NBC/Versus and will be produced in High Definition.
MSG’s coverage of Buffalo Sabres games will include the team’s two games being played in Europe (Oct. 7 vs. Anaheim and Oct. 8 vs. Los Angeles) as part of the NHL Premiere Series.
Returning to the MSG broadcast this year will be the venerable broadcasting team of Rick Jeanneret and Harry Neale. Jeanneret and Neale will be calling a slate of 57 regular season games (39 home, 18 away), with Kevin Sylvester and Danny Gare taking over the remaining 23 games. Sylvester and Gare will begin their schedule with the Sabres’ Nov. 5 game at Ottawa. Their schedule will include one home game (Feb. 24 vs. Boston) and 22 road games. Rob Ray, who has been part of the broadcast team since the 2003-04 season, will join Jeanneret and Neale as a second color analyst during their games.
MSG To Be Home To 70 Sabres Games In 2011-12 – continue reading…
 The Buffalo Sabres, as expected, demoted forward Ales Kotalik and defensemen Shaone Morrisonn to the Rochester Amerks after they cleared NHL waivers today. The moves were done in part to help the Sabres get below the salary cap. According to reports the team now stands about $1.5 under the cutoff.
The transactions leave the team with 25 players still in camp. The NHL roster maximum is at 23 once the regular season begins. It’s pretty much certain the final two moves will comprise of demoting goaltender David Leggio and forward Paul Szczechura.
That would leave the team with Ryan Miller and Jhonas Enroth as the goaltenders, seven defensemen and 14 forwards. The big question becomes who will be spending a lot of time on game nights sitting in the press box?
Sabres Roster Down To Last Few Decisions – continue reading…
 Buffalo Sabres General Manager Darcy Regier today announced the team has assigned the following 14 players to the Rochester Americans (AHL):
Forwards Marcus Foligno, Zack Kassian, Jonathan Parker, Michael Ryan, Colin Stuart, Corey Tropp, Phil Varone and Derek Whitmore; defensemen TJ Brennan, Joe Finley, Brayden McNabb, Dennis Persson and Drew Schiestel; and goaltender Drew MacIntyre.
MacIntyre, Persson, Ryan and Stuart have each been assigned pending waivers.
This leaves the Sabres with 27 players still in training camp (16 forwards, 8 defensemen and three goaltenders).
 The Buffalo Sabres today announced the schedule for the first three days of the team’s 2011 training camp schedule. Camp will begin Friday, Sept. 16 with all players reporting to First Niagara Center at 8 a.m. A total of 69 players are currently scheduled to attend this year’s camp — 40 forwards, 22 defensemen and seven goaltenders.
On Friday, prospects will practice from 8-9:30 a.m. On-ice testing will be held from 10 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. Media availability will be scattered throughout.
Practices get underway Saturday, Sept. 17 at the team’s practice facility at the Northtown Center from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. The team will practice again at the Northtown Center on Sunday, Sept. 18 from 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., before returning to First Niagara Center for the remainder of the practices.
Sabres Set To Open Training Camp – continue reading…
 It was reported yesterday that the Buffalo Sabres and Tyler Myers were closing in on a contract extension and now it’s official; the team announced via Twitter they’ve agreed to a seven-year extension with Myers, who was entering the final season of his entry level three-year contact.
Financial terms were not immediately made available by the organization, but TSN is reporting the deal is for $38.5 million, which includes a $10 million signing bonus payable on July 1, 2012. The report says Myers will be paid $2 million in the first year of his deal, followed by $6 million in the second followed by $3 million annually.
Myers, 21, won the Calder Trophy as the NHL’s best rookie in 2009-10. Last season he slumped early but still finished with 10 goals and 37 points. The 6-foot-8 defensemen is expected to be a main staple of the blue line for many years to come.
The Sabres had previously locked up youngsters Jhonas Enroth and Andrej Sekera to multi-year deals and with the additions of Robyn Regehr, Christian Ehrhoff and Ville Leino, the organization will head into the 2011-12 season with potentially one of their best teams in several years.
Buffalo opens the NHL season with a pair of games in Europe beginning October 8.
 Buffalo Sabres owner Terry Pegula certainly wasn’t all talk when he said he’s committed to bringing the city multiple Stanley Cups. He opened up the vault to bring in a trio of new talent with Robyn Regehr, Christian Ehrhoff and Ville Leino. Reportedly, he’s making sure one of his own is in for the long haul as well.
TSN’s Bob McKenzie is reporting that the Sabres are close to finalizing a long-term deal for defensemen Tyler Myers that will pay him about $33 million over six years.
Arguably the team’s most talented player, Myers won the Calder Trophy for the NHL’s best rookie in 2009-10, scoring 11 goals and 48 points. Myers struggled early last season before putting his game together late and finishing with 10 goals and 37 points. Myers had a goal and five assists in Buffalo’s seven-game playoff loss to Philadelphia this past spring.
Report: Sabres, Myers Close In On Six-Year Deal – continue reading…
 The Buffalo Sabres will start the 2011-2012 season with a brand new name for the National Hockey League team’s home: First Niagara Center.
In connection with First Niagara Bank, N.A.’s acquisition of Upstate New York and Connecticut branches from HSBC Bank USA, N.A., the Buffalo-headquartered regional bank agreed to purchase the naming rights to HSBC Arena, the 18,690-seat home of the hockey club and Western New York’s premier sports and entertainment facility.
First Niagara will be the official bank of the Buffalo Sabres, deepening the company’s connections with its customers in the region as it strengthens its Upstate New York leadership through its previously announced HSBC-branch acquisition. First Niagara’s 15-year agreement with the Sabres also includes exclusive exterior facility naming rights, category exclusivity in the facility’s bowl, other interior and exterior signage and branding, exclusive on-site ATM presence, television and other value-added promotional benefits. Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
Sabres’ New Home: First Niagara Center – continue reading…
 The Buffalo Sabres finally have a solid secondary alternative when Ryan Miller needs a break. Jhonas Enroth, who just inked a two-year contract extension on Thursday, went 9-2-2 with a 2.73 GAA and .907 save percentage last season with the club. The 22-year-old Swede was a key contributor in helping the Sabres clinch a playoff berth, going 3-0-1 when Miller suffered a head injury late in the season.
Enroth is a solid, young goaltender that is likely to continue improving and at some point, could also be a valuable asset to trade if Buffalo looks to acquire a key piece for a playoff run before next year’s trade deadline. But more importantly, Enroth gives Lindy Ruff confidence that he can get the job done in crucial games, something no Sabres backup has been able to accomplish since Martin Biron was traded to the Flyers on February 27, 2007.
Look no further than Enroth’s starts against the Montreal Canadians on February 15th and Carolina Hurricanes on April 3rd as evidence he can get the job done with plenty on the line.
Enroth Will Be Key To Sabres’ Success – continue reading…
 Buffalo Sabres goaltender Patrick Lalime has announced his retirement from the NHL and will turn his attention towards doing color commentary for Ottawa Senators games on RDS (Reseau Des Sports); a French Canadian sports network.
Cue the Lalime retired three years ago jokes.
Lalime spent the final three years of his career in Buffalo and saw his production—and playing time decrease with each campaign. Lalime started 21 games his first season in 2008-09, compiling a 5-13-3 record and .310 goals against average. He started just 13 games the following season before appearing in just seven games last year and losing his backup job behind Ryan Miller full-time to Jhonas Enroth.
Earlier in his career, Lalime was one of the more productive goalies in the league. In total, Lalime played in 444 NHL games with five teams over 12 seasons, won 200 games (174 losses) and had a career 2.58 goals against average and .905 save percentage.
Patrick Lalime Retires From NHL – continue reading…
 Free agency is best used to augment a roster or to sign a missing piece to a Stanley Cup contender. The Detroit Red Wings did so successfully when they signed a huge piece to their Stanley Cup championship puzzle by locking up Brian Rafalski to a five-year contract in July, 2007. The Chicago Blackhawks acquired key parts in free agency as well after inking both Marian Hossa and Brian Campbell to 12 and 8-year deals, respectively. Were Hossa and Campbell both overpaid? Absolutely. But Hossa and Campbell were key cogs in the Blackhawks winning the Stanley Cup in 2010, so it’s difficult to not consider them successful signings.
It should be noted, however, that the Campbell signing is one of the main reasons why the Blackhawks had a rough time trying to defend their title after being forced to trade away key players due to his contract and the salary cap. But with a 2010 Stanley Cup Championship banner hanging atop the United Center rafters, I doubt fans are complaining too much.
Then there are franchises, such as the New York Rangers that foolishly hand out huge contracts to average free agents with little or no results on a seemingly regular basis. Chris Drury, Wade Redden and Scott Gomez are among a plethora of questionable, if not downright foolish free agent signings made by Rangers’ general manager Glen Sather. The Rangers, among other teams, are all too familiar with how badly an awful free agent signing can handcuff an organization.
The Five Best… And Worst NHL Free Agent Signings – continue reading…
 The Buffalo Sabres haven’t officially had a captain since late February following Craig Rivet being jettisoned through waivers. It’s time for that to change. Thomas Vanek has led and played like a captain since Rivet’s departure.
Vanek is easily Buffalo’s best pure goal scorer and is ready to take on the responsibility that comes with captaincy. Vanek is one of, if not the hardest working players on the team and he’s also his own worst critic. Vanek has shown he can come up big in the clutch like quality captains tend to do, something lacking since Daniel Briere and Chris Drury skipped town for greener pastures.
Recent history shows Vanek is ready to take that next step. He made Washington’s John Carlson look like a human pylon en route to scoring a spectacular overtime goal back in November. Then, on Fan Appreciation Night with over 80 alumni in attendance and the hated Philadelphia Flyers in town, Vanek capped off a memorable night with another highlight reel goal. He skated through Andrej Meszaros and Matt Carle like they were turnstiles to tally yet another overtime winner.
Vanek Should Be Sabres’ Next Captain – continue reading…
 The hardest things to acquire in the NHL are legitimate front line centers and a number one defensemen. Organizations often need to bottom out and select within the top five of the draft, trade away valuable assets, or overpay significantly via free agency to obtain either of the two.
The Buffalo Sabres have their number one defensemen in potential future Norris Trophy candidate Tyler Myers. He’ll have less of a burden on his still growing fame with the recent additions of Christian Ehrhoff and Robyn Regehr.
Problem is, Buffalo hasn’t had a game-changing center since Daniel Briere walked away on the team to sign an eight-year deal with the Philadelphia Flyers four years ago.
The Sabres top two centers are Derek Roy and Ville Leino. Although Roy was having a career year last season with ten goals and 35 points in 35 games before suffering a torn quad tendon two days before Christmas, he’s not exactly elite and is better suited to anchor the second line. The Sabres signed Leino to a six-year, $27 million contract and plan to shift him to the middle, where he played until he was 23. Leino is a good player, but it remains to be seen if he can successfully switch from wing to the pivot.
Sabres Still Top Center Away From Cup Contention – continue reading…
 The recent acquisitions of defensmen Robyn Regehr and Christian Ehrhoff have improved the Buffalo Sabres in numerous ways. It repairs, if not completely wipes away any past perception that the Sabres organization are little more than a penny-pinching, small-market franchise that lets its best players leave via free agency on an annual basis. Having Regehr agree to waive his no-trade clause proves the Sabres are no longer a team with a recruiting problem and by inking Ehrhoff to a $40 million deal, it demonstrates they will spend whatever it takes to become a Stanley Cup contender.
From a fan’s perspective, the string of notable pickups allows them to stick their chests out and let the hockey world know they’re a fan of a team with an owner in Terry Pegula that’s for real and is wholeheartedly committed to winning a Stanley Cup.
But as elated as Sabres fans are about the newest members of the blue and gold, there may not be a more exultant resident in Pegulaville than Buffalo goaltender Ryan Miller.
And why shouldn’t he be?
Life Could Get Easier For Ryan Miller – continue reading…
 Buffalo Sabres defensemen Andrej Sekera has filed for salary arbitration with the team, according to his agent Allan Walsh.
Sekera, originally drafted by the Sabres in the third round (No. 71 overall) in the 2004 draft, scored three goals and had a career-high 29 points with the club last season. He scored one goal in two playoff games against the Philadelphia Flyers despite being limited late in the season with an upper body injury.
How Sekera does if the case goes to arbitration could have a ripple effect on the remainder of the team’s offseason plans. Sekera’s salary counted $1 million against the salary cap last season. As of today Buffalo is already over the salary cap for next season.
Andrej Sekera Files For Arbitration – continue reading…
 I’m not attempting to report anything groundbreaking this morning because frankly, it’s hardly a secret. I’ve talked to a pair of people with knowledge of operations inside the Buffalo Sabres organization and can confirm the rumors you’re hearing regarding Brad Richards are true. The Sabres have every intention on being major players for Richards and in fact, a source told me that owner Terry Pegula’s offer will exceed any financial incentive Richards would get anywhere else.
By frontloading a deal, Buffalo could pay Richards a large sum upfront and still have a manageable cap figure. The Sabres are paying Ehrhoff $40 million over 10 years but are giving him $18 million over the first two. His cap figure is still only $4 million.
Sabres Will Go After Richards Today – continue reading…
 Buffalo Sabres GM Darcy Regier announced today the Sabres have agreed to terms on a multi-year contract with forward Nathan Gerbe.
Gerbe (5’5”, 178 lbs., 7/24/1987) scored 31 points (16+15) in 64 games for the Sabres last season, including 15 goals in Buffalo’s final 40 games. The 23-year-old native of Oxford, Michigan, set a new Sabres franchise record for fastest two goals by one player when he scored two goals just five seconds apart on January 21 against the New York Islanders.
Gerbe, the 2008 AHL Rookie of the Year, was Buffalo’s fifth-round selection (142nd overall) in the 2005 Entry Draft.
**Update** Gerbe’s three-year deal is for a total of $4.3 million; an average of $1.433 million per season. That’s an incredibly friendly deal for the organization.
 Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’re well aware by now the Buffalo Sabres orchestrated quite the score over the weekend when general manager Darcy Regier acquired Robyn Regehr (and Ales Kotalik) along with a second-round draft pick in exchange for Chris Butler and Paul Byron.
Without question, the deal has been met with rave reviews from Sabre fans everywhere. Regehr is a strong, physical veteran presence the Sabres badly lacked in their seven-game playoff loss to Philadelphia this past April.
However, there are two sides to every trade and it’s quite safe to conclude the Calgary contingent of fans aren’t nearly as praise-happy. Following the trade I’ve spent the past few days closely monitoring reaction from s fans north of the border via the popular HF Boards website.
Let’s put it this way—- unruly Vancouver fans think the Flames faithful need to calm down.
Flames Fans Still Irate Over Regehr Trade – continue reading…
 While his return to the Buffalo Sabres is anything but imminent, reports and signs indicate the organization is at least considering the possibility of re-signing embattled forward Tim Connolly.
A report in this morning’s Buffalo News cited a source of John Vogl telling the reporter general manager Darcy Regier has spoken with Connolly’s agent about re-signing him. This was later confirmed by Regier himself. While on the air with WGR-550 early Monday morning, Regier said he has spoken to the agent for Connolly as well as pending unrestricted free agent Cody McCormick.
Connolly is set to become an unrestricted free agent on Friday after finishing up the second of his two-year, $9 million extension he signed on March 4, 2009.
Sabres At Least Flirting With Re-Signing Connolly – continue reading…
 The Buffalo Sabres today announced that the 4th Annual Buffalo Sabres Golf Tournament will take place on Monday, Sept. 12 at Park Country Club in Williamsville, NY. Registration for the tournament will begin at 9:30 a.m. with an 11:30 a.m. shotgun start.
For the fourth consecutive year, fans will have the opportunity to play a round of golf with a member of the Buffalo Sabres or Sabres Alumni. Each foursome that registers for the event will be joined by a celebrity golfer for an 18-hole scramble format round of golf. An on-course lunch will be provided for all golfers, with an open bar and dinner following the tournament.
Visit Sabres.com to reserve your foursome/sponsor package, or contact Teresa Belbas at (716) 855-4588 with any questions.
Spaces are limited, so reserve your group today. Proceeds from the tournament will benefit the Buffalo Sabres Foundation.
4th Annual Sabres Golf Tourney Set For September 12 – continue reading…
 The Buffalo Sabres today announced their 2011 preseason schedule. The team will play seven games, including two at HSBC Arena. Ticket information for each home game will be announced at a later date.
The Sabres will begin their preseason slate at home on Monday, September 19 when the Carolina Hurricanes visit HSBC Arena. The Sabres will then travel to Montreal to play the Canadiens on Wednesday, September 21. The team will participate in a home and home series with the Toronto Maple Leafs starting at the Air Canada Centre on Friday, September 23 and then at HSBC Arena on Saturday, September 24. After a game on the road in Columbus the following day (Sunday, September 25), the team will travel to Washington on Friday, September 30 to face the Capitals.
The Buffalo Sabres will also play an exhibition game against Adler Mannheim at SAP Arena in Mannheim, Germany, on Tuesday, Oct. 4, as part of the 2011 Compuware NHL Premiere Challenge to complete the 2011 preseason schedule.
Sabres Announce Preseason Schedule – continue reading…
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