Sabres, Bills pursue outdoor NHL game at new Highmark Stadium, 2029 or 2030 NFL draft
The Sabres and Bills hope to host an NHL outdoor game, and either the 2029 or 2030 NFL draft.
An outdoor NHL game could be on the horizon for the new Highmark Stadium.
The Sabres and KeyBank announced a 10-year extension for naming rights to KeyBank Center, and Pete Guelli, the Sabres and Bills’ chief operating officer, said Wednesday that the Bills and Sabres have discussed the possibility of the Bills’ future home stadium hosting an outdoor NHL game, whether it’s the Winter Classic or a game in the NHL’s Stadium Series.
“We told them ‘We want it. We’d love to have it here,’ ” Guelli said. “Right now, we’re in the process of kind of looking at the dates that might make the most sense for that.”
Nothing is set in stone, and the NHL has yet to announce the dates or pairings for the Winter Classic or Stadium Series for the 2026-27 season.
Sidney Crosby beats Ryan Miller for the shootout winner in the inaugural Winter Classic.
Buffalo News file photo
But there is one possible date Buffalo could entertain: Jan. 1, 2028, the 20th anniversary of the first Winter Classic, held at what was then Ralph Wilson Stadium between the Sabres and Pittsburgh Penguins.
“They would love to have it here,” Guelli said. “(The 2008 Winter Classic) was a big success. It will be fun to, maybe, memorialize that event with another one here in this market, and to do it at the new stadium. I think it’s the perfect venue.”
The NHL will have two outdoor games this season: The Winter Classic on Jan. 2, 2026, at loanDepot Park in Miami between the Florida Panthers and New York Rangers, and the Stadium Series on Feb. 1 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla., between the Tampa Bay Lightning and Boston Bruins.
The Sabres also played in the Winter Classic against the New York Rangers at Citi Field in January 2018 in New York and played in the Heritage Classic against Toronto in March 2022 in Hamilton, Ont.
The current stadium in Orchard Park hosted an outdoor game in December 2017 between the United States and Canada in the IIHF World Junior Championships – the first outdoor game in the tournament’s history.
Buffalo also targets a marquee NFL event. Guelli confirmed that the Bills continue to pursue the NFL draft, and the most likely years for that would be 2029 and 2030.
“If that worked out,” Guelli said.
The Bills in 2024 announced their intention to bid for a future NFL draft, with the original target of 2028. Guelli told The Buffalo News in April that the initial focus of hosting the NFL draft likely would be in 2029 at the new Highmark Stadium, which is scheduled to open in the summer of 2026.
Pittsburgh will host the 2026 NFL draft, and the National Mall in Washington, D.C., will host the 2027 draft.
The 2028, 2029 and 2030 NFL draft locations have not yet been announced.
From left, Sabres Chief Operating Officer Pete Guelli, Buffalo Sabres owner Terry Pegula, KeyCorp Chairman and CEO Chris Gorman, Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz, Buffalo Market President Mike McMahon and Buffalo Mayor Christopher Scanlon stand on stage Wednesday after announcing that KeyBank has signed a 10-year extension to keep the naming rights to KeyBank Center.
Sophia Buonpane, Buffalo News
Sabres season tickets
Guelli said season ticket sales for the Sabres have “been pretty consistent” and have hovered “around 9,000, or somewhere in that neighborhood.” It’s about 3,000 short of the maximum sweet spot Guelli targets for a building with KeyBank Center’s capacity of 19,070: north of 10,000 season tickets sold, and topping out in the 12,000 range.“But there’s all kinds of group sales opportunities, individual game sales opportunities, options and types of tickets that people can buy,” Guelli said. “It’s not just about season tickets, it’s about putting plans together to get as many people here on a nightly basis.”
Season ticket prices for 2025-26 range from $6,820 for a rinkside seat to $1,014 per ticket for a seat in the rafters at KeyBank Center.
The Sabres averaged just below 16,000 fans a game at KeyBank Center in 2024-25, and still have to make a sell in the midst of a 14-year playoff drought.
Guelli offered one.
“It’s the experience,” Guelli said. “When you walk in here, it’s a hockey barn, and it’s a great place to see a game. We’ve got a young and talented team. We love the way they played at the end of the season. Lindy (Ruff) is back for his second year (as head coach) and he’s had a chance to put his stamp on the team. There’s a lot of reasons to be excited about the season.”
Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz offered a few reasons, with a caveat.
“I can’t do anything about the on-ice product,” said Poloncarz, who is not a Sabres season-ticket holder but attends games. “This is a team that can score goals, they’ve just got to stop the goals from going in the net. If they get good goaltending this year, I feel really good about them having a strong season, and if they do, people will come back. There’s no doubt about it. People will come back to the games that are disappointed because of what’s happened over the last, more than a decade.
“This is a strong hockey market. We know that. People will come back to the game with a good on-ice product.”
Guelli also said the Sabres plan to launch a number of new ticket sales plans for the Sabres in advance of the season.
“If people want some optionality and want to come in for fewer games, to kind of see where things go, great,” Guelli said. “If they want to come on an individual-game basis, we’ll welcome them there as well.”
Bills and Sabres owner Terry Pegula, left, and COO Pete Guelli are looking to host an outdoor NHL game at the new Highmark Stadium.
Harry Scull Jr., Buffalo News
NHL draft’s future
The NHL’s move to a decentralized draft was largely panned by the public, but Guelli said the Sabres liked the model, to have everyone from one team sequestered during the two-day process, rather than in one arena with 31 other NHL team operations staffs. Guelli had a seat at the table in June when the Bills’ training facility in Orchard Park hosted the Sabres’ NHL draft operations.“I wouldn’t be surprised if it continued,” Guelli said.
The Athletic reported earlier this month that a majority of NHL clubs have voted in favor of a decentralized format for the 2026 NHL draft.
Guelli said the NHL polled the Sabres for thoughts on the draft.
“It’s something that we would sign up for again,” he said.