From 1989 to present…
Most fans can name Alexander Mogilny who came to Buffalo in 1989 and Ilya Lyubushkin from last season as Russians that have and do play for the Sabres, but how many overall have come from Russia to represent Buffalo in the NHL?
Mr. Mogilny was the first to play for Buffalo and including the three on last season’s roster, there have been a total of 21 USSR/Russian Federation players over the past 30 NHL seasons that have played or are currently with the Sabres.
“Magic” as he was known on his USSR Red Army team Mr. Mogilny was all that and more for Buffalo, the only Sabres player to score 70 or more goals in a season and his journey to the United States of America was exciting and dangerous.
A Lieutenant in the Soviet Red Army Mr. Mogilny was not just under contract to play in Russia he was a commissioned officer in the Union Soviet Socialist Republic, although he played Hockey and did not see combat his “defection” made him a deserter carrying severe consequences.
With the German people pulling down the Berlin Wall in 1989 and Glasnost taking hold the danger of the Soviets was still real to Mr. Mogilny and his family but politically the belligerency was waning to the point where his family was left alone and eventually the USSR dissolved.
Unheralded and undrafted after five seasons in the KHL the Arizona Coyotes took a chance on Ilya Lyubushkin the Lokomotiv defenseman but after nearly five years traded him to the Maple Leafs who used him for 31 games in 2021-22 before the Sabres made an offer to steep for Toronto to counter.
Mr. Lyubushkin is not here to be another scoring defenseman (1 even strength and 1 SHG last season) his role is more physical as a traditional defenseman who averaged 15 minutes of ice time while dishing out 99 hits and blocking 104 shots in just 68 games played last season.
Mr. Mogilny was the first Sabres Russian player and Mr. Lyubushkin is the most recent here are the other 19 players for Buffalo in chronological order.
1989-90
Alexander Mogilny RW b. 1969 Khaborovsk, USSR
1992-93
Viktor Gordiouk LW b. 1970 Odintsovo, USSR
Yuri Khmylev LW b. 1964 Moscow, USSR
1993-94
Sergei Petrenko LW b. 1968 Kharkov, USSR
Denis Tsygurov D b. 1971 Chelyabinsk, USSR
1994-95
Alexei Zhitnik D b. 1972 Kiev, USSR
1995-96
Andrei Trefilov G b. 1969 Kirovo-Chepetsk, USSR
1996-97
Anatoli Semenov C/LW b. 1962 Moscow USSR
1999-00
Maxim Afinogenov RW b. 1979 Moscow, USSR
Dmitri Kalinin D b. 1980 Chelyabinsk, USSR
Vladimir Tsyplakov LW b. 1969 Inta, USSR (a town next to the former Corrective Labor Camp, Intagulag)
2000-01
Peteris Skudra G b. 1973 Riga, USSR
2001-02
Vyacheslav Kozlov LW b. 1972 Voskresensk, USSR
2006-07
Dainius Zubrus RW/C b. 1978 Elektrenai, USSR
2012-13
Mikhail Grigorenko C b. 1994 Khabarovsk, Russian Federation
2013-14
Nikita Zadorov D b. 1995 Moscow, Russian Federation
2014-15
Andrey Makarov G b. 1993 Kazan, Russian Federation
2016-17
Dmitry Kulikov D b. 1990 Lipetsk, USSR
2022-23
Ilya Lyubushkin D b. 1994 Moscow, Russian Federation
Nikita Novikov D b. 2003 Moscow, Russian Federation
Vsevolod Komarov D b. 2004 Chelyabinsk, Russian Federation
The last two Russian players listed were drafted in 2021 and 2022 and are not currently called up from the Quebec Remparts (Komarov) and from the Dynamo Moscow (Novikov) to date.
Buffalo Winter 
Because of his physicality, I was somewhat disappointed when Toronto traded Ilya Lyubushkin away.
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