Buffalo Sabres

Buffalo Sabres coverage. Related to the Sabres, their prospects and the minors.

The Instigator Podcast 12.28 – NHL Trade Deadline Preview

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It’s deadline week and the rumors are flying left and right. We run through a number of topics on this week’s show, including the most recent trades to have been made around the league while offering up one trade that each of us would make if we were in charge of another NHL team.

We then talk about Buffalo’s apparent strategy ahead of this year’s deadline and the trio of pending UFAs Kevyn Adams appears poised to move. We close the show with a pair of trades we’d like to see Adams make before the 3 p.m. deadline on Friday.

Revisiting Some Renovation Ideas for KeyBank Center

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Renovations to KeyBank Center are coming. What was initially reported in the fall has been further confirmed with the recent publication of the Sabres’ plans for a new videoboard and repairs to the building’s roof. 

As was detailed in the fall, the team is eyeing additional work throughout the 28-year old arena with one of the biggest pain points for fans, the seats, high on the to-do list. As upgrading the arena has moved back to the front burner, it seemed like a good time to revisit some of the areas of the arena I’ve hoped to see the team address when it comes time to bust out the hard hats. 

Making improvements to the seating bowl is obvious to just about anyone who walks in the building. The seats have been there since the building opened and they are showing their age. But there are other sections of KeyBank Center that are underutilized and could bring a better overall customer experience should they be reimagined and depending on the amount of investment the Sabres, county and state care to make. 

Some (many?) of the ideas floated in this post may be too ambitious or unrealistic to ever be adopted, but my hope is to offer a healthy mix of feasible and necessary improvements with a few pipe dreams sprinkled in. The building needs quite a bit of TLC and even if the bulk of the attention is paid to the most necessary repair work, there will still be a marked difference down on Perry St.  

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The Instigator Podcast 12.27 – Targeting Mission: Eastern Conference

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In a follow up to last week’s episode, we run through the NHL’s Eastern Conference to determine viable trade targets for the Sabres at this year’s deadline or in the offseason. We hit on each team in the East, identifying players who can help on the fringes of the roster and even a few blockbuster candidates.

We also hit on the news that the Sabres will be bringing in a new scoreboard for the 2024-25 season along with repairing the roof of KeyBank Center.

Roof and Videoboard Replacements are Welcome Additions to KeyBank Center

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Rumors and expectations of renovations at KeyBank Center have been rumored going back as far as 2017. Work will finally get underway on updating the 28 year old building this summer as the Sabres officially announced a new scoreboard and roof on Monday. 

It should be noted this work was previously confirmed and discussed ahead of the season, so it’s not new news, but the confirmation is a positive sign. Especially for anyone who has been eager to see work begin in the aging building. 

The roof work is a necessary evil that is going to take precedence over sexier, fan-facing upgrades still expected in the years to come. It’s also possible that in addition to making any repairs to a roof that’s nearly three decades old, additional support structures could be needed to hold the new scoreboard. Given the history of the building, that’s a step worth taking. I understand the sour reaction to the roof being one of the two projects announced considering the many, many areas of need around the arena and although I’m not a structural engineer, it certainly doesn’t look good when you drive by on the Skyway and I’ve heard of people getting dripped on in the 100 level on rainy days, so it certainly seems like a pertinent project to tackle. 

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The Instigator Podcast 12.26 – Targeting Mission: Western Conference Edition

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We thought we’d try something different with this week’s episode. Rather than go on about another squandered pair of points, we dive into the Western Conference to come up with players the Sabres could target in a trade. We touch on each team in the West, highlighting players that range from pie-in-the-sky dreams, to valuable fits deeper in the lineup.

The Instigator Podcast 12.24 – Going Mittelstadt Mode

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This week is the Mittelstadt episode. In the wake of the deals that shipped out Elias Lindholm and Sean Monahan, questions about Casey Mittelstadt’s availability have cropped up. We dive into the important role Mittelstadt has played for the Sabres this season while also discussing where he fits in to the team’s future along with the difficulty the Sabres will face in replacing him should they move him in a deal.

Warpath #2: Crest & Colors

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The second episode of Warpath is devoted to the crest and colors of the Buffalo Sabres. Featuring interviews with Eric Bodamer and Paul Lukas, this episode explores the background of the team’s blue and gold color scheme, the meaning behind the logo along with additional stories and facts about the uniforms the Sabres wore when they first took the ice in 1970.

The Instigator Podcast 12.23 – All Star Week Musings: Levi, Jiricek, West Coast Trip

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The Sabres are off for a week and the All Star Game is here. We have a slightly longer episode this week that tackles the Sabres’ results from their west coast trip, Devon Levi’s return to Rochester during the team’s time off and we spitball about David Jiricek who has openly complained about his situation in Columbus.

A Better Situation is Needed for Devon Levi

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Buffalo’s goaltending situation is a problem of their own making. 

Kevyn Adams was gambling when he left his goaltending stable untouched in the offseason. After 46 games, there isn’t much that’s improved. 

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen has stabilized the position thus far, taking over the starting job with a string of quality play that dates back to the end of December. He’s currently the best chance the team has to salvage anything from this season as his current form makes him Buffalo’s best, and only reliable goaltender. A pessimist may look at his larger body of work and worry that this is just a blip, but Luukkonen has exhibited much more control over his game during this stretch, has done a better job playing bigger in his net and has held the fort even as the team in front of him continues their up-and-down season. 

Beyond Luukkonen is where things get cloudy. There have been rumors of promises made to Devon Levi in the time leading up to his signing and his seven game cameo appeared to justify the franchise’s faith in him as an NHL regular. So far, that faith hasn’t been fully rewarded. 

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The Instigator Podcast 12.22 – Hockey Canada Investigation Takes a Step Forward

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After a lengthy period of investigation, the sexual assault case related to the 2018 Canadian World Junior Championship team has progressed as five players were instructed to surrender to the authorities in London, Ontario. With four NHLers taking leaves from their respective teams, speculation has run rampant online. We discuss the latest developments in the case and the players thought to be involved in the ongoing proceedings.

Also on the show is a conversation about the differences in standards and situations between the Sabres and Islanders after the latter replaced their head coach with Patrick Roy. We talk about Don Granato’s outlook and whether or not he has the ability to survive as Buffalo’s head coach given the struggles the Sabres continue to suffer through.