Hockey is back, not yet for professional play, but for training camp. After three months of rest, players will finally hit the ice for the first time as teams and management look to finalize their rosters for the upcoming season. This week, teams will unveil their training camp rosters, consisting of 60 or so players, which will be trimmed down to 23 for the season.
Related: Sabres’ Biggest Storylines Heading Into Training Camp
On Sep. 16, the Buffalo Sabres released the list of players who’ll be attending their camp for the next two weeks. The 61-man roster consists of 32 forwards, 21 defensemen, and eight goalies, all of whom are vying for a spot on the 23-man squad to be announced after training camp. The defense may already have the blueprint for construction with familiar and new faces forming the core, yet the offense will still have to figure out its structure with its star facing a change in position and injuries, plus contract talks on the horizon. In the crease, the goalie tandem is still pretty much up in the air after management revealed that Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen will be missing the start of camp due to an injury, to which they responded by adding Alexandar Georgiev to a one-year insurance deal.
A Clear-Cut Defense
Out of all three units for the Sabres, the defense seems to have found its composition early on. After an abysmal season on the blue line, allowing 287 goals, which tied for the third most in the league, the organization made some changes to rebuild this unit. Buffalo acquired Michael Kesselring and Conor Timmins through trades and brought back restricted free agent Bowen Byram on a two-year deal, revitalizing the defense’s structure, which looks formidable on paper.
Byram is the clear-cut partner for Rasmus Dahlin on the top pair after the two proved their 1-2 combo works for the Sabres’ blue line. No pair, when on ice, outscored its opponents more than this duo, with Buffalo outscoring its opponents, 35-15. Moreover, this duo stifled 54 percent of the shot attempts, 57 percent of shots on goal, and 52 percent of high-danger scoring chances, according to Natural Stat Trick.
Bowen Byram, Buffalo Sabres (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)
Sabres’ general manager (GM) Kevin Adams once hinted at the team’s search for a partner for left defenseman Owen Power that would fit his timeline. He said, “It would be great to get an All-Star right-shot defenseman that can be next to him for the next bunch of years.” Lo and behold, Kesselring fits into that criterion as a bruiser on the blue line with an imposing physical stature. Last season, he ranked second among the Utah Hockey Club’s defensemen in hits with 87. His physicality on the boards will benefit Power’s offensive rush. Furthermore, his lethal two-way game will also translate well into his second-pair duties with Power, as he tallied 29 points (seven goals and 22 assists) last season.
The simple yet precise defensive style of Timmins is what attracted management to trading for him. In an interview, Adams affirmed this statement, stating, “Where we felt Timmins made our team better is maybe just a little bit cleaner in terms of just the way he plays – the puck touches and the way he plays the game.” Timmins averaged more ice time for the Pittsburgh Penguins than he did for the much deeper Toronto Maple Leafs defense and achieved success while doing so. His fit in that bigger role is what Buffalo hopes he can do for them this season.
Thompson Goes Back to Center; Contract Talks & Injuries
The most significant change the Sabres’ offense will see this training camp is moving alternate captain Tage Thompson back to his original position of center. The two-time 40-goal scorer saw most of his success at center. The necessity to shift positions came last season after battling injuries, which eased him from defensive duties. This change opened a door of possibilities for the composition of this new-look offense.
One of these possibilities is promoting Alex Tuch to the top line alongside Thompson. As he is set to become an unrestricted free agent next summer, much of the talk surrounding training camp also focuses on his contract extension, although Adams’ comments de-escalated the tension in the room. In his address to the media, he commented, “The good news is that he’s said the exact same thing about being here. He wants to be here. He’s made it clear to me and to us.”
Tuch is currently dealing with an undisclosed injury and is set to return in the next couple of days. In an interview, he said, “It was just a minor little thing that kind of snuck up on me right before camp, and I think we just wanted to make sure I didn’t jump back too soon. Should be skating with the team in the next couple of days. Progressing really nicely, and nothing that I’m concerned about.”
On the left side of the first line, Zach Benson is set to compete with Jason Zucker for the starting spot. Despite modest production from Benson over his two-year career, he is expected to ramp up his production as he could be looking at a top-six role this season. Meanwhile, Jordan Greenway underwent surgery in July as part of his recovery from an injury that saw him play only 34 games last season. He is set to practice around the start of the regular season, as per Adams.
The Crease Is Up for Grabs
Luukkonen saw a decline from his 2023-24 numbers last season. The Finnish netminder finished with a 3.20 goals-against average (GAA) and an .887 save percentage (SV%). Despite his struggles, coach Lindy Ruff came to the defense of his starter, saying, “I believe in UPL. Until I get the team to clean up some of the poor puck play, it’s going to be hard on any goalie.” The silver lining of this situation is that the 26-year-old has proved capable of competently anchoring the crease. In the 2023-24 season, he recorded a 2.57 GAA and a .910 SV%. If Luukkonen regains his form, then much could be said about the management’s decision to secure him to a long-term deal. For now, he is set to miss the start of training camp due to a lower-body injury, which he sustained during offseason training.
With Luukkonen’s injury, management decided to add Georgiev to the goaltender rotation on a one-year deal. Alex Lyon seems to be the backup for Luukkonen, while Devon Levi could be looking at a promotion from the American Hockey League (AHL), where he excelled last season. This begs a question for Georgiev’s spot on this team, to which Adams suggested that this move is to “provide internal competition.”
The start of a new season is on the horizon, as the Sabres once again hit the ice for training camp. New faces and familiar ones are set to anchor the blue line, while the offense is set for a revamp as a franchise cornerstone looks to go back to his original position. Meanwhile, the action in the crease is set to unfold with additions and call-ups looking to make their mark.
