'Bales, who played 23 NHL games, knows Sabres general manager Jason Botterill well from their days together in Pittsburgh. Bales spent six seasons with the Penguins, where Botterill was the associate GM.' … [Read more...] about Reports: Sabres to hire Mike Bales as goalie coach, retain Steve Smith
Archives for 2019
Carolina Hurricanes goaltending coach Mike Bales resigns position
'Bales, who had a year left on his contract, had been with the team the past two seasons, and Brind’Amour often mentioned this season that he leaned on Bales to make the call on which goalie to start.' … [Read more...] about Carolina Hurricanes goaltending coach Mike Bales resigns position
The Sabres to hire Mike Bales as goalie coach
'Bales spent two seasons coaching the Hurricanes goalies. Petr Mrazek and Curtis McElhinney did not have great regular season numbers, but Carolina did make the playoffs and got to the Eastern Conference Finals.' … [Read more...] about The Sabres to hire Mike Bales as goalie coach
'Love' for Buffalo, chance to win led Jeff Skinner back to Sabres
'"There’s some talented players that are pretty young and they’re going to get better," Skinner said. "As they grow older, they’re going to mature and keep taking next steps. I think when you look at the start we had, I know that we sort of ran through a speed bump there and didn’t finish off the way we [wanted], but I don’t think that sort of takes away from the part of the … [Read more...] about ‘Love’ for Buffalo, chance to win led Jeff Skinner back to Sabres
Comfort helped convince Jeff Skinner to sign long-term contract with Sabres
'“It was a lot of change and there was a lot of adjustments, I think,” Skinner said Tuesday during a news conference to discuss the eight-year, $72 million contract he signed Friday. “(They were) sort of little things you don’t really think about, and I think they kind of add up. For me, the adjustment here went smoothly. Everything went positive.”' … [Read more...] about Comfort helped convince Jeff Skinner to sign long-term contract with Sabres
Sabres Skinner didn't see the need to talk to other teams
'In April Skinner said that it’s going to be a long process for him as he needed to think about everything. He was true to that and said, “I think there’s a number of things. When you go through this process you try to weigh what’s important to you and then you weigh the pros and cons and for me, the top things on my list were all the positive things about Buffalo and right at … [Read more...] about Sabres Skinner didn’t see the need to talk to other teams
Jeff Skinner talks after inking 8-year deal with Sabres
'Skinner said he did talk to new head coach Ralph Krueger on the phone before finishing his decision making, "he's got a lot of experience in numerous situations that are going to benefit him, but for me the thing that sticks out for me is his excitement to be in Buffalo and his excitement to get things rolling, I think as a player that's the kind of thing that excites you and … [Read more...] about Jeff Skinner talks after inking 8-year deal with Sabres
Skinner believes future is bright with Sabres
'"When you look at the overall organization, the position that it's in with the talent it has and the players it has and for me, personally, how I've seen those people work together, there's a lot of positive signs there."' … [Read more...] about Skinner believes future is bright with Sabres
Belief in roster, comfort in community kept Skinner in Buffalo
'"I love it here and I had a great time last year," he said. "Obviously, disappointed with the result, but when you're sort of looking at the overall picture, I had a great time and a great experience with everything - with teammates, with the fans, with the community, everyone in the organization."' … [Read more...] about Belief in roster, comfort in community kept Skinner in Buffalo
Wednesday's Rochester Coverage
Paetsch thrived in role as Amerks mentor (Amerks.com) … [Read more...] about Wednesday’s Rochester Coverage
Jason Botterill, Sabres felt 'very comfortable' committing to Jeff Skinner
'The salary-cap implications could cause issues for Botterill when he attempts to sign Sam Reinhart, Brandon Montour, Rasmus Dahlin and Casey Mittelstadt to long-term contracts, and will likely prevent the Sabres from being aggressive in the free-agent market, at least in the interim.' … [Read more...] about Jason Botterill, Sabres felt ‘very comfortable’ committing to Jeff Skinner
Jason Botterill's only option was to make a deal with Jeff Skinner
'The Sabres had to pay Skinner. And at $9 million per season for eight years, it's an overpay at least for now. Skinner can repay the team with some more 30- or even 40-goal seasons to make it look like a good investment, and the likely increases in the salary cap — which could be pushing past $90 million in the next three years or so — will make the investment less onerous on … [Read more...] about Jason Botterill’s only option was to make a deal with Jeff Skinner
Trades 'more realistic' option for Sabres to address needs
'The Sabres are less likely to be aggressive, though, since Skinner and Eichel will account for 22.5 percent of the projected $83 million salary cap for next season. Instead, the team is more likely to use draft picks and prospects to trade for a top-six forward, specifically a center, or help on the blue line, much like the pre-deadline deal that sent Brendan Guhle and a … [Read more...] about Trades ‘more realistic’ option for Sabres to address needs
Rewards of Jeff Skinner’s long-term contract outweigh risks for Sabres
'“Probably one of the next questions is going to be about giving an eight-year contract to a 27-year-old,” Botterill said of Skinner’s $72 million deal on a conference call Saturday, a day after awarding the hefty contract. “But there’s always going to be risk sometimes in doing that. But we feel very comfortable in how Jeff handles himself off the ice, how he’s dedicated to … [Read more...] about Rewards of Jeff Skinner’s long-term contract outweigh risks for Sabres
Sabres’ Skinner tells AP he welcomes higher expectations
'“But I think that any athlete has that pride and wants to work and help the team win,” he added. “I’m excited to be there and be a piece of the puzzle.”' … [Read more...] about Sabres’ Skinner tells AP he welcomes higher expectations