Buffalo Hockey Beat - WNY and Buffalo NY Hockey Coverage

Sabres’ decision to fire Amerks coach Chris Taylor looks foolish

In 2017, former general manager Jason Botterill and his assistant, Randy Sexton, took an unusual first step in rebuilding the Buffalo Sabres’ struggling AHL affiliate, the Rochester Americans.

Barely a year after the Sabres’ previous regime had let Chris Taylor go as an assistant coach from the Amerks, Botterill and Sexton, who also served as Rochester’s GM, rehired him as head coach.

The move made sense. Taylor, who was fired again Tuesday, spent his ... Read the full article

Disconnect with Pegulas costs Jason Botterill job as Sabres GM

If the NHL could’ve held its draft as scheduled next week, Jason Botterill would likely still be employed as the Buffalo Sabres’ general manager. But the COVID-19 pandemic forced the league to postpone the annual event until the fall.

The extra time gave Sabres owners Terry and Kim Pegula an opportunity to discuss and plan the team’s future – “Really start digging in,” Kim Pegula said on a Zoom call Tuesday to discuss Botterill’s firing ... Read the full article

Sabres fire Amerks coach Chris Taylor and assistants

In his three years as Rochester Americans coach, Chris Taylor helped re-energize the Buffalo Sabres’ moribund AHL affiliate.

For the first time in years, the Amerks morphed into a consistent winner. Players, meanwhile, regularly raved about the affable Taylor and his staff.

When the Sabres needed an assistant to fill in behind the bench early this season, they elevated Taylor, who is often talked about as a future NHL coach.

But on Tuesday, hours after ... Read the full article

After firing Jason Botterill, Sabres will go forward as ‘leaner’ operation

Sabres fire GM Jason Botterill, name Kevyn Adams replacement

In a stunning move this morning, the Buffalo Sabres fired general manager Jason Botterill after three seasons and replaced him with Kevyn Adams, who had been serving as the team’s senior vice president of business administration.

“This morning, we informed Jason Botterill he will no longer be the general manager of the Sabres,” Sabres owners Terry and Kim Pegula said in a statement. “This decision was made after many candid discussions with Jason during ... Read the full article

Former Sabres captain Jason Pominville says goodbye to Buffalo

Leaving Buffalo had never crossed Jason Pominville’s mind. The former Sabres captain figured his family might stay forever.

Pominville called Buffalo home twice – first for eight seasons, beginning as a rookie in 2005, and again when the Sabres reacquired him from the Minnesota Wild in 2017.

When his career ended last year, Pominville, who grew up outside of Montreal, kept living in Clarence with his wife, Kim, and their two children.

The family became ... Read the full article

Sabres sign Oskari Laaksonen to entry-level contract

The Buffalo Sabres have signed defenseman Oskari Laaksonen to a three-year, entry-level contract, the team announced this morning.

Laaksonen, 20, spent the last three seasons with Ilves in Liiga in his native Finland, compiling five goals and 40 points in 113 games.

“The work Oskari has put in to improve his game has paid off during his last two seasons,” Sabres general manager Jason Botterill said in a statement. “His success on the international stage ... Read the full article

Why did Lawrence Pilut bolt from Sabres to Russian team?

Following two productive seasons in the Buffalo Sabres organization, it seemed like a formality defenseman Lawrence Pilut would re-sign this offseason as a restricted free agent.

Pilut, 24, quickly acclimated to a new brand of hockey following his arrival from Sweden in 2018, developing into one of the AHL’s most dynamic defensemen as a rookie with the Rochester Americans. Less than two months into his North American career, he earned his first recall to ... Read the full article

Lawrence Pilut officially leaves Sabres, contract with KHL team announced

Defenseman Lawrence Pilut’s two-year contract with Traktor Chelyabins, a Russian team in the Kontinental Hockey League, was officially announced today.

Pilut, who signed a two-year, entry-level NHL contract with the Buffalo Sabres in 2018, is a pending restricted free agent. The Sabres must give him a qualifying offer to retain his rights.

The Buffalo News reported last month Pilut would be leaving the Sabres for the KHL. It’s unclear if he can return to the ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Rasmus Dahlin using offseason to develop into elite talent

As the COVID-19 pandemic forced much of the world into quarantine, Sweden remained open, offering Rasmus Dahlin an opportunity to hone his skills on the ice as most NHL players stayed in their homes.

“I’m working on my shot almost every day,” the Buffalo Sabres defenseman said on a Zoom call May 27. “That’s my main thing right now, my shot.”

Dahlin, of course, already possesses a terrific shot. Still, he believes it can improve, ... Read the full article