Asplund - Buffalo Hockey Beat

NHL debut will be emotional for Sabres rookie Rasmus Asplund

BUFFALO – Rasmus Asplund knows it will be difficult to keep his emotions in check today. Not only is the Sabres center set to make his NHL debut, it’s also Hockey Fights Cancer Night at KeyBank Center.

“Cancer is something that’s close to my heart,” Asplund said this morning after the Sabres prepared for the Ottawa Senators.

Both of Asplund’s grandparents on his father’s side passed away from cancer.

“It’s going to be hard,” said ... Read the full article

Sabres summon Rasmus Asplund; Johan Larsson ‘possibility’ for Saturday

BUFFALO – When the Sabres sent center Rasmus Asplund to the Rochester Americans following an impressive training camp, it felt like he would return to the NHL soon.

Asplund, 21, turned heads during the preseason, earning a long look from the Sabres. The Swedish prospect figured to be in line for his first recall.

Sure enough, with center Johan Larsson nursing an upper-body injury, the Sabres summoned Asplund this morning.

Larsson is day-to-day, according to ... Read the full article

Sabres recall prospect Rasmus Asplund from Amerks

BUFFALO – The reeling Sabres, losers of six straight games, recalled center Rasmus Asplund from the Rochester Americans this morning.

The 5-foot-11, 190-pound Asplund, 21, could make his NHL debut Saturday against the Ottawa Senators at KeyBank Center.

The Sabres, having gone 1-5-2 following their scorching 8-1-1 start, need any spark they can get. They’re 0-4-2 in their last six outings.

Asplund, a second-round pick in 2016, 33rd overall, is one of the Sabres’ top ... Read the full article

Sabres prospect Tage Thompson could dominate AHL with Amerks

BUFFALO – During his 11-game run in Rochester late last season, Sabres prospect Tage Thompson often looked dominant, utilizing his big body and talents to score eight goals.

Thompson, 21, probably should’ve spent most of the campaign with the Americans. But the Sabres, perhaps to show they had something from the Ryan O’Reilly trade, kept the 6-foot-6 winger in the NHL.

So instead of thriving in the AHL, Thompson stayed in Buffalo until late March, ... Read the full article

Sabres trim roster by waiving four players, sending three to Amerks

BUFFALO – The Sabres waived four players today and sent three others – most notably winger Tage Thompson – to the AHL, moves that give them 21 healthy players.

The players waived – forwards Remi Elie, Curtis Lazar and Scott Wilson and defenseman Casey Nelson – all have at least 93 games of NHL experience.

In addition to Thompson, they assigned center Rasmus Asplund and defenseman Lawrence Pilut to the Rochester Americans. Pilut is still ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Marcus Johansson learned from short tenure with Bruins

BUFFALO – Counting 22 postseason appearances, forward Marcus Johansson played 32 games with the Bruins. The Swede arrived in Boston on Feb. 25 and was gone by July 6, when he signed a two-year, $9 million contract with the Sabres.

But Johansson’s short run with one of the NHL’s model franchises recharged his career.

After battling injuries, including two concussions, with the New Jersey Devils over a season and a half, Johansson played regularly throughout ... Read the full article

Prospect Dylan Cozens earns another look from Sabres

BUFFALO – Before Sabres prospect Dylan Cozens’ impressive effort in Friday’s preseason loss, the coaching staff marked him down as a possibility to play again in tonight’s rematch against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

“There was a good chance he was going to play, but he confirmed it yesterday with what he showed us, and we need one more look here,” Sabres coach Ralph Krueger said this morning inside KeyBank Center.

Cozens, 18, was one ... Read the full article

‘Full-time job’ eating helped Sabres’ Tage Thompson pack on muscle

TORONTO – In the offseason, Buffalo Sabres winger Tage Thompson started what he called a “full-time job.”

“I was eating a lot,” Thompson said prior to Friday’s 3-0 exhibition loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Yes, Thompson, 21, spent much of the spring and summer devouring food.

“I was probably eating five square meals a day with snacks in between,” Thompson said in Buffalo before the Sabres traveled to Scotiabank Arena.

Sound like fun? Well, ... Read the full article

Sabres prospect Matej Pekar thrilled to earn spot in NHL exhibition game

BUFFALO – Matej Pekar acknowledged he had been thinking about this opportunity. Sure, it’s just an NHL preseason game. But for the Sabres prospect, tonight’s exhibition represents another small milestone.

“It’s happening,” Pekar said after he prepared for the Sabres’ road contest against the Columbus Blue Jackets, his preseason NHL debut. “I just have to be ready for it.”

While Pekar, 19, is probably a longshot to crack the Sabres, his mix of skill and ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Rasmus Ristolainen back in Buffalo, but for how long?

BUFFALO – Rasmus Ristolainen rarely says much. On a good day, if you see the Sabres defenseman, he might answer a question by offering a couple vanilla sentences.

So if Ristolainen talks to the media today after training camp opens, we probably won’t learn much about his conversations with the Sabres over the summer or how he spent the last five months.

Does Ristolainen, 24, feel like he needs a change of scenery? Did he ... Read the full article