Buffalo News

'Brandon Montour nearly doubled his career high with a 73-point season in Florida that left him tied for fifth in scoring by defensemen with Dahlin. Ryan O'Reilly might be rekindling the magic of 2019 in St. Louis with the Leafs, and Toronto added Jake McCabe at the trade deadline and has put him on its top defense pair with T.J. Brodie. Sam Reinhart had his second straight … [Read more...] about Inside the NHL: There’s plenty of ex-Sabres to follow in the Stanley Cup Playoffs

'We’ve likely seen the last of Olofsson in a Sabres uniform. He’s entering the final year of his contract and struggled at 5-on-5 to the point that he was a healthy scratch in five straight must-win games. There will be plenty of interest in Olofsson, especially if Buffalo retains salary. Pro sports are all about roles and there are teams that need someone such as Olofsson to … [Read more...] about Inside the Sabres: Analyzing the depth chart and where GM Kevyn Adams will add this summer

'"That net is nobody's right now when we talk about the future," said Granato. "It's got to be earned and then re-earned and re-earned again. And that has to become that habit, that competitive mindset and good franchises become great when you have internal competition."' … [Read more...] about How will Buffalo Sabres handle their goalies after Devon Levi ‘earned’ the net?

'“You guys know my style,” said Adams. “I believe in when you have core pieces that you feel are going to be a very important part of your franchise, I like to be proactive. Both him and Owen are critical pieces of this franchise moving forward and I certainly have let their agents know how we feel about them, and we’ll work at it."' … [Read more...] about Sabres trying to sign Rasmus Dahlin, Owen Power to long-term contracts

'"This year, you watch it with the intent that you're there. That you'll be there 12 months from now," Granato said. "And I think we're in a position where it's appropriate to do that. And so you're visualizing your team. The 82 games next year, if it's an entry into the playoffs, what can you be working on situationally that's going to help you?"' … [Read more...] about Mike Harrington: Watching playoffs this year finally takes on added meaning for Sabres’ brass

'The Sabres averaged a 5.4 rating for the season, up 38% from the 3.9 rating they averaged in the 2021-22 season.' … [Read more...] about Alan Pergament: Sabres’ ratings up 38% for season; Dan Dunleavy’s season also a success

'The Sabres went 25-13-3 on the road this season – and their 53 points equal the most by any non-playoff team since the 2005 NHL lockout (Boston had the same record and point total in 2015-16). It was the second-highest total in franchise history, surpassed only by the 54 points (25-12-4) earned by the 2006-07 Presidents' Trophy team.' … [Read more...] about Mike Harrington: Sabres thrived on the road and now have to figure out the homefront

'Samuelsson, a shutdown defenseman for the Buffalo Sabres, told reporters following his exit meeting Sunday in KeyBank Center that he played with multiple broken bones in his left hand over the past few weeks.' … [Read more...] about Mattias Samuelsson played through injuries in his quest to push Sabres into playoffs

'"It's been awesome. Looking back, it's probably one of the best times of my life," Levi said. "It's a dream come true to actually be here. It's pretty surreal that this happened so fast, and they just gave me the opportunity to play. I'm just so grateful to have been given that opportunity."' … [Read more...] about Mike Harrington: Devon Levi’s NHL career got a huge kickstart after college disappointment

'“We talked a little bit with the coaches right now, and I felt probably get maybe my compete level up a little bit through every game," Olofsson told reporters Sunday in KeyBank Center. “I feel like sometimes it's really good and sometimes I have a small dip. Just to be more consistent, but I felt like I still did a lot of good things this year. It's easy to obviously focus … [Read more...] about Sabres notebook: Victor Olofsson frustrated by finish but proud of his season

'“It’s just these young guys,” Okposo said during the Sabres’ locker cleanout. “They want to learn. In the NHL, we have a lot of different egos with a lot of guys that want things for themselves. We’re very fortunate on this team where if you were to pan to the bench when there’s a goal scored, everybody is genuinely happy for that person. And that’s not always the case. It’s … [Read more...] about Undecided about future, Sabres captain Kyle Okposo ‘proud’ of his role in turnaround

'"You can't go back into individual games and nitpick everything because it's 82 games," Okposo said. "It's a marathon and there's gonna be ups and downs and you just try to not ride the roller coaster. Now we know how hard it is. We came up just shy, we know how hard it was to get to the point that we're at. And so now we're going to be better prepared to take the next step."' … [Read more...] about Mike Harrington: Two points shy of playoffs, Sabres want to capitalize on lessons of frantic finish

'Tuch's offseason won't begin for another several weeks, though. Tuch, 26, revealed that he and his younger brother, Luke, 21, will play for Team USA at the IIHF World Championship in Latvia next month. As a junior at Boston University, Luke led the Terriers to the Frozen Four this month. He was a second-round draft pick of the Montreal Canadiens in 2020.' … [Read more...] about Sabres notebook: Alex Tuch and brother, Luke, to play together at world championships

'“Obviously, we’re not in our prime yet,” said Dylan Cozens, whose breakout season included 31 goals and a seven-year contract extension. “Our prime years are still ahead, and to be as close as we were this year, I think we made a big step. Next year, playoffs is the expectation. We all believe that we will be there, and we know what it takes now.”' … [Read more...] about A promising season over, Sabres shift focus to next step: ‘Playoffs is the expectation’

'The crowd roared. The Sabres formed a group hug around Anderson, who earned his 319th career victory by making 30 saves against his former team. They took turns congratulating the 41-year-old, who brought levity in difficult times with his wry sense of humor and helped each of his teammates with wisdom gained through his 20 seasons in the NHL.' … [Read more...] about ‘This is it’: Craig Anderson caps remarkable NHL career with 30 saves in Sabres OT win