The Buffalo Sabres made their official entry to the NHL on October 10, 1970. This episode follows the the Sabres from the draft and offseason acquisitions made in the summer of 1970 as they prepared for their inagural season. Then follow the team through the ups and downs of their expansion year with an eye on how they would grow in those early yea…

The offseason isn't over but as we get deeper into July, the odds that many more significant moves will be made decrease. In the wake of Buffalo's acquisition of Ryan McLeod, we discuss juust how well Kevyn Adams did this summer and if the moves he made are enough to end the Sabres' 13-year playoff drought. We kick off with a discussion on the McLe…

In the latest episode of the MLHS Podcast, Nick Ashbourne and Anthony Petrielli discuss the Maple Leafs' offseason moves signing by signing as well as the growing likelihood Mitch Marner will remain a Maple Leaf for 2024-25.By Maple Leafs Hotstove

Kevyn Adams got things rolling at the draft, making his first acquisition of the offseason, trading for Beck Malenstyn from the Washington Capitals. He added more depth to the roster in free agency though Buffalo's moves have been focused on the bottom six thus far. With a fanbase that's desperate for a move, Adams' inaction on the trade front has …

A quick update from Vegas, recapping my afternoon with Fanatics and the new NHL jerseys and the first round of the NHL Draft from the Sphere. This is a quick rundown of the highlights of the new Fanatics NHL jerseys, some thoughts on Kevyn Adams' inaction thus far and on Buffalo's selection at 14, Konsta Helenius.…

We're back for another mock offseason. This time, Chris takes over the controls and navigates through the summer, picking the trades and signings he'd like to see the Sabres make. This comes after last week's episode when Tyler offered up his approach to the Sabres offseason gameplan.By Two in the Box

The days of trades and free agency are almost upon us so Tyler and Chris decided to try their hands at some GM work. In this episode, Tyler offers up his approach to Buffalo's offseason and the way he'd reshape the roster if he occupied Kevyn Adams' office. Next week, Chris tries his hand at the practice.…

One of the best fan resources in hockey, CapFriendly, has been purchased by the Washington Capitals and will close down in July. We talk about the best aspects of CapFriendly and why it's such a huge loss in the world of hockey as the Capitals prepare to take it over. We also discuss how the NHL is missing a golden opportunity to remain engaged wit…

There's been a lot of smoke surrounding Brady Tkachuk over the last few weeks. We dig into Tkachuk as a trade target and compare the public's percieved value of Tkachuk versus what he should probably be traded for, if he's traded at all. We also touch on the Sabres decision to not tender entry level contracts to three prospects, including Mats Lind…

After being accosted in the Takeover Tuesday studio by "Johnny" from "In A Violent Nature," Benner & Kells decided that they needed to start up their Takeover Tuesday interview series again... and FAST! Check out what was on the deranged mind of the newest slasher on the block in this episode of Takeover Tuesday! MORE INFO ABOUT THIS EPISODE: Ry Ba…

Jeff Skinner's contract makes him a popular target for roster speculation. We use this episode to discuss what Skinner's future in Buffalo entails. We talk about where he fits on the roster, what the outlook is for a buyout and just what the best solution for the Sabres is when it comes to Skinner and the 2024-25 NHL season.…

In the latest episode of the MLHS Podcast, Nick Ashbourne and Anthony Petrielli discuss Craig Berube's hiring as head coach and possible shifts in approach behind the Leafs' bench compared to Berube's predecessor.By Maple Leafs Hotstove

Seth Appert was named to Lindy Ruff's coaching staff this week, rounding out who will join Ruff behind the bench this year. We talk about Appert's promotion and what it means for the team as a whole and Appert himself. We also touch on Matt Ellis' move upstairs and the debate that has stirred throughout the fanbase. The second half of the show focu…

In the latest episode of the MLHS Podcast, Nick Ashbourne and Anthony Petrielli reflect on the series loss to Boston and Sheldon Keefe's coaching tenure, preview the search for a new head coach, and dissect Friday's press conference by Brad Treliving, Brendan Shanahan, and Keith Pelley.By Maple Leafs Hotstove

The first round of the playoffs is behind us and that means it's time to identify which teams may be feeling desperate after an early playoff exit. We touch on some of our favorite targets from the eight eliminated clubs, highlighting players who could help put the Sabres over the top. We also dissect the Maple Leafs latest first round exit and the…

In the latest episode of the MLHS Podcast, Nick Ashbourne and Anthony Petrielli discuss the rollercoaster ride of the Leafs vs. Bruins series, the key performances, the special teams battle, the coaching performances, and the outlook for Game 7.By Maple Leafs Hotstove

The first round of the playoffs are chugging along and we are here to catch up with what we've missed. We touch on the few series that have impressed us and the ones that haven't. We look ahead to what could be a very impressive slate of second round series while we wait to see if any of the trailing teams catch up in their respective series. We al…

In the latest episode of the MLHS Podcast, Nick Ashbourne, Anthony Petrielli, and Alec Brownscombe discuss the first three games of the Boston-Toronto series, including where the Leafs have fallen short so far, Marner's play, Nylander's absence, the special teams crisis, and reasons for optimism ahead of Game 4.…

Kevyn Adams landed on his head coaching hire and it's a familiar face. Lindy Ruff will be back behind the Buffalo Sabres bench for the 2024-25 season and we dig into the decision to bring Ruff into the fold after moving on from Don Granato. We touch on his tenure in Dallas and New Jersey and attempt to translate which traits and aspects of those se…

In the first 2024 playoff edition of the MLHS Podcast, Nick Ashbourne and Anthony Petrielli discuss their final impressions of the regular season before diving into the minutiae of the numbers, matchups, and strengths/weaknesses of Toronto and Boston ahead of a much anticipated Leafs vs. Bruins playoff series.…

Don Granato was relieved of his duties by the Buffalo Sabres. We break down the firing and begin to discuss who might come in to replace him as Buffalo's bench boss. We spend some time on the likes of Lindy Ruff, David Carle, Bruce Boudreau and many others.By Two in the Box

In this week's edition of the MLHS Podcast, Nick Ashbourne and Anthony Petrielli discuss Sheldon Keefe sticking by his balanced lineup, William Nylander shifting down to Pontus Holmberg's wing, Mitch Marner's role on the matchup line, the amazing results of Domi - Matthews - Bertuzzi, and much more.By Maple Leafs Hotstove

The Sabres were mathematically eliminated from the playoffs and, like last season, there isn't one single reason they will miss out on the postseason. But that didn't keep us from trying to pin it down. We spend this week's episode running through the myriad reasons the Sabres couldn't keep pace in the Eastern Conference and will be watching the pl…

In this week's edition of the MLHS Podcast, Nick Ashbourne and Anthony Petrielli discuss the Maple Leafs' special teams situation ahead of the playoffs, the legitimacy of the perception that this Leafs team is worse than recent iterations, Ryan Reaves' recent surge, and much more.By Maple Leafs Hotstove

Should the Sabres first round pick be offered up in a trade this offseason? We run down just why we feel so strongly that the Sabres shouldn't just be shopping their first rounder, but several other pieces this summer in an attempt to get the right mix with their group and to break their playoff drought.…

In this week's edition of the MLHS Podcast, Nick Ashbourne and Anthony Petrielli discuss the Leafs' ugly loss to New Jersey, the balance between Cup expectations and developmental goals, and a new approach to line configuration/matchup game versus Florida or Boston in the playoffs.By Maple Leafs Hotstove

The NHL will be highlighted in a new reality series that will air on Amazon. We spend some time talking about the outlook for the show and some of the players we'd like to see highlighted by the production. We kick off this week's episode discussing the Sabres west coast trip and offer up some thoughts on how things should unfold in the offseason b…

In this week's edition of the MLHS Podcast, Nick Ashbourne and Anthony Petrielli discuss Max Domi's big game on Auston Matthews' wing in Washington, the concept of splitting up Matthews & Marner during playoff matchups, TJ Brodie's recent scratch, and the state of the defense heading down the stretch.…

The Sabres are trying to claw their way back into the Eastern Conference playoff picture. We talk through the challenges they face as they chase down the Red Wings, Islanders and Capitals for a potential wild card berth. We also field a couple of listener questions after breaking down the playoff race, touching on topics that relate to the future o…

In this week's edition of the MLHS Podcast, Nick Ashbourne and Anthony Petrielli discuss Mitch Marner and Calle Jarnkrok's injuries, the experiments/lessons we could glean from their absences, Bobby McMann's new contract, and the makeup of the blue line with Joel Edmundson added to the mix.By Maple Leafs Hotstove

Kevyn Adams made a big splash ahead of the deadline, acquiring Bowen Byram from the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for Casey Mittelstadt. We dig into the deal, discussion what Byram can bring to the table for the Sabres and what this means for the next acquisitions Adams needs to make as he tries to shape the Sabres into a playoff roster. We also t…

In the post-trade deadline edition of the MLHS Podcast, Nick Ashbourne and Anthony Petrielli discuss Brad Treliving's first trade deadline as GM of the Maple Leafs, which included three depth adds but no major acquisitions.By Maple Leafs Hotstove

It's deadline week and the rumors are flying left and right. We run through a number of topics on this week's show, including the most recent trades to have been made around the league while offering up one trade that each of us would make if we were in charge of another NHL team. We then talk about Buffalo's apparent strategy ahead of this year's …

In this week's MLHS Podcast, Nick Ashbourne, Anthony Petrielli, and Alex Drain tee up the NHL trade deadline with a focus on the Maple Leafs' needs and possible targets before March 8 at 3 p.m.By Maple Leafs Hotstove

In a follow up to last week's episode, we run through the NHL's Eastern Conference to determine viable trade targets for the Sabres at this year's deadline or in the offseason. We hit on each team in the East, identifying players who can help on the fringes of the roster and even a few blockbuster candidates. We also hit on the news that the Sabres…

We thought we'd try something different with this week's episode. Rather than go on about another squandered pair of points, we dive into the Western Conference to come up with players the Sabres could target in a trade. We touch on each team in the West, highlighting players that range from pie-in-the-sky dreams, to valuable fits deeper in the lin…

In this week's MLHS Podcast, Nick Ashbourne and Anthony Petrielli discuss the team's four-game winning streak, recent lineup developments, its 18-2-1 record without Morgan Rielly, Gary Bettman upholding Rielly's suspension, and reflect on Brad Treliving's first nine months as Leafs GM.By Maple Leafs Hotstove

In the latest MLHS Podcast, Nick Ashbourne and Anthony Petrielli discuss the fallout from the Morgan Rielly suspension, the team's secondary forward group, and the potential of a "second wave" of young forward talent in the next few seasons.By Maple Leafs Hotstove

With the 4 Nations Face Off on the way, we take a look at how many Sabres are likely to snag a roster spot playing for their respective countries. We also discuss the Morgan Rielly suspension, the latest comments made by Kevyn Adams regarding Casey Mittelstadt and offer a brief update on the current state of the Sabres.…

In this week's MLHS Podcast, Nick Ashbourne and Anthony Petrielli discuss this week's games vs. the Islanders and Stars before checking in on the rest of the Atlantic Division as the playoff race heats up.By Maple Leafs Hotstove

This week is the Mittelstadt episode. In the wake of the deals that shipped out Elias Lindholm and Sean Monahan, questions about Casey Mittelstadt's availability have cropped up. We dive into the important role Mittelstadt has played for the Sabres this season while also discussing where he fits in to the team's future along with the difficulty the…

The second episode of Warpath is devoted to the crest and colors of the Buffalo Sabres. Featuring interviews with Eric Bodamer and Paul Lukas, this episode explores the background of the team's blue and gold color scheme, the meaning behind the logo along with additional stories and facts about the uniforms the Sabres wore when they first took the …

In this week's MLHS Podcast, Nick Ashbourne and Anthony Petrielli provide their midseason player grades for the Toronto Maple Leafs from top to bottom.By Maple Leafs Hotstove

The Sabres are off for a week and the All Star Game is here. We have a slightly longer episode this week that tackles the Sabres' results from their west coast trip, Devon Levi's return to Rochester during the team's time off and we spitball about David Jiricek who has openly complained about his situation in Columbus.…

In this week's MLHS Podcast, Nick Ashbourne and Anthony Petrielli discuss the Leafs 3-0-1 stretch, possible signs of defensive improvement, the secondary scoring and power play issues, and Sheldon Keefe sitting his stars in a 0-0 game vs. Winnipeg.By Maple Leafs Hotstove

After a lengthy period of investigation, the sexual assault case related to the 2018 Canadian World Junior Championship team has progressed as five players were instructed to surrender to the authorities in London, Ontario. With four NHLers taking leaves from their respective teams, speculation has run rampant online. We discuss the latest developm…

Buffalo's ongoing injury bug bit again, this time sidelining Jeff Skinner and Mattias Samuelsson. We talk in detail about Skinner's absence and what options the Sabres have to fill his spot in the lineup. Also on the show is a conversation over Rasmus Dahlin's recent quotes regarding his committment to defense and just what that means for the team …

In this week's MLHS Podcast, Nick Ashbourne and Anthony Petrielli discuss their level of concern about the Maple Leafs' four-game losing slide, the players and coach's comments after the recent losses to Colorado and Edmonton, Brad Treliving's comment about restraint around the trade deadline, and much more.…

The Sabres aren't in a great place when it comes to goaltending. It may not be their biggest issue, but it's a problem that could have the most long term impact on the club. I string together some rambling thoughts on the performances of Devon Levi and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, how the Sabres are handling Levi and what they can do to ensure Levi's ongo…

In this week's MLHS Podcast, Nick Ashbourne and Anthony Petrielli discuss the final terms of William Nylander's contract, the importance of retaining star talent, the hole on the left wing, and much more.By Maple Leafs Hotstove