Ehrhoff - Buffalo Hockey Beat

Sabres’ Myers signs deal to play in Austria

BUFFALO – Sabres defenseman Tyler Myers has signed a contract to play with Klagenfurter AC in Austria’s Erste Bank Eishockey Liga during the NHL lockout.

Myers expressed an interest in playing overseas before the work stoppage began Sept. 15. He’ll be playing in the same league Sabres winger Thomas Vanek recently joined.

Myers is the fifth Sabre to sign with a European club. Defenseman Christian Ehrhoff (Germany), center Tyler Ennis (Switzerland) and defenseman Andrej Sekera ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Thomas Vanek heading to Austria

BUFFALO – It’s just temporary for now. Thomas Vanek’s contract with the Graz 99ers, a team in the winger’s native Austria, only runs until Nov. 4.

Nonetheless, Vanek’s decision to return home during the lockout is already a big deal. He’s the first Austrian NHL player to sign a deal there.

The Sabres star, a sporting icon in Austria, has never played professionally in his country.

“This is just huge,” said Chris Schleifer, the online ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Ennis heading to Switzerland for lockout

BUFFALO – Tyler Ennis couldn’t pass up what he called a “perfect opportunity.”

Instead of skating daily at a local rink waiting for the NHL lockout to end, the slick Sabres center is heading to Switzerland to play for the SCL Tigers, a team in the country’s top hockey division, National League A. Minnesota defenseman Jared Spurgeon, Ennis’ best friend, will be joining him.

“I have a good opportunity to stay in game shape,” Ennis ... Read the full article

Sabres trying to remain upbeat as lockout practices begin

AMHERST – Now they’re officially on their own, locked out and barred from any contact with the organization. About 12 Buffalo Sabres regulars skated with some prospects Monday morning inside the Northtown Center, the first of possibly dozens of practices without a regular coaching staff.

The team employees who had recently assisted with informal skates have left. Other than the Sabres logo on their jerseys, something the players could soon ditch, the symbol has almost ... Read the full article

Sabres saw ominous lockout signs long ago

AMHERST – Ryan Miller first noticed the ominous signs of another NHL lockout last year when the NBA and NFL negotiated new labor deals favorable to ownership. Right away, the Buffalo Sabres goalie knew “hockey would take a crack at” getting money back from the players.

For Robyn Regehr, the cold reality of a work stoppage hit him last week in New York during a meeting at the league offices with Players’ Association executive director ... Read the full article

Sabres prospect Gauthier-Leduc could add flash to blue line

BUFFALO – Jerome Gauthier-Leduc was scoring goals from everywhere. The slick Rimouski Oceanic defenseman utilized his deadly accurate shots from the point. He used his teammates as screens perfectly. He pinched in as the extra man on the rush.

By October, the Sabres prospect had a goal in eight straight games, a new QMJHL record for defensemen.

“He’s a flashy guy,” said former Sabres defenseman Philippe Boucher, Rimouski’s general manager. “He likes to carry the ... Read the full article

Sabres could be quiet as free agency opens

BUFFALO – In this new era, nothing may be off limits for the Sabres during free agency. A year ago, owner Terry Pegula spent $67 million on two players in his first foray into the market, showcasing an aggressiveness never seen in these parts.

The Sabres wheeled and dealed, jumping the gun, acquiring Christian Ehrhoff’s rights and awarding the coveted defenseman a 10-year, $40 million contract. Then they gave winger Ville Leino a six-year, $27 ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Myers no longer NHL’s brightest young defenseman

BUFFALO – On Sunday, Sabres defenseman Tyler Myers receives his enormous $10 million signing bonus, the first payment in the seven-year, $38.5 million extension he signed last year.

The money’s another symbol the youngster, who could’ve made a bundle more later on if he had re-upped for a shorter deal, ranks as one of the NHL’s great young defenders.

Two years ago, in fact, Myers, fresh off a dynamic rookie season, was arguably the best.... Read the full article

Grigorenko could crack Sabres’ opening-night lineup

BUFFALO – If all goes well, then come October, Mikhail Grigorenko, the prized center selected 12^th overall Friday at the NHL Entry Draft in Pittsburgh, will be the first 18-year-old playing regularly for the Sabres since Pierre Turgeon in 1987.

The Sabres, who introduced Grigorenko on Monday inside the First Niagara Center, plan to give the Russian every chance to make the big club instead of going back to the QMJHL’s Quebec Remparts.

General ... Read the full article

Keeping high picks might be Sabres’ best draft choice

PITTSBURGH – A year and zero playoff games later, Darcy Regier still has the keys, full reign to aggressively pursue elite talent and make the Buffalo Sabres a contender again.

If you believe the general manager, then he’s in the mix and will be active on the Consol Energy Center floor this weekend during the NHL Entry Draft, which starts tonight when the Sabres pick twice – 12^th and 21^st, compliments of ... Read the full article