2010–11 Buffalo Sabres season

The 2010–11 Buffalo Sabres season was the 41st season for the National Hockey League (NHL) franchise that was established on May 22, 1970.^[1] Due to the 2004–05 NHL lockout, this was the 40th season of play for the franchise and was celebrated as such by the team.

As of 2021, this is the last time the Sabres qualified for postseason play and their last season with a winning record.

Off-season[]

To commemorate the team's 40th anniversary, the Sabres are going retro, reverting to their pre-1996 logo and to the design of the first season uniforms (blue with gold and white trim) with a silver trim the team has been using as a third uniform since the 2008–09 season. The new road uniforms will be white with blue and gold trim, similar to the original 1970–71 uniforms; a new third jersey paying homage to the AHL Bisons that played in the city prior to 1970. The jersey will come complete with the team's 40th anniversary logo (the current logo with "1970", the team's first season, inside.)

Regular season[]

Franchise sale[]

On November 30, 2010, Ken Campbell of The Hockey News reported a story that billionaire Terrence Pegula had signed a letter of intent to purchase the Sabres from owners Tom Golisano, Larry Quinn and Daniel DiPofi for US$150 million. Pegula was the founder, president and CEO of East Resources, one of the largest privately held companies in the United States before selling the company.^[2] After the report was released, Quinn claimed that the report was "untrue" but had refused further comment.^[3] The $150 million was later determined to be an undervalued amount, as Forbes magazine had valued the team at just under $170 million in 2010.

In December 2010, Pegula officially expressed interest in buying the Sabres for $170 million and submitted a letter of intent to the NHL.

In January 2011, Golisano reportedly issued a counteroffer with an asking price of US$175 million.^[4] An agreement between Pegula and Golisano to sell the team was reached on January 29, 2011, with Pegula buying the team for $189 million ($175 million with $14 million in debt included)^[5][6] with the Sabres and Golisano officially making an announcement in a press conference on February 3, 2011.^[7] League owners approved the sale on February 18.^[8] In the conference, it was revealed that an unnamed bidder submitted a much higher bid than Pegula's, but made the bid contingent upon moving the team.^[9] The description is consistent with that of Jim Balsillie, who has made public his efforts to move a team to Hamilton, Ontario, a move that the Sabres have actively opposed. Terry Pegula named former Pittsburgh Penguins executive Ted Black to be the team president.^[10] Pegula was introduced as the Sabres' owner in a public ceremony at HSBC Arena on February 23, accompanied by what would be the final appearance of all three members of The French Connection line before Rick Martin's death three weeks later.

Divisional standings[]

Conference standings[]

bold – qualified for playoffs; y – Won division; z – Placed first in conference (and division)
AT – Atlantic Division, NE – Northeast Division, SE – Southeast Division

Schedule and results[]

Pre-season[]

Regular season[]

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Game log[]

Playoffs[]

The Sabres qualified for the playoffs and played the Philadelphia Flyers in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals. The Sabres–Flyers series marked the ninth time, and first since 2006, the teams have met in the playoffs, most of any Sabres opponent. The Flyers lead the match-up four series to three. This series was the first time a Sabres–Flyers series has gone seven games.

Playoff log[]

Player statistics[]

Skaters[]

Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; +/− = Plus/Minus; PIM = Penalty Minutes

Goaltenders[]

Note: GP = Games Played; TOI = Time On Ice (minutes); W = Wins; L = Losses; OT = Overtime Losses; GA = Goals Against; GAA= Goals Against Average; SA= Shots Against; SV= Saves; Sv% = Save Percentage; SO= Shutouts

^†Denotes player spent time with another team before joining Sabres. Stats reflect time with Sabres only.
^‡Traded mid-season. Stats reflect time with Sabres only.

Awards and records[]

Awards[]

Records[]

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Milestones[]

Transactions[]

The Sabres have been involved in the following transactions during the 2010–11 season.

Trades[] Date Details February 27, 2011[20] To St. Louis Blues 2nd-round pick in 2011 To Buffalo Sabres Brad Boyes

Free agents acquired[] Player Former team Contract terms Jordan Leopold[21] Pittsburgh Penguins 3 years, $9 million Rob Niedermayer[22] New Jersey Devils 1 year, $1.15 million Tim Conboy[23] Carolina Hurricanes 1 year, $550,000 Dennis McCauley[24] Worcester Sharks 1 year, $500,000 Shaone Morrisonn[25] Washington Capitals 2 years, $4.15 million Colin Stuart[26] Abbotsford Heat 1 year, $550,000 Mark Parrish[27] Tampa Bay Lightning 1 year, $600,000 David Leggio[28] Portland Pirates 1 year, $500,000

Free agents lost[] Player New team Contract terms Henrik Tallinder[29] New Jersey Devils 4 years, $13.5 million Toni Lydman[30] Anaheim Ducks 3 years, $9 million Raffi Torres[31] Vancouver Canucks 1 year, $1 million Tim Kennedy[32] New York Rangers 1 year, $550,000 Adam Mair[33] New Jersey Devils 1 year, $515,000

Claimed via waivers[] Player Former team Date claimed off waivers

Lost via waivers[] Player New team Date claimed off waivers Craig Rivet[34] Columbus Blue Jackets February 26, 2011

Lost via retirement[] Player Player signings[] Player Contract terms Nick Crawford[35] 3 years, $1.715 million entry-level contract Mike Grier[36] 1 year, $1.4 million Alex Biega[37] 2 years, $1.055 million entry-level contract Jacob Lagace[38] 3 years, $1.675 million entry-level contract Cody McCormick[39] 1 year, $500,000 Corey Tropp[40] 3 years, $1.76 million entry-level contract Mike Weber[41] 1 year, $550,000 Patrick Lalime[42] 1 year, $600,000 Derek Whitmore[43] 1 year, $550,000 Patrick Kaleta[44] 2 years, $1.815 million Marc-Andre Gragnani[45] 1 year, $500,000 Mark Mancari[46] 1 year, $575,000 Matt Ellis[47] 1 year, $625,000 Zack Kassian[48] 3 years, $2.7 million entry-level contract Lindy Ruff (coach)[49] multi-year contract extension

Final roster[]

Updated April 26, 2011^[50]

#	Nat	Player	Pos	S/G	Age	Acquired	Birthplace
22		Brad Boyes	C	R	39	2011	Mississauga, Ontario
34		Chris Butler	D	L	35	2005	St. Louis, Missouri
19		Tim Connolly	C	R	40	2001	Syracuse, New York
37		Matt Ellis	C	L	40	2008	Welland, Ontario
63		Tyler Ennis	LW	L	31	2008	Edmonton, Alberta
1		Jhonas Enroth	G	L	33	2006	Stockholm, Sweden
28		Paul Gaustad (A)	C/LW	L	39	2000	Fargo, North Dakota
42		Nathan Gerbe	C	L	34	2005	Oxford, Michigan
17		Marc-Andre Gragnani	D	L	34	2005	Montreal, Quebec
25		Mike Grier	RW	R	46	2009	Detroit, Michigan
55		Jochen Hecht (A)	LW	L	44	2002	Mannheim, West Germany
36		Patrick Kaleta	RW	R	35	2004	Buffalo, New York
40		Patrick Lalime	G	L	47	2008	Saint-Bonaventure, Quebec
3		Jordan Leopold	D	L	41	2010	Golden Valley, Minnesota
8		Cody McCormick	C	R	38	2009	London, Ontario
30		Ryan Miller	G	L	41	1999	East Lansing, Michigan
4		Steve Montador	D	R	41	2009	Vancouver, British Columbia
27		Shaone Morrisonn	D	L	38	2010	Vancouver, British Columbia
57		Tyler Myers	D	R	31	2008	Katy, Texas
20		Rob Niedermayer	C	L	46	2010	Edmonton, Alberta
29		Jason Pominville (A)	RW	R	38	2001	Repentigny, Quebec
9		Derek Roy (A)	C	L	38	2001	Ottawa, Ontario
44		Andrej Sekera	D	L	35	2004	Bojnice, Czechoslovakia
21		Drew Stafford	RW	R	35	2004	Milwaukee, Wisconsin
26		Thomas Vanek (A)	LW	R	37	2003	Baden bei Wien, Austria

Draft selections[]

The 2010 NHL Entry Draft was held June 25–26, 2010 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

hide2010 NHL Entry Draft Results – Buffalo Sabres
Round	Overall Pick	Player	Nationality	Position	Team from	League from
1	23	Mark Pysyk	Canada	D	Edmonton Oil Kings	WHL
3	68 (from Atlanta)	Jerome Gauthier-Leduc	Canada	D	Rouyn-Noranda Huskies	QMJHL
3	75 (from Boston)	Kevin Sundher	Canada	C	Chilliwack Bruins	WHL
3	83		Canada	D	Calgary Hitmen	WHL
4	98 (from Atlanta)		Canada	C	Owen Sound Attack	OHL
5	143		Canada	RW	Mississauga St. Michael's Majors	OHL
6	173		Canada	LW	Val-d'Or Foreurs	QMJHL
7	203		United States	RW	Saint Thomas Academy	USHS-MN
7	208 (from San Jose)	Riley Boychuk	Canada	LW	Portland Winterhawks	WHL

See also[]

• 2010–11 NHL season

Farm teams[]

Portland Pirates[]

The Portland Pirates remain Buffalo's top affiliate in the American Hockey League in 2010–11.

References[]

1. ^ National Hockey League (2010). The National Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book/2011. Triumph Books. p. 27. ISBN 978-1-60078-422-4.
2. ^ "Ken Campbell's blog: THN.com Blog: Explaining the potential Sabres sale". The Hockey News. Archived from the original on July 17, 2011. Retrieved March 16, 2011.
3. ^ Luke Moretti Posted by: Emily Lenihan. "Report: Billionaire aims to buy Sabres". WIVB.com. Archived from the original on January 9, 2011. Retrieved March 16, 2011.
4. ^ "Sabres Edge – Blogs – The Buffalo News". Blogs.buffalonews.com. December 1, 2010. Archived from the original on December 6, 2010. Retrieved March 16, 2011.
5. ^ "Sources: Buffalo Sabres will announce agreement on sale to Terry Pegula – ESPN". Sports.espn.go.com. January 31, 2011. Retrieved March 16, 2011.
6. ^ John Vogl (February 3, 2011). "Last minute of play in the Golisano era – Sabres & NHL". The Buffalo News. Retrieved March 16, 2011.
7. ^ Mike Harrington. "Golisano expresses interest in Bills – Sports". The Buffalo News. Retrieved March 16, 2011.
8. ^ JOHN WAWROW,AP Sports Writer. "Pegula set to take over Sabres". Wivb.com. Archived from the original on February 20, 2011. Retrieved March 16, 2011.
9. ^ Golisano turned down higher bid for Sabres Archived February 5, 2011, at the Wayback Machine. WIVB-TV. Retrieved February 3, 2011.
10. ^ Team looking forward to executive decisions. Buffalo News. Retrieved February 23, 2011.
11. ^ "2010–2011 Standings by Conference". National Hockey League.
12. ^ Crosby tops NHL's 'Three Stars of the Week'
13. ^ Isles' Grabner tops NHL's 'Three Stars of the Week'
14. ^ Iginla leads NHL's 'Three Stars of the Week'
15. ^ Ryan Miller tops 'Three Stars' of the week
16. ^ Corey Perry tops 'Three Stars' of the week
17. ^ Thomas Vanek tops 'Three Stars' of the week
18. ^ "Ruff's 1,000th game as Sabres coach a winning one, Enroth leads Buffalo in SO". The Hockey News. November 10, 2010. Archived from the original on March 13, 2012. Retrieved November 11, 2010.
19. ^ Jump up to: ^{a b} "Sabres defeat Oilers". December 28, 2010. Archived from the original on February 17, 2011. Retrieved December 19, 2010.
20. ^ BUFFALO SABRES ACQUIRE BRAD BOYES FROM ST. LOUIS
21. ^ SABRES AGREE TO TERMS WITH DEFENSEMAN JORDAN LEOPOLD
22. ^ SABRES AGREE TO TERMS WITH ROB NIEDERMAYER
23. ^ SABRES SIGN TIM CONBOY
24. ^ SABRES SIGN MCCAULEY
25. ^ SABRES AGREE TO TERMS WITH SHAONE MORRISONN
26. ^ SABRES SIGN FORWARD COLIN STUART
27. ^ SABRES SIGN PARRISH, LOAN HIM TO THE PIRATES
28. ^ SABRES SIGN GOALTENDER DAVID LEGGIO
29. ^ Devils sign D Tallinder and Volchenkov
30. ^ Ducks Sign Lydman to 3-year Deal
31. ^ Canucks sign forward Raffi Torres
32. ^ Rangers, Kennedy agree to terms
33. ^ Devils sign Mair, assign Leblond to AHL
34. ^ Columbus Blue Jackets Claim Defenseman Craig Rivet Off Waivers from the Buffalo Sabres
35. ^ SABRES SIGN NICK CRAWFORD
36. ^ SABRES AGREE TO TERMS WITH FORWARD MIKE GRIER
37. ^ SABRES SIGN ALEX BIEGA
38. ^ SABRES SIGN JACOB LAGACE
39. ^ SABRES AGREE TO TERMS WITH McCORMICK
40. ^ SABRES SIGN 2007 DRAFT PICK COREY TROPP
41. ^ BUFFALO’S MIKE WEBER SIGNS QUALIFYING OFFER
42. ^ SABRES AGREE TO TERMS WITH PATRICK LALIME
43. ^ SABRES AGREE TO TERMS WITH WHITMORE
44. ^ SABRES AGREE TO TERMS WITH PAT KALETA
45. ^ SABRES RE-SIGN GRAGNANI
46. ^ SABRES SIGN MARK MANCARI
47. ^ SABRES RE-SIGN FORWARD MATT ELLIS
48. ^ SABRES AGREE TO TERMS WITH 2009 FIRST-ROUND PICK ZACK KASSIAN
49. ^ SABRES SIGN HEAD COACH LINDY RUFF TO MULTI-YEAR DEAL
50. ^ "Buffalo Sabres – Team – Roster". Retrieved April 26, 2011.