The 2017–18 Buffalo Sabres season was the 48th season for the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...

franchise that was established on May 22, 1970. The Sabres missed the playoffs again, finishing last in the division for the second straight year and last overall in the league.

Standings

Off-season

General manager

Tim Murray Timothy Patrick Murray (born June 7, 1968) is an American lawyer and member of the Democratic Party who served as the 71st Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts from 2007 to 2013, when he resigned to become the head of the Worcester Chamber of Co ...

and head coach

Dan Bylsma Daniel Brian Bylsma (; born September 19, 1970) is an American professional ice hockey coach and former player. He is the head coach of the Coachella Valley Firebirds of the American Hockey League (AHL). He was previously head coach of the Pitts ...

were both fired at the end of the previous season. Two former Sabres players were hired in their places:

Jason Botterill Jason Drandon Botterill (born May 19, 1976) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey left winger and executive who is currently serving as an assistant general manager of the Seattle Kraken of the National Hockey League (NHL). Botterill was th ...

, at the time a front office executive with the

Pittsburgh Penguins The Pittsburgh Penguins (colloquially known as the Pens) are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division of the Eastern Conference, and have playe ...

, was hired as general manager, while Hockey Hall of Fame defenseman

Phil Housley Phillip Francis Housley (born March 9, 1964) is an American professional ice hockey coach and former player. He most recently served an assistant coach for the Arizona Coyotes of the National Hockey League (NHL) from 2019 to 2022. Housley was th ...

, at the time defensive coordinator for the

Nashville Predators The Nashville Predators (commonly referred to as the Preds) are a professional ice hockey team based in Nashville, Tennessee. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference, and ha ...

, was named head coach. The Sabres once again held a summer development camp during the second week of July. In contrast to the previous two seasons, no full Blue/White game was played; the four-team three-on-three tournament was reprised. Team White, led by 2017 first-round draft pick

Casey Mittelstadt Casey Mittelstadt (born November 22, 1998) is an American professional ice hockey center for the Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected in the first round, eighth overall, by the Sabres in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft. M ...

, won the tournament. The team will host its third annual Prospects Challenge in September; the tournament will expand to four teams, with the

joining the returning Sabres, New Jersey Devils and

Boston Bruins The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston. The Bruins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team has been in existence since 1924, making t ...

in the tournament.

Schedule and results

Preseason

The Sabres released their preseason schedule on June 19, 2017.

Regular season

The team's regular season schedule was published on June 22, 2017.

Player statistics

Final stats. ;Skaters ;Goaltenders ^†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.

Transactions

The Sabres have been involved in the following transactions during the 2017–18 season.

Trades

Notes: # The

Vegas Golden Knights The Vegas Golden Knights are a professional ice hockey team based in the Las Vegas metropolitan area. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division in the Western Conference. Founded in 2017 as an expa ...

selected William Carrier in the

2017 NHL Expansion Draft Seventeen or 17 may refer to: *17 (number), the natural number following 16 and preceding 18 * one of the years 17 BC, AD 17, 1917, 2017 Literature Magazines * ''Seventeen'' (American magazine), an American magazine * ''Seventeen'' (Japanese m ...

. The draft pick was exchanged so that the Golden Knights would not select

Linus Ullmark Linus Ullmark (; born 31 July 1993) is a Swedish professional ice hockey goaltender for the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected by the Buffalo Sabres in the sixth round, 163rd overall, of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft. ...

Free agents acquired

Free agents lost

Claimed via waivers

Lost via waivers

Players released

Lost via retirement

Player signings

Draft picks

Below are the Buffalo Sabres' selections at the 2017 NHL Entry Draft, which was held on June 23 and 24, 2017 at the

United Center United Center is an indoor arena on the Near West Side of Chicago, Illinois, United States. It is home to the Chicago Bulls of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League (NHL). It is named ...

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

. Draft notes: # The

Minnesota Wild The Minnesota Wild are a professional ice hockey team based in Saint Paul, Minnesota. The Wild competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference and play their home games at the Xcel Ener ...

's second-round pick went to the

Buffalo Sabres The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. The Sabres compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team was established in 1970, along w ...

as the result of a trade on March 2, 2015 that sent Chris Stewart to Minnesota in exchange for this pick. # The

Washington Capitals The Washington Capitals (colloquially known as the Caps) are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C. The team competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference, a ...

' third-round pick went to the

as the result of a trade on February 23, 2016 that sent

Mike Weber Michael Weber (born December 16, 1987) is an American former professional ice hockey defenseman. He previously played with the Buffalo Sabres and Washington Capitals of the National Hockey League (NHL) and Frölunda HC of the Swedish Hockey L ...

to Washington in exchange for this pick.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:2017-18 Buffalo Sabres Season Buffalo Sabres seasons

Buffalo Buffalo