Byram - Buffalo Hockey Beat

Instead of trading first-rounders, Sabres take Daxon Rudolph and Ilia Morozov in NHL Draft

ORCHARD PARK – As the first round of Friday’s NHL Draft approached and he held two first-round picks – the fourth and 20th selections – general manager Jarmo Kekalainen informed other teams the Buffalo Sabres had all their options open.

They were willing to move up or down, or perhaps trade for established talent.

Teams coveted the fourth pick the Sabres acquired in Tuesday’s blockbuster trade that sent defenseman Bowen Byram to the Chicago Blackhawks. ... Read the full article

Alex Tuch explains why he left Sabres for Capitals in sign-and-trade deal: ‘One of the toughest moments of my life’

Alex Tuch wants to keep the details of his departure from Buffalo private. The winger just made an agonizing decision, choosing to leave the Sabres in a sign-and-trade deal with the Washington Capitals a week before he could’ve become an unrestricted free agent.

“It was one of the toughest decisions of my life,” Tuch, who inked an eight-year, $84 million contract, said Friday on a Zoom call.

Before the Sabres heated up and roared to ... Read the full article

Sabres select Daxon Rudolph fourth overall in NHL Draft; Ilia Morozov taken with 20th pick

ORCHARD PARK – During the NHL Scouting Combine earlier this month in Buffalo, the Sabres never met with defenseman Daxon Rudolph, the prospect they selected fourth overall tonight in the NHL Draft at KeyBank Center.

Until a few days ago, the Sabres owned just one first-round selection, the 20th pick, which they snared as part of the trade that sent defenseman Michael Kesselring to the San Jose Sharks. They began the month with the 27th ... Read the full article

Sabres trade prospect and 45th pick to Ducks in exchange for Olen Zellweger

The Buffalo Sabres this afternoon possibly found their replacement for Bowen Byram through a trade, acquiring left-shot defenseman Olen Zellweger from the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for forward prospect Anton Wahlberg and the 45th overall pick in the NHL Draft.

The 5-foot-10, 193-pound Zellweger, 22, is a restricted free agent.

The speedy Zellweger compiled seven goals, 22 points, 34 penalty minutes and a plus-4 rating with the Ducks last season, his second full NHL campaign.... Read the full article

Select or trade? No. 4 pick in NHL Draft gives Sabres interesting options

ORCHARD PARK – Luckily for the Sabres, the NHL, which decentralized its draft last year much to the chagrin of, well, pretty much everyone in the hockey world except for some general managers, still has its top prospects gather in a city.

This week, the festivities are being held in Buffalo, so instead of scrambling after acquiring the fourth overall pick in Tuesday’s blockbuster trade with the Chicago Blackhawks, GM Jarmo Kekalainen and his staff ... Read the full article

Sabres send Alex Tuch to Capitals in sign-and-trade deal

ORCHARD PARK – Barely nine months ago, as he began the final season of his contract, Alex Tuch said he would love to make Buffalo his long-term home. On Wednesday, with no chance to keep him, the Sabres traded the winger to Washington Capitals.

What changed since the start of training camp?

“I think that’s a question for him,” general manager Jarmo Kekalainen said hours before the Sabres dealt Tuch. “We wanted to sign him.”... Read the full article

Bowen Byram ‘didn’t want to negotiate’ new contract, so Sabres made trade with Blackhawks

ORCHARD PARK – The Sabres tried to convince Bowen Byram to stay in Buffalo. General manager Jarmo Kekalainen said he spent all season working on a new contract, calling it his “first priority.”

But Byram, 25, wanted to become a No. 1 defenseman, an opportunity he would likely never have in Buffalo with captain Rasmus Dahlin, Owen Power and Mattias Samuelsson around. So, according to Kekalainen, Byram “didn’t want to negotiate.”

“He wasn’t gonna sign ... Read the full article

Buffalo Sabres trade Bowen Byram to Chicago Blackhawks in blockbuster deal, land fourth overall pick

The Buffalo Sabres completed a blockbuster trade with the Blackhawks tonight, sending defenseman Bowen Byram and winger Jordan Greenway to Chicago in exchange for the fourth overall pick in Friday’s NHL Draft, the 45th selection and defenseman Louis Crevier.

Now, does general manager Jarmo Kekalainen have another move up his sleeve? Will the Sabres, who host the draft Friday and Saturday at KeyBank Center, make their early pick? Or could they package it with, say, ... Read the full article

Trading Bowen Byram wouldn’t make much sense for Sabres

BUFFALO – You can be sure Sabres general manager Jarmo Kekalainen has been fielding calls from his counterparts inquiring about the availability of Bowen Byram, who can become an unrestricted free agent next year.

As a puck-moving defenseman fresh off a career-best 11-goal, 42-point season and some standout performances in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, Byram, 25, is a coveted asset as he enters his prime.

GMs are simply doing their due diligence. Kekalainen should listen ... Read the full article

Following injury-plagued year, Sabres trade Michael Kesselring to Sharks

Almost a year ago, the Buffalo Sabres made their biggest move of the offseason, acquiring right-shot defenseman Michael Kesselring as the centerpiece of a blockbuster trade with the Utah Mammoth.

Today, after playing just 34 games last season, Kesselring, 26, is a member of the San Jose Sharks.

The Sabres on Wednesday made their first move this offseason, trading Kesselring and the 27th overall pick in the NHL Draft on June 26 in Buffalo to ... Read the full article