Power - Buffalo Hockey Beat

Sabres lose Owen Power to injury; Jiri Kulich ready to play

BUFFALO – Make that three injured defensemen for the Sabres.

Coach Lindy Ruff said Owen Power missed Tuesday’s practice with a strain and is day to day. He joins defensemen Bowen Byram and Mattias Samuelsson on the sideline.

Ruff said Byram, who suffered an undisclosed injury in Saturday afternoon’s exhibition game, skated on his own Tuesday. Samuelsson is week to week with an upper-body injury.... Read the full article

Sabres preseason: goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen practices; Jiri Kulich injured

BUFFALO – Goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen knows if the Sabres hope to end their embarrassing 14-year playoff drought, he must bounce back following a disappointing season in which he often struggled and briefly lost his starting job.

It can be argued no player is more integral to the Sabres’ success than Luukkonen, who failed to build on his breakout 2023-24 campaign and sat out late-season games when journeyman James Reimer took over the net.

So it ... Read the full article

Sabres preseason: Radim Mrtka set to debut, Alexandar Georgiev to start

BUFFALO – Bo, meet Radim. Radim, meet Bo. Now go out and play together.

In the opening days of training camp, the Sabres kept the players expected to comprise their NHL roster in one practice group. So defenseman Bowen Byram said he hadn’t met rookie Radim Mrtka until this morning.

Tonight, Byram will be tasked with skating alongside Mrtka, 18, in his NHL preseason debut on the road against the Columbus Blue Jackets.... Read the full article

Sabres’ Rasmus Dahlin reveals fiancée recovering after heart transplant

BUFFALO – These days, following the most difficult time of his life, Sabres captain Rasmus Dahlin said he finds himself in a good place.

His fiancée, Carolina Matovac, is home recovering in Sweden after experiencing major heart failure early in the summer while vacationing in France and receiving life-saving CPR.

After spending weeks on life support, she received a heart transplant.

Dahlin, 25, draws inspiration watching her recovery.... Read the full article

Sabres sign Bowen Byram to two-year contract, avoid salary arbitration

The Buffalo Sabres late Monday avoided salary arbitration with defenseman Bowen Byram, signing him to a two-year, $12.5 million contract.

When the contract expires, Byram, 24, can become an unrestricted free agent.

The Sabres now have two unsigned restricted free agents: goalie Devon Levi and defenseman Conor Timmins, who earlier this month filed for arbitration.

By recently electing for arbitration with Byram, the Sabres made him ineligible to sign an offer sheet.

Byram’s $6.25 million ... Read the full article

Sabres choose to take Bowen Byram to salary arbitration

The Buffalo Sabres today chose salary arbitration for restricted free agent defenseman Bowen Byram, according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.

The moves means Byram, 24, is no longer eligible to sign an offer sheet.

In team-elected arbitration, the player picks the term of the award. For example, Byram could chose a two-year contract and become an unrestricted free agent when the deal expires.

The sides, of course, could complete a new contract before their hearing.... Read the full article

Kevyn Adams says Sabres would match any offer sheet to Bowen Byram

BUFFALO – If a team swoops in and gives restricted free agent Bowen Byram an offer sheet, general manager Kevyn Adams said the Sabres are prepared to match it.

“The moves we’ve made and the position we’ve put ourselves in from the cap perspective has been strategic,” Adams said prior to Wednesday’s session of development camp in LECOM Harborcenter. “If you leave just enough room in your cap that where maybe you see a projection ... Read the full article

Sabres stay busy by trading for Conor Timmins; Bowen Byram’s future seems uncertain

ORCHARD PARK – When general manager Kevyn Adams called Conor Timmins to inform him the Sabres had acquired him from the Pittsburgh Penguins, the defenseman was at his parents’ cottage just across the border in Fort Erie, Ontario.

As he spoke to Adams on Saturday from the backyard, Timmins, who grew up a Sabres fan about 30 miles away from Buffalo in St. Catharines, said he could see KeyBank Center, the rink he will now ... Read the full article

NHL Draft: Sabres had trade talks prior to taking Radim Mrtka; Buffalo planned to re-sign JJ Peterka

ORCHARD PARK – Up until the Buffalo Sabres selected defenseman Radim Mrtka ninth overall in Friday’s NHL Draft, general manager Kevyn Adams said he was having conversations with his counterparts about trading the pick.

Leading up to the draft, Adams seemed open to dealing his first-rounder for talent that could immediately help the Sabres. He wasn’t, however, going to trade it for the sake of it.

“There weren’t deals that I felt would have made ... Read the full article

NHL Draft: Sabres select Radim Mrtka ninth overall

ORCHARD PARK – Early last season, Radim Mrtka, the right-shot defenseman the Buffalo Sabres selected ninth overall tonight at the NHL Draft, briefly played pro hockey in his native Czechia.

While he enjoyed competing against men, he received limited action. If he wanted to keep developing, he needed more minutes. So he chose to play junior for the Western Hockey League’s Seattle Thunderbirds.

The 6-foot-6, 218-pound Mrtka arrived in North America unable to speak or ... Read the full article