With all the Bills mania going on in Buffalo, it's easy to forget that there is another professional sports team in the region.

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The Sabres haven't played a game since the second week of March. Then the pandemic hit and it's been a very long offseason for the blue and gold. That's not to say they haven't been completely out of the news since then. The Sabres made the biggest free-agent signing in the NHL with star forward Taylor Hall, and they introduced the reverse retro jerseys, which will be used as the team's alternate uniform.

But there does seem to be signs that both the NHL and NHLPA are closing in on an agreement for the upcoming season's start date and according to Greg Wyshynski of ESPN, an NHL team executive close to the talks says the season will start January 13. It would be a 56-game schedule.

Obviously, there's no confirmation yet but considering the league was talking about a January start date previously, it's a safe bet the beginning of the season will be around that January 13 date. Wyshynski is a reliable NHL reporter. Wyshynski says he's more confident in the 56-game schedule than the January 13 start date.

I can't believe the Sabres will go roughly 10 months without playing a regular-season game.

The chances of fans in Key Bank Center are low, which is no surprise since no fans are currently allowed at Bills Stadium and we're already in December.

Buffalo Sabres Goalie Masks

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