Bill Hoppe - Buffalo Hockey Beat

Sabres’ Jack Eichel day-to-day with upper-body injury

Buffalo Sabres captain Jack Eichel will miss the first practice of training camp today and is day-to-day after sustaining an upper-body injury while training, the team announced this morning.

Center Casey Mittelstadt is subbing for Eichel between newcomer Taylor Hall and Victor Olofsson on the top line, according to The Buffalo News’ Lance Lysowski.

Meanwhile, goalie Linus Ullmark will miss the session because he’s quarantining because of an immigration issue, according to the team. Ullmark ... Read the full article

Sabres prepared for unexpected as training camp opens during pandemic

Short training camps are nothing new for Ralph Krueger.

Krueger spent 13 years leading Team Switzerland at major international tournaments. He coached Team Europe to the final of the 2016 World Cup of Hockey, a gig that helped him land in Buffalo. Prior to joining the Sabres, his only season as an NHL head coach, 2012-13, began in January following a lockout.

Krueger had about a week to begin putting his mark on the ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Jack Eichel impressed with Kevyn Adams, excited for Bills’ success

Over the past few months, Buffalo Sabres captain Jack Eichel has sat down with Kevyn Adams a few times and began to build a relationship with his new general manager.

Getting to know Adams, the third GM of Eichel’s six-year career, has been an enjoyable experience. Eichel said on a Zoom call Wednesday he has found him easy to connect with and enjoyed “a lot of really, really productive conversations with him.”

Through their chats, ... Read the full article

Report: Sabres hire former defenseman Dan Girardi for player development role

The Buffalo Sabres have hired former NHL defenseman Dan Girardi, who played 927 games, for a player development role, according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.

Girardi, 36, grew up in Welland, Ontario, with Matt Ellis, the Sabres’ new director of player development. The two are close friends.

Despite going undrafted, Girardi, who began his career in the ECHL, played 13 seasons in the NHL. He spent 11 years with the New York Rangers before playing ... Read the full article

AHL approves structural framework for season to begin Feb. 5

The American Hockey League offered little information, only saying the structural framework for a season that will begin Feb. 5 has been approved.

Details, the league said in a statement Wednesday, are still being worked out as the COVID-19 pandemic keeps ravaging North America.

The schedule will likely be significantly shorter. The four Canadian teams will almost certainly be grouped into their own division. Some teams could opt out for the year.

Count on it ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Kevyn Adams, Ralph Krueger know season will present challenges

Ralph Krueger’s ability to communicate with his players might be his greatest strength as a coach, so the idea of holding team meetings through Zoom or another video program doesn’t appeal much to him.

“Believe it or not, this is maybe how the odd team meeting will be happening this season,” Krueger said on a Zoom call Tuesday to discuss training camp, which opens Thursday when players report for testing and physicals.

In normal times, ... Read the full article

Sabres could have time to evaluate Dylan Cozens during training camp

In Team Canada’s opener at the World Junior Championship, Buffalo Sabres prospect Dylan Cozens helped the powerhouse demolish a short-handed German squad, scoring three goals and six points in a 16-2 victory.

“It’s a great start for him in the World Juniors, and I love the fact that’s he’s a go-to guy there,” Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams said on a Zoom call Tuesday to discuss training camp, which opens Thursday.

But a night later, ... Read the full article

Sabres sign Riley Sheahan to PTO

Veteran center Riley Sheahan will be joining the Buffalo Sabres for training camp on a professional tryout contract, the team announced today.

Sheahan, 29, spent last season with the Edmonton Oilers, compiling eight goals, 15 points and a minus-14 rating in 66 games.

The Notre Dame product offers the Sabres depth down the middle and another penalty killer. The Sabres’ penalty killing ranked 30th last season.

“He’s a veteran … he has very good faceoff ... Read the full article

Sabres release training camp roster, schedule; 37 players to participate

On Friday, the Buffalo Sabres will touch the KeyBank Center ice for the first time in 296 days and begin preparing for the most unusual of seasons.

The NHL will be attempting to play during the COVID-19 pandemic, and it will likely experience problems – positive tests, postponements or even cancellations – as the schedule unfolds.

But those potential roadblocks can be examined another day. The Sabres’ 10-month break is nearly over. Training camp officially ... Read the full article

Reports: Sabres place Jean-Sebastien Dea on waivers

The Buffalo Sabres placed forward Jean-Sebastien Dea on waivers today, according to reports.

Dea, 26, is entering the second season of a two-year, one-way contract worth $1.4 million.

The Sabres, of course, would probably like to shed Dea’s $700,000 salary. Teams have until noon Tuesday to claim him.

If Dea stays in the organization, he is expected to provide depth, perhaps on the new taxi squad the NHL has implemented because of the COVID-19 pandemic ... Read the full article