Anderson - Buffalo Hockey Beat

NHL Free Agent Tracker: Sabres sign goalie Eric Comrie, Ilya Lyubushkin

BUFFALO – The Sabres have landed their first free agents of the day, signing goalie Eric Comrie and defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin to two-year contracts.

Comrie’s deal is worth $3.6 million. Lyubushkin’s is worth $5.5 million.

The Sabres, of course, needed to find another goalie with NHL experience. They had just two – Craig Anderson and Malcolm Subban – under contract for the upcoming season.

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Through free agency or trade, Sabres must find another goalie

BUFFALO – The Sabres possess a stable of strong goaltending prospects.

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, a Finn labeled as the Sabres’ goalie of the future, has looked impressive in his limited NHL action. While he has battled injuries and struggled at times in the minors, he’s still a terrific young talent.

The Sabres also boast Devon Levi, the NCAA’s top goalie last season at Northeastern, and drafted Topias Leinonen in the second round on Friday, ... Read the full article

In Topias Leinonen, Sabres thrilled to draft another high-end goalie prospect

MONTREAL – All along, the Buffalo Sabres planned to select a goalie this year. But there was a problem: the 2022 NHL Draft was light on net prospects.

Still, one youngster, Topias Leinonen, NHL Central Scouting’s top-ranked European goalie, caught their eye.

“We felt this guy had first- (or) second-round value,” Jerry Forton, the Sabres’ director of amateur scouting, said Friday afternoon following the draft inside the Bell Centre. “The question was do we use ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Kevyn Adams won’t ‘panic’ over goalie; Ryan Johnson to attend camp

MONTREAL – The assets available in the crowded goalie market keep dwindling every day.

Two more netminders were traded Friday at the NHL Draft, as the St. Louis Blues dealt Ville Husso to the Detroit Red Wings and the Washington Capitals dished Vitek Vanecek to the New Jersey Devils.

The Sabres, who must add another established goalie, have limited options. They tried to acquire Matt Murray from the Ottawa Senators on Thursday, but the two-time ... Read the full article

Reports: Sabres pursued trade for Senators goalie Matt Murray

MONTREAL – The Buffalo Sabres must keep looking for another goalie.

A potential deal between the Sabres and Ottawa Senators involving Matt Murray was nixed because Buffalo is on the goalie’s 10-team no-trade list, according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.

The Senators would’ve retained some of Murray’s salary and given the Sabres the seventh overall pick in tonight’s NHL Draft in exchange for the 16th selection, according to TSN’s Darren Dreger.

“The reality is we worked ... Read the full article

After re-signing Craig Anderson, Sabres must acquire more goalies

BUFFALO – When veteran goalie Craig Anderson finished his first season with the Sabres, he wanted to take some time to decompress and evaluate his future.

The Sabres felt Anderson’s impact – in addition to stabilizing their net, he established himself as a leader and mentor on the rebuilding club – and sorely wanted him back for another season.

But Anderson, 41, needed to talk to his family and see how his body felt before ... Read the full article

Sabres re-sign goalie Craig Anderson to one-year contract

BUFFALO – The Sabres this morning re-signed 41-year-old goalie Craig Anderson to a one-year, $1.5 million contract.

The 2022-23 season will be Anderson’s 20th in the NHL.

During his end-of-season chat with the media, Anderson said he was undecided on whether he would retire.

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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

Craig Anderson enjoyed ‘amazing’ year with Sabres, undecided on retirement

BUFFALO – If goalie Craig Anderson was in his mid-30s instead of two weeks away from turning 41, re-signing with the Sabres would be a no-brainer.

“If I was five years younger, that would be the ideal situation right now,” Anderson said Saturday of returning to the Sabres. “Yeah, the respect that I received as a player, the respect the players in the room get from management, from the coaching staff. You want to be ... Read the full article

Upstart Sabres believe they’ve started something special: ‘A different feeling’

BUFFALO – Before center Zemgus Girgensons reported to the rink Saturday morning, his wife, Katie, asked him what he would tell the Sabres’ brass during his end-of-season meetings.

Girgensons, the Sabres’ longest-tenured player, experienced a lot of losing and turmoil over his eight NHL seasons, so in previous years, he had plenty of gripes to share before he left town for the summer.

“Usually in the morning, you’re trying to gather thoughts of all the ... Read the full article