Well ladies and gents its official, Terry Pegula means business.  The Sabres announced today that they have agreed to a long term contract with recently acquired defenseman Christian Ehrhoff.  The team has not disclosed the terms of the contract, but TSN is reporting it is for a total of 10 years and $40 million; there is also a no movement clause and a modified no trade clause in the contract.

From sabres.nhl.com “I was originally going to wait and see what was available on the free agent market,” said Christian Ehrhoff. “After the Sabres acquired my rights and I spoke with Terry Pegula and Darcy Regier, I did my due diligence on the team and I was very impressed. I called some former teammates and others in the NHL who also had great things to say and I was aware that Robyn Regehr had waived his no-trade clause in his contract this week to join the Sabres. My goal is to win the Stanley Cup, and after the offer I received from Buffalo, I believe this is the best place to make it happen.”

Ehrhoff can log a lot of minutes, he’s physical, he’s not afraid to block shots and he can score.  Yep sounds good to me, lock him up!  He is an upgrade from both Chris Butler, who was traded to the Flames for Regehr, and Steve Montador, who’s rights were traded to the Chicago Blackhawks yesterday.  Plus, it give Lindy another veteran presence to pair with our young phenom defenseman, Tyler Myers.

Like everyone else in Buffalo, I am still trying to wrap my head around what is happening right now.  The Sabres have NEVER, let me repeat that, NEVER been active at the trade deadline or during free agency, I seriously think they have made more moves in the last 5 days than they have in the last 5 years combined.  In a matter of days, they have shipped out some players who were no longer useful on this team and upgraded them.  We now have a defense corps that reminds me of the good old days of 2006-2007.  We have a Vezina winning goaltender, and a pretty solid top 6 (that still needs some tweaking, but it’s getting there).  If they sign a top of the line center I think this city might explode, we have never experienced anything like this before.

Terry has made the message pretty clear, we will win a Stanley Cup, and if he keeps going at the pace he’s going, it might be a heck of a lot sooner than any of us expected.

You mean they didn’t let a player walk away for nothing? What is going on, THIS IS AWESOME!!

So first, Terry Pegula, his wife Kim, and Lindy Ruff FLY to Calgary to convince Robyn Rehger that he belongs in Buffalo and that we wanted him – trade accomplished.  They also managed to ship out Chris Butler, who I think was in need of a change in scenery and they re-acquired Ales Kotalik (I still haven’t decided if this is a good thing or not…)

Next the team signs Nathan Gerbe, our little man who finally found his scoring touch last season to a 3 year contract extension.

And now, they have acquired the negotiating rights to Christian Ehrhoff from the NY Islanders for a 4th round pick next year.

I cannot wait until Friday if this is what is leading up to it!!!

Well all, it has been a pleasure, but I have some research to do.  I hope you all enjoyed the coverage. Over and out!

11:05 pm EST Anaheim making their way to the stage and with the final selection of the first round the take Rikard Rakell from Sweden, but plays for Plymouth.  Camera showed Bowman shaking hands with Campbell’s agent.  TSN guys are saying its all but done. Darren Dreger saying Rostislav Olesz is going to Chicago for Brian Campbell.  Confirmed by Bowman, just some paperwork and the deal will be final.

11:00 pm EST The final pick in the first round belongs to the Ducks. Talking to Mike Gillis, said he is most concerned with getting his guys signed, this includes Bieksa, who’s name has been mentioned a lot here in Buffalo. Oh, I would love that one!

10:55pm EST Bowman still working on the “Campbell trade,” and the Canucks are hearing the boo-birds.  The Nuck’s take Nicklas Jensen from Oshawa.

10:52 pm EST And now Bowman is back with Campbell’s agent.  This is becoming quite the story now isn’t it.  Canuck’s up next.

10:49 pm EST Minny selecting with the pick they got in the Setoguchi trade and they take Zack Phillips for the Sea Dogs. Good player, but he’s a little slow.  On a side note, the camera’s are stalking Bowman, just showed him shaking hands with Florida’s Assistant General Manager, WTF is going on!?!

10:45 pm EST Minny up next.  Camera’s just caught Stan Bowman talking to Brian Campbell’s agent, this deal couldn’t possibly be real, could it?

10:43 pm EST Stevie Y making the selection and they take a Russian, Vladislav Namestnikov.  Grew up in Michigan and there doesn’t seem to be the KHL worry with him.

10:40 pm EST Duthie saying that Stan couldn’t talk right now because he is trying to get another pick either late in the first round OR early in the second round.  What is he doing?! Tampa on the clock.

10:36 pm EST Pierre, Bob and Gord are now talking about Brian Campbell again, apparently he has waived hin NTC to go to Florida?! Not so sure on this one, seems like an odd choice.  Hawks take Phillip Danault with #26.  They were just saying he lost 6 teeth, had extensive dental surgery and returned 2 games later, sound like someone else we know, Dunc’s perhaps?

10:33 pm EST Chicago up again at #26.  Duthie is talking to Percy now, he sounds excited/nervous.  Burke was eyeing this player during the combine and says he is very excited to be able to land him.

10:27 pm EST Burkie picks again, selecting Stuart Percy. Percy wears #5 and patterns his game after Lidstrom, I’d day thats a good role model, you know with all those Stanley Cups and Norris Trophies.  McKenzie says he needs to work on his shot from the point, Pierre just compared him to the Sabres pick last year Mark Pysyk.

10:23 pm EST Toronto up next, again.  Duthie talking to Puempel now, says that he models his game after Patrick Sharp and he can only hope to be as good as he is one day.  Gotta love Sharpie, but since you are now a Senator, I don’t like this idea….

10:20 pm EST Ottawa takes Matt Puempel from the Peterborough Petes.  TSN’s player comparison is Thomas Vanek, oh boy.  Vanek is a great skater and has great hands, his consistency is what we Buffalonians worry about, this kid seems to have an issue with getting his feet to move as fast as his hands, not a great comparison in my mind.

10:17 pm EST TSN analysts compared Pittsburgh’s system to Detroit, saying that they give their prospects more than enough time to develop, very nice comparison, but lets not jump the gun yet. Ottawa up again.

10:15 pm EST Pittsburgh takes defenseman Joe Morrow from the Portland Winterhawks with the 23rd pick.  Morrow is a sound defenseman with quick acceleration, the best part is he’s still growing into his frame and will only get stronger and more physical.

10:10 pm EST Another trade, Detroit trades #24 to Ottawa for #35 and #48.  How shocking, the Red Wings trade down, have they picked in the first round ever?  I want a real trade people!!

10:05 pm EST Here come the Leafs, with the pick they just acquired from the Ducks.  With this pick they select Tyler Biggs, just the type of player Burke loves, gritty, big and not afraid to throw down when necessary.  TSN comparison is Colby Armstrong, because I am a Sabres fan I really hope not, one Colby Armstrong is bad enough, but my (very small) inner Leaf fan is jumping for joy over this kid.

9:59 pm EST Oohh another trade, but not nearly as exciting as the others, Anaheim trades 22nd pick to Toronto for 30th and 39th picks this year.

9:53 pm EST Bettman confirming the Chicago-Washington trade.  Official trade reads Troy Brouwer to Washington for the 26th overall selection in the 2011 draft.  Senators back up on the stage, using the pick they got for Mike Fischer.  They selected Stefan Noeson from Plymouth.

9:49 pm EST Coyotes up now, this is the latest they have picked in several years. They select Connor Murphy from the USNTDP.  Pierre says he is a long way away from being NHL ready.  He will be playing at Miami Ohio in the fall, this should give him some time to develop and get stonger.

9:40 pm EST Edmonton up again, this selection originally belonged to the Kings, but they traded it to the Oilers for Dustin Penner.  McKenzie is saying that any of the remaining top 50 picks can go at anytime, its very wide open.  Oilers select Oscar Klefbom.  Looks like they got their big defenseman too, 6′ 3″.  He seems to think he can benefit from playing in Sweden for another year, again Tambellini stresses there is no need to rush him.  He also still will not confirm the Ryan Smyth trade, wonder what holding that up?

9:35 pm EST Stan Bowman announcing the selection, the Hawks select Mark McNeill.  Big and physical center, just what the Hawks need to play behind Toews. Pierre and Gord seem to think he’s pretty close to being NHL ready.

9:32 pm EST Apparently Beaulieu needs to work on his French, man with that name I would expect him to speak fluently. Giving a shout out to his family and friends, how cute! Bettman finally announcing a trade, Minnesota trade Brent Burns and this years 2nd round pick to San Jose for Devin Setoguchi, Charlie Coyle and the 28th pick this year. Wowza!

9:26 pm EST Blackhawks up next with #18.

9:23 pm EST Dreger finally announcing a trade, Chicago trade Troy Brouwer to Washington for the #26 overall pick, waiting for confirmation from Bettman.  Montreal selects defenseman Nathan Beaulieu.  They need some young d-man to fit in with PK, good pick by the Habs.  Plays good solid defense, but isn’t afraid to jump into the play.  He’s a very consistent player, they just showed his stats from this season and last season and they are identical except he played one less game two seasons ago.

9:17 pm EST Habs on the clock.

9:15 pm EST Pegula paying tribute to Rico, God I love this man. With the first pick in the Pegula Era, Pegula selects a non-American, Joel Armia.  Played in the World Junior tourney for team Finland (one of my favorite teams there, especially since they had this awesome candy they kept giving us) in Buffalo and looked pretty comfortable in the confines of HSBC.  I’m excited!!

9:13 pm EST Finally the pick I’ve been waiting for, LETS GO BUFFALO! Enroth was the last non-north Amercian player taken by the Sabres, yeah, so what, we like the Canadians and Americans.

9:10 pm EST Miller is slated to attend the University of North Dakota in the fall. Gord Miller just said he’s the first for sure American selected since Oleksiak has dual citizenship, I love TSN.

9:08 pm EST Rangers paying tribute to Boogaard and allowing his brother Derek to make the selection.  Fans in Minny are standing and cheering for this one, very emotional moment. The Rangers select J.T. Miller from the USNDT. Woot for another American being selected!

» Continue reading “NHL 1st Round Live Blog!”

According to Sabres.com the Buffalo Sabres signed a purchase agreement with the Rochester Americans of the American Hockey League (the transaction was unanimously approved by the AHL Board of Governors). The team also announced that with this purchase, their agreement with the Portland Pirates has ended.  This means that the Sabres will reunite with their old farm club and have their prospects closer to Buffalo.  For fans, this is awesome news, it means we can make the hour trek to Blue Cross Arena to check out the baby Sabres without paying a small fortune (woot!).

Now comes the decision of who will coach the baby Sabres? Kevin Dineen coached the Pirates from 2005 (when they were affiliated with the Ducks) to the end of last season, he was recently named the new coach of the Florida Panthers.  He coached prospects such as Mike Weber, Tyler Ennis, Nathan Gerbe, Luke Adam and Marc-Andre Gragnani.  Under his leadership Gerbe, Ennis and Adam have all won AHL Rookie of the Year and Gragnani won Defenseman of the Year this season.  Many suspect ex-Sabres Associate Coach Brian McCutcheon to be named coach (he coached the Amerks for 3 season before joining the Sabres).

Stay tuned for more!

Yesterday the Sabres announced they will hold their annual development camp at Niagara University’s Dwyer Arena from July 5-10.  There are on ice sessions daily that are open to the public.  35 prospects, including the 2011 draft selections, will attend the 6 day camp.  I love, love, love this camp, but I wish the team would hold it closer to Buffalo.  Dwyer Arena is a good hike for those fans who want to attend that live outside the actual city.  However, the drive always proves worth it as the young talent never seems to disappoint.

The team also announced their pre-season schedule on Monday, with the final game of the preseason being played in Germany (woot!):

Mon., Sept. 19 – Carolina at Buffalo, 7 p.m. (HSBC Arena)

Wed., Sept. 21 – Buffalo at Montreal, 7:30 p.m. (Bell Centre)

Fri., Sept. 23 – Buffalo at Toronto, 7 p.m. (Air Canada Centre)

Sat., Sept. 24 – Toronto at Buffalo, 7 p.m. (HSBC Arena)

Sun., Sept. 25 – Buffalo at Columbus, 5 p.m. (Nationwide Arena)

Friday, Sept. 30 – Buffalo at Washington, 7 p.m. (Verizon Center)

Tue., Oct. 4 – Buffalo at Adler Mannheim, TBA (SAP Arena – Mannheim, Germany)

And on a totally different side note, the Sabres updated their website and IT LOOKS AWESOME!!!! Go check it out when you have some time http://sabres.nhl.com/index.html

SabresDotCom, the official Twitter account of the Buffalo Sabres, has just tweeted Sabres forward Drew Stafford has agreed to terms on a multi-year contract.  Stafford played exceptionally this season, scoring a career high 31 goals and 52 points and a +13 +/- rating.  He appeared in 62 games after suffering several minor injuries through out the season.  Stafford also tied for the NHL lead in hat tricks with 4 (12/15, 1/1, 2/8, 2/13).

The Sabres drafted Stafford in 2004 with the 13th overall pick.  He played 3 season at the University of North Dakota, from 2003-2006, with current NHL players Taylor Chorney (Edmonton), Matt Greene (Los Angeles), Brian Lee (Ottawa), TJ Oshie (St. Louis), Zach Parise (New Jersey), Jonathan Toews (Chicago), and Travis Zajac (New Jersey).

Photo By Melissa Kania

UPDATE

sabres.nhl.com finally posted an update, that had absolutely no information on the actual contract, which isn’t really all that shocking.  The figure being thrown around right now is $16 million over 4 years, which sounds about right as far as the range many were thinking.

Sabres GM Darcy Regier had this to say after he announced the signing: “It was important for us to get Drew locked up,” said Regier. “What we saw from Drew this season is exactly what we envisioned when we drafted him. Drew will continue to be an important part of our team in the coming years.” – www.sabres.nhl.com

Again, stay tuned for another update when real figures can be verified!

Today has been like Christmas in June for Sabres fans.

Lets start with the Sabres being rated the third best franchise in the NHL by The Hockey News. Wait, did you say third, really??   I first heard this news while listening to WGR550 on my way to work and I swear I almost drove my car into a ditch.  The 30 NHL franchises were rated in 9 categories: Front Office, Regular Season, Future Watch, Playoffs, Draft Success, Franchise Value, Ownership, 2010-2011 Standings, and Attendance.  High scores in four out of these categories make sense, the other five, not so much.

Draft Success:

The Sabres have drafted very well for the last 10 years, drafting 20 players just between 2001-2005 drafts that have played in the NHL, 10 of which currently play for the Sabres.  Recently, we have picked up players like Nathan Gerbe, Tyler Myers, Tyler Ennis, Luke Adam, Braydon McNabb, Marcus Foligno, Mark Pysyk, just to name a few.

Future Watch:

See above…

Ownership:

Two words, Terry Pegula.  He took over as owner near the end of February and changed the entire vibe of HSBC Arena.  He, along with Ted Black and the rest of the management team have redesigned the locker room and have already implemented changes in the arena and during games through a fan suggestion box.  To say I love him would be an understatement, he is the best thing to happen to the Buffalo Sabres in a very long time.

Attendance:

This is a category the Sabres have not lacked in since the lockout.  In the 2 seasons following the lockout, tickets were a difficult thing to come by, but attendance lagged a bit the years the Sabres failed to make it to the postseason.  Sabres tickets became a hot commodity when Pegula took over the team with all remaining home games selling out (12 regular season games and 3 playoff games).

So what else happened you ask, well….

- Former Portland Pirates head coach, Kevin Dineen, was introduced as the new head coach of the Florida Panthers (sadface) on Wednesday.

- The Sabres signed 2010 1st round draft pick Mark Pysyk, a defenseman currently playing for the Edmonton Oil Kings in the     Western Hockey League.

- The Sabres announced they would not renew the contract of Associate Coach Brian McCutcheon.  If the sale of the Rochester Americans to Terry Pegula goes through, McCutcheon is expected to be introduced as the head coach.  If the sale falls through he would simply be released.

- The Sabres also announced plans for a draft party which will take place during the first round of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft.

- WGR550 also started discussing who would replace McCutcheon.  Some names that were thrown around were current Sabres Player Development Coach Kevyn Adams and current Anaheim Ducks assistant coach Mike Foligno (YES!!!).  Both would be excellent choices and both have ties to the city already.  Adams grew up in Clarence and Foligno played for the Sabres from the 1981-1982 season until the 1990-1991 season.

- Locker room renovations are underway.  Follow this link to the Sabres website to take a looksie at what Mr. Pegula and Mr. Black have in mind when they talk about turning Buffalo into Hockey Heaven.