WNY and Buffalo NY Hockey Coverage
October Edition
Victor Olofsson might be a first-liner for Buffalo. ©2021, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – Ten Sabres – much of their established talent – will be making their preseason debut tonight at KeyBank Center.
So some of the line combinations and defense pairings the Sabres will be showcasing against the Pittsburgh Penguins could be utilized in the regular season.
Top center Casey Mittelstadt pivoted Jeff Skinner and Victor Olofsson this morning. On defense, Rasmus Dahlin skated beside Henri Jokiharju, his partner late last season.
Coach Don Granato said ... Read the full article
Aaron Dell signed a one-year contract with Buffalo. ©2021, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – Aaron Dell smiled as he recalled his unlikely journey. Having started at the bottom in the now-defunct Central Hockey League, the Sabres newcomer beat long odds to play just one game in the big leagues.
Today, Dell, 32, is a five-year NHL veteran who has made 114 appearances. Early in his career, he was one of the league’s best No. 2 goalies with the San Jose Sharks, compiling a 26-11-5 record over his ... Read the full article
Buffalo’s Tim Connolly (left) and Pittsburgh Tim Connolly participated in the first Winter Classic in 2008. ©2021, Janet Schultz
The Buffalo Sabres are heading outdoors this season.
The NHL today announced they’ll be playing in a Heritage Classic game March 13, 2022 against the Toronto Maple Leafs at Tim Hortons Field in Hamilton, Ont. Word of the Sabres’ participation in the outdoor contest spread late last month.
Despite playing 63 miles from KeyBank Center, the Sabres will be considered the “home” team for the 3 p.m. game, which will be broadcast nationally on TNT. ... Read the full article
Pittsburgh’s Kris Letang faces Buffalo’s Ryan Miller during the first Winter Classic on Jan. 1, 2008. ©2021, Janet Schultz
The Buffalo Sabres could be participating in a Heritage Classic outdoor game this season against the Toronto Maple Leafs in Hamilton, Ont., according to the Buffalo News.
The game would take place March 13 at Tim Hortons Field, the home of the Canadian Football League’s Hamilton Tiger-Cats. The Sabres are scheduled to host Toronto that afternoon at KeyBank Center.
The Sabres did not offer that game in their two half-season ticket packages for the ... Read the full article
Linus Ullmark enjoyed a stellar season on a bad team in 2020-21. ©2021, Micheline Veluvolu
The days of the Sabres trying to lure big-name free agents to Buffalo are over. When the market opens today, they’ll likely be bit players, focusing on filling some of their many holes and adding depth while attempting to re-sign goalie Linus Ullmark.
Ullmark’s departure would be a massive blow to the Sabres. The Swede, their backbone and MVP, earned nine of the team’s 15 wins last season in only 20 outings.
They don’t ... Read the full article
There had been speculation Buffalo would expose Rasmus Ristolainen to Seattle. ©2021, Micheline Veluvolu
Sorry, Ron Francis, you won’t get a chance to snatch Rasmus Ristolainen for your Seattle Kraken defense corps. The Buffalo Sabres protected the Finn for Wednesday’s NHL Expansion Draft.
But if Francis, Seattle’s general manager, wants to grab a defenseman from the Sabres, he can take Will Borgen or Colin Miller, both of whom were left unprotected.
The Sabres’ 11-man protected list the NHL released Sunday morning features zero surprises. There had been speculation the ... Read the full article
Will Borgen played 10 games for Buffalo last season. ©2021, Micheline Veluvolu
Since the Buffalo Sabres drafted Will Borgen 92nd overall in 2015, he has morphed from a relatively unknown prospect into a defenseman on the cusp of regular NHL duty.
The Sabres have guided Borgen’s development from his college career at St. Cloud State through his early pro days with the Rochester Americans to the big leagues.
Prior to breaking his forearm last season, Borgen, 24, appeared to be close to securing a spot on Buffalo’s ... Read the full article
Jack Quinn played 15 games for Rochester this season. ©2021, Micheline Veluvolu, Rochester Americans
During Jason Karmanos’ tenure with the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Buffalo Sabres’ new associate general manager said he was “intimately involved” in the NHL Draft.
So Karmanos arrived in Buffalo last month with strong knowledge of the Sabres’ prospect base.
“I’m excited they’re here, because these are guys that I liked on my own and that our previous staff liked,” Karmanos said on a Zoom call Monday.
Karmanos, who was fired as Pittsburgh’s assistant GM on ... Read the full article
Derek Roy spent eight seasons in Buffalo. ©2021, Dan Hickling
Center Derek Roy, the Buffalo Sabres’ leading scorer three consecutive years early in his career, has retired from hockey after 18 seasons, he announced today on Instagram.
Roy, 38, spent the 2020-21 campaign playing with Red Bull Munich, a Deutsche Eishockey Liga.
After the Sabres drafted the diminutive Roy in the second round in 2001, 32nd overall, he quickly morphed into one of their top prospects. He spent just over two years with the ... Read the full article
Arttu Ruotsalainen earned his first taste of the NHL this season. ©2021, Micheline Veluvolu
Buffalo Sabres winger Arttu Ruotsalainen and J-J Peterka, one of the organization’s top forward prospects, will participate in World Championship later this month in Riga, Latvia.
Ruotsalainen, 23, will represent Team Finland after compiling five goals and six points in his first 17 NHL games this season. He started his first North American campaign with the Rochester Americans, scoring five goals and 13 points in 13 outings.
Before NHL and AHL seasons started, Ruotsalainen ... Read the full article