WNY and Buffalo NY Hockey Coverage
February Edition
The Sabres drafted Jonas Johansson in 2014. ©2021, Micheline Veluvolu
The Buffalo Sabres this afternoon traded goalie Jonas Johansson to the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for a sixth-round pick in 2021.
The Sabres held Johansson, 25, out of Friday’s practice as they attempted to deal him.
With Johansson gone, Carter Hutton and Dustin Tokarski are the Sabres’ top two goalies. Hutton, 35, has a 1-10-1 record this season. Meanwhile, Tokarski, 31, hasn’t played in the NHL since a 10-minute stint in 2016-17.
A lower-body injury ... Read the full article
Jonas Johansson played three straight games last week. ©2021, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – When the Sabres signed minor league goalie Michael Houser to a one-year, $700,000 contract Friday, it ignited speculation they had another move in the works.
Sure enough, when the Sabres convened for Friday’s practice inside KeyBank Center, goalie Jonas Johansson was absent.
The Sabres are close to trading Johansson, according to The Buffalo News. The Swede would likely be dealt to the Colorado Avalanche, NHL Network analyst Kevin Weekes reported.
But the ... Read the full article
The Sabres experienced a COVID-19 outbreak last month. ©2021, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – Finally, after two days of waiting, Don Granato conducted his first practice Friday as interim Sabres coach.
Then shortly after the Sabres departed the ice, the NHL announced this afternoon’s game against Boston at KeyBank Center was postponed because four more Bruins players were added to the league’s COVID-19 protocol-related absences list.
The NHL also postponed Tuesday’s Bruins game against the New York Islanders. Their activities have been paused until at least Wednesday.... Read the full article
Dylan Cozens has missed four games. ©2021, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – Rookie Dylan Cozens, who has missed the last four games recovering from an upper-body injury, practiced this afternoon and should play in the Sabres’ next game, interim coach Don Granato said.
“I’m feeling 100 percent again,” Cozens said on a Zoom call following his first session back.
The Yukon native returned to his spot on the first line today, centering Taylor Hall and Sam Reinhart.... Read the full article
Michael Houser hasn’t played any games this season. ©2021, Micheline Veluvolu, Rochester Americans
BUFFALO – The Sabres have signed goalie Michael Houser to a one-year, $700,000 contract, the team announced today.
The Sabres placed Houser, 28, on waivers this afternoon, a standard procedure when a player who had an AHL contract inks an NHL deal. Houser has served as Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen’s backup this season, playing zero games.
Houser spent the previous three seasons with the Cincinnati Cyclones, the Sabres’ ECHL affiliate.
Why did the Sabres suddenly signed Houser? ... Read the full article
Taylor Hall knows Sabres players did not do enough to save Ralph Krueger’s job. ©2021, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – When winger Taylor Hall learned the Sabres had fired coach Ralph Krueger, he said he felt sadness and even a little guilty.
Krueger’s presence helped convince Hall, who knows the coach from their days with the Edmonton Oilers, to sign a one-year, $8 million contract with the Sabres.
But Hall, the 2017-18 NHL MVP, has endured perhaps the worst year of his career, mustering just two goals and 16 points in ... Read the full article
Don Granato coached his first game Thursday. ©2021, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – Instead of having a day or two of practice and preparation prior to his first game as interim Sabres coach, Don Granato had one meeting just two hours before the opening faceoff.
On Thursday, a day after the Sabres fired coach Ralph Krueger and named Granato, 53, his interim replacement, a member of their hockey staff entered the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol. The Sabres, who had Wednesday off, canceled their morning skate and stayed ... Read the full article
The Sabres battled COVID-19 earlier this season. ©2021, Buffalo Sabres
The Buffalo Sabres have canceled this morning’s pregame skate because a member of their hockey staff has entered the NHL’s COVID-19 protocols.
The Sabres, who fired coach Ralph Krueger on Wednesday in the midst of a 12-game losing streak, are scheduled to host the Boston Bruins tonight at KeyBank Center.
More information regarding today’s schedule will be released later.
1:30 p.m. update: The Sabres announced after further testing and contact tracing, as of now, tonight’s ... Read the full article
Kevyn Adams said Ralph Krueger “believed to his core” he could turn the Sabres around. ©2021, Micheline Veluvolu
In explaining why he fired Ralph Krueger, Buffalo Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams appealed to his players’ pride.
Adams wanted to keep Krueger, a coach he said his players believed in and “really, really love.” The rookie GM stood by him for weeks, allowing the Sabres to implode and their losing streak to balloon to 12 games.
But Wednesday morning, hours after the Sabres’ 3-2 road loss to the New Jersey Devils, Adams knew ... Read the full article
Don Granato has extensive experience as a head coach. ©2021, Micheline Veluvolu
For the time being, Don Granato, a 53-year-old hockey lifer who has spent the last 27 years coaching or scouting in pro, college and junior, is leading the hapless Buffalo Sabres.
The Sabres on Wednesday named Granato their interim coach after firing Ralph Krueger in the midst of a 12-game losing streak.
Granato, who joined Krueger’s staff as an assistant last season, will be behind the bench tonight against the Boston Bruins at KeyBank ... Read the full article