The Sabres Roster Is Set
Oct 8, 2008 NHL
The Buffalo Sabres roster is now at the league limit of 23, thanks to Mike Weber being sent to Portland and Paul Gaustad starting the season IR due to his thumb injury. Weber could still be sent freely to the Pirates, and there were 8 defensemen still on the roster, so he was the obvious choice. You know they will be bringing him back asap if there are injuries. He can go be our Rivet for the Pirates until needed.
Tags: buffalo, Hockey, NHL, pirates, portland, rivet, sabres, weber
Roster Cleanup
Oct 3, 2008 NHL
Eight more players were sent down to the Portland Pirates, including Tim Kennedy and Nathan Gerbe. Here’s the note from Sabres.com:
Heading to Portland are: forwards Mathieu Darche (pending waivers), Mark Mancari (pending waivers), Nathan Gerbe, Tim Kennedy, Dylan Hunter and Marek Zagrapan; and defensemen Chris Butler and Michael Funk.
That leaves 24 players on the roster, if you assume that Goose starts the year on IR. So there is one more move to be made. John Vogl over at the Buffalo News noted that Connolly was not on the ice today, but there’s time for him to get healthy yet.
Gerbe could probably be playing now, but there just isn’t roster room as of yet. I’m imagining him as the first forward recalled though, so with Timmy C still on the roster there’s a good shot at him seeing more than just a cup of coffee at some point.
Tags: buffalo, butler, connolly, darche, funk, gerbe, Hockey, hunter, kennedy, mancari, NHL, pirates, portland, sabres, zagrapan
Sabres Stuff
Aug 5, 2008 NHL
NHL.com has a look at the Sabres current prospects, including Gragnani, Gerbe, Ennis, and so on. It’s a good read if you are trying to get a feel for who all will be filling out the Portland roster this year.
Speaking of Portland, Kevin Dineen will stay on as coach of the Portland Pirates, the new Sabres affiliate.
Buffalo also announced the signing of a few depth players who will most likely help fill out the AHL roster. Colton Fretter and Colin Murphy (along with another recent signee, Mathieu Darche) should all be filling roles for the Pirates.
Tags: buffalo, darche, dineen, ennis, fretter, gerbe, gragnani, Hockey, murphy, NHL, pirates, portland, sabres
Portland Pirates Coach
Jul 26, 2008 NHL
The Portland Press Herald has an extremely detailed report on the coaching situation for the Sabres’ AHL affiliate, the Portland Pirates. Since Randy Cunneyworth joined the Atlanta Thrashers staff, Buffalo has switched gears and is talking to Kevin Dineen, who coached the Pirates for the past three seasons. Dineen is also in the running to coach the Ducks’ new affiliate (the now-famous Iowa Chops) or become a scout with Anaheim. The Ducks were the parent club for Portland last year.
Tags: ahl, anaheim, atlanta, buffalo, cunneyworth, dineen, ducks, Hockey, NHL, pirates, portland, sabres, thrashers
NHL Draft Starts Tonight
Jun 20, 2008 NHL
The first round of the NHL draft is tonight, with Steve Stamkos as the consensus first pick (with the Lightning as of now). Buffalo has 2 picks in the first round (13th and 26th), and might be looking to move up. Rumors swirl involving Maxim Afinogenov being gone, and other trades are not ruled out. I’d like to see some moves made, as the glut at forward should be able to get us SOMETHING in return. Otherwise some NHL ready guys are going to languish in Portland this year.
Tags: buffalo, draft, Hockey, Maxim Afinogenov, NHL, pirates, portland, sabres, stamkos
Portland Pirates New Sabres Affiliate
Jun 10, 2008 NHL
It’s official, Portland will be the new NHL affiliate of the Buffalo Sabres. This ends the 29 year association with the Rochester Americans. It’ll be a longer trip for the call-ups, although Portland had to deal with a longer one last year (they were with Anaheim). With all the recent signings, there should be a decent team there.
Where’s a Pirate when you need ‘em??
Sep 25, 2007 Media
Female ninjas robbing gas stations. I guess real ultimate power requires less than $50 and some Slim Jims.
