Adams - Buffalo Hockey Beat

Sabres want to re-sign goalie Linus Ullmark: ‘A priority for us’

In his third full NHL season, goalie Linus Ullmark has emerged as the Buffalo Sabres’ MVP and backbone. When a lower-body injury sidelined him almost a month earlier this year, they lost 15 straight games.

Their three other goalies this season – Carter Hutton, Jonas Johansson and Dustin Tokarski – have a combined record of 1-19-3!

The Sabres sorely need to re-sign Ullmark, who can become an unrestricted free agent following the season.

“A ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Jack Eichel will miss more time, not ruled out for season

Buffalo Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams said this afternoon that captain Jack Eichel will miss more time recovering from his upper-body injury.

Eichel, 24, has missed 18 games since suffering what appeared to be a neck injury when the New York Islanders’ Casey Cizikas hit him behind the net March 7.

Adams did not rule out Eichel returning for some late-season games.... Read the full article

Curtis Lazar shocked by trade to Bruins after rebuilding career with Sabres

Ex-Buffalo Sabres center Curtis Lazar signed a two-year contract prior to the season and quickly solidified a regular spot in the lineup, so he wasn’t expecting to be traded before this afternoon’s deadline.

“Yeah, it completely caught me off guard,” said Lazar, who was dealt to the Boston Bruins earlier today with winger Taylor Hall in exchange for forward Anders Bjork and a second-round pick in 2021.

At 11 p.m. Sunday, Lazar, 26, said he ... Read the full article

Ex-Sabre Taylor Hall grateful for trade, wanted to join Bruins for long time

In October, before winger Taylor Hall signed a one-year, $8 million contract with the Buffalo Sabres, he said he was “really close” to joining the Boston Bruins as a free agent.

“I was ready to be a Bruin and just some other things kind of didn’t work out,” Hall said on a Zoom call Monday morning hours after being traded to the Bruins. “But it was not like any hard feelings or anything like ... Read the full article

Deadline deal: Sabres trade Taylor Hall, Curtis Lazar to Bruins

Winger Taylor Hall’s decision to sign a one-year, $8 million contract with the Buffalo Sabres six months ago stunned the hockey world.

But Hall, 29, had strong reasons for choosing a team that hasn’t made the playoffs since 2011.

After two down seasons, Hall wanted another chance to play for Ralph Krueger, a coach he had thrived under with the Edmonton Oilers.

The opportunity to skate beside Sabres captain Jack Eichel also enticed Hall. ... Read the full article

Dealing Brandon Montour to Panthers likely only Sabres’ first deadline trade

BUFFALO – Defenseman Brandon Montour, like so many of the Sabres’ other notable acquisitions in recent years, left town having never sniffed the playoffs.

The Sabres on Saturday traded Montour, who turns 27 today, to the Florida Panthers in exchange for a third-round pick in 2021.

Barely two years ago, ex-Sabres general manager Jason Botterill paid a steep price for Montour, sending defense prospect Brendan Guhle and a first-round pick to the Anaheim ... Read the full article

Sabres start dealing, trade defenseman Brandon Montour to Panthers

BUFFALO – The Sabres this afternoon made their first trade before Monday’s deadline, dealing defenseman Brandon Montour to the Florida Panthers in exchange for a third-round pick in 2021.

At the end of this afternoon’s practice inside KeyBank Center, Montour, who did not skate, said goodbye to his teammates from the bench.

Montour, who turns 27 on Sunday, has registered five goals, 14 points and a minus-13 rating in 38 games this season. He signed ... Read the full article

Sabres to hold Taylor Hall out against Devils as trade deadline nears

Buffalo Sabres winger Taylor Hall, who will likely be traded before Monday’s deadline, will be held out of tonight’s road game against the New Jersey Devils, interim coach Don Granato said.

The move makes sense. Why risk an asset to injury?

Hall, 29, can become an unrestricted free agent following the season. He has a no-movement clause in the one-year, $8 million contract he signed with the Sabres.... Read the full article

Eric Staal doesn’t want to revisit past with Sabres: ‘Put that behind me’

Eric Staal was hardly interested in revisiting his rough 32-game tenure in Buffalo and explaining the hapless Sabres’ struggles.

Staal, 36, left the NHL’s laughingstock on Friday in the midst of a stunning 17-game winless skid and a personal 23-game goal drought.

So can you blame the veteran center, one of the league’s most decorated players, for wanting to forget about a tumultuous two months and concentrate on his new opportunity with the Montreal Canadiens?... Read the full article

False COVID-19 positives caused Sabres’ Don Granato, Matt Ellis to miss game

When interim Buffalo Sabres Don Granato learned on Thursday his COVID-19 test had returned positive, he said he was in disbelief.

“Quite honestly, I didn’t believe it in the sense of, I said, ‘It’s not right, it didn’t feel right,’” Granato, who received his second vaccination last week, said on a Zoom call this morning. “And I say that because I believe the protocols that have been in place have given me a level ... Read the full article