Nearly the full squad of Buffalo Sabres players made it to the Northtown Center today for another optional skate.
Cody Hodgson, Marcus Foligno, Mikhail Grigorenko and Jochen Hecht should be in Buffalo by late tonight.
Goalies:
Miller
Enroth
Forwards:
Ott
Kaleta
Stafford
Ennis
Pominville
Vanek
Leino
Ellis
Scott
Defense:
Regehr
Myers
Ehrhoff
Sulzer
Leopold
Sekera
Weber
Pardy
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After the skate Ryan Miller spoke with the media. It was well worth the wait! Check back shortly for Miller's takes on the lockout and this new season!
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TSN's Aaron Ward tweeted this morning that the NHL has released the season schedule to all 30 NHL teams.
Sabres-Flyers 1/20 at 12:30pm on NBC.
I can't wait to see and hear part deux of this classic @OtterN9NE chirp fest with Claude Giroux!
Perfect opponent for Buffalo to start the new season off with. Tons of subplots, hatred and contempt.
Sabres fans have been waiting since 2006 to tell Peter Laviolette where to go and how to get there.
Danny Briere will not be playing in the opener due to the wrist injury he sustained in German league game during the lockout.
Tyler Myers will play against his Kelowna Rocket buddy Luke Schenn who was traded to Philly from Toronto in exchange for James Van Riensdyk last summer.
Word out of Mannheim, Germany is that Jochen Hecht is packing his hockey bag, and coming home to Buffalo to play with his beloved Buffalo Sabres:
According to the Adler Mannheim Eagles website, the Sabres have signed UFA Jochen Hecht to a free agent contract, that will see him play for Buffalo this season. No mention if its a one-way deal.
No teams can make trades or sign free agents until the NHLPA ratification vote ends on Saturday. After tgat, there will be a flurry of player movement as teams look to bolster their rosters for the truncated 48 game sprint. The Sabres will open the season at home vs. Philly (Noon puck drop) on January 20.
In six DEL games this season, Hecht has scored five goals and eight assists. All while palying alongside his good froend, Sabres captain Jason Pominville.
"Jochen is playing great over there. He's looking like the "old Jochen" again", Pommer told me at teh Northtown Center on Wednesday afternoon.
Hecht was a $3,525,000 cap hit for the Sabres the past four seasons. He became UFA on 7/1/12.
I watched him skate in Buffalo during the lockout. He looked limber and strong to me. I would take the risk with him, so long as the price is right.
The injury to Corey Tropp likely plays into this decision as Regier and Ruff are opting for a plug-n-play vet to stepinto the forward ranks, rather than bring up a young kid from the farm. Tropp likely would have made the team out of camp were it not for his season ending injury that he suffered earlier this season while playing in Rochester. The 48 game season will not allow a youngster the opportunity to earn on the job training in the NHL. There will be no throw-away shifts or periods this regular season once the games begin.
According to the report, Hecht will hop a flight on Saturday get on the plane and report to Buffalo's training camp, which begins at First Niagara Center on sunday.
The Mannheim Eagles thanked Hecht for his brief stay in his hometown:
" We wish you success in Buffalo and want to thank him for his efforts in recent weeks".
With Nathan Gerbe and Cody McCormick nursing injuries, the Sabres can use a versatile vet like Hecht as an insurance policy.
An NHL team can never have enough centremen. ChHo and Ennis will centre lines 1 and 2. Grigo is invited to camp and may earn a 5 game NHL tryout (used to be 9 in old CBA, now only 5). Ellis and McCormick are bottom six centres. Ott and Leino can play the dot, too.
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