Buffalo Hockey Beat - WNY and Buffalo NY Hockey Coverage

Trading Bowen Byram wouldn’t make much sense for Sabres

BUFFALO – You can be sure Sabres general manager Jarmo Kekalainen has been fielding calls from his counterparts inquiring about the availability of Bowen Byram, who can become an unrestricted free agent next year.

As a puck-moving defenseman fresh off a career-best 11-goal, 42-point season and some standout performances in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, Byram, 25, is a coveted asset as he enters his prime.

GMs are simply doing their due diligence. Kekalainen should listen ... Read the full article

Following injury-plagued year, Sabres trade Michael Kesselring to Sharks

Almost a year ago, the Buffalo Sabres made their biggest move of the offseason, acquiring right-shot defenseman Michael Kesselring as the centerpiece of a blockbuster trade with the Utah Mammoth.

Today, after playing just 34 games last season, Kesselring, 26, is a member of the San Jose Sharks.

The Sabres on Wednesday made their first move this offseason, trading Kesselring and the 27th overall pick in the NHL Draft on June 26 in Buffalo to ... Read the full article

Sabres lose Rochester Amerks assistant coach to Blues

Vinny Prospal, who spent the last three seasons as an assistant coach with the Rochester Americans, has joined Jim Montgomery’s staff as an assistant with the St. Louis Blues, the NHL team announced Monday.

In his tenure with the Buffalo Sabres’ AHL affiliate, Prospal, 51, played a prominent role in the development of some of their top young forwards, including Konsta Helenius, Jiri Kulich and Noah Ostlund.

This marks the first NHL coaching job ... Read the full article

Sabres captain Rasmus Dahlin named NHL Second Team All-Star, earns Hart Trophy votes

Buffalo Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin on Friday was named an NHL Second Team All-Star for the first time in his eight-year career.

Dahlin, Buffalo’s captain, registered some gaudy numbers this season, scoring 19 goals and a career-high 74 points and in 77 games as the Sabres earned their first berth in the Stanley Cup Playoffs since 2011.

The Sabres defeated the Boston Bruins in the first round before falling to the Montreal Canadiens in a ... Read the full article

In 1989, Rick Dudley fought to bring a relatively unknown coach named John Tortorella to the Buffalo Sabres

Rick Dudley said he had no idea what he would’ve done if the Sabres had said no. John Tortorella had been his right-hand man, serving as an assistant coach alongside him with the New Haven Knighthawks, the Los Angeles Kings’ top affiliate.

In the one season they had worked together, Dudley and Tortorella led a team expected to finish at the bottom of the AHL to the Calder Cup final.

Now, having earned his first ... Read the full article

Terrific season with Rochester Amerks earns Sabres’ Konsta Helenius spot on AHL Top Prospects Team

For the second consecutive year, Rochester Americans center Konsta Helenius, who finished the season with the Buffalo Sabres, has earned a spot on the AHL’s Top Prospects Team.

Helenius, who turned 20 on May 11, played his first nine NHL games this season before the Sabres recalled him from the Amerks and inserted him into the lineup in their second-round playoff series against the Montreal Canadiens.

The Finn scored 21 goals and a team-high ... Read the full article

Sabres captain Rasmus Dahlin finishes second in Masterton Trophy voting to Gabriel Landeskog

Colorado Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog on Tuesday won the Masterton Trophy for his dedication to hockey, beating out Buffalo Sabres captain Rasmus Dahlin and Winnipeg Jets center Jonathan Toews.

Landeskog, 33, underwent four major knee procedures during a three-year absence, including knee cartilage replacement surgery, before returning for the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs. He became the first player to return to the NHL after undergoing cartilage replacement.

Landeskog, who played 60 games this season, earned ... Read the full article

Flashback: Gerry Meehan explains why (and how) the Sabres traded for goalie Dominik Hasek

In 2022, as the 30th anniversary of the Dominik Hasek trade approached, I sat down with former Sabres general manager Gerry Meehan at a local golf course to discuss one of the most lopsided deals in NHL history.

How did it go down? When did the Czech first land on his radar? Could he have ever imagined Hasek would become perhaps the greatest goalie ever?

The trade, of course, was hardly a blockbuster at the ... Read the full article

Former Sabres captain and GM Gerry Meehan dies at 79

Gerry Meehan, a member of the inaugural 1970-71 Buffalo Sabres who later served as the team’s general manager and orchestrated Alexander Mogilny’s defection from the Soviet Union in 1989 and traded for Dominik Hasek, died Friday. He was 79.

As a player, Meehan, a center, spent parts of five seasons in Buffalo and assisted on the first goal in franchise history. After taking over as captain in 1971-72, he led the Sabres to their first ... Read the full article

He won’t be joining the Sabres, but you will be seeing Gavin McKenna in Buffalo

BUFFALO – Mega prospect Gavin McKenna, the presumptive No. 1 overall pick at the upcoming NHL Draft and a proud native of Whitehorse, Yukon, is likely headed to Toronto, where he should develop into one of the Maple Leafs’ cornerstones.

Whitehorse, which has population of about 35,000, is a bit smaller than the Toronto metro area, which has a population of around 6.5 million people.

“I think Toronto’s a little different than from where I’m ... Read the full article