WNY and Buffalo NY Hockey Coverage
Free Agency Edition
Tim Murray talks to the media this afternoon. ©2015, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – Here are some highlights from Sabres general manager Tim Murray’s chat with the media after making four deals before the 3 p.m. trade deadline.
The deals netted the Sabres one NHL player, backup goalie Chad Johnson. Centers Brian Flynn and Torrey Mitchell, goalie Michal Neuvirth and winger Chris Stewart were traded.
On what type of day it was:
“Was it a good day? It’s never a good day to give good people away. ... Read the full article
Chris Stewart has 11 goals this season. ©2015, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – The Sabres have traded winger Chris Stewart to the Minnesota Wild for a 2017 second-round pick.
The 27-year-old, a free agent following the season, has 11 goals and 25 points in 61 games this season.
According to Minneapolis Star-Tribune’s Mike Russo, the Sabres are picking up half of Stewart’s salary.
The trade deadline has passed. Stay tuned for more details.
The Sabres have become regular deadline partners with Minnesota, sending the Wild Jason ... Read the full article
Torrey Mitchell (17) celebrates with Mike Weber (6) and Zach Bogosian (47) last week. ©2015, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – The Sabres have traded center Torrey Mitchell to the Montreal Canadiens.
The 30-year-old, a free agent following the season, has six goals and 13 points in 51 games this season. Mitchell is from Montreal.
Stay tuned for more details.
Update: The Sabres received forward prospect Jack Nevins and a 2016 seventh-round pick. Nevins is a 6-foot-2, 205-pound 21-year-old with zero points and 88 penalty minutes in 32 games with the AHL Hamilton Bulldogs ... Read the full article
Michal Neuvirth has played well recently. ©2015, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – The Sabres have traded goalie Michal Neuvirth to the New York Islanders for goalie Chad Johnson and a 2016 third-round pick.
The Sabres dealt Neuvirth, an unrestricted free agent following the season, despite some impressive starts in recent weeks. The 26-year-old is 6-17-1 with a 2.99 goals-against average and a .918 save percentage in 27 games this season. He posted a .942 save percentage in eight straight starts since taking over as the ... Read the full article
Brian Flynn (65) skates around Dallas’ Alex Goligoski last month. ©2015, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – Less than three years ago, Brian Flynn was an undrafted and mostly unknown prospect at the University of Maine. The versatile forward’s signing with the Sabres barely registered with the fan base.
But Flynn quickly and quietly worked himself into a strong NHL prospect.
After less than a season in Rochester, Flynn debuted with the Sabres in 2012-13. The 26-year-old played regularly until they dealt him to the Montreal Canadiens for a fifth-round ... Read the full article
Brian Flynn has played 159 NHL games. ©2015, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – The Sabres have traded center Brian Flynn to the Montreal Canadiens for a fifth-round pick in 2016.
Flynn has five goals and 17 points in 54 games this season. The 26-year-old, a free agent from the University of Maine, signed with Sabres in 2012.
The Boston native has 17 goals and 41 points in 159 NHL games.
Flynn, a strong checker who can play center and wing, played 15 minutes, 53 seconds a ... Read the full article
Chris Stewart skates between Vancouver’s Eddie Lack (31) and Luca Sbisa (5) on Thursday. ©2015, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – Sabres winger Chris Stewart will leave town with no regrets, he said. Despite some tough times in Buffalo, he enjoyed playing here.
The Sabres will likely deal the honest veteran today before the 3 p.m. trade deadline, ending his one-year run with the rebuilding club. He’s excited about the fresh opportunity a trade could bring him.
A year ago at the deadline, St. Louis, a team built to win the Stanley Cup, dealt ... Read the full article
Mark Pysyk played three games with the Sabres last week. ©2015, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – Sabres prospect Mark Pysyk was released from the hospital on Saturday after collapsing during a pickup basketball game earlier in the day.
In a short statement, the Rochester Americans said Pysyk “is doing well.” Pysyk has had no known medical issues since the Sabres drafted him 23rd overall in 2010.
The 23-year-old defenseman dropped to his knees and collapsed Saturday morning, according to the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle. A person with ... Read the full article
Mark Pysyk played in Rochester on Friday. ©2015, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – Sabres prospect Mark Pysyk collapsed this morning during a pickup basketball game with his Rochester teammates and was rushed to Strong Memorial Hospital, according the Democrat and Chronicle’s Kevin Oklobzija.
Update: Pysyk has been released for the hospital and is doing “well,” according to the team.
The paper quoted a person with knowledge of the situation as saying Pysyk “was fairly alert” and “his vital signs were close to normal” on the ... Read the full article
Torrey Mitchell has become the Sabres’ No. 2 center. ©2015, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – On another team, Torrey Mitchell would simply be a checker, a speedy asset on the third or fourth line. The Sabres’ dearth of top talent has helped the 30-year-old morph into the rebuilding club’s No. 2 center.
Sabres coach Ted Nolan has been leaning on Mitchell, skating him more than 15 minutes a night. Mitchell has never enjoyed so many responsibilities or played so much in his eight-year career.
But this afternoon’s road ... Read the full article