Eichel - Buffalo Hockey Beat

Sabres sign Kyle Okposo to 7-year contract

BUFFALO – Winger Kyle Okposo, arguably the best free agent available, signed a seven-year, $42 million contract with the Sabres shortly after the market opened this afternoon, according to multiple reports.

The signing is significant. Just 15 months removed from their second consecutive 30^th-place finish, the Sabres, who improved 27 points last season, secured a strong talent to play beside centers Jack Eichel or Ryan O’Reilly.

Okposo is coming off a 22-goal, 64-point ... Read the full article

Sabres won’t find elite talent in free agency

BUFFALO – The pickings are so slim in NHL free agency this year, perhaps the most coveted player available, Kyle Okposo, has never cracked the 30-goal or 70-point marks.

Okposo, of course, is a talented winger. The Minnesota native is coming off a 22-goal, 64-point season with the New York Islanders. He has 139 goals and 369 points in 529 NHL games over nine years, including three 20-goal seasons and two 60-point campaigns.

Yes, Okposo ... Read the full article

Alexander Nylander fits Sabres’ blueprint

BUFFALO – Swedish winger Alexander Nylander and his older brother, William, are close. Before the Sabres drafted Alexander eighth overall Friday, he spent the entire day with William, someone he has leaned on for advice throughout the NHL Draft process.

But besides being siblings and friends, Alexander, 18, and William, 20, are now, in many ways, enemies. William plays for the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Sabres’ closest and fiercest rival.

“It’s going to be a ... Read the full article

Alexander Nylander excited to join Sabres

BUFFALO – Swedish winger Alexander Nylander and his older brother, William, are close. Before the Sabres drafted Alexander eighth overall tonight, he spent the entire day with William, someone he has leaned on for advice throughout the NHL Draft process.

But besides being siblings and friends, Alexander, 18, and William, 20, are now, in many ways, enemies. William plays for the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Sabres’ closest and fiercest rival.

“It’s going to be a ... Read the full article

Sabres GM Tim Murray ready to make moves at NHL Draft

BUFFALO – In his two and a half years as general manager, Tim Murray has developed a well-deserved reputation for wheeling and dealing to rebuild the Sabres, a team the previous regime gutted into a laughingstock.

So it’s only natural to assume Murray, who has the Sabres positioned to contend for their first playoff spot since 2011, will be active again at the NHL Draft his team is hosting this weekend, starting with tonight’s first ... Read the full article

NHL Draft prospect Olli Juolevi filled with confidence

BUFFALO – Ask Olli Juolevi a question about his talents, and the London Knights defenseman’s response might surprise you.

In an age in which elite athletes are often taught to give vague, vanilla answers, Juolevi has no problem saying what he really feels.

For example, Juolevi, even though he has some stiff competition from Jakob Chychrun and Mikhail Sergachev, recently said he expects to be the first defenseman chosen in Friday’s NHL Draft the ... Read the full article

Jimmy Vesey just one part of Sabres’ summer plan

BUFFALO – If Tim Murray wants to lure winger Jimmy Vesey to the Sabres, the general manager has a strong recruiter in center Jack Eichel, who’s currently playing summer hockey with the Hobey Baker Award winner in their native Massachusetts.

Eichel, of course, is one of the NHL’s supreme young talents, and, months before his 20^th birthday, already a terrific ambassador for the Sabres and the city.

Failing to utilize Eichel might be ... Read the full article

Sabres hit road early in 2016-17 season

BUFFALO – After the Sabres open their season Oct. 13 at home against the Montreal Canadiens, they start a four-game road trip – longer than any swing they had last season – three days later against Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers.

That’s just one notable stretch of the 82-game 2016-17 schedule the NHL released this afternoon.

The Sabres, who went 19-17-5 on the road last season, better get comfortable playing away from the First ... Read the full article

Sabres GM Tim Murray on acquiring Jimmy Vesey’s rights: ‘It’s a gamble’

“We might potentially use Jack as a tool,” Murray said this morning, less than a day after acquiring Vesey’s rights from the Nashville Predators. “I guess I would be a tool not to.”

The Sabres ... Read the full article

Acquiring Jimmy Vesey’s rights could be first move of week for Sabres

BUFFALO – The Sabres’ acquisition of Hobey Baker Award winner Jimmy Vesey’s rights Monday could be the first of several notable moves general manager Tim Murray makes this NHL Draft week.

Murray, of course, has a penchant for wheeling and dealing, and with the Sabres hosting the draft and 11 picks in their arsenal, he might want to make a big splash.

The Sabres traded a 2016 third-round pick, 76^th overall, for the 6-foot-2, ... Read the full article