Summer Edition
If the NHL could’ve held its draft as scheduled next week, Jason Botterill would likely still be employed as the Buffalo Sabres’ general manager. But the COVID-19 pandemic forced the league to postpone the annual event until the fall.
The extra time gave Sabres owners Terry and Kim Pegula an opportunity to discuss and plan the team’s future – “Really start digging in,” Kim Pegula said on a Zoom call Tuesday to discuss Botterill’s firing ... Read the full article
In a stunning move this morning, the Buffalo Sabres fired general manager Jason Botterill after three seasons and replaced him with Kevyn Adams, who had been serving as the team’s senior vice president of business administration.
“This morning, we informed Jason Botterill he will no longer be the general manager of the Sabres,” Sabres owners Terry and Kim Pegula said in a statement. “This decision was made after many candid discussions with Jason during ... Read the full article
Leaving Buffalo had never crossed Jason Pominville’s mind. The former Sabres captain figured his family might stay forever.
Pominville called Buffalo home twice – first for eight seasons, beginning as a rookie in 2005, and again when the Sabres reacquired him from the Minnesota Wild in 2017.
When his career ended last year, Pominville, who grew up outside of Montreal, kept living in Clarence with his wife, Kim, and their two children.
The family became ... Read the full article
The Buffalo Sabres have signed defenseman Oskari Laaksonen to a three-year, entry-level contract, the team announced this morning.
Laaksonen, 20, spent the last three seasons with Ilves in Liiga in his native Finland, compiling five goals and 40 points in 113 games.
“The work Oskari has put in to improve his game has paid off during his last two seasons,” Sabres general manager Jason Botterill said in a statement. “His success on the international stage ... Read the full article
Following two productive seasons in the Buffalo Sabres organization, it seemed like a formality defenseman Lawrence Pilut would re-sign this offseason as a restricted free agent.
Pilut, 24, quickly acclimated to a new brand of hockey following his arrival from Sweden in 2018, developing into one of the AHL’s most dynamic defensemen as a rookie with the Rochester Americans. Less than two months into his North American career, he earned his first recall to ... Read the full article
Defenseman Lawrence Pilut’s two-year contract with Traktor Chelyabins, a Russian team in the Kontinental Hockey League, was officially announced today.
Pilut, who signed a two-year, entry-level NHL contract with the Buffalo Sabres in 2018, is a pending restricted free agent. The Sabres must give him a qualifying offer to retain his rights.
The Buffalo News reported last month Pilut would be leaving the Sabres for the KHL. It’s unclear if he can return to the ... Read the full article
As the COVID-19 pandemic forced much of the world into quarantine, Sweden remained open, offering Rasmus Dahlin an opportunity to hone his skills on the ice as most NHL players stayed in their homes.
“I’m working on my shot almost every day,” the Buffalo Sabres defenseman said on a Zoom call May 27. “That’s my main thing right now, my shot.”
Dahlin, of course, already possesses a terrific shot. Still, he believes it can improve, ... Read the full article
Buffalo Sabres winger Wayne Simmonds is one of seven founding members of the Hockey Diversity Alliance, a new coalition created by active and retired NHL players of color “to eradicate racism and intolerance in hockey.”
The HDA also includes Akim Aliu, Trevor Daley, Matt Dumba, Joel Ward and former Sabres Evander Kane and Chris Stewart.
“We will strive to be a force for positive change not only within our game of hockey, but also ... Read the full article
Buffalo Sabres winger Kyle Okposo has undergone successful surgery on his right knee and is expected to make a full recovery in six weeks, the team announced this afternoon.
After being relied upon as a scorer his entire career, Okposo, 32, morphed into a strong checking presence in 2019-20, compiling nine goals and 19 points in 59 games. The American spent most of his 13th NHL season playing right wing beside center Johan Larsson and ... Read the full article
Jimmy Vesey became the first Buffalo Sabres player to speak out about the death of George Floyd and the violence and racial tension in the United States in a reflective essay he posted on Twitter late Wednesday afternoon.
“The videos I’ve seen online are gut-wrenching,” wrote Vesey, who made an undisclosed monetary donation to the NAACP Boston Branch. “Whether it’s seeing extreme injustices by law enforcement against people of color or seeing fellow Americans beat ... Read the full article
