BUFFALO, N.Y. – When trades roll in, players go to their phones just like the fans – albeit with a much different contacts list.



“Oh, yeah,” Sabres right wing Jason Pominville said. “Texting each other, then texting and reaching out to the new guys, trying to accommodate and help them in any way you can. It creates a little bit of excitement as players.”



The guys in Buffalo have messaged often during the past five years. The Sabres embarked on their rebuild in March 2013, and they’ve made 43 trades since then. The moves are finally paying off (with help from the NHL Draft, of course).



Jeff Skinner is one of the most lethal scorers in the league. Pominville is playing a key role along with Conor Sheary, Marco Scandella and Vladimir Sobotka.



“How can you not be excited about that?” Pominville said. “Things needed to change, and new faces helped that.”



As the Sabres take a...