O'Reilly - Buffalo Hockey Beat

5 storylines to follow during Sabres training camp

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

Sabres’ Ryan O’Reilly added to Canada’s World Cup roster

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

Jimmy Vesey signs with Rangers

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’s hype the product of modern times

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

Sabres GM Tim Murray knows Jimmy Vesey could sign elsewhere

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

Impaired driving charge against Sabres’ Ryan O’Reilly dropped

The impaired driving case against Buffalo Sabres center Ryan O’Reilly was dropped by the Crown this morning shortly after his trial began, according to the London Free Press.

The only identification witness couldn’t place O’Reilly at the Tim Hortons the Ontario Provincial Police said he fled after driving his pickup into on July 9, 2015, according to the paper.

Following the alleged incident, O’Reilly, 25, was arrested and charged with impaired driving and leaving the ... Read the full article

Kyle Okposo knows Jimmy Vesey would fit with Sabres

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

Sabres’ Kyle Okposo sees similarities in Jack Eichel, John Tavares

BUFFALO – Sabres winger Kyle Okposo was beginning his third pro season when the New York Islanders, fresh off a disastrous campaign, welcomed No. 1 overall pick John Tavares.

Over the years, Okposo witnessed Tavares’ rapid development from a raw prospect into one of the NHL’s premier centers.

Now, seven years later, Okposo has another rare opportunity to watch – and even help – Sabres center Jack Eichel, the No. 2 pick in 2015, become ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Kyle Okposo revamped approach after poor season

BUFFALO – Three years ago, after his production plummeted to four goals and 24 points in the lockout-shortened 48-game season, Kyle Okposo started fretting.

Okposo knew he had accomplished some good things in his four seasons with the New York Islanders. Still, after following up a 24-goal campaign with an awful season, he learned he lacked consistency.

So he seriously examined his career.

“I just felt that I was kind of being pushed into a ... Read the full article

Sabres sign Kyle Okposo to 7-year contract

BUFFALO – Winger Kyle Okposo, arguably the best free agent available, signed a seven-year, $42 million contract with the Sabres shortly after the market opened this afternoon, according to multiple reports.

The signing is significant. Just 15 months removed from their second consecutive 30^th-place finish, the Sabres, who improved 27 points last season, secured a strong talent to play beside centers Jack Eichel or Ryan O’Reilly.

Okposo is coming off a 22-goal, 64-point ... Read the full article