Pominville - Buffalo Hockey Beat

Thomas Vanek and Steve Ott ready to captain Sabres

BUFFALO – Shortly before noon Tuesday, the Sabres quickly streamed off the First Niagara Center ice following practice and walked to their dressing room. The metal door closed after all the players had entered.

Inside, coach Ron Rolston began addressing his team’s captaincy, which had remained vacant since the Sabres traded Jason Pominville in April.

Cheers emanated from the room a few minutes later. More applause could be heard shortly after that.

Instead of ... Read the full article

Center prospect Johan Larsson making strong bid to crack Sabres

BUFFALO – Right now, the Sabres’ depth down the middle is, well, a bit thin beyond Cody Hodgson.

Consider this: the five other centers coach Ron Rolston has played in the team’s three exhibition contests – Matt Ellis, Mikhail Grigorenko, Johan Larsson, Cody McCormick and Kevin Porter – have combined for 64 goals and 154 points in 816 NHL games.

That’s it.

So what will the Sabres do?

“We’re going to continue ... Read the full article

Sabres prospect Joel Armia set for home debut tonight

BUFFALO – The hype has been building since slick Finnish winger Joel Armia was selected 16^th overall in 2011. In the 20-year-old, the Sabres possess a prospect so talented many believe he could crack the NHL right away.

Yet few have seen Armia, who spent the last three seasons playing at home in SM-liiga, up close.

Who exactly is this guy?

Fans will find out tonight, when Armia makes his Buffalo debut in the ... Read the full article

Maturity and talent earned Sabres’ Cody Hodgson long-term contract

BUFFALO – In awarding Cody Hodgson, a youngster with only 77 points in 139 career NHL games, a six-year, $25.5 million contract, the Sabres are betting on more than the center’s abundant talent. The team’s banking that Hodgson will keep dedicating himself to becoming an elite player.

“He wants to be a No. 1 guy from the standpoint he wants to be counted on, and he wants to be recognized in a leadership position,” ... Read the full article

Sabres ink Cody Hodgson to stunning 6-year, $25.5 million deal

BUFFALO – On Wednesday morning, an optimistic-sounding Darcy Regier said the Sabres would “make every attempt” to have unsigned restricted free agent Cody Hodgson on the ice today for the first session of training camp.

“The efforts that are being made by both sides would indicate that we want to get something done as quickly as possible,” the general manager said inside the First Niagara Center as the Sabres reported for camp and underwent their ... Read the full article

Sabres facing plenty of questions as first training camp under Ron Rolston begins

BUFFALO – The Sabres convene for training camp physicals today inside the First Niagara Center, for better or worse, almost the same team that ended a disappointing, 11^th-place season 137 days ago.

Other than a busy draft day and reacquiring 34-year-old defenseman Henrik Tallinder, the rebuilding club remained quiet throughout the summer.

Starting goalie Ryan Miller and leading scorer Thomas Vanek, two veteran stars rumored to be on the trading block, ... Read the full article

Report: Sabres re-sign goalie Matt Hackett

BUFFALO – The Sabres have re-signed restricted free agent goalie Matt Hackett to a one-year, two-way contract, according to RDS’s Renaud Lavoie.

The 23-year-old Hackett, a key piece in April’s Jason Pominville trade with Minnesota, gets $715,000 in the NHL, Lavoie reported.

If the Sabres keep starting goalie Ryan Miller, Hackett’s expected to be Rochester’s No. 1 netminder in 2013-14. The prospect played three regular-season games and one postseason contest with the ... Read the full article

Sabres’ 2013-14 schedule features familiar faces, fewer back-to-backs

BUFFALO – Sabres fans won’t have to wait long to see some familiar faces back at the First Niagara Center in different colors next season.

An Oct. 14 game against former Sabres captain Jason Pominville and the Minnesota Wild and an Oct. 28 contest versus ex-coach Lindy Ruff and the Dallas Stars are among the highlights of the 82-game schedule the NHL released Friday.

The Sabres open their 43^rd season Oct. 2 in ... Read the full article

Sabres’ 2013-14 schedule features new opponents and old friends

BUFFALO – Sabres fans won’t have to wait long to see some familiar faces back at the First Niagara Center for the first time next season.

The Sabres open their 43^rd season Oct. ... Read the full article

Sabres goalie prospects will battle for action with Amerks next season

BUFFALO – In his first professional season, Connor Knapp sat on the bench in the AHL and watched … and watched … and watched as David Leggio handled the bulk of the Rochester Americans’ goaltending duties.

Knapp made the first of his seven starts Nov. 3, the season’s 10^th game. The rookie played again 13 days later, then sat another three weeks. After Knapp’s Dec. 22 appearance, Leggio started the next 15 games.

Finally, ... Read the full article