- The Buffalo Sabres are ready to get Zemgus Girgensons and Erik Johnson back into the lineup, as both players have been medically cleared by the team according to Joe Yerdon of Bleacher Report. Johnson had previously missed the team’s last four games, while Girgensons only missed the team’s last game before the All-Star break. Likely a seller at this year’s deadline, both players are obvious trade candidates leading up to the March 8th trade deadline.
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Sabres Rumors
Mattias Samuelsson Out For Season With Upper-Body Injury
Sabres defenseman Mattias Samuelsson requires surgery to repair an upper-body injury and will miss the rest of the 2023-24 campaign as a result, the team announced Sunday.
Samuelsson, 23, missed four out of the last six games before the All-Star break with upper-body injuries and was listed as day-to-day. The 2018 second-round pick finishes the 2023-24 season with one goal, six assists, seven points, and a +4 rating in 41 games.
The son of long-time Flyers blue-liner Kjell Samuelsson put up the best two-way numbers of his young career this season, the first in a seven-year, $30MM extension ($4.29MM AAV) signed in October of 2022. His 50.8% Corsi share at even strength was a career-high, and his pairing with Rasmus Dahlin has seen the most usage of any Sabres duo with 440 minutes together, per MoneyPuck.
The improvement in play is despite another injury-plagued campaign that prevented him from developing much consistency. He missed a handful of contests earlier in the season with a spattering of lower-body and undisclosed injuries, and he never played more than 14 consecutive games.
His most concerning stat remains his low games played total. Injuries limited Samuelsson to 55 contests last season, which remains his career-high since entering the league in 2021. Even if he continues developing into a top-pairing-caliber shutdown defenseman on a playoff team, his long injury history at a young age creates significant concern about his current contract, which runs through the 2029-30 season.
Samuelsson is eligible for LTIR, although the Sabres don’t need the cap relief that would provide. They remain with over $8MM in projected cap space, per CapFriendly, and could settle for placing Samuelsson on standard injured reserve to open up a roster spot if necessary.
The injury could translate into more ice time for 2019 first-round pick Ryan Johnson, who hasn’t looked out of place in his first NHL showing this year. He’s still looking for his first NHL goal through 30 games, but he has added six assists and owns a promising 52.1% Corsi share at even strength while averaging 14:33 per game.
Trade Deadline Primer: Buffalo Sabres
With the All-Star break approaching, the trade deadline looms large and is about a month and a half away. Where does each team stand, and what moves should they be looking to make? We continue our look around the league with the Buffalo Sabres.
On the tail of a 91-point finish in the 2022-23 regular season, the Sabres looked ready to break their 13-year postseason drought this year. Even after some offseason acquisitions to improve areas of weakness in the organization, Buffalo has appeared to have taken a step back. As things currently stand, the Sabres are on pace for a 37-38-7 record on the season, which would once again put them in a strong lottery position in the 2024 NHL Draft. With the hope of competing this year and plenty of talent to do so, Buffalo is one of the more interesting teams leading into the deadline season.
Record
22-23-4, 6th in the Atlantic
Deadline Status
Conservative Seller
Deadline Cap Space
$36.8MM on deadline day, 0/3 retention slots used, 44/50 contracts used, per CapFriendly.
Upcoming Draft Picks
2024: BUF 1st, BUF 2nd, BUF 3rd, BUF 4th, BUF 6th, BUF 7th
2025: BUF 1st, BUF 2nd, BUF 3rd, BUF 4th, MIN 4th, BUF 5th, BUF 6th, BUF 7th, NSH 7th*
*If Eric Robinson plays 45 games for the Sabres over the regular season, Buffalo will send Nashville’s seventh-round draft pick in the 2025 NHL Draft to the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Trade Chips
Even with sizeable long-term extensions kicking in next season for defensemen Rasmus Dahlin and Owen Power, the Sabres still have quite a bit of cap flexibility to use, currently projecting around $26.14MM next summer if the cap does rise to the reported $87.7MM. With only Casey Mittelstadt and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen set to receive notable raises over their current deals, Buffalo may look to acquire a player with term this March, even through a sign-and-trade. 
With where their record currently stands, the Sabres certainly have the makings of a seller at this year’s trade deadline. However, even if they were to involve themselves in the rental market this spring, the return value on players such as Zemgus Girgensons, Kyle Okposo, Victor Olofsson, and Erik Johnson may not make it worthwhile.
Assuming that Buffalo already has their sights set on next season, they could dangle their 2025 first-round selection to acquire a long-term piece, as it would take a surprise star player to enter the market for the Sabres to part with their lottery-projected 2024 first-round pick. Without much to sell, and in a position to only acquire long-term pieces, it would not be a surprise to see Buffalo be one of the more quiet teams at this year’s deadline.
Team Needs
1) Right-Shot Defenseman: Last summer, the Sabres brought in Johnson and Connor Clifton to help improve the right side of their defensive core. As things played out, neither addition has worked out as Buffalo may have hoped, as out of 29 total players, Clifton ranks 21st on the team in Corsi-For %, and Johnson ranks 24th. Desperately needing to find a serviceable option next to Power on their second defensive line, the Sabres could get aggressive and try to pry David Jiricek from the Blue Jackets, who has reportedly expressed frustration over his situation in Columbus.
2) A Definitive Solution In The Crease: An answer in the net has been one of the primary questions following Buffalo around for the last several years. Without a lot of game-changing answers on the market, it appears this question will take another year to figure out. Now, Buffalo’s goaltender prayers may be answered by either Luukkonen or Devon Levi, but neither has suggested they can fully assume that mantle. Of the two, Luukkonen has been the better option by far this season but has been extremely streaky which leads to concern. In his first eight games of the year, Luukonen produced a serviceable 3-3-1 record with a .910 SV% but followed it up with a 3-5-1 record and .876 SV% in his next nine games. Once again on a hot streak, Luukonen looks nearly unbeatable with a 6-3-0 in his last nine games coupled with a .940 SV%.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports.
Jack Quinn Expected To Be Out Longer Term
January 29th: Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News has confirmed that Quinn had surgery today for a lower-body injury and will miss the next eight weeks.
January 28th: Sportsnet is reporting that Buffalo Sabres forward Jack Quinn is expected to be out longer term according to Sabres head coach Don Granato. The Sabres bench boss spoke with the media after a 5-2 Sabres win over the San Jose Sharks telling them that the injury he suffered during the game likely wouldn’t be a day-to-day situation.
Quinn left the game around the mid-way point of the third period after he was hit along the boards by Sharks forward Tomas Hertl. Quinn couldn’t put any weight on his left leg after getting to his feet and slowly making his way to the Sabres bench.
It’s an unfortunate result for the Ottawa, Ontario native as he had just worked his way back into the lineup a little over a month ago after he had suffered an Achilles injury last summer when training. The 22-year-old had added some scoring punch to a Sabres lineup that desperately needed it as Quinn had posted five goals and seven assists in 17 games. The former Ottawa 67’s star has been an effective complimentary piece for Buffalo with 20 goals and 31 assists in 94 career games.
The Sabres have yet to make any official announcement regarding Quinn’s status going forward and will likely require testing before having any concrete timeline on his return. The Sabres don’t play again until February 6th when they return from the all-star break to take on the Dallas Stars.
Sabres Assign Devon Levi To AHL, Recall Eric Comrie
The Sabres swapped backup netminders on Sunday, announcing the recall of Eric Comrie from AHL Rochester while returning rookie Devon Levi to the minors. As such, the 22-year-old will get a handful of starts in Rochester over the next ten days or more while the Sabres are off for the All-Star break.
While Comrie has done well in the minors as of late, his NHL track record this season suggests he’ll be returned to Rochester once the Sabres’ schedule resumes next month. Injuries and poor play have limited him to seven appearances this year, in which he’s posted a 1-5-0 record and a .863 SV%. The 28-year-old will not need to clear waivers upon his return to the minors after passing through unclaimed on New Year’s Day unless he stays on the roster for more than 30 days.
Atlantic Notes: Samuelsson, Girgensons, Lockwood, Cousins, Jarnkrok
Buffalo Sabres forward Zemgus Girgensons is day-to-day, while the extent of defenseman Mattias Samuelsson’s injury is still being assessed, per team reporter Mike Harrington. Both players are out with upper-body injuries. Girgensons spent a month on injured reserve earlier in the season, while Samuelsson has dealt with a menagerie of small injuries, leading the pair to appear in just 31 and 41 of Buffalo’s 48 games respectively.
Samuelsson has managed seven points and 26 penalty minutes in his outings while playing over 20 minutes a night on average. He’s Buffalo’s third-most frequent defenseman this season, behind Rasmus Dahlin and Owen Power. The season has continued Samuelsson’s substantial role with Buffalo, with the defenseman averaging 20 or more minutes every year since his rookie season in 2021-22. His only exception to this pattern came in the 12 games he received during the 2020-21 season when he averaged 18 minutes. The Sabres are big fans of the 23-year-old defender, signing him to a seven-year, $30MM contract extension at the beginning of the 2022-23 season. They’ll hope he can return to his frequent role in the lineup soon, alongside depth forward Girgensons, who has four goals and 12 penalty minutes this season.
Other notes from the Atlantic Division:
- William Lockwood entered concussion protocol after his fight with Minnesota Wild forward Brandon Duhaime and is set to miss time beyond the three-game suspension he received for his hit on Marc-Andre Fleury, which preceded the fight. That suspension is set to end on Saturday, though when Lockwood may be ready to return is not yet clear, with head coach Paul Maurice sharing that he will undergo testing on Saturday. Lockwood has just one point and 14 penalty minutes through 23 appearances with the Panthers this season. He’s also recorded seven points and eight penalty minutes through 14 games with the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers.
- Florida is also getting back forward Nick Cousins, who joined the team for their upcoming two-game road trip and has returned to a full-contact jersey at practice. When he will officially return is not yet clear, but his progress at practice suggests fans won’t have to wait long. Cousins has five points and 20 penalty minutes through 37 games this season.
- Calle Jarnkrok left the Toronto Maple Leafs Friday practice early after blocking a shot in a drill. The extent of his injury is currently unknown, per head coach Sheldon Keefe. Jarnkrok has appeared in 46 games this season, scoring 10 goals and 19 points. He ranks fifth on the high-scoring Leafs lineup in scoring that’s led by Auston Matthews’ 39 goals in 45 games.
Erik Johnson Drawing Trade Interest
Veteran Sabres defenseman Erik Johnson is drawing some interest ahead of the March 8 trade deadline, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman said on the 32 Thoughts podcast Friday. Johnson is currently on injured reserve and is listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury, although he’s eligible for activation and hasn’t been ruled out of Saturday’s game against the Sharks.
The 35-year-old is in his first season with Buffalo after signing a one-year, $3.25MM contract in free agency last summer. He hasn’t been the defensively-stabilizing force they hoped for, given the price tag. He’s playing a career-low 14:11 per game and, despite the restricted usage, has a poor 46.1% Corsi share at even strength, 5.5% worse than the Sabres’ share without him on the ice. He’s notched three goals and no assists through 41 games, although they weren’t expecting him to be a factor offensively at this stage in his career.
Erik Johnson To Miss Next Two Games
- Mike Harrington of Buffalo News Sports reports that Buffalo Sabres’ defenseman Erik Johnson will be out of the lineup both today and tomorrow. Although he would be eligible to return Saturday against the San Jose Sharks, Harrington points out that Johnson is only considered a possibility for that game, as the team may keep him out until after the All-Star break. Brought over in the offseason to shore up the right side of the team’s defense, Johnson has scored three goals for Buffalo this season while averaging the lowest total ice time of his career.
[SOURCE LINK]
Jeff Skinner Close To Returning
Jay Zawaski of CHGO Sports is reporting that Chicago Blackhawks star rookie Connor Bedard is still expected to miss at least six weeks as he recovers from a fractured jaw that he suffered on January 5th. Bedard started skating last week in a full-face shield but is unable to exert himself as he tries to allow his jawbone to heal from the surgery he had.
The six-week timeline was given to the media by Blackhawks head coach Luke Richardson, who was referring to the original timeline for Bedard’s return. Richardson added that Bedard will need to go through imaging and a medical clearance before he can ramp up his skating and return to action.
The 18-year-old leads all NHL rookies with 15 goals and 18 assists in 39 games. He was named to the 2024 NHL All-Star Game a few weeks ago but is unlikely to attend given that the game will be held on February 3rd.
In other evening notes:
- Buffalo Sabres winger Jeff Skinner has shared that he is close to returning, and nearly played in the team’s Saturday loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning. Skinner has been out of the lineup since January 9th with an upper-body injury, missing five games. He’s remained one of Buffalo’s leading scorers despite the absences, though, sitting third on the team with 33 points through 38 games. Skinner also leads the team with 17 goals.
- The New York Islanders refuted an earlier report from RDS’ Stephane Leroux that the team was hiring Benoit Desrosiers as an assistant coach under new bench boss Patrick Roy. The statement added that Islanders General Manager and President Lou Lamoriello does plan to meet with Desrosiers in the future, but he has not been hired at this time. Desrosiers spent five seasons as Roy’s assistant with the Remparts and won the Memorial Cup in 2023. He was hired as the head coach of the Gatineau Olympiques for this season but has had a rough start as the team currently sits seventh in the Western Conference of the QMJHL with a record of 15-26-4.
Sabres Recall Jacob Bryson
The Sabres recalled defenseman Jacob Bryson from AHL Rochester on Monday morning, per the team’s public relations department. The 26-year-old joined Buffalo for practice this morning and will travel with them to California on their road trip, which takes them up to the All-Star break (via Bill Hoppe of the Olean Times Herald).
Bryson has been papered up and down frequently over the last few days as the team grapples with an injury to veteran Erik Johnson on the back end. The 35-year-old missed Saturday’s loss to the Lightning after taking a hit from behind from Blackhawks forward Philipp Kurashev late last week and was not on the ice for practice today. As such, the Sabres needed to bring a defenseman up from Rochester to give them an injury fill-in option if an additional blue-liner is sidelined during their California trip.
It’s been a difficult season for the 26-year-old Bryson. He’s played sparingly for the Sabres, making three appearances (none since November 4) and passing through waivers unclaimed in December. The 2017 fourth-round pick is in the latter half of a two-year, $3.7MM deal ($1.85MM AAV) and is unlikely to receive a qualifying offer before his deal expires in the summer. He has three assists and a +5 rating in 10 games with Rochester this season, his first minor-league stint in three years.