Adams | Buffalo Hockey Beat

Sabres sign prospect Filip Cederqvist to entry-level contract

The Buffalo Sabres on Monday signed forward Filip Cederqvist, a fifth-round pick in 2019, 143rd overall, to a two-year, entry-level contract.

Cederqvist, 21, spent all of the 2021-22 season with Djurgardens IF, scoring 14 goals and 32 points in 49 games. His career-high offensive totals ranked second on the Swedish Hockey League team.

The 6-foot-2, 207-pound Cederqvist has compiled 19 goals and 42 points in 115 career SHL games.

... Read the full article

Sabres trade for injured goalie Ben Bishop, add salary

The Buffalo Sabres on Friday acquired injured goalie Ben Bishop from the Dallas Stars, a move that will help them reach the salary floor next season.

The Sabres also received a seventh-round pick in 2022 in exchange for future considerations.

A degenerative right knee injury ended Bishop’s playing days last season and the Stars placed him on long-term injured reserve. He has one year remaining on his contract with a salary cap hit of $4,916,667, ... Read the full article

After rough stints with Sabres, goalie Aaron Dell found game with Amerks

ROCHESTER – Goalie Aaron Dell arrived in Buffalo nine months ago as perhaps the favorite to win the Sabres’ backup job before enduring a miserable preseason and getting waived.

When an opportunity materialized to play in the NHL a month later, Dell struggled so badly the Sabres acquired another netminder and demoted him to the AHL again.

Dell, 33, compiled downright awful statistics – a 1-8-1 mark with a 4.03 goals-against average and an ... Read the full article

After special season in Buffalo, Sabres’ Alex Tuch wants to reach higher level

BUFFALO – Nearly seven months later, the novelty of playing for the Sabres, the team he passionately rooted for growing up, hasn’t worn off for winger Alex Tuch.

In the back of his mind, Tuch had hoped an opportunity to join the Sabres would materialize someday, perhaps at the end of his career. Then on Nov. 4, the Vegas Golden Knights sent him to Buffalo as part of the blockbuster Jack Eichel trade.

Tuch, ... Read the full article

Sabres sign prospect Aleksandr Kisakov to entry-level contract

The Buffalo Sabres have signed winger Aleksandr Kisakov, a second-round pick in 2021, 53rd overall, to a three-year, entry-level contract, the team announced Wednesday.

Kisakov, 19, led Dynamo Moskva, a junior MHL team in his native Russia, with 56 points and ranked second with 26 goals in 2021-22. He had a team-high seven points, all assists, in six playoff contests.

The 5-foot-10, 150-pound Kisakov also earned a four-game recall to Dynamo’s parent club in the ... Read the full article

Sabres stay put in NHL Draft Lottery, have top-10 pick again

For the 10th straight year, the Buffalo Sabres will have a top-10 pick in the NHL Draft.

The Sabres stayed put in Tuesday’s NHL Draft Lottery, receiving the ninth and 16th overall selections.

After finishing 24th overall, the Sabres had just 5 percent odds – the ninth-highest in the lottery – for the top pick.... Read the full article

After sitting out late, will popular Mark Pysyk return to Sabres?

BUFFALO – By the end of the season, after five months of regular duty, Sabres defenseman Mark Pysyk morphed into a spare part.

Down the stretch, the Sabres utilized a blue line comprised entirely of youngsters – Casey Fitzgerald, at just 25, was the oldest defenseman – so Pysyk, Will Butcher and Colin Miller rarely played.

The Sabres scratched Pysyk 13 times over a 22-game stretch, including eight straight contests, before he returned for last ... Read the full article

GM Kevyn Adams has plans for Sabres’ three first-round picks

BUFFALO – As the owner of three first-round picks this year, Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams has accumulated some substantial draft capital.

If Adams offers one or two of the selections in a trade, he can likely acquire some established talent that might help the upstart Sabres right away.

But Adams, as he has demonstrated throughout the last year, plans to keep exercising patience.... Read the full article

What will Sabres do with captaincy next season?

BUFFALO – The Sabres’ decision to forego naming a captain this season and use veterans Kyle Okposo and Zemgus Girgensons as alternates paid dividends.

The rebuilding team quickly came together, and players have expressed the dynamic in the dressing room allows everyone to be themselves.

“When you look at this season, we wanted to be careful to put too much on one guy, especially as we were building and transitioning into this phase,” Adams said ... Read the full article

Sabres prospect Ryan Johnson ‘leaning’ toward returning to Minnesota

BUFFALO – Sabres defense prospect Ryan Johnson has indicated he would like to return to Minnesota for his senior season, general manager Kevyn Adams said.

Adams said the Sabres have “had conversations” with Johnson, the 31st overall pick in 2019, about turning pro.

“It’s open-ended a little bit,” Adams said of Johnson’s status Tuesday during his end-of-season news conference at KeyBank Center. “But he’s indicated where he’s at right now, the team they have, the ... Read the full article