2ITB Sabres Mock Offseason – Tyler’s Version

Tyler RoederLeave a comment

As the calendar gets closer to the NHL Draft on June 27 I figure it’s now or never to put together a 2025-26 Sabres Mock Offseason. The Panthers have wrapped up a second consecutive Stanley Cup Final victory over the Oilers, and while the Panthers are busy parading the Cup around South Florida the rest of the league has begun the offseason in earnest.

Teams have begun to make trades, sign their pending free agents, and in some cases grant players permission to speak to other teams, but Kevyn Adams has not yet begun the heavy lifting required to take the Sabres from two seasons of regression in the standings to playoff contender.

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Roster Building Lessons from Florida’s Second Cup Win

Chris OstranderLeave a comment

The Florida Panthers are back-to-back Stanley Cup Champions and have played in the Finals for each of the last three years. They have become the NHL’s gold standard in practically every aspect of their operations and dismantled the Eastern Conference before dispatching the Edmonton Oilers for the second-straight season. 

But how did they get here and what can be learned about this three-year run of dominance? 

Drafting and developing is regularly referenced as the clearest path to success for rebuilding NHL teams. If done right, constructing a strong pipeline of talent at key positions (read: center and defense) through the draft will set up a team for long term success. Florida’s success runs counter to that a bit, as only four players who appeared in the playoffs this year were drafted by the Panthers. One of whom, Mackie Samoskevich, only appeared in four games. Of course, two of the players who the Panthers drafted are Alexsander Barkov and Aaron Ekblad, picked second and first respectively in their drafts, but 19 of the 24 players rostered in the playoffs were acquired via free agency or trades. 

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An Adult in the Room: Kekäläinen Adds Experience to Buffalo’s Front Office

Chris OstranderLeave a comment

Kevyn Adams has some company. The Sabres hired Jarmo Kekäläinen as Senior Advisor Friday, completing a move that had been rumored since the spring and adding an experienced voice to Adams’ staff. 

Kekäläinen will report to Adams as part of the larger front office structure, an arrangement that was expected if and when the Sabres found a suitable candidate for the role. Exactly what level of influence Kekäläinen will have is to be determined. It’s safe to assume he’ll be at the table when it comes to draft picks, trades and signings, but whether or not he’ll have any sort of veto power or notable influence on those decisions won’t come to light for some time. 

Considering what has been shown of the Sabres’ front office through reporting and team-produced content is a group where several opinions are heard on a subject and Adams puts value in hearing from multiple viewpoints on a player or acquisition. Kekäläinen ought to blend nicely into that operating procedure. He is a seasoned front office executive who is fresh off a decade at the helm of the Columbus Blue Jackets, his point of view will be unique to Buffalo’s management group. Only Jason Karmanos comes close to having a similar background to Kekäläinen. 

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The Definitive Fictional Hockey Roster

Chris OstranderLeave a comment

Many years ago I put together a roster of players exclusively from hockey movies. This fictional team was pretty well rounded if I do say so myself. It also focused solely on movies and in the interim, Shoresy has become a smash hit, featuring a host of characters deserving of consideration for this exercise. 

The general premise remains the same: create the best fictional hockey roster from movies and TV shows. No true stories, no documentaries, just fictional shows. The team is meant to be well-rounded as well, not an all star team made up of the top scorer in every show or movie. 

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Looking to Past Drafts for the Framework of a Trade for the Sabres First Round Pick

Chris OstranderLeave a comment

This is a crucial offseason for Kevyn Adams and the Buffalo Sabres. This isn’t exactly new information for anyone who followed along as Buffalo’s playoff drought reached 14 years. A year after Adams tossed around phrases like “win now” the Sabres roster doesn’t feel any closer to breaking that drought than they did in the spring of 2024. 

There is certainly an expectation that Adams will finally have the sort of offseason fans have been hoping to see from him in each of the last two years. An active, aggressive approach to bring in players who can move the needle has been glaringly absent in recent years and this may be Adams’ last chance to get it right. 

Buffalo currently holds the ninth selection in this year’s draft after sliding two spots as a result of the draft lottery. Even if they had held their original draft slot, the Sabres weren’t likely to land one of the top talents in this year’s draft. While there are a handful of intriguing prospects who will be available at pick nine, none jump off the page as the sort of must-have talent that could take Buffalo to the next level. Another good, but not great, first round prospect won’t move the needle much for the Sabres. Certainly not in the short term. The relative weakness of the draft class and the glaring need for help on Buffalo’s roster have left many hoping Adams will trade his first round pick for help this summer. 

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Sabres Make Front Office Addition with Eric Staal

Chris OstranderLeave a comment

It appears the dominos have begun to fall in the Sabres front office. The team announced Wednesday that Eric Staal has been hired as special assistant to the general manager, marking the first change in the team’s front office of the offseason. 

There was an expectation that some changes would hit the Sabres front office after yet another year without playoff hockey, but the hiring of Staal and additional reporting on Wednesday suggests Kevyn Adams will return as the team’s general manager. Whether or not the club adds anyone else around Adams remains to be seen. Some have suggested another hire may be imminent to fill some sort of senior advisor role or position with a similar title, but no announcements have been made at this time. Further to that point, Frank Seravalli reported that there is no clear indication that the Sabres will move forward with that plan. He also added a terrifying tidbit that Seth Appert, lauded mastermind of a 16% power play, may see his influence in roster decisions expand. 

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The Instigator Podcast 13.33 – Isles Win NHL Draft Lotto, Sabres to Pick 9

Chris OstranderLeave a comment

A pair of teams leapt up the draft order after the 2025 NHL Draft Lottery. The New York Islanders will be picking first overall while the Utah Hockey Club moved from 14th to fourth, locking in the San Jose Sharks at second overall (:20). The Sabres were bumped to ninth overall after two teams from behind them moved up. We walk through the lottery results and offer a few thoughts on the direction we’d go if we were in the GM chair with the Islanders (6:58). Then we tackle the Sabres options at ninth overall (15:53) The 2025 class isn’t exceptional after the first few picks, meaning there are a number of directions the Sabres could go with their selection (23:10). We touch on a few as we look ahead to next month’s draft and the rest of the offseason.

You can find The Instigator Podcast wherever you listen to podcasts:

iTunes
Spotify
Amazon Music
iHeartRadio
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The Instigator Podcast 13.32 – Searching for a Standard

Chris OstranderLeave a comment

While there was some expectation the Sabres could make some changes in the front office, it appears as if no changes are in store for the club. Meanwhile, teams across the league have made substantial changes at coach or GM. We ask why the Sabres haven’t determined that this sort of action is necessary after another season without the playoffs and whether or not there is any sort of organizational standard here in Buffalo (29:30). We kick off the show with a conversation on the first round of the NHL playoffs (:30) and TNT calling games from the studio (5:01). We also take a quick detour to chat about yet another expansive arena renovation plan (14:31). This time, it’s the Ducks who have big plans for their home arena.

You can find The Instigator Podcast wherever you listen to podcasts:

iTunes
Spotify
Amazon Music
iHeartRadio
Pocket Casts

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Take It Back to the 80s with FOCO’s Retro NFL Bills Draft Pick Bobbleheads

Two in the Box StaffLeave a comment

Draft day. One of the most exciting days of the NFL offseason has finally arrived. This is a day when teams can reshape their roster and with a bevvy of picks, I’m excited to see how the Bills manage this weekend.

In commemoration of the upcoming NFL draft, FOCO is releasing the yearly program of Retro NFL Draft Pick Bobbleheads featuring two Buffalo Bills legendary draft picks you are not going to want to miss out on.

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Cruise Ship Terminal Adds to Fabric of the Outer Harbor

Chris OstranderLeave a comment

The effort to make Buffalo a stop for Great Lakes cruises took a step forward this month as Erie Canal Harbor Development Corporation (ECHDC) put out an RFP for the design of a cruise ship terminal with a goal of opening Buffalo’s port to ships by 2027. 

This is a significant step in the process which kicked off two years ago as ECHDC began studying the feasibility of bringing ships to Buffalo, ultimately looking at six different waterfront sites for the docking facility. The two most discussed locations were the redeveloped DL&W train shed or a location on the Outer Harbor, with the latter winning out as the preferred location for ECHDC. 

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