Kekalainen - Buffalo Hockey Beat

Surfeit of goalies means Sabres could trade Devon Levi this summer

BUFFALO – On Jan. 20, 2025, following two months in the minors, goalie Devon Levi made a rare start for the Sabres, stopping 28 shots in a 6-4 road loss to the Kraken.

A day later, they sent Levi back to the AHL, where he spent the next season and a half with the Rochester Americans.

No one knew it that day in Seattle, but Levi, once a prospect so highly regarded that many viewed ... Read the full article

Trading Bowen Byram wouldn’t make much sense for Sabres

BUFFALO – You can be sure Sabres general manager Jarmo Kekalainen has been fielding calls from his counterparts inquiring about the availability of Bowen Byram, who can become an unrestricted free agent next year.

As a puck-moving defenseman fresh off a career-best 11-goal, 42-point season and some standout performances in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, Byram, 25, is a coveted asset as he enters his prime.

GMs are simply doing their due diligence. Kekalainen should listen ... Read the full article

Following injury-plagued year, Sabres trade Michael Kesselring to Sharks

Almost a year ago, the Buffalo Sabres made their biggest move of the offseason, acquiring right-shot defenseman Michael Kesselring as the centerpiece of a blockbuster trade with the Utah Mammoth.

Today, after playing just 34 games last season, Kesselring, 26, is a member of the San Jose Sharks.

The Sabres on Wednesday made their first move this offseason, trading Kesselring and the 27th overall pick in the NHL Draft on June 26 in Buffalo to ... Read the full article

Following injury-plagued year, Sabres express belief in Michael Kesselring: ‘We’ve seen the potential’

“Honestly, I think it’s been pretty good for me, and whenever the next opportunity comes, I’ll be probably the most ready I’ve been all year.” – Michael Kesselring on March 25 prior to sitting out his sixth straight game as a healthy scratch

BUFFALO – As he morphed into a spare part down the stretch, Sabres defenseman Michael Kesselring tried to make the most of a difficult situation.

If the arrival of defensemen Logan ... Read the full article

After keeping Colten Ellis, Sabres open to using three goalies again: ‘It worked’

BUFFALO – It felt like goalie Colten Ellis’ stay here would be brief. Perhaps after filling the backup role for a couple of weeks as Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen recovered from an injury, the Sabres would place the rookie back on waivers or trade him.

But Ellis looked sharp in his first NHL action and fit in well, giving the Sabres extra depth at a critical position and the ability to try different things.

Shortly after Luukkonen ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Jarmo Kekalainen, Lindy Ruff established strong relationship before new contract

BUFFALO – Jarmo Kekalainen established a strong relationship with coach Lindy Ruff long before the Sabres promoted him to general manager.

Following his arrival one year ago as a senior advisor to former GM Kevyn Adams, Kekalainen spent every day with the Sabres, even participating in coaches meetings.

In their early days together, two hockey lifers developed mutual respect for each other.... Read the full article

End-of-season injury updates on Owen Power, Tage Thompson, Sam Carrick, Justin Danforth and other Sabres

BUFFALO – When Owen Power crashed feet first into the boards last Thursday, it appeared the Sabres might lose the stud defenseman for the rest of their second-round series against the Montreal Canadiens.

Power briefly left Game 5 before returning to the bench and testing the injury during breaks. Late in the contest, he played two shifts.

He kept gutting out the injury in the Sabres’ final two games of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. In Monday’s ... Read the full article

Alex Tuch loves playing for Buffalo, but can the Sabres re-sign him to a long-term contract?

BUFFALO – As the Sabres took their place among the NHL’s heavyweights this season, their success bled into winger Alex Tuch’s family life.

Tuch said his oldest son, Tripp, “is just obsessed with hockey.”

So Tuch and his wife, Kylie, found a mini rink for Tripp’s playroom, where he puts on his roller blades, hears his father introduce him as “No. 89 for the Buffalo Sabres, Trippy Tuch” and skates a couple of laps with ... Read the full article

Coach Lindy Ruff believed Sabres would win Game 7, get crack at Hurricanes

BUFFALO – Before Lindy Ruff could accept a two-year contract extension from the Sabres, he had to consult with someone he called his assistant coach – his wife, Gaye.

The wife of an NHL coach has many duties, including being a sounding board when her husband returns home on those difficult nights.

Gaye has been doing it since 1997, when Ruff, 66, began his first stint with the Sabres.

“She’s the one that I would ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Jiri Kulich says he can play next season after having blood clot removed

BUFFALO – As the months passed and he remained sidelined by a blood clot, Sabres center Jiri Kulich said he kept asking himself if he would be able to play hockey again.

“It was kind of a roller coaster,” he said this afternoon during his end-of-season media availability in KeyBank Center.

Then two months ago, Kulich, 22, said he underwent a procedure at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, to have the entire clot removed.... Read the full article