Two in the Box - SoundSage

View Details

Kevyn Adams has some company. The Sabres hired Jarmo Kekäläinen as Senior Advisor Friday, completing a move that had been rumored since the spring and adding an experienced voice to Adams’ staff.

Kekäläinen will report to Adams as part of the larger front office structure, an arrangement that was expected if and when the Sabres found a suitable candidate for the role. Exactly what level of influence Kekäläinen will have is to be determined. It’s safe to assume he’ll be at the table when it comes to draft picks, trades and signings, but whether or not he’ll have any sort of veto power or notable influence on those decisions won’t come to light for some time.

Considering what has been shown of the Sabres’ front office through reporting and team-produced content is a group where several opinions are heard on a subject and Adams puts value in hearing from multiple viewpoints on a player or acquisition. Kekäläinen ought to blend nicely into that operating procedure. He is a seasoned front office executive who is fresh off a decade at the helm of the Columbus Blue Jackets, his point of view will be unique to Buffalo’s management group. Only Jason Karmanos comes close to having a similar background to Kekäläinen.

Kekäläinen certainly has the requisite experience to take on this position. Over a decad at the helm in Columbus, additional NHL front office experience with the Blues and Senators, plus a stint with Jokerit in Liiga. He has also served in management roles for Finland’s World Cup and Olympic entries. His willingness to make aggressive moves while with the Blue Jackets has been praised as part of the hire. Among his most notable acquisitions were swapping Seth Jones for Ryan Johansen, later pulling a pair of first round picks in exchange for Jones, Kekäläinen brought in Artemi Panarin and was celebrated for adding to his team at the 2019 deadline when it was growing apparent that both Panarin and Sergei Bobrovsky wouldn’t be re-signing. He also put Columbus in the fight for Johnny Gaudreau, landing one of the most prized free agents of 2022.

His reputation as a bold operator is well earned, however I have some reservations about how much that modus operandi will be called upon in this role. Is a senior advisor position truly one where a willingness to be aggressive can be utilized? I’d expect that in some cases Kekäläinen can bend Adams’ ear and push him towards a certain signing or trade. But if the final decision rests with Adams – or, perhaps Terry Pegula as we learned on Monday – at what point does Kekäläinen become just another voice in the decision making process? Will he have the latitude where he can truly push for a certain move? Or will he only be looked to for input as Adams navigates the offseason? It’s possible both can be true – I expect there will be times where his background or familiarity with a player will result in his view carrying more weight compared to others – but the question over how he fits into the larger picture will remain.

The other looming question will hang over both his and Adams’ future. I expect that Kekäläinen will be seen as a GM in waiting by many. If it’s true that the majority of the executives in Buffalo’s front office are on expiring deals, he could be well positioned to step into the GM’s role if Terry Pegula decides to move on from this management group at the end of the year.

This hire isn’t without its red flags. Kekäläinen’s draft history was a bit spotty, having several drafts with multiple firsts only yield average results (though his drafts weren’t without their success stories too). He had entered into a pretty substantial rebuild in 2021, one he didn’t fully see out before being fired. His departure from Columbus was marred by the disastrous hiring of Mike Babcock in 2023. Babcock’s conduct ahead of the regular season led to his firing and an NHLPA investigation and Kekäläinen followed in February. There were also regular struggles to keep players in the organization, sometimes attributed to management and sometimes attributed to the market.

The most refreshing aspect of this hire is how it differs from Pegula’s previous front office hirings. Adams, Jason Botterill and Tim Murray were all first-time GMs. Only Murray was provided with some guardrails as Craig Patrick was brought in as an advisor, but he didn’t spend much time in Buffalo. While he isn’t the GM (yet), Kekäläinen is one of the most experienced senior hockey additions that has been made under Pegula’s ownership. If he were to inherit the GM chair, he would be the first person with prior GM experience to take that job under Pegula.

We’ll see if there are any immediate signs of Kekäläinen’s influence as the offseason rolls along. Adams is already in a position where a quiet summer could lead to another lost season, so there should already be an expectation of aggressive action from the club. Perhaps we see a player who has prior experience with Kekäläinen brought in via trade or free agency, or maybe Adams finally gets a really significant trade over the line. Either way, it’s encouraging to see the Sabres follow through on adding a seasoned voice to their front office.

View Details

Many years ago I put together a roster of players exclusively from hockey movies. This fictional team was pretty well rounded if I do say so myself. It also focused solely on movies and in the interim, Shoresy has become a smash hit, featuring a host of characters deserving of consideration for this exercise.

The general premise remains the same: create the best fictional hockey roster from movies and TV shows. No true stories, no documentaries, just fictional shows. The team is meant to be well-rounded as well, not an all star team made up of the top scorer in every show or movie.

Front Office

Owner: Nat – A great replacement for Mr. Ducksworth. Nat is a team-first owner who cares about her club’s connection to its community and the well being of her players. She also knows the importance of butts in seats and the value in winning. She’s an ideal owner who wasn’t afraid to spend when it came time to reinforce the club.

Co-Presidents: Miigwan and Ziigwan – Like Nat, Miig and Ziig are devoted to the club. They work hard on marketing and community outreach while staying committed to the day-to-day business needs of their team, laying the groundwork to bring in corporate sponsors. They’re the sort of business leaders who help keep teams successful and they’re far more competent than Mr. Tibbles.

GM: Joe McGrath – McGrath’s pennypinching would make him the apple of Terry Pegula’s eye. Hopefully, under the guidance of a committed owner like Nat, he’d use his extensive connections and experience to pull together a strong club. Remember, McGrath got all three Hansons for free. Quite the acquisition if you ask me.

Coach: Walter Burns – Unchanged from the original entry, Burns’ discipline-first approach and commitment to a complete game makes him a great fit for my team. He put together a game plan that let the Mystery boys skate with the New York Rangers, I think he’d work wonders with this group.

Assistants: Reg Dunlop, Ted Orion – Orion is an ideal PK coach, a committed defensive mind with solid chops. Dunlop is definitely a player’s coach. He’d be good for the room, acting as a barrier between the players and Burns.

Equipment Managers: Jan and Hans – Easy pick considering there aren’t any other examples to pick from besides the stick boy in Slap Shot.

Trainer: Charlie Kischel – Hell stitch you up so they put you on TV after.

Goaltenders

Julie “the Cat” Gaffney – Goalies tend to get the short end of the stick in movies. Gaffney is one of the few who actually has some chops. We know she can make saves in big moments so she gets the nod as the starter.

Denis Lemieux – A bit of a loose cannon, he held the fort for a leaky Chiefs team. With any luck, a stronger group in front of him would lighten his load and allow him to chip in quality starts as the backup.

Defense

Tree Lane – A stay-at-home type of defenseman who would be a key piece on my top pair. All the Mystery players are terrific skaters, meaning he has the blend of size and skating to play the modern game.

Jonathan “Dolo” Diaby – A third round NHL pick who is an impressive 200-foot talent who can run a power play and matchup in tough minutes when needed. Awful to play against. Huge clapper.

Ben Winetka and Galin Winetka – This pair is unchanged from the first time around. Brothers with the high-end skating shared by the Mystery products, they have all the makings of a dynamic middle pairing.

Fulton Reed – The Mighty Ducks movies play fast and loose with positions but I feel Reed plays as a defenseman more than anything in those movies. The big slap shot seems to be the biggest giveaway. His skating is worrisome and he could get bumped from power play minutes, but he has the size and snarl to succeed in limited deployment.

Russ Tyler – Another iffy skater who will need power play time. Tyler will definitely be a rotational player on this roster as he’d be unlikely to play over Dolo on the top unit. But he has good enough offensive traits to rotate in as a six or seven depending on the matchup.

Johnny Upton – A steady, veteran presence (the captain of the Charlestown Chiefs), Upton is a decent choice to swap in on a nightly basis depending on the matchup. He’d offer a more defensive mindset than Tyler, offering some nice flexibility depending on the game.

Forwards

Gunner Stahl – A prototypical power forward with a finishing touch. He’s a huge scoring threat at five-on-five and has some traits that would make him a decent power play option. You just need to keep him out of the shootout.

Adam Banks – Banks has the sort of all around skill that makes him a great fit with virtually any winger combination. I think he’s the sort of puck transporting center who can serve as set up man to Stahl on a nightly basis while having plenty of finishing skill of his own.

Gordon Bombay – It’s not ideal that so many of these forwards are finishers. I worry a bit about this team’s ability to distribute. Bombay and Banks strike me as players who thrive with the puck on their stick, so it would be a bit worrisome to play them together and expect there to be enough chances to go around. Still, Bombay’s talent can’t be ignored. I’ll bet on the talent of this group to build chemistry and work through any stylistic issues they may have.

Brant “Goody” Goodleaf – Goody brings a bit of sandpaper to this second line to pair with his finishing ability. He ought to clear a bit of space for Banks and Braden to work off of while chipping in offensively. Throughout Shoresy he’s shown that he’s a capable top line winger, he ought to fit in well with his high-skill linemates. Plus, he’ll be great in the room.

Connor Banks – Good enough to land a contract offer from the Rangers, Banks will be a perfect 2C on this team. He’s an excellent finisher with tremendous hands who will be able to drive play on a line with Goody and Ned Braden.

Ned Braden – A collegiate product, Braden isn’t going to muck it up very often, so he’ll benefit from having Goody skating opposite him. But he’s a strong finisher who can play off Banks to form a dangerous one-two punch on the second line.

Stevie Weeks – He can be a little quick on the trigger at times, so his shooting percentage will be all over the place, but he’s a burner who ought to be able to adapt to any number of roles. This third line ought to have a bit of everything and while he’s not a physically imposing player, Weeks has enough skill to make this an effective matchup line that is a threat offensively.

Shoresy – He’s a fine 1C playing in the NOSHO, but his skills would be far better utilized in the middle of the lineup. You know he’s going to drag the team into every game and his willingness to play right on the line makes him an intriguing matchup center. Pair him against the other team’s top line and watch him grind down their stars mentally and physcially each night.

Derek Sutton – A center by trade, sliding Sutton to wing offers this line a bit of flexibility and adds another veteran presence who plays with a bit of bite. Sutton is hardly a low skill goon and should gel nicely with Shoresy on this third unit. Those two can spend their time chipping away at the opponents while Stevie Weeks flys in to finish chances.

Jeff Hanson, Steve Hanson, Jack Hanson – You won’t find a more prototypical fourth line than with these three and you can’t make a fictional hockey roster without them. They offer the requisite toughness to serve as a deterrent for opponents and are still capable of producing a bit along the way. Dare I say they are an ideal modern fourth line?

Extra Forwards

Dwayne Robertson – On a team overloaded with finishing talent, a center who is more of a distributor is a must have. There’s also enough snarl between the Hansons, Shore and Sutton that a proper goon would be redundant. Depending on your mix, Robertson may even be a regular contributor as an asset on the power play and a playmaking center who could push Shoresy or Sutton to a different spot in the lineup as needed.

Brian “Birdie” Burns – An ideal choice for the 14th forward. Burns is always trying to meet the expectations of his coach, so you know you’ll get an honest effort from him. He has enough skating skill to keep up in a bottom six role, making him a good plug and play option when needed.

View Details

This is a crucial offseason for Kevyn Adams and the Buffalo Sabres. This isn’t exactly new information for anyone who followed along as Buffalo’s playoff drought reached 14 years. A year after Adams tossed around phrases like “win now” the Sabres roster doesn’t feel any closer to breaking that drought than they did in the spring of 2024.

There is certainly an expectation that Adams will finally have the sort of offseason fans have been hoping to see from him in each of the last two years. An active, aggressive approach to bring in players who can move the needle has been glaringly absent in recent years and this may be Adams’ last chance to get it right.

Buffalo currently holds the ninth selection in this year’s draft after sliding two spots as a result of the draft lottery. Even if they had held their original draft slot, the Sabres weren’t likely to land one of the top talents in this year’s draft. While there are a handful of intriguing prospects who will be available at pick nine, none jump off the page as the sort of must-have talent that could take Buffalo to the next level. Another good, but not great, first round prospect won’t move the needle much for the Sabres. Certainly not in the short term. The relative weakness of the draft class and the glaring need for help on Buffalo’s roster have left many hoping Adams will trade his first round pick for help this summer.

Some caution is required for anyone on Team Trade the Pick as offseason swaps of first rounders have been fairly rare in recent years. It’s not unheard of and since 2018 at least one first round pick was moved before or at the draft that year. In total, 19 first round picks have been used in hockey trades going back to the 2018 draft. Of those 19 picks, 12 were moved in the summer the selection would be made. The exact sort of move many fans will be hoping to see Adams make before the ninth selection at this year’s draft.

A bit of context is required before we explore these deals any further. Going back to 2018 is a bit of an arbitrary line to draw, but I wanted to try and remain fairly recent in the timeframe I analyzed given the way the league’s trade market shifts. Using a seven year cutoff still allowed me to find a healthy number of trades for comparison without getting too far afield when it came to return. The 19 picks in question came from 18 trades which were hockey trades. Meaning I didn’t count pick swaps or any sort of pure futures trades. I also kept my analysis to trades made at or around the draft. There were a few instances in which a future pick was used in a trade – the Sam Reinhart trade being an example – which don’t offer much insight into the fate of Buffalo’s 2025 first. That leaves 12 trades of note which could provide a bit of insight as to how Adams may maneuver over the next month.

The most recent examples came over the last two offseasons. Ottawa’s acquisition of Linus Ullmark that came during last year’s Cup Finals, saw the Senators use a 2024 1st they had previously acquired to bring in the goaltender from Boston. Interestingly, Boston re-acquired their own pick in this deal as the Bruins originally traded it to Detroit for Tyler Bertuzzi before the Red Wings used it to acquire Alex DeBrincat.

Another recent example of a first round pick being leveraged in a hockey move came in the three-team deal between Columbus, Los Angeles and Philadelphia that sent Ivan Provorov to the Blue Jackets and a 2023 first round pick to the Flyers. Montreal brought in Alex Newhook from Colorado at that same draft. Similarly to Ottawa, both deals at the 2023 draft involved a first round pick that the trading team had previously acquired. Montreal’s coming in the Ben Chariot trade with Florida and Columbus acquiring LA’s pick in the Vladislav Gavrikov/Joonas Korpisalo deal.

None of those deals are an ideal comparable for the Sabres as all three of those deals involve an additional first round pick that had been previously acquired. The Sabres lack that flexibility. Additionally, all three picks fell in the second half of the first round.

You need to go back to the 2022 draft to find a comparable pick to Buffalo’s being traded. That came when the Senators sent the seventh selection to Chicago for Alex DeBrincat. The Blackhawks also picked up the 13th pick from Montreal in exchange for Kirby Dach – a pick the Habs flipped to Chicago after the Islanders traded for Alexander Romanov. That draft day maneuvering was a bit of a coup for the Blackhawks after they spent what would become the sixth pick in that draft (plus 12th overall in 2021) on Seth Jones the year prior.

While the draft pick involved is of lower value than Buffalo’s 2025 selection, I think the Kings using 19th overall and Brock Faber to land Kevin Fiala might be the best framework for a potential Sabres trade. LA shipped a valuable prospect and a first round selection to acquire a top six talent who they felt would put them over the top. How far does ninth overall and Jack Quinn get you? What about the ninth pick and Noah Ostlund? Ninth and Konsta Helenius? That strikes me as a pretty strong starting point for acquiring help on the blueline (or at forward).

Packaging the pick with a prospect or another sweetener would be the most likely outcome. The DeBrincat trade is the only deal where a pick was moved one-for-one. All of the other similar trades included at least one sweetener. Some were minimal, like the fourth round pick the Islanders included to get Romanov or Montreal packaging a second round pick with that Islanders first to get Dach. There may also be a bit of a tax applied to this draft class, depending on the team the Sabres are negotiating with. Either way, I would expect the league’s current trade economy to require Adams to add something to his first round pick if he hopes to move it.

The ninth overall pick may be the most valuable piece of currency the Sabres have if they truly want to improve their roster. You don’t need to look far to find the framework for the sort of deal the Sabres should be targeting. It’s on the GM to pull the trigger.

Here is the list of first round picks move at or around the draft since 2018:

2024

Ottawa acquires Linus Ullmark from Boston for Boston’s 2024 1st (25OA), Mark Kastelic and Joonas Korpisalo
- Ottawa acquired Boston’s 1st in July 2023 after trading Alex DeBrincat to Detroit. Detroit acquired the pick from Boston in exchange for Tyler Bertuzzi.

2023

Columbus acquires Ivan Provorov, Los Angeles acquires Kevin Connauton and Hayden Hodgson and Philadelphia acquires Los Angeles’ 2023 1st (22OA), a conditional 2nd round pick, 2024 2nd round pick, Cal Petersen, Sean Walker and Helge Grans
- Columbus acquired LA’s pick in exchange for Korpisalo and Vladislav Gavrikov at the 2023 deadline.
Montreal acquires Alex Newhook from Colorado in exchange for Florida’s 2023 1st (31OA), 2023 2nd round pick and Gianni Fairbrother

2022

Columbus acquired Chicago’s 2022 1st (6OA) in exchange for Seth Jones in 2021 (full trade listed below)
Ottawa acquires Alex DeBrincat from Chicago in exchange for Ottawa’s 2022 1st (7OA), 2022 2nd round pick and 2024 3rd round pick.
Montreal acquired Kirby Dach from Chicago in exchange for NY Islanders 2022 1st (13OA) and 2022 2nd round pick.
- Montreal acquired Islanders 1st in exchange for Alexander Romanov and a 2022 4th round pick (both trades made at draft)
Florida acquires Sam Reinhart from Buffalo in exchange for Florida’s 2022 1st (16OA) and Devon Levi (trade made at 2021 draft)
Los Angeles acquires Kevin Fiala from Minnesota in exchange for Brock Faber and Los Angeles’ 2022 1st (19OA)
Colorado acquired Darcy Kuemper from Arizona in exchange for Colorado’s 2022 1st (32OA), a conditional 2024 3rd round pick and Conor Timmins (trade made in July 2021)

2021

Vancouver acquires Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Conor Garland from Arizona in exchange for Vancouver’s 2021 1st (9OA), Jay Beagle, Antoine Roussel, Loui Eriksson, 2022 2nd round pick, and 2023 7th round pick
Chicago acquires Seth Jones, Tampa Bay’s 2021 1st (32OA) and a 6th round pick from Columbus in exchange for Chicago’s 2021 1st (12OA), Chicago’s 2022 1st round pick (see above), 2nd round pick and Adam Boqvist
Philadelphia acquires Rasmus Ristolainen from Buffalo in exchange for Philadelphia’s 2021 1st (14OA), 2023 2nd round pick and Robert Hagg

2020

Pittsburgh acquires Kasperi Kapanen, Pontus Aberg and Jesper Lingren from Toronto in exchange for Pittsburgh’s 2020 1st (15OA), Evan Rodrigues, Filip Hallander and David Warsofsky
Vancouver acquires JT Miller from Tampa Bay in exchange for Vancouver’s 2020 1st (20OA), 2019 3rd round pick and Marek Mazanec (trade made at 2019 draft)

2019

NY Rangers acquire Jacob Trouba from Winnipeg in exchange for Winnipeg’s 2019 1st (20OA) and Neal Pionk
- New York acquired Winnipeg’s 1st round pick at the 2019 deadline in exchange for Kevin Hayes
St. Louis acquires Ryan O’Reilly from Buffalo in exchange for Patrik Berglund, Vladimir Sobotka, Tage Thompson, St. Louis’ 2019 1st (31OA), 2021 2nd round pick (trade made in July 2018)

2018

Calgary acquires Travis Hamonic and a conditional 2019 4th round pick from NY Islanders in exchange for Calgary’s 2018 1st (12OA), 2018 2nd round pick and conditional 2019 2nd round pick (trade made in June 2017)
St. Louis acquires Brayden Schenn from Philadelphia in exchange for Jori Lehtera, Washington’s 2018 1st (14OA)

View Details

It appears the dominos have begun to fall in the Sabres front office. The team announced Wednesday that Eric Staal has been hired as special assistant to the general manager, marking the first change in the team’s front office of the offseason.

There was an expectation that some changes would hit the Sabres front office after yet another year without playoff hockey, but the hiring of Staal and additional reporting on Wednesday suggests Kevyn Adams will return as the team’s general manager. Whether or not the club adds anyone else around Adams remains to be seen. Some have suggested another hire may be imminent to fill some sort of senior advisor role or position with a similar title, but no announcements have been made at this time. Further to that point, Frank Seravalli reported that there is no clear indication that the Sabres will move forward with that plan. He also added a terrifying tidbit that Seth Appert, lauded mastermind of a 16% power play, may see his influence in roster decisions expand.

Perhaps the most notable news item surrounding the Staal announcement came from Lance Lysowski, who noted that Jason Karmanos may not be back with the Sabres for next season. The news that Karmanos operates as AGM from Pittsburgh made waves when it broke earlier this year, and perhaps that was setting the stage for his eventual departure. It would be fascinating for the Sabres, owners of the longest playoff drought in sports, to part ways with the executive that has helmed the one successful hockey team overseen by the organization.

As it stands now, there is much more unknown than known as it pertains to the front office. Adams will be back as GM and Staal is joining the group, beyond that is anyone’s guess. There is no concrete news on the final decision on an advisor just as there is no final word on what Karmanos’ fate may be. So it’s impossible to offer much more than guesswork on what those additional moves may or may not entail. Or how they will affect the organization. What we know for certain is that Eric Staal is stepping into a new role with the team, his first NHL front office appointment.

Staal’s position appears to be nearly identical to the one Jason Spezza had when he first joined the Maple Leafs staff. Roberto Luongo serves as an advisor in Florida and many other former pros have gotten their feet wet in the management world in similar fashion. It’s an appropriate position for a former player like Staal. He’ll get an opportunity to learn scouting and player development on the fly in a fairly low stakes position where his experience can serve as an asset to Adams and the rest of the staff. I’m not sure how much of his experience was passed on to his teammates during his short time as a Sabre, but I hope that he will have a better opportunity to offer some mentorship to Buffalo’s young core.

It will be worth watching which side of hockey ops Staal leans into. Will he be more adept in player personnel and roster management or will he find a niche in cultivating relationships and serving in a player development role? Spezza was a renowned hockey nerd, whose interest in the finer points of roster management made him a prime candidate for this sort of work once he retired. I’m not sure if the same applies to Staal. Not that it has to, but there was certainly an expectation that Spezza’s future after playing would come in a front office. It doesn’t appear there was as much of an expectation that Staal would follow this path.

Staal’s tenure in Buffalo was not one to remember. He played 32 forgettable games in one of the most hellacious seasons in franchise history. It was reported that the only reason he didn’t have Buffalo on his no trade list was because he never thought a team in their position would have interest in trading for him and he was more than eager to move on when the time came. Time heals and the demands and allure of a front office job are much different than an unexpected trade in the twilight of a career, but it’s hard not to keep his apparent distaste for the area out of your mind when evaluating his hiring.

What hasn’t concerned me much is the consternation over Staal’s qualifications and his relationship with Adams. Neither issue really moves the needle for me. This is a fairly standard practice for former NHLers hoping to carve out a future as an executive. It’s a position that is tailor made for an ex-NHLer who can still impart some direct league knowledge into meetings and evaluations in addition to their general understanding of the league and the game. This is no different than if the team had saved a seat in the boardroom for Jason Pominville or Kyle Okposo upon their retirement. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if it was Staal who reached out to Adams to inquire about a position. If he had the itch to get into management, I’d imagine Adams would have been one of his very first calls. That’s just good networking. Regardless of who made first contact, inserting Staal as an advisor as opposed to a more substantial role in the front office needs to be considered with any critique. There would be far more cause for concern if Staal had been hired as an assistant general manager or in a vice president role of some sort. Giving him a fairly low stakes position that will allow him to gain hands-on experience while offering the front office another point of view is a fine result.

The big question is what comes next for Buffalo’s front office. It’s one thing to hire Staal, who can be a useful voice in his new role, in addition to a more senior addition as has been previously reported. But it is a major red flag if Staal is the only addition made to a front office regime that has missed the playoffs five times and regressed in each of the last two seasons. I have my doubts over how impactful any senior advisor hire will be, but it would be laughable for the organization to come back with virtually the same group for yet another season. Adding a more senior voice wouldn’t just show that the club is acknowledging their shortcomings, but would add credibility and an experienced voice to a front office that badly needs it.

View Details

A pair of teams leapt up the draft order after the 2025 NHL Draft Lottery. The New York Islanders will be picking first overall while the Utah Hockey Club moved from 14th to fourth, locking in the San Jose Sharks at second overall (:20). The Sabres were bumped to ninth overall after two teams from behind them moved up. We walk through the lottery results and offer a few thoughts on the direction we’d go if we were in the GM chair with the Islanders (6:58). Then we tackle the Sabres options at ninth overall (15:53) The 2025 class isn’t exceptional after the first few picks, meaning there are a number of directions the Sabres could go with their selection (23:10). We touch on a few as we look ahead to next month’s draft and the rest of the offseason.

You can find The Instigator Podcast wherever you listen to podcasts:

iTunes
Spotify
Amazon Music
iHeartRadio
Pocket Casts

Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER. In New York call 877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369). In Connecticut, Help is available for problem gambling. Call 888-7899-7777 or visit ccpg.org. Please play responsibly. On behalf of Boot Hill Casino & Resort (Kansas). 21-plus age and eligibility varies by jurisdiction. Void in Ontario. New customers only. Bonus bets expire 168 hours after issuance. For additional terms and responsible gaming resources, see DKNG.co/audio.

View Details

While there was some expectation the Sabres could make some changes in the front office, it appears as if no changes are in store for the club. Meanwhile, teams across the league have made substantial changes at coach or GM. We ask why the Sabres haven’t determined that this sort of action is necessary after another season without the playoffs and whether or not there is any sort of organizational standard here in Buffalo (29:30). We kick off the show with a conversation on the first round of the NHL playoffs (:30) and TNT calling games from the studio (5:01). We also take a quick detour to chat about yet another expansive arena renovation plan (14:31). This time, it’s the Ducks who have big plans for their home arena.

You can find The Instigator Podcast wherever you listen to podcasts:

iTunes
Spotify
Amazon Music
iHeartRadio
Pocket Casts

View Details

Draft day. One of the most exciting days of the NFL offseason has finally arrived. This is a day when teams can reshape their roster and with a bevvy of picks, I’m excited to see how the Bills manage this weekend.

In commemoration of the upcoming NFL draft, FOCO is releasing the yearly program of Retro NFL Draft Pick Bobbleheads featuring two Buffalo Bills legendary draft picks you are not going to want to miss out on.

How greatness began: The first and eighty-sixth pick of the 1985 draft. How greatness can continue: The Bruce Smith & Andre Reed Buffalo Bills 1985 NFL Draft Pick Bobbleheads in your fancave! Both bobbles portray Reed & Smith wearing their draft day suit while holding their brand-new Buffalo Bills draft jersey. The thematic backdrop displays with the 1985 NFL draft logo with a team-colored base that will look great in your collection.

These bobbleheads, like most of FOCO’s collectibles, are set at a limited quantity of 125 units for each bobblehead and is available for preorder now by clicking on any one of the links you see in this article. Reel in the excitement of Draft Day with FOCO’s Bruce Smith & Andre Reed Buffalo Bills 1985 NFL Draft Pick Bobbleheads now before they get cleaned off the shelves by all of Bills Mafia!

Like all FOCO bobbleheads, each one is hand-crafted and painted so that no two pieces look exactly the same creating a unique and diverse presence to each collectible the company releases. Snag your very own Bruce Smith & Andre Reed Buffalo Bills 1985 NFL Draft Pick Bobbleheads now and get in the Draft mood this weekend with some Bills Retro Collectibles!

View Details

The effort to make Buffalo a stop for Great Lakes cruises took a step forward this month as Erie Canal Harbor Development Corporation (ECHDC) put out an RFP for the design of a cruise ship terminal with a goal of opening Buffalo’s port to ships by 2027.

This is a significant step in the process which kicked off two years ago as ECHDC began studying the feasibility of bringing ships to Buffalo, ultimately looking at six different waterfront sites for the docking facility. The two most discussed locations were the redeveloped DL&W train shed or a location on the Outer Harbor, with the latter winning out as the preferred location for ECHDC.

The chosen location of Slip 2, best known as the former site of The Pier, is expected to provide the most flexibility for accepting ships, including the largest cruise ships on the Great Lakes. Reporting has also pointed to the ability to provide the necessary infrastructure for Buffalo to operate as a port-of-call and a home port. Infrastructure requirements include customs, sanitation, luggage processing and fuel storage. Space for some of those requirements would have been at a premium at the DL&W site, though a creative solution certainly could have been found. Based on the report, what may have been most damning for the DL&W and Canalside is the space available in that portion of the Buffalo River. The report details that the lack of space and difficulty in turning vessels (plus air draft limits due to the Skyway) in the river were among the biggest problems with selecting the DL&W for the terminal facility.

With ample space on land and within the breakwater, the Outer Harbor has far fewer barriers to developing the terminal facility and making Buffalo an attractive option as a home port for cruise operators. Just having the capability of making Buffalo a home port makes the Outer Harbor a strong choice. Any avenue that brings in additional tourist traffic to the city is worthy of exploration. Ensuring that Buffalo’s terminal isn’t just a stop along the way for cruise guests, but can also serve as a start or end point for a journey is a win.

Although the Outer Harbor location presents a more logical (and likely cost effective) path forward, I can’t help but lament the loss of not bringing these ships right to the heart of the city. Just picture heading down to Liberty Hound for a drink on a summer evening and seeing a 300-plus foot cruise ship docked alongside the DL&W with kayakers heading down the river and people enjoying Canalside. On optics alone, that makes for a very cool visual. There would be functional benefits as well. For starters, the Canalside location would have dropped cruise guests right in the city. Transportation to different activities would have been a breeze as there are a handful of things to do within walking distance and the new DL&W light rail station would connect them to far more options within the city. The cruise facility would also have provided a consistent tenant for a portion of the redeveloped facility, ensuring added occupancy for the sprawling development project. Arrival of cruise guests would have also aided in creating additional customers for the businesses that will eventually occupy the second floor of the DL&W space. Assume for a moment some sort of food hall or public market is built in the second floor of the terminal. Dumping a cruise ship’s worth of customers into that space on a regular interval would have made for a nice boost to business.

The opportunity to create an impressive and unique welcome to the city is what is lost by not selecting the DL&W site. Virtually none of the other ports utilized by Great Lakes cruise operators are especially impressive operations. Most operate out of small facilities with minimal footprints and many cities have the ships dock in industrial port areas. For example, ships that dock in Milwaukee do so in an area adjacent to the city’s water treatment facility. Of the more impressive locations, Detroit accepts cruise ships in a picturesque location along the Detroit riverwalk and Toronto’s cruise ship terminal appears to be the largest and most substantial standalone facility on the Great Lakes and is located near a significant project that will redevelop industrial port facilities into a mixed-use neighborhood. This is a long way of saying that Buffalo could have had one of the most attractive and unique terminal arrivals of any of the Great Lakes cruise cities.

It also means that Buffalo isn’t necessarily setting ourselves behind the competition by selecting the Outer Harbor location. In fact, by ensuring the largest ships won’t just be able to utilize Buffalo as a port-of-call, but that the city is an attractive home port is a wise decision. How the city and ECHDC overcome the drawbacks of the location will be of vital importance.

Slip 2 isn’t exactly close to anything of great interest to tourists. Wilkeson Pointe is an easy walk and offers some enjoyable activities, but even the Canalside bike ferry is just far enough to feel inconvenient. The same goes for Charlie’s Boat Yard, the small boat harbor and Lake Erie State park. Some city bikes or even rentable scooters could make those journeys much easier, though I suspect the typical patron of a Great Lakes cruise isn’t going to be overly eager to hop on a Lime scooter (which aren’t offered in Buffalo anyway). That either means shuttles, a water taxi or some other form of transport that makes the journey from this location on the Outer Harbor and into the city easier is a must.

The silver lining here is that, as stated above, few of the other stops throughout the Great Lakes have extremely impressive facilities devoted to their terminals. Buffalo will hardly be the only stop with a somewhat inconvenient location. In fact, even on the Outer Harbor, Buffalo’s location should feel more welcoming than those in Cleveland, Kingston, Milwaukee and Thunder Bay, just to name a few.

Work should begin immediately to offer the necessary support for the cruise ship terminal. Determining if shuttle bus service will be offered (and who would operate them), or if taxi and ride sharing services would be a viable option for cruise guests. The report illustrates space for coach buses. Are those the only – or primary – mode of transporting guest that will be needed? Buffalo had a water taxi previously, though it didn’t last. Can that be revived? You would think that a water taxi would be a valuable feature on Buffalo’s water front, so there would be some additional utility beyond serving the cruise terminal. Long term solutions like an at grade crossing should continue to be explored as well. Either way, options on how to get arriving guests from Slip 2 to the inner harbor, downtown, the AKG or any other points of interest needs to be a high priority.

If we make smart investments to support the cruise ship terminal, it will become a terrific addition to the city’s waterfront. Ensuring the success of this endeavor will rest with the stakeholders and decision makers on Buffalo’s waterfront. They should act now so their plans can roll out with the construction of the facility.

View Details

Kevyn Adams and Lindy Ruff wrapped up the Sabres season with a joint press conference, coming after two days of locker cleanout and player interviews. We run through some of the most notable talking points from the weekend, reflecting on the pros and cons of an eventful weekend for the Sabres. While Adams spent a lot of time saying very little, he still made a few comments that stood out against a 14th straight season without a playoff berth.

You can find The Instigator Podcast wherever you listen to podcasts:

iTunes
Spotify
Amazon Music
iHeartRadio
Pocket Casts

View Details

It’s time for a listener mailbag as game 82 of the Sabres season approaches. This episode takes on questions about Buffalo’s offseason plans, what the blueline should look like, if Lindy Ruff will get any assistants of his choosing and more.

You can find The Instigator Podcast wherever you listen to podcasts:

iTunes
Spotify
Amazon Music
iHeartRadio
Pocket Casts

View Details

Our Pals at FOCO are bringing huge upgrades to your fancave with this new release!

Hey Bills Mafia, this one is for you! FOCO wants all Bills fans to get ready to bear down to the gridiron with the officially licensed Josh Allen Buffalo Bills Resin Player Teddy Bear Bobblehead. Fierce on the field and beary cute in your fancave. This cuddly star is yours to collect in the form of the Josh Allen Buffalo Bills Resin Player Teddy Bear Bobblehead. It’s a bear, it’s a bobble, it’s a bear that bobbles!

Make sure you get your hands on the brand-new, Josh Allen Buffalo Bills Resin Player Teddy Bear Bobblehead before they are all gone. The Josh Allen Bear Bobblehead portrays a team-colored bear bobblehead, wearing his red gameday uniform that will look great in your collection. The bobble is limited to 125 units retailed at $60 standing 8 inches tall.

Like all FOCO bobbleheads, each piece is hand-crafted and painted so that no two bobbleheads look the same creating a unique and diverse look to each collectible the company brings to life! Grab your Josh Allen Buffalo Bills Resin Player Teddy Bear Bobblehead now and get ready to cheer for the Bills this NFL season. Cheer them on with the best officially licensed collectibles and merchandise in the game from our guys at FOCO! GO BILLS!!!

View Details

Elliotte Friedman reported last week that Kevyn Adams is among the busiest GMs in this young season as he likely shops around for a forward who can supplement Buffalo’s offensive attack. We talk about the many challenges Adams will be facing in trying to make a deal at this stage of the season and the (very) short list of players available to him to acquire given how few teams would be willing to shop a higher end piece of their roster.

We talk through some potential scenarios, in terms of players who could theoretically be targted while acknowledging the many struggles Adams faces in trying to fill such a notable hole on his roster.

https://api.spreaker.com/v2/episodes/62616462/download.mp3

View Details

The Sabres are getting scary play from their second line and it isn’t scary good either. We talk about the struggles of Dylan Cozens and Jack Quinn and Buffalo’s limited options to solve the issue. We also talk about the performance of Buffalo’s goaltenders and how a bit more consistency from the pair could pay dividends through a friendly upcoming schedule.

The show kicks off with a conversation about the recent Sportico team valuations and the Sabres 26% increase to a reported $1.13 billion.

https://api.spreaker.com/v2/episodes/62564367/download.mp3

View Details

The Sabres sluggish start has overshadowed some positive play from the roster. It’s also been driven by a few notable, questionable performances from players who many were counting on driving the bus for the Sabres this season. We talk about Dylan Cozens and Jack Quinn underperforming and how a resurgence from that pair could push the Sabres into contention in the East. We also discuss how Buffalo’s third line has helped carry the mail for the struggling second line.

Along the way we touch on Frozen Frenzy and the news that a pair of USHL teams approached the OHL about formally joining the league.

https://api.spreaker.com/v2/episodes/62468857/download.mp3

View Details

New gear makes for one of the best parts of a new season and goaltenders are always at the center of attention in this department. Devon Levi, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and Felix Sandstrom are no exception as all three have picked up new looks for the 2024-25 season.

Levi has the most eye-catching set of the young season, option for a vintage-inspired look from CCM. The brown leather look hearkens back to pads from the 1970s and early 1980s before team colors started to become incorporated into the materials. There is some expectation that he will be receiving a set of pads in Buffalo’s colors and that he is wearing the brown pads in the interim. That would be too bad as the brown pads look especially good with Buffalo’s home and away uniforms. The vintage brown setup is right at home with a set of jerseys that draw their design from the team’s original uniforms. It’s a serendipitous outcome and I hope he keeps rolling with the brown pads when the team is in blue and gold.

Levi’s helmet for the year, painted again by Sylabrush, features imagery from Gladiator. Sylabrush is unparalleled in goal mask design and she did an excellent job melding Buffalo’s iconography with the Gladiator theme. The treatment of the crest on the round shield is especially sharp and adapting Maximus’ sword design for the blades was another nice touch.

Levi doesn’t have his black and red mask just yet, nor does he have the pads he will be wearing with the black and red uniforms. We’ll have to wait and see what his entire setup looks like once that equipment arrives. Though, if he doesn’t even have pads in the team’s primary colorway, I have to wonder how far behind his black and red gear could be.

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen’s gear this year draws similar inspiration from the past Bauer graphics. Luukkonen wore an homage to the Bauer One95 pads last year and had adopted the One100 graphic for this season. It’s an excellent graphic for Buffalo’s home colors and Luukkonen looks especially good in his blue and gold pads. I hope Luukkonen sticks with this trend for the next few years as there are plenty of good designs from Bauer to pull from.

He has also continued to use the same general design on his masks, with an aggressive, snarling bison engulfing the shell. It hasn’t become quite as iconic as Ryan Miller’s design did, but sticking with the same base design really makes the look unique to Luukkonen, which isn’t something many goalies do these days.

Luukkonen’s red and black setup isn’t quite as sharp as his standard equipment. The One100 graphic never lent itself well to a dark base and that remains true with Luukkonen’s primarily black pads. I wish he’d opted for silver instead of white on the trim as I think that would have made for a slightly better overall design than using white.

Down in Rochester, Felix Sandstrom kept it pretty simple. Blue and white True leg pads that will match Rochester and Buffalo’s jerseys as needed. His current mask is a gorgeous Sabres design which has a very cool treatment of the charging buffalo, jersey stripes and swords on either side, with a more detailed design on the top of the helmet. Much of the design is very straightforward but it’s very well executed and is probably one of the better Sabres masks of the last five-to-ten years.

James Reimer is no longer with the club, but he was around long enough to get some Sabres gear. So, for posterity, we’ll include him in the exercise. Somehow, Reimer managed to find the one poor application of Bauer’s new Shadow design. This is easily one of the best graphics Bauer has had in the post-Odin, digi-print era, yet Reimer managed to find an underwhelming take. His mask looked pretty interesting, it was a clever blend of his Optimius Reim nickname with the same sort of all-encompassing bison head used by Luukkonen and Ryan Miller. It doesn’t have the same visual beauty of Sandstrom’s or Levi’s masks, and even Luukkonen’s mask has some more minute details that I favor, but it was still a cool way to incorporate Optimus Reim and Buffalo’s logos.

View Details

The Sabres enjoyed two strong performances upon their return from Europe, though they only came away with one win. One reason is the team’s power play has yet to score this season. We devote this episode to discussing what has and hasn’t worked for Buffalo’s power play and what areas we think could serve to improve the unit’s potential for success.

Along the way we touch on the rumors that the Bills may sell a stake to a group of former athletes with ties to no other city but Toronto and we offer some reflection on the touching tribute to Johnny Gaudreau ahead of the home opener for the Columbus Blue Jackets.

https://api.spreaker.com/v2/episodes/62380329/download.mp3

View Details

Thursday will be the first opportunity for many Sabres fans to see the team’s new scoreboard in person, among other improvements made at KeyBank Center.

The new scoreboard is a massive improvement, literally and figuratively, for the building. Pictures don’t do it justice, it’s a stark difference in size and quality within the seating bowl. Few, if any, who questioned the need for a new scoreboard will have those questions answered when they see the new screen in action. It is a truly impressive addition.

With apologies to the work done on the roof, the scoreboard is the first major step the club has taken in an effort to renovate their 28 year old building. Future plans for the structure remain unknown, but Pete Guelli hasn’t been coy on the subject and I won’t be surprised if more work is to come next offseason.

In the meantime, it’s possible that the Sabres will have a new neighbor, one that could tie the area around the arena and Canalside into a more cohesive arena district.

Buffalo Pro Soccer is down to their final two locations for their stadium site, and The Buffalo News lots are one of the two finalists. There’s a long way to go yet, and it’s entirely possible their other location is where they aim to build, but the potential for the club to call the Cobblestone District home could serve as a shot in the arm to further development in the area.

Development at Canalside has entered its third decade and the stalled Heritage Point project has caused headaches for everyone involved. Yet, work is expected to begin on the North Aud Block in early 2025 and in addition to The Buffalo News complex, Douglas Jemal has also purchased the former HSBC Atrium. Considering the footprint of a potential stadium, it seems likely that Jemal will be involved in the development of the building in some manner. Even if he’s not, dropping a stadium onto the yawning surface lots in the Cobblestone District could set the stage for something bigger.

Arena districts were again a talking point after the recent announcement by the Carolina Hurricanes regarding their plans for a $1 billion mixed-use development surrounding Lenovo Center and Carter Finley Stadium. The buildings in Raleigh are six miles from downtown and adjacent to the NC State Campus, a different setting than what the Sabres and the Buffalo USL team would have here. The Carolina plans are a great fit for that space, allowing for tailgating to live on, while tacking on mixed-use space to create more of a destination pregame, post-game and on non game days. Their needs are different than that of Buffalo, though the need to fill out the space around the respective venues in both cities is clear.

If Buffalo is to follow in the path of other cities that have built active, mixed-use districts around their arena, the best template to use remains Columbus. The district is home to the Blue Jackets, Clippers and Crew, with hundreds of apartments, public amenities, bars and restaurants making it a year-round destination. It came about thanks, in part, to buy-in from Nationwide. Buffalo may not have a ready-made corporate partner willing to chip in on the development of the larger Cobblestone and Canalside area, but they don’t necessarily need it. While progress at Canalside has been laborious, the project is still moving forward and soon enough, the entire North Aud Block will be filled with ongoing construction or completed projects. Should Buffalo Pro Soccer opt for the Cobblestone site, virtually all the space along Washington to Michigan will be headed towards new development – though there is no timeline in place for Jemal’s plans for either the HSBC Atrium or Buffalo News building.

It wouldn’t mean the area would be complete. The yawning surface lots bounded by Perry and South Park would remain unfilled, as would the lots along Michigan, and no legitimate plans have surfaced food the historic Cobblestone buildings which burned this past summer. A more substantive vision and interest from developers and tenants would be needed to fill that space. Nevermind the DLW station, the parcel owned by Benderson adjacent to Harborcenter, and the southern portion of Canalside. But, the foundation that has been set over the last 15-plus years is prime for action.

It should be noted that Buffalo Pro Soccer is going to be building a modular stadium. This won’t be a palatial soccer mecca to start. But even in a scaled down footprint, home games and additional events will bring people to the area throughout the summer months. Between that and the North Aud Block, there will be significant activity in the area – both during and after construction. It will be reminiscent of the activity during the construction of Haborcenter and the Kim and Terry Pegula led the renovation of 79 Perry, which will have a new tenant arriving in 2025.

With substantial change on the horizon for the arena, the role the Sabres would play in future developments will be curious to follow. An arena district that isn’t just active on event days would benefit everybody, including the team owners, particularly if there are opportunities for spin-off development and revenue streams. Driving momentum towards that result would suggest the Sabres would be wise to play some role in the larger development of Canalside and Cobblestone (more than they already have). Buffalo Pro Soccer is aiming to begin play in 2026, the year New Highmark Stadium is set to open. There is an expectation that once the stadium is complete, Pegula’s attention will turn to renovating KeyBank Center. The only thing we can count on in terms of future plans is the planned skybridge connection to the DLW station. Though with the Canalside Gateway building humming along, the office space along Seymour H. Knox III Plaza could be open and ready for new development as well (hello team museum and hall of fame). Depending on the Sabres’ vision for that space, there is potential for the arena to have additional connections to the surrounding district beyond event days and the Sabres Store.

It seems unlikely that the Sabres and the Pegulas would dip their toes into any sort of substantial external development. They stepped away from their hospitality holdings, changing course from a more aggressive tack in the pre-COVID years when they developed Harborcenter and the Labatt House. That was an understandable decision, though the development work they did on Harborcenter and 79 Perry is commendable. It would be a breath of fresh air for Pegula and the Sabres to re-engage that skillset. The stretch of Main St. that faces Harborcenter would be an ideal parcel for the Sabres to take the lead on. With the Special Events stations gone, that block is much more pedestrian friendly thanks to the a bike lane and extremely wide sidewalk along the Metro tracks. A Sabres-led development would fall right in line with the sort of work done in Columbus. It would even have some similarities to the way Little Caesars Arena is integrated into the city block they built on. Though Buffalo wouldn’t have the luxury of extending the concourses into the street-facing buildings. A stretch that close to the arena seems far more logical to develop than anything along Michigan Ave. or even the surface lots. It could add cohesion with KeyBank Center and Harborcenter – I’d have to think apartments or condos would help keep some of the Harborcenter storefronts in business – and would add to the Sabres-centric complex of buildings, giving the ability to start the fan experience from the corner of Scott and Main right up to the front door of the building. I understand that Terry Pegula may not want to run a restaurant, but I wonder if he’d be interested in being a landlord.

Even without additional external development from the Sabres, their arena renovations can add to the positive progress taking place in the area, especially if Buffalo’s USL club chooses the Cobblestone site. Better utilization of the space along SHK III Plaza would be a welcome change for Canalside. Elsewhere, the North Aud Block project means more residents will live in close proximity to the arena (and potential stadium), creating more day-to-day activity in a district that needs to complete its evolution into an active live-work-play section of the city.

With buy-in from developers and tenants, Buffalo could have an arena district that ties together Canalside and Cobblestone, with a diverse set of offerings for people to enjoy without leaning on a venue to be a silver bullet. Rather, a complement to the development surrounding it.

View Details

The Sabres fell flat in their opening games against the Devils in Prague, with many key areas of their game serving to derail the pair of losses. We discuss the disappointing opening games and what will need to be fixed if the Sabres hope to get back on track. Along the way we touch on James Reimer moving on to Anaheim after being claimed on waivers, the injuries the Sabres are working through and when the right time will be for fans to hit the panic button.

https://api.spreaker.com/v2/episodes/62278239/download.mp3

View Details

The Sabres desperately need to snap their playoff drought and if they’re to do it, there are several key factors that will get the job done. In a different type of season preview, we discuss which players will serve as the key drivers for Sabres if they’re to get back into the playoffs. We also touch on other factors that will be at play, such as the power play, and if all of the things the Sabres need to go right, will be too much for a team with a lengthy run without postseason hockey.

https://api.spreaker.com/v2/episodes/62203827/download.mp3

View Details

The Sabres roster has officially split as the team’s 27-man traveling group departed for Europe on Tuesday. The players remaining in camp are made up of the bulk of the Rochester Americans roster. We discuss the final choices to round out that traveling party and how Lindy Ruff may have a tough choice to make in terms of how he handles his goaltenders once the team arrives in Europe. We also offer up some thoughts on the team’s progress early in preseason while running through where some Sabres landed on The Athletic’s player tier rankings.

https://api.spreaker.com/v2/episodes/62098435/download.mp3

View Details

The Buffalo Sabres are inching closer to their season opening games with nearly $7 million in open cap space to work with. The remaining cap space has been a point of contention within the fan base, as the Sabres are poised to open their fourth-straight season with a significant gulf in cap expenditure against the NHL’s cap ceiling.

Buffalo opened their prior three seasons with $8,826,430 (2023-24), $18,648,333 (2022-23) and $16,435,864 (2021-22) in cap space. Barring an 11th hour acquisition, the 2024-25 season will follow suit. (Figures compiled from CapFriendly.)

Some context is required when evaluating Buffalo’s recent cap expenditures. The Sabres had jumped headfirst into a rebuild in the summer of 2021, shedding core players with large cap hits and they weren’t a year removed from trading Jack Eichel and his $10 million cap hit when they hit the ice with over $18 million in space in 2022. Still, over the past 10 seasons, the Sabres have only spent within $3 million of the cap on four occasions. Certainly a reflection of the on-ice results and direction of the front office, but also well out of line with Terry Pegula’s infamous oil well line from his introductory press conference.

The team’s current cap situation has been well documented. Jeff Skinner’s buyout is largely responsible for the available space and Adams has been on record noting his desire to maintain flexibility for future extensions by not taking on long term commitments via free agency or trade. That does run counter to some of the team’s rumored activity in the summer when they were linked to the likes of Martin Necas, but taking it at face value, it’s fair enough to say that much of the future savings from Skinner’s buyout will be eaten up by extensions to the likes of JJ Peterka, Jack Quinn and others. But don’t forget that the greatest cap benefit to buying out Skinner, comes this season. The decision to buy him out is understandable, logical even given how Lindy Ruff has said he hopes the team will play. To not fully capitalize on those savings is questionable, if not downright reckless in a season as pivotal as this one.

The ongoing debate over the use (or lack thereof) of that cap space mirrors Buffalo’s overarching spending habits these last number of years. Pegula wasn’t shy about opening the purse strings early on, but the last 10 years paint a much different picture than the days of pitching Brad Richards or hopping on a helicopter to convince Robyn Regher to waive his no trade clause.

Based on cap information from Spotrac, Puck Pedia, CapFriendly and General Fanager (via the Wayback Machine for the latter two), the Sabres have finished the season in the bottom 10 of overall cap expense eight times since 2013-14. They have only spent within $3 million of the cap ceiling in four of those seasons.

Context remains important in this analysis as the team worked through two significant rebuilds in this time. First, 2013-14 was the middle of the tank era 13-14 (happy 11th anniversary) and, more recently in 2021 as they shed the likes of Eichel, Sam Reinhart and Rasmus Ristolainen. The natural result of those types of moves depresses a team’s cap expense, so leeway is required when evaluating the entire timeframe. Even coming out of a rebuild, when certain players will be on entry level or bridge contracts, can result in a lower cap expenditure. For example, the Sabres were still the league’s fifth-lowest spending team in 2015-16 even after adding Zach Bogosian, Evander Kane and Ryan O’Reilly.

Spending doesn’t immediately equate to competitiveness, but it’s a fair reflection of a team’s status and approach. Playoff teams, by and large, are spending up to the cap (even over it in some recent cases). Five of the last 10 Cup Finalists have spent in the upper half of the league with Tampa, famously, blowing past the Cap thanks to LTIR in 20-21 and 21-22. The Sabres haven’t been overly competitive over the last 10 years, but there were times when they felt they were, or at least appeared they were prepared to be. One of the better examples of this is Buffalo’s 16-17 entry, when Kyle Okposo was added on a $6 million cap hit and Dmitry Kulikov was acquired at the draft. The Sabres finished that season with $1,322,791 in cap space, a fairly narrow margin for a team that finished 15 points out of the playoffs. We can look back now and identify a litany of poor choices in how they spent their cap, but the overall approach was that of a team willing to invest cap space to add NHL talent. Interestingly, even after spending fairly close to the cap that season, the Sabres were still in the bottom half of the league in terms of total cap expense – 12th lowest to be exact.

The Sabres highest expenditure came in 2019-20 when they were the fifth highest spending team with only $856,866 in cap space. In 2018-19 the Sabres were 14th highest in the league, those two seasons reflect the highest finish Buffalo had in cap spending over the last 10 years. The Sabres were pushing hard to compete during that time frame, once again defining the stretch with a litany of poor spending choices. Overall, Buffalo has been a bottom half spending club over the last decade, with few exceptions.

It’s one thing to spend less in the midst of a rebuilding season, and some necessary leeway should be given when you consider the Sabres have rebuilt twice in that time span. However, it’s an entirely different animal to enter such a pivotal season with a significant chunk of cap available. Adams is working to balance a group of young, developing talent with the glaring need to break their playoff drought. Zach Benson, Peterka and Quinn are all on ELCs, meaning a notable chunk of the top six are on budget-friendly deals. Those ELCs are the deals which naturally keep a team’s overall spending down. They also happen to be the sort of luxury that would allow for premium spending elsewhere thanks to the space they create. They don’t need to spend the additional cash, but they probably should.

A trade could still materialize. After all, the Sabres were connected to a number of notable targets over the summer. Buffalo has the room and the assets to swing a trade and the burning desire for the playoff drought to end would indicate a rental acquisition would be well received. As would a player with term that could cause roster or cap headaches come next summer. You’d think a playoff appearance would paper over most concerns in that department. Besides, the Sabres will have somewhere in the neighborhood of $27 million to work with next summer and they’d hardly be the first team that needed to navigate such a circumstance.

The need for future cap space has been what Adams has honed in on lately and it’s something they’ll absolutely need when it comes time for extensions next summer. But don’t forget, this is the summer when they have the most cap relief from Skinner’s buyout. There is cap relief over the next two years, but the buyout results in dead cap the following three years, which would likely fall when any additional extensions would be in effect. Simply put, leaving the majority of Skinner’s buyout relief unspent doesn’t square with the language of a team saying they’re “all in.”

View Details

Sabres camp was barely 30 minutes old before the first crisis struck, as Rasmus Dahlin left the ice early on Wednesday. That changes things a bit as it pertains to this year’s camp storylines as Buffalo enters camp with a unique schedule ahead of their season opening trip to Europe.

Due to their early travel to Germany and then Czechia, the Sabres opened camp on September 18 with a clear line of delineation between what is likely their traveling squad, and the group that will stay behind to finish the preseason prior to the opening of Rochester Americans camp. This isn’t much of a surprise, as Don Granato received criticism throughout last season for spending too much time mixing in prospects with established veterans during camp and preseason. Between the additions made by Kevyn Adams and the onus to have a more effective and competitive camp, it seemed likely that Lindy Ruff would keep most of the key NHL group together. The upcoming departure for Europe made that all the more likely, as there is far less time for tinkering prior to the departure of the club’s 27-player group they will bring to Europe.

The first 24 players on the ice were exclusively established NHLers, with the exception of Kulich. One cut would give the Sabres their 23-man group, indicating Ruff already has a pretty good idea of who he plans to start the season with. Who the Sabres choose to round out their group for Europe is one of the lingering questions as camp opens. Jiri Kulich was a safe bet thanks to his his play the last two seasons in Rochester and his impressive showing at the Prospects Challenge. Being Czech born makes him an even more logical player to bring for the tour as a small gift for the player and the fans in Prague. I don’t think it’s out of the question that Kulich plays in one of the two games against the Devils given his nationality.

Accounting for Kulich, extra defensemen Dennis Gilbert and Jacob Bryson, and James Reimer as the likely third goaltender for the trip, there will be two spots left for Ruff to use at his discretion. As another Czech and one of the forwards in the running for the 13th or 14th forward spot, Lukas Rousek will be a likely candidate, as will Isak Rosen. Kale Clague, Ryan Johnson and even Nikita Novikov may have already been potential candidates to travel with the club, a possibility that would become much more likely if Dahlin’s status is in question. Beyond the players the Sabres opt to bring to Europe, there are four other storylines I have my eyes on for camp and the preseason.

Reshaping the Bottom Six

Shaping the bottom six is a yearly exercise as that’s a group of players that tends to have the most turnover on a lot of rosters. That’s certainly the case here, as Adams brought in four new players likely to carve out roles on Buffalo’s third and fourth lines (five depending on where Jason Zucker lands). What’s a little different than in past seasons is that Buffalo’s group is largely decided. Nicolas Aube-Kubel, Sam Lafferty, Ryan McLeod and Beck Malenstyn are roster locks. As are Zach Benson, Jordan Greenway, Peyton Krebs and Jason Zucker. How these players are deployed is still in question.

Either Benson or Zucker will find themselves playing higher in the lineup. Both will likely play their fair share in the top six at various points in the season, but one will wind up in some type of third line role. The other will slot in next to McLeod, who is locked in as the team’s third center. Who fills the other wing remains to be seen. It’s plausible that with a big camp and preseason that Kulich could steal that spot. If Kulich were to be given the privilege of at least one of the games in Prague, I would assume it would come on McLeod’s wing. Greenway has been penciled into that spot throughout the offseason, though don’t rule out a more direct player grabbing that spot. Krebs is an interesting case as his best position is probably center, but McLeod and Lafferty could push him to the wing. Or the press box. I think the expectation is that the fourth line will be some combination of Malenstyn, Lafferty, Krebs and Aube-Kubel, but playing style and performance could easily shift one of those players up to McLeod’s line and Greenway down to the fourth. My money would be on Lafferty early on as he’s played higher in the lineup at previous stops in his career.

Is the Room for a Prospect?

Kulich has the spotlight as camp opens, deservedly so, but I don’t think it’s out of the question that Rosen could make a push for an extended look. The issue both players face is the Sabres’ acquisitions from the summer almost cement the 23-man roster in place. Barring a training camp trade, it seems that it would take a monumental performance to push one of Buffalo’s established veterans down the depth chart. For example, even though Greenway may not have the footspeed the Sabres targeted in the offseason, it’s awfully hard to imagine him getting put on waivers. If any of the team’s acquisitions were susceptible, it would probably be Aube-Kubel.

Any path to the roster for Buffalo’s key prospects (or certain AHL vets) is extremely narrow. The best case scenario is likely stealing the 13th or 14th roster spot and pushing Rousek back to Rochester. But serving as the extra forward isn’t conducive to the development of any of their blue chips, meaning any player of note would need to cement themselves as a regular contributor to steal a full time spot.

Who is UPL’s Backup?

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen is the incumbent starter and he has the contract to match. Devon Levi is expected to serve as his backup but James Reimer is an accomplished veteran on a one-way deal who requires waivers. Levi does not. There’s a case to be made for Levi getting the lion’s share of the games in Rochester as opposed to playing in a timeshare in Buffalo. Starting 50 games while Reimer spells Luukkonen would give Levi far more game time than whatever balance the Sabres opt for between he and Luukkonen. I suspect Levi would play somewhere in the neighborhood of 33-to-38 games this year in a timeshare with Luukkonen. A Luukkonen-Reimer partnership would probably fall closer to a 55-25 sort of split. I think it’s far more likely than has been discussed that Reimer could at least open the season as Luukkonen’s backup. Bear in mind that the luxury of sending Levi down without waivers would mean they could recall him at their leisure to get NHL action.

With that in mind, Levi should be the choice. He was exceptional in Rochester and the next step is to face NHL shooters full time. Levi offers a higher potential for success while Reimer is more of a high floor type of option. He’s the safety valve if things go sideways while Levi is the higher caliber talent who gives the Sabres the greatest potential for success. There is also the possibility that Luukkonen could falter after his breakout campaign, leaving Levi as the only real choice to step in as starter given his overall skill set. I’m not ruling Reimer out as a possibility, though my expectation is Levi earns the job.

Leadership Decisions

Kevyn Adams confirmed the team will name their captain in Europe, a similar process to the last time the team opened the year in Europe when Jason Pominville was awarded the captaincy in Helsinki. Dahlin is the favorite to wear the ‘C’ for the Sabres this year and Alex Tuch will be a shoo-in as one of the alternates. I would expect either Dylan Cozens or Tage Thompson to be considered for a letter as well This may be pretty straightforward for the team. Dahlin has shown his leadership chops the last couple of seasons and is the logical choice to be the next captain. Tuch is a fan favorite and has been credited as a leader himself and both Thompson and Cozens have the long-term contracts and prime roles to justify leadership positions as well. Few others have the tenure and profile to be in the running for a letter.

How do the Defense Pairs Shake Out?

This section looks a lot different than it would have on the eve of camp as Dahlin left the ice early and Ruff had very little to update on his status. Assuming Dahlin is healthy, he remains the team’s number one defenseman. You can put him down in ink. But who he plays next to is yet to be decided. It appears that he was going to open camp alongside Owen Power, giving the Sabres a fully loaded top pairing. That would leave Bowen Byram to play on his natural left side with Henri Jokiharju, a pairing that struggled mightily at the end of last season. I assume the promise of Byram blossoming under Ruff is the hope with that pairing, but past results do not paint a pretty picture. That leaves Mattias Samuelsson and Connor Clifton as the initial third pair, a fine pairing overall and one that may serve as an ideal deployment for Samuelsson.

What sort of shuffling may occur (with or without Dahlin) is still a big question mark. I think a Dahlin-Byram pairing offers the same sort of explosive potential as Dahlin-Power while spreading the two key talents across more total ice time in a given game. The same could be said of the old, reliable pairing of Dahlin and Samuelsson, leaving Byram and Power as the second pair. That is yet another option that spreads out Dahlin and Power’s ice time and leaves the door open for Byram to blossom in a top-four role. It’s still perplexing that Jokiharju was brought back. The best case scenario is that Ruff is able to squeeze a bit more out of him, though I’m not hopeful. Right now his best contribution is giving the team an extra righty to move around the lineup.

The bottom pair doesn’t offer much in the way of interesting narratives. Connor Clifton is locked into one spot and Jacob Bryson and Dennis Gilbert are the top two extras. Whoever shakes loose from the top four slots in opposite Clifton, early signs point to Samuelsson, but I’m not ruling out the possibility of Jokiharju ending up down there as well at some point.

As referenced above, Dahlin’s early departure on day one could drastically shift the conversation about this year’s training camp and preseason. If his injury is minor, then the status quo remains. But if he is set to miss any significant period of time, there are suddenly several questions to be asked of the defense corps and a rethinking of how the Sabres will approach special teams without their cornerstone defenseman and potential captain. Even with Power and Byram in the fold, I think the defense corps suffers greatly without Dahlin on the ice and I would argue strongly that a trade would be one of the few ways to remedy the situation, as unlikely as that would be at this stage of the season.

Losing Dahlin would make this pivotal season awfully daunting and would shift this camp from a fairly straightforward endeavor in the lead up to the European openers, to a white knuckle affair with a short runway to replace a vitally important piece of the roster.

View Details

Peter Marlette, President of Buffalo Pro Soccer joined the show to discuss his efforts to bring a USL Championship club to Buffalo. We discuss a wide range of topics with Peter regarding his bid for a USL club including the key benchmarks left to complete, goals for academy and youth integration and, of course, stadium questions. Peter was an open book, providing great insights on every facet of his work and what’s still to come. The interview left us that much more excited for what’s to come in the coming weeks and months from Peter and Buffalo Pro Soccer.

https://api.spreaker.com/v2/episodes/61019947/download.mp3You can listen to The Instigator Podcast wherever you find podcasts:iTunes
Spotify
Stitcher
iHeartRadio
TuneIn
Google Play

View Details

Our friends at FOCO are ready to help you rep the Bills in style this season with their latest product. Featuring an embroidered team logo display and unstructured design with a deep curve visor, low crown, and adjustable fabric strap closure with snap buckle, this cap is a must-have for all of Bills Mafia. The relaxed design makes this hat comfortable for all-day wear, and the perfect dad hat for your wardrobe. We introduce to you the brand-new Buffalo Bills Primary Logo Casual Classic Cap.

The embroidered Buffalo Bills team logo is displayed with raised graphics on the front of the crown as the unstructured, relaxed fit design has a deep curve visor and a six panel, team-colored design with eyelets. The hat has an adjustable fabric strap closure with a snap buckle as one size is meant to fit all!

The Buffalo Bills Primary Logo Casual Classic Cap comes in blue and red, but FOCO has a few different varieties of cap so you can find the perfect fit for your style. They have khaki, black and white, magenta, and even a retro Bills logo cap! Check out FOCO’s entire brand new collection of NFL caps HERE, and get your Bills cap today!

@font-face
{font-family:”Cambria Math”;
panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:roman;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:-536870145 1107305727 0 0 415 0;}@font-face
{font-family:Aptos;
panose-1:2 11 0 4 2 2 2 2 2 4;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:swiss;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:536871559 3 0 0 415 0;}p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{mso-style-unhide:no;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-parent:””;
margin-top:0in;
margin-right:0in;
margin-bottom:8.0pt;
margin-left:0in;
line-height:107%;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:”Aptos”,sans-serif;
mso-ascii-font-family:Aptos;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:Aptos;
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-font-family:Aptos;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:”Times New Roman”;
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;
mso-font-kerning:1.0pt;
mso-ligatures:standardcontextual;}a:link, span.MsoHyperlink
{mso-style-priority:99;
color:#467886;
mso-themecolor:hyperlink;
text-decoration:underline;
text-underline:single;}a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed
{mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
color:#96607D;
mso-themecolor:followedhyperlink;
text-decoration:underline;
text-underline:single;}.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
mso-default-props:yes;
font-size:11.0pt;
mso-ansi-font-size:11.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;
mso-ascii-font-family:Aptos;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:Aptos;
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-font-family:Aptos;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:”Times New Roman”;
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}.MsoPapDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
margin-bottom:8.0pt;
line-height:107%;}div.WordSection1
{page:WordSection1;}

A classic look built for a legendary fanbase! If you’re
heading to Highmark Stadium this season to watch Josh Allen lead our Buffalo
Bills to yet another AFC East Division title, make sure you’re wearing FOCO’s Buffalo
Bills Primary Logo Casual Classic Cap. Our friends at FOCO are ready to help you rep the Bills in
style this season with their latest product. Featuring an embroidered team logo
display and unstructured design with a deep curve visor, low crown, and
adjustable fabric strap closure with snap
buckle, this cap is a must-have for all of Bills Mafia. The relaxed design
makes this hat comfortable for all-day wear, and the perfect dad hat for your
wardrobe. We introduce to you the brand-new Buffalo
Bills Primary Logo Casual Classic Cap. The embroidered Buffalo Bills team logo is displayed with
raised graphics on the front of the crown as the unstructured, relaxed fit
design has a deep curve visor and a six
panel, team-colored design with eyelets. The
hat has an adjustable fabric strap closure with a snap buckle as one size is
meant to fit all! The Buffalo Bills Primary Logo Casual Classic Cap comes in blue
and red, but FOCO has a few different varieties of cap so you can find the
perfect fit for your style. They have khaki, black and white, magenta, and even
a retro Bills logo cap! Check out FOCO’s entire brand new collection of NFL
caps HERE,
and get your Bills cap today!

View Details

As the season approaches we will run through each position group in Buffalo’s pipeline to look at how the Sabres are shaping up and what sort of talent they have coming in the future. For the first iteration of this series, Greg Balloch of EPRinkside joins the show to discuss Buffalo’s goaltenders. We kick off with a conversation on Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and Devon Levi before digging into the club’s prospects, with Greg providing some great insight on newly drafted Ryerson Leenders and Scott Ratzlaff.

https://api.spreaker.com/v2/episodes/60971745/download.mp3You can find The Instigator Podcast wherever you listen to podcasts:

iTunes
Spotify
Stitcher
iHeartRadio
TuneIn
Google Play

View Details

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen is armed with a fresh five-year contract after a breakout performance in 2023-24. He’s locked in as the Sabres starting goaltender for the foreseeable future after taking a firm grasp on the job when neither Devon Levi or Eric Comrie could.

Luukkonen was a steady, effective presence for the Sabres last season. He posted a 22.46 GSAx (according to Evolving Hockey) with a healthy .910 save percentage. His play was so strong that it helped to counterbalance Buffalo’s offensive struggles. That they even had a sniff at the postseason was a testament to Luukkonen’s stellar play.

He was also tasked with a fairly heavy workload. Only 10 goalies played more than the 54 games Luukkonen appeared in and he was effectively the only goaltender the coaching staff would turn to as their lack of faith in Comrie was evident. Even with Levi carving out 23 appearances, his games came in chunks with lengthy, necessary spells in Rochester in between. In virtually every aspect, Luukkonen was Buffalo’s MVP in 23-24.

Yet, his coming out party was something of a surprise. His play at the NHL level prior to last season was at the very least, inconsistent, and at times, substandard. Luukkonen’s best spell would have been in 2021-22 when his numbers in Rochester were respectable, though hardly outstanding, and he posted a .917 SV% in a nine game cameo. But a combination of average play in the minors and shaky appearances at the NHL level (.892 SV% in 33 games in 22-23) left Luukkonen’s stock quite low. He deserves a mountain of praise for getting his game to a place where he could be as effective as he was this past season.

Among his biggest issues, especially in 22-23, were puck tracking and diagnosing plays. He’d often put himself in difficult situations where he was forced into desperate, reaching saves that left him exposed for rebounds or simply opened up a lot of the net. In many cases he was just leaky. Whether it was poor angles, poor tracking or some combination of the two, it wasn’t uncommon to see Luukkonen beat on a clean shot that should have been an otherwise routine save. He’s not the first Finnish goalie to play with a more compact stance despite impressive measurables, but his tendency to “play small” often got him in trouble.

By comparison this past season, he was much better utilizing his size when bearing down on shooters. He cleaned up the leaky goals from his game and that went a long way towards his resurgent play. The following video clip illustrates some of the leaky goals he allowed in 22-23 and follows with a collection of saves from this past season. Please note that the situations aren’t carbon copies of one another, so the saves and goals against aren’t meant to be direct comparisons, but an illustration of the areas where Luukkonen struggled previously and where he improved this past season.

Maybe the best set of clips in that collection are the juxtaposition of the two goals scored by the Flames compared to the last clip, a save on Adrian Kempe. While the two Flames goals were open looks where Luukkonen didn’t seem to get well set on his angle as the puck carrier was moving, he is well set as Kempe gathers the puck off a transition turnover and he makes the save look routine.

Perhaps the area where Luukkonen improved the most was in his ability to maintain good posture and technique in net, especially when going side-to-side. In prior years he would tend to fall forward, with his chest pointing down towards the ice, if not touching the ice, when attempting to make a save moving from one post to the other. Or from higher in the crease to his back post. His struggles to keep his upper body upright on these plays left him vulnerable to pucks shot up high as his chest and sometimes his hands were on the ice. Some of this could have been caused by poor technique and some could be traced to not making the proper read on a play and needing to overcommit to a desperate save when the puck was moved. There’s not one, distinct cause of that issue, but it cropped up a fair bit on him in prior seasons.

It’s also not something that would be totally erased from any goalies’ game. The NHL is a fast league and sometimes situations dictate a desperate save, or a bad bounce leads to a goalie needing to stretch a little extra for a save. There were still plenty of occasions where Luukkonen found himself nearly flat on the ice with his legs outstretched this past season. The issues crop up if the technique is overused or even appears to be a default reaction in net. And I think this is an area where Luukkonen really cleaned up his technique, tracking and reading of the play.

This next video compiles several more clips of Luukkonen from the past two seasons where you’ll see instances where he overcommitted to the puck carrier and was unable to recover. On the comparable saves, you’ll see Luukkonen is sharper reading the play and is able to make saves on both dekes and passing plays with good posture where his hands are upper body are still in play.

The first goal in this clip is especially informative. Luukkonen freezes on Dillon Dube’s pass, almost reacting like a shot, forcing an awkward, attempt to get across. He ends up in a quasi-push up position as the puck gets behind him. By comparison, in the next clip he’s in an RVH as the puck comes across to the far side but he makes the save upright. He’s not reaching or falling forward. Like the initial collection of clips, these are precise one-to-one comparisons but the difference in how he reacted to each play is notable. He shows a similar issue in the Carolina goal where he freezes on Martin Necas and is late coming back across. Even on the save against Calgary from 22-23, you can see how far forward he winds up despite making the stop.

I also found the one on one clips to be insightful. The plays are obviously significantly different (shootout vs. a pass from behind the net), but the difference in how he plays each situation is drastic. Against the Hurricanes both hands wind up on the ice after he’s pulled out of position. Against the Oilers he stays poised and patient and doesn’t lunge at either puck carrier, using his size as an advantage.

You can mine his games from 23-24 for countless other examples of where his play improved. There were a dozen other clips I had flagged before cutting to this shorter collection. There is no doubt that the spike in his counting stats and underlying numbers was rooted in improved technique. You didn’t see him frozen by a puck carrier like in the second set of clips and his ability to use his length gave him an edge in so many of his starts. He was sharper and far more consistent than at any other point in his professional career. That foundational improvement should provide optimism for his ability to continue that upward trend.

There is no doubt there is potential for Luukkonen to backslide. One of the most obvious comparables for his new contract, FIlip Gustavsson, was a shadow of himself this past season. Giving Luukkonen five years is a bit of a gamble. If he doesn’t maintain his level from this past season, those last few years could be particularly painful. We’ll see how he handles a full season of expectations as a starter, with 50-plus games of additional tape for shooters to study.

For now, his improvement is what matters most. Luukkonen took a huge step for the Sabres last season and now he’s being paid accordingly. Stacking improvement on the building blocks of what made last year a success is the next step for the young netminder.

View Details

The Buffalo Sabres made their official entry to the NHL on October 10, 1970. This episode follows the the Sabres from the draft and offseason acquisitions made in the summer of 1970 as they prepared for their inagural season. Then follow the team through the ups and downs of their expansion year with an eye on how they would grow in those early years in the NHL.

https://api.spreaker.com/v2/episodes/60655243/download.mp3

References:

Historical Hockey
Sportsnet
Buffalo Sabres 1970-71 Media Guide

View Details

I had the opportunity to head to Vegas during draft weekend to get an up-close look at the new Fanatics Authentic Pro jerseys that will be worn in the NHL next season.

It was a surreal experience that included a trip to the Sphere for the first round of the draft and an afternoon spent with some other influencers, bloggers and podcasters in the hockey space, viewing the new jerseys in a suite alongside Fanatics leadership, including CEO Michael Rubin.

We had a chance to walk through the suite to view and handle the jerseys. The new jerseys look great. As previously reported, there has been little change in design or material from the Adidas uniforms we’ve seen over the last several years with the exception of the dimpled shoulders. I’d grown fond of the Adidas shoulder design but removing them gives the jerseys a very clean and classic design, which is a net positive. The additional details on various crests (think the detailing on the Sabres bison) also carry over from the Adidas era, which provide every jersey a very rich appearance, especially up close.

A portion of the session included a conversation between those of us who had been invited, Rubin and others in Fanatics leadership. Rubin shared a number of remarks before opening the floor to questions. One of the more interesting pieces of information that Rubin himself shared was that he and the Fanatics team had just finished meeting with 50 NHL players to continue gathering insights on what the players want in the uniforms moving forward. This was one of the most encouraging aspects of the meeting as continuing to use player feedback to inform decisions should keep Fanatics’ stewardship of the NHL’s uniforms on the right track. They used the reinforced elbows and lower arms as an example of the design choices that were informed by those sessions.

I think that’s a valuable piece of information to have as it became very evident very quickly that Nike didn’t do enough of that legwork when overhauling Major League Baseball’s uniforms for this year. Of the many topics Rubin and other Fanatics leaders discussed openly, the beating they took due to their connection to those jerseys was a prominent one. Future sessions with players ought to prevent Fanatics from encountering the same issues as Nike did in the spring.

I suspect that this year will go well for Fanatics if for no other reason than they made so few changes to the jerseys. Sticking with the same general design features and manufacturing (which made for a really great promo), should eliminate virtually any risk in the product suffering. Where it could get hairy is when it comes time for Fanatics to put their stamp on the uniforms. We’ve seen prior attempts at “revolutionizing” hockey jerseys go sideways. The first iteration of the Reebok (then RBK) Edge uniforms were infamous for dumping sweat into players’ skates and gloves. In fact, the very first Edge jerseys were excessively tight due to the design features of the new-age uniforms. The jerseys loosened up a bit when they went wide but they couldn’t escape the sweat wicking issues that necessitated an in-season change. The Nike Swift jerseys were designed with performance in mind and suffered their fair share of criticism upon their debut.

This was something I asked during the session with Fanatics as the potential for making changes for the sake of changing it, or making a change in the name of performance could be a pitfall. For example, were embroidered patches on MLB’s jerseys replaced with flat, printed patches because they actually improve a player’s performance? Or does that just make the jerseys cheaper to produce? How Fanatics opts to put their stamp on the NHL’s uniforms when the time comes will have a lot to do with how fans as a whole view this relationship, which led me to ask with respect to their future plans.

There wasn’t much for Fanatics to share on that front, probably because they’re still a ways out from making a lot of those determinations, but it’s certainly one area I’ll be watching closely. Will shoulder patches remain embroidered? Will the Blackhawks logos continue to be chain stitched? When it comes to new fabrics or design features, are they effective? Are they necessary? In some respects that sort of thing doesn’t really matter, as creating an effective on-ice product is one thing, translating that quality to the consumer is an entirely different animal. But when it comes to decisions that do trickle down to the fan level, it’s worth eyeing.

One definite win is Fanatics’ decision to sell the made in Canada, on-ice authentic uniform in stores. Introducing the Authentic On-Ice as a third tier of jersey available at retail is a win for fans. Many people won’t care about the difference between the pricier, made in Canada jersey and the current authentic jersey, which is a retail-specific product, but it’s a benefit for the segment of fans who chase game worn jerseys or products of that ilk. It shows, to me, that Fanatics is aware of fan sentiment and are working to target areas where they can win favor through improved products and service.

As someone who has been vocal in their distaste for Fanatics, it’s safe to say it was something of a surprise to get this invitation. Fanatics’ reputation among sports fans for their aggressive expansion and oft criticized product quality was a subject of conversation throughout the event and in the lead up to it. Many of us in attendance discussed the issues that follow Fanatics and, to their credit, Fanatics addressed the issues head on during our time with them. Certainly some of the talking points were just that, talking points. It was the sort of crafted damage control any large company would or should employ. But other aspects of it felt far more genuine. For example, Rubin openly criticized the quality of Fanatics’ headwear, specifically their on-ice Stanley Cup Champions hats which were front and center just days earlier.

That sort of transparency was refreshing. Not only taking ownership, but highlighting areas where they are trying to make gains – listening to consumer feedback, removing poorly rated products and other efforts designed to shape their reputation and performance in the eyes of the consumers. That’s a tall hill to climb. You don’t need to look far on the internet to get a sense of how sports fans feel about Fanatics and the only way that’s fixed is through a significant amount of work. We’ll see if they’re up to that challenge. Sifting through some of the PR speak, I found it refreshing to hear that Fanatics has even taken on replacing products that they receive complaints about even if it wasn’t one of their products, or one that they’ve sold. That’s a gesture of goodwill they don’t need to take on, but it’s the sort of thing that could help to shift the conversation that surrounds their products. I still have plenty of reservations about shelling out cash for a Fanatics branded shirt or hoodie. But I do have a level of optimism about the work they’re set to take on with the NHL’s uniforms.

One thing that was evident during our group meeting is that Fanatics have people in decision-making positions who have an intimate relationship with hockey. They’ve also assembled a design team that is second-to-none. Brian Gundell is a supremely talented designer and among the many passionate and talented members of the design team is Eric Bodamer, previously of Adidas hockey and the mind behind the Sabres 2018 Winter Classic jerseys, Heritage Classic uniforms, and Buffalo’s redesigned home and away uniforms, among several other excellent uniforms seen around the league. That combination of skilled designers, informed, passionate team leaders and keeping manufacturing in the Saint-Hyacinthe is more than enough reason to be optimistic about what’s to come.

View Details

Statements like ‘the time is now” didn’t exactly jive with Kevyn Adams’ early work in the offseason. The Sabres were quiet at the draft, trading back in the first round and shipping a second round pick to acquire Beck Malenstyn.

Free agency was busy but unspectacular – a fine result on a day so many questionable contracts are given out – ratcheting up the angst in the fanbase as Adams early bluster in the offseason had given way to different messaging. Adams finally took a more substantial swing on Friday, bringing in Ryan McLeod and Ty Tullio from Edmonton.

One of Buffalo’s prized prospects had to go the other way, catching some off guard given the acquisition cost for a player who will likely slot in as Buffalo’s third center. It seemed inevitable that at least one of Buffalo’s first round prospects would have a new home before the summer was over and Matthew Savoie checks that box as the sole piece the Sabres sent to Edmonton in this trade.

Despite his draft pedigree and impressive WHL production, Savoie was probably the best option for the Sabres to offer in a trade. Jiri Kulich has enjoyed two consecutive seasons of impressive play in the AHL and should still rank as the organization’s best forward prospect, especially as the Sabres talk about him as a center as opposed to a winger. Noah Ostlund and Konsta Helenius both appear to be considered centers by the organization as well, increasing their development profile if they do stick at pivot. Both have performed well in men’s leagues, which is something yet to be seen from Savoie. Isak Rosen would probably be the most expendable of Buffalo’s recent first round picks as winger whose AHL production hasn’t been extraordinary, but his value in trades may also be depressed by his slight size and production limitations. That puts Savoie front and center in trade discussions. His WHL production, even as a D+2, is tantalizing. He could be seen as a center by some, though it seems he’ll be a winger once he reaches the NHL. That production and draft pedigree would still carry weight in trade discussions even if questions about his size and injuries depressed his value. Meanwhile the Sabres could easily weather losing him once they found a deal to their liking.

There are some questions bubbling on Savoie as his development track hasn’t been as strong as expected for a player of his draft pedigree. A D+2 of his skill level should be producing big points in a junior league. He was a victim of the NHL/CHL transfer agreement and under different circumstances (an ever so slightly later birthday) he would have a full AHL year under his belt. Still, there have been some hiccups since he was drafted. Notable injuries lend credence to questions about his size, he was passed over for the World Junior roster in 2022-23 and his production dipped in the playoffs this year. Perhaps that can give some relief to those worried about his potential to blossom in Edmonton. He very well may become a terrific player in Edmonton, and that’s part of the level of risk Adams needed to accept in making this deal. But the luxury of stockpiling picks and prospects is that the depth you accumulate should make it easier to ship away an asset knowing you aren’t bankrupting yourself in the future.

I’m also struck by the potential that this group of recent first rounders appear to be trending towards developing into middle six players. One or two could exceed that projection, but if that’s the trend the Sabres see, perhaps they felt even more comfortable making this sort of trade. Not only would they still have the prospect depth to handle a trade, but with so many players with a similar profile, the lack of space for each of them in the future would almost make a trade mandatory.

Bringing in McLeod fills one of the holes Adams was said to be chasing since April. McLeod ought to be an ideal candidate to center Buffalo’s third line, giving the club a replacement for Casey Mittelstadt with a player whose resume fits well in a third line role. At 24 years old, McLeod fits perfectly with Buffalo’s core pieces. That long runway is a big plus for the Sabres as McLeod can serve as a key piece for several seasons, extending the return on the price they paid to bring him in. Compare that to shipping out one or more prime assets for a rental.

McLeod’s underlying numbers paint the picture of a responsible defensive player whose offense hasn’t quite popped. He was an excellent penalty killer for the Oilers last season and as illustrated by his heat map from Ineffective Math, it’s evident that he has thrived in shot suppression and pushing play away from his goal.

His defensive acumen may be tested more this year as it’s possible that Buffalo’s third line is used in a checking or shutdown role. His faceoff percentage from 2023-24 is three whole percentage points better than anyone on Buffalo’s roster who took a substantial number of draws – another trait the Sabres were expected to pursue this summer. How his role is shaped will probably depend, in part, on the wingers he starts the year with. It would be ideal for Adams to swing another trade that would pencil Jason Zucker and Zach Benson onto McLeod’s wings, or even Alex Tuch. Though as it stands with several weeks until training camp, it appears that either Benson or Zucker will skate opposite Jordan Greenway on that third line.

It’s not accurate to say that McLeod gives the Sabres a better option than Mittelstadt offered as the third center, but he certainly offers them a very well-rounded replacement. McLeod’s skill set is precisely what Adams needed to target with his offseason activity, a reassuring result given that a larger trade has yet to materialize.

McLeod blends well with the other players the Sabres targeted this offseason, creating a fast, tenacious bottom six. The Sabres have a nicely balanced forward group after the McLeod acquisition, though they are still lacking the high end skill acquisition many fans have been clamoring for. Even after shipping out Savoie, Adams still has the pieces to make that deal and can do so knowing he found the third center he badly needed entering a pivotal offseason.

View Details

Kevyn Adams got things rolling at the draft, making his first acquisition of the offseason, trading for Beck Malenstyn from the Washington Capitals. He added more depth to the roster in free agency though Buffalo’s moves have been focused on the bottom six thus far. With a fanbase that’s desperate for a move, Adams’ inaction on the trade front has been a source of frustration. We talk through the work Adams has done thus far and dig in on the approach he’ll need to take if he hopes to check a big acquisition off his to-do list.

https://api.spreaker.com/v2/episodes/60584239/download.mp3

View Details

I could’ve done without the agonizing breaks between games of the Stanley Cup Final, but it’s worked out in a way. Playing game seven on Monday sets up a sprint to Thursday’s draft and the opening of free agency on July 1 In between, Fanatics launched their new on-ice jerseys with the Kings and Ducks dropping their new designs for 2024-25. The end of this week could be a whirlwind of action as teams play catchup on trades and signings now that the Cup has been awarded.

The Sabres will be among those clubs as they are expected to buy out Jeff Skinner when the buyout window officially opens. The buyout will give the Sabres an additional $7.5 million in cap space and the onus will fall on Kevyn Adams to use that space wisely. As previously discussed, there are some financial hurdles to clear with Skinner’s buyout. Even with the cap expected to rise, the three added years of dead cap eats up the approximate salary of a bottom six player. There’s also the larger cap hit in year three to contend with. In order to extract full value from this decision, the Sabres need to cash in on the cap and roster space created by the buyout. That means finding established NHL talent to acquire this offseason in order to tangibly improve the roster and break the playoff drought. They can seek players with term, but this buyout also opens the door for a rental acquisition. Adams has the most space to play with this summer, he has to use it to his advantage. The Sabres can lean on their pipeline when the dead cap stings the most, but they can’t use a buyout on Skinner and not use the cap savings to improve the roster.

Now, for your questions:

JSymon86 – What would you consider a successful off-season for Adams?

He has to improve the forward group. Even before the Skinner buyout, we knew he was going to be chasing at least one center, probably one who can shoulder some defensive responsibility. With the added flexibility the buyout provides, I feel like he almost needs to make two really notable forward acquisitions. The first being a quality center to slot in behind Tage Thompson and Dylan Cozens and the second being an impactful winger. He doesn’t need to sign Steven Stamkos or anything crazy, but a winger who can comfortably slot in somewhere in the team’s top nine feels like a greater necessity post-Skinner. I’m not sure how they want to spend their assets, but Pavel Buchnevich strikes me as a pretty decent use of that newly created space.

I’ll be curious to see what Adams has in mind on defense. I’d prefer if they could find another top four talent who would allow Mattias Samuelsson to play fewer minutes, but I’m not sure that’s what they have in mind. I’m not quite as concerned with how they add to the blueline given the personnel they already have in place. There is potential for upwards of four new forwards to be in the opening night lineup and I feel like Adams needs two of them to be impactful additions. So that’s how I’m going to score the offseason. If Adams can push the right button on two notable forward acquisitions, I think he’ll be in decent shape.

Gasparlemarc – DEFCON level if Adams holds and picks at #11?

This first requires us to know what the current DEFCON (or BUFFCON?) level is entering an offseason with a 13-year playoff drought. I might argue they’re at two or one already, but that wouldn’t be as fun.

I’m not overly concerned if Adams makes his pick at 11 on Friday night. They have a fairly plentiful collection of assets they can use in a trade, so I don’t feel that they’re duty bound to move the pick. I’d prefer if they did, since they could at least theoretically use the pick in one trade and ship out a prospect in another. But I’ll put it at a nice, comfy DEFCON 3.

Not dealing the pick puts the onus on Adams to use one of his prospects in a deal, it also could mean he didn’t make a trade of note ahead of the draft, which could set off some alarm bells since the draft has become one of the main swap meets on the NHL calendar. However, the prospect they pick at 11 could be useful to their longer term plans as he wouldn’t be a realistic option for the Sabres until 2026 at the earliest. Having that player on his ELC in 2026 could be very useful as the Skinner buyout will toll $2.44 million against the cap and JJ Peterka and Jack Quinn (among others) will be playing on extensions. So there is some utility in using this pick, especially if the right player, hello Tij Iginla or Konsta Helenius, is there. But I’d certainly like to hear Gary Bettman announce it was moved from the podium at the Sphere.

JimBobv2 – How many players that Lindy has coached previously do you expect them to add this offseason?

Good question. There’s a handful I’d like them to add. If John Marino is available I think he’d be a perfect addition for the Sabres. He still has term, fits the aging curve of their core and would help balance the top four. I like Radek Faksa as a potential bottom six center addition and there’s a handful of others who would be worthwhile to pursue (looking at you, Jesper Bratt). But I’m not expecting anyone to be prioritized as Adams gets to work this week. Let’s put the over/under at 1.5 to be safe.

Lazytown716 – Who’s Lindy gonna help the most? In a similar way that Donnie helped Tage or Dahlin.

I’ve seen a lot of people say Cozens will benefit most from Ruff’s guidance and I think he’s a pretty good candidate. I’d toss Owen Power in there as well. He’s done so many things well over the past two years despite catching some flak for not being heavy enough,he may blow up regardless of the head coach, but I’d consider him as a strong candidate as well. But my first pick is Jack Quinn. If he can play a full season without any sort of significant injury, I’d expect him to progress significantly under Ruff. He’s shown the ability to be a two-way force and if Ruff can push the right buttons, I think they’ll have a budding star on their hands with Quinn.

C_hellwig12 – In honor of draft week, what’s the worst Sabres draft since 2000?

This question rules and there are quite a few good classes to pick from. The very nature of drafting in the NHL means you’re going to have far more misses than hits. Virtually every model drops off a cliff after pick 20 and in most cases the chances of picking an NHL regular in the third round are just marginally higher than finding an NHL regular in a later round.

Understanding the high probability of missing on picks means that simply flagging a draft class with one player who became an NHL regular isn’t reason enough to call a draft class the worst one. For example, the 2018 draft class is fairly forgettable. Matej Pekar didn’t progress beyond the minor leagues and the team’s investment on the blueline later in the draft didn’t pan out as Linus Cronholm, Miska Kukkonen and William Worge-Kreu never got a contract. But the Sabres also selected Rasmus Dahlin and Mattias Samuelsson in that draft. Those two picks alone make 2018 a perfectly fine class. The 2002 class is my honorable mention, just barely missing the cut as the bulk of the success of this class came for teams that weren’t the Buffalo Sabres. Keith Ballard (11th overall) played 600 NHL games and the Sabres nailed their 8th round pick with Dennis Wideman, though he didn’t play a single one of his 815 NHL games in Buffalo. Dan Paille carved out a 500 game career, making this a pretty strong class even though the Sabres saw little benefit from it.

In honor of the Summer Olympics, I have selected three drafts to the medal stand.

2000 – A tough look here as Artem Kryukov (15th overall) never came to North America and didn’t even have too many impressive pre-draft seasons to hang your hat on. None of Buffalo’s picks came to fruition in this draft, save for their pick at 220 in the seventh round, a center out of Portland named Paul Gaustad. Gaustad turned into a quality center for the Sabres, paying off on that late selection and keeping this draft class from being a total dud.

2011 – Narrowly edged out for the title, the 2011 class doesn’t have the volume of picks needed to take the title of worst draft class. The Sabres only made six picks in this draft, and most of them were forgettable. They got some contributions in Rochester from Dan Catenacci and Nathan Lieuwen, but the pair only played 19 NHL games, with little true impact on the organization. Joel Armia was a fine first round pick, though he only played one game in a Sabres sweater prior to being traded to Winnipeg.

2010 – Mark Pysyk had two separate stops in Buffalo and scored one of the strangest, but memorable goals in franchise history. His five season tenure in Buffalo is all the Sabres got from this draft, striking out on the eight picks that followed Pysyk. That’s a bleak result and takes home the title of worst Sabres draft of the 21st century.

View Details

Over the past week on the podcast, Tyler and Chris each shared their respective views on how they would approach the offseason if they were sitting in Kevyn Adams’ chair. For anyone who doesn’t subscribe to the podcast, missed the episode or simply needed to see a more detailed breakdown of the moves we made, this post will cover both episodes of the podcast.

Each breakdown will highlight some of the key talking points we hit on the episode, list the transactions and display each respective lineup. Both episodes were recorded before the report that the Sabres are exploring the potential to buy out Jeff Skinner’s contract, so neither lineup reflects that move as we operated under the impression that the Sabres wouldn’t take on the dead cap.

Chris’ Version

The approach with this lineup was to reinforce the center position with someone who is a proven play driver, while developing a fourth line with a bit more jam than what the Sabres have had recently.

To start, Ukko-Pekka Luukonen gets the extension that he’ll be signing at some point this summer. A three year deal at $4.3 million per season is about a $1 million increase over Filip Gustavsson’s extension that was signed last summer. Gustavsson is a good comparable for UPL’s contract and that uptick in AAV seems like a fair year-over-year increase as the league’s salaries and cap increase.

Extending qualifying offers to Jacob Bryson, Henri Jokiharju and Peyton Krebs keeps the team’s three most valuable RFAs in house and in line for extensions if they line up.

Bryson gets a modest $1.1 million contract for the year to slot in as the team’s seventh defenseman.

The first deal on Chris’ offseason is shipping Peyton Krebs to San Jose for New Jersey’s second round pick. As the Sharks are seeking NHL talent to help insulate the likes of Will Smith and Macklin Celebrini – as evidenced by their acquisitions of Barclay Goodrow and Ty Dellandrea – a player like Krebs is a good fit. He’s 23, so he can grow along with San Jose’s build, he retains RFA rights but is not eligible for arbitration, giving the Sharks a fair bit of control over his extension The draft pick provides some additional flexibility in future trade negotiations, adding another piece of ammo that could push a deal over the finish line.

It doesn’t seem as if Krebs has an ideal fit in Buffalo, especially given the aspirations the Sabres have. Krebs has shown flashes of skill, but his inability to firmly establish himself higher in the lineup makes him a difficult player to continue to invest in given how high the expectations are in Buffalo this year.

As a quasi-replacement for Krebs, Chris sends Buffalo’s 2024 3rd round pick to the Flyers for Noah Cates. This was a tough trade to peg down as it’s difficult to determine what Cates’ true value is. It’s possible the Flyers feel he’s worth more than just a 3rd round pick. It’s likely that this negotiation would need to be massaged to reach the right price for Cates (maybe adding a later pick to give Philly a touch more value. Cates would initially step into a fourth center role but he’d have an opportunity to play higher in the lineup based on need and the flexibility of our next move.

The big swing of this GM mode is the acquisition of Jared McCann from Seattle. McCann comes east in exchange for Buffalo’s 2024 1st, Henri Jokiharju and Prokhor Poltapov. The thinking is that Jokiharju serves as a key addition to Seattle’s defense corps, giving the Kraken a young, NHL body. In this scenario, Jokiharju comes with his QO but not an extension. In the real world, it may be easier to extract the most value for him by getting an extension done since it would eliminate the potential for arbitration, but you can debate what the most efficient approach would be. Poltapov is a B prospect who has carved out a role on CSKA’s roster, though he hasn’t had a breakthrough offensive season. There’s still some value in Poltapov as a prospect, though he’s not a premier asset. Given McCann’s impact on Seattle, it’s likely that this price would need to increase. Perhaps Isak Rosen as opposed to Poltapov to give Seattle a higher talent asset, or even that second round pick acquired from San Jose. The first round pick speaks for itself, giving the Kraken a premium asset to build on their pick at eight and really stock their pipeline.

McCann would slot in behind Dylan Cozens, but could easily slide up the lineup at center or wing. For the purposes of this exercise, he’ll serve as the third center on this roster, giving our version of the Sabres a capable, play driving center with a touch more offense.

Free agency is always tricky business but Chris dips his toe into the market to round out the bottom of the lineup. The theme of the signings was to find players who can play a heavier style without sacrificing skill. William Carrier comes in on a one year contract at $2 million and Brandon Duhaime signs for one season at $1 million. This pair ought to give the Sabres the sort of sandpaper they’re seeking at the bottom of the lineup without sacrificing much skill or cap commitment.

On the backend, Brenden Dillon is the key addition on a two year pact with a $3 million hit. Dillon has strong underlying metrics and as a third pair partner for Connor Clifton, can provide the Sabres with a bit more jam, without tanking their ability to drive play. All three UFA signings come in around their projected contract values from Evolving Hockey. Perhaps the Sabres would need to chip in a bit more to convince each to come to this project as opposed to a true contender. A bit of variance could be applied to their cap hits based on that logic.

Overall, this roster comes in with a little over $2 million in cap space to play with down the line and with these moves, the depth chart looks like this:

Transactions

Buffalo Receives Jared McCann

Seattle Receives Buffalo 2024 1st, Henri Jokiharju, Prokhor Poltapov

Buffalo Receives Noah Cates

Philadelphia Receives Buffalo 2024 3rd

Buffalo Receives New Jersey 2024 2nd

San Jose Receives Peyton Krebs

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen – 3 years – $4.3 million (RFA extension)

Jacob Bryson – 1 year – $1.1 million (RFA extension)

William Carrier – 1 year – $2 million (UFA)

Brandon Duhaime – 1 year – $1 million (UFA)

Brenden Dillon – 2 years – $3 million (UFA)

Tyler’s Version

Tyler’s approach didn’t differ much from how Chris tackled his GM duties. Tyler committed to reinforcing the center ice position and avoided any significant cap commitments to free agents. On the podcast, both Chris and Tyler identified Chris Dreidger as a potential signing for Rochester as an organizational third goalie, a funny coincidence as neither communicated their targets ahead of this effort.

Tyler’s initial work was devoted to Buffalo’s RFAs. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen gets a three year deal with a $5 million cap hit and Peyton Krebs is extended for two years and $1.5 million each season. Jacob Bryson gets $1.1 million on a one year deal and Henri Jokiharju comes in at $2.6 million for one year, a fair sight lower than he’d likely get in an open negotiation, but in line with his qualifying offer.

The most notable acquisition here is bringing in Anthony Cirelli from Tampa Bay. Going back the other way is Buffalo’s 2024 1st, a 2024 4th and a 2025 3rd round pick in addition to prospect Olivier Nadeau. One point of discussion on the podcast centered on Nadeau, who spent most of his season in the ECHL. It seems that the Lightning would come back and ask for a prospect of a higher caliber, something that we worked through on the podcast as Nadeau may not be quite enough to get this done.

Cirelli may be the best target for the Sabres this summer. He’s a quality middle six center with excellent underlying results. He’s a consistent point producer, though he won’t ever hit super high numbers, though you wouldn’t need him to in this sort of role. Tampa needs to clear space and providing them with some picks to backfill their pipeline after several years of deadline buying could create a good environment for this sort of deal.

Tyler stuck with centers, shipping out Isak Rosen and a 2024 2nd round pick to fetch Nic Roy from Vegas. Roy has been a favorite of The Instigator Podcast and this acquisition would give the Sabres a pair of quality centers to play in behind Cozens and Thompson. Both Roy and Cirelli can play up in the lineup if necessary, giving the Sabres an impressive amount of depth at the position.

To clear some space, Peyton Krebs gets packaged with a fourth round pick and sent to Washington for some help on the blueline. Trevor van Riemsdyk comes back the other way with the teams swapping third and fourth round picks. Van Riemsdyk offers the Sabres a right handed defenseman who could potentially play in the top four next to Owen Power. He has two years left on his deal, giving Buffalo a bit of runway and he’s been a steady presence throughout his career. He’s doesn’t play a super heavy style, but he’d be a quality plug in for Buffalo’s blueline.

Lastly, Jokiharju gets moved out to Utah for a draft pick. Specifically Florida’s 2nd round pick in 2024. This clears the deck on the blueline and gives some ammo for an additional trade or for further pipeline reinforcement.

On the free agent front, Jordan Martinook is the key signing for three years at $2.5 per. He adds the sort of identity the Sabres have talked about this spring and summer at a manageable hit. He’s been a strong contributor in Carolina the last few years and he’d make for a fine addition to the fourth line on this build.

Tyler’s work ate up a bit more cap than Chris’, leaving about $300,000 in space to play with. That’s a lot tighter to the cap than the Sabres have been in recent years, but with two notable additions up front, it makes sense that the cap would evaporate a bit more. Here is Tyler’s roster:

Transactions

Buffalo receives Anthony Cirelli

Tampa Bay receives Buffalo 2024 1st, Buffalo 2024 4th, Buffalo 2025 3rd, Olivier Nadeau

Buffalo receives Nicolas Roy

Vegas receives Isak Rosen, Buffalo 2024 2nd

Buffalo receives Trevor Van Riemsdyk, Islanders 2024 3rd

Washington receives Peyton Krebs and Buffalo 2024 4th

Buffalo receives New Jersey 2024 2nd

Utah receives Henri Jokiharju

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen – 3 years – $5 million (RFA extension)

Peyon Krebs – 2 years – $1.5 million (RFA extension)

Jacob Bryson – 1 year – $1.1 million (RFA extension)

Henri Jokiharju – 1 year – $2.6 million (RFA extension)

Jordan Martinook – 3 years – $2.5 million (UFA)

View Details

The Buffalo Sabres are open for business.

Kevyn Adams hasn’t been shy expressing his desire to inject talent into Buffalo’s roster and in addition to the 11th overall pick, it appears that he is prepared to include either players or prospects into an offer that brings back significant talent. Last fall, there was some expectation that Adams would take a stab at a significant trade, and in anticipation of that, we put together this list of trade tiers for Buffalo’s players and prospects. With it seeming nearly inevitable that Adams will pull the trigger on a deal in the next week, it was high time to revisit those trade tiers.

This list will differ a bit from the version in the fall as the Sabres still have several unsigned restricted and unrestricted free agents. Most of the team’s UFAs are of little consequence in trade discussions, so they wouldn’t have made this list anyway. But the RFAs remained, with some exceptions, as they still have value in a trade. I have also left draft picks off this list since, theoretically, they’re all readily available to be dealt at any moment. So this list will focus solely on Buffalo’s prospects and roster players.

Have a Bag Packed

These are the players whose days in Buffalo appear to be numbered as they have the highest likelihood of being shipped out.

Jeff Skinner

The writing seems to be on the wall for Skinner. Whether or not he decides to waive his no movement clause or if the Sabres opt to simply buy him out, it doesn’t look like he’ll be back for 2024-25. As discussed here, a trade (even with retention) is far preferable to a buyout. Finding the perfect fit of a team that wants Skinner and who Skinner will waive for is a significant challenge for Adams.

Henri Jokiharju

Bowen Byram’s arrival and Mattias Samuelsson’s return doesn’t bode well for Jokiharju’s long term outlook. He’s an RFA with arbitration rights and it’s plausible that his arbitration award would be above what the Sabres are interested in paying. He’s a right handed defenseman who is only 25. That’s a highly valuable commodity in today’s NHL, even if his arbitration is a bit of a headache for an acquiring team. Ideally, he’s sent to a club with a need for a quality defender and who are willing to give him some term. That would erase any potential issue with arbitration and could even give the Sabres a touch more value if he’s tendered a qualifying offer ahead of a trade.

Bubble Players

This title could be misconstrued as a group on the doorstep of being dealt. My view is that these are the players who can provide the Sabres additional value in a trade. I had Casey Mittelstadt in this group in the fall and he’s a perfect example of this tier; a player the Sabres wouldn’t necessarily want to trade, but a player who could garner significant attention in a deal and play a position that has good organizational depth. Therefore, this is a group that should be monitored if a situation arises where the Sabres can leverage an additional return from another club.

Peyton Krebs

The center position is a lot different than it was before Mittelstadt was traded. The Sabres now have a hole at third center, so Krebs isn’t a surplus asset the way he or Mittelstadt were last year. However, he’s still a young, former first round pick who hasn’t quite found his place in Buffalo and could be enticing to another club, especially one that could find a more prominent role for Krebs. I would imagine Buffalo would only be willing to part with him as part of a package for a significant talent to play at the top of the lineup.

Ryan Johnson

Johnson might be an under the radar trade chip this summer. Even if Rasmus Dahlin will play on his off side, Owen Power, Mattias Samuelsson and Owen Power are all left handed defenders who either have term or, in Byram’s case, will be looking at an extension next summer. It’s a crowded blueline and while the Sabres aren’t teeming with left handed defensemen further down the pipeline, Johnson could represent a quality piece for the Sabres as they try to make improvements elsewhere.

Isak Rosen

Of Buffalo’s recent first round selections, Rosen seems like he’s the most expendable. There’s no potential for him to shift to center as he’s a natural winger. He’s shown the ability to produce in North America and his development has enjoyed a positive trend. He’s the exact type of prospect teams look for in deals, especially for a team in need of futures who are close to breaking through to an NHL roster.

Alexander Kisakov

It’s a shame that Kisakov hasn’t adapted as well to the North American game. Under different circumstances, as a quality draft pick, Kisakov could be a decent piece to chip into a trade package. Unfortunately, the production hasn’t been there. While his value may not be significant, he could easily wind up in a prospect-for-prospect sort of trade that Filip Cederqvist was part of last year. Or, in a perfect situation, he could be a makeweight in a hockey trade, though that seems unlikely.

Valuable Assets

This group isn’t too different from the prior group. These are players who could represent value to the Sabres in a deal, but would a little be harder to part with due to their impact on the roster or in the pipeline.

Noah Ostlund

Ostlund had a strong season in Sweden and looks like the strongest candidate of Buffalo’s quartet of first round prospects to stick at center. He carries similar value to Jiri Kulich, Rosen or Matt Savoie, though the fact that he projects as a center could tip the scales a bit more.

Matt Savoie

Savoie’s production in the WHL was eye popping and he’ll head to Rochester with a lot of attention on the next step in his progression. I have to think his injury history and size limits his trade value a bit, though his draft pedigree and production ought to counterbalance that to some extent. It seems like one of Buffalo’s key prospects will get shipped out this summer and which one that is may simply be due to situation and circumstance.

Jordan Greenway

The club has said a lot of positive things about Greenway and he also plays a style Adams seems committed to rounding out at the bottom of the lineup. For those reasons, I think it;’s highly unlikely he gets traded, but he would be a pretty decent trade chip. I think it would require a lot of moving pieces (in and out) for Greenway to become a surplus asset, but he is a UFA next summer, so I wouldn’t rule anything out.

Notables: Viktor Neuchev, Prokhor Poltapov

Safe and Sound

There are a few notable factors that make these players more or less untradable for the Sabres. Maybe they have a contract that would be hard to move or they’re simply a key asset for the team’s future. They aren’t untouchable, but they’re awfully close.

Bowen Byram

Newly acquired, 23, potential cornerstone for the team’s top four for the long term. He’ll need to earn his extension, so there’s the potential something unexpected would happen, but he appears poised to play a significant role for the Sabres for years to come.

Owen Power

Rasmus Dahlin isn’t going anywhere and if the Sabres decided they needed to trade from a position of strength, they could consider dangling Power. But I can’t really envision a trade that would be logical to include Power in. You’d be talking about a significant blockbuster that doesn’t come around very often.

Alex Tuch

The report that the Rangers called on Tuch near the deadline shouldn’t surprise anyone. Tuch’s profile is one that teams love and he can slot in up and down a lineup. Hence why he’s become such a pivotal asset to the Sabres. He is a UFA in two seasons and he’ll be 30 when it’s time for an extension, which won’t be a layup for the Sabres. Extending him will be a risk if he’s seeking any sort of term, so the Sabres will need to begin preparing for life without him. That doesn’t make him a likely trade candidate, but it keeps him from untouchable status.

Mattias Samuelsson

The Sabres raft of left handed defensemen provides them flexibility in the lineup and in trade negotiations. If Byram firmly establishes himself in the top four, Samuelsson could get pushed down the lineup where his salary may feel heavy for his deployment. His profile is an enticing one, so in a scenario where he’s bypassed internally, he wouldn’t be without value around the league.

Notables: Jacob Bryson, Connor Clifton, Dylan Cozens, Vsevelod Komarov, Jiri Kulich, Nikita Novikov, Jack Quinn, Anton Wahlberg

Untouchables

This is pretty self explanatory. There is next to no offer Adams could receive that would make him move on from one of these players. Tage Thompson and Dahlin are the team’s two key pieces at forward and defense, respectively. Zach Benson was a tremendous addition and there are high hopes for his continued progression. JJ Peterka finished the season on the top line and will be a pivotal piece if the Sabres hope to snap their playoff drought.

Buffalo’s goaltenders should really be in a different category, but the team’s goaltending pipeline is thin. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen entrenched himself as Buffalo’s starter and is poised to cash in on his big season last year. Meanwhile, it seems like the organization still views Devon Levi as their goalie of the future. UPL is too valuable to the Sabres today, while Levi still has too much future value for the team to realistically consider moving him. If the Sabres were deeper at the position, it would be a different story.

Untouchables: Zach Benson, Rasmus Dahlin, Devon Levi, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, JJ Peterka, Tage Thompson

View Details

Debate over using a buyout on Jeff Skinner has simmered for a few months. Skinner’s usage declined as the season wrapped up as did his production. As a result, some consideration over parting ways has been a topic of conversation going back to early spring.

Things changed on Tuesday, June 18 when a clip of Elliotte Friedman on The Jeff Marek Show was shared online in which Friedman reported that a buyout is a possibility.

Friedman’s report will significantly increase the heat around Skinner’s situation. It’s no secret the Sabres are desperate to break their playoff drought. Kevyn Adams has hung a for sale sign on the 11th overall pick and there is an expectation that he will be aggressive this summer. Skinner is a complicating factor to any attempts to make significant changes to the Buffalo lineup. Not only does his $9 million cap hit account for over 10% of Buffalo’s cap, but his decline in production came, in part, with his move down the lineup this past spring. It’s a very difficult proposition to manage a $9 million cap hit if the player is only going to be effective in a top six role.

It’s not entirely fair to hang Skinner’s scoring drought on his demotion, he showed signs of struggles after being injured in Colorado and missing three games in December. He didn’t seem able to shake whatever was ailing him after that injury. Skinner amassed 19 points (9+10) in 39 games after January 1 and only managed four goals and six points over his final 20 games, finishing the year on a 13-game goalless drought. As JJ Peterka took over his role on the Tage Thompson line, Skinner saw his icetime dwindle. He played 15 minutes or more just four times over the final 20 games of the season

The relationship between Skinner’s decline in production and decline in usage will be hard to overlook when you consider the struggles he had under Ralph Krueger. If Skinner has truly been passed on the depth chart, what does that mean for his outlook over the final three years of his deal? Further, as has been mentioned countless times since Lindy Ruff was hired, is it possible Skinner could see even less ice if his playing style doesn’t jive with Ruff’s expectations or demands?

All of these factors contribute to a tricky situation for the Sabres. The center of the issue is that Skinner carries a hefty cap hit and isn’t ideally suited for a role where icetime won’t be as abundant and his linemates may not be as talented. It’s much harder to keep Skinner around if you feel you have to play him with other playmakers to get anything close to full value from him. Between progression from young players like Zach Benson and outside acquisitions, it could be increasingly difficult to justify a top six roster spot for Skinner. Depending on the moves Adams makes, it may be hard to fit all of those players in the lineup on a nightly basis. Removing him means a new acquisition could slot in next to Thompson or Dylan Cozens and Zach Benson could combine with a newly acquired center to form a dogged matchup line. There could even be a more prominent role for the likes of Jiri Kulich to step into. Of the many lineup permutations available, it’s much easier to find space for new talent with some subtraction from Buffalo’s current crop of forwards. Right or wrong, it appears Skinner could be the odd man out.

A buyout becomes a more realistic option if they determine Skinner can no longer offer them proper value. It’s hard to say if we’ve reached that point (was his decline rooted in the injury or has he truly been passed by younger talent?) but the short term benefits of a buyout are obvious. Not only would a buyout afford Adams and Ruff more lineup flexibility, it would give the Sabres an additional $7.5 million in cap to work with this summer. That’s a significant amount of space.

A buyout doesn’t come without its pitfalls. The Sabres would be on the hook for a $6.4 million dead cap hit in 2026-27 and three additional years with $2.4 million on the books. Even if the cap continues to increase, that $2.4 million is nothing to sneeze at. Those hits are hardly prohibitive, but it’s the amount you’d spend on a third or fourth line player. For a team that will have additional extensions to manage, that could be valuable space when the time comes. It’s hard to square that against the short term benefits a buyout would offer.

The most obvious and beneficial solution would be to trade him while retaining a portion of his salary. Easier said than done given his no trade clause. But, in a situation where Adams found a location Skinner would be willing to waive for, the Sabres would enjoy many of the benefits of a buyout with far fewer pitfalls. This route would also be cheaper for ownership as a trade with retention would leave the Sabres on the hook for a portion of Skinner’s salary for three years as opposed to upwards of six. The complications of dealing him shouldn’t be overlooked as the Sabres may be asked to add a sweetener and the no movement clause looms large.

The potential roadblocks to a trade make a buyout the path of least resistance for the Sabres. It’s hardly an ideal solution, but this is going to be a summer where Adams needs to make hard decisions. The short term gains may ultimately outweigh the penalty of those three additional years of dead cap and the large hit in 26-27. For a team with Buffalo’s aspirations, they may need to take on those risks in order to get their roster closer to playoff contention.

View Details

The days of trades and free agency are almost upon us so Tyler and Chris decided to try their hands at some GM work. In this episode, Tyler offers up his approach to Buffalo’s offseason and the way he’d reshape the roster if he occupied Kevyn Adams’ office. Next week, Chris tries his hand at the practice.

https://api.spreaker.com/v2/episodes/60431835/download.mp3

View Details

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen needs a new contract this offseason and after an impressive campaign in which he solidified himself as Buffalo’s starting goaltender, he’s on track to receive a healthy raise and more term than the two-year deal he just completed.

Luukkonen and Jeremy Swayman will be the two most notable RFA goaltenders to track this offseason. Swayman will be coming off a one-year, $3.475 million deal and will be in line for a substantial raise as he too has taken over the starting duties. Swayman could garner a contract north of $6 million a year, especially after his playoff heroics. Luukkonen doesn’t have the same track record as Swayman and won’t be flirting with the upper echelon of goaltender salaries. But he is still set to see a substantial pay increase.

Filip Gustavsson is the easiest comparison to draw with Luukkonen. Also a former second round pick, Gustavsson had a coming out party with the Wild in 2022-23 after a number of disappointing seasons with the Senators. His .931 SV% was second only to Vezina winner Linus Ullmark and he finished with 30.4 GSAA (goals saved above average) according to Evolving Hockey. If you prefer goals saved above expected (GSAx), he posted a similarly sterling 24.54. Gustavsson was tremendous for the Wild and he was rewarded with a three-year contract with an AAV of $3.75 million. It was a fair raise from his previous deal, rewarding the impressive season he had, but not over committing to a goaltender who had only one truly impressive year.

Filip Gustavsson’s pre-breakout numbers and stats after his breakout season. That’s the sort of path I’d expect the Sabres to follow with Luukkonen. He has a similar resume to Gustavsson – one really strong season after a few up-and-down developmental years. Both Luukkonen and Gustavsson shared a huge responsibility in carrying their teams in their respective contract years and they each lacked an extensive track record of NHL success prior to their breakout season

Luukkonen wasn’t quite as dominant as Gustavsson was in 22-23. Evolving Hockey tracked him for a GSAx of 22.46 and 11.1 GSAA. His .910 SV% wasn’t as impressive as Gustavsson’s, though team dynamics likely play a role in that figure. I think Evolving Hockey’s projection of a $5.2 million cap hit is a touch high for Lukkonen, though it’s not far off from what I think his asking price would be, especially when comparing to what Gustavsson earned.

Luukkonen’s numbers prior to 23-24 compared to this year’s performance.The natural dynamics of salaries in the NHL, plus a rising cap, tend to result in salary inflation as similar deals are signed in subsequent offseasons. Gustavsson’s $3.75 million contract from last summer set a benchmark that will be surpassed in similar negotiations. Jake Oettinger is another RFA who will likely follow Swayman into the upper tiers of NHL goaltending salaries. Oettinger’s numbers were down this year, but he’s been strong through the playoffs and his reputation is such that I’d expect his salary to climb above $6 million given his current $4 million cap hit.

An ideal contract for Luukkonen would be a three-year deal somewhere in the neighborhood of $4.25 and $4.75 million per year, let’s call it three years with an AAV of $4.65 million. That’s a hefty raise from what he’s currently earning and would make him one of the top 25 paid goaltenders in the NHL. A three-year deal also hedges against regression. Luukkonen has played exactly 100 NHL games and his results in the 46 games prior to this season were inconsistent. In addition to his tremendous 2023-24 season, he had flashes of brilliance in 22-23 and in a nine-game cameo in 21-22, but his overall body of work still lacks the consistency to justify a longer contract. If Luukkonen were to regress, the Sabres wouldn’t be on the hook for an extensive period of time. The same logic applies if Devon Levi were to surpass him. A three-year deal prevents the Sabres from being forced to run out the clock on a lengthy contract.

Conversely, if Luukkonen continues to improve he’d be in line for another contract at age 28, with the opportunity to truly cash in. He’d also have the ability to test unrestricted free agency, giving him some additional leverage in negotiations if he remains Buffalo’s number one goaltender.

Luukkonen fell just shy of becoming Buffalo’s first 30-game winner since Ryan Miller won 30 games in 2011-12. He’ll enter the season as Buffalo’s starter and could flirt with the 50-game mark once again this year. He’s earned the raise he will get this summer and it should come in a package that provides both the goaltender and team with some security for the future.

View Details

It’s another edition of the mailbag and this time we’re tackling what the Sabres would need to change to adapt to the physical nature of the playoffs, how many new faces might be on the roster and Kyle Okposo’s recent comments on this year’s Sabres.

@TedPitney – What roster/philosophical changes are needed to actually win in the playoffs?

I love this question. I think you have to weigh the traditional idea of toughness (big, heavy, fighters) vs. the more modern approach with players who are effective at both ends of the ice but play the sort of gritty, heavy game that tends to come out in the playoffs.

We’ve seen in the past that just chasing the archetype of toughness doesn’t automatically make your team tougher. The Steve Ott and John Scott acquisitions didn’t make the Sabres any more difficult to handle on a nightly basis. There was still something missing with that group despite the changes on the roster. There is a level of acceptance needed to adopt the right mentality to play a certain way each night, especially in the playoffs. You see a lot of big hits in the playoffs but I also think there’s a willingness to take one extra poke or lean on a player a bit more than you would on a Tuesday in December. It’s those little things where you’re just a little bit chippier that becomes more pervasive as these series progress.

Being harder to play against is a phrase that gets overused these days, but I think Kevyn Adams saying they need to be more “abrasive” is a good way to describe what they need to add. Just plugging in a fighter who can offer eight minutes a night isn’t going to be what changes the way the Sabres play. Finding a couple more players who have that edge to their game (think Yakov Trenin) will be on Adams’ shopping list, but there needs to be more done in the room, from the coaching staff and the rest of the roster to adopt that mentality as well. It’s as much about identity as it is personnel.

@kevinpalmer – What is the point with a prospect where you either need to give them a shot or trade them? When does their value as a piece decline?

There’s no one size fits all answer to this because of how development tracks differ for each player. However, I think after one or two North American pro seasons, teams will have enough information to know whether or not a prospect is ready to take the next step. Finding a roster spot for them is a different challenge, but generally speaking, a couple AHL seasons will provide ample evidence for a player’s outlook.

That does differ from figuring out when a prospect’s value starts to decline. I’m sure someone has done the research to chart out the actual trends but this is just my gut feeling. I think a highly drafted prospect would tend to carry the most value in their first or second post-draft seasons so long as their production continues to increase. It’s different for later picks since they tend to be late bloomers. First round picks will always carry that pedigree, but I think their value will tail off after two or three post-draft seasons.

The first player I thought of for this was Nathan Gerbe. He was a fifth round pick in 2005 and he needed time to develop. By 2007-08 he was one of the best players in college hockey. He led the nation in scoring, was a Hobey Baker finalist and was the tournament MVP for Boston College. He followed that up by winning AHL rookie of the year after a 30-goal season for Portland in 2008-09. Gerbe’s value to the Sabres wouldn’t have been higher than it was in those two years which came three and four years after his draft season. If there was ever a time to trade him, it would have been in one of those two years, but they would have moved him without seeing what his value was at the NHL level.

Compare his track to Alex Nylander who was traded for a fellow first round prospect three years after being drafted, but was dealt for a sixth round pick this season.

@MikeGeorge83 – Do you guys think there will actually be any trades or significant signings? Or are we just going to get some gritty 4th line guys?

I’m not going to look past the potential for Adams to be keeping his cards close to his chest. There wasn’t much indication that he was going to make the Casey Mittelstadt trade, and that was a pretty significant deal. So, I’ll take his public statements at face value, but I expect he’ll be trying to make a big move or two. Whether or not he finds a partner is a different story, but I think there’s room and ammunition to make at least one notable acquisition.

@JimBobv2 – How many new to the organization NHL players do you expect there to be on the opening night roster? Or, you could just do the O/U 2.5 new guys and O/U 2.5 rookies on the opening night roster.

I think the hope is that one of Matt Savoie, Jiri Kulich or Isak Rosen earn a roster spot out of camp. I’m not sure if the Sabres will leave the door wide open for them, but I think Adams wants to give them a fair shot. But I think you’re looking at room for only one of their rookies for next season.

My expectation is that Adams will have three or four outside additions on the roster. A third line center, one or two new bodies for the fourth line and a defenseman. The fourth line could be filled internally, but Adams’ stated desire to change the identity of that group will take him outside the organization. There’s room for upwards of three new bodies on that line alone, depending on his approach. Adams confirmed that he’s been chasing a center for the middle of the lineup for quite some time. I see no reason why that would have changed. That’s also the spot best positioned for a significant acquisition.

Defense is a bit of a toss up given their incumbents, but if Henri Jokiharju heads out, they will likely need to find someone to play with either Dahlin or Power in their top four.

@Denni5Hendrick5 – If the Sabres make the playoffs next season what will be the reasons why? (i.e. powerplay becomes competent, players have bounce back year, rookies make impact)

So long as Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen doesn’t regress heavily and the power play comes back up to league average, they should have a very good look at a playoff spot. A Luukkonen and Devon Levi duo will carry some risk but if they trend the way they each ended the season, they ought to be a competent duo. If the power play changes bring them back up to league average and there is a rebound in production from the likes of Tage Thompson, Dylan Cozens and Alex Tuch, they shouldn’t have much trouble pushing past the 90-point mark and into the thick of the playoff chase.

@dangambino6 – What’s the most realistic major shakeup you could see happening?

We touched on this on the podcast and it’s a tough one to crack. If the goal would be to shake up the roster and really send a message, you’re talking about trading away a key, core piece. That means you’re picking from the likes of Dylan Cozens, Rasmus Dahlin, Owen Power, Tage Thompson or Alex Tuch. We discussed Power and Tuch on the podcast and I think each would be fine candidates. I feel Tuch edges out the others listed as he seems to carry the most weight as a leader outside of Dahlin and he’s slightly more expendable than Power. We know the Rangers called on him at the deadline, so there’s interest in him around the league and the team isn’t lacking in talent on the wings in the pipeline. There is enough there to justify a potential deal and in terms of keeping things somewhat realistic, Tuch would be the nominee here.

@Kozyshank – Fix the NHL Draft Combine. What would you add/subtract/tweak?

The easy answer is an on-ice component, but it’s not quite that simple. A scrimmage doesn’t make a ton of sense since you already have the various top prospects games that are played each year in addition to international best-on-best competitions. So there isn’t a pressing need to see all of the draft eligibles play each other. Skills competition drills offer little to no value as well. The reality is that the nature of the sport doesn’t lend itself well to the sort of on-field testing seen at the NFL combine.

The best option would be to create some sort of dynamic drill set that combines multiple skills at once. On-ce work that calls upon players to not only demonstrate skating and stickhandling acumen, but the ability to pick out teammates and diagnose plays as well. If done right, it could make for a decent TV product, but I think it would be very difficult to develop something that created value for scouts and managers.

@Laura_Opiela – Thoughts on Okoposo’s comments about knowing the team wasn’t going to get to the playoffs by November? And how the coach was able to hang in for the whole season?

This adds to the list of shortcomings that have been chronicled since the end of the year. It’s not new information so much as it reinforces what the players and Adams said in the wake of Don Granato’s firing. Your guess is as good as mine as to why Granato survived the whole season. The most damning thing that’s been said came from Adams when he talked about how he didn’t like how they looked in camp. You would think that would raise all sorts of red flags on letting the coach go, but he made it all 82 games.

This also makes me question the influence the leadership group has (or had) in the room. If Okposo and Zemgus Girgensons, their other established leader, couldn’t help snap the players out of their funk, did management put their faith in the wrong players for too long? Hopefully a fresh slate with a new coach and new captains is what was needed in Buffalo’s locker room.

View Details

Kevyn Adams hasn’t been shy about characterizing where he and the Sabres are in their build. He just recently appeared on Frank Seravalli’s show on Daily Faceoff and stressed urgency, saying they are “in the next phase,” a quote that strikes a different tone than the sort of comments he had made in past offseasons.

Adams enters the summer with some expectation that he will be aggressive in making acquisitions that will finally put the Sabres back into the playoffs. One key piece in his arsenal is his 2024 first round pick, which falls at pick 11 after the NHL Draft Lottery. The 11th pick is a valuable trade chip for Adams, who could be shopping for wingers to round out the top six, a center who can take matchups in the middle of the lineup or even one more piece to bolster his blueline. Regardless of how Adams could spend that pick, there is a strong consensus among the fan base that it should be for sale to the highest bidder.

What may get overlooked is the value a first round pick carries in today’s NHL. A pick in the top half of the first round carries substantial weight but if Adams has visions of bringing in a player who will contribute, he’ll almost certainly need to add to any offer involving the Sabres first round pick. There are plenty examples from around the league to look at and even two of Adams’ most notable deals – the Sam Reinhart and Rasmus Ristolainen trades – included more than just a first round pick coming back.

The NHL trade market has adjusted to require teams to pay a greater premium for talent than in the past. For example, the Flyers didn’t just provide the Sabres with a first round pick when acquiring Ristolainen. They also sent a veteran defenseman and a second round pick to round out the deal. As much of an overpay as that may have been, Ristolainen was still a young, physical, right handed defenseman, some of the most highly sought after traits in the league. For Reinhart, a top six winger with team control? A first round pick and a valued goaltending prospect.

There have been 33 trades over the last two deadlines and offseasons that have included a first round pick. It would be tedious and useless to go over all of them, but there are a few in particular which should be considered as trade rumors begin to heat up near the draft. We have a good idea what the Sabres will be seeking and especially in the case of a valuable 3rd line center and a top six winger, that 11th pick will almost certainly be in play. With that in mind, here are a few recent deals which may serve as a barometer for what the Sabres may wind up paying this summer.

Los Angeles acquires Kevin Fiala in exchange for a 2022 1st round pick and Brock Faber

The Kings paid a premium for Fiala, who had scored 33 goals and 85 points as a 25 year old for the Minnesota Wild. He promptly signed a seven-year extension and has given the Kings back-to-back 70-point campaigns. The price of the 19th overall pick (Minnesota selected Liam Ohgren) and a blue chip prospect was appropriate for a top six talent with a lot of runway left before his age 30 season. If the Sabres have any designs on snagging a player of this caliber, they’ll be chipping in 11th overall and at least one of their recent first round selections. The asking price would be even higher if they were shopping for a center of this caliber. That means sacrificing at least one of Jiri Kulich, Noah Ostlund, Isak Rosen or Matt Savoie. That might be a tough pill to swallow for fans, but it’s right in line with recent deals of this magnitude.

Two similar deals went down ahead of the 2022 Draft. Montreal sent first and third round picks to Chicago for Kirby Dach and the Senators acquired Alex Debrincat from the Blackhawks for a first, and second round pick in 2022 and a third round pick in 2024. Both follow a similar framework to the Fiala deal for teams targeting help in their top six. F

Ottawa acquires Jakob Chychrun in exchange for a 2023 1st round pick, a 2024 2nd round pick and a 2026 2nd round pick

Ottawa took a run at rounding out their roster for the 2022-23 season. They brought in Debrincat at the draft and anted up for Chychrun at the deadline that year. Chychrun had two more seasons left on his contract when he was acquired, giving the Senators additional team control over the player. Chychrun was a 24 year old, top four caliber defenseman with term on his deal. That’s a terrific addition for virtually any team in the NHL, especially a team like Ottawa who was seeking a path back to the playoffs and long-term success.

The end result hasn’t come close to what the Senators were seeking and it seems as if Chychrun may find himself on a new club this summer. The Sabres probably won’t be looking too hard for more top-four talent after bringing in Bowen Byram either. But if they did decide to chase one more piece for the blueline, and that player had term, this sort of deal would be a decent barometer for what Adams would need to offer. This deal also represents a slightly more palatable reality in which the Sabres retain their recently acquired talent while only offering up draft picks to a trade partner.

Vegas acquires Tomas Hertl, a 2025 3rd round pick and a 2027 3rd round pick in exchange for a 2025 first round pick and David Edstrom

Rounding out the center corps may be the most important thing Adams does this summer. Finding a player who can take some tougher matchups and lighten some of the defensive load from Tage Thompson and Dylan Cozens would go a long way in adding balance to Buffalo’s forwards. It’s easier said than done given how centers around the league are valued these days, but there are still going to be options to consider.

The Hertl trade isn’t a perfect comparison for what Adams will be up to this summer. Hertl profiles higher in the lineup and is an older, established veteran with a lot of term on his deal. I don’t expect Adams to be seeking that specific sort of player. At least not one whose contract carries into their mid-to-late 30s. (Though, I do think trying to entice the Lightning to move Anthony Cirelli could be time well spent.) Still, Vegas was willing to part with a first round pick and a first round prospect in Edstrom to make this deal work. That’s a notable price for any team to offer up, it’s also something the Sabres could do without depleting their pipeline. With six first round selections and 11 top-60 picks over his last three drafts, Adams can sacrifice one of his blue chip prospects if he finds a deal for a center that suits him. That sort of firepower can put Adams on the offensive when it comes to making offers as packaging other picks or prospects could make some deals very difficult to turn down.

What is important to bear in mind is that Adams will probably need to add something to a trade package involving the 11th overall pick. The last time a first round pick was traded for a player straight up was June 2013 when the Devils acquired Cory Schneider for the ninth overall pick. So if Buffalo does indeed move the 11th pick, I’d expect to see at least one other pick or player moving along with it. Though despite the urgency, we may not know what Adams does with the pick until June 28.

View Details

Summer is just about here and that means it’s grilling season. From the summer all the way to tailgating season, you can show your love for the Bills while you’re cooking up burgers and dogs with FOCO’s Buffalo Bills plaid apron set.

This matching set includes a red plaid Bills apron with a matching oven mitt and chef’s hat. The apron features a massive Bills logo on the front so no one will be confused with where your allegiance lies. The bright red and blue apron will look just as good out on the back porch or a lot on Big Tree as it will in your kitchen. And you can top it all off with the matching hat and mitt. This high quality apron set will be a staple for any Bills fan.

FOCO is also offering each item individually. So if you just like how the apron looks, you can snag the Bills apron for a cool $35. Just want the Bills chef hat or Bills oven mitt? Each can be had for $25. But the price for the full set offers the best savings if you want to really show that you’re part of Bills (and Grills) Mafia with this unique Bills apron set from FOCO.

View Details

If all goes according to plan, Buffalo will be home to a new pro soccer team by 2026 and there’s some expectation they’ll be playing downtown.

News coverage of the plans to bring a USL Championship franchise to Buffalo indicate there is heavy lifting to be done in order to secure funding for the franchise and to get a stadium built. Getting all of that done before the summer of 2026 sounds like a particularly challenging task. Logic would dictate that if everything else is accounted for, the team will play at a temporary home while their new digs are constructed. Western New York isn’t short on adequate sites and while it may lack any semblance of character or charm, UB Stadium seems like an adequate solution for that first season or two.

Figuring out where the stadium will go makes for a fun conversation as The Buffalo News notes the desire for the stadium to go downtown. The capacity figure of 10,000 referenced by the News is encouraging for a number of reasons. First, it would make for a terrific atmosphere at full capacity for USL games. Second, it’s right-sized for the void between in the area’s concert venues. The imbalance between smaller venues, the arena and stadium make it hard for many acts to hit WNY unless they’re playing Artpark or Darien Lake. Even if the capacity was only 7,500 for soccer, this would become an ideal venue for summertime concerts. That size also makes this ideal for events like the Chicken Wing Festival (which seems to be dwarfed by Highmark Stadium) and high school playoffs and championships, giving even more opportunity for this to serve as a community asset.

Stadiums in the USL really run the gamut in terms of design and function. There are a lot of open-air soccer stadiums but quite a few shared venues and converted baseball stadiums. Colorado Springs has a very impressive venue that opened in 2021 at a cost of $42 million. Milwaukee is in the process of building a venue for their upcoming USL franchise that is stunning. Milwaukee’s Iron District Stadium is precisely the type of venue I hope to see built here (minus the hotel and housing element). The street-level activation would make this a terrific fit for a number of neighborhoods around the city and the intimate design and covered stand allow for a variety of events to be hosted, an ideal fit for Buffalo.

It’s encouraging to see downtown suggested as the destination for the stadium, but where exactly might it go? There are a few spots within the city which ought to garner attention, with some far more favorable than others. Some of these are more realistic than others as well. This list is meant to encourage some thought and conversation over where this stadium can, or should go.

Outer Harbor

I imagine this will be a fairly popular suggestion given the ample space available for development. Traffic bottlenecks and the lack of public transit options would cause headaches, as they have with concerts. My primary concern with considering the Outer Harbor is the lack of cohesion a stadium would have on that land. Now that the amphitheater is set to open, the comfort station and restrooms are complete and considering projects like Wilkeson Pointe and the bike park, the Outer Harbor doesn’t feel like a good fit for a stadium. Not only are most (read: all) projects suggested for the Outer Harbor met with vigorous opposition, but it is becoming clear that the Outer Harbor’s best use is as an expansive waterfront park. Allowing the Outer Harbor to be developed as a natural asset wouldn’t just appease the worrywarts, but it would allow our best effort and attention to be directed to other areas of the city that need developing, like Canalside.

Besides, a stadium on the Outer Harbor would be on an island with little to no other businesses or assets to tie into the development. The most logical parcel would be down on the site of The Pier, which would put the stadium a fair distance from the only parcels where further development could occur – the former Freezer Queen site where Gerry Buchheit’s condo project was unfairly shot down and the Terminal A site. I suppose you could make something work on the site of the Terminal A building and the expansive parking lot that borders the amphitheater and bike park, but that feels like a pretty heavy lift given that you’d need to demolish Terminal A to make it work. That’s a lot of effort and money that would need to be devoted to a site which would almost certainly be met with substantial pushback from various community groups. Better to find a site with more sufficient transit options and fewer potential roadblocks.

Central Terminal

Speaking of places likely to trigger a response from the preservation community, the Central Terminal would certainly offer a unique backdrop for Buffalo’s USL stadium. There’s quite a bit of space to play with around that property, though rail rights of way would be a hurdle depending on the footprint of the stadium. But if there was a desire for some sort of anchor to accompany the Central Terminal reuse, this could be a consideration. It’s even on the right of way for a metro rail extension.

Realistic? No. But from a blue sky perspective, it would be pretty cool if one corner of the stadium was the Central Terminal’s tower with the main terminal building serving as an entry point to the concourse. It would be one of the most unique stadiums of any sort in the country, let alone the USL. But there are better uses for the Central Terminal (some we’ve missed out on) that would do more for the surrounding neighborhood than a stadium could offer.

Larkinville

A very cool area of the city with a few large parking lots asking to be developed. One interesting space would be the site of the former Larkin Administration Building, a site that would throw the Tielmans of the world into a tizzy. That lot is probably too small support a stadium as you’d need to close down Swan St. and take a number of homes in order to make a viable stadium footprint. However, where there is a lot of space is on the other side of the district, in front of the Larkin Building. The surface lot at Van Rensaleer and Exchange has the room (though some of the homes on Roseville may interfere depending on the size of the venue) to accommodate a stadium like some of the more modern, soccer-specific stadiums in the USL.

This space would be highly visible from the 190 and wouldn’t be far from a light rail stop if there is ever a future plan to extend the Metro through Larkin on the way to the airport. Even without this lot, there would be ample parking throughout the district and you have multiple points of access via city streets and nearby onramps. The building could tie into the surrounding area’s architecture and with the growing residential population in that district, it could make for a very cool complement to one of the city’s cooler districts.

Ohio St.

If a downtown site is indeed chosen for this stadium, having multiple points of ingress and egress will be necessary. Even at a smaller capacity, plugging this in where there’s only one way for fans to get in and out would be a mistake. It’s why I feel the Outer Harbor doesn’t make much sense as an option because while you have north and southbound access points via Route 5, you’re still forced to funnel traffic down Fuhrmann Blvd., which all but eliminates the benefit of the four-lane highway that runs parallel to the street.

With that in mind, Ohio St. is a touchy option as the road isn’t an ideal fit for the sort of traffic a 10,000 seat stadium would generate. However, the infrastructure near Ohio St. is capable of handling such traffic. Despite some protests, post-game traffic out of Sabres games is pretty smooth and that’s thanks to the ease of access to the 190, city streets, the Skyway and the Metro. An Ohio St. stadium, likely on the parcel of land across the street from Resurgence Brewing, wouldn’t be on top of that infrastructure, but it’s not far either. Given the summertime schedule of North American pro soccer, it would be interesting if a portion of Ohio St. was closed to car traffic on game days. It would function a little bit like Abbott Rd. does right in front of Highmark Stadium, a quasi pedestrian mall that would allow fans to stream into the stadium from the parking lots in Cobblestone or the Metro.

I believe the parcel I’ve mentioned is owned by Ellicott Development, so that could conceivably create some challenges in site acquisition, but from the perspective of the space, fitting a stadium in the land bounded by Chicago and Moore would make for a cool venue. It would have views of the river and grain elevators and it’s right around the corner from Canalside and the arena. Plus, the residential that’s been built, and can be built, along Ohio (and in Silo City) means that a community could conceivably sprout up around the stadium in the years to come.

Ganson St.

All of the pros and cons of an Ohio St. stadium apply to Ganson St. There would be challenges in traffic control, especially for those who want to park right on top of the stadium. The operations of General Mills and Archer Daniels Midland would make it difficult, if not impossible to shut down the street to traffic on game days. However, the space on Kelly Island immediately adjacent to Riverworks would be an ideal home for a stadium of this size and, for my money, it trumps whatever issues could exist with access. Some of those issues could be solved by a pedestrian bridge that connects Kelly Island with Ohio St.

The proximity to Riverworks builds in a great venue for game day activities, something that could be a real asset not only on game days but on days when other events are held at the stadium. The pair of venues would make for a mini-stadium district and the proximity to KeyBank Center and Sahlen Field would mean many of the city’s biggest venues are within walking distance of each other. Additionally, the existing grain elevator could make for an awesome backdrop for one side of the stadium. The grain elevator wouldn’t need to be integrated directly into the building but it could still function as a compliment to it as a projection screen on game days or as a permanent tifo of sorts if a large mural was added to it. Ganson would also make this a waterfront stadium, with one side hugging the Buffalo River, allowing for fans to arrive by boat if that was an option. Aesthetically, Ganson St. probably offers some of the coolest features for a stadium of this size. The combo of the grain elevator, the river and views of downtown could give some similar vibes to Pittsburgh’s Highmark Stadium, though not quite as dramatic. It would become a great addition to the riverfront (and the overall waterfront by extension) as it will be a stone’s throw from the DL&W redevelopment and just across the river from the apartments built on Ohio St. The space should also be fairly available as this was previously eyed to be the home of OnCore Golf’s TopGolf-style project. I think it would be easy to get past the challenges of a lack of on-site parking given the other benefits this would offer.

The Cobblestone District

Given the sea of parking lots begging to be developed and the immediate proximity to Canalside and the arena, a Cobblestone District stadium is probably the most ideal location for the Buffalo USL stadium. Plugging a stadium in down near the arena would serve as the consolation to missing out on the new Bills stadium that The Buffalo News referenced in their coverage and would serve to create a proper arena district with KeyBank Center and Sahlen Field. It would also plug a big hole in one of the prime areas of development downtown.

There’s no shortage of spots to select in Cobblestone either. The arena lots bounded by Perry and South Park would help to complete the street wall along Perry and it would be the closest possible location to the new DL&W Metro station. That would be a cozy location nestled between the existing block of Cobblestone (Mississippi and Illinois) and the strip of buildings that face onto Michigan. There is also the expansive HSBC Atrium lot and the lots at Perry and Michigan that could be strung together for a site. That would be a little messier since Douglas Development has purchased the Atrium and has long term plans for the lot, while Uniland owns one of the Michigan lots. But, if an agreement could be reached on carving out a parcel, a stadium could be built along that block of Michigan and Perry and serving as a front door to the eastern end of the Cobblestone District.

Ease of access is a major benefit to a site in this area, much as it is for the arena. It’s also an area of the city that’s inching ever so closer to being a bustling district. Construction on the North Aud Block is right around the corner and Sinatra’s Canalside apartments are progressing. Douglas Jemal now owns the HSBC Atrium and The Buffalo News buildings and Benderson has been cleared to take over the East Canal Block across from Harborcenter. Jemal’s plans for the Atrium call for a parking structure which would allow him to add new development to the lot that stretches down Perry. Plenty needs to happen before all of that work is complete, and but a midsized soccer venue would make for a tremendous addition to the ongoing growth in this portion of the city. Plugging a stadium-sized hole in the numerous available parcels may even make it easier for this district to feel “complete”.

It’s a tantalizing prospect to think about and will make the future announcements from the group bringing the USL to Buffalo that much more exciting.

View Details

Warmer weather is right around the corner and with free agency under full swing and the NFL draft just a little over a month, it is safe to say us Bills fans are itching to get back out to High Mark Stadium to cheer on our Bills! If you are looking for a cool way to look as stylish as possible at the games later this year, we know just the way to do so! The Buffalo Bills Team Stripe Bib Shortalls are not just a piece of clothing; they’re a statement of unwavering support for the Bills, designed to make you stand out with the bleacher creatures, whether you’re at the game or enjoying the Bills from anywhere around the world.

Their all-over team-colored design comes in the official Buffalo Bills colors that captures the essence of the team spirit, making it a must-have for any devoted fan. Prominently featuring a large team logo on the front, there’s no questioning where your allegiance lies. The inclusion of a bib pocket is not just for aesthetics but makes for a practical addition that allows for easy storage of essentials like your phone, wallet, or game day tickets. With a buckle closure and adjustable bib shoulder straps, these shortalls promise a custom fit that’s both comfortable and flattering. The combination of the polyester woven canvas and short pant legs further enhance airflow, ensuring you stay cool and comfortable, no matter how intense the game gets.

The versatility of the Buffalo Bills Team Stripe Bib Shortalls by FOCO is unmatched. Ideal for game days, these shortalls ensure you’re dressed for victory. They’re also the perfect choice for tailgating events, where comfort meets style. And when it comes to concerts or festivals, these shortalls allow you to enjoy the music and atmosphere while proudly showcasing your team spirit.

Whether you’re cheering from the stands or celebrating with friends at a tailgate, the Buffalo Bills Team Stripe Bib Shortalls are the ultimate fan gear. Combining functionality with style, they’re a must-have for any Bills super fan looking to show their team pride in a unique and fashionable way. Get ready to turn heads and make a statement at your next game day or event by grabbing a pair here!

View Details

Thursday’s action dealt a devastating blow to Buffalo’s late surge for a playoff spot. Between a horrific third period and Detroit’s win over the Islanders, the Sabres likely need to run the table over their final 11 games to even have a shot at breaking their drought.

That sets us up for another summer of retooling and roster prognostication. That was front and center with the collection of questions for this latest edition of Two in the Mailbox.

@lazytown716 – The second year in a row of too little too late for this team is a feature and not a bug imo. There is something fundamentally wrong here, alarm bells should be going off over the makeup of the roster and the coaching staff. Does Kevyn Adams hear them and what should he (would you) do about it?

There’s a pretty notable difference between last year’s miss and this year’s issues. Last year, the Sabres couldn’t get a save but a swath of career seasons almost carried them to the postseason. Their power play was on fire for the first half of the season and it stayed in the top 10 well into the latter half of the year. This year, the power play has been abysmal and their top players have all significantly regressed. Naturally, they’ve received strong goaltending which will go to waste thanks to the issues listed above.

It may be tougher to picture after a loss like they experienced in Edmonton, but the changes you want to see now ought to be different than what you were hoping for last summer. I’ll be curious to see if they bring in a new face to run the power play and if that means Matt Ellis is out of a job. Though, I suspect they’ll lean on their recent improvements and keep the group together behind the bench. But it’s something to keep in mind.

I also wouldn’t discount the Casey Mittelstadt trade when it comes to reshaping this group. He was a well established member of that room and had been here through several seasons with a pretty significant portion of the roster. Adams wasn’t afraid to move him for a player he felt was an upgrade and while his post-deadline comments point to a relatively quiet summer, I’m not sure I fully buy it. Not only do they still have a pile of prospects they’ll struggle to find playing time for, it wouldn’t kill them to consider a serious upgrade to their forward ranks. The pieces for another blockbuster are sitting right there for them.

But if Adams’ comments on shoring up the bottom of the roster do ring true, the piece he should be working hardest to acquire is a center who can eat matchups. One name we’ve talked about a bit on the podcast is Nicolas Roy. Vegas will have some cap challenges to address in the summer and Roy is due to make $3m for the next three years. With Tomas Hertl added to their forward group, I’d be curious to see if Roy is expendable. He has the sort of strong underlying numbers to benefit the middle of Buffalo’s lineup, though his faceoff numbers aren’t astonishing (if that’s something you’re worried about). But he’d give them more established help at center – I have some doubts about Petyon Krebs’ future – and fill out the bottom of the lineup like Adams had mentioned.

@Laserl0tus
Sabres biggest need going into the offseason?

Adams caught a little flak for saying he’s targeting the bottom of his lineup, but I think he’s spot on with that assessment. They have a well established top six and the emergence of Zach Benson and Jordan Greenway’s promising year means there are even fewer openings in Buffalo’s top nine. As mentioned above, a center capable of tackling matchups would go a long way to rounding out their forward group.

That’s hard to stomach after this longshot playoff push got taken out to pasture, but if you’re trying to read Adams’ mind, you’ve got to pull the context clues from his prior work. He’s said time and again that he wants to build from within and he has been pretty loyal to his guys. So giving guys like Greenway, Benson, Peterka, Quinn and others room to breathe and grow is probably his preference. In some ways, it’s a good plan. They badly missed Jack Quinn and he is a truly valuable presence in the middle of the lineup. Getting him back healthy will be a boost to the forward ranks. The question I’ve been asking, and I alluded to it above, is whether or not Adams is going to take one more big swing. The pipeline is almost overflowing with assets to the point that he almost has to use a few picks and prospects in a blockbuster. I’ll be very interested to see if he winds up pulling a big deal at some point in the summer.

@Kevinpalmer
Is it possible that Cozens ends up an overpaid third line center?

No, I think he’ll enjoy some positive regression next season and his production will be closer to what we saw last year. His underlyings have taken a bit of a dip lately, but for quite a while this year he was still doing a lot of things well. He’s been plagued by some egregious turnovers that stick out when you think back on games, but overall he still profiles to be a really effective second center. I think getting reunited with Jack Quinn and JJ Peterka will be one important step to rediscovering that magic.

@WNYsabres61
Does Zemgus get an extension this off-season?

Probably. They can do a lot worse than what he offers them in that fourth line role. I’m sure they still value his leadership traits and what that would mean for the continuity of the leadership group. I also think it’s possible that he takes advantage of unrestricted free agency and seeks a playoff team – or at least a team with a better look at a playoff berth – as a destination. But I think there’s a pretty good chance they bring him back for another year.

@Lappstar
Is part of the reason Granato won’t be fired because Adams realized he fucked up on free agents, the three goalie situation this past summer and put Don in a bad spot?

Another way to put this would be that Adams owes (or owed) his coach a big trade, which is something I’ve harped on a fair bit. Even in this mailbag. I’m not sure if the Byram deal completely checks that box, but it’s absolutely a step in the right direction. Maybe he pulls one more big deal this summer and if he does, I’m not sure there would be many more excuses for the GM, coach or roster for not getting over the hump.

If you’re looking for a more conspiratorial take, I would venture a guess that Terry Pegula really likes what the continuity in the Bills football department has brought them and wants to replicate that with the Sabres. Therefore, he wants to give Adams and Granato enough time to complete this project. Patience has obviously worn thin with the fanbase and I do have to wonder how much longer they can keep the status quo given how sparse attendance has been for yet another season.

@Davidcappella1
With the arrival of Byram what does this mean for the pairing with Power as well as the bottom pairing? Trade Joker? Johnson maybe? Bryson has improved, do we keep him for the bottom pair?

The x-factor on the blueline will be Mattias Samuelsson. If the Sabres feel strongly that he’s a top four defenseman, they’ll have five players for four spots (Byram, Dahlin, Jokiharju, Power, Samuelsson). I’m thinking this stretch run might cement Dahlin and Byram as a pair, which would give them Power and Samuelsson as the second pair. That could be a win-win as Samuelsson could benefit from a slightly lower workload against slightly lesser competition. They don’t seem to care about handedness and both Power and Dahlin have shown the ability to remain impactful playing on their off side.

That makes Jokiharju the odd man out and a pretty valuable trade chip (young, RHD, RFA). I’m willing to bet he is traded this summer and I wouldn’t rule out putting him into a fairly significant hockey deal if the chips fall the right way. They’ll have flexibility on the bottom pair and could even add to it if they found a righty who could make Connor Clifton their seventh defenseman. They could find a free agent or bargain trade acquisition that would allow Ryan Johnson to start the year in Rochester. They could re-sign Jacob Bryson and accomplish the same thing. Or they may feel Johnson is ready for a full year and plug him in with Clifton and another body rotating in as the seventh defenseman. The key will be how they shape the top four and I have a pretty strong feeling it will be Byram/Dahlin and Samuelsson/Power.

@Jmagav
Impact of Pete Guelli on the arena? Seems like he has some ideas on that front.

These introductory press conferences are usually dripping with buzzwords but pretty light on anything substantive, but I thought he was really purposeful in speaking about the work they can do with the arena from a fan-facing perspective. He touched on how often that building is in use and how they need to make it part of the neighborhood. I couldn’t help but wonder if his take on the number of events held at the arena means that it needs to do more than just reflect Sabres decor and colors. That would probably mean an overhaul on the concourse wayfinding signage would be in order to change over from the Sabres-centric theme to something more all encompassing to the arena itself.

I really liked his perspective on how an arena can be integral to a district and, ideally, it would mean finding a way to utilize some of those drastically underutilized spaces in the area that face out to Canalside and SHK III Plaza. Maybe his view is for the Sabres to be more involved corporate citizens with their neighbors at Canalside and the Cobblestone District. Don’t forget that at some point in the near future they’re supposed to partner with the NFTA to connect the new DLW Station to the arena and arena garage.

Budget will be a hurdle but I thought he said some interesting things and I’d love to hear more from him on what is needed in that building as they creep up on a more sweeping renovation project.

View Details

The NHL is diving into the waters of Drive to Survive and Full Swing as Chris Johnston announced that the league had reached a deal with Amazon for a show that will follow 10-12 NHL stars with an expected fall release.

Interest in the various streaming reality shows has been at a fever pitch, with the productions helping to pull in new fans and new markets for the sports and athletes they highlight. Perhaps no sport has seen as much of an uptick than F1 since the first season of Drive to Survive. It’s fitting of the NHL to get on board with the athlete-centric reality craze but to hitch their wagon to Amazon Prime as opposed to Netflix where the other shows (and sports) have found so much success. Nothing is ever easy with this league.

Kidding aside, this is a wonderful bit of news. The NHL has been pretty good about adjusting to the shifting dynamics of the modern athlete and finding ways to allow players to promote themselves. There is a notable evolution away from the team-centric mindset to one where the league puts its stars front and center. This is another step in that process and, barring a significant amount of overreach in the editing process, it ought to be a terrific product for the NHL and its stars to hang their hats on.

In a perfect world we will get the sort of unscripted, natural behind the scenes content we were treated to in the early days of 24/7 on HBO. I’m not sure anyone the show plans to feature will be quite as outgoing as the best parts of 24/7, but the magic of these similar shows has just as much to do with the on-field exploits of the athletes as it does their off-field activities. So long as the product is genuine, I think this will be a hit with hockey fans. And with any luck, it will be a hit with non-hockey fans as well.

But who should the NHL target for the series? I think there’s already going to be four names in ink on the list: Connor Bedard, Auston Matthews, Nate MacKinnon and Connor McDavid. Bedard is a high flying rookie, playing in a massive market and has already shown a willingness to put himself out there. Matthews is tailor made for a big market and seems to embrace the celebrity that comes with it. He also happens to be the best American-born player in the league today. McDavid and MacKinnon are easy choices just based on their star power. Giving fans an inside look at their lives, particularly the notoriously intense MacKinnon will be an easy win. I think it would be an upset if any one of these four weren’t part of the first group of players the series highlights.

Beyond that group, there will be some flexibility. I suspect the league will also keep an eye on future iterations of the series, so they won’t want to go all-in on the first season. I don’t think that will prevent them from including that big four that I’ve already listed, but perhaps they hold off on one or two otherwise obvious choices in an effort to make a follow-up season equally interesting.

The Nominees

Matthew Tkachuk

Maybe the first name you’d think of for a show like this. He’s one of the league’s brightest stars and hasn’t been shy when it comes to his life off the ice. He was also the centerpiece of one of the biggest trades of the last five years and is helping drive one of the league’s hottest teams.

Jack Hughes

Hughes might be an option for a season two of the show, especially if the league and Amazon want to space out how many American stars they opt to highlight. Hughes offers a unique package. Not only does he play kitty corner to one of the biggest markets in the league, his kid brother is a vital piece of his team’s core. A two-for-one deal would be a different take than most of the other shows of this style can offer.

Nikita Kucherov

The most talented player on the most decorated team of the last half decade. He made some waves at Tampa’s latest Cup celebration, so he’s not a stoic and emotionless figure. There’s something to work with there. Tampa is also in a bit of a transition period these days. Steven Stamkos may depart as a free agent and the core of those Cup teams is aging. That offers a unique perspective for the show to explore.

Mark Stone or Jack Eichel

I can’t imagine Amazon and the league will want to keep Vegas off this show for long. The tougher question is which of their stars will be the one to follow? Eichel has plenty of juicy backstory given his trade out of Buffalo and the subsequent Cup win. Stone is oft injured but one of the league’s most consistent performers year over year. He also happens to wear the “C” for the Golden Knights. You could toss Alex Pietrangelo or even Tomas Hertel in this mix as well. You’re not spoiled for choice in the Vegas locker room.

Connor Hellebuyck

There needs to be at least one goalie profiled by this series. It’s one of the most unique positions in sport and could provide this show something the others wouldn’t be able to offer. Hellebuyck has plenty of off-ice interests that would make filming a sinch and as the league’s best goaltender and an American, he seems like a pretty easy choice.

A New York Ranger

Take your pick. I can’t imagine the Rangers get passed over for a feature on this show, so someone is going to get a closer look. Artemi Panarin is the big star but Jacob Trouba has some interesting off-ice pursuits. You also have Adam Fox and Chris Krieder, among others, who could easily step in to be the Rangers representative if the series wants to start things in the Big Apple.

Roman Josi

The Preds have slid back from the top of the league, but the Nashville market is still a favorite in the league and I think the city’s continued growth would make a Predator a great choice for this first run of the series. For that matter, Juuse Saros would be an equally fascinating follow. As the team’s captain and one of the league’s most valuable defenseman, Josi strikes me as someone who fans would like even more with more coverage and more insight into the sort of person he is.

Jeremy Swayman

Again, there needs to be a few goalies sprinkled into this mix. Not only can this series not go all-in with every A-list NHL superstar in season one, there needs to be a healthy mix of positions that get a deeper look. Swayman’s star is rising with an Original Six club and he’s formed a tight bond with his goaltending partner. I’d personally like to see this be Swayman and Linus Ullmark, but if the focus needs to be on one of the netminders, so be it. But this relationship is complicated as Swayman’s play has him looking like a true number one, while Ullmark is still on the more lucrative contract. Meanwhile, the pair seem to have an incredible bond, something that could fill a couple of episodes on its own.

Brock Faber

The other thing this series will benefit from is a diverse selection of players. Just picking the top 10 stars could make things a little bland. One of the best features of Drive to Survive is that you get to spend time with every team and every driver. Even Lance Stroll! Mixing in some of the league’s young faces can offer a different flavor to some of the episodes. Faber is a great option for this as he’s a Calder candidate, playing in his home state which happens to be the most ravenous hockey state in the U.S. Good vibes all around.

Obligatory Sabres Nominee

Rasmus Dahlin

I couldn’t leave this without including one Buffalo Sabre. Dahlin is the easiest option from Buffalo’s roster, though there are several good candidates. But Dahlin’s growing star power put him among the league’s elite defensemen and he’s almost certainly wearing the “C” in Buffalo next season. He has a flashy new contract and is the face of a team desperately trying to crawl out of the league basement. It would be like the WIlliams episodes of Drive to Survive.

View Details

Featuring Chris & @BuffaloWins

This series is supported by FOCO. FOCO carries an impressive line of team-branded merchandise and collectibles. They create unique, limited edition bobbleheads of some of the biggest stars in sports and they complement those lines with cool apparel, home decor and more. Check out their full Bills collection by following this link.

Chris: Joe, it’s yet another Sabres season with no playoffs and the top ranked prospect pool. You must be over the moon.

Joe: Ah yes, where’s Ted Black to send out another booklet stating we won the prospect title? Maybe Kris Baker can come out with his own beer called prospect IPA.

Speaking of beer, the only way you can get me through a Sabres game is a beer. Lots of beer. WTF has happened to me? It wasn’t too long ago we’d be fighting over importance of prospects, Derek Roy being a top 20 center, Cody Hodgson getting a lucrative deal, Tim Murray giving away draft picks like he’s giving away tips at the bar, and Kim Pegula telling us we don’t know anything. It’s dark times for me. I’ve watched probably six periods of Sabres hockey this season and while I can blame my newborn baby or 7-9 p.m. is Joe and wife TV time, I’m just beaten by the Sabres. The losing has killed. And as someone who has been around for 44 years and 17 of those happened during the Bills drought, I think this drought is worse somehow. What say you?

Chris: It’s an interesting question. The Bills drought owns the longevity, though the Sabres seem to be doing their best to match it. But the Bills only drafted in the top five three times during the drought, and one of those was trading up for Sammy Watkins. They drafted in the top 10 six times in that span. Meanwhile, the Sabres have picked in the top 10 on 10 separate occasions and four of those picks came in the top two. The Bills drought was long and rife with mediocrity, but it didn’t come close to the depths the Sabres have mined. I think that’s the biggest talking point between the two. Did the Bills general mediocrity during the drought make it easier to stomach than the Sabres inability to avoid the bottom five?

Joe: I think you have to start with the players. While you’re right that the Bills weren’t terrible, they were just mediocre, they did have some fun characters that fans could get behind. You had Stevie Johnson, Marshawn Lynch, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Fred Jackson, Eric Moulds, Lee Evans, and Mario Williams. Almost half the city had their own Poz jersey. I think those players made it somewhat easier to stomach the Bills drought. As for the Sabres, can we even say who have been their popular players over the last decade or so? Players who the fans really like on a popularity scale or just personality wise. There’s nothing because I tend to think those players don’t really like the fans all that much because they’re sick of being booed. You’ll never have close to the connection that the bills mafia has with the football team then the Sabres fans have with the Sabres. And let’s not forget the cult of the Bills Mafia started during the drought and I believe that was a year 10 of it. So, while there’s some who probably did jump on the bandwagon of Josh Allen, there were a lot at the start of it.

But the bottom line to me is what makes these individual Sabres players likable, and the only thing I can come up with is “well they have fun goal songs.”

Chris: I’d add that the structure of each season probably lends itself to the Bills drought being easier to stomach. You only needed to deal with them once a week for 17 weeks. The Sabres are there three or four times a week from October until April. That’s a lot more attention to the struggles of a group and allows for many more opportunities to focus on the losing as it’s happening. So it’s easier to get sick and tired of a Sabres player who might otherwise deserve more adoration. Another thing I’m interested in exploring, how much of the Bills drought can be looked at favorably now that it’s been snapped and they have a mutant alien freak playing quarterback who makes almost every game an event?

There definitely is a clear difference between the likability of Bills and Sabres players though, you’re on to something there. I’m not sure if it’s an issue with how the players market themselves, how the teams market them, or what, but they present two distinctly different views. I’m not sure if I’d attribute much of it to the rise of the Bills Mafia movement, because I think a lot of Bills players were still generally very well liked by the fans publicly. Though, pre-Bills Mafia the Sabres were winning and that core group was definitely very popular. So maybe it’s not fair to try and compare things before the Stevie drop and after it.

Joe: I think NFL being king helps out. Hockey is popular in Buffalo as I feel more kids play the sport than a majority of American cities. Yet, the ratings and attention, even during the Bills drought, seemed to be bigger than what the Sabres were doing. The only time I can remember the Sabres taking a big chunk of the popularity was 05-07 when the Bills were going through the 7-9 era of Dick Jauron and the Sabres went to back-to-back Conference Finals.

I don’t know if you can look at the Bills drought as being favorable at all for Bills fans. The main reason is I think fans of the current product are scared that if they make a big change (See: McDermott) it’s possible in their headspace that they could see them going back to the drought era because that memory still stings. We can call it “drought brain” where fans are scared if we lose the coach who led to the end of it, we will could repeat the cycle. In a twisted way, it reminds me of when Lindy was here and folks were scared if the Sabres fired him, he’d win multiple cups and the Sabres would go to hell. They got that half right.

I wanted to ask you about venues. How much do you think atmosphere plays into it?

Chris: Oh, it has to be a massive consideration. Even when things during the drought felt the lowest – they weren’t competitive on the field, they weren’t in the market for marquee free agents and their prospects for a turnaround were grim – Bills games were still an event. There’s was some sense of civic duty in continuing to go to games despite there being little to no sign of real improvement coming. There were still a fair share of games that Russ Salvatore bought up tickets to avoid blackouts, so there was some sign of apathy late in a few of those seasons, but on some level, fans were happy to go have some beers and do their duty as Bills fans eight times a year. Maybe that speaks to the schedule more than the venue since your obligation is eight home games vs. 41. So there’s cost considerations as well. But the party atmosphere at the stadium has definitely been more enticing than at KeyBank Center.

Joe: Is there anything that the Sabres had better during this current drought the Bills had during their drought? Because it feels like you and I are leaning towards the Sabres drought being worse. Part of me wants to say while the Bills had more personality during the drought, yet the Sabres seemed to have more star power on the ice. But part of that star power I think can backfire because how did the Sabres get these guys? It was by finishing last. I think going through hell to get these guys and then resulting in more suffering killed the fan base. The tank was supposed to result in automatic playoffs and it didn’t. I don’t think the Bills had close to that sort of battle cry. Is there anything you can say that Sabres had better than the Bills?

Chris: The Bills had their big ticket acquisitions, namely Terrell Owens and Mario Williams, but for the most part it was pretty thin in the star category for the Bills. They had their big performers but I think Buffalo’s limitations as a market definitely came to a head during the Bills drought. It just wasn’t somewhere a lot of players wanted to be, especially with their lack of success on the field.

The Sabres took their runs at some big names as well. Ryan O’Reilly and Evander Kane were both highly sought after, young players when they were acquired. Particularly O’Reilly. And they followed that up a few years later with the Taylor Hall signing. Kyle Okposo could be considered here too. If he wasn’t the #1 free agent of the 2016 class he was one of the best of that group entering July 1, 2016. We’ll have to save the debate over free agency in the NHL for another time, but at the time he was a player who garnered attention in the league. All of this is a long way of saying the Sabres have had a bit more success in the talent acquisition department when comparing the two droughts. Their draft picks play a role in this as well. The Sabres have brought in a lot of high-end prospects and many have been impact players. The inability to build around those players has been the issue.

I do wonder, how much of our reflection on the BIlls drought is colored by their recent success? Not only have they gotten back to the playoffs, but their quarterback is one of the two or three best in the league and they’ve been a perennial preseason Super Bowl pick over the last few years. Does the wave of positive news from One Bills Drive help gloss over parts of the drought?

Joe: I don’t know. The people who were in charge of the drought for the Bills aren’t there anymore. Ralph Wilson owned technically 14 years of it, while the Pegulas only had their hand in the two seasons of Rex. If anything, maybe they are viewed more as lovable losers. I’ll always remember how much Bills fans were completely over Ryan Fitzpatrick, but once he started showing off his chest hair on TV and the national media started liking him, he became a hero for us. I do wonder if the drought was still going during Fitz final years, maybe we wouldn’t be as aww we still love you.

The one thing I’ll say I think the Bills had it worse, and that’s ownership. I had absolutely zero faith in Ralph Wilson or our favorite whipping boy, Russ Dipshit Brandon. At least with the Sabres, my confidence with the Pegulas died probably around Housley’s first year and when O’Reilly was traded, but prior to that I was on the up and up with them because they had so much money. I never ever liked the Brandon & Wilson partnership.

Chris: I think I’d take it one step further and say that the Sabres at least approached each step of this drought with a plan. The plans haven’t come to fruition, but you knew the approach they were taking. In Pegula’s early days of ownership, he committed to spending to the cap and bringing in more talent. We know that didn’t work out, but they had a committed approach. Same with the decision to rebuild. Darcy made his determination and they set out on that course. We’ll see how building through the draft treats them. But there was a stretch of the Bills drought where it felt like they were just drilling holes. They didn’t have a serious quarterback, they didn’t have any game breakers and they were probably going to be 7-9 or 6-10. That was a bleak existence.

I’m not sure what the moral is there since practically every approach has left the Sabres in 26th overall. But that stands out as a difference between the two droughts.

What is boils down to, for me, is that the Bills never really felt like they hit rock bottom. There were some really bleak times and some bad losses, but I’m not sure I ever looked at them during, or after a season and felt like things couldn’t possibly get worse. Whereas I feel like the Sabres test those bounds on a monthly basis.

Which of the two teams do you think had the lowest lows of their respective droughts? You can pick a stretch of time or a singular event, up to you.

Joe: It’s so tough. One thing that just popped in my head was the Bills relocation rumors. That was like 13 years of the Bills drought and I was definitely one of those fans who felt there was a good shot they’d leave after Ralph died. It was super nerve wracking and it didn’t help that they were whoring out games to the Rogers corporation which wanted to move the team to Toronto. That fucking sucked. On the other hand, we have the Pegulas losing money left and right and having to sell off assets around the arena and a firing list that is longer than what the Bills drought era had.

I’m going with the Sabres drought being worse. And the main reason is that I’m detached to them outside of watching highlights and reading Twitter. That has to be the one since I was there for the Bills until they broke the drought. Just look at how empty the arena is. Remember how many Sabres blogs there were circa 2013? There’s yours and the nerdalytics guys. That’s it. Furthermore, finishing last four different seasons and not seeing the W/L column reverse cause of high picks is worse than 7-9. So I’m going Sabres. You?

Chris: The Sabres definitely feel much more bleak. Maybe it’s because the 24-hour news cycle and social media are far more intense these days as compared to even those early years of Pegula’s takeover. No matter what the cause is, I keep coming back to the Sabres seeming inability to claw out of the bottom 10 and how hopeless if feels to see them first chase veteran help, then try for high-end picks and now to be patient with their pipeline and see them make no more progress with one approach over the other.

The relocation point is a good one to bring up. I feel like that was part of the civic responsibility to keep showing up even as mediocre as the Bills were for all those years. If the seats were full it would be harder to move them, or something like that. The Toronto series really was such a slap in the face too. I don’t want to upset anyone with this take but do you factor in the fan connection to this? I feel like you can’t even say something vaguely negative about the Bills on social media without getting shouted down by a mountain of fans. While everyone seems pretty much on the same page when it comes to airing their grievances with the Sabres. I’d like to see the alternate universe where the core of the Sabres fanbase are the hopelessly optimistic and positive group while the Bills diehards are more caustic towards the team.

Joe: While I think Bills X is a cesspool where you have Bills bros and BillsTMZ doing what they can to get clout with sticking up for them and being obnoxiously protective, I think the loyalty from Bills fans are due to the team being really good and that they have a bigger connection to the players. Think about how many Bills players and even their wives are on social media. FFS Queen Britt became a thing. All of them get a bunch of Bills bros sticking up for them no matter what. I don’t really recall that many people sticking up for the team during the Jauron years. I remember after they kept Jauron after 2008 it felt like a funeral. Even go to the Marrone years, by 2014 I felt everyone couldn’t stand him besides the Bills broadcast announcers.

Back to the hockey team, are there even any Sabres players on social media that resonate with their fans besides the yearly dog the team adopts? I think if the W/L were reversed, it would be the same with the fans. I remember when Drury and Briere left, you had a number of fans taking the side of the team and making them out to be villains. I even remember folks sticking up for Golisano, a guy who didn’t care about hockey and just wanted to make a buck. Remember how many people wanted to take out Bucky when the Sabres were good. Mike Harrington’s goodwill with the blogger community and yes, I’m old enough to remember when he had that, went down in flames the first year Terry owned the team and they were just two years removed from a division title. A big reason for them sticking up for the Sabres was because of Winning. 4 playoff seasons out of 6 seasons will do that to you.

Chris: The connection on social is notable. Maybe it’s a personality thing but the hockey players definitely seem more reserved and separate from the community as a whole. It definitely relates to winning too. To your point, guys like Miller and Drury have made comments about people approaching them at Wegmans during the good times. It could definitely be completely inverted based on wins and losses.

I want to circle back to the idea of one or both of the teams hitting bottom. Do you think the Bills ever got there? Because that’s what sets it apart for me. The Sabres somehow manage to mine new depths of failure and ineptitude. The Bills always found new and creative ways to lose, but I’m not sure it ever felt like they were truly scraping the bottom.

Joe: If we go by W/L record, 2010 and 2001. The Bills went 3-13 and 4-12. But you can say they were in the first year of a rebuilding plan because they had a new coach/GM for those seasons, so it was expected. To me, the worse years of the drought were when the Bills had expectations. I was sucked into Bledsoe coming to Buffalo. I was sucked into Takeo Spikes, Sam Adams and Lawyer Milloy coming here. I was sucked into TO. Mario Williams? Rex Ryan? Count me in. Probably out of the 17, I felt good about six of those seasons in August. It wasn’t every year, but when they made those moves I just mentioned, I thought playoffs were coming. Sometimes as a fan, Lucy pulling the football from Charlie Brown is worse than hitting rock bottom in the W/L column because you knew they’d suck.

Chris: There definitely were quite a few years there were there were next to no expectations for the Bills. Brady owned the division and there weren’t many rosters that could realistically challenge for a wild card spot. Whereas the Sabres have had their fair share of offseasons where you held out some level of expectation of success. In 2013 and 2014 Regier had laid out his plan to rebuild, so you knew they’d be selling assets and focusing on the draft. That didn’t change with Murray and after they bottomed out those two years, the thought was they’d be ready to win. Murray’s work in the 2015 offseason played a pretty big role in that too. The summers in ’16 and ’17 weren’t super promising, but certainly didn’t feel ominous either. Even the summer O’Reilly gets dealt, they swing the Skinner deal, so that level of optimism remained. But since then, I’d say only this past summer was one where any sense of confidence had been rebuilt. So there has been more opportunity for the Sabres to let the fans down and that’s been one area they’ve made sure to hit the mark.

Just to add a few closing thoughts, I think even if you consider how recency bias may skew your view of both the Bills and Sabres respective droughts, the Sabres have managed to plumb new depths of disappointment. I think this season’s struggles have probably extinguished any hope that there was a light at the end of the tunnel, which probably feels even more bleak for some fans. I know that was a feeling at times during the Bills drought – the idea that the end was nowhere in sight – and now the Sabres get to carry that banner. Guess they need to find their version of Andy Dalton.

Joe: As a spiteful person, the hell we’ve been through with both teams I’d definitely wish on my worse enemy because both droughts suck and I’d want my enemy to suffer. At some point, it has to end for the Sabres. How can you have this long of a streak when half the league makes the playoffs?

View Details

Kevyn Adams exhibited quite a bit of patience over the last 24-plus months, making scant few trades since sending Jack Eichel to Vegas in November 2021.

That all changed on Wednesday when he acquired Bowen Byram from the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for Casey Mittelstadt. A hockey trade in the purest sense, Adams made the acquisition that eluded him in the offseason as he bolsters his blueline with another U25 player with team control.

This trade won’t lack criticism. Mittelstadt had found his game over the last two seasons and he’d been one of Buffalo’s most consistent and effective forwards this season. He was delivering on his draft pedigree and provided the Sabres with three reliable centermen on a nightly basis. Mittelstadt’s next contract was going to be a challenge for the Sabres as the potential for the deal to upset their salary structure was a real possibility. Still, his contributions over the last two seasons were terrific. He had evolved into a two-way weapon, adept at winning battles along the wall with the impressive playmaking attributes that made him a high draft pick.

At 25, with team control, Mittelstadt was also a prime trade candidate, especially considering the extensions the Sabres had given to Tage Thompson and Dylan Cozens. Extending him wasn’t out of the question, but he offered Adams a trade chip few other GMs had at their disposal.

Byram arrives as the top four addition the Sabres have been hunting since at least last summer. His acquisition ought to mark the end of the heavy lifting for Adams and the Sabres blueline. Byram is an RFA in the summer of 2025 and will be a prime candidate for an extension, joining Rasmus Dahlin, Owen Power and Mattias Samuelsson on long term deals. The overload of lefties doesn’t seem to be something the Sabres are concerned with, especially considering how adept Rasmus Dahlin has been in playing his off side.

Fully unlocking Byram’s potential will be the key to this deal for the Sabres. He was electric for the Avalanche in the 2022 Cup Finals and his early play painted a picture of a dominant, play driving defenseman. His impacts have cooled and he’s played through an up-and-down year up until the deal. At his best, he’s an elite skater with a dynamic offensive skill set who can dictate shifts. His abilities as a puck mover fit in well with the defense corps Adams has assembled and if those skills blossom, Byram could pay off in a big way.

One of the issues that have followed Byram this year is the glut of forward talent beyond Colorado’s top line. Ryan Johansen and Miles Wood were Bryam’s two most common teammates this season and neither have been particularly strong in the neighborhood of underlying impacts. The Avalanche went so far as to attach Johansen to their deal to Philadelphia for Sean Walker to rid themselves of the trouble (and open salary and a roster spot for Mittelstadt). It stands to reason that stronger teammates and deployment will produce better overall results, something Corey Szanjder highlighted in his breakdown of the trade.

Make no mistake, there is a sizeable gamble to this trade. Byram hasn’t been the minute eating force he was in the 2022 postseason. His The Sabres will have a bit of work to do in deploying him properly, but the foundation is there and with 147 NHL games played, he isn’t a future asset. He’s here to help today. If they can put him back into a position where his tantalizing skill set can thrive, he can be a key factor in Buffalo’s future.

I’m curious to see what Adams does with the rest of his defense corps. As first noted by Chad DeDominicis of Expected Buffalo, Henri Jokiharju could easily find himself as the odd man out on the blueline. And I can’t help but wonder if Adams can pull another rabbit out of his hat by Friday, leveraging Jokiharju in a trade for a viable NHL forward. Whether help comes on Friday or in the summer, that’s the next step in the process and as a young, right handed defenseman with RFA rights, Jokiharju ought to carry a fair bit of value in the trade market.

Pulling off two notable hockey trades ahead of the deadline is a lot to ask of any GM. It’s not totally out of the question, but it feels like a bit of a longshot. Even if the Byram trade is the only trade Adams makes outside of moving his UFAs, it marks a key step in the continued process of shaping this roster. A big step at that, one that has set the table for the next move Adams is targeting.

View Details

My how things can change in an instant.

Most of the reporting surrounding Kevyn Adams and this year’s trade deadline was low key. The Sabres were expected to send out their pending unrestricted free agents, but it seemed any significant work would have to wait until the summer.

Then Wednesday afternoon, Adams swapped Casey Mittelstadt for Bowen Byram and dropping the biggest bomb of the 2024 deadline season.

Much of this post had been written at that point, with a hope that Adams would be able to pull off a big deal by Friday. The combination of cap troubles around the league and difficult fits seemed like that might be a longshot. even if the hope of a deadline surprise always lurks. Any deal Adams would have made outside of selling Zemgus Girgensons, Erik Johnson and Kyle Okposo would’ve been a surprise addition in some way. Though I’m not sure anyone was truly prepared for the magnitude of the trade he made with the Avalanche.

Not only is the Mittlestadt for Byram deal a shock to the system, it’s the first truly significant deal Adams has made this side of the Jack Eichel trade. This isn’t the first time a Sabres GM has managed to land a surprise acquisition around the deadline. In fact, Adams did a decent job of that last year when he brought in Jordan Greenway, a player very few people had on their radar. Looking back on the team’s history, the deadline season has offered an opportunity for several franchise altering moves, building block hockey trades and other swaps that helped to define the seasons to come. Rick Martin and Don Luce were both traded to Los Angeles ahead of the 1981 deadline. The Martin trade can be linked to Buffalo’s current roster as its tentacles continue to grow to this day. In their most competitive years, the team has been proactive in investing in players to put them over the top, some becoming fan favorites like Stu Barnes.

My hope was that Adams would find a way to make a surprise deadline addition and he delivered. The Byram trade can be added to a list of deadline deals that fall outside the traditional buyer or seller market. Ahead of this year’s deadline, I compiled some of the most notable “hockey deals” the Sabres have made over the years. I tried to keep out trades that were strictly deals made in rebuilding years when players were sent away for futures. Similarly, I tried to avoid deals that were made when the team was a deadline buyer, so moves like the trades that brought in Barnes, Joe Juneau and Rhett Warrener in 1999 won’t make this list. I did expand the parameters a bit to capture a window of time immediately around the deadline to cast a wider net as looking at the “deadline season” seemed more productive than simply analyzing deadline day.

March 3, 1972 – Buffalo acquires Rene Robert from the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for Eddie Shack

The final piece of the French Connection is acquired nine months after the Sabres first claimed him in the Intra-League Draft before subsequently losing him to the Penguins in that same draft. Shack was brought in early in the 1970-71 season and played a total of 111 games for the Sabres. Robert, at the time, hadn’t found a foothold in the NHL. He had only played 54 games between Toronto and Pittsburgh, but Punch Imlach coveted him. It wound up being one of the best trades the Sabres ever made as Robert scored 500 points for the club and formed one third of the most famous trio in franchise history.

March 6, 1989 – Buffalo acquires Clint Malarchuk, Grant Ledyard and a 1991 6th round pick (Brian Holzinger) from Washington in exchange for Calle Johnasson and a 1989 2nd round pick (Byron Dafoe)

Buffalo had spent the 14th pick on Johnasson just four years earlier and the Swede broke into the league as a 20 year old in the 1987-88 season when he earned All Rookie Team honors. He only made it through 118 games with the Sabres before he was moved in an effort to bolster the team’s goaltending and bring in a more rugged, seasoned presence on the blueline. A surefire blockbuster involving multiple players and picks, this deal doesn’t stand the test of time as Johnasson became a stalwart for the Capitals over the next 14 seasons. He wrapped his career with 1,109 games played and 535 points.

The 1989 deadline also saw the Sabres ship their captain away, sending Lindy Ruff to the Rangers for the pick that would later become Richard Smehlik.

March 18, 1997 – Buffalo acquires Miroslav Satan in exchange for Barrie Moore and Craig Millar

Derisive as he may have been to the fans, Satan had a massive impact on the franchise. He was their leading offensive weapon during their most competitive years in the late 90s. He eclipsed 30 goals on three occasions, hitting 40 in 1998-99. Satan had only played one full NHL year at the time he was acquired, while Moore and Millar were young players just breaking into the league. Neither Moore or Millar had extensive NHL careers while Satan wound up playing over 500 games in Buffalo.

March 11, 2003 – Buffalo acquired Daniel Briere and a 2004 3rd round pick (Andrej Sekera) in exchange for Chris Gratton and a 2004 4th round pick (Liam Reddox)

Gratton’s acquisition three years prior is another deal worth noting in this collection, as that March 9 trade brought the big center to Buffalo from Tampa. Gratton was just one year removed from posting back-to-back 60-point campaigns when he arrived in Buffalo. The former third overall pick had scored 30 for Tampa in 1996-97 and was still a highly touted young player when the Sabres acquired him in 2000.

But the Gratton trade in question is the one that sent him back out of Buffalo. Gratton never found the scoring touch he had in 96-97 or his first year in Philadelphia and after a pair of so-so seasons, Darcy Regier sought a deal. In exchange for Gratton, the Coyotes offered up Daniel Briere, a former first round pick himself who hadn’t quite found his footing despite a 32-goal season the year prior. It was effectively a swap for two somewhat underperforming first rounders. Gratton continued to put up middling stats, never surpassing 20 goals or 40 points after departing Buffalo. Briere would wind up as a cornerstone of Buffalo’s post-lockout surge, serving as co-captain and a face of two of the most exciting teams the Sabres have ever put on the ice. As a kicker, on both sides of the Gratton swaps, the draft picks kicked in by Tampa and Phoenix turned into Derek Roy and Andrej Sekera. A healthy fringe benefit for a deadline deal that brought a huge payoff for the Sabres.

February 27, 2012 – Buffalo acquires Cody Hodgson and Alexander Sulzer from Vancouver in exchange for Zack Kassian and Marc-Andre Gragnani

A true deadline surprise, the Sabres were just finding ways to plug Kassian into their lineup when he was plugged into this deal. Kassian was the 13th overall pick in 2009 and offered Buffalo the promise of a rugged, top six power forward. His rookie year was rocky for the club and earlier in the day, Regier had taken the first step towards dismantling the core that the Sabres took with them out of the 2007 offseason and into playoff berths in 2010 and 2011. That trade (Paul Gaustad to Nashville) was expected for some time. But to send out one of the teams most recent draft picks, was not. To bring back another former first rounder was even more unexpected.

Hodgson arrived in the midst of his first full NHL season, having scored 16 goals for the Canucks prior to the deal. He was the 2009 CHL Player of the year and one of the most highly touted prospects in the NHL. A centerman with a high ceiling, Hodgson was an extremely exciting acquisition in a hockey trade that doesn’t come around all that often. Unfortunately, Hodgson’s career trajectory petered out due to injury. A shame given his first full season with Buffalo was the lockout-shortened 2012-13 season where he posted 15 goals and 34 points – a 25-goal, 58-point pace. He followed that up with 20 more goals in 2013-14 before the bottom fell out.

February 24, 2019 – Buffalo acquires Brandon Montour from Anaheim in exchange for Brendan Guhle and a 2019 first round pick (Brayden Tracey)

I couldn’t do a deadline deals post without referencing the Montour deal. Not only because he was a player many fans discussed as a potential candidate, myself included, but it represented a big step by Jason Botterill to improve his roster. The Sabres utilized a top prospect and a first round pick for a more proven NHL commodity who fit their age profile and, theoretically upgraded their defense group. There was hope Montour would partner with Rasmus Dahlin for the foreseeable future, giving the Sabres a pair of stalwarts on the blueline behind the Jack Eichel-led forward group.

Then Ralph Krueger showed up and everything imploded. Montour wallowed the next two years before being sold to Florida at the deadline in 2021. He found himself again with the Panthers, posting a respectable 37 point (11+26) campaign in 21-22 before exploding for 73 points (16+57) last year.

Like the Hodgson deal, the track record here didn’t work out for a number of reasons. But the logic of the trade was sound. In fact, leveraging futures for ready-made NHL talent is what so many in the fan base have been clamoring for and it just so happens to be the area where Adams’ war chest is strongest. The deal that Adams made didn’t pull from the club’s pipeline, but still inserts an NHL-ready body into their lineup. This isn’t quite the same deal that brought in Montour in 2019, but it’s not far off. Now we wait and see if Adams has any more tricks up his sleeve.

View Details

The 4 Nations Face Off will be the closest the U.S. has been to Canada in terms of overall talent at any point in best-on-best international play. The Americans beat the Canadians in 1996 and they were one shot away from another sweep in 2010, but neither of those teams were close to their Canadian counterparts on the basis of talent. The Americans have a young and deep group of players to select from and should be able to ice a roster that can go toe-to-toe with the Canadians.

It’s a shame there isn’t a mechanism that would allow them to trade a goaltender to Canada for a forward or defenseman simply given how rich the U.S. is at the position. There are easily four, if not five, goaltenders worthy of consideration for this roster, a strength that will largely be squandered in a tournament that is so short. That isn’t to say the Americans shouldn’t feel confident in their goaltending, but it’s the one position where depth as impressive as theirs won’t really matter given the nature of the position. But goalie isn’t the only area where the Americans should feel confident. So long as they don’t repeat the mistakes of 2014 and 2016, they should have an immensely talented lineup at their disposal.

Kyle Connor – Auston Matthews – Matthew Tkachuk

Perhaps you’d want another distributor on Matthews’ left wing as opposed to another goal scorer, but I like giving Connor a pair of linemates who can drive play so he can serve as a finisher. Matthews and William Nylander do a fine job co-existing on a line together, I doubt there would be much issue with these three.

Jason Roberston – Jack Eichel – Chris Krieder

Krieder is deadly on the power play but on a roster this deep, I’m not sure if he’d be a priority for either unit with so many other studs on the roster. But his net front play on the man advantage is a weapon and at even strength I like his ability to play direct, using his speed to his advantage. I’d anticipate Eichel’s playmaking to shine with these two alongside him.

Dylan Larkin – Jack Hughes – Alex DeBrincat

The combo of Hughes and DeBrincat ought to be a fruitful one for the Americans. Meshing Hughes distribution with DeBrincat’s finishing. Larkin is more than talented enough to keep pace with these two, though he’d be an easy option to bump down a line for an alternative choice.

Jake Guentzel – JT Miller – Brady Tkachuk

Extra: Brock Boeser

This sort of shapes up to be a bit of a matchup line in the sense that both Miller and Tkachuk can offer a heavier style of play as needed, but in practice it’s three more top-six talents for the U.S. to throw over the boards. Tkachuk (and his brother) offer a profile few others in this tournament can and it’s not at the expense of skill. Guentzel and Boeser both offer lineup flexibility and can be shuffled through lines if certain center/wing combinations don’t bear fruit. Should Boeser’s resurgence carry into another season, I’d expect him to bump someone else into the extra forward role. Until that plays out, I have him as the 13th forward.

Jaccob Slavin – Adam Fox

In an effort to find some balance in the pairs I’ve slid Slavin “up” and Quinn Hughes down, though this alignment hardly needs to be considered gospel. Fox has an all encompassing prowess that would allow him to take on virtually any partner the American staff cares to throw at him. In pairing him with Slavin, I see a pair that will take on some tougher matchups while providing some space for the other immensely talented defenders the Americans will be bringing.

Quinn Hughes – Charlie McAvoy

If the U.S. winds up with a Hughes/Fox pairing, I wouldn’t blink an eye. That’s definitely ripe for some more high event hockey, but breakouts would be a breeze with those two playing together. There’s not much of a drop off from Fox to McAvoy for me and I think there’s reason to believe he could wind up as the most important defenseman on this roster when it’s all said and done.

K’Andre Miller – Brock Faber

Extra: Luke Hughes

I think Miller often gets overlooked for the other two American defenseman on the Rangers but I think he brings more to the table than Jacob Trouba in this scenario. It may be a lot to ask for him to skate alongside Brock Faber, but all the Wild rookie has done is look like a seasoned vet throughout the course of this year. We’ll see if he holds this spot once his sophomore season kicks off, but I couldn’t find a reason to leave him off. As for Miller, he boasts strong underlying numbers, imposing size and his play doesn’t hinge on power play production, something that will be at a premium with Fox, Hughes and McAvoy getting a regular shift, let alone if Luke Hughes is also in the lineup. I left Hughes as the extra here due to the power play limitations. I can’t see a version of this team where he supplants Fox, McAvoy or his brother for power play time and I’d have some questions about what he’d bring at even strength given the competition they’ll be facing.

Connor Hellebuyck, Thatcher Demko, Jeremy Swayman

Goaltending for the Americans will be pretty cut and dry. Hellebuyck is the league’s best goaltender and will be the odds on favorite. Some combination of Demko, Swayman and Jake Oettinger will round out the roster when the time comes, and that evaluation will probably be heavily weighted by their performance in 2024-25. Given where we are today, Swayman edges out Oettinger, but that could change four times over between now and when rosters are announced. It’s just too bad this massive strength can’t be leveraged in another way.

Names to Watch:

Jake Oettinger – As noted above, he’s the odd man out in this exercise as his performance this year is a step behind the other three. The order could easily flip in the interim.

Tage Thompson – Perhaps a victim of recency bias, at this time last year Thompson would have been an easy choice for this roster and a player like Brock Boeser wouldn’t come anywhere close to it. Of all of his traits, Thompson’s ability to penalty kill might be the one that puts him over the top when final roster decisions are made. I think the group I projected has enough to offer shorthanded, but Thompson’s length and success doing the job with the Sabres shouldn’t be overlooked.

Clayton Keller – Despite being marooned in Arizona, Keller just keeps putting up impressive numbers. It’s hard to see which other forward he would supplant, but I won’t be surprised in the least if he makes the final cut for the Americans.

Jacob Trouba/John Carlson – A two-fold offer here. First, I suspect Trouba will be a popular pick for the U.S. He’s drawn a ton of attention for his physical brand of hockey and that’s something many will latch on to in terms of identifying different types of players when projecting the U.S. roster. However, I don’t love his underlying numbers and I think chasing his body checking and toughness could be a poor trade off. Still, I think he has a good reputation in league circles and will be someone the Americans take a close look at.

I added Carlson here as another veteran option for what turned out to be a pretty young defense group. Like with Trouba, I think Bill Guerin and his staff will want that sort of experience on the blueline and it would be very easy to exchange either Carlson or Trouba for Faber on this roster.

Vincent Trocheck – The one thing this roster isn’t long on are additional center options. Trocheck isn’t a marquee talent but could ride along as an extra forward or on the fourth line, providing the Americans with one more player capable of taking draws.

View Details

Renovations to KeyBank Center are coming. What was initially reported in the fall has been further confirmed with the recent publication of the Sabres’ plans for a new videoboard and repairs to the building’s roof.

As was detailed in the fall, the team is eyeing additional work throughout the 28-year old arena with one of the biggest pain points for fans, the seats, high on the to-do list. As upgrading the arena has moved back to the front burner, it seemed like a good time to revisit some of the areas of the arena I’ve hoped to see the team address when it comes time to bust out the hard hats.

Making improvements to the seating bowl is obvious to just about anyone who walks in the building. The seats have been there since the building opened and they are showing their age. But there are other sections of KeyBank Center that are underutilized and could bring a better overall customer experience should they be reimagined and depending on the amount of investment the Sabres, county and state care to make.

Some (many?) of the ideas floated in this post may be too ambitious or unrealistic to ever be adopted, but my hope is to offer a healthy mix of feasible and necessary improvements with a few pipe dreams sprinkled in. The building needs quite a bit of TLC and even if the bulk of the attention is paid to the most necessary repair work, there will still be a marked difference down on Perry St.

There’s no question the seats will be one of the first things addressed once the next phase of work gets underway. There are a few different ways to tackle the seating bowl changes. The most straightforward being a straight seat replacement that addresses the broken and dated seats. Or, they could get more creative like the Cavaliers did in Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse, removing seats in favor of communal gathering spaces. What appetite the club will have for lowering capacity is debatable and given virtually all complaints about the seating covers cleanliness and function, a more basic approach may be more than sufficient while allowing for more creativity in other areas of the building.

100 Level Concourse, the Lexus Club and Suite Level Lounge

Concourse access and flow tends to be another favored complaint regarding the arena and finding space in both the 100 and 300 level for more space for fans to congregate and traverse the arena will be a priority. One thought I had regarding the 100 level would be to rearrange the layout where the Lexus Club currently stands. If the concourse-facing walls were to be pulled down and the Lexus Club converted into a more standard bar, there would be a great deal more space to move around on that side of the building and, more importantly, you’d create a new offering that could eat capacity in pregame and intermission. This move would also allow much more natural light into the concourse, which would be a nice ancillary benefit.

There have been rumors that the Sabres office space on the suite level would eventually be converted into a lounge for suite holders after the team moved operations to 79 Perry St. There hasn’t been any sign or reporting that the plan is still under consideration, though it seems likely that the club would be holding off on the work until they secure a funding agreement for the arena-wide renovations. Assuming they still hope to convert that space, the building will add a substantial amount of space in a premium seating area with waterfront views to boot. What would be curious to explore would be to turn the two-level space currently devoted to the Lexus Club into a single-level bar with a new ceiling establishing a similar space for those on the 200 level. The team could even call back to the old Aud Club with a staircase connecting the 200 level bar to the suite level lounge, giving premium seatholders two new spaces to enjoy before, during and after the game.

A structural engineer I am not, so if that’s something that could even be built, it would be really interesting. The work would result in three new bar areas for ticket holders on every level, while opening up a healthy amount of space in the crowded 100 level concourse.

The Blue Zone

I’d also entertain some sort of new approach with The Blue Zone bar. It’s an original staple of the arena and occupies a prime spot in the concourse. It seems there are structural considerations that would limit the work that could be done to the space, but it strikes me that it’s a space that isn’t well utilized as modern arena amenities evolve. Exactly what else could be done in this space aside from keeping it as a bar with open seating is hard to nail down. Maybe it’s simply making better use of the space that overlooks the atrium. But I would hope this isn’t overlooked as part of a comprehensive project on the 100 level concourse.

300 Level Access

Not dissimilar to the necessary but boring work on the roof, something needs to be done about accessing the 300 level. The current setup of two overloaded elevators and a pair of narrow escalators simply can’t do the job. Doubling the capacity of the escalators would be a start and I think it would be wise to find an area where a new elevator could be installed to not only serve the 300 level but the others areas of the building as well. They could stand to add a new elevator for our friends in the press box as well, it wouldn’t hurt to end the process of sharing the freight elevator for media, team staff and scouts.

Integration with the DLW Station Bridge

Work is underway on the new station and tower at the DL&W Terminal. The stair tower will provide access to the second floor of the building and, eventually, serve as the terminus of a pedestrian bridge connecting the light rail station and DL&W project to KeyBank Center. It will be vital for the team to properly integrate that bridge into the arena. It may be necessary to expand space on the backside of the building to accommodate fans entering and exiting the arena on the subway. That work could serve two benefits, not only allowing for a smooth flow of foot traffic in and out of the arena, but a big enough expansion could add significant space to the 100 level concourse as well. It’s something to keep an eye on as there is already funding in place for the bridge connecting the two structures, whether or not construction needs to wait until the remaining arena renovations begin is to be determined.

Sabres Hall of Fame and Museum

This is a topic I’ve harped on for a while. The Sabres are long overdue to install a proper Hall of Fame for fans to enjoy. There’s a boat load of space behind the Sabres store and along Main St. that should be utilized for this purpose. A detailed telling of the team’s history through museum-type exhibits and interactive features would make for a year-round attraction for fans. The layout of the building would also provide an easy exit through the Sabres store, pushing visitors to pick up a hat, shirt or jersey after a visit to the Hall of Fame.

It would be important to not only use this space to better display and honor the individuals enshrined in the Sabres Hall of Fame, but to collaborate with the Hockey Hall of Fame, Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame and other collectors to provide physical displays of the 50-plus years of hockey in Buffalo. Interactive exhibits that would allow you to replicate Rick Jeanneret’s greatest calls, try and score a goal on Dominik Hasek or to stop a Tage Thompson slap shot would create a special space fit for fans of all ages. Given the space available to the team, this should be a layup, and something that could (and maybe should) be completed outside the scope of the arena renovations.

Two Story Sabres Store

The patio space above the Sabres Store has been a wasteland for ages. It’s rarely used and at one point someone, I believe it may have been Ted Black, said it wasn’t structurally sound to handle foot traffic on a regular basis. Why not reconstruct and enclose the second floor, open a door onto the upper level of the atrium and put in a staircase between the first and second floor of the store to tie it all together?

Adding that second story to the store would allow the team to move the New Era store from the opposite side of the atrium and utilize that space for other purposes (more on that in a moment) while creating a larger overall footprint for the primary store in the arena. They could even keep the New Era branding on that second floor space, making something akin to the flagship store on Delaware. I’m sure there would be issues with that format given Fanatics’ relationship with the league, but it’s food for thought.

A Plaza Project

The last item I want to highlight is no question a blue sky pipe dream. But I think there’s value in the general idea. Making better use of the concourses and creating more common areas for fans to meet and mingle are going to be key aspects of any coming arena renovations. Those types of considerations have also been vital focal points in new arenas and renovations at peer facilities around the country.

The space in the plaza I’d like to see KeyBank Center expanded to.Finding or creating that space won’t be a layup, though there is quite a bit of underutilized space in and around the ticket office. Gone are the days of ticket camp outs and long lines for will call and as a result, the shuttered bank of ticket windows at the arena are a relic of a foregone era. Between the space in front of the ticket windows and into the ticket office itself, there is an opportunity to create some sort of new, flexible space for gamedays. What I would like to see is a more aggressive approach with that area of the building.

Not only could something new be done in the current ticket office, but expanding into the plaza would create even more space inside. I think the plaza has become a forgettable, under-utilized space. Even if the team was a regular playoff contender and they were hosting multiple parties in the plaza, the space behind the footbridge is a wasteland even in nice weather. There has to be a better way to utilize that space.

So, what if the team were to expand the footprint of the arena into that portion of the plaza and up to the outer wall of the parking garage? That section of the building is where the ticket office is, therefore an area where some sort of new thinking will be needed once it’s time for renovations. By taking that space (highlighted in the attached picture), the building gains a gigantic new space that wouldn’t just impact the atrium and 100 level concourse, but could be built into the 200 and 300 level as well, depending how ambitious they cared to be. Minimally, this approach grants the team a huge new space in the ground floor of the atrium and the 100 level concourse.

There’s a lot that could be done within that ground floor space. A bar/lounge like the platinum club in Scotiabank Arena that would sit under the seating bowl would be one option for premium seat holders. Creating something for all fans within the atrium would be another option or the team could try and tie some of the space into the existing player facilities, ideally helping with recruiting efforts when needed. This sort of rearranged space would also provide space to expand or adjust the security facilities of the arena either through providing more space or optimizing the flow of the security entrance.

The benefit from the fan’s perspective would be the space added to the 100 level concourse (and above), that footprint could be utilized in many ways. Even though it doesn’t look out on a picturesque part of the city, creating something where more natural light can penetrate the concourse would be a welcome addition, much like I detailed regarding the opposite side of the building with the Lexus Club. That’s a lot of space and a lot of flexibility for a new bar or foot option to be put in while still creating a huge swath of space in what is one of the busiest areas of the 100 level. The same benefit would be enjoyed in the 200 and 300 level if the decision was made to build this out and up.

What I think would be cool is if the existing bridge from the parking garage remained, but was left open as it ran through this new portion of the building. It would make for a unique look as some fans enter the building on the ground floor while others would be walking in on an exposed walkway just above them. Sort of like the effect you get with the open portion of the suite level just above that left hand portion of the 100 level concourse.

One other thing this provides is a new “front door” of the arena. This is an idea I’ve floated before, but a facade update along with this construction would create something of a grand entrance for the building now that Harborcenter blocks much of the atrium. That would make the exterior of the building look more cohesive for those approaching from that side of Perry. It wouldn’t hurt to pop in a few more statues in the plaza either.

We’re still a long way off from any formal announcement of future plans for the arena. How Terry Pegula and the other stakeholders approach this project will weave through political channels before any final plans are set in stone. Budgets will play a role in what the arena looks like on the other side of this era but the one thing we know for sure, it’s in need of plenty of attention as it creeps towards its 30th birthday.

View Details

It will be hard to fairly judge any of the teams in this tournament given its length. Finland’s roster doesn’t seem ultra impressive on paper, but if Juuse Saros is hot, or certain key players on other teams are injured, the results could be much different than what may be expected. I think in a more controlled setting, with more runway to get up to speed this Sweden team could really make some noise.

They have a well rounded defense corps and there are some serious players up front. They don’t have quite the same amount of depth of talent as the Americans or Canadians, but they’re close. It’s a solid group with some lineup flexibility that could come in handy. Their goaltending won’t get as much attention as the U.S. group, but the Swedes easily have the second best stable of the tournament. How it all translates in a round robin setting is tougher to determine.

Adrian Kempe – Elias Pettersson – William Nylander

Nylander and Pettersson are the stars for this Swedish team and they’ll have a big say in how far this group can go. Kempe doesn’t get enough attention for his quality, but he’s a burner who will have no trouble keeping up in the skill department with these two.

Jesper Bratt – Elias Lindholm – Filip Forsberg

I’d be flexible with Lindholm in this spot. I could just as easily bump him down to the wing on another line and slot in Joel Eriksson-Ek or Mika Zibanejad in his spot. The key on this line is to provide Bratt and Forsberg with a center who can distribute to them and Lindholm thrived when he played between Matthew Tkachuk and Johnny Gaudreau. This isn’t a complete like-for-like grouping, but providing Lindholm two high-end wingers should allow him to settle into the complimentary role he excelled in just a couple of years prior.

Gabriel Landeskog – Joel Eriksson-Ek – Lucas Raymond

Landeskog’s long term health could cloud this a bit, but assuming he’s back up to speed come next spring, I could see him wearing the “C” for Sweden at this event. Raymond’s offense keeps ticking up and I think playing with this pair would help buoy some of his more troubling underlying metrics. Besides, it would be hard to imagine the Swedes not bringing a 23 year old on pace to hit 20 goals this season. Playing him with two responsible vets would be a good way to offer him some added guidance.

William Karlsson – Mikael Backlund – Mika Zibanejad

Extra: Leo Carlsson

This is not a tournament where putting together a true shutdown line would make a whole lot of sense. All of these teams will be able to roll four lines of varying lethality and trying to play a single matchup line against them would be foolhardy. However, Backlund is on the short list of centers at this event capable of taking on that role. Karlsson and Zibanejad don’t feel like perfect fits here, but I can’t envision a version of this team that wouldn’t include them. At least not as it stands today. Karlsson seems to have found a bit of the offense that tailed off in 20-21 and 21-22 and Zibanejad is pacing towards another 70-point season. It wouldn’t be hard to imagine Zibanejad playing in place of Lindholm in this lineup. It would be one of the first changes I made given the tools at Sweden’s disposal.

It’s a nice benefit to have a lottery pick available as the extra forward as well. The length of the tournament may make it hard to find a spot for him, but it wouldn’t shock me if the Swedes gave Carlsson at least one game if he came in as the 13th forward.

Rasmus Andersson – Rasmus Dahlin

Don’t read too much into the order of these pairs, I’d imagine they would be very interchangeable in terms of usage as each game goes on. The Swedish blueline is an embarrassment of riches and it would be a treat to see these two together. I’m not sure there will be space on the power play for either with Erik Karlsson and Victor Hedman on the roster, but their acumen at even strength will give them ample opportunity to impact the game even if they aren’t getting extra time with the man advantage.

Mattias Ekholm – Victor Hedman

This would wind up as more of a matchup pairing pairing two giants together. Hedman could even freelance up and down different pairings as need be, something I wouldn’t be shocked to see, with Ekholm used in a more conservative role.

Hampus Lindholm – Erik Karlsson

Extra: Jonas Brodin

It’s been a drastically different season for Karlsson after moving to Pittsburgh and at 34 years old when next year’s tournament rolls around, I wouldn’t be shocked if there were others being considered on defense for the Swedes. They aren’t short on power play options, so he wouldn’t be a necessity in that respect, and if the brain trust viewed someone else as a more reliable option, I could see him getting bounced. I’m not sure that’s a likely scenario, but a lot can change in the next 10-12 months. I slotted Jonas Brodin in as the extra defender for that reason. He’s not an offensive dynamo, but he’d offer another steady hand to the back end.

Jacob Markstrom, Linus Ullmark, Samuel Ersson

Like the Americans, it’s unfortunate that the Swedes will only have the opportunity to play one goalie at any given time. Perhaps the greatest strength on the Swedish roster will spend a majority of the tournament with two thirds of the players on the bench or not dressed. Choosing a starter will be no easy feat as Markstrom has bounced back in a big way this season and will likely be in the Vezina conversation for the second time in three years and Ullmark is the reigning Vezina winner. It’s unlikely the third goalie will see the ice except possibly as a backup in the preliminary games, so the spot can be used as a reward of sorts for a promising Swedish goalie. Given their respective bodies of work this year, I’d be taking Ersson over Gustavsson.

Names to Watch

Filip Gustavsson – Given how his season played out in 2022-23, Gustavsson entered this season in pole position to be the future of Swedish goaltending in best-on-best tournaments. It’s unlikely His play has regressed this year and his roller coaster results would make it hard to put him on the team without a deeper analysis of his form. If his play returns to 22-23 levels, he’ll be a lock as the third goalie, but evaluating their current play, I left him off in favor of Ersson.

Nils Hoglander – He’s flirting with becoming a good secondary scoring option and if this year’s goal output grows, he could be firmly on the radar if the Swedes want a bit more offense.

Adam Larsson – Minimally an easy injury replacement, Larsson could drop into the top six if Sweden decides they want a bit more defensive posture as opposed to offensive-minded players.

Gustav Forsling – Decent candidate for the seventh defenseman role. He’s a consistent presence for the Panthers and has an extremely positive impact on puck possession when he’s on the ice.

Marcus Johansson – He lacks the high-end traits to make an impact in this tournament but I suspect he’ll be on Sweden’s radar if they have to manage through some in-season injuries.

View Details

The Prospect Challenge kicks off this week, which means there is (semi) meaningful Sabres hockey to discuss. We talk about some of the most notable players coming to face Buffalo’s prospects and run through the Sabres’ Prospects Challenge roster. We… Continue reading →

View Details

Tyler Roeder contributed to this post. The tumult of realignment has turned college football inside out in recent seasons and is the most talked about subject in the sport this side of NIL. As this summer’s round of conference poaching… Continue reading →

View Details

We have waited a long 8 months for Buffalo Bills football to return to our television screens. The Billshad their first major test of the 2023 NFL Season after facing a revamped New York Jets football team with Aaron Rodgers… Continue reading →

View Details

Given the game of musical chairs unfolding in college football, we felt it necessary to play our own version of the game with college hockey programs. This week’s show focuses on the different avenues that could be explored to realign… Continue reading →

View Details

Just less than a couple weeks away, the Buffalo Bills will travel across the pond to Metlife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ to take on their long time division rivals, the New York Jets, with their brand new hall of fame quarterback addition, Aaron Rodgers, and a newly revamped New York Jet offense. Should be a tougher task than usual against the new regime, but as always, Bills Mafia is always ready for the challenge as their push to a Super Bowl championship starts NOW!

As the NFL season inches closer and closer, we want to make sure that you guys are all decked out cheering on your Bills all season long. Our friends at FOCO continue to drop the heat with their brand new Stefon Diggs Buffalo Bills Mini Bighead Bobblehead. This mini bighead is a part of a collection of FOCO’s mini bighead bobbleheads throughout all of the pro sports leagues. Stefon is wearing his home blue bills jersey with a football in hand ready to score a touchdown for Bills Mafia!

The mini bigheads go for a retail price of $25 standing at 4.5 inches tall, half the size of FOCO’s standard bighead bobbleheads. There are only 96 of these available for pre order so make sure that you grab yours now and add a bobblehead to your Buffalo Bills home décor.

As always, like all FOCO bobbleheads, each one is handcrafted and hand-painted so no two are exactly the same. Don’t wait to pick up the Stefon Diggs Buffalo Bills Mini Bighead Bobblehead for your collection and bring some good luck to your home this upcoming NFL Season! GO BILLS!!

View Details

Monday was a big news day as it was announced that Pegula Sports and Entertainment has been dissolved and, most notably, the Bills and Sabres will be operating as separate entities moving forward. Pegula will also now serve as president… Continue reading →

View Details

As expected, it has been nothing short of an excellent camp for Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills. Very excited to see our guys get after it as they prepare for what seems to be another very competitive battle all… Continue reading →

View Details

The month of August is here, training camp is in full swing, and the NFL preseason is right around the corner which means we are so close to week 1 of the 2023 NFL campaign. After a tough end to… Continue reading →

View Details

As we are in the dullest point of the hockey offseason, it felt like a good time to reset and take listener questions once again. This week’s episode includes questions on the Bills and red helmets, prospect trade options, goal… Continue reading →

View Details

One of the most significant stories in hockey this year is unfolding as the PHF was acquired by the Mark Walter Group in a step that will see professional women’s hockey moove forward under a single banner. This will unify… Continue reading →

View Details

We are back breaking down Buffalo’s moves on the opening day of free agency and looking back at the Sabres’ haul from the 2023 Draft. We talk about how Connor Clifton and Erik Johnson will fit on the depth chart… Continue reading →

View Details

Draft week is here and we dig in on some of the players we think could be targeted by the Sabres with their first round pick and their pair of second round selections. We talk through a number of topcis,… Continue reading →

View Details

The Sabres handed out contract extension to Zemgus Girgensons and Lukas Rousek on June 20. We talk about the decision to re-sign both players and dig into where each of them will fit in to the Sabres roster this coming… Continue reading →

View Details

The Stanley Cup Final has wrapped up and we go deep on the series betwen the Golden Knights and the Panthers. We touch on the dominance Vegas exerted in the series and dig into Jonathan Marchessault’s Conn Smythe winning performance.… Continue reading →

View Details

It’s been a while since I ran a mailbag post. So here’s a smattering of questions from the Twitterverse on the Sabres roster, their outlook as contenders and arcade game preferences. @jsymon86: Realistically, how do you see us creating 2-3… Continue reading →

View Details

Finding an upgrade in goal is perhaps the most pressing need of the offseason for Kevyn Adams and the Buffalo Sabres. The sting of missing the playoffs by such a narrow margin is only that much more frustrating when you… Continue reading →

View Details

A BIG week of news saw the Toronto Maple Leafs move on from Kyle Dubas, rumors of move upheaval in the Leafs front office, more movement on the ownership bids for the Senators and continued trdouble in Arizona. We break down each of those stories, speak on the new entry level contract for Nikita Novikov, Matthew Savoie’s assignment to Rochester and more on this week’s episode.

https://api.spreaker.com/v2/episodes/53970650/download.mp3

View Details

The Conference Finals are set to begin and we run through the matchups in the East and West, giving our outlook on both series. We transition to a discussion about Connor Hellebuyck and the fresh rumors connecting him to the Sabres.

The Instigator Podcast is sponsored by Betstamp. Download the Betstamp app by visiting betstamp.app/instigator

https://api.spreaker.com/v2/episodes/53899475/download.mp3

View Details

Now that the draft lottery has been drawn, we discuss the Chicago Blackhawks winning the right to pick first and the reaction to their lottery win. We also take a look at the Sabres staying put at pick 13 and determine what options the Sabres will have at this year’s draft.

https://api.spreaker.com/v2/episodes/53821192/download.mp3

View Details

The first round of the NHL Playoffs are behind us and we reflect on some of the teams who were dispatched early. We dig in to the potential fortunes of the Winnipeg Jets and the New York Rangers while sprinkling in some thoughts on the Calgary Flames (though they didn’t make the playoffs). The show kicks off with a conversation about newly signed prospect, Viktor Neuchev and when we might see Nikita Novikov follow with his entry level contract.

https://api.spreaker.com/v2/episodes/53723501/download.mp3

View Details

Round one of the NHL Playoffs are still rolling along and we offer up some thoughts on how the series have played out thus far. In addition, we discuss one of the hottest topics of the playoffs: officiating.

Our main topic is a discussion around a Tweet asking what goal you celebrated hardest for. We offer up a handful of memorable highlights to try to best answer the question posed by the tweet.

https://api.spreaker.com/v2/episodes/53660771/download.mp3

View Details

There are a host of job openings around the NHL with the regular season concluded and we run through some of the most notable firings and departures that have come down. We also run through the NHL Playoffs lineup and provide some thoughts on what will tip the scales in each series this spring.

https://api.spreaker.com/v2/episodes/53577192/download.mp3

View Details

The Sabres playoff push came up short and we serve up a post mortem as the dust settles on the chase for a wild card spot. We examine the 2022-23 Sabres season and identify some of the games that stand out most as squandered opportunities to capture points for a team that will so narrowly miss the playoffs. We also look ahead to what could be an exciting and busy offseason thanks to such a promising season.

https://api.spreaker.com/v2/episodes/53519957/download.mp3

View Details

Devon Levi has hit the ground running for the Sabres with a pair of impressive starts over the last week. We talk about how impressive his play has been and try to determine how many more games he will see between now and the end of the season. We also touch on Tuesday’s loss to the Panthers and the implications it will have on Buffalo’s playoff hopes. The show closes with a frank discussion about the Arizona Coyotes and how much more rope the league should be giving the franchise before exploring other options.

https://api.spreaker.com/v2/episodes/53457783/download.mp3

View Details

Joe Yerdon and Lance Lysowski of Maintenance Day join the show for a roundtable conversation on a number of hot topics from around the NHL. We tried something a little different this week and got together for a mock GM meeting that allowed us to tackle a number of topics which we see as ways to improve the league. We touch on off-ice topics like playoffs and the World Cup and on-ice issues like overtime and the shootout.

Thanks again to Joe and Lance joining the show.

https://api.spreaker.com/v2/episodes/53385681/download.mp3

View Details

Are the Sabres blue uniforms to blame for their struggles on home ice? Most definitely yes (read: no).

It hasn’t gone unnoticed just how different things have gone for the Sabres when they’ve worn their black and red alternate jerseys compared to their standard home uniforms. The Sabres enter Friday’s game against the Devils with an 8-1-1 record in the goatheads and a dismal 5-19-2 in anything else on home ice.

Even though the real solutions to their home ice woes (goaltending, team defense, better luck in general) will have to come from the general manager’s office, it couldn’t hurt for the Sabres to consider a few tweaks to their home uniform to make the team look a tiny bit better when they take the ice at KeyBank Center.

Buffalo’s blue jerseys have long been fairly bland and unforgettable. There’s a little too much blue and not much else to break it up. The white stripes the team chose to add to their 2021 uniform redesign didn’t help much as they just look like the silver stripes so many fans wanted removed in the first place. I’m not sure why the Sabres avoided shoulder patches on their home and away jerseys, but reintroducing a shoulder patch would be a cool starting point for sprucing up the home uniforms. Pulling out the white trim from the socks and jersey stripes and resurrecting the pants striping from the pre-1996 jersey redesign would be two other items I’d like to see considered.

Interestingly, the Sabres haven’t won a playoff series since they removed shoulder patches from their jerseys. Of course, they still had shoulder patches in 2010 when they lost to Boston, but that’s of little importance to the larger conversation (what makes the jerseys look cool). The Sabres have had shoulder patches on their jerseys for 39 of their 53 seasons and it seems high time to bring them back.

I have a few examples here of what the team’s current blue uniforms would look like if the white trim was nixed and a shoulder patch was added. I did put white trim back on the pants, something that adorned the team’s pants from their inception until 1996. Oddly, I feel that the trim on the pants looks far less out of place than the trim the team has on the jersey and socks despite effectively doing the same thing.

One version uses the team’s current alternate logo on the shoulder, something we saw at the 2018 Winter Classic and a fitting piece of their current logo set. The other is a bit out of left field and brings back the B with a sabre going through it. This was first introduced with the black and red jerseys and carried on to the slug uniforms. Some form of this logo has seen four Eastern Conference Finals and a Stanley Cup Final. When considering that, plus the magic in the black and red jerseys this season, it might be worth trying to borrow some of that magic. Food for thought. I also plugged each of those changes on to the white uniform for good measure.

The idea that the team would return a shoulder patch on their own accord seems unlikely. The return to royal blue was extremely well received and this year brought more excitement with the new goathead jerseys. A minor tweak few would notice, or care about, probably wouldn’t matter much.

I also doubt that many fans care all that much about the finer details of the team’s jerseys. Just look at how many knockoffs you see at games. But it’s worth pointing out given how underwhelming the team’s home uniforms are compared to the rest of the jerseys they sport.

If there was a groundswell of support for change, it wouldn’t be unprecedented. Plenty of teams have made their alternate jerseys their full time set thanks to popularity with the fanbase. There’s also the case of Tampa Bay’s 2011 redesign to consider.

After their redesign removed some of the notable aspects of the team’s previous look – specifically the lightning bolt on the pants and black trim – the team received a great deal of pushback. So much so that they opted to make some changes on the fly to their new uniforms. They brought back the popular bolts on the pants and added black trim to their numbers as an homage to their previous look and as a nod to the fans. Looking back, it was an impressive choice by the organization to acknowledge that they were paying attention and adjust accordingly.

Is that something that would happen here? Probably not. For one, the only true uniform feature that was truly universally adored was the royal blue and gold color scheme. Even though it took the organization a few years longer than it needed to in order to make the switch, they did it. Shoulder patches and white stripes just don’t rate. As I stated above, I have doubts that many fans would even notice a change like that and that fewer would care.

For those of us who like to spitball ideas about jerseys, it’s a fun exercise. I won’t be starting a change.org petition any time soon, but the next time the team lays an egg in their home blues, remember the shoulder patches.

View Details

A combination of poor goaltending, injuries and some more poor goaltending has all but dashed Buffalo’s hopes for a playoff push. With the team falling out of the race, and doing so in astonishing fashion, we talk about how this run of play could affect the team’s plans for the offseason. We also discuss how the utterly dismal goaltending performances of late could cause Devon Levi to see a bit more action than previously anticipated, or perhaps get his first look at an NHL game earlier than previously believed. We also have a brief Matthew Savoie update as the Sabres’ prospect has remained red hot for the Winnipeg Ice and ought to be a hot topic of conversation this offseason.

https://api.spreaker.com/v2/episodes/53311655/download.mp3

View Details

Slowly but surely, the branches on the Rick Martin tree are thinning out. There are only a few areas left where additional trades could extend the tree even further. Rasmus Asplund was one of those few players and his move to Nashville keeps the trade tree going until at least 2027, if not longer depending on the outcome of the seventh round pick they received. The updated version of the trade tree is below. Open the image in a new window if you want the high-res version.

View Details

Devon Levi’s season at Northeastern is over and the waiting over when he signs his Sabres contract has begun. We talk about Levi’s impressive two seasons with the Huskies and dig in to what the next steps for Levi will look like between now and the end of the NHL season. We also reflect on the Sabres recent losing streak and how this skid affects the outlook on the playoff race ahead of Monday’s victory over Toronto.

https://api.spreaker.com/v2/episodes/53189967/download.mp3

View Details

We recap the 2023 NHL Trade Deadline and reflect on the busiest deadline for the Sabres since 2015. Each deal the Sabres made over the last week is analyzed as we discuss how Kevyn Adams’ roster tweaks can aid Buffalo’s push for a playoff position. How the Sabres stretch run will shape up ties into our deadline conversation as the team faces a difficult run in to end the season with a tough hill to climb to sneak into the playoffs.

We also give a rundown of some of the most notable deals that were made at this year’s deadline, offering up our favorite, least favorite and biggest surprise.

https://api.spreaker.com/v2/episodes/53129861/download.mp3

View Details

With just a few days to go until the trade deadline, the Sabres made their first move of the season. We run down the deal Buffalo made to acquire Riley Stillman and offer up some deeper insight on which other players the Sabres may target before Friday afternoon. We also break down the trades that saw Timo Meier, Jake McCabe and Tanner Jeannot move over the weekend and asses where the market stands after many of the most notable names have been gobbled up.

https://api.spreaker.com/v2/episodes/52873006/download.mp3

View Details

With the deadline just over a week away, we dig into some of the players who have been most commonly brought up in trade rumors and determine which would be a fit for the Sabres and which would be best left for another team to acquire. We also revisit the approach the Sabres should be taking ahead of the deadline given their place in the standings, trade assets and prior comments made by Kevyn Adams. Buffalo’s opportunity to serve as a broker was another topic we touched upon as there are a number of high profile targets who would be easier to acquire with an additional team to retain salary along the way.

https://api.spreaker.com/v2/episodes/52821384/download.mp3

View Details

Buffalo’s play after the All Star break has been suspect as the team has dropped four-straight and face two key contests to close out their West Coast trip. We talk about what we feel to be overreactions to the teams’ most recent skid and how things look in the bigger picture for the club. We also touch on the latest trade chatter, including two defensemen who could be of interest to the Sabres ahead of the March 3 deadline.

https://api.spreaker.com/v2/episodes/52749776/download.mp3

View Details

Tracking down cool, unique memorabilia for your collection isn’t always easy. Often it seems like the stuff you’ll find at local stores or national chains are either too hokey or generally low quality.

Having low faith that a high quality collectible is out of reach can be extremely frustrating. Especially if you’re like me and you find yourself wanting to expand your collection but are unsure where to turn.

If you find yourself in that sort of situation, the place to turn to is FOCO. They have an impressive collection of Bills memorabilia that includes bobbleheads, apparel and other assorted items. They have everything from LED bar signs to flip flops. I think their best items are the bobbleheads. They have really good detail and accuracy and come in different colorways as well. So you can snag a Stefon Diggs bobblehead in a blue jersey, a white jersey or color rush. It’s a nice touch.

One of their newest items is this limited edition Bruce Smith pro gate series bobblehead. The era accurate scoreboard decoration is an excellent touch and the resemblance to Smith is notable, especially when you consider how far off their subjects bobbleheads tend to be.

The Bruce Smith bobblehead is about eight inches in height, which is pretty substantial in size. Smith looks great as the center of attention with the small stadium details making this a far more robust bobblehead than if it were a standalone sculpture of him.

The bobblehead is currently available for preorder and you can shop through the rest of FOCO’s robust Buffalo Bills store. You’ll even see some other interesting bobbleheads that would look pretty cool in a home bar, man cave or even on the dash of a tailgate bus.

FOCO also features a few Sabres items as well. Their Sabres offerings are still growing, so the store isn’t as in-depth as the Bills version, though it’s still worth checking out.

View Details

Dylan Cozens has signed long-term with the Sabres, inking a seven-year deal on Tuesday. We talk about the deal and how the structure helps the Sabres and how it posiitons Cozens with other recently signed centers around the league. Before that we talk about Jessica Pegula’s article in The Player’s Tribune which gives an encouraging update over her mom’s health, along with some other notable peices of information as it pertains to the Bills and Sabres.

https://api.spreaker.com/v2/episodes/52667134/download.mp3

View Details

With the All Star break around the corner, I took some listener questions on trade thoughts, reverse retro jerseys, old hockey brands and much more. Thanks to everyone who submitted questions for this week’s show. Looking forward to getting back up and running after the break and the Sabres bye.

https://api.spreaker.com/v2/episodes/52611719/download.mp3

View Details

Lots of trade talk on this week’s episode as we have a little fun and look around the league to see which teams we would willingly swap Buffalo’s roster for. It’s a lighthearted exercise but with a sign towards the traits on the current roster which has made this season so encouraging. Before we get to that, we discuss the early rumors connecting the Sabres to Timo Meier and offer up some thoughts on Ryan Miller night. We also dip our toe in the water with some scoreboard watching as the Sabres remain in the thick of the Eastern Conference wild card race.

Gambling Problem? Call 877-8-HOPENY/text HOPENY (467369) (NY), If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-
GAMBLER (1-800-426-2537) (CO/IL/IN/LA/MD/MI/NJ/PA/TN/WV/WY), 1-800-NEXT STEP (AZ), 1-800-522-4700 (KS/NH), 888-789-7777/visitccpg.org (CT), 1-800-BETS OFF (IA), visit OPGR.org (OR), or 1-888-532-3500 (VA).21+ (18+ NH/WY). Physically present in AZ/CO/CT/IL/IN/IA/KS/LA(select parishes)/MD/MI/NJ/NY/PA/TN/VA/WV/WY only. Void in OH/ONT.
Eligibility restrictions apply.

$200 in Free Bets: Valid 1 per new customer. Min. $5 deposit. Min $5 bet. Promo code req. $200 issued as free bets that expire 7 days (168 hours) after being awarded. Free bets must be wagered 1x and stake is not included in any returns or winnings. Stepped up Same Game Parlay: 1 Stepped Up Same Game Parlay Token issued per eligible NFL playoff game after opt-in. Min $1 bet. Max bet limits apply. Min. 3-leg. Each leg min. -300 odds, total bet +100 odds or longer. Profit boosted up to 100% (10+ legs for 100% boost). Promotional offer period ends 2/12/23 at 11:59:59 PM ET.See terms at
sportsbook.draftkings.com/footballterms

View Details

I hadn’t had a desk at the arena very long before Kevin Snow sent me downstairs to work on my first feature for the program. Go downstairs and grab Miller. Just go grab the team’s biggest star and see if he’s got a few minutes to spare. No big deal.

So I went downstairs armed with a barrel of questions – some relevant to the task at hand, others not so much – and I spent about an hour sitting across from a guy who I’d practically idolized the last handful of years.

See, Dominik Hasek is why I wanted to be a goalie. Rolling around the crease, making spectacular saves. You couldn’t find a better idol for a young kid playing house at West Seneca. There were plenty of other reasons I was inspired to play goal. The gear, the masks, but Hasek was the cornerstone of it all.

Ryan Miller, is who is responsible for me truly falling in love with goaltending.

The league was locked out my freshman year of college. I remember trying to follow the Amerks as best I could from Cleveland and scoring tickets to one of their cameos in Buffalo that year. Miller’s eventual arrival coincided with the years I played for John Carroll. It was perfect timing. His fluid precision was a joy to watch. I did my best to model my play after his.

He was really the first athlete I truly tried to do that with. And not long after that, there I was sitting with him discussing his offseason training, his role on the league’s competition committee and a host of other topics. We eventually boiled down to talking gear, as most goalies do, and he even gave me some insider info on how some of the goalies in the league at that time cheated the system. It was a great conversation, and I can think of no better baptism for that job than getting to shoot the shit with Ryan Miller for a while.

Throughout the course of the year there were small interactions – almost all gear focused – that have stuck with me. Not so much because I got to talk about goalie gear with Ryan Miller, but because he took the time to remember that sliver of information about the skinny kid who worked in PR.

Of course, I’d been following him closely even before that year I spent with the Sabres. It was a treat to have such an up close look at what he did on a daily basis in practice or in games. He wasn’t a goalie who just tried to get hit with the puck. In an era where blocking goalies were prevalent, he had a unique way of always looking so composed in his movement in net. Like everything was playing out according to a script. His footwork and movement in the crease was fluid and his ability to read the play set him apart from so many of his peers. He had a swagger to his game as well that I always felt was particularly notable during shootouts. He stayed out of his stance longer than you might expect and he had a fake poke check he would mix in from time to time as well. There was just so many layers to his game, I could analyze and break down his play for hours if given the opportunity.

I’m not sure if I’d have the same relationship with goaltending that I do today had Miller not come along. My college career was hardly notable, but I craved to play more no matter what. Miller and his prime years in Buffalo have a lot to do with that.

We all love this stupid team for one reason or another. Miller’s 10-plus years serve as cornerstone of my connection to the Sabres and to goaltending as a whole.

Thanks, Ryan.

View Details

The Sabres waived Vinny Hinostroza on Wednesday afternoon, opening the door for the team to officially carry three goaltenders on the roster. We discuss the decision to waive Hinostroza, the challenges of carrying three goalies and how this decision affects Buffalo’s outlook as they work to stay in the Eastern Conference playoff race. We start the show with a conversation about Ivan Provorov and his decision to not wear the Flyers Pride Night warmup jersey earlier this week.

https://api.spreaker.com/v2/episodes/52480491/download.mp3Gambling Problem? Call 877-8-HOPENY/text HOPENY (467369) (NY), If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-
GAMBLER (1-800-426-2537) (CO/IL/IN/LA/MD/MI/NJ/PA/TN/WV/WY), 1-800-NEXT STEP (AZ), 1-800-522-4700 (KS/NH), 888-789-7777/visitccpg.org (CT), 1-800-BETS OFF (IA), visit OPGR.org (OR), or 1-888-532-3500 (VA). 21+ (18+ NH/WY). Physically present in AZ/CO/CT/IL/IN/IA/KS/LA (select parishes)/MD/MI/NJ/NY/PA/TN/VA/WV/WY only. Void in OH/ONT. Eligibility restrictions apply.

Promotional offer period ends 2/12/23 at 11:59:59 PM ET. See terms at sportsbook.draftkings.com/footballterms

View Details

We’re back to discuss the Sabres continued improvement and some thoughts on how to judge this team as they creep into the playoff picture. We talk about resetting expectations for a team that is still growing in order to remain realistic regarding the outlook for the remainder of the season. We also talk about the back-to-back losses the Sabres suffered and even bring back some conversations about potential arena renovations and just when we may see those plans resurface.

https://api.spreaker.com/v2/episodes/52418318/download.mp3Gambling Problem? Call 877-8-HOPENY/text HOPENY (467369) (NY). If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-
GAMBLER (1-800-426-2537) (IL/IN/LA/MD/MI/NJ/PA/TN/WV/WY), 1-800-NEXT STEP (AZ), 1-800-522-4700 (CO/KS/NH), 888-789-7777/visit ccpg.org (CT), 1-800-BETS OFF (IA), visit OPGR.org (OR), or 1-888-532-3500 (VA).

21+ (18+ NH/WY). Physically present in AZ/CO/CT/IL/IN/IA/KS/LA(select parishes)/MD/MI /NJ/
NY/PA/TN/VA/WV/WY only. VOID IN OH/ONT. Eligibility restrictions apply. Free bets: Valid 1 per new customer. Min. $5 deposit. Min $5 bet. $200 issued as free bets that expire 7 days (168 hours) after
being awarded. See terms at sportsbook.draftkings.com/footballterms. No Sweat: Valid 1 offer per
customer per day of NFL 2023 Wild Card Round. Opt in req each day. First bet must lose after opting in. NFL bets only. Paid as one (1) free bet based on amount of initial losing bet. Max $10 free bet awarded. Free bets expire 7 days (168 hours) after being awarded. See terms at sportsbook.draftkings.com/footballterms.

View Details

We turn the calendar to 2023 and offer up the resolutions we have for the Sabres in the New Year. The Sabres find themselves creeping up on the playoff race in the Eastern Conference and are enjoying impressive seasons from a number of key contributors. With their impressive improvements in mind, we dig into a few areas we hope to see the team focus on in 2023.

https://api.spreaker.com/v2/episodes/52348089/download.mp3

View Details

The Sabres return home from a West Coast swing with a trio of key victories. They’ve vaulted themselves into the Eastern Conference wild card race and look poised to take a significant step forward in the ongoing rebuild. The team’s impressive run off their previous losing streak hasn’t just put them back within sight of a playoff position, but it has reset expectations within the fanbase. As the NHL’s highest scoring team with a handful of individual award candidates, the question has become whether or not it’s time for Kevyn Adams to take the next step in building his roster. We look at what that could mean for the Sabres and even offer up a few names which would provide an opportunity for improvement in both the short and long term.

https://api.spreaker.com/v2/episodes/52242639/download.mp3

View Details

The Sabres have played 28 games and it feels like a good time to take an assessment of their progress thus far. We talk about our choice for MVP, top rookie and breakout performer through the first portion of the year. We also touch on what’s been the most frustrating and disappointing aspects of the season to this point. Also on this week’s show: a discussion over the Bo Horvat and Jesse Puljujarvi trade speculation and a brief rundown of the potential Sabres attendees at the World Junior Championships. Plus some thoughts on Matt Savoie not receiving an invite to Team Canada’s camp.

https://api.spreaker.com/v2/episodes/52170366/download.mp3

View Details

The Sabres have a goal prevention issue. Many have boiled it down to a goaltendingissue, but it’s not that simple. Although, it’s played a big role.

Tage Thompson just tied the franchise record for goals in a game as part of a 9-4 win. The Sabres have scored four or more goals in seven of their last 10 games but are just 5-4-1 in that span. The Sabres have scored the most goals in the entire league but are six points out of the Wild Card race. It’s a peculiar situation they find themselves in and their inability to keep pucks out of their net is one of the most frustrating aspects of what’s been a promising season.

Buffalo is currently in the top half of the league in xGF% according to Natural Stat Trick and that positive goal differential is commendable considering the next closest differential belongs to the Flames who are dead even as of this writing and sitting 21st in the league in overall standings.

The Sabres’ recent loss to the Lightning was a contest that highlighted more than a few of Buffalo’s most notable struggles on the year. The penalty kill struggled, they surrendered a third period lead and their goaltending wasn’t up to snuff. Given how quickly things fell apart on the Sabres, I wanted to go back through the game and see how it all unfolded. Below are each of the six goals from the Tampa game broken down into a handful of key steps as each goal developed and was scored. It illustrates nicely just how many different factors came together to sink the Sabres and how many of these issues have been present in many of the team’s contests this year.

Goal 1 – Brayden Point

The first goal came on the power play with the sequence triggering off a somewhat odd scenario at the blue line where Kyle Okposo seemed to be looking for a call on a hand pass or offside. The puck gets worked down to the far corner before it’s centered to Bryaden Point who has acres of space in the slot.

It goes off the rails at this point as Ilya Lyubushkin comes sliding out at Point who coolly toe drags around the defenseman. It was an excessively odd choice given the help he would’ve had from Okposo had he simply stayed on his feet and forced Point into a different decision. You’ll also see that Luukkonen is on his knees after Point has received the puck. It’s likely that he dropped in anticipation of a one timer or quick shot from Point, but in the still it’s a little odd to see as the play develops.

With Lyubushkin out of the play, Point has a clean look at Luukkonen with Okposo trailing and Mattias Samuelsson on the back post.

Point is working in confined space against a very large goaltender. He also has a defender bearing down on him from behind. Luukkonen is in good enough position here as he’s taken some depth toward Point and he’s recovered back to his feet ahead of his next save.

Luukkonen has set a wide base here, so his ability to effectively move side-to-side will be somewhat hindered due to how wide he’s set his edges. Okposo is applying more pressure to Point here, so this should have ended in a fairly innocuous save for the Sabres netminder.

Instead, Point manages to out reach Luukkonen and tuck the puck in the far post. Okposo never managed to get on the right side of Point and Samuelsson winds up with a pretty good seat for the finish. I’m not sure how it is that Luukkonen managed to get beat here as his length should have been more than enough to shut Point down. Setting himself too wide likely was the damning decision here and when he hits the ice, he eliminates any further ability for lateral movement.

But it’s a system-wide breakdown here as the massive gulf in the penalty kill gave Point far too much room to operate and Lyubushkin’s decision to leave his skates opened the lane to get Point to the net. From there Luukkonen somehow sees Point reach around his pads for the finish.

Goal 2 – Corey Perry

Perry’s goal starts off a cycle where Perry wins a puck race and works it down behind the net to Steven Stamkos. Stamkos has space to work off to the side of the net as Perry comes back off the boards and works himself open for a back door pass.

With all of the Sabres puck watching, Stamkos makes an easy dish to Perry for a tap in on the back post. Victor Olofsson is too late to react to the pass and Perry’s presence while Owen Power and Casey Mittelstadt are covering the same guy on the crease as the puck comes across.

There’s not much the goaltender can do about this goal as Perry cruises in untouched and dumps a perfect pass in an open net. Maybe if Luukkonen is playing on his feet as Stamkos comes out above the goal line his movement across the crease is different. But a benefit of RVH is to offer protection if a pass comes to the back side. Perhaps he’s a little late with his move but it’s a play that unfolded poorly for the goaltender.

Goal 3 – Brayden Point

Point’s second goal (also on the power play) comes off some clever puck movement by the Bolts. Some quick movement pulls the Buffalo penalty kill out of shape as Zemgus Girgensons winds up standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Point, leaving a massive passing lane between Mikhail Sergachev and Nikita Kucherov. Kucherov is one of the last players you’d like to see wide open in a one timer position.

Somehow Girgensons and Tyson Jost wind up guarding each other while Kucherov makes a phenomenal play, hitting Point with a perfect one-touch pass off Sergachev’s feed. Point makes no mistake and takes advantage of Luukkonen being forced to react first to a potential one timer from Kucherov and the subsequent feed into the slot for the finish.

Goal 4 – Steven Stamkos

Although the first goal wasn’t one that I felt Luukkonen played as well as he probably could have, this was the first goal of the game where you’re really scratching your head over the play of the goalie. The sequence kicks off with a somewhat odd play for Owen Power along the side boards where he’s unable to cut off the puck as Stamkos chips in down to the corner where Alex Killorn retrieves it.

This play devolves quickly for the Sabres. Stamkos already knows where he wants to be while Power is still stuck on the boards after Stamkos’ pass got by him. Nick Paul also gets decent body position on Casey Mittlestadt (though Mittelstadt regains postition) and the chaos created by the loss in coverage leaves Henri Jokiharju as the only one capable of pressuring Killorn. I would be curious to know the result of this play had Mittelstadt pursued Killorn and passed Paul off to Jokiharju as opposed to the way in unfolded for the group of five on the ice.

Killorn carrying to the net for a jam play puts Luukkonen down in RVH. It’s a fine choice for a potential jam play as he should easily shut down any stuff attempt by Killorn and should otherwise have decent support on either a rebound or pass attempt. You’ll see below that Mittelstadt has gotten back into a position to cancel out Paul but Olofsson’s nudge has sent Stamkos right to the crease with not additional coverage. Power is still working to recover and Jokiharju steps to challenge Killorn.

The frame above shows the moment after Killorn tries his stuff attempt. The puck is squirting out to the top of the crease where Stamkos will soon arrive to deposit the rebound. It’s not a strong sequence for Luukkonen as the puck winds up in a danger area after a harmless play at the post. Stamkos is Johnny on the spot and the lone uncovered Tampa forward and slips the puck under Luukkonen’s right arm. That’s a bit of salt in the wound for the goaltender, because not only does he leave a tough rebound but Stamkos’ chipped rebound attempt results in a leaky goal that should’ve been a fairly routine save even given the shooter. Combine the leaky goal with the questionable post play – something that’s come up a few times with Luukkonen – and it’s a goal that you can’t have go in. Especially at that point in the game.

Goal 5 – Brandon Hagel

Stamkos’ goal wound up being a foreboding tally where you need a bit more from your goaltender. But Hagel’s tying goal shouldn’t rest on Lukkonen’s shoulders. Buffalo is playing two men short with Tampa’s net empty on the power play, making a bad situation worse for Buffalo’s kill.

There isn’t much to say about the goal itself. It’s a deflection off a big one timer. Not much to say, especially with the extra attacker sitting on the crease in a 6-on-4 situation. What I did want to point out was the structure the Sabres are in. Their kill has been a problem all season and after getting badly victimized on two goal where the bumper was given acres of space to accept a pass, the unit appears to over correct in this scenario. The two images below are the sequence before Kucherov’s shot deflects off Hagel and in. Dylan Cozens and Kyle Okposo are oddly close to each other as the puck comes up to Sergachev at the top of the power play. neither Buffalo forward is in a position to deny a pass to either Stamkos or Kucherov, a curious choice given their inherent skill set.

With the full understanding that the Sabres are two men short, it’s a perplexing approach to try and eliminate any sort of scoring threat.

Kucherov misses the net but Stamkos easily flags down the puck along the boards and resets the play. At this point Cozens pursues out after the loose puck and applies pressure to Stamkos. That leaves Okposo on an island and a massive passing lane to Kucherov for a second try. From here, Kucherov doesn’t miss the net and catches Hagel’s shin on the way through to tie the game. Maybe I’m being overly critical to a poor special teams unit since Tampa did have an extra body on the ice. But as this play developed, the extra attacker wasn’t the threat. The inability to effectively eliminate any passing lanes throughout this game – cross-box and bumper in the first two periods, on the flanks here – was maddening to watch and something that’s been at the root of their PK issues this season.

Goal 6 – Steven Stamkos

There was some questionable defending from Rasmus Dahlin and Alex Tuch on this sequence. Neither switch off Paul and leave one of the league’s best shooters plenty of time and space to pick his spot on Luukkonen. But the goaltender is worth looking at closer here. My general opinion here would not blame anyone for getting beat by a shooter of Stamkos’ quality and I think the placement here deserves to be credited. What does interest me is the way he plays the shot. As a 6’5″ goaltender, you’d think he would take up more of the next, especially given the depth he takes ahead of this shot. But even on top of the crease, Luukkonen looks small here. His blocker and glove are overlapping his pads and his crouch robs him of some of that impressive length.

By playing small here, Luukkonen does himself no favors as Stamkos subtlety changes his shooting angle prior to release. The shot barely misses Luukkonen’s shoulder on the way through. I can’t help but wonder if an ever so slightly taller or wider stance from Luukkonen gets him a save here. Forgive the blurry image but you can see just how tight the margin was on this play.

Without getting too deep in the weeds on some of the geometry of goaltending, a puck needs to be about 2 1/2 feet off the ice in order to hit the crossbar from a shot taken from about 20 feet away from the net. So the theory of what the puck “sees” really comes into effect here. Luukkonen’s narrow stance, where his hands are probably a touch too far inside, allows the puck to “see” more net. It also forces him to cover more space when reacting to shots. To exaggerate the example, think of how long it would take to raise your hand over your head from your foot as opposed to starting from your hip. Playing with his hands wider probably gives him a save here. It’s almost quite literally splitting hairs given the margin of this goal, but it’s something I’ve noticed with his game throughout this recall. He has such a tight stance that he loses one of the natural advantages to being so tall.

It should be noted that simply asking Luukkonen to adjust to a taller or wider stance is easier said than done. That’s a fundamental change to how he plays the game and not something that’s overly common to see. That being said, adjusting some of those fundamentals could be the key in unlocking his potential. Finding answers to their issues on the penalty kill would be another big step toward reducing the goals against numbers plaguing the Sabres.

View Details

While virtually every aspect of the Buffalo Sabres play has been humming of late, their netminders have been suspect for most of the season. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen has been given an opportunity to prove his worth to the organization, but early returns have been questionable. Finding a solution that offers the club a true improvement in net is easier said than done. We discuss the shortcomings in goal plus the challenges that will face the Sabres in trying to once again improve between the pipes.

https://api.spreaker.com/v2/episodes/52126443/download.mp3

View Details

It’s taken a little longer than usual due to the late-November launch of the Sabres alternate jersey but all the different sets of gear worn by Buffalo’s goaltenders have now seen the ice (with the exception of Eric Comrie’s black and red setup).

The black and red uniforms offer a great shift for the team’s netminders, providing a drastically different look for each when the team wears their new third jersey. Perhaps we will see more mask art or pads for the team’s Reverse Retro jerseys, but for now each goalie has sported two different sets on the year. It offers a great variety of looks and there’s a similar collection of mask art to admire. I’ve included Rochester’s goaltenders in the mix as well since more gear is always more fun.

Craig Anderson

Anderson is still in Bauer gear this season. Last year he sported Bauer’s Hyperlite graphic but has shifted to the company’s Mach graphic for the season. He’s rotated graphics the last few years between the Supreme and Vapor lines and while I’m unsure which build he uses, he’s explored a few different takes on the Mach’s stock graphic for the year.

His standard home set is the gear his son designed. Blue and gold with no additional trim. The Mach graphic doesn’t play well with every color scheme and I think the all blue and gold looks a little flat as a result. But it’s a good, adventurous take on what can tend to be a fairly boring graphic package. I think it looks a bit better on the white road jerseys as the all-color pads get washed out with the home uniforms.

Conversely, Anderson has introduced a white-based set which he’s word with the team’s Reverse Retro jerseys and their road jerseys as well. The set looks sharp with the white uniforms. As you can see in the picture, the lack of options for color placements limits the graphics. When you see it close-up, the gold trims the pads nicely. But from a distance, the pads look a little washed out. But overall, the look is superior to his blue and gold pads.

Anderson has been wearing a mask he debuted from last season. A two-color design that stands out from distance, which is something mask purists will certainly appreciate. He does have a new mask from his painter Sylvie Marsolais which looks terrific. He wore it in training camp at least once or twice but it hasn’t seen the light of day since. It’s a sharp mask and I love the cracked stone effect on the chin and sides of the mask. The partial logos look great and Sylabrush did it right by not contorting the logo to make it look better in reverse. That’s been an issue with some of Daveart’s recent work and I think Sylabrush did it right here. Maybe he hasn’t worn it yet because he doesn’t like the fit of the new Bauer NME, hard to say. But I’m hoping to see it soon.

His black and red set swaps his home set for the new (old) color scheme. It’s a fine look overall but once again the Mach graphic limits him. The mask, however is great. It has some awesome vintage design cues and the oversize logo on the forehead is excellent. Full marks for both masks.

All hail the Goathead…

Buffalo Sabres Goaltender, Craig Anderson, wears a new, but old designed mask to commemorate the Sabres 3rd jersey #LetsGoBuffalo pic.twitter.com/SrBAjTYZyv

— Micheline (@MiMiV4682) November 21, 2022

Eric Comrie

There’s nothing complicated with Comrie’s gear for the season but the simple, understated design looks terrific with Buffalo’s uniforms. The True graphic plays beautifully with the Sabres’ colorway and the mask from Shell Shock Paint brings a new artist into the fold in Buffalo. I especially like the 40th anniversary script on the left side of the mask. The design has a cool effect from distance that’s reminiscent of early 90s or late 80s Sabres masks from the likes of Tom Draper or Darren Puppa.

Comrie’s black and red mask is a killer. The side that pays tribute to Ryan Miller is especially great and it’s unfortunate that we are being prevented from seeing it due to his injury. Similarly, his black and red pads ought to look terrific thanks to the True graphic package.

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen

Buffalo’s stand-in planned ahead well this season. Not only did he get a great looking set of Bauer gear made for the team’s home and road set, he had the same set made in black and red. I’m of the opinion that the best application of Bauer’s digiprint custom pads is a unique graphic as opposed to simply plastering logos on the pads. A creative graphic which might could double as a stock design is almost always preferable in these uses.

UPL’s home pads may be a touch too white, but it’s a nice design overall. I think they look strong with the white jerseys and particularly good with the team’s home uniforms. Meanwhile, his set with the team’s alternate uniforms are aces. Possibly the best set of anyone in the pipeline this season. The pads look supremely cool with the black base and the whole set is brought together beautifully with his new red and white mask.

Looking at the masks of the rest of the goalies in the Sabres’ system presents another Sylabrush product (Beck Warm), Gliders Design (Michael Houser) and what I believe is a Skin FX wrap for Malcolm Subban. As an aside, Subban’s Sabres set would look terrific should he be called on at any point this season while Warm’s mask is a terrific application for the Amerks. One of the best I’ve seen in recent years.

Malcolm Subban is on the ice and participating in full practice! pic.twitter.com/6InCZIA5pY

— Rochester Americans (@AmerksHockey) October 25, 2022

View Details

Jakob Chychrun’s name has been all over Sabres Nation since Jeff Marek first asked if the Sabres could be a darkhorse contender for the defenseman. We talk about what sort of fit Chychrun would be and lay out the potential… Continue reading →

View Details

The Sabres will take to the ice downtown in black and red uniforms for the first time since the spring of 2006. As 90s Night will be full of nostalgia, let’s look back on some of the best moments of… Continue reading →

View Details

The nostalgia train is pulling into Buffalo tonight as the Sabres will take to the ice in their black and red alternate jerseys when they host the St. Louis Blues. It’s been a long time coming as fans (and even… Continue reading →

View Details

The Sabres losing streak hit eight games after Saturday’s loss in Toronto. Buffalo’s issues seem to have run deeper as this skid has continued with frustrations mounting and obvious solutions at a minimum. We talk about the problems the Sabres… Continue reading →

View Details

We were overdue for a listener Q&A so we opened up the replies maybe one last time) to gather some talking points for this week’s show. Topics include when Kevyn Adams will be moved to make a trade, who might… Continue reading →

View Details

The Goathead jerseys have finally been unveiled by the Sabres ahead of their debut on November 23. We go deep on the new jerseys and our thoughts on the sharp new look. We even toss in a bit on the… Continue reading →

View Details

Tage Thompson is on fire, racking up nine points over two games this past week and helping the Sabres further their winning record. We talk about Thompson’s breakout and another Sabres center who has been terrific this season: Dylan Cozens.… Continue reading →

View Details

For a league that tends to prefer the conservative approach, the NHL’s jersey partnership with Adidas has brought about a host of boundary-pushing initiatives. Now, the league will need to pivot as Adidas will not be renewing their contract with… Continue reading →

View Details

Rasmus Dahlin was named first star of the week in the NHL after setting a new record for consecutive games with a goal by a defenseman to start the season. We discuss Dahlin’s impressive start and the other bright spots… Continue reading →

View Details

It’s only been two games but we are on the verge of Sabres After Dark with Buffalo set to embark on a west coast swing through Canada. We talk about what went well and what went wrong in the first… Continue reading →

View Details

The Sabres are set to kick off their 2022-23 campaign and we dig into their lineup ahead of the season opener and how we see them faring this season. We look into each position group, determining where the team’s strengths… Continue reading →

View Details

The spotlight on Hockey Canada has only gotten brighter in recent days as the investigation into how the organization has handled sexual assault claims continues to reveal deeper and darker issues with their operations. We discuss the nature of the… Continue reading →

View Details

With preseason underway, we reflect on the Sabres first few games of the preseason and what positives can be gleaned from the early action. We kick things off with a conversation about Jason Robertson and how the Sabres could go… Continue reading →

View Details

Sabres training camp is right around the corner, with their first preseason game fewer than five days away. The club wrapped up a 3-0 showing at the Prospects Challenge, driven mostly by the play of Matthew Savoie, Isak Rosen, Alexander… Continue reading →

View Details

We kick off another season of the podcast with a conversation about the Prospects Challenge. We run through the highlights of the roster expected to play this coming weekend and even dip into the invites who will be helping to… Continue reading →

View Details

Kevin Woodley joins the show this week to share his goaltending expertise and talk about the outlook for the Sabres in net for the coming season. We talk at length about Eric Comrie’s strengths and weaknesses and his ability to… Continue reading →

View Details

The Sabres, at long last, have announced they will be bringing back their red and black uniforms as an alternate jersey for the 2022-23 season. The team made the announcement on Wednesday, stating that they will wear the jersey 12… Continue reading →

View Details

Pete Jensen of NHL.com joins the show to offer up a fantasy hockey outlook for the coming season. Pete lends his expertise to discuss which players are candidates to climb up draft boards, players poised for a breakout year in… Continue reading →

View Details

Noah Ennis, goal mask artist and owner of Shell Shock Paint joins the show for an expansive conversation about goalie mask art and the pro clients Noah works with. New Sabres goalie Eric Comrie is among the roster of pro… Continue reading →

View Details

As we continue through August, it seemed like a good time to field a few more listener questions. This week’s episode tackles a bunch of different topics including the Sabres Reverse Retro sweaters, shoulder patches, goaltending plans, special teams alignments… Continue reading →

View Details

Chad and Anthony from Expected Buffalo join the show for another roundtable discussion. This time we talk about when the Sabres will be ready to take the next big step in their rebuild and when the right time for it… Continue reading →

View Details

It’s a busy show as we spend a little time talking through Buffalo’s draft class before diving into free agency. We discuss the signings of Eric Comrie and Ilya Lyubushkin and how they address the two biggest needs the Sabres… Continue reading →

View Details

As the wheels got turning on the goalie market at the draft, the Sabres have yet to complete a move to round out their crease for the coming season. It’s a subject that’s caused some consternation throughout the fanbase, though… Continue reading →

View Details

The 2022 NHL Draft is in the books and the Sabres made all 11 picks they entered the draft with. Their trio of first rounders are the crown jewel of the Sabres 2022 class, but the latter rounds saw Kevyn… Continue reading →

View Details

The talk of the offseason in Buffalo will be over who Kevyn Adams finds to form a goaltending tandem with Craig Anderson. The goalie market is expected to be pretty hot as upwards of eight teams could be on the… Continue reading →

View Details

It’s a big draft episode as we look ahead to Thursday’s first round and the three picks the Sabres hold. We spend time talking about Ivann Fedotov’s situation in Russia and how it could affect teams considering Russians in the… Continue reading →

View Details

Chris Peters of DailyFaceoff.com joins the show to offer up a preview of this week’s NHL draft. We talk about the wide variance of opinions on virtually every facet of this year’s first round. From the first pick through 32,… Continue reading →

View Details

This week we tackle the 2022 Stanley Cup Final and offer up our thoughts on the postseason. We move on to discuss Alexander Mogilny missing out on induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame once again and whether his resume… Continue reading →

View Details

For some lighter offseason content we decided to dig into who we deem to be the best draft pick in Sabres history. We considered a few permutations for our discussion as Gilbert Perreault is an obvious and easy answer to… Continue reading →

View Details

The newest Sabres beat writer joins the show as we welcome Matthew Fairburn of The Athletic to discuss a host of Sabres offseason topics. Matthew offers his thoughts on where the Sabres stand with regard to their rebuild and what… Continue reading →

View Details

Soon enough we will get our first look at the renderings for the new Bills stadium. We’ve gotten some hints of what to expect already. Open air with a partially covered seating bowl, natural grass surface. How the rest of… Continue reading →

View Details

Despite their Western Conference ouster, Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl put on one of the most memorable playoff performances of recent memory. We discuss whether or not their play would be strong enough to garner attention for the Connn Smythe… Continue reading →

View Details

We run down both the Eastern Conference Finals and Western Conference Finals now that the NHL’s second round is complete. We touch on the no speed limit Western Conference Final and the goaltending battle that looms in the east. We… Continue reading →

View Details

With the first round of the NHL Playoffs complete, we look at which teams could be looking to make adjustments this offseason and whether or not the Sabres can capitalize on any such moves. We also touch on the signing… Continue reading →

View Details

The Sabres didn’t see their picks move in the NHL Draft Lottery and they will draft ninth and 16th in this year’s draft. The only first round pick to be determined is that of the Florida Panthers, which will fall… Continue reading →

View Details

Another season is in the books and we look back at the way the Sabres played over the course of 2022-23 and what it means for them going forward. While we don’t assign grades to any individual, we break down… Continue reading →

View Details

Matt Keeler and Nick Ciavarella of JustDishin join the show to discuss SkateSkins and the product’s introduction into the NHL. They also offer some tremendous insight into the intersection of hockey and fashion and how that evolution has the ability… Continue reading →

View Details

It’s another Ask Instigator version of the podcast as we answer a number of listener questions on everything from trading their first round picks and what a lottery win would mean for the Sabres to which player from 2005-06 or… Continue reading →

View Details

Another season is winding down and the future in net for the Sabres is up in the air once again. That’s exciting for a few reasons. First and foremost, the opportunity to improve in net opens the door for the… Continue reading →

View Details

Entering the year, the Sabres were very much in a state of flux. Jack Eichel hadn’t been traded, nor had he gotten the surgery he preferred. Buffalo’s offseason pointed towards another difficult season as the team continued to rebuild. With… Continue reading →

View Details

Owen Power’s NHL career is a week old and we spend some time reflecting on his strong play through the first four games he’s appeared in. We also touch on how he and Rasmus Dahlin are rounding out a formidable… Continue reading →

View Details

Jason Moser of PuckLuck.com joined the show this week to discuss the way he applies advanced analytics to betting NHL games and how his model can help give bettors an edge in winning hockey bets. We discuss how he developed… Continue reading →

View Details

The Sabres celebrated Rick Jeanneret on Friday night and they put on quite a show in the process. We talk about the whirlwind evening and many of the highlights of the team’s impressive pregame ceremony, decisive win over the Predators… Continue reading →

View Details

Somewhere in my parents house is a red Fisher Price tape recorder. You know the one, it had the little mic and you could record and play on cassette tapes. That recorder holds a tape with recordings of my friends… Continue reading →

View Details

As the season heads into its final month, one of the biggest holes on Buffalo’s roster for the offseason is in net.

The Sabres are currently set to the summer with no goaltenders under contract and a lot of questions over what the future in the crease looks like. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen is a restricted free agent and is the only sure thing the Sabres have in terms of playing games in either Buffalo or Rochester in 2022-23. Beyond that, it’s a crapshoot.

Buffalo will need to acquire a minimum of two goaltenders this summer. One to play the lion’s share of the games in Buffalo and the other to share time in Rochester (ideally with one of Buffalo’s promising young collegiate prospects).

Any assumption that Luukkonen should be stepping in as Buffalo’s starter for the 22-23 season is premature to me. Luukkonen has played only 13 NHL games between two seasons and he suffered an injury in each of those runs. Even taking into account the poor play in front of him in Rochester, his resume isn’t that of a goalie who is ready to step into an NHL starter’s job. I think it would be far more appropriate for Luukonen to play somewhere in the neighborhood of 30-to-35 games behind a steadier veteran presence.

Bringing Craig Anderson back has been a popular refrain as he’s offered a reliable option since returning from injury. There’s a reason the Sabres odds against Winnipeg tonight are only +140 at Betway and not much steeper. There’s also a reason that the over/under of 6.5 for tonight’s game is a good bet of late. Anderson has been a big reason the Sabres vibes have been so good. However, his numbers this year are still quite average. He’s sporting a -5 goals saved above expected and his .901 save percentage falls in line with the downward trend of his last few full seasons in Ottawa.

Consider as well, he is 41 years old and missed a significant portion of the season to injury. Does he fit the profile of a goalie who can help the Sabres take the next step?

The Sabres are in a curious spot in that regard. They won’t likely be a playoff contender in 22-23, but the season should still be one where the club takes a substantial step forward in their rebuild. They need to balance their desire and ability to take that step while leaving room for their key young players to improve in their own development as well.

They invested a fairly high pick in Luukkonen, and they have two more promising prospects in their pipeline. Ideally, one of those three establishes himself as a bonafide NHL starter and secures Buffalo’s long-term future in goal. Does that preclude the Sabres from taking a big swing for a goalie in free agency or via trade? Or do they target a short-term option who can offer a competitive edge while bridging the gap to Luukkonen, Levi and/or Portillo?

This summer’s free agent market isn’t exactly brimming with talent. The most notable names are Marc-Andre Fleury and Darcy Kuemper. With Jack Campbell and Ville Husso likely to cash in on the open market as well. Beyond that group is a list of goaltenders with iffy starters credentials or organizational depth options.

There’s more opportunity for improvement in the trade market, despite the obvious acquisition cost which would accompany some of the targets. But the potential for teams with quality starters staring down rebuilds should open the door for movement.

Both pools of players have something to offer the Sabres, though the trade route feels to be the most fruitful. The list of names below features some of the goalies who will either come up as targets for the Sabres, or who I’m most interested in seeing Kevyn Adams pursue.

The Free Agents

I have little expectation that Fleury truly tests the market beyond Pittsburgh and possibly Vegas. Similarly, I’m unsure Kuemper moves on from Colorado unless he lays an egg in the playoffs for the Avs. Either way, both are likely to be eyeing Cup and playoff contenders if their search widens in scope, which likely rules the Sabres out from competing for either one.

Joonas Korpisalo

Korpisalo’s numbers have taken a serious tumble since losing the starting job in Columbus. He’ll come at a discounted price, but I can’t see him offering any sort of competitive stability in Buffalo’s crease. I think you’re going to hear his name a lot but he’s not a goaltender who you’d feel comfortable giving 45-to-50 starts to. I’d even have doubts about his ability to serve as a quality backup at this point.

Jack Campbell

The flux in Toronto’s crease could lead to Campbell reaching the open market. Whether or not he leaves the Leafs is another question entirely. He’s due a raise from the $1.65m he’s making now, a pricetag that will likely come with an expectation of term as well. If his ask is in the neighborhood of four-plus years in the $5m neighborhood, it may rule him out for the Sabres. If he’s willing to take shorter term at a higher cap figure, there could be room to work between the two parties.

My lone concern with Campbell is how much of his success has come from playing behind a strong team – albeit one that isn’t exactly celebrated for its defensive prowess? Can he continue to produce on a team that doesn’t boast the likes of Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner? I also expect him to get quite a bit of attention should he reach the market, which may not portend good news if the Sabres toss their hat in the ring.

Charlie Lindgren

Lindgren got a few spot starts for the Blues this year and played quite well in each. However, he’s low on the organization depth chart for St. Louis. The Blues may not be able to retain Ville Husso after his breakout and they also Joel Hofer is waiting in the wings in the AHL. I think Lindgren would be an excellent organizational number three for the Sabres to sign this offseason. He’d be a great asset for the Americans while giving the Sabres a goalie they could be confident in should injury strike. He’s on a two-way deal that pays him $750K at the NHL level and $300K in the minors. A slight bump on those figures might be enough to entice the southpaw to Western New York.

Ville Husso

Lindgren’s teammate has set himself up for a payday after a breakout year for the Blues. Once the goalie of the future in St. Louis, he was supplanted by Binnington before this season’s big jump. He’ll be a hot target in free agency as a 27-year-old, but I’d be wary of what he offers long term. We saw first-hand the pitfalls of rewarding a one-year wonder with Carter Hutton and Seattle is suffering that same fate with Chris Driedger. I doubt Husso settles for a team-friendly deal like Hutton did, but even if he does, he’s not someone I’d be over the moon with the Sabres picking up.

Other free agents like Jaroslav Halak or Thomas Greiss may come up now and then, but I don’t think either truly fits what the Sabres will need. Halak, for one, may only have a few select destinations in mind after a difficult season in Vancouver. Meanwhile, Greiss hasn’t been nearly consistent enough to convince me to give him a contract at age 36. The only other name among the free agents I’d be remotely interested in seeing the Sabres pursue is Braden Holtby. And even he raises some red flags after looking extremely pedestrian for the Canucks in 2020-21. I think it would be a gamble that he wouldn’t look similar behind a young roster here in Buffalo.

Trade Targets

John Gibson

The Ducks sold off some key veterans at this year’s deadline and all signs point to a continued retooling of their pipeline and roster. What that means for the 28 year-old goalie is very much up in the air. Gibson has struggled for three-straight seasons as the Ducks have backslid as a team. He’s on a $6.4m contract for five seasons beyond this one and would come at a premium price as Anaheim stocks futures. If a better team in front of him allows him to recapture his form from earlier in his career, he could be a huge addition for a team that needs help in net. But the asking price is going to be extremely high, and his recent play might be enough to scare you off.

Semyon Varlamov

The more I think about the goalies who will be available this summer, the more I think Varlamov may be the best overall fit for the Sabres. The Islanders haven’t been quite as stingy this year as they have in the past, but Varlamov has still posted a .914 SV% while ceding time to Ilya Sorokin. If it’s true that Lou Lamoriello is planning to make moves this summer, Varlamov’s $5m cap hit could be one of the first moves they look to make.

He’s only signed through next season, so his contract won’t cause any issues with the ascension of Luukkonen or anyone else. Meanwhile, his cap hit would be beneficial in getting the Sabres past the salary cap floor. All while bringing in a goaltender who can still really play. Varlamov’s GSAA is -1.1 per Money Puck, but a 5.1 according to Hockey Reference. So pick which site you prefer for that stat. His baseline .914 SV% is strong though, especially behind an Islanders team that has lost their mojo a bit this year. He hasn’t dipped below .910 since his final year in Colorado, he would be a true upgrade over the Sabres current situation. Plus, his acquisition cost should be quite low assuming the Isles are indeed looking to shed salary.

Alexandar Georgiev & Ilya Samsonov

Both of these guys are RFAs this summer and both are in a position where their respective clubs may be moving on. Moreso in the case of Georgiev, but I don’t think Samsonov is on stable ground as Vitek Vanacek has supplanted him in Washington. I include both here because I suspect Georgiev will get a fair bit of attention as a Sabres target, but neither he or Samsonov are the type of goalies I think the Sabres should be chasing.

Samsonov has been very inconsistent in his brief NHL career and would be something of a project for the Sabres if he was acquired. He’s certainly not a steady presence who could work well in tandem with Luukkonen. Similarly, Georgiev has been below average as an NHL goaltender in my book. I don’t understand the fascination with him one bit. He played well enough in his first two years but has fallen off a cliff since. His best GSAA season per Money Puck was 0.5 in 2017-18. He’s been dreadful ever since and I suspect that even with his substandard play, the Rangers will be expecting a hefty price in a trade. Just hope the Sabres stay away from both of these guys.

Jonathan Quick

I’m not sure if the Kings are ready to move on from Quick, or if they’d ever want to. His number will probably go in the rafters for them one day and giving him the ability to finish his contract (and maybe his career) in LA would be the right thing to do. I also don’t think Cal Petersen has done enough to give the Kings confidence that they could move Quick out in favor of Petersen carrying the mail for LA.

In the event that the Kings are open to moving Quick, Buffalo would be wise to pursue him. Much like Varlamov, his contract status and ability fits the profile of what the Sabres will likely be looking for. He’s signed for one more season at a cap hit which would help the Sabres hit the floor. He’s also enjoying a resurgent season (of sorts). Money Puck rates his GSAA at 14.5 after dreadful campaigns in the prior three seasons. He’s just shy of a .910 SV%, which is his highest since 2018. Quick isn’t quite as reliable as Varlamov, but as a veteran mentor to platoon with Luukkonen, he fits the bill nicely.

Thatcher Demko

I wanted to include one pie-in-the-sky option on this list. The Canucks are teetering on the edge of the playoffs and Demko is certainly a big part of what they want to build in Vancouver. However, there’s also a new general manager in Vancouver and there were signs that the Canucks could have moved on from a few notable roster players at the deadline.

In the event the Canucks are leaning towards something akin to a rebuild, the right package could net you Demko. I should note that his age (26), play and contract status (four more years at $5m) would mean he comes at a premium. Any package for Demko would require a first-round pick, A-prospect and probably a quality roster player at a minimum. That’s a significant price the Sabres probably aren’t ready to pay. But if they felt that strongly about his ability to impact the roster, they could make a blockbuster offer to the Canucks.

There will be some other names floating around this summer. I think James Reimer could be an intriguing target for Buffalo and the tea leaves in Ottawa point to Matt Murray being put on the block. Though he’d be something of a reclamation project. I’m also keeping my eye on Boston if I’m a goalie needy team. Linus Ullmark will still have two years on his contract when Jeremy Swayman is due a new deal. I won’t be surprised if they find themselves shopping one of those netminders in the next year or two.

Which route you’d prefer the Sabres to go probably depends on your appetite for spending assets for a short-term fix. A free agent signing keeps Buffalo’s trade chips in their pockets for more important acquisitions. Yet a trade opens the door for some more stable options in terms of overall talent. I think a deal for Varlamov could get done for a third-round pick and a B-level prospect. Maybe it winds up being two picks instead of a body.

It’s not nothing, but it’s also not mortgaging the future for a band aid solution in net. Which is what the Sabres need to find a way past as they prepare to take their next step.

View Details

The Sabres pushed their point streak to six games and improved to 8-3-2 in the month of March. We discuss how the continued success of the team could potentially cloud the longer term needs when it comes to making sure the Sabres take the next step in their rebuild. Namely, we discuss the discourse around Craig Anderson and where the team would be had he been healthy for the entire year.

Also on the show is a discussion over the new Buffalo Bills stadium deal and highlights from the NHL GM meetings.

https://api.spreaker.com/v2/episodes/49247509/download.mp3

View Details

Kevyn Adams stood pat at this year’s trade deadline, only moving out Robert Hagg on Sunday. We talk about what the lack of action means for the team as they prepare for the stretch run, how they might fit key youngsters into the lineup and whether or not Adams made the right call by not making additional moves.

We also touch on moves from around the league. Who we felt were the big winners of this year’s deadline and even discuss that wacky Evgenii Dadonov deal.

https://api.spreaker.com/v2/episodes/49144535/download.mp3

View Details

Another Buffalo Sabres season is heading to a disappointing conclusion, and Sabres fans have to look back a decade or so to find the last time that their team were relevant in the playoff conversation.

But while NHL and NY sports betting fans will not be rushing to wager on Buffalo any time soon, it is worth remembering that these things are cyclical and that there is always reason to be optimistic in this volatile and ever-changing league. And though they may be struggling now, there have been plenty of times when the Sabres were a significant factor in the NHL.

2005-06

The Sabres appeared out of nowhere to make a run that almost took them to the Stanley Cup Finals, only to lose in seven games to the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference Finals. Ryan Miller and Chris Drury were just two of the stars of this great squad that might have easily won the Cup but suffered a heartbreaking defeat in Game 7 in which they left everything on the ice. They would have met Edmonton in the finals if they had beaten Carolina, and would surely have been favorites for that one.

2006-07

The season began with a 10-game winning streak and ended with the President’s Trophy. This was a season notable for Daniel Briere, Ryan Miller, and Brian Campbell all earning a place in the All-Star game, and for the memorable brawl against Ottawa in December.

In the playoffs, the Sabres overcame the Islanders in five games which set up a second-round series with the Rangers. That series featured the famous Game 5 overtime victory and ended with a Sabres win in six games. Sadly the season came to an end in the Conference Finals when the Sabres lost to Ottawa, suffering three one-goal defeats and a pair of losses in overtime.

1974-75

The franchise was only five years old when Buffalo made their second playoff appearance and reached their first-ever Stanley Cup Final, where they took on the Philadelphia Flyers. The Sabres fought hard but ultimately lost out in a tight six-game series. That was the season when Rick Martin, Rene Robert, Don Luce, and Jerry Korab all featured in the All-Star game, and in which Don Luce earned the Bill Masterson Trophy for sportsmanship.

1987-88

The Sabres missed the playoffs for two consecutive seasons after sliding to the bottom of the NHL in the mid-1980s. They bounced back in 1987-88, driven by youthful players like first-round selection Pierre Turgeon, Dave Andreychuk, and Phil Housley, as they moved from last in the NHL to first. For supporters who had just seen Sabres icon Gilbert Perreault retire the previous season, this group of youthful players offered optimism for a brighter future for the franchise.

1992-93

Pat LaFontaine and Alexander Mogilny teamed up for a historic season in LaFontaine’s first full season as a Sabre, with LaFontaine setting a franchise record with 148 points and Mogilny scoring an incredible 76 goals. LaFontaine finished second in the league MVP voting behind Mario Lemieux.

Buffalo had a solid season until the end, when they dropped seven straight games to enter the playoffs. However, they then won a playoff series for the first time in a decade, sweeping the Bruins, with Rick Jeanneret’s iconic May Day call in Game 4. In a four-game series, the Sabres were defeated by the eventual Stanley Cup champion Montreal Canadians. Three of the games were decided by a score of 4-3, while the last three went to overtime.

1996-97

This season was notable for the Sabres moving into a new arena, changing their team colors, and claiming their first Divisional title in 16 seasons. It helped that the Sabres roster included the NHL’s best goalie in Dominik Hasek, who became only the second goalie to win the MVP award. Michael Peca claimed the award for best two-way forward, Ted Nolan was named Coach of the Year and the Sabres registered their first-ever Game 7 win when they beat the Senators in overtime.

1998-99

The Sabres made it to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time in 24 seasons, with Hasek once again playing a key role. The season itself was less explosive than the previous year’s campaign, but Buffalo really got going in the playoffs, defeating the Senators in a sweep and the Bruins to set up a clash with the Maple Leafs. Buffalo came through that challenge in five games, but their good run came to an end in the finals, when they lost out to the Dallas Stars.

View Details

In honor of the NHL Trade Deadline, it’s time once again to take a few reader questions.

I’m looking forward to Monday’s deadline as I think the Sabres are poised to move at least two or three players off the roster. And there’s potential for even more moves both out and in. Unless Kevyn Adams makes zero moves on Moday, it will be hard to say it was an underwhelming deadline.

As we touched on this week’s podcast, I’m hopeful that Adams will bring in a player who will be in Buffalo not just for the final weeks of the season, but well into the future. A younger player, ideally with term, who could add to the growing confidence over what Adams and the Sabres are trying to build. That’s easier said than done, but it wouldn’t be the first time the organization brought in a notable piece for the future at the deadline. Here’s hoping the next one comes on Monday.

Before we get to the questions, we should celebrate the beauty of the Armchair GM submissions on CapFriendly. It’s been far too long since we shared any of these, so let’s make up for lost time with some Very Bad Trades.

A few thoughts here. First, Kaapo Kahkonen has had a decent season for the Wild but he hasn’t yet risen to the level of a number one goalie. Marcus Foligno has also carved out a very valuable role in Minnesota, so the idea that just Casey Mittelstadt (whose has been very underwhelming when not injured) could fetch you both of these players is silly. Yet, that deal is trumped by the following offer of the Arizona Coyotes offering a first and a third for Victor Olofsson and recent healthy scratch, Anders Bjork. I’m not sure how to arrive at that particular valuation, but it seems…inaccurate. Olofsson ought to have some value this summer (or at the deadline) but Bjork’s value will have cratered and while the Coyotes do need players on contracts, they also desperately need draft capital.

Sure, I guess. There are other players in the NHL though. We don’t always have to do Pat Kane.

Unsubscribe.

On to the questions.

@buffalocentric – If you’re picking giveaways, promotional nights, what are 3 you would choose?

This is a GREAT question. It’s easy to carp about the Sabres not doing enough cool giveaways, but if you don’t have any suggestions as to what they should introduce, you’re only doing half the work.

The easy answer here is more bobblehead nights. Specifically fun crossover (hi Kim) versions. For example, Tre White in goalie gear. Teams have even done versions where they put a player into a costume of a popular TV show. But I’m going to pass on bobbleheads for now in lieu of three other preferences that I have.

Bisons (or Bills) Night – I’ve written about this previously, and it’s something that a lot of other teams do quite well. Namely the Blues, Kings and Ducks. Other teams have dabbled with crossover as well, whether via the basketball team they share an arena with or a football team. That we’ve now seen the Bisons do a Sabres night, I’m hopeful that the Sabres would return the favor. Bisons themed warmup jerseys would look super cool and would make for great auction items after the game. Other baseball and opening day tie-ins could be done in arena to make for a fun night.
Mini Jerseys – This particular idea is something I saw the Ducks do a couple years back as part of a ticket promotion. They gave out collectible mini uniforms from throughout their history if fans bought into a certain ticket package. The Sabres could do the same thing, offer a series of jerseys for a mini pack purchase. Or they could set up a handful of games, lets say five for argument’s sake, throughout the year and fans who attend those games get a mini jersey as a giveaway. So if you wanted the full set, you’d need to attend all five games. Or if you just wanted one or two, you could pick those games off the list.
Hall of Fame or other alumni nights – This could work a few different ways. First off, it’s a shame that the Sabres Hall of Fame isn’t active. That’s an easy night to promote each year when a new inductee or inductees are honored. Especially with some of the candidates available, the team would sell a boatload of tickets just on nostalgia. So simply bringing back the Sabres Hall of Fame is one option. It would be important to pair some sort of giveaway or trinket with the night, in my opinion. The other approach would be to simply honor various Sabres alums throughout the year Bring them back to drop the puck, play some highlights pregame and figure out a cool promotional item to tie to them. For big enough names, maybe it’s a bobblehead. The more extreme version of this is specifically for Dominik Hasek and it would pair with building his long overdue statue in alumni plaza. That may be a different argument for a different blog post, but long story short; unveil the statue, do a party in the plaza, do a replica statue giveaway or promotional sale like the RJ bobblehead from a few years back.

@mirrorman_js – Do you think Hinostroza gets dealt and if so, is he someone that may come back to the Sabres over the Summer?

He hasn’t shown up on a lot of trade bait boards, but he’s kind of a perfect trade candidate. He’s cheap, quality depth who can help fill out the bottom six of a contending team. I’d stop short of saying I expect him to be traded, but I definitely think that makes the most sense. As for bringing him back, that seems fine. I think you can throw a net out in the summer and find four more players in the same profile, so I don’t feel like they’d miss him if he isn’t re-signed.

He’s meshed well here and has been moderately productive. It comes down to where he’d fit and which other players are coming in. Jack Quinn will almost certainly have a top six role. Kyle Okposo will be around again too along with Victor Olofsson and maybe even JJ Peterka. Are the Sabres adding any other forwards via trade before free agency? If there’s a fit for Hinostroza I say bring him back. But I wouldn’t be concerned if Sunday wound up being his final game in a Sabres uniform.

@buffalobobz – What veteran goalie do you think the Sabres add to pair with UPL next year?

This is a really tough one to handicap. The free agent goalie market is quite thin on talent, so there’s little out there I’d be excited about. Craig Anderson has been pretty steady this year, could they bring him back? Maybe even give him a modest raise to help close up their space to the cap floor? I wouldn’t been too keen on Braden Holtby, but he’ll be unrestricted again this summer. He’s probably on their radar.

One name I’ve been wondering about is Matt Murray. I’ve previously stated my distaste in the idea of acquiring him, but there’s some reason to believe the Sens are going to ride with Anton Forsberg and Filip Gustavsson. Murray was dreadful before being sent to Belleville but he had a nice bounceback from January to mid-February (including a shutout of the Sabres). He’s back on the shelf now and I think health could be a big concern. He’s has two years at $6.25m, so he’d help the Sabres towards the cap. I think he’s a name to keep an eye on.

The obvious drawback on Murray is his recent play. Aside from that nice chunk of games in January and Februray, he has been extremely underwhelming. For a team that will want to take a step forward, I don’t think he’s the answer. But I feel that a trade is. Semyon Varlamov is one name worth inquiring on and I think Jonathan Quick is another. Quick feels like an unlikely target and Varlamov has a modified no-trade clause, but they both fit the profile what I think the Sabres should be looking for. Veteran talent with short-term remaining on their deals and a moderate cap hit. Neither would cost much to acquire nor would they have the contract term that would block UPL, Devon Levi or Erik Portillo.

@coach_vaner – We have ideas who’s moving….Who would you like to see the Sabres add?

Let me start with my obligatory Roope Hintz mention. There are few things in Buffalo’s stable that I wouldn’t want Kevyn Adams to trade for him. But he’s not moving at the deadline. He’s probably never moving.

We discussed this a bit on the podcast this week and most of the truly intriguing names who could shake free due to cap restrictions would be summer moves. I think there’s a scenario where Anthony Cirelli could be acquired from Tampa. But that would be a draft day move. So I’ll stick to something I think could potentially get done at the deadline.

With that in mind, I’ll put Damon Severson out there. The Devils are out of it and there has been some reports that the two sides may not be close on a contract extension. Severson still has a year left at $4.16m and he plays the right side. He’s 27 and a UFA after this deal, so there may not be much long-term value at play, but even in the short term he would fill a massive need for the Sabres. His counting stats are very strong despite his GAR number being substandard. But he rates out very well defensively and could even chip in some power play time in a pinch. I think he’d be a good initial partner for Owen Power.

One other name from New Jersey that I’d be interested in is Miles Wood. He’s been injured all season but I like him as sort of a discount version of Alex Tuch. He’d be a middle or bottom six addition, but I like the idea of plugging in his speed and size to one of those bottom two lines. He’s an RFA with arbitration rights this summer, which could affect any team’s desire to add him.

@lazytown716 – So…Jerry Hughes? Looks like there’s not a lot of room left for the OG of the defense, would be sad to see him go, is there any way he winds up staying?

It would be disappointing to see Hughes leave as a free agent, but I wonder just where he fits into Buffalo’s defensive end rotation. With Basham, Epenesa, Lawson, Miller and Rousseau all in the mix, it will probably be hard to justify keeping him. Even if he took a steep pay cut. The consequence of big swings like adding Von Miller is that there are some painful departures as a result. I know the Bills tendered Ryan Bates but maybe he gets an offer they simply can’t fit in their cap model after their other signings. Hughes might be another casualty in that sense, albeit as a UFA. Just have to chalk it up to the cost of doing business and look ahead to the shiny toys they have as replacements.

View Details

Once again, the Sabres will be sellers at the deadline. While they aren’t overflowing with pending UFAs or highly sought after talent, there will be a few faces missing from Buffalo’s lineup after Monday.

It’s hard to say exactly how many of Buffalo’s trade chips will find their way out the door, but I’ll be surprised if Kevyn Adams doesn’t make at least one or two moves. The Sabres have nine unrestricted free agents who could arguably be available via trade. But the more realistic number is five, maybe six players who are truly available. That list includes Craig Anderson, Cody Eakin, Robert Hagg, Vinny Hinostroza, Colin Miller and possibly Will Butcher. That doesn’t mean all of those players will be on the move, but they each have a profile of a deadline rental.

Players with term or RFA status could also be shipped out, but aside from some whispers about Victor Olofsson’s availability, it doesn’t sound like there would be any imminent moves from the non-UFAs on Buffalo’s roster.

What’s interesting is that while Adams could easily trade away five players on Monday, Buffalo’s roster might not look all that different. The injury bug that ran through Buffalo’s roster shifted the lineup to the point that the Sabres are only now sending players back to Rochester, with Mark Jankowski returned on Wednesday. So, while Hagg and Miller could both gone on Monday, Hagg is the only one of the two with a roster spot that would need to be filled. With Anders Bjork a healthy scratch and Zemgus Girgensons ready to return, the same could be said of Cody Eakin and Vinny Hinostroza.

I think the initial reaction to the Sabres potentially shipping out three or more players would mean a distinct impact to their competitiveness. But things might look pretty similar to how they look now. Right now, the Sabres are +200 underdogs against the Oilers at Betway. Not the greatest odds, but I don’t think you’ll be seeing much longer odds for the club once their work at the deadline is complete.

There are still a lot of moving parts to consider. Especially should Anderson be moved. But I think closer inspection shows that while there will be holes to fill, there won’t be an abundance of openings on Buffalo’s roster come Tuesday.

For example, let’s assume that Eakin, Hagg, Hinostroza and Miller are all traded. That’s probably a high estimate for what the Sabres will do, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see any one of them dealt. Based on how the Sabres lined up at the Heritage Classic, here’s how the lineup would be affected.

Fewer moves on Monday would naturally mean fewer holes to fill. But those openings aren’t screaming for half dozen players from the Amerks to come up to the big club. Maybe Jack Quinn gets a look with Cozens once he’s healthy. And JJ Peterka probably gets a few games in the stretch run. But I don’t think the Sabres will be desperate for reinforcements after the deadline.

In fact, Owen Power will likely be signing his entry level contract within the next two-to-three weeks and Ryan Johnson could follow suit shortly thereafter. Same goes for Devon Levi, but I’m not sure any moves the Sabres would make in goal would affect how they’re going to introduce him to the pro game once he signs.

Using the hypothetical as above, and bearing in mind that both Power and Johnson could be in Buffalo in early April, here’s a look at one way the Sabres roster could shake out.

Don Granato doesn’t seem to be in love with using Girgensons at center, though I think it’s reasonable to assume some sort of rotation between he and Asplund as the fourth center would be the solution to moving Eakin. I question how much rope the staff would give to a line of Krebs, Cozens and Quinn. But I’m sure the Sabres want to get Quinn back (once they feel he’s fully healthy) and a short run with Cozens and Krebs would make for a nice debut for three of Buffalo’s most important core forwards. Alternatively, the Sabres could reward Sean Malone with a recall, bump Okposo to the Cozens line and run Asplund and Olofsson on either side of Casey Mittelstadt.

Power slotting in with a steady vet like Pysyk isn’t just logical from a partner standpoint, it’s probably going to happen by default. Not only given the handedness of Buffalo’s d-corps, but the apparent preference in partners for both Rasmus Dahlin and Mattias Samuelsson.

I slot Johnson in as an extra defenseman for this purpose, but I’d assume some sort of similar rotation may continue to help get him a few games. The Sabres could also negotiate with Johnson to delay his contract to the 2022-23 season, and send him to Rochester on a tryout deal. Either option works, though I suspect the Sabres may ultimately dangle NHL games to help get the contract sealed.

This particular layout only plugs two new faces into Buffalo’s lineup. But they’re two awfully notable names in Quinn and Power. That alone would make for an extremely exciting stretch run for fans to follow along with.

The first step is seeing how many players are moved off Buffalo’s roster at the deadline and seeing just what openings are available to be filled in the wake of those decisions.

View Details

With less than a week to go to the 2022 NHL Trade Deadline, one of the most common talking points has been how the lack of salary cap space has kept early negotiations to a minimum.

The Sabres head to the deadline with a handful of pending UFAs who will make decent bargain rentals for contending teams. But the real value Buffalo has at the deadline is their salary cap space.

As of this writing, CapFriendly shows the Sabres with over $55 million in space, the most in the NHL by $10 million. CapFriendly projects them to end the year with $13 million in space. That puts the Sabres in a perfect position to leverage that cap space to acquire useful assets at the deadline, something that Kevyn Adams recently said he hopes to do.

Buffalo isn’t the only team with space to broker a deal and the rumor mill doesn’t indicate that Monday will chock full of deals. Taking advantage of their cap space may be easier said than done, but there should be at least a handful of big contracts moving which would allow the Sabres to serve as a broker.

Further to that, there isn’t a bevvy of big contracts expected to be on the move at this point. Claude Giroux ($8.275m) has been the most notable big name rental on the market, while Marc-Andre Fleury, Mark Giordano and Hampus Lindholm all carry cap hits which could be useful to broker through a third party.

Adams will also need to be mindful of any salary retention he may want to use on his own players as he seeks to boost the return he gets from this year’s deadline. It’s highly unlikely that the Sabres wind up as a broker for more than one trade at the deadline and there’s probably a better chance that they qualify for the playoffs than using all three retention spots to broker deals. Still, Adams will need to balance his ability to weaponize Buffalo’s cap space to help the likes of Colorado or Vegas and to boost the return on his own rentals.

Luckily, the Sabres don’t have many big contracts of their own to navigate. Colin Miller’s hit is really the only contract where retention would offer any serious benefit. Cody Eakin’s $2.25m hit would as well to a certain extent, but modest salaries like Robert Hagg’s ($1.6m) or Hinostroza’s ($1.05m) probably don’t need to be reduced to facilitate a deal. Or to boost any potential return, for that matter.

The key benefit to this entire exercise is the potential to add draft capital, and potentially premium draft capital by serving as a third-party broker. The Sabres will probably be shipping out between two and five players on Monday, but none are expected to fetch a king’s ransom. Hinostroza has played well since returning from injury and could fetch a third-round pick in the right situation. Miller has the traits to snag the Sabres as much as a second-round pick, but I fear his injury will have harmed his value around the league. That might mean leveraging their cap space represents the best, or only, opportunity to acquire an additional top-64 pick.

I’d stop short of saying adding more second round picks is a necessity, especially with three picks in the opening round. However, it wouldn’t surprise me to see at least one of those selections used in a trade to acquire NHL talent com draft day. Finding a path to an additional second round pick or two, would offer some reinforcement for any picks that might get shipped out ahead of July 7.

There’s hardly a guarantee that any team will be able to serve as a way station for a larger deadline deal. But it’s encouraging to know that Kevyn Adams has thrown his hat into the ring should that opportunity present itself come Monday.

View Details

We are bathing in the good vibes surrounding the Sabres this week as we discuss how things have seemingly started to gel for the team and its young core. We discuss the impressive win over the Maple Leafs in the Heritage Classic, touch on the impressive impact that the likes of Alex Tuch and Jeff Skinner have on the club and look ahead to next week’s deadline.

Our deadline discussion focuses on players the Sabres could attempt to target as acquisitions at the deadline, in hopes of finding another key piece to help build this new core around.

https://api.spreaker.com/v2/episodes/49075501/download.mp3

View Details

The trade deadline is two weeks away and we spend this week’s episode discussing where Buffalo’s pending UFAs could go and how the Sabres can leverage this year’s deadline into even more draft capital for the club. We also touch on Kevyn Adams’ public statements about the Sabres ability to weaponize their cap space at the deadline.

Also on the show is a quick chat about the returns of Sam Reinhart, Jack Eichel and Sunday’s Heritage Classic.

https://api.spreaker.com/v2/episodes/48987490/download.mp3

View Details

The last few months haven’t been kind to the Sabres. Injuries have plagued the roster as losses keep stacking up. They’re flirting with winning only 10 of their last 50 games and another lost season has fans wondering when the reinforcements might arrive.

Unlike previous seasons, the Sabres prospect pipeline is a bit richer these days. Meaning there’s more than just one or two prospects worth looking forward to seeing. Jack Quinn was just returned to Rochester after recovering from injury. He joins JJ Peterka, who is steaming along at a point per game pace and Ukko Pekka Luukkonen, who is working back from an injury of his own. Mattias Samuelsson and Peyton Krebs are already in Buffalo and there’s an opportunity for Ryan Johnson, Devon Levi and Owen Power to arrive once their respective NCAA seasons wrap up.

Some of Buffalo’s Buffalo’s CHL prospects could even see action in Rochester on ATOs when their seasons end.

There ought to be space on the Sabres roster for some of those prospects to fill out after the trade deadline. There could be upwards of four-to-six openings depending on how many deals the Sabres swing and who they move on from. Thanks to the later start to the NHL season, NCAA prospects can play in far more games than they would under normal circumstances, which is a great sign for the ability of Johnson, Levi and Power to impact the Sabres lineup.

Exactly when those three could arrive is still up in the air. A few well-placed losses could get the trio to Buffalo sooner, which is what this rooting guide is for.

It should be pointed out that there is an obvious benefit to each of these players going deep into the NCAA Tournament or winning a National Championship. I’d assume everyone has a slightly different level of interest in how quickly each of the three sign contracts with the Sabres. For the sake of this exercise, let’s assume everyone is hoping to see the trio of Johnson, Levi and Power in Buffalo as soon as possible.

The following dates are important to keep in mind going forward: NHL trade deadline, March 21; B1G hockey tournament championship March 19; Hockey East championship, March 19, NCAA Regionals, March 24-27, Frozen Four, April 7-9; Sabres and Amerks final regular season game, April 29; AHL playoffs begin on or after May 1.

The Sabres play 19 games post-deadline and the Amerks play 17 in that same span. That’s a significant slate of games which can provide valuable development time for players throughout Buffalo’s pipeline. Each of the three NCAA prospects are affected differently by their upcoming schedules, but the big picture here is that the sooner they get to Buffalo, the better.

Owen Power

Power’s situation is probably the most straightforward of the three. There’s little to no question about what’s next for him. He’s proven himself against professionals at the World Championships and Olympics. He’s ready to sign an NHL contract the minute his NCAA season ends.

Michigan has been on the shortlist of National Championship favorites all year and that hasn’t changed as they enter the B1G tournament ranking fifth in the nation and second in the pairwise. Even an early exit from their conference tournament won’t keep the Wolverines out of the NCAA tournament, which means the earliest Power could sign a contract would be March 28. It’s conceivable that losing to Michigan State in their best-of-three this weekend (March 4-6) could serve up a tougher first round opponent in the NCAA tourney, but the timeline doesn’t really change here. Michigan will be playing until March 27 at a minimum, so you don’t really have to keep an eye on their scores until then.

There’s also reason to root for Power and the Wolverines to win a National Title. Not only would fellow Sabres prospect Erik Portillo play a major role in that accomplishment, but playing to April 9 wouldn’t keep Power from playing in Buffalo like in previous years. That’s the beauty of this year’s schedule. Additionally, if Power is unable to play in more than nine games, he’d be a 10.2c free agent at the end of his entry level deal, giving the Sabres additional bargaining power on his second contract. Plus, it wouldn’t hurt to let him play as many meaningful games as possible before signing his deal.

Ryan Johnson

Johnson and Minnesota are in a similar situation to Power and Michigan. They hold a top-five pairwise (third) and national (second) ranking along with holding the top seed in the B1G tournament. Getting upset early in the B1G tournament (first game comes on March 12) won’t keep them from playing through March 27 at the very least. So, there won’t be much value in rooting against Johnson until that point.

The benefit to getting Johnson signed is that a return to Minnesota would raise questions of testing free agency and the will he, won’t he headache that accompanies the endeavor. That option hasn’t been mentioned with regard to Johnson, but the door would be open if he did return. As noted above, the NHL schedule runs past the end of the NCAA season. So, the Sabres have the ability to offer him NHL games no matter what. But getting him under contract and on the ice would benefit all parties.

That means pushing for an early exit from the B1G tournament and tougher first round opponent in the NCAA tourney. Then rooting for an early exit from the NCAAs with the hope that Johnson could be in blue and gold before April 1.

Devon Levi

Levi probably has the juiciest rooting interests for the coming days and weeks. Despite what has been a Hobey Baker-worthy campaign from Levi, Northeastern are firmly on the pairwise bubble (16th as of this writing). The Huskies are tied for second in Hockey East with Merrimack, who they close the regular season against this weekend. They were swept by Hockey East’s number one team, UMass earlier in the year and just lost 1-0 to Vermont, one of the worst teams in the country this season. It’s very hard to peg just what sort of team Northeastern is, and with Atlantic Hockey’s auto-bid set to bump one team from the pairwise, the Huskies are in a precarious spot.

Not only do they need a pair of wins against Merrimack (March 4-5) to keep the two seed in Hockey East, they probably need them for whatever pairwise boost they would offer. Even then, they’ll need a strong showing in the Hockey East tournament to stay off the pairwise bubble. If their offense doesn’t show up for their quarterfinal on March 12 (or this weekend against Merrimack), Northeastern could be done next weekend. Levi could also continue his superhuman play and carry the Huskies to a conference title and NCAA auto-bid.

If you’re hoping Levi can add some stability to the Buffalo crease, root for the former.

View Details

The hockey world has reacted to the war in Ukraine, as Russia and Belarus have been suspended from international play by the IIHF and the 2023 World Junior Championships have been removed from Russia as well. Additional hockey-related sanctions have been placed on the two countries and we discuss the fallout that will come from the actions taken by both sides, from a hockey perspective. We also discuss the new initiatives being take by the Sabres in an effort to re-engage with their season ticket holders and fanbase as a whole. With a new VP of Ticketing, steps are being taken to open new avenues to connect with the fanbase and get butts back in the seats.

https://api.spreaker.com/v2/episodes/48917677/download.mp3

View Details

Eric makes his triumphant return to the show to reflect on the humble beginnings of the podcast, what’s unfolded over the last 10 years for the show, the Sabres and his career with the Nashville Predators. We talk about a host of NHL and hockey topics, including the fan engagement that’s been cultivated in Nashville and some of the big events Eric has experienced with the Preds.

https://api.spreaker.com/v2/episodes/48838433/download.mp3

View Details

The Sabres will have some work to do in order to reach the cap floor for the 2022-23 season. That will mean some creative moves will need to be made via free agency and the trade market in the coming weeks and months in order to hit the minimum salary cap figure. We run down a list for forwards, defensemen and goaltenders who the Sabres could target to not only fill their cap void, but to help push the team closer to competitiveness for the coming season.

https://api.spreaker.com/v2/episodes/48838325/download.mp3

View Details

The battle over what should occupy Buffalo’s waterfront has been roaring for the better part of two decades, as the early aughts brought us Bass Pro, an evolving vision for Canalside and eventually to where we are now. Which is, to say, not too far off from where we started.

Much of the progress we’ve seen has come in spite of the hucksters who weasel their way into any project of merit whose developer isn’t formidable enough to shoo them away. Other opportunities have been outright lost due to the pervasive obstructionists that seeps into much of the public discourse in the city. The Aud has been gone for over 10 years and we still have the empty pit to show for it.

That hasn’t kept Buffalo’s resident carnival barkers, the Campaign for Greater Buffalo, from concocting silly plans for projects he has no stake in. The group’s latest venture is a suspension bridge meant to connect the Inner and Outer Harbors. It’s a terrific idea until you see the route chosen by the group for their million-dollar deathtrap.

It’s hard to decipher in some of the renderings but what we have here is a proposal for a suspension bridge that will traverse the Skyway, Canalside and the Buffalo River before terminating at the top of the Connecting Terminal grain elevator. I can only hope the plans call for elevators to accompany the many flights of stairs in the two towers shown in the illustration. That the Campaign thinks this can get done for only a million bucks is endearing in its absurdity.

Of the many, many foolish aspects to this project, the limited use capacity is chief among them. I’m sure it would provide wonderful views in the summer and fall, but best wishes to anyone who would dare walk the bridge in the dead of winter when 40 mile-per-hour winds are coming off the lake. It’s not as if the other three months are without wind events, either. Seems like something that should’ve been taken into account for a project meant to solve a key connectivity issue.

I also have questions about the decision to pass the bridge over the four-lane highway where speeding cars and trucks will be just a few feet below patrons. As this is very much a blue sky set of plans, why not begin the bridge on the other side of the Skyway? It’s not like there isn’t room. Getting up and down from the bridge seems like a chore as well. You’re either hoofing it up 10-plus flights of stairs or dealing with elevator access. Best of luck if you’re bringing a bike. How the two stair towers, with what I would hope includes elevators, gets built along with the bridge, for a million dollars is beyond me. But who am I to doubt the brilliant minds that brought us outdoor rinks on top of parking garages.

What the Campaign does get at is the need for a logical connection to the Outer Harbor. Another connection point is imperative. Ohio Street works to an extent, but it’s still more car friendly than pedestrian friendly. That the City Ship Canal and the River are both still active with both recreational and commercial boat traffic presents another hurdle. Anything built surface level would need to accommodate that boat and shipping traffic throughout the year. Anything built above grade would need to rival the height of the Skyway, and as we’ve seen, it’s utterly ridiculous.

The most obvious solution is to work out an agreement with General Mills to rebuild the bridge that stretched from Kelly Island to the Outer Harbor. Rumors indicate that General Mills has been the main factor in keeping the bridge from being replaced in any way shape or form. If the city could find a way to get General Mills back on board, restoring that connection would be a vital connection between the Inner and Outer Harbor. Restoring it to vehicle and pedestrian traffic would be ideal, but even a pedestrian-only bridge would bring incredible value to the area. Recreating the jack knife bridge that was destroyed by the Tewksbury would make for a cool cultural and historical nod to Buffalo’s maritime history as well.

The S. Michigan connection point would be done at grade, so no need to carry your bike up 150 feet of stairs. It also offers the opportunity to include vehicle traffic, something that could aid in mitigating traffic for a future Skyway replacement. Using the design from the old Michigan Avenue bridge offers the historical context that has helped inform many of the projects in and around Canalside.

Another idea came to mind as I read this piece on Buffalo Rising. The post talks broadly about incorporating more of Frank Lloyd Wright’s architecture throughout the city and briefly mentions a concept Wright had for a bridge in San Francisco. The bridge design Wright came up with was gorgeous and it immediately made me think that a scaled down version would make for an incredible pedestrian bridge for Buffalo.

The logistics are the obvious issue here. There are few ideal crossing points between the Inner and Outer Harbor which wouldn’t require some sort of mechanism to move a bridge out of the way of water traffic. You could, in theory run a bridge from somewhere further down Ohio Street, over the train tracks and Route 5 sort of akin to Chicago’s BP Pedestrian bridge, just bigger. But the closer to Silo City you get, the less convenient a bridge would be for people visiting Canalside. Which brings the question of moving a bridge, and the associated costs, back into the picture.

There are plenty of incredible pedestrian bridges across the world. Just Google “cool pedestrian bridges” and you’ll be busy for hours. With the right capital behind the project, Buffalo could put themselves on that list. And the beauty of going that extra mile is that you wouldn’t be creating a novelty for novelty’s sake – like the Campaign for Greater Buffalo is trying. You’d be creating something that is equal parts visually stunning and functional.

Take the Millennium Bridge in Tyneside. It’s an astonishing feat of engineering that’s equaled only by its beauty. Now, imagine a version of Wright’s Bay Bridge, built at grade between Canalside and the Outer Harbor with the ability to accommodate the boat and ship traffic of the Buffalo River. It doesn’t have to be the Wright design, either. That may be way too ambitious to attempt even without some sort of lift or swing mechanism included. Something with character and beauty that would be a postcard picture staple and define Buffalo’s waterfront.

Whether it’s from the mind of Wright or some other gifted architect, it should be something that Buffalo can be proud of. Not a glorified ropes course strung over top of an active highway.

View Details

Protracted preservation battles have become something of a cottage industry in these parts. In fact, you might just call it an industry for some.

The latest battle has centered around the Great Northern grain elevator after the building’s northern wall collapsed. The usual players have taken sides for and against demolition after it was announced Archer Daniels Midland planned to bring the building down.

News has been mostly good for those hoping to save the structure as they won another favorable ruling in court this week. Doug Jemal has also expressed interest in buying the structure in order to preserve it. What exactly his plans would be are unknown, but if there’s a developer in the area capable of actually saving the building, it would be Jemal.

Tim Tielman came out from under his bridge to get his obligatory quotes in The Buffalo News while other developers such as Rocco Termini and Paul Ciminelli have voiced their support in saving the structure. It’s a good sign for those who hope to keep the elevator intact that Jemal has shown the propensity to hit the ground running with projects he takes on. Something that the preservation community in Western New York has not done.

Whether or not that means the structure should be saved, I’m not sure. I think there are just as many good reasons to keep it as there are reasons to bring it down.

The sheer size of Buffalo’s grain elevators is something to behold. Whether you’re kayaking past them or walking through Silo City, the scale of the structures is truly astonishing. You wouldn’t think that a hulking concrete box would be attractive but there’s a unique beauty to Buffalo’s grain elevators. Particularly those in Silo City. I’ve had to drive past Great Northern a whole lot these last few months as the Ohio St. bridge is repaired, and it too has its own brand of dystopic beauty. It’s a cool structure, there’s no question about it.

However, I don’t look at the Great Northern elevator and see anything particularly notable or exceptional about it. I simply can’t imagine feeling any sort of remorse over its loss. I understand the basis for its local landmark status. But I don’t quite see the value in it either. Sure, it’s nice that it’s a brick box grain elevator, but it’s cousins up the river are far more interesting and unique. They also happen to be clustered in a way that can cultivate further redevelopment.

The ability to effectively redevelop the Great Northern is what should be the biggest hurdle in the fight to preserve the building. It’s boxed in by two very active industrial neighbors. There are multiple rail lines which run along the front of the entire property, making pedestrian access a high stakes game of chicken.

Now, if there’s suddenly a boom in grain production and storage, we might be in business. But the reuse opportunities we’re seeing at the American Malting Company site and the Perot Malthouse aren’t an option here. So far the only idea pitched for the Great Northern is from whatever fantasy land exists in Tim Tielman’s brain and calls for painting “Buffalo” on the side in order for the elevator to serve as a calling card for the city. When I think of calling cards, abandoned industrial relics are always my first thought.

So where does this leave us? We’re talking about a building that’s extremely limited in scope when it comes to redevelopment. The location is obviously the biggest challenge, as finding safe access for pedestrians, residents or patrons would require extensive infrastructure improvements. Even still, the active industrial sites surrounding it would remain. I can’t help but think if this fronted the river as opposed to the City Ship Canal there would be far more flexibility in how to approach the project.

I’m sure the structure is largely sound but what do we gain by stabilizing it and slapping a coat of paint on it? It’s still an empty husk of Buffalo’s lost industrial golden age. Are we going to remove the grain silos from inside of it to create usable space? How might that affect the structural integrity of the building? More importantly, how much would that alter the budget of any developer who wanted to tackle this project? It’s one thing to stabilize and secure the building so it doesn’t fall down. It’s an entirely different undertaking to convert it into some sort of mixed-use space.

It’s fun to spitball, for sure. Removing the grain storage and refitting the interior to accommodate offices, condos or other uses. Sounds incredible. It also sounds expensive. And the building is still on a proverbial island between ADM’s active facility and General Mills. Seems like an extremely tall order that even Douglas Jemal might struggle to fully wrap his head around.

By my count there are 15 other grain elevators dotting Buffalo’s river and waterfront. Nine sit in a cluster that is being actively redeveloped as you read this. It’s far easier, and safer, to access and has the potential for exponential growth. That’s where our time and energy should be devoted. There, or a mile down the road where the smith shop at 110 South Park is still in imminent danger of being lost.

There should be a steady and consistent full court press to get the buildings owned by Darryl Carr into the hands of a developer who can properly restore them. While we’re all wasting our time worrying about a relatively unspectacular grain elevator, a set of building with far more historic value are being allowed to rot. It’s time for the performative outrage from the preservation community to end so some actual progress can be made in securing truly valuable sites.

Instead, we’re stuck arguing the merits of saving a building that offers very little to the surrounding area or region as a whole. If it can be stabilized and saved, great. I don’t know if it’s going to be worth all the time, money and energy to execute. But if it can stay, let it stay. But let’s not pretend like it’s the foremost preservation issue facing the city today.

View Details

The Montreal Canadiens fired Dominique Ducharme and named Martin St. Louis as their interim head coach as they work through a very difficult season. We discuss the Habs’ decision to go with a somewhat unexpected hire for their interim coach and whether or not St. Louis will have the inside track to take over in a more permanent capacity. Tuukka Rask called it a career and we celebrate his career while bidding him adieu We also discuss the NHL All Star Game and NHL Skills Competition before closing the show with a brief conversation about the men’s and women’s hockey tournament at the 2022 Winter Olympics.

https://api.spreaker.com/v2/episodes/48665788/download.mp3

View Details

We answer listener questions on air, but before we do, we discuss Rocky Wirtz’s outburst at a Blackhawks town hall rally and what the fallout could be for the troubled franchise. We also talk about some of the adaptations being made to the All Star Skills Competition and which Sabre player we think would be the best representative at this year’s All Star Game.

We wrap up the episode with a handful of #AskInstigator questions from our listeners where we discuss offseason acquisitions, the Heritage Classic and where we see Rasmus Dahlin at the end of his current contract.

https://api.spreaker.com/v2/episodes/48566815/download.mp3

View Details

Navigating a shallow prospect pool has been a chore for no fewer than two of Buffalo’s recent general managers. Both Kevyn Adams and Jason Botterill had to manage the situation and you could argue Tim Murray dealt with it as well. A cumulation of light drafts and below average development stripped the Sabres of almost any success outside the first round of the draft. They even have had their fair share of struggles in the first round. All of that led to a thin prospect pool in terms of quantity and quality.

The Sabres made 11 picks in the 2021 draft, the same number of selections over the two prior drafts combined. We’ll see how valuable the picks become down the line, but in the short term the draft was valuable in filling out Buffalo’s pipeline. That depth may be a bit of an illusion with most of Buffalo’s top prospects on the verge of NHL promotions, or already there. But there’s no question that the 2021 draft went a long way to refilling Buffalo’s prospect cupboard.

Despite their overall record, the early returns have been positive for Adams as his first two draft classes have a handful of bright spots. Thanks to some of the strong play from the likes of Jack Quinn and JJ Peterka, it felt appropriate to revisit the club’s prospect pool using the pyramid ranking style.

As a refresher, using the pyramid style over a strict numerical ranking lets you place players in tiers as opposed to having to choose one over the other. It’s especially useful in cases like this where ranking Jack Quinn over Peyton Krebs, for example, paints a different picture than simply putting them in the same overall group. Keep that in mind as you sift through the tiers below.

High End

Owen Power – I didn’t qualify any of Buffalo’s players as elite as I don’t think any of them rise to the level of a truly elite prospect. Power probably has the runway to climb to that top rung thanks to the impending Olympic tournament and the opportunity to wrap up a successful campaign with Michigan. His production has been excellent for the Wolverines this year and he started the World Junior Championship with a bang. You can count on him to sign his first contract and spend the remainder of the spring in Buffalo, which is something to look forward to.

Dylan Cozens – As Cozens won’t play his 82nd NHL game until January 30 against Colorado, I decided it was fair to keep him as a prospect for this exercise. Cozens’ second season has been steady and somewhat unspectacular. He’s taken strides from his abbreviated rookie season and is pacing toward a solid sophomore campaign. I feel that his offense has been better than it’s looked at times and as more talent is infused in the coming seasons, I expect you’ll see him take another notable step.

Peyton Krebs – Krebs arrived in the Jack Eichel trade and played at nearly a point per game pace for the Amerks before getting what looks to be a permanent recall to the big club. His vision and passing has been on full display since getting called up and his two-goal game against the Flyers has punctuated an impressive debut. He adds another dimension to Buffalo’s attack, particularly on the powerplay, which will meld nicely with some of the Sabres’ other exciting offensive players.

Jack Quinn – Quinn was a tier lower in the preseason but his season has been eye opening for just about everyone with any sort of stakes in Buffalo’s outlook. Even with a month absence due to mono and now a lower body injury putting him on the shelf for another four-to-six weeks, his goal scoring pace in Rochester was stunning and he wasn’t out of place in either of the two games he’s appeared in so far. The growth he’s shown this year is far and away the most notable prospect story for the Sabres.

Strong

Jacob Bryson, Alexander Kisakov, Ryan Johnson, JJ Peterka, Prokhor Poltapov, Mattias Samuelsson

Isak Rosen – Rosen is maybe the most frustrating Sabres prospect to track so far this season. He’s stuck in the limbo where his senior team doesn’t give him enough of a role to make a notable impact, while he’s too good to simply play for his junior club. As a result, he has nine points in nine games for his J20 side but only four in 28 for Leksands SHL club. Rosen has the ability to add more high-end offense to the other young offensively-minded prospect in Buffalo’s pipeline. But it’s hard to see when and how that will come given his current role in Sweden. Next year will likely be the season when he has the chance to truly take a big step, which means a bit more patience for the Sabres and fans.

Average

Jakub Konecny, Oskari Laaksonen, Devon Levi, Olivier Nadeau, Nikita Novikov, Erik Portillo, Lukas Rousek, Stiven Sardaryan,

Josh Bloom – Bloom and Olivier Nadeau have been mid-round bright spots as they’ve put up impressive numbers in the CHL. They’ve both dealt with dry spells, which is to be expected given where they were picked. Neither is going to be knocking on the door for an NHL job any time soon. They’ll likely spend at least one more year in the CHL before arriving in Rochester. But both have enjoyed the type of early production that is encouraging for their future growth.

Brett Murray – Murray’s path has been unconventional and probably unexpected but he didn’t look out of place during his extended look earlier in the year and I suspect he’s going to have a chance to lock down a bottom six role as early as 2022-23. That’s a win for a 4th round pick who went back to the USHL after starting his collegiate career.

Ukko Pekka Luukkonen – All three goalies are in this tier due to the ups and downs that accompany goaltending development. Levi is having the strongest season of the trio so far, but that doesn’t mean he’ll have immediate pro success. Hence, all three are in the same tier until their results prove otherwise.

UPL had a difficult start in Rochester, raising questions about his long term outlook. But he righted the ship for the Sabres at a time they were in desperate need of steady goaltending. I don’t expect him to go back to Rochester once he’s healthy and he’ll have an NHL job for 22-23 as well. Despite the struggles created by COVID and his recovery from surgery, I think he remains on track with his development.

Longshots

William von Barnekow, Brandon Biro, Filip Cederqvist, Matteo Costantini, Viljami Marjala, Matej Pekar, Linus Weissbach

Aaron Huglen – I’m always game to see how an offensively gifted collegian can grow and that especially applies to Huglen and even Matteo Costantini. They’ll have time to grow over the next few seasons, so there’s no reason to fret over their results at least until spring of 2023. The one caveat here is Huglen’s age. He turns 21 in March and could be 23 by the time he gets an NHL deal. That narrows the window for him to pop for the Sabres from a prospect perspective, which is something to keep in mind as he works through his first year with the Gophers.

Below Average

Linus Cronholm, Tyson Kozak, Miska Kukkonen, Albert Lyckasen, William Worge Kreu

View Details

It’s been a busy week in the NHL and we open this week’s episode with a conversation over Aaron Dell’s suspension and the bind that it has put the Sabres in to with their goaltending. Not only do we discuss how the suspension affects the Sabres but the actions Dell took and if he was deserving of the penalty he received.

Along the way, we touch on the new hirings of Kent Hughes, Patrick Allvin and Émilie Castonguay. The Philadelphia Flyers’ recent exploits were also a topic as the club held a press conference addressing their current struggles and the path forward.

We wrap up with a discussion about Owen Power and Devon Levi’s future once the Olympics wrap up and just how they can fit into the Sabres roster after the Olympics, NHL Trade Deadline and the completion of their respective NCAA seasons.

https://api.spreaker.com/v2/episodes/48460891/download.mp3

View Details

The Sabres will be back in black and red in 2022-23 after Icethetics confirmed that a leaked image is indeed a mockup of the alternate jersey the Sabres will be wearing next season.

Logo on right via Icethetics YouTube video There’s still a lot to iron out regarding the jersey as the image leaked was a low quality mockup that even included an error which left out one of the red angled hem stripes. Icethetics cleaned up the design a bit in the video linked above, but the lack of a high-quality image opens the door for more surprises as more information comes available. For example, the additional details on the embroidery of the 50th anniversary jerseys wasn’t immediately known from the initial leaks and rumors over those uniforms. So don’t be surprised if there are some “hidden” details which come out at the official unveiling.

From what we can see thus far shows the bulk of the black jersey left intact, with only the collar lacking the same detail from the 1996-2006 era. The primary crest shows upgrades of its own and Icethetics indicates that the shoulder patches will also receive some changes as well.

It’s an exciting development as many fans have been clamoring for the team to bring back the uniform design for some time now. Add to that the disappointment that the team missed the necessary deadline to wear these jerseys during the 50th anniversary season, much like the Coyotes did with their Kachina jerseys and the Blues are doing with their mid-1990s blue jerseys.

That missed deadline made these an inevitability at some point and I supposed the delay can be blamed on COVID more than anything. Plenty of NHL teams have gotten in on the nostalgia trips in recent years and it’s nice to see the Sabres get in on the fun.

It’s interesting that they opted to make some subtle changes to the logo. The original black and red logo didn’t really need any upgrades and as this is a throwback alternate, of sorts, it would’ve made sense to leave the logo as is. That being said, the changes made haven’t made the logo worse than the original incarnation. Simplifying the white section to the left and under the eye definitely cleans up the logo and some of the other choices to smooth out and clean up the logo all work well. The area around the eye is still aggressive and sharp and it look slike two shades of silver (or grey) will be used throughout. Changing the forehead section might be a little disappointing to some as the jagged angles were a key characteristic on all of Ryan Miller’s Sabres masks. The only real downgrade is dropping the silver outline, and perhaps removing the red accent on the nostrils (though that may be due to the image quality).

Overall, I’d say the logo changes are good, despite being unnecessary. Many people may not even notice that anything has changed. As I mentioned before, the low res image may be hiding some more interesting details from sight that could really make the crest pop on the uniforms.

These jerseys ought to be a home run for the Sabres. They’re going to hit big on nostalgia and the subtle changes could wind up as welcome upgrades. I do wish the collar was two-color in some way – maybe trimmed in red – and I hope they don’t make any fundamental changes to the font. I also would’ve preferred the white jersey to the black, but those are both small quibbles. There was a time that it seemed the Sabres almost held a contemptible opinion to the the views of their fans. That seems to be changing and this is perhaps the most notable example.

I’m excited for when these are officially unveiled and I’m hopeful the Sabres have plans to keep these in their rotation for a long time to come.

View Details

One half of the Maintenance Day podcast team joined the show this week as Joe Yerdon was back once again. Unfortunately, Lance Lysowski was unable to join for our roundtable discussion. We touch on the Sabres difficult injury luck and how they will be addressing their goaltending pipeline as Devon Levi and Erik Portillo continue to impress in the NCAA. We also touch on the NHL’s announcement of rescheduled games and how the stretch run is going to be a challenge for teams to handle as the games will be coming fast and furious.

https://api.spreaker.com/v2/episodes/48371056/download.mp3

View Details

The Sabres goaltending woes have continued for a second-straight season as the injury bug has bitten the team hard. We discuss the most recent injuries to Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and Malcolm Subban and what it means for Buffalo’s outlook. We also discuss Jack Quinn’s NHL debut and the promise he showed in his first game for the Sabres. The show opens with a discussion of Evander Kane’s latest exploits and whether or not the Oilers should be pursuing him as hard as they appear to be.

https://api.spreaker.com/v2/episodes/48275244/download.mp3

View Details

The Sabres have dropped three straight since returning from the holiday break. We discuss the debuts of Alex Tuch, Peyton Krebs and JJ Peterka, offering thoughts on how each looked as they played their first games in blue and gold. We also touch on the roster issues that face the Sabres as they work through what appears to be a growing COVID outbreak in the locker room.

https://api.spreaker.com/v2/episodes/48171270/download.mp3

View Details

Peyton Krebs and JJ Peterka are poised to make their Sabres debuts as the team finally gets back to playing after an extended absence due to the league’s COVID influenced pause. We chat about how the pair will factor into the lineup along with another debutant: Alex Tuch. Beyond our excitement with Buffalo’s recent recalls, we also chat about the cancellation of the women’s U18 World Championships, how COVID has impacted the World Juniors and other topics from the past week in the NHL.

https://api.spreaker.com/v2/episodes/48091521/download.mp3

View Details

There really was never going to be much of a question over where the Bills new stadium was going to be built. While the conversation over a downtown or Orchard Park site was a valuable one to have, the die was cast when the Bills released their report indicating their preference to build in Orchard Park.

“Concerned” downtown developers can turn their attention to other causes now that Governor Hochul said the state will accept the Bills’ preferred site across Abbott Rd. in Orchard Park. The Pegulas held the hammer on this and barring extraordinary circumstances, the state and county were always going to play ball with regard to where they wanted to build (humorous as it may be considering they’re asking the public to pay for so much of this project).

Rendering by Populous, I think. Maintaining the status quo in Orchard Park is a fine conclusion to this process. The Bills can continue to play next door to their training facilities and offices, the fans get to keep tailgating and the price tag will be slightly more palatable for all parties involved. A more streamlined construction schedule and lower land acquisition costs all add up as positive factors for a new stadium in Orchard Park.

The limitations of a suburban stadium will remain as well. Below average access and limited offseason uses being chief among them.

We certainly don’t lose anything with the construction of a new stadium in Orchard Park. But we don’t really gain anything either, and I think that’s the one lasting question I’ll have once the new building is finished. What, if anything, will we have missed by not building in the city? There are many, many issues at play, but there are a few overarching topics which probably needed more attention than they got.

Economics & Development

As the Bills In Buffalo group got their message off the ground, one of their big talking points was the ability for a stadium to be an economic driver for the city. It is, perhaps, the most flawed arguments you could make for a sports venue.

There are piles and piles of studies that show just how poor of an investment a stadium is. I won’t link them all here but these two illustrate the conclusions quite well. In short, the public investment into a Bills stadium was never going to pay off for Western New York. No matter where they built. In that respect, the lower price tag of the Orchard Park location nets out as a benefit to the taxpayers.

What’s interesting about the Perry site that would have likely been the downtown location is that it would not necessarily have been a silver bullet that many stadiums are billed as. I’m not sure why the Bills in Buffalo group insisted on pushing a downtown stadium as a development driver when the Perry location would have been around so much existing development. That should have been the selling point for building in that location. A stadium would not have had to serve as a draw for development. Rather, it would have been built a stone’s throw from Canalside, KeyBank Center, the Casino and the larger the Cobblestone ~~Parking~~ Entertainment District. With so much positive momentum in and around Canalside, along Ohio St. and up Main St., a stadium would have been a complement rather than a centerpiece. With residences finally coming to Canalside and other attractions sprouting up around the area (Resurgence, Riverworks and Hofbrauhaus, for example), we wouldn’t have to rely on the stadium to spur any development. It would have been an interesting addition to the area in that regard because a stadium would have been a positive addition to that entertainment district as a whole.

Infrastructure

One of the main reasons a downtown site would have been so much more expensive than Orchard Park was the need for infrastructure improvements to ensure proper access to the site. Expanding thruway ramps, surface streets and public transit were factors that just simply don’t exist in Orchard Park.

Those are also all improvements which would have served as a larger benefit to residents of the city and those who visit. Arguably more so than the stadium itself would have been.

Improved on and off-ramps to the I-190 would be used everyday. Repairs and improvements to surface streets in the area would do the same for residents in the area and commuters at large. The work to the DL&W shed will help open the door for an eventual expansion to Larkinville, connecting the stadium to the rail line – an absolute no brainer – would get you halfway to that Larkinville extension. As an aside, finding a way to simply build an extension to Larkinville in a hypothetical downtown stadium would have increased connections and helped alleviate some of the unfounded parking issues many had with a downtown site.

That connects to another misconception that was used against a downtown site; traffic. Byron Brown trumpeted a common talking point that traffic after Sabres games is already bad, how could we ever deal with Bills traffic. A point that badly misses the mark anytime it’s brought up and somehow also ignores the absolute nightmare that is Bills traffic in Orchard Park.

Consider, for a moment, the access points to Highmark Stadium. The vast majority of fans (anyone north of West Seneca) arrive via the 219 or potentially Route 5. You have some who are wise enough to use Abbott or other surface streets, but by and large you have two main arteries serving the stadium. The city has double the options in terms of expressways as you can arrive via the north and southbound 190, Route 5 and the 33. Factor in surface streets and public transit and the ability to disperse traffic is exponentially greater in the city than it is in Orchard Park. And that’s before any improvements would be made to accommodate a new stadium. Nevermind that dealing with traffic is simply part of the bargain you strike with hosting large events. That our region can’t grasp what real traffic is shouldn’t get in the way of the actual information available to us to evaluate.

Oh, and by the way, Sabres traffic is a breeze. Why anyone thinks it’s bad is beyond me.

I’m losing the thread here a bit, but it’s important to note that the idea that a downtown stadium would somehow create gridlock is preposterous to me to begin with. That the point was being made knowing that large infrastructure improvements would accompany the project is borderline ignorant. Those infrastructure additions would also have given the city an actual year-round benefit as it would help commuters and visitors alike. Something that any stadium would be unlikely to deliver.

Usage Opportunities

The limited use a football stadium gets is typically one of the drivers behind the lack of return on investment for the region they occupy. Getting 20 uses per year with full capacity is pretty paltry for a billion-plus price tag. Finding ways to capitalize on that huge investment, especially downtown, would have been a challenge.

Buffalo was never going to get a Super Bowl. We don’t have the hotels or convention space to effectively host one. The idea that a dome stadium in the city would score Buffalo a Super Bowl was foolish to discuss even as a pipe dream. I think the best-case scenario for a covered stadium in the city of Buffalo would have been hosting NCAA basketball regional finals with an outside shot at a Final Four. If it was built to host soccer, you might score a USMNT or USWNT game or two along the way.

A downtown stadium probably results in a few more concerts coming through town, but turning the lights on for more than 30 nights a year is probably a big ask. It’s a bigger ask in Orchard Park, but less so. We’re seeing concerts come back to the stadium after a lengthy layoff and a covered stadium in Orchard Park would probably draw about the same amount of acts as a downtown stadium, with a few key omissions. You probably lose the ability to lobby for an Elite 8 or Final Four and similar events, but that’s about it. Of course, it doesn’t sound like a roof is in the works for Orchard Park, which might further limit non-Bills events. But when evaluating everything on balance (covered stadiums in both locations) you’d maybe see a slight uptick in the city. But not nearly enough to completely justify the increased price tag.

Dome Sweet Dome

Terry Pegula thinks football should be played outside. Terry Pegula should mind his business, in my opinion. Ten NFL stadiums have a roof and two more have a covered stand. That’s 1/3 of the NFL that plays indoors. You can further maximize fan comfort (and probably spending) by tossing a roof on this stadium. Oh by the way, the quarterback you’re about to pay $250 to would be able to throw the ball all over the place for the eight-plus games a year you play at home. Given the direction the league is trending, that’s a consideration to make for future Bills quarterbacks too.

A roof also opens the door for more non-football events to come through the building. Which not only puts more money in the owners pocket, but would offer some benefit to the taxpayers. The idea that the Bills need to play in conditions is antiquated. Save for the experiment in New York City, the most important game of the year is either played indoors or in temperate climates. Put your team in a postion to win as many home games as possible, set them up for homefield in the playoffs and enjoy having your fans warm, cozy and spending more on gamedays in your covered stadium.

Parking and Tailgating

One other popular objection to a downtown stadium is the negative impact it would have on tailgating. You also heard the popular refrain from any suburbanite who goes to the city of “where would we park”. I touched on the benefits of public transit above, but as a noted suburbanite myself, I’m always floored by the idea that it’s so hard to find parking in the city. Public transit works, you know. It’s especially useful in getting you from one are of the city down to where the arena and a hypothetical Bills stadium would have been. Hot tip for those of you who are perplexed by Sabres traffic: park in a ramp or lot around Huron and Chippewa and catch the train. Your drive home will be traffic free.

There’s also a literal sea of parking in the Cobblestone District. I know in theory that those lots could be developed, but who are we kidding here? If the Bills built in the city, I can almost guarantee those lots would be open for tailgating. Plus other opportunities throughout the city which would connect to the previously mentioned light rail. You can find plenty of robust tailgating with other downtown stadiums too, so I think the idea that tailgating as we know it would die (as if that’s the worst thing that could happen) if the stadium was built downtown is wrong.

I do, however, feel strongly that the idea of losing tailgating helped inform the Bills decisions here. Keeping their investment as low as possible is certainly the number one factor for the Pegulas, but I think the team’s connection to tailgating was high on the list. The survey PSE released to fans a few years ago featured a number of questions related to tailgating, and while they have not released the results of that survey, I’m confident that there was a very strong response in favor of maintaining the practice.

I mentioned this above, but an Orchard Park stadium maintains the status quo. We don’t lose anything as a fanbase or a region. Tailgating is part of that equation.

In the end I think the decision to build in Orchard Park is probably the right one. The increased price tag downtown wasn’t the boogey man it was being made out to be, mainly because the infrastructure improvements (which are necessary with or without a stadium) would have been a true public benefit. But was still a huge investment that would have largely fallen on the fans (read: taxpayers). While a downtown stadium would have opened up a few more opportunities that will be missed in Orchard Park, the obstacles were always going to be too much to overcome. With all that in mind, if the fans are going to be the Pegula’s oil well, I can deal with keeping the burden as low as possible.

Two in the Box: Recent Episodes

None