BUFFALO - The Sabres checked the background before bringing Milan Lucic into the fold, and general manager Jarmo Kekalainen said the team made its “due diligence” before hiring the former NHL winger as a pro scout.
Lucic was arrested in 2023 on suspicion of assault and battery on a family member. Prosecutors later dropped a domestic violence charge.
“We take all those things very seriously, but we have also seen and heard that he’s done a lot of personal growth,” Kekalainen said Wednesday in LECOM Harborcenter.
Kekalainen also said he’s “a big believer in second chances.” The Sabres announced Lucic’s hire Tuesday.
Lucic, 38, recently retired after spending last season with the Fife Devils, an Elite Ice Hockey League team based in Scotland. His NHL career covered 1,117 games across 17 seasons, with most of that time coming in Boston. He last appeared in the big leagues early in the 2023-24 season before taking an indefinite leave of absence following his arrest.
For Kekalainen, the appeal goes beyond Lucic’s resume. He said he wants someone on the pro scouting staff who is still close enough to the game to bring a current player’s perspective.
“The one thing that I’ve always wanted to have on the pro scouting staff is a player that’s close to his playing career because he’s still connected to the locker rooms and players he played against and played with,” Kekalainen said.” I think that adds an insight that the scouts that have been off the ice for a long time or they didn’t play in the NHL, they don’t have it.
“He’s very eager to work and get on this side of the business and I think he’s going to be a good addition to our group.”
In Other News...
Sabres Just Made A Goalie Decision Fans Will Debate For Years
Devon Levis time in Buffalo is over, and the move gives the Sabres another chapter in a goaltending conversation that has already stretched on long enough for fans to develop strong opinions. The 23-year-old was shipped to Edmonton along with a 2028 seventh-round pick in a deal that brought back the Oilers 2028 third-rounder, a modest return that speaks to how the market viewed a goalie with upside but an unsettled place in the NHL.
For Buffalo, the deal closes the book on a player many still saw as worth waiting on, even if the path to becoming the No. 1 option never really opened cleanly here. Edmonton, meanwhile, is betting that Levi can keep growing alongside Tristan Jarry and eventually become part of its long-term answer in goal, which only adds another layer to what Sabres fans will likely keep debating for years. [Read more 🡒]
Sabres Fans Will Hate Who Buffalo Was Asked To Give Up
A recent layer to the Connor Hellebuyck trade chatter puts a familiar Buffalo name right in the middle of it. Reports indicate the Jets initially asked for Sabres winger Zach Benson in those discussions, a telling sign of how highly Winnipeg viewed the young forward and how seriously Buffalo had to take the possibility of parting with a core piece. Benson has quickly become one of the organizations most important building blocks, and the Sabres have been clear enough in their stance that the conversation never really moved far beyond the opening ask.
For Buffalo, the appeal of exploring a high-end goalie fit against the cost was obvious, but so was the danger of weakening a roster that still needs its best young talent to keep maturing. Benson already looks like the kind of player teams spend years trying to find, which is why his name surfacing in the first place will not sit well with Sabres fans. The goaltending side of the equation only sharpens the debate, because any serious pursuit of Hellebuyck comes with the usual questions about age, price, and whether a contender is wise to pay that much for a netminder at all. [Read more 🡒]
Blue Jackets Bring Back A Familiar Columbus Name To The Bench
Don Granatos next stop keeps him in familiar territory, at least in a broad sense. The veteran coach has long circulated through the NHL as both an assistant and a head coach, and his rsum also includes a stint behind the bench with the Sabres, where Buffalo never got over the hump during his four seasons in charge.
The Columbus move also brings a local thread back into the picture, since Granato has past ties to the city through the old Columbus Chill in the ECHL. He now slots into a staff that already includes Rick Bowness, Trent Vogelhuber and Jared Boll, giving the Blue Jackets another experienced voice as they continue sorting out the direction of their bench. [Read more 🡒]