Murray - Buffalo Hockey Beat

Sabres send prospect Mikhail Grigorenko back to junior

BUFFALO – Interim coach Ted Nolan said Mikhail Grigorenko “was a little bit upset” when the Sabres told the 19-year-old prospect he was going back to the QMJHL’s Quebec Remparts.

“But this is non-negotiable,” Nolan said this morning inside the Riverside Ice Rink. “It’s one of those things that has to be done.”

Update: Grigorenko’s agent, Jay Grossman, confirmed to the Times Herald that Grigorenko won’t be reporting to the Remparts, something Le Soleil’s Kathleen ... Read the full article

GM Tim Murray tells Sportsnet Sabres will remove interim tag from coach Ted Nolan

BUFFALO – It appears the interim tag will be coming off Sabres coach Ted Nolan soon.

General manager Tim Murray told Sportsnet’s Hockey Central today he “can see where we probably will do something for him there that it won’t be on for long.”

Murray said, “Ted is my guy right now” during his introductory news conference Thursday.

He later added: “I was never told if I took this job I had to keep Ted ... Read the full article

Tim Murray ready to tackle Sabres’ ‘extremely attractive’ GM job

BUFFALO – Ottawa general manager Bryan Murray recently approached his nephew, Tim Murray, and told him the rebuilding Sabres, the NHL’s worst team, wanted permission to interview him for the vacant GM position.

Murray would be leaving what he called “comfortable situation” as the Senators’ assistant GM. The 50-year-old’s from the Ottawa area. His wife and children live there. Many speculated he would replace his uncle someday. At the very least, he acknowledged, he would’ve ... Read the full article

Sabres will make decision on Mikhail Grigorenko’s future soon

BUFFALO – In past world junior championship appearances, Sabres center Mikhail Grigorenko said he would’ve been concentrating solely on his offensive game.

“I didn’t really think about defense or penalty kills or faceoffs or winning battles,” the 19-year-old prospect said Thursday prior to sitting out the Sabres’ 2-1 shootout loss to the Florida Panthers as a healthy scratch.

But Grigorenko feels he’s evolving. This year, while scoring five goals and eight points in seven games ... Read the full article

GM Tim Murray on interim Sabres coach Ted Nolan: ‘Ted is my guy right now’

BUFFALO – Pat LaFontaine believes you put people together and let them do what they do best.

“They’re good at what they do and together they’ll be better,” the president of hockey operations said Thursday after naming Tim Murray the Sabres’ new general manager.

Murray’s now together with Ted Nolan, the interim coach LaFontaine named in November.

What’s going to happen?

“Ted is my guy right now,” Murray said inside the First Niagara ... Read the full article

GM Tim Murray unsure about Sabres’ upcoming UFAs; Pat LaFontaine open to keeping Ryan Miller

BUFFALO – General manager Tim Murray knows with three high-profile unrestricted free agents the Sabres’ phones “will ring off the hook here going forward.”

Franchise goalie Ryan Miller, top scorer Matt Moulson and gritty captain Steve Ott will be coveted by teams before the NHL trade deadline.

What will Murray, who was named GM today, do?

“I can’t go out right now and tell you I’m going to trade all the pending UFAs if there’s ... Read the full article

New GM Tim Murray open to keeping interim Sabres coach Ted Nolan

BUFFALO – Pat LaFontaine believes you put people together and let them do what they do best.

“They’re good at what they do and together they’ll be better,” the president of hockey operations said today after naming Tim Murray the Sabres’ new general manager.

Murray’s now together with Ted Nolan, an interim coach LaFontaine named in November.

What’s going to happen?

“Ted is my guy right now,” Murray said inside the First Niagara Center.

Murray ... Read the full article

Sabres introduce Tim Murray as new GM, Craig Patrick as advisor

BUFFALO – The Sabres appointed Tim Murray their new general manager today, but not before making a surprise announcement.

Craig Patrick, a Hockey Hall of Famer and two-time Stanley Cup champion as Pittsburgh’s GM, has joined the team as a special assistant and advisor to the hockey department.

Here are some highlights from today’s new conference.

Murray

On his philosophy:

“You build a team through the draft. Good drafting allows you to trade well, and ... Read the full article

Sabres to introduce Tim Murray as new GM this morning

BUFFALO – Following a nearly two-month search, the Sabres will introduce Tim Murray as their new general manager this morning inside the First Niagara Center.

Stay tuned for more details.

The 50-year-old Murray is leaving his post as Ottawa’s assistant GM.

Murray, the nephew of Ottawa GM Bryan Murray, began his NHL career as an amateur scout with Detroit in 1993-94. He moved on to Florida, where he rose to director of amateur scouting before ... Read the full article

Sabres believe NHL made right move postponing game; Jhonas Enroth to start in goal Thursday

BUFFALO – Steve Ott noticed he didn’t have any food for a pregame meal Tuesday. The Sabres captain figured his “pasta place” was probably closed, too.

So even with a ferocious snowstorm battering the area, Ott “took a chance” and drove to Wegmans for some spaghetti.

“It was a miserable chance, to be honest with you,” Ott said this afternoon following practice inside the First Niagara Center. “I had to guess on a left turn, ... Read the full article