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New York Times
28-05-2025
- Business
- New York Times
Fixing Sabres' defense: Trade Bowen Byram, sign Aaron Ekblad and other options to explore
The Buffalo Sabres' blue line isn't built properly. The past few years have made that clear. It's not that the Sabres don't have talented players on defense. Rasmus Dahlin is a superstar worth the team's significant investment. Owen Power has gone through some growing pains, but his potential is still evident. Bowen Byram is fresh off a career-best season with 38 points. Advertisement The problem is that all three of those players are lefties. And all three are offensive-minded, puck-carrying defensemen. The Sabres ended the season with only two right-handed defensemen. And Connor Clifton is the only defenseman on the depth chart who plays a rugged game, but he's been a third-pairing player for most of his time in Buffalo. So, how do the Sabres go about fixing this? It's going to take more than one move, and it doesn't appear there are internal candidates in the prospect pool to solve all the problems next season. Here are the questions and potential solutions facing Buffalo's blue line this summer. We know Dahlin, the team's captain and best player, isn't going anywhere. So, if the Sabres were to make a trade to change the mix on defense, Power and Byram are the two most attractive trade chips at their disposal. Despite a recent injury, Power likely has more trade value since he is signed long-term, is a recent No. 1 pick and is already a proven and reliable point producer in the NHL. He's still working through some defensive deficiencies, but there's no doubt he would be sought after on the trade market. Byram is probably the easier player to trade. He's a restricted free agent this summer, so the Sabres are at a fork in the road with the 23-year-old. That's why it wasn't a shock to see Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman report that the Sabres are gauging the trade value for Byram, who recently changed agents. If they don't believe they have the proper role to maximize Byram's ability or the cap space to pay another left-handed defenseman big money, it makes sense to move him for someone who could fill a more obvious need in their lineup. The flip side is that Byram is one of the few players on the Sabres' roster who has playoff experience. He has shown leadership traits and played well when paired with Dahlin this season. On top of that, he stayed healthy for all 82 games this season. It's clear the Sabres got the better end of the Byram for Casey Mittelstadt swap. But the same question remains from the day general manager Kevyn Adams acquired Bryam: How does he fit long-term? Advertisement Mattias Samuelsson started to find his game toward the end of the season when he was back with Dahlin. Though every defenseman is going to look better when playing with someone of Dahlin's caliber, Samuelsson and Dahlin have been a solid match since Samuelsson got to the NHL. Dahlin prefers the right side, so Samuelsson's being a left-handed, stay-at-home type of defenseman fits well. But he's been unable to stay healthy the past few seasons and hasn't been nearly as physical and nasty as the Sabres need him to be consistently. That has made his $4.285 million cap hit tough to swallow. He might not have a ton of trade value at that number, and it's not worth buying out such a young player who still has some untapped potential. Aaron Ekblad is going to be the top right-handed defenseman on the free-agent market this summer. We must acknowledge the usual caveats that Ekblad could stay with the Florida Panthers or sign in a more desirable location than Buffalo. But he is exactly the type of defenseman the Sabres could use. He's playoff tested, plays with a physical edge and still has enough offensive skill to play high up in the lineup. He'd be an ideal partner for Power and would add some needed nastiness to the Sabres' lineup. Evolving Hockey is projecting Ekblad, 29, to get a six-year deal worth $7.7 million per year. That would likely have to be north of $8 million to convince Ekblad to come to Buffalo. But if you're going to overpay, you do it for a player who has the pedigree Ekblad does at a position of major need. Brent Burns is 40 years old and still searching for his first Stanley Cup. So if he continues to play, Buffalo probably won't be his preferred destination. He hasn't been quite as effective the past couple of seasons, but he might have another season left in the tank. He can't carry the puck like he used to, but Burns is still effective at denying zone entries. If his market isn't as strong as expected, maybe the Sabres could land him. Dante Fabbro was available on waivers earlier this year, and he landed with the Columbus Blue Jackets and played well, getting top-four minutes. He's not a slam-dunk option, but he played some of the best hockey of his career with the Blue Jackets. He's not overly physical, but Fabbro plays more of a stay-at-home style that could pair well with Power. Advertisement The New York Rangers could be a trade partner with the Sabres this summer, considering both teams are trying to change their mix after disappointing seasons. Braden Schneider, a 6-foot-4 right-shot defenseman, would slot comfortably into Buffalo's top four on defense. Schneider was top 20 among NHL defenseman in hits this season and top 30 in blocked shots. Though he's on the younger side, he would fit into the Sabres' timeline with their other young core pieces. The Rangers wouldn't be eager to trade Schneider, so it would take a significant package to make a deal work. Right-handed defensemen are major commodities in the NHL, so it might seem far-fetched that the Calgary Flames would trade one of these two proven players. But Rasmus Andersson is entering the final season of his contract. MacKenzie Weegar is 31 and might not perfectly fit Calgary's timeline. It also has Zayne Parekh coming through the system as a right-handed defenseman who will push for big minutes in the not-too-distant future. Andersson's contract situation and age make him a more likely trade target. Could the Sabres build a trade package around Byram? Maybe the Flames could include a veteran forward and the Sabres could include a prospect or young roster player to balance things out. The Utah Mammoth are also one of the rare franchises with right-handed defensemen to spare. Michael Kesselring took a noticeable step forward for Utah this season and plays with physicality. He got some time in Utah's top four and handled the task well. He's behind John Marino and Sean Durzi on the depth chart, so it's possible the Sabres could pry him away with a trade. He's a player worth asking about. The Blackhawks need to make room for some of their younger defensemen, so Connor Murphy could be a trade target this summer. He's 32, right-handed and has only one year left on a contract that pays him $4 million. Murphy would be a positive addition to the dressing room and plays with a physicality the Sabres have lacked at times. The big issue is that he's had trouble staying healthy in recent years. But he would make for a useful depth piece. If there's a defenseman in the system who is getting closer to being NHL-ready, it's probably Ryan Johnson. He's a restricted free agent this summer and should push for a roster spot next season. One complicating factor is the presence of Jacob Bryson, whom the Sabres signed to a one-year extension in March. Johnson and Bryson are lefties on a lefty-heavy depth chart. Johnson's game isn't overly physical, but he's effective at exiting the zone given his skating and passing ability. It's also fair to wonder if the Sabres might explore a Dennis Gilbert reunion after trading him to the Ottawa Senators at the deadline. Gilbert is an unrestricted free agent and became a favorite in the dressing room for his selflessness and toughness. But again, he's also a lefty, and the Sabres are already stocked with left-shot defensemen. (Photos of Bowen Byram and Aaron Ekblad: Marc DesRosiers and Sam Navarro / Imagn Images)
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Sabres Notes - Thompson At Worlds For USA, Amerks, Ex-Files
The Buffalo Sabres have not officially made any announcements regarding changes to management or the coaching staff for next season, but there is some news regarding some of their former and current players. As he mentioned at locker cleanout last month, Sabres leading scorer Tage Thompson is playing for Team USA at the IIHF World Championships in Sweden and Denmark. As one of the more experienced players on the roster, the 27-year-old is one of three assistant captains (along with Nashville's Brady Skjei and Vancouver's Conor Garland) with Utah's Clayton Keller as team captain. Tage Thompson dances to Free Bird three times today at the Men's Worlds Tournament Tage scores a hat trick vs Germany in Team USA's 6-2 win in Pre-Tournament play 🦅🇺🇸🏒🥅 — 2 Goalies 1 Mic (@2Goalies1Mic) May 4, 2025 Sabres team captain Rasmus Dahlin indicated that he likely would not be joining Team Sweden due to injury, while wingers JJ Peterka (Germany) said he would not play for Germany due to his contract status as a restricted free agent. The tournament begins on Friday with Team USA taking on Denmark. Other Sabres Stories Is Peterka In Prime Position For Big Payday? Sabres Ownership Ranked Worst In NHL By Survey In The Athletic Sabres Facing An Off-Season Of Change The Rochester Americans are awaiting the winner of the Laval-Cleveland series to see who they will face in the second round of the Calder Cup Playoffs. The Rockets currently lead the Monsters 2-1 with Game 4 slated to go on Tuesday in Laval. If the Rockets win, the Amerks will open the best-of-seven series on the road. Here is how some former Sabres did in the playoffs on Monday: Sam Reinhart(FLA) -2, 22:07 TOI, 2 SOG Evan Rodrigues(FLA) 15:02 TOI, 1 SOG, 5 Hits Dmitri Kulikov(FLA) -2, 19:49 TOI, 1 SOG, 5 Hits Jake McCabe(TOR) 2A, +1, 19:27 TOI, 4 Hits Follow Michael on X, Instagram, and Bluesky @MikeInBuffalo
New York Times
03-04-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
The NHL's top 10 most underrated defensemen and why they're so valuable
Who are the most underrated defensemen in the NHL? It's a topic bound to create ferocious debate because of its subjective nature. We have to inherently assume how highly the hockey world/public sphere rates every defenseman and then determine which players deserve more recognition. In an exercise like this, we have to be aware of the Aleksander Barkov effect, where if a player has been unanimously dubbed as underrated for many years, they're probably not underrated anymore. With that in mind, we're going to avoid names like Jaccob Slavin, Devon Toews, Miro Heiskanen and Shea Theodore. Advertisement I'd also argue that Chris Tanev has finally gotten his flowers as an elite shutdown defenseman after last year's tremendous playoff run with the Dallas Stars. Thomas Harley would have been perfect for a list like this, but I believe he turned heads and landed on the casual fan's radar with his impressive play subbing in for Team Canada at the 4 Nations Face-Off. I debated whether MacKenzie Weegar has flown under the radar enough to be on this list, but fans voted him one of the game's most underrated players just a few years ago, and I saw lots of people clamoring for him to be brought in as an injury replacement for Team Canada at 4 Nations, so I leaned toward him being closer to being fairly rated now and left him off. I haven't included Josh Morrissey or Rasmus Dahlin, either. You could argue both deserve more attention, but they're still generally recognized as bona fide stars. Finally, I made a similar list a couple of years ago. I won't be repeating names from that story, which means no Mikey Anderson, Gustav Forsling, Jonas Brodin, Nick Jensen, Vince Dunn or Jake Walman, among others. Here's my personal take on the 10 most underrated defensemen in the NHL, presented in no particular order. LaCombe, a 6-foot-2 left-shot defenseman playing in his second NHL season, has blossomed as the Ducks' undisputed No. 1 defenseman. The smooth-skating 24-year-old is averaging a team-leading 21:58 per game this season. He's a budding offensive star, ranking in the top 20 among all NHL defensemen with 14 goals and 43 points in 67 games (a 52-point pace prorated over 82 games). It's extremely impressive that he's racked up those types of point totals considering how lackluster the Ducks are offensively and how abysmal their power play has been. LaCombe ranks sixth among all NHL blueliners in scoring 1.51 points per 60 at five-on-five (minimum 1000 minutes), behind only Quinn Hughes, Cale Makar, Zach Werenski, Rasmus Dahlin and Adam Fox. Minimum 1,000 five-on-five minutes LaCombe is a dynamic, elite puck transporter. With his confidence and poise rushing the puck, he singlehandedly drives controlled breakouts and offensive entries. His zone exit numbers are in the same neighborhood as the league's best puck-moving defensemen, according to Corey Sznajder's tracking project. Here are two examples of him effortlessly beating heavy forecheck pressure to engineer breakouts with speed: Jackson LaCombe is fun to watch. — Félix Sicard (@Felix_Sicard) March 15, 2025 LaCombe's terrific play with the puck hasn't come at the expense of defensive warts, either. He breaks up plays defending the rush because of his ability to aggressively close gaps with his skating, he's positionally sound, and he logs major minutes on the penalty kill. Anaheim's two-way results in terms of controlling shots, scoring chances and actual goals significantly improve when LaCombe is on the ice. Advertisement He's breaking out as one of the league's premier top-pair puck-moving/offensive defensemen without much fanfare outside of SoCal. Samberg is enjoying a monster breakout season in which he's emerged as the Jets' clear-cut second-best defenseman. The 26-year-old left shot is averaging 21:25 per game and has been trusted by the coaching staff to eat the toughest matchups against top forwards of all Winnipeg blueliners. The Jets have controlled nearly 55 percent of expected goals and outscored opponents by a whopping 20 goals during his five-on-five shifts. Samberg is driving stellar short-handed results while averaging the most PK minutes per game on the team. He checks many boxes for a modern-day elite shutdown player: he's 6-foot-4 which gives him a massive reach/wingspan, he skates well which enables him to quickly gap up to eliminate time and space, his anticipation is impeccable and his active defensive stick is constantly breaking plays up. Here's an example of him making a defensive stop on Aliaksei Protas, the Caps' monster 6-foot-6 power forward: The amazing thing about Samberg is his passing and decision-making with the puck are very sharp and advanced for a player who's primarily focused on the defensive side of the game. You can always count on him to make poised, efficient decisions with the puck to connect plays in all three zones. In fact, according to Sznajder's tracking, Samberg has created more zone exits with possession per hour this season compared to his usual defense partner Neal Pionk, despite the latter having the reputation for being more dynamic and offensively involved. And as his confidence has grown, Samberg has become more ambitious with his playmaking. How many shutdown defensemen can join the rush and make a play like the one below, leading to a scoring chance? Samberg is the indispensable two-way linchpin of the Jets' second pairing. Gavrikov has long been a defensive dynamo, but he's putting together an especially outstanding campaign this season. The 29-year-old Russian was a massive reason why the Kings' blue line held its own for 47 games without Drew Doughty. Gavrikov averaged 23:56 through late January, which led the Kings and ranked top 20 among all defensemen. Despite being forced to regularly play the right side as a left-shot defenseman, he decisively won his minutes on the top pair playing with Mikey Anderson. Advertisement With Doughty back, Gavrikov is now driving the second pair on his natural left side. He's still responsible, however, for absorbing the toughest defensive matchups against top competition, with Doughty's pair handling slightly easier assignments. This season, Gavrikov is helping the Kings control nearly 56 percent of expected goals and has a plus-13 goal differential during his five-on-five minutes. Nearly all of that success comes from his elite defensive impact. Evolving-Hockey RAPM chart Gavrikov suffocates opponents' time and space offensively. He's a big body (6-foot-3 and 220 pounds) and leverages his massive wingspan and strong positional play to masterfully clog passing and shooting lanes on the inside. He also eats the most short-handed minutes on the Kings' top-10 penalty kill. Gavrikov is a below-average puck-mover, but the Kings have the right environment to insulate that. Fowler had been a great player in his prime but appeared to be rapidly declining when the Blues acquired him in mid-December at a reduced $4 million cap hit. His underlying metrics were ugly, with virtually every public analytical model suggesting his defensive game had fallen off a cliff and that he shouldn't be counted on for high-end top-four results. Fowler's point production had cratered to just four points in 17 games at the time of the trade, too. It's amazing, however, what a change in the on-ice environment can do to revitalize some defensemen. Fowler has scored nine goals and 30 points in 45 games (a 54-point pace prorated over 82 games) since joining the Blues. Twenty-five of those 30 points have come at even strength, which ranks top five among all NHL defensemen since the trade. Colton Parayko also benefited enormously from Fowler's arrival; 40-year-old Ryan Suter was struggling as Parayko's partner early in the season, and the five-on-five results instantly flipped once Fowler took that role. The Blues lost Parayko, their No. 1 defenseman, to injury in early March. Despite that, they've gone 11-1-1, with Fowler stepping up hugely in Parayko's absence. He's driven a commanding 58.1 percent of scoring chances and helped the Blues outscore opponents 14-7 during his five-on-five minutes since Parayko went down. Advertisement Adding Fowler has been one of the best bang-for-buck moves any team has made this season. Everybody focuses on the Steven Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault and Brady Skjei signings when discussing the Nashville Predators' surprisingly catastrophic 2024-25 season. The huge offseason change people rarely talk about — one that gutted the defensive solidity of Nashville's top four this season — is the loss of Ryan McDonagh. That, in a nutshell, perfectly captures McDonagh's underrated reputation: People have always known he's a good top-four player, but you don't realize exactly how valuable and irreplaceable he is until he's gone. It's a lesson the Lightning experienced firsthand during the last two seasons without McDonagh, when the club's blue line and overall defensive structure suffered significantly in his absence. Even at 35, McDonagh is one of the best shutdown defensemen in the NHL. The Lightning have controlled 58 percent of high-danger chances and surrendered just 1.85 goals against per 60 during his five-on-five shifts this season, which is one of the best marks in the league. Tampa Bay has outscored opponents by a whopping 23 goals when McDonagh is on the ice at five-on-five. He's helped revitalize longtime partner Erik Cernak, whose game had regressed hard during the two years when the hard-nosed veteran was in Nashville. He's also the backbone of Tampa Bay's elite penalty kill. Dom Luszczyszyn's player card McDonagh is responsible for soaking up the hardest defensive matchups on Tampa Bay's blue line. His success in that daunting role has freed up Victor Hedman to spend about 20 percent fewer minutes against elite competition compared to last season, according to PuckIQ's data. And Hedman's two-way numbers have improved a ton now that he isn't carrying as large a defensive burden. Advertisement Kesselring first caught my eye as a rookie last season. The 6-foot-5 right shot skated well, made poised decisions against heavy forechecking pressure on breakouts and had good puck skills for such a big body. He was relatively sheltered as a third-pair contributor and his game was still raw, but his physical attributes and skill hinted at intriguing upside. With John Marino and Sean Durzi injured on the right side, Kesselring took on a much bigger role in the first half of the season and largely excelled in it. Kesselring averaged 19:04 of ice time through the first 48 games of the season. He was winning those matchups, with Utah controlling about 52 percent of high-danger chances and outscoring opponents 31-18 during his five-on-five shifts. In the clip below, you can see an example of Kesselring's mobility, range and underrated offensive chops. He begins the play by making a nice pass, carries the puck through the neutral zone when he gets it back, dishes it out to a forward and then drives to the net where he creates a Grade-A chance. Kesselring has faced challenges down the stretch since Marino and Durzi returned. The 25-year-old's ice time has been cut to the 15-to-16-minute range over the last couple of months, and he's made some defensive mistakes here and there. None of that should be overly alarming, however. It's normal for sophomore defensemen to face bumps in the road as they gain experience. Most encouragingly, his play-driving metrics have been dominant in this reduced workload, with Utah controlling a team-high 57 percent of shot attempts and 66 percent of high-danger chances during his five-on-five minutes since late January. Kesselring proved in the first half that he can succeed in a top-four role, yet he's mostly anonymous outside of Utah. He'll finish with just shy of 30 points this season, with 22 of those points coming at five-on-five, which ranks top 50 among all NHL defensemen. Massive right-shot defenders who can skate well and make plays are pretty rare commodities. As he matures, improves his positioning and learns how to leverage his size to defend better, he could grow into a valuable, full-time top-four defenseman. Advertisement I know what you're probably thinking: How can a player in a market as enormous as Toronto be underrated? McCabe deserves more attention around the league, however, for how indispensable he's been as a top-four workhorse. His rugged, hard-to-play-against, stingy defensive game has replaced some of the critical traits the Leafs lost when Jake Muzzin's career was derailed by injuries. McCabe's ability to munch big minutes (second among Leafs defensemen in average five-on-five ice-time) and win tough matchups (most minutes against 'elite' competition of all Leafs defensemen, according to PuckIQ) has been especially critical this season because Morgan Rielly hasn't played like a top-pair-caliber defenseman. Tanev and McCabe have been one of the best shutdown pairs in the NHL, helping the Leafs control nearly 57 percent of high-danger chances and 62.9 percent of goals in their shifts together. They've surrendered a minuscule 1.76 goals against per 60 despite defending against top lines. Here's an example of McCabe bodying Connor McDavid on a full-speed rush this season. McCabe gets the body on a speeding McDavid — Omar (@TicTacTOmar) February 2, 2025 Tanev is obviously a huge part of that pair's success, but while he's universally recognized as a top-flight player, McCabe's name is often overlooked. And for those who think McCabe is being carried by Tanev, keep in mind McCabe was still winning his top-four matchups last season when his primary partner was Simon Benoit, a fringe NHL player. Oh, and Toronto's record has taken a huge hit anytime McCabe has been out of the lineup. The Leafs have struggled without Jake McCabe in the lineup — Sportsnet Stats (@SNstats) January 15, 2025 Kulak has long been one of my favorite third-pair defensemen in the NHL. The 31-year-old left shot is an effortless skater, breaks the puck out efficiently and is reliable defensively. Watch how he breaks a play up in the neutral zone and flips the puck ahead to his forwards, leading to a Grade-A chance. Kulak can singlehandedly win his minutes further down the lineup — last year he was posting terrific results despite being saddled with Vincent Desharnais, a slow skater who's really limited with the puck. He's been a strong playoff performer, comfortably handling 16-17 minutes in high-leverage games, which matters because coaches often feel the need to shelter some of their bottom-four defensemen during the postseason. Advertisement This year, Kulak has been elevated to top-four usage and is averaging a career-high 20:08 per game. He hasn't skipped a beat in this higher-leverage role. The Oilers have driven nearly 54 percent of scoring chances in Kulak's five-on-five minutes this season. That's included impressive work playing his off side with Darnell Nurse at times. Kulak is an underrated, versatile player whose puck-moving acumen allows him to thrive anywhere on a team's bottom four. Vegas' blue line has long been considered one of the best in the NHL. It's a deep, well-rounded group that can move the puck, play a heavy defensive style and chip in with offense. Alex Pietrangelo, Shea Theodore and Noah Hanifin get the majority of the spotlight on the back end, but McNabb's steady contributions as a defensive stopper often fly under the radar. McNabb is leaned on as the clear No. 4 on the blue line. He's consistently averaged 20 minutes per game and is tasked with handling tougher-than-league-average matchups. The 6-foot-4 defender is a dying breed/style of player in a couple of ways. Firstly, he's a punishing, explosive open-ice hitter. Alex Laferrier takes a crushing hit from Brayden McNabb.#GoKingsGo #VegasBorn #LAKvsVGK — LA Royalty (@LARoyalty1967) October 29, 2023 Secondly, and most importantly, he's found a way to drive effective defensive results despite being a really slow skater, which is impressive considering how fast and skilled the game is today. He protects the inside defensively with his smart reads, positioning, ability to clog passing and shooting lanes and the way he leverages his size to win battles down low and at the net front. McNabb is driving 54.8 percent of scoring chances and a plus-23 goal differential during his five-on-five shifts this season. He's surrendered just 1.71 goals against per 60, which ranks top 10 among all defensemen who've played in a full-time top-four role this season. Theodore is the perfect stylistic fit for McNabb as a partner because of his dynamic puck-moving and offensive talent. McNabb isn't just a Theodore merchant, however — he's played a ton of time away from him over the last three seasons because of Theodore's injuries, and his underlying numbers have still been pretty decent. Advertisement Making just $2.85 million against the cap for 2024-25 (with a new extension kicking in next season), McNabb has one of the best defenseman contracts in the league. Chatfield has blossomed into a capable second-pair option on a contending team without any fanfare outside of Carolina. Carolina lost Skjei and Brett Pesce in the summer. General manager Eric Tulsky signed Sean Walker and Shayne Gostisbehere in free agency, but both have played together on the bottom pair. The Canes have weathered the top-four departures relatively well thanks to the success Dmitry Orlov and Chatfield have had stepping into a bigger role this season. Chatfield's rise in Carolina is a terrific story. The scrappy, hard-nosed 28-year-old right shot went undrafted and originally signed as a free-agent prospect in Vancouver. The Canucks let him walk in 2021 after a mostly underwhelming NHL campaign. He signed with the Hurricanes and has since developed into a solid defensive-minded No. 4/5 defenseman. Chatfield is ultra-reliable defensively. He's mobile and has a tenacious work rate, which allows him to aggressively kill plays and win battles. He defends the rush well, forcing dump-ins and breaking up entries at above-average rates according to Sznajder's tracking. He can make a clean first pass to drive quality zone exits, too. The Canes have controlled 56 percent of scoring chances and own a plus-10 goal differential during Chatfield's five-on-five minutes this season. The big key this year is he's proving he can maintain that success in a higher-leverage role. He's averaging nearly 19 minutes per game and handling significantly harder matchups compared to last season. — All stats courtesy of Natural Stat Trick, collected prior to April 2 games (Photo of Michael Kesselring and Jackson LaCombe: Rob Gray / Imagn Images)
Yahoo
13-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Can The Sabres Win Over The Red Wings?
Buffalo Sabres – Detroit Red Wings 3/12/25 – 7:30pm EST at Little Caesars Arena, Detroit, MI Record Buffalo – 25-32-6 | 56 points – 8th place in the Atlantic Division Detroit – 30-28-8 | 66 points – 7th place in the Atlantic Division Special Teams Buffalo Power Play – 16.6% (27th) Penalty Kill – 76.8% (22nd) Detroit Power Play – 28.2% (5th) Penalty Kill – 69.5% (32nd) Top Scorers Buffalo Tage Thompson: 57 GP, 33 G, 23 A, 56 PTS Rasmus Dahlin: 55 GP, 11 G, 40 A, 51 PTS JJ Peterka: 61 GP, 19 G, 32 A, 51 PTS Detroit Lucas Raymond: 64 GP, 22 G, 44 A, 66 PTS Dylan Larkin: 64 GP, 27 G, 29 A, 56 PTS Alex DeBrincat: 64 GP, 29 G, 24 A, 53 PTS NEW: Report: Red Wings First Round Pick Axel Sandin-Pellikka Could Finish Season in DetroitLet us know your thoughts by commenting on this story by @_samstockton and voting in the poll!#LGRW — Caleb Kerney (@CKerneyWriter) March 12, 2025 Starting Goalies Buffalo – Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (21-20-4, 3.11 GAA, .892 save %) Detroit – Petr Mrazek (10-19-2, 3.46 GAA, .890 save %) Line Combinations and Pairings Forwards JJ Peterka - Josh Norris– Tage Thompson Jason Zucker – Ryan McLeod - Alex Tuch Zach Benson – Peyton Krebs - Jack Quinn Beck Malenstyn – Sam Lafferty - Jordan Greenway Ex. Isak Rosen, Josh Dunne Defense Rasmus Dahlin - Bowen Byram Mattias Samuelsson - Owen Power Dennis Gilbert - Connor Clifton Ex. - Jacob Bryson Goaltenders Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen James Reimer Injuries Jiri Kulich (day-to-day – illness) Notes Tage Thompson has posted 31 points (17+14) in his last 28 games, including 16 points (11+5) in his last 13. Thompson ranks second in even-strength goals among all NHL skaters, trailing only Leon Draisaitl (31). In his last 12 games against the Red Wings, Thompson has registered 19 points (9+10). Thompson has recorded five points (3+2) in his last five road contests in Detroit. Alex Tuch has collected 14 points (9+5) in his last 13 games, including nine goals in his last 11 games. Rasmus Dahlin has registered 20 points (5+15) in his last 18 games. Dahlin has collected seven points (1+6) in his last seven games against Detroit. JJ Peterka has tallied 19 points (9+10) in his last 17 games and he has registered seven points (2+5) in his last six games. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen has registered 64 saves on 69 saves (.928) in his last two starts. Zach Benson has notched five points (2+3) in his last five games against the Red Wings, including one point in back-to-back games against Detroit. A point in tonight's game would make Benson (19 years, 304 days) the youngest Sabres skater since Pierre Turgeon (19 years, 175 days) from Dec. 28, 1988 to Feb. 19, 1989 (three games; 2+4) to register a point streak of three or more games against the Red Wings. Jason Zucker has posted 15 points (9+6) in his last 13 games against Detroit, including a three-point performance in his most recent game against the Red Wings on Dec. 9, 2024 (2+1). Josh Norris has tallied 10 points (7+3) in 10 career games against the Red Wings. Follow Michael on X, Instagram, and Bluesky @MikeInBuffalo
Yahoo
11-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Dahlin Refutes Assertion Of Wanting Out Of Buffalo
As if the Buffalo Sabres do not have enough drama with the club heading for their 14th consecutive season outside of the playoffs, defenseman Rasmus Dahlin refuted a report from TNT panelist and Spittin Chiclets co-host Paul Bissonette that the Sabres team captain met with GM Kevyn Adams and wants out of Buffalo if the club does not improve quickly. '(Dahlin) said if this doesn't turn around fast, I'm gonzo,' Bissonette said. 'I think he is a world-class defenseman that's just fed up maybe with the negligence that's been going on in Buffalo for far too long.' The 2018 first overall pick is tied for fourth in the NHL in defensive scoring with 51 points, but has not made the playoffs in seven seasons with the Sabres, and has seen teammates Ryan O'Reilly, Jack Eichel, and Sam Reinhart all leave Buffalo and win Stanley Cups, but after practice on Tuesday he refuted the report that he wants to be traded. I just asked Sabres captain Rasmus Dahlin about the comments from the most recent episode of Spittin Chiclets suggesting he told GM Kevyn Adams if something doesn't change soon he wants out of Buffalo. He vehemently refuted the idea he wants out of Buffalo@WKBW — Matthew Bové (@Matt_Bove) March 11, 2025 'I don't know what he's talking about. I have never said I want to out of here. I'm not happy where we're at. I don't want to lose, we have to get better, but I've never said I want to out of here.' Dahlin said on Tuesday after Sabres practice. "I'm pissed off by that. I haven't even mentioned the word leave. So that's just how it is." Dahlin is in year one of an eight-year, $88 million contract with the Sabres, and it would only be natural for him as the team captain to express a level of frustration regarding the state of the club to management, but the the big blueliner took ownership of his part in the squad's disappointing play and wanting to be a part of the solution. "We have to do a lot of stuff. It takes work every day. (Kevyn and I) had a real good discussion. We're very honest with each other. Stuff has to change. That's how it is. I absolutely hate losing. I don't think that's a part of who I want to be, so stuff has to change." Dahlin said. "I haven't played good enough. We haven't won games, so I take responsibility, but (things )have to change……we have to build. We have to get better every single day, each individual has to get better, and we have to play a better team game." Follow Michael on X, Instagram, and Bluesky @MikeInBuffalo
