The KeyBank Center, which serves as home to the NHL's Buffalo Sabres and NLL's Buffalo Bandits, opened in September 1996 and it's started showing its age in recent years.
So far there's been zero indication the Sabres, led by team owner Terry Pegula and chief operating officer Pete Guelli, have any plan to build a new arena in downtown Buffalo. Instead, it appears the organization is aiming for significant renovations to the current venue.
Chelsea Swift of WGRZ reported Tuesday night that newly released documents show the Sabres have hired lobbying firm Ostroff Associates to "advocate for state funding tied to potential renovations at KeyBank Center."
"It certainly needs work — it's 30 years old," Guelli said. "I think it's the oldest hockey building in the NHL yet to be renovated or at least have a major renovation, so it's something we're talking about. I feel like there's a lot of mind share in what needs to happen, particularly at the waterfront canal outside."
Hiring a lobbying firm suggests the Sabres will attempt to secure funding from the state (aka taxpayer dollars) to cover at least a portion of the renovations, and the franchise's COO pointed toward the arena's ability to attract major events to the city as the reason for that impending request.
"I think everybody knows, whether it's the Governor or County Executive or the Mayor, that this building is the catalyst for that," Guelli said. "So there's a lot of serious discussions about that, but they're relatively early."
The WGRZ report noted the initial estimate for renovations is around $400 million.
Buffalo Sabres may face resistance in receiving state funding after the Bills' new stadium
Pegula has an estimated net worth of $9.3 billion, according to Forbes. There was frustration around the state, especially among non-Bills fans from outside the Buffalo area, when the NFL franchise received $600 million from New York for the new Highmark Stadium set to open later this year.
In turn, the Pegula family may see an increased amount of scrutiny as they push for additional financial aid, this time for the KeyBank Center.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, who was born in Buffalo, defended the money given to the Bills amid poor polling numbers after the agreement was signed back in 2022.
"This is a case [of] where it was polled," Hochul said. "People tend to like what's in their area, not what's outside their area, but I feel it was a good deal for the taxpayers. We worked hard to get that accomplished, and as a result, the Buffalo Bills will be here and 10,000 jobs which were critically important to this region."
The line about how the Bills "will be here" is important. The threat of the Bills leaving was real because there are no shortage of cities throughout the United States, and potentially international ones as well as the sport continues to expand, who'd love to have an NFL team.
It's unclear whether the threat of relocation is as pressing at the NHL level, especially since Buffalo is one of the league's most diehard markets despite a severe lack of on-ice success during an active 14-year playoff drought.
That's why it appears the Sabres are setting the tone about the arena's importance in terms of bringing high-profile events, like NCAA March Madness games and the 2026 NHL Draft, to the city ahead of negotiations about renovation funding.
It's also probably not a coincidence talk about the venue's future has reentered the conversation as the Sabres are playing their best hockey in years. They've won 16 of their past 20 games to surge back into the Eastern Conference playoff race.
Ultimately, there's no doubt the out-of-date KeyBank Center needs a lot of work if the Pegula family has no interest in building another new sports venue in the near future.
Exactly how much funding they'll get from New York State, Erie County and the City of Buffalo to help make those upgrades could become the source of significant debate, though.