Justin Danforth is still working his way back into the rhythm of NHL hockey, but the Sabres are already seeing why Lindy Ruff values him.
The veteran forward, nearing the one-year mark since a season-ending injury, has appeared in Buffalo’s last three games and is starting to settle in after a long layoff. Danforth broke his kneecap on Oct. 15, 2025, when he blocked a shot, then spent months going through surgery and rehab before finally getting back on the ice.
“I feel good. I feel like I’m skating back to normal,” he told Sabres.com after Sunday’s practice at KeyBank Center.
“I still think there’s some chances out there that I’m leaving on the table right now, but my body feels good. I feel like I’m working hard and doing the right things.”
“… You always kind of take it for granted when you’re healthy, so when an injury like that happens, it puts you back in perspective where you can just appreciate every day. No matter if it’s down times or you’re feeling good or feeling bad, you just show up, do your job, enjoy the day.”
Through his first three games back, Danforth has averaged 10:05 of ice time and has quickly become a trusted option on the penalty kill. He’s also won 13 of 25 faceoffs, a 52 percent clip, and came close to adding to Buffalo’s attack Thursday against Dallas when he rang a crossbar in the third period.
“Danny’s penalty killing has been really good,” Ruff said. “If you look at the scoring chances in the (Dallas) game, he had more scoring chances than a lot of other guys.
I thought his puck battle, his tenacity, was excellent. I thought he skated really well.”
That energy fits a Sabres team still trying to rediscover its finishing touch. Buffalo has scored only once over its last two losses, and the message around the room has been clear: get more traffic to the crease and make life messier for opposing goalies. Tage Thompson spelled it out on Saturday when he called for some “ugly” goals, and Danforth sounded like a perfect match for that approach.
“Just creating greasy goals sometimes can get the offense firing,” said Danforth, who has skated on both the third and fourth lines.
His status for Monday’s game against Florida remains up in the air after he and Tyson Kozak split reps on the fourth line in practice.
Buffalo’s line juggling didn’t stop there. The Sabres also put their earlier top two lines back together: Thompson, Peyton Krebs and Josh Doan on the first unit, with Noah Östlund, Zach Benson and Jack Quinn on the second. The new combinations Ruff rolled out in the 4-1 loss to Utah didn’t deliver, so the coach is still searching for the right mix.
“It’s a crazy league because it’s ‘win now.’ You look at the Mammoth, they came in and they shuffled all their lines before the game, too,” Ruff said. “… We had the luxury last year where there was a good period of time lines stayed pretty consistent, but that isn’t the normal.”
In goal, Colten Ellis skated alone at one end of the rink, a strong sign he’ll get the nod against the Panthers. The second-year goalie has started two of Buffalo’s last three games and is 1-1-0 with an .880 save percentage, allowing six goals on 50 shots.
With Monday kicking off a back-to-back, either Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen or Alex Lyon could get the call Tuesday in Montreal. Lyon is on injured reserve but has been practicing.
Ruff also addressed two young forwards who watched Saturday’s game from the press box. Jiri Kulich and Konsta Helenius were both healthy scratches, with the coach saying he wanted more compete from each of them. He also laid out how Buffalo handles those conversations with younger players.
“We have the coaches let them know that they’re not going to be in, the reason they’re not going to be in. But then have the coaches go through the game (footage), ‘This is the area we need you to be better.’ I believe in both those players, but there’s a process of getting in there and being consistent, staying consistent from night to night.”
Practice rushes pointed to both players being back in the lineup Monday, likely alongside either Josh Norris or Ryan McLeod.
In Other News...
Sabres Just Added A New Concern To Their Blue Line Depth
The Sabres quietly shuffled their blue line depth on Sunday, striking a trade with the Penguins that sends Ryan Johnson to Pittsburgh and brings Caleb Jones and Daniel Laatsch into Buffalos organization. All three defensemen are currently assigned to minor league teams, so this is more of an organizational move than a move that changes the NHL roster right away, but it does mark the end of Johnsons time with the Sabres.
Even so, it lands in a part of the roster that has become worth watching. Buffalo has been managing its defense group carefully, and any move that thins out one option while adding two new names naturally draws attention in the system. Jones and Laatsch give the Sabres fresh depth to work with, but the timing adds another layer to a blue line picture that already needed close monitoring. [Read more 🡒]
Panthers-Sabres Took A Sudden Turn When Dahlin Left
The Sabres' afternoon against Florida took an abrupt turn when captain Rasmus Dahlin was forced out with an upper-body injury, a tough break for a blue line that has leaned heavily on him since opening night. Dahlin had started this season with three points in four games, and he came into it fresh off a standout campaign in which he helped push Buffalo back toward the playoffs and finished third in Norris Trophy voting.
For a team sitting at 2-3-0 and seventh in the Atlantic Division, losing its top defenseman in the middle of a game is the kind of development that can ripple well beyond one result. Buffalo did not have much margin for error already, and Dahlin's absence leaves another question hanging over a roster still trying to find its footing early in the season. [Read more 🡒]
Sabres Just Reshaped Their Blue-Line Depth In A Telling Way
Ryan Johnsons path in the organization took another turn when the Sabres dealt the 2019 first-round pick to Pittsburgh, bringing back defensemen Caleb Jones and Daniel Laatsch in a move that speaks to the state of Buffalos blue-line depth. Johnson had recently cleared waivers and was skating with the Rochester Americans, so the swap effectively moved on from a once-promising prospect who had slipped out of the immediate NHL picture.
Jones gives Buffalo a more established option, with NHL time already on his resume, while Laatsch adds another layer of organizational depth after spending most of last season in the ECHL. For the Sabres, it is the kind of transaction that quietly reshapes the back end from the margins, even if the bigger question is how quickly either newcomer can press for a role in a crowded defensive mix. [Read more 🡒]