The Buffalo Sabres are heading into their preseason opener with far more clarity than chaos.
Buffalo will practice at KeyBank Center early Monday morning before traveling to Pittsburgh for a night matchup with the Penguins at PPG Paints Arena, and the exhibition roster should look a lot like one of the groups used in Saturday’s Blue and Gold scrimmage. With only four preseason games on the schedule, the Sabres - like plenty of NHL teams - seem more interested in building chemistry with players they already expect to keep than sorting through a crowded competition for the last few spots.
That approach is made a little trickier by the situation in goal. Carrying Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, Alex Lyon and Colten Ellis means Buffalo will have one fewer spot available for a skater, which could squeeze the roster elsewhere. The most likely place to trim is on defense, where head coach Lindy Ruff may go with seven blueliners: Rasmus Dahlin, Mattias Samuelsson, Owen Power, Olin Zellweger, Louis Crevier, Conor Timmins and Zach Metsa.
The younger defensemen are in a different lane entirely. Radim Mrtka, the 2025 first-round pick, is waiver exempt and is expected to start the season in Rochester. Veterans such as former first-rounder Ryan Johnson and Buffalo native Dennis Gilbert would need to clear waivers if the Sabres want to assign them to the AHL Amerks.
Up front, Jason Zucker’s sports hernia injury likely pushes the veteran winger onto injured reserve to open the season. The one real question seems to be Jiri Kulich, who hasn’t played an NHL game in 10 months.
At 22, he is also waiver exempt and could be sent to Rochester to get back up to speed after the layoff. But his placement on the fourth line suggests Ruff may instead ease him in with reduced minutes alongside Sam Carrick and Beck Malenstyn.
If Buffalo does choose the Rochester route for Kulich, that could open the door for Tyson Kozak or veteran Conor Sheary to stick as the 13th forward. In that scenario, Kulich would be left to wait for more top-line chances later on, while the Sabres move forward with a roster that already looks close to settled.
In Other News...
Sabres Hit Serious Hellebuyck Trade Roadblock Over One Roster Concern
A potential Connor Hellebuyck deal was one of the more intriguing offseason ideas hanging around Buffalo, but it never got past the kind of medical due diligence that can stop a trade in its tracks. The holdup centered on a Sabres center, with concern over his health making Winnipeg pause before moving forward on a package that would have sent the reigning elite goalie to Buffalo.
For the Sabres, it is another reminder that big-game swings often come down to the small print as much as the talent involved. The path to Hellebuyck is not gone entirely, but the original offseason framework is no longer sitting there waiting to be revived, so any fresh conversation would have to be built around a very different kind of deal. [Read more 🡒]
Sabres Face Two New Obstacles In Connor Hellebuyck Pursuit
Connor Hellebuycks situation in Winnipeg has taken another sharp turn, and it has put the Sabres back in the middle of a goalie market that could reshape the league. The Vezina and Hart Trophy winner has been suspended by the Jets after requesting a trade and failing to report to training camp, while interest has been reported from several clubs, including Buffalo, Florida, Utah and Carolina. The sticking point, as it has been for a while, is value: Winnipeg has not gotten an offer it believes matches what it is moving.
For Buffalo, the challenge is not just whether it wants to push harder, but how far it is willing to go in a deal built around picks and no-trade protection. Trade talks have reportedly centered on draft capital and player movement, yet no agreement has emerged, which keeps the Sabres in the conversation without any clear path to the finish line. It leaves them watching a market that is active enough to matter and complicated enough to drag on, with the price tag still unresolved. [Read more 🡒]
Owen Power's Next Partner Could Shape Buffalo's Blue Line Plan
Olen Zellweger has already spent time in Sabres training camp and even got a look in an intra-squad scrimmage, with most of that work coming beside Owen Power. With Bowen Byram out of the picture, Buffalo is still sorting through how the rest of its blue line should settle in, and the early auditions suggest the coaching staff is giving a real look to a young defenseman who can move the puck and keep pace with a top-pair caliber partner.
Lindy Ruff has said the pairings are still open, with Zellweger, Louis Crevier and Conor Timmins all in the mix as Buffalo tries to sort out the second and third pairs. The top duo is expected to be Rasmus Dahlin and Mattias Samuelsson, which only increases the importance of getting the next two pairs right, especially if Powers next partner ends up helping define the teams balance on the back end. [Read more 🡒]