The Sabres are about to get healthier, and that’s where the trouble starts.
Lindy Ruff offered a positive update Monday on Jason Zucker and Conor Timmins, saying both veterans could be back with the team for Tuesday’s morning skate. They still aren’t ready to jump into the lineup, but it marks real progress as Buffalo gets closer to having more of its regulars available.
Lindy Ruff said there's a chance Jason Zucker and Conor Timmins will join the Sabres for the morning skate tomorrow. They still will have a mix of team and rehab skates, but they're getting closer to skating with the team.
That’s the good news. The complication is what comes next.
If Zucker, Timmins, and eventually Alex Lyon are all moving toward returns, the Sabres will have to clear room, and their three healthy scratches from Saturday night - Justin Danforth, Tyson Kozak, and Matt Grzelcyk - are the most obvious names in the mix. Any move to send them to the minors would require them to pass through waivers first.
Each case comes with its own wrinkle. Kozak appeared in 46 games for Buffalo last season and six more in the postseason, finishing with two goals and five assists.
Danforth played only four games before a blocked shot early in October broke his kneecap, ending his season after two surgeries. Grzelcyk, meanwhile, spent last season with the Chicago Blackhawks, playing 69 games after appearing in 82 for the Pittsburgh Penguins the year before, and only joined Buffalo late after going unsigned through training camp.
Danforth was a key player for the Columbus Blue Jackets before he signed with the Sabres in the 2025 offseason, but he now has to show that the knee surgeries won’t limit him. Kozak is only 23, which makes him another player who could draw interest as a bottom-six option with room to grow.
Grzelcyk may be the safest bet to clear. He brings offensive value from the blue line, but the market didn’t move for him this summer, and it’s hard to see clubs lining up to claim him now.
Then comes the next puzzle: where does Zucker fit once he’s ready?
He put up 45 points in 62 games last season, so Buffalo isn’t going to park him in the press box. The challenge is finding the right spot for him in a forward group that already has some new combinations.
How the Sabres forwards are lining up at practice.
Norris-Thompson-Doan
Benson-Östlund-Quinn
Krebs-Kulich-Helenius
Malenstyn-McLeod-Carrick
The practice setup Monday morning suggested Zucker could eventually land on one of the left-wing spots in the bottom six. If that’s Peyton Krebs’ job, then Krebs could be the one who slides down to take either Beck Malenstyn’s or Sam Carrick’s place.
Carrick looked like the early favorite to hold onto his spot because of what he brings in the faceoff circle, but Malenstyn has been the stronger player so far. Carrick’s xGA at five-on-five is three goals worse than Malenstyn’s, and Malenstyn has also logged two minutes of shorthanded ice time compared with Carrick’s 22 seconds.
Buffalo has scored seven goals in its first two games, but it has also given up nine, and that defensive edge matters. For now, Malenstyn’s work in the bottom six has made him the better fit to stay in the lineup. Zucker’s return is still a little ways off, which gives Carrick time to make his case before the roster math gets even tighter.
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Buffalo heads next to face the Wild, who have opened with two straight wins, and the margin for error already looks slim. The bigger concern is in goal, where Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen had enough help to earn the win but not enough consistency to make anyone comfortable yet, leaving the Sabres with questions to sort out quickly if they want that first victory to turn into a real stretch of momentum. [Read more 🡒]