The Buffalo Sabres are already at a point in the season where the lineup feels unsettled, and that pressure is only going to grow as injured players start edging back toward action. After Wednesday night’s loss to the Ottawa Senators, the margin for error got even thinner.
Buffalo held a 1-0 lead with about 10 minutes left and had played well enough through the first two periods, but Ottawa scored twice and walked away with the win. It was the kind of result that left Lindy Ruff sounding frustrated, and it also set the stage for some hard decisions once Jiri Kulich, Conor Timmins and Alex Lyon are ready to return.
That means a few current regulars may be playing for their spots right now, and Josh Norris is at the top of that list.
Norris has been one of the Sabres’ biggest disappointments through 15 games. He has only two goals and one assist, and he hasn’t recorded a point in his last six games.
The problem goes beyond the box score, too. He’s not generating much offense at all, with just 16 shots on the season and only one over his last three games.
At 5-on-5, the Sabres have been outscored 10-5 with him on the ice, according to Natural Stat Trick.
This is Norris’ third season in Buffalo, and the fit still doesn’t look right. The bigger issue for the Sabres is that his contract is a heavy one, with three years left after this season at an AAV of $7.95 million.
Even if general manager Jarmo Kekalainen can’t move him, Buffalo can’t keep running him out there if the production stays this flat. Once Kulich is ready, Norris looks like the most likely player to come out.
Ryan McLeod is in a similar spot, though for different reasons. He has just three points in 15 games and only one in his last nine.
His shooting percentage sits at 7.7%, which is well below the 17.5% mark he has posted with the Sabres. That kind of drop matters, especially for a player who has been a key part of Buffalo’s penalty kill.
The penalty kill itself has taken a step backward, and McLeod’s numbers reflect that. Last season, he posted 2.7 goals above expected on the penalty kill, but this year he is at -0.1, according to MoneyPuck.
After back-to-back seasons with at least 50 points, the Sabres need more from him. If that doesn’t come soon, he could be another forward in danger of losing his place.
The blue line picture is about to get crowded, too. Conor Timmins was available Wednesday against Ottawa after dealing with a preseason injury, but he did not get into the lineup. It would be a surprise if he isn’t in against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
That leaves Buffalo trying to sort through Louis Crevier and Zach Metsa to determine who should stay paired with Timmins. Crevier has one assist and a minus-4 rating while averaging almost 13 minutes per game, but his underlying numbers have also been rough - he owns the second-worst CF% among Sabres players over the last five games at 41.54. Metsa hasn’t separated himself much either, sitting at 43.10, according to Natural Stat Trick.
The Sabres are likely to give both players a look next to Timmins, and the better pairing should be the one that sticks.
In Other News...
Lindy Ruff Just Put A Sabres Leader On Notice
The Sabres came out of a 2-1 loss to Ottawa with another reminder that the margins around this team are still razor thin. Colten Ellis did his part with 28 saves, but Buffalo could not do enough offensively to turn that into points, and the missed chances left the game hanging around long enough for one mistake to loom large.
Rasmus Dahlin was at the center of that late sequence, and Lindy Ruff did not sound eager to let it slide. The coach pointed to Dahlins tough in-game decisions as a problem, a notable bit of public pressure on one of Buffalos most important leaders as the Sabres try to clean up the details that keep costing them in close games. [Read more 🡒]
Sabres Suddenly Have A Chance At The Scorer They Need Most
Buffalos offensive issues have been hard to ignore this season, and that has naturally pushed the Sabres into the market as the trade deadline approaches. One name that stands out is Jason Robertson, the high-scoring Dallas winger whose future has become a question because of contract uncertainty. For a team looking to add finishing ability and a little more bite in the top six, he is the kind of player who would instantly change the conversation around the lineup.
Robertson is exactly the sort of scorer Buffalo has been missing, and the fit makes sense on paper if the Stars decide to listen before the deadline. Nothing has been announced, of course, and that is where the suspense lives for the Sabres: whether they can turn a need into a real opportunity, or whether a player of that caliber stays out of reach while Buffalo keeps searching for answers in its own end and around the net. [Read more 🡒]
Sabres Prospect Jake Richard Is Giving Buffalo A New NHL Question
Jake Richards first taste of pro hockey with the Rochester Americans has already given the Sabres something to think about. The 2024 prospect made an immediate impression in his AHL debut by scoring his first professional goal, and the early returns have only reinforced why Buffalo views him as one of its better forward prospects.
Richard has been praised by coaches for his hockey sense and work ethic, the kind of traits that tend to travel well as players climb the ladder. There are still parts of his game that need refining, but his start in Rochester has created a familiar kind of NHL question for Buffalo: how quickly does a young forward go from promising to impossible to ignore? [Read more 🡒]