WNY and Buffalo NY Hockey Coverage
October Edition
Kevyn Adams has been active on the waiver wire. ©2021, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – The Sabres added depth to their defense corps today, claiming Christian Wolanin off waivers from the Los Angeles Kings.
The move comes a day after the Sabres announced they will be without defenseman Henri Jokiharju for at least two weeks after he suffered a lower-body injury in Thursday’s 5-1 season-opening win over the Montreal Canadiens.
With Jokiharju injured, the Sabres had only six defensemen on the roster before claiming Wolanin.
To make room ... Read the full article
Robert Hagg joined Buffalo on July 23. ©2021, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – Sabres newcomer Robert Hagg knew the Philadelphia Flyers would aggressively overhaul their roster. Instead of contending for the Stanley Cup last season, they imploded after a hot start, finishing a disappointing sixth in the East Division.
“The year we had last year was awful with Philly,” said Hagg, who was acquired July 23 in exchange for defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen and two high draft picks. “So we kind of knew that something was going ... Read the full article
Sean Malone could have opportunities in Buffalo this season. ©2021, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – For one season, Sean Malone enjoyed having a fresh set of eyes examine him. The Sabres center impressed the Nashville Predators so much he earned a stint on their taxi squad and a one-game promotion to the active roster.
In just his second NHL outing and first in nearly four years, Malone recorded his first point Feb. 9, an assist.
Mostly, however, Malone toiled in the minors, playing 23 games for the Chicago ... Read the full article
Zemgus Girgensons is the longest-tenured Sabre. ©2021, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – Over the years, Zemgus Girgensons grew close to Rasmus Ristolainen and Sam Reinhart, two of his many ex-Sabres teammates.
Girgensons and Ristolainen joined the NHL together as teenage rookies in 2013. Reinhart arrived two years later.
Before the Sabres traded them in July, they became a part of Girgensons’ everyday life. In his first days back at the rink this season, he still expects to see them.
“I walk around and I think ... Read the full article
Jack Eichel wants to be traded. ©2021, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – So much for getting any clarity on Jack Eichel’s uncertain future.
Sure, Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams relayed some new information Thursday as training camp opened. The injured star, as expected, failed his physical. Not surprisingly, he was also stripped of his captaincy.
But nearly seven months after Eichel injured his neck, there appears to be no resolution on the horizon.
Eichel, 24, still refuses to have the fusion surgery the team’s doctors ... Read the full article
Jack Eichel wants to have artificial disc replacement surgery. ©2021, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – Sabres center Jack Eichel was stripped of his captaincy Tuesday and later failed his training camp physical, general manager Kevyn Adams said this morning.
Eichel, who has a herniated disc in his neck, still refuses to have the fusion surgery the team’s doctors have recommended, Adams said.
“We had an easy solution,” Adams said of the fusion surgery. “We would’ve acted on it.”
What happens next is unclear. Eichel, 24, wants to have ... Read the full article
Jack Eichel’s status for the season is uncertain. ©2021, Micheline Veluvolu
When Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams addresses the media this morning, questions about injured captain Jack Eichel’s uncertain status will dominate the season-opening news conference.
Did Eichel pass his training camp physical Wednesday? Will the ultra-talented center have surgery to repair his herniated disc? Does he have a future in Buffalo?
Throughout the offseason, the Sabres remained tight-lipped about Eichel’s neck injury and any plans they have to grant his wish and trade him. But ... Read the full article
Buffalo drafted Rasmus Dahlin first overall in 2018. ©2021, Micheline Veluvolu
Over the final weeks last season, defenseman Rasmus Dahlin shook off a ghastly three-month slump, morphing into the Buffalo Sabres’ most dynamic presence some games.
Dahlin, 21, started playing confidently again, showcasing a calmer, more composed style while utilizing his speed and embracing the physical side.
His transformation under new coach Don Granato illustrated that despite some struggles, he possesses the talent to develop into one of the NHL’s premier defensemen.
In the near ... Read the full article
Jack Eichel played only 21 games last season. ©2021, Micheline Veluvolu
OK, so maybe Jack Eichel hasn’t played his last game for the Buffalo Sabres. Perhaps later this season, if the captain undergoes neck surgery, he could wear blue and gold again.
That thought, of course, seemed preposterous not long ago. Eichel wants to be traded. The relationship between the Sabres and their frustrated star seems to have suffered irreparable damage over his desire to have artificial disc replacement surgery, a procedure the team won’t ... Read the full article
Jack Quinn played 15 games as a rookie with Rochester. ©2021, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – Jack Quinn acclimated to center right away as a rookie, recording two assists in his debut. Had the Sabres prospect not undergone season-ending hernia surgery in April, he would’ve closed the AHL campaign pivoting a line.
“He … was very, very good at it,” Rochester Americans coach Seth Appert said of Quinn’s two-game stint at center.
So Quinn, the eighth overall pick last year as a right wing, will be playing center during ... Read the full article