Free Agency Edition
BUFFALO – When the Sabres traded defenseman Marco Scandella to the Montreal Canadiens shortly before Thursday’s 3-2 overtime win against the Edmonton Oilers, it felt like another deal could be imminent.
The Sabres need help at forward. Why would they dish Scandella, 29, for or a fourth-round pick in 2020? They’re trying to win now, right?
Well, shortly after the Sabres announced the deal, they traded the pick they received from the Canadiens to the ... Read the full article
BUFFALO – Their relationship started in 1986. Uwe Krupp was a teenager who had just joined the West Germans for the World Championship in Moscow. Ralph Krueger was the team’s veteran star.
“I was a really young player on a very experienced German team,” said Krupp, a 6-foot-6 defenseman who played 327 games with the Sabres in the late 1980s and early 1990s. “Ralph was one of the older players. There wasn’t so much talking ... Read the full article
BUFFALO – New Sabres coach Ralph Krueger announced today he has named center Marcus Johansson and defenseman Jake McCabe alternate captains for the 2019-20 season.
“We feel that that’s a strong group for the ice,” Krueger said following today’s practice inside KeyBank Center.
Johansson and McCabe replace defenseman Zach Bogosian and winger Kyle Okposo.... Read the full article
BUFFALO – Former Sabres captain Mike Ramsey usually offers the same answer when someone asks him what he’s up to these days.
“I tell people I’m writing a book, because everybody wants to know what I’m doing,” Ramsey said during Saturday’s Sabres Fan Fest at KeyBank Center, an event that celebrated the team’s 50th anniversary season. “‘What do you do with your time? I’m writing a book.’ And it stops them right away.”
So, what’s ... Read the full article
Top Buffalo Sabres goalie prospect Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen said his hip started bothering him at the World Junior Championship in late December and early January.
Playing so many games and practicing so often during the short tournament can be tough on players.
“That’s usually when you notice something isn’t right,” Luukkonen, 20, said on a conference call today after being named the Ontario Hockey League’s MVP.
Still, Luukkonen’s hip hardly affected his play.
The former second-round ... Read the full article
BUFFALO – It has become a regular occurence this season, Jason Pominville’s 14th in the NHL and 10th with the Sabres. Every few weeks or so, the popular winger seems to reach a new milestone or move up among the franchise’s all-time leaders.
Pominville, whose focus has been a huge asset over his splendid 1,037-game career, hasn’t paid much attention to any of it.
“I try to just enjoy the moment, live in the moment,” ... Read the full article
BUFFALO – This trip was more relaxing. A year ago, Marcus Foligno said he experienced “a lot of nerves” visiting here as an opponent.
“Now it’s just another road game,” said the Buffalo-born Foligno, who’s in his second season with the Minnesota Wild after spending six years with the Sabres.
He added: “It’s always special to come back to Buffalo. You get a little bit excited.”
Foligno, 27, has settled in nicely with the Wild, ... Read the full article
Buffalo Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin, who led all led all first-year defensemen with 10 points in 15 games during November, has earned NHL rookie of the month honors, the league announced today.
Dahlin, 18, average 19 minutes, 52 seconds of ice time as the Sabres went 11-3-1 during November, jumping to second place in the NHL standings with 37 points (17-7-3). His plus-9 rating also ranked second among all rookies.
The Swede compiled one goal ... Read the full article
BUFFALO – Sabres center Casey Mittelstadt has produced goals and points at every level of hockey. So right now, 10 games into his NHL career, the rookie said he isn’t worried about his offense.
“I’m sure the offense will come, it usually does,” Mittelstadt said prior to Thursday’s 6-1 loss to the Colorado Avalanche inside KeyBank Center. “I’m pretty good with that.”
Mittelstadt, 19, has been an offensive stud wherever he plays. Last season, he ... Read the full article
BUFFALO – Nine years ago, the Sabres, whose knack for unearthing mid- and late-round draft gems helped them morph into a Stanley Cup contender earlier in the decade, found another undervalued youngster.
When the Sabres selected Marcus Foligno in the fourth round, 104th overall, he was simply a talented kid with a familiar name.
But the son of former Sabres captain Mike Foligno would quickly develop into one of junior hockey’s top forward prospects.... Read the full article
