- The Buffalo Sabres shared a report from the team’s practice earlier today showing forwards Zach Benson and John-Jason Peterka were back on the ice. They are both options for the team tomorrow night in their regular season opener in North America after sustaining minor injuries in the team’s games in Prague against the New Jersey Devils.
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Sabres Rumors
Sabres Notes: Aubé-Kubel, Peterka, Benson
Sabres winger Nicolas Aubé-Kubel will miss the next three to six weeks with a lower-body injury, head coach Lindy Ruff said in today’s injury report. He was already placed on injured reserve yesterday before opening night rosters were due, allowing the Sabres to retain Jiri Kulich on the active roster with other forwards battling short-term injuries.
Aubé-Kubel left Buffalo’s regular-season opener against the Devils in Prague on Friday in the third period and didn’t return. He took a minor penalty, recorded two shots on goal, and added three hits in 5:45 of ice time in his truncated Sabres debut.
It’s a tough break for the 28-year-old, who’s hoping to be a regular on the Sabres’ fourth line after inking a one-year, $1.5MM deal in the offseason. The bang-and-crash winger had been effective in preseason on a unit with Beck Malenstyn and Sam Lafferty – the former of whom was also Aubé-Kubel’s linemate with the Capitals last year. The 2014 second-round pick of the Flyers has limited offensive upside, only once hitting 10 goals and 20 points, but he’s a feared checker with a lengthy history of good possession metrics in tough defensive usage. He had 16 points (6 G, 10 A) in 60 games for the Caps last year.
Other injury updates out of Buffalo:
- One of those aforementioned forwards battling short-term injuries is John-Jason Peterka, who left the second Global Series game against New Jersey with a concussion after being laid out by Devils defender Brenden Dillon. He was given an official day-to-day designation today, per Ruff, and skated on his own. The German winger is a big loss for the Sabres if he misses any length of time – he started the year in a top-line role alongside Tage Thompson and Alex Tuch after breaking out for 28 goals and 50 points last season. The 2020 second-round pick hasn’t been ruled out for their home opener against the Kings on Thursday, but it would be surprising to see him draw into the lineup less than a week after a concussion diagnosis.
- Also dealing with a day-to-day injury is sophomore winger Zach Benson, who Ruff said today has yet to resume skating with his lower-body injury. That’s a concerning sign for his availability against the Kings and could force the Sabres to make an IR placement in the next 48 hours to open up space for a recall from AHL Rochester. They have 13 forwards on the active roster but only 11 healthy ones with Benson and Peterka out. The 19-year-old sustained the injury in the first Global Series game but played through it, logging 17:23 of ice time.
Sabres Place Nicolas Aube-Kubel On IR
The Hockey News is reporting that the Anaheim Ducks have placed goaltender John Gibson on the injured reserve. The move isn’t surprising given that Gibson underwent an appendectomy last week and was expected to miss the next 3-6 weeks. Gibson had been practicing with the Ducks during training camp but didn’t appear in any preseason action.
The 31-year-old was once a rising star in the NHL, but the shine on his game has faded in recent seasons which has coincided with the Ducks entering a long rebuild. Last season, the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania native had a record of 13-27-2 with a .888 save percentage and a 3.54 goals-against average in 46 games. He lost the net to backup Lukas Dostal in season, and likely wouldn’t have started opening night this season even if he was healthy.
In other evening notes:
- The Buffalo Sabres have announced that they’ve placed forward Nicolas Aube-Kubel on the injured reserve after he suffered a lower-body injury in the Sabres opening night loss in Prague this past Friday. The move signifies that Aube-Kubel will likely be out for at least another handful of days as he is required to be out a total of seven days from his last game played. The 28-year-old signed a one-year deal with Buffalo in the offseason and will likely play on the Sabres fourth line whenever he does return.
- San Jose Sharks beat writer Curtis Pashelka tweeted that San Jose Sharks center Thomas Bordeleau remains out week to week with a lower-body injury. The 22-year-old got hurt during training camp and will likely miss the first few weeks of the season as he tries to recover. Bordeleau dressed in 27 games last year for the Sharks posting six goals and five assists and a -18 plus/minus. This upcoming season is a big one for Bordeleau as he should have an opportunity to establish himself as an everyday NHLer.
- Sharks’ veteran defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic is also out week-to-week to start the season (as per Sharks beat writer Curtis Pashelka). Vlasic has been dealing with an upper-body injury and was placed on injured reserve today. The 37-year-old was one of the top defensive defensemen of the 2010s but has seen his play fall off a cliff in recent seasons and has arguably the worst contract in the entire NHL. Vlasic registered just six goals and six assists last season in 57 regular-season games and posted some of the worst underlying numbers in the entire NHL.
Miscellaneous Transactions: 10/7/24
Today marks the eve of the official start of the 2024-25 NHL regular season. All 32 teams are expected to finalize their 23-man rosters today and several transactions coming along with it. Some of these moves will be considered “paper transactions” so clubs can maximize their cap space for the regular season as most of these names will be involved in new transactions over the coming days. Here’s a look at some of today’s action:
- Arthur Staple of The Athletic reports the New York Rangers have placed Jimmy Vesey on long-term injured reserve and Ryan Lindgren on injured reserve to start the season. In a major sway with their AHL affiliate, the Hartford Wolf Pack, the Rangers have sent down Adam Edstrom, Matt Rempe, William Cuylle, Victor Mancini, and Brett Berard while recalling Jake Leschyshyn, Adam Sykora, Anton Blidh, and Ben Harpur.
- The Pittsburgh Penguins reassigned promising defensive prospect, Harrison Brunicke, to the WHL’s Kamploop Blazers. Brunicke was the 44th overall pick of the 2024 NHL Draft and became a popular candidate to make the Penguins’ roster out of training camp. He scored 10 goals and 21 points in 49 games for the Blazers last season and will now look to extrapolate on that during his third year with the team.
- Despite suiting up in three games for the Tampa Bay Lightning during the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs; defenseman Maxwell Crozier will not make the team out of camp. The organization announced they assigned Crozier to their AHL affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch, to start the 2024-25 NHL season. He tallied two assists in 13 regular season games for the Bolts last year.
- The San Jose Sharks made their final four cuts from their training camp roster earlier today. The team announced they assigned defensemen Luca Cagnoni and Jack Thompson and forwards Ethan Cardwell and Collin Graf to their AHL affiliate, the San Jose Barracuda.
- The Ottawa Senators recently released their 23-man roster to start the year and with that came a few roster cuts. Graeme Nichols of The Hockey News reported the Senators reassigned Jan Jenik after passing through waivers and Zack Ostapchuk to their AHL affiliate, the Belleville Senators.
- Unsurprisingly, the Buffalo Sabres sent Lukas Rousek and Kale Clague to their AHL affiliate, the Rochester Americans, after the two cleared waivers earlier today. Rousek has been a rock-solid player for the Americans over the last two years with 26 goals and 97 points in 121 games.
- To make space for their final 23-man roster, the Carolina Hurricanes made a series of roster moves. Walt Ruff, an employee for the organization, reported the Hurricanes sent down Josiah Slavin, Ty Smith, and Ryan Suzuki who all cleared waivers earlier today to their AHL affiliate, the Chicago Wolves. Forward prospect Jackson Blake has also been assigned to AHL Chicago but the Hurricanes are expected to make more moves before their regular season opener on Friday.
- When the Colorado Avalanche announced their opening night roster for the 2024-25 campaign, they also announced a few transactions. The team reassigned Adam Scheel, T.J. Tynan, Nikolai Kovalenko, Ondrej Pavel, and Ivan Ivan to their AHL affiliate, the Colorado Eagles. Colorado only has 11 forwards currently listed on the roster so there is a reasonable assumption the team will bring one of the forwards back up to the NHL roster before their regular season opener.
- Forward James Malatesta became the odd man out for the Columbus Blue Jackets as the team announced he was the final cut from the training camp roster. The quick forward will look to grow his game with the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters after scoring 12 goals and 22 points in 56 games for the team last year in addition to one goal and two points in nine postseason contests.
- All five players placed on waivers by the Detroit Red Wings yesterday have cleared and been assigned to their AHL affiliate, the Grand Rapids Griffins. The team announced defensemen Justin Holl, William Lagesson, and Brogan Rafferty were reassigned with forwards Joe Snively and Sheldon Dries.
- The Los Angeles Kings have made their final training camp cuts as they announced their official opening night roster. Samuel Fagemo, Jack Studnicka, and Pheonix Copley have all been assigned to their AHL affiliate, the Ontario Reign, after clearing waivers yesterday while forward prospect Koehn Ziemmer has been loaned to the WHL’s Prince George Cougars.
- One surprising training camp cut came out of the St. Louis Blues preseason. The team announced Zachary Bolduc, Tyler Tucker, and Corey Schueneman had been assigned to their AHL affiliate, the Springfield Thunderbirds. The Blues front office brass may be looking for more offensive accomplishments from Bolduc before making him a full-time NHL player after only scoring eight goals and 25 points in 50 games in the AHL last year.
This page will be updated with additional transactions.
Ducks Claim James Reimer Off Waivers From Sabres
The Ducks have claimed netminder James Reimer off waivers from the Sabres, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports.
Reimer, 36, has over 500 games of NHL experience and was still serviceable in a rotation role for the Red Wings last year but was knocked squarely into a third-string spot on the Sabres’ depth chart behind Devon Levi and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen after signing a one-year, $1MM deal there in July. He was largely expected to land on waivers unless Buffalo opted to carry three goalies.
While the veteran was solid enough for Detroit in 2023-24, his 20 starts and five relief appearances were both career-lows. His .904 SV%, 3.11 GAA, and 0.3 GSAA were all marked steps forward from the prior year’s showing with the rebuilding Sharks, however, and he’s still likely worth a shot as a full-time backup somewhere.
He’ll get that chance in Anaheim, at least for now. The Ducks were looking for a veteran name to add to the mix with John Gibson on the shelf to start the season after getting his appendix removed nearly two weeks ago. He’s still one to four weeks away from a return, meaning rookie Calle Clang (who has no NHL games played under his belt) was set to start the year as the backup to youngster Lukáš Dostál. After claiming Reimer, though, the Ducks can return Clang to AHL San Diego.
The Ducks now have their opening night roster set in stone at 13 forwards, eight defenders, and two goalies, assuming Clang is sent down. They’ll have $20.64MM in projected cap space after the acquisition, per PuckPedia.
Waiver Wire: 10/6/24
Today is the major day for the waiver wire as most teams in the NHL are preparing the 23-man rosters for the 2024-25 NHL season. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman confirmed that all players on waivers from yesterday have cleared. The following list is each player placed on waivers this afternoon as reported by PuckPedia.
Boston Bruins
F Patrick Brown
G Brandon Bussi
G Jiri Patera
D Billy Sweezey
F Jeffrey Viel
Buffalo Sabres
D Kale Clague
G James Reimer
F Lukas Rousek
Calgary Flames
G Devin Cooley
F Jakob Pelletier
F Cole Schwindt
Carolina Hurricanes
F Josiah Slavin
D Ty Smith
F Ryan Suzuki
Chicago Blackhawks
Detroit Red Wings
F Sheldon Dries
D Justin Holl
D William Lagesson
D Brogan Rafferty
F Joe Snively
Edmonton Oilers
D Josh Brown
F Drake Caggiula
F Raphael Lavoie
G Olivier Rodrigue
Los Angeles Kings
G Pheonix Copley
F Samuel Fagemo
F Jack Studnicka
Nashville Predators
New Jersey Devils
F Shane Bowers
D Nick DeSimone
F Nolan Foote
D Colton White
New York Islanders
D Samuel Bolduc
F Pierre Engvall
F Hudson Fasching
F Liam Foudy
G Marcus Hogberg
D Grant Hutton
F Fredrik Karlstrom
G Jakub Skarek
New York Rangers
Ottawa Senators
Pittsburgh Penguins
D Sebastian Aho
F Bokondji Imama
St. Louis Blues
D Corey Schueneman
D Tyler Tucker
Tampa Bay Lightning
F Gage Goncalves
D Steven Santini
F Jesse Ylonen
Toronto Maple Leafs
G Matt Murray
D Marshall Rifai
Utah Hockey Club
Vancouver Canucks
Vegas Golden Knights
F Zach Aston-Reese
F Tanner Laczynski
F Jonas Rondbjerg
Washington Capitals
Winnipeg Jets
Injury Notes: Sabres, Penguins, Ryan, Jarnkrok
The Buffalo Sabres’ depth will be tested just two games into the season, with top-six wingers John-Jason Peterka (concussion) and Zach Benson (lower-body) both facing injury, per Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News. No timeline was provided for either player. Benson was held out of the team’s Saturday morning game in favor of top prospect Jiri Kulich, while Peterka exited the game after just three shifts. Lysowski added that team captain Rasmus Dahlin also seems unhealthy, despite being the team’s clear-cut top defender through their first two games.
The menagerie of injuries is weighing heavily on the Sabres, who lost both games in the Prague series by a combined score of 7-2. Peterka recorded the primary assist on Buffalo’s first goal of the year – making a strong play behind the net to set up Owen Power in the slot. Those are the hard-nosed plays Peterka has become known for in his early career, a big part of how he managed 28 goals and 50 points last season. Despite being in his age-18 season, Benson wasn’t too far behind – netting 11 goals and 30 points of his own, though he did miss 11 games to injury last year. Both players are not only core pieces of the present Sabres lineup, but pillars of the team’s future. Their healthy and speedy recovery will be paramount as the team looks to find their bearings when they return to America.
Other injury updates from around the league:
- The Pittsburgh Penguins are also bearing through a pair of injuries, with both Bryan Rust and Vasiliy Ponomarev listed as day-to-day per Tribune-Review Spots’ Seth Rorabaugh. No details or timeline were provided. Rust has missed the bulk of Pittsburgh’s preseasons with what were originally described as maintenance days, before this injury designation. He’ll have his eyes set on the team’s top line when he returns to full health, having posted a commendable 56 points – split evenly – in just 62 appearances last year. Ponomarev doesn’t have the same lineup security, though his 30 points in 43 AHL games last season could be enough to warrant a test in the bottom-six. Any bout with the Penguins would be notable for the 23-year-old Ponomarev, who made his NHL debut with Carolina last season – scoring two points in two games.
- Edmonton Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch listed forward Derek Ryan as day-to-day with an undisclosed injury, shares Tony Barr of Oilers TV. Ryan has continued skating at the tail end of Edmonton’s practices, though he was held out of the team’s final preseason game on Friday. He’ll be in the mix for fourth-line minutes when he returns, likely set to return to the role that earned him 12 points in 70 games last season.
- Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube has confirmed Calle Jarnkrok’s lower-body injury is nagging, telling TSN’s Mark Masters that it’s the same injury that limited the forward at the start of training camp. Jarnkrok has only appeared in two preseason games, and continues to miss practices as a result of his injury. He’ll be a bottom-six multitool when he returns, though Jarnkrok first faces the test of overcoming a lingering issue.
Evening Notes: Rangers, Aube-Kubel, Blues
New York Rangers star Artemi Panarin returned to practice today, but remains day-to-day with a lower-body injury, head coach Peter Laviolette shared with Arthur Staple of The Athletic. Top prospect Brennan Othmann replaced Panarin in the team’s Friday night preseason matchup against the Islanders.
Othmann has managed four points through the preseason, tied with defender Zachary Jones for the team’s scoring lead. He’s managed one goal and three assists, all primary, making him one of just five Rangers with multiple primary points this preseason. Othmann is preparing for his second professional season, after netting a shrewd 49 points in 67 AHL games last season. He’ll get another chance to show the Rangers his might on Friday, while Panarin preps for the team’s October 9th season opener.
Other notes from around the league:
- Buffalo Sabres winger Nicolas Aube-Kubel was seen wearing a brace on his left leg after the team’s season opener, shares Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News. Head coach Lindy Ruff didn’t provide any updates, other than mentioning that the team will know more this weekend. Aube-Kubel is one of the many fighting for a spot in Buffalo’s bottom six. He scored two points in two preseason games, and managed two shots in the team’s first game.
- The St. Louis Blues have extended their affiliation with the AHL’s Springfield Thunderbirds through the 2030-31 season. The two sides have been partnered since 2020, on a deal that was originally set to expire in 2025. Springfield has produced heaps of talent for the Blues roster in the years since, including being the initial testing grounds for current Blues head coach Drew Bannister. Springfield has managed a 111-87-22 record across three seasons under the Blues, though they’re coming off a losing record in 2023-24 (30-37-5).
Sabres Reassign Ryan Johnson
The Sabres announced that defenseman Ryan Johnson has been assigned to the AHL’s Rochester Americans. Johnson had been day-to-day with a lower-body injury, so it’s a good sign that he’s returned to health, but he won’t be on the opening night roster.
It’s not an insignificant move. Johnson, the final pick of the first round in 2019, turned pro last season following a four-year run at the University of Minnesota and spent a good chunk of the campaign on the Sabres’ roster. He didn’t make the initial cut, but he was recalled on multiple occasions and ended up making 41 appearances for Buffalo, posting seven points and a +3 rating while averaging 13:52 per game.
Although it was only in limited minutes, Johnson’s first NHL showing was promising. He had some of the better possession numbers on the team with a 52.7 CF% and a 52.9 xGF% at even strength, and he still managed to finish 10th on the club in blocks (39) despite only playing half the season.
Johnson is a pending restricted free agent and is eligible to sign an extension at any time with his entry-level contract expiring next offseason. The one-time World Juniors gold medalist (2021, USA) had nine points and a +5 rating in 27 appearances for the Amerks last year.
He may very well be the best option the Sabres have for an extra defender based on merit, but it’s likely not what’s best for his development. Roster math also wasn’t working in his favor this year. Instead of exposing veteran depth pieces Jacob Bryson or Dennis Gilbert to waivers just yet, they’ll have the waiver-exempt Johnson start the year on the farm and receive regular playing action instead of only stepping into bottom-pairing minutes in Buffalo when injuries allow.
Training Camp Cuts: 10/3/24
We’re still five days away from opening night, but the regular season technically kicks off tomorrow, with the Devils and Sabres taking each other on in Prague. Most teams have trimmed over a third of their initial training camp rosters by this point, and most have no more than five to 10 cuts left to make – if that – before they reach their final form. Today should mark some of the last minor moves involving players who never had much of a shot, with the weekend signaling an end to much fiercer camp battles. All of Thursday’s cuts will be listed here:
Last updated 5:03 p.m.
Buffalo Sabres (per team announcement)
F Tyson Kozak (to AHL Rochester)
Calgary Flames (per team announcement)
D Hunter Brzustewicz (to AHL Calgary)
F Martin Frk (to AHL Calgary)
F Justin Kirkland (to AHL Calgary)
F Sam Morton (to AHL Calgary)
Columbus Blue Jackets (per team release)
D Ole Julian Bjørgvik-Holm (to AHL Cleveland)
Nashville Predators (per team release)
F Zachary L’Heureux (to AHL Milwaukee)
F Ozzy Wiesblatt (to AHL Milwaukee)
D Adam Wilsby (to AHL Milwaukee)
New York Rangers (per team announcement)
F Benoit-Olivier Groulx (to AHL Hartford)
Pittsburgh Penguins (per team announcement)
D Mac Hollowell (to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton)
F Jimmy Huntington (to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton)
F Marc Johnstone (to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton)
Seattle Kraken (per team announcement)
D Cale Fleury (to AHL Coachella Valley, pending waivers)
Toronto Maple Leafs (per team announcement)
F Nicholas Abruzzese (to AHL Toronto, pending waivers)
D Matt Anderson (released from PTO to AHL Toronto)
F Matthew Barbolini (released from PTO to AHL Toronto)
D Jacob Bengtsson (released from PTO to AHL Toronto)
F Jacob Frasca (released from PTO to AHL Toronto)
G Jon Gillies (released from PTO to AHL Toronto)
F Mathieu Gosselin (released from PTO to AHL Toronto)
G Dennis Hildeby (to AHL Toronto)
F Braeden Kressler (to AHL Toronto)
F Brandon Lisowsky (released from PTO to AHL Toronto)
F Robert Mastrosimone (released from PTO to AHL Toronto)
D Ryan McCleary (released from PTO to AHL Toronto)
D Tommy Miller (released from PTO to AHL Toronto)
D Rhett Parsons (released from ATO to AHL Toronto)
G Vyacheslav Peksa (to AHL Toronto)
D Chas Sharpe (released from PTO to AHL Toronto)
F Marko Sikic (released from PTO to AHL Toronto)
F Zach Solow (released from PTO to AHL Toronto)
F Sam Stevens (released from PTO to AHL Toronto)
D William Villeneuve (to AHL Toronto)
F Ty Voit (to AHL Toronto)
Utah Hockey Club (per team announcement) – waivers separate
F Andrew Agozzino (to AHL Tucson, pending waivers)
F Miloš Kelemen (to AHL Tucson)
D Patrik Koch (to AHL Tucson, pending waivers)
D Maveric Lamoureux (to AHL Tucson)
F Ben McCartney (to AHL Tucson, pending waivers)
F Aku Raty (to AHL Tucson)
D Maksymilian Szuber (to AHL Tucson)
Winnipeg Jets (per the team’s Mitchell Clinton)
D Tyrel Bauer (to AHL Manitoba)
F Axel Jonsson-Fjällby (to AHL Manitoba, pending waivers)
D Dmitry Kuzmin (to AHL Manitoba)
D Simon Lundmark (to AHL Manitoba, pending waivers)
G Thomas Milic (to AHL Manitoba)
F Mason Shaw (to AHL Manitoba, pending waivers)
F Dominic Toninato (to AHL Manitoba, pending waivers)