national hockey league | Armchair GMs Network

Great Expectations: Will the Sabres Meet the Challenge?

Photo Credit: Buffalo Sabres Multimedia Photo Galleries With the Buffalo Sabres home opener just days away, the team, and its fans, are adjusting to something they haven’t truly had in 14 years: expectations of success. Last season, the Sabres finally conquered the playoff drought by finishing first in the Atlantic Division, second in the Eastern Conference regular season standings, and beating the Boston Bruins to advance to the second round of the playoffs; before eventuall

Lily Mason

Sep 303 min read

"Pretty Good’s Not Good Enough" Ahead of Training Camp

Buffalo Sabres photo Following the Buffalo Sabres best season in over a decade, General Manager Jarmo Kekäläinen and Head Coach Lindy Ruff held a press conference ahead of training camp to discuss what the next year would look like. Both Kekäläinen and Ruff made it clear that they would not be coming into camp complacent despite last season’s impressive 50-win, 109-point Atlantic Division championship. This mindset echoes the bold choices management made over the offseason, i

Lily Mason

Sep 173 min read

Sabres Extend Noah Ostlund For His Potential, Not His Small Sample Size

The Buffalo Sabres signed forward Noah Ostlund to an eight-year contract extension that carries an annual average value (AAV) of $6.6 million. Now, I've seen some discourse online where people are calling it a "massive overpay" or that "they never heard of Ostlund until now." Well, all the Sabres needed to see was how he impacted the team last season and decided to keep him around long-term. Ostlund Will Exceed the Contract Expectations Last season, Ostlund appeared in 60 reg

Zach Berta

Sep 162 min read

Chris Kreider Is Perfect Fit for Sabres

Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman has reported that the Anaheim Ducks are buying out forward Chris Kreider. Kreider, now 35, had one year remaining on his contract at a $6.5 million AAV. He posted 50 points (22 goals, 28 assists) in 75 games last season, and with the buyout now official, he immediately becomes one of the most intriguing free‑agent options on the market. For the Buffalo Sabres, he’s a perfect fit. Why Is Kreider a Good Fit? You might wonder how the Sabres could fi

Zach Berta

Sep 92 min read

From OHL Spitfire to NHL Star: a Wyatt Johnston story

Getty Images Forward Wyatt Johnston is becoming quite the household name in the National Hockey League with the Dallas Stars, leading the highest level of professional hockey in powerplay goals scored last 2025-26 season (27). However, the now 23-year-old Toronto, ON native, going into his fifth full NHL season, left quite the lasting legacy of accolades during his two seasons in the Ontario Hockey League with the Windsor Spitfires; which in return has left an imprint on him