The Sabres made their first new hire in the front office, adding Eric Staal in a special assistant role under Kevyn Adams. We discuss Staal's hiring (1:05) and whether or not they can land a special advisor in a more senior position as the offseason progresses (9:40). We wrap up with a conversation on Connor Clifton, the first player in our offseas…

A pair of teams leapt up the draft order after the 2025 NHL Draft Lottery. The New York Islanders will be picking first overall while the Utah Hockey Club moved from 14th to fourth, locking in the San Jose Sharks at second overall (:20). The Sabres were bumped to ninth overall after two teams from behind them moved up. We walk through the lottery r…

While there was some expectation the Sabres could make some changes in the front office, it appears as if no changes are in store for the club. Meanwhile, teams across the league have made substantial changes at coach or GM. We ask why the Sabres haven't determined that this sort of action is necessary after another season without the playoffs and …

Kevyn Adams and Lindy Ruff wrapped up the Sabres season with a joint press conference, coming after two days of locker cleanout and player interviews. We run through some of the most notable talking points from the weekend, reflecting on the pros and cons of an eventful weekend for the Sabres. While Adams spent a lot of time saying very little, he …

It's time for a listener mailbag as game 82 of the Sabres season approaches. This episode takes on questions about Buffalo's offseason plans, what the blueline should look like, if Lindy Ruff will get any assistants of his choosing and more. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER. In New York call 877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369). In Connecticut,…

The Sabres resurgent play won't get them in the playoffs as they were officially eliminated on Tuesday despite a shutout of the Hurricanes. This episode explores some of the bright spots and building blocks on the Buffalo roster, plus an Eastern Conference Wild Card race that inched along for the second straight season. We also celebrate Alex Ovech…

Alex Ovechkin is on the brink of breaking Wayne Gretzky's all time goal scoring record and we devote the opening portion of this episode to discussing his feat, where he fits in league history and whether or not we'll see the record broken this year. We also discuss the 180 Buffalo's goaltending hierarchy has undergone as James Reimer has seemingly…

The Sabres hosted a season ticket holder event that produced a few interesting tidbits and we frame a conversation on the boiling fan unrest around the event and the ongoing injury issue facing Josh Norris. We also pose a question of which Amerk you'd like to see recalled for a short look over the final few weeks of the 24-25 season. The show wraps…

It was another week full of frustrating press coverage centered on thee Sabres and their struggles. Joe Yerdon joins the show this week to dig into the latest coverage while offering some insights on what has plagued the Sabres as of late. We talk about what's shaping up to be a new storyline for the end of the year and look ahead to yet another pi…

This week's episode runs through the aftermath of the deadline, looking ahead to what comes next for Kevyn Adams and the Sabres. We walk through the remaining holes to plug in Buffalo's lineup and how the Josh Norris acquisition fits within the larger scope of the club's ongoing build. Prior to that, we talk through the explosion of takes spurred b…

Josh Norris was the big addition for the Sabres on deadline day and Kevyn Adams did a fair bit of work moving out Dylan Cozens and Henri Jokiharju and extending Jason Zucker. This episode is a quick rundown of Friday's work by Adams, offering a brief breakdown of the Norris acquisition. In addition, this episode takes a look at a busy deadline arou…

With the trade deadline just a few days away, we run down the players on Buffalo's roster who may be on the move by Friday. We touch on Jordan Greenway, Henri Jokiharju and Jason Zucker while also devoting some time to Alex Tuch as trade rumors around Buffalo's assistant captain won't seem to go away. Gambling problem? Call one eight hundred Gamble…

Just a week remains until the trade deadline and the Sabres have won six of seven games. This episode shares a few Buffalo Sabres players I'm keeping an eye on ahead of the deadline before diving in to a few listener questions that touch on the potential downtown soccer stadium, Alex Ovechkin's record pursuit, Devon Levi and Buffalo's blueline. Gam…

The 4 Nations Face Off has been a massive success for the NHL, headlined by an excellent USA vs. Canada matchup on Saturday night. We run through the preliminary round results, not just breaking down the fight-filled game between the US and Canada but the results for the Finns and Swedes as well. In addition to our discussion on the hugely positive…

The second episode of Sabres Showdown is here. Once again the Straight Up Sabres team joins us for the conversation over two of the most memorable teams in Sabres history. This time we break down the 2005-06 and 2006-07 Sabres teams, attempting to determine which of the two deserve the honor of moving on in our bracket to face the 1998-99 Cup Final…

The 4 Nations Face Off has arrived and we devote this episode to a breakdown of the four teams and how they may fare in the tournament. We offer up thoughts on how each team has looked in their early practices and how we expect the tournament to go once it gets rolling on Wednesday.By Two in the Box

The Sabres were at the center of hockey discourse after failing to step up and respond to the hit taken by Tage Thompson on Sunday. We discuss the lack of response from the Sabres and how the lack thereof has shaped the discourse in the following days. We also run through the trades that came down over the weekend, including the JT Miller deal betw…

The Canes and Avalanche swung a blockbuster this weeknd as Mikko Rantanen was shipped to Carolina in the biggest trade since the Jack Eichel deal. We run through Saturday's blockbuster before wading into the latest developments on Elias Pettersson and the Canucks. We wrap up this week's episode with a discussion of Jiri Kulich's impressive stretch …

Would you rather see the Sabres finish with a lottery pick or make a heroic run to 9th place? That's one of our topics on this week's episode. We chat about the potentail outcomes if the Sabres were to finish with a top 3 draft pick vs. a run to 9th or 10th in the East. Prior to that, we talk about reports of a future NHL salary cap at $100 million…

Yet another horrible loss from the Sabres led to damning comments from Lindy Ruff. With the team firmly in the Eastern Confernce basement, all the talk of accountability feels like ancient history now. We talk about the shortcomings behind the bench, in the locker room and the front office. We also touch on how other teams that have struggled this …

Rumors are swirling around Vancouver as the reported animosity between JT Miller and Elias Pettersson won't go away. As the Canucks are said to be listening on both, many are wondering whether or not the Sabres can, or should make a play for the former 100-point scorer. We break down Pettersson's credentials, what sort of package the Sabres would n…

The rumors of the Sabres and Wings scouting each other have sparked rumors that a deal between the two clubs could be coming. We spend some time talking about what the two teams could be working on and which players could be involved. From big ticket trades to lower stakes swaps, we try and work out what could be on the horizon. Beforee getting to …

Terry Pegula trekked to Montreal for a meeting with the Sabres on Monday. The takeaway from the meeting was that Pegula believes in the group and the team trusts that the solution to their struggles is in the room. They responded to that meeting with a 6-1 drubbing at the hands of the Montreal Canadiens. We discuss what the fallout of Monday's meet…

Kevyn Adams set Sabres Nation ablaze with his press conference replies on Friday and while we hoped the space between his press availability and our recording may be long enough to discuss something else about the local hockey club. But the Sabres lost two more games, carrying their skid to seven-straight and putting his comments into sharper focus…

Buffalo's losing skid hit four games after a dreadful loss to the Colorado Avalanche, erasing the club's playoff advantage and leaving many questions about the current state of the team. We devote the first portion of this episode to breaking down the root causes of their issues, landing on roster construction as the primary issue with what could b…

Sabres Showdown, a limited series presented by The Instigator Podcast and Straight Up Sabres, will break down and debate the best teams in Sabres franchise history. In the first episode of Sabres Showdown, we debate the merits of the first matchup of our bracket, the 1979-80 vs. 1992-93 Buffalo Sabres. This episode breaks down the pros and cons of …

On Thanksgiving Eve we fired up the mailbag to field a few questions from our listeners and run through some hot topics in Sabres nation. We hit on Jiri Kulich, Kevyn Adams trade activity, playoff positioning and more in this holiday special.By Two in the Box

It's time for Sabres After Dark but Devon Levi will have to participate like the rest of us as the goaltender was sent to Rochester. James Reimer will be taking over backup duties while Levi gets to take over as the starter for the Amerks. We talk about how this move is the best option for Levi's development while also reflecting on how his play le…

The Sabres exited their disappointing loss against the Canadiens with some concerning injury potential but they enter the end of the week with a bit of good news on that front. Both Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and Tage Thompson couldn't finish the game but are considered day-to-day, a huge victory as the pair are among the players the Sabres can't afford …

Elliotte Friedman reported last week that Kevyn Adams is among the busiest GMs in this young season as he likely shops around for a forward who can supplement Buffalo's offensive attack. We talk about the many challenges Adams will be facing in trying to make a deal at this stage of the season and the (very) short list of players available to him t…

The Sabres are getting scary play from their second line and it isn't scary good either. We talk about the struggles of Dylan Cozens and Jack Quinn and Buffalo's limited options to solve the issue. We also talk about the performance of Buffalo's goaltenders and how a bit more consistency from the pair could pay dividends through a friendly upcoming…

The Sabres sluggish start has overshadowed some positive play from the roster. It's also been driven by a few notable, questionable performances from players who many were counting on driving the bus for the Sabres this season. We talk about Dylan Cozens and Jack Quinn underperforming and how a resurgence from that pair could push the Sabres into c…

The Sabres enjoyed two strong performances upon their return from Europe, though they only came away with one win. One reason is the team's power play has yet to score this season. We devote this episode to discussing what has and hasn't worked for Buffalo's power play and what areas we think could serve to improve the unit's potential for success.…

The Sabres fell flat in their opening games against the Devils in Prague, with many key areas of their game serving to derail the pair of losses. We discuss the disappointing opening games and what will need to be fixed if the Sabres hope to get back on track. Along the way we touch on James Reimer moving on to Anaheim after being claimed on waiver…

The Sabres desperately need to snap their playoff drought and if they're to do it, there are several key factors that will get the job done. In a different type of season preview, we discuss which players will serve as the key drivers for Sabres if they're to get back into the playoffs. We also touch on other factors that will be at play, such as t…

The Sabres roster has officially split as the team's 27-man traveling group departed for Europe on Tuesday. The players remaining in camp are made up of the bulk of the Rochester Americans roster. We discuss the final choices to round out that traveling party and how Lindy Ruff may have a tough choice to make in terms of how he handles his goaltend…

The Sabres hit training camp with 59 players but very few questions about what the final 23-man roster will look like. Kevyn Adams' offseason yielded a number of new additions and has left very few openings for a training camp surprise like Zach Benson last season. We run through Peyton Krebs' new contract, the new roof and scoreboard along with Bu…

Hockey will be played by players wearing Buffalo Sabres uniforms this week as the Prospects Challenge kicks off on Friday. The Sabres are bringing a few star prospects along for the ride. This episode highlights some of the key players to watch for this weekend at The Prospects Challenge along with others who will have an opportunity to make an imp…

Episode three of the PipelIne Update series is here, featuring an in-depth conversation with Kris Baker of Sabres Prospects on the state of the Buffalo Sabres forward group at forward. We touch on several of Buffalo's top prospects, along with others who haven't gotten quite as much attention compared to the likes of Jiri Kulich or Noah Ostlund. Kr…

As summer winds down, we field some listener questions on the state of the Sabres and the world of hockey. On the docket is Pete Guelli's tenure thus far, Peyton Krebs' contract status and, perhaps most important of all, the red and black jerseys.By Two in the Box

Our offseason series highlighting Buffalo's prospect pipeline continues with a conversation with Scott Wheeler of The Athletic on Buffalo's defensive prospects. We discuss the formidable collection of right handed defenders in Buffalo's system, including Vsevelod Komarov, Adam Kleber and Maxim Strbak. We also talk about the outlook for the likes of…

Peter Marlette, President of Buffalo Pro Soccer joined the show to discuss his efforts to bring a USL Championship club to Buffalo. We discuss a wide range of topics with Peter regarding his bid for a USL club including the key benchmarks left to complete, goals for academy and youth integration and, of course, stadium questions. Peter was an open …

As the season approaches we will run through each position group in Buffalo's pipeline to look at how the Sabres are shaping up and what sort of talent they have coming in the future. For the first iteration of this series, Greg Balloch of EPRinkside joins the show to discuss Buffalo's goaltenders. We kick off with a conversation on Ukko-Pekka Luuk…

The Buffalo Sabres made their official entry to the NHL on October 10, 1970. This episode follows the the Sabres from the draft and offseason acquisitions made in the summer of 1970 as they prepared for their inagural season. Then follow the team through the ups and downs of their expansion year with an eye on how they would grow in those early yea…

The offseason isn't over but as we get deeper into July, the odds that many more significant moves will be made decrease. In the wake of Buffalo's acquisition of Ryan McLeod, we discuss juust how well Kevyn Adams did this summer and if the moves he made are enough to end the Sabres' 13-year playoff drought. We kick off with a discussion on the McLe…

Kevyn Adams got things rolling at the draft, making his first acquisition of the offseason, trading for Beck Malenstyn from the Washington Capitals. He added more depth to the roster in free agency though Buffalo's moves have been focused on the bottom six thus far. With a fanbase that's desperate for a move, Adams' inaction on the trade front has …

A quick update from Vegas, recapping my afternoon with Fanatics and the new NHL jerseys and the first round of the NHL Draft from the Sphere. This is a quick rundown of the highlights of the new Fanatics NHL jerseys, some thoughts on Kevyn Adams' inaction thus far and on Buffalo's selection at 14, Konsta Helenius.…

We're back for another mock offseason. This time, Chris takes over the controls and navigates through the summer, picking the trades and signings he'd like to see the Sabres make. This comes after last week's episode when Tyler offered up his approach to the Sabres offseason gameplan.By Two in the Box

The days of trades and free agency are almost upon us so Tyler and Chris decided to try their hands at some GM work. In this episode, Tyler offers up his approach to Buffalo's offseason and the way he'd reshape the roster if he occupied Kevyn Adams' office. Next week, Chris tries his hand at the practice.…

One of the best fan resources in hockey, CapFriendly, has been purchased by the Washington Capitals and will close down in July. We talk about the best aspects of CapFriendly and why it's such a huge loss in the world of hockey as the Capitals prepare to take it over. We also discuss how the NHL is missing a golden opportunity to remain engaged wit…