Bill Hoppe - Buffalo Hockey Beat

After signing contract, Sabres’ Peyton Krebs begins fight for ice time

BUFFALO – As training camp approached and Peyton Krebs remained unsigned, he finally had enough. The Sabres center told his agent he needed a new contract.

“I was just kind of taking my advice from my agent and what I needed to do, and … I just kind of said, ‘I’m done with this. Get something done. I want to be there for camp,’” Krebs said following Friday’s session of training camp.

Krebs, 23, couldn’t ... Read the full article

After trade to Sabres, shock turned to excitement for Beck Malenstyn

BUFFALO – At first, Beck Malenstyn said he felt neither excitement nor disappointment, only shock. The Sabres newcomer was drinking coffee in his in-laws’ living room outside picturesque Canmore, Alberta, when he learned he had been traded.

As a restricted free agent, Malenstyn, 26, needed a new contract from the Washington Capitals. So when their assistant general manager called him during the NHL Draft on June 29, he initially thought little of it. Then after ... Read the full article

Former Sabres captain Kyle Okposo retires from NHL

When former Buffalo Sabres captain Kyle Okposo raised the Stanley Cup on June 24 following the Florida Panthers’ emotional 2-1 win in Game 7, he ended his 17-year career in storybook fashion.

On Thursday, Okposo, who played 516 games over eight seasons for the Sabres before they traded him to the Panthers on March 8, retired from the NHL.

The affable Okposo, 36, joined the Sabres as a free agent in 2016, leaving the New ... Read the full article

Injury won’t sideline Sabres’ Rasmus Dahlin long

BUFFALO – As the Sabres practiced this morning, defenseman Rasmus Dahlin watched from the tunnel in a blue sweatshirt with the hood pulled over his baseball hat alongside some of the team’s medical staff.

Still, the Sabres can breath a sigh of relief. Coach Lindy Ruff said the “mid-body injury” Dahlin suffered in Wednesday’s opening session of training camp likely won’t sideline him long.

“Doing well,” Ruff said following practice in KeyBank Center. “Just probably ... Read the full article

Lindy Ruff begins challenging Sabres to raise standards: ‘Everyone brought it’

BUFFALO – Right away, coach Lindy Ruff stopped the drill. The Sabres had gone offside, and even in the first session of training camp, that’s a no-no.

So Ruff told his players to get it right and gathered them for a quick chat. Later in Wednesday’s practice, he called for more puck support and halted another drill.

General manager Kevyn Adams and players have been preaching accountability, and on the first day of his second ... Read the full article

Sabres notes: Rasmus Dahlin injured; Matt Savoie trade filled big need

BUFFALO – Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin’s first practice under new coach Lindy Ruff lasted just a few minutes.

Dahlin, 24, departed Wednesday’s opening session of training camp early after suffering what Ruff called a “mid-range” injury.

Ruff had no update on Dahlin, who will be examined.

“It’s just one of those things he was passing the puck and something happened,” Ruff said in KeyBank Center. “So (as a) precaution, (we) got him off.”... Read the full article

Sabres’ Rasmus Dahlin injured in first practice of training camp

BUFFALO – Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin departed the first session of training camp early after suffering what coach Lindy Ruff called a “mid-range” injury.

Ruff had no update on Dahlin, who will be examined. He departed the KeyBank Center ice less than 10 minutes into this morning’s practice.

“It’s just one of those things he was passing the puck and something happened,” Ruff said. “So (as a) precaution, (we) got him off.”... Read the full article

After signing contract, Sabres’ Peyton Krebs might have to battle for spot

BUFFALO – When the Sabres overhauled their third and fourth lines during the offseason by trading for Ryan McLeod and Beck Malenstyn and signing two free agents, center Peyton Krebs’ future here became uncertain.

Krebs, the Sabres’ last restricted free agent, is officially back for his fourth season, having signed a two-year, $2.9 million contract on Tuesday. But as training camp opens today with the first on-ice sessions in KeyBank Center, it’s unclear where he ... Read the full article

On eve of training camp, Sabres re-sign Peyton Krebs to two-year contract

On the eve of training camp, the Buffalo Sabres have inked center Peyton Krebs.

The Sabres this morning re-signed Krebs, their final restricted free agent, to a two-year, $2.9 million contract.... Read the full article

Competitive style could help Sabres prospect Jiri Kulich earn spot

BUFFALO – Having scored 51 goals over two seasons in the minors and already earned a recall to the NHL, a strong argument could’ve been made prior to the Prospects Challenge that Sabres center Jiri Kulich had outgrown the rookie tournament.

Then Kulich, 20, performed dominantly over the three games, scoring five goals, including two in Monday afternoon’s finale, an 8-5 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins in LECOM Harborcenter.

“He blew the doors off the ... Read the full article