Lehner - Buffalo Hockey Beat

Sabres might have short want list in free agency

BUFFALO – For a rebuilding team fresh off two consecutive 30^th-place finishes, the Sabres’ shopping list entering free agency, which opens today at noon, is relatively small. A weekend of wheeling and dealing at the NHL Draft pretty much set the roster for the upcoming season.

The Sabres have two goalies, four forward lines and almost a full defense corps. Not bad for a team that finished 2014-15 using a patchwork lineup filled ... Read the full article

Goalie Robin Lehner happy to be with Sabres, recovering from concussion

BUFFALO – Having developed in the Ottawa organization when Tim Murray was the Senators’ assistant general manager, new Sabres goalie Robin Lehner knows the Buffalo GM well.

“He’s got a very nice smiling face,” Lehner joked about the notoriously serious Murray this afternoon on a conference call. “You guys can see that a whole lot. He’s a very serious guy to handle.”

Kidding aside, the two share a mutual respect. When the Sabres needed a ... Read the full article

Ryan O’Reilly excited to join Sabres; Phil Housley elected to Hall of Fame

BUFFALO – Sabres center Ryan O’Reilly’s ready to tackle a new challenge. During his first six NHL seasons, the 24-year-old wasn’t viewed as one of the Avalanche’s leaders. Colorado stars Matt Duchesne, Gabriel Landeskog and Nathan MacKinnon often overshadowed him.

But O’Reilly, acquired in a blockbuster deal Friday at the NHL Draft, will have a new role next season. The Sabres want him to be one of the guys to shepherd a team filled with ... Read the full article

Sabres feel they have steal in prospect Devante Stephens

SUNRISE, Fla. – For a few days during his year away from the NHL, Buffalo Sabres coach Dan Bylsma helped out a former teammate, Kelowna Rockets coach Dan Lambert, and ran some practices for the Western Hockey League team.

At least one youngster, Devante Stephens, a 6-foot-1, 171-pound defenseman the Sabres drafted in the fifth round, 155^th overall on Saturday, caught his eye. Bylsma didn’t know it then, but Buffalo had a strong interest ... Read the full article

Sabres leave NHL Draft feeling good about future

SUNRISE, Fla. – Tim Murray isn’t one for reflection. The gruff Buffalo Sabres general manager usually focuses on one task before quickly moving to the next one.

But at some point today, after an arduous NHL Draft weekend in which he added major assets, Murray will hop on a plane home to Buffalo and feel a sense of satisfaction.

Murray enjoyed arguably the best two days of any GM by drafting future cornerstone Jack Eichel... Read the full article

Sabres draft pick Brendan Guhle feels comfortable in Buffalo

SUNRISE, Fla. – Brendan Guhle left the NHL Scouting Combine earlier this month in Buffalo feeling good about his future. The defenseman had some impressive pre-draft workouts and felt he interviewed well with the Sabres. He also enjoyed seeing sights around the city during his brief stay.

The 6-foot-1, 184-pound Guhle left Buffalo feeling good about his chances of returning.

Lucky for him, he’ll be visiting again real soon. The Sabres selected the 17-year-old in ... Read the full article

Dan Bylsma excited about Sabres’ bold moves

SUNRISE, Fla. – Coach Dan Bylsma and general manager Tim Murray disagree over how much the Buffalo Sabres improved in about a whirlwind nine-hour span Friday.

Murray, in keeping with his personality, would only say the Sabres got a little bit better.

“I said, ‘Tim, I think we got more than a little bit better,’” Bylsma said this morning at the NHL Draft inside the BB&T Center. “He said, ‘No, we just got a ... Read the full article

Sabres send strong message with big trades at NHL Draft

SUNRISE, Fla. – If the Buffalo Sabres win the Stanley Cup someday, remember Friday as the perhaps one of the most pivotal days in the franchise’s 45-year history.

In addition to drafting center Jack Eichel second overall, the rebuilding team swung two significant trades, including a blockbuster deal with the Colorado Avalanche that brought center Ryan O’Reilly to Buffalo.

After two wretched seasons in which they finished 30^th and became the NHL’s laughingstock, the ... Read the full article

Sabres believe goalie Robin Lehner worth high price

SUNRISE, Fla. – Parting with the 21^st pick in a deep NHL Draft wasn’t easy for Tim Murray. With the Buffalo Sabres locked into picking Jack Eichel second overall Friday, the general manager recently told his scouts to focus on the team’s other first-round pick.

Murray wanted them to go deep and dig into those prospects.

But the Sabres desperately needed a goalie for next season. Murray had choices. Plenty of established ones – ... Read the full article

Sabres GM Tim Murray targeted goalie Robin Lehner

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Tim Murray had choices. Plenty of established goalies – perhaps five or six – are available this summer. But the general manager wanted Robin Lehner to fill the Buffalo Sabres’ vacancy.

“Robin was our target,” Murray said this morning after acquiring the 23-year-old from the Ottawa Senators. “He was the No. 1 goalie available from our estimation.”

Murray watched Lehner quickly rise through Ottawa’s organization when he served in the Senators’ ... Read the full article