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Training Camp Cuts: 9/29/25

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Eight days remain until the beginning of the regular season. After a weekend of heavy roster trimming, most clubs are down to their last few rounds of targeted cuts. We’re keeping track of today’s moves here at Pro Hockey Rumors.

Buffalo Sabres (per team announcement)

D Zachary Jones (to AHL Rochester, pending waivers)
F Jake Leschyshyn (to AHL Rochester, pending waivers)

Chicago Blackhawks (per team announcement)

G Drew Commesso (to AHL Rockford)
D Ashton Cumby (to AHL Rockford)
F Nick Lardis (to AHL Rockford)
F Samuel Savoie (to AHL Rockford)
F A.J. Spellacy (to OHL Windsor)
F Aidan Thompson (to AHL Rockford)
F Dominic Toninato (to AHL Rockford)
G Mitchell Weeks (released from PTO to AHL Rockford)

Colorado Avalanche (per team announcement)

F Taylor Makar (to AHL Colorado)
G Isak Posch (to AHL Colorado)

Edmonton Oilers (per team announcement)

G Matt Tomkins (to AHL Bakersfield, pending waivers)

Florida Panthers (per team announcement)

G Evan Cormier (released from PTO to AHL Charlotte)
G Kirill Gerasimyuk (to AHL Charlotte)
D Ludvig Jansson (to AHL Charlotte)
D Evan Nause (to AHL Charlotte)

Minnesota Wild (per team announcement)

F Nicolas Aube-Kubel (to AHL Iowa, pending waivers)
F Caedan Bankier (to AHL Iowa)
D Ben Gleason (to AHL Iowa, pending waivers)
G Samuel Hlavaj (to AHL Iowa)
F Ben Jones (to AHL Iowa, pending waivers)
D Matt Kiersted (to AHL Iowa, pending waivers)
F Rasmus Kumpulainen (to AHL Iowa)
D Carson Lambos (to AHL Iowa)
G Riley Mercer (to AHL Iowa)
D Wyatt Newpower (released from PTO to AHL Iowa)
D David Spacek (to AHL Iowa)

Nashville Predators (per team announcement)

F Daniel Carr (to AHL Milwaukee)
G Magnus Chrona (to AHL Milwaukee)
F David Edstrom (to AHL Milwaukee)
F Dylan Gambrell (to AHL Milwaukee)
D Andrew Gibson (to AHL Milwaukee)
G Ethan Haider (to AHL Milwaukee)
D Zack Hayes (to AHL Milwaukee)
F Kalan Lind (to AHL Milwaukee)
F Kyle Marino (to AHL Milwaukee)
D Jack Matier (to AHL Milwaukee)
D Chad Nychuk (to AHL Milwaukee)
F Cole O’Hara (to AHL Milwaukee)
F Isaac Ratcliffe (to AHL Milwaukee)
F Austin Roest (to AHL Milwaukee)
F Ryder Rolston (to AHL Milwaukee)
G T.J. Semptimphelter (to AHL Milwaukee)
D Ryan Ufko (to AHL Milwaukee)
F Oasiz Wiesblatt (to AHL Milwaukee)
F Joey Willis (to AHL Milwaukee)

New Jersey Devils (per team announcement)

F Tag Bertuzzi (released from PTO to AHL Utica)
G Tyler Brennan (to AHL Utica)
G Jeremy Brodeur (released from PTO to AHL Utica)
F Alexander Campbell (released from PTO to AHL Utica)
F Brian Carrabes (released from PTO to AHL Utica)
D Jimmy Dowd (released from PTO to AHL Utica)
F Josh Filmon (to AHL Utica)
D Jeremy Hanzel (to AHL Utica)
G Jakub Málek (to AHL Utica)
F Jack Malone (released from PTO to AHL Utica)
F Matyas Melovsky (to AHL Utica)
D Luke Reid (released from PTO to AHL Utica)
F Ryan Schmelzer (to AHL Utica, pending waivers)
F Cam Squires (to AHL Utica)
D Jackson van de Leest (released from PTO to AHL Utica)
F Dylan Wendt (to AHL Utica)

New York Rangers (per team announcement)

F Jaroslav Chmelar (to AHL Hartford)
D Jackson Dorrington (to AHL Hartford)
D Case McCarthy (to AHL Hartford)
D Andrej Sustr (released from PTO)
F Adam Sykora (to AHL Hartford)
F Kalle Vaisanen (to AHL Hartford)

Pittsburgh Penguins (per team announcement)

F Callahan Burke (released from PTO to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton)
F Atley Calvert (released from PTO to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton)
D Finn Harding (to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton)
F Aaron Huglen (released from PTO to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton)
F Nolan Renwick (released from PTO to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton)

San Jose Sharks (per Curtis Pashelka of Bay Area News Group)

F Filip Bystedt (to AHL San Jose)
F Igor Chernyshov (to AHL San Jose)

Toronto Maple Leafs (per team announcement)

G Kenneth Appleby (released from PTO to AHL Toronto)
G Artur Akhtyamov (to AHL Toronto)
F Brandon Baddock (released from PTO to AHL Toronto)
F Matthew Barbolini (released from PTO to AHL Toronto)
F Travis Boyd (to AHL Toronto)
D Noah Chadwick (to AHL Toronto)
F Gunnarwolfe Fontaine (released from PTO to AHL Toronto)
F Luke Grainger (released from PTO to AHL Toronto)
F Benoit-Olivier Groulx (to AHL Toronto)
F Luke Haymes (to AHL Toronto)
F Reese Johnson (released from PTO to AHL Toronto)
F Marc Johnstone (released from PTO to AHL Toronto)
F Ben King (released from PTO to AHL Toronto)
F Ryan Kirwan (released from PTO to AHL Toronto)
F Braeden Kressler (to AHL Toronto)
F Vinni Lettieri (to AHL Toronto)
D Ryan McCleary (released from PTO to AHL Toronto)
F Alexander Nylander (released from PTO to AHL Toronto)
F Cédric Paré (released from PTO to AHL Toronto)
D Rhett Parsons (released from PTO to AHL Toronto)
G Vyacheslav Peksa (to AHL Toronto)
D John Prokop (to AHL Toronto)
F Jacob Quillan (to AHL Toronto)
F Nick Rhéaume (released from PTO to AHL Toronto)
D Chas Sharpe (released from PTO to AHL Toronto)
F Logan Shaw (released from PTO to AHL Toronto)
F Marko Sikic (released from PTO to AHL Toronto)
F Landon Sim (released from PTO to AHL Toronto)
D Blake Smith (to AHL Toronto)
F Sam Stevens (released from PTO to AHL Toronto)
F Ryan Tverberg (to AHL Toronto)
F Borya Valis (to AHL Toronto)
D Cade Webber (to AHL Toronto)

Vancouver Canucks (per team announcement)

D Parker Alcos (to WHL Edmonton)
F Vilmer Alriksson (to AHL Abbotsford)
D Joe Arntsen (released from PTO to AHL Abbotsford)
F Danila Klimovich (to AHL Abbotsford)
D Nikolai Knyzhov (released from PTO to AHL Abbotsford)
G Aku Koskenvuo (to AHL Abbotsford)
D Kirill Kudryavtsev (to AHL Abbotsford)
F Joseph LaBate (to AHL Abbotsford, pending waivers)
D Jayden Lee (released from PTO to AHL Abbotsford)
F Mackenzie MacEachern (to AHL Abbotsford, pending waivers)
F Ty Mueller (to AHL Abbotsford)
G Jiri Patera (to AHL Abbotsford, pending waivers)
F Anri Ravinskis (to AHL Abbotsford)
D Jimmy Schuldt (to AHL Abbotsford, pending waivers)
F Chase Stillman (to AHL Abbotsford)
F Chase Wouters (released from PTO to AHL Abbotsford)
G Ty Young (to AHL Abbotsford)

Winnipeg Jets (per Murat Ates of The Athletic)

F Phillip Di Giuseppe (to AHL Manitoba, pending waivers)
F Mason Shaw (to AHL Manitoba, pending waivers)
F Danny Zhilkin (to AHL Manitoba)

Buffalo Sabres Injury Updates

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With 10 days remaining until their opening game of the 2025-26 season, the Buffalo Sabres are dealing with injuries on multiple fronts of their roster. Earlier today, the Sabres provided updates on several injured players, including Bowen Byram, Mattias Samuelsson, Jiri Kulich, Jordan Greenway, and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen.

Fortunately, aside from Samuelsson, it doesn’t appear that any player is expected to miss opening night, though there is some cause for concern. Byram, who the team shares is dealing with an undisclosed injury, is expected to practice with the team tomorrow. However, he’ll miss their preseason contest against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Luukkonen, who is the de facto top netminder in Buffalo, has only recently returned to practice after suffering a lower-body injury toward the end of his offseason training. The Sabres expect Luukkonen to play in Buffalo’s contests on Wednesday and Thursday this week, and there’s no doubt in the organization that he’ll play opening night. It will be an important year for Luukkonen’s trajectory, as he followed up a promising 2023-24 campaign with a disappointing effort last season.

Kulich (undisclosed) and Greenway (middle body) are expected to return to practice either this week or next, though the latter has yet to practice with the team at all this preseason. Although Greenway, who signed a two-year, $8MM extension with the Sabres last season, may be healthy enough to play on opening night, Buffalo may wait a week or two to allow him time to ramp up after missing several weeks already.

Unfortunately, Samuelsson, who has dealt with injury concerns every season of his professional career, may not start the season on time due to an upper-body injury suffered last week. Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff said that Samuelsson is expected to miss multiple weeks, which would take his recovery timeline beyond Buffalo’s opening night contest on October 9th. The update is becoming a theme with Samuelsson, who played in a career-high 62 games last season. He has five years and $21.43MM remaining on his contract.

Sabres Recall Vsevolod Komarov

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The Sabres announced Monday they’ve recalled defenseman Vsevolod Komarov from AHL Rochester. While he was a part of Buffalo’s massive round of training camp cuts over the weekend, they’re likely looking to get him into one more preseason game to allow rest for their veterans before sending him back to the minors.

Komarov, 21, was a fifth-round pick in 2022 but has outpaced his draft billing so far in his development. The 6’2″ righty had a highly successful major junior career, leading the QMJHL in scoring among defenders in 2023-24 while taking home a second league title, being named the league’s top defenseman during the regular season, and earning playoff MVP honors.

Last year’s adjustment to professional hockey was smooth. He didn’t pop in a huge way offensively, but delivered a well-rounded two-way game with the physical edge Buffalo hoped for when they drafted him. He played in all but three games for Rochester last year, logging a 2-16–18 scoring line with 85 PIMs and a +7 rating in 69 appearances. He was knocking on the door of top-pair minutes by season’s end, notes Steven Ellis of Daily Faceoff, who tabbed him as the No. 10 prospect (and No. 4 defenseman) in Buffalo’s prospect pipeline this summer.

He was never expected to compete for an opening-night job this fall. Taking a chunk out of his time with Rochester in training camp to give him another preseason look, though, could be an indicator he’s high on their list of recall options this season in case a shakeup or injury replacement is needed.

Komarov’s entry-level contract carries him through 2026-27 at a cap hit of $835K, after which he’ll be a restricted free agent. This season, he’s owed a minor-league salary of $82.5K with a $90K signing bonus and up to $35K in performance bonuses and a prorated $775K salary if he spends time in the NHL. Unless he somehow manages to play 160 NHL games in the next two years, he’ll remain waiver-exempt for the life of his ELC before requiring them beginning with the 2027-28 campaign.

Latest On Josh Norris

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  • Buffalo Sabres center Josh Norris appears to have a massive opportunity in front of him entering his first full campaign in Western New York, reports Buffalo Hockey Beat’s Bill Hoppe. Norris, who was traded to Buffalo in 2023-24 in a deal that included 2019 seventh-overall pick Dylan Cozens, is currently centering the Sabres’ top line alongside Zach Benson and Tage Thompson, as well as skating with the team’s top power play and penalty-kill units. It appears Norris has the chance to become an all-situations number-one center for the Sabres, something that was not entirely possible with his former team, the Ottawa Senators, due to the presence of star Tim Stutzle. Norris, who has dealt with persistent injuries (namely a shoulder issue) so far in his NHL career, scored 21 goals and 35 points last season and has a career high of 35 goals and 55 points in 66 games from the 2021-22 season.

Training Camp Cuts: 9/27/25

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We are now 10 days away from opening night, now that training camp has reached its second Saturday. Over the next few days, teams will have some of their biggest cuts of the preseason, while also putting additional players up for claim on the waiver wire. Each team’s current roster can be found at our Training Camp Roster Tracker. Here is the list of today’s cuts:

Buffalo Sabres (per team release)

D Isaac Belliveau (to AHL Rochester)
F Matteo Costantini (released from PTO to AHL Rochester)
F Riley Fiddler-Schultz (to AHL Rockford)
D Aidan Fulp (released from PTO to AHL Rochester)
F Konsta Helenius (to AHL Rochester)
F Jagger Joshua (released from PTO to AHL Rochester)
F Tyler Kopff (to AHL Rochester)
D Vsevolod Komarov (to AHL Rochester)
F Trevor Kuntar (released from PTO to AHL Rochester)
D Noah Laaouan (released from PTO to AHL Rochester)
G Topias Leinonen (to AHL Rochester)
G Devon Levi (to AHL Rochester)
D Zach Metsa (to AHL Rochester)
F Olivier Nadeau (to AHL Rochester)
F Viktor Neuchev (to AHL Rochester)
D Nikita Novikov (to AHL Rochester)
D Jack Rathbone (to AHL Rochester, pending waiver clearance)
G Scott Ratzlaff (to AHL Rochester)
F Isak Rosen (to AHL Rochester)
F Redmond Savage (released from PTO to AHL Rochester)
F Graham Slaggert (released from PTO to AHL Rochester)
D Peter Tischke (released from PTO to AHL Rochester)
F Brendan Warren (released from PTO to AHL Rochester)
F Anton Wahlberg (to AHL Rochester)

Chicago Blackhawks (per team release)

D Cavan Fitzgerald (released from PTO to AHL Rockford)
D Taige Harding (to AHL Rockford)
D Dmitry Kuzmin (to AHL Rockford)
F Paul Ludwinski (to AHL Rockford)
D Ryan Mast (to AHL Rockford)
D Andrew Perrott (released from PTO to AHL Rockford)
F Brett Seney (released from PTO to AHL Rockford)

Colorado Avalanche (per team release)

F Alex Barre-Boulet (to AHL Colorado, pending waiver clearance)
F Tye Felhaber (to AHL Colorado, pending waiver clearance)
F Jason Polin (to AHL Colorado, pending waiver clearance)
F T.J. Tynan (to AHL Colorado, pending waiver clearance)
D Sean Behrens (to AHL Colorado)
F Ivan Ivan (to AHL Colorado)
F Jayson Megna (to AHL Colorado)
F Tristen Nielsen (to AHL Colorado)

Columbus Blue Jackets (per team release)

F Roman Ahcan (to AHL Cleveland)
F Riley Bezeau (to AHL Cleveland)
D Ole Julian Bjorgvik-Holm (to AHL Cleveland)
D Caleb MacDonald (to AHL Cleveland)
D Will MacKinnon (to AHL Cleveland)
D Dysin Mayo (to AHL Cleveland, pending waiver clearance)
F Hunter McKown (to AHL Cleveland, pending waiver clearance)
F Ryland Mosley (to AHL Cleveland)
D Guillaume Richard (to AHL Cleveland)
G Zachary Sawchenko (to AHL Cleveland, pending waiver clearance)
F Owen Sillinger (to AHL Cleveland, pending waiver clearance)

Edmonton Oilers (per team announcement)

D Josh Brown (to AHL Bakersfield, pending waiver clearance)
F Roby Jarventie (to AHL Bakersfield, pending waiver clearance)
G Samuel Jonsson (to AHL Bakersfield)
F Viljami Marjala (to AHL Bakersfield)

New York Islanders (per team announcement)

G Tristan Lennox (to AHL Bridgeport)
F Eetu Liukas (to AHL Bridgeport)
D Jesse Pulkkinen (to AHL Bridgeport)
F Gleb Veremyev (to AHL Bridgeport)
D Marshall Warren (to AHL Bridgeport)

New York Rangers (per team announcement)

F Nathan Aspinall (to OHL Flint)

Philadelphia Flyers (per team release)

D Spencer Gill (to QMJHL Blainville-Boisbriand)
F Jack Nesbitt (to OHL Windsor)

Pittsburgh Penguins (per team release)

F Raivis Ansons (to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton)
D David Breazeale (to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton)
D Tommy Budnick (to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton)
F Kyle Criscuolo (to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton)
F Brayden Edwards (to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton)
F Zach Gallant (to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton)
F Max Graham (to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton)
D Brent Johnson (to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton)
F Jordan Kaplan (to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton)
F Gabe Klassen (to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton)
D Daniel Laatsch (to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton)
F Brett Murray (to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton)
G Maxim Pavlenko (to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton)
D Emil Pieniniemi (to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton)
F Zach Urdahl (to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton)

Seattle Kraken (per team announcements)

F JR Avon (to AHL Coachella Valley)
D Lukas Dragicevic (to AHL Coachella Valley)
F Jagger Firkus (to AHL Coachella Valley)
F David Goyette (to AHL Coachella Valley)
D Kaden Hammell (to AHL Coachella Valley)
F Justin Janicke (to AHL Coachella Valley)
D Tyson Jugnauth (to AHL Coachella Valley)
G Niklas Kokko (to AHL Coachella Valley)
G Jack LaFontaine (to AHL Coachella Valley)
F Andrei Loshko (to AHL Coachella Valley)
F Ian McKinnon (to AHL Coachella Valley)
F Jacob Melanson (to AHL Coachella Valley)
F Logan Morrison (to AHL Coachella Valley)
D Ty Nelson (to AHL Coachella Valley)
D Gustav Olofsson (to AHL Coachella Valley)
G Victor Ostman (to AHL Coachella Valley)
D Caden Price (to AHL Coachella Valley)
F Carson Rehkopf (to AHL Coachella Valley)
F Lleyton Roed (to AHL Coachella Valley)
F Eduard Sale (to AHL Coachella Valley)
F Nathan Villeneuve (to OHL Sudbury)

Vegas Golden Knights (per team announcement)

F Braeden Bowman (to AHL Henderson)
F Jakub Brabenec (to AHL Henderson)
F Mathieu Cataford (to AHL Henderson)
D Artur Cholach (to AHL Henderson)
D Jeremy Davies (to AHL Henderson)
F Jakub Demek (to AHL Henderson)
F/D Joe Fleming (to AHL Henderson)
F Jackson Hallum (to AHL Henderson)
F Ben Hemmerling (to AHL Henderson)
D Brandon Hickey (to AHL Henderson)
D Lucas Johansen (to AHL Henderson)
D Viliam Kmec (to AHL Henderson)
D Samuel Mayer (to AHL Henderson)
F Riley McKay (to AHL Henderson)
F Mitch McLain (to AHL Henderson)
F Devon Paliani (to AHL Henderson)
F Matyas Sapovaliv (to AHL Henderson)
D Christoffer Sedoff (to AHL Henderson)
F Sloan Stanick (to AHL Henderson)
F Trent Swick (to AHL Henderson)
F Kai Uchacz (to AHL Henderson)
F Tuomas Uronen (to AHL Henderson)
G Jesper Vikman (to AHL Henderson)
F Kevin Wall (to AHL Henderson)
G Cameron Whitehead (to AHL Henderson)

Washington Capitals (per team announcement)

F Zac Funk (to AHL Hershey)
G Mitch Gibson (to AHL Hershey)
F Ryan Hofer (to AHL Hershey)
F Lynden Lakovic (to WHL Moose Jaw)
D Aaron Ness (to AHL Hershey)
F Ludwig Persson (to AHL Hershey)
D Calle Rosen (to AHL Hershey, pending waivers)
F Spencer Smallman (to AHL Hershey, pending waivers)
F Matt Strome (to AHL Hershey)
F Alexander Suzdalev (to AHL Hershey)

Sabres Reassign Devon Levi, Isak Rosen

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Two notable names were found among the 24 which were trimmed from the Buffalo Sabres training camp roster Saturday: Devon Levi and Isak Rosen. 

Levi, 23, was unable to break through another crowded goaltender room, featuring Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, newcomer Alex Lyon, and the recently signed Alexander Georgiev. 

The addition of Georgiev was another blow to Levi’s chances to make the club, but the top prospect is set to return to a Rochester Americans team as a standout, and continue to develop in a winning AHL environment. It remains hard to forget that the seventh-round pick gem was a key piece from Florida in return for Sam Reinhart, however, Levi has put up elite numbers in the AHL, and clearly the Sabres are in no rush with his development, especially as the organization works to turn things around as a whole. 

Rosen, Buffalo’s 14th overall choice in the 2021 draft, has improved each season statistically with AHL Rochester, but has yet to make an impact in the NHL, with one assist in 15 games played. The 22-year-old was a name to watch going into Buffalo’s camp as pushing to make the club. Now Rosen will return to the AHL, looking to build off his team-leading 2024-25 campaign with the Americans, where he put up 55 points in 61 games, and fight to earn a midseason call-up from the Sabres. 

Buffalo continues to hold three veteran goaltenders, which will be worth monitoring as the season approaches.

Waivers: 9/27/25

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As training camp cuts continue to occur, there will be an uptick in waiver placements over the next week and a half.  Today is a particularly busy day on the wire with PuckPedia reporting that 20 players are now on waivers.  Meanwhile, all of yesterday’s players cleared, per PuckPedia.

Buffalo Sabres

D Jack Rathbone

Calgary Flames

D Jeremie Poirier

Columbus Blue Jackets

D Dysin Mayo
F Hunter McKown
G Zachary Sawchenko
F Owen Sillinger

Colorado Avalanche

F Alex Barre-Boulet
F Tye Felhaber
F Jason Polin
F T.J. Tynan

Edmonton Oilers

D Josh Brown
F James Hamblin
F Roby Jarventie

New York Islanders

F Adam Beckman

St. Louis Blues

F Nikita Alexandrov
F Hugh McGing

Toronto Maple Leafs

F Travis Boyd
F Benoit-Olivier Groulx
F Vinni Lettieri

Vegas Golden Knights

D Lukas Cormier

For the most part, this is a group of veteran players who have cleared waivers multiple times in the past and should expect to do so here as well.  That said, Lettieri has gotten into 72 NHL games over the last two seasons and could be appealing to a team looking for some extra depth down the middle.  Alexandrov didn’t see any action with St. Louis last season but averaged just over a point per game with AHL Springfield last season and has 51 career NHL appearances under his belt.  Boyd was a full-time NHL player as recently as 2022-23 and is one game shy of 300 for his career but has settled in as more of an AHL veteran since then.

At this time of year, it’s sometimes the younger players who might garner some attention and there are some on this list who could draw a look.  Cormier and Poirier are only 23 and have shown some offensive upside in the past at both the QMJHL and AHL levels.  Jarventie was once a prospect with some upside before an injury derailed his 2024-25 campaign but if there’s a team that thinks he has fully recovered, he could garner attention as well.

These players will be on waivers until 1 PM CT on Sunday.

Buffalo Sabres Sign Five-Year Extension At KeyBank Center

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The Buffalo Sabres are staying in their current home for a few more years. As part of its agreement with Erie County, the Sabres have declined an opt-out clause in their lease at the KeyBank Center and have extended the deal for another five years, according to a team announcement.

The KeyBank Center has been home to the Sabres since 1996, although it has been known as Marine Midland Arena, HSBC Arena, and First Niagara Center during that time. Once the lease concludes after the 2030-31 NHL season, it will have served as Buffalo’s home arena for 35 years, which is on the shorter side compared to the typical NHL stadium’s lifespan.

If the Sabres’ ownership decides to build a new arena for the 2031-32 NHL season, it likely won’t be very far from the KeyBank Center. As cited in the team’s announcement, a third-party consulting firm conducted a study, revealing that the arena had an economic impact of $694.2 million in 2023, generating tax revenue of $48.6 million.

[SOURCE LINK]

Sabres Hire Jarkko Ruutu

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  • The Sabres have hired former NHL winger Jarkko Ruutu in a still-to-be-defined capacity, notes Helsingin Sanomat’s Juuso Savilaakso. Ruutu had been working with Columbus in a variety of roles since 2015 but his contract expired this summer.  It’s likely that Buffalo’s new senior advisor Jarmo Kekalainen had a big role in this hiring, having been the one to originally hire Ruutu to begin his post-playing career a decade ago.

Sabres, Alex Tuch Not Close In Extension Talks

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Sabres winger Alex Tuch is one of the more prominent players in the potential 2026 UFA class.  That said, both he and the team have made it clear that a long-term contract extension is the end goal instead of him going to the open market in July.  However, as Pierre LeBrun reports in his latest piece for The Athletic (subscription link), the two sides are not in the same ballpark when it comes to getting a deal done.

The 29-year-old has become a much more consistent offensive threat following his trade to Buffalo as part of the Jack Eichel swap back in 2021.  His best three offensive seasons have come in the past three years, ranging from 59 points to 79; last season, he was basically in the middle of those numbers, tallying 36 goals and 31 assists in 82 games while logging over 19 minutes per night for the third straight year.

Basically, these are numbers approaching top-line territory or at the higher end output-wise, fully in top-line territory.  Given his size and defensive acumen, it seems pretty clear that there will be quite a few teams willing to ante up for his services if he remains unsigned in July, something his representation undoubtedly is keeping in mind as talks go on.

How much will that cost Buffalo?  The top winger contract given to an unrestricted free agent this summer went to Nikolaj Ehlers who signed a six-year, $51MM contract ($8.5MM AAV) with Carolina.  (Vegas acquired Mitch Marner for $12MM per season but that was in a sign-and-trade, not actual free agency.)  Ehlers’ price tag feels like it would be on the light side for Tuch’s services, especially as the salary cap continues to be earmarked for bigger jumps than we’ve seen in recent years.  A jump to a double-digit AAV doesn’t appear to be out of the question.

LeBrun speculates that the lack of contracts for some of the other top pending UFAs in contract talks could be playing a role in the minimal progress being made in these discussions as players and agents each wait for someone to be the market setter.  But regardless of who ultimately signs first to set potential new benchmarks, it looks like Tuch’s camp and the Sabres have a lot of work to do in the coming weeks and months to get a deal in place.

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