Adams - Buffalo Hockey Beat

With UPL, Devon Levi in Buffalo, Sabres plan to add goalie depth for minors

BUFFALO – When the Sabres look for goaltending this summer, they want to add depth for their minor league affiliates, not any immediate help for the NHL.

General manager Kevyn Adams said the team’s net belongs to Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, 25, and Devon Levi, 22, next season.

“My plan is … we are going to have two real talented goaltenders playing on a nightly basis,” Adams said Thursday in KeyBank Center during media availability to discuss ... Read the full article

As Sabres enter new phase, GM Kevyn Adams open to trading first-round pick

BUFFALO – This is new for Kevyn Adams. For three years, the general manager methodically constructed the Sabres, refusing to stray from his plan.

That meant using every first-round pick – he’s had a whopping six since 2021 – and resisting any quick fixes that could hurt his blueprint for sustained success.

But the Sabres have graduated to what Adams called “another phase.” Expectations have been raised.... Read the full article

Kevyn Adams aware of rumors Sabres could buy out Jeff Skinner

BUFFALO – General manager Kevyn Adams knows there are rumors the Sabres could buy out winger Jeff Skinner, who has three seasons remaining on his eight-year, $72 million contract.

Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman on Tuesday called a buyout “a possibility,” igniting speculation about the 14-year veteran’s future.

Skinner, 32, certainly fits the criteria of a player the Sabres, who have missed the playoffs an NHL-record 13 straight seasons, would consider cutting loose.

He struggled last season, ... Read the full article

Sabres name Jerry Forton assistant GM, Chris Bergeron scout

The Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday promoted Jerry Forton to assistant general manager and named Chris Bergeron an amateur free agent scout.

Forton spent the last four seasons as Buffalo’s director of amateur scouting, helping the Sabres draft 35 players, including seven in the first round. He joined the organization in 2013 as an assistant coach. After one year in that role, he transitioned into scouting.

He has also served as an amateur scout, assistant director ... Read the full article

Jon Cooper, other NHL coaches helped Rochester Amerks’ Mike Leone grow: ‘People I lean on’

Mike Leone said he considers himself to be probably the luckiest guy in hockey.

The new Rochester Americans coach retired from playing at 28, never rising above the ECHL. But at each level of hockey during his days as a forward – junior, college and pro – he learned from someone who had been an NHL coach or would become one.

As a teenager with the Texarkana and St. Louis Bandits, Leone played for future ... Read the full article

Sabres hire Michael Leone as Rochester Amerks’ new coach

The Buffalo Sabres have hired another coach from junior hockey to be the Rochester Americans’ bench boss.

The Sabres on Thursday named Michael Leone, who spent the last two seasons as the general manager and coach of the United States Hockey League’s Green Bay Gamblers, as head coach of their AHL affiliate.

The 36-year-old replaces Seth Appert, who earned a promotion to Lindy Ruff’s staff in Buffalo last month following four seasons with the Amerks.... Read the full article

Sabres won’t sign Mats Lindgren, two other prospects

The Buffalo Sabres won’t sign three draft picks, including defenseman Mats Lindgren, a fourth-round selection in 2022, to contracts before Saturday’s deadline, the team confirmed.

The Buffalo News first reported the Sabres will relinquish the rights to Lindgren, defenseman Albert Lyckasen and center Jakub Konecny. The Sabres selected Lyckasen and Konecny in the seventh round in 2020, general manager Kevyn Adams’ first draft.... Read the full article

Seth Appert happy to join Sabres, work with Lindy Ruff; Rochester roster could look different next season

In his 27-year career, Seth Appert coached at just four places prior to his promotion to the Buffalo Sabres as an assistant. Instead of jumping at the next opportunity, he always chose to stay and build a program.

“I take a lot of pride in trying to create a culture, trying to build things the right way,” Appert, who on Monday was named to Lindy Ruff’s staff, said on a Zoom call Tuesday. “And I’m ... Read the full article

Sabres promote Rochester coach Seth Appert to assistant in Buffalo

In 2020, the Buffalo Sabres made an interesting move, hiring Seth Appert, who had spent his entire career in college and junior, to coach the Rochester Americans, their AHL affiliate.

Appert, who was coaching at the US National Team Development Program, said then he understood any skepticism that accompanied his jump to pro hockey because he had never done it before.

Today, after four seasons leading the Amerks, Appert, 49, is in the NHL.

On ... Read the full article

Dylan Cozens ‘disappointed’ himself, others during Sabres’ tough season

BUFFALO – In his fourth NHL season, center Dylan Cozens regressed offensively, scoring 13 fewer goals and 21 fewer points as the Sabres finished 12th in the Eastern Conference.

On Nov. 3, Cozens broke his nose during an ill-advised fight with heavyweight Garnet Hathaway, forcing him to miss two games. When he returned – he briefly sported a shield that hurt his vision – he scored one goal in his next 17 outings.

Cozens, 23, ... Read the full article