Sabres Just Created An Awkward Opening Night Roster Question

Two NHL veterans find their futures uncertain as Conor Sheary and Vincent Iorio hit the waiver wire ahead of the 2026-27 season.

The NHL’s waiver wire was light on Tuesday, with just two names landing there as all 32 teams continue getting ready for the 2026-27 regular season.

The Buffalo Sabres put veteran forward Conor Sheary on waivers, while the New York Rangers did the same with defenseman Vincent Iorio. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman posted the full list on Twitter, and it was notably shorter than the wave of names that came through before Monday’s deadline for teams to set their Opening Day rosters.

Sheary, 34, is back in Buffalo after signing a one-year, $850,000 deal on July 1. That move brought him back to the club he played for from 2018 to 2020. Last season, the 5’8″ winger skated in 62 games with the Rangers and finished with seven goals and 18 points.

Over 11 NHL seasons, Sheary has worn the uniforms of the Pittsburgh Penguins, Washington Capitals, Tampa Bay Lightning, Rangers, and Sabres. In 655 regular-season games, he has 131 goals and 285 points. He has also produced seven goals and 23 points in 72 playoff appearances, with his biggest postseason success coming during Pittsburgh’s Stanley Cup runs in 2016 and 2017.

Iorio is 23 and still early in his pro career. The 6’4″ right-shot defenseman split the 2025-26 season between the Rangers and San Jose Sharks organizations, appearing in 27 NHL games and recording three assists.

The Capitals selected Iorio in the second round, 55th overall, in the 2021 NHL Draft. He played junior hockey with the WHL’s Brandon Wheat Kings and turned pro with the AHL’s Hershey Bears in 2022.

In parts of four AHL seasons with Hershey and the San Jose Barracuda, the Coquitlam, B.C. product has played 196 games and posted 11 goals and 63 points. He has also chipped in seven points in 31 playoff games, helping Hershey win the Calder Cup in 2023 and 2024.

In Other News...

Sabres Just Got More Pressure In The Connor Hellebuyck Chase

The goalie market has taken another turn, and it puts more pressure on Buffalos pursuit of Connor Hellebuyck. Elliotte Friedman reported that Carolina has emerged as the most motivated team to land the Winnipeg netminder, a shift that matters because the Sabres were previously viewed as the club closest to getting something done. For Buffalo, the timing is awkward, with the team still carrying a three-goalie rotation while the rest of the league keeps monitoring a situation that has only grown more complicated.

Hellebuyck remains suspended by the Jets after failing to report for training camp, and the Sabres have yet to turn their interest into a trade. Anaheim, Utah and Florida have also been connected to the goalie this offseason, which only adds to the competition in a market where Buffalo cant afford to let urgency slip away. If the Sabres are still serious about making a move, they may now have to contend with a team that has suddenly pushed itself to the front of the line. [Read more 🡒]

Sabres Blue Line Faces Early Pressure With A Huge Opportunity Ahead

The Sabres are heading into the season with a very different look on the blue line, and it puts a lot more attention on the players who remain. Rasmus Dahlin sits at the center of it all as a potential Norris Trophy candidate, while Owen Power is being counted on to keep growing offensively and help drive the group from the back end.

There is also a real opening for the defense to become more productive in other ways, especially if Olen Zellweger can turn more chances into goals. With the lineup already thinned by change and injury, Buffalo does not have much margin for a slow start, which is why this unit feels like one of the more fascinating parts of the season to watch even before the first points are on the board. [Read more 🡒]

Sabres Suddenly Have Playoff Buzz Despite Some Real Opening Night Doubts

Buffalos offseason brought real turnover, with Alex Tuch and Bowen Byram gone and a few questions still hanging over the roster, but the early league conversation has been far more optimistic than many around the team might have expected. Preseason chatter has the Sabres being viewed as a playoff team by a large share of analysts, and there is even a sense among some voters that this group could be dangerous if the new mix comes together quickly.

Rasmus Dahlin and Tage Thompson remain the obvious anchors for a team trying to turn potential into something sturdier, yet the opening-night picture is not exactly clean. Jason Zucker, Mattias Samuelsson, Conor Timmins, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and Alex Lyon are all carrying injury-related uncertainty, which leaves Buffalo balancing buzz with a little uncertainty right from the start. [Read more 🡒]