WNY and Buffalo NY Hockey Coverage
Offseason Edition
Joel Armia skates this morning. ©2013, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – The hype has been building since slick Finnish winger Joel Armia was selected 16th 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
Jamie McBain had only one goal and eight points last season. ©2013, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – Jamie McBain disputes his former general manager’s belief he reported to training camp out of shape last season.
The new Sabres defenseman acknowledged Tuesday that workouts “kind of slipped away from me a little bit” during the lockout. But McBain had played briefly in Finland and felt ready for an abbreviated season with the Carolina Hurricanes following the work stoppage.
“My on-ice conditioning was just fine,” said McBain, who could face the Hurricanes ... Read the full article
The Sabres picked Rasmus Ristolainen eighth overall in June. ©2013, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – Four No. 1 picks from the last two years, including both 2013 selections, defensemen Rasmus Ristolainen and Nikita Zadorov, will skate for the Sabres in tonight’s preseason opener in Montreal.
Expect to see the rebuilding Sabres showcase plenty of youth throughout the seven-game exhibition schedule, coach Ron Rolston said this morning inside the First Niagara Center.
“There’s going to be a lot of opportunity for those players, and they’re going to get a ... Read the full article
Henrik Tallinder skates Friday. ©2013, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – This had been the thinking since July: the cash-strapped New Jersey Devils needed to unload money badly, so they dished Henrik Tallinder to the Sabres, who wanted the veteran back to help ignite struggling defenseman Tyler Myers.
Not quite.
A rocky relationship with some coaches, not money, forced his exit from New Jersey, Tallinder said Wednesday. And the 34-year-old has spent the first two days of training camp skating with Mark ... Read the full article
Cody Hodgson earned a huge contract despite only 34 points last season. ©2013, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
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
Mikhail Grigorenko played 25 NHL games last season. ©2013, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – Prospect Mikhail Grigorenko is ineligible for the 2013 NHL Prospect Tournament “because of the number of NHL games he was on the Sabres’ roster” last season, the team announced this afternoon, a day before play begins in Traverse City, Mich.
Grigorenko, who made 25 NHL appearances as a rookie in 2012-13, was arguably the biggest name on the 24-man roster the Sabres released for the eight-team tournament last month.
Two other youngsters on ... Read the full article
Thomas Vanek and the Sabres will have 70 games aired on MSG next season. ©2013, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – MSG will televise 70 Sabres games in 2013-14, while NBC or NBC Sports Network will broadcast the other 12, the team announced today.
Ten games will air on NBC Sports Network. The other two will air on NBC or NBC Sports Network as part of the flex schedule.
The scheduled NBC games:
A knee injury ended Brayden McNabb’s season March 23. ©2013, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – The most experienced defense prospect participating in the Sabres’ summer development camp might also have the most to prove.
As a rookie in 2011-12, Brayden McNabb impressed from the get-go, earning his first NHL promotion in late November and playing 25 total games with the Sabres.
Less than two years later, the 22-year-old has almost become an afterthought.
When the NHL season started in January, McNabb, who struggled a bit with Rochester last ... Read the full article
Henrik Tallinder left the Sabres in 2010. ©2013, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – Three years ago, Henrik Tallinder sensed his Sabres career was ending. Despite a strong season helping then-rookie Tyler Myers develop into of the NHL’s top defensemen, the Swede knew the team had little interest in awarding him a long-term contract.
So when free agency opened, Tallinder signed a four-year, $13.5 million deal with the New Jersey Devils.
Had the Sabres offered even three years to Tallinder, he said he might’ve considered staying with ... Read the full article
Darcy Regier should be busy today. ©2013, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
NEWARK, N.J. – By tonight, following what promises to be a busy, even chaotic day at the NHL Entry Draft inside the Prudential Center, the Buffalo Sabres could be radically reshaped for the future.
With four of the first 52 picks in a deep draft, including the eighth and 16th selections, the Sabres should nab some elite prospects. But general manager Darcy Regier’s rebuild goes beyond simply adding draft picks.
Starting goalie Ryan Miller ... Read the full article
