Headlines

Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Sabres Rumors

Sabres Notes: Tuch, Murray, Samuelsson, Greenway

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

Sabres forward Alex Tuch will be activated off injured reserve and return to the lineup tonight against the Avalanche, head coach Don Granato said earlier Wednesday. Winger Brett Murray was assigned to AHL Rochester later in the day to create roster space to activate Tuch, per a team release.

Tuch’s return marks the end of a four-game absence due to a lower-body injury sustained on December 3 against the Predators. The Sabres promptly announced Tuch was expected out of the lineup for roughly one week, just long enough to be eligible for IR placement. It’s the winger’s second multi-game absence of the season after an upper-body injury sidelined him for three games in November. Before exiting the lineup, Tuch had two goals and four points in his last five games and has eight goals and 17 points in 22 games on the season.

The move also ends Murray’s first call-up of the 2023-24 season, which lasted just two days. He replaced the younger Isak Rosen in the lineup Monday in the team’s win against the Coyotes, recording a -1 rating and one shot on goal in 10:41 of ice time. The 25-year-old Murray, who stands at 6-foot-5 and nearly 230 pounds, has two goals and seven points in 12 games with AHL Rochester this season.

Elsewhere from around the Sabres today:

  • Also returning to the lineup tonight is defenseman Mattias Samuelsson, per Granato. No corresponding roster move is needed because Sameulsson remained on the active roster while sidelined with an undisclosed injury, which Granato described as general soreness earlier in the week. Samuelsson did not suit up Monday against the Coyotes, his fourth injury-related absence of the season after he missed three games with a lower-body injury in early November. The shutdown blueliner has three points in 25 games this season and is averaging 20:12 per game, nearly two minutes down from last season’s average – although that number is artificially low due to Samuelsson exiting games early with injuries this season on multiple occasions.
  • One player absent from tonight’s contest will be forward Jordan Greenway, missing his sixth straight game with an upper-body injury. He did travel with the team on their road trip, but as Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News reports, he’s not expected to play, which would mean also missing games Friday in Vegas and Saturday in Arizona. He remains on injured reserve for the time being and hasn’t played since leaving the team’s December 2 contest against the Hurricanes prematurely. He’s played in two of Buffalo’s last ten games, missing a trio of contests in November for personal reasons. The 26-year-old has seven points in 21 games in his first full season as a Sabre.

Alex Tuch Out, Mattias Samuelsson Questionable Monday

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

Sabres head coach Don Granato informed reporters today that winger Alex Tuch won’t play tonight against the Coyotes as he remains out with a lower-body injury, although he could return for Wednesday’s game against the Avalanche (via Heather Engel of NHL.com). Tuch is on injured reserve and has missed the last three games with the injury, which he sustained on December 3 against the Predators. He is now eligible to come off injured reserve at any time after satisfying the minimum seven-day absence.

Tuch has dealt with two injury-related absences of at least three games this season, the other being an upper-body injury that sidelined him for three games in mid-November. When in the lineup, his production has lagged from last season’s 1.07 points-per-game pace, posting eight goals and 17 points with a -4 rating and 52.7% Corsi share at even strength in 22 games. The Sabres have gone 2-3-1 without Tuch in the lineup and 9-11-2 with him.

Buffalo could be without an additional regular tonight, as Granato also said defenseman Mattias Samuelsson is questionable against the Coyotes after leaving today’s practice early due to soreness. Samuelsson, who is in the first season of a seven-year, $30MM extension, missed three games with a lower-body injury in early November and was a game-time decision with an upper-body injury late last month after leaving a November 25 contest against the Devils prematurely. He’s once again leveraged heavy minutes for the Sabres, averaging over 20 minutes per game for a third consecutive season. He’s recorded a goal and two assists along with a -2 rating in 25 games, and his 49.6% even strength Corsi share is a career-high.

  • Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy didn’t practice today and remains day-to-day with an upper-body injury, per Conor Ryan of The Boston Globe. McAvoy missed Saturday’s win over the Coyotes after sustaining the injury in Thursday’s game against the Sabres. This is the second time he’s been held out of the lineup this season, the first being a four-game suspension in early November for a check to the head of Panthers defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson. While McAvoy’s 0.81 points per game this season are the best of his career, he’s taken a step back defensively, posting a 51% Corsi share at even strength and a -4 rating, both career lows. Ryan also relays word from Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery that center Pavel Zacha remains day-to-day with an upper-body injury, and he, along with McAvoy, is questionable for Wednesday’s contest against his former team, the Devils. New Jersey’s sixth-overall pick in 2015, Zacha was sent to the Bruins in a one-for-one swap for Erik Haula in July 2022 and has since assumed a top-six role, posting 76 points in 108 games over the past two seasons while averaging 16:37 per game. Zacha took just eight shifts in Saturday’s game against the Coyotes before exiting.

Sabres Recall Brett Murray, Send Isak Rosén Down

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Buffalo Sabres have recalled winger Brett Murray to the NHL club and sent rookie Isak Rosén to the minors. Rosén has appeared in his first seven NHL games since being recalled on November 25th, failing to score a point and recording a -3.

Rosén started the season with the AHL’s Rochester Americans, scoring eight goals and 19 points through his first 16 games with the club. Rosén remains the team’s top scorer, even after missing four games because of his NHL stint. He’s paced by Jiří Kulich, who has managed 13 goals and 19 points of his own through 19 AHL games. Kulich received his NHL debut on the same night as Rosén but was sent back to the minors shortly after. Both players are former first-round selections by Buffalo, with Rosén being drafted 14th overall in the 2021 NHL Draft and Kulich going 28th overall in the 2022 NHL Draft. With the debut of Kulich and Rosén, the Sabres have now seen every first-round selection they’ve made since 2017 suit up for them at some point this year – save for winger Jack Quinn, who is working back from Achille’s tendon surgery and Noah Ostlund, who remains in Sweden.

Filling in for Rosén is AHL veteran Brett Murray, who currently has two goals and seven points through 12 games with the Rochester Americans. The scoring brings his career AHL totals up to 217 games played, 58 goals, and 132 points. Murray appeared in 21 NHL games between the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons, playing in 19 games and scoring six points in the latter campaign. The Sabres originally drafted Murray 99th overall in the 2016 NHL Draft, selecting him out of the CCHL before his pursued a career in the USHL and NCAA’s Big 10.

Tuch And Greenway Could Return During Road Trip, Setback For Girgensons

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

There is some good news and some bad news on the injury front for the Sabres.  Bill Hoppe of the Olean Times Herald notes that wingers Alex Tuch (hamstring) and Jordan Greenway (upper body) could suit up later on in Buffalo’s road trip next week.  Both players landed on injured reserve last weekend.  Tuch has started to get going offensively in recent weeks, collecting 12 points in 13 games since the start of November while Greenway remains quiet at the offensive end with just seven points in 21 games so far in his first full season with Buffalo.

Meanwhile, the news isn’t as good for Zemgus Girgensons.  Hoppe relays that the forward has not progressed in his recovery from his lower-body injury.  Head coach Don Granato indicated the initial expectation was that he’d be out for about another week but it appears the Sabres will be without the long-time checker for at least a little longer than that.

Latest On Jack Quinn, Rasmus Dahlin

at CDT | by 1 Comment

Buffalo Hockey Beat’s Bill Hoppe reports that injured Sabres forward Jack Quinn was at Sabres practice today as a full participant, shedding his non-contact jersey for a full-contact one. This is extremely encouraging news for the Sabres, as Quinn has yet to play this season due to recovery from offseason surgery to repair a torn Achilles. Last month, Quinn returned to practice in full pads and now he’s back as a full participant, indicating that he’s on schedule (if not ahead of schedule) to return to the Sabres’ lineup sometime around January 1st.

The Sabres could surely use the services of Quinn, a 22-year-old 2020 top-ten draft pick. After a breakout season in his first year as a pro with the AHL’s Rochester Americans, Quinn had an impressive NHL rookie season in 2022-23. He scored 14 goals and 37 points in 75 games, a performance that earned him a spot on Team Canada at the 2023 IIHF Men’s World Championships. He scored seven points in 10 games at the tournament, including with two crucial goals in the quarterfinals and semifinals, to help Canada take home a gold medal. Now he appears to be nearing a return with his club team, potentially providing a spark to a Sabres squad that has disappointed so far this season.

  • Hoppe relays word from Sabres coach Don Granato who revealed that superstar defenseman Rasmus Dahlin could possibly play tomorrow when the Sabres host the Montreal Canadiens. Dahlin is currently day-to-day with an injury, and if he can return he’d instantly give the Sabres a massive boost. The 23-year-old 2018 first-overall pick has scored 21 points in 26 games this season and is widely considered to be one of the best defensemen in the NHL.
  • The Boston Bruins have reassigned netminder Brandon Bussi to their AHL affiliate, the Providence Bruins. Bussi, 25, is the Bruins’ AHL starter but had been recalled to the NHL to back up Linus Ullmark for yesterday’s game against the Sabres, as expected backup Jeremy Swayman was sick. With Swayman expected to be ready to return to the lineup for the Bruins’ next game, Bussi’s services are no longer needed at the NHL level. He’ll resume his role as the number-one guy in Providence, which is a role he’s thus far excelled in as he made the AHL All-Rookie team last season with a .924 save percentage.

Rasmus Dahlin Questionable For Thursday With Lower-Body Injury

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

  • Rasmus Dahlin has been dealing with a lower-body injury over the past few days but hasn’t missed any game time for the Sabres. That may change tonight, as the superstar defender did not participate in morning skate and is questionable for tonight’s contest against the Bruins, according to Lance Lysowki of The Buffalo News. The 23-year-old has struggled in his last three outings (as has the rest of the team), posting one goal and a -6 rating. Dahlin, who has 21 points in 26 games and is second on the team in scoring, isn’t likely to miss an extended period of time.

Sabres, Kraken Exploring Goalie Market

at CDT | by 9 Comments

With teams now at the quarter mark of the season, they now have a greater sense of what they have and what they need.  Two of those teams – the Sabres and Kraken – appear to have determined that goaltending help is high on the priority list as Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch reports that both squads are looking at what’s available between the pipes.

For Seattle, Philipp Grubauer has struggled mightily out of the gate, putting up his worst numbers in now his third season with the team.  Joey Daccord won the backup battle in training camp but hasn’t fared much better, posting a save percentage of just .898.  Meanwhile, they still have Chris Driedger at AHL Coachella Valley but he hasn’t seen regular NHL action for a couple of years now.

Garrioch notes that Montreal is among the teams the Kraken have spoken to.  The Canadiens are one of the few teams still carrying three netminders on its active roster – the recently extended Samuel Montembeault, veteran Jake Allen, and youngster Cayden Primeau who is no longer waiver-exempt.

With a little over $2MM in cap room at the moment per CapFriendly, Seattle does have a bit of flexibility to work with.  If they can clear out Driedger’s contract as part of any swap, they’d free up an additional $2.35MM to work with as that’s the cap charge they incur with Driedger being with the Firebirds.

As for Buffalo, Garrioch reports that they’re believed to have been sniffing around a veteran netminder.  Devon Levi, when healthy, hasn’t played at the same level as he did down the stretch last season, resulting in a recent demotion to AHL Rochester.  Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen has taken over the number one role for the time being (current illness notwithstanding) but has just 59 NHL appearances under his belt.  Veteran Eric Comrie is also with the team but has a 4.01 GAA and a .861 SV% in his seven starts so there’s definitely room to upgrade.

Garrioch suggests that Allen is one of the goalies Buffalo is believed to have looked at.  The 33-year-old has another year on this one on his contract with a $3.85MM AAV.  His numbers are a bit better than Comrie’s with a 3.74 GAA and a .898 SV% in his ten starts.  Buffalo has ample cap space to take on Allen’s full deal although they could also offset some of the cost of any possible trade by including Comrie’s $1.8MM expiring deal as part of any swap.

It has been out there for a while that the Oilers are looking for goalie help with the early struggles of Jack Campbell and Stuart Skinner.  Now, it appears they’re not the only ones looking for an upgrade at that position.

Buffalo Sabres Acquire Eric Robinson From Columbus

at CDT | by 4 Comments

4:48 p.m.: The draft pick included in the deal will only be transferred to the Blue Jackets if Robinson plays 45 NHL games this season, per CapFriendly. He’s already logged seven appearances with Columbus.

3:27 p.m.: The Sabres have made the news official, sending a 2025 seventh-round pick (originally belonging to the Predators) to Columbus in return for Robinson’s services. In a corresponding transaction, forward Brandon Biro was returned to AHL Rochester.

1:32 p.m.: The Buffalo News’ Lance Lysowski has confirmed that the Buffalo Sabres have acquired Eric Robinson from the Columbus Blue Jackets. This was originally reported by Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. Robinson, 28, is in his seventh season of NHL play, after signing with the Blue Jackets as an undrafted free agent in 2018. He’s since totaled 266 career NHL games and 82 career points. The details of the trade are not yet certain, although Lysowski reports that Robinson won’t join Buffalo for their Thursday matchup against the Boston Bruins.

Robinson has appeared in seven games with the Blue Jackets this season, scoring one goal and recording a -3. He has also played in nine AHL games and scored four points. It was Robinson’s first appearance in the AHL since 2019-20, as the veteran winger has been a fixture of Columbus’ lineup over the last four seasons. He recorded a career year in the 2021-22 campaign, scoring 10 goals and 27 points in 67 games. He followed it up with 12 goals and 24 points in 72 games last year.

Robinson is a New Jersey native who played four seasons at Princeton University from 2014 to 2018. The Nashville Predators invited Robinson to their training camp ahead of the 2015-16 season and signed a professional try-out contract with the team ahead of the 2016-17 season. He also briefly signed with Nashville’s AHL affiliate, before opting to return for his senior season, where he set a collegiate-career high of 31 points in 36 games and earned an NHL contract with Columbus.

He is set to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1st and carries a $1.6MM cap hit this season.

Snapshots: Kane, Dahlin, Durzi

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Detroit Red Wings have announced that legendary winger Patrick Kane will make his debut with the club in their Thursday night matchup against the San Jose Sharks. The game will also mark Kane’s return from the hip resurfacing surgery that he underwent on June 1st.

Kane will look to become the third NHL player to return from a hip resurfacing surgery, with top centerman Nicklas Backstrom representing the second to ever return. Backstrom made it back for the second half of the 2022-23 season, and eight games this season, but is currently on a leave of absence from the Washington Capitals due to complications with his injury.

Thursday night will mark only the 20th regular-season game that Kane has played outside of the Chicago Blackhawks organization. He joined the New York Rangers at last season’s trade deadline, appearing in 19 games and scoring 12 points with the club. These performances brought his career totals to 1180 games, 451 goals, and 1237 points. Kane was originally the first-overall selection in the 2007 NHL Draft.

Other notes from around the league:

Sabres Place Alex Tuch, Jordan Greenway On IR

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Sabres announced a handful of roster moves before tonight’s game against the Red Wings, placing winger Alex Tuch and Jordan Greenway on IR. As reported earlier in the day, these moves make room on the 23-man roster to recall goaltender Devon Levi from AHL Rochester. Levi will back up Eric Comrie tonight while Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen is sidelined with an illness.

Head coach Don Granato told the media Tuesday that both Tuch and Greenway’s injuries are short-term and will keep them out between seven and ten days (via Bill Hoppe of the Times Herald).

Tuch suffered his injury in Saturday’s narrow 2-1 loss to the Predators. He’s had one injury-related absence this season – an upper-body ailment sidelined him for three games in mid-November. This appears to be a lower-body issue that Tuch sustained without contact while backchecking to catch up with Predators winger Filip Forsberg.

Greenway sustained an upper-body injury in the first period of Friday’s game against the Hurricanes and did not return. He missed Saturday’s game against Nashville and has now played in just two out of Buffalo’s last six games, including a three-game absence for personal reasons in late November.

The Sabres, who are now 3-6-1 in their last ten games and are three games below the .500 mark, are in serious trouble. Things won’t get better without the services of two of their better wingers. Tuch is fifth on the team in scoring with eight goals and 17 points in 22 games, while Greenway has been one of their better defensive wingers despite his scoring cooling off from the beginning of the season.

This should afford 2021 first-round pick Isak Rosen a more extended look in the NHL lineup over the next five or so games. The 20-year-old has seen fourth-line duties since being recalled last month and is still looking for his first NHL point. He’s averaged 9:35 and posted a -3 rating in four contests to begin his NHL career.

Pro Hockey Rumors is not affiliated with National Hockey League, NHL or NHL.com

scroll to top