Sharpen Up: November 5, 2021 | Trades, a game, a podcast and more!

A lot happened yesterday.
Let's not waste any time.
Here's what you need to know.

Sabres acquire Krebs, Tuch, draft picks from Vegas

The Sabres and Jack Eichel are both finally able to move on. The team traded its former captain early yesterday morning to the Vegas Golden Knights.
Eichel, who has not played since March 7 due to a herniated disk in his neck, will be permitted by Vegas to have the surgery of his choice.
Meanwhile, Buffalo receives highly touted prospect Peyton Krebs, 25-year-old power forward Alex Tuch, a top-10 protected 2022 first-round pick, and a 2023 second-round pick in exchange for Eichel and a 2023-third round pick.
If Vegas selects in the top 10, the first-round pick in 2022 becomes an unprotected first-round pick in 2023.

"We got to a point where this was the offer that we felt was the strongest that we had up to this date, and we felt very good about it," Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams said. "We worked extremely hard for months and months. And we were not going to compromise on what we felt we needed as a return.
"This was a really important decision for us. So, however long it was going to take it was going to take. But at the same point, when we felt it was the right time, we were going to make the deal."
You can read the full reaction to the trade here.

Tuch, a Syracuse, N.Y. native, will miss at least another month or two as he recovers from offseason shoulder surgery.
Krebs has been assigned to the Rochester Americans and could very well make his Amerks debut tonight when they host Toronto.
Later in the day, Buffalo acquired the contract of veteran defenseman Johnny Boychuk to provide roster flexibility for the rest of the season. The 37-year-old sustained a career-ending eye injury on March 3, 2020 and has not played since he skated in three games during that postseason. He will be placed on Buffalo's injured reserve list.
Boychuk is in the final year of a seven-year contract with an annual cap hit of $6 million.

Last night's recap

There was a game last night, too.

Jourdon LaBarber has more in the Postgame Report:
Dustin Tokarski became the first Buffalo Sabres goaltender to start a game in Seattle on Thursday. He left with a strong impression of the NHL's newest market.
"We learned it's a tough building to play in," Tokarski said after a 5-2 loss at Climate Pledge Arena.
Tokarski did his part throughout a 33-save performance, but the Sabres were unable to overcome pressure from the Seattle Kraken in the finale of their four-game road trip on the West Coast.
The Kraken did their job as the aggressor, feeding off the home atmosphere with extended forechecks and capitalizing on mistakes to create odd-man chances. Sabres coach Don Granato felt his team only added to that pressure with self-inflicted mistakes.
"We just couldn't get to a simple game," Granato said. "Some of it was actual pressure, and when you go back through the film … we'll be able to pluck a lot out that was perceived pressure. We broke it and we had space to skate or make a play. We didn't do it."

The two teams entered the third period tied, 2-2, despite a 30-11 shot advantage in favor of the Kraken. The Sabres briefly held a lead after goals from Tage Thompson and Kyle Okposo during the second period, but Jordan Eberle responded with a goal for Seattle just 26 seconds later.
Eberle went on to record the first hat trick in Kraken history, cutting in behind the Sabres' defense for the go-ahead goal at 1:50 of the third period and burying a slap shot on a rush at 8:06. Jaden Schwartz added an empty-net goal late.
Click here to read the full recap.
The Sabres will fly home today and will be back on the ice for a morning skate tomorrow ahead of Saturday's game against the Detroit Red Wings. And it'll be a special night because…

Saturday is Val James Night

November 1 marked the 40th anniversary of Val James' NHL debut and the Buffalo Sabres will commemorate the milestone on Saturday.
When James suited up for the Sabres for the first time in 1981, he became the first Black American to play in the NHL. The accomplishment was overlooked at the time, but the moment's significance has garnered the attention it deserves over the past few years.
James, who resides in Niagara Falls, Ontario, will be unable to attend the game, but shared his heartfelt thanks to the Sabres community for organizing the night.
"I'm afraid I will not be able to join you on November 6 for the game, but I still appreciate the fact that you are supporting me and honoring me for my achievement of becoming the first African American to play NHL hockey 40 years ago," James said in a video statement released by the team.
Tickets are on sale now.

During pregame warmups, the team will wear custom black jerseys featuring the "Breaking Barriers" logo designed last season by local artist Edreys Wajed as the crest.

Warmup pucks with the "Breaking Barriers" logo will be used by both teams, and coaches and broadcasters will wear special lapel pins with the logo during the game. Fans will have the opportunity to win warmup pucks through various giveaways and sweepstakes on Saturday.
The Sabres are donating 100 tickets to local youth organizations, including the Buffalo Police Athletic League, Breaking Barriers, Girls Sports Foundation, Hasek's Heroes and Confident Girl Mentoring, to the game.

The Buffalo Sabres Foundation has also donated $10,000 to the Buffalo Police Athletic League Can-Ice Learn to Skate program, which includes the installation of a new synthetic ice rink located at the Hennepin Community Center. The rink will be operated by Buffalo PAL and will be used to provide kids in the city with an opportunity to learn to skate and play hockey, many for the first time.
Click here for more details.

Check out our new Sabres podcast

Hosted by Sabres TV host Brian Duff and studio analyst Martin Biron, "The Instigators Overtime" presented by Seneca Resorts and Casinos is a new weekly podcast that will take a deeper dive into a variety of hockey topics and feature exclusive interviews with Buffalo Sabres alumni, hockey personnel from around the NHL and other special guests not heard on the daily show.
Click here to stream or download the podcast on your favorite provider.
For the first episode, they were joined by Sabres head coach Don Granato.