Buffalo Sabres

The Instigator Podcast 11.4 – The Growing Crisis Surrounding Hockey Canada

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The spotlight on Hockey Canada has only gotten brighter in recent days as the investigation into how the organization has handled sexual assault claims continues to reveal deeper and darker issues with their operations. We discuss the nature of the claims against Hockey Canada and how recent revelations and announcements have raised new questions about what’s next for Hockey Canada and whether or not they’re capable of the introspection needed to enact tangible change.

We wrap up the show by digging into the lines the Sabres look set to enter the season with. We touch on the strengths of the lineup and some of the areas where issues may arise. We look at how the roster make up could affect the long and short term roster management through recalls and changes with line combinations.

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The Instigator Podcast 11.3 – Preseason Kicks Off plus Listener Q&A

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With preseason underway, we reflect on the Sabres first few games of the preseason and what positives can be gleaned from the early action. We kick things off with a conversation about Jason Robertson and how the Sabres could go about acquiring him should the rumors of the connection between the Sabres and Stars bear fruit. We close this week’s episode with some listener questions covering a number of topics including line predictions, Matt Savoie and our favorite Sabres of all time.

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The Instigator Podcast 11.2 – Sabres Enjoy Promising Prospect Challenge

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Sabres training camp is right around the corner, with their first preseason game fewer than five days away. The club wrapped up a 3-0 showing at the Prospects Challenge, driven mostly by the play of Matthew Savoie, Isak Rosen, Alexander Kisakov and Tyson Kozak. It was a strong showing for some of Buffalo’s most vital prospects, many of whom will be suiting up for Rochester this coming season.

We also discuss Nathan MacKinnon’s new contract in Colorado and the retirement announcements for Zdeno Chara and PK Subban.

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The Instigator Podcast 11.1 – Diving into the Prospect Challenge

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We kick off another season of the podcast with a conversation about the Prospects Challenge. We run through the highlights of the roster expected to play this coming weekend and even dip into the invites who will be helping to round out the roster for the tournament.

Our conversation touches on some of the expected standouts for the tournament, the unknowns in net and closes with our thoughts on some of the players who could be worth watching for when Sabres training camp opens.

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The Instigator Podcast Featuring Kevin Woodley of InGoal Magazine and NHL.com

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Kevin Woodley joins the show this week to share his goaltending expertise and talk about the outlook for the Sabres in net for the coming season. We talk at length about Eric Comrie’s strengths and weaknesses and his ability to take on a larger workload. Kevin also shares his thoughts on Craig Anderson and how both he and Comrie can work in tandem this season.

We touch on Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and, of course, Devon Levi as we wrap up the show. Along the way you’ll catch some terrific anecdotes about Ryan Miller and other goaltenders Kevin has covered and spoken with during his time with InGoal and NHL.com.

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The Instigator Podcast 10.47 – Red and Black is Back in Sabreland

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The Sabres, at long last, have announced they will be bringing back their red and black uniforms as an alternate jersey for the 2022-23 season. The team made the announcement on Wednesday, stating that they will wear the jersey 12 times during the year beginning with a November face-off with the St. Louis Blues. We talk about the excitement surrounding the decision and the nostalgia this brings as we reminisce about some of the great memories made while the Sabres wore the Goathead the first time around.

We kick off the show with a discussion on the two contracts the Sabres signed this week as Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and Tage Thompson each got a new deal from the club. While the UPL deal wasn’t a huge news item, the Thompson contract is. We break down some key points on the seven-year, $50 million contract for the Sabres center.

Remember to use code Instigator on DraftKings Sportsbook as new customers will get $200 in free bets if they place a $5 bet on any football game in week one.

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The Instigator Podcast 10.46 – Listener Q&A on Jerseys, Trades and More

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As we continue through August, it seemed like a good time to field a few more listener questions. This week’s episode tackles a bunch of different topics including the Sabres Reverse Retro sweaters, shoulder patches, goaltending plans, special teams alignments and trade targets. Thanks to everyone who submitted questions for this week’s Q&A.

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The Instigator Podcast 10.45 – When do the Sabres Go for It featuring Chad & Anthony of Expected Buffalo

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Chad and Anthony from Expected Buffalo join the show for another roundtable discussion. This time we talk about when the Sabres will be ready to take the next big step in their rebuild and when the right time for it will be. We talk about how this summer has helped shape the next step in their rebuild and look ahead to whether or not next summer will be the time that Kevyn Adams starts making big splashes. We wrap up by touching on the prospects who could be most impacted by future acquisitions and even toss out a few favorites we’d like to see the Sabres target.

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The Instigator Podcast 10.44 – Sabres Take Care of Business in Free Agency

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It’s a busy show as we spend a little time talking through Buffalo’s draft class before diving into free agency. We discuss the signings of Eric Comrie and Ilya Lyubushkin and how they address the two biggest needs the Sabres had in free agency. We look into how Buffalo’s roster makes it more difficult to freely add additional bodies despite having an apparent need to get further clear of the salary cap floor. We offer up a few names who could be wise additions for the team before moving on to a brief conversation over the biggest moves from the opening day of NHL Free Agency.

Despite Early Movement, Sabres Aren’t Shut Out of Goalie Market (yet)

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As the wheels got turning on the goalie market at the draft, the Sabres have yet to complete a move to round out their crease for the coming season. It’s a subject that’s caused some consternation throughout the fanbase, though I’m not sure theirs is cause for concern just yet.

There are still a few notable names left on the list I laid out last week. Of those remaining options, a few are truly viable targets for the Sabres to pursue in the coming days. Most notably, Eric Comrie and whoever may be available via trade from the Sharks. In the meantime, I think it’s important to consider that the goalie market isn’t completely shuttered because Alex Georgiev and Vitek Vanacek got traded. Combing through the league, you can quickly find another tier of goalies who could almost certainly be had via trade given their respective team’s outlook in net.

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