Latest news with #Sabres'
Edmonton Journal
4 days ago
- Business
- Edmonton Journal
Sad-sack Buffalo Sabres hire ex-Columbus boss Kekalainen as senior adviser
Article content His hiring addresses growing criticism Adams has faced in having little experience overseeing the Sabres since taking over the job as a first-time GM after Jason Botterill was abruptly fired in June 2020. Adams, who is from the Buffalo-area, is a former player who had brief experience as an agent and assistant coach, and was working in the Sabres business department upon being hired as GM as part of a series of ownership's cost-cutting moves in the wake of the COVID pandemic. The Sabres are in the midst of an NHL-record 14-season playoff drought, with Adams on the hot seat entering the final year of his contract. Amid questions regarding his job security in Buffalo, Adams placed an emphasis on upgrading his staff by saying 'we'll take a look at everything,' during his season-ending address to the media last month. The Sabres' season was undone by a 13-game skid in December, which Adams has since second-guessed himself as to whether he should have made a move to upgrade his roster.
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
All HUT Fantasy Hockey Updates In NHL 25 Through Apr. 27
Sabres' Off-Season Must Radically Shake Up Team Culture The Buffalo Sabres' off-season has many priorities, includng getting the team's seven RFAs signed to contract extensions. But the overarching change for the franchise is clear: there has to be an extensive culture change, one that charts a new course for an organization that has flailed often as it tries to end what is now a 14-year stretch without any Stanley Cup playoff action. 3:35 Now Playing Paused Ad Playing
New York Times
01-05-2025
- Business
- New York Times
Sabres salary cap: Will JJ Peterka, other RFAs force Buffalo to spend to ceiling?
BUFFALO, N.Y. — In each of the last five seasons, the Buffalo Sabres have left at least $6 million in salary cap space unspent. They're the only team in the NHL that can say that. They also haven't made the Stanley Cup playoffs in that time frame. Now they enter an offseason in which the league's salary cap ceiling is going to rise from $88 million to $95.5 million. The season after that, it's expected to rise to $104 million. And then the season after that, it's going to rise to $113.5 million. Those are massive increases after the league's cap was flat for a few years coming out of the pandemic. Advertisement So that makes the question of the Sabres' willingness to spend to the ceiling more relevant than ever. Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams acknowledged in December that it's tough to recruit veteran players to Buffalo because the team has been mired in a long run of losing and also doesn't have the weather or tax advantages that some markets in the league have. Those are real competitive disadvantages, but the Sabres also won't be able to compete in a rising cap world without spending to the ceiling. If there's an offseason for owner Terry Pegula to show he's willing to spend, this would be it. JJ Peterka, Bowen Byram, Ryan McLeod, Jack Quinn and Jacob Bernard-Docker are all restricted free agents. So are Tyson Kozak and Devon Levi, who played NHL games this season but are finishing the season in Rochester. 'We are now, in the next kind of, I would say, evolution of our roster and where we have now had a number of guys sign, we have more coming now, this has always been kind of the year that going into next season where we felt we were going to be right around the cap whatever the number was,' Adams said at his end-of-season news conference. 'It's never been a talking point from Terry of cap or no cap. It's about putting the best team we can together to set us up for sustainable success and he's continued to tell me that he will provide every resource that we need to win and that's all I can ask for in my job.' The statement that this was always the year Adams felt the team would be right near the cap strikes me as odd. Two years ago, Adams said the Sabres' competitive window was open. Last year, he said the team was in 'win now' mode. Very few teams make the playoffs in the NHL without spending at or close to the salary cap ceiling. If anything, the last two years were an opportunity to spend to the ceiling while they still had the advantage of players contributing on cheaper or entry-level contracts. Advertisement Maybe the salary cap talking point will go away this summer with the contract situations the Sabres are facing. They also have the $4.4 million dead cap hit from Jeff Skinner's buyout on the books this year. As we get ready to dive into the Sabres' offseason needs and what can be done to fix the roster, let's assess where they are in terms of the cap and what the next contracts for their players could look like. Here's a snapshot of Buffalo's situation, according to PuckPedia. 2025-26: $95.5 million cap ceiling Projected cap space: $23 million Players under contract: 16 out of 23 possible roster spots (PuckPedia is counting Isak Rosen and Noah Ostlund, who could both be back in the AHL. So we'll use 16 out of 23 for our math). Unrestricted free agents: James Reimer Restricted free agents: Peterka, Byram, McLeod, Quinn, Bernard-Docker, Levi, Kozak Players eligible for contract extensions on July 1: Alex Tuch, Connor Clifton, Sam Lafferty, Beck Malenstyn, Jacob Bryson 2026-27: $104 million cap ceiling (projected) Projected cap space: $43.5 million Players under contract: 10 out of 23 roster spots Unrestricted free agents: Tuch, Lafferty, Malenstyn, Clifton, Bryson Restricted free agents: Peyton Krebs, Zach Benson, Rosen 2027-28: $113.5 cap ceiling (projected) Projected cap space: $67.5 million Players under contract: Six out of 23 roster spots Unrestricted free agents: Byram, McLeod, Bernard-Docker, Jason Zucker, Jordan Greenway We broke down Tuch's contract situation over the weekend. If the Sabres are able to get him signed to a new deal, that's going to take up a big chunk of their future spending. They need to figure out where things stand with that deal before going on a crazy spending spree with the other restricted free agents. Our early projection if Tuch does sign would be a seven-year contract worth more than $9 million per season. AFP Analytics Midseason Projection: Six years, $6.6 million AAV or two years, $4.2 million AAV Teams were inquiring about Peterka at the NHL trade deadline, but Adams showed no interest in trading him and said he views him as a core piece of Buffalo's long-term future. The 23-year-old is a restricted free agent after setting a career-high with 68 points. He also has 55 goals in the last two seasons. That production is going to cost the Sabres on his next deal. AFP's projection might be a bit light, as I would expect a long-term deal to cost the Sabres in the $7 million range. Also, if the rumblings about this being the summer of offer sheets become reality, Peterka would be a logical target for other teams. Advertisement AFP Analytics Midseason Projection: Seven years, $7.2 million AAV or two years, $5.2 million AAV Byram's value isn't easy to project. The 23-year-old already has a Stanley Cup ring and has shown flashes of being a top-end defenseman during his young career. But the Sabres need to figure out how he fits into their long-term picture. They already have two left-handed defensemen with offensive skill sets in Rasmus Dahlin and Owen Power. Those two account for more than $19 million in annual cap hits on their long-term deals. Can they fit another big cap hit for a defenseman with a similar skill set? The other issue is that Byram's underlying numbers show a tale of two players. When he played with Dahlin, Byram's numbers were excellent. Away from Dahlin, Byram struggled. With Dahlin: 70 percent actual goal share, 54 percent expected goal share, 52 percent high-danger chances share Without Dahlin: 46 percent actual goal share, 42 percent expected goal share, 42 percent high-danger chances share. The best play might be another bridge deal for Byram to keep the cap hit manageable. That gives the Sabres even more flexibility to trade him if the right deal materializes. AFP Analytics Midseason Projection: Three years, $3.042 million AAV This was a midseason projection and feels too low with the way McLeod finished the season. McLeod set career highs in goals (20), assists (33) and points (53). He's a valuable center to have in the middle of the lineup because of his speed, defensive instincts and penalty killing ability. I think he'll get closer to the $4 million that Greenway got on his contract. He would also be a sneaky offer sheet candidate if a team is looking for a mid-range player to target. But the Sabres have the cap space to match, which might deter teams. Advertisement AFP Analytics Midseason Projection: Six years, $5.8 million AAV or two years, $3.4 million AAV These numbers are way too high for Quinn. I don't see how the Sabres could feel comfortable committing a long-term contract to Quinn after the season that he had. That's not to say he can't bounce back next season, but the Sabres need to make him prove it with a shorter-term deal. Even the short-term projection of a $3.4 million cap hit feels rich. To me, $3.4 million total over two years feels more reasonable after the season he had. He could be a trade candidate as well if the Sabres are looking for a different skill set in their forward group. AFP Analytics Projections: Two years, $1.8 million AAV The Sabres don't have a ton of right-shot defensemen, and Bernard-Docker was serviceable after coming to Buffalo in the Dylan Cozens trade. A $1.8 million cap hit is a reasonable bet on Bernard-Docker, who should, at the very least, be capable depth for the Sabres. AFP Analytics Projection: Two years, $1.4 million AAV This was a preseason projection based on a $92 million cap estimate. The cap is going to be $95.5 million, but Levi spent most of the season in the AHL, so this still feels like a reasonable number for him. Kozak shouldn't get too much more than the $850,000 salary he has now. But he does have a chance to crack Buffalo's lineup because he plays a specific role as a fourth-liner. If we account for around $16 or $17 million for Peterka ($7-$7.5 million), Byram ($5-$5.5 million) and McLeod ($4 million), that leaves the Sabres with between $6 and $7 million. Bernard-Docker, Quinn and Levi could account for close to $5 million of that. That would leave 22 players under contract, and a Kozak contract would put them at 23 and close to the cap ceiling. They could bridge both Byram and Peterka to lower the cap hits. Advertisement Beyond next season, counting roughly $23 million for all of those players and adding $9 million per year for Tuch would give the Sabres an estimated $11 million in salary cap space for five roster spots with Malenstyn, Krebs, Benson and Rosen as the internal contracts to handle. The Sabres need to make a trade. It's not that they can't afford all of their restricted free agents in the short and long term. It's that they need to make changes to their roster. The contract situations and roster space would make it hard to bring back all of these restricted free agents and change the mix of the group. The two big cap hits to watch are Mattias Samuelsson's $4.2 million and Clifton's $3.3 million. It's fair to say both haven't played up to those numbers, and moving on from one or both would give the Sabres the flexibility to make some additions to the roster. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen's $4.75 million cap hit is another big number relative to his 2024-25 performance, but moving on from him would necessitate adding another proven goalie. That would presumably eat up some of the savings. The other option is to trade Peterka or Byram, the two pricier restricted free agents. Either one would net a significant return. The other big cap hit that the Sabres could trade is Owen Power's $8.3 million. They would have suitors, but giving up on a No. 1 pick after three seasons would be risky unless the return was massive. Either way, something needs to change if this roster is going to make financial and hockey sense next season and beyond. (Photo of JJ Peterka and Jack Quinn: Russell LaBounty / Imagn Images)
USA Today
09-04-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Sabres' playoff drought hits 14 seasons: Why they fell short again
Sabres' playoff drought hits 14 seasons: Why they fell short again Show Caption Hide Caption Alex Ovechkin may break Wayne Gretzky's NHL goal record this season Washington Capitals' Alex Ovechkin is so close to the NHL goal record that he may break that record this year, even coming off an injury. Sports Seriously Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams was talking earlier this season about the difficulty of drawing free agents to Buffalo or having players keep the city off their no-trade lists. "We don't have palm trees. We have taxes in New York," he told reporters. He acknowledged that life would be easier if the Sabres could get over the hump and become a playoff contender. But that is going to have to wait. Despite a late surge, the Sabres' postseason drought hit 14 seasons on Tuesday when they were officially eliminated from contention. That extended the team's NHL record for futility and tied the NFL's New York Jets for the longest active drought in North American sports. The skid looks even worse considering that the Pegula family also owns the highly successful Buffalo Bills. What went wrong – again – with the Sabres this season? A closer look: Offseason moves leave them short The Sabres bought out the contract of Jeff Skinner, who had 24 goals last season and 30 or more the two seasons before that. The move ended up being fine, considering he got off to a slow start in Edmonton. But the thought going into the regular season was that Buffalo needed another top-six winger. Veteran Jason Zucker played well enough to earn a two-year extension but offseason acquisitions Ryan McLeod, Sam Lafferty, Beck Malenstyn and Nicolas Aube-Kubel (since traded) were role players. Younger players Zach Benson and Jack Quinn didn't take a step forward. The Sabres brought back coach Lindy Ruff, who was behind the bench when the team last made the playoffs and who went to the 1999 Stanley Cup Final. But it wasn't enough. Yet another long losing streak The Sabres often seem to be short-circuited by an early-season swoon, and it happened again. They lost their opening two games in Europe and when they finally pushed to two games above .500 on Nov. 23, they went a month before their next win. During that 0-10-3 slide, they scored two or fewer goals eight times and gave up four or more goals eight times. They dropped to an 11-19-4 record before they finally won again on Dec. 23. The Sabres started to turn it around before and after the 4 Nations Face-Off, then had a six-game losing streak. That left too much distance for the Sabres to make up. Players' slow starts In 2022-23, when the Sabres missed the playoffs by a point, Tage Thompson had 47 goals, Alex Tuch had 36, Skinner 35, Dylan Cozens 31 and Victor Olofsson 28. All those numbers dropped last season. Skinner and Olofsson are gone this season, and Cozens had 31 points in 61 games before he was traded in March to Ottawa, where he's averaging about a point a game. Thompson and Tuch could end up matching their 2022-23 numbers, but a chunk of that is from a surge that started in March. Injuries pile up Only three players have played every game. Rugged winger Jordan Greenway has missed 42 games. Captain Rasmus Dahlin missed eight games (during the team's first slide). Fellow defenseman Mattias Samuelsson missed 20. Thompson missed six. Josh Norris got hurt after coming over in the Cozens trade. Statistics suffer The Sabres (through Monday) give up the fourth-most goals and have the eighth-worst power play. Goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen ranked 86th in the league in MoneyPuck's goals saved above expected. What's next for the Sabres? Buffalo's core of Dahlin, Thompson, Owen Power and Norris are locked in long-term. Tuch has another year left on his deal. There are plenty of restricted free agents to get signed, notably JJ Peterka, Bowen Byram, Quinn and McLeod. Backup goalie James Reimer is unrestricted, which gives an opportunity for Devon Levi next season. The Sabres still could use a top-six winger, either their youngsters taking the next step in their development or finding a free agent who doesn't mind the lack of palm trees.
New York Times
09-04-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Sabres' NHL-record playoff drought hits 14 years: What went wrong this season?
BUFFALO, N.Y. — The Buffalo Sabres have been eliminated from the playoffs, extending their NHL-record playoff drought to 14 seasons. They are now tied with the New York Jets for the longest active playoff drought in pro sports. The Sabres' elimination became official on Tuesday when the Montreal Canadiens beat the Detroit Red Wings. Even though the Sabres beat the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday and have won 10 of their last 13 games, they can no longer catch the Canadiens in the standings. Advertisement 'We have work to do. We have work to do as a team, establishing the way we need to play, the way we need to manage the puck night in, night out, shift after shift,' coach Lindy Ruff said. 'We know where we're at. But to become a better team, you have to take every period, every game you're playing right now and use it as a stepping stone.' This outcome has been inevitable for the Sabres since midseason. The Sabres had a 13-game winless streak in December that sank them to last place in the Eastern Conference, where they stayed for more than three months. Buffalo last played a playoff game in April 2011. In that time, every NHL franchise, including the expansion Seattle Kraken, has played at least 14 playoff games. Thirty teams have played at least 25 playoff games, 21 teams have played at least 60 and seven teams have played more than 100 in the time since the Sabres last appeared in the playoffs. The Sabres came into this season with internal playoff expectations. They brought back Ruff, a franchise legend, to coach the team, and he made it clear he thought this was a 'win now' situation. The Sabres bought out Jeff Skinner in the offseason and brought in five new forwards for their bottom two lines. But that wasn't enough to move the needle for a team that finished with 84 points last season. The Sabres entered the season with more than $6 million in unspent cap space and with the youngest roster by average age in the NHL. After a slow start, the Sabres clawed their way into playoff position by Thanksgiving. But they unraveled during the 13-game winless streak and were never able to recover. Captain and star player Rasmus Dahlin missed nine games during that streak. Meanwhile, general manager Kevyn Adams did nothing to change the roster as the losses piled up. 'Could I or should I have done something?' Adams said after the trade deadline. 'I think a lot about it. But then on the flip side, I think, but there's a maybe, there's a sometimes the short-term jolt that can maybe not be the best thing long-term. And I beat myself up. Did I miss something?' Advertisement The result was a team that was out of the playoff race before Jan. 1. The Sabres' inexperience showed throughout the season. A year after Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen had a breakout season in net, the Sabres' team save percentage is the second worst in the NHL. They have the seventh most goals in the NHL but the fourth most goals against. They have the 25th ranked power play in the NHL and the 23rd ranked penalty kill. They have the third most first-period goals in the NHL but a minus-32 goal differential in second and third periods. This season should lead to more changes this summer. Adams got that started early at the deadline by trading center Dylan Cozens to the Ottawa Senators as part of a trade that included center Josh Norris coming the other way. But Norris played in only three games before missing the last few weeks with an injury. There are more questions facing this team, though. This was the fifth season with Adams as general manager. The Sabres not only haven't made the playoffs during his tenure, but they've also regressed in each of the last two seasons. Owner Terry Pegula was in attendance on Tuesday to see the team get eliminated. He's owned the team for 14 full seasons, and the team has missed the playoffs in every one. In that time, he's employed four different general managers and seven coaches. Whether he wants to make another change remains to be seen, but both Ruff and Adams have one more year left on their respective contracts. Buffalo's roster is also going to need work. JJ Peterka, Bowen Byram, Ryan McLeod and Jack Quinn are all restricted free agents. So is Devon Levi, who is in the AHL but has a chance to be the Sabres' backup goalie next season. The Sabres haven't spent to the salary cap ceiling since the COVID-shortened 2019-20 season, but they may be pressed to do so if they hope to stop this drought at 14 seasons. The losing has taken a toll on a fan base that has historically helped Buffalo punch above its weight as the second-smallest market in the NHL. The Sabres' attendance ranks second-to-last in the NHL in average capacity this season.
