Buffalo Hockey Beat - WNY and Buffalo NY Hockey Coverage

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

Goalie Robin Lehner ready to become Sabres’ starter

BUFFALO – Having developed in the Ottawa organization when Tim Murray was the Senators’ assistant general manager, new Sabres goalie Robin Lehner knows the Buffalo GM well.

“He’s got a very nice smiling face,” Lehner joked about the notoriously serious Murray during a conference call Tuesday. “You guys can see that a whole lot. He’s a very serious guy to handle.”

Kidding aside, the two share a mutual respect. When the Sabres needed a starting ... 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

Goalie Robin Lehner happy to be with Sabres, recovering from concussion

BUFFALO – Having developed in the Ottawa organization when Tim Murray was the Senators’ assistant general manager, new Sabres goalie Robin Lehner knows the Buffalo GM well.

“He’s got a very nice smiling face,” Lehner joked about the notoriously serious Murray this afternoon on a conference call. “You guys can see that a whole lot. He’s a very serious guy to handle.”

Kidding aside, the two share a mutual respect. When the Sabres needed a ... Read the full article

Ryan O’Reilly wants leadership role with Sabres

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

Awful season costs Cody Hodgson job with Sabres

BUFFALO – Cody Hodgson’s Sabres career is over.

The team put the struggling winger on unconditional waivers Monday, meaning the final four seasons of his six-year, $25.5 million contract will be bought out for one-third the remaining value since he’s under 26 years old.

The Sabres owe him $6.333 million over the next eight years, money that will count against the salary cap until 2022-23, according to generalfanager.com. They must absorb a $1,041,666 hit ... Read the full article

Former Sabres star Phil Housley emotional over Hall of Fame election

Doubt crept into Phil Housley’s head as the Hockey Hall of Fame passed him over year after year. Since 2006, three years after he ended an often spectacular 21-year career, the former Buffalo Sabres star defenseman patiently waited for a life-changing phone call.

Housley, who amassed 1,232 points in 1,495 games, was starting to think the call might never come.

Then on Monday, as Housley was about to eat lunch at a restaurant in Arizona, ... Read the full article

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

Sabres waive Cody Hodgson for buyout

BUFFALO – Cody Hodgson’s Sabres career is over.

The team put the struggling winger on unconditional waivers today, meaning the final four seasons of his six-year, $25.5 million contract will be bought out for one-third the remaining value.

The 25-year-old endured perhaps the worst year of any NHL forward in 2014-15, mustering only six goals and 13 points in 78 games, a stunning 14-goal, 31-point drop in six more appearances.

Hodgson scored one goal ... Read the full article

Sabres won’t keep goalie coach Arturs Irbe

BUFFALO – Goalie coach Arturs Irbe won’t return for a second season with the Sabres, new coach Dan Bylsma told WGR this morning.

Bylsma said he talked to some potential coaches at the NHL Draft over the weekend and one could be hired in the next week.

The loquacious Irbe was the only coach Sabres general manager Tim Murray retained after firing former coach Ted Nolan on April 12. Murray said then he would leave ... Read the full article