Karmanos - Buffalo Hockey Beat

Sabres GM Jarmo Kekalainen says new adds necessary, willing to make more

OTTAWA – For now, the roster will stay intact. Why would new general manager Jarmo Kekalainen mess with it? The Buffalo Sabres carried a six-game win streak into Tuesday’s contest against the Senators.

“There’s no need to disrupt anything right now with the good flow going,” Kekalainen said prior to Tuesday’s game in the Canadian Tire Centre.

Over the final two periods of Sunday’s 3-1 win in New Jersey, the Sabres’ third straight win under ... Read the full article

Sabres add to new front office by hiring Marc Bergevin, Josh Flynn

The Buffalo Sabres on Sunday made their first front-office hires under new general manager Jarmo Kekalainen, adding Marc Bergevin as associate GM and Josh Flynn as assistant GM.

Bergevin, 60, served as GM of the Montreal Canadiens from 2012 to 2021, making the playoffs six times and reaching the Stanley Cup final in 2021. He most recently worked as a senior advisor for the Los Angeles Kings.

He began his post-playing career working for the ... Read the full article

Sabres continue front-office overhaul by firing associate GM Jason Karmanos

The Buffalo Sabres on Saturday continued overhauling their front office by firing associate general manager Jason Karmanos, who also served as the Rochester Americans’ GM.

Former Sabres GM Kevyn Adams, who was fired Monday and replaced by Jarmo Kekalainen, hired Karmanos, whom he knew from his playing days with the Carolina Hurricanes.

Karmanos, who joined the Sabres in 2021, attended Buffalo’s last game, Thursday’s 5-3 win over the Philadelphia Flyers at KeyBank Center.... Read the full article

Sabres won’t re-sign Brett Murray for Rochester Amerks

Winger Brett Murray, who spent the last six seasons with the Rochester Americans and scored a career-high 27 goals in 2024-25, won’t be re-signed by the Buffalo Sabres, Dave Gagner, his agent, told the Times Herald.

Gagner said Rochester general manager Jason Karmanos informed him the Sabres don’t plan to bring back the unrestricted free agent.

Murray played 26 games for the Sabres over parts of four seasons, registering two goals and six points. ... Read the full article

Jon Cooper, other NHL coaches helped Rochester Amerks’ Mike Leone grow: ‘People I lean on’

Mike Leone said he considers himself to be probably the luckiest guy in hockey.

The new Rochester Americans coach retired from playing at 28, never rising above the ECHL. But at each level of hockey during his days as a forward – junior, college and pro – he learned from someone who had been an NHL coach or would become one.

As a teenager with the Texarkana and St. Louis Bandits, Leone played for future ... Read the full article

Sabres hire Michael Leone as Rochester Amerks’ new coach

The Buffalo Sabres have hired another coach from junior hockey to be the Rochester Americans’ bench boss.

The Sabres on Thursday named Michael Leone, who spent the last two seasons as the general manager and coach of the United States Hockey League’s Green Bay Gamblers, as head coach of their AHL affiliate.

The 36-year-old replaces Seth Appert, who earned a promotion to Lindy Ruff’s staff in Buffalo last month following four seasons with the Amerks.... Read the full article

Despite late struggles in Rochester, Sabres happy with prospect Jiri Kulich’s development

Following a regular season in which he roared out of the gate, slumped in the middle and finished on a tear, Buffalo Sabres center prospect Jiri Kulich struggled in the Calder Cup Playoffs.

Kulich, 20, scored nine goals in his final 13 regular-season outings for the Rochester Americans. In a game he did not score during that torrid stretch, he pumped 11 shots on goal.

Then the Syracuse Crunch often stymied the Czech during the ... Read the full article

Sabres promote Rochester coach Seth Appert to assistant in Buffalo

In 2020, the Buffalo Sabres made an interesting move, hiring Seth Appert, who had spent his entire career in college and junior, to coach the Rochester Americans, their AHL affiliate.

Appert, who was coaching at the US National Team Development Program, said then he understood any skepticism that accompanied his jump to pro hockey because he had never done it before.

Today, after four seasons leading the Amerks, Appert, 49, is in the NHL.

On ... Read the full article

Casey Mittelstadt’s status made trading for coveted Bowen Byram possible

BUFFALO – Kevyn Adams said he never shopped Casey Mittelstadt around the NHL. No, the Sabres general manager said, the center’s emergence made him a sought-after asset.

When other GMs called him to ask about Mittelstadt, his leading scorer, he made it clear he was willing to listen and think about possible scenarios.

Adams said he had been working for a couple of years to find a young, top-pair defenseman. Those type of defenders, of ... Read the full article

Viktor Neuchev, Zach Benson and Isak Rosen score, illustrate Sabres’ depth

BUFFALO – Sabres winger Viktor Neuchev scored in front early, converting center Tyson Kozak’s nifty backhand pass from behind the net. Winger Zach Benson followed minutes later, releasing a wicked shot from the left circle.

After the New Jersey Devils scored in the second period, winger Isak Rosen zoomed to the net unfettered, recording his second goal in as many nights.

The early goals in Saturday’s 4-2 win at the Prospects Challenge in LECOM Harborcenter ... Read the full article