Justin Danforth’s path to a Sabres roster spot is getting crowded fast, and the first preseason game offered a clear snapshot of why.
Buffalo opened exhibition play Monday night with a 4-1 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins, the kind of game that exists less for the scoreboard and more for the roster battle unfolding inside it. For Danforth, that battle is personal. He played only four games last season before a knee injury derailed things, and now he’s trying to turn a frustrating stretch into a fresh start.
He is entering the final season of a two-year deal with the Sabres and is slated to become an unrestricted free agent next summer. After the injury, he has been grinding to get back, but the work is only beginning when it comes to earning a place on the team.
The role he’s chasing is a familiar one: a fourth-line spot, or possibly a reserve forward job for 2026-27. But the lane is narrow.
Beck Malenstyn and Sam Carrick are both in the mix for the same kind of job, and both gave Buffalo something in that role last season. Malenstyn brings elite speed.
Carrick helps in the faceoff circle. Danforth has flashed in training camp, but he still has to separate himself.
Carrick also has a notch Danforth doesn’t: playoff experience. He played for the Edmonton Oilers in the 2024 postseason, which gives him another layer of value on a roster built around a young starting core that still needs veterans around it.
Against Pittsburgh, Danforth did his part to show Lindy Ruff and the staff what he can offer now that he’s back. He skated over 17 minutes, took two shots, and finished with two hits and two faceoff wins. More than anything, he showed the speed Buffalo signed him for in the first place.
That speed is going to matter in the fight with Malenstyn, and the performance also underscored how much Danforth has already had to recover since landing on injured reserve last season.
Buffalo still has three preseason games left, and camp is far from settled. If Danforth keeps stacking shifts like the one he had Monday, he can make this a real conversation. The issue is simple: someone else has to come out of the lineup for him to get in.
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