Buffalo Sabres Third Jerseys, Mikhail Grigorenko, Coaches
It’s another good morning from Buffalo, where the temperature dial currently reads a whopping 35 degrees (which feels amazing, by the way) and there’s enough ice on some of the sidewalks to make a rink. Today’s another off day for the Buffalo Sabres, who return to action against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday.
Plenty of news in the hockey world to discuss this morning, beginning with some pieces about the Buffalo Sabres.
Alright. Raise your hand if you don’t like the Buffalo Sabres’ third jerseys. *scans crowd* From the mismatched colors to the font on the nameplate and many details in between, the jersey is by no means the favorite of many of the team’s fans.
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- Buffalo Sabres experiment with lesser-known talent in loss to Pens
- Buffalo Sabres 75 Bold Predictions for 2023-24: Prediction 51
- Buffalo Sabres vs. Pittsburgh: A quick look at the Penguins prospects
Do you have a better idea of what the Buffalo Sabres third jersey should look like? Then check out this, from Die by the Blade. The Sabres blogging community is getting together and encouraging fans to create their own ideal third jersey. The contest runs until March 23; public, online voting will then be open for two weeks after that, so put your designing skills to work and get to it!
In other Buffalo Sabres news — what’s going on with Mikhail Grigorenko?
Buffalo Sabres head coach Ted Nolan made some less-than-favorable comments about Grigorenko on Monday, basically suggesting that he’s running out of chances with the NHL club. [The Buffalo News]
This year is the last of his entry-level contract, and it’s really unclear what will happen going forward. I think that will partly depend on if Nolan remains with the team past this season or not.
As the TBN article states, Grigorenko’s growth hasn’t been easy, as “he’s played for three head coaches in the NHL and for seven overall in the last three years when you count Buffalo, Rochester, two trips to Quebec and the Russian team at the World Junior Championships.” In addition, what was supposed to be a growth year in the AHL has been stunted by injuries and call-ups.
The question is, will the Sabres extend him a qualifying offer, or will he be shipped out?
Another link for you this morning: Seven NHL coaches that are at risk of losing their jobs at the end of the year. [Bleacher Report]
Notably, Buffalo Sabres head coach Ted Nolan does appear on this list. You could look at it either way: the Sabres have been awful, making it easy to let Nolan go — or that Nolan’s done his best with what he’s been given, which isn’t much, but either way, he could be a target at the end of the year.
Finally, some other reads this morning from across the hockey world:
- Evgeny Romasko became the first Russian to officiate an NHL game on Monday. [SN]
- Throwback to this day in 1955, when the Zamboni made its NHL debut. [The Post Game]
- Was a girls’ hockey championship declared a tie for the wrong reasons? [Puck Daddy]
- Champions in Buffalo: the 18u and 14u Buffalo Jr. Sabres both won state championships in their respective divisions this past weekend.
The Buffalo Sabres are off tonight, but there are eight NHL games on tap: NYR/NYI; DAL/PHI; CBJ/CAR; TB/MTL; BOS/OTT; WPG/STL; NJ/MIN; and LA/COL.
More from Sabre Noise
- 3 biggest standouts at Buffalo Sabres 2023 Prospects Challenge
- 3 takeaways from the Buffalo Sabres final Prospects Challenge game
- Buffalo Sabres experiment with lesser-known talent in loss to Pens
- Buffalo Sabres 75 Bold Predictions for 2023-24: Prediction 51
- Buffalo Sabres vs. Pittsburgh: A quick look at the Penguins prospects