WNY and Buffalo NY Hockey Coverage
October Edition
Eric Comrie has played just 28 NHL games. ©2022, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – As free agency approached and the Sabres ramped up their search for a goalie, they did their due diligence on Eric Comrie, a seldom-used but intriguing talent.
Comrie, 27, became a Group 6 unrestricted free agent because he fell 90 minutes short of the minutes threshold. So if he had played another two games, the Winnipeg Jets could’ve retained his rights.
General manager Kevyn Adams said the scouting and analytics staffs and goalie ... Read the full article
Victor Olofsson scored 20 goals last season. ©2022, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – The Sabres today locked up their most significant restricted free agent, agreeing to terms with winger Victor Olofsson on a two-year, $9.5 million contract.
Olofsson, who turns 27 next Monday, finished last season on a tear, compiling 15 goals and 28 points over his final 34 games. He also enjoyed a hot start, scoring five goals and nine points in the first seven games.
If Olofsson hadn’t suffered a wrist injury in early ... Read the full article
Ilya Samsonov could be interesting goalie for Buffalo to pursue. ©2022, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – The Sabres possess a stable of strong goaltending prospects.
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, a Finn labeled as the Sabres’ goalie of the future, has looked impressive in his limited NHL action. While he has battled injuries and struggled at times in the minors, he’s still a terrific young talent.
The Sabres also boast Devon Levi, the NCAA’s top goalie last season at Northeastern, and drafted Topias Leinonen in the second round on Friday, ... Read the full article
Vinnie Hinostroza scored 13 goals last season. ©2022, Micheline Veluvolu
The Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday re-signed winger Vinnie Hinostroza to a one-year, $1.7 million contract and agreed to terms with goalie Malcolm Subban on a one-year, two-way deal worth $850,000 in the NHL.
Both players could’ve become unrestricted free agents Wednesday.
Hinostroza, 28, compiled 13 goals, 25 points and a minus-11 rating in 62 games last season, establishing himself as a scoring threat on the Sabres’ third or fourth line. His 12 even-strength goals ranked ... Read the full article
Sabres fans can get their first glimpse of prospect Noah Ostlund this week. ©2022
Eight first-round picks, including all three the Buffalo Sabres selected last week – centers Matthew Savoie, Noah Ostlund and Jiri Kulich – are on the 43-man development camp roster the team released Monday.
The most anticipated camp in a long time – the COVID-19 pandemic forced the Sabres to cancel it the last two years – begins Wednesday at LECOM Harborcenter.
The roster is loaded with top prospects. Forwards Peyton Krebs, Jack Quinn, Isak Rosen ... Read the full article
Jacob Bryson played 73 games last season. ©2022, Micheline Veluvolu
The Buffalo Sabres on Sunday locked up their second restricted free agent this summer, re-signing defenseman Jacob Bryson to a two-year, $3.7 million contract.
Bryson, 24, earned regular duty last season, compiling one goal and 10 points in 73 games. The 18 minutes, 10 seconds of ice time he averaged each outing ranked seventh on the Sabres.
The Providence College product, a left-handed shot, also established himself as a versatile presence, often playing on ... Read the full article
Topias Leinonen is Buffalo’s latest goalie prospect. ©2022, Micheline Veluvolu
MONTREAL – All along, the Buffalo Sabres planned to select a goalie this year. But there was a problem: the 2022 NHL Draft was light on net prospects.
Still, one youngster, Topias Leinonen, NHL Central Scouting’s top-ranked European goalie, caught their eye.
“We felt this guy had first- (or) second-round value,” Jerry Forton, the Sabres’ director of amateur scouting, said Friday afternoon following the draft inside the Bell Centre. “The question was do we use ... Read the full article
Kevyn Adams has a plan to find a goalie. ©2022, Micheline Veluvolu
MONTREAL – The assets available in the crowded goalie market keep dwindling every day.
Two more netminders were traded Friday at the NHL Draft, as the St. Louis Blues dealt Ville Husso to the Detroit Red Wings and the Washington Capitals dished Vitek Vanecek to the New Jersey Devils.
The Sabres, who must add another established goalie, have limited options. They tried to acquire Matt Murray from the Ottawa Senators on Thursday, but the two-time ... Read the full article
The Sabres have eight picks today. ©2022, NHL
MONTREAL – The Buffalo Sabres this morning selected Finnish goalie Topias Leinonen in the second round, 41st overall, at the NHL Draft.
The 6-foot-5, 233-pound Leinonen is NHL Central Scouting’s top-ranked European goalie.
Leinonen, 18, spent most of last season with JYP, a junior team, compiling a 9-10-0 record with a 2.28 goals-against average and a .916 save percentage in 21 games. He also played four games with JYP’s pro team in Liiga and made ... Read the full article
Matt Murray won two Stanley Cups with Pittsburgh. ©2022, Micheline Veluvolu
MONTREAL – The Buffalo Sabres must keep looking for another goalie.
A potential deal between the Sabres and Ottawa Senators involving Matt Murray was nixed because Buffalo is on the goalie’s 10-team no-trade list, according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.
The Senators would’ve retained some of Murray’s salary and given the Sabres the seventh overall pick in tonight’s NHL Draft in exchange for the 16th selection, according to TSN’s Darren Dreger.
“The reality is we worked ... Read the full article