2015–16 Buffalo Sabres season

The 2015–16 Buffalo Sabres season was the 46th season for the National Hockey League franchise that was established on May 22, 1970. The season began its regular games on October 8, 2015 against the Ottawa Senators with a 3–1 loss.
This was originally to be the final season in which Rick Jeanneret serves as the team's play-by-play announcer; he has been in that position since the team's second season in 1971. As in recent years, he will rotate with Dan Dunleavy in the position.http://www.buffalonews.com/columns/alan-pergament/rick-jeanneret-on-cancer-criticism-and-why-you-never-heard-him-talk-about-tanking-20150424 However, Jeanneret agreed to continue indefinitely as part-time announcer as long as his health allows it.
==Off-season==
The Sabres fired head coach Ted Nolan on April 12, 2015, amid poor on-ice record and disagreements with general manager Tim Murray. The team then made overtures to Mike Babcock, the most prominent head coach on the free agent market; despite a record-setting offer, Babcock instead sought (and received) the head coaching position for the Sabres' division and regional rivals, the Toronto Maple Leafs. With the Sabres failing to land Babcock, the team's second choice, Dan Bylsma, was subsequently hired on May 28. Bylsma had spent the 2014-15 season out of professional hockey after spending the previous five seasons with the Pittsburgh Penguins.
The Sabres held the second overall pick in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft after finishing last in the league in 2014-15 and losing the draft lottery to the Edmonton Oilers. The Sabres selected Jack Eichel with their pick.
The Sabres fired President Ted Black on July 27, 2015, and replaced him with Russ Brandon. Brandon also serves as President of the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League and will continue in that capacity in addition to his duties with the Sabres.
=== Training camp ===
As in previous years, the Sabres held a summer development camp from July 6–11, 2015. The highlight of the camp was the "blue and gold" scrimmage on July 10; the scrimmage, which pit a "gold" team led by 2015 second overall pick Jack Eichel against a "blue" team led by 2014 second overall pick Sam Reinhart, drew 17,115 paying fans, nearly double the crowd that attended the 2014 event.What you need to know for the Sabres scrimmage . WGR. Retrieved July 9, 2015. An additional 1,500 fans attended the less-publicized 3-on-3 scrimmage, which closed out the camp on July 11.Hoppe, Bill (July 12, 2015). Josh Chapman unlikely standout at Sabres development camp. Olean Times Herald. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
The Sabres did not participate in the Detroit Red Wings' annual prospect tournament in Traverse City, Michigan as they have in recent years and instead launched their own "Prospect Challenge" beginning this season. For the first year, the Sabres, New Jersey Devils and Boston Bruins prospects faced each other in a single round-robin mini-tournament.http://sabres.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=776703 Buffalo won both of their games and the tournament.http://www.buffalohockeybeat.com/sabres-rookie-jack-eichel-wows-with-overtime-winner-against-bruins/
==Standings==
===Divisional standings===
===Conference standings===
==Schedule and results==
===Pre-season===
2015 Pre-Season Game Log: 4–3–0 (Home: 1–2–0 ; Road: 3–1–0)	2015 Pre-Season Game Log: 4–3–0 (Home: 1–2–0 ; Road: 3–1–0)	2015 Pre-Season Game Log: 4–3–0 (Home: 1–2–0 ; Road: 3–1–0)	2015 Pre-Season Game Log: 4–3–0 (Home: 1–2–0 ; Road: 3–1–0)	2015 Pre-Season Game Log: 4–3–0 (Home: 1–2–0 ; Road: 3–1–0)	2015 Pre-Season Game Log: 4–3–0 (Home: 1–2–0 ; Road: 3–1–0)	2015 Pre-Season Game Log: 4–3–0 (Home: 1–2–0 ; Road: 3–1–0)	2015 Pre-Season Game Log: 4–3–0 (Home: 1–2–0 ; Road: 3–1–0)	2015 Pre-Season Game Log: 4–3–0 (Home: 1–2–0 ; Road: 3–1–0)	2015 Pre-Season Game Log: 4–3–0 (Home: 1–2–0 ; Road: 3–1–0)
# 	Date 	Visitor 	Score 	Home 	OT 	Decision 	Attendance 	Record 	Recap
1 	September 21 	Buffalo 	3–2 	Minnesota 	 	Lieuwen 	17,217 	1–0–0 	Recap
2 	September 23 	Ottawa 	5–2 	Buffalo 	 	Lehner 	17,298 	1–1–0 	Recap
3 	September 25 	Buffalo 	6–4 	Toronto 	 	Lieuwen 	17,403 	2–1–0 	Recap
4 	September 26 	Buffalo 	6–4 	Ottawa 	 	Johnson 	16,738 	3–1–0 	Recap
5 	September 29 	Toronto 	0–4 	Buffalo 	 	Lehner 	17,357 	4–1–0 	Recap
6 	October 1 	Buffalo 	1–6 	Minnesota 	 	Johnson 	17,214 	4–2–0 	Recap
7 	October 2 	Columbus 	4–6 	Buffalo 	 	Lehner 	17,578 	4–3–0 	Recap
===Regular season===
2015–16 Game Log 	2015–16 Game Log 	2015–16 Game Log 	2015–16 Game Log 	2015–16 Game Log 	2015–16 Game Log 	2015–16 Game Log 	2015–16 Game Log 	2015–16 Game Log 	2015–16 Game Log 	2015–16 Game Log
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October: 4–7–0 (Home: 3–4–0 ; Road: 1–3–0)	October: 4–7–0 (Home: 3–4–0 ; Road: 1–3–0)	October: 4–7–0 (Home: 3–4–0 ; Road: 1–3–0)	October: 4–7–0 (Home: 3–4–0 ; Road: 1–3–0)	October: 4–7–0 (Home: 3–4–0 ; Road: 1–3–0)	October: 4–7–0 (Home: 3–4–0 ; Road: 1–3–0)	October: 4–7–0 (Home: 3–4–0 ; Road: 1–3–0)	October: 4–7–0 (Home: 3–4–0 ; Road: 1–3–0)	October: 4–7–0 (Home: 3–4–0 ; Road: 1–3–0)	October: 4–7–0 (Home: 3–4–0 ; Road: 1–3–0)	October: 4–7–0 (Home: 3–4–0 ; Road: 1–3–0)
# 	Date 	Visitor 	Score 	Home 	OT 	Decision 	Attendance 	Record 	Pts 	Recap
1 	October 8 	Ottawa 	3–1 	Buffalo 	 	Johnson 	19,070 	0–1–0 	0 	Recap
2 	October 10 	Tampa Bay 	4–1 	Buffalo 	 	Johnson 	17,739 	0–2–0 	0 	Recap
3 	October 12 	Columbus 	2–4 	Buffalo 	 	Johnson 	18,075 	1–2–0 	2 	Recap
4 	October 15 	Buffalo 	2–3 	Florida 	 	Johnson 	11,616 	1–3–0 	2 	Recap
5 	October 17 	Buffalo 	1–2 	Tampa Bay 	 	Johnson 	19,092 	1–4–0 	2 	Recap
6 	October 21 	Toronto 	1–2 	Buffalo 	SO 	Johnson 	17,762 	2–4–0 	4 	Recap
7 	October 23 	Montreal 	7–2 	Buffalo 	 	Johnson 	18,214 	2–5–0 	4 	Recap
8 	October 24 	New Jersey 	4–3 	Buffalo 	 	Ullmark 	18,040 	2–6–0 	4 	Recap
9 	October 27 	Buffalo 	4–3 	Philadelphia 	OT 	Johnson 	19,432 	3–6–0 	6 	Recap
10 	October 29 	Buffalo 	3–4 	Pittsburgh 	 	Johnson 	18,415 	3–7–0 	6 	Recap
11 	October 30 	Philadelphia 	1–3 	Buffalo 	 	Ullmark 	15,962 	4–7–0 	8 	Reacp
== Player stats ==
Final stats
===Skaters===
 Regular Season 
Player	 	 	 	 	 	
 	71	21	39	60	−16	8
 	81	24	32	56	−16	22
 	79	23	19	42	−8 	8
 	82	9 	32	41	−21	33
 	65	20	15	35	−14	91
 	79	12	21	33	−5 	12
‡ 	63	14	13	27	−10	10
 	64	7 	17	24	−11	68
 	75	10	13	23	4 	79
 	81	8 	13	21	−5 	16
 	71	7 	11	18	0 	20
 	59	4 	13	17	−5 	26
 	74	10	7 	17	−4 	27
 	79	5 	9 	14	−4 	14
 	77	4 	10	14	6 	51
 	70	6 	6 	12	−14	59
 	77	2 	10	12	−7 	72
 	55	1 	10	11	−1 	32
 	23	3 	8 	11	−9 	11
 	20	3 	4 	7 	−1 	2
 	36	1 	4 	5 	−11	10
‡ 	35	1 	4 	5 	3 	32
 	7 	0 	4 	4 	1 	8
 	17	1 	2 	3 	3 	2
 	7 	1 	1 	2 	2 	4
 	2 	1 	1 	2 	2 	2
‡ 	5 	1 	1 	2 	1 	2
 	11	0 	0 	0 	−2 	0
 	2 	0 	0 	0 	0 	0
 	1 	0 	0 	0 	0 	2
 	8 	0 	0 	0 	−2 	2
===Goaltenders===
 Regular Season 
Player	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	45	40	2591:05	22	16	4	102	2.36	1270	.920	1	0	2	0
 	21	21	1164:05	5 	9 	5	48 	2.47	634 	.924	1	0	1	8
 	20	20	1130:40	8 	10	2	49 	2.60	565 	.913	0	0	0	0
 	1 	1 	60:00 	0 	1 	0	4 	4.00	30 	.867	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.
==Roster==
==Awards and honours==
=== Awards ===
 Regular Season
Player	Award 	Awarded
 	NHL All-Star game selection	January 6, 2016
 	NHL Third Star of the Week 	February 1, 2016
=== Milestones ===
 Regular Season
Player 	Milestone 	Reached
 	1st Career NHL Game1st Career NHL Goal 	October 8, 2015
 	1st Career NHL Goal 	October 15, 2015
 	1st Career NHL Goal 	October 17, 2015
 	1st Career NHL Game 	October 24, 2015
 	200th Career NHL Game 	October 27, 2015
L. Ullmark 	1st Career NHL Win 	October 30, 2015
J. Eichel 	1st Career NHL Assist 	November 7, 2015
 	500th Career NHL Game 	December 4, 2015
 	1st Career NHL Hat Trick 	December 10, 2015
 	100th Career NHL Goal 	December 12, 2015
 	400th Career NHL Game 	December 19, 2015
 	100th Career NHL Game 	December 26, 2015
S. Reinhart 	1st Career NHL Hat Trick 	January 10, 2016
 	1st Career NHL Game 	February 6, 2016
 	1st Career NHL Game 	February 11, 2016
 	1st Career NHL Game1st Career NHL Goal 	March 26, 2016
 	1st Career NHL Game1st Career NHL Assist	March 26, 2016
 	1st Career NHL Game 	April 8, 2016
 	1st Career NHL Game 	April 8, 2016
 	1st Career NHL Game 	April 8, 2016
E. Rodrigues	1st Career NHL Goal1st Career NHL Assist	April 9, 2016
H. Fasching 	1st Career NHL Assist 	April 9, 2016
 	100th Career NHL Assist 	April 9, 2016
==Transactions==
The Sabres have been involved in the following transactions during the 2015–16 season:
===Trades===
Date	Details	Details	Ref
 	To Ottawa Senators
----NYI's 1st-round pick in 2015	To Buffalo Sabres
----Robin LehnerDavid Legwand	
 	To Colorado Avalanche
----Nikita ZadorovMikhail GrigorenkoJ. T. Compher2nd-round pick in 2015	To Buffalo Sabres
----Ryan O'ReillyJamie McGinn	
 	To Washington Capitals
----Mike Weber	To Buffalo Sabres
----3rd-round pick in 2017	
 	To Ottawa Senators
----Phil VaroneJason AkesonJerome Leduc	To Buffalo Sabres
----Cole SchneiderEric O'DellAlex GuptillMichael Sdao	
 	To Anaheim Ducks
----Jamie McGinn	To Buffalo Sabres
----conditional 3rd-round pick in 2016	
 	To Nashville Predators
----MIN's 3rd-round pick in 2016	To Buffalo Sabres
----Jimmy Vesey (rights)	
;Notes
*Buffalo to retain 50% ($1.67 million) of salary as part of trade.
*Conditional 3rd-round pick will become 2nd-round pick in 2017 NHL Entry Draft if Ducks advance to 2016 Western Conference Finals and McGinn plays in 50% of playoff games in first two rounds.
===Free agents acquired===
Date	Player 	Former team 	Contract terms(in U.S. dollars)	Ref
 	Jason Akeson 	Philadelphia Flyers 	1 year (2-way), $575,000 	
 	Matt Donovan 	New York Islanders 	1 year (2-way), $825,000 	
 	Bobby Sanguinetti	Vancouver Canucks 	1 year (2-way), $600,000 	
 	Cal O'Reilly 	Utica Comets 	2 years, $1,400,000 	
 	Carlo Colaiacovo 	Philadelphia Flyers 	1 year, $900,000 	
 	Cody Franson 	Nashville Predators 	2 years, $6.65 million 	
 	Casey Nelson 	Minnesota State University	entry-level contract 	
===Free agents lost===
Date	Player 	New team 	Contract terms(in U.S. dollars)	Ref
 	Anders Lindback	Arizona Coyotes 	1 years, $875,000 	
 	Matt Hackett 	Anaheim Ducks 	2 years, $1.2 million 	
 	Zac Dalpe 	Minnesota Wild 	1 year, $600,000 	
 	Cody Hodgson 	Nashville Predators	1 year, $1.05 million 	
 	Tyson Strachan 	Minnesota Wild 	1 year, $650,000 	
 	Andre Benoit 	St. Louis Blues 	1 year, $750,000 	
 	Andrey Makarov 	Spartak Moscow 	2 years 	
===Claimed via waivers===
Player	Previous team	Date claimed off waivers	Ref
===Lost via waivers===
Player	New team	Date claimed off waivers	Ref
===Lost via retirement===
Player 	Ref
Cody McCormick	http://www.buffalohockeybeat.com/blood-clots-will-force-sabres-cody-mccormick-to-retire/
===Players released===
Date	Player 	Via 	Ref
 	Cody Hodgson	Buyout	
===Player signings===
Date	Player 	Contract terms(in U.S. dollars) 	Ref
 	Jack Eichel 	3 years, entry-level contract 	
 	Ryan O'Reilly 	7 years, $52.5 million contract extension	
 	Phil Varone 	1 year, $600,000, two-way contract 	
 	Mark Pysyk 	2 years, $2.25 million 	
 	Johan Larsson 	1 year, $800,000 	
 	Jerry D'Amigo 	1 year, $700,000, two-way contract 	
 	Brendan Guhle 	3 years, entry-level contract 	
 	Jason Kasdorf 	entry-level contract 	
 	Hudson Fasching 	entry-level contract 	
 	Eric Cornel 	entry-level contract 	
 	Johan Larsson 	1 year 	
 	Brycen Martin 	3 years, entry-level contract 	
 	Vaclav Karabacek 	3 years, entry-level contract 	
 	Nicolas Deslauriers	2 years, contract extension 	
==Draft picks==
Below are the Buffalo Sabres' selections at the 2015 NHL Entry Draft, held on June 26–27, 2015 at the BB&T Center in Sunrise, Florida.
Round	# 	Player 	Pos	Nationality	College/Junior/Club Team (League)
1 	2 	Jack Eichel 	C 	 	Boston University (Hockey East)
2 	51 	Brendan Guhle 	D 	 	Prince Albert Raiders (WHL)
4 	92 	William Borgen 	D 	 	Moorhead Spuds (HS-Minnesota)
5 	122	Devante Stephens	D 	 	Kelowna Rockets (WHL)
6 	152	Georgio Estephan	C 	 	Lethbridge Hurricanes (WHL)
7 	182	Ivan Chukarov 	D 	 	Minnesota Wilderness (NAHL)
;Draft notes
* The Buffalo Sabres' second-round pick went to the San Jose Sharks as the result of a trade on June 27, 2015 that sent a second-round pick in 2015 (39th overall), Colorado's second-round pick in 2016 and Colorado's sixth-round pick in 2017 to Colorado in exchange for this pick.
*:Colorado previously acquired this pick from as the result of a trade on June 26, 2015 that sent Ryan O'Reilly and Jamie McGinn to Buffalo in exchange for Nikita Zadorov, Mikhail Grigorenko, J.T. Compher and this pick.
* The New York Islanders' second-round pick went to the Buffalo Sabres as the result of a trade on October 27, 2013 that sent Thomas Vanek to New York in exchange for Matt Moulson, a conditional first-round pick in 2014 and this pick.
* The Buffalo Sabres' third-round pick went to the Washington Capitals as the result of a trade on March 5, 2014 that sent Michal Neuvirth and Rostislav Klesla to Buffalo in exchange for Jaroslav Halak and this pick.
==References==
Category:Buffalo Sabres seasons
Buffalo Sabres season, 2015-16