The Buffalo Sabres will play a game against a team with a different logo for the first time since last May tomorrow night. Buffalo opens up their six-game preseason schedule tomorrow night against the Columbus Blue Jackets in Columbus. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 pm.
With such a young roster with a handful of new faces, it will be interesting to see how the Sabres lines look tomorrow night in the preseason opener. Three names that we know will not be a part of the roster tomorrow night in Columbus are Josh Bloom, Viljami Marjala, and Olivier Nadeau. The team announced this morning that all three of those players have been returned to their junior clubs.
As there are a lot of young players fighting for roster spots in Buffalo this preseason, the most closely fought battle in camp and preseason may include some of the oldest players on the team. It seems, as of now at least, that Craig Anderson and Aaron Dell are likely to be the goalies on the Sabres opening night roster, but it is still to be determined which one will start.
With Dell and Anderson looking like they will be the Sabres goalies to start the season, this leaves Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen on the outside looking in at the Sabres roster on opening night. After making his NHL debut last season and playing in four games before being injured, it looks like UPL will at least start this season in Rochester playing for the Americans.
But it does seem like a safe bet that UPL will eventually be back in Buffalo this season, especially later in the season as both Dell and Anderson are just on one-year deals with Buffalo. If the Sabres do not plan on bringing either of them back after this season, then their plans will likely include UPL being in Buffalo for the foreseeable future.