Buffalo Hockey Beat - WNY and Buffalo NY Hockey Coverage

Matt Moulson open to staying with Sabres, not worried about getting traded again

BUFFALO – Thirty games into what could be a very short Sabres career, Matt Moulson said he’s given a lot of thought to a future he can’t control yet.

The winger, quietly one of the NHL’s top goal scorers for years, would be coveted as an unrestricted free agent this summer. But before that, if the Sabres want to deal the 30-year-old, he’d be in high demand as a rental prior to the March 5 ... Read the full article

Ted Nolan wants ‘a little bit more’ from Sabres prospect Mikhail Grigorenko

BUFFALO – Interim Sabres coach Ted Nolan spoke bluntly Monday about 19-year-old prospect Mikhail Grigorenko, who refused an assignment to junior Saturday before accepting it a day later.

“We can’t control what people do and what they say, but we can certainly control how we’re going to run this organization and what we feel is necessary for the development of young players,” Nolan said after the Sabres prepared for tonight’s game against the Philadelphia Flyers ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Zenon Konopka excited to be reunited with pet rabbit ‘Hoppy’

BUFFALO – Following practice today, Sabres center Zenon Konopka planned to go pick up his pet rabbit, “Hoppy,” at his mother’s house just across the Ontario border in Niagara-on-the-Lake.

“He’s been there with grandma for a bit,” Konopka said inside the First Niagara Center.

Hoppy doesn’t like flights, so a friend drove him from Minnesota to the area.

“It’s time for the big guy to finally make his return to Buffalo,” said Konopka, who was ... Read the full article

Ted Nolan on Sabres prospect Mikhail Grigorenko: ‘The tail can’t wag the dog’

BUFFALO – Interim coach Ted Nolan spoke bluntly today about prospect Mikhail Grigorenko, who initially refused the Sabres’ assignment to junior before accepting it late Sunday.

“We can’t control what people do and what they say, but we can certainly control how we’re going to run this organization and what we feel is necessary for the development of young players,” Nolan said following practice inside the First Niagara Center. “The tail can’t wag the dog; ... Read the full article

Sabres prospect Mikhail Grigorenko will accept assignment to junior

BUFFALO – Prospect Mikhail Grigorenko has informed the Sabres he will be reporting to the QMJHL’s Quebec Remparts.

The 19-year-old center initially refused the assignment to junior Saturday.

“He and I had talked about it quite a bit,” Jay Grossman, Grigorenko’s agent, told the Times Herald by phone late Sunday. “I think that it was fair to say there were some real serious concerns about the development process of this player. Going down to Quebec, ... Read the full article

Ted Nolan had ‘no indication’ Sabres prospect Mikhail Grigorenko would refuse junior assigment

Interim Buffalo Sabres coach Ted Nolan said he had no inkling 19-year-old prospect Mikhail Grigorenko would refuse his assignment to the QMJHL’s Quebec Remparts.

“Players will be disappointed when things like that happen,” Nolan said Sunday in Washington prior to the Sabres’ 2-1 shootout win against the Capitals. “But no indication that he wouldn’t report.”

The Sabres sent the Russian center, a frequent healthy scratch, back to junior Saturday.

Nolan said general manager Tim Murray ... Read the full article

Watch: Sabres goalie Ryan Miller’s amazing stick save on Mikhail Grabovski

Is this the NHL’s save of the year?

With 2:14 left in regulation in the Buffalo Sabres’ 2-1 shootout win in Washington today, goalie Ryan Miller’s amazing stick save stymied the Capitals’ Mikhail Grabovski, keeping the game tied at 1.

“That’s one of those ones where you’re just completely out of options,” Miller said following game. “The puck came through traffic, hit me right in the pads instead of the stick and I knew I ... Read the full article

Mikhail Grigorenko refuses to report to junior, future with Sabres unclear

BUFFALO – Interim coach Ted Nolan said Mikhail Grigorenko “was a little bit upset” when the Sabres told the 19-year-old prospect he was going back to the QMJHL’s Quebec Remparts.

“But this is non-negotiable,” Nolan said Saturday inside the Riverside Ice Rink. “It’s one of those things that has to be done.”

The Sabres didn’t understand just how much the demotion irked the Russian center.

Grigorenko won’t be reporting to the junior club, his agent, ... Read the full article

Goalie Ryan Miller still waiting to discuss future with Sabres’ new regime

BUFFALO – Ryan Miller appreciates Pat LaFontaine’s kind words. The hockey icon lauded his franchise goalie last week, telling reporters the Sabres would do their best to accommodate the former Vezina Trophy winner if he wants to stay here.

“It’s nice of him,” Miller, an unrestricted free agent following the season, said Saturday inside the Riverside Ice Rink. “I still need to kind of see what’s going on in the bigger picture.”

Miller said ... Read the full article

Sabres send prospect Mikhail Grigorenko back to junior

BUFFALO – Interim coach Ted Nolan said Mikhail Grigorenko “was a little bit upset” when the Sabres told the 19-year-old prospect he was going back to the QMJHL’s Quebec Remparts.

“But this is non-negotiable,” Nolan said this morning inside the Riverside Ice Rink. “It’s one of those things that has to be done.”

Update: Grigorenko’s agent, Jay Grossman, confirmed to the Times Herald that Grigorenko won’t be reporting to the Remparts, something Le Soleil’s Kathleen ... Read the full article