Kevin Woodley of InGoal Magazine and NHL.com returns to the show for a conversation about Buffalo's goaltenders. We go deep on technical and team aspects that affected Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen last year and look ahead to what he and Alex Lyon can do together as a tandem. We also discuss Devon Levi's growth and the best way the Sabres can manage their minor league goaltenders as Levi is set to be joined by Scott Ratlzaff and Topias Leinonen in Rochester this year.

The latest Instigator Interview features Craig Barnett, the executive director of the ACHA. Our wide ranging conversation covers several topics pertaining to the latest developments in college hockey and how the ACHA stands to benefit from them. We talk through the key aspects of how the ACHA functions and the players and schools they serve. Along the way, Craig highlights the newest initiative from the ACHA, a conference designed to help cultivate new collegiate hockey programs.

To help get you through the dog days of summer, we are serving up a quick mailbag of listener questions. This mailbag tackles questions on Alex Tuch's extension, which prospects will see the most playing time and what sort of outlook there would be for this roster if they managed to snap Buffalo's playoff drought.

Bowen Byram will head to the arbitration table after the Sabres decided to opt for club-elected arbitration. We talk about the implications of Byram heading to arbitration and how that affects the short and long term outlook for the player and team. We also run down what looks to be a fairly set roster, exploring what looks to be yet another year of banking on internal growth to break Buffalo's playoff drought.

New Highmark Stadium will contain a range of features that are totally foreign to the confines of the Buffalo Bills current home and KeyBank Center is poised to get renovated any time now. With both of Western New York's major sports venues in the construction crosshairs, it was a perfect time to bring in an expert in the stadium industry to offer insight and background on the process. Ryan Aylmer of Brailsford & Dunlavey joins the show for a conversation that covers the changing trends and desires of sports fans, how teams and stadiums are adapting to meet those needs and what sort of features fans can expect to see in their venues as a result.

Day one of free agency is in the books and the Sabres did a bit of work on Tuesday. They shored up their goaltending and signed a few depth pieces. We run down their work on July 1 and analyze it against the other moves they made at the draft and last week. We also provide some insight into the 2025 draft class and offer a few thoughts on Jacob Bernard-Docker and development camp.

Kevyn Adams held fast at pick number nine and selected Radim Mrtka, a gigantic defenseman out of the WHL. Adams didn't get much more done on Friday and I offer up some thoughts on what has and hasn't gotten done in Buffalo this week. I also hit on a few aspects of the de-centralized draft, the CBA extension and Jack Quinn's extension.

Strap in for a big episode as Kevyn Adams' pre-draft press conference left people with far more questions than answers. We run through the big talking points, particularly the bizarre rebuke he gave to rumors of a Mattias Samuelsson buyout. We also serve up a discussion of our respective mock offseasons before diving into the 2025 NHL Draft. Our draft conversation hits on the handful of players we think the Sabres could take and the players we like best at pick nine.

Elliotte Friedman put JJ Peterka into the thick of the rumor mill last week, noting that the Sabres had ever so slightly altered their stance on the RFA winger. We break down the latest on Peterka (9:55) and talk through what it would mean to move him this offseason. We open with a conversation on this year's Conn Smythe trophy, and make our pick in the midst of game six and the Stanley Cup Final wrapping up (0:35). In addition, Rasmus Dahlin's selection to Sweden's first six players for the 2026 Olympics and Peterka's snub from the Germany roster (5:20). We also revisit the conversation around Bowen Byram, offering some potential packages to go along with the landing spots we feel are most likely for the defenseman (39:30).

With Bowen Byram's name at the top of the rumor mill, we break down what it would look like for the Sabres to move on from him and how the return could shape their strategy this summer. We also break down another popular rumor target, Jason Robertson. The trade package, why he's on the block and just how much of an impact he could have on this Sabres roster.

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