WGR

'Ullmark is going to get the first chance to take over for Lehner. Botterill said, “We want to give him that opportunity, but you have to have expectations. It’s the same thing where we’re very excited about the selection we’re going to make today, but you have to understand that there’s a growing process here. We think Linus is ready for the next challenge here, but to hand … [Read more...] about Sabres’ Botterill says they’re letting Robin Lehner go

'Dahlin has visited the city of Buffalo twice since last December and it seems to have made an impression on him, “It was awesome when I was there for the combine. They have great fans, it’s a great city, it’s a small city and I come from a small city, so it’s perfect for me, so we will see what is happening tomorrow.”' … [Read more...] about Dahlin is ready to finally be drafted into the NHL

'"I just remember the first few times seeing him in the SHL as a 16-year-old doing things that you don't see anyone do as a defenseman. Here's a defenseman who dekes the opposing players, goes end-to-end and scores these Bobby Orr goals basically. You don't see that, and I've never seen that covering hockey in my years. It was a revelation, to me, as to the way he played the … [Read more...] about Bodin: Dahlin was a revelation

'Lehner has been the Sabres primary goaltender for the past three seasons, with a 42-61-22 record with a 2.77 goals against average and .917 save percentage in 133 starts for Buffalo.' … [Read more...] about Report: Sabres expected to let Robin Lehner become UFA

'One stat that could indicate that Pacioretty is poised for a bounce back season is shot percentage. Last season he was firing at 8%, the lowest since his second year in the league. Pacioretty's average shot percentage for his career is 11%. Now maybe he never gets back to the rate he was once scoring at. Matt Moulson had a 14% shot percentage with the Islanders. From age 30 on … [Read more...] about Would Max Pacioretty be a good fit with the Sabres?

'-The Sabres will be very quick with the Western Conference champion Vegas Golden Knights, hosting them on October 8th, then closing their season series the next week on October 16th.' … [Read more...] about Sabres 2018-19 schedule has been released

'The National Hockey League will release the full schedule Thursday afternoon at 5:00.' … [Read more...] about The Rasmus Dahlin era will start Oct. 4 against Boston

'"The watch on Ryan O'Reilly has been pretty consistent," Dreger said with Howard Simon and Jeremy White on Wednesday morning. "My understanding is that Sabres general manager Jason Botterill, not surprisingly, is looking for an excellent return for Ryan O'Reilly, otherwise it doesn't make a ton of sense that he would move him. So what does excellent return mean? Does that mean … [Read more...] about Dreger: O’Reilly chatter has been ‘pretty consistent’

'"He's the best defenseman I've every coached, by far. Especially being that young and playing like a man on a man's level, nobody else has gotten close to that. As far as the players I've coached, he's No. 1. As for players I've seen, I think he's better than a young Erik Karlsson. Of course, Erik is really good right now, and I think he's better than a young John Klingberg... … [Read more...] about Johansson: Dahlin is ‘the best defenseman I’ve ever coached’

'"He is kind of that same level with [Connor] McDavid."' … [Read more...] about Donovan: [Dahlin] is on that same level with McDavid

'“Dahlin aside, there are another six or seven, very, very good players and you could argue depending on your needs are that the top 10 to 12 players are all going to play absolutely in the National Hockey League, so we’re pleased with the draft and we’re pleased to be picking first overall, although you don’t ever want to finish last and do it again and I don’t believe that we … [Read more...] about Sabres’ Assistant GM Randy Sexton said they have a clear organizational plan

'"We usually start [scouting] when the players are 17. There's not much use to start earlier than that because so much changes. We have, of course, been hearing about Rasmus Dahlin for four or five years already because when a talent like that pops up, everbody in the hockey world knows about him very quickly. We've been following him, but it's very clear that he is going to be … [Read more...] about Stubb: Dahlin is ‘a complete package’

'"What stands out to me is that I haven't talked to a single person over here, or back home in Sweden, that's really pumping the breaks. Everyone raves on and on about how good he is, or how great he is. At first your thought is 'Okay, maybe this is just a thing in Sweden.' I remember talking to Ray Ferraro at the start of this season and he said defensively (Dahlin) is like … [Read more...] about Lindqvist: Everyone raves on and on about how great Dahlin is

'“Exceptional, that is the first word that comes to my mind," Bergenheim said with Howard Simon on Monday. "He’s definitely a player that you don’t see come around too often in this world.”' … [Read more...] about Bergenheim: You don’t see players like Dahlin come along very often

'"The most special thing for him is his personality, He has the edge that the best players have, he's a true winner. He want's to win everything that he participates in. He's so stubborn. He's the most stubborn player I've ever coached. Every practice, every situation, he's there stepping for his team and he wants to win the game for us. He has the same character as some of the … [Read more...] about Rönnberg: Dahlin is a ‘true winner’