# 2012–13 Buffalo Sabres season

The 2012–13 Buffalo Sabres season was the 43rd season for the National Hockey League (NHL) franchise that was established on May 22, 1970. The regular season was reduced from its usual 82 games to 48 due to a lockout. The season was the 15th and final season coached by Lindy Ruff, who was fired after a 6–10–1 start. The Sabres failed to qualify for the Stanley Cup playoffs for the second consecutive season.

## Off-season
### Broadcast changes

On June 8, 2012, the Sabres announced that Rick Jeanneret, the longest-tenured play-by-play announcer in NHL history, would be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame; Jeanneret will also receive the Foster Hewitt Memorial Award. Rob Ray will replace Harry Neale as the full-time color commentator for all Sabres game broadcasts. Neale will join Mike Robitaille, whose role will remain unchanged, and Brian Duff, who will take over as full-time studio host, in the studio. Kevin Sylvester and Danny Gare, who served as the alternate broadcast team in 2011–12, were not originally going to reprise their roles in 2012–13; Sylvester instead revived the Hockey Hotline, a long-discontinued Sabres call-in talk show, for WGR. However, due to Jeanneret suffering an illness, Sylvester was pressed into service to call play-by-play for the first four games of the regular season.

### Alumni Plaza

On July 12, 2012, the Sabres announced that the plaza adjacent to First Niagara Center would be re-branded Alumni Plaza. On October 12, 2012, a bronze French Connection statue was added to the plaza. Other plans included plaques with the name of every player to play a game for the team and fans having to opportunity to buy engraved bricks.

### Lockout

On September 13, 2012, Buffalo Sabres owner Terrence Pegula, along with all 28 other league ownership groups (the League still collectively owns the Phoenix Coyotes), authorized NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman to lock-out the National Hockey League Players' Association (NHLPA) upon the expiration of the NHL Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) on September 15. The lockout ended at 4:45 am EST on January 6, 2013, lasting 113 days. The lockout reduced the regular season from 82 to 48 games.

### Overseas Sabres

After the announced lockout, players from the team began to sign contracts to play in Europe until resumption of NHL play.
Overseas Sabres :
| Player | New team | League |
| Thomas Vanek | Graz 99ers | Austrian Hockey League |
| Tyler Ennis | SCL Tigers | Swiss National League |
| Andrej Sekera | Slovan Bratislava | Kontinental Hockey League |
| Christian Ehrhoff | Krefeld Pinguine | Deutsche Eishockey Liga |
| Jhonas Enroth | Huddinge IK | Swedish Division 1 |
| Mike Weber | Lorenskog | GET-ligaen. |
| Jason Pominville | Adler Mannheim | Deutsche Eishockey Liga |
| Jochen Hecht | Adler Mannheim | Deutsche Eishockey Liga |
| Alexander Sulzer | ERC Ingolstadt | Deutsche Eishockey Liga |
| Tyler Myers | Klagenfurt AC | Austrian Hockey League |

### Beyond Blue and Gold

During the abbreviated training camp the team released the first episodes in a new web-series called Beyond Blue and Gold. The series will run through the season with the goal to give fans an "all-access pass to the entire Sabres organization throughout the entire 2012–13 NHL season."

## Regular season

After the lockout, the Sabres had an abbreviated one-week training camp. During the camp, the Sabres' first pick in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft, Mikhail Grigorenko, played well on a line with off-season trade acquisitions Steve Ott and Ville Leino. At the end of the camp, Grigorenko was put on the opening day roster. The Sabres were given five games to decide whether to keep him on the roster (and thus pay him a full season's salary) or send him back to his junior team, the Quebec Remparts; in the end, Grigorenko was kept on the roster after Leino suffered an injury. After several weeks of mediocre play and Leino's return to the active roster, Grigorenko returned to the Remparts. He remained with the Remparts until their elimination from the QMJHL playoffs, whereupon he returned to the Sabres.
After an unsuccessful 6–10–1 start, general manager Darcy Regier announced the firing of head coach Lindy Ruff Ruff coached the team since 1997 and was the team's most successful coach. It was further announced that Ron Rolston, who was the current coach of the Rochester Americans, would replace Ruff on an interim basis. The Sabres performed better under Rolston but were nonetheless eliminated from playoff contention following an 8–4 home loss to the New York Rangers.
The Sabres allowed the most shorthanded goals in the NHL, with seven.

## Playoffs

The Sabres did not qualify for the playoffs for the second consecutive year.

## Standings

Northeast Division :
| Pos | Team v t e | GP | W | L | OTL | ROW | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 1 | y – Montreal Canadiens | 48 | 29 | 14 | 5 | 26 | 149 | 126 | +23 | 63 |
| 2 | x – Boston Bruins | 48 | 28 | 14 | 6 | 24 | 131 | 109 | +22 | 62 |
| 3 | x – Toronto Maple Leafs | 48 | 26 | 17 | 5 | 26 | 145 | 133 | +12 | 57 |
| 4 | x – Ottawa Senators | 48 | 25 | 17 | 6 | 21 | 116 | 104 | +12 | 56 |
| 5 | Buffalo Sabres | 48 | 21 | 21 | 6 | 14 | 125 | 143 | −18 | 48 |
Eastern Conference :
| Pos | Div | Team v t e | GP | W | L | OTL | ROW | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 1 | AT | z – Pittsburgh Penguins | 48 | 36 | 12 | 0 | 33 | 165 | 119 | +46 | 72 |
| 2 | NE | y – Montreal Canadiens | 48 | 29 | 14 | 5 | 26 | 149 | 126 | +23 | 63 |
| 3 | SE | y – Washington Capitals | 48 | 27 | 18 | 3 | 24 | 149 | 130 | +19 | 57 |
| 4 | NE | x – Boston Bruins | 48 | 28 | 14 | 6 | 24 | 131 | 109 | +22 | 62 |
| 5 | NE | x – Toronto Maple Leafs | 48 | 26 | 17 | 5 | 26 | 145 | 133 | +12 | 57 |
| 6 | AT | x – New York Rangers | 48 | 26 | 18 | 4 | 22 | 130 | 112 | +18 | 56 |
| 7 | NE | x – Ottawa Senators | 48 | 25 | 17 | 6 | 21 | 116 | 104 | +12 | 56 |
| 8 | AT | x – New York Islanders | 48 | 24 | 17 | 7 | 20 | 139 | 139 | 0 | 55 |
| 9 | SE | Winnipeg Jets | 48 | 24 | 21 | 3 | 22 | 128 | 144 | −16 | 51 |
| 10 | AT | Philadelphia Flyers | 48 | 23 | 22 | 3 | 22 | 133 | 141 | −8 | 49 |
| 11 | AT | New Jersey Devils | 48 | 19 | 19 | 10 | 17 | 112 | 129 | −17 | 48 |
| 12 | NE | Buffalo Sabres | 48 | 21 | 21 | 6 | 14 | 115 | 143 | −28 | 48 |
| 13 | SE | Carolina Hurricanes | 48 | 19 | 25 | 4 | 18 | 128 | 160 | −32 | 42 |
| 14 | SE | Tampa Bay Lightning | 48 | 18 | 26 | 4 | 17 | 148 | 150 | −2 | 40 |
| 15 | SE | Florida Panthers | 48 | 15 | 27 | 6 | 12 | 112 | 171 | −59 | 36 |

## Schedule and results
### Original regular season schedule

2012–13 Original Schedule (For reference only) :
October
GameOctoberOpponentScoreDecisionLocation/AttendanceRecord
113Pittsburgh PenguinsFirst Niagara Center
216Detroit Red WingsFirst Niagara Center
319New York RangersFirst Niagara Center
420@ New York IslandersNassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum
524New Jersey DevilsFirst Niagara Center
626@ New Jersey DevilsPrudential Center
728Philadelphia FlyersFirst Niagara Center
830@ Boston BruinsTD Garden :
November
GameNovemberOpponentScoreDecisionLocation/AttendanceRecord
91Phoenix CoyotesFirst Niagara Center
103Carolina HurricanesFirst Niagara Center
116@ Philadelphia FlyersWells Fargo Center
128@ San Jose SharksHP Pavilion at San Jose
1310@ Phoenix CoyotesJobing.com Arena
1411@ Anaheim DucksHonda Center
1516Philadelphia FlyersFirst Niagara Center
1617@ Philadelphia FlyersWells Fargo Center
1721Columbus Blue JacketsFirst Niagara Center
1824@New York IslandersNassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum
1927Winnipeg JetsFirst Niagara Center
2029Vancouver CanucksFirst Niagara Center :
December
GameDecemberOpponentScoreDecisionLocation/AttendanceRecord
211@Boston BruinsTD Garden
223@Toronto Maple LeafsAir Canada Centre
234San Jose SharksFirst Niagara Center
246Montreal CanadiensFirst Niagara Center
258@Montreal CanadiensBell Centre
2611Ottawa SenatorsFirst Niagara Center
2713Chicago BlackhawksFirst Niagara Center
2815Montreal CanadiensFirst Niagara Center
2917@Montreal CanadiensBell Centre
3020@Edmonton OilersRexall Place
3122@Calgary FlamesScotiabank Saddledome
3223@Colorado AvalanchePepsi Center
3326Washington CapitalsFirst Niagara Center
3428@Minnesota WildXcel Energy Center
3529@Winnipeg JetsMTS Centre
3631Ottawa SenatorsFirst Niagara Center :
January
GameJanuaryOpponentScoreDecisionLocation/AttendanceRecord
373Florida PanthersFirst Niagara Center
385Tampa Bay LightningFirst Niagara Center
398@New York RangersMadison Square Garden
409Boston BruinsFirst Niagara Center
4111@Ottawa SenatorsScotiabank Place
4213@Chicago BlackhawksUnited Center
4315@Ottawa SenatorsScotiabank Place
4417New York IslandersFirst Niagara Center
4519Carolina HurricanesFirst Niagara Center
4621Tampa Bay LightningFirst Niagara Center
4729Toronto Maple LeafsFirst Niagara Center
4831@Carolina HurricanesPNC Arena :
February
GameFebruaryOpponentScoreDecisionLocation/AttendanceRecord
493St. Louis BluesFirst Niagara Center
505Los Angeles KingsFirst Niagara Center
516@Boston BruinsTD Garden
528Boston BruinsFirst Niagara Center
5310Ottawa SenatorsFirst Niagara Center
5412@Ottawa SenatorsScotiabank Place
5515Montreal CanadiensFirst Niagara Center
5617Pittsburgh PenguinsFirst Niagara Center
5718@New York RangersMadison Square Garden
5821@Washington CapitalsVerizon Center
5923New York IslandersFirst Niagara Center
6026@Tampa Bay LightningTampa Bay Times Forum
6128@Florida PanthersBB&T Center :
March
GameMarchOpponentScoreDecisionLocation/AttendanceRecord
622Nashville PredatorsFirst Niagara Center
635@Carolina HurricanesPNC Arena
647@New Jersey DevilsPrudential Center
6510@Pittsburgh PenguinsConsol Energy Center
6612Florida PanthersFirst Niagara Center
6714@Toronto Maple LeafsFirst Niagara Center
6816@Pittsburgh PenguinsConsol Energy Center
6917@Washington CapitalsVerizon Center
7019Toronto Maple LeafsFirst Niagara Center
7121Winnipeg JetsFirst Niagara Center
7223@Dallas StarsAmerican Airlines Center
7326@Tampa Bay LightningTampa Bay Times Forum
7428@Florida PanthersBB&T Center
7530Washington CapitalsFirst Niagara Center :
April
GameAprilOpponentScoreDecisionLocation/AttendanceRecord
762Toronto Maple LeafsFirst Niagara Center
774New Jersey DevilsFirst Niagara Center
786@Montreal CanadiensBell Centre
798@Toronto Maple LeafsAir Canada Centre
809@Winnipeg JetsMTS Centre
8111New York RangersFirst Niagara Center
8213Boston BruinsFirst Niagara Center :
2012–2013 Schedule :

### Revised regular season schedule

2012–13 Game Log Overall: 21–21–6 (Home: 11–10–3; Away: 10–11–3) :
January: 3–3–1 (Home: 1–1–1; Road: 2–2–0)
GameJanuaryOpponentScoreDecisionLocation/AttendanceRecord
120Philadelphia Flyers5–2Miller (1–0–0)First Niagara Center (19,070)1–0–0
221@Toronto Maple Leafs2–1Miller (2–0–0)Air Canada Centre (19,475)2–0–0
324@Carolina Hurricanes3–6Enroth (0–1–0)PNC Arena (18,081)2–1–0
425Carolina Hurricanes1–3Miller (2–1–0)First Niagara Center (18,824)2–2–0
527@Washington Capitals2–3Miller (2–2–0)Verizon Center (18,506)2–3–0
629Toronto Maple Leafs3–4 (OT)Miller (2–2–1)First Niagara Center (18,801)2–3–1
731@Boston Bruins7–4Miller (3–2–1)TD Garden (17,565)3–3–1 :
February: 5–9–0 (Home: 2–5–0; Road: 3–4–0)
GameFebruaryOpponentScoreDecisionLocation/AttendanceRecord
82@Montreal Canadiens1–6Miller (3–3–1)Bell Centre (21,273)3–4–1
93Florida Panthers3–4Miller (3–4–1)First Niagara Center (18,831)3–5–1
105@Ottawa Senators3–4Enroth (0–2–0)Scotiabank Place (18,345)3–6–1
117Montreal Canadiens5–4 (SO)Miller (4–4–1)First Niagara Center (18,866)4–6–1
129@New York Islanders3–2Miller (5–4–1)Nassau Coliseum (12,608)5–6–1
1310Boston Bruins1–3Miller (5–5–1)First Niagara Center (18,869)5–7–1
1412@Ottawa Senators0–2Miller (5–6–1)Scotiabank Place (18,429)5–8–1
1515Boston Bruins4–2Miller (6–6–1)First Niagara Center (19,070)6–8–1
1617Pittsburgh Penguins3–4Miller (6–7–1)First Niagara Center (19,070)6–9–1
1719Winnipeg Jets1–2Miller (6–8–1)First Niagara Center (19,070)6–10–1
1821@Toronto Maple Leafs1–3Miller (6–9–1)Air Canada Centre (19,473)6–11–1
1923New York Islanders0–4Miller (6–10–1)First Niagara Center (19,070)6–12–1
2026@Tampa Bay Lightning2–1Miller (7–10–1)Tampa Bay Times Forum (19,204)7–12–1
2128@Florida Panthers4–3 (SO)Miller (8–10–1)BB&T Center (15,672)8–12–1 :
March: 5–5–5 (Home: 3–1–2; Road: 2–4–3)
GameMarchOpponentScoreDecisionLocation/AttendanceRecord
222New Jersey Devils4–3 (SO)Miller (9–10–1)First Niagara Center (19,070)9–12–1
233@New York Rangers2–3 (SO)Miller (9–10–2)Madison Square Garden (17,200)9–12–2
245@Carolina Hurricanes3–4Miller (9–11–2)PNC Arena (15,277)9–13–2
257@New Jersey Devils2–3 (SO)Miller (9–11–3)Prudential Center (17,625)9–13–3
2610@Philadelphia Flyers2–3Miller (9–12–3)Wells Fargo Center (19,687)9–14–3
2712New York Rangers3–1Enroth (1–2–0)First Niagara Center (19,070)10–14–3
2816Ottawa Senators3–4 (OT)Miller (9–12–4)First Niagara Center (19,070)10–14–4
2917@Washington Capitals3–5Miller (9–13–4)Verizon Center (18,506)10–15–4
3019@Montreal Canadiens3–2 (OT)Enroth (2–2–0)Bell Centre (21,273)11–15–4
3121Toronto Maple Leafs5–4 (SO)Miller (10–13–4)First Niagara Center (19,070)12–15–4
3223@Montreal Canadiens2–1Miller (11–13–4)Bell Centre (21,273)13–15–4
3326@Tampa Bay Lightning1–2Miller (11–14–4)Tampa Bay Times Forum (19,204)13–16–4
3428@Florida Panthers4–5 (SO)Miller (11–14–5)BB&T Center (17,044)13–16–5
3530Washington Capitals3–4 (SO)Enroth (2–2–1)First Niagara Center (19,070)13–16–6
3631Boston Bruins0–2Miller (11–15–5)First Niagara Center (19,027)13–17–6 :
April: 8–4–0 (Home: 5–3–0; Road: 3–1–0)
GameAprilOpponentScoreDecisionLocation/AttendanceRecord
372@Pittsburgh Penguins4–1Miller (12–15–5)Consol Energy Center (18,642)14–17–6
385Ottawa Senators4–2Miller (13–15–5)First Niagara Center (18,811)15–17–6
397New Jersey Devils3–2 (SO)Miller (14–15–5)First Niagara Center (18,703)16–17–6
409@Winnipeg Jets1–4Miller (14–16–5)MTS Centre (15,004)16–18–6
4111Montreal Canadiens1–5Miller (14–17–5)First Niagara Center (19,070)16–19–6
4213Philadelphia Flyers1–0Enroth (3–2–1)First Niagara Center (19,070)17–19–6
4314Tampa Bay Lightning3–1Enroth (4–2–1)First Niagara Center (18,991)18–19–6
4417@Boston Bruins3–2 (SO)Miller (15–17–5)TD Garden (17,565)19–19–6
4519New York Rangers4–8Enroth (4–3–1)First Niagara Center (19,003)19–20–6
–20@Pittsburgh PenguinsGame rescheduled to April 23 due to effects on Pittsburgh's schedule resulting from the manhunt for the Boston Marathon bombing suspect.
4622Winnipeg Jets1–2Enroth (4–4–1)First Niagara Center (18,654)19–21–6
4723@Pittsburgh Penguins4–2Miller (16–17–5)Consol Energy Center (18,630)20–21–6
4826New York Islanders2–1 (SO)Miller (17–17–5)First Niagara Center (19,070)21–21–6 :
Legend:   Win (2 points)   Loss (0 points)   Overtime/shootout loss (1 point) :

## Player statistics

Final regular season stats

### Skaters

Regular Season :
| Player | GP | G | A | Pts | +/- | PIM |
| Thomas Vanek | 38 | 20 | 21 | 41 | −1 | 20 |
| Cody Hodgson | 48 | 15 | 19 | 34 | −4 | 20 |
| Tyler Ennis | 47 | 10 | 21 | 31 | −14 | 16 |
| Jason Pominville$^‡$ | 37 | 10 | 15 | 25 | 1 | 8 |
| Steve Ott | 48 | 9 | 15 | 24 | 3 | 93 |
| Christian Ehrhoff | 47 | 5 | 17 | 22 | 6 | 34 |
| Marcus Foligno | 47 | 5 | 13 | 18 | −4 | 41 |
| Drew Stafford | 46 | 6 | 12 | 18 | −16 | 21 |
| Jochen Hecht | 47 | 5 | 9 | 14 | 6 | 18 |
| Andrej Sekera | 37 | 2 | 10 | 12 | −2 | 4 |
| Brian Flynn | 26 | 6 | 5 | 11 | 6 | 0 |
| Nathan Gerbe | 42 | 5 | 5 | 10 | −3 | 14 |
| Kevin Porter | 31 | 4 | 5 | 9 | −1 | 10 |
| Jordan Leopold$^‡$ | 24 | 2 | 6 | 8 | −6 | 14 |
| Tyler Myers | 39 | 3 | 5 | 8 | −8 | 32 |
| Mike Weber | 42 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 3 | 70 |
| Ville Leino | 8 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| Mikhail Grigorenko | 25 | 1 | 4 | 5 | −1 | 0 |
| Mark Pysyk | 19 | 1 | 4 | 5 | −7 | 0 |
| Alexander Sulzer | 17 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 10 |
| Adam Pardy | 17 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 14 |
| Robyn Regehr$^‡$ | 29 | 0 | 2 | 2 | −4 | 21 |
| Luke Adam | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Patrick Kaleta | 34 | 1 | 0 | 1 | −4 | 67 |
| T. J. Brennan$^‡$ | 10 | 1 | 0 | 1 | −1 | 6 |
| Cody McCormick | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −2 | 10 |
| Matt Ellis | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| John Scott | 34 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −1 | 69 |
| Chad Ruhwedel | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Totals* | 48 | 118 | 203 | 321 | −46 | 630 |
*Totals include goaltenders (G/A/Pts/PIM) and bench minors (PIM)

### Goaltenders

Regular Season :
| Player | GP | GS | TOI | W | L | OT | GA | GAA | SA | SV% | SO | G | A | PIM |
| Ryan Miller | 40 | 39 | 2302:14 | 17 | 17 | 5 | 108 | 2.81 | 1270 | .915 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Jhonas Enroth | 12 | 9 | 623:26 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 27 | 2.60 | 332 | .919 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Totals | Totals | 48 | 2925:40 | 21 | 21 | 6 | 135 | 2.77 | 1602 | .916 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
$^†$Denotes player spent time with another team before joining the Sabres. Stats reflect time with the Sabres only. $^‡$Traded mid-season Bold/italics denotes franchise record

## Awards and records
### Awards

Regular Season :
| Player | Award | Awarded |
| Thomas Vanek | NHL Third Star of the Month | February 1, 2013 |
| Thomas Vanek | NHL First Star of the Week | February 4, 2013 |

### Milestones

Regular Season :
| Player | Milestone | Reached |
| Mikhail Grigorenko | 1st Career NHL Game | January 20, 2013 |
| Drew Stafford | 400th Career NHL Game | January 24, 2013 |
| Mikhail Grigorenko | 1st Career NHL Goal 1st Career NHL Point | January 29, 2013 |
| Mikhail Grigorenko | 1st Career NHL Assist | January 31, 2013 |
| Cody Hodgson | 100th Career NHL Game | February 3, 2013 |
| Tyler Ennis | 100th Career NHL Point | February 7, 2013 |
| Alexander Sulzer | 100th Career NHL Game | February 9, 2013 |
| Jordan Leopold | 600th Career NHL Game | February 12, 2013 |
| Jochen Hecht | 800th Career NHL Game | February 12, 2013 |
| Brian Flynn | 1st Career NHL Game | March 2, 2013 |
| Brian Flynn | 1st Career NHL Goal 1st Career NHL Point | March 7, 2013 |
| Brian Flynn | 1st Career NHL Assist | March 12, 2013 |
| Mark Pysyk | 1st Career NHL Game | March 17, 2013 |
| Jordan Leopold | 200th Career NHL Point | March 19, 2013 |
| Ville Leino | 100th Career NHL Point | March 19, 2013 |
| Steve Ott | 600th Career NHL Game | March 28, 2013 |
| Christian Ehrhoff | 600th Career NHL Game | March 30, 2013 |
| Mark Pysyk | 1st Career NHL Assist 1st Career NHL Point | April 2, 2013 |
| Ryan Miller | 492nd Career NHL Game (Sabres Goalie Franchise Record) | April 2, 2013 |
| Ryan Miller | Sabres Career Saves Record | April 5, 2013 |
| Chad Ruhwedel | 1st Career NHL Game | April 13, 2013 |
| Patrick Kaleta | 300th Career NHL Game | April 17, 2013 |
| Mark Pysyk | 1st Career NHL Goal | April 19, 2013 |
| Ryan Miller | 500th Career NHL Game | April 26, 2013 |

## Transactions

The Sabres have been involved in the following transactions during the 2012–13 season:

### Trades

| Date | Details | Details |
| June 22, 2012 | To Calgary Flames 1st-round pick (21st overall) in 2012 2nd-round pick (42nd overall) in 2012 | To Buffalo Sabres 1st-round pick (14th overall) in 2012 |
| July 2, 2012 | To Dallas Stars Derek Roy | To Buffalo Sabres Steve Ott Adam Pardy |
| March 15, 2013 | To Florida Panthers T. J. Brennan | To Buffalo Sabres 5th-round pick in 2013 |
| March 30, 2013 | To St. Louis Blues Jordan Leopold | To Buffalo Sabres 2nd-round pick in 2013 Conditional 5th-round pick in 2013 |
| April 1, 2013 | To Los Angeles Kings Robyn Regehr | To Buffalo Sabres 2nd-round pick in 2014 2nd-round pick in 2015 |
| April 3, 2013 | To Minnesota Wild Jason Pominville 4th-round pick in 2014 | To Buffalo Sabres Matt Hackett Johan Larsson 1st-round pick in 2013 2nd-round pick in 2014 |
Lost via retirement
Player
Player signings
PlayerDateContract terms
Nathan LieuwenMay 5, 20123 years, $1.715 million entry-level contract
Alexander SulzerMay 21, 20121 year, $725,000 contract extension
Joel ArmiaJune 16, 20123 years, $3.825 million entry-level contract
David LeggioJuly 6, 20121 year, $550,000
Zemgus GirgensonsJuly 13, 20123 years, $2.775 million entry-level contract
T. J. BrennanJuly 17, 20121 year, $550,000
Mikhail GrigorenkoJuly 18, 20123 years, $2.775 million entry-level contract
Drew SchiestelJuly 25, 20121 year, $577,500
Patrick KaletaJuly 31, 20123 years, $3.75 million
Alex BiegaAugust 2, 20121 year, $577,500
Tyler EnnisSeptember 15, 20122 years, $5.625 million
Jochen HechtJanuary 13, 20131 year, $1 million
John ScottMay 20, 20131 year, $750,000 contract extension
Colin JacobsMay 30, 20133 years, $1.775 million entry-level contract
Jhonas EnrothJune 20, 20132 years, 2.5 million
Mike WeberJune 27, 20133 years, $5 million contract extension :

## Draft picks

Buffalo Sabres' picks at the 2012 NHL Entry Draft, held in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on June 22 & 23, 2012.
| Round | # | Player | Pos | Nationality | College/Junior/Club team (League) |
| 1 | 12 | Mikhail Grigorenko | C | Russia | Quebec Remparts (QMJHL) |
| 1 | 14 | Zemgus Girgensons | C | Latvia | Dubuque Fighting Saints (USHL) |
| 2 | 44 | Jake McCabe | D | United States | University of Wisconsin (WCHA) |
| 3 | 73 | Justin Kea | C | Canada | Saginaw Spirit (OHL) |
| 5 | 133 | Logan Nelson | C | United States | Victoria Royals (WHL) |
| 6 | 163 | Linus Ullmark | G | Sweden | Modo Hockey Jr. (J20 SuperElit) |
| 7 | 193 | Brady Austin | D | Canada | Belleville Bulls (OHL) |
| 7 | 204 | Judd Peterson | C/RW | United States | The Marshall School (USHS-MN) |

### Draft notes

* $^a$ The Calgary Flames's first-round pick went to the Buffalo Sabres as a result of a June 22, 2012, trade that sent a 2012 first-round pick and a 2012 second-round pick to the Flames in exchange for this pick.
* The Buffalo Sabres' second-round pick went to the Calgary Flames as a result of a June 22, 2012, trade that sent a 2012 first-round pick to the Sabres in exchange for a 2012 first-round pick this pick.
* $^b$ The Calgary Flames' second-round pick went to the Buffalo Sabres as a result of a June 25, 2011, trade that sent Chris Butler and Paul Byron to the Flames in exchange for Robyn Regehr, Ales Kotalik and this pick.
* The Buffalo Sabres' fourth-round pick went to the New York Islanders as the result of a June 29, 2011, trade that sent Christian Ehrhoff to the Sabres in exchange for this pick.
* $^c$ The Chicago Blackhawks' seventh-round pick went to the Buffalo Sabres as a result of a June 29, 2011, trade that sent Steve Montador to the Blackhawks in exchange for this pick.