WNY and Buffalo NY Hockey Coverage
Offseason Edition
Matt Moulson scored only eight goals last season. ©2016, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – Sabres winger Matt Moulson knows he has plenty of doubters. The former 30-goal scorer understands following a miserable year punctuated by his general manager challenging his work habits, some support for him has eroded.
Moulson, 32, has clearly been humbled. An eight-goal season can do that. So can drawing Tim Murray’s ire.
“I definitely have a chip on my shoulder coming in to prove a lot of people wrong that maybe lost a ... Read the full article
Jack Eichel played three games at the World Cup. ©2016, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – Expect Sabres center Jack Eichel, who just finished a three-game stint at the World Cup, to join his teammates at training camp this weekend.
Eichel, 19, will return to Buffalo today. The second-year star scored one goal and two points before Team North America was eliminated.
“We’ll see him back at the rink the next couple of days and have a conversation about when he’ll get back on the ice,” Sabres coach ... Read the full article
Zemgus Girgensons was all over the ice last season. ©2016, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – The Sabres team that will convene today for training camp physicals, the official start of the 2016-17 season, isn’t much different from the one that just finished seventh in the Atlantic Division.
Sure, there were some notable summer additions. Winger Kyle Okposo, who signed a seven-year, $42 million contract July 1, was arguably the best free agent available. Dmitri Kulikov gives the Sabres a sturdy veteran to skate beside No. 1 defenseman ... Read the full article
Ryan O’Reilly was the Sabres’ lone NHL All-Star last season. ©2016, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
Buffalo Sabres center Ryan O’Reilly has been added to Team Canada’s World Cup of Hockey roster as an injury replacement for Dallas Stars forward Tyler Seguin, Hockey Canada announced Tuesday.
Seguin played in two pre-tournament games over the weekend and reportedly practiced Tuesday. The 24-year-old missed the final 10 regular-season games in 2015-16 and 12 of the Stars’ 13 playoff games with Achilles tendon and hamstring injuries.
With O’Reilly leaving, the Sabres will be without ... Read the full article
Jack Eichel played 81 games last season. ©2016, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – Jack Eichel had a front-row seat for the commotion surrounding Jimmy Vesey, the college free agent whose negotiating rights the Sabres owned for 57 days.
As the summer wore on, crowds swelled inside the Foxborough, Mass., rink where the two skated as teammates in a recreational league. Media members and TV crews started showing up to interview and film Vesey. Some high-ranking personnel from NHL teams also attended.
“It was starting to ... Read the full article
Jimmy Vesey was a free agent four days. ©2016, Gil Talbot, Harvard Athletics
Jimmy Vesey, the Hobey Baker Award winner whose negotiating rights the Buffalo Sabres owned for 57 days, signed a two-year, $1.85 million entry-level contract Friday with the New York Rangers, ending an odd five months in which the college star spurned the Nashville Predators to become a free agent.
Vesey, 23, officially became unrestricted on Tuesday, and, as expected, a slew of teams tried recruiting the high-scoring former Harvard University winger.
In addition to ... Read the full article
Jimmy Vesey should be an unrestricted free agent Tuesday. ©2016, Gil Talbot, Harvard Athletics
BUFFALO – Ten years ago, Jimmy Vesey wouldn’t have become front-page news or a household name in these parts. The Hobey Baker Award winner’s summer hockey games in Foxborough, Mass., wouldn’t have been discussed, let alone attended by fans and media members.
In an era now long gone, Vesey, whose rights the Sabres acquired June 20, would have simply been another strong prospect. Upon turning pro, the former Harvard University star would have reported ... Read the full article
The Sabres drafted Alexander Nylander on June 24. ©2016, Margaret Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – The Sabres have signed winger Alexander Nylander, the eighth overall pick last month, to a three-year, entry-level contract, the team announced tonight.
“We are extremely pleased to sign Alex to his entry-level deal,” Sabres general manager Tim Murray said in a statement. “When we selected Alex, we obviously knew he was a talented, skilled player. We look forward to him coming to training camp and competing for a job.”
On Tuesday, after ... Read the full article
Tim Murray won’t let himself worry about Jimmy Vesey. ©2016, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – The constant talk about whether former Harvard University star Jimmy Vesey will sign with the Sabres amazes general manager Tim Murray.
No one, of course, has more invested in Vesey than Murray, who traded a third-round pick for the Hobey Baker Award winner’s rights on June 20, a deal he has called a “gamble.”
If Vesey signs, Murray might have a first- or second-line winger to skate beside Jack Eichel or Ryan O’Reilly. ... Read the full article
Kyle Okposo (left) receives his Sabres jersey from general manager Tim Murray on Thursday. ©2016, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – Shortly after winger Kyle Okposo put on his new No. 21 Sabres jersey and spoke to the media Thursday morning, some of the team’s higher-ups reportedly boarded a charter flight from Prior Aviation bound for Boston.
What was the purpose of their trip? Likely a meeting with winger Jimmy Vesey, 23, the former Harvard University star whose negotiating rights the Sabres acquired June 20.
Vesey seems dead set on becoming an unrestricted ... Read the full article
