Bill Hoppe - Buffalo Hockey Beat

Sabres sign Ryan O’Reilly to 7-year, $52.5 million contract extension

BUFFALO – That didn’t take long. A week after the Sabres acquired Ryan O’Reilly in a blockbuster trade with the Colorado Avalanche, they locked up their new No. 1 center with a max deal Friday, a whopping seven-year, $52.5 million contract extension.

It’s the biggest contract in franchise history, surpassing the seven-year, $50 million deal the Sabres gave winger Thomas Vanek in 2007 when they matched the Edmonton Oilers’ offer sheet.

The contract has a ... Read the full article

Sabres add more defense depth, sign Carlo Colaiacovo

BUFFALO – The Sabres added another left-handed defenseman in free agency today, signing Carlo Colaiacovo to a one-year contract.

The deal is worth $900,000 – an $800,000 base salary and a $100,000 signing bonus – according to CBC’s Tim Wharnsby.

The 6-foot-1, 200-pound Colaiacovo, the 17^th overall pick by the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2001, has 33 goals and 152 points in 434 NHL games. He spent last season with the Philadelphia Flyers, compiling ... Read the full article

Sabres sign Ryan O’Reilly to massive contract extension

BUFFALO – That didn’t take long. A week after the Sabres acquired Ryan O’Reilly in a blockbuster trade with the Colorado Avalanche, they locked up their new No. 1 center today with a max deal, a whopping seven-year, $52.5 million contract extension.

That’s an average annual value of $7.5 million.

According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, who tweeted the contract’s value, O’Reilly’s salary will be $1 million per season. The rest will be paid via a ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Matt Donovan NHL’s first Oklahoman

BUFFALO – Growing up in Oklahoma, Matt Donovan never thought about playing in the NHL, a league far away from Edmond, the Oklahoma City suburb he grew up in. Besides, no one from the Sooner State had ever cracked hockey’s best league.

“Being in Oklahoma, no kid really had that dream,” said Donovan, a defenseman who signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Sabres on Wednesday.

But Donovan was drawn to the game. His father, ... Read the full article

Sabres sign Bobby Sanguinetti to two-way contract

BUFFALO – The Sabres added more defense depth in free agency today, signing Bobby Sanguinetti to a one-year, two-way contract.

The 6-foot-3, 190-pound Sanguinetti spent all of last season with the Utica Comets, scoring 16 goals and 40 points in 61 games. He also led all AHL defensemen in playoff scoring with three goals and 14 points in 23 contests.

The 27-year-old, the 21^st overall pick by the New York Rangers in 2006, has ... Read the full article

Jack Eichel happy to join Sabres: ‘There’s such a bright future here’

BUFFALO – Before Sabres center Jack Eichel left for his three-week gig with Team USA’s entry at the world championship in the spring, the 18-year-old had some doubts he was ready for the NHL.

But the short experience in the Czech Republic taught Eichel some valuable lessons. He talked to guys, developed a sense of what it’s like to be a pro and gained confidence standing out on the ice against men, many of whom ... Read the full article

Sabres notes: GM Tim Murray adds AHL standouts for Amerks

BUFFALO – Tim Murray has spoken about the need for the Rochester Americans to improve following an awful season. The general manager left no doubt he was serious Wednesday, signing two notable AHL players to two-way deals – defenseman Matt Donovan and winger Jason Akeson – for the Sabres’ top affiliate.

“I think they bring depth,” Murray said inside the First Niagara Center.

Otherwise, the Sabres stayed quiet on the first day of free agency. ... Read the full article

Jack Eichel signs entry-level contract with Sabres

BUFFALO – It’s official: Jack Eichel will play for the Sabres next season. The 18-year-old is turning pro.

Eichel, the second overall pick Friday, signed a three-year, entry-level deal today and will leave Boston University after one season.

It was widely expected Eichel would join the NHL. The center spoke glowingly about the city and team after getting drafted, saying he wanted to be a part of the Sabres. Players of his caliber ... Read the full article

Report: Sabres sign Cal O’Reilly to one-way deal

BUFFALO – The Sabres have signed an O’Reilly. It’s probably not the one you’re thinking of, however.

The team inked center Cal O’Reilly, Ryan O’Reilly’s older brother, to a two-year, one-way deal worth $700,000 per season this afternoon, according to TSN’s Bob McKenzie.

Update: Sabres general manager Tim Murray said this afternoon the Sabres have not signed O’Reilly. The two sides have talked. Murray said Sabres have signed winger Jason Akeson.

Cal O’Reilly, an AHL ... Read the full article

Goalie Robin Lehner ready to become Sabres’ starter

BUFFALO – Having developed in the Ottawa organization when Tim Murray was the Senators’ assistant general manager, new Sabres goalie Robin Lehner knows the Buffalo GM well.

“He’s got a very nice smiling face,” Lehner joked about the notoriously serious Murray during a conference call Tuesday. “You guys can see that a whole lot. He’s a very serious guy to handle.”

Kidding aside, the two share a mutual respect. When the Sabres needed a starting ... Read the full article