We kick off season five talking about First Niagara Center’s approaching 20th birthday and the areas of the arena which are in need of attention and renovation. We are joined by Andrew Kulyk of the Ultimate Sports Road Trip and StadiumJourney.com to not only discuss the arena around the arena that need attention, but bigger picture opportunities for the arena and the surrounding areas.
With news breaking this week that the NHL and NHLPA have agreed on the structure for a future expansion draft, the maneuvering and preparations across the league can begin in earnest.
Reaching an agreement on no movement and no trade clauses was among the most important unanswered questions surrounding the way teams will form their protected lists. With the potential for an expansion draft taking place as early as next summer, the need for that determination was obviously important. 
One position that will get plenty of focus will be between the pipes. As there is only one option for protecting goaltenders, there is a near guarantee that a pair of solid goaltenders are headed to Vegas should a draft take place next summer.
The requirement that no movement clauses must be protected could put pressure on a number of general managers to make a move this summer – or prior to next year’s deadline – to ensure they aren’t losing a goaltending asset for nothing. Continue reading
With the playoffs in full swing and the draft lottery behind us, Tyler and Chris get together to unwind the Sabres 2015-16. On the docket is a position-by-position breakdown, outlook on the offseason and reaction to Buffalo’s fate from the lottery on Saturday.
Once again the 2ITB Awards are back to celebrate another season of Sabres hockey. As always, some of these categories are serious and others are inserted for fun.
It was an interesting season given Buffalo’s surge from the basement to almost out of the basement. While they didn’t climb too high in the standings, they improved by nearly 30 points in the standings and injected an incredible amount of excitement into the fanbase thanks to the exploits detailed below.
I’m expecting an exciting offseason and probably a new set of expectations for next year which will be a little too high. Until then, enjoy some of the highlights from 2015-16. Continue reading
#FaschingWatch is officially over and Tim Murray surprised many by signing free agent, Casey Nelson. With eight games left, we take a look at the potential impact each may have on the Sabres this year and going forward.
It doesn’t take much to stir the ire of Sabres Twitter on the best of days. Today was no exception as David Alter’s post on The Score managed to work numerous Sabres fans into a froth despite being at peak #FaschingWatch. Speaking of which.
I encourage you to read through Alter’s article as he rolls through an argument that is worth having. The Leafs are one of the few teams in the process of a rebuild with the same financial might that Terry Pegula has to offer while also boasting a number of impressive prospects at the top of their pipeline. Both teams are positioned similarly. While the Sabres are likely a year or two ahead, the Leafs aren’t as far behind as some fans in the 716 would want to think.
The article itself is short on research and long on opinions that likely grew from Saturday’s 4-1 loss at the Air Canada Centre. I’m surprised that he held off on writing this for this week and not for, I don’t know Buffalo’s 4-3, comeback victory from earlier this month. That being considered, I thought I’d try my hand at a FJM of the post as it was simply too empty to stand as a proper evaluation of where each team’s rebuild stands in comparison to one another.
Original portions post will be in bold, my responses will be in normal type. Continue reading
Tim Murray will enter the offseason with a pair of pressing items on his to-do list. Get a left handed defender to fill in his top-four and grab a winger (or two) to fill out the top-six.
Somewhat like last summer when Murray was on the hunt for a goaltender, there are a host of options that will be available to him, but maybe not any one singular target fans may expect him to pursue. That’s excluding Steven Stamkos (who is a center) who will be on top of the wishlist for nearly every fan and general manager.
Looking beyond Stamkos, there are a number of players who I personally like as options for Murray to pursue via trade or free agency. Among the players I could see him considering is Jamie McGinn, who could certainly be re-signed after his trial with Anaheim this spring. While I’m unsure if McGinn’s salary demands will align with Murray’s expectation, you can count him as something of an honorable mention on this list.
While the trade route may be the most enticing route for Murray to pursue given Buffalo’s wealth of draft picks and the ability to pare down some of the clogged middle six bodies the team has, there are actually a couple of names who may hit unrestricted free agency I hope Murray considers. Continue reading
Donning throwback jerseys isn’t a foreign practice in the NHL. Countless teams have utilized a throwback style jersey for their alternate uniforms for some time now. However, a different, slightly more unique take has seen a few clubs don throwback jerseys for one-off games in an effort to switch up their look for a night to a bygone era. 
These one-off jersey nights have given me hope to see the Sabres bring back their black and red uniforms once or twice a season in a fashion similar to their league brethren. However, it would seem as if that’s nothing more than a pipedream as there have been multiple mentions (in previous blog summits for example) of the disinterest in looking back to that particular era of Sabres hockey and the ownership troubles that came with it.
With that in mind, perhaps the Sabres would consider a different look for a cool, one-off jersey night. That of the Buffalo Bisons hockey club that preceded the Sabres from 1940-1969. Continue reading
Dan Dunleavy coined this term after one of Robin Lehner’s flashy glove saves against Ottawa earlier this year. So, the next player in line for a phone background is none other than the Sabres goaltender. Enjoy. 
It was a slow deadline but a few interesting trades were made, including one by the Sabres. Chris and Tyler look back at today’s deadline and look forward from the Sabres perspective.
Two in the Box 
