Summer Edition
Ilya Lyubushkin played for Arizona last season before joining Toronto. ©2022, Micheline Veluvolu
At 28, having played nine pro seasons, newcomer Ilya Lyubushkin is the elder statesmen of the Buffalo Sabres’ defense corps.
Buffalo’s second-oldest defenseman, Casey Fitzgerald, is just 25. The average age of the seven defenders expected to be on the opening night roster is 23.
The six defensemen the Sabres utilized down the stretch late last season – Fitzgerald, Jacob Bryson, Rasmus Dahlin, Henri Jokiharju, Owen Power and Mattias Samuelsson – will all be returning ... Read the full article
Shane Wright began playing in the OHL when he was just 15. ©2022, Robert John Boucher, Kingston Frontenacs
Right now, there’s no consensus first overall pick for the 2022 NHL Draft.
NHL Central Scouting recently ranked Shane Wright, a youngster so talented the Ontario Hockey League granted him exceptional status to play as a 15-year-old, No. 1 in its final evaluation of North American skaters for the draft.
Wright, a center for the Kingston Frontenacs, has thrived under intense pressure for three years, securing his place among the most dynamic prospects on the ... Read the full article
Dylan Cozens just completed his second NHL season. ©2022, Micheline Veluvolu
Buffalo Sabres center Dylan Cozens has been named to Team Canada’s entry at upcoming the World Championship in Finland, Hockey Canada announced today.
Cozens, 21, just completed his second NHL season, compiling 13 goals and 38 points in 79 games.
The Yukon native last represented Canada at the 2021 World Junior Championship, winning a silver medal while serving as captain.... Read the full article
Mark Pysyk played 68 games this season in his return to Buffalo. ©2022, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – By the end of the season, after five months of regular duty, Sabres defenseman Mark Pysyk morphed into a spare part.
Down the stretch, the Sabres utilized a blue line comprised entirely of youngsters – Casey Fitzgerald, at just 25, was the oldest defenseman – so Pysyk, Will Butcher and Colin Miller rarely played.
The Sabres scratched Pysyk 13 times over a 22-game stretch, including eight straight contests, before he returned for last ... Read the full article
Kyle Okposo served as an alternate captain this season. ©2022, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – The Sabres’ decision to forego naming a captain this season and use veterans Kyle Okposo and Zemgus Girgensons as alternates paid dividends.
The rebuilding team quickly came together, and players have expressed the dynamic in the dressing room allows everyone to be themselves.
“When you look at this season, we wanted to be careful to put too much on one guy, especially as we were building and transitioning into this phase,” Adams said ... Read the full article
Victor Olofsson has two 20-goal seasons on his resume. ©2022, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – Having experienced restricted free agency two years ago, Sabres winger Victor Olofsson understands he must stay patient this offseason.
Olofsson, 26, has already amassed two 20-goal seasons and has shown he possesses the talent to crack the 30-goal mark. Contracts like the one he’s expected to sign are complicated.
The Swede, who’s set to become an RFA again, expects it could take months to reach a new deal.... Read the full article
The Sabres became a tight group this season. ©2022, Micheline Veluvolu
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
Buffalo goalie Malcolm Subban talks to the media Saturday. ©2022
BUFFALO – The original plan called for a recording of Malcolm Subban singing the U.S. national anthem to be played before Friday’s season finale. But then the goalie’s Sabres teammates and some staff members encouraged him to do it live.
“It was awesome,” a smiling Subban said Saturday as the Sabres cleaned out their lockers and held end-of-season meetings. “I was, like, so nervous before. Like, I couldn’t even eat lunch. Oh yeah, I was ... Read the full article
Tage Thompson has scored 37 goals this season. ©2022, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – After Sabres center Tage Thompson hit the 30-goal mark for the first time April 1, coach Don Granato told the burgeoning star that, hey, while that’s a nice number, there’s a heck of a lot more you can do.
“I know you’re going to score more, you know you’re going to score more, so we can celebrate this, but onward and upward, let’s go,” Granato said he told Thompson.
Granato’s words served as ... Read the full article
Jeff Skinner has scored 33 goals this season. ©2022, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – Opponents detest Jeff Skinner, one of the NHL’s foremost pests. The Sabres winger has a knack for getting under their skin, whether it be by running his mouth, relentlessly hounding the puck or scoring goals.
“He’s one of my best friends and I’m pretty sure I would hate his guts on the other side,” Sabres winger Casey Mittelstadt said after Skinner agitated the New York Islanders and scored late in Saturday afternoon’s ... Read the full article