2016–17 Buffalo Sabres season

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2016–17 Buffalo Sabres
Division8th Atlantic
Conference15th Eastern
2016–17 record33–37–12
Home record20–15–6
Road record13–22–6
Goals for201
Goals against237
Team information
General managerTim Murray
CoachDan Bylsma
CaptainBrian Gionta
Alternate captainsJosh Gorges
Ryan O'Reilly
ArenaKeyBank Center
Minor league affiliate(s)Rochester Americans (AHL)
Elmira Jackals (ECHL)
Team leaders
GoalsEvander Kane (28)
AssistsRasmus Ristolainen (39)
PointsJack Eichel (57)
Penalty minutesEvander Kane (113)
Plus/minusTaylor Fedun (+3)
WinsRobin Lehner (23)
Goals against averageAnders Nilsson (2.67)

The 2016–17 Buffalo Sabres season was the 47th season for the National Hockey League franchise that was established on May 22, 1970.[1] Buffalo missed the playoffs for the sixth consecutive season.

Off-season[edit]

The Sabres held their annual development camp during the second weekend of July. After the previous two seasons in which the Sabres held the tournament in the First Niagara Center, this edition was held at HarborCenter.[2]

The Sabres reprised their hosting of a prospect tournament for 2016, after the success of the first event in 2015. The New Jersey Devils and Boston Bruins returned for the tournament, which ran September 16–19, partially opposite the 2016 World Cup of Hockey; in contrast to the previous season, the Sabres lost both prospect tournament games and finished in third place.[3] The Sabres contributed three players to the World Cup: Jack Eichel for Team North America, Ryan O'Reilly for Canada, and Rasmus Ristolainen for Finland.

On July 16, 2016, the Sabres hired Tom Ward as an assistant coach. Ward had spent the previous 18 seasons as the head coach for the Minnesota High School boys prep team.[4]

The Sabres also announced that the naming rights to their home arena will change. Due to First Niagara Financial Group, the arena's previous rights holder, being subsumed into KeyBank, the team's arena was renamed KeyBank Center for the 2016–17 season.[5] The arena naming rights have passed through a succession of regional banks, having been known as First Niagara Center, HSBC Arena and Marine Midland Arena, through its 20-year history.

Standings[edit]

Atlantic Division
Pos Team GP W L OTL ROW GF GA GD Pts
1 y – Montreal Canadiens 82 47 26 9 44 226 200 +26 103
2 x – Ottawa Senators 82 44 28 10 38 212 214 −2 98
3 x – Boston Bruins 82 44 31 7 42 234 212 +22 95
4 x – Toronto Maple Leafs 82 40 27 15 39 251 242 +9 95
5 Tampa Bay Lightning 82 42 30 10 38 234 227 +7 94
6 Florida Panthers 82 35 36 11 30 210 237 −27 81
7 Detroit Red Wings 82 33 36 13 24 207 244 −37 79
8 Buffalo Sabres 82 33 37 12 31 201 237 −36 78
Source: National Hockey League[6]
x – Clinched playoff spot; y – Clinched division
Eastern Conference Wild Card
Pos Div Team GP W L OTL ROW GF GA GD Pts
1 ME x – New York Rangers 82 48 28 6 45 256 220 +36 102
2 AT x – Toronto Maple Leafs 82 40 27 15 39 251 242 +9 95
3 ME New York Islanders 82 41 29 12 39 241 242 −1 94
4 AT Tampa Bay Lightning 82 42 30 10 38 234 227 +7 94
5 ME Philadelphia Flyers 82 39 33 10 32 219 236 −17 88
6 ME Carolina Hurricanes 82 36 31 15 33 215 236 −21 87
7 AT Florida Panthers 82 35 36 11 30 210 237 −27 81
8 AT Detroit Red Wings 82 33 36 13 24 207 244 −37 79
9 AT Buffalo Sabres 82 33 37 12 31 201 237 −36 78
10 ME New Jersey Devils 82 28 40 14 25 183 244 −61 70
Source: National Hockey League[7]
x – Clinched playoff spot

Schedule and results[edit]

Pre-season[edit]

Regular season[edit]

2016–17 Game Log[8]

Legend:   Win (2 points)   Loss (0 points)   Overtime/shootout loss (1 point)

Player stats[edit]

As of April 9, 2017

Skaters[edit]

Goaltenders[edit]

Regular season[10]
Player GP GS TOI W L OT GA GAA SA SV% SO G A PIM
Robin Lehner 59 58 3405:28 23 26 8 152 2.68 1,910 .920 2 0 1 6
Anders Nilsson 26 23 1484:15 10 10 4 66 2.67 857 .923 1 0 0 0
Linus Ullmark 1 1 58:44 0 1 0 3 3.05 36 .917 0 0 0 0

Denotes player spent time with another team before joining the Sabres. Stats reflect time with the Sabres only.
Denotes player was traded mid-season. Stats reflect time with the Sabres only.
Bold/italics denotes franchise record.

Transactions[edit]

The Sabres have been involved in the following transactions during the 2016–17 season:

Trades[edit]

Date
Details
Ref
June 25, 2016 (2016-06-25) To Florida Panthers
Mark Pysyk
2nd-round pick in 2016
STL's 3rd-round pick in 2016
To Buffalo Sabres
Dmitry Kulikov
VAN's 2nd-round pick in 2016
[11]
July 2, 2016 (2016-07-02) To St. Louis Blues
5th-round pick in 2017
To Buffalo Sabres
Anders Nilsson
[12]
February 28, 2017 (2017-02-28) To New York Rangers
Daniel Catenacci
To Buffalo Sabres
Mat Bodie
[13]
Notes

Player signings[edit]

Date Player Contract terms
(in U.S. dollars)
Ref
June 29, 2016 (2016-06-29) Casey Nelson 2 years, $1.3 million [25]
June 30, 2016 (2016-06-30) Jake McCabe 3 years, $4.8 million [26]
June 30, 2016 (2016-06-30) Cole Schneider 1 year, $600,000 [27]
July 14, 2016 (2016-07-14) Marcus Foligno 1 year, $2.25 million [28][29]
July 15, 2016 (2016-07-15) Alexander Nylander 3 years, entry-level contract [30]
July 16, 2016 (2016-07-16) Dan Catenacci 1 year, $575,000, two-way contract [4]
July 17, 2016 (2016-07-17) Jason Kasdorf 2 years, $1.15 million, two-way contract [31]
September 1, 2016 (2016-09-01) Zemgus Girgensons 1 year, $1.15 million [32]
October 11, 2016 (2016-10-11) Rasmus Ristolainen 6 years, $32.4 million [33]
February 6, 2017 (2017-02-06) Justin Falk 1 year, $650,000 contract extension [34]
April 8, 2017 (2017-04-08) Sean Malone 2 years, $1.85 million entry-level contract [35]
April 26, 2017 (2017-04-26) Devante Stephens 3 years, $2.3 million entry-level contract [36]
May 31, 2017 (2017-05-31) Jonas Johansson 3 years, $2.775 million entry-level contract [37]
June 13, 2017 (2017-06-13) Linus Ullmark 2 years, $1.5 million [38]

Draft picks[edit]

Below are the Buffalo Sabres' selections at the 2016 NHL Entry Draft, held on June 24–25, 2016 at the First Niagara Center in Buffalo, New York.

Round # Player Pos Nationality College/Junior/Club team (League)
1 8 Alexander Nylander LW  Sweden Mississauga Steelheads (OHL)
2 33[a] Rasmus Asplund C  Sweden Farjestad BK (SHL)
3 69 Cliff Pu C  Canada London Knights (OHL)
3 86[b] Casey Fitzgerald D  United States Boston College Eagles (HE)
4 99 Brett Murray LW  Canada Carleton Place Canadians (CCHL)
5 129 Philip Nyberg D  Sweden Linköpings HC (SHL)
5 130[c] Vojtech Budik D  Czech Republic Prince Albert Raiders (WHL)
6 159 Brandon Hagel LW  Canada Red Deer Rebels (WHL)
7 189 Austin Osmanski D  United States Mississauga Steelheads (OHL)
7 190[d] Vasily Glotov C  Russia Lvy St. Petersburg (MHL)
Notes
Florida previously acquired this pick as the result of a trade on May 25, 2016 that sent Erik Gudbranson and the Islanders fifth-round pick in 2016 to Vancouver in exchange for Jared McCann, a fourth-round pick in 2016 and this pick.[40]

References[edit]

  1. ^ National Hockey League (2010). The National Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book/2011. Triumph Books. p. 27. ISBN 978-1-60078-422-4.
  2. ^ Wilson, Brayton (July 6, 2016). "Sabres announce development camp schedule and roster". 96.5 WCMF. WCMF Rochester. Archived from the original on July 2, 2016. Retrieved July 15, 2016.
  3. ^ "Sabres to host prospects tournament again in September". August 2, 2016.
  4. ^ a b Hoppe, Bill (July 16, 2016). "Sabres hire Tom Ward as assistant coach; Dan Catenacci re-signed". Buffalo Hockey Beat. Olean Times Herald. Retrieved July 16, 2016.
  5. ^ "First Niagara Center to be renamed". May 11, 2016.
  6. ^ "2016-2017 NHL Hockey Standings". NHL.com.
  7. ^ "2016-2017 NHL Hockey Standings". NHL.com.
  8. ^ "2016–2017 Regular Season Schedule/Results – Buffalo Sabres – Schedule". Buffalo Sabres.
  9. ^ "2016–2017 – Regular Season – Buffalo Sabres – All Skaters – Summary – Points – NHL.com – Stats". NHL.
  10. ^ "2016–2017 – Regular Season – Buffalo Sabres – Goalie – Summary – Wins – NHL.com – Stats". NHL.
  11. ^ "SABRES ACQUIRE DEFENSEMAN KULIKOV FROM PANTHERS". Buffalo Sabres. June 25, 2016.
  12. ^ "SABRES ACQUIRE NILSSON FROM BLUES". Buffalo Sabres. July 2, 2016.
  13. ^ "Sabres acquire Bodie from Rangers". Buffalo Sabres. February 28, 2017.
  14. ^ "OKPOSO SIGNS 7-YEAR DEAL WITH SABRES". nhl.com. Retrieved July 5, 2016.
  15. ^ a b c d Hoppe, Bill (July 1, 2016). Reports: Sabres sign Kyle Okposo to 7-year contract. Olean Times Herald. Retrieved July 1, 2016.
  16. ^ "SABRES SIGN GRANT TO ONE-YEAR DEAL". nhl.com. Retrieved July 5, 2016.
  17. ^ "SABRES SIGN DEFENSEMAN BURGDOERFER". Amerks.com. Rochester Americans. July 21, 2016. Retrieved July 21, 2016.
  18. ^ "Sabres sign forward Smith". Buffalo Sabres. March 30, 2017. Retrieved April 9, 2017.
  19. ^ "Sabres sign defenseman Antipin". Buffalo Sabres. May 25, 2017. Retrieved June 6, 2017.
  20. ^ Wheeler, Paul (July 1, 2016). "Bruins wrap up the day with depth signings of Riley Nash, Tim Schaller". SB Nation. Retrieved July 3, 2016.
  21. ^ McGregor, Rob. "Ex-Sabres goalie Lieuwen signs with AHL San Antonio Rampage". Today's Slapshot. Retrieved July 19, 2016.
  22. ^ "Grant claimed off waivers, assigned to Rochester". NHL. February 6, 2017. Retrieved February 7, 2017.
  23. ^ "Preds Claim Derek Grant on Waivers from Buffalo". NHL. January 11, 2017. Retrieved January 11, 2017.
  24. ^ Matt Ellis announces retirement
  25. ^ "SABRES EXTEND NELSON". nhl.com. Retrieved June 29, 2016.
  26. ^ "SABRES RE-SIGN McCABE TO 3-YEAR DEAL". nhl.com. Retrieved July 5, 2016.
  27. ^ "SABRES RE-SIGN SCHNEIDER". nhl.com. Retrieved July 5, 2016.
  28. ^ "Sabres re-sign restricted free agent Marcus Foligno for 1 year". ESPN.com. Associated Press. July 14, 2016. Retrieved July 14, 2016.
  29. ^ Hoppe, Bill (July 14, 2016). "Sabres re-sign Marcus Foligno to 1-year deal". Buffalo Hockey Beat. Olean Times Herald. Retrieved July 15, 2016.
  30. ^ "SABRES INK NYLANDER TO ENTRY-LEVEL DEAL". sabres.nhl.com. July 15, 2016. Retrieved July 15, 2016.
  31. ^ Hoppe, Bill (July 18, 2016). "Sabres re-sign Jason Kasdorf, Dan Catenacci". Buffalo Hockey Beat. Olean Times Herald. Retrieved July 17, 2016.
  32. ^ "SABRES INK GIRGENSONS TO ONE-YEAR CONTRACT". NHL.com. October 11, 2016. Retrieved October 11, 2016.
  33. ^ Hoppe, Bill (September 1, 2016). "Sabres sign Rasmus Ristolainen to 6-year contract". Bufalo Hockey Beat. Olean Times Herald. Retrieved May 28, 2017.
  34. ^ "Sabres sign Falk to 1-year extension". Buffalo Sabres. Buffalo Sabres. February 6, 2017. Retrieved February 6, 2017.
  35. ^ "Sabres sign Malone to entry-level contract". Buffalo Sabres. April 8, 2017. Retrieved April 9, 2017.
  36. ^ "Sabres sign Stephens to entry-level contract". Buffalo Sabres. April 26, 2017. Retrieved June 6, 2017.
  37. ^ "Sabres sign Johansson to entry-level contract". Buffalo Sabres. May 31, 2017. Retrieved June 6, 2017.
  38. ^ "Sabres sign Ullmark to 2-year extension". Buffalo Sabres. June 13, 2017. Retrieved June 14, 2017.
  39. ^ a b "Sabres acquire Kulikov from Panthers". June 25, 2016. Retrieved June 25, 2016.
  40. ^ "Panthers trade Gudbranson to Canucks for McCann". May 25, 2016. Retrieved May 25, 2016.
  41. ^ "Stars acquire goaltender Enroth from Sabres". National Hockey League. February 11, 2015. Retrieved February 11, 2015.
  42. ^ "With fate decided, Sharks fall short against Stars". National Hockey League. April 6, 2015. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
  43. ^ "Canadiens acquire Flynn from Sabres". March 2, 2015. Retrieved March 2, 2015.
  44. ^ "Mitchell traded to Canadiens by Sabres". March 2, 2015. Retrieved March 2, 2015.