Untitled Page

Drew Stafford News & Rumors

Stafford has some points to ponder
April 20
Buffalo News
 
"Drew Stafford hung around the Sabres' dressing room longer than most on locker cleanout day. He chatted about friends, weddings, careers and the long summer ahead. It was clear he wanted to prolong the day. He knew once the talks wrapped up it would be time for a disappointing exit. One thing Stafford delayed more than his departure was his arrival. The Buffalo right winger entered the season figuring he'd made it in the NHL. Coming off a 31-goal season and armed with a new contract paying $4 million per year, the alternate captain was ready to help the Sabres reclaim a spot among the elite. It didn't work out. In late January, both he and the club were languishing near the bottom in"
Stafford, Roy, Ennis on notice
December 14
Buffalo News
 columnist Bucky Gleason
"Lindy Ruff has had his moments this year, but one thing you can always count on is his ability to make himself clear. He has no qualms with identifying players by name and doesn't often mince words. He'll call a spade a spade, as he likes to say, when facing the harsh realites after a game. The reality Tuesday night was Drew Stafford's blown coverage, more than anything else, contributed to the Sabres suffering another loss at home. He was responsible for defenseman Jared Cowen and instead allowed him to roam freely for the winner in the Senators' 3-2 overtime victory in First Niagara Center. "Staff was supposed to stay with his guy," Ruff said. "He was with him at the top of the circle"
Season for Sabres' Stafford not going as planned
November 28
Buffalo News
 
"The Buffalo Sabres have no problems with the numbers being put up by Thomas Vanek and Jason Pominville. They need more from Derek Roy, who has been battling injuries since training camp, and from struggling free-agent signee Ville Leino. And they certainly need more from winger Drew Stafford, who was coming off a 31-goal season and figured to be one of their major core players after signing a four-year, $16 million contract in June. Stafford missed Saturday's 5-1 win over Washington with what's believed to be a minor groin injury and is listed as day to day. The Sabres were off Sunday and return to practice today. They host the New York Islanders on Tuesday night in First Niagara Center."
Sabres lock up Stafford
June 4
Buffalo News
 
"Five years worth of patience finally paid off Friday. After having the breakout season everybody's been waiting for, Drew Stafford was rewarded with a contract extension by the Buffalo Sabres. If he hasn't responded to your text message, he apologizes. "My phone's blowing up," said Stafford, laughing from his home in Minnesota. "I'm trying to keep it all together here." With free agency still roughly a month away, the winger agreed to a four-year deal worth $16 million with the Sabres, a source told The News on Friday. The deal settles one of the team's most immediate concerns as Stafford was slated to be a restricted free agent this summer. In just 62 games, he scored 31 goals with 52"
Stafford plans to maintain focus
May 4
Buffalo News
 
"Finally, in the last home game of the regular season, the old Drew Stafford showed up. It was "shirt off our back" night in HSBC Arena, with a season-ticket holder winning the jersey of a Buffalo player. During game breaks, taped footage of a stone-faced Sabre would appear on the scoreboard. He'd monotonously announce a seat number and invite the winner to meet him on the ice after the game. Stafford's big-screen appearance was far from mundane. He popped up with a fake Fu Manchu mustache taped to his upper lip, the huge hairball earning laughs from the sellout crowd. Acts like that were commonplace during Stafford's first four seasons. He enjoyed witty skits and treated interviews as a"
Stafford's big week earns him league honor
February 15
Buffalo News
 
"If it seems like Drew Stafford can't miss lately, there's a reason. He can't. The Buffalo Sabres winger has posted hat tricks in two of his last three games -- and has remarkably netted all six of his shots on goal in that stretch. The best run of Stafford's career earned him the NHL's No. 2 Star of the Week, the league announced Monday. Stafford posted a hat trick in Tuesday's 7-4 win at Tampa Bay and added another in Sunday's 7-6 overtime loss to the New York Islanders. He leads the league with four tricks this season. "Some of my shots, if you want to call them that, I was just kind of parked in front of the net," Stafford said Monday in HSBC Arena. "You just hang around the net and"
Stafford making a game of it with Vanek
February 10
Buffalo News
 
"The Buffalo Sabres suddenly have a nice little race going. No, not their playoff chase, though that has finally moved into a place worthy of discussion. Instead, the Sabres are experiencing a goal-scoring race. Normally the exclusive domain of Thomas Vanek, who has led the team in goals each of the previous four seasons, the team leader board now has two names. Vanek is on top with 21 goals after scoring twice Tuesday in Tampa Bay. Drew Stafford is right behind at 20, courtesy of his third hat trick of the season during the 7-4 victory over the Lightning. If they continue to push each other, they could push the Sabres into the playoffs. Buffalo is just four points behind eighth-place"
Sabres look to be healthy after break, Vanek expected to play tonight
January 25
Buffalo News
 
"The respite is almost here. Following tonight's game against the Ottawa Senators, the Buffalo Sabres will have nine days off. With several key players bruised and battered, the break seems to be arriving at a welcome time. Coach Lindy Ruff, however, has no desire to stop playing. The Sabres are 8-3-1 in the last 12 games, and Ruff doesn't want their best stretch of the season to disappear like nickels in the cushions as the players sit on their couches and watch this weekend's All-Star Game. "We've been going pretty good, and you'd like to keep playing," Ruff said Monday. "We've closed the gap and got some games in hand on the eighth-place team, so I look at it that it would be nice to"
Quick recovery expected for Stafford
January 20
Buffalo News
 
"Sabres forward Drew Stafford will likely miss the next two games with a minor groin injury, which was construed as good news Wednesday. Coach Lindy Ruff initially feared his most effective right winger would be lost for an extended period while they continued chasing the final playoff spot. "It is a relief," Ruff said after practice in HSBC Arena. "He's walking fine, and his strength is pretty good. It all bodes well for coming back quickly." Stafford, who had 15 goals in 30 games and missed 15 other contests with injuries, did not practice Wednesday. Ruff and General Manager Darcy Regier huddled before deciding to summon Marc-Andre Gragnani from AHL Portland late Wednesday evening."
Stafford pulling the trigger for Sabres
January 17
Buffalo News
 
"Drew Stafford is good buddies with Kyle Okposo, a forward for the New York Islanders, and planned to spend part of the Buffalo Sabres' weekend on Long Island catching up on what's happened since their summer together. There wouldn't have been much hockey talk for Okposo, who had shoulder surgery during the preseason and has yet to play. Stafford, on the other hand, has had an eventful fall and winter. The right winger formerly known for disappearing has become one of the Sabres' most consistent producers. He's learned to shoot more. He's become a power-play contributor. He's overcome a significant injury and played through minor ones. It's a quality turnaround, but Stafford didn't expect"
Stafford's hat trick leads Sabres to victory
December 16
Buffalo News
 
"Drew Stafford can't stand sitting out games. The pain of being injured combined with the torture of watching his teammates struggle without him is just too much. That said, the Buffalo Sabres winger is willing to go through it again. His comebacks are that much fun. For the second time this month, Stafford returned from injury and made his team a winner. He supplied all the Sabres' offense Wednesday, scoring three times to lift Buffalo to a 3-2 victory over the Boston Bruins. Stafford, who missed 15 of the previous 16 games with a shoulder injury, had a goal and an assist in his other outing as the Sabres beat Columbus, 5-0. "I'm going to take another two weeks off now and come back, get a"
Stafford will miss game at Boston with injury
December 7
Buffalo News
 
"Drew Stafford looked good at the start of practice Monday. The Buffalo Sabres left winger was skating up and down the ice with linemates Luke Adam and Jason Pominville, taking shots and making passes. Then he was gone. Stafford, who has missed 11 of the last 12 games with shoulder and upper-body injuries, is expected to sit out another tonight when the Sabres visit the Boston Bruins. He returned Friday after missing 10 games with a shoulder injury but was helped off the ice after a crushing check by Columbus' Jared Boll. He was too sore to play Saturday in Ottawa, and he wasn't well enough to continue Monday. "Again, he's suffering a bit upper-body-wise from the hit, so I just decided to"
Enlightened Stafford set for revival
October 1
Buffalo News
 columnist Bucky Gleason
"Drew Stafford's awakening came last April, almost immediately after last season ended. He walked into postseason meetings with Sabres coach Lindy Ruff and General Manager Darcy Regier bracing for the worst. He walked out with renewed confidence and a clear head after pinpointing his biggest problem. All three agreed with the widespread assessment that Stafford wasn't getting nearly enough from his ability. But why? The qualities that made him a promising first-round pick in 2004 were still there. He had good size, speed and skill and could be an imposing and productive force along the right wing when willing. Key words: when willing. They must be included in any honest evaluation of"
Sabres' Stafford undaunted by struggles
May 4
Buffalo News
 
"It was the Buffalo Sabres' last gasp, and Drew Stafford was nowhere to be found. His ability to disappear was nothing new. In fact, it's what put him out of sight to begin with. Stafford's disappointing season ended far from the ice, as the right winger was scratched for the Game Six finale in Boston. While season-long minor-leaguers such as Tyler Ennis, Nathan Gerbe and Cody McCormick tried to extend the playoffs, Stafford watched in a suit somewhere in TD Garden. As he packed his gear for the summer last week, there was no visible sense of disappointment at his fate, no anger at being rendered unable to make an impact. "For sure, yeah, it was tough," Stafford said with the same delivery"
Stafford's return may not be far off
April 14
Buffalo News
 
"Drew Stafford endured a huge hit Saturday night from Ottawa's Andy Sutton. He left the ice woozy and when the Sabres immediately announced it was a concussion, you had to wonder if the winger was going to be dealing with a long-term injury. But Stafford was a surprise visitor to practice Tuesday in HSBC Arena, skating on his own for a few minutes after the team left the ice. And while he seems to be a longshot to be available for Thursday's playoff opener, he's likely dealing in days — and not weeks — to peg his return. "I'm taking it day by day, trying to put the work in slowly and see how I feel," Stafford said. "It's a natural progression when you get hit like that. Once you get rid of"
Sabres win game against Ottawa, but lose Stafford
April 11
Buffalo News
 
"The Ottawa Senators floored Drew Stafford. Thomas Vanek flattened the Senators. It will be up to Stafford's recovery timetable to determine if it's a fair tradeoff. The Sabres celebrated the return of their most accomplished scorer Saturday, using a career- high four goals from Vanek for a 5-2 victory over their nemesis. The rare win was marred early when the Sabres lost another key player. Stafford was lambasted by Ottawa defenseman Andy Sutton just 2:35 into the game and didn't return. "Drew's not doing so well," Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said. "He's got a little bit of a concussion, and it looks like he'll miss some time." Stafford took a pass near the boards at the Ottawa blue line and"
Stafford happy to get back in lineup
March 21
Buffalo News
 
"Drew Stafford has a healthy respect for players who are scratched, and now that he's healthy he's no longer scratched. The right winger returned to the Buffalo Sabres' lineup Saturday during a 3-1 win over the Florida Panthers. He had missed six games with a groin injury, though he was feeling fine most of last week. That meant he endured the extra skating given to healthy scratches, an often exhausting experience. Stafford gave credit to the role players who do it and added it allowed him to return to action earlier. "You need to go through that," Stafford said in BankAtlantic Center. "You need to push it to get your conditioning where it needs to be. It's obviously not fun doing it, but"
Mancari called up for injured Stafford
March 7
Buffalo News
 
"The Buffalo Sabres visited Madison Square Garden in early December. Mark Mancari was there. They'll be back in the World's Most Famous Arena tonight. Mancari will be there again. The Sabres recalled the big right winger from Portland on Saturday, and he'll play his second game of the season tonight against the New York Rangers. Mancari leads the minor-league club with 22 goals and is tied for the top spot with 40 assists. The 6-foot-3, 225-pounder has 10 points in the past seven games, including nine assists. "Hopefully, he can come up and give us a bit of an offensive burst," Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said. "He's actually the guy that's been going the best down there. We'll maybe play him"
Stafford Sparks Sabres win in return from benching
December 30
Buffalo News
 
"Drew Stafford figured two things would allow him to break out of his slump, one that had gotten so bad he was benched for the better part of two games. First, the Buffalo Sabres' right winger needed an opportunity. Then, when it came, he had to be ready. Stafford's opportunity arose Tuesday. He was ready. Stafford's comeback sparked a rally by the Sabres, who erased a three-goal deficit to thrill the HSBC Arena crowd and stun the Pittsburgh Penguins, 4-3. It was the first time the Sabres trailed by three and won since a 5-4 shootout win against Dallas last January. Stafford, who had gone 15 games without a goal, scored the Sabres' first two and set up the tying goal midway through the"