The Buffalo Sabres have dealt with injuries since the start of training camp this season. They have over 100 man games missed so far this season, and we’re just 19 games into the 2025-26 season. The names of players who have missed time are Zach Benson, Josh Norris, Jason Zucker, Jiri Kulich, Jordan Greenway, Justin Danforth, Tyson Kozak, Owen Power, Mattias Samuelsson, and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen. A long list of names that all have a sizeable role on the Sabres.
With the injuries they’ve been dealing with this season, players who usually wouldn’t have a bigger role will step into bigger roles and be expected to produce. Players will be called up from the American Hockey League (AHL) to fill in while the injured players recover.
Two players in particular have been called up from the AHL and have stepped into prominent roles on the NHL roster. Those two players are Isak Rosen and Noah Ostlund.
Both Rosen and Ostlund have been a great surprise for how well they’ve played for most of the NHL media, but if you’ve been following those two players in the AHL, you’ll know this is not a surprise to the Sabres media and fans.
Buffalo Sabres center Noah Ostlund celebrates his goal with teammates against the Edmonton Oilers (Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images)
Rosen has played in eight games and has recorded three goals and three assists so far, and has looked as good a player could have in a stint on the NHL roster. Being able to make players look confident with the puck and have a great shot that gets utilized in the offensive zone.
Ostlund has played in 11 games this season and has three goals and two assists so far. He’s looked incredible so far, including recording his first multi-goal game of his NHL career in a 5-1 win Monday night vs. the Edmonton Oilers. He’s had two separate stints with the team this season, from Oct. 22-28, where he recorded zero points. Then he got the call again on Nov. 4, and has points in four of his seven games since then.
With Norris and Zucker spotted at the team’s morning skate before their matchup on Monday against the Oilers, they are close to returning; we could see Zucker back in the lineup as early as this weekend, and Norris is ahead of schedule. Once they’re ready, the Sabres’ front office will have some tough roster decisions to make.
Rosen and Ostlund Deserve to Be Full-Time NHLers
Rosen and Ostlund have been nothing short of spectacular. They look fast, quick, confident, and the most crucial part is that they are not afraid to make mistakes. If either of them makes a mistake, they learn from it and move on to the next play, which is crucial for young players like them.
What also makes me believe they should stay is that Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff already trusts them in key situations. Both Rosen and Ostlund have a role on the first power-play unit. That will change when Zucker, Benson, and Norris are back in the lineup, but if the first power-play unit isn’t broken, why fix it? If the power play continues to be productive with Rosen and Ostlund on it, there’s no harm in putting Benson and Zucker on the second unit; or, if it’s not, move Jack Quinn off the first power-play unit, have Ostlund center it, and put Benson on the wing.
Related: Sabres Are a Product of Their Own Failures, Top to Bottom
Even if they get demoted in their power-play roles, they have still injected youth and energy into the Sabres’ lineup. Take a look at the game against Edmonton on Monday. Ostlund was placed on the fourth line, not because the team thinks he is a fourth-line player, but because he’s an excellent fit for the line —the line of Ostlund, Beck Malenstyn, and Josh Dunne combined for four points.
For a full 82-game season, Rosen would be on pace for 61 points, and Ostlund would be on pace for 38 points. For Ostlund, if you take into account only his last seven games, he would be on pace for 59 points. The point production that the Sabres have gotten from these two players has been nothing short of incredible, which is why they both deserve to be on the Sabres roster even when everyone is fully healthy.
Sabres Have Tough Roster Decisions Ahead
When everyone is fully healthy, the Sabres would have 29 players on the roster, which is way over the maximum capacity of 23 eligible players. This is not like the previous call-up stints with Rosen and Ostlund, which made it easy to send them back down once players got healthy. They’re producing, and there are current full-time NHLers who aren’t nearly producing like they are right now.
Buffalo Sabres right wing Isak Rosen celebrates a goal against the Utah Mammoth (Rob Gray-Imagn Images)
Greenway seems to have lost a step since returning from his injury. Peyton Krebs seems not to be much of a factor, although he did get into a fight in the game against the Oilers. However, I highly doubt either of them will go anywhere, as Greenway signed an extension last season, and Krebs re-signed for this season over the offseason.
How about any other players? Mason Geertsen and Zach Metsa will probably get sent down. That leaves us with 27/23 eligible players. This is where things get tough: both Ostlund and Rosen are waiver-exempt, which means they can be sent to the AHL without the worry of being claimed. Could the Sabres look at sending Kozak down? If that’s the case, now we’re at 26/23 players.
I would look at Danforth as a potential candidate to be sent down, even though he is waiver-eligible; Rosen, Ostlund, and Dunne have all contributed more in their time with the team. Again, it’s a tough decision because, from a productivity standpoint, I would try to offload Krebs and/or Greenway to make room for Ostlund and Rosen.
The Sabres are also carrying three goaltenders at the moment: Alex Lyon, Colten Ellis and Luukkonen. Lyon and Ellis have played exceptionally. According to MoneyPuck, Lyon, who was acquired in the offseason via free agency, has a goals saved above expected (GSAx) of 2.4, while Ellis has a GSAx of 1.9. Luukkonen, on the other hand, has a GSAx of negative-2.0. Is there a world where the Sabres offload Luukkonen and ride with Lyon and Ellis?
At the end of the day, Rosen and Ostlund’s production cannot go unnoticed. They deserve to be on the roster for the rest of the season and beyond because they give the team a better chance to win when they are on the ice than in the AHL.
