2013–14 Buffalo Sabres season

2013–14 Buffalo Sabres
Division	8th Atlantic
Conference	16th Eastern
2013–14 record	21–51–10
Home record	13–21–7
Road record	8–30–3
Goals for	157
Goals against	248
Team information
General manager	Darcy Regier (to Nov. 13) Tim Murray (from Jan. 9)
Coach	Ron Rolston (to Nov. 13) Ted Nolan (interim, from Nov. 13)
Captain	Thomas Vanek (until Oct. 27) and Steve Ott (until Feb. 28) Vacant (Feb. 28 – Apr.)
Alternate captains	Christian Ehrhoff Henrik Tallinder Drew Stafford (Mar.–Apr.)
Arena	First Niagara Center
Average attendance	18,543 (95.8%) (37 games)
Minor league affiliate(s)	Rochester Americans (AHL)
Team leaders
Goals	Tyler Ennis (21)
Assists	Christian Ehrhoff (27)
Points	Cody Hodgson (43)
Penalty minutes	John Scott (96)
Plus/minus	Luke Adam Johan Larsson Torrey Mitchell (0)
Wins	Ryan Miller (15)
Goals against average	Michal Neuvirth (2.56)

The 2013–14 Buffalo Sabres season was the 44th season for the National Hockey League (NHL) franchise that was established on May 22, 1970. The Sabres moved to the realigned Atlantic Division, which included the previous season's Northeast Division with the addition of the Tampa Bay Lightning, Florida Panthers and Detroit Red Wings. Ron Rolston, who started the season as head coach, was fired after 20 games and replaced by Ted Nolan, who had previously coached the team from 1995 to 1997. In terms of point percentage, this is the worst season in Sabres franchise history, and the third worst in the salary cap era behind the 2016-2017 Colorado Avalanche and the 2019-2020 Detroit Red Wings.

Off-season

Ron Rolston was made the permanent head coach when Darcy Regier removed the interim tag from his title. Regier did not interview any other candidates for the position. Rolston replaced Lindy Ruff who was fired the season before after serving as head coach for nearly 16 seasons.

Training camp

The Sabres' training camp saw the arrival of many highly touted prospects into the Sabres' lineup. Newly acquired first round picks Rasmus Ristolainen and Nikita Zadorov both made the opening day roster along with 2012 first round picks Mikhail Grigorenko, Zemgus Girgensons and 2011 first round pick Joel Armia. Armia and Zadorov were both injured in the pre-season and would not play right away.

The pre-season saw the Sabres involved in a controversial game. In a road game at the Toronto Maple Leafs, a fight between Corey Tropp and Toronto winger Jamie Devane ended with Tropp injured. On the ensuing faceoff, Sabres' enforcer John Scott lined up opposite to Phil Kessel and attempted to engage him in a fight. A line brawl followed in which 209 minutes in penalties were handed out, including 11 fighting majors and 14 ten-minute misconduct penalties. During the fight, Maple Leaf David Clarkson would leave the bench to fight. Clarkson would later be suspended by the NHL for ten regular season games. Phil Kessel received a three-game pre-season game ban for slashing Scott with the intent to injure. Sabres Head Coach Ron Rolston was fined an undisclosed amount for "player selection." The fine was controversial due to the fact that Scott was on the ice the previous shift and the Leafs, being the home team, had last change. Corey Tropp suffered a broken jaw and concussion in the fight.

The day before the start of the regular season, Rolston named the new team captain. With the trade of team captain Jason Pominville the year before, the captaincy had remained vacant. Rolston used a rotating captaincy in the preseason. Steve Ott and Thomas Vanek were named co-captains for the 2013–14 season. Ott would wear the "C" for all road games and Vanek would wear it at home. Christian Ehrhoff would wear an "A" during all games.

Regular season

Opening the season with a lineup that featured Zemgus Girgensons, Mikhail Grigorenko, Rasmus Ristolainen and Nikita Zadorov, the 2013–14 Sabres were the first team since the 1995–96 season to include four teenagers.

On November 13, 2013, general manager Darcy Regier and Head Coach Ron Rolston were relieved of their duties. Former Sabre Pat LaFontaine was hired as President of Hockey Operations (a position that had been left vacant since the departure of Larry Quinn in 2011) and Ted Nolan was hired as the interim head coach. After hiring Ottawa Senators' Assistant general manager Tim Murray to the vacant general manager position on January 9, Pat LaFontaine resigned as President of Hockey Operations on March 1, 2014, to return to his previous position with the NHL.

The Sabres made numerous trades leading up to and right before the March 5 trading deadline. On February 28, they traded away veterans Ryan Miller and Steve Ott to the St. Louis Blues. Then on March 5, the NHL trade deadline day, they made three separate trades with the Minnesota Wild, Washington Capitals and Los Angeles Kings.

Standings

Atlantic Division

Pos	Team	GP	W	L	OTL	ROW	GF	GA	GD	Pts
1	p – Boston Bruins	82	54	19	9	51	261	177	+84	117
2	x – Tampa Bay Lightning	82	46	27	9	38	240	215	+25	101
3	x – Montreal Canadiens	82	46	28	8	40	215	204	+11	100
4	x – Detroit Red Wings	82	39	28	15	34	222	230	−8	93
5	Ottawa Senators	82	37	31	14	30	236	265	−29	88
6	Toronto Maple Leafs	82	38	36	8	29	231	256	−25	84
7	Florida Panthers	82	29	45	8	21	196	268	−72	66
8	Buffalo Sabres	82	21	51	10	14	157	248	−91	52

Source: National Hockey League
p – Clinched Presidents' Trophy; x – Clinched playoff spot

Eastern Conference Wild Card

Pos	Div	Team	GP	W	L	OTL	ROW	GF	GA	GD	Pts
1	ME	x – Columbus Blue Jackets	82	43	32	7	38	231	216	+15	93
2	AT	x – Detroit Red Wings	82	39	28	15	34	222	230	−8	93
3	ME	Washington Capitals	82	38	30	14	28	235	240	−5	90
4	ME	New Jersey Devils	82	35	29	18	35	197	208	−11	88
5	AT	Ottawa Senators	82	37	31	14	30	236	265	−29	88
6	AT	Toronto Maple Leafs	82	38	36	8	29	231	256	−25	84
7	ME	Carolina Hurricanes	82	36	35	11	34	207	230	−23	83
8	ME	New York Islanders	82	34	37	11	25	225	267	−42	79
9	AT	Florida Panthers	82	29	45	8	21	196	268	−72	66
10	AT	Buffalo Sabres	82	21	51	10	14	157	248	−91	52

Source: National Hockey League
x – Clinched playoff spot

Schedule and results

Pre-season

2013 Pre-Season Game Log: 4–2–1 (Home: 2–0–1 ; Road: 2–2–0)
#	Date	Visitor	Score	Home	OT	Decision	Attendance	Record	Recap
1	September 15	Buffalo	5–4	Montreal	SO	Hackett	21,273	1–0–0	Recap
2	September 17	Buffalo	3–1	Columbus		Hackett	9,009	2–0–0	Recap
3	September 19	Carolina	2–5	Buffalo		Miller	17,626	3–0–0	Recap
4	September 21	Toronto	3–2	Buffalo	SO	Enroth	19,070	3–0–1	Recap
5	September 22	Buffalo	3–5	Toronto		Miller	19,001	3–1–1	Recap
6	September 25	Columbus	0–3	Buffalo		Enroth	17,346	4–1–1	Recap
7	September 27	Buffalo	0–1	Carolina		Miller	12,033	4–2–1	Recap

Regular season

2013–14 Game Log Overall: 21–51–10 (Home: 13–21–7; Road: 8–30–3)
October: 2–12–1 (Home: 0–7–1 ; Road: 2–5–0) # Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 1 October 2 Buffalo 1–2 Detroit Miller 20,066 0–1–0 0 Recap 2 October 4 Ottawa 1–0 Buffalo Miller 19,070 0–2–0 0 Recap 3 October 5 Buffalo 1–4 Pittsburgh Enroth 18,641 0–3–0 0 Recap 4 October 8 Tampa Bay 3–2 Buffalo OT Enroth 18,243 0–3–1 1 Recap 5 October 10 Columbus 4–1 Buffalo Miller 18,210 0–4–1 1 Recap 6 October 12 Buffalo 1–2 Chicago Miller 21,261 0–5–1 1 Recap 7 October 14 Minnesota 2–1 Buffalo Enroth 18,111 0–6–1 1 Recap 8 October 15 Buffalo 4–3 NY Islanders SO Miller 10,512 1–6–1 3 Recap 9 October 17 Vancouver 3–0 Buffalo Miller 18,374 1–7–1 3 Recap 10 October 19 Colorado 4–2 Buffalo Miller 18,422 1–8–1 3 Recap 11 October 23 Boston 5–2 Buffalo Miller 17,645 1–9–1 3 Recap 12 October 25 Buffalo 3–1 Florida Enroth 12,984 2–9–1 5 Recap 13 October 26 Buffalo 2–3 Tampa Bay Miller 18,088 2–10–1 5 Recap 14 October 28 Dallas 4–3 Buffalo Miller 18,295 2–11–1 5 Recap 15 October 31 Buffalo 0–2 NY Rangers Miller 18,006 2–12–1 5 Recap
November: 4–8–1 (Home: 3–4–0 ; Road: 1–4–1) # Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 16 November 2 Anaheim 6–3 Buffalo Enroth 19,070 2–13–1 5 Recap 17 November 5 Buffalo 5–4 San Jose SO Miller 17,562 3–13–1 7 Recap 18 November 7 Buffalo 0–2 Los Angeles Enroth 18,118 3–14–1 7 Recap 19 November 8 Buffalo 2–6 Anaheim Miller 15,577 3–15–1 7 Recap 20 November 12 Los Angeles 2–3 Buffalo SO Miller 18,281 4–15–1 9 Recap 21 November 15 Toronto 1–3 Buffalo Miller 19,070 5–15–1 11 Recap 22 November 16 Buffalo 2–4 Toronto Enroth 19,447 5–16–1 11 Recap 23 November 19 St. Louis 4–1 Buffalo Miller 17,710 5–17–1 11 Recap 24 November 21 Buffalo 1–4 Philadelphia Miller 19,973 5–18–1 11 Recap 25 November 24 Detroit 3–1 Buffalo Miller 18,721 5–19–1 11 Recap 26 November 27 Montreal 3–1 Buffalo Miller 18,497 5–20–1 11 Recap 27 November 29 Toronto 2–3 Buffalo OT Miller 19,070 6–20–1 13 Recap 28 November 30 Buffalo 0–1 New Jersey OT Enroth 15,226 6–20–2 14 Recap
December: 5–5–2 (Home: 5–1–1 ; Road: 0–4–1) # Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 29 December 5 NY Rangers 3–1 Buffalo Miller 18,088 6–21–2 14 Recap 30 December 7 Buffalo 2–3 Montreal Enroth 21,273 6–22–2 14 Recap 31 December 10 Ottawa 1–2 Buffalo SO Miller 18,594 7–22–2 16 Recap 32 December 12 Buffalo 1–2 Ottawa Miller 15,578 7–23–2 16 Recap 33 December 14 Calgary 2–1 Buffalo OT Enroth 18,368 7–23–3 17 Recap 34 December 17 Winnipeg 2–4 Buffalo Miller 17,795 8–23–3 19 Recap 35 December 19 Boston 2–4 Buffalo Miller 18,217 9–23–3 21 Recap 36 December 21 Buffalo 1–4 Boston Enroth 17,565 9–24–3 21 Recap 37 December 23 Phoenix 1–2 Buffalo OT Miller 18,942 10–24–3 23 Recap 38 December 27 Buffalo 3–4 Toronto SO Miller 19,405 10–24–4 24 Recap 39 December 29 Washington 1–2 Buffalo SO Miller 19,070 11–24–4 26 Recap 40 December 31 Buffalo 0–3 Winnipeg Enroth 15,004 11–25–4 26 Recap
January: 4–5–4 (Home: 1–3–3 ; Road: 3–2–1) # Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 41 January 2 Buffalo 1–4 Minnesota Miller 18,229 11–26–4 26 Recap 42 January 4 New Jersey 1–2 Buffalo Miller 19,070 12–26–4 28 Recap – January 7 Carolina Buffalo Game rescheduled to February 25 due to hazardous weather in Buffalo. 43 January 9 Florida 2–1 Buffalo SO Enroth 17,872 12–26–5 29 Recap 44 January 12 Buffalo 2–1 Washington SO Miller 18,506 13–26–5 31 Recap 45 January 14 Philadelphia 4–3 Buffalo Enroth 18,667 13–27–5 31 Recap 46 January 15 Buffalo 3–4 Toronto SO Miller 19,372 13–27–6 32 Recap 47 January 18 Columbus 4–3 Buffalo SO Miller 19,070 13–27–7 33 Recap 48 January 21 Florida 4–3 Buffalo Miller 17,583 13–28–7 33 Recap 49 January 23 Carolina 5–3 Buffalo Enroth 18,468 13–29–7 33 Recap 50 January 25 Buffalo 5–2 Columbus Miller 16,272 14–29–7 35 Recap 51 January 27 Buffalo 0–3 Pittsburgh Miller 18,563 14–30–7 35 Recap 52 January 28 Washington 5–4 Buffalo OT Enroth 18,923 14–30–8 36 Recap 53 January 30 Buffalo 3–2 Phoenix Miller 13,000 15–30–8 38 Recap
February: 3–4–0 (Home: 3–2–0 ; Road: 0–2–0) # Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 54 February 1 Buffalo 1–7 Colorado Miller 16,649 15–31–8 38 Recap 55 February 3 Edmonton 3–2 Buffalo Enroth 18,531 15–32–8 38 Recap 56 February 5 Pittsburgh 5–1 Buffalo Miller 18,408 15–33–8 38 Recap 57 February 6 Buffalo 2–3 Ottawa Enroth 18,426 15–34–8 38 Recap 58 February 25 Carolina 2–3 Buffalo Miller 18,719 16–34–8 40 Recap 59 February 26 Boston 4–5 Buffalo OT Enroth 19,070 17–34–8 42 Recap 60 February 28 San Jose 2–4 Buffalo Enroth 19,070 18–34–8 44 Recap
March: 2–11–1 (Home: 0–3–1 ; Road: 2–8–0) # Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 61 March 3 Buffalo 2–3 Dallas Enroth 14,235 18–35–8 44 Recap 62 March 6 Buffalo 3–1 Tampa Bay Enroth 19,204 19–35–8 46 Recap 63 March 7 Buffalo 0–2 Florida Neuvirth 14,402 19–36–8 46 Recap 64 March 9 Chicago 2–1 Buffalo Enroth 19,070 19–37–8 46 Recap 65 March 11 Nashville 4–1 Buffalo Enroth 18,659 19–38–8 46 Recap 66 March 13 Buffalo 2–4 Carolina Neuvirth 13,654 19–39–8 46 Recap 67 March 15 Buffalo 1–4 NY Islanders Enroth 14,388 19–40–8 46 Recap 68 March 16 Montreal 2–0 Buffalo Enroth 19,070 19–41–8 46 Recap 69 March 18 Buffalo 1–3 Calgary Lieuwen 19,289 19–42–8 46 Recap 70 March 20 Buffalo 3–1 Edmonton Hackett 16,839 20–42–8 48 Recap 71 March 23 Buffalo 2–4 Vancouver Lieuwen 18,910 20–43–8 48 Recap 72 March 25 Buffalo 0–2 Montreal Hackett 21,273 20–44–8 48 Recap 73 March 27 Buffalo 1–6 Nashville Hackett 16,729 20–45–8 48 Recap 74 March 29 Tampa Bay 4–3 Buffalo OT Hackett 19,070 20–45–9 49 Recap
April: 1–6–1 (Home: 1–1–1 ; Road: 0–5–0) # Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 75 April 1 New Jersey 2–3 Buffalo SO Lieuwen 19,070 21–45–9 51 Recap 76 April 3 Buffalo 1–2 St. Louis Lieuwen 16,146 21–46–9 51 Recap 77 April 4 Buffalo 2–3 Detroit Hackett 20,066 21–47–9 51 Recap 78 April 6 Buffalo 2–5 Philadelphia Lieuwen 19,603 21–48–9 51 Recap 79 April 8 Detroit 4–2 Buffalo Hackett 18,710 21–49–9 51 Recap 80 April 10 Buffalo 1–2 NY Rangers Hackett 18,006 21–50–9 51 Recap 81 April 12 Buffalo 1–4 Boston Hackett 17,565 21–51–9 51 Recap 82 April 13 NY Islanders 4–3 Buffalo SO Knapp 18,804 21–51–10 52 Recap
Legend:   Win (2 points)   Loss (0 points)   Overtime/shootout loss (1 point)

Playoffs

The Sabres failed to qualify for the playoffs for the third straight year.

Player stats

Final stats

Skaters

Regular Season

Player	GP	G	A	Pts	+/−	PIM
Cody Hodgson	72	20	24	44	−26	20
Tyler Ennis	80	21	22	43	−25	42
Drew Stafford	70	16	18	34	−19	39
Christian Ehrhoff	79	6	27	33	−27	38
Matt Moulson†‡	44	11	18	29	−8	20
Tyler Myers	62	9	13	22	−26	58
Zemgus Girgensons	70	8	14	22	−6	14
Steve Ott‡	59	9	11	20	−26	55
Marcus Foligno	74	7	12	19	−17	82
Jamie McBain	69	6	11	17	−13	14
Ville Leino	58	0	15	15	−16	10
Brian Flynn	79	6	7	13	−10	14
Matt D'Agostini†	49	5	6	11	−14	22
Thomas Vanek‡	13	4	5	9	−5	4
Mike Weber	68	1	8	9	−29	73
Henrik Tallinder	64	2	6	8	−21	34
Mark Pysyk	44	1	6	7	−11	16
Matt Ellis	50	4	2	6	−6	4
Cory Conacher†	19	3	3	6	−7	16
Cody McCormick‡	29	1	4	5	−8	45
Rasmus Ristolainen	34	2	2	4	−15	6
Johan Larsson	28	0	4	4	0	19
Mikhail Grigorenko	18	2	1	3	−3	2
Phil Varone	9	1	1	2	−3	4
Alexander Sulzer	25	0	2	2	−3	8
Linus Omark†‡	13	0	2	2	−5	6
Torrey Mitchell†	9	1	0	1	0	4
John Scott	56	1	0	1	−12	125
Luke Adam	12	1	0	1	0	4
Nicolas Deslauriers	17	1	0	1	−10	18
Nikita Zadorov	7	1	0	1	−4	4
Zenon Konopka†	23	0	1	1	−4	33
Kevin Porter	12	0	1	1	−5	2
Jake McCabe	7	0	1	1	−3	15
Chad Ruhwedel	21	0	1	1	−3	2
Corey Tropp‡	9	0	1	1	−8	0
Patrick Kaleta	5	0	0	0	−1	5
Chris Stewart†	5	0	0	0	−2	6
Brayden McNabb‡	12	0	0	0	1	6

Goaltenders

Regular Season

Player	GP	GS	TOI	W	L	OT	GA	GAA	SA	SV%	SO	G	A	PIM
Ryan Miller‡	40	40	2,383:47	15	22	3	108	2.72	1411	0.923	0	0	2	0
Jhonas Enroth	28	26	1,574:14	4	17	5	74	2.82	834	0.911	0	0	0	0
Matt Hackett	8	8	426:06	1	6	1	22	3.10	239	0.908	0	0	0	0
Nathan Lieuwen	7	5	363:22	1	4	0	18	2.98	191	0.906	0	0	0	0
Michal Neuvirth†	2	2	117:03	0	2	0	5	2.56	98	0.949	0	0	0	0
Connor Knapp	2	1	76:31	0	0	1	4	3.12	32	0.875	0	0	0	0

^†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.

Milestones

Regular Season

Player	Milestone	Reached
Zemgus Girgensons	1st Career NHL Game 1st Career NHL Goal 1st Career NHL Point	October 2, 2013
Rasmus Ristolainen	1st Career NHL Game
Zemgus Girgensons	1st Career NHL Assist	October 14, 2013
Kevin Porter	200th Career NHL Game
Nikita Zadorov	1st Career NHL Game	October 19, 2013
	1st Career NHL Goal 1st Career NHL Point	October 23, 2013
Rasmus Ristolainen	1st Career NHL Goal 1st Career NHL Point	October 25, 2013
Tyler Ennis	200th Career NHL Game	October 26, 2013
Johan Larsson	1st Career NHL Assist 1st Career NHL Point	November 2, 2013
Tyler Myers	300th Career NHL Game	January 18, 2014
Steve Ott	100th Career NHL Goal	January 21, 2014
Phil Varone	1st Career NHL Game 1st Career NHL Assist 1st Career NHL Point	January 23, 2014
	1st Career NHL Goal	January 28, 2014
Nicolas Deslauriers	1st Career NHL Game	March 7, 2014
Drew Stafford	500th Career NHL Game	March 11, 2014
Matt Ellis	300th Career NHL Game
Nathan Lieuwen	1st Career NHL Game	March 16, 2014
Rasmus Ristolainen	1st Career NHL Assist	March 29, 2014
Nathan Lieuwen	1st Career NHL Win	April 1, 2014
Jake McCabe	1st Career NHL Game	April 3, 2014
Nicolas Deslauriers	1st Career NHL Goal 1st Career NHL Point	April 4, 2014
Chad Ruhwedel	1st Career NHL Assist 1st Career NHL Point
Connor Knapp	1st Career NHL Game	April 12, 2014
Jake McCabe	1st Career NHL Assist 1st Career NHL Point	April 13, 2014

Transactions

The Sabres have been involved in the following transactions during the 2013–14 season:

Trades

June 30, 2013	To Carolina Hurricanes Andrej Sekera	To Buffalo Sabres Jamie McBain 2nd-round pick in 2013 – J. T. Compher
July 7, 2013	To New Jersey Devils Riley Boychuk	To Buffalo Sabres Henrik Tallinder
October 27, 2013	To New York Islanders Thomas Vanek	To Buffalo Sabres Matt Moulson 1st-round pick in 2015 – Colin White 2nd-round pick in 2015 – Brendan Guhle
December 19, 2013	To Edmonton Oilers Conditional 6th-round pick in 2014	To Buffalo Sabres Linus Omark
February 28, 2014	To St. Louis Blues Ryan Miller Steve Ott	To Buffalo Sabres Jaroslav Halak Chris Stewart William Carrier 1st-round pick in 2015 – Jack Roslovic Conditional 3rd-round pick in 2016 – Linus Nassen
March 5, 2014	To Los Angeles Kings Brayden McNabb Jonathan Parker 2nd-round pick in 2014 – Alex Lintuniemi 2nd-round pick in 2015 – Erik Cernak	To Buffalo Sabres Nicolas Deslauriers Hudson Fasching
March 5, 2014	To Washington Capitals Jaroslav Halak 3rd-round pick in 2015 – Robin Kovacs	To Buffalo Sabres Michal Neuvirth Rostislav Klesla
March 5, 2014	To Minnesota Wild Matt Moulson Cody McCormick	To Buffalo Sabres Torrey Mitchell 2nd-round pick in 2014 – Vitek Vanecek 2nd-round pick in 2016 – Chad Krys

Free agents acquired

Player	Former team	Contract terms
Drew Bagnall	Houston Aeros	2 years, $1.1 million
Jamie Tardif	Providence Bruins	1 year, $550,000

Free agents lost

Player	New team	Contract terms
Mark Mancari	St. Louis Blues	1 year, $600,000
Adam Pardy	Winnipeg Jets	1 year, $600,000
Nathan Gerbe	Carolina Hurricanes	1 year, $550,000

Claimed via waivers

Player	Previous team	Date
Matt D'Agostini	Pittsburgh Penguins	November 27, 2013
Zenon Konopka	Minnesota Wild	January 3, 2014
Cory Conacher	Ottawa Senators	March 5, 2014

Lost via waivers

Player	New team	Date
Corey Tropp	Columbus Blue Jackets	November 28, 2013

Lost via retirement

Player
Jochen Hecht

Players released

Player	Date
Linus Omark	February 18, 2014

Player signings

Player	Date	Contract terms
Matt Ellis	July 3, 2013	2 years, $1.1 million
Alexander Sulzer	July 5, 2013	1 year, $725,000
Rasmus Ristolainen	July 12, 2013	3 years, $2.775 million entry-level contract
Nick Crawford	July 19, 2013	1 year, $550,000
Brian Flynn	July 19, 2013	2 years, $1.275 million
Matt Hackett	July 23, 2013	1 year, $715,000
Luke Adam	July 23, 2013	1 year, $735,000
Corey Tropp	August 6, 2013	1 year, $577,500
Cody Hodgson	September 11, 2013	6 years, $25.5 million
Nikita Zadorov	September 25, 2013	3 years, $2.775 million entry-level contract
Justin Kea	April 1, 2014	3 years, $1.94 million entry-level contract
Jake McCabe	April 2, 2014	3 years, $2.775 million entry-level contract
Nicolas Deslauriers	May 26, 2014	2 years, $1.275 million contract extension
Linus Ullmark	May 27, 2014	3 years, $2.775 million entry-level contract
Brady Austin	May 29, 2014	3 years, $1.88 million entry-level contract
Nicholas Baptiste	May 31, 2014	3 years, $2.7 million entry-level contract

Draft picks

See also: List of Buffalo Sabres draft picks

Buffalo Sabres' picks at the 2013 NHL Entry Draft, to be held in Newark, New Jersey on June 30, 2013.

Round	#	Player	Pos	Nationality	College/Junior/Club team (League)
1	8	Rasmus Ristolainen	Defense	Finland	TPS (SM-liiga)
1	16[a]	Nikita Zadorov	Defense	Russia	CSKA Moscow (KHL)
2	35[b]	J. T. Compher	Center	United States	U.S. National Team Development Program (USHL)
2	38	Connor Hurley	Center	United States	Edina High School (USHS-MN)
2	52[c]	Justin Bailey	Right wing	United States	Kitchener Rangers (OHL)
3	69	Nicholas Baptiste	Right wing	Canada	Sudbury Wolves (OHL)
5	129	Cal Petersen	Goaltender	United States	Waterloo Black Hawks (USHL)
5	130[d]	Gustav Possler	Right wing	Sweden	Modo Hockey J20 (J20 SuperElit)
5	143[e]	Anthony Florentino	Defense	United States	South Kent School (USHS-CT)
6	159	Sean Malone	Center	United States	U.S. National Team Development Program (USHL)
7	189	Eric Locke	Center	United States	Saginaw Spirit (OHL)

Draft notes

• ^a The Minnesota Wild's first-round pick went to the Buffalo Sabres as a result of an April 3, 2013, trade that sent Jason Pominville and a 2014 fourth-round pick to the Wild in exchange for Johan Larsson, Matt Hackett and this pick.
• ^[b]The Carolina Hurricanes' second-round pick went to the Buffalo Sabres at the draft in a trade that sent Andrej Sekera to Carolina for Jamie McBain and this pick.
• ^c The St. Louis Blues' second-round pick went to the Buffalo Sabres as a result of a March 30, 2013, trade that sent Jordan Leopold to the Blues in exchange for a conditional 2013 fifth-round pick and this pick.
• The Buffalo Sabres' fourth-round pick went to the Nashville Predators as the result of a February 27, 2012, trade that sent a 2012 first-round pick (#21–Mark Jankowski) to the Sabres in exchange for Paul Gaustad and this pick.
• ^d The New Jersey Devils' fifth-round pick went to the Buffalo Sabres (via Los Angeles and Florida), Florida traded this pick to Buffalo as a result of a March 15, 2013, trade that sent T. J. Brennan to the Panthers in exchange for this pick.
• ^e The St. Louis Blues' fifth-round pick went to the Buffalo Sabres as a result of a March 30, 2013, trade that sent Jordan Leopold to the Blues in exchange for a 2013 second-round pick and this pick.