Rochester Americans - Buffalo Hockey Beat

Carlo Colaiacovo excited for opportunity with Sabres

BUFFALO – Two days after signing a one-year contract with the Sabres, Carlo Colaiacovo hadn’t stopped smiling yet, the defenseman said Sunday.

A year ago, Colaiacovo couldn’t find work. As the summer dragged on, the free agent became uneasy. The stress wore on him.

Colaiacovo eventually decided to bolt to a Russian club in the KHL. But the contract took so long to consummate a one-year-deal with Philadelphia materialized in October before he could leave.... Read the full article

Sabres have plenty of shiny prospects to showcase beside Jack Eichel

BUFFALO – The thousands of Sabres fans who visit the First Niagara Center this week to watch the team’s prospects should leave with at least one special, indelible memory. For the first time up close on home ice, they’ll get to see slick center Jack Eichel.

Sure, it’s only a summer development camp. But watching Eichel in Sabres gear just two weeks after he was drafted second overall will likely never be forgotten.

Of course, ... Read the full article

Sabres sign Ryan O’Reilly to 7-year, $52.5 million contract extension

BUFFALO – That didn’t take long. A week after the Sabres acquired Ryan O’Reilly in a blockbuster trade with the Colorado Avalanche, they locked up their new No. 1 center with a max deal Friday, a whopping seven-year, $52.5 million contract extension.

It’s the biggest contract in franchise history, surpassing the seven-year, $50 million deal the Sabres gave winger Thomas Vanek in 2007 when they matched the Edmonton Oilers’ offer sheet.

The contract has a ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Matt Donovan NHL’s first Oklahoman

BUFFALO – Growing up in Oklahoma, Matt Donovan never thought about playing in the NHL, a league far away from Edmond, the Oklahoma City suburb he grew up in. Besides, no one from the Sooner State had ever cracked hockey’s best league.

“Being in Oklahoma, no kid really had that dream,” said Donovan, a defenseman who signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Sabres on Wednesday.

But Donovan was drawn to the game. His father, ... Read the full article

Sabres sign Bobby Sanguinetti to two-way contract

BUFFALO – The Sabres added more defense depth in free agency today, signing Bobby Sanguinetti to a one-year, two-way contract.

The 6-foot-3, 190-pound Sanguinetti spent all of last season with the Utica Comets, scoring 16 goals and 40 points in 61 games. He also led all AHL defensemen in playoff scoring with three goals and 14 points in 23 contests.

The 27-year-old, the 21^st overall pick by the New York Rangers in 2006, has ... Read the full article

Sabres notes: GM Tim Murray adds AHL standouts for Amerks

BUFFALO – Tim Murray has spoken about the need for the Rochester Americans to improve following an awful season. The general manager left no doubt he was serious Wednesday, signing two notable AHL players to two-way deals – defenseman Matt Donovan and winger Jason Akeson – for the Sabres’ top affiliate.

“I think they bring depth,” Murray said inside the First Niagara Center.

Otherwise, the Sabres stayed quiet on the first day of free agency. ... Read the full article

Report: Sabres sign Cal O’Reilly to one-way deal

BUFFALO – The Sabres have signed an O’Reilly. It’s probably not the one you’re thinking of, however.

The team inked center Cal O’Reilly, Ryan O’Reilly’s older brother, to a two-year, one-way deal worth $700,000 per season this afternoon, according to TSN’s Bob McKenzie.

Update: Sabres general manager Tim Murray said this afternoon the Sabres have not signed O’Reilly. The two sides have talked. Murray said Sabres have signed winger Jason Akeson.

Cal O’Reilly, an AHL ... Read the full article

Sabres might have short want list in free agency

BUFFALO – For a rebuilding team fresh off two consecutive 30^th-place finishes, the Sabres’ shopping list entering free agency, which opens today at noon, is relatively small. A weekend of wheeling and dealing at the NHL Draft pretty much set the roster for the upcoming season.

The Sabres have two goalies, four forward lines and almost a full defense corps. Not bad for a team that finished 2014-15 using a patchwork lineup filled ... Read the full article

Ryan O’Reilly excited to join Sabres; Phil Housley elected to Hall of Fame

BUFFALO – Sabres center Ryan O’Reilly’s ready to tackle a new challenge. During his first six NHL seasons, the 24-year-old wasn’t viewed as one of the Avalanche’s leaders. Colorado stars Matt Duchesne, Gabriel Landeskog and Nathan MacKinnon often overshadowed him.

But O’Reilly, acquired in a blockbuster deal Friday at the NHL Draft, will have a new role next season. The Sabres want him to be one of the guys to shepherd a team filled with ... Read the full article

Sabres leave NHL Draft feeling good about future

SUNRISE, Fla. – Tim Murray isn’t one for reflection. The gruff Buffalo Sabres general manager usually focuses on one task before quickly moving to the next one.

But at some point today, after an arduous NHL Draft weekend in which he added major assets, Murray will hop on a plane home to Buffalo and feel a sense of satisfaction.

Murray enjoyed arguably the best two days of any GM by drafting future cornerstone Jack Eichel... Read the full article