October Edition
BUFFALO – Ralph Krueger doesn’t pay much attention to his players’ ages. Whether you’re a teenager and or a veteran, the Sabres coach said he treats everyone the same way.
In turn, Krueger expects a rookie to have the same habits as, say, a 35-year-old.
“So for younger players, that could sometimes put pressure on them,” Krueger said prior to Friday’s 3-2 shootout win over the Florida Panthers inside KeyBank Center. “For older players, it ... Read the full article
BUFFALO – Throughout his career, Ralph Krueger has refused to number lines. The Sabres coach said it’s one of his core philosophies.
Krueger believes everyone, no matter how small the role, contributes to a team’s success. Ranking forward trios or defense pairs would take away from that.
“I just (have) the respect for the depth that teams need to be successful and the role players that I need,” Krueger said after the 2-0 Sabres prepared ... Read the full article
PITTSBURGH – Kyle Okposo figures they spent 10 minutes talking about hockey. For most of the evening, the three Buffalo Sabres veterans dining with their new coach, Ralph Krueger, discussed their backgrounds and families.
The sport that consumes so much of their lives didn’t come up much.
“We barely talked about hockey,” Okposo said of the get-together.
When the Sabres hired Krueger on May 15, he hadn’t coached in the NHL in six years. ... Read the full article
BUFFALO – New Sabres coach Ralph Krueger announced today he has named center Marcus Johansson and defenseman Jake McCabe alternate captains for the 2019-20 season.
“We feel that that’s a strong group for the ice,” Krueger said following today’s practice inside KeyBank Center.
Johansson and McCabe replace defenseman Zach Bogosian and winger Kyle Okposo.... Read the full article
BUFFALO – In what are almost certainly paper transactions, the Sabres sent winger Victor Olofsson and defenseman Henri Jokiharju to the Rochester Americans this afternoon.
The Sabres also recalled forwards Jean-Sebastien Dea and Curtis Lazar and defenseman Lawrence Pilut.
In addition, the Sabres placed defensemen Zach Bogosian, Matt Hunwick and Brandon Montour and goalie prospect Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen on injured reserve.... Read the full article
BUFFALO – Having just spent most of training camp with the Sabres, coach Ralph Krueger expects Chris Taylor to transition to the NHL smoothly.
The Sabres promoted Taylor, the Rochester Americans’ head coach, on an interim basis today to replace assistant coach Don Granato, who’s hospitalized with pneumonia.
Granato, 52, will be taking a medical leave from the Sabres.
“The curve is in the right direction,” Krueger said of Granato’s health following today’s practice ... Read the full article
BUFFALO – During his 11-game run in Rochester late last season, Sabres prospect Tage Thompson often looked dominant, utilizing his big body and talents to score eight goals.
Thompson, 21, probably should’ve spent most of the campaign with the Americans. But the Sabres, perhaps to show they had something from the Ryan O’Reilly trade, kept the 6-foot-6 winger in the NHL.
So instead of thriving in the AHL, Thompson stayed in Buffalo until late March, ... Read the full article
BUFFALO – The Sabres waived four players today and sent three others – most notably winger Tage Thompson – to the AHL, moves that give them 21 healthy players.
The players waived – forwards Remi Elie, Curtis Lazar and Scott Wilson and defenseman Casey Nelson – all have at least 93 games of NHL experience.
In addition to Thompson, they assigned center Rasmus Asplund and defenseman Lawrence Pilut to the Rochester Americans. Pilut is still ... Read the full article
BUFFALO – Sabres defenseman John Gilmour has never experienced anything like this. In his first three NHL training camps, he never pushed for a roster spot.
“It’s new for me,” Gilmour said following this morning’s practice, the final session of camp.
So Gilmour, of course, is a little nervous. He has to wait another day or two – 23-man NHL rosters must be finalized by 5 p.m. Tuesday – to find out if he cracked ... Read the full article
BUFFALO – An upper-body injury will sideline Sabres defenseman Jake McCabe the rest of the preseason, the team announced this morning.
“It was in practice yesterday, just light upper body,” Sabres coach Ralph Krueger said inside KeyBank Center. “We’re expecting him to be good to go for the first league game.”
McCabe, 25, has battled shoulder problems in the past.
In addition to McCabe, four other Sabres defensemen – Zach Bogosian (hip), Matt Hunwick (neck), ... Read the full article
