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New York Times
4 days ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Sabres depth chart projection: 6 key questions about Buffalo's forward group
BUFFALO, N.Y. — When the Buffalo Sabres opened training camp in September, Lindy Ruff didn't have a lot of time. The team had just two weeks of practice and one preseason game before the NHLers went to Europe for an exhibition game in Germany and the season-opening Global Series in Prague. That meant Ruff started camp with his NHL group already decided, despite the fact he was still getting to know his team as a first-year coach. Advertisement This training camp should be a lot different. Ruff is more familiar with these players, the team is coming off another disappointing season, and there are some new faces sprinkled into the lineup. That should give Ruff time to experiment and create more competition. At this point, the defensive pairings seem easy to project on paper. There will be competition for the seventh and eighth spots on the depth chart. But when everyone is healthy, the top six on defense should look like this: Bowen Byram – Rasmus Dahlin Owen Power – Michael Kesselring Mattias Samuelsson – Conor Timmins The real intrigue of camp will be how Ruff and his staff put together the forward lines. We won't know exactly what Ruff is thinking until the Sabres take the ice for training camp in mid-September. Here's my best guess at the forward lines with a look at some of the key questions that will determine the opening-night lineup. Zach Benson – Josh Norris – Tage Thompson Jason Zucker – Jiri Kulich – Alex Tuch Jack Quinn – Ryan McLeod – Josh Doan Jordan Greenway – Peyton Krebs – Justin Danforth But right now, here are a few considerations facing Ruff when Buffalo opens the season against the New York Rangers on Oct. 9. Ruff was clear about two things late last season. One is that he liked Tage Thompson at wing. The other is that he liked Jiri Kulich as a center. As of now, this lineup operates under the assumption Ruff will stick to those two beliefs when he puts together his lineup. The Sabres' center depth hinges on those two decisions. Thompson excelled at wing last season. His offensive game took off, and it seemed to help him stay fresh. Kulich also looked his best at center. He was better able to use his skating ability to open up scoring opportunities. He was also more than capable of handling the defensive responsibility of the position. Though making Thompson a center could strengthen that position, it would create questions elsewhere in the lineup. Here's a version of what the Sabres could look like if Thompson were a center and Kulich a wing. Advertisement Benson – Thompson – Tuch Kulich – Norris – Doan Zucker – McLeod – Quinn Greenway – Krebs – Danforth Extra: Beck Malenstyn Zach Benson handled himself well when he was playing on the top line with Thompson at the end of the season. He's an eager forechecker with playmaking ability and has already proved to be a strong defensive forward. Those skills fit well with the way Thompson plays: The Sabres had a 55 percent expected goal share when Benson and Thompson were on the ice together at five-on-five last season. If training camp started today, Benson would be my first pick to be that top-line left wing. Beyond Benson, the options are less than perfect. The Sabres could stack the top line with Alex Tuch, Josh Norris and Thompson. They could put Jason Zucker on the top line, but that's higher in the lineup than he should be playing. The other interesting option would be Josh Doan, who brings similar forechecking and defensive ability to Benson but has a better shot. I'd let Benson get the first crack at it, though. Norris played only three games after the Sabres acquired him at the trade deadline. He was the team's No. 1 center in all of those games. In one game, he centered Thompson and Tuch. In another, he centered Benson and Thompson. In the other, he centered JJ Peterka and Thompson. If Norris is the No. 1 center, it makes sense to pair him up with Thompson to start. But the question of whether Norris is a No. 1 center boils down to whether he can come close to playing 82 games. He entered the offseason healthy, which is a great sign for a player who has dealt with multiple shoulder injuries in his career. He had 21 goals in 56 games last season, a sign that his 30-plus goal potential is still there. When the Sabres acquired Norris, Ruff said he views him as a No. 1 center. I expect him to play there opening night. Doan is a fascinating player to follow entering training camp. At just 23 years old, he hasn't fully developed into the player he will be. What is Doan's ceiling and how soon can he hit it? We know he is already one of the most efficient forecheckers in the NHL. He also has a dangerous shot and is willing to play at the front of the net. Those skills could make him useful in the top six if Ruff decides to go that route. Advertisement Don't miscast Doan just because he had only seven goals last season. At the very least, he should be a quality third-liner for this team. But as we saw with Zucker last season, the net-front skills can earn a player more ice time in better situations. A strong forechecker who also has back-to-back 20-point seasons, Danforth played center and wing for the Columbus Blue Jackets last season. His experience will be a welcome addition to the locker room. Danforth's career faceoff percentage is just shy of 50 percent. If he plays wing, that allows Peyton Krebs to stay in the lineup. If Danforth is at center, either Krebs could move to the wing or Beck Malenstyn could jump back onto the fourth line. The beauty of Danforth is his versatility. Injuries and performance will dictate who needs to stay in the lineup, and Danforth can plug a hole at center or wing. I have him starting on the wing because it keeps Krebs in the lineup. But Danforth's presence creates some healthy competition at the bottom of the lineup. Where Quinn fits in this lineup has been a lingering question all summer. The Sabres signed him to a two-year extension worth more than $3 million per year, so they have some faith in him. I put him on the third line with Ryan McLeod and Doan, but he needs to be a lot better defensively to handle the matchups McLeod was getting. Ideally, the Sabres might want a line that has Zucker playing with McLeod and either Doan or Jordan Greenway. But to do that, Ruff would need to trust Quinn in a top-six role. After the way he struggled in the first half of last season, that's a risk. The good news is that Quinn still had 39 points last season in what was considered a down year. He is two years removed from the torn Achilles tendon that cost him most of the 2023-24 season and more than a year removed from the broken leg from that same season. His skating suffered last season because of those injuries. If he can regain some of his burst from before the injury, Quinn could give the Sabres some of the scoring they'll need with Peterka gone. (Top photo of Peyton Krebs, Mattias Samuelsson, Alex Tuch and Zach Benson: Hannah Foslien / Getty Images) Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Play today's puzzle
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Countdown to the Devils Puck Drop
There are 60 days until the puck drops and the New Jersey Devils are back on the ice. The team has made moves in the offseason to improve their on-ice game and bring the Cup back to New Jersey. With just over two months to go before the season starts, it's a good time to look at what has changed since the team last took the ice, and what still needs to be done. Coaching Staff The Devils have adjusted their coaching staff this offseason, choosing not to renew the contracts of assistant coaches Ryan McGill and Chris Taylor. They dealt with inconsistencies at the head coach position last season, starting with Lindy Ruff, then bringing in Travis Green for the final 21 games, and finally appointing Sheldon Keefe as head coach. The Devils have now committed to Keefe for the 2025-26 season. Since his hiring on May 9, Keefe has made several moves to address the team's weaknesses from last season, beginning with goaltending. Goaltending The Devils are in a unique position in the NHL. While many teams are struggling to find a consistent starter, New Jersey has a strong goaltending lineup. They entered the offseason confident in veteran Jacob Markstrom as their starter. The backup spot appeared open with Jake Allen testing free agency, but in a surprising move, Allen re-signed with the Devils for five years, solving that concern quickly. The team also has promising prospects in Nico Daws and Mikhail Yegorov, who are ready to step up if a spot opens in net. Middle Six The Devils needed to add depth to their middle six this offseason, and they did so by signing Connor Brown and Evgenii Dadonov. These additions also address a major issue from last season: scoring first. Too often, New Jersey surrendered the opening goal, something they must change to make a deeper playoff push. Still to Do The biggest remaining task is re-signing Luke Hughes. The young defenseman is expected to receive a large, long-term contract. General Manager Tom Fitzgerald has said it's his top offseason priority, though the deal has yet to be finalized. There's little concern about Hughes signing; one theory is that the delay is tied to creating more cap space to offer him a bigger deal. Trade The Devils have explored moving Dougie Hamilton and his large contract, but as August begins, no trade has materialized. With just under $7 million in cap space, moving a high-priced contract like Hamilton's could benefit the team. Strength Training One of the Devils' biggest offseason goals has been improving player health. The team has battled injuries for several seasons, so enhancing strength training and allowing players to fully recover is crucial. While injury prevention is hard to measure, it's safe to assume Devils players have spent the offseason training and preparing for a deeper playoff run. Photo Credit: © James Guillory-Imagn Images
Yahoo
11-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Series: Buffalo Sabres offseason recap
In this series, we take a look at each team and see what they've done over the offseason. Next up is the Buffalo Sabres. Key additions: Michael Kesselring, Josh Doan, Alex Lyon, Justin Danforth, Conor Timmins, Zac Jones Advertisement The Sabres added some offensive and defensive depth and beefed up the right side of their blueline with the addition of Michael Kesselring. They added yet another goalie in the rotation in Alex Lyon. Key subtractions: JJ Peterka, Sam Lafferty, Connor Clifton, Jakob Bernard-Docker The Sabres shipped off one of their best young offensive talents JJ Peterka in a puzzling trade with the Utah Mammoth. This came reportedly after Peterka did not wish to play in Buffalo anymore due to the losing culture. This keeps the Buffalo track record going of drafting talented players just to move them before they hit their primes. Highest draft pick: Radim Mrtka, 9th overall Advertisement Salary cap space: $13.6 million Staff: The Sabres have surprisingly made no notable changes to their staff. Current GM Kevyn Adams took over in 2020. Last season was coach Lindy Ruff's first year back behind the bench with the team since 2013. Buffalo has not made the playoffs since 2011. It will be curious to see where the squad goes from here as the club continues to lack a clear direction. Other: Bowen Byram is another big name that has been on the Buffalo Sabres trade block of late. Watch out for a trade involving him at some point over the summer reminiscent of the JJ Peterka deal. All transactions available via puck pedia
New York Times
29-06-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Sabres post-draft thoughts: Conor Timmins trade, the latest on Bowen Byram and more
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — The 2025 NHL Draft will likely end up as a footnote in this Buffalo Sabres offseason. This summer is one in which general manager Kevyn Adams and coach Lindy Ruff are feeling legitimate pressure entering the final season of their contracts. The playoff drought continues to weigh on this team, and the fan base is restless. So while the Sabres added some interesting prospects this weekend, this offseason is all about the NHL roster. Advertisement This week was highlighted by Adams trading JJ Peterka to the Utah Mammoth in exchange for defenseman Micahel Kesselring and winger Josh Doan. That was a massive trade that will end up defining Buffalo's season and Adams' tenure in some ways. Adams continued to tinker with the roster this weekend, trading Connor Clifton and a second-round pick to the Pittsburgh Penguins for defenseman Conor Timmins and a prospect. But what stands out coming out of this weekend is just how much is left to get done. The Sabres have six restricted free agents, including the newly acquired Timmins. Bowen Byram's situation is still unsettled. And the Sabres have roughly $20 million in salary cap space. This offseason is far from over, with free agency opening on Tuesday and trade discussions still ongoing around the league. The Sabres got some of their biggest business done by trading Peterka, but there are still so many directions this offseason can go. Will they add another forward to the top six? Will they spend to the cap ceiling for the first time under Adams? And is another trade coming? At the beginning of the weekend, Adams insisted he had a plan. That plan is still incomplete. But here's what we learned during a busy draft weekend. We'll start with the Sabres' newest draft class: Round 1, pick 9: Radim Mrtka, RHD, Seattle (WHL), 6-foot-6, 218 pounds Round 3, Pick 71: David Bedkowski, RHD, Owen Sound (OHL) 6-5, 221 Round 4, Pick 103: Matous Kucharcik, C, Slavia Jr. (Czech Jr.), 6-4, 180 Round 4, Pick 116: Samuel Meloche, G, Rouyn-Noranda (QMJHL), 6-2, 190 Round 5, Pick 135: Noah Laberge, LHD, Acadie Bathurst (QMJHL), 6-0, 187 Round 6, Pick 167: Ashton Schultz, C, Chicago (USHL), 5-11, 180 Round 7, Pick 195: Melvin Novotny, F, Leksands IF (Sweden Jr.), 6-1, 185 Round 7, Pick 199: Yevgeni Prokhorov, G, Dinamo-Shinnik Bobruysk (MHL), 6-3, 183 Round 7, Pick 219: Ryan Racunski, F, Youngstown (USHL), 5-10, 176 Advertisement This draft class is going to come down to how the top two picks pan out. Radim Mrtka has a path to a top-four role, but it could take some runway for him to get there. Sabres assistant general manager Jerry Forton noted that Mrtka has some awkward moments skating since he's still growing into his body. But the Sabres saw dramatic improvement in his game throughout the season and are excited to see what he will do in his second season in North America. Buffalo's second pick, David Bedkowski, represents all of the qualities the Sabres have been talking about in recent weeks. He's a 6-5 right-handed defenseman with a major mean streak. He might be the most physical player in this draft class. But what was also clear in speaking with him after he got drafted is how mature Bedkowski is. The Sabres' pick of Bedkowski was announced by Greg Manzi, a local youth hockey player who suffered a devastating injury last season. Bedkowski mentioned how special that was when he briefly chatted with the Sabres' brass after the pick. Elite Prospects on Sabres' 3rd round pick David Bedkowski: 'Arguably the most violent player in the class, with the mobility, reach, defensive traits, and bloodlust to develop into a tremendous play killer.' They had him ranked 47th, he went 71st. — The Charging Buffalo (@TheChargingBUF) June 28, 2025 As for his game, Bedkowski, who fought five times last season, said, 'I'm a heart and soul guy, loyal to the soil. Just compete is the name of the game to me. Sacrificing, blocking shots, whatever it takes.' It's easy to envision playing in the NHL, even if his upside isn't that of Mrtka or other top defensemen in this class. He's also a player Sabres fans will have an easy time rooting for. I like that the Sabres took a couple of chances on goalies late in the draft. Late-round picks don't often turn into NHL players, but goalies have a better chance and can be valuable commodities if you hit on one. The Sabres are stocked with young goalies. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen is still early in his NHL career. Devon Levi hasn't yet become a full-time NHL player. And recent draft picks Scott Ratzlaff and Topias Leiononen both got entry-level contracts. Advertisement Now, Buffalo can add fourth-round pick Samuel Meloche and seventh-round pick Yevgeni Prokhorov to the mix. Meloche had an excellent rookie season in the QMJHL, shouldering a big workload and carrying his team deep into the playoffs with a 2.01 goals against average in 13 playoff games. Prokhorov, a native of Belarus who played in the MHL last season, might be coming to North America to play junior hockey next season, according to Forton. He also finished his season strong with a 1.95 goals against average and a .943 save percentage in six playoff games. Timmins got the call that he'd been traded to the Sabres while he was at his parents' cottage, which is just across the lake from KeyBank Center. Born in St. Catharines, Ontario, he grew up going to Sabres games and was excited by the prospect of playing for Buffalo. Adams said he views Timmins, 26, as a third-pair defenseman right now. The Sabres acquired Timmins and prospect Isaac Belliveau from the Penguins for Connor Clifton and the No. 39 overall pick in the draft. Timmins is a restricted free agent, so it remains to be seen how much the Sabres will save on Clifton's $3.33 million cap hit. Theoretically, Timmins shouldn't cost as much and should be an upgrade. He can also kill penalties. A second-round pick was a decent price to pay for this swap, but the Sabres don't have a dire need for more draft picks. Now let's see what they do with the small amount of cap flexibility from this deal. There is a clear difference between the way Adams has been speaking about defenseman Byram and the way he spoke about Peterka before he got traded. Adams was visibly annoyed by the Peterka line of questioning, likely stemming from his frustration with the player. With Byram, Adams has been honest but also somewhat even-keeled. He gets that Byram has two years before he hits unrestricted free agency and wants some clarity on what his role will look like and what the team will look like. 'What he knows is we like him, we believe in him, we think it makes the team better with him on,' Adams said. 'But if there's a trade to make that makes sense and we think it's the right thing to do, we'll do it.' The key piece here is that Adams trusts that if Byram sticks around, he'll be the same positive presence in the locker room he's always been. I'm not sure the Sabres felt the same way about Peterka. 'What I know about Bo Byram is if he's back, whether it's a one-year deal or two-year deal or eight-year deal, he's going to be all in and try to help us win. That's what I truly appreciate about Bo. We'll get to the right solution. It has to work for both sides. He understands how we feel about him, and he knows we're willing to do whatever we need to do to help our team get better. We've been very transparent both ways.' Advertisement Adams said he would be re-engaging with Byram's agent, Darren Ferris, on contract talks. He was also interrupted during his post-draft press conference by a call from another general manager, a reminder that one call can change the situation in a hurry. As it stands, Byram playing with Rasmus Dahlin, Owen Power playing with Michael Kesselring and Mattias Samuelsson playing with Timmins could be a solid depth chart on defense. (Top photo of Conor Timmins: Talia Sprague / Imagn Images)
Yahoo
18-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Sabres Make Lindy Ruff Announcement After Season Finale
The Buffalo Sabres failed to secure a ticket to the 2025 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs, but at least they punctuated their 2024-25 campaign on a positive note, beating the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday night via a score of 5-4 at KeyBank Center in Buffalo. The victory snapped the Sabres' four-game losing skid and, more notably, earned head coach Lindy Ruff's 900th win behind the bench in his NHL career. Advertisement Ruff started the day with 899 coaching wins in the league to his name, which included 606 with the Sabres. Those numbers are now 900 and 607, respectively, as he also becomes just the fifth ever in NHL history to rack up at least 900 coaching victories. Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff talks to his team during a game.© Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images Only Scotty Bowman, Joel Quenneville, Paul Maurice and Barry Trotz have won more games than Ruff, who turned 65 years old in February. The Sabres also announced Ruff's milestone with a post on X. Ruff and the Sabres went on a rollercoaster ride of a game versus Philly before coming away with a victory. Buffalo scored the first two goals of the contest in the opening period and carried a 3-1 lead into the second frame. Advertisement But the Flyers fought back and scored two of the next three goals to cut their deficit down to one after Tyson Foerster lit the lamp just 15 seconds into the third period. Ryan McLeod gave the Sabres an insurance goal with under a minute left in regulation before Bobby Brink gave the Flyers their last hurrah with a goal with only 20 seconds remaining in the contest. The Sabres, who have not been to the playoffs since 2011, ended this campaign with a 36-39-7 record for 79 points. Related: Sabres Make Lindy Ruff Announcement After Senators Game
