'Botterill told reporters Wednesday the Sabres are prepared to draft now and did not express any concern with the change to the lottery. Although Botterill said he isn't in a position to trade numerous high draft picks, he did not rule out using his first-round selection as a trade chip.' … [Read more...] about Seven Sabres takeaways from Jason Botterill’s first offseason chat with media
Archives for May 2020
Jason Botterill's chance to set a new tone for Sabres falls flat
'Reaction: Miss the playoffs. Lather, rinse, repeat. Miss the playoffs. Lather, rinse, repeat.' … [Read more...] about Jason Botterill’s chance to set a new tone for Sabres falls flat
Sabres defenseman Lawrence Pilut signs contract with Russian team
'Although there is a clause in the contract that would allow Pilut to leave for the NHL, it's unclear if he can do so during the season. There is a chance Pilut can begin next season in the KHL and return to Buffalo when the Sabres are able to resume play. Pilut's agent, Patrik Aronsson, declined comment when contacted by The News regarding the contract.' … [Read more...] about Sabres defenseman Lawrence Pilut signs contract with Russian team
Sabres’ Kyle Okposo understands frustrations: ‘I know people are mad’
'“I understand the weight of the team that’s on the city, and I get it, because I now live here full time,” Okposo said on a Zoom call Wednesday. “I talked to a lot of people, I’ve become friends with a lot of different people, and I know people are (ticked). I know people are mad and they want to win. We want to win, too.”' … [Read more...] about Sabres’ Kyle Okposo understands frustrations: ‘I know people are mad’
Report: Lawrence Pilut leaving Sabres, joining Russian team
'The Swede will become a restricted free agent when the two-year, entry-level NHL contract he signed with the Sabres expires June 30.' … [Read more...] about Report: Lawrence Pilut leaving Sabres, joining Russian team
Criticism doesn’t alter Sabres GM’s plan to build with youth
'“When we talk about development, it also equates to trying to find a winning environment here,” he added. “We want our young players to step in and put them in positions where they can succeed, where they can help out our core players right away.”' … [Read more...] about Criticism doesn’t alter Sabres GM’s plan to build with youth
Botterill: 'At the end of the day, it's our fault that we didn't win more games'
'"At the end of the day, we should have put ourselves in a better position. I think in the five or six games leading up to the start of the pause, we played well, but we didn't get the results that we wanted. In a situation when you get into February, March and April, you have to get results. We didn't get that."' … [Read more...] about Botterill: ‘At the end of the day, it’s our fault that we didn’t win more games’
McCabe disappointed in the way the 2019-20 season ended
'"It was tough navigating it because these are crazy times," McCabe said during his end-of-season press conference on Wednesday via a Zoom conference call. "Any format that we decided upon and voted upon, there's obviously going to be some push back. It's an imperfect situation and it's an imperfect format, no matter how you look at it or which way you go about it, but … [Read more...] about McCabe disappointed in the way the 2019-20 season ended
Report: Lawrence Pilut is considering leaving for the KHL
'Lawrence Pilut, who has had a tough time getting minutes with the Sabres in the past two seasons, is reportedly considering leaving for the Kontinental Hockey League in Russia, according to Russian reporter Igor Zhukov.' … [Read more...] about Report: Lawrence Pilut is considering leaving for the KHL
Continuity is a bad idea for the Sabres
'It’s mostly about what's happened with the franchise in his tenure, but Kim Pegula’s comments only added to my ire. The Sabres team president and co-owner told the Associated Press on Tuesday, “I realize, maybe it’s not popular with the fans, but we have to do the things that we feel are right” in explaining the reasoning for keeping Botterill for a fourth season. Pegula … [Read more...] about Continuity is a bad idea for the Sabres
Report: Lawrence Pilut is considering leaving Sabres, playing in the KHL
'In two seasons with the Sabres, Pilut has one goal and five assists in 46 career NHL games. In 2019, Pilut played in just 13 games with the Sabres and failed to register a point.' … [Read more...] about Report: Lawrence Pilut is considering leaving Sabres, playing in the KHL
Jason Botterill continues to emphasize development of young players and scoring depth for Sabres success
'“We have to do a better job at creating more offense throughout our four lines of having more depth scoring in our entire lineup,” Botterill said on a zoom call Wednesday morning with reporters.' … [Read more...] about Jason Botterill continues to emphasize development of young players and scoring depth for Sabres success
Sabres can’t let losing skids turn into season meltdowns
'“We had too many poor streaks to combat the good streaks this last year. We started off really, really well and then every team is gonna hit a skid. It’s bound to happen and one of the keys to making the playoffs and playing well all season is to manage those skids. We need to find a way to do better at that,” Sabres forward Kyle Okposo said.' … [Read more...] about Sabres can’t let losing skids turn into season meltdowns
Botterill continues to sell future
'"Look we've understood the passion of our fans here in Buffalo. We understand that this is a strong hockey market and when we've performed well they've certainly supported us... and I think we understand the difficulty that it is to compete in the National Hockey League day in and day out. You see it in our home record this year I think we wound up being eighth. I think for … [Read more...] about Botterill continues to sell future
Botterill braced for pressure of returning as Sabres general manager
'"My responsibility's not going to change," Botterill said. "I have to continue to build this organization to be strong at all levels ... whether it's goaltending, defense, forwards. It's imperative that we get stronger in these spots. I think we're on the path to doing that, but it's important that continues to grow however long this offseason is. ... We'll see what's … [Read more...] about Botterill braced for pressure of returning as Sabres general manager