The Buffalo Sabres may be staring at an early-season shuffle on defense, and Lindy Ruff already dropped a hint about the most likely fix.
Mattias Samuelsson’s lower-body injury is being treated as week-to-week, which puts his status for the start of the regular season in real doubt. That leaves Buffalo with a key question one week out from opening night: who steps onto the top pair alongside Rasmus Dahlin?
Ruff didn’t lock in a replacement, but he did point to the names that are in the mix. Owen Power is the most obvious option, and on paper it would give the Sabres a strong first pair. Ruff acknowledged the history between those two, but also made it clear he isn’t eager to stack his blue line with too many same-handed pairs.
"I know there is a history of Power and Dahlin having played together but that means two lefties and that's going to put two righties together, which I am not really a huge fan of," Ruff said.
That opens the door for Louis Crevier, who earned praise from his coach after the Sabres’ game against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Ruff called Crevier’s performance "very encouraging," and the numbers backed up the heavy workload he absorbed once Samuelsson and Olen Zellweger both left in the second period.
Crevier finished with more than 20 minutes of ice time, a plus-minus of +2, four shots on goal and one blocked shot.
The encouraging part for Buffalo is that Zellweger is already feeling better after suffering a concussion, according to Ruff. If Zellweger is ready in time for the start of the season, the Sabres could manage the short-term loss of Samuelsson more smoothly.
In that setup, Crevier could skate with Dahlin on the top pair, while Power and Zellweger form the second unit. Connor Timmins and Zach Metsa would then make up the third pair.
Buffalo is dealing with a tricky situation after losing two defensemen in the same game, but the Sabres do appear to have options to cover for the absence, especially if Zellweger returns before the regular season begins.
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