Sulzer - Buffalo Hockey Beat

Sabres stay quiet as free agency opens, only ink AHL defenseman Drew Bagnall for depth

BUFFALO – It didn’t take Sabres fans long to experience some of that suffering general manager Darcy Regier warned could lie ahead.

As free agency opened Friday afternoon and teams began piling up assets, the rebuilding Sabres remained quiet most of the day.

Finally, at about 9:30 p.m., TSN’s Bob McKenzie reported the Sabres had signed AHL defenseman Drew Bagnall to a two-year, two-way contract.

That depth move probably won’t make the team’s anxious fan ... Read the full article

Sabres likely won’t pursue big names during free agency

BUFFALO – The focus during free agency, general manager Darcy Regier said, will be on adding supporting pieces to the Sabres’ younger core group. The crazy spending of the past appears to be over, at least for this summer.

So, when free agency opens at noon today, don’t expect the Sabres to wildly overpay or overreach for any Ville Leino-types again. And don’t expect them to throw tens of millions of dollars at any ... Read the full article

Darcy Regier unsure what Sabres will do with Ryan Miller and Thomas Vanek

BUFFALO – For now at least, starting goalie Ryan Miller and slick winger Thomas Vanek, two veteran stars entering the final seasons of their contracts, are still members of the Sabres.

Sabres general manager Darcy Regier said Tuesday he has spoken to the players’ agents and both sides plan to continue chatting.

“As I’ve stated before, it’s incumbent upon me to have a sense of what the marketplace is or re-sign them versus allowing them ... Read the full article

Developing marketplace will influence if Sabres keep Ryan Miller and Thomas Vanek

BUFFALO – For now at least, starting goalie Ryan Miller and slick winger Thomas Vanek, two veteran stars entering the final seasons of their contracts, are still members of the Sabres.

Sabres general manager Darcy Regier said this morning he has spoken to the players’ agents and both sides plan to continue chatting.

“As I’ve stated before, it’s incumbent upon me to have a sense of what the marketplace is or re-sign them versus allowing ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Ehrhoff excited to respresent reeling German national team

BUFFALO – Watching Germany’s national team fall into disarray and off the world stage hasn’t been easy for Sabres defenseman Christian Ehrhoff.

The country recently failed to qualify for the 2014 Sochi Olympics. Consider that other than three world war bans, the country’s ice hockey team had qualified for every other Olympics, all of them since 1948.

“Obviously, the non-qualification for the Olympics is very frightening, very sad,” Ehrhoff said Monday prior to ... Read the full article

Sabres down to five defensemen after Tyler Myers’ season-ending leg injury

BUFFALO – With 2:17 left in the second period of Thursday’s dismal 5-1 loss to the Montreal Canadiens, Sabres defenseman Tyler Myers absorbed P.K. Subban’s wicked one-timer from the point with his leg.

After blocking the lethal shot, Myers hobbled off seconds later when the Canadiens converted their five-on-three power play.

The 23-year-old finished the game, though, skating 25:37, his third-highest total this season, while blocking a game-high four shots.

Following the contest, Myers found ... Read the full article

Tyler Myers’ season-ending leg injury leaves Sabres’ defense depleted

BUFFALO – With 2:17 left in the second period of Thursday’s dismal 5-1 loss to the Montreal Canadiens, Sabres defenseman Tyler Myers laid out on the ice, blocking P.K. Subban’s wicked one-timer from the point.

Myers got up and hobbled off seconds later after the Canadiens scored on the five-on-three power play.

The 23-year-old finished the game, though, skating 25:37, his third-highest total this season, while blocking a game-high four shots.

Following the game, Myers ... Read the full article

Sabres’ recent trade-deadline activity has yielded mixed results

PITTSBURGH – With the NHL trade deadline hitting at 3 p.m. Wednesday, here’s the Buffalo Sabres’ Eastern Conference standing and their activity since 2006:

2006, third place, 83 points

General manager Darcy Regier made no additions, only trading No. 3 goalie Mika Noronen to Vancouver for a second-round pick (current backup goalie Jhonas Enroth). Some argued the inactivity bit the surprising Sabres, who lost four defensemen to injury during their run to the Eastern Conference ... Read the full article

Sabres rookie Mark Pysyk quickly earning keep on blue line

MONTREAL – Earlier this season, rookie Mark Pysyk, the same defense prospect now playing almost 16 minutes a game for the Buffalo Sabres, sat as a healthy scratch in the AHL three times.

“I just needed a little wake-up call,” Pysyk said Saturday inside the Bell Centre prior to the Sabres’ 2-1 win, his fourth NHL game.

When interim Sabres coach Ron Rolston benched Pysyk with the Rochester Americans in December, the odds of ... Read the full article

Sulzer disappointed season over, hoping to re-sign with Sabres

BUFFALO – When defenseman Alexander Sulzer caught his skate in a rut and twisted his knee early in the Sabres’ 4-0 loss to the New York Islanders on Feb. 23, the defenseman immediately knew something wasn’t right.

“I felt that something happened,” Sulzer said prior to the Sabres’ 5-4 shootout win over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday inside the First Niagara Center. “It was really painful. I didn’t know how bad it was. But ... Read the full article