Browsing: Sabres

The Pittsburgh Penguins announced the roster for their final preseason game on Friday against the Buffalo Sabres.

As expected, this game will serve as the “dress rehearsal” for the A squad, but not everyone on the roster will play. Friday’s roster includes 14 forwards, nine defensemen, and three goaltenders. The morning skate at 10:30 a.m. ET will be pretty telling when it comes to who will be in the lineup.

Here’s the full roster:

Forwards

Sidney Crosby

Evgeni Malkin

Rickard Rakell

Filip Hallander

Justin Brazeau

Blake Lizotte

Tommy Novak

Connor Dewar

Anthony Mantha

Ville Koivunen

Philip Tomasino

Noel Acciari

Ben Kindel

Avery Hayes

Defensemen

Ryan Shea

Matt Dumba

Ryan Graves

Parker Wotherspoon

Harrison Brunicke

Caleb Jones

Erik Karlsson

Kris Letang

Connor Clifton

Goaltenders

Tristan Jarry

Arturs Silovs

Sergei Murashov

All 26 of these players practiced with the main NHL group on Thursday at Noon ET. The practice lasted for 90 minutes and was intense and competitive, just like the other training camp practices.

There will be a morning skate before Friday’s game at 10:30 a.m. ET in Cranberry at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex. Puck drop from PPG Paints Arena is set for 7 p.m. ET.

Fans in Pittsburgh can watch the game on SportsNet Pittsburgh+ or listen to it on 105.9 ‘The X.’

Bookmark THN – Pittsburgh Penguins on your Google News tab  to follow the latest Penguins news, roster moves, player features, and more!

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The Toronto Maple Leafs are about to finish their 2025-26 training camp, and as it happens, the Maple Leafs are very deep at every position — but certainly, the most depth they’ve got is on the wings. And as we’ll exploain, we’re telling you this because the Buffalo Sabres should be looking into acquiring into one of a few veteran Leafs wingers in particular: right winger/center Calle Jarnkrok, and left-wingers David Kampf and Nick Robertson.

Let’s be clear — we’re in no way aruging Robertson, Jarnkrok and Kampf are going to be big-time difference-makers for the Sabres if Buffalo acquires one of them. These are fringe, not foundational players. But there could be something to the Sabres improving their bottom-six group of forwards, and that should get Sabres GM Kevyn Adams reaching out to Leafs counterpart Brad Treliving and inquiring about the asking price for each of the three. Indeed, the price can’t be much at all, other than the cap space Toronto is looking to build up.

Now, the Sabres don’t have any obvious holes, so a player like Jarnkrok or Robertson would have to work their way into being a Sabres regular. But they’d be closer to a bona fide opportunity in Buffalo than any of the trio woulde if they remain in Toronto. And only Kampf is signed beyond this season, so it would be a low-risk, decent-reward acquisition if the Sabres were bold enough to make it.

If the move pans out, voila — you’ve acquired a veteran for next season at a bargain price. Those are the type of moves no GM can afford to turn down. At a time in league history when it’s all but impossible to acquire high-end talent, every team should be aiming to improve its bottom-six group of forwards, and that’s what Buffalo would be doing by picking up Jarnkrok, Kampf or Robertson.

Again, you have to consider the price here if you’re a Sabres fan hearing this idea for the first time. You’re only taking the money off Toronto’s hands. And for giving the Leafs that luxury, you wind up with a player who can contribute positive things for you as you push to end a 14-year Stanley Cup playoff berth. To quote TV’s Breaking Bad: “Everybody wins.”

Sabres’ Second Line Must Lead The Way For Buffalo’s Forwards This Year
The Buffalo Sabres need a lot of things to go right for them to be a Stanley Cup playoff team this coming season. They need their goalies to pan out with strong performances. They need star defenseman Rasmus Dahlin to put on a defensive clinic and carrry Buffalo to a strong defensive game. And one thing could also be the difference between the Sabres missing or making the 2026 playoffs — namely, the play of Buffalo’s second line of forwards: center Ryan McLeod, and wingers Alex Tuch and Jason Zucker.

The Sabres have $5.3-million in salary cap space, so they can absorb the full contract of either Robertson, Jarnkrok or Kampf and still have sufficient cap space to make other acquisitions during the coming season. But they’d be setting a new bar for their forwards by trading for one of Toronto’s surplus wingers

Adams can’t bank on acquiring true needle-movers during the year. But what he can do is recognize a solid gamble when he sees one, and move quickly to improve the Sabres’ overall depth and add the experience that Jarnkrok, Kampf and Robertson would bring to the organization.

Sabres’ Defense Corps Could Be The Difference Between Buffalo Making And Missing Out On Playoffs
Yesterday, we put forth our opinion that the Buffalo Sabres need a big year out of star defenseman Rasmus Dahlin if they were going to contend for a Stanley Cup playoff berth (and end their 14-season playoff drought. And 24 hours later, we’re sticking with that notion. But this column is an addendum to yesterday’s column. Because while the Sabres need Dahlin to spearhead a defensive renaissance for this franchise, Buffalo isn’t going to be a playoff team unless something else happens in addition to Dahlin being very difficult to play against particularly in their own zone.

It might not work, but at least you could say you more or less spent every penny available to you under the cap  by spending these last few millions on a veteran or two to be an improved team. Remember, you don’t accrue cap space year after year. So there’s really no excuse for not emptying the coffers and investing all the salary you can.

It could wind up being the difference between making and missing the post-season. And if you’re a Sabres fan, you should be happy with an improved team to cheer on, regardless of how that improvement takes place. And there are options in Leafs Land that can help Buffalo with its playoff push.

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The Pittsburgh Penguins continued their winning ways in the pre-season on Wednesday when they visited the Buffalo Sabres.

And they were once again led by the young guns.

The Penguins defeated the Sabres, 5-3, and their best young prospects – especially on the forward front – showed out again. Tristan Broz and Avery Hayes scored power play goals for the Penguins, while Ville Koivunen, Filip Hallander, and veteran defenseman Matt Dumba also got on the board.

Goaltender Arturs Silovs stopped 28 of 31 Buffalo shots in a strong effort, with Buffalo’s goals coming from Josh Norris twice and Rasmus Dahlin. In addition, Penguins’ defenseman Jack St. Ivany sustained a lower-body injury blocking a shot during the first period, and Pittsburgh played most of the game with five defensemen.

Given that development on the blue line, it wasn’t a perfect game by any means. There were definitely some mistakes here and there. But, overall, head coach Dan Muse loves the effort put forth by each of his players over this slate of pre-season games – and that continued Wednesday.

“There’s no complaints on the efforts,” Muse said. “This is a game of mistakes, especially in exhibition season, especially early in the season… and I think the guys, when mistakes were happening, they were collectively outworking those mistakes. They were getting back, they were supporting, they were putting themselves in good positions.

“That’s a trend that we wanted to see as we went through camp, and it was good by them. Like I said, these groups – tonight’s game and last game – they are definitely making things harder.”

And the “things” he was referring to are roster decisions, which should be happening in the coming days for the Penguins. Most of the veterans should expect to skate in the final pre-season tilt against Buffalo in Pittsburgh on Friday, but it will probably be a final test for some of the younger guys who are really making those decisions difficult, too.

Speaking of difficult decisions, let’s talk about who is making decisions difficult. Here are some thoughts and observations from this one.

– I didn’t think this was the best performance from Harrison Brunicke, but he certainly wasn’t bad in this game. He got burned badly on Dahlin’s goal, and he was out-of-position during the penalty kill on Thompson’s goal.

Then again, it wasn’t a great night for the Penguins’ defense all around. Ryan Shea and Ryan Graves were completely out to lunch on Buffalo’s first goal by Norris, and Owen Pickering didn’t enjoy a particularly strong evening, either. It’s worth noting that – again – the Penguins played most of the game with five defensemen because of St. Ivany’s injury.

That said, everything else from Brunicke in this game was outstanding yet again. He isn’t going to be perfect, and there are going to be plenty of growing pains from him. But, if he is not on this roster come Oct. 7, that will be some serious mismanagement by the Penguins.

He has earned the nine-game trial at the very least. And he’s not the only one.

– Penguins’ historian Bob Grove – if you don’t follow Bob, you need to follow this link and do that – pointed out prior to Wednesday’s game that since 2012, the only four players to dress for more than three pre-season games were Greg McKegg in 2017, Juuso Riikola in 2018, Rutger McGroarty in 2024, and Ben Kindel in 2025. The first three all made the opening night NHL roster.

Call me a contrarian, but Kindel – along with Brunicke – also needs to start the season on the Penguins’ roster. Even if he only gets the nine games then gets sent back to the Calgary Hitmen, it’s worth seeing what he can do in those nine games.

Should Ben Kindel Get The Nine-Game Trial? The Case For And Against
There are a lot of stories coming out of Pittsburgh Penguins’ training camp this year. Many of them involve young players making an impression and pushing for the NHL roster.

This was three games in a row now where Kindel was the best player on the ice, arguably, including the three respective opponent teams as well. He’s doing things at 18 that you just can’t teach – such as showcasing his incredibly high hockey IQ by making passes that kids his age shouldn’t be able to make – and the things he’s getting wrong, he’s learning on-the-fly.

“He’s been consistent,” Muse said. “I thought he had another game where it’s the same thing. On the defensive side, too, you can see a little bit more. He’s a little quicker to close space. He’s been out there, him and his line, against some very established NHL players in these last couple of games.

“I think that experience for him and him being out there, it’s massive. And he’s handled it well. You can see with the puck, too… at no point have I seen any hesitation with him. He’s not afraid to make plays, and he’s made some high-end ones without a lot of time and space.”

I don’t buy much into the argument that size or the grind of an 82-game season are issues for Kindel. There are plenty of players who enter the league at 18 or 19 years old and need to add some size who turn out just fine. Every young player needs to get bigger and stronger. This is nothing new in today’s NHL.

But a player is ready when he’s ready. Kindel has yet to show that he can’t handle NHL competition, and he’s getting better with every game and with increasingly difficult competition. To me, he looks ready.

He’s earned the nine games. The Penguins need to give credit where it’s due and reward him for his efforts and for simply being the best guy out there on a consistent basis. If they don’t, I think they’re getting this one wrong.

– In my opinion, Broz should be a lock for this roster. And I think what the Penguins are doing with his deployment is pretty telling.

Muse was asked about putting Broz in more defensive situations during this game. And he said that moving him around the lineup and using him in different situations hasn’t exactly been an accident.

“He’s been out there in a lot of different situations. Game-to-game, it’s kind of changed a little bit, and that has been something that’s been a little bit by design,” Muse said. “I think there’s been some games where he’s been in more d-zone starts, there’s been some games there where it’s maybe a little bit more on the penalty kill time. But, I think it’s been good. I think he’s been in the right spots, and the detail has been pretty solid.”

This whole thing reads to me as if the coaching staff is testing Broz a bit. And he’s passing with flying colors. The thing that separates Broz from some of the other guys fighting for roster spots is that he can play effectively in an NHL bottom-six role without that deployment affecting the course of his development. It’s not the same thing as putting someone like Koivunen in a bottom-six role. Broz can thrive there.

I think he’s earned his spot. It’s going to be tough, but he’s a guy you cut a veteran for. He’s ready for the next level.

– Now, let’s talk about a veteran who has really showed up to camp this season in Dumba.

I’ve got to say that I’ve been impressed by him. I know it’s only the pre-season, but he looks nothing like the same defenseman that struggled with the Dallas Stars last season. He’s playing solid defensive hockey, he’s physical, he’s activating in the offensive zone, and he’s got a booming shot that he hasn’t been afraid to unleash.

Many were down – and, in some cases, outright harsh – on Dumba coming into camp. But I think he has pretty discernibly earned a spot on the final NHL roster. If he can get anywhere close to the blueliner he was in his prime with the Minnesota Wild, that should make the Penguins very happy. He’s in a contract year, and I’m sure the Penguins would love to be able to sell high on him this season to a contender.

He may have to play the off-side at times, but he has earned his spot.

– I am not overly impressed with Blake Lizotte in this pre-season. I do believe he will start the season in Pittsburgh, but – quite frankly – I think quite a few of the younger guys have outplayed him. In fact, three young centers, in particular – Broz, Kindel, and Filip Hallander – have all outplayed him, and two of those guys would be in a position to take on a center role in the bottom-six.

Lizotte is a player the Penguins should be able to trade early on in the season, and if there is a taker, I’m not so sure I wouldn’t pull the trigger. I quite liked what Lizotte brought to this team last year, but if the Penguins are truly going younger, he’s the exact kind of player who will block a young, promising prospect from locking down a roster spot.

I do think waivers will be exercised on some veterans in the next few days. Again, while I don’t think Lizotte will be one of them, don’t be surprised if he doesn’t stick around this entire season.

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Yesterday, we put forth our opinion that the Buffalo Sabres need a big year out of star defenseman Rasmus Dahlin if they were going to contend for a Stanley Cup playoff berth (and end their 14-season playoff drought. And 24 hours later, we’re sticking with that notion. But this column is an addendum to yesterday’s column. Because while the Sabres need Dahlin to spearhead a defensive renaissance for this franchise, Buffalo isn’t going to be a playoff team unless something else happens in addition to Dahlin being very difficult to play against particularly in their own zone.

And that “something else” is this: the Sabres need their entire defense corps to make a major step forward this year and cut down Buffalo’s porous D-zone play. The Sabres were tied for third-from-last place in goals-against average last season at 3.50 goals-against per-game. Only one team — the Montreal Canadiens — finished outside of the playoffs last year despite posting a G.A.A. that was outside the top-16 in that department.

That tells you all you need to know about the importance of defense. When you have it, the way the Winnipeg Jets and Vegas Golden Knights had it last season, you know you’ve got it. And when you don’t have it, the way the Sabres didn’t have it last year, or the year before that, or the year prior to that, you know what you’re missing.

So while the majority of the pressure defensively will be on Dahlin (and of course, Buffalo’s goaltenders) to lead the way this season, the reality is that his fellow Sabres blueliners also have to come through with big step-up years.

To be sure, Buffalo needs bigger and better years from defenseman Owen Power. The 22-year-old posted career highs in goals (7), assists (33), and points (40) last season, but there’s a troubling aspect or two about Power’s improvement that will get plenty of attention this season. For one thing, Power’s ice-time average was nearly three full minutes less than Dahlin’s.

Sabres Need This Key Player To Have Big Season If Buffalo Is To Be Playoff Team
The Buffalo Sabres need solid years from everybody to even come close to being in the mix for a Stanley Cup playoff appearance for the first time in a decade. But (and at the risk of just pointing out one of those players when it will take big efforts from most Sabres players to make Buffalo a playoff team) we’re going to focus on a player this writer believes has to have a big year to get the Sabres back in the post-season.

We get it — Power is on Buffalo’s second defense pairing, so it’s understandable why he’d have fewer minutes than Dahlin. But when you’re paying a player $8.35-million for the next six seasons, you probably want the defender to be playing more time than 21 minutes a night.

But it isn’t just Power and Dahlin that have to be good for Buffalo to be a playoff team. Freshly re-signed D-man Bowen Byram also needs a big year — to prove the Sabres were right to re-sign him at a $6.25-million salary, and to set himself up for another big payday when he becomes a UFA in the summer of 2027. And if he’s on the top pairing with Dahlin, Byram’s individual numbers should spike in a positive direction. Byram did have career-best numbers in assists (31) and points (38) last season, but with his new salary, more will be expected of him.

Value In Former Sabres Shows Buffalo Has Talent — But So Far, The Mix Has Always Been Wrong
Believe it or not, the Buffalo Sabres and their players are not inherently terrible. Sure, there are Buffalo players you may believe to be flawed, and sure, the Sabres have been consistently sub-par for the past 14 seasons — none of which have ended with Stanley Cup playoff games being played in Western New York.  But if you look at some of Buffalo’s former players, you see that they have some value across the league, even though they have a stint with the Sabres on their resume.

Finally, the rest of Buffalo’s D-men also have to come through with some type of solid contribution this season. Matias Samuelsson will need to be a stable stay-at-home defender, while new acquisitions Michael Kesselring and Conor Timmins will need to make better-than-average first impressions in their own way.

There’s no area in which the Sabres are too good in order to make up for bad Sabres areas. They need everything working in their favor if they’re to be a playoff team in 2026.

And if they don’t get that — if they don’t improve significantly on defense this year — the defense corps in Western New York at this time next September will look drastically different.

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The Buffalo Sabres need solid years from everybody to even come close to being in the mix for a Stanley Cup playoff appearance for the first time in a decade. But (and at the risk of just pointing out one of those players when it will take big efforts from most Sabres players to make Buffalo a playoff team) we’re going to focus on a player this writer believes has to have a big year to get the Sabres back in the post-season.

And that player is a key player for Buffalo: team captain and star defenseman Rasmus Dahlin.

First of all, let’s be clear: we all need some empathy for Dahlin. His fiancee had a major health scare, and Dahlin and his fiancee need our understanding as they walk the road of recovery. Nothing that happens on the ice is more important than that.

But there’s also no denying Dahlin needs a high-impact season to improve Buffalo’s play in its own zone and getting into a playoff spot. The Sabres were tied with the Pittsburgh Penguins as the third-worst defensive team last season, giving up an average of 3.50 goals-against per game. Only Chicago (3.56) and San Jose (3.78) were worse — and both of those teams, as well as the Sabres and Penguins, all were well out of a playoff position in 2024-25.

Thus, while the Sabres definitely needs a banner year on offense from Dahlin, it’s the team’s play in the defensive end that has to show the most growth. And as he enters his prime at 25 years old, Dahlin has to lead the charge and be better all-around this season.

Dahlin had a rebound season on offense last season; although his goal total fell from 20 in 2023-24 to 17 in 2024-25, Dahlin’s assist total went from 39 in ’23-24 to 51 in ’24-25. Dahlin had nine more points last season than he did the year prior, so imagining he’s going to surge by 20 points is unfair to him. If he can get back to his career highs of goals (20) assists (58) and points (73), the Sabres will be elated.

Value In Former Sabres Shows Buffalo Has Talent — But So Far, The Mix Has Always Been Wrong
Believe it or not, the Buffalo Sabres and their players are not inherently terrible. Sure, there are Buffalo players you may believe to be flawed, and sure, the Sabres have been consistently sub-par for the past 14 seasons — none of which have ended with Stanley Cup playoff games being played in Western New York.  But if you look at some of Buffalo’s former players, you see that they have some value across the league, even though they have a stint with the Sabres on their resume.

But though Dahlin is a savvy defender who is Buffalo’s primary saving grace on ‘D’, he needs to create a defense-minded tide that raises all Sabres boats — by which, we mean Dahlin has to find ways to make his teammates better. Dahlin can’t work miracles if the talent Sabres GM Kevyn Adams has assembled around him aren’t true difference-makers. But when you wear the ‘C’, you’re primarily responsible for ensuring the mentality you expect in a playoff team to have taken root in your dressing room. You have to be what you’re being asked to be — a leader.

Absent an all-around improvement in their own end, the Sabres are going to miss the playoffs for the 15th-straight season. That’s inevitable unless Dahlin and his teammates change the narrative in Buffalo.

This Season Could Be Final Kick At Can For Sabres Coach Ruff, GM Adams
The Buffalo Sabres’ 2025-26 season is about as high-stakes as it gets. The Sabres will be aiming to end the organization’s 14-year drought on the Stanley Cup playoff front. And while certain players will not be long for Buffalo if the Sabres fail to make it into the post-season this year, the reality is the Sabres’ most prominent coaching and management members — coach Lindy Ruff and GM Kevyn Adams — could be getting their final kick at the can in their jobs — at least, at the NHL level.

The Sabres are going to need contributions from each of their players this season in order to get back into the post-season. But if Dahlin can’t coax better play out of the rest of the Sabres, Buffalo will indeed be in trouble once again.

The defense is the thing in Sabres Land, and that’s what Buffalo has to address. What their captain has to address. Nobody’s asking Dahlin to coach the team, but when you’re the leader, you’re responsbile. And the defense is going to hang on Dahlin’s shoulders this year. When you’re making $11-million every year until 2032, it’s ultimately on you. And that’s where Dahlin is in NHL Season No. 8.

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Believe it or not, the Buffalo Sabres and their players are not inherently terrible. Sure, there are Buffalo players you may believe to be flawed, and sure, the Sabres have been consistently sub-par for the past 14 seasons — none of which have ended with Stanley Cup playoff games being played in Western New York.  But if you look at some of Buffalo’s former players, you see that they have some value across the league, even though they have a stint with the Sabres on their resume.

One former Sabre who was prominent this week was former Buffalo goalie James Reimer, who agreed to a professional tryout contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs. It’s true Reimer would at best be Toronto’s third goalie, but with the absence of veteran Joseph Woll, Reimer could become the Leafs’ No. 2 option. And given that Reimer had won the Sabres’ starting job at the end of this past season, you know Toronto management had to be convinced Reimer had something left to extend him this olive branch.

Meanwhile, former Buffalo winger J.J. Peterka obviously had value to other teams. The Utah Mammoth gave up a lot of trade capital to acquire Peterka this summer, but he enters the season as Utah’s top left winger on a Mammoth team that many believe will take a major step forward this season. So the Sabres haven’t been bereft of talent.

The problem here is clearly the chemistry and depth for Buffalo, and Sabres GM Kevyn Adams is tasked with changing the mix for his team. If he can’t do that, Buffalo’s streak of seasons without a playoff appearance will extend to an even more-painful 15 years.

This is also why the pressure is squarely on Sabres coach Lindy Ruff right now. No one can take away from Ruff’s longevity as an NHL bench boss. He’s had some serious success over the years, but nothing short of a playoff berth will save Ruff’s job this year, and so he’s going to have to do what all great coaches learn to do — namely, adapt their approach to how they do business.

This Season Could Be Final Kick At Can For Sabres Coach Ruff, GM Adams
The Buffalo Sabres’ 2025-26 season is about as high-stakes as it gets. The Sabres will be aiming to end the organization’s 14-year drought on the Stanley Cup playoff front. And while certain players will not be long for Buffalo if the Sabres fail to make it into the post-season this year, the reality is the Sabres’ most prominent coaching and management members — coach Lindy Ruff and GM Kevyn Adams — could be getting their final kick at the can in their jobs — at least, at the NHL level.

That doesn’t necessarily mean coaches have to be drastically different in how they approach their duties, but it does mean being flexible and learning how to modify their performance to suit the needs of the players they’re responsible for.

So we’re not going to tell you the Sabres were 100 percent wrong to keep most of their team together this summer. That may prove to be demonstrably true, but teams have tweaked their lineup from a losing bunch one year to a playoff team the next. Adams is betting on his core, and that could ultimately be the best decision he’s made in the role.

Seeing players like Peterka and Reimer be potentially big parts of a winning team should reassure Sabres fans the team isn’t comically inept when it comes to identifying NHL-level talent. But the fact that many former Sabres have found success elsewhere is in its own way an indictment of Buffalo management, past and present. That’s what has to change above all else.

Sabres Will Start This Season As Playoff Underdogs — But Here’s Why That Could Be Good For Them
The Buffalo Sabres are going to have a tough time contending for a Stanley Cup wild card position this year. But when this writer submitted his pre-season predictions for the Atlantic Division, he had the Sabres in…sixth place in the Atlantic, ahead of only the Boston Bruins and Detroit Red Wings. And while it pains us to predict more misery ahead for long-suffering Sabres fans, we wouldnâ€t be telling it like it is if we told you Buffalo wasnâ€t going to be picked as a playoff team by most pundits. They wonâ€t be.

This organization has to figure out a way to get its ducks in a row and come up with a legitimate playoff team. Because if they can’t do that this year, there will be a new management group with the same goal next summer.

And Sabres fans will be all the more livid that this franchise just can’t get it right.

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The Buffalo Sabres bounce back from a 5-2 loss to the Red Wings in Detroit on Thursday with their own 5-2 win over the Wings at KeyBank Center on Saturday afternoon. Tage Thompson scored a pair of goals in the victory, with Josh Norris, Rasmus Dahlin, and rookie Radim Mrtka adding singles. Alex Lyon went all the way for the Sabres, making 26 saves in the contest.

Just after the game, the club announced a massive 24-player roster cut, demoting 15 players to AHL Rochester Americans; forwards Riley Fiddler-Schultz, Konsta Helenius, Tyler Kopff, Olivier Nadeau, Viktor Neuchev, Isak Rosen and Anton Wahlberg, defensemen Isaac Belliveau, Vsevolod Komarov, Zach Metsa, Nikita Novikov, and Jack Rathbone, and goaltenders Topias Leinonen, Devon Levi and Scott Ratzlaff.

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Rathbone was placed on waivers and cleared on Sunday, enabling him to be sent to the Amerks, as were nine players on AHL contracts: forwards Matteo Costantini, Jagger Joshua, Trevor Kuntar, Redmond Savage, Graham Slaggert, Brendan Warren, and defensemen Aiden Fulp, Noah Laaouan, and Peter Tischke.

Helenius, 19, played well during the exhibition slate for the Sabres, but will benefit from more AHL experience and could be an option for an NHL call-up later in the season if he continues to progress. Rosen will be embarking on his fourth AHL campaign after leading the Amerks in scoring last season, while Levi (who was an AHL All-Star but went 2-7-0 in nine games with Buffalo last season) seems destined to play another year in Rochester, with Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen healthy, and veterans Alex Lyon and Alexandar Georgiev ahead of him on the depth chart.

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The Buffalo Sabres’ 2025-26 season is about as high-stakes as it gets. The Sabres will be aiming to end the organization’s 14-year drought on the Stanley Cup playoff front. And while certain players will not be long for Buffalo if the Sabres fail to make it into the post-season this year, the reality is the Sabres’ most prominent coaching and management members — coach Lindy Ruff and GM Kevyn Adams — could be getting their final kick at the can in their jobs — at least, at the NHL level.

To be sure, Ruff is an NHL lifer who has 1,856 games of regular-season games-coached. At 65 years old, Ruff is part of the old guard of the league, and at a time when teams fire coaches faster than ever before, Ruff may never get another shot as an NHL bench boss. He’s a Sabres icon, but without the appropriate results, he’s going to get shown the door at the end of the season or sooner.

Meanwhile, Adams is also going to be facing serious ramifications if the Sabres fail to thrive this season. The 50-year-old has been groomed for a role in Buffalo’s braintrust for years now, but if he doesn’t get this Sabres team into the playoffs, it’s not like teams will be forming a line to snap up his services. He wouldn’t be the first one-chance-and-done GM at the NHL level, and he won’t be the last.

You can see where we’re headed with this article, right? Adams and Ruff desperately need positive results this season, because there will be a cavalcade of critics ready to pick at their bones. A disastrous season for the Sabres will lead to a slew of changes in Buffalo’s front office — and the Sabres all know it.

Thus, no one should feel sorry for Ruff or Adams if things don’t go their way. They’re getting opportunities many hockey lifers never get. And if they can’t deliver positive results, Sabres ownership is going to look for a new GM and coach. That may not be fair, but it is the law of the jungle in the zero-sum industry that is being an NHL coach or GM.

Sabres Will Start This Season As Playoff Underdogs — But Here’s Why That Could Be Good For Them
The Buffalo Sabres are going to have a tough time contending for a Stanley Cup wild card position this year. But when this writer submitted his pre-season predictions for the Atlantic Division, he had the Sabres in…sixth place in the Atlantic, ahead of only the Boston Bruins and Detroit Red Wings. And while it pains us to predict more misery ahead for long-suffering Sabres fans, we wouldnâ€t be telling it like it is if we told you Buffalo wasnâ€t going to be picked as a playoff team by most pundits. They wonâ€t be.

The Sabres can’t afford to not come out of the gate strongly, because if they do, Ruff or Adams may not make it to the end of the season in their current roles. Buffalo can’t afford any missteps, and if they do make errors, it could spell the end of the line for Adams and/or Ruff.

The time has come for Ruff and Adams to step up or step aside. This season is going to be a make-or-break season for the Sabres. And the way the team responds will dictate Buffalo’s future — and the future of Adams and Ruff.

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Detroit forwards Andrew Copp and Mason Appleton show preview of third line, helping lead the Red Wings to a decisive 5-2 win over the Sabres in their second preseason game.

The Red Wings closed out their second preseason game in dominant fashion, scoring three unanswered goals and outshooting the Sabres 40-18 in a 5-2 win over Buffalo. They now hit the road for their next two exhibition matchups against the Pittsburgh Penguins and a rematch with the Sabres.

Red Wings Improve To 2-0 In Pre-Season Play With Dominating Win Over Sabres
While it may have only been the second pre-season game, the Detroit Red Wings played as if they were in mid-season form took control over the Buffalo Sabres at Little Caesars Arena, handily winning not only on the scoreboard but on the shot counter.

We highlighted stellar performances during the Red Wings preseason opener on Tueaday with Emmitt Finnie and his prospect heavy line with Nate Danielson and Michael Brandsegg-Nygard standing out as a force to be reckoned with. This time however, the lineup was more veteran-focussed with first looks at lines that will hopefully be kept together for the regular season. The trio of Michael Rasmussen, Mason Appleton and Andrew Copp is one that fans have been waiting to see after they were paired up during training camp.

Detroitâ€s New 3rd Line?

Copp and Appleton made their presence known right out of the gate. Copp pressured a Sabres defender behind the net and quickly stripped the puck in an unexpected steal. He wasted no time, sliding the puck into the slot past Buffalo goaltender Alexandar Georgiev, where Appleton finished the play with a quick shot to open the scoring and give Detroit an early lead. If this sequence is any indication, this line’s forechecking could be a major strength throughout the upcoming season.

Copp later added a goal of his own in highlight-reel fashion. After Lucas Raymond made a strong move in tight, his shot was knocked away and deflected off Georgievâ€s stick. The puck popped into the air, and Copp timed it perfectly, batting it in with his stick just under the crossbar for Detroitâ€s fifth and final goal of the game.

Appleton nearly scored again while on the penalty kill, working alongside Albert Johansson. The pair turned defense into offense with a quick breakout, as Johansson waited and delivered a perfectly placed pass through a Sabres defenderâ€s legs. Appleton got off a clean shot, but Georgiev made a spectacular save to keep the puck out.

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Danielson, Brandsegg-Nygard Stay Impactful, Sandin-Pellikka Records First Point

Prospects like Nate Danielson and Michael Brandsegg-Nygard continued to make strong impressions. Danielson intercepted a drop pass from a Sabres defender and broke in with only one man to beat. He made a slick move and fired a quick low shot to the stick side, but Georgiev turned it aside.

Brandsegg-Nygard had another impactful performance. He scored a sharp power play goal, picking the corner just below the glove, but also took two penalties, one of which led to a Sabres goal. Despite that, his presence was felt all over the ice. He delivered some heavy hits, disrupted plays with an aggressive forecheck that led to a scoring chance, and later drew defenders into the high slot before sending a pass to a rushing Amadeus Lombardi, who followed up with a quality scoring opportunity.

One name Red Wings fans are keeping a close eye on this preseason is top defensive prospect Axel Sandin-Pellikka. The Swedish blueliner generated plenty of excitement with several standout plays, including a key defensive stop on a one-on-one rush where he shut down a Sabres forward attempting to cut inside. Sandin-Pellikka continued to impress by setting up Brandsegg-Nygardâ€s power-play goal and notching his first point of the preseason and drawing a roughing penalty in the third period.

Final Notes

• Detroit captain Dylan Larkin played his first preseason game and found the back of the net with a wrist shot after battling for the puck in front, and also featured in a slick passing sequence with Lucas Raymond and Emmitt Finnie.
• Raymond continued his productive preseason with two assists on Larkinâ€s goal as well as Coppâ€s while nearly scoring himself with a power-play one-timer off the post.
• Moritz Seider added a goal, credited after the puck deflected in off a Sabres player, and threw a couple hits to set the tone defensively.
• Winger Elmer Söderblom and defenseman Jacob Truscott each picked up assists on Seiderâ€s goal, with Truscott also generating a quality scoring chance off a pass from Marco Kasper.
• Newcomer Jacob Bernard-Docker had a notable shift leading up to Larkinâ€s goal, circling the offensive zone with the puck before earning the assist, though he also took a high-sticking penalty.
• Prospect Amadeus Lombardi showcased his skill with a couple of creative setups, including a slick move through defenders for a scoring chance and a pinpoint pass to Truscott from behind the net.
• Albert Johansson registered an assist but had a tough moment on the penalty kill, losing his stick which led to the Sabres†tying goal, though he later helped generate a short-handed 2-on-1.
• Kasper battled hard along the boards and connected with Truscott for another dangerous look.
• Ben Chiarot was involved physically but was caught out of position on the Sabres’ second goal. Emmitt Finnie continued to push for a roster spot, nearly scoring off the passing play with Larkin and Raymond.
• In net, Michal Postava stood tall with several key saves on the penalty kill to help preserve the win.

“It Should Be Our Goal”: Moritz Seider Backs Red Wings’ Playoff Quest
As the Detroit Red Wings celebrate their centennial season in the National Hockey League, their goal remains the same – it’s time to bring the Stanley Cup Playoffs to Little Caesars Arena for the first time.

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The Red Wings play their second preseason game Thursday when taking on a division rival in the Buffalo Sabres.

The Detroit Red Wings restart their preseason on Thursday with a divisional showdown against the Buffalo Sabres. Before last preseason, these two haven’t faced off in exhibition action since the 2021-22 season. With little history between them, the Red Wings have a 1-1-1 record over their last three exhibition matchups versus Buffalo.

Fans could see some big names take to the ice for the first time this season like in Detroit’s preseason opener on Tuesday when they faced off against the Chicago. The Blackhawks played some of their highest end talent like star center Connor Bedard and 2024 second overall pick Artyom Levshunov.

Detroit is coming off a gutsy win in their preseason opener as they downed the Blackhawks 3-2 thanks to an impressive performance from former seventh round pick Emmitt Finnie, who scored and dished for an assist in a multi-point performance. Other notable names in the win were his linemates in other top prospects for Detroit with Nate Danielson, who also scored, and Michael Brandsegg-Nygard, who recorded a pair of assists.

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With Detroit playing mostly their prospects in the opener, except for J.T. Compher, Jonatan Berggren and Travis Hamonic, we can expect a more veteran lineup deployed for Thursday’s matchup as Red Wings bench boss Todd McLellan would like to make sure all their routine starters have enough time to get their legs underneath them before the start of the season. Nothing has been said just yet about who’s playing in Thursday’s game but we can expect some notable players that fans won’t want to miss.

“It’s Time”: Dylan Larkin Lays Out Clear Goal For Red Wings
The city of Detroit hasn’t hosted a Stanley Cup Playoff game since April 2016 against the Tampa Bay Lightning at Joe Louis Arena, who at that time were overseen by general manager Steve Yzerman.

Last Sunday, the Red Wings played in their signature split squad game called the Red and White Game in Grand Rapids and led to some impressive performances.  Finnie was again a standout after scoring while playing on the top line with Dylan Larkin and Lucas Raymond. Detroit winger Elmer Söderblom also made his case for the top-line left wing spot, turning heads after scoring twice and impressing during training camp scrimmages while playing on the top unit. The battle for the top-line left wing spot remains one of the key storylines to watch, with no clear frontrunner emerging.

Another position battle heading into the season could be with naming a No. 1 starting goaltender despite the team trading for a former all-star netminder in John Gibson. The former Ducks goaltender appeared in 29 games (28 starts) and posted a lesser record than Talbot at 11‑11‑2 while playing for a weaker team in the Ducks but posted a better goals against average (GAA) at 2.77 and a better save percentage at .912 compared to Talbot’s GAA at 2.93 and his .901 save percentage. Both haven’t seen the ice yet in the preseason as former first round pick Sebastian Cossa took the crease for the opener and will make the decision in net for the Sabres matchup an interesting one.

Click Here if you want to check out more expanded storylines on the Red Wings training camp roster.

Red Wings Prospect Signs Four-Year Deal To Stay With Russian Club
Red Wings recent 5th round pick Nikita Tyurin signs four-year extension with Russian club

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