WNY and Buffalo NY Hockey Coverage
Offseason Edition
BUFFALO – If all goes well, then come October, Mikhail Grigorenko, the prized center selected 12th overall Friday at the NHL Entry Draft in Pittsburgh, will be the first 18-year-old playing regularly for the Sabres since Pierre Turgeon in 1987.
The Sabres, who introduced Grigorenko on Monday inside the First Niagara Center, plan to give the Russian every chance to make the big club instead of going back to the QMJHL’s Quebec Remparts.
General ... Read the full article
The Sabres moved up to take Zemgus Girgensons 14th overall. ©2012, Jim Naprstek, Dubuque Fighting Saints
PITTSBURGH – A blockbuster trade for established talent never materialized. Instead, the Buffalo Sabres dished two high choices to Calgary early, grabbed their second coveted center during a wild first round and kept on picking.
They selected six players in the final six rounds Saturday, the NHL Entry Draft’s second and final day – three centers, two defensemen and one goalie – and left the Consol Energy feeling good about their eight total choices.
The ... Read the full article
The Sabres were thrilled slick Russian Mikhail Grigorenko fell to them at No. 12. ©2012, Quebec Remparts
PITTSBURGH – The defensemen kept going and going at the 2012 NHL Entry Draft; seven straight after the Montreal Canadiens selected center Alex Galchenyuk third overall, in fact.
For the Buffalo Sabres, a team targeting a talented center, the planets aligned Friday night inside the Consol Energy Center.
They got two.
Incredibly, picking 12th, the Sabres grabbed a Russian, Mikhail Grigorenko, a slick playmaking center from the QMJHL’s Quebec Ramparts ranked No. 3 ... Read the full article
The Sabres selected Tyler Myers 12th overall in 2008, the last time they had two first-round picks. ©2012, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
PITTSBURGH – A year and zero playoff games later, Darcy Regier still has the keys, full reign to aggressively pursue elite talent and make the Buffalo Sabres a contender again.
If you believe the general manager, then he’s in the mix and will be active on the Consol Energy Center floor this weekend during the NHL Entry Draft, which starts tonight when the Sabres pick twice – 12th and 21st, compliments of ... Read the full article
Derek Roy endured criticism last season. ©2012, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – It was March 30, Fan Appreciation Night, when Derek Roy, as part of the Sabres’ “Jersey Off My Back” promotion, awarded a lucky seat holder his jersey during a brief video message.
Each of the Sabres made an announcement that night; only one, Roy, was booed.
The fans’ frustration boiled over during the center’s fifth straight pointless game at crunch time, so they jeered him a bit, even snickered when he popped up ... Read the full article
BUFFALO – Some of the names you’ve possibly heard bandied around in trade rumors, the players fans might be drooling about seeing in blue and gold, Sabres general manager Darcy Regier has discussed with his counterparts.
The Sabres, owners of four of the first 44 selections at this weekend’s NHL Entry Draft at the Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh, including picks 12 and 21, have some nice chips if they want to deal.
At this ... Read the full article
BUFFALO – Alexander Sulzer arrived three months ago as an unknown short on NHL experience. The German immediately became the Sabres’ seventh defenseman, a role he knew well from being scratched 51 times during his brief tenure with the Vancouver Canucks.
It was assumed Sulzer might play occasionally before quietly departing during the offseason. Then Andrej Sekera became ill, and the 27-year-old began assuming regular duty.
Within about a week, Sulzer was skating 20 minutes ... Read the full article
BUFFALO – Lindy Ruff said he “was surprised, disappointed” that the NHL banned Sabres defenseman Tyler Myers three games for ramming Montreal’s Scott Gomez into the boards from behind.
Both the coach and Myers knew the boarding penalty Monday, which concussed Gomez, would probably earn a suspension. But three games for a player with a clean record?
“I felt that as a first-time offender it was a little harsh,” Ruff said Wednesday prior to the ... Read the full article
BUFFALO – Don’t fret, Sabres fans. The Foligno jump is coming. It’ll just have to take place following Marcus Foligno’s second goal.
The top prospect planned to honor his father, popular former Sabres captain Mike Foligno, by leaping into the air to celebrate his first big league score.
Mike jumped after about every one of his 355 goals from 1979-94. Marcus’ brother Nick Foligno, a Senators winger, paid homage once as a rookie in 2007.... Read the full article
The Sabres selected Paul Gaustad 220nd overall in 2000. ©2012, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – If it meant getting better in the future, Darcy Regier said the Sabres would take a minor step back at the NHL trade deadline. Sixty-two games into the season, the Stanley Cup talk for the 12th-place club has ceased. Monday was about utilizing assets and filling a glaring need for a scoring center.
Clearly, the general manager had a plan to fix his underachieving team, which was six points out of eighth place ... Read the full article
