Summer Edition
The Buffalo Sabres have just 6.5% odds to nab the top pick in tonight’s NHL Draft Lottery, so they likely won’t win the right to select winger Alexis Lafreniere, the ultra-talented prospect who has been projected to go first overall for two years.
Lafreniere is such a dynamic threat he began dominating the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League as a 16-year-old rookie, scoring a career-high 42 goals in only 60 games for Rimouski Oceanic, ... Read the full article
BUFFALO – On Thursday, the Sabres will celebrate “2000s Night,” bringing back Daniel Briere, Brian Campbell and some other key figures from their wildly successful 2005-06 and 2006-07 teams that reached the Eastern Conference final.
Ryan Miller, the star goalie those seasons, can’t make it. As the only active NHL player left from those popular clubs, he will be in Anaheim for the Ducks’ game against the Calgary Flames.
“I’m actually going to ... Read the full article
BUFFALO – The good news for the Sabres is defenseman Brandon Montour’s hand injury probably won’t sideline him too long.
While Montour will miss the rest of the preseason, Sabres coach Ralph Krueger said he should be ready “pretty soon” after the season opener Oct. 3.
The Sabres, who began training camp down three defensemen, could ill afford to lose another one, especially a point-producer capable of eating up minutes.
Then Montour, 25, left Tuesday’s ... Read the full article
Buffalo Sabres defenseman Brandon Montour was among 22 players Hockey Canada named to its roster today for the upcoming World Championship in Slovakia.
Montour, 25, will be joining Sabres winger Sam Reinhart, 23, on Team Canada. Reinhart said earlier this month he planned to represent his country.
Sabres general manager Jason Botterill, who must hire a coach to replace Phil Housley, is running Canada’s entry with Ron Francis and Ron Hextall. Montour has never represented ... Read the full article
BUFFALO – In Anaheim, Sabres defenseman Brandon Montour couldn’t play the aggressive, exciting style he has consistently showcased in his first weeks here.
The Ducks’ conservative game constrained the speedy Montour, limiting his effectiveness.
“I got kind of caught with how they want me to play, specific areas where I was just a player on the team,” Montour said Thursday inside KeyBank Center.... Read the full article
BUFFALO – On Feb. 27, Sabres prospect Alexander Nylander played his 13th straight game without scoring a goal. At that point, nearly five months into his third AHL campaign, the chances of the slick winger earning a recall looked slim.
Nylander, 21, enjoyed a strong training camp this season, nearly forcing the Sabres to keep him. The Swede parlayed that into a terrific start with the Rochester Americans, scoring six goals and 17 points ... Read the full article
TORONTO – Buffalo Sabres newcomer Brandon Montour doesn’t turn 25 for another six weeks. Over his three NHL seasons, he has established himself as the rarest of commodities: a right-handed, puck-moving defenseman.
Still, the Anaheim Ducks, who have imploded this season, dished Montour to the Sabres on Sunday, a day before the NHL trade deadline.
Not surprisingly, Montour said getting dealt has put a chip on his shoulder.
“It’s one of those things where I ... Read the full article
TORONTO – On Sunday night, Sabres general manager Jason Botterill made a significant trade for this season, sending a 2019 first-round pick and defense prospect Brendan Guhle to the Anaheim Ducks for defenseman Brandon Montour.
Think about that, the Sabres, a team seemingly in perpetual rebuilding mode, dealt futures for an established NHL player before today’s 3 p.m. trade deadline.
But for the first time since 2011-12, the Sabres are in the playoff ... Read the full article
BUFFALO – General manager Jason Botterill made a significant trade tonight to help the Sabres this season, sending a 2019 first-round pick and defense prospect Brendan Guhle to the Anaheim Ducks for defenseman Brandon Montour.
The first-round pick is the one the Sabres received from the San Jose Sharks last year, according to TSN. The Ducks have the option of taking the Sabres’ first-rounder from the St. Louis Blues if it’s between pick 20 to ... Read the full article
BUFFALO – Anaheim Ducks coach Randy Carlyle still remembers a skinny rookie named Phil Housley entering the NHL fresh out of high school in 1982.
“I can remember Phil coming here as an 18-year-old defenseman and looking and saying, ‘Holy crow, how’s this kid going to last?’”
Well, Housley lasted a long time, playing 21 seasons, including eight with the Sabres, in what would be a Hall of Fame career.
But 36 years ago, ... Read the full article
