Archives for June 27, 2015

'"It’s a great feeling to be selected, especially in an organization like this," Eichel said. "There’s so much passion and tradition. You look at the Buffalo community and everyone is really into their hockey and knowledgeable. Even though I hadn’t been selected until today, it seemed like I had been part of the Buffalo Sabres for a while now. To finally put this jersey on, … [Read more...] about Finally, it’s official: Sabres make Eichel their top pick

'"Buffalo as a city and the Sabres as a team are heading in a great direction," Eichel said. "You look at some of the moves they've made and the guys that they've acquired, the guys they have in their system and some of the guys they have on their team, there's a lot of positives. I just want to become a piece of the puzzle.' … [Read more...] about Ecstatic Eichel already feels at home with Sabres and Buffalo

'“What’s interesting to me non-hockey wise is that the kid came to all those events by himself,” Sabres President Ted Black said. “His parents are working parents and he’s able to get to these things on his own. Doesn’t have a posse around him, good or bad. That really strikes me – the level of maturity for a 17- and 18-year-old kid that’s comfortable and confident to get … [Read more...] about For city on upswing, it’s the perfect match

'Though young and talented, O’Reilly was long-rumored to be on the trade block because of contract issues. He held out at the start of the 2013 lockout-shortened season and signed an offer sheet with Calgary that Colorado matched. He followed up by signing a two-year, $12 million deal that expires after next season. He’s scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent, but … [Read more...] about Trade moves O’Reilly to center stage with Sabres

'“I think he’s a No. 1 goalie. I think he becomes the starter. When I talk about guys that are a starter or a No. 1 center or a No. 3 defenseman or whatever, I mean on a good team. I mean on a contending team. I mean on a competitive team. I mean on a playoff team.”' … [Read more...] about Murray pulls trigger on trade to land young goalie

'Assuming Eichel is paid the maximum allowed by the collective bargaining agreement, his mandatory three-year contract would pay him an NHL salary of $925,000 per season. He could be paid a total signing bonus of $277,500, and performance bonuses could total $3.775 million.' … [Read more...] about The Jack Eichel era is about to begin for Sabres

'“You don’t want to assume anything before it’s happened,” he said. “So until it was set in stone I didn’t want to publicly even speak about my feeling for the Sabres organization. I wanted to be a part of this. Now that it’s finally set in stone I can say this is where I wanted to be and it’s a dream come true.”' … [Read more...] about Jack Eichel thrilled to be drafted by Sabres: ‘I wanted to be a part of this’

'“You know if you go down a road like this it’s not going to be a freebie and you’re going to pay a price, and we certainly paid a price today,” Murray said.' … [Read more...] about Sabres send strong message with big trades at NHL Draft

'Now, with O'Reilly in place, the Sabres have begun putting together pieces that might not make them a playoff contender next season, but moves them closer than they were at the end of the season. It's safe to say much has changed for the Sabres in a short time.' … [Read more...] about Sabres were big winners on NHL Draft night

'“It feels tremendous,” Eichel said. “The feeling of wearing this jersey right now really hasn’t sunk in. To be able to talk to my family and my friends about the fact I was just selected by the Sabres in the NHL Draft, it’s a dream come true to be selected. Especially by an organization like this, with so much passion and tradition.”' … [Read more...] about BU’s Jack Eichel picked second overall by Sabres

'What’s less clear is how Eichel will perform in his first NHL season, which is likely to begin this October. Every night, Eichel will compete against skilled, experienced, and hostile men who specialize in making 18-year-olds wish for study halls and mom’s cooking. Eichel will play for a team that, for the last two years, has made 30th place its natural habitat.' … [Read more...] about Jack Eichel’s next step will be his hardest

'“I guess we’ll see in a few days,” he said. “I don’t know. I can’t let the cat out of the bag.”' … [Read more...] about Drafted by Sabres, will Jack Eichel stay or go?

Ryan O'Reilly traded by Avs to Buffalo for 3 players, No. 31 draft pick (Denver Post) Ryan O’Reilly Traded To The Buffalo Sabres (BSN Denver) Avalanche Acquires Zadorov, Grigorenko, Compher, Second Round Draft Pick From Buffalo (ColoradoAvalanche.com) … [Read more...] about Saturday’s Colorado Coverage

Ottawa Senators trade Robin Lehner to Buffalo Sabres (Ottawa Sun) Senators GM Bryan Murray should have moved Anderson (Ottawa Sun) Buffalo Sabres thrilled with Robin Lehner as No. 1 netminder (Ottawa Sun) Being dealt to Sabres no surprise for David Legwand (Ottawa Sun) Will Lehner deal come back to haunt Senators? Time will tell (Ottawa Citizen) Robin Lehner traded to the … [Read more...] about Saturday’s Ottawa Coverage

'The move Friday for the trio of young players and the 31st overall selection Saturday comes just days after Avalanche general manager Joe Sakic insisted that re-signing O'Reilly to a long-term deal was his "first priority."' … [Read more...] about Colorado trades O’Reilly to Buffalo