Pilut - Buffalo Hockey Beat

Sabres forwards Conor Sheary, Sean Malone out with injuries

BUFFALO – Sabres winger Conor Sheary, a newcomer expected to skate on a top line, is week-to-week after suffering an upper-body injury during Friday’s practice.

“In the first day (of training camp), he took a hit the wrong way, and we’re just making sure we’re on top of that,” said Sabres coach Phil Housley, who is dealing with three notable injuries just five days into camp.

Center Sean Malone will miss six weeks after ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Nathan Beaulieu motivated to prove last season was fluke

BUFFALO – Nathan Beaulieu had never experienced anything as trying as last season, so when it mercifully ended, the Sabres defenseman said he “let it eat me up for a little bit.”

“This is kind of new grounds for me,” Beaulieu said Saturday following another session of training camp inside HarborCenter. “I’ve never really been in this situation. It’s kind of my first year in the NHL that didn’t really go my way at all, ... Read the full article

Humble approach should help Sabres rookie Rasmus Dahlin

BUFFALO – Rasmus Dahlin secured his roster spot the second the Sabres drafted him first overall almost three months ago. The ultra-talented Swedish defenseman is expected, even as a rookie, to help transform the franchise into a winner.

But Dahlin, 18, isn’t taking anything for granted. He sometimes talks about if he makes the Sabres. He said it again Friday after his first official NHL practice.... Read the full article

Excitement accompanies Rasmus Dahlin’s Sabres debut

BUFFALO – Chris Taylor understands the excitement surrounding defenseman Rasmus Dahlin’s first appearance in Blue and Gold. Tonight, more than four months after the Sabres won the right to draft the ultra-talented Swede first overall, he will finally play a game.

“So do you guys want me to play Rasmus for 30 or 40 minutes tomorrow?” Taylor joked Thursday after rookie camp opened inside HarborCenter.

There are, you know, 26 other youngsters on the roster ... Read the full article

Sabres notes: Victor Antipin let go after one season

BUFFALO – The Sabres did not tender a qualifying offer to restricted free agent Victor Antipin by Monday’s deadline, making the Russian defenseman a free agent.

Antipin, 25, signed a one-year contract last year following a strong season in the KHL. In 47 games as a rookie in 2017-18, Antipin compiled 10 assists.

“We were really impressed with him,” Sabres general manager Jason Botterill said Monday inside KeyBank Center. “I know things didn’t go maybe ... Read the full article

Sabres sign prospect Rasmus Asplund to entry-level contract

The Sabres have signed Rasmus Asplund, one of their top forward prospects, to a three-year, entry-level contract, the team announced today.

Asplund, 20, played his third full Swedish Hockey League season in 2017-18, compiling eight goals, 20 assists and 28 points – all career highs – in 50 games with Färjestad BK.... Read the full article

Coach: Sabres’ Lawrence Pilut aggressive, talented defenseman

Buffalo Sabres newcomer Lawrence Pilut tries to approach everything – “On the ice, in the gym, wherever you are,” said Johan Lindbom, the defenseman’s former coach – with a gung-ho mentality.

That helped the Swede morph from an undrafted, unheralded youngster into one of Europe’s best defensemen, creating an opportunity to sign a two-year, entry-level NHL contract earlier this month.

That aggressive mindset might endear Pilut, 22, to his new coaches and fans in Buffalo ... Read the full article

Sabres sign Lawrence Pilut to entry-level contract

The Buffalo Sabres have signed Lawrence Pilut, a high-scoring defenseman from the Swedish Hockey League, to a two-year, entry-level contract, the team announced today.

The 5-foot-11, 179-pound Pilut scored eight goals and 38 points in 52 games with HV71 this season.

Word came out in late April that Pilut, 22, planned to join the Sabres.... Read the full article

Sabres notes: Phil Housley likely has ace defenseman in Rasmus Dahlin

TORONTO – Over Phil Housley’s first season as coach, the Sabres rarely showcased the aggressive style the slick Hall of Fame defenseman wants to implement in Buffalo.

The NHL’s worst team didn’t possess the talent to play fast and move the puck from the blue line the way Nashville Predators did during Housley’s successful stint as an assistant coach.... Read the full article

Report: Sabres to sign Swedish defenseman Lawrence Pilut

BUFFALO – The Sabres will likely have at least one Swedish defenseman in their arsenal next season.

The team has agreed to a contract with Lawrence Pilut, a high-scoring defender from the Swedish Hockey League, according to HockeyPuls.se, a Swedish hockey web site.

The 5-foot-11, 179-pound Pilut, 22, scored eight goals and 38 points in 52 games with HV71 this season.... Read the full article