The first Queen City Hockey Expo takes place on Sunday, August 9 at Buffalo Riverworks. Event organizer and founder Chris Holmes joins the show to discuss the event and what attendees can expect. The event inclues a gear swap and several events and seminars that will take place during the day.

As July comes to an end, it seemed like a perfect time for a mailbag episode. This edition's listener questions include a querey on Connor McDavid, line combinations for next season, the ever concerning power play and more! Thanks to everyone who submitted questions.

The Sabres were active in the leadup to the NHL Draft, moving on from Bowen Byram and Alex Tuch. Olen Zellweger and Louis Crevier have arrived to shore up the blueline, but it appears to be status quo up front. We discuss whether or not the Sabres are a stronger team after the moves made by Jarmo Kekäläinen this offseason. A packed, but young forward group is the focus of the conversation and the expectation of big contributions from Buffalo's youth to carry them forward. We also discuss the scuttled Connor Hellebuyck trade, the Pat Kane rumors and the shifting economy in the NHL under the rising salary cap.

The Sabres exited the draft with a pair of first round prospects and Olen Zellweger. We run through the work that wrapped up the prior week for the Sabres, where Zellweger fits and what Buffalo's trade chips look like after the draft. We also discuss what's left to do in order to round out the roster and which players in a thin free agent class would fit on the Sabres roster.

Bowen Byram was traded to Chicago in a stunning deal that sends the fourth overall pick back to the Sabres just three days before the 2026 NHL Draft. We break down the Bryam trade and offer our insight on what may be coming next for the Sabres who suddenly have the ammunition to make a big deal of their own. We run through Buffalo's options with the fourth pick, the 20th pick and which players they could target in trade discussions.

Now that the offseason is officially underway, it's time to get down to business determining who the Sabres should be pursuing. We break down a few teams that fell outside of the playoff picture as potential targets not just for acquisitons, but for shedding salary in order to allow for more flexibility in future discussions. Along the way we offer up some final thoughts on the Stanley Cup Final, Vinny Prospal's hiring in St. Louis and the prospect of a sign and trade with Alex Tuch.

The Sabres have several key free agents to either re-sign or allow to walk to free agency. We break down the key choices facing the club, including Peyton Krebs and Beck Malenstyn, Alex Tuch and Michael Kesselring. With Buffalo facing a tight cap situation, we also talk through which players would serve best as cap casualties if the Sabres wish to make any meaningful additions to their roster.

While the Cup Final isn't one that many fans in Buffalo will be excited about, this mailbag episode offers insight on a pile of Sabres-related topics. Along the way, we run through how the Sabres might replace Alex Tuch, what areas of the roster should be targeted for improvement and if the Sabres would be wise to keep the likes of Konsta Helenius and Noah Ostlund in-house, or to use one for a significant upgrade.

We bring back our old plus/minus bit to serve up our thoughts on the full run of Buffalo's playoff roster. Each player gets a hit and our thoughts on what they did well, where they struggled and who drove the bus for the Sabres on their run. This is a cutout from the episode which dropped earlier this week, so forgive any odd edits you may encounter.

Alex Newhook, who shot the lights out all series, ended Buffalo's season on a knuckle ball from the left circle. The Sabres charged hard in game seven, rallying from two goals down and dominating puck possession. Jakub Dobes was too good in game seven, holding Montreal above water until they could find the winner. We run through the series and game seven, highlighting where the Sabres succeeded and where they fell short, while also looking back on a memorable season that reinvigorated the city and fanbase.