Pardy - Buffalo Hockey Beat

Roster battles promise to make Sabres camp interesting

BUFFALO – Thanks to the agonizingly long NHL lockout, 281 days have passed since the Sabres last played a game. Thankfully, the team will finally start an abbreviated training camp today. The season opens in just a week.

So what’s changed in the last nine months? How’s this group different from the high-priced, ninth-place team that was built to win the Stanley Cup in 2011-12?

The Sabres got tougher, acquiring Steve Ott to be the ... Read the full article

Amerks’ T.J. Brennan making strong case to stick with Sabres

BUFFALO – In the coming weeks, if the NHL and the Players’ Association hammer out a new collective bargaining agreement, the Sabres will convene for an abbreviated training camp and begin molding a six-man defense corps from a stacked group that stretches more than 10 deep.

The Sabres boast eight NHL defensemen after acquiring Adam Pardy from Dallas this summer. Eleven defenders in the organization appeared in the big leagues last season, including T.J. Brennan, ... Read the full article

Steve Ott thrilled to be with Sabres, ‘brother’ Mike Weber

BUFFALO – Last month, Steve Ott and Mike Weber heard a rumor Ott could be joining his close friend with the Sabres. The two laughed, and then resumed working out together at the gym.

The mere thought of Ott coming to Buffalo resonated, however. The gritty forward was cognizant the Dallas Stars might be looking to deal him.

“Could you imagine?” the friends asked each other.

On July 2, about two weeks later, Ott missed ... Read the full article

Sabres ink Tarnasky, re-sign Brennan

BUFFALO – The Sabres have added more grit to their arsenal, inking veteran NHL forward Nick Tarnasky to a one-year contract

The team also re-signed defenseman T.J. Brennan, who played his first 11 NHL games last season, to a one-year deal Tuesday.

Both could be ticketed for Rochester. The 23-year-old Brennan must clear waivers before going to the AHL.

Tarnasky, a veteran of 245 contests over parts of five seasons with Tampa Bay, Nashville and ... Read the full article

Darcy Regier insists Sabres traded healthy Derek Roy to Stars

BUFFALO – The Dallas Stars’ decision to have Derek Roy undergo shoulder surgery and miss four months doesn’t mean the Sabres traded damaged goods, general manager Darcy Regier cautioned.

If the Sabres hadn’t dealt Roy for winger Steve Ott and defenseman Adam Pardy last week, the center, who was originally hurt last preseason, wouldn’t have underwent the procedure.

“We’re very confident in the decision by our medical staff,” Regier said Thursday inside the First Niagara ... Read the full article

Former Sabre Roy undergoes shoulder surgery

BUFFALO – Ex-Sabres center Derek Roy, dished to Dallas last week for forward Steve Ott and defenseman Adam Pardy, underwent shoulder surgery Wednesday and will be out until November, the Dallas Morning News reported.

Roy, who hurt his shoulder last preseason, played through the ailment, only missing notable time in training camp. While he was cleared medically to be dealt, an “intense” physical in Dallas revealed the shoulder injury, according to the paper.

The 29-year-old ... Read the full article

Sabres deal underachieving Roy to Dallas for Ott, Pardy

BUFFALO – The conversations, the first overtures into acquiring Steve Ott, the gritty Dallas forward the Sabres coveted, began last season. General manager Darcy Regier, who held struggling center Derek Roy as a key chip, had been keeping a dialogue with counterpart Joe Nieuwendyk for months.

At times, Regier said he didn’t want to pull the trigger. Other times, Nieuwendyk wasn’t willing.

“Either the timing wasn’t right or the people weren’t right,” Regier said Monday ... Read the full article