With a new CBA waiting to be ratified, pending a Board of Governors meeting, Sabres general manager Darcy Regier and Team President Ted Black met with the media this afternoon.
Ted Black started off the press conference by apologizing to the entire Sabres’ fan base.
“We really appreciate the patience of our fans. Sometimes fans’ patience can be tested to the limits and sometimes broken and we hope that hasn’t happened here in Buffalo.”
Black also made sure to address the potential start date of the impending season, stating that he “believes the season will begin on the road on the 19th, with the home opener coming on the 20th.”
It’s worth noting that the schedule will officially be released shortly after the Board of Governors approves the new CBA, which should be completed by the weekend.
At this point, the press conference was open to questions and the media naturally had many regarding the impending player personnel.
The media was quick to ask questions regarding the status of first-round pick Mikhail Grigorenko.
“Mikhail will be at training camp,” Regier said. “The decision was made before the lockout began and any reports that say Grigorenko will finish the season in Quebec are false.”
With injuries to current Sabres players, Grigorenko has an excellent chance of staying with the team for at least his 9-game tryout, if not longer.
Regier went on to address the impending situation with Rochester Amerks’ defenseman TJ Brennan.
“Brennan will begin in camp with the team and we will go from there,” said Regier.
If you are unaware, Brennan must clear waivers before being re-sent to Rochester after the lockout officially ends because he finished last season with the Sabres. Brennan is currently tied for 12th in scoring (12 goals, 19 assists) in the AHL, and he already failed to clear waivers before the lockout.
With a plethora of defensemen, Brennan included, Darcy Regier expects to look into making a deal involving at least one of them. Regier went on to tell the media that he had already been contacted about trading a defender.
Regarding free agency, Regier said that Jochen Hecht will remain on the team’s radar as he is playing hockey at home in Germany and finally healthy from his concussion problem that plagued him most of last season. Sabres captain Jason Pominville played with Hecht in Germany during the lockout and was recently vocal when stating that management should give Hecht a look.
Also, as expected, forwards Cody Hodgson and Marcus Foligno have been pulled from the Rochester Americans lineup and they’ll be heading to Buffalo shortly.
Make sure you stay locked to Sabres Hockey Central, and our Facebook page as well, for the most recent breaking news on the impending season.