Eichel - Buffalo Hockey Beat

Sabres hit road early in 2016-17 season

BUFFALO – After the Sabres open their season Oct. 13 at home against the Montreal Canadiens, they start a four-game road trip – longer than any swing they had last season – three days later against Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers.

That’s just one notable stretch of the 82-game 2016-17 schedule the NHL released this afternoon.

The Sabres, who went 19-17-5 on the road last season, better get comfortable playing away from the First ... Read the full article

Sabres GM Tim Murray on acquiring Jimmy Vesey’s rights: ‘It’s a gamble’

BUFFALO – If Tim Murray wants to lure winger Jimmy Vesey to the Sabres, the general manager has a strong recruiter in center Jack Eichel, who’s currently playing summer hockey with the Hobey Baker Award winner in their native Massachusetts.

“We might potentially use Jack as a tool,” Murray said this morning, less than a day after acquiring Vesey’s rights from the Nashville Predators. “I guess I would be a tool not to.”

The Sabres ... Read the full article

Acquiring Jimmy Vesey’s rights could be first move of week for Sabres

BUFFALO – The Sabres’ acquisition of Hobey Baker Award winner Jimmy Vesey’s rights Monday could be the first of several notable moves general manager Tim Murray makes this NHL Draft week.

Murray, of course, has a penchant for wheeling and dealing, and with the Sabres hosting the draft and 11 picks in their arsenal, he might want to make a big splash.

The Sabres traded a 2016 third-round pick, 76^th overall, for the 6-foot-2, ... Read the full article

Sabres acquire Jimmy Vesey’s rights from Predators

BUFFALO – The Sabres today acquired the rights to Hobey Baker Award winner Jimmy Vesey from the Nashville Predators in exchange for a third-round draft pick, 76^th overall, in this weekend’s NHL Draft.

The Sabres have until Aug. 15 to sign him.

Vesey, 23, refused to sign with the Predators, who drafted the forward in the third round, 66^th overall, in 2012, following a 24-goal, 46-point senior season at Harvard University in which ... Read the full article

NHL Draft prospect Logan Brown transformed game quickly

BUFFALO – As fall turned to winter and Logan Brown kept struggling, the 6-foot-6 Windsor Spitfires center began searching for answers to his goal-scoring woes.

In his draft season, traditionally a breakout campaign for junior prospects, Brown had mustered only six goals by the 35-game mark.

“I believe he was humbled by his start, and when you get humbled like that, you look for help,” Windsor coach Rocky Thompson said.

Earlier in his career, Brown, ... Read the full article

Sabres development camp slated for July 6-12 at HarborCenter

BUFFALO – The Sabres will hold their annual summer development camp July 6-12 at HarborCenter, the team announced this afternoon.

Approximately 40 prospects, including this year’s draft picks, will participate. On-ice sessions will be open to the public. The intrasquad Blue and Gold Scrimmage will be July 9. Ticket information and other camp details will be released later.

The Sabres nearly sold out the FNC last year when center Jack Eichel, the second overall pick, ... Read the full article

Auston Matthews knows Buffalo won’t always be so welcoming

BUFFALO – This city, the site of the 2016 NHL Scouting Combine and Draft, will always hold a special place in Auston Matthews’ heart.

After the combine concludes today, hockey’s biggest prospect will return in three weeks, and barring a seismic, unexpected turn of events, the Toronto Maple Leafs will select Matthews No. 1 overall June 24 inside the First Niagara Center.

The pinnacle of his young career will always be tied to Buffalo.

The ... Read the full article

Leafs win draft lottery; Sabres will select 8th

The “Shanaplan” worked.

The Toronto Maple Leafs, who stripped down their roster this season under the direction of president Brendan Shanahan and finished dead last, won tonight’s NHL Draft Lottery.

The Leafs, who had 20 percent odds for the No. 1 overall pick, will almost certainly use it to select Arizona-raised center Auston Matthews, the prize of this year’s NHL Draft.

The Buffalo Sabres stayed put in the lottery, meaning they’ll select eighth when they ... Read the full article

Lottery should bring Sabres strong draft position

BUFFALO – Given the Sabres’ slim odds for the No. 1 overall pick in tonight’s NHL Draft Lottery in Toronto – just 6 percent, thanks to their 23^rd-place finish – they likely won’t win.

Heck, the Sabres owned the greatest odds to nab the No. 1 choice the last two years and lost both lotteries. Instead, they “settled” for the No. 2 selection, drafting young stars Jack Eichel and Sam Reinhart.

So ... Read the full article

Sabres re-sign Johan Larsson to 1-year contract

BUFFALO – The Sabres have re-signed center Johan Larsson to a one-year contract, the club announced today.

The deal is worth $950,000, according to TSN’s Bob McKenzie. Larsson, 23, was set to become a restricted free agent this summer.

The Swede just finished his most productive NHL season, compiling 10 goals and 17 points in 74 games, all career highs. His five game-winning goals tied Jack Eichel for the team lead.

After months of so-so ... Read the full article