The Instigator Podcast

The Sabres shuffled the deck in net ahead of their home opener. Alexandar Georgiev is out and Colten Ellis is in. We talk about the swap, what Ellis will need to bring to the table and just how tough some of Buffalo's injuries are for a team that can't afford many hiccups to start the year. We also touch on the new contracts for Connor McDavid, Kyle Connor and Jack Eichel and how they reflect the league's new salary expectations as...

For the first time in a long time advanced models like the Sabres as a potential playoff team. We talk about the reasons this team has received these favorable reviews and discuss what we see in the team that could bring those predictions to fruition. We also touch on the injury issues dogging Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and the Sabres plans in net. Other topics include Buffalo's special teams and Radim Mrtka's impressive preseason.

Konsta Helenius and Radim Mrtka both showed well in Buffalo's first two preseason tilts. Does that mean they should land in Buffalo and Rochester, respectively? Maybe not yet, but how the Sabres handle their two most recent first rounders has been a topic of conversation and I meet it head on in this week's show. Also on the show is some additional thoughts on Buffalo's first two preseason games and answers to listener-submitted qu...

Goaltending will be the key storyline at Sabres training camp after it was reported that Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen is injured. Alex Georgiev is here as an insurance policy and we run through the problems a Luukkonen injury creates for the Sabres. We also talk through some of the other storylines of note at training camp while celebrating the anniversary of the Slug jerseys.

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The 2025-26 NHL season is right around the corner and there will be Sabres' games played this weekend as the annual Prospects Challenge kicks off. The Sabres Prospects Challenge roster was released on Tuesday and we highlight some of the most notable players expected to play on the weekend. In addition to big name prospects like Radim Mrtka, Noah Ostlund and Konsta Helenius, the Sabres will have four goaltenders at the tournament. ...

The DL&W Terminal is coming back to life. The NFTA will be welcoming light rail service to the facility in the coming weeks and the second floor of the sprawling facility is poised for an impressive redevelopment plan led by Savarino DL&W Development. Sam Savarino, CEO and President of the Savarino Companies is the subject of the latest Instigator Interview and provides excellent insights as to the challenges the project fa...

Serving up a short episode to touch on a few news items as we are just a week away from the Prospects Challenge. This episode opens up with some thoughts on the report from Expected Buffalo that Alex Tuch may be inching closer to an extension in addition to a few thoughts on the brief drama surrounding the offer of swapping nameplates on Josh Norris and Zach Benson jerseys. The episode also covers the new Carolina Hurricanes jersey...

Kevin Woodley of InGoal Magazine and NHL.com returns to the show for a conversation about Buffalo's goaltenders. We go deep on technical and team aspects that affected Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen last year and look ahead to what he and Alex Lyon can do together as a tandem. We also discuss Devon Levi's growth and the best way the Sabres can manage their minor league goaltenders as Levi is set to be joined by Scott Ratlzaff and Topias Lein...

The latest Instigator Interview features Craig Barnett, the executive director of the ACHA. Our wide ranging conversation covers several topics pertaining to the latest developments in college hockey and how the ACHA stands to benefit from them. We talk through the key aspects of how the ACHA functions and the players and schools they serve. Along the way, Craig highlights the newest initiative from the ACHA, a conference designed ...

To help get you through the dog days of summer, we are serving up a quick mailbag of listener questions. This mailbag tackles questions on Alex Tuch's extension, which prospects will see the most playing time and what sort of outlook there would be for this roster if they managed to snap Buffalo's playoff drought.

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Bowen Byram will head to the arbitration table after the Sabres decided to opt for club-elected arbitration. We talk about the implications of Byram heading to arbitration and how that affects the short and long term outlook for the player and team. We also run down what looks to be a fairly set roster, exploring what looks to be yet another year of banking on internal growth to break Buffalo's playoff drought.

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New Highmark Stadium will contain a range of features that are totally foreign to the confines of the Buffalo Bills current home and KeyBank Center is poised to get renovated any time now. With both of Western New York's major sports venues in the construction crosshairs, it was a perfect time to bring in an expert in the stadium industry to offer insight and background on the process. Ryan Aylmer of Brailsford & Dunlavey joins...

Day one of free agency is in the books and the Sabres did a bit of work on Tuesday. They shored up their goaltending and signed a few depth pieces. We run down their work on July 1 and analyze it against the other moves they made at the draft and last week. We also provide some insight into the 2025 draft class and offer a few thoughts on Jacob Bernard-Docker and development camp.

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Kevyn Adams held fast at pick number nine and selected Radim Mrtka, a gigantic defenseman out of the WHL. Adams didn't get much more done on Friday and I offer up some thoughts on what has and hasn't gotten done in Buffalo this week. I also hit on a few aspects of the de-centralized draft, the CBA extension and Jack Quinn's extension.

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Strap in for a big episode as Kevyn Adams' pre-draft press conference left people with far more questions than answers. We run through the big talking points, particularly the bizarre rebuke he gave to rumors of a Mattias Samuelsson buyout. We also serve up a discussion of our respective mock offseasons before diving into the 2025 NHL Draft. Our draft conversation hits on the handful of players we think the Sabres could take and th...

Elliotte Friedman put JJ Peterka into the thick of the rumor mill last week, noting that the Sabres had ever so slightly altered their stance on the RFA winger. We break down the latest on Peterka (9:55) and talk through what it would mean to move him this offseason. We open with a conversation on this year's Conn Smythe trophy, and make our pick in the midst of game six and the Stanley Cup Final wrapping up (0:35). In addition, Ra...

With Bowen Byram's name at the top of the rumor mill, we break down what it would look like for the Sabres to move on from him and how the return could shape their strategy this summer. We also break down another popular rumor target, Jason Robertson. The trade package, why he's on the block and just how much of an impact he could have on this Sabres roster.

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The long awaited addition to the Sabres front office has been made as Jarmo Kekalainen has been hired as a senior advisor. We discuss Kekalainen's hiring (20:32), where he succeeded in Columbus and what made him a qualified candidate. We also touch on the potential speed bumps that Kekalainen, Adams and the Sabres may encounter as Kekalainen gets up to speed in Buffalo. We also talk about the reaction to the Sabres decision to use ...

Both Bowen Byram and JJ Peterka have become subject to trade rumors, as the pair have slotted in on trade boards ahead of the offseason. While there has been plenty of smoke around Byram for some time, Peterka is a bit more of a surprise. This episode touches on some thoughts on each player, the viability of each as a trade target and how it may shape Buffalo's offseason.

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