Your initial 2026-27 Buffalo Sabres

[pi2000]

team got worse

[shrader]

54 minutes ago, Taro T said:

Not counting guys on IR, 

14 F's

6 D

3 G's.

With so many guys on IR, they're $1.58MM below the cap currently.  Hopefully Sheary, Leinonen, and Rathbone heal up quickly to stop wasting cap space on AHLers that aren't likely to see any callups.

I forget. Did the way the banked space works change with the new rules?

[Taro T]

3 minutes ago, shrader said:

I forget. Did the way the banked space works change with the new rules?

They're on pace now to be able to get a ~$7MM player at the deadline IF nothing else changes on the roster from today.  So, they'll likely have somewhere between $5-$10MM in space at the deadline unless they either get really healthy or suffer many more injuries.

[Doohickie]

4 hours ago, Brawndo said:

 

Timmins, Zucker and Samuelsson on IR to start the year 

Timmins?  What happened to him?

[_Q_]

[Doohickie]

So I guess they'll line up something like this:

Forwards
19 Peyton Krebs - 72 Tage Thompson - 91 Josh Doan
71 Ryan McLeod - 9 Josh Norris - 94 Konsta Helenius
6 Zach Benson - 86 Noah Östlund - 22 Jack Quinn
20 Jiri Kulich - 10 Sam Carrick - 29 Beck Malenstyn
Extra:  15 Justin Danforth, 48 Tyson Kozak

Defense
26 Rasmus Dahlin - 46 Louis Crevier
25 Owen Power - 8 Olen Zellweger
73 Zach Metsa - 24 Matt Grzelcyk

Goalies
92 Colten Ellis
1 Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen
34 Alex Lyon 

Lindy's first line tinker will be to swap Krebs and Kulich if Kulich is good for the minutes.

[dudacek]

5 hours ago, Pimlach said:

what happened to Timmins?   

My initial look says that this opening roster less Tuch, Byram, Zucker, Timmons, Greenway and Kesselring looks to be less experienced and capable than the one that ended the season.  And that does not take into account the goaltending injuries.  

 

The Sabres went 39/9/5 with this as their usual forwards:

Krebs Thompson Tuch

Benson Norris Doan

Zucker McLeod Quinn

Malenstyn was a regular on the 4th line, Östlund played a bit there and about 30 games in the top 9 filling for Norris and Zucker injuries.

Kozak was the most frequent 12th forward, playing 26 of the 100 appearances by 8 forwards who weren’t any of the 11 above 

Mule Dahlin Power Byram played literally 75% of the available D minutes.

Metsa played 39 games at less than 12 minutes per. No one else played more than 25 games or reached 15 minutes per.

Greenway and Kesselring were bit players on the 109-point team. Timmons played 11 games after Dec 9.

My point is the Sabres lost two players that matter from the team that tore up the back half of the season: Tuch and Byram. And they have one injury that matters: Mule.

They are choosing to plug Zellweger and Crevier into the D holes, elevate Östlund up the depth chart, and lean on Grelzcyk, Carrick, Danforth, Helenius and Kulich for depth.

IMO, the depth choices are better, the top of the roster is worse without some glow-ups and none of that matters if the goaltending slips.

Which was also the case before training camp.

[sabrefanday1]

Time will tell but losing two key pieces without adding anyone to replace Tuch and everything he did on and off the ice is tough. Plus, the Laughs just got much better for bascally nothing (they clearly did not want Knies on their team and gave nothing else of any significance) while other teams also added to make their runs at playoffs. I expect NJ, both NY teams, Detroit and the Laughs all to improve from last year. Hell JJ will probably light it up in Boston. 

  Sucks living in Ontario and all one hears is all about the Laughs and how great there are. Friggin' NHL had to fix the lottery so they could draft first overall. That was far too predictable.

[Doohickie]

You're too pessimistic.  Toronto is still a train wreck defensively, Detroit is at loggerheads with their star forward, and the NYC area teams are no closer to figuring things out than the Sabres are (and they're in a different division anyway).

[Pimlach]

8 hours ago, dudacek said:

The Sabres went 39/9/5 with this as their usual forwards:

Krebs Thompson Tuch

Benson Norris Doan

Zucker McLeod Quinn

Malenstyn was a regular on the 4th line, Östlund played a bit there and about 30 games in the top 9 filling for Norris and Zucker injuries.

Kozak was the most frequent 12th forward, playing 26 of the 100 appearances by 8 forwards who weren’t any of the 11 above 

Mule Dahlin Power Byram played literally 75% of the available D minutes.

Metsa played 39 games at less than 12 minutes per. No one else played more than 25 games or reached 15 minutes per.

Greenway and Kesselring were bit players on the 109-point team. Timmons played 11 games after Dec 9.

My point is the Sabres lost two players that matter from the team that tore up the back half of the season: Tuch and Byram. And they have one injury that matters: Mule.

They are choosing to plug Zellweger and Crevier into the D holes, elevate Östlund up the depth chart, and lean on Grelzcyk, Carrick, Danforth, Helenius and Kulich for depth.

IMO, the depth choices are better, the top of the roster is worse without some glow-ups and none of that matters if the goaltending slips.

Which was also the case before training camp.

Timmons played 3rd pair in the playoffs.  Osty is the replacement for Tuch, might as well put him on the first line.  

Greenway came on in the end and Danforth is nothing special so far.   Carrick is not depth, he is 4C. 

The depth players you site, Helenius and Kulich,  are expected into top 6 and top 9 roles.   

[FrenchConnection44]

15 hours ago, Pimlach said:

what happened to Timmins?   

My initial look says that this opening roster less Tuch, Byram, Zucker, Timmons, Greenway and Kesselring looks to be less experienced and capable than the one that ended the season.  And that does not take into account the goaltending injuries.  

 

My question exactly on Timmins? 
 

When did this happen and how bad is it he has to go on IR? 🤦‍♂️

[LGR4GM]

2 hours ago, sabrefanday1 said:

Time will tell but losing two key pieces without adding anyone to replace Tuch and everything he did on and off the ice is tough. Plus, the Laughs just got much better for bascally nothing (they clearly did not want Knies on their team and gave nothing else of any significance) while other teams also added to make their runs at playoffs. I expect NJ, both NY teams, Detroit and the Laughs all to improve from last year. Hell JJ will probably light it up in Boston. 

  Sucks living in Ontario and all one hears is all about the Laughs and how great there are. Friggin' NHL had to fix the lottery so they could draft first overall. That was far too predictable.

Detroit? Like the Detroit Red Wings? A team without a gm, trying to trade their 70pt center, and who just removed their 2D's locker cuz they haven't signed him? That Detroit?

[JohnC]

1 hour ago, Pimlach said:

Timmons played 3rd pair in the playoffs.  Osty is the replacement for Tuch, might as well put him on the first line.  

Greenway came on in the end and Danforth is nothing special so far.   Carrick is not depth, he is 4C. 

The depth players you site, Helenius and Kulich,  are expected into top 6 and top 9 roles.   

You make a good observation about Greenway's elevated play at the end of the season. For the past couple of years, he had nagging injuries that hindered him. When fully healthy, he's a player whose physical presence and unadorned style of play gives value that can't always be quantified. His quiet toughness didn't garner much attention, but it kept the opposition from taking liberties. He's a type of un-sung player that will be missed. 

[That Aud Smell]

13 hours ago, SabresFan69420 said:

Tuch put up points but idk if I would say he was “very good” against Boston and he absolutely no showed against Montreal. 

95% of Tuch and players like him success is based on physical speed and once that’s gone the drip of is precipitous. We saw Tuch lose a step or two last year and that’s only going to accelerate. 

The thing I'd been saying about Tuch - sort of in jest but mostly serious - is that Alex Tuch was potentially incapable of replacing Alex Tuch in the Sabres' lineup for the 2026-2027 season.

There was nothing to be done about it. It's a loss of a very good NHL player from a Cup-contending team.

Onward.

8 minutes ago, JohnC said:

You make a good observation about Greenway's elevated play at the end of the season. For the past couple of years, he had nagging injuries that hindered him. When fully healthy, he's a player whose physical presence and unadorned style of play gives value that can't always be quantified. His quiet toughness didn't garner much attention, but it kept the opposition from taking liberties. He's a type of un-sung player that will be missed. 

Man, I just can't disagree more. I liked Greenway on the PK when healthy but was frustrated at times by his demonstrated aversion to punching an opponent's dance ticket or even laying a big check.

What game was it - a Lightning game, I presume - where Greenway was shown just jawing at opposing players who were running around like idiots, taking liberties.

The guy was all talk.

And listen, I don't even begrudge him for that. I got the sense that his temperament (he really didn't want to chuck nucks) was an ill fit for his massive size (he was expected to serve the role of a heavy).

[inkman]

12 hours ago, pi2000 said:

team got worse

I think we were prepared for the team to look different and have some needed progress from the youth. The injuries, Samuelsson in particular are concerning. 
 

His play was a large factor in stabilizing the D and unlocking the final plateau for Dahlin’s performance. Without Mattias, I’m concerned it’s elevated too many also Tran’s into prominent roles. 
 

Tie into that, that Zellweger and Timmons are dealing with injuries and suddenly this team’s defense is woefully thin. 

[inkman]

3 minutes ago, That Aud Smell said:

The thing I'd been saying about Tuch - sort of in jest but mostly serious - is that Alex Tuch was potentially incapable of replacing Alex Tuch in the Sabres' lineup for the 2026-2027 season.

There was nothing to be done about it. It's a loss of a very good NHL player from a Cup-contending team.

Onward.

Man, I just can't disagree more. I liked Greenway on the PK when healthy but was frustrated at times by his demonstrated aversion to punching an opponent's dance ticket or even laying a big check.

What game was it - a Lightning game, I presume - where Greenway was shown just jawing at opposing players who were running around like idiots, taking liberties.

The guy was all talk.

And listen, I don't even begrudge him for that. I got the sense that his temperament (he really didn't want to chuck nucks) was an ill fit for his massive size (he was expected to serve the role of a heavy).

I think the Greenway expectation was localized to fan expectations. I don’t think the coaching staff or management expected him to be Bob Probert. 

[JohnC]

2 minutes ago, That Aud Smell said:

 

Man, I just can't disagree more. I liked Greenway on the PK when healthy but was frustrated at times by his demonstrated aversion to punching an opponent's dance ticket or even laying a big check.

What game was it - a Lightning game, I presume - where Greenway was shown just jawing at opposing players who were running around like idiots, taking liberties.

The guy was all talk.

And listen, I don't even begrudge him for that. I got the sense that his temperament (he really didn't want to chuck nucks) was an ill fit for his massive size (he was expected to serve the role of a heavy).

For the most part, Greenway wasn't a fighter. There's a good reason for that: Most players weren't willing to engage with this big fellow. There's a big difference between being a fighter and being a tough player. He was a tough player that this roster could use more of. 

[Slack_in_MA]

2 minutes ago, inkman said:

Without Mattias, I’m concerned it’s elevated too many also Tran’s into prominent roles. 

Is that a hockey term? 😂 

[Taro T]

2 minutes ago, inkman said:

I think we were prepared for the team to look different and have some needed progress from the youth. The injuries, Samuelsson in particular are concerning. 
 

His play was a large factor in stabilizing the D and unlocking the final plateau for Dahlin’s performance. Without Mattias, I’m concerned it’s elevated too many also Tran’s into prominent roles. 
 

Tie into that, that Zellweger and Timmons are dealing with injuries and suddenly this team’s defense is woefully thin. 

Considering there are only 6D on the roster that aren't on IR, am pretty sure that Zellweger is no longer dealing with the concussion.

And yeah, the D is thin if he (or one of the other 3 healthy starters) is out.  But every team that's playing their 9th D-man is looking to shelter someone.  The worrisome issue with the 2 guys that are out are they're the 2 guys besides Dahlin that are expected to play well in their own end.  The Sabres now have a D that seems to be exactly what Granato was looking for.  That's not necessarily a good thing.

[That Aud Smell]

37 minutes ago, JohnC said:

For the most part, Greenway wasn't a fighter. There's a good reason for that: Most players weren't willing to engage with this big fellow. There's a big difference between being a fighter and being a tough player. He was a tough player that this roster could use more of. 

I don't think he was even especially tough. He could play a heavy game.

That game against Tampa (had to be) keeps coming to mind. Opposing players running around taking liberties and Greenway did bupkis -- just ran his mouth during timeouts.

Lay a massive check on someone, Big Rig!

Nope.

[dudacek]

2 hours ago, Pimlach said:

Timmons played 3rd pair in the playoffs.  Osty is the replacement for Tuch, might as well put him on the first line.  

Greenway came on in the end and Danforth is nothing special so far.   Carrick is not depth, he is 4C. 

The depth players you site, Helenius and Kulich,  are expected into top 6 and top 9 roles.   

Not sure if you caught the point:

They went 39/9/5 largely without Greenway, Timmons, Kesselring.

The “good” Sabres had 14 skaters that mattered. They lost 2 of them.

That 14 did not include Carrick, Helenius, Kulich, Zellweger or Crevier.

Maybe they can replace Tuch and Byram from that group, maybe they can’t.

But let’s not pretend they can’t win without the likes of Jordan Greenway, or that there are no potential reinforcements.

[Doohickie]

31 minutes ago, That Aud Smell said:

There was nothing to be done about it. It's a loss of a very good NHL player from a Cup-contending team.

Onward.

Preczactly.

When a team is successful, their top players want to get paid.  For some that means they will move on.  The organization needs to replenish that top player's contributions by other means, often by promotion of younger, cap-controlled players.

This is what the Sabres did in the offseason.

In the case of Byram, it was by bringing in Zellweger and Crevier. 

In the case of Tuch, it was by giving his time to younger players already on the team and in the middle of their climb to their ceiling.  Quinn is almost there.  Helenius/Kulich/Östlund played a total of 81 games last year.  Quinn is ripe to seize a more prominent role, and the other three can backfill Quinn output provided in a supporting role.  Looking at their output last year and multiplying by three yields an increase of just about what Tuch produced.

Östlund will be this year's Quinn, the player that comes into his own.  Kulich will be this year's Östlund; his medical issues set him back but he will return to being a high end NHL regular.  And Helenius will bring youthful energy already tempered by his time playing against grown men on his Finnish Liiga team.

With growth there will be the occasional setback, but trend will be upward for all these players.

[Doohickie]

1 hour ago, inkman said:

I think we were prepared for the team to look different and have some needed progress from the youth. The injuries, Samuelsson in particular are concerning. 

His play was a large factor in stabilizing the D and unlocking the final plateau for Dahlin’s performance. Without Mattias, I’m concerned it’s elevated too many also Tran’s into prominent roles. 

Tie into that, that Zellweger and Timmons are dealing with injuries and suddenly this team’s defense is woefully thin. 

Crevier will make a believer out of you.  I think he will fill the 2D roll every bit as well as Muel and there may even be some competition for Muel to regain his spot when he returns.

[Taro T]

27 minutes ago, Doohickie said:

Crevier will make a believer out of you.  I think he will fill the 2D roll every bit as well as Muel and there may even be some competition for Muel to regain his spot when he returns.

Have thought Crevier has looked good.  Even that play he got caught flat footed at the blue line resulting in the break away against, he came back hard and kept the Pen from being able to make any moves making it a fairly easy play for UPL.

Am expecting Zellweger to be in the Byram mold but a downgrade, but expect Crevier to be significantly better than anyone else we've seen in the 6D (when all are healthy) role.  And that, and Power continuing to get closer to his peak, is why the expectation is the D won't take a major step back over the course of the season.  Actully expect they could be better than last year's by the time the calendar flips.

[SabresFan69420]

Fairburn said Lindy ran the top 6 lines below often today:

Norris Tage doan

benson Östlund quinn