NHL Draft - Buffalo Hockey Beat

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

Sabres won’t re-sign Alex Tuch, will try to trade his rights: ‘He’s moving on’

ORCHARD PARK – Winger Alex Tuch’s career with the Buffalo Sabres is over.

General manager Jarmo Kekalainen said this afternoon he’s looking to trade Tuch’s rights because he won’t be re-signing with the Sabres. Tuch, 30, can become an unrestricted free agent next Wednesday.

Update: The Sabres have officially traded Tuch to the Washington Capitals in exchange for a third-round pick and forward David Kampf.

Update: Tuch will sign an eight-year extension worth $10.5 million ... Read the full article

NHL Draft: Victor Plante, whose father, Derek, starred for Sabres, to carry on family tradition at Duluth

BUFFALO – Call it a perk of carrying on the family tradition. When NHL Draft prospect Victor Plante went on a recruiting visit to the University of Minnesota-Duluth, where his brothers, Max and Zam, star for the Bulldogs, he was promised a shift alongside two of college hockey’s most dynamic scorers.

Victor, 18, is the youngest of the bunch, meaning he has never been teammates with his brothers.

To play even 30 seconds on a ... Read the full article

He won’t be joining the Sabres, but you will be seeing Gavin McKenna in Buffalo

BUFFALO – Mega prospect Gavin McKenna, the presumptive No. 1 overall pick at the upcoming NHL Draft and a proud native of Whitehorse, Yukon, is likely headed to Toronto, where he should develop into one of the Maple Leafs’ cornerstones.

Whitehorse, which has population of about 35,000, is a bit smaller than the Toronto metro area, which has a population of around 6.5 million people.

“I think Toronto’s a little different than from where I’m ... Read the full article

Buffalo Sabres to host 2026 NHL Draft, outdoor game in future

BUFFALO – Since the NHL began moving the NHL Draft from city to city in the mid-1980s, Montreal has hosted the event five times.

Who’s next on the list? Buffalo, which on Monday was awarded 2026 draft that will take place on June 26 and 27.

It will be the fourth time the event has come to Buffalo. The city also hosted it in 1991, 1998 and 2016.... Read the full article

Sabres pick David Bedkowski morphed from ‘soft’ rookie into tough prospect

ORCHARD PARK – By his own admission, Buffalo Sabres prospect David Bedkowski arrived in the Ontario Hockey League as a “really soft” 15-year-old.

The toughness that has become the 6-foot-4, 221-pound right-shot defenseman’s greatest asset was non-existent.

“That wasn’t really part of my game at all,” Bedkowski said on a Zoom call Saturday after the Sabres selected him in the third round, 71st overall, in the NHL Draft.

So Derek Laxdal, his coach with the ... Read the full article

Sabres stay busy by trading for Conor Timmins; Bowen Byram’s future seems uncertain

ORCHARD PARK – When general manager Kevyn Adams called Conor Timmins to inform him the Sabres had acquired him from the Pittsburgh Penguins, the defenseman was at his parents’ cottage just across the border in Fort Erie, Ontario.

As he spoke to Adams on Saturday from the backyard, Timmins, who grew up a Sabres fan about 30 miles away from Buffalo in St. Catharines, said he could see KeyBank Center, the rink he will now ... Read the full article

NHL Draft Tracker: Sabres select David Bedkowski 71st overall, take goalies

ORCHARD PARK – The Buffalo Sabres this afternoon selected right-shot defenseman David Bedkowski in the third round, 71st overall, in the NHL Draft.

“Looking at myself with these colors, the Blue and Gold, it’s truly an out-of-body experience for me,” Bedkowski, proudly sporting a Sabres jersey, said on a Zoom call from Los Angeles. I’m super excited to be going to Buffalo

The 6-foot-5, 221-pound Bedkowski compiled three goals, seven points and 73 penalty minutes ... Read the full article

Sabres trade Connor Clifton and draft pick to Penguins for Conor Timmins and minor leaguer

ORCHARD PARK – The Sabres this afternoon traded defenseman Connor Clifton and the 39th overall pick in the NHL Draft to the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for defensemen Conor Timmins and Isaac Belliveau.

Timmins, 26, has compiled six goals, 46 points and 64 penalty minutes in 159 career NHL games with the Penguins, Toronto Maple Leafs, Arizona Coyotes and Colorado Avalanche.

The 6-foot-3, 213-pound Timmins registered three goals, 15 points and 30 penalty minutes in ... Read the full article

NHL Draft: Sabres had trade talks prior to taking Radim Mrtka; Buffalo planned to re-sign JJ Peterka

ORCHARD PARK – Up until the Buffalo Sabres selected defenseman Radim Mrtka ninth overall in Friday’s NHL Draft, general manager Kevyn Adams said he was having conversations with his counterparts about trading the pick.

Leading up to the draft, Adams seemed open to dealing his first-rounder for talent that could immediately help the Sabres. He wasn’t, however, going to trade it for the sake of it.

“There weren’t deals that I felt would have made ... Read the full article