WNY and Buffalo NY Hockey Coverage
Draft Week Edition
Matt Ellis will be Rochester’s captain if he’s not with the Sabres. ©2013, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – The Sabres have re-signed Matt Ellis to a two-year, two-way contract, the club announced this afternoon.
If he doesn’t crack the NHL, the hardworking forward is set to become the Rochester Americans’ captain again, a role he earned last season after getting sent to the AHL in February.
The respected 31-year-old, who joined the Sabres off waivers from Los Angeles in 2008, has 16 goals and 31 points in 267 NHL games.
Ellis ... Read the full article
Because of his size, Nathan Gerbe (42) must battle players like Zdeno Chara, who are more than a foot taller than him. ©2013, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – Nathan Gerbe’s Sabres career is over.
The team placed the diminutive winger on waivers today for the purpose of buying him out if he doesn’t clear, his agent, Jordan Neumann, told the Times Herald.
When asked if Gerbe had any warning, Neumann replied, “Absolutely none.” The Sabres still hadn’t contacted Neumann as of early this afternoon. Sabres general manager Darcy Regier said Tuesday he had no plans for buyouts.
Gerbe was scheduled to ... Read the full article
Ron Rolston spent about two months searching for an assistant. ©2013, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – Nearly two months had passed since the rebuilding Sabres fired assistant coaches Kevyn Adams and James Patrick. The replacement process, coach Ron Rolston acknowledged, “dragged on.” Two men he offered a job to turned it down.
“We wanted to make sure that we did the right thing,” Rolston said Tuesday inside the First Niagara Center while discussing Joe Sacco’s hiring as an assistant coach. “We wanted to make sure we were patient ... Read the full article
Darcy Regier talks Sunday at the NHL Entry Draft. ©2013, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – For now at least, starting goalie Ryan Miller and slick winger Thomas Vanek, two veteran stars entering the final seasons of their contracts, are still members of the Sabres.
Sabres general manager Darcy Regier said Tuesday he has spoken to the players’ agents and both sides plan to continue chatting.
“As I’ve stated before, it’s incumbent upon me to have a sense of what the marketplace is or re-sign them versus allowing them ... Read the full article
Ron Rolston has been looking for a new assistant coach. ©2013, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – The Sabres have hired former Colorado Avalanche coach Joe Sacco an assistant, the team announced this afternoon.
General manager Darcy Regier said earlier today Sabres coach Ron Rolston had “zeroed in on a candidate.”
When some outlets began reporting Sacco had been hired, the Sabres officially announced the move.
Sacco coached the Avs for four seasons, going 130-134-30 before getting fired after a 16-25-7 finish in 2012-13. The 44-year-old, a veteran of 738 ... Read the full article
Ryan Miller’s situation remains in the air. ©2013, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – For now at least, starting goalie Ryan Miller and slick winger Thomas Vanek, two veteran stars entering the final seasons of their contracts, are still members of the Sabres.
Sabres general manager Darcy Regier said this morning he has spoken to the players’ agents and both sides plan to continue chatting.
“As I’ve stated before, it’s incumbent upon me to have a sense of what the marketplace is or re-sign them versus allowing ... Read the full article
J.T. Compher (left) and Connor Hurley pose Sunday after being selected in the second round. ©2013, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
NEWARK, N.J. – More on the Buffalo Sabres’ 2013 NHL Entry Draft selections the Times Herald couldn’t get to earlier:
The Sabres went heavy on college-eligible players by design, using five of their 11 picks on them.
“With so many picks and our contract situation, you don’t want to waste those picks because their contracts all come up at the same time,” amateur scouting director Kevin Devine explained Sunday on the Prudential Center floor after ... Read the full article
Nikita Zadorov couldn’t stop smiling after the Sabres selected him Sunday. ©2013, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
NEWARK, N.J. – It was “pretty close,” general manager Darcy Regier said. The rebuilding Buffalo Sabres could’ve moved up to the No. 5 slot during the NHL Entry Draft, perhaps picked a familiar name the team’s fans had been drooling over.
Ultimately, however, the Sabres decided trading with Carolina wasn’t worth the steep cost. Instead, they kept the eighth overall pick, grabbing big defensemen Rasmus Ristolainen to start their busy day.
“We just thought we’d ... Read the full article
Justin Bailey fields questions Sunday. ©2013, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
NEWARK, N.J. – The memory is seared in Justin Bailey’s mind. The Williamsville native vividly remembers watching from his grandparents’ house as Brett Hull’s disputed “No Goal” eliminated his favorite team, the Buffalo Sabres, from the 1999 Stanley Cup final.
“It was crushing for me,” Bailey said Sunday inside the Prudential Center minutes after the Sabres selected him 52nd overall with their third second-round pick in the NHL Entry Draft.
Even as a 3-year-old, ... Read the full article
Justin Bailey grew up loving the Sabres. ©2013, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
NEWARK, N.J. – The memory is seared in Justin Bailey’s mind. The Williamsville native vividly remembers watching from his grandparents’ house as Brett Hull’s disputed “No Goal” eliminated his favorite team, the Buffalo Sabres, from the 1999 Stanley Cup final.
“It was crushing for me,” Bailey said tonight inside the Prudential Center minutes after the Sabres selected him 52nd overall with their third second-round pick in the NHL Entry Draft.
Even as a 3-year-old, ... Read the full article