2017–18 Buffalo Sabres season
# 2017–18 Buffalo Sabres season

The 2017–18 Buffalo Sabres season was the 48th season for the National Hockey League franchise that was established on May 22, 1970. The Sabres missed the playoffs again, finishing last in the division for the second straight year and last overall in the league.

## Standings

Atlantic Division :

| Pos | Team v t e | GP | W | L | OTL | ROW | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | z – Tampa Bay Lightning | 82 | 54 | 23 | 5 | 48 | 296 | 236 | +60 | 113 |
| 2 | x – Boston Bruins | 82 | 50 | 20 | 12 | 47 | 270 | 214 | +56 | 112 |
| 3 | x – Toronto Maple Leafs | 82 | 49 | 26 | 7 | 42 | 277 | 232 | +45 | 105 |
| 4 | Florida Panthers | 82 | 44 | 30 | 8 | 41 | 248 | 246 | +2 | 96 |
| 5 | Detroit Red Wings | 82 | 30 | 39 | 13 | 25 | 217 | 255 | −38 | 73 |
| 6 | Montreal Canadiens | 82 | 29 | 40 | 13 | 27 | 209 | 264 | −55 | 71 |
| 7 | Ottawa Senators | 82 | 28 | 43 | 11 | 26 | 221 | 291 | −70 | 67 |
| 8 | Buffalo Sabres | 82 | 25 | 45 | 12 | 24 | 199 | 280 | −81 | 62 |

Eastern Conference Wild Card :

| Pos | Div | Team v t e | GP | W | L | OTL | ROW | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | ME | x – Columbus Blue Jackets | 82 | 45 | 30 | 7 | 39 | 242 | 230 | +12 | 97 |
| 2 | ME | x – New Jersey Devils | 82 | 44 | 29 | 9 | 39 | 248 | 244 | +4 | 97 |
| 3 | AT | Florida Panthers | 82 | 44 | 30 | 8 | 41 | 248 | 246 | +2 | 96 |
| 4 | ME | Carolina Hurricanes | 82 | 36 | 35 | 11 | 33 | 228 | 256 | −28 | 83 |
| 5 | ME | New York Islanders | 82 | 35 | 37 | 10 | 32 | 264 | 296 | −32 | 80 |
| 6 | ME | New York Rangers | 82 | 34 | 39 | 9 | 31 | 231 | 268 | −37 | 77 |
| 7 | AT | Detroit Red Wings | 82 | 30 | 39 | 13 | 25 | 217 | 255 | −38 | 73 |
| 8 | AT | Montreal Canadiens | 82 | 29 | 40 | 13 | 27 | 209 | 264 | −55 | 71 |
| 9 | AT | Ottawa Senators | 82 | 28 | 43 | 11 | 26 | 221 | 291 | −70 | 67 |
| 10 | AT | Buffalo Sabres | 82 | 25 | 45 | 12 | 24 | 199 | 280 | −81 | 62 |

## Off-season

General manager Tim Murray and head coach Dan Bylsma were both fired at the end of the previous season. Two former Sabres players were hired in their places: Jason Botterill, at the time a front office executive with the Pittsburgh Penguins, was hired as general manager, while Hockey Hall of Fame defenseman Phil Housley, at the time defensive coordinator for the Nashville Predators, was named head coach.

The Sabres once again held a summer development camp during the second week of July. In contrast to the previous two seasons, no full Blue/White game was played; the four-team three-on-three tournament was reprised. Team White, led by 2017 first-round draft pick Casey Mittelstadt, won the tournament. The team will host its third annual Prospects Challenge in September; the tournament will expand to four teams, with the Pittsburgh Penguins joining the returning Sabres, New Jersey Devils and Boston Bruins in the tournament.

## Schedule and results

### Preseason

The Sabres released their preseason schedule on June 19, 2017.

### Regular season

The team's regular season schedule was published on June 22, 2017.

2017–18 game log :

Legend:

  Win (2 points)

  Loss (0 points)

  Overtime/shootout loss (1 point) :

## Player statistics

Final stats.

### Skaters

Regular season :

| Player | GP | G | A | Pts | +/− | PIM |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Jack Eichel | 67 | 25 | 39 | 64 | −25 | 32 |
| Ryan O'Reilly | 81 | 24 | 37 | 61 | −23 | 2 |
| Sam Reinhart | 82 | 25 | 25 | 50 | −24 | 26 |
| Kyle Okposo | 76 | 15 | 29 | 44 | −34 | 40 |
| Rasmus Ristolainen | 73 | 6 | 35 | 41 | −25 | 48 |
| Evander $Kane^‡$ | 61 | 20 | 20 | 40 | −14 | 57 |
| Jason Pominville | 82 | 16 | 18 | 34 | −17 | 8 |
| Evan Rodrigues | 48 | 7 | 18 | 25 | −10 | 14 |
| Marco Scandella | 82 | 5 | 17 | 22 | −15 | 37 |
| Benoit Pouliot | 74 | 13 | 6 | 19 | −8 | 22 |
| Johan Larsson | 80 | 4 | 13 | 17 | −30 | 49 |
| Zemgus Girgensons | 71 | 7 | 8 | 15 | −12 | 26 |
| Scott $Wilson^†$ | 49 | 6 | 8 | 14 | −17 | 8 |
| Jake McCabe | 53 | 3 | 9 | 12 | −11 | 26 |
| Viktor Antipin | 47 | 0 | 10 | 10 | −9 | 18 |
| Nathan Beaulieu | 59 | 1 | 8 | 9 | −19 | 36 |
| Jordan Nolan | 69 | 4 | 4 | 8 | −13 | 69 |
| Casey Nelson | 37 | 3 | 5 | 8 | −14 | 8 |
| Nicholas Baptiste | 33 | 4 | 2 | 6 | −4 | 14 |
| Casey Mittelstadt | 6 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 2 |
| Brendan Guhle | 18 | 0 | 5 | 5 | −6 | 10 |
| Justin Bailey | 12 | 3 | 1 | 4 | −2 | 2 |
| Jacob Josefson | 39 | 2 | 2 | 4 | −4 | 6 |
| Seth Griffith | 21 | 2 | 1 | 3 | −6 | 6 |
| Justin Falk | 46 | 1 | 1 | 2 | −16 | 28 |
| Josh Gorges | 34 | 0 | 2 | 2 | −4 | 17 |
| Alexander Nylander | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | −3 | 0 |
| Taylor Fedun | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | −1 | 2 |
| Zach Bogosian | 18 | 0 | 1 | 1 | −9 | 20 |
| Matt Tennyson | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −8 | 8 |
| Zach Redmond | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Matt Moulson | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −9 | 2 |
| Kyle Criscuolo | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −4 | 4 |
| Hudson Fasching | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −1 | 2 |
| Danny $O'Regan^†$ | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |

### Goaltenders

Regular season :

| Player | GP | GS | TOI | W | L | OT | GA | GAA | SA | SV% | SO | G | A | PIM |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Robin Lehner | 53 | 50 | 2,852:01 | 14 | 26 | 9 | 143 | 3.01 | 1,560 | .908 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Chad Johnson | 36 | 29 | 1,773:32 | 10 | 16 | 3 | 105 | 3.55 | 962 | .891 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Linus Ullmark | 5 | 3 | 240:18 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 2.00 | 123 | .935 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Adam Wilcox | 1 | 0 | 38:39 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 14 | 1.000 | 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

The Sabres have been involved in the following transactions during the 2017–18 season.

Trades

DateDetailsRef

June 17, 2017 (2017-06-17)

To Montreal Canadiens3rd-round pick in 2017

To Buffalo SabresNathan Beaulieu

June 21, 2017 (2017-06-21)

To Vegas Golden Knights6th-round pick in 2017

To Buffalo SabresExpansion draft considerations

June 30, 2017 (2017-06-30)

To Minnesota WildTyler Ennis Marcus Foligno 3rd-round pick in 2018

To Buffalo Sabres seasonJason Pominville Marco Scandella 4th-round pick in 2018

October 4, 2017 (2017-10-04)

To Montreal CanadiensNicolas Deslauriers

To Buffalo SabresZach Redmond

December 4, 2017 (2017-12-04)

To Detroit Red Wings5th-round pick in 2019

To Buffalo SabresScott Wilson

February 26, 2018 (2018-02-26)

To San Jose SharksEvander Kane

To Buffalo SabresDanny O'Regan Conditional 1st-round in 2019 Conditional 4th-round pick in 2020

June 14, 2018 (2018-06-14)

To Arizona CoyotesHudson Fasching

To Buffalo SabresRights to Brandon Hickey Rights to Mike Sislo

Notes:

The Vegas Golden Knights selected William Carrier in the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft. The draft pick was exchanged so that the Golden Knights would not select Linus Ullmark.

Free agents acquired

DatePlayerFormer teamContract terms (in U.S. dollars)Ref

July 1, 2017 (2017-07-01)Kyle CriscuoloGrand Rapids Griffins2-year, $1.3 million

July 1, 2017 (2017-07-01)Seth GriffithToronto Maple Leafs1-year, $650,000

July 1, 2017 (2017-07-01)Chad JohnsonArizona Coyotes1-year, $2.5 million

July 1, 2017 (2017-07-01)Jacob JosefsonNew Jersey Devils1-year, $700,000

July 1, 2017 (2017-07-01)Kevin PorterPittsburgh Penguins2-year, $1.3 million

July 1, 2017 (2017-07-01)Benoit PouliotEdmonton Oilers1-year, $1.15 million

July 1, 2017 (2017-07-01)Matt TennysonCarolina Hurricanes2-year, $1.3 million

July 1, 2017 (2017-07-01)Adam WilcoxFlorida Panthers1-year, $650,000

April 11, 2018 (2018-04-11)Andrew OglevieUniversity of Notre Dame2-year, $1.85 million entry-level contract

May 15, 2018 (2018-05-15)Lawrence PilutHV712-year, $2.7 million entry-level contract

Free agents lost

DatePlayerNew teamContract terms (in U.S. dollars)Ref

July 1, 2017 (2017-07-01)Mat BodieTampa Bay Lightning1-year

July 1, 2017 (2017-07-01)Erik BurgdoerferOttawa Senators2-year, $1.3 million

July 1, 2017 (2017-07-01)Derek GrantAnaheim Ducks1-year, $650,000

July 1, 2017 (2017-07-01)Dmitry KulikovWinnipeg Jets3-year

July 1, 2017 (2017-07-01)Anders NilssonVancouver Canucks2-year, $5 million

July 1, 2017 (2017-07-01)Cal O'ReillyMinnesota Wild2-year, $1.4 million

July 1, 2017 (2017-07-01)Cole SchneiderNew York Rangers2-year, $1.3 million

July 1, 2017 (2017-07-01)Jean DupuyToronto MarliesUnknown

July 20, 2017 (2017-07-20)Justin KeaFlorida Everblades1-year

October 18, 2017 (2017-10-18)Brian GiontaTeam USAThrough Olympics, $0

April 27, 2018 (2018-04-27)Jacob JosefsonDjurgårdens IF4-year

June 13, 2018 (2018-06-13)Zach RedmondRochester Americans2-year

Claimed via waivers

PlayerPrevious teamDateRef

Jordan NolanLos Angeles KingsSeptember 27, 2017 (2017-09-27)

Lost via waivers

PlayerNew teamDateRef

Players released

DatePlayerViaRef

Lost via retirement

DatePlayerRef

Player signings

DatePlayerContract terms (in U.S. dollars)Ref

June 26, 2017 (2017-06-26)Taylor Fedun2-year, $1.3 million, two-way contract

July 8, 2017 (2017-07-08)Johan Larsson2-year, $2.95 million

July 25, 2017 (2017-07-25)Robin Lehner1-year, $4 million

July 27, 2017 (2017-07-27)Evan Rodrigues2-year, $1.3 million

July 31, 2017 (2017-07-31)Nathan Beaulieu2-year, $4.8 million

August 17, 2017 (2017-08-17)Zemgus Girgensons2-year, $3.2 million

October 4, 2017 (2017-10-04)Jack Eichel8-year, $80 million contract extension

October 23, 2017 (2017-10-23)Cliff Pu3-year, $2.775 million entry-level contract

March 25, 2018 (2018-03-25)Will Borgen3-year, $2.775 million entry-level contract

March 26, 2018 (2018-03-26)Casey Mittelstadt3-year, $4.475 million entry-level contract

April 24, 2018 (2018-04-24)Victor Olofsson2-year, $1.85 million entry-level contract

May 2, 2018 (2018-05-02)Casey Nelson2-year, $1.625 million contract extension

May 23, 2018 (2018-05-23)Rasmus Asplund3-year, $2.775 million entry-level contract

June 14, 2018 (2018-06-14)Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen3-year, $2.775 million entry-level contract

Draft picks

See also: List of Buffalo Sabres draft picks

Below are the Buffalo Sabres' selections at the 2017 NHL Entry Draft, which was held on June 23 and 24, 2017 at the United Center in Chicago.

Round

Player

Pos

Nationality

College/Junior/Club team (League)

1

8

Casey Mittelstadt

C

United States

Green Bay Gamblers (USHL)

2

37

Marcus Davidsson

C

Sweden

Djurgårdens IF (SHL)

2

$54^1$

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen

G

Finland

HPK U20 (Jr. A SM-liiga)

3

$89^2$

Oskari Laaksonen

D

Finland

Ilves U20 (Jr. A SM-liiga)

4

99

Jacob Bryson

D

Canada

Providence College (Hockey East)

7

192

Linus Weissbach

LW

Sweden

Tri-City Storm (USHL)

Draft notes:

The Minnesota Wild's second-round pick went to the Buffalo Sabres as the result of a trade on March 2, 2015 that sent Chris Stewart to Minnesota in exchange for this pick.

The Washington Capitals' third-round pick went to the Buffalo Sabres as the result of a trade on February 23, 2016 that sent Mike Weber to Washington in exchange for this pick.

References

↑ "2017-2018 NHL Attendance". ESPN.com. Retrieved November 7, 2021.↑ National Hockey League (2010). The National Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book/2011. Triumph Books. p. 27. ISBN 978-1-60078-422-4.↑ "2017-2018 NHL Hockey Standings". NHL.com.↑ "2017-2018 NHL Hockey Standings". NHL.com.↑ "Sabres Notebook: Mittelstadt's team wins 3-on-3, Housley talks coaching staff, Stephens sits & more".↑ Hoppe, Bill (July 13, 2017). "Sabres prospect Marcus Davidsson wishes he attended NHL Draft". Buffalo Hockey Beat: Olean Times Herald. Retrieved July 14, 2017.↑ "Sabres announce 2017 preseason schedule". NHL.com. June 19, 2017. Retrieved July 5, 2017.↑ Ryndak, Chris (June 22, 2017). "A deeper look at the Sabres' 2017-18 schedule". NHL.com. Retrieved July 5, 2017.↑ "Buffalo Sabres Stats - 2017-2018". NHL.com. Retrieved July 5, 2017.↑ "2017–18 Regular season – Buffalo Sabres Stats – Skaters". NHL.com. Retrieved January 26, 2020.↑ "2017–18 Regular season – Buffalo Sabres Stats – Goalies". NHL.com. Retrieved January 26, 2020.↑ "Sabres acquire defenseman Beaulieu". June 17, 2017. Retrieved June 30, 2017.↑ "2017 NHL expansion draft results: All the Golden Knights' trades". SB Nation. June 21, 2017.↑ "Sabres acquire Scandella, Pominville from Wild". June 30, 2017. Retrieved June 30, 2017.↑ "Sabres acquire Redmond from Montreal". NHL.com. October 4, 2017. Retrieved October 5, 2017.↑ "Sabres acquire Scott Wilson". NHL.com. December 4, 2017. Retrieved December 4, 2017.↑ "Sabres acquire O'Regan, picks from Sharks". NHL.com. February 26, 2018. Retrieved February 27, 2018.↑ "Sabres acquire Hickey from Coyotes". NHL.com. June 15, 2018. Retrieved June 14, 2018.↑ "Buffalo Sabres sign forward Kyle Criscuolo to two-way deal". sportsnet.ca. Retrieved July 1, 2017.↑ "Sabres sign forward Seth Griffith to one-year contract". sportsnet.ca. Retrieved July 1, 2017.↑ "Sabres sign goaltender Chad Johnson to one-year contract". sportsnet.ca. Retrieved July 1, 2017.↑ "Sabres sign Josefson to 1-year deal". nhl.com. Retrieved July 1, 2017.↑ "Buffalo Sabres sign forward Kevin Porter to two-way deal". sportsnet.ca. Retrieved July 1, 2017.↑ "Benoit Pouliot signs one-year deal with Buffalo Sabres". sportsnet.ca. Retrieved July 1, 2017.↑ "Sabres ink Matt Tennyson to two-year deal". sportsnet.ca. Retrieved July 1, 2017.↑ "Buffalo Sabres sign goalie Adam Wilcox". sportsnet.ca. Retrieved July 1, 2017.↑ "Sabres sign forward Andrew Oglevie". NHL.com. April 11, 2018. Retrieved April 15, 2018.↑ "Sabres, Pilut agree to entry-level deal". NHL.com. May 15, 2018. Retrieved May 16, 2018.↑ Tampa Bay, Lightning (July 1, 2017). "Lightning sign defenseman Mat Bodie to one-year, two-way contract". Tampa Bay Lightning. Retrieved July 1, 2017.↑ "Jets sign Dmitry Kulikov". NHL.com. July 1, 2017. Retrieved July 1, 2017.↑ "Wild Agrees to Terms with Forwards Ferraro, O'Reilly". nhl.com. Retrieved July 1, 2017.↑ "Rangers Agree to Terms With Cole Schneider". nhl.com. Retrieved July 1, 2017.↑ "Marlies Sign Jean Dupuy". marlies.ca. Retrieved July 6, 2017.↑ "EVERBLADES SIGN FORWARD KEA". echl.com. Retrieved July 22, 2017.↑ Schlager, Brandon (October 18, 2017). "A peak at Pyeongchang: USA Hockey announces roster for pre-Olympic tournament". The Sporting News. Retrieved October 18, 2017.↑ "Jacob Josefson är klar för Djurgården". difhockey.se (in Swedish). Retrieved June 11, 2019.↑ "REDMOND RETURNS ON TWO-YEAR AHL CONTRACT". amerks.com. Retrieved June 11, 2019.↑ "SABRES CLAIM NOLAN OFF WAIVERS". Buffalo Sabres PR. September 27, 2017. Retrieved September 27, 2017.↑ "Sabres, Taylor Fedun agree to two-year, two-way deal". sportsnet.ca. Retrieved June 27, 2017.↑ "Sabres, Larsson agree to 2-year contract". nhl.com. Retrieved July 9, 2017.↑ "Sabres sign Lehner to 1-year contract". nhl.com. Retrieved July 26, 2017.↑ "Sabres sign Rodrigues to 2-year contract". nhl.com. Retrieved July 30, 2017.↑ "Sabres, Beaulieu agree to 2-year contract". nhl.com. Retrieved August 10, 2017.↑ "Girgensons signs two-year contract with Sabres".↑ "Sabres, Eichel agree to terms on extension". NHL.com. October 4, 2017. Retrieved October 4, 2017.↑ "Sabres sign Pu to entry-level contract". NHL.com. October 23, 2017. Retrieved October 24, 2017.↑ "Sabres sign Borgen to entry-level contract". NHL.com. March 25, 2018. Retrieved March 25, 2018.↑ "Sabres, Mittelstadt agree to entry-level deal". NHL.com. March 26, 2018. Retrieved March 26, 2018.↑ "Sabres sign Viktor Olofsson". NHL.com. April 24, 2018. Retrieved April 25, 2018.↑ "Sabres sign Nelson to 2-year deal". NHL.com. May 2, 2018. Retrieved May 3, 2018.↑ "Sabres sign Asplund to entry-level contract". NHL.com. May 23, 2018. Retrieved May 23, 2018.↑ "Sabres ink Luukkonen to entry-level contract". NHL.com. June 14, 2018. Retrieved June 15, 2018.↑ "2017 NHL Entry Draft Pending Transactions Transactions". Pro Sports Transactions. Retrieved June 1, 2017.↑ "Wild acquire Stewart from Sabres for 2017 pick". March 2, 2015. Retrieved June 19, 2015.↑ "Sabres trade Weber to Caps for third rounder". February 23, 2016. Retrieved February 23, 2016.

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